4.5 Razors

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23

/ / Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23Primarily concerned with the fallout of the last issue, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #22 focuses on the lives of two of our heroes whose lives hang in the balance. As Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, Splinter, and April rush a severally wounded Casey Jones to the hospital, the Shredder and his Foot Clan bring the injured Leonardo home and put him immediately under the care of Kitsune who begins manipulating the mind of the Turtles’ leader and bending it to her will.

For such a big turning point in the series the comic reunites all the artists who have worked on the title during its first two years and allows them each to draw panels from Leonardo’s fevered dreams as Kitsune’s weaves her magic to break the ties that bind Leo to his brothers and brainwash him into becoming Shredder’s loyal student.

The early juxtaposition of Leonardo and Casey is well-handled. Casey’s story offers more insight for April into her friend’s relationship with Angel, and Leonardo’s story (which includes a cameo from a concerned Karai) offers serious repercussions for the Turtles and the rest of the city. Must-read.

[IDW, $3.99]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23 Read More »

Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #1

/ / Comics

Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #1While trying to flee the negative publicity caused by someone attempting to discredit Atomic Robo for his role in the events of 8/11, known as the “Hashima Incident,” involving stolen nuclear weapons that temporarily made him the world’s #1 most wanted fugitive, Atomic Robo decides to take a team and check out reported sightings of Cryptids in the jungles of Venezuela suspiciously close to an old Nazi Science city under Kukenan Tepui.

While Atomic Robo is gone, Tesladyne Island is sent one of the missing six nuclear weapons further making it look like Atomic Robo and Tesladyne are smuggling atomic weapons around the world. Therefore if falls on Jenkins and those left behind to clear their friend’s somewhat tarnished name.

Atomic Robo and his team are in for some surprises of their own. First, they discover a group of rock climbing adventurers with a thing for abandoned secret science locales. And second, Robo and his group are attacked by the robot’s most insane (and most awesome) of enemies – Dr. Dinosaur!

…

Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #1Read More »

Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #1 Read More »

Fables #130

/ / Comics

Fables #130For the month of June Fables writer Bill Willingham gives us a single adventure of a precocious young Junebug exploring the castle on the day she and her parents move into Fabletown. June’s adventures will take her all over including getting underfoot from time to time, and eventually discovering something the young girl wasn’t supposed to see deep with the bowels of the castle.

Willingham does a terrific job of presenting the entire comic from a child’s point of view including using what the adults around her say to her advantage and having them disregard her fanciful story of giant rat monsters when she returns later that night. As to what those scary rats are actually doing, we’ll have to wait and see how that story unfolds.

June’s delivery is perfect and her adventure, even when it turns dark and scary for the young girl, is a hell of a lot of fun. My only real complaint with the story is we only get one issue with the character before the comic moves on to its next arc next month. Best of the week.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

Fables #130 Read More »

Before Midnight

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Before Midnight
  • IMDB: link

Before MidnightIn 1995 Richard Linklater and stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy collaborated on a small independent film which centered around a burgeoning romance between an American man and French woman on the final day of his European vacation before flying home the next morning. Set against the backdrop of Vienna, Before Sunrise is the kind of movie romance, centered on two people meeting and falling love and honestly discussing their feelings, beliefs, and desires, that Hollywood has long since given up trying to make in favor of the type of contrived romantic comedies Katherine Heigl and Kate Hudson are known for. It’s also the beginning of one of the least probable movie franchises ever conceived.

Nine years after making the original film, which ended with Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) parting ways with plans to reconnect in the near future, Linklater reconnected with his two stars and put out a sequel set in real time as the two star-crossed lovers reconnected for an afternoon on the streets of Paris in Before Sunset before Jesse was scheduled to fly back home that night.

…

Before MidnightRead More »

Before Midnight Read More »

Astro City #1

/ / Comics

Astro City #1It’s been three years since co-creators Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson have given us a new issue of Astro City, the series that (much like Planetary) focused on re-imagining of several comic characters while examining how normal people coexist and react to them. With the folding of DC’s WildStorm print, the many character from Busiek and Anderson’s universe find themselves a new home at Vertigo with the start of a new series that includes faces both old as new, and Astro City’s first contact with an alien presence who appears through a rather large door hovering over the city.

Although I wasn’t quite sold on the opening pages of Astro City #1 featuring the character of The Broken Man who narrates the new story, the comic quickly takes off with the introduction of the ridiculously cool American Chibi and the alien ambassador Telseth who comes through the door only after the various heroes and military resources have stopped trying to destroy it. Part Galactus, part Celestial, and with a definite Jack Kirby inspired design, Telseth, much like everything in Astro City is not what you would first expect.

…

Astro City #1Read More »

Astro City #1 Read More »