Reprints the awesome mini series that came out late last year & is a must for fans of the King of Monsters. Not a word is spoken until the last pages where a quote from Buddha is written for the fans to drool over!
The story & artwork (James Stokoe) is inspired by the great fantasy artists of the 17th - 18th century.
IDW has some nice bio's of them in the back of the book. A sweet cover gallery of some talented artist that did the variant covers for the series.
Even if your not a fan of Godzilla you will be after this, Go out & get it...You won't regret it.
Rating 10/10
IDW has a new series coming out called Godzilla: Oblivion. Is based on a Kaiju version of the Butterfly Effect...Oh my i can't wait!
Lucifer #3 (DC/Vertigo)
Oh my goodness! Back to the old days with this title. It is one serious book indeed.
God is dead & Lucifer has been stabbed with a sharp object (that is slowing killing him) He thinks it also killed his maker. In his effort to track down information he travels to the dream world, where he is confronted by a crow with a message from the boss (Dream of the Endless) Lucifer is to have a nice visit...But if he want an audience with dream then the crow is to lead him around in circles for a thousand years.
He finds the beautiful Lilith & asks of a possible object that could do such damage. She says yes! & goes on to tell the legend of Azazel.
Great artwork by Lee Garbett & Wow what writing by Holly Black. Just a damn fine book & a pleasure to read.
This is a very adult book by Vertigo, God fearing folks stay away! Like i said, "the old days are all coming back".
Rating 10/10
I deliberately missed mentioning the side story in these last 3 issues, I can't say what is happening as it's to inappropriate to mention. Only Lucifer himself can stop this evil!
Power-Man and Iron-fist #1 (Marvel)
Well it all starts with the cover...It does not sing a sweet tune!
The artwork is O.k. in parts but is a very tired in others.. That's until i saw Tombstone drawn like he had bloated fish lips (don't mess with one of my favorite villains Marvel).
The story isn't much better i'm afraid, Has the boys sorta training, Sorta talking to friends, Sorta getting back together & sorta walking around...Zzzzz... What.. Ahem. Sorry i fell asleep there.
They meet & greet Tombstone where a fight ensues & Luke Cage one punches Tombstone out of the building. They find a gem that was stolen & yeah!
Sorry this was a huge missed opportunity from the Marvel crew, It could have been a hell of a lot better. The colours are terrible, It looks & reads like it's been done on the cheap. The heading on the cover is stiff & has no character, If your a fan then go for it. It may get better i hope, I don't think i'll be getting anymore soon.
The Justice League has fallen and the Earth is on the brink of total assimilation by a universe-hopping, alien threat called the Technosapiens. The Technosapiens are organic beings taken over by a parasite-like alien technology. They have decimated planets, ended entire universes in search of the missing link to perfect their hardware and software; they seek the savior whose song promises perfection. Cyborg is that savior. His alien tech calls to them, and to his horror, they will stop at nothing to assimilate him, body and soul. All that remains between them and total domination is Cyborg and his rag-tag resistance - group which includes the Metal Men, sans Will Magnus, who has already been absorbed by the Technosapiens. Struggling with his own identity, his connection to this alien threat, the frightening evolution of his tech, and his feeling of disconnection to his fellow humans, Cyborg risks everything to save his universe and his very soul.
David F. Walker has hit a great tone with this series. Cyborg is not really a superhero comic, it is a character study with huge elements of sci-fi and fantasy. Walker has approached this from a similar perspective as Bendis did in Ultimate Spider-Man, first we get to know the protagonist - his struggles, his fears, his pain, his life, his friends, his world - and then we watch it all bend, give and push back when super-powers are added to the mix. It's a slow burn, but it is very worth it. Even if it can be dramatic, or even slow at times, the reader gets to know Cyborg as a person and not just a superhero. This Cyborg is much more real than any iteration before it. He struggles with the lines blurred between man and machine, how the world perceives him, and how he perceives himself. He has to navigate and having an emotionally distant father, the grief of his mother's tragic demise, the loss of his own identity, loneliness, and his link to a universe-destroying, technology-based life-form. The kid has a lot on his plate. Walker scripts it all very well; however, there are a few hiccups, like the rushed feel of the end of the Technosapien story arc in issue #6. Overall, it is a really good Cyborg volume with stellar artwork and vibrant colors - it is a solid, engrossing offering from DC.
The Justice League is dead. Again. Almost a thousand years ago, the Justice League was destroyed by a deranged Lois Lane. Almost two years ago, they were resurrected - kind of. Genetically engineered samples of their DNA were injected into various subjects, making these volunteers host bodies for the minds and powers of the long dead legends - kind of. Now, a deadly, new threat, The Lord of All, Lady Styx, has taken over the entire galaxy with the aid of her nearly unstoppable android army called the Scullions. In her first overt act to take the galaxy, she had her androids seek out and decimate the League's most powerful: Superman, Batman and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). Remaining are Fire and Ice, survivors of the original JL, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner in a woman's body), and the Flash - all genetically-engineered hosts...And there is Supergirl, the real Kara Zor-El who awakened in a future world she doesn't understand, and doesn't like. At all. These survivors are joined by Tina Sung, the Batgirl, brilliant descendant of Bruce Wayne. Outnumbered and overpowered, the survivors of the JL are hiding out on Takron Galtos, a prison planet once known as Earth. Emotionally scarred, and very scared, the League lives under the radar, seeking a way to defeat Lady Styx and her army of invincible Scullions, all while looking for Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, two more time-misplaced originals, who are hiding out somewhere on Takron Galtos as well. Will they overcome their pain and fear and topple this deranged galactic dictator, or will they fall by her hand...or by each other's hands?
Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis have consistently written this book well, easily making it one of the best books that DC is publishing today. It's also one of the most underrated. These writers are the masters of the tight story arc driven forward by great interpersonal and internal strife, stellar dialogue and pure zaniness and fun. This book has upended the future of the DCU, and slyly given us an all female Justice League in the process. This is simply great writing which throws everything we think we know about the DCU into a blender, making a sweet concoction of the exact same elements mixed totally in a new, original, and fresh way. So tasty. Our favorite heroes have returned in different bodies (sometimes of the opposite gender), only to die again - it looks like K.G, and J.D.M have effectively created a book not tied strictly to DCU canon, a book in which the story itself is the main focus, so no one is ever truly safe, and nothing is ever as you think it is going to be. Talk about exciting!
RATING: 10 out of 10. Justice League 3001 is CONSISTENTLY on fire, full of futuristic thrills and fun.
I'm sorry about the scarce updates as of late, but as the school year begins to reach its crescendo, ol' TEX has to be available wherever and whenever the students and the parents need him. But don't you fret, no siree. I'll do my dadgum best to get on here for you guys, and be your HOST WITH THE MOST!
Today, let's talk about a comic based on the best and bravest that the U.S. Army has to offer:
It's my copy of Tod Holton, Super Green Beret #1, the first appearance of Tod Holton, Super Green Beret. Also pictured is my issue #2, both from the now-defunct Lightning Comics, published in 1967!!
Tod Holton is a boy of about ten years old, gifted a magical green beret by his uncle, Captain Roger Wilson, a heroic Green Beret serving in late 60s Vietnam. Wilson rescued a monk which repaid him by bestowing a special blessing upon his green beret, a blessing which only revealed itself when Wilson gave the beret to his young nephew, Tod Holton, upon a visit stateside. When Tod donned the beret he was instantly transformed into The Super Green Beret, a magical, super-powerful (though not invulnerable) adult combat hero with the power to read thoughts at great distances, instantly transport himself anywhere and to any time to put boot to butt for the side of right in any war in history or the present. Tod had several exciting adventures, appearing only in two issues before Lightning Comics went the way of the dinosaurs.
FUN FACT: If a child in combat sounds horrible, it'll make more sense to you after you know whose brainchild Tod Holton was. The Super Green Beret was created by the great Otto Binder, co-creator of another magical superhero (one much cooler and infinitely more famous) whose alter-ego was a child: Captain Marvel. The first one.
FUN FACT #2: This character was probably inspired by The Ballad of the Green Berets, a song written by Robin Moore, an author who was the only civilian to complete the Q Course (Special Forces Qualification Course), and SSG Barry Sadler, a Green Beret who was wounded in Vietnam. This song was a hit, which was surprising considering that the 1960s wasn't a time in which soldiers were held in the highest of esteem. Take a listen:
This song was later used on the soundtrack of one of TEX's favorite John Wayne films: The Green Berets
Here is a clip from the heartbreaking ending:
I have to admit, these stories, penned by Binder, are a lot of hokey fun - and Carl Pfuefer's pencils only add to the over-the-top goodness of these mystical military tales. I'll leave you with an example of Pfeufer's work:
New Earth, same problems. A territorial dispute between two of the newly formed settlements of this new Earth is bringing the world to the brink of the first all-out war on the planet. Fossil fuels barely exist on this planet, and the scramble for resources has begun. In New Gotham, the lack of resources has given birth to a black market for a power cell built by Nimbus Solutions that is more dangerous than it is expensive. Batman (Dick Grayson) gears up to take on the corrupt corporation with the help of Red Arrow (Oliver Queen) and Ted Grant. Meanwhile, Superman (Val Zodd), Powergirl (Kara Zor-El), Flash (Jay Garrick), and Captain Steel (Henry Heywood, Jr.) try to keep the peace, look for natural resources, and fight the weird hybrid creatures popping up all over the planet causing havoc. Green Lantern (Alan Scott), the god-like protector of the planet seeks to create a planetary alliance, and cement it by writing the first planetary Constitution with the help of Red Tornado (Lois Lane). But none of this may matter much longer - Hawkgirl (Kendra Muñoz-Saunders) has stumbled upon the secret dwelling of the Amazons...And their leader, Fury (Wonder Woman's daughter), has already decided to unify the planet...Under Amazonian rule!
This series just continues to enthrall and astound me. Around every corner there is a great new character, or a great old character in a new role. This is the DCU shaken, not stirred, and it makes for a smooth, sophisticated, immensely enjoyable refreshment. The foundation is set for new and exciting storylines and adventures the likes of which we have never seen before. Dan Abnett is on fire - every character's voice is unique, every motivation distinct - this is a masterclass in universe construction. And Jorge Jiménez's artwork? Full on gorgeous, bolstered by Alejandro Sanchez's lavish colors. I simply have to have it, month after month.
