the Middle of the Road in Comics

This week was a mixed bag as comics tried to walk the middle road between convoluted modern take on the stories and classi action that has been their bread and butter all these years. Are audiences more complex as the average comic reader is an older demographic that it once was? I'm pretty well read but I'm not expecting Ayn Rand when I read the Avengers or even Anne Rice , I want big battles. This most recent arc in the Avengers attempts to give us that as they introduce this kid who must be like the Beyonder or the Hood when he got the infinity gems, let's see über powerful character with no known limits to his power, sounds like he belongs in D/C or if you want that bring the Sentry back...as a kid even if you have to . If I was writing for Avengers that's what I would do bring the Sentry back you can even have the Gaurdians of the Galaxy find him in a cosmic egg if you want the space opera in their , down grade his power set a little or make him more flawed .

Uncanny Avengers is the better Avenger's book, I mean Secret Avengers is pretty much knocked out the running with the Drone Iron Patriot thing. This week we had history rewritten with the remember that time Thor just had an axe and fought Apocalypse...well thankfully even with the axe Thor comes back and puts a hurting on him. Just ink if he had the hammer it would have been no contest, but they made have a handicap here. So that said axe falls into the hands of Kang who has the whole time travel thing to iron over if he has had Thors axe this whole time why haven't we seen it before.

Thor isn't doing so great in his own book where does the god slayer and and the god bomb begin the question they are asking here. We have the Thor of Christmas future jumbled in the mix here.the story has some of the best art in the biz but the story is a mess.

Uncanny X-men , well the past version of Angel joins the Present day Cyclops' team , not much else happens and this time travel thing is going to com back and bite them on the ass. Wolverine solo book the book and his fucking mean gun ...meh.

Age of Ultron goes to the Savage Land, Red hulk smashing Ultron robots, Nick Fury has been hiding out in the secret avengers gift shop the big Summer event is the songs remains the lame. Speaking of lame the whole Battle Royale version of Avengers Accademy spent the the whole issue dedicated to Arcade's power up grade which could have been time well spent in two pages now an entire issue.

So looking ahead its going to depend on how well books like Hulk, Superior Spider-man , Uncanny Avngers and all new X-men can maintain their game leading the pack.

D.C looks like it might be more intresting with all the Leagues fighting each other, now all the Avengers teams could do something similar but then it would be pretty much like civil war.

A little brighter

Having to hop on and start writing the next day read comics since they have been less than memorable these days, though this week there has been a marked improvement.

Indestructable Hulk...Well if it had any less smashing then I wouldn't like it the fight with Attuma is a little short , obviously the Hulk could take him no surprise then next . the Walt Siminson Thor guest appearence which looks fun thou a little baffling in the continuity department. With that said the Hulk returns to be one of the worthy just in a different context and the book that was the most fun to read. Issue six was a vast improvement and the long overdue return to the Hulk being the best read on the shelves rather than an obligation as he is my favorite character. Legs see how long they can keep this up

The avengers shows improvement though two,elf the new characters I think are wall hangings Thor, Hulk, Ms Marvel are the only ones who really did much. Granted it was out of Captain Americas league. Hyperion didn't add anything the return of the Eden thing is a plot thread I had though they had wrapped already so hate to see it get mired back down into that

Superior Spider-man is beginning to work for me know the avengers have caught on , they need to get dr strange on it. Any way I hope they take a turn to make spiderman a heel so when Parker gets back he is still though of as a bad guy and finally has had it and cracks turning into o,etching more like Moon Knight...that's where I would go with it it would take Peter into a darker place, I think something like that would help Super-man out as well , but the action comis I read was just a crazy mess. This weeks issue was a little week the Avenger show down stated but the throw down not until next week.

Dark Avengers in the alternate reality it's really hard to care Skaar or no Skaar and can we get rid of that Ragnarok robot already Oreo something to change him so it goes beyond just being a Thor clone, not that I don't know that's what it is it's just like having two of the same actions figures so you Coe up wit something childish like that so you can play wit both.

All New X-men hmmm the art was pret decent, I'm am still interested in seeing where it goes even if this issue didn't really go beyond the danger room and this weeks issue was a recruitment drive on the present day Cyclops part.

The Jusitce Society was e best dc book I have read in a while I ink they are really making the most of this and I want to continue readi. I think the character dynamic works and it feels more like an avengers book that's the avengers which I guess is one of things I like about it, JLA was an improvement but got overblown. Action Comica showed the most improvement with awesome art and a story that looks almost worth following.

I did read other stuff it filed to make enoughof an impression, skipped capt america i have gotten bored with that story. Not none of these books were in any way conned to be of Ultron so the steps we have taken forward might be lost whenwe get into the thick of that. Gaurdians of the Galaxy had good art but was a little lost in its own mythos to connect with me.

Age of Ultron get marginally better with Vision's appearence then they killed off She-hulk or so it Seems took a blast that went in one ear and out the other, guess we will see how her healing factor holds up.

if Age of Ultron is Our only hope...

It's taking me a minute to finish this blog because sadly its hard for me to get excited about comics these days as they are all pretty much varied shade sof bad or boring , overly operatic and lacking of any cool ass kicking moments which lets face it is why we read them in the first place, of not we would be watching day time soap operas. First I'll give so e thoughts on things ont he world of comics then break down comic by comic where any redemption is to be found and it will all be with Marvel as D/C is at the other end of the spectrum a lot happening in a jumble with out forming any connection for you to care about the character , odd for they seem to connect when the characters are on the small screen, I'm really enjoying Arrow even ough I the comicsi could care less about Oliver Queen.

...so far it's pretty grim beginning for the year, the thing is I want to enjoy comics not bitch about them. I look forward every weds to new comic book day only to be let down and recalling fonder times when that wasn't the case...jaded perhaps, well I shouldn't be , in relationships there's the factor of your expectations and the fact another person with free will has the choice to behave in whatever, manner they chose, so heartbreak is the risk you take in feeling. With comics I am a customer paying money to get a desired product , if you are capable of providing this service and have done so in the past them that is what I expect.

In this economy it means spending money I sometimes don't have, have I downloaded them , yes, but I find it's gotten easier time wise forms just to go into the storeamd red everything there and be done with it, does it mean when I sit downat the iPad in this cast to review me that I ome times don't remember what I read ...yes , did I do too many drugs in college ...yes, but it also means that you are making comicbooks that aren't that memorable.

This week was plagued with long winded writers who think they need to have their version of the Silmarillon before every arc and if we are being frank its a bloated bore get to the point and show me as the story moves forward origins and all of the back story can unfold, this thing with Hyperion was a bore, we go a page of action and several of the history of the universe, the only cool thing was a little glimpse at the Squadron Supreme who if an one has any smarts needs to cross over into the Avengers to retrieve Hyperion who doesn't belong on the team, if you want that character bring back Sentry.

Superior Spider- man a boring excursion into the Mary Jane break up where the big pay off was Otto putting the breaks on things with M.J, to avoid what could have been a very creepy element,which at first made me feel uncomfortable but if we are going all the way with this I think Otto as Spidey should be uncomfortable..other news the Rhino is going to be Amazing Spiderman 2, but if Jamie Foxx is in it I'm still not going to we o oh well I'll have to catch Rhino clips online.

Dark Avengers in this alternate universe is like lost carbon copy to what was just done in Secret Avengers how did than slip past the editor. I will keep cracking the book open to check in on Skaar but that's it. I odd need to remind myself to never pick up Xtreme X-Men ever again , it said in the solicit Wolverine was going to fight Hercules and eluded to it on the cover but open the book and ....wait for it...they are gay lovers ...no I'm not making a joke,granted this is in an alternate universand we know Hugh Jackman is a Hollywood closet case only fooling housewives in Iowa, but come on false advertising .

Let's looks at the stat of Marvel, we have already touched on Spiderman so lets go down the line.

The Indestructable Hulk...I actually have bought this one . Its the best of the bunch, the cast of scientist introduced the last issue I hope don't bog things down but it entertaining.

Thor God of Thunder... Most of the books problems are in the disjointed scripting switching time frames from page to page worked better I the planning stages than committed to paper. The Art work is the best going and when this God Slayer arc wraps I guess we shall see how it hangs.

Uncanny Avengers...This book is working right now, though the RedSkulls mutant minions had no connection and Havok is a weak character and seems pointless as Cap pretty much did his own thing.

Captain America...feels like I'm reading Kamandi

Iron Man...Almost unreadable , to think someone is paying for this

Ff...like a reality show that's badly drawn and Fantastic Four properties like one of the boring episodes of star trek. No clobbering time

Avengers...things got jumbled and too cosmic fast the new characters don't work but they are committed to their mistakes and I don't see them not allowing it to go down with the ship

Ms Marvel...I really want to read this book but I can't the art gives me a headache and the story is worse.

All New X-men...they are taking there time getting around to anyone happening md it looks like this as well as Uncanny are going to see the Avemgers showing up, and it looks like the same team in two places at one way to go editors

Thunderbolts ...the art is horrid I like old hulk Villians being used but it's just really bad otherwise red she hul is the only Hulk related non banner book that works , though I know Bammerhulk is about to show up in secret avngerw which isn't off to a stellar start , not unlike New Avengers, I like the art the story is dragging its like the Kwanis club for marvel men.

So marvel what you're saying is I have age of Ultron to look forward to ...a villian I don't hate but it's a robot so little low in the personality dept and the whole post apocalyptic it's the end of the world as we know it is different for. Fear itself how? Oh yeah a lot less cool since know chosen or amped upHulks and such. I know they want to get away for. The hero vs hero events. It i. Tink good story build I to events not events build good stories.

The Come Down : Marvel Now

It's a sad sign when it has taken me weeks to get motivated to finish this blog entry because I have been so bored with Marvel's output lately, as you will read this was started waaaay back before issue 700. I will catch up and give my thoughts on Indestructible Hulk. But the the bottom line , is Marvel Now has lost all momentum and it feels like we are back to the status quo before it's finished. As Dr Horrible would say
" the status isnt quo anymore."

We are only in the very beginning of this Marvel Now and starting to see the come down as the hype once again wears thin, Marvel though will see this as a success however since it caused a spike in sales.Yet Dan Slott's plotting of the Amazing Spiderman run which will lead into the new Superior Spider man is so bad he has begun to get death threats. Spider man issue 700 leaked and the big spoiler of Dr. octopus and Peter Parker doing a freak Friday body switch pretty much outraged message boards,I don't think I read anyone thinking t was a good idea this continuing marvels legacy of disrespect towards their tent pole character in line with One More Day and the Clone Saga debacle.

Speaking of disrespecting Spider-Man Jaime Foxx, who\os being mis cast as Electro, claims Electro is now going to start off wanting to be Spider-man's side kick then the accident turns him bad sort of thing. The suit will not be green and yellow but black, this should not be surprising as this movie seems intent on getting its colors wrong.

The spider man thing is a symptom of a bigger problem. Look at all New X- men which is one of the better books and still falls into a muddled mess with only it's art to save it. I mean has a punch really been thrown in that book? I little in fighting maybe. The Avengers book, this Garden thing is silly, the new Villians don't feel like they even belong in the Marvelverse. The New Avengers illuminati concept is a waste of Dr. strange. The Ff book is like Mad magazine level of dumb and the main Fantastic four book doesn't seem to have much going on either though I like the art.

Sure the art in Thor is great, the story is plodding along and S.H.E.I.L.D is already weighing the Indestructable Hulk down. I do like the fact he is being seen as a weapon of mass destruction and the scope of his power is realized. The red she- hulk's book is decent but looks to be veering off course, while Captain Marvel is just unreadable. Captain America is a mixed bag, it feels like a Superman story line. Iron-man is a mess. So that leaves what book I'm enjoying? Thunderbolts? Is horrible. The number ones of this week don't look too exciting . so that leaves Uncanny Avengers.

The age of Ultron is beginning to get some hype, but there is nothing appealing to it. Already Hank Pym and Vision are said to not have major roles. I like the fact Wasp and Scarlet Witch are back but will they be used to good effect in this. It looks like Black Widow, Black Panther and Red Hulk will have major roles, as will the Superior Spider-man. I guess we will see what they can do leading up to this, but when it's too boring and sad to get a life long reader to talk about it we have a problem.

Superior Spider man # 1

I'm hoping for an arc with Tiger-shark as they have certainly been jumping him with Spidey for some time now. The long and short of it is this is better than recent issues of Amazing Spider- man , but the novelty is going to wear thin in rice issues tops.

The art is a big improvement over Amazing and factors into this book being an easier read. I will admittedly have to give it another glance over as I read it while standing in the store, since I'm boycotting the bastardaAtions of the canon and not buying anymore Spider-man or even my Hulk and Thor books until this is resolved. But I'm not going to just not read them so it's in the store or torrents.

Becuase let's face it when you have been collecting the books for over thirty years it feels like some one , and this some one is marvel has come in on taken a dump right on your collection. Sure they are bagged and I can wash the bags and get the smell out but the books will be soiled in my mind.

So let's get to the story where the meat of matter is Otto vs a knock off version of the Sinister six. he handles them with the Parker's power with a more methodical touch it almost feels like an episode of Fringe I saw where the bad guy of the week had his intelligence enhanced so he could figure out the probility of what could occur and set those events into motion. I think if this story is well written it should be more thunderbolts in tone, as Otto has worked with most of Spider man's rogue gallery at one time.

The Parker ghost in the ether , is well setting up another hoop for the shark .
The avenging spider man book where he teams up with the Xmen will. Eintresting to see how this is handled as any telepath should be able to figure out what's up, file dr. Strange under this category as well. I liked the Avenging Spider-man's man take of this mix up and like it when Otto Spider-man schooled Wolverine, which shows he won't hold back like Peter does. Now does this sell me on the character? No, I think it would have made more sense to besiege Parker with even greater problems that would jade him, maybe even resent the fact with great power comes great responsibility thus making him lash out more. After he is still human and after a while being the friendly neighbor hood spider-man would Snap after years of doing it and give the book a more human touch.

The Otto & M.j thing is slightly creepy, though in the context Mary Jane is none the wiser and I would make Otto more voyeuristic about it. It is being handled as a very awkward plot device, like they knew it would be addressed but hadn't fleshed out which way to go with it. Will be interested to see him vs Kaine, the Scarlet Spider and Venom, who have unique relationships with Parker , I think Norman Osborne would sense something was up as well , not too mention the more intimate character of his Rogues Gallery, the Lizard and Black Cat would both suspect something. We know from soloists he's quitting the Avengers which is a much needed direction to take the character but in the context it's happening...well not sure if it balances out. It's worth checking out for sure but see the novel nature of this wearing off after six issues.

Amazing Spider-man # 700

Marvel has really gone and done it now , you would think after things Like the clone
saga they would learn from there mistakes and protect their flag ship characters integrity a little better do you think and wait for the caveat . Anyone with half a brain thinks Peter Parker is not going to be Spider-man when the sequel to the Amazing Spider-man movie Comes out? The whole Ultimate version of the character is now confusing enough if a kid were to go into the store pick up am issue after walking out of the theater. So that means this is just a cash gran, spawned for the hype inducing even mentality the company began fostering after the first secret wars , it was held in check for a good part of the nineties but now rages out of control. Chasing away long term readers to only give sporadic spikes in numbers as they race with the mess that is d/ c and the act baffled when Internet leaks occur.


When the leak happened Dan Scott tried to say hold on that's not the way the story is,want to be consumed and you are only getting part of the picture and not the whole story...well after reading it in the comic book shop as I prefer to vote with my wallet and only spend money on the type of books I think deserve it and send the message to Marvel that yes this is the type of book I want to end my money on.

I'm not going to send a death threat ...if this. Happened to the hulk well....of its the Samuel sterns parading run in hulks body...I, not sure how I would Handle it so I would rather just block those thoughts from my mind, though I wouldn't mind banner getting killed off if it meant the hulk just stayed the hulk no one else turned into him, and while you are at go ahead and kill of all the other hulks but Jen Walters
if you Need hype I'm ok with that


Some of the book is so foolish it's seems like an old mad magazine parody, of course interviews with the Editors are doing as much damage control and spin doctoring as they can be because you can't ignore the negative response from fans, and there's the old saying ny press is good press, but my issue with this is the brain switcheroo thing sounds like something that even could have happened on the tv show, things like the black costume even made it into the movie so who knows how these flukes pan out....but the fact Peter Parker died in continuity is a problem, Because death is just the boy who cried wolf, we have to live knowing this characters mythology dr. Octopus was in his body and Peter was dead, is can be undone in a myriad of ways, we can't forget Dr. Strange is one of Peters friends so this won't pull any wool over his eyes. But it cheapens the characters history , I obviously can't take these superior spider-man books seriously and it's like being a cheap whore if you want marvel to respect you the next morning you give them your money for it either.

Sure this issue is bigger but the stories in the back of the book use gimmicky for art and are there own little jokes that almost add insult to injury, i would speculate this could on one of the years worst books so its only fitting they end the year with it.

The Hobbit: Movie Review

I went into this a little worried hearing it was bloated and wondering how a three hundred page book would be made into three movies. Well from the beginning this was solved as it went into The Silmarillion...I can't say that word without thinking of the band who wants to be Genesis. The Dwarf city was breathtaking and it set the tone for the rest of the film, which was most visual stunning when it came to the sets and landscaping to build the world.

Not as dark as they Lotr films , the filter on the film wasn't as grayed so the cgi didn't seem to be as well blended as it was with the first films. Though there were some strong cgi moments, the eagles and Gullom being the best.

The pacing was fluid , at three hours I was never bored, even in some of the more dialogue heavy sequences where they were telling not showing.some of the action like the battle in the goblin city looked a little like a video game and I was waiting for Gandalf to hop on a power up. It was pretty bad ass when he sliced the top of a goblins head off , there were a few beheading making the violence more graphic than the first trilogy, though not Game of Thrones.

I like how they never showed all of Smaug, and left the Necromancer a little more of a mystery. Like in the books. I liked all of the sets they were truly one of the films highest achievements , even though they where always introduced from an Ariel shot looking down just like Mordor.

Bilbo was a little on the slim side, but did an excellent job showing his trepidation I. Regard to his journey. The dwarves were good but I didn't like how they tried to sneak some sexy dwarves in , I mean one of them don't even have a beard. It alike Hollywood has such a low opinion of women that they think women are vapid enough to have sat through nine hours of the first trilogy just for Elijah, Viggo or Orlando. I mean how many guys went home to fap to Liv Tyler or Kate Blanchett? ...ok how many guys whose masturbation collection is not solely pictures of cosplayers taken riding on elevators at Dragon-con?

Of course I enjoyed the parts which stuck the most closely to the book but the liberties taken were generally not too offensive if at all, the feel was captured perfectly, the trolls stooge like , the goblins didn't just see like little orcs. This defiler Orc , did look like he stepped out of world or Warcraft or like Panthro from the Thundercats if he was designed by Ray Harryhaussen. But the Orc dwarf war was cool a great scene of the decimated battlefield.

I left the theater wanting to see more and then later in the afternoon when contemplating something to do that night I wanted to go see it again so despite sexy dwarves Jackson pulled it off as I am a tough audience when it comes to my high expectations om regards to all things Middle Earth.