What I want in the Bat Wardrobe for Batman: Arkham Knight

Sell More Toys!

The Batman Iron Man look just doesn't do it for me. I understand the developers wanted Batman to match the Batmobile, but that's an awful marriage idea. If I was Alfred I wouldn't have advised Bruce to apply chrome shine to the work clothes. It's very Robocop and maybe that's coming full circle since there's a helluva a lot The Dark Knight Returns in the greatest film of 1987! I wish the cape wasn't so far away from the neck. I wish for once outside of comics and traditional animation and Adam West the cape could fully encircle Batman and be attached to the cowl. Gripes aside, I'm greatly anticipating racing through the streets of Gotham in the Bat Tank in Arkham Knight. But that suit...  give me a nomex survival suit any day over the Shining.

Seven Sexy Things about 70's Batman

Dames, demons, and Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town. That's 1978, baby. Camp is dead. Frank Miller (big fan of Springsteen too) studying under the master sensei, Denny O'Neil. Batman is in his prime thanks to combining Clint Eastwood, James Bond, and Indiana Jones (predating 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark) into the Dark Knight Detective. And here's how O'Neil, Adams, Len Wein, Steve Englehart, Marshal Rogers, Jim Aparo, Bob Haney, and company did it!

Two Blonde Dudes

I might have said something about finishing my dark heart of the soul analysis of Twin Peaks as a reworking of Peter Pan, but that shit be dark and depressing, and I got a little weekend getaway in Kyoto planned, so I felt more emotionally comfortable blogging about two white bread characters. Just be grateful I didn't have the time to include other blondes like Barry Allen (now a brunet on the CW), John Constantine (dyed thanks to NBC), or Animal Man

The Brave, the Bold, and the Blonde gender bender await after the jump!

Nerds Rule TV: 5 Killer Incoming Shows

Woohoo! Nerds are taking over TV! Comicbook shows are finally taking off and Star Wars is coming back to TV!

And this isn't even including the long running shows, such as Supernatural! It's a good time to be a Nerd. And/or a couch potato. Possibly an awful time to be married to a nerd (sorry Wife).

Here are the dates for the upcoming releases:

GOTHAM

We'll see, Gotham, we'll see.

Airing on FOX, the premiere is on Monday, September 22nd at 8:00pm.

I'm not sure just how excited I am for this show. DC isn't creating a large, connected universe, so this will be to the Batman series kind of what Smallville was to Superman. Kind of. It looks much darker and grittier, and the cast looks fantastic, just not sure how interested I am in a Batman setting sans Batman.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D (Season 2)

Airing on ABC, the premiere is on Tuesday, September 23rd at 9:00pm.

The first season of this was pretty decent. It will be interesting to see where the show plans on going from here, and who they'll be able to rope in from the comics. So far, there have been some interesting mentions of Mockingbird and the Absorbing Man, both of which could have an interesting impact on the great Marvel Cinematic Universe. Or not. Marvel plays it safe with their connected universe. Either way, it will be interesting to see how they tie into any upcoming feature films...

Well, nailed the look at least.

STAR WARS: REBELS

This one is a bit interesting. First, it will be airing a special, 1 hour film, "Spark of Rebllion" on Friday, October 3rd at 9:00pm. It will be on the Disney Channel.

Meh on adding Sith...

Then the show itself will air on Disney XD on Monday, October 13th at 9:00pm.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Clone Wars cartoon, and chose not to watch it. Partially the animation didn't interest me, but mostly I didn't care for what they were doing with the characters or any they introduced. Towards the end I got interested, but still haven't made the jump to watching it (though I do have a "watching order" list on hand for when I eventually do...). THIS show takes place during a time I'm more interested in, and is introducing new characters. I'm totally down.

THE FLASH

Airing on the CW, the premiere is on Tuesday, October 7th at 8:00pm.

I don't care for the Flash (I'm not a DC fan), but I'm looking forward to this show, especially if it is the same quality as Arrow. So far, it looks very interesting, and I'm excited that the show takes place in the same universe as Arrow!

ARROW (Season 3)

Airing on the CW, the premiere is on Wednesday, October 8th at 8:00pm.

I loved season one. I enjoyed season two. My body is ready for season three.

Yay for crossovers!

This is all great, but what am I supposed to watch on Thursday and Friday!? ... Coming from the guy who hasn't caught an on-air TV show in ages...

What TV show has you the most excited? Or is there something I didn't list that you can't wait for?

Beat on the Bat: 4 Scenes from Batman Begins Part1

Without a doubt The Dark Knight trilogy stands alongside Back to the Future in terms of each film in the series being one of my personal favorites by continuing to astonish me in most aspects of production while never losing my interest during each viewing. Batman Begins is a well of detailed and engrossing character study. Never before was Bruce Wayne treated as sympathetic or heroic in any of the past Burton or Schumacher Batman films as he clearly is in the 2005 reboot. Nolan and crew got it right. No Bat nipples, black ooze spewing Penguin, Alfred letting Vicki into the Batcave, or Batman taking lives! They made sure to keep the focus on Bruce Wayne. As a result they created a great film. Sure it's a great superhero flick, but it didn't really on gimmicks.

I remember purchasing a trade paperback of an assortment of Bat tales at a mall bookstore a couple of years after the film debuted and the elderly cashier woman mentioned that although she never read Batman comics, she quite enjoyed the Batman Begins. So join me as a recollect some of my favorite scenes. I hope they were some of Doris' too. Continue on after the break.

1-2-3-4-Beat on the Bat: Favorite Bat Comics Pt1

Coming Soon to a Theater in 2015! Minus the Damon!

Take a chill pill and remember the casting of Michael Keaton for Batman, Heath Ledger as the Joker, Ann Hathaway as Catwoman, and Daniel Craig for James "Blonde". The fan reaction was just a tad ridiculous in hindsight, right? I'll admit Ben wouldn't have been my first choice for an older Batman (Karl Urban), and if WB wanted a Batman who could do a Boston accent flawlessly I'm insulted I wasn't considered despite being too young, but I'll wait and see before assuming Affleck will tank the film. Most of the hate is probably due to wanting to make yourself hate the most popular dude in school. I recently watched The Town I was more than impressed with his directing and acting, which is a feat in and of itself, especially when directing an action film. So don't despair. BATMAN AND ROBIN WILL NEVER DIE! Which is what I plan to prove after the Batsui Bop.

Watching the Detectives: Beware the Batman Ep5 "Broken"

"I am the eggman... goo goo g'joob!"

Lyco the Bat Hound is skipping over episode 4 due to falling so behind, and having Silver Monkey as the guest villain says it all really. Last week’s Humpty Dumpty got rid of the bad taste from the Anarky episode. If Humpty ever surfaces in a live action production Warner Bros. definitely needs to grab Bruce Willis to bring the character’s proper balding pathos to the silver screen. Until then, contend yourselves with Seinfeld’s Newman as the Dumpler!

Watching the Detectives: Beware the Batman Ep2 "Secrets"

Ready for 6 Degrees of Batman? So last week was “Watching the Detective”, an unsubtle pun on the Elvis Costello song and Batman being the World’s Greatest Detective, but since Jim Gordon will play a larger role than last week’s 3 sec sound bite in the series, I might as well succumb to the change. Watching the Detectives is a 2007 direct to video film starring Batman Begins’ Cillian “Scarecrow” Murphy. Lucy Lui’s character can be seen as the magic pixie dream girl who, according to film critic Nathan Rabin after seeing Elizabeth Town, is “that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” While I think Lucy Lui’s character in Watching the Detectives gives off that vibe, she’s also into playing mental S&M with the film’s male protagonist. Objectifying women kinda ties in with this week's episode. Another couple of degrees; Kristen Dunst from Elizabeth Town starred in the equally awful Spider-Man 3 with the actor who played the most annoying character in That 70s alongside Kurtwood Smith, voice of Jim Gordon. Smith also played a baddie in Robocop, and the title character, Peter Weller, went on to voice Batman in animated version of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

For a significant amount of less name dropping join in after the break.

Watching the Detective: Beware the Batman Ep1 "Hunted"

It always seems like a good time to be a Batman fan. Whether it’s the truest representation on film of Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ dark, yet romantic Byronic hero in The Dark Knight trilogy, the unapologetic love letter to the Silver Age & Dick Sprang that was Batman: The Brave and the Bold, beating up thugs and super villains in the Arkham videogames, or consuming the final issues of Grant Morrison’s epic 6 year run concluding in Batman Incorported, which has been the freshest, healthiest, and most encompassing take on the character throughout his 70ish year history in my humble opinion, Batman is a force to be reckoned with in media. Yesterday, I got to see the latest addition to his long and celebrated animated history. With Beware the Batman I can fearlessly say, “Holy Fulfilled Expectations!” Hop into the Batmobile for the rundown after the break. Beware Bat-Spoilers!

A Marvel Fan's Review of Injustice: Gods Among Us

If you haven't notice or I haven't mentioned, I'm a Marvel fan. If you've seen my Pull List Reviews, you can see that I dabble in some DC, but it is limited. Some DC classic stories stand out (The Dark Knight Returns, Red Son, Kingdom Come), but, as a rule, I don't much enjoy DC characters.

I could explain further, but I think I'll save it for a Marvel vs DC post... or series of posts, really.

For now, all you need to know is that I'm on team Marvel, and am reviewing the DC fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Oh, I also suck at fighters.

Roster

The first thing every fan will be looking at is the roster. Almost all the characters in this game should be recognizable to dedicated fans and not-particularly-interested-fans alike, and for that it suffers.

Check the image for the full roster. Some good choices, some obvious staples, and then some characters that should have been removed:

Solomon Grundy: I know they needed big, slow moving heavy hitters, but why Grundy? Why not take the plunge and put some Darkseid in there? They've got more than enough Batman characters, another Superman would villain would have been kosher. Instead the big guy makes a cameo during a level transition.

Ares: I guess Wonder Woman needs a villain... Oh, wait. The Flash doesn't have a villain represented. Ares could have been COMPLETELY removed for just about anyone else. I dislike generic gods in my comic books and their related video games.

Killer Frost: Who the hell is this? We really needed a Sub Zero knockoff, who even has the annoying slide move? There are plenty of other female choices if that was a deciding factor. Starfire or a Supergirl would have been a MUCH better choice.

All the other characters I can see a decent argument for, but there was also a glaring under-use of alternate skins/costumes. Nightwing could have had a Robin, Flash to Reverse Flash, Superman to Bizarro, etc... Maybe some new voices would need to be done, but they did it with the special Arrow skin.

Oh, yeah. It's impossible to get all the skins in the game. Actually, unless you pre-ordered at several places, it's impossible to get a whole bunch of skins, which is pretty depressing.

Roster has holes that may be addressed with DLC, but I'm pretty tired of DLC being shallow money grabs, and that's all they tend to be for fighting games.

There is a prequel comic series, if you're interested

Story

For me, I enjoy playing through the story of fighting games the most. This game has a pretty standard "Superman gone dictator" story, but it works well with the characters and the fights (though characters like Killer Frost and Grundy really show themselves as foolish additions when they pop up).

There is even an OH SH** moment, which is nice. Story is at least worth it.

The ARCADE mode, called "Battles" does allow you to unlock endings tailored to specific characters, but they are inconsistent. Doomsday becomes basically a god and is shown going off to hunt down a strong opponent (Lobo). Superman... decides to have a bomb placed in him so he never goes rogue. The endings are all over the place, and are actually worse for some characters.

Gameplay

It's a fairly simple fighter. There are definite room for skilled players, but nothing breaks the mold here. Level transitions are fun, the interactive environments add a some dramatic changes to fights, and overall it is easy enough to get into.

Being a superhero game, though, I wanted more or better ultimate attacks, though.

Online

The online mode is a weak point. Matches can take forever to find and rage quitters absolutely make the it a mess. You can tell how many times someone disconnected in their career, but that's the only negative to doing so. When an opponent quits mid-match, it means that you get no credit for any of the challenges, no victory, and no experience points.

... What the hell were they thinking? Disconnects shouldn't ruin MY game too -- it might not be the most fun, but let me beat on an unmoving character so I can still get credit! And rage quitters need some kind of punishment -- possibly a delay in being able to play online again.

Verdict

If you like DC (and specifically the presented roster) and don't mind fighting games, I'd say go for it. If you can find a group of appropriately skilled friends, it could be a lot of fun. If you don't have a lot of patience/aren't willing to practice enough to become skilled, the general online population may not be for you (I can spend entire matches getting pummled into a corner with no way out :/).

Rating: 6/10

So many missing characters...

The Nerd's Top Games of 2012

Hello again! My week is still obscured with finished up my grad work and ramping up for the end of the semester as well, but I figured I could bang out a quick post about my top 5 games from this year.

In case you're wondering, these ARE all my opinion, and I really would like to hear from readers who have titles they've enjoyed more -- I certainly haven't had a chance to play every title that's come out this year.

For this post, I'm even going to put them in descending order by preference; frequent readers (if such a thing exists) would know that only my 5th slot is considered the "favorite," the rest are in a rather... arbitrary order.

If you're looking for gift ideas this holiday season, I think these would be great. I'll list what system I played them on, but all besides one title can be found on any current gen console.

Well, here goes:

Mass Effect 3 (X-Box 360) While I join the masses in being dissapointed with the ending of ME3 (note: I've yet to play through the DLC ending), I really enjoyed the game as a whole and thought it was a fitting evolution for the series. There were some components of ME1 I enjoyed more, but ME3 fully improved upon the second one and remained exciting the entire time. If you haven't played a Mass Effect title, I strongly suggest you play through the entire series. It's great Sci-Fi fun and has a really interesting universe built around it. The game play takes a fairly dramatic shift from 1 - 2, but it's mostly for the sake of streamlining. This game is great if: you enjoy games with deep stories and sci-fi action.
Batman: Arkham City (X-Box 360) A direct sequel to one of my favorite games in general, AC improves on almost everything featured in Arkham Asylum. The atmosphere is the one dramatic change, and I believe it's a matter of preference -- AA was a fairly linear game with mostly enclosed areas and tensions riding on that. AC is a more open world option, my personal preference, which opened it up to a lot of interesting scenery and side quests. The story for AC is a bit out there, but it's fitting for a comic book character. The gameplay is improved upon, meaning the already amazing combat has gotten that much better. And, as sequels should be, it's prettier than ever. This game is great if: you like Batman and kicking ass in action games.
Sleeping Dogs (PC) Click here to read my first impression of Sleeping Dogs. Since my first impression, I've almost finished the game. I did get distracted by other titles, but Sleeping Dogs has easily been one of my favorite games this year. It's similar to a GTA/Saints Row style game, but the story is done much better than anything I've seen from this genre. Also, the action is much, much better. The combat itself is on par with the Batman titles, driving feels awesome, and it is a very nice looking game (on my gaming PC). This game is great if: you enjoy sandbox games, action titles, or Chinese action flicks.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PC) This title was my most anticipated title this year, and it did not disappoint. I reviewed it right after it was released, so I won't harp on it too much more. If you're a fan of the original game, this is much, much different. It is a streamlined strategy title that stands on its own merits while pulling thematically from the original. If you've never played an XCOM title, they are strategy games that have a very important resource management portion. This game is great if: you enjoy strategy titles, grid/turn based combat, shooting up some aliens.
Persona 4: Golden (Vita) Yes, I reviewed this last week. Yes, I'm still obsessed with this game. It IS a port of a PS2 title, but it has been improved enough to feel different and much, much more accessible. I'm coming up on the close of my first play through and am anticipating a run through New Game+. Not only is this my favorite game of 2012, I'm confidant in saying it has become my favorite game of all time. I fully understand people disagreeing with this, but I'm an RPG fan at heart and this hits me on the RPG game level and, additionally, gets to the reader in me who likes mystery and interesting, humorous characters. Check out my review for a bit more info! This game is great if: you want a decently lengthy RPG, you love games with interesting stories, or you like your RPGs with some level of replayability.

There were several runner ups, but I'll save them for later down the line in the off chance I do a best game by genre feature for 2012.

Let me know what you think about my list and post your own below!

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!

Pull List Review: Zeroes and Heroes

Sorry I'm late! I was hoping to be farther along in Dishonored for tomorrow's post and forgot about Monday's! As it stands, you're getting the rest of my Pull List Review, in which I tell you how I dropped some issues and will be picking at least one up to replace it...

Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 This issue is the back story of Jason Todd. It's not particularly different from the previous DC Universe -- Jason lost his scummy parents early on, became a thief, and was eventually recruited by Batman, only to die at the hands of the Joker. A trip to the Lazarus Pit revived him, and now we have the Red Hood. The interesting part in this issue came in a mini chapter at the end of the issue, where it is revealed that Joker had a hand in every individual part of Jason's life that led up to his parents dying and him meeting Batman and becoming Robin (and dying). I believe that's a new spin, though not particularly interesting (to me). Unfortunately, this issue was all Jason all the time. I read this book for Jason, Arsenal, and Starfire. So this gets a 6/10. Art was fine, story ok, but I'm already tired of DC rehashing old tales.
Teen Titans #0 Similar to the above, this issue was all about an ex-Batman sidekick! It focused on Tim Drake and his obsession with Batman, which eventually leads to him working with the caped crusader. It was mildly interesting due to my lack of familiarity with the character, but that's about it. My problem with the issue is the way they "solve" the time gap where Tim should have been Robin -- he never becomes Robin! He takes on the moniker of "Red Robin" upon inception, weakening the character development and leaving me to wonder if he immediately left Batman to form the Titans, or if Bats really partnered with a Red Robin for a bit... 6/10, and I'm really not liking #0s. And I haven't been enjoying Teen Titans for a bit now. It is officially being dropped as of this issue, though I'll keep an eye on the series to see if it perks up.
Batman #0 This is an early adventure of Bruce Wayne (pre-cowl) attempting to apprehend the Red Hood (Joker's first moniker, not Jason Todd) and his gang. It shows Bruce being excessively sloppy and doesn't do much as a background issue. Funnily enough, it is also "to be continued" in such a way that there should be a direct sequel. Which I guess would make... issue 1/2? Didn't Thunderbolts pull something like this? 4/10. Extremely uninteresting and I've dropped the book. I know Joker's coming back in a big way... But I just don't care. I think I might stick to picking up arcs that interest me as they come out, the in-between issues really detract from Batman for me.
The Ravagers #0 This backstory is mostly about Beast Boy, with a bit of Terra and the rest of the gang thrown in. I'm already sick of how slow this book has been moving, I'm not even going to bother going into detail for this -- it takes place while the cast is still being tortured/altered in The Colony, and that's enough of that. 6/10 for art and some general interest, but I'm dropping the book. I'll wait until a) each character gets an individual style (I'm sick of Tron suits on everyone) and b) picks up with some decent stories (not this poorly plotted escape plan). I like the concept, though, so I WILL keep an eye on it. There's just no reason to read it one issue at a time, it's painful.
Avengers vs X-Men #11 This issue is the big showdown between the Avengers and the remaining Phoenix Two (Scott and Emma). It's interesting on the action scale, though it suffers from the comic book scale of powers -- earlier issues have the Avengers struggling against 1 character with 1/5th of the power Scott and Emma now have split solely between them, and they manage to go almost toe to toe with the duo, thanks to a little help from Xavier (and the rest of the mutants who've turned on Scott and Emma). So much so, in fact, that Scott takes out Emma so he can have all the power to himself... becoming DARK PHOENIX! Oh no! I couldn't have possibly seen that one coming! ... :/ Oh well. Also, the "heavy hitters" Hope and Scarlet Witch do literally nothing the entire fight. Because that makes sense. 7/10 for action and art, loses points for plausibility (which may seem inane in a comic book review, but bite me).
Avengers vs X-Men #12 Scott's first action is to kill Professor X. That's right, Charles is dead (again). Then he pounds on the Avengers until Hope and Wanda finally step in and... well, pretty simply take him out. This issue (and end of the arc) reminds me of a Dragon Ball Z episode. The Phoenix Force possesses Hope, which it should probably have done from the first place. Hope feels that she can control it but, with a little nudge from Wanda, decides that there should be "No More Phoenix." The Nerd has decided that there should be "No More No More." The most interesting result of this action? The Phoenix Force explodes into a bunch of little fireballs that reignite the X-Gene across the globe, meaning mutants are no longer the endangered species they've been since House of M. I, personally, kind of liked it being a more exclusive club, but I'll accept it if it leads to interesting storylines. Scott is seen imprisoned for his misdeeds, while the other ex-Phoenix members are in hiding. Scott's just a bit smug, and I like it. Issue gets an 8/10, series gets a 7/10. I dislike comic book reset buttons, but at least this one took awhile... right? This is the end of this event, and I'll not be picking any of the related follow ups, so I guess this is dropped, to some extent.
Age of Apocalypse #7 The gang is looking for away to take away Wolvie's Celestial given powers. They hope to find the answers in the late Reed Richard's notebooks, which AoA's Emma Frost tells them Victor Von Doom has. Woot! Some Doctor Doom action! The team travels to Latveria, find it a human reservation of sorts, and split up! One group is captured by Emma (that sneaky witch! Apparently the lobotomy to remove her powers was a ruse!), while Prophet and the others meet up with Doom. Oh, and a subplot with Graydon hanging out with his pops (Sabertooth) starts (and starts to go poorly). Meh. I don't mind a change of scope and pace, so we'll see how it goes. 6/10, because I still don't care for the art.
Age of Apocalypse #8 BAM! Prophet and crew are betrayed by Doom and handed over to Emma as part of Doom's plan to win favor with the mutants. Nightcrawler-wanna-be shows up, appraised the goods, then goes to tell his masters. Doom pushed a button and basically resets Emma, freeing the captives and giving them an ultimatum -- help HIM gain the power of the Celestials, or deal with Weapon Omega on their own. Prophet doesn't want Doom to be the ultimate power and bails. Deadeye disagrees and decides to stay with Doom... Long enough for the group to leave and her to hook up with him, where she promptly removes his head and brings it to Prophet. Because they can plumb his disembodied cranium for info, there's an app for that. Oh, and Graydon and Sabertooth didn't get along at all. Which is pretty much all that can be said for that. Well, the issue had some interesting twists (and some not so much), but it did see a Doom killed, and that's pretty rare. I'll give it a 7/10 and will stick it out for another issue before cutting it. I really do have a soft spot for Post Apocalyptic setting, obviously.

In other news, I also read Uncanny X-Force #1 and really enjoyed it. I'll be hunting down the series and giving it its own review in the future. And it is part of the reason I'm trying to stick it with the current AoA, being that is spawned from events that happened in Uncanny X-Force.

As I mentioned in my post about reboots, I also picked up some other Batman #0s. The only one that was mildly interesting to me was Batman and Robin, though I still have issues with the timeline, so I'm not adding anything new to my pull list from DC.

Currently, I'm only adding All New X-Men, though I am looking at some other Marvel Now! titles. I need something to bolster the hits taken this month...

Tune in tomorrow (night) for my follow up to my Dishonored review (... even though I haven't finished the game) and my quest for an old RPG...

The Trouble with Reboots

I've finished reading through my pull list, though there are a couple additional issues I picked up that I still need to work through.

I did pick up most of the Batman issue #0's, which have inspired me to write a bit about the nature of comic reboots and DC's New 52 specifically.

The New 52 Bat-Family

The (somewhat acceptable) reasons for a reboot:

New Readership: the comic universe/stories have become too convoluted for new readers to jump in. 90's comics in particular are notorious for this. A reboot provides a spot for new readers to jump in, even if they have no knowledge of anything that came prior.

- The other way to fix this is to keep the universe consistent, but renumber/title the series. With the first few issues, the writers have to make sure they're writing introductory pieces to help get new readers up to pace ASAP. Uncanny X-Force #1 (which I've just read) included a brief-yet-detailed timeline at the end of the issue, and I found it extremely useful. This can be difficult, however, if other related series that constantly tie in are not given similar treatments.

Updated Timelines: with reboots, years can be turned back on well loved characters. Batman's first appearance was in 1939, yet Bruce Wayne still looks to be in his late 20s/early 30s. In a progressive story where events that shape the world take place and time actually seems to pass, this can be VERY disconcerting. Before the reboot, Batman had enough time to train several Robins: the oldest of which became the hero Nightwing when he reached adult age and the most recent being Bruce's own 10 year old son (I think he was ten pre-reboot, anyway).

This shows that over a decade has passed for Bruce Wayne -- he should be starting to show his age more and more, and the comics must go on. With a reboot, time can be condensed. Since comics try not to pile major event on top of major event, there can be a lot of time in-between important events. The New 52 reboot has Bruce Wayne being Batman for only six years, though Nightwing and Damien are still around (There are other examples as well). More on this when I get to the problems with reboots... Though we now have a younger Bruce Wayne set in today's world(ish). This allows new, updated stories with the same faces that have become icons.

An example of a confusing timeline (Spider-Man)

Fixing Characters/Stories: sometimes, important characters get killed or universe changing events happen that make it hard to keep a story going forward. This is in addition to convoluted, year long storylines. To fix this, the universe can be completely reset. Sure, it can cheapen a character's death, but it can also lead to a surge in readership and interest. I'm thinking of the death of (Barry Allen) Flash during Crisis on Infinite Earths. He dies in 1985 but came back in 2005 during another major event. Most current example is that Barbara Gordon is Batgirl again in the New 52, though it looks like they might be crippling her again with the upcoming storyline.

-This isn't a great way to fix it, but it can be the most effective for reviving/fixing multiple characters.

The infamous Retcon Punch. Ouch.

Those are the only appropriate reasons I can think of off the top my my head. Inappropriate ones go from lazy writing to money grubbing, which I won't go into any detail about.

The problem with reboots are that they alienate long time fans: those stories you've grown to love and feel define your favorite character? Yeah, they no longer matter to the character being currently published. For all intents and purposes, that character is gone, replaced with some similar, but NOT the same. MAYBE your favorite storyline will be revisited... but even then, it can't be done as well as the original.

The New 52 is suffering from some other issues as well. They've completely removed fan-favorite characters and have NOT been 100% clear as to what stories from the past have occurred and which haven't (similar to Spider-Man's Brand New Day). Also, none of the characters in the New 52 have been given actual origin stories -- all the #1 issues are about "established" characters dealing with new situations. The #0 issues aren't helping. They are little more than summaries or snapshots of events that happened early/at the beginning of the characters timeline. And some of these are dramatically different from the pre-52 stories, putting everything between issue #0 to issue #1 in question.

Example: Batman and Robin #0 focuses on the creation and raising of Damien Wayne. Apparently, he was a test tube baby, made from Bruce and Talia's DNA. That is already a bad idea, but the end of the issue has Damien meeting Batman for the first time when he is 10 years old. Remember, New 52 Batman has ONLY been around for 6-7 years.

... Damien was made as a pawn between Talia and Bruce before Batman even existed? They'll explain it that the idea of Batman was developed with Talia at some point, but it's really NOT making the story less convoluted. This is without stopping to consider that Batman STILL trained the following Robins: Dick Grayson (now Nightwing), Jason Todd (who was killed AND brought back to life and is now the Red Hood), Tim Drake (who is now Red Robin, leading the Teen Titans), and now Damien.

Tim Drake's back story is touched upon in Teen Titans #0: apparently he never became "Robin" because he didn't want to dishonor Jason's memory, but even that doesn't make it clear how long he worked with Batman.

Damien finding a cowl as a child... Makes sense.

If you're confused, good. That's my point. The New 52 is confusing it's new readership (and generally upsetting the old), it's making a poor stab at updating timelines, and it doesn't do anything resembling fixing characters/storylines. Considering this, it seems the reboot really was just done for the wrong reasons, and this is a sad day for their readers.

As you'll see in the upcoming Pull List Review, I'm dropping most of the DC titles. Check out the actual post to see which ones, though know that I'll still follow the stories somewhat, I'm just going to wait for the New 52 to figure out what direction it's taking/iron its stories out a bit more before I start reading again. This is to avoid the confusion of only getting pieces of needed back story at a time AND to skip rehashed plots (they're seriously calling the next Joker storyline "Death of the Family." Uhg.).

Pull List Review: Agents and Outlaws (and Stuff)

This post will finish off this month's Pull List Review -- there shouldn't be that many more titles than the last post.

Venom #22 This issue stands as a sort of epilogue to the Crime Master run. It is the "final" show down between Venom and Jack O' Lantern. Between images of Venom hunting and then fighting Jack, we are shown many images of his childhood in relation to his abusive father. It's laid on pretty thick, leading up to the ending where, despite all the horrible things Jack has done (including killing Venom's uncle and desecrating Venom's father's corpse), Venom decides to capture instead of kill him, sending him to a super-villain prison. Because it would be wrong to kill the big name killer, but not the several foot soldiers we saw Flash kill on the way to Crime Master... This is a 5/10 for me. Art is fine, writing is fine, alcoholic father is harped on too much and the ending makes little sense for a character like Venom.
Venom #23 This issue has Venom tracking down and then fighting an Occult Nazi group, apparently led by the fallen Hellstrom. For some reason, Venom has some mild protection from Hellstrom's magic and fire, something about a mark Mephisto placed on him. The issue ends with Venom getting covered in possession goop, turning Flash/Venom into a campy, demonic-looking symbiote (with horns and wings to boot). Throughout, more harping on Flash's abusive father. Apparently we've forgotten since last issue or every other time it's been brought up. 6/10, only because I'm interested to see what happens. I'm already sick of Flash's flaws being spelled out every issue.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #12 The cover alone makes this an awesome issue. As always, I love the art style. The story is interesting as well, with a fairly nice twist that has Starfire's sister being a good guy, only pretending in the last issue. We'll see how long that lasts, but I'd be happy to see something a bit different. I'm still really enjoying the differences with this trio, it almost reminds me of Marvel's Thunderbolts -- they're all damaged characters trying to get by in their own way. This is a solid 8/10 -- it's not higher simply because it was a relatively low key issue and I feel like Red Hood has been tacked on for this adventure.
The Ravagers #4 This title, more than any other, really drives home that the New 52 was a complete universe reboot. Sure, some things stayed in tact, but apparently more did not. Since I only had a working knowledge of DC before, this comes as a bit jarring when I'm learning something that doesn't quite mesh with my understanding of characters. In this issue, we are following Beast Boy (and Terra) as they rescue the others from Brother Blood. In an attempt at humor, the ritual Brother Blood is trying to accomplish is elaborate and not fully understood. That being said, we do lose Lightning to the "Red Place" and the group escapes, finally back together (well, sans Lightning). Early on, we find that Terra and Best Boy's powers seem to be growing/changing as they get farther away from the Colony -- it will be interesting to see how this plays out in them and the others. The final note is Caitlin asking herself if she's made a mistake -- not longer are the young Meta-Humans abused children to her; now she realizes that they are time bombs waiting to explode, with no thought given to the lives of others or themselves. Issue gets a 6/10 for the characters being mildly interesting. The story itself is still in the 'meh' stage, which isn't good for a new series -- they need to pick it up somehow. ... And, instead, next issue is going to be #0, the origins of Terra and Beast Boy. Maybe the promised Superboy vs. Caitlin after that will be interesting.
Avengers vs X-Men #9 Namor is defeated but many of the Avengers are held captive. With the help of Storm, the Avengers locate their missing team members and stage a rescue mission. Unfortunately, Colossus and Illyana are waiting for them. Spidey steps up to the plate and stays behind to hold them off while the other Avengers make their escape. Spidey takes an epic beat down but, as he's on the floor in a pool of blood, he goads the siblings into fighting each other -- neither feels the other is using the Phoenix Force appropriately. They are both knocked out, transferring their power to Emma and Cyclops. The power is affecting Emma negatively -- she is beginning to reach out and read everyone's mind, and is concerned about what she'll do next. Cyclops uses his extra power to punch a hole between dimensions, uncovering the Avengers' hide out. Rated a 9/10. I liked the Spidey last stand, and Emma going nuts will be interesting.
Avengers vs X-Men #10 This issue is the first show down between Scott and Hope. The few Avengers available throw themselves at Scott while Hope flees. While Cyclops ruins everyone in his way, Hope meets up with the Thunderer, and they use a mystical dragon (who apparently beat the phoenix in a previous incarnation) to hurt Scott. Unfortunately, the dragon is too young. Hope surprises herself, then, when she unleashed mystical dragon flames at Scott -- somehow she absorbed the power. Then she flees and runs into Scarlet Witch. Scarlet takes a stab at Scott but is inneffective against his new strength -- and then there's Hope, who's now absorbed the dragon fire AND Scarlet's Chaos magic. She CHAOS PUNCHES Scott to the moon (literally), and the turning point in the battle is revealed. Scott, after waking up, realizes he's going to need Emma's power. Emma is busy on Utopia, making sure every mutant thinks what she wants to think -- or else. Next issue looks to be Scott vs. Emma. This issue gets a 7/10. It's interesting enough, but the mystical dragon popping up was a little too convenient (possibly because I'm not reading any other related issues). I'm hoping this event ends soon, it hasn't particularly held my interest.
Age of Apocalypse #6 In this issue, we see Monet St. Croix revealing herself to the world as Penance. She plans on making the world a better place for mutant-kind so that they aren't living in filth and squalor. Weapon Omega decides to recruit her, but in the process she reverts Colossus back to his old, Apocalypse hating ways. Prophet reveals himself after the confrontation and explains his hand in her rebirth, and makes a trade -- he'll give her Sugarman and help her overthrow Omega for special consideration in regards to the remnants of the human race. Deadeye, whom this book follows, doesn't agree with this plan at all -- the only good mutant is a dead one, as far as she's concerned. Pretty boring issue, actually, and I don't care for the art still. 4/10, but I'm not kicking the book yet -- next issue promises the inclusion of Dr. Doom, and I'm looking forward to that at least.
Batman #12 This issue... was barely about Batman at all. It's about a girl who lives in the Narrows with her brother. They run into trouble and Batman saves them. She then tries to help him out after figuring out how Batman accesses the power grid (because she's an engineer down in the sewers where the grid is kept). She sort of helps Batman, he tells her to cut it out, and it ends with her saying no, basically. I ran a Google search and found out that she actually made an appearance in Batman #7, where she uses a defibrillator on Batman after he is beaten by the Owls. I assume they have bigger plans for her, but I don't know why they'd give her such a backwards introduction. 5/10. The writing was done well and I didn't hate the overall story, but the art was very inconsistent and I'd rather have Batman in my Batman comic...

I am still missing/behind on Teen Titans. I'll lump them all together next month or do a quick catch up post if I get the missing issue before then.

Additionally, I'll be dropping Batman from the pull list -- I'll pick up issue zero the next time I pick up pulls, but after that I'm done. Eventually, Batman and Robin will take its place, I just need to do some catching up. I'll also be looking to catch up on X-Force and see if I should add that, but for now there will just be a short reduction. Ravagers and Teen Titans haven't held my interest very well, so their suspect to be dropped soon too. We'll see.

Remember, if you're ever looking to get into comics and needs some suggestions or tips, feel free to ask! I reply to all comments!

Spider-Man vs Batman

This is one of the coolest videos I have ever seen -- the awesomeness starts at 6:06.


I'm on the side saying that Spidey would win this as a straight out fight. With planning, though, Batman can beat anyone (including the entire Justice League). These two are probably my favorite characters from the two major companies, and I thought the fight scene depicted in this video was incredibly well done, even if it ends in a death, which neither character would allow.

Extra! Extra! Trade Paper Back Edition

Before we start this weeks rendition of "Extra! Extra!", I wanted to introduce the Nerd! He's swung his way onto the banner (in his Scarlet Nerd outfit) and will be popping up in a few other places as well (like my Twitter icon).

I'm contemplating adding a supporting cast to the blog, but I'm not 100% sure what that'd look like. More on this later!

Alright, onto the reading! The five Trade Paper Backs (which I defined at the end of this post, for those getting in late in the game) listed below can probably be found as single issues, I just personally find that they are better collected as one volume.

Note: These are all DC and Marvel, simply because I haven't collected much else in TPB form. As I work more alternative companies into my collection, I will consider making an Independent TPB list.

Kingdom ComeThis story is set in a bleak future in the DC Universe, as imagined by Alex Ross and Mark Waid. It is about a decade since Superman and most of the other current super heroes retired. They were replaced by the next generation of Metahumans, a sizable population of super-powered individuals who have no qualms about killing their enemies and have no regard for civilian casualties. The story is told from the perspective of Norman McCay, a minister who has begun to receive visions from Wesley Dodds that show the end of the world. Dodds meets The Spectre, who takes Dodds on a trip to watch the apocalyptic events unfold. The story really picks up when a major disaster is caused by the new Matahuman community and Wonder Woman tries to convince Superman to come out of retirement and help teach the new generation how to be heroes. The heroes of the past have to reunite and overcome the new generation of heroes, the past generation of villains, and, more importantly, themselves. This book gets an 8/10 from me, mostly because I love dystopian/apocalyptic/darker future settings. The artwork isn't my favorite but it is solid throughout. Collects issues #1-4
Earth XNot to be left out, Marvel has their own bleak future (based on notes from Alex Ross, no less). This story takes place about a decade after the end of the "Heroic Age" and is set in a dystopian world where every normal human has gained super powers (thanks to Black Bolt and the Terrigen Mists), making the original heroes obsolete. This tale is seen from the eyes of X-51 (Machine Man), who has been brought to the Moon by Uatu to replace him as the new Watcher. X-51 watches from above as the world begins to tear itself apart, unaware of the impending doom coming in the form of the Celestials. Without spoiling anything, we see the future of many prominent characters, and none of them are good: Spider-Man has been replaced by her daughter (the current wearer of the Venom symbiote), Captain America has quite the Avengers, considering himself unfit after killing the Red Skull, the Hulk and Banner have split but chosen to stick together for reasons quickly made obvious, and Iron Man is the last remaining human. That's just a small selection covered in this grand tale, which spans 12 numbered issues and several specials. This book gets another 8/10 for me. I enjoyed seeing the alternate futures shown and the story kept me interested throughout. I dislike the art for the most part, but it is at least consistent. So far I have read half of the first sequel, Universe X, but have not enjoyed it as much. I've heard that the third chapter in the trilogy, Paradise X, isn't any better. Collects issues #0-12, as well as #X
Spider-Man NoirThis is another version of a popular hero -- Spider-Man Noir is set during the great depression and thus features a very different kind of Spider-Man. The story is darker to fit the Noir title, as are the villains and other characters seen. Peter becomes a pupil of Ben Urich, a reporter who also has a secret network of informants under the persona "The Spider". Peter gains his powers after intercepting one of these tips and becoming bitten by a spider that came from an antique spider statue being smuggled into the city by Norman Osborn's gang. His powers are similar but different than normal Spidey's: he can't cling to walls and gains organic webbing that doesn't form into web-lines and is therefore useless for travel. Peter decides to use his new powers to take down Osborn and his gang, who were responsible for the grisly murder of his social activist uncle, Ben Parker. The dark setting and story as well as the different images of the prominent characters make this story stick out. The art is dark and gritty and fits a Noir style well, getting an 8/10 for me. It's a bit short, unfortunately, and therefore a bit rushed. There is a sequel, titled Eyes Without a Face, but I have yet to pick it up. Collects issues #1-4
The Mighty Avengers: Venom BombThis is the first regular collection on this list! Yay! I normally don't read much that involved the Avengers, and almost nothing under the title "The Mighty Avengers", but this features a Venom-Virus that runs rampant through New York City, causing its inhabitants to turn into symbiote-like monsters. The Avengers have to fight them off without turning themselves. Then they have to find out who's responsible and stop them as well -- but who in their right mind would create a virus based off of Venom? You get an internet cookie if you guess without peeking! This gets another 8/10 from me (which, if you haven't gathered, is a pretty good rating). I appreciate the inclusion of symbiotes being taken on by someone other than Spidey. The writing is done well and the story overall is interesting. I don't rate it higher simply because I don't care for The Mighty Avengers and this trade makes up all the issues I own with them. Collects issues #7-11
Batman: KnightfallThis title makes it on here over other excellent Batman trades for two reasons: first, Knightfall is the story arc that The Dark Knight Rises was based on (link brings you to my movie review!) and second, it is MASSIVE! If you can find this cheap (check Amazon!), you're getting a huge bang for your buck. This is the first of three installments that make up the "KnightSaga", and this particular collection features Bane's now-famous breaking of Batman -- although that comes after Bane releases the prisoners from Arkham Asylum, causing some of Batman's most dangerous enemies to be set on Gotham. The Bat has his work cut out for him, and it won't end well. The next to installments feature story elements you didn't see in the movies and turns this story into an epic. I won't rate this one only because I have yet to complete it. That being said, it is definitely one of the best values listed simply because of the amount of issues that are collected within, and the story has definitely become a classic. I plan on doing a more in-depth review once I've finished the entire Saga, and I will put my review score there. Collected issues Batman: Vengeance of Bane Special #1, Batman #491-500, Detective Comics #659-660, Showcase '93 #7 and 8 and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #17-18

That was a little difficult -- I didn't want to cover anything previously seen. Stories like Old Man Logan and Maximum Carnage could have been up here just as easily, though I'm still happy with the above list.

Next Week: X-Men! This will be interesting because I'm not overly familiar with X-Men. I'll keep it to what I know and can actually suggest, but I'd love suggestions on any of these posts for further reading of my own!

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!