for the week of 09-28-2005

Winner of the Week

JLA #119 - This is a clear winner this week. Wrapping up Crisis of Conscience, we
not only get to see a knock down, drag out brawl between the Despero-controlled JLA
members and the very few remaining free thinking members, we see the actual
dissolving of the JLA as a team. The last time this happened was a little less than 20
years ago when Max Lord, the former controller of the OMAC project reformed the
Justice League.

Loser of the week

New Avengers #11 - The art is great. Finch outdid himself in the fight scenes with
Ronin. The story isn't bad. My problem is, and if I end up being mistaken it would
retrospectively boost this issue majorly in my rankings, that the supposed secret
identity of Ronin appears to be really simple to figure out. Now granted, Bendis could
be pulling my leg, but I'm pretty sure I know who it is.

Honorable Mention

Batman #645 - This was a great tale showcasing flashbacks of Jason Todd's time as
Robin while in the current time, Batman is scouring Jason's coffin for clues. It's told
through Alfred's point of view, which makes it all the better. And in the last panel,
Bats comes to the conclusion that "There's never been a body in this coffin."

How They Rank

1. JLA #119
2. Batman #645
3. Adventures of Superman #644
4. The OMAC Project #6
5. Cat Woman #47
6. Young Avengers #7
7. Ultimate Iron Man #4
8. New X-Men: Academy X #18
9. Angel: The Curse #4
10. New Avengers #11

Baka's Treasured Anime

for the week of 07-25-2005

Scrapped Princess vol. 1: Family Ties - I've watched the first DVD of
this series and have been blown away.  The animation is fantastic, the
story is great, and I can't wait to watch more.  The basic plot is 15 years
before the start of the series, a prophesy was made that a certain girl
would be the seed of the destruction of the world.  She was called the
Scrapped Princess.  Her name is Pacifica Cassul.  She is forced to
always be on the run from a multitude of would-be assassins and is
protected by her brother Shannon, who is an expert swordsman and her
sister Racquel, who is an unmatched mage.  There are bits of comedy,
mostly from the knight errant Leo that add a whole new dimension to a
very serious story.  And hey, the major villain/possible antihero is
named Chris.  And that's just shiny for Spoon and me.

Movie Time

for the week of 09-30-2005

Serenity - Wow. Just wow. I loved Firefly. And I was given it in movie form. And Joss
Whedon did not disappoint. There were certain things, which I won't spoil, which made
me want to cry and shriek. But it was part of the story and the story was good. My
only issue with the movie was the sort of color wash done over most parts. Many scenes
were shot in a blue or grey tone, which gives a cold, metallic feel to everything. A bit
sterile in my opinion. The show used warm colors of browns and reds and felt more
homely and inviting. I give it a 9 out of 10.

for the week of 09-21-2005

Winner of the Week

It's a Baka-kun first: a three-way tie for this week's winner. All in all, this week
was a very good week for comics, at least for the ones I happened to buy.

Day of Vengeance #6 - Here we have the conclusion to the first of the Countdown to
Infinite Crisis mini-series. It's a knock down, drag out fight between Spectre and
the wizard Shazam, with the winner taking all. Needless to say, things don't go very
well for the good guys. Shazam is dead, Captain Marvel is powerless, all of the ancient
dark magics that were held in check by Shazam are now free on Earth. It is this that I
believe will play a large role in the upcoming Crisis. Also, the Shadowpact seems to
have apparently put a stop to Eclipso by teleporting her in a close orbit of the sun. (So
you know, Eclipso loses its power in the sunlight)

JSA Classified #3 - Wow. Just wow. Take one buxom superheroine who doesn't know
her own origins. Add one insane supervillain who can control emotions and is one of
possibly two people (Pariah being the other) who can remember Crisis on Infinite
Earths. And just for fun, throw in some members of the Justice Society of America, a
Bird of Prey, and some shadow beings who only Power Girl can see, though others can
feel. And your final product is an amazing comic. As far as I can see, this 4 part
storyline is the most important thing leading up to Crisis. One of the most intriguing
parts of this story is that Psycho Pirate is working with Luthor and the Society. Once
again, whispers of the original Crisis are getting louder.

Supergirl #3 - Kara Zor-El versus the Teen Titans. I'm a bit giddy with excitement.
But, man, Connor (Superboy) sure is getting the short end of the stick. Supergirl
hands the Titans their heads on a platter (that is, she would if she killed). Long story
short, Robin, Kid Flash, and Starfire show up in time to stop things from going too far.
And shockingly enough, it's Starfire who might have the answers Kara is looking for.

Loser of the week

I can't really treat any of these books as a loser this week.

Honorable Mention

The New Avengers #10 - Sure, it's ranked last, but it's worth mentioning. This is the
conclusion to the Sentry storyline. A hero who has placed a failsafe on his own powers
so that he doesn't hurt anyone, even by knowing him. That is what the Sentry has had to
do for years thanks to the workings of the Hellfire Club's Mastermind. Emma Frost
sets him right and the Avengers take him in. It ends as they arrive back at Stark Tower
only to find the Sentry's secret stronghold sitting atop the tower.

How They Rank

1. Day of Vengeance #6
1. JSA Classified #3
1. Supergirl #2
2. Teen Titans/Outsiders: Secret Files and Origins 2005
3. Green Lantern Corps Recharge #1
4. Batman: Gotham Knights #69
5. Birds of Prey #86
6. Manhunter #14
7. The New Avengers #10

for the week of 09-14-2005

Winner of the Week

Fables #41 - This is the conclusion to Boy Blue's journey in the Homelands.
Gepetto finishes his tale about how he became the Adversary and has been taking
over all the Fable lands, and the real Red Riding Hood is brought before Boy Blue.
Turns out, the Riding Hood he fell in love with before the exile was yet another
doppelganger. Blue escapes Gepetto's clutches and escapes with Riding Hood
back to Fabletown. It is then revealed that Blue was actually sent to the Homelands
by Prince Charming, proving that the mayor of Fabletown might just be a great
deal cleverer than originally thought.

Loser of the week

X-Men #175 - Oh the drama! I swear, it's like watching a soap opera. This is the
first time I've picked this book up in awhile. I did so because it looked like it might
be the beginning of a cool crossover with Black Panther. On that area, I wasn't
terribly disappointed, though the idea of mutant animals is a bit silly. The art is
definitely the high point of this issue as Salvador Larocca is great with the X-Men.
But the constant relationship issues between Rogue and Gambit and the way that
Iceman has become a shell of his former self and is disliked by everyone really
chafes me.

Honorable Mention

JLA #118 - The penultimate issue of Crisis of Conscience was an excellent read.
Martian Manhunter fights Despero and is aided by Aquaman. The majority of the
JLA vote on whether to erase the memories of the Secret Society of Supervillains
again, with the deciding vote coming down to Zatanna, who quits the team in refusal.
Z runs off to Paradise Island and hangs out with Supergirl and Wonder Woman.
Cat Woman cozies up to Batman as he tells her what the JLA did, but are
by Despero and the now mind-controlled Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. Well,
Despero gets a fishy king, a green rook, and a dark knight.

Green Arrow #54 - Green Arrow and Black Lightning versus Dr. Light? Well, not
just yet apparently. GA and BL are working on hunting down the Doc, but Dr. Light
is already hunting down . . . Dr. Light . . . Yup, that's right. He's hunting down the
female version of Dr. Light that was introduced in Crisis on Infinite Earths (Ooh
look, another secretive Crisis tie-in). The reason, to take the light power from her.
GA and BL rush to the hospital when they hear about what happened, where it's
revealed that the female Dr. Light is no longer a metahuman, and oh yeah, HA HA,
it was a trap. Enter Mirror Master and Killer Frost (Shock! another possible
Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in, not to mention Villains United).

Wildcats: Nemesis #1 - This was the surprise of the week. I expected a decent
Wildcats story, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the art and the quality
of the story. It's about halfway filled with a flashback, explaining why Zealot hates
Nemesis and what makes Nemesis so bad (though I doubt she's all that bad). My
personal favorite part of this was getting to see Savant, Zealot's younger sister (Or
maybe not according to Nemesis) as a member of the main team of Wildcats.

How They Rank

1. Fables #41
2. JLA #118
3. Nightwing #112
4. Hawkman #44
5. Rann-Thanagar War #5
6. Green Arrow #54
7. Wildcats: Nemesis #1
8. JSA #77
9. Gravity #4
10. All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #2
11. Action Comics #831
12. X-Men #175

Spoon's Comics of the Week

for the week of 09-28-2005

 Winner of the Week

Loser of the Week

I think Spoon's just lazy.

Honorable Mention

The Omac Project #6 - It is worth noting that while I was sorely
disappointed in issue 5 of this book, this issue managed to redeem
most of that. While it is not one of the highest ranking books for
me this week, I really liked the fact that it circled back so that Blue
Beetle saved the day. Also, as with Day of Vengeance, plenty of
important events with far reaching implications occur leading to
Infinite Crisis.

How They Rank

1. JLA #119
2. Adventures of Superman #644
3. Cat Woman #47
4. The OMAC Project #6
5. Ultimate Iron Man #4
6. Kitty Pryde: Shadow and Flame #5
7. NYX #7

Movie Time

for the week of 09-12-2005

 The Transporter 2 - This movie is a great action ride. If you
can suspend your thought during a few silly scenes, then it is
certainly woth the money. Plenty of explosions, great chase
scenes, and fighting to go around.

The Brothers Grimm - I am not sure why the critics seem to
loathe this movie so much. I enjoyed it a great deal as it has
a good story that plays with the Grimm stories and good
performances from the actors. Also, it is far more
approachable than most Terry Gilliam faire as a movie with
stunning visuals that doesn't require at least 3 viewings to
understand what just happened. Not that there is anything
wrong with that...I happen to be a fan of such things and thus
like Terry Gilliam. Anyhow, it is a good movie, and worth
checking out.

Spoon's Treasured Anime

for the week of 07-27-2005

Scrapped Princess Vol 1: While I am a fan of fantasy, I usually don't
go out of my way to partake of it but I took a chance here based on
Baka's recommendations.  Thankfully this did not dissappoint at all.
I was more impressed by it at every turn and found myself quickly
drawn into the plot and wanting to know more about the characters.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Vol 7: Wrapping up the first
season of the television series this volume rocked.  All of the
elements of the Laughing Man storyline weave together into this
fitting conclussion that stretches Section 9 to the breaking point.
This entire series is great and offers some excellent character
development and background that was sorely lacking from the first
movie.

for the week of 09-21-2005

 Winner of the Week

Loser of the Week

Is Spoon lazy or were all his books really good?

Honorable Mention

JSA Classified #3 - Continuing the Power Girl origin storyline
as Psycho Pirate plays with her brain, I found myself blown away by
this book. Even the cover made me laugh as Huntress and Power
Girl ask if it is a Villains United tie in or an OMAC tie in. Offering
many explanations of who Power Girl might be that swarmed
around her I found the whole thing a fun head trip reminiscent
of plots like Twilight Zone or Serial Expreiments Lain. While I
am not sure what Psycho Pirate has in store for Karen, what he
has done so far has been a doozy and I am looking forward to the
conclusion that will offer the truth of her origin.

How They Rank

1. Day of Vengeance #6
2. JSA Classified #3
3. Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1
4. Supergirl #2
5. Birds of Prey #86
6. Teen Titans/Outsiders: Secret Files

for the week of 09-14-2005

 Winner of the Week

Loser of the Week

All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #2 - This seems totally
out of place to put this book in the loser of the week.  It has a team
of incredible creative talent working on it, and Jim Lee's art is
fantastic.  Even the brooding Batman, and Dick Greyson determining
to not let fear and sorrow overtake him in the midst of horrific
circumstances was very well written.  So I find myself asking why it
is so low in my rankings this week.  Is this because I prefer the widely
accepted Loeb origin of Robin, and this re-imagining bugs me...
perhaps.  However, what I think did it was the scene where Batman is
running over the cops and laughing like a homicidal maniac.  I am all
far the Dark Knight being dark, and own both Dark Knight Returns
and Year One from Miller.  But there is something about the way 
Batman came off in this issue that I just really didn't like at all. 
Hopefully this title will shift more toward the Batman portrayed within 
his inner monologue being apparent to the other characters as well,
but this issue left me wondering what I had just read. 

Honorable Mention

Spoon's lazy.

How They Rank

1. JLA #118
2. Nightwing #112
3. Green Arrow #54
4. JSA #77
5. Rann-Thanagar War #5
6. All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #2

or the week of 09-08-2005

 Winner of the Week

Loser of the Week

Who needs losers?  

Honorable Mention

Serenity #3 - While the ending of this comic felt more hype for the
movie than anything else, and the villains seemed to die a little
easily I still found this a great read and it sets an interesting tone
for what is coming. 

House of M #6 - While this started out very slowly, the story is
getting far more interesting in these last issues.  Not really
much I can say without giving away major plot points, but I 
enjoyed this issue and the finale promises to be huge.

How They Rank

1. Villains United #5
2. Serenity #3
3. House of M #6