COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP 2/26/13

Okay, I recently made the decision to re enter the world of buying comic books. Not a lot, but things that genuinely interested me. I've got a few of each of the issues so this column will be kind of an overview and then every two weeks, because that is when I go to the comic book store, I will be covering the issues I buy. Sound good? Okay, let's go!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1

I was sad that my local shop didn't have the State of Michigan flag so I went with the traditional stars and stripes cover.
Here is your team; Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Star Girl, Katana, Green Arrow, A Green Lantern, Vibe, Catwoman.
This is the intro issue and it's really about finding powers to counteract the heavy hitters in Justice League. It seems that the government saw Superman kissing Wonder Woman and now they are worried they will make super babies and take over the world. This is such a quirky team and I like what they have accomplished in a single issue. Upfront I am not a fan of the new DC 52. They cancelled the OMAC book and the Frankenstein book and the Hawkman book. Pretty much if I liked it they cancelled it. I'm going to stick around for this one to see how it plays out. David Finch's art works for this book. His Catwoman is exquisite.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #'S 1,2,3

Captain America is my favorite super hero. No one is better than Captain America as long as it's Steve Rogers. No one else can do the job in my opinion and it has been tried. With the fantastic art of Klaus Janson and John Romita Jr. we get such a Kirbyesque feel to the book and that is what it needs with this storyline. Captain America has been kidnapped by Arnim Zola and whisked away to the lethal Dimension Z. Insane beasts and humanoids roam the countryside and Captain America has to survive. And he's not alone. when he made his break from Arnim Zola's stronghold he took a baby with him. He has to watch someone else's back now and he has sworn to the child they will both return to Earth.
This reminds me of when Kirby was doing Captain America. The art screams it at you and that is good. I thought it was a ballsy move to have issue two start with the phrase, 'one year later'. This is a Captain America out of his element and still remembering what it is that makes him Captain America. I see this being a great book for a very long time and will stick with it for as long as this team manages to keep up this level of story telling.

DIAL H #s 1 & 2

I know the book has been out for a while and I get that I will have to play catch up. I will get two issues at a time or more if cash allows it. This has always been one of my favorite things that has come from DC and I like that they are taking us back to the origins of the dial. Not everything is laid out for us, but we get little nibbles of the mystery that is Dial H. I thought it would also be a good idea to run down the heroes in each issue.
Issue one had six of them even though only one went past the one panel mark; Dead Hood, Arrowmaid, The Needler, Power Squirrel (I would have liked to see more of this one), Nuclear Punch and Bumper Carla who with her awesome bumper car manages to put the kibosh on some seriously mean monsters.
Issue 2 had Boy Chimney who was pretty cool with his smoke powers and body made of brick and Captain Lachrymose (Look it up, makes it funnier) who made me laugh out loud.
This is so in the vein of the original with better storylines that I can't wait to get caught up on each and every issue.

THE UNCANNY AVENGERS  #'s 1,2,3

I went to get an Avengers book and was overwhelmed. There were so many different ones on the rack. How would I choose? I decided on Uncanny Avengers because I liked the word 'uncanny' and I saw Captain America on the cover.
Here's your team; Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Rogue, Havok and Wolverine.
Apparently there was some weird stuff going on with that whole Avengers VS X-Men thing that I skipped. Charles Xavier is dead...again. And Cyclops is a bad guy?!?
Captain America realizes the need for a mutant/human get along and asks Havok to lead the team. Sure, it's because he looks normal out of costume, but you do need good PR for a team that will be half mutants.
And who are they fighting?
Red Skull.
Perfect.
He has decided to cleanse New York City of all mutants. How? Simple, he stole Charles Xavier's body and bonded his brain to Xavier's. Now he can bend the masses to his will. In three issues he has managed to wreak havoc (No pun intended) and lobotomize and kill Avalanche in the initial attack. Now he will use his powers to bring the Eternal Reich to the world. His weapon? Thor.
This is a really good comic and the artwork by John Cassaday is awesome. It is not lost on me that the writer is Rick Remender who is doing such a great job on my Captain America comic book.
Out of all the Avengers comics on the rack today I do believe that I have chosen the best.
Hurray!

See everyone in two weeks with whatever else I buy. I'm pretty sure Captain America #4 will be out as well as more catching up with Dial H. we shall see.

ARGO

A little something behind the scenes in anticipation of the release.

DC COmics 52: Yet another step into retardessness.

I can't even say how bad this is. Just go here;

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/shining-knight-intersex-superhero.html

I weep for the future of comics.

CARTOON CAVALCADE!!

A lot of people equate Warner Archives as a handy way to get those hard to find films, but did you know they also have some pretty cool cartoons available. Here's a sample;

The Flintstones Prime Time Specials Volume 1

The Flintstones are a cartoon institution and many forget that it was a prime time show in it's heyday. After that they were delegated to Saturday Mornings, but it wasn't always that way. This double feature gives us two, prime time specials. First up is The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone. When the gang wins a game show and winds up in Rocksylvania it isn't long before the guys awaken Frankenstone who, in turn, awakens his vampiric master, Rockula. Rockula develops a case of the hots for Wilma and the hijinks ensue. Then it's the world of kids baseball with Flintstones Little Big League and Fred and Barney are coaches on opposing teams and Mr. Slate wants Fred to win the series no matter what.
And one of the coolest parts of this? It's just Volume 1! More to come.

Snorks: Complete First Season

Most people will remember the annoying third season opening theme song and cringe. Others will consider it to be nothing more than an underwater version of The Smurfs. A lot of people don't realize that this show actually ran for five years and the first season was probably one of the best. Anchored in reality by it's opening it gave the show more depth than you got from a lot of Saturday Morning fare. Here, check out the opening;



See! Not as stupid as you remember, was it? And for all you Snork completists out there you know you will get them all.

Heathcliff and Dingbat

The cartoon cat who predates Garfield by 5 years got his own show. Well, half of his own show. The other half deals with monster animals who have their own brand of misadventures. While this only ran for 13 episodes, hopefully Warner Archives will run the second half that has Heathcliff sharing his air time with Marmaduke, the great Dane.

This is a wonderful way to introduce kids to cartoons that weren't there to just sell you toys and whatnot. Just some good old Saturday Morning fun and, with The Flintstones, proof that prime time cartoons aren't just the offensive stuff we see today.

WTF?!?

This might be the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Bad enough that we have Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury because of the Ultimates line, but Captain America as the President?!? There are times that I am glad that I am poor and this is one of them. If I had a huge expendable income I might be curious. Luckily, my sting ass bastard mode prevents me from buying this at all. So, so much bad here.

SUMMER FUN!

Sure, summer is done and gone, well unless you count Indian Summer in which case we have another month of Summer. Anway, here's a trio of stuff that you need for your shelves.

SHERLOCK HOLMES A GAME OF SHADOWS

I really liked the first entry in this series, and you know they're gonna make more of them. But, the second one had things that didn't work for me. They killed off the girl from the first film. No spoiler there, it happens pretty early on. There is a lot of the same kind of thing from the first film. Their version of Moriarty is pretty cool. But I really didn't like the ending.
That being said I am fond of these DVD/Blu Ray/Digital combo packs. Probably the best invention ever.

HEATHCLIFF AND DINGBAT SHOW

In a world with Heathcliff and Garfield I have always liked Heathcliff more. I think I was exposed to his antics waaaaay before Garfield. The Dingbats are monsters so that's fun for me. I thought there was a catchy theme song and was pretty excited about that, but I was thinking of the series with the Cadillac Cats. Better luck next time. Oh, and this is a treasure that everyone should have in their collection.

THE LIEUTENANT

Before Star Trek, Gene Roddenbery had a show called The Lieutenant. Gary Lockwood is the title character and he is a lieutenant in a California Marine base.  The show is full of special guest stars from Norman Fell to Bill Bixby and Dennis Hopper. There are things in here that you see surface in the original Star Trek show that makes this fun to watch. Warner Archives does a magnificent job with presenting these things that wouldn't survive a DVD release, but Video on Demand suits it just fine.

The Innkeepers

The Innkeepers (2011)

I like a good ghost story as much as the next person; that is to say I like a ghost story that isn't entirely comprised of jump-scares and incessant screaming. I also like a ghost story with an eerie title. The Innkeepers is an eerie title. Think about it: Innkeeper is an archaic term used back when inns were thatched hovels with creaky floors and dark, creepy histories dating back centuries where spirits and gloom ruled the times. The Innkeepers in a damn creepy title.

Unfortunately, both of the things I really like about ghost stories are both present, and lacking in The Innkeepers. Which isn't to say it's a bad movie... it just feels 'done before'. Oh, but boy does it try to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. It tries really hard. In fact, from the onset until about the half-way point, it really was refreshingly different. But after that, it definitely became an amalgam of so many things done all at the same time, and it suddenly became unsure of what kind of movie it wanted to be.

It starts off innocently enough: It's the closing week of The Yankee Pedlar Inn. Business sucks, and the last two employees (not including the manager who we later find out is on vacation) decide that rather than go home each night, they'd just stick around and tend to the remaining guests who may or may not even show up. The innkeepers themselves are Claire (Sarah Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healey), and they both not only exude brash hipsterness (if that's even a word) but also such disdain for the old hotel that it's almost a chore for either of them to be there. It's not that I was expecting Tim Curry-esque hotel manager performances out of these two, but an iota of a happy memory might have made me care just a little bit more for them. As it is, Luke is such a stereotypical slacker that it's almost gross. At least Claire has chops and we do get a bit more of a flower-girl vibe from her that imbues her with a modicum of likeability. Anyway, these two 20-somethings are in charge for the final week and each decides to take 7 to 7 shifts watching the desk. And we're off and running.

So Luke has been working on a web site about the many haunting experiences he's had at the The Yankee Pedlar Inn, and has a few pics and videos uploaded that Claire rifles through as she mans the desk on their first evening. She knows that the old building has a history (here's where the Innkeeper definition from above fits in... it really kind of does feel a bit like something out of a King novel and I dig that), but she has yet to have an experience of her own. Luke has some recording equipment and Claire thinks it might be fun to give it a go... but she has no idea how to use it, so when she does hear something odd, she has no way of recording it. Oh well, there's always a next time...

At first there are only two guests: a mom and her son on the lam from a lousy husband. Claire accidentally runs her mouth to the kid about the spooks in the joint, and the already tense mother, Gayle (Alison Bartlett) snarks off to the clerks and spends the rest of her time in the film maintaining her bitchiness. Meanwhile, we get the arrival of the third guest who just so happens to be the biggest name in the flick: Actress Leanne Rease-Jones played by Kelly McGillis, who hasn't aged particularly well. Look, the last time I really cared about McGillis was Top Gun... and I suppose that was going on thirty years ago, but really, she looks kind of like Shirley Jones from The Partridge Family... only, yuckier. Anyway, she checks in and Claire immediately recognizes her as an actress from some old shows she used to watch and the two strike up a tenuous relationship.

Meanwhile, things start really tensing up at The Yankee Pedlar Inn. And by tensing up I mean jump-scares and incessant screaming. Yup. There it is: the other reason I cited earlier for this movie blowing a tire mid-way through. Nothing is particularly scary, even when they discover the ghost of Madeline O'Malley hanging around looking like an extra from The Ring. There are noises, pianos playing by themselves, and a few genuinely creepy moments that might catch the casual non-horror viewer off guard. But all in all, it becomes sadly cookie-cutter. However, even as I write this, there is one guest... the last, I might add... who jabs a little absurd spookiness into the plot. His name is... well, he just goes by Old Man, and he's played by George Riddle. He's got an air of chill from the moment he walks in, and he just keeps getting more horrific as the film progresses.

Well I'm not going to spoil the ending, even if it is trite and about a subtle as a toe stubbing. The movie as a whole is a ghost story through and through, even if it does stray off the path and wander into other territories. It definitely feels like an episode of Ghost Hunters for quite a while, and I really was okay with that because even that show can be frightening in its reality. The acting was mediocre, but was definitely carried by Claire. Even McGillis, the thespian of the cast, was dry and tasteless. It was pretty fun, it had some nice moments, and definitely harmless. But as a good ghost story... you're better off reading Peter Straub.

I'll give it 6.5 out of 10.