Change we can believe in...for real this time.

As you can see, Doc's Comic Blog has a political side and with this entry, it's evident which 2008 Presidential candidate Doc wants to see in the oval office. I know, politics on a comic blog is never a good thing but when IDW releases a comic about a candidate, isn't that fair game? John McCain's comic would have a spot on this blog but being that I'm a lowly journalist (journalism student which is actually worse), I couldn't really afford both.

The book is a heavy read. It goes through Senator Obama's entire life in 28 pages thus leading to a somewhat hurried tale. There are some interesting tidbits about Obama's life, the most prominent to me was his openness to experimenting with pot and cocaine in his high school days. The book then goes to explain his college life, his days as a lawyer, all the way to the present day when he was named the democratic nominee for the White House.

So, here's the thing about this comic. The art is really hit and miss. It almost seems as if IDW asked their artists to draw a picture of Obama and picked the best one. The problem is you have an adult Obama head on the body of an eight year-old Obama. It just looks a little strange. The cover art by J. Scott Campbell however, looks really cool.

The book serves it's purpose as a way of getting the history of Obama out to a younger generation. I know it did for me.

I tried to keep my personal political views out of this review as it may offend some readers. If we've lost some readers due to this entry we ask them to realize that either candidate is better than the one currently in office, but it's easy to go up from crap.

So, here's to the idea of change that each candidate is promoting and to the actual realization of those ideas.

Peace,
Doc

P.S. C'mon, how awful is Palin though? If she is made Commander-in-Chief, it would be a sad day for all Americans. Ohhh...you betcha it would (wink).

Finally: A Book Fit for a Superman

Geoff Johns is a frigging genius. He’s made Superman cool. Over the years, it’s the rare writer who can make the Man of Steel interesting. The problem is that Superman is so damned super. He can do so much with his powers that it’s difficult to create challenges, villains and storylines that actually make the guy sweat.

Of course, Johns didn’t make the big guy cool overnight. He began co-writing Action Comics with Kurt Busiak (starting with issue 838), and co-authored another nine or so issues with film director Richard Donner (starting with Action 844). And while those stories were fine, they weren’t particularly stand-up-and-shout quality. But then came Action 858, a story arc featuring a powerless Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes. It also marked artist Gary Frank’s (former Incredible Hulk and Squadron Supreme artist) first foray into the world of Superman. The issues were outstanding and the grandpa of all comics, Action Comics, began getting a bit of love from readers who appreciate quality work.

And all of that background brings me to the current issue of Action, #870. The finale of a six part storyline involving Superman and Braniac, this issue combines fabulous artwork, spectacular action, a great story, some major pain for Braniac delivered by the Man of Steel and a totally unexpected ending (that I won’t ruin). Johns has taken all the previous Brainiac stories, incorporated the best aspects of each and concocted a logical reworking of the story of the villain from the computer planet Colu, who collects planets and civilizations. It’s not often that when I finish a comic that I immediately flip back to the beginning to read it all over again, but I did because this one was so incredible.

Like I said, Geoff Johns is a frigging genius.—RFM

4.5/5

Gears of War #1 Review

Gears of War #1
Videogames get a bad rap for having bad stories when compared to other mediums such as books. It could be because a lot of videogames are a little lacking in the plot department, or it could be because even if a game has a great story, it is completely butchered by someone, such as Uwe Boll, who has no understanding of how to handle a great concept.

The Gears of War comic seems to follow the same trend of taking a good idea created in the videogame world and completely butchering it, knowing that even if it is awful, people are still buying the name. Sure, Gears doesn't have an amazing story in the ways the "Halo" or "Bioshock" games do, but the overly macho heroes fighting off a mysterious monster horde on a futuristic planet is still entertaining, except when transfered over to the pages of a comic book, apparently.

The art is mediocre at best. The story involves a lame search and rescue mission that ends in a fight with the Locust. The first issue in a comic arc usually are slow and get things moving for the next few issues, but this story seems to have no direction other than to rescue survivors who have gone missing and return to the human stronghold. It is possible that an exciting threat will arise, or that a new important mission will sidetrack the Gears from getting back to base, but so far it seems as if nothing is happening that couldn't be summed up in one short level in the Gears of War videogame. Hopefully the writers have something much larger planned, because if they don't, this could be a very short series.

2/5 stars

Deadpool #3 Review

Deadpool #3
This issue marks a sad truth. It's the end of the biweekly issues of Deadpool and now we have to wait a whole entire month before #4 hits stands. It is indeed a sad day. The good news however, is the issue was a nice strong finish to the opening arc.

There are two major plot points to the book but both are essential to telling the story. The first is the Merc with a Mouth's epic fight with his nemesis, the Super Skrull.

The second is 'Pool explaining how his powers work to the exasperated Skrull doctor. This allows for new readers to understand what exactly Deadpool has been through, though it still doesn't let the noobs in on how his cellular regeneration causes him to be a little crazy which is made a little evident by any book he's been in.

This exposition would normally have taken away from the story but on the next page when Fury asks what took him so long to get to where he needed to be, Deadpool's explains that he was in a "exposition-heavy scene." It's good to see that Daniel Way still allows 'Pool to break the fourth wall which he's infamous for doing.

Paco Medina's art is as always perfect for the book though he seems to struggle with giving Deadpool expression through his mask. He appears to only have two emotions: Bad-ass or surprised. While this is just a little knit-picky thing, it still is noticeable and takes away from the book.

The only thing I'm sad to see is Crayton Crain's no longer doing the covers for Deadpool starting next issue (you know, the one we have to wait 30 days for). I love Crain's work and his covers look awesome and almost seem to give the Regeneratin' Degenerate some credibility that he lacks so much of (I don't know why).

I can't wait for the next issue (30 days...booo) and to see what is in store for 'Pool with a certain leader of the Thunderbolts.

4.5/5 stars

Walking Dead #53 Review

The Walking Dead #53
TWD is one of my favorite books to read each month. The issues are always interesting and something always seems to happen, whether it be plot or character developement. Issue #53 definitely has both.

After Rick and Carl meet up with Michonne, the three luckily are in the path of Glen (my favorite) and Maggie. The five then go back to Hershel's farm where Andrea (my other favorite) and Dale (ok, they're all my favorites) are with Sophia. The next morning a clan of three strangers roll up to the farm asking for supplies. The man with the gun in the middle is Sergeant Abraham Ford, the woman is Rosita Espinosa and the guy with the radio-lookin' thing is Dr. Eugene Porter. The group reveals their plan of heading to Washington D.C. since that's where the country is most likely to be organized as well as the fact the Dr. knows how this pandemic happened.

This issue opens up a lot of potential awesome storylines. Will our group we've been with since the beginning go to D.C.? Will we find what the cause of the zombies are? Personally, I'm ready for a road trip and hopefully some urban-setting stuff (that was the coolest part in the beginning of the series).

The other interesting aspect of the book is the depiction of how the characters are dealing with the trauma. At first, we see Rick talking to his dead wife via telephone, now Michonne is talking to her dead boyfriend and little Sophia thinks Maggie is her real mom. All our characters are starting to look more and more mentally unstable. It could be within the realm of possibilty that Kirkman is getting us ready for a shift in lead characters, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if executed (no pun intended) properly. There's a lot of evidence to suggest this. Rick is constantly saying he doesn't want to lead anymore and that "As long as Carl's safe, I'm just along for the ride." Their world has been torn apart and these new characters enter to almost save the day. Part of me hopes I'm wrong but another part really wants to be right, so we can see things under a different light than we have ever previously experienced.

TWD is consistently awesome and shows no signs of letting up.

4.5/5 stars

Batman #680 Review

Batman #680
Batman #680 brings the R.I.P. storyline just one issue from its sure to be shocking ending as Batman, who is still in an altered state of mind, makes his way to face the Club of Villains at Arkham Asylum. Nightwing is about to be lobotimized and the Joker has been set free to cause mayhem.

While this issue doesn't have any truly shocking moments (the twist at the end is something most fans have probably wondered for a while) it still manages to mix things up a little bit. The Joker isn't necessarily willing to play nicely with the Black Glove's goons and even has a different attitude towards Batman after blaming him for being shot in the head a dozen or so issues back.

The art is very moody and brings the story to life with not only the great drawings and vivid colors, but also the way the panels are layed out in a way to offer fragments of all the action going on. A lot of things go on subtlely, but are not drawn causing confusion, which is very hard to do.

This arc has done a great job of slowly bringing all of the pieces together without revealing the big finish to the arc just yet. With next issue's conclusion to the R.I.P. storyline, #680 ends with everything in place and even though it offers very few answers and even more questions, it doesn't seem like a whole lot more can happen without answering a few questions, such as: who the Black Glove is, where Robin has gone off to, what part will Damien play, and just what lies ahead for The Dark Knight?

R.I.P. is so good that it is sad to see it end, but at the same time, R.I.P. is a story that solely relies on everything coming together to create one big finish. Hopefully it doesn't fail, but with such a fantastic run so far, it doesn't look like Grant Morrison has intentions on letting friends down.

5/5 stars

Doctor's Note: We apologize for the lateness of this essential review. Be sure to take two pills before bed then check Doc's Comic Blog in the morning.

I Am Become Death Review

Ok, this is going to be short and not so sweet. I just finished watching the newest episode of Heroes and all I have to say is ... what the hell happened?

There's so many things wrong with this show now, I can't even go into them all because you'd be reading the worlds longest blog.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt last season with the writers strike and all. After four episodes, the show could possibly be worse than it was last year. Last week, I gave myself a little hope due to the increased level of writing (plus no Mohinder...thank god). Sylar and Noah was the best thing the writers have done in a year and a half. Today, there was none of that, there wasn't even Noah, who is the coolest character on the show. Safe to say, I just want to quit watching the show all together.

What was the point of the episode? Why do we need to see Sylar in the future with a kid? Whose kid? Another thing, haven't we seen this whole bomb kills a lot of people storyline in the show already? Oh wait...there isn't a good idea in the Heroes writing circle anymore so they just use the same ideas over and over again.

I seriously can't believe how the writing has plummetted like it has since the stellar first season.

The show really needs to drop many of its characters and the ones they did drop were the ones they shouldn't have. They were the characters the people had a personal relationship with. We see Micah in the last episode for twenty seconds but not this time. Maybe I missed something, but isn't Nathan still married to the lady who was in the wheelchair? So, why's he with Tracy or Jessica or whatever the hell her name is? The part when she was going to commit suicide, I couldn't help but think, "Yes, give in to the sweet release and get the hell off the show. It's going to be so much better without you." Then what happens, Nathan swoops in to save her. Oops, there goes his secret again. Wasn't there a time when he didn't want anyone to know he could fly? Man those were the days. Back when the characters seemed like real people and not a bunch a crazy's.

Last thing, why...oh why...did they bring Adam back. He sucks.

Guess this wasn't short but it definitely wasn't sweet. I really want Heroes to be good but there isn't really an indication that it's going to be. Let's hope the big return next episode will steer the show in the right direction...but probably not.

.001/5 stars

Witchblade #121 Review

Witchblade #121
As I mentioned in my Broken Trinity review, the current Witchblade arc features a threat to the Orthodox Jewish community in New York. And let me just say this issue is so much better then the previous one (even though there is still no indication whatsoever that the Broken Trinity crossover has any bearing on this series).

We are introduced to a grisly crime scene in which an Orthodox Rabbi has been brutally murdered in a way that no normal human being can do. After a witness tells her story of how she saw a monstrous beast just prior to the death, Detective Sara Pezzini and her partner/boyfriend Patrick Gleason go hunting for something that goes bump in the night. Pezzini runs into a journalist who has put the pieces of the Witchblade together and is in need of some proof to give her story some legs. So, the clingy reporter follows Pezzini into the den of what can only be a Golem.

A Golem is apparently a Jewish creation which is a creature made of mud and other natural things then given life to do the bidding of the one who raised it. I remember watching an episode of "The X-Files" (best TV show ever), in which a Jewish woman raised her dead husband from the dead as a Golem. It's interesting to see another take on the mythology of the Golem.

This issue brings another idea to the table. What if Pezzini's secret weapon became not so secret via a newspaper story by a certain nosy reporter. That's what I hope writer Ron Marz is thinking also. It would certainly allow for a lot more storylines to open up which Marz could really use since he's agreed to write 'Blade until at least issue #150.

Sejic's art is as always amazing. Sometimes I think his drawings are real life faces put in a comic book. He does an awesome job of creating a mood with his various shades of color.

While this issue is hands down better than issue #120, I still wish it had something to do with the crossover like First Born did. That reason really brings the rating down but I can only hope that Marz has some plans as to how he's going to work in Broken Trinity into the regular Witchblade series.

3.5/5 stars

No Hero #1 Review

No Hero #1
Elite writer Warren Ellis seems to be the only guy writing for Avatar Comics. He has at least four different series that I know of and No Hero is his newest story in the mix.

The book is almost a take-off of Wanted. A guy gets into a special club, in this case "The Front Line" and becomes a freedom fighter (except there is no murder or rape and the main character doesn't become a bad guy like in the aforementioned series...so it's not really like Wanted at all). Anyway the story follows Josh Carver as he tries his hardest to get noticed by Front Line boss, Carrick Masterson, the creator of a superhuman drug that can make any human...super. After finally grasping the attention of Masterson via a royal ass-whooping of some goons in an alley, Carver is invited to join the Front Line.

The most noticeable aspect of the book is its attention to detail in the art. Juan Jose Ayp's pencils are some of the most precise in the industry even if they are a little cartoony. I especially enjoyed the half eaten corn dog in one of the panels. There is just so much to look at when gazing upon Ayp's work that studying the art is almost as fun as reading it. That being said there are some problems with this issue. The first being that Ayp seems to have trouble drawing men. When the only female is introduce, The Operator, she is drawn so much better than the two men. Carver looks like an adult Chris Griffin from Family Guy while Masterson appears to be modeled after the vampire Lestat; with his flowing blonde hair.

The other problem, which maybe will be explained later is what the hell are those little popcorn-looking things that appear when a character hits something. It's actually distracting from the art which is never good. Each time something or someone is hit, there appears to be a small foam party. It's small but it bothers me.

Ellis' writing is as always excellent but you have to wonder why he seems to be working strictly for Avatar. Does he own the company or does he just like the creative freedom? I wish I could ask him but I'm just a lowly comic blogger who gives this...

4/5 stars

Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse #1 Review

Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse #1
Last year Marvel released the comic book adaptation of the Laurell K. Hamilton vampire crime novel called "Guilty Pleasures" featuring Hamilton's famous main character, Anita Blake.

Blake is an Animator, a person whose job it is to raise the dead for a short period of time and for a fee. Her more well known job is that of a vampire hunter. She is a court-appointed vampire slayer who has earned the nickname within the vampire world as "The Executioner."

Now she's back after a brief hiatus for another adventure which undoubtedly will be featuring zombies.

Issue #1 of "The Laughing Corpse" is every first issue; there's a lot of exposition, a little action and the main conflict is introduced. Like the previous arc, Blake has more than one problem in her life and watching her cope and deal with these problems is the best part about an Anita Blake book.

There are two main storylines in this first issue. The first has Blake meeting a potential client who wants her to raise a 200 year-old corpse. She refuses as the client offers to supply the "white goat," which we come to find out is animator lingo for a human sacrifice. Hopefully, we'll see a lot more of this since she's never raised anything that old.

The second storyline takes place at a murder scene. The reader only knows as much as Blake does which makes the crime all the more mysterious and gruesome. This is my favorite part of the Anita Blake series; going along for the ride as she tries to solve the case all the while attempting to keep some semblance of a real life.

For those who are wondering why she is wearing an ugly pink dress on the cover, it's because of the third storyline. Blake is a bridesmaid at her friend Catherine's wedding. As to why she's looks like Rambo with a small armory, one can only hope she's gonna kick some ass at a red wedding. Oh man...I'm hilarious. Red wedding...white wedding...blood...get it...Oh, nevermind.

Good read and I can't wait for the next issue.

4.5/5