Heroes for Hire: The Movie!

Or at least an approximation of what the movie post could/would look like if it was a 70s style Grindhouse feature. This may come as a surprise, but if I could will one thing into existence it would be this.

Here's hoping the HoH get some love from Marvel Studios Phase 3!

This chunk of dreams comes from KharyRandolph over on the Deviantart.

The Bill May 25, 2011

In my head, disappointing books are almost worse than straight up bad books. A bad book you don't have any expectations for, and will totally surprise you every once in a while. But those disappointing books, they've done something to earn that title. More often than not, they've squandered some kind of inherent good will in the premise and that just makes me sad.

What could I possibly be talking about? Come check me out after the banner to find out.




Just Disappointing...:

Power Man and Iron Fist # 5
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Wellington Alves


This book should be off the charts with awesomeness. It's a great creator with fabulous characters and a fantastic set up, but in the end it just sits there... being a shadow of what it could be.

It's strange, the series as a whole feels both rushed and padded at the same time. And that's never a good sign. I found myself, as I was reading this, wondering what the deal was with the Commedia del'muerte and worse, not really caring what the answer was. Don't even get me started on the whole "Who is Noir" reveal at the end, the less said about that the better.

I dunno, this series was just... not good. For all the promise (and the Don of the Dead appearance), this series was very lackluster. That said, I like everything involved so I'd totally be on board for a second series, but that one I'd only stick with if it kicks things up a notch.

Probably two...




Not As Good As It Should Be:

Amazing Spider-Man #662
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Reilly Brown


There's nothing to not like about this book (well, aside from the post-OMD Spider-man, but that's a discussion for a different day), but for some reason it's just not working for me.

As a quick done-in-two, Marvel Team Up style adventure between Spidey and Avengers Academy, it should be firing on all cylinders and be nothing but great. Instead, I found it kind of lacking. It's tough because I can't really pinpoint what my problem is.

I keep thinking that it's because the kids were not totally in synch with their character, but that can't be because Gage is writing. You know, it might just be the throwaway nature of the adventure that's holding me up. The fact that these kids aren't having major turning points in their side adventure with Spidey is a good thing, but I think that's what I expect from those characters because that's what happens in their book every month.

See, there you go: expectations not met = disappointment. You can't fight that kind of math...




And there you go, a bit of disappointment to balance out the lovefest that was last week. Hopefully next week I can achieve some kind of balance in the article... yeah, that'd be kinda nice...

Talk About a Sophie's Choice

I don't know if you noticed, but Mighty Fine Tees has been knocking it out of the park when it comes to kick ass novelty nerd Tees. From the Doom riding a Unicorn to the indescribable power (to repel women, I'm sure) of the 3 Galactus Moon, there are just too many of those shirts I just have to have. And then I found their MODOK Shirts.

In a move that I wish other shirt companies would follow, Mighty Fine have made it possible to customize a small selection of shirts. They have a Scott Pilgrim one that might be pretty badass, if it wasn't for the stop everything coolness of their MODOK shirts. Instead of just having MODOK in different poses or locations, they've created their own MODOK Mashups for you new favorite shirt. You can do a Spider-MODOK or a THODOK, or this:



Right? As an unabashed Luke Cage fan, and with the knowledge that MODOK makes every thing better (he's like bacon), this is totally the best shirt ever. Until I saw this:



What the hell is going on? It's like they're trying to rob me! How am I supposed to resist something like this? That's just not fair!

So, pop quiz: Which should I choose? And more importantly, do you think my wardrobe could support two MODOK Mashup shirts?

It's a risk that I think I'm willing to take...

The Bill Feburary 9, 2011

After a week off, basking in the glow of the early 90s, I guess we ought to get back to the business of reviewing new books.... If we have too....

Good thing only awesome things came out this week, otherwise I'd be one sad panda. Let's see what we got.



Hey, Weren't You Cancelled?

Onslaught Unleashed #1
Writer: Sean McKeever
Artist: Filipe Andrade


Well, well, lookie what we have here: The return of my favorite failed non-team of 2010, The Young Allies. Not a bad push for a team that couldn't quite make it out of that first arc...

Anyway, here they team up with The Secret Avengers to fight off the returning 90s icon, Onslaught. Or at least they will, at some point in the series. Probably.

While it's great to see the team back in action (really anytime I get some Gravity in my life is a good time), this book doesn't really do much for me. The interactions are great, the art is awesome (if a bit funky), but the story is very thin. Well not so much thin, as unnecessarily mysterious.

Frankly, if you put the name of the villain on the front of the book, you can't use him as the big surprise threat at the end of it. Only if I was reading this book without a cover or a title page, would the 'surprise' at the end be one. As it is, I feel like I should have just started with issue two.

The flying datsun was pretty cool though...



The Best Of The Year (so far):

Power Man and Iron Fist #1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Wellington Alves


I don't talk about it as much as I should, but the original Power Man and Iron Fist is one of my favorite series of all time. I don't know what it is exactly, all I know is that it's awesome. So when it was announced that not only was there going to be a new Power Man, but a new Power Man and Iron Fist series, I was a little worried that it wouldn't live up to it's predecessor. And then I saw that Fred Van Lente was writing. And then he did this:



Dammit, Fred, why do you have to be so awesome all the time?

So yeah, and then as if it's not enough to have my sensational character find of 2010 show up, the book gets even better through fantastic character interactions, use of Power Man and Iron Fist Original Recipe continuity, and amazing art from Mr. Alves. It truly makes the legacy proud.

Now, if only we could make this an ongoing instead of just a miniseries. Anyone got any bright ideas on how to make that happen?



And so ends the spirited review part of the evening. If you'd like to hear more about my 'meh' attitudes on both Widowmaker #4 and Secret Warriors #24, just drop me a line in the comments and I'm sure I can rally some snide remarks for you.

Until then, I'm off to try to read something other than horrible 90s books for a change....

Who am I kidding? Pass the Darkhawk, please.

Cage #12 in Three Panels

Actually, I take that back. Make that a HARDCORE five panels.







From the HARDCORE duo of Marc McLaurin and Dwayne Turner

The Bill October 20, 2010

Only two books this week, one from each big Marvel event happening right now. Let's just skip the preamble and get to it!




From The Event I'm NOT Reading:

Power-Man #3
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Mahmud Asrar


I'll tell you, I don't know what to think about this one. The first two issues, which I picked up a bit belatedly, were great; it was the perfect update of the Power Man idea for this Internet Era. This issue... well, not so much.

It was probably just a mood I was in when I was reading it, but this seemed to be lacking some of the fun of the previous issues. Was it the lack of Luke Cage? An overabundance of Cottonmouth? The lack of gratuitous punching? I dunno. All I know is whatever it was, I missed it.

That's not to say it was all bad. For a book that marked up pretty heavily with the 'Shadowland' branding, I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not reading the main book. Also, I'm really digging the inevitable team up of this new Power Man and Iron Fist, it won't be the same without Luke though.

Here's hoping this is just a bump in the road, and not a sign of things to come...





From The Event I AM Reading

Chaos War # 2
Writers: Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente (That guy again!)
Artist: Koi Pham


I kind of mentioned this two weeks ago, but: This book rocks!

It's no big secret that Pak and Van Lente have been pulling out all the stops with Hercules for the past few years now. They have, single handedly (or double handedly), turned Hercules from a take-it-or-leave it character to a totes awesome, can't-miss, I-will-fight-you-if-you-don't-agree-this-is-the-coolest-Herc-interpretation-ever, character that I'll forever love.

Anyway, this issue is smack dab in the middle of the big mega story that's been buliding in Herc since... what Secret Invasion? Herc shows off his fancy new powers, Venus busts some classic jams, and my favorite world devourer shows up pretending it's the Secret Wars all over again; yeah, it was pretty rad.

I'm pretty stoked by the start of this event, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out. (I bet it ends with Galactus and Herc drinking. Or rather, I wish it would...)





That's all I got. If you wanna ask me about the other books I got, well too bad, I only got two. But maybe I'd get more if someone gave me some suggestions...

The Bill September 9, 2010

I don't know what happened this week, but I only had one book come out. It was okay though because the store I went to last week didn't have all the books I wanted, so I was able to make the trip worth my while.

That said, I'm gonna change up the format this week. Come on, let's see what happens...




Best Anthology in a While:
I Am an Avenger #1
Writers: Jim McCann, Duane Swierczynski, Alex Zalben, Chris Eliopoulos
Artists: Chris Samnee, Jason Latour, Tom Fowler, Chris Eliopoulos


When I was bitching about the Age of Heroes anthology weeks ago, this is what I was I wanted that book to be. The stories were meaningful, pointed, and just generally good. Sure, the Pet Avengers and Squirrel Girl stories didn't need to be in there, but the other two totally made up for them.

The first was a fantastic Young Avengers story by Jim McCann (of Hawk and Mock fame) and Chris Samnee (of Thor the Mighty Avenger fame) in which the team gets officially inducted into the ranks of the World's Greatest Heroes. Not only do we get some great interplay, but it also gives us a bit of continuity clean up regarding who gets to keep the name Hawkeye (Spoilers: They both do).

The story was seriously great, and makes me yearn for a YA series written by McCann. He'd be the perfect fit, as he tends to balance that old school adventure feel with great character interaction; a must when it comes to the Young Avengers. Here's hoping he gets the chance once Heinberg is through.

On the opposite side of the emotional scale is Dwayne Swierczynski and Jason Latour's defacto epilogue to The Immortal Iron Fist. As a quick aside, I don't talk about that series nearly enough. I don't know what it is, but those books inspire me and not just the Fraction/Brubaker stuff, as the book really got interesting when Swierczynski came on.

Anyway, the Iron Fist story deals with the unfortunate fallout of Misty Knight's pregnancy. In summary, it didn't go well, so Danny and Misty are taking a break. It was a very touching, personal story that I'm really glad to see, even if it was painful to read.

I'm tentatively considering getting the next issue in this series. I'll keep you posted if I do.




Most LIkely to Get Cancelled:
Young Allies # 4
Writer: Sean McKeever
Artist: David Baldeon


I really really love this book. The characters, the setup, the writing, the art; everything. Unfortunately, that means this book is not long for this world.

It's a pretty solid fact that when I like a book, it gets canceled (See FrankenCastle, but you knew that) and this one isn't going to buck the trend. It's no one's fault, really, it just doesn't have anything in it to jazz up the casual fan.

The character selection is totally off beat and full of characters with potential, but no one that really jumps out. I know Nomad is getting a push in the Captain America books, as is Arana in Spider-Man, but I don't think that's equating into readers. Or at least, not enough. I read it for Gravity (on of the best characters of the 2000s!), but I know he's not the headliner he should be.

As for the story, it's really clever but it lacks resonance because it's not referenced anywhere else in the Marvel U. These new villains showed up and blew up a chunk of Manhattan, but you'd never know if you weren't reading this book. It's a bad sign.

I really want everyone to check out this book. Give it a whirl, I promise you won't be upset. Its got fun lines, great characterization, interesting villains, everything you need for a great book.

Please don't let this one be cancelled. Marvel is already taking FrankenCastle away from me, I don't think I could bear them taking another fun title away....




And on that dour note, I'm off. For the record, the other book I bought tonight was Thor Mighty Avenger #4 which featured a great night drinking with the Warriors Three. Fun stuff and still the best Thor book I've ever read. I'm going to suggest it to everyone before the movie comes out.

Things I Like: Thunderbolts!

You know what's crazy? The fact that the Thunderbolts is still around. Not just around, but a core component of the Marvel Universe. Not bad for a gimmick team launched in the 90s.



I don't mean that to come off as harsh as it sounds. I'm honestly just shocked that it's still around. Of all the lasting concepts floating around the Marvel offices, if you had told me that one of the neo-classics would be Thunderbolts back in 1996 I would have laughed you out of the state.

Well, maybe not. I was pretty young and impressionable. And there was no accounting for my taste, if my huge X-Force collection is any indication.



Back to the point, I'm shocked that this happened.

Did you know that in seven issues, Thunderbolts will become the second longest non-X team book in the Marvel line? Right now that title is held by The Defenders, and it's looking like it'll secede it's title within the year.

Crazy!



I'm actually pretty excited for The Thunderbolts. For a book that had everything stacked against it (a gimmick, the 1990s, no X in the title), it did really well surviving the times and becoming the integral part of the universe it is today. And now with the inclusion of one of my favorite characters, a new direction, and a great creative team the future seems to be super shiny for this almost 15(!!) year-old team.

Now start reading it so they don't go canceling it on me.

Just so you know...

And don't you forget it!

Also, a bit of blog-ness, piggybacking on this post. This is my technocrati claim token: 4JVGVH7ZPDAU . Here's hoping they let me in.

Fabulous 100th Post!

Woulda look at that, 100 posts on my little blog. Not bad for less than a year. I mean, not all that great either, but still not bad. I feel like I'm going strong and finally finding my voice on this damned thing. Here's to a hundred more!

And, to keep the tradition alive from my fifteth post, here are all the issue 100s I own. Also this will probably be the last time I do this, because A- not many series reach over a hundred; and B- It's kinda silly and I really ought to focus on generating new content. Right? RIGHT!


This book was just floudering at the time, I only bought this because I had the previous 99 issues. Which is saying something, considering that it's X-Force.


Power Man and Iron Fist is the greatest team up ever. I really need to write about them more.


The start of Claremont's second coming and coincidentally when I stopped reading comics. (SPOILERS: I started reading them again!)


Honestly, I bought this one because it was a shiny collectors item. I remember not knowing what was going on, but it was kinda nice to see someone actually die from the Legacy Virus. You know, aside from little girls.


Hyped as being the issue where Wolverine finally got his adamantium back, they sure fooled us by turning him into a noseless pirate for six months. I think they were trying to punish us...


So in this issue, Spidey creates a new suit of armor to get, I dunno, the villain or something. It was totally great, lasers had no affect, bullets were worthless, it was unstoppable! Until someone made it really cold, and the armor shattered. I was very disappointed.


I believe my thoughts on Spider-Girl are pretty clear.


I totally own this book, and totally love it. Iron Man, uh, recaps his origin and faces off against some classic foes. It's great! You should totally go read it and let me know what you think about it.


Daredevil in the mid seventies was weird. He moved to San Francisco, lived in sin with the Black Widow, fought robots from the future, and in this one, fought mind altering hippies. Thank god Frank Miller came around.


Featuring the first appearances by Feral and Shatterstar, this is the book that made me an X-Force devotee.

Shut up, I was 13. Get outta here!

How not to get out of jail

And that's why Luke Cage never got parole.

Kurt Busiek and Ernie Chan's PSA can be found in Power Man and Iron Fist #100 by