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AICN COMICS REVIEWS ALL STAR SUPERMAN! THE HULK! MUSCLES&FIGHTS 2! & MORE!

Nice review Stonesthrow by CarmillaVonDoom	Nov 28th, 2007 02:33:25 AM
All Star Superman is one of the best out there for sure. How can anyone not like it? Anyone? Anyone?
Perfect distillation of Superman..... by RighteousBrother	Nov 28th, 2007 02:48:47 AM
in the All-Star Superman review. Although I'd add that John Byrnes run on the character was pretty damn good too.
Dropped myUltimate books. Waiting for Quality to return by George Newman	Nov 28th, 2007 02:50:22 AM
I dropped FF first, I think, when there was the artist change and the Diablo story. It looked awful and I wasnt going to tolerate it. I dropped Ult X-Men after the Cable story. I was annoyed by the gimmicky story telling and I found the art to be subpar, compared to the A-Listers the book began with. I still flip through the books on the shelves to keep up with story so that, in the event that I pick them back up, I'll be able to follow the plot. But the quality, the dedication, and the love that MARVEL was pumping into the Ultimate line has withered.
No Freddy vs Jason vs Ash#2 by Redfive!	Nov 28th, 2007 02:51:05 AM
WTF??...also.. The Umbrella Academy is the worst book to come out of DH in awhile,it reminds me of that crappy gang The Jokers from Batman Beyond.
World War Hulk by ewokstew	Nov 28th, 2007 02:55:48 AM
started strong and ended weak. The all-out battle between the Sentry and Hulk was decent, though. It demonstrates how seriously powerful the Hulk can become when he's off the charts angry.
Good overview of Superman by messi	Nov 28th, 2007 04:12:19 AM
He is beyond human since he is so good but also normal compared to the people who have little humanity like Bats, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Hal.
Great review of All-Star Superman #9 by newc0253	Nov 28th, 2007 04:12:27 AM
i agree completely.
All-Star Superman by RongoRongoMu	Nov 28th, 2007 05:14:53 AM
All-Star Superman is what comics used to be-- pure fantasy and fun.
RESURRECTION sounds like Roadside Picnic by redfist	Nov 28th, 2007 05:40:28 AM

You will all bow before Eric Powell by WarpedElements	Nov 28th, 2007 07:47:45 AM
And enjoy the Goon. Or else.
The Goon: Chinatown needed some funny. by rev_skarekroe	Nov 28th, 2007 07:48:40 AM
It didn't feel like a Goon story.
The best thing about the new All-Star Superman by rev_skarekroe	Nov 28th, 2007 07:51:01 AM
Is the idea that Superman is actually a science nerd who just happens to be so physically powerful because of the planet he's on. The complete opposite of Miller's old "Superman is dumb" routine.
best part of all star superman and astonishingxmen by ironic_name	Nov 28th, 2007 07:52:07 AM
no continuity. just story.
I agree with Ironic Name (although I dislike his name) by stones_throw	Nov 28th, 2007 08:19:57 AM
There's a lot of things Marvel and DC are doing wrong at the moment but the use of continuity is the worst. Even when they don't really care about continuity like Marvel at the moment they're still using all the worst aspects of it... like everyone knowing who Spider-Man is... Captain America being dead... every book having "WORLD WAR HULK" or "THE INITIATIVE" at the top... I mean if I don't get excited about that, what's a kid who happens to wander into a comic shop going to think? It's completely inbred and restrictive. The big two need to learn that continuity and guest stars should enhance a story, not limit it.
Catwoman's Baby by God's Brother	Nov 28th, 2007 08:47:06 AM
I'm sorry, what...? She had to give up her baby? it's been a little while since I've been following the current events at DC, but this is a shame. I really thought out of all the retarded "One Year Later" gimmicks that Selina raising a daughter was a)hopeful and would be b)lasting. Oh well... From the review I take it that the book is better than the common mainstream fare available these days, but it still won't get any more of my money.
Ex Machina by PVIII	Nov 28th, 2007 09:14:37 AM
you still know this is one of the best books out there, and last weeks ish was no different.
stones throw - couldn't think of an ironic name.. by ironic_name	Nov 28th, 2007 09:17:51 AM
..and remembered someone at superherohype used ironicname.. what with all the ironic names here, I thought I'd purloin it. speaking of names, "Catwoman's Baby" by God's Brother. that made me chuckle..
"purloin" by God's Brother	Nov 28th, 2007 09:19:02 AM
hee hee
speaking of names... by rock-me Amodeo	Nov 28th, 2007 09:21:48 AM
I was recently informed that a garage band formed, using a name they took from one of my reviews. The name of the band: Wide Stance Dump
to clarify, 'I' couldn't think of a name by ironic_name	Nov 28th, 2007 09:26:47 AM
"stones throw - couldn't think of an ironic name.." sounds like an insult, aimed at stones throw, its not obviously.
Wide Stance Dump by ironic_name	Nov 28th, 2007 09:27:47 AM
fucking excellent!
talking dinosaur commandos by ironic_name	Nov 28th, 2007 10:16:37 AM
by anchorite.. thats a good band name.
superman by Lt. Kaffee	Nov 28th, 2007 10:21:25 AM
that was the exact reason superman returns blew. it gave the eternal outsider/savior a son... a true blood relation... superman is only sympathetic b/c he is alone.
all star superman is an example of how all comics should be done by THE_ONE_MAN_GANG	Nov 28th, 2007 10:40:34 AM
because most comics out now are completely stupid, and are targeted at the wrong audience
I dunno, Lt. Kaffee... by stones_throw	Nov 28th, 2007 10:52:29 AM
I reckon there's potential in a story where Superman became a dad. It would be a nice progression of his character after marrying Lois. The problem is, the material has already been covered numerous times with Supergirl, that new kid, etc. and I doubt DC/Warner would stick with it permanently since it's a pretty big status quo change, so I can't really see it as anything other than a "last" story, like Alan Moore's final Superman story pre-Crisis. But in the first movie of a what was supposed to be a franchise reboot, and to have Supes be a runaway dad who knocked Lois up and never told her the kid was his...nah.
glad to... by blackthought	Nov 28th, 2007 11:34:29 AM
to see the goon and eric powell getting some much deserved love. the goon is a damn fine book that never fails to entertain me.
Superman by MacTard420	Nov 28th, 2007 11:53:32 AM
The problem with Supes is indeed that he is too powerful. I'm not an expert on the guy but isn't Kryptonite the only thing that can slow him down? Sounds like a real boring set up for most of his encounters. How many powers does one guy need? I'm not saying there can't be a compelling story for the guy, but it doesn't seem like there would be a ton of variety.
MacTard by stones_throw	Nov 28th, 2007 12:00:09 PM
That just means writers have to be creative with the kind of threats they put the guy up against. I mean, Spider-Man would be boring if he only ever fought bank robbers. It's also why Lex Luthor is Superman's best villain, because he can't be beaten through force alone.
superman returns sucked because by Laserhead	Nov 28th, 2007 12:08:15 PM
Perry White's son was the hero. Luthor's plot was pointless. Superman was a creepy stalker to whom 'truth' no longer seemed particularly important ("I never lie, Lois. Except about the children I foster.") And, of course, Superman languished in a hospital after doing something he shouldn't have been able to do with a huge block of kryptonite. Also over long and short on action.
Vinegar and water you say, rock-me? by Thalya	Nov 28th, 2007 12:23:04 PM
Heck, I can deal with that, just so long as he isn't being portrayed as an incompetent dork with very low sights. Or y'know, a non-entity like in BoP this issue. (and what's with that? Is he making a comeback? nervous)
and while I'm at it.. by Thalya	Nov 28th, 2007 12:27:11 PM
Was he only in last week's Catwoman, or were there earlier issues from recent months where he also showed up? I know he made some cameos around the time when Helena's paternity was revealed, but I haven't gotten thsoe or any Catwoman issues yet. /completist>
All Star Superman is amazing. by Billy Batts	Nov 28th, 2007 01:42:19 PM
I love Grant Morrison. Half the time he's genius, half the time he's unreadable...but 100% the time he shows more passion and love for what he does than anyone else in the industry. Way better than All Star Goddamn Batman and All Star Goddamn Robin. Goddamnit.
I wish reviewers would stop feeling it's necessary to point out by Devil'sOwn	Nov 28th, 2007 02:25:42 PM
You're mature and cool. We get it.
That's supposed to say not MyChem fans. by Devil'sOwn	Nov 28th, 2007 02:27:22 PM

I disagree, Devil's Own... by stones_throw	Nov 28th, 2007 02:39:36 PM
At first I suspected that UMBRELLA ACADEMY would simply be pandering to Mr. Way's freakishly devout fanbase and stayed away, therefore I thought it was necessary background information. However, I am mature and cool.
I'm mature and cool? Awesome! by rock-me Amodeo	Nov 28th, 2007 02:46:26 PM
Oh...I bet you weren't talking about me. drat.
"Out of the Blue" by Jonas Grumpy	Nov 28th, 2007 03:43:48 PM
Goddamn, Amodeo! I thought that I was the only one who remembered that crapfest. The worst kind of crapfest, if I recall: A spinoff of a spinoff. Like how "All in the Family" begat "Maude," which in turn begat "Good Times," OotB was spawned by "Mork & Mindy." Or, at least, Mork appeared in an episode. Or that angel first showed up on "M&M." My memory is slightly fuzzy, as it was a long time ago, and I was just a wee lad of 12 (or so) at the time. Either way, I now wonder if anyone else recalls Joe Namath starring in "The Waverly Wonders." Not a spinoff of anything. Just another crapfest. Ah, memories...
Angry Hulk by Jonas Grumpy	Nov 28th, 2007 03:49:54 PM
No one - and I mean NO ONE - has ever drawn an angrier-looking Hulk than Sal Buscema. EVER. Not before, certainly not since. I challenge anyone to suggest otherwise. Look it up if you don't believe me.
Angry Hulk... by rock-me Amodeo	Nov 28th, 2007 04:10:39 PM
Remember how Sal would draw Hulk's eyebrows arched up so high that even Vulcans were envious? And then for his eyes, he would make the Hulks pupils into these eeny teeny dots in a sea of white...
Worst part of astonishing x-men by IndustryKiller!	Nov 28th, 2007 05:57:22 PM
No characters, just two dimensional cliches and sneeringly clever pop dialogue.
Yeah. Sal Buscema could draw a bad ass Hulk. by mrfan	Nov 28th, 2007 07:43:59 PM
Great Hulk artist.
ha... by blackthought	Nov 28th, 2007 08:23:05 PM
you must be having a laugh.
Geoff Johns by Johnny Smith	Nov 28th, 2007 09:18:08 PM
Is slowly killing my enthusiasm for one of my favorite characters, which is something even the Clone Saga, with its butchering of Spider-Man lore, couldn't do. Something even 52, with its idiotic offing of The Question, couldn't do. C'mon, Johns. I don't give a flying fuck if a bunch of D-listers get offed violently. I don't care if yet another alternate reality morally-superior Superman shows up to judge the DC Universe's heroes (a plot device he's used at least two or three times by now). I just don't care. Do something new, interesting, or even, you know, good. I'm soon gonna be down to two or three DC books a month because this asshole seems to be taking up the entire line. I can't even read my once much-loved Green Lantern anymore. Meanwhile, All-Star Superman is kicking ass and taking names. And somebody uncancel Cable and Deadpool stat. That book needs to live.
I like All-Star Superman. by I am Batman	Nov 29th, 2007 03:13:21 AM
I just don't, you know, like-like it. Come on! This latest issue had all the things we HATE about Superman comics. Extra kryptonians. (The planet may have blown up, but none of its citizens did.) Too much talk, too little action. And, possibly the weakest climax of any comic book I've read this year. Literally two panels! "Oh, golly, I dunno, exactly, but you must have been poisoned by kryptonite, somehow." I know you're all going to yell at me, but I don't care. You're over-reaching. All-Star Superman is fine. It's even above-average. It's just not worth all the hoo-ha and blah-de-blah. Since it's ending after 12 issues, can we please expect the same of All-Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder, which, after eight issues, still hasn't told any sort of story?
By the way, BLACK DOSSIER by I am Batman	Nov 29th, 2007 03:19:02 AM
is "Dark Knight Strikes Again"-level bad. I'm going to keep saying it until the rest of you admit it.
Johnny Smith RE: Deadpool/Cable by WarpedElements	Nov 29th, 2007 07:35:35 AM
No, it needs to die. Or at least get a new writer. If only Joe Kelly weren't DC exclusive, he'd be able to bring the char back from the boring bland shit it's upto it's neck in now.
IndustryKiller! by ironic_name	Nov 29th, 2007 09:23:18 AM
thats what i was afraid of at first, i just don't like whedon's writing. but, astonishing has its parts, sure cyclops saying something silly and then shooting the bad alien out the roof was trite, but the recap, explaining what happened last issue was clever. and the man brought back colossus, AND made him an ass kicker on a planetary scale.
Kurt Busiek had a good quote about the number of Kryptonians... by stones_throw	Nov 29th, 2007 10:09:29 AM
It was something like, "okay, Earth gets destroyed and all that survive is a man and his dog, his cousin, Folsom Prison and a mid-size city...and that's not a big loss?" But yeah, I can't say I'm a fan of all the Kryptonian stuff that keeps cropping up in Superman comics. ALL STAR made it work though. On the other hand, I don't think characters like Supergirl are a barrier to good stories, it's just that the way they're used a lot of the time doesn't make you feel the loss of Krypton. If survivors showed up and the writers actually addressed what it would be like to lose your ENTIRE FRICKIN' PLANET... I could see it working.
batman: parents dead, millionaire. superman: entire.. by ironic_name	Nov 29th, 2007 11:10:14 AM
planet blows up, no money. batman dresses up in leather and "works out" with boys in a cave. superman = ghandi/Christ. batman + michael jackson.
Superman Returns by Bubba Gillman	Nov 29th, 2007 02:27:33 PM
Don't want this to turn into a it rocked/it sucked debate (although personally I loved it), but Superman did not know the kid was his until Lois told him. Say what you will about the film, but the deadbeat dad label is wrong.
I am Batman by StrokerX	Nov 29th, 2007 03:07:36 PM
i agree to a point. The conclusion about the cosmic cloud was pretty retarded and came out of thin air. I think the best ones have been the prison issue, the jimmy olsen issue and the one with i think it was Samson...that shit was tight.
Superman Resucks by Jinxo	Nov 29th, 2007 03:09:46 PM
No, he didn't know he had a son. But you know what is true? This picks up after Superman II, right? What was Superman II about? Superman turns his back on being a hero to embrace his own personal wants and needs. He becomes human and abandones being Supes. As a result the General Zod and his buddies nearly take over the whole world. Superman comes back having learned that his own personal life HAS to take second place to protecting the world. One of the last shots is Superman, flag in hand, telling the President he would never let him down like that again. Cut to Superman Returns. Apparently shortly after Superman II, Superman gets word that Krypton might MIGHT be okay. Taking the word of some asshole Earth scientists over that of his DAD who told him the planet blew up Superman flies into deep space on a multi-year journey to check it out. He doesn't warn anybody he's doing this, he just goes. It utterly shits on what Superman II (either version) was about. He learns this important lesson about putting Earth and its safety above his own hopes and needs and then immediately heads into space on the most bone head nonsensical crapass personal mission EVER. And, hey, that just takes you through Superman Returns crappy 20 second opening title card yadda yaddaing the crazy plot points they didn't have time to deal with. Then we get to mopey creepy stalker Superman who continues to prove he is a big enough dumbass to fly off looking for Krypton when he should know better. Don't even get me started on how bad that film pisses me off.
I would have chosen "Superman Re-TURD", personally... by stones_throw	Nov 29th, 2007 03:16:56 PM
...but yeah.
Can't wait to read Chinatown by Buckys_Kick_Ass_Arm	Nov 29th, 2007 03:54:40 PM
I also have to say that All Star Superman was a title that was at about issue 3 when I started getting into comics. So glad I picked up the first 3 and the rest. Awesome stuff.
I am Batman and the Black Dossier Debate by mattb127	Nov 29th, 2007 04:21:45 PM
I totally disagree on the Black Dossier. Dark Knight Strikes Again shows the incredible decline of Frank Miller's creative powers. It's just a messy piece of junk to make a couple bucks. Black Dossier shows Moore is still pushing the medium. Yes, the COMIC part of it is..ahem...not on par with the first two, to say the least--but the other part of it, the crazy, crazy multimedia part of it--that's super interesting to me. Even the 3D stuff is cool. I love the Orwellian cartoon book, the secret play by William Shakespeare, the history itself, the postcards, the Lovecraft stuff, the cheap Erotica--(Fanny Hill with the unicorn was my favorite). I think it plays with the form a lot, and I think it succeeds there. It's not just there for show. That IS the Black Dossier. You actually get to read it, to see it–– that's cool to me. The comic book part of it was just sort of the tossaway frame around it. And I love James Bond in an Orwellian contest. Hilarious.
Spiderman: For One More Day by drewlicious	Nov 29th, 2007 04:28:05 PM
Is it just me or is this particular story starting to get more interesting? I thought the first issue with Iron Man was a pretty good start, then following issue with Dr. Strange bored the hell out of me, but this latest issue really got my attention. I've heard where all this is possibly going and it actually excites me because Spider-Man might actually be interesting again. No more of this whiney dark hero stuff, instead we see a good man lose one of the last stable things in his life. Also, Marvel Zombies 2 is pretty compelling and funny stuff. Definitely can't wait to see where that goes.
Ultimate Vision... anything to do with actual Vision? by Chewtoy	Nov 29th, 2007 10:16:12 PM
Everything I can find about "Ultimate Vision" seems to be more a robot chick version of Silver Surfer. Is there any connection between this character and the classic Vision of the Avengers? He was my favorite character as a kid. Now I hear he's dead, Wanda killed him, and various other things that really suck as an ending to the storylines started back in the 70s. Shame.
So why should All Star Superman Ever End? by Smerdyakov	Nov 29th, 2007 11:35:03 PM
Aren't we all having a good time here? Morrison included?
Smerdyakov by ironic_name	Nov 30th, 2007 01:54:34 AM
"The end is important in all things" - from the Hagakure.
Ultimate Vision/Real Vision by Jinxo	Nov 30th, 2007 03:09:45 AM
Yeah, Ultimate Vision has an utterly different origin. Although not quite the Surfer's. The Surfer "worked" for Galactus where Ultimate Vision actually shows up ahead of Gah Lactose Intolerent to warn the planet to be consumed and give tham a fighting chance to kick his ass. Original Vision was kinda sorta revived in Young Avengers and then fell back off the map. Let's see if I remember this right. The boy who would become Kang traveled back in time wearing kick ass Iron Man-ish armour to become the hero Iron Lad. Then for various time travel can't-avoid-my-destiny reasons he went back to the future leaving the armour behind. But the armour also had some version of the Vision's program in it and so, basically, the armour started walking and talking on its own and became the "new" Vision. Then there was this Civil War and other madness, Young Avengers fell off the book racks and Vision went with them.
When is an Ultimate not an ultimate? by rock-me Amodeo	Nov 30th, 2007 09:58:26 AM
When that version has nothing to do with the original. Different powers. Different origin. Different outlook. Different "gender." Heck, for all I know, her name may not even be Vision. It could be "Fission" and her secret linguistic kryptonite is non-labial fricatives. Can we just call her Ultimate Jocasta or Machine Woman or Praxagora? I don't see why not. It's quite silly and arbitrary, you see.
black dossier and ANOTHER thing about Superman Returns by Laserhead	Nov 30th, 2007 12:18:33 PM
I actually liked the comic part of Dossier a lot more than the text inserts. Moore's prose writing, even though it's impersonating by-gone styles, is so bad and mannered that it's a trial just to get through the stuff. But, I loved his James Bond, and the Emma Peel Bulldog Drummond stuff. Not so much the rocket-ships or the Golliwog or the 3-D kingdom of imagination. Not that great, no, but still thought the comic part was better than most stuff I'd read recently. One last nit-pick about Superman Returns: didn't james marsden think the kid was his? if he could think that, wouldn't it mean that Lois fucked him, like, within a week of Superman leaving earth, when she didn't know Supes would be gone for an extended time? And by the end of the film, he knows the kid is his, but still isn't going to say anything... because... I don't know, Lois wants it that way? So much for truth.
also by Laserhead	Nov 30th, 2007 12:21:05 PM
NOTHING is Dark Knight Strikes Again- bad. Except maybe All-Star Batman, which at least has some pretty pictures.
Young Avengers will return by rev_skarekroe	Nov 30th, 2007 12:35:51 PM
Sometime next year. And the current version of the Vision will doubtless return with it.
u know... by blackthought	Dec 1st, 2007 10:45:46 AM
the last time vision really meant much was when i played him all the time in that avengers on the snes with capt, hawkeye and iron man. good times.
Comic books, comic books... by loodabagel	Dec 2nd, 2007 09:21:43 PM
Yet again my friend asks me what's a good comic, and I say All-Star Superman, because everything else is having an extensive industry-wide crossover.
One More Day SPOILER ALERT by evolution1085	Dec 4th, 2007 12:29:28 PM
Just got my copy of the latest part of One More Day... SPOILER ALERT.... I can't believe Peter Parker could ever entertain making a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May's life, especially if it cost him his marriage....END SPOILERS If this is the way of retconning his secret identity back into continuity, its balls
Ultimate Continuity Too Much For Marvel Now by Buzz Maverik	Dec 4th, 2007 02:04:53 PM
In THE ULTIMATES, Hank Pym had a pair of robots called Ultron and Vision, the latter of whom flirted with Wanda. I guess Ultimate Vision sounds cooler than Ultimate Watcher, but sounds like the book is Ultimate Watcher.
so cold... by blackthought	Dec 6th, 2007 11:18:40 AM
so very cold.

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AICN COMICS REVIEWS ALL STAR SUPERMAN! THE HULK! MUSCLES&FIGHTS 2! & MORE!

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