October 2010

Comic Rack

/ / Comics

It’s a new week so it must be time to talk about comics! Welcome to the RazorFine Comic Rack boys and girls. Pull up a bean bag and take a seat at feet of the master as we offer you this quick list of all kinds of comic book goodness set to hit comic shops and bookstores this week from all your favorite publishers including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, BOOM!, Image Comics, and others.

This week includes Amazing Spider-Man, Angel, Avengers, Bruce Wayne: The Road Home – Oracle, Beasts Of Burden/Hellboy, Deadpool Team-Up, Incorruptible, John Constantine: Hellblazer – City Of Demons, Kill Shakespeare, Savage Dragon, Secret Warriors, Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale, Usagi Yojimbo, and Wonder Woman. All that plus first issues of DC Comics Presents: Young Justice, End of Nations, Incognito: Bad Influences, Green Hornet: Blood Ties, JLA The 99 the final issues of Batman: The Brave And The Bold and Billy Batson And The Magic of SHAZAM!

Enjoy issue #102

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Hereafter

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Hereafter
  • IMDB: link

“How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?”
-James T. Kirk

When I first heard the concept behind Clint Eastwood‘s latest film, Hereafter, I was confused. I wondered why Eastwood was taking on a project that seemed more suited to M. Night Shyamalan. Although ghosts play a role, the film is far from a ghost story. Instead, what Eastwood and screenwriter Peter Morgan deliver is a drama focused on how death touches, and changes, the lives of three disparate individuals.

The film is structured as three separate tales which will inevitably weave together in the final act. A French newswoman (Cécile De France) deals with the consequences after a near-death experience. A young child attempts to move on after death of his twin brother (both parts are played by Frankie McLaren and George McLaren) and the separation from his mother (Lyndsey Marshal). A psychic (Matt Damon) who has renounced his gift with communicating with the dead is pressured by others to use his abilities.

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Superman/Batman #77

/ / Comics
  • Title: Superman/Batman #77
  • Comic Vine: link
  • Writer: Joshua Williamson
  • Artist: Ale Garza

I don’t know what the odds for me not only liking an issue of Superman/Batman but REALLY liking it are, but it helps if the team-up involves Supergirl and Damian.

After discovering a mass grave in Metropolis Supergirl heads to Gotham only to find both Batman and Red Robin out involved with other cases – leaving Robin as her only choice for help. As you might guess, she’s less than enthusiastic.

There’s a lot to like here including Damian taunting Killer Croc while chained in a Gotham sewer, the ridiculous disguise her procures for Kara when the two go undercover at a Halloween party, and Dick’s incessant teasing when Supergirl drops him back off at home. I also liked the slowing growing grudging respect between the two characters. No, they don’t like each other, but that doesn’t mean they don’t work well together.

Much like in her recent appearance in Batgirl, I think Kara plays much better against another character than flying solo (of course part of that could just be the yawn-inspiring tales she has to put up with in her own book). With either Batgirl or here with Damian, she really shines.

[DC $2.99]

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Batman Beyond #5

/ / Comics
  • Title: Batman Beyond #5 (of 6)
  • Comic Vine: link
  • Writer: Adam Beechen
  • Artist: Ryan Benjamin

The latest issue is a bit of a mess, but it does have its moments. On the plus side the final panel of the last issue painting Dick Grayson and the new Hush is quickly swept away. It’s not Dick, it’s his clone. Clone? That’s right! More clones! (Maybe he should call himself the Scarlet Dark Knight?)

It seems, in an effort to keep a Batman around, Amanda Waller and Cadmus (with the help of Thomas Elliot’s granddaughter) cloned Grayson and,as things are want to do in monster stories, something went wrong.

My favorite moment of the story is the short conversation between Dick and Barbara Gordon after both have learned the truth about Cadmus and the clone. I really hope the series finds a way to keep Dick around and bring him back into the fold.

We also lean the new Catwoman’s identity and Bruce and Terry have a nice bonding moment. It’s not a great issue, and some of the clone’s super-villain banter is way too forced, but for all-encompassing Bat-fans it might still be worth a look. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC $2.99]

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Daredevil #511

/ / Comics
  • Title: Daredevil #511
  • Comic Vine: link
  • Writer:Andy Diggle
  • Artist:Roberto De La Torre

Events of Shadowland seem to be on hold here as this issue catches up with the “little people” in Matt Murdock‘s life. Private eye Dakota North talks with Detective Kurtz before setting out to save Becky Blake from the rioters and hysteria. Matt Murdock’s former bosom buddy Foggy Nelson works his way into the heart of Shadowland (with all the stealth he’s known to possess over the years?) in a final attempt to save his friend from the madness that has taken him and is now engulfing all of Hell’s Kitchen.

How dumb is Shadowland? The ridiculousness of Foggy Nelson getting through the riots, the cops, the ninja and into the belly of the beast (so to speak) doesn’t even rank on the most absurd moments of this storyline. For a Shadowland comic this one’s not bad, but then again that’s a pretty low standard. Here where given a Daredevil comic where Daredevil (even a demon-infested one) makes only a token appearance.

[Marvel $2.99]

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