Batman and Robin #0

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys, JT here with my last post until NCD when a plethora of comics will be released and some will be subsequently reviewed by the best duo since Kenan and Kel, JT and X. So, let's get through this month's Batman and Robin, focusing on the past of Damian Wayne.


Batman and Robin #0

Summary: This issue is about Damian's past, so we start things off a year and a half ago, seeing Damian falling from the sky wielding swords and and fighting a Manbat. Damian says "No more secrets, Mother." or something to the gist of that, as we flashback even further into the past. We see Damian being born in some kind of advanced test tube child scenario, when his mother Talia takes him and lowers him into a pool of water, to show he's strong enough to survive. A woman tells Talia that's not the best idea, ya know, cause it's not... and apparently neither is doubting Talia because she kills the woman with quickness that would surprise Wally West. The woman's corpse and blood fall into the water with Damian, seemingly symbolizing that even out of the womb, he's surrounded by death. From there we jump forward a few years to see Damian and Talia sparring with swords when Damian asks about his father. Talia says he can meet his father when he proves himself worthy, by beating her in a duel on his birthday and earning the opportunity to meet him. Over the next few years we see Damian aging and doing things most people would never dream like, like beheading a Tiger with a scythe (wtf?), Sniping people, killing sharks, and playing classical music, cause he may be a demon spawn, but he knows how to appreciate the fine arts! Each year on his birthday, Damian's mom gives him a gift, the gift of an ass whooping, and the bow she wraps it with is "Happy birthday Damian. You lose." We fast forward to a year and a half ago again, as we see Damian taking out a bunch of his mother's men and a Manbat, before having a brutal fight with Talia where he finally brings the receipt of that ass whooping and exchanges it for his father's name. Talia finally tells Damian about Batman and the issue comes to a close with the exact scene of Damian and Batman meeting that we've all seen before.


Thoughts: Well... Happy Birthday, Damian. You lose. That was my favorite part of this. I can't say I cared for this, but I will explain why. To me, the concept of the Zero issues were either to explain what did and didn't happen, or to show us something completely new. My problem is, we already KNEW all of this. We knew Damian was a test tube baby, we knew he was raised among murderers and criminals, and we know what terms he met Batman under. We didn't really learn anything. This wasn't a bad story, but it seemed like a waste of the Zero issue storytelling. Now if we'd had this issue chronicling a bit about each of the Robin's past, instead of doing that in Batman, then we could get maybe, five or six pages per Robin's past, then the rest could be delved into in other books like Nightwing, Red Hood, and Teen Titans. Or even doing like five pages for those guys and seven or eight dedicated to Damian. That aside, once again, this issue wasn't bad, but I felt it could've explored some different things for Damian's past.

Score: 6/10 

Talia: Happy Birthday, Damian. You lose. (I like mixing it with "YOU LOSE, GOOD DAY SIR!" from Willy Wonka.)

Team 7 #0

To contact us Click HERE
There were a lot of comics I could have turned to as my final review of the week(that's what happens when you buy 17 books...  You're spoiled for choice!), but I decided to settle on Team 7.  Sure, Batman #0 or X-Force would have been the more logical route to go, but I'm actually a little excited for Team 7, and if it's done right, it could be fantastic.  Here's hoping.

Team 7 #0:

Summary: This issue introduces us to the premise behind Team 7(there are a lot of super-powered individuals popping up around the world.  The US wants to win this new arms race), as well as the members.  First things first, this comic takes place five years ago...  The first two members are Dinah Drake(Black Canary) and Kurt Lance(I'm guessing BC's future hubby?).  They go around recruiting other members starting with Deathstroke and Alex Fairchild(the father of Caitlin Fairchild).  Next up is James Bronson(???, there was a Tommy Bronson in the old DCU, but I don't think there's a connection here), followed by Summer Ramos(absolutely no idea).  From there we add Grifter, and end things by adding Amanda Waller and Dean Higgins(???).  That actually adds up to nine...  Huh, and I thought Marvel had trouble counting...

Thoughts: This was a total set-up issue, and there's nothing wrong with that.  I have to admit I was disappointed that Midnighter wasn't a part of the team here, as he seemed kind of perfect for the role(plus seeing him and Deathstroke interact would have been awesome).  I have to admit that I'm cautiously optimistic about this comic, as there are a lot of ways things could go, although they are a bit hampered by the fact that this takes place 5 years in the past, meaning we know certain characters(Waller, Deathstroke, Grifter, Black Canary, Kurt Lance) will make it out of this series basically unscathed.  Even still, I will be looking forward to the next issue to see what this group gets into.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Why did I decide to give this comic a shot?  One word.  Grifter.

New Comic Day! September 19th edition.

To contact us Click HERE
It's a bird!  It's a plane!  No, it's New Comic Day!  Huzzah!!  And leading you through this week's edition is none other than the original comic book malefactor himself, X.  Same rules as always, I'll list what books I'm getting, then I'll list the three comics I'll be reviewing for the week.  After that, my co-conspirator, the ever dapper JT, will list which books he walked out of the comic shop with, as well as the ones he intends to review.  Got all that?  Sweet, on to the books I picked up!  National Comics: Eternity #1, National Comics: Looker #1, Nightwing #0, Red Hood and the Outlaws #0, Walking Dead #102, Avengers #30, Avengers Academy #37, Daredevil #18, Dark Avengers #181, Mighty Thor #20, New Mutants #49, Ultimates #15, Venom #25 & X-Factor #244...  The first two comics aren't actually new but are books I've been waiting for my shop to get for a few weeks now.  Also, I was supposed to get Hellblazer #295, but that didn't ship with this week's books, so I'll probably have that one next week...  So that means for this week I have the perfect number of new books, 12.  And on top of that, there are actually a couple of really good comics in that bunch.  I think I'll post reviews for Walking Dead #102, Avengers Academy #37 and Nightwing #0...  Yep, I'm leaving JT with NOTHING good to review!  X review days this week are gonna be Thursday, Saturday and Monday, and I'm going to try to have the reviews posted at 8PM every night just to make things somewhat steady.  And that'll do it for me.  Before tagging out to mi amigo, one last thing for me to say...  X out!

And now for your Main Event, JT! Hey guys, since X took all the good books I guess I'll just sit in the corner this week. No, scratch that, I have a duty to give you guys the greatest reviews you never heard of, that's right, I'm the Booster Gold of Blogger, dammit! Anyway, the books I picked up this week are as follows, Catwoman #0, Justice League #0, Nightwing #0 (hope I don't regret that), Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 (See Nightwing), Walking Dead #102, Avengers Academy #37, Spider-Men #5, Ultimate Spider-Man #15, and Venom #25. Of my nine comics, X has decided to review three because he's what we in the industry call, an ass, so you can expect me to review Justice League #0, Spider-Men #5, and... Red Hood and The Outlaws #0. You can expect those reviews on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. As always, let us know what you guys picked up, and we'll see you tomorrow at 8 PM Eastern time, same blog time, same blog website for X's first review of the week. Til next time, JT signing off!

Walking Dead #102

To contact us Click HERE
Alright, X-Maniacs, first review of the week, and guess what?  I have it up and posted a full day ahead of schedule!  Crazy, right?  Since I was feeling somewhat productive today and got this review out of the way, I'll probably do 4 reviews this week instead of the three I said I'd do in the NCD post.  As for the identity of that forth review?  I haven't the foggiest notion...  I'll take requests, or I'll just go with my gut and post a review for something that I'm pretty sure will have people talking...  Hell, the mainstream media is already talking about it!  Anyway, that's later on this week, for now, let's tackle my first ever Walking Dead review!

Walking Dead #102:

Summary: We kick this party off with Andrea beating the hell out of the Savior the community had captured while Rick and his party were on the road(and getting Glenn killed).  Rick halts her attack and tells her that the Savior was off limits until he had decided on a course of actions.  As this comic goes on, we see that Rick has apparently had the fight taken out of him with Glenn's death and has come to realize that Negan and his Saviors are too large and too bloodthirsty a group to battle.  As such he calls a meeting of the community and tells them that he has decided to give in to Negan, would be releasing their prisoner and handing over the food and supplies Negan's Saviors had demanded.  Needless to say, many in the community are quite pissed by this turn of events(Andrea, Carl, etc), while others(surprisingly Michonne) understand that the best way to survive this may be to roll over.  With that, the meeting disbands and Rick lets the prisoner leave the gates of the community.  This issue ends with Rick pulling Jesus aside and telling him to follow the released Savior back to Negan, discover all he could about the Saviors and them quietly return to report back to Rick, while making sure that NOBODY knew what the two were really up to...

Thoughts: The last page of this comic took it from a good read to a really good read for me.  This issue had no real action(physical action that is), but had tons of character development, which is probably why I'm such a fan of this story, the development Robert Kirkman puts into every issue.  All issue long it looked like Rick had finally given up and has realized he's met an enemy he can't defeat.  That pisses off Carl, who wants to avenge Glenn's death, and Andrea, who still wants to fight.  Eugene tells Rick that he could probably start making ammunition with the right supplies, but melancholy Rick tells him they wouldn't need the bullets...  Michonne's part with Rick was extremely interesting too, as she revealed that she was also tired of the endless fighting and would understand laying down for Negan.  She also revealed that she blamed herself for the deaths at the prison during the Governor's attack, which was some AWESOME character development because I always wondered if Michonne blamed herself for not killing the Governor when she had the chance.  Personally, I always thought torturing but not killing the Governor was Michonne's gravest error.  So all issue long you have Rick as a defeated man.  And then the last page shows us the real Rick, the guy who has plans inside of plans, and realizes that Negan will just take and take until there was nothing left for his group.  Rick sending Jesus after the released Savior makes perfect sense since nobody in the group knows Jesus well enough to follow his movements, plus he knows the lay of the land and can see where Negan is holed up and what types of defenses he has.  As usual?  This was another very good issue of this series   Another in a LONG line of them.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

That's more like the Rick I know and love!

Avengers Academy #37

To contact us Click HERE
Second X-review of the week is the fantasic Avengers Academy.  More than anything else, THIS is the series I'm gonna miss the most as Marvel Now! draws ever closer...  Oh well, let's enjoy what we can while it's still here.

Avengers Academy #37

Summary: The Academy students manage to stalemate Jeremy Briggs on the rooftop of his building, but that's fine by Briggs, since he only needs to delay the students long enough for his Clean Slate missiles to get into the Earth's atmosphere and take away all superhuman powers.  Lightspeed heads up to intercept the missiles, and is assisted by Veil, who is in Briggs's control center.  The students manage to chase Briggs's assistant, the Enchantress, away, but Briggs himself is still too formidable a foe for them to take down.  Meanwhile, Veil manages to get Jocasta released from the prison Briggs put her in, and Jocasta ends up taking control of the missiles at which time she sends them to Lightspeed, who can then easily deactivate them.  As for Briggs, he manages to down the students, except for Finesse, who uses the unconscious X-23's claws to stab Briggs in the arm and leg.  Finesse tells Briggs she'd tie off the wounds before he bled out...  Provided he surrendered.  Briggs readily agrees to surrender, since he knows that he wouldn't serve any real prison time, since he had the solution to superhuman battles plaguing the planet and would be willing to trade it to the government for his freedom.  Upon hearing that, Finesse decides not to tie off Briggs's wounds, and he bleeds to death.  When the rest of her teammates come to, she simply tells them there was nothing that could have been done to save Briggs.  With that, the authorities clear the students of any wrongdoing in Briggs's death, and this one comes to a close.

Thoughts: I hate to say it, but this was a pretty underwhelming comic...  I mean I had been enjoying this storyline up to this issue, but for whatever reason this issue just didn't do it for me.  The final battle never really felt in doubt, and the ending wrapped up too neatly for my tastes.  Plus I didn't like Briggs dying...  He seemed to be a character who could have become something...  On top of that, who dies in a comic book by slowly bleeding to death?!  I did like the fact that Finesse let Briggs die, simply because it was in character for her.  I can't help but wonder if Christos Gage had to rush things along here due to the impending end of this series, because this storyline easily could have used another two issues.  Eh, they can't all be gold, I guess.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

All that was missing was a "chico!"

Justice League #0

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys, today's a JT day, and my first review of the new comic book week is none other than Justice League #0. Instead of focusing on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the League, this issue focuses on non-other than SHAZAM himself, the man formerly known as Captain Marvel. So let's get to his origin!


Justice League #0

Summary: We start things where the back-ups in the prior issues of Justice League left off, teenage bad seed (aka asshole) Billy Batson is adopted by a pair of loving parents that also have adopted a bunch of other kids. While out one night with his adoptive brother, Freddy Freeman, Billy wanders off into a magical underground cave where he meets a great wizard, only the Wizard tells Billy that the task he has is not for someone like Billy. Billy is adamant about the old Wizard keeping his distance, and the man asks (I guess the Gods?) if the boy is the mystical one he seeks, and if he's pure good. We see a bunch of flashes of Billy being a dick to everyone, and the Wizard says he knew Billy wasn't pure good. Billy tells the Wizard no one is pure good, good people get swallowed up and become evil or get walked on, there's no one pure. The Wizard starts to think Billy may be right since he's brought many people and no one has been pure yet, but he searches Billy's soul to see if he's got any embers of good, which we also see clips of. Seemingly backed into a corner by the fact that Black Adam is now free upon the world, and Billy seems to be the best he's going to get, The Wizard bestows Billy with the power of SHAZAM, because if someone MIGHT be good, why not give them an excellent amount of power? Worked great for Black Adam, right? The Wizard tells Billy to say SHAZAM with good intentions and belief, as I guess he'll only change if he has good intentions, which may be for the best. Billy, now in the body of SHAZAM, tests his powers a bit as The Wizard explains, but he tells Billy not to waste his powers, The Wizard tells him of Black Adam and how he hopes to free the Seven Deadly Sins, and Billy is the only one who can stop him. As the Wizard takes his final breath he tells Billy that he is now SHAZAM. Billy wastes no time telling Freddy Freeman what happened, while still in the body of SHAZAM. Billy then decides to destroy a man's car because he threatened Billy and Freddy earlier when they were being delinquents. They then decide their going to have Billy buy beer... these powers are so being wasted. Before that can happen, Billy touches a Christmas light which explodes, showing that maybe he can't touch electric things without overpowering them while he's SHAZAM. He then witnesses a mugging, so he swats the mugger away and manages to knock him through a car window since he doesn't know his own strength. The woman that he saved asks what she can do to repay him, and he says he's short on cash... so she gives him twenty bucks and he and Freddy head off to buy beer. The issue comes to a close with Freddy and Billy planning to use his powers to become rich. There's also a quick back up as we see Pandora, the woman from all of the New 52 backgrounds trying to open a skull shaped box, when The Wizard appears. He says he's using the last of his powers to tell her that she shouldn't have been punished along with her other two cohorts who would become The Question and The Phantom Stranger, The Trinity of Sin, and that she was just a curious young woman that did nothing wrong. He then tells her that the box can only be opened by the Strongest of Heart of the Darkest of Heart and they can claim it's power but of course he dies before he can say who. The back-up story ends as we go to Hub City and see The Police find a little girl who was missing, The Mayor's daughter, as well as the man who kidnapped her tied to a lamp post. The police wonder who did it as we see nothing but a blue question mark taped to him (wasn't The Riddler!) and we see The Question, saying that everything is all connected as the issue ends.


Thoughts: Well... this was awesome! I love this annoying, jackass version of Billy Batson! And the way he used his powers for stupid vendettas, got paid for saving a lady, and now wants to use them to make money, he's like DC's version of Alpha or something. This issue was pretty awesome, we learned about Black Adam's past a bit, Billy finally got his powers, he's still using them like a kid instead of being super goody two shoes like he was pre-reboot. This... I guess the term would be hardened Billy Batson has been one of the best things to come out of the DCnU so far and I hope it continues. Plus I can't wait to see what happens when he actually joins the Justice League... Another thing that needs to be mentioned was the amazing artwork by Gary Frank and Ethan Van Sciver, they did both did fantastic jobs on the artwork for this issue. Also, the back up with Pandora that hyped the upcoming Trinity War was interesting. I'm curious as to who can open the box, Strong of heart makes me with Wonder Woman, maybe Bats, but he could also past for Darkest of Heart, either way, I'm interested. Plus... The Question is back, and It looks to be our boy Vic Sage!

Score: 8.5/10 

Billy: Listen, Chester (HA!), that stuff might work like candy on six year olds, but you come any closer and I'll knock out the last of your teeth.

Nightwing #0

To contact us Click HERE
Okay, I'm just going to come right out and say it, I haven't REALLY enjoyed a single #0 issue from DC yet. I mean some of them have been okay, but I don't see why we're getting them...  Why interrupt the flow of what ever story is going on for an origin?  Why not just do an annual?  Wouldn't an annual be the ideal way to handle origins in the New 52 DCU?  Plus you could jack up the price and add a few extra pages...  Well, that's my thoughts on the zero issues thus far, now I get to review one.  Yay...

Nightwing #0

Summary:  So this story takes place a vague, "Few Years Ago..."  So it's not five years ago, in case anybody was wondering.  We meet Dick Grayson fooling around in a train yard with Raymond(who becomes Saiko, I think?), which leads to a security guard almost getting flattened by the train.  Dick saves the guard, but ends up being grounded by his parents for his train yard shenanigans.  After Dick's grounding, we learn that it's his mother's birthday, and Dick gives her a bracelet with robins on it because she loves robins...  Ugh...  Anyway, later on that evening, the Flying Graysons get killed in the trapeze accident, and Dick ends up with Bruce Wayne, who offers to take Dick in since he was a material witness to Tony Zucco threatening old man Haly(which actually works for me).  Dick begins sneaking out of Wayne Manor at night to fight crime(because, why not?) and comes across the Batman, who he immediately recognizes as Bruce...  Now THAT doesn't work for me...  Dick doesn't say anything to Bruce, and while Bruce suspects that Dick knows, he doesn't say anything to Dick.  After meeting up a few more times on the streets, Batman takes Dick to the Batcave and Dick calls him "Mr. Wayne," ending the weird game the two were playing.  From there, Bats allows Dick to train with him and follow his exploits on the computer, but doesn't let him go out to fight crime with him.  At least until Lady Shiva comes to town.  Shiva and Bats fight, and Bats ends up poisoned, so Dick dons the Robin outfit he had secretly cobbled together from Batman's scraps(he's the world's greatest detective, ladies and gentlemen!!!), and rushes out to help.  In actuality, he gets beaten up by Shiva as well, but she decides to spare the two of them since she liked the way Dick fought or something.  After getting up, Bruce isn't pleased with Dick putting himself in harm's way, and the two return to the cave.

Thoughts:  Eh.  This was a bastardized version of Dick's origin as Robin...  What's there to really say here?  Personally, I liked the original telling of Dick's origin more, because Bats looked way more competent.  In this telling, Dick discovers Bruce is Batman, Bruce doesn't tell him.  Dick designs his own costume, and he names himself.  AND he goes out on his first mission when he wants, not when Bruce decides he's ready...  Bats really had little to no role in any of this.  I guess Bats was pretty inexperienced at the whole super-hero thing himself back then, but he didn't come across particularly well here.  However, I did like the way Dick ended up with Bruce Wayne.  So there's that.  Oh yeah, and Dick's Robin outfit was horrible.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Okay, what is up with that costume!?  I mean where do the pants end and the shirt begin?  Or is it just one piece?  And if so, how do you put it on?!  Besides that, what's with those weird little knee pad things and the arrow pointing at Dick's crotch?!?

Spider-Men #5

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys, JT here with the last review of this comic week. After a super-mega-boffo-huge post that X made, obviously compensating for something... but I, your humble blogger, will present to you a modest review of the final issue of Spider-Men. How will things end for the partnership of Peter Parker and Miles Morales? Let's find out!


Spider-Men #5 of 5


Summary: This issue gets things underway with Mysterio getting ready to move on and leave Spider-Man suck in the Ultimate Universe, but he can't resist popping in to see Spidey one last time, which of course backfires. He opens the portal and is webbed through it by Spidey, and arrives in the Ultimate Universe, face to face with Spidey, Ultimate Spidey, Hawkeye, Thor, Iron Man, Nick Fury, and a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Spidey prepares to go through the portal and back to his own Universe when Mysterio puts his final plan into action, by using some kinda scarecrow-like gas to make each of the heroes see their fears. Spidey talks the guys through it since he's used to Mysterio's special effects, and Miles snaps out of it in time to see Mysterio trying to escape. Miles tackles Mysterio through the portal and he and Mysterio end up back in the 616 Universe. Miles is in awe and Mysterio tries to take advantage and attack him, but Miles counters his attack and kicks Mysterio back through the portal, as he follows, back to the Ultimate Universe. The Spider-Men dish out some vengeance to Mysterio and he's then arrested by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Spider-Man asks if they're gonna keep Mysterio in the Ultimate Universe and Fury says its for the best, since he knows Peter Parker's secret identity, and that can do much more damage in Pete's universe than Miles'. Before he finally heads back home, Peter gives Miles his blessing, as well as a bunch of advice, including to never get cloned, keep Doctor Octopus from marrying his Aunt May, leave crime scenes ASAP or they make you clean up, and the most important advice, which Spidey doesn't get to say because the portal teleports him back to his Universe. Fury tells Miles that he earned Peter's blessing, now he has to keep earning it. The issue comes to a close as Peter, back at home, decides to look up Miles Morales in his world. He finds his answer, that we of course don't see, as Peter says "Oh my God."

Thoughts: This was a kinda odd comic. I like to imagine they were waiting for days before Mysterio just happened to open that portal and get webbed through it. This mini series was okay, I expected more but it could've definitely been worse. I'm going to be very disappointed if we don't find out anything about the 616 Miles Morales, and it better be big the way Peter reacted. Also, I'm kinda peeved we didn't get to see what Pete's "most important" advice was, that seemed like a cop out, especially when he gave him lesser advice like loaning Wolverine money... All in all, this wasn't a bad issue, but it was far from great, I'd say it was average.

Score: 6/10 

Iron Man: And I would give the opposite advice on almost every subject by the way, if anyone cares.

Teen Titans #0

To contact us Click HERE
Oh boy...  So I've been extremely negative on DC's zero issues.  They have been, in my opinion?  Almost universally terrible.  Especially the ones where the writers decide to take liberties and alter/wreck/destroy otherwise good origins.  And that's exactly what I'm expecting here.  Well, no sense delaying this any longer...  Let's see how Scott Lobdell destroys the origin of one of my favorite characters in all of comicdom...

Teen Titans #0

Summary: This issue is actually pretty close to Tim's original origin in some ways, which is a good thing.  Basically you have Tim trying to figure out who Batman is.  He's realized that the prior Robin(Jason Todd) had vanished and that Batman hasn't been the same(although Bruce is kind of meh about Jason being "dead" in this one).  He sets up a way to meet Batman(something about gunrunners and other weirdness), so Bats shows up, telling Tim that he had tolerated him digging around for long enough and to knock it off, before pulling the famous Batman vanishing act.  Tim takes that as a challenge(which you think Bats would have realized) and ends up making himself a target of the Penguin, forcing Bats to rescue him(and his parents, who were nearly killed in the crossfire...).  With that, Tim's parents end up going into the witness protection program, while Tim doesn't...  For some reason.  So Tim says adios to his folks, and Bats takes him in(some how...).  From there, Tim decides he doesn't want to be Robin, out of respect to Jason dying, and becomes Red Robin('cause that's so much different).

Thoughts: First things first...  This issue seems to give us another case of Bruce being forced to take in yet ANOTHER Robin!  Anyway, this was about 7,000,000 times better than Jason Todd's origin story, and was better than Dick Grayson's as well.  Still, I don't know why we didn't just stick with Tim's original origin story...  For me, Tim's original story was better than this one, due to the weird things that happened here...  Why did Tim's parents go into witness protection, but not Tim?  Why would Tim put his parents in such mortal jeopardy if he's supposed to be so smart?  How did Tim end up with Bats?  Was he taken in by Bruce?  And if he was, wouldn't Tim still be a target of Penguin?  Plus, it appears that "Tim Drake" was the name given to him by witness protection...  Maybe...  Even that wasn't made 100% clear, especially since everybody was calling him "Tim" prior to the whole mess with witness protection.  All of that was glossed over.  The way Tim ended up being adopted by Bruce in the pre-New 52 DCU made a lot more sense than the way he ended up with Bruce here...  If he did...  Eh.  I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.  Things could have been SO much worse(as we saw in Red Hood and the Outlaws #0).  It's funny how low I've set my standards for anything written by Scott Lobdell nowadays...  So I'll say this was an okay comic and move on.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

So Tim's first Robin costume was the Superboy RIP one...  And why are they on the cover of a newspaper?!

Aquaman #0

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys and gals, after reading and absolutely hating Deadpool, and being able to sum up the entire issue of Invincible in one sentence, I figured I'd review something with more substance, instead of throwing up a review that was a paragraph long, including my thoughts. So, I've decided to sub out Deadpool and Invincible for Aquaman and Batman: The Dark Knight. Hopefully these can save a crappy month of Zero Issues (GL and Shazam excluded).


Aquaman #0

Summary: Our story starts six years ago, because continuity in DC is supposedly important although it isn't... We see that Arthur Curry's dad was attacked by Black Manta, which was payback for Arthur inadvertently killing Manta's dad, as we saw a few issues ago. As Arthur's dad dies, he asks his son to go to Atlantis and tell Arthur's mom that he loves her, as his dying wish. After Arthur's dad dies, we see Arthur at home as a bunch of reporters stand outside, yelling for him to come out and answer questions, not even caring that his father's funeral is today. An upset Arthur runs out of the door stating that he knows he's not one of them now, I guess because of the lack of compassion they showed, as he dives into the sea. We see Arthur swimming for what i would guess is days, looking for Atlantis, when a boat with a young woman and her father are about to crash into a bunch of rocks. Arthur stops the boat using his superhuman strength and stays with the family until morning. The daughter, Jayne, asks how Arthur was able to do that, and after a bit of prodding he says that he's an Atlantean, and he's looking for his mother, the Queen of Atlantis. Jayne's dad says he knows a man who used to claim he was from Atlantis but everyone thought he was crazy, he tells Arthur about the man's last known location and Arthur goes to see him. When Arthur meets the man known as Vulko, Vulko recognizes him immediately as the son of the Queen of Atlantis. He explains how When Arthur's parents met and his mom got pregnant, she wanted to live on land but was imprisoned by her own people. She escaped long enough to give birth and left Arthur with his dad and returned to Atlantis, where she was forced to marry a suitor. While married she gave birth to a second son, Arthur's brother, Orm, On Orm's twelfth birthday, his father was killed, so Arthur's mom planned to escape the next night but she was murdered before she could escape but an unknown person. Vulko believes it was Orm that murdered her, as he became King of Atlantis, but if Arthur returns he'd become King because he's the oldest born.Vulko gives Arthur a map to the armory, where the first King of Atlantis' powerful trident is kept. He tells Arthur that Orm is as charismatic as they're mother but as ruthless as Orm's father, and he's a tyrant of Atlantis. Arthur is undecided but chooses to accompany Vulko for a return to Atlantis as this issue comes to a close.


Thoughts: Well, this was a average story. Which is something good in Zero Month with all the other stories I've read and haven't enjoyed. Nothing amazing happened, and we didn't really learn much, besides learning of Orm. The stuff with Orm can be interesting, we've been to that well before but I can't say I mind seeing Orm pop up here. Besides that, this was a slow issue, nothing bad but nothing amazing either. Just average and used for the purpose of setting up future storylines, which I have no problem with at all.

Score: 6.5/10 

Jayne's Dad: He claimed to be from Atlantis, though everyone thought he'd been underwater too long.

New Comic Day! September 26th Edition.

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys and gals, it's that time once again for New Comic Day! JT here, and since I'm kicking things off with the first review of the week, I figured I'd start off by letting you guys know what I'm picking up. For this week's comics, I'm grabbing Aquaman #0, Invincible #95, Amazing Spider-Man #694, Captain Marvel 4 and Deadpool #61. The JT review days are Thursdsay, Saturday and Tuesday and you can expect yours truly to review Amazing Spider-Man #694, Invincible #95 and Deadpool #61. And with my small haul of comics taken care of, let's see what my buddy X has planned to review this week. Tell em, X-Mayne.

5 books, JT?!  For shame!  Unlike that loser, JT, Ol' X ended up with a few more comics this week...  And when I say a few, I actually mean A LOT!!!  Here's what I snagged...  American Vampire #31, I, Vampire #0, Justice League Dark #0, National Comics: Rose and Thorn #1, Teen Titans #0, Voodoo #0, Invincible #95, Amazing Spider-Man #694, Captain America and Black Widow #637, Deadpool #61, Invincible Iron Man #525, Journey Into Mystery #644, Secret Avengers #31, Space Punisher #3, Ultimates #16, Winter Soldier #11, Wolverine #313 & X-Men Legacy #274...  Yes X-Maniacs, I picked up 18 comics this week...  Since that snake JT took two of the books I was really looking forward to reading(Spidey and Deadpool!), I'm stuck reviewing Ultimates #16, Winter Soldier #11, and yes, Teen Titans #0...  Which should be terrible.  There ya go, until later, X out.

A Balanced Diet Makes A Balanced Body

To contact us Click HERE
Sharon asks…WHY The HELL DO GIRLS WANT TO BE STICK SKINNY SO BAD?I'm not saying that all girls want to be but I have 8 or 9 friends who always complain on and on about not being skinny enough like the abrocrombie models or runway models and all of them have attempted to be anorexic (Sorry about SP) and it makes me sick because average is good dont be underweight nor overweight keep a balance diet take care of your body FOR HEAVEN SAKE WERE ONLY IN THE 9TH GRADE AND ALREADY YOUR TRYING TO HAVE AN EATING DISORDER TO LOOK LIKE THOSE HALF DEAD MODELS, thats what I tell them and most of them are under 120 lb, I'm 116 and proud to be healthy, but why do teenage girls want to be bone skinny so

Read more ...

16 And Pregnant

To contact us Click HERE
George asks…When does the next season of 16 & Pregnant or Teen Mom start?I can't find any information or dates online, and I haven't seen any commercials, but I'm a sucker for those shows! :Dadmin answers:Teen Mom 2 Season 2 starts in DecemberMark asks…im 16 pregnant and homeless, where would the council place me if they decide to do so?my parents kicked me out, but my boyfriends parents wont take me in and i will have to live on my own.admin answers:Foster care system would be my first guess - since you're a pregnant minorLisa asks…Im 16 pregnant my boyfriends 20 can he go to jail?I'm 16 pregnant and my boyfriend in 20. My parents never have had any problem with us being

Read more ...

A Balanced Diet

To contact us Click HERE
Laura asks…Do rabbits need a balanced diet and do they need hay?I have a rabbit and all we feed him is pellets and I really want to balance out his diet so could you give me some additional food options for him?
We also give him carrots and lettuce at timesadmin answers:Absolutely they need hay! They should have access to hay 24/7. That is THE most important part of a bunny's diet.
Here is a food pyramid for rabbits:
http://www.fosterbunnies.com/food.htm

If you haven't been feeding him properly (though kudos to you for being willing to improve his diet) perhaps you are unaware of some of his other needs?
Is he litter trained? Does he get several hours of exercise a day?
Check out

Read more ...

2012 Calendar

To contact us Click HERE
Helen asks…Who is on the Milwaukee Brewers 2012 calendar?I am wondering which players are on the Milwaukee Brewers 2012 wall calendar? I am thinking about purchasing one, but not if players are on there who are no longer on the team. Can anyone help me out?admin answers:I wouldn't buy it if I were you. I saw at recently at my local grocer and it has many players who aren't on the team. Off the top of my head, I remember it has Prince Fielder, Yuniesky Betancourt, and I think Craig Counsell is on it, but I'm not sure about Counsell.Mark asks…What are the names of the saints on the 2012 liturgical

Read more ...

Firefox

To contact us Click HERE
Thomas asks…How to transfer firefox bookmarks from one laptop to another laptop?Just bought a new laptop, not sure whether there is a way to take firefox bookmarks from old laptop to new laptop.

Thanks.admin answers:Follow this to transfer bookmarks

http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_parentId=2046George asks…Why does Firefox not work since I downloaded yahoo instant messenger?I have had Firefox, IE, and Google chrome downloaded onto my computer for a while now with no problem. Recently I downloaded YIM and now Firefox doesn't start up. If I restart my computer a few times, and try to open it a few dozen times each time I restart, it will

Read more ...

Red Hood and The Outlaws #0 Review/Rant

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys, I'm, not going to give you any false hope. This is probably 20% review, 80% ranting. So if you're not up for that, I'd recommend ya skip this post. So, let's get to it so I can get out some of this anger.


Red Hood and The Outlaws #0

Summary: We start things off with Jason being born, to a red headed woman named Catherine Elizabeth and his father, Willis Todd. They have sex in an alley, which I guess leads to Jason's birth. Jason's life sucked because his dad was a petty criminal and his mom was a drug addict. Willis Todd eventually gets arrested so Jason has to watch after his apparently pregnant mom (?), until she apparently OD's. Jason then lives on the streets, steals, and gets beaten up one fateful night where he's nursed back to health by Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Jason, taking after his parents, steals some prescription drugs from her clinic when he's caught by Batman. Thompkins talks to Batman and convinces him not to take Jason in, and Jason is soon adopted by one of Thompkins rich friends, Bruce Wayne. After some time, Bruce tells Jason he's Batman for some reason, and trains him to take over the role of Robin, to which Jason excels at but plays a bit too rough for Bruce. One day, Jason uses the Batcomputer and comes across a photo of his mom, alive and well in the Middle East and heads out to see her. Three days later he arrives there, reconciles and finds out it was a trap by The Joker. Joker beats Jason with a crowbar and blows up Jason and his mother before Batman can arrive to save them.From there we see Jason buried and he says he eventually came back with use from the Lazarus pit and he says "That's my story and I'm sticking to it." After that, we see that the entire thing, Jason's dad being locked up, Jason's mother "over-dosing" when she was apparently in a state that looked like death thanks to a flower, Jason being found beaten by Leslie Thompkins, and Jason being taken in and eventually becoming Robin was all planned by The Joker, just so he could "giveth and taketh away" to Batman.


Thoughts: Fuck you, Scott Lobdell. For the last four years, Jason Todd has been my favorite comic book character. I've read every Jason appearance from a Death in The Family to now, I've had the highs of seeing Jason, a character everyone referred to as "The Worst Robin" have his own Animated Film with an AMAZING performance by Jensen Ackles that brought Jason to life so much so that when I read a Jason Todd comic I hear his voice. I've had the lows of seeing Jason become a crazy murderer thanks to Tony Daniel, a anthropomorphic blob with tentacles thanks to Devin Grayson, and a pimply faced, red haired goon thanks to Grant Morrison, and I would gladly take ANY of those over what you've done to Jason Todd in the last year. It's not enough you've had this ridiculous All Caste shit, Jason going on intergalactic dates, and not to mention the ridiculously stupid scene you wrote with Killer Croc and Arsenal (another favorite of mine), but now, you write this horrible issue that retcons the entire reason Jason was taken in by Batman, to tell us a story about how Jason's parents met and he was conceived from them having sex in an alley?! Then... on top of that, you tell me, that the reason Jason became Robin, was because of a plan from THE JOKER? The Joker... knows who knows Bruce Wayne is Batman sets out to make a kid so miserable and pitiful that Batman decides to take him in, tell him his secret, then make him Robin, while meanwhile, Catherine, his mother, who KNOWS SHE HAS A SON, is just fine with living in The Middle East for no apparent reason and not asking where her son and husband are. And then, Joker says, ah, enough time has passed, now I'll reunite them and blow them up... Nevermind the fact we apparently just skipped over the whole Jason robbing a store at gunpoint then beating up his colleague for shooting a woman story that was set up in Batman #0, there's no point in even MENTIONING that here.

I suppose this is my fault for giving Lobdell another chance after I finally gave up on this series months ago. He's succeeded in making me drop this and Teen Titans, and now, with an upcoming run in with the Joker next month, I should be looking forward to the next issue of this, and that issue SHOULD be written by the man that deserves to write it, Judd Winick, instead it's going to be written by a non-talented hack that isn't worthy of reading a Jason Todd comic, let alone writing one. This issue just solidified the fact that I will not read any comic Lobdell writes again, including this one. As for this rating, It doesn't even deserve one, if I have it anything it would only be for the great art, but Lobdell's writing has even made me unable to enjoy that. So in honor of Zero Month, I think that's what I'll give this comic.

Score: 0/10 

Me: I'd burn this comic but it's not worth the use of a match.

The Best of the Rest! September 19th edition.

To contact us Click HERE
So this was supposed to be the spot I posted my third and final review of the week, with JT closing out the comic week tomorrow with his third review.  But you see, I ended up posting my first review on Wednesday and throwing the whole schedule out of whack(cue JT saying something negative about me...).  Since I've already posted my three reviews for the week, and don't want to leave an empty day(I won't be the first one to do that, JT will!), how's about I cobble together a quick post about ALL of the comics I read this week!  Yeah, that'll work!  Since I didn't really read most of these books with the idea of reviewing them in mind, I don't have any number scores for them...  Instead, I'll use the good old thumbs up/thumbs in the middle/thumbs down system.  What the HELL is that, you ask?  Thumbs up means a comic scored somewhere in the 8 to 10 range, in other words, a good comic.  Thumbs in the middle would be around 5 to 7 1/2, or an okay to meh comic.  Thumbs down?  You guessed it, a comic that falls in the sub-5 range, you know, a bad comic.  I don't really know why I felt the need to explain that...  Oh no, I'm in one of those moods where I can't stop writing!  I'd better get to the meat of this post lest this intro goes on forever!!!

Let's see, we'll get started with Red Hood and the Outlaws #0...  JT pretty much summed up my feelings for this one with his review, so I really don't have all that much to say here...  I will say this though...  If not for the idiotic Joker reveal, I probably would have given this comic a thumbs in the middle.  As it is, it gets a thumbs down and likes it.

Avengers #30 was your basic Bendis/Avengers comic book.  Spider-Woman and Hawkeye discussed their relationship while fighting Mr. Negative's goons...  It was as exciting as it sounds.  Honestly, I wasn't sure what the hell Bendis was going for here, since Hawkeye hadn't actually done anything to wrong Spider-Woman...  Basically she was pissed that Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch MAY have unresolved feelings for each other...  Yeah..  If you like bad soap opera-esque comic books then THIS is the comic book for you!  For me, it was a thumbs in the middle, mainly because it(kind of) focused on Hawkeye, no matter how thin the story was.

Ah, finally a good one!  Daredevil #18 was probably the best comic I've read this week...  No, scratch that, it WAS the best comic I read this week, and if I was giving out scores this one would very likely get a perfect score.  Seriously, this issue was fantastic.  Mark Waid is(unsurprisingly) crafting a wonderful story here, as this issue actually makes the reader doubt DD's sanity.  The entire series has been seemingly building towards this storyline, and I have to say, this issue would be a great jumping on point for new readers...  Just sayin'...  Oh yeah, thumbs WAY up.

Next up is Dark Avengers #181.  All I can really say about this comic is that it happened...  I think I've reached the point now where I just want the Bad Bolts to return to the present and the Dark Avengers/Thunderbolts/whatever they're called to finish their mission.  Thumbs in the middle.

Rolling along it's Mighty Thor #20!  I don't know why I added an exclamation point to that, nor why I'm thinking out loud, but let's go with it...  This was another really good issue in the Everything Burns storyline(I really love that title, btw).  Asgardia is still being hammered by Surtur's forces and Thor is still down and out. However, there was a slight glimmer of hope for us Kid Loki fans, as this issue kind of makes you wonder if Loki betrayed Thor, as it seemed in the prior part of this storyline, or if Loki is actually planning on saving his brother.  I'll go thumbs up for this issue and fingers crossed on Kid Loki not going full blown villain.

New Mutants #49 had Nate Grey in it...  That's pretty much the only positive thing I can say about it...  Well, that and the fact that this issue ended the whole Evil Doug Ramsay from the future story.  I've never cared for Doug no matter how much Marvel tries to show he's more than a guy with sucky powers.  This story did nothing to change my opinion of Doug.  Thumbs down...  Sorry Nate...

Ultimates #15 was a comic I seriously considered giving a full review to, mainly due to the fact that it was getting mainstream press attention.  But as you can see, I decided against that course of action...  So yeah, anyway, this comic.  I have to admit that I enjoyed this one.  I've been enjoying the direction the Ultimate Marvel U has been going for a while now, and this was no exception.  This issue, especially in the way it was told, kind of perfectly led to the whole, "Captain America is the president now!" thing.  It didn't seem forced or anything, which was something I was afraid of.  And I can actually see Cap, especially the Ultimate version, ESPECIALLY considering the way things have been going in the Ultimate U, deciding to become the president.  It'll be very interesting to see how this experiment works out going forward.  For this issue though?  Thumbs up.

Oh god...  Not THIS comic...  Ugh, it's Venom #25...  I'm actually surprised, horrified and yes, a bit impressed at how quickly Cullen Bunn took this series from a book I always look forward to reading, to something I barely want to open...  Why would you want to add a supernatural element to this series?!  Who sat there and thought, "You know what this series is missing?  DEMONS!!!"  This is kind of like the mess that Scott Lobdell made out of Red Hood and the Outlaws, in that you take the lead character and put them in a situation that makes no sense...  I don't get why Daimon Hellstrom was used in this mess, I don't get why a battle between the Hell Lords is taking place in this series, I don't get any of it!  Hopefully things straighten out with the upcoming Minimum Carnage storyline...  Thumbs down.

And finally we arrive at X-Factor #244.  This was, as usual, a good, solid issue of this series.  It wasn't as good as some of the prior issues, but it was solid.  I will say this though...  I'm very curious to see where Peter David is going with this story...  He's really breaking the team apart here, it'll be interesting to see how things shake out and who's left standing.  Thumbs in the middle.

Sweet, I'm done!  That means I can go back to playing Borderlands 2!  Huzzah for me!  Until... Um, whenever the hell my next post is supposed to be, X out!

New Comic Day! Spethember 26th Edition.

To contact us Click HERE
Hey guys and gals, it's that time once again for New Comic Day! JT here, and since I'm kicking things off with the first review of the week, I figured I'd start off by letting you guys know what I'm picking up. For this week's comics, I'm grabbing Aquaman #0, Invincible #95, Amazing Spider-Man #694, Captain Marvel 4 and Deadpool #61. The JT review days are Thursdsay, Saturday and Tuesday and you can expect yours truly to review Amazing Spider-Man #694, Invincible #95 and Deadpool #61. And with my small haul of comics taken care of, let's see what my buddy X has planned to review this week. Tell em, X-Mayne.

5 books, JT?!  For shame!  Unlike that loser, JT, Ol' X ended up with a few more comics this week...  And when I say a few, I actually mean A LOT!!!  Here's what I snagged...  American Vampire #31, I, Vampire #0, Justice League Dark #0, National Comics: Rose and Thorn #1, Teen Titans #0, Voodoo #0, Invincible #95, Amazing Spider-Man #694, Captain America and Black Widow #637, Deadpool #61, Invincible Iron Man #525, Journey Into Mystery #644, Secret Avengers #31, Space Punisher #3, Ultimates #16, Winter Soldier #11, Wolverine #313 & X-Men Legacy #274...  Yes X-Maniacs, I picked up 18 comics this week...  Since that snake JT took two of the books I was really looking forward to reading(Spidey and Deadpool!), I'm stuck reviewing Ultimates #16, Winter Soldier #11, and yes, Teen Titans #0...  Which should be terrible.  There ya go, until later, X out.

Amazing Spider-Man #694

To contact us Click HERE
Hola comic readers, JT here with the first review of the new comic week, and who better to start things off than the biggest name in Marvel Comics? One hell of a hero that I hope is in the next Avengers movie... that's right, I'm talking about Alpha! And I guess his sidekick Spider-Man as well. In the last issue, Spidey decided he was going to stop Alpha, will he succeed? Let's find out right now.


Amazing Spider-Man #694


Summary: We start this issue with Alpha skipping his weekly check in with Peter Parker a Horizon labs to go to a appearance in Tokyo. We find out that Peter has been in his lab for days trying to come up with a way to cure Alpha because he's too dangerous, and that Pete hasn't gone out as Spidey or helped the FF or Avengers in a few days. He's even missed seeing off Aunt May, as we see her and Jay Jameson boarding his private jet. Seems like they could've waited since it's his private jet... but whatever. Peter decides to try to rush to see Aunt May off and dresses as Spidey so he can web-sling through town, when he runs into the Avengers, who need his help taking on the giant villain Terminus. Captain America tells Spidey to call in Alpha, as they need a big gun, but Spidey says he doesn't think it's a good idea. Cap persists so Spidey calls Alpha who jumps at the chance and flies from Tokyo to Manhattan in seconds, and attacks Terminus. Spidey is shocked because Alpha's only limitation was that he could only use one power at time, yet now he's used Super-Speed and Flight, showing he now has no limitations. Terminus deflects Alpha's blast and it causes every aircraft within a ten mile radius to shut down. Spidey has Captain Marvel sling him towards Jay's Jet as the rest of the Avengers head off to save the falling planes. Spidey enters the jet and tries to help Jay and May land the plane but the landing gear is stuck, so Spidey manually pushes it out with his feet as they land. After the rough landing, J. Jonah Jameson arrives on the scene and surprisingly thanks Spider-Man for saving his father and his mother-in-law. Back with Terminus, the Avengers defeated Terminus and Alpha fled the scene. The Avengers try to figure out what to do with Terminus and his energy lance but Spidey asks for the chance to study it, and maybe he can cure Alpha. Next we see Spidey calling Alpha to Horizon labs and he has him step into the chamber that Peter uses to check Alpha's power levels. Spidey turns it on and notes that he figured out a way to de-power Alpha, because yesterday was a test and Alpha failed miserably. Alpha begins to cry as Spidey explains his days as Alpha are in the past, and he's to go back to living with his parents and going to school. He'll be teased and laughed at but eventually everyone will forget, but he'll know and Spidey will know that a little bit of power is still in him and always growing, and maybe someday they'll try it again, but with a mask, and not as Alpha, because that's over. Afterwards, Peter visits Aunt May in the hospital and learns that because her leg was injured in the landing, she'll have to use a cane to walk for the rest of her life. Peter convinces Aunt May to move back to New York, to which Jay agrees, and just like that, Jay and May are back. The issue comes to a close as we see Kingston arriving back in New York as well, and he goes to a shipping container and picks up a bag, pulling out his Hobgoblin mask and stating that "he's home."


Thoughts: Dan Slott is great, first things first, Alpha has become a hell of a character after only a Month. And the little things that make this issue even cooler, like the "1 Month of Alpha" label in the corner, like it's a milestone that should be celebrated is awesome. This issue was great because Spidey had to stop Alpha, he was getting way to powerful, and the way he was stopped means he can always come back in the future, and he's a good enough character that he should be brought back somewhere down the line. I don't care much for May returning, she seems to get in the way a lot, but other than that I really enjoyed this issue. Seeing Jameson thank Spidey was surprising but awesome, and seeing how heart-broken Alpha was to lose his powers was great in reminding you that although he comes off as an ass, he was still just a kid. Now with the Hobgoblin storyline coming up as we get closer to issue 700, to say I'm excited is an understatement.

Score: 9/10 

Alpha's Answering Machine: If this is a girl, leave your measurements.

Mimosa Tales of the Unexpected 7

To contact us Click HERE
This is Tales of the Unexpected 7, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1960.
It reprints the cover and the following 2 stories from DC Comics' Tales of the Unexpected 38 (1959):
"The Giant with my Face"
"Dissection of Planet Earth"
24 pages, full-colour, newsprint stock cover and interior pages.
These titles were printed in a smaller size (255x170mm) compared to the original DC Comics title.
This is one of the seven first titles that Mimosa started reprinting in 1959 (Western Comics, Tales of the Unexpected, Falling in Love, Mystery in Space, Romances, Batman and All-Star Western).

Here is the cover of issue 7 and DC Comics' original cover:
 See Also:
Mimosa Comics
Mimosa Tales of the Unexpected Series

Mimosa Batman 8

To contact us Click HERE
This is Batman 8, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1960.
It reprints the cover and the following 2 stories from DC Comics' Batman 129 (1960):
"The Web of the Spinner"
"The Man from Robin's past"
 24 pages, full-colour, newsprint stock cover and interior pages.
These titles were printed in a smaller size (243x165mm) compared to the original DC Comics title.
The printing reproduction from the original was very good quality.

 Here is the cover of issue 8 and DC Comics' original cover:
 House ads for Western Comics and All-Star Western:

Petrinovic ad for Cowboy Accessories and Back-Cover ad for International Book Society:
 See Also:
Mimosa Comics
Mimosa Detective Comics Series

Mimosa Tales of the Unexpected 8

To contact us Click HERE
This is Tales of the Unexpected 8, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1960.
It reprints the cover from DC Comics' Tales of the Unexpected 39 (1959).
It contains these stories
 "The Mystery of Exile Moon!" from DC Comics' Tales of the Unexpected 33 (1959)
"The Thing from Thermo-D" from DC Comics' Tales of the Unexpected 32 (1958)
"The Monte Cristo of Space" from DC Comics' Tales of the Unexpected 34 (1959)
24 pages, full-colour, newsprint stock cover and interior pages.
These titles were printed in a smaller size (255x170mm) compared to the original DC Comics title.
This is one of the seven first titles that Mimosa started reprinting in 1959 (Western Comics, Tales of the Unexpected, Falling in Love, Mystery in Space, Romances, Batman and All-Star Western).

Here is the cover of issue 8 and DC Comics' original cover:
 See Also:
Mimosa Comics
Mimosa Tales of the Unexpected Series

Mimosa Batman 9

To contact us Click HERE
This is Batman 9, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1960.
It reprints the cover and the following 2 stories from DC Comics' Batman 125 (1959):
"King Batman the First"
"The Last Days of Batman"
 24 pages, full-colour, newsprint stock cover and interior pages.
These titles were printed in a smaller size (243x165mm) compared to the original DC Comics title.
The printing reproduction from the original was very good quality.

 Here is the cover of issue 9 and DC Comics' original cover:
 See Also:
Mimosa Comics
Mimosa Detective Comics Series

Photo Story Magazines - Ruiter in Swart

To contact us Click HERE
Many Thanks to Sven Barsby for this article on the Ruiter in Swart Series and the NEW LIVE-ACTION DVD - which is sure to be popular amongst fans of this classic series:
Ruiter in Swart was one of the first Photo Story Magazines published by Republican Press, first appearing in 1966, just after Kyk/See, Mark Condor and Dr Conrad Brand. Arguably the most popular "cowboy" photo story ever published, the story features the character Ben in the Lowveld of the 1880s. After hisson is kidnapped, he makes it his life's ambition to root out all evil and findhis son. When the series ended with issue no 491 (after a run of 17 years),all Ben's attempts to find his son had been unsuccessful. The role of Ben,Ruiter in Swart, was played by Vonk de Ridder, an established actor atthe time with films such as "Voor Sononder" and "Kimberley Jim" with JimReeves, to his credit. 

Cover images of issues no 1, 15, 119 and 400:
Owing to popular demand, Ruiter in Swart Productions has brought thisClassic South African fiction hero back, producing a film in 2012. Vonk de Ridder reprises the role of Ruiter in Swart, almost 30 years since the last issue saw print. In this new film Ben is retired from the ZARP (Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek Polisie), but when he is called on to assist in apprehending cattle thieves, possibly led by his long-lost son Eben, he has no hesitation in donning his famous black outfit, strapping on his gun belt and setting out on his black stallion to pursue the criminals.Production of the film "Ruiter in Swart" was completed in August 2012 andthe DVD is now available for purchase to the general public. The DVD will not bedistributed commercially.
A True South African Legend - come to life! Order your copy today!
Cover of the DVD:To order this DVD, contact:Amanda de Goede in Klerksdorp at telephone 083 761 8222 The length of the film is 45 minutes, and the cost R130.00
Alternatively e-mail me for further details:g.vdr@virgin.net
See Also:Photo Story Magazines 

Mimosa The Atom 1

To contact us Click HERE
This is The Atom 1, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1963-1964.
It reprints the cover and the following 2 stories from DC Comics' The Atom 8 (1963):
"Lockup in the Lethal Lightbulb!"
"The Purloined Miniatures"
Also reprinted is the following story from DC Comics' House of Mystery 37 (1955):
"The Modern Nostradamus"
 32 pages, colour cover, black-and-white interior pages (259x179mm).

 Here is the cover of issue 1 and DC Comics' original cover:
 House ad for Batman and World's Finest:
See Also:
Mimosa Comics

Photo Story Magazines - Ruiter in Swart - Rowers van Marula DVD review

To contact us Click HERE
After all these years - a Photo Story Magazine brought back to life. The legendary South African fictional hero "Ruiter in Swart" rides again!

Ruiter in Swart - Rowers van Marula is a new film, only available on DVD. It is the first in a  series of films (six films planned), produced by Ruiter in Swart Produksies.

This film will appeal to fans of the original Ruiter In Swart series, Afrikaans film fans and nostalgia buffs alike.

Vonk De Ridder reprises the role on Ben (Ruiter in Swart) - the retired hero. He is called on by ZARP (Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek Polisie) to assist in helping to capture a gang of cattle thieves and weapons smugglers. He dusts off his famous black outfit - and rides to the rescue on his black stallion.

An excellent production - I enjoyed the acting, cinematography, music, theme song. Vonk De Ridder was truly impressive as the hero on his horse, and I especially enjoyed all the fight scenes. How wonderful to see this courageous hero, although many years have passed since his last adventure, still able to defeat the enemies and ride off into the sunset victorious. Reminiscent of all the great Cowboy films - but it retains a true South African charm - that will leave you with a lump in the throat.

I hope this DVD sells well - and I look forward to future volumes in this series.

Cover of the DVD:

To order this DVD, contact:Amanda de Goede in Klerksdorp at telephone 083 761 8222 The length of the film is 45 minutes, and the cost R130.00Alternatively e-mail me for further details:g.vdr@virgin.netSee Also:Photo Story Magazines Photo Story Magazines - Ruiter in Swart 

Chronology of South African Comic Books - 1960s

To contact us Click HERE
From 1959 to 1964 Mimosa Publications started reprinting numerous DC Comics and other American titles:

Here is the cover of Batman 15:
For further information see:
Mimosa Comics

In 1960 Andre De Beer drew "Speurder Loot Louw" for Justitia. 

In 1960 Chris Du Plooy drew "Danie Theron se Verkenner" for Die Brandwag.

From 1960-1962 Len Sak drew the comic strip "Pletz" for Zionist Record and SA Jewish Chronicle. In 1963 he published his own Jewish children's comic book "Gibor", which ran for four issues.  Gibor contained the strips "The Kaplans", "Kupi", "Dov" and "The Secret Tunnel" - the latter three strips were continued in Zionist Record in 1964. In 1964 he drew the comic strip "Honey" for Elethu Mirror, and from 1968 to 1980 drew the comic strip "Cherrie" for The World, Sunday Post and Weekend World.

For further information see:
Len Sak

In 1961-1962 Daniel Erasmus drew "Rooi Jan" for Die Brandwag. 

In the early 1960s David (Dov) Fedler drew "Hail Caesar" for New Nation, "The Hunters" for The Star, "Buzbee" for Garden and Home, "Captain Industry" for Industrial Managment.

In 1962 Johann Roos drew "Harrie the Hippie" for Personality.

In 1963 Tony Grogan drew "The Blots" for Daily Dispatch, and in 1968-1969 he drew "The Van Riebeecks of Doringvlei" for Farmers weekly.

Here is a sample strip from The Van Riebeecks of Doringvlei:

In the mid-1960s "Slang van die Soutpanne" - by Pienaar Smit (writer) and Johan van Niekerk (illustrator) was published in the Afrikaans press (some of these strips were also published in book form by Nasionale Boekhandel in 1966).

Here is a sample from Slang van die Soutpanne:

In 1968 Keith & Lorna Stevens started their comic strip "Flip Foster", which appeared weekly in The Star.

For further information see:
Keith & Lorna Stevens

In 1968 Johan Van Niekerk drew "Fritz Bender" for Die Huisgenoot.

Here is a sample strip from Fritz Bender:

In 1969 Sean Latham drew "Waterhouse" for Rand Daily Mail.

In the late 1960s Carel Birkby (writer) and Peter Ogilvie (illustrator) produced the strip "Stroppie's Lot" for Sunday Times.

In the late 1960s Ivor Van Rensburg drew  the strips "John Graydon", "Famous Mysteries" and "True Tales of South Africa"  for various newspapers.

In the late 1960s Len Lindeque drew "Springbok" (written by Ralph Loubser) for Dagbreek en Landstem, "Olaf Bouwer" (Written by Stoffel Pienaar) for Rapport and "Black Bullet" for Bona.

Here is a sample from Olaf Bouwer:

In 1969 Frank Purcell drew "Uncle Rupert" for Farmer's Weekly.

Here is a sample from Uncle Rupert:
For further information see:
Frank Purcell

Also in the 1960s Photo Story Magazines became very popular:
 For further information see:
Photo Story Magazines

In June 1964 the doors opened - and South Africa started selling hundreds of imported DC and Marvel titles. Here are a few covers from that era - showing South African price stamps:
See Also:
Chronology of South African Comic Books - 1920s to 1940s
Chronology of South African Comic Books - 1950s

Mimosa Batman 10

To contact us Click HERE
This is Batman 10, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1960.
It reprints the cover and the following 2 stories from DC Comics' Batman 127 (1959):
"Batman's Super-Partner"
"The Hammer of Thor"
 24 pages, full-colour, newsprint stock cover and interior pages.
These titles were printed in a smaller size (243x165mm) compared to the original DC Comics title.
The printing reproduction from the original was very good quality.

 Here is the cover of issue 10 and DC Comics' original cover:
Competition Winners Page:
See Also:
Mimosa Comics
Mimosa Detective Comics Series

Mimosa Wonder Woman 1

To contact us Click HERE
This is Wonder Woman 1, published by Mimosa (SA Magazine Co) +/- 1963-1964.
It reprints the cover and the following  story from DC Comics' Wonder Woman 139 (1963):
"The Day Wonder Woman Revealed her Secret Indentity!"

32 pages,  glossy colour cover, black and white newsprint interior.

Here is the cover of issue 1 and DC Comics' original cover:
House ad for Detective Comics and Batman Giant:
See Also:
Mimosa Comics