Review A Few

Hey everyone, Jason Todd here as usual, it is my comic spot anyway. Once again here with a review a few. Today I'll jump into Blackest Night 7, read about our favorite Green...er, um, I guess Black Archer, catch up with Static and The Teen Titans in Dakota and see what our favorite Sirens are up to. And finally finish up with the Flash Rebirth, which literally took nine months. (Badum-Tsh!) So, now that my bad attempts at comedy are done, lets get right to it, starting off with Gotham City Sirens.

Gotham City Sirens #09

What can I say about Sirens? Well, I guess I could go the obvious route. Riddle me This, what happens when you take a Cat burglar, a Harlequin, an Eco-Terrorist and a former villain playing detective? You get this issue of Gotham City Sirens. Basically our Sirens witness a murder and turn to Edward Nigma for a little help to figure out who the murderer may be. This takes place after our former Riddler was blasted in the face by a bomb so we really don't know where he stands. Is he still on the up and up or is he going back to his villainous ways? I will say I liked alot of aspects of this comic, like the fact that it was shown in a "Pulp Fiction" like style with interconnecting stories. I've always been a big fan of that but some things irked me. The fact that our big reveal was a D-List villain I don't think I've ever even heard of definitely hurt the story in my eyes but for what it was I did like it. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to the next issue of Sirens but this one gets a 6.5/10.

Harley Quinn: Once dressed, I launched into a three-hour battle with Red Master, Lady Cataclysm, and Killobot 7!

Edward Nigma: Hang on, I've been out of the villain world for a while, who are those hoods? Are they part of a team? What are their powers?

Harley Quinn: Oh, Their just guys I usually fight online with, usually about Movies or TV.

Teen Titans #80

Um....Okay. Well this comic was, very bad. I never got into it, it jumps from a fight to just being very boring. I felt like I was watching a show that has filler episodes between the fights of people just talking about random nonsense. Then you have Static who doesn't trust Holocaust for the ENTIRE comic, then trusts him, then doesn't. Like...what? Why was that even in there. Also, the stuff with the Teen Titans annoyed me even more. We get it, Gar wants to be in charge, Cassie is in charge. Okay, that's enough. It's just overkill at this point. I'm not even interested in the next issue and it ended with a cliffhanger. And Lastly, what the hell was up with that art work? One second Gar looks human, next second he looks like some type of alien hybrid. Why does he look like he's 16 still? Anyway, I'll give this issue of Teen Titans a 4/10. Maybe it's Harsh but it's generous in my book.

Holocaust: I got the check.

Static: I'll pay my own way. Don't want you thinking this is a date.

The Flash Rebirth #6 of 6

There's not much to say about this comic. We all pretty much knew how it ended thanks to Blackest night but for what it was, and how it ended the story I can't complain. It was a good read and it kept me interested, and I'm not the biggest Barry Allen fan or anything but I can say I thoroghly enjoyed it. This Mini may have lasted forever but it brought back Barry and Max Mercury. What I really loved about this issue is the bomb dropped by Thawne about one of Wally's kids. That was just awesome. I'm gonna go ahead and guess it's the boy, I think his name is Jai. I'm sure it's him since it looks like he just got screwed over by the Speedforce. I liked the mini-series though and I can't wait for the first issue of the upcoming Flash series. I give the final issue of Flash Rebirth a solid 8/10.

Reverse Flash: When they get older, one of your children is going to destroy your life.

Black Lantern Green Arrow #30

I love how this is BL Green Arrow #30 like there's 29 other issues somewhere. Anyway, I love this cover, it's such a great switch of the classic GL/GA cover. Man I could talk about how awesome this is for hours so lets move on to the actual comic. That being said, I was gonna complain about how dated this is, I mean they showed the part where Hal and Barry ran away from the Black Rings and that was so long go, but honestly I don't even care. I LOVE Black Lantern Ollie. He's such an asshole I can't even hate the guy. The things he said to Dinah, Mia and Connor were so brutal they even made me feel bad. The whole Ollie sharing his memories with arrows was kinda weird...I wish they explained how the hell he could do that but I'll chalk it up to Black Lantern powers. The artwork was phenomenal and helped the story, but whoever drew Dinah must have gotten her confused with Power Girl because they made Canary REALLY top heavy, not that Ollie's complaining. But really, I loved this comic. Sure it's the basic Blackest Night tie in but being a big fan of everyone involved really helped my like this comic, I'd say it's a great addition to Blackest Night and probably my favorite of all the one issue tie-ins. I gotta give this a 9/10, there were a few things I didn't care for that I mentioned but for the most part I really loved this issue. Also, anyone find it weird that he was more worried about Hal than he was with Dinah? 

Black Canary: You're lying. You're not even Ollie.

Black Lantern Green Arrow: Don't you mean that you know I AM Ollie BECAUSE I'm Lying?

Blackest Night #7

And last but not least, the main event of the week, Blackest Night 7. Wow...who the hell saw THAT coming. Not the corps thing, we all saw that, but the last page was just too awesome for words and I don't know what to say about that. Couple that with Scarecrow's rant, the huge battle with Guy, and the rest of the color corps in space and Lex Luthor stealing the show with his new obsession and I think we see why Geoff is one of the best writers in the business. With one month of Blackest Night left things have definitely heated up even more and I for one can't wait for the final issue. Some things did confuse me but I'm sure those will get explained next week. Blackest Night's main books continue to be something worth checking out and I can only hope the upcoming following arc to Blackest Night is as good as this is. But anyway, I give Blackest Night 7 a solid 9/10 and here's hoping the final issue finishes just as strong as it started.

Lex Luthor (in The Lasso of Truth): The T-Truth is, what i really want... is to be Superman.

Wonder Woman: Of course, you do.

So, I think we had some pretty awesome comics from the DC home front this week. I didn't regret reading any of them so that's always a good sign. Expect some other stuff within the next week since there won't be a Review a Few because there's absolutely nothing that interests me enough coming out this week to pick it up. Also, next week's comic day just happens to be a certain Falisha Ann's birthday. :) So feel free to wish her a Happy Birthday and check our her wonderful art blog. That's all for now, so until next time, You've just been gobsmacked!

- Jason Todd

Taking A Look: Under The Red Hood

Hey everyone, Jason Todd here with some big news in my opinion. But first, just letting you guys know I picked up a few comics today so expect a Review a Few tomorrow or Saturday, because I'll be busy Friday. For those wondering I picked up Blackest Night 7, Black Lantern Green Arrow, Teen Titans #80,  Flash Rebirth #6 FINALLY, and Gotham City Sirens #09. Really looking forward to the Blackest Night stuff and finishing Flash Rebirth, and Sirens and Titans should be cool.

Now back to the title of this article. As most of you know I'm a huge Jason Todd fan, hence the name. I've blogged about how I think he's been misused a lot, from when he was killed and then he was used pretty awesome after his return but once Bruce "died" he was made a C-List villain and someone no one has taken seriously. The fact that most casual fans don't even know who Jason Todd is, only knowing Dick Grayson and some knowing Timothy Drake, I've always felt like Jason doesn't get respect. Hell he's looked at as being the one time Batman couldn't get there in time to save someone he cares about since donning the cape and cowl. So Jason deserves respect. And he's finally going to get it.

In the release of JLA Crisis On Two Earths (In stores now), we are treated with a preview of the upcoming Batman: Under The Red Hood animated movie. It's based on Judd Winick's graphic novel and it will feature things about Jason's past including his beating by The Joker with a crowbar and being blown up. Apparently it will feature his return, as well as the Lazarus Pits as Ra's Al Ghul has been confirmed to appear as well. It even will feature the showdown between Batman and Jason with Joker in the middle right before Bludhaven was blown up by Chemo. Oh and did I mention it also features the Animated Debut of Black Mask? So without further adieu I present to you guys, a preview of Under The Red Hood.





For those that don't feel like watching the entire video, I believe around the two minute mark of the second video you can hear a little of the voice over work. I'm really looking forward to this, we have Bruce Greenwood as Batman. I don't know a lot about him but having heard some of his work Batman I will say that if we couldn't have Kevin Conroy who is the voice of Batman, then he's a damn good second. He gets my vote for a great job. Jensen Ackles (of CW's Supernatural and Jason Teague of Season 4 of Smallville)  as Jason Todd/Red Hood was a great choice. Having seen him play both joking roles and serious roles I know he can give Jason some well needed clarity with his voice. And with the always entertaining Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing and John Dimaggio (Bender of Futurama) as The Joker I'm interested in seeing how he does as the Clown Prince of Crime. Also, Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy of the Harry Potter films) will play Ra's Al Ghul so that alone should be worth the price of admission.

All in all, it's still early to tell but I'm really looking forward to this animated movie. I'm hoping this is the first step to introducing Jason Todd to the non comic reading fans and also redeeming him in the eyes of many fans. Hopefully this is everything I hope so and I'll be reviewing it the second I get a chance to see it. I'm also interested to see what you guys think about it and also what other comic storyline's you guys think would make awesome animated movies. Until next time, you've been gobsmacked by The Red Hood. :P

- Jason Todd

Quick Update

Just a quick update guys. I was gonna post a review over the weekend but I was working on a Spec Script. Basically for those of you who don't know a Spec Script is basically a fan made script of an already existing show. I'm trying to become a comedy writer so basically I gotta make a Spec Script and pass it around as my resume of sorts. Mine is on The Office for anyone who cares lol. So I've been working on that over the weekend, then I ended up getting a horrible head ache Sunday so I tried to stay off the computer for the most part. Just letting you guys know I'll have my reviews up tomorrow on Thursday for all the comics that drop tomorrow, looking forward to them, especially Blackest Night 7. And I'll try to get a movie review up as well this week, Todd's Honor. ;-) But just wanted to keep ya guys in the loop. Stay tuned for more of my wackyness at JTCS.

- Jason Todd

Review a Few!!!

Hola Senor's and Senorita's, Jason Todd here with another edition of Review A Few. We got a packed week as I actually pulled in 7 comics that I'm currently keeping up with, so you guys know the deal. Quick overview of my thoughts and whatnot, and of course the world famous "Line of The Issue" will be in light blue. So, let's do it!

Batman #696

Continuing Tony Daniel's current Batman run is this month's issue of Batman, picking up where it left off in #695. Before I say anything let me just say, whoever told Tony Daniel that people talked this way should be smacked. "That be it, baby." Really? Come on now. Plus Damian saying "Epic Fail!" was one of the moments that reminded me why I hate him so much. So, basically B-Man falls victim to a little plot cooked up by Jervis "The Mad Hatter" Tetch and The Penguin. What we do learn in this isse is that Dick Knows who Black Mask is, and we'll find out next week. Sadly I already KNOW who it is because they made it obvious as hell. I mean..come on now. Reading that page they TELL YOU who it is. Anyway, I didn't care for the layout of the story, there was too much jumping around Chris Yost style. I'll give this a 4/10 just for establishing that the next issue will show who Black Mask is.

Dick Grayson: My head feels like it's dancing inside a bag of rocks...but I can think again. Clear enough at least... to know who the Black Mask is.

Green Lantern Corps #45

GLC Corps last left us with a raging roid like Red Lantern Guy Gardner vs. pretty much the entire Green Lantern Corps. I just wanna say that words can not express the awesomeness of seeing the good and bad moments of Guy's life. That page alone definitely bumped the score, and even more so seeing him get punched by The Dark Knight. But besides all that, this was a great issue. I was surprised at how the ending came about but I kinda saw it coming. I will say that Green Lantern Corps has really renewed my interest in guys like John, Kyle and Guy. That being said, this issue was very well done, I loved the artwork and Peter Tomasi can write a damn good story, so I give GLC a 9/10. It was a good story but I can't justify giving it higher than that.

Kyle Rayner: How many people that I care about do I need to lose before enough is enough?!? HOW MANY?!?

Blackest Night Flash #3

Damn this issue starts out gruesome. I was having doubts then like seconds later I was hooked. Once again I gotta say I love Wally's new suit and I think it looks better than Barry's to be honest. Anywho, um...really hate the fact that this came out before Flash Rebirth #6 because they ruined the ending. Also, Blackest Night apparently takes place one week after, which I couldn't tell because Blackest Night has been going on damn near as long as Flash Rebirth. Also the fact that Black Lantern Bart thinks Wally wants to be Kid Flash again is just incredibly stupid. He's a grown damn man! Also, man...the return of one person and the death of another, this comic has it all. 9/10 a definite must read for Flash fans.

Trickster: Think you can melt them?

Heatwave: Trust me kid. EVERYTHING has a melting point.

Justice League of America #43

In the last JLA issue we saw Donna Troy and a few other former Teen Titans teaming up with Hal Jordan and trying to convince Oliver Queen to join their incarnation of the Justice League. This picks up with our J. Leaguer's Hal Jordan, Donna Troy, Dick "Batman" Grayson and Starfire taking on Atlas. I loved the opening bit here with everyone's inner monologues somewhat gelling together. Other than that and the character interactions there isn't alot to this comic. The storyline kinda confused me and I didn't care for it much, but it's only the second issue with the new JLA so I'll endure, I'll give this a 6.5/10.

Batman: Now You, Green Lantern!

Batman inner monologue: Weird giving an order to Hal.

Hal's inner monologue: Weird taking an order from Dick.

Streets of Gotham #9

Well, this was a nice little story but honestly I'm looking for the Zsasz story to pick back up. That had alot of action, this has Damien on the cover yet he isn't even in it, and stuff like that just annoys me. Anyway like I said I did like this story, a nice mystery whodunnit type story but that's all it was. Nothing stood out and I'll probably forget it by tomorrow so that's why I can't really rate it higher than a 5/10. Wish I could but it was a very forgettable story. Now lets get Zsasz back into the book and follow up that storyline. 

Gordon: I think I'll get a drink of water and leave you two alone.

Batman: Take your time. Grab yourself a danish.

Scared Thug: NO! No. Stay....

Green Lantern #51

This comic starts off with Lex arguing with Larfleeze over the Orange rings. Just pure awesome. Also I have to mention the art is just fantastic, some of the best damn comic work I've seen to be honest. Okay now this isn't a spoiler in the sense of ruining anything storyline wise but, Dude....Parallax...RIPPED SPECTRE'S FACE OFF. That alone bumped this up to at least an 8 before I could finish reading it. Awesome comic though, I mean I've never seen so many characters utilized so well until Blackest Night came along, everyone gets their time to shine and this definitely kept me hyped for Blackest Night #7. Most people have grown tired on Blackest Night but so far I'm still loving it. I give Green Lantern #51 a solid 10/10, two issues in a row.

Lex Luthor: The Lives an Orange Lantern takes becomes his soldiers. MY Lanterns, and Superman will be one of them. HE WILL BE MINE!

Great Review a Few, I was pleasantly pleased with a few of these comics and can't wait until next week for my newer batch of comics. Blackest Night once again reigns supreme and delivers great stories. As always I appreciate comments and opinions, and expect a review later this week on an animated movie. Until next time, keep it real, because You've just been Gobsmacked!

- Jason Todd


Edit: Update for all my fellow DC Fans as reported from DCU.Blog.DCComics.com
 

Jim Lee and Dan DiDio Named Co-Publishers DC Comics

Geoff Johns to Serve as Chief Creative Officer

John Rood Named EVP, Sales, Marketing and Business Development
Patrick Caldon Named EVP, Finance and Administration

Huge news. Gotta say, I'm very glad to see Geoff and Jim getting bumped up in the DC World, as one of my favorite artists and wone of my favorite writers I'm loving this news. Couldn't have happened to two more talented guys, and here's hoping they thrive in their new jobs.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD Review

Hey everyone, so I came across this online and decided to check it out. As some of you may remember I reviewed the comic form of this written by Grant Morrison a few weeks ago, and gave that version of it a 1/10. So it wasn't very good from my standpoint. I said I was looking forward to this and hoping that I'd be a little happier with this version. So today I'll let you guys know the basic premise and what I liked and disliked about this animated movie. So lets jump into my review of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, written by Dwayne McDuffie and based on JLA: Earth 2 by Grant Morrison.

Like JLA: Earth 2 this film was about Alexander Luthor of Earth 2 coming to our Earth to get help from the JLA to face the Crime Syndicate of Amerika back on his home world. Unlike the comic version where Martian Manhunter and Aquaman stayed to watch over Earth, Batman stayed and Manhunter joined Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern in helping Alexander Luthor. The difference between this and the comic is more fight scenes of course, and something we didn't get in the comic, which was the big fight between the counterparts. Superman/Ultraman, Wonder Woman/Superwoman, Green Lantern/Power Ring and so on.

Likes

The Voice Acting: Some of the voice acting in the movie is just wonderful. Gina Torres damn near stole the show as Superwoman. She's not a novice to Voice acting for comics as she voiced Vixen on Justice League Unlimited. Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Mark Harmon as Superman and The Great James Woods as Owlman also were standouts of this animated film. Nolan North (voice of Nathan Drake of Uncharted) as Green Lantern and Josh Keaton (Peter Parker on Spectacular Spiderman) as The Flash were so great in their roles I wouldn't mind if they took those roles permanently. 

The Story: The story was much better than the original comic that Grant wrote. In Grant's it just seemed like a big confusing story, in This version some villains had ulterior motives, some were closet heroes, and one character even tries to blow up the entire Multiverse. Now that adds depth to the characters.

Guest Appearances: This was chock full of extra appearances. While on our original earth we saw apearances by Aquaman, Firestorm, Black Canary, Black Lightning (with his bald haircut and jumpsuit), and Red Tornado. While on Earth 2 we saw an alternate Oliver Queen as Red Arrow, an alternate Black Canary with short hair, Black Lightning with his afro and bell bottoms, and a super buff Jimmy Olsen. Oh and did I mention the President is a reformed Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson, and his daughter Rose "Ravager" Wilson is a free speaking liberal? Man that alone is worth watching. And you won't believe which JLA'er she falls in love with.

Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet: Finally someone explained how she got it. That was a great moment of the film, also when Flash asked "Why do you need a jet, you can fly!" and Green Lantern replies "You drive a car, don't you?" That was a pretty funny moment I'm glad they added in.

Dislikes

The Voice Acting: I know you're like what? I thought you liked that. Well some of the voices were great, some were horrible. Whoever felt the need to cast William Baldwin as Batman should be slapped twice. At this point it's Conroy or no one. Kevin sadly won't live forever, but while he is alive he should ALWAYS be Batman. Simple as that. That ruined alot for me.

Batman/Owlman: This....is where the straw broke the Camels back. Firstly, Batman has been shown to always have a plan to last if not defeat anyone. Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman. He has a plan for them all, yet he manages to get his ass whooped not once, not twice but FOUR TIMES IN THIS ONE FILM! I mean... I know he's Human, but I mean he even got beat up by Owlman. Their basically the same person, no way he should clean Bruce's clock like he did. Also, Batman who gets beat up a ton is apparently not equal to Owlman who when tying up with Wonder Woman she has to struggle to over power him. Wonder Woman is almost as strong as Superman...yet she has to struggle to over power Owlman, but Superwoman whooped Batman up with ease. Stuff like that just bothers me.

The Ending: Man I hated the ending. We all know that no amount of Marines or nuclear weapons can stop Superman. Son if Ultraman has already destroyed all the blue Kryptonite which is his weakness, and he's invulnerable to nuclear weapons, then why the hell would he just give up just because they threaten him with Marines and nuclear weapons. That's just dumb. It seemed like something they threw in at the last second for a happy ending.

Final Rating: This is better than JLA: Earth 2. I'll admit that. It's not all great though. Batman being treated like a rookie and voiced by someone who clearly shouldn't voice him is annoying. Gina Torres is wonderful as Ultrawoman and the fight scene between her and Wonder Woman is fantastic. All in all, this is a good watch but not worth going out of your way. I've seen better like the Wonder Woman and Superman/Batman Public Enemies, but I'm sure there's much worse. But I'd give Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths a 6/10.

Also, I just wanna wish everyone, especially my beautiful girlfriend Falisha a Happy Valentine's Day. Thanks to everyone for reading, as always comments are appreciated. So thanks again for checking out JTCS, You've just been Gobsmacked! (Still trying out Send off lines)

- Jason Todd

Review a Few

Review a Few, Man that's all i do now. I'm gonna try to do more frequent posts but basically I've been running low on topics. Anyway there's alot of things coming in this review, so if you're X-Man and you're not caught up :P then feel free to skim, I doubt I'll ruin anything. Other readers like Falisha, Nagash, and Marc feel free to do your thang, read, comment, agree, disagree, whatever. My blog is your blog. So, let's dive head first into reviews with Titans.

Titans #22

This is the supposed last issue of Titans featuring the line up it started with. When Titans started we had Nightwing, Wally West, Roy Harper, Donna Troy, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy. Man alot can change in twenty-two issues. So with the two remaining members of the Titans, we're left with the close of a chapter and the beginning of another. Now, onto the actual comic. I....don't know what to rate this. I mean...nothing happened at all, then they dropped the bomb on us that all this takes place BEFORE Blackest Night. So...like...why even read it?! I already knew who was joining the JLA, I already knew the stuff about Roy...so...why was this even written? Um...Yeah this sucked big time, I'll be generous and give it a 2/10. That's me being generous...

Cyborg: You've been leader here a few weeks and you already want a secret handshake? What are you, five?

Beast Boy: Sure. But it's dog years so it works out perfectly.

Batgirl #7

This comic....was awesome. I mean, I have no other words for it. Batgirl continues to be one of my favorite series. The art is always great, there's consistent action, comedy, and this is one of the few comics where Dick Grayson as Batman when shown still shines through as Dick Grayson. Plus it's made me like Damian somewhat, and I thought that was impossible. Great as always, I hope the trend continues, plus the next issue is synced up with Red Robin so apparently we'll get an appearance from Timothy Drake, so maybe he'll be written well for the first time in a while. Batgirl #7 gets a 9/10.

Damian: I'm only breaking the non-lethal rule if I maim the REAL Riot, correct?

Adventure Comics #7

Adventure Comics #7 starring Black Lantern Superboy. That title just sounds awesome. And the comic is...This one comic, is better than the other six that were written by Geoff Johns. Now I know that sounds crazy but this comic was SO action packed. I learned a ton of things about SB I didn't know and I feel like I like him more than ever. This comic was great, from cover to cover. I have no complaints at all, and I'm positive this along with Green Lantern #50 are two of the best things about Blackest Night that's not in one of the main books. Perfect 10/10.

Black Lantern Superboy: You know sometimes when I'm alone it's not even you I think about. It's Kara. Sure, she's technically my cousin, but does that even count to a clone?

So yeah, the few ended up being three comics but I'd rather it be this way with two comics rating really high. Next week's review is gonna be alot bigger considering there's Batman #696, Streets of Gotham #9,  Blackest Night Flash #3, Green Lantern #51, Green Lantern Corps #45, JLA #42 and

Superman/Batman #69. So, until next time guys, feel free to comment and I'll catch you guys later. And That's the bottom line....cause J. Todd said so! (I'm trying out new send off lines.) 

- J. Todd