Ghostbusters Episode III A New Hope

Not too long ago, Sony announced a Ghostbusters film that I really don't give a shit about. Now, before you cry "sexist" or anything else, the reason that I don't care about Paul Feig's Ghostbusters movie is that it's a REBOOT and not connected to the first two films in any way, and mostly because NONE of the original creative team is on board. NOT because it's an all female cast.Ask yourself-who loves women MORE than Jimmy? Yup, nobody. that's who.
-But, word comes today that Sony has ANOTHER Ghostbusters film in the works, this one directed by the AWESOME team of Joe and Anthony Russo!!! Headlined by Channing Tatum (I know), from an idea from him, Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman!!! It's uncertain whether or not this film be connected to the original films, but with Aykroyd and Reitman having any involvement, COUNT ME IN!!!! Also, Aykroyd and Reitman have just set up a new company at Sony called Ghostcorp, whose purpose it is to develop the Ghostbusters brand to movies, television, merchandise, and everything else that's prevalent in today's media. How awesome is that?
-Iron Man 3 writer Drew Pearce is writing the script for the new movie, and hopes to have it ready when the Russo Brothers have free time next summer, for release the summer after. Whatever happens, the future sure looks brighter for Ghostbusters than it has in a long, long time.

 -Somebody needs to introduce ultimate Ghostbusters artist Dan Schoening to the folks over at Ghost Corp!!!!

Look! Up in the sky! It's....Supergirl!!!

Last Friday, WB and CBS gave us our first look at Supergirl from the upcoming CBS TV series...Supergirl. Here's a look:

I gotta tell you honestly, I am SO in love with this TV show all ready. Why? Because I can tell all ready that it's a SUPER HERO show. Thanks to technology and progress and the producers being FANS of COMICS, we're finally living in an age where a super hero TV show can be produced where the hero, or heroin in this case, can actually use their super powers. In the past, we've had comic based TV shows where it's been 50 minutes of Clark Kent, 2 minutes of Superman being Superman, and then 8 minutes of Clark Kent wrapping up everything. NOW, we have a Flash TV show where The Flash can use super speed more than once per episode without the television show having to have a budget the size of this country's nation dent.
-But, back to Supergirl. Many roles have been awesomely cast, such as former Superman Dean Cain and former Supergirl Helen Slater, playing Supergirl's adoptive parents. How awesome is that? And, I think Melissa Benoist looks fantastic in the costume. Needless to say, when this series debuts this fall, I'll be watching. And, with all the other Super Hero TV shows on the air, I might have to get a second DVR. This is truly a golden age for comic fans.

What I thought of...Princess Leia #1!!!

Princess Leia #1: Picking up literally seconds after the end of Star Wars (the original movie, none of this "Episode" crap!) this book finds Leia trying to help the Rebellion get itself organize and moving, only to have her efforts cut down by the leaders of the Rebellion. Is she gonna stand for this? Of course not.
The Good: There's a lot. First off, the writing by Mark Waid. Just like Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen, Waid totally gets these characters, and more importantly, again like the other two writers, he makes the dialogue sound like it's from the movies and the Star Wars universe. Now, this book, obviously focuses on Princess Leia, and Waid surprises me by introducing a fantastic supporting cast for Leia. Some we know, some we don't, but it all makes sense that these characters are in this book. What I admire about the writing and editing on all three of the Star Wars books, is that they all flow seamlessly when it comes to continuity. You don't have to worry about characters appearing or not appearing when and where they shouldn't. The art by Terry Dodson is simply gorgeous. He sticks to his own style, yet makes this book look like it's straight out of the Star Wars universe. I recommend going through the book a second time just to look at the art. I guarantee you'll find some things that you missed the first time you read it.
The Bad: Ummmmmmmmmmm. Yikes, this is harder than I thought. There's nothing that I can point to and call "bad" in this issue. Yeah, I got nothing.
The Verdict: Look, just face it. You're going to the comic store today, and you're going to buy this. Honestly, you don't really HAVE to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy this book, but if you are, you're going to enjoy it on totally different level.

Hot Girl Wednesday Starring......BIANCA BREEZE!!!!!!!!

This gorgeous Swiss native has only been in the business for two years, but she's made quite the impact in that short time. Whenever I think of Switzerland, I think of the Swiss Miss girl. BUT, after seeing Bianca Breeze, if that's what woman in Switzerland look like, I'm going to buy a plane ticket right now!!

While she doesn't have her own site YET, you can be sure she will soon. In the meantime, you can follow her on twitter by clicking here.

What I thought of...GI Joe #6

GI Joe #6: This latest installment of the ongoing (?) GI Joe series, brings us some much needed resolution to some of the ongoing story. The Joes are sort of back together, but not really. And we finally get some movement on the Isaac Craft storyline.
The Good: First and foremost, the resolution with Isaac Craft. I have to admit, as much as I was loving this book, his storyline was dragging pretty bad. There's not TOTAL resolution in this issue, but we got some big forward movement, AND it's actually pretty good. Add to that, some movement on the part of Cobra and the Joes, and Steve Kurth's awesome art, and you've got a great issue.
The Bad: Even though we get some pay-off in this issue, I'm still waiting for the Joes and the Cobras to finally get their teams organized and make a call to action.
The Verdict: BUY IT!!! It's got some great action, the story takes some BIG leaps forward, and the book has some gorgeous art. What's not to love?

What I thought of...Star Wars: Darth Vader #2

Star Wars: Darth Vader #2: To put it mildly, Darth Vader is NOT The Emperors favorite guy right now. He blames Vader for the destruction of the Death Star, he blames him for the Rebels getting away, and he's pretty much downgraded him to heading up a neighborhood watch program of Stormtroopers. It's not a good day to be a Sith Lord.
The Good: Just like last issue, this issue features LOTS of great stuff. There's some great scenes with Vader and his Emperor appointed "handler", a fun mention of the running sub-plot in the book, but the best thing about this issue is the feel of the book. This best way I can describe this is that it feels like a Star Wars comic unaffected by the Prequels (and, once you read the book, there's a HUGE problem with that statement, but I digress). It's gives the reader the feeling that you truly don't know what's going to come next (even though you know what the future holds for Vader), and you don't know anything that happened before the 1977 Star Wars movie (even though you do). And, I'd be making a HUGE mistake if I didn't mention how great Sal LaRroca's art is. As awesome as ever!!
The Bad: I don't know just what it was, but I found myself getting uncomfortable with the way Vader is treated in this book. In the films, he's the ultimate bad-ass, but here, he acts almost like a scolded dog. He tolerates a lot of crap this issue, and I mean a LOT. But, give the circumstances, he really doesn't have any choice.
The Verdict: OF COURSE you should buy this! Marvel has been knocking it out of the park with their Star Wars books. As of this writing, they're batting a thousand, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

THE RETURN of HOT GIRL WEDNESDAY!!!! Starring.........SIRI!!!

You always knew it'd come back when you needed it most, and it didn't disappoint. WELCOME BACK to Hot Girl Wednesdays!!

-This week, the spotlight falls on one of my favorites (yeah, I have a lot of them), SIRI!!! Let's get one thing straight right away. She's not the girl that talks to you through your phone, her last name is NOT "pornstar". She's just Siri. And boy, after looking at her, you're never gonna forget that name....

You can follow her on Twitter here, and you can check out her official site here. She's a livin' doll! YOU'RE WELCOME GUYS!!!!

What I thought of...GI Joe: Snake Eyes Agent of Cobra #2

GI Joe: Snake Eyes Agent of Cobra #2: Is the next awesome issue in this series by writer Mike Costa and artist Paolo Villanelli. Snake Eyes has turned on the Joes, and he's now working for Cobra and out for blood!! Could Snake Eyes REALLY be a traitor?
The Good: This book avoids a lot of comic book traps. When you have a character that doesn't talk, there's risk of running into the "lassie situation". You know what I'm talking about even if you've never seen an episode of Lassie. Lassie is a dog, and can't talk, so during the course of the show, you get lines like "What's that Lassie? There's a gang of rowdy kids causing trouble down the road?". And, in past issues of some GI Joe series, there's been lines like "What's that Snake Eyes? Cobra's staked out up ahead?" or "Snake Eyes wants us to follow him!", but not here. Costa does a great job of making it natural and logical for Snake Eyes to sit back and observe and let the other characters do the talking. Add to this, Villanelli's crisp, clean artwork and you've got a book that's pretty awesome.
The Bad: As much as I loved this issue, honestly...there could've been a little more Snake Eyes in it for my tastes. Yes, he's a big part, but he almost plays second banana this issue.
The Verdict: BUY IT!!! The good FAR outweighs the bad, and I didn't even mention the ending! And, in case you don't remember just how awesome Snake Eyes, here's a little reminder......

AQUAMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Director Zack Snyder superrised everyone today by giving us our first look at actor Jason Momoa as King of the Seven Seas-AQUAMAN!!!! Long time readers of this blog and anyone who knows me knows I'm a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge Aquaman "mark". OK, first off, this is about as far removed from this:

as you can get, but I'm excited for this for a couple of reasons. I like the "Pacific Islander" slant on the character. Second, I'm a fan of Jason Momoa, even though I've never seen an episode of Game of Thrones. I thought his Conan the Barbarian was a HIGHLY underrated movie, and that he was terrific in it, and hey, Baywatch!!!! I can't wait to see him in Batman VS. Superman (maybe?), Justice League and his OWN movie in 2018!! To hold you over until then, here's a little something to tide you over:

And if you've never seen the Justice League: Throne of Atlantis movie, you really should. It's pretty awesome.

My name is Jimmy Hayes. And I love to FIGHT!!!

Not actually me, but kinda close

-For the last couple of days, I've kind of been walking around in a haze. No pun intended. I went in for a visit with my Diabetic Educator, and was put on a THIRD, yes THIRD injectable insulin. That's about 3 more than I'd care to be on. Frustrated, with both the diabetic educator AND my primary care doctor in the room, I asked, what I thought was a simple question. 

"OK, don't bullshit me, I'm asking you straight out, IS this ever going to get any better?" The answer I got was one that I wasn't quite prepared for.

"No. Due to genetics and the fact that you've had the disease so long, it's never going to get any better, in fact it will probably get worse and you'll have to have higher doses of the medication that you're on, and probably additional medication as you get older."

-I caught the words in my throat (this IS my wife's boss, so I have to behave), but my initial response was "Go fuck yourself". The minute that you tell me I CAN'T do something, is the minute that I start doing whatever it is that you told me I can't do. To be honest, it's gotten me in a LOT of trouble in the past. Both personally and professionally, but I guess I'm the odd man out, because my brain automatically says "Why WOULDN'T you fight for something?" Is everyone but me content to just accept the way that things are. I did a lot of thinking, and thought specifically about a couple of dozen people that I know. I realized that ALL of them can do better at something in their lives. Now, the people I thought of ranged in age from their 20's to their 60's. And they were everything from almost homeless to highly paid professionals to business owners...I could go on and on, but I'm not going to. The point is, is that each and every one of us has something that we could improve on. Is there a better job that you want? FIGHT FOR IT! A girl or guy your interested in? FIGHT FOR IT! I don't understand why you wouldn't. I'm gonna fight like Hell to keep my numbers under control and to eat more of what I should and less of what I shouldn't. I won't win every time. Sometimes, it's gonna be REALLY hard to fight. But I'm going to. And I'm not going to stop until I get taken off this third insulin. So yeah, I love to fight. And I'm going to. And you should too. Don't accept things you don't like just because "that's the way it is". That's bullshit. Get off your ass and make things happen. 

-Thanks for allowing me to vent a little. Now, in return, next week I promise I'll give you something good. Something a lot of you have been asking for. Until then, no article or blog post or anything that focuses on the word "fight" can be written without including one of these...................

What I thought of....Darth Vader #1

Darth Vader #1: Having just gotten his butt handed to him by the Rebels (twice), Darth Vader returns to confront the Emperor and accept his punishment. Not only that, but events are sent into motion that not only humiliate Vader, but there are forces (No pun intended) very close to him plotting against him! What's the most evil villain in history to do?
The Good: First off, the best thing about this issue? No! Thought! Balloons! Nope, you're not going to get the thought balloons of a whiny, young Anakin Skywalker here, in fact, you don't get ANY thought balloons, and that's a unique way to tell a comic story that I love and miss. Not a lot of writers do it today, but this is a character that it really works with. We didn't have any kind of inner monologue with Vader in the films, and we don't get any here. The result is, the character is that much more serious and scary. Secondly, the story absolutely blows me away. As usual, no spoilers, but MAN does Vader take it on the chin from his boss in this issue. Not a very pleasant situation, and it makes the reader almost sympathetic for the character. Until we remember that he's like the move evil bad guy in the history of bad guys. And, as usual, the art by Salvador LaRroca is beyond gorgeous!
The Bad: Hmmmm. There was something that bothered me just a tad about this issue. There's a lot of call backs to movie scenes that we've seen and some that have not happened yet (in Star Wars continuity). I wasn't 100% in love with that, but it didn't bother me enough to take me out of the book. I just hope that it doesn't become a regular thing in this title.
The Verdict: Are you nuts? Go get this!!!! Seriously!! It's really good! So far, the Star Wars books are two for two. Can Princess Leia make it a perfect trifecta? Stay tuned!

What I thought of...Star Wars #2

Star Wars #2: The Empire has the Rebels trapped on the largest weapons factory in the whole galaxy! While Luke battles it out with Darth Vader, Han and Leia fight to get to Luke, and then get the heck off this planet!! If you thought "the gang" was in trouble before, you haven't seen anything yet!
The Good: Wow. This is a pretty monumental task. Trying to pack EVERYTHING good about this issue into this review. So, I'm going to take what I enjoyed the MOST and lay it out for you. First, Aarons descision to write the story of the MAIN Star Wars characters. A lot of times, authors who write Star Wars stories quickly abandon Luke, Han, Leia and the rest to make way for the characters that they created, and showing how the Star Wars movies where really about THEM, and the movie characters are just background noise. Not so, here. Jason Aaron keeps the story focused on the main characters, only adding additional characters when he absolutely has to. Second, the pacing of this comic is INSANE!!! I mean, we're talking wall to wall action!! It just never lets up, but along the way, a pretty great story is told.
The Bad: Gun to my head? I'd say that this issue artist John Cassaday misses the mark by a SMALL margin on the likenesses of the actors in this issue. Not even remotely enough to actually bother me, just enough to make me notice that a couple of panels looked a bit off..
The Verdict: Don't even ask. Just go buy this comic!!!!

What I thought of...Superman #38!

Superman #38: The big battle between Ulysses is here! The ultimate fight to save Earth and stop Ulysses from killing millions of people to keep his own planet alive!!
The Good: Some REALLY good stuff this issue. Between the Clark Kent stuff and the superheroics, Geoff Johns does a fantastic job of making this Superman story fun, relevant, serious AND light-hearted. I have to admit, I was super (pun intended) behind on this series. In  fact, I read from issue 32 to issue 38 just today, all in one sitting. What impressed me most about the story was the message that I got from it. It's one that Superman should always have, and that is "there's always hope". John and Romita (and let me tell you, Romita, Jr. knocks it out of the park in this series!) make this story, not only a great super hero comic, it's also a lesson in WHY Superman is the ultimate role model for any of us. No matter how bad things are, or how bad things get, or how bad we THINK they are, if we know that there's hope for a better tomorrow, and get our asses moving and do the work, things WILL get better. Situations WILL turn out OK.
The Bad: If I have to name something, it's that the story seemed very familiar. And no, that's not a joke for those of you that have been reading the title. But, it seems like I've read a Superman story that's similar to this before. Sure, when a character is almost 77 years old, and has had multiple books published each month, you're bound to run across some similar stories, the thing that ticks me off is that I can't remember where or when I read it! Yes, I read WAY too many comics. Just kidding, there IS no such thing!
The Verdict: You REALLY should buy this issue. And, if you haven't been buying the title, grab the other issues. It's one of the best, most uplifting Superman stories I've read in a long time.

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.