No matter what Roy is hoping, it’s not ending that way.
Robotech: Return To Macross #29
Academy Comics, Ltd (February, 1996)
“War Stories”
WRITER: Bill Spangler
ARTIST: Lani A. Kimmel
I’ve enjoyed Sean Wang’s Runners series since I was first introduced to it at ConnectiCon. You can find reviews of the comic both in print (in Scanning My Collection articles of the first two volumes) and web form (in Internet Spotlight) right here on the Spotlight. Wang recently decided to add color to the previously black and white first volume, Bad Goods, and the process is done! He’ll be putting the comic out soon, with the better news that he’ll finally be able to start work on Volume 3. He already has the script, he just needs to draw it and he’s even looking for someone to color it. He’s not asking for applications now though. I’ll let you know if he is.
Tell others about the Spotlight:
So we have three movies just titled Godzilla (two if you’re a purist who doesn’t know that “Gojira” and “Godzilla” are both equally valid translations of the kanji) and now two called Godzilla: King Of The Monsters. This is risking confusion.
This week the trailer came out for the newest entry in Legendary Pictures “kaijuverse” and while I think they fell into the same mistake that the other not-Marvel shared universes have, there may be the makings of a good movie here…if we actually get to see the fights this time!
Tell others about the Spotlight:
“Fine, I’ll wait until the next movie. I just hope they don’t give a unicycle mode or something.”
Transformers: The Reign Of Starscream #3
IDW Publishing (June 2008)
WRITER: Chris Mowry
ARTIST: Alex Milne
COLORIST: Josh Perez
SELECTED COVER ARTIST: James Riaz
SELECTED COVER COLORIST: Josh Burcham
LETTERER: Chris Mowry
EDITOR: Denton J. Tipton
Tell others about the Spotlight:
An article on Variety‘s website goes the hard work going into modern stop-motion movies, and how little digital editing was used. Oddly, since this is Christmastime, no mention was made about Rankin/Bass’ Christmas offerings, many of which was stop-motion.
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They could always make money as an “upside down house” attraction.
You might not hire the Hulk to work on your house, but you might hire Jonathan Scott after his twin brother Drew found it for you. The Property Brothers have gone from a contractor and real estate agent finding cheap but repairable homes for people into a media empire. They have numerous shows, have dipped their hands in music, and now take on writing To celebrate their first children’s book. Builder Brothers Big Plan (loosely based on themselves), the Scotts have put together a list of kid-friendly Christmas crafting. I thought I’d share that with you all so you and your kids can do some crafting for Christmas. Enjoy and happy creating!
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This is another one I’ve already reviewed back when I did weekly reviews for new comics. I just want to keep the flow going through catching up with Doctor Who comic reviews.
“What do you mean my daughter married another me?”
Doctor Who Classics Series 2 #6
IDW Publishing (May 2009)
“The Tides Of Time” parts 4-6
(originally published in Doctor Who Monthly #64-66, Marvel UK, 1982)
WRITER: Steve Parkhouse
ARTIST: Dave Gibbons
EDITOR: Alan McKenzie
IDW COLORIST/COVER: Charlie Kirchoff (over Dave Gibbons-cover)
IDW EDITOR: Denton J. Tipton
IDW DESIGNER: Amuri Osorio
Aided by Shayde, the guy with a black ball for a head, the Doctor and Sir Justin continue their search for the Event Synthesizer. The trio meets up with a group from the connected planetary system Althrace, which exists in a white hole. There they learn the history of Melanicus, his defeat by Merlin, and his teaming with Catavolcus, another old foe of the Doctor (from the extended fiction, I couldn’t find info on him during the original review but now there’s a wiki for almost everything), and how he ended up in control of the Synthesizer. Now he has all of history fighting each other in a huge war, but by hooking up Shayde, an agent of the Time Lords within the Gallifreyan Matrix, to their organic machinery, they will be able to pinpoint Melanicus’s location.
What they got right: The recoloring is still excellent on this series. I believe the originals were in black and white. Doctor 5 is making himself some interesting companions, and Parkhouse continues to be one of my favorite Who comic writers.
What they got wrong: The science still makes little sense to me, but this is a British sci-fi comic, where that happens a lot.
Updated thoughts: IDW’s coloring does indeed look better in this story than in the Fourth Doctor stories I’ve reviewed from their reprints. While I question Shade having caucasian hands instead of continuing his black color scheme (he is supposed to be a “shadow-man” after all) I can ignore it for the most part. I kind of want to know more about Catavolcus now. Also, Sir Justin gets a good fight scene in and helps gets the Doctor from the mirror dimension, although I still can’t figure out how he got there.
Recommendation: This story still stands up after all this time (no pun intended), and worth picking up.
