Graphic Novels - Batman: Death in the Family

This installment of Graphic Novels is brought to you by...a rapping Cookie Monster. 

Hello and hello! It's ARW with another tale from the 80's. This one is a bit...controversial, as you see the title of the post and the image at the right. This is the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. I might as well spoil what happened since it's well known. There's also the fact that one of you guys/gals out there may have voted to have Jason killed or not killed, I don't know. All I know is that this is a nice, sad, messed up tale. For those who don't know who Jason Todd is, don't worry, I'll talk about him a little below...or you can look him up on Wikipedia. I first read this tpb when I got it from Giles County's library.I thought it was pretty good.  I recently found it for cheap at a book store. Now, let's get to the creative team:

Geoff Johns - Hold up! You didn't write this! Get outta here!

Jim Starlin - a well-known writer who has done some books like Infinity Gauntlet.
Jim Aparo - a well-known Batman artist. He's the one who drew the "breaking" of Batman in the 90's. 

The issues of this story are Batman #426-429. So, with that being said, let's get to it!

Christmas!!!

Hey there. Just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and whatever else is going on in this holiday season. Be safe and enjoy your time with friends and family. I know I will. And here I have a couple of things to show: a video and a picture. Enjoy!

This is a song I can usually do without, but tonight, it fits.


As for the pic, I saw it earlier this month. I love it.

Random Thoughts #9

Well, it's three days before Christmas, I need to get some more presents,  and I guess it's time for some random thoughts as well.

It's coming, it's coming.....

Man, it's been a while since I have talked about some comics. Right now, I think I just needed a longer break that usual. I'm out of school for now and while it's really time for me to talk about them, I just don't have the will right now. I've just been reading something called 52 and playing Assassin's Creed (that level involving Robert and his knights is ticking me off though). I will be back with something soon though, and it's related to this pic here:

Is it wrong for me to laugh at this part?

After that, I have something planned for the month of January. What is it? Well, these few quotes should give you a few hints:

• "What do they call you? Wheels?"
• " I am the rocks of the eternal shore. Crash against me and be broken! "
• "-----, mistress of the elements, commands you to release that child!"
• "Assassin!"
• "No one can control the power of Phoenix!"
• "All right, you egg-suckin' piece of gutter trash! You always did like pushin' around people smaller than you! Well I'm smaller! Try pushin' me! "
• " What did you expect? Yellow spandex?"
• "Lady, you picked the wrong girl to adopt! "
• " It's only that you realize, while you were talking about organizing and committees, the extermination has already begun. Make no mistake, my brothers. They will draw first blood. They will force their cure upon us. The only question is, will my brotherhood and fight, or wait for the inevitable genocide? Who will you stand with - the humans... or us?
• "My parents didn't have a name. It was taken from them... by pig farmers... and tailors. "
• " I can't fight it! Not every second of every day, never slipping, not even for an instant, Scott, please!"
• "THE NAME IS GAMBIT! REMEMBER IT!"

And I guess this pretty much spoils the surprise:

Beast: Magneto, I presume?

Magneto: What are you waiting for?

Beast: My day in court actually.

Yep, it's X-Men Month!

Women
I just wanted to put this here. No reason this time, I think anyway.

What else...
I got all A's!!! Yay!!!

..................

I guess that's all I have for today. I want to wish ya'll out there a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. What will 2012 bring? Only God knows...and if you're offended by the words "Merry Christmas," I'll send you lump of coal or something. Peace.

Random Thoughts #8

Well, it's a Thursday night and for some reason I feel like throwing out some random thoughts.

Last two weeks...yay and nay
These last two weeks have ranged from awesome to #$%@. My old laptop's died on me, and on the eve of writing a long paper for my PM class. Luckily, I have a new laptop which is working out well. I finally have a PS3, which is a long time wait for me. I also got Batman: Arkham Asylum (awesome), MGS4 (also awesome), Ghostbusters (haven't played it yet), and Assassin's Creed (...don't know about this one yet). There is also som sort of 10 to 14 page paper that is due Monday, so that's great! So on that note, it looks like I will be doing this paper this weekend. I may even get some MGS4 or something in. I will be back, and I will be bringing something .....controversial!!!

Batman: the world's greatest detective....NOT.

Random Pics of the Month - December

And here are the random pics for the month of December. i don't know why, but for some reason I'm getting that Christmas vibe today....

Batman: Hey! Someone let me in! i ain't that dark and brooding on Christmas! Heck, I even deliver presents to poor folk!

 Wolverine: Ho...ho....ho....(SKINT!)!

Okay, I have two things to say. One: those are some awful sweaters, but at least they're worn well. Two: Zac Efron??

 

Merry Thanksgiving!! HA HA......Oh,wait...

I just wrote to say to  everyone and anyone out there: Eat some turkey and dressing, be safe, have fun, and be thankful for something on this day we call Thanksgiving. My plans are to eat with my family, call and text some friends, eventually fit the entire series of Firefly (oh yeah!) into this weekend, and try to relax as well. May God bless you all.

Superman is not only thinking of turkey this Thanksgiving...he is also wondering why Jay is mesmerizing everyone with some old story from the old days, I think.

TV Talk - Power Rangers (oh yes....I'm going there)

So, why in the HECK am I talking about this show? I have a few reasons. First, this blog is called Random Thoughts. Second, I have no freakin' clue. Third, "blah, blah, blabba-labba ding-dong." Fourth, it's because something deep within me wants to let this out. Fifth, why not do it? I mean it's the Power Rangers! So there.

Yes, I watched Power Rangers for a long time. Do I watch it now? Nope. Mostly because I think I have finally "grown up." Plus, I tried watching some of Power Rangers Samurai, and....it ain't happening for me, so my PR watching days are officially over. So this long post is going to  pretty much cover it all from MMPR to RPM for me. It's the same as usual. I'll hit my background, likes, dislikes, and instead of favorite episodes, it's going to be my favorite seasons of the show. I'll mention a couple of episodes though. And with that said, let's "Shift into Turbo!!" and get through this.

Random Thoughts #7

Well, it's a Saturday night in Pulaski (brr!), and I have a presentation and two papers to work on. I think it's time for random thoughts before I get into those things.

Grad School
Well, grad school has been going well for me. From what I can tell, I'm doing okay. As I said, I have a presentation to perfect and two papers, wit one being a re-submit 'cause that unfortunately happens and one that shouldn't be too hard. My presentation is pretty much gonna be on how to manage your stakeholders in an IT (or IS) project. Here's hoping it turns out well. It also looks like I may be taking 9 hours next semester. Since two of the classes I have to take are both scheduled to my liking, I'll be taking those two on  Thursdays and on the other back on Monday. It should be interesting.

Women
Yes, this topic is back. Let's see...women. That's all.  ):|

Frank Miller...
I just read this little article on BleedingCool about Frank Miller's thoughts on Occupy _____. All I can say is "Wow." Now, I really have no thoughts on the Occupy thing. I have my own "occupying" I need to get to. Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to say on that topic. There are three things I have a hard time talking about: Politics, religion, and love. I'd rather listen to someone talk about them rather than I talk about them.

 .....................
So what will I be doing next? It looks like I'll be doing two GNs from the 80's (again). One is controversial, while the other is the aftermath of something controversial. Then, maybe I'll get to the next two issues of Suicide Squad.

Well, I'm out and about to start on these important things for school. I will now leave you all with someone I may or may not talk about in the future:

Bruce Lee vs. the rejects from The Karate Kid. I think Lee may win this bout.

Horrible Music Videos - Anything Can Happen On Halloween

I know, I know. Halloween is over, but this has to be seen to be believed. Apparently it's from some cheap hour-long tv movie from the 80's called " The Worst Witch." How do I know this? Simple: Nostalgia Chick. Anyway, feast your eyes on this weird, hilariously bad music number from the man himself: TIM CURRY!!

Some stuff to look out for:
Lot's of lip syncing
Tim Curry
a tambourine
a sardine
horrible green screen effects
a cat turning into a bat
a heart
a skeleton
fast cape action!
and ......
 
HALLOWWEEEEEEEENN...AAAA!!!!!!!!

Random Pics of the Month - November

And here are the random pics for the month of November. First, here is a little something special for that holiday season...:

 I think the Freddie Mercury look-alike is a little off today, don't you think? At least he isn't in his "Get back in the kitchen" mode.

The next photo is from my last semester as an undergrad. As you can tell, it's Fall. Plus, I think it's finally time to get back to taking pics with my camera. it's been a while.

 

FALL!!!

Tales From the 50 Cent Bin! - Suicide Squad #1-#2

Well, after a long break, I'm back into this whole "talking about comics" gig. This time is a little different though. Instead of talking about a certain GN, I will be talking about certain single issues in this segment called " The _______!" I don't know what I want to put in that blank yet, but I'll find a name for it.I'm either going to go with "Singles", "Floppies", or even better, "tales from the 50 cent bin"...nah!

Today's two issues are Suicide Squad #1-#2.  As you can tell by the top images, this is John Ostrander's version, not the new version with Amanda Waller on WeightWatchers. This is old-school, and this is pretty awesome. Now the team was formed (or re-formed if you have never read Secret Origins #14) by Amanda Waller. The goal was to have villains working for the government to do jobs that are too risky. If they survive, they get time served and let go. Some members like Bronze Tiger, Rick Flag, and Enchantress aren't villains, but they have their own reason to be on the team. So let's get to it and see the Suicide Squad take on the Jihad...not kidding.

Suicide Squad #1 and #2
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Luke McDonnell
Inker: Karl Kesel

12 Greatest Live Action Intros

Well, since I did my favorite animated intros, I might as well do my favorite live action intros. These intros are pretty much gonna be all over the place when concerning TV. So, here we go with my top 11 Greatest Live Action Intros. Why 12? Well, it turns out that there are not many awesome live action TV intros for me to put here, but whatever. Some of these are my favorite shows, while the rest just have awesome intros.So, here we go:

12. The Flash
I vaguely remember this show coming on back in the nineties. From what I have seen on the internet, it wasn't that bad. I do wish it had stayed on longer though. Anyway, why is this intro awesome? Two words: DANNY ELFMAN.

Random Thoughts #6

Well, I'm bored. It's time for some Random Thoughts.

...
I actually don't know what to say today. I was going to post one of these at the end of September, but since school is taking up all of my time (and there's the fact that I had nothing to say), I decided to wait. Not too much is going on these days. It's just school and work. I have two presentations I have to prepare for: One 20 minutes long (by myself ...) and one about 5 to 10  minutes long. Shouldn't be too difficult. Let's see...what else? I think I'm getting tired of the single life...'bout time. I'm also trying to figure out what else to do with this blog. The post from earlier is an example. I want keep it as 'random' as I can and not have it be just all about one thing.

Right now, I'm on sabbatical (or something like that) fro the Graphic Novels section. Superman Month wiped me out and with all of the school stuff coming up soon, I won't be able to just sit down and type a lot of words on a graphic novel. It actually takes a lot of time to do that. So, it looks like I'll just do two a month for a while. Well, I'm actually out of things to say, so I'm out. 

13 Greatest Animated Intros

As a kid, I loved to watch cartoons. Heck, I still do. I mostly enjoy the action-oriented ones these days. Star Wars: Clone Wars, Young Justice, Symbiotic Titan (wait, that got cancelled. Dang you, Cartoon Network!!). So what is the first thing you see with a show in general? The intro of course!  Sometimes, the intro is so awesome, it feels like you've missed a cool part of the show when you miss it. Plus, if the show sucks, at least you can watch an awesome intro. So with that being said, I will go over my top 13 Animated intros. Why 13? Simple, it's because I can! Ha Ha HA!!!

13. The Real Ghostbusters
Why is this on the list? It's Ghostbusters! This is what  got me interested in the Ghostbusters in the first place, so it has to be on this list. I like that they used the theme song from the movie.

Random Pic of the Month - October

And here are the random pics of the month of September October.

Etrigan: DC's Original MC!!!

Here's another from my archive of many pics. It's from a Halloween party (2008), and the dude making th the funny face is Chet, a real cool dude.

I guess I was V's cousin, Vic, from America.  Apparently, I go around quoting Bible verses and sound a lot like Samuel L. Jackson. 

Graphic Novels - DCnU Superman

Well, I'm finally at the end of Superman Month. I have to say that this was a nice little project. It was so nice that I have decided to start doing more of these themed months for things. I don't know what yet, but I hinted before that the next thing I may do has a "Star" in it, so you may know what it is if you have read more of my stuff (or just know me).

So, we are finally here at the new DCU, and it looks kinda good. I've gotten 6 of the 52. They've ranged from "meh" to pretty good.

Movie Talk - the Superman Franchise

Superman: So dad, I can't have Lois and be Superman at the same time?

Jor-El: Uh...Nope.

S: Why? Am I not Superman?

J: Yeah, but..."the needs of the many must come before the needs of the--"

S: Hey! That's Wrath of Khan!

J:Oh...Well...The heck should I know? It's in the script! I'm not Jor-El: the great and powerful!

S: True. But you are Jor-El: the woman-blocker!

J: ...Yep. Sorry, Kiddo.

Well, we're at the end of Superman Month. One of the last things I wanted to post this month about the Man of Steel is my opinion on the Superman movie franchise. I'm basically gonna do how I did with the POTA franchise. I'll list them in chronological order. I'll also list a synopsis, pros, cons of the movies. First, Lets's start with the background.

Background
I have seen all of these movies. I saw them in my young days as well. I saw Superman Returns in theatres when it came out. I've actually watched the first three movies recently, so I'm ready to share my opinion. I recommend all of these movies. They can all be enjoyed (some more than others.)

Horrible Music Videos...or Musical - Superman The Musical

Three words....Superman: the Musical. That's all I have to say.



Some things to notice:
...WTH?????
No, really, WTH????
Who thought this was a good idea? Bono should have watched this and said to himself: "Hmm...maybe a Spider-Man musical isn't such a good idea." 

Graphic Novels - Silver Age Superman: Superman #196

Welcome back to Superman Month. This time I will be going over a random issue from the Silver Age.I don't have much to say about this age, except that just about everything like Brainiac, Metallo, Supergirl, Kandor, Superpets (?????), the Fortress of Solitude and a whole lot of other things came out of this age. This is also the age where Superman was at his most powerful. Super strength, Super speed, x-ray vision, Finger Beams (or Gay Pride Beams, thanks Caitlyn), and most of all Super-dickery, Superman had them all. Anyway, today's issue has two stories, with both ranging from weird to "Ehhh???" So here we go as we leave the Pre-Crisis age:


Superman #196
Writers: Bill Finger and ?
Artists: Wayne Boring and Al Plastino

Creative Time!! - Superman and the X-Men

And here is another cover I tried to play with. I decided to use my favorite X-Men team and my favorite DC superhero. This was probably the hardest one to do.

The X-Men  "IN SPACE" (echoes)!!!!

TV Talk - Superman by Timm and Dini

Superman: Take it easy Batman. I have another way we can interrogate this guy. 

(Superman then throws man out of window.)

Welcome back to TV Talk. Today, I'm going to talk about Superman as animated by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. If you don't know who Timm and Dini are, well, look at this: AWESOME!!! Anyway, I'm going to try to do what I did with Smallville here: Background, Likes, Dislikes, and Best Episodes. So here we go:

Graphic Novels - Bronze Age Superman: Action Comics #439

Graphic Novels is brought to you by the guys who made Spinach.

Spinach: that stuff that makes you stronger (as well as your forearms the size of your head)!

Welcome back to Superman Month on Random Thoughts. Today, I’ll be going over a random issue from the Bronze Age: Action Comics #439. But first, here’s a little backstory on this age. This age began in the early 70’s (basically when Dennis O’Neil started writing on Superman) to COIE, which was about 1985. This age in general was a bit more social commentary-ish and a little darker than the Silver Age of comics, and Superman had his share of Social Commentary and dark stuff (read “Whatever Happened To the Man Of Tomorrow?”). Today’s issue is not that. Clark also got a new job during this age: news reporter at WGBS. That’s right. Clark Kent had a Tom Brokaw-type job and somehow was able to keep his identity a secret. Well, after that funny tidbit, on to the issue!

TV Talk - Smallville

Hmm...Symbolism much?

So, today I am going to talk about a show that has been mentioned on this blog before: SMALLVILLE. It's true that Clark didn't become Superman until the last episode, but this is still a Superman show . I gonna try to do this type of format for the tv shows:  background, likes and dislikes of the show. I already did the best episodes in the other post.

Random Pics of the Month - September

Well, here are the ramdom pics for the month of September. I do this as I hear water leaking through the ceiling in my parents' house. UGH. Well, here we go:

Graphic Novels - Golden Age Superman: Action Comics #23

Well, here I go in looking at some random issues from each era of Superman. Today, I will start with the Golden Age by looking at Action Comics #23. From what I know, the Golden Age began in the late 30's and ended at the end of the 40's or something like that. In the beginning, Superman wasn't as strong (but he did get stronger over time) and mostly faced gangsters, evil scientists, soldiers, Nazis, and the occasional birdman. Also, this Superman was hardcore...and I mean, Hardcore. So let's get to it!

Action Comics #23
Writer: Jerry Siegel
Artist: Joe Shuster

(I'll note that I am reading an digital version of the issue I got on comixology. Not too bad, but I'll stick to the paper for a little while longer.)

Best Clark to Superman Changes

Now for this, I'm talking about  the whole "This looks like a job for ..." stuff. I'll list my favorite changes from all over. Movies, TV, Comics, you name it. So here we go...Oh yeah, I couldn't embed most of these videos, so the links are below.

Random Thoughts #5

Well, it looks like I may be here a while in the GA room at MTSU. To know how that happened, read on.

Horrible Music Videos - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Journey - probably one of the greatest bands of the 80's.

Separate Ways (song) - most definitely one of the most awesome, fist pumping songs I have heard in my life. Yes, Tron Legacy helped me in finding this song.

Separate Ways (music video) - most definitely one of the most hilariously bad music videos I have seen. You might just agree when you see this.



Some stuff to look out for:
MANY CLOSE-UPS
LOT OF LIP-SYNCING
Air Playing
0:54 to 0:57 - What's the keyboard player doing?
Random fine woman...who walks a lot

and last but not least...

Steve Perry (the lead singer) is getting into the spirit, ain't he?

Graphic Novels - Teen Titans Vol. 6: Titans Around the World Part 2

Previously, on Graphic Novels……Stuff happened. Moving on!

Before I start with the second arc, I want to list the rest of the creative team for the tpb:

• Carlos Ferreria – does the art to the first part of the arc. Not too bad, though I have never heard of him till this day.
• Paco Diaz – does the art to the last part of the arc. His art’s okay, not too great though. I have never heard of him till now as well.
• Ryan Benjamin - Also does art on the last part of the arc. his art is okay as well.

So let’s finish this!

Titans Around the World

Creative Time!! - Superman and Captain Marvel VS. A Random Back Dude

So after checking out Brave and The Bold: the Lost Issues (which is an awesome blog by the way), I thought that I might try to do a couple of imaginary team-ups. The results are...okay? They're not perfect by any means, but I try, Dang it! So, here is the first team up cover I have done:

I have my bets on the the dude in the middle.

Graphic Novels - Teen Titans Vol. 6: Titans Around the World Part 1

Graphic Novels is brought to you by THE MAN, who kicks all types of butt!

Well, it looks I’m back on the Geoff Johns train in going through these tpbs. This here is volume 6 of Teen Titans with issues 34 to 41 within it, so it looks like it’s going to be a long ride. I’m gonna hit the first four issues for this post though.

First, we kinda need some back story to what’s going on here or “Comic History You Don’t Care About But Need To Know In Order To Understand This” (and no I didn’t make that up):

Favorite Songs - Hall and Oates (oh yeah!)

"That's right! Hall and Oates. All I have to say about this is: Thank you 92.9 FM. Or should I say: F U 92.9 FM. ARGH!!"

Okay, enough of that sarcastic nonsense. Anyway, yes, I do like me some Hall and Oates from time to time. So, since I haven't done this in a while, and since I want to save some other favorite groups/artists for later, you get some "White Soul" today (kidding about the "white soul" stuff. Soul has no color or ethnicity for me.). I don't really have much to say about these songs, so here we go with the list:

Graphic Novels - New Avengers: Breakout!

This installment of Graphic Novels is brought to you by Sexual Chocolat!!

Well, here it is (hmm…that sounds familiar…). This is the comic book that started the whole “walking to Outer Limits” thing. New Avengers is its name. I first heard about the book in a USA Today newspaper (in the Life section). Wow, Marvel has been doing that for longer than I thought (Example: THIS). Anyway, since I saw both Wolverine and Spider-Man on the cover, I knew I was going to get it. It was a somewhat cold day in November…or should I say December 2004 (what was I thinking), and I was supposed to be going to a party with a friend later that night, so I walked and walked and walked….and that street….ugh. After this incident, I found a better way to get to the store, but I still had to deal with Memorial Blvd. though. I know I got something else that day. I think it was either a Superman issue or the last issue to Identity Crisis (don’t know or care). So let’s get to the main creative team:

Brian Michael Bendis (aka BMB or BENDIS!) – BMB is probably the “Geoff Johns of Marvel” (yeah, I could not come up with another analogy). BMB is well known for his runs on Ultimate Spider-Man, Daredevil, Powers, and of course, just about every Avengers book that has come out in the last 6 years. He’s disassembled the Avengers as well as reassembled the Avengers over the years and has written just about every major crossover event book in recent years (House of M, Secret Invasion, and Siege). He’s a good writer (I do have most of his stuff of course).

David Finch – the penciller for the whole arc as well as the covers (which do look cool). He’s okay. He’s not bad, but he’s not one of my favorites. He's done a lot for Marvel, and now he's at DC.

SO with all of that out of the way, let’s get to the issues, shall we?

Horrible Music Videos - White Horse (not the Taylor Swift song)

Laid Back - Never heard of them.

White Horse? Definitely have heard this song. I vaguely remember listening to this random song on the radio with my dad a long time ago. We didn't get it then, and I still don't get it now. The song is alright.  The music is catchy. It brings to mind 3 questions:

1. What is the White Horse and why should you not ride it?
2. Do you really have to be a b---- to be rich?
3. What is the White Pony and why should I ride it instead?


The music video doesn't answer these questions unfortunately. It's not bad bad, but it is hilariously bad.



Some stuff to watch out for:

a real nice beat
a Random white man jig

A Man that walks a lot

a cross-eyed woman (of the night?)

a pony

a David Hasselhoff look-a-like

old idiot spying on shady deals

And that's all I have for today. Peace.

0:46 - David Hasselhoff??

Random Pics of the Month - August

And here are the random pics of the month of August:

Took me a freaking month to complete this in 2008---yep, I'm slow, but I'm good as well.

Oh man, this man's stayin' alive! He's got the funk! He's hearing that boogie rhythm, and he has no choice but to get down down down down! Oh yeah!!!

Movie Talk - Planet of the Apes Franchise

Well, I've been wanting to do something like this for a while now, but I haven't felt like it. SO, since the new POTA movie is coming out this week (still undecided if I will see it in theaters), I might as well talk about my experience with the franchise and the movies themselves. Now, I'm not some Uber-fan (I think) or an expert on the meanings of these movies, I'm just a guy who likes scifi in just about all of its forms.

Background
The first POTA movie I saw was Beneath the Planet of the Apes (the 2nd one for short). It was on this old VHS tape which had a Godzilla movie (Gihdorah: the Three-Headed Monster), a Richard Pryor movie (Bustin' Loose), and a Police Academy movie (I guess the second movie). Unfortunately, this tape was ravaged by a crappy VCR. I saw the first movie next -- Loved it. I still do in fact. It's one of my favorite movies ever. When the 30th anniversary rolled around, I was able to see all five movies. I have the fifth one on VHS. I have also seen the so-called travesty known as the remake (it's not that bad though). Even though they may have faults, I can watch all of these movies and not be ashamed or feel like I'm wasting my time.

Random Thoughts #4

Well, it looks like it's time for some random thoughts. I'm pretty much ready for work, and I'm bored as well.

Graphic Novels - JLA/Avengers

Graphic Novels - JLA/Avengers (aka Avengers/JLA)

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: George Perez

While I am still trying to finish the 6th volume of Teen Titans, I have decided to hold it off for a moment and talk about the greatest crossover ever: JLA/Avengers. I had planned on getting this eventually, but I didn’t want the tpb. I ended up finding all four issues for about…I don’t even remember. All I know is that I got it cheap. The basic story is that some big evil threatens just about every universe, and it’s up to the JLA and the Avengers to stop it. I’ll do this like I did Legends: quick synopsis (A LOT happens in these four issues), opinion, and highlights. Before I do that, here’s the creative team:

Kurt Busiek – a long time writer. He’s most known for his work on Marvel’s Marvels (with Alex Ross), Astro City (which I’ve heard is good), and the revival of the Avengers in the late 90’s. He’s also done work on the Superman books Post-IC, Static Shock, and DC’s Trinity(don't know about that one).

George Perez – a legendary artist. He does both the pencils and inks for the book. COIE, New Teen Titans, Action Comics (as a writer as well), Avengers, Perez has done a lot of stuff for comics in the last few decades.

So here I go:

Graphic Novels - Superman: The Supergirl Saga

Superman: the Supergirl Saga
Writer: John Byrne
Pencillers: John Byrne and Jerry Ordway

Well, it’s here. I finally have the will and the time to start this. I got these three issues at The Great Escape for a decent price ($3.00 maybe?). I got these mostly because I heard so much about it. The last issue is also John Bryne’s last time on the Superman books (I think it was creative differences, I don’t know). At this time, he was writing both Superman books. Action Comics (a book he also wrote on for a time) had ended up becoming weekly for a while. Anyway, these issues are Superman #21-22 and The Adventures of Superman #444. So let’s get to it.

Random Pics of the Month - July

Hello and hello! Happy 4th of July and here are the random pics of July!

First...

Oh Yeah! Symbols!

Next...

The old-school JSA! Cool!

And last but not least something from "Long Ago..."

Do I still have that jacket and shirt?

Random Thoughts #3

Well, I'm at the house and not sleepy yet, so I thought I might as well type a little.

Horrible Music Videos - Just the Way I Planned It

Philip Michael Thomas - Actor: Pretty Decent. He was great on Miami Vice.
Philip Michael Thomas - Singer: Decent. Not a bad singer. His videos on the other hand....well...not so much.

Graphic Novels - Legends

This installment of Graphic Novels is brought to you by Dr. Zaius: Minister of Science and Defender of the Faith -- Man, that does sound weird.

"There is no contradiction between faith and science... true science!"

Okay, enough of that.

Legends
Writers: John Ostrander and Len Wein
Artists: John Bryne and Karl Kesel

Well, with names on a mini-series like this, you would think that this is the greatest thing out there. You would be mostly right and a little wrong. It's good in some places and not so good in others.

I had actually planned on getting this for some time now. I found issues 1-5 in a 50 cent bargain bin (I actually got 2-5 for free somehow - the cashier either didn't know what she was doing or I somehow wooed her, I don't know). On the other hand, issue 6 was...well, too much. So, I spent about $7.00 on the whole thing.

Today's post is a mix of stuff: synopsis, critique, highlights, etc. I'll give a quick synopsis of the whole thing (a lot of stuff happens), critique it a little, and talk about the highlights of the series. So here I go:

Random Pic of the Month - June

And here are the random pics of June. Oh dear...

Well, here it is. The thing that killed the Batman movies in the nineties.

And here's another pic from the Grand Canyon.

I really, really, REALLY, should have paid attention to this sign.

Graphic Novels - Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn 2

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn 2
Writers: Keith Giffen and Gerard Jones
Artists: M. D. Bright and Romeo Thangal

Well, it’s the 31st of May, and I’m at the house in Nashville on a Tuesday night...not at work. By the way, I really hate cars that sing the song “The Song Known As Forget You” (My Camry gave out…again). Anyway, since I have the time, it looks like I’ll move on to Part 2 of Emerald Dawn. It’s done by the same creative team that did the first part. The series came out in 1991 and it was a 6 issue mini-series. Now it’s time for a little back story on why I got this. I was at the Great Escape (great place, by the way) and I was looking for something good to read. I actually got issue 2 of the miniseries because I heard something about the current DC Editorial not liking the Emerald Dawn series. So I got it, and didn’t really read it till a few days later. When I read it, I enjoyed it and set out to get the rest of the series, as well as Emerald Dawn. So let’s get on to this pretty good story:

Graphic Novels - Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn
Writers: Jim Owesley (Issue 1), Keith Giffen (issues 2-6), and Gerard Jones (issues 2-6)
Artists: M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal

So why did I get this? Simple, I read Emerald Dawn 2 and enjoyed it. I wanted to see how it all began for the Green Lantern. Also, the new movie is coming out. Now, I’ll talk about why I got Emerald Dawn 2 in the first place later. I’m only doing this post of Emerald Dawn because to understand what happens in 2, you have to read 1 first.

I don't know much about the creative team, only that they are real good. most of this team was already on the main Green Lantern book at the time this came out, so that definitely helps the situation. the Mini-series came out around 1990. So, let’s jump into this origin for Hal 'Swingin' Jordan.

Graphic Novels - "I'm back!"

Well after about a month of not doing the GN thing, I'm back and I'm doing something new...sort of anyway. For the last few months, I have been getting a lot of DC stuff from the mid 80’s to early 90’s. I have to say, it’s some real good stuff. So, I am going to take a break from the “Geoff Johns Saga” and I am going to go over stuff from DC post-COIE. Since I got "Man of Steel" out of the way, I'm going to go over another hero's origins and first days.


Remember that hero who went to prison for 90 days on a DUI charge? Well, that hero was Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of sector 2814. Who knew? The Emerald Dawn series goes into Hal’s early days as a GL. It also goes into the story of a well-known villain of Hal’s, which is some fun stuff. Before I hit , I have to talk about how Hal got to that road, as well as how he got the ring and began to be the “Greatest Green Lantern of All Time”. The story is called Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn. Now I’m not going to give a big synopsis of the 6-issue tpb, but I will give you a small synopsis of the story and my feeling about the story. Plus, since the movie Green Lantern is coming out in about a month, this sounds like a nice time to do it.

Smallville, R.I.P.

Young Clark: Woah! Who Dressed you?

Older Clark: My wife.

YC: What? Lana has more style than--

OC: ....Nope, not her.

YC: Alicia--

OC: ...Dude she died in our arms, man!

YC: Okay, sorry. It's Lois, isn't it?

OC: Yep.

YC: Figures.

Well, it’s finally here: the end of Smallville……Yes, Smallville. You know that show on the CW that showcases a young Clark Kent becoming the Man of Steel. Yep, that one. I have to admit it took a while (a long while), and while I’m happy it’s over, I’m also a little sad. I started watching this show since the beginning (2001) and was hooked when I watched the pilot. They showed the pilot and another episode on a Sunday, and I missed it on it’s normal day Tuesday because of band practice. I stuck with the show, and yes, even through the dark years (the years where the folk had no idea what to do with Lana…just joking …sorta….Just watch Power and Requiem for that @#@$...yes, those episodes get symbols from me). This is probably the only show that me and my sister Marion can watch together. The show had its high moments (seasons 1-3, 5, 6, 9, and some of this season) and its low moments (Lana as I said before in those later seasons, Clark being whiny, and a few other stuff).

When I think about it, there aren’t many shows that I stick with this long. Hmm…let’s see what shows I stuck through with: Stargate Sg-1 (Sorta), Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica (the new one), Avatar (sorta, I haven’t seen some of the last season), Boy Meets World, and there are probably others but I can’t think of them. That’s a real short list.

Now, it’s looks like I’m missing the finale tonight (UPS!!!!! Errr…) but I will be seeing it somehow later. Well, it looks like I will leave you with my 10 favorite episodes of the series (I grouped some of them because a couple of reasons):

• Pilot/Metamorphosis - This is what hooked me to the show.
• Absolute Justice/Legion/ Booster – All of the episodes written by Geoff Johns (You might have heard of him on this blog somewhere…)
• Exile/Phoenix – Clark on red kryptonite + Metropolis = Awesome
• Salvation - Clark vs. Zod, plus a lot of other goodness
• Rosetta/Legacy - The episodes with Chris Reeve, good ones.
• Onyx - We see the EVIL side of Lex
• Homecoming - 200th episode and where the pic from above comes from
• Finale- Well, one can hope that this is a good last episode.
• Reckoning - 100th episode where...something happens
• Justice - all of the heroes featured in past seasons show up in a good episode.

Well time to find something else to look at on TV.

Random Pic of the Month - May

And here's one of the random pics of the month. I did this on a boring, rainy day. This could also be a hint on what I may talk about on down the road:

"RAO, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, RAO... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!.....or whatever Hell's name is on Kryton!"

What would a black Doctor look like?

I have got something on my mind.... What would a black Doctor look like? And Yes, I'm talking about the Doctor from Doctor Who, not an actual doctor. If you don't anything about Doctor Who, I guess I'll say a little something about it. It's a scifi show that's been on the BBC since 1963. There have been a couple of breaks in those 40 someting years of course. It's an interesting show, and it's real different from stuff like Star Trek and Star Wars. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that there's other cool scifi shows out there. Anyway, there have been eleven of these "Doctors,", they all have been white (and British of course), and their fashion sense has been decent to "what the hell is that?". So, let's see what a black Doctor Who (or a Doctor Who who happens to be black) could dress like:

......No, Heck no, and "Negro, You's Crazy???".

hmm...Nah.

This could work....if the Doctor became a pimp.

All of these could work.

These could definiately work.

And for an added bonus:

Well! Let's see here: if I find a white coat, have a navy blue hat, and buttoned up that shirt, I could make a fine Doctor don't you think?