What I thought of...Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra #1

Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra #1: Snake Eyes, the ultimate member of the GI Joe team is working for what, now? Yeah, you read the title right. One of the ORIGINAL members of the (1982) GI Joe team has turned traitor and is working for Cobra. Jerkstore.
The Good: Mike Costa writes. Paolo Villanelli art. Do I need to list anything else? OK, I will anyway. The story is WAY better than I thought it would be (no offense Mike Costa)! I thought this would be the typical "Duke tells Snake Eyes to infiltrate Cobra, Snake does, but gets threatened into working for them" kinda thing. That is far FAR from the case here. Truth be told, we haven't seen Snake Eyes in quite a while, and now that he'd back, we're REALLY not sure where his loyalties lay. The last we knew, he got screwed over by the Joe team pretty bad. So this story actually has the feel of "Wow.Snake Eyes really COULD be a bad guy now!"!
The Bad: We spend a lot of time with Destro in this issue. Quite a lot. But, since Snake Eyes doesn't really talk we need someone to "narrate" the story, for lack of a better term.
The Verdict: BUY IT!!!! It's Mike Costa writing GI Joe! Also, he introduces a character that, to my knowledge, makes his debut in IDW GI Joe continuity, and is a pretty big deal. You do NOT want to miss this issue!

What your life is missing!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to inform you that you're life..is probably not complete. You may think it is, but nope, you're wrong. UNLESS, you're reading my favorite magazine, you're not getting all the joy out of life that you could be. No, I'm not talking about porn, that's a whole other category. What I'm talking about is Cereal:Geek Magazine.

A lot of you may not even KNOW what the hell Cereal:Geek is, and that's a problem. Published by my good buddy James "Busta Toons" Eatock, Cereal:Geek is a magazine that provides THE most in-depth and informative articles about cartoons of the 1980's. And c'mon, we ALL love those. They were some of the best! Thundercats, GI Joe, Transformers, Masters of the Universe, Dungeons and Dragons, Mr. T, Thundarr the Barbarian, Turbo Teen, Laser Tag Academy...the list goes on and on. Production wise, you have NEVER seen a magazine like this in your life!!! It's a bigger than a normal magazine, each issue is 100 pages, full color, and PACKED with amazing illustrations, super awesome articles by a lot of people that actually WORKED on the cartoons, and some really cool regular features like "A REAL Cartoon" where they take a live action movie or television show (Beverly Hills Cop. The A-Team), and imagine what it would be like if that property had it's own animated series! Personally, I'm still holding out for a Mr. Belvedere cartoon, but who isn't, right?
-Now, you won't find this magazine in bookstores, or newstands or grocery stores. The easiest was to get it, is by going to the website and ordering it directly from James & co. IF, you by chance live in the Chicago area, Challengers Comics + Conversation can help you out, as they proudly carry the magazine. So, stop reading this, get clickin' on those links and grab some issues of this magazine. It will change the way you watch your cartoons. Haven't you always wondered why the He-Man show reused so much footage? Or what the writers were thinking when they wrote some of those episodes? Did you know comic legend Jack "King" Kirby helped create Thundarr the Barbarian? AND the Mr. T cartoon? You would if you read this magazine!!!
James also has written an incredible guide to He-Man & The Masters of the Universe cartoon, which you can pick up here:
http://www.bustatoons.com/heman_cartoon_guide/guide.htm
He's also the man responsible for the OFFICIAL He-Man Youtube channel, which you can check out here:
https://www.youtube.com/HeMan
And you can follow him on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/cerealgeek
So yeah, do all these things, and you're on your way to leading a more complete, fullfilling, accomplished life. You're welcome!

That's no moon...it's a comic book!

Star Wars #1: Guess what? You get the Star Wars comic that you always wanted. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, C-3PO & R2-D2 against Darth Vader and the Empire. That's IT. No 1,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, no Clone Army, no Separatists, no 200 years in the future. This. Is. Star. Wars.
The Good: Almost everything. First off, the story. Jason Aaron puts together a fantastic first issue to get the ball rolling. This issue isn't a wasted origin story because, let's face it, you really don't need one. The best compliment that I could give this book is that it FELT like Star Wars. All the characters are acting like themselves: Han's a cocky, arrogant con-man, Luke's an innocent young man, Leia is...well, Leia, ect. One of the things that impressed me the most about this book was the lack of movie dialogue. Many times in licensed comics, characters say the same famous lines from the movies over and over and over again, but that doesn't happen here. Aaron has the characters down pat, and it really shows. The art by John Cassaday is fantastic. I have to admit, when I saw his preview pages I was a little nervous. To me, he's really hit or miss with character likenesses, but here, thankfully, he's dead on.
The Bad: This comic does not feature ANY of the characters from the 1985 Droids cartoon, except for Artoo and Threepio, and that is a CRIME, because that was the greatest cartoon ever. OK, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who shares that opinion, but I had to make up SOMETHING negative, right?
The Verdict: I don't care if you're reading this at home, on your phone while you're in a car, on your tablet while you're on the treadmill, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GO BUY THIS COMIC BOOK. I honestly haven't enjoyed a comic this much in a loooooong time, and if this is just the beginning of what Marvel has in store for us with it's Star Wars line, then sign me up!!

GO GET A STAR WARS COMIC!!!!!!

Almost 29 years ago, Marvel Comics published Star Wars #107, the final issue in their monthly Star Wars series. Today, Marvel releases Star Wars #1, the first issue in their all NEW on-going monthly series by Jason Aaron and artist John Cassaday, and I have to say, it's nice to have Star Wars "home" again. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVED a lot of the Dark Horse Star Wars comics. They kept the torch going when, honestly, nobody really cared about Star Wars. But, as a kid growing up in the late 70's and 80's, THIS is where Star Wars belonged. Not that the Star Wars characters interacted with Spider-Man or The Hulk or anything like that, but just seeing the Marvel logo on a Star Wars comic feels right to me.
-Unless you've been living under a rock for the last several months, you know that over a MILLION copies of Star Wars #1 have been ordered, many of them retailer exclusives and variant covers, so saying that you have more than just one cover to choose from is a GROSS understatement. Unfortunately, there's no ONE place to buy them all, so you're best bet would be to try ebay and see what comes up.
-2015 will be a big year for Star Wars, with the new movie opening in December (Is anyone in line yet?). but, I'm going to be doing the best that I can to include regular Star Wars comic reviews, right here! Yes, there's a million Star Wars websites out there, focusing on everything from the movies to the toys to the Legos to the novels...you get the idea. But, not to many include comics, and well, I love comics, so there you go. I will (hopefully) see you back here later today with my review of Star Wars #1!!!

This is NOT an actual cover....pervert.

Spoiler Warning!!!!

When I was a kid, one of the worst things another kid could call you was "spoiler sport". That meant, that you were basically taking the fun out of whatever it was that you were doing and ruining it for your friends. Now, if someone calls you that, it's almost a term of endearment. When the Hell did that happen?
As most of you know, I'm "spoiler free". Just ask any comic professional that I know personally, and they can all tell you the same story: "I was talking to Jimmy and I started to tell him about what happens in next 3 issues of the book, and he wouldn't let me finish, because he didn't want to know what was going to happen ahead of time."
-You can call me dumb, stupid, or anything else that you want, but I guess I'm strange, because I actually LIKE being surprised by things. Comics, TV shows, movies, books, anything. I guess I just don't understand the whole spoiler mentality. WHY would you want to know the ending of something that you're going to read/watch/listen to/ ect.? But if you do, that's your decision and God bless. It's when things get spoiled for OTHER people, that's what I take issue with.
Here is a headline from a website that is pretty popular among comic fans:

COMICS: The Biggest Reveals & SPOILERS From Today's Issues

-As I'm fond of saying "Are you ribbing me?"!!!!! No, I'm not going to name the site, just because I don't want to give them free advertising from those of you that will read this. But, serisouly, is this really necessary? You have NO other way to drive traffic to your site? In the article, they go on to spoil the endings to 4 different comic books. That's $12 worth of comics. Multiply that by 3,000 (spitballing here, that's not the actual number) comic book stores in the US, and that's $36,000. And that's if ALL the comic book stores sold ONE copy of those books. They books they spoiled were Justice League, Wonder Woman, Axis and Sandman: Overture. I can guarantee you, NO comic book store in the world sold only 1 copy of each of those books. So, nice job, douche bags! You just lost some comic retailers, comic e-tailers, Diamond Comics, DC, Marvel, and ALL the creators working on those books a crapload of money. What worse is tweets and HEADLINES on "news sites" that reveal spoilers. At least with this site, you had to click on the link to find them out. They weren't blatantly revealed IN the actual headline itself, but that does go on on that site. Now, I know that this article will NOT change anything, but maybe for just one week, try not going on spoiler-laden websites, wrestling "dirt sheets" (are they still called that?) or anything else that's going to tell you the ending of something that you're looking forward to. Then, read/watch/listen/whatever and judge for yourself if you get MORE enjoyment when you sit down to experience whatever your doing no knowing the ending ahead of time. I bet the answer will surprise you.

-And I JUST realized that this is being posted on New Years Eve. I didn't plan it this way at all, but since you're here, I would like to thank each and everyone of you that have been awesome this year! I'll be honest, this wasn't the greatest year for me, but that's okay. Next year will be better, that's for damn sure. I hate to sound like the pretentious people that constantly say things like "OH MAN, just WAIT until you hear what we're gonna be doing!! It's gonna be sooooooooo cool, but we can't tell you now!".....but I'm going to be. LOTS of pretty cool stuff coming next year, and I think you'll honestly be surprised by a couple of them. I'll be landing in some pretty different places in 2015. If there's one thing that you can bet on, it's LOTS of change. But, enough about that. I'd like to wish each and every one of you out there a healthy, safe, happy and prosperous New Year. Make me proud!!!!

I quit!

Today, I quit. I'm not quitting this blog or giving up on anything important, but after taking inventory, I realize that there's a number of things that I'm doing that are hurting me more than helping me, and when you boil that down, it's just plain stupid that I continue to do these things.
So, today I'm giving up. Tapping out. Throwing in the towel. Today I quit:
-Taking part in activities and behaviors that only make me look like an idiot, and turn me into a fat ass .
-Letting the painful things that happened in the past effect myself in the present and control my future.
-Getting frustrated when people that I care about don't take the help that I offer. They know that all they have to do is ask, and if they want my help, I'm more than happy to give it to them. If they don't grab my outstretched hand, I'm going to stop begging them to take it, because I have better things to do with my time.

-Doing things on my own. I am NOT too proud to realize when I need help, and rather than try and do it myself and fail, I'm going to take whatever help is offered and succeed.
-Counting people that I'm acquainted with as "friends". There IS a difference, and I know where that line is.
-Letting things happen, instead of making things happen.
-Accepting anything less than what I deserve.
-Talking and start taking action.
and finally and most importantly,
-Letting other people control my life
SO, there you go. I don't know about you, but I feel better. And here's something for a VERY special person out there (you KNOW who you are)

Oh wait, one more thing just cause I can.......

BOOBIES!

Thanksgiving!!...but in a kind of different way.

This week, people all over America will gather with their friends & family and celebrate Thanksgiving. And then spend the rest of the day in a food coma. Even though all Americans don't agree on quite everything right now, we can all agree that we have SOMETHING to be thankful for. Food, shelter, heat, clothing, etc. BUT, this isn't about that. Nope. Not even in the least.
 -A few days ago, I was going through my Hulu account and was a little discouraged about how many shows that I'm behind on. Then, I realized something. As a comics fans, we are living in quite possibly the best time ever. Yeah, I said it. THE. BEST. TIME. EVER!!!! I was behind on Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, Star Wars Rebels, and a couple others. That made me realize that there are GREEN ARROW, THE FLASH, YOUNG BATMAN(let's call Gotham what it is), STAR WARS, HELLBLAZER (I'm sure I'm forgetting 1 or 2) TV SHOWS!!!!!! SERIOUSLY!!! When has there EVER been so many comic book shows on TV? NEVER, that's when! I grew up in a time when super-hero shows were limited to Saturday mornings and the occasional Incredible Hulk TV movie guest-starring Thor or Daredevil.Now? You can watch a comic book based TV show almost every single night!
 -And do I need to even mention movies? OK, I will anyway. In the last 6 years we've had big screen versions of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Batman, The Hulk, Superman, and the freakin' AVENGERS!!!!! And The Guardians of the Galaxy movie has made almost $800 million dollars since it's release in August. Read that last sentence again and let it sink in. 10 years ago, Marvel couldn't sell a Guardians of the Galaxy comic if they stapled $20 bills to the cover, and now, it's the top grossing movie of the year. Oh yeah, the second highest grossing movie of this year? Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And, there are also X-Men and Spider-Man movies in the top 10. That makes 4 out of the top 10 movies this year comic book movies. As for the future? There are no less than TWENTY-TWO upcoming DC & Marvel movies on the schedule. There's no end in sight! Now, granted, you may not see all of them and not all of them will be awesome, there's bound to be a couple of duds in all those movies, but we have seriously never seen this before!!!
 -So, on Thursday when you sit down and give thanks for all the usual things that you give thanks for, consider giving thanks for some things that you normally don't.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!

Don't get excited.

OK, look. I've been in contact with some of you recently and you ALL seem to be really....let's just say...."not awesome". What the hell? This needs to be fixed. Like, really bad.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're done here.

I'm not sure if it was the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard or Peter Cetera who said "Everybody needs a little time away". But, no matter who it was, right now, that's what I need. For the past few months, I haven't been......let's just say.....feeling like "myself", and leave it at that. So, I've decided to step back, take care of myself FIRST (for once) and get back to where I need to be. Where is that? I'm not quite sure. BUT, when I figure it out and get there, I guarantee you, I'll be back. And, I'll be electrifying again..something even I have to admit that I haven't been in quite a long time.
-I'm also taking a break from reviewing comics for Geeks of Doom, if you've never been there, it's an excellent website and I highly recommend you go there daily. They're great people, bringing you the finest of news. I will still be using my Twitter account, so make sure and pay attention to that. It's pretty much the only place that you'll be able to "catch up" with me.
-So, in advance I'd like to wish you all a Happy 4th of July, Happy Labor Day, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year. Pardon me if I forgot something. Until next time, I'd like to leave with you something that will make you laugh, and, in a funny sort of way, remind you of me. Take care!

-Jimmy

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #9

Batman Eternal #9: Wow. Yeah, that's about it. Wow.
The Good: This issue, the good starts on page 1 and doesn't stop until the last page. This one, is not only ACTION packed, it's STORY packed as well. We find out TONS of Carmine Falcone, what he did while he was away from Gotham (When someone leaves Gotham for a period of time, why do they ALWAYS go to Hong Kong? No one ever goes to, like, Vegas or anything?), what happened to him and the lasting effects of his stay there. We also get some really good scenes with Commissioner Forbes, Catwoman, and the introduction of a character that will........no. No spoilers. You gotta buy this on your own to feel the effect.
The Bad: I had to read it digitally. Ewww.
The Verdict: BEST. ISSUE. SO. FAR. I'm not even kidding. It had everything-great story, great art, this issue was just phenomenal!! Go out and grab it NOW!!!

Hayeswatch 2: This Time it's Personal

Tonight's Episode: Nothing to see here....move along.

Week 9: Shit happens. OK, I'm not going to do the breakdown of the stats like normal, because it just wouldn't be right. I was EXTREMELY sick this past week, but am feeling much better now, thank God. At some point I'll talk about, but it won't be today.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #8

Batman Eternal #8: Like the Doobie Brothers, Batman is Takin It to the Streets!!!!
The Good: There is a LOT of good in this issue!! And talk about a page-turner! I found myself burning through this issue, because it's filled with action. Batman is on a tear trying to take down Falcone and all his gangs and hideouts. We get a nice couple of pages of Stephanie Brown and the conflict with her...let's just say problems. Something pretty big happens in the end, and while it's pretty surprising, it makes me wonder just where the story is going.
The Bad: If I had to pick something bad about this issue, I'd say it reads too quick. But, again, it's only because it's full of high octane action.
The Verdict: BUY. IT. And do it NOW!!

HayesWatch 2: This Time it's Personal!!!

Tonight's Episode: The Self-Destruction of Jimmy PS Hayes*

Week 8: "I'm afraid I've got some bad news......"
Current Weight: 224.9!!!!!!! Um, yeah. I got nothing. Not sure how I put on almost 4 pounds, but I did. EPIC FAIL!!
Exercise: Oh yeah, THIS is why I put on 4 pounds. Cause I didn't do shit this week. Lame!!! This can't be the norm anymore.
Blood Sugar Levels: Again, not great. They seem to be getting too high in the mornings, so I might have to adjust my long acting insulin that I take before bed.
Mystery Problem: Here's the only GOOD thing about this week. The mystery problem-GONE!!!!! So, it's time to come clean on what it was. I had a diabetic ulcer on my leg. Now, PLEASE DO NOT Google diabetic ulcer, because you will find pictures that will make you vomit. Seriously, trust me on this one. My wasn't THAT bad, but, it was still a threat. Thankfully, with some medicine and treating it every day, I went to the doctor and he gave me a clean bill of health(as far as that's concerned). So, to this I can say AWESOME!!!!
Lesson Learned: My health seems to be taking a backseat to the rest of my life. And that's not cool. As the weeks go by, I realize that something crucial was missing from all of this. So, this week, I'm going to try and stay quiet and concentrate on educating myself. And putting together what's missing.
*-Thanks to Patrick Brower for this week's title.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #7

Batman Eternal #7: New players enter the gang war that's setting Gotham City ablaze!!
The Good: Woof. Not much. I thought that last week's issue was the worst that I've read of this series, but this one was even worse. A couple of story lines did move forward, there was some more introductions of new characters into the fray, a couple of fun team-ups, and a VERY interesting turn of events.
The Bad: There's a lot. I felt that this issue wasn't written as well as it should be. More than anything story wise, the biggest thing that I didn't like about this issue was the art. I'm just NOT a fan of Emanuel Simeoni. His art really doesn't fit this issue, let alone this series. I hope his run on this book is short. REALLY short.
The Verdict: I really CAN'T believe I'm saying this, but you might want to skip this issue. Now, I know this goes directly against what I said last week, but seriously, this issue was not that good and I'm sure that the things that happened in this week's issue will be recapped in future issues of the book.

HayesWatch 2: This Time it's Personal!!!

This Weeks Episode: Slow & steady sometimes is just slow & steady

Week 7: A slow week. And I mean that in every way possible.
Current Weight: 221.6. WAIT!!! I put ON a little over a pound!! That's not supposed to happen!! BOOO!! It seems that 220 is a barrier that I just can't seem to break. BUT, I'm sure as hell gonna try.
Exercise: Not much really, which would explain the above number. Again, have to start thinking that it's NOT optional and that it HAS to be done, no matter what.
Blood Sugar Levels: Surprisingly, they were OK this week. Nothing too out of control.
Mystery Problem: Again, slowly but surely getting better. Next week, I have a doctors appointment, so I'm anxious to see what he says.
Lesson Learned: If you want to make a difference, in ANY way, in ANY area of your life, you actually have to START by taking action, and not putting it off.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #6

Batman Eternal #6: Batwing joins the mess and special guest star Jim Corrigan!!
The Good: There's a LOT going on. And I mean a LOT a LOT. Not just filled with action, but it's all over the place. From Batwing to Batman to Arkham Asylum back to Batwing & Jim Corrigan-you get the idea. This issue's script is written by Ray Fawkes, and you can tell the difference. I'm not sure if he's taking care of the "creepy, supernatural" parts of the book(I assume that would be Seeley's job), but the book has a noticeably different feel to it. A change in tone that's pretty dramatic, not because of the difference of the writer, because that's what this issue NEEDS.
The Bad: As I said above, there's a LOT going on. Almost have to keep a scorecard and old issues handy at this point. It's nothing bad, but I thought that there would be a point by now that the writers would stop introducing new story lines.
The Verdict: Even though this is my least favorite issue of the series so far, I say buy it. BUT, I have to warn you-I think this is the make it or brake it issue. From here, you're either in or your out. And, I'm in. 100%.

Hayeswatch 2: This Time it's Personal!!

This Week's Episode: The Rabbit that ate Las Vegas

Week 6: It's funny how Thursday turns into Sunday isn't it? Woops! Sorry about that, been another busy week. And, I'm happy to report, a very GOOD week!
Current Weight: 220.8. That's down a pound from last week, and while it doesn't set any weight loss records, it's a loss and I'm happy.
Exercise: Not really much to speak of this week. Hit the treadmill a couple of times, but that's about it. Gotta do better this week!!
Blood Sugar Levels: A little on the high side this week. I'm gonna blame the lack of exercise. Needs improvement.
Mystery Problem: Took a turn for the better this week! But, I don't want to jinx anything so I'm staying cautiously optimistic. Grade: B
Lesson Learned: I believe it was Mr. T. that said "talk is cheap, sucka!!". And, he was right. You can talk all you want and "mean to" eat less, eat better, exercise, ect. to improve your life, but if you don't actualy DO SOMETHING you're not going to get the results that you want. I have to admit, it's embarrasing writing this week after week and saying "Well, it's only 1 pound, but it's better than nothing." It's only ONE POUND better than nothing. I can do this. I WILL do this, and it's time that I start changing my lifestyle to reflect that.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #5

Batman Eternal #5: Red Robin flies into Gotham as Harper & Cullen Row get caught up in the mystery!
The Good: Oh MAN!!! Just when you thought you knew where this story was going and what it was about...YOU DON'T!! That's right, the writers throw a BRAND NEW MYSTERY into the mix!!! And Red Robin shows up to join the action. This issue is chock-full of awesomeness.
The Bad: Again, just like last week, the Gotham gang war only gets mentioned a little bit. But, when you're telling a story that is this many parts, you can't spend all your time with one story line.
The Verdict: Just like the last 4 weeks, I'm saying BUY IT!!! New artist, new mystery....what's not to love?!??!?!?!?!

Hayeswatch 2: This Time it's Personal!

Week 5: This. Week. Was. Shit.

What I thought of...Batman Eternal #4

Batman Eternal #4: Batman battles Batgirl as Jim Gordon's troubles take a turn for the worse!!
The Good: Another awesome issue!! This issue, the focus splits a little and spotlights the relationship between Batgirl and Batman during this whole Commissioner Gordon crisis. The writers REALLY strain the relationship but are careful not to brake it, but they really pull it apart as much as they can. Meanwhile, we get to spend some time with Jim Gordon, who's basically given up on his case and accepts his fate, and that begins the journey of a VERY interesting road.
The Bad: I guess I would have to be most disappointed in that in this issue, the creative team took the focus away off the gang war and crime itself. Now, there IS a major development in the case, but it's yet to be a proven lead, and the real culprit is still miles away from being identified. Also, the gang war that started last issue, looks to have stopped for a brief minute, which is kind of weird pacing wise.
The Verdict: Worth the time and worth the money!!...just like the three issues before it. Keep going with this one, Batfans, it is gonna be SOOOO worth it in the end!!