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Greetings. I have failed to update Freak Comics in quite some time. This does not mean that I have given up, it does mean that I am extremely busy, and most recently extremely sick. I will be back soon with more frustrated observations and elated reviews very soon. Thanks for hanging out and being cool about my absence.
In the meantime, checkout the new Incredible Hulk trailer if you want to see two CG animations almost fight.
I was reading Captain America #34 today (yes I realize I am late to the party) when I noticed this possible typo in the synopsis page.
In part it reads as follows:
Bucky agrees to don the costume of Captain America and go after the Red Skrull.
This sentence obviously should have said, “Red Skull”. Was this an accidental typo or a sly attempt to generate some buzz by Marvel?
Perhaps Marvel is just so obsessed with Skrulls right now that they can not keep their finger away from the ‘R’ key when typing out the word Skull.
There seems to be a few other observant readers who noticed this possible error, and they are as curious as I am.
There was another viral ad displayed within one of the actual panel’s of this comic. There is a page where Tony Stark discusses his intel on the faked death of Aleksander Lukin with the Secretary of the State. Various screens surround them displaying news feeds and maps. On one rather obvious screen that Tony and the Secretary happen to be facing is a reporter. At the bottom of the screen there are captions that read
Dr. Jack Shephard. The Lost.. are Found? Details can be found at find815.com
find815.com is a viral advertising campaign (passed off as a “fun interactive game”) for the television show Lost, and Jack Shephard (as any self respecting geek should know) is one of the main characters.
Interesting bits of trivia for those who like this sort of thing.
So, everyone is freaking out right now about the death of 28 year old actor Heath Ledger. I am rather upset by this news. He was a very good actor. Thus far the police suspect drug overdose (accidental or not they have not said).
This touches somewhat close to home for me being that I’m seriously looking forward to The Dark Knight, not only because it will be an awesome movie, but also because I was in it as an extra. Now the premier will be tainted by the knowledge that Heath Ledger is dead.
Recently I reviewed The sensational Spider-Man #41 (One More Day part 3). A few days ago I finally had the chance to sit down and read the final part of One More Day and much like everyone else on the internet, I’m not very happy with the outcome.
When last I reviewed One More Day, Peter Parker and Mary Jane were facing a deal with Mephisto: he would keep Aunt May alive if the two long time lovebirds would become un-married. Reject the deal, and Aunt May dies. So with only 24 hours to decide, Peter Parker proves he’s a loser and takes the deal, leaving the final choice up to Mary Jane who would also need to accept for the deal to be legitimate. She also agrees to the terms under one condition: the memory of Spider-Man’s identity (revealed during the Civil War) would be erased from the public’s minds.
Just like that, the deal is done. Mary Jane Parker is just plane old Mary Jane Watson again. She, Spidey and the rest of humanity have no recollection of their past together.
Spider-Man is still an unregistered, wanted hero, but no one remembers his identity, and Aunt May is alive and kickin’.
Breaking up Spider-Man and Mary Jane would be an OK story concept, perhaps even bold. However to destroy years and years of story is not bold or inventive, it’s just stupid. Taking a deal with Mephisto that erases everyone’s memory about Sider-Man’s true identity is a cop-out. Why even reveal it in the first place? Oh right, I forgot: increased sales.
But the horror does not stop with the erasure of Spidey’s marriage. It seems that Harry Osbourne is back from the dead and is great friends with Peter once more. Spider-Man also has mechanical web shooters back (actually that’s a good thing) and horror of horrors: Mary Jane is a Super Hero.
I’m going to give this series a month or two and if it fails to keep me interested, I’m dropping it. I should really drop it on mere principle. I keep hoping that the whole deal will be reversed, although I am very sure this is wishful thinking.
Just when Punisher War Journal seemed as if it couldn’t get any better, Matt Fraction took it to a higher level in issue #13… he went old school.
Within the pages of issue #13 Rhino attempted to rob a bank, but killed a security guard by mistake. Thus, Frank Castle (the Punisher) deemed him worthy of death. As he was about to take the Rhino out permanently, Kraven’s son showed up and abducted Rhino. Later Rhino woke up in Kraven’s freakish zoo of animal-like super villains.
In Punisher War Journal #14, Frank hunts down Kraven, and Kraven shows us just how psychotic he really is.
Fraction is a really wonderful writer. He manages to blend humor seamlessly into the horrifically violent actions Kraven Jr. takes against his “pets”.
What’s funnier than Kraven wearing a chef’s hat along with his crazy-man outfit while he serves an exploded Pegasus horse to his unsuspecting prisoners… OK lots of things are funnier. But combine the thought with a visual and you can see what I mean.
I have loved every issue of Fraction’s run on War Journal, but this current arc takes the cake. It’s just fun, and the switch to artist Scott Wegener was an excellent choice. My one complaint with earlier issues was the odd art which included illustrations merged with photos. Thankfully Fraction’s writing was so good I could get past it. Now that Wegener has taken the reigns, War Journal looks more like a traditional comic book and seems to have hit a level of near perfection.
Take my advice, start reading Punisher War Journal. Start with issue #13 and go from there, you will not be disappointed.
After two years of waiting for a decent story line, Supergirl has failed me for the final time.
Two years ago I started reading Supergirl. The first several issues had decent art (if you like Michael Turner) minus the fact that Supergirl looked to be in her early twenties rather than her supposed age of 16.
The story lines were pretty basic and terrible: Supergirl fights people and then befriends or proves herself to them. She fights her inner demons and struggles with her identity. This was hardly a bad premise for a back story, however the execution was poorly done time and time again.
Issue #24 of Supergirl was brought to us by writer Kelly Pucket and pencilers Drew Johnson and Lee Ferguson. It concludes the two issue arc, Ghosts of Krypton, yet another story in which Kara attempts to prove what she can be to herself and the people around her.
In part 1, Supergirl attempts to find a war ship in deep space and almost suffocates, and that pretty much sums up Issue #23 (great pace, eh?).
In Part 2, entitled “Star Child”, Kara bursts through a portal (in her shower) just in time to catch her breath. She finds out that Superman not only found the ship, but also discovered a way to look back at Krypton from 30 light years away.
This prompts yet another flash back to Kara’s Kryptonian past… and that does it for issue #24.
The story of Krypton’s past has been done so many times in the pages of Supergirl (and Superman for that matter) that I have completely lost interest in Krypton and am now glad it was annihilated.
The constant repetition of Kara’s past makes me want to burn every issue of Supergirl I have in my possession.
Supergirl #24 has more than a terrible story. It also contains really awful dialog.
Consider this particularly bad exchange between Supergirl and her father:
Zor-El: “So are you analyzing that ghentta flyer or just watching it? You going to be a scientist like mom… or a ranger like your father?”
Kara: “I’ll be what I want to be. Once I figure that out. And rangers smell like bgzzt poop.”
Zor-El: “Is that… a challenge? Are you challenging me?”
Kara: “Yes. I’m challenging you not to smell like poop!”
Zor-El: “Aha! Very good. Then prepare yourself, little one–”
Prepare for what? For her father not to smell like poop? What in the name of Krypton was Puckett smoking?
This whole exchange reads like a poorly translated Japanese anime. And why is Zor-El dressed like Han Solo?
I really wanted to see this comic book get good writers, but it was not meant to be. I can’t waste another dime or moment on this series. Although I have threatened to drop it time and again in the past, this time it’s for real. As of issue #24 I am officially through with Supergirl. I dropped this terrible excuse for a comic book from my reading list, and I urge you to do the same.
Good-bye Supergirl, it was a rough two years… you will not be missed.
One More Day, at it’s roots is a simple story: Aunt May is on the verge of death, Peter Parker is trying to find a way to save her, but keeps running in to dead ends. The background behind One More Day is a bit more complicated.
Months ago, there was a super-hero civil war. The government wanted all super-powered humans to register their identities and become government workers, or retire. If the individuals complied, they would go on saving the day under government direction. They would receive training, and a salary. If they refused to register, they would be banished to a holding facility.
Some registered, some rebelled. Spider-Man was convinced by Tony Stark not only to register, but to reveal his identity to the world on television. Immediately following this, the King Pin put out a hit on Peter Parker, and / or Mary Jane and Aunt May.
Meanwhile Spider-Man switched sides and went in to hiding with Aunt May and Mary Jane.
At the end of the Civil War, Aunt May wound up taking a sniper bullet in the chest. Being that she’s incredibly old and frail, this now has her at death’s door. Meanwhile Peter felt responsible and donned his black costume (just in time for Spider-Man 3) and set out to prove a point. What that point was, I’m still not really sure.
All of this brings us to the One More Day 4 part series in which Peter Parker has recently come to the realization that there is no saving Aunt May… that is unless he makes a deal with the Marvel Universe’s Devil, Mephisto.
Mephisto has offered Peter and Mary Jane the life of Aunt May (a life he claims only he can save) in exchange for the abolishment of their marriage.
Peter Parker instantly rejects the deal, but Mary Jane wants to think it over.
At this point, if I’m Peter Parker, I’ve got to be feeling a little less-loved than before. Here his wife is actually willing to say “I Don’t” in exchange for the prolonged life of his living-mummy of an Aunt.
As Mephisto goes on to explain, taking this deal means the two will have no memory of their marriage what-so-ever. And what, prey-tell does the vile Mephisto get out of the deal?
… there will be a very small part of your soul that will remember, that will know what you lost. And my joy will be in listening to that part of your soul screaming throughout eternity.”
So Mephisto gets to listen to the screaming souls of Spider-Man and Mary Jane throughout eternity… I’d say everyone but Aunt May is a loser in this deal.
Most of this comic involved Peter parker in his Spider-Man costume with the mask up, (he’s been doing that a lot lately) conversing with alternate versions of himself in visions brought on by Mephisto. All in all One More Day has been pretty boring, although the idea of splitting the two love birds up is a slightly more inventive idea than killing off a character only to bring them to life later on.
And yet, I’d be willing to put money on Spider-Man and Mary Jane being reunited at some point.
No, I’d much rather see Aunt May dead. I really hate her.
Everyone is talking about Marvel’s online subscription based comic book service, Digital Comics Unlimited which launched on the 13 of November.
Offering an online subscription to older comics seems like a cool idea, but it is not something I am particularly interested in. I would much rather own the comic, whether in digital format or physical. For that matter I much prefer a physical copy. Call me outdated but reading a comic book online just doesn’t have the same feel.
I find it rather amusing that one of Marvel’s Digital Comics selling points states:
No need to download—read them directly through your web browser
That’s really more of a limitation than a feature. I’d venture to say that every subscriber would rather download the comic.
Marvel did work-in some pretty cool features to it’s Flash based comic book reader. For instance, you can click the magnifying glass icon in order to zoom in on word balloons. You can also zoom in on the page like a PDF, from there you can click and drag the screen in order to move around the page. Nothing particularly revolutionary in that feature, but it is worth mentioning that the images are large and the colors are vibrant. In other words, the comic is high quality.
You can preview pages of several comic books before deciding to pay for a subscription. Unfortunately their library is not complete at this time, however it will continue to grow.
The main area I can see this service coming in handy is research. There are times I would like to take a look at some older comics, but I really don’t want to shell out the cash to purchase an original copy, and don’t need an entire collected volume, or the collected volume is unavailable.
Even so, much like books, I would rather have a physical copy. You just can’t beat holding a comic in your hands. Reading feels less rushed with a physical copy… you also don’t have a reoccurring monthly fee when you go that route.
Marvel offers two types of subscriptions:
$9.99 a month seems a little steep to me, but time will tell how others feel.
This issue was more intriguing than the last. We discover that The Lodge houses more than just an oversized furry man-ape, it’s also home to various species that are on the verge of extinction, or thought to have been extinct.
It also houses mythological creatures, that for the sake of the comic are said to be real. Fairies, Dodos and even the Dover Demon thrive in a mysterious controlled environment at The Lodge.
This issue centers around Ginger Brown (the newest addition to the lodge, a former cop).
In addition to the revealed nature of the lodge, we get a bit more insight as to what drives Prufrock (Ginger Brown’s Bigfoot partner) .
Unfortunately Cryptoids still abound throughout the comic. Cryptoids were my number one complaint in my review of issue #1, and they still are, although I must admit they were rather interesting to read this time. Perhaps these would be better served as a footnote.
I have also complained a bit about the odd way Proof #1 was split in to two separate stories that tie in to one another, and #2 does this again. This time however, it did not feel as awkward, perhaps because I was expecting it.
I like the way Proof is shaping up. I am a big fan of cryptids (especially of the mythological variety), and it looks like Proof is going to be chalk full of them.
Proof #2 is set to release on November 28th, 2007 so be sure and reserve a copy today.
Well this was an unexpected surprise: a comic book featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes that left me satisfied and wanting more.
Action Comics #858, Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes Part One features yet another tale about the Superman worshiping youths of the future, the Legion of Super-Heroes. These kids are all over the DC Universe lately. In all honestly I don’t see the attraction. They are dull characters with dull story lines.
Back in 1958 I suppose audiences were amazed at the technology of the 31st century and Superboy’s adventures there. The Legion, like nearly all science fiction from the 50’s, lost some of it’s wonder throughout time and now feels and looks dated.
Strangely, Geoff Johns managed to overcome these problems. Although his Escape from Bizzaro World (Action Comics 855 - 857) series was fun and enjoyable, Action Comics #858 shows his true talent as a writer. He understands the characters he is dealing with and manages to bring them to life.
Rather than feeling dated, the Legion has a very nostalgic feel to it. I enjoyed this issue so much that I did not want to see it end.
Admittedly I was a little worried while reading the first page, and actually planned on breezing through the comic. The story begins with two alien humanoid characters sending their child to Earth. The male convinces his wife this is the right course of action since Earth made Superman in to the greatest hero to ever live.
I thought to myself, “Great, another retelling of Superman’s past”.
A few panels later and this alien child crashes to Earth in the 31st century and is found by an elderly man and woman while they drive across the countryside in their hover pickup truck.
“Wonderful,” I thought “A story paralleling Superman in an ultra-unrealistic way”.
Then the old man pulled out a futuristic shotgun and killed the alien child. I was instantly hooked.
The story only got better when it shifted to the modern age and in to the office of the Daily Planet where a conversation takes place between Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White. This is where Geoff Johns shines. His dialog is amazing.
The stark contrast between Superman and Clark Kent is something we don’t always see a lot of anymore. It seems that writers have a hard time separating the two personas. Not so with Johns. Clark Kent is back to his bumbling, awkward, absent-minded self. Throw in the art of Gary Frank and you get a suit that doesn’t quite fit, glasses that need constant adjusting and hair that doesn’t want to lay down. These little details help to restore the nerdy Clark Kent that we all know and love.
Contrast this with the confident Superman who jumps from a window while changing in to his “action” clothes, flies off and immediately attacks a gigantic menacing robot.
Spoilers follow
Later in the comic Superman makes his way back to the 31st century at the request of Brainiac 5. It seems he is needed for an important mission. However when he arrives he is attacked by the Science Police. He is then informed by some of the Legionnaires that Brainiac 5 has been missing for over six months. He’s also urged to leave immediately. Of course he can’t and soon learns that he has no powers because the sun has been changed from yellow to red.
The idea of Superman trapped in the future without his powers is fun. The dialogue between characters and excellent art make this an amazing comic book and a promising series.
