The doctor has moved to Florida.

Doc's down with "The Boy's"

The Boys: A New Review of an Old Classic
So, after reading the hilariously outrageous miniseries called "Herogasm" by Garth Ennis, I decided to do something I never really do buy the first trade of the regular series "The Boys." All I have to say is...Wow, what a dirty little treat.

The premise of the book is surprisingly simple yet somehow never thought of before in the comic world. The world's superhero's turn out to be not so super. They kill civilians without a passing glance, demand humiliating things from their up-and-coming potential teammates and in the case of the "Teen Kix" aka Teen Titans, they have all out orgies to satisfy their teenage needs. They're the bad guys of the series it seems and it's great!

This is where the boys come in. The head of the team, Butcher, is a tough talkin' Englishman who likes to throw around some nice bloody English lingo which can be hard to understand. Next is the Mother's Milk, a straight man who keeps Butcher in line. The newest entry is the Simon Pegg inspired Wee Hughie. He's asked to join the team after the love of his life is literally torn from his arms by superhero A-Train thus fueling his need for revenge against the supes. Fourth is appropriately named "The Female" as she is the only girl of the group. A quiet little thing who so far is a walking killing machine without so much as saying a word. The fifth and final member of this superhero swat team is The Frenchman. He's French. Go figure. But he also is one of the more interesting characters as he goes from apparent scholar to crazed lunatic without so much as an awkard glance.

The objective of the CIA-backed team is to keep the sick and depraved supes in line and from time to time, exterminate the all out crazy ones. Simple enough. That's about as much as I know at this time.

However, what I also know is the series is so dark and gritty that it almost seems plausible that superheroes would actually act this way. Why wouldn't they? Who's gonna stop 'em? Nobody. Enter The Boys and enter some all out name-takin', ass-kickin', French-talkin' madness that's insanely cool to read.

Stay tuned for a medical look at Volume 2 here at Doc's Comic Blog!

4.5/5 stars

Ever want to see Superman go completely berserk?

Irredeemable #4

WELL NOW YOU CAN!

Though it's not the DC wonder boy, it is a very similar character called "The Plutonian," who one day decides to go ape-$%$@ and kill millions of nice civilians and fellow heroes.

We're four issues into the story and we still have no real idea what has caused this utter 180 from the nice lovable superhero to this crazy genocidal maniac, aside from a failed love interest, that is. This could be a bad thing but the story and art make the tale one of the more interesting books on the shelves.

We've all wondered what it would be like to see Superman become a violent lunatic and this book shows it in all it's sick awesomeness. We see The Plutonian completely wipe the island nation of Singapore completely off the map all because they offered to make him their king in this issue. What it really appears to be however, is he destroyed their land because the elected official reminded him of the good he used to do for the world.

If I had to put money on it, I say he's gone bonkers because a life a selflessness is not a real life. So, being a man of extremes, he goes to the other side of the spectrum and becomes completely selfish, killing millions.

Just my opinion, but what do I know?

Anyway, can't wait to see where this goes.

Is it bad I hope he can't be stopped? I didn't think so!!!

4.5/5 stars

Tony Stark's not the brightest...

Invincible Iron Man #15

...meaning he's willingly deleting his memories in order to save invaluable data from a certain Goblin who like to wear socks on his head. So, since the beginning of the "World's Most Wanted" storyline which started as a direct link to the end of Secret Invasion way back when, Stark's been slowly making himself more and more dumb to save the world and shows no signs of letting up.

Really not the best idea for the "world's smartest man" to make himself stupid. What happens if Dr. Doom pulls a fast one on the FF or Loki pulls the Asgardian wool over Thor's winged head? Tony Stark would normally help out but now he's gonna be drooling in his alphabet soup trying to say the word "AWHLCLA."

Frankly, I feel like this is starting to drag on. If a story takes more than 8 parts to tell, it should either be completely epic storytelling or just an ongoing thing like "Walking Dead." All the reader sees is Stark become thicker and thicker and Pepper Potts coping with being the new hero Rescue.

Oh, and there's some sort of story involving Maria Hill and Black Widow, which I confess I've pulled a Tony Stark and have no idea what is going on. Apparently, Hill wants to give something Stark gave her to Captain America and Black Widow is going to help her do it.

I have no doubt however, that Matt Fraction is completely capable of bringing all this together, I just really want it to come soon and get going on the next story.

ENOUGH OF DUMB IRON MAN ALREADY!

Let's wrap it up.

3.5/5 stars

Asgard officially becomes roomies with Dr. Doom

Thor #602

Just got done reading the latest ish of Thor and the book is one of the most solid comics out there today. Too bad it's not on a very good shipping schedule (I had to read the last issue to remember what's happening) but at least I know JMS is putting top-notch work into his run on the God of Thunder.

Storywise, there's not a lot of new stuff is going on, with the exception of the reintroduction of Lady Sif after more than...what's this like issue 14 in the run? I never remember since Marvel did the whole "let's relaunch this back to the old numbers so we have an anniversary to sell to the kids!" (which is total BS).

Anyway, Sif is back with Thor and things are good, except for the whole Thors kicked outta Asgard for killing Odin's father and he now has his powers attached to Mjolnir so if it's destroyed, he will be too thing. Plus, Asgard is now in Latveria which is quite possibly the dumbest move ever by any God. What kinda good guy wants to live in the home turf of Dr. Doom? Pretty much, things aren't lookin' so good for the norse gods.

There are however, so good things. I really enjoy reading about the hick boyfriend of Kelda. I don't know what it is but it's nice to have a human presence with all the gods and goddesses. At first...didn't really care for him but slowly I'm becoming more attached to the redneck.

The issue's really good for some characterization but lacks in propelling the plot forward very far.

Oh, and JMS writes Loki to be such an P.O.S. It's Awesome!!!

4.5/5

Can't we all just get along

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men #1

So, the whole X storyline of unequal rights and prejudice have been played out pretty often. That doesn't mean that the stories are any less emotional when done correctly.

Essentially, this story's about the X-Men in San Fransico being confronted by A-Hole, Simon Trask and his followers. Trask heats things up with some panic-inducing dialogue to drive his people into fearing for their lives and causing riots all over the greater San-Fran area. Enter Norman Osbourn and his Dark Avengers to keep the peace in the land.

There are some twists and turns in this single issue involving Emma Frost and a former leader of the X-Men that add some cool peaks to the storyline. However, the coolest thing about it was how they use the Dark Avengers and seeing how their different from the actual good guys. I've not read the Dark Avengers but this issue almost forces me to get into the series.

All the Dark Avengers are interesting in their own ways particularly Bullseye and Ares. As someone who doesn't know much about the characters it's really interesting that Ares appears to actually be the God of War. I wonder what a meeting between him and Thor would be like.

Epic, I'm sure.

I've always thought Bullseye was a pretty big B.A. but when you've got him as a "good guy" who wants to kill but can't, it's really intense reading. After not killing some rioters, Bullseye says to the cops "I don't know how you guys do it because not killin' em sucks."

Pretty gruesome right.

I can't wait to see where the story leads, hopefully somewhere with some kind of definite ending but that's unlikely. Be here for the review of part 2 in the story which takes place in Uncanny #513.

4/5 stars

Sorry...

I wanted to have some reviews up today but my friends Jeff and Berto decided to hang out today so check back in tomorrow. Just so you're aware I picked up the new Uncanny, ASM, Thor and the conclusion to "Messiah War" in X-Force, so check it out!!

Here's an update...almost 6 months late!

I won't start by saying this is a new beginning and that I'll post regularly again. I will say however that I miss writing Doc's Comic Blog like a man misses talking about sports with his buddies. Instead of sports, I deal in comics and instead of buddies, I have all the world to preach to...ideally (and a select few friends who read this awesome albeit excessively-late blog). To those readers I would like to say that I'm doin' alright and miss you all. To all those who happen to haphazardly browsing blogs and read this I say "Welcome!"

Welcome to a blog in which the reviews match the source material. If the book sucks, we'll say it sucks. If it's amazing, we'll unabashedly say so. There are no politics that one might find on other web logs.

Some may be offended by the sometimes coarse language but as a journalism major, first amendment rights are very important to me as well as the other authors on the site. Occasionly, there are books that just can't be reviewed without a giant "This is @$#!^in' TERRIBLE" or is so good that "Holy #%@$" is the only justifiable context one can put it in. We try to avoid this but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Comics aren't for everyone but for those of us who enjoy them, we know how pivotal they are in our lives. It's not because we never grew up, it's because part of us really doesn't want to and that alone keeps us feeling young. Look at Stan Lee, the man's ancient but still kickin'.

So, after nearly 6 months in the waiting and countless hours of revisions...(yeah right), without further ado, lets have a review!!! (applause)

Herogasm #1 & 2

Before we get into this, let's just skip the part where I'm a sicko for buying this. All I know is that after reading this review you'll be somewhat intrigued by the story and (ahem) other things going on in the book. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way...this book was so AWESOMELY BAD that words are scarce! The title alone pretty much gives everything away.

Written by Garth Ennis, who is notorious for pushing the envelope with his heroes in the source book "The Boys" and drawn by the same artist, the book is jaw-dropping for something that can be sold next to "Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man," the kiddiest kid book around. The language and scenarios are just about the most explicit stuff I've ever read but the story is becoming more interesting as the issues progress.

Never having read "The Boys," I had no idea what to expect or who the characters are or what they do in the comic but it's easy to figure it out. They regulate the actions of "supes" if they ever get outta hand. However, they take a back seat to the event known as "Herogasm." Apparently, when there are these big events like Secret Invasion and Civil War, our beloved heroes actually go to a secluded island where debauchery is the order of the day. Let's just say there's a two page spread where the pages aren't the only thing being spread. Yeah...it's that bad...and worse! If you can see past the gratuitous...everything, there's a genuine story developing, involving the vice president becoming president through a coup d'etat of sorts.

Like I said, I've never read the book but the story is developing rapidly, though it's difficult to see the final destination. One things for sure, the book can go two ways. A)It'll be amazing or B) It'll be the biggest waste of money and was made singularly for the shocking first issue and fizzle out. I can't really see it falling in between the two extremes.

That being said, I feel that with "The Boys" being as successful as it is, this book will manage to satisfy and turn some people on...to the source book.

What did you think I was gonna say?

Perv...

3.5/5 stars

Bob's back...Yayyy!!!

Deadpool #6 Review

Once again it's been hard to review some stuff so pardon the two issue gap in reviews. Let's just say there's zombies and the issues almost seem like filler.
This issue has a much different, more relevant feeling as DP fights with Tiger Shark throughout most of the issue. The best parts of the issue, however, have nothing to do with the brawl.

The first series panels show another one of Deadpool's hallucinations/dreams/nightmares as a bunch of celebrities interview him about his battle with the unseen fight with Tiger Shark. Then it's revealed that he's washed up on the beach with a kid jabbing a stick in his eye. Pretty funny stuff.

Later, the best part of the issue comes to light. Bob from Hydra is back and dorkier than ever.
Deadpool tells Bob to throw him a gun only he forgets that Bob throws like a five-year-old girl and proceeds to throw the gun right into the Tiger Shark infested waters. Priceless.
There really isn't anything wrong with Daniel Way's version of Deadpool. He's crazier than ever and it's awesome.

Paco Medina comes back to fulfill his duties as artist and his work is just as colorful as always. A perfect fit for the cooky-crazy writing style of Way.

One problem though. Why does the cover suck? Let's get Paco on the covers and avoid this whole problem to begin with. The cover just doesn't deliver that sense of cartoony fun which fills its pages.

That's all for this visit to your favorite neighborhood Doc. Take two and call me in the morning.

4.5/5 stars

Catching up with Anita Blake

When I last reviewed Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse, the first issue had just hit the streets. Now, the fourth just came out. I know, I’m a little backed up just like Kramer after he held it in for too long. Yeah, that was a kinda gross. Sorry.

Anyywayy…Anita has had a whole lot of preternatural and natural problems since then. When we last left Blake, a man named Harold Gaynor wanted her to raise a 283 year-old zombie which, as we found out, requires a “white goat” a.k.a. a human sacrifice. Blake says no way and finds herself another enemy. Then she’s called in to the scene of a murder where an entire family was killed. Anita’s on the case but really hates that she has to be.

Issue 2: Blake rules out all but the possibility of some sort of flesh-eating zombie as the culprit. So, she goes to the only person powerful enough to do such a thing, the voodoo priestess, Dominga Salvador. To make matters worse, Anita discovers that her mentor, Manny Rodriguez, was a devote follower of Salvador’s in his early days. It’s at the priestess’s home where discover the most disturbing truth of all – Salvador has uncovered the method of raising a zombie and preventing it from decomposing – the soul must be trapped in the body after death.

Issue 3: The voodoo priestess has agreed to ask around for any information about the brutal killings as well as revealing that her non-rotting zombies are to be sold to the highest bidder. The priestess also drops the bomb that Manny has “slew the white goat” more than once. That’s pretty messed up right there. Blake than heads off to the funeral of her friend Peter Burke, there she meets his brother, John Burke, the most powerful animator in New Orleans (Blake lives in St. Louis) and another suspect is exposed. After the meeting, Anita receives that the boy who was missing from the family slaying was found and they weren’t any closer to any definite leads.

Finally, that brings us to issue 4. Anita spends the first half of the issue talking with the reporter (YES!), Irving Griswold, who also happens to be a werewolf. The two exchange information as it is the currency used these days. Anita wants info on Gaynor and he wants an interview with the newly appointed head vampire, Jean-Claude. Later, when the two meet up for the exchange at Dead Dave’s, Anita hears the head vamp is looking for her – another problem for Anita with no help in sight.

As the two head into the crowded street, Jean-Claude makes his first appearance in “The Laughing Corpse.” He tells Anita she is his human servant and must begin acting like one. Obviously, this doesn’t go over well with the vampire executioner and she says “No.”

After the exchange, Irving is granted his interview (after repeated attempts) with St. Louis’s head vampire. Anita’s concerned though she doesn’t know why since Irving can turn into a blood-thirsty man-wolf at anytime. So, Anita makes her way to the cemetery where detective Dolph Storr is waiting for her along with two flame-throwing exterminators.

Let’s just say the nice visit to the graveyard didn’t end so well for Blake.

Now that we’re all caught up lets discuss the biggest problem with the series which occurs in this last issue. The previous issues were well-paced and thought-out, then issue four hits stands and everything becomes one rushed mess.

Why does Jean-Claude all of a sudden get thrown in when he isn’t even mentioned in the previous issues?

It completely throws off the pacing of the story. Who knows, maybe it’ll work. What do I know? I’m just a lowly comic nerd. I understand that it’s difficult to fit everything from a novel into a 10-12 issue run but that’s the beauty of it. The reader literally gets a graphic novel. That’s pretty much my biggest gripe with the series thus far. Otherwise, the story is thoroughly enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

4.5/5 stars