sizzler

drive-by readings

The Boys #46 (Dynamite) "Believe, Part Three" Garth Ennis Russ Braun Tony Aviña Simon Bowland Darick Robertson (cover)

what we learned: finally: Butcher and Hughie let it all out, and i can empathize with Hughie for being scared of not being trusted anymore. Butcher breathes a sigh of relief, but there's still a big problem as the two are in love. also Mother's Milk flask is missing.
oh shit moment: two: Queen Maeve is a spy for the Boys (and didja see her pics!!) and Hughie watches Annie/Starlight's initiation into the Seven.
what's next: like Butcher says, you gotta be cruel to be kind. is this gonna break up Hughie and Annie?


due to the family nature (pfshhh) of this blog, that's all we can show you.

ghostwalkin'

drive-by readings

The Last Phantom #1 (Dynamite) "Ghostwalk Chapter One: Phantom Living" Scott Beatty Eduardo Ferigato Vinicius Andrade Simon Bowland Alex Ross (cover) Joe Prado/Fabiano Nieves (variant cover)

what we learned: at last The Phantom gets reinvented, Dynamite-style, and gone are the light-hearted Sunday fun strips and Billy Zane. this time, Kitridge Walker (consider him the white T'Challa) steps firmly into his legacy as his family is massacred by greedy rivals, including his own friend, the appropriately named Peter Quisling (what, he never vetted the guy??).
oh shit moment: Peter Quisling?? how obvious can you get? seriously, when "Kit Walker" assumes the Phantom garb (only figuratively, because he's covered in either blood or warpaint), i think i wet my pants.
what's next: skullprints across faces. wait, make that across nuts.


Phantom versus Predators, who ya got??

opening wounds

drive-by readings

The Boys #45 (Dynamite) "Believe, Part Two" Garth Ennis Russ Braun Tony Aviña Simon Bowland Darick Robertson (cover)

what we learned: Annie comes clean with Hughie, but the latter pukes and runs. the Homelander and Oh Father start rolling the dice on whether they should support Vought on the "supes for national defense" thing. good thing the Boys are on the case.
oh shit moment: when i realized that The Female cutting loose in that right-wing Christian festival was just a teaser. damn!!!
what's next: Butcher and Hughie have been conveniently dancing around for issues now on the subject of Annie. goddammit, let the truth out already!!!


Simon Pegg is asking for his royalties.

the weekly hits

Brightest Day #5 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Peter Tomasi/Ivan Reis/Ardian Syaf/Joe Prado/Vicente Cifuentes/Peter Steigerwald/Rob Clark Jr (covers: David Finch/Scott Williams/Steigerwald, Reis/Chuck Pires)
what we learned: Katar and Shiera fight the Thundercats. and some winged creatures. also, Hank Hall is rapidly supplanting Guy Gardner's as the DCU's #1 douche. and Aquaman finally does something about the Gulf Coast oil spill. kinda. contrary to certain reports.
oh shit moment: what? Mera has a backstory?? get out!!
what's next: what's really going on in Hawkworld? will Aquaman be a swinging single soon?

oh snap! well, that certainly changes things ...

Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Carmine Giandomenico/Matt Wilson/Joe Caramagna (cover: Salvador Larroca)
what we learned: acclaimed Asian film director Jun Shan (Ang Lee, is that you?) gets kidnapped by the Mandarin to film his life story. who knows if this is will be his new origin, as i like the Knaufs' story of his resurrection much better. by the way, nice nod to your Iron Fist run, Mr. Fraction.
oh shit moment: Jun Shan thinks he can escape with his zombie wife, but alas, that is not the case.
what's next: of course he's coming back in the pages of Iron Man. what i'd like to see is how to incorporate him in the Iron Man movies, beyond the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Prometheus CEO, anyone?

and Robert Downey Jr. nails the part ... again!

X-Force #28 (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/Mike Choi/Sonia Oback/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov)
what we learned: X-Force returns from the future, thanks to the magic of Cable's techno-organic virus, now given free rein. left to his own devices, Bastion goes mano-a-mano with Hope (who's displaying all the powers of existing mutants, but apparently Bastion thinks its new and unclassified). well, ain't you the smart one.
oh shit moment: the Cable ... is broken. also, the Golden Gate bridge.
what's next: is Bastion dead? will Hope bitch slap Cyclops, leading to a catfight between her and Emma? place your bets!

well, its about goddamn time ... oh wait, too many people have already died. so, no.

Fantastic Four Annual #32 (Marvel)
Joe Ahearne/Bryan Hitch/Andrew Currie/Paul Mounts/Rain Beredo/Rus Wooton/Chris Eliopoulos
what we learned: heeeeeere's Johnny! and heeeeee's a daddy! wonder why it took that long. Joe Ahearne takes his Dr. Who experience and translates into a Fantastic Voyage for our heroes. turns out the Psycho-Woman (wait, that's her name and not another of Johnny's one night stands) engineered the whole thing so she can create an army of cosmic warriors based on Johnny's tissues. why can't Reed just build Johnny his own artificial Friday Night Zone?
oh shit moment: the egg donor, Amy, jumps into the timestream. presumably to stop what was going to happen, but if Reed can't say for sure, how do we really know?
what's next: have any of y'all seen Jonathan Storm Jr? blond, blue eyes, about this height?

yes. especially David Lee Roth.

Shadowland #1 (Marvel)
Andy Diggle/Billy Tan/Matt Banning/Christina Strain/Guru EFx/Joe Caramagna (cover: John Cassaday/Laura Martin)
who wants to beat up Bullseye? you, Daredevil? step right up! wait, what are you doing with that sai? no, you can't -noooooooooooooo! oh crap.

Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier #1 (Marvel)
Ed Brubaker/Dale Eaglesham/Andy Troy/Joe Caramagna (cover: Carlos Pacheco/Tim Townsend/Frank D'Armata)
what we learned: his name is Rogers. Steve Rogers. MGM may put the Bond franchise on hold, but here's a worthy alternative. Rogers, suddenly adjusting to the new world, takes on multitasking to a whole new level as S.H.I.E.L.D. boss, Avengers commander, leader of his own Secret Avengers, and going on his own private missions. how does he do it? how does he sleep? anyhoo, Prof. Erskine's grandson has cracked the Super Soldier formula and he's selling it to the highest bidder. only it turns out he may not be aware of the latter fact.
oh shit moment: was Steve Rogers really as thin as DJ Qualls back then?
what's next: sleep is overrated.

no, Steve, that would be so cliché.

Scarlet #1 (Marvel/Icon)
Brian Michael Bendis/Alex Maleev/Chris Eliopoulos (variant covers: David LaFuente/Mike Deodato)
what we learned: there is no escape from Bendis (well there is, if you stop following any of his work). Scarlet is the creator-owned collaboration from these Daredevil maestros, and it already reeks of aiming for Hollywood. not to say that its not good, but let's have a fully-hashed storyline before we give it the Kick-Ass treatment, yeah?
oh shit moment: when you have to stand up for your rights and take it to the law because you know what's right.
what's next: how did a slacker become an assassin? there's hope for us!

remind me not to go biking in Portland.

The Boys #44 (Dynamite)
Garth Ennis/Russ Braun/Tony Aviña/Simon Bowland (cover: Darick Robertson)
what we learned: religion and truth and justice don't really mix. Hughie and the Butcher make up. kinda.
oh shit moment: The Homelander. John Travolta. Staying Alive. Ha-ha-ha-ha ... stayin' aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive. oh, and Hughie learns the truth.
what's next: ever attended a religious rally?

sounds like 2006's Civil War.

Batman & Robin #13 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Frazer Irving/Pat Brosseau
what we learned: am glad Grant Morrison is still having fun with this title (coupled with the Return of Bruce Wayne). Oberon Sexton, unmasked as the Joker, has some agenda not yet in play, as events from the beginning of this series still have impact. also, Batman has his own subway station that is much better than the average New York MTA deathtrap.
oh shit moment: how many you want? Thomas Wayne shooting Batman, Robin laying serious whupass on the Joker, or the return of Pyg?
what's next: can we keep Frazer Irving on this book?

"and that's for Jason Todd! just kidding."

Secret Six #23 (DC)
John Ostrander/RB Silva/Alexandre Palamaro/Jason Wright/Travis Lanham (cover: Daniel Luvisi)
what we learned: an earlier story patterned after The Most Dangerous Game and Battle Royale. hey, it was about time we put the Six through their paces. yeah, well, Catman can still smile here.
oh shit moment: actually, that part is the realization where this thing wasn't a challenge for the Six. at all. i thought it would have been a two-parter or something. whatever.
what's next: we want angry Catman!

how Nero ended up after he burned Rome down.

Scalped #39 (DC/Vertigo)
Jason Aaron/RM Guera/Giulia Brusco/Steve Wands (cover: Jock)
what we learned: except for a few issues, this series is always intensely angry. with a new story arc "Unwanted", Aaron delves into parenthood and the realities and responsibilities of assuming that state, this time from the point of view of Carol Ellroy. turns out she was unwanted by her mother, and now pregnant (again) as well, the apple don't fall far from the tree. plus, RM Guera is up there with the detailed artwork (especially grubby trashed rooms) with George and Phil.
oh shit moment: Dashiell Bad Horse vs Shunka. no contest. also, Dashiell's dad shows up.
what's next: we want a Bad Horse/Shunka rematch!

Dashiell Bad Horse would like to change his name to Easily-Beaten-By-A-Sissy.

Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven #2 (Marvel)
Ron Zimmerman/Howard Chaykin/Edgar Delgado/Jeff Eckleberry (cover: Dave Johnson)
what we learned: with a lot of Western nods (Deadwood, the Lone Ranger) and witty dialogue, this book has me in stitches. the fab Rawhide Kid assembles his seven (i didn't realize Lobo was the seventh) and goes to stop the Hanging of the Earps.
oh shit moment: Seth Bullock. a literate Red Wolf. Two-Gun Kid in his pre-Avengers/Kang days.
what's next: man, i gotta stop playing Borderlands, and get on with Red Dead Redemption.

ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

what would Bruce Lee say??

oh yeah, he's dead. what does he care?

the weekly hits

Birds of Prey #2 (DC)
Gail Simone/Ed Benes/Adriana Melo/Mariah Benes/Nei Ruffino/Steve Wands

what we learned: someone has successfully set up the reunited Birds, particularly Black Canary, to be fugitives from the law.
holy shit moment: Black Canary and the Huntress throw down on the White Canary, but she barely flinches. also, isn't it weird to have infamous macho Hank Hall standing with the sexy birds - considering Hall is just Guy Gardner with super-strength minus a power ring?
what's next: who's this White Canary? don't tell me someone kidnapped Sin, force-grew her to adulthood and brainwashed her to hate Dinah. also, Oracle apparently realized someone out-nerded her (is it Calculator? nope, he's just been asskicked in the pages of Batgirl, depending on the shipping schedule), and now will debug the program. girl po-wahh!!

avatar of peace and hotness! ay caramba!

The Boys #43 (Dynamite Entertainment)
Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson/Richard P. Clark/Simon Bowland/Tony Aviña

what we learned: things get finally sorted out as Mother's Milk gets in the Butcher's face, and Wee Hughie pays a bit o' a price for defending Superduper against Malchemical (who's apparently not as resilient as Metamorpho)
holy shit moment: what would happen if Mother's Milk and Butcher went at it? schism!
what's next: Homelander's up to something. and hey, when is everyone going to find out about Hughie and Annie?

Executive Assistant Iris #5 (Aspen)
David Wohl/Brad Foxhoven/Eduardo Francisco/Alex Lei/John Starr/Josh Reed

what we learned: love exacts a high price, if you're in the business of killing people.
holy shit moment: Iris thinks she can still have her cake and eat it too, but too late.
what's next: beware a woman's wrath, especially if said woman can kill you without breaking a sweat in a heartbeat.

New Avengers #1 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/Stuart Immonen/Wade Von Grawbadger/Laura Martin/Chris Eliopoulos

Basically, a catch-all book for the rest of the Avengers who are not on the main "Big Guns" team. and more likely it will be a team-up book with non-Avengers as well. Bendis dialogue is dead on as usual. putting Victoria Hand as their coordinator/liaison is sure to ratchet up tensions, especially with Jessica Jones. hell, Hand is a lot easier to the eye than Henry Gyrich and Duane Freeman.

Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #1 (America's Best Comics/Wildstorm/DC)
Peter Hogan/Chris Sprouse/Karl Story/Todd Klein/Carrie Strachan
aaaaaaaaaaaaaand he's back. and fighting in a timeline hijacked by Nazis. well, not exactly Nazis. Aryan Supremacists. led by his son, Albrecht. and you thought your life was bad.

Incredible Hulk #610 (Marvel)
Greg Pak/Paul Pelletier/Danny Miki/Frank D'Armata/Simon Bowland (covers: John Romita Jr./Klaus Janson/Dean White)
you know its always attention-grabbing when the Hulk slams down for a groundbreaking appearance. yes, you heard what i said. The. Hulk.

Brightest Day #4 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Peter Tomasi/Ivan Reis/Ardian Syaf/Scott Clark/Oclair Albert/Vicente Cifuentes/David Beaty/Peter Steigerwald/John Starr/Rob Clark Jr. (covers: Finch/Scott Williams/Steigerwald, Reis/Chuck Pires)

what we learned: ummm, Hawkpersons are not in Peru anymore. Deadman is more interesting dead, and something is taking the water out of people and places. or maybe its just Firestorm.
holy shit moment: umm, splash pages with Dove and some Mera-like babe with a water sword?
what's next: i'm barely with this series, only because i want to see the inevitable clash between Aquaman and Black Manta.

Shayera/Kendra will not cut it in Last Comic Standing.

New Mutants #14 (Marvel)
Zeb Wells/Ibraim Roberson/Lan Medina/Nathan Fox/Brian Reber/Matt Milla/Jose Villarubia/Joe Caramagna (covers: Adi Granov/David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald)
what we learned: conveniently, we have Legion on rehab/standby, and with a nifty machine that can project any one of his mutant personalities at will (they have all this fancy gadgetry but they have to depend on the outside world for food. go figure.). meanwhile, X-Force is making headway in shutting down Nimrod Central. also
holy shit moment: not sure if i've seen it before but Colossus having his arm broken? yeeeech.
what's next: Magneto is about to join the fray. finally!!!! (and i hope Hope does too.)

take, this broken arm, and learn to punch again, learn to swing so free.

Crossed: Family Values #2 (Avatar Press)
David Lapham/Javier Barreno/Julien Huggonard-Bert/DigiKore Studios (covers: Jacen Burrows/Paul Duffield/Michael DiPascale/JuanMar)

what we learned: the Pratts have relocated and rebuilt their community in Montana, but its only the winter that separates them from the Crossed.
holy shit moment: how many do you want? the Mormon bishops reduced to their basic instincts? the studying of a Crossed specimen? or that Daddy Pratt is still up to his old ways?
what's next: the inspiration is The Walking Dead, but David Lapham has taken Garth Ennis' horrifying concept of zombies with id gone wild and ran with it. what would Addy do now that it seems like there is no lesser evil?

in the phantom zone

holy shit, i never saw him like this.

let me guess: his family gets wiped out and he barely survives himself. this time, its personal.

by the way, if he is going to be badass (the way Dynamite Entertainment is making over every pulp hero out there), can we change his name? Kit Walker sounds like that preppy douchebag who's living off his father's money. also, he should also be carrying something like a pair of Glock 20s or H&K Mark 23s.

coming this August. minus Billy Zane!!!

things i liked this week

Batman and Robin #11 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Andy Clarke/Scott Hanna/Tony Aviña/Alex Sinclair/Patrick Brosseau
devils, bats and sextons, oh my! Damian's probably not gonna forgive his mom.

Shield #1 (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman/Dustin Weaver/Christina Strain/Todd Klein (cover with Gerald Parel)
Marvel history buffs, this one's for you. everything you know is ... well, let's just say nobody really knew anything. can you imagine the spinoffs? i vote for one that features Agents walking between the raindrops of (and influencing) Marvel events in the last twenty years (Jasper Sitwell, come on down!).

Superman: Secret Origins #5 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Gary Frank/Jon Sibal/Brad Anderson/Steve Wands
terrific story by Johns, with Luthor, Lois Lane's douchebag military dad and his tool protege all coming together to take down the naive Superman. this should have been the material to reboot the Superman franchise (especially considering Johns' history with the films and the Donners).


Uncanny X-Men #523 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson/Justin Ponsor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov, variant cover: David Finch/Peter Steigerwald)
although the Dodsons turn in some work not up to par with their standards (the X-Men teleporting a couple of times to cover a few feet?), Matt Fraction's handling of the newest X-crossover has been all pedal-to-the-metal, which i am liking. Scott's about to pay big time for authorizing X-Force, but first they have to bring back Hope and Cable safe and sound. not that easy.


Red Robin #11 (DC)
Christopher Yost/Marcus To/Ray McCarthy/Mark McKenna/Guy Major/Sal Cipriano
if Bruce Wayne is already here, what is Tim Drake doing running around looking for him though?

say it! "Red Robin ....... yuummmmmm!"

The Boys #41 (Dynamite)
Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson/Simon Bowland/Tony Aviña
Malchemical joins the bunch of retard ... oppps, sheltered superheroes in SuperDuper, and a chance meeting with Hughie adds to Butcher's suspicions. this is not going to end in a good way.


Thor and the Warriors Four #1 (Marvel)
Alex Zalben/Gurihiru/Dave Sharpe
Power Pack meets Pet Avengers in their quest to ask Thor for golden apples to cure their grandma. aaaaaawwwww. the only thing i need to point out is, didn't the kids meet Thor way back in the Mutant Massacre? why does it look like they're not sure he exists?


Turf #1 (Image)
Jonathan Ross/Tommy Lee Edwards/John Workman/John Barber (variant covers: Jim Steranko/Duncan Fregedo)
vampires in Prohibition era New York. i thought it was Punisher Noir. well, minus the vampires. let me guess: honorable vampire teams up with honorable mobster against the beasts. and i'm not even referring to the earth-bound bloodsuckers.


Wolverine: Weapon X #12 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Ron Garney/Jason Keith/Cory Petit
Deathloks! Old Man No Hand Logan! Buckaptain America! Butterfly Effects! wooooooooh!

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers #1 (Marvel)
Reginald Hudlin/Denys Cowan/Klaus Janson/Pete Pantazis/Joe Sabino
the Hooters vs. Nazis vs. Wakandans. i meant the Howlers, dammit!!! USA! USA! USA!

Deadpool Corps #1 (Marvel)
Victor Gischler/Rob Liefeld/Adelso Corona/Matt Yackey/Clayton Cowles
i know, i know, its like the umpteenth Deadpool book in last few years. amused by the Prelude, i couldn't resist checking what trouble they'd all get into. now if they just put Humberto Ramos in here on art instead of 'Pool's co-creator ...

things i liked this week

X-Men Second Coming one-shot (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov, variant cover: Finch with Jason Keith)

has Finch been around too long that i think of this dirty rough-edged work with old colleague Batt kind of a throwback? is Hope Summers a positive or a negative? also, see X-23 make a point!

Blackest Night #8 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Ivan Reis/Oclair Albert/Joe Prado/Alex Sinclair/Nick Napolitano (variant cover: Doug Mahnke)

did anybody notice that this was released leading up to the Easter weekend? the conclusion, although nothing totally surprising, has mixed results with the fan base. certain characters were brought back for a reason (and the reason being "we can have more events with them!" - they weren't randomly pulled from a bag). and i can certainly agree with Geoff Johns that Ivan Reis is a god - imagine drawing all this craziness for eight straight issues. we need to give him a White Lantern ring. wait, that's totally gay.

X-Factor #203 (Marvel)
Peter David/Val De Landro/Pat Davidson/Jeromy Cox/Cory Petit (cover: David Yardin/Nathan Fairbairn)
Monet goes to rescue her father in South America. probably kidnapped by Nazis hiding there. anyhoo, look who's got a mad-on for her! woooohoooooo!!!


Gotham City Sirens #10 (DC)
Paul Dini/Andres Guinaldo/Raul Fernandez/Ian Hannin/Sal Cipriano (cover: Guillem March)
listen, there's only one Fable that works - its that book by Bill Willingham. anyway, Doctor Aesop? pffffft. also: the girls' relationship with Riddler? pffffft.


Realm of Kings: Inhumans #5 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Pablo Raimondi/Tim Seeley/Victor Olazaba/Adriano Lucas (cover: Stjepan Sejic)
say what??? this is all a sham? oh, wait till Thanos returns. and the real Maximus comes back.


X-Force #25 (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/Clayton Crain/Cory Petit

Attack of the 50-foot giant, blue, goth goddess sexbomb! hey, question: doesn't anybody question why certain mutants show up in Cerebra as Colorado visitors every so often? do the Cuckoos mindwipe those who notice?

Cloak and Dagger #1 (Marvel)
Stuart Moore/Mark Brooks/Walden Wong/Emily Warren/Dave Sharpe
riddle me this, Batman! are Tandy and Ty doing what they do as a woman and a man?

Green Hornet #2 (Dynamite)
Kevin Smith/Phil Hester/Jonathan Lau/Ivan Nunes/Simon Bowland (covers: Alex Ross/John Cassaday/Joe Benitez)
out with the old, in with the new. one thing sure, Southwest Airlines is not a sponsor of this book.


Punisher #15
Rick Remender/Roland Boschi/Dan Brown/Lee Loughridge/Joe Caramagna (cover: Mike McKone/Morry Hollowell)

Frank versus dead Nazis, samurais and Hellsgaard! what more do you want? oh wait, is Frankencastle concept ending?

The Sword #23 (Image)
Joshua Luna/Jonathan Luna

you know that line that goes 'that the greatest trick the devil played was to make everyone believe he never existed' or something like that? well .... kinda something like that.

the real inglorious basterds

The Boys doing their version of goose-stomping on Nazi super"hero" Stormfront. wooohoooooooo!

drive-by readings: Buck Rogers #2

Buck Rogers #2 (Dynamite Entertainment) "Future Shock, Part 2: Animal Husbandry ..." Scott Beatty Carlos Rafael Carlos Lopez Simon Bowland John Cassaday and Laura Martin (cover)

and the adventure continues. not a bad issue, as we get some backstory prior to Buck's ill-fated launch into space. apparently, he has to intercept a runaway satellite with DNA-heavy cargo shot out by the last survivor of a plague-infested Fort Heinlein (nice nod, part 1). his new superior, with whom he's at odds with (ah, the boring life of a daredevil pilot) is currently shacking up with his ex, who in this case is named Captain Ashley(?) Deering. fast forward into the future (2519), this time it's a Colonel Wilma Deering (the one we know and spunky too - wait, she didn't actually say her name was "Deering") and she's an Earth Protectorate officer investigating aliens trafficking in human meat and illegal genetic engineering in so-called slaughter ships. breaking free of their captors (hey, look its Princess Ardala), they go through a trash chamber (nice nod, part 2) and promptly eject themselves to space. yes, they're just orbiting Mars. whooopeee.

drive-by readings: Herogasm #2

Herogasm #2 (Dynamite) "Amsterdam" Garth Ennis John McCrea Keith Burns Simon Bowland Tony Aviña Darick Robertson (cover)

we didn't learn much from this issue, except ... wait, we learned a lot from this issue, and they're all unprintable. yes, little boys, move along now, nothing to see here. don't you see the Mature Readers label? geddouddaheah.

and on that note ... we look forward to the Boys crashing the party next issue. snort up.

drive-by readings: Buck Rogers #1

Buck Rogers #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) "Future Shock, Part 1: One Giant Leap ..." Scott Beatty Carlos Rafael Carlos Lopez Simon Bowland John Cassaday and Laura Martin (cover)

considering my only exposure to daredevil spaceman Anthony "Buck" Rogers was the early '80s TV show ("Chicago, Chiii-cago..."), and also that Robot Chicken episode, i'm not familiar with the whole mythos and had to check Wikipedia (heh.) turns out the guy predates even Flash Gordon and Dan Dare, with only John Carter of Mars debuting earlier in 1912. Dynamite has to be commended for taking classic characters (Lone Ranger, Zorro, Green Hornet) and breathing new life into them. ok, so new audiences take note, the basic premise is still the same: hotshot space pilot in current time gets lost (space warp?) and lands in future, where new exciting adventures commence.

just like before, the man out of time encounters a familiar character, Col. Wilma Deering (of course. Erin Gray fan reunion!) garbed in an antigravity suit with a gun. Buck still doesn't get it that he's not on his Earth anymore, and the appearance of an armored walking bear should have made him realize this. of course, he gets vaporized into somewhere else before seeing the bear talk (and even has a name. "Ursunius"? why not "Yogi"?). well, they still got my attention. let the adventure begin.

Djimon Honsou, is that you?

i guess James Earl Jones wouldn't do the character justice anymore at this point.

drive-by readings: The Boys #31

The Boys #31 (Dynamite) "The Self Preservation Society, Part 1" Garth Ennis Carlos Ezquerra Hector Ezquerra Simon Bowland Tony Aviña Darick Robertson (cover)

finally! from the opening storyline where we were introduced to the Seven (the ethically-challenged version of the JLA), i was waiting for this throwdown. in a set up that kind of echoes the death of Luca Brasi, one of the Boys get taken down. and that made me really sad. dammit, i want a lot of asskicking to happen because of this. no more name taking, Billy Butcher. by the way, Garth, nice work on retelling an alternate version of Hal Jordan's origin.

where no 15 year old geek has gone before

... Garth Ennis is taking them there, aye, as long as they even get to purchase this material.



after the tongue-in-cheek sleazy premise of the first few issues, The Boys jumped (or were pushed?) off the DC/Wildstorm wagon because of the material itself. finding a new home under Dynamite, the series continued its narrative on superhero skullduggery and political conspiracies while toning down (relatively) its graphic depictions of the crazy shit that Ennis said would "out-Preacher Preacher". if you ask me, the past year's output has been too talky for me.

now comes (pun intended) its first spinoff, Herogasm, which takes us back to those early days (in tone) of The Boys. in a nutshell, all these (damaged) superheroes (who are technically backed by the military establishment) need their R&R, and what better way to do that than cook up a fake global/planetary crisis ("alien invasion!") and heroically "leave" Earth to deal with it. actually, they just all went to some supersecret remote island, where all the best hookers in the world are waiting. and i don't just mean female hookers.

i started laughing as soon as Homelander (the Superman of this book) made his Hollywood-tailored we-who-are-about-to-die speech - i knew where this was going, and i'm surprised no one has thought of this before. all the heroes we idolize are just frauds and just as fucked-up as the rest of us. they just happen to have superpowers.

according to CBR (by way of Wikipedia), Ennis states that " ... while we're having a pop at the notion of mass crossovers within a shared universe, we're not picking on 'Crisis' or 'Secret Wars' or 'Countdown' or whatever in particular." oh yeah? i think i lost it when Homelander started mentioning "Chaocrisis" and "Covert Intrusion". "Final Fracas"? "Civil Dispute"? heee heee heee.

so where are the Boys in this version of a summer event? right smack in the middle of it, and they're not after a cape this time. oh no, they aren't ...


summer suddenly got even better!!!

-----
Herogasm #1

yeah, that's gonna work

pandering to the beaten Republican demographic eh?


it would have probably a lot more impact if they released it at the height of the election campaign (right before McCain picked Palin).

cliffhanger of the week #16

#9 - Hunting High and Low

i'm sure i've read the Huntress' origin before but this one peels off more layers. we learn more about Helena Bertinelli's origin as a victim, a balancing act, an apt student of violence, and now, a nemesis of the Sicilian police.

Huntress: Year One #1 (DC)
Ivory Madison/Cliff Richards/Art Thibert/Jason Wright/Sal Cipriano

#8 - Charles Is Not In Charge

what do you mean, Mike Carey? Mr. Sinister has been manipulating the Charles Francis Xavier since he was a kid? the bald eagle and mentor of mutants everywhere? are you shitting me? that makes Essex the actual founder of the X-Men! sacrilege! sacrebleu! (yes, Gambit is in this issue, mon ami.)

X-Men #211 (Marvel)
Mike Carey/Scot Eaton/Brandon Peterson/John Dell/Andrew Hennessy/Dave Meikis/Frank D'Armata/John Rauch/Cory Petit

#7 - Waiting For a Star

this is my new favorite series. getting their first mission off the books was easy. the next, investigating a temporal anomaly that seems to put Captain America in their proximity (comic characters never die), is a little more complicated.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Paul Pelletier/Rick Magyar/Nathan Fairbairn/Joe Caramagna

#6 - Pulp Fiction

why do we bother when these characters have healing factors? they beat each other to a pulp and an inch, but that inch is enough to make 'em keep on tickin'. i guess we just love to watch a good lickin'. and depicting a good lickin' is what makes Jason Aaron rock so hard! but of course, there's a cliffhanger, although it does seem anticlimactic.

Wolverine #65 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Ron Garney/Jason Keith/Cory Petit

#5 - Mercy Mercy Me

embarking on a rescue mission to rescue fellow Lanterns, Kyle, John, Guy et al, run into a planet that's been transformed into one Black Mercy greenhouse, courtesy of that nice fellow Mongul. check it out quick, 'cause the title of this book's about to be changed to Green Lantern Corpses.

Green Lantern Corps #24 (DC)
Peter Tomasi/Patrick Gleason/Drew Geraci/Prentiss Rollins/Guy Major/Steve Wands

#4 - I Was Only Dreaming

a fantasy issue (what isn't?) where Sonja deals with her demons (e.g., all the jerks she gutted in her entire comic book career) and it turns out she's been taking a lot of shrooms and crack. wait a sec ... isn't that ol' Death himself?

Red Sonja #33 (Dynamite)
Luke Lieberman/Homs/Vinicius Andrade/Simon Bowland

#3 - Gone Daddy Gone

should we spill the beans? that Rick Grimes is dead? oh shit.

The Walking Dead #49 (Image)
Robert Kirkman/Charlie Adlard/Cliff Rathburn/Rus Wooton

#2 - Armored War

as if being punk'd by Doom wasn't enough, Tony has to contend with a bigger asshole - his pops! and with Mephisto watching with popcorn. good thing the ol' Stark brain finds a way out of hell, and just in time to go mailed fist against legendary sword with Doom. yes, the ugly one got Excalibur.

Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #2 (Marvel)
David Michelinie/Ron Lim/Bob Layton/Chris Sotomayor/Artmonkeys

#1 - My Super Ex-Girlfriend

guess who's revealed to be a Skrull. wait, make that guess who's a Skrull and posed as the Invisible Woman.

Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel)
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/Barry Kitson/Mick Gray/Scott Hanna/Paul Neary/Chris Sotomayor/Joe Caramagna