Bravest Warriors #1 [review]

            It’s been months since I’ve bought comics, but I made a trip down to Salefish to order Cow Boy (The best thing I’ve read so far this year). As luck would have it, Bravest Warriors #1 came out today, and buying it alone reminded me just why I liked Wednesdays so much. Having a new comic in my car while trying to drive home to read it is just excruciating. Now I know what all you goyim go through on Christmas.

            I’ve been stoked for Bravest Warriors since I first read about it in February, and seeing it officially as a thing is just wonderful. It’s by Pendleton Ward and has the same art/humor style as Adventure Time. The tagline summarizes it best: Four 16-year old heroes-for-hire warping around galaxies and saving cute alien worlds with their emotions.

            The first issue does a great job of introducing the characters both through narration and dialog, using the premise that they are relaxing with a movie night. There’s Chris, the ultra-rad dude who “isn’t afraid to put safety first in the kitchen. Wallow is a super-nice, super-big samoan dude who “can bench-press like a billion pounds. Danny “laughs at danger even when danger hasn’t told a joke yet”. Beth has the same Princess Bubblegum science attitude when she makes cupcakes fight to the death. There’s also Plum, the unofficial 5^th Bravest Warrior who immediately reminds anyone familiar of Marceline the Vampire Queen.

            There’s a lot of Adventure Time visible in Bravest Warriors, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s a solid book in it’s own right and I’m really excited that it’s here. It’s funny and unabashedly positive (which there isn’t enough of in comics), and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

            The back-up story (which is something more comics need to do) is also great. It’s another solid story that does a good job characterizing the team while they play laser tag against each other for who will get shotgun in their spaceship. It also has one of my favorite lines in the first issue, “My instinct to heroically sacrifice myself for the team beat out my incredible killer instinct”.

                                         

              It’s things like that which showcase just why Bravest Warriors is good. It’s funny. It’s sincere. Most importantly there’s a heart to it that makes you like the characters immediately. The thing about that line is it wouldn’t work without the face. Chris is serious about his instincts. You can see the same line from Finn in Adventure Time and not roll your eyes because you know they both mean it.

              Bravest Warriors is good, and I can’t wait for the next issue. There are variant covers out the wazoo so pick your favorite. It’s definitely a buy. It feels nice to be this excited about a series again. Pick it up at your local comic book shop before the cool Star Wars cover is gone.

  

Why Brickleberry is Bad (And You Should Feel Good!)

            While waiting for The Daily Show to come on last night, I had the misfortune of watching Daniel Tosh’s new animated “comedy” Brickleberry. If that sentence and it’s strategically placed quotation marks don’t sum up exactly what I thought about the show, then let me make it even more obvious: it is not good.

            I’ve never found Daniel Tosh to be particularly funny, though I tolerate his show when nothing else is on TV. He makes for good background noise, but if you actually pay attention it’s just a grown man laughing at youtube videos. This is his job. His actual stand up is decent at best, but his schtick is simple.

            Step 1: Make Offensive joke

            Step 2: Say you’re just kidding

            Step 3: Transition into more offensive comment

            Step 4: Smirk

            Now, I’m not really someone who is easily offended. I’ve been on 4chan. I’ve played online games. There isn’t a lot out there at this point that will shock me. I’m not going to turn the channel because of offensive humor. However, that can’t be a shows only gag.

            Brickleberry follows (or more mimics) Family Guy’s style of humor. It’s actually a pretty spot on copy of the McFarlane School of Comedy, but whereas sometimes Family Guy has some actual jokes, Brickleberry is more of a “point and laugh”. By this I mean there is not a single joke in the pilot of Brickleberry. It’s just a selection of offensive statements and cutaways to irreverent, bottom-tier sight gags where the joke is simply AIDS or racism.

            A joke has a setup and a payoff. There is none of this in Brickleberry. It intends to offend, but does nothing with it. South Park operates in a similar way, but intentionally pushes boundaries to make a point. There is no point to Brickleberry, it simply says “Here is a bear cub being raped, now laugh at it!” Anyone who will defend Brickleberry and comedians like Daniel Tosh will make the inevitable argument that critics are simply oversensitive and too easily offended. These people are thirteen and their opinions do not matter.

            The fact that Brickleberry is so miserably bad is probably a good thing. I have doubts it will last a season. That’s a very, very good thing. Brickleberry represents a low point of comedy, a last futile gasp of the Family Guy imitators that have been plaguing mainstream animation for a long time.  That is the benefit of Brickleberry. It offers something perfect to hate on the simple principle of quality.

Hey now, you're an All-Star (Superman)

God bless you, Grant Morrision. Er, pan-dimensional hyper-being grant you favor, Grant. All-Star Superman is beautiful. That's it. That is all there is to say. I'm not going to lie. I came cross to crying. The way Superman faces the unavoidable reality of his death while still managing to be the epitome of heroism is the truest representation of Superman's character and what makes him THE Superhero.

I am moved by this work. I really am. It is a wonderful, meaningful idea that communicates the brilliant character of Superman. There are so, so many things to talk about, but at the end of the day the most important is going to be Superman. He is just so damn Super. Over the course of the run he manages to do more than I have ever seen him do, and that is why Grant Morrison does such an incredible job whenever he writes the character. He reminds us time and time again just what kind of person Superman is.

And there in lies the brilliant irony of Superman. He has all the best traits of humanity. He is brave, caring, selfless, inventive, and compassionate. He is of an entirely pure heart, despite being the most powerful being on the planet (at least in Grant's universe). He is the best of earth despite his Kryptonian heritage. There is an incredibly moving scene where Clark speaks at his fathers funeral and we can see just how he was molded by a loving family.

People always razzle Supes because of his indestructibility and lack of humanity. Superman is at his most powerful in this story yet despite this he is at his most vulnerable. He reveals his secret ID to Lois Lane, (who never believes him) and really shows his softer side despite having bulletproof skin. He isn't even hurt by Kryptonite anymore. He is like a Super-Superman.

I want to rant more but I think I'll save that for later. It's just so, so, so good. Grant Morrison, you may be insane, but you do damn good work.

I think this story carried a lot of weight for me personally because of the recent death of my Grandmother. She as so brave and so bold facing her cancer. It reminded me a lot of her.

Future Family

I have only dabbled in Fantastic Four. I am well aware of their stories and villains and importance to the genre, but I just never got too into it. I've read enough to understand them and everything, it's just that I never had the time or money.

To sum up, the Fantastic Four are a nuclear family. There is the workaholic dad, the loving mother, and two bickering brothers. Though the roster has shifter around and members have been added, that core four has always been a big deal. Mr. Fantastic, the Everlovin' Blue-eyed Thing, the Invisible woman, and the human torch have been constants in the FF's run.

Cut to now, where the Human Torch fallen in action. This is kind of a big deal. Not to say whether or not it's a publicity stunt and he is going to come back within the year, the Fantastic Four is sort of a four-thing. The Thing and Invisible Woman have lost a brother, and Reed has essentially lost a son. Again, this is a big deal.

However, due to Torch's request, they bring Spider-man onto the team. There's a great moment when he swing onto the roof of the Baxter Building and the Invisible Woman welcomes him inside. It echoes the first issue of Amazing Spider-man where he tries to join the FF and is locked out and gets into a fight with them. Now he's welcomed inside.

Of course, it's still super-awkward. Ben is not a fan of Peter being there, and when they gather round for the Fantastic Family dinner, he's the only one with a mask on. He knows he still doesn't belong here. Though he had a rocky history with the Torch, he and Johnny were friends. The whole dinner set-up is powerful and reminds us of the family idea of the Fantastic Four.

I'm very interested in where this is going to go. I just may be a Fantastic Four Fan yet.

Neonomicon

So yesterday I picked up Alan Moore's new thing, Neonomicon. I don't know what to say. I should have been concerned when I saw the ads for Crossed (about rape zombies) on the back. I like horror comics (as evidenced by my recent gushing about Hellboy and B.P.R.D) but this wasn't really doing it for me. It's not that it's bad, it's just not the quality I would expect from someone of Moore's status, especially after reading League of Extraordinary Gentlemen that same day.

I am by no means an anti-Mooreite, but I'm just not feeling this one. It feels forced in places, and like they are deliberately trying to startle. Whereas I am genuinely concerned for Hellboy and the members of the B.P.R.D, I really don't have that much empathy for the characters in Neonomicon. I'm going to keep looking into it because it's Alan Moore, but I don't want the same thing to happen here that did to Nemisis. I have a great respect for Alan Moore and his incredible writing, but in all honesty if it was any other writer I would not be continuing with the series.

Amazing, Spectacular

It's rare that an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man is poignant and claws at your insides the way the most recent one did. Bot that Spider-man is not well written and consistently enjoyable, but it's generally that lighthearted and delightful Ol' Webhead. This... well, this was different.

When last we left our hero, J. Jonah Jameson's wife had been killed by Alistair Smythe. Smythe had long been seeking vengeance on Jameson and Spider-man, and finally exacted a little piece of bloody revenge. This issue finds Spidey in mourning, coping with yet another loss.

Spider-man, like many superheroes, finds himself coping with death a lot. He is an orphan motivated to heroism by the death of his uncle and father figure at the hands of a criminal he failed to stop. His girlfriend was murdered (or perhaps he killed her). He has killed a woman before. In short, he is surrounded by death and frankly is unable to cope with it on a serious level.

This issue is incredibly well drawn and paced. A lack of dialog and text of any kind in the first pages clearly shows the emotional weight placed on Peter and the incredible sadness. It's hard to read and hard to describe.

I just really want to commend the writers and artists on this one. I've never read anything like this, especially in Spider-man. Bravo.

DC Universe Online Diary 3 and Other Stuff

So, after nigh a month of traipsing through Gotham and Metropolis and getting up to level 28 on my main hero, I have realized what DCUO really reminds me of.

There is an elseworlds, Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid and Alex Ross which details a world full of metahumans. It is violent and horrifying for normal humans who cower on the ground below as the "champions" of humanity do battle in the sky. DCUO is a world filled with thousands of metas of immense power fighting in the streets. People flee in terror. The vast majority of cities or overrun with violence and crime. Superheroes and Villains fight constantly.

In short, it is a brutal world. Gangsters and hostile aliens lay waste to cities. Demons from hell rise with the mass of new evil sorcerers. In short, it is a world in dire need of heroes where there is little to no normalcy to counteract the fact that the cities are essentially war zones. I just feel bad for all of the people who are just trying to go to work when the Sinestro corps decides to level city hall or something.

And other stuff

My personal sleeper hit of 2010-11 is Knight and Squire. The new book comes out on Wednesday and I am pumped.

Also, I keep coming back to Nightrunner, the Batman of Paris. I want more of him. I think the cultural context is amazing and that the character design is absolutely flawless. If I could pick one character at DC to write right now, it would be him.

DCUO Diary 2 and other things

I've gotten up to level 23 with my main, and the game is still very fun. Yes, there are still issues with the game, but at the same time the action-based combat and story based missions make it far superior to other more traditional MMOs. The best part of the game is feeling like you are actually in the DC Universe. You are constantly working with famous heroes or villains to accomplish something and take down your enemies. So far I've fought the Joker, Bane, and Sinestro among a legion of others.

So far for me the best thing has been fighting with the Green Lantern Corps against the Sinestro Corps. It's a PvP area swarming with lanterns including Arkillo and Kilowog. For someone who loves the GLC as much as I do it's great to fight alongside them and take down Sinestro with John Stewart alongside me. You actually feel like a hero. I guess that's the point.

I wanted to also note something that happened this week that I'm not happy about. I love Captain Marvel. I love the innocence and ideas he represents. Yes, he may be a "big red cheese" but he's also a representation of the magic of the golden age. This week, DC released the 1st issue of Power of Shazam and I was very disappointed in it. It was heroic age violence and angst and not the magical Marvel that I love. I'm looking to read Billy Batson and the Power of Shazam because I've heard it's more like that.

Once final thing that I wanted to hit on- Mark Millar needs to release things. I know he's busy being awesome but to be a big shot comics writer you need to actually release something. I just want my Kick-Ass.

Hast Thou Considered the Shepherd?

God bless Joss Whedon. Though his shows may be dead he lives forever in our hearts and in Dark Horse Comics, where his Buffy: Season 8 and Serenity/Firefly graphic novels are released unto an adoring public.

I, being a die-hard browncoat, picked up The Shepherds Tale on Wednesday. It's the long awaited backstory of Shepherd Book, the enigmatic preacher from the Serenity crew. It does a fantastic job telling the story of his life, right up to the point where he is killed on Haven in the movie. I'm not going to go into a lot of spoilers, but it's a very compelling story.

It's also got some great monologue. Book is very philisophical, and there is a fantastic point where he is talking about soup. It's honestly brilliant.

Book's story is told through vignettes, almost like they're flashing before his eyes as he passes away. They go further and further back in time until his childhood. The entire painful, violent, lonely, and abusive. At the end, Whedon reveals that part of the story is centered around "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod?" by The Mountain Goats. For those of you familiar with the song, it explains a lot about the book's tone (no pun intended).

Firefly fans: It's a must-read
Everyone else: you could probably care less, so watch the show and become a Firefly fan.

Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod- listen to this whilst reading.

Kick-Ass #2, or Dave Lizewski Explains it All

For a kid who supposedly messes everything in his life up, Dave Lizewski is surprisingly assertive in his decisions. No matter what lessons life teaches him, especially that YOU SHOULDN'T BE A SUPERHERO one, he shrugs them off and goes about his merry way. I mean, I'm just saying that if I was such a self-proclaimed failure, I'd be a lot less cocky.

Dave is incredibly unlikable. His actions make things worse. It's incredibly rare that he really does anything right. I can't take him seriously because he whines all the time and has to call the cops for help when he gets into a bind. He's just kind of a douche, an idealistic and well-meaning douche, but a douche nonetheless.

I've read a decent amount of Mark Millar. Civil War is phenomenal. His Flash stuff is solid too. I'm just sick of him going for this shock value crap. Nemesis is kind of garbage. I keep hoping it will get good and quit trying to just be controversial, but I'm 4/5 in and still disappointed. Kick-Ass was great because of the idea: A kid in our reality decides to be a superhero.

I'm going to go through it, of course. I'm sure it will end up being okay and entertaining, but I'd just like Mark Millar to write instead of trying to make me flip out over the fact that his characters say fuck a lot.

Bruce is Back, Baby

Return of Bruce Wayne #5 came out this Wednesday, along with a plethora of tie-ins about his return to the present. I can't begin to talk about how much I loved this series, especially the characterization of Bruce as more than just brood and gloom and as a really whole person. By using his closest friends and allies, as well as proteges and an unknown offspring, Bruce is truly realized beyond his Dark Knight identity.

Grant Morrison is an incredibly surreal writer. He incorporates sound into his books like no other comic author I've seen. In Final Crisis, music plays a huge role. The Ultima Thule, the inter-dimensional ship used to gather up the Supermen of the multiverse, looks like the yellow submarine of Beatles fame. It is driven by what appears to be an organ and a harp. Overman (Nazi Superman) and others talk about the "great and terrible music" of the multiverse. Grant Morrison uses this overarching theme of life and the universe(s) as just vibrations combining into this music. Superman defeats Darkseid by canceling out his vibration (Darkseid, the anti-life, is cited as having "always hated music).

In Return of Bruce Wayne, there is the sound of bells echoing throughout the story. Whenever Bruce is about to the bells sound, the "Bells of the all-over". You can actually hear these frantic bells ringing, summoning Bruce to his ultimate destiny. The are like alarms, warning us of the imminent danger of Bruce's return and what crisis #6 is going to bring.

There are some new tie-ins out too, involving Red Robin, Dick, and Damien, as well as the other members of the Bat-verse (yes, I said that). These might have needed to wait a week or so because (spoiler alert), they kind of take away from the climax of #5 and #6. You'll understand if you read it. It's a must for any Batman fan.

Batman #703

I've read a fair amount of Batman, but it's always been more of the dark knight and less of the Batman and Robin stuff. I'm fairly new to the mythos and all, but I've been catching up recently, especially after watching the absolutely fantastic Under the Red Hood.

I really like the character of Dick Grayson. He bring a completely different atmosphere to the caped crusader. Dick is funny and easygoing as opposed to Bruce's general brood and gloom. It's great that he's finally getting some time in the forefront.

The relationship between him and Damien (the current Robin) is incredibly tense. Damien is Bruce's son, raised by the daughter of Rhas al Gul. Essentially, he is a tiny little stoic badass. He speaks without contractions, uses the term "unwashed masses", and does a lot of flips. Damien and Dick really help flush out the character of Bruce, and it's important because right now the idea of Bruce is really the focus of the Batman series.

I'm hoping to read more about Dick (haha) in the next few months, especially what will happen when Bruce returns. Anyway, Dick Grayson is awesome.

Wade Wilson's War

I am unabashed Deadpool fan. I think the character is absolutely hysterical and innovative (even though he is kind of a rip-off of Deathstroke). I like the consistent breach of the fourth wall and his obvious insanity. It's a good read when you've been neck deep in "serious" stuff or floating in a sea of crossovers. I really enjoyed Merc with a Mouth, and Suicide Kings is hilarious as well. So, months ago when I first saw Wade Wilson's War, I figured it would be a good, fun, read.

It starts out with Wade testifying before the Senate. It ends... I can't really explain it. It's way different from any other Deadpool story I've read. Deadpool is insane, sure, but it leaves you questioning the very nature of the book. But it's a Deadpool story!

Issue four is honestly thought-provoking and deep. It's sad and serious, but with that same Deadpool attitude that counters the actual depth of the story. It really leaves you questioning which story is true, and if Deadpool even exist in this world at all. It's got a sort of cliche ending, but in the way that is not at all pretentious. It's rather moving. I don't want to spoil it because I really do reccomend reading it, especially for fans of Deadpool.

Deadpool quotes David Simon at the end of book four, and that dialog right there sums up the book. Again, the stark contrast of the creator of Homicide: Life on the Streets and the Wire with Wade Wilso is incredible. This is it right here:

"See, I wanted you, dear reader, to hear the truth. Or parts of the truth anyway."

"Hey! Don't get your panties in a bunch. This is drama, not a documentary. As writer David Simon once said, "We know more about human pride, purpose, and obsession from Moby-Dick than from any contemporaneous account of the Nantucket whaler that was actually struck and sunk by a whale in the nineteenth-century incident on which Melville based his book. And we know how much of an affront the Spanish Civil War was to the human spirit when we stare at Picasso’s Guernica than when we read a more deliberate, fact-based account... Picasso said art is the lie that allows us to see the truth."

It's good stuff. Read it, especially if you're a Deadpool fan. If you're unfamiliar, it's a powerful story on its own. If you don't like Deadpool, this is Deadpool as you've never seen him before.

"All I can tell you... and this is the honest truth... life's what you make of it."

Reviews (this and last week)

Some new stuff is out: here's how good it is:

Brightest Day: Making progress. It's slow, but the Hawks and Martian Manhunter have been better elaborated on. Geoff has remembered this is, after all, a GL storyline (sort of), and so Deadman is headed to see Hal. We are on the upslope now, so eventually this will be sorted out.

Batman 701: This is part of the Final Crisis saga, as Bruce prepares for his eventual death. It's interesting to see his perspective as he heads towards omega. I plan on keeping up with this and all the different parts of Return of Bruce Wayne, including Time Masters (because it has Booster Gold).

Green Lantern Corps/Emerald Warriors: The GLC is good. Cyborg Superman is a pretty good villian, albeit strange that he is now more of a Green Lantern baddie than a Superman one. I am looking forward to seeing the Alpha lantern thing being resolved. Emerald Warriors is Guy Gardner being Guy Gardner, and having some sort of deal with Atrocitus. I'm not really sure what they're up too, but Kilowog and Arisia are with him, and it seems like it will be important to the overall story arc.

Last, and most certainly not least is Spiderman: One Moment in Time. This is the retcon of MJ and Peter's wedding after Marvel editors decided to destroy one of the most important relationships in comics. I'm really enjoying this. It's very emotional and suprisingly serious for a Spiderman story. No spoilers, but it's honestly fantastic, even though it should not exist in the first place.

One Moment in Time

The Peter Parker/ Mary-Jane relationship is one of the cornerstones of comic book couples. While they aren't the number one on the list (Clark and Lois, I mean, they had a tv show and everything), they are a heavy hitting #2.

However, as anyone who keeps up with continuity will tell you, MJ and Peter aren't together anymore. After Peter unmasks on live TV during the events of Civil War, the Kingpin puts a hit out on him. Aunt May gets shot, and in a last ditch effort to save her, he and MJ trade their marriage for May's life and public knowledge of Peter's identity to be wiped from the general consciousness.

It's sort of depressing when you think about it. Peter and MJ were a very good couple. They have been through thick and thin, and while they are very different people, they compliment each other very well.

I want to talk more about their coupledom, but I'm just pissed they ended it. Peter and MJ were so good together, and now Peter is out there trying to meet someone new. I now they felt it aged the character, but Peter is older. He needs to face the challenges of maturity and grow up. He doesn't have to be all broody or get all serious. Look at Wally West. He grew up and had his own kids. He now has to work with the challenge of being a superhero and a dad at the same time. I'd love to see Peter Parker do that.

Maybe he and MJ will get back together. I hope they do. The end of One Moment in Time is hard to read. It's a brand new day though, and anything can happen.

Brightest Day #7

In a nutshell: better, but not there yet.

It's making progress, now that a connecting plot has been revealed (or at least the semblance of one) other than YOU'RE ALL ALIVE. It still seems incredibly convoluted and confusing, since it is multiple plots driven by multiple characters in different directions. In Blackest Night there was a specific focus on the various lanterns and people who would become lanterns, so two groups which reconnected in the middle of the story. Here it's still all over the place. There's a while left to get the story together, but I'm wanting that sooner than later.

Anyway, it's marked improvement, and once the series is complete I'm sure it will be fantastic. I'm just waiting for a conclusion sooner rather than later.

What's Wrong With Brightest Day

Brightest Day #7 comes out tomorrow, and I've been thinking about the series a lot.

I don't like it that much. I hate saying that, but it's disjointed, confusing, and has the bad habit of not answering questions but simply raising more. Here's the summary for #7.

"There can be only one who wields the White Lantern...but is it truly Deadman? And what will happen when he attempts to charge the white ring? Meanwhile, Ronnie Raymond risks everything for Firestorm, Martian Manhunter uncovers more clues about the bizarre string of murders stretching across the country, Aquaman searches for the key to the ocean's survival and the Hawks come face-to-face with the evil that lurks within the strange land known only as Hawkworld!"

Keep in mind there are only 32 pages there. 32 pages for 5 different storylines. That is abysmal. I want answers. I want progress. There's barely any overlap to call this a crossover. The brightest day series has just been a disappointment so far. I want to eat my words bad, but I'm doubting that it's going to get better.

Prince of Power

Prince of Power is the story of Amadeus Cho, the seventh smartest person on the planet, CEO of the Olympus Group, and the hier to the Champion status of Hercules. Yes. This Hercules.

Anyway. Hercules is presumed dead and Amadeus takes over. I have never read any Hercules, but after reading some reviews online I thought, "This sounds awesome", and picked it up yesterday. I also got the new Green Lantern, Flash, and Return of Bruce Wayne, but those stories are still caught and tripping over themselves a bit at the moment and so we will get to them later. Prince of Power really stood out for being something new and different and fun, and, while a bit mired in canon, is not swamped in storyline.

The character of Amadeus is quite interesting. He is a scrawny Korean nerd, wielding the adamantine mace of Hercules and with a penchant for chocolate and a healthy amount of teenage angst and jackass tendencies (in the endearing). The most novel thing about Cho is how he sees the world. Being a hypermind, he sees the world as equations and is able to calculate the action most favorable to him. I couldn't find a good picture of it but it's cool.

In short, there's pantheons and mortals, mythology and math. It's very satisfying to read and I plan on reading more, as well as going back and looking at recent Hercules. Check it out.

A Very Blackest Night Retrospective

Blackest Night was one of the first things I ever read in the DCU. It's a great story, provided you started with Green Lantern: Rebirth, because that's where it all begins. This story has been in motion since 2004, and has just now ended. It really is a great saga, encompassing 50+ issues, plus the Green Lantern Corps series and crossover in Blackest Night. In short. It's a lot.
The problem with Blackest Night is the uncertainty of it. I'm not sure exactly at what level of Armageddon this is. Sure, Nekron might be obliteration all life, but it doesn't seem like he has a very good reason or thesis statement or really a good plan to do so. It seems like he's just gotten fed up with things existing and wants to do something. He's like the Grinch who stole corpses (and then proceded to terrorize Whoville with a zombie army).

It is nowhere near the crisis level of Final Crisis in which the entire multiverse is dragged into oblivion by evil gods and vampiric monitors who leech of the bleed between dimensions. It pretty much involves time dissolving into a singularity in which nothing exists but Darkseid.

Yeah.
Blackest Night just feels like an aftermath in the wake of Final Crisis. Barely any time has passed since FC and Barry Allen has come back. I guess Barry's rebirth is the trigger here, because Nekron is rather pissed about it. To sum things up he's just angry and has zombies. I honestly still don't understand why he allowed resurrections in the first place if he's so anti-life.

I think the message here is that life is hard and but that if you want to truly live you have to fight, but that was the message of Final Crisis. Blackest Night is great for the art and the spectacular full-page displays, but it lacks any actual meaning. The last issue does have some very good points and is quite quotable, but overall it's more of a massive fanboy moment than anything.

There's nothing wrong with that, but Final Crisis and Grant Morrison do a better job of meaning and metaphysics than Geoff. Geoff Johns is a good writer and his whole GL series has been great, but when it comes to dialog he's better with quips and one-liners than moving emotional words.

In short, Blackest Night is great and an important part of the GL mythos, but if you don't care for Hal Jordan, or Geoff Johns, stay away. It's a fun read but a lot of the actual power (which there is) is hidden beneath layers of combat and zombies.

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour & Brightest day 5/6

What right does this series have to suddenly become really good?

Seriously! Here I was being all critical and then the finale is way too good to even get into. There is explanation and closure and an actual meaning here. Needless to say I'm pretty thrilled.

I was skeptical at first, scoffing at the ridiculousness of it and generally being a jerk, but damn it got good. I don't know what more to say. It's good. Much better than...


Brightest Day 5&6: Let me sum it up. Each character gets like 5 pages and crawls along through a plot that somehow relates to the White Lantern. I don't really care about Aquaman or the Hawks. Deadman's story seems very good by he is bogged down by the rest of the series. Seriously guys, get to the point.