Action comics #886

 
I enjoy myths and Hellboy, and things like that. So I was happy to see the origin, and mythology of Krypton appear in this issue. Don't let the cover fool you, Nightwing and Flamebird do not fight a giant red hand. There is not much I can say about this comic without ruining a poetic story about the origin of Krypton, so I am sorry if this review was unhelpful, but still look at the grade.

Grade: B+/A-

buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Green Lantern #50

I am a big fan of Geoff Johns, (see 1, 2, 3, 4) but now he has out done himself. The comic was well written, well drawn, but the best thing about this comic was the gimmicks. The introduction of Scarecrow to the Yellow Lantern Corps, and other heros and villains to other corps, was nothing short of brilliant. I was entranced, as Sinestro, and Hal Jordan released Parallax from his prison, to beat the Spectre. Who I have noticed is the main villain.

I have noticed one other thing, that I like and disliked. Sinestro has made a "friendly" acquaintance , with his rival Hal Jordan. I do enjoy the corps "teaming up" but I'm concerned that when Blackest night finishes in April, who will be Green Lanterns villain? This is one of the best comics I've ever read, and I recommend it to all, the rebirth of Parallax, is an amazing comic book. I compliment Geoff Johns more for this than his previous works with the Flash.

Grade: A/A+

Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin issue 7 (and others)

I subscribed to this series thinking it would be about either: Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, or Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake. This made me very exited, I really wanted (and still want) a return of Bruce Wayne. I did not look to see who the author was. If I had seen Grant Morrison's name written I would have immediately have known it was going to be Dick Grayson and someone else, and I would have not subscribed. I have been putting these comics aside to collect dust until today. I picked up issue 7, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it. It was a story about the potential resurrection of Bruce Wayne, and it featured the Knight and the Squire. (see Grant Morrison's The Black Case Book to be as exited as I am) I will give any readers a fair warning: I was a little confused, but the comic explains the plot later on.

After reading this issue, I went back to my comic collection, and pulled out others in the series. These were also very good, some were even better than number 7. I do hope that Bruce Wayne returns to a full series, but this is a good space filler. (for the time being)

Before issue 7, the stories were about Jason Todd. (Aka: the Red Hood) His returns are

always dramatic, but never as serious as this. He took the name as the "Red Hand of Justice" and the motto "Let the punishment fit the crime." With his guns and knives he runs around the streets killing all major, and minor criminals.

These early issues go into: Jason Todd's resentment toward Batman, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and even him self. He toys with the new Batman and the new Robin, until he goes [even a little more] insane [that he already is]. I thoroughly enjoyed every issue of this series [that I read], and do recommend buying it at a comic store. I do not recommend subscribing, I do not think these are the best comics I've ever read, and will probably get board with them relatively quickly.

Issue Grade: B

Series Grade: C+ (issues 1 through 3 lowered the grade)

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Arkham Reborn 1-3

These comics are good, with a kind of disappointing end. Amadeus Arkham's original Arkham Asylum is no more now in its place is Jeremiah Arkham's new design, it's new, gothic buildings, sweets, and positive rehabilitation has completely changed Arkham Asylum. Everything is running smoothly in the first issue, Arkham is mainly working with Raggedy man. I think that was a bad choice of villain. David Hine should have picked someone a little more known. Don't get me wrong, I do understand why he picked Raggedy man, a crazy, child killing freak, with an obsession with a can opener. What could be more perfect? I think he should have picked someone like Zsas or Two-Face, someone with a phycological disorder, but was still moderately intelligent. My views changed when I read the third issue, but Ill explain that when the time comes.
After visiting the tortured childhood of Raggedy man, we visit the life, and past of Alice sinner. Her parents belonged to the cult of light, and when the time came to pass over the entire cult drank cyanide, and she dumped her's out. (or so we think) Right after that she goes to the Festival of Masks, where of course she met with the destroyer of Arkham Asylum himself the Black Mask, where she has a discussion about the destruction of Arkham.

In issue number two Sinner and Mask's plan begins to unravel. Killer Crocks tank overflows, Mr. Freezes mask breaks, and someone pollutes the food of Clay face which obvious

ly can't have a good result. Of course the most obvious thing to do is have a party. (said in a sarcastic tone). Arkham makes it very clear to Bruce Wayne that he did not make an investment in the new asylum, he made a donation. Meanwhile, Raggedy man is running under the floors of the facility and finding dolls singing the raggedy man song.

The plot of the third issue was fairly obvious, the inmates at Arkham over run it, the security system shuts down, and many many guards are killed. One thing I didn't like was that when Batman came, he beat all the villains to quickly. Alice Sinner had Raggedy man crawl through a whole and bugs went inside his body, where he carved them out with a can opener. I'm not going to ruin the ending for all you readers, but I will tell you it was a surprise, and a disappointment.

At first when I read these books, I liked them allot, but as I wrote its review I realized t

hat the only reason I fell involve with it is that I like the Batman villains and the idea of placing a comic series their was the greatest thing I had ever thought of. I would not highly recommend it, but I will recommend it a little. The book is good, but not that good.

Grade: C+

Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Action Comics #885

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE POST OF ACTION COMICS 884 AND MCCARTHY DO SO BEFORE READING THIS


Written by- Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann
Art by- Pere Pérez
Color by- Javier Mena ( who did really really well in this issue)
Cover by- CAFU with Santiago Aracas
Editor- Matt Idelson
Asst. Editor- Will Moss

I liked this comic very much it is "the beginning of the fall of McCarthy." Every one is looking for the two Kryptonians, Nightwing, and Flamebird. Including the Guardian, the Daximite Mon-El and the science police. With that amount of force against them you can probably guess that they were captured. This is true, they are captured, Nightwing is stripped of the armband which is keeping him alive. They are put into a room that replicates the red sun's rays and become completely powerless. After hearing that the Kryptonians are defending earth from agents of Zod, the Guardian turns on the government and defends the Kryptonians. (Mon-El does the same thing) Then the Kryptonians demonstrate what a real Kryptonian can do, and point out that
without all the fancy gagets, the science police are nothing.
The reference to the Red Scare is uncanny. It shows when people began to think the McCarthy was crazy, and how he was nothing but a man sitting behind a desk, using fear to twist the minds of others, just to be re-elected.
The comic its self was very good, recently I have not liked action comic. I have found the stories dull, and complicated. But I have liked the McCarthy references very much. This issue had a good storie the references were even improved, and it was easy to fallow.



Grade: B
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Watchmen (comic)

THIS POST MIGHT HAVE CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN

I do know that the Graphic Novel Watchmen is anything but new, but still review worthy. The writing in Watchmen was pretty good. The really good thing about this book is the plot, and the characters are revolutionary. Rorschach, is like Batman to the extreme, he represents all the good and all the bad in the world. His actions are just an attempt, (while being extreme) to fix all the wrong he experienced in his child hood. As it said in the book, he wants to make friends he just doesn't know how. A tortured childhood can definitely do that to you. I will also complement Dave Gibbons for drawing him perfectly, no other artiest could have captured Rorschach the way Gibbons did. Most of the charictars capture one specific part of a person. Veidet, represents all the intelligence in the world. The Comedian, shows that life is a joke, Alan Moore, somehow twisted life into a way that people can understand, and will torture the minds of all the readers. Is this Lunatic, alcoholic, murderer, and rapist evil? Or are the people that sit by and allow him to be? (in the fallowing quote the Comedian is talking to Dr. Manhattan) "yeah. Yeah that's right. Pregnant Woman. Gunned her down. Bang. And y'know what? You watched me. You coulda changed the gun into steam or the bullets into mercury or the bottle into snowflakes! You coulda teleported either of us to Goddamn Australia... But you didn't lift a finger." The Comedian is a remarkable (which by definition means: worthy of attention) character. The Comedian is arguably the most interesting character in the book. His physiological profile is more complex and fascinating than Rorschach's which many comic fans have studied.

The next most interesting character is Dr. Manhattan. His ability to do anything has made him distant to humanity, he doesn't understand for someone to be confused or upset. This would be helpful in some cases, but in others not so much. He can's imagine what it is like to have wonder, love, or any other emotion, which is truly a disadvantage for him, and his wife the Silk Specter, when dealing with people. But enough with the phycological profiling.

The book its

self is truly brilliant. The art is fantastic, each panel has its own color scheme which just moves the book along quickly, while adding a truly enjoyable sense.

But the plot is the most amazing thing about this book, it mainly fallows Night Owl and his hidden love for Silk Specter, and Rorschach who is on a quest to find who is killing off masked heros. There is total "fake out" of who-

-the real bad guy is and what he is planning to do left me gaping at the page.

What some people don't see is that Watchmen shows the complete timeline of superhero comics. At the beginning the Heros are dressed in bright vibrant colors ridiculous and fight just ordinary thugs, t

hen the story becomes m

ore gritty, and the costumes less rediculous. I keeps progressing in that faction until it hits the modern

age of comics.

The few

splotches of ink put on to a couple of assembled pages are the most amazing thing I have had the chance to see.

Grade: A/A+

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1,2,3, 4?

In my opinion, and experience with comics I have discovered that now in the Modern Age of comics there are three major writers. Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller. (these are not the only good ones). Recently I have decided to add another to this list. Jeph Loeb, he has written things like Dare Devil Yellow, and Hulk Gray. But he is still writing, like Hulk fall of the Hulks. Im not saying he has written anything like Watchmen, or Sandman, but he should be considered among the greats. Right below him, could be Mike Mignola and Geoff Johns, but thy will never make it into the top category.

Planet Hulk (movie)

This movie would be good if it was just a movie, but it wasn't it was a Hulk movie. I watched it and enjoyed it, but I was bothered by a couple things. I will confess that I did not read the comic Planet Hulk. This movie is good, and drawn well like the Green Lantern First Flight, but why did the Hulk speak with intelligence, if he did so on earth the Avengers would have never abandoned him. Also why did he never change back into Bruce Banner, if you watch the movie you will see that he is not angry all the time, yet he remains green.

Besides these minor complaints I had no problem with the movie, I found the characters intriguing, and the story thrilling. (although it was strikingly familiar)

Grade: B-

To see other great movie reviews go to: www.flickpickmonster.com

Action comics #884 and McCarthy

Written by- Greg Rucka

and Eric Trautmann

Art by- Pere Pérez, and CAFU

I have only one word to describe the first part of this comic, dull. Nightwing was aging rapidly, Flamebird was crying, the Doctor treating him was corrupt, but eventually treats him. For a loss of a better expression, "Been there done that." I can't wait for Superman to return to Action Comics this April.

The second part of this comic was quite enjoyable. It stared Lois Lane, she wanted to run a story in the Daily Planet, about how Mon-El's death was fake and was done to create "to generate anti-Kryptonian hysteria and propaganda to further some government agenda." She is hunted down by

the police and put into custody. In jail we visit some of Lane's personal life, which I could do without but was harmless, and somewhat enjoyable, and you will never guess why Lois Lane quits the Daily Planet.

Action Comics have been translating McCarthy and the Red scare into the Comic book world. Just instead of Communists it's Kryptonians. What would happen to a communist sympathizer,

or someone who spoke out against McCarthy is what happens to Lois Lane. She gets shot, imprisoned and had her life threatened all for something she believed in, which is the exact opposite of what this country believes in.

Action Comics is doing justice to this and interprets it well.

Comic grade: C

Series/interpratation of communism and McCarthy: A-

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The Phantom Stranger (Blackest Night)

Written by- Peter J. Tomasi

Art by- Ardian Syaf

and Vicente Cifuentes

I will not be surprised if this issue is mistook for a Brave and the Bold. In this comic The Phantom Stranger and the Blue Devil, fight a resurrected Specter, trying to keep him from finding Hal Jordan. Once they lose they go to find Dead Man's body which has been possessed by the black ring.

This was a great comic, I recommend it to all. The Phantom Stranger, and the Blue Devil are both characters that I think are underplayed, and do hope to see more of. I do doubt that they will make many reappearance's in the future. I was also thrilled to see the body of Boston Brand come into play. It was unexpected and worked perfectly with Blackest Night. I do hope to read more of Peter J. Tomasi's work. Not only did the Phantom Stranger's words fit perfectly with his character, but Tomasi did the same with the Blue Devil, the Spectre, and Deadman.

Another thing that I was pleasantly surprised by was how well Ardian Syaf drew the Spectre. His hood and cape are absolutely perfect for a Black Lantern Spectre. Ulises Arreola collard the hood just the right shade of blue and the skin just the right shade of gray.

This almost as good of a team as Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore.

Grade: A

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Blackest Night Star Man

Written by-James Robinson

Art by-Fernando Dagnino and Bill Sienkiewicz

Cover by-Tony Harris

Star man is practically unheard of in the Modern Age of comics, so I was happy to see he was taking part in Blackest Night. This comic is not really about star man, it is mainly about Shade. When Star Man returns from the grave, no one can stop him, not even the ex-criminal Shade.

Usually I do not like "sketchy" art work in my comics, but it worked quite nicely in this "dark" comic. Again I usually do not like dark comic if the reason they are dark is just for the hell of it. But again, it worked quite nicely. I highly recommend this book to anyone, who does not have a problem with blood and suggested sexual content. (there is only a little suggested sexual content and it is not crucial to the story)

Grade: B

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Simpsons comics #162

By now you have probably guessed that I mainly read super heros comics. This is true. Although from time to time I will read (and most of the time enjoy) a Simpsons comic.

Bring your Parents to Work Day! This is horrifying for all the adults in Springfield, and a Joyce occasion for all the "Elderly folk" to criticize their children. When Abraham Simpson falls in love, you will never guess who with.

Mr. Burns is now Brother Burns

Grade: C

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Captain America #602

I am not an avid reader of Captain America, since Steve Rogers most recent death, I can't sit and see Bucky holding the shield. One day I was board in Stop and Shop went over to the comic wrack and found this amongst the Simpsons. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this comic was amazing. The title Two Americas might mislead you. There actually "three americas." Bucky, Steve Rogers, and William Burnside.

This comic is beautifully written. (by Ed Brubaker) and even more beautifully drawn (Luke Ross) Buy it if you haven't already

Grade: A-

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Red Robin #9

When the Red Robin series first came out, I was nothing but optimistic. The stories were good, the fight scenes were good, even Tim Drake's new costume was cool. Once they hit around issue 6 the stories became C+ worthy, but suddenly issue 9 was infinitely better. This was a pretty good story. It featured Bruce Wayne (who I like allot and hope he becomes batman again) The killer Moth, and Superboy (along with other minor characters and the normal Red Robin ones.

This comic shows how the DC world is recovering from the Blackest Night (which I barley liked) Bruce Wayne is back, characters are returning, and all is well until Ra's al Ghul comes into play, and threatens to turn Tim Drake's world upside down. Along with another cliff hanger at the end the book leaves you in suspense, and praying for the next issue.

Grade: B+

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The Brave and the Bold #31

The most unusual combination I and probably anyone else could think of is featured in this comic. The Joker and the Atom. When the Joker is dying will the worlds smallest heros save or kill him, and if he does save him how can he live with that on his conscience?

This is one of the best comics that I have ever read. It shows some of the Joker's memories (which I and most people have always wanted to see) and gives a pretty accurate mental analysis of the Joker given by himself. I would definitely buy it if I hadn't already.

Some of the Brave and the Bolds I have not liked. (Batman and the Geek #29) Some have been Ok. (Dr. Fate and the Green Lantern #30) But this one it amazing

Grade: A

To buy go to: www.mycomicshop.com