Browsing: Review

Time to wrap up all the loose ends Trips across the country to attend conventions, moving to new digs, trips to the hospital, and the rush to get caught back up with Major Spoilers pale in comparison to the traveling around the universe, trips through time and the rush to try and wrap up 52 in a neat and tidy package. This week my 52 review returns just in the nick of time.

Or – “What Actually Happened When The Question Was Popped…” DC Comics is evil. There’s no other explanation for it… Before Infinite Crisis, Dick Grayson the former Boy Wonder proposed marriage to Barbara Gordon, the former Dominoed Daredoll, and she said “Yes.” Then, the One Year Later gap arrived, and afterwards, Dick was in New York butting heads with Jason Todd, and Babs was running the Birds of Prey, and never the twain shall meet. Then, they really twisted the knife by giving Dick a quickie affair with some bimbo named “Cheyenne,” because apparently “Fabergé” and “Fémalé Pajama” (pronounced “fehMAHlay…

Or – “Russian History, Resurrection, The Secret Six And An Immortal Fistfight.” It’s an interesting time to be a DC character. Sure, you’ve got tons of new storylines, a whole new world opened up, an old multiverse lurking ’round the corner, origins retold, World War III, Darkseid’s in the wings, and a host of all-new sandboxes to play in. Why, they’ve even undone the greatest injustice of Mark Waid’s run on “Justice League America” by revealing that Ice survived her seeming disintegration (if that woman WAS Ice to begin with.) It’s a bright, shiny new DCU, full of infinite possibilities.…

Or – “The Next Big Thing You’re Probably Not Reading.” Comics ain’t what they used to be. That’s certainly not a bad thing, especially if you use 1993 as your definition of “used to be,” but in a world of Attacking Amazons, Hulking World Wars, hugely vaunted relaunches and basic empire-building, you gotta question why a classic story of a woman fighting for justice and the people who support her has had such a hard time finding an audience. It’s a throwback to the old days of superheroing, with some fresh twists on classic material, and it’s been cancelled twice…

Or – “Making The World Safe By Standing Around And Talking For Roughly A Decade…” If you’re a regular Spoilerator, (And if so, thanks! If not, welcome aboard! There’s dip by the radiator, and remember our only rule: ‘Tom Grice is WRONG, Sir! WRONG!’) you won’t be surprised to hear that the new, awesome, world-changing status quo of the Avengers titles hasn’t really done anything to blow my dress up thus far. I mean, yes to the setup of the two conflicting team, yes to the use of less-spotlighted characters and old favorites (the return of the Wasp and the…

Or – “Nor Do The Wind, Or The Sun Or The Rain…” Last November, Stephen reviewed Shadowpact #6, and we were both a little disappointed. Each subsequent month, I’d look at Shadowpact and go “Well, Stephen covered it last November. This one’s his problem!” (The same rationale kept me from re-reading early issues of the new Flash and also saving many innocent brain cells.) Then came Shadowpact #12. Though always a quality book, even when disappointing, Shadowpact leapt back into the “awesome” stack, and I am hereby engaging the “My guy” clause of my contract with MajorSpoilers.com (Section III, paragraph…

Or – “Voted Most Likely To Make Me Feel Like Sisyphus…” Y’know, I’m surprised that, in an era where the two big Avengers titles cause so much consternation, more people aren’t interested in reading this series. Is it because it’s not the current Avengers? The lack of Captain America, or Iron Man, or Thor? Is it the price? What? This series has been 8 issues of excellent, from script to art to coloring, and not only have I not seen anybody but Tom Grice and I pick it up at the store (Gatekeeper Hobbies, Huntoon & Gage, Topeka! Ask ’em…

Or – “Does Barry Manilow Know That You Raid His Wardrobe?” The Marvel Universe. A place of myth and legend (so long as you’re a geek like us.) It’s greatest strength is the myriad of characters, interacting, changing (within reason), growing (as long as it doesn’t affect revenue) and bouncing off one another. Every Marvel character has a following, and if you don’t believe me, google and see how many people are happy to see Armadillo turn his act around. Unfortunately, the greatest weakness of the Marvel Universe is the same thing: It’s myriad of characters blah blah blah fishcakes.…

Or – “Torn Between ‘It’s Better Than Before’ And ‘When Does Gail Start?” I’m not sure what bothers me more about Wonder Woman: The fact that original writer Allan Heinberg’s schedule was such that it took nearly a year to publish four issues, or that, since DC’s next big crossover event (Didn’t we just FINISH one of those?) ties into Wonder Woman and her backstory, we’re now seeing WW’s book more often than I fill my gastank. I gotta tell you, as much as I wanted to see this revamp succeed, I’m about Wonder Woman’d out. The disappointment connected to…

Or – “For What Seemed Like A Shameless Marketing Ploy, It’s Quite Good…” I admit it:  I initially avoided “Rush City” when it appeared in Previews, assuming that it was another of those “car books” (like ‘The Hire’ from Dark Horse, and ‘The Ride’ from Image) and, indeed, it is what the marketing gurus call ‘Branded Content’ as the main characters wheels based on the Pontiac Solstice roadster.  But with the first issue, the book impressed me, crafted a well-done story with elements of the spy genre, the omnipresent superhero story, and a well-written lead character with an emotional core story.  This…

Or – “Maybe The FOURTH Time Will Be The Charm?” It may surprise regular Spoiler-a-holics that I, the man who always schmucks up discussions with “I have a complete run of Captain Schmaggeggi, and blah dee blah” that I do NOT have all of Nova’s various series, even though Nova is “one of my guys.” Don’t get me wrong, I have the original 25 issue series (including the ones drawn by Carmine Infantino which are… NOT C.I.’s best work), I have the Fantastic Four crossovers, and the issue of What If. I have most of the second series, but faded…

Or – “Fruity IS One Way To Describe It.  Bananas Will Also Suffice…” Of all the comic books I’ve owned, this one proved among the most difficult to track down.  (I know, you’re probably amazed that I went looking for the thing at all, but I have a penchant for collecting the weird and obscure heroes of small publishers.)  First, it’s easy to get a complete run of a one-issue series, and second, part of the fun of buying old comics is the thrill of the hunt, looking through third-hand bookstores and creepy shops in off-kilter neighborhoods to find that…

Or – “Requiem For An Orka…” Okay, I have to admit it: I’m irritated at Brad Meltzer. Stay with me here, it’ll all make sense eventually. In Justice League of America #8, it is revealed that Superman ranked Karate Kid as a 15th level fighter, and Batman as a level 12, yet Batman subsequently defeated KK in combat with a kick in the nards and a snide remark about enjoying proving Superman wrong. Digressing from my digression, let me mention that in the wrestling industry, there’s a concept called “putting over” an opponent: to wit, you make sure that your…

Or – “We Really Do Have A Limited Understanding Of Canadia And It’s Bacon.” Alpha Flight is one of those concepts that never really gelled for anyone but the original creator. John Byrne had a feel for the characters that no one else has ever really managed to recreate, and the fact that this was a Canadian team seemed to make the writers try and treat them differently than a “normal” superhero group. From the revelation that Northstar and Aurora were actually descended from fairies (irony, indeed), to the fake resurrection of Guardian to the real resurrection of Guardian to…