Comic Book Journal

I’m sitting here was a stack of comics to review (some old, some new) and I’m anxiously awaiting the task of adding a few more to the pile after May 2nd. For those who do not know, Saturday, May 1st is Free Comic Book day, which launches nicely after the kickoff of the summer movie frenzy. Looks like there’s going to be some good ones this year, stay tuned for my review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine as soon as it opens. It’s going to be a scorcher. This year’s FCBD goodies also look mighty fine was plenty of titles to choose from. What I like most about Free Comic Book Day is it gives many people with no background in the comic book industry a chance to see what variety there is in the field and also it gives us die hard comic book geeks a chance to get out of the basement and into the spotlight. To help you gear up for the festivities I’ve compiled a list of titles out there. Also the one marked indicate a “gold” title, which means it’s pretty limited and could be hard to find, depending on how many titles your retailer has ordered from the publishers. So without further ado here’s the list:

• Archie Comics: Archie Presents: The Mighty Archie Art Players

• BOOM! Studios: Disney/Pixar’s Cars

• Bongo Comics: 2009 Free For All

• Dark Horse Comics: Star Wars: Clone Wars

• DC Comics: Blackest Night #0

• IDW Publishing: Transformers Animated/G.I. Joe

• Image Comics: Savage Dragon #148

• Oni Press: Resurrection #0

• Marvel Comics: The Avengers

• Viz Media: Shonen Jump Presents: Ultimo

Dark Horse Comics: Aliens/Predator

APE: Cartoonapalooza #2

Aracana Studio Presents

Atomic Robo And Friends

Attack Of The Alterna-Zombies!

Comics Festival! 2009 Volume 3

Contract #1

Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer Preview

Dabel Bros. Showcase

DC Kids Mega Sampler

FCHS

Fist Of Justice #1

Gold Digger #101/Prince Of Heroes

IMPACT University Volume 5

Love & Capes

Love & Rockets Sampler

Mercy Sparx: Under New Management

Nancy & Melvin Monster

NASCAR Heroes: Origins #1

Owly And Friends

Radical 2009 Preview

Sonic The Hedgehog: Evolution Of A Hero

Studio 407 Sampler

The Stuff of Legend

The Wizard Hot List

TMNT #1 25th Anniversary Reprint

Warhammer Fantasy

William Shatner Presents #1

Wolverine: Origin Of An X-Man

Worlds Of Aspen #4

I predict that of these titles the biggest sleeper hits will be Green Lantern: Blackest Night, which will shake up the DC Universe a bit. I’m a bit partial I’ve always been a big Green Lantern fan.

Also check out Shatner’s latest offering, with the upcoming Star Trek film I’d imagine a little Kirk nostalgia will likely drive sales of his upcoming title.

A pile of reviews will be coming tomorrow and also Saturday I’ll have the claws out for Wolverine! Be there at www.comicbookjournal.net

This makes Superman Returns look like Citizen Kane!

I went to go see the Spirit on Christmas day. I was in a rather cheerful mood, because not only was it Christmas, but I got to spend the day at my leisure as I finally got the day off. My cheerfulness ended there, however. Cheer was replaced with anger as I exited the theatre disappointed and outraged. Yes, I will repeat genuine outrage. Frank Miller can hold his own in the comics industry, and Eisner as we all know is a legend and has created a remarkable character in the Spirit, so what happened? From the beginning the movie did not even attempt to acknowledge the audience. No effort was made to establish any sort of plot. The visuals, while interesting did nothing to revive the lackluster story. No wait– there was no story. The origin story of Denny Colt becoming the Spirit was the only saving grace, but therein lies the problem, there was not anything to get me involved in the film. And don’t get me started on the appeal to the highbrow class of movie-goer, who would attempt to draw meaning on the various imagery throughout the film. If someone was deciphered the meaning behind the ethos, pathos, logos clones, or the significance of the blood of Heracles, please…get back to me because I don’t get it. I don’t think I want to. This film could have been legendary like its creator, but as the director has said, he did not make this film for the fans. If Miller had focused on the fans, we might have had a fitting tribute to a man who devoted most of his life to this industry, instead of an over-the-top, look-at-me ego trip which is nothing more than a waste of film. I give this flick a two out of ten. The actor playing the Spirit was good in a few scenes, but that’s about it. For more reviews of (hopefully) better movies check out http://www.moviereviewreport.com/

Everyone of age should vote. Why? It’s simple. That’s what this country was founded upon, freedom from all types of oppression. These freedoms are even listed in a great document called the Constitution. It’s great and pretty simple to read as well. If you’ve never read the document, you might be surprised the liberties are entitled to–just by being an American citizen. Here is where is can be easily accessed:
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am2. This election, however skewed in the media, can be broken down to one key issue for everyone–the economy. Personally I don’t care what the candidates views are on gun control, their race, their religion, their position on homeland security, or what kind of car they drive. What I want in a president is someone who has the fiscal intelligence to balance the budget, dwindle the nation deficit down to zero again, and chart a strong economic course so I can retire and have peace of mind at least in my lifetime.

My day job involves customer service in a call center. I cannot count the number of times I hear how thankful a native english language speaker is to speak with someone who speaks English as their primary language and resides in the United States of America. Well, that type of service could very well depend on the candidate we, as a people, choose to vote for on November 4th. Do we want a candidate who will give my company a tax credit for keeping my job and therefore my dollar in circulation to uplift the economy or do we want a candidate that will give a tax preference for business owners who cut corners and allow jobs to be bidded on overseas. That does not keep my money in the United States ecomony, importing good and exporting work overseas is not a fair trade under any trade policy.

What else is influencing my vote? Do I want a candidate in office who is getting older and has possibly more health problems than his opponent or do I want a relatively healthy candidate instead. I would not have cared about either candidates’ health problems, if one had not picked an extremely inexperienced running mate for vice president. I personally would not like to imagine the consequences if a governor becomes president overnight.

Have you figured out my pick yet? If it’s not obvious look at the picture you’ll see. So why else vote, well Krispy Kreme has a reward for you if you do on Tuesday morning check out this link for more info : http://www.freebiesforus.com/free-coffee-and-donuts-on-voting-day/ Mmm…donuts.