NB of the Week

Family. Holidays. Blah blah. Onto my NB.
Kick-Ass 2 #6
Hit-Girl is fudging back! This book is majorly slow but it's just as cool and violent as the first series. After that one, Kit-Girl has given up the costume and Kick-Ass has joined a new team of vigilantes. Only so has the formerly called Red Mist (now called a bad name that rhymes with Hother Lucker) with a team of evil doers. Many people have died, including Dave's father and the battle has gotten very one-sided. As issue 5 ended, Dave has been taken by MF's baddies, only to have their van shot up and all of them killed by none other than Hit-Girl.
After getting Dave free, they pull up to the drop point to surprise everyone else with a lot of violence and a lot of payback, which takes up about the first half of the issue. Using her now cop father to set up defenses, HG and KA prepare for MF's climax of terror. And if he's gonna call out all his bad friends, they're gonna get all the good ones they can find. As MF and his crew start to rain down mayhem in Times Square, they are surprised to see only HG and KA standing in their way (after MF was able to dispatch the cops elsewhere). Or so they think. As the hoard of people behind them start to take of hoodies and place on masks, MF sees that they tables are now even. One more issue to go and it's good versus evil in what should be a very good, very bloody comic book.
Millar is awesome. It's that simple. Kick-Ass one was great and Kick-Ass two is making out to be just as ridiculous and just as awesome. More so, later this summer, Miller and Romita Jr are starting up the Hit-Girl ongoing. Count me in. It may be super late and all but it's worth the read. And who doesn't love little girls who curse and kill the bad guys? That's right. Nobody.

NB of the Week

Thanks to work and the holidays, my NB is a day late but it's still there all the same so I'll get to it.
Wonder Woman #4 - Blood
Having left Paradise Island after the revelation that she is the daughter of Zeus, Diana is moving herself into a "more normal" life. We see her in a bar/dance club along with Zola, Hermes and Strife and we find out that Diana has no room for Strife's games or her threats. After "attacking" Zola, Diana stabs a broken glass into Strife's hand, making it very clear who her family is and always will be. Strife slinks out in God-like fashion, vowing more problems to come.
Back at Paradise Island, Hippolyta knows she has caused great pain to Diana but her troubles have only begun for Hera has arrived. Hippolyta offers herself to her Goddess as retribution for having a child with Zeus, asking for forgiveness. As Hera claims she wishes she could, we cut back to Diana.
Having spoken further to Zola, Diana has come to regret her storming away from her mother. Any lie she was told had to be from a source of protection and her mother has always loved her. She races back to Paradise to make amends but is shocked when she find lone armory across the ground with snakes covering most everything else. She slowly wanders forward, talking aloud, asking for her own forgiveness. As the final page comes, we find her kneeling down, wrapping herself around Hippolyta, who is now nothing more than a stone pillar.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Azzarello gets Wonder Woman. Still the best book DC is doing now and still the one I look forward to the most each month. Plain and simple.

New The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Have ya seen this one yet? This movie is gonna be amazing. And in all honesty, I'm mostly looking forward to Tom Hardy as Bane. I've seen amazing Batman. Now I want amazing Bane.

Brain Tunes

I heard a song on the radio the other day from a dude called Redlight King. The song was pretty decent and it got stuck in my head for a while so I checked out the cd. I was quite impressed. Most songs aren't as "hard" as the one I heard but it's a great cd. This song in particular is the one that sticks out for me the most. Ingrained into my cerebellum.

NB of the Week

Uncanny X-Force #18 - The Dark Angel Saga: Conclusion
THAR BE MAJOR SPOILS HENCE FORTH...
It should really come as no surprise that this was my pick for the week. It's been an amazing book from the very start and the Dark Angel Saga has put most every story out right now to shame.
It's everybody's last stand. Sunfire goes ape-shit on AoA Iceman, Deathlok is able to reason is mind out from War and chase off Dark Beast and the Horsemen, Wolverine and Iceman are completely out of commission and Psylock and Fantomex are all that can stop Archangel. After Deathlok clears his mind, the others take off, leaving Archangel behind, claiming it's his will for this to happen. We don't see them further but Dark Beast leaves us with the information that Pestilence is currently carrying the heir of Archangel.
Back as Psylock and Fantomex try to stop Warren from taking the world, we find out that he is not one to mess with as he promptly stabs Fantomex in the head. Don't worry, he has another brain which he uses to call over to The World and have Ultimaton "let him out". Turns out the child's body we saw in a stasis chamber a while back is the kid he "killed" at the very start (or a variation of it in some way). He's been trying to program him to be a force of good and he may be their only hope because Psylock couldn't "pull the trigger" on Warren when she had the chance. Young En Sabah Nur flies in, hoping to overpower Archangel but he is discarded like they rest, not ready for a fight of this magnitude. However, as Archangel stands over the child's smoking body, he turns in surprise as Psylock stabs the Life Seed into the middle of his torso. Light and pain fill his lungs and expel out his eyes, mouth and chest. Cleansing his mind of Apocalypse, Warren reemerges to meet Betsy one last time. As he lays dying, she is by his side and in his mind. With a change of art (to the great Esad Ribic), we see Betsy giving Warren the life and peace he has always wanted. They are happily married with two lovely daughters, everyone growing old with each other up to the point of his death. As an old Warren is in bad next to an old Betsy, he coughs out an apology for not making that life easy for her. As he fades away, she leaves him with the tearful solace that he always did enough and that he was always her hero. We cut back to the real world as Fantomex is trying to pull Psylock away from Warren's body as everything around them is crashing and burning, needing to make it to safety before they go down with it. As they grab the survivors from the AoA and meet back with Deathlok (who has both Wolverine and the many pieces of Deadpool in a sack), Betsy looks up in the snow storm to see a naked, blond, winded man walking towards them. As she runs at him, calling out "Warren!", she wraps her arms around him and kisses him. We're left with a final page of him pulling her off, asking "Who are you?".
Wow. This may be one of the single best issues I have read in a long time. Everything about this book is amazing. Everything about this story is amazing. And everyone who has not been reading this book is very stupid and probably smells funny. Force may just be the best comic that I'm reading and has single-handedly made me a believer in Rick Remender's writing. At this point, I am more than willing to try whatever book he puts his hand on.

Hidden Gems - Sweet Tooth

I started reading a "new" comic the other called Sweet Tooth (it started in 2009 so it's not that new). It's writer and artist is Jeff Lemire hasn't really had a major hit yet but I just noticed him as he is the writer of Animal Man for DC's New 52 and that book has been pretty great so far.
Tooth is the story of Gus, a little hybrid boy who is part human, part deer. After a plague hit the world, wiping out a lot of it's population, all children have started being born as these hybrids. But Gus is special. He claims to be one year older then when the plague first hit. Finding him, betraying him and (probably) saving him is Jepperd. An old, grizzled man who lost his wife and hates the world. And he's also one BAMF of a dude.
I started reading this book last night, I've read the first year's worth of story and I can't wait to have more time to finish. It's only at issue 28 and each issue has gotten better than the last. Once 100 Bullets finished, I was worried that Vertigo wouldn't be able to catch my attention this way again and I'm thankful that Lemire and Sweet Tooth have proven me wrong. I'm not sure where the story or characters are going quite yet but I'm certain I'm excited to find out. Definitely check out this book before you get left behind. Worth every penny.

Nerdgasm

Anybody see the new Dark Knight Rises poster? I was showed it today and I have not been the same since. Love it and I'm super excited for Hardy as Bane.

For Adam

I saw this video today and thought of you, kind sir. Hope it gives you hope for the future.

NB of the Week

Stormwatch #4 - The Dark Side: Part 4
This is a bitter sweet NB, as I will explain later on but for now, the sweet.
Paul Cornell has made Stormwatch one of the top books in the "New 52", in my opinion. It started a bit slow but has picked up and gotten better every issue, with this one being the best of the lot. The team is back to being dark and gritty and somehow real even with everything happening.
The moon came alive. A creature/monster has "eaten" the team, leaving only Apollo and Midnighter. A lost city called Alba Umbra won't help because it's been lost for so long that it thinks everyone/thing is a dream. Midnighter being the savior and figuring out how to power Apollo back up so that he can go ape-shit on the bad guy. Swords and sorcery and super-powers and everything that should be in a Stormwatch book. This is easily the best incarnation of the title since the Ellis/Millar days.
And now the bitter.
Paul Cornell has announced that issue six will be his last issue. Paul Jenkins is set for a two-part story after that but no full writer has been named yet. Which is shit. DC has been switching out writers left and right with books that one would guess aren't the biggest sellers which leads me to believe that this was not a decision that Cornell made personally. Considering how in advance these things try to be, they maybe got sales figures from three issues before pulling his plug (assuming that is what happened) which isn't long enough. This book deserves to be out there over many others. Men of War, All-Star Western, Mr. Terrific, Batgirl, 1 of the Legion books (one getting a writing change), Blackhawks, Blue Beetle, Deathstroke, Grifter, Hawk & Dove, Justice League International, OMAC. All shit still going.
Superman, Static Shock, Firestorm, Legion, Voodoo, Green Arrow. All books that have had sudden changes in the writer. DC is mucking themselves over already. I understand the need to cut losses and most of these new books probably need it but only giving an issue or two doesn't give enough feedback time. Look at books like Uncanny X-Force, Walking Dead, Invincible, Powers or Chew. Amazing books that were not bought at their beginning. All big names and sellers now. DC needs to pull their heads outta their asses and learn how to sell books.
Or at least give me back Cornell for Stormwatch.

Boobs of the Day

Jennifer Blood
Garth Ennis is the brilliantly violent writer of the amazing comic Preacher and Punisher (one of the older runs, not the current one). He is currently over at Dynamite writing a book called Jennifer Blood about an assassin who is also a plain jane housemother. While I have been less than impressed with the first six issues, I was struck by the beach balls on the cover to seven, which hits the shelves tomorrow. Apparently big apples such as these are what helps sell Ennis books now-a-days. I kinda miss Irish vampires...
Anyhow, Boobs of the day. Jennifer Blood. Read Preacher.

Clif-Notes: The Muppets

Everybody her remember the original Muppet Movie? How about the the original Muppet Show? If you do and you are a fan of either, you should love this new venture into master puppetry.
Gary and Mary (Jason Segel and Amy Adams) are heading to LA for their tenth anniversary. Along with Gary's Muppet brother Walter. As Mary gets a bit left out, the three of them must help Kermit the Frog bring back the old gang one more time to try and save the Muppet Theatre from an oil tycoon trying to tear it down.
Ya know, there really isn't much I can about this movie other than I loved it. Not the best movie of the year and not without it's flaws, the Muppets finally get back to their roots and make a movie that is pure Muppet and not just Disney product. It has most everything that made the original Muppets' stuff amazing. Corny humor that has a bit too much adult teases to be just for children, guest stars coming out the black hole (much as I don't like her, I liked that Selena Gomez didn't know who anybody was) and, of course, Muppets running everywhere. As I said, if you enjoy the Muppets at all, especially if you enjoy the early stuff, go see this movie. You will be very happy with it.

NB of the Week

The Ultimate s#4: The Republic is Burning - Chapter 4
Asgard has fallen. Thor is all that is left of the lineage. The Children of Tomorrow seem to be unstoppable. As issue three ended, Thor teleported into The City, strapped with new gear from Stark, ready for death and revenge.
After finding and freeing Captain Britain, Thor quickly comes across The Maker and his army. Provoking a fight with the Asgardian is all to easy (Gods have such fragile egos, after all) and Thor ends up getting his ass handed to him for four awesome pages of art. However, The Maker lets him live so that he can his messenger. The Maker reveals his face to Thor (not yet to us) and delivers the reality he wants Fury to know:
"The City has reached it's current potential -- it has finished growing, and only the children are welcome here. All that we have claimed is now ours, forever --the rest we leave to you and the world. Accept this for what it is and never return. It is peace and the best we have to offer.
Oh, and tell them, Thor -- I was right all along."
Uh oh. That last part can't be good.
Thor, beaten and alone, is overcome with shame and grief. Until Odin appears before him. As he gives him the "father's speech" about standing tall and making the world a better place as he is suppose to, he reveals to him that although he is the last Asgardian, he is far from alone. As Thor turns, he is amazed at the sight, as the picture to the right shows.
"It appears you have become Valhalla, my friend."
As Thor is brought back and tells Fury of what has transpired, he finally reveals the face behind the mask of The Maker. None other than hero-turned-villain, Reed Richards.
Hickman can almost do no wrong right now with me. The dude has turned the Ultimates into a team that should scare the baddies. And killing all of Asgard? At the hands of Reed Richards? The Ultimate Universe is not one to be trifled with. This book is back at being top notch and fans of the first Millar stuff should definitely be reading this one.

I May Be Gay...

Read me out first before you judge.
My friend Aaron sent me a picture today (not that kind, keep reading...). Aaron's family is friends with another family who have a little boy who has terminal cancer. Apparently, this boy wanted to be Captain America for Halloween. As if that wasn't cool enough, they actually sent a picture of him to Chris Evans (or it got to him somehow) and Evans than sent an email to them with a picture of him holding the picture of their son, thanking him and letting him know that he was in his thoughts this Thanksgiving.
How fudging awesome is that?! I'm a bit jealous of this kid.
Now, I know there are many celebrities out there that are still grounded in life and want to help give back to their fans but this is amazing. The fact this Evans went out of his way and time, even if he didn't write the email himself or anything, to make sure this kid knew that Captain America was wishing him well, is great. This kid probably has a smile that very few of us have and it's all from one guy taking 2 minutes of his day.
I already had a man crush of Chris Evans, but this little act may have turned me completely gay for him.

NB of the Week

Fantastic Four #600 - Forever
THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD
After a year of the new title FF, Marvel is bringing back the main titles Fantastic Four, while also keeping FF alongside it (let's be honest, I'm a little surprised that they only have two First Family titles. Marvel is pretty quick to launch spin-offs from every title that sells well). Starting Fantastic Four at issue 600 (where it would be, had it continued and not under the FF title) is a perfect reason to charge readers $7.99 for the issue.
And it's worth every penny.
Not only is it 96 pages of all new story from Jonathan Hickman but it's also a culmination of many threads he's been plotting for a few years now. When FF 11 ended, we had the resurrection of the Supreme Intelligence and the Kree armies invading Earth to stop the prophesy of his and the Kree's death. Enter #600.
As the FF and the Avengers begin to try and handle the invasion, we cut back and forth from a number of other plots. With the invasion, Annihilus' Anti-Priest is worried that it could ruin their opportunity to bring Annihilus back from the Negative Zone (which was sealed off completely after Johnny's death), forcing them to start their plan of reopening the gate. Doctor Doom, Nathaniel Richards and Evil Reed all ask Doom's son (now ruler of Latveria) to help them with their plans (a thread that is very small, but just enough to set it further). Ronan and Crystal are opened to the Supreme Intelligence's mind and the visions he has. Blah blah blah. Actually pretty cool but not what matters most. As some bugs begin to attack the FF Kids in the Baxter building, Val and Bentley set of their "trasnslocator" and 'port them and the top half of the building out. Which leaves nobody to stop the gate from being open. As Reed and Pete both see this in the distance, Reed stays behind so that Pete can swing in and make sure nobody was left behind. As he sees the bugs trying to open the gate, he fights them off as best he can but it's just not enough. As he stares into the now opening gate, he is astonished at what he sees.
Johnny Storm. Flaming, holding Annihilus on a chain like the animal he is and the cosmic rod strapped to his arm.
"Pete... What the heck are you wearing?"
(That sound you hear is your mind blowing itself to a moment you knew was coming and yet had no idea it would be this cool)
In story number two, we get Johnny's tale in the Negative Zone. Turns out he met up with the Light Brigade of the Universal Inhumans (more plot threads laid out issues ago) and they are the entertainment for Annihilus. They enter arena fights, are killed and are brought back to life. So it turns out Johnny died after all. He just got better. A few times. All of them joined forces to stage a rising, knowing that the Cosmic Rod in Annihilus' spear is the one thing that could free them. As the Brigade fights the drones, Johnny takes on the big guy. Blow for blow, it turns into a race for the spear. Each one reaching out, trying to get it first. As the picture than goes black, we fade back in, finding Johnny with the Light Brigade behind him.
"Open the gate."
Then we have an Inhuman story-thread, a Galactus needs us thread and a Franklin and Leech are doing something they probably shouldn't thread. All good stories but not the ones you will remember the most. Comic fans everywhere knew Johnny would return. Not only do comic deaths never stick but you never even saw Johnny die. No body=no death. Comic math. It doesn't matter. His return was almost as cool as his demise. In the larger scale of things, I almost hope Johnny doesn't rejoin the team. Hickman has made the Four into a team and title absolutely worth reading and this is no exception. Spidey joining the team is a bit gimmicky but I've come to like his placement and kinda don't want Johnny messing that up. Let his breath a little. That cosmic rod could do a lot in stories for him and I would love to see him be his own for a while.
Either way, this issue was amazing. Every story was great and even though the price was a bit high, you get a good four issues worth of story for the price of two and that's a great deal. With all do respect to Straczynski and Waid and Millar, Hickman has put most stories in the last couple of decades to shame. Do yourself a good solid and read this.

Child of the 80's

The Wuzzles (1985)
The Wuzzles was a tv show that involved characters that were all hybrids of multiple animals. My brother had the Bumblelion toy (half bumble bee, half lion), my sister had the Moosel one (half moose, half seal) and I had Hoppopotamus (half rabbit, half hippopotamus). This is one of those things that make me think my parents were trying to make me their gay son the whole time (I was also given a Toni Braxton cd for a Christmas present and a Donna Lewis tape for a birthday. Look them all up and tell me I'm wrong) but that's not an idea made until years after so I digress.
The adventures of everyone in the show were just like that of any other cartoon, meaning they had little sense and we didn't care. There was the evil Crock (who at half crocodile and half dinosaur, really got the longest straw in that group. Lucky bastard) who was always trying to foil the plans and just be a douche in general. His idiot sidekicks who were just the bumbling fools that every evil sidekick is. Really, I just remember liking Rhinokey (rhinoceros/monkey) but I always did have a thing for monkeys.
Anywho, not really sure why this show came into my head all of a sudden but I'm not to upset about it. Cartoons now are nowhere near as cool as the cartoons then and I feel sorry for future generations that won't get to experience these ones. And for the shit they will probably have in the future. Leave it to Bieber or some junk like that. May the good lord help those who watch Leave it to Bieber.

Dear Shopko

Dear Shopko,
I have been a diabetic for almost 16 years. Please stop telling me how expensive my insulin is every single time that I buy it. I know. In fact, you could help remedy the problem if you ever wanted to charge me less. However, until you are willing to help with it, please stop telling me how expensive it (and you) are. It's really starting to piss me off.

Hugs and Kisses,
Clifton

Clif-Notes: Breaking Dawn pt. 1

(VULGAR LANGUAGE SHALL BE USED. READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL)
I was paid to watch this movie and I still wanted to complain and get my money back. In fact, I'm thinking about offering that pay back just to rid myself of the whole experience that much more. In short, this movie was complete donkey shit.
How do I even describe this movie? The whole thing is Bella and Edward getting married and getting pregnant and not know what to do. For two fucking hours. After the one night of sex, Edward refuses to have sex again because he bruised Bella. Not broke, not maimed, didn't even draw blood that we know of. And he refuses to do it again. So of course she starts slinking around in lingerie to temp him. In between them playing chess, of course. And then she's pregnant from the one time (maybe they should have watched the Maury show more. Once is all it takes. And while I'm on it, how is a thing that has no blood flow able to get an erection in order to even have sex. It's bullshit. Plus she's ugly so getting it up is gonna be double impossible.) and doesn't know what to do so they hide back at Edward's house for the rest of the movie while the werewolves surround them, wanting to kill the abomination. Also, Jacob just slumps around, sulking and crying the whole movie. Until he "imprints" on Bella and Edward's baby. Which is also named in part after Jacob's mother. So he plans on fucking a baby that is named after his mother. What the hell is going on?! And apparently the wolves can't kill the baby now that it is part of the clan. So they also sulk away (must be a werewolf thing). Leaving us with a dead Bella (died during the birth) and a sad everybody else. But lo, there shall come a miracle. A miracle that was caused after Edward injected her with a shit ton of his "venom" (no, I did not make that euphemism myself) and then bit her on the neck, the arm, the legs twice, the other leg and the other arm. Vampire juices just aren't what they use to be. As everybody turns their head (in amazing, day time soap opera fashion), Bella's eyes open, revealing the vampire red peepers that we all knew was gonna happen. End movie.
Or was it? In a special scene during the credits, the big bad vampire group that didn't want a human in the clan, gets word that she is turned. But now they want the baby. Or something else that will set up another movie. Insert sound effects to the tune of Bum Bum Buuummmmm!!!
What shit. I admit to seeing all the movies and I actually thought that despite them all being utter garbage, they got slightly better with each one. Not here. Two hours of Jacob crying, Bella dying and Edward looking like he was too constipated for his own good. This was the most sulking and emo-ing I think I may have ever seen in a movie. It was frozen poop on a stick and all those twi-tards out there are gonna love it, no matter shitty they all know it is. I want my two hours back and it makes me angry that I won't. I know no matter what I say, you already have your mind set on seeing this movie so just be prepared to be ridiculed by me as you walk out.
And I may just be dirty but I laughed extremely loud at the best line of the movie. Bella, over the phone to her father:
"No Dad! Don't come!"

NB of the Week

Wonder Woman #3 - Clay
I've decided that one of the main reasons that I'm loving Azzarello's new Wonder Woman so much is that it's one of the few books from the New 52 that is actually changing and starting new. Many of the other books are just the same concepts redone for more readers but Wonder Woman is actually changing.
After the revelation that Diana is the daughter of Zeus, we get her real origin. Turns out long before Diana, there was Zeus and Hippolyta. King of the Gods and queen of the Amazons. And the song they sang was only for them and not the poets. IE - they had great sex. And born from that was Diana. Not a child of clay as her mother (with others) concocted. That was a ruse, knowing very well that Hera would have killed her in her crib if she knew she was the daughter of Zeus. As this is happening, we keep cutting back the other Amazons who are tasked with burying the dead they had just killed (while being tricked by Strife on the last issue). One in particular, Aleka, is fed up with their princess and wants to form a nice little coup to get rid of her and her Gods. After storming away from her mother Diana comes across Aleka and her "posse".
"There she is, sisters... The one that brought shame to our isla--"
Sadly, Diana's right hook takes care of Aleka before she can finish. After she herself burns the bodies of the fallen, Diana gives everybody what they want. She forsakes her people, the island and her name. Leaving for good, she claims she is now only known as Wonder Woman.
In only three short issues, Azzarello has made Wonder Woman one of the best books DC has done in years. It's brash and simple and doesn't ask for permission of any kind and it has succeeded on all counts so far. I know it's still relatively early in the New 52 era but I've read every issue one and most issue twos and WW is easily the best book I've read out of them all.

Clif-Notes: Halcyon

Halcyon is a five-issue mini series from Image Comics and it's premise is actually quite simple:
What happens when the never-ending battle for truth and justice actually ends?
That's exactly what happens to the super group Halcyon. Over the course of a year, the world's crime and violence has stopped. No war, no evil villains, no crime. Humans no longer have the capacity to hurt one another. The desire is completely gone. What do the heroes of the world do now? Well, for Sabre, it only means he has to find another way to stop what- or whoever it is that is causing this wholly unnatural occurrence. Only problem is that not all his hero buddies think it's a bad thing.
I was very impressed with this series. Written by Marc Guggenheim (Wolverine & Amazing Spider-Man amongst others) takes a great concept and hits it out of the park. It's such a simple idea and yet the book doesn't play out as such. It never reaches a point where I though to myself "I've been here before", even though it almost feels like it should. Originally announced as an ongoing, it was cut to only five issue which is a shame. It's ending, while definitely being an open-ended conclusion, leaves you satisfied and yet wanting more. I truly hope that Image give Guggenheim another shot at more (even though it's Image and you know they won't make any smart decision like that. I mean come on. They still think Spawn is one of their flagship titles...).
If you have been looking for a new book that isn't the same kind of regurgitated hero writings, check this one out. While playing on the ideas that made books like Watchmen so amazing, it also proves that those ideas, when written intelligently, never grow old.

Clif-Notes: Immortals

As I think anybody who has seen The Fall knows, Tarsem Singh can direct a movie. The Cell, with whatever acting problems I had with Jennifer Lopez or Vince Vaughn, was a beautiful orgy of visuals. And I mean that literally. The visuals had sexual intercourse with my retinas and it was amazing. The Fall was much more subtle with it's beauty. The Fall took me to dinner and a movie, walked me to my door, where I invited it in for some "coffee" and then it made me pancakes in the morning. So you may be able to understand how excited I was for him to handle a movie about a mad king releasing the Titans and waging war on Gods and man alike.
I did not leave the theater disappointed.
I found it amazing on all levels. Cavill as Theseus was great. Rourke is always great as the gruff, mad at the world type. Freida Pinto was 1000xs better than she was in Slumdog (though I was not a fan of that movie so she kinda just gets lumped into that). Even Dorff was livable but I don't think I've seen him in anything since Blade.
I can't get all existential on ya about this movie or go into the technical aspects of it but I can tell you what I liked and I absolutely liked this movie. If you have any inkling to see it, you won't leave disappointed.

Boobs of the Day

Lauren Cohan
Miss Cohan first came onto my radar after he little stint as Bela on Supernatural. She was then a guest on Chuck for a while. However, her newest run on The Walking Dead is what brought her back. She plays Maggie Greene, daughter of Hershel. As fans of the comic (and now the tv show) know, she begins a nice, physical relationship with Glenn and thanks to the latest episode, we get a little of of Cohan skin and I am very happy to see whatever they want to show me.
I gladly welcome back Boobs of the Day with the lovely Miss Lauren Cohan.

NB of the Week

This was another week filled with some pretty good reads and I was once again torn between three.
Ultimate Spider-Man #3 was yet again another testament to Brian Michael Bendis being able to do whatever he wants. There is no reason why anybody should be upset about Pete being killed off, especially if they have actually read this book. In this issue we have Miles still figuring out what to do. After hearing shit was going down with Spidey, he actually jumped his way over there. Turns out Miles was a witness to Peter's death and it's the deciding factor to become a hero. Turns out Pete's death, if only for Miles, was inspiration enough for somebody to do some good.
Green Lantern #3 was another great chapter in Johns' run. Sinestro is pretty pissed that his Corps has taken over his planet and enslaved his people. Which of course means that he has to make Hal a green ring and force him to help take them out. However, this issue has another ending that I definitely didn't see coming. As a long reader, you know that this ending is not what it appears to be but Johns is great enough that I still dropped my jaw and asked "What the fart?!"
But my ultimate winner, for it's fourth strait issue...
Uncanny X-Force #17 - The Dark Angel Saga: Chapter 7
Betsy has been changed into the Horseman of Death. Fantomex has fled his team. Deadpool has been frozen and shattered into tiny pieces. Deathlok has been taken over by Archangel. Wolverine fights as the last hope for life. Until a bunch of Age of Apocalypsers come charging outta nowhere?!
Once again the master of misdirection, turns out Fantomex wasn't running. He was getting more help from the one place that has fought this fight before. AoA Sabretooth, Wildchild, Nightcrawler, Phoenix and Sunfire to the rescue! As Phoenix fights Death for Betsy's mind, everyone else goes after Archangel to stop him. Which doesn't go so well for them. Wildchild is cut in half. Sunfire is trapped under AoA Iceman (though I would think fire would win that fight). Wolverine gets fried down to not much else but a skeleton. Sabretooth and Nightcrawler are left in bloody pools. But as Archangel opens the doors to his device, to place the lifeseed himself, he and we are left with the image of Fantomex and Psylock, waiting and ready to make the final stand.
Amazing. Read this book. Every issue is better than the last.

NB of the Week

Fear Itself #7.1 - Captain America

-THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD-

I started getting Fear Itself because of one reason - it's prologue. Book of the Skull was written by Ed Brubaker (of the amazing Captain America) and brought in an old scheme of the Red Skull's that he never completed: the bringing about of The Serpent. While Fear Itself had its pluses and its minuses, it certainly helped set the stage for many things over the next year. Which is where its three epilogues come into play. Fear Itself 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 and set ups for Cap, Iron Man and Thor and with the writers of each title handling each issue, you can bet that I'm picking up at least the Cap one. And it's a good thing I did.
In FI #3, as Bucky Cap ran into battle against Sin (now an avatar of fear for The Serpent), he was met with more forced than he could handle, his arm being ripped off and impaled by her giant hammer. His final breath warned our heroes of The Serpent's return. Or so it seemed.
Turns out Bucky didn't quite die. After finding that he still had a faint heartbeat, Nick Fury gave him the remaining Infinity Formula (which is what has kept Fury alive and well for so long, after so many wars) to try and save him. Expect they didn't tell Steve. They lied to him, telling everyone that Bucky had died so that Steve would keep fighting and help end the battle at hand. Only reason he knows is that Bucky didn't want him living that lie. So Bucky "dies" for the greater good. He was a wanted fugitive and we needed motivation. Only Fury, Black Widow and Steve know he's actually alive. With Steve back in the uniform ("I wasn't meant for the spotlight anyway. That's your world."), Bucky rides off to face his unfinished business with the Winter Soldier program.
"There are things from the Winter Soldier days that I'm just remembering. Weapons left in the field... Dangers I can still prevent. I think maybe that's the path... A way to the redemption I've been looking for."
And we're left being told that coming in 2012 is a new title by Ed Brubaker called Winter Soldier.
I'm there. Bucky and Brubaker will sell me every time. I've tried telling people that Bucky wasn't dead but people don't want to listen to me. Through all the faults of Fear Itself, this was worth it. I'm excited for what's to come in Cap and Winter Soldier and if that's all I come out with from this mini, I'm happy. Sign me up for another title to be buying.

Cool Vids

I was watching the new start to Beavis and Butthead and they have replaced the oldschool video watching with newer stuff. Like Jersey Shore and newer videos. It's still funny and I liked it. Which leads me to this. One of the videos they watched was First of the Year by Skrillex. It's one of those "dub step" songs that I could really care less about but the video to it was awesome and I had to reshare it to everyone here.

NB of the Week

Annihilators: Earthfall #2 (of 4)
Much like Uncanny X-Force, this is a series that I've said needs to be read and it only continues to get better.
Before Nova and Star-Lord "sacrificed" themselves, Star-Lord told Cosmo (the telepathic, Russian dog) that there was too much evil for for the Guardians to handle. That what they needed was "flarking annihilators" to got the job done. Thus began the new team. Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, Ronan and Gladiator. All the cosmic heavy-hitters. After a first mini, Silver went his way with Galactus and was essentially replaced with Ikon, who was a member of the oldschool Spaceknights.
Into this mini, we get the Annihilators first encounter with Earth and it's heroes. After finding out that the Church of Universal Truth (see the latest and greatest run of Guardians of the Galaxy) had a sect hiding on Earth and was just activated, they came knocking. Only problem is that the Avengers see Ronan and Gladiator and think another invasion is happening. Which is the bad news. As Ronan, Gladiator and Beta Ray stay outside to try and talk sense into everyone, Quasar, Ikon and Spider-Man (though Spidey was just following them) go into the headquarters to stop the Church. As they make their way to the weapon, a life cocoon (or whatever they call it. The thing that Adam Warlock was originally found in, seen on this cover of FF to the right) was opened, and is empty. As they find themselves too late, they are surprised from behind with the words "I am the Magus. I'm here to save you. We all are.", with the last page being a tiny, kid version of Magus (Adam Warlock's evil persona from way back when) and many other kids behind him, all with scary glowing eyes.
What the hello, man?! Magus was brought back at the end of the run in Guardians and was "killed" in Thanos Imperative but now he is a kid? Or many kids? Dude was tough enough without being all creepy with it. As you read this, you probably feel like that is a lot you've missed and would need to get caught up on but there's really not. The story is massively rewarding if you have been reading for these years but alone it's still pretty damn good. DnA have done some of the best writing in the industry over the years, in my opinion, and it keeps impressing me. Any cosmic book they touch for Marvel is a book that I will buy.
Lets just hope that Loeb and McGuinness don't muck up Nova when he comes back in Point One.

American Horror Story

Is anyone else watching this messed up show? It's three episodes in and I'm kind of addicted. It's the story of a family (played by Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott and Taissa Farmiga) and how messed up their lives are and become more so after moving into a haunted house. And calling it a haunted house is putting it very mildly. First episode alone we get twin gingers being killed by a Gollum-looking creature. A down syndrome girl that freaks me out (she keeps telling people that they're going to die). That girl's creepy mother who seems to know a helluva lot more than she tells the family. A gay bondage ghost that gets the mother pregnant (hence the weird promo image posted with this). A house maid that is old to the mother but a young, sexy temptress to the father (McDermott cheated on the wife already). Ya see McDermott's ass three times, with the third time...
Warning: This Part Gets A Little Dirty!!!
coming after he showers, sees the maid touching herself at him and proceeds to masturbate and then cry. And then being watched by some dude who is all scared with burns and killed his family in that house years prior and wants to warn McDermott that he'll kill too. And did I mention that the gay bondage ghost was the previous owner? He and his lover mere a murder/suicide case.
Yeah. Messed up. And I'm really liking it. The next two episodes have started bringing in more story to the house and it's history so it's been picking up a lot more. Plus, Zachary Quinto is coming into it at some point and throwing Sylar into this house may just make it even cooler.
This is definitely not a show that everyone will be able to get into and I do seem to have a sick enjoyment for weird ass things (I did think Human Centipede was rather tame and boring after all...) but this show absolutely has my interest. I think peoples should give it a shot if they have a stronger stomach.

Child of the 80's

The Chipmunk Adventure (1987)
I loved the Chipmunks growing up. From Mr T. helping them out to Theodore being trapped in a record costume that everyone else thought was a tire. More so, I'm a fan of the movie The Chipmunk Adventure.
In what may be the largest movie case of child endangerment ever, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes race around the world in hot air balloons. Why would they do this? For the most obvious reason of Alvin and Brittany get in an argument over who would win such a race after Brittany beat him at it in an arcade game. And the argument just happened to take place in front of Klaus and Claudia Vorstein, brother and sister diamond smugglers. These sets of kids are the perfect way for them to trade out money and diamonds across the globe, conveniently hidden in dolls made to look like each of the kids. Along the way, they all get into their own perils and eventually have to help each other out as they come to find what they have actually been doing the whole time.
I'm pretty sure this is the reason why I like musicals so much. The songs still put a smile on me to this day, with Girls of Rock and Roll being my favorite (make from that whatever you would like). It was also a kid's wet dream to do this. Who wouldn't want a balloon ride around the world? I'd pee myself and I still want one.
Overall, this move had everything a kid could enjoy. Action, adventure, sharks, danger, mischief, money, dancing cobras, crazy Aborigines, fiestas, baby penguins, a fat kid who wants nothing more than to eat, Wooly Bully, alligators (or crocodiles, I don't know the difference), twerps ("what is a twerp?") and singing at the Parthenon. I don't care what people say about it today, The Chipmunk Adventure is a great cartoon and a great time to be had.

NB of the Week

Wonder Woman #2 - Home
Brian Azzarello should be in charge of more comics. The dude knows how to string together a brilliant story.
After failing to kill Zola and the bastard child of Zeus' inside her, Hera is rather pissed and decides to let another God go after them all: her daughter Strife. We then cut to Wonder Woman carrying the wounded Hermes into a the jungles of Paradise Island to her people and her mother. Providing shelter, we are given a few filler conversations, seemingly to set up the new status of Wonder Woman in the new DC. Zola finds out that Hippolyta carved Wonder Woman out of clay and awoke up to find the child alive, we find out that Wonder Woman can still hold her own against the other Amazons and for some reason Hippolyta is afraid that Hera is coming for Bastard children of Zeus. We are cut of by a large explosion, of which everyone goes running into the forest to find it. Turns out it's Strife. She is turning all the Amazons against each other and only Wonder Woman can see it. As WW confronts her, Strife claims all she is here for is to embrace her little sister. Wonder Woman presumes she speaks of Zola but we are all surprised (unless you read the news that DC released a few weeks ago) to learn that Strife is actually speaking of Wonder Woman.
In my opinion, Wonder Woman was the best of all the fist 52 issues and the second one isn't letting up. As much as WW is part of the League, she is a God first and foremost and I love that Azzarello is playing that. Let League deal with the hero community. The best part is that Azzarello is able to make this read as something new and yet completely familiar. Like an old friend and remembering why you became friends all those years ago, even is you don't see them very often now. It's fresh and crisp and amazing and you should read it.

Notable Mentions
Fear Itself #7 (of 7) - More set-up than ending, this issue was jammed. The Worthy have a few pages of fighting. Broxton comes to help Cap fight. Cap picks up Mjolnir (badass). Odin cast out the Asgardians from Asgard (?).
Oh, and Thor died. For now.
Justice League #2 - This is the start that I was expecting issue one to have. Awesome fighting and awesome restart to the team. If things are this good, it should become a great book.

NB of the Week

Uncanny X-Force #16 - The Dark Angel Saga: Chapter 6
There's really nothing more that I can say about Uncanny X-Force that I haven't already said. 16 issues in and I have loved every single one of them. Very, very few books can hold that statement.
Within this issue we get AoA Iceman and Blob fighting the Forcers (which could start to explain how AoA Nightcrawler is on the Regenesis Force team). We get awesome dialogue, awesome fighting, awesome everything. I really can't be stressing enough how much you should be reading this book. It may just be the best book that I am reading and dare I say the best book of what I'm not reading as well.. Pick it up.

Clif-Notes: Five Finger Death Punch - American Capitalist

If you listen to Five Finger's first album of The Way of the Fist, it's almost laughable. I still liked it and it has a couple of cool tracks but it comes off as a high school garage band, that is playing what they think rock is suppose to sound like. Just loud noises, loud voices and a lot of cursing.
Two years later, they released War is the Answer and it's very clear that they have "evolved" as a band. Throwing in melody with those loud noises and real vocals with those screams. They still had some of those garage tendencies but they were above and beyond what they were. And their remake of Bad Company is one of the better remakes to have come out in a long time.
Two more years down the line and releasing this next Tuesday, the 11th, is their third, American Capitalist and it is easily their best one yet. Great sounds. Great Voices. Great beats. The fianl track is still very "garage" but I'll let it slide. I don't really know music enough to tell you why it's so great, just that it is. If you like 5FDP, you will love this album. It's great.

NB of the Week

Action Comics #2 - In Chains
After being trapped by a speeding locomotive at the end of issue one (oh the irony), we get another Superman that most may not be used to.
For the first 11 pages of this issue, we get Superman being poked and prodded and essentially tortured by Luthor and the Army, trying to get answers to what he is and how he works. After page 11, though, we get back to the action (aptly titled book, finally) as Supes breaks free. "All I needed was a minute to recover. Lucky for me you talk too much." Following a threat to snap Luthor's neck (classy move), Superman heads out. Along the way he finds his ship which seems to be slightly alive. He reassures it that he will be back for him later and takes off again. Crashing through walls and melting guns, Superman finally makes it out to safety. The last page is a doozy as we have Luthor talking to his "source" who has been feeding him his knowledge about the Kryptonian. As he screams into his phone, demanding to know who or what it is he's talking to, we are left with an alien ship hovering up high, looking a lot like what would be Brainiac's ship.
There are eight pages in the back of art with commentary from Grant Morrison and Rags Morales and it only makes me love the book more. Morrison intends on making Superman move a lot. Action entitles movement and he wants it that way. Also, things can hurt Superman like they could in the good days. He bleeds and is knocked out and heals and it happens again. It gives him vulnerability that the reader can get behind and it's brilliant. It's one of those things that I never may have figured out on my own but is absolutely obvious when it's said. Morrison seems to be the perfect choice for the relaunch of Action Comics and I am extremely glad that I have gotten it so far.

(Late) NB of the Week

Somehow I'm slipping in my old age and I completely forgot to tell everybody how much of a nerd I am (and in the process how lonely I shall end up...). So here is my late NB from Wednesday. I hope I can win you're affection back and to try such, I shall give you Co-NB's.

The Ultimates #2 - Part Two
After being attacked by a new "race" of super-beings, we get a little history. Turns out they come from The Dome, in which time is different. They have had lifetimes to perfect their species. Through cloning and genetics, they have formed a perfect society where they can evolve at will to help in any way. And it's time to come out and take what is rightfully theirs. After some cool throw downs, they can trace Thor's power back to Asgard and the World Tree. As Thor races to save his people, he finds that he is too late. All his people are dead or dying. Thor hides his son in the Tree, giving him Mjolnir to help find his way out when he is worthy before he and Loki jump into battle one last time.
"This was the day. The day the World Tree died and what was divine became ordinary. When, like rain, dead gods fell from the sky. It was the last day of myth. It was the last day of legend. It was the day the children of Tomorrow killed all the gods. And they were gone. Forever."
And at the last minute, Stark flied in, pulling Thor away, with the Odinson claiming he can feel nothing any more.
Hickman gets it. This dude can write and I'm all for most anything he wants to write. In the Ultimate Universe, anything can happen and Asgard dying is pretty damn awesome especially given that rebirth is always used and Hickman will get to write that eventually also. No offense to Miller and Loeb and anyone else who has written the Ultimate Avengers before but I'm pretty sure that in two issues, Jonathan Hickman has made this book his.

Ultimate Spider-Man #2
Miles is learning that he has powers. Speed, agility and now a "spider sting". Freaked out he goes to his best friend Ganke (he's Asian), thinking that he's a mutant and people will soon be after him. Before either can figure anything out, though, Miles' father finds him and takes him off. As they walk and talk, we find out one of the biggest (and oddly similar) differences between Miles and Peter: Miles father was a criminal. He grew up in hard times and did what he felt would be most beneficial to surviving. This also includes doing time in the clanker (my words, not the comic's). While Miles' uncle never really got the grasp on life and growing out of it, his father had. He met Miles' mother and the rest is that. And in this speech, we get out new "responsibility montra":
"Anyone can be bad. Anyone. It's easy. It's the easiest thing. But to stay focused. To live a good life... It's the hardest damn thing."
As Miles tries to sleep later, he is woken by a text. It's his friend, Ganke and he has it figured. He just read an article by a Ben Urich, talking about how Spider-Man got his powers. All the same ways that Miles has his powers. As Ganke asks "R U Spider-Man?!!", Miles looks surprised and proceeds to crawl up his bedroom wall. Our final page is him on the ceiling, saying "Oh no."
Bendis gets Spider-Man. Ultimate Spidey has been amazing from the get-go and it continues to be so. When everyone was yelling for his head after killing Pete (as I reserved the right to do also), he was telling us be patient and read it. That Spider-Man has transcended Peter Parker and is an idea that is far greater than him. Miles Morales proves it. This kid is Spider-Man, showing that age and skin color have nothing to do with it. This book is as much Spider-Man as any of the other Ultimate Spider-Man issues and I would argue even more than the crappy Amazing Spider-Man title. Somebody give Amazing this book. It could learn a thing or two.

Vampires Can Be Cool

With the "reboot" of the whole DCUniverse this month, this week brought the redoing of I, Vampire. A lame concept from the '80s that looked to be a lame concept now. But then I actually read it and I have to admit that I was wrong.
Andrew Stanton is a vampire. His ex is the Queen of the Damned, Mary. Mary thinks it's high time they take their rightful place at the top of the totem and that means exposing themselves (snicker) and taking out the heroes of the DCU by creating an army of vampires. It's up to Andrew to stop her and her new horde.
I admit to being skeptical and I admit to being wrong. While the actual writing was the weak point, it still did it's job well. However, the premise and the amazing art are what won me over. Look at this dude's art. His name is Andrea Sorrentino. First off, it looks a lot like Jae Lee and that's not a bad thing. Second, it may be some of the most fitting art for this book. Dark and gritty is how a vampire should look.
So here's to DC. In a world filled with dumb, ridiculous, Twi-Tard vampires, you have given me a reason to keep my hope and I thank you for it.

Can You Feel the Love?

I went with the parentals to Lion King 3D tonight and I had forgotten how great that movie is. I still put Aladdin on top as best but what a great movie. And the 3D was pretty good. This may be the best Shakespear has been in a very long time.

I'd Buy His Album

A guy at work told me about this dude. Kinda makes me want to watch The X-Factor. Kinda. Either way, I would buy this dude's album.

Clif-Notes: Killer Elite

I stopped into the newest Statham flick this afternoon and I came out with mixed emotions over it.
For those that have missed it, Elite is the true story (they claim) of an ex-SAS (Jason Statham) who is brought back into the game after his mentor (Robert De Niro) is taken captive. To get him back, he must kill three men for an Arab (don't quote me on this one, not sure his nationality) who wants his honor restored before he dies. Along the way, another ex-SAS (Clive Owen) wants to know what's going on and wages a little war against Statham and his men trying to find out.
Here's the good: This movie turned out to be a much bigger cat & mouse game than I thought it would be. It had the typical action and fighting you would expect from a Statham film (the first encounter between he and Owen was pretty damned awesome, if I do say so myself) but the amount of "thrill" put in it surprised me a little and not in a bad way. Plus, come on. It's Statham, Owen and De Niro. All three are pretty badass no matter what movie they are doing.
Here's the bad: It was almost trying a bit too hard to be a cat & mouse game. It felt drawn out at points when it wanted to makes things "smarter" and it didn't always come across with that result. At some point, I remember thinking "when are they finally gonna figure something out and fight?" and that's never a fun thought to have in a movie.
Overall, I liked it. It was pretty awesome and badass even though it felt long at times. If you can see it in the theater, do it but I say you can also wait until dvd if you can't.

Controversy?

Comics fans abroad are pretty pissed off about a certain page in the new Catwoman that began this week. What image? This one.
Catwoman and Batman "having sex". For some reason this is a big problem for a lot of readers. They see it as demeaning towards women and regressing the character of Selina Kyle to no more than a whore or a hussy. Apparently they had forgotten about the three previous pages that had Catwoman being the seducer and aggressor.
And let's not forget that this is a character that has always used her sex appeal as a means to get her way, that she runs around stealing (along with many other "immoral" acts to boot), carries a whip as her primary weapon and wears a leather jumpsuit that is four sizes to small.
And what part of this new start to Catwoman are people not caring about? This one.
Where she beats the loving hell out of a dude. But as always, put all the language and violence you want as long as you don't allow any skin in a sexual nature to be seen.
Selina Kyle is a strong, confident character who has always paved her own path. She has always owned her body and her sexual prowess and has actually slept with Batman/Bruce Wayne many time. This is nothing new to the character. People just don't like that a male writer is the one doing it.
Get over it. It's a fake character and you have no life. Trust me. We can smell our own.

NB of the Week

Wonder Woman #1 - The Visitation
So far, of all the "New 52" books, this one may have to go to the top. It may be the only book thus far that I have finished reading and didn't want to wait for the next issue to come out.
The issue begins with a all black figure (with glowing eyes and mouth) talking to three ladies atop his penthouse suit, talking about his father being a "king". He then proceeds to shove said ladies off the roof. It then jumps to a barn in Virgina, as a lady clothed only in what looks like peacock feathers, cuts the heads off two horses. Out of those bodies and wounds, starts to emerge bloody hands and heads... This leads to a blue man in a house telling a lady her and her child have to leave before it's too late. This lady (named Zola) has no idea who this blue man is nor what child he speaks of. Before ya know it, two Centaurs burst through the door (I presume they are what was formed from the decapitated horses). Blue man gets nailed by an arrow, handing a key to Zola. After taking it, she is transported to a loft in London where she finds a sleeping Wonder Woman, who of course comes to he rescue after hearing her story. They both take the key and it somehow takes them back to the farm. After fighting the Centaurs and chasing them off, we get answers. Turns out the blue guy is Hermes, come to save the lady and her unborn child. Which happens to be the child of Zeus. Cut back to mystery Black figure and he is now talking to the three ladies as they float in the air, seeming to be vessels for the Fates, telling him of what has transpired. The three ladies burn up and die. End issue one.
... What the hell? This was a kind of a weird story but I loved every page of it. It appears that Diana is not an ambassador to the US and that the Gods are kinda dicks. I like it. Writer Brian Azzarello is definitely on his game with this one and I am very excited to see what else he brings. DC may have hit a home run with this one. At least for now. Let's not forget how many times it's been messed up in the past...

NBs of the Week

That's right. Multiple. This week was a pretty damn good week and I had some hard time trying to narrow it down so I choose a few. I'll try not to ramble about each one (yes, I know how I get at times) but it was a good week so bare with me.

New Avengers #16 - Fear Itself
With all the crazy stuff going on with Fear Itself, everyone was expecting the Avengers' tie-ins to be the biggest of all the tie-ins and it hasn't shown more than here as Daredevil joins the team. When the shit hits the fan, you do what you gotta do to save people. So after taking out hordes of Nazi robot fighter thingies (the technical term), DD runs to Avenger's Mansion as it's being hit, in time to save Luke and Jessica's baby. Cage definitely says it best:
"He is driven by demons deeper than anything anyone you know has ever been driven by. And I'm telling you, in this business, all of us are demon-driven. And even on that level he still defines himself by his drive and dedication. People gonna ask: is Daredevil Avengers material? In my opinion, and I don't mean to be all corny, but to me the question is: Are the Avengers Daredevil material?"

Ultimate Spider-Man #1
If I haven't said it before, I freely admit to having my doubts about getting a new Spider-Man. I know that Bendis is still with it, but it felt a little like killing Peter was only done to make way for more ethnicity.
And so far, I am completely wrong. I may have a shotty memory at times, but this issue didn't even bring up his skin color at all.
Turns out, that Osborn tried to recreate the success of Spider-Man a long time ago before he went publicly crazy. As one of his labs was robbed (by Deadpool?), one spider got loose and climbed into the bag of money and goods. Later, after the goods wound up in his uncle's hands, young Miles Morales was bitten by the spider. And so on and so forth. (and he even has a new power already, being able to turn "invisible" and blend into his surroundings)
The best thing I can say about this issue is that it made me feel like I was reading the first Ultimate Spider-Man, for the first time, all over again. I honestly was very surprised to have liked it this much. It's a great start and I feel sorry for all those that were unwilling to give a new Spidey a chance. You missed out on a great issue.

Uncanny X-Force #15 - The Dark Angel Saga: Chapter 5
Points to made made from this issue:
1) Psylock is still a badass.
2) The life seed can do some pretty scary things to the world.
3) When Deadpool gets real anxious, "Lil' Wade pulls up to hide inside Big Wade."
4) The new Deathlok is scary badass and can easily kill a Horseman
5) Archangel wants Psylock to be his new Horseman of Death.
6) You're still not buying this book. Why the hell aren't you buying this book?!

Clif-Notes: Warrior

I admit to being a little biased going into this movie. I love me some Tom Hardy and I love me some MMA, so the two of them together almost spelled success for me from the start.
Ex-Marine Tommy (Tom Hardy) comes home after 14 years and enlists his now-sober father (Nick Nolte/the man responsible for his leaving in the first place) to help train for SPARTA, the biggest Mixed Martial Arts tournament in history. Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is a physics teacher with a wife, two kids, and a mortgage that threatens to take his house away in 90 days. After being suspended without pay, he must take up the old job of fighting to help keep his family afloat and somehow finds his way into SPARTA. Tommy and Brendan are brothers that have not spoken since the day Tommy and their mother ran from their father and the drunken, abusive life he was forcing them to live. Now they are on a collision course that lets them fight out their pain inside an octagon.
I hope I'm not stepping out of line here but I think this may be the best movie that I have seen this year. Amazing fights. Amazing acting. And, most surprising to me, amazing heart. Tom Hardy is brilliant as always as the hurt-filled Tommy. The movie's very first scene has Nick Nolte (and welcome back, good sir. Where has this acting been hiding all these years?) coming home to find Tommy sitting at his doorstep, drunk. From the start, you get how dark and bleak Tommy's outlook on life is and Hardy conveyed that perfectly. Feeling lost and alone for all these years, Tommy doesn't hold back his feelings as he continually reminds Nolte about the drinking and the physical abuse he put them through. He's an angry man with a lot of pain looking to put a good hurting on whomever steps in front of him.
Nick Nolte was great as the father just looking to move forward. He's ashamed of what he has done and been but he doesn't know how to say sorry for doing it. You can tell he takes all the guilt of everything onto his shoulders and doesn't know how to keep standing now. He thinks Tommy coming back is the first door to that recovery but all he finds are two sons who are unwilling to forgive and trust the man that let them down all those years ago.
And Joel Edgerton is the breakout for me. This guy has been in King Arthur (fun but pretty stupid) and Star Wars (and we all know how amazing the acting is in those movies) and that's all I know of him and I want that to change. Brendan is the one who got saved. He stayed behind because he fell in love and he's worked hard to get a life he is finally happy with (you know, except for the financial troubles). Edgerton had the task of balancing a character that wants nothing more than to provide for his now-family while trying to heal his then-family and, like everyone else, he nails it.
And to top everything off, the fighting was amazing. Hardy and Edgerton both looked like they trained massively hard to be in fighting condition. There's always that movie that kinda just skips on the authenticity of things like fighting in order to focus on the story and it shows that this wasn't one of them. The fighting is as much a character as Brendan and Tommy. It's the glue that is trying to be used to bring this family back together and they put a lot of effort into it.
I really can't say enough, great things about this movie. I wanted to watch it again as soon as it was over. Amazing movie and I absolutely say you should run to the theaters to see it.