#{leon vc: this is my son now}

[nightslain]

@lovesake​ said: i remember what you said last night || FEARLESS

             “I worry that I did not say quite what I meant. I haven’t been altogether in my right mind for...quite some time. Forgive me that, won’t you?” The king’s smile is tiredly sweet when he turns to meet the other man’s gaze. Sorrow settles somewhere with fondness in the dawn-blue of the Belmont’s eyes, nostalgia softening his timeless face as he looks the dhampir round and through. All his angles and planes familiar, all of them harkening back to a man long dead. All of them too so very unique. All of them aching Leon’s heart with a feeling that is oh so bittersweet. 

                “I will tell you that I meant it fondly,” he ventures softly, the wine in hand set aside when his stomach turns too much to welcome it, “you are the very image of your father as I remember him. But what I meant to say is you are the very image of what was best in him. What was bright, what was good. Not what he became. You remind me very much of his first wife too. For as much as I mourn them still, to see you here makes me...happy.”

                 Laughter warms Leon’s voice, even brightens his melancholy eyes with some quiet kind of joy as he glances into the roaring gold of the hearth. “And for all I have suffered, I am glad that because of it, I were able to meet you. You don’t know how much I hoped that I would when I heard that there was a son.”

[kukukape]

Watch Dogs: SIRS (pt. 1)

Summary: SIRS' "Prodigal Son", Richard Malik, is given a new assignment: The supervision and mentorship of Cameron Leon, a RAF Captain and hero of war.

Author's Note: Just trying to get a feel for the characters here, so it's just a long introductory in a way. 😅 Hope you can still enjoy!

•••

"That's right. No, I will not accept anything less than that. We have standards over on this side of the water Mister Secretary, and I'm rather adamant about upholding them. Goodbye," Director Child cut the feed, letting out a tired sigh fitting of a woman who was still in the workforce long past passing retirement's threshold.

Her day became just a little brighter when there was a knock on her door, and after a gruff, "Come in," a familiar face showed.

"Richard. Good. I've been meaning to speak with you," Emma's mind shifted gears and she stepped behind her desk to grab a file.

Ever the image of militance, Richard stood a respectful distance away, hands folded behind his back. "I'm listening, ma'am," he said firmly.

Emma rolled her eyes as she rummaged through a filing cabinet. "At ease, Malik. You've been retired from the seas for nearly eight years, calm down," she jabbed.

Richard unfolded his hands, relaxing as much as someone like him could (hint: it wasn't much).

"If you called me here just to ridicule me, I think I'll head back to my office, Emma," Richard drawled, losing his formal tone a little more easily than his posture.

Emma smiled, never ceasing to be amused by Richard's words, that of which would've made anyone else shrink back and wince.

"I would never call you to my office just for that. I have a new assignment for you," she said, throwing the file on her desk. Richard's eyes glinted in newfound interest, and he took one long stride to Emma's desk, taking up the file. "We're getting a new officer. Transferring from the Air Force's military intelligence," she explained.

Richard scoffed once, a bemused smirk on his face. "The MI isn't necessarily renowned for the brilliant minds it produces," he pointed out.

"Perhaps the unit in itself has that reputation, but not her," she juts her chin at the file.

Richard adjusts his glasses, which had been sliding down while he was hunched over his computer, and skimmed over the file.

RAF Captain, combat pilot… stellar reports from superiors, Order of the British Empire…

"Rather accomplished."

"And only 28. So I expect some bullheadedness that I'd rather you stamp out before it becomes an issue."

Richard let out a small exhale in his nose, a miniscule smile on his face.

But it quickly disappeared as his eyes paused over the officer's callsign, and he squinted down at it…

Callsign: Pucelle.

"Cameron Leon is being transferred to SIRS?" He asked a little sharply.

"I had a feeling you might recognize her."

"I was present at her Victoria Cross reception, as the preceding recipient," Richard elaborated, flipping through the file with a bit more interest, "I see now…"

Richard couldn't recall interacting much with the captain at the ceremony, outside of a handshake and a congrats. But he did remember her smile seeming to widen a bit when they made eye contact, that of admiration and recognition of someone closer to her level in that chamber.

"She transferred from the air field to a desk job in intelligence earlier this year. But so it seems, she's dissatisfied with the state of military intelligence."

"Then we should get along just fine," Richard closed the file and tucked it under his arm to be stowed away in his briefcase for later.

"Good," Emma looked down at her watch, "Because her helicopter just touched down on the roof. Come with me."

---

Cameron chewed on the inside of her cheek as the copter gently landed, the wide expanse of SIRS HQ practically glowing beneath her. Her jaw shifted around pensively with her thoughts, before she turned her gaze to the back of the pilot's seat again.

"Another happy landing, Captain," the pilot said as the rotor blades slowed and they're pittering growling quieted.

"How boring," Cameron replied, perking a smile as the pilot laughed.

"You've had enough exciting landings for one career, haven't you ma'am?"

"Are you kidding me, lieutenant? Could never get enough of them," she grinned and then looked out the open door of the copter. "Though I guess there are more important places for me to be. Thank you for the ride, sir."

"Thank you for your service, ma'am," he said- as if she were done- as he saluted her.

Leaving no time for herself to ponder or for the officers outside to wait, Cameron dismounted. The copter's low growling started again.

And as her blazer's ends flew up and her hair blew around wildly, Cameron watched the copter fly away, with all other manner of things.

"Too in love with the skies or too prideful to take a taxi?"

A… nearly familiar voice. It was pompous. Cameron turned around, brow raised that she'd just landed and shit was apparently already about to go down-

Oh.

"…Lieutenant Malik."

"Captain."

Cameron recalled him being more friendly at the VC ceremony. But she supposed everyone was a bit meaner in their element.

"Careful Richard, before you accidentally authorize her pulling rank on you," Emma cut in, "Captain Leon. I'm glad to see you got here safely."

Cameron's eyes flicked to Malik, his hands folded behind his back and jaw set firmly.

"Thank you, ma'am," she took Emma's outstretched hand and shook it once.

"You're familiar with Officer Malik, I see."

"Familiar would be an exaggeration," Cameron replied. Richard let out the smallest exhale of a laugh from his nose.

"Good. Malik has been assigned to supervise you through your first season at SIRS," Emma directed, "I have a debriefing with the Home Secretary to get to. I leave you in capable hands. Officer." She nodded once at Cameron, gave Richard a pointed look, before stalking away.

The two former military officers turned to each other.

As she sized him up, Cameron made a mental note not to stand too close to him. Else the height difference would be way too obvious.

"Let's get to work, then," she filled the silence with her voice, stepping towards the stairs entrance.

"You never answered my question."

"I thought it was rhetorical."

"I don't waste words in such a manner," Richard drawled.

Cameron sighed. Now this was the fabled version of Richard Malik she'd heard about. Straight-faced, as arrogant as he was tall. Bit of a dick.

But even still, somehow, Cameron was sure he would turn out to be better company than the MI officers. And so she shot him a smile.

"We're gonna get along aren't we, Lieutenant?"

"That purely depends on how well you do your job," Richard replied plainly, slipping his hands into the pockets of his Brioni slacks. He stepped past Cameron, covering probably eight feet in two long strides and reaching past her to open the door.

He stepped back, holding the door open for his new subordinate, looking down at her with an impenetrable gaze.

"And you're an Officer now. Your days of being addressed militantly are behind you. As are mine."

Cameron nodded noncommitally. "Right…" she started to walk through the doorway.

"Leon."

"Sir?"

"'Pucelle'?"

Cameron grinned immediately. "You know, like La Pucelle, Joan of Arc. Because I'm a hero and whatnot," and then she started down the stairs. Richard smiled wryly.

How arrogant, he thought, This will be interesting, at the very least.

~end~

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1314

Monday. December 28, 2020

 I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. These few comic books are thanks to the generosity of fellow fan Doug.

 Batman/Catwoman #1 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Well surprise, surprise. I really liked this first issue. Someone doubted that I would because I wasn't a fan of Tom King's recent stories but this one I enjoyed immensely and not just because of how Clay draws Selina. My favourite storyline in the Batman run was the relationship between Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Bruce Wayne/ Batman and it still is. I really wanted them to get married. This story jumps back and forth in time and involves Catwoman's complicated relationships with the hero and the villains. I hope I get to finish this new Black Label series.

 Action Comics #1027 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters).  The House of Kent story concludes with the Superman Family winning the day and defeating the Red Cloud. Too bad the new owner of the Daily Planet and mastermind behind the Invisible Mafia, Marisol Leone, escapes justice. I hear Brian Michael Bendis is leaving this book and that some fans are happy with that news. As big a Bendis fan as I am I thought this story sucked. Not even better art would have saved it in my opinion. Even the shocking development on the last page was dumb. I hope the next creative team does a better job on this book.

 Iron Man #1 to #4 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Cafu (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). You can't keep a good Iron Man down. Here I thought Tony Stark was dead. He's back on the racks and teamed up with Patsy Walker/Hellcat in this latest reboot and the first 4 issues were oaky. I stopped reading Iron Man a while back so I don't know who the new A.I. is that he talks to but it goes by B.O.S.S. How he hooks up with Patsy is another mystery to me. Tony has reinvented himself after being resurrected from the dead and he fights a bunch of old foes. His biggest challenge is a new version of Korvac. Remember him? I don't. For straight super hero versus super villains fare, this is okay, middle of the road comics.

 Batman Black and White #1 - James Tynion IV, J. H. Williams III, G. Willow Wilson, Emma Rios and Paul Dini (writers) Tradd Moore, J. H. Williams III, Greg Smallwood, Emma Rios and Andy Kubert (art). I call books like this vanity projects. They're written and illustrated in an artsy fartsy way that is pretentious to me. When it comes to Batman I'm more of a blue collar kind of fan and these stories feel more like they should be in a snooty art gallery. The stories are accompanied by creator bios and I found the first two to be worth reading but I didn't read all of them, kind of like how I stop reading the little plaques at the art gallery that goes with the art on the wall after a few. $5.99 US for four short stories in black and white seems steep to me.

 Batman #103 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March, Carlo Pagulayan  & Danny Miki (art) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The cover is a blatant bait and switch. It says "Ghost-Maker vs. Clownhunter" but it's really Ghost-Maker vs. Batman as Bruce tries to keep Ghost-Maker from killing Clownhunter. The best part of this issue was Harley Quinn's appearance.

 Batman #104 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March, Bengal, Ryan Benjamin  & Danny Miki (art) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I like this Ghost-Maker guy. He wears a headband. I wonder if he still wears one under his helmet. So Ghost-Maker sedated Batman, Harley and Clownhunter last issue and now has them tied up in Arkham Asylum. He left Clownhunter unfettered with a sword handy to kill Harley with. Uh-oh.

 Batman #105 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez  & Christian Duce, Carlo Pagulayan  & Danny Miki (art) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Does Clownhunter kill Harley? Does Ghost-Maker kill Batman? Read this conclusion to "Ghost Stories" to find out. Get ready to roll your eyes.

 Superman #27 & #28 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The last 2 parts of "Mythological" where Superman fights Synmar came to a grinding, groaning stop. This is the type of story that helps explain why some people get turned off super hero comics. It's just a bunch of big punch-'em-ups and then the good guy wins in the end. And can we get a consistent depiction of the Phantom Zone please? Is it a dimension where the bad guys are phantoms existing in null space or just another dimension where the bad guys live basically like they used to, like in this story? I hate when creators change things to suit their plots. I don't blame fans for grumbling about Bendis after reading this multi-parter.

 Detective Comics #1030 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Rob Leigh (letters). The grassroots movement to rid Gotham City of masked vigilantes doesn't make me care for the Bat Family more because it sure feels like a contrived plot device. The plotline that I'm much more interested in is Damian's poking around his dad's old case files. That's the kind of detective work I like.

 Detective Comics #1031 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Rob Leigh (letters). This issue is reflective of events that happened during the recent US presidential election. Anti-Bat and pro-Bat supporters clash and only in comic books can Batman defuse the volatile situation with a noble speech. Meanwhile, Damian quickly finds the person guilty of sweeping the cold cases of the attacks on Bruce Wayne in the past under the rug and brings them to justice. The perp's real identity offers a clue to the villain who shows up at the end of this issue.

 Detective Comics #1032 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Dave McCaig (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Father and son set aside their feud to save the rest of the Bat Family from the latest super villain that has them in his clutches. No mystery who the bad guy is with the cover for this issue being a ginormous spoiler. Yes, Hush is back and he's got a great new scheme to hurt Batman.

 Superman Special #1 - Andy Lanning & Ron Marz (writers) Phil Hester & Ande Parks (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Flashback sequence Marco Santucci (art) Arif Prianto (colours) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). This is part 3 of "Endless Winter" which is DC's version of the finale of the Game of Thrones TV show. It's pretty straight forward. The heroes fight giant ice creatures. The end. I wouldn't spend money on this rack filler.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1149

Monday, January 30, 2017

 It's the Chinese Year of the Rooster folks and there's a cock in the White House. We are living in interesting times indeed. I am trying my best not to get riled up by the d-bag but it's difficult. The empathy I feel for others means I cannot ignore the affect the changes have on everybody. I just hope we all get through these difficult times relatively unscathed.

 I'm going to have a fun Sunday on February 5. I'll be at the Walkley Arena for the Capital Trade Show where my partner Chris and I will be flogging old comic books. Then it's Super Bowl 51 with two gun slinging quarterbacks. I am cheering for a high scoring affair.

 Civil War II: The Oath #1 - Nick Spencer (writer) Rod Reis, Raffaele Ienco, Szymon Kudranski & Dono Sanchez-Almara (art) VC's Chris Eliopoulos (letters). Didn't see that coming. While it makes sense to appoint Captain America as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (again) the surprise is that I don't think it's Steve Rogers under the mask. I don't particularly like the new political landscape that the Marvel U is headed towards but it does make for some easy enemies for the good guys to fight with. Nick put in a lot of rah, rah patriotism in this book so it was a tough slog trying to get through it but the payoff at the end is worth it.

 Kamandi Challenge #1 - Part One: Dan Didio (writer) Keith Giffen (pencils) Scott Koblish (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Clem Robins (letters) Part Two: Dan Abnett (writer) Dale Eaglesham (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Clem Robins (letters). He's the last boy on Earth and he's going on a wild adventure to find his parents. One of Jack Kirby's creations is getting a round robin of comic book creators to excite fans like never before. Each part of the story will be done by a different team that will end with a cliffhanger that the next team must find a way to resolve. I have a nagging feeling that this stunt has been done before but I can't remember when so I'm going to tag along to see who does what. I'm not a fan of Kamandi but I want to see who all are going to be involved on the creative side.

 Loose Ends #1 - Jason Latour (writer) Chris Brunner (art) Rico Renzi (colours). The cover says that this 4-issue mini is a southern crime romance. They got that right. We're looking at a trailer dwelling war vet whose friend gets him mixed up in running drugs. You can expect that the vet and the friend get into a heap of trouble and they do. I like how Sonny and Rej each wind up where they do at the end of this first issue so you bet I'm going to keep reading. Not much romance so far but I'm sure Jason will get to that.

 Star Wars #27 - Jason Aaron (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Yay Yoda. Root for him I will.

 Batgirl #7 - Hope Larson (writer) Chris Wildgoose (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Part 1 of "Son of Penguin" introduces Ethan Cobblepot and I don't care if there is no reference to him anywhere else in the DCU because he's going to be a great adversary for Barbara Gordon. I like how Chris draws her older than Rafael Albuquerque did. This is going to be fun.

 Briggs Land #6 - Brian Wood (writer) Mack Chater (art) Lee Loughridge & Jeremy Colwell (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). I really like Grace Briggs. The risks that she is taking will hopefully keep her people safe. Brian has crafted a story fit for cable TV.

 Totally Awesome Hulk #15 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodward (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Greg continues to feature heroes of the Asian persuasion in this story about Amadeus hanging out with Jake Oh, Kamala Khan, Cindy Moon, Shang-Chi, and Jimmy Woo. It does play on some stereotypes but I think it's okay because they're true for these guys.

 Odyssey of the Amazons #1 - Kevin Grevioux (writer) Ryan Benjamin (pencils) Richard Friend (inks) Tony Washington & Tony Avina (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This 6-issue mini has a lot of women but not a wonder one in sight. Kevin features Diana's sister Amazons in a tale worthy of Homer. If you like classic sword and sorcery, you'll like this.

 Dead Inside #2 - John Arcudi (writer) Tony Fejzula (art) Andre May (colours) Joe Sabino (letters). The plot thickens like congealed blood and murder suspects start to emerge. Linda has plenty to deal with inside the prison but she's surprised when she gets home after work by a sight I did not expect to see. This mystery is crazy good.

 Inhumans vs. X-Men #3 - Charles Soule & Jeff Lemire (writer) Javier Garron (art) Andres Mossa & Jay David Ramos (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). There are three more issue to this mini but it seems to me that Charles and Jeff have already come up with a solution to the Terrigen cloud that would end the war. The mutant Forge has built a machine that can collect the Terrigen gas and compress it into a solid in this issue. Wouldn't that solve the problem of the gas killing the mutants? Works for me.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Howard Porter (art) Alex Sinclair (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). All is well that ends well. Both teams join forces to defeat Eclipso and Max Lord is at the mercy of Amanda Waller. Batman sees the light and gathers another team together to fight evil forces. Get ready for a new Justice League of America #1 hitting the racks on February 22. DC is sure spreading Bats pretty thin these days.

 Skybourne #3 - Frank Cho (writer & artist) Marcio Menyz (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The identity of the bad guy was a nice surprise. I like Frank's comic books because they're simple stories about good versus evil that are beautifully drawn.

 Hulk #2 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon & Dalibor Talajic (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Waiting for Jennifer to Hulk out is one of the things I like about the new book. She has a lot more self control than I have. The scary thing about the eventuality of her losing control is that this new Hulk will be an uncontrollable creature of rage but we'll have to wait and see what happens. Until then I'm enjoying Jen's life so far.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #13 - Robert Venditti (writer) V Ken Marion (pencils) Paul Neary & Dexter Vines (inks) Alex Sollazzo (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Now that the planet Xudar has been saved, what now? It's time for a bedtime story that's what. This is a nice interlude issue before we launch into the next story. I've been enjoying this team book now that my loyalty to the Avengers has waned. We'll see if Robert can keep me hooked with his next adventure.

 Saga #42 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fiona Staples (art) Fonografiks (letters). And fade to black. No, really. It's hiatus time again but this issue didn't leaving me screaming profanities about the long wait until the next issue hits the racks. There is a new character introduced who I will be very interested to find out more about.

 Doctor Strange #16 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo with Cory Smith (art) Al Vey, John Livesay, Victor Olazaba, &  Tim Townsend (inks) Antonio Fabela & Java Tartaglia with Chris Bachalo (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Dormammu is finally going to get his chance to kill Doctor Strange after he has been weakened by his fight with the Empirikul. Jason does find a neat way to save Stephen however. The next bit of nastiness involves someone close to the Doc. Oboy.

 Wonder Woman #15 - Greg Rucka (writer) Liam Sharp (art) Laura Martin (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Part 1 of "The Truth" finds Diana in a mental hospital. How she got there has yet to be explained but I'm sure I can handle it.

 Punisher #8 - Becky Cloonan (writer) Laura Braga with Iolanda Zanfardino (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). That little old lady toting the double barrelled shotgun from last issue is named Ethel. She looks scary but she's not what you think. The change in art took some getting used to but it isn't bad enough to make me bench this book. I do have a couple of complaints though. If you're going to call a motorcycle a Harley, don't show what looks like a BMW logo on the gas tank. Also, draw the bad guy from the chest up when Frank says that he opened up his guts, not a full body shot that clearly shows an abdomen without any wounds at all. I don't know if the art had to be rushed after Steve Dillon passed away unexpectedly but that's just shoddy editing.

 Action Comics #972 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Stephen Segovia (pencils) Art Thibert (inks) Ulises Arreola (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Trust Dan to come up with a non-violent way to stop Lex from being executed by the bad guys. It also served to show what possible futures are in store for this new Superman. DC has managed to revive my interest in this iconic character.

 Daredevil #16 - Charles Soule (writer) Goran Sudzuka (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). We find out why Daredevil put out a hit on himself to lure out Bullseye. There's some soul searching this issue which leads into the next storyline. I liked how Charles sets it up.

 Detective Comics #949 - James Tynion IV & Marguerite Bennett (writers) Ben Oliver & Szymon Kudranski (art) Ben Oliver, Gabe Eltaeb & Hi-Fi (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). The finale of "Batwoman Begins" is a very good prelude to Batwoman's solo book which hits the racks on February 15. It looks like James and Marguerite are going to have a Raymond Reddington and Agent Keen thing going on between Kate and her dad. That's got me interested.

 Infamous Iron Man #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Brian must have a thing for mother and son stories. He did it in International Iron Man where he introduced Tony's biological mother. Now he's showing us Victor's mom. I really do believe that Doom has reformed and I hope he stays a good guy.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool: Monsters Unleashed - Joshua Corin (writer) Tigh Walker (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The boys save Toronto eh.

 Thanos #3 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Mike Deodato (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the Imperial Guard of the Shi'ar versus Thanos. A perfect opportunity to give a history lesson on the life of the Mad Titan.

 Spider-Woman #15 - Dennis Hopeless (writer) Veronica Fish (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Jessica subdues the new Porcupine and finds out who put the hit out on her friend Roger. Now she's gunning for the Hobgoblin but he's protected by an army of super villains. I hope little Gerry doesn't become an orphan.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1267

Monday, June 24, 2019

 Happy St. Jean Baptiste Day. Civil servants who work across the Ottawa river have the day off. I was wondering why there were so many other boats out fishing with me this morning. I thought that I would have the lake all to my lonesome. No worries though, I still caught my share of nice fish.

 War of the Realms: Spider-Man & the League of Realms #3 -  Sean Ryan (writer) Nico Leon (art pages 1-15) Marco Failla (art pages 16-20) Carlos Lopez & Andrew Crossley (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The patented "with great power…" message gets hammered into the conclusion to this mini. For the bad guys, it's Kurses, foiled again.

 Superman Year One #1 - Frank Miller (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) John Workman (letters). This oversized $7.99 US mini starts off Superman's familiar origin story with Krypton blowing up and Kal-El landing in Jonathan and Martha Kent's farm field. I don't know why they made him a toddler when Pa finds him but that tweak made me feel like this story wasn't going to impress me. I did like seeing Clark's first love develop and then how this issue ended with Clark leaving Smallville. It's because of what Clark has decided to do after leaving home that is making me want to read the next one.

 Sabrina the teenage witch #3 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Veronica Fish & Andy Fish (art) Jack Morelli (letters). I don't think it's a coincidence that the snake monster and Sabrina's hot new guy friend both look like they originate from South America. This is just my guess and not a spoiler.

 War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #5 - The McElroys (writers) Andre Lima Araujo (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The conclusion of this 5-issue mini finds the team of babysitters with a new powerful ally. This War of the Realms tie-in was a lot of fun.

 Daredevil #7 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Lalit Kumar Sharma (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Matt Murdock retiring his red union suit isn't the only major change happening in this book. Mayor Wilson Fisk also makes a big announcement this issue. I like the changes to these characters. Matt is still fighting crime but he's doing it in a different way now.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #7 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Ron Ackins (pencils pages 1-16) Dexter Vines (inks pages 1-5) Althea E. Martinez (inks pages 6-10) Vanesa R. Del Rey (inks pages 11-16) Javier Garron (art pages 17-20) David Curiel & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Miles's reunion with his Uncle Aaron did not go as I expected but I approve of the change made to the Prowler's character. The team-up with Bombshell seemed gratuitous but it served to reintroduce her into Miles's life. The last few pages really complicates things for Miles and I look forward to seeing what new villain threatens him now.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #6 - Donny Cates (writer) Geoff Shaw (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Final Gauntlet part 6. The resurrection of Thanos story concludes with a definitive well explained ending. I like that. This new team was overly large for me but the last page fixed all that. There's a great 2-page teaser concerning Frank Castle as the Cosmic Ghost Rider that will make you want to grab Avengers #22 when it hits the racks July 31. I can hardly wait.

 Batman #73 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The Fall and the Fallen part 4. This book needed to turn some things around for me to want to keep reading and its done that a little. I'm not a fan of Thomas Wayne being around but the father of Bruce has a plan while he drags his son around. The destination was easy to figure out but why they're going there surprised me. I thought they were hauling water in that box what with them being in the desert and all. Now that the Knightmare nonsense is behind us I want to see how Tom King wraps up his writing stint on this title.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1237

Monday, November 19, 2018

 Stan "The Man" Lee passed away last week at the age of 95. I am grateful for the stories he wrote when I first started reading comic books as a pre-teen. My favourite super hero is Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker. Being the number one son of a Chinese family that whole responsibility motto resonated very deeply with me. I have read thousands of comic books in 50 years and the one issue that hit me the hardest was Amazing Spider-Man #33. This was where Spider-Man was trapped under tons of collapsed rubble and Aunt May was on her death bed. Peter had to free himself in order to save her. His resolve and herculean effort won out and I'll never forget the feeling I had when I got to that panel where Spider-Man lifts tons of wreckage off of himself. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko told an amazing story and made me a fan for life. Comic book fandom and the comic book creative community mourn his passing and I acknowledge their sadness. Me, I'll remember what a fun and upbeat man Stan was and I hope I can be as fun and upbeat as I get older.

 Love is Love - Done by a plethora of writers and artists. My Jee-Riz partner Chris gifted me this anthology because I was too cheap to pay the $9.99 US when it hit the racks. This book was produced after the 2016 murders of 49 people in The Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida by a lone gunman. As much as I want to believe that Love conquers all, the reality is that fear and hate so easily overshadows compassion and love. A lot of these stories made me think about man's inhumanity and I hope that others reading this book try to make changes to make a better world.

 Auntie Agatha's home for Wayward Rabbits #1 - Keith Giffen (writer) Benjamin Roman (art) Bryan Valenza and Beyond Colorlab (colours). Here's one that Chris recommended and we had leftover copies on the rack so that I could give it a look see. I'm sure glad I did. I haven't read anything new by Keith "close-up" Giffen in quite a long time but remember his hilarious take on Ambush Bug. This story about Julie and her aunt is also very funny. I love the anthropomorphic animals. I wish I didn't need a magnifying glass to read some of the word balloons but other than that, I had a hoot. This gets added to my "must read" list.

 Firefly #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Dan McDaid (art) Marcelo Costa (colours) Jim Campbell (letters). I was late in my appreciation of Joss Whedon's TV show but was able to watch the whole series after it came out on DVD thanks to fanatical friends who bought it and lent them to me. If you liked the TV show and the Serenity movie you will like this new comic book. Even if you weren't a fan of the show, you'll enjoy this space western because Greg did a great job of introducing these characters. It's a good non-spandex adventure book.

 Catwoman #5 - Joelle Jones (writer & art) Laura Allred (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Copycats part 5. Selina finds herself caught by the crazy Mrs. Creel. The big showdown is next issue and I can't wait.

 Domino #8 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The gals team up with Morbius to save the world from a deadly vampire virus. Jesus's art is awesome sauce.

 Thor #7/LGY #713 - Jason Aaron (writer) Tony Moore (art) John Rauch (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). "Young Thor's Lament" is a great one issue story about the difference between gods and mere mortals. I love these old tales. They're a nice break from world shattering stories where everything is at stake.

 The Unstoppable Wasp #2/LGY #10 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Gurihiru (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). They never told us what was in the bag. I want to know what's in the bag. If they don't tell us what was in the bag in next issue's G.I.R.L. versus A.I.M. story, I'm checking out of this wasp's nest.

 Uncanny X-Men #1/LGY #620 - Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg & Kelly Thompson (writers) Mahmud Asrar (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Disassembled part 1. This title used to be my favourite Marvel comic for a long time back when Chris Claremont (writer), John Byrne (pencils) and Terry Austin (inks) were on the book. Then I got tired of reading about how the whole world feared and hated mutants and wants to wipe them out. Here we go again with the X-Men fighting to stop a vaccine from being released that can stop the mutant gene from activating. That's just flogging a dead horse to me. The final nail for me in this $7.99 US first issue was the 4-part back-up stories meant to keep me reading. If they had revealed who was behind all the madness and confusion in the main story, I might have decided to read the next issue but these vignettes only made the main story clear as mud. They felt like fillers used to pack a high priced comic book. This is another massive Marvel mutant event that I'm going to not care about.

 Avengers #10/LGY #700 - Jason Aaron (writer) David Marquez & Ed McGuinness (main story art) Frazer Irving, Adam Kubert & Andrea Sorrentino (back-up stories art) Justin Ponsor, Erick Arciniega, Frazer Irving, Matthew Wilson & Giada Marchisio (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). First there's the big fight between war monger Namor and his Defenders of the Deep versus the Avengers. Then the new Russian Winter Guard butt into the fray. Much punching and bravado is involved. We wind up this $5.99 US issue with the introduction of the Squadron Supreme of America (because Justice League is already taken) who fill the void left by the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. for the US government. I had a "what the?" moment while reading the back-up stories when Wolverine showed up to rescue Loki from the Celestials. Wolverine's appearance eventually made sense only because I also read Thor and Logan was in that book recently. Jason Aaron is keeping this super hero team entertaining for me so I'll keep reading.

 Fantastic Four #3/LGY #648 - Dan Slott (writer) Sara Pichelli & Nico Leon (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I must have missed reading #2 because I was surprised to see the team reunited and a whole bunch of other super heroes gathered to fight the Griever. No worries though. The villain is defeated and the universe is saved. Now the FF can return and we can move on to Ben and Alicia's wedding. Other recent weddings didn't go off as planned and I expect this one won't either.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1161

Monday, May 1, 2017

 It's a great week to be a geek. The TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" starts airing now. Thursday, May 4th is Star Wars Day. The "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" movie opens in theatres on Friday, May 5th. Saturday the 6th is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. Sunday the 7th is another CAPITAL TRADE SHOW at the Jim Durrell Arena where Jee-Riz Comics & Appraisals will be hawking their wares. Fly your geek flags high.

 Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #1 - Peter David (writer) Mark Bagley (pencils) John Dell (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This follows the "Clone Conspiracy" debacle as Ben tries to start a new life in Sin City. If you like your Spider-Man a little bit unethical then this book is for you. Ben also talks to imaginary people which can make for some confusion but it's a quirk that sets him apart from the other Spider-Men. I don't know if I'll keep up with this mentally unstable version but I like his new costume a lot.

 Batman & The Shadow #1 - Scott Snyder & Steve Orlando (writers) Riley Rossmo (art) Ivan Plascencia (colours) Clem Robins (letters). A murder in Gotham City sets Batman on the hunt for the killer with the victim's name giving us a clue to who that might be. Lamont Cranston's death leads Bruce to the Alps to visit an old teacher after some detective work talking to old associates of The Shadow. I liked how the similarities between the two dark crime fighters make this an interesting chess game between two masters of mainpulation. I wonder what the motive was if The Shadow did indeed kill his own descendant. Maybe the rest of this 6-issue mini will reveal the truth.

 Big Moose #1 - This double sized one-shot features Archie Comic's iconic dumbbell jock Marmaduke AKA Moose Mason. I did not know that he had the same name as a comic strip great dane, and I don't mean Scooby Doo. The first story "Moose vs. the Vending Machine" by Sean Ryan (writer) Cory Smith (art) Matt Herms (colours) & Jack Morelli (letters) is your typical dumb jock story that would fit right in an old Pep comic from the fifties. The second story "Have It All" by Ryan Cady (writer) Thomas Pitilli (art) Glenn Whitmore (colours) & Jack Morelli (letters) shows a more intelligent Moose juggling all of his stressful high school responsibilities. I felt for the guy, especially his struggle with an English lit paper. It made me suspect that Moose might be dyslexic. The last story "The Big Difference" by Gorf (writer) Ryan Jampole (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) & Jack Morelli (letters) has Moose making a new friend that's a little "after school special" but the kids will get the message. All in all a nice feature of a minor Archie character.

 No World #1 - Scott Lobdell (writer) Jordan Gunderson (pencils) Mark Roslan & Charlie Mok (digital inks) JUANCHOo (colours) Zen (letters). I picked this off the rack to read because of the sexy hot cover by Jordan Gunderson & Peter Steigerwald. Plus, Scott Lobdell wrote some comic books that I used to like. This one did not impress me. The Aspen Comics imprint seems to cater to good girl art fans, of which I am one, but a comic needs more than just T&A to keep me reading. I wasn't given enough information about the two main good girls in this debut to care about them so I won't continue reading.

 Wonder Woman #21 - Greg Rucka (writer) Liam Sharp (art) Laura Martin with Hi-Fi (colours). Part 4 of "The Truth" finds Veronica Cale getting ever closer to finding Themyscira and saving her daughter. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this story in Wonder Woman #23 to see what Ares' role is.

 The Old Guard #3 - Greg Rucka (writer) Leandro Fernandez (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Two of the five team members are in the clutches of the bad guys so it's three to the rescue. This issue is a great example of a good writer making you care about the characters. Part of it has the origin story of one of the mercenaries. Another part shows how much two of the members care about each other. There's plenty of action over many pages beautifully illustrated by Leandro but also lots of action we don't see that is clearly implied in just one panel. That's good comic books.

 Deadpool vs. Punisher #2 - Fred Van Lente (writer) Pere Perez (art) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Round two has 'Pool and 'Pun in a shoot out with the Don of the Dead, a crazy Mexican bad guy as deranged as Deadpool. Round three next issue should be fun with a new bad guy who you'll recognise right away. I can't wait

 Action Comics #978 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Carlo Barberi (pencils) Matt Santorelli (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part 2 of "The New World" continues the review of Superman's origin story including his romance with Lois Lane and the birth of their son Jonathan. The identity of the villain is also revealed. What he has planned for the Man of Steel isn't anything new but it never gets old.

 Kill or be Killed #8 - Ed Brubaker (writer) Sean Phillips (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours). Being spotted by the police while killing his last victim has complicated Dylan's life. It seems like every law enforcement officer is looking for him, which makes it even more difficult to find and kill someone else to keep the demon at bay. This could be the end of our killer vigilante.

 The Mighty Thor #18 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). In part 4 of "The Asgard/Shi'Ar War" the Shi'Ar gods Sharra and K'ythri act like a couple of spoiled brats and decide to unleash their ultimate weapon to destroy the universe. The opening pages have the good guys seeking help from one of my favourite mutants. Russell's art is crazy good and he's close to Geof Darrow in the details that he puts on a page. When the force unleashed can take out The Destroyer in the blink of an eye you know the good guys are in deep doo-doo.

 Detective Comics #955 - James Tynion IV (writer) Marcio Takara (art) Marcelo Maiolo (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). I was enjoying this issue right up until the very last page. It's one of those deus ex machina moments that I better get an explanation of or else "League of Shadows" will be the Detective Comics story that benches this book.

 Josie & The Pussycats #6 - Cameron Deordio & Marguerite Bennett (writers) Audrey Mok (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I loved the Michael Allred cover. I really appreciate that all the ad pages were gathered at the back so that we get to read an uninterrupted story. This is one comic book that I read just for fun.

 The Wild Storm #3 - Warren Ellis (writer) John Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). If Aspen Comics had done as good a job as these people in redefining their cast of characters I would endorse their books. Here we have a fire fight that's even prettier than the one in The Old Guard #3 thanks to the work of John Davis-Hunt. New readers should not be afraid to pick this series up because it's got cool characters and Warren Ellis always entertains.

 Elektra #3 - Matt Owens (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's all out action as Elektra battles through Murderworld. Just when you think she's won her freedom, Arcade springs another surprise. He never fights fair. I really like the covers by Elizabeth Torque and would love to see a comic book drawn by her.

 Old Man Logan #22 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Eric Nguyen (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Looks like Jeff is showing us Logan's greatest hits as he winds down work on this title. Maybe it will make some fans buy a few trades.

 Hulk #5 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon (art) Matt Milla & Andrew Crossley (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I read recently that fans won't buy a Hulk comic book unless it's Bruce Banner as the big green galoot. Those fans are narrow minded and don't deserve to be called comic book fans. This book is great and has made the Hulk interesting to me again. I don't care who the Hulk is or who Iron Man is as long as there's a good story and nice art for the book. It's been 5 issues of this title hitting the racks and we haven't really seen the Hulk once. It doesn't matter because this story about Jennifer coping with the recent changes in her life is a good one.

 Infamous Iron Man #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). See, this is how you make a major change in an iconic character so that fans will want to read the book and not feel sick to their stomachs. I love this new version of Victor Von Doom. Brian has shown him evolving into the Infamous Iron Man instead of what happened with Captain America seemingly out of the blue saying "Hail Hydra". Here's another character that's been made interesting again and I will promote this title to anyone looking to read a good comic book.

 Ms. Marvel #17 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Okay, I don't get how Ms. Marvel and her friends defeated Doc.X but maybe it's because I'm an old luddite. I don't have a cell phone and barely know what apps are. I did appreciate the group hug that started this issue because I grew up in the sixties and that's what we wanted to do back then too.

 Star Wars: Darth Maul #3 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Luke Ross (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This young disciple of the Sith is a lot less interesting than I first thought. He is merely motivated by his hatred of the Jedi and that's seems to be all that he's about. One dimensional characters aren't that interesting. It's the evil auctioneer that is making me stick to this story.

 The Totally Awesome Hulk #18 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The evil aliens find out what happens when their food fights back. Amadeus showed a side of him that surprised me and made me like this Hulk even more.

 Doctor Strange #19 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo (pencils) John Livesay, Victor Olazaba, Al Vey, Jaime Mendoza, Tim Townsend & Wayne Faucher (inks) Chris Bachalo (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Yay, Wong is saved from Misery but I might be miserable after the next issue because it will be Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo's last.

 Weapon X #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The bad guys are on the Warpath and the mutant super hero is outnumbered. Sabretooth and Old Man Logan are still free but it looks like that won't last. Once Greg adds in the Domino effect the gang will all be here. I like Greg Land's art a lot more with Jay's inks.

 Invincible Iron Man #6 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). RiRi meets with Stark Industries, M.I.T. and last but not least The Champions. I'm most excited about her possibly joining the young super hero team. I wish Marvel would find a way to change the title to Ironheart. RiRi has been wearing the armour for a while now and calling this book Iron Man is just awkward.

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[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1157

Monday, March 27, 2017

 Woke up to our little part of the world covered in ice. Man I hate freezing rain. Hope I don't fall and break a hip walking to work later.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #17 - Robert Venditti (writer) Ethan Van Sciver (art) Jason Wright (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Ganthet and Sayd attempt to resurrect something using Kyle's white ring and Saint Walker's blue ring. It felt very much like a religious experience. That's why I was surprised by the low key outcome.

 Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #5 - Gerry Conway (writer) Nathan Stockman (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I liked the new artist but he made the kids look a few years younger than the last artist. This version of Sandman with the Yogi Berra language fowl-ups was a hoot.

 Action Comics #976 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza, Christian Alamy & Trevor Scott (inks) Wil Quintana (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Doug draws a pretty creepy Mxyzptlk too. There's mention of a malevolent super powerful entity this issue but we'll have to wait to see what that is. I'm glad that we wind up with just the one version of Lois, Clark and Jonathan after all was said and done.

 Iron Fist #1 - Ed Brisson (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Andy Troy (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Jeez, ripping off Bruce Lee much? From the "Game of Death" costume redesign to the "Enter the Dragon" tournament this new book was so full of kung-fu clichés that I rolled my eyes several times. If the Netflix TV series is as bad as this I don't think I'll watch it. I've been a fan of Iron Fist since his first appearance in Marvel Premiere #15 back in 1974. I can still see the panel drawn by Gil Kane where the wolves attack Daniel's mother and she sacrifices herself to save her son. This started promising enough with Danny looking for his lost power but then things deteriorated. I liked the lighter Danny Rand in the Power Man and Iron Fist series. This guy is depressing. If you've never seen a Bruce Lee movie and like dark brooding heroes beating up bad guys then knock yourself out.

 Wonder Woman #19 - Greg Rucka (writer) Liam Sharp (art) Laura Martin (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). In part 3 of "The Truth" the institutionalised Diana finally comes to her senses and learns the truth. The last panel will shock you.

 Elektra #2 - Matt Owens (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Here's another Marvel character whose personality has changed. Elektra used to be the strong silent type, now she could be a girl's BFF. This turns out to be a straightforward surviving Arcade's Murderworld plot but with the super villain Screwball added to spice things up. Elektra versus Screwball might be fun to see.

 Detective Comics # 953 - James Tynion IV (writer) Christian Duce & Fernando Blanco (art) Alex Sinclair with Allen Passalaqua (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). If you think Lady Shiva is the main big bad of this story then part 3 of "League of Shadows" will make you think again. Even though Shiva isn't the main villain, I like her a lot more than who shows up on the last page.

 Star Wars Darth Maul #2 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Luke Ross (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Here's what I don't get; what the heck are the bad guys going to do with that item being auctioned off? I'll find out eventually I hope.

 Spider-Gwen #18 - Jason Latour (writer) Robbi Rodriguez (art) Rico Renzi (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Will they or won't they? I've been following this little love story to see if Miles and Gwen get together in the end and I'm happy to report that this conclusion to "Sitting in a Tree" was very satisfying. Seeing Peter Porker, the Amazing Spider-Ham was a bonus.

 Unworthy Thor #5 - Jason Aaron (writer) Olivier Coipel, Kim Jacinto & Pascal Alixe (art) Mat Lopes & Jay David Ramos (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). What an amazing final issue to this mini. We finally find out what Nick Fury whispered to Thor to make him unworthy of wielding Mjolnir and we get teased by a new Thor. I hope we don't have long to wait to find out who War Thor is. I've loved this hero since the Lee/Kirby days. Walt Simonson rejuvenated the character in the eighties and Jason Aaron has made him his own now, and I am loving Thor even more.

 Hulk #4 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). She-Hulk fans who are looking for her to smash stuff may be disappointed by this book so far but I am loving it. My favourite thing about this character is Jen's civilian identity as a lawyer. Here we have Jen desperately trying to save a client but there's only so much she can do legally. Those other fans may enjoy the next issue because it looks like Jen's alter ego will have to help.

 Invincible Iron Man #5 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This was a very pleasant team-up with Pepper Potts/ Rescue, with the good guys winning the day. I would love to see Riri join The Champions.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1145

Monday, January 2, 2017

 I'm a day late and a dollar short but Happy New Year everybody. I am hoping and wishing for the best to one and all. So far so good. We started off the year with friends and some lovely surprises that made the evening special. No big resolutions except to try to be a better person than I was last year. Do more things that I'm proud of rather than the opposite.

 Archie #15 - Mark Waid (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I have one question: where did they get the money to pay for all the stuff for Archie's parents' anniversary party? The feud in Switzerland between Veronica and Cheryl will now move to Riverdale. There's a lot more nastiness in these new Archie comics then there used to be.

 Briggs Land #5 - Brian Wood (writer) Mack Chater (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). One look at this issue's cover and you can see that this book doesn't shy away from controversy. Yes those are skinhead brown shirts with Nazi armbands. The menace and violence is not explicitly shown but it's palpable. It's sad to see that some readers have dropped this title, because I think it's a very gripping story.

 Doctor Strange #15 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo & Jorge Fornes (pencils) John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Victor Olazaba & Jorge Fornes (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Chapter 4 of "Blood in the Aether" finds Stephen being driven around in a cab by the Orb. It's really quite a trip. This all boils down to a bunch of super villains wanting to kill Doctor Strange. I hope Wong and Zelma can come to the rescue in time. I thought that the changing art styles between Chris and Jorge's pages would be annoying but they meshed very well.

 Avengers #2.1 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Mark Farmer (inks) Jordan Boyd (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). One of the oddest super villains from the old days appears this issue.  I never really got what the Stranger wanted way back when but he sure was powerful. Having this foursome of Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch making up the Avengers is quite humbling. I loved the scene on public transit.

 Amazing Spider-Man #22 - Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Now that the identity of the person behind the jackal mask has been revealed it's time to lay out that person's plans for all us fans. Will Peter succumb for his loved ones? The answer may be in Dead No More #4.

 Invincible Iron Man #2 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Half of this issue is Riri fighting a bunch of Iron Mans while AI Tony tries to train her and the other half are flashbacks to expand on her past so we get a better understanding of why she wants to be a super hero. This is the reason Bendis books do it for me. He takes time to show us the human side of super humans.

 Thanos #2 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Mike Deodato (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Thanos's son Thane is assembling a team to kill his dad, who has a terminal disease. The Titan is dying anyways and according to his father the scientist, Thanos doesn't have long to live. There is no cure. Thanos even destroyed another whole civilisation to find one. I love Jeff's writing and Mike's art but here's what I see happening. Thanos will be cured by fighting Thane. Villains like Doc Ock, Victor Von Doom, Wilson Fisk and Thanos will never die.

 Occupy Avengers #2 - David F. Walker (writer) Carlos Pacheco (pencils) Rafael Fonteriz (inks) Sonia Oback (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). The two do gooders, Hawkeye and Red Wolf, team up to do some good. I think this book is going to be light reading even though they may tackle lofty ideals like trying to save a fresh water supply from greedy corporations. Remember the old Hulk TV show that had Bill Bixby wandering around the country as Bruce Banner and then Lou Ferrigno helping people as the Hulk? This might be just like that but with Clint Barton making things right as Hawkeye. I do like Hawkeye and David may not be Matt Fraction but his writing is acceptable so I will check out subsequent issues to see if I might read them.

 Moonshine #3 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art) Eduardo Risso & Cristian Rossi (colours) Jared H. Fletcher (letters). This was a bloody fine issue from the cover to the last page. This story has more fluids flowing than just the homebrew hooch.

 Action Comics #970 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Patrick Zircher (art) Ulises Arreola (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It's the Trial of Lex Luthor. Yes it's for crimes he's yet to commit and the only one defending him is Superman. The verdict is no surprise to anyone. Now we see if the sentence will be administered.

 Saga #41 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fiona Staples (art) Fonografiks (letters). Many lives are on the line and someone does die. You have to read this issue to find out who.

 Hulk #1 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). They dropped the She prefix so I wouldn't blame She-Hulk fans for passing this by. Please don't do that because this is a really good reintroduction of Jennifer Walters to the rack. Jen may have recovered physically from her near death while fighting Thanos in Civil War II but she is still suffering psychological damage. Doc Samson hasn't shown up yet but somebody needs to help the lady lawyer cope with what happened to her. I like the way Nico draws Jen but there were some panels where she looked part Asian. That's a whole different take on the character than previously depicted. Jen doesn't Hulk out this issue but she is on the verge. I will be interested to see how much control Mariko gives Jen when she's green.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #11 - Robert Venditti (writer) Rafa Sandoval (pencils) Jordi Tarragona (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Larfleeze is my least favourite character in this whole colour scheme. He's just a hoarder and the colour is a mix of red and yellow. He's not even a good villain because his avarice makes him stupid. I find the orange corps to be a bore.

 Mighty Thor #14 - Jason Aaron (writer) Steve Epting (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Yumpin yimminy that was another great issue. The League of Realms fights bravely against overwhelming odds as Malekith continues his campaign against the Ten Realms. He's just laid waste to Niffleheim so which one is next? If you like Steve's art in this book you should check out Velvet.

 Batgirl #6 - Hope Larson (writer) Rafael Albuquerque (art) Dave McCaig (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Batgirl flies home after her Asian adventures and meets up with a surprise passenger. The guy being picked up at the airport was a surprise to me too. I'm sure he's going to make life interesting for Barbara Gordon.

 Uncanny Avengers #18 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Kevin Libranda (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Avengers Mansion is now a Marvel super hero theme hotel? Get outta town. Well, aside from that bit of hoohaw I really liked this issue even though Gerry stonged me with a Rick Astley song brought on by the title to this issue. The Red Skull with Charles Xavier's powers is playing a lot of head games and I am looking forward to seeing how the good guys beat him. Kevin Libranda is a fine fill in for Pepe Larraz.

 Detective Comics #947 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). The finale to the Victim Syndicate story ends with a back stabbing betrayal by one of the good guys. They couldn't be more obvious with one of the covers. It's understandable given the grief that character was going through. Speaking of Red Robin, who's the hooded guy in the last panel? This Batfan wants to know.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #12 - Nick Giovannetti & Paul Scheer (writers) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This would be a great way for kids to learn how Christmas evolved from the ancient Roman celebration of Saturnalia honouring the god Saturn but it's got way too much adult content for them to be casting their beady little eyes on. For us more mature readers it was a fun time.

 Wonder Woman #13 - Greg Rucka (writer) Renato Guedes (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This issue spotlights Steve Trevor, looking a lot like Oliver Queen, as he tries to keep a mind altered Diana from being captured by bad guys. I'm not a fan of Steve calling Diana Angel. It's too saccharine. Whatever happened to make Diana mentally handicapped still needs to be determined and a way to get her back to normal still needs to be found. Those mysteries will keep me reading.

 Civil War II #8 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's over at last but not really. This story is merely a launching pad for changes in the Marvel U. Some have already hit the racks like the new Incredible Iron Man starring Riri Williams. Many are poised to start off 2017 with a plethora of new exciting (we hope) stories. There are a bunch of full page possible futures featured and I got to play my favourite game of "who's drew that?". Well, these folks did: Adam Kubert, Leinil Francis Yu, Daniel Acuna, Alan Davis & Mark Farmer, Marco Rudy, Mark Bagley & John Dell, and Esad Ribic. It was fun guessing.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #2 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Tony S. Daniel (pencils) Sandu Florea (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This answers the question of which team would win in a fight. The answer will surprise you. Meanwhile, the third team is about to embark on a mission in preparation for taking over the world. Once this super villain team is discovered I'm sure the Justice League and the Suicide Squad will team up to stop them.

 Black Widow #9 - Chris Samnee & Mark Waid (writers) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Natasha teams up with Bucky to fight her mysterious stalker. I finally saw Captain America: Winter Soldier recently. That was a pretty good movie. Meanwhile back on the racks, we have the Weeping Lion plotting something nasty against the Black Widow to look forward to.

 Infamous Iron Man #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I know this book isn't going to last but I am thoroughly enjoying it while it's on the stands. This issue explains what changed Victor Von Doom from being the super villain Doctor Doom to the super hero Iron Man. It's tied into Secret Wars where Doctor Doom was the god of all those universes smooshed together. I figger Victor will suffer another disfiguring accident and he'll revert to being a bad guy again. In the meantime, meet Mrs. Von Doom.

 Spider-Woman #14 - Dennis Hopeless (writer) Veronica Fish (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). My favourite thing about this book are the friendships that Jessica has. She is going to need a lot of help to get through this grieving period after the death of the Porcupine. But wait, who's this in the back of the book?

 Spider-Man #11 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Gaetano Carlucci (ink assist) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is all about Jefferson Davis, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't mind that Miles is barely in this because it's so well written and I get to see Sara draw the Black Cat, even though I hate chunky soles on pumps. Just ignore the impractical footwear folks. The cover shows Spider-Man disintegrating but that just means that he's not going to be the major focus of this new story, his dad is.

 Star Wars #26 - Jason Aaron (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) Chris Eliopoulos (letters). He's Penny's favourite Star Wars hero. Luke may be prominently featured on the cover but the real star of this issue is Master Yoda. Still can't stand his inverted speech pattern though.

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