I’m all full of turkey and regret, after the most hectic weekend of the year, it’s always good to just sit back with a comic in your hand, and this week had no shortage of titles on the shelves. We’ve got even more Marvel NOW debuts, some big happening for Spider-Men, both Amazing and Ultimate, and DC’s New 52 keeps trudging along. To that end, let’s take a sampling of what this week had to offer!

Captain America #1: I really liked this issue. You can jump into it without knowing anything about Captain America, and still have a great ride. Also, props for using Arnim Zola instead of the Red Skull, Zola has a much cooler visual anyway.

Iron Man #2: Hey! Tony got his groove goatee back! Also, there’s a lot of borderline pretentious Arthurian/Holy Grail stuff. Also, I have no idea who the last panel reveal is supposed to be. You kind of lost me on this issue, Marvel.

Indestructible Hulk #1: I think after this issue, people can stop with the old cliche that nothing new can be done with Hulk stories. That being said, I do prefer my Hulk to at least have some dialog, even if it’s just “Hulk Smash!” I’ll be keeping my eye on this book.

Justice League #14: Amazingly, this issue not only convinced me that this incarnation of Superman/Wonder Woman could work beyond a publicity stunt, but the Shazam story also bordered on well, not “good”, but also not mind numbingly awful. Sadly, that’s glowing praise from me.

Shadow #8: This is a Shadow I don’t mind plopping down four dollars a month for! Gripping action, mystery and pulp-y goodness. It helps that the Shadow is portrayed as a total badass. I seriously doubt anyone used the phrase “my bad” in 1937, though, just saying.

Spider #6: The art and layouts in this book are simply amazing. I’d go as far to say they’re near Batwoman levels of composition. That being said, this story while good, is to be continued on an odd note. In fact, this books seems like it’d read better in trade, but I like it so much I can’t wait for that!

Amazing Spider-Man #698: I won’t spoil the spoiler even though it’s been out nearly a week. I will say that the idea that has legs even though even the movie the trope is based on is as tired as Rip Van Winkle on a Melatonin overdose. I hope it has actual ramifications though.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #17:  Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Too bad doesn’t seem to include trekking across the wilds of Wyoming with no food or water. Also, is Miles’ dad going to work for Hydra? The plot thickens.

Star Trek #15: Hoooo-lee crap! This book never ceases to amaze me. Here I was thinking it was just going to be a laame episode adaptation of Mirror, Mirror.Instead, we get an entirely new story that uses that same concept, but through the lens of what occurs in the new movie-verse. Color me impressed! No spoilers, but if you liked the Trek movie, read this damn book.

Wonder Woman #14: Well what do you know? Jack Kirby’s New Gods do exist in some form in the new 52! Here I was thinking it was just Darkseid. Also, Wonder Womaan does stuff in this issue and the gods are a bunch of dicks. Good read.

Legion of Super-Heroes #14: I’ll be honest and say I don’t remember what was going on in this book in previous months. I don’t like when future books all have to have portents of doom in them. Even so, I like the bits with Element Lad and Chemical Kid. They play off of each other well.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #14: Kyle Rayner is my Green Lantern. It looks like they’re setting him up to be the savior of this whole Third Army nonsense. I am perfectly OK with this.

Blue Beetle #14: This series is finally getting to be as enjoyable as the pre-New 52 book did. It isn’t quite there yet, and the book’s getting cancelled, so it probably never will. It’s a shame really.

Batwoman #14: I’m not sure of the timeline of this issue, but I think if it runs concurrently with other bat-titles, the Joker is going to be awfully pissed that Medusa decided to turn Killer Croc into the mythical Hydra to destroy everything we know.

Captain Marvel #7: A fun issue with Captains Marvel of past and present. Thankfully, the cover is misleading, and the only blows being traded are verbal. Also, Carol is going to have to fight a giant monster made of waterlogged husks of airplanes from WWII. Have I mentioned how much I like this book?

 DC Universe Presents #14: Using bad movies as a way to make people mock the occult and therefore tarnish their mystical and potentially evil value is really interesting. Other stuff happens in this issue, including how freaky the new 52 Blue Devil suit is, but that plot point is what hooked me.

Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #4: This book didn’t fail to deliver on the Rocketeer vs. Dinosaur action! Also, even though things wrap up nicely, seeds are sown for a continuation of the story, so I hope that pans out. I’ve enjoyed the Rocketeer minis, but an ongoing would be aces.

Savage Dragon #183: I’m glad to see Dragon back on earth. I hope the book can kind of return to the family dynamic that I’ve always enjoyed about. We also find out who’s in the Overlord armor, if that’s something you wanted to know.

It Girl & The Atomics #4: This book isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. It lacks a lot of the charm Allred gives to the Atomics. Also, the little sibling rivalry chibi cutaways didn’t add anything to the story and were really jarring.

Nightwing #14: I picked this up for the promise of a fight between Nightwing and Lady Shiva. I wasn’t disappointed. This story also has a tenuous link with the ongoing Joker shenanigans if that’s to your liking.

Red Hood & The Outlaws #14: This is my guilty pleasure DC book. I know it’s not “good”, but some unexplained quality brings me back month after month. Also, Leatherface Joker still looks incredibly stupid.

Sword & Sorcery #2: I am really enjoying the world-building in Amethyst half of this book. The Beowulf stuff isn’t doing much for me though. I wonder how people who read the original Amethyst book in the 80’s feel about this one.

Supergirl #14: This is the first book that has even remotely care about what the deal with this H’el character is. I’m sorry to say that it’s probably not enough to keep me reading this book. Luckily, the way Kara is being characterized is interesting enough for me to stay on for a while.

Young Justice #22: I really enjoy how this book enhances the show it’s based on, with everything happening in it being totally canonical within the show. In this issue, we witness Blue Beetle’s first day on the team, Brainiac trying to shrink Metropolis, and an abduction on the moon! Since the show is on unfortunate hiatus, this is a good way to be tided over. A shame it’s ending soon.

If I were going to put together a list of my five favorite episodes, there’s a very strong possibility that “A Necessary Bond” would find its way up there. I liked this episode a lot. It had everything you’d want from classic Star Wars, it had echoes of older episodes of The Clone Wars, it was funny, suspenseful, thrilling, and pulled everything together in a package that brought a smile to my face and the face of my kids. In fact, my son turned to me just after the mid-point of the third act of the episode and said, “This is one of the best episodes ever.”

This episode sees the younglings escaping from the clutches of Hondo Ohnaka, only to find that Floruum has been taken over by Grievous and the Separatists. They’re compelled to join forces and fight off their common enemy.

I loved that there were so many bits of dialogue and situations that echoed the classic trilogy lines. Perhaps easily my favorite moment (and one that should provide David Tennant with untold amounts of joy) is when  Huyang gets knocked off the ship by Artoo, Return of the Jedi style. In fact, every single bit of chase and action sequence in this episode built higher and higher and higher until they truly reached a fevered pitch.

The comedy of the episode was great, too. I love the droids and their terror at the “miniature Jedi,” and I love that they sent Artoo in to bluff the droids. It was a great scene and it had my kids rolling in laughter and me chuckling.

And I love that the Slave I had a part to play in all of this. It makes me confident we’ll see Boba Fett on the show taking back possession of his father’s ship.

The younglings have been one of the single best additions to the show since it began. It’s almost a shame they’ve only lasted four episodes. Over the four episodes, each one was given a personality and a background that by the end of the arc you were rooting for them all individually and together. My two favorites were the Ithorian and the Wookiee. Though that’s not fair to the others, because I liked them, too.

Knowing now that the events of the season premiere happen AFTER this episode make Hondo’s actions over the course of this arc make so much more sense. Why they chose to air the episodes out of order is a bit perplexing because it would have really amped up the stakes through the season as a whole. But I guess bouncing around the chronology is how they do things on The Clone Wars.

The thing I hated most about this episode is that it sees the end of the younglings arc. I want to see all of these younglings in more adventures together, or in pairs, or a few at a time, or assigned to their Jedi masters. I’d love to see a show about Gungi and maybe a couple of these other kids trying to survive with their masters or together during the dark times after Order 66. It would be very cool.

Now that this arc is over though, I can’t wait to see the story started back at the premiere continued on.

In the next few days I’ll be submitting my third short story in as many weeks for an anthology. This one, though, might be the one I’m most proud of. Not the story, per se, though I do think it’s really good stuff, but it’s certainly the most important anthology.

Put together by my friend and author R.T. Kaelin, Triumph Over Tragedy is an anthology that includes dozens of notable authors and every cent of the proceeds are going to the Red Cross and relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Sandy. (I’d also like to give a shout to Sarah Chorn who is helping on editing duties.)

I won’t say I was the first author to sign up when the redoubtable Mr. Kaelin cooked up the idea, but I was pretty darn close, and I’m very glad to be involved. For a donation of at least $7, you can get some very, very cool stories.

Here’s the full list of authors involved so you can know why $7 for stories by all of them would be a steal:

• Robert Silverberg (Hugo and Nebular Award winner)
• Marion Zimmer Bradley (Locus Award winner) (donated by the MZB Literary Trust)
• Elizabeth Bear
• Michael J. Sullivan
• Mark Lawrence
• Bradley P. Beaulieu
• Philip Athans
• Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Stephen D. Sullivan
• Rick Novy
• Jean Rabe
• Maxwell Alexander Drake
• SM Blooding
• Erik Scott de Bie
• Alex Bledsoe
• Matthew Wayne Selznick
• R.T. Kaelin
• Ari Marmell
• Jaym Gates
• C.S. Marks
• C.J. Henderson
• Marian Allen
• Bryan Young (<== That’s me, in case you forgot)
• Donald Bingle
• Janine Spendlove
• T.L. Gray
• Miya Kressin
• Steven Saus
• Addie King
• Rob Knipe
• Vicki Johnson-Steger
• Tracy Chowdhury
• Doris Stever
• Gregory Wilson

I’m told more are coming.

As of this moment, the anthology has raised over a thousand dollars, I’d like to see you guys double it.Click here to go to the page and donate.

The story I’m providing is a science fiction piece in a world I’ve been building for a long time for an extended stay in. I hope you guys will enjoy an early taste of it.

I really can’t wait to see how this episode plays out, and knowing that it does, in fact, occur before the season premiere makes it all the more intriguing. And seeing Grievous back in action is always exciting. It also makes Hondo’s actions during the youngling arc that much more understandable.

Here’s the official synopsis:

In the conclusion to this four-part story arc, General Grievous launches a full-scale attack on the pirate base on Florrum in “A Necessary Bond,” airing this Saturday, November 24th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Episode Trivia:

• This episode answers what exactly happened to Hondo Ohnaka’s base, which was seen destroyed in “Revival,” the season opener. Originally, “Revival” was planned to air later in the season, in proper chronological order, but it was moved to the start in order to better showcase the Darth Maul storyline. In “Revival,” Hondo describes his base being overrun by General Grievous.

Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and a variety of other outlets are quoting sources saying that Lawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter behind The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Simon Kinberg, one of the minds behind the X-Men: First Class films, will be working on writing Episodes VIII and IX.

There is no word on how they will split that work up or if they’ll work as a team. THR is also saying they will be producing.

If this news turns out to be true, I will be the happiest man on the planet. I think Kasdan is one of the greatest screenwriters who ever lived and if his work across the Lucasfilm galaxy wasn’t enough, he’s behind classics like Silverado, The Big Chill, and The Accidental Tourist. And for anyone interested in the craft of storytelling, not only are his films worth studying, you really need to track down the PDF of his script conference with Lucas and Spielberg about Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s a stunning document that offers an unprecedented window into the creative process.

For his part, Kinberg is working on the follow up to one of the finest screenplays in the the entire genre of superhero films with the stellar X-Men: Days of Future Past. He also was a writer of X3, which we won’t speak of.

If it pans out, this is great news for Star Wars fans everywhere.

Just when the dust had settled from Avengers vs X-Men, Marvel is coming back to us with a return of one of its greatest villains, Ultron.

For the unfamiliar, Ultron is a robot created by Hank Pym who eventually went rogue and tried to take over the world, and given that he, as a robot, can take control over other technology, that has nearly happened on a few occasions  The big problem is that he is both self-repairing and self-replicating, so no matter how defeated he gets, no matter how far into outer space he is tossed, he’ll always come back. And he’ll come back stronger and more impervious than before.

So, yeah. He’s ba-ack. And The Age of Utron, we are promised, will begin with him winning and taking over all of the Earth’s technology and conquering nearly all of the superhero universe.  And it sounds like the rag-tag group of superheroes/villains left to take him on will include Invisible Woman, Taskmaster, Beast, Emma Frost, She-Hulk, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Moon Knight. Oh, and it’ll be written by one of my favorites at Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis.

You know what I loved? Avengers vs. X-Men. You know what I hated? Waiting almost a month between issues. And so Marvel is promising that we’ll get all ten issues between March and June.

Oh, and an exclusive Age of Ultron 0.1 free comic on Free Comic Book Day.

This makes me all sorts of tingly. Not only because it’s Marvel and Bendis but because it’s Ultron, and therefore robots. And we love robots. You know what else makes me tingly? This preview art. Look at it, try not to drool on your keyboard, and read Marvel’s entire press release below.

So until Ultron finally decided to stop trying to take over the world, MAKE MINE MARVEL!

Submit or Perish! This Is The AGE OF ULTRON

Superstars Brian Michael Bendis & Bryan Hitch Set The Marvel Universe On A Path of No Return

 

New York. NY—November 19, 2012— This March, enter the darkest days of the Marvel Universe as Earth’s Mightiest fight for survival in Age of Ultron #1 as they’re faced with only two choices—Submit Or Perish! From the blockbuster creative team of Brian Michael Bendis (All New X-Men, Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man), Bryan Hitch (Ultimates, Fantastic Four), Carlos Pacheco (Uncanny X-Men) & Brandon Peterson (AvX: VS) comes an event years in the making pitting the Marvel Universe against one of their greatest threats! Ultron, a deadly sentient robot created by founding Avenger Hank Pym who turned on his creator to achieve his twisted  objective…the utter destruction of humanity. Now that Ultron has conquered, enslaving most of the world’s Super Heroes, it’s up to a small group of resistance fighters—including Invisible Woman, Taskmaster, Beast, Emma Frost, She-Hulk, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Moon Knight—to find a way overcome darkness and bring hope back a world that has suddenly lost everything. Once this landmark ten-issue event concludes, the reverberations will be felt in every corner of the Marvel Universe, leaving no hero or villain unscathed.

 

“From the very first page, readers will see the unthinkable – Ultron has won,” said Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “In a world where we’ve learned to depend on technology to sustain us, what would happen if one villain found a way to turn it against us?  In order to survive, the world’s greatest super heroes will have to make drastic choices whose ramifications will be felt throughout the Marvel Universe.  This is a story so huge that we’re shipping the entire ten issue series from March through June so fans don’t have to wait more than a few weeks between issues.”

 

Earlier this  year on Free Comic Book Day, fans all over the world experienced Age of Ultron #0.1, a special lead-in to this event by Bendis and Hitch, that hinted at the plans Ultron has in store for the Marvel Universe.

 

“In the vein of Infinity Gauntlet, Secret Invasion and Civil War, Age of Ultron is a massive Marvel Universe-spanning Event,” explained Bendis. “One of our most famous villains, Ultron, the super artificial intelligence, has fulfilled his destiny and taken the Earth. This story touches every corner of the Marvel Universe and will have an amazing effect on things going forward. We have taken the time to do this right- everything is gorgeous, every page matters, and most of all- something I’m very proud of- is that it will be shipping at a furious pace. Every day for the last year and a half people have been asking me when this story will come and I’m thrilled to announce that it is here.”

 

Can the remaining heroes of the Marvel Universe scramble to find a glimmer of hope or some way to fight back. Scattered across the ruined Earth, they’ll have to journey to all corners and find a way to defeat the robotic revolution…no matter the cost. But do they realize that the cost of saving Earth might be their very souls?

 

This March, Brian Michael Bendis, Bryan Hitch, Carlos Pacheco & Brandon Peterson bring fans the event they’ve been clamoring for in Age of Ultron!

 

AGE OF ULTRON #1

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Art and Cover by BRYAN HITCH

On-Sale March 2013 A.U.

 

AGE OF ULTRON #2

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Art and Cover by BRYAN HITCH

On-Sale March 2013 A.U.

 

AGE OF ULTRON #3

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Art and Cover by BRYAN HITCH

On-Sale March 2013 A.U.

 

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook. 

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com

The story throughout this installment in the series is very easy to follow and makes sense. There is a twist at the beginning which throws many players off as it is unexpected and not a norm of the series. The game looks very good – the graphics are superb and help to create a sense of presence especially with the weather. Snowfall leads to slower movement, less animal activity for hunting and it is harder to see. Rain soaks through your clothing and it feels heavier, it is also difficult to see where you are climbing. Sunny days are the easiest weather to maneuver through as nightfall brings shadows and doesn’t allow you to see every possible path to take. The controls are easy to use and rather simple to learn. Players that are new to the series may need to read up on some of the controls because the tutorial does not explain everything. This is very surprising given that the first 30% of the game feels like a tutorial.

Assassins Creed III starts off gruelingly slow by adding a twist at the beginning, explaining Connor’s childhood and then preventing the use of the assassin outfit until Connor has proved himself. All of these tasks take a long time to complete and you won’t feel like the assassin Connor is until 1/3 of the game has past. Once you do get past that frustrating tidbit, the rest of the game is immersive and exciting. Boston and New York are the two cities that need liberation from British rule – and Connor is the man to do it. By liberating each area, a man or woman will join Connor on his quest to overtake the Templars. These become your assassins in-training which can be sent to any of the colonies to help liberate them. Living on the Davenport Homestead, Connor is in charge of bringing artisans to his community to help grow the homestead. With each artisan new crafts can be made, which can be sent on convoys to nearby stores and traders. Recipes for new crafts are also found in chests. Another collectible throughout the frontier are feathers, although an exact use for them in-game has yet to be discovered. Now, in my opinion, the best addition to the Assassins Creed series is the naval portion. Connor helps a man names Faulkner to rebuild a ship. This ship Connor uses on a couple of story missions to destroy Templar ships. Connor steers the ship away from rocks and debris while giving orders to fire cannons on either side of the ship, fire swivel guns, ducking for cover or simply ramming other ships head on. By ramming a ship that ship will take damage but will also provide the opportunity to board an enemy ship. Boarding ships are also exciting in that a battle ensues and treasure can be found. The wind dictates how the ship moves, so sailing with the wind at full sail is the fastest, but sailing at an angle into the wind at half sail will also move swiftly. As long as you don’t sail into the wind or take your sails completely down, you should sail quite easily. Connor’s new ship also allows him to visit new areas, aside from the colonies we come familiar with throughout the game. These new areas are similar to the tombs from Ezio’s games, where treasures are sought in ancient, sometimes underground, areas. The naval component of the game was truly the most entertaining addition to the series – and it has nothing to do with assassination.





Assassins Creed III should be classified as an action-adventure game as it rarely uses the stealthy aspects. Open conflict – fighting and killing guards in the middle of the street – is easier than running away and hiding the majority of the time. I do not fault the game for it, it is simply too easy to kill multiple guards at once when an assassin would normally run and take foes one by one. This is my perception of an assassin, however, so I won’t let it dictate how I feel about the game’s performance.

Connor’s character follows a plot that is easy to follow and understand. His childhood sets up the path he follows as an adult and the future (Desmond’s story) has a major impact on Connor’s conclusion. The player can return to Desmond from the animus at any point during the story, however there are only 3 times when it is necessary to play as Desmond. These levels, in my opinion, were what Assassins Creed followers have been waiting for in terms of a modern assassin game. Not only did Desmond’s levels take place in a modern setting, they were also very entertaining. Desmond’s story was cut extremely short in favor of Connor’s story, and the culmination of both was a bit disappointing.

The controls are easy to pick up, similar to the predecessors of the series. Free running still has issues now and again – running or jumping a different direction than what you are telling it to. Action buttons can also be frustrating when you have to be looking at the person or object from a certain distance before you can press the action button. Other than these few flaws, the game operates and controls smoothly.

The game is easy to play, but difficult to 100%. In order to reach full synchronization on most levels, there are specific constraints that must be met all in one playthrough – this means if you snuck past the guards safely but did not make it out in less than 3 minutes, you would have to play the level again sneaking past the guards AND under 3 minutes. This is only if you want full synchronization, however, and these levels can be replayed at any time. Additionally, there are cheats that can be unlocked by solving puzzles, however you can only get to these puzzles by completing the game. The puzzles require you to be online to solve them and are randomly placed – which means a walkthrough showing exactly where the pivots located is not going to help at all.

Overall, Assassins Creed III is a lot of fun, once you can get past the numbingly slow start. To finish the story, with minimal side missions, the game takes between 15 and 20 hours. There are lots of collectible items and entertaining side missions (crafting, training assassins, naval battles) that will keep you playing for hours on end, however. Word is upwards of 70 hours to find all collectibles – I am at 66% full synchronization and am currently at 25 hours. By including the thrilling naval side missions, assassination training and the crafting and trading of items, Assassins Creed III has a lot of replayability. Full synchronization also encourages players to replay, not just the epilogue, but the story missions as well. The naval missions alone serve as a reason to buy this game. For those who have rented Assassins Creed installments in the past should do so again, especially if achieving 100% in a game is not your style.

Assassins Creed III uses an autosave system, as do all of the games in the series. It is frustrating when going for 100% synchronization because levels have to be restarted at the last checkpoint determined by the game.

Multiplayer matches consist of eliminating a specific target before someone else does. There are also spins on this concept where you work as a team to eliminate the targets, steal an artifact from the opposing team and bring it back to base or free for all. New abilities have also been introduced including throwing money and wearing a disguise.

When taking a stealthy approach, the game is not very violent. However, whenever battles do take hold, deaths are gruesome and bloody. Since some battles cannot be avoided, the game is rated Mature for these scenes.

Assassins Creed III introduces some new abilities thanks to the new engine. The biggest abilities present are climbing up trees and free running across branches. Two of the major areas of the game are almost entirely forest, allow the chance to familiarize the new abilities.  In these new forest areas there are some wild animals that can be hunted in a manner similar to Red Dead Redemption. Animals killed with the hidden blade give pelts in perfect condition among other items (fangs, antlers, etc.). The animals sounds make up ambient background noises while the majority of noises heard are of Connor running and jumping. When open conflict is triggered, an upbeat and fast music plays until Connor can successfully escape or hide.





In the end, this installment in the series ended up being one of my favorites. It introduced the new concept of naval side missions that were thrilling to play and it continued telling the story of Desmond (albeit, not nearly as much as I would have liked). The beginning of the game is slow, its biggest flaw, but once you get past it the game shines. The conclusion of the story was disappointing, but the replay value due to collectibles and full synchronization is high.

There were a googly amount of comics this week. A few of the new Marvel NOW! #1’s came out, there was a veritable Joker-fest in the bat-books. Meanwhile, Amazing Spider-Man starts it’s road to #700 and the wrap-up to that series, and DC’s Teen books continue to be well… interesting to say the least. So, let’s get in depth (or as in depth as off the cuff/snarky gut reactions tend to be) with this week’s comics, shall we?

All New X-Men #1: This book has an incredibly interesting set-up. Pull the original X-Men to today’s time to hopefully fix how &^%*-up Cyclops has become. It has the potential to go all pear shaped, but I’ll keep picking it up for a while, and from a non X-fan like me, that’s glowing praise.

Fantastic Four #1:  The jury is still out for me on this one. It doesn’t feel like a #1 issue, and so far, it just feels like Matt Fraction is continuing Hickman’s FF run. This is probably just a transitional thing. Also, there is a giant gaffe in this issue. The FF’s uniforms are made of unstable molecules, not the FF themselves.

Thor God of Thunder #1: I never thought that you’d be able to weave a whodunnit story into a Thor tale.  Also, Gorr the God Butcher is a fantastic name for a character. I’m not usually into Asgardian stuff, but I’m going to continue to pick this up.

Batman #14: I don’t think the Joker looks intimidating with his flesh mask at all. The Joker doesn’t tend to copy other people’s shtick, so that doesn’t work for me. However, the kidnapping of Alfred and subsequent revelation as to why he kidnapped Alfred is very compelling.

Batman and Robin #14: I love that this books shows that even though Damien is a vicious and petulant little 10-year-old, he also loves and cares about his Bat-dad. The Joker stuff isn’t as blatantly obvious in other books this week, but that works to its favor, I think.

Batgirl #14: This issue doesn’t make total sense to me. With the revelations in Batman #14, and the fact that Batgirl has such a sordid history with the Joker, why the heck does he want to be her “bride”? I guess things will become clearer, but I just dunno about this book.

Suicide Squad #14: If you bought this issue for the Harley stuff, prepare to be disappointed.  The main focus of the issue is the fallout from the previous arc. Other than that, not much going on this issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #697: More Hobgoblin hubbub ensues this issue. I don’t know what the future will bring when Spidey gets relaunched, but I hope we don’t lose great supporting characters like Max Modell. Also, Doc Ock is coming back… again. At this point he’s nearly a dessicated husk. I hope Marvel NOW! restores him to his former bowl-cut glory.

The Walking Dead #104: Carl is a sneaky, possibly homicidal bastard, but he fights for what he believes in, and that makes him our sneaky, possibly homicidal bastard!

Green Lantern Corps #14: The Guardians aare super-manipulative and pretty much trick Guy Gardner into giving up his ring. It’s like all the time that people over the years that the Guardians are unrepentant dicks is pretty much culminating here.

Demon Knights #14: Still one of my favorite New 52 books. I especially like this version of Etrigan/Jason Blood. The twists and turns this book makes always keeps me coming back, and this issue is no exception.

Venom #27: Ugh. I used to really enjoy this book, it was an intriguing look at an old character and the least annoying version of a symbiote ever. Now, we’re in the microverse against a million Carnages, the most annoying symbiote ever. Um, way to go, comic.

Superboy #14: I hate stories where stuff happens to the main character that we’re supposed to know and those stories haven’t been published yet. Still, this is a fresh take on the Bizarro concept, even if it only goes as far as a backwards S. Also, at this point, wouldn’t Superman want to investigate someone raising hell while wearing his symbol?

Legion Lost #14: Oh, so this is the story that fills in the blanks of Superboy. The old-schooler in me like the concept of Superboy & the Legion, but this is just an insane mish mash of never-to-be answered secrets and waaaaay too many characters. I love the Legion, but I won’t miss this (now canceled) book.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #14: Speaking of canceled books, this one I will miss. Even though it’s tying in with Rotworld, which I haven’t been reading, it’s still an issue full of Franeknstein’s monster fighting giant monsters with cool gadgets all over the world! Going to miss this book.

Invincible #97: I found the reactions of Zandale/Bulletproof’s heartfelt confession to his parents to be completely unrealistic, but not as much as what happens after. Then we get an interlude with a character that represents comic writers every where, and it was just an odd non sequitur.  But hey, at least Invincible can have zero-G sex again!

Star Trek TNG Doctor Who Assimilation #7: This issue was pretty much the Doctor’s show. The TARDIS arrives at the battle of Wolf 359 and… nothing happens. Then, we run into a whole mess of Cybermen. This is definitely a book for fan of both series, I don’t think it’d appeal to anyone else.

Atomic Robo – Flying She-Devils of the Pacific #4: A group of post-WWII Japanese soliders conspire to use an earthuaake bomb inspired by Nikola Tesla to get revenge on the US until a group of female pilots in jetpacks swoop in to save the day. What. Is. Not. To. Like!?

Arrow #6 (digital exclusive): Arrow teams up with Dig to break up a child prostitution ring. This comic feels like the show in a good way, and Mike Grell never disappoints on art. Why did it take me so long to start buying this?

From the “take this with an extreme grain of salt” department, Moviehole is claiming inside Lucasfilm knowledge that has seen a dramatis personae of Michael Arndt’s script and they claim that Lando will feature a role in the new trilogy.

There’s no details, of course, and TMZ cornered Billy Dee Williams on the street somewhere and he, of course, said he’d be interested (though based on his twitter feed, he’s more focused on working on beating his pirated app addiction).

From the Moviehole report:

Our former SF-based friend knows not the extent of any of those characters’ involvement in the new films, so no idea how much ‘Lando Calrissian’ has to do, but very cool that the big guy is indeed in the treatment.
I suppose its not really earth-shattering news that Lando will appear – he did after all help old friend Han Solo take down the Empire in prequel “Return of the Jedi”, so assumingly they’re still mates and colleagues. And he was there celebrating in the Ewok village at the end of the film.

So… File that in the “anything’s possible” drawer.

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite arcs of the show ever and I’m so sad I missed it in its entirety at Celebration VI. Here are two clips and the official notes of the episode:

The third episode in this four-part story arc finds Ahsoka captured by Hondo’s pirates and the younglings working together to infiltrate the pirates’ den, using their wits and courage to launch a daring rescue. This episode also marks Obi-Wan Kenobi’s reunion with an old adversary, General Grievous, in “Bound for Rescue,” airing this Saturday, November 17th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Trivia:

• The wide eyed Ithorian youngling named Byph is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, the voice of the clones.
• This arc is the first (and only) appearance of General Grievous this season.

Seriously, this episode looks EPIC.