#this is also making me think of the batman tabletop character book i bought. which was written shortly after jason's death

[eyepatchdate]

read the death in the family robin lives and. man. only a few pages changed but the difference is just staggering, knowing the history. my heart breaks a little.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1148

Monday, January 23, 2017

 Squirrels, the scourge of birdfeeders. One clever rodent managed to open the cage holding a suet block for our woodpeckers and run off with the whole thing. Penny was fit to be tied. She went out and bought a squirrel bell to put on the post but I don't think it will keep the little buggers from climbing up and getting at the feed. We'll see.

 I spent yesterday watching the conference playoff games. Poor Packers, sorry Steelers, better luck next year. Super Bowl 51 will feature two teams with great quarterbacks and receivers. I am hoping for a high scoring affair.

 Artist extraordinaire Tom Fowler will be signing his new book Tabletop Fantasy & Comics Art at Comet Comics on Saturday, January 28 from 2 to 6 PM. Come in and commiserate and watch Tom doodle. That's also Chinese New Year of the Rooster day so you can cock-a-doodle-do too.

 Monsters Unleashed #1 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Steve McNiven (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I didn't think I was going to read this after being disappointed by the monster fighting story in Batman and Detective Comics and the fact that Cullen isn't one of my favourite writers but I was surprised that I enjoyed this a lot. Mainly because Steve is one of my favourite artists. The story seems basic. Giant space monsters are appearing all over the world and all your favourite super heroes are fighting them. I mean ALL the super heroes. This is a story that I would not continue to read if it wasn't for the beautiful art.

 Superman #15 - Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason (writers) Ryan Sook, Ed Benes, Clay Mann & Jorge Jimenez (art) Ryan Sook, Dinei Ribeiro, Ulises Arreola & Alejandro Sanchez (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The villain's name is Prophecy and Superman comes up with a plan to beat him in part 2 of Multiplicity. Massive multi-hero stories like this seem to dominate the racks right now and I wonder when fans are going to grow tired of them.

 Kill Or Be Killed #5 - Ed Brubaker (writer) Sean Phillips (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours). Dylan gives us two for one this issue as two months have gone by since the last time he had to kill someone to stay alive. The coolest thing for me about this issue was the philosophical wonderings about Carl Jung and synchronicity that Dylan has. I've wondered the same things. There have been many instances in my life where I have thought about someone and then they show up soon after. Is it because I think about the people I care about a lot or is it because I can sense their presence? Sometimes I think it’s the latter because one minute I'm thinking about them and there they are the next minute. It's weird.

 Black Widow #10 - Chris Samnee & Mark Waid (writers) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue shows us what became of Nick Fury. Not the black scar face guy but the white Howling Commando guy. I know, it's very confusing. The bad guys come to a grisly end but don't despair, there are more villains for Natasha to deal with. It will be interesting to see how she stops those little Black Widows.

 Batman #15 - Tom King (writer) Mitch Gerads (art & colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). If you're looking to give your sweetie a nice romance story for Valentine's Day, the 2-part Rooftops in this and issue #14 would be the cat's meow.

 Archie #16 - Mark Waid (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). This issue features Dilton Doiley and a social media app that he invented. It also shows Cheryl Blossom beginning her plot to get revenge on Veronica as she insinuates herself into the lives of the kids in Riverdale while Ronnie is still in Switzerland. I know this book is like a teenage soap opera but it's well done and good for some light entertainment.

 Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #3 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I like this hybrid comic book. It's part Indiana Jones and part Tank Girl. The psychopathic killer droids are fun and would be a good name for a rock band.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #5 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Robson Rocha (pencils) Jay Leisten, Daniel Henriques, Sandu Florea & Oclair Albert (inks) Alex Sinclair with Jeremiah Skipper (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I did not like the sudden change of the Heart of Darkness possessed Max Lord. Yes, it made way for an even nastier villain to appear for next issue's conclusion but it was way too easy. First appearance alert: see the new Justice League of America right here folks.

 Black Hammer Annual - Jeff Lemire (writer) Nate Powell, Matt Kindt, Dustin Nguyen, Ray Fawkes, Emi Lenox, Michael Allred (art) Dave Stewart & Sharlene Kindt (colours) Todd Klein (letters). I enjoyed this blast from the past featuring the young versions of the exiled heroes as the Colonel follows the flight of a mysterious alien.

 Spider-Gwen #16 - Jason Latour (writer) Robbi Rodriguez (art) Rico Renzi (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles & Travis Lanham (letters). Had to read this because it crosses over with Spider-Man #12. Part 2 of "Sitting in a Tree" doesn't have any K.I.S.S.I.N.G. as Miles and Gwen search for Miles's dad. Jason made it fun to visit Earth-65 and I would consider following this book if I had more time. Robbi made it easy to recognise the major characters too. I knew instantly who Matt Murdock and Doc Ock were. When Miles finds Jefferson Davis (why don't father and son have the same last name?) is it his dad or the Jefferson Davis of Earth-65? I can't wait to find out in Spider-Man #13 which hits the racks February 15.

 U.S.Avengers #2 - Al Ewing (writer) Paco Medina (pencils) Juan Vlasco (inks) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Time traveling and dimension hopping, my two least favourite plot devices. Captain America 20XX gives us the lowdown on the Golden Skull villain. I'm giving this story some leeway though because I love Paco's art and the subtle humour that Al puts in. A billionaire named Bryce with a manservant named Freddie. Har.

 Mighty Captain Marvel #1 - Margaret Stohl (writer) Ramon Rosanas (art) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I really like the art in this new book and the villain is a juicy mystery. I think I know who it is too. It will be fun to see if I'm right or wrong.

 Avengers #3.1 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Mark Farmer with Rafael Fonteriz & Barry Kitson (inks) Jordan Boyd & Wil Quintana (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). The mysterious Cressida, who can boost someone's powers, has helped Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch gain support from the general populace. When things look too good to be true they usually are. This story just got a lot more interesting.

 Gamora #2 - Nicole Perlman (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Gamora isn't the only tough spacewoman in this story. She meets up with a Badoon drug dealer and I don't think that they'll get along. This is a good space adventure.

 Invincible Iron Man #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). When are they going to start calling this book Ironheart? I like the name. I also like how Brian builds relationships in his books. All of my favourite comic books have characters that the writer has taken the time to make me care about them. Brian does this with great dialogue between people. The three major scenes in this issue illustrate that very well and it really helps that Stefano's art is so pretty and expressive.

 Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy #4 - Dan Slott (writer) Jim Cheung (pencils) John Dell & Cory Smith (inks) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This story is quite convoluted but I am sticking with it to see how everything pans out. I really liked Anna Maria's role in this issue and how she changed the way Doc Ock behaved. You go girl.

 Amazing Spider-Man #23 - Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Most of this issue made my head hurt. Here's where Peter and clone Gwen talk about how real the clones are. This conversation takes place in the middle of what was happening in Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy #4 so there is some overlap for fans who are not reading that mini. I can't wait for Clone Conspiracy to end. This story is getting tedious.