Get Your News On.

Let's share some links.

• Do you need a primer before trying to figure out the new Marvel event, Fear Itself? The Weekly Crisis has you covered.
• Archie Comic's first openly gay character, Kevin Keller, introduced last year, will be getting his own comic. Unless they add other characters or finally out Jughead I suggest the title, "The lonely life of the only gay man in the entire town," because it seems if you live in the Archie-verse you're straight and almost always white. Also, the comic better not be annoying about the whole, "he's gay" angle, constantly reminding us of it for no reason. I want an interesting character who happens to be gay, not a one-note bore.
• Apparently Libya could get even more bloody and violent--because the Middle East isn't violent enough.
• There will be a new Spider-Man game, so that's interesting.  Was that Shattered Dimension's one any good?
• I just can't believe Ultimate X actually came out, some eight-months-or-so late. When I saw it sitting there on the comic shelf I was just amazed. Apparently it isn't too great, though.

Let me get this straight--This Game is Delayed AGAIN?

Okay, let me get this straight: Duke Nukem Forever, arguably the most delayed game of all time at about 14 years past the original release date, which was picked up by the company Gearbox when it looked like it might finally be dead, and then was given an actual release date of May 2011...has been delayed yet again? For real? After all that talk about how Gearbox was finally finishing it they pull this trick and tell us we have to wait until June 14th for a game people already probably have way too high expectations for? That's what the case is? Okay, fine, I just wanted to be sure about that. I'm going to roll my eyes as high and hard as I can now at this news, realizing I shouldn't believe this game is ever coming out until it is actually sitting on store shelves and I can rent it.

Random Digital Comic Review--Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman.

A few days ago I received an email from a comic creator named Sam Johnson asking if I would be interested in reviewing their comic. It's by the company Visionary Comics (who have some stuff out I recognize, like "Nancy in Hell" which they did with Image comics) in their free digital anthology Digital Visions 4. It's free, and I don't get requests to look at something too often, so I figured why not. What am I reviewing? The mouthful of a title,
Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman
With a name like that I was expecting this comic to be purposely campy or silly, so imagine my surprise when it is played straight by the author. What did I think, though? You know the drill, click the cut...

Rant-Reviews--Great, Good, and Mediocre

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Invincible Iron Man, and Dark Knight--3 comics, going from excellent to purely average.

Television Tuesday--The L Word Season 1 & 2

 

The L Word Season 1 AND 2
 Welcome to my newest segment/feature, Television Tuesday! I plan to review series, seasons, or even just individual episodes of various T.V. programs so that you can know what to watch and what to skip. Do please note that this will not be a regularly occurring bit like my Flashback/Film Friday segment, seeing as how it can take a long time to watch a whole season and I don't watch as much T.V. these days so I can't always be posting my thoughts on the latest episode of [insert lame Hospital drama that isn't ER here] because I simply don't keep up on current series. With that intro out of the way let's begin by reviewing the first and second seasons of a show that wrapped up its series not too long ago, The L Word.

Old News, New News, Good News, Bad News.

Various things have been happening in comic-dom...

• A new Aquaman series will be launching sometime in the future with Geoff Johns penning the script, I would wish it a long and successful run, even though it may realistically last all of five issues.

• The creator of Dilbert, Scott Adams, is apparently a dick. Interesting. To be honest I haven't read Dilbert in years after enjoying it as a child (yeah, I was a weird kid, reading Dilbert), so all I can really do now is shake my head in sadness and move along.

• This weekend had a big story about a man who copied art styles without giving credit, lied about his accomplishments, and seems to be borderline illiterate based on how he writes. Bleeding Cool launched this story and has rounded up a bunch of the posts.

• I myself love mini-series, except sometimes the ones put out by DC or Marvel with a popular character to milk the brand for all its worth--but actual mini-series set in their own unique universe where all you need to understand the story is that mini? Those are great! Hence, my interest in this article about people who hate on the mini.

• A bunch of art pages from the amazing Strange Tales II? Yes please!

How To Do a .1 Issue Then Follow-Up And How Not To.

Hulk #30.1 AND #31 PLUS Uncanny X-Force #5.1 AND #6
Okay, all four of these comics are good, but one of them completely botches the whole goal of Marvel's .1 comics and the other does it perfectly. Let's examine how and why.

Rant-Reviews--Heroes For Hire, Heroes Gone Mad, and Jim Gordon Apparently Has A Son.

We got three comics, Heroes for Hire #4, Irredeemable #23, and Detective Comics #874.  Let's break them down.

Rant -Reviews--Two Mediocre Comics

Wolverine: The Best There Is #4 AND Green Arrow #9
Two comics, neither very good, but one a bit better than the other.

Flashback Friday: Wolverine Weapon X Volume 2: Insane in the Brain.

Wolverine Weapon X: Insane in the Brain.
Collecting issues #6-10 from the long-ago time of 2009 (yeah, my Flashback Friday's sometimes are more recent than other stuff, I'm weird) this was a great four-issue story arc about Wolverine in a twisted psychiatric facility and an extra issue about his past with women. It's utterly insane and zany and I loved it the first time I read it.

This Mobile Game Enrages Me But I Love It...

There is a game for the iPad/iPod/Droid/etc. that is incredibly difficult at times, but I love it because of its humor, and the satisfaction I feel when I finally beat a level. That game? Angry Birds.

Let Me Get This Straight--New Spider-Man Movie Already To Have a Sequel.

Okay, let me get this straight; despite not even coming out yet the movie, "The Amazing Spider-Man," already has hired its screenwriter to return for the purpose of penning a sequel. Really Hollywood? A movie scheduled for the Summer of 2012 already is so assured to be a success that you have to being making the 2nd one? Isn't that presumptuous? I mean, yes, the first trio of Spider-Man movies made some serious bank, but this just strikes me as over-zealous. I'm going to go let out a big sigh.

Rant-Reviews--The Latest Two Issues of Three Comics.

I haven't reviewed some of my comics I like for awhile, so a few of my favorites have built up two issues--Namely, X-Factor, Avengers Academy, and Thunderbolts. So, I figured, why not review them all and besides just evaluating the stories examine how well the comics flow from issue-to-issue. Shall we?

An Odd Comic--The New Avengers #10

The New Avengers #10
In the present time the Avengers are breaking up secret villain lab whilst Mockingbird clings to life (as if she is really going to die right after being brought back during Secret Invasion) and in the past we have a weird story about the secret first team of Avengers that was put together by Nick Fury--which essentially changes a ton of past history if the first team of Avengers wasn't really the first.

Starbucks and Marvel Comics Team Up.

This is interesting, it seems besides the free wi-fi Starbucks also has a digital network full of entertainment, and now will be partnering with Marvel comics to allow people to browse the complete online library for free. I imagine there must be a caveat, such as a limited number of comic-views, or day-and-date releases aren't included; there must be something or else I could just go to Starbucks and read some of the newest comics for free on my iPad or phone and call it a day. Still, interesting stuff.

First Full-Length Captain America Trailer Released

The newest trailer for Captain America has been released by Entertainment Tonight, and its the first-ever full-length one. I like it.

News--All Comics Edition.

A lot of announcements lately, so I thought I would share some.

• The great 2008 comic series "Screamland" will be returning as an ongoing with a special free online #0 issue. This is very pleasing news.
• Avatar comics, the publisher behind some Warren Ellis comics I love, Crossed, and other fun works is going to use a different distributor for its books than Diamond Comics. Note that their comics in store will still of course be distributed by Diamond, but bookstores? That's Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and BOOM!
• People who rip-off artists are jerks.
• There will be a Spider-Man event where a bunch of people in Manhattan develop his abilities and mayor Jonah Jameson (wait...he's mayor? I really don't follow Spider-Man comics) will quarantine the island. Sounds slightly interesting.
• Warren Ellis and Michael Avon Oeming will be doing a comic about an lady astronaut. Other than that we know nothing. That's a good team, however.
• Not so much news as it is hilarious, Comics Alliance breaks down other DC Dictionary entries that should be made in-continuity.

iPad Apps I like.

As I've mentioned, I bought a first-generation iPad due to it being cheaper with the iPad 2 coming out. I bought the first-gen because the new version has features I just don't need, like the cameras (I won't be using Facetime), and a more powerful processor that while good for games isn't quite worth the extra "scratch" it would have taken for an iPad 2. Not to mention the darn things are so difficult to get. Anyways, having enjoyed my iPad for around two weeks now I thought I would discuss some of my favorite apps. There are many I like, but these are the ones I chose to spotlight for now. Let's continue, shall we?

Bits O' News About Comics, Movies, Politics, Cell-Phones, and the Worst Song Ever.

Let's look over a random sampling of news:

• Joseph Gordon Levitt is playing Alberto Falcone in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. Oh wait, he maybe isn't . It still should be an awesome Batman movie, though.
• A new Ghost Rider comic will be coming out. It probably won't be as good as the one by Jason Aaron, and it is starting with one of those stupid .1 issues. I will end up reading it though because I just like me some Ghost Rider.
•  Libya has a no-fly zone, meaning the United States and other nations are supplying air support to the rebels, eliminating Qaddafi's ability to bomb them. The tide is again turning in the rebels favor, and this is just one sad mess of violence with the glimmer of hope being a democratic Libya.
• Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagely are teaming up yet again for an Icon title, Brilliant, which seems to be a comic about people using science to unlock super-powers. Um, didn't Warren Ellis do this already in an amazing fashion with Juan Jose Ryp in "No Hero"?
•  My heart goes out everyone in Japan suffering from the Earthquake, Tsunami, and now near-meltdown of a nuclear plant.
• AT&T is going to by T-Mobile assuming the merger is approved by everyone. AT&T is slowly growing again to the monopoly they once were. I'm happy with my Verizon service thank-you, even if it is horribly over-priced due to the racket that is the cell-phone industry.
• The Weekly Crisis supplies the best breakdown of Flashpoint and Fear Itself that I've seen so far.
• I have found a song that makes me physically sick, with nausea and a headache. That song? "Friday" by Rebecca Black and Ark Music Factory, who find young girls, auto-tune their voices to hell, and pump out miserable excuses for music. Your ears will bleed:

Awesome News: Supreme Power Is Back!

Supreme Power is coming back--As a Marvel Max title (which it started and should be)! It is apparently picking up where Straczynski left off so maybe it will ignore the somewhat medicore run by Howard Chaykin where the Ultimate Universe version of Nick Fury dealt with being stuck in another universe post "Ultimate Power" cross-over comic. I am so excited as Supreme Power is such a great comic even if it petered out towards the end when it stopped be a Max title and Straczynski just abruptly left.

Oh, so that's what Mystery Men is.

Back around the start of February I had a post about a strange Marvel teaser for the, "Mystery Men," and wondered aloud what it was. Well, wonder no more as much has been revealed by Marvel at the latest comic convention.

Apparently the current scribe of Blank Panther, David Liss, will be writing and Patrick Zircher (whom I've never heard of until now) will be doing the art. Zircher seems to have experience with stuff in this theme, having apparently done Spider-Man Noir. This has been described in the press as a pulp-styled adventure, and it has two issues shipping as soon as this June. It seems to be worth a look.

It Felt Short--Green Lantern #63

Green Lantern #63
The Prelude to the "War of the Green Lanterns" crossover, with the cover claiming an assault on Oa that doesn't actually occur this issue. Despite not delivering on its promise, this issue is still somewhat enjoyable if feeling incredibly light.

Explanation for Lack of Posts.

I realize I have been spotty in posting, and the reason for that is I was on vacation and it made it difficult to get posts up. Regular posting should resume and I thank everyone for their patience and understanding.

Flashback Friday--2 "Women of Marvel" Comics.

Namora #1 AND Spitfire #1
Back in the long ago time of 2010 (Yes, this Flashback Friday is pretty recent) Marvel had a, "Year of Women" thing going on where various female characters were spotlighted and the mini-series, "Girl Comics" came out. Sometime I'll review that but I thought today I would look at two one-shots that interested me because they involved characters from other series I enjoyed reading, and were written by scribes I enjoy.

Good Fun so Far--Daken: Dark Wolverine #6

Daken: Dark Wolverine #6
Wolverine's son continues to plot and plan, with all the puzzle pieces starting to fit together in this great issue of fun dialogue and clever plotting.

Thoughts on Littlebigplanet 2.

Littlebigplanet 2
I've played a bunch of Littlebigplanet 2 in both single-player mode, user-created levels, multiplayer, and the creation mode. I decided I would share my thoughts in what isn't quite a review, but more of a preliminary opinion.

Nothing Yesterday, A Bunch Today.

I didn't post anything yesterday, pretty much the first time I missed putting up a post. My apologies, I was busy. To make it up to you I shall put up a fair amount of material today.

My 3 Favorite Perry Bible Fellowship comic strips.

Because today I'm phoning it in, I now present my favorite three comics by the amazing Perry Bible Fellowship writer-artist Nicholas Gurewitch:

Insane, but I Enjoy It--Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #3

Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #3
The penultimate issue in Warren Ellis' story about the old versus the new, law versus order, and steampunk versus victorian. It's good fun even if its been heavily delayed to a point where I have trouble recalling what's going on.

In The Spirit of Women's History Month, A Random Thought About Powergirl.

I was just thinking about Powergirl...

Do you think she suffers from back-aches? Oh, and if you dare call her outfit sexist, she has a good reason for it being revealing apparently, as Comics Alliance discusses DC trying to make you feel bad if you question why they feel it is a good idea to have a woman's breasts just hanging out for all to see. Frankly, I know the real reason she is exposed like that. Many comic readers are men. Men like breasts. Case closed. Happy Women's History Month indeed.

An Intriguing Opening--Iron Man 2.0 #1

Iron Man 2.0 #1
James Rhodes gets another solo comic, this time as a military operative. Can the man who writes T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents bring us more dynamite? Well, this  certainly is a good start.

Not Good--5 Ronin: Wolverine

5 Ronin: Wolverine
With Peter Milligan writing and Tomm Coker on art, this should be great. Why was it bad then? Well, the lame twist probably didn't help.

No Flashback or Film Friday This Week...Oh Wait.

This week will not have a Flashback Friday this week, not even a late one today. I just haven't finished any older comics I've been reading or seen any movies. I hope to rectify this and finish my older comics and take in some flicks, possibly posting two of such posts sometime in the future. Again, my apologies if you love those weekly sections.

UPDATE: I actually had a Flashback Friday saved and scheduled to be posted, I just forgot, it is the post from yesterday. So...just ignore this post.

Flashback Friday: Number of the Beast

Number of the Beast
The recently-killed off line of comics, Wildstorm, for awhile had some of the most popular comics around. From Warren Ellis' Stormwatch to Authority, WildCats, Gen13, and other series of which I read pretty much none besides the Warren Ellis one. There was this big event, though, where the world ended. Normally when a comic line does something this dramatic it is having trouble selling and close to death. Well, that happened after this 2008 event. How was the comic that caused the end of the world though? I'd say quite good.

Some 3 Pieces of Comical-Book News.

Let's look at some news from the world of comics.

• Two new reviews of the venom comic are out (one, two), and they paint a promising picture.
• Not so much news, as it is a feature piece about Cyclops, but he is a character I really like on the occasions he is written well.
• The "Fearsome Four" mini-series just may be the strangest comic to come out of the "Fear Itself" event. I kind of want it out of morbid curiosity even though I was planning to not get any Fear-Itself spin-offs besides regular comics I read that will tying in and Homefront along with the series itself if it's not terrible. Still, I kind of want to try this.

Duh, Losing AKA Three News Pieces about Failing.

Let's review three major pieces of news about, "epic fails" as the internet likes to say.

• Batwoman has been delayed, again. This time DC isn't even saying when the series will be coming out. Is JH Williams III taking forever with the comic or is something seriously wrong? Really, what's the deal?

• Julie Taymor is leaving the Spider-Man Musical? Yep. After apparently a lot of infighting and distress former Spider-Man: Turn of The Dark Director Julie Taymor is just that--the FORMER director. It seems after all the negative reviews she said to take what she had or leave it, and it was decided to leave it.

• Proving there is no depth they will not sink to, the comic company I love to hate, Bluewater Comics, have announced they are doing a Charlie Sheen biography comic. I'm going to go cry quietly in the corner now at the sad state of our world. At least I'm not the only one saddened by this. No word yet if the title will be Sheen's most popular phrase, "Duh, Winning."

Pulpy Goodness--Incognito: Bad Influences #4

Incognito: Bad Influences #4
The newest issue in which our main character Zack Overkill works to be found by a terrorist organization by visiting old haunts, realizing how he's grown as a person morally, and tripping his balls off form the hallucinatory effect of another character's powers. Now that's interesting!

Dear God, Ultimate X #4 is actually coming out?

Coming out for real?

Holy cow, Ultimate X is actually coming out? Yup, the comic I featured in my, "Whatever Happened To" articles I've done twice so far for this blog will finally be released On March 30th, according to Comic Book Resources and only more than half a year late! I am actually excited because this was one of the few new projects by Jeph Loeb that wasn't terrible, plus Art Adams always turns in some snazzy art. Still, I hope we don't have to wait another six months for issue five...

A Good Start For A Sequel--Abyss: Family Issues #1

Abyss: Family Issues #1
The sequel to one of Red5 Comics debut series when they first started publishing, I've been waiting for more Abyss. Besides the sublime Atomic Robo this has been my favorite series despite only having had one mini before this one. How does this sequel compare to the first series based on the first issue? Let's discuss.

Good fun--Invincible Iron Man #501

Invincible Iron Man #501
When an enemy of Spider-Man takes on Tony Stark, what does a clash of geniuses look like? It looks pretty fun.

Apologies and Happy International Women's Day.

I'm sorry for the low post output, I've been busy. I'll try to get a bunch of stuff up soon and over time before I'm unable to use my laptop for a week. Also, happy International Women's Day! Tell a woman in her life how you appreciate her contribution...with the less than an hour left we have in the day. Yeah, I've dropped the ball on posting.

A Few Notes on The Blog's Status and News-Bits.

 I have been pleased to see my blog viewership steadily increase over time since it first started with all of 3 or 4 views a day in December--and those views were mainly people I knew who I told to check out my blog. I've also gotten the hand of how to do photos and videos and other tricks to a point where my old posts look plain amateurish. I won't be changing them though because I feel I shouldn't change history or whatever.

It is going to be more difficult for me to post starting this Friday and for a week until next Friday due to my laptop being unavailable for various reasons. I hope to get stuff up but it may be a bit lighter than usual. Unless of course I can crank out a ton of posts before I stop being able to use my laptop for a week (it really needs another upgrade/I need a new PC but that is out of the question since getting the iPad) and have to use the somewhat difficult blogging app on the iPad or public computers (God bless libraries).

Alright, now some news:

• I've been pretty vocal about how I think The Comics Journal website is pretty terrible and how once they stopped Journalista I stopped going at all. Therefore, imagine my surprise when upon hearing of the new site design and checking it out I actually found the thing...visually pleasing. It's well organized, has a good picture-to-text ratio and otherwise is the complete opposite of what it was upon initially launching. Hopefully the articles and content equal the new great design. I'll actually be going to the website again now. Check it out here for yourself.
• Thank you, Nancy Gibbs, for pointing out that by defunding Planned Parenthood or Title X you will actually increase the amount of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Whether for or against abortion, I think we can agree an entity which has 97% of its services go towards cancer screening, regular check-ups, and more is not some evil monster because 3% of what it does may relate to abortion. Actually, some people may disagree with even that, which is their right. But do you really want to rob the millions of people helped by that 97% of services just to make a point about the 3%?
• A great article on Wildcats 3.0, of which I have both books now--so I eventually should get around to turning in a review of each.
• In another idiotic move, Ultimate Spider-Man #160 (where I assume he dies) will be released already in a ploy-bag. In other words, by merely opening the bag and reading the comic you have supposedly destroyed its value. People, comics are for reading, not putting in a bag or between two slabs of plastic with a CGC rating of 9.0 or some stupid bullshit (sorry for the swearing, but it bugs me).
• Writer Nick Spencer (of a bunch of stuff but espeically the great T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents) has signed an exclusive deal to write only for Marvel. Don't panic though, as part of the deal he gets to keep writing what may be my favorite DC book at the moment that isn't written by Grant Morrison.
• Angry Birds is coming to Facebook. I heard the game was addicting so I avoided it, but after downloading a free version for my new iPad I am hooked. This will just make people waste even more time on Facebook now that they have essentially combined two potent drugs into one. Like one of those weird PCP-Cannabis things I heard about at a conference on drugs. That was an interesting conference I attended for my work/volunteer job.

Two Black and White Marvel Comics Reviewed.

Daredevil: Black and White AND Tomb of Terror #1
Marvel comics did this thing where they released a bunch of their comics in black-and-white. There was a Wolverine issue, Iron Man, Ares, Shang-Chi, and more. I'm going to review what I think were the last two that came out--the Daredevil issue and the one that collected popular marvel monsters called, "Tomb of Terror". Just for kicks I'll compare and contrast them too even though they have little in common other than the lack of color.

The Last iPad Update AKA Decision Made.

Yeah, I said, "Fudge it," and just went out and bought the first-gen iPad for a cheaper price due to the upcoming iPad two nearing release. I had money saved up for other reasons (like getting a good gaming PC someday, or a Wii) that will have to be replenished slowly over time. The thing is just so darn fun and potentially useful though!

What Looks Especially Bad--March 2011 Previews

With all good things there comes the bad, and Previews is no exception. This month we've got some comics, an action figure, movie, and marshmellows? Let's continue...

What Looks Especially Good--March 2011 Previews.

It's that time of the month again, when I look at Previews and tell you what looks good and what looks awful. As always, first we review what looks good, and around 6PM what looks bad will go up.

"David Wants An iPad" Update--The Follow-Through.

Okay, as I've discussed, the urge for an iPad has been plaguing me recently. After talking with an employee at a nearby Apple store, and calling the main service-line to talk to someone else. I think it would make the most sense to actually not get an iPad two for a few reasons.

1. The first-generation of a new product can be buggy as fudge.
2. It costs me way too much.
3. I wouldn't use the main selling-point, the two cameras.

Therefore, it actually would be best if I used the money I did have to maybe buy an original iPad now that they are (as I recently learned) marked-down in price. I would have all the use of an iPad without paying a bunch of extra money for features I wouldn't use.

Still, how would I, a person who makes essentially just a living stipend from his volunteer position with Americorps, afford such a product even at a lower price? Well, over a long period of time I have been saving up for a PC that could play games, and that rainy-day fund could take a sizeable hit in exchange for my buying an iPad. I would probably set-back my buying a new PC by quite some time, but in the long-run would be worth it, I think. I'm just so conflicted and unsure what to do. Somebody help me, please, I'm going mad with desire for a product from a company I usually make mean comments about for fun! What's wrong with me? Aiieeeee!

Brutal--Punisher: In The Blood #4

Punisher: In The Blood #4
After my relatively cool feelings for issue three, how did #4 fare against my opinion? Also, be warned I spoil one plot point.

Flashback Friday--Warren Ellis on Thunderbolts.

Thunderbolts #110-#121
After the Civil War event-comic Marvel did the world had changed. Super-heroes had to register their identities or be breaking the law, and it led to various conflicts. The problem with this idea of putting super-heroes on a government payroll is it also meant that the crazy villains could hop on the gravy train too, and warp public opinion so as to think they were heroes. Hence, the concept of Warren Ellis' short but amazing twelve-issue run of Thunderbolts. Separated into two volumes, the first is about the dynamics of this dysfunctional team. You have Bullseye, Venom, Penance, Swordsman, Moonstone, Songbird, and The Radioactive Man (although the last two weren't all bad) and leading this team you have one of the craziest men around, Norman Osborn. How could this comic have been anything but a masterpiece?

A Few Quick Thoughts On the iPad 2.

Everyone has been making a hubbub about this new iPad 2 coming out in America quite soon (March 11th) and the rest of the world not soon after (March 25th). I have something to say, and it is very hard. You see, I have been a bit of a hater when it comes to Apple and their products. I can't wrap my head around using a Mac, am not a fan of iPods because I don't like lower sound quality than the .wav files that make up CDs, or even the quality of good ol' vinyl records, and don't get me started on the iPhone and how before Verizon it was essentially useless to have but now is a bit better even though I'll take an Android-powered phone over an iPhone any day.

With all this hate I have for Apple, it is painful to say I actually really sort of want an iPad 2. I was interested in the first iPad, but was hesitant to see if it did well. Now there are all sorts of fun games and apps it and is like having a handy psuedo-computer on the go. I want to get one and play all the fun games and mess with the various programs and otherwise have a ball. The thing is, I don't have the money to spend on it, even without the 3G or 4G option which I wouldn't take anyways as I'd just use internet because I'm not getting roped in to another service plan besides my phone. Perhaps if I had 500 smackers lying around I'd spring for the cheapest model, but I need the money I have for basic living expenses like food, clothing, and of course comic books. Still, for some reason I just really want it. Sigh.

What posts to expect today (March 4th 2011) and a chart for Women's History Month.

I'll be busy a lot of today from early morning to later in the afternoon,but have a post where I say my thoughts about the new iPad 2 going up at noon, and hopefully will be free later in the day to get a Flashback Friday up around 7PM perhaps--but don't hold me to that.

Also, because it is Women's history month I thought  it would be good to include a chart that shows how women still often earn less than men for performing the same job.

Anyone who claims we've reached gender equality and women are just whining needs to open their eyes and realize how unfair things still are.

Let me get this straight-Libya

Let me get this straight, Momar Ghadaffi (no one can agree how to spell his name, so I’m going with that) thinks he can blame the revolution that has swept Libya and resulted in his losing power almost everywhere but the capital of Tripoli on drugged-up teenagers? Yeah, he claims it is youth being led astray by Al-Queda and given hallucinogenic drugs in their, "Nescafe". Plus, the rest of his people all love him and will die for him. The only man more delusional than Ghadaffi is probably Charlie Sheen (zing)!

Seriously though, at what point will the man just give up? Will he refuse to leave and end up being dragged out of his palace while rationalizing it as people just wanting to take him for a walk? It’s just absurd how much this man refuses to see the facts in front of his face that the people are sick of him and want Ghadaffi to go, NOW. There has already been so much death and destruction, and I don’t know if it will be ending anytime soon. One can just hope things eventually work out for the best and Ghadaffi snaps out of fantasy-world.

Three stories involving Zombies and Robots in One Book.

ZVR Aventure
No, That's not a typo, it actually is spelled Aventure. This large hardcover collects the four issues of the series that involved three different stories by three different artists but written by the original series author, Chris Ryall. Without Ashley Wood were things any good? More or less.

March 2nd 2011 Comic Haul.

Everything from my comic haul this week. It was bigger than I realized it would be.

Strange Stuff--X'ed Out Volume 1 by Charles Burns.

X'ed Out (1st of 3 Volumes)
The first of Charles Burns new comic series that will be collected in three parts but which I read somewhere he demands shall never be made into one large volume (could be a lie, you tell me). Apparently this draws a lot from the classic comic Tintin, and Charles Burns does great work--look at his huge magnum opus "Black Hole" which made from 1995-2004--so you could expect something good. Was it though? I'll never tell, unless of course you click after the cut...

The Newest Rant is on Twitter!

I was sort of against making a Twitter page, as I find the site to be something that caters to the narcissist in people. However, I realized it would benefit my blog in that I can promote upcoming posts, say thoughts too short to dedicate a post to, or let people find my site through twitter. Hence, The Newest Rant is now on Twitter. Check it out at www.twitter.com/thenewestrant and follow me, or you can just look at the feed I installed on the right side of the screen. Hopefully my delayed acceptance of Twitter techonlogy will not make me look too behind-the-curve.

Random Comic and Video-Game News

Seeing as how it has been awhile since a news round-up, I thought I would present a few things that caught my eye due to their being interesting or completely absurd.

• Infamous 2 will let players build their own levels. That sounds awesome. I never finished the first game for some reason but recall really enjoying it.
• Dark Beast will be in Uncanny X-Force. I love this character when he is written well and Rick Remender has so far been doing amazing stuff with this comic, so having Dark Beast (whom I don't recall seeing since the great Dark X-Men) pop up is just icing on the cake.
• A game device I don't recall ever even hearing about has been canceled with no one caring.
• Two posters for X-Men First Class have been released and they are not too shabby.
• In a marketing event that reaches new levels of stupidity, to promote the upcoming game Homefront, company THQ is planning a big protest of North Korea. You see, in the game a unified Korea invade the United States or something, so by hiring actors to pretend they care about a very real issue to promote a piece of entertainment THQ thinks they are doing a public services while in fact the whole thing seems to be in terrible taste and utterly stupid. The sad thing is the game actually looks like it may be kind of good.

That's your morning sampler of news, may your day be fun and productive, or at least not terrible and pointless

This Adventure's End Sadly Nears--Action Comics #898

Action Comics #898
The ninth(!) entry in the ten-part story arc (not counting the upcoming #900 with Lex and Superman coming face-to-face) by Paul Cornell featuring some incredible storytelling with Pete Woods drawing. How does this penultimate issue go? Great as always.

In Honor of Women's History Month.

In honor of Women's History Month let's observe a fact of comics:

That fact would be that we still have a long way to go when it comes to mainstream comics not objectifying female characters, as they are wont to do.