Fables #98 (Vertigo/DC)

"Rose? You're out of bed!"~Snow White

Writer/Creator: Bill Willingham

Penciller: Mark Buckingham

Inkers: Steve Leialoha & Dan Green

Colors: Lee Loughridge

Letters: Todd Klein

Cover: Joao Ruas

Associate Editor: Angela Rufino

Editor: Editor

Comic Book Week: September 22, 2010

Unfortunately Kara's Comic this week is a little bit of a default.......there was not really anything I loved. But I have a little bit of a crush on Fables since it started so here is "Red Dawn: Chapter Five of Rose Red".

Fables if you have never heard of it is all about all the characters from the all the stories you have ever read. They are all real and were chased into the real world by Gepetto (of Pinnochio) who became an evil dictator in the fable world. The characters that looked like people lived in a neighbourhood of New York called Fabletown and the animals-like pigs and mice and horses and dragons-lived at the Farm in upstate New York. They eventually overthrew Gepetto & he now lives with them while an evil character called the Dark Man.......who is kind of like the Boogeyman.......has driven the human fables out of Fabletown and everyone is now on the Farm. The leader of the Farm is Rose Red, Snow White's sister (Snow White now being married to the Big Bad Wolf), who has been in a depression for what seems like centuries because she fell in love with Little Boy Blue who was killed defeating Gepetto. *whew!*

So last issue Rose came out of her funk and this issue she asserts her authority and prepares to defeat the Dark Man.

That all seems complicated but really it's a summary of 98 issues so its really not that bad. But the backstory has started to get a little bit overwhelming. The story looks to finally start moving now that Rose seems to be back to her old self which is a badgirl with a heart of gold.

The art and colors and letters have been consistently good since the beginning of the series with a feel like a children's story........sketchy linework with an almost watercolor palette except a little darker like the stories grew up.

The covers are always pretty with a painted ethereal feel to them.

And the characters are always fun........imagine for instance the 3 little pigs smoking & drinking & cussing! ツ

Hopefully next month I can get back on track & write a little bit more but for now........

RATING: 6 roses out of 10

As always thanx for reading! ツ*

& you may or may not have heard........Fables is being developed as a TELEVISION SERIES! But it's not far enough along for a trailer so watch this instead!

Zatanna #5 (DC)

arrataZ annataZ~"!naicigam a egatspu ot yrt reven dluohs uoy yhw si TAHT dnA"

Writer: Paul Dini
Penciller: Chad Hardin
Inker: Wayne Faucher
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: John Kalisz
Assistant Editor: Chris Conroy
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stephane Roux/Karine Boccafuso
Variant Cover: Brian Bolland

(Zatanna created by Gardner Fox)

Comic Book Week: September 15, 2010


Kara's Comic this week is "Double or Nothing"......issue #5 of the new Zatanna series and the middle part of the current story arc. In it a casino owner has to try to get Zee to marry him in order to sacrifice her to a demon and give him immortality. And Zee's cute cousin Zacahary Zatarra (from the Teen Titans with powers similar to Zee's) also makes an appearance.

Oh! In case you don't know, Zatanna (Zatarra) is a magician who can pretty much do anything by just saying here words backwards. Its hard to read but its simple to describe which is good. And she's generally a really cool competent smart chic! I like her! Even if she does dress kindof trampy....... :(

So Zee is pretty much all powerful as long as she can talk so all of her stories pretty much center around the villains trying to take her voice away. So they can be very formulaic but that can be comforting......like Scooby Doo! ツ

Dini tells an okay story, although I preferred the first arc. The cover is very pretty (the variant too! see this? http://www.comixology.com/previews/JUL100188/1/). Unfortunately it kindof detracts from the interior art which is nice but does not quite meet the same level. (and the letters & color are nice too!)

Sorry this week is short but........

RATING: !01 fo tuo tah a morf )❤( seinnub 6 ;)

p.s. This website mite help read this week's review! http://www.bored.com/writebackwards/

Batgirl #14 (DC)

"Hopefully you won't--*hurk*--hold this against me."~Batgirl (Steph Brown)

"That's what she said."~Supergirl (Kara Zor-el/Linda Lang)

Writer: Bryan Q. Miller

Penciller: Lee Garbett

Inker: Trevor Scott

Colorist: Guy Major

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover: Stanley "Artgerm" Lau

Editors: Michael Siglain & Sean Ryan

(Batman created by Bob Kane)

Comic Book Week: September 8 (9), 2010

Kara's comic starts this week with an old joke..........that still makes me giggle! lol!

The story, "Terror in the Third Dimension", is also a throwback to one of the first comic books I remember reading (it was old at the time) which was a teamup between Batgirl & Supergirl. Neither one was the same characters that they are now but both stories were just a lot of fun!

I forget what happened in the old comic but in this one the two ladies teamup to take on an army of Draculas pulled straight out of an old 3D movie by a scientific accident. As with all the stories of a bat & a super character there needs to be some catch that makes the super powers ineffective & in this case it has something to do with hard light. But other than that rather silly premise we get some fun interaction between the two characters that seems true to two 19ish girls just spending some girltime together. The fight with Dracula is secondary but just as fun. And the art, color and letters are all top notch.........although I must say that I really luved the cover! :-) But it made me expect to find 3D glasses inside! :-( Not to say that it was bad but in the interest of not seeming to biased I would have to say that the inking on the inside was the weakest part of the book. But really this was just a great girls night out oneshot and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

RATING: 7 ½ cool retro 3D glasses out of 10!

Thanx again for reading! ツ❤

Here is the Batgirl theme!

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #2 of 9 (Marvel)

"Sure, when Magneto says it, you believe it."~Wiccan (Billy)

Writer: Allan Heinberg
Penciller: Jim Cheung
Inker(s): Mark Morales with Jim Cheung
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letters: VC's Cory Petit
Associate Editor: Lauren Sankovitch
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Executive Producer: Alan Fine

Comic Book Week: September 1, 2010




Okay so Kara's comic this week is part 2 of a 9 part limited series that may or may not bring the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)-whom I love-back into the Marvel U after she kindof disappeared in the "House of M" limited series. It stars the Young Avengers who are like the Tiny Toons or Teen Titans or Muppet Babies of the Avengers. Two of them may or may not be the twin sons of the Scarlet Witch, a mutant witch, and the Vision, a synthetic man sort of like a robot and now a teammate of his potential sons (sortof). The twins were originally supposedly imagined into existence by the Scarlet Witch and then absorbed back into Mephisto, Marvel's version of the devil (*scary!*). Then Scarlet Witch went crazy and the twins showed up as identical teenagers with 2 different sets of parents but the same first names and looking just like their grandfather Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) as noted in this issue by Luke Cage of the New Avengers. The 1st, the quoted Wiccan, has the same powers as his potential mother , and the other, Speed (Tommy), has superspeed like the Scarlet Witch's brother Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff). Tommy & Billy are joined on the team by Teddy's boyfriend (he is gay just 2 clear things up) Hulkling (Teddy), who is not related to the (or any!) Hulk but is actually the son of the Avenger Captain Marvel (Captain Mar-Vell) & a Skrull princess; the aforementioned Vision, who is now a teenaged robot; Vision's girlfriend Stature (Cassie), daughter of the second Ant-Man (Scott Lang), who can shrink & grow; team leader Hawkeye (not that Clint Barton Hawkeye, Kate Bishop Hawkeye.......no relation), who has a bow & arrow & a staff & some other weapons; and her boyfriend Patriot (Eli), who is the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, who was the original African American Captain America.

*whoa!* Out of breath! *gasp!*

So unless you have not figured out the Young Avengers are basically a soap with cheesie names. And in this issue they are joined by Magneto to find the Scarlet Witch at Wundagore Mountain where she was born. And then the New Avengers try to stop them because they think Magneto's still a bad guy but he says he's not. Then Quicksilver shows up & they seem to find Wanda very quickly. And then there's a quick appearance by one of the few bigger bad guys there are than Magneto. And Billy demonstrates that he's gay by making everyone dress as the Von Trapp family.......that just seemed odd. O,o

The artwork is magnificent! The story's pretty good if really decompressed. The letters & colors are pretty. What I just do not understand is the way the characters talk. While the Young Avengers seem in character based on what little I know of them, the other characters just do not seem in character. Magneto seems to be more of a kindly grandpa who may have done something bad in the distant past. Wolverine (a New Avenger) seems more cold, calculating and almost villainous than he should. Ms.Marvel and Spider-Man (also New Avengers) seem to have reversed personalities if not memories (and yah.......that's weird! O,o).

I hope the story picks up 2 months from now (it's bimonthly, btw!)........because its honestly too complicated to make up for its strong points.

RATING: 6 ½ good Wandas out of 10

Thanks 4 reading guys! ツ*

The Arcadians #1 (Wild River Studios)

"Quite impressive, is it not, Milady?"~Dionysius

Comic Book Week: August 25, 2010

Sorry! I just ran out of time this week! I feel really bad so hopefully this makes up for it.......it's my boyfriend's comic book, issue #1. I have been thinking about maybe having a contest for somebody to win a copy of it. There are only 76 copies in all & he is VERY talented (lol) so it will be VERY valuable someday in my not so humble opinion! ツ

It would be limited to probably continental North America because I have no idea what postage might cost otherwise.......but I am not sure how to judge it. If you have any suggestions let me know! You can tweet me @SupergirlofArgo or friend me on facebook (SupergirlofArgo) or leave a comment here........have not figured out the best way to give out my email address yet but you can find it in either of those 2 places.

And since I am a little biased I don't feel right reviewing it so lets say Kara's comic this week is DC's "Legacies" #4 (of 10). It is a fun little retro biweekly that is worth the read.......and its got short-shorts Dick Grayson ( :9 ♥ ) on the cover!

Sorry to disappoint! I hope to get back on track next week! :( xoxoxoxo!

The New Avengers #3 (Marvel)

"Do you see me skimping out on the nervous patter that covers up the fact that I've wet myself because it looks like we've been replaced as the dominant species on the planet?!"~Peter Parker, the Spectacularly Amazing Spider-Man

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade von Grawbadger
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letters & Production: Chris Eliopoulous
Associate Editor: Lauren Sankovitch
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Executive Producer (what! really? ~8-O): Alan Fine

Comic Book Week: August 18th, 2010

I have said before that I am not the biggest Marvel fangirl but I do mostly like the Avengers titles. Of course since Brian Michael Bendis writes all of them they are all pretty much the same. 9,9

Kidding!

Kindof.

He is good with the dialogue and the characters and has been doing better mixing up the pacing of the stories........but there is ALWAYS that back and forth 'jibba-jabba' ( ツ ) that can be funny........just it is ALWAYS there.

The artwork is fantastic.......I have also said that I LUV Stuart Immonen (sorry Kathryn ;-) ) and von Grawbadger, Martin & Eliopoulous just enhance the fabulous look of this book!

The current issue is part three of the new opening storyarc where Dr. Strange and Daimon Hellstrom (those go to the characters' wikis btw cause I know a lot of you might not know who Daimon Hellstrom Son of Satan is.........scary!...........especially! ~8-( ) are possessed by the mystery villain, who wants Dr. Voodoo's (the recently annointed Sorcerer Supreme) Eye of Agamotto. He (Voodoo) sends it to Luke Cage, leader of The New Avengers (dum-diddee-DUM!), since they are apparently old friends! And so the fight begins!

The pretty cover I have shown is the variant edition by Immonen and part of Marvel's weird celebration of the "Women of Marvel"........not that I do not approve it just seems very out of the blue! ':-\

The story & art as I have said are great.

I like the characters, who are, besides Luke......or Power Man as he used to be called; Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers-Marvel's version of Supergirl (I guess?), who is to Captain Marvel what Supergirl is to Superman sortof; Jewel/Jessica Jones-Luke's significant other with powers pretty similar to Ms. Marvel (she's kindof of a 'made up' character......like Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer); Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse-athlete/scientist/spy who in only two issues seems to have replaced her ex-husband Hawkeye on the team; Spider-Man/Peter Parker-okay, like do not try to tell me you do not know who Spider-man is okay?; Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett-again really?; The Thing/Ben Grimm-big rocky member of the Fantastic Four; Iron Fist/Danny Rand-former partner of Luke & a kung fu guy with an.......iron fist.......also he does not show off his chest anymore like in his wiki (poop! :-( ); and 'administrative assistant' (I guess?) Victoria Hand-former assistant of Norman Osborn/Iron Patriot(/Green Goblin) and appointed to help the team by Steve Rogers, the first Captain America.

*whew!*

I have mentioned the lead up for the plot of this issue which continues into the next as the mystery villain is revealed at the end of the issue and all the heroes are fighting an invasion of demons from a mystery dimension. Also, Victoria throws a (funny) tantrum & carries a really big gun (I kindof like her! ツ ).

So it is all very good. Except!

I have to complain about the editing because I think that may be where the problem is!

First on the splash page, the characters are all standing around looking up at the sky and as the camera shifts they keep moving around without actually moving! One could blame Immonen but it really seems like something the editor should have picked up.

Second, Victoria somehow has time to change clothes in the middle of the invasion as she is clearly wearing a different skirt in her two different appearances. Again Immonen is partly to blame (I am SOOOOO sorry, Stuart, my love! ;;-) ) but also should have been picked up in editing.

Third is the aforementioned confusion over whether it is Hawkeye or Mockingbird that is on this team! I mean I love them both and this is partly Bendis' (or maybe mostly Bendis') fault but it is too much like the original series where we waited like a year and a half so Ronin (Echo) could join for like one issue!

Fourth, the team lineup I listed may not be the team since Iron Fist is not on the recap page (which is actually a good editorial call).

I don't want to be so hard on Brevoort or Sankovitch but someone has to have a better grip on this book.......it is good but it could be great.

RATING: 7 gun-toting-Victorias out of 10

Gotta run! Love you all! ツ* *kisses!* This week's present is "The Avengers" teaser trailer!

morning glories #1 (Image Shadowline)

"I dunno . . . I think I just fell in love or something."~Hunter

Words: Nick Spencer

Art: Joe Eisma

Colors: Alex Sollazzo

Letters: Johnny Lowe

Design: Tim Daniel

Covers: Robin Esquejo

Editor: Kristen Simon

Publisher: Jim Valentino

Comic Book Week: August 11, 2010

So this week's Kara's Comic is the first of a new series from Image, morning glories....& I am not forgetting the name of the story....it does not seem to have one ("For a Better Future" maybe? O,o). Basically, Morning Glory Academy is "one of the most respected preparatory academies in the country" (3 countries really since some of the students come from Canada & Japan) and their "methods are unconventional". This comic is "Degrassi" if "Degrassi" were a comic book (I know! I know! There's a graphic novel! But I was hoping to make a point here! ツ) & set in a boarding school & with a horrible secret. Okay, its more like "The Covenant". Happy? ツ

We learn very quickly about MGA and find out that it really has a big secret at the heart of its program. Then we meet 6 new students.......the quoted Hunter from Toronto, Casey Blevins from Chicago, Ike from Manhattan, Zoe from San Diego, Jane/Jade from Des Moines, and Fukayama Jun from Tokyo. These students meet & talk & it looks like some of them might be pairing up shortly (maybe Hunter and Zoe/Casey/Jun-Jun's a boy 2 btw-or Ike & Casey). Then they find out that they all have one thing very strange in common (besides all being 16) & that MGA is much more dangerous than they thought.

All in all there is nothing in this story (yet) that is all that original but the art/colors/letters are magnificently beautiful and very reminiscent of Marvel's Runaways.....there is one splash page near the end although that does not seem to entirely fit.....weird! The characters are likable & original. And the story is well told even if it seems very familiar. And the last page cliffhanger is enough to make me want to see what happens next month.

I am not sure why but I like it!

RATING: 6 ½ morning glories out of 10

Morning glories are so pretty! ♥ them! (& the 'not morning glories are supposed to be men in the moon..... 9,9).

Just want to mention a couple of other books that I luved this month. Birds of Prey #4 (DC) was sooooo great, but I almost feel bad for so often rating Gail Simone (♥)! Justice League Generation Lost #7 & Booster Gold #35 (DC) are carrying on the tradition of the Justice League International.......love it! And Zatanna #4 (DC) has been so much fun since the series started, although the artwork was not quite as outstanding this issue.

As always thanx for reading! ツ* xoxoxo!

Here is a beautiful morning glory picture to thank you all! http://bit.ly/morning_glories