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.

Blogger's Back, Tell a Friend

And just like that, I'm back. I've been gone for too long (since the end of the school year in June) but now that school's back, I should have a lot more free time will be able to blog whenever I can, schoolwork provided.  To kick things off, I'm going to do a massive comic wrap up/ review.  At the end of this massive post will be news on my new project I will be tackling.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth

The spring/summer "event" in the pages of Spider-Man was a big difference from last year's event, Spider Island.  Not only was EotE more confined (it only had two tie in books, a one-shot and the epilogue in Avenging Spider-Man), but it pitted Spidey up against a more global and dangerous threat, this time the devious Doc Ock.  I kept on reading that people didn't enjoy this as much as they did Spider Island, but I really couldn't see that.  Yes, it is true that out of the two, I enjoyed Spider Island a little more, but I didn't think it was as big a gap between the two as others did.  I enjoyed the high stakes in this arc, especially when it was Spidey himself who knew that Ock was lying.  Also, I really liked the new suit developed for the story, designed by Stefano Caselli. Sadly, this was Stefano's last arc on Amazing, as he has since been called up to work on Avengers Assemble, which is fully deserved, as he is an amazing talent.  Thankfully, Amazing still has Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli, with a third artist more than likely being brought on after #700 (PLEASE, let it be Ryan Stegman).  Story-wise, I believe that it was a good story. I had a few nitpickings about it, but besides those I really enjoyed the story.

Grade: A-

The Amazing Spider-Man: No Turning Back

The story immediately following Ends of the Earth and also the tie in to the new Spider-Man movie, this arc was a very dark one.  I definitely enjoyed the first issue, as it gave us present time along with giving us flashbacks to hours before, eventually causing the two stories to meet up.  I loved the idea to put the Lizard in control of Conners' body, as it was a fresh take on the old story of Conners in the Lizard's body.  I do wish that Morbius had a little bit of a larger role besides secondary villain in the arc, but that isn't too much of a big deal.  I also enjoyed the scenes with the Lizard and Uatu.  It was interesting seeing the Lizard finally starting remorse for his killings as he saw Billy and eventually others that he has killed, including Conners himself.  The twist at the end, having Conners mind back but in the Lizard's body, was also an interesting move, especially seeing as it has been hinted that we will see the Lizard again soon.  Oh, and then there was the Hobgoblin reveal at the end of the issue, something that took me by surprise yet at the same time I kinda expected something like that occuring.  The art by Giuseppe Camuncoli was breath taking, as I am really warming up to his artwork.  I cannot wait for the Danger Zone arc, his next work on the title.

Grade: B+

The Amazing Spider-Man: 50th Anniversary Special

The on going arc right now, dealing with Spidey's new sidekick Alpha, got kicked off with the special 50th anniversary issue.  My, oh my, was it a good issue, as Humberto Ramos returned to the book for the first time since the Ends of the Earth chapters he did.  The main story dealt with a kid, Andy Maguire, getting powers in an accident not unlike Mr. Parker's.  After coming to terms with the fact that he caused them, Spidey, after consulting with some of Marvel's resident geniuses, decides to be a mentor to the snot noised brat.  This arc has yet to be concluded, so I can't give my full opinion on it yet, but I am loving it so far.  There were three separate stories in issue #692, and all of them were astounding.  However, my favorite one might just be the Fialkov and Plati "Just Right" story, as it shows just how relatable Peter Parker really is. I can't wait to see how this whole Alpha situation sorts out. Knowing the Parker luck, no matter what happens, it's going to lead to something worse for Peter.

Grade: A (so far)

Ultimate Spider-Man

The adventures of Miles Morales continue and they are getting really good.  The young hero has been through a lot in his short time as Spider-Man, as his Uncle Aaron, the Prowler, died during one of their fights, making Miles feel guilty about it.  Then, right after that, the world goes crazy.  Miles finally gets his web shooters and has some pretty funny experiences with them so far.  Not only that, but Miles asks to join the Ultimates.  Also, somewhere in there, Spider-Men occurs (though no one really knows where) and that was incredible, especially the interaction between Peter and Miles (duh) and Peter and Gwen. David Marquez is one hell of an artist.  He draws an amazing Spider-Man, but my favorite character that he draws is MJ. I love the way that she looks now and I definitely want to see more of her. The book that got me into comics years ago continues to impress and I'm really excited to see where the series goes from here, especially seeing that the return of Sara Pichelli and Venom are on the horizon.

Grade: A

Venom: The Savage Six

Rick Remender's last story on the title wraps up almost all the loose ends set in motion during his run.  Not only does he wrap them up nicely, but he also passes the torch to new writer Cullen Bunn.  Personally, I really enjoyed Flash's version of the Sinister Six, even though some of the villains used had more of a connection to Remender than to Flash himself.  Though I wished they would have done more with the new Toxin, I do see him coming back down the line. I was introduced to the villain Megatak and I really liked him, as he was probably my favorite villain in the arc.  Also, I liked in the lead up to the arc that it was hinted at a possible relationship between Flash and Valkyrie.  I really enjoyed the art by Kev Walker and Lan Medina, especially with the detail for the new Toxin.  There were only two things that I didn't like. One of them would be Flash's behavior towards the Human Fly. Yes, he had to get info out of him, but did it really mean ripping off his wings, right in front of his (Flash's) mom?  I just felt that that scene was a little unnecessary. The other scene I didn't really like was the reveal of who Crime Master was.  I understand why it had to be him, but I just felt like it was too expected. However, even with those two little problems, I thoroughly enjoyed this arc and it was a great send of for Rick Remender.

Grade: B+

Captain Marvel

The moment that this title was announced, I knew that I was going to love it. Boy, did I call that one correctly.  I've always been a fan of Miss Marvel, though I never got any issues of her solo run. I was first introduced to her in the pages of New Avengers and really discovered my love for her during the Spider-Man: Siege one-shot.  So, once I heard about this new title, I knew I had to get it. Written by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Captain Marvel is a great book about a great female lead.  I will admit, I tend to stay away from female-led books because they tend to only last a couple of arcs before being cancelled.  However, Captain Marvel is going to be one of those exceptions.  Not only is the book written superbly, but the art by new artist Dexter Soy is astounding.  I cannot be happier for trying out this book and I plan on following it for the long run.

Grade: A

Daredevil

Arguably the best book on the stands right now, Daredevil is the book that every seems to be loving, for good reasons.  Written by Mark Waid, this title has risen from the ashes that was Shadowland, which dismantled Daredevil and caused him to leave New York.  Not only has the title been written on an A+ level, but the book has been drawn by the best in the business. Initially, the book had personal favorite's Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin.  Soon after, both artists would leave the book but in return, the new main artist on the book is Chris Samnee.  When Chris was announced as the new ongoing artist, I was a little weary because I wasn't a huge fan of his based off his work on Ultimate Spider-Man. But he has quickly sky-rocketed towards the top of my favorite artist list.  Story-wise, I'm loving what Mark is doing with the book. He is making Matt seem like he's losing his mind, yet the reader knows that someone is behind it.  Though I'm not the biggest fan of the schism between Matt and Foggy, I'm loving this title so much.

Grade: A+

Batman: The Night of Owls

The finale of the year long Owl's arc in Batman, this arc was great.  Team Batman has been knocking this book out of the park.  This was the first DC book I've bought and it was like a gateway drug for me. I now buy Batman, Justice League, and will start buying Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Superman.  However, this post is about Batman. Dealing with a secret society of killers, Bats takes on the Court of Owls head on, taking them on not only in the Bat Cave, but also hunting them down in their own homes. Bats then faces off against Owlman, who turns out to be Lincoln March, claiming to be Bruce's younger brother who was given up to adoption when he was born.  Though Bruce denies it in the end, the initial shock of that claim was strong enough to make the reader think, realizing that this was the reason March and Bruce were drawn very similarly. Team Batman killed this arc and I believe they are the reason why I have rediscovered my love for Batman. I literally cannot wait for the Joker's return in "Death of the Family". I have not felt this excited for an arc of any comic more than I have this one. And I know that Team Batman will not disappoint.

Grade: A

Justice League: The Villain's Journey

Jim Lee returns to Justice League for possibly the last time in the arc "The Villain's Journey".  In an odd twist of fate, the author who wrote the book about them, Graves, is terminally ill and decides to take means into his own hands, going and getting some kind of twisted powers. In the beginning, the League are split up, with Green Lantern, Flash, and Wonder Woman taking on Weapons Master in Keystone City while Batman, Superman, and Cyborg take on the Key and a riot in Arkham Asylum. Both villains admit to be helping Graves, surprising the League. After regrouping and realizing that other villains are being involved, Graves arrives and attacks the League.  Graves reveals that he kidnapped Steve, which sets Wonder Woman off. Graves uses his powers to hurt them, using their loved ones for the pain. Eventually, Wonder Woman goes to blows with Green Lantern and, by extent, Superman. The League eventually discover where Graves got his powers and go there to stop him. Eventually, with the help of a still alive Steve, the League defeat Graves, who is sent to Belle Reeve. Back in Watchtower, Green Lantern quits the League with Flash possibly following, Aquaman challenges Batman for the role of leader of the League, and, elsewhere, Superman and Wonder Woman make out. Overall, I really enjoyed this arc, as it introduced a new villain to the Justice League's rogue gallery.  I really enjoyed Jim Lee's art on this arc and I'm really going to miss him on this title, though I am hoping that the rumors of him and Scott Snyder on a Superman title are true.  The only thing that I wasn't so hot for was the hookup between Supes and Wonder Woman. Though I have no problem with them dating, I will always be a Batman/Wonder Woman shipper, but that's just me being me. Overall, this was a really fun arc and I cannot wait for the next year in Justice League stories.

Grade: A-

The obvious missing entry on this review post is Avengers Vs. X-Men. The reason behind this is because I'm going to review the entire series when the finale comes out next month (plus it gives me a chance to reread them again).  Now, I am happy to talk about my next project that I'm going to do.  I am going to be tackling the 30 Days Comic Book Challenge, right here on the Random Blog as well as on the Random Blog twitter feed. For most of the days, I will be writing a blog post on the subject, though some days, it will just be a Twitter update, as I cannot write much about the topic or it is just a picture. This is going to be an interesting little project for me, as it will get me blogging more. During the challenge, I will be doing reviews, with more TV shows being brought into the mix.  Also, there is a chance that I will be writing Avenger here. What is Avenger, you might ask? Well, it is a potential comic book that I am plotting. Though it is in a very early stage (just the plots), I will possibly be posting the stories here, having the breaks where the issues would end. Avenger is something that I would love to get published one day, but I'm not sure if I ever will get the chance to have that happen, which is why I want to maybe post it here.

Alright, thanks for reading this massive blog post.  I'm going to have a review post on Wednesday and then, a day or two later, the Challenge begins. Comment or leave a Tweet if you like. I don't care either way.

Have a nice day!

The Spider and the Bat

Guess what time it is? Review time!  Thankfully, I only had two comics on my pull list this week so this review post won't be as long as the past two have been.

Amazing Spider-Man #686

The spectacular Spider-Man summer event continues in dramatic fashion.  We start with Silver Sable's homeland, Symkaria, being blown to smithereens.  Peter tries to console her but Black Widow tells him that there is still work to be done.  Spidey goes and tries to save some of the still living people but Widow stops him again, stating that they must hunt down Doctor Octopus so the rest of the world doesn't end up like Symkaria.  After a quick check in with the Horizon gang, we see Mysterio and Chameleon plotting and revealing that the real Symkaria is safe and that this is all a set up, planned by Mysterio.  Chameleon dons a Doc Ock suit and takes off to Symkaria in order to slow down Spider-Man, Sable, and Black Widow.  After Octavius does another world-wide broadcast, he sees what Mysterio is doing and is outraged by the master of illusion's plan.  Silver Sable attacks the Doc Ock puppet while Spidey determines that it really isn't Octavius in the suit, thanks to the real Octavius taking over the suit.  After Spider-Man uses magnetic webbing on the robot, Black Widow talks to Chameleon, stating that she knows the secret of his true face.  After Chameleon stands down, Spidey talks directly to Mysterio and eventually persuades the villain into turning against Doc Ock.  After seeing what MJ and the Jameson's are up to, we return to the heroes, in progress to Guatemala and Octavius' secret lair.  Ock reveals that he has taken over the Avengers, turning them into a new version of the Sinister Six.  As Spidey tries to figure out a plan on taking down the Sinister Avengers, he realizes that Octavius has been using the tech that he has developed at Horizon against him.

Another strong issue of Amazing Spider-Man, showing that it is THE best book that Marvel is putting out right now.  I loved the way that this event has been built up and the pay-off has been well worth the wait.    Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli (with the aid of Humberto Ramos) have made this event one of the best in recent memory.  I love the interactions Spidey had with Sable and Widow this issue, but the star of the issue was Mysterio.  Seeing as Mysterio is my favorite villain, I was happy to see him play such a prominent role in this issue (and, presumably, the finale).  And, even though we knew the Avengers were being taken over, I liked how it was revealed in the issue.  However, I do have a couple gripes about the issue.  The first one I had was with J. Jonah Jameson.  The dude has been a douche this entire arc, just because his son was almost killed.  Yeah, that's the good parenting in him, but still, to try to shut down Horizon AND being a jerk to his dad when the world is going to end is a little extreme, even for him.  The other issue I had was the end revelation, with Peter discovering that Ock is using his tech against him and freaks out about how all of this is his fault.  Yes, Octavius used tech that is similar to Peter's but that doesn't mean that the doctor purposely used that tech because he knew about Peter's secret (or does he?).    Despite those two minor issues, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, as I always do when reading this book.  Look for an "Ends of the Earth" arc review when the arc is over, seeing as I have only reviewed one of the issues so far.

Grade: A


Batman Incorporated #1

We open this chapter with Bruce being arrested after telling Alfred that all the madness with Batman is over.  We then jump back one month and see Bruce and Daimon hunting down goat men.  While Batman and Robin fight the goat men, people are shown eating around the table while someone apparently from Leviathan is talking to them.  We continue to see Bats and Robin take down the goats while getting an internal monologue from an assassin, who is aiming at Daimon.  After defeating the goat men, Daimon saves a cow, claiming it to be Bat Cow.  A member from the Leviathan dinner, a mob boss possibly, is shown to have eaten his brother during the meal and man bats are approaching him.  For the next few pages, we split between a car chase between Batman and Robin and a truck and  the man from the dinner, up until the two meet, showing that Talia is behind it all.  After seeing some of the other members of Batman Incorporated, we have another sequence of the assassin taking aim at Daimon, who takes down a group of thugs while Bruce tries to stop the sniper, which may have not worked.

Though it has been a while since I read Batman Incorporated, I was happy to see the title return during the second wave of the New 52.  Continuing the storyline from the initial launch of the book, I'm looking forward to what Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham will put the Dynamic Duo through with Leviathan.  Possibly my favorite scene (as well as many other's favorite) had to be Daimon declaring that he was a vegetarian after the slaughterhouse fight and declaring that the cow they saved was now Bat Cow.  That was so funny, despite the overall tone of the issue.  The only problem I had with the issue was that although it was a #1 issue, it really wasn't a new reader friendly book.  Even for someone like me who has read Inc. before, I still have to go refresh myself on everything because the issue did not give much back story at all.

Grade: A-


Alright, this delightfully short review session is now over.  Another review post will be coming next week as well as an overview of the Legend of Korra, probably my favorite TV show that is airing right now.

Thanks for reading!

More Late Reviews

This was a big week this week for Avengers vs. X-Men.  Three of the five books I got this week dealt with Marvel's summer event and they were pretty good. However, the overall quality of this week's pull was meh. I'm sorry that it took me so long to get these reviews out. I've started working again and it really affected how much I was able to write in a day.

Avengers Academy #30

The issue starts with a select group of individuals gathering to discuss the mutants being forced to stay at Avengers Academy.  The group includes Wiz Kid, Ricochet, X-23, and Hazmat (who is not really a mutant, but was invited because she is Japanese) and shows that X-23 is still undecided on whose side she is on. Meanwhile, we get a view of the second story of this issue, showing Tigra, Hercules, Madison Jeffries, and Dr. Kavita Rao discussing Sebastian Shaw's escape and how he regained his memory recently.  Hazmat and X-23 then talk about Mettle and Hazmat's feelings for him and for X-23, revealing that she doesn't actually hate her.  The adults attempt to take down Shaw but each of them get beaten one by one while Reptil tries to talk to Finesse about their "relationship" when X-23 shows up, asking for info about the battle waging between the Avengers and the X-Men.  X-23 admits to Finesse on how she is still undecided on which side to take and the two seem to bond a little bit, just in time to experience the X-kids and the Academy students face off.  As the players on each side are decided (minus X-23), Juston and his Sentinel arrive, making the X-kids freak out.  X-23 forces Juston to leave and tells the Academy kids that she sides with the X-kids, just as Shaw arrives, ready to throw down.

Well, even though I missed the issue that came before this one, I still enjoyed reading this book, as I always do.  That being said, there is a possibility that I may drop the book in the future.  I just cannot seem to connect to the characters anymore.  Once "Final Exam", the arc after the AvX tie in, is over, I'll figure out what I'm doing with this book.  But that is nothing against Christos Gage and Tom Grummett, as they provide a strong tie-in to Marvel's summer event, just like when AA tied into Fear Itself last summer. I do wish that we could have seen more of the fights going on between Shaw and the adults on campus but the book is about the kids so it is fine.  I'm really looking forward to the fight with Shaw and the outcome that X-23's decision has on her classmates.

Grade: B+


Avengers Vs. X-Men #4

Marvel's blockbuster summer event continues!  We start off with Wolverine, still trapped in Antarctica where he runs into Hope, who set a beer trail for him.  Out in space, we see the majority of the space team has been knocked out, minus Thor, who hurls his hammer at the oncoming Phoenix.  The hammer connects, forcing the Phoenix to escape towards a planet/moon.  Thor believes that he was won when the Phoenix decimates the planet, showing how strong it really is.  Back in Antarctica, Hope and Logan talk about Hope's plan of action, saying that she wants the power of the Phoenix in order to help the world.  She invites Logan along for the ride, saying that she trusts him enough that if she goes out of control when combined with the Phoenix, he can end it quickly.  In a safe house, Emma and Scott go over the situations in some of the possible locations of where Hope is.  While flashing through all the locales, we get to see the X-Men and Avengers duking it out, including seeing some fights that will be/have been seen in AvX Vs.  Emma looks into Captain America's mind and discovers that he knows the true location of Hope.  Hope and Wolverine are shown to have infiltrated A.I.M. headquarters and steal a rocket.  They fly to the moon; specifically the blue area of the moon, created by the Skrulls.  Little does Hope know, Wolverine called the Avengers while she slept on the way to the A.I.M. base.  As Logan tells Hope his reasons for calling the Avengers, the X-Men arrive and a fight is ready to break out.  However, before any punches are thrown, Thor crashes on the moon and the Phoenix arrives.

Part four of the summer epic continues the high standard that the other issues have established.  After last issue, where there was not a lot of fighting, this issue brings it back, despite the fights lasting a few panels.  I honestly did not have a lot of objections when it came to this issue, as I feel as it was written pretty well and drawn equally as well, so props to Jonathon Hickman and John Romita, Jr.  Act one is almost finished and it looks like it will be finishing on an epic note.

Grade: A


AvX Vs. #2

The second issue in the series of six issues showcasing the fights that the main series could not contain.  The first story shows Captain America and Gambit squaring off in the Savage Land.  Gambit ambushes Cap and initiates the fight.  Cap hurls his shield at Gambit but he catches it and returns it to Cap, with some added energy.  Cap captures Gambit but, when distracted by Tony Stark, Gambit charges up Cap's shirt and blows him up. Gambit believes that he has won but Cap wins by TKO.  The second fight shows Colossus/Juggernaut throwing down with Spider-Man in Latveria.  As the fight progresses, Spidey is shown having the upper edge while telling Colossunaut how the typical Spidey/Juggernaut fight goes.  However, Colossunaut gains the upper hand and eventually starts hurling Doombots at Spidey, having one explode at Spider-Man.  Though he is taking a beating, Spider-Man tells Colossus that not matter how strong he is, he will always be as strong in order to stop Colossus.  Just as round two gets underway, however, Daredevil shows up, telling Spidey that Hope isn't in Latveria and the two leave, with Spider-Man remarking that he is surprised he is still standing.  In the end, the fight is shown to have Colossus as the winner.

I'm not going to lie; the only reason I got this issue was because Spider-Man showed up in it.  However, I was surprised how much I liked this issue overall.  The Cap/Gambit section was extremely well written and drawn, with both being done by Steve McNiven, a favorite of the blog.  The Spidey/Colossus fight was written by Kieron Gillen and it was drawn by Salvador Larroca and it was well done, save for one thing.  No matter what the final outcome said, Spider-Man won that fight.  Sure, Colossus roughed Spidey up, but Spider-Man had the emotional and psychological edge in that fight and, if it were to have been continued, I'm sure that Spider-Man would have won.  They just needed to have a X-Man win a match so their fans didn't riot but still.  They should have had a winner in the first issue because there is no way the Thing should have beaten Namor.  So I'm going to edit my copy to say that Spider-Man won that match, which is the right thing.

Grade: B+


Daredevil #13

This issue starts off with Foggy finding something really upsetting in Matt's office, although we don't get to see what it is yet.  We jump to Matt, who has just gotten off his date from hell, seeing as an agent of Black Spectre.  Matt suits up and takes the fight to Black Spectre in the middle of a public area and, eventually, the other members of the Megacrime syndicate arrive, ready to take the Omega Drive from Daredevil.  Matt attempts to take down everyone by himself but gets impaired when a member of Agence Byzantine uses sonics on him.  Just when it looks like Daredevil has lost, Black Spectre shows up and turns on everyone there, helping Daredevil.  The odd thing is that Black Spectre is supposed to be done.  So what is going on?  It was all part of Daredevil's master plan, having members of the New Avengers dress up in Black Spectre costumes to get the other syndicates of Megacrime to hunt down the group, which really has been shut down.  However, just when it seems that everything is going to be okay, Daredevil gets transported to Latveria, home of Doctor Doom.

Well, this was an interesting issue, mainly because this was the first issue of the series where I was not in love with the artwork.  The writing was spot on and I cannot wait to see what Foggy has found in Matt's desk and what plans Doctor Doom has for Daredevil.  Do they involve Black Spectre?  How did Doom transport Daredevil there? Did Foggy find Matt's collection of dirty magazines? (I kid) So that was the positive of the issue.  It was the artwork, however, that I had a problem with.  I know that lots of people thought that Khoi Pham's artwork was improved since the .1 issue, but I do not think so.  The art in this issue was a turn off for me, which is a shame because it was an extremely well written issue. The writing is the only saving grace for this issue, so I won't dock it too much.  Thankfully, I do not believe that Pham is coming back to Daredevil any time soon, but it makes me rethink about getting Scarlet Spider, seeing as he is going over to that book in the near future.

Grade: B-


Venom #18

We start off with Venom arriving at Betty's apartment, only to find out that she is out with Peter.  We see that she and Peter are discussing Flash and Peter asks Betty to give Flash a second chance.  After Peter leaves, Betty gets approached by Jack O'Lantern and he tries to take her until Flash shows up.  Though Flash is protecting Betty, she uses a sonic pepper spray on him.  Flash takes it and orders her to run. With Betty gone, Jack introduces Flash to his new friend and Savage Six member, Megatak.  Megatak has the ability to travel via any electronic and looks like a boss from a video game.  Flash tosses Jack at Megatak and tries to call the Avengers, only to have Megatak punch him through the phone.  Flash picks up Betty and tries to get her to safety but is attacked by the new Toxin aka Eddie Brock.  Though Toxin seems to have the upper hand on Flash, Flash uses the sonic pepper spray and weakens Eddie enough that Flash can web him up, though Flash considers shooting and killing Brock.  Flash then confronts Betty and reveals his identity to her, knowing that it is the only way to get her to trust him.

Although I missed the issue previous to this one as I did with Avengers Academy, I really loved this issue and it was my favorite issue of the week.  Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn co-write this issue but you cannot even tell, as the pace and feel of the book makes it feel as if one person is writing it.  It doesn't hurt that Lan Medina returns to deliver so amazing artwork.  Although I'm sad that this is going to be Remender's last arc on the book, seeing as Cullen is working on the book as well, it makes me happy to know that the book is going to be in good hands when Rick leaves.  The only complaint I have about the book is that I really want a long term artist on the book.  Though the art we've had on the book has been amazing, I do wish that there was a permanent artist on the book. Maybe when Cullen takes over we'll have one (hopefully Kev Walker or Lan Medina).

Grade: A


Alright, I'm done. I've got a full week of work ahead of me so I'm hoping that the reviews will come quicker than these ones did.  Reviews should not take this long to do and I apologize for that.  I also apologize to say that my stories are taking longer to write than I imagined so it may be a while before I start posting those, but they will start arriving in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Late Reviews

Here are a couple of reviews, one that I was promising for almost a week now.  That would be the review for the Avengers movie where as the other ones are for comics that I got this week. So let's start with the comic reviews then move to the movie review.

Avenging Spider-Man #7

I've been getting Avenging Spider-Man sporadically though when this issue was announced, I knew that I had to get it.  The Immonens + She Hulk = EPICNESS!!!  The issue starts with She Hulk and Spidey in the sewers fighting some giant fish thing.  She Hulk leaves, saying that she has to go to the opening of an Egyptian exhibit.  Spidey tries to tag along, saying that he is an expert when it comes to Egypt.  However, She Hulk leaves without her partner and without changing back to her Jennifer Walters persona.  Spider-Man swings by, planning on crashing the party only to discover that some shady looking people are enter the museum.  Inside, She Hulk sees the same thing and goes investigating.  She and Spider-Man team up again to hunt down the thieves and, after they are apprehended, She Hulk goes to get the statue that was stolen.  After it talks to her, Spidey notices that something is different about her: She Hulk has grown a tail!!  Even odder is that after the tail grows, it starts raining cats. After saving some civilians, She Hulk and Spider-Man get a visit from Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess of cats.  Seeing as She Hulk is now part cat (like Bastet), Bastet tries to make She Hulk serve her.  Spidey devises a plan on the fly, which sees him don an ox head and pretending to be a servant for Neith.  After convincing Bastet that Earth is in safe hands with She Hulk guarding it, Spidey makes a crack about She Hulk's tail (which has now disappeared) and goes out for gyros.

This issue was a fantastic read and it is my favorite book of the week.  After having the the character driven issue #5 and the Omega Effect tie-in in issue #6, this was a fun issue that breaks away from the more serious tones of those previous issues.  As stated earlier, having the Immonens on for an issue was a fabulous idea, as both of them are amazing at what they do.  Kathryn's script had me laughing all throughout the issue and, though it was corny at times, the issue read well.  The way Kathryn wrote Spidey and She Hulk and the way they played off each other was perfect.  Stuart's art on the book was phenomenal as well.  I've enjoyed Stuart's art since Ultimate Spider-Man so he is always welcome in my book.  It's been a while since I've seen his art, as he's taken some time off it seems after finishing Fear Itself, but he is a perfect Spider-Man artist and I would not mind in the slightest if he were to do an issue or two of Amazing Spider-Man (or at least a story in #700).

Grade: A+


Scarlet Spider #5

No set up for this issue, just straight action.  Kaine is shown hunting down criminals, demanding to know where the location of a nuclear bomb is.  After a quick shot of people arriving at the University of Houston, Kaine is shown interrogating the criminal he just caught when Officer Layton shows up to stop Kaine.  After Kaine uses some Other-worldly powers, Layton and Kaine race off trying to find the bomb while going over a bit of a recap on how we got to this point.  The duo arrive at the University of Houston to discover that the men shown earlier stole materials to finish the bomb from the radiation lab.  Layton tries to call it in, but he and Kaine get shot at.  Kaine easily takes down the shooters as we see the call being passed on from the local level up to Iron Man himself.  Layton and Kaine locate Rainer, the man behind the bomb.  Kaine tries to get the info out of Rainer, but he kills himself.  Kaine then uses some more Other type powers, showing that he can talk and listen to the spiders, thus discovering the location of the bomb.  Kaine arrives at the Houston Underground and finds the bomb, noticing that there is only 2 minutes left.  With 5 seconds left, Kaine pulls some wires, dismantling the bomb and saving Houston.

This was an interesting issue of a comic that has been pretty decent.  However, I was somewhat disappointed after I finished reading it.  It was another case of where there was something missing that kept the book from being something really, really good.  For me, it was the writing for the issue.  Chris Yost has been writing some great stuff on Scarlet Spider, but for me this issue was off.  I did like the comedy aspects of this issue, like Kaine saying not to mention anything with the name "Pete" or thinking he is being punished for being called the "Scarlet Spider".  Despite all that, I just could not get into the book as much as I would like. It read better the second and third times I read through it, but it was not as satisfying as I would have liked it to be.  The art by Neil Edwards is very good, however.  With Ryan Stegman taking a break before his saddening final issue of Scarlet Spider, Neil steps in a delivers some really great art.

Grade: B-


Batman #9

The next chapter of the Night of Owls storyline shows Bruce going all out against the army of Talons. Bruce is shown throwing down with the Talons, continuing the set up from the last issue.  Although Alfred is trying to get him to come inside the armory for safety reasons, Bruce stays out and fights, stating that he can go rough on the Talons, seeing as they cannot die by normal means.  Using as many gadgets and tricks that he has, Bruce eventually escapes the Batcave thanks to the arrival of bats. Yes, actual bats come to Batman's rescue.  Bruce suits up in his normal suit and drives out to aided those who need it.  Batman goes after Jeremiah Arkham (seen in Detective Comics #9) and Lincoln March, introduced in Batman #1.  When Batman arrives at March's place, he discovers that March has taken out a Talon, but is gravely injured himself.  He gives Batman a list of people who he believes is part of the Court and tells him to tell Bruce that he should still fight for Gotham, to make it a better place.  After March passes away, Bruce calls Alfred and informs him that he is going for the Court now.

In the back up tale, we find Alfred's father, Jarvis, writing a letter to Alfred himself.  In the letter, Jarvis tells Alfred that the house of Wayne is cursed and that he wishes that he could have found out about it earlier.  Jarvis drives away and it is shown that someone is watching him and plans on coming and killing him.  In the letter, Jarvis details his love for the Wayne's, especially for Bruce.  The Waynes decide that it is a time for action when discussing the corrupt mayor and Jarvis agrees with them.  However, in the letter, Jarvis says that, due to his advice, is entirely his fault.  It is then revealed that a Talon is the one who was watching Jarvis.

The final chapter before the two part finale of the first arc from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo does not disappoint in the slightest.  I know some people have grown tired of the Owls and the constant stating of the Wayne history, but I'm still really enjoying it.  I particularly liked the scene where Bruce used the T-Rex in the Batcave as a his "guard dog".  Scott's writing has be dynamite on this title and I'm expecting the finale to be as amazing as the 10 issues before it.  The art, in both the main story and the backup, are equally amazing, as Greg Capullo and Rafael Albuquerque knock it out of the park.  I'm so pumped to read the finale to this story and I can't wait to find out what the next story is going to be (hopefully something involving the Joker).

Grade: A-


America's Got Powers #1

This has been out for a little while so I won't talk much about it much despite the fact that I really enjoyed reading this.  I really wanted to pick this up when it first came out but I had to get the second printing, which is okay by me, as long as I got it.  Though I was initially interested by Bryan Hitch's artwork, when the plot was released, that was the thing that really got me interested in the book.  Having a TV show about people competing with superpowers.  This is the first Image series that I've picked up and, seeing that it is pretty good so far, I'm going to look into getting more Image comics (besides the Walking Dead because I'm picking up the trades).

Grade: A-


The Avengers

This was, without a doubt, the greatest Marvel movie that I've seen.  The culmination of the 5 movies before hand went off perfectly and I could not be happier.  The thing that surprised me the most about this movie was that it was funny.  I went in thinking that it was going to be a more serious movie, dealing with a team of odd balls gathering together to stop the evil forces.  It was, but it was injected with ample amounts of humor.  Each character had great scenes, but for me it was Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner who stole the show.  I was not expecting his performance to be one of my favorites (partially due to me wanting Edward Norton to return) but now I cannot wait to see Mark play Bruce in his own solo Hulk film.  Being a Captain America fan, I was happy to see a good deal of Cap scenes, especially his fight with Loki in Germany.  Oh, and Scarlett Johansson is a phenomenal Black Widow (she's also ridiculously hot too).  Overall, this is the best movie I've seen in recent memory and it will hold a spot in my greatest comic book movies for a very long time.  Plus, as an added bonus, there was the Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises trailers attached to the film.  So it was a great time and a great movie that I hope will open the doors to more great Marvel movies. Oh, and THANOS!!!!!

Grade: 5 Stars

Alright, that was a huge post.  Next week's reviews will probably be just as long, as there are going to be 5, maybe 6 comics reviews.  Plus, I'm slowing working on my two stories and I hope to have at least one started by the end of next week.

Thanks for reading!

School's (Almost) Out For Summer

Hello world.  This is the first review post I've written in a while because of school related stuff. Well, I am happy to report that classes are done for the semester!!!  The only things I have left to do is a band tour the next two days and then playing at commencement.  After that, it's Avengers time. My sister and I are going and I'm pumped for it. I've been hearing great things about the film and it only amps my excitement.  This summer is really shaping up to be a really great summer (despite probably working a lot).  Between Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises (sooooooooo pumped for that movie, I giggle like a school girl whenever I watch the new trailer) and a few other things are going to make this the best summer in recent memory.  I digress though. My LCS had it's cargo get damaged so the majority of it's stock got damaged so this review post will be shorter than it really should be. If I had all the issues I planned on getting, this post would be huge. But I only have three issues to review so it's not too bad.

Avengers Vs. X-Men #3

The third chapter of Marvel's summer event opens with Logan looking pretty messed up as he recovers from Hope's attack at the end of the last issue.  After Spider-Man fills him in on the events that he missed, Logan instantly knows that something is not right and runs out to figure it out.  We then cut to Cap and Iron Man discussing what to do with the X-Men, who have surrendered after Hope ran out.  Cap isn't making sense, saying that the X-Men should be locked up while Tony tells Cap that he is wrong with that plan, even mentioning Civil War.  Doctor Strange appears, holding a defeated Magik. However, things are not what they seem to be, as Logan storms in and exposes that the Doc Strange that just showed up is actually Magik posing as the good Doctor.  The X-Men teleport away and realize that in order to find Hope is to get someone at the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning to use Cerebra to locate her.  We then get our only look at Hope in the issue, as she uses a device to scatter her pattern to throw off the Avengers and X-Men from finding her.  Rachel Summers is then shown checking in with the Avengers, telling them about the scattered coordinates while Wolvie gets a little PO'd at her.  Once she ends the call, she is seen communicating with Scott, showing that she is the mole at the school that will help the X-Men.  Cap gathers the Avengers and sends them out in teams in an attempt to find Hope before the X-Men or the Phoenix does.  While on the Quinjet, Logan and Cap have a heated conversation that eventually leads to blows.  Cap eventually gets the upper hand (thanks to Hank Pym) and ejects Logan from the jet, stranding him somewhere in the Arctic.

This issue brings Cap and Logan to blows, probably a little earlier than I would have imagined.  However, the fight they have is short and I believe that it is a prelude to a longer battle in the finale.  One aspect I really like about this event so far is putting Wolverine in basically the same role Spider-Man had during Civil War.  He has a foot in each camp and while it seems like he is on the Avengers side, this issue might be the turning point that drives him back to Cyclops' arms. I was kind of hoping to see a little more of Hope in this issue, but next issue seems to be more Hope directed, as she is portrayed on the cover as being on the run from both teams.  Written by Ed Brubaker and art by personal favorite John Romita, Jr., the third issue strays away from battles and take the event to a personal level for a bit, which is nice.  I really don't like events that are all battle with little character interactions.  I was initially not going to buy this event but I'm actually happy that I have decided to check it out, as each issue continues to be extremely well done.  Hopefully, things will continue like this or the event will turn into a flop very quickly.

Grade: A-


Smallville Season 11 #1

Picking up six months after the series finale, we get a quick introduction to the main characters (Oliver, Chloe, Lois, and Lex) before we finally see the Man of Steel in his new and improved costume.  When do we first see it? When Clark saves a Russian space craft, of course.  Clark is shown fully accepting his destiny to be Earth's savior and seems to be enjoying finally being able to be a hero in the light instead of hiding in the shadows.  After showering and having a nice chat with Lois, Clark runs into Lex out on the streets.  Though Lex's memory is still gone, he faintly remembers Clark, though he questions why they were ever friends.  After Clark superspeeds away to save the day, Lex, who previously met with Lois' dad about hunting down Superman, runs into a woman who might be Tess.  Elsewhere, a bunch of bandits try to steal stuff from the harbor but get stopped by Oliver.  Though Ollie has a handle on the situation, when the bandits pull a surprise on him, Clark swoops in to save Ollie from certain death.  After the save, Clark and Ollie talk about Ollie and Chloe leaving to Star City but Oliver tells Clark that getting Chloe away from Watchtower is going to be harder than imagined.  Speaking of Watchtower, we then go to Chloe and Lois, who discover that when the Russian space craft was hit by the gamma rays, a space craft also came into Earth's orbit.

This has been a comic that I've been itching to read ever since it was announced a few months ago.  As you can tell from my previous posts, I was a HUGE fan of the Smallville TV show and when I heard that they were going to do a comic version of it and continue the story, it immediately jumped up on my pull list.  In short, I loved this issue.  It is the perfect continuation of the series that introduced me to the Superman mythos and basically into the superhero world.  The story by Brian Miller felt like it was just another episode of the show and the art by Pere Perez is perfect for the book.  Thank you, DC Comics, for giving this book a chance to exist and for allowing the version of Superman that a generation grew to love and idolize to continue his tales.

Grade: A+


Venom #16

This issue came out a while ago so I won't comment on the plot much.  Instead, I will talk about how much I enjoy this series.  This issue is another one in the series of one shots leading up the Savage Six storyline, which came out today but I was unable to purchase it.  I really liked the story of this issue, as it showed Flash facing a couple of hard decisions during his duel with Hobgoblin and Human Moth. It was really nice to see Hobby back in action, as it feels like it has been ages since we've seen him causing havoc.  And the ending just continues Flash's run of bad luck that will come back and haunt him.  Venom is one of my favorite books on the stand right now and with the Savage Six storyline just beginning, it looks to be continuing that run.  While I do hope that Rick Remender will remain on the book, if he does decide to leave, I'm certain the Cullen Bunn will be more than capable to continue the awesomeness that is this book.  Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention how awesome Kev Walker's art is on this issue.  I cannot remember the last time I saw the Hobgoblin as creepy (in a good way) as he did in this issue.

Grade: A


Well, that's it for the comics that I purchased today.  There will be a continuation of this post at some point this weekend, probably on Sunday after my Avengers post.  I have three other posts in the works right now so the summer is going to start off with a bang.  I've decided that I am going to be writing some fictional stories this summer.  They will be in sort of an episodic style and they will hopefully be starting towards the middle of the month and will be updated continuously throughout the summer.  Since I am talking about the stories, I can reveal the titles for them.  The first one is going to be titled "Avenger", and it will be about a young super hero who must become the hero people need despite not wanting to be it initially.  The other one is tentatively titled "Apocalyptic", which will deal with an ordinary guy who gets transported to a post apocalyptic world.  I will probably be starting "Apocalyptic" first, seeing as I have half a notebook full of "Avenger" stories already.  Keep your eyes peeled on the blog as they will start being release relatively soon.

As a closing statement, I would like to give my condolences to the family of Junior Seau, who committed suicide today at the young age of 43.  He was one of the first players that caught my attention when I first started watching football.  I always enjoyed watching him play and he will be greatly missed.  Please, if you are reading this, take the time out of your day and tell the people you love that you love them.

Alrighty. I'll see you guys on Saturday night/Sunday early morning with my Avengers review. Or maybe before it with more comic reviews. Thanks for reading.