Aalok deciphers DC - Superman: Birthright

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Leinil Francis Yu

Collects: SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT issues 1-12

With the massive revamp of the DCU coming in September, I thought that this origin is already written over (SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank) let me get around to it before it goes off the map completely.

Mark Waid is famous for his love of the Superman franchise, and reading this, it’s obvious that he loves Superman. This one, though it adds a lot of new elements to the popular franchise, doesn’t deviate too much from the source material, wherein it’s beauty lies – preserving continuity while adding to it.

STEWARTS SLATE: REVIEW OF XIII books 6-7 THE JASON FLY CASE and THE NIGHT OF AUGUST THIRD

Review of XIII books 6-7 The Jason Fly Case and The Night Of August Third

Writer: Jean Van Hamme.

Art: William Vance.

Published by Cinebook.

Review by Stewart Loud.

This week I'm doing the write-up for the latest couple of books publishers, Cinebook, have kindly sent over for me to review.

Jumping straight in at books 6 and 7, the back story is quickly recapped and we're introduced to Jason Fly, a man who, after waking with terrible amnesia and injuries with no memory of his past or who he is whatsoever, has so far discovered that he used to work as some sort of American government super operative after taking part in a top secret, black ops training program and was subsequently injured (in the brains) causing his total memory loss. Now he wonders the land looking for information and people that might help him piece together his life and help him regain some memory of who he used to be, all the while being hunted by shadowy government agencies and assassins who want him dead because of what he might discover.

Leaping Windows, & Mocha TRIP with Comic Addicts present Campfire

Friends, Romans and Countrymen... lend me your ears... and your mobile phones and handsfree and tablets and your iPads and iPods and your Blackberries (yes, they don't count it under "regular" mobile phone, you see)

It's time for our next event! Come spend an afternoon with Campfire who will be featuring Lalit Kumar Sharma - illustrator of Prisoner of Zenda, In Defence of the Realm and the forthcoming Muhammad Ali graphic novel (that's just to name a few; he's done a whole bunch of stuff). Here's the detailed agenda for the day (so you can plan your day)

Eagerly awaited Md. Ali Graphic Novel by Campfire. Knock out art by Lalit

Click on image for full size view

When   : 18th June 2011

Where : Cafe Mocha, Defense Colony

Time    : 12 in the afternoon (yes, it'll be hot, but that's why there's gonna be chilling AC and Mocha serves some really cool refreshing beverages - all paid by you, of course) 

Why     : Er... You really want us to tell you??? I'll give you 3 solid ones, as starters...

Marvel Mangaverse Mania

Fantastic Four kidnap young Captain Marvel in this sequence.

How many pop culture references can you find in this one page? Post you answers and be declared the King of Geeks. After all, The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth...

Click on the image to view full size

London Anime Con cometh...

London Anime Con, the home for all British and European anime and gaming fans is being hosted in... er...  London (D'oh!) taking place on Saturday 30th July and Sunday 31st July!



Time may be free, yet it remains priceless!

"But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day."

~Benjamin Disraeli

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming folks!

You may well be wondering about this random epigram at the start here from a former British PM. Well its because the idea he espouses has some connection to today's wayfaring so bear with me as always and you will not be disappointed. I promise.

Today we return take a step back from the maddening world of mainstream comic news to once again dig into the pile of books that I keep around just to break the mold and keep it interesting - nothing like a good rolled up book to whack and break things eh?
For today's wayfaring we head into shallow waters I normally don't tread - those known as the sea of Antarctic Press! Ordinarily I tend to steer clear of these manga filled straits with their weak story-telling and average and uninspiring art with ladies more...ahem, prodigious... then even regular comics. But I came across by chance a most unusual series that fed my love of humour, creativity and that rare ingredient: Steampunk!
I don't know about everyone else out there but as a genre it is one of the most fun to see in comics with the potential for such visual awesomeness, few others can compare just by default - in fact the works of greats like H.G.Wells and Jules Verne (just to name some familiars) are prime examples of how it can capture the imagination. Of course though we refer to comics so take the examples of works like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (not that weak-arsed movie please) by Alan Moore, Iron West by Doug TenNapal and Ignition City by Warren Ellis to name but a few.

Of course this genre has few enough people who can truly bring it to life so I was kicked to see this and doubly so when I read the premise because its completely my kind of mental!
So without further build up I present to you: TIME LINCOLN!

Taking a Look at the X-Men Movies

With X-Men: First Class having hit theaters this weekend we thought it appropriate to take a closer look at the X-Men movies. The movies have become a continuum all unto themselves. Still we have to ask: where exactly does X-Men: First Class fit into the other movies? Does it follow the timelines and stories set up in the original trilogy? Does it have the core essentials from the comics? That is what we are going to explore.

There are currently five X-men movies out and one that’s a bit stalled. The movies are: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, Wolverine Origins, and X-Men: First Class. There is a sequel to Wolverine, but the director has walked off due to a divorce. So far the X-Men movie franchise has made $786,495,030. Granted this doesn’t include the latest installment X-Men: First Class. So far the numbers for X-Men: First Class is $56,000,000. The interesting aspect of the franchise is that the latest installments have been prequels. Wolverine Origins specifically follows Wolverine on his journeys before joining up with the X-Men. First Class is the formation of the X-Men and how Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr formed their friendship before becoming frenemies.