The 2010 Round-Up: Piggy's Favorite Things! Part Three: Movies and TV

2011 is less then 48 hours away right now, which means it's almost time for me to finish up my list of favorite things from this year. I've listed my favorite comics and my favorite animation from the last year, but what were my favorite movies and television shows? Let's find out!

Movies

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1

The seventh movie in the Harry Potter series is out this year and it's the first part of the final tale in the series. Movies six left us with quite and ending; Snape had killed Dumbledore and Harry found out that he must now take out the last six Horcruxes before he can actually vanquish the evil Lord Voldemort. This movie starts almost immediately with Harry going into hiding as his old home is no longer a safe haven from the Death Eaters and he spends almost the entirety of the movie on the run. Outside of one or two moments, this means this is definitely the darkest movie of the bunch yet; the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione get into some truly tense situations, such as when they're forced to sneak into the ministry of magic to retrieve a Horcrux, or when a group of Death Eaters walk right past them in a forest coming practically face to face with the trio who are protected only by an invisibility charm. So to say the film is tense is a bit of an understatement. And things only get worse as the movie goes on, ultimately ending with the group barely escaping capture and Voldemort coming into possession of the ultimate weapon.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

It was already on my list of favorite comics, but the movie adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim series came out this past summer and it was awesome. This is a film that had one truly harrowing task to accomplish; adapt and condense a six volume graphic novel series into one two hour movie. Well it does that job well and then some, because this is one of the best comic book adaptations that's ever been put to film. Watching this movie almost feels exactly like I'm reading the comic book, with sound effects and art coming directly from the book and a few scenes being put together almost panel for panel from the book. Still, to tell all six books worth of material in the time they had, this movie had to have a few key differences from the books and it did have those. Thankfully, all of these changes work as well as you'd hope they would and the movie is an all around joy. If you're a fan of the book or not, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Catfish

Catfish was a cool little documentary I saw this year, which some of you might remember me posting about during the summer time; for those of you who don't know, this was the "other" facebook movie from this year and it was quite and awesome little experience. Now, part of why I loved this movie was that I saw it under the pretense that I had no idea what this was before I saw it; a friend asked me if I wanted to see it and I had nothing better to do so I went. What followed was a two hour documentary about a guy meeting a girl on facebook and the adventure that comes from that. It's funny, it's exciting, and at times it can even have you one the edge of your seat, but most of all it was just so much different than anything I could have expected it to be. So if you haven't seen this movie yet, toss it on the Netflix queue, because it's pretty awesome.

Television

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Always Sunny season 6 aired this series and this is a show that I continue to love with each an every episode. So what was great about this season? There was also a two parter that spoofed such topics as the sanctity of marriage, an episode about public pools, and Sweet Dee even got pregnant! The show also continued to show it's love for the city it takes place in by highlighting local celebrities big and small; Ryan Howard and Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies and Preston and Steve, the core duo of this city's finest morning show all made appearances as themselves in two different episodes. This season also featured the television premier of the Christmas special. Sadly this season is already over, but that's okay; I got season 5 on DVD for Christmas this year!

The League

Another fantastic FX series I watched this year was "The League" which follows the hilarious misadventures of a group of friends as they take part in on of man's favorite yearly pass times, fantasy football. And while fantasy football may be the prominent thing that brings these men together, you don't have to care about football to love this series. This series is crude, obnoxious, and politically incorrect, and it's the perfect thing to follow Sunny in that Thursday night line-up.

Community

On the network side of things, NBC's Community has quickly become one of my favorite things to watch on Thursdays. Each and every episode is an awesome spoof of something and the cast and characters are a blast to watch. notable episodes from this past year are the season one finale, which spoofed romance movies, the paint ball episode which spoofed post apocalyptic movies, the claymation Christmas special episode, and the Halloween episode which spoofed zombie movies. This is currently the best show on NBC and it's just one of the many elements that is making Thursday night my favorite night for television.

No Ordinary Family

One of the best new shows on TV right now is ABC's No Ordinary Family. The show follows a family of four as the find themselves gaining their own superpowers after surviving a plane crash. What's great about it is that it's essentially "The Incredibles" meets "Heroes" in all the best ways possible. You've got the dad with super strength, the mom with super speed, the daughter who can read minds, and the son who is a super genius, but each finds that their new gifts can be a bit more of a curse than a gift. Each week the family faces a new problem, with the kids usually dealing with some social problem, the dad facing some kind of criminal, or the mom finding something new about their powers out. There's also an ongoing plot with the Mom's boss as the bad guy trying to throw her off of the truth behind their powers with the help of his own Psychic hit man that keeps getting bigger and better. We're at the half way point of the season, so if you haven't started yet, try to catch the reruns currently playing because this show is awesome.

Lost

While No Ordinary Family is getting off to a fantastic beginning, Lost came to a pretty controversial ending this past spring; the ending was a bit hard for some to take as there was a lot of things that never ended up being explained. For me, however, I loved this season for bringing an for this group of characters in a way that I loved. There were the flash sideways that turned out to be something that I really wasn't expecting, there were some truly great character moments, and when it all ended I actually shed a tear for that final moment of the series. This was one hell of a ride and I'm glad that it ended in a way that satisfied me.

The Hub

Okay, so the Hub isn't a TV show; it's a cable network. Still, it just launched this past Fall and it's already well on it's way to being one of my favorite networks ever. From the great older shows it's picked up (Doogie Howser, The Wonder Years, Classic Transformers, Classic GI Joe, Batman Beyond, the old Adam West Batman) to the newer stuff if airs (Transformers Prime and GI Joe: Renegades), this channel is fantastic. And it's still young, so hopefully that means it'll only get better, because if the programming it started with is this good, imagine what it might do down the line.

The Walking Dead

And finally, I love The Walking Dead; this TV adaptation of Robert Kirkman's beloved comic is violent, thrilling, and one of the best new shows airing on TV right now. The show follows the plot of the comics as we follow Rick and the other survivors as they try to find their way out of the zombie apocalypse. Of course the first season is already over after six episodes, so if you haven't started up yet, you've got all the time in the world to catch up before the next season.

Oh and before I go, here's two things to add to my list of animation because I'm an idiot and forgot to list them:

Ugly Americans

Ugly Americans is the latest animated show to air on Comedy Central and it is by far one of the best original shows the network has ever picked up. We follow the adventures of Mark Lilly and the rest of the workers at the New York Department of Integration, which works to get all sorts of monsters and demons integrated into modern society. Mark is one of the few recurring humans in the cast with the rest of the cast consisting of great characters such as Randal the zombie, Mark's Roommate, Leonard, the Wizard, who shares and office with Mark, and Callie, Mark's girlfriend, who's a demoness from hell. To tell you how good this show is, there have been a few episodes that I've felt were actually better than the episode of South Park that premiered right before it.

Archer

Archer is yet another fantastic show from FX, though unlike the other great shows, this one is animated. From the studio that gave the world Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo. Archer is about Sterling Archer and the other employees at ISIS, a spy agency run by Malory, Archer's mother. It's also really funny and one of the best animated aimed at adults on television today. It's witty, it's raunchy, and if you haven't watched it yet you're missing out. The first season is available now for streaming on netflix and it's only 10 episodes long, so it's not like you've got much of an excuse otherwise.

And that's part 3 of the 2010 Round-Up. Come back next time when I get around to talking about the video games I played this year.

The 2010 Round-Up: Piggy's Favorite Things! Part Two: Animation

With only two weeks left in this year, it's time to continue my pointless highlight of all the stuff I've enjoyed from this year in what I call "The 2010 Round-Up". Part Two, as the title should give away, is animation. Cartoons, Anime, Movies, whatever. If I enjoyed it, it's here. So let's get started with my first pick.

Dragon Ball Z Kai

This year, FUNImation revealed that it wasn't done beating the dead horse that is Dragon Ball Z, when they revealed that they had attained the rights to Toei's cliffnotes version of the series, Dragon Ball Kai. At first, I was ready to just watch the first few episodes of this series and be on my way with ignoring it, because the Japanese version was just that unimpressive. What I wasn't ready for was Dragon Ball Z dubbed with a good script and the best English vocal performances the series has ever seen. From Sean Schemmel's Goku to the Colleen Clinkenbeard's Gohan the cast has either grown enough that they're vocal performances are leaps and bonds from where they were before, or they've been replaced where they needed to be. There's also the impressive new Narrate to boot. It's a large enough difference that I feel like I'm experiencing this series for the first time again. This is the first time in the history of the series that I can say I prefer the FUNImation product more that the original Toei one. Great job, guys.

Adventure Time with Finn and Jake

Cartoon Network's line-up has been getting increasingly better over the last few years and out of all the great things that they've been airing as of late, Adventure Time is the one series that I enjoy the most. Adventure Time is the story of a boy named Finn and his dog buddy Jake as they go on outrageously fun adventures through the magical land of Ooo. It's also the most fun I've had watching a cartoon this year. There's a colorful cast of characters, from Marceline the Vampire Queen, to Tree Trunks the elephant, to even the crazy Ice King (who's voiced by that guy who voiced Spongebob) there's always some colorful character to cause Finn and Jake problems.

Batman: the Brave and the Bold

Okay, so this series isn't anything new, but I'll be damned if this isn't the best Batman cartoon out there. With each and ever new episode, this series highlights some of the coolest characters in the DCU while at the same time proving that you can do a campy lighthearted Batman while staying true to the character. This current season has had appearances from Barry Allen, Starro the conquerer, the JLI, and Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. That last one in particular had a hilarious scene where Uncle Sam turns Batman into what is essentially Captain America.

Transformers Prime

The Hub is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels on TV. From Doogie Howser, Batman, and The Wonder Years, to classic Transformers and G.I. Joe, the channel airs all manners of awesome programming from yesterday and even today. One of it's newer programs is Transformers Prime, a new CG Transformers series. It's the first new Transformers series I've enjoyed since Beast Wars aired back in the 90's and with the five episodes that have aired, I think we're in for something great. The series has something for just about everyone; Optimus Prime and Megatron are voice by their original Voice Actors, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, it's got designs close enough to the movies withough making everyone look like piles of scrap metal, and it's even got Bulkhead from TF: Animated. Oh, and Steve Blum does an amazingly competent, but still true to form Starscream. Of course the series isn't perfect; every other Optimus Prime quote feels like it's being taken from the barrel of classic Prime quotes, and the kid sidekicks can get a tad annoying at any time. Still, I'm enjoying it a ton.

Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated

Scooby Doo is a series I was never really that big on; outside of a Pup Named Scooby Doo and Scooby Doo and the Mystery of Zombie Island and there was never anything from the long history of Scooby cartoons that I found myself enjoying. Then, this past September, that all changed. Scooby Doo: Mystery Inc started airing and suddenly I find myself coming back week in and week out for what this series has in store for me next. This time the series has a heavy emphasis on story, with ongoing plots and strong characterization coming into the series in a way that's never been seen before. And if that wasn't enough, the series is just plain funny. Be it Fred's good willed stupidity, the local Sheriff (voiced by Patrick Warburton) and Mayor trying to coax the gang into ignoring the monster of the week in the name of profit, or any of the other myriad of well written humor, this is Scooby Doo proving me wrong on everything I've ever though about the series.

The Venture Brothers

I'm just going to come out and say it now; The Venture Brothers is the best cartoon on TV today. It's well written, well casted, and just that damn good that I can't think of any other cartoon that could take it's place on the top of cartoon mountain. This past year's batch of episodes in general has been particularly impressive, with characters growing in ways that I wasn't expecting, yet in ways the I love. These are characters who have been through a lot and have actually grown from their experiences. Go watch the first season again, and skip forward to this season's finale; look how far Henchman 21 has come since then alone. It's astounding. And speaking of the season finale, I don't think I've ever found myself as satisfied with a season ending as I have with this one. Sure we're now waiting yet another year or two for more episodes, but after this last batch I think the guys behind this show can take all the time they want making the next season.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Okay, this entry is actually me cheating; I didn't get around to seeing any of the animated movies from this year, or else Toy Story 3 or How to Train Your Dragon would be on this list right now. Still, even with those two entries, this movie might've beaten one of them out because it's just so amazing. The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a story about a Fox, voice by George Clooney, goes back on his promise of quitting his life of thievery and how that comes back to nip him on the butt. It's a story filled with love, humor, action, and everything good in between. Oh and did I mention how great the cast of the movie is? Because they're cussin' fantastic. There isn't a voice in this movie that isn't a joy to listen to. Oh and it's a stop motion movie. Of course what amazes me most about this movie is the fact that no one else seemed to go bonkers over this movie. Of all the little communities I've visited and people I've talked to, not one has freaked out and told me that this is the movie I must go see. How is it that a movie can be this good and get such little attention?

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

Okay, so I'm closing out this list with an anime entry. Only my second of the list, but it's easily my favorite anime of the year. Panty and Stocking is the newest series from Gainax, the magnificent bastards behind some of the most legendary anime of all time. This time, however, they decided to make a love letter to western culture and it's a doozie. The story revolves around two angels, Panty and Stocking, as they live their lives of going to high school, fighting monsters, and going on whatever crazy adventure they have to get into. Oh, and they fight using their underwear. Panty fights with her panties, which turn into guns and Stocking fights with her stockings, which turn into swords. This show turns up the sexuality and inappropriate humor to 11; Panty is a nympho always looking for the next sexual encounter, while Stocking just eats any sweet she comes across. Of course they're joined by Garterbelt, a priest who gives them their missions, while also lusting over young lads, and Brief, a young nerd from the local highschool, who has a crush over Panty and looks like a ghostbuster. This show is funny, well animated, and a breath of fresh air considering what most anime these days revolve around. It may turn off some with it's crude humor, but for me it's just a blast to watch.

And that's it for part two of this list. Part Three is coming soon, with my favorite movies and TV Shows of this past year. Until then, read some of my older posts. There's some actually good stuff in there.

The 2010 Round-Up: Piggy's Favorite Things! Part One: Comics

So it's December and the end of the year is here. 2010 was a heck of a year for comics as the big two look on the bright side with "Brightest Day" and "Heroic Age" banners showing up on their titles. Meanwhile, Batman was lost in time, Atomic Robo's roster of bad guys shot up, a cop with an axe brought out everyone's inner child, and so much more happened. So here's my list of my favorite stuff from this year in comic.

Favorite Marvel Books:

Atlas and Thunderbolts by Jeff Parker:

If there's one thing that the Heroic Age taught me, it's that Jeff Parker is great at writing team books. In Atlas, he gave us a team the literal revels in it's comic book-y-ness as a Chinese man, a Martian, a Goddess, an Atlantean, a Robot, and a Gorilla teamed up with the 3-D man to kick ass. Unfortunately, it was cancelled, but it got a proper ending and maybe we'll see them again some day. Of course, Mr. Parker did find success with the Thunderbolts, where he made Luke Cage the leader of Marvel's rotating hero team of villains. Month in and month out the book is a genuine joy to read and it's only getting better from here. If any issue in particular takes the cake, it's easily the 150th issue; heroes clashed, a frog guy made me laugh, Iron Man and Captain Rogers got to settle things with their would be killers (Ghost and Crossbones), and Luke Cage learned that maybe this team isn't as bad off as it could be. So with the future in site, I'm glad to say that I'm sticking with this series for the long run.

Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, Mark Waid, Zeb Wells, and Joe Kelly

Amazing Spider-Man has been a damn good book since late 2008, but for me the book really hit a high this year as "The Gauntlet" came out and showed us just how awesome Spider-Man's gallery of bad guys can be. Stories that stand out the most include Joe Kelly's heart breaking Rhino story as well as his unbelievably awesome "Grim Hunt" story that brought back Kraven the Hunter and held several twists and turns that just blew me away. And of course there was the ending to Brand New Day, "Origin of Species" in which Mark Waid told a tale of Spider-Man fighting to protect the child of Lilly Hollister, otherwise known as "Menace". But perhaps the best story arc of the bunch is Zeb Wells fantastic "SHED" storyline, where the Lizard showed us just how scary he can truly be. Together he and Chris Bachalo showed us just how savage and chilling Kurt Connor's inner beast could be. And of course there's Dan Slott, who's taking charge of the book now with "Big Time" which promises to take the web slinger higher and farther than ever before. If you want to jump on and enjoy the Wall crawler, then now is a better time than ever, because the next year is looking to be truly great.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Robert Langridge and Chris Samnee

If you aren't reading Thor: The Mighty Avenger, than you really suck at choosing which comics to read. You're also not alone, because a whole lot of people aren't reading it and that's a damn shame. See Marve's "God of Thunder" got a revamp from Langridge and Samnee and it's actually the best book the company has put out this year. It's also selling so poorly that it's getting cancelled just 4 issues short of completing the full story that the team had initially set out to tell. But enough about that, let's talk about how awesome this book was. Thor: TMA is a book that is made of pure love and joy and it's such a good read every time it comes out. Thor himself is a young, headstrong god struggling to understand why he's been banished, but learning to love the world he's been exiled to through his relationship with Jane Foster. It's a story of love in the guise of a super hero book, unfortunately it's also one that's doomed to have a tragically untold ending. Meanwhile Deadpool has six goddamned comic book on the shelves right now; what the hell does that say?

Assault on New Olympus, Hercules: Fall of an Avenger, Prince of Power, and Chaos War by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente

As this year began, Hercules was left for dead on an alternate earth by his sister Athena so that Amadeus Cho could become her champion. Amadeus Cho then decided that he wasn't going to accept that and set out the bring the big guy back. He succeeded, but then the Chaos King decided to wipe out all of existence. With all the heroes left helpless, Herc has assembled a God Squad to take down the Chaos King and save all of existence. So how was your year again? Yes, Mr. Pak and Mr. Van Lente have had quite a year writing the Hell out of there books and with each one they manage to one up the awesome factor of the story that came before it. Sure, you could read Mr. Pak's Hulk, but this is really where it's all at. Although I'm sure Mr. Pak wouldn't mind if you read his Hulk anyway.

Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis

If you read any of Bendis' books this year that isn't Scarlet, then read Ultimate Spider-Man, because the man is still tearing it up on this book. And this year he hit the 150 mark. 150 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man and the man's still not done yet. This year the wall crawler has had friends move in, he's had to help Rick Jones come to term with his newly gained powers, and he's met twin Chameleons who have torn apart the great image he's had ever since he managed to survive the Ultimatum Wave. As this year ends, he's finding out that he's going to be receiving training from various members of the Ultimates so that he can learn to do superhero-ing the proper way. And coming up in the next year is "The Death of Spider-Man" storyline that hopefully doesn't kill off the Ultimate version of the web slinger and will be pitting the Ultimates against the Ultimate Avengers. I'd be more nervous about this story, but it's an Ultimate book being written by Bendis and Millar, so we could be doing worse.

Favorite DC Books:

Justice League: Generation Lost by Judd Winick

If you told me a year ago that I'd be in love with a book by Judd Winick, I'd laugh at you, but Justice League: Generation Lost has me eating a slice of humble pie. Winick has reunited the JLI and set them against Max Lord who has in return set the World against the JLI. From truly cool stuff, such as Captain Atom taking trips to a nightmarish future and Booster Gold taking a step into the leadership position, to the hilarious new Rocket Red, this is the Justice League book that everyone should be reading.

Action Comics and Knight and Squire by Paul Cornell

Paul Cornell wasn't a name that made me buy comics before this year, but now it's a name that will make me read anything. It all started when he began writing Action Comics, a title I hadn't read at all before he hopped on, but with the premise of a book about Lex Luthor tickling my fancy I had to give the title a shot. Now, about six issues and an annual later, this might just be my favorite book from DC this year. From wild dream battles with Mr. Mind, to Lex brushing off a frustrated Vandal Savage who wants to trap and kill Luthor, to Gorilla Grodd fighting with a giant spoon, Mr. Cornell has turned the insanity and fun up to 11 and made this book the must read book of the Superman title.

Of course Action Comics isn't the only title Mr. Cornell is writing, as he's currently writing both Knight and Squire and Batman and Robin, but since I'm going to be writing about Batman and Robin later, Knight and Squire will have to do for right now. Knight and Squire is what happens when you take a concept and have fun with it; Mr. Cornell has taken this British version of Batman and Robin and turned them into the BBC version of the Adam West/Burt Ward team from the old TV show. This book is silly, fun, funny, and also a little informative. Sure it's hard to understand what they're saying half the time, but that's just part of the charm. Yes, between these two books, there is no way you're not having fun in the DCU!

Batman 700-702,Batman and Robin, and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison

This year, Grant Morrison wrapped up the huge Batman epic that he's spent the last 4 years telling. He took on the ultimate evil and won, then he got lost in time, then his predecessor turned his evil assassin son into the new Robin, and then he managed to come back from being lost in time just in time to help the new Dynamic Duo take out the ultimate evil, again. Grant's been a busy guy telling the story he has to tell and it's payed off in all the right ways. Bruce Wayne has been a cave man, a pirate, a witch hunter, and even the detective trying to solve his own death. He even became a weapon that Darkseid had planned to use to to destroy time itself, but he managed to undo that. Dr. Hurt faced him at multiple points in time, but again and again Bruce bested him, setting a trap for him that even Hurt couldn't see coming. He showed us why he's one of DC's big three and he did so in such a satisfying way. If you haven't been reading Morrison's Batbooks, than you're insane because they're just that damn good. And with Batman Incorporated just starting up, it's not too late to jump on and see why everyone loses their mind every time these titles come out.

Secret Six by Gail Simone

Secret Six is a title that doesn't stand out that much as a comic book. It isn't the book everyone raves about or the title that everyone tells you to read. That being said, it's a book that you should be reading. Much like the T-Bolts, this is a team composed to bad guys trying to do good things. Not at all like the T-Bolts, this team is led by someone who isn't necessarily a hero. No, this is a team of broken, crazy, complex characters led by Bane, that character that went from being a mastermind Batman villain to a shadow of his former self in the 90s. The fact that Bane is such a great character in this book is just one of the reasons that Gail Simone's Secret Six is one of the best comics that DC is putting out right now.

And it isn't just Bane that's written well; Catman, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Jeanette, Deadshot, and Black Alice are all fantastically written characters that keep me coming back each and every issue wanting to see what they team's got in store for me next. Two issues in particular (both one-shots) stand out in particular as really great issues; one has the team captured and sent to an island to face off against some rich jerks and the other has the team re-imagined in the old west preparing to face off against Ragdoll's sister and Slade Wilson. Both are fantastic issues that will be able to sell anyone on this series. And then there's the recently run story where the team has split into two and end up having to face each other in an alternate dimension resembling Marvel's Savage Land where they fight each other wearing loin clothes and riding on Dinosaurs. Yes, it's that awesome.

Favorite Books From Everyone Else:

Darkwing Duck (Boom!Kids) by Ian Brill and James Silvani

Boom!Kids is the little line that could, which is to say that it's the best thing to happen to all ages comics in the last decade. Every book is awesome and the best of the bunch is Darkwing Duck. This book successfully brings the "Disney Afternoon" character back in all of his duck glory. With writer Ian Brill nailing the wit, heart, and joy of the character and artist James Silvani brings art that is so good that you'll never want to look away. This is easily the best looking book that this line has put out and it's easily one of the top 5 best looking books of this year, period. Actually, it's easily one of my top 5 favorite books, period.

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (OniPress) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

The story of Scott Pilgrim came to an end this year with the 6th and final book in the series and it's easily one of my favorite books of the year. Scott starts this volume out alone and broken after Ramona left him and he was forced to move into his own apartment by himself. He quickly finds himself revisiting each of his past loves and finding out that maybe he wasn't the best boyfriend in the world, let alone a good person in general. Plots are resolved, secrets are revealed, and Gideon Graves finally gets what he's got coming. This is a story about love that's a little more mature than it seems and it ends with two people learning that they're going to have to work together to make it work out.

Atomic Robo Volume 4 (Red5 Studio) by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener

Okay, if you know me at all than this selection shouldn't be any sort of surprise. Atomic Robo is easily my favorite comic book being printed today and I find myself giddy like a school girl for each and every new issue as they come out. That's why I'm glad to say that Volume 4 is the best volume in the series yet. The story revolves around 4 different one-shot issues that all take place within a span of a week, but each and every consecutive incident involves yet another strange foe that highlights just how crazy and wonderful this book is. From Vampires from a different dimension, to a giant Japanese monster not unlike something out of a Kaiju movie, to other enemies such as Dr. Dinosaur and the ghost of Thomas Edison. Each issue stands alone fantastically on it's own, but together it does wield a fantastic story that builds upon the world of Robo in one way or another. It also successfully highlights why I love this book; it's a fantastically hilarious sci-fi action comedy book that takes place in a wonderful world of action science, talking dinoaurs, and just about anything the imagination can think of.

Axe Cop (Axecop.com/Dark Horse) by Ethan and Malachai Nicolle

At the tail end of last year, Axe Cop popped up out of nowhere and took the internet by storm; this comic, made by the brothers Nicolle (Ethan (age 29) and Malachai (age 6)) who have crafted one of the most insanely comics of this year. The process of making this comic is simple: Malachai comes up with a bunch of randomly awesome details and plot points and Ethan puts it all together in a coherent enough fashion and draws it all so that he may put it up on the internet. Almost overnight the whole thing became a huge hit, with everyone falling in love with the genuinely childish nature of the book. Axe Cop is comic book equivalent of how you used to play with your action figures when you were a young child and for that I love it. And I'm not alone, as the title has gained enough fame that Ethan himself is putting off the release of the comic he had originally intended to put out in favor of working on this and Dark Horse Comics has decided to work with Ethan in order to publish the web series as well as publishing a completely original 3 issue mini series. If you aren't reading this, go now. It's free on the web and it features a T-Rex with Gatling guns for arms. Seriously, go read it. Now.

Sweet Tooth (Veritgo) by Jeff Lemire

Sweet Tooth is easily one of the best comics coming out right now, and though I've currently dropped the ongoing in favor of trades, I haven't given up on this title. This story of a young Deer boy and his protector in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is almost wiped out is a fantastic book. Jeff Lemire has crafted a dark sad world where people must lie, steal, cheat, and maybe even kill to survive, where young animal children are hated for existing and find themselves being experimented on in the name of science. It's a great read, though, an it's definitely something anyone looking for a darker, more mature comic out there to read that isn't just a bunch of muscle riddled jerks flying around and punching each other.

The Unwritten (Vertigo) by Mike Carey and Peter Gross

The Unwritten is another Vertigo book that I'm reading exclusively in trade. It's also a fantastic story about a boy who's father turned into an internationally famous character in a series of Harry Potter like books. The story starts as a mystery about whether Thomas is actually the Tommy Taylor from the famous books or not, but quickly turns into a terrific journey throughout all of literature in general. The first two volumes are out now with the third coming next march, though it your feeling up to it, you can also pick it up in individual issues so that you're not left waiting too long for your fix.

So there we go, folks. That's my pics for my favorite comics of the year. Each one is a fantastic read in it's own right, so do yourself a favor and read them all. You won't be sorry. For part two, I'm going to be covering my favorite animated stuff from the last year, which includes cartoons from TV, movies, anime, and everything in between. Part three is going to be Movies and TV. Part Four will probably come in the new year and it will be Video Games. It's going to take that long so that I can get all my Christmas games played enough that I can actually talk about them with some experience under my belt. I might even do a Part 1.5 where I highlight individual one-shot issues that I loved and just what's so great about them as well as a Part 5 about Podcasts and music that I've come to enjoy this year. So look out for all of that coming soon. When the New Year hits I'm going to try and find some other things to talk about before I get back to doing weekly comic reviews. I really want to wait for some newer stuff to hit before I do more reviews. I'll definitely be reviewing the next volume of Fullmetal Alchemist when that comes out. So there. I've put all this out there, let's hope I can get all of this out.

Unaired Cartoon Pilots: The Good, The Bad, and the Hackneyed Ass Title

Okay folks, I'm taking a break from comic reviews. I've gotten to a point where I feel like I'm just repeating myself week in and week out, so instead I'm going to make blog posts about other stuff. Today, I've decided to blog about some unaired cartoon pilots. Cartoons are something that have been a part of my life for about as long as I can remember. At no point have I ever not watched them and I don't think that'll ever change.

Of course for every cartoon I've ever watched, there has got to be another 10 or 20 that never made it on air. They had one episode produced that never saw the light of day. Sometimes these cartoons were terrible, but sometimes not. So let's take a look at these unaired toons and wonder what could have been.

Plastic Man

Plastic Man here is one of those little gems that should've made it on the air, but didn't. It was funny, it looked fantastic, and kids and adults alike could totally get into this. Best of all is that, unless my ears deceive me, Plastic Man seems to share the same voice actor as his counterpart from "Batman: Brave and the Bold". Sadly, this is all we'll ever have of this fantastic little show and I can't tell you just how sad that makes me, especially when you look at all the horrible stuff that have multiple seasons.

Doozy Bots

Of course, for every awesome pilot, there are 20 awful ones. Doozy Bots here is a pilot for a proposed 90's cartoon of the same name. Now, if you didn't make it past the first 10 seconds, I don't blame you; this is a hilariously bad attempt at bringing the Gundam mechs over seas. Hands down the best part of it all is that the crippled kid is the one who becomes Guntank, the one who has tank treads for feet. Oh, and he's also the obligatory minority, how classy. Mind you, the little bad guys here aren't too bad; hell, they're damn reminiscent of any SD Gundam badguys I've ever seen. Still, the crowning moment of this pilot is when the narrator describes it all as "beautifully animated". To think, somewhere out there is an alternate reality where Doozy Bots got green lit and now has a very fanatical fan community.

Constant Payne

Constant Payne here is a really awesome pilot that has one of the coolest opening sequences that I've ever seen. It's a damn shame that this one didn't make it on the air because it would've been amazing. Still, it's easy to see why it didn't make it on; the pilot was from early 2001 and it has a sequence where the hero's little airship narrowly avoids crashing into two very identical looking towers. Thanks again, Osama. But seriously, this series had all the makings of one of this past decade's greatest shows, or at least a cult hit that only a handful of us would remember. There's the story of the two brothers, the young daughter that perverts on the internet could pine over, and just an all around fantastic setting with this fantastic future where everyone flies airships. Sadly, we'll never know.

Sailor Moon

Okay, I know what you're thinking: "But Piggy, Sailor Moon did air on TV!" Well, if you'd just watch this video, you'd know that there was a pilot to make an original western version of the anime, with some live action mixed in for added effect. And like it's horrible brother "Doozy Bots" this series has a crippled sailor scout who fires lasers from her wheelchair. Of course, unlike Doozy Bots, I'm not sure this not happening wouldn't be for the best: Sailor Moon fandom (if it's anything like DBZ fandom) has a ton friction between fans of the dub and the original Japanese version as they stand right now. I don't see how having two entirely different products would make things any worse.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series

Finally, We've got Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series. This one I'm split on; on the one hand, I've always wanted to get into Buffy and this looks like it would've been the perfect catalyst to get me hooked. On the other hand, some of those jokes were very lame. But none-the-less, I'm sure many a Whedonite is very sad that they didn't get to have their favorite Vampire Slayer animated. There's so many cool places and animated Buffy show can go that I'm sure this could've led to some really awesome stuff.

So there you have it, five different pilots for five different cartoons. Some of these were really great ideas that could've been some of the most memorable toons of their respective generation. The other two would've been hilariously bad and possibly reviled by the fandoms of the series they were based on. Either way, they never made it on air and we'll never know what could have been.

That's if for now, but I'm thinking of putting together a "Favorite Things of the Year" list. Might just do one big post or several smaller posts, but either way I want to put it together. It's not a best of, mind you, just the comics, cartoons, movies, video games, etc. I enjoyed the most from this year. Until the

"Thor: The Mighty Avenger" and The Crying Shame

This week, issue #6 of "Thor: The Mighty Avenger" came out and I've already read it. If you've read any of my older blog posts about this comic, then you should already know that I love this title. If you haven't, then I'll tell you now: I love this comic and this issue is no different than the five preceding it. With each and every issue of this book, Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee retell the origin of Thor in a way that is fresh, accessible, and (most of all) a pure joy to read. This is a comic that can read and find something they enjoy in it. Hell, it's pretty close to being my pick for "comic of the year". And yet it's a comic that isn't going to be around much longer.

Yes, unless you live under the internet's most impressive rock, you should know that "Thor: The Might Avenger" is ending as of issue #8. There's a multitude of reasons as to why this is sad, perhaps saddest of which is that Langridge has mentioned that the first full story arc of this comic would run until issue #12. That's right, not only is this comic dying, but it's dying before it can get it's first full story told.

Well I think it's a damn shame. It sucks that this comic is dying like this while lesser books continue to sell like hot cakes. Go into your local comic shop this week and count how many Deadpool books are on the shelves. Last time I checked, it was about 5. Now, I'm going to spoil something about each and every one of these books: they're all terrible. Not a single one is worth actually paying money for. And yet it continues to go on and "Thor: the Might Avenger" is cancelled. Do you want to know why? It's because these Deapool books sell. "Thor: the Mighty Avenger" on the other hand, isn't selling all that well. It's a sad truth about this industry, but it's a truth and it can't be ignored.

So what can we do? Honestly, going out and buying every copy from your local comic shop isn't going to help; they've already ordered and payed for those books. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy the issues of this series: it's a great book and your local comic shop could certainly use the business. But saving the series is going to take a bit more than buying the issues already out. No, what we have to do is buy the issues that haven't come out yet and the trade that's coming out in a few weeks. And not just buying them, but preordering them. Got to your local comic shop and let them know just how much you want this and do so in large numbers. The trade you can either get there, or you can save a few bucks and preorder it from Amazon.com, because they track the number of preorders they receive instantly.

Now, I'm not saying we're definitely saving this title: it's going to take effort from everyone and then some, but if we all go in and Marvel sees our money and hears our voices, than there's a good chance we could just save the day. We have the power, we just have to use it. We can save "Thor: The Mighty Avenger", but we have to do it now or all hope is lost. So when it comes down to it are we just going to watch this wonderful story slip away into the world of obscurity or will we raise our own hammers and utter those famous words "I Say Thee, Nay"?

The (Very Late) Weekly Round-Up: 11/10/10

Hey there loyal readers! I had a wedding to help prepare for and then go to last week, so I wasn't going to do last week's Weekly Round-Up. Then I got my comics for this week and holy crap was there some awesome stuff. Not talking about everything this week, but I will cover the 4-way tie for my issue of the week. Each one is a great book and each one is worth the cover price on the front.

If I had to pick one book of the four, I think Amazing Spider-Man #648 would take the spot for various reasons. For one thing, It's a huge comic: the main story is 39 pages with an 8 page back-up to go along with it. For $4 there aren't many other comics that pack that much of a value. And it's not just a great value, it's easily the best one-shot Spider-Man story of the year. And that's counting those Rhino issues ( #617 and #626 if I remember correctly) which were both amazing issues.

The main story is actually two stories in one, but each one centers around the idea of Peter Parker (in both personas) going "Big Time". The first half centers around Spider-Man and the his teammates from the Avengers working together to face off against Doctor Octopus' army of "Macro-Octobots" from destroying New York City. The next part focuses on Pete's non-heroing life, with his roomate Michele moving back to Chicago and Pete looking to get his living arrangements figure out. While the second half isn't nearly as action packed as the first, it does a great job of introducing us to the supporting cast of the book.

For people staying on the book it's nothing major, but for people just hopping on, there's a lot that's changed since Brand New Day began and there are a few more changes that happen by the end of the story. One big change is Pete's new job as a scientist at Horizon Labs, which is described as both an Apple Store and Willy Wonka's Factory mixed togther and "Pixar meets The Baxter Building". The overall story also does a great job of building on upcoming plotlines, such as the reformed Sinister Six (Doc Ock, Rhino, Mysterio, Electro, Chameleon, and Sandman) putting a huge plan together and the Kingpin hiring the Hobgoblin to steal an experimental replacement for Vibranium being made by Horizon Labs. Combine all of this with the delicious art stylings of Humberto Ramos and you've got one hell of an issue, with a nice back-up featuring Spider-Girl, who's about to get an ongoing of her own. This is a hell of an issue and easily a must read for fans of Spidey.

Atomic Robo is also out this week, with the first issue of the 5th volume of the series "Atomic Robo and the Dangerous Art of Science". This issue takes us back to the 1930's, where Robo is still living with Tesla. What's awesome about this issue is we get to see a very different Robo than the one we're used to: in the first four volumes, we've gotten to know the Robo who was an "Action Scientist" who takes on Nazis, Lovecraftian monsters, and talking genius Raptors. Here, we get to see a younger Robo who's not nearly as focused. His fanboyish naivety over getting to see a masked man taking on mobsters is comedy gold. We're also going to see a bit more of the feud between Robo and his greatest enemy, Thomas Edison, which will be so awesome. It's a bit of a surprise to have it back so soon, I'm used to having almost a year between volumes, but it's good to have it back on my stack and I'm looking forward to seeing what Clevinger and Wegener have in store for us in the next few issues. And as usual, there's a few of those delicious Robo pin-ups from other artists that usually populate the back of the issue, though I'm sad to see the lack of a cool back-up story. Those are usually really fun to have.

Knight and Squire #2 is also out this week and it's a great read. If I had to describe this title, I think the best way is like this: Knight and Squire is what you'd get if the BBC had mad the old Adam West Batman show from the 60's. This issue we has the Dynamic Duo of the UK facing off against The Morris Men, a group of men looking to make England a place for the wealthy, straight, white man. The issue is a blast, with a mix of British charm and campy goodness that mix together just right. Now, I do have to warn you: if you aren't very familiar with British people talking, you're not going to understand a third of the dialog in this book. Cornell does a good job of explaining a good bit of it all with a short entry in the back explaining most of it for those who aren't familiar with Morris Men and even point out a few of the inspirations for some of the things going on in the issue itself. And for what you miss in dialog, the book makes up for in humor. One moment in particular, where Knight and Squire steal some disguises off of a pair of guards had me laughing out loud until my ribs hurt. If you're even remotely a fan of Batman and the idea of the Club of Heroes, then definitely pick this issue up.

And lastly, the 4th book tying for my "issue of the week" is Justice League: Generation Lost. This issue was the first thing I read this week and it's still the one that hit me the hardest. This issue has Magog facing off against Captain Atom in one huge smack down. It's one hell of a showdown with an ending that made me say "Oh $#!%" before putting down the book to take in what just happened. Before this series I was skeptical of Winick. After this issue I can now say that I take back anything I may have said about the man's writing. This is a fantastic read and a chilling issue. Max Lord is back and Judd Winick is showing us just how much of a crazy, evil, magnificent bastard he is. If you're looking for a Justice League book to read, this is the one you should be reading. This is the best new series from DC this year and if you haven't begun reading it yet, then go pick up the back issues or preorder the trades, because no one should be missing this.

And that's it for this week. 4 books that you should be reading, each one earning my choice as "issue of the week". Come back tomorrow or Thursday for this week's books, because Batman Incorporated is starting up and it's gonna be awesome!

The Weekly Round-Up: 11/3/10

Howdy-ho, girls and boys, it's The Weekly Round-Up! I took last week off for Halloween or in other words, I decided to be lazy last week and couldn't be bothered to write one paragraph of review for the comics I bought last week. But hey, this week I decided to grace all ten of you readers with my presence! Now then, onto the reviews, because this week has some awesome choices.

If I had to pick a winner for "Best Cover of the Week" It'd hands down go to this book right here, Superboy #1. That's right, the composite clone of Superman and Lex Luthor is getting a series of his own (because Adventure Comics couldn't have been that at all, right DC?) and Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo are ready to take him to new heights. Lemire, for those of you unfamiliar, is the writer behind the fantastic Vertigo book "Sweet Tooth" which is simply amazing. I'd talk about it more often, but I'm only buying it in trade these days and I'm a good deal behind on those. But enough about Lemire's other works, let's talk Superboy!

This issue is a first issue, which means it's introduction time. For an introduction to Superboy, this does it's job pretty damn well. Lemire also does a good job of picking up some of the cool elements of the Johns run from Adventure Comics run by introducing us to the two friends Connor made in that; Lori Luthor Lex's niece and Simon Valentine, boy scientist. It's nice to see that Lemire is not forgetting those two characters, because I liked them both in the 5 issues we got to meet them in and I'm really looking forward to what Lemire has in store for them. There's also a cool little fight between Superboy and Parasite that rounds out the issue and we end with a teaser at what's to come from this book in the future. Lemire is off to an interesting start here.

Art duties are handeled buy Pier Gallo and he does a great job with that. Smallville looks like a small farm town and Superboy and the other inhabitants are all drawn very well. And it's not all just pretty stuff, Parasite looks as gross and monstrous as he should. Still, the real star on art duties is the cover by one of my current favorites in the world of comic art, Rafael Albuquerque. Albuquerque's art combined with those amazing colors just make it stick right out on the shelf and makes me want to pick it up and own it.

So go buy Superboy today, because it's an awesome start to a promising book. But that's not the only thing I bought today!

Best value of the week goes to Amazing Spider-Man #647, which is the final curtain call for Brand New Day's revolving door of writers. Everyone contributes to this one and for 5 dollars you get a whole buttload of comic. So what's the good stuff here? Well first off is "Another Door" by Fred Van Lente with Max Fiumara on art. This is pretty much the primary wrap up story of BND. We've got Vin returning from his prison time, Harry starting his new life as a dad, and Carlie and Pete finally becoming a couple. It's a pretty good story and wraps everything up pretty well while also giving a decent amount of Spidey action, but it's far from the best story here.

The best story in this collection has to be "Norah's Last Night in NYC" written by Joe Kelly with J.M.Ken Nimura on art duties. these two also provided a fun little back up story at the beginning of The Gauntlet, and they're best known collaboration is the fantastic Image comic "I Kill Giants". Well here they come back together to weave yet another fantastically heartwarming tale about Pete's good friend Norah, who is apparently leaving New York to go back "home". when she doesn't give Pete the real reason he decides that maybe it's time for Spider-Man to show up and give a hand. Hilarity and heartwarming goodness ensues. While I'm looking forward to the Dan Slott "Big Time" era, it's stories like this that is really going to make me miss the wonderful adventure that was "Brand New Day". Hopefully this isn't the last time we're gonna be seeing Kelly handle Spider-Man because he's been one of my favorite writers on the book in the last year. And then there's Mr. Nimura who has only gotten to do 2 small stories for this book, which makes me sad because his stuff is outstanding. I really look forward to seeing what this team puts out next.

The only grip I have with this issue is that they do one of those cover galleries where all the covers are tiny to the point where you wonder what the point is. I don't want to look at tiny little thumbnails of these covers, I want these things big and beautiful as they should be! Overall, though, this is a great way to send off the "Brand New Day" team and while it's no ASM #600 it's still a great issue.

Speaking of the end of one story before a the beginning of something bigger, Batman and Robin #16 comes out this week and Grant Morrison ends his run on the book with a bang. Bruce Wayne is back and he's ready to lay the hurt onto Dr. Hurt. What's really cool here is that we're getting to see the first interactions between the Dick/Damian Batman and Robin team and Bruce. It doesn't last long because Bruce has to face off with Hurt while Dick and Damian head off to stop Professor Pyg. The two fights are great, with the duties being split between Cameron Stewart and Frazier Irving. While the two styles are definitely very different, both work equally as well as the other. This is a great way to send off this run. Batman Incorporated is just around the corner, which is the next chapter of Morrison's insanely awesome Batman run and we've got Paul Cornell stepping in for three issues on this book before Tomasi and Gleason step in to take over on this book. So I think it goes without saying that big things are coming on this title and that you better get ready for it.

Before we continue with this week, let's travel back in time to the land of last week. Halloween hadn't yet happened, the Giants weren't World Champs yet, and Hellboy and the Beasts of Burden teamed up for what was definitely the best comic of last week. That's right, Mike Mignola, Evan Dorkin, and Jill Thompson have teamed up to bring Dark Horse's best paranormal investigators together and the two go together better than chocolate and peanut butter! This book is scary, funny, creepy, adorable, and ass-kickingly awesome. Hellboy gets lost after helping some Amish people out and ends up in the BoB's world, where the two end up working together to put a stop to an evil soul and the crazy bag lady who is dedicated to bringing him back to life. Oh, and it's all rendered beautifully thanks to Jill Thompson's amazing art. So go out and pick this issue up, because it's great. And when you're done with it, go pick up the Beasts of Burden Hardcover!

Back in the present, Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente continue on their awesome Hercules run with Chaos War #3. Herc has his team of heroes assembled and he's ready to take on the Chaos King and his army of dead gods and heroes. This issue has some really great stuff going on, from Herc getting to share a touching moment with his dad, to the Chaos King getting ever closer to completing his goal of total annihilation of everything. With one issue left to go I can't help but wonder what this story has left in store for us and if this is it for the Pak/Van Lente Hercules extravaganza. It'd be a great way for this run to end no doubt, but these two are tearing it up so well that I'll be sad to see it go.

And that's it for what I have to talk about this week. Still not enough for ya? Well then do yourself a favor and pick up Iron Man/Thor by Abnett and Lanning, Secret Six by Gail Simone, and Strange Tales. As for me, I'm out. See you next week!

I Met Greg Pak!

This past week, the Philadelphia Film Festival was taking place in town. With came all of the various film makers coming in for the screenings of their various films. One of those film makers happens to also be a comic book writer. His name is Greg Pak (His movie is "Mr. Green"). Mr. Pak, for those of you unaware, writes both the Incredible Hulk and the Hercules. His Planet Hulk story even got turned into a direct to DVD animated movie! So if you haven't read any of his work yet, get on it, because he's damn good at what he does.

But enough about Mr. Pak's work, this is about how I got to meet him! About a few weeks back, Mr. Pak put out a tweet asking what Philly comic shops were good to go to. Immediately, I replied telling him to go to Brave New World's in the old city section; it's my favorite comic shop, and just an awesome place in general. Later that week, the BNW newsletter comes into my e-mail inbox and lo and behold, Greg Pak is going to be at their Old City location signing books.

That Saturday comes around and I get to the shop a bit early, mostly so I can browse around a bit and maybe even buy a few comics before the signing starts. I ended up picking up an Incredible Hercules trade ("The Mighty Thorcules") to have signed along with my two copies of Chaos War I had brought along (both #1, one for me and one for TheDudeVonDoom, host of the Harbinger(http://thedudevondoom.podbean.com/); you should listen to it, it's awesome).

Soon Mr. Pak appears, though he ends up being a bit late because of a screening of his running late. I get my comics signed and so does everyone else. Then I get to talk to him a bit; he's a really awesome guy! We talk about comics, cons, how he ended up getting into comics, and a bunch of other stuff. It's really cool to find out that someone who writes something that you read is just an awesome guy. He had no problem signing everything everyone had to bring and even signed all the comics he had written that the shop had in stock (the shop had already asked, of course). He even gave out some flash drives containing a .pdf of his latest comic "Vision Machine", though I haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

Overall, Mr. Pak was an all around awesome guy. If you ever get the chance to meet him at a con or at whatever kind of appearance he may be making, go ahead and meet him. I had fun hanging with him for the hour he had to hang around at the shop with and it was a small piece of an all around awesome Saturday. He can be followed on twitter (@gregpak) and he also has his own web site (gregpak.com). Read his comics and go see his movies, he's an all around great, nice guy and it was cool getting to meet him.

The Weekly Round-Up: 10/20/10

Hey there, anybody awesome enough to read this; it's time for the Weekly Round-Up! What's the Weekly Round-Up? It's where I get every comic I've read this week, pick out a few, and write a short review for each one because I'm too lazy to write up a full review for each individual comic! Now let's get started shall we?

This week saw the release of Kick-Ass 2 #1, the first chapter of the sequel to Mark Millar's crazy comic which got turned into one of my favorite movies from this year! This issue has us looking in on the current situations of both Kick-Ass and Hit Girl after the big finale from the first series. Kick-Ass is trying to step up his super hero game, which include getting training from Hit Girl as well as looking into joining a super hero team. Hit Girl, meanwhile, is trying to get back into living life with her mother and new step father, which means she might just have to give up her life as Hit Girl. Story wise, it's a slow start back, though it is a first issue so it's not like I was expecting anything huge to happen. Still, much like last book, we're given a small taste of what's to come towards the beginning of this issue and what's to come looks amazingly awesome. Mark Millar, you have me ready to buy issue two, so please don't let me down with this one! Art duties are still held by John Romita Jr. and I wouldn't have it any other way. The guy draws some great violence and he draws a pretty good showdown between Kick-Ass and some thugs. There's also a nice little thank you letter from Millar himself as well as a look at how one of the pages from this issue was made, which is always kind of cool to see. I'm still on the fence on whether or not I'm going to buy all of this volume in issues: if I'm going to be waiting 2 years for 6 issues again, I'll just wait for the collected version. But if you liked the first one and you want at least a taste of what's to come this time around, pick this issue up!

This week also so the release of Carnage #1 by Zeb Wells and Clayton Cain. That's right, Marvel decided that it was time to bring Carnage back! Okay, I know how horrible that sounds; I'm not a fan of the guy either, but I picked this issue up because it's being penned by Zeb Wells, the guy who wrote the fantastic "Shed" story in Amazing Spider-Man a few months back. If he can make the Lizard awesome again, I have no doubt he can make Carnage into something other than a crap relic of the 90's! So does this first issue have me sold on this series at all? I'm still not sure, myself. The dialog here is good enough, and it's not too bad a start, but this issue has heavy reference to Maximum Carnage, which I've never heard anything good about (except for the SNES game based on it; that was awesome). We've got the Spider-Man doppleganger showing up and Shriek even shows up towards the end. Spider-Man even recounts a small bit of what happened in Maximum Carnage and how Carnage has the ability to make people go crazy. Wells already visited something like this in "Shed", so to see him maybe bringing an element like this into another one of his stories so soon is a bit alarming. And at $4 an issue for a mini bringing back a character I'm not sure should even come back I really need to be sold before I can recommend this to anyone else. So if you're really looking to feed that itch for Carnage, give this one a look. For everyone else, give this a small skim through at the LCS. I'm probably coming back for issue two, but I'm not sure I'll be going much farther than that.

Speaking of characters I wasn't sold on getting redemption: Jeff Parker's Hulk #26 is out this week and the big red jerk is actually proving to be a really good read! We start right back where we left off last issue with Rulk and Iron Man facing off with the cyborg drones from last issue. That doesn't last too long, as Rulk gets that solved rather quickly. We also get to see Thor smack Rulk around for a bit before the two are sent off into space to stop two comets from crashing into earth and doing some serious damage. We've also got the A-Bomb back-up which isn't too shabby itself. Parker is doing a great job writing this series so far and I look forward to seeing where he's going next.

Meanwhile, over at DC, Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin continues this week, with the penultimate issue of Morrison's run seeing release this week. This issue starts us off with Robin kidnapped by the Joker, Batman captured by Hurt and his cronies, and Gotham on the brink of destruction thanks to Hurt's plan. This issue has Robin kicking some ass, Hurt almost taking the win, and a final page that has me excited to see where this final issue of the run is going to take us! Not to be out done by the writing, Frazier Irving does a magnificent job on the art duties in this issue; I may still miss the glorious styling of Frank Quietly, but with Irving around I think I can live. Hopefully next issue isn't delayed too long, because I'm ready for it already, as well as the final issue of "The Return of Bruce Wayne". Add on top of all that the promise of the upcoming Batman Incorporated, and I'm as giddy as a school girl!

Finally this week, we've got Darkwing Duck #5. This is the start of the book's second story arc, and is the perfect jumping on point for anyone who hasn't done so yet. Negaduck is back and he's looking to take Darkwing down. This time, however, he's teaming up with a powerful ally that Ducktales fans might recognize: Magica de Spell! Their plan: destroy Darkwing's reputation by hypnotizing various Darkwings from alternate worlds and having them wreak havoc! To say that I'm loving this book would be a huge understatement: this is the book I find myself looking forward to more than any! It's funny, it's well written, and it isn't afraid to be a comic book, and I love it for that. And on top of all that, this is a comic that can be entertaining while still being for both kids and adults. There's only a handful of comics that can say that and as far as I'm concerned, this is the best of them! If you're planning on picking up only one comic this week, this is the comic you should be buying! I know how much wank I'm writing for this title, but it deserves every last bit of that wank and it deserves every last bit of praise and money I can give it.

And that's if for the Weekly Round-Up! But before I go I do have one last thing to add: DC Comic Presents: Batman 100-Page Spectacular is out this week and it's got some fantastic Batman reprints from none other than Ed Brubaker. It's an $8 book, but it's damn good and if you've got the money to dish out for it, get it! It's awesome. I'm also going to write up a full review for Strange Tales 2 #1 at some point in the next two days, so look for that!

The Weekly Round-Up: 10/6-13/10

Hey there, people who actually read my my reviews! Looks like I missed last week's reviews. I'd apologize, but I missed it so I could watch Doc Halladay throw a no-hitter in his first post-season game, so suck it! Still, I guess I could talk about last week's comics along with this week's because that's just the kind of guy I am. So let's get started with what I read and liked (or maybe even didn't like) from the last two weeks!

First up is Shadowland: Spider-Man by Dan Slott and Paulo Siquera. Now, I gave up on Shadowland about a month or two ago because I just could not care less about it. Still, when I saw this I couldn't help but pick it up because Spider-Man and Shang Chi teaming up is totally awesome. The story centers around Spider-man and Shang-Chi facing off against Mr. Negative and his gang of unkillable demon gangster. Seems Negative decided that he'd take advantage of Daredevil's crazy Shadowland crap and make his territory bigger. Our heroes follow and decide to get into the mix-up between Negative's gang and DD's Hand Ninja. Honestly, I don't think this one-shot even NEEDS the Shadowland name on it because you could take out all the Shadowland elements here and it would still work as well as it does. This could have just been the "Spider-man and Shan-Chi One-Shot", which might have made it even better because it would mean I wouldn't have to buy into ANYTHING Shadowland related. Hell, this could have just been a one off issue of Amazing Spider-Man and it would do just as well. Anyway, if you're looking for some good ol' fashioned Marvel Team-Up-ing, then give this one a shot (see what I did there?)

Next up is Amazing Spider-Man: Back in Quack by Stuart Moore, Mark Brooks, Ray Height, and Joe Suitor, with a cover by Scottie Young. The best thing about this issue is the cover by Scottie Young. The actual issue itself isn't very good; the story centers around Howard the Duck and his lovely lady Bev being brainwashed by a company called "S.O.O.Ph.I." (which stands for "The Service Organization Of Philanthropic Individuals") and Spider-Man having to snap them out of it and stop S.O.O.Ph.I. from turning all of New York into a bunch of cynical sarcastic jerks. The story has a nice little moral about how being cynical doesn't make you cool and witty and how we should always just think for ourselves, which I think is a great message. Unfortunately, it accomplishes this through unfunny, stiff dialogue, a bad "Caturday" reference, a random quote that just comes out of nowhere, and a story that just feels garbled. There's one funny joke in the entire book, which is the "EMAX BLANDITRON" screens that are used for brainwashing. In a book starring Spider-Man and Howard the Duck, you should have more than one successful joke: the book should be stuffed with humor. This is just bad. There's also a Swamp Thing story which isn't too bad, but feels a bit out of place. The overall interior art duties are odd, half of the main story gets split with the second half looking so much better than the first and the Swamp Thing story looking appropriately depressing. Honestly, I can't recommend this to anyone: if you want a really good current Howard the Duck story, Marvel Zombies 5 by Fred Van Lente has him AND Machine Man and is totally awesome. You should go read that. If you want good Spider-Man, Amazing or Ultimate flavors should satisfy you.

Speaking of Amazing Spider-Man, that came out this week! Mark Waid's "Origin of Species" continues as Spider-Man continues to face down an onslaught of bad guys and in this issue he's gotten serious. We've got Spider-Man hunting down each and every masked criminal that has accepted Doc Ock's offer and he's showing them: a) why they call him the AMAZING Spider-Man and b) why you don't mess with him. If you like seeing Spider-Man kick ass for 22 straight pages of comic, then you might want to give this issue a read. Art duties are handled by Paul Azaceta and Matthew Southworth on pencils and the two blend so well together that I didn't even know that there were two different pencilers until I looked at the credits page. Maybe they're that good together of maybe Javier Rodriguez's coloring is that damned good, but either way I enjoyed the art here. There's also Stan Lee and Marcos Martin's back-up, which comes to a close in a way that I didn't quite see coming and that I really enjoyed. It's good to see Stan the man back on one of the books that made him the legend he is today and I hope he and Martin will team-up again some time soon to provide another fun little tale like this!

Meanwhile, at DC, Batman is trapped in time and he's got 5 different books this week: I only bought one of those and that one is BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #5! This is the penultimate issue of Grant Morrison's insanely awesome tale of Batman in time and in this issue he's found himself caught up in an investigation of his own parents' murder. Things aren't quite what they seem though and a few threads that showed up in Batman RIP seem to be coming back. And to top it all off it looks like Red Robin and the Justice League have run out of time in their mission to stop time itself from being destroyed! Grant's writing the hell out of this series and I'm excited to see where this last issue will take us. Art in this book is handled by Ryan Sook and Pere Perez, with Sook providing some amazingly awesome noirish art and Perez taking over for the last 8 pages which include and crazy final page that has me pumped for what the next issue will bring.
Also in the Batman world this week is issue #1 of Paul Cornell's Knight and Squire mini! For those of you who don't know, Knight and Squire are the british Batman and Robin and they're awesome. And it's being written by (as I previously stated) Paul Cornell who is tearing it up on Action Comic right now, doing an amazing job with his Lex Luthor story. This first issue is a great little one-off introducing us to the world of British Super Heroes and Villains, who are all a lot more chill than they're American counter parts. "How much more chill" you ask? Well they all share drinks with each other in a magical truce bar once a month where nobody can fight because it's been magically made to keep fighting from happen. I love this issue and I love the idea of getting to see this awesome side of the DC universe. Jimmy Broxton and Guy Major, the art team on this book, manage to make this book all the better with they're combination of quirky art and awesome coloring. This is just an all around awesome book and if you're looking for another Batman book to pick up that isn't some lame tie-in than this is your book!

What else is awesome from DC? Why, it's Justice League Genereation Lost, issue number 11! What's so awesome about this issue? Well it's got the freaking Metal Men in it, and that's insanely awesome! That's right, Fire, Ice, and Rocket Red must work together to face off with the robot team, who Max Lord has had reprogrammed into thinking they're some magical fantasy world guardians of this princess. And then they combine into that robot thing on the cover and I can only find myself thinking one thing: Max Lord has had the Metal Men reprogrammed into thinking they're VOLTRON! If that's not awesome to you, than you need to find a new reality, because you suck at living in this one. With each and every issue, this series continues to be one of the best damn books I'm reading from DC and I can't wait to see where it goes next, because it's just fantastic. Thank you Judd Winnick for making what is officially THE Justice League book as far as I'm concerned. Now give me an awesome issue of Blue Beetle and I will offer up my unborn child to you as a token of my appreciation.

That's it for me talking about books this week, but this isn't the extent of what I got and enjoyed so here's a list of other titles that I'm enjoying that you should be reading: Invincible Iron Man (Matt Fraction is tearing it up on this book and Stark Resilient just keeps getting better!), Booster Gold (Those of you who miss Ted Kord should be reading this!), Green Lantern Emerald Warriors (It's got Guy Gardner kicking ass!), Green Lantern (The Blue entity shows up!), The New Avengers (It's crazy awesome!). There's also some Thor books, but you'll have to wait for some point this weekend for A THORSDAY REVIEW OF AWESOMENESS! See you then!

The Weekly Round-Up: 09/29/10

Another week, another stack of comics and this week had some really good comics! So let's get started with this week's first book

We'll start off with a book I didn't think I'd ever be reading: Hulk! Yes, the one with the big red guy. The one that had Jeph Loeb's name on it until very recently. Well, I decided to give Jeff Parker's run on the book a chance; the guy is doing well on Atlas and Thunderbolts, so I can't go wrong here, right? Well, it could, but luckily for me it didn't. The issue itself is a pretty good jumping on point; Rulk's now under the watch of Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers, so that means he's playing on the good guy's side, whether he wants to or not. Of course the real surprise here is the art, which I thought was going to be the delicious Ed McGuinness art on the cover (the cover actually states otherwise, but I'm an idiot.) At first that put me off a little; the art by Mr. Hardman is so much different from the McGuinness art, but after a few pages of comic I found that I actually love Mr. Hardman's stuff just as much. There's also an A-Bomb (and I will go on record by saying that that name is stupid and should go back to the 90's where it belongs) back-up, and a one page story featuring three different hulks. The (ugh) A-Bomb back-up is a fun little story, with nice cartoon-y art by Mark Robinson (writer is still Parker). The one-page hulk story is written by Audrey Loeb with Dario Brizuela on art, and that story will fit right in with those of you who love the mini-marvel stories. Overall, if you've been avoiding the Red Hulk like it was red tide, you might actually find yourself surprised with this one. Give it a shot!

Meanwhile, over at DC, Paul Cornell is tearing it up on Action Comics; his Lex Luthor story is getting more and more fun with each issue. This issue has the mortal enemy of Superman facing down one of the Flash's greatest foes, Gorilla Grodd and what a fight it is! Luthor pulls some impressive stunts and Grodd goes the Venom route and eats brains (FOR THEIR DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS KNOWLEDGE!). And the whole thing ends with a guest appearance that will knock your socks off! (...unless the internet already spoiled it for you.)Of course that's only 1/3 of the issue; there's also the start to what is looking to be one of the most unusual second features yet as Jimmy Olsen, Superman's pal gets his own stories told. No Superman here, though; this story is following the events in the life of Jimmy Olsen during Superman's time on New Krypton! Oh, and Chloe Sullivan from Smallville is in it. One of the few things I really enjoyed about Smallville up to the end was Chloe, so I was really happy to see her showing up here. Overall, this is a fantastic book and is easily one of the best things DC is putting out right now!

Amazing Spider-Man #644 continues the finale of "Brand New Day" with "Origin of Species part-3" and boy does it have some great moments. Spidey continues to face off a huge gauntlet (oh, hey, I see what I did there) of his greatest foes and he does so while protecting a baby! Favorite moments from this include: Spidey getting rid of the Rhino using logic, Spidey beating Mysterio with logic, and Spidey beating up Vulture and Freak with, you guessed it, clever decoys! Okay, that joke was bad, but this issue had some pretty good LOL moments, like Doctor Octopus' "Octo-tracers" and the Chamelion pulling one over on Spidey. With one more issue left in this story, Mark Waid continues to build the grand finale that Brand New Day deserves and I'm excited to see how it all ends.

And finally, Brian Michael Bendis' Powers continues in Powers #6. Bendis' fantastic little series about police officers dealing with super power related crime is a pretty good series, and this issue has flash backs, twists and turns, a dead god, and a last page that will have long-time readers doing a double take. If you aren't reading this series yet, this is a good issue to give it a shot with. If you are reading, then I don't have to tell you twice. If you're only reading this one in trade, then I'm not going to spoil much more than I already have.

Overall, while this is a light week for me, it's a pretty good week. I found a new book, and got three issues of books I'm already really enjoying. And I'm not done yet! I've got the final issue of Atlas and a Pilot Season one-shot from Top Cow to talk about later this week, but for now I've got a cold and I feel like being lazy for a bit!