Let Old Acquintance Be Forgot....

....and something, something, something. Christmas has come and gone, and one of my newest treasures from Baby Jesus Day is a brand spankin' new Playstation 3! Needless to say it was quite the surprise, as I had put it on my list to my mom as a joke. I guess she was strapped for ideas, as it was one of the items that I actually recieved! This week is my vacation week, and it's been pretty great. Mostly its been spent playing God Of War and watching Dr. Who, a series that has long been on my "to watch" list. Oh, and waiting for my birthday to arrive of course.
But enough about me......IT'S WEDNESDAY!

COMIC BOOK REVIEWS!!!!

Nemesis #4 (of 4)

Oh hey Nemesis, long time no see. The oft-delayed miniseries by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven finally draws to a close this month, nearly 6 months after it debuted. Within this issue we finally learn the secret behind Nemesis, and boy, is it a doozy.

Nemisis has been a series that flaunts its over-the-top action, and this issue is no exception. Millar's script is relentless, and McNiven's pencils are a sight to behold. The entire showdown takes place at the White House, where Nemesis has top cop Blake Morrow's wife, as well as the President. Here he makes an ultimatum: shoot either your wife or the President. "Your family or your job". What follows after that is a no holds barred shootout/slugfest, one that takes a few unexpected turns as well.


What really pulled me in and sold me on this series as a whole is the twist at the end. I won't spoil it here,but I was very pleasantly surprised by the reveal, and while some have expressed disappointment over how it serves the character of Nemesis, I was very impressed by it, and I'm curious as to how it will play out in the eventual sequel.  Suffice to say when the movie adaptation is released, I think a lot of people will be extremely surprised. That is if they keep the twist.

Batman: The Dark Knight

Whenever I hear that a well-known artist is going to be taking on writing duties for a book, I instantly prepare for the worst. While some can be Frank Miller......er..."Dark Knight Returns" era Frank Miller....most end up being like Todd McFarlane's 1990's "Spider-man" series, i.e. lots of pretty pictures, but really, really stupid plot.

With this in mind, I carefully opened the cover to Batman: The Dark Knight, the latest (and FIFTH) Batman title to be released. Well, consider me surprised, as this book wasn't half bad! While Finch's strong suit is still drawing pretty pictures, the story, which involves Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a childhood friend, covers a lot of the familiar "beats" of a Batman mystery. We're also treated to some a few appearances by some familiar Bat-rogues, namely Killer Croc and a much creepier take on The Penguin. Dark Knight definitely exceeded my expectations. Here's hoping that it's not just a fluke.

What If? #200

We have now reached the end of Marvel's new line of What If? specials, with this one, "issue 200" being the last.  This issue focuses on the big "Seige" event from last year, which saw Norman Osborn take on Asgard and subsequently lose his power over the government. Oh, and the Sentry died.

This issue asks the question "What if Norman Osborn WON the siege of Asgard?" Essentially what this means is "What if Ares got pissed at Osborn and tried to kill him before Osborn attacked Asgard, and the Sentry ripped him in half days before the attack?" What we get is a Sentry that isn't as "depowered" as he actually was, and he slaughters the entire Avengers team. Literally. This may be one of  the bloodiest mainstream comics of the year, right behind the Punisher: The List one-shot. The rest of the story follows the surviving members of the Cabal (Dr. Doom, Loki, and Emma Frost) and the X-Men as they struggle to destroy the Sentry. Eventually he becomes the Void and destroys the world. Kind of a downer, but this issue was definitely the best of the recent What If one-shots.

Also included in this issue is a Galactus "What If" by Stan Lee, and a reprint of "What If Bullseye Had Not Killed Elektra" by Frank Miller, as well as a comprehensive list of every What If story and its issue number. While it was cool to have these bonuses, all it made me do was wish that we had an actual ongoing What If series again, and not a couple of crappy one-shots every year.

Comic Reviews!

Man this week has been crazy. Not "oh my god I can't get any of this stuff done" crazy, just a series of very full days. However, that doesn't mean I ain't got time to read comics!

Nemesis #3 (of 4)

Well, Nemesis, it's about f%*(@ing time you showed up. This third issue of the series by Mark Millar (Kick-ass, Wanted) and artist Steve McNiven was supposed to be released way back in June, but due to  Mr. Hollywood's quest to turn every comic (including this one) he's written into a movie, Nemesis got delayed, big time. Part of this can also be attributed to Steve McNiven's art, which is known and admired for its super detailed style.
While I am annoyed by how late this book shipped, I can safely say that this issue was worth the wait. When we last left Millar's "anti-Batman", he was being sent to prison after being caught by police chief Blake Morrow. However, the four issue series wasn't going to end at issue 2, and getting caught was all a part of Nemesis plan. And what a plan it is.
From the opening sequence of Nemesis' very, VERY violent escape, to completely destroying Morrow's career and family, the issue delivers on every level. I have never been as shocked by a villain's actions I have been in Nemesis, and as long as you can handle its very adult content, you're in for a rollercoaster ride of   explosions, violence, and one very good lesson on why you should never get into law enforcement.







Thor #615

Thor has always been a character that I've tried to follow, but for some reason or another, I would forget to pick up the next issue. By the time I would realize that I had forgotten an issue, 4 would have gone by, and I would just give up. I'm a big fan of the character in books like The Avengers, as well as new writer Matt Fraction (currently writing the awesome Invincible Iron Man series), who starts his arc with this issue.Teamed with artist Pasqual Ferry, the issue is designed as a "jumping on point" for new fans, and it succeeds.
The main crux of the story is a race of mythological creatures that are crossing into different worlds and wiping them out. The issue starts with a scientist talking with a fairly famous rotund Asgardian about his theory of multiple Earths and societies living as one. This basically gives new readers a sense of how the Marvel universe can contain Norse, Greek, and Christian mythological figures without collapsing their universe. The scientist goes on to explain that he believes that there is something big coming that will threaten all of the worlds, including our own.
At the same time, Thor is brooding over the death of his brother Loki, who, while his nemesis, was also his best friend. These eventually leads to Donald Blake's subconcious showing up and talking with Thor (Blake's conciousness is transported to another dimension while Thor is in charge, and vice versa), which led to some of my favorite moments in the comic, as the banter between these two is hilarious.
The art by Pasqual Ferry was a little bit of a let down for me, but I do believe that it will improve over time. Some of his faces look a little too cartoony, but the big splash pages that he draws of Thor standing in the hills of the mid-west and his character designs are really cool. If you've always wanted to get into Thor or want to see what all of the fuss is about before his big-screen debut next summer, then check out this book.