"Who Killed Nessie?" is a Charming Mystery Comic With a Cryptid Twist!

Cryptozoic creatures are those we aren't sure exist. From urban legends to Greek Myths, and other technical entries too, you've got such concepts as Bigfoot, Medusa, Mermaids, Jackalopes, Stink Apes, Slender Man, and Mummies even--just not space aliens (you've gotta draw the line somewhere). Imagine if many of these creatures could teleport and, every once in a while, had a big conference at a remote hotel that valued their privacy? Now, imagine the Loch Ness Monster gets murdered at said event, with the one human employee left to monitor things stuck trying to solve this (literally) big mystery. Well, imagine no more because that is the main plot of, "Who Killed Nessie?" by Paul Cornell (writer) and Rachael Smith (artist).

Yep, it is Lyndsay Grockle’s first day as the manager of the Lakeview Hotel, as the other employees prefer skipping out on this event of, "Unusual," guests that Lyndsay is told involve unique, "Cosplay." Soon enough she learns the truth and has to help figure out who killed have killed Nessie before the weekend wraps and humans return to the hotel. We learn a lot about Lyndsay through this whole mess, and there is a satisfying answer to the mystery--I figured it out just a tiny bit before the big reveal, thanks to some useful clues. It isn't all about the murder, however, because these Cryptids are at the hotel to party! We meet all kinds of weird creatures throughout, "Who Killed Nessie?" and it is a who's who of strange beings for sure! If you can think of a big name or slightly obscure creature, it may very well appear in this original graphic novel.

I loved, "Who Killed Nessie?" and expected to be a fan as I've enjoyed the writing of Paul Cornell for years now, having first read his stuff some time ago when he did a fantastic Pete Wisdom-focused mini-series for Marvel under their now mostly-defunct, "Max," line. Rachael Smith's art is superb as well, emphasizing the unique appearances of all the strange Cryptids inhabiting the hotel. Some creatures are cute, others imposing, and all are fun to look at! Cornell and Smith make a great team, in other words I loved, "Who Killed Nessie?" and would encourage you to buy this stupendous book or get a copy from your local library. See if you can solve the mystery yourself!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Note: I want to offer my thanks to Avery Hill Publishing for being willing to send me a copy for the purpose of review upon my request.

Rant-Reviews--Discussing Comics in Numerical Order Again, Now with a Zero Issue!

Counting Again

Remember that time I reviewed a first issue, second issue, third issue, and fourth issue of some different comics? Yeah, that was fun. Let's do it again, but this time just to keep things fresh we'll throw in a zero issue!

Start The Numbers!

Vampirella #0

I haven't ever read too much Vampirella-related comics in the past, but have enjoyed what I've tried. When I heard a writer with some stellar comics under his belt, Paul Cornell, was doing a new take on the character that wasn't a reboot, but a bit of a fresh start, I was intrigued. I then saw that the debut #0 issue was just a 25-cents, literally a quarter (and sales tax depending on your state), and I knew I wanted to give it a try! This clearly is more of a prologue as we are told its the future, but only get a few hints of that. Then, some people revive Vampirella in an underground tomb because she needs to save the world from itself, or something, and that's about it. It's a fast read and the book ends as she escapes her former resting place to go into the new world. If I had paid $2.99 or $3.99 for this I maybe would have felt a little short-changed, but for just a quarter this is a great intro to the comic, and the way it acknowledges how Vampirella's twisty history may have truths as well as lies is clever too. This makes me interested in trying the next issue for sure, but it better reveal more or I'll be a bit perturbed!
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Crypt of Screams #1

I've of course enjoyed reading a number of works by Mike Wolfer and have interviewed him on various occasions for the blog. He's a great guy and as this first issue of, "Crypt of Screams," shows, a stellar creator as well. Drawing inspiration from the old horror comics of the past, he writes and illustrates the stories in this one-man anthology (with assists by other creators on tones and lettering). Thanks to getting funded via a Kickstarter, Wolfer was able to take this series to American Mythology Productions, a newer publisher who has put out other titles by Wolfer and will be putting out new works by him in the future too! Within this first issue with have three tales, with two clearly being full-on horror the last being a bit more of a sci-fi comic but still quite intense. 

The comics are in black-and-white but this is not at all to their detriment, as Wolfer masterfully plays with bright-and-dark, as his first story, Speed Demon," casts creepy shadows between bursts of light and fire in its tale of a horse-race in the Wild West that features a supernatural twist. The middle story, "The Pond," is a lot quieter and mellow, and seems to be heading in a pleasant and sweet direction before some really depressing and horrific reveals at the end of the yarn--with Wolfer again, "Staging," everything fantastically with the black, white, and gray tones. "Burn Out," features a human fighting some gigantic monsters that have demolished his home city in the far-flung future of 1998 as envisioned by the 1970's (the comic jokingly acknowledges that 1998 has come-and-gone, of course). It's quite action-packed and good fun. I loved this first issue and find that Wolfer as always is killing it (pun intended) with his spooky tales. I know this book is more of an occasional release as opposed to being on a set schedule like some of his other titles, but if upcoming issues are as good as this one a little waiting won't hurt me!

5 out of 5 stars.

Dollface #2

I discussed the first issue in some reviews not too long ago, and liked it enough I came back for the 2nd! This issue unfortunately drags a bit more, spending most of its time filling us in on the history of Dollface. It still has plenty of cool fighting, T&A, fun artwork, and other stuff people expect from Dan Mendoza (the creator of, "Zombie Tramp," a character who is in this book too). It just was a bit duller than the first issue in my opinion, and the ending was sudden not in a cliff-hanger way but a, "Oh, the issue is done now?" kind of style. So, this wasn't as good as the first issue, as I stated, but still was a decent read. If you love Mendoza and his works you'll adore this comic, but if you're not a die-hard fan of his stuff your mileage may vary.
3 out of 5 stars.

Motor Crush #3

The plot in this book could suck and I'd still enjoy it because the art-team of Babs Tarr and Cameron Stewart make comics so pretty and luscious in their design and colors the art practically melts off the page with its delicious glow. However, with Brendan Fletcher also being on the team (he writes, and they contributed to the story too) the story ain't bad at all either. Set in the near future and featuring a protagonist named Domino Swift who I at first found dull but have been more and more intrigued by with each issue, this book is a fantastic blend of motorbike racing, mafia intrigue, and an ongoing mystery about just what makes Swift so special (because clearly something is going on with her).

While Swift has turned out to actually be quite interesting, arguably the most fascinating character is the world everyone lives in. It's a futuristic place full of neat technology, strange drugs, and is drenched in bright and beautiful colors thanks to the stellar art team. It's a bit like if the design sensibilities of a high-octane action-manga had a baby with a 1980's racing movie and the main character were a queer woman of color who is as good at kicking ass and taking names as she is at driving absurdly fast. If that description doesn't found like a great comic I am unsure what would sound fun to you, so give it a try!
4 out of 5 stars.

Doom Patrol #4
Gerard Way is someone who doesn't get mad at comparisons of him to Grant Morrison, he actually welcomes them. From his earlier, "Umbrella Academy," stuff I adored to now being the curator of DC's Young Animal line of comics and writing what is arguably the flagship book, "Doom Patrol," the man clearly has the storytelling sensibilities of Morrison and flexes his raconteur muscles expertly. The Doom Patrol is of course a property that has been around for a long time, but ever since Morrison wrote it in the days of the 1980's almost any attempt to follow-up on his work has failed to varying degrees. So, if you can't beat Morrison's style, why not join it? Seriously, if Morrison did what many people think is the best-ever, "Doom Patrol," then get the man often compared to Morrison to do his own take that is both fresh but builds on the old stuff! DC did that, and Hell if it hasn't been working from its wild first issue to the delayed-but-finally out, #4.

With Nick Derrington supplying amazing artwork as a perfect compliment to Way's writing, this is one stellar comic. Whether he's drawing a quiet moment of good ol' Niles Caulder sitting around, or drawing otherworldly villains trying to harvest the constructs of, "Danny," to make cheap meat (I told you this was weird), everything just flows perfectly, and art this is good easily excuses the delays the fourth issue faced. Derrington's drawing and Way's writing creates a comic that is for sure confusing, weird, and otherwise strange, but then again what else would you expect from the person who arguably comes closest to being Grant Morrison in masterful writing ability without actually, you know, being Grant Morrison? This isn't to say Way lacks original ideas, because he is overflowing with them, it's just that when the most popular version of the Doom Patrol was written by Morrison and you take over and write it in that style that comparisons will be invited--and it is a great thing these comparisons are glowing! Clearly I love this book, and I only hope future issues don't face too many delays.
5 out of 5 stars.

Counting Concluded
Well, I counted to four again, but this time I reviewed five books thanks to a handy zero issue. As my reviews illustrate, there are some good reads out there and a wide array of genres to read for sure. I hope you enjoyed my latest counting exercise and will join me in doing another one sometime!

Things That I Found Interesting AKA Some Links to Inspect

What's up? Nothing much? Well, I've seen various things that I find pretty interesting and it makes sense for me to share some of those things with you!

Stuff to Read

Popular website Salon shares its thoughts on how CNN and its constant-stream of "news" about little more than disasters that fill air-time (such as the channel's obsession with the missing flight MH370) represents a missed opportunity to actually broadcast, you know, insightful news.

Caleb on "Everyday is Like Wednesday" always says what many of us are thinking when he reviews the Previews section of Marvel or DC, with this latest edition about Marvel's new solicits being as funny and clever as ever.

The story about the old E.T. Atari game selling so poorly that countless copies were buried in the Nevada desert was often thought by many to be little more than a urban legend. Well, the myth has recently been proven to in fact be true, with plenty of photos from an excavation showing that, incredibly, copies of the game really were/are out there under a bunch of sand and dirt.

I'm always fascinated by pictures of areas that were abandoned for one reason or another--seeing how nature has reclaimed an area otherwise frozen in time results in incredible images that also stimulate thought. The area impacted by the Chernobyl disaster is a popular example, but this article about Brother Island, located incredibly close to the extremely-populated New York City, shows that sometimes fascinatingly humanless areas are closer than we realize.

Coming to a movie theater near you soon!
Okay, maybe in four or five years.

I and everyone else have given DC a good ribbing for not appearing to have a solid plan for how to do their movies, but the recent announcement of a "Justice League" movie to come out quite soon after "Batman Versus Superman" along with other films maybe not in that super-hero Universe (such as popular Vertigo titles "100 Bullets" and "Fables") show that maybe the company has somewhat of a clue what they're doing...maybe.

I'm not sure I fully agree with the thinking in this article  that in the near-future movies will only be in theaters for three weeks before becoming available for home consumption, but the part proposing that depending on how people choose to stream their digitally-rented movies they may cost different amounts did capture my attention. Will we see a time where if you digitally rent a flick on a smart-phone it'll cost less than if you get it on your big-screen TV in a super-high resolution? What about people who download a movie to their handheld device and then just hook it up to a television, how will that be addressed? There are lots of things to ponder, as I think that could in fact become a trend.

I've read reviews of the new "Elder Scrolls Online Game" that range from slightly-positive to a bit more negative, but it seems everyone agrees that the game just doesn't measure up to the feeling of wonderment players would get in past Elder Scrolls entires. It interestingly seems the main culprit behind this lack of enjoyment is how through making this game an MMORPG (Massively Multiplier Online Role-Playing Game), the presence of all the other players ruins your feeling of being special, with that not being fully countered by the possibilities multi-player offers to enhance the game.

In case you had any doubt lately, Sarah Palin continues to be a moron.

I enjoyed the Paul Cornell-written solo-Wolverine series, but dropped it after the first issue of its recent re-launch (the whole "Wolverine is a villain now" thing just didn't get me pumped). Still, when I heard that the long-rumored death of Wolverine would be occurring I--and others, it seems--were surprised to hear that Cornell wasn't writing it, but instead Charles Soule was. This interesting article on Bleeding Cool helps explain why things turned out the way they did. With my talking about how I'm stricken with eventitis I of course won't be reading the series, but I'll stay up-to-date on what happens.

I found this article by The Atlantic about the lack of respect adjunct (non-tenured) professors receive extremely insightful. People don't realize that before you get tenure how teaching at a college or university can be a Hell of long hours, low-pay and even lower-respect from other professors and the college administration.

Lastly, try and follow my thinking here: Comics are magnificent, so therefore the latest upcoming Free Comic Book Day will also be magnificent. In addition, "Reading Rainbow" was awesome, and therefore LeVar Burton is awesome. This makes it so that LeVar Burton endorsing comics and Free Comic Book Day is something that is magnificently awesome. Don't question my logic, you know it is sound.

I Dropped A Lot of Comics Part One: Marvel

Ready, Set, Cut Books!
So yeah, as the title says, I dropped a lot of comic books from my pull-list/s. Comics are getting more expensive and I'm not made of money, so it is potentially interesting to note what I'm still reading as it is reflective of how I think about comics, and what I enjoy in them. Let's examine things in a sort-of-by-publisher method. First up, a post about Marvel comics and a variety of the books I am keeping or dropping.

Marvel Books

We should address the biggest casualty of my pull-list reduction, almost every X-Men book. While some past X-Men comics are among my favorite, currently much of the line seems to be moving at a glacial pace, with Bendis' "New X-Men" and "Uncanny X-Men" being decent reads but so abhorrently slow in actually, ya'know, going anywhere that I just can't put up with them anymore.

I do truly enjoy Jason Aaron's "Wolverine and the X-Men" and those first few issues of Brian Wood's "X-Men" are solid, but considering how almost the entire line is being drawn into this "Battle of the Atom" cross-over, it makes sense to drop all of the books that will be involved as there is little point in reading just some of this cross-over. Plus, with Marvel's "Infinity" event going on (more on that in a second) I honestly can't fund two mega-event cross-overs at once from the same publisher. Oh, and "Uncanny X-Force" has been dropped because even though I like the whole plot with Betsy and the Fantomexes (Fantomexi?) I still just can't pay that much for a comic I only enjoy a few aspects of. The only X-books I am keeping on my pull-list are "X-Factor" because it is awesome and almost through with its run anyways, and the amazing "X-Men Legacy" which I have not been shy about singing the praises of. Oh, and I'm keeping the main "Wolverine" book because Paul Cornell is a Hella' good writer.

Despite dropping all those X-books I am sticking with most of the Avenger's titles for now (like "Avengers Arena"--even if it is getting canceled), at least whilst "Infinity" is taking place. I would like to follow that event to its conclusion, so after "Infinity" I may drop a bunch of Avenger's titles, keeping only the stellar ones such as "Young Avengers" and maybe "Uncanny Avengers" which varies between really interesting or a trudge to read through, sometimes within the same issue. The new version of the "Mighty Avengers" hasn't come out yet either, but any book with Luke Cage playing a prominent role is worth getting in my opinion.

Oh, and my apologies to Cullen Bunn, but "Fearless Defenders" just isn't doing it for me, even if you kinda-sorta brought back Annabelle, and "Venom" hasn't been the same since Rick Remender left so those are cut too. His "Deadpool Kills Deadpool" series is going to stay on my list as it is sort of the conclusion of a trilogy to the "Deadpool Kills" saga and I feel too invested to quit now.

Even though I dropped Bendis' X-Men books, I do want to keep reading his "Guardians of the Galaxy" as it is always enjoyable to see space-adventures in the Marvel Universe, plus it ties-in with the aforementioned "Infinity", so it is safe for now. Other books that were safe with little hesitation were "Thunderbolts", the normal-version of "Deadpool", and I'm going to at least try that first issue of "Fantomex Max".

I still enjoy both "Daredevil" and "Hulk" by Mark Waid.

Lastly, Mark Waid should be feeling good because "Daredevil" is still being picked-up by me, without question, and after some hesitation I do still want to keep getting "Indestructible Hulk", at least while he is still writing it. Oh, and "Superior Foes of Spider-Man" by Nick Spencer may be his Marvel comic that breaks the trend of most of his Marvel work being, well, terrible. Also, even though I don't normally read "Savage Wolverine" I want to at least get those issues written and illustrated by the amazing Jock.

Wait, I completely forgot for a second, I plan to follow "Cataclysm" as the Ultimate Imprint came about when I was a young teen reading the comics and enjoying them a lot, so I feel a bit of a connection to the Ultimate Universe. I won't be reading all the tie-ins though, just the main book.

That's the Marvel books, stay tuned for DC and Image (Part 2), other publishers (Part 3), and a post reflecting on how what I chose to cut and keep reflect on not only my tastes, but the comic industry (Part 4).

A Trade-Review of the NU52 AKA Demon Knights Volume 1

Background and Why I Wanted to Review This

"Demon Knights," or if you want to be fancy and use the full title, "Demon Knights Volume 1: Seven Against The Dark" is book that was a part of the "New 52" re-launch and has done well enough to still be going today. This trade collects the first seven issues and features the main reason I picked up the trade, Paul Cornell as the writer. I wasn't interested enough in the book to pick it up when all the NU52 books were debuting as there was just so many that some I figured I would wait to perhaps follow in trade that seemed less, "crucial" to the DC Universe. 

It may not be as important to the DCU, but dragons are cool,

Now, despite this book tying-in to Stormwatch in the sense that centuries later the Demon Knights evolved into that organization, this is set way in the past from almost all the other DC books (oh, and Madame Xanadu is around here and she's in Justice League Dark also, but seems like a completely different person there so who knows what's up). Therefore, I felt I could miss the early and current issues of this and read the trade, which I was picking up pretty much purely on the strength of Cornell's name alone (you make the stellar mini-series "Wisdom" and its follow-up "Captain Britain and MI:13" and I'll give almost anything new you write a chance). Now then, what did I think?

Main Review OR To Sum-Up the Book in One Word, Decent

This tale of the Demon Knights is not bad, but lacking in anything to label it as "stellar". I had already picked up the trade before reading J. Caleb Mozzocco's review where he absolutely ripped the thing to shreds, so I was concerned as to whether or not I'd like the book. While I don't think the book was, "trash," I can agree with Mozzocco that at times the visual story-telling is disjointed and messy. There are other things that bugged me too. One thing that was both impressive and seemed rushed would be how within what would have been the "first issue" all the main characters are introduced along with their enemies. That is pretty cool how Cornell managed to do that but throughout these seven issues it seems we never get to know too many of the main characters well, with everyone getting little bits of "the spotlight" but never that much--except perhaps the Demon Etrigan who is around a fair amount of time.

Speaking of Etrigan one thing that bothered me might be considered insignificant to some readers and inexcusable to others--he doesn't speak in rhyme! Okay, sometimes he does but only at dramatic moments, otherwise he speaks just normal ol' English. As someone who is used to see him rhyming or making sonnets in many of his past appearances it is a bit odd. He still is an enjoyable character however, with his mean-spirited nature and basically being a villain who only does a few good things because his lover, Madame Xanadu, asks him to. It is also amusing to see Xanadu act like she loves Etrigan and not his human alter-ego, Jason Blood, and then tell Jason Blood she is in fact playing Etrigan. I figure the truth is she cares for both, in a way.

What the? Why isn't Etrigan rhyming? This is an outrage...maybe.

Vandal Savage also appears in a role styled much more in the "comedic relief" vein than other times in the "old DC" where he was kind of an evil master-mind--which is also how he is portrayed in some later issues of DC Universe Presents--so I suppose at some point between medieval and modern times ol' Vandal must have gotten smarter and more evil (although he is still pretty evil in Demon Knights in some of his actions).

There are other characters too but I can't remember much about them other than that there is the guy who invents stuff, the lady who rides a horse constantly, the Wonder Woman-esque Amazon, and a female knight heavily drawing more from the Grant Morrison, "Seven Soldiers of Victory," than the older versions of the character.

The art is pretty messy, as done by Diogenes Neves, with the storytelling being unclear a fair amount of time even if it looks kind of pretty. However, some of the characters fighting are velociraptors in armor with knives, so that is--as I believe the term goes--pretty freaking awesome--and excuses the lack of clarity some. Observe:

The plot itself is pretty weak; we have an evil Queen (and her sorcerer minion) who wants to attack a city and has to take out a little village along the way which happens to be inhabited by our heroes, battle ensues, etc. One saving grace is how at the end when we see the ruined battlefield someone tells the heroes, "Here today, you have won a great victory," and the irony of such a statement is abundantly clear. The thing that mainly carries this though is how some of the characters--such as the aforementioned Etrigan or the humorous Vandal Savage--are fun to read. With art that is often confusing even if it looks decent, and a plot that is quite dull, Cornell's characterization of some of the characters at least makes me want to keep reading.

All-in-all this is a decent book, as I said before. I'm interested enough to want see what happens in the next volume of the story but if that doesn't impress me a bit more I may not bother with any future adventures of the Demon Knights. Still, if you are interested in the past of the new DCU this might satisfy your cravings for swords-and-sorcery.
3 out of 5 stars.

Rant-Reviews--A Smattering Of Week-Old (Or So) Comics That I Am A Funny Jerk To

It's nearly the newest week of DC comics, and I still have a bunch from the first week (well, I guess second, if you want to count the week just Justice League #1 came out as the first)! I ought to say my thoughts on various things from DC, and why not some Marvel stuff too? Also, I'm going to be silly.

Stormwatch #1
This is decently entertaining, with the moon threatening to destroy Earth, everyone does some fun quips, and it's sort of explained how the ret-con of Wildstorm-Universe characters existing in the normal DC Universe happened (it seems this bunch have been operating in secret, hence them not being involved in all those DC events in continuity that still "count". I was satisfied by this comic, I guess you could say.

The thing is, if DC wanted to just shove the Wildstorm-Universe into the DC one like a mad scientist trying to get a cat and a dog to have sex, this would be the result. It'd be violent, kind of messy, and sort of make you wonder why the hell Martian Manhunter is involved. Yeah, he's helping the mad scientist force the cat and dog to get it on in that scenario too. If that sounds like weird fan-fiction, that essentially is what his appearance is here in Stormwatch. "Let's throw in a mainstream DC-Universe character and show how cool he is!" and so forth. I'm being a little harsh though, as I said, I was entertained. Also, the mad scientist is not writer Paul Cornell, he is doing a good job. The scientist is DC. Cornell is just a lab assistant making the best of what he can. Then again aren't we all when it comes to jobs like that?
3 out of 5 stars.

The Punisher #3
Hm, let me double-check this. Yup, it's an issue-long fight scene with some other stuff interspersed, but still little more than stabbing, blood, and weird green-spit that apparently is acidic because it makes vapors. I would bitch about this, but Checchetto makes such nice art I wouldn't care if this issue were The Punisher shooting old ladies in the face who exchange their pain-killer medication with each other when one of the elderly gals runs out. Yeah, that's illegal, and The Punisher will handle that with extreme prejudice. Is it weird that a comic where the Punisher shoots an old woman in the face sounds more appealing to me than having to read another page of Fear Itself? Yeah, I quit that series. Thank God this has nothing to do with it. This was mediocre but looked good.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Hulk #38
The Red Hulk barely appears this issue, it is mostly the new Modok (we have a new one?) facing off against some computer-image woman and realizing they have the same goal, then saying he loves her. I thought I loved a woman once, but then she told me it would be sixty dollars for the hour so I yelled, "Trick, you said fourty-five! You can go to Hell!" Trust me when I tell you that story was more interesting than this issue. Maybe the fact it ties in to the aforementioned Fear Itself is what really dragged this series down. This is an old issue though, I think we're on #40 or something, but I quit with this issue, because I'm poor, and it's not from the sex-workers, it's the schooling I'm getting and its cost. I'm just glad I have that nest egg of investments in UBS to fall back on. Wait, what scandal? How much in losses? Oh SHIT!
2 out of 5 stars.

Batwing #1
I couldn't tell if the end of this comic was taking place in the past or present, the plotting was so shoddy. Judd Winick can be hit-or-miss, and this was a miss at the level of accidentally giving your niece smallpox. Yeah, and then she infects her friends and we have a world-wide epidemic, you shouldn't have gone into that lab. Really though, I think DC wants it so that they can pump out books with non-white characters, and then when those books happen to not be given the best talent because they are expected to do subpar numbers, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and DC has an excuse to cancel the books. Then DC's Editor-In-Chief Dan Didio can clamber up the stage and bellow about how, "See? People don't want to read about minorities, so quit bitching about the lack of black folks in our comics and suck down more of this Green Lantern merchandise we weren't able to sell when the movie bombed." Also Didio is naked when this announcement happens, because that is how he rolls. Yeah, this comic looked okay but the story was mostly miserable.
1.5 out of 5 stars.

Uncanny X-Force #14
This was good. Rick Remender writes it well and Jerome Opena returns to the series to provide some stellar art. I've got nothing bad to say, actually.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Justice League International #1
This was fine, but it was just trying too hard. It was like when you're on that first date and you really want to impress the girl or guy, so you keep trying to say jokes that aren't even that clever, or tell stories that make you look cool. Yeah, this comic is that first date. It's a new experience and kind of fun, but also a little painful and groan-worthy at times. Also, the comic really makes it clear the British super-hero lady is a...um...how to put this delicately...sexually active individual. She comments about the various male members of the team and kind of comes off looking, well, easy. She's pretty one-dimensonal in that sense. Then again all the characters are. Batman is mysterious, Guy Gardner is hot-headed, Rocket Red is Russian and is adorable in that Yakov Smirnoff sort of way, etc. etc. Even a mirror has more dimensions...I think. Still, this comic didn't render me a drooling invalid, and it had some fun moments, so I'll give it credit as above-average. I'd ask it out on a second date, to go with our earlier metaphor which has been stretched ever-so-thin.
3 out of 5 stars.

New Thoughts On The DC 52 In September--Not Interested

There are those DC books coming out this September that aren't necessarily bad, I just have no interest in reading them for some reason or another. Let's look at that big and odd assortment.

New Thoughts On The DC 52 In September--Will Try The First Issue

There are the DC books that you may not be sure are worth getting an arc of, but you're willing to try the first issue. These are the ones I'll give a shot for various reasons.

Rant Reviews--Gotham Gates, Agents with T.H.U.N.D.E.R., Suicide Girls, Superman Takes Action, and a Black Panther.

Today we look at Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #8, Suicide Girls #3, Action Comics #902, and Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #520. Talk about jumping around thematically.

I Break Down the New DC Books

I'm going to list the new books DC has annouced by how interested I am from ones I am absolutely going to buy to those I won't be touching with a ten-foot pole. Some I'll just list other ones I'll have a little note to go along. This should be fun...

Knight And Squire #1-6 AKA I Don't Know Enough British Humor For A Good Pun Here

Knight and Squire #1-6
The Knight is essentially the British version of Batman, with the Squire serving as the Robin. Paul Cornell is a great British writer. This combination makes sense. When he was put on this mini-series he created something phenomenal and hilarious that also towards the end gets a bit meta-textual, and you know I love when comics do that. Read on to hear about a dynamite series.

Rant-Reviews--Four DC Comics With Three Good and One Being Surprisingly Terrible

It's an all-DC extravaganza, with T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7 doing an great job telling two stories that unite, Detective Comics #877 working quite well, DC Universe Online Legends impressing, and Action Comics #901 doing the quickest dive in quality from a previous issue that I have ever seen. Well, they can't all be winners.

Rant Reviews--Action Comics, Detective Comics, Osborn, and A Comic Named Rasl.

We've got the Action Comics #900 where all kinds of things happen--some controversial if you've been following the news, Detective Comics #876 which is snazzy as always, the final issue of the stellar Osborn mini-series, and the independent comic Rasl.

Rant-Reviews--The Least Alike Comics Ever OR Halcyon #4, Tarot #67, and Action Comics #899.

Halcyon #4, Tarot #67, and Action Comics #899. Three different comics with three different publishers, three different tones, and three different quality-levels. Time to examine who rocks and who...um...socks.

Flashback Friday--2 "Women of Marvel" Comics.

Namora #1 AND Spitfire #1
Back in the long ago time of 2010 (Yes, this Flashback Friday is pretty recent) Marvel had a, "Year of Women" thing going on where various female characters were spotlighted and the mini-series, "Girl Comics" came out. Sometime I'll review that but I thought today I would look at two one-shots that interested me because they involved characters from other series I enjoyed reading, and were written by scribes I enjoy.

This Adventure's End Sadly Nears--Action Comics #898

Action Comics #898
The ninth(!) entry in the ten-part story arc (not counting the upcoming #900 with Lex and Superman coming face-to-face) by Paul Cornell featuring some incredible storytelling with Pete Woods drawing. How does this penultimate issue go? Great as always.

February 2011 Previews Part 1--What Looks Good.

Time to highlight things that look especially promising the newest Previews. As always there is plenty of consitently good stuff I don't discuss, choosing instead to focus on special issues, debuts, and things that look good. Part 2 will be the things that look terrible, and that post will probably get more views as people seem to love clicking on negative posts--although admittedly I am more funny when making fun of stupid stuff in Previews, of which there was much so stay tuned for this afternoon!

A Crossover I Actually Am Pleased About: Secret Six #29

Secret Six #29
 For the conclusion of the story in Action Comics #896 (with this taking place before #897), I had to pick up this issue. However, I sure didn't regret doing so.

Rant-Reviews--How the hell do people genuinely enjoy Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose? Plus, some super-hero comics.

More Luthor, two books with Luke Cage, and what's this--Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose? Am I crazy?

Paul Cornell writes a great Nate Grey: Dark X-Men

Dark X-Men TPB
Some time ago there was a crossover between the x-men comics and Dark Avengers. There was something about a riot in San Francisco and Norman Osborn (then head of a big government agency) putting together a big team of his own "x-men" to make the regular x-men look bad. Well, a bunch of the members were a fake-out, the event ended, and there were just a couple of mutants left on the team. This was during the cash-grab time of "Dark Reign" however so they made a Dark X-Men comic. The thing is, they got excellent writer Paul Cornell, and he turned this into something to behold...