Month: November 2018

Comics Reviews: Superman 354, Action 514, DC Comics Presents 28

Superman 354 coverSuperman #354 – “Twice Upon a Time” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts with a gang of thieves with rocket packs and other high-tech weaponry fleeing after a successful robbery. They’re reporting to their boss (Mr. Alpha) over a radio link when Superman shows up and ties them in knots … literally. He overhears Alpha’s communication and goes to look for him, but Alpha (who was hiding in a van in a nearby street) sneaks down into the sewers. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 354, Action 514, DC Comics Presents 28”

Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 10

Warehouse 13 opening titleEpisode 10: Where and When

This one starts with a quick scene from Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1961. A woman runs down a sidewalk, apparently trying to get away from someone, but she ends up running into someone else … a cloaked figure who grabs her. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 10”

Comics Reviews: Batman 330, Detective 497, Brave & the Bold 169

Batman 330 coverBatman #330 – “Target” – Marv Wolfman/Irv Novick/Vince Colletta

This one starts with a guy named Archie Skyler on death row, scheduled to be executed in 24 hours. All his hopes for clemency have been exhausted, so he puts the word out that he’s got $10 million in gold stashed away and it’ll go to whoever kills the man who put Archie on death row in the first place … Batman. We see some would-be assassins practicing their Batman killing, but they’re a couple of losers who use a cowboy schtick. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 330, Detective 497, Brave & the Bold 169”

Comics Reviews: Jonah Hex 42, Warlord 39

Jonah Hex 42 coverJonah Hex #42 – “Wanted for Murder” – Michael Fleisher/Gerald Forton

This one starts with a bunch of sheep rustlers herding their stolen flock down a trail. We learn they’ve already run into Jonah Hex (one guy is wearing Hex’s famous Confederate jacket) and strung him up from a tree. They probably should’ve waited around to make sure he died, but you know how impatient rustlers are. Hex ambushes them, killing or capturing most of the gang except the leader, Sugar Wallace, who takes off with the sheep. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Jonah Hex 42, Warlord 39”

Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 9

Warehouse 13 opening titleEpisode 9: Vendetta

This one starts with Daniel Dickinson, Pete and Myka’s old Secret Service boss, in his office in Washington. An intruder comes in and uses an artifact (a chain) that causes all Dickinson’s bones to break at the same time. Not a pleasant way to die. Since Dickinson was already logged in to his computer, the killer calls up Artie’s file, along with Pete and Myka’s. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 9”

Comics Reviews: Flash 291, Wonder Woman 273, Green Lantern 134

Flash 291 coverFlash #291 – “The Saber-tooth is a Very Deadly Beast” – Cary Bates/Don Heck

Last issue, we found out that Barry;s neighbour, Fiona Webb, is in witness protection after ratting out her criminal boss to the feds. She was brainwashed to forget her old life and moved to Central City under a new name, but her ex-boss tracked her down and sent an assassin named Saber-tooth (no, not the Wolverine guy) after her. As if that wasn’t enough, her scuzzy boss looks exactly like Barry Allen, so she’s been freaking out lately, thinking Barry was trying to kill her. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 291, Wonder Woman 273, Green Lantern 134”

Comics Reviews: JLA 184, Legion of Super-Heroes 269, New Teen Titans 1

JLA 184 coverJustice League of America #184 – “Crisis Between Two Earths or Apokolips Now” – Gerry Conway/George Perez/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, members of the JLA and JSA were shanghaied to the worlds of the New Gods by Metron, who told them he needed their help. Three members of the Injustice Society were on Apokolips and had helped kidnap most of the citizens of New Genesis for some nefarious purpose. After splitting into teams to investigate different leads, one group of heroes found the Injustice Society members using some kind of ray to bring Darkseid (who’d been turned to stone) back to life. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 184, Legion of Super-Heroes 269, New Teen Titans 1”

Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 8

Warehouse 13 opening titleEpisode 8: Merge With Caution

This one starts in the middle of the action, with a thief crashing through a window, hotly pursued by Myka and Pete. The thief robbed a jewelry store and somehow vanished, but he’s not vanishing now, so Myka figures whatever artifact he’s using doesn’t work the way they thought. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 8”

Sad News

Stan Lee died today and the tributes are pouring in. There’s not much I can add; Stan co-created so many of Marvel’s characters that his legacy will probably never go away. The way we think of characters like the FF, Thor, the X-Men, the Avengers, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and (my favourite) Spider-Man–their personalities, their essence, really–is because of the way Stan wrote them. And he was so in love with comics that his enthusiasm was infectious, leaving a veritable vocabulary of his own making. I know I’ve channeled him in my own writing plenty of times, and I’m sure countless others have too.

So, as Stan might have said: Face Front True Believers, and Excelsior!

Comics Reviews: Superman 353, Action 513, DC Comics Presents 27

Superman 353 coverSuperman #353 – “The Fantastic Foe Superman Could Never Meet” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts with Clark Kent and Lana Lang skydiving to promote WGBS. Clark doesn’t open his parachute and isn’t saying anything. Lana assumes he’s scared shitless, but he’s actually spotted a mine collapse with his x-ray vision. He maneuvers into a cloud, switches to Superman to deal with the mine collapse, then switches back to Clark before dropping out of the cloud and pulling his ripcord. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 353, Action 513, DC Comics Presents 27”