#ben vc: little demon

[greyturned]

🐤 jaina

send me a 🐤 for a Tweet my muse would make about yours.

[doamarierose-honoka]

Life is never easy for Spider-Man. If it's not one thing -- Ned Leeds getting arrested, Ned's wife Betty Brant looking for the dangerous Winkler device, and Peter's ex, Mary Jane, re-etering his life as the superhero Jackpot -- it's another. In this case, it's the escape of Ben Reilly (aka Chasm, Peter Parker's rogue clone), who was freed from the Limbo Embassy. Having reunited with his girlfriend Hallow's Eve, Chasm is now ready to exact revenge on Spider-Man and raise hell in a very literal sense.

Written by Zeb Wells, illustrated by Todd Nauck, colored by Sonia Oback and lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna, Amazing Spider-Man #49 is the continuation of one of the Marvel Comics hero's longest slow-burn of a plot. Peter still can't catch a break as either himself or Spider-Man, but at least as Spider-Man, he has a little more in his favor. But with him and Jackpot in the dark about Ben's return, his demonic alliance and his amassing of a terrifying supernatural army, Peter's sole advantage may be short-lived.

The Amazing Spider-Man #49 Doesn’t Have Enough Pages To Cover All Its Plot Points

The Issue’s Promising Ideas Didn't Deliver Enough of the Juicy Stuff

The Amazing Spider-Man #49 is clearly building up to something big, even beyond the long-awaited and fraught battle and confrontation between Chasm and Spider-Man. Although this run tied up some loose ends with each issue, many are still left hanging haphazardly. Of course, with a run this long, it's inevitably going to have a lot of things happening over an extended amount of time. Plots are picked up, developed, resolved and dropped -- or intermingled with other, concurrent and important subplots. Such is the case with this issue. With Aunt Anna sane and freed, there's plenty of new drama to be had, like the complicated rapport and chemistry between exes Spider-Man and Jackpot, Ben and Hallows' Eve's revenge via demonic army, and Betty's precarious search for the Winkler device to vindicate her husband. Add Peter's infamously difficult personal life on top of all these, and the result is a stuffed stew with hundreds of ingredients, plenty of spice and maybe a touch too much seasoning.

Wells is no stranger to complex, long-running plots, as his impressive track record in comics can attest to. However, with the recent issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Wells has too much on his plate, and this load isn't easy to balance at all. The strongest part of this new arc and this issue is the reunion and reintroduction of Chasm and Hallows' Eve, plus their new ally in Goblin Queen. As is typical for any Spider-Man issue, anything featuring the rogues gallery is worth reading. Ben and Peter have a special kind of rivalry, one that verges on a unique sort of personal. Sadly, the confrontation between the hero and the villains is cut short, but at least what little is shown delivers. The rest of the issue deals with setup, beginning with Peter's predictably ill-fated and terrible date up until Betty's distress call. At this point, it's a given that Peter's life is inordinately and unfairly hard, but in this run, it borders on gratuitous. Worse, Peter's exaggerated personal problems get in the way of Spider-Man's comparatively more exciting and gratifying superhero antics, which is where all the characters are all clearly in their element.

The Amazing Spider-Man #49 Treads Familiar Ground & Meanders Too Much

The Issue Hints at the Dark Arc Ahead, but Repeats Itself Too Often

The Amazing Spider-Man #49's visuals are surprisingly earthy and gritty for a Spider-Man comic. Its color palette is also quite subdued, bordering on muddy. Guest artist Todd Nauck has a particularly rendered art style, with thick and bold line art, strong and assertive black placement, plus visually gravelly textures. The heavy blacks have harsh, jagged and scratching edges, and combined with Sonia Oback's colors -- a stormy and wintry palette of drained earth tones, urban darkness, and pebbled, grainy tones -- the effect is hard and grounding. Even the bold shades of the superheroes and villains -- the vibrant red of Spider-Man, the glowing colors of supernatural powers, the scorching secondary washes of both Chasm and Hallows' Eve -- look aged and weathered. The combination of the art and visuals, with letterer Joe Caramagna's blocky lettering style, gives The Amazing Spider-Man #49 an old-school, 80s pulpy Dark Age vibe that suits the issue's darker turn.

These elements suit Wells's run of The Amazing Spider-Man, which only got more muddied and convoluted with each passing issue. New elements are constantly introduced, foreshadowed, dropped, paused and picked back up over time. While not necessarily the most memorable or eye-catching comic on the shelf, it's reasonably effective and appropriate. The Amazing Spider-Man #49, like its preceding issues, spends a lot of time building upon elements already introduced, leading readers along established threads without completing them. Although a little on the tangled and unfocused side, this is a decent read that finally gets to the main, meaty, demonic army of the dead that the run has been hinting at for so long. It's also nice to finally see Spider-Man back to doing what he does best after far too long.

The Amazing Spider-Man #49 is now available in stores.

[jjoelswatch]

I HAVE SEEN THE WAR OF THE STARS

This was a very different Star Wars movie in the best ways possible. Whether you loved it or hated it, this movie would not have been possible without SW:TLJ, full stop. Personally, I liked this movie a lot. SW:ROTS is my favorite just because it’s a) the movie that got me to like Star Wars and b) Anakin, so nothing really compares to that for me but. I think I can largely attribute what I did like about this movie to how much it reminded me of story arcs in Clone Wars or Rebels (namely Mortis, Malachor, and the World Between Worlds), with the little caveats/side quests and side characters and the focus on arcane Force powers.

What I liked:

Kylo Ren and Rey being collective badasses on two opposite spectrums of the Force. You really get the sense that as things continue to become unbalanced, the more and more their powers grow. This movie is truly a love letter to fans of both Rey and Kylo Ren, because they both have largely satisfying developments (in their powers and their character growth). I’ve never hated Kylo Ren like a lot of people do. I like his character, I think he’s - at least - cool. This movie really showcased how formidable he was right off the bat-- from Title Scroll to opening scene. And if this movie showed how powerful he was, it REALLY doubled down on how strong Rey is. More on this throughout this ramble post.

Holy Sith lore, Batman.

Rey’s training sequence was everything Luke’s training sequence in SW:TESB should have been (limited ofc by film techniques of its time); I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know a lot of people are complaining about it, since she adamantly chose not to walk the path of a Jedi, but I liked that Leia got to be her Jedi Master.

Even though it was in the trailer, Rey flipping over the Kylo’s ship and slicing the wing off with her lightsaber was rad af.

Also followed by another rad af moment of her Force pulling the ship, like damn girl.

My face when Rey used Sith lightning was one of genuine shock like holy shit. This is also when I knew the “Force bloodline” twist ahead of time. It allowed me to become (mostly) okay with it. But damn, even Kylo Ren is like “...fuck”.

AUDIBLE SIGH OF RELIEF THAT CHEWIE DIDN’T DIE. Actual personification of that one bear vine.

Former spice-runner Poe is...sexy. What a concept.

Kijimi planet sequence was really cool. It also hammered home the entire space nazi motif in a very in-your-face way, which I appreciated because I feel like people try to rationalize the Empire and First Order as not being that, when that’s literally what they are. It also introduced Zorii Bliss, who I really enjoyed.

I really liked the style of the Force bond/Force Dyad moments in this movie. We got a good handful of them in TLJ and they were cool (and confirmed to not just be Snoke causing them with that movie’s end scene), but these were better. Just the way the scenes transition and the tangible objects being transferred between them.

Her parentage reveal, the mirror of the “join me” scene from TLJ [chef’s kiss] *

General Hux being the spy really reminded me of Alexsandr Kallus being Fulcrum in SW:Rebels, except Kallus was hotter and had less petty reasons for betraying the Empire.

The space horse...tusk...creatures. I love them.

Rey and Kylo Ren’s fight on the Death Star wreckage. Finally, at long last, we get to see some prequels level Jedi flips and jumps. FINALLY!

Leia’s last sacrifice c’:

Rey striking down Kylo Ren, healing him, telling him that she had wanted to take his hand when he offered, but she’d wanted to take Ben’s hand. So perfect.

Ben and Han’s mirrored scene from the bridge scene in TFA with Kylo and Han, line for line, with the right choice made this time. Just the combined effort of his father’s memory and his mother’s sacrifice having him throw his lightsaber into the ocean, killing Kylo Ren and becoming Ben Solo once more. So emotionally satisfying. **

Also: “Dad...” “I know.” very nice callback to TESB.

Force Ghost!Luke c’: catching that lightsaber as Rey goes to throw it into the flames; nice resolution to Luke’s arc from TLJ.

LUKE AND LEIA TRAINING SCENE FLASHBACK!!

Kylo Ren’s redemption/turn to the light was something that I thought I would hate, but I actually thought it was the one consistent character arc in the sequel films. I actually enjoyed it a lot, like everything about him turning to the light was handled well and you can track its path through the entire sequel trilogy. Don’t @ me.

Ben doing the classic Han Solo No Look Shot-- with Lando’s blaster (how did he get that?)

Ben absolutely butchering the Knights of Ren wearing the space equivalent of a sweater and jeans. Just the epitome of chaotic Skywalker/Solo energy. Iconic.

Enjoyed Ben’s little shrug of “finally” when Rey used their Force bond to transfer him one of the lightsabers to use. Was sitting there watching him fight like, get this man a lightsaber.

Also, regarding that moment, just the pause within their Force bond, actually, truly seeing each other.

All the voices of the Jedi. Chills. I heard Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Windu, Kanan, Anakin. Ahsoka. ***

Rey’s sacrifice. Ben’s sacrifice. For a moment, I thought they were going to kill both of them and Palpatine (which I would have hated and appreciated at once; zero it out, bring balance to the Force via a flatline), or leave Rey dead and Ben alive to be haunted by his own deeds and demons. It was a surprise that Ben could use Force healing in the way Rey displayed earlier in the film, but a good one. Thanos vc: a soul for a soul.

“Ben” c’: such a bittersweet moment of acknowledgement and redemption tbh. ****

Rey burying Luke (Anakin’s) and Leia’s sabers on Tatooine c’: *****

Rey’s yellow lightsaber made from her staff. I wonder if it’s double-bladed (I bet it is).

I had a feeling one way or another that by the end of the movie Rey would be taking the Skywalker name for herself. I’m sure this made a lot of people angry. I’m not one of them.

What I didn’t like:

Not much tbh!

The Reylo kiss I guess, since it felt shoehorned in since they were both enemies 12 hours prior (if that). It would have felt more natural if it had just been a brief embrace or (as a friend suggested) a forehead touch. I’m totally okay with Rey and Ben having this strong connection through the Force, but no matter where you stand on the idea of those characters being romantically involved, you have to admit that they just weren’t there yet to have that kiss. ******

Conflicted that the Skywalker bloodline is gone. Like, trust me, I know the point - or one of the major ones - of this film is that blood doesn’t dictate choices/blood isn’t important, but like...I really love the Skywalkers, okay?

Palpatine being alive in this pretty much invalidates Anakin’s journey in the first six episodes, which sucks because in this house we love and appreciate Anakin Skywalker. You get a sense that Palpatine’s return was definitely never the end goal for this trilogy. It doesn’t feel planned because it’s never explained how he’s back, how he survived. We’re left to assume that it’s Sith power sustaining him. We never find out how Palpatine (who’s basically a zombie, I mean, look at him) managed to create a massive fleet of Star Destroyers capable of destroying planets. That’s just how it is, deal with it.

Asterisks/Questions Unanswered/Misc.:

* Still can’t believe Rey Palpatine fan theories DID THAT. Press F to pay respects to my Rey Kenobi theories (which would have made more sense with a Force bond but WHATEVER).

** This is where I would have wanted Anakin’s Force Ghost moment to be, especially since Kylo Ren idolized the ideal of Vader for so long, I felt it would have been a nice touch to have Anakin step in here, while across the galaxy Rey is being reached out to by Luke. Ultimately though, I think Han worked best.

*** Look, I know Ahsoka’s voice was in the past Jedi/Force Ghost moment, but like...my girl ain’t dead. Togruta live for over 200+ years, plus she was resurrected with the power of The Daughter. She just Force Skyped in to give Rey an inspirational line. Also Ahsoka is...not a Jedi, so ? interesting.

On that note, the above scene also reminds me 100% of Ezra’s moment in The World Between Worlds.

**** Really wish redemption didn’t always have to mean death, but I also understand that just like in ROTJ with Vader, there was a slim-to-none chance of a future for Ben after doing everything he’d done. But I also think death is...an easy out, when you don’t want to think about how a character can continue to atone for their deeds. I would have liked to see Ben live.

***** As for burying Luke and Leia’s sabers in the sands of Tatooine, Luke never associated himself with Anakin’s saber, so she buried Anakin’s saber in a place he hated and associated with so much pain and loss.

****** Reylo has never really been a ship I sailed, though I’ve never expressly hated it (there are certainly far more uncomfortable scenes with Anakin and Padma in AOTC than there have been between Rey and Kylo Ren in the sequel films), but if one of them is going to die, don’t have them kiss. If you’re going to have them kiss, let them live.

Finn never really did get to tell Rey what he wanted to tell her, huh? I joke. I think it’s obvious by the final act of the movie that he wanted to tell her that he could feel the Force, that he’s Force sensitive. This was hinted at in TFA during several beats (especially when he fights Kylo Ren-- anyone can use a lightsaber, but it’s kinda curious that he could hold his own for a bit).

This movie radiates a bi energy in ways I can’t describe. All the stuff with Poe being real concerned about what Finn wanted to tell Rey when he thought they were going to die? Poe and Zorii? Finn and Jannah? Poe and Rey? Really can’t believe they cut away before Finn and Poe kissed in the end celebration scene.

Ben Solo > Kylo Ren

[her-golden-hair]

Who I imagine playing VC characters

I just thought this up as a guide for myself since I tend to age some of these characters up or down in my head (to the point where Armand looks like, 12 and Marius looks like an angry grandpa, no thanks). It’s probably not realistic for the actual VC show, and neither is it culturally accurate (Maharet/Mekare would not have been white, the actors playing Egyptians aren’t actually Egyptian, etc.) but this is only based off their book descriptions, and literally just here for my reference, lol

Lestat de Lioncourt: I imagine Dylan Sprouce when he had long hair. He’s actually older than the character, at 25, but his twin plays a teenager on Riverdale so it’s fine. He would just need a curling iron and some brighter colored eyes and he’s perfect

Louis de Pointe Du Lac: Ezra Miller, something a lot of us agree on. Has a very sad, soft, and beautiful face and the right hair, but he would need green eyes (easy enough)

Claudia: I literally just searched up a stock photo of a 5-year-old girl with curly blonde hair. Seeing these photos reminded me of how small a 5-year old really is! Makes her character even more tragic and terrifying

Armand: Timothee Chalamet. His character in CMBYN was literally that of Armand in Venice: lovestruck muse. He may be in his early 20s, but he has a very youthful face. I truly believe he could be put into a Renaissance painting and I wouldn’t even notice. All he needs is some hair dye and he’s perfect

Marius de Romanus: Cody Fern. A lot of us think he’d make a good Lestat, but I saw a post which said they thought he’d make a good Marius, and I had to agree. He has a sort of ageless grace to him. He is certainly younger than 40, but with the really ancient vampires I interpreted their appearance as, well, ageless (plus a little makeup can go a long way). Also makes his relationship with Armand less creepy (remember how I would keep imagining Armand as a child?? barf)

Daniel Malloy (Molloy?): Charlie Heaton. For this search I just looked up actors who looked like River Phoenix. He really fits the bill and can go from wide-eyed journalist to washed-out crackhead with the right facial expressions, haha

Gabrielle de Lioncourt: Emily Blunt. I really, really, wanted Cate Blanchett but she just looked too old to be Lestat’s 40-something mom. Emily Blunt, though, can give off some serious sapphic I-have-killed-a-man energy, so I’m not worried.

Nicolas de L’enfent: Ben Barnes. He and Ezra look alike but he does not have the same hypnotizing mysterious energy, which is exactly how I interpreted it in the books. Can definitely see him play an anxiety-ridden violinist.

Akasha: Zoe Kravitz. She can really pull off the whole “sexy half-lidded-eyes kill-a-man” look. She has a lovely silky voice as well and a very regal, ageless energy about her. Plus she reminds me of Aaliyah, the hero we needed but didn’t deserve.

Enkil: Chiwetel Ejiofor. Can play spooky, intense demon king very well. Piercing eyes and a thundering voice? Hell yes babey

Khayman: Riz Ahmed. Kinda imagined a skinny, almost goofy-lookin guy who is just trying his best. I feel Riz can kind of command awe and dignity when playing a vampire, as well as portray a timid, yet strong and compassionate mortal man.

Maharet/Mekare: Eleanor Tomlinson just looks so ethereal and wise. She seems to glide through the world instead of simply walking. Women as old and powerful as the twins is should be played by someone like this.

Jesse Reeves: Sophie Turner. I know she’s a bit younger than the character, who was 35 when she was turned, but idk, Sophie has a very mature look and energy to her. I also wanted to find someone who looked like Eleanor, since they were described as “twins”

I only went up to characters in the first three books. Don’t ask me about any more of them. I wouldn’t know.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1277

Monday, September 2, 2019

 Happy Labour Day. Not doing much labour today after two tough days of fishing in the wind. I was out on the Ottawa River with a friend and his young son on Saturday. We took shelter in the Nation River where it wasn't so blustery. I managed to catch an albino pike in the muddy water there. I wish my guests had better luck. I was out on Mississippi Lake yesterday and we were being blown hither and yon again. We found a little refuge in the lee of an island where I caught a little pike, what anglers call a hammer handle. I also had two larger fish on but they got off my barbless hooks before we could see what they were. It's a big lake and I'll be back exploring it again another day.

 There are too many comic books on the racks these days. I've been complaining about this for a long time. I love the diversity and variety but if I had to buy the books that I read I couldn't afford it all. If you count the variant covers there are around 100 new books that hit the racks every week. That's mind bogglingly overwhelming to me. Not only that, but it's hard to keep track of everybody. When I started reading comic books there was only one Spider-Man. Now we have three major Spider-Mans and I'm not even counting the clones and ones from the future and other dimensions. How about how many Robins are flying around these days? At least old Robins have evolved into other characters. How is a new reader supposed to distinguish the Spider-Man in New York City to the one in San Francisco just from flipping through the pages? Yeah, okay, one's Amazing and the other is Superior. It's must be daunting to people who want to try reading comic books to follow a book and I'm sure the confusion doesn't help things. I'm pining for the good old days when you didn't need a full time job to afford buying comic books and you didn't have to remember which Batman you are reading about.

 House of X #3 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Okay, the ultimate goal of the Mutant Nation is to prevent Nimrod from coming into existence. If you've been reading Powers of X you know that they failed. This does not mean that these stories are boring. Cyclops and his team go on a mission to stop a space station from completing their development of a Sentinel factory. It's still exciting to see these X-Men in action. The trial of a mutant at the super max prison for mutants was a fun scene.

 Thor #16 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) Mike del Mundo & Marco D'Alfonso (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue is a most excellent epilogue to the War of the Realms and sets up the next chapter of the life of Thor. I can't wait for King Thor #1 to hit the racks on September 11.

 Detective Comics #1010 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Christian Duce (art) David Baron (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). There's a big boo-boo in this story where Bruce Wayne has to fight Deadshot after a plane crash onto a somewhat deserted island. Why would he wear a disguise that makes him look like Batman? Didn't think things through there, did you Bruce?

 The Amazing Spider-Man #28 - Nick Spencer (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) John Dell (inks) Laura Martin & Andrew Crossley (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Spider-Man's team up with Boomerang and their run in with the Syndicate comes to an end and almost everyone lives happily ever after. Except for Peter Parker, of course. I've been thinking of benching this book but this fun issue changed my mind.

 Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11 - Tom Taylor (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). If I ever do stop reading the Amazing Spider-Man this title will more than pick up the slack. Here we have a story that ties into the end of the War of the Realms. Mary Jane has an adventure while Peter is resting. I love that they are a couple again.

 Absolute Carnage #2 - Donny Cates (writer) Ryan Stegman (pencils) JP Mayer (inks) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Venom and Spider-Man split up to gather reinforcements to fight the Carnage epidemic. The issue ends with Venom trying to save the Scorpion and Miles but the odds against the good guys are enormous. I almost decided to step away from this mega event while reading the first page of this issue because it focused on what Carnage's ultimate goal is. Mindless killing isn't appealing to me. I'm glad the Carnage sequences aren't the main part of this book.

 Runaways #24 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andre Genolet (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Karolina and Nico don masks and costumes to go out and fight crime in Los Angeles. There isn't a lot of action until the end but then things get very interesting. I can't wait to find out who the caped crusader is.

 Spider-Man Life Story #6 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Mark Bagley (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). And so this 6-issue mini ends in 2019 with Peter Parker and Miles Morales saving the world from Doctor Doom. It was cool how Chip used 50 years of Marvel continuity to tell this Spider-Man story and end it with a life well lived. May Peter Parker rest in peace.

 Marvel Team-Up #5 - Clint McElroy (writer) Ig Guara (art) Felipe Sobreiro (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel team-up story is really freaking good. The arrival of more Kree warriors on the last page means that there will be plenty of action next issue. I'm going to be looking for Clint McElroy's name on the racks now because this story has impressed me all to heck.

 Marvel Comics #1000 - I'm not going to list all 137 creators names. The back cover has them in alphabetical order and there is a one and a half page listing of the writers, penciller, inkers, colourists and letterers in the back of this ginormous book. I had a better time reading this than the first issue of the History of Marvel Comics. It was a pleasant walk down memory lane for this Marvel Maniac. The Eternity Mask is introduced and a new character named the Raider makes an appearance. My favourite pages were the ones with Deadpool. There's a lot crammed into this book but if you've been a Marvel reader for as long as I have you'll realize that there's a lot missing too. You'll more than get your money's worth for $9.99 US.

 Action Comics #1014 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). They sure are milking this Leviathan mystery for all its worth. If you're anticipating a big battle between Superman and the Red Cloud based on the cover you'll be sadly disappointed. The crimson criminal only appears on two pages and she's attacking somebody else. The big surprise happens on the last page with a patented Bendis cliffhanger. The new owner of the Daily Planet will be played in the movie by Orpah Winfrey.

 Fantastic Four 4 Yancy Street #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Greg Smallwood, Mark Bagley, Luciano Vecchio & Pere Perez (art) Greg Smallwood & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This one shot was enlightening for some new details shown of Ben Grimm's youth on Yancy Street. Who knew Doc Doom was a practical joker?

 Batman Superman #1 - Joshua Williamson (writer) David Marquez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) John J. Hill (letters). It's the World's Finest team versus the Batman Who Laughs. The super villain killed all the heroes and villains in his home dimension before coming to ours. He can infect anybody and turn them evil ala the Joker. It's a simple concept and Batman and Superman must find a way to stop the plague. The really bad news is that some of their allies could be infected and we find out the first one at the end of this issue. Even without the nice art by David Marquez, there's enough here to make me want to keep reading.

 Absolute Carnage Miles Morales #1 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Federico Vicentini (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I'm only reading this 3-issue spin off because it's about Miles. Carnage is going around killing everybody who had ever been infected by his symbiote. The Scorpion was a victim and Miles just happens to be fighting the super villain when Carnage and his minions show up. This issue doesn't end well for the young hero. I want to see how Miles gets back to normal again so I'll read the rest.

 Avengers #23 - Jason Aaron (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). In part 2 of "Challenge of the Ghost Riders" we learn what demonic being has taken possession of Avengers headquarters. Meanwhile Robby Reyes races against Johnny Blaze in hell. I'm learning more about the Ghost Riders that I ever wanted to know.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1203

Monday, March 5, 2018

 Jee-Riz Comics and Appraisals had another successful Capital Trade Show yesterday at the Jim Durrell Arena on Walkley Road. Many thanks to Spider-Man super fan Jeremy for dropping by our table.

 I'm not a movie buff so I didn't watch the Oscars last night. It's on our PVR so I'll get to it eventually. I read that someone mentioned Len Wein and John Romita Senior during the telecast so I look forward to seeing that in context. I still get excited whenever I see comic book references on TV.

 Moon Knight #192 - Max Bemis (writer) Jacen Burrows (pencils) Guillermo Ortego (inks) Mat Lopes (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Crazy Runs in the Family part 5. This issue ends in an episode of Fantasy Island. The conflict between Ra and Khonshu is coming to a head, Marc's head. I'm not a big fan of psychological drama but I love Jacen Burrows's art so much that I can't stop reading.

 The Terrifics #1 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Joe Prado (inks) Marcelo Maiolo (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). This is the fourth New Age of Heroes comic book to hit the racks and the one that I was most looking forward to because Plastic Man is on this team. The team is lead by smart guy Mr. Terrific and includes Metamorpho and Linnya Wazzo AKA Phantom Girl (thank-you Google). I loved Ivan Reis's art when he drew Green Lantern so I hope he does some spiffy things with the malleable Plastic Man. Jeff Lemire introduces this team quite nicely and the surprise guest on the last page made we want to continue reading.

 Cal Exit #2 - Matteo Pizzolo (writer) Amancay Nahuelpan (art) Tyler Boss (colours) Jim Campbell (letters). It's hard to remember why I wanted to read this second issue since #1 hit the racks over 7 months ago. Now that I have gotten through this very dense comic book I find that I don't care for these characters or their gun happy world. Another thing I didn't like was the stark colours. The recent gun violence in real life has also influenced my decision to stop reading this as well.

 Avengers #682 - Al Ewing, Jim Zub & Mark Waid (writers) Sean Izaakse (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 8. It's no coincidence that Hawkeye and Red Wolf are in this critical issue. Clint put the threat of Bruce Banner down for good but as we all know in comic books, death never lasts. Cosmic beings make anything possible. The colours on the first page nearly turned me off but it was only because David Curiel was trying to make the flashback scenes look old timey.

 Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1 - Dan Abnett (writer) Lan Medina (pencils) Richard Friend (inks) Veronica Gandini (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This 6-issue mini spins off of the current goings on in Aquaman. Mera is recuperating from her magic induced injuries on land and isn't as powerful as she used to be. One of her missions while healing is to try and assure the surface world that the war in Atlantis won't impact them. As much as I love green-eyed redheads, I just couldn't get too excited about this story. Mera's diplomatic mission can go on without me.

 Hungry Ghosts #2 - Anthony Bourdain & Joel Rose (story) Leonardo Manco & Mateus Santolouco (art) Jose Villarrubia (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). These two creepy tales have a European flavour. One will be very foreign to North American readers and may turn their stomachs. The other is about supernatural creatures that would only scare children. Both would be good with a glass of Chianti.

 All-New Wolverine #31 - Tom Taylor (writer) Marco Failla (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is a fun one issue team-up with Gabby and Deadpool. I like these little interludes between all the drama.

 The Demon: Hell is Earth #4 - Andrew Constant (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Chris Sotomayor (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). The heroes continue their journey through Hell to try and keep Belial from creating a gateway to Earth. Many monsters will be mashed before the end.

 Saga #49 - Fiona Staples (art) Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fonografiks (letters). This might be the only comic book on the racks where the artist's name is listed first in the credits. Congratulations to Fiona on her marriage to Ben.

 Spectacular Spider-Man #300 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Adam Kubert & Juan Frigeri (art) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). There were some dumb things in this issue that turned me off this title again. The worst bit was at the end. It rhymes with crime gravel. Not even the back up story with the Black Cat by Chip Zdarsky, Goran Parlov and Giada Marchisio managed to cheer me up. Have fun whenever you end up Spidey.

 Detective Comics #975 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Unknown (letters). Batwoman is judged by a jury of her peers to see if she should be allowed to stay in the Bat-family. The path Kate chooses will be interesting to follow into the future.

 Star Wars: Darth Vader #12 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Daniele Orlandini (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Vader deals with who is trying to kill him as only Vader can. I want to see how successful his terrorist tactics are.

 Silencer #2 - Dan Abnett (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Sandra Hope (inks) Dean White & Arif Prianto (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Code of Honor part 2. Honor AKA the retired Underlife assassin Silencer survives the hit on her and Talia al Ghul. In her attempt to call off her old employers she finds out there is no honour among bad guys. If you like Hit-Girl or the Punisher, I think you'll like this new age hero.

 Action Comics #998 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Will Conrad (art) Ivan Nunes (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Booster Shot conclusion. Superman and Booster Gold were on the verge of being executed by General Zod and his evil son, and wife with the Eradicator thrown in for good measure, last issue. This is where Dan Jurgens shows us how they snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It is the definition of deus ex machina. To make matters worse, at least for me, the good guys return to the present to find a situation where a tragedy has just occurred. Guess how that's averted? Time travel sucks.

[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.

����

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1159

Monday, April 17, 2017

 I'm back. Missed posting last week while I was vacationing in Cuba. It was a nice break to be totally unconnected. I managed to read two week's worth of comic books for today's deadline so this will be longer than usual.

 Weapon X #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a very promising start. This new mutant team book opens with Old Man Logan chillaxin' in the wilds of Washington state and ends with him teaming up with Sabretooth. The age old enemies must work together to fight a common enemy. I look forward to seeing how they hook up with the other three mutants featured on the credits page.

 Superman #20 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Patrick Gleason (pencils) Mick Gray (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Venom was all over Marvel variant covers recently but I didn't expect to see him in a DC comic book. Part one of "Black Dawn" is a World's Finest team-up that has Batman visiting the Superman family on their farm. Seems the neighbours are not what they seem. It's stories like these that make me appreciate the biweekly release schedule.

 Godshaper #1 - Simon Spurrier (writer) Jonas Goonface (artist) Colin Bell (letters). This is the story of Ennay, the godshaper. He travels around reshaping gods for people in a weird new world where personal gods make life easier. See, natural science doesn't work in this world so gods are what helps people live. I like Ennay. He's a hustler with a conscience who is just trying to get by

and not a con man. Jonas's art is vibrant and colourful and Ennay's little god sidekick Bud is cute.

 Deadpool vs. Punisher #1 - Fred Van Lente (writer) Pere Perez (art) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Well, that's one way to start a feud. Frank hurts Wade's accountant and the battle is on. I know that neither killer will win this fight but I might read it to see how they settle the feud.

 Action Comics #977 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Ian Churchill (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part one of "The New World" starts off with a rehash of Superman's origin story going right back to when his parents put him into a rocket ship to Earth just before the planet Krypton explodes and Ma and Pa Kent finding baby Kal-El on their farm in Smallville. I found the retelling tedious but there are a few pages peppered in showing a mysterious new super villain that almost made up for that feeling of reading a rerun. This new villain will keep me coming back for more.

 Riverdale #1 - This new Archie publication is based on the new "hit" TV series. I have not seen the show but I have a long time love of these characters, especially for a certain blonde girl next door. There are two short stories. The first by Will Ewing (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Janice Chiang (letters) features Archie going through the varsity football team's hazing rituals. I am impressed that Will made me like this version of the redheaded teenager. The second story by Michael Grassi (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) John Workman (letters) features my gal Betty Cooper as she endures hazing by Cheryl Blossom, the wicked witch captain of the cheerleading squad. This book made me want to tune into the show now.

 X-Men Blue #1 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Jorge Molina & Matteo Buffagni (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the original young X-Men team with Jean Grey/Marvel Girl as leader. It reads like a straight up super hero comic book with Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Angel (with flaming wings, when did that happen?), Beast and Iceman fighting Black Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut on a luxury yacht. Not very interesting until the surprise twist at the end. The twist bothered me more than intrigued me because the character is also in other X-books and I'm wondering are they good or bad in this one? The back-up story looks like it features Wolverine but this guy is a blonde. I liked the art throughout, especially the cover by Art Adams but my opinion is that these kids should be in their own little world to make it interesting for me and that isn't this.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #18 - Robert Venditti (writer) V Ken Marion (pencils) Dexter Vines (inks) Dinei Ribeiro (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Green and Yellow Lantern Corps working together would be like the FBI and the CIA working together. Things are going to get testy at times. Having Guy and Arkillo make peace after almost killing each other in a slugfest is hokey but it kind of works for this comic book. This is a good issue to jump in on as it starts the new story "The Prism of Time". I don't know how long I will stick with this story as it involves time travel. I know because the surprise guest star on the last page gives it away.

 American Gods #2 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). I have a mild obsession with time. I like to know how long something lasts. I put a date label on Bic pens to see how long it takes for the ink to run out. We rarely lost one at the Snail and one pen would last just over a year. A can of my shaving gel runs out after just over a month. The number 44 is bad luck in Chinese culture so I wear an analogue watch rather than a digital. It always seemed that whenever I looked at the time on a digital it was 44 minutes after the hour and I would get anxious. I kid you not. There's an incident in this issue that relates to a certain time and now that I am aware of it I am going to see if it happens in real life. This is the kind of stuff that makes reading comic books a lot of fun for me. Seeing the incident unfold in three panels made the impact on me even bigger than just reading about it in a novel.

 Jessica Jones #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue starts and ends with Maria Hill and leads to a new case for Jessica. There's a touching scene with Jessica, Luke and their daughter Danielle but not a resolution to their damaged relationship. I really hope Luke forgives Jessica.

 Batman #20 - Tom King (writer) David Finch (pencils) Danny Miki & Trevor Scott (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). The finale to "I Am Bane" was meh. It's a fight between hero and villain that I've witnessed many, many times. This one is just brute force versus brute force and how Batman puts down Bane (because we all know that's what will happen) was very mundane. I hope the next story ends in a more interesting way.

 Rat Queens #2 - Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer) Owen Gieni (art) Ryan Ferrier (letters). The main story has the Queens landing the demon Canada goose to tie up another quest. The back-up story by Patrick Rothfuss (writer) Nate Taylor (art) Ryan Ferrier (letters) is a nifty little campfire story that was very clever. Fooled me.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #19 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is "Bendis' big-time bye-bye blowout!" and it is an artists lover's dream. The guest artists here are Phil Noto, Andrea Sorrentino, Ed McGuinness & Mark Morales, Arthur Adams, Kevin Maguire, Mark Bagley & Andrew Hennessy, Sara Pichelli and Filipe Andrade. It's basically a big fight between the team, a few of their friends and Thanos. My one complaint is that Gamora did not act like I thought she should but it was an expedient reaction to seeing the Mad Titan in that situation. I loved Brian's run on this book so writer Gerry Duggan has a hard act to follow.

 Wonder Woman #20 - Greg Rucka (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Veronica Cale has exhausted all medical means for getting her daughter Izzy back from the clutches of Phobos and Deimos so it's time for the mystical option. I like Greg's incarnation of Circe. She can give Loki a run for his money.

 Paper Girls #13 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Cliff Chiang (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). Time travel makes my head hurt but I have an emotional stake in these girls now and want to know what happens to them.

 Champions #7 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). That's twice that the team has tussled with the Freelancers and the super villains have given up too easily. There's a good reason for that other than because they're cowards and bullies. There's more than one way to hurt the good guys besides beating them up. Time to call in Matt Murdock.

 Kingpin #3 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Marc Laming (layouts) Ben Torres (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Sarah the biographer gets chummy with Wilson Fisk which leads Sarah the reporter into very deep trouble with Tombstone. Can Wilson protect her from harm? I like this portrayal of the Kingpin.

 Savage Things #2 - Justin Jordan (writer) Ibrahim Moustafa (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Ruthless terrorists who have no qualms about killing women and children make for some very nasty bad guys. It's interesting that the good guy Abel trained with these same men. I am anticipating the much larger threat that Cain has planned.

 All-New Wolverine #19 - Tom Taylor (writer) Leonard Kirk (pencils) Cory Hamscher (inks) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The 3-part "Immune" starts here. Laura and Gabby take down a human trafficker while an alien craft crashed on Roosevelt Island, New York. That crash has consequences for Laura. I am waiting to find out what the connection between the alien and Laura is. I really like Gabby and I hope she plays a bigger role in this book.

 Red Team: Double Tap, Center Mass #6 - Garth Ennis(writer) Craig Cermak (art) Vinicius Andrade (colours) Rob Steen (letters). This issue adds some true romance to the true detective plot of the story. Detectives Mellinger and Giroux break the cardinal rule of workplace romance and that never ends well. Garth will get back to blood and mayhem soon I'm sure.

 Amazing Spider-Man #26 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Plenty of action in part 2 of "The Osborn Identity" with Spidey and Silver Sable fighting Norman's henchmen. Some mild intrigue with Doc Ock in the background. I don't get S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stance on what Parker Industries is doing to help Symkaria. Dan has made up some political drama for the sake of the story that doesn't make sense to me.

 Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #6 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) Marc Deering (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). No killer droids this issue made it a lot less fun but I did like how the story ended.

 The Unstoppable Wasp #4 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Elsa Charretier (art) Megan Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I really like this energetic and slightly naïve super hero. She did try to reason with a super villain but when she had to kick butt she did. I hope she can save her old Red Room mate.

 Spider-Man #15 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's time for Miles's mom to find out about his secret identity. She's not taking it as well as the Ultimate Universe Aunt May did when Peter's secret came out. Szymon's turn on the art for this book is okay but I wish he wouldn't copy panels so much. I feel like I'm not getting my money's worth when artists do that.

 Uncanny Avengers #22 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The team de-powers the Red Skull of Professor X's super powers and Charles Xavier can now rest in peace. There's a page in this issue where Rogue is thinking about Professor X and the major decision that she made that Pepe and David did a beautiful job of expressing. I'm sure when Gerry wrote the scene he could not imagine how well rendered it would be.  That page choked me up and stopped me reading. I had to send Pepe a message right then to let him know that image is burned into my memory like John Romita Senior's Peter Parker walking away down an ally with Spider-Man's costume in a garbage can in the foreground. Some comic book art is unforgettable and their page qualifies. Geez Pepe, you outdid yourself.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #16 - Joshua Corin (writer) Scott Koblish (art) Nick Filardi (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I did not leave the best for last. This is a tie-in issue. "'Til Death Do Us…"  part 4's only interesting thing for me was seeing who Deadpool teams up with in his other book Deadpool & The Mercs for Money. This did not make me want to read that book nor the grand finale in Deadpool #29 to see what Wade and his monster queen wife Shiklah will wind up doing. I anticipate it will be the divorce from hell. I hope we get back to the silliness that I have come to expect from this book soon.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1155

Monday, March 13, 2017

 I wonder how many workers screw up daylight savings time and are an hour late today? I hate being late for anything. I'm so obsessively early that it's annoying but I am reliable.

 I cannot wait for it to get warm outside again. These cold snaps are getting to me more as I grow older. My mitochondria don't seem to functioning as well to keep me warm. The physiological changes of aging suck. I just might have to start wearing long johns with the flap in the back.

 Man-Thing #1 - R. L. Stine (writer) German Peralta (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This new book certainly has a nostalgic feel to it as it harkens back to the horror comics of the 1980s. I was expecting the usual shtick of "whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch" but the swamp creature can talk now? I didn't see that coming. Doctor Ted Sallis regained his consciousness and speech (when did that happen?) but not his human body so he tries to make it as an actor. Yes, it was a "what the?" moment. I like seeing new takes on old characters but this one didn't work for me. There's a nifty little back-up story by R. L. Stine (writer) Daniel Johnson (art) Mat Lopes (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters) that was more entertaining than the creature feature. Too bad they didn't call this book Adventures Into Fear. That might have made us older fans less critical.

 Detective Comics #952 - James Tynion IV (writer) Christian Duce & Fernando Blanco (art) Alex Sinclair, John Rauch & Allen Passalaqua (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). Part 2 of "League of Shadows" has Lady Shiva creating chaos in Gotham City and putting the Bat team down a few members. I don't know if the new piece of personal info about Orphan was common knowledge but it sure shocked me.

 Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys #1 - Anthony Del Col (writer) Werther Dell'Edera (art) Stefano Simeone (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). "The Big Lie" is a murder mystery worthy of these iconic teenage sleuths and mature readers, many who may have read their adventures when they were younger. I never did so I am seeing these characters with fresh eyes. I get the feeling that this is similar to how the Archie gang has been updated and I like what they're doing over at Archie so I am sticking with this new version of Nancy, Frank and Joe.

 Jessica Jones #6 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). One mystery solved, another to go. But first Jess has to square things with Luke. This was a very satisfying end to the first story arc.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #16 - Robert Venditti (writer) Rafa Sandoval (pencils) Jordi Tarragona (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). What a fantastic fight that Guy Gardner has. I had Marvin Hamlisch's "The Entertainer" going in my head after reading Jessica Jones #6 because it reminded me of The Sting. Now I have the theme from Rocky stuck in my head. The art this issue was so very nice.

 Josie and the Pussycats #5 - Marguerite Bennett & Cameron Deordio (writers) Audrey Mok (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). Loved the cover by Asami Matsumura. Women sure talk about relationships a whole lot more than guys do.

 All-New Wolverine #18 - Tom Taylor (writer) Nik Virella (art) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). So that problem's solved. Laura figures out a way to get out from under Kimura's thumb. I hear the Logan movie didn't suck. I'm glad they introduced Laura/X-23 in that movie. I wish all the folks that went to see it would give this comic book a try. I've liked it since it started.

 Wonder Woman #18 - Greg Rucka (writer) Bilquis Evely (pencils) Scott Hanna (inks) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Part 2 of "Godwatch" explains why Cheetah hates Diana. Friendships play a very important part in this story.

 Lady Killer 2 #4 - Joelle Jones (writer & artist) Michelle Madsen (colours) Crank! (letters). Josie and her husband find themselves in tight spots at work and I'm sure the clamps will get tighter in next issue's conclusion of this second story arc. There are a very few artists that write their own stuff that I really like and Joelle is one of them.

 Old Man Logan #19 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Filipe Andrade (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is Jeff's last story on this book. I'm going to miss him. He has made Logan interesting again. Jeff is setting it up for Logan to go back to the Wastelands to maybe change the fate of the place that he came from. We'll see if Logan actually makes it there next issue.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #15 - Joshua Corin (writer) Scott Koblish (art) Nick Filardi (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I wasn't going to read this issue because it's part of the "'Til Death Do Us…" crossover story where Deadpool fights with his demon wife Shiklah, but I'm glad I did. Josh threw in a few good pop culture references that made me smirk. Nothing laugh out loud funny but enough to make me have a good time reading. That's all I ask from a comic book. This means that I will read issue #16 too and I might even pick up Deadpool and the Mercs for Money #9 and #10 to read the other parts.

 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #5 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) Marc Deering (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Aphra and her father find what they're looking for and it's her dad's archaeological dream come true. That dream may turn out to be a nightmare though. It's another exciting cliffhanger that makes you want to read the next issue as soon as it hits the racks on April 12.

 Inhumans vs. X-Men 6 - Jeff Lemire & Charles Soule (writers) Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) Leinil Francis Yu & Gerry Alanguilan (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). That's all they wrote folks. The threat to mutants by the Terrigen cloud is neutralized at last. Inhumans and X-Men don't suffer any great losses. Some characters change and that's what I expected from this great big war. Let's not have another one for a while okay?

 Kingpin #2 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Ben Torres (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This story is more about the writer that Wilson wants to hire than it is about the big Fisker. I love this version of the Kingpin though. Ben has modeled him after John Romita Sr. and Frank Miller's massive, powerful interpretations. The last few pages made me decide to continue reading.