Comic Book Trades/HCs collection

Judge me as you will, but these are all the books in my collection (not counting single issues). Some of these are gifts from friends/relatives.

The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told

Superman: Exile

Superman: Time and Time Again

The Death of Superman

Superman: Last Son

Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes

All-Star Superman vol. 1

All-Star Superman vol. 2

Superman: Earth One vol. 1

Superman: Earth One vol. 2

Action Comics vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel

Action Comics vol. 2: Bulletproof

Action Comics vol. 3: At the End of Days

Superman: Unchained

Superman vs. The Flash

Supergirl vol. 1: Last Daughter of Krypton

Supergirl vol. 2: Girl in the World

Batman: The Strange Deaths of Batman

Batman: Year One

Batman: Year Two

Batman: Gothic

Batman: Prey

Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

Batman, Incorporated vol. 1

Batman: The Black Mirror

Batman: The Court of Owls

Batman: The City of Owls

Batman: Zero Year – Secret City

Batman: Zero Year – Dark City

Batman: Earth One vol. 1

The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told

Batwoman: Elegy

Batwoman vol. 1: Hydrology

Batwoman vol. 2: To Drown The World

Batwoman vol. 3: World’s Finest

Batwoman vol. 4: This Blood is Thick

Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors

Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals

Wonder Woman: Second Genesis

Wonder Woman: Gods of Gotham

Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?

Wonder Woman: Odyssey volume 1

Wonder Woman: Odyssey volume 2

Wonder Woman vol. 1: Blood

Wonder Woman vol. 2: Guts

Wonder Woman vol. 3: Iron

Wonder Woman vol. 4: War

Wonder Woman vol. 5: Flesh

The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told (1^st Edition)

The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told (2^nd Edition)

The Flash Chronicles vol. 1

The Flash Chronicles vol. 2

The Flash Chronicles vol. 3

The Flash Chronicles vol. 4

The Life Story of The Flash

The Flash: Born to Run

Flash: The Return of Barry Allen

Flash: Terminal Velocity

The Flash: Dead Heat

The Flash: Race Against Time

The Flash: Wonderland

The Flash: Blood Will Run

The Flash: Blitz

The Flash: The Wild Wests

The Flash: Rebirth

Impulse: Reckless Youth

The Flash: Mercury Falling

Green Lantern Chronicles vol. 1

Green Lantern Chronicles vol. 2

Green Lantern Chronicles vol. 3

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II

Green Lantern: The Road Back

Green Lantern: The Power of Ion

Aquaman: Death of a Prince

Aquaman vol. 4:  Death of a King

Arrow volume 1

Arrow volume 2

Hawkman: Endless Flight

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men volume 1 - God Particle

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men volume 2 - The Firestorm Protocols

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man volume 3 - Takeover

JSA: Savage Times

Justice League International volume 1

Justice League International volume 2

Justice League International volume 3

Justice League International volume 4

Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare

JLA: New World Order

JLA: Earth 2

Justice League: Rise and Fall

Justice League vol. 1: Origin

Justice League Dark vol. 1: In the Dark

Justice League: Trinity War

The New Teen Titans volume 1

The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

The New Teen Titans: The Terror of Trigon

Teen Titans: A Kid’s Game

Teen Titans: Family Lost

Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 11

Legion of Super-Heroes: 1,050 Years of the Future

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Curse

Legion of Super-Heroes: An Eye for an Eye

Legion of Super-Heroes: The More Things Change

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Choice

Legion of Super-Heroes: Consequences

Earth 2 vol. 1: The Gathering

Earth 2 vol. 2: The Tower of Fate

Earth 2 vol. 3: Battle Cry

Earth 2 vol. 4: The Dark Age

Doom Patrol: Crawling From the Wreckage

Doom Patrol: The Painting That Ate Paris

Villains United

Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation

Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter

Outsiders: Looking for Trouble

Day of Vengeance

Shadowpact: The Pentacle Plot

Shadowpact: Cursed

Shadowpact: Darkness and Light

Demon Knights: Seven Against the Dark

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. volume 1: War of the Monsters

Kingdom Come

Wednesday Comics

DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore

Watchmen

JLA/Avengers

The Sandman vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

The Sandman vol. 2: The Doll’s House

The Sandman vol. 3: Dream Country

The Sandman vol. 4: Seasons of Mist

The Sandman vol. 5: A Game of You

The Sandman vol. 6: Fables and Reflections

The Sandman vol. 7: Brief Lives

The Sandman vol. 8: World’s End

The Sandman vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

The Sandman vol. 10: The Wake

The Sandman: Endless Nights

Death: The High Cost of Living

Death: The Time of Your Life

House of Mystery: Room and Boredom

Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantula

Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Face and the Brute

Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Vamp

Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Scorpion

Transmetropolitan: Back on the Street

Transmetropolitan: Lust for Life

Transmetropolitan: Year of the Bastard

Transmetropolitan: The New Scum

Transmetropolitan: Lonely City

Transmetropolitan: Gouge Away

Transmetropolitan: Spider’s Thrash

Transmetropolitan: Dirge

Transmetropolitan: The Cure

Transmetropolitan: One More Time

Transmetropolitan: Tales of Human Waste

Y: The Last Man - Unmanned

Y: The Last Man - Cycles

Preacher: Gone to Texas

Preacher: Until the End of the World

Fables: Legends in Exile

Northlanders: Sven, The Returned

American Vampire vol. 1

American Vampire vol. 2

100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call

Sweet Tooth: Out of the Deep Woods

The Avengers: Season One

Hawkeye vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon

Hawkeye vol. 2: Little Hits

Avengers vs. X-Men: X-Men Legacy

Marvel Masterworks vol. 1 : The Amazing Spider-Man

Fantastic Four: Solve Everything

Fantastic Four: Prime Elements

Fantastic Four: The Future Foundation

Fantastic Four: Three

Power Pack Classic volume 1

Thor and the Warriors Four

Daredevil: Born Again

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted

5 Ronin

Incognito: The Classified Edition

Spawn: Book One

Chew vol. 1: Taster’s Choice

Chew vol. 2: International Flavor

Chew vol. 3: Just Desserts

Chew vol. 4. Flambé

Chew vol. 5: Major League Chew

Chew vol. 6: Space Cakes

Chew vol. 7: Bad Apples

Chew vol. 8: Family Recipes

Saga vol. 1

Saga vol. 2

Saga vol. 3

Saga vol. 4

Fatale book 1: Death Chases Me

Fatale book 2: The Devil’s Business

Fatale book 3: West of Hell

Fatale book 4: Pray for Rain

Fatale book 5: Curse the Demon

Lazarus vol. 1: Family

The Walking Dead vol. 1 - Days Gone Bye

The Walking Dead vol. 2 - Miles Behind Us

The Walking Dead vol. 3 - Safety Behind Bars

The Walking Dead vol. 4 - The Heart’s Desire

The Walking Dead vol. 5 – The Best Defense

The Walking Dead vol. 6 – This Sorrowful Life

The Walking Dead vol. 7 – The Calm Before

The Walking Dead vol. 8 – Made to Suffer

Invincible: Family Matters

Severed

Locke and Key vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

Locke and Key vol. 2: Head Games

Locke and Key vol. 3: Crown of Shadows

Locke and Key vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom

Locke and Key vol. 5: Clockworks

Locke and Key vol. 6: Alpha and Omega

In the Dark

Star Trek volume 1

Star Trek volume 2

Star Trek volume 3

Infestation volume 2

Bone vol. 1: Out From Boneville

Bone vol. 2: The Great Cow Race

Bone vol. 3: Eyes of the Storm

The Fosters episode 1x07 Review

I've been watching this show for a while now and I have to admit it has become my "comfort food" TV show, meaning that it tends to be a nice break from most of the other TV shows I watch which more often than not are bleak and depressing.

For those don't know, The Fosters is a family drama centered on two moms (Stef and Lena) and their five kids: Brandon (Stef's biological son from a previous marriage), Jesus and Mariana (twins that Stef and Lena adopted a few years back) and Callie and Jude (foster kids staying with...The Fosters. Yes, the show is about a foster family named "The Fosters". Try not to let it bother you).

Anyway, this most recent episode, appropriately titled "The Fallout" deals with the fallout (get it?) of Jesus having sex with his girlfriend (who happens to be his sister's best friend) Lexi. Stef (a cop) had given Lexi the Morning After pill in order to keep her partner Lena (the vice-principal of the school the kids go to) from getting in trouble with the school board and, naturally, because she didn't want their son to be a father at the age of 15. Mariana, queen of bad mistakes, had drunkenly told Lexi's parents that Jesus and Lexi had been having sex.

Caught up? Okay. The first story line moving forward here is that Lexi has run away from home after her parents had arranged for her to move to Texas (a bit extreme just because your daughter lost her virginity before getting married, no?). Turns out Lexi and her parents are undocumented (illegal immigrants) so the Riveras (Lexi's parents) ask Stef for help in finding her because going to the cops would cause them even more trouble. The problem with this story is that it feels a bit forced. The Fosters, as a show, tends to deal with or discuss social issues in almost every episode, but it doesn't usually come off as contrived as it does here.

The second big story of the episode deals with Callie and the fact that Liam, the son of a Foster family she had been living with two years ago is afraid she'll tell people (especially his new foster sister, Sarah) about how he raped her and then blamed everything on her. This story has been building for a few episodes now, and while it was predictable, it was handled fairly well. Rape is never an easy thing to discuss on TV and Callie's reluctance to talk about it is understandable. The problem she faces now is that, since no one believed her in the past, she's afraid no one will believe her now. This is amplified when she tries to tell Sarah (Liam's current foster sister and potentially his next victim) in order to warn her about Liam. Sadly, Liam has already gotten inside Sarah's  head and convinced her that Callie has made up the story and is only doing this to hurt Liam. This story doesn't get wrapped up in a neat bow and it looks to be a big part of next week's episode as well since at the end of this episode tells Stef and Lena the truth about Liam in the hopes of saving Sarah.

The third story centers around Callie's younger brother Jude. Two episodes back, Jude had bullied in school for wearing blue nail polish but managed to make a new friend, Connor, in the process. While this story takes a backseat to the other two, fans of Jude will no doubt be happy to see his friendship with Connor progress. I've seen people on Twitter and Facebook posting pictures of themselves wearing blue nail polish in support of Jude as the show seems to be hinting at the fact that he might be gay (it was mentioned way back in the pilot episode that he got in trouble with his previous foster father for wearing a dress). I'm not sure that we'll ever see Jude "come out" or if this will ever be addressed head on, but if it is, it would be the first time I've ever seen such a young gay character (I think he's around 9 or 10 years old) on television. If that happens to be the case, kudos to the writers and the actor (Hayden Byerly) for being brave enough to show it on television.

I know that's a lot to follow, especially if you haven't seen the show before. This episode felt a bit heavy handed when it brought up the idea that Lexi's family were illegal immigrants, but the stories with Callie and Jude were handled well. Also, I'm glad to see Mariana come to her senses about her birth mom, Ana, who's been using Mariana for Mariana to feed her drug addiction (even encouraging her to steal from her family so she can sell off their stuff for money). Over the previous six episodes Mariana made some really dumb mistakes and let other people take the fall for her when the consequences became apparent. Hopefully this will be a step towards her making smarter decisions in the future.

Why I Love Evil Dead (2013)

As a fan of the original Evil Dead trilogy (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness) I was a little concerned when I heard that a remake was on the way. At first I thought they would try to hire a young actor to play the character of Ash and do his best Bruce Campbell impersonation, which seemed like a mistake. Thankfully, they went a different route. Jane Levy was cast in the role of Mia, whom a lot of fans and critics alike described as a "female Ash" before the film came out, and she and director Fede Alvarez took the Evil Dead in an unexpected direction. Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness became cult classics because of their surreal  humor and Three Stooges type gags. A lot of people (and I'm one of them) will tell you that the reason the Evil Dead franchise has lasted so long is because of the goofiness of Ash and  his attempts to survive the Deadites in those movies.

However, in the original Evil Dead film, while there was some charm to the low budget effects and over-acting, it was always meant to be a brutally shocking and gory horror film. There really wasn't much comedy to be found in it, though most people laugh at it nowadays because of the budget constraints and the way the film has aged since 1981. Alvarez decided to go back to the horror roots of the original film for this "reboot" of the franchise and left out much of the comedy (although some does sneak in, though it seems to be unintentional, much like the first film) though put in enough references to Evil Dead 2 for fans to love.

There has been a fair bit of controversy over this new film amongst movie goers. Some fans of the original trilogy think that it doesn't have any of the suspense of Sam Raimi's first Evil Dead and that it suffers because it doesn't have enough humor. Some female fans love Mia as a character while others are disappointed that she didn't do more to free herself from the possession of the demon (which apparently makes her less impressive as a feminist hero than they would have liked). Some people find it overly gory. Some people don't find the characters memorable enough or don't have enough personality before they get killed off (I have to keep wondering if these people have even seen the original film).

For those of us who love the new Evil Dead (and Mia as a character), I have to say that, aside from the references and nods to the original trilogy, my favorite aspects of this new chapter in the Evil Dead franchise is that Alvarez comes up with a new reason for the five friends to go to the secluded cabin in the woods (it's a drug intervention for Mia, who is trying to quit drugs cold turkey) and establishes that Mia hasn't had the best life up to this point. Her mother is dead, her brother left her when she needed him most, and her two remaining friends don't have much faith that she'll be able to sober up. In addition to her withdrawal symptoms, this emotional turmoil makes Mia a prime choice for demon possession. Mia is given more backstory in one film than Ash had over the course of three movies. There is a story of redemption here (for both Mia and her brother David) that works well enough to move the story forward. Since Alvarez has been given the go ahead to start working on the sequel (he's planning on making a trilogy to stand alongside the original Evil Dead trilogy), hopefully he'll show some character growth for Mia in the next two films as well.

While the majority of the cast do a fair job with the material they're given, the real stars of this movie are the practical effects (make-up, gore, etc.) and Jane Levy. Levy goes from struggling addict to demon to hero in the span of an hour and a half and while we don't get to see much of Mia the hero until the last 10-15 minutes of the film, she does leave an impression. She's given interviews as to how intense the making of the film was for her (everything from wearing prosthetics for hours on end to being buried alive) and if you watch her TV show "Suburgatory" (a comedy on ABC) you'll see just how different a role this is for her. Hopefully the next two movies will get to showcase just how much of a bad-ass she can be and have her kicking ass a lot more.

Evil Dead hits Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow (July 16).

Looking Ahead

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. Not that anyone really reads it. Still, it helps me exercise my old writing muscles which don't get used much any more. So, to fill up space and give myself something to do, here are a few things I'm looking forward to in 2013.

Video Games

Bioshock: Infinite - I'm a huge fan of the original Bioshock game. The game's atmosphere, the exploration, the variety of weapons and abilities, the story, the awesome soundtrack and the very often creepy audio recordings made for a fantastic game experience. Bioshock 2 was okay, but it felt like a watered down version of the first game (I thought the Minerva's Den DLC was much better than the full game). Fortunately, Bioshock: Infinite is made by the original Bioshock team (not the guys that made Bioshock 2) and they've brought back the exploration and a whole new city and new environments to play through. And it looks like there is an emphasis on storytelling once again, which I like. Can't wait to play this.

The Last of Us - The trailers and sneak peeks at this game have been impressive. This is by Naughty Dog, the same company that produced the first three Uncharted games for the PS3 and I can't wait to see what they do with this new world and its characters. Touches of The Walking Dead abound in it and the graphics look amazing. Hopefully the story and gameplay will be just as impressive.

Movies

Star Trek Into Darkness - Say what you want about J.J. Abrams 2009 Star Trek film, but it was a lot of fun. Based on that and the fact that they've cast Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as the villain (who cares what his name is?) I'll be waiting in line to see this when it hits theaters.

Man of Steel - The Marvel movies have been pretty good. Much better than the comics have been for the last twenty years at least. However, I'm a DC fanboy. Always will be. The Dark Knight trilogy was good, but pretty much every other DC superhero movie since the original Superman film with Christopher Reeve has missed the mark by a wide margin. I know there have been some controversial changes to the Superman universe with this film (Perry White is played by Lawrence Fishbourne, Jimmy Olsen is now Jenny Olsen) but I'm looking forward to seeing how this works out nonetheless.

Evil Dead - I'm a huge fan of the original Evil Dead trilogy. It was just so weird and fun (even funny). Looking forward to this update (sequel?) to one of my favorite franchises, even if Bruce Campbell doesn't put in an appearance (though I hope he does).

Comic Books

Earth 2 - a great take on an old concept by James Robinson and Nicola Scott. I love seeing new things done with old characters like Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Al Pratt, Hawkgirl and Sandman. Looking forward to the new storyline with Doctor Fate. I hope it is appropriately epic.

Batwoman - even with J.H. Williams III stepping off the artwork for the next 7 issues or so, I'm still looking forward to the new story arc for two reasons : 1) I love Kate Kane as a character. 2) I'm really glad that the whole "missing children" plot that has been going on for the last 16 issues will finally be wrapped up.

Saga - Read the first trade of this a month or so back and loved it. A great sci-fi/fantasy opera set in space, focused on family and with enough wild and crazy ideas to fill up three comic book titles. Saga is probably the best and most original title since Chew (another favorite). Looking forward to reading the second trade. If the book didn't sell out so damn fast I'd probably buy it in single issues too.

What I Read Today: SAGA volume 1

So I just finished reading SAGA volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn (writer) and Fiona Staples (artist). Fantastic piece of work. In a lot of ways it reminds me the television show Farscape. A lot happens in this collection, but the main story involves a husband, his wife and their newborn daughter. That might sound dull, but the parents are actually deserters from a war. She is from the largest planet in the galaxy which is at war with the inhabitants of it's own moon (where the father hails from). They're from two different species.

Did I mention this was a science-fiction story? With magic and ghosts and robots? No. Well, now you know.

This story isn't tied in to anything else going on in comic books right now. It has characters you've never met before. Some of them (all of them?) have secrets, some are dangerous but there isn't a predictable villain in the bunch. The "bad guys" are all great characters in their own right, most just trying to make a living. Some even have what might be considered a conscience. It's hard to describe them without giving away too much for those who haven't read it yet.

What really strikes me about this book though is the unpredictability. Add that to the great character work, the occasional humor, and the fact that the baby herself narrates the story and you've got a comic book that is surprising and fresh in a time when most comic books are trying "new spins on an old story".

So, yeah. If you like great stories of adventure, romance, action, mystery, diaper changing and breast feeding  all done in a science-fiction/fantasy setting then you really should be reading SAGA.

http://www.imagecomics.com/comics/5102/Saga-Vol-1-TP

Trade Paperbacking

More and more I've taken to reading/collecting trade paperbacks/hardcovers of comic books. Since I moved to Alberta I've gotten the following:

The Sandman vol. 7-9 (vol. 10 is on the way)
Batwoman vol.1 : Hydrology
Justice League Dark vol. 1: In the Dark
Chew vol. 2-5
Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four vol. 1-4
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men vol. 1 : The God Particle
Firestorm: The Nuclear Man
Power Pack Classic volume 1
Saga volume 1
Batman Inc. vol. 1
Batman: The Black Mirror
Batman vol. 1: The Court of Owls
Wonder Woman: Odyssey (vol. 1-2)
Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors
Justice League: Origin
Aquaman: Death of a Prince
Star Trek vol. 1-3

Normally I prefer reading comics in single issue form. Some of these I bought to help show support for books I like, others I bought because I wanted to try out the series. The problem now is that I'm running out of places to put them all. I'm sharing a room with someone else, living in an apartment with three other people and have very little private space of mine. I'll probably end up having to send most of these back to my mother to hold on to them for me.

Some people are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, food, etc. I'm addicted to comic books. Always  have been. Probably always will be.