Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow The Movie

Dear Readers,

This movie started off pretty slow, but quickly picked up the pace as the story progressed.

Characters:
James- Seemed to be apathetic and is the one character who seems to feel the least connected to his parents. Interestingly enough, he is the son of both Captain America and Black Widow, but he is only interested in finding out more information about his father. Even his costume only resembles Captain America's former sidekick, Bucky. The only characteristic that seems to tie him to Black Widow are the similar hair colors. At the end of the day, I just wish that he had more of his mother's influence within his character design.
Azari- Probably my favorite hero in the movie. He is the son of the Black Panther but they never blatantly reveal who his mother is. Within the bunch of kids, he is seemingly the "teacher's pet" and "goody-two-shoes" in the bunch. Considering that his father was a king, I sit on the fence of whether his "accommodating personality" is a happy difference from a typical prince or too far removed. I think the writers do a lovely job of alluding to the idea of Storm from the X-Men, being his mother. His entire character design is brilliant, making an ingenious blend between Black Panther and Storm. This character is the perfect merge between catlike qualities and electric energy, symbolizing both parents.
Pym- is the quintessential "little brother" type; that is a staple of any teen-aged superhero team. In instances like this, you can imagine Michaelangelo from TMNT, Beast Boy from Teen Titans, and Jubilee from the X-Men. He's immature, precociously intelligent, and apprehensive in a battle, which makes him the most interesting of all the characters. Obviously, his powers were the easiest to predict, seeing as both his parents possess size-changing abilities. The bonus is that this little guy can still use his wasp stings as a giant.
Torunn- is the lone female in this batch of kids. if anyone ever saw that episode of Justice League called "Kids Stuff" you could see that this little girl seems like a clone of Wonder Woman, when she was de-aged in that episode. She flies, she's super strong and speaks as though she right out of a mythological tale. The thing that I find interesting is that she is the only female, but outside of occasionally flirting with Hawkeye, she can very easily be a boy instead. Her costume isn't exactly effeminate, throughout most of the movie she is in the middle of battling men, and she is bigger than the other teen/tween characters. This is one of the few instances in a super-teen cartoon where there isn't a "girly" character.
Hawkeye- is the perfect example of the character that is "too cool for school". The interesting aspect of this character is that he can come off very apathetic at certain points in the movie, but very passionate about saving others and defeating Ultron. He plays the tough/cool/flirty guy, which is very similar to his father, the original Hawkeye.

Overall the movie was great, but I do wish that this movie was a bit more connected to the Ultimate Avengers franchise. In this movie, when the original Avengers are referenced, they are wearing their typical comic book costumes instead of the outfits they use in Ultimate Avengers movies. Plus, Hawkeye (the original) has yet to be introduced into the Ultimate Avengers franchise. On an ending note, why are Betty, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner so old looking? This movie is about the children of the Avengers, but these three characters look like they could be in the same generation as these children's grandparents instead of parents.


@~~~~~}~~~~~~~~~~~Devin Peacock

X-Force Issues #5-6

Hi Readers,

I know I said before that the Purifiers' "Choir" was stupid, but this time I read a couple more issues and... they are still stupid. The fact that the writers of this series came up with a idiotic reasoning as to how these regular humans can access Angel's former wings' powers, bothers me. I will admit, it's a joy to read how Angel utterly destroys them with his newly returned metallic wings! Actually, I think all of the faithful X-Men comic book readers loved seeing the return of Angel with the "Apocalyptic" look, but this was still a poor way to reintroduce him. The fact that he "so easily" transforms back into the traditional looking Angel, also bothered me. If one of the most famous X-Men of all time is going to undergo a dramatic physical transformation, it makes for a weak story, when he changes back within a couple issues. I would bet money that there will barely be any mention of his change in the other X-titles.

The art of Clayton Crain is brilliant by the way. His art seems moody, dark, mysterious and very involving; great for horror. With each turn of the page, you feel as though you are physically running from fangs, being splattered by blood or have your own limbs ripped off. The best scene illustrated by Craing was when Angel killed the "Choir" with the greatest of ease. He soars through the air, dispatching "wingman" after "wingman" almost like a ballerina dancing through the air.

In this entire run thus far, Wolfsbane is by far put in the most interesting of situations. She is a very religious character who transforms into a "demon-like" wolf hybrid, who secretly doubts her virtue because of this. The fact that her father is a hypocritical minister and is trying to kill her, makes for a very interesting story. While trying to kill his daughter, the minister accidentally triggers Woflsbane's conditioning and kills her father. Last issue, the Purifiers placed Wolfsbane under the conditioning to brutally attack angels, whenever she sees them. In this situation, the minister was walking underneath a set of wings, which caused Wolfsbane to kill her father. Under normal circumstances, Wolfsbane would never resort to murder, so I consider it beautiful that she must now live with fact that she involuntarily murdered someone, let alone her evil father. I can not wait to see the ramifications of this action on this poor character. Let me know what you guys think!

@~~~~~}~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

Secret Invasion Inhumans Issue #1

Hi Readers,

I will confess and say typically, I do not read comics that focus on the Inhumans. Not that I have anything personally against this particular part of the Marvel Universe, it's just that they never really appealed to me. After reading this issue, I may have to change that habit.
this spectacular issue starts with Karnak leading a history lesson for younger Inhumans, which reminded me of Professor X and the X-Men (maybe because Karnak is bald LOL). The art of Tom Raney fits the overall mood and feel of the Inhumans because just like them, his art is very familiar looking, while still seeming slightly off-center. His drawings are recognizably human, but their stances and the look of their brow make them seem very mysterious and unusual.

Raney also does a great just of exemplifying the diverse appearances of the Inhumans. Some of them seemed to be energy based creatures, some animal-like, and very few could pass for Homo Sapien. Speaking of appearances, I love Medusa's new regal look. The fact that she is now wearing a formal headdress and gown shows that she is queen of the Inhumans. She also is an example of humanity's prototype of a woman. She's tall, beautiful and long flowing hair, that seemingly moves in the wind. She looks like a modern day Rapunzel, waiting for her handsome prince to save the day.
Of the Inhumans, I will admit that Karnak is my favorite by far. He is an Inhuman who has an extremely helpful skill rather than flashy power. He can find the weakness in any enemy and object, regardless of their power and ability. How could he, of all the Inhumans, not be able to detect the invading Skrulls? This puzzles me! Hopefully, within the next three issues, they will explain how they are/were able to live among this peaceful race, undetected.

@~~~~~~}~~~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

P.S. Luna is probably the creepiest child super-being in all of the Marvel Universe!

CAN MARVEL KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM? (My review of Secret Invasion #5 of 8)

House of M. Civil War. World War Hulk. These are the past three major Marvel Comics events and they have all come roaring out of the gate and all have had horribly disappointing endings. Booming into view, here comes the biggest event to date, the Skrull Secret Invasion. Several storylines have been devoted to showing how the Skrulls took over and who they took over as the Marvel Universe has been turned on its head and no one knows exactly who to trust.

The mini-series that is pushing the storyline forward is, aptly titled, Secret Invasion, an eight part series. The plot started off rather slowly, but things really kicked up a notch in the last issue as the humans began to finally mount a comeback (very necessary since there are only 3 issues left after this). The super-humans that have not been replaced have at least been incapacitated, including Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man, and Black Bolt. Mr. Fantastic is trapped aboard a Skrull warship when he is released by the head of SWORD and he immediately begins working on a device to show the Skrull’s true forms.

He can do this because it is revealed that the reason why he and select others have been left alive was they were considered useful. Mr. Fantastic was left alive for his brain to be put to Skrull use, which also allowed him to see their secrets and, therefore, now allows him to build a device to counteract the Skrull cloaking technology. Black Bolt is alive because he would be used as a weapon to shatter any resistance against the Skrulls when the time is right. Iron Man was left alive because everyone hates him and the Skrulls could never produce that kind of negative propaganda no matter how hard they tried.

Two specific parts of the book were really outstanding and brought a smile to my face. The last page, where Clint Barton (a.k.a. Hawkeye, a.k.a. Ronin) finds out that the woman he thought was his deceased wife come back to him was just another Skrull. After disposing of her, he exclaims that it is his mission now to kill every last Skrull. That was powerful.

The other one was with Maria Hill aboard the downed SHIELD Helicarrier with a Skrull taskforce. Supposedly she is trapped with the taskforce, but then she reveals to the Skrull impersonating Jarvis, Iron Man’s butler, that Nick Fury told her to invest in LMDs (Life Model Decoys), very realistic looking robots that can be controlled from afar. Then as the taskforce is about to kill her, she says “Nick Fury was right” and you find out she was only a robot! She flies off in a jetpack from another part of the ship, blasting Skrulls with a laser cannon as she escapes! That was awesome because it shows that Nick Fury is still one of the most badass characters Marvel has and that it’s about time they are working him back into the fold.

There was so much revealed in this issue that you should really just go pick it up because it is the basis for the end of the Invasion. It laid the groundwork for the resolution to this crisis and it was done in a way that would please every Marvel fan. The only reason why I wrote about this is because it begs the question: Can Marvel actually finish something just as strong as they start it? Can we finally have a major event that we can put our hearts and minds into and not end up disappointed in the end? I said it with Civil War. I said it with World War Hulk. I am going to say it again though and hope I’m right this time. This is what we have been waiting for. The blockbuster event that will sweep us off our feet and truly change the Marvel Universe forever and in a way we will talk about for years to come. And if it isn’t, I might have to begin a Marvel boycott.

-Ray Carsillo

IT’S FATHER/SON DAY AT THE X-MANSION (My review of Cable #6)

It’s been a long time since I reviewed a comic. Not a movie or video game based on one, but a legit comic book. I take a look at Cable #6 because it follows one of the most intriguing X-Men characters ever. Cable is the son of Cyclops and Jean Grey who contracts an unheard of techno-organic virus and is sent to the future to save his life. He then comes back to save the world and spend some time with dear old Dad (especially since his Mom is dead for the time being).

The most recent re-launch of the Cable series deals with the newborn, would be mutant messiah being hunted by many different groups including the X-Man turned traitor, Bishop. In order to save the baby, Cable travels into the future (not his though) to get away from the warring factions after the baby. Bishop though is also from the future. And so begins a battle that literally spans time.

This issue had both good and bad points. It was good because it had two different artists working on it to depict the different times. Ariel Olivetti drew the future scenes with Cable and Michel Lacombe drew the present scenes with Cyclops, both looking fantastic, possibly more so because of the contrast between the two. The present part of the issue was about the changes Cyclops had undergone due to world events recently, how he was coping and changing as a leader, and how he still feels guilty for sending Cable away originally (although it was to save his life), and then sending him away again to save another baby (not his this time). The future parts were fewer and farther between since most of the series up to this point had followed Cable (it is his comic after all, the X-Men already have like six others) and only progressed the conflict with Bishop just enough to remind you that there was a conflict with Bishop.

Now for the bad parts. The Cyclops scenes were great and it was good to touch base with the present to see how Cable’s leaving was affecting the team, but this is his comic. His story did not get advanced at all and I am getting tired of this whole thing with Bishop still being carried on. If it does not get resolved soon, I might have to stop picking this comic up because there has to be more to a series than one good guy fighting a good guy turned bad over and over again. The other characters that Cable bumps into along the way are nice, but it still boils down to Cable vs. Bishop and there is not enough there to maintain a long running series.

In the end, pick this up for the great look into Cyclops’ psyche and to catch up some on the events surrounding the X-Men, but if things do not pick up soon, I would not make this comic a regular buy.

-Ray Carsillo

Marvel.com Gives You The Power to Make Your Own Superhero!

Hi Readers,

When I was surfing marvel.com, just looking for the new comics that were coming out this week, I was pleasantly surprised. I stumbled across a part of the website that allowed viewers to create their own superhero. I instantly said to myself "this is the coolest thing ever!" The pictures above are random heroes that I put together based on the likenesses of myself and some friends. Click on the link below and start making your own hero.
http://www.marvel.com/create_your_own_superhero

P.S. There is another really popular hero creator site out there called Hero Machine. Click the following link to check this site out as well: http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heroMachine2/heromachine2.asp


@~~~~~~~~}~~~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1-3

Hi Readers,

Sorry, I have to be cliche right now and ask "who do you trust?" (Couldn't help myself)... I mean in this miniseries, Sue couldn't trust Read, Johnny couldn't trust Sue and Franklin couldn't trust that the Fantastic Four would be able to put the world back together. The Secret Invasion has made it impossible to truly trust anyone in the Marvel Universe right now. Hell, I might even be a Skrull and not know it... I know... I took it too far, but whatever.
One of the better parts of this miniseries, was when Invisible Woman was overwhelmed by the Skrull, posing as Mr. Fantastic. The fact that Sue knew from the very beginning that he was not her husband, was incredibly insightful and really proved that the marriage between Sue and Reed is one of the foundations of the Marvel Universe. If I could change anything about that prologue, I would have let Sue put up more of a fight for her life. Especially when she realized that this Skrull was not her husband, before he admitted to it.
Another aspect of this series that I enjoyed, was the reintroduction of Lyja. For a while, I thought to myself "whatever happened to Lyja" but I just assumed that she was written out of the Marvel Universe somehow, in some random comic book I didn't read. In this miniseries, they explain that she decided to attempt being human and leading a normal life. This explanation was a little weak to me, but I can go along with it for now. She explains that the reason that she attacked the Baxter Building, was because she wanted to be the one to trap Johnny and Ben in the Negative Zone. Later on she explained that she still cared for Johnny and I was extremely confused. Why would she sabotage the Fantastic Four and send them to the Negative Zone, with no way of getting home, if she still cared about them and humanity? Then it dawned on me! Lyja volunteered to take them and trap them in the Negative Zone, so they wouldn't be executed, but also to take them out of the fight. I assume that Lyja thought to herself "this is the best way to not let Johnny be killed but also make the Skrulls happy." I still don't understand why the Skrull Empire thought it would be best to TRUST Lyja of all Skrulls to handle the Skrulls most dangerous foes. After all, Lyja did consider the Fantastic Four allies not long ago.
Also, the Tinkerer was the icing on the cake for this miniseries. Even though his character was a villain, I felt the humanity in his position. He would not have helped the Fantastic Four if it were not for Valeria and Franklin pleading for his help. I think that when he interacted with these two children, he probably thought about his grandchildren at home and that was the deal-maker.
There are a thousand questions that spring to mind after reading these issues: Where are Sue and Reed? How will the Fantastic Four reunite? Will the Skrull Empire retaliate against Lyja? If they want to, how will they do so? Will the Tinkerer register in the Super Human Registration Act now? Is this crisis going to be a story that changes the Marvel Universe like Civil War? I hope not... kinda... I dunno...

@~~~~}~~~~~~~~~~Devin Peacock

RE: WHY SO SERIOUS? (My review of the movie THE DARK KNIGHT)

Hi Readers,

I agree with my colleague, Ray. Batman, the Dark Knight was a STELLAR movie! Christopher Dolan did an incredible job with the script for this movie. Dolan did a great job of expressing Gotham City as another character within the story. He showed that there is a heart and soul underneath all the crime and corruption within the city.
I know this may sound morbid, but Heath Ledger picked the best legacy to leave behind, after passing away. He completely changed my view of the Joker. I come from the generation that watched “Batman: The Animated Series” where the Joker was more of a comical common thug. I will admit, I was skeptical about how Ledger was going to portray this iconic character. This was the best and most inventive recreation of a comic book villain EVER!! This Joker was always three steps ahead of the competition. He was cold and calculating, but best of all… brilliant! Throughout the entire movie, I had to continuously remind myself that Ledger was playing the Joker. His mannerism, posture, voice... @#$% it... HIS EVERYTHING WAS THE JOKER, BUT TAKEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL! I barely recognized him. This was acting at its best in my opinion.
Even though this movie was great, I will say that it will be a while before I watch it again... this movie is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long for my short attention span... even though it was a great movie!

@~~~~}~~~~~~~Devin Peacock

WHY SO SERIOUS? (My review of the movie THE DARK KNIGHT)

Alright, so it wasn’t my most original title, but it was too perfect to pass up. Just like this movie. I have seen it twice already and will most likely see it a few more times before it leaves theatres. It is on pace to set every box office record and it is well deserved as it is the GREATEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!! I know. That is quite a bold statement, but it is accurate. I did not believe it could surpass the hype, but it did.

Let’s start by looking at the acting. Everyone involved should get an Oscar, never mind just Heath Ledger (who WILL win Best Actor, you heard it here first). Christian Bale did a stellar job reprising the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He has an air about him in this movie that shows that the character has evolved and become more comfortable with his dual life, while still struggling with it at times over his love of childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes. Speaking of Rachel, a superb job done by Maggie Gyllenhaal; she made you completely forget about…umm…what’s her face. Aaron Eckhart was amazing as Two-Face and I hope he comes back for the third movie as the main villain since we saw so little of his villainous side develop in this one. And, as I said above, Heath Ledger deserves the Oscar. He made you believe that he was the Joker. He showed no remorse. He was cold, calculating, and hysterical. It was the perfect blend of actors playing an amazing assortment of characters.

Part of the credit for Heath Ledger’s performance should go to Christopher Dolan, though, for writing an amazing script. It was a scheme worthy of the Joker and bringing to the forefront his relationship with Batman very early was brilliant. Kudos goes to Dolan for not beating around the bush. I do not want to spoil the movie, but every move the characters made was both realistic, which Dolan harps on, and true to the form of what the characters should be. And if you have seen the movie and doubt this, all I have to say to you is that we should start with a magic trick. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Sorry. I’m good. I’ve calmed down. I promise. There is really very little to criticize in this movie. It might have been a little long for people with weak bladders. That’s about it.

Before I wrap up, I would like to say that I hope that we see more of Two-Face in the third movie since the rise and fall of Harvey Dent was wonderful, but Batman has always been driven by his Rouge’s Gallery so to only have Two-Face in action for a short portion of the movie was like giving a starving man the T-Bone, but not the actual steak. You get a taste to whet your appetite, but you need MORE. And just like the tease at the end of the first movie, hopefully they will flesh it out beautifully in the next one. After all, this movie really was driven more by the Joker than anything else, but Two-Face as the main villain for the third would be a great follow up. Although Dolan might want to explain how his left eye works without tear ducts and an eye lid. For someone who strives on realism like Dolan, that detail did bother me a little.

Overall, there was nothing bad about this movie. Everyone gave a great performance and the story was something ripped straight from the comics. Loose ends from the first movie were wrapped up beautifully and the door is wide open for the third movie. Only another three years before Batman 3. The Dark Knight gets 5 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

THE DEATH OF A LEGEND? (My Review of the DC Universe’s Final Crisis: Requiem)

It has been a while since I’ve written anything about a single comic book issue, but I felt an event as significant as this is enough to be noteworthy. Months ago, while the Countdown series was in full stride, DC began printing two two-page spreads of an apocalyptic Earth with the heroes defeated on one spread and the villains looking triumphant on the other. Then the catch phrase “All heroes must die, but legends will live forever,” began being attached to these images. It was evident rather early that a major player in the DCU was going to be killed in the Final Crisis. Many rumored it was going to be Batman at the end of Batman R.I.P. with some sort of tie-in to Crisis. Warner Bros. nixed that rumor early since they feared it would be bad for business if one of the greatest characters in comic book history were to be killed before the new Warner Bros. movie based on this character came out. So instead of the Dark Knight finally being swallowed by the shadows he fought for so long, DC killed the Martian Manhunter.

Who? The green guy? Green Lantern? No? The one with super-strength and flight? Superman?! No? He was the last of his kind from an alien planet with super-strength and super-flight and not Superman? Instead of heat vision and ice breath though, he was a shape-shifter and telepathic. Oh! The rip-off dude!

Martian Manhunter was not a legend, and I believe that DC thought the same thing since they changed the promotional catch phrase from “All heroes must die, but legends will live forever,” to “Where were you when the Martian Manhunter died?” It has a more regal feel to it and does not imply as much as the other phrase did. It seems most people did not consider the Manhunter a legend by any means. And after all the buildup, with other DC Comics referencing the death of the Martian, they finally released the issue showing how it was done. This issue showed that until the end, just like all great heroes, the Martian fought till his last breath. The fight itself was not what made this comic so interesting though. It was that with his last breath, the Martian Manhunter telepathically imprinted his memory/history into the brains of several key Justice League members to be written in both English and his native Martian language to insure his people will not be forgotten.

I thought it was a fitting tribute to the Martian Manhunter. However, he was not a legend: he was a green Superman and although will be missed by some, will be forgotten by many.

Before I wrap this up, I just want to answer DC’s question as to where I was when the Manhunter died. I was taking a crap on my toilet; the same place I read all my comics. It was a fine crap that day. And, thanks to the the Martian Manhunter, it was a crap I’ll never forget.

-Ray Carsillo

I AM THE KNIGHT (My review of Batman: Gotham Knight)

I AM THE NIGHT.

I AM VENGENCE.

I AM BATMAN!

These words were uttered in one of the more memorable scenes of Batman: The Animated Series (Episode 4: Nothing to Fear) way back in 1992 when I was but a wee lad. For a generation of Batman fans, only one voice was the voice of the Dark Knight when it came to animated features and cartoons and that was Kevin Conroy. He would reprise this role over the years even after the series long ended, but continued with full-length animated features. It was a revolutionary series in terms of animation style and the graphic nature of the program was unheard of for a Saturday morning cartoon at the time.

Now the genii behind that series have come out with another full-length animated feature that is supposed to connect Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. When I first heard of the release of another Batman cartoon, I admit that I almost wept with joy. Unfortunately, my joy was misplaced.

Trying to continue their revolutionary ways, the producers of Gotham Knight decided to go with almost an Animatrix style of many different stories that relate to the main subject, all done by a different director/animator. The Gotham Knight crew created six stories, each animated and directed by a different person, but the difference between this and the Animatrix is that these stories all directly interlock in some way with each other as well as the story subject and help tie up those pesky loose end questions that don’t always get referenced.

Voice acting was solid, but not as good as expected. When I first heard Kevin Conroy coming back to play Batman, I was ecstatic. With the drawings of Batman making him look more like Christian Bale and his real-life Batman though, for the first time in 15 years, I thought Conroy’s voice did not suit Gotham’s Guardian. I appreciate the loyalty from the producers and animators since they used many voice actors from the original Batman: The Animated Series and the newer The Batman, but for anyone who has seen these series and has a decent ear, you are thrown back to the voice actors’ other characters and have difficulty hearing them in this new setting.

In terms of animation, I felt that each progressive story was better and better. The first story was a more revolutionary style that allows for more emphasis on the backgrounds and less on the characters, which I do not like because the driving force behind Batman is the characters. The last story was the most conventional anime style and much more to my liking because it combined both a well painted Gotham City with very well detailed characters.

The plot was jumpy, but that is what this style calls for. The little details that interconnect each segment were wonderful if you caught onto them; they show everything the Batman does or doesn’t do has an effect on his Gotham in some way or another. Whether it is the policemen that do not trust him, the Mafioso that fear him, or the super-villains that plot against him, the Batman is always an influencing force.

If you were a fan of Batman Begins then you will enjoy this more in-depth look into that world and the loose ends this ties up, such as what happens to the Scarecrow or what happened to the Narrows after being flooded with fear gas. If you are a purist, then you might not enjoy the liberties that were taken in this animated feature, much like the ones taken in the first movie. Still though, this was a solid romp into the new Batman mythos that successfully connects Batman Begins and The Dark Knight without directly referencing either one. Not as strong as expected, Batman: Gotham Knight still gets 3 Bat Signals out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

SUPERHEROES SAVE MORE THAN DAMSELS. THEY SAVE THE ECONOMY.

What the f***?! That was the first thought that popped into my head after reading an article last week by Beth Fitzgerald, business writer for the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s main newspaper. Ms. Fitzgerald’s article takes a look at the booming comic book industry and how the movies are not only helping box office numbers, but helping comic book sales as well. The article attempts to link recent profit increases in local comic book stores to the release of comic book movies in the theatres. The problem with this article, though, is that it credits the movies too much and the comics too little.

The reason why there has been a recent increase in comic book sales is not because the major two (Marvel and DC) have been releasing new movies this summer, but because they have launched some of the largest comic book story arcs in comic book history. There may be a small increase in foot traffic due to the movies, but according to Ms. Fitzgerald’s article, some comic book store owners are citing a 5-10% increase in sales, but only seeing maybe 10-15 new faces consistently. Now, just because they may not recognize new faces does not mean they aren’t there, but since most comic store owners are at their store during all hours of operation, it is hard to put someone new past them or their profits were pretty poor to begin with.

No. The reason for the increase in comic sales is not solely because of the movies, but largely because of the comics themselves. As someone who buys comics on a weekly basis, I purchase them according to what titles interest me and how they are written. If a title starts to lack quality, I will stop picking it up. Black Panther, Fantastic Four, Punisher, Flash, and Amazing Spider-Man are no longer part of my weekly routine because they lack the punch that initially drew me to their pages. Alternatively, the Final Crisis, Secret Invasion, and Batman R.I.P. story arcs have drawn me into other titles that I would not normally pick up. These new story arcs have stepped up my weekly comic total once again and I have reason to believe I am not alone. If you compare the timing of the beginning of these story arcs with when the comics’ sales spike began, then you would see they nearly coincide. Therefore, the recent spike in sales cannot be fully attributed to the movies, but attributed to what draws most of us to the comics in the first place: fantastic artwork and stellar writing.

I commend Ms. Fitzgerald for her attempt at trying to shed light on an interesting subject, but because of her lack of familiarity with it, she was reaching for straws and I call her out on it. Shenanigans! Shenanigans, I say! You can see her unfamiliarity with the subject when she relies on quotes from men like Steve Conte, the owner of Funnybooks in Lake Hiawatha, NJ. “Comics are doing well because they are awesome…” That was the best person you could find to get a quote from? Ms. Fitzgerald seems lost in her own article. She quotes the cheesy one-liners from The Incredible Hulk that gives it away as a comic book movie. It was billed as a comic book movie! No more explanation needed! Even if you have no clue what the Hulk is, if I tell you a movie is based on a comic book, then it is based on a comic book! There is no need to look any further into that statement! I would leave comic critiquing to us professionals. Pathetic! Shenanigans! What the f***?!

-Ray Carsillo

The Trinity Issues 1-5

Hi Readers,

Let me start off by stating the obvious... Mark Bagley is an AWESOME artist!!!I was first hooked onto his art when he illustrated for the early issues of the THUNDERBOLTS. His art was so impressive, I read Thunderbolts religiously throughout most of the first volume. Bagley's artwork is not only impressive, but he does a great job of using the surrounding scenery to show how destructive the fights are.
Ok... back to business. This book focuses on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman mostly. The comradery between these three characters has withstood the test of time and each have become archetypal characters in their own right. Even though I love these three heroes battling evil along side one another, I will admit, this story drags significantly. It took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long for the battle to be concluded between Konvikt, Graak and the JLA. The fight started in issue 2 and last until issue 5 of this series, and that is too long to have a simple slug fest between comic book characters. Even though Bagley's art is amazing, I know that this fight could have concluded within 1 or 2 issues. This reminded me of Dragon Ball Z, where Piccolo, Gohan and Goku can use an entire season of the show to fight just one villain. Ridiculous!
On a side note, I noticed a detail while reading, that I have never seen before with the Justice League of America's roster. There are FOUR Black members of the JLA currently! When I realized that Vixen, Black Lightning, Green Lantern and Firestorm were all members, I was actually a tiny bit surprised and excited due to there never being this high of a ratio in the JLA. Looks like the times might be changing!
While reading these issues, three questions sprang to mind:
1. What's really going on between Morgan Le Fey and Enigma? They didn't know each other before hand, but what is the grand scheme that they are piecing together to use against the trinity?
2. Who is Enigma? I never heard of this character before... is he related to Riddler (A.K.A. E. Nigma)? I know... bad joke!
3. Is there such a thing as both a successful and formidable JLA without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman? The reason I ask is because I can't really remember a time where these three characters weren't members and the book was both seen as a formidable team and successful franchise. In my experience, it was one or the other.
As of right now, I'm on the fence about this series... but I will admit Bagley's art is definitely a plus for the book!


@~~~~}~~~~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

DOES MR. FOURTH OF JULY DELIEVER AGAIN? (My review of HANCOCK)

I started my Fourth of July weekend a little early by going to see Will Smith’s new movie, Hancock, the day it came out. It had been a pretty good day as I headed for the theatre. I had an early lunch with a good friend of mine and I hit the comic store just as it opened so I know I didn’t miss any titles that week. It was a pretty full day up to that point and when I got to the theatre, I forgot that I was early enough for the matinee price (still $8 though, what a rip off) and there was even a free credit on one of the arcade machines. Things were definitely going my way. Unfortunately, the universe has a way of balancing things out. Hancock sucked; plain and simple.

The premise of the movie is that John Hancock (Will Smith) is the only one of his kind. He is a living, breathing superhero. He can fly. He has super strength. He is bulletproof. He is everything we want to be and yet he is the most miserable man in the world. In a constant drunken stupor, Hancock does what he wants, when he wants, and does not care what people think or how much destruction his “good deeds” cost the city of Los Angeles. Time moves on when average public relations “guru” Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) gets stuck on railroad tracks due to one of L.A.’s famous traffic jams. Enter the oncoming freight train. Ray tries to run from his car, but is too slow and his screams attract Hancock, who promptly throws the car out of the way as the train smashes into him, destroying the train, but saving Ray. Ray wishes to repay Hancock by changing his image. He wants to make Hancock into someone people will love. The story continues as Hancock begins his rehab, thanks to Ray and his hot wife Mary (Charlize Theron), and Hancock finds out that there is more to himself, and Ray’s wife Mary, than meets the eye.

This was such an awful experience overall. The first half hour was great. Will Smith was great as the drunken anti-hero the previews portrayed him as. Jason Bateman was great in the role he seems type-cast in nowadays (curse you Arrested Development!), the bumbling suit with a heart of gold. Charlize Theron was hot. You would think they had something going here, but the last hour of the movie was absolute rubbish. There was no super villain. There was no amazing over the top fight scene (there were a couple of decent fight scenes, but nothing spectacular). The twist in the plot line was such an overused comic book cliché that I almost was able to recite the last 30 minutes of the movie just from my years of comic book reading. This was the movie studio executives thinking they could give the people what they want with once again having no idea what we want.

One of those executives was… (Insert suspenseful comic book music here) Will Smith! That’s right; Will was one of the producers of this movie. Therefore, in the end it came down to Will Smith wanting to play a superhero, however, the problem with that glorious plan is we already saw this six months ago with I am Legend so it was really more like Will Smith wanted to play a superhero, again. And, again, said superhero character ends up being a messiah figure that sacrifices himself to save the world, but in this movie Will takes it a few steps further as he magically rises after what (for the movie-goer) feels like three days. We get it Will. You think you are a god. Newsflash: YOU DO NOT HAVE SUPERPOWERS. YOU ARE NOT A SUPERHERO. YOU PLAY ONE IN THE MOVIES. YOU ARE RICH AND YOU ARE FAMOUS, BE SATISFIED!

Overall there was not much to salvage from this movie. The special effects they used were solid, but nothing spectacular and they were nothing we haven’t seen in previous comic book movies. The acting was alright, but, then again, you had a high quality of actors and actresses. You tell Charlize Theron to cry and she is going to cry. The plot was weak, at best. It started off strong, and the premise of the anti-hero is still a great one, but it makes you wonder how much better it could have been if they had stayed with the original R-rated cut instead of feeding us this watered down PG-13 version. The only real positive I could take from this was that a regular dude named Ray ended up with super hot Charlize Theron and that gives this real-life Ray a little bit of hope. Then again, it is only a movie and a pretty bad one at that. Hancock gets an uninspired, watered down, 1 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

P.S.: Listen to the show “Metro Line” on 1050 AM, ESPN Radio in NY at 5 AM on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, to hear me talk about comics, movies, and other stuff I talk about in this blog. If not, I will try to get it up on the page at some point. Thanks!

ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL (My special advanced review of HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY)

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. It’s up to the planet’s toughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator that broke the truce and to restore peace and order. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be the occasional sloppy drunk. But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Along with his team at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe Sapien(Doug Jones), and new member protoplasmic mystic Johann Kraus (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), the BPRD (located in Trenton, NJ, represent!) will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal.

A sad fact of life is that you only remember the acting usually when it is bad, not when it is good. I am happy to say though that everyone involved with this project did a great job so I will give the devils their due here (Pun very much intended). Ron Perlman was brilliant as Hellboy once again as he continues to reprise the role that feeds his fanboy fanbase. Selma Blair also did a fantastic job as the only pyrokinetic that can light Hellboy’s fires. Doug Jones is an extremely underrated actor and a better man than me for putting on that fish suit for every day of filming. Seth MacFarlane did a solid job playing the voice of Johann Kraus. MacFarlane was a nice surprise and will probably fill a few seats just by drawing in some simpletons looking for a Family Guy reference.

If you are a fan of Hellboy, then you are thrilled at what visual effects guru and fellow geek Guillermo Del Toro did differently from the first movie. First off, he did not constantly beat you over the head with the comic’s two main themes, like in the first Hellboy. These themes of course being that Hellboy is the son of the devil that must always choose between the tempting forces of darkness or the human domain that he dwells in; and that the love he shares with Liz is always difficult due to their different backgrounds, like a demonic Romeo and Juliet. This would not be Hellboy if those themes were not present, but they are more cleverly and carefully woven into the story this time so that you do not tire of them when they creep into view.

Because of the better use of themes, Del Toro was able to concentrate more on what Hellboy does best: explore the things that go bump in the night. The things that go bump were amazing and the fact that Del Toro worked so many different ones into this story makes this Hellboy truly worthy of the big screen.

And being on the big screen, this was one of the most visually stunning movies I had seen in a long time. You cannot tell where the costumes stop and the CGI begin with this one. Even when Hellboy is fighting a 50 ft. earth elemental, it moves so fluidly that you cannot tell if it is being CGI’d or that Del Toro actually built a 50 ft. creature (even if it was most likely CGI’d) and it just helped the movie pull you in more.

Not that it needed much help pulling you in since the story grabs hold of you from the very first scene and doesn’t let you go until the credits start to roll. With different plot angles playing out at a breakneck pace, fight scenes that you wish would never end, and light comedic moments to connect it all together, the story does not drag at all throughout the entire 1 hour and 50 minutes of the movie. Even if not a Hellboy fan, you cannot help but enjoy the fantastic story and dynamic characters that Del Toro develops and weaves into the movie like some amazing cinema seamstress.

Another thing done well was that Del Toro made this feel episodic, truly like a comic book story. He constantly reminds you that this is just one of the many adventures that the BPRD has and hints at the possibility of more, unlike in the first movie which seemed more like a one shot adventure movie, not a comic book.

The final thing that I can say that I enjoyed was that Del Toro showed more of the relationship between Abe Sapien and Hellboy. They are supposedly great friends, yet they seemed very distant in the first movie. In Hellboy II, you see them bond and talk about deep things with each other, something that I think you were missing from the first movie and it really took away from the Abe Sapien character. Adding that depth to Abe was key to my enjoying this movie.

The best thing though about the Hellboy series is that no matter how big or little a fan you are, you can walk into any story arc with little to no knowledge of what came before it and still enjoy it. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” continues this great tradition with another stand alone tale of how Earth’s most misunderstood group of heroes save our butts with us none the wiser. With how Guillermo Del Toro was able to stay so true to the comics and still produce such a high quality product that Hellboy newbies could enjoy, I have to give “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” 5 hellfire fists out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

SEGA FINALLY GOT SOMETHING RIGHT (Mostly) AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A BLUE HEDGEHOG (My review of the Incredible Hulk Video Game)

Since the 8 bit revolution began over 20 years ago, there has been a marriage between movies, video games, and comics. Movies and video games have taken comics into their realms for over two decades and only a handful of times have they gotten it right. An even rarer occurrence has been a movie based on a comic being turned into a video game successfully. This is one of those rare happy occurrences that make geeks like me smile.

For years they had been attempting to achieve that ménage trios, like the dreams of the horny 19 year old college frat boy. Then came the game based off the first Spider-Man movie and geeks everywhere experienced their geek-gasms in unison. Something had been accomplished that we had always thought was a mere fantasy. A game based on a movie based on a comic and they all kicked butt. Then Spider-Man 2 came out and they did it AGAIN and they did it BETTER because of their experience. And like most men who can achieve the fantasy, once and you are lucky, but if you can achieve it twice then you are the stuff of legends. Three times is simply impossible unless you are Hugh Hefner.

Time passed. As expected in our collective geek sub-conscious, every game based on a comic book movie since has sucked. Iron Man was far too short and too simple. Spider-Man 3 regressed to something that might have fit on the N64 or 32X. Most other comic book movies never even made it past that phase because they sucked to begin with. We kept buying the games and seeing the movies, hoping something would change, knowing it was a fantasy that most of us would never even come close to seeing. Looks like someone just got their invite to the Playboy Mansion of geek-dom.

The Incredible Hulk video game is a throw back to Spider-Man 2 the video game. New York City is expansive and open-ended. You have a choice of which order you complete your missions and there is a slew of mini-games and side quests to collect points towards upgrades. The controls are a little unresponsive at times and the camera not always being centered behind Hulk becomes a bit troublesome at points, but aside from that this is a solid comic book movie video game. The most exciting part for me was much like in Spider-Man 2, when you leap from the Empire State Building and the buildings start whizzing by you as the concrete comes closer and closer and you actually feel it a little in your gut. It made you feel as if you were in the game and that is the purpose of movies and video games and comics. To immerse yourself in another world and when they successfully allow you to do that, in my mind, the product will be praised as a rousing success.

The plot follows the movie to drive it, but the addition of other Hulk villains such as the U-Foes and the Bi-Beast and allies like Rick Jones gives you enough of a comic book experience to leave even the hardest of Hulk fans happy. All characters that appear in the movie are happily voiced by their real life counterparts, but unfortunately the voice acting came across a little forced and the cut-scenes were not as crisp as they could have been. There was an overall lack of music from the movie, which saddened me greatly that the TV Theme was not used like it was in the movie. I do not know if Sega could not get the rights, but the lack of a musical score did hurt the overall experience. Overall, though, with unlockables out the yin yang, solid action, a great physics system, and a great representation of the Hulk’s strength and invunerabilty with classic rage attacks like the ground pound and thunderclap, I would call this game a must pick up for comic book fans much like the movie was a must see.

Rankings are based on a score of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 7.5: Not spectacular graphics, but that is what you get when you deal with Sega. They are so used to dealing with cartoons that they forget what it is like to try and render actual people and objects. A lack of explosions from cars, so-so smash marks on buildings, and people that just don’t look right and you can understand this score. The point that Sega shines of course is with the Hulk, U-Foes, Bi-Beast, and other unrealistic things because, again, they are used to dealing more with cartoons.

Audio: 7.0: A lack of music in the overall background and poor voice acting brings this score down. Liv Tyler and Edward Norton didn’t know how to handle themselves in front of a microphone? Come on! The least they could have done was throw me the TV Theme like in the movie. The SFX were really solid though. Very accurate and believable and that is what saves this score.

Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: They nailed this. They gave us everything we wanted. They threw us right into the Hulk’s shoes and followed an awesome movie script. Then they added in the obligatory extra villains and allies to flesh the game out and did a spectacular job of it. The missions all made sense and the story made sense. I give Sega kudos on this one.

Gameplay: 9.0: For the most part, the game did what I wanted it to do. The only problems really came about with the camera, which they should have maintained directly behind the Hulk at all times. Trying to work the camera in the middle of a brawl was a nuisance that I battled my way through just like the Bi-Beast or the Abomination. Otherwise, this was great. The physics engine was superb and like I mentioned before, when I feel like I am falling from the top of the Empire State Building, I am a happy camper.

Replay Value: 7.5: If you are a comic book geek then there is plenty for you to do after beating the Abomination. Trying to raise your score to obtain all the upgrades, finding comic books, collection landmark tokens, jump challenges, mini-games, and of course maxing out your health and rage bars. If you are a more casual gamer, you are probably just happy with beating the game and letting it sit on your shelves. That is why this game does not get a perfect score, because it does not appeal to everyone. It only appeals to hardcore gamers and that is okay, but not good enough.

Overall: (not an average) 8.5: This was a great game and I loved playing it. Lack of the movie soundtrack and poor voice acting takes away from the experience. I cannot remember a game where I did not want to see the cutscene. Usually in games, that is your reward for doing a good job. With this, I just wanted to keep smashing stuff and that is where this game truly shines. The physics engine is superb and the thought of tearing NYC apart as the Hulk on a rampage brings a smile to my face just typing it here. The game lacks the necessary polish to make it an overall superb gaming experience though. Possibly Sega was rushed due to wanting to release the game with the movie. No excuses though. Next time maybe they should stick to their blue hedgehogs if they are not willing to put the necessary final touches on a game that was so wonderful otherwise. So close Sega, yet still so far.

-Ray Carsillo

MORE MOVIES LIKE THIS IS WHAT WE WANT! (My special advanced review of WANTED)

WANTED is everything we WANT from our action movies from now on. Non-stop action, twisting plot lines, no-holds barred attitude, sprinkle it with some comedy and great acting and you get 1 hour and 44 minutes that had me cheering by the time the credits started to roll.

The movie begins by opening up on our protagonist, Wes (James McAvoy), the most disenchanted, cube-dwelling, rat-race accepting drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend cheated on him and belittled him daily, and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut.

The movie begins by opening up on our protagonist, Wes (James McAvoy), the most disenchanted, cube-dwelling, rat-race accepting drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend cheated on him and belittled him daily, and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut.

Then he meets everything he ever wanted in a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie). After his estranged father is supposedly murdered, the deadly, sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes in how to avenge his dad’s death by unlocking his dormant “powers”, a super rush of adrenaline he feels when threatened that raises his heartbeat to more than 400 beats per minute and allows him to see things as if in super slow motion, thus granting him lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility. Wes also learns about the Fraternity’s ancient, unbreakable code: carry out death orders supposedly given by fate itself.

With wickedly brilliant tutors, including the Fraternity’s enigmatic leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), Wes grows to enjoy all the power he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye and as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes comes to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.

This movie had everything. Although it started a little slow and dragged at a couple of points, for the most part this movie did everything cinema is supposed to do. It brought up feelings of anger and resentment in my own hum-drum life and I could not help but cheer as Wes took his life into his own hands more and more. You felt that he represented all of us in some way and that made it easy to cheer him on in his quest for vengeance and the truth.

The special effects in the movie were superb, putting the original Matrix to shame. Based on the previews, many were scared that this was only going to be a glorified version of the Matrix and you could draw some parallels to it, but the movie does a good enough job of drawing you in that you do not think of it until long after the credits have rolled. There is a scene towards the end that reminds you of the bank job scene from the Matrix, but only in that the Wanted version completely craps on that. This movie interwove action and special effects successfully on a level rarely seen in cinema nowadays.

A good way of describing this is a movie loosely based on a comic book. The background on this movie of course is that it is based on a Top Cow graphic novel by Mark Millar and although it took a great deal of liberties from the comic, it can be forgiven because the movie was so all-around solid. Taking advantage of the positive feedback of a fellow 2nd tier’s success in Dark Horse’s Hellboy and its coming sequel, it was nice to see Top Cow put out a great movie like this and that hopefully it helps pave the way for other 2nd tier publishers to start scripting their stories for cinema.

In terms of acting, everyone was solid. Although I am unsure if Morgan Freeman yelling “Shoot that Mother F***er!” was supposed to be as humorous as it was, everything else was very believable from him. It’s interesting to see him taking on all these comic book character roles now after winning an Academy Award. James McAvoy played his role well enough that could propel him to star, if not at least cult star status. Angelina Jolie was solid as usual, especially the gratuitous nudity scene where we see her walking out of the Fraternity’s healing spas and we get a full five seconds of her bare buttocks. Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. Common did well enough in his acting debut I suppose, even though he only had about six lines, but that is what happens when you create a whole new character from the original comic script.

Overall, I went into this movie with low expectations because of awful trailer previews and came out surprisingly pleased. I would recommend this movie to anyone because it was all around a great experience with solid acting, awesome special effects, and an engaging plot. I give it 4.5 naked Angelina Jolie butt cheeks out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

RAY NO SMASH HULK MOVIE!!! (My review of the Incredible Hulk)

The last time I saw the Hulk, I was with my dad and we both walked away sorely disappointed. For this Hulk, we were together again and walked away with a much better taste in our mouths. This Hulk is a completely different story to the first Hulk movie and does not reference it really in any way. It starts with Bruce Banner trying to control his anger issues in Brazil while working in a bottling plant. There is a mishap and a drop of his blood makes it into one of the bottles. Someone drinks the bottle back in the United States (customary Stan Lee cameo) and the army tracks Banner back to the bottling plant. Bring in special agent Emil Blonsky for the trip and the stage is set ladies and gentlemen. Blonsky and his group engage Banner in a thrilling chase through the villas of Brazil that ends back in the bottling plant and the Hulk finally emerges. The Hulk escapes and Blonsky’s pride is hurt and he wants a second crack at it.

General Ross then uncorks the super-soldier serum, so conveniently colored blue (Captain America tease) and injects Blonsky. Banner begins the trek back to the United States to find help after being on the run for we find out later turns out to be years. He finds Betty and he also finds the army and a doped up Blonsky. Hulk SMASH puny human and escapes with Betty. The army thinks that if Blonsky is going survive, he will be a paraplegic, only to find out that the super soldier serum fixes him as good as new in about two days time. The General is stunned, but pleased as Blonsky says he is ready for round 3.

Meanwhile, Betty and Bruce make it to NYC to find Dr. Samuel Sterns, an expert in radiation poisoning who thinks he can devise a cure. Unbeknownst to Bruce, a blood sample he gave to Sterns has since been synthesized into hundreds of samples. Bruce says that after the procedure, they must all be destroyed. Sterns argues but they agree to proceed with the test on Bruce before they do anything further. They succeed in subduing a transformation, but still do not know if they have cured Banner completely of the Hulk when Blonsky and his strike team hit. Blonsky is sorely disappointed when Banner does not transform and stays behind with Sterns as Banner is carted away to be dissected at an army base. Blonsky then threatens Sterns to dose him with Gamma radiation and some of Banner’s blood. Thus, we have the birth of the Abomination. Sterns is thrown across the room where some of Banner’s blood samples drip into an open wound in Sterns’ head, which swells slightly. Can anyone say “LEADER”?! Anyway, Abomination destroys the rest of the lab and then starts wreaking havoc. Word gets back to the General and Banner tells him he is the only who can fight him. We have one of the most amazing fight scenes ever, Hulk wins, and then he runs away to the Canadian countryside.

Now that you have the synopsis, here is the review. AMAZING. Really well done all around. First off, they got everything right for the most part. They took liberties with little things, but it is ok. I also love the references to everything that came before them. Betty buys Bruce a few change of clothes including a pair of purple sweatpants (reference to the original comics) and Bruce makes fun of her for it. Also, they play the music from the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Hulk TV Show whenever Bruce is hitchhiking along from South America to NYC which was a stroke of genius. Add in that Lou plays the voice of the Hulk when Hulk yells “HULK SMASH” and they really did justice to the past and the present. The visuals were stunningly real and you really felt for the characters. Everyone gave a great performance from William Hurt as the General, Tim Roth as Blonsky, Ed Norton of course as Banner, and Liv Tyler as Betty, who looks so hot throughout this movie. Incase she ever sees this, I love you Liv, please contact me for a good time. Hahaha. Having Robert Downey Jr. come in at the end as well to talk to the General about the Avengers was also a great touch on Marvel’s part, which means Hulk WILL be an Avenger. Whether or not it will be Edward Norton is another question. Avenger watch, Iron Man and Hulk are CONFIRMED now. Also, I like how at the end they had Banner in the Canadian countryside trying to learn not to suppress the Hulk, but to control him. This gives them the open of having intelligent Hulk in the coming movies. Also, the hint at having the Leader as the next villain is brilliant and I think the obvious move for them. All around, the movie was solid. It did drag at a few points, but the entire Hulk series is the build up to when Banner actually Hulks out so you cannot fault them for that. Overall, great character development, superb special effects, an amazing plot, and Liv Tyler make me one happy comic book geek. The Hulk successfully smashes 4.5 out of 5 stars.

-Ray Carsillo

Ultimate X-men TPB Vol 1

Hi Readers,

This week, because this was a slow week in terms of good stories to read, I decided to write about a Trade Paperback that a friend bought for me. He got me Ultimate X-Men TPB Vol 1 and I LOOOOOOOVE this book. Lately I've been hardcore into TPBs because they concentrate an entire story into one book. Also, stories from the past have been better than current stories lately. I have all of the issues inside of this TPB but having it in a TPB makes reading/appreciating it that much more convenient better.

One of the best qualities about this TPB is the "new" interpretation of the character Magneto. In the original story of Magneto, he didn't find out that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were his children until much later. In this rendition of the villain, he has an established paternal relationship with them when the story begins. The beauty of this new story, is that Quicksilver is practically desperate to prove his worth to his father, and yearns for his adulation. In response, not only is Magneto cruel, but he actually enjoys "twisting the knife" into the back of his son. When Cyclops joins Magneto's camp, poor Quicksilver has to sit back and watch Cyclops receive everything that he[Quicksilver] has wanted all his life. The best quote in all six issues is "if Quicksilver is around tonight would you do me a favor and address me as father when we're standing in his presence." Don't you love the cruelty!

While reading this, I ask myself "if I were a mutant in this book, would I be an X-Man, or join the Brotherhood?" I would love to say that I would want to be an X-Man but Magneto does too great of a job making the Brotherhood the obvious choice. In America, Sentinels are flying around blasting mutants into tomato paste in the middle of the day. I'm not going to say I would be involved with terrorist activities like the Brotherhood, but I definitely couldn't picture myself risking my own neck for someone else, just to have them break a bottle over my head when I'm done saving them from their own Sentinels. I would be on the first thing smokin', flying over to the Savage Land. In this case, F@#$ peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants, I'm going to the "Savage Land" where it's safe LMAO.

@~~~~~~~}~~~~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

Secret Invasion Issue #3

Hi Readers,

First off, let me just say how great is it that this issue opens up with a Skrull Jarvis! He politely asked SHIELD if they could surrender and I thought about the idea of a murderer telling a corpse, right after the kill to "have a nice day" LOL. This means that something really bad is happening to the victim, but it's done in a nice way.
JUST as predicted in my blog about Issue #2, THE YOUNG AVENGERS GOT THEIR ASSES HANDED TO THEM!! I loved the battle scene just because I loved watching the Amalgamated Skrulls kick ass. Once the Initiative recruits joined in, I thought that would have made a difference... but I was wrong... big time!
So is Tony Stark a Skrull!?!? In this issue, the Skrull Queen(who is parading as Spider-Woman) confesses to Iron Man her true identity after "choking a bitch(Echo)". She lets the cat out of the bag and admits that Tony is really a Skrull. TONY FUCKING STARK IS REALLY A FUCKING SKRULL! I would love to say that I didn't see that coming, but there was way too much gossip that leaked about this for it to be a shock. Maybe this is just a ploy to make the readers think that Tony is a Skrull when he really isn't. I think... Maybe... I dunno... I'm so confused... So I guess Marvel is still doing their job at keeping me confused.

@~~~~~~}~~~~~ Devin Peacock

X-Force Issue 4

Hi Readers,

Where do I start with this issue? Even though I like the idea of there being a group of X-characters to pro actively battle the Purifiers, this story is starting to make very little sense. I will say though, that I am tired of Wolverine being in EVERY X-BOOK. I like Wolverine a lot as a character but it's stupid and insulting to readers to say "none of these stories are happening at the same time" when there are about 6 separate titles that include him within that same week.

I personally love the Archangel persona, but they could have found a better way to bring him back than just throwing a senseless story together. In this book, they explain that the Apocalypse strain that gave Angel his metallic wings, is still in every cell in his body, so they use this to give a Purifier army, metallic wings. So stupid! If Angel's blood could give anyone super powerful wings, then all the other X-men who Angel saved with his blood in the past should be flying around throwing metal feathers at this point. The fact that Rahne ripped off Angel's wings and THIS caused him to revert back to the Archangel persona is even more ridiculous. Why should his wings have to be ripped off for him to revert back to blue skin and metallic wings? THAT MAKES NO SENSE.

Speaking of senseless, why was Rahne given cocaine of all things, to seemingly put her out of commission. COCAINE? I mean really! I laughed to myself at first, but then said "do the writers of the X-Men HATE the characters?" Within the past couple years they poorly tried to get rid of Rahne's accent, they killed off her adopted mother, Moira MacTaggert, they killed her close friend Douglas Ramsey, they violently took away her mutant powers(which were later restored) and now they give her a fatal does of cocaine and make her a follower of the Purifiers! Why are they putting these X characters through so much? In my opinion, the X-characters are being put through waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy too much as characters. Pretty soon, each X-character will be so warped with drama and suffering that there will be a point of no return. Hopefully marvel writers will get this franchise together... and soon!

@~~~~~}~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

Ultimate X-Men #94

Hi Readers,

This issue of Ultimate X-Men definitely was interesting. The introduction of Alpha Flight and the mutant power-enhancing drug "Banshee" show promise of a great story arc. This is the first time where Colossus is really explored as a character, and the reader can see him as more than just the gay character... now he's gay and a drug addict LOL. This drug also explains why he is super-strong as a mutant. When you think about it, just because his flesh can turn into unbreakable metal, doesn't mean that he should be able to bench-press a buick. There has NEVER been an explanation to this specific aspect of his powers.

One thing I was a bit sketchy about, was the line up of members in Alpha Flight. I love mainstays like Vindicator, Snowbird, Shaman and Sasquatch but where the hell did Jubilee and Sunfire come from? I know Sunfire had a brief run with the team in the reality 616(normal Earth), but why would such a huge patriot of Japan be a member of Canada's premiere super-group? For the most part, the character designs are TERRIBLE, but I have faith that their looks will get better in the future.

As far as the end of this issue is concerned, I am very perplexed! Cyclops decides to aid Colossus in saving Northstar from Alpha Flight and possibly take mutant drugs, but not because it is the right thing to do, but because "she [Jean/Phoenix] scares me". What the hell is that? On the last page, we see that Angel, Nightcrawler, Dazzler and Rogue have taken "Banshee" and now want to aid Colossus, but why these specific X-Men? I guess we have to wait 30 days and find out!


@~~~~~~~}~~~~~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

TEEN TITANS! GO! (Review of Titans #2)

Wait. They’re not teens anymore. So we are just calling them Titans? Weren’t the NY Jets called that before they were the Jets? Isn’t that already taken by a football team in Tennessee now? Is Vince Young in this too? Titles aside, the former Teen Titans, some former Outsiders, have been brought back together by some dark force that is trying to kill off anyone who once was a Teen Titan. After several current Titans are not so fortunate and attacks are coordinated elsewhere around the world on other former and current Titans, Nightwing (formerly the original Robin) of course realizes the pattern and the Titans are off to find Raven, who is suspected of being next on the hit list after Flash (formerly Kid Flash), Red Arrow (formerly Arsenal, even more formerly Speedy), Starfire, Beast Boy, Donna Troy (formerly Wonder Girl), and Cyborg all escape supernatural related, near death experiences. Upon encountering Raven, she reveals that the only being with enough power to pull off such an attack is her dear old dad, Trigon. Raven then confronts her giant red demon daddy on an astral plain where he reveals that she is not his only child and we are left on the cliffhanger that Raven has a brother who is orchestrating all these attacks in the name of Trigon.

Ok folks, now that I caught you up on the first two issues, what I thought would be an interesting series with lots of nostalgia thrown in considering the cast of characters is what I would call too much of a good thing. I look at these first two issues and the theme song from the Cartoon Network show screams in my head because that is how it seems to be playing out. Although the characters are drawn much better than the anime style from the show, everything else just screams that some people at DC got bored and decided to just take scripts from the cartoon and draw them the way they should have been drawn in the first place instead of the anime style they were done in which caused the cartoon to never be taken as seriously as it should have been.

This is a series that has potential, but if DC is not careful with these characters, it will end up the way of the cartoon series and in much less time. We want new adventures with these characters, not the same ones told in a different way. The only saving grace they have right now is that in my mind they are just using this first story arc to reintroduce and re-establish a lot of these characters in the minds of readers. If the second story arc doesn’t start mixing it up though, this title is coming off my list of monthlies. Simple as that. They spent a good amount of time building this up, it would be a shame to see it come crashing down faster than Paula Abdul after a night of binge drinking. Ooooh. Off-beat pop culture reference. Score one for the angry geek.

-Ray Carsillo

HEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRREEEEEEE’S NORMAN! (Review of Thunderbolts #120)

After coming back from the dead for the umpteenth time; after being brainwashed, beaten, belittled, and battered; after having his character basically being made a joke of; finally, the Green Goblin is back. That’s right, after many months of teasing you that he would return as more than just the political head of the Thunderbolts, Norman Osbourn has finally donned the infamous green scales and purple imp outfit that he made famous.

In Thunderbolts #120, Thunderbolts Mountain is a mess. Psychics are being held captive inside and wreaking havoc upon the Thunderbolts from their jail cells, having the Thunderbolts turn on one another to the point that the team is a bloody mess, literally. After seeing hallucinations of the his Goblin gear scattered about the office, Norman has been driven to taking it out of storage and donning it in hopes of bringing his team under control…by any means necessary. Swordsman was crucified to a wall with shards of his own sword after being beaten to a pulp. Before that, Swordsman had to subdue Venom after he went cannibal…again. Radioactive Man is trying to give everyone cancer. It is a joke. The comic is spiraling out of control in terms of randomness, much like the Marvel Universe as a whole, and although this is actually somewhat entertaining to read, if they do not rein it back in soon, I will no longer read it because it is just too outlandish, just like Spider-Man with Brand New Day. I understand that saying a comic is outlandish is a little bit of an oxymoron, but I mean even by comic book terms the book is getting out of control. Although I am thrilled to see Green Goblin back as a sadistic madman, the way he should be, it also reminds me how much of a joke he was to begin with and why he was billed as Spider-Man’s greatest enemy still baffles me.

If you have been following the series, it is finally reaching the boiling point that we have been waiting a year and a half for, but after this cools back down, I would reconsider this as an every issue comic. They have taken some of the Marvel Universe’s best villains and made them soft and nothing more than punch lines in the other comics. Bringing back the Green Goblin is a good move, but depending on how it plays out will be the deciding factor on if I continue to read the Thunderbolts. If you have been reading Thunderbolts, continue to do so for a little while longer. If you haven’t, now is not the time to get into it and there might not be a time to get into after this story arc. More as it develops.

-Ray Carsillo

P.S.: Following up on one of my previous articles, Marvel has announced a new solo Deadpool series starting in September. Personally, I can’t wait to see the Merc with a Mouth get his own series going again, especially if it was just half as good as his cameos in the past Wolverine Origin comics or the Cable and Deadpool series. If it gets anywhere near there, I will have a new favorite comic again.

WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? GREEN OR BLACK? (Review of Green Lantern Corps #24)

As you might be able to tell from the cover, this issue continues to follow the Green Lanterns as they attempt to eliminate all of the Sinestro Corps rings. Several had been traced to a deep, dark corner of the galaxy where two Lanterns went missing. Guy Gardner, Kyle Rainer, and a few others show up for the heroic rescue like the cowboys they pretend to be. Upon tracing the last of the energy signatures to an uncharted part of the galaxy, Kyle and Guy recognize an entire field of Black Mercy flowers, which tie in of course that Mongul has been collecting Sinestro rings himself for his own diabolical purposes.

So here it is, one of those things that never really needed to be explained, but is anyways, the origins of the Black Mercy flowers. The issue did a decent job of retelling the back story of the Black Mercy flowers and how Mongul had used them in the past and even referenced Warworld, but only so much can be done in a two page spread. So to catch you up more, here I am. Oh you lucky people you. The Black Mercy flowers were used by Mongul on Superman to keep him out of his plans. The Black Mercy attaches itself to the host where it makes the person hallucinate their greatest dreams come to fruition. The person feels they are living it, while remaining completely motionless. Only one of great willpower can break the Black Mercy’s hallucinations, like Superman, who saw through the façade of him ruling over an ever-present Krypton. Of course, the plant can also be killed by an outsider, but you risk hurting the person who it has attached itself to. Mongul is the only known person to know how and where to harvest the Black Mercy flower, until now.

Now back to our story, which ends on the cliffhanger than Mongul has left the planet with a large harvest of Black Mercies and that the Green Lanterns have pried their fellow Lanterns from the clutches of Mother Mercy, a sentient, gigantic, Black Mercy flower that protects the harvest from outsiders like the Green Lanterns. Next issue has the Green Lanterns against Mother Mercy in what should be an interesting battle, especially if any of the Mercies should attach themselves to the Lanterns, and to see exactly how Mother Mercy defends herself. I am guessing something along the lines of a Poison Ivy plant monster, but it should be an interesting battle and to see what the next step is in Mongul’s plans. After all, who exactly are these Black Mercies intended for? If you have not been following the Green Lanterns, get on now because something big is coming folks. I’m talking total spectrum war. If this is any indication, it should be good.

-Ray Carsillo

WHY IRON MAN IS THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE EVER!!!

Ok, first off I apologize for not writing about this sooner, but I’ve been very busy and I wanted to see it several times with several different groups of people before I made my official analysis of it and it is the same as after the first time. It is easily the best comic book movie of all time.

The reason for this stems of course from Marvel financing the entire thing after making their own movie production company, Marvel Studios, and not allowing any outside interference from other studios they previously sold their licenses to. This movie followed the stories perfectly, from Iron Man’s origin story, to the Armor Wars tone, all the way to Iron Monger. They connected everything in a way that made sense and did not sell out the comics, something that had not been done this well since the first Spider-Man movie. They even hint at War Machine and Mandarin (Clan of the 10 Rings was the terrorist group, come on folks!). The only noticeable difference that I could think of off the top of my head was that the terrorists were from Afghanistan and not Vietnam, but of course that is only because they updated it with current world events to make it a little more believable so it is a very forgivable move and that they went from Mark I Iron Man Armor to about Mark VIII in 3 suits, but this is due to it only being a two hour movie and not several years of comic book issues so again, a very forgivable move on their part.

This movie had everything perfect though. The tension between the strict, tow the line Jim Rhodes, played amazingly by Terrance Howard, and the flamboyant, care-free Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. who gave an Oscar worthy performance; the other kind of tension between Tony and Pepper Potts, actually played surprisingly well by Gwyneth Paltrow; and the sinister, back-stabbing Obadiah Stane played perfectly by Jeff Bridges. Jon Favreau even played Happy Hogan and gave it his all, losing 70 pounds for the bit part, while directing the whole thing! The only thing a friend of mine mentioned was how cheesy the fake chest looked when Pepper had to replace his chest battery, but if he did not mention it, I would never have noticed it so to me it worked. Maybe I did not notice it though because the movie had me fully engrossed the entire time and at only 2 hours and 6 minutes long, not a single second dragged. It had comedy, it had drama, it had sex appeal, it was PERFECT. The performances were spectacular from all involved and the plot was well executed and it was believable. I cannot praise this movie enough. Of course the special effects were up to par, but we would not expect anything less nowadays. The sticklers were would these actors be able to pull off these characters and make you believe it and they did it. You could see a comic book movie win its first major Oscar for this; it was that good.

Only two things could go wrong now. They either let the actors go, which I don’t think they will because they all have been given three movie deals, or they do not do Mandarin and War Machine in the next movie after blatantly hinting at them throughout the movie. I will be gravely disappointed if Iron Man 2 fails to incorporate those two CRUCIAL characters and it will probably erase the success of this movie in the eyes of many comic book fans.

Also, I hope you all stayed through the end credits because I am sure you have all heard by now, it is official, THE AVENGERS will be a movie as showcased by Nick Fury (played by the king of all bad-asses and the hardest working man in Hollywood, Samuel L. Jackson) confronting Tony Stark after his blockbuster end press conference. More on that as it develops. For now, let Iron Man have his moment to shine.

-Ray Carsillo