As you read this, I will have already seen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but as I write this I have yet to. I have, however, read this week’s range of comics. Update from the weekly Pull List: I didn’t pick up Sonic Universe #5 this week, but I will next week. I only have so much money, and this was a big “spend” week for me, with some extra bills. I did pick up one of last week’s leftovers, so it all balances out.

Spoiler blocked versions currently or will be available at ComiXology, depending on time.

Transformers: All Hail Megatron #12

IDW Publishing: June 2009

WRITER: Shane McCarthy

ARTIST: Guido Guidi

COLORISTS: James Brown & Josh Burcham

LETTERER: Chris Mowry

EDITORS: Andy Schmidt & Denton J. Tipton

It’s one big fightin’ finale, as Autobot battles Decepticon in a comic you have to see. At the end of it all, Sideswipe gets payback for Sunstreaker, but ends up having to let Hunter die. Kup rescues the soldiers from their Decepticon sleeper, and seems to bond with General Witwicky. Omega Supreme takes down Devastator, but blows a hole in the Statue of Liberty to do it. Megatron has Optimus on the ropes until Spike takes a sniper shot with Shockwave’s modified gun. In the end, Starscream takes Megatron’s sad self, with surprises Optimus. However, Starscream claims that Decepticon leadership must be earned, which means Starscream has to defeat Megatron himself. Then there’s the little matter of the nuke on it’s way, but the Autobots are surprised again, when Thundercracker steps up to stop it. The Decepticon decries the slaughter of the “weaker” humans, and says that his group has lost face. Skywarp doesn’t buy it, however, and shoots Thundercracker. Prime offers to help out the people of New York, but Spike isn’t sure a union between human and Autobot is possible.

What they got right: Even with the “Coda” issues being merged into AHM, this is still the finale to a 12-issue arc, and what a finale. It’s a regular battle royal. In the mess, we get some more insight into Decepticon thought processes (almost but not quite mirroring the Klingons in modern Trek), and Thundercracker finally lives up to certain aspects of his profile (the part about his doubts), although from a different perspective than I would have thought. Despite some hiccups in this series, everything wraps up nicely outside of the lingering continuity issues from “what if” becoming “what is”, which should be addressed in the “Coda” issues.

What they got wrong: Those issues include how Hunter ends up back in his Sunstreaker armor, and a prisoner of the Insecticons. Why ruin his happy ending, especially as it’s one of the few things Furman did right. Also, is Shane (via the opening pages with Sideswipe and Bombshell) suggesting that Sunstreaker only turned traitor because of Bombshell? Does that mean Bombshell just pulled a “Leslie Thompkins“, thus freeing Sunstreaker any responsibility? That takes the emotion out of it, but I was never a big Sunstreaker fan.

Recommendation: Although the series as a whole had it’s up and downs, I still found it more enjoyable than Furman’s work, and I’m curious to see how the new direction works out. We’ll have to wade past the “Coda” clean-up issues to reach the ongoing series first.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6

DC Comics (Johnny DC): August 2009

WRITER: J. Torres

PENCILER: Andy Suriano

INKER: Dan Davis

COLORS: Heroic Age

LETTERER: Swands

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Harvey Richards

EDITORS: Rachel Gluckstern & Michael Siglain

COVER: Scott Jeralds

After helping Hourman against the Calculator, Batman gets a S.O.S. from General Immortus, a super villain who uses a special potion to extend his life. He stole a STAR Labs time travel machine in order to use soldiers from the past, but he couldn’t control even the small number he summoned. To send the bad guys back home, Batman calls on Kid Eternity, who has the ability to summon heroes from the past. As the heroes collect the time-displaced armies, Immortus arrives with the “Spear of Destiny”, which would allow him to control an army that “cannot be defeated by any man born of a woman”! So Batman has the Kid summon G.I. Robot, who easily takes down the army while Batman recovers the Spear of Destiny.

What they got right: Torres seems to be locked in the past, bringing up a lot of “forgotten” heroes of DC’s past, and in this issue really breaks out the “absorbed” characters that DC picked up from other companies as they closed and pre-Crisis, stuffed them into their own universes. Kid was sent to Earth-5 along with the Shazam! comics (where he’s the long-lost brother of Freddy “Captain Marvel Junior” Freeman), and the others used to be part of Earth-2.  This is where this particular title should shine, in part to protect it from the continuity errors that usually plague the spin-offs when DC’s writers play it closer to the main contiuity than the cartoon shows.

What they got wrong: The art is closer to the cartoon in nature, but I think somebody made the same mistakes as issue one. In some panels, Kid and Batman look almost as creepy as General Immortus. Also, why is Batman so fired up about the chance to fight vikings? That seems a bit out of character, but you’re welcome to prove me wrong.

Recommendation: Slight flaws, but otherwise enjoyable per usual. Worth picking up to see some classic characters used in a way that makes more sense than Justice League Unlimited. I’m looking right at you, Vigilante and Shining Knight!

Tek War Chronicles #1 (I always thought “Tekwar” was one word..hmm)

Bluewater Comics: June 2009

COVER “A”: Eric Owen

COVER “A”?: Mike Coffey

COVER “C”: Eric Owen

couldn’t tell you which one I have at left

WRITERS: William Shatner & Scott Davis

PENCILER: Eric Owen

COLORIST: Michelle Davies

LETTERER: Jaymes Reed

EDITOR: Craig Nevius

In the year 2120, ex-Police Detective Jake Cardigan is released from cryo-stasis (prison) early and told he’s not allowed to have contact with his (ex?)wife and son. Cardigan was arrested for murder and his addiction to the virtual reality drug called “Tek”. Soon after arriving at this new “home”, a crapped-out apartment, Jake is contacted by Walter Bascom, owner of Cosmos Investigations, and the man responsible for Jake’s early release. Bascom wants Jake to find one Dr. Leon Kittridge, a robotics expert whose name Jake has come across more than once since his release. However, Jake is more interested in finding his wife, but find a message from the man he supposedly murdered and a dead woman in his abandoned former house.

What they got right: It’s been a long time since I’ve read the original novel, so I can’t say what, if any, changes were made since then. This is the second time the Tek universe has made it into comics (the first was the Marvel series, but I’ve never been interested in collecting it), and they’ve done a good job. Obviously, that’s Shatner as Bascom (a role he actually played in the TV Series), which make more sense than having him “play” Jake as in the Marvel run. (I couldn’t see Shatner playing a character like Jake Cardigan, but if the show didn’t cement him in the role, his character in Boston Legal sure does.) While I’m not usually a fan of the “dark future” stuff, they held my attention throughout the issue, which is a plus. The rest of the art is also very good, and I like the holographic effects. It actually looks like a hologram against the rest of the world instead of just a person colored yellow or something. Had they used actual computer effects, it wouldn’t have worked. The language I was worried about worked fine for the material, and wasn’t overdone.

What they got wrong: Minor nitpicks, which for a title like this is rare from me. When the novels first came out, there was still a fair balance left between “dark futures” and “light futures”. I can’t think of a current (and only one recent) series taking place in the future that didn’t suck. Even the utopias preserved by something less than utopic are gone, and I miss the “defending the utopia” storylines like the 80’s Buck Rogers or the first three (I count the cartoon) Star Trek series. (Although late TNG had a few dark utopias of it’s own.) So I’m not sure we need another one. Also wasn’t thrilled with the puking scene, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it. No major issues with the comic.

Recommendation: Don’t let your kids read it. 🙂 (A warning to that effect would have been nice, but anything “kid-friendly” is the exception these days.) For older audiences, it’s a good read, with no flaws. Just my personal pet peeves. I’ll be looking into this comic some more in the future, so well played, Bill and Bluewater. It’s not often I’m interested in these kinds of stories, especially at $4.00 a pop.

The Incredibles: Family Matters #3

Boom! Studios/Kids: May 2009

WRITER: Mark Waid

ARTIST: Marcio Takara

COLORIST: Andrew Dalhouse

LETTERER: Jose Macasocol, Jr.

EDITOR: Paul Morrissey

ALTERNATE COVERS ARTISTS: Sean Galloway (A), Tom Scioli (HeroesCon/Lonestar)

DISTRESSING(?): Ryan Scott

Note that the cover shown is Cover “B”, done by the comic artists. Since I scanned it myself, it’s obviously the one I have. 🙂

Violet and the neighbor boy obviously are getting along, much to their brothers’ displeasure. (Kids.) Bob is trying to figure out what happened to his Mr. Incredible powers, when the mall is attacked by a group of clay-like monsters. The others head off, leaving Jack-Jack and the non-powered Bob behind. Jill, the new neighbor lady, drops off some cookies, which turns out to be the source of Bob’s power loss! He’s not the target: Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible IS!

What they got right: If you’ve been reading my reviews of this series, you know that I declared the neighbors responsibility for Mr. Incredible’s power loss from the beginning. I also thought Futur1on’s bomb was part of it. It’s been hanging over the comic for a while now. Jack-Jack also touches it before losing his powers, but he also had one of Jill’s cookies. However, I didn’t expect that Helen was the target. I even dismissed the name drop of one of Elastigirl’s old foes, an evil chemist.  So even when I figured it out I didn’t figure everything out. Well played, Waid. (sorry)

What they got wrong: The only thing I can nitpick is the usual “variant cover” rant.

Recommendation: Join me in going through the old issues to see if there was any evidence of the tainted food in the first two issues.

Simpsons Comics #155

Bongo Comics Group: ? 2009

SCRIPT: Batton Lash

PENCILER: Tone Rodriguez

INKER: Andrew Pepoy

COLORIST: Art Villanueva

LETTERER: Karen Bates

EDITOR: Bill Morrison

Bart, Millhouse, and…that kid they only hang out with at comic time (I don’t remember his name, because I don’t watch the show that often) are in the clubhouse discussing their event overload (just like most comics fans, I imagine), and how difficult it’s become to follow everything that’s going on during all these crossovers. The company’s new owner, Krusty the Clown, is convinced they just need a new gimmick, and one of his associates comes up with one. However, they’ve decided that the best way to promote the event without immediately turning off the fans is to not tell them what the “big change” is going to be, which starts a comic feeding frenzy.

What they got right: Nice to see someone inside the industry taking some pop shots at all the crossover events, but Bongo’s Radioactive Man stories are a parody of comics over the years, and in TV and comics, The Simpsons do this sort of thing quite often. It’s like South Park with out the crass, or the old Family Guy. (A friend of mine who has been a die-hard fan of Family Guy is even getting turned off by what they’re doing now.)

What they got wrong: On the other hand, they are doing a crossover event themselves, aren’t they? Just saying…and I needed something to put here so, *ahem*…what’s the matter, Bongo, couldn’t fit Futurama Comics in some how? No chrome colored variant covers done by a former artist? How am I supposed to pay for my future grandkids’ college fund? (justkiddingpleasedon’thurtme).

Recommendation: Some good catharsis for the crossover mania. Let’s see what happens when the story continues in Bart Simpson #48. (And it took me a week to realize I wrote “45” instead of “48”. Idiot!)

And what do you know?

Bart Simpson #48

Bongo Comics Group: ? 2009

SCRIPT: Batton Lash

PENCILER: Tone Rodriguez

INKER: Andrew Pepoy

COLORIST: Art Villanueva

LETTERER: Karen Bates

EDITOR: Bill Morrison

Wait, these are the same people from last issue. Seriously, all I did was copy/paste. It’s not a real crossover unless there’s fifteen different teams who have little contact with each other and mess up the continuity, with only one writer (Bendis/Johns) who has the “right” to declare what actually happened (as soon as he figures it out himself).

Bart and the boys, and most of Springfield, are distracted by the “mysterious” changes coming to the Radioactive Man comics. And that’s just how Krusty wants it. However, the guys obtain a bunch of signatures from those wanting to be sure the changes will be good ones, but are blocked by the secretary. Undeterred, our heroes sneak into the back, getting a sneak peek at the “creative” processes at the comic company. They do finally get their petition into Krusty’s hands, which just happen to be right over the trash can.

What they got right: You know, we all knew that’s what goes on in the backrooms of the comic companies. Just look at any blog post or forum. We’re all right about this. WE ARE VINDICATED! Unless we’re not.

What they got wrong: No, I think they’ve got this over-hype machine pretty figured out.

Recommendation: The finale takes place in Simpsons Super Special #9, so soon we’ll all know what the new Radioactive Man is going to be like.

That issue doesn’t come out until next week, so we’re done for now.

Best Scene of the Week

The Incredibles:Family Matters #3

You know, I thought Bart Simpson would be the one to turn evil on this list.

The biggest contenders would have come from the Simpson entries, but they were too long. So a few surprises this edition. So does anyone really want me to go all fanboy on Revenge of the Fallen, or just wait until I review all my Summer movie viewings in one felt swoop alongside Race To Witch Mountain, Wolverine, and Up? (Gives you an idea about my movie choices.)