This was actually very good but with writer Peter Tomasi (Green Lantern Corps) on hand I should have expected a good story.

Along with artist Fernando Pasarin, Tomasi gives us some background on one of the key characters from the epic Kingdom Come miniseries from 1996 as well as the current Kingdom storyline in the ongoing Justice Society of America. Lance Corporal David Reid was brought back from the dead by the god-like entity, Gog, several issues ago in JSA and turned into the superpowered Magog. Not only do we get backstory but a good and very timely story about a confrontation between superheroes and armed rebel sadists in the Congo. Pick up the book…it’s a flat-out good read. Grade: A-

Marvel Comics: Deadpool #4

This is very simple…this book is tons of fun! Humorous dialogue, slick art, blood, bullets and zombies all wrapped up in a superhero-ish package. Worth the buy! Grade: A

Dark Horse Comics: Conan the Cimmerian #5

I really, really miss writer Kurt Busiek and artist Cary Nord on this book. It seems to be lacking vitality throughout and I’ve never really felt that reading any Conan before. Writer Tim Truman, who has done other great things, just seems to not be hitting all of the buttons that need to be pushed. It’s very hard to put my finger on. Artist Tomas Giorello is a worthy artist but lacks that bit of grace and punch we got from Cary Nord. I just can’t recommend this book and it pains me. Grade: C- (very close to a D)

Cover of the Week: Fantastic Four #561 (variant cover)

Gotta love chimps!

Until next time— Peace…

Wow! Just freakin’ awesome and if you are not onboard with all things Green Lantern related then you are missing out. Geoff Johns writes one heck of a tale here that formally introduces us to the Red Lantern Corps, rage powered individuals who are sure to give the Green Lantern Corps one hell of a time. Shane Davis pencils this issue and the guy is unbelievable. There’s a splash page in this issue that rivals what Ivan Reis is doing in the main ongoing GL book. Buy this one! Grade: A+

Dark Horse Comics: Hellboy – In The Chapel of Moloch ( one-shot )

For the first time in years creator Mike Mignola does the art duties on a full sized Hellboy tale. It’s your basic Hellboy goodness which in many, many ways is better than anything on the stands today. Creepiness abounds in this tale of an artist in Portugal under supernatural influence with Hellboy out to save the day. Buy this one too! Come on…it’s Mike frickin’ Mignola!! Grade: A+

Marvel Comics: 1985 #6 ( of 6 )

This mini, to me, has been a lot of fun. It’s all about the Marvel Universe’s characters in the real world circa 1985. Havoc ensues. This issue has the big confrontation between the villains and the heroes. Since issue 3 I knew where writer Mark Milar and artist Tommy Edwards were going with this but it’s still been a cool read with the nostalgia of the 1985 Marvel Universe. Not a fantastic read but definitely a fun one. Grade: B

Cover of the Week: DC Universe – Decisions #4 ( of 4 )

with the upcoming election I just had to pick this one!

Until next time– Peace…

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…

Well, Marvel Comics had such a hit with Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series they are going to see if they can do it again (and I’m sure they will) with his apocalyptic epic, The Stand.

Writer Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Mike Perkins (this dude can draw!) adapt the story of a military engineered plague that wipes out most of the population and brings forth true evil in the personification of the figure on the cover above, Randall Flagg. This issue introduces us to 3 of our main characters – Stu, Frannie and Larry – and shows us how the plague starts to spread initially. Even though I know the story I still found certain imagery here to be very gripping and creepy. What makes it creepy is the reality of the plague. You know that the government could, and probably is, messing around with something like this right now and all it takes is one little mistake and we’re all screwed. If you’ve read the original novel or seen the excellent TV mini-series from the Nineties you’ll still enjoy this. If you are totally unaware, you’re in for a treat. Apocalyptic stories don’t get much better than this. Grade: A+

Dark Horse Comics: Star Wars – The Clone Wars #1

I’ll admit that I’m a Star Wars junkie. Even though the prequel trilogy pales in comparison to the original trilogy I still found joy in much of it. Yeah, Jar Jar is one of the most annoying characters of all time but I think when people look back at the films, wooden acting aside, I think that they will see that they’re not that bad. This comic is based on the upcoming animated series (as well as the film that’s still in theaters) and I dig it. I am one of the select few who actually thought the animated flick was good and in some ways better than the live action prequel flicks. The action was very kinetic, the characterization was good and for the first time I really liked Anakin. This comic takes place shortly after the events in the film which naturally places us in the ongoing Clone Wars. There’s a thin story here but plenty of action and it’s art style is similar to the animated ‘toon. Basic, fun Star Wars is what we have here and that’s just fine with this geek! Grade: A-

Marvel Comics: Secret Invasion #6 ( of 8 )

First, the cover of this issue kicks a lot of ass! I’m still not crazy about the new Captain America costume but for some reason it works here and these three look like they are ready to obliterate some Skrulls. Second, this issue has got a great scene with some whacked people all ready to believe that the Skrulls are here to make their lives better and quickly learn that the Skrulls are aggressive, scary assholes. Third, this issue has the action and the arrival of Thor is cool as hell. Writer Brian Michael Bendis gives us some moments of great dialogue here but most of the heavy lifting is handled by artist Leinil Yu. The art for the most part is fantastic but there are parts here where I felt Yu might be either overwhelmed or just burnt out on handling such an epic. There are certain panels that just felt off but for the most part the issue is gorgeous and the end pages of this are freakin’ AWESOME! Grade: B

Until next time—Peace…

Captain America #41

Still one of the best Marvel books for your money!

Conan The Cimmerian #2

A much better second issue with a cool ass ending!

The Incredible Hercules #120

This is in the top 5 of best Marvel books!

Until next time– Peace…

I personally think that Conan is one of the greatest characters ever created. He’s a man’s man. Able to handle any situation that comes up and will take all of the abuse his opponent can dish out all the while holding up his head defiantly while he holds a battle axe in one hand and a lusty wench with the other.

Robert E. Howard’s storytelling is visceral, imaginative and thrilling and for over 4 years Dark Horse Comics has done a splendid job bringing those tales to the paneled world of comics. This book always is one of the first that I will read the week it comes out so I was pretty excited about the next exciting chapter in the adventures of Conan. Two months ago the first series, which explored Conan’s first adventures in the civilized world, ended with #50, an issue that kicked major ass. This one (after a great zero issue a few weeks back) brings Conan back to his homeland of Cimmeria. Unfortunately, it’s pretty mediocre. Written by Tim Truman with art by Tomas Giorello (FANTASTIC!) and Richard Corben (quirky but great), Conan encounters Vanir raiders on the borderlands who quickly try to dispatch our hero. A mysterious stranger shows up and the raiders depart in fear. The stranger tends to Conan’s wounds and, knowing who Conan is, starts to tell a story about Connacht, Conan’s grandfather from back in the day. While the visuals are great but this story starts off incredibly slow. This is not a way to get new readers for Conan. If I was not a Conan fan and this was the first Conan story I ever checked out I would be very disappointed. I really hope the next issue slays me! Grade: C

Marvel Comics: 1985 #3 ( of 6 )

I picked up the first issue of this mini-series for two reasons: Mark Millar was the writer and the concept of Marvel superheroes and villains in the real world was intriguing. The first introduced us to a good kid from a broken home named Toby who discovers that supervillains from his comic books have come to the real world with malicious intentions. The second further elaborates on this including a smackdown between the Hulk and Juggernaut in the forest. The third is pretty much a full-on assault by the villains including a f#cked up scene with MODOK. I’m sure that the heroes are going to show up at some point to save the day but right now this series has some cool moments and that’s about it. Writer Millar has stated that this somehow ties into events in his Wolverine: Old Man Logan arc and what’s happening in Fantastic Four. Okay. But at this point this series seems pretty silly. Artist Tommy Lee Edwards is doing some great work here but it’s not for everybody. That’s his cover above but his art inside is much rougher. You either love it or hate it. Mark Millar has crafted some of the most fantastic stories in recent years but this just feels like a vanity project….I hope I’m wrong. Grade: B

DC Comics: Final Crisis – Requiem (one-shot)

If you’ve been reading Final Crisis you know that in issue 1 Martian Manhunter was killed by a group of supervillains. If I spoiled that for you then you must not be reading a single DC book. There are ads in nearly every title asking, “Where were you when Martian Manhunter was killed?” so if this is news to you, whoops. Now, on to this book. Manhunter’s death in Final Crisis #1 seemed anti-climactic. It kind of pissed me off. I’ve always thought that the character was really cool and unique and that this is no way to kill off a character that’s been a major part of the Justice League since the Sixties. This one-shot gives the Manhunter the death he deserves….tragic, brutal and meaningful. This is a must read whether you really dig Martian Manhunter or you never thought much of him. If you are the latter, this will show you why he matters. Writer Peter Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke (doing great work here) show us the epic and heroic life of Manhunter J’onn J’onnz and the funeral has a very cool scene with Batman. Come on, pick this up. The dude was one of the major players in the JLA but also was a unique character that I will miss…until his resurrection (oh, comic books and their relationship with death). Grade: A+

Until next time–Peace…

The sweetest sequel this summer has to offer so far.

Writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan (this mofo can draw!!) Reis continue their retelling of Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s origin in part 4 of this tale.

When this started 3 issues back I thought, WTF!? Why are you retelling the origin? Well, it’s cool to see how they are working the whole Blackest Night prophecy into his origin and the other thing is having Ivan Reis pencil it. This guy is one of the best artist DC Comics’ has on the payroll! There’s some cool action in this and overall it’s an enjoyable read. Grade: B+

DC Comics: Final Crisis #2 ( of 7 )

I’m really on the fence with this one. First off, the art by J.G. Jones is freakin’ awesome. And we get to see him draw all of the big shots of DC in a funeral scene. But you also have to deal with these weird ass Japanese superheroes at the beginning of the tale that just seem to be a reason for writer Grant Morrison to do his weird fucking shit that he seems to do from time to time. I fucking hate it!! It’s like the guy wants to put weird shit in his mainstream superhero books just to generate buzz. Don’t believe me then take a look at what he did in “New X-Men” over 5 years ago. I hated that title why he was on it but a lot of newbies to comic reading thought it was the best thing ever. FUCK THAT!! Just give me a good tale that’s action packed and character driven but don’t do weird shit like put hairy ass Wolverine in a leather jumpsuit with his barechest hanging out like some kind of sado-masochistic gay dream. Okay, I got a little off subject there. Thankfully, he’s not doing anything weird with the main DC characters and there actually is some cool stuff going down in this issue but I’m still not blown away yet. I’m hanging in there but just by a few fingers. Grade: C+

Dark Horse Comics: Conan the Cimmerian #0

I’ll make this easy….buy this!! It’s only 99 cents and is masterfully done by the creative team. If you’ve never read Conan before (WTF, why haven’t you…it’s awesome!!!) now is the time to get on board. And this issue is barbarically beautiful!!! Grade: A+

Until next time—Peace…

This is the conclusion to writer Joss Whedon’s and artist John Cassaday’s epic run on this title and this issue definitely rocks but has some problems as well.

The number one problem– time. This series has had huge gaps between issues which causes the reader to be confused by some of the events occurring or just a total loss of momentum in the story. Another problem was with this issue alone– there is a scene in the middle of the book that had me asking WTF just happened? I went back several pages to read it again and still didn’t see how they got from A to B. But, this has got some great action, characterization and emotion within and the art by Cassaday is AWESOME! Something major happens to a fan favorite character here that really resonates. Overall, not bad. Grade: B+

DC Comics: Final Crisis #1 ( of 7 )

This book has been hyped quite a bit and you know what? It delivers as well as a first issue can. There is a pretty big death here if you are a die-hard DC fan as well as scenes with some of the heavy hitters in the DC Universe. I’m not a big fan of writer Grant Morrison but he’s doing good stuff here so far and artist J.G. Jones can draw his ass off! BUY IT!!! Grade: A

Dark Horse Comics: Hellboy – The Companion

If you have been here before then you know that I love me some Hellboy. The whole mythos is some of the coolest stuff in comics from the last 25 years. This book is your guide through the world of Hellboy. Everything from Rasputin to the B.P.R.D. to Lobster Johnson and beyond is covered so if you are new to this world you will be brought up to speed. If you are already a fan this is still one hell of a tome (sorry!) to have in your collection. It’s thorough and has some sweet b&w art within. Grade: A+

Until next time–Peace…

Wow, I really liked this issue! I have had some mixed feelings since the departure of the original creative team of writer Kurt Busiek and artist Cary Nord leaving this book last year. Writer Tim Truman was giving us cool story with Conan versus a demonic army in “The Hand of Nergal” but Tomas Giorello’s art, while very good, just didn’t seem to be measuring up to the story.

I should have known that a guy with that kind of talent just had to find his groove and he has found it in this final issue concluding the tale of “Nergal” and ending the series on a high note. Now Conan will be back with an all new series in June called “Conan the Cimmerian.” The current series was all about Conan discovering civilization and becoming a thief and the new series will be about Conan returning to Cimmeria and becoming an even better barbarian. Back to this issue….just buy it…you’ll love it! Grade: A

Marvel Comics: The Invincible Iron Man #1

Here we have Marvel cashing in on their new golden boy, Iron Man, since he has a hit movie (which is AWESOME!) and is on his way to becoming a household name. Iron Man already has one book (Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.) on the stands so does he really need another monthly title? I’m not really sure but this issue was actually very cool. Writer Matt Fraction really knows how to write an interesting tale delving into the super and not so super (but very rich) life of Tony Stark and Salvador Larocca’s art is amazing. The story involves what appears to be a terrorist attack in Africa caused by persons using Stark’s technology. It’s a great first issue and you couldn’t ask for a better creative team. Grade: A

DC Comics: Action Comics Annual #11

Okay, DC Comics usually does a decent job of getting books/storylines out on time but this annual concludes a story started in Action Comics over a year and a half ago. We were cruising along with this story, written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner with art by Adam Kubert, about a Kryptonian boy arriving on Earth and Superman taking the child in only to find out that he is actually the son of evil Kryptonian General Zod. Zod and crew were imprisoned in the Phantom Zone but manage to find a way out and, with a large group of Kryptonian baddies, wreak lots of havoc in Metropolis. And then, we get a year of stories that have nothing to do with this storyline…we are left in limbo. Well, here is finally the conclusion to that and it’s pretty good but not great. If it have been on time and they kept the momentum up somewhat on the story I think I would have liked this more. I’m a huge Superman fan and I think General Zod is a fantastic baddie for Supes but this all felt a little flat. Dear DC, please have Geoff Johns be the sole writer on this book and make Gary Frank the artist….permanently. While Frank was on this book it just kicked so much ass! And while having a big name movie director like Richard Donner might sound like a good idea, it usually isn’t due to it will likely mean big delays in the book and cause confusion in continuity. Just ask Marvel’s boss, Joe Quesada. He thought it was a good idea to have director Kevin Smith write a Spider-Man mini and it ended up being over 3 years between issues. And then there’s “Lost” creator Damon Lindelhof writing a Hulk vs. Wolverine mini. We saw the first 2 issues over 2 years ago….nothing since. So, this issue is just okay. Grade: C+

Until next time–Peace…