Thor #620 [2011] by Matt Fraction

THOR #620

The World Eaters are coming as the Asgardians are preparing to meet with them in battle with little preparation. Balder and Tyr are the first to fall while Odin faces off against Uthana Thoth as he summons his Blood Legion to face the World Eaters. The Quantum Cosmologist Dr. Eric Solvang suggests cutting the World Tree apart at the root to end the World-Storm with a sword that could cut through space and time.

Writer Matt Fraction brings his penultimate story arc of the World Eaters to a heighten level of suspense as the World Tree must be cut to find the invaders. The consequences of this action are unknown as Thor plays a major role in the upcoming Marvel event Fear Itself. Thor is taking center stage this year as the upcoming movie arrives in May and his appearance in the forthcoming Avengers film.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Fantastic Four #588 Final Issue [2011] by Jonathan Hickman

FANTASTIC FOUR #588 FINAL ISSUE

A month of mourning begins as Susan Storm returns to the Baxter Building to find out her brother has died. The Thing has a meeting with both Bruce Banner and Donald Blake who later transform into the Hulk and Thor to console him. Reed Richards measures the threat levels and what is necessary to defeat them as his father Nathaniel Richards returns home. Each member of the Fantastic Four mourns their own way including the two children Franklin and Val. Writer Jonathan Hickman prepares his new series FF as the war of the four cities begins, we find out what happened to all those Reed Richards from the alternative realities, and the revelation of the deal between Val and Doctor Doom. The 12th issue of FF will most likely return as Fantastic Four #600, Future Foundation #600, or FF #600.

MONTH OF MOURNING

DAY 1 – The Avengers and Susan Storm find out the fate of Johnny Storm

DAY 3 – Susan Storm mourns and shuts out her husband Reed Richards

DAY 4 – Reed confronts Annihilus who shows the torn uniform of Johnny Storm

DAY 5 – Wake of Johnny Storm attended by both the Avengers and the X-Men

DAY 6 – Coronation of Kristoff Vernard begins as Doctor Doom abdicates his throne

DAY 8 – Doctor Doom arrives and attends the funeral of Johnny Storm

DAY 14 – Franklin Richards and Spider-Man have a quiet chat about their uncles

DAY 20 – Val and the Future Foundation plan on killing Annihilus

DAY 26 – Bruce Banner and Donald Blake meet with the Thing

DAY 29 – Nathaniel Richards returns from the future

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Action Comics #898 [2011]

ACTION COMICS #898

Lex Luthor is examining the Black Lantern energy so he can harvest their power. Larfleeze arrives having one of his constructs Glomulus absorb one of the Black Lantern energy. After battling Larfleeze and teleporting him to Antarctica, Lex steals the Black Lantern energy when the Glomulus disappears. Now Lex is heading out into space to activate the Black Lantern energy existing in the spheres. However his Lois has been unknowingly controlled by Brainiac who is waiting in space for Lex to arrive.

British writer Paul Cornell adventure starring Lex Luthor is coming to an end with two more issues. The story seems a bit dragging as it only seems to be highlighting the guest stars within the Black Ring arc. However artist Pete Woods makes the issue worth while with his fantastic pencils and details with the pages of Action Comics. Without his contribution I certainly would not be interested reading each issue but waiting for the milestone of Action Comics #900 with the return of Superman.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

TV Review: Being Human [2008-2011]

A werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost trying to live together as roommates, having a normal life, and blending in with the rest of humanity. The supernatural series premiered on February 18, 2008 on BBC Three.

MAIN CAST

Aidan Turner

Russell Tovey

Lenora Crichlow

BEING HUMAN SEASON 1 [2009]

01 - Mitchell and George move into a flat where they meet Annie

02 - George meets Tully the man who turned him into a werewolf

03 - Annie discovers she was murdered by her former fiancé Owen

04 - George decides to tell his girlfriend Nina that she is a werewolf

05 - Annie tries to scare Owen into confessing he murdered her

06 - Season Finale: Mitchell challenges Herrick to end the rising of the vampires

BEING HUMAN SEASON 2 [2010]

01 - Professor Jaggat and Reverend Kemp follow the lives of Mitchell, George, and Annie

02 - Annie has become obsessed with Saul after she starts working at a bar

03 - Mitchell attempts to bring order to the vampire community after Herrick’s death

04 - George finds another girlfriend while Annie befriends a ghost who will help her

05 - Mitchell confines and reveals himself as a vampire to Professor Jaggat

06 - Annie provide ghosts closure while Jaggat and Kemp destroy the vampire clan

07 - Mitchell retaliates on the subway and George nearly transforms in public

08 - Season Finale: Annie is sent into Purgatory as Mitchell seeks his revenge on Jaggat and Kemp

BEING HUMAN SEASON 3 [2011]

01 – Mitchellfaces his prophecy of being killed by a werewolf as he brings Annie back

02 – Georgeand Nina help a teenage vampire Adam live a normal life

03 – Anniehelps Sasha who is a zombie transition into the afterlife

04 – Georgeand Nina turn to another werewolf for help with their pregnancy

05 – Herrickhas been resurrected and has no memory of his past life as a vampire

06 – Mitchellis questioned regarding the Box Tunnel 20 murders as George deals with hisfather

07 – Mitchellis arrested for the Box Tunnel 20 murders while Herrick regains his memory

08 – Season Finale: The Box Tunnel murders are covered up as Mitchell faces his prophecy

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

SHIELD #6 [2011] by Jonathan Hickman

S.H.I.E.L.D #6

THE MASTER’S HAND

The immortal Sir Isaac Newton the current ruler of the High Council of Shield has been challenged by Leonard Di Vinci as both are amassing followers for the upcoming conflict within the Immortal City underneath Rome. Leonid attempts to stop the conflict by offering a third option to their conflicting beliefs. Michelangelo reveals himself to Leonid who helped heal his father the Night Machine.

High Council of Shield Agents Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards have been pursuing the Night Machine have all been sent five to six thousand years into the distant future. The origin of Night Machine is revealed along with his identity of being both Nikola Tesla and the father of Leonid. A statue of Immortus exists in the future as Nikola, Howard, and Nathaniel travel back to the past.

The first volume of Jonathan Hickman’s SHIELD has ended however serves only part of a greater story. SHIELD Infinity due out this May will introduce the Brotherhood of the Shield including stories of Leonard Di Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, and Nostradamus before presenting his second volume of SHIELD.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Red Hulk: Scorched Earth TPB [2010-2011] by Jeff Parker

RED HULK: SCORCHED EARTH TRADE PAPERBACK

Super-Soldier Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner ask former General “Thunderbolt” Ross for help stopping the endgame protocols set in motion by M.O.D.O.K and the Leader called Scorched Earth. This story is fun and unpredictable such as the Bruce Banner creating a hologram of Galactus to stop the fight between Thor and Red Hulk. Thor hammered the Red Hulk on purpose however he pretended it was a miscommunication. Everyone is getting a little payback against the Red Hulk including Iron Man, Thor, and Uatu the Watcher. The story is meant as the redemption arc for the Red Hulk as he joins the Avengers and continues with his own series.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

- Iron Man gives Red Hulk a run for his money

- Thor hammers the Red Hulk on purpose

- “Galactus” stops the brawl between Thor and Red Hulk

- Uatu the Watcher watches the Red Hulk being pulled into a black hole’s event horizon

- Namor gives the Red Hulk a beating after he stops the underwater threat

- Rick Jones as A-Bomb deals with a sea monster off the coast of San Diego

- Banner deals with both the Leader and M.O.D.O.K in their human forms

- The Red Hulk assists Rick Jones as A-Bomb who realizes that he is former General Ross

- Red Hulk and Green Hulk team-up to stop Scorched Earth

- The supercomputer behind Scorched Earth is organic brains of M.O.D.O.K

- Scorched Earth was a mere distraction for the creation of M.O.D.O.K Superior

- Woodgod arrives on Earth and mistakes Red Hulk for the Green Hulk

- Impossible Man broadcasts the battle between Xemnu the Original Hulk and Hulk

- Impossible Man combines both Banner and Ross Hulks to form the Compound Hulk

- Xemnu genetically engineered a Supreme Grey Hulk to fight the Compound Hulk

BACK-UP FEATURES

- Uatu is missing from his post on Earth and the Watchers think he is in the multiverse (What If?)

- The Watchers believe is behavior is the result of the Red Hulk sensing and punching him

- The Watcher Uravo finds Uatu within the Red Hole of Dargalla

- The Red Hole of Dargalla pulls in life forces to create the living weapon Omegex

- The Omegex detects the life force that touched the Watcher Uatu – The Red Hulk

This trade paperback collects

Hulk #25-30

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Green Lantern Corps: The Weaponer HC [2011]

GREEN LANTERN CORPS: THE WEAPONER HARDCOVER

Years ago the Weaponer crafted a yellow ring for one former Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro. The condition to forging the ring required Sinestro to reveal all of his secrets. One of them was the identity of his daughter the Green Lantern Soranik. The Weaponer kidnaps Sinestro’s daughter to lure him back to Qward to face the consequences of ruining his life and his homeworld.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

- The Weaponer kidnaps Soranik to bring Sinestro back to Qward

- Kyle Rayner goes toe-to-toe with the Weaponer and Sinestro

- Kyle assembles his Green Lantern Honor Guard team to rescue Soranik

- Ganthet reveals his secret blood pact with Red Lantern Atrocitus

- The Sinestro Corps arrive on Qward to deal with the Weaponer without Sinestro

- Green Lanterns protect the Qwardians without using rings so no truce is broken

- Sinestro finally arrives on Qward to face the Weaponer who kidnapped his daughter

- Firestorm searching for Deathstorm arrives on Qward and joins the fight

- Defeating the Weaponer Sinestro offers him membership within his corps

- Ganthlet warns of the renegade Krona leading into the War of the Green Lanterns

This hardcover collects

Green Lantern Corps #53-57

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Green Lantern #62 [2011] by Geoff Johns

GREEN LANTERN #62

The New Guardians story arc have been introducing various incarnations of the Entities that inhibit and power their respective corps. Each Entity had a chance to be properly introduced as well as their Earth hosts. The mastermind of the Brightest Day is also revealed to be Krona the Oan responsible for the Anti-Matter Universe and the Qwardians who are responsible for Sinestro’s yellow ring. The havoc was caused when Krona wanted to witness the birth of the universe similar to the havoc that played during a recent Legion of Super-Heroes arc when Titan was destroyed as the birth of the universe was also witnessed. One billion years ago, Ganthlet and the other Guardians wearing their White Lantern attire betrayed and banished Krona for his quest for the understanding the emotional spectrum. Now Krona has returned collecting the Entities powering the corps and beginning his emotional conquest of the universe.

Meanwhile resisting help from his fellow Justice League members, Hal Jordan joins the leaders of the other Corps to track Krona and locate their respective Entities. The conclusion of the New Guardians leads into the War of the Green Lanterns which will refocus the shift back to the Green Lantern characters of Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and John Stewart. Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke have “empowered” each issue of New Guardians with precise balance, character, and storytelling for the low cost of $2.99 unlike Marvel books whose stories are decompressed to sell more books. Artist Doug Mahnke had one small panel that made Krona look like Megamind which I was both surprised and pleased to see. We also got a sneak preview of the characters that will be shown in the upcoming summer blockbuster Green Lantern.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – 5 OUT OF 5