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…

I’m loving this freakin’ series and I’ve never been a big Iron Man fan but writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larocca are delivering the goods. The character is currently dealing with Zachariah Stane, evil son of his rival Obadiah Stane (Iron Monger), who is using Stark tech for terrorist attacks across the world. What makes this series and particularly this issue work is the writer is making Stark into a likable (albeit cocky) character once again. I dig! Grade: A

DC Comics: Final Crisis #3 ( of 7 )

I just don’t get why people think writer Grant Morrison is so great. There is only one storyline of his I’ve ever liked (JLA vs. White Martians in the mid-90s) and I absolutely hated what he did with the X-Men seven years ago. In addition to Final Crisis he is currently writing Batman R.I.P. and those that I know reading it say that it is sub-par. Well, this issue of Final Crisis is sub-par as well. There is nothing really exciting in this issue which is a shame as the other Crisis books in the past (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis) have all been pretty good throughout. There are only two things I liked here…The final scenes with Wonder Woman and Mary Marvel were decent and the art by J.G. Jones is still very beautiful. The big deal about this book is supposed to be the re-introduction of Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, but it hasn’t really been handled that well. I’m still very disappointed in this series. Grade: D+

Marvel Comics: Hulk #5

Wow! This book still sucks. Jeph Loeb, a writer I usually like, seems like he has fallen prey to “gimmick-itis”, an ailment that has plagued many comic writers in the last 20 years. Basically this issue is all about Red Hulk thoroughly kicking Thor’s ass. It rings of total bullshit and if you can find me one Hulk fan who wants this Red Hulk storyline to keep going then I will show you a porno of Santa fucking Darth Vader. Come on! Bring the original Hulk back and make this red asshole take a dirt nap. And the art by Ed McGuiness, while it’s pleasing to the eye, can’t even save this total load of crap! Grade: F

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…

Two big Marvel guys that have obvious blockbuster movies coming out this Summer star in this conclusion to this mini-series set in the Ultimate Marvel universe.

To catch you up, Bruce Banner comes to Tony Stark hoping that he can help him eliminate the Hulk from himself once and for all. Stark whisks Banner off to his Ironworks facility in the desert and things don’t go well. Banner Hulks out and starts thrashing the place but luckily Stark has an Iron Man suit nearby and is able to incapacitate the Hulk. The timing of this couldn’t be worse. A militaristic unit shows up and captures Stark and Banner so their commander, The Leader, can take their blood and inject it into himself so he can become the Ultimate Human. Now, the first 3 issues of this mini were lackluster and, in fact, I think this really should have just been a 2 issue tale. This issue gives us the Hulk in all his smashing glory but still leaves a lot to be desired. But Cary Nord’s art is amazing and I love the Hulk, green or in the case of this story – grey, in full on destructive mode. I expect more from writer Warren Ellis but you can tell that this series was really all about generating some further interest in the upcoming films of both characters. Grade: C+

DC Comics: DC Universe Zero

I won’t go into much about this. You should pick it up since it’s only 50 cents and is basically a primer for upcoming events in the DC Universe all tieing into the Final Crisis event. The last page drops a big hint to the return of a major character and has got me really excited about where DC is going with all of this. Grade: A

Marvel Comics: The New Avengers #40

Damn!!! I was talking shit about writer Brian Michael Bendis a few months back saying that I thought he had too much on his plate and that he was shelling out a lot of crap. I might have been right about that then but now….this guy is kicking ass! With awesome art by Brian Cheung, this issue gives us the background story as to how the alien shape-shifting Skrulls have managed to infiltrate some of the most powerful people of the Marvel universe. This is a really interesting tale and has a somewhat jaw-dropping revelation at the end. If you are following this big Skrull invasion storyline then you need to read this issue! Grade: A+

And just a quick mention that the Iron Man movie in theaters this coming Friday is getting some really positive feedback from critics and most importantly, the fans….check it out this weekend!

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….

Dark Horse Comics: The End League #1

Writer Rick Remender and artist Matt Broome bring us a post-apocalyptic tale where almost all of the world’s superheroes are dead and the supervillains rule with fear and pain.

This issue was really cool as it gives you a great introduction to this world and characters that are epic in scope. The creators have imaginitively given us versions/mash-ups of some of our favorite characters from Marvel and DC. You’ve got your Superman, Wonderwoman, Captain America, Flash, Ghost Rider, Doctor Fate and so on. The heroes are looking for the Hammer of Thor hoping that it will turn the tide in their favor and the world can start to heal from all the destruction. This is an interesting read with super art that I think you should definitely give a try. Grade: A

DC Comics: Countdown to Final Crisis – 17 and counting…

I won’t spend a long time on this but this issue is the one that the sh*t really starts happening in. Mary Marvel and Eclipso have an epic face-off….The Monitor that Donna Troy, Jason Todd and Kyle Rayner have been “Earth-jumping” with finally reveals his master plan….and the big war starts here. I’ve been back and forth on this book. I didn’t think it was measuring up to DC’s weekly book from last year, 52, but this one is starting to kick some ass. Grade: A-

Marvel Comics: Ultimate Human #1 (of 4)

Set in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, this one has Bruce Banner coming to Tony Stark for a way to cure him of becoming the Hulk. Of course, this doesn’t go well. This issue, written by Warren Ellis with amazing art by Cary Nord, has some great moments in it but overall I was disappointed. First issues are often “set-up” issues so the next issue hopefully will kick a bit more. With Warren Ellis writing I expect nothing less. Grade: C+

Until next time–Peace….

HOLY SMOKES! DC Comics does not disappoint with their finale to the super epic Sinestro Corps War storyline. Forget Marvel and their petty Civil War–this is where you can find a truly great tale that stretches back decades.

We learn the prophecy of The Blackest Night, why Earth has so many Green Lanterns, the fate of the Anti-Monitor and much more. The writing by Geoff Johns is fantastic with some great dialogue (especially that uttered by Guy Gardner) and phenomenal art by Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver (breath taking battle scenes packed full of characters). It’s rare for me to look back through a comic after I’ve read it and I’ve looked at this one three times so far. If you haven’t been reading this then soon as the trade paperback comes out, get it. Back issue prices for this storyline are pretty high if you are going for first or even second printings. I’m saying it now—THIS IS THE BEST SINGLE ISSUE OF ANY COMIC THIS YEAR!! Grade: A+++

DC Comics: Green Arrow/Black Canary #3

This is another good one. As far as this week goes, DC Comics can do no wrong in my opinion. First Green Lantern and now Green Arrow–2 favorites of mine that have stellar issues in the same week. This issue continues the story of Oliver Queen’s rescue from the Amazons of Paradise Island. I used to think that Wonder Woman was a true badass but Black Canary is a hell of a woman in her own right and she goes toe to toe with a buttload of Amazon warriors in gladatorial combat. There is a shocker of an ending in this one written by masterful Arrow writer Judd Winick and superb art by Cliff Chiang. Loved it! Grade: A

And here’s a preview of an upcoming book from Marvel (note the Christmas colors)…

Hulk #1 — due out January 4, 2008

Writer Jeph Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman/Batman, the television show–Heroes) and artist Ed McGuiness (Superman/Batman) bring us Hulk #1. Following the events of World War Hulk (a must read) a longtime ally to the Hulk is found dead and all clues point to the Hulk being the murderer. What’s up with the Hulk being red now? All will be revealed throughout the storyline starting in January. Red and green….how festive!!

Until next time–Peace….