Soldier Zero #1

I remember hearing a few months back that Stan Lee was creating some all-new original characters, and at first I was kind of annoyed with since, since I feel as though Stan Lee has made a joke of himself in recent years. I could not have been more wrong. I opened this book, and by page three. I was sucked in.

The story revolves around a Afghanistan veteran who was paralyzed during his tour of duty, and how he is coping with it. While this story is being followed, it is paralleled by the story of an intergalactic fighter, Soldier Zero.

Carnage #1

The new Carnage mini series marks two monumental events. First, it is the return of a popular villain, who has not been seen in the Spider-Man universe in quite some time. Second, and probably the more important event is that it is the return of Clayton Crain, the first full length issue he has drawn since the end of the last X-Force series; a very welcomed return from long time fans.

The story begins following three story lines, that of Spider-Man, that of Iron Man/Tony Stark and that of a mysterious Six Armed Spider-Man esque figure that may seem familiar to some hardcore Spidy fans. As the story progresses, all three characters are brought together and the action ensues.

Kick-Ass 2 #1

Last week when I heard that this issue was coming out, I had almost forgot that Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. were going to make a sequel to Kick-Ass. At first I was excited, then I was disappointed when I heard that the book was going to follow what happened in the movie, and not what happened in the previous comic series. But after finally reading the comic, I am not disappointed at all.

Uncanny X-Force #1

I was quite sad when Kyle and Yost’s X-Force came to an end, but when I heard Rick Remender and Jerome Opena were taking over the book and starting with a new team I became a little more okay with it ending. I really love these two as a team, and when Punisher went sour with the introduction of Frankencastle and I left the book, I really missed these two and the work they did. So to finally get a chance to experience them in action again was exciting.

Spike #1

Since I am not a fan of Buffy, and I’ve never read an issue of any Buffy related comic, I was kind of worried when I decided to review this issue, feeling like I would be lost, not knowing what is going on. However, I was wrong.

This issue did a great job of catching up a new reader to the character, doing a quick 2-page re-introduction of Spikes character, including a short history of his existence in the Buffy universe.

Deadpool Max #1

Yet again I find myself reading a new Deadpool series, another ongoing one nonetheless. I feel as though Deadpool is spread to thin, and Marvel just isn’t letting up. But since I am a fan of the character, I thought I would check out the book and give it a chance.

The thing I was most hesitant about when it came to this book was that the art was being done by Kyle Baker, an artist that has a really unique style that I usually do not like at all. And in this case, I thought the art was okay, nothing special, but very unique, not in a bad way though. One thing that I was happy with was the writing since it was done by Eisner award winning artist, David Lapham, it was interesting, it had good momentum, and it all wrapped up in one issue which I always like about a comic because it allows for new readers to join the comic at anytime.

Machete #0

When I was given the task of reviewing the zero issue of the comic adaptation of Machete, three things went through my head. Number one, why are they making a comic adaptation of Machete? Two, why is there a zero issue? And three, how bad is it going to be? Well after finishing the issue, only one of my questions was answered. How bad was it? It was pretty bad.

As I opened the cover of the book and read the first few pages, the main thing I noticed was how horrible the dialogue was. It was hard to follow, it was poorly written, and it did not let the reader develop an understanding of the story at all, and because of this, I really did not have any idea what was going on until the middle of the issue where I finally gained a loose understanding.

I tried not to let the writing ruin the issue for me though, so I decided to focus more on the art. The art style of the book has this dark mysteriousness to it, leaving a dreary feel to kind of emphasize the shady events that are occurring in the story. At first I thought this was cool, but as I continued to read I discovered that it so I could hardly follow the story based on the art and that it inhibited the story more than it added to it.

Finally, about half way through the book the main character of the story showed up, Lopez, who is portrayed by Danny Trejo in the movie version. When this occurred, I kind of got a better understanding of the story, but by this time the book was almost over, not much more was added to the overall story.

Overall, this book was pretty disappointing. The story seems like it was half complete, and I feel as though the only way a reader could have any idea what is going on in the issue would be to see the movie, and since I haven’t seen the movie for all I know the movie is a whole different story just featuring the same main character. The writing is horrible, and the art is nothing special. If you were a fan of the movie I say check it out, if not, I’d steer clear

1 out of 10

Knight and Squire #1

Going into this issue I didn’t know much about Knight and Squire, except that they are basically the British equivalent of Batman and Robin. Knowing this, I assumed that the issue would have an English tinge to it, but little did I know that I would be getting a British Revolution with this issue.

This issue is filled with an abundant amount of what seem to be British jokes, which really fit with the story since it takes place in an English pub with a number of British heroes and villains. I accredit this success to write Paul Cornell, being from England, he really had the life experience to do an issue like this, and I give DC props for choosing him as the writer for this mini-series.

The art in the issue is crisp and clean, but retains a sort of classic style to it that fits the time period the issue is going for, and accents the use of older characters perfectly, giving them the original feel.

One thing I really liked about the issue is that it was a self-contained story even though this is going to be a six issues mini-series. This is always a plus in my opinion when it comes to comics, it is great for new and old readers, and it is always a way to keep people on a book, because even though this story may not be to a readers liking, the next story could be different.

The one negative aspect about this issue, that really damages its integrity, is the fact that almost 70% of the issue is British inside jokes. Although it is really neat, it leaves a lot of readers and fans confused if they do not know the origin of the content. I mean, if the reader is British, then great they would understand a lot of the content, but since the majority of the people that are reading this aren’t, it really hurts the book in my opinion. If you are a fan of British humor, and are a fan of these characters, check out the book. If you aren’t, a fan of British humor and feel as though constant British jokes may confuse you, then steer clear. I would recommend this as an interesting book to check out and get a full story out of, but in the end it is up to you.

6.5 out of 10

Skull Kickers #1

To be completely honest, I don’t know what to really think of Skull Kickers. When I first opened the issue the first impression I got was that it was going to be awesome, due to the fact that on the first page there was a man fighting a bloody battle against a werewolf. As I continued to read, my original opinion became more and more skewed.

The art that is used for the book looks like art that I would see used for a cartoon that was slated for Cartoon Network and would be watched by kids across the U.S, it does not look like the art you would expect to see in a book called Skull Kickers. I could totally understand if the artist is trying to have more of a cartoon feel to it, there is nothing wrong with the art style and it is a great way to attract more children to a book. The thing with Skull Kickers is that the artist uses a good amount of blood in the book. The title, plus this little tidbit would deter any responsible parent from purchasing this book for their kid.

Now for the writing, I feel as though the writing had the same problem, it could not decide which age group the series was being marketed for.

Batman 3 to be called The Dark Knight Rises

Will not feature The Riddler.

Will not be in 3D.

Will be shot with IMAX cameras.

And Tom Hardy (the forger in Inception) will have a lead role.

Scared to watch the season premiere of the Walking Dead alone?

You are in in luck if you live close to the Elmira, Corning New York area.
Thre will be a viewing party on Sunday, October 31st. Starting around 9:30 pm. if interested, email Jared at momthrewout@aol.com

Sheer Happiness, a Kid in a Candy Shop

I was lucky enough to attend NYCC a few weeks ago while working for my new Comic Shop. I did many fun things, but the highlight of my weekend was the fact that I bought my first piece of original art, from none other than Amazing Spider-Man Artist Paolo Rivera. I think it is a fitting first buy, and I am excited to embark on my new, exciting, and expensive collecting adventure. The sheer joy that filled me when I got it though was worth every penny, and the time that I got to spending talking with Paolo about Spider-Man, art styles/different artists, and just everyday stuff was priceless. I cannot wait to feel that happiness again, hopefully again with Paolo, as well as many other artists.

Who is the bigger 1 trick pony?

Frank Miller or Zach Snyder?

Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present to you...A Frank Miller Directed Gucci Commercial

Put it on mute if you must, but still watch it

I'm serious.
Maybe some of you know about this....can you spot the famous comic book writer in the video?

http://www.mtv.com/videos/my-chemical-romance/582953/na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.jhtml

What to say about this?

old man + comic collection + robbery + death = national news

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Suspects-in-Court-for-Deadly-Home-Invasion-105190329.html

Smell Like A Monster

I am sorry this is just awesome.

Mark Millar's Superior

Here is the first 'ad' in a series of 4.
Promoting Mark Millar and Leinil Yu's Superior. 
I don't know how long these have been around. I just stumbled upon them today.
What do you think?
I like 'em.

DC Lowers Prices on $3.99 Books

Over on the Source Blog today DC Comics issued a press release of a surprising kind in the day of rising comics prices. This time a lot of books will be dropping in price from $3.99 to $2.99 with a decrease in the number of story pages to 20 pages starting in January. As a result of this pricing strategy more than 80% of DC's titles will be at the $2.99 price point.

In comments, Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee had the following to say:

“As Co-Publishers, we listened to our fans and to our partners in the retail community who told us that a $3.99 price point for 32 pages was too expensive. Fans were becoming increasingly reluctant to sample new titles and long term fans were beginning to abandon titles and characters that they’d collected for years.” said Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”

Books affected by the price change / page decrease are:

Action Comics;

Adventure Comics;
American Vampire;

Batman: The Dark Knight;
Batman: Streets of Gotham;
Batman Incorporated;
Detective Comics;

Doc Savage;
Gears of War;

God of War;
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors;
JSA All-Stars;
Justice League of America;
Kane & Lynch;

Legion of Super-Heroes;
Ratchet & Clank;
The Spirit.

Richard Stark's Parker The Outfit

In honor of 'The Outfit' releasing tomorrow, here is a pretty good site about all things Parker.
http://violentworldofparker.com/

blogsout.net news

So, well, Chris has been on a roll lately.

Beating me up for doing a crappy job of posting the video box size of the Autolux video.
(It looked fine on my computer)

Well.
I'll let him beat me up.
Because google/blogger now updated it's "stats" function.
Allowing the administrators to look at a number of data.

The man who destroyed Watchmen is at it again.

Zack Snyder has just been chosen by Christopher Nolan to direct the next Superman film that will be out in 2012. And that's just about all I have to say on the matter; as anything else that I'd like to say would be edited out by Jared Aiosa.