Review: Justice League Generation Lost #8

Spoilers!!!

Pi’s Comics – August 25th

Welcome to another exciting installment of Pi’s Comics, where I’ll go over what comics I am getting this week, and what comics I very distinctly am not.

Reading Tiny Titans #31 with my Nephew

AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD Trailer

The Hollywood Reporter only today posted the trailer for AMC’s upcoming adaptation of The Walking Dead, and it’s damn good.  Unlike most zombie stories, which have either a tragic end or a superficial ‘happy’ ending that still leaves its survivors stranded in an apocalyptic hell-hole one misstep away from death, The Walking Dead has a unique advantage: it doesn’t end.  Like comics, TV gives it the perfect opportunity to go places zombie films could never even dream of, so be sure to tune in and check it out.

The series will premiere with a 90-minute special on Halloween night.

EDIT: Well, for whatever reason, I cannot get the video to embed. You’ll just have to go through ALL THAT WORK of clicking on the link I provided and watching it there.  Do so. It’s worth it.

Comics I Am Excited For:

Sometimes my reviews can be pretty cranky, so to prove that I actually enjoy and look forward to reading comics every week I have decided to start posting my pull list and some commentary supplement. If you have a comic book you think I would love or, hell, even hate (I enjoy reviewing those too) send me a line.

Action Comics #892

I don’t read much Marvel. But it is not because I am some obssessed DC fan-boy. No, I never read Marvel as a kid so I don’t know where to start. I really wish I could find out why everyone think Amadeus Cho is the shizniz but I can’t figure out why he’s the main character of a Hercules book that used to a be a Hulk book (what?). Anyway, there are a few exceptions. On the recommendation of a friend I picked up Wisdom and fell in love with it. I was both estatic when Cornell began the monthly Captain Britain and MI: 13, my devotion so great that I read the secret Invasion crap which I knew nothing about, and in-turn heart broken by its early demise. To cut to the point: I am super excited that Paul Cornell is now a DC exclusive and even more excited he’s on a Superman property. I haven’t read the first couple issues yet but I plan to be caught up by the time this gets to my LCBS.

Batman #702

Grant Morrison’s Batman; The shining light of Superhero comics. The anti-Watchmen. The comic run that is so good, and so daring, you have no idea why its being published by one of the big two.

Gotham City Sirens #15

Paul Dini got the short stick. He’s the other Batman writer. But those that know know that his run in Batverse has produced some of the most consistently brilliant books of recent times. Also Guillem March. I dropped this book after the first issue. I thought the art was Romon Bachs on Azrael bad. I am talking truly atrocious. But somehow between issue 1 and 4, Guillem has created one of the most beautiful art styles of recent memory.

Time Masters Vanishing Point #2

Like Action Comics this is a book I plan to catch up on. I haven’t read Vanishing point 1 but I am excited about this as it ties to ROBW.

Justice League Generation Lost #8

If you would have told me a year ago that both Geoff Johns and Judd Winnick would be writing their own bi-weekly series and that I would actually prefer Judd Winnick’s what would have I said? … Probably that Geoff Johns is a hack who while could churn out crap to rival Titans would never produce something that would even approach the quality of The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius.

Unknown Soldier #23

The mix of quasi-superheroics and astute geo-political commentary is unlike anything the medium has ever produced. It is quite special. This obviously means this book is getting canned. Counting this issue there are 3 more to go. You will be missed Unknown Solider.

I  would also purchase Madame Xanadu #26 and Scalped #40 if I were not ridiculously behind the curve when it comes to these two great books. I am still playing catch-up.

review/RANT: Brightest Day #8

So at the start of the summer I stopped reading comic books. It wasn’t a concious decision. The first couple of weeks I was just too enthralled in FIFA madness (wtf U.S.A?) and I just kind of fell off the wagon. Anyway, I have started to catch up. I thought a cool opportunity resulting from playing catch up would be that I could read five straight consecutive issues of Brightest Day. To my incessant complaints that this series is borderline incoherent (not to mention st00pid) many have argued that it will read better in the trades. If this experiment is any indication… Nope. This story really makes no f!ing sense.

Review: Batman Beyond #3

I am not the biggest fan, not actively I just never really caught on, of the DC Animated Universe. However, there are two stand-out exceptions that really ignited my enduring love for the Batman mythos: the now classic Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and the criminally underrated Batman Beyond. So I was sold from the get go when this Batman Beyond miniseries was announced. Some voiced their concerns that Adam Beechen was writing the project but he delivers here. Honestly, I think the guy gets a bad rep. His Robin OYL was for the most part serviceable; he just had the unfortunate editorially mandated task of turning Cassandra Cain into a villain. Spoilers ahead…

Short review/Rant on JMS’ Superman So Far [700-702]

The first thing I posted on Read/Rant was a pretty long rambling essay where I tangentially related some of JMS’ ideas for his upcoming run on Superman with my general anxiety about the trajectory DC comics were taking. So I thought that the first thing I  should tackle returning from my hiatus was the first couple issues that JMS has produced thus far.

These last 2 and a half issues of Superman can be succinctly summarized as someone deciding to make this U2 song into a Superman arch. I am actually hessitant to even catergorize this as an “arch.” Grounded is just a series of losely stringed together viginettes in which Straczynski utilizes Superman as a mouth piece for his pseudo-existentialist musings. Here are some laughable gems:

Pi’s Comics – August 18th

I guess I’d better introduce myself at least a little before just getting into the main content of my first rant here.

Delayed Posts

Greetings, loyal audience!  Cal here, with one of those, whaddaya call ‘em, ‘good news ,bad news’ deals?

On the bright side, I got a job!  I’ll be moving for the next few weeks, completely upending my life and running off to an exotic land far, far away from Ohio.  What this means for you?  I’ll be able to afford comics again!  On top of my regular columns, once I’m moved in and getting paid, expect to see reviews popping up again.  I’ll also be able to afford Netflix and cable, so expect the TV reviews, both of older shows (Justice League Unlimited) and newer shows (… there are going to be, like, 6 superhero shows this year, so pick one), to become a more regular and varied feature.

The down side?  As I mentioned, the moving process might take a little while.  While I’ll be down to my new location pretty quickly, how regularly I can get connected to the Internet is another matter entirely.  As you’ve noticed these past two weeks, my updates on The Unread Canon, One Shot and Summer Rewind have been greatly delayed.

Rest assured, posts will be going up, but it won’t be like clockwork for the next month or so.  Thankfully, it looks like the fantabulous brucecastle has returned for now, to fill your souls with the sort of joy only a discussion of new comics can bring.

I know, you’re all bereft.  I’ll do what I can to assuage your wounded hearts, and until I do, I hope you all have a fantastic week!

- Cal Cleary

Top 5 Comics of July 2010

And I’m finally caught up! I read 27 comics in July, and these were the best.

Review: Iron Man: Noir #4

Film Review: Scott Pilgrim VS. The World

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a film adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s fine “Scott Pilgrim” series.  It stars Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, along with a large cast of excellent actors from comic heroes Chris Evans and Brandon Routh to newcomers or little-known actors like Ellen Wong and Mae Whitman.  It is directed by Edgar Wright, of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead fame.  And it is among the best movies to come out this year.

A mash-up of romantic comedy and action film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World lacks the ramshackle, loosely plotted charms of O’Malley’s comics, but it makes up for it with a killer pace and some of the best visuals I’ve ever seen in a movie.  More so than something like Avatar, Scott Pilgrim seems to herald a brighter future for CGI-driven action.  Like Avatar, the action of the film, quite possibly the reality of the film, leans heavily on computer animation.  Unlike Avatar, Wright & Co. didn’t master the effects and then give up – they went on to craft a world, one filled with fascinating characters and touching moments in between bizarre, musical-style sequences of playful violence. In Avatar, you admired the effects and tried to forgive the shoddy plotting and lazy characterization.  In Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, you accept the effects and live in the movie.

Wright and his casting team made some brilliant choices, and then made some more, and then kept on making them: even the bit parts of the film, characters like Jill, Envy, Comeau, etc… are impeccably cast, maintaing not only the look of the comics, but the sensibility of the story.  Aubrey Plaza, Alison Pill, and Kieron Culkin stand out as, respectively, Julie Powers, Kim Pine, and Wallace Wells, and steal almost every scene they’re in, but there’s not a single bad casting decision in the movie.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is not a movie everyone will like, but it’s a movie everyone should see.  Like it’s closest relative, Kung-Fu Hustle, it combines shockingly deft comedy with some of the best action you will ever see, but while Kung-Fu Hustle is an obvious touchstone (as is Wright’s hyper-referential/excellent sitcom Spaced), Scott Pilgrim is a truly unique film.

Unlike many films and shows that toss out pop culture references left and right (say, Epic Movie or Family Guy), Scott Pilgrim is, well, good.  The references, far from random, serve to bring us deeper and deeper into Scott’s brain and tell us why he’s doing what he’s doing, an audio-visual shorthand that clues us into Scott’s head.

It isn’t flawless, not even close.  The last minute of the film feels tacked on, like studio testing suggested that what they were building to was too frightening and mature an ending to consider.  The film could have used an extra 10-20 minutes, to space the fights a little better and give Scott and Ramona’s burgeoning relationship a chance to breathe.  Or just to flesh out Ramona a little more, an important character given somewhat short shrift by the film.

But it’s not often that a film suffers from too much ambition these days, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World certainly has that.  Bursting with ideas and with a sense of style all its own, you won’t see anything like it for a long, long time.  See it in theaters.  Even if you don’t love it, and there’s every chance you won’t, you’ll be glad that you did.  It’s funny.  It’s exciting.  It’s smart.  And it has a shocking amount of heart for an CGI-heavy action film that involves demon hipster chicks and people exploding into handfuls of coins.

Review: Iron Man: Noir #3

Review: American Vampire #5

Top 5 Best Comics of June 2010

Still incredibly late, but I will catch up soon. I read 30 comics in June, and these were the best.

Review: American Vampire #4

The Unread Canon #12: The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life

As a beginning note, this may be my last installment on The Walking Dead, at least for now.  While I do have “The Calm Before” and “Made to Suffer” (they’re the last volumes of my collection) and I am enjoying the series, it doesn’t lend itself terribly well to this sort of critique, or at least it doesn’t the way I’ve been doing it.  The flaws remain the same: the forced, stilted dialogue in particular is something I doubt Kirkman is going to get over after 36 issues, nor his tendency to overexplain character’s motives.  Meanwhile, the story has slowed down considerably and looks to be going in a slightly more traditional path.  I’ll make my final decision in the next two weeks, after reading “The Calm Before”, but rest assured – should The Walking Dead be removed from the roster, it won’t be forgotten.  I fully intend to keep reading, and may jump in should I notice a particularly large shift in tone, some interesting new themes, or anything along those lines, I might jump in with an Unread Canon Interlude sometime.  And in the meanwhile, I’ll be taking some suggestions for what to follow next: right now, front runners include Ultimate Spider-Man and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  Have any thoughts on the subject?  Chime in in the comments.

Summer Rewind: Justice League Unlimited

Season 1, Episodes 14-15

“The Cat and the Canary”

Advanced Review: Irredeemable #16

Note: Irredeemable #16 arrives in stores Wednesday, August 4.