#22 -SPIDER-MAN - TORMENT: The Rhythm is Gonna Get Ya?!?!?!

So I’m doing some random comic shopping at my local shop when I come across a set of 23 Spider-Man comics for $10, JACKPOT. First five books are the miniseries Torment by one of my favorite writers/artists Todd “Spawn” McFarlane, sweet. Unfortunately this is where the good news ends because I read the story the other night and I have one word for you. FAIL!!!
Okay so it starts off with Spidey just loving life while elsewhere in New York the Lizard is on a killing rampage. Upon realizing Connors is behind these massacres Peter sets out to figure out why he’s all of a sudden so violent. This leads to a vicious battle between the two where Pete realizes that he is not acting on his own and is in fact under a spell of some sort. After being poisoned by a clawing from the Lizard our hero finds himself under a similar spell that plays havoc with his spider-sense and causes him to hear a rhythm which I’m not really sure of the purpose. Turns out Connors was being controlled by a voodoo enchantress infatuated with Kraven the hunter and hell bent on killing Spider-Man. After losing control of Connors causing an explosion the witch disappears.
I bet you’re wondering why I said it fails well for one the whole rhythm thing who is he facing Gloria Estefan!?!?! Repetition was another annoying quality constantly repeating “rise above it all.” Finally while her beloved husband is knocking at deaths door Mary Jane is out partying wtf!?!? I’m a big McFarlane fan but this story has me disappointed. Well that’s all for now as usual this has been Hector Ramirez and until next time friends keep clashing.

#21 -Ultimate Fallout: A World Without Peter Parker

So how does the world cope with the death of one of its most beloved heroes? Well, this miniseries definitely proves that everyone grieves in their own way that’s for sure. Peter Parker’s funeral was attended by hundreds of people far and wide, Steve Rogers blames himself, Thor believes Peter is on Valhalla, and Rogue sees his death as a sign of the apocalypse. With the pressure of constantly being in the public eye, Gwen Stacy and Aunt May decide to move to France. Johnny Storm, Bobby Drake, and Kitty Pryde go into hiding in the Morlock tunnels and Captain America in his grief has quit. While all of this is going, Quicksilver has a scheme brewing, and the government may be in trouble if the world finds out that they are responsible for creating mutants. And lets not forget the new spider powered kid on the streets of New York.

I enjoyed this story but Death of Spiderman was better in my eyes this was kind of all over the place. I am excited to see what happens with the new mutant situation and Quicksilver’s scheme and definitely the new Spidey. The ultimate universe is in for a lot and I can’t wait to read the new titles but they could have done a little better to space out the intro. Other than that great historic glad to read and review it, as usual this has been Hector Ramirez until next time friends keep clashing.

#20 - BATMAN: The Widening Gyre -Sucks to be Bruce

Yea so I’m a huge Kevin Smith, I’ve seen every one of his movies so when I saw a Batman graphic novel naturally I had to pick it up.

Ok! So after going on a mission with Nightwing, Bruce is starting to miss the camaraderie of having a partner but isn’t too keen on bringing another Robin into the game. Getting home Alfred informs him an old flame, Silver St. Cloud, has arrived to see him starting a second chance for their relationship to flourish which it does seeing as Bruce proposes. At the same time, Gotham is overrun with criminal activity. Enter Baphomet, some guy that runs around in a goat mask to instill the fear of Satan into criminals. After a few assists from Baphomet, Batman decides to follow him home see what he’s all about. Baphomet earns Bruce’s trust so he takes him back to the Batcave to meet his new fiancé and make him part of the Bat- family. Big mistake! The guy takes a knife and plunges it into Silvers throat, end story.
I liked this story you see a lighter side to bruce that you don’t normally see but it’s a bit too light. First off, Batman never accepts help so readily even when he really needs it. Second he definitely never welcomes vigilantes into gotham and brings them into the Batcave for friggin eggs benedict with his fiancé. Kevin man I’m a big fan I love you but you
need to read up on your Batman.

 Well that’s all I’ve got to say as usual this has been Hector Ramirez, until next time friends keep clashing :p

#19 -Batman vs. Predator 2: A Rogue’s Revenge

A year after the first Predator landed in Gotham another of the race decides he needs to prove himself by going after Batman himself. As if things weren’t bad enough after busting up one of their drug rings the mob has put a price on Batman’s head catching the attention of seven of the world’s best assassins. So with an alien hunter and seven cold blooded killers after him Batman can use all the help he can get enter the Huntress, out to stop the mob for her own reasons; and two other Predators out to bring the first one to justice for his rogue actions.
Well readers I promised you this and here it is. I enjoyed it more than the first more elements and a less predictable story. I like how they show the Huntress in her civilian identity and shine a light on why she does what it is that she does. Batman was really given a run for his money with this one the alien was a lot more cunning and ruthless than the first and this time around he didn’t have his special armor so he relied a lot more on his own cunning as well as help from his companions. This adventure brings Batman and Huntress closer and shows just how badass they both are. I mean stories like this are the reason I read comics and my love for comics has brought me here to share my thoughts with you fine people so as usual this has been Hector Ramirez and until next time friends keep clashing.

NEWS EDITION #3 - DCnU SUPERMAN IS DIFFERENT, TMNT & EASTMAN ARE BACK AND NEW ULTIMATE SPIDEY TO BE REVEALED

Welcome to the 3rd CBC News Edition. We got news from all over and things are really starting to shake up as San Diego Comic Con starts this Thursday, July 21st 2011. So let's get down to the news.



DCnU's SUPERMAN SINGLE, ALIEN & ACCESSIBLE?

    The relaunch of the DC Universe line has been mired with many controversies and interesting announcements. Yet, while Batman and Green Lantern will be seemingly unchanged by the events of the relaunch . . . Superman will be going through some of the biggest changes. Chief among them is an overhaul of his powers and origin. It seems that when Action Comics by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales starts out . . . Superman will be starting out with a Superman shirt, jeans and a cape with the fact that he can't fly so much as leap over buildings. Didio stated that it will begin 5 years ago, at what they call the Dawn of Superheroes and that Clark will not be able to fly and not as strong as he is now. 
     Not only that, but that Ma and Pa Kent will be, at the beginning of Action Comics, deceased. This radical change was prompted by the creators in order to bring Clark down to Earth and feel more isolated, according to many in DC administration. So Action Comics is gonna give us how Clark got to be who he is in the present but will find himself still finding his way in the world. 
   Over in Superman, George Perez promises to examine many of the relationships that Superman has with people which leads to another big change for the Man of Steel: Lois Lane and he will no longer be married. In the DCnU, Lois Lane will be in a relationship with someone else.
    Jim Lee commented on the reasoning behind that to NR:


Marriage brings about a certain degree of comfort and security in one's life. If you have a life partner, you always have someone to rely on. So from a story conflict point of view, it makes for a less dramatic story. I think a lot of writers can agree that one of the most dynamic periods of Superman's history was that period where there was a love triangle between Clark Kent, Superman and Lois Lane. There's a lot of tension and interest you create in the characters by having that kind of dynamic.

Didio added, from NR:

He's had so much learning and understanding from the days with his parents, but the rest of the discovery is on his own. If we had him married to Lois right now, he would always have a strong base to work from. We wanted to explore much bigger and wider stories with him. It's really the learning and growing of this character that is going to be the basis for so much of what Grant and George are going to be doing with their series and with Superman.


Grant Morrison writer of Action Comics said this about the DCnU Superman:


I was really looking at different techniques to find a way to do the series for a modern audience and also to take the core values of Superman and represent them in a way I hope we haven't seen before. And it's all there in that original story: what Superman is all about as a champion of the oppressed basically. I thought it'd be good to get back to that. It's a much more blue collar Superman, a Bruce Springsteen Superman. [Laughs] He's in a t-shirt and jeans, and he's fighting for poor people and people on the breadline who have been messed over by big businesses. It's back to that original Depression-era hero but updated to our current Depression era.




And thus, to give Superman a more sense of being alien while exploring the world and his own humanity, these are the reasons behind the changes; according to Didio and Lee. And Lee hinted that Morrison and Perez have plenty ideas to update the Superman mythos for both Superman and Clark Kent. How will these changes stand up? The two hope that it makes the character not only more accessible but actually add to the legend. Even the reasoning behind Clark taking up the new Superman uniform is to get in touch with his Kryptonian heritage.  We will see how these changes stand come September as Action Comics # 1 and Superman # 1 will make these debuts in stores. 


THE BOYS' BUTCHER ON HIS OWN

Coming from Dynamite, the cult favorite The Boys has already had 2 spin offs from the series and The Boys inch themselves to its final issue, which will be issue #60 which will be released late this year or the beginning of 2012. Now, its been confirmed that the mysterious asshole that is the leader of the Boys, Billy Butcher will be recieving his own miniseries.

  Butcher, Baker, Candlestick maker will feature the history of Billy Butcher as we see him grow up, travel the world and "kill interesting people." The Boys creators Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson are extremely excited about this new miniseries, as they will also be together to create the story.

Robertson commented on the miniseries to CBR:

This mini series is essential to the "Boys" legacy. The script is one of Garth Ennis' finest, (personally my favorite since our work together on Marvel's Punisher: Born). It answers a lot of questions about who Butcher is and why he is the way he is. It is heartbreaking, and yet has the kind of action and humor you'd expect from the two of us. If you're a fan of the series, this is the story you've been waiting for!

Ennis himself added:

This is the story I've been waiting to tell since the very beginning of The Boys.  A good, long, disturbing look into the dark.

Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #1 by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson will hit stores this week.


EASTMAN ON IDW'S NINJA TURTLES ONGOING

IDW seems to have all the licenses of the 80s, doesn' t it? Well, most of them. It has G.I. Joe, which all those sets of books, except for G.I.Joe: Real American Hero, all restarted this month with new # 1s and embroiled in the new Cobra Civil War storyline. They have True Blood, Doctor Who, Star Trek and even Transformers. And now . . . they can add another fan favorite property to their ranks as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming with a new ongoing series.

In partnership with Nickelodeon, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series will pick up where the original comic book series left off. The turtles will be back with their cast of Spinter, April o' Neal and more as they face a brand new enemy, a mutant cat named Old Hob as well as retell the origin of the turtles, setting up things to come. And who is with us on this ride? Co-creator and writer Kevin Eastman! Yes, Eastman returns to pen the series he created nearly 3 decades ago with all new adventure with hot new artist, Dan Duncan with covers by legendary artists Walt Simonson and Sam Keith.

Get ready as the Heroes in the Half Shell are ready to bring the pain back to this game.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 1 written by Kevin Eastman with covers by Simonson and Keith with art by Dan Duncan will be for $3.99 and hit stores this August. 




NEW SPIDER-MAN FALLS OUT IN ULTIMATE FALLOUT #4




    Recently, Marvel did something in the Ultimate Universe they could never do in the regular Marvel Universe . . . kill Peter Parker. Yep. I am serious. Ultimate Peter Parker died saving Captain America doing the now landmark "Death of Spiderman" finale in Ultimate Spiderman #160 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. 
    Ultimate Fallout, the current miniseries that deals with the repercussions of the "Death of Spiderman" storyline is also being used as a launch pad for all 4 new Ultimate books that start in August and September. And while some buyer thought it does not matter, it has been confirmed that a new Ultimate Comics Spiderman will start as one of the 4 new Ultimates titles. 
    And while Brian Michael Bendis, the man who is behind Ultimate Spiderman since its inception is keeping the identity of Peter Parker's successor a big secret, fans won't have to wait long. Ultimate Fallout # 4 will feature a small part of it where Bendis and recent Ultimate Spiderman penciler Sara Pichelli will REVEAL to the world who the new Ultimate Spiderman will be.
    After that, jump on the Ultimate Comics Spiderman # 1 for the beginning of the new Spidey's adventures, written by Bendis and penciled by Pichelli. And while there has been NO confirmations on who the new Spidey will be . . . it has been rumored it would be Ultimate Ben Reilly, who, is not a clone but a young African American teen who is friends with Peter and whose family has connections to Peter's parents. We will have to see if it is Ben Reilly. 
   Ultimate Fallout # 4 is due out this August written by Jonathan Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis & Nick Spencer with art by Pascul Ferry, Sara Pichelli and Dustin Nguyen.






And its a small news week, due to most of the surprise will be coming out of the Comic Con this weekend. So expect a LOT of news for next weeks blog. And if you are in Philly during the second Friday in August. . . 


WWW.J1STUDIOS.COM

The J1 Culture Force is having their 1st official J1 An-Ex (Anime Experience)!!

You remember us from our Anime Events, but since we are growing/changing I figured we should get a new name as well.

It’s going to be at the Hawthorne Recreation Center (in Philadelphia, PA) on 12th and Carpenter St., which is six blocks down from South St. and two blocks East of Broad St. (near where CAPA and McDonald's are located)

$2 AT THE DOOR (free for children under 12).

TABLES WILL BE PROVIDING:
- art for sale (commissions as well)
- food
- comics and action figures
- Yugi-Oh cards
- Prizes

Things to expect:
-Anime to watch
-Snacks
-Trivia
-Commissioned artists
-Accessories/Jewelry for sale
-Gaming
-3DS Streetpass Meeting
-Card battles are welcome (Yugi-Oh, Naruto, Pokemon and Magic)
-Cosplay contest
-$2 Raffle
-PSP and DS players are welcome
-BETA TESTING A CARD GAME BEING REMADE!!!!
-Comic books, graphic novels and manga for sale

Hopefully we'll see you there!




See you next week all.

#17 DEATH OF SPIDERMAN: R.I.P TO THE ULTIMATE ICON

ULTIMATE SPIDERMAN
Issues 156-160
Story (arc) Name: Death of Spider-man
Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley
Marvel Comics


So I’m walking out of a comic shop when something shocking catches my eye; a flyer that reads Death of Spider-man on the back a complete reading list. No way was I missing this storyline. I’m a huge Spidey fan always have been although this was in the Ultimate universe, I knew this was an iconic event not to be missed
.

           Spider-man is deemed unsafe to practice super heroism without training. So the Ultimates are all chipping in to help train him. While this is going on, there is a traitor in S.H.I.E.L.D. and fingers are being pointed at both former director Nick Fury and current director Carol Danvers as more and more unauthorized super powered beings are popping up all over the world causing political uprisings. Each with their own team of supers, they get into a war of sorts in which Punisher attempts to take out Captain America’s kneecaps but Spidey takes the bullet for him straight through his back and out his gut. As the war wages on Pete sees the Sinister Six headed for his house so he swings off to spend his final moments protecting his friends and family. And if I may say so he went out in a blaze of glory.

   What can I say about this EPIC, HISTORIC event? For one, it was unexpected. I mean, its Spider-man and Ultimate Spider-man at that; meaning he’s only 16 so his death kind of hit me like an atom bomb (or a blast from the Shocker). Definitely a great build up. There was action throughout and his final fight, in my opinion, possibly the greatest show of just why Spider-man is awesome. The many different elements in the story kept me engrossed and I just couldn’t wait for the next issue. One thing I was kind of iffy about was the prelude not too sure how it fit whereas the follow up Ultimate Fallout: Spider-man No More; (which I will also review) picks right up where DOSM leaves off. While I am upset about the death of such a beloved character, I must say his death made for one hell of a read and from the looks of things many more to come with yet another relaunch of the Ultimate universe and a mysterious new Spidey taking Pete’s place Marvel is certainly looking out for us. And as long as they keep writing them, I’ll keep reading and reviewing them here on Comic Book Clash. So this has been Hector Ramirez, until next time friends keep clashing.

#16 BATMAN VS. PREDATOR: BATTLEFIELD GOTHAM

Welcome to another edition of Comic Book Clash, where comic books clash for supremacy. Here's a piece on an old crossover.


Batman vs. Predator
Issues #1 -3
Written by Dave Gibbons; Art by Andy & Adam Kubert
Dark Horse/DC Comics 

          After the biggest boxing match of the year the winner is found brutally killed in his home, the first in a series of savage murders in Gotham City. The murderer somehow makes himself invisible and uses alien methods and technology Enter Batman who finds out that the killer is actually an alien hunter tracking down what he believes to be dominant figures in society. So can the world’s greatest detective take on a creature not of this world, can the Dark Knight beat the Predator?
Well first off I’m a sucker for crossovers, especially between comic companies, so I had to pick this story up. It was definitely a cliffhanger; it was like watching a Predator movie with Batman in it adding a new element to it. I for one liked the story it wasn’t cheesy and forced like some crossovers I’ve read there was plenty of action and suspense and no lame message behind it. If you like crossovers, alien killers and kick ass guys in capes then I suggest you get these books and the sequel where Batman is joined by Huntress review for that coming soon. This has been Hector Ramirez, until next time, keep clashing.


Plus: A special Video to go with this weeks review:

See you next week.