Current Events with Spider-Man

The "Spider-verse" prelude began last Wednesday, in Superior Spider-Man 32.

Wait. Wasn't Superior Spider-Man finished, and Amazing Spider-Man (with the real Peter Parker returned) already started?

Yes, yes it was.

Superior Spider-Man takes place while Doc Ock (as Peter Parker and Spider-Man) was displaced in time at the Horizon Labs explosion (in Superior Spider-Man #19, I believe). Apparently it wasn't just a quick jaunt through time -- he wound up in the year 2099, and we're finally seeing what happened.

When he attempted to make his way back home, he kept encountering alternate universe... all of which featured recently murdered Spider-Men, all of which were killed by the same dual-forked weapon. It's not clear if these are all Spider-Men we've met in different dimensions (we see the Armored Spider-Man, which was an alternate costume to 616 Peter and ALSO an alternate dimension where Peter was wealthy instead of poor. It could have been another altogether, however...)

You know, this guy.

In this rather expansive issue, Doc Ock decides that the menace must be faced and that the best way to do so would be to recruit as big an army of Spider-Men as possible, from across all the dimensions. Not, you know, an army of Hulks or something. But whatever. The end of the issues shows him having already begun his army, which will prove to be interesting...

I'm excited for this event, though this one issues seems to have covered a ton of ground, and it's only a prelude! It was a good read, though, and I like the idea that Superior Spider-Man may meet the revived 616 Amazing Spider-Man due to this time/dimension hopping. It may even give more insight as to why Ock makes the sacrifice in the "last" issue of Superior.

Also, as a side note on why I love the issue, I've recently been getting into the Skottie Young Variant covers, which depict marvel characters as babies. I have a few already, though mostly by accident, but now that I have a little girl, it's a great way to bring nerd-dom into her room. I grabbed two copies of this variant, which is only half of the Skottie Young Spider-verse spread, the second of which will come with Amazing Spider-Man #9. I want one set for my daughter's wall and one for my basement!

Love this!

Now, back in the current Amazing Spider-Man issues, I'm not liking the story much at all. I dislike that Black Cat will be a villain (I've said this before), and I really don't enjoy the backstory they're giving Silk, the new female spider-character (this one having been bit at the same spider that bit Peter). It was a bit too easy and includes her actively being locked away for years and years, the secret of her location only being found due to a story element from the Original Sin event.

... Also, the... relationship between Silk and Spider-Man doesn't really have any background for where they immediately go with it, but I suppose this isn't the first time Spidey's run on instinct. The issue itself seemed poorly written, however, where elements were repeated so much that I pictured the writer speaking to a two year old when actually planning this issue. Meh. I've really not been impressed with the return of Amazing Spider-Man, yet managed to love the most recent issue of Superior. Wonder if they're purposefully trying to tank the main title and character.

Oh well.

Still looking forward to seeing "every Spider-Man ever" during the Spider-verse event! It's yet another opportunity where they could, possibly, bring back Ben Reilly! ...I've said this before, haven't I?

Bring Ben Back!

The Nerd's Top 5 Current Comic Series

A lot of my comic reviewing is for previously released or already finished runs of comics. I've tapered off with my Pull List Reviews due to a reduction in my Pull List and a general unhappiness with current offerings. For now, though, I'd like to touch base on five of my favorite comic series that are still running today. I've written about most (if not all) of these before, but they are still going strong (though I may not be current). I'll try and give these some semblance of order, which is unusual for me, but here goes:

5. The Superior Spider-Man

Alright, spot five is only taken by SSM because I haven't been reading too many current series. There are plenty I'd love to start reading (East of West, Lazarus, Wolverine and the X-Men, etc...), but I've been taking it slow. That being said, Superior Spider-Man has been surprisingly strong. I didn't enjoy the Superior-Venom stint, but Goblin Nation, which has been building up all year, has started interestingly and promises to send of Otto with a bang.

Arc was boring, but didn't hate the design.

And, while I hate the spoilers our media is saturated with today, I am happy to know that Peter Parker will be making a comeback. I'm not particularly enjoying his part in the comics right now, but I would LOVE to see some changes to Peter when The Amazing Spider-Man relaunches, or at least a shakeup with the cast.

Rating: 7.5/10 -- Saying "Superior Spider-Man" every issue wasn't that funny to begin with, and Otto losing it as much as he has lately seems to contrast to harshly with where he was going.

4. Thor: God of Thunder

Very much looking forward to this fight.

Another series where I didn't much care about the most recent run (which involved Malekith, in time for the film), overall this series has had some tremendous writing and I really do enjoy the shots we get of Thor from the past, present, and future. Each one is the same character and yet substantially different, and each one is interesting for their own reason. If it seemed forced, it wouldn't work as well (which we kind of see with Young Thor), but the recently started "Last Days of Midgard" promises to be another arc to solidly follow up the amazing "God Butcher" saga.

The art on this book, aside from one past-Thor issue I didn't care for, has been continuously phenomenal.

Rating: 8/10 -- Even with story lines I don't terribly care about, I find something to love.

3. Fables

Note: I am NOT caught up! I'm only on issue 84 or so.

Fables takes characters you recognize and puts them in the real world. They've been here for centuries, so have both history that can be pulled from their own homeworlds and from their time spent among us. At this point, they've made some pretty dramatic changes to their status as rogue outcasts from a crushing empire, yet are still finding Big-Bad trouble to overcome. I'm in the Fables Crossover trade, which crosses over Fables, Jack of Fables, and introduces The Literals. It's not my favorite trade so far, but everything before now has been solid and interesting and seen so many character changes that I really look forward to see what comes next.

Not the brightest moment, but no awful.

I feel the series must drop off eventually and miss a step in its stride -- it may have already happened. But I'm happy to get there with the classic characters that have been giving a new (and, above all, interesting) spin.

Rating: 9/10 -- I don't love some of the artists, and the trade I'm on currently is flagging a bit, and I truly have no idea where the series can go, but I've enjoyed it so far and actively look forward to catching up.

2. Hawkeye

Surprisingly loving Kate Bishop.

The art for this series alone makes it one of the best comics I'm reading. Add in the down-to-earth stories of a superhero who seems to actively be dealing with depression and a lack of understanding/accepting the world as it is, and you've got a really interesting set of stories about a character that has never interested me before. Add in Kate Bishop (a character I didn't even know of before), and we have a young woman trying to find her way (as a P.I., no less) across the country, yet having trouble shrugging the repercussions of her superhero-ing.

While it is set in the Marvel universe, and definitely pays homage to that with some visiting cast, this series is about two characters trying to live lives outside the masks, and it is such a poignant  contrast between their exciting, heroic lives to trying to make heroic ideals work in a world that, really, doesn't want or support them.

Also, the writing is strong and can range from touching to hilarious, sometimes at the same time.

Rating: 10/10 -- Love everything about this series. Still don't care for Hawkeye anywhere else, but as long as this team keeps up on this book, I'm a fan.

1. Saga

Screw everything I just said above. If there is one comic you really NEED to follow, it is Saga. It is published fairly slowly due to the desire to keep the creative team together, without needing to farm out for talent during time crunches, but it is completely worth it.

We are constantly introduced to vibrant characters in an unusual sci-fi world. Around every corner, there is something strange and new. Also, around every corner, there is some sort of heart break. It's almost Game of Thrones level of sex and death (though I would argue that it is better written, though that's opinion all over the place).

So what if my favorite character is a cat?

This book has the characters, the writing, and the art to make it a complete knockout. Will follow this book until the bitter end, may it never come.

Rating: 11/10 -- I don't call myself the Arbitrary Nerd for nothing!

Pull List Review: The End of Amazing Spider-Man

Hello all! In this post, I will be posting spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man issues 697-700, give my arbitrary rating for all of them, and then bitch about the last issue. Sound good? Then keep on reading!

Note: in an effort to get to #700 ASAP, I'm going to keep the over descriptions short.

Amazing Spider-Man #697 Peter and Max are on the run from the Hobgoblins, who are having trouble deciding if they should give chase or fight each other. Peter leads Max to a Goblin bunker, which causes him to call Harry to figure out how to defuse the booby traps. Harry looks suspiciously like Walter White from Breaking Bad. Petey uses his knowledge as Spidey's "sidekick" to fool Max while he builds some tech (including a Spider-Glider) to get them out of harms way. Fighting ensues until the Goblins use Norah Winters as bait -- even Phil, her boyfriend, is ready to sacrifice her to further his goals. Max gets the save, Spidey escapes, and Old Gobby takes out New Gobby in a surprise attack, taking the younger Goblin and giving him a business offer. An interesting, but seemingly unrelated event, occurs when Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, isn't in his hospital bed... Not that his comes to play in ASM at all... I like the characters, and the Peter-fooling-someone-that-he's-not-Spidey was done well enough too. A solid 8/10.
Amazing Spider-Man #698 This issue starts with the near-death Doctor Octopus waking up and calling for Peter Parker. Meanwhile, Spidey is swinging around town, having a good ol' day. He beats on a fake supervillain, reflecting on his relationship with MJ, has a confidant review with Max Modell, reflects on his wasted scientific career, hits on MJ (and random girls at her club), and then gets an Avengers priority call to attend Doc Ock in his last moments. Once alone, Peter confronts his long time enemy, who announces that HE is Peter Parker... and he's right. He doesn't say how, but Doctor Octopus has switched bodies with Peter Parker, and Peter is stuck in a dying body... I don't remember if I ever wrote it down in my fear for the ASM finale... but this was it. Despite going in a direction I don't like, the issue looked crisp and was interesting -- more so in that re-reading it shows hints that Doc Ock is in Peter's body the entire issue. So it gets an 8/10 from me.
Amazing Spider-Man #699 The issue opens with Peter-Ock being barely brought back from the brink of death by a team of doctors, though his time is still running out. Peter fears what Otto may be doing in his body, before realizing that he has access to all of Otto's memories, just as Otto claimed to have access to his. That's when the disturbing sex scene between Otto and Aunt May comes to light (well, it's only a reference, but still. I had enough of May's sex life when Peter walked in on her and Jay...). Searching through the memories, Peter realizes that, every time he used Otto's tech, he was allowing the villain to map his brainwaves, which led to the switch via Golden Octobot during the Goblin fight. Peter is able to use the Octobot as well, he finds out, and uses it to hatch one of Otto's stock escape plan. This one includes recruiting Scorpion, Hydroman, and the Trapster to break him out of prison. Peter does his best to stop them from killing anyone or freeing anyone else, but even he realizes he's walking a precarious path, no matter the circumstances. This issue keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves some hope that Peter won't disappear at the end of ASM after all. An 8/10... You know what? It loses a point for that Aunt May sex scene. It was humorous... but ew. 7/10.
Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 This issue is all about Morbius. His cell is damaged during Peter-Ock's escape, and he leaves the Raft. The rest of the issue is Morbius' back story. If you like the character, it's an interesting read that leads to Morbius' ongoing that's coming up. If you don't care for the character, it's a completely skip-able Point One issue. I'm more of the latter, though I'll give the issue a 6/10 for being done well enough.
Amazing Spider-Man #700 This final issue is packed with three stories. The first is the tense and action packed story of Peter-Ock trying to get back in his body. Well, actually, it starts with Otto-Pete putting the moves on MJ before getting interuppted by an alert that Peter-Ock has escaped. Then Otto attempts to flee the country, while Pete starts working on his plan to get his body back. He goes to Heaven for a bit when he dies for three minutes, and it's an paradise place filled with all his loved ones who have gone before him and still support him. It's pretty touching stuff, but ol' Uncle Ben is there to tell Peter to get back in the fight. Pride gets the best of Otto, keeping him in the country. Peter uses his ragtag group of villains to procure the Golden Octobot without killing any civilians (though Carlie does get wounded by Peter in the process). Otto rounds up all of Peter's loved ones, in the pretense of keeping them safe. Some nice interactions between JJJ and his father/May, as well as some tit for tat between Peter and Otto -- they know each other more than ever before at this point, and have a hard time outsmarting each other... almost. MJ professes her love for Peter (to Otto), right before we get to the final showdown between Otto-Spider, Peter-Ock, Scorpion, and Hydro-Man in an emptied Avenger's Tower. Otto starts showing he has the upper hand in every way, having planned for every contingency. The only flaw in his plan are the nagging memories of Peter Parker's life, the ones the make him who he is and feel the way he does. Otto actually punches Scorpion's jaw straight off his body, which is pretty awesome, and a turning point for Peter when he sees this. In a suicide plot, Peter latches on to Otto and jumps out a window, explaining that he can no longer be Spider-Man after this -- he's ensuring that Otto dies while Peter will be back in his body, thanks to the Golden Octobot attacking Otto-Spider's skull -- BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Turns out Otto expected the Bot as well and shielded his head, meaning Peter-Ock is trapped for the duration of the fall. Otto mortally (even more mortally?) wounds Peter. Peter realizes his time is up but, in a last ditch effort to stop a monster from running around as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Peter-Ock uses the Bot's mental link to force Otto to see and feel the defining moments of Peter's life, forcing Otto too see the world through a new perspective and accept the responsibility of being Spider-Man, not a villain. And then... Peter-Ock dies. Otto-Spider makes his declaration that he'll be an even better Spider-Man -- a Superior one. So, that being what it is, I find the story difficult to rate. It was decently told, intense, and has had a lot of build up. That being said, Marvel has killed another Peter Parker and this hand off is even worse for the fans than the 90's Clone Saga, which is where they tried to phase Peter out in favor of Ben Reilly (which caused an uproar). So I like the issue but absolutely hate the ending and honestly thing they've brought the quality of Amazing Spider-Man down in a single issue... So I rate it a 7/10, though I would also be comfortable going lower. I want to give it a point on the awesome cover alone... but the book is so unwieldy due to it's filler content that it balances out. The second story is about a random geezer telling his great-grand kid that he used to be Spider-Man. Not really sure what the point was or why it was included. 1/10, some of the art is interesting. The third story was about the Black Cat, but was drawn so bad I didn't even bother reading it. 0/10 -- I really dislike camp in my comic books to begin with, and including this awful art in the final issue of ASM was almost a slap in the face.

The future of Spider-Man looks... Well, pretty crappy. I assume that, due to fan backlash (or possibly something they've already planned), that this will, if not get reversed, at least get remedied; the Golden Octobot wasn't seen destroyed, so it is possible that Peter comes back, either in his own body down the line or in a cloned body (which might make the Jackal popping up recently make sense). Then I would be slightly more accepting of the Superior Spider-Man. Well, except for the fact that it's Doc-Ock, a character that I've only enjoyed mildly and can't imagine then perpetuating for too long -- he's a fan favorite villain, not someone we wanted to actually follow. He's just not that interesting. Marvel would have done better giving us something new, so that way they could at least work in an interesting back story.

Now we have a character that I really don't care about, at all. We already have a dark and troubled Spider in the form of Kaine, we didn't need another. And using a character we already know well enough doesn't make us want to see him succeed or grow as a person. It's just a touch revolting. I'd like to see them make it interesting, but I want to see it undone more.

Here's to Marvel getting their shit together and undoing the damage they've done. Hopefully Peter comes back sooner than Ben Reilly has...

Peter DID once see the future and apparently witness his final stand, and it WASN'T as Superior Spider-Man either, so I'm holding out that this will just be a short stint to rile up the fans. Because, you know, it's totally worth stopping a 700 issue series to do that.

Next up, I've got a good amount of Pull List issues to get through, probably two more posts worth. See you then!

P.S. If you want to commiserate about the grim future of Spider-Man (or, I guess, tell me I'm a stupid fan boy), leave a comment!

Extra! Extra! Centennial Edition (100th Post!)

With this edition of Extra! Extra!, I officially hit 100 posts! Going along with this theme, I'm going to select my top 5 favorite comic book series that have gotten to at least 100 issues (without renumbering) and talk about them a little bit.

Oh the fun we will have.

Wolverine I'm going to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of the Wolverine series. There are several story arcs that I find interesting, but overall I never got into it. That being said, I really do enjoy the character, especially when he's working along side other characters (Wolverine and Spidey is my favorite team-up, ever). So this series gets credit for developing a character I've come to enjoy, if nothing else. The series HAS been renumbered a couple of times now, but at least Volume 2 ran for 189 numbered issues, and I'm counting it.
Star Wars (Marvel) This series is... well, very much dated. That being said, it has two things going for it that will make me always appreciate it: First, the covers are awesome! Sometimes they're insane or oddly drawn, but each one has so much going on or so much attention paid to it. This is the era when comic book covers could be a story unto themselves. Second, this series helped pace the way for the Star Wars EU and the many, many Star Wars comic series that have followed. As for the issues themselves, I haven't read too many, and most of those were when I was a kid. My preference would be Knights of the Old Republic and Legacy, but I'd have to add those series together to hit 100 issues...
Batman This series started and stayed campy as hell for a long, long time. That alone gives it some credit. Since then, the title has grown into the Dark Knight we all know and love and has produced several quality arcs that I enjoy. But I will never forget the Adam West era, which bled into the comic series in its formative years. The campiest campy-ness that ever did camp. I will never collect the series, but I will always appreciate the stories that have come from it and keep an eye out for the older issues at yard sales and the like -- they're worth a pretty penny. I'm pretty sure this series didn't get renumbered for #713 numbered issues, which is a feat in and of itself.
Ultimate X-Men I have not finished this series, and have heard there were some ups and downs with the story telling. From what I've read, I've enjoyed the different directions taken with the characters and the way the writers were able to play fast and loose with recognizable characters that are overlay established in the main Marvel line. I could actually say the same for all the Ultimate titles, but Ultimate X-Men has the honor of making it to issue 100 (exactly) before being renumbered. I will eventually collect every title in this series, similar to what I've done with Ultimate Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man If you didn't see this one coming, you obviously don't know me very well! ASM has been renumbered once so far, but that didn't happen until after issue #441. It was slapped back into the original numbering system with issue #500, but will sadly be ending with issue #700, to be replaced by Superior Spider-Man. Your friendly neighborhood nerd is NOT happy with this, but will probably survive. I love Spider-Man because I really enjoyed Peter Parker when he was the nerdy kid down on his luck, to being the every man as he got older. His personal life was interesting without being too insane (though it CERTAINLY had its moments) unless his Spider-Man issues got in the way, which was ALSO interesting. One of my favorite things about Spider-Man, however, are is the varied Rogue Gallery that has cropped up around him and spread to other books. The series has been campy, light-hearted, dark, depressing, upbeat, confusing, obscure, upsetting as a reader (I'm looking at you, One More/Brand New Day), but, in the end, always something I've enjoyed reading and look forward to its eventual return. Because you know Marvel can't let a good title die.

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I didn't realize how many series I read have been renumbered before issue #100. It's kind of sad, actually. For a moment, this turned into a hunt for series I've read SOMETHING from that have hit 100 issues. I'm happy with this list, but would love some other thoughts on long running series, and I always appreciate more comments!

Other than that, this wraps up my 100th blog post. I'll try and plan something a bit more special for post #200. Maybe a video blog? Would that be awkward enough? I'll be accepting suggestions until then!

Breaking News! "Superior Spider-Man"

I'm interrupting my normal Wednesday routine with this nerd-emergency.

Amazing Spider-Man will be ending after issue 700 and will be replaced with Superior Spider-Man under the Marvel NOW initiative.

This Spider-Man is stated to no longer be our "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." Instead he will be a much darker character.

My reaction is something close to Sheldon's in this clip from Big Bang Theory:

Just replace the "Morlocks" with "Superior Spider-Man."

Slott explained he'll be going into his reinforced bunker once issue 700 hits. I'm pretty sure this is the same phrase used when Brand New Day hit.

Oh no!

(Exception: If it turns out they are SOMEHOW bringing Ben Reilly back and he's finally taking the title, I'll accept it. Otherwise, see the video. And I still hate the title.).

Update: Just saw this second image and read some even worse news:

First, it's not Peter Parker anymore. They already did this with Ultimate and, while that's working for them, they need to cut that crap out (again, only ok if Ben, though the second cover seems to argue against that).

Second, that cover looks like a sexual assault to me. We already had a villain Spidey during the Dark Avengers. You can't replace one of the most famous super heroes with a villain/douche. Just don't do it.

Third, Brand New Day (their last big change) broke up MJ and Pete. This big change shows an interaction between MJ and New Guy -- are they trying to bury themselves?

Fourth, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? A black and red costume? COME ON! We just did this with Scarlet Spider and Miles Morales, try something new. Hate this so much.

I saw a theory that Doc Ock somehow managed to switch places with Peter, since he apparently knows Peter is Spidey. That'd be fine for an issue or two, but the onset of a new series doesn't seem like it's going to be a minor thing. I hope that theory is bunk.

Unless they REALLY pull something amazing (yes, I'm using that as a pun) with this transition, I fully expect to see a mass exodus away from Spidey again (which happened around the time of BND). I'll probably be joining them if it's as bad as I'm expecting. It will go to show that they don't learn from their mistakes and don't care about fans at all.

It's a bit sad. For a fan boy, anyway.

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In other news, I haven't played much of Dishonored. I'm halfway through my second, harder playthrough of XCOM and have a hard time pulling away. I did play the the opening and first assassination mission, and I have to say, I'm impressed:

I enjoy the Steampunk setting, and I'm also getting a touch of an unspoken Lovecraft feeling. It's not horror, per se, but it is dark and there are mysterious things beneath the water, apparently.

In the first mission, I saw three major ways to complete my mission -- brute force (barge in, kill everyone and my target), indirect (use poison), and non-lethal (the most difficult sounding, though probably the most rewarding). I went for indirect, because it allows me to be sneaky, but not to the exclusion of a couple good fight scenes during my escape (because I'm terrible at being sneaky).

The levels remind me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, in that, while the missions are linear, there are other quests/objectives on your way to the target. I helped a creepy, crazy old lady poison a distillery belonging to a bunch of thugs, as an example.

I also saw plenty of paths to use for getting from A to B. I chose to take the high road, teleporting across rooftops and the like.

You have access to all of your powers from the beginning, it's up to you to choose how you level them up by spending runes you find during missions.

I'm not far at all, but at the very least my first impression is positive. I'll do a further review when I finish the game.

Extra! Extra! Pull List Review (Part 1: Spider-Books)

Hi all! This week's Monday post is going to focus on the Spider-titles from this month's Pull List. Throughout the course of this week, I'll post the rest. Keep an eye out to see who got cut, who might get added, and other fun things that popped up for me this month in comics.

So far, it's been a pretty good month!

Oh, and, in case you missed it, here's my review of Minimum Carnage, which I picked up with this Pull List but loved so much I gave it its own post.

Amazing Spider-Man #693 This issue has us seeing some more of the obnoxious Alpha! He becomes even more of a super-douche and then manages to get kidnapped by Jackal and his new Spider-Queen-Clones or whatever. Spidey saves the day, because Alpha is still his responsibility, and gets to watch Alpha obliterate the "Alpha Clones" Jackal cooked up (at which point Spidey reminds himself to never tell Kaine about the incident, which is a perfect line). The end result has Alpha completely striking out on his own, attempting to out douche his douchiness. And Spidey says "Alpha: No More." Because that isn't overdone. I'm... liking things. I like the slow reintroduction of MJ we're getting, I don't hate Alpha (any more than I'm supposed to), and I'm never really sure where things are going. This gets an 8/10 and is a solid read.
Amazing Spider-Man #694 Peter works on his plan to de-power Alpha while Alpha lives it up like a celebrity Alpha gets called in to defeat an invasion of the Earth, but almost kills civilians (including Jay and Aunt May) in the crossfire. Alpha's powers are obviously growing, but so is his recklessness. Spidey stops a plane crash (by acting as a replacement strut), gets thanked by JJJ (what!?), and then manages to trick Alpha into having his powers majorly regressed. Spidey couldn't remove them without killing Alpha, so he did the next best thing and made it so they'd need to grow back on their own. It's actually kind of sad for the kid. Unfortunately, there was never really any personal back story for the kid, so we can't be too attached. We just know that he hated his unimportant self, which is what he's more or less back to. Issues a bit of a cop out with Alpha, but I like the airplane scene especially... So let's give it a 7/10. Then we're told that next issue features some Hobgoblin action, and I have to say, this excited me!
Amazing Spider-Man #695 First, anyone thing the recent covers have been going back to old-school awesome quality? I've been liking them a lot. As for the issue itself, we see the New Hobgoblin and the Old Hobgoblin moving in circles, the Old hunting the New, setting up what will hopefully be a decent confrontation. We also see the Spider-Sense Jammers back-firing and boosting Spidey's Spidey-Sense, which is awesome... Until we realize that it becomes a problem the second time... Peter can't handle the over-drive of his Spidey-Sense because EVERYTHING is dangerous (and gets humorously labled throughout the issue). While Peter is losing it, he's abducted by the New Hobgob. The issue tries to make it seem that Urich figured out Pete is Spidey, but I'm sure next issue will show that Urich is only capturing Pete because of the recent Bugle article explaining Pete is Spidey's tech-guy. Pretty sure this shtick was pulled when Pete was Spidey's photographer... but oh well! I don't care for characters who can see into the future, so Julia Carpenter's storyline throughout this doesn't interest me, though she's apparently foreseeing her own doom, which may or may not have come due to the Spider-Sense Jammers (or Enhancers, if you will) that are giving Pete such a hard time too. Despite not caring about Carpenter, I really enjoyed this issue and can't wait for Kingsly to show Urich the what-for. Or for Urich (whom I've been enjoying) to pull a fast one over the pro. Whatever works, and that's why it will be good. This issue pulls in as a 9/10 for me, and I'm enjoying the current art style we've been seeing with ASM, this issue especially. I really appreciate it when attention to detail is paid to characters out of costume.
Avenging Spider-Man #12 A Spider-Man and Deadpool team-up would usually be up my alley, but I really didn't like this issue. It starts with us out of sorts and not really knowing what's going on, which is an over-used gimmick. Deadpool is, for some reason, helping Spidey fight through his dreams because someone is trying to control Spidey through them. They go through a lot of goofy lines and scenes and eventually succeed. Turns out, Deadpool was hustling Spider-Man to help free the Hypno-Hustler (why, just why?). We'll see the result of this next issue. I get that any team-up with Deadpool has to be on the goofy side, but I really dislike overly goofy villains. This issue is a 4/10 for me, though I really enjoy the cover.
Scarlet Spider #9 This issue is the finale to the recent arc featuring Scarlet and the Rangers going up against Roxxon. It's mostly just action, with Kaine using some smarts to defeat the energy monster Roxxon dug up. It's a decently pulled off heroic issue for the Scarlet Spider. Then he punches out the leader of the Rangers for offering him a position. The issue was enjoyable enough, just nothing spectacular. I'd give it a 6/10. I enjoyed the art and the writing, and I'm looking forward to seeing Scarlet's involvement in the Minimum Carnage crossover we'll be seeing next month.
Venom #24 The symbiote got possessed last issue, and looked corny as hell. This issue made it look a bit more badass and is really playing up the supernatural stint with Venom, which is kind of unusual. The demon in the symbiote wants out because it isn't kosher to inhabit someone "marked," but for some reason it can't pull away. Towards this end, Flash hunts down and ambushes Hellstrom (thanks to some info via Flash's new female reporter/informant). That's when Venom is forcefully introduced to the rest of the cornily named "Monsters of Evil," which are giant possessed animals... and things. I... don't care for the supernatural twists. I've never really cared for the supernatural side of Marvel, so I don't even have enough background to really apply to the Hellstrom character. However, the writing wasn't bad, the art was strong, and they're going in a different direction. So I'll give this issue a 7/10.
Venom #25 This issue is the close of the Monsters of Evil run. Venom has some interesting fight scenes with the more-interesting-than-I-thought possessed menagerie, and then pulls a new trick that he's discovered -- for some reason, he can tell the demons what to do. We learn that this is due to him being marked, which apparently means he's been chosen (as the hellish legend goes) to participate in something called "the Descent." This supernatural bit might get interesting after all! The legend says that, "one of the Hell-Lords will fall farther tahn the others... and in so doing will become the true devil." Venom (along with Rulk, X-23, and the new Ghost Rider) has been marked as one of Mephisto's potential heirs as he tries become the actual Devil. The other Hell-Lords are supposedly also gathering their forces... Hopefully they don't drag this one out too much and it comes after Minimum Carnage, but we'll see. This issue is an 8/10 because it was interesting, had gruesome fights, and has a cover I enjoy (something the Venom titles have been seriously lacking).
Spider-Men #5 It's the finale to Spider-Men and... And it's actually quite boring. For the length of it, barely anything actually happens. The good guys catch Mysterio. He kind of breaks free and then is quickly apprehended again. Miles sees 616 NY for a moment and Pete gives him some Spider-Advice before going home. Other than the lackluster finish, I also have a gripe that this Quentin Beck is NOTHING like the past few times we've seen him (I'm thinking mainly during the Gauntlet run), where he's actually managed to be mildly interesting. Now he's just a crazy, ineffectual nut who is obsessed with hating Spider-Man (wait, didn't we just work on getting RID of Doc Ock?). The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. Peter decides to Google Miles Morales to see what he's going in 616 and... has a really shocked expression. The end. For a run that I've been mostly enjoying, I really hated this issue. It gets a 3/10 from me for having almost no motion at all and an annoying cliff-hanger. The mini-series itself was decent, maybe a 7-8/10, but this issue really brought it down from what it could have been.
Ultimate Spider-Man #14 This cover is terrible, simply for Cap's face. The issue, on the other hand, is pretty good. Cap gets told off by Gwen Stacey and Aunt May (and MJ shows up too -- I really hope we see more from her Ultimate character), who then give Miles Peter's Web-Shooters (called it!). Despite being told he can't be Spider-Man, Miles swings in to help Cap in a fight against Rhino (after some obligatory web-swinging). The fight scene is awesome, we see some uncertainty on Miles' part when he remembers his uncle (which I think is important), and Cap finally recognizes that Miles needs training, not rejection. I... like it. 8/10, I hope they can keep up the interesting stories with Ultimate. That being said, not much is touched upon in regards to the state of the United States in this issue, which you'd think is kind of a bid deal...
Ultimate Spider-Man #15 This is a Miles issue, not a Spidey issue, and that's something Ultimate Spidey needs. We get some interesting scenes between him and his best friend, Ganke (whom I enjoy), and then we see some tension when Miles visits home to find the police waiting for him. Maria Hill, as a detective (and Ex-Shield Agent) has questions about Miles' Uncle, the Prowler. Miles is happy to learn he didn't kill his uncle, though still haunted by his death and the last words he spoke: "You are... just... ...like me." Back at school, things switch up -- the school is closing down until it is safe for students to return (due to the nation being in turmoil and all of that). Miles decides it's time to try and help out the Ultimates. The issue ends with him making a fool out of himself in front of Cap and informing the super soldier that Spider-Man is reporting for duty. 9/10 simply because we need more character driven super heroes, and Ultimate seems to be doing it right. I'm hoping next issue we get to see some more of the over-arching issues going on in the Ultimate-verse, but we'll just have to wait and see.

That's it for the Spider-Titles, check back soon when I post the rest of my pull list. This month some issues didn't make the cut, and a couple new ones will be added on, so keep an eye out for the next Pull List Review!

Dusting off the Pull List (Updated and Finished)

Got a large batch from Joker's Child and I've been finally catching up on my pull list.

I'll post a short, potentially spoiler-ific synopsis, my brief opinion on the issue, and add any additional notes I have as needed. If that works well, I'll be doing the same for all future renditions of "Pull List" posts.

Amazing Spider-Man #688
This issue revolves around a fight between Spider-Man and the Lizard in the sewers. There are flashbacks set hours before the encounter, leading up to Morbius and the Horizon Labs crew helping Spider-Man take the Lizard out, permanatly:

I really thought he was going to do it. In my head, I said "finaly!" Spidey was finally going to put down one of his villains that would never be rehabilitated or that had taken many lives. I was, of course, let down. Morbius had cooked up a serum to permanently regress the Lizard. Unfortunately, that's all it did; after the end of the "Shed" arc, Curt Connors' mind is gone. Unbeknownst to anyone present, the Lizard's mind is now stuck in Connors body.

That alone is an interesting twist that I look forward to seeing. After the death of his son, I thought Connors had finally lost all potentially interesting stories. I was wrong. If I were to arbitrarily give it a number score, I'd say an 8. What that means to me is that I liked it. It didn't wow me, but it was solid.

Hmm, explaining that kind of makes it less arbitrary... but there it is.

Amazing Spider-Man #689 Connors-Lizard plots to re-inject himself with Lizard juice. To this end, he turns Spider-Man on Moribius by causing Morbius to attack Sajani (of Horizon Labs) due to extreme blood lost. Morbius flees, apologizing constantly. Spidey follows and pounds on him, sounding like a drug addicts relative tired of throwing interventions. Connors-Lizard injects himself but only succeeds in regrowing his arm (Connors' original goal). He then injects Max Modell (head of Horizon Labs) so he can study the change and find a way to overcome it. Modell begins to transform at the end of the issue. Spidey has become a little too proclamation heavy. It's almost like the character is bipolar, going from wanting to save everyone to eradicating everything he determines is a monster (we'll see he far he goes on this end). This issue gets a 7. Good content, good story, poor Spidey dialogue throughout.
Amazing Spider-Man #690 Connors converts the Horizon Labs staff to Lizards while Spidey beats on Morbius. In the middle of the fight, Spidey gets a DIRE warning from Madame Web (... not a character I approve of AT ALL). Spidey wraps up Morbius, has an opportunity to pull out his literal Avengers membership card, then makes it back to Horizon just before it locks down due to the Lizard epidemic. Connors himself has finally found the correct serum to get his scales back, but the issue closes on a moment of doubt -- is being a mammal all that bad? Considering the harsh words Spidey has for Morbius, the ending of their one sided fight was anti-climactic. I believe next issue is supposed to be the true turning point for Spidey -- maybe the (Curt) Lizard will die (again)? A 7 for me. No problems, but nothing particularly exemplary.
Avenging Spider-Man #9 Spidey hitches a ride with Carol Danvers in a junk heap of a plane. They are almost hit by a young girl using a faulty jetpack. They save her and are immediately fired upon by some private security forces working alongside Boston police. Carol, now using the name Captain Marvel, fights the mech-equipped security while Spidey tries to learn information from the jetpack girl, who is apparently a Robin Hood (calling herself Robyn Hood) style bank robber. After she surrenders and is still fired on by the security force, she absorbs the blow and grows into a giant as more security forces arrive. Like other Avenging issues, this wasn't much of a Spidey story. I found the security forces to be unbelievable in the level of violence they were allowed to use in the name of the law. Issue gets a 6.
Scarlet Spider #7 Scarlet is baking in the Houston heat when an exploding building almost falls on him. He ends up saving a helpless crowd and a falling victim. The victim turns into a one night stand who turns out to be the one who blew up the building who turns out to be the daughter of the Roxxon CEO, the owner of the building. Scarlet finds all this out after some digging, which leads to the introduction of one of the campiest looking super teams I have ever seen, the Rangers! The most interesting thing in this issue was Kaine hooking up with the girl, who was ostensibly on an adrenaline high. It's a situation Peter would have handled wildly different and a refreshing reminder that Kaine is NOT Peter. Hopefully it will stay that way. Arbitrary rating is a 6.
Ultimate Spider-Man #12 This issue is the apparent final showdown with the Prowler, Miles' uncle. Miles decides not to work for him or be bullied by him. He decides to tell his parents (though we don't see if he does or not in this issue), then he was a pretty awesp,e fight that ends with one of the Prowlers gloves (stolen/borrowed from the Shocker) explodes, apparently killing him. So far, this Spider-Man has his own new sets of problems, and they seem pretty interesting. I'd like to see him more interaction on the external world, but for now this was at least a good issue. Gets an 8 from me.
Spider-Men #1, #2, and #3 So for, not a terrible cross over, if a little forced. Mysterio has somehow stumbled onto a way to travel between dimensions (or at least is at the site of a portal). Spidey finds the abandoned warehouse due to an obligatory shaft of light and is eventually pushed into said portal. He almost immediately meets Miles-Spidey. The next issue features Miles, (Ultimate) Nick Fury, and (Amazing) Peter trying to figure out what's going on, after a short fight scene (where Ultimate Spidey somehow manages to win -- silly venom sting). After the longest word bubble I have ever seen, Nick fury decides to send Peter with Miles to learn about this dimension's Peter. The third issue features a Mysterio avatar fighting the Spider-Men. His surprise tactic is to slip them a chemical that causes their fears to manifest and be able to physically hurt them (not explained well -- yet anyways). Mysterious loses, per usual, though the avatar does blow up and knock Miles out. He comes to with the Ultimates having arrive and Peter having run off. Last panel is Peter unmasking to (Ultimate) Aunt May and Gwen, crying (... not really sure why. Maybe seeing a young Gwen? We'll see). So far, my favorite part about the run is Miles reaction to meeting a Peter Parker, though I wish they could take some training time together (and someone get that boy some webs, damn it!) I'll rate the series as a whole when it finished in a couple episodes.
Venom #20 This is a fairly eventful title that doesn't sell itself as large as I would expect. Flash discovers his mother missing and is attacked by Death Adder. This is followed by the death of Death Adder when Flash snaps his neck, finally doing as a Venom character should -- taking out the trash, permanently. Flash then finds the Human Fly (along with his mother) and procedes to maim him (by ripping his wings off) to find out where the Crime Master is. The end of the episode shows Betty meeting the Crime Master face to face, only to learn that it his her brother, Bennet. I'd have to re-read the Crime Master introduction to see how I feel about the reveal. For now, it was a decent issue and gets an 7 for being a turning point for the new Venom. It'd be better if I was more interested in the villains he's taking on. I'd like to see what happens to Eddie Brock, specifically.
Venom #21 Another eventful title, but it feels VERY rushed for all that happens. Venom kills off random Crime Master thugs while making his way into the hidden base. Crime Master is busy getting a little too touchy-feely with his sister (it's not overtly creepy, but close enough). Venom fights Megatek, who has his head bitten of by Eddie Brock in the modified (I guess) Toxin symbiote. Venom and Toxin fight, which apparently ends in the fiery death of Toxin AND Eddie Brock. I doubt they're killing off Eddie right now, but at the very least he wasn't looking much better then Anakin at the end of Episode III. Speaking of Star Wars, after Venom easily dispatches Jack O'Lantern, he his disabled by Crime Master. Flash looks very Luke Skywalker-esque and then pleads with Betty for help, who ends up shooting Crime Master in the back, causing him to fall into the same vat of liquid Jack just went into. ...Uh. Why build all that up just to kill almost everyone off? So far, I'm not pleased with Flash's rouge gallery. This issue gets a 7, though only because a lot of interesting things happen. It loses points for happening so quickly.
Avengers vs X-Men #7 and #8 The first issue is the follow up to Scott's statement of "No More Mutants." We see the Pheonix Five taking the high road by continuing to rebuild the world while discrediting the Avengers (supposedly -- I assume you need to be reading the ancillary issues, but I don't personally feel the need, I'm getting a bit sick of cross-overs). There are a couple fights here and there (because everyone and their mother can teleport), with the biggest news being that the Scarlet Which is the Avenger's biggest gun, actually able to hurt the Five. The issue ends with some dissent among the Five -- Namor wants to rule the world his way. Emma helps him by giving him and only him the location of the Avengers (and kissing him?). The follow up issue opens with Namor destroying Wakanda and it taking the full might of the Avengers just to knock him down. Fortunately, that was all it took -- the Phoenix Force abandoned Namor and was spread among the remaining Four. The heroes then take refuge in the mystical city where Kung Fu was born... Yup. The idea is that Hope is going to undergo some secret, mystical training to combat the Phoenix Force. This series has become the Michael Bay film of comic books. Tons of explosions, not very much plot movement. I'm not going to bother rating the individual issues -- I'll rate the event after the 12 issues have run their course.
Age of Apocalypse #5 This series... isn't as interesting to me as the earlier AoA stuff. This issue featured Jean getting more training from the X-Terminated and then going on a mission to try and recruit the up-and-coming Quentin Quire, who had managed to build a network of psychics that were subservient to him. Jean has a mental conversation with him, explaining that she has lost all of her powers and showed when Wolverine became infected with Apocalypse's seed. She then offers to help Quentin sort through the voices in his head. In response, he kills himself. Uh. What? This issue gets a 4 from me. I don't care for the art, the X-team and, really, the series hasn't been as interesting as I'd hoped. As an ongoing title, the pace doesn't keep up with previous AoA arcs. If next issue doesn't redeem it, I'll drop it from my list and wait to pick it up when the series has ended. Maybe I'll swap in something else -- a hunt of old Exiles issues or maybe switch in X-Treme X-men. We'll see.
Batman #11 This issue the conclusion to the Night of Owls. I've seen a lot of praise for the story arc, but I'm personally not seeing it. This issue has B-Man squaring off against the man once called Lincoln March, now calling himself Thomas Wayne. Supposedly, his is Bruce's long lost brother that Bruce's parents kept secret in a home for damaged children -- he had been hurt in a car accident that, as far as anyone else had known, had led to the early birth and death of the actual Thomas Wayne. Batman denies it, and a fight ensues. Thomas, in his advanced Owl Armor, drags Bats throughout Gotham, going on a tirade about how his parents left him and Bruce forgot about him so Gotham could belong only to Bruce. Batman eventually shuts the rant up and the fight concludes with an under-construction tower exploding and falling on top of Thomas. No body was found, of course. Later, Bruce has a conversation with Dick Grayson. The main purpose for this convo is so Bruce can explain that he looked up all the records on Thomas Wayne, and there is no way that Lincoln-Thomas could really be his brother. Or, you know, Probably not. With a capitol P. And that's how they leave use -- probably, mostly sure. But not really. Which, in my opinion, is a lousy way to end it. Going hard one either side of the fence wouldn't detract from a new, potentially interesting villain. Obscurity in a comic following the greatest detective... As if Batman wouldn't have managed to collect a DNA sample during the fight. It's BATMAN! Issue gets a 6 after all is said and done, which is pretty much how I felt about the entire "Night of the Owls" run. Solid art and a decent story, but it relies far too heavily on the DC reboot to be vague and interesting. I might just be expecting too much from Batman, so I'll hang on for a bit and see what's coming up next before I kick the title to the curb.
The Ravagers #3 This issue... wasn't that exciting. We're introduced to Brother Blood (kind of), see Thunder and Lightning fighting in the buff against a horde of mindless zealots, and watch while Beast Boy and Terra make their way back to the group in order to save them. I'm waiting to see where this series goes. So far, it doesn't seem to have any major direction, at least nothing I would consider sustainable. Then again, most of Gen 13 was spent with a team of teenagers on the run... This issue gets a 4. Still sticking with the series, but this issue didn't interest me much at all.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #11 This issue shows Roy Harper being interrogated by the enemy (soldiers of The Blight) while regaling his captors with a brief tale of Starfire's origin. Major spotlight for this issue is the revelation of Starfire's sister, who looks pretty damn awesome at the moment. Cat-fight next issue. I'm NOT really sure what's going on with Jason's date. She travelled with them to Starfire's ship (... Starfire), and given a warriors jumpsuit to wear. I dunno if the Isabel is a known DC entity or not, we'll see (I refuse to look it up). If not, her inclusion seems pointless, other than a potential catalyst of motivation (which will be a bit contrived, if you ask me). At the tail end of the issue is a snippet involving Essence in her quest to kill the All Caste. I... don't particularly care about these snippets -- if the All Caste are so dangerous, why have I seen several offed already? Rating is an 8. It got me looking forward to the next issue, gave me some interesting background, and I love the art of this title.

I am going to go ahead and post this now. I still need to review Spider-Men #1, #2 and #3, Avengers vs X-Men #7 and #8, Venom #21, Age of Apocalypse #5, and Batman #11, but I'd rather have something up now and update it as I'm going along. All set! And next Pull List I will definitely be doing something different with how I break these posts down.

Unfortunately, I never put Teen Titans on my Pull List and am missing issue 10. Next time I get a chance, I'll pick it up and add Teen Titans to the next Pull List post.

For now, expect this post to be updated with the listed issues in the near future! For future posts, I'll consider breaking Pull List Reviews up a bit more -- I have enough Spider titles to make an entire post, I think.

Tell me what you think about the new theme please!

Movie Breakdown: The Amazing Spider-Man

I'm going to take a more detailed look at The Amazing Spider-Man than in my last, quick post. There will be SPOILERS mixed in, so if you're looking for an opinion piece sans spoilers, check out the post just before this one.

-------------------Potentially Major Spoilers Live Here-------------------

First, the movie as a reboot of a previous series. This is always a difficult thing to do for a comic book series -- generally, the previous set of movies were working off of the same source material the new movie should be. X-Men First Class decided to do an original story and suffered for it (a decent superhero movie, a bad Marvel movie that will have the same issues the first series did with expanding into sequels).

The first (Toby) Spider-Man film took a lot of things from the comics for Spidey's origin story and added a few twists. It also did some things that really screwed with the comic book timeline, and the later movies suffered for it.

(Toby) Spider-Man:
-Peter developed a costume to wrestle for money. In the comics, he did this for money and fame and did it more than once.
-Peter let a burglar go that ended up killing Uncle Ben. In the comics, the burglar ended up breaking in to the Parker residence and killing Ben in their home.
-Mary Jane is Peter's first (and only) love. In the comics, Gwen Stacy is the first serious relationship. MJ is actually friends with the both of them, and Peter, Gwen, and MJ date other characters before ever getting serious.
-The bridge scene, also known as the "Sadistic Choice" is done in such a way that Spidey saves everyone. This really is a flaw in the character development dept. -- this scene is actually where Gwen Stacy died, forever changing Spidey.

The Amazing Spider-Man:
-Peter gets the idea for his first mask after falling into an old wrestling ring. This is a nice twist on the old theme. It also comes AFTER Ben's death -- Peter doesn't have a reason to become a vigilante until then.
-The burglar interaction in this film is much different than Toby's and the comics. That being said, it is a fresher, less Deus Ex Machina version -- Peter leaves the house angry, Ben follows him. Peter goes into a convenience store and is not allowed to purchase chocolate milk because he is two cents short. The cashier is very rude. Peter is leaving when the burglar distracts the cashier, steals the money from the register, and throws Peter the milk. Burglar flees, cashier gives chase and asks Peter to help, Peter using the line "not my policy" in homage to earlier versions. Burglar runs into Ben across the street, drops his gun, and then struggles with Ben for the gun, which goes off, killing Ben where Peter can see it.
-The line "With great power comes with great responsibility" isn't given verbatim in the film, which is accurate to the comics. It is paraphrased, but not painfully so.
-Gwen Stacy story is changed up a bit. In the comics, they meet in college. Also, she does not know who Spidey is. Finally, the death of her father, in the comics, was as a result of a Spidey vs. Doc Ock fight. In the movie, they switched it up by having him play a more active role in a Lizard fight before being killed.


(Amazing) paid a lot more attention to the actual origin story of Spider-Man. They changed a lot of things, but they didn't do anything that would deter them seriously from doing any major comic storyline. They will have the interesting struggle with the death of Gwen Stacy -- will they be ballsy enough to do so, or will they try to find some way to keep her alive (similar to the Ultimate comics) and, once again, ruin that plot? I couldn't say.

Something else new to this film would be Spidey's costume. It's not my favorite, but I respect that they did something different and new. At the end of the day, it is at least interesting looking and fits the darker theme of this film. (Toby) Spider-Man was a camp fest of epic proportions; (Amazing) wasn't having it.

That, for me, is the best improvement. Watching the original trilogy recently gave me a lot of cringe-worthy moments. It was super-campy, from costume designs (seriously Green Goblin?) to dialogue to the fight scenes. (Amazing) had some flaws, but it took itself very seriously. The costume(s) looked realistic enough, the writing was good (other than when they made Peter SUPER AWKWARD), and the fight scenes were top notch (when they happened).

Runner up to the best improvement was that (Amazing) actually featured a new and learning Spider-Man. (Toby) seems to jump into the red and blues and already be fully capable as a hero. Garfield has to work at it throughout the entire movie, and it is done very well. Also, the Lizard character is treated as more than just a brutish animal, and this is another example of better character development than I'd have expected.

Sequel speculation: I expect to see either Norman Osborn or Morbius in the next film. As the main villains, I couldn't say, but they are hinted enough in the film/game to warrant an appearance.

For now I'm going to wrap up this post with a list of (Amazing) flaws, I may edit with some more thoughts in the future.

Amazing Spider-Man Flaws (and yet, I still loved this movie):
-Peter Parker had some awkward interactions, specifically with Gwen Stacy. Awkwardness CAN be done well -- it wasn't here. I'm sure future viewings will make these moments even more painful.
-This was a Peter Parker movie more than it was a Spider-Man movie. This isn't so much as a flaw as a skewed expectation. A better movie over-all, but not much super heroics occur in relation to other films.
-Several loose ends were either left for the next films or just ignored. This include what happened to Peter's parents, the burglar who killed Ben, the Oscorp representative on the bridge, and the mid-credits scene (which is only here because it was too vague).
-The last scene of Captain Stacy just seemed so... poorly acted compared to the rest of the movie. And I did NOT like Gwen 'guessing' what her father told Peter. My wife disagrees with me on this point, however.
-There may be a few things I'm missing, I'll add them if I think about it!