Friday, January 29, 2010

NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 2/3/10

MAGIC THE GATHERING WORLDWAKE RELEASE PARTY THIS WEEK!

Ah, what a week! Special thanks to both Jacob Chabot and Chris "G" Giarrusso for coming down to the store and hanging out with us all day! They signed lots of books and did a ton of awesome sketches and we can't thank them enough. And, of course, thanks to all of you who came down in support, this is but the first in a long line of great things planned for this year.

As I write this, February is just around the corner and we've got a slew of cool things going on this month which I will gladly inform you of right now. First off is our Magic the Gathering Worldwake Release Party/Tournament followed by Socko's first movie night at the Cargo Cafe, the first ever CBJ Olympics event, the unbelievable signing with Ben McCool and Ben Templesmith in celebration of Choker, and the Alterna Comics Anniversary Showcase. More information on all this stuff can be found below so keep reading!

MAGIC THE GATHERING WORLDWAKE RELEASE PARTY

Worldwake hits this week! To celebrate we'll be having a release party on Friday, February 5th starting at 5:00pm. This will be a sealed deck tournament where the entry fee is $30, this gets you 6 packs. Registration starts at 4:00pm. There will be plenty of promos and cool prizes to go along to the winners so make sure you come by. Also, for the entire night all cards and card supplies will be 10% off! We'll have plenty of boxes and for sale as well as "buy a box" promotions. If you know you will be coming please RSVP so that we can get a proper head count, you can do this by e-mailing or calling us (comicbookjones@gmail.com / 718-448-1234). Please arrive on time! Friday! Friday! Friday!

COMIC BOOK JONES PRESENTS
MOVIES NIGHT @ THE CARGO CAFE

Starting on Monday, February 8th, Socko Jones will be hosting Monday Night Movies down at the Cargo Cafe! This will take place place the second Monday of every month. The first movie you ask? Creep Show! The event starts @ 10PM. The Cargo Cafe is a great place for food and drinks (located at 120 Bay Street) and if you've got your secret society membership card the first drink is on the house! Don't miss it!



FIRST EVER CBJ COMIC OLYMPICS COMPETITION

In honor of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver we will be holding a similar competition on Saturday, February 20th - the first ever CBJ Comic Olympics! What the hell am I talking about? What kind of crazy idea is this now? Let me tell you. On that day we'll be hosting a variety of different comic themed competitions and events such as Long Box Lifting, Issue Sorting, Bag & Board Time Trial and many more! Prizes will be given out to winners and participants! Contestants will hail from places like Krypton, Latveria and other far off worlds! If you're interested please RSVP with us at the store or via e-mail. We'll have more information on this event over the next week so keep it right here for more info to come.

OFFICIAL CHOKER RELEASE PARTY AND SIGNING!


This is going to be one for the ages folks so make sure you don't miss it! Choker is sure to be one of the hottest books of the year and we are extremely proud to announce that we will be hosting both writer Ben McCool and artist Ben Templesmith for a signing and release party on the date of the book's release on Wednesday, February 24th! This is Ben McCool's comic writing debut and, of course, you all know Ben Templesmith who is known for his works on 30 Days of Night, Wormwood, Fell, Welcome to Hoxford and Dead Space just to name a few. They'll be here signing all day and this will be followed by an after party with the serving of drinks and an in-store performance by none other than Captain Ahab & the Sea Crackens! P.S - I've read an advance copy of the first issue and it's amazing! Be sure to check out the preview in Walking Dead #69!

R. BEAST'S OUT OF LOVE WEB COMIC

Everyone's favorite web comic is back! After a long hibernation, R.Beast's Out of Love has returned to offer you more craziness and intrigue from the mind of Joseph Frontirre. I love this web comic and if you haven't checked it out yet you'll be pleased to know that the entire thing is available for your reading pleasure. New pages are added (just about) every week! Just click on the image below for an instant transport!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

What up world?!

Damn this week in comics was HUGE! I think just about every Marvel and DC book hit the shelves this week. So much to talk about so little space. Let's get into it.

First up to bat is this week's "BLACKEST NIGHT" tie-ins.



GREEN LANTERN #50

Wow! That's what I really have to say about this issue. Knee deep in battling The Black Lanterns, Hal Jordan and company face off against the mother of all Black Lanterns, The Spectre. Attempting to defeat him using the light from every ring, Hal comes to the realization that the only thing that can stop him is Parallax. He explains how The Guardians divided Parallax's essence among four lanterns, Hal then proceeds to allow himself to become possessed by the creature. This issue was huge. From start to finish, it had me laughing and cheering on the characters as they battle for their lives. My favorite part was when Larfleeze was trying to get his Orange ring back from Lex Luthor and Luthor's only response was "s'mine". Blackest Night as a whole is really taking these characters to the extreme with so many references to past titles and story lines. This so far has to be the best and my favorite tie-in thus far.

5 out of 5 scared, shaking Scarecrows.



BLACKEST NIGHT: JSA #2 (OF 3)

Trapped inside the Brownstone as Mr. Terrific attempts to create a light that can defeat the horde of Black Lanterns outside trying to get in, his teammates battle for their lives. Liberty Belle, Atom Smasher and Powergirl are all the victims of a plot to allow one of their re-animated loved ones in the brownstone. What could be so important that Damage would blow up his fellow Black Lanterns? Easy, Superman Earth-2's body that can be reconnected by replacing his Black Ring.
This mini isn't half bad, being a fan of The JSA, I enjoy how James Robinson is utilizing the veterans and their ability to react wisely in bad situations. The only thing I don't really care for is that these mini-series don't make reference to the other ones. Fact in point, Earth-2 Lois Lane and Earth-2 Superman were both in "Blackest Night: Superman" mini, yet no one said to anyone else "Hey if you see them, they're playing an act, don't fall for it. Just kill them."? I mean come on, the Flash made his rounds telling everyone about the Black Lanterns, isn't anyone passing any other information?? And another thing, Didn't Bill Willingham blow up the brownstone in the core JSA book like 2 issues ago??

3 out of 5 Blown up Brownstones



THE ATOM AND HAWKMAN #46

Probably one of the best if not the best "last issue" dealing with Blackest Night. Ray Palmer's entire life since he met Jean Loring has been about nothing more than her. He felt that she could make his life whole and give him some meaning. This is the reason he is granted the Indigo Ring for Compassion. Through all the torment she put him through he still always loved her and had to shrink away to deal with it, now he's got the responsibility of protecting Indigo-1 while she makes contact with the rest of her tribe in an attempt to bring every member of every Corps to Earth for the final battle. Hawkman and Hawkgirl play a pivotal role as Ray's design for the perfect couple and the true meaning of love everlasting. This issue is a really deep issue dealing with Ray and his love for Jean and his compassion for her. Anyone who's ever had their heart broken can relate to this issue and it's got zombie's running around.

5 out of 5 sappy love stories

Moving right along, let's check in on this weeks X-Over, Necrosha



X-FORCE #23

Senyaka, Wither, Blink and Eli Bard have been sent to Utopia to recover the blade that will make Selene a goddess. Wolverine, Archangel, Warpath and Domino aren't going to let that happen without a fight. Meanwhile, Rahne is dying from the baby she's carrying. Hrimhari asks Hela to save Elixir so that he can save Rahne and the baby. Warpath goes to give Eli Bard the blade and is transported with them back to Genosha. Emma Frost tells Wolverine and company that they are going to Genosha and that they are to kill everyone there. The story is heating up and it's really getting good. I thought this was a cheap excuse for Marvel to bring back so many long dead characters but apparently it's a way to just have a reason for X-Force to kill everyone all over again. My one big complaint is that Clayton Crain's artwork is so dark that you kinda get lost as to what's going on visually. If this issue were straight pencils, I think it would've been a lot better. I still wonder, in all of the mutants that Selene brought back, how come she didn't bring Jean Grey back? or for that matter any of the mutants that died in the New X-Men book? We saw Laurie from New X-Men show up in Astonishing as a bio sentinel.

3 out of 5 I miss Jean Grey



X-MEN LEGACY #232

On Muir Island with the newly resurrected Proteus, Psylocke, Magneto, Colossus, Rogue, Husk, Trance and Nightcrawler try to save and possibly dis-possess Blindfold and Destiny from Proteus' control. One by one they all fall due to Proteus' new power of controlling more than one person at a time.
I have to say, I don't really understand what this has to do with Selene and "Necrosha" as a whole. Proteus did come back because he has some kind of link to Destiny since they both died on Muir Island but other than that, it seems like an excuse to bring a long dead villain back into the picture. My other problem with this story line and with the X-Books is that they have no continuity. Magneto and company are all on Utopia over in Uncanny, yet in every other X-book everyone is doing something else or part of the battle in "Necrosha". I think Marvel really needs to take a lesson from the Superman titles and notice how when one thing happens in one book they reference it in or it has an affect in the other books.

3 out of 5 Puppet Colossus

The "SIEGE" tie-in's are rolling in and here we go.



NEW AVENGERS #61

The Hood has been given the Norn Stones by Loki. He now tells his crew that he can boost their powers and they can get back at the Avengers. They roam around looking for the Avengers. That's pretty much this issue summed up right there. I'm a HUGE Avengers fan but this issue really doesn't deserve the "SIEGE BANNER" and it really had nothing to do with "SIEGE" at all. I'm sure Bendis has something up his sleeve as far as The Hood and his crew go but right now he's shooting blanks. Also, another issue that has come out that has STEVE ROGERS in it yet, his "CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #5" just came out this week so technically he shouldn't even be there but he is. I'm really unhappy with that to the point I don't even want him in any part of anything right now. I'm one of the people who liked Bucky as Cap but let me shut up because I am going to review "CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #5".

2 OUT OF 5 MAN I WISH THIS WOULD STOP SUCKING.



AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #32

Finally a book that really has something to do with "SIEGE". Taskmaster is all about getting his kill on and making a name for himself in the big leagues. Night Thrasher and the rest of The Avengers Resistance put two and two together and realize that Norman Osborn made the U-Foes go after Volstagg and basically recreated Stamford and the superhero civil war all over again.
This was a great issue, Taskmaster trying to step up his game and make a name for himself among the great like Norman Osborn and Dr.Doom is awesome. I've always liked his character and I always kinda thought that most writers underused him and made him too jokey. Now years later, he's not trying to take over the world, he's trying to run side by side with the villains who will. Diamondback following everyone as they all attack Thor to save her cover and at the same time try to save Thor because she knows they'll need in the end battle is great. She's heading in the same direction as Speedball.

4 out of 5 get your kills on!

Onto "FALL OF THE HULKS"!



RED HULK #1

This issue takes place before last weeks Incredible Hulk #606, LAME! It should have come out first in my opinion. When Dr. Doom is attacked by the Hulk and you got all excited but then you got frustrated because it turned out it was the "Cosmic Hulk", well this is the issue that explains how he got there in the first place. Red Hulk along with A-Bomb head into an A.I.M base where "Cosmic Hulk" is being stored. You come to find out that The Mad Thinker was given the idea to build him because of "The Cosmos Automaton", a device built by Galactus that would have someone or something build a sentient device to record the planet and report back to him about it. Luckily, Galactus hasn't used this in years since it can be distorted and he began using "Heralds".
I like the fact that they're really digging deep into the Hulk's history for this story. I don't like that this issue should've come out last week and I should be talking about "Incredible Hulk #606" this week.

3 out of 5 Badly colored Jack Kirby Galactus'

NOW SOME STUFF I REALLY HATED THIS WEEK....



CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #5

WOW WHAT A PIECE OF S***! After all the hype and the planning and plotting and making specific moves towards bringing Steve Rogers back all they had to do was implant the Red Skull's psyche into Steve's body, let the two of them fight, have Steve beat his ass, send Red Skull back into the machine body Zola built for him and have a giant missle blow it up!? That's all it took to kill the Red Skull and bring Steve Rogers back!? CRap! Oh wait Steve has been back since early December according to "The Dark Avengers Annual #1". Come on guys this was just bad all around. It wasn't even a cool idea to have him bounce around his life in some weird dream sequence. I would've liked it better if he just stayed dead and got brought back to life at the end of "SIEGE" when The Sentry turns out to be Jesus Christ. I'm sorry but this was a waste of time and money and I don't think you should buy this and if you did well I'm sorry. You now own a colorful piece of toilet paper.

-1 out of 5 MAKE MINE BUCKY!

and continuing my rant..



ROBOCOP #1

New from Dynamite Entertainment comes a great cult film gone bad comic.
This book is supposed to pick up right after the first film.
So, how come "The Old Man" is some crazy vegetable with all these tubes and such coming out of him? At the end of the movie, He says to Robocop "Nice shooting there son, you got a name?" and Robocop replied "Murphy", roll credits.
Edwina Odenkirk takes over for the recently deceased Dick Jones and begins the ED-209B program in which she walks into Robocop's precinct and tells all the cops they're fired and they've been replaced.
How come this isn't how it went down in the second movie?
They even state that the ED-209 program was stopped and they wanted to try continuing research into another Robocop, hence why Kain the villain in the second film gets the robot makeover.
Why aren't they talking about the fact that the "Nuke" drug is taking over Detroit and ruining lives along with the economy falling apart?
Why are you telling a story that has nothing to do with the film series yet you're using it as a reference?
I know it's only the first issue but Edwina as the main "villain" doesn't make me want to read on neither does a battalion of ED-209B's that you know for a fact will kill everyone regardless of programming. I can go on and on and on. This book stinks.

-1 out of 5 sucky prequel sequels.

This n’ That


I love two things with a passion that borders on….well passionate. Comic books and Baseball! With the Jets, sadly passing from the scene this past Sunday two thoughts hit my brain at the same instant (causing lights to flicker all up and down my block!):



What comics are coming out this week and…

How many days until pitchers and catchers.?

With that said how about these Babe Ruth comics! What a perfect marriage of comics and baseball THAT is! We tend to think of comics as being all about action/ adventure , superheroes and even romance. BUT during the 40’s and 50’s SPORTS comics had their niche as well.

Comics and baseball. It doesn’t GET any better! Go Yanks in 2010!!!




Since the first Wing Commander Game for the PC back in 1990, gamers have been looking for a truly interactive “movie” A game in which plot cut scenes and action move so seamlessly that the player becomes totally immersed in the action. This has been a Holy Grail of sorts with games such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Assassin’s Creed coming close. But until now there has been no TRULY interactive game/movie hybrid. I say “until now” because the wait is OVER. I sat down with Mass Effect 2 last night and after playing through the first couple of missions I have to say that THIS game is a near perfect blending of cinematic plot and character development and game play goodness!

The characters are not just avatars to move the action along. They are fully fleshed out INDIVIDUALS and your choices have a very direct impact on how the well written plot unfolds. You have to strain to pick up where an in game cut scene ends and the combat begins. Accessing your inventory, powers and weapons uses the wheel system similar to Dragon Age and is completely non intrusive, so you always feel like you are IN the game. It says here that Mass Effect will be THE game of 2010!


Unabashed plugs!

The Flash gets his own title in April!

Black Widow gets HER own title in April!
Image is coming out with a Noir meets alien book called TURF in April that looks VERY interesting. The preview pages look wonderful and if you like the Marvel “Noir” books this may be up your alley. I know that I am going to jump on this!


See the boys (and girls) at CBJ and make sure you get ‘em on your pull list!!!

And while I am plugging I see that Power Girl #7 was only #95 in sales for October!!! Come on boys and girls! How many times have I mentioned that this is one of the funniest, sexiest and slam-bang ACTIONEST (is that a word??) titles on the shelves. Buy one! Buy TWO….I promise it’s like potato chips! You can’t read just one!!!

Do you really want to make HER mad at you??!!

Captain America Reborn #6 finally hit the stands this week. Not Brubaker’s strongest work but still pretty darn good! Of course I am thrilled that Steve Rogers is back (though due to scheduling issues he has actually BEEN back for a couple of months now). My daughter always likes to point out that I prefer the GOOD good guys like Cap and Superman to the BAD good guys like Punisher. Well that IS true but especially so with Cap.

I had left comic collecting after the “crash” in the mid-90’s, not long after the death and resurrection of Superman. I packed up about 30 long boxes that represented my collection and gave them an honored place in an elevated and dry spot in my basement, thinking that I was done with them for good. Pass them on to Alyx (someday the grand kids) and spend my golden years watching endless Star Trek and Buffy re-runs while eating chille with my fingers, drinking beer and exploring new methods of flatulence. It would have been an honorable enough passing into old age but LO!

(and how many times have you seen the word “Lo” lately?)

In 2007, on my way to work I was leafing through the Daily News and saw the earth shaking article that said Cap was going to DIE in issue #25!. “GREAT SCOTT!” I blurted…(it might have been Holey Moley or even It’s Clobberin’ Time but I digress) and ran out to get a copy…and who was this Brubaker guy anyway??

Well like any addict, all it took was ONE comic and I was BACK collecting comics at a record pace. So now three years ( and 12 MORE long boxes later) Cap and I are both back together, my wife is threatening to throw both me AND the comics out if I don’t move the boxes deeper into the basement, and I am not YET eating chille with my fingers.

You might say I was saved by Captain America!

That’s 30!

Mitch

Sunday, January 24, 2010

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN #5!

Hey guys, ready for this weeks thrilling installment of

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN!!

'Cause I sure am!
This weeks book is like nothing I've read before.
I simply try to stay away from them.

Awesome.

So, this week I bring you:
Candy #17

Yay! Girlie comics from the 60's, my favorite. These kind of book are always ridiculously funny. I'm glad I live in the time I do, no one says "Gee willikers!" anymore. And we are all better because of it. The issue takes place in short stories that don't tie together. Candy is your average teen girl, and the book follows the wackiness of her life.

In the first story, Candy discovers some men from Hollywood taking photos of girls for what she thinks is a film. After getting the job, she finds that her pictures are promos for a photo company, not movies. While not what she wanted, she won the bet she made, letting her get pushed down the block in a wheelbarrow. Boy that sound humiliating.

Next, it's Candy's turn to run the soda fountain. To boost business, she throws a fizz fest, what ever that is.Such a good idea that Ted, her boyfriend, exclaims "Candy, I've got to hand it to you! Your idea was a killer-diller!" This may be my new favorite expression, aside from glass-cannon. Turned out everyone thought the fest was thrown by Candy, so no one paid a cent! She owed a whole $12 for it. Uh-oh Candy, looks like some one's thumbs are getting broken.

The next story is a Jitters one. He's this red headed 'Ladies man' who attempts to go after a girl he sees on the golf course. She actually takes him home for some cokes. Her father really isn't this guys biggest fan, so he flips his shit when he sees him with his daughter. Jitters runs off, destroying the father's prized flowers in the process. He tries to fix this by entering the father into a flower contest. He wins, but it turns out the flowers Jitters gave in were fake. Woopsie!

That was AWESOME. I've read my fair share of golden age books, but this was the cheesiest. If you like Archie, this is right up your ally. Nothing much more I can say about it.

Well, for Candy #17, I'll give it

Three Badass Dios out of Five!

Was pretty cool, wouldn't look for more, but I laughed. When do I ask for more?

Also, today's book wasn't all that random. While the side and column of the book was, the choosing was done by my buddy Rafael who happens to write some awesome stuff over at GeekerDome under the name Murdaphace. He chose this excellent book for me, and you should check out his excellent work!

Well kids, another down, 1000s to go. SICK.

See ya next week for the newest installment of
TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN!

Stay classy.

-Waffle

Friday, January 22, 2010

NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 1/27/10

MINI MARVELS/X-BABIES SIGNING ON WEDNESDAY!!!

Our first signing of the new year will be under way this week, Wednesday to be precise! We're excited to host two dynamos of the industry, Jacob Chabot and Chris "G" Giarrusso! They will be here signing from 12pm-close so make sure you come down, buy their books and get some sketches. More information can be found below!

Also, don't forget that our special Buy One Get One Free toy sale continues this weekend. That's right folks, buy one toy, figure, or other related merchandise and get another of equal or lesser value absolutely free! This sale ends on Sunday, January 24th.

And for all you MTG players out there we've got the Magic the Gathering Release Party for Worldwake coming at you on Friday, February 5th, with plenty of boxes, intros and fat packs in stock for that day. We are also extremely pleased to announce that we will be starting up Friday Night Magic sometime in March. We will also be able to offer buy a box promotions, pre-release tournaments and other assorted goodies, keep an eye out in the newsletter and around the store for additional information in the coming weeks.

Did I forget to mention that this week is huge and that we've got tons of amazing stuff coming out? Well it's true! Don't forget about the precious sidebar with all this week's new releases, lots of great books so make sure you get your lists in!

JACOB CHABOT & CHRIS "G" GIARRUSSO SIGNING!

I can't tell you how excited we are to have these two amazingly talented individuals joining us at the store on Wednesday, January 27th! Jacob Chabot is known for his recent work on the hit Marvel book X-Babies and Dark Horse's Mighty Skullboy Army! Joining him will be Chris "G" Giarrusso creator of the very awesome G-Man comics and artist of the wildly popular book Mini Marvels. They'll be here signing copies of their books and doing sketches so make sure you come down and show your support! All their work is very kid friendly so make sure you bring the little ones along! We cant wait!!!



OFFICIAL CHOKER RELEASE PARTY AND SIGNING!

This is going to be one for the ages folks so make sure you don't miss it! Choker is sure to be one of the hottest books of the year and we are extremely proud to announce that we will be hosting both writer Ben McCool and artist Ben Templesmith for a signing and release party on the date of the book's release on Wednesday, February 24th! This is Ben McCool's comic writing debut and, of course, you all know Ben Templesmith who is known for his works on 30 Days of Night, Wormwood, Fell, Welcome to Hoxford and Dead Space just to name a few. They'll be here signing all day and this will be followed by an after party with the serving of drinks and an in-store performance by none other than Captain Ahab & the Sea Crackens! Click on the picture below for more info on Choker! P.S - I've read an advance copy of the first issue and it's amazing! Be sure to check out the preview in Walking Dead #69!



MAGIC THE GATHERING WORLDWAKE RELEASE PARTY

Ah, another new set of Magic is upon us, WORLDWAKE! To celebrate we'll be having a release party on Friday, February 5th starting at 5:00pm. This will be a sealed deck tournament where the entry fee is $30, this gets you 6 packs. Registration starts at 4:00pm. There will be plenty of promos and cool prizes to go along to the winners so make sure you come by. Also, for the entire night all cards and card supplies will be 10% OFF! We'll have plenty of boxes and intro packs for sale (I promise!) as well as "buy a box" promotions. f you know you will be coming please RSVP so that we can get a proper head count, you can do this by e-mailing or calling us (comicbookjones@gmail.com / 718-448-1234). Please arrive on time! Only two weeks away!

MAGIC THE GATHERING FRIDAY NIGHT MAGIC

Starting in March we will be hosting Friday Night Magic events! FNM will be draft format with the entry fee being 3 packs. Registration will begin at 4:00pm every week. We will have tons of prizes for the winners and door prizes for everyone including special promos, packs, etc. Players will also be able to vote on what sets we will draft. Make sure you don't miss it! A specific date will be set soon, keep on the lookout for upcoming information!

TRIPLE A EVENT!
ALL DAY - ALTERNA - ANNIVERSARY
COMICS SIGNING SHOWCASE

The February fun doesn't end! On Saturday, February 27th we'll be hosting the fine folks at Alterna Comics for their anniversary, showcasing their many varied artists and writers. You'll see some old and new faces on this list and we're happy to have them all down for the event. Come down and try something new and support the lifeblood of the comics industry! Here's the complete list of creators:
  • Mike Bracco (Adam Wreck, Birth, Novo)
  • Mike Czerniawski (The Big Bad Book)
  • Nik Jajic (The Big Bad Book)
  • Stephen Lindsay (Jesus Hates Zombies)
  • Jeff McComsey (American Terror)
  • Peter Simeti (The Chair, Polly & Handgraves, Risers)
They'll be here stocked to the gills with all Alterna titles as well as original clothing and other goodies for you all the enjoy! This will be an all day event so feel free to come down at any point during the day to talk comics, pick up some great books, get em signed and pick up a sketch from the good boys at Alterna Comics!

R.BEASTS OUT OF LOVE WEB COMIC

Everyone's favorite web comic is back! After a long hibernation, R.Beast's Out of Love has returned to offer you more craziness and intrigue from the mind of Joseph Frontirre. I love this web comic and if you haven't checked it out yet you'll be pleased to know that the entire thing is available for your reading pleasure. New pages are added (just about) every week! Just click on the images on the left side of the page for instant transport!



SHIPPING UPDATES

Black Widow Deadly Origin #4 - 2/17/10 (Old Date 2/3/10)
Cloak & Dagger #1 - 3/31/10 (Old Date 3/3/10)
Dark Wolverine #84 - 3/31/10 (Old Date 3/24/10)
Deadpool #19 - 2/3/10 (Old Date 1/27/10)
Deadpool #21 - 3/24/10 (Old Date 3/3/10)
Ghost Rider Heavens on Fire #6 - 2/3/10 (Old Date 1/27/10)
Marvels Eye of the Camera #6 - 2/17/10 (Old Date 1/27/10)
Nation X #3 - 2/17/10 (Old Date 2/3/10)
Nation X #4 - 3/17/10 (Old Date 3/3/10)
Powers #3 - 2/3/10 (Old Date 1/27/10)
Wolverine Origins #45 - 3/10/10 (Old Date 3/3/10)
Wolverine Origins #46 - 3/31/10 (Old Date 3/17/10)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Another bout with random thoughts:

Submitted for your approval...the Twilight Zone Episode that is my brain!

1) I wonder if Bruce Wayne has as much trouble as I do going to the gym in the winter. It is just SO cold out and maybe I could get my work out playing X-Box?

2) You MUST read Power Girl #8. Power Girl is adorable…Vartox is adorable…the multi-headed snake thingy is ADORABLE! In fact Power Girl #8 is a veritable ADORABLATHON!...(is that even a word?)



3) You know you should keep collecting comics as long as you keep getting antsy for Wednesday to come every week.


4) Long boxes don’t actually hold 300 comics when you bag and board them but the alternative is just wrong!

5) Has there been even ONE bad issue in the Blackest Night saga? Not YET!!!

6) Well Cap is back only Captain America Reborn #6 hasn’t come out yet. Gotta love those deadlines!

7) Mass Effect 2 hits the stores this Tuesday. BE THERE!



8) Have you ever noticed that you never see Waffle and Superman at the same time? Hmmmmm…

9) It would be very convenient to be Wolverine when you need to scratch your back in one of those hard to reach areas.

10) Norman Osborn really has funny looking hair. For that reason alone Normie…must….DIE!...(plus there was the whole kicking Gwen off the bridge thing…that was really not cool.)

11) In our politically correct era you could never call the negative Zone….”negative” because the connotation would be too ummm negative. Today it would be called the Culturally Different Zone.

12) Matt Murdock is Marvel’s Jack Bauer. He NEVER has a good day.

13) The dumbest move any TV Network ever made was cancelling the live action version of The Tick.

14) How many Flashes are there?

15) What genius decided to have Big Apple Con on the same weekend as New York Comic Con? Great planning guys. That’s kind of like Woody Allen challenging Galactus to a fist fight.


17) The only thing cooler than a “gone rogue” Jack Bauer is a sexy red headed FEMALE Jack Bauer gone “rogue”. Check out what Renee Walker does in hour four of 24. Even Jack went…”WHOA DUDE!”.




18) It says here that the Jets beat the Colts this Sunday.

19) Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica begins this week on SyFy (I still hate that logo change!) If the pilot was any indication this is going to be another great show in the Battlestar universe.

20) Speaking of Battlestar Galactica who would have predicted that it would be far more relevant than Star Wars in 2010? Way to go Mr. Lucas! You are like the Omar Minaya of movies.

21) Pizza is one of the few foods that tastes good both hot and cold.

22) Would the super soldier formula qualify as a performance enhancing drug? Do the Avengers have testing for that?

23) Ollie Queen….pssst…Roagine baby….Rogaine! 80% of Superheroes actually re-grew hair.

24) Christmas has been over for a month and I am still picking pine needles out of the carpet.

25) I was flipping through the channels looking for the latest “Evening With Socko Jones” and didn’t find it. Does Time Warner carry it? Time for a letter writing campaign!


And THAT’S 30!

Mitch

Monday, January 18, 2010

Jack is Back!!! (And there's gonna be trouble!)

At the end of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy dies in final confrontation with the villain of the year, Glory. (Yes, Buffy comes back in season six. Death is a minor inconvenience for the Slayer as we know!) . The last shot of that last episode is of her tombstone.
Inscribed is:

“BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS 1980-2001 BELOVED SISTER DEVOTED FRIEND SHE SAVED THE WORLD …A LOT. "



…And she certainly did


BUT…not as much as Jack Bauer!!! (Bet you thought this was gonna be a Buffy Blog didn't you?)



YES! Jack is back for an 8th VERY bad day


This season the bad guys are trying to derail a historic nuclear-inspection agreement between the U.S. and a Middle Eastern country by assassinating that country's president.


Ok…you can now totally forget the plot. Just know that no one else but Jack, lately recovered from a fatal disease by virtue of his daughter’s Stem Cells (Take THAT George Bush!!) is back at it. And the bad guys had better run for cover because when Bauer is on the case the body count can rival the Battle Of Gettysburg for sheer carnage. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)

On Sunday night Fox premiered the first two hours of the day and, if they are any indication, TV’S best guilty pleasure has lost none of it’s fast ball. I promise you…it’s going to be one hell of a ride!

As the first episode opens we see Jack playing with his absolutely adorable granddaughter and our hero is…well…I don’t know quite how to say this…but….ummmm…Jack is….HAPPY! Now followers of 24 know that Jack has had roughly 5 happy minutes in eight years. He actually doubles that and gets about 10 minutes of familial bliss with daughter Kim and granddaughter Teri (and amorphous husband of Kim who’s name escapes me at the moment but who will surely die at some point in the next…24.)

Needless to say 24 hours of Jack Bauer playing with the family would lack a certain adrenaline rush thus in short order he is drawn into the latest plot against the forces of EEEEEEvil.

And I gotta tell you....


Evil is in a lot of trouble.

In no time at all Jack has killed his first two bad guys. One with an axe…which is just , you know…very cool, had his informant and a helicopter blown up 10 feet away and very nearly goes rogue (AGAIN) except that he blackmails the new head of CTU by threatening to call his friend the President. Not bad for the first couple of hours.

It can only get worse for Jack from here…which is always good for US!

But here is the point of this ramble…(you knew if you hung around long enough that I would have an actual point to make didn’t you?) .


WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE’S FRAKKIN' TURN TO SAVE THE WORLD?!


As Jack was being dragged back a world of murder and mayhem, betrayals and Kobiashi Maru scenarios, (and damned little appreciation for it all) I found myself feeling very sorry for a man who only wants a moment of peace. I mean after saving us from assassination plots, nerve gas, atomic bombs, evil cartels, drug lords and Reality TV, doesn’t he deserve a happy retirement? Let Freddie Prinze Jr. save the world for a change. (If it gets too tough for him, he can always get help from Mrs. Prinze, who also happens to have some experience in the world saving department). I mean let’s take score here. Jack has:

Lost his wife Teri
Lost countless friends and co-workers

Been held and tortured in a Chinese Prison

Been betrayed by his mistress Nina

Been betrayed by his best friend Tony

Lost his lover Audrey because she…well cracked up from being Jack’s girlfriend.

Been hunted by the government he sacrificed all of the above to defend.

Accumulated more scars on his body than Rambo.


and...

Well you get the picture. Life has not been easy for Mr. Bauer.
Hasn’t Jack sacrificed enough? Isn’t it time he got a day off?

Obviously not, because as his doomed informant points out, Jack is “the guy who always does the right thing”

Jack is back and I for one am ecstatic. Would you REALLY trust Mr. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Prinze to save the world? I mean look what he almost single handedly did to Wing Commander and Scooby Doo!

24 airs Monday nights at 9 on Fox.

That’s 30!

Mitch


OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD! ADVANCED REVIEW!!!

The Waking, a four issue miniseries from Zenescope Entertainment and author Raven Gregory. Raven, hot off his trilogy ending hit Escape From Wonderland brings us The Waking, his vision of how to do the undead, his way and not just some shambling zombies roaming the city looking for flesh.

The Waking is a crime/horror story based around what happens to four detectives as they deal with a case of victims come back for revenge. This first issue is a laugh out loud romp with four detectives dealing with what they think is are routine murders.

Keith O'Brien and Laurence Williams are the first two partners we meet while they're investigating a crime scene. The banter between the two is very similar to the television series LAW AND ORDER. The two bicker back and forth as they assess the scene and try to make heads or tails as to how the victim died and why.

The second two partners are Vanessa Pelagreno and the as yet to be named Narrator. The pair arrive on scene to investigate a hit and run. Again the buddy cop banter between the two has you laughing more than your concerned with the actual crime itself.

As the issue progresses, the bodies of the victims seem to get up and walk out of the morgue. A homeless man is seen walking around throughout the issue and will play a much bigger role in the grand story. Trust me I've read the entire series and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

This story has a very LAW AND ORDER meets THE CROW feel to it. If you've read Raven's other creator owned story The Gift, you'll know that there is more going on than meets the eye. There are a lot of subplots being laid while the main story itself is progressing.
The art for the story is provided by Vic Drujiniu. Vic's artwork really adds to the feel and flow of the story. Keep your eyes on this guy because he will definitely be making a splash in 2010.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was just the beginning of another set of stories that Raven's got cooking on the back burners.

The Waking #1 and #2 have been solicited in the December 2009 issue of Previews Magazine, and will be available in stores on February 3rd and 17th respectively, with each issue costing $3.99


OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!

WHAT UP WORLD?!

This week is coming is blazing hot! My stack of books is smoking, there are so many hot books. This week we see Marvel lay down two big events in one week. FALL OF THE HULKS AND SIEGE! Let's jump into this because it's one hell of a column this week.

First up I want to talk about Marvel and the two major story lines they bombarded us with this week. First up "FALL OF THE HULKS"



HULK # 19

Bruce Banner and The Red Hulk begin to thwart the Intelligencia's plans to capture the eight smartest men in the world, first on the list Reed Richards. A new version of the "Frightful Four" emerges as The Wizard, Lyra aka The New Savage She-Hulk, Klaw and the Trapster. They break into The Baxter Building in search of Reed. The Red Hulk makes his way in also and attempts to stop their plan.
I enjoying how "Fall of the Hulks" is being carefully laid out. They still haven't given either of the Red Hulks identities away yet and it's a good use of updating and making old villains relevant again. I can't wait to see what's going to happen next because seeing Bruce Banner use his mind instead of his might to make traps and move people like pawns on a chess board is really cool.

5 out of 5 naked Lyra She-Hulks.



INCREDIBLE HULK #606

This issue is a little weird if you ask me. Skaar chases Bruce Banner or who he thinks is Banner to Latveria after the Watcher shows up at a hero's parade for Skaar. Betty Ross shows up in the crowd and has Bruce buzzing. As we've all seen in "Fall of the Hulks Gamma", Betty is very much alive and kicking. The fight between "Hulk", Skaar and Doom is awesome. Paul Pelletier's artwork is amazing. He really stepped up his game in these fight sequences. Again, it's another move on Bruce's part to thwart the Intelligencia from getting to their former member and newest target Dr. Doom.
Like I said about "Hulk #19", it's a really cool change of pace to see Bruce Banner outwitting even Dr. Doom himself with his superior intellect. I'm actually glad he isn't the Hulk anymore. I quite honestly do think he's more powerful and dangerous as himself.
The back-up story is really cool too. It's MODOK and The Leader are talking about The Red She-Hulk and how she's a wild card and may turn out to be the lynchpin in their plans. The review a tape of Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk attempting to escape A.I.M. Red She-Hulk is sent in to get her back in her cell when the two woman have it out. I hope the end of the issue isn't true because it's BIG!

5 out of 5 crushed gamma hearts

Moving along, now let's see what happen this week with some SIEGE tie-in's.



Dark Avengers #13

I got in trouble from some people for "blabbing" about this issue on facebook. Sorry, I'll remember not to do that next time.
This issue is or was supposed to be the big reveal on the Sentry. How he got his powers, what are his powers exactly and so on. The real story is Bob Reynolds aka The Sentry was a junkie looking for a fix when he stumbled upon a super secret formula and that turned him into "The man with the power of a million exploding suns." As a big Avengers fan I did enjoy the plot twist where Norman Osborn knows about this and gives Bob his daily fix to keep him in line. What I didn't like was now Bendis is hinting that The Sentry has some sort of biblical significance. As far as this being a "SIEGE" tie-in, I felt kinda cheated because they didn't even talk about "SIEGE" at all. The issue was entirely about The Sentry and his powers and his schizophrenia. I'm sure this will have later consequences down the road.

3 out of 5 junkie superheroes



Dark Wolverine #82

Now this was a tie-in issue well worth the "SIEGE" banner. Daken has been playing everyone on the "DARK AVENGERS" team since Wolverine became "DARK WOLVERINE". In this issue we see Daken happily going into Asgard and mutilating the Asgardians. At the same time you see him attempting to give up the ghost on Norman Osborn and hand him over to the Asgardians. What's his price? what will he get out of such a deal? we'll have to sit and wait to find out the answers to those questions. It's just a matter of time before Norman really loses his cool and goes full out Goblin.

5 out of 5 hacked up norse gods.

Now onto my BLACKEST NIGHT section. Let's check out the tie-in's DC served up..



GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44

Guy Gardner is flying around killing everything in front of him because of the Red Rage Ring. Kyle Rayner and the remaining members of the Green Lantern Corps, The Indigo Tribe, The Star Sapphires and The Sinestro Corps are trying to stop the Black Lanterns from devouring the Green Power Battery that gives Oa life and The Green Lantern Corps their powers. In the process of doing so Mogo has shown up and begins his "Guardian appointed directive" which is to purge Oa of everything on the surface that's attacking the Green Battery. My favorite part is when Kyle attempts to stop Guy from continuing his assault when Vath tells hims to let Guy continue slaughtering the Black Lanterns and save the Green Battery.
Next issue, the showdown between Red Lantern Guy Gardner and everyone on MOGO.

5 out of 5 genocidal Red Lanterns.




BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #2

Picking up from last issue, Barry Allen is trying to get a handle on his new role as a Blue Lantern as the Rouges deal with their not so dead compatriots. Barry along with Lantern Walker fight off and try to save Bart aka Impulse as they also fight off The Reverse Flash and Solovar. The Rouges have their hands full as they battle the re-animated Rogues. Captain Cold in particular shows that he can keep his emotions in check and that his freeze gun is a useful weapon against the Black Lanterns. Could he become a member of the "White Lantern Corps" when this is all over? I think maybe so.

3 out of 5 frozen dead baby sisters



THE PHANTOM STRANGER #42

I've been waiting for an issue about the effects of "BLACKEST NIGHT" on the magical characters in the DCU. This issue is all about The Phantom Stranger along with Blue Devil trying to stop The Black Lantern Spectre from getting to Hal Jordan. They badger him by saying " Are you going to allow a mere ring-a bauble--to alter all that you are??" in an attempt to get the true Spectre to overcome the ring's influence. After failing, they go to Nanda Parabat where the Black Lanterns are attempting to gain access to the sacred land. Deadman is jumping from Lantern to Lantern trying to destroy them. The Phantom Stranger tells him that he needs to get into his own re-animated body and get control of it because it will play a major role in the upcoming battle. I can't wait to see The Spectre catch up to Hal in "GREEN LANTERN #50 (out this week) and I really can't wait to see what role Deadman will play in the final battle.

5 out of 5 dead shaman



STARMAN #81

Ted Knight the original Starman is resurrected and going on a massive killing spree in Opal City. The Shade a former villain must battle him to save Opal City from being destroyed. Honestly, this issue really boring to me because it was just a giant fight between the cops and BL Starman and then The Shade versus BL Starman. I hope that at a later point The Shade will play a part in a bigger story but for now this issue was pretty dry. Not the worst of the tie-in's thus far but definitely not one of the best either.

2 out of 5 what the hell??

That's all for me folks.

THIS IS WHAT I'M JONESIN' THIS WEEK IN COMICS:

BATMAN & ROBIN #7
GREEN LANTERN #50 BN
CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #6
FALL OF HULKS RED HULK #1
PILOT SEASON DEMONIC #1

Sunday, January 17, 2010

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN #4!

Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!

May I welcome you to a well over due

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN!

After taking another hiatus, I'm back. Again.

Starting with this installment I've switched up the randomness of the books I read to keep it a bit more interesting.

This week I pulled a book from the Squadron Supreme section, and got something by the one artist I completely abhor:



'Supreme Power:Nighthawk' #4 of 6

Oh boy, Steve Dillon. Since I've been reading comics he's been the one artist I completely avoided. I find his art terrible in most cases, but not in this book, which surprised me a little. Don't let my not liking him stop you from checking him out. He did do Preacher after all...On the other hand, writer Daniel Way is amazing. His work on Wolverine and Deadpool are great. Check out anything by him.

Well, since this isn't the begining of the story, I was a little lost. Long story short, someone has been poisoning the cocaine of this city, killing off all the lowlifes. In the course of this happening, the poison gets passed into an aerosol form and used in balloons the mayor son's birthday party. During the party, a few children, including the mayor's son, died due to the poison. That's where the issue picks up. We start in a bar listening to a news cast on the deaths where a lowlife at the bar starts going off on the situation. after being told to leave it cuts to the mayor holding a gun to his head, ready to pull the trigger. His aids come in to bring him to his speech at city hall, but he brings the gun along. This then cuts to Nighthawk finding some dead coke heads and a kid lookin' to score. He scares the shit out of the kids and books it to look for who filled up those balloons. The guy just so happens to be a clown that doesn't speak. This quite character traps Nighthawk and knocks him out.

With two issues after this, I'm kind of hooked. I may hate the artist's other work, but I'm going to go back and read these all. If your a fan of good ol' super heroes books, and want to read something that inspired Alan Moore, check out Squadron Supreme.

Time for my favorite metal midget!
I'll give Nighthawk #4



3 Warrior Dios out of 5!

A good issue by my standards. Nothing super special, but worth sitting down and reading in the lounge. Drink some coffee, read about some murderous clown. Sounds like a good day to me.

Well folks, see you next week in this hive of scum and villainy known as

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN!!


- Waffle