Saturday, February 18, 2012

2012: Week 7 - Comics


Greetings Friends,




Here's my weeks comic book reading. Check it out.





#58. Detective Comics #6.


#59. Lobster Johnson - The Burning Hand #2.


#60. Murky World (one-shot).


#61. Captain America #8.


#62. Spongebob Comics #7.


#63. Peanuts #0.


#64. Peanuts #1.


#65. Peanuts #2.


#66. Adventure Time #1.


#67. Winter Soldier #1.


#68. Winter Soldier #2.


#69. Godzilla - Kingdom of Monsters #12.




Only twelve comic books read and no new books. Ouch! That's a slow week.




Keep Reading Comics.



D.L.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Smallville - A Retrospective -5.




Greetings Friends,





I've started watching season two now. Check it out.






Season 2 Episode 1: Vortex (original air date 9-24-02).






Beginning from the last season cliff hanger. Clark flies into Lana's truck as the tornado suspends it. He saves her. Lex rescues his dad as the tornado bears down on the mansion. The ship flies into the tornado. As the tornado hits, Jonathan and Nixon end up in a hole in the ground covered by a trailer. Clark catches Lex in a lie (about Nixon) while they are searching for Jonathan in the woods. Lana uses the Talon for tornado relief. At the Talon, Clark has to lie to Lana about her rescue. When confronted Lex tells Clark about Nixon. Lionel has to get emergency surgery. Once they get out off the hole, Nixon tries to kill Jonathan but Lex kills him. Clark tells his dad that when he was in the tornado it felt as if he was flying. At the end Lionel will walk again but he is blind. The ship winds up in a corn field.






Season 2 Episode 2: Heat (original air date 10-1-02).






With a hot new biology teacher, Clark gets a little over heated: New display of powers - Heat vision. Desiree Atkins (the teacher) is Lex' new fiancee. She gives off pheromones and men do her bidding. These pheromones cause Lex to marry her. Meanwhile Lana is filming messages to Whitney (in the Marines) from everyone. While filming and thinking about Lana, Clark has a flare up and sets the Talon on fire. Desiree wants Clark out of Lex's life so she sets her car on fire and blames Clark. Clark goes to jail. When Lana and Chloe visit Clark in jail they tell him about their Pheromone theory. Clark then gets out of jail and rescues his dad and Lex from Desiree using his heat vision. The final message on the tape to Whitney: His and Lana's relationship is over. Ouch.






Keep Watching.





D.L.

2012: Week 6 - Comics


Greetings Friends,




I've read a few comics this week. Check them out.




#50. The Bionic Man #6.


#51. Demon Knights #6.


#52. Blue Estate #9.


#53. Batwoman #6.


#54. Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #4.


#55. Next Men - Aftermath #40.


#56. Punisher Max #22. It's over. No!!!


#57. Powers #8. It's back. Yes!!!






As one really cool series ends another one comes back. That's comics for you.




K.R.C.





D.L.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Smallville - A Retrospective -4.

Greetings Friends,


I finished up season one of Smallville. Check it out.



Season 1 Episode 17: Reaper (original air date 4-23-02).

A woman lies dying in her hospital bed. She asks her son to kill her. He gives her some pillow therapy and then falls out the window to his death. During his autopsy he wakes up with new powers. Enter freak of the week: Tyler Randle The Absorbing Boy. Tyler helps old people die by absorbing their life. Dominick Sentori is sent from Luthor Corp. to investigate Lex's corporate spending (investigation of his car wreck involving Clark). After investigating an old ladies death, Clark tries to talk to Tyler but has to save his mom from him in the process. Chloe gets a copy of Tyler toxicology report. It says Tyler had pain killers and meteor rocks in his system. Clark saves Whitney's dad (on his death bed) from Tyler. Clark shows Tyler that his mom is still alive. A guilt stricken Tyler kills himself. Lex confronts Lionel about Dominick's investigation. Lionel to Lex "Well done". Lex tells Jonathan that the book on the investigation into Clark is closed.





Season 1 Episode 18: Drone (original air date 4-30-02).

Freak of the week: Bee Girl. When Bee Girl wants to be class president, the other candidate start having bee related accidents. Pete puts Clark on the election ballot. Mom and dad Kent are okay with Clark's running for office. Lex calls Clark "The Man of Tomorrow". In her Torch editorial Chloe backs Paul for class president. Lana is having trouble making money at the Talon because of a rival coffee house. Lex tells her to go to the mattresses. Clark saves Lana from a bee attack. Clark then saves his mom from a bee attack. Bee girls bees turn on her in her barn. Clark has to save her. Lana plays hard ball with rival coffee house. Lex tells Clark that he wants to be president some day. Clark loses the election. Lex works out a deal with the tramp reporter.



Season 1 Episode 19: Crush (original air date 5-7-02).

Freak of the week: Justine the mind artist. Justine was a great artist until the accident. Now he blames his sergeant that his hand is useless. But Justine's mind works just fine and draws for him. It can also do his bidding. The navy recruiter tells Clark "I see you in a uniform flying". Justin goes back to school and meets up with Chloe. Meanwhile Lex's nanny is back and she has cancer. Justine reveals that his injury was a hit and run. And he has remembered part of the licence plate. Justine and Chloe share a kiss which causes things in the room to float around them. Justine then tells Chloe the truth that he can move things with his mind. She's okay with that. During the kiss, a plate match comes across the Torches computer. We now see Justine confront Principal Kwan at his home about hitting him with his car. Then the car hits Kwan. Lionel shows up to tell Lex that they are selling Cadmus Labs, because they only bought it to bankrupt Sir Harry. Clark then finds out that it was Kwan's son that hit Justine with the car. Clark finally rescues Chloe from Justine in his barn using speed, strength and invulnerability. Finally Whitney's father dies.




Season 1 Episode 20: Obscura (original air date 5-14-02).

A gas main blows and Lana is showered with Meteor rocks. Lana now has precog powers. Lex brings the Kent's a check for the dead cows and contaminated grazing land. Roger Nixon from the Inquisitor newspaper is back in Smallville. He is now investigating his own leads on the Kents. Lana "sees" that Chloe has been kidnapped and buried alive. Lex and Roger meet with a former crop duster who saw a ship come down to earth with the meteors. Clark rescues Chloe. Lex is having the field where Clark's ship hit tested. Jonathan who is suspicious of Lex gives him back his check. The octagonal disk is found in the field by Dr. Hamilton. Lex tells Clark that his life changed the day that the meteors hit. And he met a man who saw a ship fall from the sky that day. The deputy kidnaps Lana. Clark rescues her with a display of speed, strength and invulnerability. The deputy is killed by the police. All is witnessed by Roger Nixon. Clark asks Chloe to the Spring Formal.




Season 1 Episode 21: Tempest (original air date 5-21-02).


Lionel is back to close the plant. Whitney tells Lana he is going into the Marines (just like his dad did). Clark finds the disk in Lex's office. Lex offers an employee lead buy out of the plant. Clark's display of power: driving fence posts into the ground, surviving his truck blowing up, shoving the truck door off and no injuries to skin when his shirt is on fire. All filmed by Roger Nixon. Clark kisses Chloe. Roger tells Clark that he wants to do a story about him. Roger eavesdrops on the Kents. Whitney gets final dance with Lana but not at the formal. Nixon steals disk from Lex. Lana drops Whitney off at the bus station and gives him her necklace. A violent storm is brewing. Roger finds the ship in the Kent's storm shelter. Remy Zero is playing at the dance while Lana is having a wreck because of the storms. Jonathan and Martha find Roger in the shelter with the ship. The disk flies out of Roger's hand into the ship and it starts up. Roger gets out of the shelter. Jonathan gives chase. The ship flies out of the shelter. Meanwhile Clark leaves Chloe at the dance to find Lana. Lex and Lionel are injured in the storm. Lex saves his dad at the last minute. Clark sees Lana (inside her truck) be lifted into the tornado. Clark runs into the tornado to save her.

Wow. That is a lot for a first season. On to season two.

Keep watching.

D.L.

2012 - End of Week 5 - Books.


Greetings Friends,



This week I read two more Graphic Novels. Check them out.





Graphic Novel #6 (of 20). Grandville - A Detective - Inspector Lebrock of Scotland Yard Scientific - Romance Thriller by Bryan Talbot.





Set in France and England in another time with a different reality, this story features anthropomorphic (animals walking up right, dressed and acting as humans) characters. Our protagonist is Detective - Inspector Lebrock (a badger) who is trying to solve a murder with his assistant Detective Roderick Ratzi (a rat). This story is well paced with a lot of nice action (beatings, gun fights, explosions, etc...). Mr. Talbot does some very nice things with the story. The art is beautifully rendered also. ----A winner! Recommended.






Graphic Novel #7 (of 20). A Small Killing by Alan Moore and Oscar Zarate.




This story involves a man - Timothy Hole who is leaving town to take a job. While waiting for his plane to take off, Timothy sees a small boy who has been around during different stages of his life. When Timothy finally gets a chance to talk to the boy, the boy tells Timothy that he wants to kill him. This story is told through multiple flash backs into Timothy's life. The art while adequate, does little to help the story along. ---An okay read for Moore fans.



K.R.C.


D.L.

2012: Week 5 - Comics



Greetings Friends,



Okay, five weeks down. This week I read a whopping four comic books. Check them out.



#46. Fatale #2.


#47. Omac #6.


#48. The Punisher #8.


#49. Fear Itself - The Fearless #8.




Wow four books.


K.R.C.


D.L.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

2012 - End of Week 4 - Books.


Greetings Friends,





As part of my 2012 Challenge, I'm planning on reading 20 Graphic Novels and 12 other books. I read one more of each this week. Check them out.




Graphic Novel #5 (out of 20).




Pinocchio.


Written and drawn by Winshluss, this mostly silent book tells the story of a metal Pinocchio, his creator Geppetto, two bums, a police detective, several story book characters and a very vocal Jiminy Cockroach. This story is brought to life with many art styles including full color, mono-chromatic, black and white along with full page water color paintings. The story is a fun, fast moving and very engaging ride. Very Recommended.


Book #2 (out of 12).




Government Issue

Comics For The People, 1940's-2000's.




Research Librarian Richard L. Graham has amassed a very informative collection of comics. Some comics are one panel, some strips, while others are multi-page instructionals. These comics were created by some of the industries biggest stars including Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, Walt Kelly and Charles Schultz to name a few. The subject matter ranges from Military, Safety, Health, Employment, Lifestyle and Economics. Many of the comics were educational give-aways designed to teach life or safety lessons. At 300 pages, this full color over-sized book is a tremendous value at $29.95. Recommended.




Keep Reading Comics.



D.L.