Showing posts with label John J. Hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John J. Hill. Show all posts

Saturday, August 21, 2010

crash landing

drive-by readings

Power Girl #15 (DC)
"Bomb Squad Part Two"
Judd Winnick
Sami Basri
Sunny Gho
John J. Hill

what we learned: the Russian arms dealer is now Crash, weaponized into a city destroyer. but to learn his Achilles Heel, Karen sacrifices her secret id to her newest employer, a former uberhacker. however, there's a catch, and its name is ...
oh shit moment: ... Maxwell Lord, who designed Crash to replicate Kryptonian cellular structure.
what's next: so Lord has morphed from a joke, to a what-he's-a-bad-guy-now (some people are still in denial he shot Ted), and now, to a real honest-to-goodness villain. bring it on.


don't complain, you got a front row seat.

Monday, August 16, 2010

motoring

drive-by readings

Superman #702 (DC)
"Grounded"
J. Michael Straczynski
Eddy Barrows
J.P. Mayer
Rod Reis
John J. Hill
John Cassaday/David Baron (cover)
Kevin Nowlan (variant cover)

what we learned: Superman helps out Detroit via some aliens who provide an excuse for some fisticuffs (or else the action fans will be bored outta their skulls) and job creation for the unemployed. a feel-good story, that one hopes were true.
oh shit moment: Batman is such a damper. what, are you breaking out your protocols again? put down that K-gun!
what's next: Arizona needs some assistance on this illegal immigration thing.


hey! that's definitely not Dwight Howard!

Monday, August 2, 2010

bombed

drive-by readings

Power Girl #14 (DC)
"Bomb Squad Part One"
Judd Winnick
Sami Basri
Sunny Gho
John J. Hill

what we learned: Starrware is being taken over by the banks, given that they can't pay their loans because of embezzlement, and now the Busty Airborne Lass is torn in several directions with Booster plying his "don't you remember Max Lord?" schtick and a new alien (with a Russian arms dealer in its head) in town bent on destroying everything in sight.
oh shit moment: when i thought the title of the story was "Bomb Queen", then i realized Karen's chest was detail-washed out and it wasn't a Bomb Queen story.
what's next: we'd like to see respectable sales numbers so they don't take away our PeeGee.


one man's junk is another woman's puzzle.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

snaps: Superman #701

... where Forrest Gump Superman takes his long walk cross country, but with a lot more sense and direction. he's around Route 80 now, if you wanna catch him.


pet peeves: idiot reporters. who does he look like again? Harry Knowles?



first, Danny Rand had a dollar. now Superman has one. can't Dr. Fate or Zatanna keep a magic petty cashbox for the heroes to use when they need a burger and fries in between punching villains?



and you're something off Drag Race, you jerk.


the sequence theisb calls "stupendous!", "amazing!" and "what a douche!". hey, Superman wants YOU to take responsibility for your goddamn health problems.


screw The View! they're discussing the Wendy Williams Show!!!



and while you're ruminating on politics and talking to this jumper-wannabe, there were two plane crashes, four train derailments, three heart attacks, nine burned houses, and a couple of tsunamis and tornados. and oh, Fletcher Chu-Fong is up to his ears organizing the DC panels for the SDCC!!! it just ... is.


"of course not, Officer. what do you think i am, some kind of powerful alien dressed in a colorful costume who wants your adoration but somehow am tired of you all depending on me for everything you want?"

" ... "

Monday, June 28, 2010

up and down

drive-by readings

Superman #700 (DC)
"The Comeback"
James Robinson
Bernard Chang
Blond
"Geometry"
Dan Jurgens
Norm Rapmund
Pete Pantazis
"Prologue: The Slap Heard 'Round The World"
J. Michael Straczynski
Eddy Barrows
J.P. Mayer
Rod Reis
John J. Hill
Gary Frank/Brad Anderson (cover)
have not been following the Man of Steel that closely after All Star Superman ended, save for some peeks at War of the Supermen, and i was kinda turned off with the whole let's-bring-back-the-Kryptonians thing. turns out they're all gonna be whacked anyway. but still.

the lead story from outgoing writer James Robinson, has the long-awaited reunion between Lois and Clark. if anything, i was happy for the two of them, and i haven't felt like that in a while. you take these two for granted too much.

there's a fill-in story (but doesn't feel like one) by Jurgens in the early years when Robin disobeys Bruce Wayne's orders and goes after some gunrunners, and his bacon gets saved by Superman (along with his geometry assignment). its weird to see Dick in his classic child-molester-attracting duds, but hey, that's part of history multiple Crises can't erase.

what really intrigues me is new direction set by Straczynski, who takes over the main book and will set the tone for the Superman stories to come (who isn't excited about Paul Cornell putting Lex Luthor on center stage in Action Comics?). in this prologue, Superman attends a press conference in the aftermath of War of the Supermen, and his previous dalliance with the idea of New Krypton, and a distraught woman slaps him to everyone's surprise (this recalls a similar incident in the Marvel Universe where a woman spits on Tony Stark during Civil War). Superman hears her story out, and though its an unfair burden, seeks out the meaning of what is "important" in the scheme of things and as the premier superhero of the planet. where this takes him will shape how he will be reacting to the DC Universe from hereon.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

recharge

drive-by readings


Power Girl #13 (DC)
"...What A Difference A Day Makes"
Judd Winick
Sami Basri
Sunny Gho
John J. Hill

whatever the reasons for the departure of much-lauded creative team of Gray/Palmiotti/Conner, they will definitely be missed. but that's not a diss for Judd Winick, who takes over with issue 13. hey, its PG-13, should we be seeing some PG-13 stuff? haha you wish. Winick slightly nudges Power Girl in a less cheesier direction (and i like cheese, don't get me wrong), which is probably the logical thing to do here, as continuing in that vein will elicit unfavorable comparisons.

in one issue, we get Power Girl as far as where she is right now in the DCU - immensely enjoying her day job, the hunt for Max Lord, the forgetting of Max Lord - but the cost of playing superhero may be her company, because when money is involved, you better be on top of things.

Winick balances the flashbacks and neatly intersperses it with current events. i'm glad she's still mentoring Terra after all the crap they went through because of the Ultra Humanite.


Sami Basri's art, which am not really familiar art, is clean and simple. continuity issues aside, this book should be a draw to tweeners and the female comicbook reading demographic. the art itself helps out in this regard. sure, there's still some cheese, but it should not be enough to turn off discriminating readers.

Friday, February 19, 2010

snaps: Power Girl #9

... where Palmiotti, Gray and Conner had me at "stupid American policemen." no, wait - it was right in the opening scene with PeeGee showering. oh hell, just read the thing - its a blast!

Jimmy Olsen a peeping Tom! who knew???


every woman should have this power. i mean, really.


careful, you pervs. your next victim might be ... Power Girl.


does Richard Starkings know about this?


yum.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

James Robinson hates everyone.

that's a way to exercise and exorcise all your anger towards certain characters. what if he had the Big 7 to play with? will Wonder Woman get raped?


i mean, i probably can take DC pissing on the Giffen-Maguire Justice League, but this?

chopping off Roy's arm in increasingly-exasperating Cry For Justice, putting the Asian Dr. Light in the blender (Mr. Robinson's fiancee is, i might add, of the Asian persuasion too. just saying.), and almost everyone ending up humiliated, de-powered, and/or naked at the end of Justice League of America #40, it seems fitting that the series comes to a merciful end.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

thoughts on Batgirl #4

hmmm ... this might be a new recurring post on this blog.

1) Lamest Thing To Say Before Getting Beaten Up


2) Alicia Silverstone, is that you?


3) Even Criminals Extol the Virtues of HDTV! and Blu-Ray!


4) They Don't Make Supervillains Like They Used To


5) Lesbian Make-out Alert!!! (i'm just saying)

Sunday, October 25, 2009

why do I never see them!?!

TWO reasons to ride the New York City subway.



MTA, you better make sure this happens often, you money-grubbing jerks!!!

-----
Power Girl #6

Monday, August 24, 2009

drive-by readings: Power Girl #4

ever had all you want in the palm of your hand?
Power Girl #4 (DC)
"Girls' Night Out"
Justin Gray
Jimmy Palmiotti
Amanda Conner
Paul Mounts
John J. Hill
Guillem March (variant cover)
as much as we had fun with the the opening three issues, #4 feels more like filler, although we establish that Starrware Industries is a much fun place to work with because of the CEO! i mean, why would i work with that selfish playboy Stark - but in a crossover, he'd buy Karen out. assuming he charms her pants off, which isn't easy. taking sidekick Terra for movie night, Karen ends up battling magical monsters in a story that borrows somewhat from Godzilla circa 1998. turns out these monsters are from a magic book held by a tree-hugging, D&D-playing geek girl, whom Karen gives a pass to work for the betterment of the world in a much more positive way (awwwww). but of course, our favorite part of the story is when Karen gets called three words: "busty airborne lass". even i couldn't help smiling - filler, but heh.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

drive-by readings: Batgirl #1

Supergirl, eat your heart out
Batgirl #1 (DC)
"Batgirl Rising: Point of New Origin, Part 1"
Bryan Q Miller
Lee Garbett
Trevor Scott
Guy Major
John J Hill
Phil Noto (cover)
Cully Hamner (variant cover)
Batman dies and he doesn't. not only is he immediately replaced, everybody wants to honor him by taking up the fight. the last Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, has now passed the costume on to dun-dun-dun! ... Stephanie Brown, the girlfriend you'd both love and hate to have (ask Tim Drake). anyway, "The Spoiler" is not exactly a fear-inducing name (i'm sure moviegoers would be asking her to leave the theater!), so "Batgirl" it is. too bad that's the only non-conflicting point around here, as Stephanie struggles with keeping a normal life, and the high of flashing that Bat symbol while knocking out thugs around Gotham. yep, that would make any boyfriend feel a little shriveled in his pants. speaking of boyfriends, the original Batgirl is in here too and why the hell doesn't she just hook up with the current Batman? (oh, that's right, Dick Grayson is no slouch with the ladies - right, Kori?) what she does is just figure out immediately who this new Batgirl running around town is and goes to give her a talking-to. the odds are 5-to-1 she'll still be the Oracle to Steph's crimefighter. Gotham is probably the city with the highest crime rate, as despite the talents of the Bat family, the city's no better than it was before. it's like all the country's criminals migrated to Gotham and stayed there. which means everyone should leave. but i digress. we have a new Batgirl, and she's not shy about sticking her chest out like Supergirl.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

please do not take these out of context

even though they're begging to.

the 2nd issue of Power Girl has Kara going toe-to-toe with the Ultra-Humanite (basically a supergenius brain who keeps transplanting himself into powerful bodies, after watching pro wrestling in the '90s). the way the layouts, dialogue and themes go ... is it just me, or is the whole thing some kind of sweaty, creepy, weird mating ritual?

the UH wants to put his brain in Karen's body, for the selfish purpose of near immortality of course. but that already smacks of gender bending and fetishism. male brain? female body? especially a wolf-whistle-inducing female body??

this is supposed to be a fun comic after all ... especially with the title character sporting a pair of humongous funbags assets. lots of sly references would be the norm, despite the title initials being "PG" but there's no such restrictions on the front cover.

yes, i may be reading too much into this. look at this shot:



for once, its the animal doling out the abuse. but the look on UH's face, and his proximity to the mountains ... lordy.


let's see some dialogue:




yes, yes, a sick monkey indeed. if you didn't know the UH's intentions, you'd think he was some kind of a jealous psycho stalker, the one that needs to be served a court order.

here's another: "surrender your body to me ..."



huh. a jilted lover, i suppose. man, these pages drip testosterone. or something.

the sweaty mating ritual continues. grappling, punching, kicking ... its like a masochistic dance. now we see UH behind PG. which is not a bad place to be (wink, wink).




and for the coup de grace ... a victorious UH, bracing himself with his arms over a prostate and beaten PG ... awww c'mon!!



but wait, there's more! how did UH get this way? of course he needs to have his origin story for new readers, because the old one kind of needed some Advil to go along with it. turns out he had a sexy diabolical assistant who introduced him to the ways of love ... WHEN HE WAS ALREADY IN A GORILLA BODY!!!!!!



oy.


trans/crossgenderism, rape, bestiality ... they're actually slipping one right by us. but what do i know? youse guys are the experts. and the much more mature. as in Victor.



one little tidbit: Adam Hughes signs his covers with "AH!", while Gene Ha signs his with "HA!" so if they do a cover jam, i expect it to be signed as "AH-HA!"

thank you, i'm here all week.

-----
Power Girl #2

Saturday, January 17, 2009

tipping points

with a is-he-a-murderer-or-not Jericho inside Nightwing, the latter has to make a decision when the JLA comes a-calling ... and of course, 'Wing's gonna say:


of course, we like to cheer heroes beating up on each other.

speaking of beating, Frank Castle's heart is still cool as a cucumber although Molly Von Richtofen's heart is probably doing calisthenics, and not because she spotted a hottie.


we all await the final chapter where we bury Elite and this Ma Gnucci nonsense once and for all (heh! snort!)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

general anarky

regardless of whatever he calls himself, Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong needs a serious ass-whupping.


this is Robin making his case to earn the mantle of the Bat. we can't wait for the takedown.

-----
Robin #181