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…

This is one of the best Vertigo books to come out in years and this issue wraps up the storyline of the Viking, Sven, and his return to his homeland to reclaim his kingdom.

Written by Brian Wood with art by David Gianfelice (very talented penciler), we get a very dialogue heavy issue here but if you are invested in the story then you will enjoy every bit of it. But if you haven’t been reading this then this issue will probably seem a little boring for you. This is only for those who’ve been here since issue 1 so go pick up the back issues if you’re a newbie. It’s a great, gritty story! Grade: A

Marvel Comics: Wolverine #67 (Old Man Logan chapter 2)

This issue is much better than the last, which wasn’t bad either. We are continuing on the journey of elderly pacifist Logan and elderly and blind Hawkeye as they cross an America ruined by Marvel Supervillains. There are fantastic moments in this issue written by Mark Millar with art by Steve McNiven, most notably Hawkeye vs. The Ghost Riders. Get this! It’s a cool “Dark Knight Returns” take on Wolverine and the art by McNiven is so freakin’ pretty!! Grade: A

Marvel Comics: Thor #10

You should be reading this. Writer J. Michael Straczynski is in his element here crafting a story about Thor and the Norse Gods that reads like a mixture of Tolkien, Frank Capra and the best of Stan Lee. Olivier Coipel’s pencils are a true work of art and give the most regal nature to Thor and crew. This issue is all about Loki and her two-face-ish ways and the final panel is a little chilling. Yep…another Grade: A

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.

Written by Mark Millar (Ultimates, Civil War) with art by Steve McNiven (Civil War), this is the start of the epic Old Man Logan storyline. This is Wolverine in a world that has gone to hell — The villains (Kingpin, Doctor Doom, Magneto) have defeated the superheroes and taken over the world. Two generations have been born and Logan is now an old man living in California with his family. He hasn’t popped his claws in years and has become a bit of a pacifist. Times are hard and when the Hulk Gang (the Hulk’s hillbilly grandchildren) comes calling things just get worse. Hawkeye shows up with an offer to make some money and things take off from there. Think of this as “The Dark Knight Returns”, Wolverine style. There is a lot of promise here and hopefully this will truly be great! Grade: A+

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…

The mid to late 1990s were a time when comics, for the most part, sucked the proverbial slimy dog turd!

Image comics was the worst offender of the bunch –a company that produced books with fantastic art but had stories and characters that were just freakin’ awful. But, they were very successful (thanks to collectors looking to get rich off of comics and could care less about the books themselves) and the company branched off into Wildstorm Productions and Top Cow Studios. The comics still sucked. Every now and then you would get a good one but they were few and far between. Lately, thanks to the major companies enlisting the talent of top notch writers along with good artists, we started getting some good books from these companies. Books like The Authority, Planetary, Midnighter and more started getting critical acclaim and telling thought provoking and entertaining stories. Now, for every one of those books you get about 5 turds. This is one of those turds. I picked it up solely for the cover image alone. It has pretty art and that’s it. The story is similar to what we’ve seen in a DC or Marvel book only they’ve told the story much better. Avoid this one, unless you just like pretty pictures. The New Dynamix? That title is a freakin’ oxymoron. Grade: D-

Marvel Comics: Logan #1 ( of 3 )

I used to be a big ass fan of Wolverine in the ’80s and ’90s but he started to become very over exposed and the love affair turned into a major love/hate relationship. I still love to see Wolvie pop those claws and f*ck things up but the guy is either the star or guest star of nearly every book Marvel puts out. I picked this issue up solely because it’s written by Brian K. Vaughan, a Vertigo comics guy who started branching out into the mainstream superhero comics world several years back and has kicked mucho asso! The surprising thing in this issue is the art by Eduardo Risso, it’s beautiful and while staying gritty. The story is about how recently Logan remembers his past and as he goes to Japan it brings back a memory from World War II. It’s an interesting first issue that will definitely make me want to pick up the other two. Grade: A-

Vertigo Comics: The Exterminators #27

I love this series but this stand alone issue was pretty bland. It’s all about one of the exterminators, Gloria Perez, dealing with her teen son Danielo acknowledging his Latino identity in a very militant way. It involves exploding cantaloupes, the cops and teen sex. The idea in the story is interesting but the execution just isn’t that great. We have a fill-in artist, John Lucas, in this issue that makes me long for original artist Tony Moore. Thankfully, writer Simon Oliver will be rejoined by him next issue. Like I said, I really dig this book but this was mediocre. Grade: C-

Until next time–Peace…

Even though the movie is still over a year from being in theaters the first image of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine from X-men Origins: Wolverine has been released. The flick is due in theaters May 1, 2009 and will take place years before the first X-Men film, dealing with Logan’s ordeal with the Weapon X program and his first encounters with mutants. Doesn’t he look ready to give out a can of asskickery?

Shazam

Screenwriter John August has nearly completed a script for the fan favorite character, Captain Marvel, that is titled Shazam.

The character is a DC Comics property that involves young Billy Batson who is granted the powers of Captain Marvel by saying the name of the Egyptian wizard who gives him the powers. Mr. August has said that it will have the wish fulfillment fantasy of the 80s’ Tom Hanks film Big and the superpowered action of Superman. If all goes well production will begin sometime in 2008.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

The sequel is slated for a release of August 1, 2008. The script, written by Mike Mignola and director Guillermo del Toro, brings Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense up against a monstrous invasion once an ancient truce is broken between our world and the supernatural realm. Guillermo del Toro said this movie will be bigger and even more true to the comic.

Captain America

Lion’s Gate Films currently have this one in development with a likely start in 2008. There has been a lot of name dropping as to who will play “Cap”, such as Matthew McConaughey, Paul Walker, and Brad Pitt. This movie is supposedly on the fast track since reaction to the trailer at San Diego Comic Con for Iron Man, another Marvel flagship character, was so positive.

Iron Fist

The flick has director Steve Carr attached to it at this time and that actor Ray Park (Darth Maul from Star Wars) is to play Danny Rand/Iron Fist.

Luke Cage

Director John Singleton (Boyz In The Hood, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious) is pushing to make this flick based on the Marvel Comics character who is framed for a crime he doesn’t commit and in exchange for a prison release, participates in an experiment which gives him superhuman strength and durability. Actor Tyrese Gibson (Baby Boy, 2 Fast 2 Furious) has expressed interest in the role as well as Wesley Snipes (New Jack City, The Blade Trilogy).

Superman: The Man of Steel

The sequel to Superman Returns is in heavy development right now but Warner Bros. studio might put the project on the backburner as they aggressively pursue getting the Justice League of America movie up and running. As of right now the release is for Summer 2009 and Bryan Singer is still supposed to direct. The plot is to be about Superman dealing with a visitor to Earth who followed him back from his visit to Krypton, which was only referenced in Superman Returns, and that this visitor might be the supervillain Braniac.

Thor

The director is Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) and the rumor about casting of the Thunder God comes from Tyler Mane, an actor (Sabretooth in X-Men, Michael Myers in the latest Halloween) and former pro-wrestler, who said in recent interviews for Halloween that he wants to play Thor.

The Incredible Hulk

Marvel Entertainment has said that this flick is a “re-do” since the “touchy feely” Ang Lee flick wasn’t true to what a Hulk movie should be. This one is promised to have lots of “Hulk Smash” action and a worthy Hulk adversary. The Abomination, played by Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs), is the big baddie and Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings, Empire Records) is playing love interest, Betty Ross. William Hurt (Children of a Lesser God, A History of Violence) is General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and the fantastic Ed Norton (American History X, The 25th Hour) is playing Bruce Banner/Hulk. There are rumors that the supervillain, The Leader, will show up and the Hulk may even be grey in part of the flick. This is scheduled for a June 13, 2008 release and it’s directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter 1 and 2).

Wolverine

Screenwriter David Benioff has said this flick will take place 17 years in the past and deal with Wolverine and his past with the Weapon X project. Hugh Jackman has confirmed that he will reprise his role as Wolverine and he is a producer on the film. Also, Sabretooth will likely be back and another mutant, The Blob, will be giving Wolverine hell. Production is said to begin in 2008 for a 2009 release.

Take Care….

This series has been a whole ocean full of awesomeness and writer Ron Marz and penciler Luke Ross did not disappoint with the last issue of volume 2 of this most excellent series.

To get you up to speed–Shiro the samurai set out to rescue his love, Lady Yoshiko, from the vile clutches of Spaniard Don Miguel after she is sold into slavery. The chase took him from Asia to Europe and now to Egypt and in this issue we find our lovers finally reunited in some desert ruins and about to face down an army of Egyptian warriors as well as Don Miguel who wants Lady Yoshiko for himself. There will be a volume 3 of this epic series so if you haven’t picked this up, do yourself a favor and get this and all the back issues. I can’t recommend this highly enough! Grade: A+

Marvel Comics: Wolverine #55

I love the ol’ Canucklehead and the writer of this “Evolution” arc, Jeph Loeb, is one of the best writers in the field but this storyline is pretty mediocre. On a good note, at least this issue is better than the last 4. Artist Simone Bianchi draws beautifully so that is another saving grace in a storyline that does for Wolverine kind of what midichlorians did for the Jedi in Star Wars if you get my drift. This issue is the supposed conclusion of the long running war between Wolvie and Sabretooth and you would think that would be satisfying and in some ways it is and others it isn’t. This might be one of those stories that the more I think about it the more I might like it but I have my doubts. Even though it is the best issue out of this arc I can’t praise it too highly. Grade: C+

DC Comics: Countdown #40….and counting

Something is still missing with this series and I can’t quite put my finger on it. What I mean is that it just doesn’t have the sense of excitement that I got out of reading “52″, which if you have been living under a comics rock for the past year was DC’s big event book that encompassed all of that universe minus Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Still, I enjoyed this issue and still have hopes that we are right around the corner to some big revelations. Writers Paul Dini and Tony Bedard and artists Manuel Garcia and Keith Giffen are keeping the story moving along but it still seems kind of slow. In this issue we learn more about the search for Ray Palmer (aka The Atom) in the Nanoverse and we also get appearances by The Penguin and …..well, I’m not giving away the final panel. This would be the time to pick this series up before they get too much further into the series. It is a fun read and gives you a variety of characters and this issue was good. Grade: B

Until next time—Peace….

DC Comics:

52 Week Fifty-One

Things are really coming to a head now on one of DC’s best books as we approach the big finale.

In the aftermath of World War III we have all the heroes gathering together to pay their respects to the fallen, the reunion of Animal Man and his wife, Lobo appearing to go back to his old violent ways and a shocking surprise relating to Skeets that I didn’t see coming. Can’t wait for next week!

Justice Society of America #5

This series continues to surprise me in good ways. Issue 5 deals with the appearance of 5 individuals from the future and the JSA and the JLA teaming up to figure out what’s going on–in this case the team-up is Batman, Sand, GeoForce and Starman. They are on the scene of a disturbance at Arkham Asylum and this story makes Starman one of my favorite characters even though he is a total loon. This is part two of the ongoing “Lightning Saga” storyline and so far it’s pretty good.

Amazons Attack #1

There wasn’t much going on this issue except some battle sequences but it’s worth picking up for the art alone. Pete Woods is one of the best artists in comics today and he is kicking ass here. The story is that the evil Circe has brought Hippolyta (Amazonian Queen and mother to Wonder Woman) back from the dead and Hippolyta has declared war on the world of man due to they have imprisoned her daughter (check out the ongoing Wonder Woman for all that). This isn’t the best 1st issue of a mini but I’m sure the story will get better….but you gotta love the art!

Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood #6

This is the last issue that deals with an adventure involving Green Arrow’s son, Connor. The mini-series has been fun but it helps if you are a Green Arrow geek like me. This issue ties things up nicely.

Justice #11

The series that’s been going for nearly 2 years now is near the end. Story wise this is hit and miss with me but the art (by Doug Braithwaite and painted by Alex Ross) is drool worthy. If you haven’t been picking this up that’s ok–it’s being collected (the first 2 volumes are out already). This issue gives us a cool battle between the DC heroes and villains and cool bios at the end of Green Lantern and Sinestro.

Marvel Comics:

Wolverine #53

Okay, wtf!? I’m a Wolverine fan and love a good fight with Sabretooth but this storyline has been very flat. The art has been fantastic but the writing is kind of hokey. I love the writing of Jeph Loeb but I think he might not have thought this project out to well. Thankfully the art by Bianchi is awesome.

I really want to like Iron Man again but….

World War Hulk is starting in May! Pick it up–The Hulk has been great the past year and this storyline sounds amazing…

DC comics is wrapping up the weekly series 52 but May 9th is starting the weekly called Countdown. If it’s as good as 52 then it will be a must have for any DC fan…