Ratings and Rantings

It's that time again, the weekly review of comics by yours truly, so allow me to welcome you back to my Red Hood with another edition of Ratings and Rantings! Before we jump into the groove of things I want to make a few announcements.

The first announcement is this weekend I'll debut a new article called "The Top Five", and that will include five categories along with the top five choices for that category. So, I figure it may be boring if it's just my top five, so if anyone wants to participate in listing your top five, I'm going to name the categories at the bottom of the article. Then I'll have you guys send me your top five for each category, and we'll see how everything adds up. It's just something I figured would be fun to see how everyone thinks. The deadline for that will be Saturday at Noon Eastern time, so make sure if you want to take part, to send me what you think before Saturday afternoon since it'll be up that day.

The second announcement, This Sunday you guys can look forward to an Animated Movie Review. Which one? I haven't decided yet, but you guys will, because I'll allow you to vote for it, in this column at the bottom. So yeah, I'm turning up the heat on the blog, just trying to make it more enjoyable for everyone. Man this is a LONG opener, so let's get to some comics!

Action Comics #890

Action Comics is now about the former President of the United States and our favorite alien  hating bald man, Alexander "Lex" Luthor. Funny thing is it's not under the Brightest Day banner but the Blackest Night Aftermath banner. We start off seeing Lex hanging off of a building... well hanging by a building, yet he isn't worried at all about being dropped by the person who's holding him there, he just wants to know what their goal is. He then thinks about how this all started. Lex of course is being Lex and fired a dude then says spread rumors so he never works in this field again, and he does this right in front of the man. I'd say Lex had some hair on his boys if I didn't know he had alopecia. (That's loss of hair from the body FYI.) The guy attacks Lex and lets just say that doesn't work in his favor. Later Lex has dinner with a woman he calls Lois... It's damn sure not Lois Lane and if it is it'd gotta be a robot or something because come on dude. Lois would NEVER leave Clark for Lex. I'm going with a clone or a robot. So it turns out Lex wants a power ring, not just one but one of each if possible. It's funny seeing Lex's thoughts and he pictures everyone bowing to him from Supes, Batman, and Wonder Woman to Darkseid, The Joker and even Brainiac. The end was underwhelming only because of the reveal but other than that it was a very solid issue, I love Lex's character so I'm loving him taking over this comic, it should be interesting. This issue gets a 7.5/10.

Lex Luthor: I've made up my mind about the former employee who assaulted me. Would you kill him now, please?
 

The Flash #3

Isit just me or is this series going by REALLY slow? Especially when Gen Lost is bi-weekly this seems like it's taking forever. We jump in with Boomer getting checked out by the doctors after the guards beat the hell out of him in the previous issue. They beat him up some more after he fights back, then he magically forms a Boomerang, I'm guessing due to his "MYSTICAL RETURN FROM THE DEAD!!!!!" Or some crap. Anyway Barry lucks off because they believe he contaminated the scene like an amateur, because sure, he's THAT stupid.  Later, he meets with Iris and then he's attacked again by the Renegades. who show that their pretty awesome. They also allude to Iris West possibly committing some crime in the near future, around Flashpoint maybe? Dun dun dunnnn! Anyway this issue ends with a bit of a surprise, I'm just happy it didn't end the exact same way it did with one and two, with someone telling Barry Allen he was guilty for killing someone. It was an okay issue but nothing special, I'll give it a 5/10.

Captain Boomerang: Well now gents, looks like I got me some Get out of Jail free cards!

Batman Beyond #1 of 6

So the return of Terry McGinnis at last. After seeing him pop up in Superman/Batman Annual #4 as well as Batman #700 I gotta say I have pretty high expectations for this mini-series. This issue starts with Amanda Waller walking around Cadmus labs which was recently broken out of by someone, we aren't told who yet though. Those who watched Batman Beyond of the Justice League Unlimited cartoons will recall Terry and Waller have an amicable relationship after she announced to him that Bruce is genetically his biological father. Anywho we finally see Terry, with Bruce in ear of course, fighting crime, including the Spellbinder. Turns out Terry's been fighting crime in Gotham for 12 hours straight but can't catch a break. Our newer Batman is once again offered a spot in the JLA (referring to Batman Beyond Season 3) but turns it down, he's told the door is always open as he takes off in his Bat-Plane. The escaped man goes on to kill former Batman Villain, Signalman, and he's killed by being stabbed in the heart Twice, and the Throat Twice with Two different knives. Got any ideas yet? Well... I won't ruin it for you but I loved the ending. It was one of those things that's in your face and you don't even realize it. I thought this was a fantastic opening issue and although not perfect it was very close. I'll give it a 9/10.

Terry: Ace, Tell me he's not upstairs watching that Zorro DiGi again...

Bruce: I only watch that move once a year. Once.

Gotham City Sirens #13

Maggie Kyle gives a whole new meaning to the term "The Flying Nun" on this issue of Gotham City Sirens! That's be the solicitation if I were working for DC. Anyway, Selina tries to talk her crazy ass sister out of a fight but it doesn't work, so Selina and Harley both attack but are thwarted by the crazy nun chick that has the power of a demon or something. Yeah, it's not the easiest storyline to follow. The page that had Batman's Rogue gallery was very awesome to look at and was very well done. Harley's written very well, a few of her lines were hilarious but for a lot of this issue I just couldn't get into it. I mean as fast as that Nun chick was moving she could've cut Selina's throat twenty times. And the ending really... annoyed me. So I don't know where the Sirens go from here, but I'm not sure I'll be sticking around much longer to see if it doesn't improve. 4/10 rating for this issue.

Harley Quinn: Hey Sister Psycho! Here's something I owe ya!

Green Lantern #55

The return of Lobo. Oh hell's yeah Bastiches! I'm a fan of Lobo, and he's usually fun when he's around, minus that crap in 52 with him. And if the cover is right and he's fighting Atrocitus then this should be awesome. And... it has begun! Turns out an anonymous person has put out a bounty on Atrocitus and had "The Main Man" Lobo go after him. The two big men duke it out and the White Lantern tells Hal to help Atrocitus so he does. Hal makes the mistake of riding Lobo's "Fraggin" bike and hits Lobo with it. Lobo then gets beat up by Sinestro, so that's Sinestro, Hal, Carol and Atrocitus, man Lobo has some guts. Lobo breaks out of Carol's Hallucination Crystal, he then tells her what he really loves, which leads to her constructing a HUGE hand and slapping him. Eventually the four Corps members band together and Lobo takes off. We later find off why, and boy is it a good reason. All I'm gonna say is I can't wait to see what happens with The Main Man. Say what ya want about Geoff but this continues to be a solid series. The mini with Dex-Starr made this comic even better, I love his motivation for being with the Red Lantern Corps. I'll give this issue of Green Lantern a well deserved 10/10.

Sinestro: You sealed Lobo in your Hallucination Inducing Chrystal?

Carol: I thought it may sedate him. You've been encased in the Sapphire crystal before. It shows you your greatest love, which in your case I'd guess was a mirror.

Sinestro: Yes. A Mirror. How Humorous.

The Joker's Asylum: Clayface

This is the last issue of the second Joker's Asylum run. This time we get to see a story about Basil Karlo a.k.a. Clayface, called Mudnight Madness. Pretty nice title compared to some of the others. He attacks a kid at the movie theater who insults his work, because the kid was unaware that he was Karlo.  Afterwards we see a flashback to before Clayface became the mud monster he is today. He has an argument with his co-star who tells him no one remembers the guy who plays the monster, they just remember the star. Basil tells him that he disagrees and he'll prove it. Back in the present timeline Clayface is pissed off about his movie being used in a "shlockfest" so he rampages the movie theater until he comes upon someone dressed like his character. Clayface's description of how he was going to kill this guy was excellent. It was so chilling and descriptive that it really makes you think about how a guy like Clayface is the last person you wanna run into. The smoke shot of Batman was amazing, and his return to the theater after it's closed down was pretty cleverly written. This is the first Joker's Asylum of his run to heavily feature Batman instead of just having him in one or two pages and it really works here. The Joker's dialogue on the last page really comes off like The Clown Prince of Crime should be written. As you can see from all the text I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, while not as good as the Killer Croc or Penguin issues its still very well done and definitely made me want to see more Clayface in the future. I'll give this an 8.5/10.

Newspaper Headline: "Clayface Kills at The Box Office!" (Much like the Joker, I also love a good pun.)

Teen Titans Rant

I'm really starting to dread this comic now. There's no cohesiveness to the team, there's far too many members (TEN?!) and the storyline is so rehashed. They've been searching for Raven since Dick Grayson was a Teen Titan, now he's Batman. How do you justify her being SO powerful yet always getting kidnapped? And Beast Boy's boring as hell, with or without Raven now. I'd say the team needs to be Superboy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Static, Ravager, Aquagirl and Miss Martian. There's a perfectly well-rounded team. Anyway, due to all of those reasons, I've decided to drop this comic. Maybe I'll pick it up after this Raven arc ends to see where it goes from there but right now I'd rather just avoid it all than sit here and review a comic that I know I'll most likely dislike. So until they find Raven for the hundredth time, consider be dropping this comic. 

That's it for the reviews this week, hope you enjoyed it. As always comments and such are appreciated. So now, like I mentioned up top if anyone want's their selections to be included in this weekend's post, just send me your picks via email. I say email so we can keep it secret and have people surprised about the picks this weekend, but if you're lazy then you can post it in the comments. :P Alright then, remember to pick your top five (doesn't have to be in order) for each category and email me at kevinkavalier@gmail.com. The five Categories are:


5 Favorite Male Comic Characters
5 Favorite Female Comic Characters
5 Favorite Comic Writers
5 Favorite Ongoing Comic Series
5 Most Underused Characters


So, I'm awaiting these answers because I'd LOVE to see what everyone chooses and how many matches we have. So be sure to send those in before Noon Eastern Time on Saturday. Now, for the voting to see which Animated Film I'll review on Sunday. The voting stops Sunday morning so get your votes in asap, also since this poll is up, I'll throw the new weekly poll along with the results from this week's on Sunday as well. So happy voting, until next time, I'm your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger Man, Jason Todd.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Batman & Robin #13 just to see how they explain this Joker thing, Brightest Day #5, Red Hood: Lost Days #2, and Red Robin #14.

Ratings and Rantings

Hey everyone, the incomparable Jason Todd here with another edition of Ratings and Rantings! Welcome to my Red Hood once again, and I have a few quick announcements for the my Todd Squad. First things first, sorry for not updating the polls, I've decided I'm going to start updating them weekly with my R&R posts that way everyone can come read and vote. Secondly, I'd like to announce the winner of the X vs. JT Poll is no one, we tied at 50% each and the poll had an astonishing 34 votes! Because of my screw up the voting was supposed to end at 11:59 Wednesday Night but I made it go a day later by mistake. But I stopped counting votes after 12:00 because I said it would end Wednesday. I'm happy with a tie but I'm MORE happy with 34 votes. Thanks guys. So, that said, let's get to the reviewing.

Power Girl #13

We're starting things off with our Busty Bombshell Power Girl today, the series has been taken over by Judd Winick, one of my favorite writers, so I'm interested in seeing how he writes former JLI'er, Karen Starr. The artwork is nice, but it's not my style, I think the faces need more definition and everything seems glazed over and too light. I love that this was basically the first issue of Justice League Generation Lost but from PG's perspective. No wonder she went off on Booster the way she did in that issue. Little things in this issue, like mentioning that PG doesn't have pierced ears because she can't due to having Kryptonian skin comes off pretty good. The explanation of PG remembering made sense, which I really liked as well. IF she does remember that is. I enjoyed the comic a lot, it wasn't anything perfect but it was a nice read and I'm looking forward to the next issue and seeing how this ties in with Generation Lost. I'll give this issue of PG an 8/10 rating.

Power Girl about Booster: He's an idiot! A Testosterone-laced media whore who couldn't stay on mission even if it was crawling up his leg and--

Batman: Power Girl seems upset.

Mister Terrific: Very astute. I see why you're called the Master Detective.

Detective Comics #866

Detective Comics is honoring Batman #700 by having a story about Dick Grayson as Robin and his Batman persona as well. The cover is by Dustin Nguyen who works on Streets of Gotham, and it looks awesome. It starts with Batman taking on some thugs, but when the floor falls from under him he lands on a medallion which prompts a Flashback (with old-timey art even!!!) of Batman and The Boy Wonder going after The Joker who stole the same Medallion, and also happened to be the first time Dick went on patrol with Batman. The story comes off a little cheesy but is still enjoyable. The idea of Joker stealing things just to steal them makes sense because that seems like something he'd do, just because that's the way his mind works. Especially in the older Joker appearances. The story really catches up near the end. I loved the ending because I was hoping Dick would beat the clock. This was a really well written story which I thoroughly enjoyed and it gets a 9/10 rating from me.

The Joker: Picasso, Monet, Vang Gogh... Sounds like a Law firm...

Green Lantern Corps #49

Jebus Christ this art is gorgeous! I wish EVERY comic had artwork like this... beautiful. John Stewart and Boodikka start our comic investigating the recent happenings on Grenda. He talks about her past before she became a "robot-like being" by joining the Alpha Lanterns, even mentioning her fling with Lobo. (I'll miss Sheriff Lobo Marge!..Sorry, Simpsons moment.) They discuss why John didn't join as well, which is a very interesting moment between the two. Kyle dreaming about Jade, then waking up and yelling her name... not good buddy. Besides you got a hottie in Soranik... and Hell hath no fury like the scorn of Sinestro's daughter. From there, Kyle, Ganthet and Soranik team up to go after John Stewart. This comic was a very good read, kept up with the pace of the last comic and gave us a villain this issue. I love reading about the Lanterns who aren't Hal Jordan because they can contribute just as much and the upcoming Love Triangle I'm assuming with Kyle, Soranik and Jade should be fun too. I'll give it a 8/10 rating as well.

John Stewart: You used to enjoy stuff like this Boodikka, back when you had a personality. 

The Joker's Asylum: Killer Croc

This time the Joker regales us with a tale of Killer Croc. The man who eats other men, that must be... um enjoyable? Anywho this is titled Beauty and The Beast. I was gonna make fun of Joker reusing that title but he beat me to it, so he wins THIS round. Damn this starts off good, with Killer Croc doing something extremely graphic to get loose from his shackles. I bet Aaron Cash loved that one! I thought I could predict where this was going but that curveball was a nice touch. The idea of Killer Croc wearing a suit is hilarious to me... I mean he's a big Crocodile looking man in a suit! Croc doesn't talk for most of this story, yet his presence is always felt. He's the kind of guy who doesn't need to talk, and him not talking makes him more interesting because you're waiting for him to. the ending, and the words finally spoken by Croc were fantastic. This is a great story, that humanizes a killer, a man who's eaten people. This was an amazing read and definitely the best Joker's Asylum story I've read. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone. Perfect score, 10/10 rating.


The Joker: Heeheehee! The doctor--Hoohoohoo--looked me in the eyes--Haahaahaa! And asked ME for help!

Batman: Streets of Gotham #13

One more issue before we get back to the guy known as the Anti-Bruce Wayne, Hush. But first we've got the second part to The Carpenter story. I gave part one an 8/10 so let's see how well this one does. Carpenter lays a Smackdown that would even make The Rock cringe on the hired help of the horribly named Director, who's named "The Director." (See told ya...) Afterwards she continues to work so The Director won't know she expects the upcoming betrayal he was dumb enough to leave out and sitting around in plain view. Pretty soon The Director hatches his plan to bring The Dark Knight to the big screen as the Carpenter watches on. This was a pretty good story as well. I'm sure everyone scoffed at a story about The Carpenter but man, this was a good read. I could see her as a valuable member of a team, hell are the Gotham City Sirens hiring? I really walked away from this with a newfound respect for the character. I loved her small two issue story and I'd read more if I had the chance, I'll give this a 8.5/10 rating.

The Carpenter to Batman: Really? A Bat Logo as a buckle? REALLY?

Wolverine Origins #49

This is the fallout from the recent Wolverine/Daken/Romulus Triple Threat feud. The last issue of Dark Wolverine was more of a transitional issue than anything so I'm assuming this one will be as well, but I may be mistaken. Let's find out shall we? Logan talks about how Life usually begins and ends in the same place and how he's starting over this time with a life he controls, considering how Romulus has pretty much made him his puppet and controlled his life with the marionette strings of power he wielded. Yeah, I'm clever, don't act surprised! Anyway, The furball known as Wolverine encounters Nick Fury. They drink and talk, and Nick reminds Wolverine that it's his birthday. Then we see some stuff I won't ruin for you guys but it surprised the hell outta me. The rest of this comic takes a trippy turn at best but it stays interesting for the most part, never knowing who will show up next.  The ending caught me by surprise and definitely hooked me in, just to see how they'll explain what happened. This comic flew by, and I don't know if that's good or bad but I really enjoyed it. It was a basic comic though and nothing happened until the end so I'll give it a 7.5/10, I'm looking forward to the next issue though.

Wolverine: RRROMULUSSSS.... (I loved this because I can picture Logan snarling while saying it.)

Justice League: Rise and Fall of Arsenal #04
 

The finale to The Rise and Fall of Arsenal. They've got a lot to cover in this issue so let's get to it. The Lian Flashback was awesome, I loved seeing her dressed like Roy, that was adorable. And I mean that in the most manly way possible... I'll be the first to admit... The Lian zombie shit... not classy, and not cool at all. At All. And I mean that. Anyway, I figured this would be a predictable Ollie vs. Roy fight so I'm glad they made a good reason to have the two meet up. Why did Ollie have his costume in his cell? Especially if he doesn't have his mask, and he's been in jail for a few days at least since Roy's already visited him once. I loved Ollie admitting that Roy is better than him in a fight and making Roy look formidable. The ending.... I won't lie, it shocked me. Roy has officially become the new Jason Todd, well at least his hair is already Red. Oh and by the way, looks like one of my poll choices a few weeks ago was actually right... ;-) Anyway, I expected Salvation for Roy... 5/10 rating. I'm shocked I'm giving it that because the Lian stuff should REALLY bring it down even more.

Oliver Queen: Listen to me Roy, I know you're hurting. And I know I failed you before! I wasn't there for you. But I'm here now. Don't do this.

JL Generation Lost #4

This issue starts off with the one and only Max Lord. Turns out Aquaman and Firestorm aren't the only Brightest Day Rebirth members having problems with their powers. We then jump over to the team Formerly known as the JLI, taking on the Red Rocket Brigade. Or so they thought, turns out the Red Rocket Brigade is fighting the original Rocket Red. Confusing right? After careful deliberation, Booster, Ice, Cap. Atom and the (not-so-true) Blue Beetle decide to jump into the fray and help the civilians. I love Booster asking Skeets where the power cells were on the villains then zapping them. And I know Fire isn't technically naked but man, she REALLY pushes the line, especially in a mainstream DC Comic. The appearance by Batman was a pleasant surprise, I hope we see him more in the series, and I'm sure we will. The realization of why the JLI have met up together with Rocket Red being discovered by Booster was kind of surprising but it does make sense, as Max would like to play games. The ending of this issue left me with a lot of questions that I can't wait to see answered. I'm also predicting that PG will meet up with the Former JLI members, but the question is when? I'll give this issue an 8.5/10, just because it was good but not great.

Rocket Red: And here--I--The Rocket Red! This is the Justice League International. All ve need is Green Lantern to fall from sky and ve will complete!

Superman/Batman #73

Superman/Batman #73 picks up where the last issue left off, Lois Lane is tied to a stake and there looks to be a witch-burning of sorts, by a cult that believes that she betrayed Superman by marrying an earthling like Clark Kent. (Wow... really?) Surprisingly Lois saves herself, I guess years of playing Damsel in Distress has it's perks. Not long after that, The Caped Crusader shows up to the party to help Lois out. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor is trying to turn a planet against Superman, because after saving the planet they blamed Big Blue for property damage or something. Anyway Lex tries to use his accomplishments and hate for Superman to become the hero of the inhabitants of "Lexor" as he calls it. The fact there's an article on Lois desk she saved that says "Red-Blue Blur gets a name" let's me know someone is a Smallville fan, and I really liked that little inclusion. The rest of this comic is cool, nothing special but a nice read nonetheless. I'll give it a 6/10, no reason to go out of your way to get it or anything but you wouldn't be disappointed if you did.

Cult Leader: If the great Superman is mad at us for attempting to punish the harlot Lois Lane, must we still destroy her? (The word Harlot should make a comeback...)

Green Arrow #1

This is it, for those who don't know, after killing Prometheus, Oliver Queen was found out to be the vigilante known as The Green Arrow. He was later banned from ever showing his face, or um... mask I guess in Star City again. So, there, all caught up. The first issue of Green Arrow begins with a girl running from thugs and she runs right past the Police Station, so either they have some crappy police or there's a reason she didn't go there. She runs into a forest and is saved by the Green Arrow, who shoots a guys nose ring off. Man that was awesome. We soon find out why the woman ran into the forest instead of the police station, what she thinks of Green Arrow, and a very good explanation of why he still wears his mask. The rest of this comic was very well done, there's a lot of text, but as someone who doesn't mind reading I really enjoyed it. I thought this first issue as well as the surprise appearance were done well and I hope the trend continues. I think Ollie living in a forest like where he honed his skills has a lot to offer, and here's hoping it stays this good if not better. 8.5/10 for this debut issue of Green Arrow.

Green Arrow: *when asked about wearing his mask* Because this is who I really am, now. It's the only thing left.

Well everyone, that's it for this weeks Ratings and Rantings. Before I go I want to link anyone who hasn't seen it to the clip of the upcoming Under The Red Hood animated film featuring Jensen Ackles as Red Hood and Bruce Greenwood as Batman, both I feel did an excellent job. So that will be right under this paragraph. Also under that will be the results of last weeks Weekly Poll. So don't forget to vote on the new poll as well. Until next time, I'm your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger-Man, signing off.

-Jason Todd

Last Week's Poll Question was: What would you like to see more of at JasonToddsComicSpot.Blogspot.com?

Last Place with 9.1% - More articles like "Can Jason Todd Regain Glory?"

Tied for Second Place with 18.2% - More Green Blogger Corps and More "What I Learned From"

Winner with 54.5% - More Animated Movie reviews! So I'll do more of those starting soon. Thanks for voting everyone.

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Action Comics #890 (Lex Luthor baby!), Batman Beyond #1, The Flash #3, Gotham City Sirens #13, Green Lantern #55, The Joker's Asylum: Clayface, Teen Titans #84,

Ratings and Rantings

Hey everybody, Jason Todd welcoming all my comic loving friends back to my Red Hood with this weeks edition of Ratings and Rantings! I'm looking forward to this week because we finally get issue two of Birds of Prey, as well as my first ever review of Marvel's Dark Wolverine starring the son of Wolverine, Daken. Batman Beyond #1 got pushed back two weeks so I can't review it which sucks, but ah well. So enough stalling from me, let's see what I thought.

Brightest Day #4

Brightest Day picks up with The Hawks having a discussion about whether to go after Hath-set or not, for the record I agree with Shayera or whatever her name is now that they should've destroyed the gate and moved on but that's me. It was cool getting a glimpse at all the times they died during their long lives, as well as seeing their Black Lantern bones. Dove happens to look much better out of costume than in it... I find that odd. Anyway after socking Deadman in the face they talk until he gets his ass kicked again by a big Angry Hawk. Man did someone decide to make Hawk into The Hulk because he was freaking HUGE here. Anyway The Deadman story is actually getting interesting for once with Hawk and Dove. We also got introduced to Jackson, some of you may know who he is from the DCU blog, if you don't, I won't spoil it for ya. From there we jumped to a sea and some poor guys get attacked by someone... I don't know who it was but she looked kinda like Mera. Either way I'm interested in finding out. The most interesting story so far in my opinion, Ronnie and Jason got even more interesting when Ronnie was visited by a surprise guest and it seems Jason may have inadvertantly had something to do with it. I really liked this comic, instead of focusing on EVERYONE, it focused on The Hawks, Deadman, Hawk and Dove and the Firestorm boys. We got glimpses with the sea chick and Jackson but everyone else got time to establish a story, and with the exception of the Hawks I enjoyed it all, hopefully Brightest Day will stay more on this path. I'll give it a 7/10 rating.


Dove: I'm not in trouble.That's Deadman!
Hawk: This...is...Deadman? What the hell's he doing in your bedroom at three in the morning?

The Joker's Asylum: Mad Hatter

The Mad Hatter gets one but not Two-Face, Mr. Freeze or Hush? Not even Zsasz? Weird... anyway man did I hate the artwork in this comic. I mean I may be in the minority but I didn't enjoy the artwork at all, and I'm not an artist or anything but I mean... really? Moving on, the story is about Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter writing a story that's basically about the same thing he's ALWAYS about. Stalking someone named Alice and being a creepy ugly little pervert with enormous teeth. Anyway he tried to avoid Tea and Hats for the whole book because he's weak and if he has a hat he can control minds or something stupid. It's really a waste of my time reviewing this and your time reading it so I'll get right to the rating. Story sucked, writing sucked, art sucked, and Joker rhyming sucked, 0/10. I hated it, no Line of The Issue. NEXT Comic!!!

The Joker's Asylum: Harley Quinn

This comic starts off MUCH better than the last, better art and The Joker says things that seems like he'd actually say them. Harley even has her trademark huge hips and whatnot. You'd think Falisha Ann drew her or something. The idea of Harley breaking out of Arkham JUST to spend Valentine's Day with The Joker is awesome because that's so in her nature. I'm a big Harley Quinn fan so seeing her get a storyline that makes sense is a bonus. And I loved the idea of the raffle as well, It's probably one of Falcone's smartest ideas to be honest. The best part was everyone underestimating Harley Quinn, it was great seeing her go all out and showing that she is a threat because she is one of the most dangerous people in Gotham, she's also a damn genius. Remember, she was a Psychiatrist so she's gotta have something up there. The mandatory Batman appearance was even done well and helped Harley keep her momentum as a dangerous person, I loved every bit of that and the final monologue with Joker made it even better. This was an excellent one shot, the art was much better than the Mad Hatter one but it still came off a little amateurish because sometimes Harley looked great and other times she looked horrible, but other than that this was a great issue, I'll give it a 8/10 rating.

Carmine Falcone: Harley Quinn. If I'd known you were coming I'd have made sure we had Kool-Aid and Coloring Books.

Deadpool #24

The House and Wildcard (Weasel and Deadpool) are getting praised by the Casino owner dude and they say Wildcard came off looking better then The House and ask who he is. Weasel denies but Deadpool blurts out who he is, which leads to him threatening them into letting him stay as Wildcard so he can rake in the big bucks. Weasel then gets chewed out for bringing in Deadpool so DP comes up with the idea of switching, so Weasel can be Wildcard and the Merc with a Mouth can be The House. Just in time for a fight with The Grizzly who attacks again. This time our boys have switched costumes and Deadpool plays around while Weasel does all the work, as Wildcard. This comic was pretty good, it wasn't one of the best and the Deadpool comedy didn't shine through much but we got to see his genius idea which he's had a lot of lately. Anyway I thought this was good but nothing special, I'll give it a 6.5/10 rating.


Casino Owner: Do you honestly think we're going to allow you to roam our casinos in a super-powered armored suit?
Deadpool: Do you honestly think you have a choice?
Casino Owner: You have a point.

Dark Wolverine #87

So this is my first ever review for Dark Wolverine but after reading the entire series of this and Wolverine Origins I've decided to start reviewing them in the Ratings and Rantings. If anyone is curious on what happened in the last issues of Dark Wolverine you can check X-Man75's site by clicking his name and it'll take you to his reviews of the Dark Wolverine issues up to this one. Daken is walking around Italy, sulking because he lost the "game" with Wolverine and says he should've known from the beginning because that's what Romulus wanted. Then some chick tries to pickpocket him, which doesn't bode well for her. The rest of the issue involves Daken conning a conman who tried to rob him. This was more than a transitional comic than anything, just something to show us Daken's state of mind following the stuff with his Father and Romulus. Other than that nothing happened, it was a good read though, so I'll give it a 7/10 rating. I don't know how I feel about picking up the next few issues seeing as how it's a crossover with Frankencastle which seems like it's outrageously stupid but Daken killed Frank in the first place so I kinda wanna see it... I'll have to think about it. If anyone has suggestions let me know.

Daken: Wolverine cut out my Muramasa claws. The only things that can take his life. He holds the key to the kingdom but he'll never use them.

Birds of Prey #2

The first thing I said when I opened this comic was "Damn the art in this comic is good." Because it is, it looks AMAZING, especially compared to those Joker Asylum's this week. Anyway damn this started off great. The HUGE fight, watching Hawk get owned, the air of mystery around White Canary. Everything works, two issues in and this is already a top contender for my favorite comic along with Batgirl. This story has action, drama, and a ton of suspense, Gail Simone knows how to write a hell of a comic. Don't know what the deal is with Penguin getting all Pervy with Dove but that came off pretty funny too. I know I mentioned the inclusion of Hawk and Dove seemed random but I gotta say I like what they bring to the team, especially Hawk being so Male Chauvinist and on a team of women. We saw "Two-Face is God/The Devil" Spray-painted on a wall, It seemed too random to be there for no reason so I'd keep an eye out for our Double Faced Fiend. The last few pages made this comic even better with Dinah's problems, and Oracle's revelation. The fact we still don't know who White Canary is (I have my guesses) and everything else makes this one of the best comics out today. Gail Simone wrote a damn good story and the art by Ed Benes was a joy to look at. Definitely a 10/10 for Birds of Prey #2, I can't wait for next month's issue.

Black Canary: Truth is, I never much liked him. (Hawk) He thought he was God's gift before he was resurrected from the dead... Imagine what he'll be like now.

Well, that's it for me everyone. An average pull this week with a surprisingly good Brightest Day and a phenomenal issue of Birds of Prey. Before I take off I wanna ask everyone to vote on the poll below to settle a debate myself and X were having, I'll announce the WINNER next week, haha. So anyway vote on that, let me know what you guys though and I'll be back with a new weekly poll this weekend. Until then, this is your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger-man, Jason Todd.

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Batman: Streets of Gotham #13, Detective Comics #866, Green Arrow #1, Green Lantern Corps #49, The Joker's Asylum: Killer Croc, Justice League: Generation Lost #4, Rise and Fall of Arsenal #4, Power Girl #13 and  Superman/Batman #73, and Wolverine Origins #49 Big week baby!

Wolverine: The Adamantium Men Review

Hey Todd Squad, Jason Todd here welcoming you back, once again, to my Red Hood. There's some new things I wanna mention before I get into today's review, Wolverine: The Adamantium Men. First I wanna welcome by newest followers (I still hate calling you guys that... I'm not exactly leading you anywhere...) So instead I wanna welcome my newest members of the Todd Squad. I appreciate you guys coming to my blog, and it's nice to know that this blog is only seven months old but I still have people checking it out, so thanks again. Secondly, it's that time again so be sure to vote on the new poll on the right-hand side and I'll also have the results of the last poll at the bottom of the review. And lastly, I'll be reviewing and reading this comic at the same time, so I may say things then they may contradict others when I get further in reading, so that's why, I don't have split personalities or anything. So, enough Jabber-jawing (I love that phrase), let's get to it!

Wolverine: The Adamantium Men collects Wolverine: Weapon X issues 1-5, for anyone who's curious. This story starts with a back story on where the beginning takes place and even mentions there's catfish parasites that, and I quote, "swim up into your naughty bits." And that's all I needed to hear to never wanna go swimming anywhere that isn't chlorine filled pool. From there we see a well planned massacre by a bunch of men who's faces are hidden in the shadows, one even shown to have green glowing claws. From there we jump to some hoodlums causing trouble on a train/subway, too bad for them the Canucklehead is there, one chopped up arm and gun shoved up an ass later, all is calm and Wolvie has saved the day. From there he learns from Maverick that someone has bought up the old Weapon X info, and even knows how to make adamantium. Meanwhile the woman Wolverine saved on the train/subway named Garner (didn't catch her first name or they didn't say it), is looking up info on Wolverine, trying to find out who he is and where he came from for an article but is hitting dead ends.

Wolverine eventually draws the guys out which leads to a fight where he can scout them out, turns out their healing factor has nanites and they have energy claws, which according to Wolverine is like being killed by him when he's stabbed, and he doesn't like being on the receiving end. Wolverine is out matched so he runs into the forest, I'd assume to pick them off like the predator he is. Looks like I was right as he manages to take out most of them, and kidnap one to learn answers. The dude escapes but Wolverine has planted a tracking device behind the dude's eyeball. (I don't even wanna know how...) Ms. Garner eventually gets in trouble looking into Wolverine's past but is helped by Maverick, a friend of Wolverine and a former Weapon X testee as well. As Wolverine tracks the escaped hostage, he eventually comes upon a tree, in it is a knife stuck through the tracking device, and hanging from it is his eye. That would've freaked me the hell out, but not Logan! Not James Howlett baby! I loved the big fight scene and in the middle a school bus goes by so they stop and take the fight away from the kids, great moment showing that even though their killers they still don't wanna inflect that on the children.

The fight scenes near the end of this comic are amazing, hell seeing Wolverine grab a Gas pump and light it on fire with sparks from his claws was epic. And the way they talk in between fights, actual conversations, not just insulting lines made it even more enjoyable. I'll allow you to read for yourself how the story ends but I loved the lead up to it. The guy asking Wolverine how that book ends was great as well, showing he knew there was a chance he'd never get to finish it. This comic was amazing, like most of the Wolverine Comics I've been recommended it almost got a perfect score but the stuff with Garner bored me, it seemed out of place and I wish it'd been Maverick instead just because at least he's interesting to read. That aside I REALLY enjoyed this read and I'll give it a 8.5/10. I recommend it to any Wolverine fan or anyone who likes a good story.

Now, it's time for the weekly poll results, the question asked was "Which Teen Titan alum deserves their own Solo Series?"


Last Place with 0% - Cyborg, Ah well... at least you're still around...

Third Place with 18.2% - Ravager, Better stick to the Co-Features Rose.
Second Place with 27.3% - Static, Pretty shocking eh? (They can't all be funny...)
Winner with 54.5% - Arsenal Rises with a win, let's get him a series now, written by someone good...

That's it for me everyone, thanks for reading, feel free to comment because they keep me smiling and all that other great stuff. :P I'll be back later this week reviewing the weekly comics I stated in the last Ratings and Rantings, so until then, You've just been Gobsmacked!

-Jason Todd

Ratings and Rantings

Hey everyone, Jason Todd here welcoming you, as usual to my Red Hood. This weeks Ratings and Rantings should be a good one, as I'll be reviewing the always good Batgirl, as well as Titans, Booster Gold, JL Generation Lost and the monumental 700th issue of Batman. So, I'm not gonna waste time with Small talk about how you should recommend my blog to everyone, and how awesome I am for my reviews and stuff like that, and how I'm all cool and the life of the party. Because who want's to hear that?! :-) Lol anyway, really, let's get to the reviews!

Titans #24

Titans started by following Dick Grayson (Batman), Roy Harper (Armless), Wally West (Demoted), Starfire (REBELS), Donna Troy (JLA), and Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy (Teen Titans AGAIN). Now it's following what may be one of the best put together teams DC Teams of all time, Lead by Deathstroke and featuring Cheshire, Cinder, Tatooted Man (referred to as Ink by me from now on), and Osiris. This issue starts with Osiris talking with Cassie who wants him to turn himself in for killing Persuader back during 52. HA! I wish I WOULD, He killed someone, he died, we're even as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, he refuses like anyone with a brain would. From then on we see Osiris has joined Deathstroke, for reasons we can only speculate as bringing back Black Adam and his sister. We eventually see the Titans attack Lex Luthor as apart of Deathstroke's plan, and even see something weird happen with Osiris that surprises both him and Slade. The explosion and Osiris standing there made for an awesome visual, showing us that while being small, he is powerful and possibly the most dangerous person on the team. The ending surprised me, and while it wasn't a huge surprise it was enough to keep me waiting for the next issue. Titans is starting off to a good start so far, and the 7/10 rating should reflect that. I'd love to see more into the minds of the team though.

Cinder: Say hello to the Devil, Lex. You can tell him I sent you.

Batman #700

Grant Morrison AND Tony Daniel... why did I buy this book? Turns out his gonna chronicle the Three Batman, Bruce, Dick and *shudders* Damien... Damn couldn't it have been Terry McGinnis or something?! Well the first story I hated.... It was just all around, everyone was talking about nothing. It's just stupid... there are FIVE villains in the room and Batman's tied up and their standing around him... why the hell would you have a conversation after he tells you he's gonna break out. It just seemed like the most pointless thing to me. The second story continues to the first, I'm guessing ten or so years into the future, maybe fifteen as Grayson is now Batman.The second story was much better, and I gotta admit, I marked out to see Grayson using the Escrima sticks, there's the Nightwing I know and love. (Sorry Chris Kent!) Also seeing Batman and Robin in a restaurant eating Pizza and drinking coffee shows that Dick isn't the same Batman that Bruce was. I'm sure the place was closed, because if there was people there that'd be... weird but seeing them take a break from kicking ass and relax with some Pizza is a very Dick Grayson thing to do, and helps us remember that Grayson is his own Batman. If I were rating this story by story the first would get a 1 and the second would've gotten an 8, so now unto the sad future where Damien is Batman. This story follows a grim future with Damien as Batman, who's stupid enough to bring Brother-Eye back after how it backfired the first time. Nice job dumbass, also Babs is the Commish, I didn't know they handed that job to Ex-Librarians and Teachers but ah well. And the villain is a poor-man's Two-Face.... man If this is the future no wonder Geoff Johns is bringing back the past. the swerve at the end of the Damien story definitely saved it and left me pleasantly surprised. If I was rating his story I'd give it a 6, I'll give the overall comic a 5.5/10 rating. The art gallery was great though, beatifully done work, a lot would make excellnt background for the laptop. Anyway this may not have been my favorite, but I'm glad to be around for the 700th issue of Batman, and like they say in the comic, here's to 700 more.... with more Jason. ;-)

Dick Grayson to Damien: You'd be the worst Batman ever. (You tell him Dick... you tell him. Lol)

Justice League: Generation Lost #3

Gen Lost, which may be my favorite new title under the Brightest Day banner besides Birds of Prey has been wonderful lately. Starring one of my favorites, Booster Gold, along with Fire, Ice, Captain Atom and now Jamie "Hai-Me" Reyes, the not so true Blue Beetle joining the cast, I'm a tad disappointed but if anyone can make me enjoy him I'll put my faith in Judd and Keith. The line about Ice not knowing who the OMAC's were was well written and I'm glad it was addressed instead of her magically knowing of them. Her saying she was dead like it was a common cold came off pretty funny though. Seeing Jamie Reyes get FACESLAMMED into the ground automatically bumped this comic up to at least a 7. Anyway he does something awesome that makes me dislike him a little less. Meanwhile, Fire is dealing with her own personal problems much like Cap last month and it ends in the same way. Meanwhile, Cap, Ice and Blue and Gold Version 2.0 have their own troubles to deal with which I won't ruin. This issue was great, action packed and kept me interested every inch of the way. Even Jamie came off somewhat good. For the second time in a row 10/10, and it's yet to get lower than an 8, let's hope it keeps up the awesome story.

Max Lord: Do I smell Barbecue? *Bursts into flames*

Booster Gold # 34

I love that this cover is a play on last month's cover, that's just awesome. So our story starts with the Greatest Hero you've never heard of fighting a huge Scottish monster of a man named Brigadoom! Booster is trying to get his morning coffee when he encounters what looks like a mix between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Andre The Giant. The fun bonding, and occasional hint dropping between Booster's new house guest and Rip Hunter was pretty fun, as was the surprise appearance by Cyborg. I didn't expect them to get in a heated argument but they went at each other, one of the first times Cyborg came off as a jerk in my recent memory. But Booster ripping him a new exhaust hole was epic and I LOVED seeing the Golden Boy (Lol X) stand up for himself. I'm glad that Booster Gold also links up with Generation Lost somewhat, making the time lines between this, Generation Lost, Teen Titans and Power Girl all mesh together. Booster's idea on how to expose Mex is great, and seeing him execute it and also seeing appearances by J'onn, Guy, Ted, Younger Booster and some other people is a great treat, I can see myself really loving this storyline. Also, a BIG fan of Dinah's old costume, no wonder she made Ollie's arrow come outta the quiver... okay, I'm done making jokes, for now anyway. The rest of this comic was great, with Booster trying to one up max using the time stream and everything else that occurred. I'm never disappointed by this series, and it's definitely one of my top three ongoing series, even with Jurgens gone, Keith and J.M. have kept the stories going great. I'll give this a 10/10 and highly recommend it to everyone following Generation Lost.

Booster Gold: Look at him, Skeets-- sleeping like a seven-foot-five, six hundred and fifty pound homicidal baby.

Batgirl # 11

Damn this cover is awesome. Excellent work on Steph and Manbat. Anyway, we left off on the Techno-Zombies barfing on Oracle and seeing some of our favorite Gothamite's attacking Batgirl. We see into Babs' mind and what's happening to her as a Techno-Zombie. Seeing her walking put a smile on my face, I'll say that much. I know I say this all the time, but Bryan Q. Miller does a phenomenal job of balancing the seriousness, the comedy and the well-rounded aspects of Batgirl. She's written kind of like Spider-Man in the past, as a struggling person who tries her best, jokes around and lives for the moment. She's an excellent character, much better than her time as Spoiler. Seeing Steph take on Catwoman and Huntress is also a treat in this issue. Babs' "On no you didn't moment." was pretty good too, just well written and a perfect comedy moment. The rest of the issue features an interesting team up between Wendy and Batgirl, who have more in common than they thought. The possibility of these two along with Oracle seems like an interesting one, and it definitely left me wanting to read the final issue of The Flood. This third issue definitely set the tone and I can't wait for the finale, I'll give this issue of Batgirl a 10/10 rating. It was greatly written, the art was awesome and the story was interesting all throughout, which is why Batgirl is my favorite series today.

Batgirl: Some Jackass named Calculator just kidnapped Oracle and threw a Romero movie my way to stop me. Wait, Who's this?

Wendy: Wendy.

Batgirl: Harris?

Wendy: Yes.

Batgirl: That's what I was afraid of. Sorry I just called your dad a Jackass.

So, a mostly nice week, Batgirl and Gen Lost continue to lead the pack and always impress. Don't forget to vote if you haven't on the poll as it's a tight race, also this weekend I'll be back with the poll results, a new poll and a review on something. I don't know what yet, could be Wolverine, Captain America, Marvel Boy, Spyboy or something else but I'll have a review up, until then Todd Squad, You've just been Gobsmacked!

-Jason Todd

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Deadpool #24, Dark Wolverine #87, Batman Beyond #1, Birds of Prey #2, Brightest Day #4. Joker's Asylum: Mad Hatter and Joker's Asylum: Harley Quinn.

The Green Blogger Corps #1

The following is a satire, written by me. Why was it written by me? Because I was bored. Sure I could have gone and played some PS3, but instead I wanted to put my comedic skills to the test. Anyway, I'm including some of my friends and co-bloggers, and remember this is a joke. I don't mean to alienate my newer readers but there's a lot of inside jokes, but still feel free to read and enjoy. If anyone's offended, oh well. But no really, if anyone is offended it's not meant to offend, it's just a fun little story I wrote to hopefully make people laugh. Comments and criticism is welcome. Now without further adieu, I present...

The Green Blogger Corps #1

Written by: Jeff Geons

A man is shown standing at a bar, he's wearing a brown jacket, blue jeans and some dark sunglasses. He swishes his glass in a small circle, making the ice circle it, to cool off his drink. He turns when he feels a hand on his shoulder, and is face to face with his the woman he's had a crush on for years, she stands in front of him with a Violet (or um... Sapphire? *wink* *wink*) blazer and a black skirt. The man removes his shades while looking the woman up and down, before she speaks.

"Well, if it isn't the number one test pilot this side of Coast City, the world renown JT Jordan." says the woman.

"That's me, and if it isn't my beautiful boss and longtime friend, Ms. Falisha Ferris. May I ask why you wanted to see me Ms. Ferris?" JT Jordan says while leaning his back against the bar.

"Well Jordan, I've been thinking about getting out of Coast City for a while, with the upcoming two week shutdown I was going to head out to Metropolis, and I was wondering if you'd like to join me."

"Metropolis? Why there?"

"Well, I've been thinking of taking a few art classes there and that'll be a good place to start. I can work with some more well known people and learn more abo--"

Falisha Ferris is cut off by JT Jordan's cellphone ringing. She motions for him to answer it, which he does. He's surprised to hear his Red haired team member, Nagash Gardner on the other end of it.

"Jordan, I'm guessin' ya ain't got ya ring on again, or else you'd know the big headed blue's are calling a meeting on Oa, and they've requested you, me and Rayner personally. So get your green butt in gear!" Nagash says before abruptly hanging up the phone.

"I'm sorry Falisha, I... gotta go somewhere, it's an emergency, but we'll talk about it. Metropolis may be a good change of scenery." JT Jordan replies as he heads for the door. Once outside he goes to his car and grabs his glowing green ring out of the Glove compartment. He slips the ring on and a green and black suit covers his body and a trademark red Mask, because he's cool like that. He flies towards the sky, headed to the Green Lantern home world, Oa.

(Captain JT Jordan was chosen to represent an intergalactic police force created by the oldest beings in existence-- The Guardians of The Universe. Protecting Earth and all of Space Sector 2814 from every extraterrestrial threat imaginable, JT Jordan shines his light proudly as The Green Blogger!)

JT Jordan finally arrives on Oa and he's joins Nagash Gardner, who is also dressed in the same Green Blogger suit as JT (minus the cool red mask). Jordan goes to shake hands with Nagash, who instead forms a hand from his power ring to shake JT's hand. JT shoots Nagash a look, who returns it with a sly smirk.

"So where an' the hell is Rayner at? I know he got the message because I checked with him before I called yer ass." Nagash says to JT.

"I'm right here Red, calm yourself, can't a guy say goodbye to his girlfriend without you blowing a gasket?" Marc Rayner says while walking up and patting Nagash on the back.

"Oh is that what you were doing? I figured the great and powerful artist Marc Rayner was busy sketching pictures of your boy Grant Morrison facing off with Spider-Man." JT teased at Marc.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say Jordan. I get dissed from the guy that does one review a week and does an average job at best! Anyway, you know what the Guardians called us for?"

"No idea Marc, how about you Nagash? They tell you anything since you've been here?"

"Not a thing Jordan, just ta' wait here for you two and then eventually they'd send someone out fer us."

"Hey Poozers!" a voice boomed from the other side of the room. "The little guys are ready for ya."

The three Green Bloggers turned and were face to... um... chest with the primary trainer of the Green Blogger Corps, and one hell of a tough S.O.B., Kellowog!

"Kellowog, long time no see ya big scary bastard! How the new recruits been treatin' ya? Any of em need a good ol' fashioned Gardner kick in the ass?" Nagash exclaimed.

"Nah, they fall in line as soon as I approach them, and if not I smack them with issues of the Fantastic Four until they do. Now, lets get you Poozers in there, the sooner we end this the sooner I can watch the Simpsons. I swear you Poozers are later than a Flash....Poozer!"

(Note from the editor: Make sure to bring back Barry Allen, Ray Palmer, Old Captain Boomerang, Deathstroke's wife, Pa Kent, Dick Grayson's parents, Bruce Wayne's parents, and everyone else that has died since I was a child. - Jeff Geons)

Kellowog leads Nagash Gardner, Marc Rayner, and JT Jordan into the domain of the Guardians of the Universe, which turns out to be a big comic shop. The Guardians look down at the Bloggers, but don't talk because the reason their blue, is because their the Blue Man Group. They instead have a translator to speak for them, Tobias Funke'. (Arrested Development, look it up on youtube people!) The Blue man gr--er--Guardians of the Universe bang on some drums and blow confetti into the air, which apparently translates to...

"The Guardians wish to know why you are here." said the Guardians Translator. Our heroes look confused at one another, until JT Jordan steps forward.

"What do you mean why are we here? You guys summoned us! Gardner told us you wanted to meet with us, that's why I flew to this planet in the first place. I could be on a date instead of staring at you blue faced bastards so I want some answers!" Jordan yells at the Guardians, which echoes through the empty comic shop setting.

"Uh... no sir." Said Tobias, the interpreter. " The Guardians have not said anything all day, other than when they asked me to go out to get them Chili Cheese Fries. That I can guarantee."

"Well if the blue eggheads didn't send me the message through my ring, just who did?" Nagash asks.

Just as Nagash finishes his sentence, there's a huge blast on the side of the building knocking everyone down. The explosion causes rubble to fall from the ceiling, once that cracks Nagash in the head, knocking him out. The dust clears as JT, Marc and Kellowog get to their feet. The Guardians and Tobias have already run away like the chumps they are. Hovering over the debris of the blast is none other than former Green Blogger, and current wielder of fear, Sinestr-X!

"Well let me answer that question Gardner. I summoned you idiotic earthlings here. As a former Green Blogger I know the frequency your rings use, and I simply sent a message to Nagash, who I knew would relay it to Jordan and Rayner. And after I squash you fools, my Blog will be the only one for people to visit, and I'll rule with fear! I'll review things that will scare the crap out of everyone, like Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne!" Sinestr-X proclaimed.

"Hey! I liked that first issue you S.O.B.!" Marc Rayner yells, sending a blast from his power ring at Sinestr-X, who returns as blast as the two collide in mid-air and explode. Marc flies towards Sinestr-X as Kellowog and JT Jordan check on Nagash.

"I don't remember Nagash's hair being this long...or this red..." JT says to Kellowog.

"That's not his hair, that's blood you dumb Poozer! I gotta get him out of here. You and Rayner are gonna have to take on Sinestr-X alone."

"I haven't charged my ring yet! It's almost run outta juice. I hope Marc can handle him until I get back." JT Jordan flies towards the power battery on Oa, looking over his shoulder as large waves of Green and Yellow clash in the sky. He finally reaches the battery and points his ring at it while saying the Green Blogger Oath.

"Read Brightest Day, Read Blackest Night, No Comics shall escape my sight, Let those who worship Comics might, JasonToddsComicSpot.Blogspot.com, Go visit my Site!!!!!" The power of every comic review and every comic fan creates a green light of Will and Money power that lights up JT's ring. It overflows with power as he pulls his fist in front of his face, staring at his ring with a heroic pose, before raising it up and flying back to the battle with an enormous burst of speed.

Meanwhile, a bloody but valiantly fighting Marc Rayner give all he has while fighting Sinestr-X. Marc sends wave upon wave of green constructed heroes who's comics he's reviewed, including Hellboy, Spider-Man and Ironman. Sinestr-X yells "FEAR!" before sending a giant Damian Wayne which obliterates Marc's attackers. But Sinestr-X is attacked from behind by Marc Rayner with a huge punch that draws blood from Sinestr-X's nose.

"You'll pay for that Alley Rat!" Sinestr-X yells while sending a blast that takes form of a giant sword for Marc's head.

"Alley Rat? Dude did you get that from the movie Aladdin?" Marc retorts while forming a chainsaw which cuts through Sinestr-X's sword. "Don't you know that with Great Power comes--

(Note from the editor - "You can't finish that line Marc, we'll get sued cause that belongs to the OTHER company." - Jeff Geons)

"Oh my bad dude, I'll just say *WHAM!*" Rayner started to say, before he was mashed in the chest with a yellow sledge hammer being held by Sinestr-X. Marc's body falls back towards Oa before he's caught by JT Jordan. He sets Marc Rayner down and says "That'll do kid, that'll do." (Yes I ripped off another movie, get off my back.)

"Jordan, I was starting to think you turned tail and went home. This'll be fun. I can destroy every single Green Blogger in one day, and get home in time for the Rangers game." Sinestr-X says while cracking his knuckles.

"No. This ends now Sinestr-X, you've attacked my friends, you've destroyed Oa, and most importantly... I'm a Red Wings fan, The Rangers suck!" JT Jordan states while he floats up in the sky, eye level with Sinestr-X, who's eyes bulge after hearing the Rangers remark. Both men raise their ring at one another, with the planet Oa shaking from the might of their power. (Dude... no lie Kung Fu Fighting just played on my computer from a random playlist...I'm so serious. - JT) The aura of both men, shading the background behind them, Green and Yellow clash as both men yell and fly towards one another ready for the clash of the century!

What will happen? Who will win? How awesome will the fight be? How many times will Kellowog say Poozer? How many more questions will I ask? Who actually liked this? Will I write a continuation?! You tell me, because you guys will decide if I continue this story by letting me know what ya liked, what ya didn't and so on! Maybe this will continue, if so, stay tuned for The Green Blogger Corps #2!!!!

Ratings and Rantings

Hey Todd Squad, Jason (G.B.C.) Todd here welcoming you to my Red Hood on a MOMENTOUS edition of Ratings and Rantings. Sorry it's up so late but I've been hella busy helping a buddy with his script as well as my cousin graduating this week. Anyway, this week we're gonna see the return of my namesake, Jason Todd's return (of sorts) as we find out what the former Robin/Red Robin/Red Hood did during his time before he returned to wage war on Gotham City's drug scene. Also we're gonna tackle Brightest Day #3, The Superman/Batman annual, The first issue of The Joker's Aslyum, and Deadpool creator Fabian Nicieza returns to writing Tim Drake in Red Robin #13! Should be a big review, so let's get things started!

Brightest Day #3

This issue starts with a fight there's no way in hell Deadman should be able to win, which he even says, except his line is much funnier. The page where he uses his White Lantern ring looks pretty awesome and shows a little of what powers Boston may have. I marked out when I saw Jason Rusch was fron Detroit... that's his only redeeming quality now that he's been demoted to floaty head brainiac guy. I may be the only one, but I'm still loving this Firestorm storyline. I see why Ronnie doesn't feel responsible, even though there are hints he may be, and I see why Jason would blame him. As far as I'm concerned this is the best thing that doesn't include Max Lord in Brightest Day. Also, I think I may have laughed for like three minutes straight seeing Aquaman being eaten by a big Shark or Whale...I think? Either way that was classic. I loved the decomposing flesh on the fish to give it the weird Blackest Night vibe and keep us wondering why Arthur can only call on dead sea life. Sadly the stuff with The Hawks, and Martian Manhunter couldn't be MORE boring to me, it's really bringing down the tone of the comics. Then to end with something so... lackluster annoyed me, I mean really? Do I wanna read something called Hawkworld? I don't even like the Hawks, they should've stayed dead in Blackest Night, at least that death was shocking and surprising, anyway I'll give this issue a 5/10. (G.B.C.)

Deadman: My claim to fame was performing aerial acts without a net and that didn't work out so well, which you probably know.

Superman/Batman Annual #4

As someone who's read ALL the Superman/Batman issues in this current series, (Yeah, be jealous...) I've also read the annuals. My favorite so far would have to be the one that has Ultraman, Owlman, and Deathstroke attacking Superman, Batman, and a very obvious Deadpool, although they never say his name. This cover takes the cake though, I love it and as a fan of Batman Beyon (who's series restarts this month.) I had to pick this up. Superman actually met Batman Beyond (Teryy McGinnis) on the cartoon show in the third season, so I'm wondering if there will be any references to that. The artwork looks great, very true to the cartoon I remember, and when I read it I can picture the voices I'm used to. So if Terry's comic is anything like this, I know I'll be a fan.  Luckily, they do mention Terry's last run in with the Man of Steel, giving me even more hope for the upcoming Batman Beyond series. This comic is more of a stage setting for that series than a Superman/Batman issue per se, but I'm not complaining at all. The scene with Superman's arrival is so well written it caught me off guard, and showed us that sometimes Superman is more human that Batman. Seeing Superman, who's lost everyone that matters to him like Lois, his Parents, Jimmy Olsen and everyone else comes off as more touching than anything. Especially when he gives Terry something near the end of the issue. I thought this was a great preview for Batman Beyond and a fantastically written Superman appearance, I'll give this issue a 10/10 rating. (G.B.C.)

Superman: Old Man (Bruce) never understood what I shared with Lois... Or lost when she went. He forgot how to let a woman into his heart... How good it feels to be vulnerable. He doesn't even know how lonely he is. I know.

Red Robin #13

Welcome back Fabian, Hasta La Vista Yost!!! Now, this comic starts off awesome, seeing Red Robin, Batman and Robin with the chest shot that always looks awesome, if ya don't believe me go read JLA Tornado's Path and see it with The Trinity, or the one with Joker, Lex and Cheetah. I love how happy Tim is being written after a year of Gloomy Tim Drake, and the line about Lynx with Dick's retort about Starfire was funny. I love that Tim can be written so well but still have fun, If ever there was a comparison to Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl, It'd be Fabian's Red Robin. Tim hints that he may want to return to the Teen Titans, which I'd be all for. Their roster is getting pretty damn big, anyway, Lynx seems interesting as a villain choice for Tim but I'm all for Tim having hot female villains. Hell, it works for Batman. Btw, only someone affiliated with the Bat-Family can completely DECK a woman with a punch and still be viewed as a hero. This issue is more of a ground setting, since Fabian took over but I thought everything was done well. It raised questions, and we saw Tim enjoy his work for a first time in a long time. I'm very happy with this issue and I know this is just the beginning of a great Red Robin run, I'll give this issue a 8.5/10.

Tim Drake - I hate Damian. (G.B.C.) (Me too buddy, me too.) (G.B.C.)

The Joker's Asylum: The Riddler

This is a one shot like the previous Joker's Asylum series where the Clown Prince of Crime tells us a story about his villainous cohorts, that's right I used cohorts! This month we get five and this first issue kicks off with The Riddler. The narration by the Joker comes off as downright hilarious sometimes, and the story takes place before The Riddler reformed and became a good guy or whatever he is now. So the story focuses on, get this, a Love story with The Riddler! But it's not your typical love story, and it's also written pretty damn well to be honest. The Joker's comments along with the tone of the story work out nice together, and there's even hidden easter eggs and riddles (G.B.C.) IN the comic, which is cool. I loved the scene with Joker not revealing Riddler's guest and showing other people instead, it's so wacked out that it actually works for The Joker.  As for the story, I really liked it. It ends somewhat ambiguously but I liked it, and apparently there's more Riddles than the main Riddle so read around, look close and etc. As for this, I'll give it a 8/10, I hope the others are as entertaining as this one was.

The Joker: The very idea of it makes me want to strangle children... Then again what doesn't?

Red Hood: The Lost Days #1

And now, the MAIN EVENT! (G.B.C.) I've been waiting for what seems like ages for more good Jason Todd stories and I doubt Judd Winick is gonna let me down, so let's jump into Red Hood: The Lost Days #1! The story starts with Jason's escape from Ra's, and Ra's telling Talia if she were anyone else he'd kill her, because she doesn't know what she's just unleashed on the world. Hell of a way to build up Jason, too bad he's been getting his ass kicked lately. Then we jump back in time to just after Jason is murdered by The Joker, and we see Ra's discussing that and Batman's state of mind with Talia. Seeing Talia care for Jason so much shows us a different side of her, and now that she's turned on Damian in normal time-lines, seeing her so caring to Jason comes off well. And seeing Jason, defend himself based on instinct is a testament not only to his strong will, but shows that his street lifestyle made him more of a toughened person. The fact this first Jason story was more about Talia made it interesting, to see inside of her and her vulnerabilities. How she wants to do anything to make Batman love her, and how it seems like he never will. We didn't learn anything from this issue that we already didn't know for the most part, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. It was well written, showed us why Talia never told Bruce about Jason, and why she resorted to doing what she did. I really liked this issue, and now Jason is gonna take center stage and I can't wait to read about it. And hey Grant, why didn't she dye his hair? Because it's ALWAYS Black you jackass.... anyway, I'll give this a 8/10. I can't wait to see what else Judd has up his sleeve. (G.B.C.)

Ra's Al Ghul: You have no inkling of what you've created-- WHAT YOU HAVE UNLEASHED!

Well this was a big week, great reviews for the most part, the return of Jason Todd, which I of course marked out for, and a nice close race in the polls. Be sure to check out the new poll that I added today, and now for the results of last week's poll! The question was "Which B-Lister would you like to see get their own TV show/Cartoon and/or Movie?"

Last Place with 0% - Power Girl, but she her chest still cross the finish line first from last place...
Third Place with 15.4% - Kyle Rayner, Sadly couldn't Will enough votes to get first. (G.B.C.)
Second Place with 38.5% - Booster Gold, The Golden one settles for Silver this week.
Winner with 46.2% - Black Canary! Someone let this Bird of Prey Fly Solo!

So, that's all for today, although I keep hearing something big is supposed to go down here tomorrow. No idea what it could be but hopefully you guys come to check it out. In the meantime, I'm outta here, so until next time, You've just been Gobsmacked!

-Jason Todd

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Batgirl #11, Batman #700, Booster Gold #33 and Titans #24