Comics time....again!

Well, let's try this again. I wrote a bunch last night and for some reason, the site didn't allow for it to be loaded. Didn't think they had that much creative input, but oh well.



OK kiddies, gather round and let Uncle Ron clue you in on some comics to spend your valuable money on. Or in some cases, not to waste your time even reading.



Justice League of America- Dwayne McDuffie has picked up writing the book as of issue 13. He was a major contributor to the "JLU" cartoon and did a fantastic job on it. Now, I seem to be in the minority when it comes to Brad Metzler, the last writer(*cough* Jim). I didn't think he did all that bad a job, but wow. McDuffie put more action and team chemistry in one issue that Metzler managed in his run. This is a must read for any fan of DC, team books, and big battles. It (hopefully) won't disappoint.

Robin- Consistently one of the best books since DC's "One year later" relaunch. Adam Beechen has really made both Robin and Tim Drake fleshed out, believable characters. Gave him a nice supporting cast in both hero and civilian life. For Robin, it's always been about balance. Tim has suffered so much personal tragedy it would be easy for him to head down the path that Bruce Wayne did so long ago. But as he says; "I want to be like Batman, but not be Batman." Each arc improved and even the one and dones, like Tim's first date being interrupted not once, but twice by Batman, were great. Unfortunately, Adam is leaving the book with the issue that came out this week. Chuck Dixon, the original writer for the book, is returning. I wish Adam well and say, Chuck, you've got some big shoes to fill.

All Star Batman and Robin- Since it looks like this book is coming out with some regularity, I guess I can give my opinion of the "goddamn" Batman. If you don't get that last joke, you obviously don't read the book. Pick it up. It won't take more than 5 minutes to read. But you will find yourself going back to either look at the great art by Jim Lee, or you won't believe that Frank Miller actually made him say that. It's a guilty pleasure. Just make sure to leave most of what you think of Batman at the door. I think that Frank is making this younger Batman into the one that he created in "The Dark Knight Returns".

Iron Man- I have been a long time fan of Iron Man, and the thought of next summer seeing both him and Batman on the big screen has me geeked. This book has undergone some character changes in the last year, mostly due to the "Civil War" mini. Tony now runs the military group SHIELD, and has been putting out brush fires everywhere. From Cap's death to Spidey turning his back on him, it's been a tough year. I like this book and the fact that they don't focus entirely on Tony. They give the supporting cast, like the soldiers who seem to chafe under a civilian commander, some room to breathe. I am looking forward to seeing where this book goes, but I wish they would bring more of his rogues gallery, especially Mandarin, into the book.

Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men- I lump these books together because that's what they are; a lump. I have been so disappointed by these books I cannot even bring myself to talk about them during the "Conversations" show. It takes alot for me to drop a book, since I worry that after I do that, the book will get some buzz and I find myself drawn in again. I call it the "Spawn" theory (stop rolling your eyes, Shawn). But these books have done it. The goal of the Ultimate universe was to take iconic characters and update them. But doing shock simply for shock's sake sucks. These books started out great and even managed to spawn a red hot phenomena going on in the main Marvel universe: zombies. It was a great story in the FF book and did so well they brought it over and made it a hugely successful franchise. But these books have become just that, zombies. They patrol the comics rack looking for unsuspecting readers to eat their brains. Don't waste your money.



That's enough for comics for now. Real quick hits on TV: thought "Heroes" is great. Looking forward to see how they can bring the company down and just who the big bad is this season. For "Smallville" and "Buffy" fans, James Marsters is coming back to reprise his role as Brainiac later on this season. HA! Scooped ya, Shawn. Nah, you probably knew this anyway. Well, off to reality. Sucks, doesn't it?