Millar's Legacy

Jumpin Jupiter! I almost forgot to post anything here for April! Well, actually, I really did ---i'm back-dating this post (it's already May 1st now ---Happy Labor Day btw ---uhmmm...Labor Day is a worldwide holiday right? I gotsa Google it but I'm pretty sure it is....). Anyways, I had kinda "resolved" to blog away this year....well, at least get one in...at least, once a month for all my blogs....so here's my comic pick for the month of April: (I had been waiting for it since late last year)

I dunno who did this cover but I sure would like to get this er, spread...
....i mean, variant cover ;-p

This is kinda why I'm kinda late posting any comic blog stuff in here for the whole month, I've been waiting for this Mark Millar / Frank Quitely collaboration to come out this April (knowing Millar and Quitely--- I thought it was going to be delayed) ...and I wanted it to be my "special" recommendation for those who want to begin a series right from the very start. I might as well tell you, Millar is one of my most favorite comic book writers ---(probably second only to BKV who I wrote about in my March blog). Mark Millar is actually one of the more prolific writer favorites of mine ---uhmmm...Bendis and Kirkman are the other two but I think Mark's got more "creator-owned" serieses which I followed/follow: Wanted, Kick-Ass, Nemesis, Superior, Secret Service,Hit-Girl, ....and ok, not really creator-owned but c'mon he basically started Marvel's Ultimate universe with his Ultimates run...which now that I think about it...seem really made for the movies ---like all of them really! He practically created Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury for the Avengers (which is really an Ultimates adaptation imho) He's also the one responsible for getting me re-introduced to Marvel (616) "events" several years ago with his "Civil War" ---still one of my all-time favorite Marvel "event"  (which I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a movie event for maybe the Avengers Movie no. 4 or 5) Especially since he's become a "movie executive/consultant" of sorts for Marvel based comics (?) aside from his successes with  his own Wanted and Kick-Ass movies. So yeah, Millar's the Man! Now, for Frank Quitely....the one and only collaborative work which he did that I think is the best ever Superman book you should all read: All-Star Superman (with my early favorite comicbook writer Grant Morrison...(up until he "killed" Batman in RIP and Final Crisis ---see? I was a DC reader before)

So, is Jupiter's Legacy worth a read? It's too early to tell from the first issue obviously, but if any of the titles I rattled off above is any indication of what this Millar/Quitely tandem might be able to come up with, its definitely worth following up for a couple of more issues. Ok, I'll give you guys a hint of what I think it might "turn out" into: i get the feeling that it might be a cross between JMS Rising Stars or Squadron Supreme (Super-humans with a "global agenda") and BKV's Runaways (coz there are "children' involved) that might turn out into a full-blown "Civil War" ---it is after all, Millar's "legacy".

BKV's SAGA: Simply A Great Artist

I know, I just acronynm-ed SAGA because this really less about the comicbook Saga and more about my...ok, Im gonna state it here for the record, my most favorite comicbook writer of all time...maybe even just writer of anything and all things is: Brian K Vaughan. I adore the guy. He's the closest thing to a "man-crush" that I could have (and I have difficulty even admitting that,but I did). Put it this way, the only other guy I look up to in terms of talent and skills is Michael Jordan. Brian K Vaughan is the Michael Jordan of writing stuff in my book. And I have read and re-read comicbooks and anything vaguely Vaughan (even tracked down stuff that he mentions in his letters column and I only watched Lost so I can get to Seasons 3 to 5 so I can sample some of his TV work)watched & read...at least 2-3 times, and ...and I intentionally try to "read them slowly and to forget it somewhat " (so as not to memorize the storyline). Why you ask? So I would always "want to read them again and again" I know, this is kinda weird and hard to explain...but aside from the "trifles and trivia" that most of his writing is peppered with (which I often look up btw), I just want the "humor" to "hang in the air" (again, drawing comparison to Michael Jordan taking flight) so I can like be in awe for awhile longer. If I'm a bit sad or down, I only need to watch old Michael Jordan games to pick me up from the dumps...its the same way when I read a BKV book. Now that I think of it...both BKV and MJ are bald...hmmmm.....

...there must be something to this "baldness" business

Anyways, back to BKV (he's the one on the right, just in case you dont know), one other "great" thing about him is (and again, I may draw some similarities with MJ) that he's on of those few artists who are quite "old-school" (very low-key& simple in his approach but consistent) which means he does what he does purposely; bringing his personality (personal life) into his body of work(s) but without compromising his principles and/or privacy. Furthermore, the guy's not a sellout to uhmm...."mass media", he doesn't write comics so as to just sell it for a tv series or movie later on (I'm looking at you Mark Millar...and Brian Michael Bendis). Although, I'd probably be the first one in line to watch Y: The Last Man, or Ex-Machina, Runaways, Pride of Baghdad if it ever came to the big screen (but I would really much like to see them all as a tv series). The guy simply writes because he loves doing so (and he's not tied down to just one publisher). Like MJ, he seems to have that "love of the game clause" mentality that allows him to do what he does in any way and any time he chooses to do so. Which brings us to his latest adventure/collobaration with the very talented artist Fiona Staples...

I "shit" you not this book is the "shits" (that's in a good way!) right from the opening scene! (literally!)

Grab the 1st 6 issues here

Start with Spidey

Hello again comicbook fans! (and to whoever else who happened to wander into my silly, sometimes sanguine blogs). I'm trying to revive this blog you see (it's been pretty much dormant ---ok fair warning, i kinda use woids that you may have to look up in the dictionary at times) and a couple of other Blogger blogs I have about stuff that interest me (and perhaps also you - hopefully) and keeps me busy both online and offline. For example, the "sister" blog of  this comicbook blog of mine is StuffTheClogUpMyPC. As the blog title might read, that's exactly what that blog is...I've collected an absurd amount of comicbook / cartoon tv serieses that are literally clogging up my laptop and tablet. So, I'm gonna be uploading, erm, updating that blog this week and weeks after with a lot of comicbook-related "stuff". So do make a visit there too. Then there is my brand "new" blog for this year, RunningOnEmpty. Like I said, I try to keep "busy" not only with online stuff that keep me glued to the boob tubes but also with physical activities --- running to be exact. I've kinda become a running buff of sorts the past several months starting last year. It's also a starting block or jumping point for a "personal project" of mine called the ChroNikeler™ purvey (or preview) that's pretty much a pitch to the NikeAccelerator program. (Sigh), now if only I find the right partners and like-minded peeps....Anyways, those are pretty much the stuff I wanted to blog/share this year (more continuously and consistently, I hope). Read, Run, Review Repeat. 

 Anyways, enough of that, onwards to what you actually came here for....COMICBOOKS!!!! There is no better time like a relatively "new" year (if you follow the Chinese lunar calendar, this falls this Sunday, Feb.10) than picking up a new hobby, like say, collecting/reading comicbooks. I know, there's a lot out there to choose from out there and they're not that cheap; but don't worry about that yet. I'll hook you up ;-) So which one to choose? You're in luck!  Marvel comics has recently "relaunched" or "rebooted" a lot of its titles so most of them are still quite "fresh" and are only still in their early issues or arcs (not more than 5 have come out) for major characters like The Hulk, IronMan, Captain America, Hawkeye, Wolverine etc. and of course, the Avengers and the X-Men...so they're pretty much easy to follow even if you're a "first-time / newbie" reader. Of course, for "old-timers",  familiarity with each character(s)' background will make these "rebooted" titles even more, uhm, interesting and engaging (well, we can only hope). So, as an "old-timer" myself which one Marvel title shall I recommend for everyone as a must-read or must-follow (if they just have one to choose from?) There is no question in my mind (after only reading the 2nd issue), whether you're a total newbie or a long-time comicbook addict: The Superior Spider-Man is a must read! Why? Almost everyone (male or female, comicbook reader or not, young or young once etc.) "knows" who Spider-man is right?!? Wrong. Well, he's not the same Spider-man anymore. Peter Parker the original Spidey died in issue no.700 of Amazing Spider-man title. Yeah, on his 50th anniversary issue, they killed Peter Parker. He "died" of cancer in the body of his arch-nemesis Doctor Octopus or Doc Ock...who has now become the new "Superior" Spider-man (read my blog before this) and nobody among his family, friends or fellow superheroes (as well as previous partners in crime) "knows" about this sinisterly secret switch (yet) but "us readers" (really very Hitchcockian in this way) for now, anyway. So, shocking and suspenseful right? Especially since you "know" but don't really "know" if and how Spider-man will be as a mad-evil-genius with a "ghost" conscience will act like and I guess more importantly if and when and how Peter Parker will ever return from this predicament....so pick up a copy of: 

 

The Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott issue no. 001

Published by Marvel Comics

Interesting? Well for those who are uhm, "intrigued" by this surprising development, here's where this Doc Ock-Spidey saga began, check out the Ends of the Earth arc in the Amazing Spider-man and Avenging Spider-man titles. Need help finding them all? Rapidly Shared here

To "Sad" Endings and "Superior" Starts

Happy New Year! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Manigong Bagong Taon! Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!С Новым Selamat Tahun Baru!Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar! Годом! नया साल मुबारक हो! Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος! 新年快樂！מזל ניו יאָר! سنة جديدة سعيدة!

I hoped that I got the translations right, if I didn't well, blame Google Translate for that. I tried to greet everyone who may visit here in their own language at least covering the 5 populated continents (as far as I know nobody really lives in the Arctic or Antartica yet) Well, I'm back! It's been a quite a long time since I've posted here coz I've been frozen in Antarctica while living with penguins the past couple of years. I'm kidding! (wished I wasn't though). Let me correct myself while I'm at it...people do live in the Arctic---Eskimos! but Google doesn't have any translation for Eskimo-speak so to any Eskimos that may happen to wander into my blog...Hamingjusamur Nýtt Ár!! (Ok, that was Icelandic)....Of course, a little more googling and I could have just said: jadepa newva anyo! (that's Inuit, i believe) Ok enough with Eskimos and penguins....but where to begin or more aptly re-start my blog?  Well, there is NO BIGGER (and sadder, if not controversial) news this year as what happened in the dying days of December 2012 (no, not the Mayan Calendar apocalypse prediction) but the "Death of Peter Parker" in Amazing Spider-Man #700 (yeah, major spoiler alert here)

Yeah, I know, "not again" you say as Spidey Peter Parker also recently got killed in the "other" Spider-Man (Ultimate) series (yeah, the Brian Michael Bendis comic). So what makes this "more shocking"? Note: This is an appended blog which I started 2 weeks ago (so, Superior Spider-Man#1 already came out awhile back so a "lot" has already happened since December 27,2012 --including "death threats/tweets" to ASM writer Dan Slott). Anyhoo....so what's so "Amazing" about Peter Parker's Death in ASM#700? (this time around? I remember him also dying in The Other before---for those spider-geeks who want further and full reference, please visit this site: SpiderFan.org) Well, in a word (to me, at least) ---"Relate-able". I mean, I can relate and understand how and why Peter Parker (the original Spidey) had to "die" that way...it's shocking---yes, but it does make sense. Peter is killed by Doc Ock and replaces him as the new "Superior Spider-man" (WTF!?! aaaagggghhh) But these "axioms" come to heart & mind-- "You can't win them all, not all the time" and "sometimes, the "bad" guy just wins" or "nothing lasts forever" or simply put, "All good things must come to an end" ---its like love...or life...it sucks! Peter Parker after being the good all-around alter-ego of Spidey for 50 years...is dead. Killed by one of his original "greatest" enemy -- Doctor Octopus. Ironic? Yes, very much so. I think this is what the die-hard Spidey fans are sooooo angry about....its NOT that Peter Parker died...but who replaced him (WTF?!? Doctor Octopus?!? ---most were speculating it was going to be a "good guy", not a hard-core criminal mastermind)  Another, "heart-wrenching" reason why this pissed off a lot of Spidey fans and why Dan Slott is getting death-threats is how Peter Parker got killed ---he got "killed" off as Doctor Octopus (what?!?) ---so basically dying not as a hero but as a villain (this is so f*cking unfair!!!).  Epic? Hmmmm....fairly...it could have been better (Ultimate Spider-man's death was a lot more epic), but again, another of life's axiom is...Life is unfair! But then, like I said ASM700 hits close to home for me....what a year to end 2012 and begin 2013. We can only hope and carry on. 

New Beginnings and Nemesis Endings

First off....HAPPY NEW YEAR! to everyone...or anyone who still took time to wander into this blog (ok, maybe you just got lost...again!??). Thanks for keeping the faith (yeah right)...that yours truly (that would be moi), would find his or her way back to putting up something worthwhile in this so-called blog. Just to kick things off for 2011, I could not think of any comics that is more eagerly anticipated (to fans at least) way back in 2010, than Mark Millar and McNiven's NEMESIS after much delays(?) considering its only 4 issues (really kinda short, but big suspense!) Although, to be honest, I kinda like Millar and Romita's ICON series KICK-ASS much better (if only coz it was longer and more "fleshed out") Anyways, what better way to start off the New Year than finally putting a rest to this much followed series (it'll probably be a movie by the end of the year):

NEMESIS parts 2 to 4

Issue no.2- http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DIN5YXC2<br /> Issue no.3- http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T0O1HAUI Issue no.4 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JI1U7CJA

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Discovering Cairo

Last month or so I finally started reading Fables (I've actually finished the first 12 volumes or so...yeah, I'm sure I'll eventually find time to post some collected files here ;-) from Vertigo publishing as I had resolved to (again) start reading DC comics (after reading so much Marvel's Dark Reign for most of the year) and I got so engrossed with it that I further resolved to (also) read more Vertigo (well, it's a DC imprint, and it produced one of my all-time faves Y: The Last Man after all!). After some quick search, I finally settled on G. Willow Wilson's Cairo:
I dunno why, but it seemed a good read coz it was first of all, it was very much a graphic novel and it was readable in one sitting or so (i thought --which I did..). Secondly, it kinda gave an exotic vibe just from the looking at the cover art...i dunno, it kinda reminded me of another favorite graphic novel of mine by one of my favorite comic book writers - Brian K Vaughan, specifically his graphic novel Pride of Baghdad (i guess coz both novels' titles were specific in its location). Finally, story-wise Cairo does have that "you-don't-really-know-who-or-what's-just-behind-the-corner" feel to it)  something which I'm a bit familiar with in G. Willow Wilson's writing when I read her Air series a few years back ( i think i featured it here awhile back too - which probably means I liked that one too). You might say there's an Air in CAiro! ;-) Get it? AIR..cAIRo?  

Two Bunnies and a Duck: Why Has Nobody Discovered this Yet!??

Two Bunnies and a Duck: This guy (he's gay actually, but I don't care) is great! His "shorts" are supoib! ("superb" --I'm using my Jersey accent on this one, dunno why) I mean, c'mon! Bunnies!!?? Brilliant!!! And, he's fairly consistent with his blog posts! (unlike me) Plus, he's also a Libra (like me! Un-strangely enough --we do have fairly the same interests, except for the "gay" stuff of course! ---check them out further on his website Scrubbles.net) Strangely though, he did not mention liking comic books... Speaking of which, I promise to post one within the week! *Crosses himself* Until then...I'm waiting for the duck to show up ;-)

Yet Another "Great" AS-M Arc: The Grim Hunt

Ok, i know...after all this time of not posting anything (seriously, like you really follow this blog ;-)...."Another Spidey arc" you say? Well, I must confess I'm really partial to Spider-Man (especially the Amazing Spider-Man titles ever since Brand New Day...whaaaat?!?) It's one of the few comicbook supes/series I "hunt down" (pun intended) when I get the chance to catch up on my readings. You'd probably get a pretty good idea of what the others are in my pull list as you browse through my blog (er, you are still reading this?) Anyways, there were a lot of good and great AS-M arcs in recent memory that I could have "featured" like New Ways to Die, American Son, Shed to name a few and of course The Gauntlet series which actually concludes in Grim Hunt but I felt GH in itself had the best elements of showcasing different characters in Spidey's life, both his "web of life family" and his nemesises (did i get this right?) that I didn't really know about. It also gave us "relatively" new readers (and for those long-time readers...a reminder) to Spidey's "mystical" connections (which I believe was started by Peter David & JM Straczynski in The Other crossovers and One More Day respectively, which incidentally will be explained in the upcoming AS-M arc). Finally, Grim Hunt is a sort of re-boot (without going much into details) for Spidey's circle of friends/family but also for his formidable adversaries and cohorts. A definite Must-Read!

 

Amazing Spider-Man 634-637: The Grim Hunt Arc

http://rapidshare.com/files/412399350/ASM-TheGrimHunt.rar.html

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Free Domain!?!?

ULTIMATES!!!!

Ok here goes after a looooooooong hiatus of not posting anything substantial (as if I ever did! =) I am often asked what my favorite comics are (ok, not really mostly just by voices in my head) but seriously, if I were to recommend a title or series, I would simply say, "Anything with an Ultimate on it". I know, I know, some comics "purists" might argue that it messes up the "originals" and that it gets confusing especially with storyline "continuity" (which I'm not really into anyway). If you've ever picked up an Ultimate title, you'll know what I mean. Especially if you ever read that "disaster" (literally and figuratively) that was "Ultimatum" by Jeph Loeb (I swear, he should just stick to those "color minis" and give Geoff Johns a run for his greenbucks or crayons) awhile back. Well, at least he managed to wipe the slate clean...literally! Not to worry folks the Ultimate titles are back on track, with Millar and Bendis bending it back together (ok, so Loeb still in it!, but what the hey...it's got that "new" Thor chick back) In the meantime, you may want to check out my "old" some of my favorite Ultimate titles  stuff

 

U L T I M A T E COMICS SPIDER-MAN

http://rapidshare.com/files/384449049/Ultimate_Comics_Spider- Man_001__4_Covers___2009___Minutemen-ThePyre___Rocafella_.cbr

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U L T I M A T E IRON WARS

http://rapidshare.com/files/384440717/Ultimate_Armor_Wars__01__of_4___2009___Stea m-DCP_.cbr

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U L T I M A T E COMICS AVENGERS

http://rapidshare.com/files/384452923/Ultimate_Comics_Avengers_01__2009___awesome face.jpg-Anonymous_.cbr

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Jeph Loeb's: New Ultimates

http://rapidshare.com/files/384438837/Ultimate_Comics-New_Ultimates_01.cbr

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Ok, its a Loeb...but to give you a clue of what it were if it's a Millar-McNiven release way back then...here's their "new" release:

Millar & McNiven's: N E M E S I S

http://rapidshare.com/files/384446218/Millar___McNiven_s_Nemesis__01__2010___Minutemen-D.T.Rocafella_.cbr

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December Disaster to March Madness

Hello everyone! Well, at least to everyone who managed to find their way here to my blog....again‽‽‽ Thanks! ;-) I guess‽ Yeah, yeah, I know, you didn't really intend to go here but for some reason you are drawn to the fancy stuff I show in my blogs right? RIGHT‽‽‽ ;-) Just say yes, and let's move on. Well, since this is my first blog of the year, and in quite a loooooooooong time....again ;-( No excuses. Actually I do have a pretty good excuse. Let's just say if March has it's Madness...my December was a complete and utter SADNESS. I don't want to talk about it in here anymore but suffice to say I now can relate to Bruce Wayne (Bruce who? you know Batman! The Dark Knight!). Anyhoo, I thought I'd babble away first on what these blog(s) of mine is all about. First, it's all about comics, comics, comics and mostly COMICS!!! Okay, sometimes some ad surveys too but mostly I intend to share my comicbook picks here and maybe put in my two-cent reviews (yeah, they don't really make sense). Second, it's kind of therapy for me to do this again(I know, I may need a lot more therapy than just this)and start reading comicbooks again...so I hope you'll join in...er, sometime. Finally, and well, at the very least, it gives me a place to sneak stuff in like these:

Marvel Knights Spidey!

From Wikipedia:

Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) is the name of a comic book series starring Spider-Man and published monthly by Marvel Comics for 41 issues between 2004 and 2007. Formerly it was published under the Marvel Knights imprint (as Marvel Knights Spider-Man, issues #1-22). The underlying difference between this title and the other Spider-Man titles was that Marvel Knights Spider-Man was done with a more mature slant (in style if not content), thus the "Marvel Knights" prefix. Intended to replace the canceled Spider-Man's Tangled Web series, Marvel Knights Spider-Man was originally supposed to be written by Kevin Smith, but due to scheduling problems he was replaced by Mark Millar.[citation needed] When Millar completed his year-long story arc, he was followed by writer Reginald Hudlin.

So, way before the awesome "Amazing" series, the arcs below are also must reads (not only coz it's written by one of my favorite writers...) but because true Spidey fans would certainly want to read about Spidey's greatest foe ever! The events in these arcs happened before Brand New Day set in, and certainly to give you Spidey readers (as well as non-readers *gasp!*) a "possible end-game" in the current Dark Reign series (ok, it does make sense right?) Hello? You don't know who or why? Check out the mouse trail!

 

MK Spider-Man issue 01-04:Down Among Dead Men

http://rapidshare.com/files/278950143/MKS-M_01-4_DownAmongTheDeadMen.rar

   &   &   &   &Select Links

MK Spider-Man issue 05-08: VENOMOUS!

http://rapidshare.com/files/278962384/MKS-M_05-08_Venomous.rar

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MK Spider-Man issue 9-12: The Last Stand

http://rapidshare.com/files/279317194/MKS-M_09-12_TheLastStand.rar

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Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day Arcs!

It's gonna be an "Amazing" month here on my blog (well, if you happen to even find your way here...and you're a Spidey fan) coz I'll be featuring mostly Spider-Man Arcs (well, mostly the recent ones) from Amazing to Marvel Knights, Team-ups and What-Ifs! So "web-sling" yourself over here within the month of September to get your Spidey fix! In the meantime, you may want to check out my "old" Spidey Archives 

 

AS-M 546-548 Brand New Day: Mr.Negative Arc

http://rapidshare.com/files/275961484/AS-M_BND_546-548_MrNegativeArc.rar

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AS-M 549-551 Brand New Day: Menace Arc

http://rapidshare.com/files/275970512/AS-M_BND_549-551_MenaceArc.rar

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AS-M 552-554 Brand New Day: Freak Arc

http://rapidshare.com/files/275978775/AS-M_BND_552-554_FreakArc.rar

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AS-M 555-557 Brand New Day: Deity Arc

http://rapidshare.com/files/276370379/AS-M_BND_555-557_GodKingArc.rar

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Start Clicking Over Here Soon....

It's a Brand New Day for Spidey! Bulk links of AMS arcs will become available here soon...Up Close and Personal! Come back anytime this week!

The 2nd Coming...Squadron Supreme

....usually just before the weekends...as promised! Squadron Supreme vol.2 ? Squadron Supreme Saga by J Michael Straczynski coming up this weekend! Think of this as a "re-imagination" of DC universe's most popular heroes such as the Flash (Blur), Wonder Woman (Zarda aka Power Princess), Green Lantern (Dr.Spectrum?), Hyperion (Superman) and last but not least, Batman (Nighthawk) (as Stan Lee did before! i think) for the Marvel U, splendidly done this time by J Michael Straczynski (Rising Power, Midnight Nation, Spidey's The Other arc etc. & currently Thor v3) for MAX (Marvel's Mature line) . Anyways, these super-powered beings known as "Supremes" (not the 70's version ;-)compose primarily the Squadron Supreme along with a few others that escapes me at the moment...who to compare with...let's just say the Squadron Supreme is really a hodge-podge of DCU and MU characters both in it's "heroes and its villains" (which come to think of it resembles not the DC's JLA, but more like the Ultimates except a lot more powerful and a bit more "sinister") You simply cannot really tell who are the heroes and villains....which I think makes Squadron Supreme quite a great read, not only for its "moral ambiguities" but as well as its "socio-political commentaries". Over-all, I highly recommend this JMS compilation!

 

JMS Squadron Supreme vol 2 [2006]

http://rapidshare.com/files/265773493/01_Squadron_Supreme_Saga__2006_.cbr 1-3 http://rapidshare.com/files/266087014/JMS_2006_SquadronSupreme_01.rar 4-6 http://rapidshare.com/files/267159141/JMS_2006_SquadronSupreme_02.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/267023508/Squadron_Supreme_06__2006_.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/266985189/Squadron_Supreme_07__2006___Kryptonia-DCP_.cbr

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Of course, if you liked it! then Buy it! Or, if you wanna sample some more or simply follow the Supremes, do visit the Comic Kingdom!
....finally a woid from some silly link ads:

Vertigo Picks: Winter's Edge & The Alcoholic

I thought I'd squeeze this in before the month ends (which is today)since I haven't really done much blogs for July (like you guys would really notice *smirk*)Anyways, I've been looking over some of my posts the past months and to my surprise I found out that I haven't put in much Vertigo (which is really a DC imprint)stuff, which I find really surprising coz one of my favorite graphic novels (that would be another fancy way of saying comic books!) was done by Vertigo! It's none other than Y: The Last Man of course! I think I have links for that too, which you can find below under Vaughan's Volumes. Well, to remedy this, here are a pair of must-reads to get you started on reading Vertigo titles more often: (I'll do some brief review on each later on)

 

Winter's Edge

http://rapidshare.com/files/261248567/Winter_s_Edge_01.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/261704857/Winter_s_Edge_02.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/261732132/Winter_s_Edge_03.cbr

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The Alcoholic

http://rapidshare.com/files/260941666/Alcoholic_Hardcover__2008___c2c___The_Ramones-DCP_.cbr

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Comic Kingdom UK

The maintainer of this site wishes to apologize to visitors for not updating his blogs (as if you really cared) and being currently stuck at: He "promises" to be back before the end of the month for another pair of recommended comic books to read....give me a break can't make up my mind yet...Any suggestions? Do drop by ComicKingdom.co.uk when you have the time!

Speaking of Moving back...

Returning to Yar Roots!

Okidokey, well here I am again with my comics recommendations for the month (I'll try to not blabber as much as I can) and I've actually haven't read much comics for weeks now and there's a lot to catch up too...well mostly Marvel stuff (Dark Reign & Ultimatum) but I've got a smattering of Image (The Walking Dead), Icon (Kick-Ass), and Avatar (Crossed & Gravel) to get to reading also. DC fans don't be left out, I've been busy putting up DC movies for the PSP in my other blog (incidentally Wonder Woman is up next week). However for you loyal peeps here (and I see there are two of ya ;-) I made it a point to come up with kinda like a "theme" for my recommends (well, I try to anyway)...and since I've been in a way..."back home" myself for a couple of months now I thought...what the hey, a pair of "local haunts" and "home is where the heart is" comicbook stories seemed timely. Fortunately, I found these two gems: Image's Back to Brooklyn written by one of my all the time favorite Garth Ennis and superb true stories editorial at the end of every issue by Jimmy Palmiotti (be sure to read it) What it's about? Just two woids: Brooklyn Mobsters...written by Ennis! What else do ya need to know?? Well, ok the other book Night Falls is by a lesser known writer (at least to me) named Evan Dorkin (I swear this no Dorkin story! ;-) tells the tale of one of the more under-rated comicbook characters (at least to me), The Thing (yeah, of the Fantastic4) as he goes solo back to his neighborhood in Yancy Street (and anyone who knows Benjy knows Yancy holds a lot of history for him). I personally have a soft spot for The Thing so I was pleasantly surprised that he has his own...well...solo thing...and Night Falls on Yancy Street has that dark noir, nostalgic feel to it...that you'd think it was written in the 80's (actually it was done in 2003). In any case, you guys (or gals) wouldn't want to miss these two tales of high tension drama, brutal action packed panels, and both have explosive twisted endings!

 

Bulk Links: Back to Brooklyn
& Night Falls on Yancy Street

Comics2Read.Blogspot.com

http://rapidshare.com/files/241164968/Back_to_Brooklyn.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/239963772/Night_Falls.rar

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Happy Memorial Day!

Push to Crossed

Here are two comic books that I have been following since from last year when they came out. The first one is Push from Wildstorm, written by Bernardin and Freeman of the Highwaymen fame (it's also included here as one of my recommended reads). Push is about a covert group of "psychics" with special abilities ranging from telekinesis to shape-shifting (i know, I know its kinda like X-men but without much of the hype) that well, gets, uhmm...pushed to their limits. Overall, even with it's old theme, still a good read with a good "push" in the right direction (pun intended). It's actually been made into a movie, released earlier this year (the comicbook serves as a back story really, from what I gather). While the second one, Crossed written by Preacher creator, Garth Ennis and pencilled by Jacen Burrows, is about uhmmm...well, people suddenly going "psycho" and going on an orgasmic killing spree -literally! It reminds me so much of Warren Ellis' Black Gas (also of Avatar Press), but much much more graphic and gruesome, this one totally goes clusterfucked! I don't think it'll be made a movie soon...(if it did, it'll probably get an X) coz it's still ongoing, I think it ends at 10. I give both these titles and 8 out of 10 must read for the year!

PUSH

http://rapidshare.com/users/40W8JU

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CROSSED

http://www.easy-share.com/f/1325995603/Crossed

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DC Essential: New Krypton arcs

I rarely post DC comics here, I think this is my first one actually so that tells you the type of storylines that appeal to me and what I consider as recommended reads. And, this 2008 crossover "saga" (from Action, Superman and Supergirl comics) of what happens after Superman frees the entire city of Kandor (from Brainiac)and thereby liberating its 100,000 "Super men and women" including Supergirl's parents Zor-el and Alura (who acts as leaders of the newly liberated city) is a definite must-read! Mass paranoia and xenophobia ensues, reminiscent of Rising Stars by JMS as Earth is suddenly deluged by 100,000 Supermen/women (who are not exactly, and expectedly as well-adjusted and well-meaning as Clark). Written by James Robinson (who took over Johns), Sterling Gates and Geoff Johns, the multi-title crossover arcs can be downloaded and read separately below:

 

New Krypton

http://rapidshare.com/files/213593298/NEW_KRYPTON_part01.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/213604554/NEW_KRYPTON_part02.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/214367662/NEW_KRYPTON_part03.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/214414394/NEW_KRYPTON_part04.cbr http://rapidshare.com/files/215241124/NEW_KRYPTON_part05.cbr

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Ultimate Tie-ins and Lead ins to Ultimatum

Ok, as promised (in my mind), I'm bringing the "Ultimate" tie-ins and lead-ins to the Ultimatum "event" in easy to download arcs: Ultimates vol.3 by Jeph Loeb, Ultimate Power and Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis,Ultimate Fantastic Four by Joe Pokaski and Ultimate X-Men (which ends at issue no.100) which will be added to the RS folder below as soon as find it. If you haven't read an Ultimate comic yet, here's where you should start.

 

Ultimate Arcs that lead up to the Ultimatum

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Ultimatum Lead-Ins: Farewell to Ultimate X-Men

Who is your Combat Magician?

Uhmmm...Doctor Strange? Well, you could....he is after all, the Sorcerer Supreme in the Mavel Universe...but, over at Avatar Press, nobody kicks ass better than Gravel, William Gravel - SAS (Elite British Special Forces),occult specialist, combat magician and general bad-ass to the uhmm...bloody, demonically macabre creatures that lurks in the netherworlds of other planes of existence (yup) and also in your kitchen (just kidding! :). I first got introduced to Gravel's character in the "Strange" series created by (who else?)by Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer which I featured in my earlier blog, along with Black Summer. Needless to say, the stories as well as the art was both bloody and intense. Nothing like a mixture of voodoo magic and MIB (Men in Black)type of action. In this 8-issue series, simply titled Gravel, our combat magician's "history" or origins if you will is slowly revisited...as well as the unfolding of his future:

 

Gravel: Book One by Warren Ellis

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Ultimate X-Men by BKV and KirkX-Men

Since UXM is one of the those Ultimate titles that will be ending soon (if I'm not mistaken by issue 100), along with UF4 (which ends at issue 60?), I thought I'd post one of the most excellent and eclectic of all the Ultimate titles. I say "excellent" of course coz like all Ultimate titles, UXM not only gives a fresh twist and perspective on all the X-Men characters we've all come to know and love (well, most of them anyway) but also the the storytelling in each one is fast paced, full of new insights as well as frenetic with cliff-hangers. And I say eclectic, coz well, of all the Ultimate titles, X-Men I must say have the best collection of runs created by my top 4 favorite writers in the comics world in succession! From Millar (the Ultimates) to Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man) to Vaughan (featured here) to Kirkman (soon to be added). So I thought, for those who haven't read them yet, here's 4 completed sets of arcs by BKV to get you started with.

UltimateX-Men by Brian K Vaughan

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The above archive includes issues 46-49 The Tempest, issues 50-53 Cry Wolf, issues 54-57 The Most Dangerous Game, and the disturbing ending of Magnetic North in issues 61-65.