Episode 3: Oh Kappa, My Kappa
This episode seems to be set right after the last one, as it starts with Bo and Dyson waking up together in Bo’s bed. Bo is a bit surprised, saying it’s the first time she hasn’t woken up next to a dead body after sex. More shocking to me is the fact that Dyson spent the night. Bo is completely healed because of the sweet sweet lovin’, but they bang again; I think this may be the first time that saying “I have a headache” is actually used as an invitation to sex. Elsewhere, a girl is running through the woods (they kinda look like the same woods from last episode, but it turns out they’re not); she stops at the edge of a huge hole in the ground, turns, and screams … and cue the opening credits. Continue reading “Lost Girl Review: Episode 3”
Comics Review: Batman 284, Brave and the Bold 132
Batman #284 – “If There Were No Batman…I Would Have to Invent Him” – (David V. Reed/Romeo Tanghal/Frank Springer)
This is a weird one, folks, so hang on to your chakras. We start with someone describing how he switched the Sphinx at Gizeh for an exact copy, dumping the old one into the Mediterranean sea. Supposedly, this gave rise to “another fable of Atlantis”, but in the DC universe, Atlantis was real, so I don’t know why he said that. Who is “he”, you ask? It’s everybody’s favourite mystic weirdo, Dr. Tzin-Tzin. Continue reading “Comics Review: Batman 284, Brave and the Bold 132”
Comics Review: Flash 246, All-Star Comics 64
Welcome to my reviews for Flash #246 and All-Star Comics #64. Nothing really jumps out with these comics; neither the art nor the story is what I’d call spectacular, but I always liked the JSA in general, so it’s fun to read these 70s stories about them. Of course, Roy Thomas has his own take on the JSA in All-Star Squadron, but that’s not until 1981.
Flash #246 – “Kill Me Flash…Faster…Faster” – (Cary Bates/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin)
This one starts out with Barry (Flash) Allen, his wife Iris, Stacy Conwell, the young student who lives with them, and Stacy’s new boyfriend, Chuck, all hanging out at a bowling alley. Continue reading “Comics Review: Flash 246, All-Star Comics 64”
Lost Girl Review: Episode 2
Episode #2: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Fae
This episode opens with Bo and Kenzi doing some shopping. Kenzi’s wearing a blonde wig (as a disguise, I guess?) and it’s a pretty good look for her. They’re buying tools to fix up their “crack shack” as Kenzi calls it. Continue reading “Lost Girl Review: Episode 2”
Comics Review: JLA 138, Superboy & the Legion 223
Welcome to my reviews of JLA #138 and Superboy and the Legion #223. I always gravitated more toward “team” books for DC than “individual” books, so these two titles are favourites from way back. These particular stories are pretty good; I’m a big fan of Mike Grell, so the art on the Superboy comic is the standout for me.
Justice League of America #138 – “Adam Strange—Puppet of Time” – (Cary Bates/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin)
This issue begins with Alanna, Adam Strange’s wife, narrating the story into a recorder. Alanna tells the story which unfolds throughout the rest of the issue; I’m not too fond of that as a storytelling device…why not just have the damn story play out normally? Continue reading “Comics Review: JLA 138, Superboy & the Legion 223”
Comics Review: Superman 307, Action 467
Welcome to my reviews of Superman 307 and Action 467. Neither of these is what I’d call a classic, but they’re both serviceable … and the Superman issue has Garcia Lopez art, which is always classic!
Superman #307 – “Krypton—No More” – (Gerry Conway/Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez/Frank Springer)
We start in the middle of the action (an old Stan Lee trick) with Superman smashing the shit out of a vinyl chloride plant north of Metropolis. A glowing guy called The Protector shows up and fights Supes. Continue reading “Comics Review: Superman 307, Action 467”
Lost Girl Review: Episode 1
Welcome to my first review of the TV show Lost Girl, which ran from 2010 to 2016. It’s about a woman named Bo, who finds out the reason she keeps waking up next to dead lovers is because she’s a succubus who needs to drain energy from the living in order to survive. And that’s just the start; this series takes Bo (and us) on a wild ride to uncover her past and fight the ultimate evil. Sounds a bit like Buffy, you say? Well, there are similarities; both shows have kick-ass (but flawed) female protagonists, both are what you might call “sex-positive”, and both are adept in the use of snark. But I wouldn’t say Lost Girl is a Buffy clone … more of a natural successor. You may disagree, of course, but I look at Buffy and Lost Girl as two separate entities, both of which are great shows in their own right. So I hope you’ll join me every Wednesday as I review Lost Girl episodes. If you’re already a fan, I hope these reviews will bring back some fond memories, and if you’re new to the show, maybe you’ll become a fan. Okay, enough talk, on with the show! Continue reading “Lost Girl Review: Episode 1”
Comics Review: Batman 283, Detective 467
Welcome to my first comics reviews. Today I’m looking at Batman 283 and Detective 467, both cover dated January 1977. Neither of these is what I’d call spectacular, but they’re both okay stories. So, without further ado …
Batman #283 – “Omega Bomb Target: Gotham City” – (David V. Reed/Ernie Chua)
Batman heads to Gotham where a ransom demand awaits from a group called Omega. They’ve stolen a ship (the Miramar) and placed a nuke aboard. If their demands aren’t met, they’ll detonate it in Gotham harbor. Continue reading “Comics Review: Batman 283, Detective 467”
Comics Review Specifics
In my last post, I mentioned I’d be reviewing some DC comics, starting in January 1977 and working my way forward. Today, I’m going to get more detailed about which comics I’ll be looking at. On Monday, I’ll post my first actual reviews. As I mentioned before, I don’t have time to read every DC comic that came out in 1977, nor would I want to; let’s face it, some of them were crap. So I compromised and picked some popular comics, plus a few that I like or have always wanted to read but never got around to.
I’ll be posting comic reviews every Monday and Friday (Wednesdays are for reviews of the TV show Lost Girl). I’ll do at least two comics reviews in each post, sometimes three (or even four, if need be); these won’t be insanely long, page-by-page reviews … there are already plenty of those to be found online. I’ll summarize the storyline of each issue, then afterwards I’ll add a few observations, under the heading of Noticeable Things (a title I took from that old Missing Persons song “Noticeable One … remember the video for that? Man, Dale Bozzio looked like Lady Gaga’s hotter sister). Some reviews may be longer than others, depending on what I have to say, or how complex the story is, or whatever. I’ll also be including some art from each issue. The reviews will be absolutely overflowing with spoilers, of course.
What’s this all about?
As I said in my first post, I’ll be reviewing comics month-by-month, starting in January 1977. Why 1977? It’s the earliest I can remember reading comics, so I figured I’d go back to where I started and read some old favourites, as well as check out some stuff I missed the first time around.
Of course, I can’t review every comic that came out in 1977—I just don’t have the time. So, I had to choose where I wanted to focus, and I ultimately decided to go with DC comics. I read DC and Marvel as a kid and I generally like both, though if pushed I’d probably lean slightly toward Marvel—which is why I’m concentrating on DC for these reviews; I’ve already read 90% of Marvel’s Silver/Bronze Age output. Now, a lot of those are great comics, and I wouldn’t mind reading ’em again, but there are lots of DCs out there that I’ve never read, so I figured why not give ’em a shot? Plus there are already a couple of sites that examine Marvel month-by-month: Marvel University and Supermegamonkey’s Marvel Timeline and I don’t think I can compete with them (nor would I want to).
So, I’ll be reviewing DC comics here … not all of them (again, just don’t have the time); I’ll be concentrating on comics that I either read as a kid, would’ve read if I’d known then what I know now, or should’ve read because they’re staples of the genre. In my next post, I’ll go into which comics I’m reviewing, as well as my review style. I hope you’ll join me as I revisit some classic (and not-so-classic) stories, and discover some new gems that I’d previously overlooked.
(And for the non-comics fans out there, I’ll also be doing reviews of TV shows, starting with Lost Girl. Why? Cause it’s a hell of a good show!)