Justice League Unlimited was kinda awesome.

Yeah that's an understatment. Part of the reason I haven't sat down and come up with a regular update schedule for this blog is because of school. The other part is that I have been recently rewatching random episodes of Justice League Unlimited. When I was a kid, I loveeeed Justice League. We got to see characters like Batman and Superman interacting with a bigger world, and I got to meet characters like John Stewart (GL), Flash (Wall West Flash anyway) and the ever awesome Martian Manhunter. Only problem was that they cast Aquaman from the main roster...but that was okay because then he popped up in the show and the whole two parter episode was all like...

"I AM AQUAMAN, AND I HAVE WAYYYY TOO MUCH TO DO, LIKE RULING THE WHOLE OCEAN N S%^& TO FIGHT CRIME!"

So yeah. I've mostly been watching random episodes. And damn, they are good. Shadow of the Hawk is probably my favorite because we get to see Hawkgirl and John Stewart's love triangle getting more attention. Plus we get finally get Hawkman, and even Shadow Thief! ( obscure Hawkman villain, so of course you know I love him.) Great episode, also proves Batman should never interfere with anyone's love life.

My  favorite so far was Grudge Match. People complain not enough female heroes get the limelight. The plot revolves around female heroes being kidnapped and force to fight in an underground sketchy cage match arena. And it's pretty much just female superheroes laying an unholy smack down on each other and then their captors. A lot of DC heroiens get spotligthed here, my two favorites being Huntress and Black Canary. Huntress really steals the show. I love her aggresive but playful attitude and her banter with Black Canary. Definatly a great episode.

It's been a lot of fun. Especially catching all the references put in for long time comic readers. Man I love this show. I can't understand why younger me didn't watch JLU more often.

Green Lantern(s) and Aquaman: Awwww yeah!

Picked up Green Lantern 16, Green Lantern Corps 16, and Justice League 16 ( Throne of Atlantis tie-in)

Man...it's been a slow burn but Green Lantern is finally paying off. For about 3 months, we've been getting acquainted with Simon Baz, a Lebanese-American. I'll talk more about Baz, but suffice to say, I like him. We haven't seen enough of him for me to consider him a new favorite, but he proves himself in this issue to be selfless if somewhat flawed and reckless.

 Baz teams up with B'dg aka the squirrel green lantern, who's come to Earth to find Hal or Sinestro and warn them that the Guardians have turned on the Corps. Baz decides that since he was chosen by the ring, he must do the right thing and help the Green Lanterns fight back the Guardians and their new fiendishly creepy third army. Honestly, a lot of this issue focuses on Baz's guilt. We get the sense that he isn't a bad guy, but he's made mistakes that have cost him a lot. And this issue has a lot of Baz trying to face down his problems instead of running away from them. Now that he has a Green Lantern guiding him, Baz should be a more than capable asset against the Guardians.

I was perturbed by one thing though. Green Lantern Corps' initial arc delt with the concept of a race of Keepers that protected the GL's power batteries. According to this story, when a GL puts their battery in a pocket dimension, it gets teleported to the keeper's home planet so they may watch over it. They had a huge falling out, and now the GL have to find their own method of storing their batteries. Well, in this issue Baz pulls his battery out of a pocket dimension, with no mention to the Keepers revolt. WTF!?

tl;dr,  NIT PICKING!!!!

Oh also, Baz totally breaks the rules of the game and does something no Green Lantern has ever done before. It was a very powerful scene and part of the reason I liked this issue so much. But if I told you, it'd take all the shock value out of it. Also we get more B'dg!!!!! When a character garners enough attention to wind up on Robot Chicken due to their obscurity, you know I'll love them. All and all, I really enjoyed this issue.

8/10


Green Lantern Corps 16

Similar to how GL is focusing on Baz, GL Corps 16 is focused on Guy Gardner, the fiery red head loud mouth of the Corps. Oh wait...yeah he kinda got booted out last issue didn't he? Man...well, that doesn't keep him from being any less of a belligerent raging badass as he teams up with his cop brother and sister to prevent their precinct from being over run from the Third Army! I've really been digging the use of Guy Gardner's family. They are a tight-knit group and it's great having Guy interact with someone other than the Corps. Most of the issue deals with Guy being ring less and the menace of the Third Army closing in. Luckily, Simon Baz and B'dg show up and help save the day. In a way that was kinda awesome. 

Good issue. Art could have been better, but that's my only real complaint.

7/10


Justice League 16

Justice League 16 is basically Aquaman issue 15.75.  Hey remember how people mock Aquaman and Atlantis for being useless fish people who just herp and derp around? Yeah...well as someone puts it in the issue  and I'm very roughly parapharsing "We've already lost thousands of people and most of our major cities are flooded and the Atlantians haven't even attacked yet! This issue really plays up the strength the Atlantians and their threat as an offensive force. The action is split between the Justice League taking the fight to Ocean Master and Cyborg trying to save Dr. Shin, the only man who knows enough about Atlantis to stop them. The Atlanteans are out for blood. And damn it feels good. The League is pushed to their limit, and relationships are strained as Aquaman has to once again choose between his home or his people. 

If they story wasn't enough, Joe Prado ( Aquaman's former artist) is absolutely killing it in Justice League! It's just so...gorgeous! The way he draws the Atlanteans makes their crustacean like armor and their gigantic war machines very lifelike...but alien. Oh and he even references Aquaman's past costumes in the Atlantean infantry. Heck there are a lot of Aquam It looks like the JL is going to need some serious help...and the final page has a big reveal that is going to change how the post New 52 JL does things.

( There was also the matter of the back-up following the character of Shazam. It is short and very satisfying, but I don't want to spend very much time covering it. Suffice to say it was pretty good.)

Seriously, I'm recommending a comic that heavily features Aquaman. Why aren't you buying it right now?

9/10

Comic Book Haul for Jan. 16th, 2013

Picked up Demon Knights 16, Batman 16, and Saga 9 today.

In others words, pretty damn good haul.

Demon Knights just switched to a new author and I was extremely worried that the quality would dip with the lose of Paul Cornell.

Turns out I was wrong because Demon Knights 16 feels like it fits perfectly into the world Cornell put together. Not only that, I, Vampire hinted that the Demon Knights fought and put away Cain, the first vampire. Well now we get to see that happen! Cain is rampaging across Europe thirty years after the Demon Knights stormed Avalon and fought off the hordes of Hell with the help of King Arthur...

Seriously how is no one buying this title. READ DEMON KNIGHTS DAMMIT!!!

And one of the team is trying to reunite his old friends together to strike back. The story moves at a rapid clip, letting us get acclimated to seeing out immortal heroes again while also showing how the years have aged the regular humans amongst their group. Adventures that happend in the 30 year gap are hinted at without being fully explained, and we get to see the twisted supervillain in immortal Vandal Savage seep out from his good natured facade. Good title, great read.

8/10


Saga...never dissapoints. It focuses on the interstellar bounty hunter, The Will, as he tries to save a little girl from prostitution on the world of Sextillion. Wallowing in self pity after losing someone he loves, he comes across Marko's ex fiance, Gwendoylen, and the two (along with The Will's partner Lying Cat of course) go to Sextillion to rescue the slave girl.

I'm so glad I replaced Dark Knight for this title. The Will is probably one of my favorite characters in Saga, and we get  more of him being a total badass (Don't ever call his laser sword faggy. He'll kindly remind you it's a lance before he horribly murders you with it) and the ever lovable Lying Cat who comes off as a snarky bastard even though it can only say "lying". Finally, we get to me Gwendolyn, which was a big effing deal! And man was she worth it! Marko definitely has a type, and that's tall, dark and terrifying. The biggest surprise for me is that she doesn't come off as a one note spurned lover character. She wants to find Marko and make him pay, but you can also tell she genuinely loved him (and he did kind of use her engagement ring for his wife's wedding ring. Bad move Marko, baaaad move).

If you want to read some awesome, R-rated space opera/fantasy, then you should check in on Saga. It is totes worth it.

9.5/10 ( Was an amazing read with a satisfying end to a cliff hanger. Awesome comic, why aren't you buying it? The first volume is out for ten dollars! Come on people!)


Batman.

Oh my God Batman was terrifying. Remeber when I said Batman was a horror story?

Yes, yes it is. And Joker is the ringmaster. No more Scott Snyder monologues about architecture or pupil dilations. No this was a pure romp through high octane nightmare fuel. Joker's taken over Arkahm Asylum...again. But this time, he's done some...re-decorating. But Batman caught him in the middle of the most important part. Step by step, Batman makes his way through the asylum trying to take Joker off guard. But the horrors Batman encounters are nothing compared to what's at the end of the maze...

Very satisfying. There were a few hiccups. Not to spoil too much but Batman punches a horse in the face, and it just goes flat onto the ground. The scene was awesome, but I'm pretty sure he would have shattered his hand on the horse, gloves or not, the speed it was coming at him. There are some minor grips I could bring up...but they just don't feel that necessary. My only other problem is Joker. Joker's performance in here is phenomenally chilling and uncanny...but at times he just feels too powerful. It feels like Joker needs to be punished for all of the horrible things he's done in this arc. I hope Snyder doesn't just have him slink back into the shadows after this, because ultimately I want Batman to stop this psycho. I know Batman can't kill and I'm cool with that. I'd just like something a little bit more permanent than the revolving door that is Arkham Asylum. Don't let that undercut Joker though. This comic shows just how far Joker has gone to show his affection for Batman. And it really shows just how twisted and effed up Joker is and why he is such a terrifying foe.

The back up was really good too, and did an amazing job of deconstructing Two-Face as a character, as well as giving us a preview for what's to come. Definitely excited for the next issue.

10/10 ( Some very minor flaws outweighed by the amazingly creepy journey through Joker's new Arkham Asylum. Joker and Batman's dynamic continues to grow in the most effed up of ways and we get to see just how far Joker is willing to go to show his affection for his king.)

Martian Manhunter has villains!?

So I was watching Justice League: Doom ( awesome animated movie) and one thing was nagging at my mind. Each of the heroes was paired up with one of their toughest foes. Martian Manhunter even had a a villain who I had never seen before. He appeared to be a Martian like J'onn J'onzz. And he could shape shift like one too.

 So I did some research. He's Martian Manhunter's evil twin brother, Malefic. Which at first made me go, huh that's a little unoriginal. But then I dug a little deeper. He was arrested for mindraping another member of his kind, the worst offense on their planet. So the Martian High Council deleted all telepathic ability in him and erased the memory of his crime. Malefic became an outcast as a result, because his race was so inexorably link via their minds. He was so bitter he engineered a plague that would cause a Martian using their telepathic abilities TO ERUPT INTO FLAMES! Considering that Martians use telepathy all the time, you can imagine how quickly this disease spread. Now being set on fire is a bad thing right? Well to Martians, fire is one of the few things that can permanently damage them. It also didn't help that the Guardians of the Universe placed an intense phobia of fire into the Martians' minds to keep  from taking over the universe.Oh did I mention lobotomizing Malefic of his telepathy powers deprived him of his fear of fire? Dropped the ball on that one, Martian High Council. Dropped the ball big time.

So what I'm saying is, no matter what else this guy has done he is TERRIFYING in my opinion. Because anyone who wiped out most of his race with a telepathically spread fire plague for a crime he didn't remember committing deserves a pat on the back from the Joker.

So how many comics has he been in? Comic Vine says 18.

...So, Martian Manhunter has someone who can match him ability for ability, is a complete amoral psychopath to J'onn's stoic Lawful Good nature, and he created a plague that sounds like it almost single handily brought down Martian society. But he has only been in 18 comics?

Weeeeeeeeak

Martian Manhunter is an awesome character. But to me, he's always that guy who is just there in the background. He's awesome and whenever he steps up it's memorable, but mostly the spotlight is directed at other characters. Well...maybe we could get some more stories with him smackin his evil twin around because one of the coolest parts of Justice League: Doom was the shapeshifter faceoff.

You get it? Faceoff? Because they were constantly changing fa-*SMACK,SMACK*

OWWWWW

....But seriously, I spotlighted Malefic today because he looks like an awesome villain. An extremely powerful and evil villain. And most of all, because I think people over look Martian Manhunter a lot and maybe if he fought more people like this guy, he could get his own book. Which I would throw money at. A lot of money. Here's hoping  in the future, we will get to see more of Malefic.

Getting into Comic Books: Not as hard as you might think

One thing I've noticed lately is people are talking about comic book characters more, but most of them have barely picked up comic, much less read or even heard of masterpieces like the Killing Joke and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. It's easy to see how this happens.

Marvel's Avengers was a titanic commercial successes (even though I personally found it completely ruined by the lack of Ant-Man and the Wasp *sniff*). While the story was rather run of the mill and it did have a few plot holes, it had FANTASTIC characters, fight scenes and special effects. For the first time, Hollywood was able to capture the essence and feel of a superhero team. And Batman: The Dark Knight brought forward an incredibly grounded, realistic, and gritty superhero story to the theaters. (Well, as realistic as "rich man dresses up as a bat to fight crime" stories can be) I feel that both of these movies made super heroes much more accessible to the mainstream audience. Which is a good thing, believe me. Even if someone hasn't read every issue of Batman (which is not necessary at all, believe me), they can still provide new insight on a character, create astonishing fan art, or simply decide to purchase a graphic novel or comic now and again.

The problem I'm seeing is many people are interested in comics, they don't really read them. I feel like some of that deals with ease of access, but let's face it, comics are pretty much soap operas with tights and fights. Their plots can become convoluted and complicated. Writers can take over titles and totally wash away everything the last writer did with a retcon. Plot elements from 15 issues back can spring back into effect with little to no warning. Good Lord, you would not believe some of the plot twists Spiderman comics come up with, and don't even get me started on the tomes you could fill with all the unnecessary characters in X-Men (But if anyone touches Beast, Gambit, Colossus, or Nightcrawler I will hurt them with a stick!) So I guess this is my meandering long winded way of saying, I'd like to help give some tips on getting into comics.

1) Try everything to find out what you like- When I started buying comics, I didn't immediately decide what to follow monthly, so I bought a lot of titles to see what I wanted to keep reading. I also didn't just stick to my stuff. I read all my friends comics too. From there I was able to par it down what I actually wanted to continue to spend money on.

2) If you found something you like, do a little research- Many people don't like to jump in on the middle of a story, and I can respect that. Most comics are nice enough to include a recap page to explain what is happening. If not, we live in the age of the internet. While I hate admitting this, I will wiki information I need to know before I read a comic, especially if a tie-in I don't want to buy was involved. Don't be afraid to do a little research history on your favorite characters. I highly recommend sites like Comicvine for doing so. They can really fill in the gaps.

3) Try to establish a comic community with your friends- Comics are a lot more fun with your friends. If money is that big of a deal, you can easily share the load with your buddies so people can keep what they like the most while getting to keep up with everything that's going on in other big titles. It also gives you someone to discuss and speculate with, and makes attending comic movies much more rewarding when everyone gets the references.

4) Don't be intimidated- Comics are big, with story lines that can converge over years if planned correctly. Do not be afraid because you don't know everything. You think I knew who half the characters where in Kingdom Come or Justice League Unlimited? BITCH PLEASE. Believe me; I know it can be hard to follow. Don't let it overwhelm you, if a writer is good enough he will try to explain lesser known characters instead of moving on with clueless readers. The best thing is to jump in, and start absorbing as much information as possible. Or you can read indie comics, which are not usually as bogged down in continuity, featured more varied stories that are less dependent on super heroes, and come to (usually) satisfying and definite conclusions

5) If comic store runs are inconvenient , go digital- If you don't want to go to a grubby comic book story filled with sweaty nerds who know more about men in tights than American history, well I'm very sorry to say you are a sad person, and we can no longer be friends.

..Kidding, I'm just kidding! Wipe that frown off your face! But seriously. I understand if you don't want to go to a comic book store every week to follow your favorite titles. You're busy, I'm busy, and we are all busy. Comics are (usually) cheaper, awesome promos and deals abound, and it's quite convenient. For some people, storing comics is a hassle. With an e-reader or smart phone, you don't ever have to worry about giant clunky boxes full of comics you're never going to read again. Going digital is a great way to stay connected to what's going on without having to deal with the hassle of getting a hard copy.

I hope these tips help. Comics are a vast, wonderful, and varied world. The important thing is finding what you like, and friends to share what you find. Comics aren't for everyone, but I hope what I've said was able to spark some interest in you, even if it was just a glimmer. Thanks for reading!

Current Pull List

It's the start of a new month for comics, and I'm updating my pull list.

Still keeping

1) Batman
2) Aquaman
3) Green Lantern
4) Green Lantern Corps
5) I, Vampire
6) Demon Knights
7) Swamp-Thing
8) Animal Man
9) The Goon

and for 10 I'm replacing  Batman: The Dark Knight with Saga.

So I had ten dollars to blow...

And I wisely spent it on six issues of Saga, an Image comic title by Brian K. Vaughn. Damn,I feel like a criminal because that deal was a steal!

Saga is about a couple from opposite sides in a bloody war that has raged across the cosmos so long that now most of the conflict is being fought through proxy wars and mercenaries. Alana, a brash , down to earth woman from the high tech world of Landfall meets  POW Marko (a sensitive, romantic ,magic user) from Landfall's moon, The Wreath. They fall in love and have a baby together. Only problem is, they are both deserters and everyone on both sides wants them dead.

And good God this title is good. The characters dynamic is beautiful ( Alana definitely wears the pants in the family) , the bounty hunters chasing them are awesome three dimensional characters, the world has intriguing plot elements ( like magic requiring sacrifices to work properly) ...did I mention the art  by Fiona Staples? Because.it's.awesome.Oh, and this story BEGINS with the birth of a new child , and it only strengthens the characters and makes them more interesting as they attempt to give their daughter the best life they can and HOLY SHIT PEOPLE, THIS NEVER HAPPENS IN COMICS!!!

 I went out and got the latest issues from the web. The cliffhanger for issue eight was so good, I smacked my computer because I felt cheated. Let me repeat, I was so frustrated that I had to wait another month for this story to conclude, I had to smack an inanimate object to relieve my frustration.

... I feel bad for not reading this sooner.

*word of warning, this comic is not afraid to show dicks and titties. And really weird alien shit. There was a pleasure planet involved. It was awkward.For everyone. So be prepared*

Top Five Favorite Titles for 2012

Well 2012 has come and gone and surprise, surprise we are still here. Which is unfortunate because I've read a lot of good titles over the past year, and I hate having to narrow down my favorites but dammit it has to be done!

5. I, Vampire

      Story by Joshua Fialkov, Art by Andrea Sorrentino

 I really dismissed this title when it first came out. DC putting out a vampire story for the New 52? Pssssh. Luckily, I had a friend who forced me to sit down and read it. I was hooked almost immediately. I guess you could say it was...love at first bite!

*SLAP* OWW, OWW, OWW, okay, I'll behave!

*ahem* I’ve been kind of down on vampire stories lately. Not so much because of Twilight itself, but because of the glut of vampire stories that started popping up on the market. Most of them didn't really capture the spirit of a true vampire or what they were capable of. I Vampire, on the other hand, does it almost perfectly.

I, Vampire is set around our two main characters, Protagonist Andrew Bennet and his lover/ nemesis Mary Queen of Blood. Andrew was a 14th century British nobleman who fell in love with Mary, a local serving wench. On the night that he ran away to be with her, he was turned into a vampire. He tried to stay away from Mary but he eventually turned her as well. The conflict comes from how they handle their new found powers; Andrew is horrified by what he has become and wants to protect his people and live in harmony and humanity. Mary sees her newfound power and freedom as a means to take over the world and crush humanity under her heel. Their love story is rather tragic. Andrew loves her for the person she used to be, and she loves him for the monster he could become. But even with all the drama, the title has had room for a lot of funny moments and quips to keep the mood from becoming too angsty while not losing its horror tension.

This title has had an amazing run so far. It's set in the modern DCU and has already had several guest appearances by other characters like Batman, John Constantine, and Storm watch- all while not being forced. And now it has closed out the year with the tables being turned: Andrew has become a feral monster and Mary has to step up and be a hero! The art by Sorrentino has been fantastic. It's dark, heavily shadowed, but detailed when it needs to be. I'm sorry to see her go, but I still look forward to reading this title and hope it only gets better in the future.

4. Tie: Animal Man and Swamp-Thing battle the Rot

 Animal Man: story by Jeff Lemire, Art by Steve Pugh

Swamp-Thing: Story by Scott Snyder, Art by Yannick Paquette

 

   

I have been waiting for this crossover for a year now. And it has delivered in spades. Quick recap: Swamp-Thing and Animal Man are both avatars of their respective elemental factions, the Green (which encompasses all plant life) and the Red (encompassing all animal life). Both the Red and the Green are opposed by an elemental force of decay called the Rot, which wants to destroy all life on earth.

Animal Man is a superhero/actor who can channel the abilities of any animal on Earth. He is also unique for having a family, who he must protect at all cost, especially his daughter Maxine who is the REAL avatar of the Red, and exceptionally gifted with her powers. Swamp-Thing is about Alec Holland, a botanist newly returned to the land of the living. Alec fought the Green's decision to make him their Warrior King, but when faced with losing his beloved, Abigail Arcane, he donned the mantle of Swamp-Thing. Both titles are being written by excellent authors, but Scott Snyder's Swamp-Thing has really "grown" on me.

*SMACK* OKAY, I PROMISE THAT'S THE LAST ONE!

Both titles share exceptional art and stories. A trick by the Rot forces Animal Man and Swamp-Thing into a future where they're disappearance means victory for the Rot. Most of the world's heroes are dead or converted into monsters and only a pocket resistance must put a stop to the Rot. Cameos and action abound, and they only become more prevalent as both make their separate journeys Animal Man to find his daughter, and Swamp-Thing to rescue his beloved. These titles truly capture a feeling of despair and hopelessness as they march on through the wasteland. The enemy they face is unstoppable. It doesn't eat, it doesn't sleep. It just destroys everything in their path. Battered, but determined to save the ones they love. our heroes soldier on, even as they lose companions along the way. And as always when Scott Snyder or Jeff Lemire are helming a titles, the twists keep me surprised and on the edge of my metaphorical seat. I'm glad to see that so far, this was worth the wait.

3. The Goon

Story and Art by Eric Powell

 

Man, I love the s$^% out of the Goon. Imagine every pulp 1930s and 1940s smashed together (Neon spacemen, giant monsters, and mobster noir) mash it up with some self-deprecating, crass hick humor and then sprinkle some surprisingly poignant and moving stories and you have the Goon. Powell has been busy trying to put together a Goon movie (which is finally happening!), but this year the title went monthly.

And then there was much rejoicing! From me! Because I don't normally get to read a comic where the main character is being chased by gangsters and a murderous, hatchet wielding squid while punching zombies! That might be the most awesome thing I wish I could have included in an English Paper!

Eric Powell seemed almost manic depressant this year. He went from stories mocking the recent gimmicky trends in comic books and a Charleston dance showdown that lead to the summoning of Satan, to the horribly grounded realistic origin of Goon's aunt and caretaker, Kizzie the Iron Maiden  Even worse was the return of the terrifying Zombie Priest, who came bearing a grim message to the Goon. The rest of his kind is coming, and...

Everyone in this town is doomed.

WOOOOOO, I love it when Powell gets all gritty and dark and kills off characters that only twenty pages ago where blowing up bacon addicted carny abominations and giant zombie chimps!

...Damn I love this comic.

This title has continued to wow me as something new and unique ever since it came out... Still, it's good to know our hardened mobster with a heart of gold is still doing good. We even got a crossover with Powell's other major title, Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities. And it was glorious. Then again how could it not be?  I'm just happy I get to read it on a more consistent basis!

2. Invincible aka the Best Super Hero Comic in the Universe.

 Written by Robert Kirkman

Art by Corey Walker, Cliff Rathburn,  Ryan Ottley, and John Rauch

 

When my immediate response to closing a comic book is "DAMMMMN, Shit just got real!" You know it's good. If Invincible's shit got any realer, it would be in my hand.

EW, EW, EW that was a terrible metaphor!

 Okay, let's try again. Better metaphor this time.

 If Invincible got any more intense, then I would literally need to take a smoke break between inhaling these comics because they are that INTENSE. Invincible is written by the Robert Kirkman, the same man behind The Walking Dead comics. Yeah. That Kirkman. You think characters aren't safe just because they are in a superhero comic? BITCH PLEASE. This is an indie comic and Kirkman can kill off whoever he feels like! That's what makes this story intense. Unlike most superhero books, the danger of losing a character isn't as real as it is in here (with a few minor exceptions and one major one).

 Invincible started out as a typical coming of age comic about a teen getting super powers and quickly spiraled into a story where the world deals with the fantastic in practical ways, the lines between villains and heroes are morally blurred, and no one is totally perfect.

 We've gotten a lot over this past year. Bulletproof's origin was finally explained, what happened between Robot and Monster Girl was finally explained, and Invincible even had to cope with losing his powers for a while.

This book has had some odd choices over this last year. In particular, one background character had an origin that was finally explained that lead to a sudden and very violent conclusion that didn't make much sense. Even worse, Kirkman inserted an avatar of himself that explained what happened in his terms. I don't know if he was justifying himself or parodying his writing style but it just felt odd.

But that was okay, because next issue he kicked it into high gear with a comic that literally changed the rules of Invincible's game. For the past year, he'd been trying to reform a villain. What happens when that backfires stupendously? We won't know for sure until issue 100, but you can bet I will be there to find out!

And of course, the number 1 is...

1. Batman

Story by Scott Snyder, Art by Greg Capullo

 Remember when I told you that Invincible was super intense? Well, there is a reason it is number 2 to Scott Snyder's Batman. After every issue, I would call one of my best friends and just gush about this series. Every time of the month. Like clockwork. I'm hearing people say that Scott Snyder is over- rated and that these stories have been disappointing from a few random comments on the web and I am here to tell you. Usually, I believe people are entitled to their own opinions and I won't try to bluntly or rudely tell them they are wrong. But in this case...

No. You are wrong, sir and/or madame. Wrong. In fact, Lex I need some help with this.

Scott Snyder's run on the Court of Owls has to be up there with one of my favorite Batman comics. Maybe not the best. But damn close. He claimed that Court of Owls was going to look like a warm-up compared to Death in the Family. I scoffed.

 He was right.

 Joker has been inactive for over a year. He cut his own face off for purposes that I never exactly understood. To reinvent himself? To hide? I don't know. I probably missed some tie-in that explained everything. Ah well, point being Joker was out of the lime light for a year. Which was awesome, because it gave new villains like the Court of Owls time to shine. And then Joker killed almost everyone in a police precinct except Jim Gordon while telling a joke.

 Things went downhill pretty quick. Joker's back and he's inverting all his usual tricks and methods. He's more hands on with his crimes, he doesn't wear a fancy suit, he repeats all his old crimes but with a cruel, self-aware twist. Joker never played by many rules, but now he's abandoned all pretenses of guidelines.

This isn't a superhero comic, it's a horror story.

Greg Capullo is an excellent artist. While his characters look great (god the Talons where gorgeous!), his real strength is in the environments. He brings the architecture of Gotham to life, working hand in hand with Scott Snyder's knack for using architecture to tell a story. And his Joker is...frightening. Terribly frightening. Especially the eyes. Batman has to keep reminding himself he's only dealing with a human being when he fights the Joker, but he lets it slip that his eyes unnerve him. And with Capullo drawing them, I can see why.

 So once again, because he deserves it, Batman wins for what I believe to be the best comic of this year.

Thank you guys for joining me, I know this was a lot, but this was also a year in review and my first real article. I hope that you enjoyed this article as much as I did writing it, and that you enjoyed everything on your pull list as much as I enjoyed my stuff.  Happy 2013!

 

 

 

Hello and welcome to Comic Box Refuge!

This is rather exciting isn't it? I've been thinking about putting this blog together for a couple of months now. But I haven't had the courage to put this together until tonight. The idea of putting yourself out there on the internet is a daunting task, but I feel that it is worth starting this.

Why you ask?

*clears throat*

Because I read comic books, and I have opinions I'd like to share!!!

*ahem* that’s the simple answer, I love comic books. I've grown up since I was a little kid reading the adventures of Marvel and DCs greatest heroes along with many others. Lately I've spent more and more of my time discussing comics on Facebook. And I decided “Hey, why not share with the rest of the world and see what they have to say?”

 So what's the goal of this blog you ask? Well...to talk about comics. Weren't you paying attention to the whole loud declaration thingy earlier in my ramblings?  But really it's more than that. A lot of my joy with reading comics comes from sharing them with others. It always feels good to know when a particularly good comic was able to touch someone in a special way...or to get the satisfaction of ripping apart a bad story. Comics are an amazing medium and you can play around a lot more with the presentation and style than you can with just written text. Getting to share and talk about them is one of the best things about them.

(Get used to long winded paragraphs, folks. I like typing almost as much as I like sound of my own voice.)

So a few things about this blog before we get started.

1) Comics are expensive. Especially if you follow them on a regular basis. So I will mostly talk about what I am able to follow, which is mostly DC with a few Dark Horse and Image titles sprinkled in.

2) I am biased. I was raised reading classic Marvel, but I've been reading a lot more DC as of late, especially after the new 52 event recent the DC continuity and allowed me to jump in on several titles. I also really enjoy Dark Horse titles like the Goon and Image Skybound titles like Invincible. I like several Marvel characters like Henry Pym, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, etc.  But I just don't feel invested enough to buy Marvel comics regularly. That's what my Marvel reading friends are for! The same goes for other titles/companies I don't get to cover.

3) I have read a lot of comics. A lot. But I have not read all of them. So while I can talk on great lengths about them, I don't know EVERYTHING!!! I have not read every Infinite War of Secret Crisis on Two Earths. But that is okay, because you can tell me why it AWESOME and then we can talk about it!

4) I want to keep this blog fairly positive. I don't want to be all like "HERP DERP THIS IS BAD BECAUSE THINGS ARE DIFFERENT!!!"In my book, status quo is not God. But if a plot element is immature, comes right out of nowhere, or severely undermines what a character stands for, I will call a writer out for it.

5) I am planning on posting on my thoughts related to comics of the week, definitely my weekly comic runs, and on graphic novels. But I will also talk about comic games, movies, and figures if I can. I might deviate and post about something cool I think people should hear about, but mostly I'm sticking to comic/graphic novel related material.

6) I'm fairly new to this. I don't have a planned posting schedule at the moment. And this layout will probably change to. I'm just going to be tweaking things as I go. And I make mistakes. I get so caught up in what I’m thinking and typing that I will make typos.  I’ll try to be vigilant, but it’s going to happen.

 I can't wait to start blogging. I hope you guys will enjoy what I'm putting out here as much as I did, and that I will be able to just as much fun talking about what YOU recommend.