Worst Things About Comics 2004

I normally try not to dwell on the negative, but there were some unpleasant moments or events in comics that need to be recalled in order to cleanse the palette in anticipation for 2005. Here is a list of things that happened that made me question my many years of loyalty and support.

1. Liberty Meadows was not regularly published this year. I love Liberty Meadows and I think Frank Cho is one of the nicest, most talented guys in the business. I am not dissing the man or his creations, just the lack of availability of the product. Please Frank, more Liberty Meadows in 2005!!

2. Rob Liefeld still having a place in comics. He is egotistical, callous, pretentious, and worse yet willing to demean his fellow talent, but still has the balls to toot his own horn everywhere he goes. I refuse to buy any product associated with this guy, because I don't want to perpetuate his own high opinion of himself. I have never been a fan of his artwork, and the way with which he has conducted himself as a businessman further alienates me. If I didn't complete my goals and tasks, I wouldn't have a job. Neither should he.

3. The Catwoman movie. Don't take liberties with a character and think Halle Berry's hot bod will compensate.

4. The death of Julius Schwartz. The legendary DC Editor helped to guide the DCU through some of the best loved work done ever. He will always live on through the characters and the body of work, but we will always miss him.

5. Ben Raab on Green Lantern. I quit reading the book for the first time in over ten years because I couldn't stand the tales being told. If it weren't for Ron Marz' return to finish the title, I probably still wouldn't be reading it. I also blame his lackluster storytelling for playing a part in Kyle's decline and Hal's rise at the end of this year.

6. The death of Cross Gen. Never have I seen the likes of Mark Alessi, and I hope he doesn't come back to comics. He is a calculating businessman who separated his assets from Cross Gen's future and bailed on his employees when the going got tough by not paying them what they were owed. He tried to get too big too fast and ignored the warning signs that spelled disaster. I have read the documents, he let the company go, while saving his own hide. The incredible talent he had was stuck with no money and bills that went unpaid while the legal meanderings hid the truth from the fans. Good riddance Alessi.

7. Avengers disassembled. I love Bendis. I hated this. Making the Scarlet Witch a villain and killing off Hawkeye made my head hurt. Making She Hulk go nuts wasn't a favorite either. If you don't make New Avengers the coolest thing since sliced bread, I will be very disappointed!

8. Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada not finishing high profile projects. Daredevil: Father and Spider-Man/Black Cat are damn near lost to memory, and I will be doing my part by not buying any new issues that may come out eventually. If you don't have the time, don't do these books! Stick to what you do best and what pays you, not what you think will feed your ego!

9. Identity Disc. Talk about the height of arrogance. This is a lukewarm book with a name that some preening ass put on it. Next time, don't believe your own hype, Marvel.

10. Alpha Flight sucking the intelligence out of my brain. This book was so bad I couldn't even read it a second time. That NEVER happens. Nuff said.

Hope you don't think I have lost my mind with the above rant, but I had to get it off my chest. Somethings can't be ignored and definitely shouldn't be given any credibility if they don't deserve it. As much as I am crossing my fingers for perfection in 2005, I am sure there will be new things to challenge and annoy me.

Tomorrow: The Good, The Great, and The Impressive!

New Comics for December 29

Hey there, I am back from Christmas! It was a hectic three days of parties, but was worth seeing treasured family and friends. My best gift was a paper shredder, and Jim got an ebay gift certificate. We especially enjoyed watching our two nephews enjoy the holiday - we tried to look through their eyes.

The Diamond List promises oodles of goodies this week. Here is a sampling of what I am picking up.

Adam Strange #4
Batgirl #59 - I am really enjoying the move to Bludhaven
Batman #635
JSA Strange Adventures #5
Legion of Super Heroes #1 - I can't wait to see Waid and Kitson's take
Razors Edge Warblade #3
Superman #212
Superman Batman #16 - the coolest storyline going
Teen Titans #19 - the second coolest storyline going!
Invincible #18
Wildguard Fire Power
Amazing Spider-Man #515
Exiles #57 - my last issue
Iron Man #2
Strange #3
Supreme Power #14 - lots of Straczynski goodness this week!
Ultimate Fantastic Four #14
Ultimate Nightmare #4
ALL the What If's

I can hardly wait! I will attempt to do a year end round up at the end of this week, highlighting the good, the bad, and the downright strange.

Take care!

Taking off Christmas Weekend

Hey there! Just wanted to let you know I am taking off Christmas weekend but will be back next week.

I want to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday! Be safe and healthy!

Heidi

Garth Ennis Makes Maxim!

Hey there, I was just reading the new January 2005 issue of Maxim magazine with Eva Longoria on the cover. On page 61, there is a kick ass interview with Garth Ennis. It is titled "The Man Behind The Skull", and is pretty funny.

Evidently they interviewed him to coincide with the release of the new Punisher video game which received high marks from Maxim.

Give it a look if you get a chance. As a female Maxim reader, I can say that I find the magazine much more interesting then the schlock I read in Cosmo! You can't beat an interview with Ennis- you know we would never find that in a chick's magazine. Grant Morrison maybe (in his underpants), Ennis, no way!

Take care all!

New Comics for December 22

Wow, it is close to Christmas! Here is my list of books for the week. Hopefully it doesn't break the bank with all the dough Jim and I have been spending on friends and family!

Conan #11
Authority Revolution #3 - a make or break issue for me
Catwoman When In Rome #3
Green Arrow #45
Green Lantern Rebirth #3
JLA Classified #2
Manhunter #5 - a really underrated title
Witching #7
Wonder Woman #211 - the aftermath of the Medousa fight
Astonishing X-Men #7
Black Widow #4
Excalibur #8 - another make or break issue
New Thunderbolts #3
Punisher Red Xmas - Carl, this ones for you! A must read!
Rogue #6
Ultimate Elektra #5
Wolverine #23
X-Men #165
Queen & Country #28

AND of COURSE... Wizard so I can get my monthly spoilers before the issues come out .

Whew! What a week!

Take care all! Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year so it only gets better from here on out!

Not Another Christmas Party!

Tonight Jim and I have another Christmas party! This time it is for his work, so we will be going soon to that. Last night we had our friends over for a gift exchange, and though it was an absolute blast, it leaves little time to regroup and reclaim sanity.

I can hardly believe Christmas is this Saturday. Time has gone so fast this month and I am so behind on my comic book reading! I am hoping that after the holidays I can get caught up and blog more regularly. I am really sorry I haven't had a lot to say lately.

Happy Sunday to all of you! I hope you are all keeping up on the Christmas fast track.

P.S. I did a new review of Birds of Prey #77 at 4 Color Review. Give it a look if you get a chance.

Busy Holiday Season

Crap it has been busy. I won't be able to blog anything other then have a great day!

Take care all!

Identity Crisis #7 - I need an aspirin

I just got done reading Identity Crisis #7. What a mind bender. I can see why it ends like it does, but I really think I need to read the entire mini-series to put it all in perspective.

I liked it but feel let down and vacant. It is so not what I was expecting!

Anyone else have any thoughts? Carl?

Take care all! I am off to make some dinner.

Comics for December 15

Wow, this month has gone so fast! I can hardly believe it is almost half over. I printed out the Diamond Pull list, and it is a good one. Here is a list of my stash.

Adventures of Superman #635
Batman Gotham Knights #60
Birds of Prey #77 - I love Lady Blackhawk as a recurring character!
Catwoman #38
Hawkman #35
Identity Crisis #7 - Woo hoo! I can hardly wait to see how Meltzer finishes it off
Justice League Elite #6 - why I am getting this is beyond me. It is schlock.
Robin #133
Tomb Raider #58
Ultra #5 - an excellent read
Witchblade #81
Daredevil #68
Exiles #56 - probably my last issue. I can't stand the new writing
Fantastic Four #521
Ultimate Spider-man #71
Worldwatch #3

Take care all! I can hardly wait until Wednesday to get the discussions going about Identity Crisis!

Christmas and Inventory

It has been absolutely crazy this weekend. Friday and Saturday I had inventory at my company. I worked 12 hours Friday and 16 hours yesterday. I was pretty much toast when I got home last night. Today I had to go in for an hour and a half, but I got that out of the way so I could spend the rest of my day wrapping presents and doing Christmas cards.

I just finished our Christmas letter and got all the cards addressed, so now all we have to do is stuff envelopes. After we do that we are going to wrap all of Jim's families presents so we can get them in UPS tomorrow. They live in Delaware so it is a six day UPS shipment.

Otherwise, I have read three comics. I read Angeltown 2, Action Comics 822 and Powers 7. I enjoyed all of them, even though I was put off by the way Powers is ignoring the Deena powers plot. The only thing I can think is that he is building up to it. Otherwise, I liked the second issue of Angeltown better then the first, as this issue is where a great deal of plot building occurred. Action Comics was a great read for the tension between Lois and Lana. Great stuff.

It is back to the grind stone, but I wanted to check in. Take care all! Tomorrow should be new comic book checklist.

No New Comics?

Crap on a stick! We didn't get our comics today because of a UPS shipping glitch. I am pretty bummed out, as is my hubby. To top it off, there is only a repeat of Smallville, not a new episode, so I am reduced to pulling old books out of one of my long boxes.

Oh well, it still beats Christmas shopping!

Take care!

Working Out with a Trainer

Tonight was the first time I have ever worked out with a personal trainer. It was pretty cool, as Rob was able to check my form and make sure I was breathing right. I joined Golds Gym in mid-November and part of the sign up is getting two full personal training sessions. I had no idea what to expect, and am pleasantly surprised. He was able to tell me how I need to train to achieve the goals I am looking for. He also gave me core exercises that I can do when I am in a hurry.

I am going to enter the Golds Gym fitness contest in January, because I am sick of being slightly overweight. Also, I need stress release in a major way, and this is as good as it gets. To top it off, I achieve cardio fitness, and hopefully keep my arteries flowing with perfect synchronicity. My biggest problem has always been overeating rather then exercising, so that will be the biggest challenge to overcome.

As I gear up for this, I may have thoughts from time to time. It is sure to be pretty time consuming, but I know the longterm goal will be worth it. My co-worker actually won the contest four years ago, and is very supportive, which is super helpful.

On a final note, tomorrow is comic book day, so I am pretty psyched. I am also glad it is hump day as this has been the week from Hell!

Take care all!

New Comics For December 8

Hey there! I just printed out the Diamond List, and here is my weekly dose of comic book goodness.

Samurai Heaven & Earth #1 - New Ron Marz series
100 Bullets #56 - great reading material
Action Comics #822
Angeltown #2
Aquaman #25 - a deciding issue for me
Fables #32
Gotham Central #26
JLA #109
JSA #68
Nightwing #100 - Nightwing versus Tarantula for all the marbles
Noble Causes #5
Rising Stars #23 - woo hoo!
Bullseye Greatest Hits #4
District X #8
Doctor Spectrum #4
Emma Frost #18 - final issue of the series, which is too bad
Hulk & Thing Hard Knocks #4
Marvel Knights 4 #13
Powers #7 - I am really looking forward to it
The Punisher #15
She Hulk #10 - one of the coolest books out there
X-Men The End #6

It is quite the list, so I should be one happy lady! Take care all!

What A Mess!

I blogged on Thursday, and it didn't stick. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I couldn't get into blog. I am extremely dismayed by this.

I had a great post about Comic Book Holiday Specials that is gone. Sigh.

At any rate, I hope you all had a great weekend! I did a review of Deadshot #1 over at 4 Color Review. If you get a chance, check it out.

I will keep my fingers crossed that the blog is working tonight so that I can put up my weekly new stuff.

Take care!

New Comics for December 1

I just got the weekly print out of new comics from Diamond online. It isn't as ugly as some of the past weeks, but there are some gems in there.

My stash is as follows:

Deadshot #1 (the preview looked hilarious)
Fallen Angel #18
Outsiders #18
Superman Batman #15 (totally excellent storyline)
Swamp Thing #10
Y The Last Man #29
Darkness #17
PVP #12
Exiles #55 (this is make or break for me- I haven't enjoyed Bedard's stuff here at all)
New Avengers #1 (out of curiosity)
Rogue #5
Ultimates Vol 2 #1 (this is a leap of faith for me- I hated how behind the book was last run)
Uncanny X-Men #453

Wednesday can't come soon enough!

Have a great day!

Invincible Review up at 4 Color Review

Hey, I just did a review on the great series Invincible over at 4 Color. If you are so inclined, give her a look.

http://www.4colorreview.com/

Have a great Saturday night! Jim and I rented White Chicks and Elf, so tonight if the night for lame humor at our house!

Powers- a little downer?

I just got done reading Powers #6 and was expecting to see Deena kick major butt. Instead, what I got was vague flashbacks. I am a little disappointed, but also am hoping that the vagueness is as much for our benefit as it is for Deena's co-workers. Having her manifest at the end of issue #5 was a huge shocker, so the ramifications are sure to be far reaching.

Sorry I have been out for a few days- I swear that having a vacation means catching up on all the things a person doesn't normally have time for! It has been hectic, and now vacation is almost over.

I am off to read the rest of my week's stash. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Jim and I spent the day going through the last year and a half of my new comics organizing it to go into my collection. Whew, what a job that was! It is 4 long boxes and 4 short boxes.

Take care all!

New Comics for November 24

I just printed out the Diamond Shipping list for November 24, and it is another exciting week. Thank god for my paycheck!

Adam Strange #3
Authority Revolution #2
Batgirl #58
Batman #634
Flash #216
Green Lantern Rebirth #2
Razors Edge Warblade #2
Superman #211
Witching #6
Invincible #17
Amazing Spider-man #514
Black Widow #3
Daredevil #67
Excalibur #7
Powers #6
Supreme Powers #13
Ultimate Elektra #4
Ultimate Fantastic Four #13
Tarot Witch of the Black Rose #29

Should be a great week for reading, now if I could only get last week's stuff read!

Things I'm Thankful For Part II

I can hardly believe how lucky and blessed Jim and I are. Today we both received gift certificates to Safeway from our bosses for Thanksgiving. We were able to go and get a great dinner for Thursday and also get our groceries for the week. How wonderful is that? We are both very thankful and appreciative.

Seeing that it is Thanksgiving week, I thought I would revisit my post of things I am thankful for by adding some new ones.

1. I am thankful to be gainfully employed for 15 years at a place I have been able to thrive. In today's society it is rare to be able to make a career out of a job, but I have been lucky enough to do so at mine. Don't get me wrong, I work my ass off and am very loyal and dependable, so it is partially by my efforts, but still- to have a reciprocal relationship at a place of employment like that is a valuable thing. Because of my job security and efforts I can pay our mortgage and have some of the things I want. For this, I am very thankful.

2. I have a close knit group of relatives. On both sides of my family, I am the first grandchild, so I have always been surrounded by loved ones on holidays and major events in my life. From my grandparents to my cousins, I have always felt loved and supported. To this day my family on both sides get together for the holidays and go to each other's events. Even though Jim and I don't live close, we still go and visit and spend quality time with family. If I could wish one thing, it would be that we lived closer to Jim's family so we could do the same thing with them.

3. I am thankful to live in America. Nuff said.

Take care all and have a great evening!

P.S. Jim and I just found out his sister had a baby girl named Carly, so we are especially blessed.

New Review at 4CR

I just did a review of Wonder Woman #210 at 4 Color Review. It is a great issue that will surely have repercussions for a long time in the title.

http://www.4colorreview.com/

Hopefully I will have quick shots up all during this week. Jim and I have the week off work, so we are going to try and get some stuff done around the house and then catch up on our blogs.

Take care all!