Thursday, April 8, 2010

Ratings and Rantings

Hey everyone, the incomparable Jason Todd is here for this week's edition of Ratings and Rantings. Once again this week I'll be reviewing only DC Comics (which most of my readers read anyway) because there was no Deadpool to review so no Marvel comics this week. I could review the Deadpool Corps but sadly my comic shop didn't have it on my Wednesday run so I'll have to pick it up this weekend. But fear not, we have The Flash: Secret Files and Origins, Red Robin, Batman & Robin and the super spaced out Superman Secret Origins. So let's hop to it, with Batman & Robin.


Batman & Robin #11

Batman and Robin #10 left us with with Damian seemingly lashing out against his will at Dick Grayson. Also he's attacked by a group of "thugs" and saved at the last minute at the resurgence of Detective Oberon Sexton. That's a truly horrible name for the record. Reminds me of WWE Superstar Edge's old name, Sexton Hardcastle. Anyway, back to the comic. So in this issue Grayson continues in the catacombs of Wayne Manor and keeps finding clues that Bruce Wayne has been traveling through time, some even suggest that Bruce is already back. This is taken even further when Damian asks Oberon is he is in fact Bruce Wayne. Also in this issue we learn more about Damian Wayne's mother Talia's plan. Did Pink Flamingo shoot Damian in the spine on purpose? Odds are he did after reading this issue. Also a certain white haired person shows up near the end of this issue. Now in my honest opinion, I kinda liked this comic. I won't lie, A LOT of it seemed useless and I'll admit that. It wasn't the greatest comic but it did keep me entertained. The stuff with Talia seemed unnecessary as with her mystery man even though she dropped the biggest hints ever. Also, I could care less about Hurt, and I'm eagerly waiting to see who Oberon is, I'm gonna vote now that it's either Jason Todd (doubt it), Joker (doubt it) or Jason Bard (doubt it). Why one of these three? Because I'm hoping it's someone who makes sense  and isn't just someone they pulled out of nowhere. Jason would make the most although he's in jail and crazy, Joker just because he hasn't been seen sense Batman RIP and Jason Bard just because I can't think of anyone else. Anyway I'm really anxious for the next issue, but this one gets a 7/10.

Damian: Are you Bruce Wayne?


Red Robin #11

Red Robin reviewed for the second month in a row. Didn't think I'd say THAT while Chris Yost was writing this series. Well since he's on his way out I won't lie, the guy has been writing his ass off. Or maybe Bryan Q. Miller wrote the whole thing and just gave Yost credit as a Damon/Affleck thing. Anyway this is the third of the four issue crossover arc with Batgirl and Red Robin.Tim, Prudence and Steph are taking on the 7 deadly assassins sent by Ra's Al Ghul. We also learn the targets that are being attacked by Ra's assassins. Some are obvious like Dick, James Gordon and so, some are more surprising like Vicki Vale and a certain leather clad Cat burglar. It was cool seeing Batman and Robin make their entrance, as well as seeing the three of them stand next to each other (without Zombies all around them.) Also Damian's reaction to Pru was pretty entertaining. Once again Yost surprised me and made an issue I really enjoyed, and I can't wait to read the conclusion in Batgirl next week. I'll give this a 8/10. Also this cover is one of my favorite and my new background.

Red Robin: Even after everything I've been through in my life, after everything I've seen... this is still surreal.





The Flash: Secret Files and Origins

This is the issue 0 of the upcoming Flash series. There's not much to say here as this is more of a warm up for next weeks debut issue. So yeah, basically Barry can't sleep and has a discussion with the other Flash's. That's about it. I will say there was some awesome writing to show how fast The Flash is and that's pretty awesome. I also liked seeing the bio pages with everyone from Iris Allen to Max Mercury. It's hard to rate this as it's more of a preview than anything so any rating isn't really going to be all that accurate. But for what it was I liked it, would I say it's necessary? To a long term Flash fan no, but to someone who doesn't know alot about Iris, Max, Jay and anyone not named Bart or Wally like myself it'd be worth checking out, and that's All I've got to say about that. Rating: N/A



Superman: Secret Origins #5

Superman Secret Origins 5, where have you been all my life? You wanna know when I reviewed issue four? January 30th. That's right, a three month wait for issue 5. Now that's a long time for a comic, what is this, Captain America Reborn?! Yeah I took a shot at Marvel but I could've easily said Flash Rebirth :P Anywho, Secret Origins goes on to introduce John Corben as well as General Lane. I loved that Corben and Lois went out on one date years ago and he still thinks their Ex's. Man that dude is touched in the head. The whole way Lex discovers the Man of Steel's weakness was very dumb, just made no sense in my opinion but whatever. Long story short I really liked this comic, and I don't know what to expect from issue six but Geoff hasn't let me down this far with Secret Origins. Just for the record Issue 6 is listed as coming out next month so let's hope it does. But for issue five I'll give it a 9/10, great story, but left a little something to be desired.

Lex Luthor: Not only can I stop him, General Lane, I believe I can kill him if necessary.

So, not a bad haul this week for comics. I enjoyed pretty much all my comics and I wasn't let down. As always comments and thoughts are appreciated, next week's haul should be pretty huge, as I'll be picking up Batgirl #9, Batman #698, Booster Gold #31, Brightest Day #0, The Flash 1, and Green Arrow #32. So there's six comics for next week's review, until then just remember, There's Life, Love and JT and all of them are awesome. Until then, you've just been gobsmacked.

- Jason Todd

32 comments:

  1. Good reviews, as always! Damian's "Are you Bruce Wayne?" comment reminds me of this:

    http://www.gjservices.us/undefined/New%20Version%20Book.jpg

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  2. Lmao that literally made me laugh out loud, HARD. That was the last thing I expected. Thanks for the laugh and the kind words Marc. Have you gotten a chance to read any of those yet?

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  3. I've read your reviews, but not the comics. I probably won't read any of them until they're collected, but I'm looking forward to Batman and Robin...you know what a Morrison fan I am.

    Also, for you and anyone else who hasn't read much Barry Allen Flash, I'd highly recommend tacking Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups Vol. 1 onto your next Amazon order. It's over 200 pages for only $10, and it includes Flash #123, which is both my favorite Flash story and my favorite Silver Age DC comic book.

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  4. Ah, I wasn't aware you just did collection issues. The good news is I believe Batman And Robin first collection just came out yesterday didn't it?

    Dude, if there's anyone besides X I'm gonna take recommendations from it's definitely you. I'm gonna see if they have it Saturday when I go back to the comic shop, if not I'll grab it from Amazon.

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  5. I don't live near a good comic shop anymore so I mostly just buy collections now, although sometimes I buy back issues online. I've been doing things this way for a little over a year and so far I don't mind the change. It's not like the old days where single issues were the only way to read something, or I'd probably still find a way to get them every week.

    The Crisis TPB I mentioned has a $15 cover price, so it'll be a little more in the store than on Amazon, but it's probably still worth it if you enjoy Silver Age comics. And if you haven't read many SA comics before, it's one of the best things you can buy to see whether you enjoy them, because there's quite a lot of variety in there.

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  6. Ah, I don't blame ya. Seems like I'm the only guy who lives by a comic shop, you guys should move to Detroit. :P Lol

    So considering you're a Silver Age fan, are you more of a Barry fan than Wally, or vice versa or do you like them about the same? Same for Hal and Kyle.

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  7. Considering that I've read far more Barry and Hal than Wally or Kyle, I'm definitely a fan of the characters' Silver Age incarnations. That said, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with Wally or Kyle, I just haven't read as much with them (and what I have read, I've enjoyed for the most part). I'm not one of those "Barry is the one true Flash!!!" people. :)

    Also, to answer your previous question, yes I believe the Batman and Robin collection did just come out. I have a bunch of other things to read first, but I'll get to it at some point.

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  8. Lol I was gonna say, how are you and X even co-existing. That's cool though, as someone who's read more Wally and Kyle I still like Hal and Barry, I actually like Hal more than Kyle but I know what ya mean.

    Ah, what are you currently reading if I may ask?

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  9. Right now the only comic I'm getting monthly is Amazing Spider-Man. I had mail subscriptions to the two main X-books and New & Mighty Avengers until recently, but I didn't renew them when they expired because I was bored with them.

    I read as many trades as I can though, with the most recent stuff being the first volumes of Air and The Unwritten from Vertigo. I've also been reading a lot of archival stuff (Tales from the Crypt, Challengers of the Unknown), as well as books about the medium itself (The Ten-Cent Plague, The Marvel Chronicle, etc.).

    My horizons have expanded a lot since I stopped buying comics monthly, but I still love reading and talking about superheroes because they're what brought me into comics in the first place. And having read superhero comics for a long time, they're what I know best and are very easy for me to talk about, even if I haven't always read the latest issue.

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  10. How has Spidey been? I read it before the Gauntlet started but at the issue with Deadpool the art just got really bad and I can't stomach a comic with bad art, I'm too picky I guess.

    How was The Unwritten? I keep hearing stuff about that but between my DC comics and my Zenezscope comics I run low on cash.

    That's pretty awesome. I love that you're really passionate about comics because it shines through in your work, especially on your blog.

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  11. The Unwritten is just excellent. I'll probably review the first volume soon since the Eisner nominees came out today and it made the list several times. Some of its nominations were for Best New Series, Best Continuing Series, and Best Single Issue.

    Spider-Man has been pretty good, although I haven't read the last few issues yet. That's the one title the compulsive collector in me will never drop, since I have almost every issue published since 1990.

    And thanks for the kind words. The thing I love about comics is that I learn more about them every day, and I really enjoy figuring out new ways to share that love with others.

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  12. Wow sounds pretty good, I'll wait to check out your review then probably pick that up. Who writes for it?

    Wow, even the Brand New Day stuff? You are one loyal fan. What are your thoughts on that? I believe that's brand new day where Mephisto wants Mary Jane, i may be mistaken though.

    No problem dude, Same here, I love that I can learn something new everyday about comics and I love telling people who don't know and seeing how interested they are.

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  13. One More Day was an absolute travesty and represents basically all the things I DON'T like about comics, haha. Brand New Day is the change in direction they went with right after that, and while it had a sort of rough start, it's doing very well right now. The people writing it now weren't responsible for OMD, so I don't have anything against them, and I think they've completely made the best of the situation they were handed by Marvel editorial.

    The Unwritten is by Mike Carey, who's probably best known for Lucifer series at Vertigo and until recently was the writer on X-Men: Legacy. Oh, and the first trade is only $9.99!

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  14. Ah One more Day, that was it. Glad we're on the same wavelength. Brand new day was the one after, which I liked, along with Brock becoming Anti-Venom. I think Spidey did recover though since OMD, I loved everything I read after that for the most part.

    Ooh, ten bucks?! I need to buy that now before they jack up the price due to the Eisner nominees.

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  15. I've finally made it to read your review!! lol. I blame MW2 on having my attention, anyhooters great review. The only one I'm truly concerned about is Superman Secret Origins and from the looks of it it's a damn good read according to the King of Kings, yes you JT. So I'll get around to reading that sometime this weekend and see if we agree on certain things. :)

    great job!!!

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  16. Woooo I'm the King of Kings now? I hope X reads that lol. Thanks for the kind words ms Ann. :D Glad you enjoyed my review as usual.

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  17. Batman and Robin vol 1 is out now - had a flick through in my comic shops. It's got some cool behind scenes stuff with the covers, costume designs etc

    You missed out Damian getting curb-stomped in Red Robin. That made my day.

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  18. That's pretty cool, I wanna get the Blackest Night Director's cut, that looks pretty interesting.

    Lol well I don't wanna give away the best part of the comic. :P

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  19. Yeah, I'll be getting that if it actually looks good via a flickthrough ;)

    But it'll force X to at least look at it - he does have the Yost hatred ;)

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  20. Ah, I haven't heard of that, can ya link me please?

    Lol true, maybe that'll be the selling point.

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  21. Link to what? I'm confuzzled...

    It would be the only selling point for him quite likely ;)

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  22. Ah I am a dunce, I thought you said via flickthrough, not A flickthrough, I thought it was a site lol.

    He'd probably just buy it and frame it over his fireplace.

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  23. Hey, are you guys talking about me? And yes, it's true, Damian getting owned(especially by Red Robin)would def beover my fireplace(if I had a fireplace... It will be my Windows Desktop picture though! I've got to see if my sister has that comic, I can't remember if I ordered it for her...

    Anywho, the reason I stopped by tonight was to ask when we were getting a new poll! It seems like this one has been up forever now! Come on JT, gimme something to vote on!!!
    ;-)

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  24. Lol yep we were discussing you good sir. Seeing as how she's a big Tim Drake fan I'm sure she probably did get it, so I'm expecting that to be a future not-so random scan post :P

    Lol I'm actually doing one tomorrow with my new article, called "What I learned from: Blackest Night" Should be a very funny read :P

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  25. Yeah, that's going to be a not so random scan of the week, definitely!

    All right, a new post, a new poll, and the article will have that famous JT humor? I'm there!

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  26. Woooo Damian gets stomped party over at X's Blog!!!!

    Well thanks X, and it doesn't have spoilers so you don't have to wait a week to read it :P

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  27. You nonce :P

    Yep - X, I guess you'd better hurry up with ordering that fireplace then ;)

    What I learned from Blackest Night?
    Aquaman should never have died
    Aquaman is awesome
    And those are your only choices :D

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  28. What's a nonce?

    Make sure you get an AMERICAN MADE Fireplace :P

    Lol he didn't even do anything during BN but come back.

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  29. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonce_%28slang%29
    General insult in this case...

    So it'll explode when it turns on?

    And that's all that matters

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  30. How dare you sir, i'm the least nonciest around :)

    Lol when has that EVER happened?

    Hm...what if they Re-kill him in brightest day?

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  31. That's what they all say :P

    But more gasoline into it will solve all our problems. Remind you of anyone?

    Then I burn whatsisname (the DC president chap) at the stake...

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  32. Except for you, King Noncy!

    Lmao...no, tell me who :P

    The new african american one or the old stupid texan one? :P

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