drqshadow

I was under the impression that Stan Lee Media was for his new creations, specifically those he produced for the internet and Spike TV. All of which sucked ass. Incidentally, it wasn't Marvel who emerged from bankruptcy in '06, it was SLM. I think Marvel officially came out of Chapter 11 in 2000.

I'd love to see the Mirror's Edge girl from that cover standing upright. I just about ruined another perfectly good monitor with projectile beverage spitting. Great contributions this week, DW, as always you're driving me to rethink the way I write.

Mighty Avengers #21 - Really dislike the new direction. Dan Slott is trying to be Bendis Jr. and it doesn't suit him, and I didn't think much of Khoi Pham's artwork either. I found that for all its huff and puff, the storyline spent the better part of this issue going nowhere, and when it finally got off its ass and did something, I wished it would go back to doing nothing. I have no interest in seeing any more of what was revealed on the last page of this issue, and the villainous mastermind is spectacularly boring. Will be removing this from my pull folder post-haste. 2/10 Punisher: Frank Castle #66 - I thought the last storyline / writer started off hot and quickly cooled as things played out. The new writer / storyline hasn't caught my interest at all. Well, scratch that - I have some mild curiosity about the cliffhanger at the end of the issue, but it's so hard to convince readers that the lead character of three separate ongoing titles is in real trouble, a lot of the edge is lost before the arc even gets off the ground. Also, why does every single story involving Frank have to start with the same setup? We get that he kills a lot of mobsters. It's kind of redundant by this point. I'm thinking about removing this series from my pull folder, too.. 3/10 100 Bullets #99 - Can't believe this series is almost over. I'm still hopelessly lost as to where the story's going, but the artwork is as strong as ever and people are dying left and right so I can't want for consequence. I really need to go back and re-read the entire series so I'm somewhat aware of what's going on in time for the finale. 7/10 Also, three books for IIWY? this week: Action Comics #873, Faces of Evil: Prometheus and Manhunter #38 Comics: 21, TPB: 3

I swear, we must be sharing some kind of secret gamer wavelength. This is the third or fourth time you've posted a review of a game that I'd JUST finished playing through myself. Good stuff, although IMO you underrated the story and I wasn't nearly as put-off by the backtracking. I loved this game.

If you're looking for Mario games, skip Mario Land 1 and go for Mario Land 2.

Finished Dead Space this weekend and loved it. What a fantastic end boss. I followed that up by trying to get a Fallout 3 game moving, but just can't seem to concentrate on it. It's so slow and dry at this point, I keep giving up after an hour. Last night was more of the same, so I threw in the Orange Box to try out Half Life 2 for the first time. Lots of fun. Might be a while before I'm back playing Fallout.

Actually, believe it or not I had Indy losing to the Steelers in the AFC championship. I may be delusional, but I'm not "three road wins in the postseason" delusional. :smile:

Three contributions for IIWY this week: Doktor Sleepless #11, Kull #3 and Vixen: Return of the Lion #4 Comics: 15, TPB: 3

:angel: Well, this season has been interesting and I don't really have hate for either of the teams in the big game, so this should be fun.

As a former long-term employee, I'll mourn the end of Circuit City because I still have a lot of friends working there. As an electronics enthusiast, I'm overjoyed about the kind of bargains I'm about to enjoy. As a member of the American economy, I'm worried to see the #2 electronics retailer in the world going under, with #1 not doing a whole heck of a lot better. But in the end, I'll chalk this up to karma for trying to get DIVX off the ground.

I, too, blame Michael Bay. And Joel Schumacher.

DMZ Volume 2: Body of a Journalist - The first really involved story arc of the series, I loved it to pieces. By the end of the trade, Matty has been in NYC for over a year and he's grown tremendously as an character. Things never went in a direction I could've predicted, but in retrospect everything made perfect sense. My only qualms were with Zee's origin issue and the handbook that closed the issue, neither had the appeal or matched the intensity of the primary story... they just felt kind of tacked on. 9/10 Comics: 12, TPB: 3

Evidently I'm copying Venneh's reading habits this week. DMZ Volume 1: On the Ground - I'd never had an opportunity to check this series out until I was assigned an issue for IIWY? and am now making up for lost time. An imaginative, well-planned premise, a glimpse into civilization that's sometimes a little too honest, and an explosion around every corner. It's very smart at its core but still manages a thrill a minute, mixing bits and pieces of cinema's best apocalyptic visions of the near-future and military action, like I am Legend meets Black Hawk Down. Although its political motivations are clear, it does give the impression that it's trying to split the narrative evenly between the sides, and does at least fleetingly acknowledge that nobody ever believes they're on the "evil" side in this kind of a situation. Paired with a high quality artist who only seems to get better as the series continues, this is great reading. As introductions go, I call it top notch. Three fantastic voyages in just five issues, damn. 10/10 Comics: 12, TPB: 2

New Punisher #1 - I actually loved this, despite getting all kinds of bad vibes from the cheesy cover and the hilariously bad premise of sniping someone with a six-foot long rifle from four miles away. Rick Remender just took Frank and the Sentry, gave them a reason to be angry with each other and let the characters dictate the rest of the action. Basically just a popcorn-chomping action story that explores what would happen if the Punisher and Superman ever faced off, with brains ultimately prevailing over brawn. Dozens of awesome moments, the best of which would have to be Castle opening fire six inches away from the Sentry's face while being carried through the sky. Jerome Opena's artwork is great, too, a tight mix of Sam Kieth and Leinil Francis Yu. 8/10 Daredevil #114 - When it's on, this is my favorite book on the market. Every time I think Matt's reached rock bottom, something new happens to remind me I don't even know what the term means. Sharp, smart dialog, a lights-out supporting cast, fresh new faces every month that fit perfectly into the tapestry and risks aplenty. I don't really care for Lady Bullseye, but that's OK because she didn't even show up this month. Hooray! This is fantastic writing, and the artwork is a perfect match. Lovin' it. 10/10 Also, four contributions for this week's IIWY: Cyblade #2, Fantastic Four #562, Incognito #1 and Proof #15. Comics: 12, TPB: 1

I don't know where to post this. Listen to Mario, he speaks the truth.

But he said it before he saw the Blob. He said it after he asked Yellowjacket to put him down, presumably because his "enhanced vision" allowed him to see what was going on in the alleyway and he didn't want Hank to freak out.

New Avengers #48 - Kind of a nothing issue for me, picking up the pieces of Secret Invasion (because really, 30 dedicated issues of New Avengers wasn't enough of a focus on the Skrulls) and following the abduction of Cage and Jessica's baby, which is a plot thread I really don't give two craps about. Billy Tan's artwork was genuinely terrible from cover to cover, stealing the flexibility and personality from Spider-Man, turning Wolverine into a 500-pounder, making the new Cap look even stiffer than usual and putting Osborn's head on the body of an American Gladiator. Bendis gave Logan a great line though, offering a drink to Iron Fist. "My body is a temple." "Then put beer in your temple." Still, that line alone wasn't worth $2.99. 3/10 Ultimate Spider-Man #129 - I guess if they're discontinuing UFF, Bendis plans to keep Johnny Storm active in this series? A few interesting turns that should be fun to see play out, . Mostly a character issue, with about three frames of Peter in his Spidey threads and four pages of action, but that's par for the course as far as USM goes. Immonen's work has begun to slide of late, and he looks really, really Bagley-esque here. I like the cliffhanger the issue ended with, but I have a feeling Ultimatum's tidal wave is going to hit NYC in time to ruin that storyline before it gets moving. Not the best issue, but worthwhile anyway. 6/10 Comics: 6, TPB: 1

Another terrific trailer. Off topic, I love the way Japanese twists familiar words into something completely different but still strangely familiar. WOCHI-MEN~!

Well, I refuse to defend this book because god knows it's a gigantic chunky turd, but I read that as Hawkeye wishing he had a gun so he could take care of the Blob.

Invisibles Volume 1: Say You Want a Revolution - I love Grant Morrison when he's on, and the first story arc here is some solid stuff, even if it's begun to show its age. I went in without any idea what to expect or what to think, and enjoyed where it took me. The adventures of a juvenile delinquent with a mad homeless guy on drugs in another reality is something you can only find in Vertigo. The second arc lost me a bit, mostly because I'm not all that crazy about comics that involve real historical figures and spend too much time wallowing in prose, both of which are featured in a major way here. While I'd thought I was close to understanding the big picture after the first arc, the second threw me for a loop and left me questioning whether I'm really interested in continuing the series. Also, I felt that Jill Thompson's artwork was a horrible mismatch. She was terrific on Sandman and has gone on to a fine career, but the light nature of her work didn't provide a good partner for Morrison's dark-hinted, deviant-themed storytelling. 6/10 Kingdom Come: Book One - I was inspired to go back and reread the entire series after reviewing an episode of The Kingdom for IIWY. Still a very good read, although not quite as good as I'd remembered it. Alex Ross's artwork benefits from a foggy memory, and doesn't stand up as well as I'd thought, although it's great anyway. Still, the issue delivers when it wants to with huge reveals and emotional turns. Superman's big moment at the end of the issue is a fine cliffhanger, and the incident in Kansas was treated extraordinarily well. Plus, I know the best moments are yet to come. I received a whole armload of TPBs for Christmas, though, so I'll have to leave issues 2, 3 and 4 on the backburner for the time being. 8/10 Also, three IIWY? contributions this week. Comics: 4, TPB: 1

We finally finished off the special world last night. Hooray for turtles in mario masks~!

Ah yeah, I completely forgot about that.

You mean the hunchback stuff? That was in the original material.

Colts are in the postseason again. Although I'd much rather be playing Denver...