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AICN COMICS REVIEWS CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, STRANGERS IN PARADISE, AND MUCH MORE!!!
| #51 | 3/7/07 | #5 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1
CAPTAIN AMERICA #25
THE AUTHORITY #2
DYNAMO 5
SHAZAM! THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL #2
Indie Jones Presents AMERICAN BORN CHINESE OGN
Indie Jones presents STRANGERS IN PARADISE #88
Indie Jones presents…
CHEAP SHOTS!
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: George Perez (pencils) and Bob Wiacek (inks)
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Prof. Challenger
"That's the most reckless card playing I've ever seen."
- Bruce Wayne
"You should try it sometime."
- Hal Jordan
"I wish Barry had lived to see you with money."
- Bruce Wayne
I know this is a belated review, but so what? There was a day when we readers had to wait 5 freakin' months to read other fans' reviews in the various letters columns. Two weeks ago was a good week for comic fans who just dig good old-fashioned super-hero comics with classic characters portrayed "in" character, exquisite artwork, and nary a political POV or evidence of corporate mind-control to be seen.
BRAVE AND THE BOLD is a throwback to a different era when super-hero comics were quite a bit simpler. That does not mean simplistic. B&B is anything but simplistic. This is a team-up book deliberately reminiscent of the Silver Age team-up books such as the original BRAVE AND THE BOLD. B&B delivers a fantastic team-up story involving Batman and Green Lantern. What makes it so fantastic is that a genuine murder mystery is presented that fully and logically involves GL and Batman.
Oh BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1, how do I love thee. Let me count the ways:
(1) The friendship and true partnership between Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
(2) The genuine surprise image of Batman kneeling over a corpse in the Batcave.
(3) Batman performing actual detective work.
(4) Destructive aliens.
(5) Animated dinosaurs.
(6) "Batteries to power--turbines to speed."
(7) "Dick always swore that penny would come in handy someday."
(8) Bruce Wayne and Hal Jordan in Las Vegas.
(9) 13-panel page perfectly telling the visual narrative.
(10) Batman taken by surprise.
(11) Roulette.
(12) Ultimate knowledge.
(13) Ultimate power.
(14) Next issue: Green Lantern and Supergirl.
This may be the comic book Mark Waid was born to write. All characters were written with more respect to their classic characterization than they usually receive elsewhere. Batman, especially, was the "Dark Night Detective" and not the brooding militaristic misanthrope he so often is mischaracterized as. Waid did the tradition of B&B's original writer, Bob Haney, proud here.
George Perez, if possible, has challenged himself to up his game on this series. Which seems impossible, but I swear some of his work here was the best he's ever done. What an amazing talent and an amazing comic book from cover to cover. Even when I look for something to criticize, I can't find it.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #25
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
In a bar I frequent all too often, I know this older gentleman who often gets drunk and starts to make an idiot out of himself for the simple goal of gaining the room’s attention. He does this every time without fail. He slams a pint or a shot of Jaegermeister and shouts a witticism and the immediate crowd looks and laughs. Feeding off of this nubbin of attention, the guy vomits another witticism, this one only a slight variation of the last, and the crowd lets out a kind titter of recognition. Still not satisfied, the guy belts out another one and the crowd, in unison, raises their eyebrows, turns away and tries to ignore the awkward moment when the guy, too sure of his own wit, has overstayed his welcome and misread the initial attention as something like recognition of his own charm, yet, in reality, it’s something more akin to pity. Regulars recognize this show of desperation for attention immediately, and it doesn’t take long for the newbs in the bar to recognize it either.
If only comic book readers could be as shrewd…
To all of those who plopped out a shit kitten about the “death” of Captain America, I implore you to get a frikking grip. Anyone who believes Steve Rogers is dead and gone need to see me about some property I’d love to sell you out behind the ol’ @$$Hole HQ smack dab in between the Burning Knuckle Hooter Bar and Schleppy’s International House of Pig Innards (who knew Schleppy could cook?).
For those of you under a rock, Marvel moved back into the section marked “Been There, Done That” and had Cap perished by a sniper’s bullet in last week’s issue twenty-five. It was an “event” that made filler for the last few seconds of most of the TV news programs, causing stoic reporters to give false eulogies and commend Marvel for such “sophisticated” storytelling in funny books. I hear it also caused quite the bidding fervor on eBay and even a fellow @$$hole hocked his copy for just about fifty dollars.
I hear this and it really makes me kind of sick and sad. The Marvel hype machine revved into full gear and it appears that, once again, fandom ate it up. I worked in a comic book store during the “Death of Superman” fiasco and went through that similar, although somewhat larger, shit storm. There were news reporters. There were people in the store who had never set foot in one before. There were hopefuls shelling out big cash for this “surefire investment” only to find themselves disappointed when they came back victoriously a few months later to cash in on something that was barely worth the cover price. God how I loved to see their little hearts shatter.
Take a boot to the testes, non-collectors!
And my theory was then and still is that said hoof to the nads was one of the things that put the nail in the coffin of the comic book industry. And as a result, the comic book slump that was the nineties occurred, where sales were low, stories were shit, the market was oversaturated with spin-offs, knock-offs, and jack-offs, and the House of Ideas almost went homeless. People who bought into the hype realized that companies couldn’t be trusted with their heroes. It was all about selling the book and making the buck. Fans ceased to matter. Nothing that was said was ever set in stone. Superman returned faster than a speeding bullet and people outside of the comics industry, having felt cheated by what they thought of as the “last Superman story” crinkled their brows and left comic books behind, never to return. The hype backfired and while, sure, a fraction of new readers may have stuck around, the whole incident to this day leaves a bad taste in the mouths of anyone who was around to remember it.
The only saving grace for this round of over-hype from DC’s competitors is the fact that Marvel has their best writer penning the whole thing. If anyone can make this a good story, it’s Ed Brubaker. And despite the over-hype, this is a remarkably well-written and action packed issue that not only shows us why Cap is such an important character, but lays out an engrossing mystery for the reader to enjoy. It’s top notch storytelling from cover to cover and will most definitely be another Brubaker story arc to remember examining why the world needs Captain America. I loved the issue and for the first time in a long time, it looks as if the hype will live up to itself because the storyteller is just damn good.
But I can’t help but still feel rancor about the whole thing.
I mean, shelling out big bucks on eBay for a book that will just be reprinted in a mere two weeks? Reporters outside comic shops? Newbs in my store, in my way, clogging up the check out line, and talking about how “kewl” GHOST RIDER THE MOVIE was?
C’mon, people.
Those of you who want to read a good story, check this one out. It is definitely worth your time. Maybe this “event” will actually educate the populace proper how superhero comics can be sophisticated reading. Maybe some new long term readers will come from it.
But to you fly-by-night tool bags who bought the issue to pay for college or a new car/house/tummy tuck or think that this turn of events won’t be undone in a year…I’ve got a boot here with your taint written all over it. Marvel’s poundin’ Jaeger and at it again with the hype. You newbs may think it’s news, but this regular (although buying the comic) has seen it all before.
THE AUTHORITY #2
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Gene Ha
Publisher: Wildstorm/DC Comics
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
Fanboy snark time: "Well, THAT certainly wasn't worth the wait." *insert random eye rollie icon or whatever*
But the thing of it is, how often is a comic that comes out five months after it's supposed to worth it? Pretty much never. The only recent exceptions I can think of are FELL and anytime we get an issue of PLANETARY, and with the Planetary line, they're solicited like that. It's not like with this book here where it's actually solicited in freaking October and comes out in March. Excitement can only take you so far, and since only one issue of this has come out and the Authority didn't even appear in it, well, you can't really expect much can you?
Okay, digression gone. How was this issue despite the giant ass hiatus?
Eh, not bad. What we pretty much have here is a little bit of Grant Morrison taking a chisel to the much fabled "fourth wall". What issue number one was trying to establish all those long months ago was that there was a world out there in the multiverse with none of the problems of the superbeing, because, well, they don't exist there. Issue two lets us in on a little more of the secret: apparently this world is ours. That's right, our lil' ol' Earth. No intergalactic despots, no armored tyrants, no Big Blue Boyscouts... just a dirty little place with its own fair share of problems without having to worry about
men in tights plowing through its cities. It's definitely an intriguing little premise, not exactly anything that hasn't been toyed with before, but it still happens so sporadically it's always worth a peek at the take of whoever is deciding they need to go there.
And there's a lot of elements for Morrison to work with here. He's pulling an "everyman" angle with the inclusion of a submarine pilot by the name of Ken, the poor schlub who happens to become the Authority's informant on what our realm is like. Also, there's the team discovering that they are indeed fictional characters whose exploits are in the pages of comic books...sorry, I mean graphic novels, everywhere. And then of course you have the political climate we all find ourselves living daily and how this sits with a team that prides itself so much on making a difference, no matter what the cost or body count. Lots of
balls being juggled, and it's definitely shaping up to be a bit of a ride as there's a genuine feeling of not knowing what's going to go on next. I'm definitely interested in seeing how this plays out, but even if this shipped monthly I dunno if it would exactly make giddy with anticipation for the next issue. That leaves whatever remaining enthusiasm I have for this stunted by the fact that it'll probably be another four months before we see a new issue... sigh......
Anyways, there's also some art chores to be talked about, and with all the delay you assume that these Gene Ha pencils are a guaranteed home run right? Well, no, not exactly. Oh, don't get me wrong, there's some absolutely amazing and brilliant splashes and panel work in here. There's a slightly bigger than a full page splash of The Engineer and a couple of her duplicates that has to be seen to believed, and there's a handful more like it ripe with detail and lush scenery. But it isn't all roses and candy. For one, in a good bit of places the facial work on the characters is actually very off looking. There's a lot of
panels where the males tend to have noses that look like Steve Martin's in the film Roxanne, and in some of the far off shots some of the characters seem to be lacking facial features altogether. They might have just two thin lines to demark eye brows and of course the giant schnozzes. Plus, the coloring job occasionally muddles things up as much as it makes the good pages look that much better. Too much blur effect--it looks like everything is in a haze. And sometimes the characters stand out way too much from their backgrounds, making everything around the characters look too, I dunno, "digital" I guess would be the term. There's definitely more good than bad but, again, with such a sizeable delay, this should have been nothing short of perfect given what we've come to expect from the crew involved.
This is definitely not a bad book, not at all. It's got a nice hook, there's a lot of potential in the ideas Morrison is presenting, and the art can be downright jaw dropping at times. But it's all a little too uneven given the circumstances. This is supposed to be one of the flagship titles of this whole Wildstorm reboot, and it's not quite delivering, especially compared to other WS books like STORMWATCH PHD and WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY that are not only delivering high quality, but on a monthly (or close enough to it) basis. Expectations on this were already high based simply on those involved, but this is definitely a dropped ball. There's definitely a good chance this could turn into a touchdown, but right now it's being unexpectedly outclassed by its imprint peers.
DYNAMO 5
Written by: Jay Faerber
Illustrated by: Mahmud A. Asrar
Published by: Image Cimics
Reviewed by: superhero
File this book under the category, "Gee, I wish I'd thought of that."
DYNAMO 5 presents the adventures of what are essentially the children of Superman. Sure, sure, Superman in this story is pretty much presented as the uberhero known as Captain Dynamo but we can all spot a Superman stand in when we see one, right? In any case in DYNAMO 5 the world's greatest hero, Captain Dynamo, has passed on to the great beyond. Before he croaked, however, we discover that unfortunately Dynamo-baby couldn't really keep his, er, ahm, dynamo in his pants and is the father of five…count 'em…five illegitimate children. Yep, turns out that CD was actually a bit of a louse. And if spawning five kids and not helping to raise them wasn't bad enough it turns out that he was an adulterer as well. Turns out that Dynamo had married his own Lois Lane counterpart and had been cheating on her for years, the cad. So Lois, um, sorry…Maddie Warner (the Lois stand-in) decides that there's no better way to make up for her husband's indiscretions than to track down his bastard brood and get then to form a super team of their own.
Neat idea right? But not only is DYNAMO 5 a neat idea it's altogether a really good comic, as well. I can't tell you how many times I've enjoyed the idea for a book and it just hasn't lived up to its potential. Well, in this first issue DYNAMO 5 takes a concept that could have easily fallen flat on its face and runs with it.
Writer Faerber and artist Asrar do a great job of weaving the whole story together and making it believable in a comic book logic sort of way. Asrar in particular does a great job on the art chores, as does colorist Ron Riley. Asrar 's figure work and his storytelling abilities are top notch. I also have to give him credit for his character design here. For some reason I just really enjoyed the design of the DYNAMO 5 team's costumes. They harkened back to the original X-Men's synergistic uniforms but Asar and Riley made them pop with a uniqueness all their own. I usually don't go on about super hero outfits but for some reason the DYNAMO 5 team uniforms really worked for me. In any case DYNAMO 5 is a really great looking book all around. The pages are bright and vibrant and demand attention from any lover of super hero genre.
DYNAMO 5 is a book full of super hero adventure and an interesting cast of characters. In a way, DYNAMO 5 reminds me a lot of the Byrne FANTASTIC FOUR comic books I read as a kid. It's an altogether different super-hero universe that the big two are publishing today but it's one that's full of positive potential without engaging in too much unnecessary deconstruction of the genre. If anything I see DYNAMO 5 in the vein of Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE in that it's a super hero book that doesn't need to apologize for being what it is. Make sure to pick DYNAMO 5 up if you're a super hero fan. I think you'll be glad you did. As a matter of fact I'm a bit pissed at the creators of DYNAMO 5. As a comic fan who's trying to get away from weekly books another monthly pamphlet is the last thing I needed. But I'll be picking up DYNAMO 5 on a regular basis…it's that good.
SHAZAM! THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL #2 (of 4)
Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Prof. Challenger
"I don't need a babysitter, I'm Mary Marvel! See ya around, sucker!
- Mary Marvel
Wow. I don't even think it's been an entire month since the first issue came out. Right? Time flies, I guess. I find it interesting that the poor cover design for this issue buried the actual title at the bottom of the cover but put "Jeff Smith" up in huge letters at the top. Smith is the star here, not The Big Red Cheese. And I understand that. My wife volunteers in Prof. Jr.'s middle school library once a week and she's mentioned that the BONE graphic novels are always going out as soon as they get reshelved. Smith is very very popular which means $$$$$$ in the eyes of Darth Didio and DC Comics.
But I'm more of a purist I guess. I like to fool myself that fans are attracted to the characters and not just to a popular name. Then again, I like to fool myself into thinking that voters are attracted to candidates like Barack Obama because of his "ideas" and his "accomplishments" and not just because he's a very attractive man with strong oratory skills. So what do I know? Anyway, once again, to the chagrin of the Talkbackers, I'm going to be giving a positive but mixed review to the second issue of JEFF SMITH--*cough*--I mean SHAZAM! THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL.
You know how I earlier characterized the cover design as "poor?" I say that because I did not even notice the comic book was on the stands until my third pass over the "New Releases." I may still not have noticed it if not for the hand-written note in front of it identifying it as a "recommended" selection from one of the store employees. That's a bad design when that happens. It's a clever image, but the color work on it makes it very easy for Cap and the title logo to literally just disappear if the casual browser is not actively searching for the issue.
The interior of the book, though, is also very important and, for me, this was much much better than the first issue (which I criticized for being an overly long retelling of Cap's origin). This time out, the origin is over with and the story gets going and I'm just loving Smith's characterization of Cap and Billy - especially his inclusion of the talking tiger, Mr. Talky Tawny. To me, Tawny is absolutely an essential character to any Captain Marvel series. He exemplifies everything magical and child-friendly about the entire Marvel Family. Smith does a beautiful job incorporating Tawny into this story that flows more like an illustrated children's book than your average comic book.
Humor abounds throughout the comic, most of it the quirky interactions between Billy, his sister Mary, and Tawny. Series editor Mike Carlin makes a brief cameo as circus ringmaster "The Great Carlini" who is promptly devoured in front of the audience by some more of Mr. Mind's evil talking alligators. And for some inexplicable reason, Dr. Sivana (who looks here like a hydrocephalic dwarf) is the nation's Attorney General and has recently formed the Department of Technology and Heartland Security. Funny stuff. And I'm sure he's in the employ of the evil alien, Mr. Mind.
Speaking of Mr. Mind, Smith is keeping the mystery of who and what Mr. Mind really is a secret to those readers who may be uninformed. As it stands now, Billy's attempt to reach the top of the Rock of Eternity (in the first issue) somehow opened a gateway allowing Mr. Mind to enter our universe and use his Monster Society of Evil to take over our world. Two brobdignagian robots have appeared on Mr. Mind's behalf, with one still to come, and then it will be time to destroy us all.
Now, all the while this fantastic stuff is going on, Smith finds opportunities to slow things down and focus on Billy and Mary: orphaned brother and sister who've never met each other until this issue. Some of it's truly poignant and touching, but Mary's brassy sassy mouth is a bit of a turn-off to me as a reader. You know, we all bring baggage into our reading, and sometimes it is preconceived notions of characters that we bring with us. I'm sure there were a lot of 30-to-40-somethings who went into the new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA fully prepared to hate it simply because Starbuck was a girl! In my case, I'm bringing in a preconception that's hard to get past that says Mary Marvel is supposed to be a poised, polite, and kind of sexy teenager in a modest skirt. A bratty, loud-mouthed little 5 year-old girl's a bit much of a change for me to take right now. But, like with Starbuck, I'm giving Smith some rope to see if this change can work for me because so much of what he's doing is so right that I want to see him succeed and fully win me over.
The bottom line is this is good stuff overall and I suspect that younger audiences who have no prior knowledge of the Marvel Family are going to thoroughly enjoy this story - especially once it's collected into a trade and hits the bookstores and libraries.
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE OGN
Writer/Artist: Gene Luen Yang
Publisher: First Second Books
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
One of my favorite things about comics, I think, are what you would call the "pleasant surprises" they tend to yield. Right now, we're in an industry dominated by style and hype, and marginal substance to go with it. You can't go to a new site or feed without seeing CIVIL WAR this, or WORLD WAR III that, or "Here comes Countdown!!" Whatever, I'm bored with it. It's all a flash in the pan. What I want is something like this, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, a book that I knew very little about and pretty much picked up on a lark (and because I had Barnes & Nobles gift cards). I was walking by the shelves at the store looking for something new. Something different. Something that looked like it had a REAL story to tell, and I came upon this and remembered some smatterings of praise here and there between places like Brian Bendis' forum and the iFanboy podcast (a great show for those of you looking for another dose of weekly comics talk). And honestly, that's all it should take. Why should you have to be convinced by Wizard blowing their wad for 14 gushing pages about some big overblown event that really only serves the purpose of selling more Wizard adspace? The man on the street is where things should start, where the REAL opinions should matter. Not from some publication or website that pretty much owes their notoriety to the two companies that hold the most market share. Yes, I know I'm on a website right now getting on a soapbox about all this, but I'm no man's puppet and I'm just here trying to tell you of some great material.
That's how these things get started, right?
There. Rant over. On to the book.
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is actually three stories in one, all with their own theme and message that come to an unexpected head at the end of this graphic novel. One story is that of fitting in, as one Jin Wang moves into a new school to find he's the only Chinese-American student there. Another is actually one of Chinese folklore, about the Monkey King that aspires to become a revered god. And lastly is a tale of Chin-Kee (props for the play on words), a blatant walking stereotype who has invaded the life of his cousin Danny and makes his social
life hell. Like I said, from the outside, these things have really nothing to do with each other, except with some base themes and morals that branch into one another. Each also has a bit of a shared light-heartedness that envelops the work as a whole, but also different enough from story to story to break up any sort of pattern it might be following and keep each segment fresh. Gene Luen Yang does his best to subtly push the kinds of sterotypical jokes and gags you'd expect to see in a work dealing with such subject matter, but the brilliance of the Chin-Kee plotline is that he also gets to revel in them without feeling like he's overdoing it. Every story is loaded with enough laughs and poignant moments to fill a dozen other comics, and it all comes together with a great payoff that is unpredictable, but definitely does the job presenting an ending that absolutely works given the overall storytelling.
The art inside of ABC is actually kind of what you would expect after hearing about the kind of tone I talk about it going for and whatnot. Very simple lines, more cartoon work than anything, with the right dab of Asian influence with the overblown facial expressions and occasional "big eye" syndrome. But that's the point of the book. It's a celebration of both the American and Asian cultures, and infuses both of them into the work, both on the art and story front. But amidst the fantasy and over the top humor, there's also that smack of genuinity that brings it all back into focus.
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is the pure definition of a "hidden treasure". Great storytelling and unexpected depth with a heart that can't be denied, but it's also terribly fun too. A great modern day parable with several pertinent morals and sentiments to it. This is definitely a work that deserves all the attention it gets and way beyond and has given me more enjoyment than 90% of all the comics I've read in this past year. Keep an eye out for it.
STRANGERS IN PARADISE #88
Writer: Terry Moore
Artist: Terry Moore
Publisher: Abstract Studios
Reviewer: Jinxo
STRANGERS IN PARADISE has been around for quite awhile but is quickly drawing to a close. I really have enjoyed the book. The art is great. The characters look like they could be people from the real world. Terry Moore can draw facial expressions with emotions that leap off the page. So often I find myself going back after reading the book just to look again at key drawings.
While I will miss this comic it may be time for it to end. The central story has always bounced between two primary plot elements. First is the love triangle: good pure David loves bad girl Katchoo, Katchoo is gay and loves Francine, Francine loves Katchoo but is straight and can’t reciprocate. As the series has gone on they have all bounced around, trying to make their relationships work (Katchoo tries to make it work with David, Francine tries to make it work with Katchoo…). Only at this point they’ve gone round and round the same track so many times it is getting a bit familiar.
The second continuing plot element is Katchoo’s ties to mafia level organized crime. She just wants to settle down and live a normal life, but like a cute lesbian Michael Corleone, they keep pulling her back in and disrupting her life. This too is getting a little too old. I think every supporting character has at some point been revealed to actually be a spy of some sort keeping an eye on Katchoo, Francine, David or all three. It is time for Katchoo to get a happy ending of some sort and be left alone.
With the end so close, things are being drawn to a close. The mob stuff seems to be mostly over with. Way way back it was revealed in a flash forward that David would die before the end of the story. After a couple of fakeouts over the years, sadly, David finally did die.
Most of this issue is standard stuff. Not bad but mostly setting the stage for the end. Having discovered that her friend Casey was in fact yet another spy placed in her life, Katchoo took off with David’s ashes to put him to rest. Francine has decided she does belong with Katchoo (for real this time!) and takes off after her to make her move. Again, most of this plays well enough although some of it does again tread familiar ground. The key scene with Katchoo and Francine feels similar to many past scenes between the two of them. Not bad--just familiar.
But there is one scene that, for me, makes this issue special. It throws something actually really new into the mix for the book.
Let me back way, way up. The very first plot that started up STRANGERS IN PARADISE had Francine dating a dope named Freddie Femur while Katchoo pined away for her. Francine and Freddie had dated for quite awhile with Francine refusing to consummate the relationship. In the end Freddie crumbles. Just as Francine is about to sleep with him, she catches Freddie banging his secretary. Katchoo then makes sure Freddie is punished for betraying her friend. From that point on Freddie has been the book’s resident schmuck. He reminds me of the dopey red headed doctor currently on ER. He’s a doofus and while sometimes ya hate him, he’s not irredeemably bad. He’s just… a doofus. And as time has gone on, hey, I’ve felt for the guy. For example, he started out so hated for cheating on Francine. Rightly so. But he did try to stay true to her. He did wait and wait. That doesn’t okay the cheating but still, give the guy points for trying. I mean, Ultimate Spider-Man is pulling the same move right now and nobody’s stoning him!
Anyway, as the book has gone on I’ve often hoped they give the poor schmuck a moment to shine, a chance to be something more. There was even a plot with a guy running around attacking women where I thought Freddie might come through. He was involved in the plot and I thought, this will be it! This guy is so horrible that even Freddie Femur will have to stand up, say this is wrong, and try to help stop this guy. Didn’t happen. Why? I think because a doofus character like Freddie fills a very specific purpose and letting a character like that evolve often means losing the ability to use them in the same way. For example, Hotlips on MASH. Once Hotlips became “one of the gang” the show could no longer use her as the comic bad guy. Maybe the only guy to pull off letting a character grow AND stay the same is Joss Whedon. Somehow he managed to let Cordelia Chase become a concerned hero and remain a spoiled self centered brat.
Back to Freddie, I think Terry Moore did not want to lose Freddie as a comedy jerk and so never let him grow out of that role.
Until now. With the series wrapping up anyway, Freddie gets his chance in a nice little scene. Casey, you know, the spy? Well she came into the story way back as Freddie’s wife. Turns out she was sent in as a spy, marrying Freddie as a ploy to get close to Katchoo and company. Only she actually became friends with everyone. Having been revealed as a spy, those friendships seem to have crumbled. Issue #88 finds Casey packing it in, feeling that everyone hates her and that her life is in ruins. Now if anyone should be angry you would think it would be Freddie. His whole marriage to Casey was a lie! He’s more of a fool than anyone… again! And if anyone is going to fly off the cuff and say something wrong and hurtful… probably Freddie. But instead we get a Freddie who sees his ex-wife in some real pain and is actually there for her. Nothing in it for him, no angles being worked. He cheers her up, he tells her not to lose hope. His doofus side is still in play but in more of a charming way. Maybe it sounds stupid but I was so happy to see this scene. Finally Freddie gets to be more than a joke. Not only that but in a comic where most things are feeling a bit “been there/done that” this was something that felt brand spanking new. A really nice surprise. The panels to go look at again in this issue? Casey’s pained and sad expression at the beginning of this scene (third panel in you can really feel her pain) contrasted with the last panel of the scene with Casey finally smiling. A very specific smile. Looking at that panel you can see it is the smile of someone who has been hurting for who the sun has just broken through. Not a gleefully happy smile but a smile that says, “Things are still bad, I’ve still got pain, but I’m gonna be okay.” How he puts that into an expression I don’t know.
The scene, the expressions… all little things but amazingly well done. Little things that are actually big little things.
It is time for SIP to draw to a close but I will miss those little moments. Every month they were such a nice surprise.
REDEYE 1.6
Engine Comics
The reason why we restarted Indie Jones after legendary @$$hole Lizzybeth decided to move on to other projects was to bring light to comics that usually are overshadowed by the constant over hype and oversaturation of the Big Two. It was a way for the Holes to spotlight the little guys: the creators who print their books out of their basements and through secret excursions to office copy machines. While we try to cover as much indie material as possible in this column, there are far too many books out there to mention all of them. Engine Comics publishes a magazine called REDEYE which sports the most comprehensive list of descriptions, reviews, interviews, and news articles that I have ever seen. As I flipped through the pages, I found books that I knew about and was happy that they were getting coverage, as well as books that I had never seen or heard of before. This magazine is a must have for those whose taste in comics lay outside of the mainstream. Issue 1.6 has a really great interview with cartoonist Tom Gauld and an introspective talk with Steve Yeowell, along with many others. It also has an extended preview of a new graphic novel called REGARDS FROM SERBIA by Aleksandar Zograf, that looks to be both beautifully rendered and poignantly written about a firsthand look at the war in Serbia and how 9-11 was perceived in that country. If you’ve got the Indie Jones, you’ve got to be picking up REDEYE. - Ambush Bug 
STORMING HEAVEN: THE FRAZER IRVING COLLECTION TPB
2000 AD
Frazer Irving seems to be one cool dude. If you’re like me, you couldn’t get enough of Irving’s IRON MAN: THE INEVITABLE and SEVEN SOLDIERS: KLARION THE WITCH BOY. Irving has a style that creeps me the fuck out and I love it. This trade shows us Yanks where Irving got his start. The highlight of the book was an extended bad trip called STORMING HEAVEN in which a scientist takes some LSD and becomes a mystical guru, ushering in a new age of drugs and dementia. A LOVE LIKE BLOOD is another great story that proves that the concept of werewolves vs. vampires can indeed be done in an interesting manner. And this book even has a few precautionary tales as an alien instructs us all not to fornicate, do drugs, or listen to rock and roll music. All of that and a few tiny back-ups tieing into SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and this trade had me interested from cover to cover. Irving’s ghostly characters and trippy colorings are top notch throughout. He’s got a sense of the bizarre that I don’t really see in today’s comics. The Introduction, written by Irving, gives insight to the behind the scenes stuff that went on while Irving was creating these memorable images. Irving is a superstar in the making. Seek out this trade and see some of his earliest stuff. It’s well worth it. - Ambush Bug 
SUPER REAL VS. THE COMIC INDUSRTY # 1
Super Real Graphics
While I don't believe that this is the strongest entry in the series, SUPER REAL VS. THE COMIC INDUSTRY continues to engage in the same wackiness that has become a hallmark of the series. This special is different in that it pretty much pits the team against characters who embody the comic book clichés that tend to dominate the industry. Each chapter is illustrated by a different artist with creator Jason Martin doing the writing chores. It's a light read to be sure but there's enough fun in it to keep SUPER REAL fans happy as well as amuse potentially new readers. - superhero Remember, if you have an Indie book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
ACTION COMICS #846
DC Comics
Ever wonder what would happen if all those Phantom Zone criminals got loose on Earth and they weren't directed by comedy director Richard Lester? Holy crap! Next issue better be on time. - Prof. 
THE MIDNIGHTER #5
DC Wildstorm
See, now this is what I needed more of in this series. Oh, it started off all right. Midnighter "hired" to go kill Hitler, some bloodshed and "man out of time" humor ensues, but the middle of this story was so unnecessary, I honestly don't even remember what happened in issues three and four. But this is a nice turnaround. The story ends not necessarily predictably as there's a couple little twists on the predicament that our leather clad "hero" has found himself in, but ultimately the story resolves itself in pretty much a more violent version of what you've come to expect from these kinds of comic book stories over the years. But it's the overall execution of it that makes it work. Just the right amount of violence, and black humor with just a hint of sentimentality that all flows really smoothly. On the whole, the story arc turned out well based on the strength of the first couple issues and this finale, and of course, the wonderful Chris Sprouse art that graced most of its pages, but it had its fair share of problems that I wouldn't overly recommend it. But it was enough that I'm on to try another arc, and especially the Brian K. Vaughan penned fill in. Try at your discretion. - Humphrey
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6
DC Comics
One of my fellow @$$holes sent me an email that said he hoped I'd include a line about how "Meltzer sure can overwrite the fuck outta a comic." My problem is, I can't tell whether that's a compliment or a criticism. If it's a criticism, then I've just gotta say he's wrong...or I'm just a big fat sucker. If it's a compliment, I can go along with it because it was way overwritten, but damn! That was simply the most intense comic I've read in a long, long time and I was totally into it. I hated the cannibalism thing. I'm not sure why that's becoming a recurring theme with "Hulk"-like characters, but the final chapter in THE TORNADO'S PATH totally jerked my tears. It's amazing what love can do. Oh yeah, and Ed Benes may officially be crowned today as the KING of Drawing Women's Butts! Bow before Benes -- The @$$-King!! - Prof.
FANTASTIC FOUR #543
Marvel Comics
This issue serves double duty. It is both the 45th Anniversary issue of the Fantastic Four and the transition from CIVIL WAR into the new team roster for the FF. The negative: the main story is sort of a “best of” recap of the FF’s history with little real meat which then leads to the introduction of the FF’s new members. Transitioning and recap doesn’t equal pulse pounding action. The positive: the way the FF’s career recap is littered with details from all points in their history to me reads as McDuffie telling the audience he knows this group and, hopefully, will do right by them. Also, with all the CIVIL WAR ugliness, the backup stories in this issue felt refreshing. A toss back to lighter times where Stan Lee and the folks at Marvel might actually wander into a story, when The Human Torch would throw down with Spider-Man not because of some deep political disagreement but simply because Spider-Man just pissed him the hell off and it would be a cool ass battle. – Jinxo 
UNCLE SAM & THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #8 (of 8)
DC Comics
- The last line of this crazy comic book says "The inconvenient truth is--you can't have the Freedom Fighters without Uncle Sam!" That's not inconvenient, but it is the truth. I went back this week and read the entire 8-issue series back to back and I'm going to say this really is the most fun DC series of the past year. Gonzo gets his comeuppance. Father Time's involvement in this whole scheme is explained. But mainly we get to see the most eclectic collection of new super-heroes with a legacy ever. Daniel Acuna has produced great art and character designs throughout the series. I can't recommend it highly enough. This UNCLE SAM series steps heavily into the political arena, but it's so smart and clever that it never seems like political preaching and there seem to be no bounds the writers won't dare to cross. In an in-continuity series to actually assassinate an elected president, replace him with an alien robot, and in the closing battle destroy the Washington Monument? There are no boundaries. Only complaint is that somebody needed to point out to the writers that once Gonzo was taken down, the Vice President of America would not become the "acting" President until a special election. There is no Constitutional provision for a special election. The Constitution already provides a method of succession if the President-Elect was assassinated - even if he was subsequently replaced by an alien robot. As soon as the deception was brought to light, the Veep would be immediately sworn in as President to fulfill the term. - Prof. Check out the @$$oles’ ComicSpace AICN Comics page here for an archive and more @$$y goodness.
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It's been a while.
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So before anyone else comes and poops on my parade, I loved Cap #25. It was really the only way CW could end. Odd that it didn't happened on CW #7 but whatever, deal with it. It opens up years of potentially great stories and I just hope that Marvel step up to the plate.
Try punching this one Super-boy!
MARVEL OWNS YOUR ASS!!! -
Bug was right. It was a good one. Hopefully it will stay good, unlike the woefully uneven New Avengers.
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And they said the book was a "Masterpiece" that fixed the the nagging character motivations of Civil War. Thats funny. It's funny considering it is literally beyond the realm of possibility that one comic fixes those motivations. I'll use that word again I-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E. Not of this world. I love it how Marvel was clearly listening to all the completely reasonable and necessary hate for Civil War and thought they could fix it by quickly getting Bendis to write a one off explaining the whole thing away, but no fucking way. You don't get off the hook that easily you corporate hacks. I've said it before and i'll say it again, unless Tony Starks brain has taken over by some supervillain a satisfying explaination for his behavior does not exist. All the "Boy I really wanted to make our government work" hockneyed bullshit won't usher it into existence. You may fool IGN and their consistently unreliable and gullible cronies but anyone who buys something like that should look into buying that property Ambush Bug is selling.
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Absolutely fucking wonderful.
If all DC product looked and read like this, i'd be one happy mofo.
Acuna,Gray and Palmiotti hit this one outta the park.S'crime more people aren't reading it.MORE! -
the dumbest ways comic characters are ressurected? Cloned? Alternate dimension? Going back in time? He wasn't really dead, it was a life model decoy. Etc.
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Perfect review. Except the whole thing is a cheat even in terms of story. It neatly gets cap back out of jail (no action to be had there I guess) and puts a full stop to any further discussion of the registration act (too talky talky). Still I guess cap going to get his own "back in black" story. How cheery.
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Ironman was fuckin Ultron all the time! Sonsabitches! ... Still doesn't make sense...
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I really liked your Cap #25 review, old chap. Good work!
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News tickers on TV, top headlines on news sites, newspapers, etc, all blaring "Captain America assassinated!" For about 10 seconds it made me feel like I was living in a world where the Daily Bugle and the Marvels it covers were real. That was cool. Very very cool. Marvel should have its own cable news program covering the Hulk's latest rampage, Dr. Doom's latest threats, mutant rights, Stark, SHIELD... It'd be a great half-hour show.
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While Modok, the Red Skull and Batrok watch.
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Joey Q: "I admit it. I just don't want to do my job anymore. I mean what's left to do really. I ruined Logan by first making him quit smoking, then making him a spoiled little rich boy. Let's see what else...Oooh, we killed or depowered most of the mutants. That might have been an oversight, cause now we have to create more to tell our bad stories, and who has the time for that? Anyway, I'm pretty much spent, what with playing my guitar horribly, being fat, and completely disregarding the history of the company I supposedly run. So, I'm just going to let Bendis run everything. Besides, he said he'd take away my ice cream and give me a noogie if I didn't."
Have I made it clear how much I HATE that fuck-tard? -
Say hello to the Colonel in hell...ewww I hate the Colonel!!!! Oh and Colbert has your shield. May Tek Jansen fight many a freedom hater with it.
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I remember going to pick up my copy at the store and finding out that they had already sold it because I had the nerve to wait until after I got out of work that day. Those guys treated their loyal customers right. Good times.
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isn't that artwork by Adam Hughes, and not Ed Benes? Or is Benes a knock-off of Hughes? Or vice-versa?
Either way, he does women right. -
But the Silver Age series was a team-up with Batman and a different character each month.
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Reminds me of my old 70s comics. I am so there.
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Especially the idiot who paid me 25 bucks for my copy of Cap #25 that I ebayed.
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But at least Uncle Sam's alive. I'm not the most patriotic dude in the world, but damn I love those two characters. Seriously, DC and Marvel need to do an Invaders/Freedom Fighters in WWII crossover. And if they already did it I need to buy it.
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He's got a shield and stuff too. The only difference is he's really lame. He's got a cool costume, but wouldn't you know, he stole that from Captain America when he was given the choice to surrender his original costume or blindly serve the Government. You know, that other time he basically went rogue. Still, Marvel's been doing really amazing stuff with titles that have NO association to Civil War whatsoever ("Annhilation," "Dark Tower," "Newuniversal," "Nextwave," "Agents of Atlas," etc.) so you can't completely write them off. Still, best to steer clear of 616 for a while.
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BUG!!! is the person you speak of in the first paragraph of you 'review' by any chance you? because, if its any help, i do pity you.
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The guy just didn't want to join in on Iron Ultron's orgy.
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Did anyone read this (I assume) one-shot?
In one of the mini-stories enclosed, Ms. Marvel was making her peace (sort of) with hmm.. Spider Woman, and told her that Cap was not dead... just in critical condition, and being operated on.
I found that kinda surprising, given all the hooplah. Am I remembering this wrong? Did not never actually happen?
Regarding JLA, I love me some Benes, but was a bit disconcerted that Red Tornado's wife kept looking a lot like Black Canary (who is also in the book) throughout the issue. Good read though, and I do like his women. -
"Did not never actually happen?" should read "Did this not ever actually happen?"
I really don't like the marvel world, post-civil war. Oh well. -
How lame would that be if he wasn't? MARVEL: So um...Captain America's dead YOU: Yeah right! He's probably tucked away in the Helicarrier infirmary or something M: I'm telling you, the guy is dead. He's deader than Habeas Corpus he is! His vitals stopped, he's gone. Why won't you believe me? U: Well frankly, because it's you M: That is a little harsh U: No it's not and you know it M: Point. But you gotta trust me on this. Captain America is dead. He's not coming back. I'm sorry U: Really? M: Yes U: Okay...i guess i believe you M: Yeah. So, we cool? U: I guess, i mean...that's really not cool about you killing Cap, i me-- M: PSYCHE! Man you TOTALLY bought it LOL!!! I can't believe you're that gullible; of course Cap's not dead, we were faking it the whole time hahaha...man you should've seen your face U: ... Ed Burbaker, i am counting on you!
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Why would any potential comic book buyer stick around a store when they receive this attitude from the clientele and the staff:
"Newbs in my store, in my way, clogging up the check out line, and talking about how “kewl” GHOST RIDER THE MOVIE was?"
It happens in every store, and is one of the large reasons in the future all comics will be distributed from online outlets. -
they killed iron man? why did they kill iron man? how can you kill iron man? he's made of freakin' iron for god's sake!...IRON!
u can't kill iron...if anything thing you can rust iron...thus rusting iron man to death would take a while...i'm going the over/under of at least 10 crossovers for that to happen. how dare you marvel! -
Oh, f**k! Does this mean that America is dead too?
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I agree, it is a bit harsh to greet newbs in this fashion and I thought I clarified it in my review that this was directed more to the fly-by-nighters who are in it to sell it quickly on eBay rather than potential new comic readers. Those who don't understand that comics are no longer a solid investment to tuck away and save for a time to cash in. I'm all for bringing new people into the industry, but the vultures can take a flying leap...
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Jake Gyllenhaal as Captain Marvel. SHAZAAM!
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What does it say about Millar's amazing writing skills if there has to be ten fill in issues to flesh out all of the holes he left. The latest Civil War entry to do this was entertaining, but too late to spark my interest. It was typical Bendis, demasculating his heroes and making them weep while holding their masks in their laps. What is it with Bendis and demasking not only in the larger stories, but throughout almost every issue he has to write? Had Civil War ended with Cap assassinated and Iron Man proven to be manipulated by the Extremis virus, it would have been a ballsy way to end it and shake up the status quo. To end Civil War and trying to make Iron Man out to be a good guy and then releasing a half assed explanation two week's later is slack as writing that makes me wish someone else would have written it. I agree that there is promise in the direction Marvel has taken, but Civil War, the miniseries was one of the most poorly constructed stories I have ever read from Marvel.
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loved brave and the bold and cap america 25. hope the confession is better than the rest of the civil war one-shots.
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Personally i think he does some interesting stuff with it, especially in Powers, and humanizing some characters by saying "yeah, they can't be heroic all the time" makes for good reading if done right. And if you, even for one second, try to tell me it's been done and Bendis is a hack because so and so writer did it much better 20 years ago and he's just stealing ideas, i will punch you with my giant balls! Swear to fucking god...i mean point to the part where i say Bendis invented the approach, fucking POINT TO IT! (This has been a preemptive strike)
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"If Bendis doesn't believe in true heroism, he shouldn't be writing Marvel superheroes in the first place" Fucking cry me a river, see if i care.
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Seriously, i'm so alone.
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Marvel brought back the one character that everyone wanted brought back even though they said they would never bring him back. That would be Captain Marvel. If they can bring him back then you know Captain America won't be far behind.
Call me crazy but I bought the Frontline explanation for Iron Man's actions during Civil War. And McDuffie's motivation for Reed was freakin' brilliant. But that's just me... -
but isn't it the job of the writer to map out these motivations in the main story? I mean, why does McDuffie and Bendis have to cover up for Millar's shoddy writing?
And I get it that Bendis is saying they can't be heroic all of the time, but SOMETIME they should be heroic, shouldn't they? -
SW: Captain America is dead. Now, tell me again what you're doing.
MM: He's not.
SW: What?
MM: He's not.
SW: You're lying.
MM: He's tucked away safe on the raft. No one knows. NO ONE. They're trying to save his life as we speak.
SW: How is he not dead?
MM: What am I? A super soldier serum expert? He's not dead!"
So uh... you can understand my confusion here.
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Everyone's saying Cap's dead except MM. So it all depends on who you wanna trust, JQ or MM.
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vale can swim...so he fears no river...but me...er...water bad. and carbs too!...carbs are still bad right? why am i so angry? hungry? sleepy?
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i liked the confession. rounded out the whole shebang nicely, in a way that echoed the original illumnati special. very nicely written and nicely drawn.
as for what ms. marvel says in that inishitive special, it's total bs since if you look in the recent 'confession', cap is pretty much lifeless. -
has got me ordering the 4 brubaker trades, red menace + winter soldier. can't wait to read the back story to all this ...
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'Oh, you don't read a bunch of comics on a regular basis? FUCK YOU!' When you actively show your contempt for people TRYING TO GIVE YOU MONEY TO SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS, you deserve to lose your shirt and have your flabby man-boobs exposed for all to see. Especially when they are "n00bs" who might actually get hooked and come back and give you more money. This is an industry that will completely kill itself at every level. When someone new to comics comes in, you could actually do things like point them in the direction of stories they might like, even if it is as cheap as tying it to a mainstream movie you look down upon. The last time I was in a comic shop was to hunt down the last issue of Eightball(which was quite a while ago). All the comic book store guys in my small city looked at me like I was insane for even suggesting they would carry such an unheard of title that wasn't all about muscle men in their underpants, and this was after the Ghostworld movie. I wound up having to mail order(Alternate Reality Comics in Vegas had it, is run by a cool guy who actually talks to customers, and he didn't even charge me shipping!). Since that time I know at least one of the shops I visited went out of business. I wonder why? I can tell just from CNN how bad the stories are, add to that the fact that the store owners are assholes, and I know there is no need to go to a comic store any time soon. If anything happens to be good, it will be reprinted(to devalue the original and undercut a major motivation of collectors), so I can go buy it at an actual bookstore, or even get it from the library for free. Worst case is I order it from the only good comic store I can think of.
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That's what I'm talkin' about, Prof! $:D{|o|} s working..)
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Vale is Colombian and awesome.
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This system no longer likes carrot marks.. I was trying to do a GL emoticon above, but I'm not sure on its success. Does it work?
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To me it looks like you've locked on a TIE fighter. Stay on target!
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But it's the big two that will nail the coffin shut on pamphlets as we know 'em. Went to my shop this week and I literally bought ONE comic book this week. ME. A die-hard comic fan for over 20 years. Yep,it looks like, for the most part, mainstream Marvel and DC books are dead to me. All the crossovers, tie-ins, and events are just turning me off to no end. Plus the cynicism that's just permeating through the Marvel U is just making me sick to my stomach. I like an edge in my comics but I also like fantasy. As a matter of fact I like fantasy MORE. If it's a choice between an asshole Iron Man and Iron Man duking it out with Titanium Man then I'm for the latter. Guess I'm just old. I guess comics have just become too mature for me...or is that the other way around? Well, I guess there is some hope...the book I picked up was the new SUPERMAN book but that's just because I like Busiek and Supes. Not because I give a crap about what's happening in the DCU. Oh, and Prof was right...B & B kicked mighty ass. I can't wait for the trade when it comes to George Perez dammit!
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That's why we want to read stories about them. I won't say that Bendis is cribbing from other writers. That's what writers do, and any of us will tell you that. I will say that Bendis can go fuck himself. Joey Q as well. Why? Because they don't respect me.
They don't respect their audience. They have shown (and in the case of Joey Q, said) time and time again that they could give two bloody corn filled shits what comic fans think. They are going to write their stories, (Some of which ARE fantastic. First year or two of USM for example) no matter what those stories do to the characters that they are shoe-horning in them.
They don't respect continuity. Joey puts out an ultimatum that no one smokes in the MU.
Long Time Fan:"But wait, Joe, Wolverine has a long established history of smoking cigars."
JQ: "No he doesn't. Did I say he does? No? Then FUCK YOU. I run Marvel. Logan is smoke free."
LTF: "Well, ok. Fine. How about giving us a story that explains why?"
JQ: "Why the fug would I do that? I just told you he don't smoke."
LTF: "Yeah, but that's not how it used to..."
JQ: "SECURITY!"
Finally, they don't respect our intelligence. I'm sorry, but I still can't beleive that they expect us (and by "us" I mean me) that Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange, Professor X and whoever the fuck else was in that Illuminati bullshit have been controlling shit from behind the scenes for decades. No, fuck you. That shit don't scan. Don't get me wrong. That would make a great "What If" type story, but making it fucking canon?
I'll end this by mis-quoting another great man. Those fat Nu Yawk fucks can suck my pathetic dick, and I'll dip my balls in marinara so they can have a taste of home.
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First off, Ms Marvel's saying Cap is alive is dealt with in The New Avengers. The explanation serves as one more piece of shit smeared on a hero. Annoying thing is I had just started getting into this particular character and now that book is back off my pull list.
As to Marvel's current tactics, I think it is a bit different than before the big comic industry crash. Then they whored themselves out to speculative investors. This time they are doing that indirectly because this time they are really whoring themselves out to the news industry. Seriously, it seems like Marvel has a set agenda to make sure they are mentioned in the news every few months. It started some time back. They did Truth, the black Captain America book which seemed written to stir controversy rather than to entertain and got press. Then they did the gay cowboy comic book, altering a long running character and getting press in the process. Most recently you have The Civil War with Spider-Man Umasking, Marvel doing a crossover with The Guiding Light and now they've killed Captain America.
Hey, I get it. Press is good advertising. And if it was a case of a good story happening to get some press it would be all good. But this seems like the tail wagging the dog. I really can see the folks at Marvel asking, "How do we get another headline???" -
"First off, Ms Marvel's saying Cap is alive is dealt with in The New Avengers. The explanation serves as one more piece of shit smeared on a hero."
Hmm, okey dokey. I'll have to pick that up... (I've been following New Avengers, not sure how I missed the latest issue. Oh well.) Sounds like I'm not going to be happy about the explanation though... ah well.
I decided not to buy into most of the non-core books of the last few crossovers, so I'm a little lost at wtf is going on outside of iron man being a dick, cap being dead, and much of the fun being legislated out of the marvel u. -
In Atlanta that leaves, I think, two shops. Props to Oxford and Criminal! Thanks for carrying books that don't necessarily involve men in tights!
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Ed Brubaker's run on Cap would doubtlessly have been considered the best the character's ever been if he hadn't been killed. Now it'll just be remembered as the run that (briefly) killed Cap. The issue itself was very involving and well written, but unsurprisingly my favourite charcter in CAPTAIN AMERICA was, er, Captain America so Brubaker'll have to work his ass off to keep this series interesting past the end of the arc. That's if Cap even stays dead that long.
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$20 cash or Paypal $25 to me at gmail.com
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But make sure you e-mail me first. :-)
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Joey the Q needs that money to fix his inverted penis.
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I didn't really have anything, but Vale seemed so lonely.
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to do reports on real life superheroes. Calico petes post at the top reminded me of how a channel4(UK) news edition opened, with no other intro, with the words.."Batman has been arrested and taken into police custody.." exact words..of course he was referring to the guy dressed up as Batman who climbed onto Buckingham palace protesting for fathers for justice or whatever they were called..wish i had that news report on tape..damn
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Now I know that PG is known for being large breasted within the DCU and out. But this is a bit ridiculous: http://tinyurl.com/3cgbew
Is Turner a bad artist or what?
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Is that I have to sit at my comic shop and debate the ridiculousness of Civil War with some clown who's picking up a stack of books that makes the Encyclopedia Britannica look like light reading! Like this guy...he's the objective one! He's buying books like he needs them to eat and I keep looking at him and thinking "YOU'RE THE PROBLEM! YOU JUST BUY ANYTHING THEY PUT IN FRONT OF YOU!" And then I'm thinking...how the hell can you afford that stack of books every week? I mean every week I see this clown and he's buying a HUGE stack of books! And he keeps telling me while he's arguing how great Civil War is...well did your read Frontline? Did you read Avengers # whatever? What about Spider-Man # whatever? And I keep thinking..."What the fuck? Joey Q said I'd only have to read CIVIL FRAKIN' WAR! HE PROMISED!" But now I have to read all of these ancillary books just to know what everyone's motivations are for betraying over 40 years of characterization??? And I'm not talking about continuity...I'm talking about CHARACTERIZATION. I swear...I wanted to kill this guy...Ech...it really must be all over for me...
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He is going to be the new Ronin. I thought everyone knew this. You know how Fury is a plotter and you know that this is a set up. So everyone just make the money you can on ebay selling the issues to retards to collect, but he will be back.
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I am sad about SIP ending, it had a great run and I can't wait for Terry's new book.
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I haven't followed the book in years, so I didn't know if he's already announced his next project or not.
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Ms. Marvel is lying to Spider-Woman. When the New Avengers go to rescue cap Wolverine take one sniff and says "This ain't him." At that point the door to the room opens and standing there are the 'mighty' Avengers and Iron Man says that it was a dirty trick to to lure them out. There ya go......
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I don't care enough to do the research to find it, but you askkissers of Al Quesada are more than welcome to try and refute it. In the original Newsarama article on CW Quesada goes so far as to state a couple of times that you will only need to read CW if that's what you want to do. Which make you A LIAR (not that anyone who's ever met you would be surprised) Mr. Quesada. Your customers (of which I am included-AXM, Runaways, & Newuniversal ROCK) should, like me, remember to bear that in mind. I know I will...Motherfucker.
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...and they should continue that tradition. However, society has changed and we have changed, particuarily we men. None of this was on purpose or by design, not in real life and not in the comics. But we're softer and more sensitive. We sit at message boards and our characters cry in their masks. Oddly, being softer and more sensitive means that we act out bigger and more violently than our fathers and grandfathers, who had experienced and dealt real violence, would have. We don't have the restraint and control over our emotions, which is not the bad thing "THEY" say it is. We are less able to refrain and endure. Benignly, we cry in our masks...on the dark side, we go postal. And our heroes have to die. When we get to the point where the iconic heroes have to die, it means several things a)they've been around too long; 2)the people in charge of the books have been around too long; and finally, D) we've been reading comics too long. Comics have more in common with television than with any other art form. They are usually continued series with established characters. The character must go on. But 5-7 years in the run of an average TV show. Isn't Captain America about 70 years old? Personally, I simply subscribe to the second theory. Fire Quesada, Alonso, Millar and Bendis (note to Marvel Zombies: once that happens these guys will go to work for DC, Dark Horse and Image so fast it'll make you...think) and we'll get some innovation. Shock isn't innovation, btw.
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Awesome post.
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alive and the killed a clone. After all, they already cloned Thor so the premise has already been set up. Or maybe it's just Superboy punching walls again, that mischevious bastard. Oh, wait that's not the right comic book company.
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page break that bitch next time!
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Nomad anyone ?
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*sigh* nevermind. How's the family?
Seriously, I partly agree with your statement about the collector/investor. They come out the cellar anytime an "event" happens on comics with intentions to cash in. This fuckers should be lined up with their gonads on a treestump while a pack of beavers get to work, knowwhaimsayin'? However, I view it as a necessary evil. If the industry hopes to survive, it needs to have as much exposure as possible. When Yolanda Rodriguez rolls up on the channel 5 news van to the LCS, maybe Joe Schmo is enjoying his Hungry Man dinner and goes "hey, they still make comics? and what's this about Cap being killed?" Next thing you, Joe waddles to the shop, and starts up a pull list (minimum of 10 with a 15% discount, thank you very much). If the owner is friendly and knowledgeable on the biz (R.I.P. 21st Century comics in Fullerton, CA you will be missed) he turns him to Stray Bullets, Planetary or early Powers trades and now he's got a customer for life. Call it whoring, ass-kissing whatever but when was the last time a DC event received as much press as Marvel has in the last 6 or 7 months? You gotta at least give that to Quesada, he's passionate about his company and (to my eyes) wants it to thrive as much as possible. -
Ultimates Vol.2 # 13; Now that book is late...Seven months and counting late. And to second Tito Trinadad: yes, those things are ridiculously huge and Turner can't draw.
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Well DUH dipshit! (I keed, I keed.....mostly)
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is Blade.
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...and a bottle of stuff this brujaria priestess down the street distilled...
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...if we're caught with our blood alcohol content too low. You know how they have sobriety check points but they should really call 'em drunkeness checkpoints? Well, we're checking sobriety, bay-bee.
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...I am getting so fucking sick of these damned chick flicks!
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I think there were only about ten guys because that's all Frank could draw in a panel. Like, a bunch of shields together but there sure as hell weren't 300 of them. I didn't bother to count, but 300 is a lot of people. Maybe most of 'em were off using the Nautilus machines or something.
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...I don't care how great the greenscreen technique is.
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Captain America's body has been cloned long ago and used to house the Red Skull's brain. I'm not making this shit up. I could...but I'm not.
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Can you believe it. But my review went on to talk about the idiots who made their way back into the store three months after Superman died only to find that their surefire investment or important story was rendered null and void because the whole thing was a media event and not a story. The people who's interest was raised due to a story about a character dying are going to feel cheated and in the end, walk away from the comic industry as fast as they jumped into it.
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Palmiotti and Gray KICKED YOUR ASS.
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Take that Harry Potter TB!
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Who's my bitch? That's right you are, Harry Potter TB.
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Have you guys/are you guys gonna review this?? Halfway through the 2nd tpb right now...just added the monthly to my box.
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...is that he judges his characters. He is an excellent writer of ideas and concepts, sort of Morrison with a limit, but with character he runs into problems. You always get that element of judgement, which goes hand in hand with the manufactured shocks. We never truly see how the characters see themselves because he's always winking about Ultimate Banner-Pym-Cap (I use the Ultimates because it's my favorite Millar book). Unless the character is someone Millar can completely get behind morally and politically, the judgements are too glaring. If you're going to write morally ambiguous characters, you can't be afraid to go with them. Look at the brutal, racist cop heroes of James Ellroy. Ellroy isn't afraid to get into their heads, go to their dark places, in their viewpoint. He doesn't have to like them to inhabit them. Joseph Wambaugh is also a little like this with his cop heroes, but they are more sympathetic than Ellroy's. Elmore Leonard is fairly laid back about Hollywood's adaptations of his scumbags, but he knows where they'd wreck it. A Leonard character might say, "I don't believe in hitting women, unless, you know, they're really asking for it." He'd just say it straight, because that's the way the guy thinks and we're thinking his thoughts while were reading the novel. But the screenplay would read like this, otherwise no movie star would take the part: SCUMBAG:"I don't believe in hitting women, unless, you know, they're really asking for it."
Scumbag smiles and winks at the camera, so we know the actor is really a nice guy.I hate the way the word fascist is thrown around because it is rendered meaningless. It has come to mean "meanie", but Millar isn't capable of portraying a "fascist" Iron Man from the inside, where fascism makes sense and we're in on the thoughts of a guy who thinks he's doing a good thing. The sides are too clear. As with the Ultimates (oh, look what losers Pym and Banner are; and that Cap...he's a bad one!)every thing is actually too comic book and not in a good way. If characterization is that simple, it should at least be innocent. But if something is supposed to be sophisticated, then the writer has to master nuance, point of view, voice, etc. The thing I hate the most when I'm reading a novel is when I can see the writer at work. Leonard, at his best, is invisible. Millar is always too much in the forefront of his own work for my tastes. -
One thing that really pulls me out of a Millar story is his rythm when he writes dialogue. In Authority (which was still awesome) it was quite glaring indeed. This heavy handed lyrical sort of phrasing that every character seemed to spout without missing a beat. When every character's a smartass, not a single character's a smartass. Warren Ellis has the same problem with his more outrageous books. His female characters always seem to be doing all the talking for him. They say things only Warren Ellis would say, and that's always a drawback. You're reading a comic and suddenly you get this image of Ellis typing away while drinking Red Bull in a pub. It was always a problem for me when i was reading Transmet...Spider's musings on how utterly fucked up and randomly insane this future world was always made it seem like Trying Too Hard: The Comic. It was like being buried under tons and tons of completely unnecesary exposition.
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"To be a good bad guy, you have to KNOW in your heart that you're NOT the bad guy."
When a professional wrestler gets comics better than a FUCKING PROFESSIONAL COMIC WRITER, the shit has hit every fan in a fifty mile radius. -
BKV left Runaways last month. Joss Whedon is writing six issues soon. Whedon's comic stuff hasn't really clicked with me before, but I hope it's god because Runaways has a fantastic back catalogue.And I would rule out the Cap clone/Red Skull theory, as that body was killed in the first issue of Bru's Cap. Now the Red Skull is inside the mind of a renegade Soviet general.
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Oh how I would luuuurve (luvluvluvluv) to see good ole Mick pull a Cactus Clothesline on Millar with Mr. Socko following up with a Mandible. Mick (muthafukkin) Foley!!!
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...has always been Theodore Sturgeon's novel MORE THAN HUMAN, which was X-Men long before there were X-Men. The characters aren't called mutants, they're called homo gestalt, but they're mutants. The most insane thing about the premise is that many of the characters manifest their powers in early childhood and are estranged from their parents. They have to raise themselves, without an Xavier or even Magneto to guide them. As we comic fans say JUST LIKE REAL PEOPLE they go back and forth on their views of humanity and the roles their powers give them. Very few comics, to this day, have matched the moral dilemma and the high strangeness of this book...Also, GLADIATOR by Phillip Wylie. It's funny that the book that inspired the creation of SUPERMAN, which lead to most of this garbage, also deconstructed superheroes as well or better than everything since. Hugo discovers that his powers are...pretty damned useless in real life, and that his own limitations as a human being prevent him from accomplishing anything really superhuman.
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A line from D-FENS, as played by Michael Douglas in the sorta crappy movie FALLING DOWN, about a commuter who goes postal through LA. Great line, near the end when he's confronted by Robert Duvall's cop character. I think Schumacher and screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith were shooting for a TAXI DRIVER type thing, but they didn't get inside the character's mind and worldview the way that Scorsese, Schrader and DeNiro did with Travis Bickle.
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Is it at all possible that Marvel is really trying to depict how they feel the state of this country is in? Civil War, Caps Death.... Are they just using their most well-known media to try to send their message? I can't find the Caps Death issue anywhere but I am intrigued. Not b/c it is a "death of Superman" thing. But b/c I hope their is a real symbolism as to where we are as a country.
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Yes. Only very, very hamfistedly.
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Good point. Overall I did not like Civil War. I tried but could not bring myself to like it. I won't but any other Civil War issues or tie-ins. Good intentions? Bed execution? Probably.
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To see 'political allegory in a comic book' done RIGHT. I repeat: Suck it Millar, Palmiotti & Gray KICKED YOUR ASS.
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Lots of people ripped it apart because, like D-Fens, they didn't realize who the bad guy was. Duvall's character, who deals with his sucky life like a man instead of snapping and going on a rampage, is the actual hero of the story. His wife is an awful person, though.
The character's wife, I mean, not Duvall's. -
And laughed my ass of though most of it. The weed helped though.....(and granted we did have pretty much the rest of the theatre staring at us throughout the movie)
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Apparently I'm holding the fort today. Bring it bitches!
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Yeah, hold it Psy! Raaa!!! *walks off in drunken stupor* Must, get, pull list *burp*
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And I don't get high, so I was totally together when I watched it. It's also proof that Schumacher can do watchable stuff. See also "Lost Boys".
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Seriously, I wouldn't give the guy such a free pass. I listened to that NPR interview he gave (find it yourself, I'm lazy) and when asked point blank "why should we care when death traditionally has meant next to nothing in comics?", he completely dodged the question. He said that all he did was try to tell a good story and make people care about this man and make people care that he was killed. Problem is, no matter how heart-wrenching the story of his death is, it's all rendered NULL AND VOID by the voice in our head going "He's not really dead, he's not really dead, he's not really dead!" And thus it loses any weight.
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lots of abs that i wish were mine...anyway...is capt. america still dead? if so, is his grave shaped like a shield? will bucky attend? is their a wake? are they serving food?
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but he's definitely not a fanboy. It seems to me he just approaches his comics from a pure storytelling perspective, not really considering what the fans will inevitably think. Maybe that's why he's killed so many characters. He's just thinking about the story, not that Cap will be back in a few years.
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It's been nearly 2 months since I've gotten it. I'm poor…er now. Lot of great stuff though. I was thumbing through my stack and passed Cap #25 and asked my buddy that worked there if anything major happened in the issue? He said nothing outside the norm and smiled. Oh, good times! I picked up a book/issue of Ashley Woods art that looks interesting. New Wormwood!!! Buffy Season 8!!! Runaways!!! Justice!!! Walking Dead!!! Life is good again… kinda.
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Winter Soldier becomes new Cap, Punisher becomes new Cap, or resurrected Steve Rodgers becomes Cap, or Ash defeats Marvel Zombies and becomes Cap?
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or actually be readable. hmm...
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"Ash defeats Marvel Zombies and becomes Cap?"
Good one! I dunno? I'd like if Bucky took over, but for some reason I think it's going to be something waaay different and not pleasing. I really hope it's Bucky. I finally read Cap #25 and Brubaker is very good. Like every other issue of his Cap run, it flowed nice and was damn entertaining with great action (Bucky leaping to the building chasing the sniper, Falcon and Bucky, etc.). I still think that it's a big gamble, especially with the unstable house of ideas running the show. What I'd like to see is Bucky take over as Cap and in about 2 years or so have the inevitable return of Steve Rogers but in some way that makes sense… at least in the world of comics. Frank Castle as Cap reeks, so I'm pretty sure that's what will happen. I feel like Bug regarding this issue.
I just read Mighty Avengers and I noticed a few things. 1) Thalya is so right about the colors for most Marvel books. Not all, see Runaways, AXM and anything Villarubia colored. That new Hellacarrier is hella ugly. It's about as bad as that pun in my last sentence. But, my main thoughts were that Tony is indeed an ass with both his internal thoughts and direct comments to Carol Danvers. Also, after reading ARES miniseries earlier this year, he was instantly one of my favorite characters and a supreme bad ass (see Bug's review about him dousing himself in fire. Not Bug, Ares). I didn't even know that Ares was going to be on this team. I hope his character doesn't get mangled or depowered by the way he's written. Ya here me Bendis! Also, there the fact that *SPOILER* Tony Stark is the new female Ultron, but probably not really, because we would all go for that! Tony Man is a futurist, but not a douche, maybe he's not Tony? Yeah, that would make sense right? Sure would! Millar probably thought that too while destroying his character and burning an American Flag. I think Bendis is really uneven when writing superheroes, but during The CW and his tie-in issues he was really good. I think he could have handled The CW better, I don't know how much, but better than it was. Maybe it would have been at least average? Interesting enough, I think Millar would have been better writing HoM in the same way. Hmm… I think that the real Tony, you know, the asshole Millar wrote, not the 'real' one, is locked up someplace to throw all the fanboys into a frenzy because that's what these internet breakers in halfers do! Tony as Ultron would have been sweet, but I don't think it's going to happen sadly.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a perfect transition from the end of Season 7 to this Season 8 in comic form. I'm in love all over again. If you don't know anything about the series, you won't understand much of anything, but if you know what 'Once More, With Feeling' is or why it's funny that Buff's first time went probably worse than Dawn's first time, then you'll be thrilled. I think it's amazingly good and keeps the tone of the show better than I could have wished for while being way more epic. I'm happy.
Runaways #24. BKV and Adrian Alphona have ended one of the best runs ever on a book. Damn, they were awesome (props tot Tak Miyazawa too). That last page was fan-fucking-tastic! Boo, Iron Man-Tron?!?! -
....WHEN THE GUINNESS IS FLOWING, AND CHICKS TITS ARE SHOWING, AND THERE'S PLENTY OF BEEEEEEEEER.....THIS IS THE MOST...WONDERFUL TIME...OOOOFFF THE YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAR!
To all my Cogs, @$$holes, TBers and hell, even the trolls. Have a safe, happy, and most of all sexy St. Patricks Day!
May you see one more dawn than your enemies, and a thousand less than your friends. Sláinte! -
After Whedon finishes the first arc, Brian K.Vaughan is doing the next arc. This pleases me. Here's a video:
http://tinyurl.com/yoap4o -
See, that's in my Watchmen movie too. When Martin Lawrence Roscrach throws down with Crispin Glover Ozymandus, Martin Lawrence rips Crispin's face off to reveal first the face of Tony Stark, and then Ultron. "Oh snap!" exclaims Martin. "Booty Dog!" says Ultron. Dane Cook breaks the tension by farting. I'm not a Buffy fan, so I'll be sure to write her into it. I assume that she is a very girly girl who cannot hold her own? She must also be very clingy and whiny. Most of the time, Buffy will be either dancing or shopping.
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It was like watching an extended version of an episode of the show + tittes + really lousy Patton Oswalt improvisation. I was so excited to see him, but then was so disappointed in his performance, you have no idea.
SUPER TERRY! -
The Hypothesis: The current batch of comic writers are closeted, self-loathing homosexuals who, as adolescents, fantasized over muscular, tights-wearing superheroes. Living a life of hatred and denial, they vowed to infiltrate and revenge themselves in the industry that caused them so much agony, delight, and confusion.
The Test: Read a modern superhero comic. -
Who was that? I saw the movie and want to know.
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I think me and my pals really will make a Watchmen movie.
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We've got a lot to do today.
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The Hypothesis: After a case of the sweaty palms due to seeing a female in person, a internet troll finds a week old talk back and posts something inane.
The Result: He's still a loser.
Frakkin' Mondays! -
we should cast the justice league movie...i'm thinking bale as batman, routh as superman, gary busey as aquaman, red buttons as red tornado, someone unlike halle barry to play vixen, john stewart or steel to played by president palmer 1...er...
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John Stewart (in blackface) as John Stewart Patrick Stewart (in drag) as Zatanna. French Stewart as Spider-Man Lucille Balls' corpse as Black Canary Danny Trejo as Superman Alan Thicke as Batman Evangeline Lilly's left boob as Wonder Woman.
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Obviously you would draw a face [with tiara] on Evey's girl-part to help it emote.
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Clearly trying to match wits with my Watchmen cast. As for my JLA cast...
Carl Weathers as Captain Marvel
Tim Allen as Superman
John Travolta as Tim Allen
B. A. Brachus as Witchblade
Steve Buscemi as Batman
Crispin Glover and a horde of retarted kids as everyone else -
heath where you at?
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Patton Oswalt played the Mayor's Aide. He also wrote "JLA: Welcome to the Working Week".
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He's always coming up with cute new names to call me. But seriously, thanks for the assist man. We'd make a good basketbll team.
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I want Roseanne (Barr, Arnold, whatever) as Wonder Woman, Camryn Manheim as Huntress, and Lady Bunny as Black Canary.
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Rosie O'Donnel as Buffy.
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Nightmares doesn't even begin to describe that. *shudders*
Powers Boothe is a bastard isn't he blackthought? I thought Logan was bad, but Powers is evil (not the book Bendii - relax!!!). Who's the mole? There's always a mole. And *SPOILER* fucking Audrey?!?! Jack is pissed. Stupid Nathan Petrelli's wife had to make a move and then tell Jack Audrey was dead? So wrong. Not Camryn Manheim wrong, but wrong. -
Quit *cough* hittin' mah weed. *cough*
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I'm the only one who defends Bendis around here.
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Nofate loves the Bendis. I like Bendis too, although it seems when I like him, Vale doesn't and vice versa.
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You have to like Powers dude. You can't not like Powers even tho' i like it!
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But I don't officially read Powers, but I need to.
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I like Bendis. Even Bug praises some of his work. I don't know for sure if there are any true Bendii left, but a Bendii is like the worst Marve Zombie you ever heard of, only it's all for Bendis. As in: Bendis has no faults as a writer, the only good comics are the ones done by Bendis, nothing counts unless Bendis did it, if you don't like something Bendis did you must hate everything he's ever done or ever will do and you are stupid and evil; if you don't like something Bendis did you "don't get it" (see the variation in last talkback with the pseudo-intellectual CIVIL WAR fan, whatever his userid was); if you don't like something Bendis did then you are jealous and want to be a comic KREE-A-TORE but can't, etc. I got the e-mails to prove it, from overall postive reviews of Bendis comics. We never really had too many of those guys on the talkbacks because there's not enough Blind Bendis Worship. I'll tell ya, though, I think I'd take a Blind Bendis Worshipper over somebody who tries to tell me that Corporation M's comics are all that different than Corporation D's comics, when everybody KREE-A-TEANG for either Corporation who likes money will switch sides when one is paying and the other isn't.
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Seriously, I don't know if I've ever read anything by him.......Aaand WHAT THE FUCK is a 'Bendii'?!? I mean, f'real an' shit, I'm getting visions of weird and bald-ass little men with these massively deformed penises or something....yeesh.
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Is the writer of such acclaimed comics as Jinx, Goldfish, Fortune and Glory (all of which he also illustrated), Torso, Powers, Ultimate Spiderman and Alias. He has also written bad comics.
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It would have been cool if Bendis fans would have actually shaved their heads back in his heyday. True story: I had a friend in high school who wasn't too bright (but I'm not that bright either, I thought he was a comedian or something)and probably wasn't too heterosexual because he was obsessed with Richard Corben's Den. Den is cool. I liked the comics in HEAVY METAL and the cartoon movie, etc. But my friend wanted to be Den. I got sick of his drunken whining: "No matter how much I work out, I'll never be as buff as Den. And no matter how big my scholong is, it'll never be as big as Den's." Pointing out that Den wasn't real, that he was the way he was drawn did no good. Pointing out, that as a fantasy character, Den had the power of the Nar stones (if this isn't correct, nobody tell me, I don't want to know) did no good. Finally, I told him that the way he could most be like Den was to shave his head. Now, waaay back in the olden days, nobody was a-shavin' their heads, you young punks. Oh, maybe in LA, New York and London, but out in Bumfuck, California, where our high school team was the Trans Ams, half of us had the hair parted in the middle and feathered on the sides and the other half was still growin' it longer than Conan (mullets hadn't been invented yet--a mullet would have gotten you killed!). Except for me. My old man wasn't going to let me have hippie hair so I went around with a buzz which made it hard to buy pot (but would have been in style in the aformentioned LA, New York and London). Anyway, I convinced my dim buddy to shave his head so he could be a little more like Den, except that he sorta looked like Curly Howard when he was done. Too bad he wasn't a Hulk fan. So, I guess my point is, if anybody really likes Bendis, they should shave their heads...Say, El, YOU like Bendis, right?
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Not shaving my Beckham-like mohawk.
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El, you should get a reverse mohawk. You know, instead of one from the front of the head to the back like everyone else. Yours would go from side to side. That would be cool. (Heh, heh, also in high school, I convinced another stupid friend to shave off half of his bad, teenage moustache!).
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AWESOME!!! I gotta go talk to my brother...
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where?
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Says the DemiGod of useless esoteric knowledge (who thanks the cable gods for HBO in 1983 letting this then VERY stoned 15 year old gather said useless knowledge. And hey, it had TITS).
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Bless you, Psy!!! I severely needed that grin you gave me just now. *<(:D)
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Then today was a success for any smile imparted is a win in my book. *Hugz* baby. (*_^)
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First Lost since BKV joined the writing staff.
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