HAWK!! DOVE!!!

This week, DC has 11 new #1's to choose from. From Action Comics #1 to Detective Comics #1, there is literally SOMETHING for EVERYONE. But, the one I'm over the moon excited for is Hawk & Dove #1 from Sterling Gates & Rob Liefeld. I mean, how can you NOT be excited for this title? Just look:

Pretty freaking cool, right? OK, for those of you who are too young to remember Liefeld's FIRST Hawk & Dove series, let me take you back. The year was 1988. On the radio(yes radio), we were listening to things like this:

and this:

And we even had our own "MMMBop" back then:

-On a bike ride to the grocery store, I saw this comic, and I was INSTANTLY hooked!!!

-I wasn't sure who exactly they were, but I had to read it. I read that issue 7 times that first day alone. Thanks to the Kesels & this Liefeld kid, I was hooked! After the initial run of the series, Hawk died. Dove died-kinda. There was a rock band Hawk & Dove, then they were girls in the Teen Titans, then DC got sick of reading my letters and in Brightest Day brought back Hank Hall and Dawn Granger and finally-I was happy again. It was stated early on that not everyone would make it through the Brightest Day series and from the moment they announced that, I was sure that Hank would die again. BUT, here we are. 2 days away from one of the comics that I'm most looking forward to EVER!!! Now, I know that a lot of people are saying that this whole DC relaunch feels too much like the 90's. Um, guys. You know what happened in the 90's? PEOPLE BOUGHT A SHITLOAD OF COMICS!!!! HOW is that a bad thing? I feel like I'm 15 years old again. But, I'm still not listening to Don't Worry,Be Happy.

GI Joe A Real American Hero #169 review

This is TRULY the most under appreciated of the GI Joe titles being published right now. Around 2004 Devil's Due got Larry Hama to write a 4 issue GI Joe Frontline arc set after the events of original Marvel Comic GI Joe #155. The results were........not that great.

-But, in May of last year, IDW let Larry Hama do what he should've done 16 years earlier-keep writing the same comic. The results this time around-REALLY AWESOME.

-While the current GI Joe IDW continuity is a fun, action packed, breath of fresh air, it's nice that you CAN go home again. This issue-and title-features exactly what the classic GI Joe series had. GI Joe against COBRA, the enemy. Fighting to save the day. There's TONS of continuity with the classic series, but don't worry, IDW had been kind enough to reprint those all in trade(their maybe 1 or 2 more volumes coming before the complete run is collected). Who thought that anyone could put NEW twists and turns into an almost 30 year old comic? This issue is FULL of them. Old characters return, new mysteries are set up, and while it features a good number of Joes(& COBRAS), there's never too many that it gets confusing. One of the advantages is that they're all instantly recognizable because they're drawn in their classic fatigues/action figure uniforms. Most of which, surprisingly, still work. Their is one exception, though. Sorry, Crystal Ball.

Dear Dynamite & Sterling Gates-I'm in.

It's not often that I pay attention to something in the comic market that's not an established character or a licensed property. But, a recent article/announcement over at CBR sparked my interest.

-Spinning out of Kirby:Genesis, Sterling Gates, Wagner Reis, & Dynamite Entertainment is bringing back the REALLY forgotten comic book series Captain Victory & His Galactic Rangers. While I've never read the original series, published in the 90's, I believe, I AM looking forward to this. WHY? Cause it looks like a DAMN FUN comic book. Go ahead, click the link above and read the interview. I'll wait....

-You should all definately check this out. For two reasons-Kirby:Genesis is a highly underrated and is REALLY fun and two-this looks like a great, fun, sci-fi, all out action comic. PRE-ORDER!!!

Dance Party Friday!

Labor Day weekend is HERE!!!! Celebrate! Eat lots of food! Do something outside! Most of all, please be safe. Here's something that'll get you in a good mood(plus, this song has been stuck in my head for the last 48 hours). Ladies & Gentlemen....................HOT CHOCOLATE!

Speaking of sexy things, here's one of my favorites. Ms. Phoenix Marie.

Thank you, DC

No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to read.....

Let's face it, nobody really pays attention to Canada. Hell, even Canadians don't pay that much attention to Canada. BUT, over the weekend at Fan Expo in Toronto, Marvel Comics held a "Next Big Thing" panel and announced several things, but only 1 was downright AWESOME. The return of former Crossgen comic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang!!!

-As a huge fan of that series, that ended on one of the BEST cliffhangers ever, I was needless to say, ecstatic! Then, I read the article on CBR with writer Peter Milligan....and became even MORE excited!!! The basic premise is sort-of the same. Up and coming spy gets chosen to replace veteran spy in his role as the "Ultimate Spy". BUT, while the first series took place in the 1960's/Sean Connery/James Bond era this one takes place in modern day and puts some twists into the formula. What it looks like it DOES deliver is something that's sorely lacking in the comic market right now-A. SPY. COMIC. How does one of THE most popular genres in pop culture not have an on-going monthly comic? Talk about built in audience!!! And not just for the every-Wednesday guys. Dads bringing their kids into the comic store would snatch this up in a heartbeat!!! Wanna buy a comic for a non-comic reading friend? BOOM!!!! Anyone who likes action movies, thrillers, ect would totally dig a well written spy comic. OK, enough about that. Back to KKBB. I'll be honest, I haven't read much Peter Milligan, but what I have read, I've liked a lot(Human Target, X-Statix, Batman). And from reading his interview, I couldn't be more excited about his plans for this comic. As for the art, I barely remember Roman Rosanas' work on Spider-Man:1602, but the pages shown in the article look FANTASTIC!!!! This guy knows how to lay out a page. Intense action that's NOT super hero battles can be tricky sometimes, but this guy pulls it off in the preview pages.....and he draws some nice ass cleavage. Can't wait til December!!! Merry Christmas Jimmy Hayes!!

Snake Eyes #4 Review

After a slightly disappointing issue #3, Chuck Dixon and Robert Atkins decided to kick my ass with issue 4 of Snake Eyes. THIS is why I read GI Joe comics. Scratch that, this is why I read COMICS!!! Holy crap, this was awesome!!! First off, you have Snake Eyes vs Slice & Dice. That should be enough to sell you on the book right there. You have GOT to see(read)this fight to believe it. I will go to my grave saying that Atkins draws THE best fights in comics. It's like reading an action movie. Then, you've got the Alpine/Iceberg story line which actually has a decent amount of action and resolves very nicely.

-The part I'm most impressed about is that while the COBRA Civil War story is present, it never feels like it overtakes the issue or story at any point. It's in the background, keeping you up to date and giving you just what you need to know, but never too much or taking the focus off the ass-kicking ninjas. This is, without a doubt, my favorite issue of the series so far. Yo Joe!!

Snake Eyes #3 Review

First off, my apologies to everyone that this is a month behind. That said, Snake Eyes #3 was my least favorite issue of the series so far. Don't get me wrong, it's still a Snake Eyes comic, which makes it GREAT. But, I'm afraid this issue left me feeling like I was reading "Snake Eyes & His Amazing Friends". Chuck Dixon does a fine job with the story, I can't imagine how hard it is to write a character that doesn't speak. He does a good job of not falling into the "Lassie trap" of another character saying "What's that Snake Eyes? Cobra's put together a new weather dominater and we need to go Cobra Island?" but, because everyone ELSE has to do the talking to move the store forward, we're left with less Snake Eyes that we should have. The art, as always, is fantastic. At this point if Robert Atkins put out a book of blank pages, I'd probably buy it. Don't get me wrong, this WAS a good comic with a sold story that's heating up. It's just not a great SNAKE EYES comic.

Pathetic Earthlings..........

Who will save you now?


Yesterday Dynamite Entertainment released their November solicitations and low and behold, after months of waiting, they officially announced their Flash Gordon comic series, Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist! Written by Vampirella & Red Sonja scribe Eric Trautmann with art by Sherlock Holmes: Year One artist Daniel Lindro. People who know me know that I am the world's biggest Flash Gordon fan. People who don't know me, will soon find that out. Here's what Dynamite says about the book:

"The year is 1934, a time of two-fisted swashbuckling, of fearsome threats and wild adventure -- and of ever-growing threats on the horizon. Three valiant humans -- Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov -- are plucked from the Earth, traveling to the distant planet Mongo. Their exploits are legendary, battling the machinations and terror schemes of the dreaded emperor Ming, the All-Seeing Ruler of Mongo. But they did not fight alone..."

-Pretty exciting stuff! I'm impressed that the story is set in 1934. I was a little scared that they were going to totally reinvent the property and make Flash an Extreme Sports star, Dale a wise-cracking TMZ reporter and Dr. Zarkov some kind of eco-conspiracy theory scientist. Nice to see that they're staying true to the property. And I bet the book will excell because of it.

-And yes, if you know me, you're assuming there will be some kind of celebration/promotion/event regarding the release of this book and you'd be 1000% right! More details to come soonish.

WOWabunga!!!

This week IDW Publishing released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. When I was younger, I loved the original series, and then I loved the Archie Comics series, but ever since then Turtle comics haven't really grabbed me. I think, honestly, there was too much sci-fi elements in later series. To me, the turtles should always be in the sewers of New York City, not flying around space with human dinosaurs.

-Back to the issue(literally)at hand. To put it bluntly, does anyone have Tom Waltz's address? I wanna buy that man a beer. When I first heard that IDW was bringing Kevin Eastman in to work on the book, I thought "hmm. Interesteing." OK, that's a total lie. The FIRST thing I thought about was "Kevin Eastman? Is he still married to Julie Strain? Man, she had awesome boobs." BACK to TMNT #1. THIS is what a Turtle comic SHOULD be. Everything is here that should be here. The Turtles, April, Casey, Baxter Stockman, pizza and Krang. YEAH. KRANG. This is a GREAT set-up for the series. Everyone is introduced in a manner that is not at all forced, and yet gives you plenty of back story, plot and set-up to get the series moving nicely. I have to be honest, I've never heard of Dan Duncan, but this guy was born to draw this book. He's got a great style that's gritty when it needs to be and smooth and clean when it's called for. IDW & the creative team have really outdone themselves. DO NOT wait for the trade on this one. Go buy it NOW!!!!....and Tom, seriously, you're gettin' that beer when I see you.

It's back....

Hot. Girl. Wednesdays. This week, one of my favorite girls in the whole wide world.....Miss Ivy Black.






make sure to visit her site right here!

Bionic Man #1 Review

The last time Colonel Steve Austin was published in comic book form was in June of 1978. 33 years later, Dynamite Entertainment brings him back in The Bionic Man #1. Ladies & Gentlemen-it was worth the wait. For those of you expecting Steve Austin to be full on bionic in this issue, you'll be a little disappointed. But, that's about the only thing that's lacking in this first issue. Dynamite made a spectacular desicion by putting their A-Team of Phil Hester & Jonathan Lau on this book. The team did a fantastic job adapting Kevin Smith's Green Hornet screenplay into a fun, action-packed and all around excellent comic, and to no one's surprise, they do the same thing here.

-In the first issue we're introduced to all the main characters & villians. One of the things that impressed me most about the book was that the villian is actually a SUPER villian. Not a guy in a suit or a bad guy with an eye patch and a grugde that is common in modern day comics. He's totally evil, and he's got what looks to be some sort of bionic powers of his own. There's some great set up for the villian's motivation,while not giving everything away yet. Your definately left wondering just what the villian's motivation is and where he came from.

-If I'd have to pick a favorite aspect of the book, it would be the characterization of Steve Austin himself. Smith & Hester do a fantastic job of giving Steve a real personality and not just making him a Hal Jordon or Maverick from Top Gun clone. He's got the right amount of cockiness, swagger and heart. In a surprising twist(tiny spoiler alert)Jamie Summers is also introduced in this first issue as Steve's fiancee. And don't worry, Oscar and Rudy are back, and as charming as ever.

-My hat's off to artist Jonathan Lau for making the action in this book SO kinetic. Flight scenese are really tough to pull off in comics, but Lau really makes the most of his panels without dragging it out for page after page.

-All in all, this was a GREAT first issue. Very excessable to any new reader that's not been exposed to the franchise and yet familiar enough to make long time fans of the property feel like they're taking a trip home to visit old friends. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough. Put on your red track suit and RUN down to your local comic store and pick this up right away!!!!

One man can make a difference...

...with an awesome toy car. Ever since September 26th, 1982 I've wanted an awesome Knight Rider toy. Now, courtesy of Diamond Select Toys, it looks like I'm getting a COUPLE. First, here's their offering from their ever popular Minimates line.
Now that's one funky-bad ass toy. I BELIEVE that DST is also going to release KARR with Garthe Knight figure. And he better damn well come with a cane, too! BUT, I'm most excited about this:
A decent 3&3/4 inch Michael Knight with KITT figure!!! Just look at that giant pie-pan belt buckle!!!! I'm guessing these toys will be out either the end of this year, or the beginningh of next year. I'm shooting for the holiday season, myself. Stay tuned right here as we'll be sure to pass along any release dates/developments that come out way. And, just because I love you guys, here's a little something to sing along with: