Doomsday & Beyond's Last Minute Gift Ideas

Batman Vol.1: Court of Owls

Scott Snyder is becoming a definitive Batman writer by displaying his unique talents in the pages of the New 52’s Batman relaunch. Court of Owls is the first story arc in this new series, which details the rise of a secret society that has existed since Gotham’s origins. Batman: Court of Owls is considered arguably the best story arc since the start of the New 52, and only continues to get better as the series shifts into The Night of Owls and then into Death of the Family, which is currently being told. Snyder describes Batman the way we all picture him, in a dark, realistic world. Be sure to get the first collected edition of what is sure to be a legendary DC Comics series for many years to come.

Batman- Detective Comics Vol.1: Faces of Death

It’s a rare thing when one person writes and draws for a comic book series, and its even more rare when that series is absolutely fantastic. Written and illustrated by Tony Daniel, Detective Comics has been one of the best series that has emerged from the New 52 reboot and gets better with every issue. The series launches with a seven-issue story arc called Faces of Death. It shows us classic, dark Batman in a world full of gritty, detailed imagery they wouldn’t even show in a movie. A new villain is introduced, calling himself the Dollmaker. His specialty involves taking the faces of people, like the Joker. Oh, and did I mention the Joker and the Penguin appear in this volume? Detective Comics also places a lot more focus on Bruce’s personal life, including his personal relationships and friendship to Commissioner Gordon. Horrific, but mesmerizing art, combined with story-driven action makes this first volume of Detective Comics a “must buy”.

Green Lantern: Blackest Night

Blackest Night is an epic event that spreads across nearly every major comic series from Batman to Superman to Green Lantern and the GL Corps. This collected edition brings together the complete story arc from the Green Lantern comic book series written by the imaginative Geoff Johns and beautifully illustrated by Doug Mahnke. An evil force from the Guardians’ past resurfaces and brings the undead with it. Black Hand and the rest of the Black Lanterns rise from the ground, forcing all the other colored Lanterns to work together, meaning Hal Jordan and Sinestro must once again be partners. Johns brings all the best qualities from throughout this GL series and puts them into overdrive for this story, which has become a modern classic. This series may be a few years old, but it is certainly a must have for any DC Comics fan.

Grant Morrison’s Batman & Robin

Morrison proves that a Batman series can be successful, even if Bruce Wayne is not a part of it. Taking place after the events of Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P (both written by Morrison), Batman and Robin examines the hardships of Dick Grayson filling the shoes of the Dark Knight while attempting to train and discipline Bruce’s long, lost son Damian. New villains are utilized like Toad and Professor Pyg, while old ones return like the Red Hood. This is one of the most unique series because it is so rare. A Batman series that focuses on the symbol of Batman, rather then Bruce Wayne himself. This is certainly one of the best comic book series that took place before the New 52 reboot, and while the New 52 is awesome, it’s a shame that it had to put at end to a series like this one. Go get this rare series just in time for Christmas and enjoy the new, yet old, dynamic duo.

Frank Millar’s The Dark Knight Returns

This is considered the best graphic novel of all time, and it’s all because of Frank Millar’s superb writing style and his gritty artwork that works perfectly for the particular piece. The story focuses on a 55 year-old Bruce Wayne who has hung up his cape and cowl, retired from crime fighting for the past 10 years. Written at a time when Batman was considered a “lighter character” or a “respectable crime fighter”, and not a vigilante, Millar reinvents the character for a new generation. He truly created “The Dark Knight” in this story, giving us a story that every comic fan must read at least 3 times… I’m not kidding, it’s just that great. Every time you read it, you will understand something new about the story. Batman returns to a dark world that has forgotten him, with a new, edgy attitude and a darker way of displaying justice. Superman also returns to oppose him and bring the vigilante to justice. And the Joker also returns, with one last trick up his sleeve. What more can you ask for? Well, you can ask for a lot more, but this graphic novel should definitely be on your Christmas list.

Review: Amazing Spider-Man #699

Full spoilers of issue follow…

Not great. Not bad. Just average, but necessary nonetheless. #698 left us with one of the greatest cliffhangers in recent Spidey memory: Spiderman reveals himself as Dr. Octopus, controller of Peter Parker’s body, while the real mind of Peter lies in the dying body of Doc Ock. I had big expectations for this issue, but maybe I expected too much. I imagined them going farther with the story then they did, so they must be saving all the good stuff for #700. As usual, Humberto Ramos provided excellent, animated artwork, especially the close-up shots of Dr. Octopus, which were very detailed. Writer Dan Slott did good too, but not quite “amazing”.

I don’t blame Slott himself, in fact, the story that he has created and the finale he is leading up to has been, and is sure to be, nothing short of spectacular. My biggest concern with this issue is that it was basically an “in-between” issue; a filler story that briefly gave us some insight on the secret of how Dr. Octopus switched their minds, as well as how Peter planned his escape with the help of some of his old foes. As I said, Slott didn’t do anything poorly, his only crime was holding off on the most important aspects of the story arc until the climax next issue.

There wasn’t much Slott could do dramatically with his title character lying motionless in a life support machine, barely able to speak, but he was able to come through some pretty decent content. As we all know, Spiderman is famous for having great thought-bubbles and narration, which was proven here. Peter imagining all the horrible things Doc Ock is doing in his body, as Spiderman and as Peter Parker, combined with Peter’s new ability to tap into Ock’s hidden memories added some good panels, giving Ramos opportunities to draw character sand situations other then a dying Ock.

Overall, this story was a great filler issue that took us another step closer to the big #700, which, as I stated earlier, should contain all the great action, storytelling and artwork that we’ve been waiting 699 issues to see. I give this issue:

7.5 / 10

The Amazing Spiderman #700 hits the stands December 26th.

See you then, true believers!

WOW: Spiderman #700, coming soon!

      What are the odds? Spider-man #700 being released at the very end of 2012, which also marks the 50th birthday for old Spidey. It truly is a story book ending, and a hell of an ending it will be. If you have been fortunate enough to be following the recent stories leading up to the big 700, you'd know that things aren't looking to bright for Peter Parker (as if they ever do). The advertisements suggest this is the "end" of Spider-man and judging how the stories are currently trending, the "end" is certainly near. But for confirmed answers you'll just have to purchase the comic on December 26th, as well as #699 on December 5th, or mooch of your friend. As for now, here is the confirmed cover of #700, enjoy.

Green Lantern's Light: Something New (Part 5 of 5)

“The Guardians of the Universe are planning to replace us with something else. Something called the Third Army.”

-       Sinestro, Green Lantern #11 (New 52)

In August of 2011, Geoff Johns released the mini-series titled Flashpoint, which essentially created a new multi-verse now called the “New 52”. In this Universe, 52 new comic series were created, all reverting back to issue #1 and returning most of their classic characters to their early years. One character and comic series in particular though only reverted the issue number to #1, but retained the story, continuing from the series which began in 2005, Green Lantern.

Geoff Johns continues his run on GL, beginning where issue 67 of the previous series left off: Sinestro returning to the Green Lantern Corps and Hal Jordan being banned from it. It doesn’t take long for Sinestro to disobey the orders of the Guardians and retrieve Hal Jordan to help him save his home world. Johns kicks off the series with many great arcs, which reflect the work done on the previous series. From Sinestro and Jordan battling an army of Sinestro Corps members on his home world, to learning the secret origins of the Indigo Tribe, to the return of Black Hand from Blackest Night, there is certainly no shortage of entertainment in this series so far.

We are currently in the middle of a substantial plot, affecting all Green Lantern series called “Rise of the Third Army”, which details the Guardians plan to wipe out the Corps and replace them with new creatures unable to express emotion or disobey order; essentially the perfect soldiers and soldiers that will not be easily defeated. GL is currently focusing on a new member of the Corps while the whereabouts of Sinestro and Jordan remain unknown and with the added success of the Green Lantern Animated Series, the character and the comics will only increase in popularity. Geoff Johns and many other writers who’ve worked on the franchise have proven time and time again that Green Lantern has surely claimed his rightful place among the top heroes in the DC Universe.

Thanks for reading.

Green Lantern's Light: Rebirth (Part 4 of 5)

“You have been chosen for one reason, among many others. You are a man that will overcome great fear. Hal Jordan of Earth- do you accept this duty?”

-       Abin Sur, Green Lantern #1 (2005)

Geoff Johns, superstar comic book writer, is renowned for his new interpretations on classic characters like Barry Allen’s Flash, Aquaman and Hal Jordan. Johns’ Rebirth detailed the rebuilding of the Green Lantern Corps, with two Lanterns stationed on a sector. His most daunting task of all was to revive Hal Jordan; a character now lost, literally, in the essence of the Spectre, the spirit of vengeance. Rebirth begins where GL comics ended, with Kyle Rayner patrolling the 3600 known sectors solo, as John Stewart remains on Earth as a member of the Justice League. The Spectre is becoming more prominent in the story as Sinestro looks to unleash his ultimate weapon.

     Johns warped the origins of Hal Jordan’s descent into darkness, explaining how it was an alien entity created entirely of fear energy, which saw the revenge and loss in Jordan after Coast City was destroyed, and decided to cash in on its opportunity. Overall, Johns created an almost perfect story and an even better Green Lantern story and single-handedly revived the greatest Lantern and displayed the importance of his presence in the DC universe, comparing him to the greatest heroes and proving he is just as good, if not better at saving the world.

    Johns and artist Carlos Pacheco launched the new GL series in 2005, continuing the plot from the end of Rebirth and returning the focus of the series entirely on Jordan. Some alterations were made, especially to villains like Hector Hammond and Black Hand. With other artists joining the series, like Ivan Reis and Doug Manke, the series took off making Green Lantern as well known and popular in the hearts of fans as Superman or Batman. The 2005 GL series created some of the best story arcs in modern comics.

Green Lantern's Light: The Last Lantern (Part 3 of 5)

“My name is Kyle Rayner. When I was a kid I never could decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Now I know. I’m a Green Lantern. I’m a hero.”

-       Kyle Rayner, New Earth

     Green Lantern comics in 1990 were sadly becoming outdated. Though I would never blame the writers, they just had a difficult time coming up with “revolutionary” stories with the character. There could only be so many different space missions to so many different planets before people grew tired of those stories. When sales tremendously dropped, management ordered the GL creative team to spice things up, to reinvent aspects of the characters and the adventures they had. The plan was to create a big enough change to bump the sales. Not only did this plan work, it led into the Emerald Twilight saga.

     After the destruction of Hal Jordan’s home town Coast City occurred, at the hands of Mongul and Cyborg-Superman, Jordan became stricken with grief, frustration and ultimately fear. But revenge was the prominent emotion in his heart, revenge that inspired him to gain more power, enough to destroy those who destroyed everything he loved. Hal Jordan, once considered the greatest Green Lantern of all became the most feared and the most dangerous. This newfound power, stolen from Lanterns he had killed and other sources like the central power battery of the planet Oa, led him to become the tyrant called Parallax. Parallax challenged the most powerful heroes in the universe with his awesome might, including the Justice League, which occurred in the story arc titled Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, in 1994.

Green Lantern's Light: Birth of the Corps (Part 2 of 5)

“They say I’m fearless, but actually I’m very afraid. Of getting beat. Of backing down. Of chickening out. That fear just blows all the others away.”

- Hal Jordan, New Earth

           One of DC’s cancelled Golden Age heroes is revived through the eyes of editor Julius Schwartz. Having successfully reestablished the Flash in the form of Barry Allen, Schwartz was assigned the daunting task of recreating the Green Lantern for the Silver Age of comics.

         Hal Jordan, a young test pilot is the first earthling to be selected into the Green Lantern Corps (an army of “space cops”, each with an assigned sector of the universe to protect). The Corps was created by a race of immortal aliens called the Guardians of the Universe. The entire premise of the Green Lantern was redesigned by Schwartz and his creative crew, giving writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane a chance to expand, not only on the character of Hal Jordan, but on nearly 3000 other Lanterns. Story plots and villains took our hero above the stars and to new worlds with new alien races. Green Lantern now featured elements of fiction that you just couldn’t get from any other hero. Even Superman, an alien himself, was still, for the most part, earth-bound in his stories. Hal Jordan boldly went where no other hero in the Silver Age dared to go: the 3600 known sectors of the Universe and even a few unknown sectors as well.

        Hal’s popularity soon rivaled his superhero comrades, giving him his own comic-title, which soon resulted in making him a founding member of the original Justice League of America (again, created by Julius Schwartz). Jordan became very popular and arguably as recognizable a hero as Superman or Batman. In Green Lantern #59 of 1968, Guy Gardner was chosen as Jordan’s “backup” to protect sector 2814. Gardner was originally one of Abin Sur’s original choices for the ring, but since Jordan’s air force base was closer to Abin Sur’s crashed spaceship, Hal was chosen instead. Although Gardner is cocky and arrogant, and has an overconfidence that has gotten him into trouble on numerous occasions, the Guardians have found him to be one of the greatest and most trustworthy Lanterns.