2012 - End Of Week 34 - Comics

Greetings Friends,

I'm rapidly closing in on my goal to read 500 comic books this year. Check it out.

#454. The Punisher #14.

#455. Untold Tales of Punisher Max #3.

#456. Brilliant #4.
#457. Super Crooks #4.
#458. America's Got Powers #3.

#459. Dr. Manhattan #1.

#460. Star Trek #12.

#461. Lobster Johnson - The Prayer Neferu (one-shot).

#462. Batman - The Dark Knight #12.

#463. All Star Western #12.

#464. The Rocketeer - Cargo Of Doom #1.

#465. Spongebob Comics #11.

#466. Toy Story #3.

#467. Toy Story #4.

#468. Wolverine #312 (*).

(*) denotes read as a digital comic book.

The big winners this week were:

Dr. Manhattan #1. Finally we get some back story on Watchmen's most powerful (and strangest) character. This issue features good writing and art. Check out the Paul Pope cover!

Spongebob Comics #11. Some funny stories inside including "Dear Diary" starring Patrick and Squidward. Check out the Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory parody cover.

Batman - The Dark Knight #12. Nice stand alone Scarecrow (origin) story with David Finch art.    

Only thirty two more to go.

Keep Reading Comics.

D.L.

2012 - End Of Week 33 - Comics

Greetings Friends,

I'm back with a few more comics read. Check them out.

#444. Elephantmen #42.

#445. Batwoman #12.

#446. Harbinger #3.

#447. Fatale #7.

#448. Butcher Baker #8.

#449. Rorschach #1.
#450. Saga #6.

#451. Black Panther #1 (*).

#452. Avengers #29 (*).

#453. Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (*).

(*) denotes read as a digital comic book.

The big winner this week is Rorschach #1. This issue is another fine start of a Before Watchmen limited series. Highly recommended.

Keep Reading Comics.

D.L.

Smallville - A Retrospective - 20

Greetings Friends,

More Smallville watched. Enjoy.

Season 3 Episode 9 Asylum (original air date 1-14-04).

Bellview Sanitarium. Lex Luthor is here painting and taking his pills. No he is spitting them in the paints. Clark comes to visit Lex. On his way into the great room, Clark passes three different people he helped put there. Lex asks Clark to help break him out. He refuses. Later Lex tries an escape but doesn't make it. Lionel visits Lex the next day in the asylum. Lex tells his dad that he is cured. Lionel doesn't believe him. Lex remains in solitary confinement. On the asylum ward, the three patients that Clark had a hand in placing there are conspiring on stealing Clark's powers and destroying him. There is a package delivered to one of the patients. It's a meteor rock. One of the other conspirators realizes the meteor rock is what is needed to stop Clark. So he kills the patient who got the rock. At the hospital Clark and Chloe confront Dr. Foster about her upcoming electroshock therapy on Lex. While at therapy for her broken leg, Lana meets a new friend, Adam. Later Dr. Foster is found dead from a mysterious car wreck. Knowing about the impending electroshock therapy, Clark tries to rescue Lex. But Clark is blindsided by the patient who has possession of the Kryptonite rock. Meanwhile at the rehab, sparks fly with Lana and Adam. A dazed Clark is hooked up to the asylum's electric generator. With the Kryptonite holding him down, the third patient is now going to try to steal his powers. In the electroshock room, Lionel watches on as a new doctor gives Lex a shock. Clark looses his powers. During the fight Clark is able to shock the patient and get back his powers. With both remaining patients down, Clark races up to the electroshock room. He is too late. Lex already got the treatment. Later Clark visits Lex at the mansion. He's all better now. Or is he?

Season 3 Episode 10 Whisper (original air date 1-21-04).

During a robbery at the Smallville jewelry store, Clark tries to intervene. One robber uses a sonic scream and Clark is blinded in the process. The screaming robber gets away. The other is caught. The next day Clark is back in high school with Pete as his seeing eye dog. At the same time Chloe gets a phone call from Lionel. He wants more info on Clark. At school, Clark's hearing goes crazy sensitive. He over hears some of Chloe's phone call. Later Lex visits Clark at home. Clark tells him his dad's job offer was a shame. Lex pays for Lana's hospital/rehab bill because he feels responsible. While at home Clark gets a visit from Chloe. He asks her how long she's been working with Lionel. She comes clean. But Clark doesn't except her apology. Later while out by the road Clark and Pete are talking. A wrecker pulls up and the robber with the sonic scream unleashes his power. Clark is down and Pete is kidnapped. Later at the Kents, it becomes apparent that Pete was kidnapped because his mom is the judge on the case. At the mansion, Lex tells Lionel he won't except his shame job. Back in town, Clark hears the familiar sound of the truck that was there when Pete was kidnapped. Clark almost rescues Pete, but the kidnappers get away with him. Clark's vision is slowly coming back. Clark over hears one of the jewel thieves tell the other to get rid of Pete. Clark catches up to them at a junk yard. Clark rescues Pete just before he's crushed in a car crusher. During the rescue, the robber is crushed under a mountain of wrecked cars. Because Lionel suspects Chloe told Lex about the shame job and her threats toward him, Lionel kills her column in the Daily Planet and her father looses his job. Meanwhile, Clark's vision is back. At home Lana tells Clark that she has met someone else. As she is driving off, he can hear her crying.

Keep watching. I will.

D.L.             

2012 - End Of Week 32 - Comics

Greetings Friends,

Week thirty two - just twenty weeks left for my challenge. Not that I will need that many.

#433. A Game Of Thrones #9.

#434. Blue Estate #12. 

#435. Batman #12.

#436. Ozymandias #2.

#437. Archer & Armstrong #1.
#438. Mouse Guard - The Black Axe #5.
#439. Spongebob Comics #10.
#440. The New Avengers #29 (*).

#441. Captain America #16 (*).

#442. Wolverine #311 (*).

#443. Space Punisher #2 (*).

(*) denotes read as a digital comic book.

The big winners this week were:

Ozymandias #2. The Before Watchmen comics have all been some of the best DC books in a long time. This is no exception. 

Mouse Guard - The Black Axe #5. It's Mouse Guard. Nuff Said.

Space Punisher #2. This is a fun story with nice painted art.

 Eleven more comic books down. Only 57 more to go.

Keep Reading Comics.

D.L.

Smallville - A Retrospective - 19

Greetings Friends,

Season 3 Episode 7 Magnetic (original air date 11-12-03).

Lana's lab partner Seth runs a booth at the fair. When he has an altercation with a thug, he gets hit with a snow globe. Inside the snow globe is Kryptonite flakes. When the snow globe breaks against his head some of the Kryptonite flakes enter into his blood stream. After an MRI he gets powers over Lana and gravity. At the mansion, Lex's man Darius has info about his (dead) grandparents. Chloe Sullivan has been looking into the Luthor past also. Lana agrees to go out with Seth. On their date at the closed fair, Seth shows Lana his power over metal by turning on the fair rides. When Clark shows up Lana accuses Clark of stalking her. At school, Clark tells Seth to leave Lana alone. Seth tells Clark to stay out of his way. At the hospital, Chloe and Clark scan Seth's files and conclude that the MRI affected him. At the Torch, Lex's man Darius steals Chloe's computer and wrecks the place. At the Talon, Seth offers to take Lana away using his power. she agrees. Lana is caught by Lex as she takes the Talon's money. He can't stop her. Clark uses his heat vision to melt the road and stop them in their stolen car. Seth gets away but Lana goes to jail. Chloe confronts Lex about the theft but he tells her that his man is now dead. At the jail Seth uses his power to break Lana out. Clark locates Seth and Lana at the fair grounds. As a fight breaks out Seth shoots Clark to no effect. Clark uses electricity on Seth and shorts him out. Later Lana, doing community service at the hospital,  gets her job back from Lex. Chloe comes clean to Lex telling him that his dad was black mailing her to spy on Clark. Chloe is looking into Lionel to black mail him. She tells Lex that Morgan Edge was his father's closest boyhood friend. At the barn,  Lana comes by to apologise to Clark.

Season 3 Episode 8 Shattered (original air date 11-19-03).

Morgan edge is back! But with a new face and voice. Lex convinces him to confess that he and Lionel killed his grandparents for the insurance money. Morgan confesses on tape. While watching the video play back in his office, two ninjas try to kill Lex. He narrowly escapes. Lex hides out at the Kent farm and tells Clark what has happened. Clark goes to the mansion to get the contents of the safe. It is gone and all the debris from the skirmish has been cleaned up. Clark tells Chloe that she is in danger. Back at the Kent farm, Lionel is there looking for Lex. He says that Lex has had a psychotic break. Clark covers for him. Later Clark finds Lex in the barn tending to blankets like they were a baby. He tells his parents that Morgan Edge is back with a new face. And oh yeah, Lex is crazy. He over hears them. Lex tells Clark "your either with me or against me." Clark leaves with Lex to find Morgan Edge. Clark and Lex search a factory where Lex saw Morgan. Now it's a sweat shop. At the mansion, the psychiatrist Dr. Claire Foster and Lex's dead man try to bring Lex to the hospital. He's not having it. Lex and Clark go hide. Later, Chloe tells Clark that Lex has had a break from reality before when his younger brother Julian died. At the barn Lex gets away from Lana but Lana is trampled by a horse. Lana goes to the hospital. Lionel meets Clark at the hospital and berates him for not giving up Lex. Clark conclueds that Lex was drugged at the mansion. Was it food or drink? Clark takes down Darius (Lex's man). He admits that he was paid to do it. At Luthor Corp a deranged Lex confronts Lionel about killing his grandparents. Morgan Edge is tracked down by Lex. Morgan Edge tells Lex that Lionel was behind it all: Killing his parents. Drugging Lex. Repairing the damage at the mansion. And setting up the sweat shop. Before Lex can kill Morgan, Clark breaks in to stop him. Morgan has Kryptonite rocks which he punches Clark with. Lex shoots Morgan. Morgan makes it to his car and tries to run down Lex but Clark saves him by pushing him out of the way. Lex sees the car get destroyed when it hits Clark. Lex " I was right about you all along Clark. Your not even human." Dr. Foster doesn't believe Lex and takes him away.

Good Stuff!

Keep Watching. I will.

D.L.     

Smallville - A Retrospective 18

Greetings Friends,

I'm back with a few more episodes watched. Enjoy.

Season 3 Episode 5 Perry (original air date 10-29-03).

A comet has hit the sun causing solar flares. At a bar Perry White has been drinking. Later while driving drunk, Perry swerves to miss Clark and hits a telephone pole. The next day perry is at the farm. He wants Clark to drive him around town to find stories about the meteor craters. At the mansion, Lex has finished his five psych evals. Meanwhile working on the tractor, Clark tries but cannot lift it. He tries again and throws it high into the sky. The tractor lands at a bus stop and is witnessed by Perry. Perry doesn't leave town. Instead he goes to the Torch and talks to Chloe about the Kents.  Clark, Jonathan and Pete talk about Clark's powers and the sun flares. Clark comes to the conclusion that the sun has something to do with his powers. At the farm, Perry White challenges Clark about what is going on. Clark tries to run off but because of the solar flares, Clark super speeds off. Perry sees it. Later at the mansion, Perry offers Lex info on his dad in return for info on Clark. Lex cracks and threatens Perry. At the farm, a solar flare causes Clark to loose control of his heat vision. Later, Perry decides to jump from the look out peak. Clark dives after him and they both end up dangling from a rope. Clark's powers are gone so Pete has to use his car to pull them up. At the top Pete, Lana and Perry see Clark's mangled hands. He is not invincible. Lex agrees to go through psycho therapy again. Clark gives Perry a ride to the bus stop. Perry tells Clark that if he makes it to Metropolis to look him up, he owes him one.

Season 3 Episode 6 Relic (original air date 11-05-03).

There was a murder in 1961. Was the right man convicted of the crime? The husband of the murdered woman blames a drifter that looks like Clark. And in the picture, the drifter is wearing a necklace with Kryptonian markings. In the caves, Clark and Jonathan find the same markings on the walls. Clark touches the image and receives visions of the past. Could Jor-El be involved? Later as Clark is walking down the street, he is thrown into the sixties and meets Louise. Later in the barn, Lana and Clark go through some of her aunt's belongings. Clark gets another vision from the past. The drifter and Lana's aunt (Louise) were lovers. At Luthor Corp. Lex asks Lionel why his grandfather was arrested for robbery. Lionel confesses that his parents weren't rich. That he was from suicide slums. Meanwhile Clark and Lana investigate the old barn were Louise was killed. Clark gets another vision that Lachlan Luthor killed Louise when the bullets ricocheted from hitting Joe (the drifter). At home Clark touches his grandfather rifle and gets another vision. His grandfather met Joe. Clark then goes through more of his grandfather's possessions. At the courthouse, Clark pretends to be Joe. The Mayor thinks hes seeing a ghost and admits that he was behind Lachlan trying to kill Joe. And Louise was an accident. The Mayor is arrested and Lana's uncle gets out of jail. At the mansion, Lex confronts Lionel about his grandparents death. Lionel then admits that his parents were murdered. Lex suspects his dad. Clark and Jonathan go to the caves. Clark sees that Joe put the Kryptonian necklace in the wall. The necklace was a document of information. Clark sees that Joe (Jor-El) hid the metal piece from his father. His trip to earth was a rite of passage. Clark suspects that the Kents finding him was not an accident but was planned by Jor-El.         


Keep Watching.

D.L.

2012 - End Of Week 31 - Comics

Greeting Friends,

Another week down and 9 more comics read. Check them out.

#424. Fury Max #5.

#425. Epic Kill #4.

#426. Black Kiss 2 #1.

#427. Detective Comics #12.

#428. Nite Owl #2.

#429. Planet Of The Apes Annual #1.

#430. Trio #3.

#431. Smallville Season 11 #4.

#432. The First X-Men #1 (*).

(*) denotes read as a digital comic book.

The big winner this week was Nite Owl #2. This series features an interesting story by J. Michael Straczynski. The coolness is great art by Andy with inks by dad Joe Kubert.   

K.R.C.

D.L.