Heroes Report on "Lizards"

You know, I was a little disappointed in this week's episode of Heroes... right up until seeing who showed up at Copy Kingdom.

The Dynamic Duo is back together. The Haitian, yes The Haitian, the man who has been MIA for the finale of Season one and the premiere of Season two, is BACK. Not only that, but he is back with HRG.

Overall, though, the second episode of season two was still a bit slow. Not only that, but there were a couple of downright concerning moments in the beginning. I'm talking Jump-the-Shark moments. For one, You have head NYC detective guy jokingly asking Parkman if he's ever met a man who can fly? You have Mrs. Bennett say "There are seven more -- what's in the other paintings?" ? Again with the Paintings?

The show was a little too self-aware for my taste, something you could never say of the first season.

Not only that, but we actually have this virus crap? As I said last week, this story seems a stretch, with just three cases total and a real convenient way of explaining where the Haitian has been, but also it's been done in X-Men!

Oh, and is anyone enjoying the Maya/Alejandro storyline at all? She bleeds from her eyes, making others bleed from their eyes? Can that even be considered a power?

Still, not everything about this week was bad. In addition to the HRG/Haitian reunion, Claire's cutting off her toe downright made me cringe, and you know that her newfound regenerative powers will play a major role soon enough.

That said, am I the only one who cannot stand this boy who keeps talking to her? He's an annoying judgemental smug smartass, who, apparently, has nothing better to do than stalk a girl he just met. Fine if you want to peer into her window at the end of one episode, but two in a row? The only thing I liked about that scene was that Mr. Muggles was the only one smart enough to look to the sky.

And what was up with Claire's "grandma," Momma Petrelli? She can scream Parkman out of her head? And who was that trying to kill her? And, more importantly, what was up with those camera shots?

On another note, I've decided that Hiro simply makes men look bad. I mean, first he creates 1,000 cranes for Charlie, and now he makes it rain Cherry Blossom petals for some Japanese girl. Can any actual guy top Mr. I-Stop-Time?

Actually, I really did enjoy Hiro's story this week, despite the fact that it went pretty much exactly like I figured it would -- just because Masi Oka's acting for this character is that strong. You have to especially like how he played Kensei as if Kensei was a superhero, laughing with his fists on his hips.

Finally, Peter. Yes, he's still kickass. Yes, he's still the man. But he's really being blackmailed by these panzies? Why doesn't he just stop time and take that box? Why doesn't he throw his captors around with telekinesis? He's really going to rob someone just to get to the box, which has likely been tampered with already?

If there wasn't a girl with an Irish Accent involved in those scenes, they would have been worthless. Oh, and doesn't Peter still have the ability to EXPLODE? Why is that not a worry anymore?

Overall, not as strong of an offering as last week, but hey, every episode cannot be gold. Let's just be happy HRG has his buddy back.

This week's video game releases

Plenty of great titles to choose from, which is a bit surprising to me, since if I was making a game I would make sure to release it a few weeks before or a few weeks after Halo. Still, for those who don't love first person shooters, there's a nice selection of titles here.

October 1:
Monday:
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass (DS)
NBA Live 08 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP)
Popx3 (Wii)
Aircraft Power Pack II (PC)
Telvesky (PC)
Monopoly 2008 (PC)
Seven Kingdoms: Conquest (PC)
The Chosen — Well of Souls (PC)
Experiment 112 (PC)
Race (PC)
Hoyle Casino 2008 (PC)
Hoyle Puzzle and Board 2008 (PC)
RACE 07 — The WTCC Game (PC)
Ultimate 3D Pinball (PC)

October 2:
Spider-man: Friend or Foe (Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, DS, PC)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360)
NBA 2K8 (PS3)
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge (Wii)
Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2)
Ninjabread Man (Wii)
MLB Power Pros (Wii, PS2)
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (Xbox 360)
Holly Hobbie & Friends (DS)
Master Jin Jin's IQ Challenge (DS)
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (PS2, DS)
Hot Pixel (PSP)
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (PSP)
Biker Mice from Mars (PS2)
Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol (DS)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC)
Ghost in the Sheet (PC)
Next Life (PC)

Saturday in the Poughkeepsie Journal's Gaming page

Let's put it this way. If Saturday's Gaming page (in the Poughkeepsie Journal's sports section) were a woman, you would want her phone number. AND, she would be so hot that she would soooo be out of your league.

It's gorgeous. Simply put, we have not one, but two reviews of Halo 3, one of which written by local fan Joseph Lalli, who did a nice job on his first video game review. Both reviews are packaged together in a centerpiece so sweet you'll get a cavity.

Plus, as always, fantasy football news, and our weekly look at which games will be out this week.

So pick up the paper -- all the cool kids are doing it!

Buy Pile Report

OK, we're going to make it quick this week. For one, I'm tired from getting my butt kicked by 12-year-olds on Halo the last two days, and for two, there really wasn't much to speak of today.

Justice League #13 did nothing to alleviate my fears that Dwyane McDuffie's Justice League was going to be re-hashed stuff we've seen before, only done worse. A small portion of the "Injustice League" beat up on a small portion of the Justice League, and then a small portion of the "Injustice League" got beaten up by a small portion of the Justice League. Meanwhile, there is no feeling yet of any grand scheme being hatched or anything, these villains are just together for no apparent reason. And, to add insult to injury, Oliver North made an appearance in this issue, kissing Dinah, as if he wasn't just killed. DC, get your stories straight!!!

There are two ways to do a future-is changing storyline. Either, a change to the past immediately alters the future, or it creates an alternate timeline. Sean McKeever chooses neither in Teen Titans #51, opting instead to say that the future is very slowly changing, giving the future the time to go back in time to change it. It makes NO SENSE! But, I'll forgive it, since we got a few quality moments, like when Cassie watched future Connor and future Cassie happy together, or when Tim PULLED A GUN ON HIMSELF at the end, just to get the upperhand on future Tim. We have the makings of a very good story arc here, even if the premise is ridiculous.

Finally, I'm sad to report that the natural order of things has resumed, and Ultimate Fantastic Four #46 was really really bad again. The storyline was still pretty good, but the ending was much too rushed and too much was left unexplained. The narration was choppy in the climax, and the art did absolutely nothing to explain any of it. How exactly did Reed suddenly know how to transport the whole population of New York City back to NYC? Just telling me "He's Reed, he's a fast learner" doesn't cut it, Mike Carey.

That's it from me today, told you it would be fast. I miss Brad Meltzer.

This week's comic expectations

As I said in the last post, this is a relatively slow week on the shelves. Still, it may be an important week for DC to show what they're made of.

With all this "Countdown" hoopla, DC has been taking it on the chin for having absolutely no control over their universe's (or should I say, Megaverse?) continuity. Everything is just a mess, and this is after a whole Crisis and 52-part mini-series that was supposed to clean up continuity. This week there are a few books that can either show that DC has a handle on this continuity, or not:

1 - Justice League of America #13: After last week's horrible piece of writing in the Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special, in which Ollie was killed for seemingly no damn reason just because of DC's mandate that they wanted one of those two characters to die, there really should be a big chunk of this issue devoted to the team mourning him. Especially since their leader is Dinah! However, with this new "Injustice League" story just beginning (which doesn't look promising), I'm guessing the JLA is going to basically ignore Ollie's passing.

2 - Wonder Woman Annual #1: Supposedly, this is the final chapter in the "Who is Wonder Woman" story, and it's guest-starring Donna Troy and Wonder Girl. I'm hoping that DC does something clear to either explain how Donna is with Diana and in the Multiverse at the same time, or something clear to show that this is a flashback story. Otherwise, there are just going to be a lot of confused readers.

3 - Teen Titans #51: The second part of the "Titans of Tomorrow" features a future team of Titans coming back to the present, with Connor and Bart Allen on the squad. Now, not that I've been the biggest fan of every issue tying into Countdown, but I am really hoping that the explanation for how Connor and Bart are alive somehow ties into this big climactic "Final Crisis" we've heard so much about. Otherwise, we have yet another giant DC development (like Sinestro Corps War) happening outside of this ever-so important Countdown storyline.

There you go, DC, there's your test. Pass it, please.

There's not much to speak of on the Marvel side. The Immortal Iron Fist drops twice this week, with the Annual and issue #9, which goes to show how much faith Marvel has in this book's ability to sell in big numbers. But, the stories have been strong, with Ed Brubaker making Danny Rand a readable character, and issue #9 marks the beginning of a fun-looking storyline, featuring an all-immortal fighting tournament.

Sub-Mariner #4 comes out this week. It's a book I remember being very high on, but it feels like it's been forever since issue #3, so I don't even remember why I like it so much. This is what happens when you read as much as I do... much too much!

I'm also excited about Ultimate Fantastic Four #46, a book that I still think is pretty irrelevant, but was very strong last issue. The FF (as well as all of NY) is caught in a Utopia built by Psychoman, and only Reed Richards and the Silver Surfer know the truth and want to be saved. It was a five-part arc that was only really good last issue, but still I hope for a strong ending.

Wednesday's comic release list

Overall, a quiet week this week, so if you're hurting to catch up on your reading, or if you're hurting in the wallet, this is a good week to take a deep breath and save some money. However, there still are some very good titles coming out worth your time and money — just not necessarily the big-name books.

DC:
52 Aftermath The Four Horsemen #2
All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder #7
American Virgin #19
Astro City The Dark Age Book Two #4
Batman #669
Blue Beetle #19
Cartoon Network Block Party #37
Countdown #31
Countdown To Adventure #2
Crossing Midnight #11
Deathblow #7
Green Arrow Year One #5
JLA Classified #43
JSA Classified #30
Justice League Of America #13 Cvr A
Spirit #10
Supergirl And The Legion Of Super Heroes #34
Superman Confidential #6
Supernatural Origins #5
Teen Titans #51
Teen Titans Go #47
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #1
Wetworks #13
Wonder Woman Annual #1

Marvel:
Annihilation Conquest Star Lord #3
Avengers Initiative #6
Cable Deadpool #45
Captain America Chosen #2
Criminal #9
Franklin Richards: Monster Mash
Immortal Iron Fist #9
Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1
Iron Man #22
Marvel Adventures Iron Man #5
Marvel Illustrated Last Of The Mohicans #5
Marvel Spotlight Thor
Marvel Zombies Book Angels Demons & Monstrosities
Punisher Max Annual #1
Sub-Mariner #4
The Order #3
Ultimate Fantastic Four #46
Ultimate Spider-Man #114
X-Men #203
X-Men First Class Vol 2 #4

Others:
Archie Digest #238
Army Of Darkness From Ashes #2
Astounding Wolf-Man #3
Bart Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror #13
Betty & Veronica #230
Brit #2
GI Joe Storm Shadow #4
Highlander #11
India Authentic Shiva #5
Killing Girl #2
Savage Dragon #132
Sonic The Hedgehog #180
Tarot Witch Of The Black Rose #46
Terminator 2 Infinity #3
Uncle Scrooge #370
Walt Disneys Comics & Stories #685
Wizard Magazine #193
Xombie #4

Halo 3 impressions for new players

At the all-too early hour of 10 a.m. today, I dragged myself out of bed, got in my car and somehow managed not to crash in a half-awake state on my way to Best Buy, where I picked up my copy of "Halo 3."

And while I won't be writing a full review of the game (I'll be relying on you loyal readers and the Associated Press wire for that), I'll offer some impressions — especially for those of you who are new to the game. Now, keep in mind that for a gaming journalist, I'm a bit of a spazz when it comes to first person shooters. Not only that, but I never really spent too much time playing the previous Halo multiplayers, opting instead to stick with campaign mode.

But, since my co-op campaign partner isn't available to play until Friday (the little sister, who is sadly much better than me at FPS's, is at college), my only choice was to give the multiplayer a try. And I'm talking to all the other newbies out there when I say this — "Halo 3" is accessible to EVERYONE, not just the hardcore fans of shooters. The multiplayer servers do a great job of grouping like-talented players together, making for competitive matches even if you're not good enough to win any tournaments. Also, the different games like King of the Hill and Capture the Flag offer ways to win and succeed even if you're not the king of all snipers. As I said, I really never spent too much time with the multiplayer modes before today, but it can really be as addictive as advertised.

Again, I'm sure these are things most of you hardcore gamers already know, I'm just putting it all out there again for any of you who are still on the fence deciding whether or not to give the game a try.

Heroes Report on "Four Months Later"

Much like the series premiere, the first episode of season two began the year relatively slow (in relation to the rest of the series), simply resetting the playing field while offering a couple of "wow" moments to keep people glued to the television. And, when you think about just how much information it tried to cover, this episode was a success.

One of the bigger revelations of this flash-forward episode was that we found out who is in charge of the company now with Linderman gone -- and it's a guy that looks like he could get a paper cut from a napkin... and then cry. This guy has been in so many different shows and movies, and he has never looked imposing -- a far cry from Linderman's Malcolm McDowell.

But there's so much to cover, we can't harp on one pencil-pusher. Instead, let's talk about my favorite pencil pusher, HRG. Yes. Noah Bennett is now a pencil pusher, an assistant manager with "Copy Kingdom." And, I don't know which part I liked better -- that he is still working in paper, that he is still working to take the company down, or that he just owned his snot-nosed, kiss-up, college dropout of a manager. Years ago during College when I worked at Toys R Us, I worked with guys like this, and this is proof that HRG fights on the side of good. That said, it sure doesn't look like he or Claire are going to have the self control to stay under cover, especially with her new flying guy friend.

With "the bomb" storyline done, the next big mystery was laid on the table -- who are these other older special people who want Daddy Nakamura and Momma Petrelli dead, and what do they have to do with the man who can see Molly in her dreams? By the way, I'll be shocked if Mr. Sulu stays dead so soon in this season, at a time when Hiro isn't even around.

And speaking of Molly, I loved the idea the writers had, basically having Mohinder and Parkman take joint custody of the kid. After all, one devoted cop or one evolution-spouting kook can't raise a young girl alone, "Three Men and a Little Lady" taught us that. But, you do have to wonder how long it will be until one of Parkman's psychic hunches or Molly's disturbing pictures lands this group in hot water with the mainstream world.

Now, the one thing that confused me about the premiere is, there's no virus facing facing special people? I sure hope there isn't, because they already tried that storyline in X-Men (it was called the Legacy Virus, and it was a poor metaphor for AIDS), and it really sounds more like a season six or seven storyline rather than season two. I am hoping that when Mohinder told HRG that the company "took the bait," it meant there is no virus at all.

Whew, still so much to cover!

Hiro's Hero is, in fact, a Gaijin. And, for those of you who don't love the movie "Mr. Baseball," that means White Guy. Not only that, but he's a scuzzy white guy. The problem with this storyline is, it can only go one of two ways -- 1) Hiro teaches his Hero how to be Heroic, or 2) Hiro actually is his own Hero. Either way, I'm not so interested. I'm more interested in this than this new character Maya, but still not so interested. Hopefully Masi Oka's quality acting carries this storyline.

What I would have liked to have seen from this four-month break is Nathan Petrelli's downfall. Because frankly I don't buy how the world just allows a Congressman disappear. How soon did he come back from wherever he was? If he was unharmed, then wouldn't he have come back to NY immediately? Shouldn't he, then, BE A CONGRESSMAN? I just don't buy his character suddenly falling to pieces and wanting to resemble a hobo. Oh, and I'll be real disappointed if we don't get to see his wife, Rena Sofer, anymore. It's bad enough that we didn't get to see Candice in this episode.

Finally, Peter. If I were anymore of a geek, I would have stood up and applauded the idea to give him amnesia (Haitian-induced amnesia, no less). Sure, it only delays the main problem that Peter (and Sylar, for that matter) is MUCH too powerful, but for now we get what promises to be a great story of Powerful Peter falling into the Wrong Hands. Think about it -- the Heroes' biggest foe may become Peter for a while! And, does this lead to my initial big prediction for the year, that Sylar turns good?

Either way, We have another real strong season (at least this "volume") of shows on our hands, and you have to applaud Tim Kring for resetting the chess pieces so fast.

Questions for Heroes' second season

Last week, I finished re-watching the first season of Heroes on DVD, and anyone that tries to tell you the show isn't as good the second time through is lying to your face. The second time was another great experience, with the dramatic irony of knowing all the secrets changing the way each moment is perceived.

But that was last week, and that was last year. Monday night at 9 p.m. the season season begins, with an all-new story (actually two all-new "volumes" of the show this season) and plenty of new secrets to be revealed.

And, I'll reiterate what I wrote here when we first started talking about these superhero shows, I don't read spoilers for either show I blog about, "Heroes" or "The 4400." I don't know why anyone would want to be spoiled. So if you are looking for inside info on "Heroes," my blog is not for you. If you are just looking to read the thoughts each week of an enthusiastic fan just like you, then this is place to be each Monday night after the show.

Now as we enter the second season, some questions come to mind that I'm hoping get answered in the first few weeks. You know, other than the obvious ones about this new villain and how Sylar does what he does...

1) How does somebody go from being a world-saving hero back to a normal schlub? I've always wondered exactly what happens to a normal-person turned super-human after the movie fades to black, and I am hoping Heroes doesn't simply go the two-dimensional route and claim everyone is hunky-doory back in their normal lives.

2) Where did the Haitian go? After he was in Peter's apartment with Momma Pettrelli when Claire arrived, the man vanished. I'm hoping he was off doing something important that we get to see, and he wasn't just a final-act no-show for no reason.

3) Will Peter/Sylar still be so damned powerful? I said this last year, for as great a character as Peter is, I wanted both him and Sylar dead after season one, because they are just too powerful. It's no fun to know that no matter how bad something gets, a character can just say "Oh, we'll get Peter!" like in the "Five Years Later" episode. It's also no fun to have a villain that is too powerful for most to go near. OH, and, don't both characters still have the ability to EXPLODE?

4) Can Sylar become... good? It's very common in a show or a comic to have an early villain to become an eventual ally, and the longer the season went on last year, Sylar became more and more human, almost a sympathetic character. He's beyond forgiveness, but maybe not beyond trying to earn it.

5) Who are the other artists? Mr. Linderman collected MULTIPLE psychic artists, not just Isaac. He said so himself and we saw some of their work in his gallery... so who are they?

6) What does the older generation do? I'm guessing we'll get this answer since the first volume of the season is called "Generations," but we still don't have an answer as to what Momma Pettrelli, Daddy Nakamura or Daddy Deveux does... or did, in Deveux's case.

7) Who's Molly's Daddy now? I'm guessing Molly will be back, for as great a little actress as she is and as great a power as she has, so the question is, who got custody of her? Matt Parkman and Mohinder are her "heroes," the Hawkins family was protecting her during the fight as well, and HRG has a stable home and experience protecting those with powers. I'm hoping it's the Bennetts.

8) What is Hiro's Legacy? When Hiro's dad revealed himself for knowing all about everything, he told Hiro it has been destined that a Nakamura arise and fulfill their Legacy... So what is it? Is it powers in general? Or time-traveling powers specifically? Or is it that Kensei is, in fact, George Takei, and his power is immortality, so he knew a Nakamura would come back in time someday? Wild theory, I know.

9) Who is in control of Linderman's business now? When a billionaire dies, it's not like someone won't step into his place — especially when that billionaire is a mobster. So will we find out that Linderman had an understudy who will take his place? And... wouldn't that person also be keeping "The Company" alive?

10) Is Ando special? At the end of last year, Sylar sparked my interest when he asked Ando incredulously "What would I want with your brain?" ... What indeed, Bogeyman. What indeed.

11) Can the show possibly maintain it's high quality? For as many problems that I had with last year's finale, last season was pretty close to flawless, while the cast and crew were still unsure of how the show would be received. Now, Heroes is all the rage, complete with a six-episode spin-off from the show (Heroes: Origins) and a novelization deal. Will the show's popularity get the better of it? Will NBC milk the show just a little bit too much? I'm actually kind of thinking that this show will die sooner than it should, for these reasons.

Everyone, enjoy the premiere tonight, and remember to come back for a review of each show late Monday nights!

This week's video game releases

On the eve of the eve before the release of the most anticipated video game this side of Super Mario Bros. 3, here is the list of ALL the games due out this week, not just that certain title starting with an "H" and ending in an "alo."

September 24:
Skate (PS3)
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (PS3)
Bratz: The Movie (Wii)
Math Play (DS)
Hour of Victory (PC)
Spelling Challenges and More! (DS)
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (PC)
Rubik's Cube Challenge (PC)

September 25:
Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets (Xbox 360; PS3, PS2, PC)
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire (Wii)
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge (Wii)
NBA 08 (PS3, PSP)
Balls of Fury (Wii)
Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii)
Ninjabread Man (Wii)
Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII (PS3)
Bratz: The Movie (PS2)
Dewy's Adventure (Wii)
Ghost in the Sheet (PC)
Soul Nomad & The World Eaters (Ps2)
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire (PC)
Jackass the Game (PS2)
Stranglehold (PS3)
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (PSP)
Hot Pixel (PSP)
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 (PS2)
Race Driver: Create & Race (DS)
CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder (PS2)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence (Xbox 360, PC)
Crayola Treasure Adventures (DS)
Animal Genius (DS)
Cocoto Kart Racing (DS)
Puppy Luv Adventures (PC)
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2008 (PC)
Dora the Explorer: Candyland (PC)
Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue (PC)

September 26:
Backyard Football 2008

September 27:
Chocolatier (PC)
Kurupoto Cool Cool Stars (DS)
Mystery of Shark Island (PC)

September 28:
Loki: Heroes of Mythology (PC)
Billy the Wizard: Rockey Broomstick Racing (Wii)
ArmA: Queen's Gambit (PC)
Arctic Tale (DS)

More Drawn to Life Coverage Coming?

I just received an e-mail from Steve Chiavelli, the Our Lady of Lourdes High School graduate who helped created the new Nintendo DS game "Drawn to Life," and Steve thanked me for the coverage we gave the game at the Journal and on this blog.

Well, I just had to respond to Steve, because I didn't know our coverage of the game was over! I told him, we still want to hear HIS story, what it was like to help develop this game at 5th Cell! So I invited him to write us a first-person account of exactly what it was like, or simply tell me about it and I can write the story.

If and when Steve wants to tell his story, I'm hoping it can be our centerpiece for the October 5th Gaming page in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

What do you say? Do you want to hear his story?

Link to Local Halo 3 preview

Hey kids, follow THIS LINK to read the local mid-Hudson Valley preview of the Halo 3 release.

As you can see in the box on the right of the story, I also included a list of which stores are open to sell the game at midnight, as well as a box listing ALL of the Achievements in the game.

Saturday's Gaming in the Journal

What do we have in Saturday's Poughkeepsie Journal Gaming page (page 5C)? Halo, Halo and more Halo.

We have a full feature on how local fans are looking forward to the release on Tuesday.
We have a list of all the local area places that will be open to sell the game at midnight on Monday night.
We have a complete list of all 49 achievements one can win in the game.
And we also have a beautiful centerpiece, created by yours truly.

BUT, that's not all! We also have a brief story on Poughkeepsie's poker star Hevad Khan joining Team PokerStars, as well as a fantasy football column.

This is one issue you don't want to miss, True Believers! ... Wow, I just channeled Stan Lee just then... oh well, EXCELSIOR!

Superman/Doomsday DVD Review

I watched Superman/Doomsday on DVD last night. I'm trying to forget it today.

Now, before you go labeling me a fanboy who cannot take deviation from a comic's original story, I'll make it clear that I knew going in that the story had changed drastically and was ready for it.

What I wasn't ready for was changes that didn't need to be made — like Lois Lane dating Superman, but Superman's INTIMACY ISSUES keep him from admitting he's Clark Kent. Like Jimmy Olsen having a whole cheesy character arc in which he shies away from hard-hitting news in favor of being a paparazzi. I also wasn't ready for Doomsday to make his final exit from the show in the first 25 minutes. Yes, I know Doomsday dies in the story, but I thought that if they were titling it Superman/Doomsday and since Cyborg Supes was not involved, that maybe we would get another Doomsday fight at the end.

No, we didn't even get a stripped-down version of the "Death and Life of Superman" story, what we got was a Doomsday fight fit into a Superman Clone story. Instead of wasting all that time talking about Superman and Lois' intimacy, we could have better set up Doomsday's slow progression toward Metropolis (one of the best parts of the original story in my mind.) Instead of bothering with Jimmy Olsen, we could have gotten a quick story involving John Henry Irons helping Metropolis. Or -- and this is a novel concept -- they could have made the movie longer the 78 minutes to fit in some of this stuff!!!

It was just a great big pile of trash. I would have much preferred spending 80 minutes re-watching an arc from the 1990's Superman cartoon than this DVD. Why did they even attempt to make this storyline if they were going to change so much???

I am now not so optimistic for DC's next release, "The New Frontier," another of my favorite stories. In the words of Mr. T, you better "Treat Her Right," DC!

Buy Pile Report

Believe it or not, this week we're going to open with Countdown once again. AND, this time it's for GOOD reasons!

Get this -- Countdown #32 actually Got Somewhere! Mary Marvel has FINALLY met up with Eclipso. We've known this was going to happen for four months, we've been waiting, and waiting and waiting, and Finally, we got somewhere! Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen is actually somewhere intriguing -- Cadmus. If anyone can get to the bottom of Jimmy's little problem, it's those kooks at Cadmus! OK, most of the time those people are useless. Either way, it's an interesting development. If all that isn't enough, we also got to watch Piper defeat a Mummy by playing a tune on a cell phone!

Countdown #32 wasn't perfect by any means -- the art is still sub-par (I think we're just going to have to endure that each week), and all that ridiculous underage drinking stuff was, well, ridiculous (honestly, Wonder Girl and Supergirl have both been drunk already, you know they have) -- but it was actually good this week, for maybe the 5th or 6th time in it's first 20 issues.

The best issue of the week was likely Captain America #30. I predicted some sort of twist in this issue, and Brubaker delivered better than I could have hoped. It's been a slow enjoyable ride to this point, but now the wheels are finally turning in this post-assassination story. Sharon Carter has fallen back under Dr. Faustus' spell. Tony Stark now knows what Sharon has done. And, the Winter Soldier is about to be brainwashed. Who needs Steve Rogers?!?

And the biggest revelation of the issue (which was speculated by some for months) was that Steve Rogers apparently told Tony Stark he wants Tony to find a new Captain America. And, given the character moments Bucky showed in not killing in this issue, all signs point to him. I doubt it, but all signs point to him.

Tales of the Sinestro Corps presents Parallax was a little bit from column A and a little from column B. On the one hand, it was clearly an excuse for DC to milk the Sinestro Corps War for more of your money. The issue really has no ramifications on the War, and has no meaningful resolution. On the other hand, it is a nice story about Kyle Rayner, and if you are not the biggest Kyle fan or don't know too much about him, this issue will teach you all about who he is and why he's a pretty cool character. These one-shots certainly aren't necessary to buy -- but they might not be the worst needless tie-ins ever.

And speaking of wars, Green Scar is still waging his in World War Hulk #4. It's another solid issue, with plenty of more Hulk Smashing, another instance of Hulk saving, but most importantly, Hulk follows through on making Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange and Iron Man battle in the Gladiator Ring.

The story and art both remain solid, and it is interesting to see that, as the gruesome torture wears on, some of Hulk's "warbound" are starting to ask him if it is enough and can they stop the violence. It would all be touching and a natural progression to the story -- if we didn't also see the Sentry finally jump into action at the end of this issue. Frankly, I cannot stand the Sentry. He's a useless whiner of a character. So, if he is the man to take down the Hulk in this next and final issue -- when bombs and giant monsters and interdimensional demons could not -- I'm going to be pretty unhappy with Marvel. Here's hoping that natural progression toward a peaceful ending continues, and Sentry gets his butt whooped.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't make special mention of New X-Men #42. The art in this book, as it has for the last few issues, is horrendous. Despite that, this issue is one of the most understatedly great pieces of reading that you'll come across. Frankly, I don't think I could do it justice to describe it. Simply put, these children have been through hell for the past two years of issues, and in this issue we see these children trying to work through those feelings of despair.

Throughout the first part of this book, one of the kids is popping her head in and out of each room, asking everyone how old they are. By about the mid-point of the book her reason is discovered -- some of the kids are trying to find out who the youngest mutant left alive is, believing that the youngest of them really doesn't have too much of a prayer of surviving too much longer. Maybe I'm just in an overly-sentimental mood, but I think this issue really hit the right notes.