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Two weeks ago today Captain America #600 dropped. The sad thing is that it dropped with a thud. Yours truly was on duty that Monday and I have to say that the results were somewhat disappointing. Marvel had assured retailers that this was going to be HUGE, and that stores should order tons of copies, and media hype would bring people in for the early release of this special issue. The problem was that there wasn’t really much media attention outside of the comic nerd world, and that Monday went by just like any other Monday. On Wednesday however, the issue started to move and I anticipate that it will eventually sell out.

Don’t get me wrong, Cap #600 is a seminal issue that put the word out that Steve Rogers would come back to life and resume the mantle of the American spirit, but he didn’t actually return and the issue became like a sitcom episode where characters get stuck in a freezer and reflect back on past episodes. It’s a good issue, but I’m not so sure that it warranted the hype Marvel circulated about it to your neighborhood funny book retailers. It’s obvious that it was something of a prelude to the Rebirth story that will bring Rogers back, which leaves me wondering where this leaves Bucky Barnes who I would have liked to see as Cap for an extended period of time. But hey, why nit-pick about such things which fan-boys are notorious for doing over fictional characters? Just enjoy the ride, I say.

What I would like to see for the return of Steve Rogers would be similar to how Marvel brought Cap back in the pages of Avengers #4 in the early 60’s, frozen in a block of ice being worshiped by Eskimo’s as Namor comes along and throws a temper tantrum resulting in Steve thawing out. Now that’s how you bring a character back from the dead!

-Jim

>With Nick heading up to Chicago as I type this, it brings a tear to my eye as I post one of his last reviews…sniff.

When Viz first announced that they were bringing Naoki Urasawa’s mangas “20th Century Boys” and “Pluto” to the States, I truly thought that “20th Century Boys” was going to be the series for me. How could a sci-fi thriller starring a failed rock star with a baby strapped to his back not be better than a re-envisioning of an old “Astro Boy” storyline? After reading the first volume of each series, I surprisingly found myself favoring “Pluto’s” mystery/suspense take on classic “Astro Boy” story “The Greatest Robot in the World.” In the months that have past since the release of those initial volumes, two more books of “Pluto” have come through Star Clipper’s doors. The wait for “20th Century Boys” Volume 2 has been much longer, with it only arriving on our shelves in the last week. After devouring this second volume’s pages, it unexpectedly climbed past “Pluto” to be my favorite manga I am currently following.

“20th Century Boys” story makes some pretty big strides in its second installment. While the first volume shows early in its pages a mysterious band of heroes being celebrated at the United Nations for saving humanity, it spends the remainder of its pages on establishing Kenji’s decades old childhood friendships, a mysterious cult inexplicably tied to those friendships, and the death of one of those friends. Building off the premise established in the initial book, volume two expands on lead character Kenji into fascinating directions all while unveiling the truly grand scope of its mysteries as hinted in volume one.

Kenji had been established as a sympathetic lead in the series’ first volume. His struggles to raise his missing sister’s baby and run his family’s convenience store business made Kenji come off as equally noble and defeated. The fact that this new life is built out of the ashes of his failed childhood dreams of rock stardom doesn’t help matters. In volume two, Kenji’s interactions with childhood friend and reformed tomboy Yukiji serve to remind readers of Kenji’s change from the brave boy shown in the flashbacks to the frustrated man he is now. The questions about where Kenji is going raised by the reconnection of this old friend, along with the fleshing out of Kenji’s relationship to his absent sister, establish a pretty compelling arc for the lead. To make things even more interesting, the volume’s last pages place Kenji at the heart of the series’ mysteries.

These mysteries are expanded upon greatly in this second installment. The scope of the machinations of the cult-like organization run by the mysterious “Friend” are revealed, along with hints as to groups size and how they will execute the sinister plot. As the investigation into “Friend” and his ties to the death of Kenji’s friend Donkey move forward, Urasawa and writing accomplice Takashi Nagasaki pack enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

While series looks to promise an epic science fiction tale, I am astonished at how well it contains these elements. Instead of overloading the readers with a ton of fantastic ideas, the creative team have decided to build the narrative around highly relatable characters all while slowly unveiling just how sci-fi the stories is going to grow. As a result, they have hit on an engaging mystery that is outstandingly well paced. I can’t wait to see what unfolds in volume three!

-Nick

>My favorite part about reading Wizard Magazine when I was a kid was the casting predictions for comic book movies. If I remember correctly, Wizard predicted Patrick Stewart would play Professor Charles Xavier about 10 years before it actually happened. With the Green Lantern movie on the horizon but still not cast, I wanted to get my two cents in before it was to late. Here goes:

Chris Pine as Green Lantern Hal Jordan

I know this has already been rumored, but I simply could not think of anyone better for an origin story. His portrayal of Captain Kirk in the recent Star Trek relaunch is basically the same role as Hal Jordan. They could essentially make the same exact movie, with Pine aimlessly jumping into battle and getting beat up, and I would be completely satisfied.

Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst as Green Lantern Kyle Rayner

He looks the part. Kyle Rayner is a sensitive artist just like Oberst. Plus, you would have the ever-important “rock star making his Sci-Fi acting debut element” to draw the non-comic nerd audience. My second more realistic choice would be Milo Ventimiglia from Heroes.

Anne Hathaway as Star Sapphire Carol Ferris

Carol Ferris has to be cast as a woman who is attractive but all business. There is no other actress that comes to mind faster than Anne Hathaway that fits those qualification. Plus, Chris Pine and Anne Hathaway have already acted together in Princess Diaries 2 – The Royal Engagement (I swear I didn’t know that until I researched it on imdb).

Mickey Rourke as trainer Lantern Kilowog

That’s right poozers, cast a better Kilowog with out doing it entirely CGI.

Finally, John Waters as Sinestro

John Waters was born to play Sinestro. Could you image his gaudy Yellow Lantern and Ring. Image John Waters saying, “In blackest day, in brightest night, Beware your fears made into light Let those who try to stop what’s right, Burn like my power*… Sinestro’s might!” Please, Please let it happen.

I haven’t come up with anyone better then the already rumored Common to play Green Lantern John Stewart, or anyone at all for Jock Green Lantern Guy Gardner. If any one comes to mind feel free to post.

-Jon

>I became a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan well after the series was over. I discovered it through my fiancee, who would watch episodes on HULU while she worked on her knitting projects. There was a finite number of episodes posted, so I broke down and found the box set for the complete series cheap on Ebay after getting hooked. I was aware of the comic series, but couldn’t start on it until I had finished watching the TV series, so my fiancee and I powered through all seven seasons in about 2 months, then I dove into the season eight comic series.

I’ve enjoyed how what was established in the TV series has been given a comic book treatment without losing the vibe it had when Buffy was a small screen series. Through the comic series, the Buffy-verse has expanded allowing for one-shot issues like BTVS: Tales of the Vampires. It’s a great Buffy comic that doesn’t have Buffy and the Scooby gang in it. The story deals with a bored, video game arcade dwelling high schooler in a small town who gets off on being bitten by vampires, but soon finds himself changing once he himself becomes a blood sucker.

The great thing about this story is that it follows the recent story in the series where Harmony makes Vampires mainstream through using the media, so the public at large is aware of the vampires walking amongst them at night, but now it’s not that big a deal, despite the fact that most vamps are still very dangerous.

-Jim

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Spider-Man and Saturday Night Live, two great flavors that taste great together. This is what we get when Bill Hader and Seth Meyers from SNL get together to write a Spidey one-shot titled; Short Halloween
which is a pretty smart spoof of Batman: the Long Halloween. Mistaken identity is abound as Spidey is confused for a drunk guy wearing a Spider-Man costume who gets into a scrape in a bar with a couple of guys dressed as Doc Ock and the Green Goblin. The real Spidey is knocked out in battle, and Spidey dude passes out in the same garbage filled alley where Spider-dude’s friends drag the real Spider-Man home while the guys dressed as Doc Ock and the Goblin are trying to track him down.

Meanwhile, the Spider-dude finds himself captured by a new super villain group consisting of some real C-list villains like Fumes, a misguided former vacuum repairman who manages to be the one to knock out Spidey, Gossip Girl, who is just a girl with mouths on her hands and shoulders, Haymaker, who is a big burly bearded man who’s outfit is stuffed with hay, Mr. Think, the mastermind, and a loose cannon Sabretooth wannabe named Badger Teeth. The group call themselves the Furious Five, and anyone who hears this name has to crack, “like Kung-Fu Panda?” Although I think Grandmaster Flash.

So Ronnie the Spider-dude has to deal with bickering super-villains while the real Spider-Man has to deal with a bickering girlfriend and dude friends as well as angry party goers dressed as two of his arch-nemesis’. Comedic confusion ensues as both unlikely situations come to a head, and Fumes has to decide at that moment whether he really wants to be a super-villain.

This was just a one-shot issue, but I think I would enjoy a future Heder/ Meyers project.

-Jim

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Of all the comic movies yet to be made, the Green Lantern is arguable the most anticipated DC movie adaptation. Warner Bros. will be producing a Green Lantern movie for release in December 2010, but for those who just can’t wait that long, check out the rather impressive fake Green Lantern Trailer above. Starring Firefly’s Nathan Fillion as flyboy Hal Jordan, the fake trailer is a hodgepodge of clips from the new Star Trek movie, Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer, and many other recent Sci-fi blockbusters. The voiceovers are a mix of a number of previous DC properties including Justice League – The New Frontier and The Batman series. Nathan Fillion officially gave the fanboy trailer a thumbs up and said on his Twitter, “I LOVE THIS. This Guy Rocks!”

You got to admit, for a fake movie trailer this looks like it could make a decent Green Lantern movie. With the 150 million dollar budget Warner Bros. are giving the GL film, let’s see what they actually come up with. I just hope it looks better that the Green Lantern’s previous live action performance in the never aired Justice League of America television pilot from 1997.

-Jon

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The new Batman and Robin swung into stores recently, bringing a little controversy with them. It left Jon cold, like everything that issue author Grant Morrison has written. Sales Associate Dwayne refuses to even pick up the issue but is constantly trying to trick me into spoiling the issue. Jim keeps talking about the issues Adam West meets David Lynch vibe. And me? I am a fan of any comic that’s first panel features explosions that spell out “BOOM!”

The re-teaming of the “All-Star Superman” Dynamic Duo of Morrison and artist Frank Quitely makes for some awesome comics! “Batman and Robin” #1 has thrilling action, crazy villains, and enough tinges of angst to remind readers of that Batman’s nickname is the Dark Knight. Take all of these elements, mix together with quips and breath-taking art, and you end up with the most fun I’ve had reading a Batman comic in ages.

The best part is, even with a comic filled with a new Batman, a new Robin, new villains, and heck, even a new Bat-headquarters; Morrison and Quitely craft a comic that feels timeless and accessible. The use of characters like Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and former-Robin Dick Grayson put iconic Bat-characters front and center even if the original Caped Crusader is M.I.A. Others characters that are less familiar, like the new Robin or the villainous Circus of the Strange, are sketched out just enough that readers can grasp them.

As fun as the issue is, the specter of Bruce Wayne looms over the story. While a new Batman is just laying down his roots, all the readers have one thought on their mind: Bruce Wayne will soon return. This new era of Batman and Robin may be almost certainly temporary, but I’m going to milk its limited shelf life for everything it’s worth. The teaser image above hints at what look to be some pretty exciting storylines and I’ll be there every same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel making sure I won’t miss a beat.

You can check out a preview of the debut issue here at Ain’t It Cool News.

-Nick

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When Marvel’s Dark Reign event began immediately after Secret Invasion, I rolled my ideas at a comic titled
Dark Avengers. However, over the course of the last few months I’ve found myself enjoying reading about crazy-@#$ Norman Osborn and the Dark Reign has grown on me a little, especially Dark Avengers. the Thunderbolts have been promoted to Avenger status and have co-opted the mask identities of former, and even current Avengers like Bullseye wearing a Hawkeye costume, or Venom running around as Spider-Man. The Dark Avengers are basically a group of psychotic, murderous super-villains posing as heroes. Among the Dark Avengers ranks is the ultra powerful Sentry, who has provided the most interest for me in the series.

The dynamic between the Sentry, who constantly questions his own humanity and sanity, and Norman Osborn, who is simply trying to manipulate the Sentry for his own agenda by feeding him the whole “I know what it’s like to be crazy and misunderstood, but was able to overcome it” line. This is the thing that has had me coming back to the Dark Avengers, the psychological intrigue.

In the most recent issue, Norman Osborn faces a television interview where he is confronted with the fact that he was a known super-villain who was notorious for being bat-$#%! crazy after Clint Barton, the former Hawkeye, called him out in an interview of his own. Amazingly, Osborn shrugs it off by calling Barton out as a reformed villain, and that he himself has reformed by medically coping with the crazy Green Goblin within him. It appears that only the world’s super-powered population is savvy to the fact that Osborn is still evil and manipulative. The question is, how long until the big event when they try to take him down?

-Jim

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I just blogged giving a number of reasons to read the amazing manga Death Note. Since we’ve been blogging about odd ball characters lately, I thought I would give one more reason to read Death Note: Sidoh! The ragged Shinigami is awesomely dumb. Sidoh makes his first appearance in book 8 as a wayward god. It is revealed that Sidoh’s Death Note was the one originally stolen by Ryuk and found by Light Yagami. Lazy and inattentive, Sidoh only realizes his Death Note is missing from the shinigami realm when he is about to die from not writing names in his book. His quest to recover the Death Note on earth is hilariously pathetic.

Upon coming to earth, Sidoh hardly acts like a death god and is even intimidated by psycho human detective Mello. In fact, Mello uses Sidoh as a pawn to fend off the SPK from recovering the Death Note when it is his possession in America. Sidoh dialogue during this is hysterical. While he aimlessly attempts to retrieve a Death Note under Mello’s order he constantly mutters “geez, I guess this will help.” Sidoh clearly would prefer to be wasting his time gambling in the shinigami realm.

Artist Takeshi Obata designed Sidoh to look like a miserable mix of a bird and insect. Also, his tattered cloak turn out to be long bat-like wings, which was a pleasant addition to his look. The character design does a great job at reinforcing his loser demeanor.

Basically, Sidoh is the shinigami equivalent of Charlie Brown. Sidoh first annoyance of the death note “Good Grief… You have to spell the person name correctly in the death note to make the death take effect, doesn’t this thing come with spell check. ”

-Jon

>I saved this one for last…Jon Scorfina drew Nick as the Human Torch…in a funny little scene where he seems to have lost control of his fiery nature.

On a sad note, Nick Kuntz will be leaving Star Clipper in a week and is moving to Chicago. We’ll miss you, Nick!