Well friends, here we are several weeks later contemplating a new blog post. To say a lot has gone on in my life would be an understatement. I’ve been through family illness, emotional upheaval, cathartic resolution, the growth of friendship and ultimately a lust for the joy that I feel for my own future.

What the heck am I talking about?

First, my mom has been ill, but she made it through a scary time and has come out the other side. She’s still getting back her energy, but I sincerely hope she is on the mend because she deserves a whole lot of time in her life where she feels filled with energy and excitement once again. Heck, she has a city to help run… She can’t be on the sidelines!

Next, at about the same time all that life stuff went down, my wife Katie and I decided to continue our lives individually celebrating our futures and parting this marriage as friends. It’s never easy to go through this kind of change, but Katie and I have been doing really well (much to the shock of everyone around us). Our life together has been a good one and we’ve been very good for each other. We’re simply on different paths in life and we acknowledged that was a legitimate reason to make a change. We’ll celebrate each others success from a distance rather than standing side by side and we both have only the best intentions for each other.

Please understand that Katie is a private person and, in many ways, I live my life very publicly. This will most likely be the only mention of this change here in my blog. I’ll continue to tell my story and I wish Katie the very best in life as she honestly does deserve it. She’s an amazing woman who I hope to always call a friend.

So as for me?

I’m rethinking how I want to spend the rest of my life. Long story short, I’ll admit that it’s a pretty freakin’ exiting time to be me. I know Comic Related will be a major part of that new life. I actually plan to travel to more shows in 2011 and really work to make this company grow (which it has been doing by leaps and bounds). I also plan to reconnect with my love of music. I was a radio guy for years and, no, I don’t want to return to that life but I recently spent a night out at a local bar seeing a band I love on a whim. It was one of those nights that really reconnects you with who you are inside. Though I haven’t been out to a live show in years, it was like I never left as I spotted people I knew and a culture I find I actually missed more than I knew.

If I had to sum up my future in one word, it would be an easy choice… Spontaneous.

See you in the next blog post…

We’re in the home stretch as we begin seriously looking forward to the upcoming San Diego Comic Con coverage. Usually things start to really heat up in anticipation of the event at the end of this week before con week. I anticipate the number of CCI stories to really ramp up over the next few days.

This year, even though I’m not actually flying west, I’ll be taking a week plus the following Monday off work to shepherd (along with Brant and John) CR through the event.

CCI may be an important industry event, but its also been a strong show for us Last year’s coverage increased our overall readership for the site significantly and those numbers never really left. It was a great turning point and one we hope to repeat again this year.

Beginning the weekend before the show… Things may just get a bit exciting!

I know it has been a while and I’ve never been a fan of those blog posts that just talk about how the person maintaining the blog hasn’t updated in a while so I’m just going to say “here I am” and leave it at that.

I decided to log in, take a moment and let you know just how honestly excited I am about CR these days. I feel like, schedule-wise, things around the site are just clicking away in a very solid direction and I have more energy and drive to make things even better lately. We’re constantly living in a state of ramping it all up and I think that’s a great place to be.

Stories are expanding into the evening hours and from time to time we’re even turning up in the overnight. Our Rapid Fire News is really rapid firing and we’re hitting our stride on Facebook and Twitter. One of my goals is to bring CR to you wherever you haunt and each day we’re getting better and better as an organization achieving this goal.

None of this would be possible were it not for the dedicated work of Brant, John and Darren. I was very lucky when I met each of these guys. We’re doing a “CR Summit” planning meeting just before San Diego kicks off to talk about the immediate future and expansion of our company. Exciting times!

I’m not going to rattle on too long. Tomorrow I plan to hit Common Grounds here in Lexington (my favorite little counterculture coffee shop) and continue the quest for the best comic website ever.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again… If you think you know Comic Related, you haven’t seen anything yet!

You ever have one of those weeks where you want to take a part of your life and absolutely turn it upside down?

That pretty much sums up the last 48 hours of my life.  I’ve been working through a few “life” things that, for a change, don’t relate to illness, death or issues tied to people I deeply care about.  They simply tie to how I choose to spend each day.

I find myself asking if, at the end of the road when the curtain sets, will I have done what I wanted with each day?  Maybe it’s just the nature of my age, but it feels a little past time that I take that single thing that makes me burn and set the world on fire with it. It’s that point where you look at your life and ask… Did I risk enough?  Did I go for it when I had the chance? My answer will not be “no” when the time comes to ask it in reflection.

Suffice it to say everything sorted itself out to my satisfaction (things always do) and no I didn’t take any dramatic steps, but I stood up for myself and took a few actions I wouldn’t usually consider to make it all work.

Sound mysterious? Well, it’s rare for me but I find I don’t really want to blog about this topic in detail. I will simply say it is interesting how sometimes we have to be very blunt in life to make it to the other side and find balance. Sometimes actually setting boundaries isn’t setting limits but finding the path to help you focus.

Got a track I love that sums up the road I’ve been down emotionally (not literally)…

Come Undone would rate up there as a top five song for me were I making a list. The lyrics bear no direct correlation to my life, but the spirit of questioning your own decisions resonates. Escapeology, the Robbie Williams album where you will find this particular track is nothing short of amazing. Try it!

You know, I’m honestly, completely excited and almost counting down the days to our return to HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC at the top of next month. Things derailed to a large degree last year and I so love the show that I’m really looking forward to doing it all just right this year.

Last year, we were traveling in two vehicles (something I do not plan to repeat in 2010) and we got very, very lost… twice. On the way down, it simply made for a long drive. On the way back (as we left the evening the show ended), it became and overnight driving odyssey I’m glad we all survived.

I never knew if I could drive all night until that trip last year. Add to that a general bout of “con crud” that hit several of us like Montezuma’s Revenge just after the show and that only added to the joy that was that road trip. You know, there are people who were on that journey who haven’t even joked about going back this year.

I think it’s all summed up the best in the moment when we hit the wrong state line about half way through that night.  We were on the southern side of the state when we should have been crossing the northern edge.  Right then, I knew we were in trouble but kept laughing it off and making sure everyone was having as good a time as the night would let us.  I was just a passenger, but by the end of the night would be piloting one car through the darkest hour actually watching the sun rise.

I know that sounds like a true three stooges moment for our crew, but we were relying on a GPS and it didn’t discern between highway and back roads. In fact, it seemed to prefer back roads and national forests to anything resembling the civilized world.  We made one key wrong turn in construction and had given up trusting the GPS completely which led to our eventual downfall.  Since we later learned that our friends at Studio Akumakaze traveled the same path with their GPS on the way down, I think it’s just something in the way it maps that region.

Do you remember this installment of my Killer Robots Love You webcomic (click for the full size version)? It comes directly from some of my memories of that night…

If that weren’t rough enough, we ran into a recording issue with our software during the show that had every interview we did at the table saving to the same file name. After about 20 great interviews, we walked away with one actually recorded and sadly it was just us talking about the last day of the show.

HeroesCon is always such a magical comic community kind of show filled with great organizers, amazing guests and a general sense of fun that is a bit unrepeatable in any other location. Two years ago, the trip was pure magic for me and is filled with memories I’ll never forget. 2009 convinced me I needed a better plan, not just for shows but for then entire business side of CR.  In 2010, I plan to recapture that magic of 2008 and share it with my CR comrades in arms. We’ll see success this time and we DO plan to record a road show podcast on the drive down. Heck, we’ve even bought a road atlas with us this time…

Cheers!

Well, it looks like I’ve established a bit of a writing run here so it’s time to grow it out of my blog and firmly entrench it all over onto the main site.  Look for the upcoming debut of Rapid Fire Reviews a new multi-review column in the micro review format via the main site of Comic Related.  I’ll collect the reviews I’ve posted here and do a couple things with them as we build the history for this new column right out of the gate.

Basically, I plan to discuss much of what I read on a semi-regular basis and drop it into the news feed of CR.  If all goes as planned, the column will debut within the next 24 hours.

Cheers!

This appears to be a regular thing for me these days, doesn’t it?  Read a few comics, share a few thoughts and drop a link to it over on the main CR site.  I like it!  I’m going to jump over to the indies in a major way sometime soon (and I dabble a bit today), but I had a number of mainstream comics to catch up on so without further delay, let’s continue…

Thunderbolts #143
(Marvel Comics)

Let’s start with a few utterly awesome moments out of this issue (and yes I’ll keep them as spoiler free as possible).   Here are my top 5 favs presented countdown style…

5)  Paladin comes into his own as a hero.
4)  Ant-Man vs. ear drum… Nuff said!
3)  The visit to Louisiana… Quite touching.
2)  Cage’s new career choice.  I’m really happy with this turn of events.
1)  Quicksilver kicks tail at high speed.  So overdue and my high point for the issue!

This issue did a great job wrapping up the various stories which have emerged within Thunderbolts as the series transitions into the “Heroic Age” with #144.  Honestly, I’m saddened to see this era of the team pass as I particularly enjoyed this run.  As for this specific issue, it was a big win for this reader.  I left it satisfied.  Okay, there were points where if felt just a little rushed, but major change is coming for the title and as a writer I’m sure you do what you can do with the pages you have and I felt content by the end.

My one request for Marvel is that they continue the story of Ghost.  This character was a runaway favorite for me.  I can’t say I want to see him in a solo series as he plays best when he’s working against the establishment and running the end game on any team he’s matched with.  I hope he finds a nice home to spy on sometime soon.  He’s clearly my favorite new conspiracy laden anti-hero and I want more!

If you are considering sampling this title for the first time, I would probably hold off until #144 but if you’ve been a regular or semi-regular reader of the series during the Norman Osborne time, this is a must read finale.  At the very least, you have to check in for the last two pages and the big Luke Cage reveal.  That will have implications throughout the Marvel U for this character and his family.  Interesting stuff!

Batman #698
(DC Comics)

This issue is just the kind of Batman story I love.  It’s filled with mystery, detective work and a villain remaining just one step ahead of our beloved caped crusader.  Add to that a sprinkling of the Riddler and mix of deaths with signatures hinting at the rest of the bat-rogues’-gallery and you have a story worth sinking your teeth into.

What a great last page.  I found myself glanced back a couple times and I’m still not completely sure what I’m seeing.

Throughout this story though, it’s the Riddler that really steals the show for me.  That on the fence/is he behind everything vibe they’re presenting makes for a tasty read.  Also, anytime he’s in the story it’s doubly exciting as I find myself looking for visual and narrative clues (if they are even there) tied to what’s actually happening.  You just know a BIG twist is coming soon within the story.  This only adds to the fun as I gobbled this one up cover to cover and found a tidy cliffhanger at the end that satisfied.

So should you pick it up?  Last issue we wrapped up the Black Mask in a major way.  As he’s a character that has been driving the storytelling here for a while, this is a perfect jumping on point for the main Batman series.  I say try it… You might just leave a bit bat-gratified by the story!

Crossed: Family Values #1
(Avatar Press)

David Lapham of Stray Bullets fame steps into the crossed universe and proves nothing is sacred as he kicks off a six issue miniseries.  This story takes place just as the crossed plague/apocalypse begins.  In the story we are introduced to a multi-generational family living and working on a remote horse farm.  Things turn ugly before the crossed arrive as there is more wrong with this family than we first realize and everything completely goes down hill in a very traditional horror show fashion once the crazed, pillaging crossed overrun the farm.  Given this is a Crossed title, I don’t think I have to sum up the type of content that occurs in a few of these pages.  I’ll let you experience that yourself if you choose to but be warned that there are moments here that are not for the feint of heart (or stomach).

Here Lapham is playing with the question of which is worse… the horror that is walking up to our front door or the one that already resides in our home?  It is a creepy question and one that’s all the more in your face due to the style and presentation that has made Crossed an almost a whispered about title within the world of comics.

Did I like the issue? No, in the end I can’t say I did.  Did it challenge me in a way that might bring me back for issue #2?  It did have enough more questioning to make me at least try issue #2.

In my readers eye, there is a calm acceptance of the wrongs which existed within this family which put me off just a bit.  The family is forced to depend on each other despite their differences and there is a reference at the end to selling a soul cheap.  That is what takes place here in many ways and if this is the tune the series is choosing to play to, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.  In the end though, I will stick around and give it the benefit of doubt for now as the places Lapham goes in his past work have be very much worth visiting by the turn of the final page.

Fade to Black #1
(Image Comics)

Picture yourself on a movie set and you are the stars of a desert epic.  You venture out with your cast mates to a remote area of the shoot, lose contact with the crew and return to a blood bath at your production trailers.  You are isolated, you have no phone reception and there is a bloodthirsty group of cultist cannibals in the area… oh, and they are now hunting you.  This is the stage set in the first issue of Fade to Black from Image Comics.

The enemy here looks like vampires, eat like zombies and consume to gain knowledge and ability.  It’s an odd mix concept-wise, but it is being billed as horror with a different twist that will surprise the reader.  I’m in for the first few issues at least, but I’m not digging everything about this series just yet.

The dialogue feels a bit forced and tries to be “street” while sounding more Hollywood/high school annoying.  Maybe that’s what the writer is shooting for as these are actors who at times feel like pampered kids, but I want to like the victims here and so far that’s just not he case.  I’m not identifying with any of the cast in this first issue and if I’m missing that connection, the horror doesn’t resonate as strong and I actually almost root for the villains.

The art has a painted quality to it and I’m enjoying the effect it presents within the story.  Visually it’s not mind blowing, but it is a quality look and feel that fits the story.

In the end, I would take a look on the rack and see if the glance wins you over.  I’m not saying this is an automatic grab, but if survivalist horror stories like 30 Days of Night are your cup of tea, this might be worth a sip.  This is certainly a series where additional issues are needed for me to form a firm thumbs up or down.

Okay, that’s it for today but tomorrow I’ll have a special announcement regarding these micro reviews and… probably… more micro reviews!

Another day, another round of reviews and more comics consumed and opinions shared for your enjoyment.  These next few books were fun and, in some cases, got me thinking…

Captain America #605

In this issue we have the end of the much publicized (and tea party despised) Two Americas storyline. Overall, I was much more thrilled with the Falcon side of the story than the actual Bucky vs. Cap adventure. It was still an entertaining and a fun read, but not as close to the legendary stories which preceded it under Brubaker. Here, I felt we saw a satisfying finale but that was about it.

I think for me the “Bad Cap” just doesn’t resonate beyond his societal implications.  In the story I feel like Brubaker was clearly making a statement and had the “tea party” fans actually read what was being said and portrayed in the broader tale, they might have felt a bit more offended than they did viewing that one much publicized panel. Extremism is challenged here and the live free or die mentality of some fringe individuals who take it to border on terrorism in the name of America is faced head on.  I liked what he was trying to do honestly enjoying the feel of the story more than the story itself.  This, in the end, surprised me as Brubaker has churned out some really amazing work these last few years.

All in all, it is worth reading but also worth moving on to the next story arc and writing it off for what it is… an extended, multi-issue done-in-one kind of story.

Dark Wolverine #85

This story certainly had its fair share of twists as Daken and Wolverine scheme against their own partnership throughout the issue and the twist (quite literally) at the end of the issue was an unexpected narrative flip of one of the two characters.  I guess Daken and Wolverine are more alike than they would care to admit.

Overall, this issue was a surprisingly quick read cover to cover.  I knocked it out in much less time than it typically takes me to read a comic.  I don’t think that’s a plus here, but the story was quite interesting and I find myself as intrigued by Daken’s personality as I am his exploits.  This issue continued the ongoing glimmer of the man behind the mohawk and claws.  I particularly like Wolverine’s interesting observations about the way Daken interacts with the man who raised him.   Interesting stuff.

Much to my surprise, I found myself a bit put off by the visual presentation of Wolverine throughout the issue.  The art wasn’t bad (in fact it was quite nice), but something in the way he was portrayed when in his civvies didn’t quite sit with me.  The face just seemed a little off.

Overall, it is certainly a buy and I’m looking forward to the next chapter as the four part Reckoning storyline continues in Wolverine Origins #47 (which is pending a read in my stack right now).

Gotham City Sirens #11

First and foremost, I loved the Legion of Doom / Luthor reference within the story.  Nicely done.  Okay, that had to be said.

Overall, this was a fun and well presented issue even if it did contain two stories that are basically going absolutely nowhere.  Seriously, one of the two leads features Harley and Catwoman investigating missing dogs?  Really?  What, is this Nancy Drew?

In the second story we have an assistant fired who comes back to take revenge on her former boss, Poison Ivy.  Translation, a generic character surprises a character that shouldn’t be surprised with a death trap.  Hmm… I’m waiting for the “biff, blam and pow” captions to adorn the page as we check back for the conclusion at the same bat time and same bat channel next month.  It felt a bit 70’s Batman television story-wise in my book.

These are pretty forgettable tales on their best day and scream that someone is just phoning an issue in rather than getting into the meat of two stories that could be told better or at least touch upon more relevant topics.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Gotham City Sirens and even these sad stories still had their moments that were quite fun.  That said, I would have to call this issue a skip from a series that remains a recurring and traditional winner in my book.  I may not be trilled, but here I will absolutely still be reading in the months ahead as when the Sirens shine they truly shine.

Wonder Woman #43

I honestly enjoyed this issue and with Gail Simone at the narrative helm and Nicola Scott making with the eye feast, I probably shouldn’t be surprised.  This had all the moves of a disaster action movie and man did the issue fly.  Jumping in here a bit blind as it’s been a few issues since I checked in with WW, I was a little off my footing as a reader but quickly caught back up as things fell into place.

It appears Hippolyta’s long lost older sister is back after being abducted by aliens (Mulder, somebody call Mulder immediately) and shes come to devour earth’s resources.  The story builds nicely to the foreshadowed arena fight and a nice cliffhanger is established as we’re introduced to Theana, a warrior born and, coincidentally, an additional relative of WW.  It’s an interesting mix as the family grows and I certainly like the look of this new brute.  There’s something about WW entering arena combat that just feels all gold agey and iconic.  Nice.

Also, Simone appears to be explaining the origin of WW’s costume at the start of each issue.  This part was beautifully done and the art in this section was particularly strong for me.

Solid issue and a good read.  What more can you want?

Think we’re done with the micro reviews?  Think again… Many more to come!

Well, the Why I Love Comics podcast may have transitioned to a new interview based format, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop sharing my thoughts on some of what I read here on the blog.  Without further ado, the return of micro review madness…

JSA All-Stars #5

As far as the two main JSA titles go, this one remains my favorite and this issue didn’t disappoint.   Though the plot line of Stargirl and Atom Smasher is cute, it hasn’t completely hooked me yet and reads a bit like a teenage love song.  Honestly though, I guess that is the point since this is the narration of a teen crush.  That said, the big cliffhanger styled non-reveal moment within their side of the tale grabbed my attention and has me looking forward to the next issue.

For this reader though, it was the introduction of the new steampunk-ish, mysterious mystic character that really drove the main story for me.  In my eye this young hero (assuming she is one at this point) is a great addition to the cast and a fresh replacement for Dr. Fate in the lineup.  Time will tell, but I want to read more about her.

Sadly, I have to report that the backup story has proven quite the skip for me.  Just not into it.  Save yourself time there, read the main story and just act like those final pages aren’t there as you move to the next issue in your pull.  It’s the gift of time… What more could you want from me?

The Unwritten #12

Some might accuse me of having given this series a rough ride in a recent blog post, but even in that post I openly admitted completely enjoying this series.  This most recent issue is a complete home run and a wonderful divergence from the stories to date.   In the issue we COMPLETELY break from the running story for a side tidbit within the literary universe.  It’s bunnies, hedgehogs and woodland creatures with a mechanical twist.

Here a very sentient bunny is on a quest to take down the cute girl at the center of the story and it’s a familiar tale for any lover of children’s books.  That said, this is not a kids story and it’s that break from conformity that really makes the issue.  Usually, I’m not a fan of the overuse of “f-bombs” and their like in a story and have even been critical of Unwritten for their overuse.  Here though it was used as a tool to distinguish the personality of this trapped rabbit/individual and really fit the story.

In terms of art, this issue was simply magnificent.  Loved every page and it was quite the eye-feast.  If this new almost Fables-esque direction heralds the future for the series and the main story, I’m in 100%.  Great, great book and one I advise picking up not just for this issue, but back to the start of the series.  This series walks to it’s own beat, but the drum progression will pull you in.

Sif #1

Yawn.  I’ve never been a huge fan of Sif and this issue didn’t do a lot to improve my passion for the character.  As with many Marvel maidens of might of late, Sif seems more ready to wallow in her recent troubles than embrace her warrior nature.  We go from happy in the bathtub to I miss Thor/woe is me in the bar to space for the final heart of the story.  The viral race seemed a bit too generic, the interactions with Beta Ray Bill a bit to forced (more like a cameo than a real story element) and overall I was bored through a good bit of the issue.

I was hoping in a stand alone story, we would have a better look at the character and what makes her tick.  Essentially, she became a puppet first to Beta Ray via his headset directions on the ship and, eventually, the enemy via their viral mind meld.  Sif just didn’t step beyond the two-dimensional view I’ve had of her and I think that makes this issue a missed opportunity for her to shine.  For me… Skip!

Black Widow #1

No yawn here!  Maybe a bit of an extended cringe (due to the surgical sequences), but certainly a solid start to this series featuring everyone’s favorite former Soviet-spy turned hero.  I wasn’t sure if this would resonate with me, but I left the read feeling it is a welcome addition to my reading list.

This first issue is mostly set-up for the opening story and a mysterious central villain keeps the reader guessing.   The issue doesn’t shy away from the action or the edge of your seat situational sympathy toward the character.  After an initial attack, our Black Widow is left on the operating table unable to speak but feeling every cut the surgeon makes. It’s a nightmare situation for most, but it was presented here in a way that just worked for the story and showed the grit that makes up this heroine.  The emphasis was nicely placed on tension over gore.

Along the way, we’re introduced to an old friend in the beginning of the issue and Widow’s full history in a written back-up piece that was a nice bonus for those not so familiar with the character.   All in all, it’s a nice kickoff though I wasn’t completely sold on the art at first glance.  After reading the issue though, I have to say the style really worked for the story.  Bucky, Tony Stark and Wolverine guest star and I say “give this one a try”.  It’s James Bond styling for the Marvel U and I found it to be a complete win just in time for all the Iron Man 2 movie fervor.

Batgirl #9

Want a series that just refuses to disappoint?  Wonder what happened to Wendy and Marvin after Marvin went all kibbles and bits in Teen Titans?  Enjoy a good story starring the calculator?  All this and more in this month’s installment of Batgirl, a series which is easily in my top 5 month after month.

This series does conversation mixed with action perfectly.  I just love the characterization, the interplay and banter between the stars of the book and the overall sense of fun the series brings to the printed page each month and every month.

Issue #9 does not let me down and delivers some of the best panel for panel art you will find.  That scene where she drops into the room and utters “You boys play nice”… that stopped me in my tracks as it was simply awesome and caused me to pause in my read and take note.  Nicely done.

Okay, come on, we have Oracle, Commissioner Gordon, Dick Grayson and even hints of Apokolips tech playing into the story.  What’s not to love?  If you are not reading this series, you are missing some of the best DC has to offer in this reader’s opinion.  It’s hand’s down a win and a must buy.  Love it!  (Can you tell I’m a fan?)

The only thing missing from this series is Damion (aka Robin to Dick Grayson’s Batman).  Yes, this series even makes Damion loveable… It’s that good.

Okay friends, that’s it for this round.  I’ll keep reading, reviewing and posting so watch for more micro reviews soon!

For my initial impression of the iPad after the first 48 hours… Wow! SO much more than I was expecting. It will never leave my side again.   I’ll return with a more detailed look at the device from a comics perspective, but actually using one, there are no ads, reviews or pre-press I’ve seen that do this device justice.  I am more impressed than I can say (though I’m sure I will soon).