BIFF! BAM! POW!! Comics!

I did that specifically to irritate, I'm an ass. Now, here's some comics stuff/reviews:

First, ADD has a new blog entry up discussing the changes looming at the Galaxy, my favorite part:

Here we are on Friday morning. Most of the new, regular columns arefinished and ready, as are a major interview and an introduction byone of the biggest names in the industry (not coincidentally one ofCBG's biggest supporters over its lifetime). A lot is left unfinished,though, and I will be working as hard as I can to finish everything upand have everything as close to perfect as we can for Monday. I'm not the only one, either – nearly two dozen people are now committed to Comic Book Galaxy, and many of them are hard at work right nowcreating new and interesting – and entertaining content for you to read next week, and the week after, and hopefully all the weeks to come after that, forever and ever, amen. Please do join us on Monday.

If by "hard at work" he means "eating a sandwich and watching That 70s Show" then that sentence sooooo describes me.

Seriously, why is the comics community as a whole so negative? I've been with the Galaxy since November of last year, and this is the first time Alan has implemented any changes, but even before that, I don't recall any really giant sweeping changes. Like he says, it's a volunteer site, so often times people stroll in and out and there hasn't been much in the way of fluidity over the years, but the site has made a return from the dead, writers do come and go, but there's NEVER been anything like this. Besides, this is the internet folks, if you don't come in and clean house or implement new policies, attract new readers and talent and update the look of your site with some regularity, well, you're going to be left in the dust for sure. So, all you naysayers, just shut up, sit back, have a Coke and a smile, because Monday morning is going to blow your fucking mind.

Now, here's some reviews:

Tales of the TMNT #11

This issue is an odd one, a stand-alone tie-in. A trio of people are brainwashed by a mysetrious group and sent to kill Splinter. A battle ensues in which Splinter goes all Yoda on them, only unlike the green one, the rat plays for keeps. This book continues to be one of my favorites. Thought it's not always high-quality, it rarely fails to at least entertain. I like these occasional arc that will tie into other things throughout the TMNT universe. The only downfall? Occasionally I get lost as my knowledge of the TMNT past is limited to these current books.

X-Force: Shatterstar #4

I'm sure I'm the only person reading this. Really wasn't bad, the end was kind of hokey, and i have to wonder at the decision to just leave a character, even one like Spiral, in an alternate dimesion, but she'll find a way back I'm sure. Overall though? Another pointeless Marvel mini.

Y, the Last Man #34

I'm really diggin fill-in artist Goran Sudzuka's pencils. Vaughan is blowing me away month after month with interesting plot developments every issue. It's hard to believe that this book is almost three years old and it's still exciting. I love the moral dilemma's, reopening world trade via the opium industry is a brilliant example. Plus, with only one man left on Earth, is it perfectly okay for the women to fall into this? Opium obviously takes them away from their worries, even if they knew about Yorick there's no guarentee that he could even reproduce, and if he could, is what killed the men still living among the women? So the human race may very well be doomed but is a "wait and see" stance a better option? Comics at their finest.

The Crusades: Urban Decree

This is a blast from the recent past. I got it out of a 50-cent bin and enjoyed the hell out of it. I'll definitely be tracking down the series. It's the story of a knight come to modern days to stop evil. But not super-powered evil, just regular old evil. Rapists, murderers, thieves, etc, etc. Written by Steven T Seagle and drawn by Kelly jones, it's a fascinating look at urban life with a few good twists thrown in as well as a mystery or two. Can't wait to see more.

Machine Man & Bastion Annual '98

And I thought todays X-books were horrid. This is crap on top of crap. A tie in to that oh-so-important Bastion thing, Machine Man barely appears in this (other than to be a bad guy, which doesn't work), it's mostly Cable and Bastion duking it out one way or another, but the dialogue and captions are ENTIRELY exposition. This recaps the whole dam Prime sentinal thing, tying it in with other X-related Sentinal sagas. DUMB with a giant-ass D. I bought this cuz I'm a Cable fan and it's a book I mysteriously didn;t buy when it came out, but I want my 50-cents back dammit.

-L