The Bill July 27, 2011

After taking a couple of weeks off due to a lack of books and an increased workload from this impending movie (Cheap plug: We got linked by Bloody Disgusting! Totally awesome!), I'm back with more reviews!

Now, you'd think that I'd take the time during my absence to rename and/or restructure this review feature of mine like I had been griping about earlier this year. Well, good news: I figured out a way to restructure that works better for me. Bad news: I was too lazy to think of a new title.

So with that enthusiastic intro, let's get to the new and improved Bill for this Week!




The Book You Should Be Reading:

Venom # 5
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Tony Moore, Tom Fowler

I'm shocked at how much I love this book.

When I saw those first pictures of this new, gun-totting Venom, I groaned as loudly as any other fan over the age of 13. "Just what we need," I thought, "another version of Venom. And this one with guns. I miss Gargan already..."

And then I read that first, fantastic issue and everything changed. Each issue since has been rich with ideas, action, and a surprising amount of character development. Of all the books on the stands right now, this is the one that reminds me of classic Marvel the most. Sure, it's a little... grimier than you'd expect, but the balance of Venom and Flash that Remender is able to pull off is something that hasn't been seen in most books for years.

This issue was no exception, starting with another epic fight scene before settling into a very emotional story about Flash and his father. I was struck with this issue in particular by it's throwback appeal. Here Venom fights some throw away villain (an update/new version of the Human Fly), before we get to the real meat of the story involving Flash finding his relapsed drunk of a father. It's something that a lesser writer might make two issues out of, or might just eschew one of those aspects for the other, leaving an unsatisfying experience in it's wake.

I'm just going to say it and get it over with: Flash Thompson Venom is my favorite character of 2011. And dare I say, this book is quickly becoming one of my must-reads, almost edging out Avengers Academy for the title.

It's great stuff and, if you're not reading it, you really ought to be. If you're not, and this thing gets cancelled... well, you and I are going to have to have a discussion where my fist may or may not become perpendicular to your face. Fair warning.

Hey! Pictures!



And so that's how things will be from now on. Instead of two books, I'll just review the one, but I'll try to go a little more indepth on it. Fun times! Come back next time!

Doom Does As He Pleases!

And don't you forget it!

I'm guessing this epic exchange comes from the Super Villain Team Up series from the 70s, but honestly I'm not really sure. Cool points to whoever can ID this one for me.

The Ray: Superhero Exhibitionist

Scenes like this happened far too often in the 90's Ray series from Christopher Priest and Howard Porter, making The Ray officially DC's most naked hero. Take that Batman!

Weekend Matinee: TIME COP

It's a holiday weekend and, if you're anything like me, you need something to keep you busy between the long days of BBQs and the glorious nights of fireworks. You're in luck, I got just the thing: the 1994 Jean Claude Van Damme classic TIME COP!



Truth be told, this is probably my favorite Jean Claude movie ever (sorry, Double Team). The story goes that in the distant future of 2004, time travel has been invented and with it a time police force has been created. The best cop on the force is, of course, Jean Claude, a man with a tragic past and nothing to lose. You know, typical action movie stuff. Throughout the movie, the point is made that time is like a lake and any change can cause a ripple through the rest of time and that's where my brain starts to hurt.

So, okay, they establish in the movie that whatever happens in the past is instantly reflected in the future with a scene where a young Ron Silver is cut on the cheek and his older counterpart instantly develops a scar. It occurs to me then, that once someone goes back in time to change things, ideally, the cops would have no idea. Minor infractions, like gaming the stock market or picking up an issue of Action Comics #1, might not have that big of an effect, but bigger things like mass destruction/murder definitely would. So, if a criminal wanted to, couldn't they just shoot a person or two and change the future where the cops came from? Also, if they went back for a few months and raised to prominence, wouldn't the future change so the time cops wouldn't know that they weren't supposed to be there? These are the things that keep me awake at night.

This week's clip, I think, is a great example of this. In it, Jean Claude shows up in 1929 to arrest some time fugitive who has apparently been in the past long enough to become a successful stock broker at a large company. The fugitive resists, resulting in a fist fight turned future gun fight in a very busy office. I can't not believe that this didn't have a major effect on the future. In so much, that I almost believe that every time a time cop went back to stop someone, the future they returned to was a different place than before. It blows my mind if I think about it too much.

Instead, I say we focus on what's important: Jean Claude's knack for dialogue and his huge mullet.



Ahhh.... Good times.

The MIghty Cactus Galactus

Presented without comment. Enjoy!

This South of the Border Planet Devourer via the awesomeness that is Adam Koford.