Category Archives: Superheroes

Evil & Malice Save the World

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Evil & Malice: Save The World! by Jimmie Robinson is a fun new entry in the young adult superhero graphic novels.  Evelyn and Malinda are the daughters of the city’s most important supervillain,The Black Eye.  They are also great fans of the city’s greatest superhero, Goldie Gal.  This, of course, causes a few issues that the girls decide to complicate further.

51JGB3WASpL._SL160_ At an event to see their hero, Goldie Gal, they manage to foil the plot of an unknown villainess and her cohorts.  This leads to the superheroes Evil and Malice being born – dubbed thusly by a reporter.  Somehow, the girls have to keep their dad from learning their endeavors, not cross his path or foil his plans while taking out his competition.

Evil & Malice: Save The World! is a fun little trip that should appeal to anyone 10 and up.  I’m quite surprised it didn’t get more play than it did despite some cliches that are used in the story.

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Captain America #602 Causes Tea Party Controversy

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So, it seems that Ed Brubaker’s newest story for Captain America includes a reference denigrating the Tea Bag Movement which he claims he had not written. The story is here (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/09/tea-party-reference-captain-america-removed/?test=latestnews) at Fox News.

Joe Quesada, the “genius” behind destroying the marriage of Peter Parker and MaryJane Watson has copulated to the pressures of the rabid right who take everything personally quite quickly. All reprints will remove the panel that seems to refer to the Tea Baggers.

What did the Tea Baggers object to? Being portrayed as racist, anti-social protections, and being portrayed as relatively stupid. I can’t see where they have any reason to object since this is a pretty accurate portrayal of what they have displayed as their agenda.

Now, the question for me is whether this was really a publicity stunt to remind people that comic books are an affordable indulgence. Now that Marvel is owned by Disney it seems like a less likely tactic, but one never knows.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers Volume 2: Mischief Digest (New Printing) (v. 2)

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61UD4KfNsBL._SL160_Marvel Adventures The Avengers Volume 2: Mischief Digest (New Printing) (v. 2) is the second in Marvel’s series of Avengers’ digests.  It, too is great fun and well worth seeking out.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers Volume 2: Mischief Digest (New Printing) (v. 2) shows what happens when Loki decides to experiment with giving super powers to those of a less than stellar disposition.  This volume contains the origins of some favorite villains that have been burrs to The Avengers for a very long time.

This digest is just what the doctor ordered in a world of badly written Marvel Avengers’ comics.  I would choose this line over Ultimate any day.

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Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled (V. 1)

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61fMyqPq8rL._SL160_Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled (V. 1) is one of the digest forms Marvel has been putting out for all ages.  These stories are better than almost anything else they are doing.

&Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled (V. 1) shows us the government believing they have come up with a way to rid themselves of reliance upon The Avengers.  Of course, things don’t go as the government plans.

All of The Avenger favorites are presented: Storm, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Wolverine, and Giant-Girl.  This is a fun read for the entire family.

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La Muse (Graphic Novel)

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51GSRGQGrFLLa Muse written by Adi Tantimedh and illustrated by Hugo Petrus treats divine intervention in a new way for most readers. Two sisters are borne of non-corporal omnipotent creatures, one, Susan – chain-smoking, lesbian, rabble-rouser – inherits all the powers one might imagine, the other, Libby – all business and conformity – seemingly has inherited none.

Susan uses her powers to create a perfect world – at least her vision of it. The joy of the book is in watching so many that should get their comeuppance get it. Everyone from evil businessman to sleazy politicians learn that they are no longer in power. Even the ‘secret’ government gets theirs from Susan.

Now, there is one glitch when Susan is called in front of her parent’s people for fixing everything. This happening calls her parents to what she is doing and she and Libby find themselves confronting their folks while trying to protect reality. Libby reveals a few secrets of her own.

La Muse is a fun romp in wish fulfillment. This is not a serious book but a nice commentary of what could be done if someone was truly omnipotent.

Mighty Love (Graphic Novel)

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51F2FCKFKVLMighty Love written and drawn by Howard Chaykin is a pleasant superhero crime thriller for adults. The main characters are a cop and a defense attorney with secret lives. Those secret lives involve spandex and fighting crime – each for their own reasons.

One day, after not bumping into one another for a very long time, they trip over each other because their daytime lives intersect at a crime scene. Soon we find them talking to their therapist about each other.

The story surrounding the romance is a standard noir crime story with the femme fatale, evil businessman, and the muscle being used to move the crime forward. Though Mighty Love is not all that original, it is an enjoyable read for an afternoon treat.

Tiny Titans Vol. 2: Adventures in Awesomeness

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51c1YIvCdhLDo you like P.S. 238? Then you should enjoy Tiny Titans Vol. 2: Adventures in Awesomeness by Art Baltazar and Franco. Imagine all of the D.C. Universe sidekicks as grammar school students with a variety of villainous sidekicks joining them.

Tiny Titans Vol. 2: Adventures in Awesomeness is appropriate for adults and kids. There are references that no kid will get – and they aren’t even racy! This is something that you can safely sit back and enjoy if you are looking for something light and fun.

I know that the next time I’m at the comic book store I will be picking up volume one as the clerk thought this was volume one when he recommended it.

Tiny Titans Vol. 2: Adventures in Awesomeness is worth buying for casual re-reading.

She-Hulk Volume 7: Here Today

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Transitions can be hard for any series, but for some reason She-Hulk suffers more than many other books out there. She-Hulk Volume 7: Here Today… TPB (v. 7) shows the stories where Peter David takes over from Dan Slott and, well, I’m unimpressed, but not entirely disappointed.

51xo7YH7cILPeter David had to resolve many unresolved issues from the Dan Slott time period – many of which were from the ill-fated tie-ins to World War Hulk and other Marvel cross-over projects. She-Hulk, as a character, does so much better as a standalone comic rather than a tie-in, it seems.

There are several vignettes that make up She-Hulk Volume 7: Here Today… TPB (v. 7). This weakens it as a trade. For some reason, there doesn’t seem to be a common thread that ties in the various stories well and after being spoiled by the Dan Slott run, I found this very disappointing. (Not to mention the smoother transitions surrounding Runaways.)

She-Hulk Volume 7: Here Today… TPB (v. 7) should be sought on the clearance table. Hopefully, the next installment will be better. (Yes, I realize I could just read the floppies, but I prefer the Trades.)

All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1

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51aiWFkKlMLAll-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1 is dark. Well, it is darker than the more common telling of this story. Frank Miller and Jim Lee join together to bring a more Dark Knight feel to Robin’s origination story.

What would the driven, possibly insane, Batman of The Dark Knight, have done in order to find himself with a Robin? Would he have allowed a mere accident of fate to determine this? Or, would he be an opportunist who decided to twist a young boy’s grief into a weapon against crime?

This series doesn’t just revisit Robin’s story. Appearances by Black Canary and Batgirl are among the pages of this fascinating retcon. Even if you are a casual DC Comics fan, this is one worth picking up to read.

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1 written by Frank Miller shows his dark and brooding style while the art – done by Jim Lee – brings a lighter tone than The Dark Knight series ever had. And, well, this is not a light book.

Wanted

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51NJzRsP4CLWanted (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition) is an adult live-action cartoon.

According to DH, a fan of the original graphic novel which this is very loosely based on, the divergence makes it nothing like the original graphic novel. There was much commentary during the movie about this – between comments on Fox (Jolie) being a danger junkie.

This is one to watch with absolutely no brain cells engaged whatsoever. There is no logic, no science, no sense in the story. It is just cartoon violence. People survive impossible injuries. Cars make fantastic jumps. And, finally, bullets do the impossible by the laws of physics. (Even non-physics savvy me got that!)

All this being said, with Morgan Freeman as Sloan, the mentor to the assassin’s league, Jolie being nuts, and James McEvoy just delivering from clueless to master this is a fun ride for an evening in for grown-ups.