Peach The Destroyer

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 047

2012-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Click for full size

Okay, guys. Are you ready for some hyperbole? I'll assume you said yes. I'm pretty sure this is my favorite issue of Peach the Destroyer ever. I'm not sure if it's because we finally see Dr. Felis outside of a video screen and/or a flashback, because we finally get to see the infamous C.A.T. Force 5 (see issues 018 to...see them get mentioned), or because I got to work in a freakin' A-Team reference (I know I didn't really need to link to that...that one was just self-indulgence on my part).

Anyway, with no further ado, onwards to spoiler-filled comic reviews!

Bionic Man #7

The Solicit: Steve is reunited with Jaime for the first time since his transformation, but can even his true love find a place in her heart for a lover who is now more machine than man? The truth about the homicidal Hull's origin and its ties to Oscar Goldman come out, and Steve learns that being an O.S.I. agent is a lifetime commitment... sometimes an involuntary one.
There’s something...relatable about a protagonist who can still get slapped by his gal, which happens in page 2 when Steve apologizes to Jamie about, y’know, her having to bury him when he “died.”
Jamie tells a nice, sad little story about her parents. I don’t know if this particular scene was written by Kevin Smith or Phil Hester, but it’s a great, quiet little character moment in a story about a cyborg dude who punches people and sometimes you need those.
The majority of this issue is spent as an infodump on our crazy bionic supervillain, Colonel Avery Hull, who’s described as “a real life G.I. Joe” before he even got to be bionic. Long story short, he’s (as I’m sure the viewers at home have already surmised) Bionic Man 1.0, and Steve’s mission is to “deactivate” him.
By the way, I’m not linking to the cover here, but be warned that the cover is, fairly literally, a spoiler for the end of the book. Which bugs me.
The solicit’s fairly honest for the book, really, though I’m not exactly pleased with how they ramp up the “will Jamie still love Steve?” angle.

Justice League #6

The Solicit: The Justice League is united at last against Darkseid. The awesome consequences of this high-stakes battle will resonate within the series for years to come! Geoff Johns and Jim Lee end their historic first arc with a bang!
We get our first glmpse at Desaad and Steppenwolf and...yeah, let’s just say I can see these guys and the “New 52” Parademons coming from the same planet now.
Okay, stand back, because I’m gonna unleash the one-two punch of badass moments of the week: Wonder Woman stabs Darkseid in the eye with a sword. Then Aquaman stabs the other eye with a trident. SERIOUSLY, STUFF LIKE THAT DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN! THAT IS JUST PLAIN AWESOME!
Some groundwork gets laid when Batman saves Superman and Supes exposits “The death and torture Darkseid’s spread across a...multiverse. I think I saw...me.”
I’m not ruining it for you guys, but...there is a beautiful 2-page splash page that literally made me exclaim “god I love comics!”, it was that good.
Directly after the Magnificent Crowning Moment of Awesome (jeez, there were a lot of those in this issue), we get two pages of the League working as a team. Maybe it’s because you usually don’t see “teams” working as a team in superhero-related stuff (just watch about any of the X-Men movies to see this exemplified), but seeing this team fire on all cylinders after bickering for 5 issues felt like icing on the cake.
We end with a ceremony thanking the League in Washington, DC (paying, I think, fairly blatant homage to Justice League: The New Frontier, which I highly recommend reading or watching, depending on your preference) and a backup comic featuring everyone’s favorite cloaked woman, Pandora (you remember her, right?).

Kirby: Genesis - Dragonsbane #2

The Solicit: Spinning out of KIRBY: GENESIS, Sigurd Dragonsbane and his band of Norse champions explore the astonishing Mythlands, where the heroes and legends of every culture on earth now reside. But when they venture into the Olympian region, they run afoul of both Circe and the Cyclops...and the power and majesty of Ulysses might not be enough to save them! Plus: Balduur reveals an incredible secret power...at the possible expense of his own life!
Okay, that solicit offends me more than most because 90% of it’s just a plot summary of issue 1. Did that issue not sell well or something? Did people need a “previously, in Dragonsbane!” for issue 2?
As if to prove a point that Dragonsbane is the book where anything can happen, friggin’ Ulysses shows up to save our pig--err, heroes from Circe’s clutches.
I’m not sure why (or if it’s intentional), but something about our Nordic heroes reminds me of Jack Kirby’s Forever People. Just an observation.
I’m going to say it: if you’ve remained on the fence on the entire Kirby: Genesis line, Dragonsbane is the best book to get you started. Much like Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, each book has a different flavor and manages to stand apart from one another, but add in the facts that this book A) rocks and B) is only at issue 2 make it an easy recommendation.

Batman Beyond: Unlimited #1

The Solicit: A new era begins with the debut of the oversized, monthly Batman Beyond Unlimited, featuring the print debut of the new Justice League Beyond! In the Batman Beyond chapter, legendary Batman artist Norm Breyfogle returns to draw the Dark Knight of the future with best-selling writer Adam Beechen. In “10,000 Clowns,” an onslaught of new Jokerz is plaguing Gotham City – and the implications of this chaotic clown menace could have disastrous consequences for Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne! And the debut of the Justice League Beyond is here, courtesy of the Batman: Streets of Gotham art team of Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs, as the first two digital-first chapters are available in print for the first time! Batman Beyond is a new recruit in the mighty Justice League, but the team will be immediately tested by a very Neo Gotham-related enemy! How will the team work together to combat this threat?
So...does this mean Batman Beyond is canon in the New DC Universe? I suppose it’s easier to accept a walking Commissioner Barbara Gordon in a continuity where Barbara’s retaken up the cowl as Batgirl, but I still have to ask.
I was surprised to discover that the writer for the Batman Beyond half of the book, Adam Beechen, didn’t have a history of writing for the show when it was on (as far as I could find), because this story felt like I was watching an episode of the cartoon (albeit with a far more detailed art style than the Bruce Timm “barrel-chested and angular” motif would allow).
Surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for a ton of familiar faces to crop back up. In the Justice League Beyond story, we see the re-appearance of some of the Jokerz crew from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (and an appearance in a Justice League Unlimited 2-parter). Heck, even a few of the genetically spliced “Animal Kingdom” gang are familiar to me.
Hey, Justice League Beyond? Know how you have “Barda: Exiled god from New Genesis” on your team? Yeah, I’m ignoring that and saying that’s Mister Miracle and Big Barda’s daughter. Why? Because I like legacy heroes, darnit.
Overall, this was a good book and definitely worth a buy, especially if you grew up on the cartoon (though that’s not a requirement).

That's all for this week, everyone. Come back next week for another chapter in the adventures of Peach the Destroyer!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 046

2012-02-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click for full size

What's this? Peach? Appearing in the comic that bears her name?! Whoda thunk it?! Anyway, I'm excited about this week's comic for two incredibly geeky reasons: 1- I'm probably the only webcomic you've read all week that namedropped a Faraday cage and 2- I got to have someone say (a variation of) "It's magic. I don't have to explain it." So yeah, this is a big week for me. Let's celebrate with my weekly comic reviews, shall we?

WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS!

I'm trying something different this week: I put the solicit for each issue in with my review. This way, you get some idea of the plot in case I forgot to mention it.

Aquaman #6

The Solicit: Who sank Atlantis? Mera, the beautiful Atlantean assassin trained in the Bermuda Triangle, follows a trail of death and deceit to the one man who knows the ugly truth. But what does he want in return for his secrets--and how does it all tie into Mera's own dark past?
We start with a flashback to...I guess Mera’s assassin training, where she proclaims “Aquaman will die!” This was a pretty big revelation to me considering...well, I’ll be honest, I don’t know a whole lot about Mera, so pretty much anything would’ve been a big revelation to me.
Trouble comes up when Creepy McGropey tries to cop a feel with Mera in the grocery store and she does the only logical thing she can think of...break his arm. This goes exactly as you’d expect and the crowd turns on her pretty quickly.
...and then things get really crazy as Mera starts waterbending like crazy and throwing a royal hissy fit.
“Aquawoman? Hahaha! You’re scared of Aquawoman, Randy?” I love this comic. I love it good.
Okay, I’m not going to spoil it for you here, but there’s one scene in particular that will make you walk away with newfound respect for Mera and her powers.
We learn Mera’s from a colony separate from Atlantis and, by refusing to assassinate Aquaman, she’s cut off from her people.
The solicit, surprisingly, is kinda true...in its own twisted way. At the end of the issue, Mera returns home and meets up with Aquaman, who says they’re off to see Dr. Stephen Shin, who’s going to tell them who sank Atlantis.

The Savage Hawkman #6

The Solicit: Hawkman comes face to face with Jim Craddock, a.k.a. the Gentleman Ghost, a malevolent spirit obsessed with finding an ancient relic called the Mortis Orb. Can Hawkman stop Craddock from using the power of the Orb to unleash hell on Earth?
That solicit basically covers the first page of this issue. It really makes me wonder how much the writer of that thing had to work with.
Hey, New 52 Gentleman Ghost has a head, with a face ‘n everything! Granted, we only see it on one page and he keeps to the shadows because the “floating monocol and a tophat” look’s too iconic to ignore, but still.
So Hawkman goes and finds the Mortis Orb in a cemetery, causing a bunch of corpses to rise up and attack him because...hey, zombies.
Gentleman Ghost plans to use the Orb to restore his life, triggering a Zombie Apocalypse as a byproduct. The issue ends with the tease “Hawkman battles an army of the dead!” so...yeah. There’s that.

Justice League Dark #6

The Solicit: Enchantress has been subdued, but this team of misfits hardly knows how to celebrate when each is still wrestling with their own demons. While Zatanna and Constantine try to decide on their next steps, Deadman deals with his loss, and Shade the Changing Man tries to bring Mindwarp back from the edge of sanity.
Madame Xanadu tries to get the Justice League Dark team together in a more...traditional manner. Namely the old “tell x people they have a one-on-one meeting with me and let wacky sitcom hijinks ensue!”
I think with this new, slightly more traditional, take on Justice League Dark will be good for it. Sure, the team’s disgruntled, bitter, and will go through more growing pains than if Justice League International were comprised of nothing but a batch of Guy Gardner and Booster Gold clones, but that’s half the fun! I’m excited for this book now!
I’m not, however, excited that this book is crossing over with I, Vampire. That’s one of those DC books I’m happy to pretend don’t actually exist.

The Fury of Firestorm #6

The Solicit: In the blink of an eye, Ronnie and Jason witness a horror so gruesome, the two young Firestorms will question their entire futures as superheroes. As if that wasn't enough, Pozhar, the Russian Firestorm, shows the two boys exactly how dangerous their world has become.
...okay, so...first four pages have our Firestorms dealing with 2000 people dying. Let that sink in because that’s probably the single most messed-up sentence I’ll type tonight.
Actually, the whole issue’s about dealing with that event. Pozhar drops in and goads them and, after Ronnie and Jason beat each other up, Ronnie runs off to settle the score with Pozhar and Jason’s on the run from the law. It’s an action-heavy issue that feels like the prologue to a much darker story.

Superman #6

The Solicit: Recently, an onslaught of creatures has targeted Superman, nearly destroying Metropolis in the process. And now...Superman is helping them finish the job?! Guest-starring Supergirl!
So...this issue wraps up George Perez’ run on the title. A lot of this feels like an epilogue and...I think Supergirl’s appearance may have been a little unnecessary (was the world really clamoring for a scene where Superman beat Supergirl to a pulp?). Everything kinda goes where you expect it to...fake Superman beats on Supergirl, real Superman beats on fake Superman, real Superman tosses fake Superman’s bits ‘n pieces into the sun. Y’know, same old same old.
I know I keep harping on it, but a lot of this story feels reminiscent of Superman’s story in Wednesday Comics. And, now that it’s completed, I think I can safely say I actually like this story a bit more (bear in mind, it’s been a good year or so since I read my copy of Wednesday Comics). All the loose plot threads tie up nicely (maybe a bit too nicely since Perez is off the title), leaving us with a (mostly) fresh slate for the new creative team to take over next month.

Teen Titans #6

The Solicit: In the aftermath of their battle with Superboy, the Teen Titans make a horrifying discovery: Kid Flash has been knocked out of synch! If they are going to save their teammate, the badly beaten and battered teens need to sneak into the New York branch of S.T.A.R. Labs.
Our first page has Kid Flash debating grammar (sorry, I really couldn’t pass up an excuse to use that link).
In the aftermath of the Teen Titans/Superboy superbrawl, the Titans have to run from the police and help Bart Allen with his power issues (wow...I just realized I basically re-wrote part of the solicit. Sorry).
I’m very pleased to see the appearance of Virgil Hawkins/Static in this comic...especially considering the public fallout that happened regarding the behind-the-scenes goings-on that lead to his own book’s cancellation.
Oh, and we also meet the very annoying Grymm. I can tell he’s annoying because he has a messed-up jagged mouth, no lips, and it’s impossible for you to figure out how he talks. Also, he uses the same joke twice in one page.
Going back to Virgil, I like his characterization in this issue. Bear in mind, I’m not too familiar with him outside of the cartoon, so seeing him running around like a Time Lord genius is pretty awesome.
Oh, Kid Flash gets a new costume to save his life.

The Ray #3 (of 4)

The Solicit: Lucien can rescue Chanti from the clutches of the Isopods, but can he save his relationship with her? More important, can he save her family from the evil Director, who wants to destroy everything for his art?
The Ray battles a TRON villain. I wish I got to type sentences like that more often, because that’s awesome. Seriously, this guy needs his own ongoing series. Need more? Here’s his origin story, in his own words: “Was it crazy to be reborn from a hundred yards of thirty-five millimeter film that was bathed in a Lazarus Pit?” How did anyone think a character this rich would only work in a miniseries?!
Anyway, TRON guy wants The Ray to be the star of his movie. It’s a whole thing.

Well, that wraps things up for this week. I'll see you same time next week for more crazy Peach the Destroyer action!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 045

2012-02-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click for full size

Hey, guys. Not much to say since I'm typing this up mere minutes before the comic updates, so I'll see you next week. Now on with the comic reviews!

Superboy #6

I really like how, whenever DC recaps something from another book, they throw in a note from "Cross-Promotional Chris" or some other person with a wacky nickname. It feels, ironically, a little like classic Marvel comics.
Superboy, on a hunch, punts N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s surveillance truck into a river and flies off.
Supergirl shows up, still dealing with her Kryptonian language barrier. Superboy's powers solve the issue by having him instantly download Kryptonian speech, which helps them get on the same page…and quickly start fighting (y'know, as superheroes do).
Superboy's inner monologue is…surprisingly human this month, showing his evolution as a character. Also, he gets punched by Supergirl a lot.
I'm not sure if the newfound knowledge that clones revolted on Krypton is a clue to what caused its destruction, but it's an interesting bit of information nonetheless.
Supergirl explains that Kryptonian clones are doomed to turn into mindless killing machines (which could explain stuff like…y'know, this), which I'm sure can be explained away with one line of dialogue about Superboy's half-human side, but it's nice that he has something new to fear.

Supergirl #6

We begin with a flashback of Kara training for the combat portion of her finals trials and she receives some important advice from her father, Zor-El.
Kara escapes the ruins of her dying planet (which, remember, was so far away from Earth's yellow sun that her powers had faded) thanks to…a pick-me-up speech from holograms/memories of her parents? I don't really understand it, but it gets her off-world and back to Earth, where Reign's popped back up (no other inhabited planets between here and Krypton, huh?).
Reign reveals that more Worldkillers survived Krypton's destruction, teasing a heck of a knock-down drag-out fight next month.

Wonder Woman #6

One of the great aspects of this run on Wonder Woman has been the designs of the Greek gods. Last issue we met the Cthulhu-like Poseidon and this month we meet Hades, who looks like an albino midget in armor wearing a crown of melted candles that covers half his head. Honestly, I thought he was a flunkie at first, but as soon as he introduced himself…know what? It works.
Also, just a bit of fun with the Greek pantheon, a character says "god almighty" and gets no less than three "yes?"es. We need a petition to keep Brian Azzarello on this book forever.
This issue's an interesting game of Wonder Woman's team trying to pull a fast one on the Greek gods. In the end, Diana finds herself under Hades' thumb, ending the issue on an ominous note.

Birds of Prey #6

This is one of those issues I won't have a lot to say about…not saying that it's bad or incomprehensible, mind you.
The conspiracy theory ramps up with the team rescuing top secret sleeper agents, culminating in an office building getting activated (which is a really, really creepy visual).
The only negative is it feels like some tension was lost between issue 5 and this one. The big cliffhanger from last month gets addressed pages later almost in a "oh snap, we forgot to mention…" kind of way.

Snarked! #5

This is the beginning of a new leg of the Snarked! adventure (I believe it's even being billed as the perfect jumping on point for new readers, if memory serves), with our intrepid heroes out at sea.
"You! Mister La-De-Dah I'm-So-Mysterious Cheshire Cat! Where on Earth have you been? Do you have any idea of what we've been through the last couple of days?" Have I mentioned I love the writing in this book?
This book is so good it's positively beaming and you have no excuse for not reading it right now.

Avenging Spider-Man #4

"Oh. Stupid Avengers. We get it, Hawkeye. You can shoot an arrow real good." Y'know, as a DC fan who'll always prefer a certain Emerald Archer…I enjoyed the random archery teacher complaining at Hawkeye.
As if trying to win me over, Hawkeye proceeds to complain about one of the kids in the class using a compound bow. Nice try, Hawkeye. Keep working at it (also, it seems his complaining has fallen on deaf ears over at Nerf).
"'What if you missed and that one got away?' 'It's me. I don't miss.'" Seriously, Hawkeye? Seriously? Jeez, someone let being in the Avengers movie go to his head. Has he always been this full of himself?
I think the next Avenging Spider-Man team up needs to be someone Spidey gets along with. Red Hulk was one thing, but Hawkeye just rubs me the wrong way.
I'm sorry, but this was the worst showcase for a character since the Frankenstein/O.M.A.C. team-up…in fact, I'd say O.M.A.C. came off better in his issue. This was several pages of "I'm awesome. Hey, guys. Come check out how awesome I am!" with an eleventh-hour Very Special Message tacked on. Honestly, I don't think a single issue made me nerd rage harder than this.

Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #3

"Flash Gordon, Earthman." I don't know why, but I just love that that caption's sitting there on the first page, like it's daring someone who picked this up by accident to keep reading.
Flash, after destroying two alien ships: "greetings from Earth, fellas." Note that he says it with a period, not an exclamation point. Why? Because he's Flash FREAKING Gordon!
This issue felt a little slow after the breakneck pacing in the beginning, but I don't mind it. It's the calm before the storm, and the storm seems to be coming next month.

DC Universe Presents: Challengers of the Unknown #6

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book…there were some good parts and there were some questionable parts.
I liked...the idea of Challengers of the Unknown being in the DCnU, which is the point of "DC Universe Presents," I suppose: highlighting characters who may not be popular enough to warrant an ongoing series.
I hated the trippy dream sequence serial killer 2-page spread...and then at the end of the issue, there's the tease that it wasn't a dream sequence (I guess?) and serial killer boy's our villain? It really ended on a sour note for me.

That's all for this week. I'll see you next Thursday, hopefully with more to say!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 044

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Click for full size

And with that, we finally seem to be back in the present day. The flashbacks were kind of crazy fun...plus the lettering felt easier (I'm not sure why). But I'm glad that we can finally get back to, y'know, seeing how Peach and company react to this infodump and what else Claudius has in store for them...but that's a story for another week. For now, on to our traditional spoiler-filled comic reviews...

Batgirl #6

"Mr. Wayne? Bruce? Please don't cave my head in with that thing." Could there BE better words to start an issue with?
Y'know, there's something just inherently wrong with Bruce Wayne of all people threatening someone with a crowbar…
"Let's back you away from the mean old crowbar, okay, sir?" Seriously, is it too early to just hand Gail Simone all the money she wants for her writing? Oh…
Ardian Syaf is the first artist I've seen draw the Batcave (that I can recall) and I'm eternally grateful to know that the huge animatronic T-Rex still resides there (now if only I could get confirmation on the giant penny…).
I'm concerned that the tease for next month's issue is "THE JOKE REVISITED!"

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #6

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but there's something wonderfully '90s about the art in this book…something about the inking on it.
Umm…pardon me for having not seen the movie ever, but this issue seems to be Apocalypse Now with superpowers. Now I'm imagining Marlon Brando with superpowers. Great.
And the Apocalypse Now tangent was just an excuse to have Frankenstein off-base while it got taken over by evil fake human things. Guys, I saw this when Doctor Who did it and…well, it bugged me then. Granted, Frankenstein's a better protagonist than Matt Smith's Doctor, but I'm going to try to keep my expectations low for this…

Bionic Man #6

In the midst of a knock-down drag-out fight, Steve says "this was not in the training montage." I like it; it's refreshingly meta…
This was a great action issue…might not be the best place to start reading, but it's a great ride.

Kirby: Genesis - Silver Star #3

Silver Star goes on an astral plane acid trip in North Korea for a little while. Also, a catgirl shows up. Yeah. You should probably read this.

Thief of Thieves #1

"This is Viggo, the head of my personal security. He will be hitting you now." You have to appreciate a lady who's not afraid to be polite with the man who just stole from her…
I like that different scenes get a cutesy little title like "BACK HOME…WHY REDMOND NEEDS AN ASSISTANT" or "THE UNEXPECTED MEETING OR, AN UNCOMFORTABLE MOMENT." It makes the comic read a bit like a TV show…in fact, the whole issue reads like a television pilot, to the point where I wonder if there's a bigger behind-the-scenes story there...

Well, guys, that wraps things up for this week. We'll see you back here next week, same Peach time, same Peach channel.

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 043

2012-02-02T00:00:00.003-05:00

Click for full size

Not much to say about this week's issue, sorry. The device in panels 3 and 4 is supposed to be based off the "blinky light units" from the Stargate franchise.

And now...comic reviews! Warning: I discuss spoilers, so...consider yourselves warned.

Green Arrow #6

Oh, DC, you know just how to tease me. First the cover to Justice League #8 gets released, now you have Ollie reminiscing about meeting Aquaman? I can’t wait!
We learn Green Arrow has bio-scanners built into his goggles, which I guess is as good an excuse as any for him not rocking the classic domino mask. Still no explanation why the only facial hair he’s ever shown with is a perpetual 5 o’clock shadow, however.
We also learn Blood Rose is a robot. Honestly, did not see that one coming.
Something about Green Arrow’s final confrontation at Midas/Blood Rose’s hideout felt really strong. Ollie got some good quips in and came off as smart and resourceful and I even found myself lamenting the fact that these characters look like they won’t be appearing in further Green Arrow adventures. The additional kick to the teeth is the fact that this is the final issue written by Keith Giffen, meaning we’re losing a writer as soon as, I feel, he’s found the character’s voice.
In the end, Ollie takes a moment to savor his victory over the Seattle skyline. He kicks back and...pops open a beer. This beer happens to be in a long, golden can, which looks suspiciously similar to the long, golden canisters Green Arrow carries on his hip. It’s official: Green Arrow is the new Iron Man.

Action Comics #6

Hey, kids, remember how last month I lamented not knowing what was going on? This issue has the slight problem of assuming I understood last month’s issue, so the resulting effect is similar to walking into the middle of a movie.
So, anyway, we meet some midget dealer in alien tech, who had the Anti-Superman Army (which seems to consist of a trio of kryptonite-powered punks called The K-Men, a mummy, and a robot cowboy) steal the kryptonite engine of Superman’s childhood spaceship. It’s explained that all colors of kryptonite will be grown from this one engine, which I like as an explanation much better than, say, a meteor shower.
Superman of the future shows up to save the jeans-’n-boots wearin’ Superman of the past, along with an older version of the Legion of Superheroes! Also, Superman gets to punch a T-rex.
Aww, man. We get flashbacks to young Clark with Pa Kent and...it really makes me hate that the Kents are dead in-continuity. Who’s going to be Clark’s sounding board for...y’know, superhero stuff?
“COME AND DIE INSIDE YOUR HERO’S BRAIN, YOU FOPS!” Dang. Mummies are intense.
I liked this issue (surely it was leaps and bounds above last month’s headscratcher), but what really makes it shine is the backup story “Last Day,” which has Clark ready to leave for college and reminiscing on his farmboy memories before handing the farm over to a family friend.

Swamp Thing #6

Swamp Thing continues its run as unlikeliest good book of the New 52...even with a new artist who’s trying in vain to reproduce the bizarre, organic panel structure of his predecessors. I’m sorry, Marco Rudy, but you need to either commit to a 2-page spread of cracked-out weirdness or just stick with a conventional panel layout. Also, you don’t draw the creepy kid creepy enough.
We learn Abby (Alec’s gal pal for most of the previous 5 issues) is the evil version of Alec; serving “the Rot” instead of “the Green.”
Alec pulls his best Terminator 2 impression, fleeing from the Rot on Abby’s motorcycle and USING A FRIGGIN’ SHOTGUN TO KILL SOME EVIL LACKEYS! Seriously, who thought we’d see the day when Swamp Thing would get to use a shotgun?!
Um...I guess Alec Holland’s dead now. Tune in next month for the adventures of some new guy being Swamp Thing, I guess.
Realistically, we wouldn’t be killing off the title character in issue #6 of a book that’s not even being cancelled. Conversely, kinda hard to walk a “chainsaw-to-the-chest wound” off.

Stormwatch #6

I’m sorry, Stormwatch is always a solid book, I just usually don’t have much to say about it other than “this issue was good.”
With their headquarters falling to pieces, Jack communicates with the “soul” of the “city” that is their space station. This turns out to be an alien artificial intelligence that regards Stormwatch as invading parasites. I kinda like Jack, so seeing his attempts to barter a way out of the ship’s destruction was a clever way out for the team.
Martian Manhunter tosses in a quick retcon saying he’s actually never attempted to join the Justice League. Are you sure? Because that’s not what you said back in issue #1...
...and some blatant setup for the next storyline. I’ll say this about DC, they know how to keep you coming back.

Lone Ranger #2

I like to imagine the Lone Ranger stories as being old pulp comics from a bygone era. At least that’s my excuse for text boxes with stuff like “translated from Native American tribal language” in them...
There is an adorable scene of the Lone Ranger and Tonto meeting up with some little fanboy kids. It’s chock full of great dialogue like:

“Where’s Silver? Is he really ten feet tall?”

“Ten? No...I don’t think so. He’d be pretty hard to mount.”

Tonto makes it real easy to like him in just a few sentences. At one point he waxes philosophical about white man’s illusion of control over the west and, frankly, it’s hard to argue with him.
This issue feels a bit more melancholy than the previous one, with the Lone Ranger coming face-to-face with a childhood hero. It’s a quieter issue than last month’s, but I don’t mind. It tells the story it set out to in a rather eloquent way and shows the Ranger has some sharp wits about him to solve seemingly impossible problems.

Kirby: Genesis - Captain Victory #3

This was another solid entry in the Kirby: Genesis family that, frankly, you should be reading if you love comics.

Justice League International #6

Batman basically makes a cameo appearance to pep talk Booster Gold into continuing the JLI with or without the UN’s involvement.
In a “down time” moment, August General in Iron learns about the beauty of hotdogs. Poor guy, never had a hotdog before...
August General in Iron also does his best Thing impression and clobbers an evil van. Have I mentioned he’s one of my favorite characters in this team?
Oh, and the JLI exploded at the end. Couple this with Swamp Thing and DC had themselves a sick little week this week, didn’t they?

That's all for this week. Tune in next week for more drama, more comics, and more Peach the Destroyer!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 042

2012-01-26T00:00:00.004-05:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers! I'm sorry that this almost covers the same basic ground as last week's comic, but as soon as I found out about the Acoustic Kitty project, I just knew I had to work it into Peach the Destroyer continuity. Hopefully you'll let this shameless bit of self indulgence slide. Trust me, next week things are going to start getting CRAZY!

And now, our weekly comic reviews... (warning: spoilers)

Avenging Spider-Man #3

We've had two solid issues of Spider-Man being…well, our friendly subterranean Spider-Man, quick with the jokes and funny one-liners. In this issue, he has a very nice scene with Jameson where we see that bravado crack as he explains why he can't show up at the Avengers' without Red Hulk.

If I remember correctly, this book was advertised as being "THE DEATH OF RED HULK!" which is about as hyperbolic as the last issue of regular ol' Amazing Spider-Man. It's a good thing, too, because Red Hulk's got some good character moments, too, especially when Spider-Man picks on him.

In the end, Spider-Man uses his greatest power of all: his mile-a-minute mouth to solve things. And, in his subterranean empire, the Mole Man promises vengeance for being pitied.

Kirby: Genesis #5

This is a big, bad, backstory-heavy issue that lays out a lot of the Kirby: Genesis story of early Earth. I'm not going to ruin it because, like the best Jack Kirby stories, it's a little weird, a little trippy, and very intriguing.

I'm going to admit…after reading a ton of this books' tie-in titles, I got a really good fist-pump moment when I saw Silver Star.

Justice League Dark #5

Um…this is issue five and I still don't understand what's going on.

The wackadoo arc with Enchantress and June Moon and a nursery rhyme wraps up…which may have been the source of over half my confusion.

There's a good, coherent scene towards the end where everyone's (finally) in one room together. Unfortunately, it's far too brief.

The Savage Hawkman #5

After Hawkman thinks he's crazy because he saw dead people, he wonders if maybe the nth metal inside him is poisoning him. It's an interesting and, heck, rational train of thought and I applaud him for thinking of it.

Hawkman's translation vision gets amped up to 11 when he looks at a mysterious book, making the symbols come to life as violent visions.

Most of this issue felt like setup for the new arc…although I really loved the issue-long slow build towards the last page reveal of the new Gentleman Ghost.

Teen Titans #5

This was just a great all-out action climax to last month's issue as Superboy pummels the Teen Titans roster one by one.

Superman #5

So the issue starts with Superman…absorbing another alien storm and becoming fairly blatantly possessed by whatever entity's been possessing people this arc.

Superman destroys some "giant Fleischer robots" while being possessed. Hey, DC, want to try being a tad more subtle in those references?

The end…I'll be honest, the end manages to feel like a little bit of a copout, but at the same time, I kinda want to see what happens next month.

Aquaman #5

This was a very strong "setup" issue, much like Hawkman. An ancient Atlantian glyph is found that has a secret message from Atlantis. A SWAT team from Atlantis come to retrieve it and, long story short, Aquaman winds up in the desert.

I really liked Aquaman's "vision quest" vision of his father. And the secret message when we finally got to see what it said.

The next issue tantalizingly promises "Mera takes on the world!" I can't wait, even if (or maybe especially if) it's straight out of The Currys of Atlantis.

Justice League #5

Y'know, there's something almost refreshing in seeing a police officer ask the Flash who he is. I'm not sure why…

On the other end of the spectrum…wow. Green Lantern's seriously pompous enough to just yell "GREEN LANTERN'S GOT THIS!"? I could see Guy "one punch!" Gardner trying that line, but Hal Jordan? Seriously?!

Green Lantern at least got some cool points after getting beat on by Darkseid by fashioning a cast for his arm with his ring. A few pages go by and…I guess he stopped concentrating or his arm was just dirty or something because his cast is all of a sudden gone. Cyborg reminds him his arm's broken and the cast shows back up. It's a nitpick, but c'mon, DC, Justice League is supposed to be your flagship book. Have someone look through it before going to press!

This issue is like an episode of Home Improvement. Batman plays the part of Wilson, giving Green Lantern the advice that the team needs to play football instead of baseball. Green Lantern, playing the part of Tim Allen, botches this message up terribly when he relays it to the team. I swear, I was half expecting Al to pop up out of the rubble to say "I don't think so, Hal."

And Batman did something dumb and wound up on Apokolips. World's greatest detective, indeed.

Well, that's all for this week. Come back next week to see what new twists and turns lie hidden in the past!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 041

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Click for full size

Hey, guys! So...new comic today, attempting to pull off a nostalgic, sepia-tinted look. Technically I guess this might make today's update our first full-color comic.

Before we get to the weekly comic reviews, some late news (from January 12! How did I miss this?!). DC's announced the first books of the New 52 that are getting cancelled, along with the six new books that will replace them, so adjust your pull lists accordingly. With that out of the way, we now resume our regularly scheduled and spoiler-laden programming...

Snarked #4

Many compliments to writer/artist Roger Langridge, whose deft work with words is, frankly, unlike any other. All of his caption boxes are in rhyme and he makes it all flow so perfectly!
"Two-year-olds are like a collection of minor traumas strung together by snot and tears." Have I mentioned I love the writing in this book? I hope it runs for years.
- Speaking of my hopes that this book runs for years, there are tons of great throwaway references to things like "the great escape of '42" or "the oyster riots of '29" that, in the span of a few words, conjure up fantastic images that I'm sure would make for great spin-off miniseries fodder.
But enough vague talks about how great this book is (and it is. Go. Buy it. Now), what actually happens this issue? Well, our intrepid walrus, carpenter, and royal children are holed up William Lizard's house, having evaded the evil Gryphon and misinformed royal guards. William makes the guards suspicious, so they have to hatch another brilliant plan to sneak out to the ship they chartered in last month's issue. Wackiness and beautiful wordplay ensue!

Kirby: Genesis - Dragonsbane #1

First thing's first: the cover is a lie. Dragonsbane does not show up in modern times (yet). Just fair warning.
Fortunately for me, I just so happened to watch Kenneth Branagh's commentary to Thor earlier on Wednesday, so I was in just the right mindset to read a book steeped in Norse mythology.
Something I have to say about the entire Kirby: Genesis line is that, in an era where everyone wants to be gritty and realistic, every character in the Genesis universe just looks like an expensive Crayola box threw up on them. And I mean that in a good way.
Dragonsbane brings a really cool idea to the table: that all of the myths of old have been converged into one "mythland." When our Norse heroes ride off into the mists, they first find themselves in the myths of ancient Egypt, and then into the Greek parthanon, where they have a run-in with Circe. I'll let you figure out how well that goes, but those of you who are up on your mythology can probably figure it out.

Wonder Woman #5

See that segue I did there?
Circe doesn't show up, but we do get to meet DC's version of Poseidon, who looks creatively non-humanoid.
There's a biblical power struggle going down on Mt. Olympus in the wake of Zeus abdicating the throne, which is sort of reminiscent of the absentee God in Supernatural. So…I guess what I'm saying is this could go either way.

Supergirl #5

Kara flies off to Krypton and finds the city of Argo. Unlike in some versions of DC lore, it's not a bottle city protected by Brainiac, but is instead a free-floating astroid in some sort of forcefield. And it's abandoned.
In these abandoned ruins, Kara finds Reign, a superpowered vilainess who apparently imported her logic-defyingly-shaped sword from Japan
Reign's big reveal is that the disconcertingly overpowerful devices known as "worldkillers" on Krypton weren't devices, but living beings. How does she know this? Because…she is one!

Birds of Prey #5

I was questioning Poison Ivy being an apparent regular in this comic, but…know what? She brings this great dry humor to the book that makes for a great change of pace.
Ow... painful typo on page 14: "I don't get it. You need an abili for something, or are you just--" (note: the comic even has it in bold. Shame on you, Bobbie Chase [editor] and Katie Kubert [assistant editor])
This issue really ratcheted up the paranoia to 11, with Starling thinking she's been set up by the team (but it's really...well, I'm not going to ruin it for you). After a few shaky issues, it feels like this book might be hitting its stride.

That's all for this week, kids. Be sure to come back next week for more twists, turns, and surprises!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 040

2012-01-12T00:00:00.003-05:00

Click for full size

Hey, guys! For a change of pace, I'm really proud of this week's comic. This is the kind of big reveal I've been threatening for weeks and, for once, I actually revealed something! Believe me, as excited as you guys are (you...are excited, right?), I'm even...excited-er!

Anyway, with no further ado, here are this week's comic reviews (warning: SPOILERS, especially for Batgirl, The Ray, and Superboy, so if you follow any of those three, feel free to skip my review).

Stormwatch #5

I swear, Stormwatch is one of those comics that's just laughably absurd because…hey, comics! Someone gets to say "the data I got from the moon." Data. From the moon. That's at least a little bit awesome.
Speaking of the moon, remember how I said last month's issue marked the end of the Stormwatch vs. The Moon story arc? Well, I…guess technically that phase of the story's over, but this is still listed as "The Dark Side: Part 5."
Also, Stormwatch gets an emergency visit from a member of The Shadow Cabinet (the Stormwatch team's bosses) to elect a new boss on the team. This results in some good comedy moments of him rattling off different characters' traits or deep dark secrets.
Overall, I think this may have been the best issue of Stormwatch yet. The story felt well-balanced and moved at a fast clip (as opposed to some issues that, I felt, sort of dragged).

The Lone Ranger #1

For the record, this is about as much knowledge of the Lone Ranger I had going into this.
"It's a good day…to see some justice done." Ohh…that's good comic.
I'll be honest…I wasn't expecting much from this comic. What I got was a surprisingly moving story from the perspective of Jurgens, a farmer in the Old West whose family is in need of some justice. I would highly recommend you seek this book out and I can only hope the rest of this arc is as good as this first issue.

Batgirl #5

A new conspiracy comes to Gotham with a crime family muttering on about "338" and we briefly see a new mystery woman named Gretel who can handle herself in a fight.
We also flash back to see Barbara's less-than-touching reunion with her mom, picking up from the last issue's cliffhanger. Maybe it's because we started with the whole "338" plot, but I wasn't too sold on Barbara's mother. I guess we'll have to see how she's developed in future issues, so I'm going to hold off on passing judgment here.
The Occupy movement comes to Gotham with the awesome protest slogan "NO WAYNE, NO HOW!" in response to Bruce Wayne's downtown urban renewal project. Whoever came up with the "NO WAYNE, NO HOW" slogan deserves a raise.
Oh, look. Bruce Wayne drank the magic 338 Kool-Aid, too. Considering they tease a team-up with Batman next issue, I'm assuming he'll be able to shake it pretty quick.

The Ray #2 of 4

I love the loose, easygoing narration in The Ray. I'm secretly hoping that this is selling well enough to earn an ongoing series in DC's upcoming announcements of new books.
Lucian finds a brave new way to have relationship drama in comic books…he uses his light-based superpowers to BECOME INDIAN to impress his girlfriend's traditional Indian parents. Somehow he forgot to run this by her (conflict!) and she chews him out. Her father glares at him through the window.
Another really great thing about this series is that all of the monsters have been weird, giant sea creatures. I'm expecting either an Aquaman team-up or the giant squid that was missing from the Watchmen movie.
And, in true superhero fashion, his girlfriend gets kidnapped. DC needs to make this an ongoing STAT because they have their very own Spider-Man right here.

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5

Since I don't follow Dan Didio's O.M.A.C. book, I went in assuming that I had missed the first part of this comic. So opening it up and seeing "Current Mission: stopping a race of Man-eating Mountain Dwarfs" just makes me smile and say "oh, comics."
Dude. As Frankenstein's threatening the dwarfs, he just casually mentions that his sword is the sword of the Archangel Michael. THAT IS AWESOME (I also thank DC for having a more literal interpretation of the Michael sword than Supernatural did back in season 5, but that just brings up bad memories, so I'll be moving on).
Frankenstein called O.M.A.C. "boy" like he was about to tell him to go out back and pick out a switch. That was out of nowhere and I love it!
This issue really didn't do O.M.A.C. any favors…he kind of comes off as a third-rate Hulk knock-off in this book and it didn't really fill me with any desire to read more about the character.
Also…minor nitpick/possible art failure: O.M.A.C. teleports off with Frankenstein's left arm right as he's trying to decapitate O.M.A.C. with his sword, held in his right arm. After the teleportation, we never see the sword again. Did O.M.A.C. steal it? Did Frankenstein drop it to clutch his arm stump? What happened?! THESE ARE THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, DC!

Superboy #5

Superboy remains a solid book, but my problems with it stem from a continuity standpoint: this issue precedes Teen Titans #5 and, if these kind of muck-ups continue, they're bound to make my head hurt.
We also get some oblique references to "Culling Day," including a creepy creepy farm couple who feel like those country people you see in TV shows who kidnap and hunt people for sport (if you watch your genre television, you've seen these people before. I always hate them).

Batman: The Brave And The Bold #15

I don't usually read this book, but I was a fan of the cartoon and, hey, this issue has Mister Miracle in it (I'm kind of a sucker for Mister Miracle).
This issue mixed some of Mister Miracle's best assets (Mother Box, Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and impossible escapes) with some of Batman's traits (namely villains trapping him in a dream state…the premise for two Batman: The Animated Series episodes if memory serves).

That's all for this week, kids. Come back next week for the beginning of the EPIC FLASHBACK!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 039

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Click for full size

Hey, guys. Can you believe I'm already on comic #39?! Crazy! Well, we're finally back with Peach and her friends and things look like they're going to be getting even worse. What's the secret Bobby's been protecting our heroes from? We'll soon find out!

But first...comic book reivews! (warning: spoilers)

Swamp Thing #5

This continues to be a bit of a perplexing book for me. At one point it dawned on me that we've actually been seeing Swamp Thing's alter ego, Alec Holland, almost exclusively for five issues now. Imagine DC trying that with, say, a Batman or Superman comic. Crazy!
Creepy kid villain is still creepy. Hate kid villains.
Yanick Paquette is the only credited artist this issue (sorry, I usually don't keep track), and his pencils really keep me coming back to this story with the sharp layout and a…beautiful macabre. In fact, I think those words sum up the whole book for me. Beautiful macabre.

Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #2

Dude. This is how you start a comic. Seriously, if I'd been marketing this book, this would have been the only preview image released. Wanna see Flash? Nope. Wanna know what Mongo's gonna look like? Buy the book. 'cuz we got Hitler saluting Ming the freakin' Merciless up in here!
- This book is just deliciously old school. Flash and Dale are separated and Dale's ordered to Ming's chambers? Flash reacts by beating on some guards and grunting "THAT'S NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY!" I swear, you can almost hear an Indiana Jones-era Harrison Ford yelling the dialogue.
- "In our darkest hour, he could save every one of us." Okay, Flash Gordon, you've already won me over. You officially don't have to quote Queen songs to make me happy (unlike other incarnations of this character).

Justice League International #5

Y'know, a newscaster raises a very good question early in this book: where is Superman? Where is the Justice League? Until I'm told otherwise, they're having a beach party. Superman's kicking back in a lounge chair saying "vacations are nice" and they have no clue this is going down.
I love the JLI…it's like one big, dysfunctional married couple. Everyone gets great banter moments: Guy Gardner complaining about Godiva, Rocket Red and August General in Armor actually behaving and not bickering with one another. Vixen chastising Batman for always being "the constant rain cloud."
And the team saves the day by crashing a gigantic spaceship into the Earth and Godiva has a flirty moment and, oh yeah, a vague shadow villain proclaims that the JLI are gonna get killed. Overall? Awesome.

Blood Red Dragon #3

I'm sure I say this every month, but considering that I remember when "Stan Lee Presents…" usually only preceded really terrible straight-to-DVD movies based on made-up (and lame) characters, this is a huge step up.
I was sort of worried that the entire issue would be recap/backstory…the issue starts out that way, but it's quick about it before returning to Oblivion's invasion of Earth.
Yoshiki fires up his Dragon powers by humming a song. I love this since Yoshiki's, y'know, a musician. Also, he succumbs to The Dragon's light and I swear he literally doubles in size (which I have no problem with because…know what? It looks pretty awesome).
The story wraps up nice, neat, and fast. All I can say is…it feels a little too fast, a little too convenient. I think this could have been split into two issues and paced out a little better, but I can only assume the objective was to get past the "pilot" phase of the book and establish the new status quo quickly.

Green Arrow #5

Gotta say…when I was told GA would be fighting a guy named Midas in this issue…I certainly wasn't expecting a third-tier Solomon Grundy knock-off (and, just saying, Ollie already fought Grundy in a spectacular fight in Brad Meltzer's "The Archer's Quest" storyline (sorry).
Overall…I liked this issue, but it's far from my favorite. I think part of my problem is that Midas feels like a misplaced character, like an idea accidentally swapped offices with Swamp Thing (maybe next issue of Swamp Thing we'll suddenly see Alec head to Japan and team up with Black Canary?). Also, the character design feels very out-of-place. I could go on and on, but hopefully you get my point.

Action Comics #5

Umm…Brainiac (I think) narrates a bedtime story of how Kal-El came to Earth, what's been going on with his spaceship and…I'll be honest, this is a real head-scratcher of an issue. If anyone can explain to me what I just read, feel free to clue me in.

That's all for this week, kids. I'll see you back here next week, same Peach time, same Peach channel!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 038

2011-12-29T20:45:00.000-05:00

Click for full size

Hey hey hey. After a good night's rest, I'm feeling much better. Now on with the comic reviews!

Warning: spoilers

Marvel Holiday Special

Okay, I'm a few weeks late on this one…but hey, it's the thought that counts!
The four short stories were cute 'n all, but…honestly, there's not too much for me to say. I think the stories got better as they went along, culminating in a very special story catching up with The Thing on Christmas day.

Teen Titans #4

This book continues to defy expectations with a good, old-fashioned superhero slugfest between Wonder Girl and Superboy.
Miguel continues to be awesome in every scene he's in, easily stealing the "comic relief" role from Kid Flash (on a side note, I'd love to see a scene with those two bantering…it would probably fill an entire issue).
The issue ends on our first big, epic team splash page and, I gotta say, they really earned this one. This book simply amazed me at its continued awesomeness and I can't wait until next month's issue.
All that praise being said…I was not too wild about how Superboy looked in this issue. On Superboy, he seems to be more of a toned, lean figure, but in Teen Titans his shoulders got broadened out and he looks just a smidge more like a brawler. Also, for the life of me I cannot figure out why Wonder Girl spends the first few pages cosplaying as Dazzler.

The Fury of Firestorm #4

I keep enjoying this book and I still think it's a diamond in the rough, but after this week's stellar issue of Teen Titans, all I could think about was how cool a Firestorm/Teen Titans crossover would be…

Justice League Dark #4

Know what? I give this book a lot of flack, but I'm going to assume the "Constantine eating cold baked beans" is a Watchmen reference and give them a few free points.
On the other hand…this book continues to have the etherial quality of having a friend tell you about a dream they can't quite make sense of. Which, considering the magic subject matter, isn't all bad. I think I'm still waiting for the team to come together and earn that "Justice League" title on the cover.

The Savage Hawkman #4

Well, this issue brought the Morphicus arc to a…rather abrupt close. There's not much more to say other than "yup. That happened." Also, the James Bond villain I kept complaining about? I think he's taken care of, too, which surprises me, since I thought we were setting him up to be Hawkman's Lex Luthor.
We get a cliffhanger tease of next month's issue with Carter apparently seeing dead people or...seeing normal people who look like zombies or something. All I have to say is…if anyone deserves to have some sort of death-related power, it's Mr. "I've-died-more-times-than-any-of-you."

Superman #4

The cover: eww. I hate bugs and it looks like Supes shares the feeling.
This issue was…weird, and at least it's building to a conclusion (maybe?) next month.
Overall, this issue felt reminiscent of John Arcudi's run on Superman in DC's Wednesday Comics.

Kirby: Genesis - Captain Victory #2

It might sound a bit boring, but this month's issue was a really interesting character piece on the weight of command. Might not be for everyone, but I dug it (of course, I'm also a self-proclaimed Kirby: Genesis fanboy).

Aquaman #4

Aquaman goes and pulls a Doctor Who by proclaiming "I'm sorry" and then genociding the heck out of The Trench (and I'm sure we'll ne-e-ever hear from them again)
Also, Aquaman can fly now? I assume it's a super-leap justified by his physiology allowing him to survive in the ocean depths but…it's a one-panel thing that happens WITH ABSOLUTELY NO EXPLANATION, hence my question mark up there.
D'aww, Aquaman got a pet dog…isn't that adorable? Also, I want him to have regularly-occuring team-ups with Ace the Bat-Hound in…one of the four books Batman has nowadays (assuming Ace is still canon…if not, re-introduce Ace).

Well, that's all for this week, everybody. Have a happy and safe new year's and I'll see all of you in 2012!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 037

2011-12-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

So...in case you were wondering, there won't be a Peach the Destroyer Christmas special this year. Mostly because after last week's, let's be honest, sub-par issue, I really wanted to ratchet things up this week and get some tension building. Hopefully you guys like this week's issue, because I'm really proud of it.

Anyway, on to comic reviews! Standard warning: here be (some) spoilers!

Kirby: Genesis - Silver Star #2

I missed out on this one last week (protip: if you're going to read several tie-in stories/serieses, go ahead and add the titles separately; don't always count on your shop to assume you want all the things)
We get to find out Silver Star's hobby: building Earths. Apparently he and his lady love Norma made them as a series of trial-and-error tests to see if it was possible to solve all of Earth's problems, but mankind always found something new to squabble about to push themselves towards armageddon. The interesting idea is that Silver Star says they learned the correct balance of intervention and applied it to the real world. So the next time you complain why Superman doesn't just go ahead and solve the rest of our problems, just look to this comic for your answer.
I'm not 100% positive, but I think this issue confirmed my "Silver Star = Captain America" theory…because we met one of his villains, who seems to be North Korea's answer to Red Skull.
Speaking of villains, there's a great 3-page bit where Silver Star checks in on some of his old nemeses to find Norma. All this scene does is make me want to see these guys hatch their own evil plots. Seriously, there's some great, albeit messed up, character design work going on.

Wonder Woman #4

I love whoever's been handling the covers on Wonder Woman lately. There's this great raw, graffiti-like look to them that just pops. It also makes me like the less-than-inspired Wonder Woman logo (seriously, what is it with the logo on most of the new 52?)
We got to check in on our deity characters Apollo and Hera this week…it's been a real slow-burn arc so far (if my memory's correct, we haven't seen either of these characters since issue #1) and, believe it or not, I'm actually kind of enjoying it.

The Bionic Man #5

Woo! Now that Steve Rogers is bionic, we're putting him out in the field! The first two pages consist of a standard mission briefing, with the phrase "low-impact, danger-free field test" being used. If you're wondering, Steve lasts 9 pages before things get bad and a full 12 pages before things get off-the-rails crazy.
This month's issue was some rock-solid spy action with a great fight scene thrown in at the end (and the promise that this was just a lead-in to next month's fight!). If this is the direction the book's headed in from here on out, I'm in.

Birds of Prey #4

After getting out of a tight spot and finding themselves in way over their heads, the Birds finally make good on the tease we've all been looking forward to since this book started: Batgirl shows up! Seriously, this team-up felt so natural it took me a while to realize the "and now…Batgirl!" tagline on the cover was actually a big deal.
Umm…the ending of this issue makes me realize that the Birds' inviso-enemies are, in actuality, The Silence from the latest season of Doctor Who (I apologize about the video being kind of lame, but I wanted something that could work if you had no clue what I was talking about and that was the best I could do on short notice).

Supergirl #4

Aww, man. We just introduced and killed a cool new character in the span of four pages. RIP Jacobs…dude had potential.
This issue is just non-stop action as Kara tears the evil space-base apart, gets her costume back, and blows the dang place up. It's still weird because Kara doesn't understand English and the humans in the comic don't understand Kryptonian, so the reader's the only one who "gets" the full conversation. I hope Kara gets her learn on quickly for nothing else than the fact that it would make future plots a bit easier for her.

Justice League #4

Oh, Aquaman. Even in the past, nobody gave you respect. Except Wonder Woman.
Hey…remember how everyone calls Aquaman "that guy who talks to fish"? Yeah…he uses that to summon sharks who jump up and eat parademons out of the sky. So show a little respect.
Darkseid comes to Earth (it's issue 4…this seems like it might be too early for you to make your presence known there, Darkseid) and, because his presence is just too awesome for a single page, he takes up two back-to-back 2-page splash pages. Granted, he doesn't really do much other than…show up, but it's Darkseid! Next month's gonna be awesome!

Well, that wraps things up this week. Have a merry Christmas, drive safe, and I'll see you back here next week!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 036

2011-12-15T00:00:00.002-05:00

Click for full size

Good morning, my adoring Destroyers!

Not much I can add to this week's issue…other than, wow, what a cliffhanger, eh? What kind of trouble has Bobby led our little band of heroes into now? Tune in next week to find out!

Oh, also, I'd just like to point out that Peach's line in today's comic isn't my usual "let's point out the writer/artist's plot holes/flaws in a meta fashion." Oh no. This is legitimate plot development here, trust me.

Anyway, before I reveal too much of my hand, on to this week's comic book reviews!

[Standard disclaimer: possible spoilers. You've been warned]

Justice League International #4

My comic book shop had this one on backorder last week, so I didn't get a chance to review it then.
The JLI team, continuing their plucky trial-by-fire inaugural arc, gets captured by Peraxxus, the villain I've been lovingly referring to as "DC Galactus." Fortunately (for me, anyway), he changed hats to something a little less "I stole this from the devourer of worlds" (I'm sorry, I may be mis-remembering, but I swear in the splash page we first saw him on, he straight-up stole Galactus' hat).
Also, Guy Gardner…kind of re-joins the team? In the sense that he's now in the same place as the JLI. By the way, it's a minor thing, but surprisingly, I find it harder to take Guy seriously without the stupid bowl cut.
Oh, by the way, Peraxxus fires up his stolen doomsday robots to 'splode the Earth so he can pillage resources…so it's a little like Die Hard in space.

Batgirl #4

I loved the opening of this issue. Barbara has a "survivor's guilt" dream. This would be interesting enough, but throwing in The Mirror as a looming specter in the dream was downright creepy. Getting to see the inner workings of Barbara's head like this is what really intrigues me about this book and is going to keep me coming back month after month.
Another great aspect of this issue, and Gail Simone's writing on this title overall, is seeing Barbara tackle a problem as a detective. Barbara's inner monologue is a joy to read in this issue as she plots how she'll take The Mirror down.
My only--only--problem with this issue is that, as near as I can tell, this is it for the Mirror. I know I've complained about his plot dragging, but I kind of thought we had further to go. Was he the person coming up with the list? If not, who was supplying him with information? How deep could such a conspiracy go? I also had a problem that Barbara conveniently mentioned her mother walking out in the same issue she returned in, but I can let a minor nitpick slide in an issue this strong.

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #4

First thing's first: this cover art is beautiful. Keep the old-Hollywood style covers on this book, DC, and I'll be a fan for life.
While I enjoy the book in a "monsters vs monsters slugfest" kind of way (and don't get me wrong, the creature design is disgustingly amazing), I have a real problem connecting with the characters as opposed to the top-notch interplay in, say, Justice League International. Maybe time will help these characters grow on me, who knows.
Our resident vampire and werewolf (see? I have a real problem with names in this comic) take a jab at Marvel with this dialogue during their last-ditch Hail Mary of a plan: "I feel like we should have a nickname for this…like it's our patented move…the 'furball special' or something like that…" For all my complaints, stuff like that will make me love this book just a little bit more.

Superboy #4

Superboy's granted freedom by a new guy at N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and heads to New York, where he pouts, throws a hissy fit at carolers, and burns down a Christmas tree. I want him to team up with Damian "Robin" Wayne. I think it'd be fun.
Superboy also runs into a superpowered Bonnie and Clyde couple and does the right thing and puts a stop to them…and then promptly calls N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and says he'll gladly be their lapdog. Now…does this sound like it was staged to anyone else or is it just me? Read the issue and come back for discussion. I'll wait.

The Ray #1 of 4

Oh man was this one good. Seriously. Pick it up, you will not be disappointed. From page 1 straight to the end, this is everything that is good about DC comics distilled into one issue. Just try to read this one without cracking a smile.

Snarked #3

Is there anything left to be said about this book? Go. Buy it. Right now. Much like with The Ray, you'll be pleased.

Well, that's all for this week, kids. I'll see you next Thursday!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 035

2011-12-08T00:00:00.005-05:00

Click for full-size

Good morning, brave Destroyers everywhere!

Okay, this week's comic is just a little bit of self-indulgence. I originally had the last line delivered by Mittens, but I decided that, if any character gets to quote Ghostbusters, it's going to be my cat. Yes, nepotism still works even when it's a cat.

Now, on to our spoilertastic comic reviews!

Green Arrow #4

Know what? Four issues in, Ollie's perpetual 5 o'clock shadow's starting to bother me. Give this man his facial hair, darnit!
Just as Jamie predicted last month, the "Green Arrow goes to Japan!" arc seems to have been another casualty of J.T. Krull leaving this book
"So, when do I find out what this was all about?" "You don't." Finally, a supervillain who understands not to lay all your cards out on the table!
This was a solid "bridge" issue, with new characters and scenarios getting set up. I liked seeing Ollie trying to actually be the corporate bigwig he's supposed to be and the hints of our new mastermind, Midas, seem interesting. Less interesting (to me, anyway) is the idea of Q Core going after the gaming market as a form of virtually beta-testing new Green Arrow tech. It just felt tacked on and seemed like a way to say "hey, remember Jax? Yeah, he's doing this now!" Of course, since it felt so tacked on, it'll probably be integral to the plot…

Swamp Thing #4

Kids in horror stories are either annoying or terrifying. William, our harbinger-of-death child villain, is the latter
Remember how I cursed the overly-expository issue #2? There is more exposition here, but I think it's handled better. Maybe it's because the ads seem to have been concentrated in that section to help break it up, but it felt a lot more natural (no pun intended)
There was also this page at the end of the exposition dump…whoever's in charge of the layouts really earns their pay in the acid trip-y sections of this book

Action Comics #4

Okay, I seem to be in a minority as far as comic book reviewers in that I'm digging Action Comics (maybe it's because I watched all 10 seasons of Smallville, who knows), but I have to get my nerd rage on about one thing: "Terminauts?" Really?! That's the name we're going to give the "I AM MADE OF TOASTERS!" killer robots?
Umm…Brainiac's apparently been watching the Lost in Space movie one too many times (seriously…if absolutely anyone can explain the giant spiders, please do so)
This issue begins the back-up stories starring John Henry Irons' Steel and, considering I never really followed him, this story had me rooting for him 100% in just over a page. Plus, he has a sledgehammer. You have to respect someone willing to pull superheroics with a sledgehammer.

Blood Red Dragon #2

I'll be honest…this book is just pure fun. Dragon & Company fight a freaking invasion this time around!

Stormwatch #4

I…guess this issue ends the current "wackiness from the moon" arc? It's hard to say. Surely we're not 100% done with it, but the book's headed in the tried-and-true "we must put [character X] on trial for [reason Y (no pun intended there)]" plot…which I would like to see.

Voltron #1

That's right, people. Voltron's back. And this time…it's personal
This book was just...violently over-decompressed (which may be surprising to hear from me considering what most critics are saying about Geoff Johns' run on Justice League compared to my monthly praise). I could bet good money that this and whatever the heck happens in issue 2 could easily have been condensed into one issue if someone had been willing to give the script another round of edits.

Avenging Spider-Man #2

Okay, so get this: you've got J. Jonah Jameson, mayor of New York City, staring down the new monster villain ruler of the underground, and what does he tell the guy? "You got something to say to J. Jonah Jameson, you do it in ENGLISH!" Jameson for president in 2012. I'd vote for him.
Oh, and then Jameson challenges the monster villain ruler for the throne. Seriously, this book should've just been called Jocular J. Jonah Jameson.
Eww, Red Hulk bleeds orange? Gross.

Galaxy Man #1-3

We're ending on something a little different this week: the comic created by Kyle Puttkammer, owner of my (semi) local comic book shop, Galactic Quest.Galaxy Man has all the great fingerprints of a character created by comic book fans for comic book fans young and old alike. There's a character drawn to look like Jack Kirby. An alien mistakes Stanley's name for "Stan-Lee." And that's not counting the obligatory Twilight Zone reference or not-so-subtle nods to comic book cliches. I also enjoyed things like Galaxy Man's naivete (he never realizes his sidekick is his own daughter) and that Galaxy Man's origin is told through his daughter's perspective (which adds another layer of innocence to the tale). Plus, there's a granny who's a pro wrestling fan! Seriously, if that's not comedy gold, I don't know what is! This book is an absolute joy to read and a real local gem. If you're feeling up to it, you can buy the comic off their official site (note: I am in no way officially affiliated with Galactic Quest, Galaxy Man, or anyone involved).

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 034

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click for full-size

Good morning, Destroyers!

Not much to say this week other than, hey, tunnels. I promise they won't be slogging through them as long as they did in the Prague story arc.

Comic book selection was fairly light today, with only one book coming out (excluding the fact that I'm now another issue behind on Super Dinosaur…I swear one day I'll catch up!)

Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist

Oh, man is this thing fun. Things kick off with quoting the opening dialogue from Queen's Flash's Theme, which automatically made it a win in my book. From there, we go on a rollicking 1930's action-adventure that feels familiar to anyone who's at least watched an Indiana Jones movie…except there's a freaking rocket ship! And an alien planet! And Hitler's totally gonna be all up in this comic!…or at least I assume he is…he's all over the 50 billion covers available for this issue.Seriously, awesome book. Check it out.

That's all we've got this week, kids. I'll see you next Thursday!

Peach the Destroyer: Thanksgiving Special 2011

2011-11-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

A very special Thanksgiving good morning to you, Destroyer fans! Unless, of course, you're not from America, in which case, feel free to replace "Thanksgiving" with "Thursday."

Clearly, there's not much to say about today's issue. Just having a little bit of fun for you guys for the holiday. Anyway, just because Peach and company have a break from fighting the devil monkey hordes doesn't mean I get off so easy…I've still got comic reviews for you lucky folk!

Savage Hawkman #3

The…nameless egg aliens who imprisoned Morphicus/Fake Venom have the worst security system ever. It's only triggered by Nth metal and, therefore, only plays its holographic message AFTER Morphicus/Fake Venom was released! And then it exploded.
"Rid my lab of this bird man!" "Gladly!" Somebody got paid to write this dialogue. Seriously.
On a more serious note…I like our incredibly over-the-top villain, Hogarth Kane. First off, Hogarth?! Clearly someone wasn't loved as a child. Second, he absolutely refuses to do anything half-way. Just look at his over-the-top James Bond fortress. If I were Hawkman and had that eyesore in my skyline, I'd just say "something evil's going down? Hmm…my keen detective powers tell me maybe that guy had something to do with it." In fact, I hope that exact dialogue is used in a future issue. DC, I'll be waiting for my check.

Aquaman #3

I'm calling it: The Trench are officially the best new villain of DC's New 52 (and I haven't even read all the new titles, so yes, I'm biased). These things are vicious, brutal, and more than a little unnerving.
Okay, expanding on that point, we have a Guillermo del Toro-esque autopsy scene in this issue when Aquaman takes a Trench body to an old friend of his dad's. I get the distinct impression Geoff Johns researched the heck out of all kinds of terrifying deep-sea creatures and morphed them all into a singular nightmare.

Superman #3

I really liked the slow-burn opening in this issue, especially the opening (with a huge honkin' anvil of an homage to the old "Superman: strange visitor from the planet Krypton who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men" radio opening.
One thing that stood out to me (and pardon me if I just ignored this in previous issues) is Superman feels really cerebral now. I always used to chalk him up to "punch the bad guy until it can't be punched no more" (and yes, I am kind of sorry for that), so it's really cool to see him work his way through a problem.
My only complaint: in true DC Comics fashion, we get a reference to a past event in another comic…the only problem is that event won't happen for us faithful readers for two more weeks in Action Comics #4. Granted, this was a one-panel reference that served as a teaser to Action Comics more than anything else, but it just grates on me…

Justice League Dark #3

Well, we have team members slowly joining together, so maybe I'll start having less to complain about…
Yes, the shot of Zatanna in a bra was completely necessary and justified and in no way gratuitous whatsoever. End sarcasm. Now when can we get her to stop wearing clubwear and start wearing an actual costume again?
Much like Swamp Thing #3, I turned the page and all of a sudden it felt like I was reading a different book. In this instance, it felt like Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and unfortunately I don't mean that as a compliment. See, I likes me some Sandman, don't get me wrong, but there's a very particular mindset I need for it and trolling through the DC Universe usually isn't it.
Also, this page was gross as heck. Fortunately, we move on and everything seems a-okay.
No. No, DC. You do not get to dump your own comic book covers in as comic book covers in-universe. Especially not DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS WHEN HE'S STARRING IN THIS COMIC! Bad DC. Bad. No brownie for you.

Teen Titans #3

Speaking of teams coming together, a whole lot happens in this issue.
We're introduced to the new character Bunker, who had turned me off when he was announced. It wasn't that he's gay, I don't care about that. I cared that, at least in the initial preview I read, he was pretty darn flaming and I was worried DC might get under fire (totally no pun intended. Honest.) by one group or another. Fortunately, Bunker was freaking hilarious and I'm proud to say that my reaction to him was much like my reaction to Teen Titans as a whole: I came in with low expectations and a vaguely bad feeling and was pleasantly surprised.
We also meet Detritus who…explains his entire backstory in one panel. As much as I hope we'll never see him again, he was only around for a single page, so I'm sure he'll be back.

The Fury of Firestorm #3

This is one of the more surprisingly dark books on my pull list…and I'm still surprised every month.
This issue felt vaguely reminiscent of the old JLU episode Patriot Act, but that was probably just me.

That's all for this week, kids. Again, happy Thanksgiving/Thursday and I'll see you next week!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 033

2011-11-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

It's been a while since Mittens did something dumb. I kinda missed that about him.

That's all I have to say about this week's comics. Onto comic books (warning: spoilers).

By the way, I decided to try ranking each book this week. It might stick, it might not. I'm not sure.

The Bionic Man #4 (10/10)

Hands down, best book of the week.
All three of my previous reviews whined about how Steve wasn't bionic yet…this issue was where Kevin Smith and Phil Hester threw up their hands and said "you want bionic? You'll friggin' get bionic!" This issue has Max the bionic dog (from the 3-season spin-off The Bionic Woman) in a cameo, the freaking "we can rebuild him" voiceover (modified to remind us that there's still an overarching plot we need to worry about), and they even worked in the "nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh" sound effect! It's a comic book and they still bothered to put it in there! Comic of the year material right there. Oh, and yes, he wears the red track suit. After this much gushing, are you surprised?
If you were on the fence about this book before…just try this issue. If you like it, hey, it's only three back issues to pick up.
No, seriously, you should be reading this.

Justice League #3 (9/10)

Young, brash Diana/Wonder Woman is a real joy to read. She looks like she's giving 100% in everything she's doing, from praising ice cream to slaughtering Parademons.
We FINALLY get to see the birth of Cyborg and it's exactly as painful as you'd expect such an origin to be (with the added punch of Apokoliptic visions and a tease of Darkseid).
This felt like a fantastic slice out of an action movie (I can imagine panels of this issue being used to pitch a new Justice League movie to WB, for example), and I am loving the slow formation of the team…but I am starting to see where people are coming from about it being a fast read and not feeling like it's worth the $3.99 price tag. However, it doesn't bother me and I still get a kick out of it.

Supergirl #3 (9/10)

So…it wasn't Lex Luthor we saw at the end of the last issue. It was a new guy who I will lovingly refer to as either Kara's Lex Luthor (I'm assuming he'll be a mainstay) or Snooty McBritish (you can tell he's British because at one point he goes off on a hissy fit that's basically "stupid Americans with your cheeseburgers and your 'French fries…'"). He's fun. I like him as a villain.
Not too much to say…this is a fun ride, though, so you should be checking it out if you're a fan of the Super family.

Kirby: Genesis!: Captain Victory #1 (9/10)

Another awesome addition to the Kirby: Genesis family of books (this one seems to be an Orion analogue, for you playing along at home).
There are a lot of great visual touches in this book, from the freaking lion-dude from the cover to the "shadow"-possessed civilians (who reminded me a little bit of the water zombies from Doctor Who: Waters of Mars).
I thought this would be a light, rollicking space adventure, but nope, turns out this book will basically be asking how long someone can fight darkness before becoming it, which officially makes it better than Star Wars: The Clone Wars (sorry, but that entire cartoon is just propaganda for the dark side. You know it in your heart to be true).

Wonder Woman #3 (8/10)

Picking up on last month, this issue shows us the aftermath of what I'm just going to call "The Battle of Paradise Island" for now.
Okay…it's real hard for me to talk about anything other than…the biggest plot point in this comic, so skip down if you're a spoilerphobe, but I'm still on the fence about Diana's new origin. Turns out she wasn't made of clay and Zeus didn't even strike the clay with a thunderbolt to gift her with life. Nope, Hippolyta (Diana's mom) and Zeus had a thing back in the day and Zeus became a baby daddy. While I like that we've got this whole new conspiracy/"I was trying to protect you" thing, I think such a sudden change is kinda bugging me. We'll see where it leads…
Ending the issue on a positive note, Diana leaves Paradise Island in a self-proclaimed exile, which works better than "mommy's angry at me" or whatever the old reason was
A quick note on the artwork: I love that all the Amazons (Diana and Hippolyta included) have broad shoulders and actually look like Amazons capable of beating anyone in a fight. Still don't understand why Wonder Woman wears heels, though…

Birds of Prey #3 (7/10)

So…yeah. Turns out Poison Ivy can actually work on a team book. Who knew?
I don't really have a whole lot to say about this book. It was still good, but I think I'm starting to worry that this story arc might run on too long. When Green Arrow #3 came out earlier this month, I thought it was a sign that DC was wrapping up their first arcs and would be pushing towards new ones, but clearly I was way off.
Stick with this book if you've been reading it so far. It might just be my initial impression on this issue (wow that's some alliteration there) is way off-base.

House of Night #1 (6/10)

This was…solid. Not what I was expecting from a vampire--err, excuse me, vampyre book…lots of supernatural high school hijinks.
That being said, it turns out this is a tie-in to a novel series, which, while I thought it stood on its own well enough, does explain the apparent lack of a first act.
Conversely…it's $1. Try it if you're interested.

That's all for this week, kids. If you don't hear from me next week, it's because Minecraft leaves beta and the 1.0 release is Friday, so expect that to eat up a ton of my time (sorry in advance).

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 032

2011-11-10T00:00:00.005-05:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

So…yeah. For a webcomic that's all about cats fighting/destroying monsters, I'm usually pretty terrified of showing any real action/fighting. But…I think this might just be the best fight scene we've had so far. And, God help me, next week looks like we're in for more. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN!

The Devil Monkeys…enh, I like the head, but I think the body could use a little work. The problem with researching Devil Monkeys is…there's not a whole lot to go on. There's this mugshot-looking sketch I had (which I based the head off of) and one supposed photograph of one (it's basically been debunked as being a barking dog), so I had lots of room to play. Who knows, maybe we'll see some variation next week…and especially when we meet the dreaded mothermonkey.

So anyway, on to comic book reviews! Kids still dig that kind of thing, right?

Avenging Spider-Man #1

What? What? WHAT?! A Marvel book?! Yeah, I'm not saying I'm a hardcore DC fanboy, but let's just say I'm still a little sore over the whole One More Day debacle.That being said, Avenging Spider-Man is the kind of book I can get behind. It's light on continuity (what's going on with the Avengers? Who cares, they're good guys, the giant robot's evil. Got it) and heavy on fun. Also, when did Red Hulk become a decent character?This book reads in a great, stylized, kinetic manner that makes it super easy to pick up, regardless of how much or little you know about the characters. However…I have one excruciatingly nitty nit to pick. Who was in charge of the layouts? Who thought a 2-page spread was necessary for the credits? Seriously (you might not be able to tell, but I'm trying to give my "disapproving" look here). But anyway, good comic. Check it out.

Batgirl #3

Okay, this book started out being a little…divisive for me. On one hand, the beginning really shocked me and almost turned me off the book, but on the other, Nightwing suddenly showed up and the issue almost felt like flirty filler by the end. At first, I felt kind of annoyed, but the appearance of Nightwing let us have some good character moments with Barbara/Batgirl in-costume. Also, new this issue (as far as my memory can tell) is the looming threat that Barbara might wind up back in the wheelchair if she's not careful, as she should be taking her time adjusting to her still-somewhat-new status as a non-paraplegic. I think I like that as a looming threat simply because it's not supervillain-related. Overall, this was a good character piece that helped push Batgirl forward.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3

I love this book. Like I said before about Swamp Thing, this is a great testament to the variety in The New 52…there are weird, dark little corners where friggin' Frankenstein, a werewolf, a mummy, a vampire, a sort-of-sea-monster, and Frankenstein's ex-wife spend an issue fighting a giant spider (apparently Jon Peters worked on this comic). Then the spider eats Frankenstein. Then Frankenstein…seems to punch the spider's brain out through its stomach. Yeah. This happened. This is a comic someone got paid to write and you can buy it and it's pretty glorious from this grindhouse Hammer horror perspective.

Kirby: Genesis! Silver Star #1

Hey, look! Someone at Dynamite was listening when I said Jack Kirby's legacy could fuel a whole slew of comic books (and this is the first of many spin-offs. Yes, I'm happy). This issue is an epic ton of ground-laying that I basically love. I'm not sure exactly how this fits in with Kirby: Genesis' chronology (I'm firmly taking the late Dwayne McDuffie's "every [comic] has its own, individual continuity" answer on this one until I'm told otherwise, thank you), but it intrigues me because it seems like this book will be a character study on what a lifetime of war and superpowers does to a person.

Superboy #3

This is sort of the climax to last month's issue and…maybe if they'd tweaked the script a bit, this story could've been told in one month instead of two.Anyway, plotting issues aside, this was another solid entry into our new Superboy. He got to get out and about, see the world, discover a little bit more about himself, and hey, next month promises answers! Good read, but there art's starting to look a tad wonky…especially that last page (and that's not even getting into the plot problems that become apparent when you start to analyze it).

Well, I think that about wraps things up for us this week. I'll see you next Thursday, everyone. Remember to bring your friends!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 031

2011-11-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers everywhere!

Really not much to say about this week's comic...we're basically in exposition mode to set up next week's issue, which looks like it'll be pretty awesome, right? Anyway, on to the weekly comic reviews...

Action Comics #3

I love this comic. I may have said it before, but all the hype DC put into Justice League #1 should have easily been put into this title. Grant Morrison hit his stride in issue #2 and this 100% builds on it. We get to see a brand new threat come in from multiple points and, as good as this issue was, #4 looks like it's shaping up to be a doozie…

Blood Red Dragon #1

I'm still surprised that, of all books, Blood Red Dragon is one of the ones I look forward to the most. Seriously, if you read manga and Western comics, you owe it to yourself to read this. Feel free to skip issue #0 if your comic shop can't get ahold of it…issue #1 is just as accessible without it (though you are shortchanging yourself some gorgeous artwork). While we're still in "exposition/setup" mode, it's automatically forgivable since this is issue #1 and our titular Dragon gets thrown into a trial by fire by the issue's end.

Green Arrow #3

Okay, watch out because it's Joe and it's a new issue of Green Arrow. I love this book because it feels very "cinematic" to me. It's real easy for me to sit down with an issue like I would a DVD and get wrapped up in another rollicking GA adventure. That being said, I hadn't been too keen on what the solicits kept referring to as "the Jersey Shore of super villains." It's bad enough I know what Jersey Shore is…don't let it invade my comics, please. Fortunately, not only does this story wrap up, we also get bleeding heart liberal Oliver Queen speechifying and condemning reality television. God bless you, Oliver Queen. May the nation heed your call.
…however…there are some growing pains going on in the DC offices and one of them is the loss of JT Krul as writer of Green Arrow. This means the Black Canary team-up we were promised last month? Nowhere to be found, and Oliver uses a sonic attack arrow at one point…blatant last-minute swap or coincidence. Discuss in the comments.

Justice League International #3

I love everything about this book. If you absolutely, positively have to read only one Justice League book…make it this one. You won't be disappointed.

Peanuts #0

This book could have easily gone either way. It could have been a classic…or it could have been like those lame fake Charlie Brown cartoons TV stations try to pawn off on us every year after the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas specials air so they can fill up an hour of programming.
Fortunately, Peanuts #0 delivered. I think part of what worked in its favor is it tells a few short stories broken up by classic Charles Schulz strips. The end result feels very satisfying and you get to touch base with several characters instead of just following one for 20+ pages.

Snarked! #2

Roger Langridge continues to knock it out of the park with Snarked! The way he constructs his prose and dialogue is absolutely superb and is by far the best writing I've seen this week. If you have kids--or even if you don't--you owe it to them to have them read this beautiful book!

Stormwatch #3

Okay, I'm gonna say it: I really like this book. I like that, in the DC Universe, there's a book about an organization that doesn't want the Justice League "bumbling up" their operation. And they're fighting the moon. No, they're not fighting on the moon…they're fighting. The. Moon. It's a glass of Kool-Aid that's at least worth trying.

Swamp Thing #3

All right…this is it. This could have been my final issue of Swamp Thing. And then, literally, I turned the page and it felt like I was reading a Mike Mignolia comic (which automatically gives any book a lot more leeway from me). Yes, there was more exposition, but it was a lot more organic (sorry) than last time. Plus, we have a creepy creepy threat in the form of a child. KIDS ARE CREEPY! So yeah, I'm sticking with this one. I like that there's room for something like this in the DC Universe.

Well, that's all we've got this week, kids. I'll see you next week!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 030

2011-10-27T06:00:00.005-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

So I've re-learned the joys of writing new characters. Entirely my fault, but clearly our cast should have expanded far more than it has by now.

Another lesson I re-learned was something Guillermo del Toro said in the commentary track for Hellboy: if you research anything, eventually you'll find evidence. In my case, I needed something to support Virginia being a supernatural hot spot. Turns out there really is an urban legend about The Gates of Hell and ley lines are all over Virginia (I also stole the idea to research ley lines from del Toro). The Linoge bit is a throwaway reference to Stephen King, which I'll let you research on your own.

And now...on to the comic reviews! WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS!
This week is a mix of bullet-points and paragraphs, depending on which I thought best suited my mini-review for each title...

Aquaman #2

This issue really solidifies Aquaman & Mera as a DC power couple (no pun intended), with great stuff like people referring to Mera as Aquawoman. At one point in the issue, Aquaman looks like he’s about to kill the man when he corrects him.

I love the new villains, the mysterious monsters from the trench and I can actually see them getting some serious mileage in the future...they feel like the Aquaman equivalency of zombies

My only complaint (and it’s more of a nitpick) is that the creatures' dialogue is translated into English throughout the issue. While the cliffhanger would've been pointless without it, there were a few scenes that could have been ratcheted up a notch or two if we didn't know what the creatures were saying (not that they say much, which is why I'm saying this is just a nitpick).

The Fury of Firestorm #2

Okay, I know I picked the first issue up out of curiosity...but I wasn’t expecting this. Jason and Ronnie (our Firestorms) are now on the run from an international special ops team who discredit them to their families as domestic terrorists! This...this is a freaking Firestorm book! I recommend it, it’s a good read and this issue was better paced than the first issue, it’s just...man, I was not expecting one of the darker titles on my pull list to be freaking Firestorm.

Justice League Dark #2

Speaking of dark... (see what I did there?)I’m not saying that the book is “losing” me, but it feels like it has the same problem several people have about Justice League: "When is the team actually going to form? What’s going on? Waah, waah, waah." Maybe I feel the issues here more than Justice League because I’m less familiar with the characters. I freely admit this is just my problem. Watch, next month I'll be singing the book's praises (hey, it worked for Action Comics)This issue focuses on Deadman and Dove’s relationship drama (an aside: in one scene, Dove transforms into her superhero alter ego by saying “Dove.” Does this happen every time she says it? What happens if she tells someone that’s her favorite brand of soap or chocolate? Does she just transform in the middle of the grocery store?) and...I’m sorry, it’s so scattershot I have a little bit of a hard time figuring out what’s going on. And don’t even get me started on Madame Xanadu. Overall? I like the idea, I just want to get everyone on the same page and heading somewhere. Then I’ll probably be on board 100%

Kirby: Genesis #3 & #4

If Aquaman hadn’t come out, these would be my default picks-of-the-week. I love everything about the Genesis concept and it’s just so much fun to see this team playing with Jack Kirby’s box of toys...enough happens in one issue to fill out at least two or three issues of a Marvel or DC book, with enough concepts to cover at least three or four spin-off books. If you’re not reading Genesis, you need to get on board before it’s too late.

The Savage Hawkman #2

NOTE: This review is going to be in two parts, because there were two panels that launched me on a several-minutes-long rant to my wife last night that you, unfortunately, must suffer through as well. But first, the rest of the issue:

I’m really digging this new Hawkman series, and I’ll say that as someone whose experience with the character was mostly from him laughing at Green Arrow’s Batman impression back in Quiver. This series makes him feel easily accessible for the first time in who-knows-how-long as he’s met with new mysteries, plus his wackadoo symbiotic-like costume. I was glad that this issue addressed my one problem from last time: the Nth metal can create weapons at Hawkman’s will, so he’s not stuck with that caveman-looking mace from the last issue. Plus we get to see Carter Hall trying to crack a translation, slowly making this book a bit of a superhero Indiana Jones

And now for the bad...

In the middle of the book, we cut to the N.L.A.S. (Non Lethal Alternative Studies) Building. And I have one question about it: WHO THE HECK DESIGNED THAT THING?! It looks like Superman built a skyscraper using one of those Kryptonian build-a-building crystal (assuming those are still around post-relaunch) and then some architect said "know what? That design's not quite pompous enough…"And then, one panel after seeing that eyesore of architecture, we read about budget cuts and how the N.L.A.S. is on the chopping block…know how you could've avoided that? By not building that blight on the New York skyline (oh, by the way, N.L.A.S. is in Manhattan…probably should've mentioned that). Oh, and of course this is our villain’s hide-out, as if it weren’t obvious enough. Y’know, most supervillains aren’t this over-the-top, they just hollow out a volcano or something. Ugh.

Superman #2

Okay, this was a fun little mystery comic. There’s a little bit of arc-building (using aliens whose dialogue isn’t translated to English for us, but Superman can make out the word “Krypton”...not that I'm telling you how to do your job, Aquaman), but most of the comic is Superman fighting a monster who he can’t see or hear. Other people can see it...for a while, Superman has to go by clues like bystanders saying “why isn’t he doing anything?” to figure stuff out. This was a great example of Superman using his head to solve a problem, which could be said about the last issue, too. I’m more than happy that we’re showcasing the fact that our Man of Steel’s got a brain to go along with that brawn.

Teen Titans #2

I’ll say it: we’re two issues in and a lot of people still owe this one an apology.This book could seriously have no arc, no world-building, and just consist of Tim Drake globe-trotting and righting wrongs and I’d still be on board for it. Speaking of which, he stays at Wonder Girl’s place for the night, leading to the hilarious image of him doing research while sitting under a pretty pretty unicorn painting. With a rainbow. People, if that’s not worth the price of admission alone, I don’t know what is.

That's all for this week, kids. I'll see you next time, same Peach-time, same Peach-channel!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 029

2011-10-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

Yes, Bobby is blatantly ripped off of Bobby from Supernatural. I knew that going in. I might add a baseball cap to him in future arcs because…well, that'd look funny, wouldn't it?

Anyway, I like this week's issue. It's a little bit of a reveal, a little bit setup. It's a good mix for a comic with three cats talking for six panels. Now on to the comic book reviews!

WARNING! SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!

*Note: Usually I try to keep everything in order, either by release date or alphabetically…but I'm kinda lazy this week, so it's in the order I read everything*

Wonder Woman #2

First thing's first: When I look at the cover, with it's skinhead fashion model (Strife, introduced this issue) and "GODS DRAW BLOOD" title, for some reason it makes me think this is a particularly gory fashion magazine.
We start with Hera chewing scenery on Mount Olympus and…god, it's that great over-the-top evil that's just a joy to read. The action then moves to Paradise Island, and I think it's a very different feel…it's night, everything's lit by fire, and there's a strong "warrior culture" vibe running through the scenes. Bear in mind, I'm used to animated takes on Paradise Island, but I thought this was a great change of pace. There's also a pretty hilarious double-entendre in one scene that I'm not going to spoil for you.
Okay, now I'm going to talk about the ending. It was announced before this book came out that Wonder Woman was going to have a father, and that father would be Zeus. Now, I'm no Wonder Woman buff, but I thought her origin (mom made her out of clay and the gods brought her to life) was perfect. Simple, to the point, and we moved on. I'd even mentioned to a friend earlier that I wouldn't mind if Zeus was simply the god who bestowed life on the clay Wonder Woman, but that's clearly not the direction we're heading in. My feelings on this shake-up are…mixed. I try to keep an open mind on a lot of things, so I'm obviously hoping for the best, but the pessimist in me is bracing for this being the worst thing to hit Wonder Woman since Amazons Attack.

Justice League #2

I'm sure this book has its detractors, but for me, there's something fun about seeing the dysfunctional family that is the Justice League coming together. Geoff Johns and Jim Lee said that part of the relaunch was that they wanted to create memorable moments (i.e. "you'll remember the first time Flash meets Wonder Woman," etc.), and I can really feel that mentality shining through in Justice League. While it's a fast read, I like the little touches, like Superman's current hideout being an abandoned printing press or the "how much does he eat?" note by a picture of the Flash at Barry Allen's police department (full disclosure: I missed that one until my wife pointed it out to me).
There was also some Watchmen-esque supplemental information with Steve Trevor being grilled by Waller about his botched mission that resulted in him landing on Paradise Island. I liked it, but stuff like this could get old fast, so I'm a little hesitant on it.

Supergirl #2

This was just a good old "two heroes meet up, and a misunderstanding causes them to fight" issue (a bit like Justice League #2, now that I think about it). It also looks like we're getting a nice, slow reveal at Lex Luthor in the present-day timeline, which I approve of (he's also a kind of shadow presence in Justice League, with just a name drop and a few LEXCORP signs).

Birds of Prey #2

Starling's a fun addition to the DC universe. I think it'd be fun to throw her in with some more traditional heroes, just because she's clearly off-kilter. Speaking of off-kilter, did Katana always have a murdered-husband's-soul in her sword? Because I like that as a character trait. Overall, I think this is shaping up to be a really interesting crime-drama series, and if it's used properly, Birds of Prey could showcase a different take on the entire DCU depending on where storylines take them.
Also, exactly how messed up is this team that Poison Ivy gets an invitation?

Bionic Man #3

This chapter's titled "We Can Rebuild Him." We even get a "six million dollar" head nod (although, due to inflation, that's now the daily funding for the operation).
I was originally going to end my review there, with a quick "that should tell you everything you need to know," but it really doesn't. Steve Rogers still isn't bionic (yet), but I honestly don't mind. This was a very strong issue that really made me feel for Steve as a character. In fact, any scrap of reservation I had about this book was gone by the time I got to the end. I don't know when Steve's going to be doing his bionic acts, but now I'm willing to let the story breathe and tell its tale at its own pace.

Stormwatch #1 & #2

I was going to complain about the clunky expository dialogue, but then the moon attacked a guy and I remembered that comics are awesome. By the time issue #2 got started, the tone shifted more-than-slightly to a UNIT-based Doctor Who comic. Unsurprisingly, Stormwatch's writer, Paul Cornell, wrote some pretty dark episodes of Doctor Who (Human Nature and Family of Blood [note: that clip's a tiny bit spoilery, but hopefully I've made at least one person out there interested in Doctor Who]). Cornell's found his Doctor avatar in Adam, a character I can't not read in David Tennant's voice because…well, because.

Anyway, that's all I have to say this week, fanboys and fangirls. I'll see you again next week!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 028

2011-10-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

Click for full size

OHAI, my happy happy destroyer fans! Not much to say about this week's comic, so if nobody minds, I'm just going to dive straight into our weekly comic book reviews…

CAUTION! HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!

Batgirl #2 (released 10/12)

Okay, I know there was a lot of backlash on the Internets about the ending of issue #1. That being said, I think issue #2 built off that ending really well and delivered another solid, grounded adventure. My only nit to pick is…now that we have The Mirror's sad, sad backstory out of the way, I kinda just want to have him punched in the face so we can move on. I don't know why…maybe it's just because I got a glimpse behind the curtain so now there's no mystery. After I finished reading, I thought to myself y'know…we probably won't see The Mirror up to something in x number of months/years. That's my problem…he feels a little bit like a "one-story" villain. Granted, I could be way off. His backstory could just be another mind game or he could easily be working for a new, bigger threat. But hey, I still enjoyed the issue, plus Barbara Gordon got to show off her detective skills (oh, and we get a little glimpse of her roommate as a no-nonsense character…I can't wait to see her get fleshed out some more).

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 & 2 (issue 1 second printing released 10/12, issue 2 released 10/12)

I'm a Hellboy fan. This book is Hellboy meets the DC Universe. In hindsight, I should have picked this book up a lot sooner. I love all the little namedrops we get to the DC Universe. Who's S.H.A.D.E.'s science liaison? Why Ray Palmer, of course. Where did the vampire bat-like character gain his powers? An augmented version of the Langstrom serum. Duh! I like books that show the little connections in the DC Universe…it goes a long way to making everything feel like it takes place in a real world (on a related note, next month seems to be guest-star week in DC Comics, with Black Canary dropping by Green Arrow and Nightwing popping up in Batgirl).

Green Arrow #2 (released 10/5)

Last week my comic shop got shorted two books: Hawk & Dove (which…who cares? It's Hawk & Dove, for cryin' out loud!), and Green Arrow. Yeah, guess which one I was torn up about.Anyway, this issue continues the "viral video villains" plot (oh god, can you imagine the pitch meeting for that?) from last issue. I know some people hated it, but I certainly don't mind. It's hard for me to really do a "review" of this book as I'm obviously not going to be looking at it objectively, although I seriously have to question whoever made the decision to turn Oliver Queen (pre-reboot) into a freaking clone of Connor Hawke (pre-reboot, compare to Ollie post-reboot [bottom right]). But hey, aside from my little bout of nerd rage, I thought this was an enjoyable issue, with a good bit of world-building and a smidge of setup for future issues.

Superboy #2 (released 10/12)

Okay, this issue kind of felt like a summer blockbuster. Basically Superboy and Deathstroke's daughter fight the heck out of giant shark-man aliens. There's not a whole lot more to it (well, other than some flashbacks to the aftermath of Superboy's telekinetic freak-out in issue 1), but there's some very solid action, we get a nice showcase of a lot of Superboy's powers, and we even subvert the tried-and-true "henchmen take a turn pounding on the hero" cliché. Overall, I think this book is still a good mile above where everyone expected it to be back when we only had the initial solicit to go by.

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 027 (Plus...You Guessed It...Comic Reviews!)

2011-10-06T06:00:00.002-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, Destroyers!

Today's issue emphasizes what Peach the Destroyer will be about for a while, which is mainly me settling into a single art style instead of attempting arc-specific styles. Basically, we'll be seeing Peach from the Peach's Day Off arc interacting with Mission in Prague Mittens and retaining the halftone-patterened photo backgrounds from Mission in Prague.

But enough of all that blathery-talk. We've got comics to review! I forgot to take notes today, so these are going to be a little bit fast and loose. Please bear with me.

WARNING! FAIRLY VAGUE SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW!

Action Comics #2 (released 10/5)

Okay, remember how I said I was on the fence with issue #1? Yeah, this blows all those misgivings out of the water. We get some great Lex Luthor moments (and that's Dr. Luthor now), some really solid moments of Superman being…well, Superman, and even some cameo appearances by John Henry "Steel" Irons and John "Metallo" Corben. I loved the setup, with Superman held captive and being tested by Luthor and the US military. It's a classic scenario, but it feels new and different. I take back everything I said about Action Comics #1, this is definitely a title to watch in the New 52.

Blood Red Dragon #0 (released 10/5)

All right, stop me when this sounds crazy. So Stan Lee meets Japanese rock star Yoshiki at a party--
I know I told you to stop me, but lemme finish!Anyway, they get to talking, Stan Lee decides he wants to do a comic starring Yoshiki, Yoshiki decides he wants Lee to cameo in one of his music videos as Satan--
I know, I know. But lemme finish!Anyway, long story short, Blood Red Dragon is the fruit of Stan Lee's wacked-out labors and, as worried as I was with it being a "Lee has an idea and hands it off to a separate writer/artist team," this book was amazingly solid. Maybe it's because the artwork has a very obvious manga vibe (I'm not familiar with the artist on this book, so I'm not sure if this is his usual style or not), or maybe it was because a lot of the comic's backstory felt eerily reminiscent of Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug's "Atop the 4th Wall," but I thought this was one of the best things I read all night.

Justice League International #1 & 2 (second printing of #1 released 10/5, #2 released 10/5)

DC, forgive me. I missed the first printing of Justice League International out of…well, ignorance. Golly bob, howdy was I missing out! The guy I initially dismissed as being "I dunno…um…Crab-Man?" Yeah that's the Chinese superhero August General in Armor, and he friggin' steals the show with his bickering with the Russian member of the team, Rocket Red. Seriously, so much love for this book. Batman practically tells a joke! Go. Buy it now. You. Will. Not. Be. Disappointed.

Snarked #1 (released 10/5)

I'm a little (read: lot) rusty on my Alice in Wonderland mythology, so I'm sure a lot of this goes right over my head. But it's a story about the Walrus and the Carpenter helping the children of the king, who's lost at sea. There's tons of Wonderland references (and I'm sure I missed a lot that more learned readers will catch). Recommended, especially if you have kids who might enjoy it, too.

Swamp Thing #1 & 2 (second printing of #1 released 10/5, #2 released 10/5)

Poor Swamp Thing. This book's kind of…weird, and not just in the way you'd expect when your title character's…well, Swamp Thing. Issue #1 feels an awful lot like it was written for Old DC, and when rumblings started to kick up about the relaunch, Swamp Thing got tossed in there without any rewrites. Issue #1 reads fairly okay, aside from that whole "written pre-relaunch" problem, but Issue #2 has so much exposition you feel like there should be a blank page that just says "INTERMISSION" so you can catch your breath. There are two 2-page spreads with MASSIVE walls of text! I'm hoping that this was just a misstep and, now that the exposition's out of the way (I can only hope that was all of it), we'll be moving on to a better third issue next month.

Well, that wraps things up for us this week, friends. Have a good week and I'll see you next Thursday.

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 026 (Plus Comic Reviews!)

2011-09-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, destroyer fans! Sorry, this week's one of those pesky "setup" comics I do sometimes. Trust me, stuff will be getting crazy fast.

This week I've got my make-up comic reviews from last week, followed by this week's reviews! CRAZY! Because of such a deluge of reviews, I'll try to keep it to a few points per comic, for your sake as well as mine...

Bionic Man # 1 & 2 (August 24 & September 21)

This book feels like a little bit of a slow burn (2 issues in and our man's not even bionic yet), but it feels very well-paced (which can only be a compliment, considering it's based on an unproduced screenplay).

That being said, there are some rewrites that were done, evidenced both by Phil Hester writing credit (note: I'm a Phil Hester fan, so be prepared for some blatant gushing when I have time) & the amped-up violence that I'm guessing wouldn't have flown for a studio that was probably looking for a PG/PG-13 Six Million Dollar Man movie.

Birds of Prey #1 (September 21)

I'm growing suspicious of the fact that Barbara Gordon never namedrops Oracle. She only pops in for a cameo in this issue, but I'm just saying…

This book felt a little…manic, but it's still got some solid potential. Plus, hey, Black Canary. As a Green Arrow fan, I'm eagerly awaiting the inevitable return to the Arrow/Canary romance...

Super Dinosaur #1: Origin Special! (May 18)

Seriously, this makes me miss Saturday morning cartoons. It's Robert Kirkman, why can't he leverage his success with The Walking Dead to get this made into a cartoon?!

Supergirl #1 (September 21)

This was kind of a "spectacle" book, but I have no complaints about it. First off, it's a re-telling of Supergirl's origin. It's fun. People get beat up, Supergirl's at least as confused as the reader is, and oh yeah, she mentions how she hasn't graduated yet, so try to keep your eyes above her waist. Ju-u-ust saying…

Is it too much to ask that a future issue explains that '90s looking S-shield Kara's sporting? I know, Krypton, but…ugh.

Wonder Woman #1

I seriously had to check a few times to make sure I hadn't somehow inexplicably picked up issue #2.

This could easily be a solid setup for a good story, but it felt a little…backwards. First we get a ton of crazy action, then a lot of the plot setup happened at the end of the issue.

And now, on to the new comics from this week!

Aquaman #1 (September 28)

Okay, I wasn't aware the fish-aliens from Stargate: Universe were still getting work. Good for them.

Some idiot decides to debate the existence of Atlantis with Aquaman. That…that's like debating the moon landing with Buzz Aldrin (note: Aquaman doesn't punch the guy, but that was my kneejerk reaction to the scene).

I think this may have been my favorite book this week. This is going to be the book that makes a lot of people Aquaman fans.

Fury of Firestorm #1 (September 28)

I grabbed this on a lark because…it's Firestorm. People joke about Aquaman, but at least he has some market penetration and people know who he is. No one cares enough about Firestorm to make fun of him!

I was surprised by this book…I'm hoping it becomes the Firestorm equivalent to James Robinson's Starman run. Plus, how many comics do you see that namedrop CERN?

Justice League Dark (September 28)

First off, I'm not positive, but I might have the font they used on the "DARK" for the title. Guys, I advise a better graphic designer for these things…

Okay, so I was on the fence with Cyborg being a part of the Justice League. He shows up with Superman and Wonder Woman and, in two pages, goes a LONG way towards making me like him. He's like Spider-Man with the Avengers: an everyman to help the reader see the situation.

Good introduction to the characters/status quo of the…well, dark side of the DCnU. Unlike with the regular Justice League, we got to drop in on all the major players in one issue.

The Savage Hawkman #1 (September 28)

Hawkman had enough continuity issues before the DC reboot. There. I said it. With that out of the way, this issue acknowledges them and moves right along.

Of all the things we could have named a ship in this comic, we had to go with "The Shining Knight Research Vessel?" Really? Really? (Note: any excuse to link to that scene. Any. Excuse.)

I still have no idea what kind of weapon Hawkman's supposed to be wielding in this comic (seriously, axe? Mace? Ace? Maxe?).

Superman #1 (September 28)

…Morgan Edge is black now. Just putting that out there. Considering who we cast for the upcoming Man of Steel movie, I'm surprised we didn't make Perry White black.

Good story, felt very "Superman." I wasn't exactly fond of the monkey wrench twist ending of "ZOMG, LOIS IS DATING SOME DUDE WHO ISN'T CLARK!!!", but I'm sure that will be fixed in time.

Teen Titans #1 (September 28)

Okay, so here's the one I've been looking forward to ever since Superboy #1 surprised me. First thing's first: you really should read this before Superboy #1. Chronologically it just makes more sense and I wish DC had thought of that...

Much like Justice League #1, we don't meet the whole team, instead focusing on Red Robin, Wonder Girl, and a little bit of set-up for our nefarious organization of bad guys.

Might be a bit of a slow burn, but I'm pleasantly surprised. Maybe not as much as I was with Superboy, but believe it or not, they're both actually worth checking out.

Well, that's (finally) it for this week, everyone. I'll see you next week with more action, more adventure, and more comics!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 025

2011-09-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, my destroyers! Good news and bad news, I'm afraid. Good news is, hey, new Peach the Destroyer. Yay! Bad news is, due to mostly-unforeseen circumstances, I don't have a witty commentary/batch of weekly comic book reviews for you. But fret not! I plan to update this once I have some spare time and comics read!

Peach the Destroyer: Issue 024 (Plus Comic Reviews!)

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Click for full size

Good morning, my adoring destroyers! This comic (finally) concludes The Mission in Prague, with a conversation you'd think the two would've had at the end of Peach's Day Off, but know what? Dr. Felis can be a little bit thick-headed sometimes. There. I said it.

Also, to crush at least one fan's hopes, no, our next arc will not involve an Egyptian goddess on the Orient Express in space. I wanted to…blatantly steal the "unseen adventures" element from Doctor Who and it came down to a toss-up between that line and the "four things and a lizard" line from Blink. Also, if this paragraph made little-to-no sense to you, clearly you need to watch more Doctor Who.

So, hey, Wednesday was yesterday (oh god I hope that's not news to anyone) and my loving wife and I took a trip down to our not-exactly-local comic book shop to see the sights and buy some comics. Since I like reviewing things for you guys, here's what I read:

Justice League #1 (Originally released 8/31)

Okay, I'm late on this one. Very late by reviewers standards. But know why? because I'm still new at this whole "buying individual issues" thing and I let everyone buy it before I stood a chance. I read the reviews online calling it slow-paced, decent but meh, etc. And y'know what? Maybe it's because I had a few weeks to lower my expectations, but…it was pretty solid. Maybe it's because I'm a nerd and was too busy focusing on some of the references/worldbuilding for the villain (sorry, I'm trying to keep things spoiler-free), but I thought it was a nice Batman/Green Lantern team up and…yeah, I can see it working as a build-up to the formation of the Justice League. I think a lot of why I liked it was I had enough time to distance the book from the "THIS IS THE ISSUE YOU HAVE TO READ! THIS IS WHERE EVERYTHING BEGINS!" hype it had upon its release.

Batgirl #1 (Originally released 9/7)

Yeah, I'm behind on this one, too. Frankly, I had no reason to read this book, but I had no reason not to, either. Sure, nerds will debate about which one of Barbara Gordon's alter-egos was capable of doing the most good: Batgirl or her wheelchair-bound computer-expert Oracle, but since I never read any of the Bat-family books, I never felt like I had a stake in the argument. I mostly picked this book up on the sheer basis that I've never read a Gail Simone book, despite knowing her name well enough to know she's one of DC's best talents.
I thought this book was a good introduction to Barbara's new status quo, and I say that as someone who's basically coming in as a noob (see above). We get to see Barbara's trauma from The Killing Joke and her trying to deal with it and move on with her life. If I had to sum it up, I'd say the tone of Batgirl is…respectful. This book acknowledges and honors Barbara's time as Oracle (or I assume…her time in a wheelchair has been compressed to three years and I don't remember "Oracle" being mentioned, although I could be wrong as I have a bad memory) while showing Barbara's glee at being able to patrol and save people directly again. I'd recommend it, especially since it apparently didn't sell out last week.

Superboy #1 (Originally released 9/14)

Okay, this is the cover of Superboy #1. I am a self-proclaimed nerd. Let's be honest, Superboy looks like something out of Tron. And when DC was announcing their relaunch comics left right and center, that was the first glimpse we had at the new Superboy.
And I hated it.
Seriously.
No, really. You have no idea. We're talking "Han shot first" levels of nerd-rage here.
Now let's flashback to last week. While I expressed some mixed feelings towards Action Comics #1, my wife's two-word review of the issue was "LOVED IT!" and she immediately expressed interest in reading the rest of the Super-family books.
And y'know what? She was right. I'll say it. While, yes, he does wear the Tron-suit in the issue, it is justified in-context (though he does have these S-shield-shaped signs on the back of his hands which…seriously, just…what?). This was also my first Superboy comic ever and, while I'm sure the whole "failed lab experiment" thing is old-hat to long-time readers, it still felt fresh to me. Plus there were a few very solid twists in the book that gave it a surprising edge.

Kirby: Genesis #1 and #2 (Originally released 8/01 and 9/01, respectively)

These were the "random finds" this trip. I had heard about this project through the grapevine months ago and shrugged it off. If you're not familiar with Jack Kirby, he's one of the founding fathers of modern comics and probably creator of at least a handful of characters you already know. I shrugged it off because…well, I've read a solid chunk of Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus books to know that Kirby had a certain style and voice that aren't easily duplicated. Then I read the free preview issue on Comixology and I got turned around. "Wow," I thought. "This could actually work." And after reading issue #1, I was ready for an entire line of books set in this comic's universe (also, an aside, I just found out while researching that Genesis is only an 8-issue miniseries. Man!). Genesis reads like a love letter to everything Jack Kirby brought to comics (see the final page for issue #2. That's Darkseid. They can call him whatever they want, they can color his skin all...not-grey, that's friggin' Jack. Kirby's. Darkseid.) while simultaneously bringing a breath of fresh air to absolutely everything. If I had to recommend a single comic based on this week's purchases, it would be this.

Well, that's (finally) all for this week, everyone. I hope you have a good week and I'll see you next Thursday!