A Sinister Six

This is the first of a (hopefully) weekly series of short comic book reviews.


Action Comics # 867-Geoff Johns and Gary Frank dive headfirst into the second part of their "Braniac" arc. It's a great issue that adds to Braniac's history while incorporating all or most of what's come before. It's Geoff Johns' specialty. Want to know why all Braniac's interpretations were slightly incongruent? Look here for the beginnings of an explanation. Also, it's nice to see someone use Supergirl well for a change since her reboot/resurrection.

The only thing that creeps me out about this run is Gary Frank's obvious use of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as references for Superman and Lois Lane. That said, his Steve Lombard and Cat Grant are spot on, and it's great to see them at the Daily Planet again!


Detective Comics# 846-The Heart of Hush begins, and it's a Batman: RIP crossover...well, it's sort of an RIP crossover. Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen finally give us a worthy sequel to Jeph Loeb's and Jim Lee's seminal Hush arc. There's no reference to the neutered Prometheus or the retconned Killing Joke or the Hobgoblin-ish Hush. Hush is Tommy Elliot and he still wants revenge on Bruce Wayne.

Dini adds to Hush's story by expanding on what's already there. He plays with the Aristotle quotes, Tommy's career as a surgeon and just why he's obsessed with bandages. It's a great first issue and I'm sure it'll be a fun story. As for the RIP bits, Catwoman mentions Jezebel Jet and Hush mentions The Black Glove, so don't feel the need to know everything that's going on in RIP.



Final Crisis: Requiem-Disappointed in Martian Manhunter's unceremonious send-off in Final Crisis # 1? So's the rest of the Justice League. This one-shot features the J'onn J'onzz's final moments as he fights Libra and company with the last of his powers and sends one final gift to his longtime friends. The issue celebrates the Manhunter From Mars' rich history and conveys Superman's, Batman's and the rest of the DCU's grief. This issue brings closure to the little green man's life. That said, the heroes will still pray for a resurrection.


Indiana Jones & The Tomb of the Gods # 1-Do you miss our favorite two-fisted archaeologist at the top of his game? Rob Williams and Steve Scott do to. It's the 1930's and Indiana Jones is called to investigate a secret older than history!

While the issue is predominantly set-up, there's a great confrontation with Nazi occultists and a chase through the Empire State Building's new frame. This issue has everything save the girl (though I'm sure we'll see one in the next issue or so). Also, it reads great with Hellboy or the BPRD.


BPRD: The Warning # 1-It's been a while since Were-Jaguar Daimio tore through the BPRD's new Colorado base, but Abe Sapien's on his trail! Also, the ghost of a certain 1930's adventurer isn't done helping our favorite paranormal investigators stop the Fu-Manchu looking ghost from Liz's dreams (and The Iron Prometheus). Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis deliver another intriguing chapter in the Bureau's world. Oh, and there isn't a single damn frog in the issue. Whew!


Invincible Iron Man # 3-The Five Nightmares continue as Tony Stark follows the clues to Ezekiel Stane and his cannibalized Iron Man upgrade. The thing I like about this series is its accessibility. A reader doesn't have to know the whole intricate history of the character in order to enjoy the story. In fact, everything a reader needs to know is in the Iron Man movie. It's great marketing that's also great storytelling. Who thought the two concepts could meet in the middle of the road?

Raiders of a Lost Art

I remember devouring Marvel Comics' Return of the Jedi movie adaptation for months after I saw the movie. The movie came out in May, and back then, it took a loooooooong time for a flick to come to video rental, let alone purchase. So, what was a kid to do? Well, play with the toys and read the comic book adaptation of course!

The 4 issue mini series was beautifully illustrated by classic Star Wars artist, Al Williamson. It covered all the movie's beats and it looked damn nifty to boot. It was an action-packed emotional rollercoaster echo of the film. I read that series until all the damn staples fell out!

“The Official Movie Adaptation” was a phrase that graced numerous comic books in the 80s and the 90s. Whether it was DC Comics' adaptation of Tim Burton's Batman (which is still my favorite Jerry Ordway comic), Marvel Comics' haunting Dune Super Special or Topps Comic's vision of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula (filtered through the Mike Mignola), the comic industry released some top notch renditions of their celluloid counterparts.

Comics also have a history of continuing popular franchises. Hellboy publisher Dark Horse Comics made its mark with a series of fantastic Aliens continuations and Marvel continued franchises like Star Trek, Robocop, Doctor Who, Indiana Jones...the list goes on and on. I gotta say, the four colored funnies treated the movie biz a lot better than the celluloid moguls treated them. Hollywood churned out such piss poor adaptations like Captain America, Spider-Man & The Deadly Dust and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Dark stuff, my friends, dark stuff.

Somewhere along the way, my interest in “Official Movie Adaptations” waned. Maybe it was my burgeoning interest on video games, my growing (at a snail's pace) social awareness, or my discovery of the fairer sex, but somehow the art form was lost on me. Every once in a while, I'll take a look at stuff like Dark Horse's Indiana Jones and The Crystal Skull or the Superman Returns Prequels, but to no avail, it's as if there's a disconnect...somehow the doors to that particular pleasure have been closed for good. It's as if I've lost my taste for it, and that's a little bit sad.

Hellboy: The Science of Evil

As a casual gamer, I tend to be pretty easily impressed. Give me something nice to look at, lots of things to smash and some witty or clever moments and I'm happy. Konami's Hellboy: The Science of Evil does just that.

The game is not as in depth as Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear and it's nowhere near as terrible as that old PS2 fireworks game. It's just a beat-em up platformer with a ton of familiar characters and environments.

Hellboy is Hellboy and he's fighting through a world with English witches, vicious werewolves and monsters of all shapes and sizes. Overall, the game has a very old school feel. You run around a level, beat the tar out of all manner of mythical beasts and you solve a puzzle or two.

If you're a Hellboy fan, check it out. If not, you've probably seen this before and you really should move on to Katamari or something like that.