SuperSearnold - Comic Book Reviews

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Tuesday, September 30th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
As per your request, Pirate Club#1 - #2, published by SLG (Slave Labor Graphics) waaaaay back in 2004. Written by Elias Pate and Derek Hunter and illustrated by Derek Hunter. The book is in black and white formate with no ads. These are the first two issues of a 10 issue arc which has been collected into a trade available on Amazon.

Premise:
Pirate Club follows the adventures of a few boys who are trying to become pirates and thus go on corresponding adventures. The book starts out innocent enough, but leads to some serious craziness including a drowning kid and a fight with a bear. According to Comicvine, by the end of the series the children wind up saving Christmas from an evil Santa Claus. While that sounds odd - it also fits with the peculiarity of the book.

The Awesome Parts:
Pirate Club walks this odd line between reality and fiction. All of these kids’ adventures could be real. They could also all be inside their imaginations. If we take things at face value, it certainly requires suspension of disbelief to imagine ALL of these shenanigans are actually happening the way they are depicted. But it doesn’t require much imagination at all to imagine a 10 year old boy describing these as his interpretation of an adventure he had gone on. For me it was a lot of fun to go on this adventure with these kids while treading back and forth between possibly real and possibly imaginary. Also - who doesn’t relate to a group of boys who are trying to become pirates? If you didn’t yourself try to become a pirate, I bet you had a similar adventure when you were young (perhaps for you it was a ballerina - for me it was an alien hunter.)

The Un-Awesome Parts:
That odd balance between fantasy and reality can also be disconcerting at times. Sometimes I thought to myself, “Wait… am I supposed to believe that this ACTUALLY happened?” This brought me out of the story and forced me to stop and think before moving on. But who knows - maybe that was the authors’ intent. Also - while I recognize that pirates aren’t the nicest people in the world - these kids had more malice in their hearts than I prefer in my protagonists.

My Recommendation:
I enjoyed following these kids’ adventures. I certainly felt that I got my money’s worth as there was a lot of story packed into these pages. The black and white art was done well enough that I didn’t feel it distracted from the story. I definitely recommend this book to fans of adventure. But the book is definitely disconcerting. If you don’t like questioning conventions then I don’t imagine Pirate Club is for you. These kids are NOT innocent. People die. Weird stuff happens. I don’t think there’s a better way to describe it than disconcerting. Maybe just plain odd. For me - that’s a reason to recommend the book. But I recognize that it will make the book unenjoyable for some people.

That’s all for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Monday, September 29th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Dead Ahead #1 - published September 2008 by Image Comics - written by Clark K. Castillo & Mel Smith (Gumby) with art by Alex Nino (Creepy, Heavy Metal).

Premise:
Zombies! Oh - do you need to know more? An ecclectic group out on a fishing trip learn that everyone on the mainland has been turned into a zombie. Now they must scavenge for supplies or face certain death at sea. The book is narrated via a captain’s log.

The Awesome Parts:
Zombies! Oh - do you want to know more? I think this new twist on a zombie story is great. Dead Ahead isn’t about fighting zombies - it’s about trying to avoid them. The suspense is less from the worry of being eatten by zombies and more about starving to death for inability to find food or fuel. The art also does a great blending of panels (similar to a Will Eisner style) that greatly enhances the fearful and confused tone of the book.

The Un-Awesome Parts:
I’m about to do my first job as a letterer on the upcoming Behind The Hero #1 - and reading Dead Ahead #1 has taught me a lesson about what not to do. The font choice was great - it looked like a ship captain’s handwritting - but it was often drawn directly on top of dark backgrounds, making it quite difficult to read. I also wish that the story had slowed down a bit. This issue was designed to tell us about the zombie infestation and introduce us to these characters for their REAL adventure which will start next issue. But there were things that happened in a single page that the captain told us about which could have been SHOWN to us in an entire issue. I’ve said this before - one of the first things you learn as a writer is that it’s better to SHOW and not TELL. I’m also not entirely sure exactly how many people are on this boat - just that it’s a small crew. Hopefully future issues will slow the pace down and give us more indepth knowledge of each of the characters involved in this struggle.

My Recommendation:
Zombies! Oh wait… I imagine that if you enjoy zombies that you’ll enjoy this book. If zombies have never been your thing… well… I want to say give this book a chance because it’s not a standard zombie tale - it’s about trying to survive in spite of zombies - not how to stop them. However - even as I write that - I realize that such a story PROBABLY won’t appeal to someone who doesn’t like zombie stories in the first place.

That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - and a special thanks to Clark Castillo and Mel Smith who took the time out of their busy schedules to talk to me about their book yesterday at Sac Con. And thanks for giving me the free copy to review - I hope it gets you some much deserved press attention! (Not that I imagine a whole ton of people read this blog…)
Speaking of which - make sure you leave me some feedback! I love hearing what you think about my reviews. I can be reached at SuperSearnold@yahoo.com - or just leave a comment! Remember, if there’s a comic book you’re interested in - but aren’t sure if you want to shell out the cash - let me know and I’ll review it for you!
See you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Sunday, September 29th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Is - once again - not even a comic book at all - it’s a comic book convention: Sac Con.

Premise:
Sac Con is Sacramento’s premiere comic, toy, and anime show. It was held at the Scottish Rite Center in downtown Sacramento on Sunday, December 29th, 2008. It’s website is http://www.sacramentocomics.com

The Awesome Parts:
My favorite part about Sac Con is the small press zone. And I’m not just saying that because the small press zone is primarily made up of my friends. The service that Sac Con’s small press zone provides for local comic book creators is invaluable. We have an opportunity every three months to show off our latest work to all of our fans. This enables us to get consistent exposure at an affordable price. I cannot thank Sac Con enough for the opportunities provided by its incredible small press zone. Sac Con also has a great selection of vendors and special guests - including Billy West (Futurama) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek The Next Generation). My favorite part about the convention were these crazy news guys calling themselves the hardest hitting news show in the universe. They were putting together a video yearbook of the con where everyone could come and say a few words about their con experience in front of the camera - and they collected it all onto a DVD. Oh wait - that was me! I was the one doing that! If you missed the convention, be sure to check out our news coverage of it at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV (warning - our news really does hit QUITE hard.) The footage from both Sac Con and From The Land Beyond will be available shortly - as will the Sac Con Video Yearbook, which will be available for purchase on our website. Alright - enough shameless plugging - let’s move on.

The-Less-Than-Awesome-Parts:
If you read my blog yesterday then you know that my biggest critique of From The Land Beyond (Sacramento’s first Sci-Fi and Horror convention) was its small size. Well Sac Con was even smaller. While I appreciate this as small press - as it gives me a chance to spend more time with my fans and not get overlooked due to the presence of a larger company like Marvel - I also recognize that fans would like a chance to see more celebrities and a larger selection of mainstream comic books. I myself was quite upset that Marvel was not present at Wonder Con in 2008. My final thoughts about Sac Con are quite contraversial - so I apologize if I offend you. Sac Con is supposed to be a COMIC BOOK convention, and it has been overrun by Anime/ Manga fans. I myself don’t mind Manga - Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my favorite series (whenever they release the next issue I’m sure you’ll be seeing a review of it right here on my site.) But the proliferation of Manga has made it much more difficult for American comic books to get a foot hold in the marketplace. As a comic book writer myself I find this incredibly annoying. Manga fans have PLENTY of other conventions (such as Sac Anime or Fanime - check out our news coverage at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV ) - I just wish that the comic book conventions would remain less tainted by the proliferation of Manga.

My Recommendation:
I can’t not recommend that you go to Sac Con. You should ABSOLUTELY come see me and be a part of our video yearbook. The next Sac Con is December 14th, 2008 - come join us! Of course my biases are showing. Objectively, if you go to cons to meet famous people, Sac Con doesn’t have a lot of those. But if you want to meet up-and-coming comic book talent and become friends with local artists then this is ABSOLUTELY the best place for that.

That’s all for today. As always - thanks for reading - and see you next time. Oh - and don’t forget to check out SCCG TV at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV. … … … Do you think that’s enough shameless plugging? Should I do one more? Check out the hardest hitting news show in the universe - SCCG TV, at… no? You get the idea? Okay.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Saturday, September 27th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Is not a comic book at all but a convention - From The Land Beyond.

Premise:
From The Land Beyond is Sacramento’s first Horror and Sci-Fi convention. It was a 2 day event held Friday September 26th and Saturday September 27th at the Scottish Rite Center in downtown Sacramento, CA. Like all cons, it had vendors, panels, and special guests - including C. Andrew Nelson (Lucasfilm), Sid Haig (House of 1,000 Corpses), Doug Jones (Hellboy II), Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica), and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek The Next Generation). From The Land Beyond also had a few sci-fi/ horror themed concerts including performances by Captain A-Hole and Warp 11.

The Awesome Parts:
If you haven’t been to a convention you simply don’t know what you’re missing. There are no better places for fans. I’m part of the hardest hitting news show in the universe - SCCG TV (check us out at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV ). We do news coverage of all the conventions, so I know what I’m talking about when I say that From The Land Beyond was a very well put together convention. The guests were hands down the nicest guests that I have ever had a chance to talk to. They took their time to not just do an interview but to talk to us about the show and their personal lives - it was an incredible experience. And there were plenty of opportunities for fans to have similar experiences with these icons of horror and sci-fi culture. There were also plenty of vendors available where attendees could spend their excess cash on sci-fi and horror memorabilia.

The Less-Than-Awesome Parts:
One of the great aspects was also one of the unfortunate aspects - From The Land Beyond was fairly small. There were only a few panels. This was the first con I’ve been to where the vendor floor - already not the largest vendor floor I’ve seen - was not even full. There also weren’t very many attendees. While this provided ample opportunity to spend time with celebrities, it often gave the con a dead feeling. The lack of attendees was most likely due to the fact that this was the first From The Land Beyond - so it hasn’t had a lot of time to gain notoiety. Also unfortunate - Wil Wheaton was only available on Saturday. Finally - I felt that the price for admission ($15 for both days) was a little steep for the small size of the convention. But what am I complaining about - I got in free! (Being press has some GREAT advantages.)

My Recommendation:
I absolutely recommend going to as many conventions as you can afford. As I don’t have a lot of spare cash for buying awesome merchandise, the primary reason that I go to cons is to meet the special guests - so I recommend checking out the guest list before deciding which cons to go to. But if you’re a fan of the sci-fi and horror genres (and you live anywhere near Sacramento) then definitely check out From The Land Beyond next year on September 25-27, 2009. Their website is http://www.fromthelandbeyond.com
And don’t forget that if you missed any conventions, you can check out SCCG’s news coverage at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV

That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog – thanks for tuning in. Today is Friday, September 26th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Heroes Chapter 3: Villains – Episodes I & II. Yes, the TV show. (I know it’s not TECHNICALLY a comic book - but it’s the closest thing on television.)

Premise:
In case you’ve been in a box for a while, Heroes is a hit show on NBC that follows the adventures of regular people who suddenly find they have extraordinary abilities. And I don’t mean being good at math or incredibly flexible – we’re talking cellular regeneration, telepathy, and flight. Heroes began it’s third season last Monday.

The Awesome Parts:
Heroes is the only show I know of where ANYTHING can happen. Think about Lost in its first season – nobody knew what was going to happen. Main characters died. They took the story into unprecedented and unexpected territory. Today – while characters still occasionally die – you know a few things about the conventions of Lost – unexpected things will happen, questions will be brought up and remain unanswered, Jack won’t to die, Kate won’t to die, etc. Think about 24 - while they killed an unprecedentedly large number of characters in their first few seasons, you now know that no matter how big of a pickle Jack gets into he isn’t going to die. And by the end of the season you know he’s going to catch the bad guy. None of these conventions exist in Heroes (at least not yet). Because of the massive amount of time travel and healing blood available ANYONE could die. If they’re a major character or a fan favorite, they’ll probably be brought back in one way or another - but they still COULD die. Basically the point of all this is to say that I enjoy Heroes’ lack of predictability. It makes the show a fun ride. They’re also introducing new characters and taking a few old characters in new directions this season. I must say that I am excited to see where they go with this story arc.

The Un-Awesome Parts:
I’m quite tired of Sylar. I’m ready for a new villain. Now I happen to know that there are going to be new villains - but couldn’t they have new villains and thusly NOT Sylar? I also thought that Sylar’s first appearance in this series was very forced and unexplained. There’s no way that he could have known how to get to where he was (am I being vague enough? I don’t want to give anything away because the episodes can be viewed at www.NBC.com/Heroes.) Also, the status of powers is still ambiguous and vague. My other MAJOR vice is that this premiere was hyped as a “great jumping on point” for new viewers. Ummm… don’t say it if it’s not true - and it is NOT true about Heroes Season 3. Especially with the help of the music, I’m sure that any intelligent newcomer could follow the basic premise and dramatic structure of any given scene (this character is in danger, this character is making a mistake, etc.) But why would they CARE? Season 3 doesn’t introduce the characters at all. So while the story might make sense, I don’t see new viewers caring. I happened to watch the season premiere of The Office (another NBC show) with a few people who had never seen the show before - and we had to keep pausing to explain the complex relationships between each of the characters, because otherwise not a lot made sense. I feel like I would have had to do the same thing if I was watching Heroes with a newcomer. The beginning of Season 3 is absolutely NOT a good jumping on point. Luckily - both Season 1 & 2 are available on DVD.

My Reommendation:
If you didn’t like Season 2 (as many fans didn’t) then I recommend giving Heroes another chance. I felt like the stakes established at the beginning of Season 3 have set up a premise for a great season. If you’re new, definitely catch up with the DVD’s before watching. The key question is this - if you aren’t a comic book or genre fan, but ARE a fan of “regular” character driven drama shows (Desperate Housewives, Bones, Boston Legal) then will you enjoy Heroes? That’s a tough question - I think it depends on what you like about drama and whether or not you are intrinsicly biased against “genre” shows (be honest with yourself about this). Heroes is great because of the characters. These are REAL people who are dealing with morally ambiguous and difficult decisions. Because of their powers, we get to see them wrestle with moral quandries that normal people would never come up against. We see their relationships change based upon their decisions. We understand that their choices have serious consequences not just for themselves but for the people they care about. If these sorts of character driven stories interest you, then I think you would enjoy Heroes. My guess is, if you’re reading this blog, you DON’T have a bias against “genre” TV - so that shouldn’t be a problem for you, either.

That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog – thanks for tuning in. Today is Thursday, September 25th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Okay – it’s not an “issue” per say, so much as it’s a movie. It’s a comic book movie though, so it’s okay. Specifically - it’s Iron Man. I figure I’d give it a review to celebrate its release to DVD.

Premise:
Just in case there has been some sort of odd rift in space/time and you aren’t aware of the premise of Iron Man, there’s a billionaire playboy named Tony Stark who creates a super high tech battle suit and becomes a super hero. The details obviously get a bit more complex - but that’s all you really need to know.

The Awesome Parts:
I loved this movie. So obviously my biases are going to shine through in the review. But I’ll try to think of a few REASONS why the movie was so enjoyable and talk about them objectively. First of all, Robert Downey Jr. is an excellent actor. He captured exactly the image of Tony Stark as I have always imagined him while reading the comic books. He was hilarious while still being serious. He had real vices, but always sought to overcome them. He felt like a real person – even though he’s a super genius billionaire industrialist who owns a weapons manufacturing company and runs around in a high tech battle suit fighting terrorists. I felt the modern adaptation of this story that was written in 1963 was true to the core of the story while not feeling out of date or far fetched for modern audiences. As much as I miss the character Jarvis, having a digital butler was a great touch. Another great part were the special effects. I actually had a friend who worked on the effects for this movie (great job Michael Lester!) The suit looked bad-ass. Everything felt natural and believable. The plot developed naturally out of the characters and their situations. There was great (yet still subtle) sexual tension. It was a wonderfully written and excellently executed film.

The Un-Awesome Parts:
I don’t like the fact that the director – John Favreau – cast himself as Happy Hogan. I’ve never been a fan of the nepotism rule. And while it didn’t matter because of Happy’s small role in this film – I would love to see Happy have larger roles in future Iron Man films, which I imagine would be difficult to accomplish while he’s busy directing. I also had problems with the flashback that they used in the film. The film had a beginning, flashed back to 24 hours earlier, and then resumed. I didn’t see ANY good reason for that flashback. We could have started the movie at the beginning – 24 hours ago – and it would have been just as good. We all knew Tony was going to get captured by terrorists – we’ve all seen the previews. You don’t need to show that scene at the beginning of the movie to build up the suspense. I think there would have actually been better suspense if we DIDN’T know when he was going to get captured, but just had it sprung on us.

My Recommendation:
I want to look at this from the perspective of two types of people: Iron Man comic book fans and everyone else. For Iron Man comic book fans I think this movie will be a thrill ride. You get to see and hear Iron Man – and it looks and sounds like Iron Man. The adaptation was incredible. Everything was very close to the comic books – and there are secret treasures hidden in the film for those of us who catch the references (the name of the terrorist group is The Ten Rings – a reference to Iron Man villain The Mandarin.) From the perspective of everyone else, this is just a GREAT action movie. If you only like romantic comedies, then obviously this movie is not that. But don’t be biased against this movie because it’s a “super hero” film. It is an ACTION film. And it is a well made action film. And it is just as good as any non-super-hero action film. There are incredible battle scenes with some incredibly bad-ass fights. The special effects are stunning. There’s humor to relieve the dramatic tension – which escalates in a natural way to an inevitable climactic battle which Iron Man seems sure to lose. If you enjoy movies like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Fugitive, Men In Black, or Independence Day, then you should enjoy Iron Man.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow I’ll be reviewing the premiere of the new season of Heroes. As always – thanks for reading – see you tomorrow.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Wednesday, September 24th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Ultimate Origins #1 - #4 (okay - it’s 4 issues - sue me) (Okay, changed my mind, please don’t.) Published by Marvel as part of their Ultimate Universe (an alternate universe which is an incredibly good recreation of classic Marvel characters.) This is the latest Ultimate title and is going to be a 5 part mini-series. The fifth issue isn’t out quite yet, but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents on the story thus far. Ultimate Origins is written by Ultimate Universe creator and guiding force Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, Secret Invasion) with art by Butch Guice (X-Factor, Captain America).

Premise:
Ultimate Origins is supposed to reveal the origins of the Ultimate Universe. Bruce Banner famously (and mysteriously) told Spider-Man WAAAY back in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #3 that “it’s all connected” and “they don’t want you to figure it out.” This series was hyped as though it were going to finally explain what he meant. However, the series feels more like an Ultimatum prequel (Ultimatum is the NEXT giant crossover happening throughout all the Ultimate titles which is being hyped as the end of the universe.)

The Awesome Parts:
Bendis sure is a great writer. I seriously don’t think I’ve ever read a book by him that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. And a good origin story is always fun - to get a new perspective on where a character is coming from. We’re definitely seeing some of the very first superhumans and learning more about their stories. Overall, it has been an enjoyable read.

The Not-Awesome Parts:
But the idea that it’s “all connected” is bull. Each issue has essentially told the origin story of a different aspect of the Ultimate Universe - Nick Fury, Captain America, Magneto, and Hulk (in that order.) Don’t get me wrong - the stories are certainly RELATED. Nick Fury is involved in a lot of stuff that’s going on (big shocker there - Nick Fury is involved in EVERYTHING). And baby Peter Parker was certainly present when The Hulk was created. But the idea that these events are CONNECTED - that implies an incredibly awesome conspiracy with some sort of hidden devious intent. That’s certainly the way I believe Bendis intended us to take Banner’s mysterious warning. Also - how come we haven’t seen ANYTHING about Roxxon and Osborn Industries and their race to create a super human? Maybe I’m jumping the gun - maybe the 5th issue ties it all together. That’s certainly something Bendis would be capable of. But overall - while the stories have been nice - and it was fun to see young Banner, Storm, Pym, and Parker (Spider-Man’s dad) working together… I have been SORELY disappointed in the lack of conspiracy and connection.
The reason that this mini-series feels like an Ultimatum prequel is because of the few pages each issue devoted to what is happening in the here-and-now. There’s some sort of mysterious alien device causing shenanigans - and I don’t think it counts as a spoiler for me to tell you that it’s going to have something to do with Ultimatum. And it also had SOMETHING to do with all these origin events, as well. But that does NOT count as a connection. Trust me - I’ve read all four issues - I know where Bendis is going with this.

My Recommendation:
Don’t mistake my disappointment as this series fails to live up to its hype for disapproval of the story. This mini-series is incredible. I love Brian Michael Bendis - I would go so far as to say he is a comic book genius. Finding out these characters’ origins has been a fun ride and I highly recommend the series to anyone who follows the Ultimate Universe. But this book is definitely NOT a jumping on point. If you don’t ALREADY know who Dr. Storm, Dr. Parker, Dr. Banner, and Dr. Pym are, then you aren’t going to care that they’re all working together. If you don’t know who Wilson Fisk is, then the appearance he makes doesn’t even seem RELEVANT. This is definitely a book for fans. (And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing - either. Sometimes you can’t pander to the least informed denominator. Sometimes a good story for those of us who have literally read EVERY issue of the Ultimate Universe can be a lot of fun.)

That’s all for today. If you’ve been looking forward to Spider-Man: Brand New Day week - I promise, it’s on the horizon. Until then - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Cable #1 - #5. This is the current series - not the older one - newly ongoing from Marvel, written by Duane Swierczynski (Immortal Iron Fist, Moon Knight Annual) with art by Ariel Olivetti (X-Man, Space Ghost). These first five issues comprise the first arc, War Baby.

Premise:
[Spoiler Warning - the very premise of this book gives away a bit of what transpired during Messiah Complex. Such is the consequence of reviewing modern books - they will always give away something about the older books that preceded it.]
Cable is the mutant son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey). He was raised in a post apocalyptic future and has returned to modern times an old warrior. Many of his adventures involve time travel. He is probably best known for taking the original New Mutants and turning them into his personal strike team, X-Force.
In this arc, Cable has taken the first baby born since M-Day into the future in an attempt to save her from those who would destroy her or use her for their own needs. And Bishop has followed them - intent on killing the baby - convinced that she is responsible for the terrible future in which he was raised.

The Awesome Parts:
The juxtaposition of this hard-ass warrior having to care for a baby is done very well. There’s a whole lot of action. And I always enjoy semi-post-apocalyptic futures. There are also some pretty deep philosophical issues raised in this arc that wouldn’t really come up in day-to-day life, but are actually applicable to the abortion debate. Basically, Bishop has no problems killing people in the future because he’s convinced that once he saves the day none of them will have ever existed. I like that even though Cable is the title character we get just as much of Bishop and understand the adventure from his perspective, too. It’s always more interesting when BOTH conflicting parties are sympathetic protagonists. Who do you root for? Well… I guess you’re supposed to root for the guy trying to SAVE the baby, not the one trying to KILL it - that’s why Cable is the title character. But I certainly understand where Bishop is coming from.

The Not-So-Awesome Parts:
Why do all futures have to be such terrible places? Does humanity have no hope? For once I’d like to see someone travel to a possible future where people are happy. I suppose that doesn’t make for such an interesting story - but it sure would be uplifting. I’m also skeptical about the way time travel was handled in this arc. I LOVE time travel stories. I’m as obsessed with them as I am with continuity (which is odd since they pose such MAJOR complications to continuity…) But I’m not sure I like the way they handle the time-travelling element. Namely, Swierczynski shows that Bishop and Cable both have devices that can take them to any point in time - but they don’t use them very much. If you were trying to escape to an isolated place, wouldn’t you use your time traveling abilities ALL THE TIME? And wouldn’t you try to find a time and/or possible future that wasn’t such a bleak place? It just felt weird to me.
I also have some SERIOUS issues with Bishop’s motivation. Again - given the capacity for time travel - what could POSSIBLY be lost by sitting down and having a little chat in an attempt to come to some sort of compromise about our differences? This goes back to Messiah Complex where Bishop first starting acting in ways that are (in my opinion) COMPLETELY out of character. Do I buy the motivation IN GENERAL - kill this child to save millions? Sure - I think that’s great. But the extent to which Bishop has become a mindless murderous VILLAIN just feels out of character - despite his motivation.

My Recommendation:
This is a toss up. If you like Cable, then I think you’ll enjoy this series. Putting him in such a different situation than he’s ever been in has been enjoyable for me. If you like Bishop, I think you’ll enjoy this book because he’s written well. He gets a chance to use his detective skills and be a bad-ass. But boy - I sure bet you’re pissed off about the way he’s acting right now. If you aren’t familiar with either of these characters I’m gonna have to say pass on this book. The BASIC struggle between these two characters is simple enough - one’s trying to protect the baby, the other’s trying to kill it. But if you don’t ALREADY care about these two characters and their conflicts, I didn’t feel like there was anything in this arc that would MAKE you care. Despite the post apocalyptic future and hard-core action scenes, this is a CHARACTER driven book, and I don’t think the action scenes cut it in terms of selling the book to someone unfamiliar with Cable and/or Bishop.

That’s all for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Monday, September 22nd, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
I am pleased to have my first pre-release review be for Million Feet Tall of Awesome Comics vol. 4 - OmniPigent, created by fellow SCCG (Sacramento Comic Creators Group) members, Devon McMindes and Griffon Lyles. Check out their website at http://www.rainbowoflies.com. For those who live in the Sacramento Area, Million Feet Tall of Awesome Comics vol. 4 - OmniPigent will be premiering at Sac Con on Sunday, September 28th. Check out the Sac Con website at http://www.sacramentocomics.com. And if you can’t make it to Sac Con, check out my coverage of it as the host of SCCG TV - the hardest hitting news show in the universe - at http://www.myspace.com/SCCG. Alright - I think that’s enough shameless self promotion. Let’s check out the comic.

Premise:
A pig who wears a pompadour gains infinite power and eats the sun. Hilarious pun-filled shenanigans ensue including an epic battle with the space cowboy known as gravity.

The Awesome Parts:
I laughed out loud. MULTIPLE TIMES! Seriously - crazy funny. Devon and Griffon (in alphabetical order) have totally captured the comedy of randomness. And the comedy was constant. There was AT LEAST one good joke on each page.

The Less-Than-Awesome Parts:
The only thing I have to say against this comic is that it has an air of unprofessionalism about it. In one sesne, that enhances the random hilarity of the comic. But on the other hand, it looks and feels like it was printed at Kinkos. Also, the simplistic art style is great for the comedy - but is nothing to write home about visually.

My Recommendation:
If you enjoy random humor like Frisky Dingo, Family Guy, or Freakazoid (hrm… all animated “F” shows - I assure you that was not planned. Did I just stumble upon a trend?) then this comic book is for you. If your comedy styles don’t enjoy pigs eating suns then you probably wouldn’t understand the appeal of Million Feet Tall of Awesome Comics vol. 4 - OmniPigent.

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak. Remember, if there’s a comic book you’re interested in but aren’t sure if it’s worth your hard earned cash - let me know and I’ll review it for you. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Sunday, September 21st, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
A Tale of Dust by Jeremy Rathbone (Munkie Revolution, SCCG TV) with dialogue by John Ostermiller (SCCG TV). This is another self-published venture by a fellow member of the Sacramento Comic Creators Group. I’ll try not to let my biases get in the way of my review. If you want to check out A Tale of Dust for FREE (that’s right - FREE) go to http://taleofdust.smackjeeves.com/comics/289365/cover/

Premise:
In the cruel times of the old west, Lieutenant John Saint returns to the town of Dust Valley to find that it is not the town he remembers. Now he must fight to save the town from its corrupt leaders. A Tale of Dust does get a semi-mature rating for a discussion about whores and a graphic bar fight.

The Awesome Parts:
I haven’t read a good western tale in a long time. I still haven’t read a good western tale in a long time (okay - that wasn’t true - I just thought I’d say it because it’s the obvious joke.) Seriously, A Tale of Dust has everything a good western should - whores and a bar fight. Corrupt officials. And a lone man fighting for justice and honor. The writing is also very poetic and even beautiful at times. Check out this quote: “Like the unceasing waves of the ocean wearing away the shore, even the steadiest stone or the most virtuous soul… could break.” I also enjoyed the panel layout - and I use the term loosely. There weren’t really “panels” the way we think of them in modern comics. The layout was more of an Eisner-esk feel, where the pictures on the page blend together to create a feel and tell a narrative without each of them standing alone in a seperate panel. And it was done WELL, too - something that is NOT easy to do (I say this from experience.)

The Less-Than-Awesome-Parts:
Unfortunately (I saw unfortunately - maybe it’s not for you) the comic is clearly an independent venture. There is no retail price listed on the cover. The crease on the binding is not solid. Some of the words are chopped off at the edges of the pages. One copy I got my hands on even had the pages printed backwards. Many of the faces - especially the eyes - look simplistic. Yes, this is a style, but I mention it because it adds to the non-professional feel of the book. The only problem I had story-wise was one of the major villains not being explained. His actions clearly deliniate him as a villain, but we don’t really know WHO he is. You could argue this adds an air of mystery - but I argue that it adds an air of confusion.

My Recommendation:
Why would you ever pass up FREE entertainment? I can’t possibly think of a reason. If you like westerns, I’m sure this will fit your bill. If you don’t… well… this is definitely a western. Remember, you can check it out for FREE at http://taleofdust.smackjeeves.com/comics/289365/cover/

That’s it for today. Spider-Man - Brand New Day week is coming soon (I promise!) As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold