Let Me Get This Straight--Is DC's New Publishing Plan Genuis or Just Plain Stupid? Really, Which Way Will This Go?

Let me get this straight--and I'm just getting this information out having heard it briefly ago--in September after Flashpoint ends, DC is going to launch 52 new comics in the sense that every previous comic is canceled and possibly being re-started with a new #1 issue. That's 13 new comics a week. Also, we are getting all-new creative teams with, "three quarters of creative teams being shuffled around," and Superman may not longer be married and hooking up with Wonder Woman who also no longer has her hated continuity change that Straczynski did. Plus, Grant Morrison is going to write an in-continuity Superman book.

There also have the big deal of every single comic being day-and-date digital, which means that the exact same day you can buy it on comic stands, you can buy it for your computer/phone/tablet device. This is quite possibly the biggest creative and financial risk DC has ever taken and I kind of am impressed by their sheer gall, but I share the concerns that some have.

This could either be a huge success (I mean, they got USA Today to talk about it, so that's cool) or turn into a huge belly-flop that kills DC in the market with their new #1 books not selling as well as they hope, or changing continuity too much and pissing off enough fans that they lose more readers than they gain, or they just can't make up cash for that whole, "Keeping comics $2.99" deal they have going. Still, I sorta remember when Marvel was though of as the company that took big creative risks and was, "out-there," on the cutting edge. Now, we've got DC comics doing something huge and Marvel...has Nazi robots attacking Washington DC while various heroes and villains pick up hammers that make them super-powered in Fear Itself. No matter what happens, at least DC wins the risk-taking award.

Podcast Episode 8--Movies, Pricing Woes, and Batman Be Killing It!

In this episode the Hangover Part II, Crank 2: High Voltage, and Network are discussed as part of a movie segment. Then, my plan to stop reading the Avengers the book due to its $3.99 price is covered. Finally, "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne," along with, "Batman and Robin Volume 3: Batman and Robin Must Die!" are both reviewed whilst I gush about Grant Morrison. Also, I apologize for talking too closely to the microphone, causing my words with the letter "F" in them to freak-out the mic sometimes. This mistake shall be learned from. Otherwise, it's just over 30 minutes of goodness!

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Rant-Reviews--Four DC Comics With Three Good and One Being Surprisingly Terrible

It's an all-DC extravaganza, with T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7 doing an great job telling two stories that unite, Detective Comics #877 working quite well, DC Universe Online Legends impressing, and Action Comics #901 doing the quickest dive in quality from a previous issue that I have ever seen. Well, they can't all be winners.

Movie Time--Crank 2: High Voltage

Crank 2: High Voltage
Some time ago I reviewed the first Crank movie and enjoyed it quite a bit. Well, I can say this tops it in sheer craziness and absurdity. Whether it is a fantasy scene of Jason Statham's character fighting his opponent as if they were big Godzilla monsters, or being knocked out and imagining he is a child on a talk show facing the fact he's a miserable person (which is actually a clever scene and one of the few times the movie examines the fact that our protagonist Chev Chelios really is kind of a terrible guy), this is an utterly insane flick.

Lest We Forget--Memorial Day.

It is Memorial Day, so I thought this would be a good time to take a moment out to recognize all our fallen soldiers who have given their lives in war. Without them our nation would not be what it is.

Mini-Run Review: S.H.I.E.L.D. #1-6 And The "Infinity" One-Shot

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1-6 And The "Infinity" One-Shot
The first issue of the second volume of this series is coming out soon so why not review this first run? Well, this is one strange comic. It almost seems like it could pretty much be some sort of alternate-universe tale any comic publisher did with its use of famous historical figures as members of a secret society--except for the fact that it does tie in two Marvel characters in the form of Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards, fathers of two famous Marvel characters. Other than those two however, this is one crazy comic that at first seems to read like a jumbled-mess but by the time I reached issue #6 actually made a bit of sense. Plus, Dustin Weaver turns in art that is utterly, incredibly, unbelievably, gorgeous.

Why I'm Not Reading Avengers After Fear Itself AKA Avengers Staying $3.99 With 22 Pages

Comic Book Resources does this thing where they talk with Marvel big-wig Tom Breevort and I usually skim the interview and look at the pretty art he brings, but don't read much. However, Bleeding Cool has pointed out something I missed, namely a fact about comic book pricing. You see, Marvel has this comic called the Avengers which has been 22 pages each issue but included this extra stuff called, "Oral History Of The Avengers", or something I didn't bother reading. The comic was $3.99 but I figured this was maybe because it had tacked on this extra stuff, and after it finished the comic would either go down in price or add something else more interesting, but not stay at $3.99 as Marvel would want to compete with DC and their new plan of keeping most sutff at $2.99 right? Well, I was wrong, Marvel is going to charge $3.99 for Avengers, 22 pages for a comic that I sort of enjoy but not enough that I am going to pay $3.99 for it. Therefore, once its tie-in with "Fear Itself" ends, I'm done with it too.

Now, I will be staying on New Avengers because I love me some Luke Cage, but even that is tenuous. Other $3.99 comics I will look at on a per-comic basis just as I do $2.99 comics--but keep in mind that if something is a dollar extra, I'm going to be quite a bit extra picky in my judgement of if I should be buying it. I enjoy Avengers enough to maybe pay $2.99 for it, but $3.99? I guess we are going to have to part ways.

This Is The Newest Rant--We/I Have A Tumblr Now.

This is The Newest Rant. There also is now a Newest Rant Tumblr account known as, "The Newest Rant Random Junk Depository." You may wonder why it exists when there is this perfectly fine blog. Well, think of it as a sister site. This blog is the well organized one with thoughtful posts, that is the one for random stuff to be dumped, be it images, music, or whatever else works. I will have a new segment there call Imirages which are the words images and mirages put together because I think that is fun. So yeah, this is the upper-part of the brain, all refined and smart, (NOW A DEAD LINK) is the lower part of the brain. Primal, scary, and raw. Plus it will probably get updated less.


The tumblr is dead, it was a misguided effort.

Movie Time--The Hangover Part II AKA Hangover 2

The Hangover Part II AKA Hangover 2
It doesn't always have to be a "Film Friday" segment for me to review a movie, and seeing as how I did do a Flashback Friday bit this week, I thought I would just add  a review of a movie I saw Saturday afternoon that I found very fun to the blog. I mean, the sequel to the very-popular, "The Hangover," couldn't possibly live up to the original, and some critics have been very harsh on it, but while not being as good as the original, I still enjoyed this very much.

I Really Hope This Is For Real

Isaiah Mustafa has always been vocal about how much he would love to play Luke Cage. Marvel has always been saying they would be interested in doing a Luke Cage movie but never seems to be going anywhere with it. Now suddenly this pops up on the internet:

God, I am very nonreligious but do believe you exist, and I pretty much only pray to you once every three years, but please, dear God please have this be something real or have it grow into something real and not just be a little joke teaser that Mustafa made with his money from doing the Old Spice ads--or even worse, something Old Spice helped fund. A Luke Cage movie with anyone as the lead would be awesome, and the Old Spice guy could even work as he kind of actually fits the role pretty well with his weird mixture of charm and strength. No one else on the internet knows what to make of this, hopefully it turns out to be something good.

Book Time--The Polaroid Book: Selections From The Polaroid Collections Of Photography

The Polaroid Book: Selections From The Polaroid Collections of Photography
I love photography, and one of my first cameras I owned was a little Polaroid instant film camera that I still have to this day along with some film that I keep carefully packaged as finding film for sale is a pain if you don't want to go on Ebay and pay an arm and a leg. So yeah, I have a soft spot for photographic art and Polaroid pictures, therefore you think I would love this book, right? Well, you would be correct.

Rant Reviews--Relentlessly Mocking War Of The Green Lanterns Part 7-9

I like the Green Lantern comics, don't get me wrong. It is just that is has been very easy to make fun of this event, such as parts one through three or parts four through six. Well, in one single day parts seven through nine came out so here we are again with me not wanting to be a jerk and make fun of War of The Green Lanterns, but you know I'm going to, so let's just begin as I do my snarkier-than-usual reviews.

Action-Packed Craziness--Wolverine #9

Wolverine #9
We spent eight issues with Wolverine in Hell and then dealing with a demon in his body on earth, so you would expect his hunting down Mystique for revenge to take forever, right? Well, I did, so imagine my surprise when the cleverly titled issue, "Get Mystique: Repose," (which is clever because Aaron wrote the original Get Mystique story in the older Wolverine book) is one short, action-packed issue loaded with fighting, fast-driving, a crazy new assassin, and Daniel Acuna's art actually seeming to work really well this time for me. Yeah, this was pretty sweet.

Flashback Friday--Joker

Joker
An original graphic novel that was released by DC comics as a snazzy-looking hardcover, this out-of-continuity tale focuses on a much more real-world version of Gotham where the Joker one day gets released from Arkham Asylum and tries to rebuild his criminal empire--all viewed through the eyes of a young Johnny Frost. It's written by the talented Brian Azzarello who knows a thing or two about crime-comics, and has beautiful artwork by Lee Bermejo--who does all the pencils but unfortunately doesn't ink every page. Oh, it is also relentlessly dark in tone and about as close as you can get to a Vertigo comic with DC super heroes. I really like it.

I Love It--Batman And Robin Volume 3: Batman and Robin Must Die!

Batman and And Robin Volume 3: Batman and Robin Must Die!
This collects issues #13-16 of Batman and Robin along with Batman: The Return and is probably some of the best Batman stuff Grant Morrison has done. There is a reason that I said Batman and Robin #13 was my favorite individual issue of a comic in 2010, and that reason is that this arc rocks.

Surreal Time-Travel Tale--Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
It was meant to sync-up with issues of Batman and Robin which were also being written by Grant Morrison but due to delays, this book wasn't able to do so. It had different artists every issue resulting in it always feeling quite different in tone despite being one series, and despite issues such as these, this is still one great series that not only tells a cool tale about Bruce Wayne and Batman, but fills in a lot of the questions Morrison had set up in his time spent on the main Batman book and Batman and Robin.

Whatever Happened To Batman: Europa?

Remember back in November 2010 when DC Comics had a new Batman mini-series on the cover of Previews magazine called "Batman: Europa"? Well not even the first issue has come out and despite others asking about it awhile ago when it missed the first ship date, it now seems to have fallen completely off the radar. This is disappointing because it sounded neat. It had Jim Lee doing painted art in an issue, Jock doing art for another, and Brian Azzarello writing a tale about Batman having to team up with the Joker to find the cure for a virus that has infected the ol' Batman.

I honestly haven't heard a peep about this series since March-ish and can only figure that work is progressing on it very slowly with DC planning to re-solicit it when they actually have enough of a complete product that they can release the darn thing.I mean, it is in-continuity--I'm pretty sure--but it isn't too important to the current comics story-wise so they can pretty much just release it whenever they finally get this thing done.

This Is An Awesome Comic Cover--Detective Comics #877

That is a really cool cover by Jock for the current Detective Comics run Scott Snyder has been writing the hell out of and which Jock has been doing killer art on when Francisco Francavilla isn't also doing great stuff. I saw it when I picked it up Wednesday and my jaw dropped. Now we get what is just one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen, with the outline of a body and Batman inside it...just wow. You know what, let's get a focus on that main image:

Damn, that is super-cool, you have a sexuality-and-death sort of thing going on, light-and-dark...just, incredible stuff.

And Now For Posts That Will All Somehow Involve Batman--A Schedule

Actually, the posts are just beginning

We are going to celebrate how it is my birthday with a slew of posts that all relate to one of my favorite comic characters--Batman! Now, he's not my absolute favorite (that is Madrox, The Multiple Man) but I would say he is much beloved by me and probably my top DC comics character, so we're gonna talk about him because its my birthday and I'll cry if I want to do what I want to. I will now list the order, making this list have links later on when the posts are actually up:

6AM: This post you are reading now goes up.
9AM: I comment on how cool Dectective Comics #877's cover looks.
12PM: I wonder whatever happened to Batman: Europa.
3PM: I discuss The Return of Bruce Wayne.
6PM: I talk about how much I love Batman and Robin Volume 3: Batman and Robin Must Die.
9PM: I do my Flashback Friday post about the original graphic novel "Joker"--which did involve Batman in the sense that the Joker is his archenemy and Batman does show up in the end.

Do note that I have written these in advance in the past and just scheduled them to be posted at these times as it seemed like a good theme. I'll probably be at work and later out with friends when the posts actually go up, so don't worry about me spending my birthday just sitting at the computer updating my blog--my life isn't that sad, I do know to put this thing on the back-burner when it come to enjoying my birthday with family and friends.

This Is The Newest Rant--It's My Birthday!

This is The Newest Rant, written by me, and I was born today, May 27th, in 1988. That's 23 years ago. I shall celebrate by having a nice dinner with family and going out with friends.

The Strangest News Story I've Heard In Awhile

Apparently some prison inmates in China are forced to play Massively Mutliplayer Online Games--not for fun, but to "farm" gold. Farming is when you just spend all day killing monsters or doing boring repetitive stuff to get a lot of gold you can sell illegally to other players. I say illegally because no game wants their in-game currency being sold (except in certain cases if they are in on it). Imagine going to prison in China and being forced to play World of Warcraft all day killing the same monsters constantly, that would really suck. Plus, if you want to make prison really worse you can force them to play Star Trek Online. Zing! This is both funny and sad news, and just plain weird.

Rant-Reviews--Daken, Heroes You Pay, Deadpool Wants To Die, And A Rare Miss For Thunderbolts.

We' got a series of declining returns, with a really great Daken: Dark Wolverine, quite good Heroes For Hire, pretty enjoyable Deadpool, and a surprisingly mediocre Thunderbolts. Yes, they are all Marvel books, but I have something big planned for a DC character on Friday so it's cool.

Cool Stuff--Hulk #33

Hulk #33
It's hard to believe not too long ago I really didn't like this series, what with Jeph Loeb making it super-corny and having Red Hulk being a big jerk. Well, ever since Jeff Parker took over it he's made Red Hulk someone much more possible to relate to and understand--it probably also helps that we now know how he's General Thunderbolt Ross--the same man who once hunted down the green Hulk. Gabriel Hardman also has amazing art and the villains Parker has created for the Red Hulk to face are very interesting resulting in a comic I can recommend without hesitation. What makes this issue enjoyable though? Let's discuss it.

This Is The Newest Rant--We Speak And Spell Real Good

"Speak And Spell"

This is The Newest Rant. Wee here pride ourselfs on gud grammer and speeling.

A Cool Mixture of Horror and Noir--Fall Of the Wolfmen

Fall Of The Wolfmen
Published by the independent comics company Accent UK (also known for their snazzy anthologies on various topics, such as robots or westerns, that they do annually), Fall Of The Wolfmen is actually a sequel to the first graphic novel, The Wolfmen. You don't absolutely need to have read the first to understand this, but it is a good read so I'd recommend it--basically our protagonist who worked with some crooks that are also secretly werewolves in the first book is now out to kill them in this new book whilst having becoming a werewolf himself at the end of the last book. How is this volume though? Well, as an odd mixture of noir and horror it goes down pretty smoothly.

Talking About Magazines I Like--Part Two

As I discussed a bit earlier, there are various magazines I like to pick up now and then or subscribe to and I thought I would share them with you because...well, just because I feel like it, I guess. Anyways, this our second installment where I talk more about video-game, cultural, and music-related publications. I hope I inspire you to maybe check them out.

Talking About Magazines I Like--Part One

I like to pick up/subscribe to various magazines about a variety topics, from video-games and technology, to politics or music. I thought I would post a review of what I think of the magazines overall--note that I am not reviewing an individual issue--and we would otherwise have a grand time sharing. Shall we?

Cute and Funny--Amity Blamity Book One

Amity Blamity Book One
Written by Mike White, this started life as a differently-named web-comic before becoming a black-and-white trade paperback about a young girl named Gretchen who doesn't speak, a pig named Chester, and grown man named Uncle Downey who lives like a pig (and is Gretchen's uncle)--and the Grandma pops up along with a small critter named Winston who is really off his rocker. It's a fun all-ages geared tale with just enough humor that appeals to us grown-ups that everyone could enjoy it.

An Interesting Opening Issue--Batman: Gates of Gotham #1

Batman: Gates of Gotham #1
A new Batman-related mini-series involving the history of Gotham city along with the Wayne families and other famous individuals who helped build Gotham up into the crime-ridden place it is today. The driving issue is a mystery, and if that mystery weren't interesting this would be a miserable comic, but my curiousity is piqued, so that mission was accomplished. How was the overall writing and art though? You know the drill by now (and if you don't, click the cut)

This Joe Casey Interview Shows Why He Rocks

If you follow this link to part one of a new interview with Joe Casey you will get something amazing--a man who doesn't B.S. you, but instead tells it like it is. Joe Casey straight-up tears apart the broken state of the direct market of comics, doesn't hesitate to talk about the annoyances of big events, and otherwise is just a fascinating person to read an interview with. Check it out for sure.

Rant-Reviews--Four Free Comic Book Day Comics From Good To Weird

I happen to have four different Free Comic Book Day comics that were designed explicitly for the day, and I shall review them, from the really good, like, "Atomic Robo," and , "Captain America & Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers," to the pretty good such as, "2000 AD," and the outright weird, "Civil War Adventure". Yeah, Free Comic Book Day was May 7th and we are nearing the end of the month, but I can be slow in getting to stuff.

Ed Benes Is A Hack

UPDATE: I actually changed my mind and apologized a little while ago. Ed Benes actually is not a hack, I decided.

Ed Benes Is a Hack. He makes money drawing scantily-clad heroes and selling those drawings on the internet when not doing comic work, and all his drawings are like that. He doesn't pose characters that well. Other people on the internet agree with me. Let's look at some of his work that pops up if you type in his name. I'll put it after the cut because even though nothing is super-inappropriate--I keep my blog safe enough that you could browse it at work--I don't feel like having loosely-dressed women all over the main page of my blog, I want to keep things classy, ya know.

This Is The Newest Rant--Hand-Vase Edition

Good morning, this day of May 23rd, 2011. This is The Newest Rant. This is a new segment where I say this is The Newest Rant and do something random, like show an image. We/I write about various things here. Try not to be afraid.

Podcast Episode 7--Flaspoint And The Problem With Event Comics

In this episode I discuss how despite liking the first issue of Flashpoint there is a general problem all big cross-over event comics face--making the story fit together without a ton of tie-ins. Also, I review the strangest Free Comic Book Day Comic I have ever gotten and marvel at how Judd Winick makes Jason Todd actually seem kind of cool in Batman and Robin #23. Oh, and if you get this via iTunes a positive rating would be much appreciated!

You can easily get it on iTunes or just stream it below:

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How Did They Make Jason Todd Look Cool--Batman And Robin #23

Batman and Robin #23
This comic does something you don't think is possible, it makes Jason Todd, the former-Robin that everyone has hated, actually look kind of cool. No, seriously, the former whiny-brat who was unbearable in Countdown to Final Crisis and went completely bonkers in Battle For the Cowl before being locked up in the earlier issues of Batman and Robin kind of is a bad-ass in this issue. How is that possible? Let me explain...

Wait, I Thought The End Of The World Was Today Or Something

Didn't some crazy guy predict that May 21st, 2011 was when some 200 million people would be raptured up to heaven and the rest of us would be left on earth to suffer through earthquakes and other disasters until the world completely ended in October? Well,  stuff was supposed to start going wrong at 6:00 PM local time at each location and here were are now with a good chunk of the world already in the next day with nary a scratch. I guess the world isn't going to end. I'm quite shocked, and by quite I mean not at all.

I do feel kind of bad for the people who actually believed him, quit their jobs, and sold their stuff to spread the word about the supposed end only to be shown to be utter and complete saps--but then again when you're that gullible, how bad can you feel for a person? Now we can get ready for the crazy folk who claim the world ends in 2012. Hoo boy... 

That Was Actually Pretty Cool--Flashpoint #1

Flashpoint #1
Huh, the event I was less excited about--Flashpoint--has a much better first issue and seems a lot more promising than the comic event I was actually kind of pumped for--Fear Itself. Who would have thunk it?

Flashback Friday--DMZ Volume 1: On The Ground

DMZ Volume 1: On The Ground
Interesting story about how I got this: it was essentially the last thing I have bought from a Borders and it was pretty much free. You see, the book normally was $10.00, but was being sold for 50% off at the last Borders near me that was about to close and I had 5 dollars in Borders bucks. With my borders membership covering the sales tax I ended up having one penny left in Borders bucks that I never got to use. Kind of sad. That is a huge digression from my discussing this book about a possible near-future where the U.S. has another civil war--a book which is very good.

Interview Time--David Liss

A picture of David Liss because I find it helps to imagine the person talking when reading an interview with them.

 In early April I read Black Panther #516 and wrote about how amazing I thought it was seeing as how before that issue I had been pretty hard on the series. Every issue after has been great, and I was such a big fan I contacted the writer, David Liss, and asked him to do an interview, he was kind enough to agree to discuss Black Panther and his other projects such as Mystery Men. He was of course tight-lipped about certain subjects (I couldn't get a peep about all this "American Panther" business) but he was eager to discuss a bunch of stuff so I encourage you to enjoy the interview.

Rant Reviews--Iron Man, X-Factor, and X-Force Has Dark Beast!

You read the title right, Uncanny X-Force #10 has Dark Beast! It also contains a comic--in this case Iron Man 2.0 #3--and uses that as an excuse to keep charging $3.99, I suppose. First let's discuss Invincible Iron Man #504 and X-Factor #219 and then I can complain some more about an otherwise good comic.

Book Time--Dear Senator: A Memoir By The Daughter Of Strom Thurmond By Essie Mae Washington Williams

Dear Senator: A Memoir By The Daughter Of Strom Thurmond by Essie Mae Washington Williams
I read this book a long time ago, but it stuck with me as it is a really interesting piece of nonfiction that reads as if it is something straight out of a novel. A state's rights politician who espouses racist ideology has a biracial daughter he secretly cares for and loves? Wow, that's some crazy stuff. Once you get past the tabloid-ish aspects of it all you get into a story that is about really human individuals and how nothing is ever as simple as it seems--especially race.

I Like It--Avengers Academy #11-12

Avengers Academy #11-12
A fun coupling of comics where some weird energy-guy known as Korvac attacks the Avengers Academy and his ex-wife make the kids adult-versions of themselves with their current teen-minds. It's pretty fun.

I'm Posting A Ton Of Cool Stuff Today.

Yeah, I'm posting a lot of awesome stuff today, and all of it before dinnertime.

At 9AM you can read a review of Avengers Academy #11-12, and then at 12PM AKA Noon AKA Lunchtime I'll have a book review for ya of "Dear Senator: A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond" which was written by Strom Thurmond's biracial daughter, Essie Mae Washington Williams.

What else am I bringing for your eyeballs to devour with glee? Well, come 2PM I'll have some rant-reviews of comics that are hot off the presses in that they just came out Wednesday, and then at 4PM I'll have something really big, another interview! With whom, you ask? Why, David Liss, current writer of the Black Panther comic and writer of the upcoming Mystery Men title, both from Marvel.

Why am I doing so much today? I dunno, I just felt like it, that and I probably will be really busy over the weekend and only able to get one thing up Friday (one of my Flashback or Film segments) and maybe one thing or nothing Saturday and Sunday, so yeah, definitely enjoy your big plate of content today, I made it just for you with lots of love....well, not love, more like just an obsession for getting stuff posted.

A Hilarious Pseudo-Sequel--Black Dynamite #1

Black Dynamite #1
There was a very funny movie that parodied blaxploitation films that came out a couple of years ago called, Black Dynamite. It had the talented Michael Jai White (who has a writing credit for this along with a bunch of other folk) as the titular hero, an ex-CIA operative and Vietnam veteran who fights against the man and solves a big mystery. It was a really funny flick and had some great kung-fu fighting. So, when I saw that Ape Entertainment had an officially licensed one-shot you know I was going to pick it up. Would it live up to expectations however? Yeah, I would say it pretty much did.

Collision Part 1-4 AKA Those Comics Where Daken and X-23 Fight

Collision Part 1-4/X-23 #8-9 & Daken: Dark Wolverine #8-9
Daken and X-23 fight and team-up, one betrays the other, they fight, team-up, talk, and nothing much is resolved. Eh.

Friends For Life Inc. Threatens Independence

Some anti-abortion group has made an ad comparing abortion to the Holocaust, segregation, and even has used 9/11 in its imagery. friendsforlifeinc.org is on my list of people who piss me off. I can't find the ad, and I don't really want to put forth the effort to locate it. I understand if you are against abortion, but are you really going to stoop as low as they do, using lies such as claiming abortion is linked to breast cancer--as they do on their website--which has been debunked repeatedly? Friends For Life Inc. is a threat to women and a threat to independence because they threaten an individual's right to decide what to do with their own body.

Mini-Run Review: Deadpool #33-36 (With #33.1)

Deadpool #33-36 (including #33.1)Let's review Deadpool's adventure in space, and return to earth where he faces a bad-guy from  aforementioned space whom we readers thought dead from issue #32. Oh, and there is a random .1 issue that has nothing to do with the other story, which as has been discussed on this blog multiple times really defeats the purpose of .1 issues, but bitching and moaning about that really gets us nowhere.

Donald Trump Not Running For President, Hooray!

Most annoying man ever? Possibly.

In news that didn't surprise me at all, Donald Trump announced he wasn't running for President, even though he felt if he wanted he could win a primary and the general election. I never really expected Trump to actually run because he has pulled this charade before, making one wonder if he ever really wanted to run in the first place, or if yet again he was playing everyone for chumps. I'm just happy the press may quit giving him so much attention and letting Trump whore his show, "The Apprentice," which was pretty much his plan the whole time.

I've Been In The Top 50 On Comic Blog Elite

Thanks to my much-viewed article on the teaser after the Thor movie along with my other posts getting some more-than-normal views I am in the top 50 of comicblogelite.com! You can click for detail.

I would like to thank all the people who made this possible: Comic Blog Elite, the Thor movie, Google and their weird search algorithm that for some reason made me pop up if people typed in certain key phrases, and of course everyone who reads my blog. Now begins the countdown until I drop back down when the immense views decrease a bit.

Rant Review--Dull Avengers, Black Panther Does Well, And Deadpool Family Is Just Awful

New Avengers #12 keeps jumping around in time to a point where I've pretty much lost interest, Black Panther #518 wraps up its first story-arc nicely, and Deadpool Family has a terrible one-shot.

Weirdly Entertaining--Butcher Baker Righteous Maker #1-2

Butcher Baker The Righteous Maker #1-2
This is a strange comic. Sort of a parody of over-the-top super-patriotic comics and also a tale of what happens to heroes when they older than we are used to. It looks great and is generally entertaining, just really odd.

Let Me Get This Straight--Flashpoint #5

Let me get this straight; on August 31st, 2011 there will be only one DC comic released? Strange. That comic will be Flashpoint #5 and it mist have a big impact on the DC Universe that no other comic is coming out from them. This is either a genius or horribly stupid move.

3 Songs That Are Creepier Than You Think

Ah music, it can express so much; love, hate, anger, joy, but it can also be really creepy without you knowing it. After the cut I present to you three songs that are a lot more eerie than they seem at first listen, increasing in level of how creeped-out you get if you actually listen closely to the lyrics.

Flashback Friday--Hellblazer #1

Hellblazer #1
Let's go back far in time, to a few months before I was born, January 1988. A comic launched that spun out of Swamp Thing that is the longest-running Vertigo title ever--so long running it existed before Vertigo even did! I was at a bookstore and they had a bunch of old comics, and mixed about there was this first ever issue of John Constantine's adventures. Seeing as how he is now in the main DC universe, and DC is re-releasing all the Hellblazer books in chronological order (a good thing as apparently the current ordering is a huge mess) this seems like a great time to talk about this first-ever issue.

Podcast Episode 6--Thor, Moon Knight, and Lame Comics

The episode in which I review the movie Thor, say nice things about the new Moon Knight comic, and make fun of some shoddy comics.

Feel free to give it a listen:

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Interview Time--Kevin Rubio

 To go with my review of “Abyss: Family Issues #2-3” that I have posted today I also have a review with writer Kevin Rubio I conducted recently discussing the series and his work in comics.

Good Fun: Abyss: Family Issues: #2-3

Abyss: Family Issues #2-3
Kevin Rubio has written an enjoyable comic that both skewers and pays homage to super-heroes while telling a good story in its own right too.

Comic Podcasts I Listen To

I thought I would do some sharing and discuss comic-related podcasts I enjoy listening to. There isn't too many as I don't have unlimited time to just sit around and listen to podcasts, but they are great for when I'm making half-hour drives a town over and back. You should check all these out, and of course, why not listen to my podcast, The Newest Rant Podcast, too? I mean, you can find them all on iTunes as easy as pie, so why not? Anyways, in no particular order:

4thletter
David Brothers and Esther Inglis dicuss comics, movies, culture, politics, and whatever else they want in what is possibly my favorite podcast. Episodes usually aren't too long, but are still full of content. Definitely worth a download.

The Comic Conspiracy (a part of Geekbox)
Still quite new having not even yet reached its tenth episode, this podcast is enjoyable, covering a wide range of comics news and reviews with hosts who just genuinely love comics.

Wait, What? (of The Savage Critics)
Probably the funniest of any comic-related podcast I listen too, Jeff and Graeme are hilarious with their outrageous comments and willingness to speak their minds no matter how brutal or mean it may sound. Tune in and get ready to grin.

House To Astonish
Were it not for the 4thletter this might be my favorite podcast, as it has funny hosts just like "Wait, What?" has in-depth critical commentary just like the aforementioned 4thletter, and otherwise tends to be hoot to listen to.

The Newest Rant Podcast
I supplied the iTunes link above, and you can always just listen on my blog--how much easier can I make it for you? I hope to get a new episode up soon where I talk about the Thor movie and some lame comics I read. If you like my blog you should enjoy it, check it out!

Another Call For Writers

I've advertised about it before, and with the unbelievable amount of views my post about the Thor teaser has been getting, I thought this would be a good time to renew my call/offer to take on writers for this here blog, The Newest Rant. Do you like movies, television, politics, books, comics, pop-culture, or pretty much anything else? Do you want to write about it and have the satisfaction of knowing people will see it even though I can't pay you because I honestly make no money off this blog other than the $3.12 I've apparently brought in from Google Ads? So yeah, share your opinions, be on my blog, say whatever the hell you want as long as it isn't utterly insane. Just email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com or davidfun102@gmail.com--either works.

Any Comic With Spider-Man AND Batroc The Leaper Is A Winner In My Book--Heroes For Hire #6

Heroes For Hire #6
This has been a pretty enjoyable series so far. It has served as a way to bring in lesser-known characters who are "hired" by Misty Knight to do various tasks and gives the book and excuse to let characters flit in and out of the book. There was of course the big twist that the Puppet Master was in fact orchestrating this, but since breaking free of him last issue Misty is now doing the whole "Heroes For Hire" business legitimately with the help of Paladin.  It makes for some fun reading.

Rant Reviews--Two Books With Wolverine, A Cybernetic Batman, and Green Arrow Is Just Lame.

We've got Uncanny X-Force #9 with another stand-alone issue that is still good but actually kind of disappointing considering how great this series has been, Wolverine: The Best There Is #6 actually finishes somewhat decently, DC Universe Online Legends #7 drags a bit, and Green Arrow #11 kind of sucks. Yeah, nothing too impressive.

Enjoyable Considering It Was Two Issues Of Nothing But Talking--Iron Man 2.0 #3-4

Iron Man 2.0 #3-4
Nick Spencer knows when to let a lack of dialogue speak for itself, having the first five pages of Iron Man 2.0 #3 go by in absolute silence. It shows reflection, regret, and planning.

Actually Quite Good--Azrael: Angel In The Dark

Azrael: Angel: In The Dark
The first volume of the ongoing Azrael series collected in trade paperback form. It is much better than you maybe would expect, and is really quite interesting, tackling complex subjects pretty tastefully and of course working in some good action bits.

I Got HOW Many Views?

I had an interview with Kelly Sue Deconnick, it got a lot of views, more than a hundred over the week. That was pretty good. About two hours ago I had my post about the Thor movie and what the ending teaser trailer means. That is about at 100 as I type this. This means a lot of people are looking on Google for what the Thor movie ending means, and sure enough if you type the right words I pop up. I swear, some days my blog gets 20 views, other days 50, and now I get 100 within two hours. What a world.

What The Thor Movie's Ending Teaser Trailer Means.

I've seen people discussing how they were confused by Thor's teaser trailer on the internet, so I thought I would spend a little time discussing it. Clearly, we have spoilers.

• Alright, at the end that strange thing in the suitcase Nick Fury reveals is a Cosmic Cube, a source of unlimited energy, hence all the talk of energy.
• Loki seems to have taken control of the doctor or at least piggy-backed onto him, it isn't quite clear which.
• This both shows that the Cosmic Cube--which will play a part in Captain America--is in the hands of Nick Fury by the time of the upcoming Avengers movie, and that this Cosmic Cube will possibly play a role in said Avengers movie, with Loki also appearing.

I hope that helped clear some things up!

Strange Mixture Of Comics--Herculian #1

Herculian #1
Erik Larsen turns in a 48-page pseudo-anthology (anthology in the sense it is different pieces, but not really one because it is all Larsen), of his "24 hour" comic and some other stuff. It's an interesting mixed bag o' comics.

My Girlfriend (Back When I Originally Made This Post) Got These For Free Comic Book Day And Continues To Hate Comics Because They Sucked.

World War Hulks: Spider-Man VS Thor #1-2
Alright, so the comic store I went to was giving out comics for free comic book day--obviously. You could get some of the special comics made just for free comic book day and they had various older comics they were giving away too. They had plenty of good ones but I told her to get these because I read they were absolutely horrible and the author, Kieron Gillen himself, admitted he was kind of drunk when he wrote the scripts for these two issues. She read the first issue and took it as a example of all comics and now continues to only like manga because of the sheer hideous nature of this comic that she read aloud to emphasis how abominable it was. Anyways, let's break down just what makes these so unpleasant but in a way awesome because they are so bad.