Random Slices

Booster Gold #2

2007-09-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Booster and skeets have agreed to help Rip fix the timeline and save the multiverse, since Rip helps Booster save Ted Kord. Booster's first job is to keep Sinestro from talking to Guy Gardner. Sinestro contacting Guy too learn will lead to the victory of the Sinestro Corps in the future.

Anyway, Booster keeps Sinestro from talking to Guy by playing to Sinestro's ego. Booster also states that the Corps will be called the Sinestro Corps in the future. Afterwards Booster talks to Guy and convinces Guy to talk to his dying father.

After solving this crisis, the death certificate of GL turns into the death certificate of superman. At this point we see Rip thrown onto the time sphere by Supernova. And escape through the timeline. Booster gives chase. We see supernova going into past and convincing Jonah Hex to kill someone for him

This book is pretty awesome, and it's great to see on Booster affects the future with his actions. It seems that Booster gave Sinestro the idea of the Sinestro Corps. NEXT WEEK: JONAH HEX!

Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10

Thor #3 Thor vs. Iron Man

2007-09-23T13:45:00.000-05:00

Thor arrives in New Orleans, in search of the other Asgardian gods, and sees the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, a Katrina survivor comes out and tells Thor to leave--stating that Thor wasn't here to stop the Hurricane, and if he can give them their lives back....he should just leave. After the survivor leaves in anger, Iron Man arrives.

Iron Man starts giving a stern looking Thor the registration act spiel....to which Thor angrily replies that Tony has betray friends and defile his honor by cloning him. Afterwards, the beat down starts....and boy does Iron Man get his ass kicked. The fight doesn't really last very long and Iron Man ends up with his armor destroyed. Thor then tells Tony, that if the US decides to attack Asgard, he will unleash the wrath of the Thunder God upon them, and that for the moment he is neutral entity in the registration issue.

As Thor turns to explore New Orleans some more he runs into the Katrina survivor again sitting on a bridge. Thor then recognizes that Heimdall has merged with this mortal, and the mortal is so angry because he is bearing the grief of a god. Thor uses Mjinor to separate the two beings and invites Heimdall back to Asgard.

Cut to Stark Tower. Tony has made it back and receives a report that there is a new person in Asgard. Tony decides that Asgard will be left alone.....for now.

This issue is awesome. The art and action are great. The power of Thor is shown through his beat down of Iron Man and his mastery of the weather (Take that Storm!). This also sets up future clashes with the US government. Furthermore I think it's pretty neat to vaguely tie Ragnarök and Katrina together.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10

IRON MAN TEASER!!!!

2007-09-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

The official iron man teaser is out in glorious quicktime on the apple trailers page. The trailer shows footage for SDCC and new footage too. This is so awesome. Can't wait for the movie to come out. This and Dark Knight....2008 is gonna be great for comicbook movies.

Green Lantern Corps 15 Quick Review

2007-09-02T11:59:00.000-05:00

THE BATTLE OF MOGO!

This issue is non-stop action! Plus we are introduced to Ranx the living City...the being destined to destroy Mogo. Johns is really drawing on a lot of what Alan Moore did in the 80s. We also learn the importance of Mogo. Mogo is the one that guides the rings to people that can overcome great fear...so no Mogo.....no GL Corps.

Anyway, the Guardians decide to change destiny by rewriting the Book of Oa....and the Lost Lanterns on Quarx run into the Anti-monitor. Man, I really like the Sinestro Corps War storyline...a lot on action and just enough mystery to keep me interested. I hope Mogo can be saved.... but it looks pretty bleak.

Story: 8 out of 10 I need more Sodomo YAT!
Art: 9 out of 10

Booster Gold #1

2007-08-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

The Greatest Hero The World Has Never Known BOOSTER GOLD #1
Writers: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Artists: Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund

Booster Gold has always been one of those interesting characters that no one cared about. I think it's awesome that comic companies are promoting their minor characters. Marvel have promoted Luke Cage and Iron Fist; now DC is promoting Booster Gold.

This is an excellent first issue. The issue gives a nice concise origin and then goes of the set up the premise for the entire series. Since Booster Gold is now a time traveling hero, we will get to see him pop up more often in other books, plus in the book can tie-in with older events. Apparently there will be a Zero-hour tie-in. How awesome is that!

The premise of the book works really well with how the character has been established. The premise is a lot like the premise for the Justice League Unlimited episode: The Greatest Story Never Told. It's pretty cool and tragic that Booster Gold gets to save the world, but no one can know about it.

Anyway great first issue...I look forward to the rest of this series.

Story: 9 out of 10
Art: 8 out of 10 I really like Dan Jurgens.....but it's nothing we haven't seen before

Sinestro Corps parts 2, 3, & 4

2007-08-14T14:12:00.001-05:00

Since the Sinestro Corps Special, the Sinestro Corps War has been running through DC's two Green Lantern Titles--Green Lantern adn Green Lantern Corps. So far, the GLs are getting their asses handed to them. For these 3 issues, we see that the yellow power rings are charged by the manhunters....(though Sinestro had a yellow lantern...maybe Geoff Johns will explain this later...) and the rings can kill. As Sinestro rightly tells his "successor" Natu, since the Sinestro Corps knows that Green Lanterns can't kill, the Sinestro Corps has nothing to fear.

Motivates are introduced as well as semi-new characters. We learn that the Cyborg Superman wants to die...the Anti-monitor promises to kill him when everything is over. Sodam Yat is also introduced in Green Lantarn Corps. He is the Daxam green lantern created by Alan Moore in the 80's. He is prophesied to become the ultimate Green Lantern. It's awesome that Johns in combining old and new ideas and painting a wonderful tapestry with the ideas.

The Sinestro War is the best cosmic event out there. Therefore, you some really pick up GL 21, GL Corps 14, and GL 22. The green lanterns are in deep shit right now....can't wait to see how they dig themselves out. Everyone should be reading the Sinestro Corps War!

RIP Wieringo

2007-08-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

Mike Wieringo die on Sunday from a heart attack.....Rest In Peace Mike....I loved your art and your work with Mark Waid on FF

Colliding Galaxies

2007-08-07T17:03:00.001-05:00

Saw this on BBC today. NASA telescopes Chandra and Spitzer saw a four way collision between galaxies. This made me think of John Boccio's and Dan Reiganum's modeling of galaxies using IDL.....now we get to compare theory vs. actual data...how i love science.

Korean AIR!

2007-08-02T22:12:00.001-05:00

Man, those crazy koreans really know how to use their technology. Not only to they have the hottest new phone, now their coach cabins on airplanes are filled with the sweet technology. COme USA...we are suppose to be smart and innovative. USA is suppose to the most technologically advanced country.....can't beat the Asians anymore :(

Check it on Gizmodo.

World War Hulk #2

2007-07-23T12:41:00.000-05:00

World War Hulk #2
Writer: Greg Pak
Art: John Romita Jr.

Man! I am loving this series. The issue is fast, tight, and full of smashing action. So the Hulk, after taking out Tony Stark and Stark Tower, comes face to face with the Mighty Avengers, some of the New Avengers, Dr. Samson, and She-hulk. Fortunately, the Hulk has the warbound to back him up...otherwise the fight might have lasted a bit longer heh. Elsewhere, the other New Avengers ask if Dr. Strange get just send the Hulk away again. Echo asks if Strange can kill him. Strange says that he cannot unless he wants to lose his soul forever. Instead, Strange is working on a spell to summon a hero that will both stop and redeem the Hulk.

Back to Hulk. She-hulk tries to reason with her cousin. But the Hulk only asks her to leave before its too late. She-Hulk holds back the Avengers, since she knows the Hulk will not throw the first punch. Unfortunately, for her the first punch was already thrown when Hulk's wife and child were killed. Anyway, bashing ensues. The Warbound make short work of the Avengers. But the Avengers were only trying to buy time for Reed Richards.

After the Avengers, the Warbound head for the Baxter Building. There Reed makes a device the mimicks the Sentry's power. The Hulk seems to calm down until he tries to shake the Sentry's had and breaks the machine. The Warbound destroy the Fantastic Four (with Storm and Black Panther). As the FF fall, Sue makes a desperate plea to the Sentry for help--who has refused to take battle for whatever reason.

After the epic battle, Hulk runs into Rick Jones. Unfortunately, this also the moment that Dr. Strange is looking for. He casts his spell to find the HUlk-redeeming champion. The spell is thrown back due to the Hulk's increased rage. When he recovers, he sees Hercules and Amadeus Cho (Incredible Hulk #107); still enraged he attacks them. The issue ends with General Ross flying in saying that it's time for the big boys to bring down the Hulk.

I really enjoyed this issue. World War Hulk is every bit the smashfest that was promised. But the part I enjoyed the most of this issue was the appearance of General Ross. He looks so bad ass, and I think he will definitely do a bit better than the Avengers and FF. Art-wise, JRJR is amazing. He really captures the fights well. He does subtlety well too. You see the shock on Hulk's face when Rick Jones tells him Cap is dead.

Story: 9.5 out of 10
Art: 9.5 out of 10

Next Time, Hulk vs the army

March to Enslavement

2007-07-20T14:29:00.000-05:00

The machines are slowly taking over....and Colbert finally got his iPhone.

Begging with dignity...I do that a lot heh.

Top Ten Concept Cars

2007-07-18T13:38:00.000-05:00

Biz Covering has a list of the top 10 Concept Sport Cars. The list includes cars from Acura, Dodge, Ferrari, etc. Some of the cars look really sweet. Hope we get to see them on the road in the near future.

FINAL CRISIS!

2007-07-17T18:51:00.000-05:00

DC has released a teaser pick for the crisis that Countdown is leading up to over at Newsarama. I really don't get how Hawkman is a legend.....but what matters my opinion... http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=121230

Nova #4 quick review

2007-07-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

Nova #4
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art: Sean Chen

Nova continues to impress. This issue ties the Nova title with the Annihilation Conquest event. The issue is action packed, and it shows the fate of some of Nova's comrades during the Annihilation Wave--namely Gamora who is now a Phalanx Sentinel.

The Phalanx have the Kree system isolated for the rest of the universe with a force field. Nova tries to escape but can break through. At the end of the issue, Nova crash lands on a Kree planet as a skeleton. As a result, the Worldmind grabs a new Nova corps member.

This could be the beginning of a new Nova Corps. The Kree Nova's suit does not look enhanced, so I assume the majority of the Nova force is still inside Richard Rider (probably rebuilding his body). Anyway, I really excited about this Cosmic Event. Between this and the Sinestro War, I'm loving the Cosmic events right now.

Story: 7.5 out of 10 Solid Story
Art: 8 out of 10 Sean Chen continues to bring his A game.

Tie Kuan Yin Tea

2007-07-13T17:43:00.000-05:00

I drink a lot of Chinese tea. I drink oolong and Puer. Recently I've started to like Tie Kuan Yin tea a lot. For a long time, I thought that it was a separate type of tea, but apparently it's a type of Oolong tea. According to TeaSpring.com, its is "the most famous of all Chinese Oolong teas." Well, learn something new every day.

The Order #1 Preview

2007-07-12T21:09:00.001-05:00

Newsarama has a preview for the new Champions....err. I mean Order Book. The book comes out next week, and I pretty excited since this is the first 50 state initiative team we have seen. There is the Avengers: Initiative book...but they don't focus on a state team. Anyway I hope the LA team rocks. I have high hopes for Fraction and Kitson.

J.J. Abrams' new movie

2007-07-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

The preview for Transformers included a trailer for a film by J.J. Abrams that comes out on 1-18-08...but it did not include a title. This has piqued the interest of my movie news sites. The latest news article about it on Aintitcool can be seen here. Anyway, the movie has a website at http://www.1-18-08.com/. The trailer can be see on the Apple Trailers site. The trailer is pretty interest and worth a look. I'll keep you guys informed if more news pops up.

Thor #1 Spoilers

2007-07-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

The much talked about new Thor ongoing has finally arrived. JMS is a writer that does a lot better when playing in his own sandbox. Continuity restricts his creativity sometimes. His spider-man run was definitiy good, but no where near as good as Supreme Power or Rising Stars. Man I really miss Supreme Power.
Thor #1
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Art: Olivier Copiel

Anyway, thew new Thor brings both Thor and Donald Blake back from the dead. It seems that Thor needs to return to stop an apocalypse. Most of the issue is about Blake trying to convince Thor to live. At the end, Dr. Blake arrives in Oklahoma, slams his walking stick on the ground, and calls down the Thunder.

I have to save that the Art is stunning, and I think Thor's new look makes a lot more sense. Vikings are a warrior people, so a warrior god should definitely be in armor. As of the writing, the issue does provide a good explanation for the return of Thor and Blake (though Blake's return is a lot more logical then Thor's...), but I was expecting some more action. I will continue to follow this book, and hopefully the next issue will be more fulfilling.

Story: 6.5 out of 10
Art: 8 out of 10

Immortal Iron Fist #6 Spoilers

2007-07-04T00:04:00.000-05:00

Immortal Iron Fist #6
"The Last Iron Fist Story: Part 6"
Writers: Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction
Artists: David Aja, Russ Heath, Matt Hollingsworth

I find myself enjoying the lesser known heroes a lot more these days. In the past I enjoyed the Spider-man, X-men, Superman, Batman books a lot...Now I find myself reading books such as Captain America, New Warriors, Nova, Green Lantern, Flash, and the Immortal Iron Fist. The main reason for this is the writer. Many of the best writers in the industry are attached to more obscure characters. And Ed Brubaker does a fine job with the obscure hero: Iron Fist.

This issue serves two purposes. 1. The passing of the torch from Orson to Danny, and 2. the set up to the Kunlun seven weapons tournament. I feel that Brubaker could have done 1 better. I mean Orson kinda goes out like a chump. I was hoping for a very dramatic, glory-filled death. But he did bequeath his powers to Danny, which makes Danny twice the badass now. As for the setup to the next arc....I'm very happy. I really want to see Danny beat down on the Steel Serpent. But I'm a little disappointed that I didn't see Danny use his golden katana. Everybody should be reading this book

Story: 7.5 out of 10 Not as strong has the other books in the arc...but the overall arc is very strong
Art: 8 out of 10

Transformers Movie - Quick Review

2007-07-03T17:56:00.000-05:00

Just came back from the Transformers movie......and all I can say is HOLY SHIT! ILM does awesome work in this movie. The action and fight scenes are nothing short of amazing. The action can be confusing at times, but I really enjoyed myself. Of course, the movie is very thin on plot and the dialog is very.....but the action is hot; as is Megan Fox.....she is smoking hot in this movie! So if you want minding numb fun this is definitely the flick for you. If you need something deep and sophisticated, then you should probably stay away heh. Plus there is not a lot of character development. I mean the Transformers are pretty underdeveloped. In all honesty, I went into this movie expecting nothing but big explosions. And it certainly delivered that.

Cheating the Wal-mart self-checkout....or not

2007-06-30T22:07:00.000-05:00

Engadget has an article about the a customer trying to steal a $984 plasma TV by changing the price tag and using the self-checkout. Apparently, the self-checkout is not as dumb or as easy to cheap as this guy thought....check the article here.

Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1 Spoilers

2007-06-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Ethan Van Sciver

In blackest day, in brightest night,
beware your fears made into light.
Let those who try to stop what's right,
burn like my power... Sinestro's might!

Wow, I've been waiting for this book for a while, and it was definitely worth the wait. In this issue, we beginning with two investigations: 1. Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Jon Stewart, and Kyle Rayner looking to the yellow power rings that the sinestro corps, and 2. the Guardians investigating the knowledge of the Cyborg Superman and the "52."

When the four human GLs arrive with a yellow power ring to talk to the Guardians, shit hits the fan. First, the yellow ring breaks free and teleports Ion to Qward, then Oa are attacked by the Sinestro Corps. The attack turns out to be a diverse to break out certain prisoners.

Kyle, on the other hand, arrives on Qward where he is overpowered by the rest of the Sinestro Corp. Sinestro informs the captured Kyle, that his mother was killed by a member of the Sinestro. Then Sinestro rips open Kyle's heart and removes the Ion entity. With Ion captured, Kyle is free to be the host for Parallax!

With the Parallax, Sinestro brings Kyle to meet the rest of heralds of the "Guardian." In the final spread we see that the "Guardian" is the Anti-Monitor and the other heralds are Hank Henshaw and Superboy-Prime.

So much stuff happens in this book--the turning of Kyle, the completion of the Sinestro Corps, and the return of various villians from different DC events (Reign of the Supermen, Zero Hour, Crisis, and Infinite Crisis). The book is not perfect...some of the dialogue is off, but story is excellent in setting up the GL crossover. Man, with this and Annihilation Cosmic character fans of DC and Marvel have a lot of money to spend. Anyway, I look forward to the continuation of the story in the GL and GLC books. This book really establishes Sinestro as a villian to be fear....instead of a weird purple elf.

BTW, the Sinestro Oath is pretty cool

Story: 9 out of 10
Art: 9 out of 10. The art is excellent, but some of EVS faces are weird......but for the most part, it is excellent.

Indiana Jones 4 Production diaries

2007-06-26T16:45:00.001-05:00

Just like King Kong and 300 before it, the Indiana Jones crew is making production videos and posting them online. Here is the video from day one in glorious Quicktime: Indy 4 Day 1.

Hitman the Movie

2007-06-26T15:44:00.001-05:00

Joblo has posted a copy of the trailer for the video game based movie--Hitman. The trailer is set to Ave Maria, which I think is pretty sweet. Anyway check it out at Joblo.

1000 Movies to See before you Die!

2007-06-25T18:54:00.001-05:00

http://film.guardian.co.uk/1000films/0,,2108487,00.html

Check it Out....see how many you've seen. Not all the movies are listed yet, though.

Captain America #27 Spoilers

2007-06-25T13:13:00.000-05:00

Captain America #27
The Death of the Dream Part 3
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Steve Epting and Mike Perkins

We beginning with Tony Stark reiterating to the press that there will be no new Captain America. The costume and the shield have been retired and that they will be on display in the Natural History Museum in D.C.

We cut to Bucky arriving at said Museum, and he starts casing the place. Bucky soon discovers that the shield is fake, since there is not enough security.

Cut to Sharon trying to commit suicide. The image of Dr. Faustus taunts her; saying that he can't commit suicide just like how she can't tell anyone what she did. At this point, Falcon arrives stating that Nick Fury wants them to find the Winter Soldier. Apparently, Bucky fell off the grid after stealing some armory for Nick and compromising one of Nick's L.M.D spies in Shield.

Cut to that L.M.D. The robot is severely damaged. Bucky used it to track down Cap's Shield, and in the process he had to disable a bunch of Shield Agents. Since the shield's location has been compromised, Iron Man sends the Black Widow to retrieve it.

As Black Widow leaves the Shield complex, Bucky attacks and steals away the shield. During the fight, and after in flashback scenes, we learn that Bucky and Natasha have a history together. They trained together and had a fling.

But at Shield HQ, Natasha tells Tony what she knows about Bucky. In addition, she warns Tony to be worried, since she knows Bucky wants to kill him.

Alright! Winter Soldier starts his attack. This is a lose-lose situation for the Marvel Universe. If Bucky is captured, Fury is compromised....and if Tony is killed the SHRA is gonna have a field day locking up superheroes. Brubaker is an excellent storycrafter, and the book is still very strong without Cap. Can't wait till next month.

Story: 9 out of 10
Art: 9 out of 10

Annihilation: Conquest Prologue Spoilers

2007-06-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

Annihilation: Conquest Prologue
Writers: Dan Abett and Andy Lanning
Art: Mike Perkins

This week Marvel starts its second space epic: Annihilation: Conquest. Like its predecessor Annihilation, this event will spawn 4 mini-series. In addition, the Nova ongoing will tie in as well.

The story picks up right after Annihilation. Star Lord is helping the Kree, headed by Ronan, re-establish itself, the new Quasar is learning still learning how to use her powers, and Richard Rider is being the one man Nova Corps.

Anyway, Quasar starts hearing a voice from the Quantum Bands. The voice tells her that she needs to find the "redeemer" to save the Kree. The voice gives her visions of the people she needs to find....one of which is the new character Wraith.

At the Kree homeworld, Star Lord aka Peter Quill, negotiates a deal with the Space Knights to repair the Kree Defenses. But when the defenses are started, all hell breaks loose. The Phalanx were attached to the Space Knight tech, and the Kree Empire is conquered and assimilated in minutes.

Now the big picture is set. Star Lord is trapped on the Phalanx Conquered Capital, while Quasar starts on her mission to find the saviors of the Kree. This is a very good beginning that sets up the Annihilation miniseries very well. We know who the bad guys are, and we know what most of the major players need to do. I'm really looking forward to this event! Marvel's major events seem to be doing a lot better than DC's this year.

Story: 9 out of 10. Awesome Prologue
Art: 9 out of 10. Perkins does a great job conveying the story, plus his Phalanx and Kree look awesome.

Indecision2008

2007-06-21T16:24:00.000-05:00

With more than a year to go before the 2008 presidential elections, the media has been showing us all the different candidates as well as the all the potential candidates. Now Comedy Central has entered this frenzy with a new website: www.Indecision2008.com. Here you will find news about the presidential hopefuls from sources such as the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. In addition, there are blogs and user comments. It's pretty interesting and funny. Check it out.

Lil Bush....

2007-06-21T16:04:00.001-05:00

I watched a couple of episodes....and to tell you the truth, i'm not impressed. The commercials/trailers looked pretty funny, but the show is actually quite juvenile. It tries to be something like Family Guy with its random antics....but it fails pretty hard. I thought that there might be some political commentary like with the Daily Show or the Colbert Report...or even what South Park occasionally does....All in All I've just been really disappointed by Lil Bush.

Apple's Stock...Overpriced?

2007-06-19T13:19:00.000-05:00

I've been keeping tabs on Apple's stock ever since the announcement of the iPhone. Apple's stock has been really bullish, and now the stock hovers around $125. But is the stock overpriced? Some believe that Apple is overpriced, and that there will be a correction soon. Others believe that the stock will go to 160 before the correction. Since Apple has a bunch of new products coming out, it could very well hit 160.

Anyway, I found a cool article on GigaOM comparing Apple stock with some of the other strong tech stocks (Google, Amazon, Autodesk). Apparently Apple's Price/Earning ratio is not too high. So there is definite potential for more growth. But you can never be too sure with the stock market. This is really just speculation. Anywho, to check out the article, just follow the link here: GigaOM Apple Stock Article.

Watchmen Movie News

2007-06-18T17:26:00.000-05:00

Aintitcool has some big news about the cast in Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie. The good news is that Keanu Reeves will not be Dr. Manhattan. Thank God!. Anyway, for more indepth coverage check out the article at Ainititcool.

Fables 62 Spoilers

2007-06-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

Fables 62
The Good Prince Chapter 3
Writer: Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham

Not much really happens in this issue. We get a history lesson on Lancelot, Prince Charming gives Hansel an Ultimatum, and Fly gets groomed and puts on Lancelot's armor. Fly also gets to put out Excalibur which is in the Fabletown Mayor's office. This is really a build up chapter, it moves everything into place. Fly starts his mission, and Fabletown and the Empire move closer to war. We also learn that Fly will be unbeatable as long as he is true and pure. I hope that he can remain true to himself in the face of war. Anyway, at the end we see Fly and Lance jump into the Wishing Well to start their journey.

This wasn't the best issue of Fables, but it does set things in motion. I hope that Fly gets to build an army and becomes a bad has leader/strategist. We have too solo badasses already in the form of Bigby and Blue. Fly needs to be KING.

Story: 7 out of 10. Solid issue, but I need more action!
Art: 8 out of 10. I think Buckingham is the best artist for Fables.....his art just works well in the setting.

Nova #3 Spoilers

2007-06-17T14:04:00.000-05:00

Nova #3
Home Truths
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art: Sean Chen

The issue opens with the Thunderbolts confronting Nova in front of the police station. Given the recent power boost, Nova shrugs off the attacks of Thunderbolts' heavy hitters. Nova gets ready to retaliate when Iron Man and Shield arrive to end the fight.

Nova and Iron Man go for a private chat where Richie feels that he doesn't belong in the "squabbles" of Earth. Tony tries to convince Richie that he can do some good on Earth--join the Initiative and combat disorder, anarchy and the abuse of power. Nova still can't decide yet, so he rockets home to think.

Back at home, his dad yells at him for fighting with the good guys. His mom thinks he should join Shield and get psychiatric help. Nova leaves in a fit of anger and runs into Penance aka Speedball outside. Penance and Nova talk, and Nova comes to the conclusion that he doesn't belong and that Earth's gone psycho. Nova tells Speedball to not let the world turn him into something that he's not and rockets off world. In space he hears all the distress calls to the Nova Corps, and responses to the most urgent ones on the Kree home world of Hala. Next Issue: Annihilation Conquest.

Well, I'm really impressed with this book. Not only do we get a fresh perspective on the Civil War situation, we also get a non-asshole Tony Stark. He does not come off has manipulative in this book--which is definitely a good change. We also get to see how the common people are reacting to the Civil War. The tension is very high, and it's pretty funny that people view the Thunderbolts as the "good guys" now. This book provides some closure for Nova in terms of the Earth Issue. Now we get to head off to the new Cosmic Event: Annihilation Conquest. I can't wait for this Cosmic Crossover.

Story: 9 out of 10. If you haven't been following this book, you definitely should. Plus next issue is a great jumping on point.
Art: 9 out of 10. I really love Sean Chen's art.

NEW BATSUIT!!!!?!

2007-06-14T23:08:00.001-05:00

Aintitcool News has posted a leaked image from Entertainment Weekly of Batman's Upgraded batsuit for the new movie Batman: The Dark Knight. Check it out over at aintitcool.

Apple Keynote

2007-06-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

So Steve Jobs just finished his keynote. The major points covered were iPhone features, Mac OSX Leopard, and Safari for Windows. Sci-Tech has a good summary of the Keynote. In addition, several bugs have already been discovered in the Safari Windows Beta. Well, we'll see if Safari can compete with IE and firefox in a windows environment.

Countdown 47 *Spoilers

2007-06-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

Countdown #47
Writers: Paul Dini with Sean McKeever
Art: Tom Derenick

This issue furthers the arcs of some characters while also introducing us to some new players. First Jimmy Olsen starts having nightmares about Lightray and about being stuck in the source wall. Furthermore, this is the first time that we see him question the changes that have been occurring to him.

On the Mary Marvel-Black Adam front, Black Adam is pretty fed up with the burden of his powers and decides to give the company of the Egyptian Gods to Mary (by uttering the words Shazam)--transforming her to Black Mary Marvel who is now bustier. Heh the Egyptian Gods make women bustier. Then Teth-Adam leaves telling Mary that if she sees her brother tell Billy that he is "sorry". Apparently Billy changed Adam's magic word to "sorry." "Sorry" seems pretty stupid word choice. I feel that Adam would say sorry to the grave of Isis for getting her killed even if he isn't sorry about "World War III".

At the Rogues "hideout" or party house, we learn that Pied Piper and the Trickster are just kind of lost since Wally disappeared. They are just looking for a port in the storm.

In this issue, we are introduced to Holly (new Catwoman) who is looking for a fresh start after the alleged cop killing the pages of Catwoman.

Finally, we come to the Monitors who have a popular vote and decide that they will kill Donna troy, Jason Todd, and Kyle Rayner who are the sources of the virus that would destroy the multiverse. Then on the Last page, the Amazons Attack!

One thing I liked about this issue is that I gave me a time bearing. At least now I know where Countdown fits time-wise. I'm still a bit disappointed in this issue because nothing really happens besides the changing of powers. But it is definitely an improvement artwise and story over the last issue.

Story: 7 out of 10
Art: 7.5 out of 10

Liquid Water on Mars?

2007-06-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

Found this article on New Scientist a couple of days ago. It seems that the Mars Rover: Opportunity discovered something that looks like puddles of water. Because of Mars' low atmosphere, any water or ice should evaporate or sublime almost immediately. For more info, check out the article.

New Warriors #1 Spoilers

2007-06-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

New Warriors #1
Defiant
Writer: Kevin Grevioux
Art: Paco Medina

I've never read a New Warriors book before. I believe this is the four time the book has been re-released as a series (Vol. 4 now). This time I decided to buy since Civil War has caused the new warriors to be infamous, and therefore it makes a lot of sense for Marvel to put a lot of effort into this book. And boy this a really good first issue.

The issue begins with the Grey Gargoyle being chased down by the new New warriors. Then, we go to Sofia, an ex-mutant, who is have a nightmare about losing her powers. But she seems to be coping by working at a cafe.

Sofia's life changes because of 2 events, 1. meeting of a cute guy named Barry at the cafe, and 2. receiving a smartphone here a mysterious person offers her a different more exciting life.

It turns out that the one contacting Sofia via the Smartphone is actually Barry, who is a de-powered Beak. Beak teleports Sofia to New Warriors HQ where they meet up with Night Thrasher.

This new series shows the New Warriors as rebel freedom fighters, and that even de-powered mutants can make a huge difference in the current 616 Earth. The 1st issue introduces the premise of the series and the major players very well. The issue also ends on a good cliffhanger. I really recommend picking up this book and Avengers: The Initiative books.

Story: 8.5 out of 10
Art: 8 out of 10.

Avengers: The Initiative #3 Spoilers

2007-06-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

Avengers: The Initiative #3
Bug Hunt
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Stefano Caselli

A lot things happen in this issue, which focuses on the capture of Spider-man. The personalities of Komodo and Hardball are developed, in addition the Scarlet Spiders, Iron spider armor clad assault team, are introduced. We learn that Komodo has perfected the Lizard formula, developed bu Curt Conners, for her own DNA. Unfortunately, she has a inferiority complex about her "secret identity." She feels that her normal self is worthless, and there tries exceedingly hard in the Initiative.

During the fight with Spider-man, we learn that Shield has developed a special bullet for each of the unlicensed heroes. These bullets contain the nanobots that de-powered She-Hulk in She-Hulk #19. Each bullet is coded for an individual hero. Perhaps Tony Stark is a bit to earnest in the capturing of unlicensed heroes.

The Initiative has been a great book. Slott is very good at developing the characters of the Initiative. Furthermore, I'm interested to see how the Initiative crashes and burns, since I feel that their tactics of capturing the unlicensed heroes first and then the villains will come back to bite them in the end.

Story: 8 out of 10.
Art: 7 out of 10.

Wireless Power

2007-06-08T13:10:00.000-05:00

A team of MIT physicists and engineers have demonstrated wireless electricity. Using magnetic induction, the team was able to light a 60watt light bulb about 2m away. Using a oscillating magnetic field, the team is able to induce a current, wirelessly, to light the bulb. The team used a 10MHz frequency oscillation to cause the induction.

Of course, this technology is from complete. The device could potentially interfere with electrical devices. In addition, it is still not very efficient (45% efficient in this case). For more info check out the article at MIT's website.

Rain vs. Colbert: Part 2

2007-06-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

In the continuing saga of Rain vs. Colbert, there is a new video from the Colbert Report. Check it out!

KOREAN SUPREMACY! YEH!

Via's Nanobook

2007-06-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

Via, Taiwanese firm, has come out with a laptop that weighs less than 2 lbs and costs only $600. Of course, the laptop is that very stylish, but it is extremely portable. Portability is definitely very important. In addition, the Nanobook can run either XP or Vista. This is great for business trips when you just need to type, show presentations, and answer emails. You can find out more about the Nanobook at engadget, machinist, or Via's homepage.

Justice Society of America #6 Spoilers

2007-06-04T22:27:00.001-05:00

Justice Society of America #6
The Lightning Saga Chapter Four
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Dale Eaglesham

After the Legionaires leave the Hall of Justice, Superman tells the JSA and JLA about the lightening rod. The rod is used to sacrifice oneself to resurrect another person. As for the Legionaires, the set out to the place that they are suppose to meet up (an old Secret Society HQ). Along the way, we learn that Starman's mental health is the mark of the multiverse. Because Starman wasn't suppose to be on the mission, he got thrown to Earth-22 (The Kingdom Come Earth) while time travel.

The JLA/JSA have decided to take the Legionaires. A team consisting of Liberty Belle, Hourman, Damage, Black Lightning and Wonder Woman track the flight ring signal to the old secret society HQ. There they encounter Triplicate Girl.

Triplicate Girl tells the team that legion was sent to prevent the world's first psychopathic artificial intelligence from being born. Then they are attacked, and t-girl states that they need to
destroy the whole base. The rest of the JLA, JSA, and the Legionaires show up to help fight.

In the middle of the fight, the Legionaires grab a legionaire in the shadows and bolt. Soon, Superman tells everyone to stop fighting. Supes discovered that it w as all an illusion created by Sensor Girl.

The issue ends with the Legionaires seeing the coming storm and spilting up to go to specific coordinates.

Well, there is some good information provided about what happened to Starman and some good stuff about Damage's powers.....but other then that nothing really happens. I feel that this issue could have been combined with the previous issue. Did we really need one whole issue to see the introduction of sensor girl? Well, maybe she has a really important role.

Story: 7 out of 10. Some good pieces, but doesn't really forward the story
Art: 7 out of 10. Eaglesham is still great, but nothing wowed me in this issue.

The Lightning Saga ends in Justice League of America #10!

Awesome Ribs

2007-06-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

So I was looking for a good ribs recipe for Memorial Day, therefore I went to ask my friend Richard Metzler for a recipe. Richard always made great food during college. He's an awesome chef. Anyway, he gave me a recipe that is altered from a recipe by Alton Brown. It turned out so well, so I decided to share. Give it a try if you have time.

Richard's Recipe:
Cut/pull the membrane off the bony side of the ribs if it wasn't already removed when you purchased them. Rub (Dry Rub recipe below) the ribs and generously and let them sit for at least an hour. Wrap the ribs in a tube of foil (shiy side down) and close one end. Add marinade (marinade recipe below), seal foil, and bake at 200F for at least 4 hours. Remove ribs and drain marinade into a sauce pan. Bring liquid to a boil then drop it down to a simmer (about an hour). Reduce until syrupy in texture. This is your glaze. Brush ribs with glaze and roast on the grill on high heat until desired color (a minute or 2 per side). Keep brushing the ribs.

For the rub I prefer cutting the brown sugar in half if the sauce is sweet. If the sauce/marinade isn't that sugary I'd go for the full amount. The trick is to make it really spicy.

Dry Rub

6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons mexican chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
(pretty much a lot of chili powders)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin (I always like to match the cumin w/ equal portions of coriander/cilantro)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Marinade/Glaze base

2 cups vinegar

2 cups white wine

For sweet: use balsamic vinegar or substitute it with good maple syrup. I also got a new one i like: 1 cup soy sauce, 2 cups mirin, a tbsp vanilla extract, and a couple cloves of star anise (skip wine altogether or use some sake).

For spicy: use apple cider or white wine vinegar and add 1 can of blended chipotles in adobo sauce. If you want the sauce thicker add ketchup (but don't overdo it, it's just for thickening).

Teapots!

2007-06-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

BBC has an article on teapots! According to a study conducted in Aberdeen, tea brewed in teapot has more antioxidants that help fight cancer and heart disease. The tea needs the proper time to brew. Within a hour of drinking tea, the antioxidants in the bloodstream can rise by 45%.

Speaking of teapots, people should check out the new Sorapot by Joey Roth. It gives a modern feel to a traditional activity. I believe the Sorapot will be available very soon.

Step Towards Quantum Computing

2007-06-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

So, the physicists at Harvard have made a stable quantum register at room temperature. They did it with carbon-13 nuclei in diamond. Previously, quantum computing experiments were all done in high vacuum and near absolute zero conditions. These conditions were needed since qubits are extremely fragile. Now single spin nuclei of carbon-13 can be used to create a quantum register at room temperature. Check out the article for more!

Which Super Villain Are You?

2007-06-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

Your results:
You are Dr. Doom

Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain are you?" quiz...

I found this on text on Brain K. Vaughan's myspace. So I took it. It's kinda funny heh.

Green Lantern #20 *Spoilers

2007-06-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

Green Lantern #20
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Daniel Acuna/Dave Gibbons

This is the conclusion to the Star Sapphire arc. The star Sapphire attaches to one of it's creators after Hal Jordan kisses her. Apparently the Star Sapphire is pretty shallow and stupid and sees a kiss as love.... The Guardians of Star Sapphire decide to go home and fix the Star Sapphire by making it into a ring. They also decide to collect the other Lanterns in the color spectrum....so apparently there's more color powers then just green and yellow.

But on earth, Hal goes on a date with Cowgirl. Later he learns that Carol got a divorce. Hal's love life just got more complicated.

I didn't particular like the Star Sapphire storyline. I've never really cared for star sapphire as a villain. She was always kind of lame to me. But the other color powers does interest me. Now they have pink lantern! Though it does give off a bit of a power rangers vibe. But I'm sure Geoff Johns can make it work. But what I'm really looking forward to is the Sinestro Corps.

Story: 7 out of 10. Ok but nothing awe inspiring.
Art: 5 out of 10. The drawing is good, but the coloring is horrible.

Countdown #48 Spoilers

2007-06-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

Countdown #48
Death from Above
Writer Paul Dini w/ Adam Beechen
Art: David Lopez

This issue is pretty week. Not much happens besides the New Gods showing up on Metropolis and Lightray dying. The plot doesn't really move forward in this issue. Mary Marvel just talks to Black Adam about losing her powers. Starman and Karate Kid talk about Dr. Impossible (first arc of JLA). Donna Troy and Jason Todd talk about Duela Dent and how they are living on borrowed time.

Jimmy definitely is the most interesting this time around. Apparently he has speed powers as well. And it seems that he is the cause of Lightray's death. Curiouser and Curiouser.

Next Week: it seems that Black Adam gives his powers to Mary Marvel.....could this be Black Adam depowered............ again?

Story: 6 out of 10. Nothing really happens. The story is just pretty dull.
Art: 5 out of 10. Yeah, I don't like David Lopez's art at all. The faces and bodies all look weird and unnatural.

Dick Tracy Watch Phone!

2007-05-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I saw this on engadget: THE WATCH PHONE. The SMS M500 GSM Watch phone ships from Hong Kong on May 30th. The phone is actually pretty sick. Check it out on engadget. I would so get one if I had money.

The Star Wars Myth

2007-05-29T17:23:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been 30 years since the release of Star Wars IV: A New Hope on May 25, 1977. To celebrate this momentous occasion there has been a lot of specials on Star Wars during this Memorial Day weekend. I managed to catch the special on the History Channel: Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed.

The show talked about star wars for 2 hours, making parallels to history (Nazi Germany, Rome, etc) and myths (Paradise Lost, Hercules, Odyssey, Illiad, King Arthur). But in all honesty, did Lucas think of all these different meanings when he was dreaming up Star Wars. I think that he just wanted to make a sweet entertaining movie. Ok, some of the parallels are obvious like the one about 1930s Germany, and Man vs. Machine. But other ties seem like a stretch. Perhaps people are reading too deeply into things. We see this with Harry Potter commentary. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that things turned out this way.

But then I realized something. This was the beauty of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and I guess Harry Potter. The story is so engaging that it allows for our own interpretations. That is what makes epic epics, and myth myths. Anyway, I gonna go watch Empire again (Best Star Wars movie ever!) Happy Birthday Star Wars. I think it has definitely become (or will become) one of best literature/myths of modern times.

BTW, the star wars tech show just before Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed was a lot sweeter and definitely worth catching if you still can.

Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #30 Spoilers

2007-05-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #30
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Barry Kitson

So the war with the Dominators has ended. The Legion took to war to the Dominators' home planet, and the Dominators have lost.....for now. It's pointed out the Dominators will eventually regroup and attack again. Cosmic Boy suprises everyone with his plan. He plans to blow up the Dominators' planet and end the threat once and for all. This surprises everyone, especially Mekt Ranzz who thinks Cos is a pansy. Well, Cos has Brainy build a Kryptonite Bomb and orders a dying Mon-El to delivery the bomb to the planet's core. The planet blows up, and the Dominators and Mon-El are no more.

Back at Legion Plaza, Cosmic Boy makes a eulogy for Mon-El and the election for the new leader begins. We find out that Cos had Brainy build a phantom zone project, and that Mon-El and the Dominator Planet are trapped in the Zone. Now Brainy has time to make an lead antitoxin for Mon-El. Cos made himself hated for two reasons: 1. to get rid of Mekt; 2. to stop beginning Legion Leader.

Anyway, the election results are in, and when Lightening Lad and Saturn Girl go to tell Cosmic Boy the result, they discover that he is gone. Cos went with the Knights Tempus to the 41st Century.

This issue marks the end of the Waid-Kitson run on Legion. And things go out in a very good way. I really enjoyed this episode showing the intelligence of both Cos and Brainy. The one thing i like about Legion is that even with a huge cast, no one is lost in the mix. All the main characters are flexed out very well. I really hope Ted Bedard can carry on as well as Waid.

Story: 8 out of 10. Good ending to a great story arc
Art: 8 out of 10. I really like Kitson's art and he doesn't disappoint here. I can't wait to see what he does at Marvel

Anime Main Characters

2007-05-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

Why do so many anime have really whiny main characters. The main characters should be badass not whiny. Like in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, the main character (Kira and Shun respectively) just whine all the time. Don't you find this rather annoying. See, in one piece Luffy never whines--makes him such a better character. I think that Japanese animators should make main characters with stronger personalities more often. Tho I guess the whiny personality allows for more character development.

Countdown #49 Spoilers

2007-05-24T12:54:00.000-05:00

Countdown #49
Stretching the Truth
Writer: Paul Dini with Tony Bedard
Art: Carlso Magno

Starting where the last issue left off, Kriller Croc attacks Jimmy, but Jimmy survives because of his elastic abilities! What! Apparently Jimmy doesn't know what's going on either.

To the Monitors. We find out that the Monitors' mission is to keep the 52 universes separate from each other. But there are loose ends to be taken care of. Jason Todd, Donna Troy, Ion, etc should not be in this universe. And this could cause another Crisis.

In the JLA satellite, Karate Kid is locked up with Red Arrow interrogating him about the 31st century. Apparently something bigs happening in the Future (for more details check out Lightening Saga X-over in JLA and JSA).

The Rogues make Pied Piper and the Trickster prove themselves by committing a crime, but it seems that Piper and Trickster aren't actually that evil.....perhaps they are spies??

Finally we return to Mary Marvel, who goes to Gotham anyway. There she is attacked by a mugger/rapist. There she runs into a Temple (much like the Rock of Eternity) and is saved by a fully powered Black Adam.

Personally I like this issue. It's not as good as the last one, but it raises a lot of neat questions, and shows a very connected Universe. In addition, I'm very curious on how Black Adam gets his power back so quickly....and what's he doing in Gotham.....perhaps the new Black Adam mini in August will explain.

Story: 7 out of 10. Raises a lot of good questions that will keep me interested.
Art: 6.5 out of 10. I liked last week's art a lot better....art just seemed sketchy to me.

Back up Story:
Chapter1 of the History of the Multiverse.

The back basically talks about the Pre-Crisis meeting of Barry Allen and Jay Garrick.

Story: 6 out of 10. Nice little history lesson but nothing really new.

Captain America #26 Spoilers

2007-05-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

Captain America #26
Death of the Dream Part 2
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Steve Epting

This issue takes place right after the funeral for Cap. The story follows 4 points of view and shows how the books main supporting characters are grieving (or not grieving) for the fallen hero.

First, we are shown Sharon Carter who has quit SHIELD after seeing Cap's withered body. Apparently, the super soldier serum wears off after death. In the middle of guilt, saddness, and rage, Sharon decks Stark and resigns. She is now walking into bar for Cap's wake where the POV is switched to the Falcon.

Sam's having a rough time at the wake. He feels that all the wrong people are there. People try to talk to him, when he just wants to walk it off. So he ditches the wake to go somewhere else.

Cut the Red Skull. The villians (Zola and Faustus) are trying to reverse engineering Doom's time machine. But the invention is not complete science. Anyway, the scene ends with Skull and Faustus meeting with the Secretary of the Treasury.

Back to Sam at the Secret Wake with the New Avengers. Here he feels more comfortable, but he gets called away by Nick Fury to pick up Bucky.

The Winter Soldier is pretty lost, so he takes out his grief by beating up an entire bar. Sam comes to grab him before the cops/SHIELD comes. As Bucky gets ready to go, he sees Tony Stark's Eulogy and decides to kill him.

This issue was not as strong as #25, but we get to see how Agent 13, The Falcon, the Red Skull, and the Winter Soldier is dealing with the Death of Cap. The Skull see is a bit over the top and Epting draws him funny in this ish, but I really interesting in what he wants to do.

Anyway, I hope Winter Soldier succeeds (though he definitely will not succeed) in his assassination attempt, since he is such a badass.

Story: 8 out of 10. The book can definitely go on with Cap alive.
Art: 7 out of 10. Again the Skull just looks weird to me.....maybe it's because he's wearing a mask now.....

Heroes s1e23 Season Finale Spoilers

2007-05-22T13:05:00.001-05:00

The episodes starts with D.L. and Nikki in Linderman's office. D.L. looks pretty bad, but he manages to phase himself and Nikki out of the room before the guards burst into the room. Elsewhere in the Linderman building, Mohinder and Bennet are at a stalemate until Parkman wakes up and states that no one is hurting Molly.

Cutting to Hiro and George Takei, Hiro rushes out saying that he needs to save Ando. Papa Nakamura disagrees saying that Hiro needs to focus on his mission. But in the end Papa Nakamura relents and gives Hiro the sword. Cut to Sylar painting the big fight between himself and Peter.....Roll Credits.

At the Nathan campaign, Mom informs Nate that Linderman is dead and keeps tempting Nathan to the Dark Side. Elsewhere Molly is dying again, and we learn thru a cell phone call that Claire and Peter are still in NYC driving around. Actually Peter lied to Claire and is going to see Nathan, since Pete needs his Big Bro to hold him :(. Claire freaks that Peter lied to her, saying that Nathan can't be trusted. So as Peter asks his brother for help with Sylar, Claire sneaks off only to be caught by here Grandmother. Peter, through mind reading, finally realizes that Nathan is evil and decides to run away only to find Claire gone. In a state of panic, Peter starts running outside looking and then starts to glow and then faint......Man he should just explode already or learn to control his powers.....

Back to the Show.....Matt, Mohinder, and Bennet try to get Molly better to find Sylar. Bennet learns that Claire is with Nathan and Mom....and he approves. Bennet tells Claire to go with the Petrelli's and escape when she is out of the city. Molly makes herself find Sylar, and Matt in a stroke of genius decides to go after Sylar by himself.

Back to Peter, who wakes up and discovers he's in a vision of the past. Maybe Peter absorbed Isaac's drug high too....Anyway, Peter sees Charles and his Mom talk about himself and Nathan. Charles thinks that Peter is the one since Peter is capable of unconditional love, while Mom thinks Peter sucks. Then Mom leaves, and Charles turns to Peter and states that he knows Peter is there.

Meanwhile, Ando arrives at Isaac's loft only to be overpowered by Sylar. Luckily Hiro saves him and teleports Ando back to Japan.

In the search Micah, Nikki stumbles onto Candice in Jessica form. Nikki gets here ass handed to her, until she see the real Jessica in the mirror and super punches Candice. Micah is saved! yeh!
While the Candice-Nikki fight was going on, Matt discovers the fight painting at the loft, and Claire escapes by jumping out a window.

So once Micah is saved, Nikki goes back to find D.L. who is being taken care of by Mohinder and Molly. Micah talks to the elevator and the party escapes.

In the alley, Bennet wakes Peter up and the head to the Linderman Building for the final battle with Sylar. So all the Heroes gather at the tower to confront Sylar. Superhero fight! Sylar is overpowered, when Peter starts to glow. Sylar states that PEter is the bomb, and begins to leave. At this point Hiro teleports in and stabs Sylar through the chest. Before Sylar is down, however, he TKs here into the building. Hiro manages to teleport out be for he goes splat.

Peter is about the explode, but luckily Claire is here. Unfortunately, she can't pull the trigger. And then Nathan flies in.

Nathan has a change of heart, and states that Peter saved the cheerleader so that THEY could save the whole. Nathan grabs Peter and they fly to outer space and explode......OMG they killed Peter and Nathan....I wanted Nathan to stay.....*sob*

End of Volume One.

Volume Two Generations starts with Hiro ending up on 17th century Japan to witness Takezo Kensei and the Eclispse.

Wow. so much happens, and the cliffhanger is awesome. I really have to give this episode an A. The disaster is averted, but there are enough new questions to make the next season very interesting. The fate of Sylar, who escapes into the sewer. Who is the person scarier than Sylar that Molly spoke of? I can't wait to see the answers to theses questions and more.

I still can't believe that they killed Peter and Nathan.....tho Peter can still come back since he does have regeneration capabilities......It's not looking very good for Nathan, unless he threw Peter into space and sped away right before the explosion. I hope Peter and Nathan come back next season.

New Planet....new Life?

2007-05-22T12:32:00.001-05:00

A while back, the Europeans discovered a planet some 20 light years away and dubbed it Gliese 581c. Scientist are saying that Gliese 581c (couldn't they come up with a better name?)is the most Earth-like planet ever found. Gliese 581c is a comfortable distance from a star (7 million miles from a red dwarf), and maintains a surface temperature in the range of 32 to 104 Fahrenheit. But most importantly the planet could have water. According to scientist and time.com the planet is probably 1.5 times the diameter of Earth and 5 times heavier.

If there is life what would the creatures look like. Would the dominate creatures be humanoid? Would the humanoids be shorter than us because of the higher gravity? What stages of civilization are they in. Perhaps they are all farmers. I hope we find out soon. And if my guesses are right.....remember you heard it here first :P

Autonomous Golf Gti

2007-05-20T18:01:00.000-05:00

My friend Chris showed me this on Saturday. I know cars can parallel park themselves now, but this is just ridiculous. Perhaps, people should just give up now, and let computers rule the earth, heh.

I wish I had a self-driving golf.

Anime

2007-05-20T12:50:00.000-05:00

I've been planning to do some posts on anime...but I haven't figured out if I should review each episode like I do with TV shows....or I should just review the whole series. I leaning towards review the whole series and giving first looks at new anime. Reviewing each episode, I won't be able to do in a timely fashion, since I don't when I'll be able to watch an episode. Furthermore, I'm a bit disappointed in Anime series these days. Besides Darker than Black and Lucky Star.....I haven't been able to find a new series that really grabs my interest. A lot of the Mecha anime are just not engaging enough...same thing with sports.

Anyway, I'll post something anime related pretty soon. Lates

Starcraft II

2007-05-20T08:57:00.000-05:00

Finally Blizzard has decided to release Starcraft II. ABOUT TIME! Though warcraft has been entertaining, I've always found starcraft to be a lot better. Maybe I just like sci-fi games better than fantasy games.....i don't know. But Gamespot has an article with some details about what the new starcraft will be like. Check it out here.

There is also another preview article and trailer at Gamespot here.

So the official website is online. Check it out.

All Star Batman and Robin #5

2007-05-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

All Star Batman and Robin #5
Writer: Frank Miller
Art: Jim Lee

Wow, this book, which is like 18 months late, really really sucks. Frank Miller basically shat on a bunch of pages and sent it to the press. The characterization is all wrong for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. This is basically crap. Even though All Star Superman is also late, at least Grant Morrison writes good Silver Agey stories and Superman is spot on. Here Batman is a manic, Wonder Woman is a feminist bitch (in the worst sense possible), and Superman is an idiot and has temper tantrums. Stop buying this book. Really stop buying it.....it's really not worth the money.

Story: F, unless Frank Miller is writing a parody than B-
Art: B-, Jim Lee is not doing it for me these days....always so late.

Energy Conserving House

2007-05-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

I just found this over at NYTimes.com's Technology Section written by David Pogue. With Oil costs increasing everyday (I think it's $65 a barrel now), people should definitely develop new inventions like this to make conserve fuels and save money.

This Enertia House is made of southern yellow pine, which apparently is very efficient at maintaining a constant temperature. In addition air circulation allows the heat to be distributed throughout. The house heats and cools itself like the Earth. Sounds pretty sweet. Go check out the article

-Marc

Dell's New LCD

2007-05-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

Engadget has an article about Dell's New LCD monitor which sports a DisplayPort interface. This looks more like an Apple design than a Dell Design. Maybe Dell kidnapped a designer from Apple, heh. Anyway, the monitor is HOT. Plus its not white. I really can't stand the all white color these days.

Nova #2 Spoilers

2007-05-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

Nova #2
Alienation
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Sean Chen
Inker: Scott Hanna

Nova vs. Iron Man, nuff said. Nova returns to Earth after Annihilation and freaks everyone out. He freaks out his dad and all of Shield....that's pretty much everyone right? Anyway, Nova returns home and immediately Iron Man and Shield show up at his doorstep. Then Nova and Iron Man exchange war stories.

Nova is kinda freaked out by about what happened to the New Warriors. So he takes 24 hours to think about it before replying to Tony's request to join the Initiative. Even talking to old teammate Justice doesn't help Nova make up his mind.

Back home, he gets attacked by Diamondhead. He handles this with ease, but discovers that people don't like heroes anymore. Just as he leaves the police station, the issue closes with the appearance of the Thunderbolts.

I gotta say, I love this book. Nova is developing into an awesome character. Plus, it's great to see the results of Civil War through fresh eyes. DnA do a great job of folding in continuity without make the book inaccessible.

Next week, it's Nova vs. the Thunderbolts. Though I don't see how the Thunderbolts can take on Nova at Nova's current power levels. But the interaction of Penance and Nova (old teammates) will definitely by interesting.

Story: 9 of 10.
Art: 9 of 10. Sean Chen is doing a phenomenal job on this book.
Cover: 8 of 10. Kind of plain, but Shell Head vs Helmet Head is awesome

Fables #61

2007-05-18T01:12:00.000-05:00

Fables #61
The Good Prince Part 2
Writer: Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha
Cover: James Jean

The issue opens up with Flycatcher talking to Boy Blue at the farm. Fly wants Blue to teach him how to use the Vorpal Blade and the Witching Cloak, so he can go cut thru the Adversary's armies. Blue refuses. Blue tells Fly that he is the only Fable that didn't need the amnesty. He tells Fly that he is an innocent, and as a friend he can't teach Fly how to bloody Fly's hands.

We then cut to Prince Charming, Beauty, Beast, and Frau Tokenkinder. The witch, apparently, has always known that Geppetto is the Adversary, but kept it a secret to protect her sources. In addition, she has enchanted one of the brushes used to create Geppetto's children's eyes. The enchantment allows the witch to see through the eyes drawn by that brush. So basically, she has discovered that the Adversary means to declare war. Therefore Charming decides to spy on Hansel and prepare for war.

Later the Forsworn Knight keeps shouting omens at the flying monkey. Bulkin gets really scared and ends up breaking the armor. This releases the Forsworn Knight, who appears to Fly and offers to guide him through the first part of his journey.

So both sides are now preparing for war. I say bring it on! This issue serves as a build up issue, moving characters in place. It does a great job of getting you exciting. Furthermore, I look forward to seeing Fly as a badass. Fables is a book everyone should pick up. One of the best books out there.

Story: 9 out of 10
Art: 9 out of 10
Cover: 9 out of 10

Thor #1 Michael Turner Variant

2007-05-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

Head over to Newsarama and check out the Michael Turner cover for Thor #1. Personally I like Oliver Coipel's art a lot better than Turner's......but Turner's cover is still sweet. Thor #1 in July, I'm definitely gonna pick it up.

Ultimates v2 #13

2007-05-16T17:16:00.000-05:00

Ultimates v2 #13
Independence Day
Writer: Mark Millar
Art: Bryan Hitch
Street Date: May 15, 2007

So after a year (has it been a year?....it feels like a year) the last issue of volume 2 is finally out. This issue would have been a lot better if I didn't have to wait so long.

Thor brings done the Norse Gods to fight Loki's Giants, dragons, and Goblins. The battle was pretty epic.

In the End the good guys win, and the Ultimates break from shield. It's kind of funny how the Ultimate universe went in the opposite direction of the 616 universe. Civil War made 616 more like the Ultimate Universe. Everyone now works for the government. In the Ultimate Universe, the heroes are moving away from the government. Maybe this was Mark Millar's way of rebelling against the Civil War decision. Ultimate Tony even states that moving away from the government is one of the most likely outcomes that he calculated

Anyway in the end the good guys win. Thor is confirmed as a god. Pym is locked up. Scarlet Witch hits on ultron. Hawkeye kills black widow. And Tony funds the Ultimates. It's kind of odd that they don't wrap up the Hulk storyline......what's going to happen to bruce and betty. As the issue closes we go back to 1942 where cap says good to gail just before he joins teh super soldier program. Cap promises that he will end all the fighting and come home. It's kind of sweet, but I don't get the point of it. Cap did come home, but he hasn't ended all the fight....in vol 2 he causes more fighting by letting politics dictate the action of superhumans. I don't get where Millar is trying to do with this scene.

The issue is a sweet brawl, but the ending is a bit week.

Story: 3 out of 5
Art: 4 out of 5 (i really like Bryan Hitch)
Cover: 2 out of 5 nothing special

Countdown #50

2007-05-16T16:46:00.000-05:00

Countdown #50: Last Laugh
Writers: Paul Dini with Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Pencils: J. Calafoire
Inks: Mark McKenna
Street Date: May 15, 2007

The second issue of Countdown opens up with Jimmy Olsen investigating the Death of Duela--the Joker's Daughter. With a bit of help from Superman, Jimmy tracks down the Red Hood. The Red Hood tells Jimmy about the Monitors and then points him to Arkham to get more answers.

Elsewhere, Mary Marvel tries to get some help, looking for Freddie, from Madame Xanadu. Xanadu gets all cryptic and tells Mary that power is in her future...but it has equal parts of Dark and Light. Xanadu can't tell her more since the new laws of magic prevent, but she warns Mary to stay away from Gotham--Gotham isn't safe for Magic. Xanadu then tells Mary that if she is lost in the wilderness look for a guide.

We then cut to the Batcave. Here we see the Batman - Karate Kid fight form Justice League of America #8. Awesome! I really hated that the fight was cut out of the JLA book. Here it's fleshed out a bit more. I love that Batman wins by cheating. Batman might not be the best fighter out there, but he's definitely the best strategist.

Cut to the Rogues, where the trickster and Pied Piper are trying to join the new Rogues gathered by Inertia in the pages of The Flash.

Finally we get back to Jimmy Oslen, who arrives at Arkham to interview the Joker. The interview goes as one might expect with Joker going wacko....but there is truth in the madness. It seems that the Joker is aware of the Monitors and Multi-verse. At first, Joker is sadden by the death of his daughter. But then tells Jimmy that Jimmy can't see the big picture.....Joker's daughter is dead because the Joker doesn't have a daughter! The issue ends with Jimmy calling Lois to tell her that its a dead end, and killer croc breaking loose to attack Jimmy. JIMMY OLSEN MUST DIE!.

I love the fact that the DCU is all interwoven now. Countdown references a lot of major storylines in the other titles. The lightening saga and the flash books are shown here. The bit about magic being unsafe in Gotham - makes sense, the Day of Vengeance final battle occurred there.

In addition I think the writers get these characters spot on. The Joker - Jimmy interaction was great. Plus Calafoire draws a great Joker.

Story: 4.5 out of 5
Art: 4 out of 5

House s3e22 Recap and Review

2007-05-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

Overview:

Dude, House got Housed by a sixteen year old. This episode's patient is a 16 year old speed chess prodigy, who is a bigger jerk than House....and he definitely can't pull off being a jerk like House. The episode begins at a chess competition were said 16 year jerk arrogantly beats an opponent in chess and then beats the opponent with the chess clock. 16 jerk then proceeds to have a huge migraine and is shipped to House.

House's team diagnosis the kid and claim that the personality problem is symptom and proceed to treat him. Like most cases, they are wrong the first time. House discovers that the personality is not a symptom after stressing the kid out in a game of chess. In the end they discover that the kid is just lacking iron.

On the Foreman front, House screws up Foreman's interview and then denies it. This leads to Cuddy questioning Wilson who questions Cameron who questions Chase. At least Chase is smart enough to figure out that House lied. In the end, Foreman still thinks House is a bad person, so nothing changes.

Review:

So nothing really happens. All we find out is that House is like a 6 year old and he doesn't want Foreman to leave. Since Omar Epps is signed on for next season, we all know Foreman will still be around. So I guess it might be interesting to see how House convinces Foreman to stay.

Personally, this episode was only ok. The best part was the chess game between House and jerkboy. I really enjoyed the banter. Besides that nothing else particular stood out. I think the writers are just gonna cram a lot of stuff in the season finale two weeks from now. From the preview, it seems that the finale will show us more of House's character without delving into House's past.

In the end this episode get 3 out 5 stars.....nothing really special

LEDs

2007-05-15T18:55:00.000-05:00

The Consumerist has a post on LEDs today. The news (i heard it on NPR) talked about switching from incandescents to Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) to save energy. But I have to agree with The Consumerist--LEDs are probably a better way to go. LEDs have a lot longer Lifetime -- 50,000hrs as compared to 10, 000 hrs for CFLs and 1000 for Incandescents. So although LEDs are more expensive in the short term, they definitely save money in the term.

The only real problem with LEDs is the color warmth factor. LEDs whites produce a true white light, which is a lot colder than humans are used to (Halogens and incandescent whites are actually yellow). CFLs have warm bulbs as well. But shouldn't be too hard to make a warm LED either with dyes or color mixing (add some reds to the bright white).

Heroes s1e22 Landslide Review

2007-05-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

After a slow episode last week, the penultimate episode has a lot more stuff going on. I mean the pieces are finally set and it seems like the apocalyptic feature is inevitable. Furthermore, a lot of people die. I mean linderman, ted, thompson, and possibly D.L. are all dead.

Personally, I find it surprising that Linderman bought it already. I mean he is a big mafia boss, he should have a better back up plan then trying to buy off Jessica. I thought he would become the big bad guy in season two. Clearly Sylar is going to die (he does not have a healing ability like Peter and Claire). I think sylar has been developed as far as possible. He really wouldn't be that interesting a villain after this season. But I guess Nathan will be the main villain next season. I think this episode showed his true colors. Adrian will make a great villain.

I'm really looking forward to the finale. I think the show can pull off something amazing.

I also think that my approach to reviews should change. I think I'm gonna have a brief overview of the episode and a review following right after (all in one post). Plus i need to fine to my reviewing skills. This is the first review I've ever done. I hope that the reviews will be better in the future.

peace

Heroes s1e22 Landslide Recap

2007-05-15T11:50:00.000-05:00

So last week we ended with a Heroes reunion and Peter absorbing Ted's power. But, if you watched the trailer we know that Peter doesn't go BOOM immediately since NYC is still intact in the preview. Anyway if you haven't since the episode yet SPOILERS:

SPOILERS:

SPOILERS:

SPOILERS:

Alright, let the recap begin:

So we open with Peter and Claire meeting up with Papa Bennet, Matt, and Ted. Peter's powers do their thing, and his hands start glowing, but luckily he has everything under control. Claire doesn't have to kill her Uncle YEH!

Cut to Hiro and Ando. Hiro is sad cause his Takezo Kensei sword is broken and cause he failed to kill the villain. But Ando saves the day by finding a bladesmith in the yellow pages. (......are there really bladesmiths in NY? cause that's kinda sweet. I should go to one heh)

Back to Pete and Claire. Peter tries to tell ted that they need to leave NYC, since either one could be the exploding man. Ted thinks he's crazy, Matt confirms but says Pete is telling the truth. In the end Bennet convinces ted, peter, and claire to go to a place in Nebraska with only 15 people. Now NYC won't have to blow up....wait Sylar's been listing with his superhearing......how he find them.....

At the Petrelli house, Nathan is down in the polls, but Linderman has a plan and tells Nathan to disregard the exit polls. Then he goes and heals the wife before leaving.

Peter, Ted, and Claire try to figure out how to get out of the city, when Peter overhears Sylar's thoughts. Peter tells them to get off the street, but Sylar overheard Ted saying that he's a fugitive.

En route to the bladesmith, Hiro and Ando run into Nathan. Hiro tells Nathan about the bomb and the future. Nathan, however, refuses to help saying that no one can stop the bomb. Hiro is shocked and starts calling Nathan a villain. Well Hiro and Ando continue to the bladesmith to find the bladesmith and GEORGE TAKAI...Papa Nakamura. TRAINING TIME.

Micah and Illusion girl Candice are still in the Linderman building. Candice buys Micah some comics including Silver Surfer #1. Micah asks her why she works for Linderman when she could use her power to be a hero. Candice says people suck and Linderman is going to heal the world. So I think that candice is actually fat and people made fun of her..... Linderman shows up to talk to Micah about how special Micah is and how Micah's gonna save the world. Linderman also promises Micah that he will return Micah home and gives his family a "Happily ever after".

Peter Claire and Ted leave the the car rental place, but the Feds show up lead by Audrey. Ted gets captured while Peter and Claire turn invisible and run away. Turns out Sylar, using the name Issac Mendez, called the FBI.

Back to Hiro and Kaito Nakamura. Apparently Kaito always knew Hiro was special, but didn't think Hiro had what it took to be a Hero. Well, now he does and Hiro is gonna get trained by the Master. Yeh, George Takai is a badass.

Elsewhere (at a voting center) Candice and Micah go into the polls and vote. Micah talks to the voting machines and makes nathan win by a landslide(....this is why evoting won't work....stupid DIEBOLD, jk jk).

Soon after Nathan learns that he wins by 64%, but D.L. and Jessica are here to crash the party. Nathan gives up Linderman as long as D.L. and Jessica are set on killing him. Nathan really does betray a lot of people......not really a rock....though Rock is the root for Petrelli....not solid at all.

Anyway, back to Hiro learning some Kendo. Kaito reminds Hiro about the Kensei stories. Hiro starts to gain his confidence back. Elsewhere, Bennet and Matt mind fakes the guard and gets into Primatech building. Unfortunately, the passcode changed, but as if guided by destiny they run into Jessica and D.L.

Last week, Mohinder discovers that his blood can save Molly Walker. Now it seems that Molly is all better and has full access to her powers. To prove it to Mohinder, Molly tells him that Matt is in the building. Thompson then comes in telling Mohinder to get Molly to a Helicopter. On the security screen we see Matt and Bennet at the door to the room.

GUN FIGHT....well not really. Thompson tries to sneak up on Bennet, but Matt mind reads and foils the sneak attack. Bennet then grabs his own gun and heads in a different direction leaving Matt alone and unarmed. Thompson appears behind Matt ready to shoot, only to have Bennet blow his brains out. Well that was easy heh. Bennet and Matt bust into Molly's room and discover that the Walker System is actually a child. Matt and Bennet argue about killing a child, when Mohinder knocks out Matt and puts Bennet at gun point.....and Bennet puts molly at gun point. STALEMATE!.

Elsewhere Ted and FBI get attacked by Sylar, and Sylar steals a new power--killing Ted. D.L. and Jessica confront Linderman, which ends in Jessica turning back to Nikki, D.L. mortally wounded, and Linderman dead. D.L. phased Linderman's brain out HA!. Hiro finishes his training, only to discover Ando went to kill Sylar himself. Peter and Claire discover Ted is dead and decide that they need to stop Sylar.

The episode ends with Sylar looking over New York, playing with his new power, and say Boom in a hushed whisper.

So according to Greg Beeman's blog, the last 3 episodes are the 3 acts of one big story. Last weeks epi moved the piece into place. Now this week, the bad guy makes his move. Next week is the climatic battle. I can't wait for the Sylar v. Peter fight Hope they do it well.

Review to come soon!

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Rain & Colbert

2007-05-14T16:07:00.000-05:00

This rant by Stephen Colbert is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I think that people in Korea (if they can...) should all vote for Colbert's new music video, so that it can top the Korea Billboard. Man, Rain must of gotten so much publicity from this heh. Here is the vid:

INFINITE MODESTY

Death of a Dream

2007-05-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

As you probably all know by now, Captain America is dead--killed in issue 25 of the Marvel comic by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Honestly, I was really surprised by this move. I would've thought that Cap would kicked Tony's arse in Civil War, since comics love the status quo. I praise Marvel for the new direction they are taking. All in all, I'm enjoy every bit on Cap and I look forward to see where Bru and Epting take the Captain America book now. I wanna see what they do with the Winter Soldier and the Red Skull--who is the #1 bad guy for me right now (what other mainstream villain has killed their arch-nemesis).

I fill that Death of Cap is the beginning of a new age in comics.....and things are looking pretty sweet. I'm such a fan-boy.

About the blog

2007-05-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

This blog is really a blog of my interests...random slices of life. The main focus will be reviews (some spoilers....which will be marked) of comics, manga, anime, tv series, and movies that I am currently watching/reading. There will be other random stuff as well. For example, food and tea will be talked about. So there will be ramblings. Anyway, the main focus is comics, manga, anime, tv, and movies, with the occasional random off-topic post.

Reviews of comics will start on wednesday night/thursday since Wednesday is comic day.

-Marc

First Post

2007-05-13T16:43:00.000-05:00

Just starting.....there will a lot of random posts.....probably mostly about comics, manga, anime, tv and movies though. We'll see how it goes.