MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas,
~Steve

Teen Titans #3 - Intro of Flamboyant Gay Teen Hero

Steve V

Ok so I'm all about equality and all that crap but what happens when this gay hero gets into battles? Will villains also be charged with a hate crime if this guy is hurt somehow? Tongue and cheek aside, I'm interested to see how this is handled.

Lobdell Builds Up Gay Teen With "Titans" Bunker - Comic Book Resources

www.comicbookresources.com

Comic Book Resources - Lobdell Builds Up Gay Teen With Titans Bunker - With the much discussed, more flamboyant gay teen superhero Bunker debuting this week in DC Comics Teen Titans #3, writer Scott Lobdell discusses the metaphorical underpinnings of a series that turns young heroes into outlaws.

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Spectacular Spider-Man #89 - Black Cat's Powers

Unfortunately, I wasn't around for the creation of many of my favorite super heroes, which means that I have an endless pile of back issues constantly awaiting my reading attention.  So, recently I've been reading a lot of Marvel circa early 1980's which brings us to today's reading of Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #89, an instant classic portraying just how Black Cat gained her "super powers".

It's funny to me because I know exactly how Black Cat got her powers, even though I'd never read this issue before and do you know why?  The Spider-Man cartoons from the '90's!  I loved that cartoon and I've seen every episode many times over and the story arch of when Kingpins gives Black Cat her powers is one of the more memorable arcs.  But really only the fact that the Kingpin is the one that gives her those powers is actually the same!  In the comic the Black Cat seeks out her powers in order to be able to fight side by side with her love Spider-Man but in the cartoon they are forced upon her as an experiment to recreate the super soldier serum that created Captain America.  

Which is my favorite version?  While most geeks would insist the comic version is the ruler of all, I actually like both of these versions of the story equally.  Of course the cartoon version wouldn't work in the comic continuity but it doesn't have to, which makes it great standing all on it's own!  You can read some more about the cartoon on the Black Cat Wiki.

Fully planning on re-watching these Spider-man episodes,

~Steve

Happy Holidays from Flash #87 & Justice Society of America #55

There are so many reasons why I love Christmas.  There's the lights, the smell of the Christmas tree, baked goods, the decorations, the Elvis Christmas album and of course the Christmas themed comics.  I just happened to be reading two series that take place during the holidays so I thought I'd share.

Ho Ho Ho,

~Steve

Joe Simon Co-Creator of Captain America Dies at 98

He created beloved characters and had a helping hand in making modern comics what they are today.  It's a sad day in the world of comic fan-dom but here's hoping that he's now sitting at the drawing table with Jack Kirby, turning out the best Captain America story ever written and that it will be on sale outside the pearly gates; that way I can read it while I wait in line.

RIP Joe Simon, you had a great run.  My condolences to his family and loved ones.

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby

Joe's book and a picture of him at the 2010 New York Comic-Con

Rest Well Sir,
~Steve

Amazing Spider-Man Movie - Suction Cups?

Ok, so I'm not on the edge of cutting edge entertainment news but I just saw the following shot from the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man movie and I'm a little confused and concerned about what I see.  Check it out:

Are those suction cups? Seriously?

Why the hell would SPIDER-MAN need suction cups?!  Spider-Man does NOT have suction cups!  Look, I'm all about creative liberties but SUCTION CUPS?!  I'm not exactly what is going on here.  I've scoured the internet to see if I can find a reason why this new adaptation of Spider-Man has suction cups but have come up short.  I'm super happy about the change from organic webs in the previous series to the web shooters to me they're a big part of the character but I cannot fathom any instance in which suction cups come into play.  I own 1000+ issues of Spider-Man titles, I SHOULD KNOW.

Historically, the only time suction cups even come close to anything Spider-Man was when the Spider-Man villain Blood Spider tried to mimic his powers and was rumored to use mini suction caps to stick to walls in a strategy to try to defeat Spider-Man.  Well guess what, HE LOST, you know why?  Probably because of THE SUCTION CUPS!!!  ARRHHGGG!!!  As you can see I'm not happy.  This is just not a worthy perception of Spider-Mans powers.  Look how fast Spider-Man takes out Blood Spider in Amazing Spider-Man #367:

Ok, I think I'm done.  I just hope that they do a great job with this movie and I'm looking forward to thoroughly enjoying it, so here hoping there aren't going to be too many weird deviations like this.

SUCTION CUPS!?! Ok now I'm done,
~Steve

Avengers Movie Posters - Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Loki

I'm so excited I can hardly contain my joy!

Avengers Movie Poster from left to right, top to bottom: 

Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Loki

Hoping Spider-Man makes it into the next Avengers movie,

~Steve

Torrents - I Made Some!

I love torrents.  There I said it.  I'm a bastard and I know it but after enjoying other peoples time and effort for so long I decided to time to contribute to a community of total strangers.

http://thepiratebay.org/user/GeekShop

My first torrents?  No, it's not comics like you'd think because I really am trying to support that industry financially.  It's CARTOONS!  I hate most of the crap on TV with a few exceptions but I love cartoons and it took me a while to find these so I figured I'd share the love.

I haven't watched all of the episodes yet but the Legion is awesome so the only part of this that I can see being bad is Bubble Boy.  Bubble Boy sucks.

Enjoy,
~Steve

Justice League International #16

Ok, so the covers been done a million times in a million ways but I still can't help but like it.  Also, Batman goes disguised as Bruce Wayne in this issue HAH he must think his team mates are all idiots!

1+1=2?  Naw...

Apparently they are idiots,

~Steve

TV Movie - They Wait

So, I flipped on the SyFy channel while doing some light comic book reading and had this movie come on.  Info says:

They Wait -
A young mother and her six-year-old son come face to face with the mysteries of two murders and a great crime against the Chinese community into which they have recently arrived from Shanghai.


I thought, "eh, what the hell" and got sucked in to the point that I actually paused it to leave the room!  Now it could have been because my expectations were incredibly low but I thought it was pretty good.  I'm no expert of scary movies (mostly because my wife hates them) but this flick had good pace and was suspenseful and spooky without having to eviscerate anyone in front of school children, or some other equally shocking gore fest, which is a rarity these days.

My rating: 

 5/10  

Which is a solid entertaining recommendation on my board.

Game Of Thrones - The Dothraki Language

Steven V

This is pretty interesting and following a fantasy/sci-fi tradition many would associate with JRR Tolkien and the languages he created for his Lord of the Ring series. The stories and culture mixed in to the writing of the Game of Thrones books is amazing and I love that they're adding to the depth of the people therein. Also, with the exception of code created for military purposes, I had no idea that newly created languages have been tried to be legitimately added to society in such recent history; I'm definitely going to have to read more about them.

In ‘Game of Thrones,’ a Language to Make the World Feel Real

www.nytimes.com

Hollywood is driving demand for constructed languages, complete with grammatical rules, a written alphabet (hieroglyphics are acceptable) and enough vocabulary for basic conversations.

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Suicide Squad #13 (1987) - Oh Batman

If you haven't figured it out, I love comic books.  Why?  So many reasons but mostly because these characters that have been a part of our society over the last 60+ years are amazing.

If you're a comic book reader you'll understand this:  Have you ever been reading and you come to a certain part and you can't help but to stop reading and think, "That is bad-ASS!", pause, soak in all before moving on?  That's a mark of good stuff if you ask me.  For instance I was just reading Suicide Squad #13 and the Squad comes up against the Justice League.  Each member of the League chooses an opponent and goes to work.  Batman takes care his enemy as such:

Batman is so BAD-ASS!

See what I mean?

~Steve

Astonishing X-Men #42

Kitty is back and she is fighting to save her entire team from the Brood!  Finally this book is on a regular schedule and full of good stuff!

Wicked Cover / Kitty got CURVES / Ororo's compassion knows no bounds

Wishing my X-Men collection could take up a little less space,

~Steve

New Comics - Superman #1, #2 & #3

It'd be fair to say that I've been very skeptical of the "New 52" released from DC.  Especially with the cost of comics these days it's easy to spend $50+ on just 10 or 11 comics.  These days a man can't just buy his comics all willy nilly like; he's got to pick "must haves" with care, which usually leaves little room for new stuff.  Personally I picked five titles from DC's new lineup, one of which was the new Superman!

I thought issue #1 was a success!  It opened up with the rebuilding event for The Daily Planet, the famous newspaper publisher and work home for Clark Kent.  George Perez wrote this issue and he masterfully setup the new status quo for all of Superman's relationships, most importantly between him and Lois Lane ,which is a drastic change for Superman fans.  My favorite part of this issue was the symbolic tearing down and re-building of The Daily Planet building; it was a perfect example of what they are doing with the character, breaking him down and re-building each detail to reform the life and story of Superman.

Issue 2 and 3 have been great issues both focusing on the rebuilding of the Superman mythos and reestablishing the details of his past, both as Superman and Clark Kent.  They are really doing an amazing job of juggling the pace between the new story content and the current action part of the this first arch.  It looks like a group of beings, speaking what may be Kryptonian, are mounting a full out attack on Superman one at a time in his home town of Metropolis.  It's a little unclear exactly what Superman knows about his heritage in this new world but one thing is clear, the only thing he can understand from these attackers is that they've all said, Kypton.

With the exception of a some confusion getting used to what has or hasn't carried over into this new world from the long history of Superman continuity, this series is really turning out to be one I look forward to come Wednesday.

Here are some highlights from the first three issues:

Continuing to prove that I don't just read Spider-Man,
~Steve

Carnage USA #1 Looks Awesome

Ok, yes.  I am a sucker for nearly anything Spider-Man and that includes his villains.  In this case, even if I wasn't a huge Spider-Fan this cover would still be awesome:

After being burned out on a lot of crap limited series I don't usually pick them up anymore but I might have to get this one just because.  Check out a sneak preview @CBR.com

Doubting that Cletus Kasaday is a true patriot,
~Steve

Decision Points - Stem Cell Research

As with many public figures the only news that shows up in the headlines is the bad news.  The President of the United States is not exempt from this problem.  It's so easy to point fingers and denounce people for their decisions no matter their position.

In President George W. Bush's memoirs, Decision Points, he discusses one of the major issues that he faced during his first week in office, stem cell research.  I think it's so easy to forget or overlook peoples accomplishments especially when they do not bare fruition in the short term.  President Bush made his decision and stuck to his principles, which I immensely respect.  He told America of his stance and decision in an address to the people:

"While we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryo stem cell research.  Even the most noble ends do not justify any means."


"Embryonic stem cell research offers both great promise and great peril.  So I have decided we must proceed with great care...I have concluded that we should allow federal funds to be used for research on these [existing] stem cell lines, where the life-and-death decision has already been made.  Leading scientists tell me research on these sixty lines has great promise that could lead to breakthrough therapies and cures.  This allows us to explore the promise and potential of stem cell research without crossing a fundamental moral line, by providing taxpayer funding that would sanction or encourage further destruction of human embryos that have at least the potential for life...I have made this decision with great care. and I pray it is the right one."

While at that time he received more praise than any other criticism, it wouldn't be long before this fair and balanced decision would be attacked.  Activists, politicians and scientists alike came down hard against his policy drawing a line that he was allowing too much or not enough in terms of stem cell research.

Twice the Congress tried to send through a bill to reform stem cell research policy to allow funding of harvesting from embryos but the President stood his ground that he would not allow federal money to promote the proactive killing of human embryos and vetoed the bills both times.

Just five months after vetoing the bill for the second time the front page of the New York Times read, "Scientists Bypass Need for Embryo to Get Stem Cells."  Needless to say President Bush was thrilled by this news and I'm sure he was happy to know his prayer years before had been heard and answered.  Columnist Charles Krauthammer, put it perfectly writing, "The verdict is clear: Rarely has a president - so vilified for a moral stance - been so thoroughly vindicated."

I just wanted to share this because like I said, it is rare that those who are deserving, get credit where credit is due and I think this decision is one that clearly adds to the legacy of his presidency.

Respectfully,
~Steve

Bad Ass Broad - Queen Sonja #19

Admittedly I am not a huge fan of very many heroines.  If I had to guess it would probably stem from my traditional roots.  Women fighting, sweating, bleeding is hard for me to swallow because many times I believe those situations steal away their femininity and it's that femininity, the differences between men and woman, that draw me to female characters.  So, when I find a character that can hold on to their female characteristics while preforming heroics it sparks my interest and can make for some great story telling.

This is the case in the Queen Sonja on going series right now.  Sonja is such a great character and in this book her femininity is showcased in more ways than just ridiculously skimpy battle armor (which she is famous for).  Arvid Nelson is the current writer on the series and he has done an amazing job with Sonja.

In this particular issue of Queen Sonja #19 artist Edgar Salazar does some fantastic work portraying the passion and emotion in the faces and body language of the characters involved.  We'll start with a great two page sequence from Queen Sonja #17.

Sonja, poisoned by a traitor, is forced to flee her capitol after it comes under siege by Thulsa Doom and the children of Set.  She escapes to an ancient fort where a small group of her loyal citizens vow to fight for her.  Unbeknownst to Sonja the fort is surrounded by mercenaries sent by Thulsa Doom to bring him her head.

Her open defiance against an enemy that has her surrounded is epic.  It's classic Sonja she kneels to no man the look on her face says it all.

This panel on page 10 is my absolute favorite!  That wild look in her eyes as she snaps off the end of an arrow in her side damn is near the sexist thing I've ever seen.

The three pages above are perfection.  It can be so hard to convey the emotions of a scene like this but Edgar Salazar does it flawlessly.  These are hardened mercenaries and you can feel the tension in their desperate acts in the face of defeat and in the decisions that must be made in the heat of battle.

This creative team is doing an amazing job and I hope to see them continue together on this book because this is by far one of the best books out right now.

Wishing I had any drawing talent whatsoever,
~Steve

War Bonds - Green Lantern

I've always loved the variety of art and sayings that were used on the war bonds during World War One and Two.  They are just so interesting and great pieces of US history and americana that are reflections of our society at the time.

So I was pleasantly surprised while reading one of my comics today when a War Bond with Green Lantern popped up!  Check it out:

I just love it when two things I enjoy come together!  I never really thought about it before but it makes sense that a world with super heroes would reflect their presence in many ways including war time things like War Bonds.

This page was featured in Young All-Stars #8, published by DC in Jan. of 1988 and drawn my Brian Murray. 


On my way to ebay to check out war bonds for sale,
~Steve

Atari Reborn? ... Probably Not.

Steven Ventress commented on portfolio.com.

Don't get me wrong, Atari is awesome but I think this idea for this relaunch is behind the times. Yes people are spending considerable cash on mobile games but in the last two years the definition of mobile has changed. Tablets are the mobile industries next gen and are already outperforming standard laptops from just 6 years ago. The Atari console is equivalent to the first cell phones with playable games and during that time the above strategy is plausible but no matter how much Atari "re-formats" or "amps up" it's games they will never stand up to today's tech and cutting edge gaming. What Claudian said would be the best advice anyone could give Atari, "Change or die".

Atari Is Reborn Again (Again)

www.portfolio.com

Atari is switching gears again, this time to the mobile and online marketplace. But is the company doomed to repeat history?

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Reading - Decision Points - Did you know Barbara Bush is Funny?

So, Decision Points, the memoirs of George W. Bush our forty third President, has been on the shelf for a while  and I'm finally getting around to reading it.  I have to be honest and tell you that I didn't really have high hopes for it but I thought it was important to read since he was the President of the United States for just under 1/3 of my life time.  I have been pleasantly surprised to find out that the book is not only well written but funny and entertaining too.

So far my favorite characteristic of the book is that it humanizes George W. Bush and the rest of the Bush family.  I think they've done a great job taking these seemingly untouchable political gods and telling stories about them that bring them back down to earth and makes them relatable, which really draws you in.

I have laughed out loud quite a few times just within the first hundred pages but I wanted to share one in particular that just cracked me up.  President Bush's mother Barbara Bush is known to be kind and classy and many other things but did you know that Barbara Bush is funny?

Check out this excerpt:

(George W. Bush was running in the Houston marathon on Jan. 24, 1993)


...my family was gathered on the curb.  I had a little extra spring in my step for the gallery.  Dad encouraged me in his typical way.  "That's my boy!" he yelled.  Mother had a different approach.  She shouted, "Keep moving, George!  There are some fat people ahead of you!"


HAHA isn't that hilarious!  I mean everybody makes fun of fat people but Barbara Bush?  Now I like her even more!

The way it's going I'll be writing more on this book soon,
~Steve