Bright Lights, Screaming And Pointy Hair

As you probably are aware of, if you've read the blog for any period of time, I enjoy video games. And depending on how long you've been reading the blog, you might also know I enjoy the anime. And so it stands to reason that I would like to enjoy video games based on animes, if only so many weren't so awful. This is true of comic book games as well, because with a story that has a particular style, it can be difficult sometimes to capture the proper feel in a format that lets a person interact. A lot of times, the games seem to be fighting games, and they often seem to be - how can I put this? - half-assed. That's not fair, but it does seem like they're banking on the fans of the property to buy the game, so it isn't as vital to make it an actual enjoyable gaming experience.

I don't know if that paragraph actually had a point. I guess it serves as a lead-in to me talking about games based on DragonBall Z, which is a pretty spotty track record. It ought to be pretty easy, since it should be a lot of zipping around really fast, firing energy at other players, and occasionally charging at each other really fast and throwing punches and kicks. And to be fair, some of the games released in the last few years have been pretty good, not just by the standards of the franchise, but as actual fighting games. They won't be confused with {insert title of your preferred fighting game franchise}, but they actually look like some work was put in to make them fun games.

But I'm not actually going to talk about those games, since they haven't been released on consoles I own (I do own DBZ Budokai, but that one was only meh). So I guess that means the first two paragraphs of this were a waste. Ha! (Why the hell am I laughing? It's my time being wasted.) What I'm actually going to talk about is one of my few excursions into computer gaming, a little something called Bid for Power. Man, I hope I don't get sued by someone. See, sometime in the past, back when Quake 3 was still a relatively new game, some people figured out that it was pretty well designed to be a DBZ game, with the focus on the flying, shooting, big explosions, killing, etc. And, it could modified to look like a DragonBall Z game (computer scientists, is there anything they can't do?), with the actual characters, attacks, landscapes, and so on. And so they made it so. The version I had (because I certainly don't have it now, after they were ordered to cease and desist putting it out there for download, no sirree) was I suppose the original, with only six playable characters (but no unlocking required), but it didn't have the occasional glitches a later version I saw did. And it's a very basic game. You pick your character, the type of game, the location, how many enemies you've got, what your power level is starting out, and away you go.

You have a total of five different attacks, and what you set your power level at, determines how many of those attacks you start out with. As you use the attacks, your energy falls, so you've got to periodically stop and concentrate (that'd be the part of the show where you stand in one spot and yell loudly) to replenish it. You can run or fly, there are melee attacks, though not very refined. Hey, that's not what Quake 3 was about. It's just an easy way for me to relax a little, which is always appreciated.

Themes of Conquest, Part 3

So we're entering the final month of Annihilation: Conquest lead-in mini-series, before we get to the actual Annihilation: Conquest mini-series. When I look back over it, that sentence sounds really, incredibly stupid somehow. Oh well. I don't know why Marvel has shifted their schedule for shipping the issue around this month, but I guess I'll just pass the time by discussing what we know now, compared to what I knew the last time I did one of these.

So what do we know? We know the Phalanx have learned a few new tricks. Gamora told Rich that the Phalanx now allow the people they assimilate to retain their individual personalities, they're just loyal to the Phalanx. Furthermore, Gamora says the Phalanx were "taught" to value free will, if they were to succeed. Now, that could mean they learned this from their past failures, or it could mean that they've got a friend. I'm inclined to think it's the latter, and not just because I've seen solicitations mentioning someone being behind the Phalanx. There's also the matter of their plan to revive the Supreme Intelligence, and use him to emit some sort of psychic pulse that will bring all Kree under control. How would the Phalanx have known something like that was possible? It seems likely someone with more knowledge of the Kree has been informing them.

What's interesting is that in addition to this plan involving the Supreme Intelligence, the Phalanx are also releasing some sort of airborne virus to bring the populace under control, without them realizing it. In that way, Kree will travel the galaxy, spreading the virus to those they meet, subtly bringing the galaxy together as Phalanx. It seems like a waste of time offhand, but it always pays to have a back-up, in case the other strategy blows up in your face, which seems quite possible for a plan where you revive a previously braindead ruler, and expect them to psychically command all his subjects for you.

Honestly, I'm surprised at the tactics of the Phalanx. I expected an artificial being to have one main strategy, with others waiting in the wings if those fail. But the Phalanx are putting several plans into place at once. The Supreme Intelligence, the airborne virus, the continued assimilation of powerful beings (Nova, Drax, the Savior), and just their usual pattern of slowly conquering everything in their path. It's an attack on multiple, simultaneous levels, and it's pretty impressive to me.

Burn Out Is A Sad Thing

I don't know whether this is common for anyone else, but I might as well ask: When you read a book by an author you've never read before, do you find yourself going out and compulsively trying to get your hands on everything they've written up until then? I guess it wouldn't happen if you hated the first book, so I guess we're assuming you did enjoy the first book. It seems to happen to me all the time, with popular literature anyway. The classic stuff, not so much. I'm just obsessive that way, I suppose.

When I was in elementary school, it was those Goosebumps books. Hey, don't judge, everybody read them! My infatuation with them largely ran out in sixth grade, when we had to do a big book report, and lots of other students got to use Goosebumps books, but the teacher told me that it would be too easy for me (true), so I had to pick something more challenging (damnit). My father ended up choosing The Three Musketeers for me. I really need to read it again some day, when I'm not so pissed off that I have to read a hard book (meaning, actual literature), while all my classmates get to read easier fare.

Anyway, after that it was Michael Crichton, which is remarkable to me since the first book of his I read was Andromeda Strain, and I didn't understand 80% of that. I stuck with him for about a dozen books, some good (the Terminal Man), some not so much (The Great Train Robbery, which spent entirely too much time setting up the robbery, and not enough time actually robbing). I think I gave up when I realized the payoff, storywise, didn't match the investment I made in time slogging through technical jargon I didn't understand.

Then there was Clive Cussler and his Dirk Pitt books, which if Raise the Titanic is any indication (I read it again recently), don't hold so up well as I moved out of adolescence, and are not exactly chock full of good roles for women. I suppose that's not who Cussler was writing for, but still, kind of disappointing reading them now. Dirk's still the coolest cat on the block, though. I can't figure what possessed me to go on a Tom Clancy kick in 10th grade. Let's call it temporary insanity and move on.

There was Michael Connelly, Douglas Reeman, T. Jefferson Parker, Arthur C. Clarke. The one thing I remember with all of those authors was when I eventually read enough of their work I could see where they were going with the story pretty early. I'm really bad at solving mystery stories, so at the point I was able to figure out one of Connelly's stories within the first few chapters (I forget the title, but it was the one where Harry Bosch starts looking into his mother's death from his childhood), I knew I'd picked up his rhythm. Actually, I never figured out all of those guys. I have yet to suss out the truth of a T. Jefferson Parker book. He just brings shit out of left field, like "Her husband killed her because he found out she'd had another child when she was a teen, that she thought had been aborted, but actually hadn't been, and is slightly mentally retarded, but had shown up in town, and she was trying to reconnect with him, and her husband got mad, and there you are."

I am completely serious about that description too, all that happened in one book. What. The Hell. It might be more accurate to say, that in the case of these authors, I read enough of their works I got sick of them, which is kind of sad, and probably teaches us a valuable lesson about diversifying your reading material.

About the only two authors that I've consistently enjoyed for years, without feeling burnt out on them, are Stephen King and Issac Asimov. With King I started with the basics: Carrie, Dead Zone, It (ugh), while it was the Foundation series with Asimov, which is probably still my favorite sci-fi series, although in some ways, the science fiction elements seem mostly added on, around a story about choices and control. Which is probably why I enjoy it.

The odd thing is I seem to be able to read both for a long time, then stop for a few years, then read new stuff later, and not feel like I've seen it all before. With King I came back for the Dark Tower, with Asimov it was the Robots series (which helped the Foundation series make a little more sense). I don't know what that means though, or why it works that way.

Does this happen to any of you?

La, La, La, Something Lyrical

You're not even trying anymore. {I haven't been driving much lately, and that's when I listen to music, and it's what I've been listening to that inspired the titles, so what do you want from me? Be glad I didn't title the post "Dan LeBatard Is An Annoying Git". That would have been really unmusical.} 'Unmusical' isn't a word! {Probably not, but now it belongs to the ages.}

'It belongs to the ages'. Geez, what a goofball. And couldn't you have bought some more comics? {No.} Jerk. Bonk to Ms. Marvel. I have to agree with Calvin and the others, if you're going to let him kill himself, at least admit it. It's just sad that you're trying to hide it. But even though he's dead, Bonk to the Puppet Master for being a creepy little weirdo.

Um, Hugs for Faith, and for Dawn, I guess. {You aren't sure you want to hug them?} Well, I do want to give Faith a hug, because she got torn up, but Dawn's really big, and that kind of scares me. {You're scared of giant college kids? Well, it is understandable. They're usually poor and starving, and would eat anything.} What, you think she might try and eat me? {Could happen. Dawn sometimes shows a lack of impulse control.} Are you sure that isn't Faith? {Well, it's definitely true of Faith, but also Dawn. She is still a teenager, and they never think before they act. You'll find that out one day, when you become a teen.} Will I really become a teenager someday, really and truly? *blinks eyes adorably* {Cut that out.}

Applause for Faith, because it was totally cool how she destroyed those two gargoyles! {Damn right.} And she did a really good job pretending to be a spoiled, rich kid. {Yes she did. Faith is a quick thinker, even if what she quickly thinks of isn't always the best idea.} But she does think of something, even if it is head-butting a stone monster. {Yeah, if she hadn't had that blade, that would have been a really questionable decision, instead of a moderately questionable one.}
Well, that went really quickly. {Sure did. Now if you don't mind, I have statistical analyses to perform so let's get you home.} You don't want to hang out, shoot the breeze first? {'Shoot the breeze'? Where'd you pick that phrase up?} From you, I learned by talking to you! {And on that note, we are definitely done.}

So Conflicted

I can't quite decide how I feel about Warbird after this week's issue. It's a combination of things: the decision to let Puppet Master kill himself, the decision to lie about the events, and just some other, general things. 

As Fortress Keeper noted, it's a very Golden Age move for the hero to choose not to save the life of the imperiled villain, especially if said villains want to kill themselves. And if Puppet Master would rather blow himself up than die in a prison cell, well, I have no quibble with that, except for the part where he tried to take Carol with him. Of course, Carol noted she could have stopped him, but chose not to, apparently trusting that the regenerative effect she keeps exhibiting would save her again. I'm not sure I would put my life in the hands of some odd occurrence I don't wholly understand, but it was her call. 

I guess the hang-up I have, such as it is, comes from not feeling it was necessary to be so cold. I know Carol has killed before; even if she hadn't said so, I read Busiek's "Kang War" story, and I saw her take a sword and run that one villain (The Master? Old Alpha Flight Enemy Guy?) through with it. But, that was a dire situation, as the Avengers wanted to use his technology to fight off Kang, but without naming him ruler of the world (which had been his price for assistance). He wouldn't surrender, and Carol was too worn down to simply beat him until he gave up, so death it was. I could understand that situation, and besides, Carol demanded the Avengers convene to decide whether she should be drummed out of the group for it herself. The others were inclined to let it go, but she felt it needed to be dealt with (it helps that the people handing down the decision were the ones who were telling her not to beat herself up over it, but still.) 

Contrast that to her telling her strike team that she had no idea Puppet Master was going to blow himself up, and it caught her totally by surprise. Why hide the truth? It seems oddly inconsistent with someone who one panel before was reflecting on how she could do anything now. I'd more expect her to be saying, "Yeah, I knew the button was to trigger a bomb, and I knew I'd survive because of this weird regen effect, so I let him blow himself up. He was an evil, creepy bastard, so what of it?" 

Maybe I'm just not sure what I want out of the title. I liked it when Carol went patrolling in the first issue, I thought that was being proactive, but that might be kind of hard when you're working for SHIELD. I wonder how many of those criminals that escaped the Raft in the early issues of New Avengers are still on the loose. Perhaps Carol could aim her strike team towards rounding them up, before they cause trouble. There have to be a few left. I know Count Nefaria escaped, go get him. I like the Carol/Arana relationship. I know a lot of people don't like Arana, but I've got nothing against her, and I think her enthusiasm is a good influence on Carol. 

Mallet! suggested Carol is becoming the hero who makes the tough, possibly unheroic choices, because it seems right to her, regardless of how it makes the public view her. I can live with that. I think it was a tough choice for Carol to go against the law and reunite Julia Carpenter and her daughter, and I whole-heartedly support that. I'm just not sure letting Puppet Master blow himself to smithereens was a tough choice. The tougher choice would have been to capture him, even though you do really want to see him go BOOM! I suppose we'll see how it goes next issue, find out if Carol has to make any difficult decisions in her conflict with the blue alien.

What i Bought 10/3/07

All right, it's the week of books I don't call by their actual titles! I don't know whether that's a good thing, or relevant, or anything like that, but it seemed worth noting.

Faith the Vampire Slayer #7 - I have the other cover, but they're both fine. In this issue, Faith experiences complications in her mission to eliminate Gigi, the apparently really dangerous blue blood Slayer. These complications are both internal and external. The external is nice, because it means there's fighting, which is what I'm here for. But the internal is nicer because it contrasts what Faith is versus what others (and she) think she is. Just because you've done some bad things in your time, or been willing to do the dirty jobs others can't, doesn't necessarily mean that you can do yet another dirty job easily. Taking a life isn't something to be done lightly, as Faith understands better than most.

Georges Jeanty's work is still a mixed bag. Some of the facial expressions are outstanding, but at other times it seems like he may have cut a few corners (noses have a tendency to disappear). However, this seems to have most frequently during fights, when the look on a person's face is somewhat less critical, so it's forgivable. Also, I wanted to give a nod to Dave Stewart, the colorist, because during the party, most of the guests blend together, a sea of paisley and muted colors. Faith, pops off the page, with a dark, strong green, that makes her stand out, because she is after all, different from the fops at the party (in many ways). 4.3 out of 5.

Warbird #20 - First: Not enough amusing Aaron Stack moments in this issue. Second: I have no idea who the blue alien with a gun that looks like a reject from a '90s comic is. I'm not sure if Carol recognizes him or not (I think she does). Thirdly: Arana thinks of Carol like a mom?! What? Big sister I would have accepted, mother figure? Stretching it a bit for me.

The Puppet Master loses, naturally, his schemes all for naught. Carol makes a less than heroic choice, and is acting a little oddly. I can't say that in her position, I wouldn't do the same, but I'm not trying to be the "World's Greatest Hero" (for which you should all be extremely thankful). I'm trying to decide whether that personality shift we saw in Carol was too abrupt, and I'm inclined to think it was. Tocchini's art was a bit weak; anything not in the foreground tended to be indistinct, like it was rushed, or the colors or inks washed out some of his lines. I'm not sure which it is. I suppose I should be seriously considering dropping the book, and I suppose I am considering it, which is probably not a good sign. 2.1 out of 5.

Well, that was a bummer of a way to end the post wasn't it? Um, before you leave, I want you to think of cute, fuzzy bunnies. There, that makes you feel better, doesn't it? Now picture them being fed into a lawnmower. Good night everybody.

OK, fine, don't picture them being fed into a lawnmower. See if I care.

A Person Should Enjoy Their Work

Man, this is going to be an erratic month, comics-wise. I was looking at consecutive weeks of 1, 4, 1, 4, and 1 comics. Feast or famine strikes again. This week is Aaron Stack and Sleepwalker, I mean Warbird, I mean, Greg Horn Sexy Fight Cover Comic, blast it, I mean Ms. Marvel. Hmm, I think I took that joke about one step further than I ought to have. Oh well.

Fortunately, I remembered that the next part of BKV's Faith the Vampire Slayer arc is coming out, so that makes two, at least. Good times.

Naturally, once I start thinking about Faith, I start thinking about why I always prefer her to that "other" slayer, and I think at least part of it was that Faith actually enjoyed being a Slayer. She seemed similar to how Peter Parker was in the early years of Amazing Spider-Man, where this bright kid, that gets picked on, ignored, dissed, who lives in a less than ideal situation, has an escape. He can put on the mask, and be this super-cool crime-fighter, making with the wisecracks while he saves the day. He can climb buildings and lift cars, and his biggest bully in his everyday life, is also his heroic identity's biggest fan.

Faith, from what we know of her, didn't have all that great of a life growing up, probably nobody ever made her feel exceptional, but then she becomes the Slayer, suddenly people need her to save the day. It doesn't matter that Faith doesn't see much of a future for herself, education-wise, or even see all that great of a future for herself period, because this lucky event came along and changed everything, and she gets to actually do something with her life, so she was damn glad to be doing it (and I know some of that "devil-may-care" attitude was to hide her doubts and pain, but Spidey hid insecurity behind jokes, that doesn't mean he didn't enjoy web-swinging between skyscrapers).

What I've been trying to do is figure out who in the cape and mask realm is most similar to Buffy. She struck me as someone (at least in the early season, before she was always depressed) that had a good everyday life, and being the big hero was just a drag on that. it made it hard for her to hang out with friends, spend time with the family, do all the things she'd rather be doing. She did it, because she understood the importance of the work, but at least part of her wished it was someone else's job. I'm not sure who that describes; later Spider-Man, perhaps as he got angrier?

Con-gra-tu-lations!

Wave Race 64 is not a game that lends itself to lengthy discussions of its gameplay. You choose one of four characters, you select a difficulty, you race around the track for three laps, staying to the right or left of the flashing buoys, depending on what they direct you to do, and you try and win. There's time trials, and versus mode, and you can customize the characters' stats, since some have better acceleration, or handling, or a higher top speed. So really, not much to it.

And yet, it's still a game worth talking about because of my expectations of it. It was technically the first N64 game I received, though I always consider it the second game, because I got Mario 64 with the N64 from my parents, but we didn't have that Christmas until a few days after the Christmas get-together with my mother's family, which is when I got Wave Race. So I had the game for about two days before I could actually play it. I distinctly recall my reaction being one of those where you have to try real hard to look like you're happy, because honestly, I wasn't much of a racing enthusiast, and jet skis? No thanks.

But it's a game that grows on you, because it's easy to get into, and the difficulty doesn't increase too sharply from Easy to Medium to Hard (and then - Reverse! Yes, run the tracks backwards, at Hard difficulty!), so it gets tougher, but not to the point where you give up in frustration because the lower level did nothing to prepare you for it. Which isn't to say I didn't feel like the game cheated me sometimes, as it seemed like I'd hit waves hard enough to spill off my jet ski at the oddest times, and always near the finish line in a close race. Funny how that happens.

My character of choice was a fellow I recall being named Ryoto Hayami. He had the second best top speed, and solid handling and acceleration, especially once I made a customized version, with better acceleration, and a tighter grip on the handles. Naturally, since you can name those customized characters whatever you wish, I named him after myself. Because I'm awesome, and capable of both adequate acceleration and a good high speed. I went ahead and named the other customized characters after my friends. Of course, I didn't feel any of those characters were as good as mine. Because I'm an egotistical smartass.

The Wave Race people certainly liked to have wildlife in the games. There were dolphins racing alongside you (which is pretty impressive since I was going 120 km), gulls in the sky, and on Drake Lake, you're constantly scaring ducks into the sky. At least none of it actually affects you're characters, because I'm sure otherwise my character would have kept getting blinded by freaking mallards at key points in the race.

On Second Thought. . .

. . . I may not be as big a fan of Iron Fist as a legacy as I thought. This may not be the actual problem, but I did feel vaguely dissatisfied with both Iron Fist #9, and the Annual that came out this week, and this is the best reason I can come up with. I mean, I enjoyed the annual about the adventures of Orson Randall (I do want to know how he got mixed up with HYDRA), and the issue about Wo Ao-Shi, Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay, but it feels like Danny's getting marginalized in his own title.

It seems like a lot of people are sore at "Iron Fist", by which they mean Orson, but Danny's the one who's left defending the honor/holding the bag for Orson's decisions decades ago. Also, Davos has been Danny's rival for awhile, but with these flashbacks, I get the feeling that Davos' grudge with Danny is tied into Danny's father, Wendell, and some belief by Davos that Danny isn't the man his father was (Is it going to wind up being a Professor Zoom situation?)

Is this the tradeoff of becoming a legacy character? You get all the super-cool stories of those who came before you, but you've also got to clean up any messes they leave behind?

Oh, and for the record, I'm not losing interest in the title. I think the focus may be too all over the place right now.

I've Got To Learn To Think Less

AMC was showing Batman last night. We're past the point where Joker kills a fat mobster with a feather, and Bruce Wayne get shot in the arm without noticing. An aside: I've never been entirely clear on exactly why Bruce acts so brain dead in that scene. He just stands there, then begins shambling in Joker's direction. Was he recognizing Napier's voice from the chemical plant? I guess so. Back to the main point.

Joker's creepy little henchman brings him photos he took of the whole thing, and Joker falls for Vicki Vale. It occurred to me last night that it seems somewhat un-Joker-like for him to be so smitten. I wonder if that was a bone they tossed to the Nicholson, that old horndog, or if they thought there needed to be a love triangle involving the chief antagonist and protagonist. Like the fact the Joker kills people (including Bats' parents) isn't conflict enough? I suppose not, since Batman killed the goons at the chemical plant. That is, if you believe they didn't have enough time to escape the plant before those bombs went off. I tend to think they ran really fast and escaped death - somehow. But that's me.

While we're talking about the deaths, Napier being the one who killed Bruce's parents. I know a lot of people have said in the past that was a bad decision, because they feel it's better if Thomas and Martha were killed by some random thug Batman never caught, to represent crime. I tend to agree with that. Giving the World's Greatest Detective his own Rollo Tomasi is a nice touch. But I'm curious as to why Burton (or whoever made the decision) wanted Joker to be the killer. Did they feel the story works better if we think Batman is hunting down specifically the man who killed his parents, and so we'd better make sure that person is in the movie? Because that would suggest a line of thinking that people wouldn't believe a person would take the law into their own hands to simply protect others from harm, which is somewhat depressing. Of course, I'm just throwing it out there, as I have no idea about the thought process behind such decisions (I never watch the DVD extra, commentary-type stuff).

Cut Off The Nose From Your Face, Then You Won't Feel So Out Of Place

Hey, that's not a very adorable song lyric title! {. . .} Calvin? {How much do you think the guy who reads the forecasts on the Weather Channel's "Local on the 8s" makes? That seems like a pretty sweet gig.} Uh, are you ready? {Not really. I think I might go stare into space for awhile. You go ahead.} Calvin? Calvin? Fine, I can do this. I've done it before.

So, yeah, where to start? I want Bonk Mantis, but I guess I should Applaud her also. She's still on the loose, but she left her teammates to get captured, and that's not being a good teammate at all. Not like Gabe, who gets big-time Applause for his big stand against the weird drone things. Thataway Gabe! And um, a Hug for Groot, because he just looks so cute being tiny.

Bonk to the Bucky in Cable/Deadpool, for being such a little psycho. He was completely out of control! [You got that right.] Deadpool! You're OK! I was worried after you got shot in the head! [Healing factor, remember? Little thing like losing some brain matter won't stop me. Course, some would say I've been missing brain matter for years, which would really just bolster my point, but still. . .] Uh, thanks for sharing, Wade. I'm kind of busy. [Well, am I gonna get a round of applause, or at least a hug?] Sure, you deserve a Hug, but I couldn't figure what exactly you did to stop that monster, so I'm not sure you get applause. [What did I do? Well, that's easy I, uh, with the time skips, and the uh, never mind.]

Well, then that means I can move on. I'm going to Applaud Orson Randall for being awesome, and helping all his friends live a long time, but I'm also going to Hug Lucky Pierre for all the stress he went through following Orson around all those years. [Lucky Pierre? That just so happens to be something I call -] {Wade! Over the Appropriateness Line there!} [Hey, so he is here! Why isn't he helping?] I don't know; he's been acting weird all afternoon. [Maybe he's a clone, or an evil opposite.] I'd know if it was UnCalvinPitt, but I guess he could be a clone. Why don't you investigate? [I'm on it! Heh, that's what she said.] She who? [You are a little slow, aren't you?] I am not! Get out of here! [Fine, geez, I'll go sleuth a bit.] Finally. Back to work. Bonks for HYDRA, because they're HYDRA. I don't think I need a better reason.

Bonks to Ultimate SHIELD for attacking Spider-Man. I know Fury isn't there, but didn't they get the memo that Spider-Man is on their side? Hugs for Mary Jane, who really doesn't need Norman Osborn on the loose after all the mutation problems lately. And a Hug for Aunt May too, who had her date broken up by all this. {Owwww, that's my gall bladder!} [You don't need it. Now what have you done with the real Calvin!] {I am the real Calvin, you pockmarked, brain damaged freak! Get the hell off me, and get out of here, or I'll burn all the copies of your title I own!} *sound of running, getting closer* [Uh, ABP, I've got to go. I suggest just leaving him be. Bye.] Well that didn't help. I guess while I'm at it a Hug for Peter wouldn't be a bad idea, since his trying to do the right thing got him in trouble again. It really isn't fair, you know.

Anyone else has any suggestions, just leave them in the usual place, and I'll get to them later.

Share And Share Alike

Once, long ago, I theorized about what Aunt May was really up to when she got all dressed up to 'get together with friends'. First off, I can't believe this has been getting strung out that long. It's been like 18 months, and we've finally met the guy! Sure, it's probably only been three weeks for them, but geez. Yeah, I know. Bendis. Right. Got it.

Second, and more importantly, is the speculation as to what the deal is with the boyfriend, this Miles Warren. There is a deal, you know. Those familiar with the original clone stories probably know the name as the secret identity of the Jackal, the jerk that started the whole clone thing in the first place. But then again, the original Ben Reilly was a clone of Peter Parker, while Ultimate Ben Reilly was a colleague of Curt Conners' (and the one that made off with what was left of the Carnage-thing, which probably makes him the Ultimate Universe's version of Warren), so names may not mean all that much. Besides, I think Bendis is pushing too hard for us to think that Warren is evil. He wants us to think Warren's call was about Osborn, hinting that Warren is involved with SHIELD or something, but I'm not buying it. It's too pat. So what do we know?

He's a doctor of some sort. We know he says he has a patient acting up. He has a sporty red car. And we know he wears dark glasses indoors. From this, I have concluded he is *drum roll* Charles McNider, the original Dr. Mid-Nite.

McNider was a doctor, and he couldn't see in normally lit conditions. That's why Warren wears dark glasses indoors, to allow him to see, but go out in public normally more readily than his special visor would. The glasses aren't as effective as the visor though, which is why May has the lights dimmed a bit from what I could tell.

What? More romantic that way? Fah! It's for his benefit, probably because he complained of "migraines". A man's got to protect his secrets, you know.

What's he doing here? Well, he's getting new lease on life, after Extant so cruelly extinguished it in Zero Hour. By the sound of it, he may have decided to change specializations, shifting to psychiatry rather than medicine. Well, the Ultimate Universe was supposed to be a chance for a fresh start, so I suppose that's fine. Also, I figure he's what DC gave in return for my donation of Uncle Ben to the Green Lantern Corps. I think that's a good deal on both sides, myself.

What I Bought 9/26/07

I have to tell you, I'm not against annuals as a concept. I've enjoyed the two Ultimate Spider-Man Annuals, especially since Bendis uses them as an opportunity to lay groundwork for stories he's going tell, groundwork he'd probably waste ten issues building otherwise. What I'm not a fan of is these annuals done in place of the regular monthly issue, which seems to be what they did with The Punisher this month. And no, I didn't buy that Annual; it didn't contribute to the ongoing storyline (which is fine, I don't demand that of annuals), and it didn't look like it was worth $4 (which I do demand of annuals). So I guess I should talk about what I did buy instead, that being the title of the post and all.

Annihilation: Conquest - Starlord #3 - I'm not sure what to say about this issue. Mantis was on the money about the Phalanx' scheme, which will probably allow Giffen to challenge Starlord with a potential repeat of his darkest moment. Gabe's trying to face up to his personal crisis, and we're reminded of an important rule about death: always make sure you see the body before making the declaration. That's all I'll say as to the plot, so as not to spoil things too much.

I like Giffen's dialogue in the issue, how it seems to reflect the characters, especially working with Green's art. Mantis seems calm, basically unconcerned with the whole situation, and Green does an excellent job of depicting this. it's hard to explain, but there's a scene where the group is trapped between two waves of Phalanx drones, and everyone is blasting away, except Mantis, who's cutting a hole in the wall (with telekinesis I assume). She looks very relaxed, as if she has all the time in the world. Like I said, I can't explain it, it's just a vibe I get from her, a combination of how Green draws her (especially her hand), and what she says.

Likewise, Gabe sounds tentative and confused, shoulders slouched, but as things heat up, he's in his element, speaking and acting more confidently. Also, Green's doing a better job (to my eye) depicting movement, such as running. There's some very nice panels in this issue. 4 out of 5.

Captain America/Deadpool #45 - Well, if Nicieza's going to change half of the title every month, I might as well follow suit. This is kind of an odd story to read, probably because I'm not used to Wade doing the right thing when he doesn't have a friend involved. I mean, Wade rushing to Providence to help Cable, or back to the HYDRA base for Weasel? Sure, I can see that. But watching his actions in this issue was a little odd. Though really, what better statement can there be about how awesome Captain America is, than the fact he makes Deadpool really want to do the right thing?

That being said, I don't understand what the hell was going on with time repeating, and people remembering things at one point but not at another, or why exactly Bucky was so damn crazy. Seriously, Bucky spent the issue acting like Frank Miller's Goddamn Batman. Is it commentary on his transformation into the Winter Soldier? Probably, but hell if I know.

Additionally, why were the Fantastic Four looking so threatening on the last page? They let Weasel in their building willingly, he's trying to correct the situation, there's no need for threats. I expect better of T'Challa. So, a mixed bag of an issue. I've got a bad feeling Nicieza's going to be spinning his wheels until the book ends its run. Why? Why are you canceling it Marvel, you bastards? 3 out of 5, because I'm just so confused.

Immortal Iron Fist #9 - Well, that did not go how I expected. I guess it had to go that way for them to have the Annual, which takes place between this issue and next month's #10. Danny's not even certain about the outcome himself, and I'm not certain I believe what Danny's trying to tell himself, either.

Anyway, the fight was interesting, so that's good. As for the intrigue, well, that was OK I guess, but I think that I'm of the mindset that if you tell me there's going to be a big tournament of fighting, then damnit, I want a big tournament of fighting. Save the secrets for another day, unless it revolves around one contestant's attempts to sabotage another. Sooooo, 3.1 out of 5.

Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1 - Does Howard Chaykin seem to be drawing a lot of books these days? Dude seems to be everywhere I turn. Anyway, this is all about Orson Randall, and all the shit that followed him around because he wouldn't fight in that one Tournament of Yadda Blah. It's an entertaining little tale, one that suggests to me that Brubaker and Fraction watch anime while ingesting mind-altering drugs before they start coming up with characters (that's meant as a compliment, by the way). "Super Lightning Lord, Electric Demon of Manaslu"? Really now.

I'm not sure what else to tell you about this issue. It's a collection of snapshots from the life of someone who was a bit off, to be kind about it, and it's interesting, and pretty fun, but I don't know that I would pound my fist on the table and demand you purchase this book. 3.7 out of 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man #114 - Bendis finally introduced us to Aunt May's boyfriend (why the hell did I start to type 'girlfriend'?), and I know you've all been eagerly awaiting that. Well, he clearly thinks he's smarter than he is. How do I know? Because he's wearing dark glasses inside, which just like Tony LaRussa wearing sunglasses at night, is clearly a sign of a man who thinks he's smarter than he is. OK, that's probably not what's up with the glasses, but Bendis wants us to think he's bad. So I'm sure he isn't. Just a hunch.

Good sign about Peter's maturation: Osborn appears on TV, Peter begins making plans, such as getting MJ and Aunt May some place else. Then he goes looking for Norman. I approve of more proactive Peter, rather than sit-n-wait Peter. Even if being proactive tends to blow up in his face, as it does here, because SHIELD is full of dumbasses. I mean, I get that the cops are scared and overreact to costumed weirdoes, but I expect better from SHIELD. I feel bad for Peter, to be trapped in a world with people who are so stupid, and to feel like he has to help them when naked guys with electric powers start freaking out. 4.2 out of 5.

That's enough of that, I think.

I Suppose "Flesh Wound Shot" Doesn't Sound As Nice

Now, if I understand this correctly, Deadshot can't kill Batman because he's so afraid of the Dark Knight Detective that he always pulls his shots off target when he tries. I have two questions related to this:

1) Can Deadshot wound Batman? I assume Deadshot is always shooting to kill and missing, but could he, I don't know, aim at a knee cap, or try and get Bats in the shoulder? Would his fear still cause him to miss?

2) Why, exactly is Deadshot afraid of Batman? Batman's not going to kill him, and besides, I thought Deadshot had himself a bit of a death wish, so why exactly would he be afraid of Batman? Because Batman is gonna beat him up? So what? I'm sure Deadshot has gotten his butt kicked dozens of times. {Note: I'm not saying I wouldn't be afraid of Batman beating me up, just that I can't figure why Deadshot would be.}

So yeah, I can't really figure why Deadshot would be so afraid he can't shoot straight, and I wonder whether he could try shooting to wound instead. That pretty well covers it.

Looking Beyond Great And Horrible

Beyond Good and Evil is one of those games that gets the critical acclaim, but not the sales that one might hope for. Which is probably why Microsoft, thus far, hasn't made the 360 compatible for the game. Their loss, I guess.

Beyond Good & Evil is about a young lady named Jade, who gets drawn into a resistance cell, which leads to her infiltrating the bases of the Alpha Section Intervention (who protect the planet from invasions from the DomZ). and uncovering their dark secrets. What's interesting is the focus of the game is not combat. It's primarily a third-person view game, and the majority of the times you switch to first-person, you're holding a camera, rather than any sort of weapon. You sneak, you ambush, you crawl through pipes, you take incriminating photos. It's a lot like Thief in that regard, so you know I'd enjoy that. In a lot of those sneaky times, you can not fight all at. If they see you, you'll have to start over, unless you can evade long enough for them to give up looking.

But there's a lot more to it. You cruise the landscape in a hover boat, taking photographs of wildlife, after x amount of new organisms, you get a pearl. Get enough pearls, you can buy ship upgrades. Then you can win hover boat races, announced by an annoying twerp who calls you "the little rookie" even when you're winning on the highest difficulty. There are secret locations where you'll have to chase pirates after they steal from you, as well.

Don't think it's all about sneaking or boat-driving. If it comes to it, Jade knows how to kick some butt. She's got some sweet moves, especially with her staff in hand, and the controls are very smooth. Say you've been encircled by enemies, and you've succeeded in stunning one in front of you. If you pull back on the controller, Jade executes a series of backflips to bring in her close on a different opponent, and a well-timed button push will unleash a devastating kick or staff hit. Plus, you've got back-up. Part of the time it's your uncle, Pey'j, who's a humanoid pig with jet boots (weird family tree they've got). The rest of the time it's an agent of the resistance, who likes to headbutt things.

What's kind of different is you rarely have missions that ask you to destroy/disable the places you sneak into. That's not what you, or the group you're working for, are about. You just take pictures, and the group uses those pictures to raise public outcry against the Alphas. It feels very, French Revolution somehow, only with talking pigs, aliens, and fewer decapitations.

Beyond Good & Evil certainly isn't a long game, less than 20 hours, and there may not be a lot of replay to it, but it's certainly worth at least a one-time play, and you never know, once you've played it, when you might get the itch to break it out again.

He Can't Be That Misplaced, Can He?

First off, thanks to everyone who's commented on yesterday's post so far. I'm finding it very interesting, because it sounds like everybody's store of choice does things a little bit differently, and it must work, since they're still in business, so that's pretty cool. If you haven't read and contributed to that post, well, what are you waiting for? Don't hold back on us! 

As for today's subject, I have a two-part question: Is there anyone who likes Geo-Force, and more critically, is there anyone who likes Geo-Force as part of the JLA? I ask because, damn, everybody seems incredulous/annoyed that he's on the roster. Now, maybe that was because Meltzer did a poor job of justifying Geo-Force's presence. I haven't read Justice League so I can't say, but I wouldn't really be surprised if that was the case. 

 I mean, if Geo-Force can be helpful (which is something the character is reliant on the writer to demonstrate), then why can't he be in the Justice League? For the record, I don't care about Geo-Force one way or the other, I've just noticed the response to his presence seems overwhelmingly negative, even by comicsblogowhatchamafloogle standards, so I thought I'd ask.

Getting Somewhat Serious Here For A Moment

So this is the post I've been hinting at since Wednesday. Hopefully you won't be too disappointed. I'm going to start by outlining the situation as I understand it, then give my thoughts, and then hopefully you'll chime in as well.

The Situation: This past Wednesday (Sept. 19), I was in the comics store I shop at, looking through my copy of Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar #3, when a customer steps in. The store's owner was quite eager to see this customer, because they needed to discuss something. This customer had set up a pull list in early August, and purchased the comics on the list that had been released that week. The customer had not been in the 5 or 6 weeks since then, until the previous day (Tuesday the 18th). The customer had appeared and purchased some of the titles that had been set aside for them, and had returned on this day to purchase any new comics that had come out this week, but not those titles they had left behind the day before. The retailer wanted to know why the customer had only purchased some of the issues waiting for them.

The customer's response was that they are a traveling salesperson, that they are on the road for 5 or 6 weeks at a time, and as they travel, if they happen across a store that sells comics, they stop in and purchase the titles that came out that week from that store. I'm not sure as to the size of the customer's pull list, though I think it's about equal to mine (10-15 titles), nor do I know whether they have pulls at these stores they see along the road. I think it's just random as to where they were stopping. The customer didn't show any interest in having two copies of the titles they had purchased elsewhere, so the retailer was left with the comics.

The store owner said they weren't really comfortable with this situation, while the customer explained that every other store they had done business with had been fine with it, including the other comics store in town. The owner stated that they would love to have the customer's business, but they just were not comfortable with holding titles for someone, for weeks at a time, when the customer might simultaneously be buying those titles elsewhere, and so would not ultimately buy the comics at this store. At that point, both sides concluded they were at an impasse, the customer left, the owner tossed the pull list (not the comics, just the paper the list was written on).

Statement of Bias: The use of neutral pronouns and no names was intentional. See, I don't know anything about the customer other than what I heard in the conversation, but I do know the owner of the store, and consider him to be a friend (I swing by the store most every Friday just to talk), so I wanted to try and be neutral in describing the scenario, then give my totally biased opinion. Also, I know nothing about business or economics other than that you want to make more than you spend, and so this is me talking from a personal standpoint, rather than from any kind of business perspective.

Totally Biased Opinion: Right up front, I'm on Ken (the owner's) side. I think when you set up a pull at a store, there's an agreement between the customer and retailer. The retailer agrees to do everything in their power to make sure you get the comics on your list when they come out, or as close to it as possible. So it isn't their fault if Jim Lee or Frank Quitely can't meet deadlines, or that the publisher canceled the book, or that Diamond didn't ship all the copies they ordered. But if the book came in, and there are enough copies, then there should be one waiting for you when you show up (since I think pull-listers should probably have priority over random walk-in customers that might otherwise take all the issues. Yeah, I'm a bad person, perpetuating the exclusivity of the comic shop environment, sue me).

At the same time, I think the customer, by making a pull list - thus getting the retailer to agree to get them the titles they want - is agreeing to buy those titles from that retailer. If you're just as likely to buy the comics in East Lansing, Michigan as you are in Casper, Wyoming, then why bother setting up a pull list in Cape Girardeau? This doesn't mean you can't drop titles if you aren't enjoying them, but if you do still enjoy the title, then I think you ought to buy the new issues from the place that is setting aside a copy especially for you.

And honestly, I don't know that I buy that every other store the customer had used was cool with him setting up a pull-list, with the understanding he might show after a month and not buy half the comics they'd set aside for him, because he purchased them elsewhere. Maybe that is common, I don't know, this is the first time I've heard of such a situation. An employee at the store I used for about six months in Columbia, was pretty annoyed with me because I abruptly canceled my pull (because I was leaving town to begin grad school down here), and they wanted two weeks notice on something when you did that. Which I can understand, I just wish someone had mentioned that when I started the list (if they did, I totally forgot, and that's all on me, but I really don't recall being told that rule). Conversely, the first time I canceled my pull with Ken (which is why I started the pull in Columbia), he didn't seem all that bothered when I informed him I'd have to end my pull (as I was moving 250 miles away). He was sad to lose my business, but he wasn't annoyed or anything, so maybe what stores consider unacceptable just varies from place to place, and person to person, I really don't know.

Anyway, I'm going to stop there, because all I've got left at this point would just be me talking up how good of a store I think Ken runs, and that's not terribly pertinent to this, is it? So, I know there are bloggers who work in comics stores, and I love to hear from them about whether they've had similar situations, or what their store's rule is on pulls, but I'd also like to hear from the folks who are just customers like me, whether those of you with pulls yourself think there are any sorts of rules/agreements between the customers and the retailers, or any similar situations you've seen.

Pandas With Guns, Taking Over, It Won't Be Long

Hey! Pandas don't use guns! {Really?} That's right, guns are for penguins, because they're cowards. {That sounds like something Batman would say.} Cool.

Bonks for. . . you know there weren't a lot of people in your comics that needed Bonks. {Are you sure?} Well I'm pretty sure I bonked Super-Adaptoid last month, and he really didn't do anything much more evil this month. {He called the Phalanx to kill those villagers for helping Quasar.} That's true, really uncalled for. Let's see him adapt to this Bonk, then! Do you think that General Eiling was trying to get the Suicide Squad killed? {Well, Eiling became the super-criminal The Shaggy Man, so I'm gonna say yes. Besides, you can't actually be honest when dealing with Amanda Waller, she'll chew you up and spit you out.} "The Shaggy Man"? That's idiotic! {I didn't freaking name him, don't blame me!} Well, someone ought to get blamed. {Brad Meltzer?} You just don't like Brad Meltzer. {That's not true. I don't care about Brad Meltzer, mostly. He just seemed like a good scapegoat. Were you going to bonk Eiling or not?} Um, yeah, I think so. Yes, definitely. Bonk. Not too hard though, since we aren't positive it was him setting a trap.

{How nice of you.} I know, Hugs for Nightshade and Deadshot. I think they were both kind of sad they didn't find Rick Flag. Ooh, and I want to Hug the Velociraptor! {What? Why?} Because it's cool, and once it likes me, then I can get rides on it. {You really think a Delectable Little Morsel like you should be going anywhere near a Velociraptor salivating as much as that one was?} I'll be fine. {Sure, and after you get eaten, I'm the one who'll have to deal with your angry mother.} That'll be your problem, though. {Why don't you make friends with Moondragon instead? She's less likely to eat you, and more likely to give you a lift. Dragons are cooler than dinosaurs after all.} That's true, Hug for Moondragon!

Applause for Amanda Waller, because she cared enough to try and rescue Rick Flag. {Technically, Waller didn't try and rescue Flag, she just sent some of her Squad to rescue Flag. Big difference.} But there wouldn't have been anyone trying to rescue Flag if she hadn't sent them! {OK, it's your world, chief.} Applause for Quasar, for saving the townspeople from the Phalanx. {Once again, the day. . . is saved!} But Bonks to Quasar, for using up all the energy in the Quantum bands. Now how is she going to stop the Super-Adaptoid? {Well, that's the cliffhanger isn't it? I really hope Gage doesn't waste half of the next issue on Phyla feeling helpless without the bands. She's got to suck it up and go kick butt. Grab a lead pipe or something!} That's right, and if Moondragon gives me a lift, I can help. {No. No fighting Super-Adaptoids for you.} And why not? I fought penguins, the Super-Adaptoid can't be more deadly than that. {Uh well, you can't fight the Super-Adaptoid because, um, because you ate less than thirty minutes ago, and you have to wait at least thirty minutes after eating before traveling across galaxies to fight techno-organic virus infected adaptive weapons systems.} Oh, but the next issue doesn't come out until next month! {Yes, but it'll pick up where this one left off, so you'll still have the thirty minutes to go. I'd explain in more detail, but it involves effects on time as you approach the speed of light, which would be necessary to get you there in time.} Alright. {Whew.}

Say, you aren't just making this up to keep me from fighting are you? {Nope. Totally serious. If you travel at light speed within thirty minutes of eating, you could experience cramps so severe that your body collapses in on itself like a quantum singularity, because your mass will be so great at those speeds.} Wow. {Damn straight.}

Well, It's A Funny Thing

You remember how I said yesterday that there was something else I was going to complain about (besides the guys handing out Bibles), but it kept turning into its own post, so I'd talk about it tomorrow, by which I meant Thursday. Today. Which is Thursday. Everyone with me so far?

Well, later that evening I remembered that I had a post already planned out for today, and it's somewhat Thursday-specific. Kind of has to be done tonight. So that other post is just going to have to wait until Saturday. But what could be so important as to delay me discussing something that bothered me?

Why, none other than my attempt at live-blogging the season finale of Burn Notice! That's right, I'm going to be typing my reactions to what's going on as it happens, even though you won't see the post until it's completely done, because I'm not going to keep publishing and editing the post over and over for two hours, why would you demand that of me? To hell with you! Let's get started. SPOILERS if you haven't seen the episode yet!

7:57 p.m. - I really don't care what the director of National Treasure was trying to do with the ending. I really do not. Why did they have to run this movie before the beginning of my live-blogging attempt?

8:00 - I like that at the same time Bruce Campbell does the Old Spice commercials where he's all suave, he's on this show dressed like I would be (a slob), and about as clean-shaven as me too. And he's still a ladies' man. How?

8:02 - As a lover of fried chicken, I do not appreciate Michael making fun of Sam for his 'bucket of fat', as Michael put it.

8:03 - And someone is leaving Michael notes with poems in them. Is this his version of the Riddler?

8:05 - Commercial break. I am already concerned about my ability to follow the plot if I'm typing my responses to things I'm seeing. They're advertising the new Resident Evil movie. I saw the second one for the first time last weekend. As expected, crap, but I do like that at the end the evil guy is stuck on the roof with zombies closing in, he's tries to kill himself before they can eat him, but oops, he wasted all his bullets already! Ha, ha! I am a schadenfreude kind of guy.

8:08 - I miss Fiona's Irish accent. I guess I found it exotic, and besides, it made her seem more feisty somehow. Or maybe just more trigger-happy, like I expect the Irish to be impulsively violent. Hey, I can say that, I'm part-Irish.

8:10 - Ah, the classic TV cliche of the woman falling for the wrong guy, and getting herself and her friend in trouble for it. Why do women always fall for the assholes?

8:11 - I could have done without an appearance by the gambling addicted brother. Michael's mom I like, but his brother, it's hard for me to understand why Michael doesn't just shoot him. OK, I know why he doesn't shoot him; he's family, but the dude is a pain. And now he's giving the gambler a firearm? Bugger. That won't end well.

8:14 - Sam and Fiona working together, without Mike involved? That should be good. There are travel guides to Madison, Wisconsin now? Why?

8:16 - Bruce Campbell is irresistible to members of all sexes. How unfair is that? The Hustler looks a bit like Viggo Mortensen. It's not though; his voice is too weak.

8:18 - How much do you think it hurts if Triple H doesn't control his swings with that sledgehammer? A lot, or a mind-numbingly huge amount?

8:21 - Had to step away for a moment to turn off the AC. It was making it hard to hear the TV. Of course, opening the windows may offset the noise - oops, show's starting again!

8:23 - I'm glad to see Mike's getting his car fixed. I was sad after he hit it with an exploding propane tank last week. And that still wasn't enough to stop Lucy Lawless. She is a force of nature.

8:25 - I like when Mike starts playing roles. "Green Beret" isn't much of a stretch, but it's a little more over-the-top than he normally is.

8:27 - Every time Mike drops a little knowledge about how to make an effective bug, or how to fry a person's laptop by putting magnet in the hotel lamp, I wonder, "Could I pull that off?" That's the kind of thinking that's liable to get me in trouble.

8:30 - I'm pretty sure Michael has two different smiles. He just gave his mom the insincere smile, where he shows his teeth, but doesn't really mean it. You can see it in his eyes - he's just smiling to seem friendly, so you're more likely to do what he wants, in this case leave his warehouse so he can go to a meeting. He's got another smile though, I'm pretty sure I saw it when he helped that man whose boss was trying to frame him for the theft of valuable art. It helped keep a family together, and he felt good, so he gave a real smile. I'd like to see that more often.

8:35 - Dr. Steve-O? We're all doomed.

8:37 - One thing that's always interesting about this show is how much the clients actually follow the orders of Mike, Fiona, and Sam. Some people are smart, and listen to the professionals. Some people have to get impatient, and do stupid crap, like the guy that house-sits and pretended to be rich, so his girlfriend got kidnapped. This lady seems like she's actually going to pay attention.

8:40 -What was shielding Sam's cell phone? His car? The building?

8:42 - Sam just said he was "Chuck Finley". Does this mean Sam was a fan of the California Angels in the late '80s-early '90s, or just a fan of guys who were married to Tawny Kitaen?

8:44 - Bringing Down the House, three nights in a row. Well, that's three nights in a row I won't be going near USA Network. That Quiznos commercial did not make me want Quiznos. It does however, make me curious about the possibilities of liquifying my favorite foods and taking them in intravenously. Do you think liquid brownies going directly into my veins would kill me quickly, or slowly?

8:47 - They put a bomb on her car, and she asks if they were trying to kill her? A little slow aren't you lady? Wait, this Gillian has people trying to kill her, Sam advises her to make plans to take a vacation, then lets her leave by herself? What the hell?

8:49 - Michael really believes in what he used to do for a living. I just figured he didn't know what else to do.

8:50 - I know who this Cowan is. It's Simon Peter Gruber, the bad guy from Die Hard With a Vengeance! That's what's with all the riddles and now he's making Michael run a distance in a short amount of time. Damn, Bruce Willis isn't as good at killing people as I thought. And while I've been making this lousy joke, Michael's friends are under attack by armed goons. Way to be, Calvin.

8:54 - And now Cowan's dead, and all Michael got was some vague warnings about him being on the edge of something big, and having powerful people interested in him. This development concerns me, because I'm worried this means the series is going to ultimately be Michael basically banging his head against a wall trying to make some progress against these dangerous, shadowy figures. That kind of futile struggle is why I gave up on The Dead Zone, because I got tired of every attempt Johnny made to block Stillson's ascension failing utterly. I know, it's way to early to be thinking like this, I'm just saying, that kind of thing concerns me.

8:58 - I realized a few days ago, that my Tuesday night class will cause me to miss the first half of the new season of House. And we're back to the show!

9:00 - That was it? They came back from commercial for two minutes, then back on commercial? Weak. Still, it was an interesting two minutes. Michael is seeing threats everywhere, no telling whether he's imagining it or not, and Fiona actually sounds scared, which is never a good sign. She struck as the sort of person who could look Darkseid in the eye and laugh at him.

9:02 - The St. Louis Cardinals' season is just getting depressing at this point. At least you can count on LaRussa to be a prick. Couple of nights ago, Brendan Ryan swings at a 3-0 pitch and flies out. This is the first inning. When he gets back to the dugout, LaRussa chews him out, then pulls him from the game. That's bullshit. He'd never do that to one of the veterans. And the next night either Yadier Molina or Skip Schumaker made a dumbass baserunning mistake, and neither one got benched. TLR needs to leave St. Louis. Thanks for the World Series victory Tony, not go back to the West Coast. As long as they don't sign Dusty Baker, I'll take my chances as a fan with anyone else. Well, maybe not Mike Hargrove, either.

9:06 - And now Fi's not only armed, she's got back-up. These goons are boned.

9:07 - Another commercial break? This is getting ridiculous. Still, in the episode thus far we've had two cars blow up, two other cars shot, another car narrowly avoid being blown up, and three people dead up to this point. Not too shabby.

9:11 - Tom Brady is not a "character"! He's not the next Joe Montana either. if anyone tells you that, punch them hard in the face. Repeat as many times as necessary to make them stop believing that. Use your own discretion on how many punches that is.

9:13 - I must remember the Bruce Campbell Rule of Being a Prisoner: Critique the technique of the man punching you in the face. Pissing them off is the smart thing to do. Just ask Max Payne.

9:15 - Now why did the bad guy have to promise to find Gillian? Now he'll have to die. Not that I'm opposed to that, mind you. It's just not a good idea on his part.

9:16 - I have to appreciate Fiona's attitude toward guns - more is better. Big explosions are fun.

9:18 - I was thinking Sam had some sort of escape plan hidden behind the imbecilic bravado. Not so sure anymore. And now I'm sure again. Good Sam. Or, maybe not. Bad Sam. Selfless doesn't suit you.

9:22 - Thinking about it, this may not technically be my first liveblog. I did a page-by-page run-through of the New Avengers Annual that came out last year (April 29, 2006 post). Of course, that was on a second reading, not a first, but it was kind of similar.

9:24 - Fiona really enjoys wearing sleeveless shirts. Do you think that's a mobility aid, like sleeves inhibit range of motion?

9:28 - I like that when Michael makes a 'We're friends or we're enemies' line, he's brought the guy out to a deserted pier. . . at night. Nothing like the subtle threat of killing you in a place where dumping the body is easy.

9:31 - Why does Michael think he can actually make his mother do what he wants? She's his mother, and just as I type that he gets her cooperation by expressing concern for her. Clever.

9:32 - Oh hell, even Fiona is advising Michael to be more cautious. And that's pretty ballsy move by Mr. Westin there. I don't think this drug guy looks like a "Carmelo"

9:34 - 'If you don't do what I want, I will rain down hell on you until one of us is dead. And I am really good at raining down hell.' I dub thee, Quote of the Episode.

9:35 - Whew, I'm starting to wear down. Need more soda. No wonder sports blog rise and fall so quickly, trying to do this kind of thing for every game could kill a man.

9:40 - Sam read a book once? The things that make you angriest are the things you know are true? I'm not sure I buy that. The things that make me angry are being stuck behind idiots while driving. What's the truth in that scenario?

9:42 - With all the looks between Fiona and Michael, I'm wondering if making bombs isn't like foreplay to those two. Probably is to Fiona. Aw, Michael stole a car to get his mom to a hospital when he was 10. Damn, he's making me feel like a bad son.

9:45 - Michael is playing it very ballsy. I approve. I do think it's funny all these guys pointing guns at someone pointing a gun at themselves. I know, he might shoot at them if they drop their guard, but it looks pretty funny. "Stop! Do not shoot yourself, or. . . we will be forced to. . shoot. . . you, I guess. That's not really much of a deterrent is it?"

9:50 - No, Fiona, you don't ever say good-bye, because that implies you might never see each other again! You have to keep the faith that love will bring you together again! Believe in the power of love, right Huey Lewis? Yes, I've used that line before, we're going on two consecutive hours of blogging here, cut me some slack.

9:54 - I find it hard to believe this guy will fall for the "I hear the cell phone I'm calling somewhere nearby, I better go check." But he did, and now he's kicking Mike's ass. Or not. Mike, I imagine Fi only has so many bullets, so you need to pick up the pace a bit.

9:56 - Slow-motion running = KA-BOOOM! I guess we have to add an exploded barge to the destruction list for the episode.

9:57 - The shadowy government types can hack OnStar?! Is nothing safe?!

9:58 - Do not drive up into the back of that truck Michael. It's dark in there, anything could happen!

9:59 - Next summer! I have to wait until next summer for new episodes? Damn the man who keeps us all down by hacking our OnStar Navigation systems!

10:00 - Show's over. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. I think this distracted approach to watching the episode detracted from my enjoyment and digestion of the episode. So it may not be a good idea to do this anymore. Or I may do this whenever the new season of The Shield starts. Who can say? Either way, we're done here. Night, everybody.

What I Bought 9/19/07

Non-Comics Reviews Digression The First: I do not like the old guys who come on campus trying to hand out Bibles. I don't have anything against whatever particular sect of Christianity they belong to, but my rule about religion is that it's fine - as long as it stays the hell away from me. If I'm interested, I will seek it out, not vice versa.

Non-Comics Reviews Digression The Second: Well, there was going to be a second digression, but it keeps growing to the point I think it needs a separate post. So, tomorrow then. Reviews now! Spoilers, everywhere!

Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar #3 - I finally think I have a bead on this series. It's supposed to a knight's quest story, which Phyla's frequent use of the Quantum Bands to make swords should have made clear to me, but it took a dragon instead. I'm slow.

Anyway, Quasar and the Moondragon continue to track the Savior, but the Super-Adaptoid got there first, which gives it time to prepare for their arrival, which it does. By the end of the issue, things look dire for our heroes, as well as the rest of the galaxy, though Phyla did put on quite the impressive display near the end there.

I'm enjoying Gage's dialogue, because he does such a nice job of giving Phyla and Heather different voices. I know that is the sort of thing that ought to be a given, but I still want to give credit. Heather comes off as mostly more level-headed, but she's also much more serious. Phyla's prone to exaggeration, and letting her emotions get the best of her, but she also has a knack for lightening the mood when it's need, which was the case early in this issue.

One thing I'm trying to figure out art-wise, is why Mike Lilly seems to enjoy diagonal panels so much. It's not every page, but frequently the panels are at around a 45-degree angle. I smell an art-themed future post. It's a decent enough issue, though I didn't think it was great. For some reason, the last panel, the statement of doom doesn't do much for me. I suppose I just figure Phyla will find a way to overcome this difficulty. We'll have to wait and see. 3.4 out of 5.

Suicide Squad: Raise the Something #1 - Because I'm confused as to what the actual title is, that's why. Yes, Shadowpact is gone, which means it's probably about to get really good (not this week's issue, though). You laugh, but remember that Blue Beetle got really good shortly after #11, which was the last issue I purchased. But has one happy Blue Beetle fan thanked me for making the sacrifice of not buying that title? No. Ungrateful louts.

Anyway, I was wondering how the Squad was going to rescue a presumed dead Rick Flag in this issue that took place in the past, considering he abruptly appeared in Checkmate a while back. Turns out that won't be an issue. As to the actual issue, it wasn't bad. My unfamiliarity with Suicide Squad (excluding what I've learned thanks to the blogowhatchamafloogle) meant it probably didn't resonate as much as one might hope.

That being said, I enjoyed it. Deadshot slapped that annoying Captain Boomerang. I liked that. I'm always a fan of the situation where the big guy is bear-hugging the good guy to death, and the good guy smacks the big guys ears and that stops him. Does that actually work? Perhaps I should go fight a bear to test that theory? This is the same Nightshade that's in Shadowpact, I'm assuming, because she's a bit creepier in this. Which is cool. Creepy works, though I'm not so sure that costume does. What's with those giant bubble goggles? '80s fashion frightens me.

So in conclusion, not bad, I might buy the next issue, I'll certainly give it a look, to see if I can get into it a little bit more. 3.1 out of 5.