Comics of the Week (12/4/08)

Trinity #26 - halfway point of this year-long weekly run book, and we're pretty much spinning in a rut. Still on the alternate reality, still the villains trying to get their act together, still the heroes confused and still the trinity missing. Yawn.

Terror Titans #3 (of 6) - the creative team continues to deliver on this mini series. Lots of villainy, lots of twists and turns, and the "shocking" revelation at the end of the issue is very exciting news.


Justice Society of America #21 - Gog demanded blind worship and the JSA said no! Now it all hits the fan. About time! While it played out like I expected, I appreciate all the characterization we've gotten in this arc for the ever growing cast. It is always a joy to see Jerry Ordway penciling the JSA again - takes me back to the early days of Infinity Inc. and, of course, the All-Star Squadron back in the 80's.

Shatner's Raw Nerve

I stumbled across a new television program on the Biography channel this week. William Shatner (actor, pitchman, etc.) hosts a new talk show called Shatner's Raw Nerve with new episodes airing each Tuesday night at 10pm and 10:30pm. The format is a half hour, one-on-one conversaton between Shatner and a guest. The first two shows this week were with Tim Allen and Valerie Bertinelli (now you know why I sought the show out).

The interesting thing is it is not your typical talk show. Shatner does not want to talk to them about their career or latest project or stuff like that. No, he wants to get to those "raw nerves" - to talk to his guest about those deep, difficult things in their lives. For Tim Allen, it was about his addictions (drugs and alcohol) and time in prison in his youth (for drug selling). For Valerie, it was about her past indescretions (like adultery while married to Eddie Van Halen) as well as her own addictions (to food).

What I found interesting about the discussion is that it shows these celebrities in a real, raw state. They're people. They overcome issues (or are still working on them). It about the human struggle, the human condition. I found the conversation to very enlightening at times.

Biography runs the episodes again all week long - so if you can catch one, check it out. You might find it interesting too.

Comics of the Week (11/26/08)

Reign In Hell #5 (of 8) - This mini is starting to bore me. It seems a lot of groups running around, encountering one another, but getting us no closer to a conclusion. I'm very disappointed - and am thinking I might drop it now and save the money from the last three issues. I have no interest in how it ends, the worst thing a mini series can do for a reader.

Trinity #26 - ugh, another slow issue here too. What is going on? Is it something in the air? Am I just tired? Get Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman back in this book - please!

Teen Titans $65 - Wonder Girl faces off against Lycus, while the rest of the team takes on the giant hellhound. I did like the way this issue moved and how Wonder Girl has grown into a better character because of this challenge. That's what a book should do - help the characters grow.


Justice Society of America - Kingdom Come Special: the Kingdom - another nice chapter from the creative team. Not only do we get close to the final events of this Gog storyline, but we also get a great focus on the character of Damage. Geoff Johns really plays off the characters well and provide changes that make sense. Again, good writing. The art is outstanding too. I cannot wait for the final two chapters of this storyline.

Comics of the Week (11/19/08) part 2

Trinity #25 - well, I'm now getting tired of the story moving so slowly. It looks like more and more individuals are realizing that something is wrong with the reality the Earth is in and that the trinity is missing, but I'm ready to see folks do something more about it than talk. The story needs to pick up the pace again soon.

Rann-Thanagar Holy War #7 (of 8) - in the penultimate chapter, the space heroes put their plan in place, and it looks like Synnar is perfectly fine with that. Where is this story going? We'll find out next issue. Again, the art is stunning and epic, like this story deserves.

Batman and the Outsiders #13 - combined with artist Fernado Dagnino, Frank Tieri is making this book resemble more the writing he did on Gotham Underground, and I'm liking that. With Batman gone and the Outsiders broken apart, Batgirl decides to build a new ally list. But someone isn't so thrilled with her. I do like how Tieri is taking advantage of the rich elements of Gotham City for the book. That will keep me reading it.


Justice Society of America - Kingdom Come Special: Magog - this one shot by Tomasi and Pasarin has the look and feel of the regular monthly title. This one focuses on Magog as he comes to terms with his past and his present role. There is also a short but interesting back up feature on Starman by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins. It ties in nicely with what is going on in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. Overall a great special as we get closer to the finale of this long running storyline.

Comics of the Week (11/19/08) part 1

Brave and the Bold #19 - this is part one of a four part adventure teaming Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) with the Phantom Stranger. The story so far is a bit heavy on the exposition - setting up a plot that involves weirdness on Earth and activity on an alien world. It seems more a GL tale so far with the Stranger just tagging along. I hope it gets better but I fear it won't.

Tangent: Superman's Reign #9 (of 12) - okay, this issue plodded along and didn't move the story too far along. I think the whole thing got stretched out a bit too far. Having it go eight issues might have been better, just to trim the fat out of the story. Ah well - three more issues to go so I might as well stick with it until the end.


Ambush Bug: Year None #4 (of 6) - after last issue being so-so, this one comes back nicely as it parodies 52, takes pot shots at Dan Didio (which many fanboys will love) and then takes just as many shots on the fanboys themselves. Keith Giffen is an equal opportunity offender and that's what I like about his humor sometimes. Looks like Countdown will get satirized next issue, leaving Final Crisis hopefully for the last. I hope Giffen and Fleming don't disappoint.

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes

Just like with Watchman, I was never a reader of Sandman when it hit the comic shelves in the late 80's. I remember I bought issue #1 but wasn't so thrilled to continue picking it up. Now, I know it is a brilliant series and Neil Gaiman really weaved an incredible tapestry over the book's run. I just never got into it. That is, until I picked up the first collected volume at the library last week.

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes collects issues 1 through 8 of the Sandman book from 1988 and 1989. As even Neil points out in the Afterwards, the first few issues jump around a bit in theme, style and approach. One could easily tell he was trying to settle in a bit to something beyond the first story arc - the tale of how Morpheus, the god of Dreams, is captured and then escapes and has to reclaim his lost power. This first arc tries to tie-in basic DCU elements like the hosts of the 60's/70's mystery books, the Demon, the JLA and such. The book really seems to find a solid voice in the eighth issue which we see a conversation between Morpheus and his sister Death.

Now, I am not sure yet if my local library carries more of the volumes. If they do, I will certainly check them out. I enjoyed the first one enough to invest the time in reading more if/when I can. It definitely is not your typical comic book and that is probably why over the years it has appealed to many of the non-traditional comic book fans.

Book Review: The Book of Lies (2008)

In September of this year, Brad Meltzer's seventh novel the Book of Lies came out in hardback. I usually wait for Brad's books to come out in paperback (usually a year after their release) as I have all of the previous ones in the format. The first time I discovered his books was in a Raleigh bookstore that sold copies that were signed - my copy of the Millionaires was that way. Since then, I've met Brad at the San Diego ComicCon where I got personally signed copies of Dead Even and the Tenth Justice - my two top favorites of his books to date.