Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam! # 4

Writer/Artist: Mike Kunkel
Publisher: DC
Published: April 2009

Today's issue is dedicated to the most dreaded of feelings a comic collector can experience: jumping on the bandwagon once the bandwagon is gone. By this I mean, picking up a comic series that looks just awesome and you know is going to be awesome, but you're starting at the last issue.

I picked up Bill Batson and the Magic of Shazam! on issue # 4, and I don't dare read it until I have the first three. Only problem with this, is that the last three have long since exited Peterborough shops. I'm going to have to head to Toronto, cross my fingers, and hope that one of the multitude of shops down there will have them. Or I'm going to look to the internet and shell out the cash and pay the ridiculous shipping fees. Or worse, wait 10 months for the collected edition. Anyway, check some scans. It looks like (and I hope) it is going to be a great read.

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction # 2

Writers: Mike Mignola, John Byrne
Artist: Mike Mignola
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Published: April 1994

Mike Mignola is the King of Lovecraftin' horror comics. Hellboy is the shiznit that hands out justice with his red right hand. Issue # 2 has Hellboy, Abe and Liz deepening their investigation into the frogman murders. They visit Lady Cavendish's place, where Rasputin finally makes his presence known. He advises Hellboy of some disturbing facts, but before Hellboy can digest these new developments, a giant monster bursts forth from below! Can you guess what kind?!


Is the end of Hellboy? Probably not, but if you want to find out for sure, head to your nearest comic shop - NOW! Or this will happen to ya:

The Goon # 6: iLagarto Hombre!

Writer/Artist: Eric Powell
Colorists: Eric Powell, Robin Powell, Shaynne Corbett, Barry Gregory
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Published: April 2004

Ahh...the Goon. What a great comic! Today's issue brings Powell's interpretation of that oh so famous tentacle beast. After a rift in time and space opens, depositing the said beast in Goon's territory, it makes it's way to town. Powell can't help but remark: "How original. An ugly thing with tentacles. Why it can't be something interesting like a monster made out of breasts?"


Good question. Definitely worth pondering over....


Moving along, the beast attacks the town where it gets the royal Goon treatment. The issue ends...well you'd never expect how. Here's a snapshot to get the ol'brain bubbling:

Solo # 3: Paul Pope

Writers: Paul Pope
Artist: Paul Pope
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia, Dave Stewart
Publisher: DC
Published: April 2005

I know: sick. Another Pope comic today.

This is another standout issue from the Solo series from DC. Pope kicks ass on this one, and in my mind it is on par with Cooke, Sale, and Scott's Solo issues.

The first tale is Popes interpretation of the Minotaur of Knossos, the second an AWESOME tribute to Kirby's OMAC. The third and fourth tale are nice tales of urban life and past memories. Finally, the last tale is a great story involving Robin, Bat's, and the Joker.

I really dug Pope's version of Joker. He reminds me of a sickened Cesar Romero (mostly because of the mustachio stubble). Check some scans and know that this is a must have issue for any serious comic collector.


Look familiar?

Marvel Romance Redux # 1: But I Thought He Loved Me!

Writers: Jeff Parker, John Buscema, Roger Langridge, John Lustig, Stan Lee, Jimmy Palmiotti, Keith GiffenArtists: John Romita Sr., Dick Giordano, Vinny Colletta, Jack Kirby, Gene Colan, Jim Mooney

Publisher: Marvel

Published: April 2006

Another Marvel Romance Redux review. Similar to the last one I posted, this one has re-scripted stories to the old romance comics Marvel used to publish. I found this one to be better than the Guy's & Doll's issue. First off the artwork has Jack Kirby and John Romita Sr. doin' their thing. I find Romita's penciling of his female leads to be a bit more alluring than Kirby's. Kirby has a squarish face design to his characters which sometimes has his females looking a little manly. That being said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that jazz...

The first tale is about a stripper who is also President of the USA, and the second is about a girl being ashamed of her tattoos. The third tale is about guns and relationships. The fourth tale is about marriage and not wanting it, and finally the last tale is a hit gone awry.

There you have it, a review that clearly show's I'm not trying, but much like romance, sometimes a person doesn't want to bother trying.

Wildcats # 3.7

Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Publisher: Wildstorm
Published: April 2003

I only picked up this issue because of the ludicrous cover (that and it was 25 cents). The story follows a guy named Wax, who is spying on two other guys. Wax works for (I think) some sort of covert unit, and one of the guys he was spying on ends up getting attacked by the two leather daddies on the cover. There is also a subplot involving an interview of a company big wig, and Wax being a giant evil asshole to his bosses wife.

You know I never understood the appeal of the S&M culture. It's not so much the submissive/dominant ideology that I don't get, but the obsession with leather. What's the deal with that?

When I was in school, the Matrix had just been released and this caused leather to be the 'in' thing. I liked the movie, quite a bit, and I thought the costumes looked great, but I always found leather in real life never looked as polished. It was disillusioning. Also, at my old job, a lot of the supervisors wore big leather jackets, and since I didn't like a lot of the supervisors there, I associated leather clothing with my distaste of management.

So because of my natural inclination to dislike leather bound individuals I'll never be a S&M devotee...but if plaid flannel shirts chained to ass-less corduroy pants existed, well that's a whole new ball game.

Spidey Super Stories # 33

Writer: Jim Salicrup
Artists: Win Mortimer, Don Perlin, Mike Esposito
Publisher: Marvel & The Electric Company
Published: April 1978

Today's issue has The Friendly Neighbor Hood Spider-Man battling it out with Hulk, The Kangaroo, and the Schemer.

The first tale has Peter Parker and Mary Jane attending the local carnival. Hulk is nearby and he hears laughing. Thinking he is getting laughed at, he storms the carnival. Good thing Spidey is there to take care of things! He ends up dousing Hulk in laughing gas as Hulk looks at himself in a fun house mirror, which causes Hulk to think he is laughing at himself. Once he realizes 'the joke' the Hulk bounds off.

The second tale has Peter Parker getting his ass handed to him by The Kangaroo. The Kangaroo is an Ozzy who hated life in normal civilization, so he intergrated himself in the Kangaroo society. He ate what they ate, jumped like they jump, and so on...The story ends with the Kangaroo knocking out Spidey, then mentioning that all his life he has been a loser, and then getting knocked out by a guitar being smashed over his head. He ends up living in the Zoo with other kangaroos...he's still a loser, but he's happy. There's a moral there...

Finally the last tale has Peter Parker and Aunt May on vacation in the Grand Canyon. Only problem is that the Grand Canyon has been turned into a trash dump, and giant postcards are hiding the trash. The Schemer is the cause of this dastardly, (dare I say) scheme. Spidey has to clean things up by knocking the Schemer's giant sized fly shaped helicopter out of the sky with a giant fly swatter.

Good times.

Batman Year 100 # 3 of 4

Writer/Artist: Paul Pope
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Publisher: DC
Published: April 2006

I got my Dark Knight DVD on Wednesday, and boy can I say, even after my 3rd viewing, I still love this film. I've been a Batman fan since I was a kid, and to watch my favorite character "grow up" and have the same, if not more appeal to me now as it did when I was young, well that just makes me smile. It's a bittersweet smile though, cause the more and more I watch the film, the more and more I miss Heath Ledger.

The first film of Heath Ledger's that I saw was A Knights Tale, which I thought was cool, but nothing too special (other than the guy playing Chaucer - shit he rocked!). Then I saw 10 Things I Hate About You and forgot about it, but then I saw Brokeback Mountain. I was blown away by the film. I had always been an Ang Lee fan, but this was something else. Ever since, when someone brings up Heath Ledger, I always quip in that if they like him, they have to see Brokeback Mountain. Heath has this amazing ability to transform his body language to capture the essence of his character. He is also one of the few actors who doesn't just rely on his looks, but will twist up his face, making himself someone else entirely. When Heath played Ennis in Brokeback he pinched up his lips, and he physically sank into himself, which complemented Ennis's character. He was this guy who was traumatized as a kid and was so afraid to be himself that he hid in himself to the point that he was like a child huddled away in a corner, chin buried, and wishing nothing more for the world to just pass him by.

With the Joker in The Dark Knight, Heath does exact same thing, but this time, instead of turning inward, he finds the chaos that is the Joker, and lashes out, reveling in the destruction he commits. Heath pinches his brow, glowers, snickers, broods, flashes his razor eyes, and darts his tongue like a nervous dragon, all the while dancing manically. He is the Joker, all grown up.

This is what saddens me. Stating the obvious, I can never know who the true Ledger was, but from what I've seen from just a handful of his films, here was an actor at the top of his game, who had an insight into the human condition. He was able to tap into his characters, find what makes them human (or a monster), and portray them physically, mentally, and emotionally so well that he wasn't an actor anymore, but an outlet of something deeper. As to what that something is, only Heath will know, while the rest of us watch and re-watch his films over and over again.


Okay enough, eh? This is a comix blog right? So today I wanted to talk about Batman Year 100. This is one of my favorite Batman stories of all time. Paul Pope's brushwork is fantastic, and coupled with Jose's coloring, this is probably one of the best looking Batman tales yet.

Issue # 3 has Batman breaking into police headquarters to steal back a sample of his blood that the cops collected. During his break-in he gets into a brawl with the GCPD and is forced to growl, jump around, punch and kick cops, and blow things up. After escaping the clutches of an evil psychic he makes a getaway on his Batmobile, which is a kick ass motor bike. The issue ends with Batman and his team piecing together the bad guys scheme, while Jim Gordon pieces together the origin of the Batman. A perfect setup for the final issue of this magnificent series.

Peter Rabbit 3-D

Writer/Artist: Harrison Cady
Publisher: Eternity Comics
Published: April 1990

P is for perplexed at how difficult it is to find 3-D glasses in Peterborough! I found this 3-D comic of Peter Rabbit in a 25 cent bin, and instantly knew it was going to be awesome (which it is), but it didn't come with 3-D glasses. At first, I visited Michaels (a chain art supply store) to get the material to make my own, but was told, not politely either, they didn't carry red or blue film. I then went to a few toy and book stores and was told no as well. Damn, I thought! What kinda world do we live in where a guy can't get his 3-D on!

I eventually ended up finding them in the same bin that I found the Peter Rabbit issue. They were included in a special 3-D Wildcats/X-Men crossover issue, illustrated by Adam Hughes. Now, considering how difficult it was to find them, I'm never going to give them up. (Click the link - you know what it is and you know you want to!) Much to my disappointment, they don't really work with the 3rd Rock From the Sun 3-D episodes. I think for that type of 3-D I need the clear type lenses. Thus the search begins again!

Apparently, Peter Rabbit didn't just come from the mind of Beatrix Potter. Another Peter Rabbit existed who was more of a trickster, unlike his coat-less counterpart. This Peter Rabbit was created by Thornton Burgess in 1914 and was later adapted to newspaper format by Harrison Cady.

The 3-D version is just that, reprints of the old Sunday strips, but this time in 3-D! Now, most kids think that 3-D is lame, what with all the special effects of the howizts an' whatszits, but this comic really benifits from it. It's almost like Peter Rabbit is leaping off the page! (Had too...)

One particularly funny tale has Peter Rabbit reading up a book called "How to become a Detective." After reading it he becomes inspired to sleuth out some crimes. He ends up following two suspicious characters, a turtle and snail. They seem to be poking something in a tree. Peter, deciding he has caught them in a crime, jumps out and exclaims: "Villains, I've got you at last." At this point, the turtle orders the snail to hide in his shell as he is going to "swat her." By "her" he means a hornets nest! Peter ends up being stung all over as the turtle and snail watch peacefully in their shells. Now, I can't even begin to tell you how awesome that is, but let's just say: "Awesome" - and in 3-D!

Casual Heroes # 1

Writer/Artist: Kevin McCarthy
Colorist: Noelle Giddings
Publisher: Image Comics
Published: April 1996

C is for cool, conceited, casual.

Casual Heroes, based off my first reaction, is the precursor to the X-Statix. The emphasis is on heroes that are not really heroes. The characters are conceited, distracted, and depressing...which is good. If anything, it's a nice spin on the superhero ethic to do good.

Issue 1 has Red Saturn, THE superhero in this series, depressed and drinking in a bar, while his teammates are being beaten by some crazy monster. He's depressed, drinking, and tells a fan that the 'so called menaces' are timed to be near month end so as to sell more comics. The issue ends with Red Saturn breaking off his one night stand with the fan to finally face the big monster. Issue 2's cover is by Paul Pope, but it is near impossible to track this issue down. Too bad.

All in all the issue is pretty good, but missing something. The concept is great, since it did work for X-Statix, but it just doesn't click. I'm thinking it was ahead of its time. Like fish flavored ice cream. Ummm, ummm good.

G.I. Joe All American Hero # 85

Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Paul Ryan
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Publisher: Marvel
Published: April 1989

This was a comic I purchased in one of those surprise bundles where you get 5 comics for like 2 bucks. Around the early 90s when I got this, I would have never had made the conscious decision to pick up a GI Joe comic unless it had Snake Eyes on the cover. The bundle I picked up didn't have Snake Eyes on any covers, but it did have Storm Shadow, which is pretty cool...I guess...

GI Joe # 85 is entirely wordless, with only sound effects added. Jinx visiting a local museum that is displaying samurai swords and during her visit she calls up Storm Shadow. Little does she know that Zartan is tracing the call. Once Zartan has Storm Shadow's location, he orders Jinx killed by Cobra ninjas. She easily defeats them, since she is GI Joe and in a museum filled with swords. You'd think Cobra would at least wait till she was in the can or something...

Meanwhile, Zartan and Cobra crew are on there way to ambush Storm Shadow, who was able to hear the attack on Jinx over the phone, and is now getting ready to kick some Cobra ass. To cut to the chase, and this story has both, he does kick some ass. There is a lot of hacking and slashing, arrows fired, ninjas killed, and Cobra making a get-away in a VW van - straight into the San Francisco river! But don't take my word for it! Look below!
All in all a decent tale, but not nearly as good as the GI Joe PSAs.

What If... # 24: Wolverine Was Lord Of The Vampires

Writers: Roy Thomas & R.J.M. Lofficier
Artist: Tom Morgan
Colorist: Tom Vincent
Publisher: Marvel
Published: April 1991

Happy Halloween! I thought I would take this day to discuss a real treat:

What If...Wolverine Was Lord Of The Vampires! Hell Yeah!

Now this is a real "what if" comic. Way back, the X-Men had a battle with Count Dracula to save Storm's soul. In that time line, the X-Men were successful, but in this issue's time line, the X-Men fail, and are turned to vampires. Wolverine, now free of the trappings of humanity, reverts to his, yeah you guessed it, his wolverine form, and takes down Dracula. After a gruesome beheading of the Count, Wolverine takes over as Lord of the Vampires.

With Wolverine in control, he and the vampire X-Men quickly take down their fellow mutants, superheros and former villains. Humans are merely prey at this point. The only threat to Wolverine at this point is Dr. Strange, so Wolverine sends vampire Juggernaut to kill Dr. Strange, which he does, but only Strange's physical form dies. Strange escapes in his spirit form and later teams up with the Punisher. The Punisher, armed with Strange's mystical cape and the Eye of Agamotto, heads into battle - the BATTLE TO END IT ALL!

Well not ALL, but THE BATTLE TO END ALL VAMPIRES!


So long, spectacular story short, the good, human, guys win, but not the way one would expect. Let's just say Wolverine stays true to his inner character. Oh, what a ride.
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