This Week's Haul: Poor Daredevil

Let's see if I still remember how to review comics.

Daredevil #105

When you are feeling stressed out, there is really no better cure than picking up a Daredevil comic. Because no matter how bad your life is going, Matt Murdock's is much, much worse. And his loved ones are having an even rougher time.

So, this concludes the Without Fear story arc. And does it end happily? Oh my goodness no. Not at all. Daredevil confronts Mr. Fear re: the poisoning of Matt's wife, which has turned her into a murdering lunatic. Mr. Fear is a stone-cold badass:

Haha...good one, Fear.

DD is pretty badass too:

Well, that shut him up.

So anyway, Matt punches Fear around and, having beaten him, believes he's going to get the cure for poor Milla. Nope:

Ohhhhhh shit.

And I love that the preview of the next issue is a picture of Daredevil crying in the rain.

Captain America #35

Let's see if my boy Winter Soldier is faring any better than Daredevil this week.

Yup. *sigh*

Blue Beetle #24

Love it! Love the cover. Love how much ass Jaime kicked in this comic. Love the Death of Ted Kord motif.

Love Traci 13:

This comic rules.

All-Star Batman and Robin #9

Ok, I wasn't going to say anything about this comic, because I am trying to ignore it. But, seriously...

WTF, DC?! Why are you even allowing this?! I don't care who's writing it or how "legendary" they are...this is just wrong.

Batman #674

Well, at least this was some awesome Batman. I like it when Batman just does something really, really cool. Like this:

I liked how this issue ended too. Bruce Wayne is clever.

Teen Titans #56



This issue was really entertaining. I've been pretty underwhelmed by McKeever's Titans run so far, while at the same time being very impressed with his Birds of Prey writing. So of course he's leaving Birds of Prey. When McKeever was announced as the new writer of Titans, I thought it would be perfect, and this is the first issue of his run that had the level of fun I was expecting. The Titans are teenagers! This title should be two things:

a) fun
b) a soap opera

I think we are getting there.

In this issue Kid Devil decides to invite some fans from a Kid Devil message board to Titans Tower for a party...with hilarious results!

I particularly loved this little detail, with Robin bitching Kid Devil out from home:

Very funny.

And, of course, Batman getting prank called:

Saying "Your Mom" to Batman is funny for so many reasons...

New Frontier DVD

And, of course, New Frontier came out on DVD this week. In case you forgot. You should buy at least one copy. You won't be disappointed.

There were lots of other good comics this week too. I actually haven't gotten to Nexus #100 yet. I'm saving it. It's going to be rad.

Caption Contest Winners!

Hi guys! I'm back! Thanks for your patience and kind words. My life has now settled down and I am ready to resume reading comics and writing about them. I haven't picked up my comics in two weeks. Insane, eh? I also haven't worked at the store in weeks. But that all changes now!

So after much deliberation, I have chosen a winner of the caption contest. But first I want to give a special mention to Tony Z, because he put so much effort into colouring his entry:

And now the winner...Scott!

I entered the text into the panel myself (a little tricky because Lois's speech balloon is so tiny):


I think Bruce's thoughts match his facial expression perfectly. Ditto with Lois. Plus, the idea that Batman is analyzing the Sunday comics every week for Riddler clues? Hilarious.

So congrats, Scott! Email me with your address and you get an autographed copy of Nexus: The Origin, signed by the legendary Steve Rude (courtesy of Strange Adventures)! And, hey, Tony Z...I'll send you something too.

rachellegoguen at gmail dot com

Thanks to everyone who entered. You can see all the entries here.

Archie Sunday: Canada, Here We Come!!

The (new) Archies are going on vacation to the happiest place on Earth...Canada!

Before we get started, I just want to say that I hate the New Archies. I hate Archie's mullet. I hate Betty's vertical ponytail. I hate Veronica's bob, shades and giant bow. I hate that Moose is 500 lbs. I hate that my beloved Dilton has been replaced by a young black man named Eugene (I'm all for diversity, but writing out Dilton is just plain wrong). And I hate that they are all younger than usual.

But I do love how excited these kids are to go to Canada:

I think maybe they have Canada confused with California.

Aw, that's nice.

Canada here we come. Right back where we started from. Canadaaaaa...here we coooooooome!!

I like that, in the background of the bus, is...Canada? Or something? Where is Riverdale exactly? I always pictured East Coast, but here we have Rocky Mountains in the background.

OK, this is where it gets really good:

Ok, where the hell is Mr Lodge's cabin?! There is no way that all of these sights are on the way. It's just not possible. His cabin would have to be suspended in an alternate dimension.

Basically, to see all of these sights, the gang would have to drive coast to coast, which is about 6100 km, or 3,700 miles. And that's a modest estimate. What I am saying is, Mr Andrews is a very patient man.

Actually, I need to make this point too: I live in Atlantic Canada. I have never seen a puffin. You have to go out to sea to see them. I can only assume that Mr Andrews did this so Reggie could get a picture.

"It's always interesting to see how other people live." What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jughead? In cities? With jobs and cars? What is so fascinating about Calgary? (By the way, Toronto to Calgary? 3,500 km, or almost 2,200 miles).

Do you think that maybe they had all that stuff about Toronto and Calgary first so that they wouldn't give readers the impression that this cabin in the woods is a typical Canadian habitat?

Well, at least we know that it took them about a week to get there, since Mr Lodge is meeting them tomorrow. But still...that's some very speedy driving.

Look at how cute those beavers are! Chomp chomp!


What to do if you spot a bear:

1. Don't panic
2. Don't yell
3. Don't run

Archie fails.
Yet another Canadian vacation ruined by beavers.

I always love it when the Archies travel to Canada for any reason because it's full of inaccuracies and geographical impossibilities. But that doesn't mean I don't love an Atlantic Canada shout-out.

Dolla Dolla Bin, Y'all

I joined the sexy Southern boys of the Dollar Bin again this week, this time discussing comic book relationships. Just in time for Valentine's Day!

Check it out here: Superhero Couples!

Caption Contest!

Hey, y'know what would cheer me up? A good old fashioned caption contest.

So here's a panel from Showcase Presents World's Finest. I think the possibilities for what Batman is thinking and Lois is saying are endless.


Fill in the blanks and post it on your own blog with a link in the comments section here. Or, if you don't have a blog, just type out the dialog in the comment section.

The winner gets a copy of the recently re-published Nexus The Origin comic, signed by Steve Rude, courtesy of Strange Adventures. It's certified and everything, so you know I didn't just write S.Rude on a comic.

Alright! Get to work! Make me proud!

A Message From Cuddle Pillow Batman

Hi. Cuddle Pillow Batman here.

I just wanted to let you guys know that Rachelle is having a rough couple of weeks and she needs a bit of personal time. I assure you she has not lost interest in this blog, she just hasn't had time to post anything lately.

She wants you guys to know that she thinks Bucky will make an excellent (and dreamy) Captain America. He just needs to figure out a better way of dealing with criminals than shooting out their kneecaps. I mean...Rachelle could do that.

So Rachelle is very sorry for the lack of posting lately, but she promises to be back soon with lots of comic love. In the meantime I'll be on active cuddle duty.