CBC INFO: Ch-ch-ch-changes…

Just a little heads-up on some changes afoot here at CBC. Most significant, in terms of content, is that I will no longer be posting current reviews, including ménage à trois, or interviews here. The Editor is a megalomaniacal control freak who insists on...Oh, wait, wrong site! I'm the Editor here!Seriously, though, last week I signed on with the recently re-launched Buzzscope.com - f/k/a PopCultureShock.com - one of my favorite comics sites that's home to some of the funniest, enlightening, and insightful columns on the internet. They also publish weekly reviews to which I'll be contributing my fair share, starting…

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REVIEW: Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker #2

All-ages fantasy stories are apparently the new zombies, and Alias seems to be trying to corner the market, making a splash with a trio of mini-series -- Lullaby; Lions, Tigers and Bears; The Imaginaries -- squarely targeted at the sub-genre. Cleverly promoted with the high-concept blurb "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Shrek," creator/artist Hector Sevilla has combined an engaging cast of familiar characters from the best of children's literature -- Alice, Jim Hawkins, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood and the Pied Piper, among others -- and thrown them into a world where magic has gone awry and "a big, bad…

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REVIEW: Batgirl #63

Post-"War Games", writer Andersen Gabrych is slowly but surely turning Batgirl into the most satisfying Bat-book not named Gotham Central. Freed from the angst-ridden constraints of patrolling the streets of Gotham City in Batman's shadow -- and to a lesser degree, Oracle's -- Batgirl is on her own, relocating to the mean streets of Blüdhaven and carving her own niche out of one of the darker alleys of the DC Universe. After ruining the also-relocated Penguin's arms deal by taking down the Brotherhood of Evil last issue, this time around he raises the stakes, bringing in Deathstroke to take her…

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Review: Red Sonja #0

Damn Kurt Busiek and his unexpectedly enjoyable revitalization of Conan! If not for him, I wouldn't have taken a chance on Red Sonja, a comic book I was pretty sure I wouldn't like from the minute I first saw its Greg Land cover. The easy thing would be to simply say you get what you pay for and move on, but I like to do things the hard way and will figure how to belabor the obvious in as interesting a manner as possible. Cheesecake aside -- and this comic is pure cheesecake with a faux-gritty graham cracker frosting --…

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REVIEW: The Losers #23

Most mainstream comic books these days ride a rickety wooden roller coaster throughout their ever-shortening life spans, offering an uneven mix of definitive and forgettable story arcs before inevitably being rebooted by some flavor-of-the-month talent in the kind of short-term thinking that brought down corporations like Enron and Worldcom. Then there are comic books like The Losers, defined by a singular creative vision that, hopefully, is allowed to carry through to its organic conclusion and then able to rest in peace. Typically, though, these types of comics die on the vine, languishing in obscurity as they are ignored by the…

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REVIEW: 15 Minutes #3

"In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." In this era of 24-hour news channels and Reality TV, Andy Warhol's prophetic quote has practically come true. Why should superheroes be any different?That's the angle Bob Elinskas comes from with 15 Minutes, an appealing combination of Troy Hickman's Eisner-nominated Common Grounds and Marvel's Great Lakes Avengers played straight, featuring poignant snapshots of D-list superheroes and villains, as told through the eyes of the everyday civilians whose lives they affect. While the basic premise isn't terribly original, the execution is near-perfect as Elinskas packs more emotional subtext into each…

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Free Trade Guerrilla: Queer Eye for the Meta Guy

With this...I say "THANKS!" to Brandon and anyone else associated with Superman Returns for throwing two strikes on this movie before it even hits the editing room! Somebody invest in some foam! Hire BALCO and hook him up with some Cream and Clear. Someone up the CGI budget, please.Do something. Anything!Physique issues aside, the trademark S is looking more like an Izod Lacoste logo than the symbol for Truth, Justice and the American Way. And what up with the name buckle, bro? That shit went out with Freestyle and skinny ties!The color palette is also distinctly brand Eecch! (Cool points…

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