Boulder

That's great, thank you!

I'm approaching Starrcade 2000 in my WCW diary, and the main event is set - Goldberg versus Booker T. If I could get a banner made up for my sig and to use in the actual show post, that would be great. Just a couple of things to consider:

Goldberg's the champ (not that it really matters, the belt doesn't need to be in the picture)

Booker T had short hair at the time, no dreadlocks.

Thanks so much!

Outside the box prediction: in the series finale, Walt is elected president and immediately repeals healthcare reform.

Joe Kubert has passed away.

It's been a rough year-plus for comic book legends (Joe Simon, Jerry Robinson, Mick Anglo, Moebius, Tony DeZuniga), and it's a shame- these are the guys who really helped make the medium what it is, and with every one lost, the comic book industry loses touch with its past a bit more.

I dont know what that is. Will it spoil Avengers vs. X-Men if I look it up?

It really shouldn't, but in broader strokes it might (such as seeing which characters live through the event, for instance). I'm super excited for Marvel NOW!, if only because of the strength of the creative teams. When it comes to guys like Hickman, Gillen, Remender, and Aaron, I'll try (and if history is any indication, love) anything they write.

League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 2009 is fantastic. Some brilliant sight gags and cameos (Malcolm Tucker!), and a suitably bonkers, but great end to the main series, while potentially leaving it open for a sequel. It's not the strongest part of the series, and obviously the time period doesn't lend itself to imaginative fiction quite as well as previous installments, but it was a lot of fun. A shame there wasn't more Black Dossier-style messing with the genre and whatnot, but it's well worth a read either way. Can't wait for the spin-offs now!

And, as a result of finishing that, and still on an Alan Moore kick, I re-read V For Vendetta for the first time in years. Absolutely brilliant stuff, well worth revisiting. Insane to think it was written in the early '80s.

I finally got around to reading this yesterday. I really liked it, but I'll spoiler-tag my specific thoughts (and some misgivings):

Again, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Orlando's discovery of Allan Quatermain was shocking and brilliant- in fact, everything with Quatermain was brilliant. He may not have had a huge role in the book, but his death scene, especially, was wonderfully memorable and heroic. The last page of the book (or the comic section, at least) was possibly my favorite page of the entire thing- a graveyard filled with the "African" legends of white fiction, while Mufasa watches down? Wonderfully sentimental and wry at the same time. I also loved the scene where Mina and Orlando investigate the school, intersparsed with panels of the anti-christ's rampage. And of course, "Minions of the Moon" was terrific.

My criticisms center around the final battle, and some of the characterizations in it. I've never read any of the Harry Potter books (I saw the first movie in theaters, but that was, what, eleven years ago?), but of course, just living in the western world I know the main characters and their relationships. Is there any precursor in the books to the madness the anti-christ experiences at the end? I understand the reasons for it textually (he was forced into the evil position unwillingly) and legally (can't exactly have Harry Potter as Harry Potter taking his dick out and jizzing magic), but I still found it a bit anti-climactic when the enemy was really in no way recognizable as Potter. Is there a possible explanation for this beyond the obvious?

On a similar note, the Mary-Poppins-as-God thing was a bit surprising. Again, I've never read the original novel, but is that allusion present there? Has it popped up over the years? I've heard about a Neil Gaiman story that references a Mary Poppins book where she's Jesus's nanny, but I'd imagine there has to be more to it than that.

Still, all things considered, a great book with great art. A solid 7.5-8 out of 10, IMO.

Batman is the best book DC is putting out, don't regret picking it up. I'd say avoid Justice League, although I am enjoying the recent SHAZAM backup. Justice League International is good, but it's ending in two months so no point in jumping on now. A lot of "The Dark" books are good- I enjoy Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Frankenstein. Action Comics is another big thumbs-up.

I was curious about Frankenstein myself but never heard a good or bad thing about it. Until now.

I like it a lot. It's pretty strange, but that's to be expected. The writing duties switched from Jeff Lemire to Matt Kindt with issue #10, but apparently Kindt has has a hand in things from the beginning, so it shouldn't prove to be too jarring. Also, the art by Alberto Ponticelli is fantastically offbeat.

Batman is the best book DC is putting out, don't regret picking it up. I'd say avoid Justice League, although I am enjoying the recent SHAZAM backup. Justice League International is good, but it's ending in two months so no point in jumping on now. A lot of "The Dark" books are good- I enjoy Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Frankenstein. Action Comics is another big thumbs-up.

Did anybody pick up (or even check out) Dinosaurs vs. Aliens? I was pretty stoked for it, considering it's Grant Morrison (and dinosaurs), but when I got to the store, I saw it was really short (like, maybe 40 pages not including the sketches and script extras at the end) for $20, and also said "End Part 1" at the end. Considering LoEG is twice the length for half the price, I made that my only OGN purchase.

AMC has the highest-rated show on cable and more Emmys than they know what to do with. They're a player.

Quite honestly, I think AMC is shitting themselves right now. With Breaking Bad coming to an end, Mad Men coming to an end soon (right?), they have nothing really left besides Walking Dead. Sure, Hell on Wheels is there, as is The Killing, but the three previously stated shows were their main shows that brought in tons of people. It's possible Hell on Wheels will end up being a bigger deal than it is right now, or AMC manages to find another breakout hit to carry their network when Breaking Bad and presumably Mad Men ends next year.

I think AMC will be fine. The Walking Dead is just getting started, and the truth is, neither Breaking Bad nor Mad Men are in it's league in terms of ratings. BB and MM have given AMC legitimacy as a place for first-run television, to the point where it's nearly on par with HBO or Showtime. Even when they end, the network's reputation will still be super-strong, and new critical hits are sure to follow.

Yes. It's a fun book. Not one of my absolute favorites, but I enjoy it. I like Bendis's other Avengers books as well, but it's nice that there's one that's not so deeply tied in to the happenings of the rest of the Marvel Universe. Also, Guardians of the Galaxy!

I was initially planning on picking them up, but then I realized I didn't want to read it more than I wanted to read it. That sounds weird, but to me, the moral issues outweighed my desire to see the Watchmen doing more Watchmen stuff (which is pretty much how DC solicited it- they certainly didn't give any indication as to what the stories would be about)- as opposed to say, The Avengers, which was also a bit of a quagmire given the Kirby family's compensation, but I really wanted to see.

I liked both episodes a lot, and this is coming from someone who thought the 2011 group was a big disappointment. The Ben episode was funny and appropriately heartfelt (or sappy, I guess- your mileage may vary), and the 3012 episode was Fry/Leela-centric, so of course I liked it. Looking forward to next week.

Angel & Faith is bloody fantastic though. They've nailed the characters voices perfectly and the story could've easily been a season of the TV show and it definitely would've been better than Season 4 of Angel.

Christos Gage is an amazing writer. You should really pick up the first trade of Avengers Academy and see what you think.

Yeah, I think my overall interest in DC has increased. I'm still really enjoying Batman, Action Comics, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Frankenstein, while books like Aquaman, JLI, and All-Star Western are a lot of fun, if not necessarily classics in the making. I mean, before the reboot, I wasn't super enthusiastic about much at DC, outside of Secret Six and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

I'm thinking that the reason for the break in season five is so that Walt can get cancer again- it's the sort of thing that needs to be followed by a break to really sink in, and I so I was kind of surprised season four didn't go that route. The announcement of the break makes perfect sense to me, and gives them the perfect opportunity to do it.

>_<

Sorry, edited.

Some crazy mixture of skill and personal preference:

1. Johnny Cash

2. Otis Redding

3. Rob Halford

4. Prince

5. Smokey Robinson

6. Ozzy Osbourne

7. Rod Stewart

8. Phil Collins

9. Elton John

10. Tina Turner

I picked up a decent amount of DC's books this week and I have to say, Animal Man was the best of the bunch. Awesome story, the art was great, and freaky as hell. It's way more of a horror book than a superhero book at this point, and it's definitely worth a look.

Bee Girl grew up hot:

http://www.myspace.com/35345566

On that note, I loved Jesse's expression in the season premiere when Gus killed Victor. He was just so outraged that someone could take a life so callously, especially when there were other options. It was really a fantastic performance.

Anyone read The Boys? I love Ennis' work on Punisher MAX and Preacher, but I've heard mixed things about The Boys.

The Boys is great. I feel like it's better-structured than Preacher, and probably the most in-depth "world" that Ennis has created (it actually reminds me of Watchmen a bit in that sense). Also, the recent arcs have gotten deadly serious, even a bit frightening, and the quality's been every bit as high.

As for the DC reboot, I'm largely against it, and I feel like I'll be picking up fewer DC books in September than I am now. Although rumor has it Grant Morrison is writing Action Comics, and that would be fantastic. I guess we'll find out about that tomorrow. I do think people are jumping the gun on Batgirl- I wouldn't be surprised if she's kept disabled but the suit lets her move, or something M.A.N.T.I.S.-like. I trust Gail Simone to handle it properly.

For Fantastic Four, start with Dark Reign: Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, then jump on the main series with Hickman's first issue, #570.

All-Star Superman