Marvel Animation brings Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man swinging our way in Jan 2025 on Disney+

I'm a huge Spider-Man fan with an attachment and love for the character that spans decades. From the classic animated series to the upcoming Disney+ show, I've loved watching Spider-Man's journey. The new animation style has a similar feel to 'What If,' and I'm looking forward to the show's creative take on the character. How do you think Marvel is doing? Ready for the Fantastic Four film? In the famous words of Stan Lee, “Excelsior!”

Lots of easter eggs and I'm expecting more once we get closer to release date and a new trailer is released.

Winter Soldier...Fun Film, Great Cinematography

Winter Soldier...Fun Film, Great Cinematography

Hey guys, just got back from seeing the new Captain America: Winter Soldier film and I have to say, what an experience. We made the decision to see this in IMAX and really get a grand scale look at the action...completely the best option.

Instead of a normal, paint by the numbers review of Captain America: Winter Soldier I thought I would compliment and highlight the look from a different perspective....visuals.

When I say visuals I mean Cinematography. Cinematography is really a fine art in filmmaking that sometimes is ignored. It really can enhance the viewing experience. Making the background more interesting, creating a full visual experience. Camera movements that create a flow and keep the story progressing, even though nothing, possibly is being said at the time.

In my later years, especially the filmmaking ones, I have really realized the difference between a good film and a great film is not just the story, its so much more. We, the viewer can be sucked into the film with motion, action, tension and even shakiness of camera work and set design. The little details are what can elevate a film. (Keep in mind, this is just my opinion...right or wrong in yours)

Ok, so Winter Soldier will probably never be revered as a filmmaking masterpiece but you what? Why not?? Because its a comic book film? I can honestly say that I felt captivated throughout the entire movie. So much effort was taken into each shot, keeping things moving, working or interesting not just as a focal point. The background design was flawless. The camera movements, while some may say "Unmotivated", really worked to this movies impact.

Hard to believe, I'm looking at a Marvel film with such an open eye, congratulating them on a job well done with everything but the story. The story was great. Great acting, great characters and this, above every other Marvel film I've seen to date, is now at the top of my list. This is why I'm a comic book fan, this is why I love seeing the comics I loved as a child now on screen and this is why I love making movies.

Will the purists love it? No idea...but I had a blast. Hail Hydra!!

Dimension's City Stomping Double Issue Godzilla Review!!

Originally, I set out to write about Issue #1, but having the first 2 issues within my grasp, I decided to go for the “Dimension’s City Stomping Double Issue Godzilla Review”…ok, maybe I should rethink the title…not exactly a winner.

I am a HUGE Godzilla nerd, in fact, I’m a HUGE Daikaiju (Giant Monster) film nut, I always have been. In order to not show how obsessed I really am, let’s just talk Godzilla comics. Now, for years Godzilla has found a home in comics through Marvel and Dark Horse comics…and quite honestly, in my opinion, they were never really that good. Being a fan of Godzilla, yes even sitting through the American version (insert moan and groan) and the Hanna Barbera "Godzooky" show, I always felt that just seeing Godzilla destroy cities and fight second rate foes was, underwhelming. The main reason, for me, at least was the lack of real, serious threatening Godzilla foes...like King Ghidorah, Mothra...even Rodan.

 Dealing with TOHO has got to be tough, but somehow, IDW Publishing pulled it off. IDW Publishing, who I always think did the Angel series some justice but really did some amazing stuff with the Transformers series. Plus, they released 30 Days of Nights, GI Joe and a few others...visit http://www.idwpublishing.com/ for more info on all the titles! The newest Godzilla comic book series promises to be FULL our favorite Godzilla foe.

So let’s dive in to the review:

Godzilla – Kingdom of Monsters #1

Written by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh

Artwork – Phil Hester

For the premier issue, IDW decided to reboot the Godzilla storyline that we are all so familiar with. I actually like this choice; it allows the writers to put certain twists on the Legend of Godzilla. So far we, for the 1st issue, see children being eaten (always brings a smile to my face…haha…my Therapist isn’t a fan), Japan dropping Nuclear weapons on the “Big G” causing Godzilla to now have Atomic breath and plenty of the line “You have got to be F&*King kidding me”.

Big fan so far…slow paced, the Godzilla (for other nerds wondering) is based on the Millennium Godzilla and his is drawn: Fierce. Like I said, so far so good…obviously the further we get into a story, the more we will see how the opening holds up.

Grade B+ - I really enjoyed the fast pace, the look of Godzilla and the surrounding story. The panic and the reboot I am really hopeful for.

 

Smart Moves!! - The Marketing by IDW for Issue #1 was amazing. They released an offer to retailers that, if the retailer purchased 500 copies of Issue #1, they would give that retailer an EXCLUSIVE variant cover with Godzilla squashing their retail location. Now, my opinion, the timing for this was great....they planned this around Free Comic Book Day allowing retailers, if they desired to hand these out as an advertisement. IDW in the process released over a Whopping 100 Variant covers!! Go collectors get those...haha..plus, IDW added to the print run of an additional 37,000 issues to be out there. Extremely smart marketing on IDW's part. I know, for a FACT, if I still had my retail store...I would have been all over this one!

 

 

Issue #2

Ok, now we are getting somewhere...This issue we see Godzilla getting governments all over the world, very nervous...but that's not it...we also see the arrival of Rodan and Anguirus. Rodan is hatched out of an egg from a Russian museum and Anguirus rolls (literally) through Mexico! The story is more action based so far...we see a comical Father of the children from issue #1 becoming a human bomb, who launches himself at Godzilla...only to come off more like a small firecracker...Who else will show up?? How can they stop the Attack of the Monsters??? Gotta keep grabbing them to find out!

Grade B+ - if you are waiting for an A, keep waiting until we see some Monster on Monster destruction. So far so good...I would recommend it...but I think the story is gonna need to pick up shortly.



Tomb of Terror - Marvel's One Shot - Any Good? ....Read on True Believers

TOMB OF TERROR #1 (One-Shot) 

STORY: “Descent of The Beast” (Man-Thing), by Paul Hornschemeier. “Silence” (Son of Satan), by Rob Williams. “The Cure” (Werewolf By Night), by Joe Pruett. “The Heist” (The Living Mummy), by Joe R. Lansdale. 

ART: Man-Thing, by Mark Texeira. Son of Satan, by Pablo Peppino. Werewolf By Night, by Jordan Raskin. Living Mummy, by Giuseppe Camuncoli. 

PUBLISHER: Marvel. 

REVIEW:  Mark Mackner

Greetings, ghouls and ghosts, guys and gals! OK, so maybe there aren’t any actual gals reading, but let me just cling to my fantasy, will you? It’s these little illusions that keep us going sometimes, you know? Anyway, Tis I, Poptards’ resident Spider-Man scholar MARK MACKNER with a review of Marvel’s Halloween spook-tacular, TOMB OF TERROR!!!! 

And who better to consult about HORROR COMICS than life-long comic geek and horror film luminary MARK MACKNER, eh? No one, that’s who. I knows my comics and I knows my horror. Two of my most intense passions, truly. I pick up Marvel and DC’s Halloween offerings every year, and I really do look forward to them. Halloween is just a more fitting holiday to celebrate in comics, when compared to the others, with their messages of peace, joy, and togetherness. 

 

So how does Marvel’s new TOMB OF TERROR rank among past Halloween offerings from the Big Two? Well, usually, they go the humor route, with DC’s entry last year serving up several of their big heroes in a mostly light-hearted take on All Hallow’s Eve. And a few years back, Marvel had their wonderful MARVEL MEANS MONSTERS series of one-shots, featuring the likes of FIN FANG FOOM, DEVIL DINOSAUR, and other monstrous Marvel creations not seen since the glory days of TALES OF SUSPENSE and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY. But, again. Those were all fun and games, though I kinda wish they would go that route every year. Really, Marvel. We deserve a FIN FANG FOUR adventure once a year. I can’t be the only one who’d love to see that. 

But this time, with TOMB OF TERROR, they’re really getting dark and gritty. HOW dark and gritty? Well, it’s actual HORROR this time, folks. Presented in glorious BLACK & WHITE, just like the recently resurrected CREEPY. So, yeah. Totally different mood here. No jokes. No irony. Just a straight up, old-school horror comic. People get ripped in half, infant triplets are murdered, werewolves eat hikers. Hey, I’ll take it! It’s a classic formula, the horror comic anthology. I don’t get these too often, so it’s a fun holiday treat. 

The first story, DESCENT OF THE BEAST, starring MAN-THING, is told mostly as an internal monologue. Man-Thing has been granted a brief period of consciousness as a human by Dr. Strange, and we catch him as he heads back into the swamp, preparing to become a monster once again. Some rednecks are chasing a black man, and Man-Thing interjects. 

Up next is SON OF SATAN in SILENCE. Yes, you read right. SON OF SATAN!!!! How long has it been since you’ve seen THIS character? Just the fact that it’s a Son of Satan story is cool enough, but let’s not go handing out free passes just yet. Here, Daimon Hellstrom visits the son of an astronaut who mysteriously vanished during re-entry after a space mission decades ago. The other astronauts were still in the shuttle, brutally murdered. The astronaut’s son is driven to commit evil acts by voices in his head. Is it his father? Or Daimon’s father, SATAN???? 

That’s followed by WEREWOLF BY NIGHT in THE CURE. Our hero, JACK RUSSELL (Yup, that’s WBN’s actual name) is investigating the brutal murder of two hikers in the woods. He’s attacked by another werewolf, and is taken in by an old Native American man who lives out there. This is my favorite out of the bunch. First, it’s a monster story. Second, it expands on the werewolf mythology (If one kills another, the curse is lifted), and third, it had a neat twist ending. Not bad for 10 pages. 

Rounding out the anthology is something REALLY different, THE LIVING MUMMY in THE HEIST. This is different in that it’s NOT a comic story. It’s a work of short fiction, accompanied by a few illustrations. Three treasure hunters seek fortune, and end up with more than they bargained for. You know. That story.

AAAAAANNNNNND, here’s the wrap-up!!!!!! 

DESCENT OF THE BEAST (MAN-THING): Story, C-. Story-wise, this one’s pretty blah. Man-Thing’s consciousness is quickly descending from a man’s to that of a monster. And in these final moments, he makes a human decision to do something that, while heroic in a sense, is still quite monstrous in itself. The twist was appreciated, but nothing brilliant. Art, B. Tex puts in more decent work here. Nothing revelatory, but it works well within the B & W scheme here. 

SILENCE (SON OF SATAN): Story, B. Now this story was kinda intriguing. I liked the intro in space, and where it led us. The triplet murdering was uber-creepy, and we were left with some questions at the end. What the hell DID happen to the astronauts? I like the mystery here, and was craving more. Plus, it was nice to see SON OF SATAN again, however briefly. Art, B+. This had, in my opinion, the best art in the book. Best use of B & W, easily. Simple, yet effective, with skillful use of the shadows. Nice! 

THE CURE (WEREWOLF BY NIGHT): Story, A. This was a really good Halloween horror story. Two werewolves. Old Indian guy with a secret. The voiceover bits were well-written, and there was some action in this one. Great twist at the end, too. THIS doggie is the pick of the litter! Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Art, C+. The art was OK here, but the werewolf fights were confusing. Who was winning? It was like the fights in the TRANSFORMERS movies. They looked too similar, and the B & W made it harder still to differentiate.

THE HEIST (THE LIVING MUMMY): Story, C-. Nothing original here. You’ve read this story a thousand times before, and it was probably better than this. Not that it’s terrible, it’s just nothing new. People try to get rich quick raiding the Mummy’s crypt and get ripped apart. The End. Yeah, that’s all it is.

In summary, the bookends (Man-Thing and Living Mummy) are pretty weak, but the meat in the middle (Son of Satan & Werewolf By Night) makes for a tasty Halloween treat, if you’re into this sort of thing.

And THAT is THE WORD!!!! 

Add me on Facebook!

facebook.com/markmackner 

When not hanging out at The Horror Hotel, Mark Mackner can be found creating such local indie horror gems as DAISY DERKINS: DOGSITTER OF THE DAMNED!, EVIL BREW, THE HALF-LIFE HORROR FROM HELL or: IRRADIATED SATAN ROCKS THE WORLD!, and EMBALMO!  He’s also the resident Spider-Man scholar over at geek site POPTARDS where he writes SPIDEY’S WEEKLY WEB-UP.  In 2011, he’ll be directing his latest original script PROM NIGHT ABORTION!

Comic Book Vocabulary - A Beginners Guide to Comic Book terms and more

Comic Book Vocabulary - A Beginners Guide to Comic Book terms and more
Video Included!!!

by : John Cannon

Comic books have been around for a multitude of years even starting as early as 1934 when the reprinted regular newspaper comics at first. Now if you have gone through your life and have never read a comic I can understand as they don’t appeal to some people. However if you have gone through your life and never even seen a comic book then I would have to call you a liar. Comics have become apart of the main stream fabric in which we live. Today they are making them into movies and TV shows, mainly because Hollywood has apparently run out of ideas and their effort to appeal to another target audience, but I digress. Ok before I digress, some of these movies are absolutely horrible and don’t follow the established path the comic or even cartoons had taken, I make my point with the X-Men movies, ok now I am done…for now. 

Suffice it to say comic books have been read time and time again and generated their own world. I know this as Rob and I went to Wizard World in Philadelphia and felt completely out of my element. Rob was like a kid in a candy store as he went through comics, DVD, Toy, T-shirt & artists booths. He was like a kid in a candy store until we saw the Jedi’s fighting, then it was just plain depressing, at least to me it was. Yet in a way it was a side of Rob I had never seen before, it was pretty cool. To see him in his universe, as I called it, with such a love and passion for everything comic related was pretty cool and I was glad to be apart of it. However I couldn’t help feel a bit out of my league as I looked around at the people and heard the conversations in a language not entirely familiar to me. It was English, with maybe a little bit of Klingon mixed in, but it was the phrases that they used.

I asked Rob a ton of questions about what was this, what does that mean and why are fat storm troopers so funny to look at. I knew then that I could not be the only person in the world who would be completely lost in this bizzaro world of comics and its terminology. I used to read some comics back when I was in middle school and high school and if you ask Rob he will tell you the only comics I ever really remember reading were any Lobo comics and the graphic novel Batman vs Judge Dredd, which I will find and own someday. Again, I knew I could not be the only one in the world to have such limited knowledge of comics so I pitched the idea to both him and James from Cyborg 1 about doing a segment that could be related to the more novice/beginner comic book reader. Whenever Rob & James get together to go over comics or Rob talks to me about comics I usually stand there with a blank look on my face because I have no clue of the terminology being used. I figured this would be the starting point for me and all those like me, I would research and write down some comic terms and have Rob & James explain them in a way that they were understandable for the average beginner comic book reader.

Listed below are some of the terms I brought to them and you can see the 2 part video of a more in-depth definition of the words on latenighthorrorhotel.com we filmed.

Comix	This is associated more with Alternative and Underground comics
Comics	This is associated more with more mainstream comic companies such as DC & Marvel
Graphic Novel / Trade Paperback	A series of individual comics compressed into one big book.
Motion Comic	A hybrid of comic books & animation
Prestige & Bookshelf Format	Is based upon the number of pages within the “book” usually being 48 to 64 pages in length
Alternative Comics	Is non-mainstream and delivers on a wide range of subject matter
The Marvel Method	A way a comic is written; mainly being the artist would draw the comic first based upon an outline then the words would be added.
Continuity	The way in which a comic flows and little things are observed or happen within a comic series
Canon	Refers to the stories which are, at any one point, part of the "official", "accepted" history and story of particular characters/universes.
Retcon	A retcon affects the past history of characters and/or the whole shared universe, and says that the "new" changed events have always been that way.
Crossover	A guest appearance by one superhero into another superheroes world. Usually one companies heroes into another’s.
Shared Universe	A multitude of different characters co-exist and/or interact
Direct Market	The comics that are sent directly to the comic store rather than to places like Borders or Barnes & Nobles
Variante	Same exact comic, but with 2-3 different covers
Sleeper	A lesser known comic with great potential
Grade	The condition of a comic
Mini-Series	Usually a series of 6 comics to tell a story over time
Maxi-Series	Usually a series of 8 or more comics to tell a story over time
Manga	Japanese comics
Bleed	The art touches the edge of the pages without the traditional white frames
Splash Page	Full page drawing in a comic book
Gutter	The space between borders
Previews	A monthly book that shows the up and coming comics for early purchase.

I found this glossary link on the DC Wiki website, check it out for some more definitions: http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Glossary_Entries

Hopefully these terms and definitions help you understand the comic world just a little bit more and if you have any other you would like explained please contact us at latenighthorrorhotel@hotmail.com

At the end of all this I realized there was a whole other word out there that I was not aware of. I have heard Rob discuss things like Magic, Pokemon & Starwars RPG Games just to name a few. Now I have “heard” of these things before I just don’t know what the draw is to them, I don’t know anything about them and again I know there are a lot of people out there just like me who have the same confusion. So again I have put it to Rob and we will look at filming some segments that will help to uncover and understand the underground geek world out there. And believe me they are out there and some of them are really scary…did I mention the fat storm troopers?

Be safe and don’t forget your 13 sided die,

John Cannon

Part 1
 

Watch LNHH Comic Definitions Part 1 in Entertainment  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Part 2

 

Comic Reviews for June 19th - plus Shadowland news

Dimension and James are back with Comic Reviews

 By Rob Dimension

Hey gang, James from Cyborg One Comics in Doylestown, PA (www.cyborg1.com) was able to join Me as we looked at the hottest and best titles to currently in stores.

I wanted to spotlight some Indie titles in the beginning, notice that they are Horror, then get to the mainstream stuff. I really enjoyed Raven Gregory's The Waking, released through Zenescope. The series just wrapped and was a mystical, yet well grounded, fresh story. I would recommend checking that one out. There are only 4 issues and should be still easy to get your grubby little hands on. Others to look for: Crossed - Family Values, Hack/Slash: My 1st Maniac..I love Cassie Hack. We were both exhausted, but wanted to get the review done..please watch!!


Here is Part 1 of the reviews..we tried to cover a lot of titles:

Watch LNHH Comic Review 06172010 Part 1 in Entertainment  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Here is Part 2 of the reviews - Tons of stuff to read

Later this week we will be releasing a Beginner's guide to Comic Lingo...learn to speak amongst the nerds without feeling left out. John Cannon, edited these videos and was also very tired (being a Horror Host is more tiring then you can believe). Huge thanks goes out to him.

Late Night Comic Review for May 29th, 2010

Late Night at the Horror Hotel reveals comics that you MUST read!

By - Rob Dimension

After some great feedback for the past reviews, Late Night at the Horror Hotel has sent out our resident nerd, Rob Dimension to go visit James Frazier at Cyborg One (www.cyborg1.com)  Comics in Doylestown, PA. They discuss comics that are setting the shelves on fire plus look at some that are not worth the paper they are printed on. Below is what Rob Dimension had to say:

"I read all the time, always trying new comics just for the sake of being a fanboy. Here are some of my favorites plus within the video review, we mention plenty to get you started regardless if you read currently or not. Hope you enjoy and we are working on improving all the time. Huge thanks goes out to my homeboy and co-host John Cannon - he edits everything and does great."

Marvel's Secret Avengers against DC's Legion of Super Heroes - "Pitting both lower level teams against each other for the sake of the readers, I figured I would read both and see who prevails - This was extremely easy for me to choose - Secret Avengers all the way. While James does mention his dislike for the art, no one can dispute how great of a start this issue is presenting. Not much of a secondary squad with Beast, Black Widow, War Machine, Moon Knight and more lead by Steve Rogers...they wreck the lameness of the Legion of Super Heroes. This is my pick of this week as best break out comic."

Brightest Day #2 - "I have to put on my Lantern ring collection as I write this - As we progress into the aftermath of Blackest Night, Brightest Day is full of surprises. With a combination of 12 villains and heroes dead, each given a Lantern ring, who will become the White Lantern? In a plot similar to the Sword and the Stone, this is shaping up to be the comic series to follow. Aquaman is B.A. simply for the ability to raise zombie creatures from the deep...yes, I said Aquaman. While they're are plenty of cross story comics, reading this just solely will give you enough info to follow."

War of the Supermen -  "I didn't get a chance to get into this comic in the reviews because we are slaves to YouTube's 10 minute video, but for a short mini series, this is worth grabbing. Issue #0 was offered during Free Comic Book Day and begins with the story of General Zod as the leader Krypton Army, waging war against Earth. With the Yellow Sun leveling out the playing field, Superman must save the day. This is a 4 part series and is really good. I grow tired of a lot of the Superman stuff, but this grabbed my attention and made me a fanboy of good ole' Clark Kent again"

The Hulk, the Avengers and what Marvel needs to do

The Incredible Hulk/Avengers Blog - In Honor of Geek Pride Day

In honor of Geek Pride Day, I wanted to write about something that shows my geekness, those that really know me, know I am a HUGE geek. Case and point, this weekend at the numerous Wrestling shows I was a part of, many of the topics asked were 1.) about the Horror Show (www.latenighthorrorhotel.com)  and 2.) What do you think of ___________ comic story.

Last night I decided to give the Incredible Hulk (starring Ed Norton) another chance. I liked this film, I think simply because it was better than the 2003 Ang Lee film, but it was still nothing that amazing. The 2008 was much better, just still fell kind of flat. I liked the super soldier story but Abomination just looked "blah"...plus it had to compete with Iron Man that summer, with Iron Man being such a great film, The Incredible Hulk was overshadowed.

Let me start with - I love Stan Lee, he has given us so many amazing heroes and made a lot of people's childhood's better. With that, a lot of his stories are from the 60's and things change and some don't transfer well to film for modern times, The Hulk debuted in 1962. I have never been one that thought the Hulk was the ruler of the Marvel Universe, in fact quite often the sub context of his story, the Betty Ross love story and him always trying to become normal, just bored me. Betty Ross always seemed more of a hinder than an asset storyline wise. At least on the TV show, Bill Bixby gave the Banner character some sympathy and I felt for the guy...Banner was more likable.They could explore more with the Banner character but never give us enough time to feel for the guy.

The last few years though, in my opinion, have been great for the Hulk in comics. The Planet Hulk, World War Hulk storyline...fantastic, the current Red Hulk/ Fall of the Hulks story...AWESOME, I mean hell, I even enjoyed the Hulk vs Wolverine 5 issue story arc....now we move on to the Avengers.

With Iron Man 2, which was a great filler story to get to the bigger picture, out of the way and Marvel films moving closer to the Avengers Initiative film, the rumors are that the HULK could be the villain. This could be great and let me explain why. Side note : people always ask my opinion on Iron Man 2, it's no Empire Strikes Back as far as story builder goes, but once we get other films out there, people will grow to appreciate it more.

The Avengers, depending on what the final team is comprised of could be Epic (the picture gives an idea of who could be on the team..while I could do without some...at least the general idea is there), I say Epic since well, I'm a nerd. Let's hope that we aren't forced to sit through more establishing story, let's assume that Banner is aware that the Hulk is a problem, Betty is out of the picture and the Avengers storyline is set. I would like to see Banner trying to work with Stark to develop some sort of a antibody to help stop the transformation, that I could see. I would love to see the Avengers trying to create some sort of plan or capsule (yes similar to Planet Hulk) to rid the World of the giant green troublemaker. 

So much is riding on the Avengers, the Steve Rogers/Captain America movie has to be "Amazing", the Thor movie has to be a "MUST SEE". If Marvel gives us more Galactus in cloud form or some crappy Ghost Rider, Daredevil or X-Men 3 crap...it will ruin what they have established with Iron Man. Let's hope they get their act together. Keep watching here as I provide more comic news and opinions...granted they are just my opinion, let me know what you think.

Happy Geek Pride Day!!

What am I reading this week?

What am I reading this week?

by : Rob Dimension

Well another week of comic book reading and movie watching has come to a close. I figured I would share what I am reading, what looks good and what I saw for the week. This way I can cover a few mini opinionated reviews and not be stuck for a long drawn out blog. As you can tell by my picture (on the left) I am very excited with this weeks reading material. I spent this week grabbing some older trades, re reading some and regretting not picking up others sooner. On a whole, this weeks stash was very good.

The Walking Dead - I had read issues here and there and never really got wrapped into the story as much as I should. For me, comic reading is like phases, some weeks I enjoy The Red Hulk stuff (the last year has been very good Hulk reading), while other weeks I might grab some off title that no one gives a chance too. Robert Kirkman had really grabbed my attention with Marvel Zombie trades 1 & 2 plus Dead Days, so I had to go back and read The Walking Dead series (currently issue #71 is in stores). Like all comics, it's never to late to jump in, so I wanted to read about the Zombie Apocalypse, I'm a sucker for love stories. 

The story follows a group of survivors though-out the ordeal, problems on the road, how they survive but what intrigues me the most, the topic that hardly anyone talks about ..... the social issues. How people within your group cope with death, if they can mentally handle what's going on around them. Kirkman does a fantastic job touching on those issues, feeding you the minor details that get you wrapped up within the story and the characters. Very smart writing, makes the good guys likable and the bad guys, not...very simple, yet hard to achieve for many. 

I am 1/2 way through the 2nd Hardback and have set myself a mission to ingest as much as I can to get current. I still have Hardbacks 3 & 4 sitting here and will hopefully be done with those by the end of next week. So, if you haven't read comic in a while and want to check something out, go grab the 1st trade of the Walking Dead by Image, it retails for $9.99 and is worth every penny.

Yep, another trade I slept on...Hack/Slash. Devils Due Publishing puts this one out (currently issue #31 is out) and was pretty big in 2008 but I always just kind of wrote it off and another, cute girl, no storyline comic...man, I was wayyy wrong. Filled with plenty of slasher material that would make any horror fan happy, Hack/Slash delivers the goods on more than one level.

The story follows Cassie Hack, a social misfit whose own Mother murdered for the sake of her daughter's feelings, on a quest to take out the bad and evil slashers. Accompanied by her trusty, equally freakish sidekick, Vlad, Cassie roams from town to town and gives you plenty of adventure, hot scenes that make any fanboys glasses fog up and some laugh out loud moments. Paying tribute to many horror icons today, I spotted a Troma sticker, a few mentions of other pop culture Icons and even a side story with Chucky (yup..the crazy, murderous Good Guys doll). 

I grabbed the Omnibus Volume 1, think a larger trade paperback with numerous chapters, that retails for $34.99 but is full of tons of reading. I can't recommend this one enough. I think fans of Troma, bad B movies and well, lonely nerds world wide will enjoy this one... especially the nerds (like me) since Cassie wears very little. Ladies and Gents..there is a new ass-kicker of slashers and her name is Cassie Hack.

On to the other comics I grabbed for the week - I will admit, it was rather light for me this week. Only so much time in my days for comics and the two mentioned above have taken over...

• Siege #1 - I went back and want to read this, since people are pimping it to me. Norman Osborn was Marvel's go to villain last year and it continues on here. Claiming his new identity as the Iron Patriot, Norman has assembled his own Avengers Initiative and is set to take down Asgard. I have never been a big fan of Thor or Loki, as they are just too wordy for me. But, so far I am enjoying this one...there are only 4 in the series and it isn't too hard to just jump right in. So go check it out! If you wanted to be even more caught up, check out The Dark Avengers series.

• Fall of the Hulks #1 Alpha - I grabbed this simply because within the last year, anything pertaining to the Red Hulk/Green Hulk war has been pretty fun. The smart Hulk vs The Dumb one...equally as powerful, blah, blah, blah...this comic is more of a set up story. Plenty of super villains, I just can't get enough of Doom lately..he is so BA, plenty of back ground knowledge to get you set for the remainder issues. I look forward to reading more about this...the plan of capturing the World's smartest is never an easy task.

Shogun Warriors - Everything old, is new again

Shogun Warriors making a comeback?
by: Rob Dimension

Back in the late 70's early 80's, 2 foot Japanese Robots were invading my room. Remember the Shogun Warriors toys? Well, I am expecting to see a comeback, if the news I have read is true.

Shogun Warriors were produced by Mattel in that era and were available in 3 sizes (Huge 24 inches of planet destroying plastic, plus 3 1/2in. and 5 in.die cast versions). Based off from popular, and not well known, Japanese Giant Robot characters like Mazinger, Getter Robo G, Raydeen, GaiKing and Diamos they also featured some kings of Kaiju like Godzilla and Rodan. 

Launching missiles, battle axes or even their fists, Shogun Warriors were easily one of my favorite toys. Not so much the die cast (Chogokin and Popynica), although they were cool...the 2 footers (Jumbo Machinders) were where the action was at. Colorful, foreign and possibly the earliest inceptions of Transformers, they even launched a line of Comics, released by Marvel that saw cross overs with Tony Stark and the Fantastic Four. Pretty cool huh?

So, while doing my nerdly activities I happen to find some interesting news : According to Ain't it Cool News, a "Gaiking" film is being planned for 2012 release date by director Matthew Gratzner and special effects artist Jules Urbach, with a potential "Shogun Warriors" film planned as a sequel. While the report didn't indicate which giant robots from "Shogun Warriors" would appear in the films, it did offer some insight into how the robots will be brought to the big screen, and some impressive test footage created to promote the project.

So, here is some test footage to check out...while nothing Earth shattering, it does look pretty awesome. Also, Urbach says that "We'll have more 'Shogun Warriors' than ever appeared in the Marvel Comics." Plus, a huge plus at that - a new "Shogun Warriors" comic book series is coming from Dynamite Entertainment, with Alex Ross "mentoring on the project" and providing covers as well. Holy Go Nagai!!!

Iron Man Weekend and more Comic stuffffffff!

Iron Man Weekend is here!!

Just about everyone has to know that Iron Man 2 releases today nationwide. Robert Downey Jr. will once again put on the Red and Gold to be our favorite super hero, Iron Man.

I remember going to see the 1st one, man, how about that movie? It was like Marvel actually took the comic and put it on the screen, almost flawless transition. Yes, there were a few flaws but for a comic based film, Iron Man too blew me away. 

The drawback with any movie that garners tons of hype, is the dreaded letdown. Early reports state the film holds up well, advances the story and delivers. Your horror hosting nerd, me, will be writing a review on Monday or Tuesday giving my honest opinion. I am hoping to see some of Tony Stark's drunken downward spiral, it's almost a must happen for the series to continue to deliver.If you go see it, let me know what you think (spoiler free of course)...go have some fun and take Mom with ya!

Today, I went back over to www.cyborg1.com for my fix of comics and I saw something that gave me the comic nerd giggles - HULKPOOL!!! What??? Are you kidding me? I certainly won't complain, until I read it, but Hulk and Deadpool combined....oh baby! For the last year of so Marvel has been pimping the "Merc with a mouth" Deadpool in almost every comic they could. Secret Invasion really helped regenerate the Deadpool scene, the Deadpool comic has also been pretty fun.

I truly hope Ryan Reynolds can pull off both Green Lantern and Deadpool...what a summer that guy could have at the box office. Lantern Fans are going insane for the new release of Brightest Day, the follow up to Darkest Night. Speaking of, I was able to snag my very own White Green Lantern ring today (actually wearing as I type this...so cool), so I apparently now "Have the Powerrrr!!!!" Ok, He-Man and Green Lantern don't mix, but a boy can dream.

What else did I grab? Here is my list of reading material 

• DeadPool Corps #1
• Hulked - Out of Heroes #1 & #2
• iZombie #1 (looking forward to this..First issue is only $1!
• DeadPool Trade : X Marks the Spot

Plus, I am still reading Marvel Zombies:Dead Days and have Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness on my shelf waiting to read...luckily the books have pictures so it's easy to follow along.

Looking back - Marvel Zombies - A review of the start of the madness

Marvel Zombies

A retrospective look at how it all began

by : Rob Dimension

Well, another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone. Hopefully everyone did their best and went and supported the Comic Industry. I am always thinking the comic business is always on the brink of bankruptcy, not sure why, just always seems that way to me. I mean, kids read less and less, are more into video games plus the adults are the main buyers and the economy is still in termoil, so spending is less.

Luckily for all us comic book geeks, the Comic HYPE is greater than ever. With success at the box office with films like The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Hell Boy, Watchmen and recently, Kick-Ass (which by the way was amazing...if you haven't seen it yet and your into violence, gore and Nick Cage doing an Adam West impersonation, then it's the film for you), the interest in our beloved heroes and villians is on the climb.

Marvel Zombies was released back in December 05 and ran through April of 06, meaning now, the trade paperback is easily accessible. Written by Robert Kirkman, who will be gaining massive attention soon once AMC gets going on The Walking Dead series, and puts a new twist to our Marvel Universe. While everything was always about saving the girl, doing the right thing, now things now have become about death, destruction and stopping the "Hunger".

In an alternate Marvel landscape, a virus has hit the Earth causing some of our most popular Heroes into Zombie frenzied, eating machines. The story is fun and I can't tell you how many giggles I had watching Spider-man, Hulk and Captain America fight with legs missing, half the skull exposed and once becoming human again, realizing they ate too much, let loose and terrorize the planet. As for our heroes, nothing can stop them, not the Silver Surfer and possibly, not Galactus himself...yes, the World Eater. This battle is a must read!!!

Without spoiling much of the story, the plot is very easy to see but the action is outlandish. Everything a comic geek, that loves Horror and Zombies, could ask for. The gore is plentiful, the dialogue is well written and quite honestly, this comic series was a blast to read and see what unfolds. 

I highly recommend this, especially since Marvel Zombies 5 is currently being released, you have more than enough reading to catch up on. The original trade retails for $15.99 plus, look for side stories like Dead Days and The Marvel Zombies vs.The Army of Darkness....think Ash can save the day??? Remember this kids - "Shop Smart, Shop S Mart"