Monthly archives: December, 2007

Yeah, so the bad news is that my new job keeps me busy enough that I’m horrible at keeping up with a weekly Doomino effect schedule. But the good news is, I’m bringing in more money, so I’m buying more comics to review!

So let’s start off with Green Lantern #25, the finale of the Sinestro Corps storyline. I’m having trouble with my numbering here, because by my count, it should have been part 10 (and DC seems to think so too) but it’s part 11, and it’s a SUPER SIZED FINALE, costing me $4.99.

But dang, this was a great issue. While I was very excited about this series, I was also very skeptical. With all the big guns that had been assembled on the Sinestro side, I was very afraid there was going to be some lame, cop-out ending.

But I buy it that the Anti-Monitor could be defeated, or at least slowed down, by the combined forces of the Guardians. I’m glad Superboy turned on the Anti-Monitor, and I’m glad that Superboy was written like an unstable psycho kid. Little problem I’m wondering about – if he was doing his old “I’m eating all the positive matter” thing, is there like a hole in Earth now?

The public support of Green Lantern gave me chills. That was a pitch-perfect big-screen scene if I’ve ever read one. Some readers might feel that was a bit cheesy, but I think sappy scenes like that can really work to balance the seriousness of the situation. Pushing that dynamic helps establish how far everything has moved in the other direction.

I was very glad that Sinestro took pleasure and even a feeling of victory at learning the Green Lanterns now had lethal authorization. The severity of that change had been somewhat glossed over in recent issues, and I was wondering if anyone was going to acknowledge the dark consequences of that. I wouldn’t have minded someone admitting that earlier, but saving it for the moment Sinestro learned it certainly didn’t take away from that scene.

There was very little I didn’t like about this series. I felt like it should be considered a textbook case of telling a large-scale superhero action story. You introduce a huge threat, you elevate that threat, and you have the good guys win, but you make sure that the quest for victory means something and changes something.

The Sinestro Corps was defeated, but the status quo in the world of the Green Lanterns has definitely changed. They can use lethal force. The guardians are freaked. And the stage is set for the rise of more lanterns.

Another slight problem I have with the aftermath, and that is the tease for 2009. In Blackest Night, Summer 2009, “the dead will rise.” Considering I just read the finale of a story that involved Hal Jordan battling Superboy Prime, Cyborg Superman and the Anti-Monitor, teasing me that the dead will rise is a little weak at this point.
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I don’t think we’ve discussed Ultimates 3 yet. Why not? Well, probably because it lives up to the Bizarro hype. It’s a cornucopia of flash, angst and poorly written dialogue from a writer who should know better (Jeph Loeb), and an artist (Joe Madureira) whose relevance will only last as long as he can keep up with the schedule – meaning we should see roughly two issues of this book in 2008.

We’re reintroduced to the Ultimates with a wonderful opening scene of the team watching a pirated DVD of Tony Stark sticking it to Black Widow … and I’m not talking about the death scene from Ultimates 3. This sextravaganza is introduced as a “security breach” for the team, moments before Venom pops in demanding a HER of some type. A bunch of dialogue follows which explains the fight step-by-step, all in a vain effort to introduce the team.

The next thing we know, all is well, except Hawkeye is talking like a sociopath, Captain America is acting like Wolverine, Hank Pym is passing out like he was Doom DeLuise and the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are looking good and ready to make a baby. But fuckles! (spooooooooooooiler alert) ********While the two are ice skating, somebody shoots the Scarlet Witch and she dies. We’re led to believe it’s Hawkeye.********** (end spoiler)

We’re introduced to an Ultimates that feels the need to explain step-by-step what’s going on, something previous volumes did with visuals. While the situations are meant to bring in gritty realism, they come off instead as cheap ploys. This is the Ultimates catching up to Gen X, harkening back to an era where Image reigned – and the use of Venom as the first villain only drives in the amateurish feel of the book. Also, the ridiculous boobportions Madureira is famous for are popping up nearly everywhere – I even had to double check to see if I spied a nip slip. I have a bad enough taste in my mouth to not want to pick up the book again, which is sad, because outside of Optic Nerve and Astonishing X-Men, I haven’t picked up much.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

We’ve been over this before. Again and again. I hate the television show “Heroes.” It’s no secret. I also really enjoy arguing about it. This is the last time I’m ever going to mention the show here or anywhere else (unless I’m really drunk, in which case I might just start shouting at anybody nearby who will listen). I have to ask myself what the point of arguing is, at this point, when the show has lost even the smallest shred of credibility, and, the sad truth is that, the only reason is because, regardless of the show’s complete worthlessness, it still, this week, snagged the third best rating in the 18-34 year-old demographic. People watch this abysmal shit, still; and they defend it, somehow. I can’t figure it out. The show is so completely pathetic, and, yet, people still prop it up as something decent or good. It’s really quite awful. (more…)