Allow me to put it this way: With the bulk discounts, you can get 300 Comics for $100. That's a lot of comics.
Allow me to put it this way: With the bulk discounts, you can get 300 Comics for $100. That's a lot of comics.
Sign up in advance to hold a spot in these game events. These times are subject to change, but hopefully it won't come to that.
The first 25 people through the door will get special gift bags! Random bags will contain gift certificates, with over $100 in gift certificates scattered throughout the bags! The bags will also contain free stuff sent by several differnet publishers, including demo kits, promotional items, a free copy of White Dwarf Magazine, a free dice set, a Mini HeroClix Booster, and more!
Register to win from hundreds of dollars of door prizes! You could win a pound of dice, hardcover RPG sourcebooks, a Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures starter, a HeroClix Starter, a Warhammer: Battle for Skull Pass Box Set, a Warmachine Army Box, and much more!
Participate in game demos for these games: Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures, HeroClix, HorrorClix, Warmachine, Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40000, and demos for several of the Roleplaying games we will give away! Times and a more detailed list will be announced next week.
Costume contest! Dress as your favorite game character and you could win from $100.00 in gift certificates! All participants will receive a prize! Judging begins at 2:00 PM.
Painting contest! More information about the painting contest will come next week!
Hey, Zombie Fans! Sure, you're fond of movies and comics about the living dead like Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead, but there's also a pretty good roleplaying game for people who enjoy zombies: All Flesh Must Be Eaten. It's an entire system, and several supplements, focussed entirely on providing you with the best danged zombie roleplaying adventure you can have. We're also running a demo of it at Free RPG Day this weekend, so be sure to check that out if you're interested.
Oh, by the way, fans of Final Fantasy would probably enjoy Exalted, the best danged anime-inspired Final-Fantasy-homage political-action RPG with dinosaurs that pee heroin ever made. Exalted is designed for high-flying butt-kicking over-the-top action. As opposed to providing barriers to stop you from doing things, Exalted is all about helping you do crazy stuff, as long as you describe it in a really cool way. If you saw Final Fantasy: Advent Children, and thought that it was cool, this is the RPG for you.
Pirates of the Caribbean just finished its trilogy, reminding everyone how incredibly cool pirates are. Well, I'd normally suggest 7th Sea, but it's out of print these days and no longer supported. Fortunately, a suitable replacement has arrived: Pirates of the Spanish Main, an RPG based on a constructible miniatures game. Sure, that sounds kind of dodgy, but really it's just a license to slap on top of the excellent Savage Worlds system to create the swashbuckling pirate game you've always wanted.
I hear that there are people who like things like Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter and that Supernatural TV show, or maybe comics like Fell. Honestly the new World of Darkness game system is a good game for all-kinds of horror or supernatural role-playing, even without the other books that provide rules for playing monsters--although those are good too. It's a pretty simple system these days, very much streamlined from the ridiculous assembly of rules that was the old World of Darkness, wherein twenty different games got smashed together in ways that they were never originally intended to.
I don't know, I never went to go see it. Still, hi to all of our new subscribers who signed up at the theater. We had a great time and ended up running out of comics to give away on Friday and Saturday! (Thomas couldn't make it to the midnight showing because he was incredibly sick. No, not hung over. I'll let you know when he doesn't do stuff because he's hung over.) Anyway, we hope you managed to pick up one of the free comics. Also, thanks to all the people who signed up for this newsletter! Here's the list of winners in our drawing:
Dave DiMuro won the
Fantastic Four Trade Paperback Collection
Christopher Cully won the
Fantastic Four Omnibus
Jon Messina won the
Silver Surfer T-Shirt and The Marvel HeroClix Starter
Owen Alphin won the
Silver Surfer Omnibus
You guys have thirty days to pick up your stuff! That means they'll be on the hold shelf until July 19th!
Join us Sunday, June 24th at 1:00 PM for HeroClix demos! Learn to play HeroClix or HorrorClix (which usually takes less than a half hour of your time) and you will get a free movie pass good for any film at Mayfaire Cinemas and a mini HeroClix booster, provided you are one of the first 20 people! We will also do a drawing for a HeroClix and HorrorClix starter to be given to one lucky participant!
Starting at 1PM
$18.00 Entry fee gets you two boosters which you can use to build your team, already a 10% savings on the regular retail cost!
First Prize - Brick of HeroClix: Avengers
Second Prize - 6 Boosters of HeroClix: Avengers
Minimum 8 Players
By the way, the heroclix packaging scheme has changed. Now, there will be five figures in each pack, instead of four, and the boosters will cost $10.00. Also, a brick will now contain only 10 Boosters instead of 12, but the price will remain the same at $89.99. There is a reason they did this, but I don't know what it is.
World War Hulk Tie-Ins
World War Hulk is shaping up to be awesome. Not only that, but it looks like most of the tie-ins will actually be worth it, as opposed to hilariously tenuous like, say, the Moon Knight Civil War Tie-Ins. "Hey, Moon Knight, have you heard that there is a Civil War? GOODBYE *WHOOSH*" That aside, I've actually read these two issues, and they're both awesome. Really awesome. Iron Man #19 certainly does a valiant job of making Iron Man not evil, and the Incredible Hulk #107 issue continues the story of Amadeus Cho's attempts to rally support for the Hulk among Earth's heroes, and has a good mix of levity and punching, particularly on the part of Hercules.
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America - Spider-Man
I'd imagine that when they were trying to figure out which character corresponded to which stage of grief at Marvel, "depression" was the easiest. "Okay, uh, I guess we'll say bargaining is, uh...the Bargainer? Do we have a character named that? Uh, nevermind, maybe Captain America or something. Anyway, grief. How about Grief-Man? I mean, Spider-Man. Oh, okay, you all knew who I was talking about, anyway. Great."
Paul Dini Presents - Paul Dini's Wife is Hot: The Comic Book; Featuring Paul Dini's Wife as an Incredibly Hot Woman #1
Okay, maybe I took a little creative license with the title to Madame Mirage, but I just get the sense that Paul Dini is rubbing his hot wife in my face--which would be fine, if it weren't a metaphor. Maybe this comic will be good, and odds are that it will be since Paul Dini is writing it, but did he have to make the main character his hot wife?
Warmachine is a game built on reconciling contradictions. The warjacks in the game--the eponymous "warmachines"--are built with a union of the normally opposed forces of magic and technology. The game itself uses a simple and elegant system, yet has a rich tactical complexity. The models are among the best sculpts in the business, yet putting together a Warmachine army is surprisingly cheap.
The premise of Warmachine is simple, yet intriguing: the Iron Kingdoms are in a time of upheaval. In the southern realm of Cygnar, a young king still struggles to control a kingdom he usurped from his wicked brother. To the east, on the borders of the Bloodstone Marches, the religious fanatics of the Protectorate of Menoth prepare to strike against their longtime oppressors in Cygnar. North, the fearsome nation of Khador prepares to take back the fractured parts of their ancestral Motherland. On the Scharde Islands just off the broken coast lie the undead nation of Cryx, prepared to finally capture the mainland for the glory of the Dragonlord Toruk. Of course, in a world as rife with conflict as this one, there are mercenaries who sell their skills to all sides, and even some that band together to advance their own agendas. Naturally, all of these people want to beat the crap out of each other, and that's where the game comes in.
Pretty much everything in the game boils down to one of two mechanics: either roll 2d6, add it to a stat, and compare it to another stat (used primarily in attacking and damaging things) or roll 2d6 and see if it's less than a stat (skill checks and command checks use this mechanic). Now, while that's a pretty easy, simple system, there's an additional layer of complexity that comes through the use of focus. See, every army is led by at least one warcaster, a powerful warrior-mage who commands the warjacks and casts spells to change the course of battle. Each warcaster gets a set amount of focus that they allocate to either their warjacks or themselves at the start of each turn. Warjacks can spend focus to perform special attacks, get extra attacks, or boost their attack or damage rolls, so they can roll another die. Which means that each turn, you have to carefully weigh your options: do you give that warjack an extra focus to make sure he hits with his attack this turn, or do you hold onto it and use it to cast one of the powerful spells at your disposal? Suddenly, a fairly basic game just became a lot more complex, and without a whole bunch of complex and contradictory rules.
That's all just scratching the surface of Warmachine, too. If you want to know more, though, you should just come by the store and ask any of the employees, as we all play! If you're interested in buying, here's a rundown of the factions so you can choose the one that's right for you:
Cygnar is a good, balanced force. Their heavy warjacks are still reasonably mobile in spite of their heavy armaments, their light warjacks are quick but still tough, and they have good troop options at both short and long range. They're easily the best force for "turtling," but that strategy isn't nearly as effective in Warmachine as it is in other games, especially considering that few guns can fire more than twelve inches. Unfortunately, I have very little experience with Cygnar, so I can't offer much more analysis than that.
Cygnar's Lightning-Powered Thunderhead Warjack.
The Protectorate of Menoth is kind of an oddball. They don't have any one obvious strategy or strength like the other factions do. Their warjacks are generally about average, with a few cool gimmicks or powers, and their warcasters' spell lists often contain several effects that focus less on aggressive action and more on pre-emptively denying your opponents' actions. Building a protectorate army requires some thought because of this, because you need to make sure you have units that complement each other moreso than any other army list. Or, you could just field a bunch of knights and charge across the board at your opponent. It's all cool, as far as I'm concerned.
The Avatar of Menoth Heavy Warjack
Khador is all about the heavies. They don't have any light warjacks at all, and all the heavy 'jacks they have are really heavy. I mean, we're talking disgustingly heavy. Most of their warjacks have a base armor of 20, which might not mean a lot to you, but think of it this way - when you roll damage, you roll 2d6 plus the weapon's power, and very few things have a power of greater than 12 outside of other heavy warjacks. These things can take a lot of damage, too, so getting one of them off the board requires a concentrated assault from the strongest stuff you've got. They also have infantry units where each model is about as tough as a light warjack, a deadly sniper unit, and good old fashioned Russian-style guardsmen. All of whom are hard as heck to kill. Oh, and the warcaster in their battle box, Sorscha, has the best feat in the game. They are a deadly force that will make you earn every victory point you get. Well, except for when their Doom Reavers go berserk and all slaughter each other, but that hardly ever happens. Usually.
The Aptly-Named Khadoran Behemoth Warjack
Cryx is built around mobility and spellcasting. Their bonejacks are some of the best light warjacks in the game, particularly because most of them are hard to hit, extend the range of your spells, and--most importantly--are ridiculously cheap, pointswise. All of their warjacks have above-average defense values, but lower armor. Of course, when you can't hit something, it doesn't matter how poorly-armored they are. Oh, and their warjacks are incredibly fast. Combined with the arc nodes, that makes it conceivable for you to run them up and cast a spell on something nearly two feet away on the first turn! And with spells like Dark Seduction, which allows you to take over a unit, that can be a dangerous, dangerous ability. Not to mention that they have several good units and models that can ignore terrain, allowing you to strike from positions where your enemy can't even see you. As Cryx is my favored faction, I've drawn upon my knowledge to put together a competitive 500 point Cryx force that you can assemble for under $150.00, and plan to do so for the other factions, too.
What You Buy
| Cryx Battlegroup Box | $49.99 |
|
Deathripper Blister Pack |
$15.99 |
| Skarlock Thrall Blister Pack |
$8.99 |
| Pistol Wraith Blister Pack | $7.99 |
| Mechanithralls Unit Box |
$24.99 |
| Bile Thralls Unit Box |
$24.99 |
| Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist Blister Pack |
$7.99 |
| TOTAL |
$140.93 |
What You Play With
|
Warcaster: Warwitch Deneghra |
76 |
|
4x Deathripper Bonejacks |
152 |
|
1x Slayer Helljack |
110 |
|
1x Skarlock Thrall |
16 |
|
1x Pistol Wraith |
33 |
|
6x Bile Thralls |
41 |
|
6x Mechanithralls |
39 |
|
1x Gorman Di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist |
28 |
| TOTAL POINT VALUE |
496 |
Here's how to play this army: run two of your Deathrippers a full fourteen inches and your Slayer twelve inches on the first turn. Have Deneghra cast Death Rage on her skarlock so if your skarlock gets killed when it gets into spell range, it will still be able to cast a spell the next turn. Until you get into range, just use the skarlock's free cast to give any unit facing rough terrain or obstacles Ghost Walk. Use your pistol wraith to keep any heavy warjacks locked down, and use your Deathrippers to tie up anything that might be able to take out your bile thralls at range. Then, just use your bile thralls to take out any infantry, use your Slayer and Mechanithralls for 'jacks, and try to get everything into charge range before popping Deneghra's feat, and you can wipe a lot of the board clean on one turn without worrying about a devastating counterattack. Just try to keep your thralls safe until they can kill everything. Good luck!
The Above 500 Point Cryx Army (21 Models)
Be sure to sign up to be our friends on MySpace to get an advanced peek at each week's Tuesday Specials!
If you are looking into playing some games, you are in luck! We have a great many events scheduled! Here, take a look:
There's also some brand new information about that Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures: The Night Below Release Tournament! Check this: Wizards of the Coast is hooking us up with some awesome prize support, so all players will get an Epic Level Stat Card and a Special Night Below d20! That's pretty cool stuff to get, just for showing up and buying two packs that, let's be honest, you were going to buy anyway.
Oh, and be sure to preorder stuff with this helpful form:
$19.99
Written by Mark Verheiden Art by Ethan Van Sciver, Matthew Clark, Andy Lanning, Marlo Alquiza and others Cover by Van Sciver This explosive volume collects the best-selling SUPERMAN/BATMAN #28-33! The JLA's Martian Manhunter attacks Batman! The villainous Parasite and Titano return! Superman's allegiances will be tested in this story involving the Green Lantern Corps and more!
$24.99
Written by JEFF PARKER Penciled by ROGER CRUZ Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC For millions of years, mankind's place on Earth was unchallenged - until five young people paved the way for a new kind of human. While students at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast and Iceman taught the world what it meant to be X-Men. These are the hidden stories of the team that laid the foundation of a mutant dynasty! Collecting X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #1-8.
$29.95
Explore the battles, campaigns, and heroes of the Last War with this richly detailed 160-page Eberron supplement. Add historical detail to campaigns set in Eberron’s present day, or send adventurers hurtling through time to avert the disaster of the Day of Mourning! The Forge of War includes a comprehensive outline of the course of the war, extensive new character options for war-torn heroes, a variety of campaign options, and detailed descriptions of military forces, fortresses, and battlefields.
$12.99
Written by MIKE CAREY Penciled by MARK BROOKS, STUART IMMONEN & FRAZER IRVING Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA The FF are pulled into a madman's scheme when those closest to them are drawn back through time as a lure to get the foursome to follow. And what awaits them in the year 1483 is a man with a quest to transform the world - literally. Meet the alchemist supreme: Ultimate Diablo! And his plans for the Fantastic Four aren't pretty. Plus: Something strange has happened at Nursery Two, the Baxter Building's Think Tank counterpart in Oregon. It's disappeared, seemingly swallowed up by the earth itself! And if you think that heralds the return of the macabre Mole Man, go to the head of the class! Collecting ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #39-41 and ANNUAL #2.
Event: TRADING CARD & COMIC SHOW
Dates: Saturday, August 18, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Times: 10:00 a.m. til 4:00 p.m.
Location: BB & T Auditorium (inside the McKeithan Center)
Cape Fear Community College - North Campus
Wilmington, NC
(visit www.cfcc.edu - click Campus Maps)
Vendors: 20 Tables
Admission: $5 - Ages 11 & Up
Free - Age 10 & Under
Guests: Peter Jurasik - Londo Mollari on Babylon 5
(Peter Jurasik has written a novel and recorded a musical CD. Many people remember him as Sid-the-Snitch opposite Dennis Franz on three seasons of Hill Street Blues. He also did two seasons on Dear John with Judd Hirsch.)
Donnell Woolford - Chicago Bears & NFL Pro Bowl ‘94
(Donnell Woolford, a two-time All American at Clemson, was a first round draft pick for the Chicago Bears in 1989. Donnell was a three-time All Madden Team member and was voted All Pro in 1993. In 1994 he earned a trip to the Pro-Bowl. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers before retiring in the late 1990's.)
STORM Clark - American Gladiators
(STORM Clark is an accomplished Bodybuilder who performed on American Gladiators from 1991-93. STORM entered the Gladiator Arena in 1991 and used her background in personal training to bring down contenders in her favorite event Powerball. The former member of the Southern California Cheetahs also competed in the Live Tour of American Gladiators.)
Appearances by above athletes are subject to change without notice.
Information: Jim Smith - (910) 512-2914 & (910) 392-8550
Warren Kennedy - (910) 619-8950
Here's a rundown of the main stuff we buy:
If you produce a comic, or have some art you'd like to submit, or have written a review or anything else that you'd like to see in the newsletter, we're totally cool with that! Just email editor@fanboycomics.biz, and we'll put your submission in the newsletter if it's appropriate! Heck, you can even send in plain old comments about the newsletter, the store, or one of our events and we might publish them! We're really accommodating, it would seem.
Here are just a few of the many great items we have available on E-bay! We start new auctions every Monday at 6:00 PM that last through Saturday at 6:00 PM. Local customers can bid and pick up their purchase at the store to save on shipping! We also add new items to our E-bay Store every Wednesday and Thursday. We currently have over 1000 items, including pulps, vintage paperbacks, handbills, comics, and more!
Laughing Matters: Celebration of American Humor
This auction contains the rare soft cover Laughing Matters: A Celebration of American Humor selected and edited by Gene Shalit. This rare book was published by Ballantine Books in 1989, 1st printing. It's in (VG+) condition with only very lite edge and corner wear and slight creasing on front cover. Very nice interior! Includes selections from: Abbott and Costello, Robert Benchley, Woody Allen, and many others.
Lot of 5 Arthur C. Clarke Books
This auction contains a lot of 5 paperbacks by Arthur C. Clarke:
Overall, books with high eye appeal. Don't miss out on these hard-to-find items.
It's easy to learn to play games! Just stop by Fanboy Comics on Tuesday or Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 PM and find Atwood "The Rib" Boyd, our newly hired Game Counselor! He'll be available to teach you any game you want, or just to play games! That's right, we've got someone on staff whos job is to play games! As a fellow employee who has to spend hours photoshopping together obscure video game magazine references, I can confindently say that I'm not bitter at all. Oh, wait, I was mistaken, I'm incredibly bitter. That's not really a change from the status quo, though, since I am pretty much a barely contained fountain of rage.
The Rib will also be around to help people paint and build their armies, and he'll have a ton of free stuff to give away to people who show up for demos. You can also sign up in our game directory, a way for people to connect with gamers they don't even know yet!
The Rib also runs board game demos on Board Game Night, every Monday. Here's a flyer about that:
Oh, and here's what we're playing:
[[image:devilbunnyneedsaham.jpg:You and your friends are living pleasant and complete lives in Happyville. You are highly trained and well-paid sous-chefs, who have decided to climb to the top of a tall building, as fast as you can. Devil Bunny Needs a Ham. And he's pretty sure that knocking you off the building will help him get one. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not.:left:2]]June 25th - Devil Bunny Needs a Ham
[[image:lunchmoney.gif:it's really a lot more fun than the dark brooding todd mcfarlane elementary school motif would suggest:right:2]]July 2nd - Lunch Money
New Stuff: Thor #340-369; Nightwing #28-63; Thunderbolts #26-38; Wolverine #109, 11, 130, 131, 132-148; Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #2, 4, 10, 11, 12; Captain America (3rd Series) #19, 25, 30, 31; Doctor Strange #19-73; Secret Wars #8; Amazing Adventures #1-13, 27; Amazing Spider-Man #86, 92, 104, 117, 176, 258, 259, 261, 263, 264, 267-273, 282-290, 293-295, 311-312, 373, 374-380, 393-396, 400, Annuals #20-22, 27; Captain America #25 (Death of Cap, First Printing); Wolverine Origins #1-3; Wonder Woman (Vol. 3) #1, 2; Martian Manhunter #1; Mystery in Space #1; JSA Classified #1; Justice #1-3; Justice League of America #1A-B; Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #1; Flash: THe Fastest Man Alive #1; All-Star Superman #1; Buffy #1 (First Printing); All-Star Batman and Robin #1-3; 52 #1; Amazing Spider-Man #529; Star Wars: Legacy #1; Hunter/Killer #1-3; X-Factor (Vol. 2) #1; X-Men: Deadly Genesis and Variant #1; Wolverine #37; Fantastic Four #539-541; Amazing Spider-Man #86, 92, 104, 117, 176, 258, 259, 261-264, 267, 269, 273, 282, 280, 290, 293-295, 311, 312, 373-375, 377-380, 394, 396, 400;
Comic book movies used to be something that I wished for. Clamored for. Begged for! It was something I would think about, sitting on a grassy field, starring up at the sky, wondering: What would the Silver Surfer look like on the big screen? And we finally get the answer with The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Hence forth, I'll call the movie FF2 because I'm lazy and that title is a little obnoxious. Was the movie good? Did I like it? Did it deserve the hype? Read on, True Believers...
The plot of the movie is probably simpler than making a cheese sandwich. The Silver Surfer comes to earth and makes these huge holes deep into the surface. The US government wants to stop him. They call upon the Fantastic Four. Hijinks ensue. You've got Reed Richards who is set to marry his lover, but is so busy with being a big brain he ignores her. You've got Sue Storm, who is getting married but is sad that her super-hero life is getting in the way. You got Johnny Storm who is loud and a cocky jerk, but really wants to be a good guy and a great hero. And you got Ben Grimm who has found love and accepted his situation, but still longs to be normal. The movie didn't make these dynamics. Stan Lee did. But the movie respects the comics immensely. I'll say that FF2 probably respects its source material more than any other comic movie I've seen. I know. That is a bold statement, but its true. Nothing that happens in the movie wouldn't happen in the comic. The actors act just like their comic book counterparts would. And the action, which is light in places, still seems like Fantastic Four type action. Brains over brawn and heart over logic. It's all good stuff.
And the Surfer? Yeah, I was digging the Surfer. Anytime where the Silver Surfer was on the screen I had to stop and say, wow. He looked really, really good. And he acted like the Surfer would. Cooled, but for a reason. Laurence Fishburne did a wonderful job with his voice. And the Surfer moved in such a unique way. And the sound? When the Surfer sort of slid across the screen? Just beautiful. The movie sounded great and the special effects, when they happened, were well done.
There was a certain level of self control that I liked and didn't like. I liked that they didn't over-explain anything. Dr. Doom was great in the story and no previews or trailers gave the "plot-twist" away. That was great. I did think that there could have been more action. A lot more action. We never really got to see a lot of insane destruction. The scenes we did get were great, but I just wanted more. The movie was only 90 minutes, so that's something. And that's another thing. FF2 told the Galactus story in 90 minutes. That almost impossible, but it did it. And it did it pretty damn well. I was surprised and impressed. I was actually a little disappointed. I could easily watch another hour.
The one thing this movie never forgets is the target audience. This movie isn't for comic fans, but comic fans will love this. This movie is for kids. I saw it in a theater full of children and they were all laughing and cheering the whole time, super excited. I've never seen a theater with kids more excited about a comic movie. That warmed my heart. I can criticize the campiness, the kiddy-ness of the FF2, but I can let that slide if a theater of kids can watch this movie. You know why? Cause those kids are going to go and buy comics. This movie and movies like it help get a whole generation of comic readers. That is a good thing. If you are think that FF2 isn't for you, check it out. Sure, there are scenes that are horrible (Mr. Fantastic dancing? Lame...) but once you see the Silver Surfer gliding through a forest with the trees moving out of his way, you'll be sold.
RATING: 4/5
Writer: Greg Pak
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Klaus Janson
Price: $3.99
He is the The Green Scar. The World Breaker. The Eye of Anger. He is the Hulk. And a while ago, four men sent him out into space. Reed Richards. Doctor Strange. Tony Stark. Black Bolt. And now he's back. And he's pissed. Really pissed. And World War Hulk #1 is really good.
It is funny that the Hulk is doing so well lately. Marvel made a huge risk by sending him off world to another planet. But, and I thought about this a lot, some of my favorite Hulk stories are the ones where he is in another dimension or another planet. Why is that? I'm not sure. I think because there is some strange pride that the Hulk is from Earth and he kicks a lot of ass. But maybe it's because of the anticipation of his return. Whatever the reason, Planet Hulk was great because off all the action and the amazing writing of Greg Pak. But what happens when the Hulk comes back? Really mad? With alien technology and no love for humanity what-so-ever? Yeah. Hulk smashes.
I like this story line because it shows the different levels of power and the use of power. The Civil War story line was about freedom of the use of power, and the ideas of freedom. Hey, guess what? There is no such thing as freedom! Iron Man and the Government decided that if you could throw buildings around and fly, you might be a dangerous. But this question and situation doesn't apply to the Hulk. He is the most powerful being on the planet. He is two personalities smashed together, so he's insane. And he's never been stopped. Ever. Do the homework. No one has ever been able to "stop" him or lock him up for any length of time that matters. And now he wants to kill four people and there isn't anything to stop him. In the aftermath of Civil War where control is being issued and some idea of sense is being made in the super-hero world, Hulk is the antithesis to this. He is the ultimate Id, a walking mass of desire and want who has the strength of Gods. I like that the editors at Marvel waited until after the Civil War was over to deal with Hulk and give him the attention he deserves. And it amazes me what happens when Marvel actually pays attention to their characters. Iron Man. Captain America. Spider-man. Black Panther. The Fantastic Four. So many of Marvel's oldest characters are being given a shot in the arm simply by having good writers toss out some great stories. And the Hulk, a character that has always been a favorite of mine, is at the height of his popularity and I'm very excited about it.
Pak delivers some wonderful one liners: "I didn't come here for a whisper...I wanna hear you scream." And Romita's art works for me. I couldn't stand Romita on Spider-man. His art style is too blocky and angled for Spidey. But for Hulk, it is perfect. Everything is ugly and sharp and jagged. I kind of would like Finch's skills in the interior, but Romita is fast and (hopefully) this book will be on time. The action in the story is pretty amazing and destructive, but still predictable. What this book is doing is giving people two things: one, a reason to like Hulk even more than before and two, a reaction to the Civil War results. Iron Man and his gang won the Civil War. Congratulations. Now. Stop the Hulk. Good luck to you. I'm really excited to see the end of World War Hulk. Hopefully it will have the same lasting effects that all these other amazing Marvel story lines. And I really shouldn't be writing a review for this book. Hulk smashes. I read. It's a no-brainer.
RATING: 5/5
Writers: Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson
Artist: Phil Briones
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $2.99
Is it Sub-Mariner or Submariner? What is a damn Mariner anyway? A guy who drives a boat? Do you drive a boat? A sub-boat? What's a sub-boat? And why can a guy who is born from the ocean, who gets his strength from the ocean, and spends most of his time in the ocean, how come he can fly? WHY CAN THE SUB-MARINER FLY!? HE'S A FISH GUY! [Editor's Note: Because of the wings on his feet, I guess.] Anyway...
This Sub-Mariner series will be focused on Namor, the sleeper cells, The Civil War results, and the problems with power and how to keep it. The plot is simple, kind of. A bomb of some sort rocks a small mid-western town and 900 people are killed. S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the case and they discover Atlantean DNA at the crime scene. Tony Starks beats his chest and Namor beats his chest back. But people are dead and Namor is ultimately responsible if one of his "Sleeper Cells" commented the act. But there is foreshadowing at the beginning of the book that might tell the results of any of Namor's brash actions.
The good about this book is that is shows why Namor is a better "undersea" character than Aquaman. Aquaman has always either wanted to be King or was King and had a hard time with it. Namor is an arrogant, mean bastard and he always has been. No one likes him, really. People are just afraid of him. He doesn't listen to Emo. He doesn't talk to damn fish. He is either kicking ass or thinking about kicking ass and his character has been consistent for almost a billion years. This book keeps up that tradition.
The political stuff in the book is good as well. Namor seems to be the only one concerned about the wrath of the surface world. And seeing Atlantis is cool. We don't really get to see the culture of the place, or the day to day activities of the people, but it still works. And Phil Briones does a wonderful job making it seem like everything is underwater. There are cool bubble effects and these dark colors for all the underwater scenes. This is the good stuff. It gives Atlantis a very unique look that I appreciate.
However, I don't think this book really deserves the attention, at least not yet. I love the Sub-mariner and I love his character in the Illuminati. But Marvel is really trying to squeeze every penny out of people's pockets with this mini-series. The death of 900 people just seems a bit boring. Another mid-west town, another explosion. And Namor seems more upset that it happened without his knowledge and behind his back than he does that innocents have been killed. Namor has always been a wonderful anti-hero. The guy you hate but love. And his attitude isn't really translating on the page. But maybe I'm speaking too soon. One thing about fiction that you have to remember: the main character either has to change or have the desire for change. I don't see that here. Namor wants to know what is going on in his kingdom, who is betraying him. So he puts on a new costume and strikes a pose on the last page! Come on. There has to be more to Namor than being pissed off. And if not, then this mini-series might not have the legs to carry six issues.
But you should pick it up just to get the entire picture of the Marvel Universe. For the first time in years, all the Marvel books are successfully being integrated. Each book relates to other books. The Sub-Mariner is no exception. I'm looking forward to seeing more action and more Atlantean cultural information. But it is a mini-series just to have one. Still, its not the worst mini-series to pick up if you just have to have some fish-hero action.
RATING: 4/5
[Editor's Note: This is about Trivia at Lula's. I copied down what Thomas had written without realizing it did not mention trivia anywhere except in the title, which is not displayed in the confessions. So, uh, I hope that clears up this mystery.]
Every Sunday at 8:00 PM come by and join me at Lula's pub. It's free to play; first prize is a $25.00 gift certificate, 2nd prize $15.00 gift certificate, and 3rd prize is a $10.00 gift certificate. My team came in first this weekend, so we need a challenge. The event is hosted by Friend of the Store Bryan Jacobs. Check out Lula's MySpace at www.myspace.com/lulaspub. They also have the coldest, cheapest beer in town.
