A Good Time to Get Into Comics

Starting in November, DC Comics is going to begin reprinting Titles. All of them will be 64 Pages and will contain content from their Trade Paperback. This isn't really anything new. They've republished comics constantly throughout the years so anybody could get their hands on them. Except this time they have changed the cost.

$1.00!!!

Let me repeat myself for effect. One Buck buys you 64 pages of story and related content of some of the greatest stories ever told! Sandman, V for Vendetta, and even Batman. And that is only what they are starting out with.

No, they won't be worth a plug nickel when it comes to collecting value, but you get to read them without paying 20 dollars for a Trade Paper Back. You can shove them in your back pocket for later. You can stuff them in a back for car rides and not worry about them getting bent. This is a chance to be a kid again for all of the veteran collectors, and a chance for kids to read comic books without worrying about damaging their 4-5 dollar investment!

Maybe I'm just a little too excited about this, but I feel like DC is doing something right for a change that will benefit the readers instead of bleeding us dry and scaring away potential Bat-Friends.

A Gay or Bisexual Peter Parker? Horrible Idea.

Ok. So this all starts with Andrew Garfield apparently asking his director why Spider-Man can't be gay or bisexual. After this question, apparently a fan posed this very question to Stan Lee and he seemed pretty shocked at the possibility of the movie having that possibility...

You know what... I don't blame him. It's stupid, and I don't feel that way because it has something to do with homosexuality. Be who you want to be. To do anything less is foolish!

I have a serious problem with most special interest groups. Chalk it up to the belief that racism, gender discrimination, and the hatred of a persons sexual orientation are all fueled by said special interest groups.

I see Al Sharpton and cringe because the man makes a living off making white people hate him and making everyone else think it's because of his race and not his mouth.

I see the Gay community blasting Chic-Fil-A and causing problems for it's employees who (99% of) have absolutely zero ability to decide that the companies money won't be spent on anti hate campaigns. I'm pretty sure that method of attack just made some people hate the gay special interest group because they made their lives hell for a few days there, not because they are gay.

I watch the feminist movement day in and day out talk about white male privilege and tell MEN, not individuals but a blanketing men, that they will never know the hardships of a female yet last I checked there are men out there getting crapped on by America as well, and I bet they aren't going to feel much sympathy for the cause of feminism as they are being told they don't have it as bad as women.

And you know. All three of these issues... are HUGE issues. Racism, Gay Rights, Women's Rights. They ALL need to be addressed. But not by a special interest group. Those war mongers profit on these issues. Why would they want them to go away?

All of this ranting side, this is the reason I don't want Spider-Man to be gay or bisexual. He never has been. To do so would come across as (and probably be) an attempt to enlist Spider-Man in a crusade for gay rights in a way that will cause that much more division.

People are going to be upset with the Gay community for changing cannon and ruining Spider-Man (straight or not). Gay people are going to be upset by those people protesting the fact, and suddenly you've made enemies of people by using Spider-Man. Seriously... how crazy is that!?

If we change his history and then present it to the world, Spider-Man will be a point of contention around the world. He is meant to inspire us all and bring people together shouting "Go Gettem Spidey!", regardless of his sexual orientation. But you can't go writing fiction and say that Martin Luther King was white without pissing off a whole lot of people. You can't create a play that Shaun B. Anthony was a women's right activist of great renown without causing an uproar.

I don't want my childhood to be used as a weapon by hate mongers of any sexual orientation or persuasion.

If you need there to be a gay Spider Man, don't make him Peter Parker. It's simple. They didn't make Peter Parker black when they wanted a new black Spider-Man. They killed Peter off and brought in Miles Morales (By the way, read this series. It's amazingly good!). That still won't stop people from raising some ruckus, but at least people are going to feel as though a special interest group is assimilating their childhood memories for their own personal agenda.

***And if you don't believe that changing Spider-Man's past can cause an uproar, please do some Googling on "Spider-Man - A Brand New Day" and tell me you don't believe that Joe Quesada would have been lynched if the right people had seen him on the street after that? And if they are willing to flip out over THAT... imagine when it's a political issue.***

The one title you NEED to read from the beginning!

INVINCIBLE!

Creator and Writer : Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ryan Ottley

I'm not even going to try to break down the current comics and try to snag a reader in the middle of this incredible comic. It wouldn't begin to do the comic justice.

Kirkman is either a genius, or he's sold his soul to the devil for the ability to turn old hat into the next big thing. And with Ottley backing him up, the artwork is always going to be impressive and stunning.

Imagine Superman as a kid, except Jor-El came with him and started his own life on Earth as a super hero. Superman grows up as a kid knowing about super powers and finally when he gets use of his powers he finds out his father has killed the Justice League and is preparing the planet for domination by Kryptonians as a breeding grounds.

That's where this all starts!!! He doesn't take but an issue or two to show you the name of the game and then he delves right into the hard choices and bloody battles. Mark Grayson, Invincible, never gets a moments rest from the very second he gets his powers up until the must recent issue. If it's not dealing with the next universe ending incident, it's trying to manage his schoolwork or his social life.

If you are a fan of Smallville the television show, you cannot lose by reading this series! If you weren't a fan, you STILL won't lose because only a portion of the framework is there (boy grows up into a man with super powers). Invincible will NOT dissapoint.

Now, a warning for some of you. This is a... it's a downright bloody book. No punches are pulled. You will see organs and blood and graphic violence. It's not every single page, but Ottley and Kirkman want to get the point across about what is at stake in some of the fights. They also tackle some of the issues we all deal with in life. This comic really does have it all.

Trust me. You will come to love Invincible and his entire universe! (Especially Robot)

Justice League of America #6 (Trinity War #2)

Comic: Justice League of America  #6 (Trinity War #2)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Inker/Penciller: Doug Mahnke

So, this is obviously a bit of a suspense builder book. It has a few decent action scenes as it gives a tiny glimpse of how the JL is supposed to be effective versus the JLA, but honestly it seems like it only serves to introduce the Question into the whole mix and to have people standing around gawking and commenting about "Superman could never do this!!"

The writing doesn't have a chance to shine as it's mostly just a few screamed words and then phrase after slightly changed phrase of "But he doesn't kill". Once the ball gets rolling I feel we will see a lot more meaningful and memorable dialogue as well as story, but this issue simply didn't have it beyond a few scenes with Wonder Woman as she roped in Justice League Dark (Which I'm all in support of, because I'm a huge Constantine fan and you can never have enough screwing people over for the greater good in your comics).

I really wish they had opened up on each other more. I really do enjoy watching fights that don't normally occur, and seeing Martian Manhunter having his way with Superman makes me feel happy that at least somebody out there realizes that MM has ALL of the same powers as Superman AND more, so he should easily be the match of Superman in any given confrontation. Obviously there are variables that can come into play, but too often people simply say Superman is better than everyone.... just not the case.

Well, hopefully I'll have more to talk about as the Trinity Wars progress. I'm sure this is just a building block to something better, so we should all be in store for some good reading! 

Justice League #22 (Trinity War #1) *Spoilers at the bottom*

Comic: Justice League #22 (Trinity War #1)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Cover/Penciller: Ivan Reis
Colorist/Cover: Rod Reis
Inker: Oclair Albert

I'll be honest. When I heard where DC was going with the Trinity War I cringed inside. I'm a huge fan of mythology and to watch what I was sure was about to be the butchering of one of the things I loved BY another of the things I loved was going to bother me immensely (I can nerd rage with the best of them).

Having made my way through the first issue, I have to say I am intrigued. They've set the basic stage for Pandora and her myth in a prelude, so they jump right into the thick of it with this issue. It starts out completely disjointed and disconnected, but the story is brought together and a bit of light is shown on what exactly how the "Trinity War" is going to be started.

I mean, they've never really needed a good reason to make a bunch of super heroes fight eachother. (Please see AvX and the waste of time that was for an example) However, tension has been built well before this issue, and they've made a point of being blatant about the Justice League of America being designed specifically for the task of defeated the Justice League. So, we knew it was coming... but how do you spark off a fight between two teams that want the same thing ultimately? This issue will definitely give you a hint.

I can honestly say I am looking forward to reading more into the Trinity Wars. If anything watching the good guys fight each other while making witty banter (Thanks Geoff Johns) is always a bit of a treat if not overdone!

As for the art, The Reis brothers are amazing together. Ivan conveys emotion and action into his art that provides solid feelings of tension as well as emotion without ever needing a word said while Rod makes each page pop out at you without being a blob of color or losing a character in the background. Mr. Albert's work with shadows is also a huge boon to both the artist and inker by providing the stark contrast from the colorful costumes of our favorites like Wonder Woman and Superman.


******************************SPOILERS BELOW***********************************

Alright, nuts and bolts. In this issue we find out that a group called the Secret Society is orchestrating the war between the super heroes. We also get to watch Madame Xanadu die (for how long, who knows) because of it. The tension builds throughout the comic until Shazam, trying to be the good guy he is decides to head to the political hotspot of Kahndaq to scatter the ashes of Adam across the land as a means of laying him to rest.

Well, the poor kid apparently can't do anything right because Superman and the JL decide they are going to have to go there and attack him while he's being attacked by Khandaq forces, which does give us a heart warming image of Shazam popping the big blue boyscout on the jaw. (Really, this is great image #1 of this issue).

Shortly after the JLA shows up, obviously intent upon stopping the Justice League and trying to paint them as bad guys so as to sway public opinion away from them. They've brought a new weapon (Doctor Light) who actually seems like a really nice guy along because he can neutralize Firestorm.... what they didn't realize was that he would also be able to neutralize Superman to....

Ok. Hold on. Dr. light is touted as being an INCREDIBLY intelligent scientist, so much so that he knows Firestorms powers better than Firestorm. So how is it a piece of widely known fact, that Superman is charged on solar power (It's brought up multiple times in earlier issues of the New 52), manages to escape the notice of the super scientist who's power is to absorb solar energy? .... I can suspend my belief. I do it constantly to read comics, but man I need at least a little bit of consistency ok? At least we won't have that kinda issue arise with Doctor Light again for a little bit.

Because after Doctor Light accidentally "pops" because he absorbed too much of Superman's power.... Superman introduces Light to his laser vision at point blank range and we are left with the incredibly headless Dr. Light.

We also get a glimpse of the fact that The Outsider is behind some of the machinations (at least) of the Secret Society. That would account for two of the trinity of sin, though the Question of who the third is hardly remains seeing as the comic book industry just can't seem to keep a secret for crap!!!

Hey there True Believers. No...

Howdy Sports Fans! Nyet.

Ladies and Gentleman, We... Are... Live! Newp.

Apparently every last bit of originality has been squeezed from my body in the process of simply creating this G+ account and it's subsequent blog, so all of you will just have to continue reading without a clever and witty catchphrase to keep you coming back to the blog.

So, I'm Colt. I've been reading comics and flexing my nerd since I can remember. I've got boxes of Magic Cards, Comic Books, Comic Cards, Toys and just about every else geeky from the 90's that you can imagine locked away in my own home as well as my parents. I don't mention this to brag, but to lend myself an iota of street cred in the hopes that you may eventually lend my words a certain amount of respect.

Really, I just want people to pick up a comic book. If something I say can accomplish that fact, this whole endeavor is a win in my book!

That's my gig here. I'm going to review comic books. I'll have some friends post reviews every now and again as well, but primarily it will be little ole' me pumping out a few paragraphs telling you why you should pick up a specific title, or why you should make a small altar to Cthulu and burn a given title in sacrifice hoping that the author will be devoured by that which shall not be named... Either way.

Beyond that I will be running my mouth about industry news and how I generally feel about said news, or simply posting a ton of interesting (by my standards) information that has to do with Comic Books, Conventions, Authors, Artists, and other Geeky and Nerdy randomness!

Well... thanks for getting this far. Stick with me and I'm sure we can find you a new title to pick up, if not some artist and writer names to keep an eye out for!