Best Luke Cage Moment Ever.

There have been many wonderful moments with one of my favorite heroes, Luke Cage, but pretty much none can top him facing-off against Doctor Doom. It seems Doom hired Cage and didn't pay up, resulting in the above scene. Yet more proof not even Doctor Doom can short-change the Hero For Hire! Of course, Doom eventually coughs up the cash:

I first learned of the famous issue when someone at a comic convention wrote the above "Where's my money, honey?" in a drawing he made of Cage and Doom fighting for me. After that I of course sought out the story and wasn't disappointed. This concludes my brief post for the day. I'll probably have more time to post something substantial tomorrow.

Flashback Friday--Lady Death Origins Volume 1

Lady Death Origins Volume 1
The first trade collecting some of the older Lady Death comics. Who is Lady Death? Well, this pretty much explains that, whilst providing a lot of scantily-clad drawings of the protagonist along with gory fight scenes full of heads getting chopped off by swords. This is all pretty "meh".

Rant Reviews--Thunderbolts, Hulk, X-Factor, Iron Man...I Couldn't Think of a Pun.

The latest issues of Thunderbolts, Hulk, X-Factor, and Invincible Iron Man, and not one disappoints!

A Bit of Comic News and What I Have Planned For the Blog In The Coming Days/Weekend.

What I have planned for the blog in the coming days:

• I picked up a bunch of comics, and have some more to review, so I hope to get some rant-reviews up where I discuss 3 or more comics. 
• I also want to do a spotlight on the last two issues of the World of Warcraft Worgen comic and will get to that before the weekend ends--I hope. 
• I'm not sure what I want to do for my Flashback/Film Friday section yet.
• The new Previews is out so you know that means I'm going to be discussing the best and worst-looking items, one of the favorite recurring bits on this blog.

3 Pieces of comic-related news:

• Dark Horse finally released their digital comic app. Maybe I'll check out Hellboy or something. I just hope enough people buy stuff that they can quit laying off employees, because it is always sad when someone loses their job.
• A script from the Avengers movie may very well have been stolen and is now for sale. That or this is a major hoax/scam or sting operation.
• A part of me is worried about the direction Bendis is taking Moon Knight in (the part that thinks about his work on Siege), but another part of me is just plum excited to see what he does (the part that thinks about his work on Daredevil with the same guy illustrating Moon Knight, Alex Maleev).

My Thoughts On The Release of Obama's Birth Certificate.

Okay, so Obama released the long-form birth certificate that crazy people have been bitching about wanting to see. I was 100% sure he was a United States citizen and now I continue to be 100% sure while also knowing the truly insane will not be swayed by this irrefutable proof that Obama is, in fact, an American. Can we move past the nonsense and focus on what's important now, like fighting against the insanity that is Paul Ryan's budget bill?

Steve Rogers, Thor, And Tony Stark Kiss and Make Up (Not Literally)--Avengers Prime #1-5

Avengers Prime #1-5
Right after the Siege comic event there were still some unresolved...issues between the big three of Tony Stark, Thor, and Steve Rogers. While the main Avengers books and whatnot immediately launched into stories set a bit after Siege, Brian Michael Bendis had this five-issue mini-series to tell us about what happened immediately after Siege between the guys that resulted in them not wanting to directly rip their throats out. It sounds more interesting than it was because for some reason 95% of this comic involves them going to a fantasy land with dragons and ogres whilst making cute quips. Yeah, it's a strange book.

Great Comics--Uncanny X-Force #7 & #8

Uncanny X-Force #7 AND #8
These were some damn fine comics, with issue seven wrapping up the "Deathlok Nation" storyline wonderfully and issue eight serving as a delightful one-off that starts sort of weak but finishes with great strength.

Less Than Positive News About Me and Coffee.

As readers may recall I recently ran a post focused on coffee in which I espoused on how much I enjoy/love it. Well in a sad twist last week I noticed I kept getting heartburn and figured out through various complex tests and methods it was coffee that was causing me to have it. As of now I've taken a bit of a break from coffee and switched over to tea. This is kind of depressing and also means I'm a bit more tired than usual as hot or iced tea doesn't seem to have the same kick as coffee and I don't want to resort to popping No-Doz. Oh well, maybe in a bit I can go back to coffee without having to simultaneously take heart-burn medicine.

Rant Reviews--New-Yet-Old Avengers, Black Panther, and Wolverine

In this late-day post, the New Avengers continue to take have a storyline both in the present and past with neither garnering that much attention, Black Panther continues to be really good, and Wolverine fights his inner-demons in a literal sense.

Zero Effort Today.

Yeah, I'm putting in pretty much no effort with posts today due to either being busy, sick, tired, or whatever reason I went to one of my back-up posts (NOTE: Today it is "busy". So what do I have for you? A picture of one of my favorite actresses, Natalie Portman:

There probably won't be anything else today so try to savor what little I can offer today. Sorry for being lazy, it won't happen again (but probably at some point actually will). Oh, tomorrow I hope to have a bunch of reviews, so look for that.

Flashback Friday--Absolute Superman For Tomorrow

Absolute Superman For Tomorrow (Collecting Issues #204-#215)
This is one good-looking mess of a story. Seriously, as I discussed in my podcast post (why not listen to it and subscribe via iTunes?) this is confusing as hell despite having great art. Let's look at just where things go wrong after the break--and yes, I try to be funny again like in some of my posts.

Confession--I've Quit Playing World of Warcraft

So yeah, I've pretty much quit playing World of Warcraft as of about two or three months ago. I tried to keep my interest up; I played a character from both of the new races of Goblins and Worgen to the low-20s, I quested a bit with my main, a Tauren Shaman named Shine, in the new high-level zone of the World Tree, I even made some new characters to explore the old-world zones re-done due to the decimation wrought by Deathwing. The game just didn't seem to have its hooks in me as much this time around though, with my usual playing of a year or six months before getting tired--don't get me wrong, I had fun, but I guess I just didn't have the time to dedicate toward playing WOW with my other priorities in life such as working, or doing this here blog for you all.

I suppose I'll cancel my subscription again for now, because there is no point in paying Blizzard for the right to not play WOW, though I imagine I will be back when the urge to quest strikes me. I enjoyed writing articles about my experiences in World of Warcraft for this blog and don't worry about me no longer writing about WOW because I'll still follow news about it, plus there will of course be comics related to it I will want to read. I mean, I still have two issues of the Worgen comic I will review very soon for the blog. The main thing that sucks is I'm stuck getting some issues of the quarterly World of Warcraft Magazine I subscribed to that you may recall isn't that good. Oh well.

Mini-Run Review: 5 Ronin #2-#5.

5 Ronin #2-#5
 I already discussed the first issue of 5 Ronin (The Wolverine-focused one) and figured it would make sense to do a post about the rest of the comics--especially because I discuss them in today's podcast, which if you have already listened to you know I don't much care for these.

Podcast Episode 4--Old Comics and New News.

In this episode I discuss my disappointment with the Marvel series 5 Ronin, discuss stupid politicians or wannabe politicians like Donald Trump, and get confused by the Absolute Edition of Superman: For Tomorrow.

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Television Tuesday--True Blood Season 2

True Blood Season 2
Time for my less-than-regular segment! Today its about True Blood, which I would argue is currently the hottest show on HBO, and I don't think too many people would disagree. With the 3rd season coming out on DVD soon (May 31st, 2011) and the 4th premiering not too long after (June 26th, 2011) I thought now would be a good time to look back at the second season. Why not the first? Well, it was good, but I feel the show didn't really get great until the 2nd, as will now be discussed.

A Great Series Just Getting Better--T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6
I know I just reviewed something by Nick Spencer (the Jimmy Olsen book), but why not cover another great work by him? This series has packed in more plot twists and crazy concepts than I've known what to do with since it started. It's also had a lot of guest artists for various flashbacks, making this issue set all in the present kind of unique. Oh, and it is pretty great stuff.

Brightest Is Overstating It A Bit--Brighest Day Volume 1

Brightest Day Volume 1 Hardcover (Collecting Brighest Day Issues #0-7)
As we approach the final issue of Brightest Day, the 24th (technically the 25th as that zero issue was pretty much a first issue for the series, but whatever), I feel it might be fun to look at the first collection of the series. In doing so you can see the immediate problems that would plague the series and the good things that would help it.

This Game Sequel Is Nothing Like The Original, And That's Just Fine--Prey 2.

Remember the game, "Prey"? It was announced in 1995 or so, was delayed forever, and finally came out in 2006? Yeah, that game. Well, as you may recall it was all claustrophobic and had the gimmick of portals that could alter gravity and where you were located for all kinds of fun game-play results. It got okay reviews and I never got around to playing it. Hence, I could have cared less when I first hear about Prey 2, until I saw details about how this game took place in a big alien city, was a sci-fi noir game, and otherwise was nothing like the original Prey other than some plot elements.

A noir-type game in a big city with space-aliens, moral choices, a complex plot, and crazy space-laser gun-play? Yeah, that sounds like my kind of game after all. I might just give this Prey 2 a shot in the hopes that it turns out good. Until then I think I'll get my Noir fix from the upcoming L.A. Noire game coming out this May. I really should put down a pre-order for that but keep delaying as life has a way of slowing you down.

Just Plain Great Fun--Jimmy Olsen #1

Jimmy Olsen #1
I'll be honest, I don't usually like Jimmy Olsen. He bugs me. Superman's supposed best friend, always getting in trouble, whining, and otherwise being lame. Grant Morrison used him pretty well in All Star Superman but that's about it for times I've liked him. Well, when Nick Spencer's Jimmy Olsen back-up started running in Action Comics I knew we had a winner. When the back-ups stopped I was sad, but now we have the whole story collected in one place, and boy is it great!

Let Me Get This Straight--That Surprisingly Good Lyric Came From WHO?

Let me get this straight, Ke$ha came up with a lyric I find interesting? Really? How? Let me explain...

I have made it no secret on my blog that I absolutely despise Ke$ha. I think she is talentless, using little more than the miniscule sex-appeal and shock-value she has along with her vapid lyrics and annoying beats to make as much money as possible from shallow fools before her fame dries up (that's a mouthful). Therefore, on a day I forced to listen to the song "Blow" because friends in the car wouldn't let me change the channel, I was shocked when a lyric that could actually be interpreted as very clever and deep was said by my least favorite singer besides Fergie, "We're pretty and sick/We're young and we're bored." Huh.

In this era of focusing on beauty and wealth aren't we all being done in by our desire to be pretty, making us all sick? Aren't youth being drowned in so much media that they are bored and mindless? Am I trying to read too much into a lyric that means nothing and am instead seeing all these deep concepts of a post-modern exploration of loneliness, greed, and tedium with this world we live in? I suppose the answer is "Maybe" to all of the above. Still, it's just odd that someone as horrible as Ke$ha could make something that gave me pause. I guess I found the needle in the haystack. With the needle being something about Ke$ha I didn't hate, and the haystack being all the rest of her work output.

Article From Bleeding Cool on The Gender Gap in Comics.

I follow women's issues so imagine my sadness upon reading this article on Bleeding Cool about the stark disparity between male and female employees at Marvel and DC comics. Just thought I'd throw out a little link to you all.

My Favorite iPad Games And The Best iPad Blogging App Ever Made.

It's that time again, where I spotlight particular iPad apps (some work for iPhone too) I like/love. This time we are going to discuss my favorite games and what has (since shortly being released) instantly become my favorite blogging app. Shall we? Oh, and these are in no particular order.

Because I'm Lazy Today, A Cool Web Video--Mortal Kombat Legacy Episode 1

Remember that Mortal Kombat Rebirth mini-movie that was made as a pitch to movie studios to do a Mortal Kombat movie? Well, as you may recall it wasn't successful in the sense of becoming a full-blown feature-film, but it did pique enough people's interest that shooting began on a web-show mini-series with the same Director and some of the bigger-names from the initial Rebirth film--Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan. Well, the first webisode is out and I have embedded it for you below. Be warned, as it makes very clear this is TV-MA AKA like an R-rated movie/for people around age 17. It has violence, swearing, and people shooting off crazy energy-guns when not using martial-arts on each other. So if you aren't big on violent action movies skip on this. Otherwise, enjoy. Also, sorry for the ad, I can't do anything about it.

A Quick Thought On Cyclops from the X-Men

You know who can be a really great character when written well? Cyclops.

He is conflicted, interesting, a fun fellow. Grant Morrison did a great job with him during his run on "New X-Men" and Joss Whedon did some interesting things too in Astonishing X-Men. Yeah, When he is done well he is pretty cool. You know where Scott Summers sucks though? The X-men movies. They over-play the worst attirbutes of the whole "boy-scout" angle, barely using him in the second movie and killing him off right away in the third. It's a crying shame. He seemed to be redeemed a bit in the Wolverine movie as  a young child, but yeesh, is he lame in the flicks. Yeah, when given a good writer he a snazzy guy to read in the comics. Plus, as has been hinted, he keeps a lot of that power held back in his eyes, on the rare occasion he lets loose with it...wow. Yeah, I like ya Scott Summers, you get some props from me.

How Digital Comics Should Be Done--Action Double Feature #1

Action Double Feature #1
There is a company called Four Star Studios, made up of four individuals. I know one from his work on the comic Hack/Slash so I heard about this that way and from a positive review of the app I am about to discuss on Comics Alliance. Just what is "Action Double Feature"? Well, it is two eight page comics for $.99. Not a bad deal, 16 pages for almost a buck, but it is the way they take advantage of the digital medium that makes this really neat stuff...

Kind of Pointless, And What A Long Title--Avengers: The Children's Crusade: Young Avengers #1

Avengers: The Children's Crusade: Young Avengers #1
Written by the author of the main Avengers: Children's Crusade mini-series and with pencils by the legend Alan Davis you think this would be great or important to the story right? Well, you'd be pretty wrong.

For No Particular Reason, Today Will Have a Post Focused On Coffee.

You know what I really enjoy? I mean, love? Coffee.

I just love a good cup of black coffee--with the rare occasion I put in creamer as it is just a bit too bitter for my tastes that day. Yes, nothing beats some hot coffee or a steaming cup of espresso. Sure you can dilute it with milk and whatnot to make a latte or cappuccino, but I find coffee is best in a pure form. Well, there is one exception. I do love me the Dunkaccino.

What is a Dunkaccino, you may ask? Basically it is simply black coffee mixed with Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate. The thing is, it is so incredibly tasty and addicting like some form of coffee-crack. I try to avoid drinking them because once I start I just can't stop. Oh, just so you know, Dunkin Donuts is not paying me to say any of this and is probably unaware that I even made a post about their beverages. I just enjoy it that much that I am chatting about it.

Anyways, go out and brew or buy a cup of coffee, maybe get a Dunkaccino if you feel like living on the wild side. Whatever it is you do, just enjoy your hot cup of "joe" as folk call it for some reason.

Rant-Reviews--Kinda Bad, Pretty Mediocre, and Quite Good Comics.

We've got three comics, one sorta bad, one pretty average, and a good one. Green Arrow #10, X-23 #7, and Iron Man 2.0 #2. Did I list them in order of decency? You might just have to click the cut to find out...or I'll just tell you that yes, yes I did. You should read on anyways though, because you might enjoy hearing my thoughts.

Links to News Discussed in 3rd Podcast.

Here are some links to the news discussed in my Podcast if you want more details than I discuss:

• The clever response to the wildly sexist and inappropriate Catwoman drawing by Greg Horn.
• A special-effects artist is going to direct the Deadpool movie. This means the film will have cool effects but may otherwise suck. I'm just cynical, though.
• DC has a ton more Flashpoint issues they solicited before all the solicits came out recently. The sheer amount of comics for this event is just mind-boggling. 
• David Finch has to have a fill-in artist for a comic that is supposed to essentially be his own vanity project. Hopefully Jay Fabook draws faster than ol' molasses Finch as I've taken to calling him.
• The popular anthology series Mome will be ending with its 22nd volume. I've enjoyed the series so I'm saddened by the news. 
• Nick Spencer and Emma Rios will be doing a Cloak and Dagger mini-series. That sounds like an utterly awesome creative team.
• We're killing Ultimate Spider-Man soon in 2011 and he'll be getting his own television series in 2012. I wonder what the odds are he'll be brought back around the same time the show premieres?
• Do we really need a Hit-Girl comic? I mean, Mark Millar writing a little girl swearing, how edgy!
• A new six-issue mini-series will come out in July by Marvel comics called Vengeance and feature villains. I wouldn't be that excited except it is written by the generally pretty stellar Joe Casey so I'm more pumped that usual.
• Warren Ellis, thriller novels? Yes please!

Episode 3--A Whole New Method To The Madness

The third episode (main site here) in which I cut loose, share a lot of news, and offer my opinion on War of the Green Lanterns parts 1-3  and all the weirdness it entails (as I did on my blog too, to silly results).

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Rant Reviews--War of The Green Lanterns Part One-Three AKA Who Knew The Guardians Bleed Yellow?

I feel extra snarky today so this is going to be one seriously silly review section. Think kind of like how Tucker Stone does his stuff on The Factual Opinion but not quite as funny. Let's review the newest Green Lantern event because 5 months can not pass without a new one happening. This one is, "War of the Green Lanterns," and seems to be about that Rogue Guardian Krona using the entities of light to possess the guardians after beating them up and making them bleed yellow. Which is gross and awesome.

Bloody Business--Dracula: The Company of Monsters Volume #1

Dracula: The Company of Monsters Volume #1 TPB
Kurt Busiek--famous for various comics such as the original Thunderbolts--brings us a tale of Dracula unlike one I've seen before, mixing vampires and business-mergers. This sounds interesting.

That Was Some Strange Fun--Cyclops #1

Cyclops #1
Don't let the serious cover fool you, the inside of this comic is some silly fun straight out absurd days of villains who drove clown-cars through coffee shops and terrorist organizations set up shops in pet stores. Yeah this is zany, and that's just fine.

Good, But There Was Pretty Much Zero Captain America--Captain America and Crossbones #1

Captain America and Crossbones #1
An interesting tale of Brock Rumlow and an island of monsters which holds a young boy he seems to have as a target a mysterious government man has given him. Despite the, "Captain America," in the title, the only time the good Captain pops up is in two flashbacks. Even with that misnomer this was still pretty good.

Half The Stories Were Good--Fear Itself: The Home Front #1

Fear Itself: The Home Front #1
As with their big events as of late, Marvel likes to have a companion comic to go with the major story that focuses on how smaller-name characters and regular folk are impacted by the major happening. Hence, we now have this mini-series that is an anthology of sorts with four different stories, two of which will be continuing and two that are one-offs. The quality of these stories varies dramatically to say the least.

Rant Reviews--Paid Heroes, Crazy Heroes, Violent Heroes.

Wolverine: The Best There Is #5 is actually kind of good, Heroes For Hire #5 is good too, Irredeemable is solid as always.

Flashback Friday: The American Way

The American Way TPB
A Wildstorm Series (not in the now-defunct Wildstorm Universe, so you don't need to know any continuity) that was quite good, The American Way was about a world where there were super heroes but they were essentially just super-powered actors trying to keep people placated. Once a friend of the President learns this secret and is brought in to help sell the heroes, things get interesting when he tries to spear-head things by introducing a black hero. This wouldn't be that big a deal, except its 1961. Yeah, things are going to get interesting.

Insert Lame "Fear" Pun Here--Fear Itself #1

Fear Itself #1
This was a quiet opening, clearly trying to build dread, and I understand that. Still, I wasn't too upset or too impressed.

Posts Later Today

I was exhausted yesterday and went to bed earlier than I had in years, and have some real-life obligations today that will keep me from posting until later. Expect a Flashback Friday and whatnot around this evening, though.

Rant-Reviews--The Least Alike Comics Ever OR Halcyon #4, Tarot #67, and Action Comics #899.

Halcyon #4, Tarot #67, and Action Comics #899. Three different comics with three different publishers, three different tones, and three different quality-levels. Time to examine who rocks and who...um...socks.

The Newest Rant Podcast Episode 2--Starting To Figure This Out.

My second-ever Podcast show--downloadable here--where I start to figure things out and develop a basic show format. First I discuss some of the latest news in comic-dom (which isn't necessarily tagged in labels due to getting just a brief mention) then say some extended reviews of comics I have discussed or am going to discuss on my blog, namely:

• Venom #1
• Incognito: Bad Influences #1
• Halcyon #4
• Tarot #67
• Black Panther #516

With a weird assortment like that you know I'm going to have a thing or two to say...

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Oh, and for those who like when I talk about things besides comics, don't worry. I will do Podcasts where I talk about a book I read, movie I saw, or television show I watched sometime too in the future.

Not Just An Amazing Turnaround, But Flat-Out Amazing--Black Panther #516

Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #516
I'll admit it, I've given this series some harsh words. I wasn't big on its use of Luke Cage, I was getting bored with it seeming to meander about, and it didn't seem to have a focus, as if David Liss didn't know where he was taking the story. Then I see Spider-Man on this cover and expect some lame team-up issue that will be dull and cliche. Well, I"m not above admitting I was horribly wrong and this was an incredibly awesome comic.

A Spy-Thriller Meets Spider-Man Meets War Movie--Venom #1

Venom #1
Rick Remender and Tony Moore, the men behind Fear Agent and the Franken-Castle part of Remender's Punisher run have teamed up yet again to present a series about the venom symbiote as a military operations suit worn by Spider-Man supporting cast member Flash Thompson--although you don't need to be reading Spider-Man to follow along. How is the premiere issue? Worth reading.

I Know I've Posted A Lot Of News Lately, But A Lot Has Happened, So Here's More!

Yet more interesting things have happened in our beloved comics and planet.

• Jeff Lemire will be drawing Jonah Hex #69? Huh, it actually kind of makes sense if you ponder it for a bit.
• Okay, I think I get this. There will be a new Captain America title with a #1 issue, and the current Captain America comic will be re-titled Captain America and Bucky, take place in the past, and will also have Ed Brubaker as the writer (with Marc Andreyko collaborating). Wouldn't it make more sense to do this the other way around and make the new book the one in the past and the present-tense book the regular-numbered series? I'm just saying, it's odd.
• Remind me--a gamer--to not live in Australia. 
• There is a new Marvel teaser that is just an image and the word, "Vengeance" along with an anoymous source saying it is X-Men related. Hm.
• DC comics had a comics imprint called Minx they marketed to teenage girls. It didn't work out and the line was killed, with some of the lines being picked up as just general DC comics and now some of the stories apparently are being picked up by Image. I didn't read any Minx books other than Brian Wood's one but its always good for creators to get work, and I heard almost all the books were pretty good.
• Paul Ryan is an idiot, for thinking he can propose an overhaul to Medicare and Medicaid for the purpose of cutting a bunch of stuff form our budget just so he can give more tax breaks to big corporations.

That's what is happening outside your house/apartment/basement. The comic blockbuster season kicks off with Fear Itself #1 tomorrow and Flashpoint starting soon after. I'm just doing Fear Itself and hope it is good.

Rant-Reviews--All These Comics Are Relentlessly Dark In Tone.

In a good mood? Well lets drag it down with some comics that are quite depressing, Incognito #5,  Sweet Tooth #19, Punisher: In the Blood #5, and Caligula #1.

Still Pretty Fun--Wolverine #7

Wolverine #7
I'm not too big on Daniel Acuna, but I'm a fan of Jason Aaron when he's on his game. Can an issue consisting mostly of people just fighting Wolverine satisfy? Yes, apparently.

A Bunch of Links.

Hey, how about some news?

•  Steve Rogers will be wearing the Captain America outfit again starting this July, which I guess means Bucky will have to become the Winter Soldier full-time or we'll have a "multiple Captain-Americas" deal like with Batman. Also, it may be re-numbered (or maybe not) which seems to upset people annoyed at how the series recently went to "original" numbering. I dunno, I get annoyed at petty things, but this is just too petty even for me. Oh, and it will still have the same writer, Ed Brubaker, so that's good.
• Here is a fun article about the upcoming Secret Avengers by the amazing Warren Ellis and Jamie McKelvie and the idea of "done in one [issue]" stories.
• It seems I wasn't the only one who sort of enjoyed Ultimate X #4 despite some giving it middling reviews.
• Southwest Airlines, we don't have flight-change fees, and our planes may have a huge hole ripped in them.
• Indiana wants to force doctors to tell women seeking abortions it may cause breast cancer even though it has been medically proven to be completely untrue. Even if you aren't pro-choice I would think you are against outright lying to people.
• Fear Itself already has a review of it up? Wow.
• People would blame both sides if the federal government shut down as it seems to be doing soon. Excuse me, but it isn't the fault of Democrats or Republicans--to be precise it is the Tea Party and its members of our government. Their unwillingness to compromise at all and the Republican's fear of upsetting them has resulted in this deadlock which seems to be dooming us to a sequel to the shutdown of the 90s. Oh, and now conservatives want to attack the once-untouchable issue that is medicare and medicaid. Good luck with that guys, I hope you don't mind losing any voter over 65 even if some reform would be a good idea.

Well that is what's happening in the world of comics and the world of, um, the world. Try and keep safe out in that crazy world, ya'll.

Rant Reviews--Three Comics With Three Different Sociopaths.

I discussed these in-depth on my first-ever podcast, but still wanted to get my thoughts down in text too about these three comics that seem to involve sociopaths, interestingly enough. They are Detective Comics #875, Daken: Dark Wolverine #7, and Osborn #4.

The Newest Rant Podcast Episode 1.

My first experiment into podcasting can be found here, I discuss and review three comics each starring or featuring three sociopaths, Detective Comics #875, Daken: Dark Wolverine #7, and Osborn #4. Please excuse any glitches, sound issues, or overuse of the word "and" or "um" as I was a bit nervous. I also plan to get text reviews up but thought this would be a fun test. If you don't want to download you can also just play the 12-minute-ish episode below. Please share your thoughts--and yes, I will try to be getting up on iTunes too...although to do that I need to use a different file-host that can make feeds for me. Any advice on which to use?

UPDATE: I am now using Podcast Machine because they have a free service that works well for me and you can also just download the podcast directly from the player that way too. 

NEWEST UPDATE: I am now using Podbean because it is better than Podcast machine.

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April 2011 Previews--What's Looking Horrible.

It is now time to discuss what looks less than promising--i.e. horrendous--in the latest edition of Previews. As stated, I focus on new things, so the lame series in their 3rd issues won't be mentioned etc. etc. Let's start the tour of misery!

April 2011 Previews--What Looks Good.

It's morning, let's discuss what looks promising in the April Previews and then in the evening break down what is terrible. As always I'm generally focusing on new stuff I haven't read and not the great things that have been around awhile. Hence, I don't spotlight the solicitation for the Trade of the great Osborn mini-series even though it has so far been awesome and probably will be worth picking up. Just to throw that out there.

Warren Ellis to write Secret Avengers! Related Story--My Heart Skipped A Beat!

Guess I have a new title I will need to start reading thanks to Marvel and Warren Ellis (Yes, I wasn't reading Secret Avengers, the first arc turned me off and I just never got around to picking it back up).

I Can't Believe It Actually Came Out And I'm Finally Reviewing It--Ultimate X #4

Ultimate X #4
I am reviewing Ultimate X #4, seriously, no joke. I didn't do anything for April Fool's Day as I hate fake posts that I have to realize are not serious. Still, 8 months or so after it was due this is actually out. The cover signed by Art Adams has a little 5-4-2010 meaning this issue was in the works for a whole year. Was the wait worth it? Well, define, "worth it"....

My Health Is Equal To Being Hit Upside The Head With a Shovel.

Lady, I know how you feel.

 I have a clogged head, I keep coughing up what I assume are my lungs, and I otherwise would be a virus factory if it were not for the fact that this is all merely allergies and I'm not actually contagious--so seriously, you don't need to run away. I feel well enough to go about daily activities and walk and drive about, but if I sit still for too long such as to read a book, comic, or watch a movie I start falling asleep as my body thinks when it isn't at motion that means it is sleepy-time. Therefore, I will try to get something up later today, such as what looks good in the latest Previews, followed by the more-popular what looks terrible on Sunday, but I give no promises. Now to load up on decongestants that don't make me a sleepy zombie and try and be a productive member of society.

Flashback Friday--Superman/Batman: Absolute Power

Superman/Batman: Absolute Power
A story from the series that had an extended run by Jeph Loeb before 90% of his work output started to stink. We have here a tale sort-of in continuity and sort-of out of it, as this series always does. I say "sort-of" because in the end everything of course works out to the status quo as things do in super hero comics, but before that occurs we have pretty fun alternate universe tale.

Underwhelming Is The Best Word--Fear Itself Prologue: Book of The Skull

Fear Itself Prologue: Book of the Skull #1
Marvel's sorta-kinda first issue of a comic that truly relates to Fear Itself...and it pretty much contains material that could have easily been compressed into 8 pages and everyone could have called it a day...