NB of the Week

A small, fifth week means not many books but the four I got were damn good so to spread all the love, we have another week of the RUNS...

Guardians of the Galaxy #5

After the dreadful ending to Age of Ultron, Spawn's own heavenly Angela has been brought over to the Marvel Universe and she's be appearing in Guardians. This issue mostly just served as her setup but we do find that Ultron's "destruction" of the space-time continuum has left Peter Quill with a vision of things that were. Or could be. Or something like that and it looks as though this is the reasoning as to how he and Thanos came back from Imperative but not Richard Rider, which is a damn shame cuz I know I'm not alone in wanting him back as well.

Daredevil #29
Last issue, an old, childhood bully of Matt's came looking for some help. As a former member of the Serpent Society, he's been marked for death and needs some legal help. Murdock agrees but the bully is shot at the end of the last issue. This issue played to Waid's writing strength as Daredevil is able to save the bully's life but he finds out even more: the Serpents appear to have their racist, nihilistic hands everywhere and if that's true, his city could be in a lot of trouble.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24 - City Fall: 3
The Turtles rush Casey to the hospital after being stabbed through by Shredder. After they get him the help he needs, they leave him to recover and they head back out after Leo, who has been taken by Shredder (this dude is pretty bad and definitely badass). As they "team" with Old Hob (villain turned helper turned villain again) they are brought to The Foot where they are attacked by none other than Leo, who has been brain-washed by Shredder and is now after their blood just as he is.

The Ultimates #28
Reed and his team are still making the world "better" while hunting their own agenda. Hulk and Thor had a huge smack-down in which Hulk was the definite victor. Cap is beat. Hawkeye is blind. After killing Tony Stark, Reed goes after his armor and tech only to find that that may the one place Stark was smarter than him in as he finds it's all been booby-trapped. No matter. He knows another body that should be able to sustain the Infinity Gem he pulled from Stark's brain: his comatose and technically still brother-in-law Johnny Storm. Oh, and Stark's body may be dead but it looks as though his brain is still alive in his tech, making him now a true iron man.

NB of the Week

It's a good, smaller week which means it's time to give y'all the runs...

New Avengers #8 - What Maximus Made

Lots of progression in this issue. Reed and Tony are meeting and planning for big things with the incursions. Black Bolt shows Medusa that he's had Maximus building something not so great. Black Panther reveals to Namor that Wakanda has attacked and is slaughtering his people. Oh, and Thanos' army has arrived on Earth, leading into Hickman's Infinity event. Lots of awesome progression and set-up.

Hawyeye Annual #1 - West Coast Hawkeye

Kate Bishop has grown tired of Clint's antics and has moved on to LA. Following her there is Madame Masque, still looking for payback after their last encounter. What ensues is absolute proof that Fraction is a genius. Not only is Clint awesome but Kate hasn't been this cool since her fist Young Avengers stint. This issue shows how badass she can be while setting up a new environment for her to play in.

Hunger #1 (of 4)

Age of Ultron (the comic) has broken time and space and everything is now open. This is exactly how our regular universe Galactus has made his way over to the Ultimate-verse, leaving Ultimate Nova (Rick Jones) to finally become the universe's protector. The Problem? Ultimate Gah Lak Tus and Galactus (while it tried to feed on Galactus) have merged together, giving Galactus tiny Gah Lak Tus minions as his new herald(s?). Rick Jones is gonna be in trouble.

Captain America #9

As we wait for the big ending in issue #10, we kinda get mind-humped here. Sharon Carter has arrived telling Cap that he's only been cone minutes and not the decade he has lived in Zola's dimension. It's a little unclear what's the truth right now but I'm excited to find out what is.

Justice League Dark #22 - Trinity War: Part 3

Wonder Woman brings in JLDark because she thinks Clark has been taken over by magic beyond what they know. And members of all 3 teams involved fight.... That's about it. Great story but nothing much happened to move the story forward.

Ultimate X-Men #29 - World War X: Part 1

Jean Grey leads the mutants on Tian and Utopia on Earth is just making it worse for them all (she feels) so she sends a message in the form of a living pesticide that will kill Utopia (itself a sentient being). If mutants won't join Tian, Tian won't let them ruin what they're trying to make.

Uncanny Avengers #10

The Four Horsemen of Death begin they're strike on the UA. Reaper goes after Wonder Man, Sentry goes after Thor (no longer filled with the Void), Banshee takes Scarlet Witch and Daken goes after his father, Wolverine. Remender is turning this title into a personal favorite more and more with each issue.

Clif-Notes: Only God Forgives

If you have seen any Nicolas Winding Refn movie, you know that he approaches things from a very artsy/Indie kind of way. Slow stories, strong characters, odd pacing. It's always an interesting ride (Drive is still  my favorite so pun is slightly intended) and that's why I sat down and watched Only God Forgives.
OGF tells the story of Julian and his quest for vengeance (and the acceptance of his mother) after his brother Billy is killed. Only it turns out that Billy was not a very good man and that his murder came as a result of that (even though the means in which it happened were still murder). Which is when Julian's mother arrives and demands those responsible for her favorite son's death (and yes, she makes it very clear to Julian and us that Billy will always be the better son/man). Problem is that the man "responsible" is a retired cop who maintains order in his streets (think of him as a Punisher-like character, killing the evil and getting vengeance to balance everything back). What follows is ninety minutes of some of the most violent awesomeness that I've seen in a while.
There is very little dialogue in this movie (Ryan Gosling is the lead Julian and he only has 22 lines the entire movie. And yes I had to look that up) which does make for a very slow feeling movie but I don't see that as a bad thing for a movie, especially one like that that had so much character and many intense moments to help the pacing. Refn has said that the idea for this movie came after the birth of his daughter and he thought about having a fight with God (which is kinds strange). In such, it makes sense that the cop represents God and is making order from the chaos of man. However, I actually saw this as more of a devil character. Both he and Julian's mother were bad people (though the mother was easily the worse making a fair argument for a God/Devil relationship) and both were fighting for the choice that Julian would make from the death of his brother. Julian is a character that is on the run from America for killing a man. While in Bangkok (did I mention it's in Bangkok?), he lives in a place covered in red lighting and to me, that felt like Julian was in Hell and the cop and his mother were both wanting his lost soul. However, that fact that these arguments could both be made only makes me like the movie more.
It's safe to call this an artsy movie and it's very safe to say that it's not a movie for everyone. Refn makes odd choices with his movies but for me, they've always paid off in the end. I leave thinking about character meanings and story purpose and definitely in a good way. If you can get copy to watch (or rent it off itunes) and you dug something like Drive, check out this movie. It's worth a try.

Guilty Pleasure #5

Pitch Perfect
I hate that I love this movie so much. It was better than I expected and I certainly enjoyed it but I find myself watching it three or four times a week. It is probably the most watched movie for me of the year, which is a very sad thing to admit. However, I have a theory as to why.
Anybody who has spent enough time with me (especially in my car) knows that I love to sing. I'll belt out anything. Kansas to System of a Down. Five Finger Death Punch to Disney. I'll sing it all. What Pitch does for me is something that I feel few movies do and that's make me want to do what it is the movie is doing. I watch Jackie Chan and I don't wanna flip a ladder around while beating the crap outta people. I watch Christopher Reeves and I don't fight the urge to fly. But I watch Pitch Perfect and I find myself having to stop from singing with each song (which is also sad since I don't like the type of music they sing). I can't think of many movies that do that to me.
Pitch Perfect is not everybody's cup. I know a good share who don't understand why it took off the way it did and that's fine. For me, it hit a great spot and I can't help but stop and watch it whenever I see it.
Plus it's got some mighty fine ladies dancing and singing for me.

NB of the Week

-IT IS NOT DOWN ON ANY SPOIL; TRUE PLACES NEVER ARE-

Ultimate Spider-Man #25 - Spider-Man No More: Part 3
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by David Marquez

If you go back to Peter Parker's origins, there will always be the one thing that will and should always define Spider-Man: with great power comes great responsibility. In Ultimate Spider-Man, Bendis shows that it's a mantra that should always inspire, Peter Parker or otherwise.
After the death of his mother (by a stray bullet from a police officer), Miles Morales has quit being Spider-Man for the last year. Last issue, after going out for a bite with his father, he runs into Gwen Stacy as she is their waiter. All are surprised when a powered battle envelopes everything around them. And what does Miles do? Nothing. He's done risking the lives of those around him.
This issue, we really just get a lot of Miles not knowing what to do. People who know him as Spider-Man are mad that's he's doing nothing and he's not sure how to fix things without putting back on the suit. Gwen Stacy isn't going to sit around and wait so she texts Miles' best friend Ganke (who may or may not be gay, apparently) who confronts him. Ganke's point is a damn good one:
"It must feel like an insanely big burden"
"Yes!"
"Like a giant responsibility."
"It is."
"That comes with great power..."
"I know what you're doing."
"I know you know what I'm doing. What are you doing?"
Later, Miles finds Jessica Drew(Spider-Woman) in his room waiting for him. What she tells him is the secret she's been keeping from him (though us readers have known since her start): that she is Peter Parker. Kinda. As his clone, she is him but as time passes, she looses more memories of his that she had. She never had a mother or a father. She's not even Peter Parker, not really. But she knows that the part of her that is still Pete would want her to fight. He'd want her to find the people that created her and are still trying to create more and stop them from hurting anybody else.
"I'm not trying to torture you, Miles... I'm just trying to show you why this is all so important. Why you need to be Spider-Man... Why there needs to be a Spider-Man."
And with those words and a note to his father saying he's off doing schoolwork, our last page gives us Miles back as Spider-Man, swinging into the action where he's meant to be.
Brian Michael Bendis has nailed this series from the start over a decade ago and he's still going strong. Just like Pete, Miles is figuring out that he has been handed a powerful tool. He's scared and confused and afraid and we understand that perfectly but thankfully, he's also remembering what good can and should be done with that power. Every issue of this series reminds us of why Spider-Man will always be one of the most iconic characters comics will give us and how one person can make all the difference. I look forward to each issue more and more.

Boobs of the Day

Mia Sara
This is one of those times that kinda make me feel creepy since she started on this movie when she was only 15 but since it took three years to finish, I tell myself that she was 18. Anywho, Ferris Bueller's Day Off may be what she's arguably most known for (or possibly Harley Quinn in the amazing Birds of Prey tv show...) but I always found her hotter in Legend, especially when she became the mistress of the Lord of Darkness (which may some more about me than I realize). If ya haven't seen it, try it out. It's story is quite simple but it's vision is amazing (as most Ridley Scott flicks are). And Mia Sara is pretty hot. Since she's 18 and all.

Trailer Watch: I Declare War

This is the movie that every one of us made in our heads when we grew up and I'll watch if only for that reason. This looks like it could be a lot of fun.

NB of the Week

-THE DARKER THE NIGHT, THE BRIGHTER THE STARS,

THE DEEPER THE GRIEF, THE CLOSER IS SPOILS-

The Ultimates #27 - Disassembled: Part 3

Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov

Drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico

-SERIOUSLY, SPOILS AHEAD FOR THOSE THAT MAY WANT TO READ THE ISSUE FIRST-

What a difference a new writer can make. After having cut this title from my list during the last writer's run, I added it back after hearing Fialkov was taking over and I'm loving it. Reed Richards is back and making life Hell for everybody around. He and his team are after the Infinity Gems for the most villainous of reasons: to save the world. That's right. They have to do this in order to better the word and the Ultimates are standing in their way.

In issue 27, we get Reed's explanation for things. He needs the eighth and final Gem from the brain of Tony Stark (did I mention that's where the final Gem was?) in order to save their universe from dying. The multiverse is layered, with each one farther out dying more and faster the farther is reaches and the Gems will stop it. He knows because a version of him has already done it. Unfortunately, that version of him actually became the "eye parking meters" that are know as The Watcher (a pretty nice tie to past stories). After explaining everything to Stark (who has been strapped down with his head wide open as Reed cuts out the Gem), Reed decides Stark has served his purpose and after cutting him off from his heart and lungs, Stark is lost and Reed Richards has killed the Iron Man. Oh and Quicksilver may have killed Thing as well. Maybe.

The Ultimate-verse should be different, that much is obvious, but the line as to how is a hard one to walk. Bendis has done it masterfully for over a decade in Ult Spidey but most other books tend to suffer a bit here-and-there. Ultimates has taken those differences and ran full pace into it's own direction. Assuming Tony is actually dead (and dead means dead for good in the Ultimate-verse), this would be a huge change and bring a lot of opportunities to a title that I was fed up with and going to drop. I know people argue that killing characters is never a way to change the status quo but I would argue that when done well, it's the most effective way to change it and this could force that. Reed as a villain has always been up and down. I get it but I don't get it. Killing Tony to "save" the world would shift him into a character that would make him so much more interesting than he has ever been in the universe. Guess we'll just have to wait and read what happens next and you can bet you baby bopp that I'll be there to find out.

NB of the Week

-THERE ONCE WAS A RUN FROM NANTUCKET-

Earth 2 #14 - Battle Cry
Lantern, Flash and Fate arrive in Dherain ready for war. Steppenwolf has taken the place as his own and it's about time they put a stop to him. Before they get too far in, though, the Sandmen, Atom and Red Arrow stop them. Maybe it's time to work together instead of against each other. That's about to be tested as Steppenwolf's Hounds attack them all.


Avengers #15 - Sent and Received
Remember back when Ex Nihlo sent all sorts of origin bombs to Earth for it's rebirth? Well it's still hitting the fan. As the Avengers fight off a bug hoard in Australia, the cocoon that AIM took finally hatches. And by hatches I mean breaks out. Just as the Avengers are able to stop their mess, whatever it was that broke out is now coming for them (and yes we see it, but it just looks like a robot. Not sure what it is).


Dial H #14 - Threadbare Ontology
Everybody prepares for the war of the Dials (and the books cancellation at 16)... That's about all I can coherently tell you. It's an amazing book but it's just too "out there" to start explaining things now. But definitely pick up the trades once it's all done cuz it's worth it. I think.