Reviews of books, comics, movies, and other random stuff.

Say What?: Superman Returns Edition

"Well, it didn't suck... It would take all the combined good parts of Elektra, Batman and Robin, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze to equal half of Superman Returns, but Superman Returns would have to be twice as rad to equal The Incredibles or Spider-Man 2."--David Campbell, Off-topic: The Official Dave's Longbox Review of Superman Returns - Like You Care"Screw the fact THE INCREDIBLES is a cartoon, give me a story that's better than that, because animated or not, THE INCREDIBLES is the new gold standard for superhero movies. SUPERMAN RETURNS was in live-action (partially)…

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COMMENT: Ebert on Superman Returns

Like Fantastic Four last summer, I feel no sense of urgency about seeing Superman Returns this weekend, if at all, unimpressed by the various trailers I've seen or glowing (yet often awkwardly vague, and not in the "avoiding spoilers" sense) reviews I've read -- but haven't really been able to put my finger on why, other than never having been a fan of the character and not agreeing with the primary casting choices.I certainly enjoyed the first two movies -- and I have particularly fond memories of the "You'll Believe A Man Can Fly!" angle for the first one, because…

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CBC Quickees: Public Enema and more…

It's been a long time between reviews, yes? Between the revamp here and PopCultureShock's server crapping out for almost a week, I skipped my Pull List Propaganda column this month and the pile is growing again. I'm saving the TPBs -- including Bluesman Vol. 1 & 2 and East Coast Rising -- for next month's column, but here's six quickees for your consideration.Thunderbolts #103 (Marvel, $2.99): The first Civil War tie-in I've read so far and it was actually better than the main event itself, which is really just a series of "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if...?" moments Mark…

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CONTEST: BOOM! Sampler Winner

"If winning Wizard's award for Best New Publisher didn't make them front and center of your buy pile, maybe my pleas will.You need to buy their books. One visit to the website will show this isn't some normal run-of-the-mill I have friends in comics operation. They're one of the few remaining operations that gives me hope for comics not heading down the same stale path as today's movies.Alright, I give up. They aren't the best new publisher in years. I just can't name another one that's better..."Congratulations to Rob of The Definite Maybe for his winning entry in our BOOM!…

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Crystal Ball: September 2006 Solicitations, Part I

Support GOOD Comics! Pre-order something new EVERY month. My monthly look at select comic books being solicited for release in September 2006. The full solicitations for DC, Marvel and Image are available at Comic Book Resources. Dark Horse's solicitations are available at Comics Continuum. Independent publishers will follow in a separate post. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your local comic book shop (LCBS) offers a pre-ordering service, download a convenient order form from Diamond and be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]…

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On the Shelves: 6/21/06

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 6/21/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK Fallen Angel #6APE ENTERTAINMENT Black Coat Call To Arms #3 (Of 4), $2.99 So much better than a black-and-white period piece with a throwback storytelling sensibility has any right to be, I can't…

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