New Release Tuesday!!! - Better Late Than Never Edition (6/4/13)

I know I'm late on this one, but I didn't want to let this week slip by since it's packed with so many wonderful films to consume.  You've got another so-so Die Hard as well as another zom rom com (who would have ever thought of another one of those sub, sub-genres coming around after Shaun of the Dead?), but the real treats of the week extend from that glorious decade of the 1970s.  And they're not the typical classics most film freaks have seen.  Let's start with the...

MUST BUY DVD OF THE WEEK!

Electra Glide in Blue:  One of the best beat cop movies out there.  Robert Blake (let's ignore his murderous personal life) is a teeny tiny highway patrolman navigating the mundane crimes of the Arizona interstate.  His dreams of Homicide Detection are teased when he discovers the corpse of an anonymous hermit.  It's a mean little film with just as much disillusionment as Dirty Harry, but not as widely regarded as that Hollywood endeavor.  Electra Glide in Blue is a slower film; it takes its time to rip your heart out, but when it gets there you'll feel a chunk of your soul missing.  Sound like a good time out at the movies?  Maybe not, but it's a fantastic experience.

BUY!

A Good Day To Die Hard:  Not the return to Hard R glory I wanted, but what do you expect for the fifth film in a franchise?  Um, how 'bout Fast Five!  Bruce Willis travels to Mother Russia to retrieve his son from a whole heap of Cold War trouble.  Jai Courtney is actually pretty fantastic as the McClane offspring, and his relationship with Willis is far more entertaining than expected.  My real problem with the film are the lackluster action set pieces.  Other than an impossibly long car chase, there is very little to remember about this example of diminishing return.  And is John McClane really John McClane when he's sporting a chrome dome?  Not to me he isn't.

Warm Bodies:  Much better than it has any right to be, the film pretty much looses me as it crawls towards its climax.  But where can this sub-genre go once you've explored every horrific aspect?  It was bound to get the Twilight treatment and it succeeds thanks to the presence of "real" actors (you know, people than can emote) and a recognizable sense of loneliness.  Rob Corddry steals the show as Holt's zombie buddy and the film certainly could have benefitted with more of his zombie banter.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome:  The whole trilogy hit blu ray this week, but since I already have the first two the only one I'm really interested in acquiring is this flawed, but ambitious conclusion.  It's been at least a decade since I've seen this movie, and the plot details have pretty much faded.  I certainly remember Tina Turner and the revolting Master Blaster.  I remember that tribe of children from the poster.  And I remember the disappointment that Mad Max is just not as hardcore as he was in The Road Warrior.  But it's time for a revisit.

The Shadow:  Speaking of disappointments...The Shadow came out amongst a flurry of pulp hero adaptations (Dick Tracy, The Phantom, The Rocketeer) and it was easily the weakest of the bunch.  Alec Baldwin cuts a pretty fine Lamont Cranston, but his masked avenger could use a little work and definitely a better nose job.  PG doesn't work for the film either.  I'm not looking for an R Rated bloodbath, but The Shadow is a killer and he should act as such.  Think Batman filtered through gangster morality.   However, the real exciting thing about this blu ray release is the widescreen.  Every few years a new DVD would come out, but it would always be truncated into Full Screen.  Now we can see every inch of this mediocre adventure, and I'm genuinely excited.  Even a poor adaptation is worthy of some enthusiasm.

Earthquake:  My absolute favorite Disaster Film.  Growing up in San Diego, California I was always terrified the Earth would open up and swallow my home.  I only lived through a few minor quakes but they were enough to permanently scar my child brain.  Charlton Heston leads a cast of time-gone-by actors as well as a few bright, up & comers.  George Kennedy is the bee's knees as the tough guy cop brought to an emotional breakdown by mother nature.  Richard Roundtree is a meastro of the dirt bike, coming to the rescue of helpless kiddies everywhere.  But the real stars are the matte paintings and the crumbling Universal sets.  Brutal, heartbreaking devastation and only in a way that 70s Hollywood could do.  Roland Emmerich only wishes he could match this horror.

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry/Race With The Devil:  Shout Factory put out this brilliant double in standard def a few years back, but now we can take in all the 70s sleazy grime in beautiful 1080p.  Mary & Larry is fun enough, however, the real draw is the satanic road rage of Race With The Devil.  Starring Peter Fonda & Warren Oates as a couple of dirt bike champions (such a popular profession in the 70s), the two cool cats & their wives stumble upon a human sacrifice while dragging their winnebago across America.  RG Armstrong guest stars as a sheriff with a touch of the goat.  Directed by Jack Starrett after he ruled the exploitation world with Jim Brown's Slaughter, but before he co-starred in First Blood as the asshole cop Rambo rocked out of the helicopter.  Race With The Devil will mark an excellent addition to your Rosemary's Baby, Devil's Rain, Ninth Gate dvd shelf.

RENT!

Scum:  Starring an impossibly young Ray Winstone, Scum is a flick I've always wanted to see but have just never gotten around to.  Time to change that.  Director Alan Clarke originally crafted this story as a BBC play but it was banned before it ever aired.  When the regime changed they reshot the story with Ray Winstone in the lead and brutalized British society.  Apparently.  I can't tell you if it's great or not.  But I love Winstone.  And I love angry films.

--Brad

"Taco Time!" - New Machete Kills Trailer Looks Cheap & Stupid...I'm There.

The below international trailer for Machete Kills looks dirt cheap and kinda terrible.  Gone is the Grindhouse grit of the original wannabe, but Robert Rodriguez is cramming this B Movie with as many friends as he can - Danny Trejo! Antonio Banderas! William Sadler! Jessica Alba! Charlie Sheen! Mel Gibson! Amber Heard! Michelle Rodriguez! Lady Gaga!  The film can't pay well, so it must be super fun to be part of Rodriguez's DIY process.   The first film was no great exploitation film, but it had it's own special charm, and yeah, I wish Rodriguez was doing bigger & better projects but we're just gonna have to settle for silly, stupid fun.  Sheen - POTUS.  Yeah, ok.

--Brad

A Fistful of Road Rage! (Brad's Picks)

The Fast and The Furious franchise has to be one of the few cinematic endeavors in which each subsequent film gets better and better.  Sure, dumber and dumber too but dang!  Justin Lin knows how to string together some serious vehicular slaughter.  And when he added The Rock into that volatile mix of blood, bullets, & octane he hit upon something epically macho and utterly bro.  This series is a goof.  And I didn't start to pay attention until Mr. Johnson hopped on board, but as I've spent most of this past week prepping for Friday's Furious 6 release, I've found quite a bit of fun in the over-the-top absurdity of the Lin trilogy...soon to be quadrilogy!  To celebrate this mondo gonzo action saga, here are my top five favorite moments of Road Rage!

5.  Bonus Points (Death Race 2000):  Set in the far flung future of 2000 AD, the American government and the world's religions have crashed into each other forming The Bipartisan Party.  To keep the masses in line and glued to their television sets, The Party hosts an annual Transcontinental Road Race in which celebrity combatants like David Caradine's Frankenstein and Sylvester Stallone's Machine Gun Joe crash & smash their way to a gory finish line.  As much fun as it is to watch these gladiators go up against each other, the real hateful blood lust commentary comes from the Bonus Round.  Along the way if they hit innocent bystanders each driver is given a few extra points towards their victory.  Special Bonuses are awarded to dead children & the elderly.  Yes, before Grand Theft Auto there was Death Race 2000.  A real sick puppy, but funny as heck if you're blessed with a dark heart.

4. Open Season on the L.A. Freeway (L.A. Story):  Steve Martin's struggles in the land of weird are painful in their comedic attack, but no scene is as uncomfortable or as a accurate than the First Day of Spring in Los Angeles.  Martin's wacky weatherman with delusions of grandeur finds himself trapped on the LA Freeway, and his petty arguments must take a break for gunplay.  Thankfully he's got his revolver in the glove box and he can fend for himself as those around him discharge their hate upon his car.  Damn funny, but real sick humor.

3.  Popeye Doyle's Train Chase (The French Connection):  You can't talk about car chases without talking about the granddaddy of them all.  Gene Hackman's narcotics cop attempts to pursue a suspect after he's boarded the New York Subway.  The Detective nearly kills half a dozen people as he rams his Pontiac through garbage dumps and takes to sidewalks.  The brilliance is not the chase itself, but how it represents Doyle's reckless anger; all he has in life is the pursuit and it really doesn't matter what good or bad comes from it.

2.  Stuntman Mike's Collision Course (Death Proof):  As the second half of the ambitious Grindhouse, Death Proof is easily my least favorite entry in Quentin Tarantino's directorial canon (yes, that includes Four Rooms & that episode of CSI he helmed), but the one thing its got going for itself is that horrendous crackup at the center of the film.  While terrorizing Rose McGowan in the passenger seat, Kurt Russel's Stuntman Mike drives his tricked out death machine right into oncoming traffic.  His victim, the self centered Jungle Julia & her drunk cronies.  Tires go through faces, legs are ripped from windows, glass cuts through throats.  It is withoutadoubt the most graphic car crash ever put on screen. And it's essential viewing for driver's ed classes everywhere. Grisly, nasty stuff.

1.  Mad Max's Decoy (The Road Warrior):  You could easily snatch 6 or 7 great moments of road rage from this film or the original Mad Max, but the king daddy of tarmac warfare has to go to Lord Humungus' climactic tanker assault.  It is a breakneck chase, with Max behind the wheel attempting to swerve villains off the road and jamming his shotgun in their faces when they get to close to the bucket.  Director George Miller is a madman himself, putting his camera right up on the whiplashing action and at any moment the viewer feels like they too could plummet to their own road rashing death.

--Brad

Brad's Week In Dork! (7/22/12-7/28/12)

Holy No-Life, Batman!  With The Wife vacationing in the Outer Banks with the family and me stuck back in the daily routine of The Job, I spent every free moment watching movies and reading comics.  This time, when The Wife was away, I focused on that other Expendable action star Sylvester Stallone.  Of course, I knocked out my two favorite Rambos and my four favorite Rockys but I also consumed a few other favorites.  I didn't bother hunting down the few Sly flicks I have yet to see (F.I.S.T., Paradise Alley, D-Tox) or the films I really cannot stand (Driven, Stop or My Mom Will Shoot).  Instead I filled in the remaining gaps with a couple of other films I've been meaning to devour...and, of course! Another hit of The Dark Knight Rises.

MOVIES OF THE WEEK!

Batman - Under The Red Hood:  With The Joker's Robin beatdown, this flick earns its PG-13 rating right from the getgo. Bones crunch, blood splatters, a boy dies. And then you have the rest of the story. It's an action picture.  There's very little dialogue for the first half as the new Red Hood makes his play on Gotham's gangs. However, the appearances of distracting DC Universe characters like Amazo and even Ra's Al Ghul feels awkward in this noirish Gotham. It's a solid Bat-tale, but the real treat of the disc is the Joe Lansdale penned, Thomas Jane voiced, Jonah Hex short not-so-hidden as a special feature. In fifteen minutes it crushes and humiliates DC Animated's recent film adaptation.

Lockout:  "My old man was a big John Wayne fan." Guy Pearce puts on his best Snake Plisken voice for this John Carpenter wannabe, and despite a rather lackluster presentation, Lockout manages to entertain for those easily forgiving or desperate for try-hard 80s sci-fi action. We don't get a lot of movies like this these days, and even if we crave for Outlands and Escape From New Yorks sometimes we just have to settle for a Lockout. And Guy Pearce is fun.  After LA Confidential, there was a time when he could have been a true blue action lead. Definitely knows how to take and deliver punches.

Get The Gringo:  Ah, Mel Gibson. I wish you were not so damn crazy. Cuz as you get older and your craggily face gets more Lee Marvinized, there is a serious potential for you to take the Badass Mean Bastard roles that once belonged to Marvin, Charles Bronson, and Warren Oates. Get The Gringo never quite gets good, but there are hints of greatness when Gibson gets mean, shooting thugs in the back and tossing grenades indiscriminately. Hopefully his coming role in Machete Kills will take full advantage of this horrific nature.

First Blood:  "God Didn't Make Rambo..." Before it devolved into the action franchise explosionfest we came to know and love, First Blood was a brooding and sad saga of a Vietnam Vet drifting through the fringes of society. Wandering America in search of someone to share his trauma, John Rambo's unstoppable force meets Brian Dennehy's immovable object. All on account of a haircut, the small town, know-it-all sheriff pushes the disturbed soldier into a corner, unleashing years of kept rage. For all his Green Beret Medal of Honor kickassery, John Rambo yanks at the heartstrings during the fiery climax, and his final hate-filled scream speech puts a lump in the throat every time. First Blood remains one of my all time favorite films, and for those that think that Rambo is all crossbow & machine gun fire than they're not looking hard enough.

Cobra:  "Crime is a disease. Meet the cure." Sylvester Stallone is Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, head shooter for LA Law's zombie squad.  And when a cult of axe wielding biker goons start hacking and slashing the beautiful ladies Los Angeles it's up to The Italian Stallion to shoot first and ask questions later. Cobra is a perfect 80s action picture. Style over substance, blood over reason. Director George P. Cosmatos, a man responsible for several of my favorite genre classics (Of Unknown Origin, Leviathan, First Blood Part II, Tombstone), drenches the film in blood red 80s grime and delivers a badass and terrifying movie. Brian Thompson's Night Slasher still gives chills as he's sweating and sneering and spitting viscous venomous dialog--he's a monster! Too bad this never transformed into Sly's third franchise.

Rocky III:  Look. For me, the Rocky franchise doesn't even begin until the third film. Sure. Rocky 1 is some pretty good Oscar Bait, but Rocky 2 is a fairly boring rehash lacking any real kind of narrative direction despite the wannabe cameo acting of Joe Spinell. Rocky III, on the other hand, is where the glorious and insane decade that was the 1980s kicks off the Super Hero Blockbuster absurdity of rich boy Italian Stallion vs. the vile beast man, Clubber Lang aka Mr. "Pity The Fool!" T. When Rocky looses the title and mentor to the monster, he must turn to his drunk brother-in-law Paulie and his mortal enemy Apollo Creed to find the Eye of the Tiger and win back the heart of America. This is pure goofy joy entertainment and it's just a preview of the High Art that is Rocky IV.  To Be Continued...

District 9:  Neill Blomkamp takes an updated Alien Nation plot and delivers one of the best bits of sci-fi body horror allegory (you know, that tired old genre) ever produced. Sharlto Copley's Wikus Van De Merwe is a despicable, racist horror show that somehow transforms into an understandably tragic character. The CGI Prawns, especially proud papa Christopher Johnson, are easily my favorite aliens of the modern era. Not for the timid, as the climax races to its gory conclusion, bodies are exploding and popping all across Johannesburg as corporate soldiers of fortune go up against lightning guns and mech suits.

The Dark Knight Rises:  Went back for another round, but this time in pure glorious IMAX. And yeah, I highly recommend following suit in this format revolution. The six stories of massive James Bond action that opens the film is truly stunning; as the plane cracks open and Bane drops down the fuselage, I could not keep my jaw clamped. I only wish that every scene was shot in IMAX as the ratio switching was a little distracting.  But what do you think of the film, Brad? I definitely liked it more this time around. Again, it's hard to discuss without going into massive spoilers but I really dig the anti-Batman wrecking machine that is Tom Hardy's Bane and their physical battles are brutally and painfully epic in a very comic book kinda way. And there are at least three moments in the film that choke my geek heart with emotion. Yes, it's my least favorite of the three films but I do think it makes The Dark Knight an even better film and perfectly completes a Whole Batman story.  And calling it The Return of the Jedi of the series seems a little unfair.

The 39 Steps:  A humorous but often grim spy thriller from pre-Hollywood Alfred HItchcock, The 39 Steps is a classic wrong place, wrong time narrative in which Robert Donat's dashing Canadian flees England for Scotland after a female spy drops dead in his apartment. Chance encounters lead to deadly pursuits through fog soaked moors and the film is so dang charming with oddball bits of comedy peppered throughout the murderous shenanigans.

Rocky IV:  "If he dies, he dies." The most Epic entry in the franchise, Rocky IV pits the Italian Stallion against the towering Commie monster, Ivan Drago after his one-time nemesis Apollo Creed falls from Drago's iron fists. The film is busting at the seems with cartoonish 80s flourishes like Paulie's sweetheart robot and the earnest rock n roll montages but the tragic Las Vegas bout at the center of the film gives Rocky IV a genuine core of thrilling emotion. And the climactic East meets West battle is easily the most punishing and thrilling bout of the series.  You cannot think 1980s action without thinking of Rocky IV.  A classic.

Demolition Man:  "What's Your Boggle!" Sylvester Stallone's loose cannon cop (is there any other kind?) is wrongfully convicted of the manslaughter of a dozen hostages after Wesley Snipes's demented psychopath (is there any other kind?) drops a building on their heads. Sentenced to a cryo-prison, the two leads awaken in the very "Be Well" year of 2032 to discover a future of Taco Bells, mini-tunes, and seashells. Demolition Man is a goofy but fun, barely sci-fi action flick in which both Sly & Snipes deliver high octane performances with great heaps of scream acting. Sandra Bullock tags along as the yesteryear obsessed rookie cop, and it is kinda adorable how she squeals at Sly's brutish profanity and need for toilet paper. Demolition Man is pretty much the last hurrah of Sly's 80s action status, and Snipes seems more comfortable as the villain (and blonde) than he's ever been as a hero...not counting Blade 2 or Passenger 57.

Cliffhanger:  There really is nothing special about Renny Harlin's Cliffhanger other than the fact that it struggles to hold onto the the long gone hard R action esthetic of the 80s. But sometimes that's just enough for me to appreciate a time killer flick. Stallone is given plenty of opportunities to dispatch villainy using nameless terrorists as human sleds and bench press practice--watch out for those stalactites! Michael Rooker makes for a good sidekick, but he doesn't get the kills he deserves. John Lithgow reaches into his bag of Big Bad accents for a ridiculous turn as the sneering Eric Qualen, and his final helicopter boxing match with Stallone is cheery nonsense. Cliffhanger is fun but ultimately forgettable.

Rocky Balboa:  The Rocky franchise is Sylvester Stallone. He's directed four of the films and written all six. He's poured his soul into the character; he could never let the champ go even when he lacked narrative drive.  But he sends ol' Rock out on a glorious emotional high note. Parts III & IV are rip-roaring adventures in 80s iconography but the final Rocky Balboa returns to the pain and the heart experienced by the struggling athlete of the original. His true love has passed, all that Rocky has is his depressed boozer brother-in-law and his fame embarrassed son. He spends his days telling war stories to the diners at his restaurant and dreaming of his Once Upon A Time glory. When a CNN stunt expose draws him back into the ring, Rocky rediscovers his purpose as well as his family. Rocky Balboa is a shockingly emotional end to a sports saga I hold dear to my heart, which frankly, is amazing to discover for this wimpy film nerd.

Rambo:  The last fifteen minutes of the fourth Rambo installment is a kill crazy rampage of shocking brutality and copious gouts of gore that still managed to stun this audience member well onto his sixth viewing. And I love that it took Sylvester Stallone as director to bring the franchise to these epic levels of violence. It's easily the most simplistic entry in the saga; Rambo must venture into the dark heart of Burma to rescue some naive missionaries. That's it. Bing. Bang. WHA-BOOM! Stallone doesn't quite pluck the heartstrings in the same fashion as he did with his return to Rocky, but he does bring the character to a satisfying end. Sure, I want to see a fifth film where Rambo's rampaging through the U.S. or Mexico but if I'm left with Rambo butchering an army of genocidal maniacs? I'm happy. First Blood is a masterpiece, Rambo (IV) is just brilliant Grand Guigonol.

COMICS OF THE WEEK!

Richard Stark's Parker - The Score:  "Parker Had No Weapons On Him But His Hands..." After the brilliance of his Hunter & Outfit adaptations, I was not quite sure how Darwyn Cooke's take on The Score would pan out. The first two stories are mean, angry bits of brutality fueled by Parker's personal grudge against The Organization. The Score on the other hand is motivated by Parker's boredom and introduces a variety of crooks into the narrative, including the semi-humorous thief with a heart of gold, Grofield. But Cooke keeps the focus on the Copper Canyon heist, and his adaptation breezes by as a sweet score turns explosive. The Score is probably my least favorite of the three Parker adaptations but it's quick & punchy and our favorite professional shines in the business of the crime. The back of the book promises another story in 2013 and I cannot wait to see Cooke take Parker through The Handle.

Ragemoor #4: The saga of the living castle concludes! The origin of Ragemoor is explored thanks to some mad Bodrick ramblings, and Master Herbert refuses to hear the horror as he chases his revenge against the Poacher turned Bug Man, Tristano. Jan Strnad & Richard Corben deliver a beautifully gross love letter to Lovecraft & William Hope Hodgson and I’m sad to see it end. 4 issues was just not enough to fuel my thirst for skull headed baboons and human-bug birthing chambers.

X-O Manowar #3: Aric of Dacia has taken possession of the Armor of Shanhara! Time for endless green laser blasts and equally endless cockroach alien explosions! I love the concept of Conan The Barbarian meets a holy Iron Man; my only complaint is that the story rushes to put the characters into the modern era. Sure, sure, sure I guess we have to follow the pattern of the original 90s comic book but I would have much preferred to keep Aric rooted in history-taking that Manowar armor to Rome’s inevitable devestation. Still, curious to see how this time hopping business plays out.  And I hear Ninjak is coming....

Space Punisher #1: This is just silly. Set in an alternate Marvel Universe where Frank Castle pilots a starship across the galaxy looking for the “intergalactic mafia” responsible for his family’s murder, Space Punisher offers plenty of chuckles as our hero tortures a race of Venom-wrapped Brood baddies and vaporizes the Space Rhino. Look for guest spots from Cyclops’ daddy Corsair as well as barflys Thanos, Annialus, and Boba Fett. I don’t know if I could call this comic “good” but I’m gonna keep buying it cuz it’s just super silly and I dig the serious painterly style of artist Mark Texeira. And don’t forget, “In Space No One Can Hear You Die!”

Fatima – The Blood Spinners #2: Gilbert Hernandez gives us a little more plot and backstory with the second issue, but I’m less wrapped up in the story as I am in the horrifically ugly art—that’s not a negative! Almost every panel offers some new cringing horror and as Fatima puts her faith & heart into the hands of dreamboat Jody there is some seriously creepy foreboding in progress. The final two pages radically jump the story forward and I’m deeply curious as to where Hernandez is taking this freak show. But why do I always think of Futurama when reading this book?

Bloodshot #1: What I got from this latest Valiant reboot is that I have no memory of the orginal book. Crime writer Duane Swierczynski transforms Bloodshot into a tragic Source Code-esque hero with plenty of hyper real terrorist/government conspiracy mumbo jumbo and I’m not sure that I’m down with the story just yet, but thankfully I dig the strainy veiny bloody art of Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi. I’m moving forward with this book but it fails to grab me in the same fashion that X-O Manowar did.

BPRD Hell on Earth – Exorcism:  Dang, I really dug this quick two-parter.  Much more than The Devil's Engine mini.  Agent Strode & the old man Ota go toe to toe with the demon and it’s a riveting battle that reaches from inner space to outer goat.  Mignola & Stewart have established a strong character in Strode and I’m excited by the letter page promise of her return in further BPRD adventures.

Hit-Girl #2: More of the same. I’m seriously only buying this book for John Romita Jr’s violent art. I just can’t muster up the energy to care for Mindy’s middle school plight or Kick-Ass’s super hero skill building. Especially knowing that this book takes place before Kick-Ass 2; what possible revelations could we be in store for?

Eternity: I know nothing about Kid Eternity. My comic shop said they dug this one-shot so I gave it a go. It’s alright, I guess. Basically, this kid coroner has the ability to reach into the spirit world and communicate with the dead. He solves crimes this way. And then the story ends on a cliffhanger. But will there be more? Maybe. Meh, I say.

Winter Soldier #8: I remember when I thought Ed Brubaker’s Captain America was the best book on the stands. But that feels like a long time ago. Sure, Winter Soldier is definitely better than what’s going on in the Cap book right now, but it still pales in comparison to Bru's former glory. The latest issue sees Black Widow brainwashed by the Sleeper Agent. And she’s doing ballet for some reason. Ok. But I want this book to be great. Brubaker, yer writing the best book on the stands right now (Fatale for those not in the know) and Winter Soldier deserves better than this.

Batman Incorporated #1: Holy Bat-Cow! I enjoyed the hell outta this first issue! Grant Morrison is rocking my world with his Batman saga. Thank you, sir! The first issue in the New 52 universe pretty much picks up just where Morrison’s last Batman Inc book left off. Talia Al Ghul’s terrorist organization, Leviathan has put out a hit on Robin The Boy Wonder and every mook in Gotham is gunning for the brat. The first issue focuses on a tangle with the sniper Goat Boy and his band of goat masked henchman as they butcher their way through a slaughterhouse. Chris Burnham’s art is beautifully grotesque (hmmmm, that must be my fetish now cuz I’m fascinated with gross and violent art these days…sicko) and the scene in which Robin slides through a pool of cow’s blood was at once nauseatingly disgusting and utterly badass. I am so excited to see where this book takes Batman. I’m guessing down some seriously demented corridors.

Batman Incorporated #2: The second issue pretty much focuses on the life of Talia Al Ghul: her relationship with her father, The Demon’s Head and her eventual takeover of his evil organization. Not quite the mindblowing action-fest that was the first issue but I seriously appreciate the rage and determination on display from the mother of Bruce Wayne’s child. Again, Morrison’s Batman has been one twisted journey. Now, can DC release the third book already!

The Sixth Gun Volume 3 - Bound:  The third volume in Cullen Bunn's weird Western is mostly setup, and it's a disappointing revelation when you reach the last page and there's a dozen new unanswered questions. But that's also a kinda fantastic problem to have. The Agents of General Hume attempt to rob Becky & Drake from their ancient weapons as Gord tries another act of revenge against those responsible for his family's murder. And it all has something to do with the mummy Asher Cobb and the badass priests known as The Sword of Abraham. But don't worry, the golem Billjohn is waiting in the wings to wreak a muddy punishment. The Sixth Gun remains one of the most fun books on the stands and I can no longer wait for trades to hit the bookshelves, time to dive into the singles.  

Saga #1-5:  Brian K Vaughan's Y The Last Man, Ex Machina, and Runaways are some of my very favorite modern comics.  So the promise of another epic but one rooted firmly in the sci-fi genre is quite exciting.  But the seemingly Romeo & Juliet conflict between the Wreaths & the Landfalls and the rather boring title kept me from diving in despite all my comic book buddies screaming at me to READ THIS BOOK.  Well, they were right.  It took the first two issues, but by the third I was hooked.  Vaughan seems to relish in profanity, nudity, and gore but once you and he get used to the flavor of the title, the fringe details like The Will assassin, his ex-lover The Stalk, and the TV Headed Prince will keep you flipping pages.  Vaughan has dabbled in some of these ideas before, but it's exciting to think where he will take this epic and when the climax of issue five pulls a very Robert Kirkmanesque character dispatch there's a promise of more shocking future discoveries.  

--Brad