Marvel Then and NOW!

With Uncanny Avengers and Red She-Hulk now out, Marvel has entered the Marvel NOW! era.  If by some odd chance you don't know what Marvel NOW! is, well here is an explanation.  Marvel, as custom now, had their big summer event, Avengers Vs. X-Men.  Around halfway through the event, Marvel started teasing new books, mostly relaunched books with new creative teams. As an example, Captain America is being relaunched with the team of Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr.. Practically ever book is getting relaunched, with a few exceptions: newer books like Captain Marvel and Hawkeye, Daredevil, and the Spider family books (minus Amazing and, in effect, Avenging).  It seems like the Ultimate line of books is being left out, as well as the majority of the X-Men books, with a couple being cancelled for new books.  However, the majority of the popular, recognizable books are getting rebooted relaunched.  Many of the books, much to the gripes of comic fans, are coming out twice a month, which is definitely a strain on one's wallet.  That is what makes Marvel NOW! kinda frustrating; there are so many good looking books but it's going to be cost so much money to get them.  However, I'm going to talk today about the books that interest me and whether I'm going to pick it up or not, with my personal Marvel NOW! pull list at the end.

The Avengers Line

The Avengers

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Written by Jonathon Hickman with a rotating cast of artists, this is going to be the superteam book.  Hickman, who is also writing New Avengers, as stated plenty of times that he has already planned this book for about 3 or 4 years in the future, a good sign for Avengers fans.  Personally, I'm ready for a new spin on the Avengers. Not a knock against Bendis, but I know a lot of people were happy to hear that he was moving off the book, going to the X-Men world.  And I was actually one of them. Not because I don't think Bendis is a bad writer (he is the one that got me hooked on comics with Ultimate Spider-Man), but the Avengers line was due for a fresh take from someone new.  Personally, I'm pumped to see what Hickman has in store for the World's Mightiest Heroes. Plus, the art team, consisting of Jerome Opeña, Dustin Weaver, Adam Kubert, and Mike Deodato is A-list, making this one of the most promising books of the Marvel NOW! release.  Though it is $3.99 and it ships twice a month, I'm planning on following this series.

New Avengers

Jonathon Hickman and Steve Epting bring the secondary Avengers title, this time with a whole different feel to it.  Instead of being a more street level book as it was under Bendis, Hickman's version will focus on the Illuminati, with Black Panther being the lead.  Also, the big draw for the first couple of issues will be the dynamics between Panther and Namor, as this will be the first time they are seeing each other since Namor drowned Wakanda.  Hickman has said that the two Avengers book will work cohesively, but it should be interesting having one team be the Illuminati, doing things behind the scenes, compared to the main Avengers team.   

Captain America

The aforementioned Captain America title by Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr., takes Cap out of his comfort zone, taking him on a sci-fi adventure.  Now, I'm a Captain American fan but I've never read a Cap solo book.  However, this team has piqued my interest in getting the title. However, just like a lot of NOW! titles, it is a $3.99 title, which, while I understand the price, makes me really debate getting it.  The title looks like a lot of fun, but I'm unsure if I'm going to be getting this title as of now.

Thor: God of Thunder

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Here we have Thor: God of Thunder, written by Jason Aaron with art by Esad Ribic.  Though I wasn't initially attracted to this title, it was when Aaron was interviewed about the plot of the first storyline when I looked into the book.  The first arc deals with the God Butcher, with whom Thor fights during different points in his life.  So, over the stretch of the first arc, we get to see young Thor, current Thor, old king Thor, and a couple in between.  This was what sold me on this title.  I love the idea that Jason Aaron came up with for this first arc and I really hope that it lives up to the hype.

Iron Man

Written by Kieron Gillen with art by Greg Land, this title is one that got a lot of comic fans murmuring.  People love Kieron Gillen for his fantastic run on Journey Into Mystery, featuring Kid Loki and the love is well deserved.  It's the art by Greg Land that received a lot of flack when it was announced.  I, too, groaned a little bit when Land was announced. However, much to everyone's surprise, the art released so far actually looks pretty good.

Indestructible Hulk

Written by Daredevil scribe Mark Waid and illustrated by Leinil Yu.  That should be enough to convince you to buy this book.

Avengers Arena

This book is going to be an interesting ride for some Marvel fans.  Written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Kev Walker, this book is replacing the popular (and personal favorite) Avengers Academy series.  The series is going to take some of the Academy kids, plus some other super teens from across the Marvel universe and put them head to head in a Hunger Games style tournament.  Plus, there is going to be death; lots and lots of death.  That is what is making fans of Academy and other super teens nervous.  Many of our favorite characters are probably going to die, including personal favorites Reptil and X-23. Very curious and nervous about this title.

A + X

Seeing as AvX: Versus sold so well, Marvel thought "what the heck, let's keep it up".  Instead of fighting each other, the team ups now feature an Avenger and a X-Man fighting together.  Depending on the team ups, I might get this one now and again.

Young Avengers

The team of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie tackle one of the most anticipated books to be announced so far in this Marvel NOW! era: Young Avengers.  With a cast consisting of Teen Loki, Wiccan, and Miss America Chavez, among others, this book is looking to be a big hit.  And, seeing as we are losing Avengers Academy, what a perfect book to replace it.

The X-Men Line

Deadpool

Coming as a surprise, Deadpool was announced in the first wave of Marvel NOW! books.  Written by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, this is going to be a funny book, as the preview has shown already.  However, the big draw for this book is going to be the art.  In another surprising move, this book is going to be drawn by Tony Moore, whose previous works include The Walking Dead and Venom, to name a few. Just like Thor, the storyline for Deadpool sounds extremely interesting, with zombie presidents being the main problem in the first arc.  Should be a very interesting book.

All New X-Men

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Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen team up again to bring the new main X-Men book.  Bendis brings the original five students to the future to stop present day Cyclops from committing mutant genocide.  An interesting idea, but I'm not so sure how well it will work as an ongoing comic. As a maxi-series, yeah, I can see that working. But not only as an ongoing, but as the main X-Men book.

X-Men Legacy

Dealing with Legion, the son of Charles Xavier, the writer for this series is Simon Spurrier with art by Tan Eng Huat.  Outside of that, not much else is known about this title (or maybe their is, I really haven't looked into this series).  I have to say, though, that having Xavier's son picking up the pieces of his father's legacy does seem pretty interesting.

Savage Wolverine

Frank Cho takes Wolverine to the Savage Land in this relaunched book.  Yes, Frank Cho is not only illustrating this book, but he is also writing it.  I've always like Wolverine as a character, but I don't know what to think about this relaunch.  I just don't see Cho being able to not only continuously draw the book, but also write it.  I'm assuming that there is going to be a fill in artist/co-writer down the line somewhere, but I could totally be wrong on that.

Cable & the X-Force
Cable returns in this new title written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Salvador Larroca.  The team in this book consists of Cable, Forge, Domino, Dr. Nemesis, and Colossus, seemingly returned to normal.  Obviously, the main pulls for this book is seeing Cable in action and seeing Colossus in his first appearance since the end of Avengers Vs. X-Men.  However, there is something that I'm surprised I haven't seen people talk about.  That is the Hope card.  She hasn't been announced in any books in the Marvel NOW! era, which is kind of shocks me.  If there is any book I expect her to show up in, it would be this one, All New X-Men, or the rumored all female book.

Uncanny X-Force
Sam Humphries and Ron Garney bring the other X-Force title, this one being lead by Psylocke.  The other members of the team are Puck, Spiral, a couple other members, and the big shock, Storm.  The Storm reveal is a bit shocking, seeing as she doesn't seem like the kind that would be caught up in an X-Force style book, though I must admit it is interesting.  Not only is that a shocker, but the villain should be one too: Bishop, back from the future.  It will be interesting to see two separate X-Force titles going on, and one must question if they even can co-exist.

Cosmic Line

Guardians of the Galaxy 

Coming from the team of Brian Bendis and Steve McNiven, the Guardians return, this time with some help from a certain ironed Avenger.  Even though it was just announced at NYCC, this book is already sending cosmic fans into a tizzy.  It makes sense, seeing as people get up in arms whenever Bendis takes over a book.  I completely understand their anxiety, as cosmic fans are pretty hard core fans.  Also, having Iron Man in the book is an interesting choice and, while I understand having him in there, it just strikes me as odd.

Nova

Speaking of polarizing writers, this one has even more fans talking, as it is being written by a fan "favorite" Jeph Loeb.  Drawn by Ed McGuinness, this book details the story of the newest Nova, Sam Alexander, someone familiar to those who watch "Ultimate Spider-Man".  I know a lot of people aren't high on Loeb, but he hasn't written anything too bad (at least for me).  Plus, having McGuinness on art is a huge plus.  The only problem is that the book is going to another $3.99 book, which makes me think long and hard on getting the title.

Misc.

Fantastic Four

This is the book that I'm having the hardest time deciding on.  Written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Mark Bagley, Marvel's First Family are leaving the universe for a while, leaving behind a new FF (more on that in a moment).  Now, I've been a fan of the Fantastic Four, however I've never picked up any issues minus a couple of the beginning issues of FF and one that was the first for artist Ryan Stegman.  I think that I was always intimidated by the long history built up by Jonathon Hickman.  Now, with Hickman moving to the Avengers franchise, this is a new beginning for the Fantastic Four and, really, a new start for the readers.  Sure, the previous run might be referenced here and there, but Fraction seems to be set on gettting the First Family out of the Marvel Universe for the time being.  I keep flipping back and forth on this book, though I think I'm really leaning towards picking up this series, especially seeing that it is going to be $2.99.

FF

With the Fantastic Four going on a fantastic journey, someone needs to be there for the kids of the Future Foundation.  Well, that is where the new FF comes in. Consisting of a cast of Ant Man (Eric O'Grady), She-Hulk, Medusa, and a brand new character Miss Thing, the book is also being written by Fraction, but with art by the amazing Mike Allred.  This is definitely going to be a funny and interesting book, with a classic look to it.  Again, being $2.99 is a plus, but I'm not sure if it is in my wheelhouse.

Thunderbolts

Going back to our discussion about polarizing artists, not only does this title have that, but it also has a polarizing writer.  The writer/artist combo for this title is going to be Daniel Way and Steve Dillon, much to many people's dismay. The team, consisting of Red Hulk (seeing as he literally a Thunderbolt), Elektra, Punisher, Deadpool, and Agent Venom, is definitely an off-beat, yet interesting combination of characters.  However, if Dillon wasn't on art, I could see many more people (possibly me included) would be much more interested in this title. Out of all the Marvel NOW! titles, this is the one that had the most grief when it was announced. So we shall see how much it is supported by the fanbase.

Morbius: The Living Vampire

Definitely not a title many people were asking for, this book spins out of Amazing Spider-Man.  Mainly calling back to the "No Turning Back" arc, as well as the #699.1 issue, the books details Morbius after he breaks out of prison.  By the creative team of Joe Keatinge and Rich Elson, I sadly don't have much interest in this title.  It is a shame because this sounds like an interesting book; it just doesn't stand out to me.  Sadly, I don't expect this title to last very long, but who knows? This title might be the big hit many people believe it won't.

Superior Spider-Man

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Last, but not least, is Superior Spider-Man.  After the shocking events that are bound to happen in Amazing Spider-Man #700, Spidey not only gains a new adjective, but also a new person under the mask (possibly).  Written by Dan Slott, the art team for this book is amazing, superior, spectacular, basically any adjective that Spider-Man has used: Ryan Stegman (called it, by the way), Humberto Ramos, and Giuseppe Camuncoli.  This is the only definite Marvel NOW! release that I'll be getting, and trust me, I'll be going into more detail about my theories, hopes, and fears about this title down the road.  All I know is this: my face is going to melt with all the awesomeness coming from this title.

So, my Marvel NOW! pull list looks a little bit like this:

Definite
Superior Spider-Man

Most Likely
The Avengers
Thor: God of Thunder
Deadpool
Indestructible Hulk
Young Avengers

Probably Check Out the First Issue
Nova
Captain America
Avengers Arena
Fantastic Four
FF
All New X-Men

Probably Not
X-Men Legacy
New Avengers
Guardians of the Galaxy
Iron Man
Savage Wolverine
Cable & the X-Force
Thunderbolts
Uncanny X-Force
Morbius: The Living Vampire
A+X (Depends on the team up that month)

I know that there are a few other books that are getting Marvel NOW! relaunches (Journey Into Mystery, Red She Hulk, Avengers Assemble) but they are keeping their numbering and/or creative team.  Anyways, I was initially scared by the amount of books announced by Marvel, as many of them piqued my interest and, being a college student with only a summer job, I don't have as much money as I would in the summer.  So, I was only planning on getting whatever Spider-Man book was being announced and a couple others, though only one or two $3.99 books.  Now, looking at my possible pull list, I like it.  There are actually a good number of $2.99 books with some $3.99 ones in there.  Sure, I'm eventually going to have to drop one or two of the books because of price reasons, but that may open up the possibility of becoming a trade waiter on some titles.  Who knows? All I know is that I'm excited to actually get to read these titles and see what Marvel has up their sleeves.  

Rolling Out the Red Carpet-Paranormal Activity 4

Hello, hello. Welcome to the newest section of the Random Blog: "Rolling Out the Red Carpet".  For these posts, I'll be reviewing movies, whether they be ones that I watch in the theater, or ones that I just watch on TV.  They will be movies that I have never seen before, though I will probably break that rule sometime during the posting of these.  I've been wanting to do more movie reviews, especially seeing as I only do comic reviews (with a few TV ones thrown in here or there).  However, I've never really had the focus to do movie reviews, which is a shame because I am a pretty big movie buff.  So, I'm going to try to post a lot more movie reviews now, starting with the horror film Paranormal Activity 4.

Let me start off by saying this: I love the Paranormal Activity film series.  I saw the first one with a bunch of friends my senior year of high school and I loved it.  I never felt so afraid watching a film than when I was watching the first Paranormal Activity, mostly because of the reaction of my friends sitting around me (two girls who were freaking out the entire movie) and the fact that I really believe in ghosts and demons.  Ever since I've seen that movie, I will not and have not slept with my legs outside my covers (silly, I know, but it's the truth).  When the second one came out, I was really pumped.  However, I was really disappointed when I watched it.  Sure, it was a decent sequel, but it was no where near as good as the first one.  Last fall, I went and saw the third one with my family in the theater.  I went in with low expectations, as the second film really left a sour taste in my mouth.  I was happily surprised, as Paranormal Activity 3 was nearly as good as the first film, and my faith in the series was restored.  Now, Paranormal Activity 4 is out, and I was really excited when I first saw the trailers.  Everything looked good, and I loved the inclusion of the Xbox 360 Kinect to the film.  However, when the reviews came out, they were split 50/50.  So, going into the film, I didn't know what to expect, unlike the other films.

So, what did I think of the film?  Well, it definitely was interesting.  Dealing with a new family for the first time, the story of the film was on the slower side.  It wasn't as smooth as the other ones were, which was a disappointment.  However, I loved the characters themselves, especially Ben, who quickly became my favorite character from all the films.  After Katie from the first film, Alex is my favorite leading lady in a non-pedophile way.  Her character acted the way that someone who is experiencing these kind of things would.  Ben was the best male lead of all four movies.  Not only did he bring the comedic aspects, but he also acted the most level headed of the male leads.  I may or may not have gotten misty eyed when Ben was killed (plus, it was a nice jump scene. Who expected Katie to just show up behind him?).

After watching Paranormal Activity 3 & 4, I have now learned to never trust little kids.  They are now one of the most terrifying things on the Earth.  In this case, the creepy child was Robbie, the mysterious kid who moves in across the street from Alex.  And who just so happens to be his "mom"? None other than Katie herself.  That was one of the moments that caused my theater to cry out, as we knew that sh!t was going to be going down big time.

One new aspect I liked was bringing in the Kinect, using it as a tracking device.  However, I wish that more could have been done with it. Besides one scene where Katie just rises out of the couch, the night vision Kinect aspect was useless.  Besides the Kinect, though, there really wasn't any special camera effects this time.  I was also kind of disappointed about the lack of actual activity that happened in the house compared to the first three films.  Sure, a good deal of stuff happened and were actually pretty good (especially the chandelier scene and the toy line scene). However, the actual activity itself could have been better.

So, now I'm thinking about the demons and the coven.  I read online somewhere that someone believes that there were actually two demons in this film: Toby and then Robbie.  Obviously, Toby was in the film, but the question becomes this: Is Robbie a demon or is he just a child from the coven?  That was (sadly) something that was unexplained.  However, I am in the camp believing that there are two demons in the film.  It actually kind of makes sense, as Toby can make itself look like anything it wants, which would explain the kid shape early in the film.  Then, after Katie returns, the child size demon is actually Robbie, who makes one slight appearance after that, but is never seen again.....

The ending of the film was the best one since the first Paranormal Activity.  Sure, it seemed a bit rushed, but the overall effect of it worked.  It was the first scary ending since the original film, as it once again focused on a demonic Katie and her killing someone.  However, as scary as Katie running towards Alex and attacking her at the end was, the truly frightening moment was when Alex turns around and discovers the coven coming after her.  That was something that I was not expecting to happen and it really caught me by surprise.

Also, if you are reading this, check out Jacob Degloshi on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Youtube, wherever you can.  Something paranormal is happening at this house, which happens to be in the same neighborhood as Alex's house, and he discovered a tape in his daughter's suitcase that not only has a certain symbol on it, but shows an oddly familiar family that you are going to recognize if you've been following the series.

So, I know that I did a lot of random rambling, but this is my first real movie post and I'm experimenting on a set up for these.  Next time, it'll probably be a little more organized and a lot less of me going on tangents.  However, I will always end with my grade for the movie in my closing thoughts.  Paranormal Activity 4 wasn't the strongest of the series, but I enjoyed it none the less.  Led by great leading characters in Alex and Ben, the series continues to have the last 15 or so minutes to have the most memorable moments where everything else in the middle is take it or leave it.  I give Paranormal Activity 4 3 out of 4 stars.

Avengers Vs. X-Men

Here it is, the big wrap up for Marvel's huge summer event, Avengers Vs. X-Men.  With a premise that seemed very much like Civil War, many were a little apprehensive when it was initially announced.  However, the story for AvX was very much different that Civil War.  Now, I'm not going to go play by play with this, as it would take me forever to write. I will, however, give my general opinion about the event as a whole.

Let me lead off by saying this: I was on the Avengers side.  From the moment this event was announced, I sided with the Avengers, as I had more ties with them than I did with the X-Men.  However, through the process of the book, I couldn't help but feel like the X-Men kept getting screwed over, being made to look like the villains of the event.  I mean, it's obvious in issue #12 that one X-Man, Cyclops, is the true villain of the story with Emma Frost being the Harley Quinn to Cyclops' Joker.  But, man, the X-Men got jipped during this event.  Especially in the AvX: Versus book.  Marvel had the Avengers winning fights they had no right winning, like Iron Man vs Magneto and Thing vs Namor especially, seeing as that fight happened under water. Namor should have kicked Thing's ass in that one yet the Avengers somehow one that one. Then there were fights that the X-Men won that the Avengers should have.  The one specifically would be Colossus versus Spider-Man. I already wrote about this, but to recap my feelings about that fight: Spider-Man won that fight. I don't care what Marvel says, Spidey won. The only reason Colossus won was because Spidey fell back when it was revealed that Hope wasn't in Latveria (plus the X-Men needed a win, as they were winless up to that point).  

Storywise, I really enjoyed the plot.  Surprisingly, there really wasn't any bad issue or, really, a slow issue.  Yes, there were issues where not as actiony as the others but those issues were the more personal, character driven ones.  The hook of the Phoenix Five was definitely an interesting aspect.  My favorite characters were, surprisingly, the two characters in the forefront towards the end of the event: Scarlet Witch and Hope. This strikes me as odd, because I've never really been a X-Men person (minus Wolverine), yet two of my three favorite characters for this event were mutants (the other one being, of course, Spider-Man).  Both the characters emerged as new favorites of mine, especially Hope.  I'm anxious to know where she ends up at in the Marvel NOW! era.  I do kind of wish that Cyclops didn't go all villain on the Avengers, yet I understand why he needed to be pegged as the villain.  Scott was already heading down the dark path, plus it gives the parallel between him and Jean.  But the death of Professor X is what I had the most issue with.  We all knew it was coming, but the death just felt cheap.  True, it showed that Scott was the villain of the story, but we had known that since the Phoenix Five showed up.  But the death was so quick and then they moved on just like that.  I know that it is a staple in Marvel events for someone to die, but I really wish they broke that chain with this event.  The story could have moved on just as well without Xavier dying. 

For the first time in a Marvel event, there was a rotating cast of writers.  The writing team for Avengers Vs. X-Men consisted of the usual suspects: Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, and Jonathon Hickman.  You would think that having a rotating cast of writers for an event would be terrible, with each issue being different from the others.  Shockingly, that was not the case.  Each issue connected smoothly together.  Most of the time, you could hardly even tell that the book switched writers between issues.  Sure, there were times where you can tell which writer was writing the issue (notably Bendis and his Bendis speak) but 99% of the time everything was nice and smooth.  

Artist-wise, the event had an A-list line up.  The first five issues were drawn by John Romita, Jr., Olivier Coipel on issues #6, #7, and #11, and Adam Kubert on issues #8, #9, #10, and #12.  Last, but certainly not least, Jim Cheung did the covers for all 12 issues, which were just spectacular.  Before this event, I really only knew JRJR, as he has been a Spidey staple for the past few years. I knew a little bit of Coipel's work, but this event really opened my eyes to how amazing his and Adam Kubert's art is. Before this event, I don't believe I've ever seen Kubert's art, but man, was it nice to look at.  I'm happy to see that Adam is going to be on the artist rotation for Jonathon Hickman's Avengers series. I'm equally as excited to see JRJR is going to be on Rick Remender's Captain America.  However, I really, really want to know where Olivier Coipel is going to be in the Marvel NOW! era.  His art was arguably the best in this event and he is primed to be Marvel's next superstar, go-to artist. So I just find it odd that he hasn't been announced on anything yet.  Anyways, the art on Avengers Vs. X-Men was top class, and it really helped me enjoy this series even more.

When it came down to deciding my favorite issues of the event, two stuck out to me. Obviously, issue #9 was a favorite, as it was the issue that had Spider-Man in the spotlight.  Seeing as Spidey is always the comedic relief in events as of late, it was great to see him actually do something in an event.  The team of Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert did a fantastic job on this issue, as they show Spider-Man making the ultimate sacrifice: letting the Avengers escape with the members that were taken prisoner.  Spider-Man takes on not just one, but two members of the Phoenix Five and puts up a fight, but eventually the fight turns bad for him, especially when Colossus basically breaks Spidey's face in.  Yet, somehow, Spider-Man is able to get to Colossus and Magik, causing the two to take each other out, eliminating two more members of the Phoenix Five.  Though it was a brutal issue for my favorite hero, it was also good to read him actually doing something in an event besides standing in the back making some quips about the current situation (which he did a couple times during the event).  This was my personal favorite issue of the entire series, making me happy to be a Spider-Man fan. Also, Jason Aaron is welcome to write Spider-Man whenever he wants.  He seems to be one of the few writers that actually gets the character and I would love to see him get a run on a Spider-Man book sometime in the future.

Though the Spider-Man centric issue #9 was my personal favorite, the best issue of the event was Avengers Vs. X-Men #6.  Written by Jonathon Hickman and drawn by Oliver Coipel, this was without a doubt the best issue of the series, in both writing and art.  Up until this point, the issues had been pretty well done; however, this was the perfect issue.  It was the first issue that explored the newly minted Phoenix Five, as we got to see their powers in effect, with Coipel drawn pages that were just stunning.  The pages where the Phoenix Five (minus Scott) are using their powers to eliminate the violent threats were just jaw dropping.  Then you also had the excellent sequence where the Avengers infiltrate Utopia to grab Hope.  We get the first fight between the Avengers and the Phoenix Five and, at first, you expect the Phoenix Five to mop the floor with the Avengers, just as they did before.  However, the tides turn when the Scarlet Witch shows up, revealing that the Phoenix Five actually have some kind of weakness.  The issue ends with the brilliant line delivered by Cyclops: "No more Avengers", setting the stage for an action-packed second act.

Overall, Avengers Vs. X-Men was a great mini-series.  Not only was the story itself great, but many of the tie-in issues were of equal greatness as well.  Ever since Civil War came out, Marvel has not put a mini-series that came close to its greatness.  Avengers Vs. X-Men is the event that does just that; it is the best mini-series Marvel has put out since Civil War.  Not only was it written extremely well, but it was drawn spectacularly as well.  Initially, I wasn't so keen on this series when it was announced, but now I can look back and realize how silly those thoughts were.  Hopefully, Marvel has learned something with this event; don't be afraid to have multiple writers on one project and to give Coipel more work.  I personally had a few gripes here and there with the event, with Professor X's death being the big one, but besides that, I really had no problem with this event and I hope to see more events like this down the line.

The Clown Prince Returns

Batman #13

  

He's back.  One of the most recognizable, beloved, and fantastic villains of all times returned. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Joker has stormed back into the DC world.  The starts off with van, parked by the water, looking at Gotham.  We then cut to Gordon and Harvey on the roof of the GCPD building, acknowledging that something is coming. That something, obviously, is the Joker, as he shuts down power to the GCPD building and starts his killing spree in one of the most disturbing and terrifying scenes I've ever read.  The Joker, looking for his face that was carved off in Detective Comics #1, goes around snapping cops necks while he tells Gordon a joke and some disturbing things, like how he lays under Gordon's bed, listening to him while he sleeps. Just as the Joker escapes, Batman arrives on the scene, only to discover that the Joker got his face and vanished.  Back in the Batcave, Bruce brings everyone up to speed on what's going on, showing everyone from the Bat family excluding Catwoman, Red Hood, and Batwoman (seeing as she doesn't have anything to do with this event).  A broadcast comes through, with the Joker having someone dressed up as him, delivering a message that the mayor will die tonight.  Gordon sets up shop at the Mayor's office, with Batman lurking inside, making sure everything is okay. However, Batman realizes that everything isn't okay, just too late, as all the officers are killed thanks to a toxin delivered by Joker.  Batman puts the clues together and figures out that Joker is hiding out at the ACE Chemical Building and promptly speeds over there.  He finally comes face to Red Hooded face with Joker, who lures Batman into a trap. Bats gets hit by a big hammer down into a holding chamber which starts to fill up with some liquid.  The Red Hood (not Jason Todd) takes off the hood, revealing that Joker isn't actually there; it is actually Harley Quinn dressed up as Red Hood. She tells Bats that Joker has changed and that he isn't her "Mr. J" anymore.  Batman demands that Harley tell him where Joker is, and it is shown that he goes to Wayne Manor and comes at Alfred with a hammer, finally revealing what he really looks like with his attached face.

The backup, set shortly before the events of the main story, show Harley meeting up with Joker for the first time since he disappeared.  Joker, after a little bit of back and forth, tells Harley to take her clothes off.  He gives her a new set of clothes and Harley realizes that Joker is getting her to dress up like him. Joker then tells Harley that he is going to cut off her face so she can be just like him.  However, Harley is hesitant, and starts to freak out when the Joker comes towards her to do the deed.  Instead of cutting her face off, it is revealed that Joker was just pulling a fast one, instead putting the Red Hood hood on her and leaving her to deal with Batman.

I'm going to just come out and say it. This was one of the best issues I've ever read; it might actually be in my personal top 10. This issue was just spectacular, as it totally lived up the hype that has been swirling around it ever since it was announced that Joker would be returning to the pages of Batman.  It was one of the most frightening issue of a comic that I have ever read, especially the scene in the GCPD.  And even though it is only the first issue, you can tell at the end of it that Bruce is already panicking about those he holds near to him.  That's why Joker is such a great villain; he is so predictably unpredictable.  Just when Batman thinks he has a lead on the Joker, something goes wrong.  And the ending, oh man. That ending is already making me anxious for the next issue, as Alfred comes face to attached face with Joker. This issue solidified Team Batman as the elite team in the world of comics, whether it be DC, Marvel, or Image.  The way that Scott Snyder writes the Joker is truly some of the most disturbing and haunting stuff I've ever read. AND IT'S ONLY THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE STORY!!!! And Greg Capullo, Jock, and the entire art team earn my highest praise. Rarely have I enjoyed comic art as much as I am on this title and those guys get all the credit for making this one of the most beautiful looking books on the stand, despite it being such a dark book.  Just as I expected, this issue blew my socks off and I'm so ready for the next part to come out.

Grade: A+

Batman & Robin #13

Dealing with an entire other threat yet the Joker has a cameo in this book.  It starts off with Damian and Titus sleeping, as Daimon has been studying like crazy to get info on Joker.  Bruce wakes Damian up, with the kid thinking that Joker has returned.  Bruce tells him otherwise, and the two go on a little trip. Taking the Batrocket (since when does Bruce have a freaking rocket?), the two go up into space and look at the solar eclipse from a perspective that no one else gets to see.  Damian brings up Talia, asking Bruce if he loved her. Bruce replies that he did at some point. Damian thanks Bruce for showing him this just as the Bat signal turns on.  Bruce tells Damian to take the rocket back to the cave (which is apparently big enough to house a rocket ship now) while he goes and sees what Gordon wants.  After a quick jump to some secret society called the Saturn Club, we see Damian back at the Batcave.  He is only there for a brief second, telling Titus that he is going back out, against Bruce's word.  In a graveyard, Batman and Gordon talk about a bunch of missing bodies, stating that there might be a possible zombie outbreak. Damian is down in the sewers and reaches for something unseen when a huge monster shows up, planning on killing Damian to earn the bounty Talia put on Damian's head.  Damian outmatches the monster and walks off, only to be contacted by Bruce.  He tells Damian to head back to the cave ASAP due to the zombies.  Damian, however, decides to go help people but ends up getting swarmed by zombies himself.

Though I haven't been picking up Batman & Robin regularly, I must say that I love Damian.  I love the aspect of Batman's Robin being his own son.  Though my first formal introduction to Damian was in Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin when he was the Robin to Dick's Batman.  It was that story that made me really enjoy the character of Damian, as he is the most different Robin the title has seen outside Jason Todd.  I wasn't too sure on Batman & Robin when it debuted in the New 52, though I have gotten a couple of issues here and there.  However, when #13 and #14 were solicited as dealing with zombies, I knew I had to get them. How often does Batman go up against zombies? Anyway, just like the other issues I've gotten of this series, Peter Tomasi does a great job of writing.  I know that this is essentially a Damian book, but I'm alright with that, as Tomasi writes the character so well.  Having the book be illustrated by Pat Gleason (with the help of Tomas Giorello in this issue) doesn't hurt the title either. Definitely an enjoyable issue, especially given the time of year and the content.

Grade: A

Scarlet Spider #10

Part two of "Minimum Carnage" lies here though the issue seemed more as a set up issue.  We start up right were Alpha left off, with Flash and Kaine meeting for the first time and already at each other's throats.  After some threatening, swearing and a little bit of info given, the first big thing in the issue happens: Flash loses control of the symbiote for some reason, as it tries to kill (or maybe bond with) Kaine.  Flash tries to convince Kaine that they need to go after Carnage, but Kaine says "F#ck that" and leaves, leaving Flash and the doctor to get the machine back up and running.  Meanwhile, in the Microverse, it is revealed that Carnage was brought there in order to kill someone(s), though those who brought Carnage there are unsure, as he is such a loose cannon.  Just as the portal gets back up and running, Kaine returns to the scene, agreeing with Flash that they need to find Carnage (though Kaine is more selfish, thinking of Houston and Carnage's return).  The duo step into the machine and get sent to the Microverse, though they get separated.  Flash gets sent to a wooded area and gets attacked by some sonic fairies before he is saved by a team of heroes, who ask for his help. Meanwhile, Kaine is met by a man who says that he is preparing to die, as they are met by a huge monster.

Well, what can I say about this issue?  It was an okay issue, though it did not move the plot along much.  It was basically a set up issue for many of the different storylines that are going to take place in this event, with Carnage going to be used to kill people, Venom teaming up with a group of heroes, and whatever mess Kaine has gotten himself into.  Though I really didn't have a problem with the dialogue, it was the story itself. I know that this is going to be a larger story and that there were going to be an issue or two here and there that are going to be slower, but I really didn't expect it to be this one.  However, that is no knock on Christopher Yost.  I know that this is not foreshadowing for the entire event, it was just one of the necessary set up issues.  Khoi Pham draws the issue (with an assist from Reilly Brown) and I must say that I'm still not a big fan of his (Pham). Yes, it is an improvement over the Daredevil issues he did, but I'm still not overly wowed by the artwork on this title.  Still, it was a decent issue, but I do wish more happened in it.

Grade: B

Smallville #6

The issue starts with Chloe and Oliver discussing the "Crisis", though it seems like Chloe is hiding something from Ollie.  In Stryker's, Batman and Clark continue their fight, with Batman seemingly getting the upper hand until Clark takes control of the situation.  While Batman and Clark play a game of hide and seek, Bats informs Clark that he knows all about Kryptonians, thanks to research he has conducted over the years.  Meanwhile, Nightwing and Green Arrow square off while Clark figures out that Batman is Bruce Wayne.  Batman tells Clark about needing information about his parents death.  The Nightwing/Green Arrow fight comes to a close when Clark shows up, taking Manheim up into the sky.  Oliver chases the Batplane, but quickly loses it, as Bruce and Barbara track Clark, who is holding a little interrogation with Manheim.  Back at Watchtower, Chloe informs Oliver about who is sending him mysterious messages while Clark and Lois finally get to talk to each other.  Later, Clark makes his own Bat signal, getting Bruce's attention.  The two agree to team up, for the good of Gotham and Metropolis.  Lex is shown to have retrieved a copy of the Batman/Superman fight when Oliver shows up, accusing Lex of sending the messages to him, though Lex has no idea what he is talking about.  Batman tries to get a jump on Joe Chill, who is homed in a Suicide Slum safe house but Clark stops him before he gets in the room.  Batman is surprised to see that Chill is an old man in a wheelchair.  Back at Lexcorp, Lex is shown to be sleepwalking and talking, implying heavily that Tess is somehow in control of him, as she is the one who is sending the messages.  Batman and Superman try to get info out of Chill but are interrupted by Prankster and Mr. Freeze.

Another great issue from the Smallville universe.  For 10 seasons, we, the Smallville fans, have been waiting for Batman, whether it be the man himself or at least just a reference.  Though we got a bone tossed our way in Season 10, this is what every Smallville fan has dreamed of since the show was introduced.  I'm loving the way that Clark and Batman have such a rough yet somewhat trusting relationship already, as they start to realize how similar they really are.  However, the best parts of the issue would be the fight between Clark and Batman that takes place during the first part of the issue and the whole interrogation scene was just hilarious.  Bryan Miller impresses yet again, as the story is better than ever.  The art by Jamal Igle is phenomenal as well and I really like the Smallville Universe's version of the Batsuit.  I cannot wait to see these two heroes fighting side by side next issue and the continuing building of the World's Finest friendship.

Grade: A

Superman #0

No story for this one, as it came out a long time ago (I only just got it because of damages and Diamond being slow. I'm still waiting for them to deliver my copy of Aquaman #0) though I will discuss my feelings for the issue. Honestly, I'm pumped for the new creative team of Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort, as things are looking to be an amazing run.  I know that a lot of people don't like Lobdell's writing, but I haven't read anything that I don't like (yet).  However, the main reason I get this title might just be Kenneth Rocafort's art.  After seeing the preview art for the upcoming issues plus this #0, I'm sold on getting this title.  This is going to be another beautifully drawn book from DC and I can't wait to start collecting an actual Superman comic (minus Smallville).  2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Superman, with this new team on Superman, the new creative team of Diggle and Daniel on Action Comics, and the newly announced but already known Superman comic by the all star team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee (already on my "must buy" list).

Grade: A

Uncanny Avengers #1

The beginning of the Marvel NOW! era has begun.  The issue begins in an interesting way, as some unknown person is cutting open some mutants brain and inserting some device into it.  We then cut to the Jean Grey School of higher Learning, where Wolverine is reminiscing about the first time he met Professor X.  Rogue gathers him and Logan starts to give Professor X's eulogy while Alex Summers is shown meeting Cyclops in his holding cell.  Logan finishes his eulogy by stating that they, the mutant race, failed Professor X, seeing as he died without seeing his dream come true. Back at Scott's holding cell, Alex talks to Scott about his decisions during Avengers Vs. X-Men.  Scott stands by his decisions, minus killing Xavier, though Alex disagrees with him.  Scott mentions the abundance of new mutants caused by the outcome of AvX but Alex basically reminds him that Scott still forgot everything Xavier taught him.  After leaving the holding cell, Alex is met by Captain America and Thor, who say that they need to talk with him.  The Avengers tell Alex that they really want to, when the time is right, pay their respects to Professor X. Cap then offers Alex a spot on the Avengers, asking him to lead a team made up of Avengers and X-Men, stating that he is the perfect one to lead the team.  Alex refuses just as Avalanche, revealed to be the man under the knife in the opening pages, attacks innocents on the street.   Thor goes to save the bystanders while Cap, with a little help from Alex, goes to take down Avalanche.  Alex eventually suits up as Havok, saving people from falling debris.  With Avalanche defeated, the book then goes to Scarlet Witch, who is paying her respects at Xavier's grave.  However, Rogue shows up, telling Wanda to get the hell out.  The two try talking it out, but eventually Rogue starts talking with her fists, but that gets interrupted when an explosion occurs.  Out of the explosion emerges a group of possible evil mutants, who attack Wanda and Rogue.  Wanda jumps in front of an attack aimed for Rogue and the mutants just leave.  We finally cut back to the mystery man from the beginning, seeing that it is the Red Skull, who has cut Xavier's brain out with the intentions of using it to eradicate the mutants.

Definitely an interesting first issue, to say the least.  Honestly, I don't believe that I am going to be following this title in the long run. I might pick up the first few issues, but I'm pretty sure that I won't be picking it up on a regular basis. I will say this though, that last page was a shocker for me. I was in the mindset that Xavier was going to return down the line, but now it looks like it might be a very slim possibility unless Xavier pulls a "X-Men 3" on us and transferred his mind to another body just before he died.  Written by Rick Remender, the issue is paced very well, as each story gets a good deal of story time, with the Cap/Havok section being the meatiest one.  John Cassaday is the artist on this book and he was amazing. This actually might be the first time I've read anything with his art (there probably is another instance that I can't remember) but it definitely was a good first impression.

Grade: A-

Alright, weekly reviews are done.  Expect the Avengers Vs. X-Men wrap-up tomorrow morning and the Marvel NOW! post on Monday, seeing that NYCC will be over by then.

Thanks for reading!!

Flag Football, Anyone?

A week removed, but here are the reviews for Wednesday, October 10th.  And, man, was it a huge week.  With the culmination of Marvel's latest summer event and Detective Comics getting a new writer/artist team plus a couple of other comics, this week was a good one.  Just a little note, though I will be talking about Avengers Vs. X-Men here, the full review of the event will come in another post in a couple days.

Amazing Spider-Man #695

And the end begins.  With just a couple of issues before the "final" issue of Amazing Spider-Man, #700, the future of Marvel is revealed, at least a bit.  The issue starts off with Spidey and Hobgoblin going at it, with Tiberius Stone in the wings, ready to jam Spidey's spider sense. However, that backfires and helps Spider-Man defeat the Hand ninjas, forcing Hobby to flee. What Phil doesn't see when he flies away is that the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, is watching him.  Julia Carpenter, the all seeing Madame Web, sees this but get interrupted by her daughter, who is leaving to go to her grandparent's house in Colorado, sent there by her mom so she is safe from the impending doom.  Peter, believing that Stone has something to do with the Hobgoblin, attempts to talk to Max about the situation, only to be reunited with Daily Bugle reporter Sally Floyd.  Sally tells Peter that some of his coworkers have blabbed, telling the reporter about his relationship with Spider-Man. Peter begs her and, eventually, Robbie to kill that part of the story. Now back at the Bugle, Peter runs into Norah and Phil, the later immediately triggering Pete's spider-sense.  Back with the Kingpin, Stone works on his jamming device, hoping that it will work. However, it does not, as it amplifies not only Peter's spider-sense to extreme levels, but it also causes Julia to get a massive overload on her visions of the future (more on that in a bit). Julia sends her celestial being to find Peter, delivering him an emergency warning about the future.  Peter stumbles away only to be jumped by Hobgoblin, who might possibly outed Peter as Spider-Man.

Written by the team of Dan Slott and Christos Gage, "Danger Zone" starts off with a bang.  I'm really happy to see Hobgoblin (both of them) again, as he's (Phil) been missing for far too long. Also, Norah returns to the book, another character who has been missing for awhile (though she has made appearances in Punisher).  I also really liked the progression with Peter's spider sense getting super charged. The little arrows telling what the "threat" was was actually pretty witty.  Art-wise, the issue is drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli, returning after taking an arc off. He does a masterful job of illustrating the story, even though most of it was dealing with Peter's out of costume life.  However, the page that will get the most attention will be the double page spread where the future of Marvel is shown.  Almost every snippet shown deal with a Marvel NOW! book, so it was pretty interesting to see the new art.  It also caught me by surprise, as I was not expecting Marvel to do something like this, especially as Avengers Vs. X-Men had their final issue released the same day.  For the majority, I was interested in the panels, as they dealt with the future of Spider-Man (especially the Peter/Hydro-Man....thing? and the shadowy Peter/MJ scene), books I'm already reading (Captain Marvel and Daredevil), or NOW! books I'm interested in (Avengers Arena and Deadpool).  This was an excellent start for the end of Spider-Man, and I'm pumped to see where it goes (also, a little bit afraid).

Grade: A

Avengers Vs. X-Men #12

Ah, the finale of Marvel's big summer event has finally arrived, ushering in the Marvel NOW! era. I won't talk about the story or my feelings for the overall event here (see my next post for those). I will, however, talk about my feelings for this issue. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Adam Kubert, the finale is a double sized book of awesomeness.  The stakes were raised to extreme, as the Avengers and the X-Men teamed up to take down Cyclops Dark Phoenix.  During this event, Hope has become one of my favorite characters, which is surprising because I've never been a X-Men person.  I particularly liked the shots between the fight and Cap talking with Hope, leading to the end of the issue. Again, my full feelings on the event will be up in a few days, but I'm happy that I read this event.

Grade: A-

Avengers Academy #38

Guest starring Wolverine and the X-Men, this is the first issue to deal with the outcome of AvX.  And this has been the issue many Avengers Academy fans have been waiting for: the flag football game between the two schools. It was actually a clever issue, as it kinda sorta dealt with the outcome of Avengers Vs. X-Men, but very subtly.  The only time that AvX is mentioned is when Logan and Hank discuss their little scuffle on the Quinjet during issue #3 and when the teachers leave the game, making the Avengers Academy kids be on the teams with the X-Men kids.  Though little football is actually played, when it is played, the scenes are hilarious, a couple involving Jocasta and a taser.  AvX isn't the only subject discussed, however. X-23 and Finesse also discuss the end of "Final Exam", seeing as X-23 still believes that she killed Jeremy. Finesse tells her that it was actually her that killed him. Another sore subject brought back up is the "relationship" between Finesse and Reptil, with Reptil getting advice from the ladies man, Gambit.  However, the kids and teachers are shown getting along and having fun, with Hank getting an idea for the future and the kids admitting to needing to do this (the game) more often.

This is the penultimate issue of Avengers Academy, which makes me really sad. Though I jumped on after the Amazing Spider-Man issues where Spidey taught the kids, I've followed the books religiously, picking up the trades and every issue (minus two which I'm still hunting down). This is an issue which proves why this books was so popular among comic fans. It was just an overall fun issue, right after the issue where the AA kids have their arch enemy killed and so soon after the devastating events of Avengers Vs. X-Men.  This was just an issue where two schools, both devastated by the events of AvX, meet up for some fun.  It's issues like this one that made this series so much fun to read. Christos Gage gets major props for taking a series this far, as I'm sure not many saw this title, with a cast of new characters and B-listers, lasting 40 issues.  Also, sometimes you read a crossover comic and realize what you are missing out on, in my case with Amazing and AA. Well, this issue did it for me with Wolverine and the X-Men. I typically avoid anything X-Men like the plague for whatever reason. However, this AA issue might have piqued my interest in the book. I will definitely look into getting the trades in the future to see how it is.

Grade: A

Detective Comics #13

With an all new writer and artist team, why not check out the first issue of their run?  It starts off with Batman cracking some skulls as a sniper takes aim at him.  As Batman gets into the Batplane, the sniper is called off. The sniper is then shown to be working for the man on the cover: the Penguin.  However, the target is not Batman; it's Bruce Wayne.  Bruce, preparing to arrive late for a ceremony for a wing in a children's center named after his mom, gets sidetracked when he takes down a couple of thugs who are robbing an apartment.  After Bruce gets the info he needs, he radios to Nightwing, telling him to look into the situation.  Just as Bruce starts going towards the ceremony, he gets distracted once more, this time by the sniper, and the two get into a tussle.  While Bruce deals with the assassin, Penguin bribes/threatens his way into getting his name, not Martha's name, on the children's wing, just as Bruce arrives.  Before Bruce even has time to react, the assassin arrives, ready to take down Bruce.

For a first issue of a new direction, this was done really well.  I've never read anything by this team, either art or story.  So it was interesting for me to do that.  But that might be a problem within itself.  I've been wavering on whether to add Detective Comics on my pull list, as I'm pulling way too many comics for my own good now (even more complicated with all the new MarvelNOW stuff coming out soon). I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with this title, because the first storyline looks really interesting, as it looks to delve into the world of Batman's villains, including Poison Ivy and a tie-in with "Death of the Family".  John Layman and Jason Fabok do a fantastic job on this issue, as did Andy Clarke on the backup art (he needs to get more work, as his stuff is amazing).  I'm going to be pulling this title for now, and we'll have to see what the future holds.

Grade: A

Minimum Carnage: Alpha

Here we go again: another Spider-family mini-event that looks really promising.  The issue starts off with Venom, fresh off his situation with Daimon Hellstrom, helping out the military hunt down Cletus Kasady aka Carnage, who has escaped from his prison cell.  At a security checkpoint, officers discover Cletus, but the cops get killed by some unseen force.  Venom checks the footage, finding something really odd and really small on the bodies. After calling the Avengers, letting them know to be ready on a notices call, calls Katy, his reporter friend.  She gives him information about the Prometheus Pit, which happens to be located in Houston.  Speaking of Houston, its resident hero, Scarlet Spider, jumps into a burning building and discovers a horrific scene with only one survivor.  Kaine goes looking for the man's wife, who gets a visit from Carnage himself.  Kaine arrives and takes on Carnage, who believes Kaine to be Spider-Man initially.  However, after noticing Kaine's more brutal behavior and stingers, determines that he isn't actually Spider-Man. It doesn't matter to Cletus, as his friends attack Kaine. With Scarlet Spider immobilized, Cletus grabs Katy, who was in Houston to interview the doctor in charge of the Prometheus Pit, and heads into the pit with his friends.  Kaine tries to stop Carnage, but Carnage destroys the machine just as he jumps in.  Just as he does that, Scarlet Spider meets Venom, as they both threaten to either kill or shoot each other.

The start of another Spider mini event, this issue is written by both Cullen Bunn and Chris Yost, the normal writers of Venom and Scarlet Spider, respectively.  Overall, the story was done extremely well. I definitely enjoyed the way the two stories were written separately and then brought together in the last panel, setting up the beginning of Scarlet Spider #10. Though I did find it interesting to bring in Katy for this story, everything else was a-okay by me. Also a-okay was the art. Done by ex-Venom artist Lan Medina, the art was nicely done. However, it made me miss Lan's work on Venom just a wee bit. This was a strong first issue for the next Spider mini-event and I'm definitely looking forward to the next issue.

Grade: A-

Alright, these reviews are done. As you read this, I am working on between five and six other posts at the same time: Avengers Vs. X-Men wrap up, another weekly review post that may spin off into two separate posts, a "10 Things" post, a Marvel NOW post, and a couple of "30 Day Challenge" posts. Needless to say, I'm going to be busy over the next couple of days. Look out for the majority of these posts in the next week, with the "30 Day Challenge" starting in about a weeks time.  Here's a little tease about the next review post: one issue gets the elusive A+ grade...  Gotta go for now. Lots more to write and not a lot of time to write it.

Thanks for reading!!

Browns Rant

Breaking the form of what I normally do, this is not going to be a nice post. I don't normally talk sports here, but I've finally had enough with a certain team. I was in the middle of finishing up the weekly reviews but I needed to write this out for my own sanity.  This is going to be an unfiltered, profanity-laced rant about the Cleveland Browns, so feel free to not read it if you want.

I'm so fucking tired of this team letting down its fans.  These are fans that were devastated by the team moving in 1995 (see the marvelous piece NFL Network did). When the team came back, everyone was so happy. Yet, besides one fluke season, the team has sucked every year.  I mean, how much crap does the fan base need before they realize that the team just blows? They just lost their 10th or 11th straight game, yet the fan base will support them no matter what. And it isn't just the Browns; it's all the Cleveland teams. This is a Browns rant, but the Cavs and Indians aren't getting off free. This city is cursed or something, man, because all of our teams blow.

You can tell that the players feel for the fans. I heard and saw the Browns starting quarterback Brandon Weeden talking about the Cleveland '95 documentary.  He gets it; the fans have put up with so much crap throughout the years that it's starting to take its toll on us. Now, I know that I'm a 20 going on 21 year old fan here, but I've more than enough crap.  And I can feel it along with the younger fans either close to my age and younger: they hate this team. They don't win and the younger crowd, myself included, are going and cheering for other, more successful teams. It just amazes me that the team doesn't realize that the fans are sick of all the shit. Thankfully, new owner Jimmy Haslem seems like that guy that can right the ship. My advice: clean house of the coaching staff. Pat Shurmur is not a professional coach; hell, I don't think he could lead a high school team to a win. He looks so clueless on the sidelines and you can tell by the plays that he calls that he doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. I mean, he calls a pass behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 15. Yes, that's correct: a screen pass that got about 5 yards on THIRD AND FUCKING 15!!!!!! Oh, and don't bother giving the ball to your only offensive stud, Trent Richardson, on 3rd and short. It's not like the guy is a bulldozer or anything. I can run this team better than that fucking clown.

It finally hit me today. After leading 14-0 (and actually looking impressive while doing it), the Browns threw the game away with terrible play calls and carelessness with the football. I actually turned the game off and watched soccer. The sad thing was that it was more exciting than the Browns game.

God, I'm sorry for ranting like this, but this team just fucking blows. I am THIS -> || close on just giving up on my hometown team. I already root for the Patriots more than I do the Browns so I might as well just announce it. When people ask me who I cheer for, I'll tell them that I'm from Boston, growing up with the Patriots. BECAUSE THE BROWNS ARE THE MOST EMBARRASSING TEAM IN THE NFL RIGHT NOW!!!!!

I'm sorry to all my other Browns fans. This is not something that we should have to put up with. We deserve a team that actually has a chance to win. But don't worry; the NBA is starting back up in a couple weeks, meaning that we will actually have the chance to know what a winner is like.