Super Serial: Art Imitates Art

What a big week for comics! DC puts out its final issues of Blackhawks and the Uncharted mini-series, finishes up the over-looked and under-whelming "Rise of the Vampires" cross-over, and sets up its new line wide event "The Culling" with a prelude in Teen Titans #8!

Of course, the big news on everyone's minds this week is over at Marvel, with the final issue of the blockbuster mini-series Battle Scars. In it, they replace the current Nick Fury with a character more in line to the Sam Jackson interpretation. Whether you love or hate the idea of the Marvel Movie-verse influencing the comics, you have to admit that the future spy adventures of Nick Fury Jr. and Phil Coulson sounds like a fun idea.

That's not all that Marvel did this week either! They also wrapped up the amazing street level event "The Omega Effect" and finished several series such as The Twelve and the much under-appreciated Moon Knight. The latest Dark Tower mini-series also came to an end, and fans of that series will keep on enjoying it.



With all those books ending, replacements had to be made, of course. The "Marvel Universe" branding gets a new book based on the abysmal Ultimate Spider-Man television show and the Cap and Bucky book gets a re-title and a new direction in the form of Captain American &; a guest team-up book in the vein of Avenging Spider-Man. The first arc features Cap and Hawkeye fighting dinosaurs. Count me in.

In addition, the famous Jason Aaron run on Wolverine ended last month, with the team of Cullen Bunn & Paul Pelletier taking the reigns for now. It's only one issue in, but it's not exactly living up to expectations so far.

Last but also least, the new mini-series tie-in to the blockbuster event of 2012 kicks off. Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus (yes that's the title) takes fights from the main books and expands them to a book of their own. If you think that sounds wholly unnecessary and thoughtless than you'd be right. That's all I'll say on the matter.

AvX notwithstanding, Marvel actually had a great line-up this week. I had a hard time whittling down a Top 5, with Astonishing X-Men, Moon Knight, Uncanny X-Men, and Secret Avengers all just barely not making the cut. After much deliberation, here are my Top 5 for the week:






#5 - The New Deadwardians #2: Such a refreshing new series. An interesting murder mystery set in the backdrop of a Vampire/Zombie war. In Victorian England. Yes please. Its something that I've truly never seen before, and in this day and age of comics that is certainly a rare treat. Not much else to say, pick it up if you want a vampire or zombie story that isn't a carbon copy of all the others.

#4 - Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates #9: Wow does Hickman know how to tell an epic yarn. The big battle between the Children and the People finally kicks off, and to top that off we have a sub-plot of the American government taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. and launching nukes at Europe. There were at least two pages in this issue where I just stared at the art in awe for a good minute. This book seriously doesn't know the meaning of the word "status quo"; I'm eagerly anticipating where it goes from here.

#3 -  Daredevil #11: The conclusion of "The Omega Effect" is a slight bit of a disappointment compared to the other two issues; mostly due to the ending. The main goal of the arc was not really accomplished, and I wouldn't be surprised if an "Omega Effect 2" event pops up in a few months. Having said that it's still a great issue. Spider-Man is kind of unnecessary here, providing only comic relief, but the three other characters come out of this cross-over with a large amount of development. Punisher and his lady-friend are the best off in this regard, with hints of a new direction for Cole-Alves in the coming issues. If you are fan of any of these characters I'd advise picking up this issue, and the whole event.

#2 - Green Lantern: New Guardians #8: I'll be the first to admit I'm a bit of a fan-boy for the various Lantern Corps factions. This is probably the best Power Rangers comic I'll ever get. And if you are like me, you will love this issue. We are finally done with that Invictus arc (for now) and we get a stand-alone featuring Arkillo and the fate of the Yellow Lantern Corps after the events in the main GL title. I love the attempts to bridge an over-all GL continuity between the four books and this issue more than anything shows how every Corps is in dire straits. It's all building up to the "Third Army" event, and I couldn't be happier to be along for the ride.

#1 - FF #17:There is no question, every person on the planet should buy this issue. The premise is Peter Parker and Johnny Blaze are room-mates. Cue the insanity. That's really all you need to know. Dragotta is not exactly my cup of tea, but the art only slightly brings down the glory of the issue. If you think throwing a wild party with the Universal Inhumans sounds like fun, than you will adore this book. I don't want to give away too much but I'll just say this: Johnny Blaze getting arrested, hitting on a mounted cop, while his friend Midnight Blade hits on the horse. I've lauded the writing skills of Hickman before, but this is sheer brilliance. Go pick it up now.




And that's it! Tune in next time (tomorrow maybe?) where I'll talk about the shows for the week, which is quickly becoming the "praise Young Justice and then mention the other shows that pale in comparison" corner.

Until next time comic fans, stay golden!

Golden Age/Silver Screen: Young Justice Finale

If you had asked me a couple years ago if I would be absolutely in love with a show about DC sidekicks that ISN'T called Teen Titans then I would have most likely responded with a snort of derision. Aqualad and Miss Martian holding my attention? Are you kidding me?

Flash forward to now, and Young Justice is one of the best shows on television and without a doubt the greatest thing to come out of DC Animation since the DCAU. And now we come to the Season 1 finale. Boy what a ride.

Revelations abound as the how and why are finally revealed with the whole "mole" story arc. We are witness to character upheavals as they have to put their baggage and daddy issues aside and battle their mentors. It's an all-out smack-down with Young Justice vs. the Justice League. With all of the action packed in I was surprised to see actual plot and character development as well.

Like I said, Superboy had his story arc develop by battling Superman. And Miss Martian as well learned to accept herself a little more, going into her true form in order to defeat the League.

The villain reveal was done well and I have to say this is my favorite depiction of Vandal Savage I've seen so far. Too often his motivations and strategy don't stack up to detailed scrutiny (looking at you "JL: Doom") but in this I believed every bit of it. It was a great finale to a great season. Looking back, nearly every episode seemed to be building up to this peak, it was all set together so well.

It also sets up perfectly for the next season, giving us a new mystery to anticipate and showing us a sneak peak at what's in store. When I saw armless Roy in that stasis tube, the fanboy in me dropped his jaw. ARSENAL!

The best part is, Season 2 starts next week! If more shows could do that, I would be in heaven. And it promises to only climb higher in quality; if only because of the inclusion of one of my favorite young heroes: Blue Beetle! Here's a sneak peak of the monumental television spectacle of YJ Season 2, titled Young Justice: Invasion.




I've rambled on too long about the glorious YJ finale, so I'll just say a few quick words about the rest of the shows this week:

Green Lantern: The Animated Series - A good episode, but a dip in quality due to last week's episode being so phenomenal. The character development for Kilowag was nice, and I like that they are taking the time to build up the menace of the Yellow Lanterns. When Sinestro is finally introduced, I know it's going to be great.

DC Nation Shorts - There was a Plastic Man short (which was alright) and a New Teen Titans short, which is always good for nostalgia at the very least. This particular episode just so happens to be the best DC Short so far. References to Doctor Who, Scooby-Doo, and the 80's Titans look all made me fuzzy on the inside. This really needs to be a full show.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Lots of big introductions, the official reveal of Ms. Marvel, along with S.W.O.R.D. and the Kree forces, including Mar-Vell and Ronan the Accuser. A really great showing, especially for fans of cosmic Marvel. Abigail Brande stole the show and was quite bad-ass. Mostly action, but this show sure does that well. With only one season left before the show ends, I'm nervous how they are going to juggle both Civil War and the Kree/Skrull War (as well as other plots) while doing them all justice. I fear it's going to be rushed or there will be too many loose ends. We shall see.

Ultimate Spider-Man - A good episode to watch if only for the first animated depiction of the Iron Spider costume (that I know of). I adore that version of Spidey and it was nice seeing it paid tribute here. It doesn't quite save the show from mediocrity, however. The premise of the show has so much potential, it's a shame that the execution is just that: murder. I'd recommend watching the Iron Man/Spider-Man fight on youtube and skip the rest of the episode.

Marvel Universe Shorts - Blech. I'd be horrified that Marvel actually put effort into these, but apparently they didn't. They are already showing repeats of Marvel Master Class. Goes to show what happens when you desperately try to rip off DC with no soul put into the idea.

And that's all for now. Sorry about the delay, hopefully my next article will be out on time (which would be tomorrow! Better get started!)

Stay golden, comics fans!

Super Serial: Back on Track

The hubbub over at C2E2 has died down, and that's allowed me to catch up on a few things. I'm finally back on track and (hopefully) sticking to a schedule for the foreseeable future. I've got a few minor nuggets of info to throw your way though, so get ready!

• Following the cancellation of iZombie, Chris Roberson has left DC for good. If you are looking for motivation, just check his twitter. You'll find some very not nice things written about his former employers.
• Hot on the heels of AvX, DC announced its next big thing: Trinity War. Coming in 2013, this will set the stage for the new status quo of the DCnU and feature our heroes facing off against the mysterious Pandora and her cohorts.
• In addition to this, September will be the home of new #0 issues for every issue of the New 52. These will go back in the timeline to before the #1 issues, and will set up revelations for the next year of comics.
• On the movies front, we have a new villain for Iron Man 3 in Guy Pearce. He'll be playing the scientist that invents Extremis. We also have more info on The Wolverine, with filming to begin soon in Australia. And last but not least, two films that were thought to be in development hell are resurfacing: Sin City 2 and Lobo! The latter has a new director in Brad Peyton, and the former is gearing up for casting now with Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson confirmed to return.
• In the world of TV, a new sneak peak has popped up for next year's addition to DC Nation: Beware the Batman. Check it out below:

Moving along from news to reviews, things continue to amp up for Marvel. 'AvX' continues to be nothing more than people punching each other (like we haven't seen that before). On the flip side, the other not as big Marvel events have both been top notch; 'Omega Effect' much more than 'Ends of the Earth'. DC is doing much the same by gearing up for both 'Night of the Owls' and 'The Culling'. I'm sure you can guess which is more anticipated. Here are my Top 5 for the week:

#5 - Wolverine and the X-Men #9: The only one of the AvX tie-ins so far to be any entertaining. This features an expanded form of the scene in AvX #1 where Captain America goes to the school in Westchester to ask Wolverine for help. The writing is fun, witty, and shows that a bleak thing like the Phoenix doesn't need to be taken so seriously. The art is love it or hate it, but I'm a Bacchalo fan so I consider it a plus. The only drawback is that you won't really know what's going on if you haven't been reading AvX proper.

#4 - X-Factor #234: Peter David has created a tight-knit group of characters that you can't find anywhere else, it's a niche X-book that is sorely needed and welcomed. The tug-and-pull for power in this issue provides for wonderful drama, and the sub-plot involving Layla's reviving power is interesting as well. I'll be interested to see whether Madrox continues to lead the team or if he gives up his mantle to Havok/Polaris. If you enjoy character studies more than you do generic action scenes, then definitely pick up this book. You won't regret it.

#3 - Wonder Woman #8: This title is downright mind-blowing. Original plot combined with unique art, this run sure is a keeper. A revitalization of the character that was sorely needed, Wondie is now the ass-kicking, god-slaying, Amazon princess she always should have been. In this issue, she travels down to underworld to fight Hades and his hordes of undead, armed only with a sword and two golden pistols. Badass! If you aren't already poring over every issue of this glorious book, then rectify that mistake immediately!

#2 - The Punisher #10: The second part of 'The Omega Effect' swings into high gear, with DD and Spidey delivering a baby and Lady Punisher finally getting the skull-shirt you all knew was coming. The art continues to be beautiful (if a bit too clean) and the writing begins to play on what exactly is right and wrong with the philosophy of The Punisher. The Cole-Alves character has brought so many potential stories for The Punisher that I really hope she stays for the long haul. The characters interact wonderfully once again and the battles are edge-of-your-seat exciting. If you read 'Omega Effect' part 1, definitely get this; and if you haven't...get them both!

#1 - Batman #8: You knew this was coming. The epic line-wide event of the Bat family starts here, and boy is it grand! The first part of 'Night of the Owls' pits Bruce against a horde of undead ninjas (known as Talons) that have infiltrated the mansion AND the Bat-Cave. With Bruce backed into a corner, he reveals a new set of Bat Armor to seriously bring the pain; while Alfred sends a distress call to the rest of the Bat family to rescue key figures all over the city that are on the Talon's assassination list. I don't have much to say about the book itself, it's that good. Everything in Snyder's run has lead to this, it may be mostly action but under the surface lies an immense conspiracy that just might leave Batman on his knees. I'm beyond excited, and you should be too! If you have any interest in anything Bat-related, you NEED to buy this book. It's just common sense.

That's it for now, comics fans. Tune in next Monday where I'll be putting up another article of 'Golden Age/Silver Screen' featuring the season finale of Young Justice! And as always...stay golden!

Golden Age/Silver Screen: Dat Venom!

The world of comic-based television shows have been shaken up quite a lot recently. And by that, I mean slimmed down. The Walking Dead and Comic Book Men both went on their season breaks, and the Blade anime is officially dead. With the addition of Iron Man: Armored Adventures on hiatus until further notice, that leaves the new programming blocks of "DC Nation" and "Marvel Universe".

Both of them seem to have pros and cons, but personally the DC Nation block pulls slightly ahead for a few reasons. This week had new episodes of both Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series; in addition to new shorts from MAD Presents... and DC's World's Funnest. The shorts are an alright fare, but nothing to write home about. The shows on the other hand, are both top notch.

Young Justice boils to a head as the plot involving the 'mole' finally gets its payoff. The mystery was going on for a little too long imo, so I'm glad to see it resolved in such a satisfying manner. It's always nice seeing the grown up Justice League in the show, and the idea of a battle royale between the two leagues in the next episode is very intriguing. The Earth-16 version of the Riddler is cringe-worthy though, much like the Joker seen earlier in the series. They can't seem to pull off the Bat's rogues gallery successfully.

And now for the kicker. After weeks of being undecided on the new Green Lantern show, this episode pops up and kicks it into high gear. It's non-stop excitement as Razer confronts Atrocitus and the rest of Red Lanterns. It really never lets up, until the end credits roll and you realize you are literally on the edge of your seat. I'm still not a fan of the CGI art in principal, but I know it's not going to go away so I'm perfectly happy to recommend this show from here on out. It's my pick of the week.

The Marvel Universe block continues to be a mixed bag. Avengers seemed to have an off episode, with a focus on the Enchantress and Zemo that I actually found to be not that interesting. It's so out of the ordinary to not love this show week in and week out, that I'm going to have to give it a pass. It's still the best hero-show on tv in the long run, and sitting through this slightly lackluster episode is a small price to pay. The only shame is the breaking news that this will be its final season. Sad times ahead.

And now for the continual stinker in this block. While Ultimate Spider-Man continues to disappoint me in every conceivable way, at least this episode stunk the least out of all that I've seen. The fight with Venom was well choreographed and I found myself paying attention more than I usually do, and the cut-away gags seemed to have been toned down a bit. It still has a long way to go to being good though. The thing I liked most about the episode was the re-tooled origin for Venom and his connection to Doc Ock/Osborn. It may be hit or miss most of the time, but the originality of the show is its best feature. Here's to hoping it's originality can be more like the new Venom...and less like the Spider-bike.

The shorts accompanying "Marvel Universe" are barely worth a mention. If I was Disney I wouldn't even bother at this point. Fail.

So that's it for this week. Avengers and Spider-Man were a roller-coaster ride of quality, but both the "DC Nation" shows completely amp up the awesome factor. But, if I had to pick one show that made the greatest showing this week, it would be Green Lantern. It's finally finding its feet, and I suggest to everyone to get in on the ground floor and show this new show the support it deserves.

Check back next week comics fans, and as always, stay golden!

Super Serial: C2E2!

A bit late to the party once agian! All this past week or so anyone worth their mettle in the comics industry was in one place: C2E2! The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. There were tons of nuggets of information revealed but I'll summarize some of the bullet points that I think are important:

• Several artist shake-ups are on the way for Marvel, including Ryan Stegman hopping from Scarlet Spider to Fantastic Four, and Jamie McKelvie jumping on Defenders. Koi Pham will take up the mantle of Scarlet Spider

• Marvel announced some new mini-events in the works, including "Everything Burns" spanning across The Mighty Thor and Journey Into Mystery, and "Minimum Carnage" where Venom and Scarlet Spider team up to take down Carnage. Over in the Ultimate Universe, the previously announced Spider-Men is joined by "Divided We Fall"; an event spanning all three of the Ultimate books and involving the return of Captain America.

• Finally, Marvel announced two new ongoings, Hawkeye and Gambit. Rumor has it these two characters will become important players during AvX, justifying their respective solo titles.

DC was much more tight-lipped during the event, but they did announce a slew of new digital first titles to flesh out their catalog; including another Batman title (this one with revolving creative teams a la Astonishing X-Men), as well as Ame-Comi Girls, a comic featuring anime stylized versions of DC characters based on the Ame-Comi statues that are available.

Coming from the cinematic front, news of Iron Man 3 and beyond have recently cropped up. Despite director Shane Black claiming Mandarin is a no-go for Iron Man 3, it's been confirmed filming will take place in China; with Bob Kingsley set to play an "unnamed villain". Put two and two together, folks.

Additionally, the schedule of Marvel films post-Avengers was fleshed out a bit. Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are set to release in 2013, and Captain America 2 is confirmed for an April 2014 release. However, up to two other films will be released in 2014 alongside Cap, with odds pointing to Ant-Man and Dr. Strange. That leaves the announced films Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, and The Inhumans tentatively pinned down to 2015, as well as a possible S.H.I.E.L.D. movie thrown in there somewhere, all setting up for The Avengers 2 in 2016. Quite a long wait!

Of course, this is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to news pouring out of C2E2; but this info will get you started. Keep an eye on the DC Source blog or the main Marvel website if you want to find out more.

Moving on to this week's releases, DC is quickly building up to next month's two line-wide events: "Night of the Owls" and "The Culling". As exciting as that is, their are also numerous cancellations finally coming to fruition with Mister Terrific and Northlanders releasing their final issues, along with Deathstroke and Grifter getting wrapped up and shipped off to Liefeld for his glorious method of bastardization. It's not all bad though; DC quickly replaces them with two new titles: Smallville: Season 11 and Green Lantern: The Animated Series. The latter is an expansion of their "DC Kids" line, taking place in the same universe as the new tv show.

Marvel does something similar and launches it's "Marvel Universe" branding, featuring comics set in the worlds of Avenger's: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Ultimate Spider-Man tv shows. Not to mention the beginning of the much anticipated cross-over: "The Omega Effect". With all that going on, it could be hard figuring out where to spend your hard earned cash. Here are my personal Top 5:

#5 - Secret Avengers #25: The gripping conclusion to the current arc focusing on the Robot Revolution. The art isn't my favorite here, it can get kind of muddled and hard to decipher sometimes; but that's really the only complaint I can think of for this issue. Loving the old-fashioned characterization for the original Human Torch, and I hope to see him again soon. This storyline is clearly setting up for something big, and it's quite a shame that the flow has to be interrupted to make room for AvX.

#4 - The Unwritten #36: Another great issue to a severely under-rated book. A lot of what I love about this title isn't the story itself, but the world. They've managed to create a story where fiction itself is a living character. It's a detour issue and doesn't even include the main characters, but that's no detriment. The premise of a wave of nothingness that destroys fiction is superb. Is it the readers forgetting, or the creator erasing? I'll be tuning in to find out!

#3 - The Shade #7: Throughout the course of this maxi-series, The Shade has quickly become my favorite DC character. There is just nothing bad I can say about him or this book. James Robinson manages to weave a tale that spans great leaps of distance and time and yet I don't feel like the book is stretched too thin. This isn't the best issue of the series by far, but it's still better than most of what DC's shipping at the moment. Buy it now!

#2 - Avenging Spider-Man #6: The first chapter of "The Omega Effect". The art is great, but maybe a bit too clean for Punisher. The story builds well and the dialogue is full of the wit and smarm that makes Spider-Man so loveable. His interactions with the rest of the group made me literally lol as he tries to mediate between Punisher and Daredevil. And the bit where he is introduced to "Punisher-ette" is brilliant. Look here, AvX, this is how you do an event.

#1 - Fantastic Four #605: After all the mind-boggling cosmic battles and time-travel wankery that's gone on in this book recently, it's ironic that such a laid back issue would become my favorite of the run. It's thoughtful, tragic, touching, and it provides crucial character development that allows Reed Richards to step back from his own ego for a second and just chill. It's a great moment. Hickman is absolutely killing it, it's the best run I've ever seen on FF (EVER) and I'll be seriously saddened when the creative team is switched over this fall. You owe it to yourself to get this issue. Heck, you owe it to yourself to get Hickman's entire run!

And those are my Top 5 recommendations for this week! Be sure to let me know what you think of this week's books in the comments section below. I'm back to the daily grind, but I'll be back on Wednesday to chime in on this week's hero shows with another iteration of "Golden Age/Silver Screen" (Dat Venom!)

Until next time comics fans, stay tuned, and stay golden!

Quick Update

A little behind on things, it's been a busy week. Just popping in to relate to you all that I'll be back in full force next Saturday with a new write-up about this week's comics. Stay tuned!

Digging for Gold: DC Comics - 1936

Comics Reviewed:
More Fun Comics, Vol. 1: #7-12
More Fun Comics, Vol. 2: #1-4*
New Comics, Vol. 1: #2-11


Let's flash back to the first article I ever put up on this blog, a little information dump on what DC comics was like in its larval stages, that of the year 1935. I noted that the two monthly comics being published at that time were both fun little anthology magazines that, while interesting for viewing the mindset of America during that time, had little of actual value.

Unfortunately, the following year, innovation was not really on the minds of the creators involved with the two books. Their original title, New Fun Comics, had its title changed to More Fun Comics, and along with the second book New Comics, they continued to produce much of the same stories akin to newspaper funnies. Behind the scenes, however, was a different story entirely.

For a little while, things were looking good for the higher ups at National Allied Magazines. They weren't making a ton of money, but the fact that they didn't pay quite a few of their artists led to a relatively significant profit. Of course, you can see how the artists themselves would have a problem with this!

And thus, about half-way through the year, a mass exodus of talent occurred at DC. Lesser known writer/artists like Matt Curson, R.H. Livingstone and William Allison, as well as more famous talent like Sheldon Mayer, all left the company in droves. Even two of the editors, William Cook and John Mahon, split off to form their own rival, the Comics Magazine Company.

Learn more about the Comics Magazine Company here.

Sweeping changes were in order for DC in order to survive. New talent like Homer Fleming and Bill Patrick were hired to come and take over on some of the more popular strips (with name changes for copyright purposes of course). And current artists Vincent Sullivan and Whitney Ellsworth were promoted to editor status, assisting big boss Wheeler-Nicholson.

New people were continuously hired, but damage had been done, and there were no where near as many writer/artists as previously. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because the current staff were forced to take on more stories, shoving them into the limelight. Namely the power-house team of Siegel and Shuster.

The appearance of Superman was still a couple years off, but even back in 1936 it was apparent these guys were going to make it big. They continued to write Dr. Occult for More Fun Comics and created two new police-story strips, Radio Squad & Federal Men, for New Comics. It was not long before their art style became DC's preferred "look" and they were considered the face of the Golden Age of comics.

The survival of DC Comics during this time is due in large part to them. Their innovation in turning Dr. Occult into a caped super-hero, albeit briefly, was a glimpse into the world that the comics industry would become in just a few short years. Along with that, their story Federal Men became the most popular strip at DC up to that point, leading to the formation of the "Junior Federal Men Club" and Steve Carson (the eponymous "Federal Man") headlined New Comics for a ages to come.


If you can get your hands on the early works of Siegel and Shuster, it is a sight to behold. Dr. Occult, Federal Men, and the later introduced Slam Bradley are all amazing stories for their time. No where else in comics could you find terrorists with tanks and giant robots invading Washington DC and laying waste to the city (Purportedly DC's first major "crisis").

Other than those strips though, there isn't much to be seen here. It's a lot of the same stories witnessed in the previous year, some stories even utilizing the same drawings over and over again. Not exactly what I would call "gold." I'd recomend seeking out Dr. Occult and Federal Men strips, and skipping the others.




Siegel and Shuster pulled DC out of the depths of cancellation. But they were no where near a good profit margin. Slowly but surely, the financial situation was slipping for dear old Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and his little comic company. There was hope at the end of the tunnel though. In New Comics #11, there is an advertisement for a new DC book to be released that next year. A title I'm sure any comic fan has heard of. The namesake of DC itself: Detective Comics. And with that, history is made.



*At the time, DC's policy was to re-launch the title after every twelve issues, indicating a one-year run. This lasted until 1938, when the titles were retroactively adjusted to their actual Vol. 1 numbers.

Golden Age, Silver Screen: Phoenix Rising

The Phoenix Force is a term you'll hear a lot this summer, due to its foreboding status over the current Marvel Universe. But that got me thinking; the phoenix is a very good metaphor for the comic book industry. In the beginning, the popularity of newspaper strips gave way to the rise of the monthly comic book. And it was good. However, all things must die, and many people believe that the clock is ticking towards midnight for print comics.

Whether or not we see all comic shops close their doors in favor of digital media was once a situation of 'if', but as the years roll on it's quickly becoming an issue of 'when'. But no matter the form it takes, the art of words set to accompanying pictures will never die, rather, it will continually rise from its own ashes. Like the phoenix.



And much like this blog. Welcome to my first article of the new and improved "Digging For Gold". Welcome to "Golden Age, Silver Screen", a look into how the world of comics are currently effecting the entertainment industry.

This week had several highly anticipated beginnings, and one long awaited ending. Let's start with the big news: the introduction of Disney XD's 'Marvel Universe' block of shows.

In all honesty, it's really a mixed bag. The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes came in strong with their Season 2 premier, and boy did it pack a punch. The Avengers team up with the Fantastic Four for an all-out, slam fest with none other than Dr. Doom himself. It did not disappoint, and the episode left Doom with the upper hand. This will definitely come into play further along in the season.


Now, the fighting was top-notch, but the real magic in this episode are the character interactions. Hulk and The Thing play off each other perfectly, and the scientific rivalry between Stark and Richards is just what you would expect. The dialogue was great and really brought me into the show. I felt like I was just one of the guys, playing poker with the greats.

If they can keep up this level of quality throughout the season, it will hands down take the prize for my favorite show. I suggest anyone with half a brain to get caught up with this spectacular cartoon immediately. Season 1 is on Netflix already, so there is really no excuse!


Now for the bad news: Ultimate Spider-Man does not seem to be targeted for me. Maybe I was anticipating it too much, but as a show penned by the great Paul Dini I was expecting more. I really wanted to like it, the inclusion of Power Man and Iron Fist get a huge thumbs up from me, and some of the jokes were legitimately funny. However, the jokes that hit are far too outnumbered by the jokes that miss and the rest of the dialogue is filled to the brim with unnecessary narration and cut-aways explaining things that anyone who's seen Spider-Man already knows. The writers think the audience is a bit slow, or the show was targeted towards toddlers. Either way, it's a pass in my book. And yes, I'm a fan of Spectacular Spider-Man. Why can't we just have that back?

Rounding out the 'Marvel Universe' block was a talk with Joe Quesada about drawing the Hulk (cool), a character profile of Hawkeye (nothing I didn't already know) and a couple 'Marvel Mash-Ups' where they take old Marvel cartoons and re-dub them a la Sealab 2021. These are VERY hit and miss and while I chuckled at a couple, it was mostly childish and grating. Doom's triple rainbow segment was good though. All in all I wouldn't consider the block of programming a success. Just grab Avengers and ignore the rest.

Moving to DC Nation, it was an admirable block of programming, albeit over-shadowed by the greatness of Avengers (seriously watch it). Young Justice was an alright episode centered on Artemis. I'm not a fan of her so I might be biased, but the episode didn't clinch me like so many others do. Green Lantern is once again still finding its feet. If the show continues to just go from one planet to the next in a 'monster of the week' sort of fashion, it will fail fast. The Green Lantern mythos is so large, I'm sure they could be doing something better with these characters. For now, I'm still in a 'wait-and-see' state.


The DC Nation shorts were better fare, with New Teen Titans and Superman of Tokyo being some of my favorite shorts seen so far. If New Teen Titans doesn't get expanded into a full show I'll run down to the DC office and smack someone. Really.

Last but not least, we get to the leftovers. Iron Man: Armored Adventures, that oft-looked over Canadian cartoon with the catchy intro (It's Rooney, check those guys out). This episode featured Iron Man 2099 coming to the present to kill his grand-father Tony. Enraging paradoxes aside, it was a pretty entertaining episode. The show may not be top-tier, but it's still the best Iron Man show ever in terms of character portrayals...even if they are teenagers. I suggest looking it up if you've never seen it before.



Here it is. You all knew it was coming. The final episode of Blade. I've spent many days ranting about how horrible this show is, and sadly, the finale doesn't do much to redeem itself. It was a fitting conclusion and not a bad episode on its own, but it was far too little, too late. I won't go into my gripes with this episode, they are the same as all the others. Perhaps because all 12 episodes have pretty much the same plot structure. Through watching the series I was constantly thinking "Your Princess Is In Another Castle". Repetitive, episodic, drivel. The story could have been told in 4-5 episodes, everything else is just padding.

I love anime, and I love Madhouse, the studio responsible. But it seems they just don't know how to make Blade work as a series. It's a shame, he seems to have faded into obscurity in the comics and I would love a refreshing take on the character. This is not it.

That's all for this week, a bit longer than I anticipated, but that's life. A lot longer than you anticipated. See you next Monday, where once again I'll be laying down my musings on the shows based on the comics we all love.

Until next time comics fans, stay golden.

'tldr' - Pick of the Week: The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes