Archive for the 'Tia’s Reviews' Category

The Week of July 18th

Published on July 17, 2011 in Events, Reviews-comics and Tia's Reviews. 1 Comment

Christmas in July is the 27th…

Next week is X-mas in July, our annual event to benefit Animal Lifeline, a no kill special needs shelter located here on the south side.  The event will take place on July 27th and start at 5:00.  The concept is simple, bring a gift for the shelter and receive gifts from us.  We will have drink specials, comic deals, special presents and free beer!  Also, the Des Moines Kubb club will be at the shop to toss some lumber.

We had this event planned for several months, but it has become more important after the events of last week.  Thieves broke into a storage shed sometime Tuesday night and stole over $1600 in special needs dog and cat food, prescriptions and supplies.  Yep, pretty vile and disgusting.

 

The gifts the shelter needs are general supplies, that when donated, is money the not for profit doesn’t have to go and buy.  Things they need in abundance are: Liquid Laundry Soap, Dish Soap, Bleach, Clorox Spray Cleaner, Tall Kitchen Bags, Lawn and Leaf Size Garbage Bags, Zip Lock Storage Bags, Endust Spray, Scrubbers, Copy Machine Paper, Postage Stamps and #10 Envelopes.

 

Also, there are specifics to Dogs and Cats both.  Stuff like Toys, Peanut Butter or Cheese Slices (to help with pills), Catnip or Milkbone Dog Biscuits, Cat Litter, Gift Cards to the typical general needs stores and any monetary donation would be greatly appreciated to help with costs of prescription food and medications.   I full list can be found at the shop or at the Animal Life Line website.

 

I hope you can make it.

 

Also – The event will be the launch party of Tom Finley’s new book Brave Bunny.  Tom has been a friend and customer for many years and I am happy to help in getting his children’s books off the ground.

 

Couple Other Events…

Stand Up Showdown

This is a Midwest/Iowa-Centric Comedy Contest at House of Bricks. This year, the events finals are going to be on July 22 with preliminaries the last couple weeks with one more on Tuesday.  Prizes are pretty huge with $750 going to the winner, the largest comedy prize in the state.   If you need a good laugh, I recommend.

For more info go to undergroundcomedy.org/wordpress/?page_id=11

 

Dude-a-Rama…

Are you an achiever?  Show it while attending the 3rd annual Dude-a-Rama on Saturday, July 30th at AMF Lanes on NE 14th Street.  The party starts at 7:00 and you can bowl until they kick you out at 1am.  There will be costumes, bowling (obviously), live music, White Russian drinking, Prizes, trivia, and some great seminars.  I can’t tell you what they are about, but I know and I will be attending.

If you would like to bowl with people from the Cup (we already have a couple of people ready to roll) go, pay and get signed up.

For more info go to dude-a-rama.com/

 

 

Review Time…

Red Wing #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra (Review by Matt)

At first glance you might not know what to make of this book, or frankly, what to make of any of Jonathan Hickman’s stuff.

Red Wing is part old school aviary war story (like an Enemy Ace) and part sci-fi action book (like a good Battlestar Galactica book might be.)  It is both and neither, and I think will become something else by stories end.

I say this because the book lays down some interesting story ideas and then you get to the end and wonder what you really know about both plot and the story.  That desire to want more, it seems, is harder for comic writers to do these days.  Red Wing makes you want more.

So, what is it we know?  There are a group of future soldiers fighting a war in time and use cool looking future flying crafts to do so.  You are inserted into a story that has been going (though not in your comics) for some time. You don’t know why this war is being fought and the characters may not know why either.  But it doesn’t matter; Red Wing is just a damn good sci-fi war comic.

I have to admit that I am a very big fan of Jonathan Hickman’s writing.  He is somewhat of a new comer to the field, only putting out a few series through Image in the past few years, but already having one of the best runs on the storied Marvel Franchise, Fantastic Four.  His Nightly News is one of the best independent comics I’ve ever read.  This should be, like Pax Romana, a good stylized ride.

 

X-Men: Schism #1 by Jason Aaron and Carlos Pacheco (Review by Tia)

After weeks of slightly boring Preludes, X-Men Schism #1 finally came out and you know what? It was good.  It was REALLY good, like, Uncanny X-Force good.

I suspect most fans, with barely any information to go on, assumed that we’d start Schism off with… well… a schism of the team, or ideals or some sort of split somewhere.  That however, does not happen in this issue, so, fair warning.

For my part, I definitely expected that the first issue would at least lay the groundwork and give a pretty obvious reason for the split, if not just splitting the team up straight away, but I’m just as confused about WHY the rift happens (eventually?) as I was before this issue!  Wolverine and Scott seemed delightfully normal here, and gave no inkling of a potential rift. Their banter was very character appropriate and perfect for the setting.

The main foil in this issue was that the Sentinels have returned!  Thanks mostly, to a completely random appearance by Quentin Quires – an obscure character best known from Grant Morrison’s run on X-Men. Quires’ public attack on a World Arms Control Conference triggered a world-wide fear campaign, aimed directly at mutants…and executed by the Sentinels.

The very, very old-school theme of “a world that hates and fears us” (the core of all old school X-books) becomes the overall message here, and while it’s been casually used in other X-stories, this is the first time I’ve seen that theme incorporated PERFECTLY into the overall modern X-book themes.  It’s relevant, scary and exceptionally true in this case.  The sentinels are nuclear or biological weapons of mass destruction towards this nation/race of people.

I heartily applaud Jason Aaron for what he’s doing with Schism. He’s managed to understand that it is completely possible to incorporate the original core reason the X-Men exist, and magically make it appropriate to fans of the modern X-books, while keeping it intact and familiar to old-school fans.

I think Aaron created a pretty perfect first issue by keeping his mysteries while setting up a story that looks to be epic, and will be sure to divide fans the way he’ll eventually divide the team.

The stuff with little ‘tyke’ Kilgore was weird, and I can’t imagine how the Hellfire Club is going to incorporate itself into the Schism, but thanks to some brilliant writing, I can’t wait to find out. And, on a last note – the artwork done by Carlos Pacheco was flipping phenomenal! It hearkens back to John Cassady’s work on Astonishing X-Men, which I loved, and Pacheco also took the time to make sure that Wolverine was a proper height.  Next issue is Frank Cho followed by Daniel Acuna, Alan Davis and Adam Davis.

This is definitely a story to keep up on. It can ONLY get better and this was pretty damn good.

 

The Week of June 6th

Published on June 6, 2011 in Comics and Tia's Reviews. 0 Comments

So, anything happen last week?

Yeah.  Pretty amazing, huh?  I was shocked too.  We’ve come close a couple times, but I think they might finally do it.  All these year’s we’ve talked about sweet it would be… what it would be like and now… … … We aren’t thinking about the same thing, are we??

I’m thinking about the Vancouver Canucks being up two games to nothing over the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final.  That is has been 40 years since the franchise…  What did you think I was thinking about?

OH, DC being a complete knobs and scaring the living be-jebus out of everyone?  Right!!  I knew that.  OH, you are still scared, well, allow me to bring you slightly up to speed, provide a slew of links and calm some fears.

 

The End of The DCU, Like You Knew…

Last Tuesday DC Comics sent out an e-mail to their “comic retail partners” from Senior Vice President of Sales Bob Wayne.  In this e-mail they announced they would be embarking on a historic publishing initiative in a few months and would be” re-launching the entire DC Universe” post Flashpoint with 52 new number one issues, ALL in September!

The letter continues saying:

“In addition, the new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age. All stories will be grounded in each character’s legend – but will relate to real world situations, interactions, tragedy and triumph.

This epic event will kick off on Wednesday, August 31st with the debut of a brand new JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, which pairs Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, together for the first time. (Yes, this is the same week as FLASHPOINT #5.)

We think our current fans will be excited by this evolution, and that it will make jumping into the story extremely accessible to first-time readers – giving them a chance to discover DC’s characters and stories.”

 

Yeah, I’ll admit it, scared the holy living crap out of me too.  There is additional stuff in the letter, but for the most part it is retailer mumb-jumbo, self congratulatory crap and the typical “aren’t we so great” comic BS… oh and the point about going digital day and date, meaning you can just download your comics from DC rather than buying them from your friendly neighborhood comic retailer… Uh,Yeah,  I was spitting nails.

 

The Internet Breaks in Half…

I wasn’t alone in my shock and dismay.  It is my understanding the popular site Bleeding Cool (pretty much the only site I rely on for rumor, news and comic stuff) had the highest traffic ever and actually shut it down for a very brief period.

Of course, comic fans being the level headed batch we are we sat back and waited for details we were sure to get any day… … … NO, of course we didn’t sit idly by and wait for details, we freaked the *%$# out!!  Rumor started swirling almost instantaneously.  It was a complete reboot and we had all been betrayed by those monsters, and we were sure of it!  It was a Heroes Reborn/without the Heroes Return, It was Zero Hour/but without Green Arrow shooting Hal Jordan in the heart to save everything, It was the reversal of the first Crisis, It was a restart, It was a REBOOT, it was… … … Well, I read the damn letter four times and… I still can’t tell you what it was they were announcing.  (Well, actually I can, now that I’ve read the second letter, but we’ll get to that in a bit.)

It is both exactly what you should do and shouldn’t do to announce a major event.  It got the buzz they wanted, obviously, everyone was talking about it (including the USA Today.)  However, scaring the living hell out of long time fans is not such a good idea in my opinion.  But then, how does the news relate any story now a days… scare the living day lights out of you, that is how.

What DC failed to do was give enough details to make a calm easy transition into whatever it is they are going to be doing.  They sounded like they were going to throw the baby out with the bathwater and they can not think – in any way – it wouldn’t have been taken that way.  However, the more we are finding out, what DC has planned is very much what Marvel has done several times, by re-launching some titles at number one to garner a hefty jump in sales… just, well, DC is doing it ALL at once, ALL in September.  What was that about a baby and something?

 

The Second Letter…

So, I mentioned a second letter.  I’m going to get to that and then I’m going to tell you what I think all this means.

In this second e-mail, Bob Wayne goes into a lot of specifics as to how retailers are going to have a lot of backing from DC on this proposed publishing initiative including types of incentives, returns and discounts – I liked this very much.  I’ve always trusted DC to have my back, so, when I felt like they blindsided me and were going to radically alter things… well, this is helping.

It also alleviated a bunch of fears on digital day and date.  Pricing is not going to compete with us; the brick and mortar shop (at least for now) and could be a way for us to get YOU reader copies if you come and sit in the shop.  Might also be a way to get back issues that DC doesn’t have in stock.  I know, I know, I hate digital comics too and think they are filled with all of the evil of hell, but the major publishing idiots hate paper – HATE IT – and all and every one of them has a special phone that does everything including feed your pet.  None of them have a comic book collection and not a one of them reads unless it is on a stinking digital device – they also are actually reptiles and eat babies, or so I’ve heard.  So, show them they are wrong and send them a nasty e-mail, don’t yell at me.

This other e-mail also made slight mentions of content.  This is what the content section had to say:

We know that you want more details on the creative teams and their title-by-title assignments for the launch. . (And by the way, let me just reiterate this point:  this is the launch of the New DCU.  It is not a “reboot.”  I think you will soon discover why that is.)  We will send you an e-mail with more creative details next week, as a teaser in advance of the solicitation copy for Previews going live on the 13th.

 

Obviously, the most important think in this being… IT IS NOT A REBOOT!!!

Let me repeat that for the third time… It is NOT A REBOOT.  There are going to be changes, yes, but we know that would come at any point in superhero storytelling anyway.  Take a step back away from the ledge on the roof, come back inside.

What are we looking at then?  Well, I think we are jumping over Heroes Reborn and going straight to Heroes Return.  Something is going to happen in Flashpoint (personally not my bag, but I’ve heard a lot of positive reviews from customers) and something will give the NÜ DCU (like the umlauts?) a way to filter in.  Perhaps there will be a counter earth where President Man-Beast resides?  OR Perhaps not?

Am I happy about it, not really.  I totally disagree with the how this was done and feel we have seen this MANY times in the past, especially from DC.  I know, but this is the NÜ DCU.  Well, it was a new DC back after Crisis on Infinite Earths and a new DC after Zero Hour and a new DC after One Year Later. I don’t even want to start listing out all the “nothing will ever be the same” storylines, that would take forever, just for DC.

What concerns me more about this is some of the side stuff that is filtering out.  Like some of the stories about creative teams pitching against other teams… and not knowing they were in competition.  The new Look DCU and how many costumes are changing, not for an actual legit reason, but because the women of the NÜ DCU will not have exposed legs or skirts anymore.  Why?  This isn’t reality, or have some of us forgotten that?

I’m going to send you to Bleeding Cool now.  I have a great page saved to start with.  It has a slew of links to posts they have put up about nearly everything I have written about and much, much more.  Find it here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/02/dc-relaunch-roundup-dont-call-it-a-comeback/.

If you go to the main BC page you can look for all the announced titles or head to the DC Source Blog spot for more.

 

But, What do you REALLY think?…

DO NOT STOP THE NUMBERING OF DETECTIVE AND ACTION COMICS!!!!!

Seriously, the point, the reason, the existence of DC is its consistent reliable quality, not always flashy, but you knew there would be an issue of Action Comics or Detective, Superman or Batman out every month… except when they got gimmicky and put a big toothed high falutten Hollywood type on the book (cough) Dick Donner (cough).

I think the execs of these superhero companies REALLY need to tell good stories and rely on that as the driving force for their industry.  They need to cut back, not increase the level they are publishing at and they need to stop gimmicking and tinkering with sh!t.

Dark Horse publishes about 4% of the industry, but more than doubles the quality of out-put BOTH of the big two do with 80% plus of the industry.

Why is it a bad idea to take the motto “Less is more” to heart?

Are there 52 characters that deserve a number one issue?  Obviously, not all of these are going to get a second… are they!!?!!  Are there 52 creative teams in DC, or is Geoff Johns going to write them all?  Even Bendis doesn’t do that, though it seems like it sometimes.

I could go on and on and on… instead, here are some links to similar thoughts…

Go Check this out (on Jimmy Palmiotti’s site Listen to Jimmy) for a funny and accurate rant, using The Fuehrer as a back drop.

Want more ranting… Ronnie found a GREAT write up by a couple of hooligans at http://chronicinsomniashow.blogspot.com/2011/06/hibbs-commandments.html?zx=44d75d305a6a2694

Read it and know how I really feel!!  Because they nail it to the wall like Martin Luthor.

 

Oh, but we really want to know how you feel…

Okay.  Go find a copy of I Need That Record! a documentary about the local Record Shop and how they are disappearing across America.  When you hear the word “record” substitute it for “Comic Book.”  It is a fantastic representation of what the local specialty business owner goes through AND it is great for information on the horrible industry of music.  There are a lot of similarities.

 

Comic Illuminati…

There is another Comic Illuminati up at the http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthSiderStudios.  When you watch it, you need to understand when we shot this it was some time in the past.  (Mike went and got married – finally – obviously, he has been a little busy.)  We know so much more… and really don’t know much at all.  It was funny to watch this, think about all the NÜ DCU stuff and what do we really know… go watch it and enjoy.

If you have ideas or questions for us to answer on the next Illuminati, send them in.  Mike and I will have more time this summer and a few good ideas to put in for new episodes to come.

 

Tia’s review of X-Men First Class…

If you’ve ever talked to me about my feelings towards the new X-Men movie “X-Men: First Class” (and many have), you’d know that I was the resident Negative Nancy…100% positive this would be the stupidest movie I’ve ever seen.
Previews, trailers and leaked clips let me know that the crew at Fox had, once again, thrown ALL comic continuity out the window in favor of a silly, made-up prequel about how Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr met, and how the X-Men were formed. I joyfully pointed out every single continuity, character and team error that I could find in the trailers. So, needless to say, I went to see this movie with the attitude that it might be a silly fun Sci-Fi movie where they showed mutant powers, but CERTAINLY no X-Men movie!

And….I will HAPPILY eat my words now after seeing it this weekend.
As any fan would, I spent the first bit of the movie grumbling about continuity and what was ‘wrong’…but that really didn’t last long, as I become fully engrossed in the film. The movie plays out more like a 1960′s spy movie that just happens to have superheroes in it, rather than a typical  ’superhero movie’ like Spiderman. While the story revolves around superpowered characters, there’s an absolutely incredible depth to the story that allows viewers appreciate the characters are actually just PART of the story. They’re simply the main players in a larger plot.
‘First Class’ benefitted immensely from casting proper actors, based on their talent rather than their physical similarities to the characters. James McAvoy acted the HELL out of Charles Xavier, and I dare say I actually preferred him to Patrick Stewart.  He managed to capture Xavier’s passion and ‘teacher/mentor’ role that was so present in the early comics (but has waned of late in the comics). I was heartily impressed, as well by the casting of the ‘younger’ mutants. They provided charming quirks to each character that I completely didn’t expect. I particularly enjoyed young Sean Cassidy (Banshee). While his Irish heritage played no part in the film, the actor was adorable and understated.
Another thing First Class got ‘right’, in my opinion was its portrayal of the mutant’s powers. I thought they nailed Banshee’s perfectly, and exactly how I envisioned it. “Cat Beast” was surprisingly spot-on (if you based it off of John Cassady’s artwork on Astonishing X-Men). I appreciated the addition of Angel’s acid spit…something not shown in trailers, and one of my main arguments as to why this movie would be awful.
I was surprised again, at the generally accurate portrayal of Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost’s powers. They were very, very good villains in this story, and did their jobs very effectively.
Obviously, a few things bugged me – Xavier’s CONSTANT head-touching when he needed to use his powers, and Havok’s strange ‘energy frisbees’…but they really took a back seat to my overall enjoyment.

Listen – I don’t care if you’re just apprehensive, or 100% POSITIVE you’ll hate it…if a die-hard X-fan like me can throw all 616 continuity out the door and enjoy a film, so can you.

 

Week of January 31st

Published on January 31, 2011 in Comics, Shop Crap, Tia's Reviews and Wrestling. 0 Comments

Big Snow Storm is Coming?…

Yes, the end of the world is being forecast, but it shouldn’t really effect comics this week.  As long as I can get a hold of them on time, and everything looks to be on schedule right now, they will be available and ready Wednesday morning.

If for some reason this is not the case, I will post on Facebook, send out an e-mail and make an announcement on our website, but I do not foresee a problem.  Now, being open Tuesday night…. That is a little more iffy.

Wizard, 1991 to 2011…

I’ll get to the rest of the stuff in a minute, but I would be remise if I didn’t mention the end of an era.  In a week we saw the death of a major character at Marvel (not that there was a body, so, buck up butter-cup HERBIE will be back.) we also saw the end of Wizard Magazine.  I was taken aback when a hockey buddy and customer e-mailed me last Monday with the news that Wizard, at least the magazine part, was closing its doors and ceasing publication.  They were the, erm, torch bearers of mainstream for twenty years.  Easily they can be attributed to the success of several people in this industry, for good (less so) and bad (mostly.)

Now, I don’t have much nice to say about this rag of a mag, so, in their end I won’t say much more about this at all, just I’m glad they are gone and that it hopefully marks the end of one era and the beginning of another.  One where quality and not mediocrity reign supreme.

Speaking of which…

I am a frequent follower of Jimmy Palmiotti’s blog.  He posted a great piece by Eric Powell that could not have been better timed in light of the end of the Wizard Rag.  They are a social network group calling themselves Creators Front for Diversity in Comics.  It deals with the terrible lack of creator owned books in the market and does it, as you would guess, with humor.  Thing is, it has some very serious numbers in it too.

It is an issue I struggle with every week I get books in.  The 70 plus percent of the industry that is controlled by TWO companies who are owned by TWO big multi-national corporations.  It is not a healthy industry and lacking in vibrant creativity.  I’m not going to get deep into this, for I certainly could.

Go watch the bit Powell did and then go find them on Facebook or the inter’s net.

You can find the Youtube bit imbedded here.

So, you want some creativity…

I give you the return of Dark Horse Presents…

Complain, complain… well, I have something positive to deliver.  In the Previews catalog set to come out on Wednesday is easily one of my most anticipated books I can remember, the return of Dark Horse Presents.  This was the companies first book twenty five years ago now returned for a new generation, or is it returning for all us old folks that long for the great comics of yore.  An anthology, meaning a book with a bunch of separate stories that continue month to month (I know!  What a crazy idea!!?!!) this was THE launching ground of great independent, non-superhero story telling.

Now, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself as the book isn’t coming out until late April, but here are just some of the creators who are working on it: Frank Miller (W/A/Variant Cover), Harlan Ellison (W), Howard Chaykin (W/A), Neal Adams (W/A), Richard Corben (W/A), Carla Speed McNeil (W/A), Michael T. Gilbert (W/A), Randy Stradley (W), Paul Chadwick (W/A), David Chelsea (W/), Patrick Alexander (W/A), and Others

In the book we will see a new Concrete story and the first bits of Frank Miller’s new book Xerxes.  It is $7.99, but will be 80 pages.  Not sure if the rest of the issues are planning to be this big or this pricey or even if it is planned to be monthly, but you can’t deny this is good stuff.

Flashpoint…

Oh, my brother.  I am concerned about the latest news on Flashpoint.  For three weeks I’ve talked about the conjecture and slow information leak on this big event for DC this summer and now we see a much clearer picture.  Still not complete, I can say at least this positively, it is big and negatively, it is big.

It looks like there will be not one, not seven, not ten, but FOURTEEN three issue one shots some fifteenth book as well as seven one shots included in this Geoff Johns helmed monster project being called Flashpoint.

Now, no word, yet, on if these books take the place of the regular titles or if, Cthulhu help us, is in addition to the regulars.

Now, this is just my opinion, but there is no way this can be in addition.  There is simply too many titles for that.  One good guess that it isn’t in addition, is that the crossed over Green Lantern book storyline starts this next month and will be done by the time this starts.  This has to be an Age of Apocalypse type storyline, but companywide.  At least it will be $2.99?  — sigh –

Here are a list of the titles, if you want the direct info, go to the Source, DC’s Blog.

Whatever Happened to Gotham City?

FLASHPOINT: BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS #1-#3

Whatever Happened to the World’s Greatest Super Villains?

FLASHPOINT: CITIZEN COLD #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: DEATHSTROKE & THE CURSE OF THE RAVAGER #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: THE OUTSIDER #1-#3

Whatever Happened to the Aliens?

FLASHPOINT: ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: PROJECT: SUPERMAN #1-#3

Whatever Happened to Science & Magic?

FLASHPOINT: FRANKENSTEIN & THE CREATURES OF THE UNKNOWN #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: SECRET SEVEN #1-#3

Whatever Happened to Europe?

FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: WONDER WOMAN AND THE FURIES #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: LOIS LANE AND THE RESISTANCE #1-#3

The Flash, Everything You Know Will Change in a Flash

FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST #1-#3

FLASHPOINT: THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT #1-#3

So, alternate earth… Age of Apocalypse… Hey, Age of X…

X-Reviews by Tia…

Age of X Alpha #1 by Mike Carey and Art by Various

The X-editors and writers took a pretty big gamble with Age of X. Baiting fans and readers with promise of some type of post-apocalyptic mystery. Naturally, everyone assumed this was going to simply be a re-telling of Age of Apocalypse….and why shouldn’t they? The premise was nearly identical, the players were the same, and really, there’s only so much you can do with the rag-tag group of mutants, fighting for survival…. Right?  But, mercifully, Age of X has found a way to put a new twist on it, and carve out an intriguing niche for itself.

The first issue, Age of X Alpha is a series of 4 mini-stories that provide readers with the most base knowledge about what’s going on in this universe, allowing the secrets to unfold in further issues.  (staring with New Mutants #22 and X-Men Legacy #245.)

The issue opens on some familiar faces – Gambit, Cannonball, Frenzy, Rockslide – keeping a perimeter around the last mutant stronghold, while even more familiar faces – Storm, Namor – sit around a campfire, discussing this war they’ve been forced into.  Attention turns to the mysterious and brooding Basilisk, this alternate earth’s Cyclops, and we find out his horrifying past on Alcatraz, which in this universe, has become a prison for mutants.

Arcade, the prison’s warden, gleefully wheels out his weapon of choice for executing mutants – the mutant Basilisk.  The actual execution scene here is completely stomach churning, as we watch helpless Scott Summers murder his fellow mutants as Arcade simply flips a switch. We find out a bit later that Scott’s eyelids were actually removed in order to make him a weapon at the complete mercy of his hosts.  Naturally, our hero manages an escape, albeit a very hollow victory in this time.

While the story is brutal, and wonderful, the real star in this first vignette is Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s artwork. Stylized, yet completely clear and dynamic, he also utilizes Basilisk’s theme color of red brilliantly.  It’s good to know Scott Summers can be brooding and a little emo in any universe, but he’s a lot more volatile and unpredictable in Age of X. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Mike Carey does with this character.

The second vignette features our favorite southern siblings Paige and Sam Guthrie.

On a quest to save their family from prison transports, the Guthrie’s launch a 2 person attack on a prison caravan….only to find that their family has already been killed and thrown into a dump truck.  Despite this devastating discovery, these mutants show amazing mercy towards their enemies, and refuse to kill.  However, Paige, in stone form, vows that she ‘won’t be flesh and blood again’ until she sees Sam break down and weep for saving these humans who killed their family.  The art by Carlo Barberi was….a little creepy. Husk’s boobs look a lot like cantaloupes implanted onto her chest, and it’s especially noticeable in some of the side shots. Additionally, bald, stone Husk really grosses me out.

Wolverine is featured in the third vignette as he and Dr. Rao team-up to destroy all remaining samples of an X-Gene suppressor. Apparently, this ‘cure’ was invented to sterilize the population and rid the world of mutants – with plans to put it in the world’s water supply.  Wolverine pops in, does what he does best, and takes all the doses of the suppressor to metabolize it and destroy it for good.

This was a bit of a throw-away story for me. It didn’t add a lot to the overall mystery, or provide any earth-shattering revelations.

The final story is centered around Magneto, whom, in this universe, is almost a prophet of sorts.  From what I gather, he’s basically a myth – generally thought dead by militant humans and revered by mutants.

A little fancy shape-shifting by Mystique allows Magneto a path through a Military frontline in downtown New York and into one of the final hold-out caches of mutants left.  As per usual, the stupid idiots with guns try and shoot him….and as per usual it backfires.  With the small army out of the way, Magneto reveals his plan…to actually lift and fly entire buildings – including the Chrysler building- out of the city to create the final stronghold and command center for mutants to operate in and around.  A beacon is created for mutants to flock to and make their last stand. The issue ends with news that ‘they broke the barricades’, and our heroes fly into action.

Mike Carey has done a nice job weaving a lot of characters and backstories into a generally cohesive storyline.  He’s got a very clear vision as to what the Age of X is going to be, and he’s certainly delivering so far. There are plenty of story and secrets yet to be revealed, and I’m obviously on board for the ride.  This series can only get better and better!

(Editor’s note – I hate to agree with Tia, but… it actually was pretty good.)

3XWrestling This Wednesday at Cup and Friday at The Des Moines Social Club…

This Friday is the first Friday of the month and that means Wrestling!!  Reign of Terror is the name of this month’s event and it couldn’t be any more accurate.  After the Gentleman’s Club became Genesis a couple months back they have added members and become an even more dominate force.  Nearly all of the matches this month revolve around this super group.

Among the best is the main event pitting Mark Sterling and Champion Brian Ash.  We may also see the long running feud over the Pure Wrestling Championship be decided as Jimmy Rockwell takes on Ricky Kwong.

As always, it is sure to be a great night of entertainment at a low price.  Early bird tickets can be purchased at the Cup for only $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for kids.

And if that isn’t enough, Wednesday is our pre-bout event at 6:00 at the Cup.  Last month was so nice and relaxing as we just sat around and talked pro-wrestling for an hour.  Good times.

Week of November 8th

Published on November 8, 2010 in Comics, Events, Ronnie's Reviews and Tia's Reviews. 1 Comment

Over the next month and a half we have a bunch of events and special days happening at the shop.

Welcome Back, Batman.

November 17th 5 to 8:00

Grant Morrison’s run on Batman is only just beginning, but before we can get to that we need to welcome him back from the dead.

This summer when we had our Superman birthday party we were asked “when are you having a Batman party?”  I responded that he was dead, you would have to wait for him to return.”  Now you get your party.

On the 17th, there are a slew of Batman books coming out.  The two biggest are Batman, the Return one shot (this is Batman’s actual return to the DC universe) and the new ongoing Batman, Inc (which will be Grant Morrison’s next take on Batman – I’ll have more on this later in the post.)  Also shipping that day are Batman #704, Batman Beyond, Batman Streets of Gotham, and Batman Odyssey (not to mention Flash and Green Lantern are also both scheduled to arrive that day too, as well as a new Mignola/Corben Hellboy one shot!!! – Far better than any Batman comic.)

Giveaways and Door prizes from DC Comics, Batman related drink specials, discounts, costumes and a special coupon I can’t tell you about.  We’ll also have Free Beer for those who get there early.

If nothing else, come down, hangout and talk comics!

3XWrestling’s Holiday Havoc Pre-Party

December 1st, 6 to 8:00

Join us for wrestling shenanigans and  comic madness!

We’ll have Free Beer, Drink Specials and Door Prizes.  Several of the stars of 3XW will be on hand for you to meet and greet and it provides a great opportunity for you to pick up last minute pre-sale discounted tickets.

I also have it on good authority that the Outside the Ring crew will be there and where they go, chaos follows!

Geeky Christmas Live in 3D

December 4th, 11am to 4pm

This is our annual charity drive to raise money and support a number of good local charities.  I am but a helper to my friend Kathy Scott who puts this on every year.  Last year we shattered the old year’s total dollar and toy collection counts, we want to do the same again this year.

This is just some of the things we will have:

A Needs Drive (like we did with our X-mas in July event) for Animal Life Line of Iowa, the no kill animal rehabilitation shelter here on the South Side.

The Geek Boutique to raise money for Iowa Public Television.

The shop will become a Toys for Tots drop off site for several weeks.  Have unwrapped toys for needy kids, bring them in and we will get them to the Marines.

Gift Baskets for those to give to win.  You donate, you get a ticket.  We draw your ticket, you win the basket.  These are always some very nice winnings that can be turned straight into gifts… or enjoyed on their own.

Gift wrapping for donation.  If you are like me and can’t wrap a gift to save your life, but your mom won’t let you put gifts under the tree at home in the plastic bag it came in… well, Kathy is here for you.  Bring in your gifts and for a free will donation they will be wrapped for you.  This saves me every year.

Appearances by the 501st and Spider-man, plus some kids crafts, Santa, story time, drink specials and who knows what else.

Additional Gift Wrapping Day…

December 18th, most of the morning and afternoon.

One week before X-mas, a special day of holiday cheer and gift wrapping all for free will donations to Animal Life Line of Iowa.

Hopefully, Superman in Central Iowa…

AND, we hope to have Superman coming to Iowa in Superman #706.  No official release day is set on this, but it should happen sometime in December.  I’ve been keeping in touch with DC on this and want to really blow the roof off this.

It is not every day the first and the greatest superhero comes to your home town and that will be taking place come December.  Read him or not, enjoy the character or, well, maybe you like the inferior Batman (that’s for you Ronnie and Jimmy) this is still a pretty big deal.

I will have a lot more on this as we get closer to the mid way point in December.

Batman and Awesome #16…

I kid when I talk about not liking Batman.  I’ve been reading Batman, non-stop for longer than any character.  He almost always has one book that is top notch.  Granted when one is really good the others suck, so, you always have at least one really good bat-book.  I think we have just seen the best.

Batman and Robin #16, and this entire run has been something very special most characters only wish they could have and we aren’t even done yet.  Ronnie has his review of the issue and I’ll let him go to town, but for me, what sounds so very interesting is what is to come.

Batman, Inc is going to be great.  In an interview I read last week on Wired.com Morrison talks about his intentions with Inc.  He references the Joe Casey restart on Wildcats from a few years back and that is what made me sit up and take notice.  If you’ve read this, you know what I’m talking about, the idea of a benevolent corporation – or the impossibility of such a thing.  Great and different ideas, love him or hate him, Grant Morrison DOES NOT just write the same old sh&t.

Ronnie’s Reviews…

Batman and Robin #16 Grant Morrison & Cameron Stewart/Chris Burnham/Frazer Irving
Awesome.  Really, Really Awesome.  The issue many of us have been waiting for.  Even Matt! (Admit it you old grump) This issue wraps up Grant Morrison’s run that began with the explosive #1, which is another chapter of his years long Batman saga.
Yes, I do believe it has earned Saga status.
Reviewing this issue without spoilers is gonna be hard, so let’s just say Grant has found a way to tidy up his entire multiple title run, surpass the hype, and have an ending that effectively added a whole new original dynamic to the 70 year old character.
The story finally reveals the truth about Dr. Hurt, which makes a fine 90’s Peter Milligan story relevant.  We also get a finale and explanation to whatever it was Pyg was rambling about for so long, and get a good look at The Joker’s motivations for his really out of character behavior. I still don’t get the dominoes, though.   It also shows Bruce’s first interaction with Damien as Robin, which was priceless.  This interaction and the one following also show the new Robin’s growth as a character, which has been darker, more fun, and funnier than any in recent memory.  Especially for a Boy Wonder.  OH, and Commissioner Gordon in a tutu!
The art was split up between 3 very different artists, which gave it a kind of hodgepodge feel.  (Why is this happening so much lately?) Frazer Irving has earned a lot of respect from me for his beautifully dark imagery, especially of the Joker.  I’m not huge on Stewart, as his people are a bit child-like to me, but it doesn’t distract me enough to take from the story.  Burnham does a good impression of a cleaner Quietly, but he of course is not him.  The three artists mixed together feels off centered, but not too jarring. I wish Irving would have done the whole issue like the previous two, but I will take what I can get, the writing more than makes up for it.
The last few pages made me feel as excited as an 8 year old, something a superhero comic hasn’t done to me in way too long.  (Editor’s Note – Maybe since he was 8?)  This series was full of moments that almost reached that, that feeling that something really cool was happening in front of you.  I really can’t recommend this series enough.  There are currently two hard cover collections out, and then only 5 issues after that, which will make this really easy to catch up on.
I hope Grant Morrison hasn’t raised the Batman bar too high.
This issue – 5 Stars.  Series as a whole – 5 Stars.

(Editor’s Note – Ronnie raises one very important question, why do we not know why these books are late?  These debacles in scheduling, editing, writing, drawing and the whole system in general do happen too much and have harmed the legacy of several great series of late.  I feel there needs to be more transparency in this and wish the companies would let us know who is messing up the works.)

Quickies:
Unknown Soldier #25 Joshua Dysart & Alberto Ponticelli
This issue marks the premature end of a great series.  How this got canceled before Jack of Fables or Greek Street is beyond me.  The last few issues attempted to give the series a credible ending and tie up a lot of the story threads that had been building brilliantly since the beginning, but sadly had to resort to a few cliché ‘end of story’ tricks that would of gotten you a C in high school.  I am honestly angry that this title was reduced to this, and hate capitalism even more now that this author will not be able to share with me what he was trying to create because of pre-sale unit numbers and profit margins.  Aargh!  Do yourself a favor and get the trades, this series was an excellent example of storytelling.
This issue- 3 Stars, Series as a whole- 5 Stars.

(Editor’s Note – …and if you don’t want to see the same thing happen to great books like Sweet Tooth, start encouraging your friends to read good Vertigo and Indy published books!!!  Speaking of Sweet Tooth…)

Sweet Tooth #15 Jeff Lemire
Another incredible issue of one of my favorite series.  This massive puzzle is starting to become clearer, but also seems to be much bigger and more complicated than originally thought. The pacing is impeccable and the art is haunting.  Almost familiar themes, but executed masterfully.  5 Stars.

Freedom Fighters #3 Jimmy Palmiotti/Justin Gray & Travis Moore
This is an interesting series that seems to be getting the hang of things.  The first two issues were less than stellar (erratic pacing, semi racist caricatures, lack of depth), but it is picking up.  This issues gives us a ton of story through equal parts condensed dialogue and big bang fighty fighty.  The art is pretty good, with a lot of cheesecake butt shots that come with any Palmiotti/Gray (or Birds of Prey) book, and The Black Condor looks awesome.  The most interesting aspect of this series is the political point of view that would not be expected by the title and covers.  I am gonna keep an eye on it to see where it might go.  2.5 Stars.

Tia’s X (rated if we get more descriptions of Angel) Review…

Generation Hope #1 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Espin

To say that I’m disappointed in the reveal of the X-Men’s “Five Lights” would be an understatement. Not only am I a little bummed from a costumer’s perspective, but these are the very first mutants to emerge from M-Day…writers have had more than a few years to come up with the top, most amazing characters and power ever…and one of them is a glorified dog.

The excitement I felt at the conclusion of “Second Coming” was practically tangible- the promise of five new mutants was nearly too much to handle, and I spent…practically hours…speculating on what their powers could be.

The Five Lights have been slowly introduced in stand-alone stories and snippets tacked onto other X-books, and I had been, at the least, unenthused at their back stories and powers.

This week, Generation Hope #1 came out  to introduce us to the new ‘team’, led by Hope Summers.

I’d say that Kieron Gillen did a pretty passable job with the material he was given, which isn’t exactly gold. Throughout the issue, I enjoyed the incorporation of each character’s ‘inner’ monologues featuring the fact that they are a “light”. A particular standout in that regard  is the X-Men’s new resident speedster Gabriel. His inner narration was a decidedly clever bit of writing incorporating “light” and providing the most cohesive look into what this character’s personality is, and will be.

The issue opens in Tokyo, (SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT READ FURTHER, YOU ARE WARNED) Japan where we meet the Fifth Light. An artist named Kenji Uedo is introduced in an awfully creepy way (though, after reading “Crossed”, very little makes me uncomfortable), as his powers seem to manifest as some type of…tentacle creature?

(Editor’s Note – It is Tetsuo from Akira – but Tia is too young to remember this animated film/Manga/Marvel Epic line adaptation.  It is a blatant rip off, see below for a link to pictures showing just how blatant.)

Currently en route to find Kenji are the other four Lights and Hope Summers. The first narration is given to Idie Okonkwo, a mutant from Nigera who apparently has the power to produce both ice and fire. In my personal opinion, that power would be pretty cool if Idie wasn’t quite so whiney. If you followed her backstory, Idie was raised very religious and when she manifested, it was believed she was  a ‘monster’ (a belief she still carries with her.

Generation Hope, babysat by Rogue, approaches Tokyo where Kenji’s tentacles have completely overtaken his building and spilt into the street. During their landing, we get the second Light-Laurie’s narration. Apparently her skin is ‘shifting crystal’, but all I’ve seen from this Canadian mutant is the ability to fly…which seems to be completely unrelated to crystal skin. Also – she looks like Mystique. And Mercury. An obvious stroke of character design “genius” by the X-artists over at Marvel. This character is very boring as well, but again, the writing in her bit of inner-narration is clever and relevant. Nonetheless, the team is forced into action as Kenji’s tentacles attack the Blackbird!

Now, I’m still struggling to understand the character of Teon. To me, he seems to be some obedient, feral dog/child…as if he was just raised in the forest by wolves, and not actually a mutant. Earlier on, it’s speculated that he rubs himself against things inappropriately, and frequently urinates on things. I’m not really sure that his attributes constitute a mutant power by any stretch, but since this is pretty much our introduction to him, I’ll keep an open mind, and hope the writers will somehow manage to make him relevant to mutants.

As the team makes a hasty retreat from action, we are introduced to Gabriel, the witty speedster. As I said previously, his personal narration is likely the most enjoyable piece of the issue for me – but it’s widely known that I like my X-Men to be funny. Thanks to those couple pages…it looks like I’ve got a nice new mutant crush. There’s a brief scuffle between Rogue and Hope, as Hope needs to remind Rogue that she’s not actually a ‘kid’ and that the current situation is ‘kindergarten compared to where I grew up”. Hope then commands her (apparent) pet, Teon, to detain Rogue so she can go and…touch…Kenji. I’m not really a subscriber to Hope’s ‘ability’ to touch, and jumpstart the Light’s powers, and in this situation, she’s eluded briefly, so she’s forced to enter the building and confront Kenji personally.  Kenji’s narration is a bit confusing to me, as he constantly refers to himself as ‘art’ and ‘ideas’…but he’s mostly just tentacles. The only conclusion I can draw is that he has the ability to make his flesh into any design he can imagine, and as he uncloaks and reveals his form to Hope, it’s fairly obvious he’s got a sick imagination. There’s a brief, disgusting attack on Hope (or is it Kenada), then a huge freaking explosion (the first ten seconds of Akira the movie or pages two through five of issue one), with Kenji as ground zero. I also don’t really understand that.  (go rent the movie Tia!!)

Obviously, I’m not completely on board with Generation Hope, and I have a boatload of apprehensions, but this IS only the first issue, and there is plenty to be revealed. My only wish is that they don’t make the entire series all action. I’d like to see it go the way of New X-Men: Academy X, and have some character interaction driven shorelines.

I did, however, really like Salvador Espin’s artwork in the issue. It was clear, and I was able to follow the action easily.

Overall, Generation Hope #1 was a fine, entertaining read, but it leaves a lot of gaps in the story and character development that will hopefully be rectified in future issues.

X-Men vs. Akira…

So, what was I blathering on about above? check out the post on Bleeding Cool.com about the swiping/blatant ripping off/stealing from the Manga/Anime Akira.  It is so apparent I truly hope someone gets their asses sued.  You would have thought Greg Land had done the whole book not just the variant cover.