Month: July 2018

Comics Reviews: Flash 283, Wonder Woman 265, Green Lantern 126

Flash 283 coverFlash #283 – “Flashback” – Cary Bates/Don Heck/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue, Flash found out (thanks to a videotape from the murder scene) that Clive Yorkin wasn’t the one who killed his wife Iris, though Yorkin did witness the murder. Flash went into the future to see who did kill Iris, but the murder was still unsolved. On his way back to the present, Flash figured out who the real killer was, but upon arrival his cosmic treadmill exploded, seemingly killing him. This issue opens with Flash’s arch-nemesis, Professor Zoom, gloating over the wreckage. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 283, Wonder Woman 265, Green Lantern 126”

Comics Reviews: JLA 176, Legion of Super-Heroes 261, Jonah Hex 34

JLA 176 coverJustice League of America #176 – “The Dream Factories of Doctor Destiny” – Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, Dr. Destiny built a new version of his Materioptikon which could bring people’s nightmares to life. The JLA destroyed his infernal machine and are now tracking him to his hideout by homing in on Destiny’s twisted psyche courtesy of Green Lanterns ring. They trace him to an abandoned film studio and bust in, only to face more manifestations of their own darkest fears. Superman and Wonder Woman decide to bypass the usual brawl and head into the main building to look for Destiny, only to find Zatanna has beaten them to it. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 176, Legion of Super-Heroes 261, Jonah Hex 34”

Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 1, Episode 4

Opening titleEpisode 4: Claudia

Last episode, the Warehouse began experiencing random power outages caused by whomever hacked Artie’s computers. The unknown hacker sent Artie a message (“knock knock”) over the power grid. Artie has also been having weird flashback dreams lately, but he doesn’t know what’s prompting them or what they mean. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 1, Episode 4”

Comics Reviews: Superman 345, Action 505, DC Comics Presents 19

Superman 345 coverSuperman #345 – “When Time Ran Backward” – Gerry Conway/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts with Superman stopping an experimental satellite from crashing into metropolis. The satellite is called NEWS-1, which you’d think would indicate a news satellite, but it actually stands for National Environmental Weather Satellite; it’s not a weather monitoring satellite, it’s meant to be for weather control … built by STAR Labs, of course. But something went wrong, prompting Superman’s intervention. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 345, Action 505, DC Comics Presents 19”

Comics Reviews: Batman 321, Brave & the Bold 160, Warlord 31

Batman 321 coverBatman #321 – “Dreadful Birthday Dear Joker” – Len Wein/Walt Simonson/Dick Giordano

This one starts with Commissioner Gordon at the police station, opening an invitation to a party thrown by the Joker. Naturally, Gordon dismisses it as one of Joker’s stupid pranks, but he’s forced to take it seriously when all the cops in the building start laughing uncontrollably. Batman shows up in response to a call from Gordon and sees the Jokermobile outside the station. The roars of laughter from inside warn Batman the place is filled with laughing gas, so he dons a rebreather device for protection and busts in. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 321, Brave & the Bold 160, Warlord 31”

Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 1, Episode 3

Opening titleEpisode 3: Magnetism

This one starts in a museum in Paris. Pete is hanging upside down, Mission Impossible-style, examining the guillotine that was used to behead Marie Antoinette. A quick scan reveals it as an artifact with occult powers, but when Pete tries to remove the blade, he drops his wrench. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 1, Episode 3”

Comics Reviews: Flash 282, Wonder Woman 264, Green Lantern 125

Flash 282 coverFlash #282 – “Mishmash” – Cary Bates/Don Heck/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue Professor Zoom told Flash he knew who had really killed his wife, Iris. Before Flash could inquire further, Zoom attached a pair of density boots to Flash’s feet, causing him to sink into the ground toward Earth’s molten core. Flash uses his super-speed aura to protect himself from the heat (and to keep a sheath of oxygen around himself), but the boots are too dense to vibrate out of. As he gets deeper underground, the heat finally melts the boots enough for Flash to vibrate free, but he’s immediately swept into a flow of molten magma. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 282, Wonder Woman 264, Green Lantern 125”

Comics Reviews: JLA 175, Legion of Super-Heroes 260, Jonah Hex 33

JLA 175 coverJustice League of America #175 – “But Can An Android Dream” – Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin

As you can tell from the title, this one focuses on Red Tornado. Gerry seemed to like using Reddy to reflect on what it means to be human. The story starts with Red Tornado resigning from the JLA over some mistake he made on a mission. His teammates assure him they don’t care about his screw-up, but he quits anyway and heads down to Earth to “find himself”. He starts by reviving his old John Smith identity and going to see Traya, the orphan girl from the Middle East that Reddy’s sort of adopted. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 175, Legion of Super-Heroes 260, Jonah Hex 33”

Rule Britannia!

Gulliver's allegianceYes, I’m cheering for England–my dad is from there, after all–so I hope they make it through to the final. (Off to a good start … Trippier just scored from a free kick.)

Of course, there’s no doubt who Gulliver is cheering for either …

(I know that’s a UK flag, not an England flag, but I don’t have a St. George’s flag, so it’s the best I can do.)

UPDATE: Well, Gulliver’s not happy at all now. Congratulations to Croatia on making it through … France will be quite a challenge, I’m sure.

Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 1, Episode 2

Opening titleEpisode 2: Resonance

This one starts with a bank robbery in Chicago, but the thieves have a pretty wild way of dealing with bystanders and guards … they use some kind of sonic pulse to stun everyone and knock out electronic devices, including cameras; the pulse comes from speakers stitched inside one thief’s trenchcoat. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 1, Episode 2”