things i liked this week

Justice Society of America #39 (DC)
Bill Willingham/Jesus Merino/Jesse Delperdang/Rob Leigh/Allen Passalaqua

and this is how i like my alternate future crisis stories - although it reeks of Days of Future Past (and its not even a broad comics event in any case), the idea that the super-Nazis have taken over the world and defeated most of the good guys, has got me cheering the resistance led by Mr. Terrific. but right at the last second, a twist - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. looking forward to the conclusion (and let it be not a post-event narrative a la Secret Invasion #8)

Avengers Prime #1 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/Alan Davis/Mark Farmer/Javier Rodriguez/Chris Eliopoulos

the Avengers Big Three in an in-between days adventure before the Avengers relaunch (man, how do these guys breathe?). divided fans of Iron Man and Captain America should not miss this, as i expect chockfulls of fanboy goodness (though there might be some mis-characterizations).

Superman/Batman Annual #4 (DC)
Paul Levitz/Renato Guedes/Jose Wilson/Steve Wands (cover: Art Germ)

probably the best Batman Beyond story in years, Terry McGinnis gets to be in an unlikely teamup with an aging Superman in a downtrodden Metropolis to go up against who else, but longtime nemesis Luthor. is this a sign that McGinnis will get to be featured in more high profile stories soon? continuity freaks will nitpick this, but hell, i just want me some Batman Beyond. looks like Paul Levitz didn't miss a beat.

The Thanos Imperative #1 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Miguel Sepulveda/Jay David Ramos/Joe Caramagna (cover: Aleksi Briclot)

and here we go! with the Cancer-verse growing by the minute and their version of Mar-Vell aiming to wipe out death in this universe of ours (well, isn't that a good thing?), the Guardians of the Galaxy try to balance things out by reinjecting Thanos into the equation. this series is not to be missed as usual, with the great space opera work DnA have been churning out in the past few years, but am a bit apprehensive that this is their swan song and they're going out with a bang. a big bang.

Invincible #72 (Image)
Robert Kirkman/Ryan Ottley/Cliff Rathburn/FCO Plascencia/Rus Wooton

the Viltrumite War begins and it looks like major characters will not survive. when Invincible ends, they should just make a coffee table book of all its gory moments. that's a conversation starter.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #37 (Marvel)
Karl Kesel/Paulo Siqueira/Fabio D'Auria/Joe Caramagna (cover: Marcos Martin)
Spidey meets Cap - the original - for the first time. but if Cap first saw him back in Avengers vol. 1 #11, how come he's been using a computer to track down Spidey? it must be that fluid Marvel timeline. also, i bet Cap still uses AOL to get on teh 'Net.


Captain America/Black Panther - Flags of Our Fathers #3 (Marvel)
Reginald Hudlin/Denys Cowan/Tom Palmer/Pete Pantazis/Joe Sabino (cover: Cowan/Sandu Florea/Pantazis)
worth the price of admission: the Armless Tiger Man! man, the Red Skull sure knows how to pick 'em!


Avengers - The Origin #3 (Marvel)
Joe Casey/Phil Noto/Albert Deschesne
the fledgling Avengers track down the Hulk in a circus, where the collateral damage is bound to be high. and they're likely to make mistakes because they're inexperienced and a tad excited about this whole superheroing thing. excellent work by Phil Noto.

Secret Warriors #16 (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman/Gianluca Gugliotta/Sunny Gho/Dave Lanphear (cover: Jim Cheung/Mark Morales/Justin Ponsor)
just like the best spy-vs-spy conflicts, am already at a loss as to what's going on. yeah i know the ugly guys are the bad guys, but with Nick Fury being revealed as a member of a Shadow Council taking care of the Serpent Crown (Serpent. Hydra. Leviathan. scary creatures.) - unless that was an LMD and Hickman and Bendis are laughing at my confusion. and now, another betrayal. looks like nothing changes in Fury's world, S.H.I.E.L.D. or no S.H.I.E.L.D. i miss Stefano Caselli though.


Hercules - Twilight of a God #1 (Marvel)
Bob Layton/Ron Lim/Mike Cavallaro/Dave Sharpe
no Amadeus Cho, but no matter - Herc's still up to his old shenanigans, mostly saving the world and being drunk. hey, old people need their meds - fact of life. but those pills of lucidity may not save him from an enraged Silver Surfer looking for some payback. catfight!!!

The Brave & The Bold #34 (DC)
J. Michael Straczynski/Jesus Saiz/Rob Leigh/Tom Chu
i took a stab at this, and i liked it. time travel, black holes, a randy robot and a pink fluff. wheeeeee!

why Invincible is the best comic around

where else can you have good old fun by punching supervillains named ... Dinosaurus?

not to mention every comic ends with some sort of a cliffhanger. Robert Kirkman manages to nearly knock every issue out of the park, and with an art team that is consistent with its output.

scene of the week

Omni-Man crashing in Allen the Alien's crib.






ohhh, i bet he wants to reconcile with Debbie so bad!!

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Invincible #67

drive-by readings: Invincible #64-65

Invincible #64-65 (Image) "Conquest: Conclusion"/"Conquest: Epilogue" Robert Kirkman Ryan Ottley Cliff Rathburn FCO Plascencia Rus Wooton

and here i am, (un)fashionably late for the party. hey, it's Kirkman's fault. anyhoo, what can i say about Invincible #64-65 (#64 will henceforth referred to solely as "The Headbutting Issue") that hasn't been talked about already? nothing much, i guess. i'm very impressed with Ryan Ottley. very very impressed. solid, cartoony yet detailed, and with FCO Plascensia (is that a group or an individual), the colors bring the destruction to vivid life. this is how they should've done G.I. Joe the cartoon version back in the '80s. because you can't have war without somebody dying. see that bone sticking out of Mark's arm during the punch-to-punch splash page? ahhhhhhhhhh! and Conquest's mangled face afterwards? yeeeeech! one can imagine Ottley beside himself with glee as he was illustrating these.

and after all that damage our heroes took, including us readers flinching at every impact, i can't think of anything else right now except Atom Eve. and her new enhancements. go away now, leave me alone.

what are the odds on the rematch with Conquest? issue #75? #90? #100?

holycraphowdidimissthat

sorry for the spoilers - but holy crap!!! this is the most intense comicbook violence i've seen since Invincible #62.




and Kirkman has the balls to make us wait another month?

Kirkman: yes.

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Invincible #63

drive-by readings 022109

Dark Avengers #2 (Marvel) "Long Live H.A.M.M.E.R." Brian Michael Bendis Mike Deodato Jr Rain Beredo Cory Petit

wow. i mean, WOW. two issues in, and i already have a perverse admiration for this loony "team". damn you, Bendis. as hyped weeks ago, the Dark Avengers first mission is to rescue Dr. Doom, who's in a lover's quarrel with Morgana Le Fay, who in turn gets "(un)headed" (heh.). Bendis' knack for people talking at the same time is in full display as always, though sometimes its like teenagers yakking (and posturing) all the time. i can't wait 'till the backstabbing begins. maybe it was a good thing they brought Osborn back (gaaaaaahhhh! schism!). who else can manage all these strong-willed assholes in the first place?

Invincible #59 (Image) "Powerplex" Robert Kirkman Ryan Ottley Cliff Rathburn FCO Plascencia Rus Wooton

and i thought i hated Superboy Prime. this Powerplex character made me want to beat him down a la Chris Brown (k-ching!). what a whiny jerk. he's a caricature of an '80s villain who has no other train of thought except "i will have my revenge, you will pay for your crimes!" serves you right for killing your own family, asshole. i think Kirkman got into a mood hating this kind of jerk and wrote a story out of it, gnashing his teeth all the way. if anything, he sets up a future - if annoying - villain to pester Invincible.

X-Factor #40 (Marvel) "Slings and Arrows" Peter David Valentine De Landro Pat Davidson Jeromy Cox Cory Petit

Peter David told me not to tell.

well, it involves guns, and priests, and nuns, and lies, and despair writ large.

not to mention the art has picked up a bit, and it should, considering David's writing.

but seriously, he told me not to tell.

i don't know why Namor or Aquaman kvetchs

... about ruling Atlantis ...

because in the Image universe, there's really nothing to do down there!






they just need to pull out that trident from their ass, and go out and do something productive. relax. no one's gonna touch your family jewels undersea kingdom.

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Invincible #58

screen capture, part 1

ok, so The Dark Knight raked in the money, put Hollywood on its ear, sent critics drooling, made gods out of geeks, and that's only 1 out of 5 superhero movies released this year. 2008 is Year of the Geek. more people peed in their pants in the last few months than in the last few years.

so, despite the dire warning from the New York Times, the movie industry knows a money-making scheme when they see one, and they'll bleed it to death for the last cent, until the audience moves on to the next big thing. but i would like to still submit ten comic book storylines that i'd like to see translated to the big screen ... in a fantasy world where:

A. The Budget is Freaking UNLIMITED. as in when they say "money is no object", there better not be an object, doofus. this means we can throw an ungodly amount of money at the actors, the director and writers, CGI, location shoots, outrageous celebrity demand lists, marketing campaigns, action figures ... i don't care if we don't recoup the costs, just make the movie for us geeks.

B. The final screenplay doesn't deviate too much from the actual books, except to enhance the film (e.g., cliffhangers and the possible bridging of continuity gaps). we all know how Wanted turned out; even though it was a moneymaker, one wonders what if we saw a much different film, one that's closer to Mark Millar's gleeful irreverent deconstruction of superhero/supervillain types and all that nasty X-rated dialogue? yes, one wonders.

my choices were more of what i had read or had on hand, and thoroughly enjoyed. i initially came up with 10, but somewhere down the road there'll probably be a few more. the casting call is a lot looser, and i don't have a handy rolodex in hand. (do you know how long it takes to scroll through IMDB's list of actors?) anyway, it was more in the spirit of fun and wishful thinking.

the first few books in my head were obviously already in the works (Watchmen, Y The Last Man, Wolverine: Origins), and these were still safe choices - either it stands alone in its own world, or it already has an established foothold. some of my preferences may need an intro movie on its own, but let's just assume they already made them.

we're going to work our way up the list in installments, starting from the bottom:

10. INVINCIBLE
Robert Kirkman/Cory Walker/Ryan Ottley (Image Comics)

ok, i cheated a bit. among the books on this list, this is the one most likely to be greenlighted by those movie execs. a cross between Superman and Peter Parker, Invincible (Mark Grayson) is a teenager who's suddenly gained super powers, thanks to his father, Omni-Man, who's also a superhero protecting the world. however, life turns upside down and inside out when its revealed that Omni-Man is just the spearhead of the inevitable invasion from aliens who want to take over the Earth. what's a teenager to do? he just wants to have fun, fer crissakes! Invincible perfectly captures teen angst and the bygone fun era of good beating up evil.

casting call:
don't get me started on Shia LeDouche (no, no, no, no, no!). Emile Hirsch? looks too old. Zac Efron? ugh. my choices boil down to Daniel Radcliffe or Adam Brody (though he is 28, he looks 8).

Atom Eve? Mary Elizabeth Winstead


Omni Man? Bruce Willis (with a bad ass moustache)


best friend William Clockwell? well, let's give this role to that pussy Efron.


hey, wait, let's just cast that Apple guy for the Invincible role and have Tim Olyphant do some alien voiceovers, and we actually have the Die Hard 4 crew!

geek goosebump moment: when its revealed that Papa is not all he's cracked up to be.


9. EMPIRE
Mark Waid/Barry Kitson/James Pascoe (Gorilla/DC Comics)

these barely happen, but in some dimensions of the geek universe, evil actually wins (Wanted, Bomb Queen)! let's see you try that with your upcoming crossover events, Dan DiDio! although it happens in a different reality, Waid and Kitson's infamous Empire pushed the envelope by posing the question "What Now?" to a supervillain who triumphed over everyone and has to manage the world accordingly. internal feuding and rivalry make for great intrigue and drama. the central character Golgoth has practically wrapped up the world in his mailed fist, but conquering Earth's armies is a piece of cake, compared to looking constantly over his shoulder for the next wannabe. and when that wannabe is unmasked in a shock twist ending, we see what Golgoth is really made of.

casting call:


since Golgoth is masked all the time (maybe we can see a slight hint of his face a-la Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back), he should be voiced by someone who exudes a cold, menacing authority (no, not James Earl Jones!). hello, Ian McShane! fans of Deadwood would even suggest his moustache would be a shoo-in for Omni-Man in #10 above.

daughter Delfi? i can't decide between Amber Tamblyn or Kristin Kreuk.


war minister Lucullan? Ving Rhames


assassin supreme Xanna? well, i hated Aeon Flux, but this would be a better role for Charlize Theron.


spymaster Lohkyn? Mark Wahlberg


transport minister Grieze? well, who wants to see Charlize and Kate Beckinsale get it on? just as i thought.


information minister Kafka? Dennis Leary


overzealous aide-de-camp Sebirus? Paul Giamatti


Tumbril, sadistic enforcer of discipline? well, there's always Ed Norton.


perverted religion minister Valpurgis? James Cromwell


fallen superhero Endymion? Bruce Campbell (mostly an extended cameo - he'll just be strapped down anyway)



you better believe it, kiddies - this one's sex, drugs and rock n' roll!!!

geek goosebump moment: the final twist ending. what, should i ruin it for you?


to be continued ...