Category Archives: review

My Pull List: Star Trek Captain’s Log: Harriman

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Star Trek Captain’s Log: Harriman
writer: Marc Guggenheim
art: Andrew Currie

★★★★★★

To say this is an obscure title to review here at DDOY, you’d be right. The first question you might be asking yourself is who the hell is Captain Harriman. Well, Captain John Harriman was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise-B, portrayed by Alan “Pardon My French You’re An Asshole” Ruck in Star Trek: Generations.

This issue picks up six months after the incident in which Captain James T. Kirk is killed during the inaugural cruise of the Enterprise-B. We find that Doctor Leonard McCoy has been recalled from reserve status to assist Starfleet with an outbreak of the Terrellian Virus (which could be a nod to Captain Terrell from Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan?). Understandably, McCoy is a curmudgeon more-so due to the fact that his best friend died while his new commanding officer was curled up in the fetal position. Harriman has had to live as the guy who got Kirk killed, and it has taken its toll.

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We soon find that Captain Harriman has found it difficult to move on in the last six months, and is prepared to resign once this mission to the Antares System is finished. Harriman knows that his crew doesn’t believe in him, nor does he believe in himself. Of course, McCoy does nothing to provide some positive reinforcement … at first. He goes onto to relate to Harriman the difficulties that Kirk faced on the Genesis planet with the death of his son David, and scuttling of the USS Enterprise … and more importantly that Kirk bluffed his way out of things.

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Captain Harriman is soon provided an opportunity to fake his way out of a run in with a Klingon battlecruiser. With weapons systems knocked out and all hope appeared to be lost … Harriman surprised McCoy and the rest of his crew and pulls a Kirk. I won’t spoil it for you, but all I kept hearing in the back of my mind was Christopher Lloyd yelling “Get out of there!”.

I really enjoyed this one off, it was a fun read about a character that really got hosed in Star Trek canon. I gladly give this Marc Guggenheim penned issue a 4 star rating.

DDOY Review: Blackest Night #7

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For someone who has been a Marvel guy for most of his comic reading life, I’ve been enjoying the hell out of Blackest Night. For someone who knows very little of the goings on in the DCU outside this event, I’m very impressed. I went back and refreshed on Green Lantern: Rebirth and finally read Sinestro Corps War before diving into Blackest Night.

Blackest Night #7

Now there are some characters that have made me scratch my head, and after forum trolling and Wikipedia checking I was able to get the general gist of the individual motivations and stories behind the scenes of Blackest Night.

When I first started getting into this, I felt that the different color rings were a little too Captain Planet for me. However it is starting to grow on me and somewhat logical. Ivan Reis’ art is phenomenal, the splash pages are full of detail and I’m sure the inkers on this book are working double time. How is it that a book with so many characters with their own distinct style can be put out on time … unlike some of the events over at the House of Ideas?

The Black Lanterns are fully charged and ready to fuck up Earth and all those who oppose them. Once enemies and strangers, the remaining Lantern Corps have forged a temporary alliance to take on Nekron and his undead lackies.

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What Geoff Johns has done is rather remarkable, and I totally get why he was recently installed as Chief Creative Officer over at DC. He’s laid some significant ground work here over the last few years and it has me confused as to why all of a sudden the action and the big reveal feels so rushed (but it was awesome).

As a relative newb, I have to say that I’m really digging that and am very curious to see what the conclusion to Blackest Night brings … and what happens in Brightest Day.

My Pull List: Daredevil #502

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I’m not going to lie, I was hesitant about the future of Matt Murdock when Ed Brubaker left his writing gig on Daredevil. Granted we are only two issues into Andy Diggle’s run, but I am really enjoying the new status quo in Hell’s Kitchen with the Daredevil as the new leader of the ninja death cult, The Hand.

With his new found power as leader of the The Hand, Daredevil is able to use his resources to take the fight to Norman Osborn who has become the most powerful man in the United States in the aftermath of Secret Invasion. With government sanctioned and Osborn approved death squads on the streets of NYC, Daredevil is bringing the fight to Osborn.

I’ve been a long time of Billy Tan’s work and the last panel in #502 is pure BADASSERY. An army of ninjas descending into battle led by Daredevil is pure awesome.

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DDOY Review: Ignition City #4

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Warren Ellis’ Ignition City is a fantastic piece of steam-punk science fiction. Set in an alternate 1956 where ray guns, space flight, and aliens are commonplace; one woman looks to find the answer to her father’s death in the world’s last space port … Ignition City.

I picked up the first issue simply because the cover art was stunning and I have not regretted it at all. While the mini series is almost finished and if you are unable to grab the floppies, I urge you to pick it up in trade paperback.

Ignition City #4 has what I’m considering to be the greatest panel in the history of comics. While our heroine Mary Raven is locked in heated ray-gun battle, the enigmatic Russian scientist Dr. Dragomir Vukokic busts out an electrical-laser gun and utters something so wonderful it could only come from the warped mind of Warren Ellis.

Warren Ellis' Ignition City #4 ... Science Will Fuck You

Remember kids, science will in fact, fuck you.

DC’s Wednesday Comics Is Winning Me Over

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Let me just put this out there, I’ve only read one ongoing DC title in the last 3-5 years and that was the Justice Society of America (v. III), which was on my pull list until that Magog/Gog clusterfuck (which dragged entirely too long). I have a smattering of trades like the Death/Return of Superman, Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween, and a couple of Superman/Batman titles.

I still vividly remember my dad buying me the entire Batman: Year Three series, dating back all the way to 1989. And that memory is one of the reasons that I continue to buy comics, the pure unadulterated joy that they brought me as a kid.

I fully intended for this post to be a review of Wednesday Comics #1-2, however I wanted to come clean with you all … so far this is working for DC. As a reader who NEVER picks up a book, I was intrigued not only by some of the preview art I saw, but the concept; a newspaper sized weekly comic featuring some of DC’s most talented writers and artists.

DC Comics' Wednesday Comics: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern

Of course you are bound to see Green Lantern, Superman, & Wonder Woman … but I was not expecting the likes of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Hawkman, & Adam Strange. It’s great, and overall the reaction seems to be favorable. I have yet to see numbers but I have a feeling that this is a great way to gain exposure to get readers and gain back some of that market share?

Paul Pope’s (Batman: Year 100) style totally works wonderfully as he takes on Adam Strange as he battles the Rock People of Ragathann.

Paul Pope's Adam Strange in Wednesday Comics

Or better yet, how about Hawkman leading an army of his fellow birds on a mission to free a hijacked plane. Bad. Ass.

Kyle Baker's Hawkman in Wednesday Comics

So maybe some of the exposition in each story may be repetitive, but in the end it is doing exactly what Dan DiDio wanted … to generate positive buzz for a change. I’m thoroughly enjoying this experiment two issues in, and I will continue to pick this up for the remainder of the run. For the talent and stories that you get, it’s worth bumping a Marvel title for.

DDOY Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

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After two years of spoiler-free living this past week I saw TF:RotF not once, but twice (including an IMAX showing) and have yet to come to a conclusion as to how i feel about the His Bayness’ latest addition to his IMDB page. There were things that I loved about it while other gave me douche chills. Below I’ll list the top five things I liked/didn’t like in TF:RotF.

Five Things I Didn’t Like:

1) The Twins. It’s pretty unanimous across the Interwebz, the way Mudflap & Skids were characterized they would have been better off having a lawn jockey as their alt-mode. They did nothing to move the plot along, and took up valuable screen time from other newer and far more interesting Autobots.

2) Not Enough Sideswipe. Easily the coolest of the new arrivals, he kicked ass in the Shanghai sequence only to be relegated to the periphery later on in the film.

3) WTF is with the Decepticon Space Ship? So Megatron is reborn and immediately flies to the moons of Saturn where Starscream was holed up making decepti-babies with The Fallen? We couldn’t flesh this out more?

4) Not enough non-combat interaction between human NEST personnel & Autobots. Clearly they’d been fighting side by side for two years, but could we have maybe seen them interacting in a non-combat situation? Have Ironhide tells stories of encountering petrorabbits on Alpha Nine or maybe have Epps teach them Texas Hold ‘em.

5) Too Much Dick & Fart Humor. I love dick jokes as much as the next guy, but the sheer number of them in TF:RotF was staggering. Between the humping of Megan Fox’s leg (really can’t blame Wheelie though), the Twins stating that Leo had a “pubic fro”, or maybe Devastors fucking testicles! There is a place for it, but it was distracting and unnecessary.

Five Things I Liked:

1) Sideswipe. Refer to #2 above.

2) Optimus Primes’ Entrance Into Shanghai. “We need Big Boy!” Bad. Ass. Only Chuck Norris would make a cooler entrance into a hotzone.

3) The Optimus/Jetfire Link Up. Sure Jetfire may not have done much for me, but the powering up of Optimus was a mighty cool sequence.

4) Soundwave. Did he eject Ravage? Yup. Frank Welker for voice talents? Yup. His new mode served his ultimate purpose of espionage quite well. Sadly they didn’t modulate his voice, leaving him to sound more like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.

5) Bumblebee. So what if he can’t talk, I enjoy his “speaking” through sound clips. The sequence with Sam & Alice after the party was humorous. He was my favorite as a kid and remains so to this day, even if he is a Camaro.

TF: RotF was enjoyable for what it was. I think His Bayness ought to just take a Executive Producer credit on the next go around (someone is going to have to take the hit for the Twins). While there were more robots, just as he promised they weren’t all necessarily fleshed out or even properly introduced. We do need a little substance every once in a while.

This movie is and will continue to make an insane amount of money and while it may not be viewed as a good film, it will be financially successful. I’ll give it a ** 3/4 stars …

My Pull List: Incredible Hercules #129

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I’ve spoke of the general greatness of Incredible Hercules for well over a year. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente have been turning out quality stories and haven’t missed a beat. In this issue, we find that Hercules and boy wonder Amadeus Cho are being sent on a mission by Athena (Herc’s sister) to rescue Zeus from Hades.

Here’s the rub, Hades is really accessed through a casino in Atlantic City, NJ. And in order to prepare for this journey to the Underworld our intrepid heroes have to bathe in the murky waters of the Atlantic Ocean and suit up. Who knew that Hercules had such a deep knowledge of Will Smith movie quotes?

Incredible Hercules #129 ... Hercules Makes This Look Good

Pure. Snarky. Awesomeness. This book is really worth the $2.99 cover price. Pak & Van Lente so rightly deserve your undying love and affection.

My Pull List: All Hail Megatron #10

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All Hail Megatron #10 ** 1/2
writer: Shane McCarthy art: Guido Guidi

All Hail Megatron #10 - REVIEW!

To say that Shane McCarthy is taking a bashing from the Transformer fandom is an understatement. Prior to AHM, the IDW-verse had been going rather smoothly, with legendary Transformer scribe Simon Furman guiding the ship.

Well, that was derailed when McCarthy brought this one year later story where the Autobots got betrayed by one of their own (Sunstreaker) with the Autobots scraping by on Cybertron while the Decepticons run rampant on Earth using stolen technology (and perhaps the Matrix) to build a Space Bridge.

Guess what happens in AHM #10 …. Starscream BETRAYS Megatron. He builds up the backing of the most powerful ‘Cons and starts a coup. I’ve seen this in every comic and cartoon series. Here’s what really chafes my ass with this issue. Inexplicably, Optimus Prime who two issues prior was irreparably damaged and near death … is all shiny and ready to kick ass. See the Autobots have been stuck on Cybertron fighting off the insectoid Deception Swarm (which have been explained as frak ups when they were designing the Instecticons … boo).

Just as the Autobots are at their wits end … Omega Supreme shows up to whisk the Autobots to Earth for a confrontation with the Decepticons. So the question I ask is, how is this different than any other story I’ve read since I was 7? More importantly, McCarthy may be a competent creator … but this just seems hackneyed and trite. With two issues left, it really doesn’t look like anything exciting is coming down the pike … but I’ve come this far.

In all honesty this issue would have gotten a 1 star, but for Guidi’s art alone and the balls awesome (but deus ex machina) appearance of Omega Supreme seals it for me.

My Pull List: The Walking Dead #60

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The Walking Dead #60 *** 1/2
writer: Robert Kirkman pencils/ink: Charlie Adlard

The Walking Dead #60 - REVIEW!

Previously in The Walking Dead … Rick, Carl, & Abraham venture to Rick’s hometown pick up a new survivor in Morgan (remember his neighbor from Issue #1?) After a stop to the police station for supplies, they encounter an ass-load of zombies and have to make a run for it.

This is Rick, Carl, and Morgan’s first run in with what Abraham called a herd. Apparently these zombies possess a Borg-like collective consciousness which draws them together when stalking prey. Not necessarily a new concept in zombie-lore, but one that puts a little more science into Rick’s world.

Back in the encampment: Michone, Dale, Glenn, and the Mulleted Scientist are just hanging loose when Rick shows up with a couple thousand deadites on his ass. As the company hustles to put some distance between their relentless pursuers, Dale rather succinctly sums up his problems. He doesn’t want to run anymore, and Rick Grimes is responsible for all of the terrible shit that has happened to this group of survivors.

Overall, a decent issue which rightly earns its 3 1/2 stars. So far this year Kirkman has kept true to his “On Time in ’09″ promise, and that is definitely keeping interest going. As the first half of TWD has been so focused on the immediate needs of survival, we now find that the characters are seeking answers for the world in which they now live.

My Pull List: Amazing Spider-Man #589

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I’ve had Amazing Spider-Man on my pull list for the better part of 4 years, picking up at some point during J. Michael Straczynski’s epic run on the title. I even had the testicular fortitude to hang in through the muddled One More Day, hoping for the “big pay off” that Joey Q. promised.

I’ll be honest, I really didn’t think ASM would actually be good … but for the last year, the creative team has been pumping out a quality book three times a month.

Amazing Spider-Man #589 was essentially a filler issue, with Fred Van Lente (Incredible Hercules, Marvel Zombies 3 & 4) scripting and Paulo Siqueira (Ms. Marvel) penciling. Ol’ Web Head encounters an old villian Spot, while trying to snuff out an illegal arms deal. Anyone who is familiar with Van Lente’s work is well aware that he has the appropriate amount of snark for Spidey.

Amazing Spider-Man #589 or rather, Peter Parker does his best Christian Bale

Van Lente +1. If you have the chance to meet the guy at a Con, go for it. Along with Greg Pak, I think he’s probably among the most approachable and fan friendly creators that are currently on the Marvel payroll.