All-Star Superman (Review)

Citizen's Grade (Graphic Novel): Impressive.
Citizen's Grade (Animated Movie): Impressive.

After years of failure and frustration, the ever diligent Lex Luthor masterminds another plan to destroy The Man of Steel....and this time it just might work. Sabotage is his plan, as he interferes with Dr. Quintum's first manned Sun mission. In order to save Quintum and his associates, Superman puts himself in harm's way once again. But this time, Superman's heroics come with a price.

The sun; the very source of Superman's many superpowers, poisons his cells....Superman is dying! Poisoned by solar radiation, with just weeks to live, Superman embarks on a mission to fulfill his life's dreams.

War of The Supermen (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Sigh...

New Krypton has been destroyed, tens of thousands of Kryptonians are dead at the hands of Brainiac, and Earth was behind it all! Zod is angry! All the remaining Kryptonians are angry! Superman & Supergirl are angry! Earth must pay! The remaining remnants of New Krypton have declared WAR on EARTH!!

They will have vengeance....that is the theme of War of the Supermen....and what can humanity do to stop thousands of Supermen? Absolutely nothing. Earth's mightiest heroes try to slow the onslaught,

Last Stand of New Krypton (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

After the build-up of Geoff John's New Krypton story arc, the Last Stand of New Krypton by James Robinson & Sterling Gates followed through with the next chapter of what was turning into a great couple of years of Superman comics. Just as New Krypton was molding into a society that could flourish and evolve...even though it still faced the challenges any society does......but just when things were looking up, forces from Earth (i.e. Lex Luthor) make their move.

Brainiac returns to reclaim Kandor! Sending his robotic army in droves, his forces begin killing off Kryptonians at an alarming rate. Superman & Supergirl fight alongside their fellow Kryptonians in an effort to unite them and drive off Brainiac and his mighty army.

Meanwhile, the Legion of Superheroes, Superboy, Mon-El, Brainiac 5 and others fight to save New Krypton, Brainiac's other shrunken cities, & Brainiac 5's personal vendetta to reclaim his family's honor destroyed by Brainiac.

The action is immense and intense, the "human" factor is exactly what we would expect us to do, and Brainiac 5's mission to save his family's honor is noble. Robinson's & Gate's writing is good and the artwork is decent. In the end; HOWEVER, it doesn't really matter...which is why I'm not going in-depth of the two volumes in this review because despite the great build-up of New Krypton & Last Stand of New Krypton, the "finale" was horrible.

The "finale"? War Of The Supermen.

Top 5 Comic Book Writers (Updated...)

It's been over a year since my first Top 5 Comic Book Writers list was posted (See: Top 5 Comic Book Writers), so I thought I would update my list...They are ranked according to how quickly I’ll pull out my wallet whenever I see their name on a comic book title. Note: Previous "Rank" in parenthesis next to writer's name.

Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer (Review)

Brad Meltzer is a great writer, both in the Comic Book Industry and in Fiction Novels. He offers a great blend of emotions with action and plots that bring out the best and worst in his characters and captures your imagination. The only criticism from me about Meltzer's writing is he doesn't write enough.....we haven't seen his work in comics since he left the Justice League of America at issue #12. I would love to see him come back and work on some more JLA, or Flash, Superman/Batman, etc.....really, I'd buy whatever he decided he wanted to write.....the following are his three volumes of the Justice League of America.

Batman: Long Shadows (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

Part of the "Batman Reborn" story arc, Long Shadows deals with Dick Grayson (a.k.a. Nightwing, and now Batman) taking up the mantle of the Bat and the risks and responsibilities that go with it. The book starts with a flashback to Superman bringing Batman's Cape back to Wayne Manor and giving it to Alfred and Grayson. It's a rather touching moment when Superman asks Alfred if he is alright, and Alfred responds, "No Sir. I am not alright. My son has died." It then shifts to Robin getting himself in trouble with Doctor Phosphorus. Nightwing saves the day driving the Batmobile.....but only Batman should drive the Batmobile, right?

New Comic Series to consider......

Here are a few new Comic Series to consider reading....they are in no particular order, just as I've heard of them. Xombi & Carbon Grey have just had their first issues released. Moon Knight, Witch Doctor & Marijuana Man will be released in the next few months.....


1. Witch Doctor. Writer Brandon Seifert describes the book as "Dr. House meets Dr. Strange." Their website; Witchdoctorcomic.com, describes the series as a "medical horror comic". It follows the adventures of Dr. Vincent Morrow as he practices the black arts while battling demons, vampires, and creatures of myth and folklore. Artwork to be done by Lukas Ketner. Issue #1 expected to hit bookshelves June 29.


2. Marijuana Man. A philosophical superhero comic created by the legendary Ziggy Marley, written by Joe Casey and drawn by Jim Mahfood. I believe the title & creator speak for themselves, so toke it up while reading this one...just kidding. Casey is a good writer, and it is scheduled for release on April 20. You can check it out on Ziggy's website.


3. Carbon Grey. Created over eight years by Hoang Nguyen, Khari Evans, Paul Gardner, Mike Kennedy and Kinsun Loh, Carbon Grey centers around Mathilde and Giselle....the Sisters Grey. For generations the Sisters have protected and counseled the Kaiser, ruler of a central European kingdom that looks and feels a lot like "old" Prussia . But times have changed...a bustling industrial age and a great war are dividing the empire and loyalties. When the Kaiser is assassinated, Giselle is accused. Pursued by her sisters and hunted by the enemy, Giselle must unravel the prophecy of the Carbon Grey before it's too late. I picked up the first issue, the artwork is phenomenal!


4. Xombi. The immortal David Kim; kept "alive" by nanotech enhancements, and accompanied by weird nuns and mind-bending images...this is one of DC Comics' "off-the-beaten-path" and refreshing new books. Creator John Rozum and artist Frazer Irving team up to deliver the finest in contemporary urban horror – with a Super Hero twist! As an undying, unchanging Xombi, David Kim must watch the world consume itself and burn while humanity grows more distant from each other due to the rise of technology. What would a Xombi do just to feel change again? And where will he ever be able to find a kindred soul? I perused the first issue and it looks good, definitely "outside-the-box".


5. Moon Knight. Marvel Comics' reboot of the character written by Brian Michael Bendis, with artwork by Alex Maleev. Moon Knight has been around since I was a child (i.e. a long time), and was one of the first comic books I ever read. Gaining supernatural abilities from the moon and mixed with Egyptian myth and tormented by on-and-off again drug addiction and a schizophrenic personality, the Moon Knight is a complicated and interesting personality among Marvel's heroes. I've been skeptical of past incarnations of the character, but I trust the great writing talents of Bendis to bring this hero back to the forefront of Marvel's universe. Maleev is a great artist, so this series (starting in May) should be great!