Batman and Robin #23

/ / Comics

batman-and-robin-23-coverWriter Judd Winick, who seems to be all over the DCU these days, takes over the writing duties with this issue. It’s appropriate that Winick writes the return of Jason Todd story as it was his tale that brought the former Robin back from the dead and transformed him into a bloodthirsty anti-hero.

Sadly Winick is forced to deal with a Jason Todd that still has Grant Morrison‘s fingerprints all over him. We get the red hair (which I’m okay with) and, if the covers are to be believed, the return of the Captain Red Penis Head costume (which I’m not okay with).

The issue begins, after a quick recap of the character, with a conversation between Batman and his former sidekick. What works so well here is how Bruce honestly doesn’t know how to communicate with someone who has gone so far off the path he laid out for him.

From their we see the Red Hood swiftly killing enemies (brutally) and prompting a prison transfer back to Arkham Asylum which results in his eventual escape (but hopefully not the return of the penis head costume).

The Red Hood is out, and things should be about to get interesting. I actually like this version of Jason Todd (in the biker outfit, not the worst comic costume of all-time), and I’m hoping by the end of the storyline we get a little better sense of how he’s going to fit into the DCU and, more specifically, the Batman universe. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-jedi-dark-side-1-coverFifty-three years before the Battle of Yavin, and twenty-one years before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Council uncovers dark rumblings in the Outer Rim Territories.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Xantos (a noble of Telos IV) will be sent, along with Jedi Master Tahl and her padawan Orykan, to Xantos’ home planet to stop a political assassination and a conspiracy which threatens the lives of everyone on the planet.

This new series from writer Scott Allie and artist Mahmud Asrar will focus on Qui-Gon Jinn’s years working on the Outer Rim long before he would take on a padawan named Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first issue sets up the characters and situations which will play an integral part in the first five-issue story arc, but it doesn’t do much more than that. I also found Asrar’s art a bit sloppy in places. The close-ups of each character are very detailed and you can tell why he was chosen for the project, but the larger shots seem rushed and a little blurry. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Covert Affairs – The Complete First Season

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Covert Affairs The Complete First Season
  • tv.com: link

Most people remember Piper Perabo for her starring role in 2000’s Coyote Ugly, but my crush on her started with the first movie I saw her in where she played newbie FBI Agent Karen Sympathy. Covert Affairs is a return to form (of sorts) as Perabo stars as a young woman in her first days as an agent for the CIA.

The First Season follows Annie Walker (Perabo) going to work for the Domestic Protection Division of the CIA under the command of Joan Campbell (Kari Matchett), the wife of the Director of the National Clandestine Service (Peter Gallagher). Throughout the first season Annie will learn much about trust, spycraft, and the new shade of gray her life has become as she lies to her sister (Anne Dudek) about what her new job entails. She will also begin to unravel the mystery of a short-term love affair (Eion Bailey) from her past which has much more to do with the CIA than she could have possibly imagined.

…

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Covert Affairs – The Complete First Season Read More »

“Green with Envy” Muppet trailer

/ / Film News & Trailers
  • Title: The Muppets
  • IMDB: link

The first trailer for The Muppets is finally out. Yeah, it’s a little cheesy trying to disguise it as a romantic comedy, but it’s the Muppets so I’m willing to forgive quite a bit. Aside from the wacky regulars (Kermit, Piggy, et al.) the film also stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Zach Galifianakis, Emily Blunt, Neil Patrick Harris, Jack Black, Rashida Jones, Ricky Gervais, and Selena Gomez. The craziness begins in theaters everywhere on Thanksgiving.

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Power Girl #24

/ / Comics

power-girl-24-coverAfter two months of Power Girl fighting rampaging magical dinosaurs with Superman writer Judd Winick give us a much more personal story this time around. What would it be like if you had powers, but because of your ethnicity were afraid to use them? In a crisis, with no other choice you saved a plane full of people, only to be held responsible for the accident instead of being seen as a hero.

That’s the crux of this issue’s tale as an Arab-American is held for months without bail, trial, the right to an attorney, or any contact with the outside world. We’re given the tale from Rayhan’s point of view and watch as his patience and attempts to follow the rules only allow him to be painted the villain and given no real chance to prove his innocence.

The B-story of the issue deals with Power Girl ranting to Batman about the troubles with her new public identity of Karen Starr. Although not nearly as engaging, these scenes help lighten the mood a bit and continue to move that storyline forward. Must-read.

[DC, $2.99]

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