An Unknown Mystery is Knowingly Solved

As I watched the Possession last night (which was a pretty decent movie), I finally figured something out:
Why is it that we never see Kyra Sedgwick and Willem Dafoe together?
I'll tell ya why. It's because they are, in fact, the same person. It's staring us right in the face and nobody has seen it yet.

Whose picture did I put down below? I don't know. Because it's the same person and not even I can tell which it is. Once again, I have proven that I am the world's greatest detective, not Batman. That dude couldn't even figure out that Riddler was behind Hush the whole time...

NB of the Week

Powers #11
THAR BE SPOILS AHEAD
Christian Walker has a hard life. His old partner, Deena Pilgrim is back in his life as a Fed and now he has to deal with her and his current partner, Enki Sunrise, not really connecting that well. Walker and Sunrise are detectives that handle the cases involving super-powered people and Pilgrim is the Fed breathing down their backs now. Not to mention that Walker, who used to be a powered hero, has new powers and is the secret protector of Earth. More crap on top of that, the current case being solved is a string of murders upon a group of immortals called The Golden Ones. As retribution, one of them has decided to flood the Earth and kill everyone. And that was the last issue.
All Hell is breaking loose. Trying to stop everything, Walker's ex-fiancee appears, having teleported in. Walker gave her some powers (guess how...) and she wants answers. This sets Sunrise on fire (no pun intended) because she has no idea that Walker has powers and has been lying to her. And then the flood hits. As heroes try to stop the monstrous who is causing all this, Walker's ex-fiancee is killed. When given his new powers, he was told that he was not allowed to use them on Earth. He has one response for that:
"Fuck 'em."
With that, Walker joins the fight against the Golden Ones. It is a superhero comic so it's predictable but it's still good. Heroes rise and heroes fall and the evil is stopped but not after the death toll reaches 6034, with another 1232 still missing, including Walker. So where does that leave everybody? As federal employees. After all this, all powered cases are now federal matter. That leaves us with Pilgrim and Sunrise standing together, not so happy looking.
"The world's gone to hell because of powers. Since the Golden Ones disaster we are under-funded and under-staffed and on our own. With a thousand open cases. So now you're all federal agents. And there are all-new rules."
There is no question in my mind that if Powers were ever on any kind of consistent schedule, it would be one of the best comics being published. As it stands, the months and months between issues hurt it and make it quite impossible for any new readers to get into it, let alone the old ones to remember what's happening. Even worse is that this probably the best writing you get from Bendis. Every issue is amazing and every story is fantastic. This ending is the lead into a new start, with the next issue being Powers: Bureau. Walker and Pilgrim are the ones pictured on the cover so I suppose Walker isn't dead but that doesn't matter. I'm excited for anything that Powers does. Hopefully it can get a better release schedule at some point though.

Boobs of the Day

Alexandra Breckenridge
In re-watching American Horror Story, there are two things that are much more clear to me:
1) If this dude also created Glee, Glee is even more shit because this show is messed up and should not be associated in any way with that crap.
B) The chick who plays young Moira is super hot (there is an old and young Moira for she is cursed - Men see her as the temptress she looks like and women see her for the soul she really is). As a seductress of Mr Dylan McDermott (the lead male), we see quite a bit of her. More then should probably be allowed on basic cable, actually. No complaint from me though. She's hot and I want her at the weekly meetings. She's part of the club now.
(Editor's note: Ms Breckenridge was apparently in True Blood where you see more of that-which-is-not-basic-cable. If you get my meaning...)

New Tunes

Three Days Grace has a new album coming out in October and there's a new song out from it. I'm a pretty big fan of TDG. Their songs tend to start sound a lot a like but that's pretty normal for most (in my opinion). Anywho, new song from Three Days Grace. I dig it.

A New League

DC has announced a new League title today. Justice League of America will be written by DC star Geoff Johns and drawn by the extraordinary David Finch. Johns will also stay with Justice League making this his second League book for the New 52 Universe and proving that DC is doing everything they can to capitalize on their well-selling books.
And sadly, they can count on my support. League. Johns. Finch. Manhunter. Hawkman. What's not to love?
(and in case you don't recognize everyone, left to right: Vibe, Catwoman, Steve Trevor, Baz (the upcoming new GL), Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, Katana, Hawkman, Green Arrow)

Marvel Has Never Looked So Yummy...

Tell me you don't wanna read more Marvel comics now. Do it. Tell me.

 

 

NB of the Week

Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1 (of 4)
Written By - J. Michael Straczynski
Drawn By - Adam Hughes

Manhattan is not a complicated man. As he says, it's all a matter of perspective. It's all Schrodinger's Cat. Endless possibilities that can be altered until that lid is taken off. What Manhattan doesn't know is the why. He had time to grab his cost from the chamber so why did the door shut and things go that way?. Only one way to find the answer and that's to try and move himself into his past before he became the new him. As he watches the old him walk into the chamber, he's perplexed when he see's himself then walk out. Door seals behind him. We're left with a query of a final page:
"Boxes contain mysteries. Boxes are mysteries. Until we open them, we can never really be sure what's inside. I should be inside this box. At this moment.
But I'm not.
I'm not.
So where am I? Why am I?
What's inside the box?"
Besides that last line reminding me of Dean from Supernatural (fans know what I mean), this issue was pretty damn good. Straczynski helps redeem himself from the slow mess that Nite Owl has started with (though issue two was much better than one). He seems to grasp the monotone, know-it-all attitude that Manhattan has and it really plays out well. Not to mention the amazing art of Adam Hughes. This dude on interior is pretty rare and it shows just way. Pencils, inking, coloring. It all flows seamlessly and perfectly.
For the most part, the BW books are pretty top notch and this is another fine reason why. Skepticism is all over these titles and it's a shame because readers are missing some great reads.

Really Pete?

It seems like Pete was doomed from the start. This shot comes from another issue of Amazing. If ya ain't a perv, you may wanna look up what the Venus Butterfly is but no, ya actually probably shouldn't. Just trust me that it's dirty and probably shouldn't be in a Spider-Man comic.

It's Mostly True

I loved Prometheus but I laughed my ass off at this video. Be careful. Naughty words get used.

Clif-Notes: The Raid - Redemption

Back in January, I posted a trailer for a foreign move called The Raid. Released on dvd this week and retitled The Raid: Redemption for us Americans, I am pleased to announce that this movie blew my ever-frakin' mind!
The story is pretty simple. A police squad is storming an apartment building that is ran by a not-so-nice crime lord and trying to take him out one level at a time (yes, Dredd does seem to have stolen this story). Only the evil-doer finds out about them and puts an open bounty on the officers' heads. What ensues is some of the most brutal and intense action I have seen in a very, very long time.
Five minutes into the movie, we get our ruthless baddie executing dudes with a gun to the head. When he runs outta bullets, he resorts to a hammer for the last guy, showing us just how mean he plans on being. Throughout the movie there are times where my stomach felt in knots as the good guys tried their best to not be seen or to stay alive. One scene in particular with darkness and the light of gunfire was one of the most memorable moments from any action movie I can remember.
I want to sit here and tell about every single scene that got my blood pumping and every single plot that made me love and hate the characters but the only real way to do that is to tell you to watch it. This is how action movies should be. Everything in. No holds barred. Kick ass or die. If you like action in any way, go watch this one.

NB of the Week

As with every issue, Saga #6 was the creme de la creme of the crop this week. Instead of going on about how amazing it is once again (which it truly is), we'll hit up the Best of the Rest.
AS ALWAYS, SPOILERS FOLLOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Avengers #29
The Avengers go after Rachael Summers as they see that the psychics are their main threat. Xavier steps in to sorta stop them all, saying how sad it is that his dream has died. That dude is always such a downer.

Uncanny X-Force #29
Turns out Psylock can't even kill herself if she wanted to as future Punisher helped save her (the irony was not lost on her). The Forcers go back to the present to try and stop the new Brotherhood.

X-Factor #242
Shit is falling apart and falling apart fast. Guido has left the team and in this issue, Rahne is able to track down her wolf-baby-demon thing. She also decides it best to leave the team to focus on her cub. Also,  Darwin is back and isn't happy with things. Expect him to cause more trouble eventually.

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1
Turns out that Rorschach is just as messed up as we thought. Azzarello nails the writing and Bermejo nails the art. Nothing brilliant but exactly as cool as I was hoping.

Green Lantern #12
Ah shit. Here it goes. Black Hand apparently can't kill Hal Jordan because the Book of Black in now telling him that he is not the enemy and that "Hal Jordan will be the greatest Black Lantern". To be continued in Annual #1 in two weeks where a Lantern dies and sets up the next stage of story.

Green Lantern Corps #12
The reign of the Alpha Lanterns comes to an end as one of their own, Varix, finally decides the Alphas are wrong and he helps kill off the others. As he sits in sadness to what he's done, he takes his vow as an Alpha very seriously as he kills himself for the deaths of the others. Too bad getting rid of the Alphas was all part of the Guardians plan for the Third Army. Those dudes are real bastards lately.

Wonder Woman #12
 WW fights the Gods some more as Apollo readies to take the Throne of Olympus. Zola's water breaks. Hermes gives WW a foot-wing, thus giving her the ability to fly (yet another new concept that is fraking amazing). Apollo takes the throne much to Hera's surprise (she expected Zeus to come back). Apollo exiles Hera to Earth as a mortal and Hermes steals Zola's baby, making him the shittiest friend in the DCU right now. Also, last page teases us with the new version of the New Gods and if Azzarello is behind it, I'm in.

Boobs of the Day

April Rose
Who is April Rose? I have no idea but I saw her today and wanna see her more. She's apparently in Grown Ups 2 proving that as long as people have money, pretty ladies will gladly be in shitty movies.

Anybody Else Remember This Guy?

Hard to believe it's almost been a year since this guy entered our hearts. Boy do I miss that amazing voice.....

Perfect

It may be 2:30 in the morning but it is absolutely brilliant outside. A clear, calm and perfect 65degrees. Only thing missing is a beautiful forest of trees to surround myself in. If anybody knows a place where I can live like this all year round, please let me know. I love you all but I will ditch your asses in a heartbeat for that environment.

NB of the Week

Spider-Men #4 (of 5)
(Pay no mind to the cover. That never even happens. But still cool)
Bendis may the only guy right now that can write a comic with nothing but dialogue, no action what-so-ever and still make it the best comic of the week. And he did it twice this week. In New Avengers, the Illuminati is called back together by Captain America in hopes that Namor will show and he will be able to civilly talk to him because of their history. Nothing but talking and it was amazing. Spider-Men did the same but much, much better.
In case you don't follow things, Spider-Men is the story of regular Marvel Peter Parker traveling to the Ultimate Universe and meeting the new Spider-Man there, Miles Morales. At the end of issue 3, Pete takes off when SHIELD shows and heads over to Aunt May's house only to see Gwen fully alive with her. This issue is nothing more than Pete, May, Gwen and Miles talking. There's a lot of disbelief and shock and a lot of heart.
Bendis is amazing with character dialogue and it's used perfectly here. You feel the hurt of Gwen and May as they see this "impostor" dressed as their Pete. You feel the uneasy nature of Pete as he tries to tiptoe around the fact that his Gwen is dead. You feel the love from May as she gets that final chance to tell her son how much she loved him before he dies, even is it's not really him. As SHIELD comes for him, you feel that (silly)warm love that Gwen and Pete share as they hug each other goodbye. And when Pete looks across the street to see a shocked MJ who turns and runs from him, you feel the sadness that she's going through.
Absolutely nothing happens in the issue until the last page when everybody goes after Mysterio (the reason Pete's here to begin with) and I wouldn't want it any other way. This is some of the best character writing that I have read in a very long time and I would gladly read more.

I'm Jealous...

Marvel is doing their own set of relaunches starting in October (though, unlike DC last year, Marvel is not rebooting everything. Just new starts for the new landscape that AvX is going to be creating...) and as announced over the last week, Thor is getting a new series by writer Jason Aaron (Wolverine, Scalped, Wolverine and the X-Men) and artist Esad Ribic (Loki, Ultimates, Uncanny X-Force). Not only does Aaron seem to be a great choice for it but the series's title just screams his name: Thor - God of Thunder. And here's where my jealousy comes in. Aaron has said that he has created a new villain that, along with the first story, spans decades through the life of Thor. That villain's name?
Gorr the God Butcher.
Are you shitting me?! Gorr the God Butcher?! How can anybody ever come up with a cooler name than that? Nothing can compare. This is a name to end all names and people should just stop trying now. You had my respect, Mr Aaron but now you have my envy as well.

Marvel Should Reconsider...

I was reading through some old issues of the (mostly)great What If? series and I came across this nice little outfit of Betty Brant when it was told what would happen if she were bitten by the spider instead of Pete...

I'm not say that Marvel has to go back to this idea but I am saying it would help them out.

Blame Gets Placed

I would just like to point out that the nice, Mexican family across the street is mowing their lawn for the third time this week. If anybody has a problem with stereotypes, I know exactly where they can take their complaints...

NB of the Week

Hawkeye #1 - Lucky Hawkeye
Lets throw this out there first and foremost: The fact that somebody has made Hawkeye into an amazing badass is the main reason I loved this book so much. It's flippin' Hawkeye, for Pete's sake. But this is the team that made me see just how cool Iron Fist could be so that certainly helps.
As the intro page says,
"Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, became the greatest sharp-shooter known to man. He then joined the Avengers. This is what he does when he's not being an Avenger. That's all you need to know."
Better words could not have introduced us to the life of Clint Barton, who still rents an apartment and still pays for a daily life and still gets hurt when knocked off the top of a building. He cracks and breaks and goes to the hospital. And when he finds that the Russian goons in track suits who run his apartment building are tripling everybody's rates, he doesn't stand for it. He puts together a bigt lump of money and tells them he's paying for everybody's rent and also buying the building. Track Suits don't like that because maybe they just want the building empty. This turns into a fight that sends a dog flying into traffic. Clint Barton definitely doesn't appreciate that. Not only does he still beat the crap outta Track Suits but he takes the dog to the vet, gets him fixed up and has a new best friend (and I gotta say, as somebody whose canine best friend lost an eye, having this dog also loose an eye kinda got me. It's the little things in life...). So now Clint owns the building where he and his neighbors grill on the roof and socialize, even if they don't always like each other, and we have an amazing start to what should be a great book about a character I never gave two craps about.
And that's what Matt Fraction is great at. Much as I liked the start of his Thor run, it's been falling rather wuickly. No signs of that here. Fraction is great with "real" characters. Iron Man is great. Iron Fist was phenomenal. And Hawkeye looks to continue the trend. I really like this issue and I'm already filling with high hopes that it'll only get better.