Friday, December 31, 2004

No Time For Lists Dr. Jones

60 hrs. in 6 days. That's what it will amount to by Saturday night. So, I'm pretty much phsically and mentally exhausted right now. I'd planned on doing a year end retrospective, but that doesn't look likely at all. So, until next year, bon voyage!

Oh, and happy New Year...

-L


Tuesday, December 28, 2004

The After Christmas List

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

May not be worth the buy, but it's worth the rent. Ferrel is nowhere near as good as he was in Elf, but the supporting cast and cameos make up for it.

Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries

For all you Sci-Fi geeks out there.

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die

The worst movie title ever.

King Of The Hill: The Complete Third Season

Woooohoooo!

Open Water

Looks too much like "the Blair Witch in the ocean" to be of any interest, but I may rent it eventually.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

I wanted to see this in theatres but never got around to it. Loved the first, so I'm hoping this one's worth the wait.

Tour Of Duty: The Complete Second Season

For those who like alittle war in their TV

Wicker Park

Did this even make it to theatres? Not around here I guess. What happened to Josh Hartnett? Wasn't he on everyone's hot list? Maybe it was that Harrison Ford movie he did? He just peeked there I suppose...

Wimbledon

I'll bet money the only enjoyable thing about this movie is Paul Bettany.

On the "watching" side of things, I saw Dodgeball today. Not as funny as everyone says, but it was a good movie with a few genuine laughs. The cast was good, and it achieves its goal. I'd like to see Vaughn go back to making more serious films, but that probably won't happen. I was surprised to see that Will Ferrell didn't pop up in the flik anywhere, but the cameos by David Hasselhoff, The Shat, and Chuck Norris are pretty funny, and Jason Bateman is great.

In the comics world, looks like JMS will be taking over the writing chores on the Fantastic Four for Marvel. Guess that means we'll find out there's some incest in Sue and Johnny's past? I'm glad I dropped the book when I did. Farewell Waid and 'Ringo, guess it'll be a while before I get back into the FF!

-L
Humbug to the New Year

Looks like I'll be posting almost nothing this week, I'm scheduled to work 50 hours at least, maybe more. My wallet is thanking me, but my brain is hurting just thinking about it.

I did read X-Force #5. God that sucked. Not just regular Liefeld suckage either. Beyond that. Waaaaay beyond that. It might be the worst book I've read all year. Don't buy it. I seriously hope I'm the only person who has been.

Outside of that, no comics.

I did watch The Hebrew Hammer. Loved it. Everyone should see it. It's wonderful, I laughed alot. That's about all I have time for...

I'll try and get a post in tomorrow, at least the DVD listing.

-L

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Merry Post-Christmas

I had hoped to get a post or two in before and on Christmas, but obviosly that didn't happen. I hope everyone out there had a good holiday and got some rest and relaxation, and if not, I hope you got some good swag.

I walked away with the Megatron from the Transformers: Energon line, Tidal Wave from the Armada line, Smokescreen from the Alternators line, and the Generation One Devastator set, minus one bot, Hook. That kind of irked me because the person who bought it had no idea that the set was six robots and not five, so she got kind of ripped off. My Mom couldn't get me much, but she put together a great photo album for me, which was pretty nice. I got one movie, the Shawshank Redemption Special Edition, which was great, cuz it's the GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE and all.

I also got a surround sound system, a good one, it almost blows me out of my room. Wait, I did get a pair of used DVD's too, the new Harry Potter and Ginger Snaps 2. I got a watch and and a Mythological Encyclopedia, as well as the comics I ordered from Mike awhile back. Muchos Gracias for him getting them to me before the holiday, you rock Mike!

My brother bought me a Crow lithograph which was pretty amazing, it's got an image of Brandon Lee surrounded by three beautiful women. Not sure who the women are, but hey, they're hot, even if the are drawings!

I walked away with a zero in the clothes department, unless you count socks, and that was only one pair. For me that's a good thing, I hate people buying me clothes.

I am eventually going to have a post about comics, hopefully tomorrow, and I've put off reviewing lately, so I've got to get back in that habit as well.

-L


Thursday, December 23, 2004

Not what I had in mind...

But, since I didn't make it over to the comic shop, here's a look at Comicscape's readers Best of 2004:

10. DAREDEVIL

I quit reading this book awhile back. I've been meaning to keep up with it via trades, but found that it was more or less "out of sight, out of mind." Good for you who are enjoying it though.

9. AVENGERS

Whatever. There's no way this was in the years Top 10. Of course, I could be wrong, I didn't read it, so maybe I shouldn't judge it. But, like another book that pops up down the list, this just reeked of publicity stunt, and I was having no part of it.

8. FLASH

Don't read it. Johns keeps getting notoriety for his DC work, maybe it's deserved, but i know at least one person who would disagree.

7. FANTASTIC FOUR

Finally, something I can agree with. waid and 'Ringo did more for the Fab 4 than probably anyone ever has, outside of Lee & Kirby that is. The Hereafter arc alone ranks among my all time favorite superhero stories.

6. AVENGERS/JLA

Huh, some people are gluttons for punishment it seems. This book was a complete mess to me. Another publicity stunt that didn't appeal to anyone outside of the two groups of established readers. I'm pretty familiar with Marvel continuity, and I found it hard to follow. It looked good though.

5. WE3

This list just took a turn for the better! Despite some of the readers apparent lack of taste, I'd like to think this book is one that everyone is enjoying. This is one of those people will be talking about a decade from now.

4. DC: THE NEW FRONTIER

Ditto. This is a fantastic piece, and if you missed the issues, Vol. 1of the collection is out as of today, go buy it. Yeah, it pisses me off that it'll be in two seperate volumes, but I'll deal.

3. EX MACHINA

After disliking the other Vaughan books I'd tried to get into, I passed on this one. It keeps getting praise, and i'll probably check out the trade.

2. ASTONISHING X-MEN

I dropped this after the first issue. Everyone seems to be loving it, but I'm just not biting on any more monthly x-books. There's too much to keep up with.

1. IDENTITY CRISIS

I guess there are a lot of DC readers at Comicscape, and i assume this was before they read the ending. As someone who's never followed the DCU closely, I'd have had no friggin clue about who did it, nor would I have gave a damn. Glad I passed it up, and I hate to think this was the years best.

There were some honorable mentions:

1602; HUMAN TARGET; SECRET IDENTITY; BULLSEYE: GREATEST HITS; FABLES; MADROX; OPTIC NERVE; GUARDIANS; RUNAWAYS; FALLEN ANGEL; Y: THE LAST MAN; THE WALKING DEAD; CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME; SUPREME POWER; MAN-THING; EVERYMAN: BE THE PEOPLE ("published by FWD Books in September...it's tightly written with outstanding but accessible art," Tony Shenton tells us); NYX; BIRDS OF PREY; ROSE AND THORN; WONDER WOMAN; JSA; and LUCIFER.

Of those I like 1602, Bullseye, Fables, Guardians, Y, Madrox, and Supreme Power. It was nice to see Optic Nerve in there, but sadly I'm not a regular reader. Yeah, yeah, I plan on fixing that.

Again, this wasn't mypics, I'll probably have those later this week.

Elsewhere on the web,

ADD takes a look at what's coming in 2005.

Mike has a contest to win, for free, the latest Swamp Thing Trade. Go check it out, nothing beats free swag.

So...more tomorrow? Why not?!

-L

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

The list, and other stuff

The 4400: The Complete First Season

Retail on this is a verylowe $26.99, which means you can likely find in for around $20. I hate that I missed it when it aired, and I might pick it up soon, it looked pretty interesting.

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

This, on the other hand, I'm staying the hell away from. You couldn't pay me to rent it.

De-Lovely

Cole Porter is a favorite of mine, and I'm really looking forward to seeing this bio-pic, hopefully during Christmas weekend.

King Arthur

Available in two versions, I'll be renting the unrated, intended version. Studios screwing with a director's vision is nothing new, thankfully we have DVD's now so we can enjoy the movie the way it was intended...or at least see it the way it was intended.

The Manchurian Candidate

This remake can't be nearly as intelligent as the original...mainly because it's a remake. I plan on seeing it, mostly because of Washington, but I recommend everyone see the Sinatra version first, if you haven't already.

Napoleon Dynamite

Can this be as good as everyone seems to think it is? I plan on finding out, and I plan on being disappointed, movies like this never live up to their hype for me.

Shaun of the Dead

And movies like this tend to far exceed their hype. Looks brilliant.

The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season

Do you need anymore info?

Star Trek Voyager: Season Seven

Also available, the entire series as a set. How can Trek fans afford this stuff?

Surviving Christmas

Well, that was fast...

Thunderbirds

Looked far too juvenile for me to pay good money for, but I may rent it.

Two Brothers

If this had played near me for longer than a week I'd have gone to see it. I don't normally go in for movies solely about animals, but this one looks too good to pass up.

I finished Chappelle's Show Season 1 today. It's a great set, with an uber-cheap asking price ($20 most places, sometimes less) and probvably the best sketch comedy show since the early years of SNL. It's equal parts brilliant satire and sophmoric fart jokes. It does something very few shows have been able to, address racial issues without seeming preachy or one-sided, and makes you laugh at the same time. It'snot for the kiddies, but it's got a little bit of everything for all you adults out there. Go, buy it, rent it, watch it, support it.

I downloaded the Sin City trailer a few hours ago as well, and I'm officially excited about it. It looks stylish, and like most Rodriguez films will likely be misunderstood by most of the movie going public (ormaybe that's just here in the South?). It looks like it's going to be the most faithful comic-to-film adaption ever, and the casting is nothing short of brilliant. Cinescape has a link to it if you wanna gander at it.

NBC is airing off it's final episodes of Father of the Pride while most other shows take a holiday break. It was a doomed-from-the-start concept that can't get past it's own intent. Without a broad appeal it never had a chance on network TV, and couldn't be the "adult" show it strived for without being on cable. It seems like everything John Goodman has touched since Roseanne has turned to crap, no fault of his own, but still rather dismaying.

I got a copy of America: The Book as an early Christmas present this week. It's freaking brilliant. I can't remember the last time I sat and read a book, and the fact that it's made up like a school textbook makes it even funnier!

Comic book stuff tomorrow...I swear!

-L

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Recent Happenings

Family problems continue to abound, but seeing as I've bogged this place down with them lately, I'm going to talk about a few other things.

First, I'm gonna start doing some small reviews here again for the floppies I buy, mainly because there's so few of them now, and also they're more mainstrean stuff, and I never get around to putting five or six together for CBG Quick Hits. So, look for that to start happening again.

I recieved a few early Christmas presents, my Falcons clinched a first round bye-week in the NFL Playoffs today because the Jaguars beat the Packers. Also, they won yesterday, and last week clinched their third division title in franchise history. Most of you don't care, I'm sure, but (insert smiley-sticking-out-tongue here)!!

More football news, I'm in the playoff in my Fantasy League, and like my boys, I got a first round bye. WOOOHOOO!!!!!

I'd like to say I've been watching a ton of movies, but I haven't. I did get around to one though, borrowed from my brother:

Scotland, PA

It's got a great cast, particularly Chris Walken, and it's about a couple of diner workers who murder their boss and take over the business, using his ideas to make a ton of money. Walken plays an investigator looking into the murder, and while there are the usual Walken quirks, it's rare to see him playing such a great guy. The man doesn't have a huge acting range, but he's always a pleasure to watch. Well worth the rent, even if you aren't into oddlittle crime capers or dark comedies.

I did finish Seinfeld, and everyone should buy it, I promised a rundown of the features, but Amazon.com does a better job, and you can buy it while you're there.

I've also picked up the new Family Guy DVD, The Freakin' Sweet Collection. It's got all new commentaries on four of the five episodes (Seth's favorites) and the original version of THE ROAD TO RHODE ISLAND episode. Good stuff, bought solely for the features of course. It's also got previews of the new season, and his new show American Dad.

And lastly, David Goyer is apparently set to helm The Flash for Warner Bros., you can read the full story here.

Right now the Shat is singing Christmas Carols on Boston Legal, which means, naturally, more tomorrow!

Thursday, December 16, 2004

The Sky is Falling

Or so some people would have you think.

A new anti-terrorism bill may prove to be the first steps in a nation-wide ID card, or driver's license.

First, the term anti-terrorism bill makes me nervous. Shouldn't laws prettymuch be along those lines anyway? Do we need to pass bills saying terrorism is wrong?

I know that's not the exact nature of the thing, but the way it's worded is a bit laughable.

Lots of people are crying foul because they say it opens the door for the government to delve further into our private lives. And, while this bill may do that, I don't think a nation-wide license would be a bad idea. Plenty of states have easily duplicated licenses, allowing for effective fakes. A nationwide ID would help guard against that, stopping some under-age drinking and smoking in the process.

Why is this a bad thing?

-L
Getting Worked Up

I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and fight off the depression that's been setting in to peruse the web for awhile. I found a few things that got my blood flowing...

First was the new Chris Allen Comments at CBG. Chris is one of the few writers that I can read regardless of subject. Much like his partner in crime, ADD, I'm always glad to see what he's got cooked up. His latest focuses mostly on Bob Layton and his excuses for the demise of Future Comics. It's witty and insightful, and yes Chris, mean at certain points, but honesty is never easy to give or take.

I hadn't read all of Layton's list of B.S. yet, so most of it was new to me, and if you have, Chris' comments should get a pretty good laugh out of you. Go check it out.

Then I got linked to Christopher Butcher via the CBG Blog, and I discovered something new and wonderful. Like both Mike and Dorian, Chris works at a comic book retail store, apparently one of the best. His current topic is something I've seen discussed at length, but his comments about it are funny and very, very right. Example:

"If you want to know what's wrong with giving people what they want, I'll tell you: It's the same reason we don't let children smoke or drive cars, put child-proof tops on asprin, or let business' pollute wherever the fuck they want (without paying a massive kickback first). It's the same reason that many legitimate, intelligent business favour steady and incrimental growth over a scorched-earth policy of sales: Because people need to be protected from themselves, a lot of the time. "

Great stuff, and as soon as I update my sidebar (soon, I swear), he'll be added.

Speaking of Mike and dorian, they've got the rundown on New Comic Book Day, always a favorite of mine.

Comicscape wants to know your favorite and least favorite books of the year, and there's also a review of Rising Stars #23 up. I don't necessarily agree, but it's well written and makes some good points.

For anyone wondering, yes, I seem to have gotten the hang of HTML. Maybe more later if I can drag myself out of the house.

-L


The Funeral

It was today. It was the one of the two hardest thing I've ever had to experience in my life. Fair warning, this will be a personal post.

The first one is my Brother's cancer. A few years ago he was diagnosed with lymphoma (nod-hodgkins I believe), and it was hell. Being identical twins, in the end the "cure" came from some sort of blood transfusion thing, from me to him. I'm not a doctor, and I don't know the terms, basically he needed my white blood cells...something like that. Like I said, it was hell watching him deal with that every day. Having to drive two hours and be hooked up to machines for another eight almost killed him, in spirit if nothing else. But in that situation I could, and did, do something.

But there was nothing I could do here.

What can you say to a man, your own father, that will make him feel better? Or your uncles? Should you be strong? Hold your head up, tell them she's in a better place, that at least she isn't in pain anymore? Or should you mourn with them, cry your tears of regret and sorrow, and say how sorry you are? What do you tell three men who will never again see the woman that gave birth to them?

What do you tell your brothers and sisters when they say how much they regret not having seen her for the last few years? Tell them that she understood? Tell them it's okay, that they couldn't have been expected to come up with the money for a flight to Oklahoma? Or do you tell them they're right, that we all should've gone to see her in this last year of her life? After all, it was only money...

What do you tell your four year-old niece when she says she wants her Nannie to wake up? What do you say when she asks where she's going? Or, what's wrong with her?

What do you say to her sister, the only surving sibling left now?

What do you say to the friends and other family members who come to pay their respects?

Most of all, what do you say as you watch her coffin be lowered into the ground? You will never see this person again, what do you say?

I do not know. I don't think there are words to say. I'm not sorry she's gone, because this last year of her life was Hell on Earth. I do regret not seeing her, but I'm very happy I didn't see her in a hospital. I remember her as a woman who didn't need a tube to feed her, a woman that could remember who you were. I'm thankful for the times I have spent with her, and for her love and understanding in all of my most trying times. When I had no home, she gave me one, and with that she gave me hope. She was more a mother to me than my Mother. She was one of the few people who accepted me as I am in my life, never asking me to compromise anything for her. Yes, she was demanding for attention at times, but it was a small price to pay for such an unconditional love, and something I'm certainly glad I gave now that she's gone. My fondest memories in life involve Sunday afternoons in her trailer, watching a football or baseball game, falling asleep on her couch and waking up to some home cooked meals, and maybe a board game or two, or even a jigsaw puzzle. And that's they way I'll remember her.

I love you, I'll miss you,

-Your first grandson, Logan Polk

I thank you all for stopping by, and while I'd like topromise this place will resume it's sporadic updates, it's doubtful. I may get in a post or two before the new year, but it's likely that they will be of the same personal variety. So, I hope to start the year off right by my little blog and maybe have my life back to some semblance of normality. I thank you for your patience in these, my most trying times.

-L

Sunday, December 12, 2004

The State of the Union

The Union being me....

My Grandmother passed away recently, which has been yet another cause of my blog silence. For all thewell wishers, it's much appreciated. For those concerned, I'm handling it pretty well, actually most of the family is, she had been ill for quite awhile (you may remember me posting about it a few months back) so this wasn't entirely unexpected. She was recovering pretty nicely, but he blood sugar began to drop and it could never be stabalized, simply put, she fell asleep and never woke up. My only wish is that it wasn't painful in any way.

I was pretty close to her up until a few years ago, when she moved to Oklahoma with two of her sons and their families. Regrettably by then our relationship was strained, mostly due to her refusal to eliminate a few choice people who did nothing but steal from her and swindle her out of any money she had. It boils down to stereotypical old-folks-money syndrome. Me being the hard headed person that I am, I gave an ultimatum. It's a choice I regret, because of the rift it caused, but it's one I've come to live with.

Her health had been declinig rapidly before this last year, mostly due to he life long smoking habit. So, I'm gonna pause here and plead with anyone out there smoking cigarettes, please stop. You're killing yourself and those of us around you. Stop.

I'm going to avoid the pity-party, I'm hoping I'm well past that portion of this. I'd like to think i'm getting to acceptance, but I don't think that'll happen until the funeral.

See, we haven't gotten to have the funeral yet.

Why?

Basically the state of Oklahoma is holding my dead grandmother's body hostage. She's been dead for a number of days, and she's been embalmed, but they have not cleared her to be flown her to Georgia for the funeral. We're not sure why, and it's possible she could be on her way tomorrow, we can only hope.

No one can give us a logical explination as to why she can't be sent here yet, and when the funeral hom called on our behalf this is what they were told, verbatum: "She can be first in line for a flight tomorrow, or she can be last, depending on how you handle this conversation with me."

What?

What the F^&* does that mean?

We're talking about a grieving family, quite a few who have already travelled from Oklahoma to come to the funeral, and the state of Oklahoma, or maybe it's just Oklahoma City, is keeping us from laying to rest a woman that we all loved, and our funeral home is being blackmailed into acting civil to these assholes, excuse my frankness. For what reason?

I'd like to know, but no one can tell me.

So, let this be a huge lesson to all of you; whatever you do, don't die in Oklahoma.

-L

Thursday, December 09, 2004

R.I.P.

Dimebag Darrel, former guitarist of the metal legend band, Pantera, was gunned down last evening in a nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Odd that it would come on the 24th anniversary of John Lennon's death, and while I wasn't a huge fan, there's no denying the man's talent.

-L

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Neo's List

Internet complications have caused my inactivity lately (always seems to be something lately) but here's what hit stores this morning on the DVD shelves.

Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again

Other than Ron White (who really is hilarious) I don't think I can stomach any more of these guys.

The Bourne Supremacy

Been waiting to see this one. I enjoyed the first one, but heard bad things about this, we'll see.

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century: Complete Series

The geek in me wants this so bad, even though I barely remember the show.

Crusade: The Complete Series

Wasn't this a B5 spin-off? I've been seeing advo's everywhere for it. Never watched it.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story

Another one I want to rent soon.

Dracula 3000

Apparently one sequel to the mediocre Dracula 2000 wasn't enough.

Flintstones: The Complete Second Season

Not a fan, but this is a quality set.

Gargoyles: The Complete First Season

I vaguely remember this one too, mostly because of Jonathan Frakes voice work.

The Lion King Movie Collection

Yeah, all three movies together.

Species III

Some things just baffle me.

Star Trek Voyager: Season Six

Too bad I can't afford the damn sets.

Top Cat: The Complete Series

Again, not a fan, but it is a nice looking set.

The Ultimate Matrix Collection

10 discs. 10 DISCS!!!! That's gotta be the biggest set ever, for movies anyway.

That's it for now, hopefully my internet will quit booting me every fifteen minutes and I'll actually have a real update soon.

-L

Sunday, December 05, 2004

I hate AOL

It is Satan. It's like the Matrix, I cannot escape it, it's evil incarnate! It just caused me to lose one long-ass blog post. So, Time-Warner, in the words of the immortal machine: Bite my shiny metal (or in this case, fat pasty white) ass.

Bah! (Why doesn't Dr. Doom have his own blog? I'm gonna kill whoever steals that idea.)

No way I'm retyping everything, so, more tomorrow.

-L

Friday, December 03, 2004

The Double D

Watched the Daredevil Director's Cut, and it was indeed much better than the theatrical version. There was entire storyline cut out of the film that gives you more of Foggy mostly, but it also ties in to the Kingpin storyline and ultimately makes it feel complete. The movie still has its flaws (dialogue and voice over mainly) but the extended version feels like a whole rather than the static feel of the theatrical release. Worth a rent at the very least, but beware, it's unrated and the language is a bit harsher, for those of you with kids.

As for everything else, one of the reviews is up at CBG, so do please check it out. Haven't sent my other one it yet, still polishing it up.

I missed Smallville this week, which truly sucks, hopefully I didn't miss anything important.

Still haven't made it to the comic shop this week, but I will today. Hell, I haven't finished reading last weeks stash. For those wondering, my new floppy policy seems to be working well, I spent $12 last week, and it looks like less than ten $10 week. And no, I'm not buying New Avengers.

-L

Thursday, December 02, 2004

A Mesh Made in Heaven

I didn't make it by the comic shop today, mainly because of getting called into work, but I did make it by Best Buy to pick up the Spidey 2 Box Set. Looks really interesting, and I loved the packaging. Never read the comic that came with it, so I'm looking forward to that too.

I also picke up the Daredevil Director's Cut, a friend recommended it, said it was much better. I enjoyed the theatrical version, so I'm hoping this is indeed a better film, otherwise I wasted $12.

Also took a chance on the new Jay-Z/Linkin Park album. It's only got six tracks, but man, what a great six tracks it is. Going in this album has multiple things against it. Linkin Park is not a favorite band of mine, I enjoy a few of their songs for what they are, mainly club-type techno/rap/rock good for occasional radio play. On top of that it's something with the words MTV Presents on the cover, it's amazing how many alarms that sent off in my head. Add to that a short track list, and a few other variables and I could very well have passed all together.

But, it's Jay-Z. Jay-Z. The man is a living legend, and probably the best rap artist on the planet. The fact that his name was on it was enough to get me to pick it up. I'm glad I did. It's an amazing piece of work, blending two somewhat similar, yet somehow infinitely different styles together flawlessly. There's enough meshing so that you never get tired of Linkin Park's repetitive vocal or musical styles, and they actually add something fresh to Jay-Z's older songe making them feel new again. The rap/rock thing doesn't always worlk, in fact it's rare, but when it does it's fabulous, and this is definitely one of those rare exceptions. Pick it up.

-L

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

The Web Heads List


Spider-Man 2

Available in multiple editions, including a set with the first, and a Special Edition box set with a reprint of the comic it's loosely based on. Guess which one I'll be buying?

Star Trek The Original Series: Seasons 1-3

I'm not even a Trekkie and I want this.

The director's cut of Daredevil arrives today as well, Best Buy has it for $12. I liked the original enough to seek this out. Also, Hero, but I couldn't find it listed, but it's out there. I'm very interested in seeing it as well. Wow, that's a short list.

I've been working on a few reviews, so that's why the blog silence. I'm watching my Seinfeld set, and it's magnificent, everyone should own this. I'm gonna do a rundown of all the stuff on it soon...which may turn into next month the way things are going.


Monday, November 29, 2004

Heh

This month marks the year mark for my blog, didn't even realize that until today. Hope everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving. Been doing alot of reading lately, so apologies for the absence, I'm hoping to be more active this week.

I watched the Home Movies set and I was extremely disappointed in some of the special features, particularly the featuretes, or interviews, whatever they call them. Boring stuff guys. Aqua Teen, however, was great. I, of course, bought Seinfeld, and I'm really impressed. It's a massive set, and I can't wait to dive into it.

Not much in the way of movies lately, but I did watch NBC's Christmas Carol The Musical tonight. It was a bit overdone, relying on entirely too much singing (yeah, I know it's a musical, but still) .

I got three floppies last week at the comic shop, which means my cut backs are working out nicely. This week looks lite as well, but I'll be ordering a few things from Mike (Progressive Ruin, see sidebar) so that'll take up some extra cash.

Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to discuss tomorrow!

-L

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving to all you U.S. folks out there. If you're not in the U.S. well, happy Thursday...or whatever day it is for you.

If you get out tomorrow, be safe, and Best Buy has the Seinfeld Re-Gift Set for $80 with an exclusive bonus disc, well worth your money.

Turkey Time!!!

-L

Monday, November 22, 2004

Money, Money Money! Money!

I officially have none left, here's what I spent it on:

Superman: Birthright HC

HERO: Vol. 1

Hard Time Vol. 1 (I wasn't impressed with #1, but I keep hearing how good it is...it better be!)

Formerly Known as the Justice League

She-Hulk vol 1

MK Spider-Man Vol. 1

Fables Vol. 2

Billi 99 (picked it up cuz of the Sale art, looking forward to reading it)


and....

Carnet De Voyage

Really looking forward to this. I was tempted to get The Conversation as well, but I read several poor reviews.

Less Than Heroes

Ditto, though I have no idea what it's about. The Warren Ellis blurb was a bit off putting, but I'm one of those people who enjoy the tights books, so I guess thats why.

The Heart of the Beast HC

A Vertigo series I've never heard of, but it's got Sean Phillips art, and I'm trying to find something by him I enjoy (other than that short vampire tale from Drawing on Your Nightmares).

Stonehaven: Milk Cartons & Dog Biscuits

Another book I'm unfamiliar with, I paid something like $5 for it, and it's a huge trade.

Planet Racers- Book One: Life Cycle

Paid $3 for it, and I love what little Lawson & Laird work I have read.

Castle Waiting: The Lucky Road

I read a review of this somewhere, not sure where got good marks, and I got it at a good discount. Looks really interesting.

After that it was back issue bin diving. nothing too interesting, but I did find damaged copies of:

Fantastic Four #52

First Black Panther, and this will be my first Lee/Kirby FF issue ever. Yeah, yeah, I know.

Avengers #38

A Lee/Heck issue, possible continder for that Avengers review thing, but I'll have to read it first I suppose.

Thor #141

Lee/Kirby Thor, at least it's pretty, hopefully it's interesting.

Iron Man #6

Goodwin/Tuska tale, couldn't pass it up for the price.

Tales to Astonish #61-62

More firsts, this time Lee/Ditko, three of the four tales anyway.

Each of those issues cost me $2, and besides the covers they're in pretty good shape. Can't wait to read em.

Also picked up Battle Pope: Mayhem #1-2, Uncanny X-Men #175 (and #73, which reprints #25), Capes #2-3, and an interesting looking book called Oink (#'s1-4) from Kitchen Sink.

So much for uninteresting! There was more...but I think I've bored you guys enough!

-L

Friday, November 19, 2004

Shades of a Good Movie

Just watched a rather interesting film, Shade, starring quite a few well known, although somewhat past their prime, actors.

The story is fairly simple, a group of conmen played by Gabriel Byrne, Stuart Townsend and Thandie Newton, reunite for one last shakedown, this time poker legend, The Dean, played by Sylvester Stallone. There's some good talent rounding out the supporting cast, including Melanie Griffith, Jamie Foxx, and Hal Holbrook. There's even an apearence by Star Trek alum Michael Dorn, looking his most un-Warf-ish ever.

Foxx's role is far too brief, he just plays a mark at the beginning of the film, as is Holbrook's, who gets more out of his five minutes than Townsend gets in the whole movie. Overall it's very well acted though, I even enjoyed Griffith's performance, which is very rare for me.

There are elements from the much better film, Rounders that do pop up now and then, and there's even some of that "not what you think it is" element that The Usual Suspects made so famous. Worth a rent, and the DVD has quite a few extras, including a commentrak and two featurettes.

For those wondering, yes Stallone is pretty good. He doesn't have much to do except look imposing and spit out a few lines of dialogue now and then, but it's still the best performance he's turned in in quite sometime. Thandie Newton was a surprise, she seemed to fall of the face of the earth after the failure that was The Truth About Charlie. She's not a bad actress, and given the right role she could be excellent, but this isn't it. Byrne is the most notable of the bunch, you're never sure if you should like him or hate him, even after the all-too-obvious plot twist towards the end.

-L

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Video Games

I don't talk about them much, but a discussion I had yesterday has had me thinking seriously about a few things.

First, anyone who's played Vice City, or even the new San Andreas can give you testimony on how truly excellent video games can be. I'm not just talking in terms of story or gameplay style, but both of those are a big draw. Especially the graphics.

It seems that companies (and some adult groups who are always looking to censor us) seem to think the GTA games are a hit because of the mature subject matter. Mature is probably the wrong word, honestly it's quite juvenile, and very delinquent, morally bankrupt would likely be the best description. While it's true that those things are a draw to certain types of people, what draws most of its fans (including me) in is the extremely amazing graphics, the vastness of the things you can do, the non-linear gameplay, the exploration of a city that's probably bigger than the town I live in. It's a virtual world, and you cannot find a console game that even comes close to this type of thing.

So why the violence? Why not make a childrens game this engrossing? If you could make a game like this, aimed towards a younger audience, you'd have a hit. Spider-Man 2 comes close, but the storyline falls short of anything worthwhile, and honestly brings the rest of the game down as well. The challenges were exteemely difficult, and finding all of the little bonus coins became ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, there are some damn fine games out there aimed toward the younger crowd (Nintendo represents that group constantly) but nothing on this level. It's a shame really.

Seems like video games and comics have more and more in common each passing year. Kids are getting left behind for the most part (especially the 5-7 year olds) and without an entry level game to get them playing it's likely they'll never pick up a controller.

Sure, there's always the sea of sports game that'll hook some of them, but not everyone's a sports fan.

So, Bungee, Rockstar, even you EA fellas...what're you gonna do when your audience is too damn old to use a joystick?

-L

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Smallville, etc.

Disappointing. If it weren't for the acting this show would have fallen on its ass after the first episode. The "sex" is driving me insane. I realize they're trying to appeal to a teen crowd, but does every episode have to have sex in it? It was nice to have a plot that didn't solely revolve around Lana or Clark...or even Chloe, and to have a villian from outside the "kryptonian mutant" list. Millar and Gough should thatnk the gods they picked suche great talent for the show. Oh, and the Lana sublot was flat out dumb. I haven't the foggiest where they're going with it, and I'm not interested in the least.

Four episodes of Roswell Season One left, and what I said about the sex in Smallville goes double for this, mainly because these characters are around 16 and that's a bit much. It's borderline pornography, too. Waaaay more suggestive than most of Smallvilles transgressions. Fortunately the alien plots didn't take too much of a backseat, and in some cases were directly responsible for the innuendo's. I've heard bad things about the second season, which pisses me off. Still, it was only $15.

Picked up Aqua Teen and Home Movies (told you it was out) today, as well as Elf and the extended cut of Underworld. All money well spent, and I even managed to watch Every Aqua Teen episode. The Home Movies DVD looks like fun, tons of features and behind the scenes stuff. Now I cannot wait until The Venture Bros. DVD hits next year.

Also picked up the 5 Days Til Midnight DVD, Home on the Range and Envy. Haven't watched em yet though. Oh, and I bought Saved!, so I'm looking forward to doing a more in-depth review of it sometime down the road, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Not much in the way of comics this week (gee, could it be all that money I spent on DVDs?!?!) but I'm hitting a small convention this weekend, hoping to find some stuff there.

I spend too much money!

-L

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Best List Ever

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Three

What a way to start off a DVD release list! This is the most insanely asinine, yet completely brilliant show on television.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Complete Seventh Season

Given my recent like of angel, it might be time to pick up some of the later Buffy seasons, or maybe just rent them.

The Chronicles Of Riddick

Pass. Instead go get Pitch Black.

Clive Barker Presents Saint Sinner

Oh yeah. Didn't catch this when it aired oh so many years ago, cannot wait to pick it up. Based on the comic book, by the way.

Daredevil (Director's Cut)

I know this has been resolicited for later this month, or maybe even December, I'll try and track down the date. Still, it's popped up on several release schedules.

Dragon Ball GT: Hero's Legacy - Feature (Uncut)

This is the first GT film to hit the US I believe. Can't wait to see it. Yes, I like Dragonball.

Elf

One of the best, if not THE best, holiday films I've ever seen.

Frasier: The Final Season

Too little too late I say. If they were gonna wait this long, why not just wait until we could have them in order.

The Hebrew Hammer

This was a Comedy Central original, based on a short film. Looks funny as hell, and it's got adam Goldberg in it, and he's always great.

Jamie Cullum: Live at Blenheim Palace

One of the best musician/singers to come along in recent years. I cannot recommend this guy enough.

Kids In The Hall: Season 2 (1990-1991)

Was never a Kids fan, but hey, it's got a huge cult following, so knock yourself out.

http://videoeta.com/movie/67641

This aired on Comedy Central as well. Good, good, stuff.

Smallville: The Complete Third Season

I think it speaks for itself.

Space Ghost Coast To Coast: Volume Two

Still haven't tracked down Vol. 1 yet. Funny stuff, and the best version of Space Ghost ever, I don't care what the hell Alex Toth thinks.

Top Gun (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

More Tom Cruise than anyone can handle.

The Iron Giant: Special Edition

I know this is coming out, but some have it on their lists and some places don't. Brad Bird directed it, he also did the Incredibles, so if you liked that film, please, please track this down. It's probably the greatest traditionally animated film (next to the Lion King) ever made.

The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete First Season

This is another one that was sporadic. Both Best Buy and Circuit City have it listed though, so that's good enough for me. This show alone makes this the best DVD Tuesday ever. I know everyone loves Seinfeld, but for my money this is the greatest show to ever air on television.

Home Movies: Season One

Another iffy, but Adult Swim has it listed, so I'm gonna trust them. Great show once you get used to the "shaky" animation.

See, told ya. Lots of goodies out there, go spend that paycheck!

While you're at it, and if you're over 18, Eminem's new CD Encore is out, well worth the bucks if you like Rap. Not as good as The Eminem Show, but I don't think anything ever will be. For those that like his goofy side, there's tons of cut-up songs on here. Maybe I'll get into more detail about it later. Right now I'm addicted to Burnout 3, I cannot stop playing it.

See you tomorrow!

-L

Monday, November 15, 2004

More Rambling!

Got called into work yesterday, so no posting for me, apologies. (I do that alot...)

I did get to see my Falcons win against the Bucs, a team that has had their number for almost three years.

Dorian pointed out something I thought was extremely funny, the "death" of Future Comics, and the fact that Bob Layton blames retailers for it. His comments are spot on. I read one or two (did they offer two...can't remember) of their Free Comic Book Day offerings and found them severely lacking. The art was atrocious, the plots seemed boring as hell, and the characters were uninspired. Hey Bob, that's never a thing. My local shop never carried a single issue, and if it had there might have been people storming through the door demanding their money back. Go visit Dorian!!!

Speaking of...I noticed something a few days ago and was happy I'm not the only one who's done it. This isn't a "look at his mistakes" cry, because God knows I screw something up in each post, but Dorian and I both spell Brian K. Vaughan's name wrong. I noticed when reviewing The Runaways that I've been spelling it Vaughn, then Dorian posted something and spelled it the same way as well. It was a relief to see, and made me feel infinitely less like a jackass.

So, here's a public apology to Brian K. Vaughan, sorry I've been spelling your name wrong for over two years...

Mike over at Progressive Ruin is pleading for people to crash his comments section. So go do it. He wants to know what your current favorite monthly book is.

Still haven't been able to get the The New Frontier, and I'm thinking it will have to wait for Thanksgiving, I should have plenty of time then. I've also gotten all of Marvels Human Torch series and I'll dive into that pretty soon as well.

-L

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Blah Blah Blah

Nope, I'm not dead. I didn't expect to be as absent as I have been, but the break from my blogging has made my heart grow fonder. I can't count the number of times this past week I've thought "I gotta write something about that..." then got home and played massive amounts of Halo 2 and forgot all about it.

So, in short, lots to talk about.

There should be another review going up on CBG shortly, this time of Marvel's Runaways Vol. 1.

Speaking of comics, I bought one floppy this week, Bullseye, it rocked. I also picked up Vol. 2 of the Daredevil HC collections, and will get Vol. 3 next week hopefully. Meant to get She-Hulk, and forgot. Got Ennis' Judge Dredd TPB as well. It'll be nice to read some good Ennis stuff.

In comics related news, Marvel is suing the creators of the MMORPG, City of Heroes. Like Dorian (see sidebar, make with the clicky) I think's it's the dumbest thing I've ever seen. The House of Ideas must be broke.

Halo 2 is awesome, by the way, but it's disappointing as well. Considering how massive and unique the first one was, you'd think the second would just improve on that by leaps and bounds. Instead what we get is like a shinier version, with a few new tricks. They seem to have went with a "if it ain't broke" policy, but when you think about the wait for the game it becomes even more disappointing. What the hell took so long guys? Next time take a lesson form the folks developing GTA, "if it ain't broke, make it bigger and better."

Watched Walking Tall this week. It's a shame The Rock didn't have a better script and/or director. The guy is charismatic as hell, and unlike the action stars of yesteryear he's got this relatable quality to him. He proved himself in The Rundown, but this film was mediocre at best. It is based on a true story, and it's a problem that's very real, but the approach was off. Instead of a dramatic action film we get an action film with some drama thrown in. Every aspiring acting director/writer should have to watch Man on Fire. That's how it's supposed to be done people.

Smallville was awful this week. It was very cool that they decided to bring in yet another element from the books (and under my nose too, didn't hit me until the very end of the episode), but making the three girls into witches just seemed dumb. Why does everything that ever happens have to involve someone from Smallville? Couldn't it have just been someone else, did it have to be Lana? It's such an obvious plot device that it seems more like some sort of fanfiction (I've used that phrase twice this week...weird). Note to the writers: there is a bigger universe out there, explore it. Hell, it would have made more sense to have some random goth girl be the witch. Still lovin' Lex though, at least they always get him right.

That brings me to anoth TV show, this one in my DVD player, Roswell. I'm halfway through the first season, and I'm hooked. Sure the plots are about as standard teen-angst as you can get, but the X-Files-ish premise makes for some interesting twists. This and Angel have now become my new "must haves" on DVD.

I do want to say "shame!" to the Smallville crew for blatantly ripping off Roswell plot devices (the caves, the cryptic writing, plus tons of other stuff) but Roswell also borrows heavily from a few Superman elements as well, so I guess it can be forgiven. Still, weren't these on the same network? Putting them in the same universe would have just ruled (just a thought, but the Roswell kids could have been set up to be young Zod and crew, then cross the shows, and blam! instant classic! God, I should be a TV exec.). Something to think about, especially if you've seen both shows. Well, I haven't seen all of Roswell....

Wow, I'm rambling....I'll be back tomorrow with more.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Halo 2

Comes out tomorrow folks, and I'm excited as hell. Except for sending some reviews in to CBG, expect me to be scarce over the next week or so.

-L
Incredibly Incredible

I don't think there's ever been a movie with a worthier title. Could be the best superhero movie ever, and one of the best films this year, definitely ranks tops in the best animated films ever.

Go see it, take the kids, take everyone you can find. It's anything and everything you could ask for in a spandex film.

And, for the record, John Byrne, you are the biggest f*%!ing idiot the comics industry has ever seen. Yes, even bigger than Rob. This movie could have kids coming back to superheroes and comics in droves if it had been marketed right. This is everything that could be right about superheroes in comics.

-L

Saturday, November 06, 2004

Toys!

Just one actually, but it's a good one.

Looks like Diamond Select is answering a demand that I didn't even realize fans had. Angel fans will recognize this: Cinescape - Home - Editorial immediately, and will likely want to have one.

I haven't seen the "Puppet Episode", but I did catch the preview of it when it aired so many months ago. Looked funny and promising. With my newfound love of the show, I'll get to the episode as soon as money allows, and i really can't wait to see it.

Not sure if I'd pay $50 for a stuffed doll, but it looks like a nice collectible, much better than the action figures.

Only managed to get to the Pilot episode of Roswell, but I loved it. One part X-Files, one part Dawson's Creek (though the creators say My So-Called Life, looks closer to Dawson.) with a brilliant cast. Can't wait to get to the rest.

Yes, that does mean I finished Angel. The season ender was disappointing, but overall I loved the set. The Wolfram & Hart lawyers quickly became my favorite characters. The lack of tons of special features was disconcerting, given the retail price of the seasons. Still, well worth the $15 I paid for it, here's hoping Amazon hooks us up with something along those lines again, and soon!

I also got a chance to see a brilliantly mad movie called Saved! last night. The cast was excellent (Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macauley Culkin, and more that I can't remember at the moment), and the chracterizations were so dead-on that I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. It's the story of a young girl and her friends raised in a Christian lifestyle and what happens when that's then only thing you've ever know. I'll get around to doing a big review of it eventually (hopefully soon), but it's one of the most accurate portrayals of the wackiness that happens when you only surround yourself with one type of people, especially Chrstians. Buy, rent, whatever, just watch it, it's well worth the dough.


Friday, November 05, 2004

5Q

ADD's latest 5Q's are up at Newsarama now, always a good read. This week he talks comic retail with J.C. Glindmeyer. Go check it out.

NEWSARAMA
Tough Crowd

Seeing as the show was cancelled, most of you probably don't know what it is, but Colin Quinn's political comedy round table show aired after the Daily Show every weekday. While it wasn't always successful, Quinn and company were often entertaining, and sometimes downright hilarious. No, it wasn't Politically Incorrect, but it was probably one of the most honest shows airing on television. Sucks to see it go, here's hoping all those guys land on their feet.

-L

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Comics, TV, More Comics, and More TV

Smallville was pretty good last night, looking forward to seeing exactly what Lex has up his sleeve, and hopefully seeing more of Mr. Mkxlptk, or however you spell it. Next weeks episode looks to continue the "sexed up" feel this season seems to be carrying. Which is a shame.

I'm down to my last episode of Angel Season One. Looks like Season 2 will be on my Christmas wish list. I'll be starting Roswell this weekend, here's hoping it doesn't suck.

AOL members got an exclusive peak at the teaser trailer for Episode III, and color me impressed. Still looks a tad bit over the top, but promising nonetheless.

Picked up quite a few floppies this week, including WE3, which I apparently missed last week. Also picked up Volume 1 od the Daredevil Hardcover series for $20.

Now, it looks beautiful, and I've read the stories within (it includes Smith's run and Mack's, minus issue #12 for some strange reason) and they're pretty damned good. I do have a huge glaring problem though, the names on the cover are Smith, Quesada, and Mack. Yes, they're probably the three most notable cpntributors, but was there really no room for Jimmy Palmiotti's (did I spell that right?) name? My local shop also has Vol. 2 & 3 for $20 a piece, I'm looking forward to getting them.

Look for my reviews to be exclusive to CBG, unless it's just going to be random older stuff I pick up now and then. I've been reading that Kingpin mini from awhile back, and apparently I'm missing the last issue, which gives me an even better reason to finally get with Mike (over at Progressive Ruin) about some stuff I've been wanting to buy.

Both South Park and Drawn Together were disappointing last night. I thought Parker & Stone's bash on Wal-Mart was odd. Not wrong, not right, just odd. As for Drawn...no matter how many times you say it, vagina isn't a laughter-inducing word guys...

My other comics this week were Y, the Last Man, the Guardians, Ult. Fantastic Four, and Rising Stars. It was nice to see a new issue of Rising Stars after, what, almost a year? Maybe more? Still good stuff, but the art almost soured it for me. Ult. FF is next on the drop list, since this wraps up the Doom arc. I'm hoping Guardians continues, because I've read a few things about that being the last issue. Anyone know anything?

Oh, yeah, and I got the Intimates #1 too, haven't read it yet though.

I'll post a link whenever I get the reviews done and the get put up.

Still working on the New Frontier re-read, and hoping that DC will wise up and produce a HC of the entire series.

Oh, looks like the Hand-Puppet is gonna be here four more years. At least he actually got elected this time.

Pal Dino (blog to the right) has a ton of info and complaints about the election and the results, so anyone looking to read politics, head on over, he's a pretty passionate guy.

As always, more later.

-L

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Hahahahahahaha

Is Fox News the biggest joke on television or what? Isn't this the same network that preaches that it is non-partisan? Looks like itmight be a week or more before we get an official announcement. You'd think there would be a much faster way to do this.

Add all that to the list of reasons I don't vote, plus those election lines, good grief. Also, I'm in the South, so it's Republican country...not that I'm Democratic, I think both parties are tremendously flawed. The two party system is ridiculous, too. You're choosing a country's leader and you've basically only got two choices? Idiotic.

I'm going to bed, but you guys feel free to watch this horse race.

-L

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

The Election Day List

Plus a few other things I'm gonna talk about....

First, the DVD's:

Ali G Indahouse: The Movie

Huh? Who the hell okayed this? Some people find this guy hilarious, but even when I can understand what he's saying, I don't think it's funny.

Animal Farm (Criterion Collection)

Couldn't aski for a more timely release of a film, and we get the Criterion mark, which is one of the very best.

Around The World In 80 Days

Jackie Chan remake that didn't do so hot at the box office. Also marks what could be the last movie appearence of the Governator. I doubt that, but you never know.

Looney Tunes: Golden Collection Volume 2

A must own.

Mutant X: Season 1 Set

Wow, the finally release a set instead of the two episode discs they've been using to steal people's cash. Too bad the show is sub-par...to put it nicely.

Philadelphia (Widescreen Anniversary Edition)

One of the best films ever made, good to see it getting some special treatment.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Special Edition)

Dammit. DVD's have become the gimmick of the century. In the 90's we had polybagged shiny coated uber limited (to only 50,000,000!!!!) comic books, now we have DVD's. It's getting pretty damned old. Still, good for those of you who haven't purchased it yet. Go wild, it's worth the cash.

Shrek 2

This actually doesn't come out til Friday. And it's really not that good.

Star Trek The Original Series: Season Two

I'm sure some guy somewhere just orgasmed in his pants.

That's it for the DVD's.

Okay, voting...

For those that did, good for you, hope it rocked your socks. Can't wait to see which knucklehead gets elected. I still don't get this "lesser of two evils" decision everyone's in a such a rush to make. But, hey, whatever. I didn't vote, and if I had I would have written myself in for President, because the other choices are just dumb.

TV...

NBC's Father of the Pride has been pretty much been canned. They're gonna air the remaining six episodes starting next month, then, unless a miracle happens, that's it. Not many animated shows have been able to last long, and this one is probably deserving of a quick death. It had flashes of greatnness, but nothing ever seemed to click for it.

Angel...

I'm almost through with the first season, and color me somewhat impressed. The writing has taken a turn for the better, and I'm finding the episodes that tie in to the buffy universe are actually the best. Still have a great dislike for Gellar, but her episode with Angel (the forgotten day, the fans will know what I'm talking about) was solid stuff, and the two parter with Faith is nothing short of excellent. There are still moments where the writing seems a bit over the top ("It was rude, let's kill it."), but it's growing on me. It was a shame that Doyle left the show, and even worse that the actor died, but Wesley is brilliant. Still can't stand Coirdelia though.

Smallville...

Mr. Mxyzpltk is headed to the show (Yeah, I'm sure I spelled it wrong, but I really don't care.) and I couldn't be happier. It's great to see more and more people being incorporated into the Smallville universe from the DCU. The Flash (or Impulse, I guess) episode has been one of the strongest episodes this season, can't wait to see more stuff like it.

Movies...

Watched Mean Girls. Good stuff. Some of it I didn't get, but I'm a guy, so that's to be expected I suppose.

Reviews...

My first CBG review should be up soon. Big thanks to ADD for giving a guy a chance to prove himself.

Time to go wait and see who got elected. More later.

-L

Thursday, October 28, 2004

And now, ladies and gentlemen...

I give you The Flu!

Nope, it's not a new comic, it's what I've somehow contarcted (Could it be the many, many people who hand me money every day? Nah!). So, everything is officially on hiatus until I pick myself up off the bathroom floor. Everything except the CBG review, which isn't coming along as well as I'd hoped, especially now.

Remember my post about everything, good or bad, that happens in my life happens during the winter months? Boy was that ever prophetic.

Hopefully I'll be back to full speed (well, half-speed would probably be a better description) around Sunday or Monday. Thanks for the patience.

-L
Those pesky reviews...

I managed to get one book read last night between watching Smallville, South Park, the new animated show Drawn Together, and the history that became the 2004 World Series.

Which book?

Sabertooth: Open Season #2 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Bart Sears
Inks: Mark Pennington
Colors: Mike Atiyeh
Letters: Chris Eliopolous

What's it about? Before Sabertooth could finish off the residents of a small town one of them placed a distrss call, recieved by the Coast Guard. The first rescue team is ripped to shreds, only one member survives, and is now locked in a basement with two young boys. Just as they prepare another team, Sasquatch arrives on the scene and goes in after the monster.

Why you should be reading it: I just reviewed the first issue a little over a week ago, so it seems pretty pointless to go into the same little speech. The art is even less impressive here than it was in the first issue, which makes me wonder if the series was rushed, especially since there were only two weeks between the first two books. What little dialogue there is is pretty good, especially Sabertooth's. The interaction with Sasquatch was better than I hoped, and Way shows that he can write a smart character just as well as a psychotic one, which proves his most excellent Fantastic Four material from Venom wasn't a fluke, the man can actually write more than one type of character. Tracking down his Gun Theory book is quickly rising to the top of my list. I just wish the art was better here.

2.5/5

Smallville was a surprise, after seeing the previewslast week I'd expected something ridiculous. Just goes to show you, great acting can save mediocre writing.

South Park's take on the importance of voting had me laughing my ass off. If you missed it, hopefully it'll be re-run soon. It's a must watch, and all but mirrors my thoughts on voting (which I expressed a number of weeks ago). Not to mention the PETA massacre.

There's a new show airing after South Park now, Drawn Together. Hopefully it will last. Seems that timeslot has proven nothing but trouble for the folks at Comedy Central. I can name at least a half dozen shows that have been there in the last two or three years, none of them lasting long at all. This one is better than any of those that came before it, and I hope it sticks around for awhile.

Still working on that first CBG review, and I'm about to take on quite the monumental task (for me at least) and re-read all of The New Frontier, then write a review, a real review, not one of my "This rocks my socks!!!" reviews. It will probably just appear here, and not on CBG, unless I just surprise the hell out of everyone and write the best damn review in the world.

Don't look for that to happen. Still, it's something I've been meaning to do. New Frontier is probably the best mainstream book published this year. I'm hoping I can figure out how to add some cover scans, too. So, once again....more later.

-L

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Curse you say?

I think the folks in Boston would disagree. There's no such thing as a curse...not anymore.

The bad luck that began for the BoSox in 1919 has finally seen its end. 86 years folks. It's taken them 86 years to win another championship. But those self-described idiots pulled their asses out of the fire in the playoffs against the most hated team in baseball, the Yankees, then swept a team that had previously beaten them in another WS appearence quite awhile ago, the Cardinals.

Babe Ruth is laughing in his grave. Congrats Sox, you have earned it. You're fans love you, and those of us sitting on the side of the road salute you. You played your hearts out, and came back against impossible odds. I love you guys, if for no other reason than someone finally shut the damn Yankees up.

-L
You're my Angel

Lot's to cover I suppose, but with little time at the moment. I'm working on my first review for CBG, which has taken up most of my time lately.Then there's the ever present family issues (my grandmother goes from better to worse on a daily basis it seems, which has a rollercoaster effect on my emotional state) and my job, so once again my posting has fallen by the wayside.

I bought a whopping three books at the store today, and even though I wanted to spend more, I couldn't find a damn thing to buy. I did make it to Circuit City today and I blew fifty bucks on the Hellboy Collector's Edition DVD set, mini-bust included. It's a nifty set, worth the money I think. The bust is great, and I can't wait to see the brand new cut of the film.

Also, got my Season One sets of Angel, Roswell, and 24. I'm into Disc 2 of Angel, and while I have enjoyed most of it, there's still quite a few things about the show that bug me. Not sure if it's the writing, the actors, or a combination of both, but it's like any show in it's first season I suppose, just trying to carve its niche.

Haven't started Roswell yet, and 24 was great the first time I watched it, can't wait to get into the features.

A few short reviews are coming later, it's Smallville time!

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Looking Up

Life seems to be doing just that, with one tiny exception, my financial affairs, but hey, they've not been in great shape since I was 20, so, why worry now? Seems I'm a CBG staff member now, and with it I get a load of fantastic perks.

What?

No perks?!?!

Dammit!!!

Seriously, it's absolutely fantastic news, and probably the best thing to happen to me in a very long time. I'm looking forward to having someone who will expect better things out of my writing. My blog might suffer, and there will probably be less comic talk here, but in the end that may be a positive thing.

I'm milling things over, wondering what I should review first, nervous as all hell. I'm gonna scan the CBG archives and make sure I don't review something that's already been hit upon. The most recent trade I've read is the new Wolverine, and while I loved it, I'm hoping to find something not so traditional.

My DVD buying is still out of control, spent sixty bucks a few days ago, but got some damn fine fliks; Man on Fire, Jersey Girl, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Scooby-Doo 2, Ladykillers, and Mean Girls.

I can rationalize Mean Girls with a few recommendations, and the fact that Tina Fey wrote it, but I have yet to watch it, along Ladykillers as well. I'm looking forward to seeing them. Scooby-Doo is always an eye-bros raiser when I bring it up. Seems no one shows the movie any love. I think the dog's got more character in the film than he ever did on the show, and I love the original run. Sure, it's not the TV show,but has anything ever been the original? Possibly A Pup NamedScooby-Doo came close, and is definitely the best of the follow-ups.

Not sure where I was going with this...

It's a good family flik, and achieves what it sets out to do, can you ask any more than that?

Jersey Girl was an odd buy, in some ways I actually got it for free (Buy 2, get 1 Free, I love you Movie Gallery!!). I had wanted to wait for the Special Edition release that's coming down the pike in about six or seven months, but the features sold it for me.

I listened to both commentary tracks today, and I was pretty impressed. I've always loved Smith's commentraks, not because they shed any light on the process, but because he just has a damn good time. The first one has Ben Afflek and Smith conversing about various things, including the Bennifer and Gigli fiasco that came back and bit them in the ass. They talked alot about critics, actually both tracks did, and how the movie was panned by longtime Smith lovers, yet hailed by people who didn't like most of his other films. Except for Jay & Silent Bob, I've loved every View Askew film, not just Smiths, and found it bizaare that the movie recieved so many bad reviews.

The second has Scott Mosier and Jason Mewes, and Mewes steals the show here. Smith even gets him talking about his drug addiction and a few other personal problems the man has suffered through. I've definitely got a newfound respect for the guy. I'll still be buying the Special Edition later, but I'm glad I picked this up. The Roadside Attractions extras were nice, even if they have nothing to do with the film.

I watched Eternal Sunshine last night. Wow. I like Being John Malkovich, but could hardly stay awake through Adaptation, so I wasn't sure what I'd be getting here. Maybe because it's an outside director, but this is by far Kaufman's best film to date. He write the script, and co-wrote the story, and it's just absolutely brilliant. Jim Carrey gives the performance of a lifetime, and if the world were right he'd be recieving a Best Actor trophy for this film. Sadly, I'm sure that won't be the case.

That's it for me folks, but I shall be back tomorrow.

-L

Friday, October 22, 2004

Gracias

To ADD for sending me a critique of my review last night. There's nothing scarier than someone you consider a friend giving you an honest opinion of your work. I gotta say, honestly, (HAHAHA...no one else will think that's funny....) it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I edited the review in the hopes that it will read better, and I think it does. A few of the mistakes were grammatical, which makes me want to just delete Microsoft Word from my comp. Hey, Bill, what's the point in having a program that only points out some errors? Maybe my version's just too damn old.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, thanks Alan, it was definitely taken to heart. Any specific deadline for the submissions?

In other news...I spent fifty bucks at the comic shop this week. Good God that's alot. What's funny is that I only bought four floppies. Sadly, all of them Marvel, and one of them because I'm a sucker for complete sets.

Cable & Deadpool #8 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Up until now I'd only been enjoying Fabes rendition of Deadpool, but his writing of Cable has greatly improved since the previous storyline, and takes off within this issue. It does suffer from "longtime reader" syndrome, meaning if you haven't followed the character since their inception, you're likely gonna be lost. Not crazy about the art, but I'm loving the writing. Deadpool's interaction with the current X-Men had me clutching my sides with laughter, and Irene's interview with Cable (Why did they insist on keeping the damn name? I'm sure even Liefeld can admit how stupid it is.) was very interesting. Good stuff.

Madrox #2 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Unlike Tom (dog that he is), I love the art here, it fits perfectly with the story. The opening sequence, with Jamie addressing the noir feel to the situation was hilarious. It was nice to have a few laughs along with some seriousness, both here and in C&D #8. It'll be a shame to see this book wrapped up in a few issues.

Fantastic Four #519 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

This is second on the drop list I mentioned last week. Waid and 'Ringo are producing some damn fine material, but the price hike to $2.99 has sealed the deal. I'll be buying the trades after this arc wraps up. As for this particular issue, well, that makes three Marvel books that made me laugh this week. When's the last time that happened?

Identity Disc #5 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Wait, make that four! Only this one wasn't supposed to be funny (Well, except the Deadpool bits, Rodi writes great DP dialogue). So, who was actually surprised by this ending? If you were, boy do I feel sorry for you. Eventually I'll re-read the entire series and review it as a whole, maybe after I forget how awful an ending that was.

I also picked up the latest Wolverine trade. I'm hoping I'll get to it in the next few days, along with Ursula and Brit.

-L
BAH!

To steal a phrase from the almighty Doom. I had hoped to get some reviews up last night, but fate wasn't having it, then I got called into work early today, so finally, I have a review.

Since I'm debating trying out for CBG in light of Alan's recent announcement, I've decided to try and do a more traditional review. As always, comments would be greatly appreciated, as would pointers. So, yeah, away we go!

The Wild, Weird West

The Wicked West $9.95 (Image Comics)

Writer(s):
Todd Livingston & Robert Tinnell
Artist(s): Neil Vokes
Letters: Tim Wallace
Colors: Scott Keating
Cover by Neil Vokes with colors by Anthony Schiavino

I had absolutely no expectations upon picking this up. Of course I had seen it in the solicitations for the week's books, but hadn't the slightest idea what it was about. The cover looked interesting enough, a cowboy standing in front of a small wooden cross, a demon lurking behind him. So, I flipped it over.

There was a blurb on the back from Frank Durabont, one of my favorite Hollywood writers, so yeah, I couldn't pass this one up. Especially when the words vampire and western appeared.

Of course I knew it was based in the Old West, I'm not completely dense, but the idea of vampires in late 1800's Texas sounded pretty damned intriguing.

Unfortunately we get something closer to the Rodriguez/Tarantino flik From Dusk Til Dawn rather than Niles and Templesmith's recent comic book vamp-hit 30 Days of Night. Well, that may not be entirely fair, it's got a tad bit more vampire action in it than Dusk does, but the pacing feels about the same.

It seems that rather than risk losing their audience in the story of the main character, Cotton Coleridge, Livingston and Tinnell jump right into the action. When we first see Coleridge he's looking for a man, an old Indian named Big Medicine, but instead he's forced to fight his way out of a gun battle. Seems he's on the wrong side of the law, but we never get an explanation as to why, or what exactly happened.

Which is unfortunate, because as the story progresses the character becomes increasingly interesting. Coleridge drifts and eventually comes upon a town, Javer's Tanks, that's looking for a new schoolteacher.

I found it quite odd how quickly he got the job, even if it is the Old West. A man drifts in out of nowhere, is asked a few questions and is put in charge of children? It just doesn't quite add up. ("Unless it's a David E. Kelley TV series!" -ADD)

Still, the story progresses and eventually we get to the main plot behind the book, the vampires. Or, vampire at first. And yes, even more stuff that doesn't quite add up.

I will say that I liked the fact that the vamp wasn't portrayed in a particularly favorable light, nor was he romanticized in any way. In fact when we first see him he looks something like a rat, only walking upright.

Meanwhile, between certain events happening in the "past" we're given the story of an older gentleman taking his grandson to the movies in the '30s in Colorado. Actually, these series of scenes start immediately after the first introduction of Coleridge. So, actually what we're witnessing is more or less a flashback to the events of the 1870s.

While that would seemingly explain the reason the Old West scenes felt so rushed, it still never sat right with me, even after a re-read. If it were just one man's (or boy's) memory of the event it's quite possible that he would not remember the finer details and only the broader things that came to pass. However, the entire story isn't told from the grandfather's point of view (he turns out to be a kid that helps Coleridge fight the vampires, which becomes entirely too obvious after the first few pages). Instead we're shown some things that he never saw happen, and some he did, so it feels much more like inter-cutting rather than a complete flashback.

It's the best part of this entire book. The movie that they're watching turns out to be the very same story of Coleridge and the town of Javer's Tanks and the vampire horde they had to face. Of course it's been bastardized by the industry into a stereotypical western, complete with candy-coated dialogue. I found it dead on to the types of movies that were coming out at that time...well, the types of Western films anyway.

The different art styles are absolutely amazing. The movie they're watching has a softer feel to it, very much reminding me of Bruce Timm, while the "present" events with grandfather and grandson seem to have a more down to earth (I hate to say realistic, because that's not the right term) quality, and the "past" art feels like some kind of Western Noir. And the same artist, Neil Vokes, draws the entire book. Absolutely beautiful.

We've got a ton of failed opportunities here, and quite a few things that just don't add up. The structure is flawed almost from the beginning. Showing us a glimpse into the rough world of Coleridge, then giving us the "present day" story of the grandfather and his grandson. Which just ruins the "flashback" feel. On top of that we have little to no background on any of the characters, which may be all right for the townsfolk, but it makes it harder to identify with Coleridge. We get little hints of the man's past, but other than the opening sequence, nothing concrete.

The book could have benefited from a longer page count, thus giving us a bit more detail instead of the rapid-fire pace at which the story currently moves. But, the $9.95 price tag played a big part in my decision to pick this up, and it wasn’t bad, just not as unique as one would hope a “vampire western” would be.

The creative team gets kudos for such a great concept, and the art is magnificent. There’s a bit of a bonus as well, a prose story and a few pinups that do indeed bring the value of the book up a notch or two.

7/10

-L




Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Breaking the Curse

As I type this the boston Red Sox are on the verge of going to their first World Series in almost 20 yrs, and given the two teams fighting it out in the National League, stand a pretty good chance of breaking the Curse of the Bambino.

I know, most of you probably could care less about baseball, and usually I feel the same way, but I'm watching sports history in the making, and for a on-again-off-again sports fan (except for football, I'll always love football) like myself, it's pretty exciting.

Nothing will ever get me back into loving baseball, tho8ugh, not even the Great Homerun Chase, nor the New Iron Man could bring me back. The athletes are overpaid babies for the most part, especially the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. With a passion. If they were playing baseball against Satan and his demon horde for all of our souls, I think I'd root for Satan.

Yeah, that a bit of a reaching scenario, but hopefully you get my point. If not, you're denser than even I am.

So, yeah, I'm hoping beyond hope that the Yankees lose. Looks like I'll get my wish, but, theen again, they are cursed.

So, anyway, until I get some reviews finished, here's a bit of link blogging to keep you busy.

Cinescape - Home -

Check out the Comicscape column by Tony Whitt, always good stuff. He talks a bit about Chris Reeve, and I agree, like or dislike the actor, you have to admire the man. He was a superman in every sense of the word.

Tom the Dog's You Know What I Like?

Tom's talking about crappy horror films, and while I agree with his assessment of Halloween: Resurrection, it's very much in the vein of almost every horror film to come down the pike sense...well...the original Halloween flik. They're all pretty much shit, so picking out the shittiest in a sea of shit seems like a self defeating task. But, it's entertaining to read!

(postmodernbarney.com)

Dorian's got a Superbitch..err...Girl cover to show you, and he's got a look at the new DC solicits, a feature I've come to enjoy, even if I don't read many DC books.

Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin

Mike's got a Blondie cover and a few links of his own. Even more if you scroll down. Gotta admire the man's obsession with a certain moss covered DC character.

Near Mint Heroes

Shane's got more links than you can shake a stick at, including news about the new Superman (Cinescape has some on this as well.). Seem's that's all he's had time for lately, so, Shane, here's hoping to see you back in the swing of things soon, but, I'm enjoying the links in the meantime.

The Johnny Bacardi Show

J.B. (not to be confused with comics' other, far more idiotic J.B.) has some song lyrics that are sure to give you a chuckle. If they don't you take things waaay too seriously.

Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog

Neil's always good for a linkfest as well, not to mention more Doc Strange info than you can shake a stick at.

Mercury Studios

Good news for Steve Lieber, Me and Edith Head is being adapted as an independant film. Well, I assume it's good news for him, guess it depends on how well it turns out. There's also a few sketches up, one that's sure to make you laugh.

FredSez

Fred's got a Irv Novick memorial of sorts. Good stuff. I was sad to read of his passing. I'm not terribly familiar with his work, but it's always sad to see one of the industry's creators pass. I wish his family the best and Irv all the fame and fortune he deserves in his new life.

Permanent Damage

Mr. Grant examines the time-space continuum and why it seems to hate him so much.

Comic Book Galaxy - Now in our Fifth Year!

CBG is holding open submissions for new reviewers. I've got half a mind to actually submit something and create a real review as opposed to what I usually end up with. I've no actual expectations of being accepted, but it might be fun to actually force ADD to critique something I reviewed. So, all you looking for a higher profile gig, you won't get any better than this. Well, you can't get any better quality site than this, I'm sure you can find somewhere with higher traffic, like saw Newsarama, but who the hell wants to deal with the idiots that frequent that site.

National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month

This is an interesting idea. If I weren't already swamped with writing what I write I'd definitely give it a go. A great experiment, and free to boot.

Fiction Novel Proposal Guidelines

Wizards of the Coast is opening a new book publishing division and is holding open submissions. They'll only choose one candidate, but it's a good way to get your stufflooked at. It's another thing I'm considering, maybe I'll actually follow through.

So, yeah, it's the bottom of the ninth and the BoSox are about to make history. I'll be back later with a review...I hope.

-L
A Few Hours Late...

But here nevertheless.

Sgt. Rock: Between Hell & a Hard Place HC $24.95 (Vertigo.DC Comics)

Creative Team: Joe Kubert, Brian Azzarello

What's it about? Rock and the men of Easy Company set out to take a few German Intelligence officers hostage and possibly gain an advantage in the Hurtgen Forest. The mission's a success, but nothing but bad seems to follow. When all but one of the captives ends up dead, Rock makes it his mission to find out who killed them and why.

Why you should read it: First things first, bravo to Kubert getting first billing here. It's often (almost always) the writer who gets top billing, but here we have Kubert's name loud and proud before that of Azzarello's. His art is great, and the opening panels just speak volumes, with nary a word in sight. Azzarello's script isn'y as superb as the art here, but it's more than passable. The mystery was a bit too easy to figure out, but this doesn't strike me as the sort of book that's setting out to change the way you think about life. It has it's finer points, sure, but it's just a story, plain and simple, and a well told one at that.

I'm fairly certain this is the only hardcover in my entire collection, and likely will stay that way for sometime. I can honestly say that had I not gotten in cheaper than cover, it's doubtful I'd have purchased it at all, which is ashame, because I really did enjoy it thoroughly.

I did like the subtle morality message within the story, and it surprisingly didn't hit me until closer to the end. Rock is searching for a murderer in a world full of killers, how does one differentiate between the two? Is there a difference? None of that dawned on me until fairly late in the book, I was just simply enjoying it that much.

Others may feel differently, some may think it's too preachy, but this is just one man's opinion.

I've never been one for DC War Stories, and other than a few written by Ennis, I don't think I've read that many. I doubt that will change too much, but this book has certainly brought them more to my attention.

The $25 cover price may indeed be too much for most of you out there, but I assure you it's worth every penny. This is probably my first experience with the Boys of Easy Company, but after this I doubt it will be my last.

Kudos to both creators for crafting such a great piece, especially Kubert, the art is just great. And, much thanks to ADD for sending this my way, I'd definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. If you did review it in the past, I may have missed it.

So, yeah, more later...

-L

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

The "Go BoSox!!!" List

Because as I write this Boston is trying to break a curse. Since I hate the Yankees with a passion, Go Boston!

Arrested Development: Season One

I wish I could afford this one, but I just don't have the cash right now. But, it's a great show and a good buy. I'll get it eventually.

Batman: Secrets of the Caped Crusader

Pass. Why do we need this if we have season sets? For the kiddies I suppose, but at fifteen bucks it isn't worth it.

Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui

Recently rewatched the first film, and admired the storyline and what they tried to accomplish with the CGI, maybe this one is even better.

Born On The Fourth Of July (Special Edition)

Not a Cruise fan, nor am I a Stone fan, so I'll be passing this one up. But, it's there for those that are.

A Cinderella Story

Why oh why? Proceed with caution.

Garfield: The Movie

Looking forward to watching this to see if it's as bad as everyone says.

Hellboy (Director's Cut)

Sigh...something else I'll "have" to buy.

Justice League: The Brave & the Bold

I wish we were getting season sets here.

Superman: A Little Piece of Home

We will be getting season sets of this show, but not for a few months.

TMNT: Michelangelo's Christmas Rescue

I'm going to eventually catch up to the new episodes, probably just not anytime soon.

Tom & Jerry: Spotlight Collection

For all you fans out there, the series gets the deluxe treatment, and well worth the dough if you are indeed a fan.

Van Helsing

Also available in "Ultimate Edition" with some original monster fliks. Still haven't seen it.

Wacky Races: The Complete Series

This is one I'm definitely looking forward to buying. I loved the show as a kid and it'll be nice to have it available again.

Back later with those reviews!

-L
The Reviews!

As promised, and since there's alot of them, I won't go into all the major details, just my thoughts.

Bullseye: Greatest Hits #2 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Way and Dillon continue the origin of one of the most vile people in the Marvel Universe. Honestly it'll be a bit disappointing if all of Bullseye's little stories turn out to be true, but pretty obvious if he's revealed to be making it up, a la The Usual Supects. Here's hoping the boys pull a rabbit out of the hat and surprise the hell out of me. either way we're two issues in and I'm loving it, especially Dillon's art. I'm definitely in favor of a bullseye monthly instead of Way's current Venom series.

The Punisher #12 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

We finally see the end of the Kitchen Irish arc, and it ended much better than it began. Still, I'm dropping this and hoping they keep the Trades coming. Decent, but Ennis can do much much better. Like the next book:

303 #1 $3.99 (Avatar)

Ennis and artist Jacen Burrows craft a militaristic tale like only Ennis and Burrows can do. This is good, real good. I hope issue 2 isn't far behind.

Daredevil 2099 #1 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Decent, nice to see a single issue story from the House of Early 90's Ideas. Not sure the reasoning behind all these one-shots, but this was the only one I read. Kirkman's done better.

Guardians #4 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Good, good stuff. This would most definitely appeal to a younger crowd, and I'm not sure how it got approved at Marvel, but I hope it lasts for quite awhile. It won't but I can hope. Anyone loking to get a 10-12 yr old into comics might wanna give this a try. And if you're looking for something original (well, somewhat original I suppose) check it out.

The Tomb of Dracula #1 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Steve Niles this isn't. I wish it was, because Rodi and Jones aren't even decent substitutes. The art is passable at best, but the story just doesn't cut it.

Y, the Last Man #27 $2.95 (Vertigo/DC Comics)

Okay, I've tooted this series' horn forever, so if you don't get it, by all means, quit stopping by. If you're not buying this book, what the hell is wrong with you?

Doctor Spectrum #2 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

Why did we need a mini for this? Seriously? Still, it's not that bad, at least we don't have to stare at the nudity-passing-for-maturity that runs rampant in Supreme Power.

X-Force #3/X-Men: The End #4 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

I'm done with Claremont's End book. This issue was steeped in confusion even for a follower of the x-books. Still enjoying the over-the-top X-Force though. Not because it has any actual redeeming quality, but because it seems to be a trainwreck in the truest sense of the word.

On that note, I'm gonna be dropping alot on monthlies in favor of more trades, just because reading floppies, not to mention the space they take up, has become increasingly idiotic. Not sure what I'm dropping yet, or when, but the Punisher is first on the list, we'll see what next week holds.

I've still got the Sgt. Rock HC, a Brit TPB, and the Ursula GN to review, but I want to dedicate actual space to those. Not to mention rereading all the current minis that have finished lately. So, definitely more tomorrow.

-L