Browsing: Review

Or – “Things Get Even WEIRDER…” One of the most entertaining facets of Mike Allred’s Madman stories (and, indeed, most of the rest of his output as well) is that it’s not just another adventure story.  A Madman story could only take place with Frank Einstein as the main character, as his peculiarities drive the narrative, and his strange point-of-view makes even the most straightforward story a bit wonky.  Now, imagine that the story is already freaky-deakier than a night spent on Quaaludes in Amsterdam with Hunter Thompson, Austin Powers, and the guy who dreamed up Snuffleupagus, talking about the symbolism…

Or – “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, And Deathstroke Too.” Now, I’m not the best person to ask whether you should get married (it should be noted that I was only engaged for about six months after having known the woman for about four days) since I’ll always recommend the institution, but for Dinah and Ollie there is one question I have to ask. Why would she say yes to a man who not only lied to her about the death of her adoptive daughter, but let her believe Sin was dead for several days? Not that I doubt…

Or – “The Ol’ Triple Cross Changeup…” I’ll say this for Maddie Warner: she’s every bit as formidable as her archetypical forebear, Lois Lane.  Faced with not one but TWO super-powered antagonists, she neither cowered nor begged for her life, instead choosing to level the playing field, turn the tables, and several other cliches that I can’t think of right now.  In a team where the gothy girl is the muscle, the big jocky guy is the telepath, and the type-A team leader girl has the atypical power of supersonic flight, it’s just another example of turning a cliche on…

Or – “This Is Highly Irregular, Dave…” You can’t blame Marvel for trying to recapture the magic of Annihilation… A sprawling cosmic saga starring characters who have been dormant, mistreated, or disrespected for decades doesn’t seem to be an instant winner. But the readers really responded to Nova, Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull and Ronan’s adventures, and the use of nearly every character in Marvel’s space-faring arsenal was a lot of fun for the amateur historians among us. Annihilation: Conquest hasn’t quite put the lightning back in the bottle, but at least some of the same fun is present, even if the…

Or – “You Thought TYROC Was Obscure?” In the 1950’s when the Legion was formed, the future was all about rocketships, frapguns and aliens with big heads.  Throughout the 60’s, there were occasional flirtations with mystical things, and the 70’s brought Mordru the Merciless, giant floating wizard with one of the silliest hats I’ve ever seen.  Even when the White Witch joined in the 80’s, her magic was much more quantified and limited, itself more resembling science than the sorcerous like of Doctors Strange or Fate.  But during the 90’s Reboot period (known pejoritively as the “Archie Legion”) there was…

…only without girls flashing the camera or girl on girl snogging Finally we’re back on schedule with our trip down the backside backbone of the DCU. I’ve finally come to grips with what Countdown is all about. All of the rest of titles in mainstream DC are like the feature presentation on an overpriced DVD you recently went out to purchase. Countdown then represents the behind the scenes and the extras features. Sure those extras are fun to check out, and in some case they are just as well produced as the main feature. This week’s issue is certainly a…

Or – “Mass Murderer Or Not, He’s Hardcore.” For all the issues I may have with Countdown, one of the most disappointing is how badly it compares to last year’s weekly, 52. Even during the weeks that didn’t click, (and there were several) 52 at least gave us the feeling that there was a clear plan and that the various writing teams had the same game plan in mind. The real triumph wasn’t in elevating B-List characters or the weekly format, but the depth and perspective that the writers brought to Renee, Ralph, Buddy, Adam, Kori and, most of all,…

Spoiler alert for those reading Sinestro Corps War Another day, another catch-up review of Countdown – at this rate I’ll be caught back up by week’s end. This issue is a bit of a problem, not because of the story, but because of the potential spoiler for those following the tale of Kyle Rayner. I can’t spoil it all in the first paragraph! For that answer, you’ll have to take the jump.

Or – “This Just In! Former Captain America Steve Rogers is STILL Dead…” Let’s say you were living in the year 1985, enjoying Mark Gruenwald’s run on Captain America Volume 5. He’s been crafting interesting stories every month (even the stuff with Flag-Smasher) but suddenly, a time machine appears, and out steps a wild-haired madman who tells you of the far-flung autumn of 2007! “Uhhh… Marty! Marty! We’ve got to do something about the future!! Captain America is dead! Bucky, the Falcon, and Sharon Carter are headlining his book! We’ve got to go… Back To The Future!!!!” Would you expect…

It’s about %$*&#@ time! Yes, I know. If I could go back in time knowing everything that I know now, the first thing I would do is make sure my full dance card had a spot open for Countdown reviews. The second would be “accidentally” meeting Charisma Carpenter and having her fall madly in love with yours truly. But that’s a fantasy fulfillment story for another blog… I figure if DC can muck around with release schedules, why should a “slight” delay in Countdown reviews be any different? Anyhoo, let’s check in on the heroes and anti-heroes, the wicked and…

Or – “It Goes Too Far…” The Illuminati took it upon themselves to rid the world of the Hulk… and it was a mistake. The Red King of Sakaar believed he could kill the Green Goliath… and it was a mistake. The heroes of Earth thought they could stop the Hulk with force… and it was a mistake. Doctor Strange chose to channel Zom to end the fighting… and it was a mistake. Hulk’s up to bat… Who wants to bet on how well it’s going to go?

Or – “In Which I Take A Position That’s Probably Indefensible To Anyone But Me.” Is that not an awesome shot? But I digress… I’ve long become accustomed to holding minority opinions in the world of comic books. I’ve never felt that Wolverine’s feral samurai act was all that compelling. I’ve never thought that Batman was the real person and Bruce Wayne just the mask. The only time I liked Moon Knight was during the much-maligned ‘Egyptian-weapons-joined-the-West-Coast-Avengers’ period of his title. And I’d much rather read a goofy Bob Haney issue of Brave & The Bold than anything featuring Youngblood.…

Or�- “The Real World’s Greatest Detective Ain’t Some Spoiled Rich Kid From Gotham…” Today’s entrant marks a real watershed in the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  Before Tellus, before Blok, even before the pseudo-alien blue skin of Shadow Lass, came today’s subject.� The first really alien alien on the Legion roster, (even though Brainiac 5 preceded him, Querl is really just a blonde white kid colored oddly) he comes from a mystical, secretive, and widely-reviled race of shape-shifters.  In a universe that fears and loathes his people, he acts as an ambassador, proving that perceptions, predispositions, and prejudices aren’t always…

Or – “That Cover Looks Really Familiar…” That right there is an “Oh, $#!+” moment… If you were around in 1985-1986, you may remember the sheer scope and breathtaking change that the original Crisis On Infinite Earths heralded. This was staid and steady DC here, the company known for the status quo, and infinite variations on a theme (Kryptonian renegades from the Phantom Zone! The Joker has committed crimes that start with J, then O, then K, but where will he strike next?) and even the shock value of Supergirl’s death could be one-upped by the sacrifice of a FOUNDING…