What I thought of...Convergence: Booster Gold #1

Convergence: Booster Gold #1: Look, here's the part where I could describe the story in-depth, but trust me, this is one of those "you had to be there" comics.
The Good: It's Booster Gold. Written by Dan Jurgens. Is there anything else? Honestly, this book is different from the other Convergence comics because it actually started in Booster Gold: Future's End #1, last Septembers one-shot special. This book is pure, 100% Booster Gold, and it's awesome. Not to spoil anything, but there ARE two Boosters in this story and I was surprised to learn, just how much "our" Booster has grown as a character. The book is also jam-packed with cameos, that you will love. You'll recognize about 90% of them, but there was a couple that even I had to google.
The Bad: OK, gun to my head, if I had to pick SOMETHING that I didn't 100% love about this issue, it's the art. Even though I like Alvaro Martinez and I knew he was doing this book, Part of me was still expecting Dan Jurgens' art. Again, the art is NOT bad, but there's something about Dan Jurgens drawing Booster Gold, that just feels right.
The Verdict: BUY IT! The unique thing about this book is that it's the 1 Convergence comic where you don't have to even KNOW what Convergence is to enjoy it. There are elements of the Convergence story in this issue, but you can pick this comic up and read it NO PROBLEM.

Spare some change.

Last Thursday the internet vomited after DC Comics revealed it's "new look" for it's three most popular heroes; Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman:

First off, Supermans "costume" is not a costume. If it is, I wear a Superman costume almost every day. Secondly, if you've been reading comics for less than 1 year, you're allowed to complain. If you've been reading comic books for MORE than one year, please, stop talking. You honestly believe that these costumes will be the way that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will look for the rest of time? Are you new? The second lesson that they teach you in Comics 101 is that "New Costumes never last". Am I wrong?

The only thing that never changes in comics (or in life, for that matter), is the fact that everything changes. If you don't like it, don't worry, it'll change back. Maybe not for a little bit, but it will. Does that mean you should just take everything you're fed with a smile? Of course not! But, if you're going to protest something do it the RIGHT WAY. Don't just bitch and moan to bitch and moan. If you're on Twitter, tweet at DC, not at me or all your other followers. Some of them might actually LIKE the changes. If you're on Facebook, post on Marvel's page, not everyone else's. They can't do anything about the fact that Wonder Woman has blades. So yes, protest, write emails, write letters (with honest to God paper, envelopes and stamps), use social media in its correct form, to let your voice be heard. Do you think everyone else has nothing better to do than listen to you bitch? Well, you're wrong. They do have better things to do. A LOT better things to do.
-And seriously, Wonder Woman having blades on her costumes does NOT make her any less of a powerful woman than Captain America having armor makes him less of a man.

AQUAMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Director Zack Snyder superrised everyone today by giving us our first look at actor Jason Momoa as King of the Seven Seas-AQUAMAN!!!! Long time readers of this blog and anyone who knows me knows I'm a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge Aquaman "mark". OK, first off, this is about as far removed from this:

as you can get, but I'm excited for this for a couple of reasons. I like the "Pacific Islander" slant on the character. Second, I'm a fan of Jason Momoa, even though I've never seen an episode of Game of Thrones. I thought his Conan the Barbarian was a HIGHLY underrated movie, and that he was terrific in it, and hey, Baywatch!!!! I can't wait to see him in Batman VS. Superman (maybe?), Justice League and his OWN movie in 2018!! To hold you over until then, here's a little something to tide you over:

And if you've never seen the Justice League: Throne of Atlantis movie, you really should. It's pretty awesome.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #9

Batman Eternal #9: Wow. Yeah, that's about it. Wow.
The Good: This issue, the good starts on page 1 and doesn't stop until the last page. This one, is not only ACTION packed, it's STORY packed as well. We find out TONS of Carmine Falcone, what he did while he was away from Gotham (When someone leaves Gotham for a period of time, why do they ALWAYS go to Hong Kong? No one ever goes to, like, Vegas or anything?), what happened to him and the lasting effects of his stay there. We also get some really good scenes with Commissioner Forbes, Catwoman, and the introduction of a character that will........no. No spoilers. You gotta buy this on your own to feel the effect.
The Bad: I had to read it digitally. Ewww.
The Verdict: BEST. ISSUE. SO. FAR. I'm not even kidding. It had everything-great story, great art, this issue was just phenomenal!! Go out and grab it NOW!!!

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #6

Batman Eternal #6: Batwing joins the mess and special guest star Jim Corrigan!!
The Good: There's a LOT going on. And I mean a LOT a LOT. Not just filled with action, but it's all over the place. From Batwing to Batman to Arkham Asylum back to Batwing & Jim Corrigan-you get the idea. This issue's script is written by Ray Fawkes, and you can tell the difference. I'm not sure if he's taking care of the "creepy, supernatural" parts of the book(I assume that would be Seeley's job), but the book has a noticeably different feel to it. A change in tone that's pretty dramatic, not because of the difference of the writer, because that's what this issue NEEDS.
The Bad: As I said above, there's a LOT going on. Almost have to keep a scorecard and old issues handy at this point. It's nothing bad, but I thought that there would be a point by now that the writers would stop introducing new story lines.
The Verdict: Even though this is my least favorite issue of the series so far, I say buy it. BUT, I have to warn you-I think this is the make it or brake it issue. From here, you're either in or your out. And, I'm in. 100%.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #3

Batman Eternal #3: The return of a fan-favorite Batman supporting character: KING TUT!!!
The Good: OK, so it's not King Tut. It's Stephanie Brown! And boy, is she up shit creek. But, that is the LEAST of Batman's worries. There's a huge gang war, and somebody REALLY REALLY bad has taken control of the Gotham City Police Department. I also get the feeling that there's not one, but TWO major villains at work in this story and they're NOT working together. In fact, I'm not even sure that one is aware of the other. As the first 2 issues, this issue is action and mystery from first page to last and it's ALL good!! Just when you slow down to catch your breath, something else (literally) blows up!
The Bad: ............I got nothin.
The Verdict: I know it's early in the game, but this is seriously THE best weekly comic from DC that I've ever read. And, I've read them all. Grab it!!

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #2

Batman Eternal #2: A notorious villain appears for the first time in the new DC 52 continuity, and......SPOILER WARNING.....it is NOT King Tut. Dammit.
The Good: I gotta tell you, I'm LOVING this series more than I should. Not that it's secretly bad, but MAN, so far for 2 weeks in a row, The creative team (and I do mean TEAM) has turned out a REALLY solid book. Just like last week, action, suspense, shocks, surprises, and we get to check in with the rest of the Bat-Family. It's hard to go into more detail without spoilers, so I won't.
The Bad: Art-wise there were a couple of panels that I really didn't care for, but at this point, I'm just nitpicking, so it's really no big deal.
The Verdict: What do you think? BUY IT!!!!!!

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #1

Batman Eternal #1: A year-long mystery begins and it begins with a bang! And, a crash. And flames, did I mention the flames?
The Good: Just about everything. THIS is what I want out of a Batman story. Mystery, a supporting cast member in jeopardy, and Batman kicking ass.
The Bad: Man, this is hard to pick. I liked the writing, I liked the art, I liked the whole FEEL of the book overall. I give up, nothing to gripe about here.

-While I was reading this, and knowing that it's going to run, I thought in the back of my mind "how much is this going to change from what I'm reading today? Will the creative team change some of the original story? The Ending? ANYTHING about the series that is "set in stone" at this point?" And then THAT got me thinking "Wow. I wonder how much EVERYTHING will change in a year. How the comics industry will change in a year. How much pop culture will change in a year. How much the world will change in a year." And then THAT got me thinking "I wonder how much I'LL change in a year?" And that leads into...........

What you should buy-8/7/13

YIKES!!! Some real slim pickens this week. But, as always, there's a couple of really GREAT books coming out. Let's get to it:

Lords of Mars #1: One of the strangest, yet most awesome crossovers in the history of crossovers!!! It's John Carter meets TARZAN!!!! Yeah, you heard me. Written by Arvid Nelson with art by Roberto Castro!

All New X-Men #15: JEAN!!! WTF?!?!?!?!?!?! Cyclops gets his heart broken, and I couldn't be happier. I've always hated him. Buy why is Jean kissing someone else? This book is always awesome!

Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger #11: The Trinity War continues!!! Phantom Stranger leads a strange group of JLAers to grab the soul of a murdered JLA member!!! I've been really loving this crossover!

Robocop: The Last Stand #1: IT'S ROBOCOP!! Detroit is in shambles(kinda like in real life), and the city's only hope? Yeah, you know who it is. Written by Steven Grant from a story by Frank Miller!!

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century #1: IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!! The ORIGINAL, FIRST and BEST sci-fi here has come BACK to comics!!!!! And guess who's bringing him back? None other than comics legend HOWARD CHAYKIN!!! I know, right?!?!?!?!

-Like I said before, not a HUGE week for books, but there's some quality stuff coming out! As always I'll be at Challengers Comics + Conversation on Wednesday, so if you're in the neighborhood, come in and say hi! I'll be in the big red chair reading Buck Rogers. ALL. DAY>

Comic-Con Day 3!! And the winner is..........

MOVIES!!!!! Now, while movies win, I'm gonna have to call this a tie between DC/Warner Brothers and Marvel/Disney. BOTH had HUGE announcements that rocked the comic world when they unveiled some pretty surprising stuff. Let's start with Marvel.....

During the final moments of the Marvel Studios panel, Joss Whedon came out to announce that the next Avengers movie would be called....Avengers: Age of Ultron!!! There was even some footage shown. Here, is a description, courtesy of Super Hero Hype:

"It begins outside an alien temple. A man approaches. The Avengers footage is super quick, featuring lines from the first Avengers. Slowly, CGI images form of Ultron's face. Then the title comes up. THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON."

WOW! I can't wait!! Now, this does bring up some interesting questions. We saw Thanos in the first Avengers movie, will he play into this movie at all? How are Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch going to fit in? And what about Hank Pym? With what happened in Iron Man 3, I can easily see Tony Stark creating Ultron. I guess we'll find out in about 2 years!!

-Earlier in the day, at the DC panel, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder took to the stage to talk about the Man of Steel sequel. He revealed that the Man of Steel will costar none other than.......BATMAN!!! He then revealed the logo for the film:

Shooting is expected to begin next year for a 2015 release. No real details were revealed except that Batman WILL be recast and that the supporting cast of Man of Steel will return for the sequel. 

-Boy, between Avengers 2, the Sueprman/Batman movie and Star Wars Episode VII, 2015 is going to be one hell of a summer!!!

-Besides the movie announcements, there were some great comic announcements that were made. Here's links to just a few of them.

-Top Cow revealed some big plans for their company, including a Darkness film. You can read all about that over at Comic Book Resources.

-Robert Venditti spoke about the direct that the Green Lantern books are going to take, go here to read what he had to say.

-Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo spoke about Batman: Year Zero. Check that one out at this link!

-Join me tomorrow for SDCC wrap up day 4!!! 

What you should buy...Wednesday, June 19th,2013

Not as much out this week, but some GREAT stuff!!!! Litterally something for everyone, and you gotta love that. Let's get right to it:

Wild Blue Yonder #1: Great creative team and a fun concept? Yeah, sign me up!Originally a Kickstarter project that was successfully funded, this book is being put out by IDW. Pick it up!

Justice League of America's Vibe #5: Vibe steps in the way of the Suicide Squad!!! That can't be good!!

Green Hornet Legacy #38: SO glad to see this series wasn't abandoned by Dynamite. It's a great title that deserves your attention!

Captain Midnight #0: Retro Fun!!! This issue #0 reprints the stories in Dark Horse Presents #18-#20, so if you missed them there, now's your chance to get in on the fun!

Conan The Barbarian #17: OH MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD!!! My review should be up over at Geeks of Doom in a couple of days, but trust me, this is one that you TOTALLY want to grab. The art is AMAZING!!!

Age of Ultron #10: FINALLY!!! It's all come down to this! Between 312 Wolverines and 56 alternate universes, my ass is confused! Hopefully, the heroes of the Marvel Universe can keep it all straight and save the day!...and that Ultron actually, you know....SHOWS UP!!
-Now, that's not it. Not by a LONG shot!! We've got all THREE GI Joe books this week, some great Transfomrers books, as well as The X-Files return. And, of course, some great stuff from Marvel and DC. As always, I'll be at Challengers Comics + Conversation, so if you're in Chicago, stop by!!

He-Man Week-Day 4!!!

Masters of the Universe #1 Comic Review

He-Man & The Masters of the Universe #1: First awesome issue in this brand new ongoing title!!! While the Masters attend a funeral, Hordak sends his forces into Eternia to invade. Led by Despara, the Horde takes out a huge group of normal citizens. but He-Man shows up to save the day. There's also a GREAT last page shocker!!
The Good: If you like He-Man, it's ALL good!! And, I think, that even if you're not a hardcore fan, just know anything about the property, you'd enjoy it too. It doesn't get bogged down in heavy Masters continuity, it stays with what everyone knows and loves about Masters of the Universe.
The Bad: If I have to pick something, I'd say I'm not 100% in love with Hordak's design. Now, I'm not sure if the creative team is waiting to give us the Hordak that we all know and love, or if this change is permanent. If it is, I'm not a fan. If it changes,I'll be glad to have the classic Hordak back. But, kudos to the creative team for using someone else other than Skeletor. And, Dekker is in it and I HATE that guy.
  Are you kidding me? BUY THIS!!! Even if you're a casual fan, pretty much everybody knows the basic story of He-Mna, and this will refresh your memory and get you excited about future issues about this comic. If you're a die hard fan like me, it's really enjoyable seeing the new status-quo for the Masters of the Universe!

Happy Birthday Superman!!!

75 years ago today, the world changed forever. When Action Comics #1 debuted the world fell in love with The Strange Visitor from Another Planet. Although, quite different from the Superman we know today, he unleashed the imagination of a whole generation. And that spirit has been passed on to this very day. Inspiring thousands of people to not only do what's right, but to create COMICS. Just think about it for a second. Right now Hollywood and the population at large is in love with super heroes. There's now 2 to 3 comic book based movies every year, and there's no end in sight. NONE of that would've been possible if the 2 kids from Cleveland hadn't decided to make their OWN super hero 75 years ago.
-There have been many versions or incarnations of Superman over the years, but here's some of my personal favorites.  

Pocket Mego Superman: This was the first Superman toy that I ever owned. I still have it(somewhere), and it'll always be my second favorite Superman toy. I played with this so much, it was crazy. The best part? It was just a pain and simple figure. No "action". No punches, no kicks, no nothing. All I had was my imagination and 5 points of articulation.


Ruby Spears Superman: This cartoon blew my mind!!! It aired Saturday mornings on CBS, and followed the John Bryne Man of Steel continuity. Each episode featured a main Superman adventure, followed by a Clark Kent discovering his powers cartoon short (remenber, in Bryne's version, there was no Superboy).  To this day, it's still my favorite Superman cartoon.

The Man of Steel #1: This was, and always will be, my favorite Superman comic series ever. It was just after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and John Bryne debuted a six issue mini series that retold and rebooted Superman for a new generation. Classic stuff.

Super Powers Superman Action Figure: This is my favorite Superman toy, bar none. Classic.

-In celebration of Superman's 75th birthday, every week I'll be spotlighting Superman in one aspect of another. Culminating on June 11th, when The Man of Steel opens in theaters everywhere.

What you should buy-04/10/13

While there's plenty to buy this week, I'm a little under the weather and grumpy so, you're getting the short short version. Here it is!

 Age of Ultron #5-Things get heavy!

 Batman #19: Who's Batman shooting?

 Wolverine #2: More awesomeness!!

GI Joe: The Cobra Files #1: REALLY REALLY good!
-Again, there's tons of more great comics to buy. If you're in Chicago, come stop by Challengers Comics + Conversation!!

Thank you Carmine Infantino

I was very sad today to learn of the passing of the great Carmine Infantino. He was one of my favorite artists of all time, bar none. His influences in comics are both legendary and immeasurable. He, with writer Robert Kanigher, ushered in the Silver Age of comics with The Flash #123 in 1961. Giving birth to the DC Universe that the world, at large, is familiar with. Here are some of my favorite Infantino covers, but I don't really think he ever did a bad one.

-Godspeed, thank you and God Bless You, Carmine.