Browsing: Review

Or – “Oh, Good.  Achilles Is Back…  Sigh…” The ‘Rise Of The Olympian’ storyline has been the focal point of Wonder Woman for seemingly fifty-seven years now, and while the last couple of issues have given me pause to remember what I really like about Wonder Woman under Gail Simone, I’m not thrilled to see the Olympian once again taking center stage.  So, how does the issue pan out?

Or – “Time, Time, Time…  See What’s Become Of Me…” When Pete Quill’s ragtag group of cosmic-types took on the name Guardians of the Galaxy, there was already a team in the Marvel Universe by that name…  Or at least there will have been one, in the 31st Century.  The original GotG were a group of oppressed Freedom Fighters under the rule of the Badoon, a race of what seemed to be barbarian space-lizards.  Since they won’t be around for about another thousand years, give or take, who exactly do you suppose the people in that picture are?

The world’s greatest detective is back, and still has six months to live.  But this time, she and James Doyle don’t know each other – or do they?  Strange things are afoot, and it has to do with a mystery that took place between this series and the last.

Or – “我的父親说出我名字 上氣，意味上升精神…”  “My father named me Shang Chi, which means rising of the spirit.  He hoped that one day, I would become the world’s greatest kung fu master, as well as it’s most accomplished assassin…  I believed my father was a great man, and I was proud to call him master.  But even after I learned of his evil nature.  I never rejected the art of Kung Fu.  The Tao of the Warrior is sacred, and not even my father could corrupt it.”  What more do you really need to know? *Review

Mickey Mouse is one of those timeless characters that everyone knows. From his first appearance in the Steamboat Willie short back in 1928, he has proven time and time again that he’s a hard mouse to keep down. While his contemporaries may have faded like the ink they where drawn in, Mickey Mouse has gained more popularity year after year. He is one of the few characters that can connect through almost any culture, and now he has come to Boom Studios. I got the chance to read Mickey Mouse and Friends #296, the first issue from Boom Kids division…

When Entertainment Weekly named John McClane as one of the Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture, they probably never took into account that the hero who gets the job done when no one else will started out as a New York beat cop in the 1970s.  Sure beating the crap out of international terrorists seems pretty glamorous, but what was McClane’s life like before that fateful flight to L.A.?

Or – “Another Reason Not To Judge A Book By Its Cover…” Let’s be honest here for a minute.  More than likely, the existence of Jessica Drew owes more to Marvel protecting it’s trademarks than any true stroke of creative brilliance.  Don’t get me wrong, I do like the character, but most people know her as the girl with the great hair or the huge…  tracts of land, (especially as drawn by David Finch) than know her as a heroic symbol of whatever.  She’s had five or six different origins, and some of the most powerful issues featuring her in…

Or – “I Am DE BATWOMAAAAN!” There’s a new head of the super-creepy Religion of Crime, and she’s as dangerous as she is eccentric and beautiful.  Batwoman has been rushing to stop Gotham’s latest freakshow from taking over the town, but when Alice kidnapped Batwoman’s father last issue, it was clear that things were about to get personal…  But how did she find out Kate Kane’s identity?

After reading the preview images that the good folks at Dynamite Entertainment sent Major Spoilers earlier this week, I could not help but take the opportunity to review the second installment in new series telling the early days of one of the most famous of Robert E. Howard’s villains, the man known as Thulsa Doom! More after the Jump!

The story may be one that you think you know well. Millionaire playboy industrialist Tony Stark is one of the smartest men on the planet, CEO of Stark International, and in times of need, the golden avenger Iron Man. You ask any comic book reader, even the most casual one, and they can all rattle off at least that much to you and probably still have much more to say besides. Currently, he is featured in several Marvel titles every month and has been a major player practically since the day he was introduced. He has been everything from the…

Or – “The Leader Of The Pack…  And Now He’s Gone.” When the other celestial cities debuted a couple of years ago in Iron Fist, I doubted that their champions could really hold a candle to the might of the Iron Fist.  I figured that we’d see the brief Mortal Kombat competition end with Danny Rand’s ascendence and that would be it.  I was pleasantly surprised by the brilliance of Fat Cobra, and each issue of this series has been interesting to varying degrees.  So, how does Dog Brother #1 size up?

If we do a retcon, will it make that lawsuit go away? Superman, Krypton, Smallville, Lex Luthor, Superboy, Lana Lang, rocket ship, super suit, heat vision, Ma and Pa Kent, glasses, and a spit curl; everything you already know about Superman’s history.  The origin story has been told so many times I would bet you could walk up to some hot girl on the street and ask her about any of these, and she would know what you were talking about.  So why, oh why, did DC give the light to Geoff Johns to retcon the well known origin story?

The heroes of the Red Circle march on as DC Comics’ second series based on the recently re-introduced Archie heroes debuts with The Web! The web originally debuted in issue #27 of Zip Comics back in 1942 as a college criminologist professor/mystery writer. His last appearance was in 1943’s Zip Comics #38. Twenty-plus years later, he re-appeared in Fly-Man #36. The character made several appearances during the Red Circle/Archie Adventures comics of the late 70’s/early 80’s and was completely transformed for the first DC revival as a hi-tech organization called The Web. Now, DC is trying again, this time bringing…

Or – “Hey, Vent! You Ready To Move Out?” When you read monthly comic books the way that I do, often times you get to the point where you feel like you know what’s coming, when every title feels like you’ve read it before. On the other hand, you have the odd experience where you read a title or issues that you KNOW you’ve read before, but you cannot for the life of you remember how it’s supposed to end. With over a hundred monthly titles coming out, sometimes you need to play catchup, you need to go where everybody…