Year in Review: 2024

Year in Review 2024
Life is full of a lot of demands, 2024 was full of getting my life back together. Long and short my focus has returned, bit by bit, I’m making time to read and exercise, though the Internet has a pull that’s so charming I feel that magic twisting around my throat once more. Then I look into a mirror and realize, no, these are my choices. And like every good choice I’ve decided to talk about five great selections that I’ve read in 2024.


TOP FIVE YEAR IN REVIEW 2024
Table of Contents
    On-Going Series: Santos Sisters by Greg & Fake

    Graphic Novel: Secret Wars II by Jim Shooter & Al Milgrom

    Should’ve Been a Novel: X-Men: The Hellfire Club by Ben Raab & Charlie Adlard

    Single Issue: The City Beneath Her Feet by James Tynion IV & Elsa Charretier

    Honorable Mentions: Flavor Girls, Eye Lie Popeye, The Moon Is Following Us, My Bad, Galaxy of Madness

On-Going Series: Santos Sisters
At first glance this is an Archie parody, but it’s far from that, it’s completely it’s own thing, but using imagery that’s iconic, bridging your perspective and softening your thoughts on whether this is a good purchase. Let me ease your mind and congratulate you on your comic adventure through this wild experience into these vignettes of life. Each issue is filled with short stories about the two titular heroines as they save the day through different means each time, though a larger than required weapon is usually shaken about in the face of the cover’s featured danger. Most of the misadventures remind me a lot of those Comix of the ‘90s, things that you found printed in black and white from a defunct publishing house, usually within the 20 blocks from that comic shop. It was a long time ago that Zines ran the market and helped a lot of careers for modern legendary artists, though that’s kind of the selling point of this series. It’s not your modern superhero book, it’s something that’s very tongue-in-cheek, the appeal may not be for everyone, but it’s worth a read. If you don’t want to hunt down the single issues they have a collected edition available for purchase that will knock your socks off.

Graphic Novel: Secret Wars II
Maybe one of the best self-help books I’ve ever read. This isn’t a part two to Secret Wars, (don’t let the title fool you) I know rip-off, but it’s a little better than that. In the first series it was a means of advertising the toyline, and respectively it worked for the most part, though the story veered into a different direction the last portion of the series, that to me is how this volume came to be and why it’s not a direct sequel to the previous work. This is an intimate story about what it means to be human. That’s it, that’s the pitch, and that’s what successfully was produced into a twelve issue series. As the story opens we see the Beyonder has no true form and it’s not till issue three that he takes on his more iconic mien. I will say this till the last breath erupts from my corporeal form “I hate Origin Stories”, though this is how you do it. Introduce the setting not the protagonist, the supporting cast, and everything else that needs to be setup for them before you have the pleasure of meeting this character. This is all done nice and neat, then we get into heavy introspective talks, conversations of topics not many books get into at this time. Also the first appearance of teenage Mutant runaway Tabitha Smith [Boom-Boom {or any nickname for herself that she thinks is good}] makes her debut and stays for a few issues, tackling ideas and emotions from a point of view of a youthful Earthling. Remember this is 1985 and independent comics have just hit mainstream and are going to flood the ‘90s market. Though books, especially superhero marketed books, don’t touch on the subject matter of life (or the meaning of living). The ending like the first book had to have its superhero mandated end, but everything leading up to the point was a spectacular conversation between humans and a being beyond conventional understanding. This is not a traditional crossover comic, this is about one entity trying to comprehend existence through our eyes first hand. If you’re looking for something that’s all about heroes butting heads with other heroes and villains and everyone else that’s on the street, this is not the book for you. Though if you are apart of those few that want to enjoy a unconventional way to express the meaning of life and humanity and the emotional pinball machine that is existence, then you’ve got the right book in your hands.

Single Issue: The City Beneath Her Feet; Issue One
One of the best “Hook Stories” you’ll ever read! Honestly, this is how you should teach the future creative teams on how a story needs to capture the reader and have them locked into the next twelve issue (even if there’s just four). In this first issue we meet our main characters, three Women who’s lives intertwine as the story progresses. Their names in this tale are Zara, Liz, and Jasper, who are different is ways that are large and small, but intriguing enough that I want to know every intimate detail between their relation with each other. The setting is New York City, present day, starting off with our narrator Zara to a series of Flashbacks of her budding relationship with Jasper as she and Liz just finished a job. We learn that Jasper enjoys the company of Zara and Zara is infatuated with Jasper, but Liz knows nothing good will come from them together. Long and short, this is a plot about contract killers, misguided desires, and the lonely hope that life isn’t all chaos and violence. If that’s not a good enough selling point the stylized illustrations accompanying this piece should be enough to capture your sight, and only way to regain your vision is by purchasing the Collected Edition. (the plot is different though subtly reminds me of “My Faith in Frankie” by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, & Marc Hempel). Long and short, it’s only the first issue (of volume 1) and I’m ready to commit to queuing up a line for the second volume of the Trade Paperback, and these are my feeling on issue one respectfully.

Should’ve Been a Novel: X-Men: The Hellfire Club
Journalism is a competitive beast, though getting a book published isn’t a small feat either. This story is about Irene Merryweather a writer uncovering everything involved with Shaw from the Hellfire club for a publisher (book, news article, she really wasn’t consistent with where this would land ultimately). Sounds interesting, that would be a wonderful twelve part maxi-series comic or a TV movie- -no, it’s four issues of shallow pandering. Yeah, it’s really not that great of a story, though it’s plot sounds like an awesome series, even a wonderful novel on the different facets that the Shaw family (current and past) have placed themselves with the start of America positioning themselves into power and run the Marvel universe. Nope, just a run of the mill idea that had a lackluster flop of an ending. I feel the biggest problem is there wasn’t tangible danger in what Merryweather was uncovering, though the stories were interesting, but nothing that was direct (more unnerving) peril. Even Hallmark films have higher stakes than these four issues. Again this being adapted to film I could see it like an ‘Atomic Blonde’ (2017) kind of deal, lack luster comic [The Coldest City (2012)], though the premise was great, and that would be a good enough starting point that then sparked a better film, with astounding actors. This is one of those sleeper pieces of media that needs the right shaman to reanimate this corpse with the right souls to possess it. If I could have a period film about the social rise of this Mutant club in the financial sector, this would be my pick in an instant, since there’s so much a creative team can work with and the vignettes being within different generations, just the icing on the cake. Again, I thought this was going to be a story about uncovering the whole Hellfire Club, my first disappointment, then it felt like a reframing of an idea for a “Captain America through the Ages” tale, to ultimately focus on Sebastian Shaw, too late for it to have definition and the series was too short to explore anymore of his life nor anyone else’s to give refinement. If they ever make a book (or film), this will be a joy to consume, though for now I’ve got more novels in the queue.

Honorable Mentions: Mini-Top Five Suggestions
    -Flavor Girls
    -Galaxy of Madness
    -My Bad Volume 2
    -Eye Lie Popeye
    -The Moon Is Following Us

Honest suggestions, if you have similar tastes to myself, you wanna see a little violence with comedy, good story structure, and amazing illustrations, then these are my top five suggestions of 2024 in no partictular order. Though let me breakdown some of these amazing tales. Flavor Girls is a love letter to the Magical Girl genre, it’s a different perspective than their Shoujo counterpart, though it’s as serious as a bullet wound, I love the kinetic action and the story of the first part of this series, in 2025 there’s a sequel printed, I’m excited to read the second part next. My Bad Volume 2 was better than the first, though I feel the first really didn’t know what direction nor where it wanted to focus, this was focused and that depth in the stories that they spreads between the issues was perfection is humor. Galaxy of Madness is illustrated by Michael Avon Orming, there’s not much more needs to be expressed after that when you’re trying to visually create a stunning and mind bending thriller of galactic intrigue. Eye Lie Popeye is what you get when you combine an ultra violent 1929 sailor with the mind of someone that grew up with anime in their heart. The Moon Is Following Us is a combination of thoughts that make this stunning amalgam of ideas just right, for two parents trying to save their daughter’s mind and their sanity. This year’s Honorable Mentions have the theme of love letters to comics and these are beautifully penned by the creative teams that quilted them together.

I hope you enjoyed this list of stories that brought me through 2024 and if you agreed with this list, let’s talk, if you didn’t, tell me why, if you have new additions to your reading queue, you’re welcome. See you next year!

Year in Review: 2023

Year in Review 2023

My consumption rate for media and my mental health kind of went hand and hand tumbling down the rabbit hole of reality. I’m not sure how far I fell, but with the death (and second death) of my computer I realized that there was a lot more in my life that I could do or be doing. Earlier in 2023 (maybe even 2022) a friend of mine desired that I write a campaign for us all to play. Now I love writing these adventures, since you can never predict what will happen and where the party will roam, but that’s besides the point. I never had the focus, the time of day to sit around and write, between work and the internet. Mind you at this time I was on a quest to be more internet than man, and succeeded in this falsehood. I am still human (from what my faculties tell me), but I had less of a brain when it came to focus and enjoying the media I was partaking. It all felt more like I was within the cockpit and not controlling the machine. One of the good parts of detoxing my mind from the computer was realizing these moments and tasks that should have been done many times over, but where hushed by my own incompetence as someone consumed with the obsession that is the ever expanding internet. Long and short, my focus for matters of personal gain were shoved aside by my ever dwindling desire to gain it back, I was content in my stupor (what a horrible state). Though with all of this backstory aside we can start the review, since I’m better (to a degree), but getting back to more productive person in my opinion. Update 2024; I got a new computer and it’s been a battle, though one I feel I’m winning (ever so slightly), but I’m balancing life better from my all encapsulating attention machines.

Graphic Novel: Batman Universe

Anything with Batman will get a fine toothed comb, brushing the follicles aside and exposing everything that the Dark Knight should be, well from person to person, since Batman has many facets. And with that idea, he’s the World’s Greatest Detective, a Martial Artist of the highest teaching, and an all around Noble guy, it’s safe to say this story covers all of these bases. This reads like a Batman primer story, a simple standalone that brings the character to the current affairs of the World, essentially modernizing some of the more outdated devices (technology and personality) to the present from his previous update and 85 year old power fantasy persona. Bruce is a little younger, but he’s been doing this for a long enough time in this story. It’s a nice blend between this being his first time fighting the good fight, and finding out about the Weird World of Detective Comics (DC Universe), and not being anything different than he’s been doing for the last 8 decades (and hundreds of Artist interpretations). That’s what makes this balancing act so interesting. How far, as a writer (Brain Michael Bendis wrote this Bat-Tale), do you push the character knowing as much of their own history as possible for the story to make sense, but keep the reader from being bored and amplify their curiosity. In both cases this is perfectly tuned, since at no point I was in a position that I felt I wanted to close the book. Not to mention that the illustrations from page to page, panel to bubble, were immensely detailed and sensationally designed renderings by Nick Derington (honestly the main reason I was drawn to this book). This thrill didn’t stop with the clawing mystery, even the characters, since the cast was expanded to the Bat-Family and the timeline was thrown to a period that advanced the story. Everything felt like an introduction into this new World, though nothing was too solidified that you had to have read something before this graphic novel to enjoy it. It was a sample of everything that one would expect from comics, but nothing felt out of place, since the pacing kept you wanting to push along our caped crusader. Though like most stories there’s an ending, this has that, but it felt like a proper beginning to something more, so that’s why it’s my favorite introduction for new readers into comics, since you will taste a little of it all and we’ll weed out the rest.



Movie: Bill & Ted Movies

This series has lived way beyond its intended decade, and I love it for doing it for so long. Bill & Ted, played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves respectfully, is about two burnouts, not stoners, which a lot of people misplace them into that genre of teenager, who are given a chance (supernaturally/technologically) to be better. They’re more of that friend you have that doesn’t really know where they’re going, in life, or in their career, or currently (the car’s over here!). Though through each feature we see that they help each other and try to find a way in the future doing something for the greater good that they never thought they could be, an acolyte of World Peace/thrall of World Unification (they’re not leaders to me [the movies makes you think they will be one day]). That’s all three movies in one small space, don’t get me wrong, I love these films, it’s where I first found Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, also my desire to see more of their antics like in the movie Freaked (1993). All three of these movies are your classic cult films, the first one deals with time travel, second goes into pseudo-theology, the third one deals with alternate timelines and in a way brings the first two films into the third one as a new wave. Though that was the down fall for me, since the third movie felt more like a second movie to the first and not a third to the series. If anything a parody of the past, but not a progression of time within the present. Long and short, I love all three movies, I can’t tell you how funny the third movie is, it’s the best in the series if you are looking for comedy in your science fiction. To wrap things up, don’t watch them as separate films, marathon them each time, enjoy all the in-jokes and bits that they’ve trailed into the next film. These movies are a must watch, at least once in your life.

 

 

And that’s the highlights of 2023 for me, there was just two standout pieces of media that really captured my attention within that year. I usually read a lot and watch movies, but nothing has within this year (2023) brought me as much enjoyment as this two notes. Anyhow, 2024 shows a lot more promise than its predecessor. Hope you’ve enjoyed this novelty review more articles to come with a New Year on the horizon.

Year in Review: 2022

 [For those that may know I posted this on a new blog, which I've realized gets no attention, so I've moved it here, this isn't this year's review, but something I wanted to keep and incorporate into this blog]

 My Year in Review for 2022

 

-----Table of Contents----

    On-Going Series: Vampblade

    Series: Glory: The Complete Saga

    Limited Series: Raphael: Bad Moon Rising

    Single Issue: Dazzler: The Movie

    Honorable Mentions:
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Amalgama: Space Zombie, Galaxy’s Most Wanted, Bonyeer: The Aromatic, Super Massive, Adventureman

On-Going Series : Vampblade
The reason why I’m keeping this here is because of the ending, it’s not over as a series (the series ended last year [2021 {I wrote this in 2022}]), but it’s over at the moment, but the series as a whole is still open to keep going. That’s a little confusing, but between when the series stated (2015-ish) and with 2020 happening publishing for comics got a little messy (financially speaking), just to throw some history about what’s still going on (currently as of this posting). Though with the book it’s in a bit of limbo till things settle for the creators (and publishing house), but at this point, you’ve most likely popped up an article or two about what’s going on within Action Labs and know, so we’ll go back to the review. I love violence comics, there’s something about cathartic beatings (whether verbal or physical) that really release a ton of serotonin (the happy brain juice) into my soul. This comic doesn’t let up with the amount of grandstanding for a character to have this beautiful moment of One Piece (manga by Eiichiro Oda) level of destruction. There are times within the series that stands out beyond it’s own two legs, that a spin-off series (I’m looking at you Danger Doll Squad) was developed to expand on story plots and connect parts of the World to other characters, that then inspires another spin-off series (I’m talking about you Amalgama) to expand that expansion. By the end of the series Vampblade had fallen through every Superhero trope in the book, from Time Travel to Body Double to Hell to Alien Invasion! Then the one thing that stops a comic from being ‘On-Going’, publication. As Superhero comics go this is their most shared trope, an unexpected ending. I had a blast and this is one of my Top Five comics of all time (and of 2022)!

Series : Glory: The Complete Saga
How we change between On-Going Series to Series is simple, there’s an end. If they come back, that’s a new series, but this was a rebooted character that got a second life in a more modern interpretation. You can tell this was intended to be a longer story, but I’m so glad that both Joseph Keatinge & Sophie Campbell agreed that this story needed an end and a really good ending. There’s not many series that I enjoy to the point of tears, but this is one of those magnificent comics. Again it’s another cathartic and violent series, that has a strong emotion base between the characters, whether you know who they are or not. It’s good writing when you can jump into something blind and not know anything more than what is being told to you and enjoy every minute. Like I said, not many comics pull me into an emotional state that takes days to get over, but took five pages to read. It’s really that good of a book.

Limited Series : Raphael, Bad Moon Rising
What started out to be me enjoying a cover to a book (thank you Sophie Campbell) formed into an obsession to find the first issue (since I have the other three) that then changed my mind on everything TMNT. I don’t really know what clicked into place, but I just finished reading TMNT: Urban Legends (volume 3 [Image Run {Reprinted in color, with ending by IDW}]) by Gary Carlson & Frank Fosco, so my desire to find more from the Teen Turtles was high on my reading queue. While thumbing through all the comics I have I was reminded about this four issue run, that I found out came from a Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (second Volume) where Shadow visits a cult (It’s New York). Anyhow, that’s the main reason why she was at the farmhouse for volume 4 of TMNT, though this takes place somewhere between. Long and Short, this focuses on the Werewolf Queen and the King of Atlantis, beautiful character moments, with some astounding Illustrations & ink work by Jim Lawson (solidifying him as my top five favorite TMNT artists). If you ever want to get into the weird world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this would be a good ground breaker between the TV shows/Movies and the comics.

Single Issue : Dazzler: The Movie
When thinking about characters that had a hard start Dazzler always comes to mind, since she started as a promotion, a mascot of sorts for Casablanca Records. Then just became a huge character within the X-Men ongoing series. I found her in a little Pilot called “Pryde of the X-Men”, where she was a headband wearing leather jacket toting finger gun shooting laser wielder. To say the least, she had a special place in my heart, so reading this comic was a distance from that character, and a recoupling within the same issue. Mostly because she was still a strong character that was still developing herself, emotionally (as a person does) and distancing herself from being just an Advertisement (as one does). By the end of the feature we see her more whole than when she started, though battle damaged within the landscape of Hollywood. As a single issue, without knowing anything about her, it’s a great story that stands on it’s own, maybe not a Movie in theaters, but I’d be excited for the TV movie’s annual screening.

Honorable Mentions: Mini-Top Five Suggestions
    -Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    -Amalgama: Space Zombie, Galaxy’s Most Wanted
    -Bonyeer: The Aromatic
    -Super Massive
    -Adventureman

Honest suggestions, if you have similar tastes to myself, you wanna see a little violence with comedy, good story structure, and amazing illustrations, then these are my top five suggestions of 2022 (even if it’s 2023 [though re-posted in 2024]).

Shorts SHORT Review: Worst X-Man Ever

X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever

Written by Max Bemis
Illustrated by Michael Walsh

Published by MARVEL

 

When thinking of Marvel the first thing that comes to mind is X-Men, then Spider-Man, but first (or forth) X-Men (or a specific X-Man [hairy, short, has knives in his arms]). This is more of a story about what it would be like if you were plucked out of your life and placed into this MARVELous new world. Through years future & past, the spectacle of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters has been a haven for mutants of any age. And with a community of empowered and powerful beings there’s always a chance that bad luck will arise within this fellowship. Bailey (our title holder for “Worst X-Man”) might just be the most unlucky mutant to walk the Earth, since his power is, well, it’s a surprise. Nothing all that special, like our main character, but it’s one thing that keeps the plot rolling in the direction that it’s in. Since everyone within the mini-series knows that he’s capable of doing something that is most dangerous and hard to control. There’s a lot of mutants out there that have time to play with their inherent genetic skills, but not all mutants have that luxury and that’s kind of the point of this whole tale. Let’s take a moment from this book, so I’m talking to you, yeah, the reader of this review, yep you, you have a chance to use your superpower, just once, for one time only, how will you use it and what would you do? That’s the simple question posed within this story and one that gradually Bailey concludes. Bailey is the one that walks us through his life, nothing really uncanny or astonishing, but it’s him, just an average teenager doing average teenager things (the opposite of xtreme). With all the amazing teams, adventures, and powers that the mighty Marvel mutants have, there’s not too many slice of life stories. Even another Marvel favorite, Spider-Man, has some downtime with his City and cast of characters, away from all the drama and villains. It’s nice to sometimes take a break from making a better tomorrow for mutant-kind and just seeing someone’s life who went to Xavier’s school, since most get a one bedroom apartment six feet in the dirt. Bailey gives us many details of his life, makes us aware of things that were plots happening back in the day to other X-Men teens, and he doesn’t leave out the awkward parts. I feel that’s the linchpin for all of this, if this was a retelling from an older Bailey it would have done better, I’m getting ahead of myself. The fifth issue (which is my favorite) the story felt right, the pacing, the dialogue, the plot, the characters just clicked into place, then boom it was done. What was different between the other issues was this is an older Bailey. There was a time skip, a pause, in the life of Bailey, which I really enjoyed, for a second we caught up to him and where he’s currently at in his life. Just gonna break in here and talk about the accompanying illustrations by Micheal Walsh, as the visual storyteller. His work makes for a gorgeous presentation, that was motivating, to see what he had in store for the next issue, since I was enamored with the backgrounds to the costumes to the character designs, everything was a delight. Back to what I was saying before. This was a nice jump and the documentary motif is perfect, overused, but for this series fits just so well. I would have liked it to be placed throughout the other four issues. Pretty much, it would be like a coming of age TV show where the older version of Bailey taking the role of narrator, but also blurring the lines between who’s speaking so a lot of the fourth wall breaking younger Bailey does make more sense. There was beautiful moments of satirical commentary on the X-Men publication as a whole that I feel fell flat, since how would this younger character know, it was good, but alien within the plot.

For what it’s worth this isn’t a series for someone new to X-Men, not someone fresh from a movie, nor even one of the many TV shows, this is a comic for comic X-Men fans. Not to say someone without decades of consumption wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s not written for those people. In short, it’s a love letter to a never ending series that will reinvent it’s self, it’s characters, it’s team for decades beyond us all. There are very few Slice of Life X-Men stories out there, and this is one of the best, since this is a personal journey with no real destination, at least no desired finale, which makes Bailey’s story a good limited series.

I trust you enjoyed the inspection, thank you for reading.
Support the creators, check out your local library, and contribute to community comic & book shops.
If you want to stay up to date on my reviews, be here next year.
Keep well and Stay well.

Justice League/Power Rangers

 Power Rangers/Justice League

Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Stephen Byrne
Published by DC Comics & BOOM! Studios

 Here’s a softball on getting me to read anything, do a crossover. Though here’s the catch, you want me to buy the book (instead of using the library [Inter-Library Loans are your friend]) make it weird. Here’s an example, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and [Blank]. It’s really that easy, so far I have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles filling that blank spot (and Godzilla [seems to be a theme, I really enjoy giant reptiles {though is Godzilla an Amphibian}]). Anyhow that’s why I talked it over with my local library and they assisted me with procuring a copy of the newest Justice League crossover; guest-staring the Power Rangers. I just heard the title and wanted to consume this book the instant it reached my hands! Since both sets of characters I really enjoy, so why not watch them run through the trope and cliche handbook, it’d’ll be a fun time. And it was, though it was like a ride at an amusement park that had lines a little too long for the amount of adventure and excitement at the end. Though while we’re waiting here, let me go into more detail about my experience.


Pro:
-Good Writing on the characters for both publications

When dealing with multiple sources of Intellectual Properties you really want to find a blend between them, though that can always be a challenge given the amount of members within a cast. If you have ever tried to be within a crowd and have your voice heard you’d know that if the speaker of the room doesn’t allow others to speak then no one speaks. This is the same thing when it comes to comics or movies or any type of media when there’s a large cast. Some people are focused on more than others, that in itself is a problem, since Intellectual Properties have property owners that want their star to shine. That’s one of the hardest things within this piece, there’s a lot of moving parts that need more definition or a more simple plot. Not one character was written poorly, since they all fit into the mold of who they are and should speak or act like, between both sides of the publication. In the entirety of the six issues there wasn’t a person that was left out of place, drawn or written.


Con:
-Focused WAY too much on Superman

Though my hardest criticism is not within the story, since it’s fair and interesting, but the use of the cast, or to better define the size of the cast. The magnitude of events were too great for the amount of characters needed to foil the villains, or the amount of issues were too slim to fully realize the story to it’s potential. What I keep skirting around is, the plot succeeded in giving the good guys something to do and work toward a common goal, but it felt like a lot was happening, though nothing completed. Most of the story was focused around Batman and Zach (at first), though interesting characters, the drawback was it didn’t reflect their personalities established here. The ties that centered them to each other didn’t knot. And at times we just left that plotline to focus on whatever Superman was doing in the moment. At times, it felt like there were more hands adding ingredience than plating dishes.

Also the main villain Brainiac switching with Zed, who started as the central villain. Brainiac was a good choice, though not for Zach and Batman (the story’s focal characters) this was more of a villain for Billy and Cyborg, since a lot of the problems were solved with super science, than with might or skill. Then we have the Dino-Bots, which were there, then disappeared, once Brainiac was in the picture more prominently. Zed was the inaugural villain of the limited series, but not really there. It was weird that a highly intelligent being of magic was more of a laky to another being that was not his superior, in strength nor abilities, mystical or tactical. I felt that Zed was the least defined character in the limited series, which kind of bothers me the most, since the heroes need a reason to stop a common enemy, so they can work together. This felt less like Zed and more like Goldar, though they needed a means to connect both Worlds. Zed felt less like his true form and more like a vehicle for the Rangers to meet the League. Goldar would have been the better choice for a blind follower, but a fix that might be too dramatic for the plot at hand.

Fix:
-Change the villains

There was a side plot that I thought could have been explored a little more, though with the remaining issues of the comic it wouldn’t make the page count for the amount of action that still needed to be taken by our heroes. Though I’d like to talk about it here, within the “Fix”, since this would change the whole dynamic of the comic and avoid any real change to the villains in whole. The Artificial Intelligence philosophy bridge, that’s what I’m coining it, so here’s my two-cents, enjoy. Pretty much, we have Alpha-5, Brainiac, Cyborg, and Billy (the Blue Ranger), they’re all communicating to each other about the idea, since the curiosity of Brainiac was peeked with the interaction of Alpha-5. The possibilities that Brainiac saw, I feel, will one day lead to the Brainiac that we’ll see in the future for Legion of Superheroes, but that’s a tale for another day. No, today we have two Artificial Intelligence Automatons, a Cybernetic man, and a teenager that “Does Machines” (borrowing that one from a Turtle), all of who have shown within this limited series can understand the basics and practical application of inter-dimensional travel chatting about the possibility of having thinking machines beyond the two functional beings posing logical conclusions. It’s maybe my favorite part of the book and it wasn’t explored enough.

Anyhow, that’s how I’d fix the book, focusing on these four talking it out, debating on the nature of what it means to be Artificially Intelligent and having organic thoughts, while reflective battles are happening on Earth. In short, I’d dial back the interaction between the Justice League and Power Rangers, showing a plot-A (main-plot) and plot-B (sub-plot). Plot-A being that of the conversation between our main villain (Brainiac) debating with our heroes (Cyborg & Billy), though here’s the interesting part Alpha-5 as a neutral party. Since for the most part Alpha-5 isn’t the first Alpha and won’t be the last Alpha for the Rangers, meaning the stakes are meaningless, but his friends (the Power Rangers) are important to him. Which again is a powerful sentiment and statement coming from a robot, that Brainiac has the most curiosity from, since emotions are a mystery to him at this time. Again this would all be a great background fight between what it means to be human and have all four of them verbally battling for the planet, while the Justice League and Power Rangers fight Zed and his cybernetically powered army. Long and short for the B-Plot, they’re fighting and there’s only one thing that can stop the army and it’s forming a giant robot with a sword, but it’s being hurled by Superman and has Batwings, sure why not, it’s all a formality to keep the pacing of the comic so it doesn’t dry out with the Artificial Intelligence talk. Toss in fanservice, like Batman in a Ranger costume or Wonder Woman using the Power Daggers in a fight, it doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, since there’s about six issues and two of them can be summed up with being a Prologue and an Epilogue. Four of which will be action and conversations on moral judgement with a splash of armchair philosophy.

This is my fix, it’s not THE fix, but it’s how I would change the elements within the story to reflect the basic problems I have. So no focus on Batman and Zach, less Superman, and more text boxes, again not a fix that will land. I’m essentially saying “Hey, you know the money making characters that everyone wants to see in this limited series, let’s put them in a sub-plot and focus on anyone else” yeah, I’m gonna win an Eisner for writing this book. Though if you’ve read The Infinity War (comic crossover event [from 1992 {written by Jim Starlin & drawn by Ron Lim}]) from MARVEL they focus on everyone other than the main Marvel Characters (Spider-Man is knocked out with Hawkeye within the second issue and is at the Hospital for the remainder of the limited series), they’re in the sub-plot. Everything is focused on Doom/Kang, Warlock/Thanos, and the moral judgement that Warlock made to create these events. It’s a really well developed story about characters making grand gestures and the repercussions of doing so within reality. And I feel that would be perfect for teaching teenagers from a different dimension, through conversations with alien robots.

Closing:
Well I hope this clears up some matters, though I’ve wrote this, read this, and edited it and again this is my mind and I’m screaming into the void on my opinions about fictional characters and how they interact with each other. The whole concept is bizarre and yet you’re still reading. Meaning you’re most likely waiting for me to wrap things up and I will. This comic was a surprise on many levels, it’s biggest flaw was the pacing, but other than that it has a whole lot throw into the pot and there was a ton of flavor, though that was it’s biggest short coming, since there was too much for the spoon. Suggesting that I was expecting a certain flavor, but still had a good bowl of soup, um, comic. Should you read this comic, of course, read, though is this going to titillate your tongue, it may not, but the juxtaposition of Giant Robots and Superheroes is a beautiful sight worth the admission of the time you spent reading.

Shorts SHORT Review: Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye

 Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye

Written by Gerard Way & Johnathan Rivera
Illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming
Published by Young Animal (an imprint of DC Comics)

This is the perfect series for a short review, this is the perfect blank slate series to drop anyone into the World that these characters infest. Since there’s not a hard history on the characters, this soft-reboot will give more personality than the last time anyone of these fictional beings have seen the light of day. What I mean from this brash introduction is that, this story will give you a broad idea of characters that no one really knows, that the fan base is either dead or happy to see their favorite group again. I’m usually in the latter group, since most of the time I enjoy characters that are B-listers at best, though I’m usually reading D-tier fictional beings, since those are where the weird lands lie. And that’s exactly where we are, on this road of redemption, climbing up from grief, and like any comic today, saving the Multiverse.

There’s nothing like a long and short of a twelve issue series, I mean that facetiously, since usually there’s a lot to cover. That’s the thing about this specific series, there really isn’t that much. At times there’s lore, but that’s wrapped up quick, then there’s character development, but that too is given it’s allotted time. It’s not that there isn’t a great story here, but it’s more of a series of vignettes intertwined between a shared finale. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s like a closed question. I ask you something, it’s answered, very blunt, but then there’s the hanging questions that were placed into the story without anything bringing us back up to speed, and we’re hanging there till the end of the tale (still not completely answered, but here’s hoping it’s answered in the second series [Cave Carson Has An Interstellar Eye {maybe Milk Wars}]). It’s small problems, though the pacing is wonderful and the main cast is fully fleshed out, I just feel like there’s more to be said, but isn’t within the pages.

 

Anyhow, Cave’s wife died (it’s page one), he doesn’t have a great relationship with anyone, but then he finds out that fungus people are trying to collect/kill him and his daughter (she’s at college). With the aid of a local vigilante (Wild Dog) and Cave’s creation (The Mighty Mole Mark One) they set out to fend off against toadstool terrors and get into subterranean adventures, well to pick up his kid and visit his in-laws. Also Guest-starring Superman (who might be a hallucination) and Doc Magnus (featuring the Metal Men). I’m gonna stop right there, but so you want to keep reading the series I’ll tell you this, yes there’s an underground civilization, yes there’s a few robot battles, and yes they travel through multiple Earths, but most of all the artistic direction is astounding.

If there’s anything that this series should be known for, it’s the amazing colors, the stupendous illustrations, the phenomenal page structure, and all of it locking together in a functional way that doesn’t take away from the story, but makes you want to see more on the next pages and what’s in the next issue. This is not a series that has everything, it hits the right moments, it gives you that desired high while reading a comic, it has all of those experimental and creative points that will keep you reading again and again (just to see what you missed the first read). Though it feels like this was a pitch intended for a different purpose and it became a comic. In short, I enjoyed it, so why not unearth this tale and read it, there’s so much humor and weirdness that it needs to see the light of day.

I trust you enjoyed the inspection, thank you for reading.
Support the creators, check out your local library, and contribute to community comic and book shops.
If you want to stay up to date on my reviews, be here next year.
Keep well and Stay well.

Shorts SHORT Review: Heroes At Home

 Heroes At Home

Written by Zeb Wells
Illustrated by Gurihiru
Published by MARVEL
Collection Editor is Jennifer Grünwald
Book Design by Jay Bowen

This is the last day of the year, the very last day (all the way to the witching hour), the last time I have to write anything before this damned year is gone, forever gone, though never forgotten. I’m writing, editing, and reading this feature all within the wee hours of the morning to the dwindling hours of the evening. Still this year has had a lot of thing happen, throughout the majority of it all, but one thing that hasn’t really happened is inaction. No, I’m not talking about the Kevin Smith toyline, no, it’s staying at home (or going out as little as possible) to reduce the spread of infection. Germs and Viruses are something that we can’t protect ourselves from, even in a suit of armor or with a really sharp sword, though a mask can help. And with Superheroes being the forerunners on mask wearing MARVEL stepped forward and wanted to show what the inaction lives of some of their most popular action heroes could be doing.

 

Let’s talk about the cover and this short all at the same time, since originally this whole book was just covers for issues that came out within 2020 as an alternate to the regular series (except for two). That’s always a hard thing with writing and drawing, if something huge happens within reality your fictional world may have to change. Lucky for most comics the events are happening within a year or so ago, so everything hasn’t really caught up with them just yet (fictitiously speaking), still that little bit of excusable explanation of why no one is wearing masks except for the super in the room is going to fade fast. Since (again) this is the end of the year, the very last day th— okay, so each “chapter” (I’m gonna use the term loosely) is a different hero story of inaction. Like any book they give illusion that these eight “chapters” are going to be within the book from the cover. It’s a fairly simple cover, of a wall, like any brick wall of an apartment building (especially in New York City), so one window for each apartment. I guess you could consider this a ‘What if?’ story since they all (assumingly) live under the same roof. Anyhow, the cover gives a bit of personification to each character, showing what each would be doing if given the chance to rest and live within the moment. I really don’t want to go into much detail, since the whole book is nine panels each “chapter”, just enough to fit on a cover page grid three by three. I’m gonna list my synopses of each character’s story in order of appearance (also the issue the “chapter” is from).

Spider-Man: The Amazing Baking Adventures of our webbed culinary crusader! [Amazing Spider-Man #48]
Black Panther: Obstacles can be a four-course meal. [Avengers #36]
Captain America: Dishes to discus, freedom to feast. [Captain America #23]
Captain Marvel: Conversations from Skrull to Kree. [Captain Marvel #21]
Hulk: If you’re happy and you know it, make a sign. [Immortal Hulk #37]
Thor: Precarious perils of hair removal! [Original]
Venom: When life is without, make do with what life gives you. [Original]
Wolverine: Mosaics of friends, or The best at what he does (which is puzzles). [Wolverine #5]

[Make sure to look for all the hiding spots of Jeff the Land Shark]

And since we're diving into the pages, Gurihiru brings a depiction for each character that illuminates aspects of each hero. Spider-Man with his thin and youthful appearance, Captain Marvel with her stunning golden locks and sarcastic expressions, and Venom with his over the top and chaotic nature. No one quiet moves a static image as well as Gurihiru, though no one compliments them as well as the wit of Zeb Wells.

That about wraps it up, an inaction adventure illustrated by the talented Gurihiru team and written by the clever mind of Zeb Wells, all bind and bound in about five by five square inches. I’m bias, since I love superheroes and slice-of-life tales, though if you’re looking for something that’s beautifully designed and comedically timed this is worth a place in your library. Nothing better than a little comfy story to ease into the New Year.

I trust you enjoyed the inspection, thank you for reading.
Support the creators, check out your local library, and contribute to community comic and book shops
If you want to stay up to date on my reviews, well your guess is as good as mine.
Keep well and Stay well.

The Thing

The Thing; an incident beyond adolescence

One thing that scared me as a kid was the Todd McFarlane toys. They were so wonderfully crafted and horrifyingly detailed that I could feel the pain and anguish that a figure had. It was traumatizing, though that's a skilled artist, that's a person that knows their abilities and how to emote through a media. Though that brings me to the subject of the day "John Carpenter's The Thing" and the toy of the monster in all it's hanging flesh detail, hung on a shelf at the local SunCoast video.

Just a second on the evolution of horror, there's many different ways of subjecting one to something that's frightful, though there's not many that know how to connect our more basic fears into media, since most that enjoy these types of sensations are jaded at this point. Jaded in the sense that they love that emotion and want to feel scared or excited, that it's not really a new emotion and someone running after them with a large knife isn't something where they'll panic, well panic as much, it's still a person with a large knife. No, what I want to talk about is that this series is in a way a good representation of horror as a historical timeline. The story is in a book, no comic, no film, no splash page of gore, it was a novella in a magazine, nothing more than the pseudonym of John W. Campbell Jr. at the top by the title. The plot was about fear in man, pretty much an abstract thought into our own fears of one another. There's a hidden murderer among us and we'll never know, mind you the first World War ended twenty year before this was published, but I'm guessing Mr. Campbell saw the writing on the wall, since the following year the second World War historically agreed to start (there's been a lot of grey area talk on when the War started, so it's up for interpretation, but historically it's dated at 1939). This was perfect for those that believed there wasn't many to trust within their own community, though this paranoia lead to horrible crimes and left out of historical commentary. Then the film came out, about thirteen years after the publication of the story, this time around there was a visualization of the alien and it's monstrous form. It wasn't just something that could blend in well with the crew, but it was a being, it held space and this was a great fear. Someone with enough power to run through a wall, be frozen in ice, and could take down a man no problem. That was something that a lot of people feared, since it wasn't an idea, it was a man! This was within the years of horror movie monsters that then became slasher films, life's fears were a being and not a thought. Then the next film came about, it's thirty-one years, this is the one that most think of when talking about this subject. When this came out John Carpenter was flying high with the "Halloween" series and "Escape from New York" he then made another amazing film, though at the time wasn't seen as a good film, or a movie that was his. Later this would be the bases for a long line of monster movies with practical effects, trying to make puppets creepy and threatening. Though this film did something original, it took the fear of the unknown and gave you a form, but both are an abstraction in reality. In a nut shell this was the best of the Thing franchise and in horror history, since it brought back to the medium the concept of ideas could be just as horrifying, not just a big guy with a knife.

One thing I'd like to bring up is that this is all opinionated, from my point of view, but also the point of views of those that created these features and the inflections that they envision of the characters. So I've never read the story, though I'd very much like to get my hands on it, but at this time it's escaped my clutches, so I have the movies and audio books till then. Long and short these are the opinions of mine based on the story and plot brought to my attention by the ones that created media from the source material. If this sounds interesting, hearing a story and what happens based on another's third hand understanding. Let's get into the middle of this mess and see what comes from all of these things.

Audio Book
-Who Goes There? (1938)
I found this audio book when I was animating a film in my second year, it was something that gave me a lot of joy and something to keep my mind on while finishing tasks that didn't need all my attention, just enough that allowed me to focus and not want to throw a monitor out a window. Sadly, my audio wasn't the best, but the actor and the writing was stupendous. It focused on telling the story and keeping one within an eerie demeanor, it was nice, since one could really feel the different characters better, the loneliness that each one of them had within the snowy wasteland. It wasn’t totally professional, it was good, it was fun, but it was what it was… free. Still it was a reading from the original short story, a story that knows how to be perfectly creepy. If you can find the recording I listened to then you are in for a treat for sure, though with it being a few miles on the road to a decade I can’t quite remember nor say it’s still where I last saw it. Though it’s worth the listen if you can creep into my past and find this lost audio.

Movie
-The Thing from Another World (1951)
Honestly the goofiest of the Thing interpretations. At times this felt like a Frankenstein parody, still a good story, but it doesn’t hold that isolation feeling, that testing of mankind, that sense of paranoia, because we know it’s a monster in humanoid form. I think that’s what really tears down the film the most is it’s establish shot of the monster, that it’s a tall man, not that being from another planet who takes forms of other beings. The actors were good, the leads were wonderful, the story, well that’s the part that leaves it flat. This is something you see a lot in contemporary films, mostly reboots or flicks that are trying to grab hold of nostalgia glasses and jam the property down your throat. It’s kinda rare to see an older film take something from a property that’s it’s own thing, that’s built a crowd behind it and change so much and leave so little from where it’s origin came from. Again I’m not saying this is a bad film, I’m saying it was a bad ‘The Thing’ film, in all it was  a strong movie that had interesting and likable characters, it’s development, and story structure was there, it was a bit slow, but pacing fit the film, since they needed to expand for time and give it more of a drawn out feeling. That this all didn’t take minutes, though hours to figure-out who the thing was, well where the alien was within the base. In a way this was a deluded version of the ‘Red Scare’ pitting neighbor on neighbor, who is it, who is the one that’s putting us all at risk. So as a horror movie it saw the headlines and went with it, but in the long run of things miss the mark between social commentary and keeping true to the source material.

Other Movie
-John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)
This is the one that’s the most famous, this is the one that had me the most scared as a kid, this is the one that was the most interesting and gross to watch. As a kid I’ve seen the action figures that this was based around, they were graphically accurate, they had everything in plan view, and to boot this was an ‘R’ film. At the time you could do a lot in ‘R’ films, not like today, but they really pushed the censors. I’m always one that likes the implied thought better than the thought, it’s kinda like the Rorschach test, you see what you want to see, so similar in this sense. You have an idea of what comes next, though you don’t see it, just the actions after, just what you’re told, no matter how graphic, as long as it’s not seen then you can have the spoken action within a movie, but once you have metal entering flesh, then cut from anything less than PG-13 and back in the day it was PG or R, nothing in-between, so why not go all the way. I saw the movie recently, well within the last four years, it was good. I mean that, it was a solid movie, the pacing had a stopping point, but it lulls you into a point of boredom (safety) that’s well made, not for the acting, but for the characters. They are doing the same things, in and out all day, studying this and that, taking about how they have a pilot, but never need to fly. Then stuff starts to happen and happen fast, things blow up, figuratively, though later literally. The Alien takes on many different forms, many different limbs spring from the creature, though like the book and other media it hides away in different places (and people), trying to build it’s ship or something we can’t understand, and building suspicion between the crew. In short, Kurt Russell is the only one still alive, though we don’t know whatever happened to the alien. The ambiguous ending was nice, but they never followed up with it. Over all the amazing practical effects, the wonderful acting, and the awesome experience that comes with this film makes it a must watch, even just for the mystery part of the film.

 

Well that’s my take on The Thing series, it was and will be something that stays in my mind and scares me just a bit before bed. In general this is where a lot of my paranoia comes from during and after college. Trust is hard, sometimes you need a blood sample and some fire. Though really, given the chance to see all of these again, it’s worth the trip, it’s a wonderful story and each creative team’s interpretation of the short is stupendous. It’s kinda like a mystery novel or film where the story keeps going around and around where you keep finding what someone else has noticed something different, something new that hasn’t been seen in all the other stories. I always revert back to Detective mode when it comes to multiple creative teams making something that I enjoy. Anyhow, checkout your local library for the short story, the multiple films, and head over to Linkcara for the comics. If you’ve read my reviews you can trust me this far…

Quick Quips: Aquaman

Quick Quips 
Aquaman (2018)

Buzzword synopsis: Think Thor meets the Little Mermaid, though with a bit of Indiana Jones to extend the plot and Star Wars: Episode 3 to conclude the feature.

Hyper_Blurb:
Long and short this is the origin story of Arthur Curry (they never say his full name), I don’t like origin stories, but this is a well done one, since it doesn’t drag on. The story opens with Arthur’s Mom, the Queen of Atlantis, half-alive and on a rocky shore, saved by Mr. Curry the Lighthouse keeper. They fall in love and have a child, though this happiness doesn’t stay as time moves forward, though life does not, since the archaic rules and regulations of the past come to the lighthouse, with power-drysuits and rifles. Then here’s the part that is really great, the film goes right into the present, meaning that the Aquaman from the Justice League movie in his showboating glory, and in his half-sober vigilantism, saves a submarine from pirates. This is where a major plot point is made in the feature that Arthur needs to make better moral choices and that’s how this character arc begins. That’s where I’m leaving the plot, since it’s totaled with;
Mera: “Arthur you must take the crown”
Arthur: “No”
Orm: “I hate you and all the people on the surface!”
Arthur: “I will take the crown”
Oh spite and magic tridents, also a Kaiju just to throw in some fun weirdness that is greatly needed in Superhero movies that haven’t really been seen. I mean it, the second half of the movie is just a bizarre feature. The one thing that I loved the most was the whole Wire-fu scene underwater, that reminded me of classic DragonBall tournament episodes or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Long and short, this was a fun film, a flick that I hope will make more movies and inspire even more superhero films, or otherwise.

 




Pitch: Washed up hero floating around, unable to feel connected to those on land nor in water, till tradition, morals, and family move him to quest for the one thing that will save all of the World and be the King of legend.

Shorts SHORT Review: The Santa Trap

The Santa Trap

Written by Jonathan Emmet
Illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Peachtree Publishers
Macmillan Children's Books


Winter isn't the best of time for everyone, and not everyone celebrates with the Merry Postman in his best red suit. Even when he comes bearing gift to town, some people would rather he just be stopped. Thous the theme of this year's Santa Clause adventure, a little boy and his urge to stop Saint Nicolas from his predestined journey across the globe, making him pay for all the years he's never given him a gift. There's something about the holiday season that always brings out the mischief side of me. I want to see these other creatures of the snow that want for the holly jolly weather to match their cold hearts. Let's grab a few warm blankets, some chairs, and take a look at this fun children's dark comedy.

Roxy Rocket

Roxy Rocket
Roxanne Sutton

There's been a lot of talk about jetpacks and amazing female characters, but there hasn't been much talk about the original rocket riding adventurer. Roxy Rocket is more of a mischievous villain and less of a murderer and thief, since it's all about the thrills. The burgling is again a little foreplay before the adventure begins, since one needs a plot to start the journey. Sadly her character only had two appearances and one focused episode, though due to production errors she came out in print first. Most of us know her from the high flying adventures of Batman and her deadly race with a highly sophisticated rocket for City travel. Since her tale is so short we decided to talk about her appearances and the character in this little editorial about the Crimson Criminal Roxanne Sutton aka Roxy Rocket!

Battling Boy Presents: The Fall of the House of West

When I finished the first volume of this arc I wanted more, I wanted there to be another book within the year or month from the first book, since I didn't know when it was published, though I had to wait a year, then another year, since moving and getting another job. Time has been an interesting concept in this present, though reading has been a pleasure in life. I can never thank those that make life more interesting and fantastic. Again thank you JT Petty  and Paul Pope for writing and David Rubín for your glorious illustrations in this stupendous fictitious tome. Let's dive into The Fall of the House of West (and the jetpacks)!

Battling Boy Presents: The Rise of Aurora West

This is the first volume of the Aurora West Arc, this means that you missed Battling Boy, since we were introduced with the astounding teen and her Father, Haggard West. Yes, this duo of jetpack might and brandishing plasma blasters in this action mystery pulp adventure. If there's anything more that I love it's a good character arc story and pulp fiction, just well written graphic novels. Though don't take my word in this introduction, come join us on this adventure into the favorite in the Battling Boy series written by Paul Pope and JT Petty with Illustrations by David Rubín, so let's dive into this golden pool of mythology and history.

Battling Boy

One thing that hasn't been seen in a lot of modern pulp fiction is a coming of age story. The number one story would be Tom Strong, next would be Tarzan, though the distance between the two is a great split, but like most pulp tales they go between extremes. They're a baby then a man, none of the trails and tribulations between these two points. Spin-offs do show more, but nothing that's official that feature a teen hero battling the world and taking on the challenges that a young adult would encounter that's not in a High School setting. This is something that comes straight out of nowhere, I haven't read a series that focuses on a teenager as an explorer, an adventurer on an alien world, that doesn't slap them into a school environment. It's refreshing and interesting to see where this could lead. This is my introduction to Paul Pope, I kid you not, this is the comic that introduces me to the artist and the talent. Well, my very first interaction was with a nameless artist that showcased his skill and ability for covers and such, though this is the only way I knew it was the same person. The line work and character features and the detailed backgrounds I knew it was the same person, though I wasn't convinced that the book would have a plot I would find interesting. Something about the cover and title didn't hook me, it wasn't pronounced enough (or full of robots). Though as people talk and slip a few pages here and there about the book and what came from the plot, I started to find curiosity. I'm a fan of high fantasy and magic, so no robots, but there's science and magic in this book about a pulp hero from another world, please do go on. And let's go on and dive into this specific piece of fiction, as we dig into the crust of what's to come in the further adventures of Battling Boy by Paul Pope.

Gen13

In the past I was that kid that bought a bunch of comics and didn't know what was inside them, that I just grabbed them because they had neat covers, but I never read them till I was in high school. This was a problem, since I had a ton of comics with awesome art, but nothing that I read for fun I just looked at the pictures. And what fine pictures they were, since it's J. Scott Campbell at the helm and producing a well illustrated story. Jim Lee and Brandon Choi at the writer's chair constructing the team and their adventures as far as the 90's will let them go. Though let me introduce this series originally published by Image Comics, then was published by the DC imprint WildStorm, Gen13. A group of teenagers living in a house together, trying not to be noticed by the government or the shady organizations that want to use them for their own purposes. Each teen has their own power or mutation that makes them very valuable for an assortment of reasons. My favorite member of the team is Grunge, love his tattoo and his powers, though there were other members of the team, but the issues I had never focused that much on their talents. Sadly, I wouldn't find out that Fairchild was smart, strong, and super tall, reflecting my love of She-Hulk till later in life. Then there was the transfer to the DC imprint WildStorm, a lot of different artists and writers have come and gone with the teen team, so why not check out the film that never saw light (well in the United States). We're gonna be diving into the Gen13 movie (without the comic origin nor characters in mind, this will be pure film), that's been screened in America, but hasn't been properly sold, join us as we see the comic's limited series be told in a media translation for about an hour.

shorts SHORT Review: Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles; Big

Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles 
Big

Written by Alan Burnett
Directed by Bruce Timm
Distributed by Warner Brothers Animation and Machinima

Tamara Taylor voiced Bekka
Tahmoh Penikett voiced Steve Trevor
Bruce Thomas voiced the Mysterious Mustached Man, or Kobra.

Take a moment and enjoy the short Big
<--- Also check out the first review of the feature film here
Then there's the first short review of Twisted over here --->

The best of the three, this is the one that I feel was pulp perfected. I love everything about this short, since it's a Spicy story from a dime novel. I'm bias for these types of films especially in animation. This is another short written by Bruce Timm, it's honestly a love letter to Spicy Pulp Fiction. And back in the day anything with the word Spicy on it was like the word Adult in the 90's, though not quite ten cents, but there was a lot of situations that needed two minds that knew what they were doing (or at the very least are told they know what they're doing). Though there was another element that made it Adult or Spicy, it was the Pulp or Action! Yes, tales and observations were detailed in these adventures of those that were of age and could take a licking and keep thrusting their way across exotic and dangerous scenery. That was always a subtle element to a lot of these pulp classics, the nudity. Most of the time implied and some of the time shown, it matters the market and the amount of people that want to read, watch, or see pictures of folks in these escapades into the relative unknown. On this day we jump into the known unknown and take a dip into the adventures of Wonder Woman aka Bekka in this world, since she's never formally introduced as the Trinity associate.

shorts SHORT Review: Science Dog

Science Dog

Written by Robert Kirkman
Illustrated by Cory Walker
Art Director Drew Gill
Published by Skybound
An imprint of Image Comics

There's a beautiful series called Invincible (Written by Robert Kirkman and Illustrated by Cory Walker, also they were the original creators of this series) and our hero Mark Grayson enjoys the adventures of Science Dog, our featured piece of media this week. It was an interesting note that was placed into the series, since we all find our sense of justice in different ways. Spider-Man found his in death, multiple extreme emotional traumas that keep appearing in his life which built up/tore down the hero. Then we look at Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) who is a fan of Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), she knows everything publicly posted about Captain Marvel (also Carol Danvers). After being exposed to a strange gas that activated hidden genes within her body she decides to take up the mantle of this hero for her hometown, Jersey City. Mark Grayson is similar in idea, that he's the power double of Superman and the emotional state of Spider-Man, so Spider-Boy (if you've ever read Amalgam Comics, you'd know of the Superboy Spider-Man combined hero). Not quite, though he's brought his good nature of growing up in a positive home and the comic book Science Dog, a hero that is a good being and tries continuing to be a good person, even though given no reason to do so for any reason other then the will of the writer. Oh, I should mention that this character in the Invincible world is currently fictional (also female, well I think they mentioned that it was his sister, which is weird, since no sister was ever mentioned) and a Scottish Terrier. Science Dog is a running gag and moral compass that Mark Grayson uses, also the writer pokes a bit of satire at all of comics. My point with this little rant and history lesson is that Science Dog showed Invincible what's right and wrong and the hard moral choices that we all need to make in life, oh and how it's hard to take on a childhood hobby and balance life, especially interplanetary commuting. And as I'll always tell you citizens I love Pulp Fiction and one thing that this series is, it embodies the Silver-age and Pulp heroes like Doc Savage and Adam Strange. With this long introduction let's start from the cover and enjoy the tale it tells us before even a page is turned.

shorts SHORT Review: Rocket and Groot, Stranded on Planet Strip Mall

Rocket and Groot:
Stranded on Planet Strip Mall

Written and Illustrated by Tom Angleberger
Special Illustration by John Rocco
Designed by Megan Youngquist Parent
Published by Marvel Press, an Imprint of Disney Book Group

I'm excited about this book, sorry I'm getting ahead of myself, okay so the first time I was introduced to Rocket Raccoon was a bunch of times. Like most people when they encounter something they enjoy that thing and find more about it, and this starts their obsession. With me, I need to naturally find something that comes into my life three times, not sure that many times, but if I find something multiple (three) times it feel like it's something I need to look into. Most of the time it's true, that this is something that will be influential or has been influential (subconsciously speaking) in my life, and Rocket Raccoon is one of those characters. First was when thumbing through a Guardians of the Galaxy comic, the character stood out and seemed interesting. Second time was while looking up work of Mike Mignola, back in the day Marvel was trying to expand their Universe and bring in more characters that were one time use, so the four part series was fun and something worth a look. Third time was (like most people) in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, I loved this interpretation. Though the problem about this is my only interaction with Rocket Raccoon and Groot was through the movie, like I said they were mentioned to me through points in my life, but not fully introduced. Now I'm fully trying to interact with the little Space Bandit and the Walking Tree as they surf through media and fling themselves through the universe.

Sukeban Boy

Manga Mecha Movie

With a lot of these posts it's about the memories that I have of the past within reliving this past for the completion of the run time on the focused media. Though there are features that I haven't seen, media that I want to share the experience with Cartoon Cyborg Cinema citizens. So if there's something exciting or if something is weird or it just doesn't make sense, I'm there right with you all through the thick of things. If you've read the long point for point reviews, then you know that I'm gonna give you every moment and thought. When its media that I've experienced before it's a different trip, you get a glimpse into the person from years before. This sadly is only a look into the type of creators that I engulf my imagination in and desire for more from these creative souls.

shorts SHORT Review: Batman of Shanghi

Manga Mecha Movie
Batman of Shanghi

Produced by Ben Jones and Sandi Yi-Trimble
Production by Warner Brothers Animation
Co-Production by Wolf Smoke Animation Studio
Distributed by Cartoon Network
Character Designer and Storyboard Art by Jin Roh
Designed by Clover Xie

Cast:
Catwoman played by Stephanie Sheh
Batman & Bane played by Kirk Thornton

Though this is a character who's origin is of American descent, he's still a worldly known being that's treated as more than a guest in the respected countries that take on creating wonderful homages and interpretations of Batman. That's the spirit of Manga Mecha Movie, that we journey all over Asia and celebrate its culture and the creative individuals, studios, and media that comes from a place different than where we at Cartoon Cyborg Cinema are stationed. There's plenty within our culture, but it never hurts to go beyond the borderlines and search deeper into interests that envelope characters that we've grown up with and share a history that's personal and different than each other. Now we get to share this personal journey with another culture and with an alternate media than what we first discovered the adventures of Bruce Wayne. Join us as we travel to China in 1930's Shanghi as we focus for about one minute and fifteen seconds on a thief, a muscle bound rickshaw venom abuser, and a man made of shadows and mysteries.