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Dustin Nguyen is pronounced like Gwin. I pronounced it N-Guy-En until I met him at C2E2, so it's totally understandable.

I can't believe Des had an issue with the close-ups. Man, he would go nuts if he kept reading. Especially issue 13, where almost every frame is a close-up. Anyway, I've always heard USM praised for Bagley's use of close-ups. Because of Bendis' overly talky style, Bagley used a lot of close-ups to spice up scenes that may have been a lil dialogue heavy. To hear someone point it out as a negative gave me the same reaction as if someone told me they thought The Godfather was bad. Not because it's that shocking, but more because I've never heard anyone say it's bad (Both the Godfather and Bagley's close-up style).

So, let's say, CNV ended with #4. And then a few months later the ongoing started with a new #1, and the author assumed you had read the first mini, so he glosses over the origin story. Are you really going to dock it points for not being reader friendly? To be fair, Azrael #1 is the 6th issue... You had the 3 issues for the mini, and then the 2 Annuals. Jean Paul Valley was introduced in a mini as well, and... I think, my personal view, is that you probably wouldn't pick up Azrael unless you were a Batman fan, and if you are a Batman fan, you had probably heard all the praise that was poured all over the first mini. The other thing too, and maybe I'm the weird one, but I have no problem because I'll just read a wiki if I think I've missed something. You could say "Well you shouldn't have to check a wiki for a first issue", but they sum up his story in the first couple of pages too. The first being a blurb above his name that says, "An ex-cop in need of Salvation. A centuries old cult in search of a savior. A Haunted Armor. Swords that wield Alchemical Fire and Ice. Michael Lane is... AZRAEL." And then Officer Farelli sums up his origin again a page later. His origin story was in the mini, so you don't need it again, because that would be annoying. I think they summed up the events nicely. I mean, I'm defending a comic I only think was so-so, but I think that Azrael #1 is very new reader friendly. It does sum up his origin in the pages, and if anything it will lead people to the great origin story that was in the mini.

I love you guys. Sometimes I swear I just listen so I can hear what you're going to say. I don't think there's any other comic review podcast I listen to that I disagree with so often. But that's the fun right!? I like listening to things that challenge my taste. Of course, I'm listening to self professed Marvel zombies, and I've almost sworn off anything Marvel releases unless the name "Brubaker" is on the cover... we're bound to disagree. As for Azrael, the reason it got made was because of fan response from the mini, which was awesome. The only thing was that it was so good because of the writing AND the art (Nicieza wrote, Frazer Irving was on art). And to sum it up And seriously, you guys acted like a character has never gotten a full series because of the popularity of a mini before. But I've disagreed with Mike's stance on hand holding in the past, so it's to be expected. All that said, I actually kind of agree about Azrael #1, but I have to admit, the story felt sub-par until the twist at the end. Otherwise, the issue was meh, not even close to as good as that first mini. As for the art, I'm not really an art guy, but even still, I never liked Bachs. So bad Bachs is even worse.

As a Morrison enthusiast... I'm not digging this arc. I don't like his characterization of Jason Todd, he's just annoying. The art is AWFUL. But making fun of Frank Quitely's art is an unforgivable sin, and I hope your soul has a good time in the "people who don't like Frank Quitely's art" section of hell.

That's what Morrisons whole run is about. People tend to not understand RIP itself. RIP is better if you had read the earlier issues, but they're not essential. Like Empire Strikes Back is good on it's own, but it's probably better if you've seen Star Wars. I think there's a lot about it people aren't willing to accept as well, the big one being that Dr. Hurt is the biblical Devil. I'm not really sure by what you mean by "disjointed", I think RIP is pretty linear as well, especially in comparison to Final Crisis.

That's the thing. If someone doesn't like a work of his, it's assumed they just didn't "understand" it. I understood We3. I understood All-Star Superman. I just didn't like them. I don't see how anyone couldn't "get" All-Star Superman and We3, those are extremely linear for Morrison. I love them both by the way, so it's simply a matter of taste, and you can't argue taste other than straight out saying someone's taste is "bad". Besides that though, I did have to re-read Batman R.I.P. a few times to "get" it, along with the rest of Morrisons Batman run, since there were clues throughout. I thought I "got" it, but I didn't. I'm still not sure that I do, because a good story can be argued about, and especially the authors intentions for the story. The reason I use Batman RIP for the example is because I think it, and Final Crisis, are the ones most Morrison fans point to when they talk about people not "getting" it. I don't mean to sound elitist, but I truly believe most people "think" they understand what happened in those stories, but they really don't. Even I admit to not totally getting Final Crisis, but upon 3rd and 4th readings, it makes more sense, and I'm grasping his story telling technique better than I did the first time I read it for sure. And that's the thing, once I understand how he's telling the story, it's easier to understand the story being told. And I'm not saying Final Crisis is genius storytelling, but I don't like to be spoon fed either, and if an author makes me work a bit more for a story, I can respect that.

I agree with Des when it comes to Morrison. Even Morrisons most confusing stories can be figured out with a couple read through, and a bit of discussion. I mean, I think his run on Batman is an instant classic. As for JLA #1, totally reader friendly. But the art did suck.

Alfred, unlike Bruce has no problems with guns. He has defended himself and Wayne Manor with guns on multiple occasions in the comics. In fact, I was really happy seeing Alfred with the shotgun, because so many people forget he's not afraid to cap someone.

Totally disagree with the Fantastic Four review. Millar books generally run from either Love It or Hate It. I hated this.

The line about "Kori" drove me NUTS! I'm a totally continuity nut, and Dick wasn't even a member of Teen Titans at this point. If he says he's twelve, then there's big chance he hasn't been Robin a full YEAR yet, because his parents died when he was twelve. He was 14 years old when the Teen Titans started, and 18 years old when New Teen Titans started...

Don't worry Mike, everyone's allowed to dislike something that's supposed to be "holy and perfect". For example, I consider myself a huge Batman fan, but I don't like ANY of Frank Millers Batman work besides Year One. I don't like DKR because it's irrelevant now, much like how you feel about Miracleman. It's enjoyable as a story, I guess, but I'm not blown away by it in any way. PS: I liked the recent run on Cable It was heavily influenced by "Lone Wolf And Cub", which is a favorite series of mine.

Blackest Night is a reference to a prophecy from an old Alan Moore story. I don't think it's meant to be taken literally.

Still have every issue.

What I took from this... Route 666 returns? I liked crossgens Sci-fi universe, and LOVED Route 666. So much so, it was my favorite comic being printed at that time period.

2, harsh. I really feel like this wasn't a homage to the silver age, but a celebration of Batman in general. The point wasn't the "Death of Batman", but more about how the Batman legend has been reborn so many different ways. Look at it like every time a new artist or writer gets his hands on Batman, a new Batman is born. That's the central idea of the story, Batman has so many stories and interpretations, he's beyond just a comic character, he's made his way to Legendary status. Legends are told so many different ways, each one is like a new birth. This was simply the death of this particular Batman legend, and ends with a new legend being born. Mrs. Wayne: "You don't get to go to heaven or hell. You get to be Batman." Also, my response to Mikes take on Spider-man:

It's because we were all 12 years old when we saw, and couldn't quite wrap our heads around the idea of "Dark Comedy" and Jim Carrey being a true villain. I hated it as a kid, and I love it now. Anyway, I have not watched Batman Forever in years, but back when I first saw it, it had to be my favorite movie of all time. I watched it an abnormal amount, and it came out at a perfect time where my Batman fandom was at an all time high thanks to BTAS. Not to mention Jim Carrey was in it. But of course, time goes on, feelings and tastes change, but I've always been torn about Batman Forever. Batman 89 and Batman Returns happened before I was "aware" enough to really enjoy movies that weren't animated. Jim Carrey was THE man at the time, but I can't stand Ace Ventura or The Mask anymore. Though now I think Cable Guy is great and Dumb And Dumber is revered and quoted on a Holy Grail level from people of my generation. My feelings about the four 90's Batman is that every one of them are bad. Just different levels of bad. In the end I'm sorry to say, I can't quite get over the campiness of the Schumacher films, and I have to put them below the Burton films. If you can say anything good about all 4 films are that they are visually appealing, and I prefer Burtons aesthetics way more than Schumachers. But do not be mistaken, I genuinely hate all 4 movies, and this feels like choosing which of the four craps put in front of me smells the best.

It doesn't help that part of the message was to tell us we're all going to eat as much as we want, and consume as much media as we want, and our only real punishment is being fat and having awesome floating chairs.

I'm on both sides of the fence when it comes to the music thing. There are bands I listen to, and I totally analyze every word of it, and I pay attention to where the band plays, and what they are actually saying. But I don't get bent out of shape about whether or not anyone else gets it. If a song comes on in the car and it has a particularly poignant message, I'll say something like "Oh, just listen to the words to this". I try to share my passion for the band, and whether my friends care or not, I'm cool with it. At the same time, I only listen to Rise Against singles... ad nauseum. Also, SHAME ON YOU for not seeing Ratatouille or Wall-E! I can understand Cars, but you are missing out on true pieces of art by missing out on the other two.

Kinda off topic, what did you guys think of the Bruce Jones run on Hulk? That happened after The End I believe, and I think it's really the best way to finish off the Jekyll and Hyde attributes of Hulk. Otherwise Hulk has turned into Conan the Barbarian, which is ironic because all the Hulk fans I know were also Conan fans in the past...

Just watched the entire Death Note series, followed that up with the first 11 Episodes of Harpers Island, and moving onto Spectacular Spider-man Season 2. Thoughts: Death Note: Fantastic at the beginning, buy after the death of certain character, it seems like the show kind of limped to an ending. Harpers Island: I can't believe how good this show is! It's on CBS, and NOBODY knows about it. It'll make a great box set. If you like horror, find a way to check it out. Spectacular Spider-man: It's better than Batman: B&TB, yeah... I said it... Wanna fight?

Bravo! I love Mike's take on Dick and Robin and all that jazz. I think the last few issues of Nightwing really showed the correct respect to the character, and if you ever get a chance, go ahead and check them out. I think the author was Tomasi (sp?) and he just "got" Nightwing. As for why Nightwing had some issues with Batman, that was really an early on thing. Batman fired Robin, and getting fired... well it makes people mad, and I would assume it would be an even bigger deal in a case like this. This coupled with the fact that Bruce had been trying to get Dick to quit out of worry for his safety, and just general misunderstanding, it wasn't a pleasant breakup. Tim is really what brought them back together; he kind of reminded them of why they were friends to begin with. It's probably a good thing that it happened that way too, because I think Dick being so different from Batman is a plus. I believe he would have become more and more like Bruce over time, instead of the lovable guy that the whole DCU knows. Look at Tim, he's basically Bruce Jr. at this point. That's why I'm totally okay with Dick never joining the JLA, because he's SO not Batman. He's Dick Grayson! He's like the one guy to deny his legacy and do his own thing successfully, he doesn't need to follow in anyones footsteps. He's got his own group of pals outside the League. In the Battle For The Cowl, Bruce tells Dick with his final message to NOT be Batman. Even Bruce gets it. I'm kind of rambling... Robins are awesome. Ages: Dick: Probably about 8 when he became Robin Jason: Probably 14 Tim: Probably 12

YAY!!!! Scott Pilgrim vs. YOUR SOUL!!!

When talking about the "Hicksburg" episode you mentioned confusion at why Ro was talking so bad about her foster sister, acting all nice-nice when they meet, and then argue later on. As a guy with a brother and sisters, and a girlfriend with a large family, I believe this is totally normal. I and my sisters hate my brother, and he has no idea. Same deal with my girlfriend and her WHOLE FAMILY. They always have terrible things to say about their extended family, but any time they have to get together for a wedding or funeral, everyone's all happy and nice. Eventually a fight breaks out, and everyone goes home till the next gathering, and the cycle begins again. In other words... it's a family thing.

Sad part is, even though I'm arguing, I totally agreed with you. The story wasn't good, that's why I said, if you don't like, then you just don't like it. If a story sucks it sucks, and this story... well it wasn't good.