This is it! The last episode on Norse Code Radio for Spring 2009!
May 11, 2009
April 7, 2009
March 30, 2009
March 12, 2009
Bat-books 09, and yes I’m a Dick Grayson fan
Ive always been a huge Dick Grayson/Nightwing fan and Tim Drake/ Robin fan. Hell, I read Nightwing and Robin every month while they were out. I even love the ressurrected Jason Todd. Course, I dont think he has been used properly since then but the potential is there! When/if written well those three could (and sometimes do) have awesome dynamics. I have two younger brothers so I guess I understand what its like for three brothers to struggle to finding their own identities separate of each other, while still loving each other and being part of a family. Jason even tells Dick during the Nightwing One Year Later arc that he considers them family, and obviously Bruce does too as he left Jason a post-mortem message along with Dick and Tim in the final issue of Robin. Since I’m the oldest I naturally seem to connect with Dick as my favorite of the three. We’re both take charge personalities and people persons. Jason Todd and my middle brother Jesse could not be more opposite. Jason Todd is well, Jason and Jesse is a golden child, but they both stand out in a crowd. My youngest brother Logan and Tim Drake are both thinkers, planners, learning everything they possibly can. I love those characters. What can I say, they’re like family.
Anywho, the point is, due to my connection with these characters I am really excited for Batman in 2009. I mean exxtremely excited. I LOVE these characters. Seriously.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS!
You may have heard. Grant Morrison will be returning to Batman in June with the all new title Batman and Robin with stellar All-Star Superman partner/artist Frank Quitely. I’m excited to see if they can bring to Batman and Robin the magic they worked on (the now ended) All-Star Superman title.
Before you ask the title is set in continuity and will feature the brand new Batman (winner of Battle For The Cowl) and the Robin (however the hell there ends up being a new Robin). Of course anyone who who has read Batman comics at all the last year or so can tell you with 99.9% certainty that this Batman and Robin is Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne.
Point is that I am excited about nearly every Batman book coming out this year. Starting with Battle For The Cowl. Of course I will read/buy the two issues of Gotham Gazette, the three main issues of Battle For The Cowl, and Battle For the Cowl: Commisioner Gordon, Man-Bat, Arkham Asylum, Underground and The Network. I will read Azreal if my roommate (Adam Acree from A Nerd’s Guide To The Universe(S)) buys them but I wont buy them myself. I have no desire to read Oracle: The Cure even though I like the character (PLEASE don’t turn her back into Batgirl.) This isn’t part of Battle For The Cowl, but I have been reading Neil Gaiman’s Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader? as well.
Starting in June out of the end of Battle For The Cowl is when the the real fun starts! Batman and Detective Comics come back after a three month hiatus completely revamped. Batman will be written by Judd Winick (who I’m not to crazy about) and Detective Comics will be written by Greg Rucka (who I am crazy about). When Detective returns it will also have a new main character for the foreseeable future instead of Batman. Batwoman will take over Detective, herself a Rucka creation and one of my favorite characters! Outsiders (Peter Tomasi) will be returning completely revamped with Alfred as the new leader! Batman and Robin (Morrison, Quitely), Red Robin (Tim Drake’s new role), and Batman: Streets of Gotham will be the other bat-books that I’ll be reading this June.
I am not sexist, this is purely coincidental, but I will not be reading Batgirl, simply because I want to know what direction this character is going in before I buy it. Maybe a couple of issues into the series. I will also not be reading Gotham City Sirens a book about the femme fatales local to Gotham. Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Harley Quinn and etc. Even though Paul Dini is writing, I just can’t be made to care.
END OF SPOILERS!
There are also tons of DC books that I am extremely excited for this year, but I’ll touch on the rest of them in another blog soon!
March 9, 2009
There was something else that happened this weekend?
Oh, there was something else major that happened on March 6th you say? The release of the movie adaptation of the most celebrated graphic novel/comic book miniseries (yes it was comic book miniseries at one time as most graphic novels are) of all time? Winner of 1988 Hugo Award and on of Time Magazine’s top 100 novels since 1923, the only comic book/graphic novel to do so was released in film format you say? In all seriousness I skipped WATCHMEN in my last blog so that I could avoid creating one big super post but to you who answered my questions I say………..meh.
Don’t get me wrong WATCHMEN has always and probably always will be the epitamy of mastery of the comic art form. HOWEVER, I have never been that crazy about it. Before you cry out, I understand the story in all its depth and glory, I love Mr. Gibbon’s art it just doesn’t strike a particular chord with me. I appreciate and recognize it artistically, its just not my favorite. Why you may ask? I’m not 100% sure, not to mention that is an article for another day.
NOTICE: I loved the movie, it was brilliant. Zach Snyder and everyone who worked on this film were brilliant. Casting was amazing. I am not just some angry fanboy who only says negative things. These are just my thoughts.
Anyways, my attitude toward the original novel is the first reason that I couldn’t really get into the movie. I loved the style of the movie. It was beautiful. If this style had been put on another movie I would have flipped my lid. Absolutely gorgeous, BUT I was just not that into the characters or the story, so the connection was not there.
The second reason for the aforementioned “meh” is that even I could tell that there was a lot lost in translation from comic book to film. Sure the story and its characters work just fine. An audience that has not read the book will understand the story just fine but the real depth of those characters and their universe is almost completely lost. I noticed this in the amount of people walking out the theatre saying things like “Rorschach is badass!!” No young viewer with your smiley t-shirt from Hot Topic, Rorschach is NOT badass. Rorschach is a sociopath. He is not someone to be idolized. That just shows your complete and utter misunderstanding of what the character is and what Alan Moore was saying with that character. You sir, are an idiot. Btw, the irony that t-shirts for a book/movie that denoted modern corporate capitalism did not escape me, but I digress.
The movie is extremely well done and deffinitely takes third as the best superhero ever made. Right behind (1) The Dark Knight, and (2) Iron Man (I don’t care what you say about Spiderman 2 and/or X2, neither of those movies deserve being the the best superhero movie).
February 4, 2009
Wednesday…….You know what that means……
Wednesday is a very special day of the week to comic book fans. It is the day that new issues of monthly comic book titles are put out onto the sheloves of our beloved dark, cramped, poster laiden comic books stores. If you’re a comic book fan, this is all old news (which I hope you are if you’re reading this blog). Today was Wednesday.
As always we (my room mate Adam and some friends) made the journey to the comic book store, Comics To Games. Albeit this time to its new loacation, which sadly is nothing like the traditional, homey comic book store mentioned above but more like a gleaming shopping mall and comic book shop’s love child with marble, bright lights, gleaming glass and its strip mall location. No complaints though, its a great store, especially the rewards policy.
Adam likes to collect the books but I could care less. Comic books aren’t worth anything anymore, (*See Marvel’s attempt to make the Obama comic worth something by screwing up the printings or their foil covers from the 90′s*) I just like to read the stories and follow the medium. Anything I buy is for my own enjoyment, not for the sake of “collecting.” That coupled with the fact I have no money, and I know Adam will be buying the books we both like to read anyways I did not buy anything. What was brought home however was Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #3 of 5, Secret Six #6, Star Trek: Countdown (The official movie prequel) and Adventure Comics #0.
SPOILERS!
I was thoroughly pleased to see Bart Allen’s return in Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds. As someone who grew up with Geoff John’s version of the Teen Titans, I was not pleased with his treatment in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis. I like what I think Geoff was going for in the series. By aging Bart and getting rid of Wally, it seemed like he was trying to do another generation leap for the Flash in Infinite Crisis. Didn’t go over to well tho with me and a lot of other people. Bart had barely been Kid Flash, I wanted to see more adventures with that generation of Titans (Cassie Wonder Girl, Tim Drake Robin, Superboy, Bart). Then the story of Bart got even worse with The Flash’s mediocre relaunch, series, and eventual “death.” So as a fan of the character I’m glad he’s back and in the right costume.
Secret Six? No huge reveals, or anything, though I am surprised by Deadshot’s betrayal in the series for the card. I like that Jeanette is brought more front and center. She is an interesting character I would like to see more of. The best things about that book continues to be its best attributes in this issues. Stellar, consistant writing and art. The art is not my particular favorite, but it is consistent and makes the story easy to understand. Not to gritty, not to clean, just where it needs to be, which is odd since its done by two people Nicola Scott and Doug Hazelwood. An odidity in dual comic book art. The same applies to the writing, always consistent. Characters and situations are what they are supposed to be and the story plays out in a way thats entertaining but is not hard to follow issue to issue. The fact that every issue is absolutely entertaining and very tastefully done is Gail Simone’s (the writer) other great feat. As this is the only book I’ve read by her I can’t say if all her books read like this or not or if she is just lucky with this book.
Adventure Comics was just a reprinting of the original story from Adventure Comics #267 circa 1958 in which Superboy meets The Legion Of Super Heroes for the first time. The real action came at the end of the issue with the Origins and Omens back up featuring Scar (the “dark?” Gaurdian of the Universe), Lex Luthor, Brainiac and…………..Superboy?
Yes, the Conner Kent, Kon-El Superboy, another one of my favorite characters “taken” before his time. Conner died in the hands os Wondergirl/Cassie Sandsmark in Infinite Crisis due to the explosion of the Anit-Monitor husk-tower caused by his fight with Superboy-Prime. There have been rumors that Conner was the new Nightwing appearing with the new Flamebird in the recent New Krypton story arc. This was only intensified by the fact we saw Conner using tactile telekinesis on opponents weapon. Nightwing and Flamebird will be featured front and center in Action Comics starting in March. In an interview writer Greg Rucka stated that the identites of the pair will be revealed in that first issue staring them. This made me very happy since if Conner was to come back as someone other than Superboy, the soon to be vacant role of Nightwing (another one of my favorite heroes) would be aperfect choice. This belief was challeneged however by Adventure Comic’s Origins and Omens back up story.
The story picks up where the New Krypton arc left Brainac and Luthor with Scar narrating. Luthor attempts to use Brainiac to escape when Brainiac reveals that it was he that was using Luthor. It is then that the Black Book of the dead is shown and Scar narrates that the only on who can save Luthor is dead and that they control the dead. A picture of Connner flying on the (presumably) the Kent farm in his well known black t-shirt costume is shown. Agh, I hope this doesn’t mean he won’t be Nightwing in Action Comics and that he’ll be a Black Lantern in Blackest Night. This may sound oddly sentimental, but I want more for Conner Kent than just being a emotional conflicting bad guy in Blackest Night.
I have never read a Star Trek comic before. I’m a huge trekkie and I was very pleased. I don’t know how Data got to be Captain of the Enterprise-E after he died in Star Trek: Nemesis.
In other news, I’m still sick. 
Going home tommorrow though, can’t wait to see Caitlen (this weekend is our anniversary!!)….. and the doctor. Finally get this bug out of my system.
