elnino14

Reread District X vol. 1 and read District X vol. 2, the first volume is a lot stronger and overall none of it went over as well as it did the first time. I liked the idea of taking a look at the mutant underworld and the mutant ghettos. But it didn't really have a great identity and they went with the human cop as the main character who is unlikable and gets more unlikable as the story goes on. I wouldn't read it again, but as a one time read, it's not bad, at least check out vol. 1 where the balance is really good and the characters don't get on your nerves as much. I picked up WE3 by Grant Morrison, and finally picked up X-factor visionaries vol. 4 so I'll probably read those and reread X-factor Visionaries vol. 1-3 in preparation for a re-read next year of the new X-factor series including the vol's I haven't read yet that occur after Messiah Complex and after that invasion. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 96 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3, JLA vol. 1, Hunter Killer vol. 1, Starman vol. 4: Times Past, Daredevil by Brubaker Devil Inside and Out vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker Hell To Pay vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker: Cruel and Unusual and Lady Bullseye, Hulk by Bruce Jones HC vol. 1 and 2, District X vol. 2

BOOM SHAKA LAKA! Fucking Fantastic...decision made.

Just finished watching Berserk anime series and as I continued watching it and watching it, I slowly began to regain my memory of why I stopped watching anime in the first place. Also I've begun watching Heroes from the beginning with my girlfriend, who's never seen it before, and will eventually be new for me because I stopped following after a couple episodes in the second season. I also watched SAW I and Saw II for the first time. Didn't think they were all that special, the movies are built up on tension, and I don't feel much of it, I don't care about many of the people the in the film (only the mother/daughter in the first, and the detective in the second, none of whom were in Jigsaw's traps in a way). It's a great concept, but goodness it's got some shoddy execution. I like the idea of continuity between the movies and an overarching story. It makes it cool for somebody who's been following the series from the beginning, but also from what I've seen, each movie can stand on it's own decently. The first one was all over the place and the pieces didn't fit together (no pun intended) but the second one was more focused on the detective chase, not a ton of flashbacks to the victim's lives (like the first one did with the doctor). Excellent concept, cool traps but with terrible execution, crappy acting (especially in the first one from the doctor), and bad, just bad plotting. Anyways 3 more of these movies left.

Hulk by Bruce Jones HC vol. 1 and 2: These were a couple of books that my buddy picked up at a comic, statues, music expo. In all honesty, they're kind of boring. It's not bad, but it didn't really excite me either. Maybe it's because I don't care too much for the Hulk character or something, but the whole multi-layered conspiracy thingy was just so blegh, overwrought, overly long, and in all honesty I couldn't care less. I liked what they did with Banner's character, I like Banner being on the run, I like Banner using meditation to calm the Hulk down, heck I liked him even having a bit of control over the green goliath later on...I just didn't like the conspiracy plot, the main plot, driving the series forward. I didn't like the zombie/vampiric/conspiracy villains, and I often got lost understanding who is who's side. I don't even know why I finished the damn thing...but I did. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 95 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3, JLA vol. 1, Hunter Killer vol. 1, Starman vol. 4: Times Past, Daredevil by Brubaker Devil Inside and Out vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker Hell To Pay vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker: Cruel and Unusual and Lady Bullseye, Hulk by Bruce Jones HC vol. 1 and 2

Future of the X-men franchise (specifically Wolverine 2, First Class, Deadpool, and Magneto): Future of the X-men Franchise Not a whole lot of new news. Some of the basic stuff they've had before, Wolverine in Japan (with desire for authenticity, shoots in Japan), Deadpool reverting back to comic persona, and Magneto probably not happening. The stuff on X-men First class is troubling though as they're using Harry Potter as an inspiration and resource to how they want to make the X-men movies..

Daredevil by Brubaker Hell To Pay vol. 2 - You know, Daredevil has always been a depressing book, but Brubaker really smacks the reader with the harsh reality in this volume. It just gets incredibly dark here and reaches Bendis' levels of hopelessness. It's also really well written story on how grudges are all consuming, destructive, and don't solve problems but only create more. A good story that starts to turn towards the more superheroic side that Bendis began attacking turning the second half of his run. Daredevil by Brubaker: Cruel and Unusual - I didn't care for this much mainly because I don't feel attached to the new PI character, Dakota North, as she takes center stage. The legal story also gets very busy and doesn't tie into a nice neat bow at the end, well it does, but not as well as Brubaker probably would have liked. It's a nice change of pace though as Brubaker has mainly been attacking Daredevil, the super hero, this shifts the focus back over to the legal realm. Lady Bullseye - A fun story, again, Brubaker has consistently fun stories, they're just not nearly as resonant as Bendis' stories were. I like the introduction of a new character. But alot of Brubaker's stories are ending with a villain saying "next time" and then it's never followed up. It's starting to get annoying. Anyways, Iron Fist makes an extended cameo in this arc and really works well as the ninjitsu elements that Miller introduced rear their head in this story. Also there's a cameo by the new white tiger, I was upset that they never followed up with her journey on becoming a superhero. But then again, I've got Starman for that. Also there's a White Tiger TPB about, has anybody read it, is it any good? I've really enjoyed Brubaker's run thus far. I've got his final TPB being shipped at the end of the month and I'm looking forward to it. His arc tied up a lot of loose ends and really hits the deep dark emotional chords in the first half, while the second half is more light-hearted superhero fare, still serious, but lighthearted at least in comparison for Daredevil's earlier exploits. Overall it's a great run, not as ground breaking or as awesome as Bendis, but certainly good. Next up is two big hardcover's covering first half of Bruce Jones' Hulk run borrowed and recommended by my friend who's a huge Hulk fan. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 93 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3, JLA vol. 1, Hunter Killer vol. 1, Starman vol. 4: Times Past, Daredevil by Brubaker Devil Inside and Out vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker Hell To Pay vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker: Cruel and Unusual and Lady Bullseye.

I've never watched any Smallville at all, does anybody think this show is worth watching? Like from the beginning?

I can't believe there's all this talk about Disney in the late 80's/early 90's and not once has somebody mentioned the coolest Disney movie of them all: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Jeez I need this movie on DVD soon, because my VHS copy has been put through the ringer, but it also makes it feel old school.

This is actually kind of difficult as I don't know if I've read enough of each creator to say I absolutely don't like them. And I don't really judge the creators as much as I judge the work I'm reading. I know that every creator is going to have works that I might like or dislike. For example: I liked Kevin Smith's run on DD but didn't like his Green Arrow run. I liked Miller's run on DD and the two seminal Batman books but hated 300 and from what little I've read hated All Star Batman and Robin, never got into Sin City. Brian K. Vaughn - Y the Last Man is godly and Pride of Baghdad is great but I didn't like Runaways. Ennis - Really liked Preacher...didn't like Punisher. Millar - I've never had a strong dislike for anything he's ever written (that I've read)...I thought 1985 was meh, I thought Superman: Red Son was okay, I liked Ultimates 1 & 2. or you know I loved Jeph Loeb's run on Hulk but didn't like Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Hush So everybody is kind of even. Actually, not so much... I like Kirkman's work on Walking Dead, not a huge fan of Irredeemable Ant-man or Marvel Zombies. Never really read Invincible though and that's supposed to be his big thing next to Walking Dead. By the way I'm totally kidding about Loeb...I don't think I really liked anything he's written that I've read, including the Batman stuff (especially Hush, Long Halloween is okay).

Daredevil by Brubaker Inside and Out vol. 2: Ultimately, I really liked the way Brubaker tied up all of the themes and loose ends of Bendis' story in his first year. The second volume actually reminded me of that little unexpected globe-trotting in Dark Knight when Batman goes to Hong Kong, it's a fun little adventure globe-hopping adventure that ties up some of the mysteries laid out by Brubaker in vol. 1. I really liked the circle of violence, innocent bystander theme coming back up here with Murdock and Fisk. It's a fun way to wrap up that chapter in Murdock's life. Hell to Pay vol. 1 - The first issue of this volume really feeds into the idea that this is a pretty new chapter in Murdock's life, as it recaps events that took place over the entirety of Bendis' run but from Milla's perspective. It brings new readers up to speed and it gets started on the relationship problems that Murdock may find himself in, in the near future. Really these issues deal with the escalation of violence reaching and the connection between violence and madness. It's an interesting viewpoint and takes a rather maligned character and makes him interesting again. Brubaker racks up another mystery for Murdock to solve and it's all fun and good. But it just all seems like more typical superhero fare, more typical DD fare, and not as ground-breaking as before. It's still fun and it's a nice change of pace from Bendis' deconstruction of Murdock the man. Now we get to see more of Daredevil the hero. Just feels like I've been here before. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 90 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3, JLA vol. 1, Hunter Killer vol. 1, Starman vol. 4: Times Past, Daredevil by Brubaker Devil Inside and Out vol. 1-2, Daredevil by Brubaker Hell To Pay vol. 1,

Starman vol. 4: Times Past - A series of one-shots that looks at the adventures of those who took up the Starman mantle in the past (and in the future, I think). Some stories are great, some are long and boring, but overall it's a neat collection that fits into the themes of the series and it helps give the reader a larger scope of the Starman universe and the characters that inhabit it. In all honesty, the Shade journal entries were some of the best parts of this volume along with those issues that dealt with characters closer to the forefront of the series (The Knight family). Daredevil by Brubaker - Devil Inside and Out vol. 1 - I really thought this was a great start to the Brubaker run and a perfect continuation to the stories that Bendis had set up. Murdock in jail with many of the villains he put in there is just fascinating. Brubaker works wonders with that part of the story. The stuff that didn't resonate with me was the whole pulling the strings stuff that was going on, especially outside of Murdock's own work, I just didn't get it and it was hard to follow. I also think that Overall I thought the stuff going on inside Rykers was fantastic, everything going outside Rykers was a bit confusing. A worthy follow-up. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 88 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3, JLA vol. 1, Hunter Killer vol. 1, Starman vol. 4: Times Past, Daredevil by Brubaker vol. 1: Devil Inside and Out

The Uncharted series is one of the biggesr reasons I'm interested in a PS3 over the 360 for my next gen console purchase.

JLA Vol. 1 (New World Order) - I heard a lot of good stuff about Morrison's run on JLA, in all honesty, I didn't like this too much. While Morrison has some mind-bending ideas, he just overloads it here throwing in too many ideas at a time, too many characters, and doesn't really take his time with anything. I liked the idea of JLA being outcasted, the consequences of fixing too many things, and the dilemmnas that come with it. It's just the endgame wasn't really that great, and overall it just fell flat. Hunter Killer Season 1 - Mark Waid's project from TOP CoW, I picked this up on impulse, overall while it's not the deepest book I've ever read, it's very interesting and a hell of a lot of fun. Waid keeps you guessing from beginning to end about what's going on, and you follow the main character as he explores a world he never even knew before, it's very cool and a neat concept on the use of superheroes. I really enjoyed it. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 86 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3, JLA vol. 1, Hunter Killer vol. 1

Finally watched Wonder Woman last night, easily the best of the DCA DVD series that I've seen, the only one I think I might like more is Return of the Joker (but it's been so long since I've seen it). It's the best writing, pacing, and an overall a fantastic origin story for Wonder Woman. Also watched, American Psycho and The United States of Leland this past weekend.

Starman vol. 1-3: I read the first three volumes of this highly acclaimed series. Let's get one thing straight, I didn't like the first volume, I liked the second volume and the first half of the third volume, and I didn't like the third volume. I can't tell whether I like this series or whether it's just not for me. The first volume and the first arc, I just wasn't getting into it, I liked the Jack Knight character and his apprehension towards the super-hero world but the dialogue was so stilted, everybody sounded the same, and the narration was kind of over-the-top and unnecessary. Jack Knight's arc really helped carried the book and was the biggest decision to check out another volume. Volume 2 is a step up, I could start to see more clearly what Robinson was trying to do, Jack Knight was more like a regular human being than the rest of us, I could see the connection between Knight's interest in the past and looking at the past with a glow and sense of awe and wonder resonate with how Robinson looks at the older superheroes. The past and present collide in the Night and Day arc, where the new Starman and the new Mist collide. Some themes are pretty typical but with just a Starman twist on them, Robinson plays at the idea of superheros as freaks (X-men), he plays with the idea of the inescapable connection and similarity between hero and villain (Batman and Joker), amongst other things. Volume 3 was off to a good start with a team-up story with the Sandman, again bringing back a sense of wonder to the past, having the past team up with the present, and basically an old-school superhero meshing with a new school superhero. As the story continues, Jack is becoming more and more of an actual Hero, and his hesitation is disappearing, which takes out one of the best ideas this story had going for it. But then the story took a turn for the worst for me, I didn't care for the Hell and Back arc, it just seemed too cluttered, and felt too mystical to me (sometimes I feel like that was the point), but in the end, all I could think about was how it was kind of ripping off a story from Gaiman's Sandman. It's more good than bad, and the narration is still over-dramatic and pretentious, more annoying than not but I'm reading it from the library, so what's there to lose. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 84 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Starman vol. 1-3

I LOVE THIS SHOW and while I didn't care for Livia too much, I saw how she was necessary in the larger shape of things. I thought the same way about Janice, she bugged the shit out of me. But I kind of think you're supposed to hate the characters, you're really supposed to hate them and be annoyed with them, as much as Tony is, to the point you really don't want to see them...like ever. I really saw that on rewatches, Janice is really just fucking tremendous. Ha! Goodness, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on later seasons. All I have to say is that for every great hero you need a great antagonist. Meadow really becomes awesome as it goes along as well as AJ. I love Christopher, his relationship with Tony really and his arc is one of the most integral to the series. Like I said I can't wait to hear your thoughts on later seasons.

Frost/Nixon - Pretty good movie, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would have, and believe me I was not into the subject material at all going into this but the great directing, writing, and storytelling really pulled me into it. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - I know I watched this when I was younger, many years ago when I was in my teens, but in all honesty I didn't remember any of it, now that I'm an adult (or at least close enough), I really appreciate it. It really hits all the high points about Batman, mystery, crime and the underworld, the price of vigilantism, the acceptance in society, split between duty and romance, and the Joker. I felt that it faltered a bit in the third act when it became just another episode especially since they really set up a cinematic tone and feel to the whole thing, but I guess my hopes were too high. So far it's up there at the top in terms of DC animated films, and up there with the best DC feature films (ex, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Batman Begins, Dark Knight, the first 2 Superman movies) Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - I watched this before the above mind you, and really while it's got much better pacing, it's faster, but it's also pretty brainless and it expects you to know a lot about the DC universe and I'm sure it's a much better treat if you know who Batman/Superman are facing off against, for example I couldn't care much about the endless drones of villains, or Luthor's superteam, but when Superman battled Captain Marvel (SHAZAM!) it felt epic because I had some (very little) knowledge about Shazam (from reading JLI and 52, Black Adam, BITCH!). But it was a mild diversion, it's down there at the large pile of not so great DC animated DVDs (ex, Doomsday, Green Lantern: First Flight, Batman Mr. Freeze movie, Mystery of the Batwoman, New Frontier, and the disappointing Gotham Knight). For me it seems like that there's a pretty active gap between full blown winners and the mild diversions. The mild diversions are rarely actively bad...they're just mild diversions and that's it. The only one middling was Gotham Knight, as I remember liking it more than most others, but as an anthology it's hard to position because there's a few tremendous stories in there and then some actively bad ones. On the same token, they could be like Marvel where are the films are pretty middling and no true standouts (outside of Wolverine vs. Hulk for the awesome action sequences and the dead-on adaptation of the Deadpool character). Ah well. I'll get to Wonder Woman some time soon. From what everybody says, it'll be a goodie.

Justice League: Earth-2, - Rented this from the library and read it in one sitting, it's just really good what can I say. Even for Grant Morrison, who's off the wall ideas I'm growing to dislike more and more, it's still feels right here and it rarely every gets too crazy. It's a good story with good plotting, and an excellent high concept, I don't know who created the Crime Syndicate, but they were born to be in a story like this. It's just perfect for them. Not as much characterization as you might think, it's real focus is on the plot and the nihlistic theme of destiny. 9/10 Walking Dead Vol. 10 - I'm seriously considering dropping this book now, while Kirkman had a good run, I feel like it's running in circles now. Vol. 9 didn't impress me but it was still consistently good, and this is another good volume, but the lack of an overall endgame, and the recurring themes, makes it feel circular. I'm sure the series will ramp up once the characters runs up against some more evil people, but it's just been there done that at this point. The new supporting characters aren't particularly likable either. Anybody want to try and convince me to stay on. 7/10 Unknown Soldier vol. 1 Haunted House - This is a really good book. At the same time, the book makes me very uneasy as most entertainment based on real-life situations do. It makes me very uncomfortable and at times, I think that's the point of the book. Although, there's a lot of background that the author tries to fill you in on, it doesn't feel like too much of a lecture at any point, and it doesn't get too dense where you lose interest because in all honesty after you have the background set up, it's all about the main character. Currently trying to read Starman TPB vol. 1, but I'm not as into it as I think I should be. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 84 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street), Unknown Soldier vol. 1 Haunted House, Justice League: Earth-2, Walking Dead Vol. 10

Actually, Chris Claremont only wrote the first three issues in that collection. The other four were penned by Jim Lee, John Byrne, and Scott Lobdell. I noticed a shift, but honestly, people were still giving speeches during every punch that it still drove me nuts. Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street): Found vol. 1 of this at my local library along with a few Starman trades. I figured they were two series I was interested in and instead of plopping down cash and risking not liking them I gave them a borrow. I read this. I really liked it, I can see it getting better as it goes along as this is just the first three issues, and while there's no overarching series or plot (as far as I can see in these three issues) like the other great Vertigo trades I've read (Y: the last man and Preacher) it's got charm all together. At the same time, it feels like Warren Ellis just blabbing about a variety of topics, while Preacher and Y: the Last Man had tangents, they felt like the characters were talking, like it was part of the story and the relationship building, here it doesn't feel like that as Spider talks to himself in inner monologues or to his audience through articles. I still liked it and I feel Ellis has some captivating things he wants to address (in this trade alone he touches on human nature, authority, government, urban environments, racism, segregation, business, and more). Now it will be a search to save up some money and see if I can pick up the whole series, used, in one shot, because my library only has a couple other from this series (Trade #4 and #6, I think). I am developing a love affair with the Vertigo line. As for Starman, I'll be reading the first trade soon, they've got quite a few trades at the library (I think the first 5 or 6), so I can get a lot of the story from there, I don't think I plan on picking that one up, no matter how much I enjoy it, as the omnibus(es) are pretty hefty. Libraries are your friend. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 81 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis, Transmetropolitan vol. 1 (Back on the Street),

There was a few new TPs coming out this month that I wanted to pick up, so older TPs that I'm interested in have to wait until a slower month. Angel #27 Buffy #30 Dark Avengers Vol. 1 TP X-factor vol. 7 TP Incognito TP Was thinking about picking up Astonishing X-men by Ellis, but I haven't heard much good about his take on the series...

Finished Shadow of Destiny (pS2) for the first time. I liked it, but not enough to go out and see the 6 other endings and all the other stuff you can mess around with. Thinking Stuntman: Ignition is next in line. I'm going to finish as much of MY PS2 library before I upgrade to a no reverse compatability PS3, because that PS2 is getting packed away into a box.

Watched I Love You, Man and Green Lantern: First Flight I Love You, man was actually pretty enjoyable. I liked it, I didn't love it, and I didn't laugh out loud too many times but it was a fun little look at how friendships are kind of like romantic relationships. Green Lantern: First Flight was terribly medicore, the best part was seeing Hal swing a steel chair and Foley one of the bad buys. The movie didn't take any time to make you care about any of the characters, it kind of just plopped you into the Green Lantern Corps universe and just zooomed from action sequence to action sequence...kind of like the new Hulk film except that was live, had better action, and a Tony Stark cameo. It wasn't bad, just medicore, good for a one time watch but I imagine just reading the graphic novels being a whole lot more fulfilling.

Daredevil by Bendis vol. 12 (Decalogue) and 13 (The Murdock Papers): When all is said and done, I absolutely love this run. It's a near perfect run a character, on the questions of vigilantism, double lives, grief, love, authority, crime, and a dash of straight up action. I think Decalogue is the best part of the second half of the run (which doesn't compare to the first half and kind of leans towards standard superhero fare). Decalogue avoids all that and even though the tag-line suggests a reveal of what Daredevil was doing during the missing year, it's less of that and more of a third person take of the situation, the volume expertly looks at Daredevil and the Daredevil world through the community's eyes. I also love the religious aspects of the book, which is something that was pretty sorely missed from Bendis' run until now. I love this run. 10/10 X-men: Mutant Genesis: I will never read Chris Claremont again. This is from the 90's and I thought this was supposed to be a popular run, but I couldn't tell you why. Or even what happened. It's just sooo...dated...overwritten...kind of boring. The second half focuses on Logan and Omega Red so it was a lot better than the first half, but overall it's preposterous garbage. The art is by Jim Lee who does good, but it doesn't overcome the writing. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 80 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-13, X-men: Mutant Genesis

Daredevil by Bendis vol 10 (the Widow) and 11 (The Golden Age). I really love Bendis' Daredevil run and the first half is pretty revolutionary take on the character, the second half continues this take but eases into a more superheroic stories. Yes, the pulpy, crime fiction mood is still there in the second half of the run, embellished by Maleev's fantastic artwork, but the whole story and plotting takes a decidedly lighter turn as it deals with less gray areas and more black and white, and just very fun superheroics. Although the plotting takes a very superheroic turn, Bendis still keeps it interesting and fresh with tight and interesting plots, with interesting gimmicks like non-chronological storytelling. Total: Comic books: 9 Trade paperbacks: 77 Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Volumes 1, 2, and 3; The Authority by Ellis/Hitch/Millar/Quietly Volumes 1 (Relentless) and 2 (Under New Management) and 3 (Transfer of Power); Batman: Year One; Batman: The Long Halloween; Planetary vol 1 (All Over the World and Other Stories), vol. 2 (The Fourth Man), and vol. 3 (Leaving the 20th Century), Planetary Crossing Worlds (The Crossover specials); Planetary 19-26; Batman: The Man Who Laughs; Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear; RONIN; JOKER; Deadpool #1; Punisher Max vol. 1-4; Penance: Relentless; Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis vol 1-2; Thunderbolts: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-men Hardcovers volume 1 and 2, Daredevil: Born Again, Y: The Last Man vol. 1-10, The incredible Hulk: Tempest Fugit, Marvels, Daredevil: Redemption, Daredevil: Yellow, Hard-boiled, Hulk: Dogs of War, Spider-man: India, R.I.P.D., Daredevil: Love Labors Lost, District X vol. 1, Walking Dead vol. 1-8, Deadpool vol. 1: Secret Invasion, Superman: Red Son, Batman and Son, Justice League International vol. 1, Bullseye's Greatest Hits, Marvel 1985, X-men Children of the Atom, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman: Hush vol 1-2, Batman: Nine Lives, Walking Dead vol. 9, 52 vol. 1-4, Batman: Gothic, X-men: God Loves Man Kills, Daredevil by Bendis vol 4-7 and vol 9-11

I also forgot to say, I watched it on my computer because it was easily accessible from there, and I usually HATE watching stuff from my computer. I might give it another try down the line, but for now...meh.