Moving

Due to the never-ending technical difficulties of Blogger, coupled with the fact that I am now writing semi-professionlly for Street Savvy, I will no longer be posting new content here.

You can still find all my usual reviews and insightful articles at Street Savvy, along with lots of other interesting content on films, television, music and pop culture in general.

Thanks for everything!

P.S. I might be back, you never know.

The Weekly Trade #25

Lotta re-reading this week. Some unexpected Thor though.

Thor: World Eaters (hardcover)
Written by Matt Fraction; art by Pasqual Ferry; published by Marvel Comics.
Here it is: Marvel "Architect" Matt Fraction's run on Thor, and earlier than I thought it was coming out.

Unexpected Thor is always good.

Where Do I Start With... Superman

Who?

C'mon. Everybody knows that mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent is secretly Superman, the Man of Steel, rocketed to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton and raised by Kansas farm couple Jonathan and Martha Kent, and that he can leap tall buildings in a single bound, is more powerful than a locomotive and faster than a speeding bullet!

Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman was the first ever superhero, birthing an entire genre and character archetype in his mould, and setting the standard for decades to follow. Standing for the principles of Truth, Justice and the American Way, he remains the most well known superhero in the world, and has spawned countless media adaptations and talking points.

Okay, so where do I start?

Batman and Robin Must Die! (Review)

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artists: Frazer Irving, David Finch, Cameron Stewart, et al

Publisher: DC Comics

Collects: Batman & Robin #13-16; Batman: The Return #1

When Bruce Wayne "died" at the hands of Darkseid in 2009's Final Crisis, rather than die with him, the Bat-franchise exploded into so many ongoing series that I honestly lost count. But there was one that stood above all the others: Batman & Robin, starring former Boy Wonder Dick Grayson as Batman, and recently revealed offspring Damian Wayne as Robin. Fun, colourful and action-packed, fans and critics alike loved this series a lot more than anybody could have expected.

But now Bruce is back, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the kids would have to pack up their toys now that Daddy was home as I unknowingly dove into the ominously titled Batman and Robin Must Die!
And that is the greatest thing about Grant Morrison's time writing Batman: It feels like anything could happen and nothing is set in stone. It's like a rollercoaster in the dark, and I don't know when it's going to stop.

The Weekly Trade #24

(Due to some technical difficulties at Blogger, posts have been deleted and reposted as necessary.)

Trades are like buses...

Batman & Robin Must Die! (hardcover)
Written by Grant Morrison; art by Frazer Irving, et al; published by DC Comics.
This has been a damned fun series, but with both Bruce Wayne and the Joker returning in this exciting tale featuring the talented Frazer Irving on art, it feels disturbingly final. Especially with the title.

Birds of Prey: End Run (hardcover)
Written by Gail Simone; art by Ed Benes, et al; published by DC Comics.
I never read this series when it was out before, but Gail Simone is one of my favourite writers so I'll give it a shot. Plus, Ed Benes draws some purty ladies.

Irredeemable Volume 6
Written by Mark Waid; art by Peter Krause and Diego Barreto; published by BOOM! Studios.
Every time I read Irrdeemable I pray for an end to the horror. And every time I finish a volume, I'm hungry for more. One of the best series on the shelves right now.

...They're full of interesting characters?

Secret Six: The Reptile Brain (Review)

Writers: Gail Simone and Paul Cornell

Artists: J. Calafiore and Pete Woods

Publisher: DC Comics

Collects: Secret Six #25-29; Action Comics #896

Despite numerous brushes with the larger DC Universe, Secret Six has always felt like an indie book to me. Following a team of C-list villains (and Bane), it's violent, crude, sexy, and lots of other things that would make Superman blush. Being slightly off the rails has made it a thrill to read; with unpredictable storylines and captivating characters, it's one of the hottest mainstream series out there right now.

Which is why I was a teeny-tiny bit disappointed with The Reptile Brain.

With the team split in two, we get some fun new additions from the bottom of DC's collective rogues gallery. Every one of them gets the Gail Simone treatment; elevating them from "villain-of-the-weeks" into blank canvasses ripe for masterpiece. She makes King Shark disturbingly hilarious, and you just know something bad is gonna happen to Dwarfstar from his attitude.

Brightest Day Volume Two (Review)

Writers: Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi

Artists: Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Adrian Syaf, Scott Clark and Joe Prado

Publisher: DC Comics
Collects: Brightest Day #8-16

Previously on Brightest Day... Twelve dead characters (heroes and villains) were resurrected at the end of DC's last Event story, Blackest Night by an enigmatic white light. Now trying to put their lives back together, they discover that they may have been brought back for a purpose...

I felt that the first volume of this series was slow moving, and relied too much on dangling mysteries to string the reader along, rather than provide anything substantial in the present. Now that I have read Volume Two, I think I have a better idea of the overall story structure. We are now in the second act of this epic saga.