March 2011

White Collar – Under the Radar

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: White Collar – Under the Radar
  • wiki: link

Since it’s beginning White Collar has delivered strong cliffhangers at every mid-season and season finale. The final episode of Season Two is no exception. True, it might not be as memorable as Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) confronting Kate (Alexandra Daddario), the plane explosion, or Mozzie (Willie Garson) getting shot, but the ramifications of Burke and Neal Caffery’s (Matthew Bomer) blow-up (along with that final moment in the warehouse) look like they could play out for quite awhile.

“Under the Radar” finally puts Neal in front of the man (Andrew McCarthy) responsible for Kate’s death and reveals what he’s been looking for all this time. It also includes two returning guest-star love interests for Neal in the old friend gone missing (Gloria Votsis) and, perhaps, the next woman in Neal’s life (Hilarie Burton).

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5 Ronin – Wolverine

/ / Comics

5-ronin-wolverine-coverConceived by Marvel Comics as an attempt to re-imagine five X-Men characters as ronin in fuedal Japan this first issue has an interesting set-up, but it’s a little light on delivery.

Issue #1 gives us the tale of the ronin who can’t die (who also looks suspiciously like Wolverine underneath those samuari robes) seeking first understanding to a bizare series of events (much like the reader) surrounding the death of a lookalike and then revenge for the murder of his lord. The following issues will each re-imagine another X-Men character (Pyslocke, Punisher, Hulk and Deadpool), each after some form of vengeance for a past wrong.

More of a curiosity than anything else, this first issue is really nothing more than a mediocre What If…? story. It’s not bad, the tale simply doesn’t engage the reader and there’s nothing here to make someone like me come back for four straight weeks to see if the other X-Men characters fare any better. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Usagi Yojimbo #135

/ / Comics

usagi-yojimbo-135Usagi Yojimbo‘s travels take him on a trek through secret mountain trails and another encounter with the deadly Lord of Owls.

The mysterious villain kills two groups of warriors, the first in a flashback told to Usagi by his mountain guide, and the second before Usagi’s eyes as the mysterious creature mercilessly strikes down a band of outlaws disguised as monks.

As a single issue tale this one doesn’t do much to stand-out, but from the verbal fencing between Usagi and the Lord of Owls you get the feeling writer Stan Sakai is laying the groundwork for an important future tale. On its own it’s good story, but I wanted a little more. I also felt the art was slightly below Sakai’s usual level of quality. Then again, I’ve been reading through a glut of very strong classic Usagi stories recently, so it’s possible I’m judging this one too harshly by comparison.

Fans of the character will no doubt want to pick this one up, but for casual readers this issue delivers more on promise than execution.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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Annihilators #1

/ / Comics

annihilators-1-coverTaking the place of the now disbanded (and mostly dead) Guardians of the Galaxy comes a new super-powered cosmic squad of “Annihilators’ including the Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, and Cosmo.

A new member Ikon, a Space Knight, arrives only to quickly anger almost every member of the team and almost lead to it disbanding before fighting a single battle. Thankfully, a crisis arises and the Annihilators set out to stop the Space Knight’s arch-nemesis Doctor Dredd from freeing the Dire Wraiths from their prison.

The lighter side comes in the form of a B-story focused on Rocket Raccoon working in the mail room (where he was hired to fulfill the company’s quota of cute sentient animals). Things aren’t going great for the former Guardian, and then someone sends him a homicidal clown in the mail. Don’t you hate it when that happens? The ensuing battle (and getting fired) lead the intrepid hero in search of his old pal Groot, but he’s unprepared for what he finds.

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Castle – Setup & Countdown

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Castle – Setup
  • tv.com: link

What starts out as a usual homicide for Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) soon grows much more ominous as the pair uncover a terrorist plot and evidence that a dirty bomb is loose somewhere in New York City. Heroes‘ Adrian Pasdar guest-stars an agent from The Department of Homeland Security, who, at least according to Castle is going after the wrong man. Castle and Beckett’s own investigation leaves them suspended, but also leads them to the bomb.

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