Book of the Week 4/40/08 New Avengers #40

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by Jim Cheung
Inks by John Dell
Colors by Justin Ponsor
Letters by Albert Deschesne

Picking the book of the week can be a hard thing. There are so many factors that go into it. You want to pick a book that excites you and gives you an emotional response, you also want to try to be unique and look for different things in different books, I mean you don't want the same book to be the book of the week all the time.

That being said, last weeks book of the week was Mighty Avengers and this week the pick goes to New Avengers #40 and all for one simple reason.

Brian Michael Bendis really knows what he's doing.

We've already talked about how Bendis has planned Secret Invasion for years and that this is all coming to a head but this is just an amazingly crafted story. In this issue we're given the Skrull view of things and that may have been enough to grant this issue book of the week status. It was great to see things through the eyes of the Skrulls, to know and understand what they have planned and more importantly, why they're planning it. The Skrulls have become great villains and even better than that, they've become great characters. Learning about Skrulls in the recent months makes me want to know so much more and I'm very intrigued by their society and culture.

A man that can not be overlooked in the grand scheme of things is Mr Jim Cheung. I moon over Cheung all the time on the podcast and with good reason because his art is simply beautiful. There aren't a lot of artists that I get excited about but when I saw that Cheung was going to be drawing #40 with Bendis I became giddy with fanboyness and my expectations were met and exceeded.

Anyone who was a fan of New Avengers:The Illuminati will not want to miss this issue because a lot of back story was revealed here and a lot of things in this issue reflect directly back to Illuminati #1.

There were big reveals by both of the major comic companies this week and this issue had one of them and I was literally floored. I'm pretty sure that I gasped out loud because I didn't see it coming at all and it truly changes everything about what's going on in the Marvel Universe right now.

All in all this was a great book and this may possible be a perfect modern comic book. The big draw of comics, especially modern comics is the idea of an ongoing story that doesn't end, it only changes. Bendis is crafting a story that, if it continues to be executed as it has so far, will be the greatest comic story ever told.


I know that's a big statement, but I believe it.

I'm not going to ruin the shocking ending to New Avengers #40 here but Eric and I are really excited to talk about it so look forward to a major spoiler-full podcast this week!

New Hulk trailer

Marvel released the new Hulk trailer today and while I've been on the fence about out, this new trailer looks pretty sweet. Check it out below



Or you can check it out in HD on quicktime here

Star Wars Lives!

Click on the link to check out the leaked Clone Wars trailer that David and I are really excited about. Check it out and let us know if it's something you'll be waiting at midnight to see.

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 37- Mighty Avengers #12

Eric picked Mighty Avengers #12 as the best book this week because Nick Fury is back and things in the Marvel universe are about to get very interesting. We also discuss the end of Countdown, Checkmate, Thor, X-Force and more. We talk about the variant cover to Uncanny X-men which hints that someone may be a skrull and finish the show out with discussing the new Star Wars Clone Wars trailer and if it looks good or if the Star Wars universe should have ended with the movies.


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FInal Dark Knight Trailer now online

It's just a bootleg version for now but the quality isn't bad and the trailer looks amazing. Ledger looks like he's going to be a great joker and I'm happy to see Harvey Dent getting a little more attention. Check it out

More Dark Knight Promos

Superherohype.com has posted new promo posters from the dark knight. I'm liking the Batpod but what really has me excited is the foreshadowing of Two Face.

A world without rules

The last official Dark Knight poster is online and it's getting me pretty exciting. Check it out

Book of the Week 4/23/08 The Mighty Avengers #12

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Alex Meleev
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by Dave Lanhpear


I surprised myself with this one! On average most of my books were good to great this week giving me quite a selection to choose from. However, with more and more Marvel books being tagged with "secret invasion" I had to flip through and have a peek. Initially pulled in by Maleev's sketchy but oh-so-beautiful art, I decided to sit down and spend some time with the missing Mr. Fury. Boy am I glad I did!


This issue flashes back to show us how Nick Fury discovered the Skrull threat, and what he's done about it while staying off the radar. While I have never been an enormous fan of Fury in the past (admittingly having not read much of him), this issue is what I always imagined his character should be like. His interaction and warning to Maria Hill was handled wonderfully as well as his secretly recruiting Jessica Drew as a special agent, adding a new layer of depth to her discovery of "Skrullektra".


Bendis does what he does best and I'd be beating a dead horse by saying what a great writer he is. What I will say is I am always amazed at the consistency of his work. Rarely do I read something of his that doesn't feel natural for the character. In this book, everyone feels pitch perfect.


Maleev's art is wonderful. It's refreshing to get art like this that differs so much from so many "standard" superhero artists like Ed Benes where everyones bodies are interchangeable. This book has the feeling of an old classic movie like Casablanca where the women are sultry (not oversexified...but sultry) and the men are tough and grizzled. Maleev especially makes Fury look as though he never sleeps. Also, I'm so glad Fury is out of Shield and not having to wear the costume (which I've never liked). The wispy beard is the icing on the cake.


While I haven't been reading this book regularly, I may start with Secret Invasion commencing. I'm eager to have more badass Nick Fury weeding out the Skrulls. How about that wall full of photos with a few telling circled characters on the last page? Fury is all man!

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 36- X-men Divided We Stand #1

I chose X-men:Divided We Stand #1 as book of the week this week because I was surprised by how well the characters were written and blown away by some of the emotional punches of the book. Eric and I also discuss Countdown to Final Crisis #2, Captain America #37, Avengers:Initiative #11 and more. We finish off the show with a little listener feedback and discuss the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC video game.


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Book of the Week 4/16/08 X-men: Divided We Stand #1

Written by Mike Carey, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Skottie Young, Matt Fraction
Art by Brandon Peterson, Sana Takeda, Skottie Young, David LaFuente, Jamie McKelvie
Letters by Cory Petit

I make a pull list every week before going to my store and I saw X-men Divided We Stand on Marvel's list of new books and I completely disregarded it. I thought it was a collection of stories gathered after messiah complex or at best a preview book of things to come and I decided that was not going to be worth my money. But when I got to my store I found that this book was already in my box and it being a somewhat light week, I decided to go for it and I am glad that I did.

Divided we stand is a group of short stories following various X-men characters following Messiah Complex and it was truly a great book. I've had my fair share of complaints about Messiah Complex, mostly about missing characters in the aftermath and this book did an excellent job of showing different characters reacting to what being an X-man meant to how they deal with the team no longer being around.

The stories varied from good to great but the stories with the New X-men were truly touching and emotional. I'll go into depth more on this week's podcast but there was a certain storyline in this book that really addressed something very important about being a young student at Xavier, something that I don't ever think has been addressed before.

Over all this book should have came out a couple of months ago and it would have really helped smooth the transition from Messiah Complex but regardless it was a book filled with wonderfully crafted character examinations and truly touching emotional moments.

This is a must read for any X-fan out there.

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 35- Echo #2

Eric picked Echo #2 by Terry Moore as the book of the week because it's a little like Strangers in Paradise but it's also nothing like Strangers in Paradise. We also discuss JSA #14, Countdown #3, Fantasic Four #556 and more. We go in depth on the new Titan's series to see if it's any good and if we'll stick with it and with Tomasi's return to Green Lantern Corps with issue #23 we reflect on the Corps as a whole give our opinions on whether the Corps book is necessary. We finish off the show with Eric requesting a little help from all you gamers out there, so listen it and help him out!


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New Hulk Poster

While I'm not incredibly excited for this movie, I do love a good teaser poster and this one looks great. A little Phantom Menace-ish though.

Book of the Week 4/09/08 Echo #2

Story and Art by Terry Moore
















A lot of big books came out this week that I was really excited about. While many were thoroughly enjoyable, I really wanted to take this week to acknowledge the shear talent that is Terry Moore. This weeks issue of Echo continues to entertain and showcase Moores art.


Echo is the story of a government experiment gone wrong. A weaponized combat suit which has been secretly developed is lost in an explosion during a test run. Said suit rains down in a million pieces over a desert where our heroine is taking pictures. Pieces of the suit attach themselves to her, recreating part of itself and getting stuck in the process. That was issue one. This chapter deals with Julie, the main character, dealing with the fallout of having part of a weird metallic suit attach itself to her. Her confusion and reaction are very entertaining, especially the doctor and shower scene. Meanwhile we learn that the owners of the suit have started hunting for it. This book feels alot like a science fiction prime time television show. The pacing and characterizations are great.


With this book, Moore makes a drastic departure from his more familiar SIP material. The story works well though and mixes action and intrigue with the more familiar small character moments that Moore is known for. While the artwork is consistently great, it is still hard to not see SIP characters. I think for me, it will just take time to get used to seeing a new cast in this style. The thing I really love about Moores art is that the characters look like actual people and are not over-emphasized like we typically see in most comics. It's really refreshing.


Terry Moore has taken a chance on a new type of story that people weren't probably expecting but he's done a great job at setting up and executing a new and exciting premise.

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 34- Secret Invasion #1

Secret Invasion #1 hit stores this past week and it was easily the best book of the week. Eric and I dissect the book and do a role call of who we think are true heroes and who are skrulls. We also discuss the The Trials of Shazam #12, Countdown #4, Young X-men #1 and more. We finish off the show by discussing of few of our favorite things to arrive this past week, Battlestar Galatica season 4 and a very well done mock trailer of a Legend of Zelda movie. This is a show you won't want to miss.


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The Legend of Zelda trailer!

Unfortunately it was an April fools joke but still good just the same and provided some discussion on our show. Check it out!

Book of the Week 4/2/08 Secret Invasion #1

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by Leinil Francis Yu
Inks by Mark Morales
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by Chris Eliopoulos

WARNING! This review will contain some spoilers!




Ok, wow, I'm not even sure where to start. As corny as it sounds I think that I can admit that Marvel's Secret Invasion tagline is ringing true and I honestly do not know who I trust in the Marvel U right now.

Secret Invasion #1 hit stores today and Eric and I have been talking a lot about this book and whether it would deliver or not and I just thought it was excellent. I was actually excited to read this book and rushed home just to have to opportunity to tear it open and find out what the crap is happening to my beloved Marvel Universe, I haven't been this excited for a book since the final issue of Civil War.

The book starts off with a great sequence showing the desperation of the Skrull race following Annihilation and leads into an attack on earth, we're given a few small reveals which were very interesting and then all hell breaks loose.

Tony Stark being attacked by a skrull virus was the turning point in this book and through Stark the Skrulls systematically start taking down the entire United States in a sequence that was chilling and left me on the edge of my seat. It really shows how powerful on a man Tony Stark is and make you realize that maybe one man shouldn't be connected to so much power.

The big reveal was towards the end of the book when both Avengers teams are shocked to find copies of our heroes crash land on earth......and we don't know who's a skrull and who isn't. This was such a great move by Bendis, I was expecting a lot of reveals in this first issue and was looking forward to some great character interactions but we now have a situation where Hawkeye, Luke Cage and Wolverine are looking at copies of themselves who claim to be the real deal and this changes everything.

Leinil Yu has really outdone himself and the art in the book was simply amazing. His sharp and edgy pencils really came through in this story and lent to the overall feeling of desperation that Bendis set up. The expressions and emotions in the art when Tony was under attack was so intense and truly made me feel like I was right there watching it happen.

I've always been a huge fan of Bendis and I think he's at the top of the writers' stack but he's really outdone himself this time and I think we may be getting a great story, something on caliber with Geoff Johns' Sinestro Corps War.

I cannot wait for the next issue, to surf the net and see what other people's reactions are and record our show this weekend. This comic is a perfect example of why I love comics and just how exciting they can be.

Stay tuned for our podcast this weekend, I'm sure Eric and I will have a lot to discuss about this book!