Monday, January 30, 2012

Guess who's back...

Hey everyone, Jason Todd here after an extended break with some big news. First things first I wanna give you guys some info about myself and this blog. In 2009 I joined the Batman: Arkham Asylum Eidos Message board because I was eagerly awaiting that awesome game. There I met a lot of cool people and myself and a few friends decided to start a blog known as Batmania Reviews! to pass the time, we did reviews on comics, movies, games, everything Batman based and even held contests. After the game came out the blog lost steam though, so I stopped blogging. I was still big into comics though, and while looking up some Nightwing comic book story arcs, I came across the blog of a guy that would become one of my best friends, http://xmanscomicblog.blogspot.com.

X would soon convince me to start my own blog which I did, and two years later here we are. I met a lot of cool people through this blog but near the end of 2011, blogging felt like a chore. I'd always have to fit blogging in around spending time with my girlfriend, Falisha, as well as working and doing things I enjoyed like playing video games and watching movies. So reviewing and comic-reading just seemed more like a job and less fun. So I decided to take a quick break from blogging and I enjoyed it a lot, I didn't have to review things and I could read comics, enjoy them and move on. I didn't have to take notes, read and review at once or anything else. I'd been considering when to come back and blog again and I'd though about changing things up but I wasn't that excited about it, until a few days ago when I had a talk with X.

He offered me a chanc to write for his blog, considering his hectic posting, the fact that he's been going through some stuff lately and since I'm infinitely more awesome than him, he figured that having me post at his blog would give him a chance to relax, have a new contributor with different thoughts and views, as well as give me a way to post without the pressure of having to, as I can post what I want when I please, as well as having my reviews seen by a wider audience, as X's blog gets WAY more traffic than my own. So this worked great for myself and X, and I agreed. So as of today, I am now a contributor for X-Man's Comic Blog, and I hope anyone who reads my blog that isn't following X's will come over with me as well.

I won't be closing this blog, I put a lot of time into it and I appreciate everyone that's followed it and commented, so I'm not going to delete it and act like it's never been here. Thank you all for reading what I've posted and you guys have been great friends to me. Here's hoping things are this great over at X's blog, since I plan on adding some class to the place. Until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, JT, signing off.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas Break?

Hey Todd Squad, JT here with an update. The last few weeks of this blog have been weird for me, I've been forcing myself to post when I'm not in the mood, barely pulling down four books some weeks, and pretty much just posting for the sake of posting. I love comics but blogging is starting to seem like more of a chore and less of a hobby, so I'm going to take a little hiatus, depending on how quickly I start to miss it I'll be back, but as of right now I plan on coming back fresh in January, or maybe a bit sooner for the Second Annual Red Hood awards, but until then, I'm your friendly neighborhood burned out blogger, Jason Todd, signing off.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Ratings and Rantings featuring Uncanny X-Men #2

Hey Todd Squad, Jason Todd here once again, welcoming you outlaws to this week's edition of Ratings and Rantings! Last week's review was delayed til this week due to the holiday and the fact I only had three books last week and found out I'd only have one book this week, so I just decided to give you one post with the four reviews this week, so let's kick things off with Invincible.


Invincible #85

We start things off seeing Mark's parents on a space ship getting bizzay, if you catch my drift. We then cut over to see Allen the Alien (Wooooooooo) and his girlfriend discussing Oliver who apparently walked in on them playing a game of space invaders if you know what I'm saying. We then see a healed up, teenage version of Oliver, I hadn't even realized how much I missed the runt, who goes on a test run with his new and improved body parts. After reporting in with Allen and telling him that the Viltrumites have joined Earth and that's the agreement he and Mark had to make, Nolan retired to his chambers with Mark's mom to have an intergalactic voyage if you know what I'm saying. Man... there is a LOT of sex in this issue. After trying to take down a villain but watching the villain subdue himself to the police, Oliver is approached by his shoeless, super powered hippie father, Omni-Man, who takes him to see his mother. While the two catch up, Oliver meets with Allen and discuss what could happen with the Viltrumites living on Earth, and how that could either help or hinder things. After thinking long and hard, Allen decides he's going to send the Scourge Virus to Earth and personally deliver it, and Nolan objects since it will kill Viltrumites and Earthlings since they have similar DNA, but Allen stands by his decision and the two get ready to throw down as the issue closes. Well this comic was pretty funny, a lot more relaxed than the last few issues and the ongoing joke with Oliver hearing Allen and his girlfriend as well as his parents having sex *shudder* it was pretty enjoyable. Up until the end it was nothing amazing but far from bad, but after that great ending I can't wait to see what's next. I'd give this issue a 8.5/10 rating.

Debbie Grayson: Just because they say they're not going to cause any trouble, doesn't mean you should believe them. Your people are very good liars. (BURN!!!!)


Kick-Ass 2 #5

We kick things off with Dave going to see his dad in prison, who stands by his decision to lie for his son. He warns them that the villains know who he is and they put Katie in the hospital but Dave's dad says they can make it through this. Man...that noble dude is SO going to die. We then cut over to see The Mother Fucker working on his new lair because he's a comic mark and that's what we'd all do, and he gets a call from his uncle that works with the police telling him that he can't turn a blind eye to Chris' actions any longer, only when he was trying to help the family, and he says he'll target him like any other scumbag. We then see Dave with his friends discussing how Hit-Girl still won't come back when he gets a text message that includes a picture of his dad being hanged in prison. Poor, noble, fool. After his father is killed, The Mother Fucker released Dave's secret identity on Twitter (I knew Twitter was full of jerks... only confirms my past suspicion.) And we also see that Justice Forever is released from prison but have been banned from ever wearing their costumes. Afterward, everyone tells Dave how sorry they are and Dave says he's going to live with some cousins in Connecticut and giving this all up. He's then approached by Mindy who hopes he doesn't blame her for not helping and his dad dying but he doesn't. Suddenly, some people blow up Dave's dad's casket (holy shit!) and open fire before grabbing Dave and tossing him in a van before driving off. They attack Dave and dress him like Kick-Ass as they drive him to the Mother Fucker but suddenly two kidnappers are killed as we see Mindy on top of the van with a gun, as Hit-Girl returns. Damn this issue was brutal but SO fun to read. The outrageous of the death of Dave's dad, the stuff with Hit-Girl and the funeral, THIS is was a great comic. I'll give this issue a solid 10/10 rating.

Hit-Girl: Game on, mother-fuckers.


Uncanny X-Men #2

We start things off with the Extinction Team taking on a bunch of Mister Sinister clones, when Cyclops gets work from Agent Brand that the rest of the Celestials are heading towards Earth. When Sinister offers the X-Men a ceasefire to discuss the incoming celestials, to which Scott agrees to since it give the town more time to evacuate. Once entering Sinister's lair or palace or whatever you want to call it, we're treated the origin of Sinister, given by Sinister himself. He also says how the Celestial's will come and kill all the Earthling's for defiling the Dreaming Celestial and then the real competition starts, Sinister's species vs. the Mutants. He then uses his telepathic powers to control everyone with the exception of Emma who he takes shots at by calling her inferior to Jean but good enough to house Scott's seed. Well damn... that was hilarious. Luckily, Sinister makes the mistake of stepping into the open and gets sniped by Hope, and when he switches to another body to take control, his head is crushed by the juggernaut hands of Colossus. The issue ends with Sinister regaining control of another body and stating that he can't be killed, because he's his own species and if you're not Sinister, simply put, your time is over. This was a really good issue as well. I loved Sinister here, as well as Emma and Namor. I could've used more Magneto but it made sense why he wasn't around. I'll give this issue an 8/10 rating.

Namor: I increasingly understand the reason for the "X-Men." It's not Xavier or the X-Gene. The "X" is a target pasted on our backs. (I wanna make a joke about Namor and dry humor but instead I'll just say HA!)


Teen Titans #3

We start things off with Kid Flash trying to save what looks like a decaying and much thicker version (I notice these things) of Solstice but making a mistake and getting them into a hell of a position, that position being falling off of an icy mountain. One thing I like is Bart is still smart, we clearly saw that he does retain information he's read like pre-reboot Bart Allen. From there we see Cassie attacking Thrice in a hospital and looking for answers about who hired him to attack Skitter and Red Robin. We also see a young man that's from Mexico but in America on business and seemingly loves the land of the free. He hops onto a passing train and stumbles upon a giant cocoon as well as a vagrant that he also meets, and after talking for a bit the vagrant attacks. It turns out that the vagrant is none other than Red Robin in disguise (That was a good one...) and attacks, as he believes this young man is working for NOWHERE. The guy apparently set out for America to find Red Robin, as he's a big fan, and wants to join his team. He introduces himself as Miguel Jose Barragan, Codename Bunker. The train they are on stops soon after the introduction and they see a bunch of people that look mind-controlled coming towards the Teen heroes. Red Robin goes off to find out who is controlling them and finds a hunk of metal calling himself Detrius, but before he can be stopped, he mind controls Red Robin to return and forget about their encounter, and Red Robin does. Well alright, I guess they guy will show up later. As Red Robin returns he meets up with Bunker as we see Skitter is now back in her human form and wondering where she is and how she got there. Back with Solstice and Kid Flash, she manages to fly them to safety before passing out, and we see the two teens are in the middle of nowhere, and just as it seems things can't get worse, they're in the middle of a blizzard. Well, like the other three comics in this post, this was another good issue and a fun read. I like that the team has a deep pool so far, it seems to consist of Red Robin, Cassie, Kid Flash, Solstice, Skitter, Bunker, and we haven't even seen Superboy join yet which may be the next issue since it suggested they'd take on SB. One thing I want to do is compliment the are of Brett Booth who is doing an amazing job, from the big things to the small things like strands of hair, he's quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. I'll give this issue of Teen Titans an 8/10 rating.

Red Robin: A little advice. Don't reveal your entire backstory on meeting someone. It just makes it easier to defeat you.

And just like that, that's it for this week's Ratings and Rantings. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and let me know what you think. That's it for me, until next time I'm your friendly neighborhood blogger-man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Last week's poll asked "How do you feel about the Walking Dead?"
Last place with 9.1% - Tie between I read the books and I do neither but I want to.
Third place with 18.2% - I'm not interested at all. 
Second place with 27.3% - I watch the TV Show and read the books. 
Winner with 36.4% - I watch the TV Show.


Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Justice League International #4, Amazing Spider-Man #675, Deadpool #47, and Venom #10

Friday, November 18, 2011

Ratings and Rantings featuring Morning Glories #14

Hey Todd Squad, it's time once again for your favorite weekly comic content comments, Ratings and Rantings! We've got a pretty big post ahead of us with a whopping 10 books?! So needless to say these reviews will be much more abbreviated than my usual reviews. So let's jump into the swing of things and get to it, as we start things off with Catwoman #3, and keep in mind that for the rest of this month, books still may be dropped if I don't feel confident in them after the third issue, so hopefully nothing else is added to the chopping block.

Catwoman #3

After seeing a quick flashback of her friendship with Lola, we open to see Catwoman tied to a chair being yelled at by a pissed off mobster by the name of Bone. He tells her she made a mistake by stealing from him and leaves as he tells his guys to work her over then dump the bodies. Catwoman quickly escapes and makes the goons tell her where Bone is, and she makes her way over to meet him. Catwoman then takes Bone to a secluded place, pulls out a bat and beats him to pebbles before preparing to kick him off of a room, until Batman shows up and stops her, or so it seems. As Bats and Catwoman kiss, she knocks Bone off the roof with her whip, causing Bats to save him while Selina escapes. The issue ends soon after, as Selina is burning evidence of her friendship and links to Lola in her apartment and crying over Lola's body as the GCPD shows up. Okay, I really liked this issue, we got to see a darker side of Catwoman, and let's not forget Catwoman did kill Black Mask in the former DCU so she does have a dark side, so I really enjoyed that, I also enjoyed that she can't make things easy for her and Bats so she did what she had to do to escape. A lot of people have been mixed on this comic but I love it, and I love what one of my favorite writers, Judd Winick, is doing with Catwoman. Also, the art by Guillem March has been great, and as a guy who doesn't mention artwork unless it's bad, that shows you how much I enjoy March's work. I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating.

Batman: Listen to me... Don't do it. Killing him... that's not who you are.
Catwoman: You don't know who I am. Anymore than I know who you are.


Nightwing #3

We kick things off at the funeral of Mr. Haly, the former owner of Haly's circus before handing it over to Dick Grayson on his deathbed. Needless to say this decision doesn't sit well with some people, especially Haly's son, who makes a spectacle at the funeral. After the funeral, Dick talks with Raya and learns their former friend, Zane, that worked for the circus is now living in Chicago and handling contracts for killers. Nightwing then heads to Chicago and questions Zane but suddenly Nightwing falls to his knees seeing a bunch of visions where he's failed. He manages to escape but runs into a vision of his parents falling and dives to save them but doesn't make it in time. During these hallucinations, Zane pistol whips Nightwing around before Nightwing figures out a way to cause feedback to the transmitters Zane is using to subdue Nightwing and turn it back on Zane. He asks him who hired Saiko but he says he doesn't know, if he did he'd kill them himself. Nightwing advises Zane to take up a new profession before leaving Chicago and heading to Pennsylvania to tell Raya that Mr. Haly gave him the circus and he's staying with it until they figure out who killed Haly and why they did it. The issue comes to a close as we see Haly's son talking about killing Dick with none other than Saiko! This was an alright issue, the stuff with Zane seemed like filler, and it wasn't bad by any means, but I couldn't get fully invested. I'll give this issue a 6.5/10 rating but it's safe for now.

Mr. Haly: Hey, you know I'm always looking out for you, kiddo...


Batman #3

Things start off with a flashback to Alan Wayne saying that people are after him and their nests are all around the city, which I'd assume means The Owl people they mentioned in issue #2. Back in the present we see Batman interrogating a criminal before being attacked by The Whisper gang and taking them down in a really cool way that I wouldn't be able to explain if I tried. Well I could, but I choose not to so maybe you'll go enjoy the coolness for yourself. Anyway, after discussing The Talon and the Owls with Alfred, Bruce discovers that his great, great, Grandfather had senility and was obsessed with owls. Bruce then goes to talk to Lincoln about the Owls and the myths before hearing something that sends him looking for answers. Batman then investigates the Wayne Tower and finds that on the thirteenth floor The Talon had a nest of his own, which was a genius idea by Snyder. The issue ends as Batman goes to numerous Wayne buildings, each housing a nest for The Owls, when suddenly he mistakenly trips a wire that causes the entire floor to explode as The Talon looks on. Man, Snyder knows how to tell a story, everything flowed well, the stuff about the Owls and the nests was perfect, there was nothing I didn't enjoy about this issue, I have to give this a solid 10/10 rating.

Batman: About the owl nests.
Alfred: What about them? Sir?
Batman: They're in our homes.


Justice League #3

We start things off with a stunningly drawn Wonder Woman (props to Jim Lee) walking around looking for a Harpy that was reportedly attacking while various news outlets talk about how this Wonder Woman causes so much collateral damage and how she believes in Zeus and Gods and whatnot. While looking, Wonder Woman has Ice Cream with a little girl that seems to look up to the Amazon. Suddenly, a portal opens and out comes a bunch of Parademons, which excites Diana because she gets to fight. We also see the Parademons pop up in Detroit (where Vic Stone is) and take Doctor Ivo and in Metropolis, where Superman, Batman, Flash and Green Lantern take them on. As they fight the Parademons, Superman notices they aren't killing anyone but they are taking people, when Wonder Woman shows up to join the fight. We also see Vic's dad using the equipment from Star Labs to save his son, thus turning him into Cyborg. Suddenly a giant beam hits the sea and causes something to emerge, and while this happens a Parademon lands in front of Wonder Woman as Aquaman steps out of the water and asks who's in charge, before voting for himself as this issue ends. Man, that was a great way to introduce Aquaman, and I'm really enjoying this comic. I like the new origin for Cyborg, I like how Wonder Woman was ready for a fight but still carefree like she used to be, and I love how she's drawn by Jim Lee, I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating.

Wonder Woman: Hm. Ice cream is wonderful. You should be very proud of this achievement!
Ice Cream Man: Um... Thanks.


Supergirl #3

We start things off with Kal-El telling Kara about Krypton and all the things she's missed, but Kara doesn't believe him and flies off. Superman knows she can still hear him so he tells her that she's not ready for this world and her powers make her a danger to everyone around her, but he can't go after her since someone is in trouble and needs his help. Kara goes back to find her pod but finds a hologram of a man who says he has it and basically lures Kara to him by having her follow an orb that leads her to a space station. While in the station, the man, Mr. Tycho, puts Supergirl through a bunch of tests while studying the Kryptonian Native. Kara eventually topples the tests and finds her way to the pod she arrived in when she suddenly drops to the ground, having come in contact with Kryptonite, which apparently fueled her pod. The issue ends as Tycho stands over a fallen Supergirl and vows to take care of her, and states he only has her best interests in mind while flashing an evil grin. This was a fine issue, nothing amazing but still a perfectly acceptable comic as my good buddy X would say, I'll give this issue of Supergirl a 7/10 rating.

Supergirl: But there's something in his voice. Like he can only ever tell the truth. (Very different Superman from the one in Justice League then...)


Red Hood and The Outlaws #3

Things kick off with The Outlaws going after The All Caste, but first they have to give up their most cherished memories to the Protector known as S'aru, someone that's apparently four millenia old but looks like Aang The Avatar. Upon giving up their cherished memories, they enter a room that would make M.C. Escher dizzy. As they follow on the trail of the clan known as The Unwritten, we see the Protector looking at our crews memories, including Kori killing a slaver that was nice to her, Roy taking a beating from Killer Croc and trying to use Crock to kill him but getting a pep talk from him (boy was that odd...) and lastly, Jason's memory which involves him being too sick to go out on patrol, and surprisingly Bruce stays home with him and watches TV with a sick Jason. I liked that, it shows that deep down Jason does still care about Bruce and Bruce clearly cared about Jason. Meanwhile, The Outlaws run into a gigantic green monster that eats Starfire while Jason and Roy fight a futile battle, that is until Starfire fries her way out of the beasts stomach and escapes with Jason and Roy, as Jason grabs the clue that will lead him to the Unwritten, a snow globe that says Colorado. Upon leaving the chamber, S'aru returns the memories to Roy and Starfire, but Jason walks off and tells him to keep it as the issue ends. This issue was weird, some of it I thought was odd like Croc giving a pep talk, but the new background with Ollie and Roy I liked, the weird morals of Starfire adds more to her, and the stuff with Jason's memory involving Bruce and him not wanting it back made perfect sense for his character. I'll give this issue an 8/10 rating as well.

Arsenal: He's so gonna shoot that kid. You watch. (I swear I was thinking the same thing...)


Venom #9

We start things off with Venom desperately looking for Betty, all the while thinking about how his father's death hadn't set in yet and how he didn't want to be the one to have to tell his mother and sister. While searching Venom runs into a nut job in an impenetrable tank that's been robbing banks and running over people with no regard for anyone's safety. Venom tries to stop the tank but he can't, nor does he have time to save a woman and her son who are run over by the tank in front of his eyes. He snaps and the suit takes over and follows the tank to it's hideout and when the criminal steps out Venom attacks and bites the villains head off and spots it out before walking away. Later, Betty arrives home and Flash asks if she turned like he did, or so he claims, into a spider, but Betty says she locked herself into a utility closet and was safe until it was over. She then asks if Flash has told he mom but he says he can't do it. As he sits with Betty he mentions he never got to read his Dad's letter, but she says he had her take down a copy and the one Flash got was a cleaned up version, so she reads him the original draft of his father's not as Flash lies his head in Betty's lap and this issue comes to a close. Alright, I'll say it, Venom is the best series since Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run, each issue is great in it's own way and I love seeing Flash's scales of good and evil weighed in front of us. Rick Remender has done a remarkable job with Flash and making him my favorite Venom, a title which Eddie Brock held for quite a while. I'll give this issue a 9.5/10 rating.

Venom: BBEGG UUSSS..... (I love Venom, especially when his dialogue is like that.)


Deadpool #46

After surviving an airplane being crashed near him, Deadpool goes to get some Chimichangas and runs into Evil Deadpool. This of course leads to Deadpool running over Evil Deadpool with a garbage truck which doesn't work because Evil Deadpool somehow is in the passenger seat afterwards. What then ensues is so much hilarity that explaining it would besmirch all the work Dan Way has put into it, so I'll simply recommend you read it. Anyway, The hilarity comes to an end soon after, as does the issue, when Evil Deadpool leaves and Deadpool is confronted by Captain America! God I love funny comics, and that's what this was. This comic made me laugh all the way through and seeing Cap deal with two Deadpool's will be even more fun, I'll give this issue an 8/10 rating.

Deadpool: Dude! This was my all-time favorite place to go for chimichangas!
Evil Deadpool: Heh. Mine, too.
Deadpool: Then why'd you blow it up?!
Evil Deadpool: I dunno... just seemed like the evil thing to do. I guess.

Amazing Spider-Man #674

We start things off seeing someone fall from the sky wearing wings and we later see that the police force thinks it's related to people trying to jump and be like Spidey after Spider Island, except Carlie doesn't believe that. From there we see Spider-Man found by the Anti-Spider patrol unit, and he's found over a dead body, so they shoot first and ask questions later as Spidey escapes. We also see Kingpin has bought the blueprints to the Spider-Jammers from a mole in Horizon Labs, to which he can use to repel or contain Spider-Man. From there we see a bunch of people with wings flying around and robbing houses, obviously working for The Vulture....or Icarus. And after running into a wall on both fronts, Peter and Carlie decide to call a truce after their recent break up and work together on the case of the robberies and dying teens in wings. The issue ends soon after as we see The Teens in wings delivering the stuff they stole to the Vulture. Well... this issue of Spidey was a bit odd for me, it was good but I expected more and the Vulture reveal is obvious when you see the cover. But I guess this was a transitioning issue so I'll give it that, and this this issue a 7/10 rating.
The Vulture: I'm not getting any younger. (Ha! I get it...)


Morning Glories #14

We start things off with a weird flashback where a woman is watching someone she loves be tortured by having a ton of heavy rocks placed on a board that lays on him, saying all they need is her to speak for him to be released. We then cut over to seeing Ms. Hodge run into a room where she's met by Gribbs and Ms. Daramount. They discuss the Woodrun, all the while the sisters, Daramount and Hodge, take shots at one another. From there we cut over to Zoe going to her lock and the lock has been broken open, she opens the locker to see a "In Loving Memory" picture of the same girl she killed, and looks around wondering who knows that Zoe's the one that did it. We then see her walk off and bump into Hunter like in the last issue, but now it's from her point of view instead of his. After being told off by Hunter, Zoe goes to the restroom and sits in a stall, as two girls come in and talk about her, unknowing that Zoe's there. After hearing them insult her, and claim she "blew" or "stabbed" her way through the application process to get into the school. A crying Zoe wipes her face and storms out, alerting the girls of her presence before going to Ms. Hodge's office, but finding no one in there. After quickly cutting back to the flashback where the woman says she'll tell them whatever they want to know if they don't kill her...husband I'm guessing, we cut back to the present and we see Zoe walk up to Hunter during the Woodrun. She ignores the fact it was him who told her off and says they should be friends because she can help him out, and mentions being told off earlier by some asshole. Hm... I wonder what she's planning... Anyway, she quickly tells us as she hints that being a "highly wanted woman" there are advantages, like being able to flirt with a jock to have them beat up someone that pisses her off, so she advises Hunter that they should be friends, and friends often help out friends by cleaning up after them and doing their homework. Before Hunter can get away from his new best frenemy, he, Zoe and Jun are teamed up for the Woodrun. Hunter wants to escape during the Woodrun but Jun and Zoe don't plan on it, and Zoe wants to win, and says they'll her her because "That's what fucking friends are for." While we see the gang participating, we see the woman from earlier explaining what we see to her captors, and when she says everything went dark, it suddenly becomes night for the gang, but Zoe brushes it off as an eclipse, and doesn't want to go back, nor does she when it rains. We then see Miss Daramount freaking out, wondering where her sister is, obvious aware that Hodge has something to do with this. Daramount is then confronted by Gribbs who says she needs to go tell the Headmaster that she has lost all the children at the school! Wow... that was... a hell of an ending. Now I'm wondering where the kids are and how they'll return, as well as where Casey and Hodge are. I'll give this book a 9/10, only because I had so many questions about the flashbacks and got no answers, but Zoe was BAD ASS, her and Ike may be my favorites.

Zoe: Who wants to shake a hand with that much semen residue on it, right? (Lmao, BURN!)

And that's it for me everyone. You can't really do a condensed review for Morning Glories, hence the length but I doubt anyone minds. But I'm outta here, feel free to comment and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible, and be sure to vote on the weekly poll that finally makes it's return! So until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Teen Titans #3, Invincible #85, and Kick-Ass 2 #5

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ratings and Rantings featuring Green Lantern #3

Hey Todd Squad, Jason Todd here once again with those comic content comments you capriciously crave, that's right folks, I'm here once again and this week should be interesting. Still continuing on with my "Not for me by three"method if a book hasn't won me over by the third issue it joins the dropped list, currently leading the way is Detective Comics, so let's see if anything else joins the list today.


Batman and Robin #3

We start things off with Damian and Alfred playing chess, while Bruce as Batman improves the security perimeters of Wayne Mansion, due to his recent run in with Nobody a.k.a. the man he also knows as Morgan. He then goes out on patrol, but tells Damian that he isn't to come, as he needs to seem defenseless and doesn't want Damian in that position with him. He also tells Damian to name the dog he bought in the last issue, as he's a gift for Damian's recent self-control. Damian, seemingly ignoring all of that, decides to go out on his own, but Alfred manages to place a tracker on the Boy Wonder before he leaves. While on patrol, Robin stops a robbery and brutally beats the living hell out of the two robbers, including throwing one of their knives through the robber's hand. As Robin pummels the robber someone tells him to "finish him,, Damian. " to which Robin is confronted by Nobody. Nobody says that Damian is holding himself back for Bruce, and he looks down at the recently beaten the and says thanks to Damian's beating, the criminal is now brain-dead, so Nobody kills him. Damian tries to stop him but Nobody uses a pressure point to subdue the Boy Wonder then removes his mask. Suddenly, Batman arrives and faces off with Nobody, but Nobody uses an Ultrasound (not the kind for babies...) to incapacitate Batman long enough to lure him into the street where the Dark Knight is hit by a speeding car, man that scene was so unexpected. The issue ends soon after as Batman and Robin awaken strapped to the inside of an old car in front of a screen at a old drive in theater, as Nobody tels them to enjoy the show. I really enjoyed this issue, I like the stuff with the dog as it ties into future Batman events (Batman Beyond), I loved the Alfred/Robin interactions,  especially with the tracker, and I like how Nobody was portrayed here, he could be a great addition to Bats' rogues gallery. I'll give this issue of Batman and Robin a 9/10, and it's definitely safe from being dropped by me anytime soon.

Alfred: Did you know this chess set has been in the Wayne family for over 200 years?
Damian: That's almost as old as you, Alfred.


Green Lantern #3

This issue opens with Carol Ferris arriving home from her train wreck of a date with Hal Jordan, she answers her cellphone after turning down a picture of her and Hal together as someone tells her to turn on her TV to channel four. She turns and see's a super-powered Hal Jordan helping save the city with Sinestro and is shocked. From there we see Sinestro explaining why he wants to take down his former Corps, and mentioning how they went against what he told him and enslaved his home planet, and if Hal helps him defeat his former Corps, he'll give Hal his ring and they'll go separate ways.Hal agrees and the two head off to defeat the Sinestro Corps together. Before the attack, Sinestro tells Hal that after the sun sets on Korugar, Sinestro will head down and engage the entire Corps, meanwhile Hal is to take Sinestro's Green Lantern and put it in the Sinestro Corps battery, as a green lantern is the fail-safe for the rings. Pretty sneaky sis! The two head down to the planet and wait for sunset, until a woman named Arsona attacks a Sinestro Corps member that's about to eat another native of Korugar. Arsona is then attacked which causes Sinestro to jump into action to save her and fight the Corp, while Hal flies off to the Yellow Battery. Hal takes the lantern in the battery and it says "Green Lantern detected, Disintegration process initiated as Hal fucking DISINTEGRATES as the issue ends! Oh man that was epic, I know it won't last but the visual of that was awesome, so that plus the awesomeness of Sinestro gets this issue a 10/10.

Hal Jordan: Dammit, Sinestro! You set me up! (Then he was dust...)


Grifter #3

We kick things off with Grifter, Cole Cash, being confronted by his brother, Max Cash, as they hold one another at gunpoint with a helicopter hovering over them, even though I'm fairly sure there was n helicopter and the car Grifter was in was turned over in the last issue, but whatever. After a pretty boring argument full of vague comments, we cut over to see Cole's ex-girlfriend arriving outside of Gotham City. Who runs from crime and goes to Gotham City?! That's just dumb... I'd take my luck anywhere besides the place that's home to The Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Black Mask, Poison Ivy and the rest of those loons. She ends up getting caught by what I can only assume are the things after Cole. Meanwhile Cole and his brother's argument is interrupted by one of the Alien things, and during a fight, the Helicopter is knocked out of the air and falls and explodes on Cole's brother....okay then. When Cole's next line is "That was my brother!" I decided I was done with this comic and this series. I tried, but I can't even make myself care about this isue to finish the review, this issue gets an N/A and joins Detective Comics on the dreaded drop list.

Me: Um...check please!


Deathstroke #3

We start off with Deathstroke fighting some dude that's dumb enough to impale himself on Deathstroke's gigantic sword (that whole sentence sounded weird) and we then jump over to see Slade training and then talking with a man known as Peabody. He gives Peabody the briefcase and asks him if whatever is in it is real, and Peabody says he'll need a few days to find out, and Slade says fine. From there he discusses his target and we see Slade arrive in a gigantic suit that looks like the one Dexter used to play Dodgeball on Dexter's Lab back when I was a kid. Anyway, Deathstoke breaks into the lair of his target and kills a bunch of people, just like in the last two issues before he's confronted by a by in the same suit as the one from the beginning of the issue, and after a bit of a struggle, Deathstoke beheads him. As the issue comes to a close we see that Harmony's parents are the one's hiring people to go after Deathstroke. Meh, I couldn't get into this either. It seems like every issue is just Slade decapitating people, and there's no substance, which made this get old for me fast, I'll give this issue a 5/10 rating but I won't stick around for anymore.

Me: I bet twenty bucks he's gonna decap..yep, I was right.


Batgirl #3

We kick things off with Batgirl trying to save the people on the train that a bomb has been placed there by The Mirror. (This reboot has some lame villain names.) Haha, there's graffiti on the train that says "For a good time, call the Red Hood." Batgirl realizes she can't find the bomb so she singles out the man The Mirror is trying to kill and makes everyone else move to a different train car. She then hugs the intended victim and states that since The Mirror believes Batgirl is to die by falling, he won't kill her and the intended victim because that would dishonor his plans, but The Mirror says Batgirl has forgotten the guy who saved the intended victim is on another train and he also "cheated death" and with a push of a button he detonates his train, killing the good Samaritan as well as a bunch of innocents.We then see that the young woman who's partner was killed in now investigating Batgirl, as she believes Gordon has a blind spot when it comes to Bats. From there we see Batgirl steal her bike back from the GCPD impound lot when she's approached but Nightwing, who has been tailing her. The two leave on Babs' bike and talk alone, as Dick asks Babs if she wants to be back in her chair, considering they said her condition could deteriorate. She leg sweeps Dick and tells him to catch her and see if she's ready to be back, he eventually does catch her but Babs lashes out and attacks Dick, the two fight for a bit before he calms her down and says that he and Bruce aren't worried about her because they doubt her but because they love her. She apologizes and says she needs to take care of this alone, and Nightwing obliges and leaves Batgirl all alone as this issue comes to a close. This was a fine issue, nothing bad but nothing amazing either, although I did enjoy the swerve the Mirror pulled, this book is safe for now, I'll give it a 7.5/10.

Batgirl: You're a mess, you know.
Nightwing: Yeah. Fought this tough redhead chick. She beat the crap out of me.
Batgirl: She sounds wonderful.


Ultimate Spider-Man #4

We start where we left off in the last issue with the kids being told in the gym that Spider-Man had been shot, Miles has Ganke cover for him and sneaks out. Miles eventually makes his way to the fight and see's Peter take down Osborn before he dies on the lawn while talking to Aunt May, as we see Miles watching in the crowd. Miles walks over and asks a crying Gwen Stacy what his name was, and she replies Peter Parker as Miles looks over at the fallen Spider-Man. Back at his dorm, Miles tells Ganke this is all his fault, and if he'd used his powers earlier he could've helped Peter instead of sitting in his room being afraid of his dad and everything else. At Peter's funeral, Miles and Ganke make their way to the front of the barricade and Miles asks Gwen why he did it, she explains that he did it because of what happens with his uncle and with great power comes great responsibility. From that we see Miles trying to make his costume much like Peter did, when Ganke comes up and hands him a brand new Spider-Man Halloween costume. Haha, you gotta love that. After going out on patrol and clumsily defeating a villain as we read in a report via the Daily Bugle, they also refer to him wearing Spidey's costume being in bad taste. Back at his room, Miles and Ganke discuss what to do next and they almost get caught in the process, as Miles and Ganke's roommate almost catches Miles dressed up like Spidey. Afterwards, Miles is out on the town when he's suddenly kicked in the face by  Spider-Woman, who ends the issue by asking Miles "Who the @#$@ do you think you are??" Once again, I enjoyed this issue, I liked that Miles is slowly coming along and how Peter inspired him and how we're seeing a trial and error run with him, thins can only get better with Spider-Woman in the next issue. I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating.

Miles: I need to figure out the buzzing in my head thing. Head buzzing. Is it cancer? Did the spider give me? *BLAM face kick!*

And just  like that, that's it for me guys. I want to thank you all for reading and as always comments are appreciated. I want to let you guys know due to the number of books I'm grabbing, next week's reviews will be much more condensed, also, until I get my laptop back (still working on someone else's) there won't be any new polls, as  don't have the log in info to the site on my laptop and can't get the password sent to my email. But that's it for me guys, once again thanks for reading and until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood blogger-man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Batman #3, Catwoman #3, Justice League #3, Nightwing #3, Red Hood and the Outlaws #3, Supergirl #3, Morning Glories #14, Venom #9, Amazing Spider-Man #674, Deadpool #46, and Ultimate X-Men #3... Eleven Books, who am I, X-Man?!

List of Books I'll Drop Come December (Subject to Change)

1. Detective Comics
2. Grifter
3. Deathstroke

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Ratings and Rantings Featuring Uncanny X-Men #1

Hey Todd Squad, Jason Todd here with another edition of your FAVORITE comic content comments. This week I've only got six books but a few of them are game changers to say the least, so let's get started off by jumping into this month's issue of Detective Comics!


Detective Comics #3

We start off with a partially paralyzed Batman trying to escape after finding out the cut up Gordon in front of him, is not the real Jim Gordon. While trying to escape, Batman is attacked by a bunch of the Dollmaker's goons, and there was a very forced scene where each goon would compliment the other goon by name, which seems SO forced,  especially since these lesser characters don't matter.From there, Batman escapes and brings a goon with him to torture, he even calls him "Sunshine" which just seemed odd. After heading to the cave, Bruce using facial scanning to find out that The Doll Maker is Barton Mathis, the son of a man Gordon shot when he was younger. Because that makes SO much sense, we reboot everything then the first villain is someone that's the son of someone Gordon shot YEARS ago?! Anyway, Batman finds out where Gordon is thanks to Olivia, who apparently was working for the Dollmaker to lure Bats there. While going to save Gordon, Batman is caught from behind by a big Killer Croc look-a-like before being choked unconscious. Instead of... I don't know, unmasking him, they throw Bats in a room where he's attacked by a bunch of people who look like The Joker as this issue ends. Alright, I'll be dropping this comic. This month I'll be dropping any comics that haven't drawn me in yet, so this is number one on the list, and the list will be at the bottom of each post until this month concludes. Anyway, this issue gets a 4/10, I hated Bats talking out of character, I hated how he KNEW it was a trap but didn't get any back up whatsoever, and I hated the face that no one tried to unmask him, while he was paralyzed of unconscious, but as usual Tony Daniel's art was great.

Batman: Let's go shunshine, I've got Earl Grey tea brewing. (Okay.. I embellished some of that...)


Justice League International #3

We start things off with Booster distracting the first giant robot while Batman does recon mission on it, as the rest of the team seems to be doing the same thing. Ice and Rocket Red go below the sea in Russia to take on one of the giant robots, and this time was also used to plant some seeds of Rocket Red asking Fire out and asking Ice about Fire. While the teams are taking on the Robots, news breaks that a huge spaceship is over the Earth, which Guy Gardner overhears and says hat everyone is in over their heads, which is why they needed him. Over in Africa, Vixen and Fire bond while distracting and investigating their giant Robot, and the two seem to bond pretty well. Suddenly they're attacked by a bunch of underground people, who overcome Vixen and Fire,and knock them unconscious, causing Fire to turn back into her human form as well. And lastly, over in Canada we see General August in Iron a.k.a. General with Godiva, as he seems more annoyed than anything by her, but the two enter their underground cavern and are attacked by the underground men as well. There was an odd scene where Godiva was supposed to be in trouble and say help but for some reason they drew in General's head instead of hers, which should've been caught by someone... Anyway, General defeats the undergrounders and saves Godiva in the process, which leads to them starting to bond as well. One thing I like about Godiva is that she says this was basically going to be a P.R. stunt for her, which makes her the female Booster in a way, before Booster grew up anyway, which should be interesting. Back with Booster and Batman, Batman uses the underground set up to find out that they are being watched on a live feed, but eventually he and Booster are overcome by the number game. Guy Gardner reaches space and see's that the beams each Robot is sending into space is making a giant orb of light and he crashes his way into the ship. Guy goes to investigate but is suddenly knocked unconscious by a man only known as Peraxxus, as this issue comes to an end. I am really enjoying J.L.I., and this issue only added to the fact. I love the cast and how different most of them are, so I like seeing them interact, if anything I'd want to see more interactions and last fighting, which is odd but shows how good the cast and dialogue are. I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating.

Peraxxus: A Lantern. I expected more. You'll be one of my easier kills.


Invincible #84

We start things off by seeing a little good that has come with the destruction of Vegas, as they're now utilizing it's glass like surface with double sided solar panels which allows the panels to draw in double the solar energy, which causes a sad Invincible to state that Dinosaurus was right, before walking off. We then cut over to see Monster Girl telling Rex she's moving out, and that she didn't sleep with Bulletproof, but Rex says he doesn't care anymore. Well alrighty then. We then see Mark and Samantha talking about something very vague, I'd be lying if I said I knew what they were talking about, other than the fact it was vague and Samantha supports Mark. Next we see Invincible show up at the Pentagon, and he tries to get Dinosaurus to turn into Dinosaur form to save him, but since he turns due to indifference and not anger (shout out to The Hulk), Invincible starts telling him a very boring story about his life, which cause Dinosaurus to make an appearance. Invincible basically says that although his methods are extreme, Dinosaurus does have good ideas and wants to help people, so Invincible wants to work with him and with their combined ideas and powers, they can make a much bigger impact on the world. Dinosaurus accepts Invincible's offer and the two break out of the Pentagon, and head out to make a difference, even though this has resulted in Invincible becoming a fugitive. This was a fine issue, it seems as if we're getting back to the action instead of the slower pace this issue has taken since the Viltrumite War, so let's hope things heat up a bit, I'll give this issue a 7/10.

Every Man that read this: Monster Girl is pretty hot...


Amazing Spider-Man #573

We start things off with a bunch of naked people that used to be giant spiders, including Misty Knight *rawr*, Black Panther and Hawkeye. We also see Steve Rogers say he has something to do, and asks where the government issued Spider-Man went, so there's our segue into the next issue of Venom, which should be seven shades of awesome. We also see Kaine trying to sneak off using the Stealth Mode of the suit he borrowed from Peter, but he's caught by Madame Web, who wants to talk about his future. We also see Peter and MJ talking but he has to run off to see Aunt May who wants to make sure he's fine... that old woman annoys me so much. As Peter leaves we also see that he cured everyone except for MJ, who web-swings away. Interesting...I'm gonna love this. While seeing off Jay and May, Peter oversees Eddie Brock on TV with Reed Richards, hailed as the hero that helped cure the Spider-Infection, which is pretty awesome that Eddie finally gets to be a hero. As May and Jay leave, Peter is then confronted by Kaine, who says he's leaving the city and taking Peter's stealth suit, since Madame Web says he may need it. Also interesting... Peter finally arrives home and see's Carlie packing her things, she doesn't want to hear Pete's excuses and she says she knows he's Spider-Man, and she's been lied to by so many people but now he's on the list, so to show her some respect and say it. He tells her that he's Spider-Man and she says she knew because he knew how to use his powers, he didn't need a learning curve and he should've made more mistakes on purpose like when she taught him how to skate. She says whatever this is they have is now over, before leaving him standing alone in his apartment. Once again, interesting. Peter then goes to see Doctor Strange and asks how Carlie figured it out considering Strange's sell, but he cites that Peter introduced himself to the world while having his powers during Spider-Island, and while everyone won't remember he's Spidey, they can in fact learn he is once again. Goddamn this issue is setting up SO much, between MJ having powers, May and Jay leaving, Kaine leaving with the stealth suit, Cap after Venom, Brock as a hero, Carlie and Peter splitting, and now Pete's identity being able to be learned again, this is easily a year worth of storylines. Afterwards, Pete heads to Horizon Labs and asks Max if he has any of the cure left because Spidey sent him. Max gives Peter a cure and Peter changes to his Spidey threads and heads up to a rooftop where he's met by Madame Web, who says he has earned this and he can use the cure to have a normal life from now on, and a new Spider-Man, possibly Kaine, will take his spot on the web. Spidey said no, the vial of cure is for someone else, and Madame Web says okay and tells Spidey sorry for his upcoming loss. From there, Spider-Man goes to see Mary Jane and gives her the cure (booo) but she says it was fun while it lasted. He mentions to her that he and Carlie are over and that he's a bit disappointed that Eddie gets all the credit for saving the city but MJ tells him to look over at the Empire State Building, as it has lights shows Red and Blue over it, as the city shows their respect to Spidey for saving the day. I loved this issue, it set up so much while dealing with the Spider-Island fallout, and who knows, maybe the cure didn't work on MJ... haha, either way, I was a big fan of this event and this issue, I'll give this issue a 10/10 rating.

Clint Barton: Guys, we live in a world where the Hulk grows ten times his size and his pants stay on. Roll with it.


Uncanny X-Men #1

We started with a page that has pretty much all the major members of the team, along with their powers and real names as well as their code names, which is something Wolverine and The X-Men could've used. Anyway, we start off seeing Mr. Sinister kill some tourists before casually tapping his cane on the side of a big golden robot and making a portal. Next we see Cyclops address his new team, which he dubs the Extinction team. He says it's their job to save so many humans that people realize they are good guys, but Storm points out the obvious, besides herself, Hope and maybe Scott, everyone else on the team has at some point been, a super villain. Eventually, the team is needed and go to the giant statue that we saw Sinister at, as he has used his powers to turn the head of the statue into that of his own, because it's unnecessary yet awesome. Sinister says if Cyclops and his crew want to be heroes, he'll help them, as he attacks the team using the statue. Emma calls for backup as Namor arrives to help the team out, but a huge blast manages to subdue Colossus and even blasts off Emma's arm while in diamond form. Colossus then changes into The Juggernaut and is ready for round two. With the help of Danger, Magneto reconstructs the statue into just an ordinary statue in a pretty impressive maneuver. While trying to locate the head of the statue, they see that Sinister has landed it in the city, and effective turned everyone into versions of himself as this issue closes. I liked this issue, I had a few things I didn't like how odd Storm's face looked, but for the most part I enjoy the team, I enjoyed the story, and I enjoyed Mr. Sinister of course. I'll give this first issue an 8/10 rating and say that I'm very interested in the next issue, especially since things to come in the series shows what looks like Hope confronted by the Phoenix, and Namor making out with Emma Frost.

Hope: We get fancy chairs now? This is a new direction. Did we steal them from someone?
Namor: To sit in a seat so fine, Namor would take it from any man. (Lmao...Namor is crazy.)

And just like that, that's it for this week's Ratings and Rantings. Feel free to leave any comments as well as checking out the results of last week's poll. FYI, no new poll this week since I'm having problems with their website. So until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood blogger-man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Last week's poll asked "What character do you miss the most in the DC Reboot?"

Last place with 0% - Donna Troy, damn, poor poor Donna.
Third place with 11.1% - Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, I guess since she'll be back as Spoiler?
Second Place with 22.2% - Wally West as The Flash, I expected more.
Winner with 67.7% - Power Girl, after an awesome run by Judd, I can't express how much I miss Peej.


Next Week on Ratings an Rantings

Batgirl #3, Batman and Robin #3, Deathstroke #3, Grifter #3, Green Lantern #3, and Ultimate Spider-Man #4

List of Books I'll Drop Come December (Subject to Change)

1. Detective Comics

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Ratings and Rantings featuring Wolverine and The X-Men #1

Hey Todd Squad, Jason Todd here again with your favorite comic content comment. After a week of the awesomeness that is Batman: Arkham City, I'm back and ready to review six comics that I'm, hoping are damn good. Considering two are new series by Jason Aaron, two are Spider-Island related, one has Deadpool vs. Deadpool, and the other is issue two of the new Teen Titans, I'm expecting good things. So, enough yammering on, let's get underway with Deadpool!


Deadpool #45

This issue of Deadpool starts off with us seeing evil Deadpool hijack a jet to get from the U.K. to the USA, meanwhile Deadpool does the same, via stowing away on a ship. Evil Deadpool along the way lights a billionaire on fire and kicks him out of his own jet, which was as awesome as it sounds. Meanwhile, Deadpool's brain  questions why they hopped aboard a freighter instead of taking a plane back, which reveals that Deadpool picked that freighter to save a bunch of women that were basically kidnapped into slavery, which DP does. Up in the air, Evil Deadpool kills the pilot and co-pilot that he overhears talking about crashing the plane, then kills the flight attendant, before assuaging himself with pretzels. Once he makes it to New York with the girls he saved, Deadpool takes them to someone who can help them that owes him one. From there Deadpool heads to New Jersey but encounters a jumper on the way that wants to kill himself because he has cancer, and once he fidns out Deadpool also had cancer and kills people, he asks Deadpool to kill him. Over in Jersey, evil Deadpool arrives at a chimichanga place that Deadpool was headed to as his jet crashes not far behind him as the issue ends. This was an alright issue, I like that Deadpool is coming off more human and good and evil Deadpool clearly seems evil and heartless. I am curious to see those two interact, this was fun but nothing amazing. I'll give it a 7/10 rating.

Smuggled Woman: The men .. they have guns. Do you have gun?
Deadpool: Heh.. *flexes* Two of em baby. Boom.


Teen Titans #2

Yep, first page we get confirmation that Bart Allen IS in fact, Kid Flash, for anyone who was curious. We start off with Bart being held captive in a cell by someone an hour after his superhero debut. From there we see Tim and Cassie "Don't call me Wonder Girl" Sandsmark (with a snarky new attitude that I love) trying to figure out what to do about NOWHERE as Cass allows Tim to stay the night on her couch, and interestingly enough, Tim wears no costume around Cass but won't tell her his name because he doesn't want to compromise other people he works with....even though Bruce and his cohorts are always on the news. Either way, she thanks Tim and says he's a good guy for helping her out today, as we see Tim is a bit disappointed with that comment, as clearly he wants to be more than a good friend, if you catch my drift. Next we see Superboy in a pod, studying Cassie's movements from when NOWHERE attacked her and Tim, since he's been tasked with bringing her in. In the morning, Tim watches an online report about a bug woman named Skitter, so he goes to investigate and quickly finds out that she's a twin sister of one of the people who reported seeing her, so he questions her and finds out that she's worried about her sister and mentioned her to the government people that asked about her, obviously being NOWHERE. Red Robin goes after this Skitter girl so he can reach her before NOWHERE and runs into some of their thugs on the way. After fighting the goons, Tim finds Skitter, but she seems to no longer be in control as she attacks Red Robin. Red Robin tries to talk her down but she lunges at Red Robin, luckily Cassie comes in and decks her with an instant knockout, before telling Tim that saving metahumans isn't her job and to lose her number, she was just paying him back for saving her. Yep, she looked back at him too, there's definitely something between those two. Red Robin meanwhile picks up Skitter and wonders what he's going to do next. Next we see some guards dumb enough to deactivate the force field on Kid Flash's cell, so he quickly betas them up and escapes, but on the way out he encounters a cell that says Solstice, he peeks in and see's her falling to her knees in pain as she's covered with some kind of black smoke. Awesome ending, I didn't like Solstice but seeing her here like that was interesting, I'm liking the stuff with Tim and Cass, and this new version of Cass may be my favorite rebooted character. Also, Bart came off more likable and intelligent here than the first issue, and SB while he was seen shortly was also impactful as he studied Cass. In short, I really enjoyed this issue, if there's anything I didn't like it would be the fact it wasn't a bit longer, I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating, hell between this and Red Hood I'm quickly becoming a fan of Scott Lobdell.

Red Robin: You followed me?
Cassie: Like you didn't recognize my ass in the clothing store? Right. (I love snarky Cassie, reminds me of Jason a bit.)


The Incredible Hulk #1

We start things off seeing The Hulk underground as he defeats a bunch of gigantic beasts before dragging them back for the underground community that he is clearly the savior of. He often brings them food and as they feast, Hulk sits alone, waiting for the attackers from above ground that he's positive will come, but the eldest member of the community says that Hulk should come and be with them, after all, he came to find peace and now he should enjoy it. As Hulk finally goes to enjoy the community and their festivities, we see a tiny robot that reports that Hulk's identity was confirmed and the move in. Some people in robot suits try to apprehend Hulk but he fights them until one removes her armor, a woman by the name Amanda Von Doom. (She claims no relation to Victor.) She says they came in attacking so Hulk would take them seriously and it's not him they have a problem with, their problem is with Bruce Banner. From there we see two man-sized, talking Boars, as they are grabbing a bunch of animals and dragging them back to Banner, who seems to be trying to replicate the formula that created The Hulk by testing it on animals. This was a fine issue, it was fast and I can't say I'm all that invested in it. I'll probably give this first arc a try and see how things go from there, but I'll give this issue a 7/10 rating.

Amanda Von Doom: It's Banner. Something has to be done about about Banner.


Venom #8

We start things off with Flash leaving Betty in the hospital room with his gun, since he's being called for another Agent Venom mission, this time to eliminate The Queen. Throughout the issue, we see text from a note that Flash's dad left just in case Flash didn't make it in time, which is a good touch, as Flash's dad states that Flash should definitely marry Betty, and if he doesn't it will be the great mistake of his life. As we see Agent Venom try to assassinate The Queen, she stops him and the two face off in hand-to-hand combat. The Queen actually owns Flash, which isn't surprising considering her past, and screeches at him which causes him to lose the Venom suit temporarily. Flash is saved by one of The Queens fed-up subjects that attacks her, which causes a distraction for Flash to grab the symbiote and try to bond with it, but he leaves his dad's touching letter behind before getting to read it, and it burns up in fire. Damn, I'm really disappointed Flash never got to see that letter. Flash tries to get the symbiote to merge with him but it's still a bit shell-shocked, and Flash is bitten by a giant man spider, but is able to get the symbiote to fully form so he can be Agent Venom again. Once The Queen goes looking for Flash, he attacks her once again, but she overtakes Flash once more, and beats him senseless, until he's saved by none other than Steve Rogers, Captain America! Cap and The Queen fight and it seems she has the upper hand due to her getting extra power in ASM #671, but suddenly The Queen is killed by Flash, when he jams Cap's shield into her back. The issue ends as a giant cocoon is formed oevr the Spider-Queen, and the formerly hot vixen is now transformed into a gigantic Spider, as Cap and Venom stand side by side, ready for round two. This was a really good issue, I liked seeing Cap appear, I enjoyed the stuff with Flash's dad's note. The only thing that bothered me was the fact Flash never got to see it, which makes sense, but I think he needed that closure, either way this was a great issue, I'll give it a 9/10 rating.

Captain America: Soldier? You still with me?
Agent Venom: Always.


Amazing Spider-Man #673

We pick up where we left off in Venom with Venom and Rogers getting ready to take on the new and scarier Spider-Queen. Meanwhile we see Peter and Kaine together as Pete has Kaine dress up as Spider-Man just in case anyone questions those two being the same person I guess. Suddenly, Mary Jane shows up at Horizon Labs with a bunch of people that had been cured by Anti-Venom. Reed Richards tells her the reason she's yet to turn into a giant Spider is because the process was slowed due to her being around Peter so much, haha. Peter and Kaine head off (Kaine wearing Pete's Sonic suit) to face the Spider-Queen, as do The X-Men, Venom, Cap and the Avengers. So yep, if someone else were to start trouble on the other side of America, they'd get away. Spidey and Kaine attack the Spider-Queen and Spidey is knocked back, but caught by The Amazing Spider-Model, Mary Jane Watson. Spidey wants to quit since he knows his powers won't make much of an impact, but MJ suggests he build something, and Spidey says "Like what, a spider-slayer?" before finally understanding what Smythe meant. Spidey and MJ go to the precinct and find a box of Doc Ock's octobots and heads with MJ to a large antenna so he can control them. He uses the Octobots to get the cure and then bite infected people, which cures them by the thousands and causes the Spider-Queen to weaken. Kaine and Ms. Marvel take advantage of this to do a move that she and Spidey have, as she spins Kaine with his webs and shoots him at the Spider-Queen, and Kaine uses his blades to stab through the throat of the Spider-Queen as Madame Web remarks that it was Kaine she saw in her vision, crossing the line that Peter wouldn't cross. The issue comes to a close as Spidey and MJ look down over New York together, having helped save the city and the world. I enjoyed Spider-Island, I enjoyed everything it built to, and I'm wondering what the aftermath will lead to, also, Peter/Carlie/MJ love triangle? I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating as well.

Peter: Just hanging with my pal, Spidey. Say something.
Kaine: Um. Wallopin' web-snappers.


Wolverine and The X-Men #1

We start off with Wolverine and Professor Xavier talking about the school opening and all that comes with running the school, which was fun to see. From there we see the inspectors come to look over the school, as Wolverine and Kitty, the Headmaster and Headmistress show them around. The snooty inspectors seem to be jerks as they comment offhandedly while seeing classes being run by Husk and Rachel Grey.  From there we see more of the same until the inspectors finally meet up with Hank, who Logan and Kitty believe can make them change their minds about the facility. Unfortunately, Hank is too busy trying to fix the school up so he's vulgar and very uncaring, which seemed very out of character. From there, Wolverine is told someone is asking for him, so he heads to the gate and meets Kade Kilgore, who for some reason looks 16 instead of like a kid. He basically says he was to blame for the schism and everything else and he plans to ruin Wolverine and everything he's started. This pisses Wolverine off and as he heads back to the school, he's told the school will be shut down for being too dangerous, and at that moment the school is...attacked by the ground or something. Well, I'm done with this series... I loved Schism but I never got into this, a lot of people seemed out of character, Wolverine smiles WAY too much, I get that he was putting on an act for the people but still, and the art just seemed off to me. I'll give this a 4/10 rating and state that after this I make no regrets in choosing Team Cyclops.

Wolverine: Call Scott. See if he's rented out our old rooms yet.

And that's it for this week's Ratings and Rantings everyone, thanks for reading and as always, comments are appreciated and mandatory! :P And be sure to vote on this week's newest poll as well as check out last week's poll results. Until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Last week's poll asked "Two months in, how do you feel about the DCnU?"
Last place with 27.3% - Tie between "It's okay" and "When is the old DCU coming back" (I'm shocked...)

Winner with 45.5% - I love it more than the old DCU.... This is the most surprised I've been about a poll.





Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Detective Comics #3, Justice League international #3, Uncanny X-Men #1, Amazing Spider-Man #673, and Invincible #84