Another week, another Heroes episode! Or is it too early to say that one week after the premiere? Either way, this week marked the third episode into the fourth season of Heroes entitled "Ink." Let's dive right in, shall we?

Heroes made a lot of mistakes after the finale of it's first season, and it's with this new season that we are hoping they will finally correct it. A lot of the people responsible for all the other stuff we didn't like are gone now, and we essentially have a new creative team working to make us love the show again. This episode is written by Aron Eli Coleite, who has been around for a while and wrote episodes like "Six Months Ago" which introduced is to Gabriel Gray and then "1961" which made the plot even more insane in an attempt to add resolution to history. It's hard to make a lot of hard judgements in the show this early into the new season but there are a lot of things we can in fact pick apart and look at just from this issue. And, to be honest, all of it is pretty good signs.

The first thing we have to look at is the plot of the episode itself. We've got our new character Samuel meeting Peter under odd circumstances, we've got Matt and Sylar expanding on their relationship, we've got Claire continuing her odd romance with her new college friend, and we meet a brand new character. Right off the top you can see that we're shrinking the show down character wise. One of the earlier problems was that the show tried to have too many characters and the writing staff just couldn't pull it off. It isn't impossible to have a large cast of characters, but the show was becoming way too intense and too convoluted. Fortunately, it is possible to actually break down what is good and bad about the episode based on the character interactions:

• Peter and Samuel: It is very clear that Samuel and his band of Irish circus pals are the main plot of this story. The missing/dead brother, the odd compass, and the search for some kind of replacement. As always, Peter is placed at the center of everything (as he is essentially the "main" character) and is the one Samuel needs (for now, based on the end of episode two). The way the show gives us this story is a very good example of how the writing can in fact be decent. Slow hints, a gradual build up, and it doesn't seem to complicated while leaving us with many questions. It's pretty perfect for what the show needs. The best part is that Peter is finally not so insanely powerful that we can't deal with him anymore, and he loses his best power in this episode by complete accident bringing him back down to a more normal playing field that we were used to in season 1. And the ever mysterious Samuel is still a great addition to the show, and not just because his accent is fun to listen to. Samuel's allegiance to either good or evil is still unclear, and it makes his character more intriguing because we don't know what his intentions are. What does he want the Petrelli's for exactly? What is this all leading to? Is he the new Big Bad? It's a good start.



• Matt and Sylar: This is my favorite part of the episode, but also one of the worst elements. The dialogue between Matt and Sylar is absolutely amazing, and Zachary Quinto continues to make Sylar one of the best television villains of all time. The way the episode plays out for the two of them is absolutely great except for one detail - it all leads to one of the biggest issues the show has, and that is that Sylar is still around. Look, I love Sylar. He's a great villain. Quinto is amazing in the role. But we need to let the character go, and the show is still looking for ways to get him back after his 'death.' It's just too much to have him around so much. Let's look at it this way - if the X-Men can go without Magneto for 3 years (which is forever in comic books), Heroes can go a season or so without having Sylar around. When Sylar become Nathan, I thought it was a great way to leave the character alone for a bit. Instead, he's part of Matt Parkman now, and he taunts him? Ok, it's a cool idea and it plays out great in this episode, but this whole interaction essentially represents one of the things that is wrong with Heroes, and that is that it is too afraid to stray too far from it's beginnings for fear of some kind of repercussion. We had a great villain with Adam, but Loeb killed him. Peter and Nathan's dad Arthur was interesting as well, but that would have become too ridiculous after a while because he was too powerful. Danko was just lame. Through all of it, though? Sylar. It's time for the show to leave him alone for a while, as great as this part of the episode was. I will mention one thing, though - the whole scenario between them could lean to Matt becoming a Big Bad, which had been foreshadowed a long time ago and could be a really great twist.



• Claire and Gretchen: Claire represents, in a similar element to Sylar, the part of the show that needs to let go. As I mentioned, the cast has been severely cut down. Mohinder is gone for good, and only 5 main characters we've previously had appear in this episode. This is a great start. However, the show LOVES Claire, and unfortunately most of us don't anymore. Claire represents entirely the part of the show that doesn't matter. Before when we had to save the cheerleader, she had a very intriguing future. Now? She's in college. Spoilers and rumors tell us that Gretchen and her will eventually become more than just roommates. Ok, great. But who cares? What does this bring to the show? Nothing. Whenever Claire comes on screen, I know I don't have to pay attention as much because she doesn't add anything to the plot. We know Samuel will look for her eventually, but he's not after now so who cares? Leave her at college. We know she's there, we can come back to her later. It's like how we focused a lot on Hiro in episode 2 and now we give him a break for episode 3. It's a good methodology to use. I say Claire needs the boot.



• The New Character: Emma: Emma represents to Heroes what has been one of it's greatest problems in the past. Heroes had a tendency to introduce a lot of new characters into the show and then never really do anything with them (where's Monica?). Here we have this new female character and we don't know what to do with her. She's deaf, she loves cats (instant points for her in my book), and she has the lamest "power" ever: she can "see sound." I'm not even sure what that means, or really what she does. I can't see what she can contribute either, and this is where I get worried. It's one thing when the show continuously brings back characters I don't like much. That's inevitable and in the greater scheme of things not that big of a deal because actors need paychecks. I just see this new character and I get very scared that the show will fall back into bad old habits after a good opening. The show had a good set of new characters. I don't think we need Emma. I could be wrong, though. Maybe she'll save the world?

As I said, I think Season 4 is off to a good start, but we're on very shaky grounds. Only three episodes in (two depending how you look at it) and the show is repeating a lot of it's mistakes from the past already. There are really great elements to the new direction, like how it's minimizing the focus cast and veering off into strange new territory without rehashing old plotlines, but it just isn't ready to give up a lot of it's old ghosts yet. Look at this way: in the opening of the season, a lot of the bad things that we didn't care about from last season were resolved. Tracey's story was quickly haulted, Danko was taken out of the picture before you could blink. These were good moves on the show's part. However, until the show realizes it needs to part from some of the humdrum typicality of it's routine, it ultimately won't seek the redemption it so craves. Who knows, though. The rest of the season might turn everything around and prove me wrong!

We'll see how it all plays out, but just know that I'm calling it now - until the show finds a final resolve for Sylar and trims off all the unnecessary fat while learning to focus on the characters that matter and can really push the story forward, this show will be as worthwhile as Rulk.

Heroes airs every Monday at 8:00 PM EST on NBC.

It's my turn to give you all the breakdown on the best and worst from the world of comics this month, and I can safely say it was a great month in comics. When trying to figure out what the "worst" books and moments were, it was pretty difficult. That is not something I can say very easily. No less, click through if you want to see the breakdown for the month.


BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH: Fantastic Four #571

I reviewed this last week, so it should be absolutely no surprise that this is my choice for best book of the month. Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham have done absolutely nothing to show that this is not going to be a historic run on one of the flagship titles in Marvel history, as they have already made Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch a distant memory with just two issues. With an issue filled with Infinity Gauntlets, Galactus battles and Celestials, this is the Fantastic Four at their cosmic best.

Runner Up: Giant-Size Old Man Logan, The Unwritten #5, Scalped #31


WORST BOOK OF THE MONTH: Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers: Exodus

While it was a very strong month that did not feature a lot of weak titles, I can safely say I strongly disliked the wrap up of the Dark X-Men saga...or whatever you want to call it. While I disliked the entirety of the exercise, the finale combined lazy writing (plot threads left hanging, bizarre conclusions, out of character actions, you name it) and jarring art (two highly disparate artists shared artistic duties) into one big waste of money. Not only that, but it came in at the raised rate of $3.99, so I effectively paid $1 more for a worse than usual comic. Yay?

Runner Up: Wednesday Comics


BEST SCENE OF THE MONTH: Fleet of Reed Richards’ taking down multiple Silver Surfers and a Galactus (Fantastic Four #571)

This page...I just stared at this page for a while. Everything that happens on this page is gold, from the team of Reed's using weird ass weapons on the Silver Surfer's and the Galactus, to the sheer detail Eaglesham jammed in there, to the fact that you look at it and think "Wow! I can't believe Hickman even came up with this." The fact it worked perfectly into a stunning issue is even better, but even as a standalone page it blows me away.

Runner Up: Bruce Banner’s rather bad stomach ache (Giant-Size Old Man Logan)


WORST SCENE OF THE MONTH: Hawkeye (Bullseye) and Archangel attacking each other, and then never being heard from again (Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers: Exodus)

X-Team Editorial Meeting:

Fraction: Okay guys, so we're going to have Bullseye/Hawkeye and Archangel fight in this issue.

Editorial: Wow! That sounds intense. Won't Archangel kill him really easily?

Fraction: Well, I have an idea.

Editorial: And that is?

Fraction: I'm going to show the beginning of the fight and then never show the rest of it. They'll both appear later with minor cuts and bruises.

Editorial: Hmmm. Fraction...you're a genius! That's so crazy it just might work!

Fraction thought bubble: Wow. I made that up right then and there and it was maybe my worst idea ever. I really need to stop writing Uncanny X-Men...this is getting bad...

Runner Up: Open a page of Exodus. That’s the runner up.


BEST WRITER OF THE MONTH: Jonathan Hickman

The dude is writing maybe my two favorite Marvel Universe books right now in Secret Warriors and Fantastic Four. They are both uniformly good, and he is providing superhero comics a spark generated from a really natural and classic place that I haven't seen in a long time. To say I'm blown away by him is understating it, immensely.

Runner Up: Joe Kelly, Jason Aaron, Andy Diggle


WORST WRITER OF THE MONTH: Matt Fraction

I love Fraction...don't get me wrong. Even this month, his work on two (TWO!) issues of Invincible Iron Man was fantastic. But someone has to go here and if it isn't apparent yet, I hated Exodus. It was incredibly bad.

Runner Up: Can I stress that I really did not like Exodus?


BEST ARTIST OF THE MONTH: JH Williams III (Detective Comics)

My idea: we rename this the JH Williams III award and stop running it. Until JH Williams III is no longer putting together the art for Detective Comics, it's his award to lose. The work he is putting in is groundbreaking and completely out of this world awesome. It's the on book on the market that I say is worth it to pick up solely for the art.

Runner Up: R.M. Guera (Scalped), Ivan Reis (Blackest Night), Francis Manapul (Adventure Comics)


WORST ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Khoi Pham (Mighty Avengers)

Mighty Avengers is a very well written book that harkens back to the golden years of the Avengers. When everything wasn't snarky and pop culture driven, but driven by true heroism and amusing hijinks. However, it also harkens back to the golden years of the Avengers in that the art is simply awful. Why can they not toss Khoi Pham out and replace him with the incredibly underrated Rafael Albquerque or Timothy Green III? It would put this title up with the best Marvel is releasing in just one move.

Also, I do want to note: I like Tan's art, just not on Batman & Robin. Bad fit.

Runner Up: Phillip Tan (Batman & Robin)


MOST OVERLOOKED BOOK OF THE MONTH: North 40

I was going to put 28 Days Later here until I realized it had just sold out its first printing in the first week of release for the second issue. So North 40 goes here, as it is an extremely underrated title that literally no one else I know is reading. Filled with a The Stand like tale of good and evil written by Aaron Williams and loaded with high quality art by Fiona Staples, this book should be fitting nicely into the stacks of those who are into slightly edgier faire. As of yet, it isn't but the good news is we're just 3 issues in and it's not too late to pick up the back issues. Now get on it!

Runner Up: 28 Days Later, Runaways

Over the years, Many people have tried to adapt the last third of the DC Trinity into a movie property, passing through various hands including the always amazing Joss Whedon. And while even he eventually dropped the project like a bad habit, it really can't be that hard to translate her into a lucrative franchise like the recent Batman films. And to quote OJ, "if I did it, here's how I would do it."

STICK CLOSE TO HOME:
First off, I think the problem with a lot of comics properties is that they don't hire comics writers to adapt the books. I love Superman Returns, but a lot of others didn't. And it's not hard to see why. There weren't a lot of worthwhile risks taken with the movie(using Lex Luthor...AGAIN.) and some risks taken that never should have been(Superman, Jr.). what you need is someone like Gail Simone, who is currently writing Wonder Woman and is probably one the best writers on the DC roster to pen the screenplay. she clearly hears the voice of Wonder Woman in her head and knows how to write a great story that anyone can enjoy, and relate to.


MATCH THE VILLAIN TO YOUR HERO

A hero is only as good as his or her villain. Batman would not be as famous as he is now if it weren't for the deliciously evil Joker. Superman has the big businessman/mad scientist everyone loves to hate. The X-Men have Magneto. These are all iconic villains almost as famous as their counterparts, if not just as famous. The thing about Wonder Woman, her most iconic villains are Nazi's. And that sucks.

Now I'm not saying Nazi's a terrible villains, because they aren't. If you ever need an easy bad guy, make him a Nazi. There are already like two or three Captain Nazi's. So why not? Because they're dated. And inserting Wonder Woman into World War II makes her dated. She's based on Greek Myth right? So like Hercules and Xena before her, let's make a badass Greek God the villain. Like Ares or his Uncle Hades. The God of War or the God of the Underworld are both tried and true big bads who ran amok even in the Greek Myths of old. Even the great Hercules in the DCU is a dick. With the proper tuning, Cheetah, probably her most famous non-Nazi antagonist, could be the avatar of some terrible mad god. My point is, Superman would suck if he didn't have someone who could believably stand up to him. Wonder Woman needs a believable foil as well.


UPDATE THE COSTUME:
Let's face it. Her costume is horrible. It's OK for comics, but it's just terrible for adapting to the screen. She's a Greek Warrior, right? So let's take a page out of Donna Troy's playbook and model the movie Wonder Woman after her look from the One Year Later reboot. Her silly star briefs were replaced by a skirt worn by Greek Soldiers in ancient myths. Her top, while still bearing her logo, also looks appropriately like an armored breastplate.

I think altering the costume in such a way also opens up the movie for international audiences. Part of the problem with the suit is that it's a great symbol for Americans, but across the world, people wonder why someone from Greek Myth is wearing the colors of the Modern United States. Sure there are explanations and rationalizations, but they're all as believable as a KanYe West apology. She needs to be closer to Thor, not Captain America.


BAD ACTORS NEED NOT APPLY:
Everyone seems to want Megan Fox to play Wonder Woman. Hell, everyone seems to want her to play any superhero with a vagina. I say NO. Stay the eff away. The girl cannot act, and she just looks dirty. I was watching an episode of Attack of the Show!(one of my favorite shows mind you) and they asked viewers who should play Supergirl. The overwhelming response was Megan Fox. And I about gagged. It's no secret I have a soft spot for anyone wearing the iconic S, and it's also no secret I hate Megan Fox. But I digress.


Jessica Biel was offered the role, but declined. Thank God.
I mean, she's hot, but it takes more than a nice body and a six pack to play Diana

There are quite a few known actresses who might do well, but I say we need a talented unknown to fill the role. Like Superman and now Thor(a five minute cameo in Star Trek barely counts) before her, such iconic roles need to be reserved for someone without any excess baggage. The suspension of disbelief is essential for such fantastical characters, and when you have someone like, oh...say, Catherine Zeta-Jones, you're picturing you roles in the past. Hugh Jackman was largely unknown before X-Men. Can you imagine if, say, Tom Cruise (who is of a more appropriate height) were Wolverine? DO. NOT. WANT.

In closing, I do know that these steps are a challenge. But every movie presents it's challenges. I can only hope that with the new DC Entertainment set up, we'll see the Amazonian Princess on the silver screen where she belongs.

With the announcement that DC was becoming DC Entertainment, many things were inevitably set up to change. For one thing, DC wanted to set a much bigger precedent into their movie department, and with the massive success of the Dark Knight, who can blame them? The new president of DC Entertainment Diane Nelson has stated that she was heavily looking into the Vertigo imprint for the next big set of adaptations. This includes TV, video games, and movies. Both a Preacher and Y: The Last Man movies have been announced, and a series of 100 Bullets and Fables were also both announced a while back. We've seen V For Vendetta and Watchmen already, so what should we make of the current decision to put Vertigo at the forefront of the adaptations?

Well, we here at Multiversity love a good debate, so we've decided to put this list together of some of the Vertigo books we know and (maybe) love to speculate as to the possibility of these adaptations. We'll bring you this in several parts, and the first part will be about current ongoing Vertigo books. So strap in as we take you through the world of the single best imprint and quite possibly the best comic line out there to date!

MATT'S THOUGHTS

The Unwritten
General Overview
This book is definitely one of my favorite new Vertigo books. It's hard for books to compete with the classics that have been on the Vertigo line, but this is one of them that is definitely working it's way up there in my mind. This book is fun, imaginative, and most of all, it's 100% relevant!

The basic premise of the book, if you're unfamiliar, is giant pastiche of Harry Potter and the culture that surrounds him. The book stars Tommy Taylor, star of 14 books written by his father that feature him as a young wizard fighting an evil wizard/vampire. After 14 books, his father goes missing and Tommy Taylor begins to simply travel the world making money from the fame and fortune brought to him by the popularity of the books. As the story begins, we find Tommy at a convention being hailed by fans when suddenly, one person questions his identity. Who is Tommy Taylor? Is he actually the son of the author of these books? Is he even really Tommy Taylor? As Tommy begins to question himself and his life, he finds himself kidnapped by the real life incarnation of Count Ambrose (his Lord Voldemort), who then puts Tommy on a live webcast and threatens to kill him in front of fans everywhere. This is the first half of the first issue, and in case you haven't read it, I won't spoil what happens, but suffice it to say the story gets more complex from there. As Tommy Taylor begins to investigate the mystery of the real life Count Ambrose attack, he begins to question his own reality, and so do we, and the story holds us under it's spell as we wait for the answers to these two questions: "Who is Tommy Taylor really?" and "Who, or what, are the Unwritten?"

In recent issues, we continue to get more and more hints as to the answers of these questions, but even more importantly, we get a well written commentary on Literature today. One of the more recent issues featured a panel of modern day writers (all of whom are parodies of writers in each genre) debating the legitimacy of the different aspects of horror. Each writer defends his position as a writer of different elements of horror, from the classical version of Frankenstein to the modern day world of Hostel and Saw, and it's very clear to see the writer's opinions on all of it. And before long, all the characters find themselves in a horror story, each playing out to a different convention of their horror elements. It acts as a poignant genre debate in the guise of a murder sequence, and it's highly entertaining and a great read. The most recent issue to come out starred Rudyard Kipling (whom you may know for writing a little book called The Jungle Book) giving us hints as to who the Unwritten really are while also giving explanations on the truth behind a lot of his work as well as other prominent writers of his time.

For someone who enjoys literature as it used to be and enjoys debating the elements of satire, The Unwritten is definitely a great book to pick up and read.

Adaptation Thoughts
As far as an adaptation goes, I couldn't really see it happening. We have three books from Vertigo on the market today that all derive from reinterpretations of various forms of literature, and those are Fables, Greek Street, and The Unwritten. While The Unwritten is taking stabs at arguably one of the biggest modern day literature cults in the world (aside from Twilight), it couldn't work as a film or a TV show in the way Fables or Greek Street could because it's way too specific and most people just wouldn't "get it." As a comic book, it works great as a new entity that you can sit and read and understand where it's coming from, but if turned into anything but that it would probably come off as more of a parody than a satire. This, of course, is me making a very large assumption based on the average person in today's world, but I do think that this wouldn't work very well as a movie or TV show. The point of the story would just be muddled down and lost.

Sweet Tooth
General Overview
We've only had one issue of this book, but I think it would be wrong not to at least think to include it in this article if only to help expose people to a brand new series. After one issue I found myself very intrigued and, dare I say it? Rather hooked. The creativity of it pulls me in immensley, but also the entire premise of the book, which you can't quite get from looking at the cover. I will admit, though, that the cover for issue 1 was pretty off-putting, and I can see why a lot of people (unfortunately) passed it up.

Sweet Tooth is about a young boy living in a post-apocalyptic world (I'm assuming) where he and his father are both kept inside a reservation. Outside the reservation, everything appears desolate and destroyed with no signs of life. Inside, we have only seen one shack and many trees surrounding. And then there is of course the oddity that this young boy has antlers on his head. The boy's father is a very religious man, devastated at the loss of his wife and (I'm assuming) the world, and he is very strict about what his son can and can't do, thus leading the boy to an excessive amount of curiousity. When the boy's father dies, he finally leaves home to explore, only to find himself hunted by people with unknown intentions. Do they want him as a trophy? Do they plan to sell him to some kind of circus? We have no idea. What we do know, however, is that there is someone else. Someone who appears to the boys in his dreams who has very dark eyes and a gun, and someone who makes his physical presence known by the end of the issue. (That is, in essence, a basic summary of all of the events of the first issue for those that didn't pick it up)

Now, as far as really getting into commentary on the book, it's kind of hard because as I said there's been just one issue. However, I would like to point out that I feel like people should be out hunting this issue down and adding this book to their pull. It's a very good first issue, and I at first completely overlooked the book because of the cover and what little I knew of the premise. My choosing to add this to our list of Vertigo titles is simply to help promote the work of Jeff Lemire out there as I have really high hopes and expectations for this series. I think it shows tremendous amounts of potential and I highly endorse you hunting down the issue and giving it a good read. In my initial review of this book, I thought that I could come up to the scope of a book like Bone where, although it may never reach that amount of epicness and timelessness, it still has a million places to evolve into a very highly in depth series. Jeff Lemire is doing this book by himself as an artist and a writer (although he doesn't do the colors), and it shows a tremendous amount of talent on his part. So what I'm trying to say is: just pick up the first issue.

Adaptation Thoughts
It's pretty hard to say anything here yet, but I could see it working as a possible movie. From what I understand of the book, it does have the potential to be adapted into a film. While I always shy away from adaptations of comic books because I'd rather just read the book, if anything I could see it as a movie.

Air
General Overview
Now we get into the books I don't really like but continue to read. Why do I read it? I don't know. Partly because I have faith in Vertigo series, partly because I'm a sick sick man with a horrific addiction to comics that may or may not be the death of him at some point, or at least the possible cause of bankruptcy. However, in the case of this book, I had incredibly high hopes that were unfortunately diminshed by the content, yet not enough to make me stop reading. Yet.

The very basic premise of Air is a little bit confusing. It's definitely a lot less forward than every other Vertigo book on the market as it is essentially wrapped in one big confusing conspiracy that I can't really admit to understanding. Essentially, the main character of the book is a flight attendant, and one day she accidently gets wrapped up in the highjacking of the plane she is on. This isn't a normal highjacking, however, as the reason the plane is being highjacked is due to an ancient battle between secret organizations. This leads her to discover many hidden truths about the world such as a city that disappeared off every map, the truth of Amelia Aerheart, and an actual hidden form of flight that she can access which enable her to travel anywhere she wants without a map. All of this, of course, would not exist if she hadn't fallen in love with a random boy who may or may not be an international terrorist. The line of good and evil in this book is very thinly drawn because, as much as we supposedly have an understanding of who the "bad guys" are, the "good guys" are just as "bad". Oh, and of course our hero talks and hangs out with Quetzalcoatl. Don't forget that!

My basic thoughts on Air is that it had and has the makings of a very great book, it's just not pulling it off. There are some great steampunk elements in there, intriguing conspiracies, and a good deal of action. There is definitely enough to keep me reading. Unfortunately, I can't ever recommend this to anybody because, all in all, it's just not that interesting. It's at the bottom of my read list whenever it comes out. What perplexes me even more is that other comic book writers love it. Neil Gaiman praised it! Neil Gaiman, people. I just don't find a lot to really enjoy about it. The potential is definitely there, but it just never fully comes out.

Adaptation Thoughts
I could see this as a TV show, honestly. It may not be a TV show I'd watch, but this definitely fits in with the premise of, say, any of the NBC shows that air for a season (if that). Think about every show NBC tries to air as part of it's drama force aroudn 8:00 PM every night, and Air could fit right in with that.

Greek Street
General Overview
Ugh. Greek Street makes me feel all icky inside. I try and not be overly insulting in reviews if I can, but I really don't like this book, and the only reason I read it still is curiousity and, as I said, I'm a sick sick man when it comes to comics. Part of me partially hopes that it will get better, but it's just such a mess that I don't see it happening. I will point out that I believe the last issue was decent and at least readable but, all in all? Ugh.

The premise behind Greek Street is simple: modern greek myths re-enacted in today's world. It's like Fables but with a smaller cast to draw from. The story centers around Eddie, or Oedipus, as he comes to Greek Street searching for his mother. He does in fact get drunk and bang her, and then he accidentally kills her. On top of all that, there is a murder in town which Inspecter Daedelus is looking after. And there is, of course, the curious case of that monster in the alleys eating people and leaving pages of Madea laying around.

Now, I'm no expert on Greek mythology and I don't pretend to be. What I did do, however, is present the first two issues to someone who is, and they said that all of it is essentially a mess. I can agree with this. There is a huge cast of characters who most people can't easily appropriate the origination to all interacting under odd pretenses. See, what works about Fables is all the characters are well known and we enjoy seeing them interact. Fanboys have been mixing Disney movies forever, and remember the success of Kingdom Hearts? With Greek mythology, people will enjoy re-interpretations of characters in a modern day setting (See: Kill Your Boyfriend), but when you start mixing and matching you create a very odd concoction that, in this case, just does not do it for me at all. I keep reading because I want it to be good, but for the most part I sit there afte reading an issue and I'm just confused. I will fully admit that, after the first two issues, I stopped buying it and simply browse it in store so I can keep up with it, but all in all I do not recommend Greek Street at all. It's just odd, obtuse, and messy overall.

Adaptation Thoughts
No thank you. I don't really want to talk about it. If you're forcing me to, though, I'd say that it could make for a pretty bad movie.

DAVID'S THOUGHTS

Scalped
What is it? Scalped is part the study of life on an Indian reservation (or “rez”), part gritty noir with a look at the seedy details of the criminal types that run rampant on the rez, and part coming home story of protagonist Dashiell Bad Horse. Of course, given that nothing is ordinary on the rez, Dash’s story is quite atypical, as he returns under egress, as he is an undercover FBI agent trying to take down Chief Lincoln Red Crow (the epicenter for criminal activity on the rez) once and for all.

Why does it rule? I’m a man who loves his Vertigo books. This title is quickly approaching Fables, Preacher and Y the Last Man levels of quality, as month in and month out series co-creator and writer Jason Aaron is taking us to more gut wrenching and intense places than before. The view into the rez that he gives readers is terrifying and painful at times, but it provides many an opportunity for high drama. This in many ways is like Donnie Brasco but set on an Indian reservation, as the bifurcated nature of Dash’s existence provides many opportunities for him to fall into the terrible lifestyle embraced by so many others on the rez. Is he the undercover FBI agent trying to clean up his former home, or is he the heroin addicted dirty cop who doesn’t know where his allegiances lie? Combine that with an honest to god murder mystery, stunning and grimy art from R.M Guera, and plot threads which weave together like fine tapestries and you have one damn good comic.

Why is it awful? Like with Unknown Soldier, this title started a bit slower than others. Mostly because it took Guera a while to really get his artistic identity under control, but either way it did take a bit to pick up.

Would it make a good film/television series? Now this is something that could make a kick ass movie. While it would work better as a television series because of the weaving story threads, massive character list, and just because I think comics translate better into TV shows (they’re both serialized…it just works better), I still think if you put this in the hands of the right writer/director you could sculpt out a truly great film out of this.

Northlanders
What is it? Northlanders does not have a true central narrative, unless you consider Viking badassery a narrative. Effectively, creator Brian Wood is giving the world an understanding from all points of view as to what it meant to be around in the times of the Viking – how to survive when they come, how to live in their culture, how to be a warrior, how to be honor bound, everything. He does this in alternating long and short arcs that never really seem to relate to each other in any sort of way besides being about Vikings and featuring a lot of people dying.

Why does it rule? Brian Wood is the man, and he makes some very gruesome and powerful Viking tales. I always found Viking culture to be very interesting, and Wood does a great job of expanding on their world by not just focusing on the raping and the pillaging, but showing us their culture and their motivation and their spirituality and more. Not serializing the story so much and really making it more of a “day in the life of a Viking” style title was a good decision. While the longer arcs work well (such as leadoff arc “Sven the Returned”), none of the stories so far have been dynamic enough to work as standalone titles. Not only that, but this gives Wood the ability to really focus on a story and trim it of any expository fat we’d be stuck with otherwise. Plus, it allows him to work with a bevy of talented artists who bring the Viking world to life with often stunning work.

Why is it awful? While not truly awful, sometimes the lack of a true central narrative brings the title down a bit. Just when you start getting invested in the characters and the stories, they leave you.

Would it make a good film/television series? Given the way that the world of television has moved in the direction of serialized drama, one short stories week to week of Viking life would actually translate fairly poorly to the small screen. As for movies, while “Sven the Returned” was by far the lengthiest story yet, I do not think it would turn out very well due to the internalized nature of the primary character. In short, I think this is one series that will not be translated to film any time soon.

DMZ
What is it? DMZ theorizes an entirely believable world in which there is a civil war between the United States of America and the “Free States” armies, a group of people that are not geographic in their origin but really a collection of people who believe in the same idea and that is that America is a broken place. Both armies march towards each other, with the two groups effectively hitting a stalemate when they reach Manhattan as it is simply too vast and chaotic for either side to take. The story follows Matty Roth, who is a rather green photojournalist on what amounts to his first job that just happens to be in the most controversial place in what is left in America.

Why does it rule? There are a lot of reasons why DMZ is such a great comic, but my favorite is the fact that series writer Brian Wood crafted a future for the United States of America that is not only disturbing and fractured, but wholly believable. The realism of the situation and the gravitas he layers his characters with gives the reader the feeling that they are reading what could amount to a non-fiction account of a shattered society from the inside. Not only that, but he developed a protagonist in Roth that gives us a few into this society and actually is trying to make a difference in a world where everyone is only looking out for themselves. Series artist Ricardo Burchelli provides at times painfully authentic visuals of this torn society and its tenants, and all artistic collaborators help provide consistently solid visuals.

Why is it awful? This is not a book that really brings anything negative to the table.

Would it make a good film/television series? This wouldn’t work as a film, to be perfectly honest. Because so much of it is based around the development of characters and the environment of the DMZ (Manhattan really is the main character of the story), this would be the perfect choice for a new HBO series. I’m a little shocked no one has picked this up yet, to be honest. It would work especially well as a mini-series.

Unknown Soldier
What is it? This story takes place amidst the Ugandan Civil War, as Dr. Lwanga Moses and his wife are there to try and bring a little peace and hope to the war torn country. Of course, that all goes awry when rebels attack and steal children from the village they are at, and Moses unleashes the pent up rage (and crazy!) that is inside of him as he kills one of the rebels and mutilates his own face. He then disappears with everyone around him assuming he’s dead, but secretly he’s off as bandage faced warrior fighting for peace in Uganda in the only way he knows is respected: with pure violence.

Why does it rule? Series writer Joshua Dysart takes an existing character from the DC Universe that had effectively run its course and was basically murdered (the concept, not the character) by Garth Ennis in the most recent mini-series, and he flips it on its head, gives it a new identity and new goals, and made it something that is not only entertaining and well made, but very relevant to the world. Dysart’s decision to repurpose the character as a freedom fighter of sorts in the Ugandan Civil War was a great one, as it allows him to speak about the atrocities that are taking place in Uganda and to really dig in deep into what the horrors of war really are. Series artist Alberto Ponticelli captures the carnage with grit and intensity, while his eye for the emotional scenes really allows the book to hit levels of power that it wouldn’t be able to reach with a less talented artist.

Why is it awful? While it is going full steam ahead at this point, this series did start out quite slow. At this point however, it’s as devastating a comic as there is on the stands today.

Would it make a good film/television series? Just like DMZ, this would be a fantastic television series, but wouldn’t work as a film. Sadly, with no real point that everything could wrap up (unless Moses actually kills everyone in Uganda), it definitely wouldn’t work as a mini, nor do I think the prospects of going to series are strong.

GIL'S THOUGHTS

Fables
General Overview
One of the longer running books in the Vertigo line, Fables has the honorable distinction of being one of the best. What makes it so great is the dichotomy of familiar characters in completely new settings.

The book is as such: the fairy tales we all grew up on are real. They live their lives in most pre-industrial societies on hundreds, maybe thousands of alternate worlds that we’ve created with our imaginations. But some of the more famous ones, such as Jack Horner, Pinocchio, Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf (called “Bigby”), and Boy Blue were all exiled from their homelands by the villainous Adversary. They found their way into the Mundane World (ours, and we’re known as “Mundys”) and settled in a small colony in the New World called New Amsterdam, or New York City as it’s known today.

From Fabletown, they plan to overthrow the Adversary, who has taken control of all of their worlds in a brutal conquest. All of the Fables were granted Amnesty from all past crimes, so much so that Bigby Wolf was the sheriff of the town. Snow White was the overworked Deputy Mayor and Boy Blue was her assistant. The sprawling cast makes it difficult to list each and every character, but all are adjusting to life in either the city Fabletown, or the farm, where the non-human Fables such as the Three Bears live.

The writing is filled with political allegory and even direct references. Bigby Wolf makes a comment to the revealed Emperor that he admires the nation of Israel for their stance on terrorism and acts of war. Some people call it a right wing book, but I don’t really care. It’s good, and that’s all that matters. It also has some great comedic moments, and the romance is really well written. It will also break your heart several times. Willingham isn’t afraid to kill his characters, and in the most emotional way possible.

Not all of it is good though. While I think the main book is brilliant, I could never get into the spin-off Jack of Fables. I don’t find Jack to be a very engaging hero, and I found his “backdoor pilot” if you will, in the main series jarring and really hard to sit through. The same goes for the Great Fables Crossover, as it deviated from the current storyline, and the main star was Jack. I can’t really say I recommend either of these series.

Adaptation Thoughts
Fables was announced as being developed by ABC Studios, so we might see this on the small screen sooner rather than later. While I’m not entirely jazzed with the fact it’ll be on network television(I’d much rather HBO or even the “SyFy Channel”), ABC has gotten rather liberal with their television shows. You may not watch Grey’s Anatomy or LOST, but they’re both remarkably adult and not really toned down, save for language.

I’m just glad it’s not being made into a movie, because so much would be condensed into the film, it would be a mishmash of diverging storylines that would be completely unwatchable.

That's right, kids! We've upgrade from "just a blogspot" to an actual website with a real domain! It's party time! We've been around for less than a year but the positive input from readers has been overwhelming that we decided, in order to help us branch out and begin to solidify a position in the online comic community, it was time for a "dot com." So thank you for all the support you've all given us since the site first came to existence in May when I needed a place to talk about the Wolverine movie.

You may notice but there are some minor changes. For one, I have given proper credit where credit is due to Glen Walker (who we interviewed) for our background and banner. It's right at the top right of the page, so look and give him your love and attention. He's great. Below this, I have placed a brand new set of Archives which will lead you to every Author Retrospective, Character Spotlight, Friday Recommendation, Multiversity Comics Presents (interviews) and Reviews we've ever done. Convenient! Helpful! And updated consistently, I promise! If you look at each article, you can Digg it and get the word out on your favorite reviews and whatnots across the intrawabs. How convenient! Our twitters have been removed from the site to seem more professional and our writing staff has been cut back down to three, but if you would like to follow any of us on the Twit machine, I'm mattisnotarobot, Gil is ohmygil, and David is slicedfriedgold. We'd be happy to hear from you or anything like that!

Please - feel free to leave more suggestions on how to improve the site in the comments, OR you can send a nifty little e-mail to matthew@multiversitycomics.com. That's right! Custom e-mail! Holla!

Hopefully in the future I'll have more to offer. I'm working on a few ideas for the site which may include a brand new site design, but for now, just thanks again for sticking with us, and I hope you enjoy the dot com address! Much easier to follow. As a gift, I've posted (read: kinda sorta stolen) the entire Party Cat saga and placed it behind the cut here for your reading enjoyment. Don't worry though: I give credit where credit is due. It's just that we love cats and we love parties here at MC, so in this situation how can I not post it?

Party Cat thanks to Nedroid.

Since it's September, that means there's another season of Smallville is starting up. I've been a loyal viewer of the show since its inception in 2001, along it's ups and downs. And while I was dreading the show continuing, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the show was again.

As I said, I've been watching for a loooong time, but I wouldn't say I've been enjoying it for the last couple of seasons. There were some bright spots, like Geoff Johns writing the best episode in the past two years, but overall it's been quite painful. It's still called Smallville, but 90% of the series takes place in Metropolis. Clark doesn't fly, but any other Kryptonian who comes to Earth can. Lex Luthor went from a brilliantly conflicted villain into Snidely Whiplash. Thankfully most of these were addressed. Not entirely to my satisfaction, but I can let that go.


First of all, let's give a quick recap of the finale. Davis Bloom was separated from Doomsday, but the human in him killed Jimmy Olsen(WHAT?!) and was then dispatched by everyone's favorite non-alien brainiac, Chloe Sullivan. Lois picked up the Legion ring that Clark possessed and disappeared, presumably traveling into the far future. We saw Jimmy's funeral(which was his middle name, BTW), where he was laid to rest, and learned something important, there was another Jimmy Olsen that had the signature red hair and bow tie that we were all used to. And Clark, racked with guilt over the death of Olsen, said goodbye to his humanity and disappeared.

and now we're in Season 9. I don't want to give a total recap of the episode because it I do think it should be seen. There are plenty of surprises, like the appearance of the future Metallo, John Corben, played by everyone's favorite rapping resident of Beverly Hills, Brian Austin Green. Only instead of a petty criminal, he's a new reporter for the Daily Planet, replacing the absent Clark Kent, right next to Lois, who is not amused. We even get a teaser that he will become Metallo sooner rather than later. I'm actually a bit psyched for that.

And while we had a phantom General Zod in season five, we meet a younger Zod here, a Major Zod. Here he's played by Callum Blue, better known from his stint on the much loved Showtime program, Dead Like Me. Callum has some pretty big shoes to fill. and I'd say he fills them adequately. He has a similar cadence as the original General Zod, as played by the terrific Terrence Stamp.

Coincidentally enough, Stamp is also on the show, playing Zod's adversary on Krypton, Jor-El. Here he gives Clark advice in the Fortress of Solitude on how to come into his powers. While we're on the subject, it really has bothered me how Clark has not been able to fly while other Kryptonians who just get their powers can fly all of a sudden. Kara Zor-El and even a Zod-possessed Lex could fly. So why can't he? The answer is that he still thinks of himself as human, and it limits his abilities somewhat. While I'm a little skeptical of that bit of information, I do admit it's kind of cool now that I remember flight was not a part of his original power set, it was "leaping tall buildings in a single bound." Which he CAN do with ease. I can also kind of understand the title of the show still, seeing as how Lois regularly refers to Clark as the town from which he hails, which is "Smallville."

Speaking of Clark, it is nice to see some character progression on his part. While before he was justin the right place/right time to save people, he's now actively searching for ways to help. He's patrolling Metropolis at night in black and leaving his mark, striking fear int--wait, what? Is this Gotham now? That left me all sorts of confused, but like I said, he's growing into the hero he needs to be.


There are a few things I'd like more clarification on, like...where is Kara? She's been gone for almost a season now, and there hasn't been a peep from her since. Why does Oliver Queen need to be his own Tyler Durden(while technically, we're all our own Tyler Durden, but still...)?

I'm actually really excited for this season, and even Geoff's upcoming episode most likely called "Society," as he's introducing the JSA into the Smallville Universe. And oddly enough, we're getting a modern take on The Wonder Twins with everyone's new favorite geek it-girl, Allison Scagliotta from Warehouse 13, as Jayna. There's also a time Travel storyarc this season, and while I'm not usually a fan of time travel, this is done in a way that doesn't overly confuse me. It actually sets up a potentially kick ass storyline with Zod and hos army of non-powered Kryptonians. I would say more, but I think that if you're like me, and you've been watching, you should continue. If you haven't, at least watch it online to get an idea of if you want to watch the series.


Final Verdict: Check it out. One hour can't hurt.

Remember when you had hair, Morrison?

In case you forgot (and how could you?), we here at MC are big Grant Morrison fans. We've made boastful claims about his work, and I personally have defended and reviewed a multitude of books by him, such as Seven Soldiers, We3, and Final Crisis. A weekend or so ago (depending on the time this actually gets published), I went on a bit of a graphic novel spree and, in turn, picked up a few Grant Morrison titles I'd never read before. Since they're all rather small I decided to throw them all together rather than make a lot of little review posts that clutter up the site with Morrison this and Morrison that. You probably all get enough of that every time Batman And Robin comes out! So enjoy some short reviews of Vimanarama, Seaguy, Kill Your Boyfriend, JLA: Earth-2, and the very old Batman: Gothic.

Vimanarama
You guys know me by now, right? I'll read anything Morrison. Slap his name on it and I'll pick it up. I'm kind of a junkie like that. In picking up Vimanarama, I knew I'd heard of it before but I had never actually read it or read anything about it. I was just curious, and hey, it's Morrison! What I got, however, was easily the most disappointing thing by him I've ever read. That's not to say that I didn't like it or that it didn't make me laugh/cry/bite my fingernails. It's just that when you take this book and you compare it to the multitude of work that man has done in his life, you're left very empty by the end of it.

Vimanarama is a very simple concept. You've got an Indian boy who lives in London, about to go meet his wife-to-be in an arranged marriage scenario he's very upset with. Why? Well, he's pretty she's going to be ugly. When his baby brother goes missing, he ends up on the hunt for the child where he actually meets his fiance, and he falls in love with her very quickly due to her exquisite beauty. Unfortunately, the child got lost in this super secret underground city, and before long a very ancient evil is unleashed and rampaging through the world, destroying everything in it's path. What makes it worse is that the only one who can stop the evil horde is this ancient being, practically a super hero, who recognizes the girl as the reincarnation of his old love and promptly whisks her away to be at his side as he and his kind save the world from total destruction. That's about the whole first issue (of three) in a nutshell.

While this book is filled with Morrison's signature weirdness, obscurity, and odd humor, it just doesn't cut it where his other little books cut it. Most of his mini's have a lot of heart or character to them, and in this, while I enjoyed it very much visually (with excellent work being brought to you by Philip Bond, who also did the art for Kill Your Boyfriend in a very different fashion), I just didn't find a lot for me to really latch on to. It doesn't spark the same joy I got from reading other work by him, and while I'm more than happy to have this book on my shelf, it's not one I really feel the need or care to loan out to people in order to show off his abilities. There are much better works to choose from than this.

Although, I do have an amusing little story from this book. I was attending one of my night classes, and before class started I was sitting reading Vimanarama to myself. Someone looked over and asked me, and this is an exact quote, "Are you reading The Boondocks?" I was so furious inside I didn't even bat an eye in response. I just kept reading quietly to myself. That story isn't so much amusing as it is excessively aggravating to the elitist in me, but it's still something I felt that was worth a share.

Seaguy
I read Seaguy in it's entirety on a fifteen-twenty minute train ride, and I'm pretty sure the entire train thought I was obnoxious as I laughed my ass off while reading. It is pure oddity and hilarity and is easily one of the funniest things I've ever read by Morrison, and I love it. Right off the bat I had connected with the characters and found myself very involved in their well being in the way I was when I read WE3. This, to me, was and is a must have.

Let me break it down for you in terms of what you're getting into when you pick up Seaguy later today/tomorrow. Seaguy is the last of a dying breed - no one really wants to be a superhero anymore, especially not after the giant universe shattering fight against Anti-Dad. The only thing there really is to do these days is sit around, watch TV and drink soda, play chess games against death, and go to theme parks. So that's exactly what Seaguy does, along with best pal Chubby the Chuna, a cigar smoking talking fish that hates the water. But, of course, they get sucked up into the craziest of conspiracies ever that takes them from their cozy town and Mickey Eye theme park everywhere from Atlantis to Stone Hedge and the Moon. Best be prepared for insanity and hilarity before you open the book.

While it is extremely hilarious, I should note that the serious implications behind it are also excessively apparent. The book is fully of social commentary and in itself is a send-up of actual superheroes in the way that Watchmen was, which is how Morrison describes the book's purpose. It's supposed to be a trilogy in which, through hilarious adventures and writing, Morrison talks about the decline of the superhero as well as the commercialization of our culture. Now, since it is a trilogy, it's important to remember that the story doesn't wrap up 100% by the end of the book. All the original bases are indeed covered, but there are still many unanswered questions. Seaguy 2, also known as The Slaves of Mickey Eye, just recently came out, and who knows when Seaguy 3 (Seaguy Eternal) will be released due to poor sales on the book. However, I would urge you to go and find a trade if you can. I found Seaguy to be a quick but great read in a way that's very truly Morrison at his crazy best. It's an easily accessible book and I really can't express how much I loved it. Despite the shortness of this review in which I don't fully go in-depth to the inner workings of the book, trust me: there's a lot to it's 3 issues.

Now if only Seaguy 2 would come out in trade already... *sigh*

Kill Your Boyfriend
Oh, Kill Your Boyfriend... how unlike Morrison's other work you are, yet how insanely similar in your entirety. I found this book as a tiny little sliver for $5 mixed in with all the other titles and, since I love Morrison, shrugged my shoulders and bought it. What I got in return was an odd little teen romp with Morrison's flair for twisted tales, social commentary and insanity.

Basically, the story runs like this: you've got this innocent British school girl, right? She has a boyfriend who won't sleep with her, friends she doesn't really care about, hormones going through the roof, and parents she despises. It's pretty typical, really. You remember what that was like! Then along comes this guy. This amazing guy. He smokes, he drinks, he swears, he skips school. He's bad in all the ways that make her feel good. For whatever reason, he has a liking for her and gets her to come out with him one night after she's run from home crying. He lures her in with his seductive lifestyle and, after getting drunk, she admits that she hates her boyfriend and wants him to die. So what does he do? He says, "Well, let's kill your boyfriend!" They go to her boyfriend's house, shoot the guy several times, and run away, turning to a fast lane life of crime, sex, and violence. And that's really just the tip of the iceberg.

While all of Morrison's work contains some social commentary (Magneto and his death camps, Seaguy and the analysis of the super hero and commercialism, Vimanarama and it's analyzing of the loss of myths plus stabbing at politics), this one is so apparent and dripping with commentary that you can't miss this one. It's easy to get lost in his stories, but with this one? Nuh uh. It's all there. For example, at one point in the story our "heroes" meet up with a group of "artists" traveling the world on a bus. They're committed to changing the world and doing something with their lives, yet they never take any kind of action and run away at the first sign of violence (not including sexual violence). This leaves Morrison open for writing in a rant about how all the people like this are jokes and need to stop talking and start doing something, which eventually leads straight into the stories climax (which has it's own insane twists and turns regardless). Morrison takes a stab at pretty much every subculture or entity in Britain in this book, especially in a memorable scene involving a politician. He also glorifies the crap out of the runaway rocknrolla lifestyle that kids seem to oddly look up to (and, to be honest, if this was a movie? It'd be a smash hit with indie college kids). It's easily the most commentary filled book I've read by him to date.

Not only that, but this book acts as two things for Morrison. The first is an ode to Dionysus, the Greek God. Through the book, the boy represents Dionysus, in the way he seduces the heroine and brings her on this crazy adventure. It's something you might not pick up on right away, but Morrison's afterward in the book explains this pretty clearly, as well as the second thing I'm going to mention: this book is an ode to a girl who drove Morrison crazy in a good way. The entire afterward has Morrison completely explaining what drove the inspiration for the book and how it was created and who it was created for. It's actually kind of amusing to read because in a way, Kill Your Boyfriend is almost a love letter to a girl Morrison apparently lost. My favorite part of that is when you actually read the story and know just how it ends, you look at Morrison and say, "Really? This is your ode to her?" It's pretty wild stuff.

I should also mention that Phillip Bond, who I had previously mentioned working with Morrison on Vimanarama, did all the art for this book in a completely different style. If you didn't know that it was Bond, you probably wouldn't recognize the artist right away. I'll tell you what though - if you find these two books? Look at the faces. That's where you can tell. See, Kill Your Boyfriend was written 15-20 years before Vimanarama (that's me saying without looking up the actual date on Google), and the art and writing reflect the times in which it was made. The whole work is really rather reflective, and it's very impressive.

Kill Your Boyfriend isn't like most of the Morrison books we're used to. There are no super heroes. There is no crazy and extensive plot that takes hours to understand. It is easily the most straight forward book I've written by him. That being said, it's obviously not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. As "simple" as it was, there really is a lot to it under the surface, and it's a quick read. Definitely a nice addition to my library.

JLA: Earth-2
This book is pretty awesome. I am biased towards instantly loving Morrison/Quitely collaborations (New X-Men, WE3, All-Star Superman) and this is no different. It's everything you normally love about them, but older and, dare I say it? Cooler. Well, maybe not cooler, but still very awesome.

In Earth-2, the Justice League find out about an alternate Earth within the multiverse where everything is opposite of ours. Lex Luthor is good, and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are all evil. They run the Crime Syndikate of Amerika and rule the world with an iron fist. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Flash and Green Lantern all agree to go to this world to help their Luthor take out the CSA and make the world a better place. Unfortunately for them, in a world where evil reigns supreme and good falters, they don't stand as good a chance to bring peace as they originally thought.

This book is classic Quitely and Morrison together. Plenty of excellent two page spreads and plenty of Quitely's signature "liquid capes," as I've heard them called. The evil CSA, headed by Ultraman and Owlman, are made all the more devilish looking by Quitely's style of art, and Morrison's twisted vision of this alternate world (who refer to us as Earth-2) is quite signatory. It just shows why these two are perfect collaboraters with one another, in the same way that Warren Ellis/John Cassaday makes my heart sing and Mark Millar/Bryan Hitch makes my knees tingle. It's pretty much a match made in Heaven with these two because the stories Morrison writes, Quitely clearly just gets (did you see their work in the new Batman and Robin book?). I can't imagine anyone else doing the art for this book because Quitely's style is just so perfect in it.

Anyone who was a fan of any of their DC collaborations should be sure to pick this up. It's a single graphic novel that was never released in issue form (per my understanding, anyway), and it's pretty hard to find these days. If you do find it, though, don't hesitate. It makes a great addition to any library.

The funny thing about this book is I actually recognize the characters from a Superman/Batman Annual. In the annual, Supes and Bats are on a cruise and they're chasing after Deathstroke, and a parallel universe gate opens up and out comes Ultraman and Owlman, the evil versions of Supes and Bats that are from this book! The best part of that issue was that the "evil" Deathstroke that came out was someone who looked and sounded exactly like Deadpool, but in any situation where he would say his name, something would happen and he'd be interupted.

Batman: Gothic
Long before Morrison came and killed the Batman, he wrote a little five issue story entitled "Gothic." It's a story involving Batman and the occult and, in many ways, acts as somewhat of a tribute to early Batman stories. I know that a lot of people had problems with the way Morrison told his Batman story due to esoteric concepts and an absolutely insane storyline that didn't make sense unless you read every single issue. I say to these people, these criers for days of Batpast, to hunt down a copy of Gothic and give it a read - it may change your mind on how you view Morrison's take on Batman.

In Batman: Gothic, the Dark Knight is brought in to investigate the murders of several mobsters on their behalf. It appears someone with no shadow who cannot die has been making the rounds, taunting them with classical poetry and murdering them in horrific ways. This man is known as Mr. Whisper and he has everyone spooked. This is about as much plot as I will give you.

What this story does is expand on several items of Batman (some of which Morrison would later once again call upon). This story is definitely one for his Black Casebook, as it were. What we have here is a dark and creepy trip through the halls of Satan's world as Batman discovers the connections of this Mr Whisper and elements of his own past. While I'm not sure how big this book is on canon, I will say that it does refine his childhood quite a bit and it adds new elements into the death of his parents that makes you wonder how many people currently writing Batman actually read this story. There are several scenes that are very truly nods to the classic and more ridiculous Batman, as at one point Whisper ties Batman up to a very elaborate machine involving burning candles and bowling balls and drops, all the while explaining his elaborate plan (it'd be funny if it weren't so damn creepy). It's safe to say that the story in itself is actually the darker of Morrison's Bat-writings, but it's definitely not one to miss. It's no Arkham Asylum or RIP, but Gothic is a very wonderful Batman story that puts together all the classic elements that made Batman books so great.

In many cases I have a hard time writing about Batman. To be honest, the modern fandom surrounding him has pretty much ruined the character for me. I love Morrison's current work on the character, and Yost's Red Robin is great as well, but all in all I shy away from Batman stories. As this is Morrison I of course read it, and I found that while the story is very short and very sweet, it was a really great read. The story doesn't revolutionize the way you look at Batman in any way and it doesn't give changes to the stories as Morrison's later work did, but it does remind us now how Batman used to be: a detective just trying to figure out odd case after odd case. I'm sure my review here doesn't do this book any true justice (as I'm writing it rather late at night), but I would highly recommend giving this book a good old read.

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I've got more coming in the future, but this will do for now, I suppose. Keep your eyes open in the future as I review books like Kid Eternity and The Filth. And in case your pallette is savoring for the extensive capability to find Morrison's work in an easier way than I've been doing, someone on Amazon created this nice list featuring a highlight reel of some of his greatest. While all of the guy's comments aren't neccesarily accurate, it'll give you a hell of an easier way to get Seaguy than the route I took (searching for months and months in comic stores)!

One other thing of note: when I was buying up books, I saw a little book called Grant Morrison: The Early Years. As I am an avid fan of him, I plan to go back and buy this when I have a bit more money. Through a brief look, though, it does appear to be quite the interesting little biography/look into his twisted mind that could be a great read for fans and/or writers alike. I can't offer any real comments as I have not read it, only browsed it, but I figured it was worth a mention.

Usually I try to recommend some slightly less-than-mainstream titles that you may or may not have heard of, but that's not the case this week. In honor of the new animated DC film being released on Tuesday, I feel it's appropriate to recommend one of my favorite graphic novels in recent years, on with the movie is based. And yes, it's written by JEPH LOEB.

*boo*

*hiss*

There was a time, a few years ago, where this title was honestly my favorite. Lately I feel it's fallen off because there's not a clear narrative, and it's actually quite nebulous in its continuity. But when it started, it was in continuity, and I would even say it was at the crux of the DC Universe.

The premise is simple. You know Lex Luthor used to be President, right? Yeah. Well, he was. (Speaking of that, it seemed like people were playing hot potato with the Presidency. First it was Lex, then it was Pete Ross, both let go under less than honorable circumstances.) Anyway, we all know that Superman and Luthor don't get along. This is like Joker becoming Police Commissioner. Not a very nice thing. And well, it starts in pure Michael Bay fashion. There's a giant meteor headed towards Earth. It's the size of a Brazil. So President Luthor puts a warrant out for the arrest of Superman. With a reward of $1 Billion.

WHOA WHOA WHOA. What's that? Superman a fugitive? That makes no sense. Well of course it does. the meteor is a shard of Krypton, and is therefore Superman's fault. It seems like a weak excuse, but let's not get it twisted. Real Presidents have gotten things they want under much more flimsy reasonings.

So Superman's in trouble. So he turns to the only person he can trust unequivocally: Batman.

While they're completely different in so many ways, they're also more alike than they'll admit. And Loeb's wonderful inner monologues of both Clark and Bruce illustrates that. They admire each other. They respect each other. They don't quite understand each other. That despite their wildly different outlooks on life, they're brothers. Fighting for the same goals.

From then on, they run the gamut in the DCU, fighting third stringers like the Black Spider(a lame Batman villain) to heavy hitters like Solomon Grundy and Mongul. They find allies along the way, from members of Luthor's sanctioned superteam in charge of bringing in the fugitives, to a "Not-So-Terrible Toyman."

The book plays out a lot like something the aforementioned Michael Bay would produce. It's over the top, it's action packed, but it also has a terrific story and pacing that really gives you an idea of how dire the situation is. The art really compliments the style of storytelling too. The pencils, handled by the incomparable Ed McGuinness hasa very kinetic energy that illustrates the action beautifully. I will admit, however, that Solomon Grundy kind of looks like an odd mash-up of Rulk and Eric Roberts. But this predates Rulk, and who doesn't want to look like Eric Roberts anyway? That is one beautiful man.

I alluded to this earlier, but one of the reasons I loved this so much is that Loeb had a clear narrative working from issue one. There are questions raised in this that are, for the most part resolved. There is one that is left unresolved, but I do believe that that was best for the character of Batman. you'll see when you read it. In all honesty, this is the reason I've stuck with his run on Hulk. Loeb has a narrative, and I feel once it's run it's course, it'll read a lot better than it has in single issue form.

So what are you waiting for? If you haven't already picked this up, you should. It's a blast to read, and I haven't even scratched the surface of how fun this book is. The amazon link is below.

Amazon

The announcement of a new movie by Bruce Timm featuring voice casting from the '90s cartoons, it seemingly came out of nowhere and plesantly surprised us all. I know I for one found out about it by complete accident and made a news post here out of the blue (as well as discussed other supposed animated projects). It finally came out this way and I, being the uber-nerd I am, eagerly found myself a copy and had a nice private viewing in my new home theater sound (46" TV and digital 5.1 surround sound, baby!). And now I present to you a nice little review of said film on this easy going Friday. Don't worry, though - there will still be a Friday Recommendation brought to you by everyone's favorite Gil, so keep your eyes peeled for that. This is just to tide you over for a bit.

I'd like to start off by saying this is probably the best DC Animated film since the adaptation of New Frontier. Seriously - this film is GREAT. I should point out as well that I went into the movie with a bit of negative prejudice due to it being based on an arc by the bane of my comic existance, Jeph Loeb (entitled "The World's Finest", the first arc of the Superman/Batman comic book). Gil tells me it's a great arc, but I have my reservations against the writer. I was plesantly surprised on all accounts by how amazing the movie was, and I would highly recommend it to any comic book or superhero fan of the DCU.

The film, as I said, is based off of "The World's Finest" by Jeph Loeb. In the story, Lex Luthor makes a vie for the oval office and wins, becoming the new President of the USA. As he does this, he instigates a new policy in which all superheroes need to register and work for him (Civil War, anyone?). Some of the early candidates for registration are Captain Atom and Power Girl, for example. Superman isn't really having this, though. Before long, a giant meteor made of Kryptonite is spotted headed for Earth, and Luthor uses this as an opportunity to set up a move against Superman: either Superman registers and works for him, or Luthor will make Superman into Public Enemy #1 of America. Superman obviously refuses, and Luthor sics Metallo on him. Luckily, Batman comes to the rescue at the last second and the two barely escape. Thus sets the stage for Luthor to announce a one million dollar bounty on the two as he plans to deal with the meteor in his own way. Batman and Superman end up on the run from every super hero and villain imaginable, all the while doing their best to figure out how to stop the impending meteor.

For starters, the film boasts a very impressive cast of character appearances. We're talking everyone from Black Manta to Solomon Grundy, Gorilla Grodd to Mongol, Giganta, Captain Cold, and Bane, all making passes at Batman and Superman to collect the bounty. And that's just the villains! Expect to see Captain Marvel, Black Lightning, Hawkman, and Starfire (and more) as well. It boasts a very impressive group of heroes and is very clearly designed for people who enjoy the DC Universe and all it's various character. It's very appreciated, to say the least. On top of that, the characters themselves make comments that are very specifically comic based. At one point when fighting in a graveyard, Batman makes note that they should leave so that the fight doesn't turn into their funeral, to which Superman replies, "I've already had one." Awesome.



This of course leads into the next point I want to make about the movie - although it's animated, it very much isn't geared towards younger kid fans in the way that (yesterday's review) Super Hero Squad Show is. Not only is there all the aforementioned fan-service placed in the movie, but there are several moments of the movie that are clearly geared to an older crowd. Not only does Luthor at one point swear in the movie, but there is direct references to Power Girl's oversized breasts, as well as a scene where several swears are very obviously bleeped out. In the opening to the movie as we see how Luthor became president, a talk show host that is most likely a parody of John Stewart makes commentary on Luthor's presidential run, saying that anyone who would vote for him clearly must also "be a fan of getting ****ed in the ***." When I saw/heard that at the beginning of the movie, not only did I laugh pretty hard, but I acknowledged that this in turn somewhat sets a precident for the rest of the film. In that one little scene I realized that this movie really is geared for the older fan crowd, and that makes me love this movie even more.

I started off by throwing it out there that I think this is flat out one of the best adaptations of all time. It's definitely second best to New Frontier and all the above reasons are definitely a part of that. But that's not all! Clancy Brown, Tim Daly, and Kevin Conroy all reprising their roles, as well as Bruce Timm's involvement, help show how big of a win this movie is. The fight scenes are a-plenty, and they are very big, very involved, very well animated, and just flat out very cool. Like I said, I didn't read the comic this was adapted from, but even if it is a Loeb comic I think I'm going to have to go and give it a good read. I'd like to see how much of it was in the book in the first place. It's just such a great and fun film, easily one of the best animated movies I've seen in a while. It never lets down, either. All the new voice casting is great, the animation is crisp and smooth through out the entire film. There are some fight scenes (and I don't want to ruin who is in them) that play out so amazingly that I have to sit back and just watch the animation carefully to say, "Wow, look at how much effort was put into that." They stay away from over doing the CGI-animated bits and it's all very well hand drawn (although there is a small bit with CGI). It just looks and sounds great.

I really have no complaints about it whatsoever. Seriously! I feel like this and New Frontier set a good standard for how these animated films should be done. Sure, the previous movies were all fun, and the Marvel movies are good times too, but this book gets me jazzed to read the original comic in the way that New Frontier did. I could definitely watch this movie a lot, and I can't say that about movies like Wonder Woman or Batman: Gotham Knight, because they just don't play out as well as this one does. This one is great from beginning to end, however, and I can't recommend it enough.

Final Verdict: Buy it. It's great.