Reviews ‘n Stuff

Tomorrow, my girlfriend Erin comes in for one of our visits, and I can’t wait. We’re actually going to have a lot going on, beginning tomorrow with going to see The Floating Palace at the Bayou Playhouse (reportedly an excellent play that my sister, Heather, happens to be in). Next weekend, we’re travelling to Florida with my family for my cousin Lauren’s wedding. In-between… well, we’re gonna do stuff with my friends, stuff with just us… we’re gonna do stuff. In other words, I’ve got no idea what we’ll be doing all week. But it doesn’t matter, because we’ll be together.

Writing Life

Yesterday I finished a new short story for the eMuse Summer Madness contest. I’ve been telling you guys for some time now how awesome the work of J.C. Hutchins is, so I had to get involved when I heard about a writing contest centering on his upcoming novel Personal Effects: Dark Art. It’s just a quickie, really, something that popped into my head and I worked out really fast, but it was fun to take on a different story. I’ve also been hard at work on two things connected to Project Rebirth, and I’m getting more and more excited about it. Yeah. Still cryptic. Yeah, I know.

Reviews

I’ve also been firing away on the reviews over at Comixtreme.com. Here are some recent ones I’ve turned out:

• Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #2 — Charles Williams seeks his lost brother
• Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1 — Can the Tattooed Man become a hero?
• Hack/Slash #22 — Mind Killer Part Two
• Jack of Fables #34 — The Great Fables Crossover Part Five
• The Literals #2 — The Great Fables Crossover Part Six
• The Muppet Show #3 — Gonzo’s story
• Secret Six #10 — Depths Part One
• Superman #688 — Mon-El’s power loss explained
• Superman/Batman #60 — Mash-Up Part One
• Trinity #52 — The year-long epic comes to a close!
• Done-in-One Reviews for May 30, 2009 — In which I review Batman: The Brave and the Bold #5; Ender’s Shadow: Battle School #5; Futurama Comics #43; The Last Days of Animal Man #1; Muppet Robin Hood #1; The Spirit #28; The Stand: American Nightmares #3 and Star Wars: Legacy #36
• Done-in-One Reviews for June 6, 2009 — In which I review Archie #596; Atomic Robo: Shadow From Beyond Time #2; Batman in Barcelona: Dragon’s Knight #1; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires #1; Chew #1; House of Mystery #14; Jonah Hex #44; The Mighty #5 and PS238 #39

A family wedding, a Kindle suggestion, more reviews

Best Wishes, Chase

This first blurb today isn’t for my Good Buddy Chase, he of the 2 in 1 Showcase fame, but rather for my cousin Chase, who is getting married today. I really wish I could be at the wedding, but Chase is getting married in Germany because Andrea, his fiance (actually, considering the time difference, she’s probably his wife by the time I write this) is a German native and they’re going to be living there, at least for the next few years. Much as I’d like to be there, if I could afford a trip to Germany I’d already have that Amazon Kindle I keep rambling about. Anyway, Chase, we wish you all the best, we hope to see you back home soon, and please don’t cause any international incidents while you’re over there. That message really applies more to your brothers, but they’re both over there for the wedding, so pass it along.

Short stories on the Kindle?

Speaking of the Amazon Kindle, something occurred to me earlier that’s yet another reason for me to pine for one. It seems to me that it would be an excellent way to read short stories. I don’t read many short stories, which is something I actually feel sort of bad about because it’s a dying art form that I’d like to support. The thing is, how do you get a new short story? Well, you have to buy a book of short stories, which (let’s face it) is a crapshoot. If it’s an anthology full of different authors, you know perfectly well that there will be some stories in there you like and some that you don’t like at all. Even if it’s a book of stories all by the same author, say Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, you lose that impetus to keep reading every time you hit the end of a story. Rather than chugging along to the end like you will with a novel, when you finish a short story it’s rather easy to put it aside and get distracted by something else.

I think it would be brilliant if Amazon established a short writing store, similar to the iTunes music store, where writers and publishers alike could submit short pieces of writing (both fiction and non-fiction) for a cheap download. I may be reluctant to spend even the $9.99 Kindle asks for a whole book if I’m unfamiliar with most of the contributing writers, but if you give me a first paragraph as a sample and I like it, I’d be inclined to spend 50 to 99 cents to download just that story and read it. I think this would be a hit, and may help to revive the short story format if only people would listen to my brilliance.

Termination

As you may have heard, there’s a new Terminator movie out this weekend. We at the 2 in 1 Showcase podcast, being shameless hangers-on to popular culture, always like to do an episode to coincide with a major genre film. So today, we’re converging at Mike “The Internet is a Bunch of Tubes” Bellamy’s house to watch the first three films in the series and record the episode. Then, tomorrow, we’re going to catch the new movie and do our review. If you’ve already seen the film, don’t spoil it for me. I hear the reviews are mixed, but I’m genuinely excited for this flick, and if I’m going to be disappointed, I’d rather be disappointed on my own terms.

Reviews

Finally, how about a few more Comixtreme.com reviews for you guys? Here are some comics I’ve reviewed since the last time I did one of these posts:

• Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #1: Dual review with Walt Kneeland
• Fables #84: Part four of The Great Fables Crossover
• Secret Six #9: A Battle For the Cowl tie-in
• Trinity #50: Closing in on the end
• Done-in-One Reviews for May 16: In which I review House of Mystery #13, Sonic the Hedgehog #200, Super Human Resources #4, The Unwritten #1 and The Walking Dead #61
• Done-in-One Reviews for May 23: In which I review Cars: The Rookie #2, Doctor Who: The Time Machination #1, Olympus #1, The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks #2, Tiny Titans #16 and Zorro #13
  

Reviewapalooza

Once again, I thought I would regale you with some of my recent reviews over at Comixtreme.com. As prolific as I am here at Evertime Realms, I also write a ton of stuff for CX, including mucho comic book reviews, and the occasional movie and DVD review. In fact, after I catch Star Trek tonight with the guys, I’ll be reviewing that one for CX. I also recently reviewed the DVD of PVP The Series: Season One. It was pretty good, for the most part. PVP, as you may know, is one of my favorite webcomics, and I enjoyed the webisodes that were produced a while back. Hopefully this DVD will do well enough to justify a second season.

And how about all the comic book reviews I write? Here’s a batch of the most recent.

• Fables #83 (Part One of The Great Fables Crossover)
• Jack of Fables #33 (Part Two of The Great Fables Crossover)
• The Literals #1 (Part Three of The Great Fables Crossover)
• The Muppet Show #2 (Spotlight on the fabulous, furry, fast-and-frantic Fozzie Bear!)
• Power Girl #1 (Finally in her own series!)
• Secret Six #8 (Date night for three of the Six)
• Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #6 (The senses-shattering conclusion!)
• Superman #687 (In Superman’s absence, Guardian and Mon-El hold the line in Metropolis)
• Trinity #48 (Heading into the last month of the year-long weekly)
• Done-In-One Reviews for May 3, 2009: In which I review Ender’s Game: Battle School #5, Madman Atomic Comics #15, & Witchblade #126
• Done-In-One Reviews for May 9, 2009: In which I review Atomic Robo: Shadow From Beyond Time #1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #25, Cerebus Archive #1, Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1, Hack/Slash: Entry Wound #1, Irredeemable #2, Jonah Hex #43 & The Mighty #4,

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 112: Kurt Busiek

The boys are back with another creator spotlight, this time on writer Kurt Busiek! From his early days on Justice League of America and Power Man and Iron Fist, through his career-making work on Marvels and Astro City, right through to his current work on the weekly maxiseries Trinity, the guys break down all of his work, talk about their favorites and least-favorites, and discuss the next project he’s going to be involved with, Wednesday Comics. In the picks this week, Blake recommends Batman: Battle For the Cowl #1, Mike dug Action Comics #875, and Chase is all about Thor #600. This week’s graphic novel pick: American Flagg Vol. 2! Write us with comments, suggestions, picks of the week, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Episode 112: Kurt Busiek
Inside This Episode:

PLUS: It’s Week in Geek time again! This time out, Blake and Chase discuss Lost: He’s Our You. Chase gives his thoughts on the final episode of Battlestar Galactica and last week’s South Park, Blake talks about the episode of Dollhouse that rescued his interest in the show, and both boys dish on recent episodes of Smallville, Heroes, and Kings.

Week in Geek #14: Battlestar Galactica finale, Dollhouse “game-changer,” and more!

Yes, I still write reviews

It’s been some time since I updated you guys with my recent reviews over at Comixtreme. I am still writing them, though! Not as many as I used to — we don’t do the Marvel advance reviews anymore, which reduces my workload considerably. Now I’m only reviewing the books I volunteer for. It’s still quite a bit, though. This week, for instance, I reviewed the first issue of The Muppet Show from Boom! Studios. This book is really good — the writing is sharp, funny, and perfectly mimics the TV show. Even the musical numbers are still intact. I love it.

Other recent reviews from yours truly have included…

• Batman: Battle For the Cowl-Commissioner Gordon #1
• Fables #82
• Hack/Slash #21
• The Incredibles: Family Matters #1
• Secret Six #7
• Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #4
• Superman #686
• Superman/Batman #56
• Trinity #42
• Done-In-One Reviews: March 28, 2009 — Including reviews of Batman: the Brave and the Bold #3, Jack of Fables #32, The Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks #1; Star Wars: Legacy #34 & Super Human Resources #2

And of course, you can always shuffle through my past reviews at the terribly incomplete and constantly-being-updated Comic Reviews Archive Page right here at Evertime Realms.

Toy Stories/What I’m Watching: Wonder Woman

I’ve been a big fan of the direct-to-DVD animated films Warner Premiere has been producing based on the DC Universe over the past couple of years. The first film, Superman/Doomsday, had rough patches in terms of casting and character design, but otherwise was an entertaining take on the storyline. Justice League: A New Frontier was a flat-out wonderful adaptation of Darwyn Cooke‘s graphic novel, and Batman: Gotham Knights was a decent (if not really necessary) middle installment between the two Christian Bale Batman movies. The newest entry into the series, an animated origin story for Wonder Woman, was produced by legendary animator Bruce Timm, with a story co-written by Gail Simone, who is one of the best writers the character has ever had in the comic books. I’ve written a full review of the movie over at Comixtreme.com, which I invite you to check out.

Here, I’d like to talk a little about the specific version of the DVD I got. It’s become fashionable in the last few years to offer different extras with DVDs based on where you buy it, so if you’re a geek like me it’s no longer enough to look at how much a DVD costs. You need to look at what bonus goodies you get with it as well. Being a fan of the DC Universe Infinite Heroes action figure line, there was no way I could skip the Best Buy-exclusive pack that included a new Wonder Woman figure. Now keep in mind, there is a “regular” Wonder Woman toy in the main Infinite Heroes line as well. This figure is slightly different, painted to match the design of the the character from the movie. I am fine with this. There’s also a three-pack based on the Gotham Knights designs that I’m itching to get my hands on, and I hope to see more figures based on the various DC media properties in the future.

The paint job is okay, considering that the goal here is to imitate the design of the animated character, but it isn’t quite as detailed as the rest of the toy line. The design does a good job of mimicking the animated style, but the body is only painted, not molded like most of the other figures. This is, in essence, a blank female body with a Wonder Woman paint job. I’m not complaining, mind you. For a freebie based on a cartoon, it’s just fine. It’s just not as good as the regular toys.

I am, however, impressed that she has a different lower torso than most of the female figures I’ve gotten thus far. As I’m mentioned in some of my previous Toy Story pieces, most of the female Infinite Heroesare totally unable to stand on their own, equipped with skinny little plastic toothpicks that are supposed to be legs. Diana’s legs are perfectly shapely, but actually have a little mass to them. Standing her up is no problem at all. I really hope this far superior design is applied to all of the female figures in the line released from now on.

The movie is more than worth getting, and if you’re a major fan of Wonder Woman, get the Blu-Ray or two-disc DVD version for a nice selection of extras. As for the toy — if you’re collecting the Infinite Heroes, there’s no reason to get this DVD anywhere but Best Buy. If you’re not getting the toys, then you can pick it up anywhere and have plenty of goodies just from that.

And now, since I have all three of the characters, I couldn’t resist putting together a quick group shot of the DC Universe Trinity:

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mess with this team.

 

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 97: The Spirit of Will Eisner

On Christmas day, movie theaters will burst open with Frank Miller‘s big-screen adaptation of The Spirit. This week, Blake and Chase talk about the character’s history in comics, his current status in DC comics, and how the legendary Will Eisner turned a guy in a blue three-piece suit into one of the most innovative superheroes ever created. In the picks this week, Blake recommends Archer and Armstrong: First Impressions, and Chase is still loving the new Flash Gordon series. Don’t forget to send us your votes for our Best of 2008 episode! You can find the categories and nominees in Episode 95! E-mail us with your votes, as well as comments, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Episode 97: The Spirit of Will Eisner
Inside This Episode:

PLUS: In Week in Geek #3, Blake picks up the microphone to discuss the recently-announced Fables TV show. How does he feel about his favorite comic book being made into a weekly TV series? And then, he gives a quick review of the new DVD release of a childhood favorite, Jim Henson’s The Christmas Toy.

Week In Geek #3: Fables TV and The Christmas Toy

New Reviews:

Just so you guys don’t have to go through this day with no new Christmas content from me, why not check out my review of this year’s edition of Walt Disney’s Christmas Parade? Gemstone Comics has upheld the classic tradition of Disney Christmas comics, and this year’s book is a fine one.

And while we’re at it, here are a few more comics I’ve reviewed lately:

• Ambush Bug Year None #5 — Meet the New Boss
• Final Crisis #5 — Into Oblivion
• Hack/Slash #18 — Closer Part One
• Secret Six #4 — Unhinged Part Four
• Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #1 — Brand-new all-ages comic
• Superman #682 — New Krypton Part Six
• Superman/Batman #54 — Super/Bat Part Two
• Trinity #28 — Those We Have Lost
• Uncle Scrooge #383 — Guardians of the Lost Library! Highly recommended!
• Done-In-One Reviews for Dec. 6, 2008 — In which I review Doctor Who: The Forgotten #4, Ender’s Shadow: Battle School #1, Futurama Comics #40, I Hate Gallant Girl #2; Jingle Belle: Santa Claus vs. Frankenstein #1, Noble Causes #38, Simpsons Winter Wingding #3, The Spirit #23, The Spirit Special #1, Star Wars: Legacy #30, Wolverine: First Class #9
• Done-In-One Reviews for Dec. 13, 2008 — In which I review House of Mystery #8, Jack of Fables #28, Jonah Hex #38, PS 238 #36, Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #3, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #698, Wolverine and Power Pack #2

Green Lantern: In Brightest Day

People who are reading the current crop of Green Lantern comics are getting some of the best stories we’ve ever seen with the franchise, and that’s in no small part due to the amazing work of Geoff Johns. What I love about Johns is his ability to take bits and pieces of classic stories, put them through a modern prism, and turn them into something totally new, fresh, and exciting. He’s currently working that same magic on Action Comics and Justice Society of America, and damn if I’m not excited for next year’s Flash: Rebirth. The Green Lantern stuff, meanwhile, is all leading into a storyline called The Blackest Night, which will fall across the DC Universe sometime next year.

Many of the elements that are making up the GL stories today are based on bits and pieces of stories from the past five decades of Hal Jordan’s existence. Since a lot of younger readers may not be familiar with these stories, DC Comics recently had Johns select several of the stories that inspired him to include in a collection of stories, Green Lantern: In Brightest Day. This is a really fun book, with stories from all over the place, including the first appearances of GLs like Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Laira and Mogo, important stories for John Stewart and the Guardians of the Universe, the origins of the villains Sinestro and Krona, and the Alan Moore story that directly influenced Blackest Night. I wrote up a full review of the book over at Comixtreme.com — if you’re on the fence about whether you want to get the book or not, take a look.

And while we’re on the subject, how about a few other reviews I’ve pounded out on the ol’ computer over the last few weeks?

• Adventure Comics Special #1: New Krypton part three!
• Secret Six #3: Unhinged part three!
• Superman #681: New Krypton part two!
• Superman/Batman #53: Super/Bat part one!
• Trinity #22: The universe tries to fill the void of the lost Trinity!
• Uncle Scrooge #381: Donald Duck-daredevil spokesman!
• Done-In-One Reviews for Nov. 1, 2008: In which I review Archie #590, Jack of Fables #27, Legion of Super-Heroes #47, Star Wars: Legacy #29 & Wolverine: First Class #8
• Done-in-One Reviews for Nov. 8, 2008: In which I review The Darkling #1; Franklin Richards: Sons of Geniuses #1; Gemini #3, House of Mystery #7, Jonah Hex #37, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #696; Wolverine and Power Pack #1 & X-Men: First Class Giant-Sized Special #1
• And also, the new movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Everything But Imaginary #284: One Last Ghoulish Gasp

One last Wednesday before Halloween friends, and this week I talk about a couple of creepy comics that have just recently come to my attention. Take a look!

Everything But Imaginary #284: One Last Ghoulish Gasp
Inside this column:

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to update you guys on the reviews I’ve been writing over at Comixtreme.com. Partly because, what with the play and all, my review output has been slowed down considerably. Still, there have been several reviews up there, so here’s the ones I’ve done since last we updated. Oh — and comics with Halloween or creepy content will be in orange, just for you. Because I care.

• Cable #7: Very Good
• DC Universe Halloween Special 2008: Good
• Eternals #5: Average
• Fables #77: Very Good
• Final Crisis #4: Great
• Secret Six #2: Very Good
• Superman: New Krypton Special #1: Great
• Trinity #16: Good
• Trinity #18: Great
• Trinity #20: Very Good
• Venom: Dark Origin #3: Below Average
• Done-In-Ones For September 20, 2008: In which I review Air #2; Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #2; DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar #6; The Family Dynamic #2; Skrulls Vs. Power Pack #3 &Tangent: Superman’s Reign #6.
• Done-In-Ones For September 27, 2008: In which I review Archie #589; Chuck #4; Jack of Fables #26; Legion of Super-Heroes #46; Perhapanauts #4; Star Wars: Legacy #28 & Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #694.
• Done-In-Ones For October 4, 2008: In which I review House of Mystery #6; Jonah Hex #36; PS238 #34; PVP #40; Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #14 & Wolverine: Origins #28
• Done-In-Ones For October 11, 2008: In which I review Betty #176; Ender’s Game: Battle School #1; Futurama Comics #39; Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #19; The Lone Ranger #14; Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #44; My Name is Bruce #1; The Stand: Captain Trips #2; Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #695; Wild Cards: The Hard Call #4; X-Men: Original Sin #1 & Zorro #7
• Done-In-Ones For October 18, 2008: In which I review Air #3; Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #3; Doctor Who: The Forgotten #1; Dynamo 5 #17; Halloween: The First Death of Laurie Strode #1; Madman Atomic Comics #11; The Phantom #25; PVP #41; Skrulls vs. Power Pack #4; Superfriends #8 & Zorro #8
• Done-In-Ones For October 25, 2008: In which I review The Family Dynamic #3, Noble Causes #37 & Tangent: Superman’s Reign #8

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 85: The Return

We’re back! Chase and Blake, along with their emergency back-up geeks Mike and Kenny set up shop at BSI Comics to record a new batch of episodes! This week, the guys discuss what it’s like to be a comic reader in a hurricane zone, tell about their Gustav and Ike experiences, and most importantly, dish on the comics they’ve read since they’ve been out. In the picks this week, Blake likes Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #2, and Chase endorses Savage Dragon #137. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with us during the unexpected hiatus, and let’s hope we don’t have to do it again. E-mail us with your comments, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Episode 85: The Return
Inside This Episode: