Postal Vol 1

The townsfolk of Eden, Wyoming wake up to the first official murder the town has seen in 25 years. Their reaction to this isn’t normal, and there’s a reason for that. Eden operates as a haven for fugitive criminals who remain here while new identities, often including facial reconstruction, are created for them. There is zero tolerance for any illegal activity that might draw attention to the town and an “official murder” is the last thing they want. A single, tight-knit family runs Eden with the youngest oddball son Mark Shiffron overseeing the postal branch, the only means of shipping in or out of the city. THE FBI has repeatedly been foiled trying to insert an undercover here; they see Mark as the weak link to exploit. This murder gives them a new opportunity.

At first, I though that this comic was called Postal because it was about a guy going postal. Then I actually read the comic, and as it turns out the main character is a postal worker! Just goes to show that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. I am judging this book by its cover though, and my judgement hence be that it is good. So basically there’s a small town in Nowhere, Wyoming, and Mark “Rain Man” Shiffron notices that strange things are afoot in his town. Through detective footwork that would make Hank from Breaking Bad focus on minerals full time, Mark discovers some very spooky things in the town he calls his home. The writing here is top notch, Matt Hawkins and Bryan Hill have crafted a depressingly realistic narrative of a small, rural town driven crazy by its own twisted delusion. Mysteries lead into further mysteries until nothing is left but blood and broken bones.

One thing that really grinds my gears (in a good way) about Postal is the degree to which it focuses on the mental disorder Aspergers Syndrome. Our protagonist Mark is afflicted with it, but he doesn’t let it slow him down! There really are some disappointing stigmas regarding mental illness in this country, I was diagnosed as bipolar a few months ago and most people ask if that means I have “two different personalities” (it doesn’t, I only have this one which sucks). But if Mark Shiffron can use his “malfunctioning brain” for good, maybe I can use a McDonalds without crying in the bathroom!

It’s also worth mentioning that the art of Postal is sublime. Isaac Goodhart paints an image of a bleak, broken town held together by paranoia and duct tape. If anything the art is too flattering, I was in Wyoming once and it did not look as interesting as the pages of this comic. This art’s got some grits! You can practically feel the blood dripping off the pages.

Postal was published by Image Comics, but don’t let their name fool you! Their comics also have words. If you like them on Facebook, a representative will show up to your doorstep with a bouquet of flowers.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Tales Of Honor: Bred To Kill #1

Set in the Honorverse from the bestselling military science fiction novels by DAVID WEBER, this is the first-ever completely original comics story arc! Honor Harrington's uncle, last seen investigating a Vegas-like space station for its use of Mesan genetic slaves, is now missing and she takes a leave of absence from the military to find him deep in Solarian territory.

This comic book has two writers, and you can really tell! By this I mean that there are a lot of words in this comic. I have nothing against words, and the words in the comic are well written. But still, what’s the deal with all these words? There’s an entire universe here that I’m not familiar with. It seems like an interesting universe, some sort of hybrid between Firefly and Star Wars except with way more animals. Matt Hawkins and Dan Wickline (or MattDan, as they prefer to be called) do a good job delineating such an intense degree of information, everything presented does make sense. I just can’t help but shake the feeling that this comic would make more sense with an encyclopedia of the Honorverse. I do also have the attention span/brain capacity of a goldfish.

If Earth without art is just eh, than Honor without art is a real bummer! Artist Linda Sejic brings this cold, dystopian space future to life. You can almost feel the foreign comfort of the spaceship interiors our characters reside in. The unfortunate souls that are “bred to kill” really do seem like sad, mistreated sacks of meat, and there is a unfortunate sense of catharsis when they are slaughtered. When it comes to art, this book does not pull any punches. It throws punches directly into your face with a sense of honor.

Top Cow Productions made this, which is also a very good pickup line to use at your local watering hole. Top Cow is related to Image Comics, so make sure to check out Image Comics on Facebook BookFace for more comics about things.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Amazing World of Gumball Vol. 1

Gumball, Darwin, and all of their friends take on the world of comics! Gumball thinks he’s the coolest kid on the block, but his little sister Anais begs to differ, and Darwin just wants to keep them all out of trouble. There’s always another adventure to be had in their mixed-up world!

When I first saw that I was to review The Amazing World of Gumball, I panicked. This is a comic based on a show for children! I only read mature comics for mature readers such as myself. After a heated series of emails with the Geek-o-Rama legal department, we came to the mutual conclusion that I had to read it because it is my job. So imagine my surprise when it turns out that The Amazing World of Gumball is good!

Gumball is a lot like you and me. He’s a weird cat thing stuck riding out the clock, longing for death’s embrace. He seeks to pass the time with meaningless distractions, whether they be video games or riding a dinosaur in front of his classmates. And just like you and me, Gumball just wants to be cool. He seeks the adoration of his peers and superiors alike, constantly getting in way over his head in ridiculous shenanigans. Writer Frank Gibson makes all of this funny. He brings the laughs! If laughs were the United States currency, one page of Gumball would be the equivalent of a 5 dollar bill.

I’ve never watched the show that this comic is based on, but I can surmise from what limited knowledge of I have that the comic’s art is faithful to the television show. Tyson Hesse is a very talented individual, making with the funny faces and bright colors. I’ve never done acid and would never condone the use of any illegal narcotic, but this comic would probably be a lot of fun on acid.

To make gumball’s amazing world your amazing world, head to Boom! Studios on their website. Alternatively you can like their Facebook page and see awesome comic books on your timeline.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Genius 1

What if the greatest military mind of our generation was born to a people who are already supremely conditioned to wage war, who know nothing but violence since birth, and must continually adapt to new predators in order to survive? What if the second coming of Alexander the Great, of Genghis Khan, of Napoleon, of Patton...what if it was a teenaged girl from South Central, L.A. named Destiny? And what if she decides to secede three blocks of the ‘Hood from the Union? Who is going to take it back from her and her army of gangbangers? Who CAN?

Have you seen the news lately? Things have really come to a head in this country. Rather it be Ferguson or Baltimore you can’t deny that people are fighting back against the “system”, regardless of what they think the system is. Genius shows the grim realties of this conflict. We see it all here. The decrepit state of Compton, the cop mentality that’s behind a SWAT van, and above all else the consequences of such brutal violence.

Writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman have crafted an incredible narrative. An orphaned teenage girl named Destiny has decided that Compton should secede from the rest of Los Angeles. She’s been planning this for years, and using nothing but the power of modern technology (bluetooth pieces, hacking security feeds, etc.) Destiny is able to fight back and take control of her land.

This is a war and there are casualties on both sides. Artist Afua Richardson brings a cold, realistic perspective to the story. Genius does not pull any bunches when displaying the consequences of violence. There is an appropriate amount of blood and gore, and when someone dies they aren’t simply forgotten.

While some people are either street-smart or book-smart, Destiny is both of them. While everyone else in her high school was flunking out, she was playing Chess on the computer and reading The Art of War. She really is making a difference for her neighborhood, but it comes at a tremendous cost. One thing’s for sure though, Destiny is a genius!

Genius is published by Top Cow Productions, Inc. They only publish the toppest of cows, so be sure to check out their website or like them on Facebook.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Whomp! Comic

Are you fat and alone? Do you feel like no one cares about you? Is life just a meaningless game, the only solace ever provided in the form of a cat? And worst of all, do you like anime?

Well here’s a comic for you! This is Whomp!

        “While You Were Sweeping”

Hover over the comic, and it will feature even more words! The secret words for this comic?

“''Why would you come to my house and just start cleaning?'' ''Because I'm your friend.'' ''I don't understand.'' ''When people are acquainted with one another, they will often do nice things.'' ''So what do I do for you, Agrias?'' ''You're treating me to lunch today to repay me.'' ''I am? Man, I'm good at this friend thing!’'

Whomp! Comics updates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, “even if you wish it didn’t”. The man running it, Ronnie Filyaw, is a very nice man. I tweeted him for McDonald’s chicken nugget advice once, and he helped me! Just don’t ever try to sneak him chicken nuggets at a convention. I have learned this the hard way.

So check out Whomp! comics on their website, and like them on Facebook. Listen to Uncle Ronnie. His wisdom cometh from the cup of McDonalds.

The Tithe 2

Another mega-church is robbed despite the FBI’s surveillance. Tension ratchets up as a member of Samaritan’s “heist” team is killed and the “Robin Hood” act isn’t quite as fun as they thought.

“God answers prayer with a ‘NO’ all the time, but people don’t want to hear it. People want validation when they should seek guidance.”

I was at one of those big church events once. It was a play of sorts, a celebration. Big set, lots of acting. Animals walking down the aisles. All I can remember anymore is a scene where a man was digging through his collection of old albums. I was really into classic rock at the time, so I thought to myself “God, if you’re real, that album will be a Queen album”. The album he pulled out was A Night At The Opera. He then began to sing Bohemian Rhapsody, and the crowd laughed.

Anyway, this was my reaction while reading this comic book:

In my previous review, I mentioned two megachurches in Phoenix. This comic takes place in Phoenix. Go get em! But please be careful, there’s a lot at stake here. I’m just relieved that not only do Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal see what’s going on in my own city, they’re exposing it.

Of course, check out Image comics on their website or their Facebook.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Tithe 1

A heist story unlike any before! Mega-churches are being robbed for millions of dollars by a crusader hacker group known as Samaritan who is giving the money to causes they deem more worthy. This modern day “Robin Hood” is being pursued by two FBI agents who actually admire their quarry but want to stop the theft before it escalates.

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” - Matthew 21:12-13

Yes, I started this review with a bible verse. Countless souls have been lost over the years simply so that book could be read to this day. One idea that’s crept up in the United States over the past few years is a “Mega-Church”. I grew up in the ground zero for these ideas. The Community Church of Joy. To quote a New York Times Article from 2002:

“In Glendale, Ariz., the 12,000-member Community Church of Joy, which has a school, conference center, bookstore and mortuary on its 187-acre property, has embarked on a $100 million campaign to build a housing development, a hotel, convention center, skate park and water-slide park, transforming itself into what Dr. Walt Kallestad, the senior pastor, calls a ‘’destination center.’’”

Well guess what Joy, I didn’t get my waterslide. I didn’t get my hotel. What did I get? A tremendous amount of pain. I had a few good years, but you eventually chewed me up and spit me out. You hurt my family. I also made friends for life there, people I love to this day. But when my mother is crying because you kicked her out, I have problems with you.

I still drive by there sometimes. They’re tearing up their 187 aches and selling it back to the city. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the right thing to do. And my best friends, friends I have for life, I met there. I forgive The Community Church of Joy.

My problem these days is with CCV, the Christ Church of the Valley. They had their Easter service in The University of Phoenix Stadium. You know, where the Super Bowl was this year. Collectible cups commemorated the event. You could watch it from your home. And don’t worry, they have so many locations.

This comic book is a fantasy of mine brought to life. There’s a lot of money to be made in churches, especially since they are tax free. Author Matt Hawkins and I are on the same page. Rahsan Ekedal’s art is great too, crisp and sobering.

Much like progressive metal band Dream Theater, Image produces Images & Words. Website them or Facebook them!

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Snarl

Something sinister is killing people in a Washington State Park. Is it animal? Is it Supernatural? When all the evidence points to the unexplained a veteran detective will have to go against all of his training to solve the unsolvable before it’s too late!

“I guess when the facts don’t add up, you need to open your mind to other possibilities.”

Kids, I would like to talk with you for a minute here. I know technology is hard. I know we’re all trees, and we need to return to nature. That said, you never left nature. You don’t need to go out into the middle of nowhere because your cell phone makes you sad. You know who’s worth listening to? Native Americans. They’re pretty cool, I mean we stole this land from them, sent them Small Pox blankets, and they’ll still talk to us. They have every right to take this land back.

So have your precious Burning Man. Go into the wilderness and do drugs. Just be careful, because drugs are scary and there’s a lot of shit out there that we as humans can’t really process yet.

What I’m saying is, watch out for that Snarl! True change must come from within, look at yourself deep. But for God’s sake, be careful.

This was a really cool comic book, and I look forward more issues! Kelly, Bender, Jensen, and Myers all got together and made something cool. Their combination of names also sounds like a song. KellyBenderJensenMyersJinglehimerSchmidt, his name was my name too! And whenever I go out, the people always shout there goes…you know the rest.

Alterna comics publishes comic books, they picked a name so clever that Google keeps trying to guess “alternative press”. Look at their website.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Flash Season 1 Ep 23

Wells presents Barry with a life changing choice. Dr. Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond return to help The S.T.A.R. Labs Team with this final fight.

Editor’s Note: Nathan did not submit a review of Episode 22 of The Flash because he was in Pennsylvania last week, “having real fun instead of looking at things and then judging them”. But he’s back now, and he personally told me that Episode 22 of The Flash was “also good”.

Bananas. This show is fucking bananas. That’s really the only way I can describe it, without resorting to profanity and screaming. Just…AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!! If there were not tears in your eyes during this season finale, you are a soulless creation of Dr. Frankenstein himself and I will hunt you down and destroy you. If you were not at the edge of your seat during the last fifteen minutes, you are a robot who’s only algorithm is one for profound sadness. And if at no point within the last several minutes did you begin to jump up and down while crying and soiling yourself, you are dead inside.

The Flash is the pinnacle of human creation. I’m going to start a petition on change.org to build a real life Flash Museum and dedicate it to this show. I expect to hit one million signatures within ten minutes. When God closes his eyes, all he sees are reruns of The Flash. The CW isn't allowed rights to Batman or Superman, and it has only made them stronger. There are so many references to the DC Universe that I hesitate to call them "easter eggs" at this point. Easter only comes once a year, but The Flash comes once a week for 23 episodes. Except now it's over for several months, and there is a gaping hole in my life that will never be filled (until Season 2 airs this fall).  

If you don’t watch this show, you hate fun. You probably buy ice cream and then throw it away without eating it.

The Little Mermaid 4

While Erica suffers at the hands of a psychopath, the Sea Witch reunites her parents and brings them one step closer to their daughter. She does all this for a seemingly simple price: the king's blessing. But Erica may not need saving, since she appears to have a plan of her own. 

Things come to a predictable head in this book, and there is finally some degree of payoff. The mermaid tries to escape her prison and meanwhile, dad finds out she is in prison and this makes him mad. Apparently he traded knowledge of his daughter's whereabouts for a simple blessing, but this was irrelevant as she escapes without his involvement. Why is he even in this? All he does is talk about how sad he is and how little he understands his own job. I'm just not really a fan of the characterization in this book at all, four issues in and I don't care about any of these people.

At least there's finally some action in this one, as Erica grows some land legs and kicks mermaid ass for several pages. Of course, this awesome sequence is hindered by horrible internal narration and routinely terrible dialog between characters, but at least it's exciting! This mermaid's got some claws! Though I still don't really feel involved with the plot at all. So she was captured to make an army from her DNA? Why would a mermaid army be threatening? Just nuke them while they're swimming, it's easy. Make an army out of hawk people if you want to scare me. And of course the Sea Witch is up to no good, but she isn't even in this issue. I think the Sea Witch is the real villain of the series, and hopefully she will make her triumphant return to harvest the souls of surface dwellers. Long live the Sea Witch!

Zenescope is a comic book publisher, they published this book. I have a pretty awesome idea for a Humpty Dumpty reboot, but they won't return my calls. Visit them on their site or Facebook and tell them "Nathan's Humpty Dumpty is good and you should make it".

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Little Mermaid 3

While Erica struggles to survive at the hands of a sadistic scientist, her biological parents race to save her. But as Erica's family history becomes clearer, her time grows shorter. However, she may have an unexpected ally within her prison walls. 

"There's really nothing that can compare to being in the ocean. It's like flying!"

Erica you just said nothing compares to being in the ocean, and then in the same sentence you compared it to flying. So obviously there's something that compares to being in the ocean. Funny she should mention it, because reading this book is a lot like being in the ocean. An ocean of words that is. Even the king of Atlantis is a boring dude who talks to much. And don't get me started on the evil Sea Witch, who has a higher word count than the Declaration of Independence combined with The OJ Simpson court transcripts. Issue #3 of The Little Mermaid also suffers from a severe lack of things happening. The only action in this issue is the physical act of turning the page, although I read it on my laptop so I was denied even that small rush of adrenaline.

I love the art, but does every character have to be so beautiful? The good guys, the bad guys, the men, the women, they are all gorgeous. Why not have an ugly person in this comic? Especially the bad guys, it's hard to consider someone evil when they look like either Katy Perry or a member of One Direction. Except for me, ladies. I'm not evil, and I'm also a secret member of One Direction.

If you alphabetized every comic book publisher, Zenescope would be second to last, followed only by ZZZ. Visit them on their site or slap that like button on their Facebook.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Little Mermaid 2

Erica finds herself the subject of cruel experiments where she fights for her life. Meanwhile, her birth mother, Elizabeth, searches for Erica and finds unexpected help in the Sea Witch. Now Elizabeth must reunite with Erica's father, the king of Atlantis, to save their daughter.

The first issue of Little Mermaid ended with a pretty cool twist. The mermaid herself, Erica, is kept hostage in a science lab and is being experimented on by evil scientists. Rather than explore this further, the second issue takes us back to Erica's conception, as her father is obviously Atlantian. I won't spoil her origins for her, but let's just say that a certain "sea witch" allowed a merman to become human so he could have sex with a girl. But it came at a price!

There's much more exposition in this than the first issue, which only serves to hurt the book. I mean seriously guys, just stop talking! You're blocking the art! There's so many dialog bubbles, each one containing either The Art of War or A Tale of Two Cities. I get that there's a lot to set up here, but every character opens their mouth and says an entire paragraph every time. If this comic were adapted into a movie, all of the actors would quit because they wouldn't be able to memorize this much dialog. I started a Twitter account that's sole purpose was tweeting this comic's dialog, and I hit 20k tweets before even finishing the first page.

At least Mendonca's art continues to blow me out of the water (heh). If I were decorating my house and had a mermaid fetish, I would definitely buy some prints of his art for my walls. Except I don't have a house, I live in my car under a bridge in Detroit.

Zenescope is an interesting name to me. It sounds like a sniper rifle that can shoot you and remove any sense of zen from across a great distance. I would say that this is an accurate description of their comics. Look at them on their site or on Facebook.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Little Mermaid 1

Do you know the real story of the Little Mermaid? 

When a young mermaid makes a wish to become human, her world will turn upside down and she will need to find the courage to confront her fears or perish at the hands of evil.

When I was little, my mom took me to see Disney’s The Little Mermaid in theaters. According to her, I spent the entire film asking “when will they kiss?”. My reasoning for this is that once they kissed, the movie would be over.

Anyways, my initial reaction to this new Little Mermaid is: when will they kiss? Gone are the singing crabs and evil fat women, and in their place is a weird tale of corporate creed and some sort of nature vs. technology thing. Though I am intrigued by a twist in the story, one that probably would have made me read the second issue if I wasn’t already required to.

Miguel Mendonca’s art is pretty great, he brings the ocean to life, with lots of blue making way for more blue. Miguel is also great at drawing smoking hot ladies, if you know what I’m saying.

Truth be told, I have read worse things published by Zenscope. There is nothing inherently wrong with this comic. If you were looking for a gritty reboot of The Little Mermaid, this is pretty much it. To find out more, visit Zenescope on their website or their Facebook.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Dr. Pym or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Ride the Marvel Hype Train

“I’d ask ridiculous questions all the time. Peyton Reed, he just kept saying, ‘Dude, just do it.’ But I’d say, ‘I don’t understand. Does the mask go up this way or this way?’ And there’s a visual effects guy there and I want an answer. They got so tired of my questions: ‘So I don’t understand — If I was just over there, how did I get over here so quick?’ Reed would be like, ‘Cannavale, it’s a superhero movie, dude. Just do it!’ But I’d say, ‘Yeah, but do I have superhuman speed, because I was just three blocks away and now I’m here and I’m not even out of breath. Should I be out of breath?’ He’d be like, ‘Dude, it’s not ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being.’ It’s just [frick]ing ‘Ant-Man’. Just say the line.’ Then it just became a joke. I had a blast. We laughed so much on that thing.”

Dude, it’s not ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being.’ It’s just [frick]ing ‘Ant-Man’.

The words above these words come from Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, by way of co-star Bobby Cannavale. Peyton Reed is the 3rd director to be attached to the Ant-Man film, which has been in development hell since before the MCU even started. Peyton Reed’s previous credits include the Jim Carrey turd Yes Man, Bring it On, and Back to the Future: The Ride. In other words, Peyton Reed is a soulless, corporate yes-man who’s integrity only stretches as far as his bank account. This makes him the perfect director for Ant-Man.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Edgar Wright had a vision. Edgar Wright imagined an Ant-Man film that adapted the “To Steal An Ant-Man” story arc. Scott Lang, a career criminal desperate for redemption, steals the Ant-Man suit from Hank Pym in a desperate bid to save his daughter Cassie, who is dying from a rare and fatal heart condition.

Initially, Marvel bent over backwards for Edgar Wright to make this film. You know how in Avengers, Hawkeye and Black Widow are founding members of the team? You can thank Edgar Wright for that. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne basically have a birthright to the core Avengers roster, but Marvel wrote them out so Edgar could make his precious Ant-Man film.

And then Edgar quits, appearing butt-blasted over “big corporations”. Who did he think he was fucking working for? Yes, Scott Pilgrim was awesome, but it was also a box office bomb. Edgar Wright is an incredibly talented director, with a great eye for what makes comic book movies work. But he’s also a liability. And rather acting like an adult and compromising after 12 years of constant compromise, he did the 21st century equivalent of shitting his pants and then blaming the diaper for not holding it well enough.

Honestly though, maybe Edgar Wright did Marvel a favor. They’ve always been embarrassed by the Ant-Man character, specifically Hank Pym. Dr. Pym’s resume includes creating Ultron, discovering Pym Particles, and founding a superjail located in the N-Zone. None of these facts matter to the pop-culture omniverse, however. His real legacy? Beating his wife. Spider-Man is a troubled teenager, Daredevil is blind, and Ant-Man loves domestic violence.

So sure, Marvel, make Hank Pym old and have Michael Douglas play him. Have Wasp be dead before the film even starts. Why not? Ant-Man sucks, after all. He’s a stupid hero! All he can do is control ants! Ha, what a loser!

At the end of this trailer, Yellowjacket (who is the villain for some presumably stupid reason) cowers in fear, shielding himself from Thomas the Tank Engine. This is a metaphor for how Marvel plans to move forward with their cinematic universe. Yellowjacket represents Edgar Wright, Joss Whedon, or anyone else who tries to slow them down with independent thought. Thomas the Tank Engine represents the sheer power of corporate greed, and the fact that not even God himself will slow Marvel down.

They’re just getting started.

Arrow Season 3, Ep 22

Oliver/Al Sah-him finishes his training  and is left with two final tasks to become the next Ra’s al Ghul. Ra's threatens Nyssa and delivers some shocking news. Meanwhile, Malcolm makes a surprising offer to Team Arrow and Thea goes to see Roy.

First things first, some of this episode was good. It was awesome seeing Katana, The Atom, Black Canary, and other members of Team Arrow all suit up and murder League of Assassins members in broad daylight. Katana especially, I didn’t expect her to get a costume this season! And Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer continues to be hilarious and awesome, even if it’s currently just an Iron Man knock off.

However, what the hell are the writers thinking? The episode ends on yet another shocking twist, but are we really supposed to buy it at this point? I mean, the midseason finale was Oliver getting stabbed and kicked off a cliff, and one episode later he was fine. There’s simply no tension in Nanda Parbat, any deaths can be easily undone thanks to the Lazarus pits. Furthermore, Ra’s al Ghul is a moron. He’s completely oblivious to pretty much everything happening around him, twirling his mustache as he arranges a marriage for his daughter.

If there is any justice left in the world, Diggle will reveal that his real name is John “Diggle” Stewart and that he took sculpting classes in college. ARGUS then gives him a Green Lantern ring, setting up the next season to be Green Lantern/Green Arrow. “My sister, Speedy, is a junkie!” I need this.

The Flash Season 1 Ep 21

In this week of the Eisner award winning television series ^{[citation needed]}, Eobard Thawne lets Gorilla Grodd loose in the sewers, free to mind control the citizens of Central City for bananas and Empire State Buildings. Meanwhile, Professor Zoom himself has his ancestor in captivity as he does science and talks to himself. 

At one point in this episode of The Flash, Clancy Brown looked right at the camera and said “I am Grodd". Mark this down in the history books: for the first time since Benjamin Franklin invented the projector, a network television series contains more raw hype and excitement than all of the comic book movies combined.

Considering a CG gorilla represents 90 percent of an average television budget, The Flash did an excellent job bringing the telepathic gorilla to life. He isn’t actually shown for most of the episode, but the payoff is more than worth it. Barry tries his old schtick of “punching my enemy at a supersonic speed”, and the resulting visual sequence is one of the most engaging fight scenes in live-action comic book history.

Iris continues to attempt to bring the show down around her with drama and bad acting, but luckily that hatchet was buried this week. The Flash is here to stay, and I fully expect Gorilla City by Season 3.

Clancy Brown is reunited with The Flash once again, and it feels so good. 

Rocket Salvage 5

Primo Rocket faces demons of the past and present as things come to a conclusion in this critically acclaimed work of titans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrkzIN2eP0U

Clones will not save you. Neural links will not save you. When the shit hits the fan, all of the technology in the world won’t keep you from getting drenched in a poo flurry. Actions have consequences, and true escape is impossible.

How’s Rocket gonna get out of this one? Well, he’ll salvage what he can from his past failures and use what he gathers to (hopefully) kick ass.

It’s called Boom! Studios because every comic book they publish is a lit stick of dynamite. They have a website and a Facebook, and are in stock anywhere that carries good comic books.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Rocket Salvage 4

The Rocket family is split! With Zeta training under a mad scientist, Beta working under a local crime lord, and Primo stuck in a Republic of Galaxies prison, it's going to take more than a big wrench and an apology to get this family back together!

A house divided! Zeta, the Scarlet Witch of space, is learning to channel her psychic abilities, only replace “no more mutants” with “I can control every machine for fun”. Beta is harnessing his inner chi to make some quick silver, and by that I mean he’s collaborating with the sleeze-bags of space to make money while doing less work. And during all of this family drama, dear old dad is in another superjail, having carrots dangled in front of him as he gazes upon his freedom from Asteroid R.

Bachan is great at drawing ball dropping covers and titillating splash pages, but he’s also fantastic at drawing faces. Whether the face is human or alien, it’s an expressive and good looking face. I could use any of these faces as my Steam avatar, and online nerds would ask me “where did you find that awesome face?”.

“Bachan drew it.” I would reply. “He’s good at drawing faces.”

Boom! Studios was originally named Bazinga! Studios, until Jim Parsons sued them for making too much money. Check them out on their website or on Facebook.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Rocket Salvage 3

Behind the wheel of a salvage space hauler, on the run from an armada of robot religious zealots, and catering to the whims of a wild, mad scientist alien, the Rockets are in for a lot more than they bargained for. Luckily, if life has taught them anything, it is that nothing good ever comes easy.

In just two short issues, Primo Rocket has gone from being a washed up, failed ex-celebrity to an insane man with a death wish, piloting his death rocket through the bowels of space just to see what it’s like. On Team Rocket (ha!) are clones, an alien doctor, and a dog. And much like failed experiment Sonic the Hedgehog, Primo Rocket has gotta go fast. Only when he goes fast, it’s thanks to a neural link that connects him to machine, resulting in jaw dropping space antics.

What else can I say about illustrator/secret neurosurgeon Bachan at this point? He’s very good at bringing Mercado’s far out ideas to life. If Primo has a neural link to his rocket ship, Bachan has a neural link to pen and paper.

Buy Rocket Salvage from Boom! Studios on their website or on Facebook. Buy it right now, spend your Secret Wars money on this instead.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Rocket Salvage 2

When Primo Rocket finds out the alien and robot federation are gunning after him in search of a long-lost mythical weapon, he has no choice but to rope his family into an adventure across the galaxy to find the alien responsible. Too bad he is locked away in the most dangerous and impenetrable Kaijer Prison Planet known to man!

Fun fact: Yehudi Mercado is currently working with Marvel for a Guardians of the Galaxy mobile game. I would say that he’s a good choice for that project, considering Rocket Salvage is what Guardians of the Galaxy could be if Marvel wasn’t too busy trying to make Star-Lord look more like Chris Pratt. Poor Primo Rocket was a star lord, but an arrogance fueled racing accident set him on a crash course through hell. Now he must claw his way out of Prison Planet, using only scraps and what passes for a family in space to escape.

Bachan continues to illustrate this book with the finesse and talent of Alex Ross, if Alex Ross internalized Japanese culture and American cartoons instead of boring old paintings. There is a tremendous amount of talent behind every page of this book, is what I’m saying.

To buy Rocket Salvage immediately, go to Boom! Studios on their website or on Facebook. Alternatively, just yell at your local comic shop to carry their books if they don’t for some reason.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.