DUDE! This is hella-awesome!! Thor’s pissed at the gods and humanity for various transgressions and decides to say to hell with it all and thrashes everything on an epic scale. This leads to his father, Odin, to start smackin’ his son around and show him the error of his ways. If you love mythology, battles, great art and, of course, Thor then you should pick this up and revel in this mighty good tale. Grade: A+

DC Comics: Justice Society of America – Kingdom Come Special: The Kingdom ( one-shot )

I don’t understand why this and the previous JSA Kingdom Come one-shots weren’t just told in the regular JSA monthly title but, like the previous two, this is a decent story (with fantastic art) that adds to the mystery and drama surrounding the god-like being, Gog, and how it affects the JSA as well as the rest of the world. Gog has granted “the heart’s desire” of several members of the JSA and some see it as a blessing while others are waiting for the other shoe to fall. The last page of this tale gives you an idea (which at least to me was obvious) of what’s coming. A pretty good story here but only pick it up if you’ve been reading the JSA Kingdom Come storyline already. Grade: B-

Marvel Comics: Hulk #8

You have two stories here in this issue, both second parts of ongoing storylines, one starring the Bruce Banner Hulk and the other starring the very crappy Red Hulk. The Banner Hulk story is better but I was at least entertained by the Red Hulk story. Jeph Loeb writes, if you want to call it that. The highlight of this whole issue is the phenomenal art by Arthur Adams and Frank Cho. Both men are kicking serious ass here. I just wish the writing was up to par. Please Marvel, I beg you, let the Green Hulk kill this Red Hulk. The character really really sucks! Grade: C

Cover of the Week: Batman #681

I hear that the current storyline in this book kind of sucks…but damn, that cover sure is purty!

Until Next Time–Peace…

Recently I’ve been completely engrossed in reading Batman RIP and all things Batman related.  I saw this pic up over at Iheartchaos.com this morning and let’s face it people this depiction is exactly how this election is shaping up.

Now this was a great read! Written by Matt Wagner with ethereally beautiful art by Amy Reeder Hadley, issue 4 is the continuation of the medieval adventures of the magical fortune teller Nimue as she tries to prevent the explorer, Marco Polo, from being framed for rape in the kingdom of Xanadu, under the rule of Kublai Khan.

You’ve got ninjas, magic, action, romance and even The Phantom Stranger (from The Books of Magic/DC Universe fame). The story being told here is fascinating but if you buy this for only one thing then it’s the art. Miss Hadley’s style is incredibly pleasing to the eye and I forsee her to be a very hot commodity in the future of comics. Grade: A+

Marvel Comics: The Ultimates 3 #5 ( of 5 )

Writer Jeph Loeb used to be one of my favorite comic scribes on the stands but lately the guy has been one of my least favorite. His run on Hulk sucks and this run on Ultimates has paled in comparison to the mostly fantastic run by Mark Millar. This issue ties up the 5 issue “Ultimates 3″ and is supposed to be a prequel of sort to the upcoming “Ultimatum” series for Marvel’s Ultimate line of books.  It’s got some really cool moments, mostly thanks to the still wonderful art by Joe Madureira, but overall the story just doesn’t thrill me. The tale has been all about who murdered the Scarlet Witch and why and….hell, if you want pretty art, pick this up. Just don’t expect that great of a story. I’m just not feeling it. Grade: D+

Dark Horse Comics: Hellboy – The Crooked Man #3 ( of 3 )

This was a f#cking great finale for this mini-series! Full of creepy Hellboy goodness with just enough Hellboy action. Written by Mike Mignola with very effective art by Richard Corben, this finds Hellboy and Appalachian magic man, Tom, trapped in an old decrepit church in Virginia, 1958 by The Crooked Man (a manifestation of the Devil) and his undead minions. The Crooked Man wants Tom’s soul due to a deal he made many years ago and that’s where the action and creepiness ensue. Mignola and Corben work wonders with this issue, especially with scenes involving preacher Jeremiah Witkins as The Crooked Man tries to convince the man of God to turn over Tom. This issue (and the whole mini) are worth every penny and you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t pick it up. Grade: A+

DC Comics: Trinity #17

This weekly 52 issue series reaches the end of it’s first third and has me very curious to see where it goes next. There are 2 stories here as there have been throughout the series. Kurt Busiek writes and Mark Bagley draws the main tale involving the big confrontation between what I guess is the evil Trinity (Morgan la Fey, Enigma and Despero) and the good Trinity (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman). The result of this confrontation appears to be world changing. You get some wonderful art but not much story, which is neither good nor bad considering the weekly nature of this book. The second tale is about the incarceration and origin of a villain named Konvikt (I know, stupid name but it is explained) who Supes and crew fought several issues back. Overall, not a bad issue but not anything that will blow your socks off either. But there have been worse weekly titles *cough* Countdown to Infinite Crisis *cough*.  Grade: B-

Cover of the Week: DC Comics – Superman #680

Gotta love some Krypto!

Until next time–Peace…

So while I realize that everybody and their mom is still talking about the awesomeness that is The Dark Knight right now, but just to remind folks that there is one other character out there that is can give Gotham’s favorite son a run for his money. 

And that man would be James "The Motherfuckin’ Wolverine" Howlett.  And for those that don’t know his movie comes out next year.  Recently at this year’s Comic Con, a trailer for the upcoming movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the trailer was leaked.  Below is the trailer.  Enjoy.

Writer Simon Oliver and artist Tony Moore end this fantastic, creepy and funny series and I will miss it. The characters were so well done, especially Stretch, and the storyline was unique and always held my interest. This issue wraps the story of the battle between the the Bug-Bee-Gone gang and the Mayan insect god Khepron with in-your-face action and gore. It’s f#cking great!!! Farewell Exterminators! Grade: A+

DC Comics: Green Lantern Corps #26

I’m beginning to wonder if this book will ever let me down. Some issues are weaker than others but even the weak are still decent reads. This issue wraps up the storyline “Ring Quest” with a hardcore battle between the alien tyrant/power ring collector Mongul and eight Lanterns that isn’t without casualties. Top notch writing by Peter Tomasi and energetic and visceral art by Patrick Gleason makes this book fire on all cylinders. Grade: A

Image Comics: War Heroes #1 ( of 6 )

I’m not a big reader of Image Comics’ books. Not much of their catalog appeals to me and when I do pick one up it usually disappoints or leaves me feeling unexcited about the next issue. Sometimes though I find one that blows my socks off. This isn’t one. Written by Mark (“I write a lot of comic books!”) Millar with art by the extremely talented Tony Harris, this book is set in a world much like the one we live in today. Yes, in this book America is at war with the Middle East and after several terrorist attacks across the country America goes to war with Iran. We get our asses kicked which results in even less support for the war effort. The military doesn’t have the manpower needed to fight the war so a program is created that will give everyone that signs up for the military superpowers –speed, strength, stamina, sight and flight. Now, this is the first issue so, of course, this is the big set-up but I found it even more dull than most introductory issues. The concept is intriguing so I’m sticking in for the next issue…hopefully it will blow my socks off. But right now…meh! Grade: C

The hype was right this time. The Dark Knight is one of the best comic book movies of all time. It’s storyline is amazing and Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker is awesome! But something that I’m not hearing much about that blew me away in the flick was Aaron Eckhart’s role of Harvey Dent/Two Face. This guy owned it!! If you haven’t seen it (why?) then go see it now. What everybody has said is true.

Until next time– Peace…

Heath Ledger will be forever known as the real Joker.

I actually considered bailing on this title since writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday concluded their epic 24 issue run. I figured that the book was their baby, their vision and that someone else coming on this title would make it feel totally different. Well, it does…but that’s not a bad thing.

Writer Warren Ellis and artist Simone Bianchi start fresh and new with the team now based in San Francisco and has included Storm to the roster. This issue is a set-up issue but the characterization is so well done it doesn’t seem tedious like a lot of set-up issues tend to do. The most fantastic thing here is artist Simone Bianchi. He makes the X-men look incredible and crams so much detail and atmosphere into every panel that it will make your eyes bleed, but in a good way. This guy could draw a beaten and bloody Wolverine taking a shit and you would call it beautiful. I’m going to be picking this up mostly for the art alone and hopefully Ellis’s story will follow suit. Grade: A-

DC Comics: Trinity #5

This title is starting to get it’s groove finally. Writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley (one of the best and most productive artists in the field) deliver some bonecrunching goodness as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (The Trinity) along with some help from the Justice League as they take down the alien monstrosity, Konvikt. Busiek seems that he’s setting up an interesting tale as the mystical Morgaine la Fey and Enigma watch how the trio deals with this menace, how they each bring something to the table. There is something nefarious going on here and my guess is that it definitely doesn’t bode well for Supes since it’s seemingly magical in nature. The latter third of this book is a pretty mundane back up feature starring this dude named Gangbuster (*yawn*). For a weekly title though, it’s pretty good. Grade: B-

Until next time–Peace…

Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Butch Guice, this is the first issue of the mini-series that promises to show us that everything in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is connected. This is a decent issue.

We get some flashbacks to World War II that show us the birth of the super soldier serum that creates Captain America as well as the start of the Weapon X program that creates Wolverine. The art makes this work. Butch Guice has a realistic style that would be really nice to see on a regular series. Hopefully this will lead into that. For a mini-series, this is a nice start and thankfully it wasn’t over-hyped. Grade: B+

DC Comics: Trinity #1

Okay, the art in this is great. Mark Bagley brings an old school style with a modern twist with his art, as he has always done with Marvel, to the “Big 3″ of DC. But I’m not feelin’ the story here. Those of you who have read my posts here before know that I’m a big big BIG DC fan and really have a soft spot in my heart for all three of these characters, especially Superman, but this first issue falls flat. Supes, WW and Bats are all having variations of the same dream and meet to discuss what that’s all about. That’s it. Writer Kurt Busiek is one of the best in the field but I’m not liking this issue at all. Please make the next better. This is a weekly title but to shell out standard cover price you still expect quality, especially with all that’s involved here character-wise and creator-wise. Grade: C-

Marvel Comics/Icon: Kick-Ass #3

I’m loving this f#cking book! True to life dialogue, great art, violent, funny and more. Writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita continue the saga of wanna-be-superhero Dave with a great issue that finds the main character a YouTube sensation after he stopped a mugging in issue 2. If you haven’t checked this out then pick up this issue and have your comic shop owner get the back issue reprints for you but be warned — it’s violent, has foul language and nudity….and is awesome. The last couple pages of this rocked! Grade: A+

Until next time–Peace…

Ok let’s get this out of the way, I am not a Superman fan.

Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate Superman as an icon in the realm of pop culture.  I can also appreciate the era in which he was made and why it was that we needed a character like that to rally behind and cheer for.  Hell I even had Superman under-roos when I was a kid.  But now that I’m older I find myself wondering why it is that here lately, when it comes to the superhero movies that are all the rage in Hollywood, why do the ones based on the Man of Steel seem to either suck out right or leave a lot to be desired?

After giving it some thought, I decided that it wasn’t necessarily the bad acting or poor choice of casting in the latest flick, as it was a fundamental flaw in the last son of Krypton’s design.  If you stop and think about it, Superman might as well be a god that wears a cape and swoops down to save us when we call him.  It’s almost as if his creators said "hey I got a great idea for a comic, let’s essentially put Jesus in tights and let him save the day in a modern day setting."

You for me, I don’t mind if the hero that I’m reading/watching is supposed to be nigh indestructible, but that is usually followed up by either some plausible character flaw or the fact that while as part of the audience, we realize that while no real harm will come to the character, the character themselves is usually un aware of this fact.

Now I know that there are tons of diehard Kal-El fans that would disagree with anyone having a problem with their favorite character, but I think there are just as many of us out there that do have a problem with the blue boy scout.

Why Superman will Always Suck.

So this past weekend, the ATE crew went out in full force to watch the new Iron Man movie, and besides the fucking lady that came into the movie late, sat by us talking on her phone and wouldn’t keep her kid quiet, this movie just KICKED ASS!!!!

Anyway check out this sweet little Mac/PC parody of the Dark Knight and Marvel’s new golden boy.