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

Ratings and Rantings Featuring Red Hood and The Outlaws #2

Hey Todd Squad, it's that time once again for your favorite weekly comic content comments, Ratings and Rantings! This is a busy week for me, because while I only have a few books books, I also have the greatness that is Batman: Arkham City sitting in my PS3. So let's see which of these seven comics delivered and which failed to keep up the momentum of their prior number one issues. But before we get into the DC deuces, let's hop into issue number thirteen of Morning Glories!

Morning Glories #13

We start things off with a flashback as we see Casey's dad teaching her how to box. Her mother seems to worry that he's turning her into a tomboy, as he's teaching her boxing, hiking, hunting and whatnot, but he maintains that he just wants her to be able to take care of herself, since they won't be around forever. From there we see the scene we saw a few issues ago, where Casey tells Hunter she thinks they'd fare better if they weren't in a relationship, except this time we follow Hunter out and see him bump into Zoe while turning a corner, and she accuses him of trying to cop a feel. She continues to demean Hunter until he snaps and tells her she's not hot and anyone who thinks she is hot is an idiot, He says the only people that pretend to care about her are guys that want to use her, and proceeds to call her a stuck-up skank and a bitch. Well damn... that seemed odd for Hunter but after being jumped, missing his date with Casey and being turned down by her, I can see where the rage came from. Hunter heads to his dorm to see Ike is moving back in, and begrudgingly unpacking his things, which seems to give a bit of enjoyment to Hunter and Jun. Back in her dorm, Casey gets a letter delivered to her by a student from Ms. Hodge, we don't see what it says but Casey drags Jade along with her, yelling for Hunter. Before she can talk to Hunter, Casey runs into Ike and before she can manage to beat the hell out of him, Casey, Ike and Jade are partnered up for a Woodrun. What is a Woodrun you ask? Apparently it's...something that never gets explained. Jun, Zoe and Hunter also happen to be in a group together but rather than go find them, Casey takes this as a chance for her and her team to escape. Casey eventually leads them to an escape that was in the letter she got from Ms. Hodge, and the three are then confronted by Ms. Hodge. Hodge is upset that Hunter isn't there and Ike is, saying she gave Casey specific instructions, but Casey says he'd already left. Hodge plans on getting them out of there, but she tells Jade she can't come since that was never in the plans. Casey says she isn't leading Jade, but Jade gives Casey her blessing and says she knows Casey will return for her. Ms. Hodge gives Jade and Ike orders to stay up on a ledge their on while Casey and Hodge sit in chairs, and they can't leave until they disappear from the chairs they're in. While Hodge and Casey sit there,something happens and we see a bunch of different eras of time, before we see Ms. Hodge and Casey appear outside of a fence and approached by army men with guns yelling for them to get on the ground. The issue closes as Casey realizes one of the men is actually her father. Man, what a reveal that was. I really liked this issue, from the beginning to ending, and the Back to the Future and Star Wars references they threw in that Hunter missed out on. Everything just gelled, and sure there are more questions than answers as always, but I'm in for the long haul and issues like this really help. I'd give this issue a 10/10 rating.

Casey: My knuckles haven't healed up, but my knee's just fine.

Ike: Well, that's a pity. I'd like to see those knees reddened up somehow... (Lmao... I love Ike.)

Nightwing #2

Things get started quickly as Nightwing defends himself against the attacker that's after Dick Grayson. When the attacker endangers some civilians, Nightwing has to allow him to get away to save them. After arriving home, Raya (Dick's old friend from the circus) begs him to drive her to Atlantic city on her two days off so she can see Bryan. On the way there, via jet, she reveals this was a ploy and Mr. Haly wants to see Dick tonight because he's dying. Haly meets with Dick and hints that he knows Dick is Nightwing through his mannerisms, and he says that's not what Dick was supposed to be, as he hands him the deed to Haly's Circus, saying he owes it to Dick. After getting the deed and doing the deed with Raya on the jet on the way back, Dick gets a phonecall from the killer, going by the name of Saiko. He reveals that he knows Dick is Nightwing after torturing old man Haly. Dick has the jet turn around and goes back to save Haly, and has a big fight with Saiko before making the building cave him. Nightwing escapes with Mr. Haly who soon dies from blood loss due to being tortured by Saiko, but not before he tells Dick that the reason people are after Dick is about the circus...and the answers are in the heart of the circus, as this issue ends. Well this was interesting, I'm wondering what comes from Dick getting the Circus, but Haly knowing Dick was Nightwing pretty much all this time, then ratting him out via torture even though he's ALREADY DYING just annoyed me. I'd give this issue a 7.5/10 rating.

Mr. Haly: I watched you grow up and learn how to fly, kiddo. The others may not know what you do now, but I always have. (I wonder how long he considered blackmail...)

Batman #2

We start off with Batman taking down some criminals before using his virtual reality technology to meet Gordon after an autopsy is done at the morgue. They discuss how the murdered man in the last issue has no identity and paid all of his bills with cash. I enjoyed the autopsy because they used a lot of Bruce's detective knowledge, so I can't give that scene the description it deserves, other than the fact it showed why Batman is the world's greatest detective. After that, he meets with Nightwing, to question why the dead man has Dick's skin under his fingernails. He explains that a week ago the John Doe approached him at a Wayne function and grabbed Dick's arm and said "they're real, and they're sending them for you all" before security dragged him away. The next day, Bruce meets with Lincoln March at Wayne Tower, when suddenly a masked man enters the room and throws a knife into the stomach of March. Bruce attacks the masked man but for some reason he can't stop him, and suddenly Bruce is kicked out of the window of his office and falls towards the ground below, but luckily lands on a gargoyle instead of falling to his death. The issue ends as we see the mysterious man is far from done with his rampage. This was a pretty good issue, it caused a lot of questions although I was a bit peeved that Bruce doesn't trust Dick, even after all of his Batman Inc. stuff. That aside, this was another good issue by Snyder, I'll give it a 9/10.

Masked Man: Bruce Wayne. The court of owls has sentenced you to die.

Justice League #2

We start things off with Superman and Green Lantern fighting as Batman tries to calm them down, but when Hal feels he's in trouble he calls for back-up in the form of The Flash. Flash shows up after some begging from Hal, and dodges Supes for a while before he gets thumped by Superman and knocked off of his feet. Batman interjects himself and explains about the alien they saw and asks Superman if he knows anything about it, which he doesn't. The military then shows up and Flash, Batman, Superman and Green Lantern all leave together for some reason. We then cut over to see Victor Stone's dad, Silas, and a team of people investigating the box that one of the alien's left behind. Vic shows up to meet with his dad and after arguing about how his Dad never has and never will come to one of his games, Vic's dad is called away, so Vic follows. Meanwhile, the four heroes discuss what to do, in a pretty funny scene including Hal being dumb enough to call Barry by his name after he reveals he's a cop, Flash asking Batman what he can do, and Bats saying Supes apparently has no identity to protect since he doesn't wear as mask. Suddenly, the box Bats has been carrying around starts to beep before a ton of parademons come out of it and attack while yelling "For Darkseid!" Meanwhile, the box that the scientists has shoots a beam that pretty much incinerates everyone and blasts Victor away as his father is laying on the ground, barely missing the beam and yells for Victor. We start to see Victor mutate into metal as the issue closes. I really enjoyed this issue, It was surprisingly good and I liked seeing the four heroes interact, it felt oddly new yet similar, plus the next issue has Wonder Woman. I'll give this issue a solid 10/10, there was nothing about it I didn't enjoy.

The Flash: Batman's real?

Green Lantern: Yeah, and he's a total tool.

Catwoman #2

We start things off with Batman and Catwoman having sex, cause if that doesn't get you interested I don't know what will. They talk for a bit and he asks if she's okay with the fact her apartment got blown up and someone may be after her, but she doesn't seem to be worried. From there, Catwoman steals a valuable painting and offers it to the people she stole it from as well as the opposing mob that wants it, including Renald, the guy who's eye she clawed out the night before. They meet at some big fancy Wayne function, as Bruce also noticed Selina, even though she has a blonde wig and a dress that shows more than it covers. Bruce walks up to her, playing the drunken playboy act he's perfected, as Selina flirts with him, unknowing he's Batman. Meanwhile, she has both groups leave payments in different places, as she turns down Bruce's charm. Bruce apparently had Alfred intercept her texts and see's that she has drops planned at the party, and goes to investigate when suddenly Catwoman drops onto his shoulders and plants a kiss on him, before throwing a firecracker into a room with the mobsters fighting over the painting, which of course leads to a shootout, which Selina hopes will also kill Renald. Catwoman then grabs both money-drops before escaping, as Bruce runs off to change into Batman. As Catwoman arrives home to celebrate with Lola, she finds her tied up with a bullet in her head! Suddenly, Selina is attacked and beat bloody by the guys that blew up her apartment, when she's approached by their leader, a man known as Bone who has white, bone-like skin. (Picture a white version of The Thing.) Say what you want but I loved this issue, I'm annoyed Lola got killed off so quickly but it showed things get real fast, and there's been a lot of death around Catwoman this issue. And of course, things are going to get interesting when Batman comes after her as well, I'll give this issue a 9/10.

Catwoman: C'mon, there's a whole lotta dirty money we need to roll around naked in!

Supergirl #2

To start things off we see a flashback to three days ago (as far as Kara's concerned) and she's babysitting her little cousin Kal-El, but now she's looking at an adult version of him, asking who she is. She wonders what's going on and why this man is wearing their family crest, and he explains that he's Kal-El, and they are apparently cousins. She calls him a liar and punches him, and surprisingly we actually see something that's on the cover of a comic... crazy right?! She continues to beat the hell out of Superman, but while she does, she mistakenly triggers her powers and is able to see through him, from veins, to muscles to bones. Superman tries to explain to her about her powers but she attacks again, which causes him to go on the defensive. The entire fight is littered with Kara finding out she has random powers, including flight, which is an interesting way of approaching the subject, which i enjoyed. Every time Kara gets herself in trouble (like falling out of the sky) Superman is there to save her, and gets walloped in the face for his troubles. Eventually, Kara realizes that this fight could hurt innocents, so she calms down and allows Superman to explain about Earth, the Yellow sun and how it gives them the power of Worldkillers, whatever those may be. When she asks why Superman doesn't just return to Krypton, he has the unfortunate honor of telling her that Krypton is gone. The issue ends soon after as a crystal of knowledge from Kara's pod falls into the hands of a mystery man. This was a good issue as well, I enjoyed the fight and felt how confused Kara would be on this new world, I also felt Kal's frustration of her not listening and punching him across the planet like forty times. I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating.

Superman: Because Krypton... is gone. (I love that he paused for dramatic effect....I really do.)

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2

We start off with a flashback to a year ago, seeing Jason a year ago, still in his training to become The Red Hood. He was introduced to the ancient trainer, Ducra by Talia Al Ghul, and after disrespecting the old woman, he wasquickly shown not to judge a book by it's cover. She manages to knock Jason out after he upset her after only six seconds, and she states that she can train him to be the most skilled assassin in the world (Please gimme Jason vs. Deathstroke, or even a team-up.) She then tells Talia she will train Jason, because she doesn't want the world at his mercy. We then jump forward to three hours ago and see Roy and Jason on a plane, with Roy trying to apologize for sleeping with Jason's girl, which Jason claims he doesn't care about since she isn't his girl. On the plane, a flight attendant asks what is Jason's reason for attending China, and he replies "A death in the family." which I loved. Jason also manages to get the number of said flight attendant before he and Roy arrive in China and are greeted by a limo, which has Starfire, looking like an orange skinned, six-foot tall Beyonce sitting in the back. Roy mentions how great a team they are already, but Jason says there is no team, even though Kori and Roy are clearly growing on him. While going to his safe pad to grab his mask and weapons, Jason is ambushed by a rather large woman named Suzie Su and her guards, but Jason defends himself by killing them all, and Suzie Su says wait until her daddy finds out, and Jason replies he'll kill him too. From there we see Jason return to avenge Ducra, where we left off in the last issue, except now Starfire and Roy are with him, I could complain but Lobdell worked around the inconsistencies so at least he did that. As Jasonm Roy and Starfire defeat the reanimated corpses of people that helped train Jason's body and mind, the issue comes to a close as Jason goes to avenge them, and tells his "team" to get ready to kick some ass. Alright, I know I sound like a broken record, but I enjoyed this. Why Lobdell decided to make it so Star and Roy were with Jason when they weren't in the last issue, I don't know, but whatever, he worked around it and I enjoyed it all, from the plane ride to them rolling in style to Jason's past with Ducra. I hope we get to see more into Roy and Kori's pasts too, but I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating.

Talia Al Ghul: Before he was murdered, Jason has the potential to be a great man. I believe with the proper guidance, he could still be the case. I believe he deserves a second chance.

and as a bonus Line of the issue...

Roy: Look at you, Todd! You put the move in smove. (Yes, s-m-o-v-e.)

Jason: I'm gonna put the you in traction if you don't shut up.

And that's it for me everyone, now I gotta go play Arkham City. Be sure to vote on this week's newest poll and until next time,I'm your friendly neighborhood blogger-man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Teen Titans #2, Amazing Spider-Man #672, Deadpool #45, Incredible Hulk #1, Venom #8, Wolverine and The X-Men #1

Ratings and Rantings featuring X-Men Regenesis

Note: Halfway through this post, my computer crapped out on me so I drove over Falisha's to post this. Long story short, I was tired and didn't feel up to reviewing Morning Glories this week as well so It will be in next week's R&R, if my computer is fixed by then. Thanks for reading.

Hey Todd Squad, yours truly hear again with a huge week of Ratings and Rantings. This is actually my 160th post, shocking enough. A pretty odd milestone to celebrate but I just happened to realize that when I started typing this. So congrats to me, haha. Well this week I've got ten issues to review, and my more detailed style would make this one LONG, monotonous post, so instead I've decided to borrow a format from my good buddy X-Man75, in which I'll basically give a quick overview over the comic, then give my thoughts. Again, this won't be my usual style of reviews but this is a big pull week for me, so bare with me. FYI, expect the same next week since I'll be enthralled with Batman: Arkham City!

Deadpool #44

This is last week's issue which I never got to review. Over the course of this issue, Deadpool tries to stop his crazy stalker, Dr. Ella Whitby from killing The Warden of the prison he recently inhabited. While trying to save the Warden, Deadpool confronts Ella and they share a laugh or two, before she blows the place to high hell, seemingly killing herself in the process, as Deadpool simply gets up and walks away. Later on, Whitby returns to Deadpool, burned up looking like a small, chubby version of Wade. He tells her he's in love with someone else, but doesn't state who, so a heartbroken Whitby puts a gun in her mouth and pulls the trigger, killing herself before Deadpool can stop her. Also, in this issue, Deadpool found a bunch of his body parts in Whitby's fridge and threw them away, and at the end of the issue it seems they all reformed to make an evil Deadpool. Well this was weird, I expected a more delightful romp, not to see a kamikaze and a suicide. I guess I like the idea of Deadpool vs. Deadpool though, but this issue fell flat, which is sad because I like Dan Way, and I figured once Deadpool had his full attention it would get even better, but that hasn't been the case. I'll give this a 5/10 rating.

Deadpol: She's gonna be copying me, so... how would I do this? Ah-Ha! I'd teabag him! (I'm giving you no context here...)

Deathstroke #2

We started things off with Deathstroke meeting with Mikel at a bar, When things get heavy the man turns to the patrons and asks how many of them he's paid to kill Deathstroke if he needed them to. A bunch of people pull out their weapons and the brash Deathstroke murders them all with ease and pure awesomeness before killing Mikel as well. Mikel's reinforcements show up late, including a big metal juggernaut (not that one) by the name of Road Rage. After killing about fifty people, including civilians and innocent bystanders, a camera crew runs up to Slade...for some reason... and tapes him as he says that all of this is nothing but fun for him. This of course makes worldwide news and Deathstroke is content since this was all a plan to get him more mercenary work. Well... that was something. I couldn't get into this issue, it rushed by and nothing really made me care, I liked seeing Deathstroke kill a bunch of people, that was fun, but I doubt I'll remember this issue thirty minutes from now, which is not a good thing. I'll give this a 6/10 rating.

Deathstroke: ...This is nothing but fun.

Batgirl #2

We start things off with Batgirl pursuing The Mirror, and she inadvertently kicks him off a ledge too hard, almost killing him in the process, but he grabs a gargoyle. Batgirl tries to help him and is thrown off the ledge for her trouble, considering she's "on the list". Batgirl manages to stop herself from hitting the ground but crashes into a taxicab rib first instead, so.. kudos on that Babs. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon soon learns from Detective McKenna that Batgirl is back, and his eyes bug out as he's surprised, suggesting he may know that Babs is Batgirl. Batgirl eventually catches up with The Mirror, who beats the crap out of her, but she manages to steal his list of names, and when the cops come, he hightails it. When Babs eventually finds The Mirror's base, she discovers that he's someone who watched his family die as he was saved, and now he just wants to die, but he's taking out people that should have died but also lived. So yeah, very convoluted. Anyway, the issue ends as he states there's a bomb on a train so.. there's your cliffhanger I guess. There was also a VERY boring storyline in this where Babs went on a date with some guy, so boring I didn't even thing it was worth reviewing. This issue was the opposite of Deathstroke, it seemed to drag on and on with Babs getting beat up by the Mirror and the basic theme is that she's not 100% yet, I'd give this issue about a 6/10 rating, as it was pretty slow and I just didn't enjoy it as much as Batgirl #1.

Cab Driver: Hey, look what you did to my cab!

Batgirl: Yeah, but look what your cab did to my ribs.

Green Lantern #2

In one of the best verbal smackdowns ever, Sinestro lays into Jordan before making a Green Lantern ring and giving one to Hal. The ring allows him to have all the power that Sinestro designates and Sinestro can turn the power off and on at will, thus making Hal his slave. Sinestro then one-ups Hal, as Hal tries to save a woman that fell off a hole in a bridge, but Sinestro saves the woman, everyone else, and manages to fix the bridge, as he tells Jordan he should've been using his ring to fix society, not to be a glorified cop, but to bring change. He then kills a member of the Sinestro Corps, the one that apparently ruined the bridge. After killing the rogue Corpsman, Sinestro tells Hal that the Sinestro Corps have ruined Korugar and that Hal is going to help him destroy them all. Now this was a good issue, Sinestro had plenty of zingers, Hal was made to look like even more of a chump, and we got to see why prior to Hal, Sinestro was the greatest Green Lantern, for good reason. And those two teamed up taking on the entire Sinestro Corps should be fun, I'll give this issue an 8.5/10.

Sinestro: The Corps didn't simply give you a ring that could let you fly and create airplanes. The corps offered you a chance to improve the universe. (Preach it, Sinestro!)

Grifter #2

Things start off with Cole meeting his girlfriend, Gretchen, in a bar, trying to explain to her how he actually killed two aliens/monsters/demons on that flight (last issue) and how he would never do anything like that. While they talk, one of the possessed things strolls into the siner`, and Cole confronts and attacks him before setting him ablaze using a cigarette and a pan of flour...yes, it was as awesome as it sounds. From there, Gretchen thinks Cole is insane, and she tells him not to follow her. Cole then leaves the diner but doesn't make it too far before he's confronted by someone looking for him, his brother, Max Cash. Max Cash is an awesome name, anyway I enjoyed this issue. I like that Cole is pretty much on his own against an enemy no one else believes exists, I also like that he dropped the huge sideburns as well. And the fact that Gretchen was shown possibly going to Gotham City opens a ton of Batman/Nightwing vs. Grifter possibilities. But yeah, things heated up and I'm interested in where we go next, I'll give this issue an 7/10 rating.

Demon: You bring a fist to a gunfight? How human of you. (Well I guess I'll put my hands back in my pockets.

Batman and Robin #2

Things start off with Bruce explaining to Alfred how he's worried about Damian and what would happen to Damian without Bruce around. Well... you were missing for a while and he listens to Dick more than he does to you now, but whatever you say Bruce. Batman and Robin go out and stop some criminals from trafficking guns and leave them hanging for the cops, when suddenly Nobody shows up and slits their throats, unbeknownst to Batman and Robin. Afterwards, Damian takes out his rage of not being able to kill and maim on the training dummies in the Batcave, as Alfred also seems to worry about Damian and his rage issues. Also, we see Batman buy a Great Dane, which is cool because he has one in Batman Beyond, so that's some nice continuity. The issue ends as Batman is confronted by a man named Morgan, a mutual acquaintance of Ducard, and it seems Morgan is Nobody, and Bruce knows, just as Morgan knows Bruce is Batman and vows to save Bruce from himself. This was interesting, I was surprised at how nonchalant the Morgan/Bruce conversation seemed, and Bruce randomly getting a dog, although that may be to calm Damian, but I loved the stuff with Damian and his rage. I'd give this issue a 8/10 rating.

Bruce: I'm a billionaire, Damian, not a trillionaire. (And you never will be with that attitude, Bruce!)

Ultimate Spider-Man #3

Curious about Miles' spider-powers and the mysterious spider that bit him, Miles let's Ganke talk him into going to talk to his Uncle Aaron. They arrive at Aaron's house to find it completely empty, as he's apparently moved away in the span of one day. On the way home a building catches on fire, which is excellent timing I guess. After some prodding from Ganke, Miles saves the day without a mask before fleeing the scene. Afterwards, he tells Ganke that he's done doing that, and there's already a Spider-Man, plus Miles feels that he isn't cut out for the job. Miles then moves on with his life and attends his new highschool, where he rooms with Ganke and another kid. The issue ends soon after with the kids being called to the auditorium, and told by the faculty (for some reason) that Spider-Man had been shot. I really enjoyed this issue, I loved seeing Miles save the day and as always he comes off really likable. If I had any problems, it's why they felt the need to wake up a bunch of kids and call them to the auditorium to tell them Spider-Man had been shot, I know he's a hero but that still seems rather excessive. But besides that, this was another issue I enjoyed in the brief run of Miles Morales, I'll give this a 9/10 rating.

Ganke: Show Me!!!

Miles: Shut the door. (I'm once again giving you no context here, except that Miles had a sly grin as he spoke.)

Ultimate X-Men #2

We start things off with a captured Jimmy Hudson being thrown into a room with Reverend Stryker. From there we saw Rogue saved by Iceman, Human Torch and The Shroud (Kitty Pryde) but run into a little trouble in the process, including Iceman getting his arm broken off, which was pretty damn awesome. After being saved, Rogue explains that she was told to incite the robots and that she'd be saved, and she was told this by God. Next we see a woman named Elise Cartwright chained up, as she's approached by Reverend Stryker. We find out that Elise has been opening her home to orphaned mutants, and Stryker takes this as an opportunity for her to confess her sins, before he kills the woman in gold blood, then states that he's doing God's will, as the issue comes to an end. This issue was interesting, I like that both Rogue and Stryker believe they are being led by God, so when they confront one another it will be interested, I also enjoy the playful banter between Johnny (Torch) and Bobby (Iceman), but what annoyed me is how we started out with Jimmy being thrown in a room and we don't see how he was caught. Not only that but we don't see him again for the rest of the issue, but that aside I enjoyed this. I'll give this an 8.5/10.

Human Torch: Ha! Bobby dated a crazy chick.

Amazing Spider-Man #671

Over the course of this issue we see that Mary Jane has finally developed her spider powers and is using them to save herself as well as other civilians. Meanwhile, Jameson is subdued by Spidey, but not before he bites Spider-Man on the arm. Medics then try to keep Smythe alive as he mutters about them having all the Spider-Slayers they need. Also, the Spider-Queen finds out about the Anti-Venom cure and has Jackal send Tarantula to Horizon Labs to contaminate the cure. Surprisingly, we find out that the secret "Number Six" at Horizon is none other than Michael Morbius! Interesting. When he arrives at Horizon, Spidey is shocked tom see Peter Parker is already logged in, and he's attacked by Tarantula, when Jackal tells him via satellite that Tarantula is none other than Kaine?! Meanwhile, Madame Web tells the people at Horizon that the Spider-Jammers have cut off her link to the web and to fix them now, and with the help of Reed Richards, they change the frequency so it not only allows her to see the web, but gives Spidey his Spider-Sense back! Using his Kung-Fu and Spider-Sense combo, Spidey knocks Tarantula into the Anti-Venom cure which cures him of his giant spider look, but allows Kaine to crawl out looking normal, and still apparently with his Spider-Powers. Kaine mentions to Spidey that The Queen is the mastermind behind this and he can take him to her, as The Queen snaps at The Jackal and screams at him with a scream so powerful it incinerates him. The issue ends soon after, while Madame Web notes that by interfering she's inadvertently caused the Spider-Jammers to give The Queen "God-like" powers. Okay, I loved this issue, a ton happened and it sucks that Brock may not be Anti-Venom anymore after giving up his powers to cure people, but I love the idea of Spider-Man, Kaine, Venom, Mary Jane and the recently cured Captain America all teaming up to go after The Queen. I'll give this issue a solid 10/10 rating.

Soldier: Commander Grimm... you stand relieved! Take a Clobberin' Time-Out! (Lmao... that is genius.)

X-Men: Regenesis One-Shot

I love how this issue was done, basically we saw Wolverine and Cyclops draw a line in the sand for the most part and recruit people to either side with Wolverine or Cyclops. We started off seeing Wolverine go to Iceman, and basically tell him he needed him, and Bobby obliged and teamed up with Wolverine. Wolverine also tries to recruit Psylocke but she refuses and decides to stay with Cyclops.The thing I love is each time someone picks, we see a tribal version of them basically standing behind a tribal version of Cyclops or Wolverine, which was a great touch.We also see Kitty decide to go to Wolverine's team as Colossus believes he shouldn't be at a school with everything he has inside him now, so he stays in Utopia. For the rest of the issue we see everyone from Magneto to Storm choose sides, some are surprising and some are pretty obvious, but at the end of the issue we see the two teams head off on their own ways for the foreseeable future. This was a pretty good issue, a few of the characters I didn't know about, being new to the X-Men books, but I'm excited about this split. Instead of a line of the issue, I'll give you the team picks. And I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating. The final tally seemed to be

Team Wolverine: Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Rogue, Idie, X-23, Rachel Summers, Quentin Quire (against his will), Gambit, Frenzy, Toad, X-Man75.

Team Cyclops: Psyclocke, Colossus, Magneto, Hope, Dazzler, Namor, Doctor Nemesis, Danger, Magick, The Cuckoo's, Avalanche, Emma Frost, Storm, Me.

And just like that, 10 books have come and gone. Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think of this condensed style I stole from X. And as always, be sure to check out the surprising results from last week's poll. But that's it for me, until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Last week's poll asked "Who are you the most excited to play as in Batman: Arkham City?"

Last place with 0% - Catwoman, I gotta that, that shocked me, especially since she's in the main game.
Third place with 7.7% - Robin, the third Robin, Tim Drake, comes in behind two other Bat-Boys.
Second place with 38.5% - The title character, Batman.
Winner with 53.8% - The recently announced, fourth playable character, Nightwing! (Info here)

Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Morning Glories #13, Batman #2, Catwoman #2, Justice League #2, Nightwing #2, Red Hood and The Outlaws #2, and Supergirl #2.

Ratings and Rantings featuring Schism #5

Hey Todd Squad, It's that time again for your favorite weekly comic content and comments. This week I've only got four comics (forgot to grab Animal Man from Lisha AND managed to leave my Deadpool over her house...) but one at least one should be a major game changer. So, I've waited long enough and I'm not gonna stall you guys with an intro, let's get to the finale of X-Men: Schism!

X-Men: Schism #5

We pick up where we left off, with Cyclops and Wolverine beating the holy hell out of each other while the sentinel attacks them both. While Wolverine and Cyclops beat each other to the point of near death, they realize that Idie, Hope and the rest of the students are all fighting the Sentinel, so they put their differences aside and help the kids. We also see that Rogue and the other X-Men are on their way back to Utopia, and Emma Frost has finally gotten her face slug removed. She heads outside just in time to see the sudents celebrating their victory after defeating the Sentinel. Looks like Scott was right after all Logan... Go Team Cyclops! After the fight, Wolverine and Idie talk and she says she's glad she killed those people at the museum and her friends didn't have to, because she can live with it, since she knows she's a monster and knows what it means to be an X-Men. Wolverine, obviously disappointed by Idie's outlook, walks away, and while walking through the corridors he see's a picture of himself, Beast, and the original X-Men with Xavier. Logan goes to find Scott, and they talk, and Scott says he was right, the kids beat the Sentinel and Logan owes him an apology. Wolverine says they beat one sentinel one time, and things could easily change next time. Wolverine says they failed those kids by teaching them the wrong things, and he's done, and he's leaving. Wolverine says that anyone who wants to leave with him is welcome, and he leaves with a few of the kids, Idie, and a tied up Quentin Quire. Meanwhile, Scott sends Gambit, Rogue and Warpath to find the Hellfire Gang, but instead they find their corpses. We also see the newer, younger, more compact version of the Hellfire Club, quite proud of what they've accomplished so far by selling thousands of their new and improved sentinels. The issue comes to a close soon after with Wolverine and his team heading back to the ruins of Xavier's school with the intent on making it their new home base. Well this issue was a lot of action and from that point we saw the split which was interesting. This wasn't the best issue but I enjoyed it for what it was, and that alone warrants this getting a 8.5/10.

Cyclops: You press that damn button, you're killing me too!

Wolverine: No.. you're killing yourself.

Detective Comics #2

Before we get started, let me say I'm not a fan of Tony Daniel. I didn't like his Batman run and I hated how weak he made Tim look in BFTC, as well as his decision to make Jason from a anti-hero to an insane villain, that aside I really enjoyed Detective Comics #1, which I got from my girlfriend, Falisha, and read. I didn't review it but if you need to know what happened in issue one then click here to see X-Man75's review. So this issue kicks off with Bruce having a meeting with a guy named Hugh that wants his business. From there we see Bruce meet with a woman who seems to grill him with questions but apparently just wants to make out with the playboy, so they make out. Well alright then, three pages in and Bruce is already sucking face. After doing the Bat-Tusi with this woman, he promises her they'll spend this weekend together so he can make time for her and she accepts. Next we see Bruce as Batman investigating the city as he's found out that The Joker has been helped to escape Arkham Asylum and all he left behind was his face. Well, find the guy with no face should be an easy mission, right? Then again Gotham has a guy with two faces... After finding no leads at Arkham, Commissioner Gordon steps outside and has a chat with Batman, and lets Batman know that a man named Ray Quimby had recently abducted a young girl, and his former partner was a cannibal that mutilated his victims, which ties in with a faceless Joker. Once Gordon gets an update on where Quimby may be, Batman heads to the location as Gordon follows not far behind. Batman heads inside and remarks that he see's no officer although a squad car was out front, and he also smells death in the air. Gordon arrives and calls dispatch, but discovers the squad car that's there belongs to someone that isn't even on duty today. Gordon hears a thumping in the trunk and opens it and is grabbed by someone. Inside, we see Batman find the bodies of both Ray Quimby and the missing officer when suddenly he's attacked by who people who look as if they've been stitched together by a bunch of different parts. They manage to take Batman down with a shot that destabilizes him and with the help of a woman in a nurse costume that hits B-Man with a sledgehammer. Batman is then confronted by a weird looking man with some more goons, the man calls himself the Dollmaker, and says that he'll use Batman to make his legacy. The issue ends as he shows Batman a sample of his work, as we see Commissioner Gordon with a face full of patches and stitches. Well that was a weird ending, Tony is just doing whatever the hell he wants, isn't he? Anyway, this was a cool issue, nothing amazing, although I would've preferred a little info on Joker's whereabouts and why he's faceless. Anyway, I'll give this a 7/10 rating.

Batman: Someone else hits me exactly where Joker knifed me. The sutures explode. (Excellent visual.)

Justice League International #2

We kick things off with the JLI's mission in deep doo-doo, as they take on a giant metal man. Damn you Hellfire Club...oh wait, wrong company. Anyway, Booster and the JLI learn that their fight is being televised live, as to win over some of the non-hero lovers of the world. The metal man takes down Rocket Red, Ice and a few of the other teammates, until Team Leader, Booster Gold, has the team evacuate so they can get help for Ice. A few of the teammates don't like this decision, but everyone backs down to Booster's decision, especially since he's backed up by Batman. Later on, Guy Gardner is at a bar when he see's footage of Ice getting blasted by the metal man on TV, and heads off to check on her and give Booster a piece of his mind. Back at their destroyed Hall of Justice, the JLI, their government leaders, and Guy Gardner all tear into one another, which leads to Booster getting ready to quit the team. That is until August General steps up and says that he's been to battle and he knows sometimes you must retreat for the good of your team, and he's honored to follow Booster. This sentiment is backed up by Batman as well as Godiva, but between you and me, I think it's because she wants to shine Booster's gold, if ya catch my drift. Booster says he'll lead, but their running out of time. He calls Skeets, who's hanging out in the Booster Cave (I'm not even kidding), and we find out there's at least four of these metal men. The issue ends as we see an intergalactic foe that's behind these giant metal men plans to destroy Earth! I really liked this issue, I enjoyed the dynamic of the team and how they aren't really a team but a bunch of individuals that need to learn how to work together. Batman also brings a good vibe, and it's weird to see him not as a leader, but still teaching Booster how to be one. I'll give this issue an 8/10 rating.

Batman: Learn from this, Booster. Follow your gut and make the team yours.

Invincible #83

We start things off with Cecil telling Invincible how he had all the dead Invincible's from other universes turned into reanimen. Surprisingly, Invincible is okay with this and tells Cecil if he needs him to give him a call. From there we see a few familiar Invincible villains meeting with Titan, trying to convince him to let them work for him again, but he decides to give them a  tryout to prove their worth. From there we see Mark and Samantha head to a superhero party. One of the biggest surprises to everyone is how Monster Girl has aged into a woman once again, and has a lot of jaws dropping at her... physique. Meanwhile, Robot a.k.a. Rex is watching as she flirts with other guys, and when Invincible asks if everything is okay between him and Monster Girl, Rex replies, not remotely. Turns out that Monster Girl isn't ready to hop into anything with anyone either, as she states it's "too soon", making me wonder even more what happened between the two. Next we see Tether Tyrant and Magmaniac attack Machine Head, trying to gain favor with Titan, when Magmaniac is seemingly killed by Machine Head's guard, Vault. A distraught Tether Tyrant tells his suit that he's ready to bond with it completely, since he has nothing left now that Magmaniac. He suddenly falls into darkness, and continually yells he doesn't want this, he wants control. He awakens in the midst of a fight with the Guardians of the Globe, who say that he's been rampaging for four hours (?!) and now just wants to give up? They cuff Tether Tyrant as Invincible shows up, and takes note that the Guardians of the Globe didn't need him, maybe this will help push him closer to his goal of hanging up his hero boots? We end the issue soon after, with Rex telling Amanda (Monster Girl) that they came back and left behind so much so he could forget what she did, why won't she let him forget? Well that was an odd ending, but this was a solid issue. It pushed Invincible closer to retiring seeing as how they have the Guardians and the Reanimen. Add that with the stuff between Rex and Monster Girl, and this was a perfectly acceptable comic as a friend of mine would say. I'll give this a 7/10.

Shapesmith: There are parts of your clothes where there are no clothes and we can see your skin instead.

And that's it for me everyone, thanks for reading and feel free to leave questions and or comments. Also, be sure to vote on this week's newest poll and check out the results from last week's poll below. But I'm outta here, I gotta get ready for the huge haul of comics I got in next week's R&R! Until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger Man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Last week's poll asked "Who was your favorite Batgirl?"

Last place with 22.2% - Tie between Cassandra Cain and the current Batgirl, Babs Gordon.
Winner with 55.6% - The former blonde bomber, my favorite Batgirl, Stephanie Brown!
 

Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Deadpool #44, Batgirl #2, Batman & Robin #2, Deathstroke #2, Green Lantern #2, Grifter #2, Morning Glories #13, Amazing Spider-Man #671, X-Men: Regensis One-Shot, Ultimate Spider-Man #3, and Ultimate X-Men #2.... Damn.