There is one reason you should buy this and it’s Alex Ross. The man is an unbelievably talented artist and he does the interior art in this thing front to back, not just the cover which he’s been doing mostly for a long while now. This book is beautiful!

If you haven’t been reading Justice Society of America then you might be a little lost. Basically, a much older Superman from a parallel Earth (the one from the most excellent Kingdom Come miniseries from 1996) has shown up on the DC Earth we usually deal with and has to come to terms that most of the allies he saw die on his Earth are very much alive on this one. This one-shot gives us some great moments that are wonderfully accentuated by the outstanding Ross art. He also wrote the thing as well. This is part one of a JSA Kingdom Come Special trilogy that adds to the great story happening in the regular JSA book. But, even if you aren’t following the story, pick this up for the art alone! Grade: A+

Marvel Comics: Wolverine #69 ( Old Man Logan part 4 )

Oh yeah, this story is still a lot of fun! Writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven must be having a great time creating this story. To catch you up, the Marvel Universe has gone all to hell and it’s 50 years later. The supervillains won and divided America into quadrants ruled by particular baddies. Wolverine hasn’t given up his violent ways and just wants to take care of his family. Low on money to make the payment on his land he takes on a job with the now blind ex-Avenger Hawkeye to deliver some cargo to the east coast. They have run-ins with the Ghost Rider gang, the Kingpin and in this issue, the Moloids. Just a straight up cool read that’s superheroes mixed with The Road Warrior with a touch of the western flick Unforgiven. Definitely a fun read for those familiar with the Marvel Universe. The twists on what we know makes this worth reading. Grade: A

DC Comics: Green Lantern Corps #30

This title remains one of the best comics on the stands today. This issue is a lot quieter than previous issues but still gives you some good bang for your buck. This continues the saga of the expanding groups of ring bearers from the emotional/energy spectrum. The GLC go to the planet Zamaron, home of the Star Sapphire/Violet Lantern Corps, to spy under the disguise of diplomacy. They don’t like what they find being done in the name of “love”. And Kyle Rayner and other Corps members have a run-in with Kryb, a Sinestro Corps member who is murdering GLC members and their loved ones and abducting their infant children. Peter Tomasi has been writing his ass off on this book and Patrick Gleason is an artist with a fantastic visceral style that always makes this book find it’s way to the top of my read pile. Like I said, the issue is quieter than it’s been but still worthy of your moolah. Grade: B+

Cover of the Week: Marvel Comics – Magneto: Testament #3

This cover actually makes me feel sorry for the murderous bastard!

Until next time– Peace…

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…

Anybody who has read these posts in the past know that I’m a Hulk geek. I just can’t get enough of the green guy whether it’s an all out smash fest or we are delving into the psychology that is Banner/Hulk.

The movie out this Friday (June 13) is getting some great reviews and that the flick is 10 times better than the Ang Lee snooze-arama that we got in 2003. This Hulk smashes and smashes and smashes. And it is said that this is really starting to expand the cinematic Marvel Universe even further (there’s a cameo by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark). Can’t freakin’ wait to see it! Now, I will tell you that you should pick up the latest issue of Green Lantern Corps and Action Comics–both are hella-awesome. But in celebration of the Hulk flick, here are reviews for two Hulk books out this week….

This is a one-shot featuring some great Hulk smashing and is drawn by Mitch Breitweiser who I would hope to see doing more Hulk projects. The back up tale in this is a reprint of and old Fantastic Four story and might be something you want to skip. That’s the drawback of this oneshot. They could have charged 2.99 instead of 3.99 and given us more of the new Hulk tale. Grade: B-

Dude, this is badass! Spinning out of events of the Planet Hulk storyline (if you didn’t read it you really missed out on a great Hulk story), we get to see the offspring of Hulk and his ladylove Caiera kicking ass all over the planet Sakaar. And Ron Garney delivers kick-ass art. Grade: A

GO SEE THE INCREDIBLE HULK!!!

Until next time–Peace…

Team Arrow is still on the hunt for those responsible for the attempted assassination and apparent abduction of Ollie’s son, Connor.

After some funny scenes with Green Lantern as well as the interrogation of 2 ex-marines involving a dominatrix clown and a sheep, we find the team in London to find the mastermind behind it all. The revelation is surprising. Judd Winick writes another fun issue and Mike Norton steps in for Cliff Chiang as artist and does a great job. Grade: A-

Dark Horse Comics: Serenity – Better Days #2 ( of 3 )

I’m a huge fan of Joss Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity Universe and when issue 1 of this new mini arrived last month it went to the top of my read pile, I loved it and did my review of that issue. Issue 2 is even better and makes me even more furious that this show is no longer on TV. This one is filled with some hilarious fantasy sequences and great characterization as the crew enjoy their good fortune on a paradise planet. But, the militaristic Alliance is on the hunt for them and look intent on ruining Mal and company’s good time. Stellar writing and art! Grade: A+

DC Comics: Green Lantern Corps #23

This is another great issue of this ongoing series and it showcases some great Green Lanterns as we continue the story of the evil alien Mongul’s quest to collect as many Sinestro Corps power rings as he can. Good writing by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s art is ruggedly beautiful. Pick it up! Grade: A

Hmm, since all three of these books were awesome maybe I should just say that these are my picks of the week. Anyhoo….

Until next time–Peace…

HOLY SH*T!! The two main Avengers titles as of late have been pretty mediocre if not sucktastic but this issue was good.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis is still on the book but artist Frank Cho is gone and ex-Ultimate Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley is in and it feels so good! This is an artist who did 100 plus issues of Ultimate Spider-Man without a problem and his art is very intricate and beautiful. He makes the Avengers look great but he also does backgrounds very well. Anyhoo, the storyline here adds to the mystery surrounding the secret Skrull invasion that has been weaving through several books lately which is good since the other Avengers book, New Avengers, had started addressing this back in the summer. There is a great scene where the team finally corners Wonder Man about his awful “leisure suit” costume choice and there is a great splash page where you see people on a New York city block all turn into Venoms and Carnages. I’m excited for the next issue! Grade: A

DC Comics: Green Lantern Corps #20

This issue, written by Peter Tomasi and art by Patrick Gleason and Carlos Magno, deals with more of the aftermath of the Sinestro Corps War. There are some cool moments between the Earth-based Lanterns and some much needed levity after the grimness of the War issues. But, not all grimness is gone. Mongul, the evil alien who is capable of delivering an ass-kicking to Superman, has a yellow power ring and has some some very bad intentions when it comes to using it. There’s not really any action in this issue but the banter between the characters made it a lot of fun. Not bad at all! Grade: B+

Marvel Comics: Hulk #1

I thought this was just going to be some stupid gimick that was totally unnecessary….that this was going to be like Marvel’s version of Red Superman/Blue Superman (if you don’t remember or know of that from the mid 90s, I envy you!). But they just might have a pretty cool story here and they better hope. Marvel has kept the hype machine under control for this book but after the magnificent run of Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, they have a lot to live up to. Thankfully, superstar writer Jeph Loeb (Superman/Batman, Ultimates 3, Heroes) and artist Ed McGuiness (the guy who regularly works with Loeb) give us a very decent first issue. I’m not crazy about it yet but I want to be since, as you know, the Hulk is one of my favorite characters. The story opens with a superpowered murder in Russia that looks to be the work of the Hulk. If you haven’t been keeping up with past issues, Hulk was defeated during World War Hulk and reverted back to the form of Bruce Banner. The Hulk hasn’t been seen since during the weeks after WWH and Banner is in an underground cell beneath the desert in New Mexico. So, we begin this issue with a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigative unit (Doc Samson, She-Hulk, Iron Man, General Ross, Commander Hill) looking into the murder. There’s a cool fight between the SHIELD crew and the Winter Guard (Russia’s version of the Avengers) but really there isn’t too much more going on here. Basically, we have a typical set-up/introduction first issue. Not bad and as usual, Ed McGuiness’s art is very nice! Grade: B

Until next time–Peace….

5. Thor (Marvel Comics)

This relaunch of the character totally kicks ass! After the whole cybernetic cloned Thor debacle in the mini-series Civil War, fans of the Thundergod clammored for his return. He did in a beautiful and epic way and delivered an ass kicking to Iron Man/Tony Stark that he had coming to him. This is a comic that doesn’t have a very good release schedule but when it does come out it is one of the first comics I’ll read that week.

4. Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special (DC Comics)

It’s about time these two lovebirds tied the knot but this one-shot shows that things don’t go smoothly for Ollie and Dinah. Great art my Amanda Conner makes this book a real gem as well as appearances by nearly every major hero in the DC universe. I’m partial to Green Arrow, the character is one of the best in my opinion, but this is one of the most fun reads from this year.

3. The Walking Dead (Image Comics)

DAAAAMMMNN! This one will sock you in the gut when you least expect it. Really bad things have happened in this book since the beginning but this year was a doozy. Our group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse are now dealing with a crazy sonuvabitch called the Governor, a guy who leads another group of survivors with militaristic and immoral tendencies. Writer Robert Kirkman knows how to write this kind of story with maximum effect–it’s not the zombies you should worry about, it’s your fellow humans!

2. Silver Surfer: Requiem (Marvel Comics)

Silver Surfer: Requiem is one of the most beautiful comics I’ve ever read. The story all deals with the Surfer discovering that he is going to die and his last goodbye to Earth, the Cosmos and his home planet of Zenn-La. Esad Ribic is an artist comparable in talent with Alex Ross. I will always keep this mini-series handy so I can peruse through the pretty pictures often.

1. The Sinestro Corps War storyline–Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and related one-shots (DC Comics)

THE BEST STORYLINE OF THIS YEAR IF NOT THE LAST FEW!!! I loved every issue, every panel and character nuance in this epic storyline that had Sinestro assembling an army of yellow power ring wearing evil badasses. From Sinestro infecting Green Lantern Kyle Rayner with the evil entity Parallax to the Lantern known as Killowog bringing an aircraft carrier down on the head of a bad guy to the beatdown of Sinestro–IT ALL ROCKED AND ROCKED HARD!!! The events in this story will have long reaching implications for the DC universe and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Coming in 2008—Legion of Super-Heroes by comics legend Jim Shooter…

Best comic based flick of 2007—

300

No other movie this year nailed it on the head! Director Zack Snyder shot a beautiful movie that had shots that looked exactly like the stellar graphic novel by Frank Miller. THIS IS SPARTA!!!

And TV finally gave us a kickass comic book inspired show…

Heroes

Yeah, it came out in 2006 but the show really amped up in 2007. A serialized show that delivers the goods every week and keeps you tuning in for more. Creator Tim Kring gets the characters and epic nature of “superheroes”. Keep it coming Mr. Kring!

Happy New Year—

I’m not a big gamer but there are a few games out there that I really like and Mercenaries is one of them. Dynamite Entertainment has crafted a cool comic based on that game with writing by Brian Reed and amazing art by Edgar Salazar.

You don’t need to have played the game to enjoy this comic which has some adrenaline charged action in the first half of the book. There is one scene in particular that I would love to see in the upcoming sequel to the game itself. The characters are fleshed out just enough in this first issue that you want them to succeed in the endeavors they are pursuing but the star is the mohawked merc, Mattias Nillson. He’s your typical crazy ass soldier character but he has a very cool look. Fans of the game will probably pick this up but on it’s own it’s a really great military adventure comic. If you are a fan of G.I. Joe or books like that then give this a try. Grade: B+

DC Comics: Green Lantern Corps #18

This is another tale in the continuing saga of the Sinestro Corps War and there are some cool parts in this issue. The Guardians have picked someone new to be Ion and it’s Sodam Yat, a Daxamite (aliens with powers like Superman). All through the issue he is engaged in battle with Superman Prime, a psychotic Superman from a parallel universe who Sinestro picked as one of his chief officers. The fight rocks! But there are scenes that cut away from the action and give us an origin of Sodam Yat. This really takes away from the issue but for the most part I enjoyed it. Grade: B

Here’s a preview of Ultimates 3 coming from Marvel on December 5th—

This has been one of the most hyped books of the past year. Award winning writer Jeph Loeb and superstar artist Joe Madureira bring us the sequel to the critically praised Ultimates. Don’t know what the Ultimates are? They are an alternate version of the Avengers from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe–basically an edgier take on the regular Marvel characters we know and love. I’m definitely looking forward to this as The Ultimates is one of the best reads Marvel puts out and Joe Mad’s pencils are, ahem, the “ultimate” in visceral comic book art. Please, comic book gods, let this be awesome!

Until Next Time–Peace…