Monthly Archives: June 2013
What I Bought Today – The Best of Superman DVD
So, went to Wal-Mart with Mom since she was outta pop, and while I was there, a DVD managed to catch my eye, so here I am talking about…
So, what did I buy today? Why, it’s The Best of Superman on DVD!
Since I didn’t see this on store shelves until recently, I’m gonna assume this is to further the Super Fever caused by Man of Steel. So, what’s on this two-disc set? Some of Superman’s greatest animated adventures, from Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, Super Friends, and even the original 1941 Superman animated short, The Mad Scientist. It’s amazing how much awesomeness is packed into this set. Granted, I would’ve put a few less Super Friends cartoons on here, but that’s only because I REALLY don’t like that show, but I recognize that not everyone has seen it and there are likely plenty that did like it.
I do have to applaud them for putting the three-part pilot of Superman TAS, The Last Son of Krypton, on first. It’s probably one of the best retellings of Superman’s origins ever, and this coming from a guy that didn’t really watch much of that show back then. My other favourites on here are The Mad Scientist, For The Man Who Has Everything (note to myself: read original comic), and The Doomsday Sanction.
I do feel like they could’ve put some extras on here, like interviews with the people who made the various shows, and maybe even a few more episodes, like Knight Time and Hereafter, but ultimately, I do feel that I got a good deal for less than 17 bucks. Still, things to keep in mind for a possible second volume…Though that reminds me, I have something I’ve been putting off reviewing for a while now, don’t I…? 🙂
Changes To My Pull List
So I’ve heard rumors that DC Comics plans to increase the price on all their books by a dollar at some point in the next few months to compete with the kind of money that Marvel makes. Wonderful. I should note for the record that I am unemployed and only have so much money to spend on comics. Heck, I’m pushing it as it is. So, with that said, I’m thinking I’ll be cutting back on some of the comics that I buy.
So, which ones get dropped? Well, obviously Batman Incorporated, since the book is getting cancelled in a couple of months. I’ve already dropped Justice League of America, and I wasn’t ever really steadily buying Justice League, instead buying what issues interest me if and when they pop up. And unfortunately, one book I MIGHT need to drop is Earth 2 once James Robinson leaves. It’s just, he’s leaving the book that he was highly passionate about and was making plans for all the way into late next year, and now he’s leaving it and DC altogether. That tells me that, among other things, DC has plans for Earth 2 that rubbed him in a seriously wrong way. If that turns out to be the case, it will be sad beyond words, so I hope I’m VERY wrong here. And finally, I’ve considered dropping Detective Comics in favour of Superman Unchained. Nothing personal, its just that, other than one or two hiccups, I really like Unchained. Besides, I’m already buying what I consider to be the best Batman book going right now, I don’t NEED this one too.
But what about the others? Well, at this exact moment, the only two I am swearing off dropping are Scott Snyder‘s Batman and Brian Wood‘s X-Men. The others, I don’t want to drop, but I will if I have to. So, for the next couple of months, I’m gonna be doing some serious thinking about this. However, since I like talking about the books I buy every week in What I Bought Today, and since plenty of people read those articles, I’m gonna ask you for your help in this decision.
Now, I’m not asking you which book(s) I should drop. I’m just asking, of the books I regularly buy, which one do you like to hear me talk about the most, which one do you think is the best, etc. Also, keep in mind that I’m adding Gail Simone‘s Red Sonja to this list since I plan to buy it next week. So, feel free to vote on the poll, or add comments below. Keep in mind, this won’t necessarily mean the one(s) that get the least votes will be dropped, I just want your take on all of this to help me make my decisions.
I should note that it may yet turn out I’m wrong about DC increasing the price of their books, but even if that is the case, I really should be considering doing this given my current financial status. Thank you for your time, and I hope to have this all figured away soon enough. Ja né!
Related articles
- “Injustice’s” Tom Taylor Takes Over “Earth 2” in October (comicbookresources.com)
- Early Review: Gail Simone’s RED SONJA #1 (comicvine.com)
What I Bought Today – X-Men #2, Talon #9 (WARNING – SPOILERS)
Oh my goodness, my feet are killing me! XP So, while I relax and imagine my sore feet being lovingly massaged by my gf, allow me to take a sec and talk about…
Only two books today, since I’ve dropped JLA and Batman Incorporated got delayed by one week, so let’s start with Talon #9.
So yeah, the Birds of Prey cameo in this book…for all of the first four pages. lol Yeah, sorry to say this, but clearly this move was done solely to boost sales for Birds of Prey, and I will be shocked if it helps even a little. If anything, this probably got the people who hadn’t heard of Talon to go read it instead. But anyway, after tricking his superiors into thinking he killed Strix, Calvin Rose is sent after Bane and Sebastian Clark. Meanwhile, Casey continues to be awesome by not only talking smack to the Gotham Butcher, even while chained and helpless, but shows she doesn’t care what’s happened to Calvin as long as he’s alive, and then tops it off by managing to free herself and send a message to her allies to come rescue her. Seriously, Casey Washington deserves to be the new Oracle-type character in the DC Universe when the Court of Owls is finally taken down.
X-Men #2 was frigging awesome. I still have no idea who the people in the school are beyond the main six characters and Beast though…I really should check the Marvel Comics Database at http://marvel.wikia.com/Main_Page for all of my essential needs and information. (Cheap plug successfully deployed, ^_^ ) Anyway, Sublime’s even eviller sister, Arkea, has taken control of Karima Shapandar, AKA the Omega Sentinel, and is creating all kinds of chaos throughout the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning. Only Rogue and Kitty Pryde are able to get down there to deal with Arkea, Kitty threatening to phase through her body to completely destroy her should it turn out there is nothing left of Karima in her. Arkea manages to escape, all the while it seems that neither Psylocke nor Rachel Grey can sense an infant with Jubilee. Kinda weird, but Sublime explains later that when he and his sister leave bodies they’ve taken over, they leave a whole new person behind, basically resetting them completely, so I’m gonna guess that’s what happened. The baby, named Shogo, is apparently okay though, since he’s just a newborn and won’t exactly need much time to develop a new personality. Jubilee talks Storm into letting her bring Shogo with them to find Arkea, reasoning that it’s safer with Storm and the others than back at the school…which actually turns out to be true, as we see in the end that Arkea left a little surprise at the X-Mansion: A frickin’ BOMB. O_O
So that’s it for this week. Next week…Well, suffice to say, next week is gonna be an expensive one…Ja né…T_T
Related articles
- ‘Talon’ #9 Preview [EXCLUSIVE] (geek-news.mtv.com)
- COMICS: Preview Art For X-MEN #2 (comicbookmovie.com)
- Comic Preview Monday (geekleak.net)
What I’d Do Instead of Superman/Wonder Woman
Remember when I said that I would’ve actually liked Superman/Wonder Woman if it was just about a couple of DC’s best superheroes teaming up to battle team-ups of their worst enemies? Well, since we all know that’s not the focus, I started thinking about what kind of comic they could do instead someday. Then I thought about a book called A+X, a Marvel book that centres around a different team-up of one Avenger and one X-Man with each story. It’s actually a pretty neat idea. So then I thought, what if DC did that?
Basically, what I had in mind is, they’d select one of their writers at random and just let them write a story about two DC superheroes teaming up to take on two of their rogues for two issues. For example, you could see Gail Simone write a story about Wonder Woman and The Flash fighting Cheetah and Gorilla Grodd, or Mike Johnson typing up Supergirl and Saint Walker vs Silver Banshee and Atrocitus. And they could keep it nice and basic, too: Two villains team-up for a crime of some sorts, two heroes that deal with them on a regular basis have to team up to take ’em on. Simple, basic, plenty of room for awesomeness.
So yeah, just an idea I thought I’d pass along for anyone who might be listening. Or hey, if no one at DC wants to do it, it’s always an idea I can use for my own superheroes. Either way, lemme know what ya think.
Related articles
- DC Comics Announces All New Series Superman/Wonder Woman (evilcritic.wordpress.com)
- Breaking: New Superman/Wonder Woman Series Announced (comicbooked.com)
- Charles Soule on Superman Wonder Woman: It “will help both characters grow significantly” (comicsbeat.com)
- DC Comics Announces Superman/Wonder Woman Series (thelazygeeks.com)
- SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN Series Announced (comicvine.com)
- Wonder Woman Is Getting A Second Ongoing Comic At DC Comics. It’s Called Superman/Wonder Woman. (themarysue.com)
What I Bought Today…And Last Week, lol – Batman #21, Batgirl #21, Batman and Robin #21, Nightwing #21, Li’l Gotham #3, Supergirl #21, Superman Unchained #1 (WARNING – SPOILERS)
What’s that? It’s Wednesday? Then I guess I better take a look at…
…and last week, since I kinda got caught up doing other stuff and didn’t talk about it. lol My bad. Anyway, let’s start with Batman #21, the beginning of Zero Year.
How many people thought Zero Year was gonna suck? C’mon, be honest, a lot of people thought this was gonna suck. And honestly, I don’t know why. Is it because we already had Year One and this was just a retelling of Batman’s origins while sweeping Year One away? Well, the thing is, even if that were true, which I’m not sure it is, that’s not really Scott Snyder‘s fault. The universe was rebooted, and I get why that sucks, but all Snyder wants to do is tell Batman’s origins within this rebooted universe. In other words, judge it based on its own merits. If you still wanna say that Year One was better, go ahead. That doesn’t mean this sucks by default. And frankly, I really liked this book…with the exception of Bruce telling Alfred to shut up in one scene, but otherwise, it works.
Batgirl #21…Okay, I’m gonna repeat what I said to Gail Simone after reading this book: If I didn’t already have a nightmare about gigantic mutated dinosaurs coming to life in my town, this book would’ve scared the shit outta me! O.O The new Ventriloquist is frakking terrifying. And no, we don’t get an explanation for how she controls the puppet, or her dead parents for that matter (oh, did I skip that part?) when they engage Batgirl in a VERY bloody ordeal, but frankly, I like it better that way. It adds to the horror element that there’s this terrifying force we can’t understand or reason with. So if you like being scared, by all means, feel free to pick this up. My only complaint? Commissioner Gordon continues to be an idiot. Sadly, I don’t think that’s gonna end any time soon.
Batman and Robin #21, or rather Batman and Batgirl as it’s called this issue, is the bargaining phase. However, Batman isn’t the only one bargaining here, as we see him try to convince a group of criminals to take him hostage as opposed to the civilians…which is a far more noble endeavor than we’ve seen outta him the past few issues of this book, but we then see Batgirl trying to reason with him in his current state of mind. She even tells him that if he needs a Robin with him so badly that he can’t function right without one, all he needs to do is say the word and she’ll don the costume in a heartbeat…Um, Babs? I get the sentiment and all, but I think you’re a little old and established for that. I mean, I know I said once that Huntress could do it, but looking back, I was wrong about that. Anyway, this is a better book than the last few, as Batman’s a bit nobler in the field, and even when he freaks out at Babs, it’s not really a physical confrontation and is a bit more understandable. My only complaint? No Carrie Kelly. Not necessarily a big problem, but they could definitely serve to bring in more development for her if I’m right about her role in this story in the future.
Nightwing #21 might be the best book I got last week, even including Zero Year. Why? Because dammit, I love seeing Dick Grayson be a snarky bastard. lol Seriously, there’s a scene where he’s got Prankster up on a roof, who is just waking up after he knocked him out, and Nightwing’s just sitting there with a cup of coffee and a box of donuts just chillin’. It’s hilariously awesome. Unfortunately, this was Brett Booth‘s last issue drawing Nightwing, and I know a lot of female fans will miss the beefcake. I keep hearing this rumor that a certain arch-nemesis of mine (Dan Didio) wants to kill off Dick Grayson, and that he’s actually been wanting to kill him off for years now. I hope it’s not true, because at this point, even the editors would tell him that’s stupid.
Li’l Gotham #3 continues to be hilarious, albeit I’m on the fence if I liked the Robin/Katana section simply because Damian says and does a lot of stuff he wouldn’t be caught dead saying…Y’know, when he was alive………..I’m gonna get it for this. I do think that’s one of my favourite parts of the book, that Damian is still very much active in this book. And let’s face it, plenty of people still miss the little bastard (don’t look at me like that, his parents aren’t married).
Supergirl #21 was pretty neat, as we see that Kara, who is dying from Kryptonite poisoning, comes across a planet full of people under attack by a renegade monstrosity made from their tech, which apparently allows them to craft their buildings however they see fit and auto-repair them. In fact, they even like to rebuild their city and planet and their culture into that of destroyed worlds, so Kara gets the idea to ask them to do so for Krypton. Unfortunately, not all is as it seems, as someone is actually dangling this idea to use Supergirl for their own schemes. Who is this individual?
…Nah, I’m kidding, although that’d be funny considering her pre-Flashpoint origins. No, it’s Cyborg Superman!
And I gotta admit, he actually DOES look awesome now. Hopefully, his involvement in the Supergirl stories doesn’t require me to buy the other Superman family titles, ‘cuz I ain’t doin’ it. lol
And finally, that brings me to the book I skipped out on so I could grab it this week, Superman Unchained #1. Now, on the plus side, this is a LOT better than the other Superman titles out there, one in particular. Superman feels like Superman. His first appearance is flying in and saving the day using his wits and incredible powers. We see him at his new blogging job and having genuinely friendly conversations with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, who I actually don’t feel like killing for once in this book. We see Lex Luthor being the marvelous piss stain on humanity that he is and reveling in every second of it. However, I do have two gripes with this book. First off, as awesome as it looks and will look on my wall, the four-page spread is NOT NECESSARY. It just ups the price by a buck for no reason other than to be pretty. Also, while I don’t necessarily mind that the government has a super-powered individual hidden underground, the idea that this person has been working for them since World War II and was what they actually bombed Japan with…Yeah, even ignoring the possibility of someone being offended by that, which is highly likely, it’s still silly at best. But otherwise, feels like a book I might wanna stick with…which is actually a problem, and I’ll get to that some other time.
Anyway, that’s it for this week…and last week. Check in next week when I check out what’s new with the recently undead Calvin Rose, the recently Man-Bat Batman, and the recently AWESOME X-Men. Ja né!
Related articles
- Review: Nightwing #21 (hopeburnsbright.wordpress.com)
- Exclusive: ‘Batman and Batgirl’ #21 Preview (geek-news.mtv.com)
- It’s a Gotham City wedding for two Nightwing and Batgirl fans (robot6.comicbookresources.com)
What I Didn’t Buy Today (And Why I Should Have/Shouldn’t Have) – Superman Unchained #1
So I bought some comics, but I don’t really feel up to talking about them much today. I’m still kinda down from the thing I mentioned earlier, plus I just wanna work more on my stories, in particular Zenith Woman. What’s funny about Zenith Woman is that I started her series on the same week that Man of Steel is coming out, and of course I’d be full of it if I suggested that she wasn’t even a little bit inspired by Superman. And speaking of Superman, and his presence in the media this week, I wanna talk about the book I did NOT buy today: Superman Unchained #1.
Now, I haven’t read the book, only seen a few pictures of it, so I don’t really know much about it beyond what the solicit’s synopsis tells. And in case you haven’t seen the solicit, the synopsis reads…
“When thirteen satellites fall from the sky in one day, the logical suspect is Lex Luthor – even though he’s still locked up in prison! But a stranger question remains: If Superman didn’t stop the last satellite from falling, who did? There’s a mystery hidden where even Superman can’t see it – Can The Man of Steel drag a decades-old secret into the light?” Now, as I said before, I haven’t read the book, so I can’t give a fair assessment if it’s good or not. However, considering it’s Scott Snyder and Jim Lee, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say probably? It can’t possibly be as bad as the Lobdell title, that much I am sure of.
So why didn’t I buy it? Well, the answer is simple: I didn’t have the money, okay? They wanted me to spend $4.99, a price usually reserved for annuals, on the same week that Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing, AND Li’l Gotham came out? Suck my left moob, Superman! lol Besides, there were a TON of copies, so I can always go back in on a week where there aren’t a lot of my favourite books coming out and get it then, which I will probably end up doing. But I’m sure people will wanna know what it’s like ahead of time to determine if it’s worth buying, so I’ll post links to people that have reviewed the book at the bottom of the page.
Anyway, I’ll let’cha guys know what I thought about the books I bought today tomorrow…I will warn you of this much, however: While it’s a good book, Batgirl #21 will scare the shit outta you! Ja né!
Related articles
- PREVIEW: Snyder & Lee’s “Superman Unchained” #1 (comicbookresources.com)
- Check Out SUPERMAN UNCHAINED Comic Gatefold ‘Poster’ (comicvine.com)
- COMICS: Another Lettered Preview Of Scott Snyder And Jim Lee’s SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1 (comicbookmovie.com)
- ADVANCE REVIEW: Snyder & Lee’s “Superman Unchained” #1 (comicbookresources.com)
- Unshackle Your Enthusiasm With Superman Unchained #1 On The Wednesday Run – June 12, 2013 (biffbampop.com)
- Superman Unchained #1 (comicvine.com)
- Why The World Still Needs Superman (biowars.com)
- Advance (Spoiler-Free) Reviews: Superman Unchained #1 and Batman #21 (geek-news.mtv.com)
- Superman Unchained #1 (Now Available) (evilcritic.wordpress.com)
- Comic book review: Superman Unchained #1 (spoiler free) (geekbloggeruk.wordpress.com)
My Apology To JesuOtaku
…Ooookay, I need to make a HUGE apology here. Admittedly, part of me would like to hide behind the fact that I can be socially awkward at times. However, that doesn’t justify what I’ve done here, which was pretty much to shoot off at the mouth about something when I didn’t have all the facts. Anyone following my Tumblr knows exactly what happened, and if you don’t, I suggest you go read it now.
The truth is, I DO understand that relationships are tough. I’ve been in plenty, and they didn’t always end all that well. I understand that both parties are hurting right now, though for different reasons. I’m not going to take sides in this matter, and as of this posting, this is the last I will be speaking on this subject.
I should make clear, though, that I wasn’t the one who suggested that JO cheated. That’s not why I said I was disappointed in her. Where I was disappointed in her was due to my pre-conceived, and apparently mistaken, notion that she had taken a great relationship and thrown it away, made no better by what’s happened since in Nash’s personal life as of late and the mass drama that’s ensued from their break-up, which I have ironically helped to spread in my misguided attempt to vent my own feelings on the subject.
Looking back on my decision, I wonder if just needing to vent was the reason I did it. After all, I mentioned how everyone else had added their two cents on the matter, at least from what I’d seen. I wonder, honestly, did some part of me just want the attention? Did I just want my opinion out there so people could discuss it with me? Or was I hoping that with enough incentive JO would come out and tell her side of events?
Either way, when JO finally decided to speak on the matter, an argument ensued between herself, the man who shared the initial post, and one of my close friends who works at TGWTG Secrets and had originally turned down the post there but then commented on it once it was shared elsewhere. Seeing this happening, I made it clear to JO that, out of the three of us, I was the only one to make a snap-judgement of her. So, if it IS true that some part of me actually WAS looking for attention, it would appear as though I have it, much as I wish I hadn’t gained it in such a despicable manner.
So, to JO, to my friends, to anyone that was hurt by what I said, I’m sorry. To anyone still going on about this subject, I think it’s wise that we close the book on this. It’s not our business, and I should have realised that before saying what I said. I almost feel as though as I should be putting this in Tales of Dumbassery, but with those, I generally try to find humour in whatever happened, and there just isn’t anything funny about this.
Sincerely,
Jeffery Adam Phillips
‘Jyger’