Ratings are from 1 to 5 stars. Five stars = As good a speaker as Obama. One star = Worse than being the wife/human shield of Osama.
Comic Books Purchased 4/20/11 (to be reviewed soon):
- The Sixth Gun - Issue #11 - I've been enjoying The Sixth Gun, and this issue was no exception. I like the hints and glimpses we get into a much more sprawling story that's just barely under the surface and that could explode at any moment. I like that we're settling into who our heroes and villains are and the lines of good and evil are becoming if not clearer, then at least more influential. Also, I liked the reveal of the guns being hidden in the guy made of clay (name escapes me at the moment).
Rating: **** - Sigil - Issue #2 - I think I like this series more than I'm presently admitting to myself. It's got a little bit of a Bone meets Degrassi vibe to it that I dig. I need to give it a few more issues before I decide if I'll stay with it...but hey, that's better than knowing I'm done with it now, right? :)
Rating: ***1/2 (with a bullet) - Generation Hope - Issue #6 - This is presently the only X-Men related title I'm reading. There's a reason why. The X-Men main title has become so muddy and confusing with plots, people, and concepts that I no longer understand that it's virtually unreadable to those who haven't been fans for multiple years. (I call it the Batman Syndrome.) But in trying to get back into the main title, I did gravitate toward the story of Hope, and when she got her own title, I signed on right away. The series has yet to let me down and always leaves me wanting more. I'm loving the bg reveal at the end of this issue, that the new "light" that they're chasing is an unborn infant with an almost Lovcraftian power of mind control. How pimp is THAT going to be?!?
Rating: ****1/2 (Almost 5.) - Darkwing Duck - Issue #11 - Always fun and funny. I like the rise of Duckthulhu and I look forward to seeing how funny and ridiculous they can get within the confines of the Mythos. I look forward to each issue.
Rating: ****
- Morning Glories - Issue # 9 - Gripping and LOSTian, even though I was several pages ahead of the big reveal. Jun is probably the character I care least about out of the group, but they managed to sustain a really good issue focused entirely on him. So good for them!
Rating: ***** - Justice League: Generation Lost - Issue #24 - A fitting, albeit difficult to swallow ending to the story. Max Lord both won and lost at the same time. He got slapped down, but he has a new empire...on YouTube, apparently. (Yes, you read that right.) But the big reveal that we will soon be reading the continuing stories of this team, reunited under the "Unlimited" title is pretty exciting to me. So I'm happy.
Rating: ****1/2 - Captain America - Issue #617 - I like how we're not just flat-out abandoning Bucky, but man...let's get Steve Rogers back under that mask already! I like following Bucky around in the Gulag, but I feel like those segments are either too dense with old references the newer fans won't get or too glossed over not giving us enough information about what's going on. But...it's still Cap, it's still good, and I know it's heading somewhere. But it's weird that this is one of the lowest rated things on the page...
Rating: *** - The Flash - Issue #11 - This was probably the quickest turnaround from one issue of The Flash to the next in the history of the present run! And it's good, no less! We're getting closer and closer to Flashpoint, closer and closer to knowing who's killing Masks (and why?), and closer and closer to...a third thing. Sorry... Ran out of points. Reverse Flash is involved, Kid Flash is a whiny little bitch...things are getting insane and awesome, and I can't wait for Flashpoint!
Rating: ***** - FF - Issue #2 - I like it, but I'm not sure I like it enough. I don't care for the slightly lighthearted thing they're trying to accomplish with it. I don't like that Doctor Doom has been reduced to comic relief. But I do like the tension and the relationships we're exploring. I'm going to give it one more issue...but I think I feel like there's too much going on here and not enough of a foundation for it.
Rating: **1/2
TV/DVDs Watched:
- Deadliest Catch - People are too hard on Derrick, the new captain of the Cornelia Marie. He's a little too concerned with reminding people that Captain Phil is dead...that's true... But he's in a very difficult position and he's doing the best he can. (Plus, Jake Harris IS a fuck-up and a drug addict. He's right not to trust him before he's proven himself trustworthy.) It's been a rough season for the whole fleet, except for one of the new guys. The numbers are bad all over the fleet, and things are getting tense. The new guys on the show are okay...but I feel like they're trying too hard to prove themselves...and I miss Wild Bill. He hasn't been on much this season (yet?)... But it's pretty much my favorite thing on TV and I can't get enough of it. I look forward to what the rest of the season brings...I just hope it brings SOMEONE some damn crab!
Rating: ***** - Doctor Who - Stellar opening to the series that might just give you nightmares. The Doctor has been delivering GOLD for years, and it just keeps getting darker, deeper, and more thrilling. I have nothing to say but positives about the current run, and the current Doctor. My hierarchy of Doctors now goes like this: Favorite - Tennant; Runner up - Smith; Third - Baker. And Tennant may be in danger of demotion if Smith keeps delivering on the level he did in the premier.
Rating: ***** and I wish I had a few more stars to tag on there. Oh hell with it! ** - Big Bang Theory - Getting a little more run-of-the-mill sitcom and not as unique as it used to be. Part of the charm of the show was that it made nerdy/geeky jokes that no other show would touch. Then it gained a little steam and the humor became a lot more formulaic and relationship-based. (Plus, Sheldon seems to have gotten a LOT dumber lately.) Still, it makes me laugh and that's pretty much all I can ask. Plus, Kaley Cuoco's hot.
Rating: *** - Conan - I watched Will Ferril shave Conan's beard tonight. That sucked. I liked Conan's beard and I think ditching it is the wrong way to go. The show's great and Conan's the funniest guy in the late-night crowd (with the best musical guests)...but the guy needs a beard.
Rating for the show: *****; Rating for the loss of Conan's beard - no stars at all.
- Kurt Vonnegut - "While Mortals Sleep" - Presently unread. Been busy and haven't had time to read it with the focus I'd want.
- "Newsense" by Grace Basement - I went to high school with Kevin Buckley, the mastermind behind the music. This thing's great. I can't stop listening to it. Looking forward to picking up his follow-up to this record soon!
Rating: ***** - "North American Travelogue" by Crowded House - (Presently on loan from my brother, but I'll buy it soon enough.) I never knew how much I liked Crowded House! there are some really amazing songs on here and they certainly don't begin and end with "Don't Dream It's Over." This is a great collection that's an excellent entry-point to the band. My only criticism is that the third disk seems to be about 40% "audience participation" segments, where they say, "Okay now you sing this part" and stuff like that. Stretches out the record for too long and breaks the flow of the songs I was otherwise enjoying...but in all, it's only really dominant on that third disc, so if you put it all on your iPod and press "shuffle" it's not as tedious. All in all, totally awesome listen that I'm glad Dave handed me.
Rating: ***1/2 (would've been 4 if not for Disc 3)
- Pickle's Deli - Reuben sandwich - I've raved about their Reubens before. I stopped by on my way home from work last week and picked one up...then got stuck in a major traffic delay that kept me from eating it in a reasonable time-frame... But as it turns out, it's still just as good after a 45 minute wait! Pickle's just can't fail!
Rating: *****
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Please note that I will RETURN to podcasting in time. For the moment, I am writing individual posts reviewing recent purchases/watches/whatever. I'll be posting a few at a time, divided by subject. It should be set up so that everything viewable on this page is from the same day.
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