Champion City Comics

We have two webcomics updates for this week, so please enjoy our international crime-fighting story, The Red Devil, and our awesome sci-fi anthology, Tales From The Future.

Also, we are approaching a total of 100,000 viewers for this year and we appreciate your support!

THE RED DEVIL

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist: Erik Roman

Color & Lettering: Joe Haemmerle

Dublin O'Darby (The Red Devil) is an international crime-fighter who works for Sebastian Coronado, the director of an organization dedicated to combating cartels of evil. Joining The Red Devil is teenage sidekick Charlotte Murphy (Kid Diablo). In the exciting first issue, Red Devil and Kid Diablo track down a dangerous ninja, Silent Noise, who has stolen a mysterious ring which once belonged to a diabolical group of demon worshipers known as the Order of Methalius.
 




Writer, Artist, and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

Technicality and The Plan are two wonderful sci-fi stories by A. Kaviraj, which will appeal to fans of old school science-fiction stories.

Writer: Peter Milligan

Art: Mikel Janin


Justice League Dark #1 Review


My favorite pick of DC’s 52 keeps on rolling with the usual quality business from Milligan and Janin.

The creepiness, the other worldliness of this book is the primary strength of the title and here in issue #3, Justice League Dark maintains its own status quo: Zatanna is in need of some TLC, seeing that she’s seated in the middle of Main Street USA in a self-imposed trance, a defensive move to counter the Enchantress’ attacks while the witch sets up a magical equivalent of a box trap in the boonies to await her prey. The only guy who can lend Zatanna a hand is one John Constantine, and when that guy’s your guiding light…well, you know you just fell from the frying pan and into the fire, figuratively speaking. Meanwhile, June Moone and Deadman are off trying to figure out the nuts n’ bolts of their own relationship as Shade tries vainly to contact other “magick” folks at the request of Xanadu in a fruitless recruitment process.

At least we DO get to see a potential new teammate that I can’t name here, ‘cause where’d be your incentive to treat yourself to this title if I did?

Know this: I like Deadman. I’m glad he’s being used in this book and used wisely. Issue #3 gives me plenty of Deadman, so if you’re a Deadie, you’ll be a happy little reader come the final page since we’re promised more of the Big Red D next month. No doubt Milligan’s on task this issue, the same as he’s been the previous two months, and Janin’s penciling is A- grade as always so there’s no concern in either department. Where’s the beef? With DC’s brass, that’s where. Seems to be a lot of cuts happening around the main office, with creators being dropped or reassigned or what have you, so here’s my message to DC’s top dawgs concerning this title: Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke. Milligan and Janin are peanut butter and jelly, the driving force that go well together, a team with a story to tell and that creative energy trickles down and up the ladder to everyone working on this book, so if you’re kicking around pink-slipping anybody on the team, don’t—these pieces fit too well together.

I’ve said it before: Justice League Dark is the cure for what ails you—as long as humdrum storytelling and run-of-the-mill art is your poison.


Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.


Brian Cee is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics

TheOutHousers

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Rafa Sandoval


Hawkeye’s one of my favorites. Not just one of my favorite Avengers, I mean “favorite” as in “all time.” ONE of my favorites—Cap still takes that cake. Anyway, I’m a bit biased when it comes to the handling of my faves, and here with issue #4 of Ultimate Comics Hawkeye, we’re seeing the wraps on his solo mission to retrieve a purported Super Soldier Serum in Southeast Asia that ends up with a resounding “Huh?”

As a story, it leaves plenty of questions that I’m sure will be addressed over in the mother title Ultimate Comics Ultimates, making these four issues part of larger ongoing saga that’s happening over in that book. As a stand-alone, self-contained arc, you can’t help but feel page constraints kept Hickman from fully fleshing out his tale. Or maybe it was editorial. Regardless, here’s the skinny: two super-powered brothers—Zorn and Xorn, respectively—wax over their origins, why they are like they are, why they live in twin floating cities and why Hawkeye’s allowed to take however much of the serum he feels is necessary (there’s a small pond of the stuff just floating there, by the way). He’s also given the opportunity to sample the concoction, along with some of his tag-along teammates, but to tell you who partakes ventures too far into Spoilerville. Suffice to say, some do, plus  Hulk gets offered hot cocoa. Yeah, really. Don’t know the angle Hickman’s going for, but a mysterious off-panel voice does in fact offer the giant grey behemoth some chocolately goodness.

Aside from my usually distaste of Sandoval’s pencils on Hawkeye (just the character; everything else looks fantastic), Hickman’s on his game as far as dialogue and pacing but it seems, as a whole, a lot of the story ended up on the cutting room floor, leaving me with the impression that this mini-series could’ve just been told in pages of the regular Ultimates ongoing. Maybe Marvel’s testing the waters on whether sales would support a Hawkeye monthly (I’d buy it), but brevity holds back a story I feel could’ve been told. At least Clint doesn’t have to wear that gaudy purple getup from the regular Marvel U, so I’ll count my blessings.


Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars



Brian Cee is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics

You can't go wrong with The Dismemberment Plan. Enjoy.

Ok, what do you get when Steven Speilberg and JJ Abrams make a movie? You get Super 8, a cross between The Goonies, ET and Cloverfield. Really well done film-the dialogue is top-notch. Example-the hippie dude who likes one of the kid's sister asks him, "What type of music does your sister like?" The kid replies, "I don't know-who cares? Disco I guess." "I can get back into disco," the guy replies. Funny.

So the movie is about a huge alien who crash landed in the 50's-it's trying to repair its ship, which somehow dissolved into a mass of alien cubes. ET wants to go HOME. The USAF is tracking the thing, which escaped after a train wreck. All the scenes are seat-gripping, and the sub plot of the kids making an amateur zombie movie is great. As an amateur film maker myself, I found it highly interesting.

The acting is also top notch, not a false note anywhere. There's also a romantic sub plot as the geeky kid and the hot chick with the loser father find they like each other. No fake lip locking scenes, just middle school love stuff-really well done.

I'm thinking Hollywood is starting to wise up, as eight out of ten movies I've watched lately have been great. Way to go Hollywood- throwing out the formula writing which doomed Green Lantern. You have my respect again which is not an easy thing to garner.

So the ending is predictable-of course it has to be when you make a movie like this. One false bit was the silent crowd scene at the end-an alien spacecraft is LIFTING OFF in the middle of town and no one says SQUAT. Hollywood really needs to observe some real crowds to realize how loud and how much talking goes on-especially when, like, a SPACESHIP LIFTS OFF!

3.765 out of 5 stars.

That's a wrap


Read Kav's review of Green Lantern.

Read Kav's review of Green Hornet.

Read Kav's review of Captain America: The First Avenger.


A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, and The End of Paradise.

ComicBookMovie.com

Writer: Jason Aaron

Pencils: Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, and Billy Tan


Need to read The Incredible Hulk #1 review? Click here to read.

Breaking up is hard to do and Jason Aaron is doing a great job of exploring the post break-up status of Bruce Banner and The Hulk with his run on The Incredible Hulk. After years of living with the beast, Banner has realized that The Hulk was his greatest achievement and he will do anything to get that back. In order to succeed, Banner has taken residence on an island that once served as a nuclear testing site and has developed an army of Hulk-like animals.

While Banner is going to every possible extreme to return to the good ol' days, The Hulk is enjoying the single life. He's been living underground with Moloids and was very content until Amanda Von Doom and her horde of robots and misfits came along as a major buzzkill. Somehow, Von Doom was able to get The Hulk to listen to her plan where he is to leave his happy place and assist her in dealing with Banner. The Hulk decides to meet with with Von Doom on her ship, but they are attacked by a bunch of great white Hulk sharks compliments of Banner. 

This comic book ends on a good high note and I am very interested to see how The Hulk deals with his creepy ex who has lost his mind. I have a feeling that Banner is going to go bonkers when he sees The Hulk with his new honey, Ms. Von Doom. Drama time!

For the most part, I am really liking The Incredible Hulk. Aaron's story is great and the artwork by the triumvirate of Silvestri, Portacio, and Tan is really nice. My only negative comment is I'm still not sold on The Hulk wanting to help Von Doom on her mission of dealing with Banner. From my point of view, The Hulk would not care about Banner and he'd rather see Von Doom and her buddies deal with the problem. I can see The Hulk sold on eliminating Banner for good because he could be free from Banner for good. Overall, this has been a great comic book and I highly recommend this title.


TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. His webcomics include Dr Death vs The Zombie, The End of Paradise, and Day 165.

We have two webcomics updates for this week, so please enjoy Dr. Death vs The Zombie and The Number 18.



DOCTOR DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

Dr. Death character based on the story Dr Death vs The Vampire by Aaron Schutz

Champion City Comics is pleased to present the exciting conclusion to Dr Death vs The Vampire. Dr. Death has taken refuge in Las Vegas following a brutal encounter with a vampire clan. However, his refuge is short-lived due to the presence of a zombie that is terrorizing the city.

Dr Death and Phreaker have survived their run-in with the vampire and zombie but an ally may be in danger.




Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

The Number 18 has been re-lettered so please enjoy this sci-fi tale where Dr. William Montgomery has discovered that his patient, Jack Clark, has been implanted with a defective microchip that may have Jack programmed to commit mass murder.

COMIC VINE

Writer: Geoff Johns

Pencils: Jim Lee

Inks: Scott Williams

Warning: This review contains spoilers.

"Who's in charge here? I vote for ME." That's how Aquaman makes his introduction to the Justice League in issue three, which in my opinion is a bold way to make your presence known to the world's best superheroes. The band is getting together and we may see a fully united Justice League battling Darkseid and his evil minions in issue four. Wonder Woman and Cyborg also make their first appearance in Justice League #3, which is another action-packed read from the creative team of Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams.  

Darkseid has been creating havoc pm Earth and in this issue he has unleashed an army of winged demons that are capturing people and our heroes, sans Cyborg, are battling them furiously. Superman, Batman, The Flash, and Green Lantern are in a fierce battle when Wonder Woman shows up and gives the boys a taste of how they do things in the land of Amazons.

Geoff Johns has quite a bit going on in this issue but handles the various story lines very well. The story is well paced and is an absolute page turner. Jim Lee has done it again and I was truly impressed with his work. For example, we have a great splash page with Wonder Woman taking on the demons and there is also a great page where we see Cyborg online for the first time and Lee mixes in a teaser of Darkseid, which is brilliant.

I've been very impressed with the Justice League which has been one of my New 52 favorites. There are no excuses for missing out on this series.

Justice League #1 Review

Justice League #2 Review



TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. His webcomics include Dr Death vs The Zombie, The End of Paradise, and Day 165.

Enjoy the bizarre rock and roll!

iFanboy

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Marcos Martin

Color: Javier Rodriguez

It has been years since I've read an issue of Daredevil. The reason had to do with life going by quickly rather than the comic book. Now I have returned and am glad because Mark Waid's run with Daredevil has been excellent.

When I was reading this title, it was the era of Bendis and Brubaker. Those comics were awesome and I'm pleased to see Waid continuing the excellence with his storytelling. I am not going to give away too much with this review, but Matt Murdoch is defending Austin Cao, a blind man who overheard something juicy regrading Latveria and that is all I will write at this time. There is plenty of action and of course, Foggy Nelson provides plenty of comedy for diehard fans.

If you missed issues one to five then you will not necessarily be lost with this issue. One can jump in and enjoy the adventures of Daredevil.

Waid's script is great and there is plenty of action and intrigue. Not only do we have a strong story but the artwork by Marcos Martin is phenomenal, plus the colors by Javier Rodriguez is the icing on the cake. This Daredevil run has an old-school artwork/style to it that is perfect for the story.

I've been reading plenty of DC and Marvel titles lately and I must admit that Waid's Daredevil is one of the best I've read this year. 



TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. He is the writer for RED DEVIL.

Topless Robot

Artist: Greg Capullo

The Court of the Owls is gunning for Bruce Wayne, and Batman rushes to find answers. The issue begins with Bruce’s great-great-grandfather, Alan Wayne, running through the streets screaming hysterically about owls roosting in his house. When he’s stopped by the police he falls down an open manhole cover and dies. In the present day, Batman begins to think that he might have been wrong about The Court of the Owls. Visiting mayoral candidate and friend, Lincoln March, in the hospital it occurs to Bruce how the masked assassin got into his tower without being seen. Batman gives a short monologue about buildings that don’t have a 13th floor and how they technically do, but there’s nothing there; it’s an empty space. He has Alfred call up a list of buildings built through a fund his great-great-grandfather set up and, upon visiting all of them, he finds nests built into each building with portraits of The Court going back to at least 1919. In the last nest Batman gets caught in an explosion with a masked owl man watching from a distance and we are teased with a TO BE CONTINUED.

First and foremost, The Court creeps me the hell out. Their masks in the pictures (coupled with the elaborate dress of who I can only assume is the leader) are KKK enough to be unsettling. That aside, it works with the way Scott Snyder is taking things. We have a shadowy society that undercuts Gotham City, and has been doing it for hundreds of years.

People who have read a number of my critiques of Batman related titles probably know how much I disliked the way Batman was getting before the New 52, omnipotent, omniscient, and just generally uninteresting. The thing that continues to draw me about this comic is that Batman has turned back into a man. In the second issue he takes no less than three knives to his major muscle clusters, restricting his movement. And more importantly, he’s WRONG about the Court of Owls. Scott Snyder is creating a world where there are things Batman doesn’t know and I think that’s really exciting.

The art by Greg Capullo continues to be good, and I have to give him credit for unnerving me with owl costumes.

Overall a great issue to a great series, and one that I don’t anticipat missing for a long long time.

5 out of 5

BATMAN #2 REVIEW

BATMAN #1 REVIEW


Michael Knoll is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics

We have three webcomics updates for this week, so please enjoy Dr. Death vs The Zombie, The Red Devil, and The Captive.



DOCTOR DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

Dr. Death character based on the story Dr Death vs The Vampire by Aaron Schutz

Champion City Comics is pleased to present the exciting conclusion to Dr Death vs The Vampire. Dr. Death has taken refuge in Las Vegas following a brutal encounter with a vampire clan. However, his refuge is short-lived due to the presence of a zombie that is terrorizing the city.

Dr Death and Phreaker are still in pursuit of the vampire and the zombie, but things get crazy in Sin City.


THE RED DEVIL

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Pencils and Inks: Erik Roman

Color and Lettering: Joe Haemmerle

Synopsis: Dublin O'Darby (The Red Devil) is an international crime-fighter who works for Sebastian Coronado, the director of an organization dedicated to combating cartels of evil. Joining The Red Devil is teenage sidekick Charlotte Murphy (Kid Diablo). In the exciting first issue, Red Devil and Kid Diablo track down a dangerous ninja, Silent Noise, who has stolen a mysterious ring which once belonged to a diabolical group of demon worshipers known as the Order of Methalius.

We hope you are enjoying our action-packed series, The Red Devil. This title blends pulp classics, with fast paced action, and a James Bond attitude. Check it out!


Artist: Victor Pozzi

Synopsis: Based on the 1837 poem, La Cautiva, by Esteban Echeverria, this tale follows the horrific capture and bold escape of two Argentine settlers, Brian and Maria. You can read La Cautiva in Spanish here.

Comic List.com

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Eduardo Risso


Warning: This review contains spoilers

I've been looking for something different and interesting at my comic book store. Over the past month, I've been on a New 52 kick and have enjoyed some great stories from Marvel. However, I was not able to find something new, but that changed last week when I picked up Spaceman.

Spaceman, a nine issue science-fiction story from the creative team of 100 Bullets. The one dollar price was very nice, but I was sold on the collaboration of Azzarello and Risso. For some reason, I had not read anything online about the release of Spaceman, so I decided to give the first issue a shot. Azzarello and Risso had an amazing run with 100 Bullets and Azzarello has been on fire with Wonder Woman.


Reading Spaceman was the equivalent of reading something from Thomas Pynchon (Gravity's Rainbow), Samuel Delany (Dhalgren), or Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange). That's not a negative statement, folks. The vernacular of this book is a blend of internet slang with urban American slang, which is nothing terribly difficult to decipher. I give credit to Azzarello for creating a language that works well for this wonderfully odd story.

Spaceman is Orson, a genetic freak of a creature that was created for missions to Mars. The first issue includes flashbacks to Orson on a Mars mission but most of the story deals with his life on Earth, which appears to be a cyberpunk dystopia where the water levels have flooded a major city. Orson is a scavenger and has decided to take a risky trip into waters controlled by an individual known as Rat. While on his mission, Orson encounters a ship that has exploded and is about to sink. Orson is able to help a girl named Tara off the ship. Tara is part of a reality based show developed by two powerful celebrities named Marc and April who choose a orphan to join their "multinational adopted clan". Orson not only helps Tara off the boat but encounters some "trouble".

The price for this comic book was incredible and the story itself is excellent. Azzarello has done it again and Risso has not lost his touch. There is a splash page of the city where Orson lives and it is fantastic. After reading the first issue, I am hooked and can not wait to read the rest of this series.   



TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. He is the writer for RED DEVIL.

 This is the greatest movie ever made! I almost didn't rent it cause I figured it was a B movie superhero movie and those films usually SUCK. But then I remembered that it was barely advertised, and knowing that the amount of advertising of a movie is directly proportional to the amount of suckiness I decided to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did!

The humorous dynamic between The Green Hornet and Kato is great-a joy to watch. action scenes unfold with awesomeness. Kato does a kick in this film I have never seen before: a jumping spinning front kick! I immediately tried this at home and it works! I'm using this baby in my next street fight-like the one I got in where I roundhouse kicked a dude in the head in true Chuck Norris fashion!

The villain is expertly scripted-he gets mad when people think he's 'not scary' then before he blows their cortex across the room as he jamms his double-gun in their face he says, 'Am I scary now?' Ha ha! great!

I can't say enough to praise this film-there is not a single lame line of dialogue in the whole thing-unheard of in Hollywood! A future cult classic for sure. The dude playing Kato is a GREAT Bruce Lee replacement. His accent, his funny lines, he even draws pics of Bruce in his sketchbook. Awesome! I'm sure Bruce Lee is watching this movie from beyond and is giving it a thumbs up. In fact, he told me so. He also told me to tell you to watch it or he's gonna roundhouse kick you!

The original Green Hornet TV show by Willam Dozier was an attempt to capitalize on the success of his Batman TV series-but why it failed was, where the Batman series was played campy, the Green Hornet was played straight. And it just didn't work. I was hoping for some camp when I rented this thing and they did it right-just the right mixture of camp and seriousness. I guess the director (Michael Gondry) did his homework. Kudos!

And it was after the Green Hornet was canceled and Bruce Lee couldn't get any leading roles because he was Asian. That led to him making a historical decision-to return to China and get starring roles in low budget films. His fighting skill, never seen before (or since) propelled him into the legend! He still appears frequently on covers of martial arts magazines. Amazing. Bruce is considered the father of modern martial arts. Do a YouTube search for his 1967 karate tournament video to see how amazing he was!

There was only one fake part about this movie-where the chick goes to dig the bullet out of the Green Hornet. Hollywood-once and for all-a bullet is harmless after it stops moving. Doctors almost NEVER remove them. You do more damage digging them out than it's worth-severing nerves and stuff. But otherwise stupendous.


A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, and The End of Paradise.

DC Comics

Written by Scott Lobdell

Art by R.B. Silva and Rob Lean


Considering my distaste for the current running Superman issues that apparently have more fans than Justin Bieber, I'll admit, and concede defeat when it comes to Superboy. Hands down this is really fueling my nerd ego. Superboy, a title they have made no quips about, is relaunched. It has to be, I mean, in issue one he's in a lab being incubated for the wrath of Khan! But at least for the sake of continuity we know he's the clone of Lex and Kal-El, and at least at this point, that hasn't changed. I can deal with that, but when you tell me this is not a relaunch and expect me to think this Superman is the same one that had issues with curing cancer, then I pardon my Assholiosis. (See Action Comics #3 review for definition).


First, I freaking love, LOVE, the new costume. It's all black (always in fashion at Old Navy) and has glowing power lines that just look freaking sweet. In issue #2 Superboy blew up a prison so I was stoked to get issue #3 only to find that when I opened to page one, there's two homicidal Twilight wannabees killing people over a pack of Skittles which still makes no sense as of now why this was even in this issue.


I understand the strategy though, but it's just not working. Robert Kirkman was able to pull it off exquisitely in Invincible, where we would be reading and all of the sudden his ADHD would kick in and we would be reading about a random character that would be hit later. This is a writing style I have found myself attempting to emulate, but with all the background, and catching up we are doing, I'm not sure it was the right time to be doing this in this case.


Superboy's powers are starting to get more and more exotic, his mind is not so much left to just his head, his entire body is akin to a brain and his telekinesis works appropriately to said brainpower. It's obvious they are going to explore his powers more because in the opening pages Conner is at the Earth's core floating in lava. While swimming, he notices the pain of the heat from a rock he used to pull himself out, explaining that his powers work in conjunction with his awareness. Interesting ability.


We also discover that Rose knows a secret about Red, or Caitlin Fairchild of Gen13. Yes that's right, if you haven’t been reading the boards, or pieced it together, Red is the newest incarnation of Caitlin Faichild in Gen13 and it's official at the end of the issue and the hot little number she's wearing under her clothes as seen here.

DC Comics

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist Doug Mahnke

Oa, The Guardian’s chambers. Ganthet, having recently been lobotomized by his fellow guardians (See my review of Green Lantern: New Guardians #2) tells his fellow guardians what he’s learned. Over his time serving in different Corps he’s learned that each army that has been created (The Mahunters and The Corps) have had the capacity for fault. That in the end, they have failed. So Ganthet decides it’s time to sanction “The Third Army”.

Meanwhile, things are finally heating up for Hal Jordan, erstwhile Green Lantern of sector 2814. Sinestro has given him a proxy ring that he can turn on and off at whim. Using that as leverage he’s sealed a deal that ensures Hal’s help in overthrowing his Corps in return for a permanent ring. Together they take off for Korugar, and when they reach it, Hal learns a few new tricks from his old mentor. Sinestro then reveals the failsafe he built into the battery, if a Green Lantern were to enter the main battery, it would automatically shut down. Sinestro instructs Hal to wait until sunset, and then once Sinestro has engaged the corpsmen, to take his lantern battery to the Central yellow battery. As they lie in wait a Korugaran woman named Arsona attacks a corpsmen, prompting Sinestro to break the plan and attack. Hal makes it to the central battery but all does not go well for him. Pick up the issue to find out the thrilling to be continued moment!

I’m really digging this story. As slow as it started in issue one, it’s beginning to pick up steam in a break-neck way. We’re seeing some insanely cool interactions between Sinestro and Hal and we’re being introduced to, what I can only assume will be pants wettingly awesome/terrifying, The Third Army.

Firstly, Hal and Sinestro are one of my favorite team-ups to date. The banter and constant one upping is really great. I won’t go into the over used, “They secretly, deep down, respect each other” angle, but there’s one line that I really like. Hal asks Sinestro why HIM? Why Hal? Sinestro says, “Because as surprising as it is to even me, I can trust you. Especially since I control the off switch on your ring.”

I’m also digging the angle that Sinestro is some kind of Ring genius. He’s doing things with his ring that we’ve never seen before and that’s just exciting to me to see what’s next.

The art by Mahnke continues to be good. There are a couple of panels in here that are really sweet, one of which is Hal socking old Sinestro right in the kisser. Otherwise, still good.

Overall I feel like Green Lantern has finally hit it’s stride. Three issues in and it’s go go go. With The Sinestro Corps still at large and alive, and the mysterious Third Army coming into being, we’ve got a lot to look forward to

5 out of 5


Michael Knoll is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics

 OK, this film is Independence Day meets Fire in the Sky meets Cloverfield meets The Matrix and boy is it boring. LA is invaded by alien sentinel things that swallow you up in Fire in the Sky goo and giant spacecraft which crash to the ground with a nuclear explosion and releasing Cloverfield-like giant hungry aliens. Sounds exciting, right? It isn't. Not even a little bit. Matter of fact, the last 1/3 of the film I just kept skipping ahead to watch basically the same scene over and over again-screaming women, whining, running men...lame.

WHY was it boring? well because the writers forget the basic rule of scriptwriting-your characters cannot be reactive, just running and screaming from one menace to another. They have to ACT, man, like John McClane does in the Die Hard films. A powerless protagonist is a BORING protagonist. And with virtually no dialogue, you know, stuff like, 'WTF is happening? Aliens have invaded?' or such, it rings totally FALSE.

And, it follows the standard horror film premise of only five people being in the city. Amazingly, in the hi-rise apartment where it takes place, every other tenant (but one) is mysteriously out. Oh yeah, and the black guy dies first. It's like the producers tried to cram every action/sci-fi/horror cliche into one film, hoping something would stick. It didn't. Man I wish I could advise Hollywood on movies-simple stuff like a reactive protagonist which kills the film is easy for me to spot, and easy to fix. It's like I'm the only one who reads books on screenplay writing, and I'm not even a filmaker. WTF man?

Truly a stupid boring idiotic piece of dung. My only hope is that somehow all copies of this 'film' get destroyed somehow and we can pretend it never happened.

Only one word for the writer, producers and director of this 'film': STOP IT.

That's a wrap


A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, and The End of Paradise.

Writer: Paul Levitz

Artist: Chris Batista

Publisher: DC Comics

The issue begins with humanity finding a race of people who have been butchered beyond anything their advanced sensibilities can comprehend. They bring in a specialist to investigate; a young man named Braniac 5. Simultaneously, The Security Directorate, which may or may not be made up of psychics (it seems like they’re more pre-cognicent than psychic), watches over a man named R.J. Brande and the three children with amazing abilities that he has with him. The Directorate speaks in a vague, mystical, foreshadowing manner about the kids (who are of course Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad) and they even confront Brande about it. Meanwhile, Brainiac is making some headway on the butchering case when a mysterious woman comes through a wormhole and warns of some immense danger. The Directorate discuss various issues in regards to this woman, the budding Legion, and in the end we see Cosmic Boy swearing Triplicate Girl into The Legion.

To be completely honest, I paid the $2.99 for the “free” Legion ring that came with the issue. And in a continuing theme of honesty, I regret to say that that’s the only thing in the deal that’s WORTH $2.99. The point of this series is to reveal the previously unknown origin of The Legion of Superheroes. What I GOT was a cluster-suck of three different stories. The opening page sets up the history to that point succinctly and interestingly, after that it’s a free for all of vague statements, no explanation, and general nonsensical confusion. The Directorate seem to have no purpose other than to watch everything, talk about it, and do nothing. In most cases series’ like this are like putting a puzzle together. You get border piece after border piece until you have enough to fill in the center. Legion Secret Origin is DC hurling center pieces at us from the get go, and they don’t all seem to be from the same puzzle.


The art isn’t bad, but it’s not stellar, and does nothing to redeem the issue, even though it doesn’t hurt it any either.

Overall I’d say that if you want the ring, then buy the issue and then forget about it. It’s not worth the read.

0 out of 5

Michael Knoll is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics.

We have three webcomics updates for this week, so please enjoy Dr. Death vs The Zombie, The Red Devil, and Tales From The Future: License Expired.



DOCTOR DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

Dr. Death character based on the story Dr Death vs The Vampire by Aaron Schutz

Champion City Comics is pleased to present the exciting conclusion to Dr Death vs The Vampire. Dr. Death has taken refuge in Las Vegas following a brutal encounter with a vampire clan. However, his refuge is short-lived due to the presence of a zombie that is terrorizing the city.

Have you been checking out this awesome webcomic? No? What is wrong with you?! We have an exciting tale where superheroes, vampires, and a zombie battle it out in Las Vegas. What else do you need?

Check out the latest pages where Maximillian, a vampire leader, has taken some hostages and gained a valuable ally. Doctor Death and Phreaker are in hot pursuit and things are about to get crazier in Sin City.







THE RED DEVIL

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Pencils and Inks: Erik Roman

Color and Lettering: Joe Haemmerle

Synopsis: Dublin O'Darby (The Red Devil) is an international crime-fighter who works for Sebastian Coronado, the director of an organization dedicated to combating cartels of evil. Joining The Red Devil is teenage sidekick Charlotte Murphy (Kid Diablo). In the exciting first issue, Red Devil and Kid Diablo track down a dangerous ninja, Silent Noise, who has stolen a mysterious ring which once belonged to a diabolical group of demon worshipers known as the Order of Methalius.

We hope you are enjoying our action-packed series, The Red Devil. This title blends pulp classics, with fast paced action, and a James Bond attitude. Check it out!





Writers: TonyDoug Wright & A. Kaviraj

Pencils, Inks, and Lettering: A. Kaviraj, Victor Pozzi, Earl Geier, and Isaac Weiss

Champion City Comics is pleased to present Tales From The Future, a sci-fi anthology inspired by the works of Philip K. Dick and classic golden age comic books!

Recommended if you like: Classic sci-fi tales