4.5 Razors

Community – Geothermal Escapism

  • Title: Community – Geothermal Escapism
  • wiki: link

“Troy and Abed in a bubble.”

Community - Geothermal Escapism

And then there were five. In a fitting farewell to Donald Glover (who is leaving the show to concentrate on his his stand-up comedy), Abed (Danny Pudi) gets the entire Greendale community to sign-on for a game of Hot Lava where no student or faculty member is allowed to touch the floor until only a single survivor remains. As expected, Greendale devolves into a bizarre dystopian future in only a couple hours as the entire populace becomes obsessed with winning the game (and the $50,000 Abed puts up for a grand prize), and the various members of the Study Group each find their way to say goodbye to their friend and wish him well on his worldwide adventure.

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Community – Cooperative Polygraphy

  • Title: Community – Cooperative Polygraphy
  • wiki: link

“I leave you the obligatory sperm.”

Community - Cooperative Polygraphy

Pierce‘s (Chevy Chase) death, and the unusual terms of his will, bring a scientist (Walton Goggins) with a lie detector test and a set of questions to be answered (to determine if any of Pierce’s friends were responsible for his death) before each member of the Study Group can receive what their departed friend had left them. Although every member of the group realizes the situation is a desperate last attempt for Pierce to cause trouble in the group, lured by the possibility of getting their hands on their friend’s millions, each agrees to participate in the series of questions that will reveal various secrets and disturbing facts about each of their closest friends.

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Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #2

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #2The second issue of Scooby-Doo! Team-Up takes Mystery Inc. to Batman and Robin‘s home town for a gathering of the Mystery Analysts of Gotham City. Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #2 also allows Scooby-Doo to realize his dream as a super-hero sidekick when the Scarecrow‘s fear gas turns distracts all the heroes from the villain’s scheme to rob the city blind.

With the support and prompting of Ace the Bat-Hound, Scooby dons a cape and mask and the two canine crimefighters, both immune to the villain’s fear toxin, set out to save the day.

Delivering a Dynamic Canine Duo, Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #2 is another extremely enjoyable issue (while playing on iconic Batman panels along the way) from a title I hope DC never stops printing. The New 52 needs a serious jolt of the kind of madcap joy and comic book awesomeness that stories like this bring to clean the grit from several of DC’s current titles. Bring on the next Bat-villain; Scooby and I are waiting! Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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True Detective – The Long Bright Dark

  • Title: True Detective – The Long Bright Dark
  • IMDB: link

True Detective - The Long Bright Dark

Created by Nic Pizzolatto, HBO’s new anthology series True Detective stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of former Louisiana State Police Detectives who are brought back into the fold to discuss a 1995 paganistic killing 17 years later when a case eerily similar occurs. Interviewed separately each men tell their version of events both on the case itself, their partner, and what they remember of the time surrounding the first murder which the audience witnesses in extended flashback sequences that slowly begin to fill-in the story of a murder of a prostitute found in the wounds drugged, bound, raped, and whose body was staged with symbols and a crown of antlers tied to her head.

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Star Wars #13

Star Wars #13Following the news that Marvel will take sole publishing rights over the Star Wars universe beginning in 2015, Brian Wood and new artist Facundo Percio deliver the best issue of the latest classic series. Told from the perspective of Ensign Nanda, Star Wars #13 opens a new arc showcasing the vengeance and brutality of Darth Vader who creates a small elite team of Stormtroopers to accompany the Dark Lord of Sith and Nanda on his mission of revenge.

From Nanda’s perspective we only see what Vader allows her to see, and we also witness his unchecked agression through her eyes including torturing Imperial officers for information and as a statement of his authority which has been questioned since the destruction of the first Death Star.

Given the number of titles in Marvel’s stable I can’t see any Star Wars title getting the kind of focus Dark Horse has given them since acquiring the rights in 1991. Although the company has put quite a bit of mediocre comics under the brand I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this series and will be sad to see it come to a premature end. Best of the week.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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