New Avengers #18

new-avengers-18-coverNorman Osborne has escaped from prison and united H.Y.D.R.A. and A.I.M. under H.A.M.M.E.R. Next up for Osborne, reforming his Dark Avengers.

Norman’s new team consists of Barney Barton, Gorgon, Skaar, June Covington, the Thor clone Ragnarok, and the Decapitator. Although I’m not sure which is less believable, H.A.M.M.E.R. and A.I.M. agreeing to work together for Osborne or Skaar joining this team, I enjoyed the Dark Avengers the first time around and I’m curious to see how they’re going to be used here.

I have to say I am more than a little disappointed that Moonstone (by far my favorite member of Osborne’s previous team) isn’t re-enlisted to be Ms. Marvel. The unnamed brunette (Superia?) has a lot to live up to.

The issue works well in introducing most of the members of Osborne’s new team (even if it is the second straight issue that fails to give us the promised new team of New Avengers with Daredevil). Without Moonstone, Venom, Bullseye and Daken the team is missing its more amusing characters, but I’m willing to give it a chance.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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The Ornithophobia Diffusion

  • Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Ornithophobia Diffusion
  • tv.com: link

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An evening that starts promising for all involved leaves all the characters disappointed. Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) attempt to watch Star Wars on Blu-ray is interrupted by annoying blue jay on the apartment’s windowsill as Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny’s (Kaley Cuoco) night out as friends runs into a few snags of its own.

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J. Edgar

  • Title: J. Edgar
  • IMDb: link

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For his latest film director Clint Eastwood teams up with Milk writer Dustin Lance Black to examine the life of one of the 20th Century’s most famous, and infamous, men ever employed by the United States Government – J. Edgar Hoover. Eastwood and Black offer us a Hoover who was a fascinating figure, a great American, and a deeply flawed human being unprepared to deal with his own paranoia, latent homosexuality, and the eventual wealth of power he possessed as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

As with many biopics, the story is told through a series of flashbacks as Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes over his experiences with a series of writers working on his autobiography. The film begins with Hoover’s early days with the agency, his promotion, and the ruthlessness he used to move the F.B.I. into the 20th Century by incorporating new techniques such as fingerprint analysis and forensics into police work and changing the image of government agents in the public’s perception. He also managed to blackmail a great many people.

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Psych – Dead Man’s Curveball

  • Title: Psych – Dead Man’s Curveball
  • tv.com: link

When the hitting coach of the local minor league baseball team turns up dead from an overdose of amphetamines Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) are hired by the longtime manager (Danny Glover) to investigate. However, the investigation takes a dark turn when Shawn realizes his childhood idol (Michael Trucco) may be the murderer.

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Glee – The First Time

  • Title: Glee – The First Time
  • tv.com: link

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McKinley High School’s production of West Side Story takes center stage in an episode that explores young love and teenage sex when an aside by Artie (Kevin McHale) sends the play’s two stars, Rachel (Lea Michele) and Blaine (Darren Criss), into a tizzy about whether or not they have the carnal experience necessary for their roles. However, Rachel making her decision to lose her virginity based solely on her stage career and Blaine’s attraction to a charming Warbler (Grant Gustin) lead to complications over the course of the episode.

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