comic book quickies 23/3/12

BLUE BEETLE #7

written by Tony Bedard art by Marcio Takara

Hey blue beetle. Why are you being that guy. That guy that's all awww my powers are a curse not a gift. That's not a cool guy to be. That guy sucks. Just saying likes. Now I don't know all that much about the beetle like I never read the last run but I do know him from the brave and the bold cartoon and you know what ? The beetle from the cartoon was a pretty fun guy and I gather he was fun dude in that last run of his. This issue wasn't too bad. Jamie was sleeping ruff on the streets of new York though. Well the rooftops of new York. So that's better ? That's another thing. There's a new York in the dc universe. That's just really weird to me. Like iv known thieve had one for ages but its always weird to see dc characters kicking about its streets. Now I sorta buy the reason why Jamie ran away to new York that being the beetle suits a danger to everybody around him. Yeah fair enough it did mostly kill his best friend. Well I guess we're all just waiting for Jamie to man up. that Could take some time.

BATMAN #7

written by Scott Snyder art by Greg Capullo

Batman batman batman batman batman batman batman batman batman. What are you like. Well your mental. But we love you for it. Its been a hell of a run so far. Yeah its not the best batman iv ever read but ho le fuck has it been amazing. I sadly lack the descriptive ability to tell you about all the tiny wee bits that add up to make the final product so blazingly awesome. Now that said this issue was a small step down from last months but last month we had literal BATGOD. So the step down was almost inevitable. Actually saying its a step down is wrong its actually more of quiet issue. A more talkie issue. Less bat god soul punching. And that's not all ways a bad thing. I know. I herd what I just said. I'm as shocked as you.

SUPERGIRL #7

written by Michael Green art by Mike Johnson

So. super girls all right. Like its a fun read. But in no way is it mind blowing. Well issue one was. MAN those were the days. Can you remember that far back ? Oh so long ago back in the day, like WAY back in the day. Like an actual internet age ago. Back when the sun always shined and the world was young. Ahhhhhhhhhhh September !!! those were the days all right. So super girls still on the move ducking and weaving away. Which at this point I kinda want for there to be a status quo in effect. Like I want her to have a house. That she sits in. like with her friends. Its not so much that I want answers to the questions this runs been setting up it's more like I want structure. Annnnd maybe a school arc. Everyone should have a school arc at some point. You all know that. In your SOULS you know that.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #7

written by Geoff Johns art by Gene Ha

Well the origins over and done with. TIME FOR MEH SEVENTH ISSUE. Don't get me wrong. There wasn't that much wrong with it. No wait there was stuff wrong with it. The art for starters. I quite liked it. Still it was so non A list superstar art that it became hilarious to me. How dose this kind of thing happen.? How do you re launch a book to be all star in everyway and then have an issue as un super star is this ? Maybe I'm Wrong and maybe every one loves this new guys art but to me the sudden drop off in quality is just too funny. I feel I should mention that I don't see the appeal of Jim lees art. Yeah I know that undermines what iv been saying but big woop. There's a bit ware batman calls the JLI a joke and wants them shut down. Fuck that shit. We all know bats has boosters back. That's batman's thing. Dropped the ball there goff man I think. So over all it was an OK issue that admittedly had some fun banter but that batman bit just floored me. Oh yeah and it had a back up story starting the origin story of captain marvel in the rebootaverse. It went well till they made billy batson a jerkass. Ball dropped goff man. Ball dropped.

BATMAN BEYOND ULIMITED #2

written by Nguyen Fridolfs art by Beechen Breyfogle. I think. That could be four different guys.

Batman of the future dose futury things. In the future. With future people. And its pritty gid. Its weird. Its pretty similar to last issue in that bats fights jokers then has an adventure with the future justice league. But this issue mad Stan makes an appearance. And as we all know explosions are way cool. This time around the future justice league didn't drag things down as much and it almost felt natural that bats was on the team. Overall I just felt this comic was gid. Just gid. It just had that kinda vibe about it. Like I felt I got a lot of bang for my buck. When I picked it of the self I was all like £3.99 awwwwww man. Lames. But reading through it I did enjoy it. It wasn't the best comic iv ever read but it was fun and I think the new creative team get the universe better than the last team and arnt trying to shoe horn in actual DC continuity into the cartoon universe. Hopefully the book will continue like this in the months to come.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #8

written by Brian Michael Bendis art by Sara pichelli

Hey hey ! Miles uncle ! I see you there ! Trying to be all han solo. Naw pal I'm no buying it. Yeah you used to be cool. Back in the day when you were stealth deadpool. Man those were the glory days. Not now though. Now your just a murderer. Yeah so maybe the tinkerer was a bad guy. And maybe he did some bad stuff. But I no longer care. Watching you go about being all dashing is just PAINFUL. Yeah apart from that it was a pretty gid issue. The new scorpion is so generic a mob boss bad guy that I actually kind of like him. We get a quick bit of aunt may and Gwen Stacy in France finding out there's a new spider man. You know its France because the Eiffel towers there. They don't take the news well at any rate. At this point I like miles as much as everyone else dose but I don't think he's properly spider man yet. He's not done anything that big yet. Has he ? Naw I'm pretty sure he hasn't. Ill get back to you on this after he's punches out his first goblin.

comic book quickies 16/3/12

GREEN LANTERN #7

written by Geoff Johns art by Mike Choi

Sinestro trys to rope Hal Jordan into investigating just how INSANE the guardians have become but both he and Hal are kidnapped by the indigo tribe. See I genuinely thought this issue was pretty meh. Mainly because I felt we had done this exact same thing like six months ago. Sinestro forces Hal to be a green lantern again. Yeah the circumstances were a wee bit different last time but not by much. Hal not wanting to be a green lantern. Yeah that's just made of guhh. I get what the big goff lad is doing. Painting Jordan's use of the ring like a slight addiction. And him wanting a normal life on earth is a step forward for him. BUT THATS SOOOOOO BOARING. And of course it will never stick. The guardians are balls out insane but at this point am sure you all know that. At one point in this issue there all for killing one of there own lanterns because he might ask too many questions. Yeah. I was hoping for some buddy cop character development for auld sinestro but if I'm honest I feel he regressed a wee bit back into space Hitler mode. That was really the main thing that spoiled my enjoyment of the issue. I think Its fair to that we're all just waiting for sinestro to properly mellow out so we can have full on buddy cop action at last.

SUPERBOY #7

written by Scott Lobdell art R.B Silva

Superboy returns home to the facility ware he was created to bring the beat down to n.o.w.h.e.r.e. Yeah so superboy's pretty gid. Like iv said in the past its an oddly bipolar book. Both the plot itself and superboy as a character. One issue he's working for n.o.w.h.e.r.e and the next he's not. Though now that I think about it most issues he is working for them. Well it at least feels like he's flip flopping between working for the man and running away to freedom. He dies this week so aw well no worry's. He dose get better though. Then he dies again. But then he gets better again. So alls well with the world. Superboys not that mind blowing of a read but its still got plenty of action and that's all a really ask of a comic.

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E #7

written by Jeff Lemire art by Alberto Ponticelli

Frankenstein and the creature commandos fight against the putties from power rangers and the prototype creature commandos. YEAH. So the the non sentient vaguely slave work force of shade the humanids rise up and are basically the putties from power rangers. I like this. What I don't like is shades response to this new life from that being they don't negotiate with terrorists. Meaning the just slaughter them without a second thought. Right guy I get that they tried to take over your base and that's a pretty uncool thing to do but I don't remember the humanids saying they were gonna take over the world or even if they killed anyone. Like at all. Well they probably did. But still. We all love to see putties getting beat down but shades response just seemed overly harsh and kind of set a weird tone for the issue. Like a wasn't rooting for franky and the lads. Mainly because they were being so un lad-ish.

FANTASTIC FOUR #604

written by Jonathan Hickman art by Steve Epting

Its the epic conclusion to the current mad space god saga. And I felt a little let down by it if I tell the truth. Spoilers all that happens is future franklin and Valeria save the day. That's it. To me that's just very lame. Yeah it is cool to see future franklin wielding galactus like a pokemon trainer and yes its nice to see that the world could only be save because the fantastic four are a family and if they wernt then they'd be doomed like the rest of family less reeds from other alternate universes. Its just I think we'd have all rather liked Dr doom to be the guy that saved every one. I get that doom cant do everything and be every ware. Its just that I look at the mad space gods and I'm like yeah doom could take them. Sadly the books still going for the doom is dead thing. Well he's been to hell before and we all know how that worked out. This issue was $3.99. Naw marvel. Just naw. Really don't be that guy.

AVENGERS #24

written by Brain Michael Bendis art by Daniel Acuna

Norman Osborn has all the powers ever. Lets see how that plays out for him. Well its the end of this unfortunately at times utterly hateful and insane arc. I say unfortunately because iv quite liked most of it there's just a few wee bits that just kill me. Like properly kill me. So giving Osborn all the super powers. That's really hateful. Giving Osborn the super adaptoids powers ? That somehow makes it fun. I don't know what to say. It just works. It turns him into pink hulk. Yeah that's kind of awesome. The avengers beat Osborn by touching him. That's somehow crazy awesome to me. Spider man gets a line in this issue that actually redeems this entire arc for me. Bendis you beautiful troll. As much as I loved super adaptoid pink hulk Norman Osborn I cant help wondering why marvel just wont let him be the green goblin again. Yeah the corporate pimp look sorta works for him but lex luthor has that look down to a fine art.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1

written by Brian Michael Bendis art by Mark Bagley

Well there's a fourth team of avengers now and I really don't know why. Well its to cash in on the upcoming film but as of issue one thieve not yet given an in universe reason for the new team. Knowing bendis we'll find out by the time our grand kids enter high school. There was super villain that thought the hulk was only a myth. I read that and my head exploded. I don't really have any words for that. For now I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. It is a new villain that I don't know anything about so its possible his back story involves living under a rock for most of his life. Its very pretty book and its always nice to see bendis and bagley together. Lads that they are.

comic book quickies 9/3/12

ACTION COMICS #7

written by Grant Morrison art Rags Morales

So superman dose things. And there awesome. Like really really awesome. So the story's back to the past after that amazingly weird yet amazingly fun interlude. So Lex luthor, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane walk in to a bar ... and just sort of hang out there while the worlds sort of ending around them. I like this. And its nice to see lex as just a guy that can hang out with people rather than the complete monster final form lex that he will one day become. The hanging stuff was just so battle city-ish. Its still an odd opening plot for what's meant to be the first ever superman story. This issue helps a bit with some nice belief in superman stuff and supes dose finally get his proper costume so that's nice. Now I am likening Morrison's action comics its just been a bit hard to love it. Its not like its been bad or anything it's just not been that solid in its awesomeness and it was a bit shakey when superman had a brief bout of emoness back around issue two. I do look forward to it every month and it is the first comic I read every week one. So I do like it. I just wish I liked it more.

DETECTIVE COMICS #7

written and art by Tony S. Daniel

Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Batman fights some guys on penguins ice casino. I really don't care any more. This comics just so guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Ya get me ? Its just trying too hard to be grim and gritty. But I cant say that because these past two issues have featured silly villains in the back ground. aahahahahahahah! But on the other hand the actual main villains are a snake dude and a some eye patch lady that I'm not learning the name of and will just refer to her as eye patch lady. Now these two bad guys plans are so very, very meh. Making the comic so very, very meh. This book has gone from being the B batman book of its first few issues to being the brown shooter of batman comics. Now I do like brown shooters but this is just too brown even for me. BROWN. Its not getting dropped though. Well at least not till we find out what happened to the GOD DAMN JOKER. Its been like SEVEN MONTHS. Afdfjkjhgfdsasdfghjhgfdsasfghjhgfdsasdfghjkhgfdsdfgh ! Those DC LADs what are they like. Now on the positive side this issue did feature the bat sub. Now it was only one splash page but its appearance brings this book up to passable for me. YAY BAT SUB !

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #7

written by Dan Jurgens art Aaron Lopresti

The JLI cope with the aftermath of the U.N bombing. Now lads this is a weird one. I really don't know how to feel about it. The JLI takes a massive beating. Like the comic plays out the bombing for tragedy. Like people die. TEAM MEMBERS DIE. Now it is comics we're talking about so I'm not buying the team deaths but there are civilians that die and some of the team are very badly injured. Now all of this is done fairly well its just that this turn for the darker and edgier feels VERY forced and contrasts horribly with the past six issues of fun. The bomb thing feels hugely weak. Yeah it was surprise attack but the team was beating down kirby space god miner guy like only two issues ago. I'm sure they survived a crash landing from SPACE at the end of the last arc. Yeah we get that the JLI are mostly human and arnt god amongst men like the real justice league but this was the wrong way to show that. Batman dose get to be an utter LAD this issue so its not all bad .

GAME Group: What happens now?

Unless you've been living under a rock over the past month or so, you're probably aware of the troubles the UK's biggest game retailer are facing. The company is having cash-flow problems caused by years of mismanagement, meaning its usual credit agreements under which it purchases games from publishers are being revoked, forcing them to pay up front, which the company can ill-afford, essentially forcing the company to forgo stocking some of the biggest releases.

Alarm bells first started ringing when the company's share price began to tumble late last year, and the crisis reached a new low when their stores did not stock Nintendo's The Last Story and the Vita launch line up games from Ubisoft (including Lumines and Rayman). Whilst it did sort out the problems with Ubisoft, they were dwarfed by the news that the company would not be stocking ANY of March's releases from EA past SSX, including MASS EFFECT 3, only the biggest release of the spring. This situation looks even worse given the manner GAME had been promoting it, with a heavy focus on pre-orders and exclusive rights to sell the Collector's Edition. On top of this, they will now not be stocking Capcom's releases, Street Fighter vs Tekken and Asura's Wrath, only adding to the sense of doom surrounding the company.

Now, all throughout this, while feeling sorry for the staff, I had little sympathy for the company, which has gone downhill greatly over the past few years. That is, until I was given a £20 gift card, which through a stupid series of comedic occurrences is now worth £80. Now I'm involved, it's like an impending sense of doom. I had been planning on buying the new SSX, but my local store had no 360 copies left. Whether this is related to the current situation or not (I'd hazard a yes), I now have a dilemma. Do I spend the money now, and perhaps end up with stuff I don't really want? Or do I wait and hope they get SSX in, before, as I suspect, they enter administration?

Recent experience suggests this is an uneasy situation to be in, as companies rarely telegraph their intention to enter Administration until they have already done so, upon which the use of gift cards is usually suspended for various economic reasons. Woolworths is a notable exception, which may give some comfort to people holding store credit, but overall, my advice would be to go in as soon as possible and spend any credit you may have. The risk is too great for a company in such a precarious situation, unless you enjoy a bit of a gamble/enjoy playing with fire.

On the other hand, all you people with lots of cash can look forward to the inevitable firesales.

Note: I plan to write more in the coming days and weeks about the downfall of this company, and my adventures in having store credit in it, so keep a look out!

comic book quickies 2/3/12

Its week five. WHAT ? How dose that work ? MIND BLOWN!!!

AVENGERS #23

written by Brain Michael Bendis art by Daniel Acuna

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JUSTICE LEAGUE #6

written by Geoff Johns art by Jim Lee

The justice league fights the final battle against darksied. Surprisingly this was really pish. Like it was really gid and really pish. As a stand alone issue it was amazing, full of over the top action and grate art with awesome splash pages. But as the ending to the first arc of this new era and the starting point for the age of heroes it just dosent live up to the hype. I don't want to say hype because I really wasn't hyped for this issue. I was angry really for how late it was and I was all ready cynical at the book in general for how poor the first issue was. Yeah that issue had buddy cop batman and green lantern but that's ALL it had. My dislike of it comes down to how they beat darkseid. Buy reset button. Well not really but it felt like a reset button ending. Cyborg boom tubes him home. That's it really. meh. Why is cyborg on the team anyway, I mean I do like him, he is pretty cool guy after all and I do get that you have to have a wild card on every super team these days its just he kind of ruins the all star vibe there going for on the book. It just felt very rushed like they were board of it and just wanted it over and done with already. We do get a back up story about the hooded woman Pandora. It's OK. Nothing amazing and I feel it spoils her just a wee bit like it was better when we knew less about her but because of the back up it dose mean we don't get any of that making of gumff at the back, none of that first appearance batman 2011 pish. So yeah that's a wee win for humanity there.

BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #1

written by Nguyen Fridolfs art by Beechen Bretfogle. Yeah.

In a bumper double issue type thing the tomorrow night returns ! First the batman of the future fights against out of town jokers then with the help of the justice league bats fights even more jokers and human animal mash ups. Aye it was all right. Nothing too amazing happens. It was two comics in one so it was damn gid value. That's a plus. It seems to be going for an all star villain cast type of thing with big name villains from the tv show being set up for future appearances and that's cool. A little desperate but still cool. It dose feature the future justice league and maybe that's a big deal for some people , well DC seems to think so anyway but they just don't do it for me, ah duno there just nothing all that stand out about them. To me they kind of dragged the last few issues of the last batman beyond series down. Aww wells it is nice to have batman beyond back !

FF #15

written by Jonathan Hickman art by Nick Dragotta

Well the kids of the FF return to earth to help activate sol's anvil the super weapon from the last issue of fantastic four and are joined by the super team power pack. Gotta say I'm still loving FF. Now I had my doubts about it when they announced that the main fantastic four book was being brought back and that FF was still carrying on as well. You know auld marvel always out for your money. But dammn has it been awesome. Yes mainly because for Dr Doom and everything he says or dose's. Sadly Dooms not in this issue and the book suffers quite badly for it. They even try to make out the Dooms dead. Aye naw pal. Still pretty fun though and hopefully not all of you dropped it as soon as fantastic four came back.