What I thought of...Guardians of the Galaxy #2

Guardians of the Galaxy #2: Earth is attacked!!!!! With only the Guardians ready to save it!...because Earth has NO other super heroes on it capable of helping out (actually, that's explained).
The Good: Oh my GOD!!! I have to tell you, I was as big a doubter as anyone about this book, but man, was I WRONG. I totally thought that Marvel put Bendis on this book because of the movie, and they just needed to build up the Guardians of the Galaxy brand so that the "comic book audience" would go see this movie. But, Bendis has a genuine LOVE for these characters. What logically should be a HORRIBLE team, he makes a GREAT team. And the feather in the cap is Iron Man. The way he interacts with them is fantastic. I guess it's because he's been solely interacting with the Avengers for the past 50 years, but this is SUCH a fresh take, that I've totally fallen in love with the character and the rest of the cast.
The Bad: There's a part that I WON'T spoil that is just really unbelievable, even by comic book standards, that it was hard to get past. Also, we find out the reason that the planet Earth is "off limits" to the rest of the galaxy, and it's pretty underwhelming.
The Verdict: Pick it up!!! Yeah, there's a couple things that don't make sense, but overall the book is just plain awesome!!! I hope that this title continues for a long, lone time.

He-Man Week-Day 7!!!

Did you know that Mattel is STILL making Masters of the Universe figures? And that they're better than ever No, I'm not kidding, not in the least.

Head on over to http://www.mattycollector.com and check out the HUGE line of Masters of the Universe Classics!!! They offer at the very LEAST one new figure every month, and most months they offer 2-3 figures. There's new versions of the toys that were made in the 80's, and they also have recently started offering figures based on characters featured in the Filmation cartoon series! Like this awesome Shadow Weaver figure!

They also offer subscription so that you don't have to sit at the computer every month and hope that you can order the new figures, as they tend to sell out REALLY fast!! Happy hunting!!!

He-Man Week-Day 5!!!!!

OK, so I got ahead of myself. Yesterday I posted Day SIX, when I should've posted Day FIVE, sorry for anyone thinking that they either missed a day or where in a coma for a day. Anyways, in 1987, when the Masters of the Universe line was pretty close to being over, Cannon Films released a live action Masters of the Universe movie!!!



............yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah. Children everywhere that went expecting to see He-Man, Skeletor, Beast Man, Trap Jaw, Orko, ect. were all VERY dissapointed. The movie was NOTHING like the cartoon that everyone had come to know and love. It was basically a sort of Flash Gordon/generic sci-fi movie that pitted He-Man against Skeletor and the majority of it took place on EARTH. Not cool!!! But, it does have that certain cheesy appeal, and it's reached cult classic status.
Fast forward 30 years and there's a NEW Masters of the Universe movie in the works!! John M. Chu, director of GI Joe Retaliation, has been tapped to bring He-Man and company to the big screen for what promises to be a HUGE blockbuster film. The best part? John Chu LOVES Masters of the Universe!!! Here's a quote from shortly after he landed the MOTU gig:

Chu: I LOVED the toys growing up. I had Grayskull, I had BattleCat/Cringer, I had Stratos and Orko and obviously He-Man and Skeletor. I also watched the cartoon a lot growing up. This is my era, so going to Mattel to visit their headquarters was like walking into a childhood fantasy. They had a lifesized He-Man in the lobby as well as a glass case with EVERY SINGLE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE action figure on display. It brought me back to my youth and I knew I had to be a part of getting this movie together. For every MOTU fan out there, it felt like it was time and I wanted to make sure to protect it in the process.

-Now, more than ever, I am SUPER excited about this movie. Having someone who loves and respects the franchise directing can only make the movie more awesome. According to some sites, the movie is set for a 2014 release. I wouldn't hold me breath on that, we're almost at the halfway point of 2013 and the movie hasn't even been cast yet. I hope that when it DOES hit theaters, there's plenty of this guy in the movie....

He-Man Week-Day 6!!!

All right, when it comes to Masters of the Universe, let's be honest. The best thing about it was the TOYS!!! And the best thing about toys from the 80's? The commercials, of course!!! Just look at these gems from 30 years ago!

The Evil Horde!

Whiplash & Buzz Off!

Prince Adam & Orko!

Snout Spout:

The Fright Zone!

Thunder Punch He-Man RAP!!

Laser Bolt!

Castle Grayskull!!

-Weren't those awesome? In a ridiculously cheesy way, of course. See you tomorrow!

He-Man Week-Day 4!!!

Masters of the Universe #1 Comic Review

He-Man & The Masters of the Universe #1: First awesome issue in this brand new ongoing title!!! While the Masters attend a funeral, Hordak sends his forces into Eternia to invade. Led by Despara, the Horde takes out a huge group of normal citizens. but He-Man shows up to save the day. There's also a GREAT last page shocker!!
The Good: If you like He-Man, it's ALL good!! And, I think, that even if you're not a hardcore fan, just know anything about the property, you'd enjoy it too. It doesn't get bogged down in heavy Masters continuity, it stays with what everyone knows and loves about Masters of the Universe.
The Bad: If I have to pick something, I'd say I'm not 100% in love with Hordak's design. Now, I'm not sure if the creative team is waiting to give us the Hordak that we all know and love, or if this change is permanent. If it is, I'm not a fan. If it changes,I'll be glad to have the classic Hordak back. But, kudos to the creative team for using someone else other than Skeletor. And, Dekker is in it and I HATE that guy.
  Are you kidding me? BUY THIS!!! Even if you're a casual fan, pretty much everybody knows the basic story of He-Mna, and this will refresh your memory and get you excited about future issues about this comic. If you're a die hard fan like me, it's really enjoyable seeing the new status-quo for the Masters of the Universe!

Happy Birthday Superman!!!

75 years ago today, the world changed forever. When Action Comics #1 debuted the world fell in love with The Strange Visitor from Another Planet. Although, quite different from the Superman we know today, he unleashed the imagination of a whole generation. And that spirit has been passed on to this very day. Inspiring thousands of people to not only do what's right, but to create COMICS. Just think about it for a second. Right now Hollywood and the population at large is in love with super heroes. There's now 2 to 3 comic book based movies every year, and there's no end in sight. NONE of that would've been possible if the 2 kids from Cleveland hadn't decided to make their OWN super hero 75 years ago.
-There have been many versions or incarnations of Superman over the years, but here's some of my personal favorites.  

Pocket Mego Superman: This was the first Superman toy that I ever owned. I still have it(somewhere), and it'll always be my second favorite Superman toy. I played with this so much, it was crazy. The best part? It was just a pain and simple figure. No "action". No punches, no kicks, no nothing. All I had was my imagination and 5 points of articulation.


Ruby Spears Superman: This cartoon blew my mind!!! It aired Saturday mornings on CBS, and followed the John Bryne Man of Steel continuity. Each episode featured a main Superman adventure, followed by a Clark Kent discovering his powers cartoon short (remenber, in Bryne's version, there was no Superboy).  To this day, it's still my favorite Superman cartoon.

The Man of Steel #1: This was, and always will be, my favorite Superman comic series ever. It was just after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and John Bryne debuted a six issue mini series that retold and rebooted Superman for a new generation. Classic stuff.

Super Powers Superman Action Figure: This is my favorite Superman toy, bar none. Classic.

-In celebration of Superman's 75th birthday, every week I'll be spotlighting Superman in one aspect of another. Culminating on June 11th, when The Man of Steel opens in theaters everywhere.

Hot Girl Wednesday...Starring LILY CARTER!!!!

In just 3 short years, the adorable Lily Carter has taken the adult world by storm. She pretty much swept the XBiz Awards this year with FOUR wins, including Best Actress, Best Scene and Fan's Choice Award. You can take a look at the pictures below and figure out why.

You can follow Lily on Twitter here (personally, I'd follow her anywhere!), check out her official website here, or buy her something. C'mon, she deserves it!

He-Man Week-Day 3!!!

This is it!!! Today's the day!!!! He-Man & The Masters of the Universe #1 debuts from DC Comics!! A brand new ongoing series from writer Keith Giffen with art by Pop Mhan, this series picks up were the recent mini series left off. Here's the official word from DC comics:

Written by Keith Giffen, the new comic picks up where the miniseries left off — Prince Adam and the Masters are back in power, while Skeletor and his minions plot their revenge. More importantly, though, Hordak is coming to invade Eternia, and he's bringing Adam's sister Adora (usually better known as She-Ra) with him! MotU fans should recall that in the original series, Hordak kidnapped Princess Adora when she was an infant, and raised her as part of his evil Horde. The new comic amps that up, casting Adora as Hordak's deadliest warrior Despera. 

Come back tomorrow for my (unbiased) review!!!!

What you should buy...4/17/13

Talked about a HUGE week!!!! And it's AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL good stuff!! I wish I had more space(OK, I'm lying, I have unlimited space, but not unlimited TIME)to list more spotlight books, but here's the cream of the crop for this week:

Age of Ultron #6: Stuff happens! Not even kidding!!

Bionic Man vs The Bionic Woman #4: We all know that this is going to end up with bionic sex, but the fighting is fun to watch!

Nova #3: This is such a fun book. I wish it would've been around when I was a teenager. Wait, there WAS a Nova series when I was a teen. And it was awesome. RICHARD RIDER FOR LIFE!

Justice League #19: OK, I'll say it since DC doesn't have the stones...WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!?

Danger Girl Trinity #1: Danger Girl returns!!!! What more could you want? Sorry, pretty sure they're wearing clothes.

The Shadow Year One #2: Matt Wagner! The Shadow's origin! What more do you want?

Conan the Barbarian #15: Not enough of you are reading this awesome book!

Vader's Little Princess: Darth Vader goes through the "fun" of being a single dad and raising a pre-teen daughter.
And of course, the BOOK OF THE WEEK is..........................

HE-MAN & THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1: ALL of your favorite Eternians are back!!! And they'll be back-EACH and EVERY MONTH!!! In this issue-Despara is coming to Eternia and she's bringing the evil Horde with her!!!
Woah, that's a lot of great stuff! As always, if you're in Chicago, come down and visit me at Challengers Comics + Conversation. Have an electrifying Wednesday!

He-Man Week-Day 2!!!

Whenever you mention He-Man to 90% of the population, the first thing that comes to their mind is this:



From 1983 to 1985, every weekday after school, millions of kids watched over 130 episodes of He-Man. Reruns of the cartoon still air on television TO THIS DAY!!! Now, was it corny? Sure. Cheesy? Absolutely, but every episode came complete with it's own life lesson to be learned.



The show actually featured some writers who would go on to greater fame, like Babylon 5 creator and writer of TONS of comics, J. Michael Straczynski. Also Paul Dini, who's written several comics, but is best known for his writing on the ground-breaking Batman: The Animated Series and David Wise, who's the current head writer on Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. There's also many, many more, but those are some of the stand outs.

Here, for you enjoyment, is the debut episode of He-Man & the Masters of the Universe. Enjoy!!

What I thought of...Superior Spider-Man #8

Superior Spider-Man #8: This issue, Doc Ock(or Spider-Man)vs Cardiac with the fate of a little girl hanging in the balance! We get some Avengers, some hospital drama, and we get a little bit of some pretty interesting mystery.
The Good: HUMBERTO RAMOS!!!! Look, you know I'm not one to spoil things, but there is a LOT of this issue that takes place in a hospital-not really exciting super-hero fighting stuff (but there IS that too), and this guy draws in incredibly. I could watch this guy draw the phone book. Um, that's not how that saying goes, is it? Combine that with a good story and you've got a winner.
The Bad: Look, I'm gonna nitpick for a mintue (and I can, because I RARELY ever do),but for the love of God can everyone PLEASE stop saying that Doc Ock is Spider-Man's greatest enemy?!?!?! We know that's simply NOT TRUE! Not by a long shot!!! Maybe Dan Slott's never heard of the GREEN GOBLIN? It's pretty much like saying Batman's greatest villain is The Riddler.
The Verdict: BUY IT! Overall, an excellent issue of a fun series. Does it have some plot holes? Sure. But, it sure is a LOT of fun!

PS-Just mentioning the Green Goblin makes me think of my favorite Spider-Man cartoon ever. So............HERE IT IS!!!

He-Man Week-Day 1!!!

He's the coolest. He's the most bad-ass. He's the Most Powerful Man in the Universe!!! He is...HE-MAN!!! This week, in celebration of the new DC Comic (Out this Wednesday) I'll be taking a look back (and forward) at some of the different incarnations of He-Man & The Masters of the Universe. Now, where else would I start, but with the toy that started it all. The year was 1982 and all across America kids, including myself, went nuts for this guy...

Shield, sword AND ax? How awesome was this guy? Plus, he came with something not to commonplace at all....a COMIC BOOK!!! Well, the first few "mini-comics" weren't really comic books. Tiny illustrated storybooks would be more accurate. The first one told the story of He-Man, the most powerful man in his.....tribe? Yup, his tribe. He left his tribe because evil had come to his planet, Eternia, and although he would've rather stayed with them, he decided to go on his "noble mission" and go and battle the forces of evil so that his tribe would have long-lasting peace. Quite different from the He-Man we know and love, right?

Up until that point in my childhood, pretty much all of my figures had been 3&3/4", which was fine by me, but then came these GIANT figures that were super awesome to play with. The only problem? I wanted Castle Grayskull. Bad. And, in 1983, it may as well have been a million dollars.



Still, it was wicked awesome. Come back tomorrow for another look at the best toy line IN THE UNIVERSE!!!

What I thought of...Age of Ultron #6

Age of Ultron #6: What can I say about this issue except HOLY $#!&!!!! There is a LOT of stuff going on in this series and this issue in particular, kicks it into overdrive. Some STRANGE alliances are made in this issue, some weird team ups are formed, and it's just pretty much all around fun.
The Good: Juuuuuuuuuuuust about everything. We go from Brian Hitch to Brandon Peterson & Carlos Pacheco, which is not to shabby and it's a natural transition in the story. It doesn't come across as jarring or forced at all. BUT, the best part about this issue......STUFF HAPPENS!!!!!....
The Bad: ....or does it? One thing that happens in this issue, which I won't spoil, well, there's NO WAY it's going to stay permanent which begs the question-is any of this stuff REALLY going to stick or have any type of lasting continuity in the Marvel Universe? Or, is this just a big budget "What If?" story? Only time will tell.
The Verdict: BUY IT!! It's a REALLY great read, you're going to enjoy it!

What I thought of...Captain America #6

Captain America #6: This issue's got a LOT going on! Cap vs Phrox! Zola tries to take over Ian's mind! Zola's sexy daughter!
The Good: Man, the art on this issue is KILLER!!! JR, JR. has 3 different inkers, and they all work. REALLY well. Between that and the world that Romita, JR. has created for this story arc, it's just amazing. Add to that, Remender's (who I'm not usually a fan of) stellar writing on this book, and you've got yourself a must read. When I read the previews for this book and his take in general, I was, let's just say, less than impressed. But, I was wrong. This is a great story that I can see myself revisiting more than once in the future.
The Bad: Even though I've been reading this book for 6 months, I still get confused. And having The Phrox speak in gibberish doesn't help either. And there's still a lot about Zola and his powers that I don't understand.
The Verdict: Buy it! Good far outweighs any bad there is.

Hot Girl Wednesday-BIBI JONES!!!

After retiring in 2012, superstar Bibi Jones is BACK!!! And we're all REALLY glad that she is. This Digital Playground honey is one of the best around, winning Best New Starlet at the AVN awards last year. Here's just a few reasons why:

You can follow Bibi on her twitter account here (although she's never used it), and check out some of her movies at this link. Hmm. She doesn't have her own website? Hmm. Not much of a social media girl..