Reviews, ruminations, and (occasional) ramblings.
Episode 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”
Flash #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”
Justice 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”
Episode 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”
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!
Superman #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”
Batman #329 – “Twice Dies the Batman” – Marv Wolfman/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin
Last issue, a guy named Carl Ternion sent Batman a tape claiming he killed a man named Anton Karoselle … twice. Karoselle’s death was ruled accidental by the courts, so Ternion figured he was protected by double jeopardy from being prosecuted again. When Batman started looking into it, he found clues that an old foe of his was behind the whole mess. Continue reading “Comics reviews: Batman 329, Detective 496, Brave & the Bold 168”
Episode 7: For the Team
This one starts with Dr. Hernandez (the veterinarian Pete and Myka met in Episode 3) making a house call to treat Myka’s pet ferret. Hernandez and Pete still don’t get along (which usually means they’ll end up dating), insulting each other as soon as they’re in proximity. Continue reading “Warehouse 13 Reviews: Season 2, Episode 7”
Flash #290 – “Will You Believe Me When I’m Dead?” – Cary Bates/Don Heck/Frank Chiaramonte
Last issue ended with Barry’s attractive new neighbour, Fiona Webb, at the police station to make a complaint against a man in her building who’s been stalking her and who she’s certain is going to kill her. This man’s name? Barry Allen. Flash shows up at the station with the unconscious Dr. Alchemy just in time to hear Fiona’s plea for help. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 290, Wonder Woman 272, Green Lantern 133”
Justice League of America #183 – “Where Have All the New Gods Gone?” – Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin
This one starts with members of the JLA (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Firestorm) and their Earth-2 counterparts, the JSA (Power Girl, Huntress, Dr. Fate, and Wonder Woman) preparing to beam to each other’s world via transmatter cube. Naturally, something goes wrong and they end up on an unfamiliar alien world, dominated by a huge floating city … unfamiliar to everyone but Superman, who recognizes the place as New Genesis, home of the New Gods. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 183, Legion of Super-Heroes 268, Jonah Hex 41, New Teen Titans preview”