3.5 Razors

Batgirl #22

/ / Comics

batgirl-22-cover"After being tapped by Batman (the original) for an overseas mission Stephanie Brown soon finds herself in the UK only called on to save England from from a gang of ruffians pulling the sword from the stone and releasing anti-time across the world. Tally Ho!

Once again writer Bryan Q. Miller makes a pretty darn good story without having anything resembling an A-list (or even C-list) villain to work with. And although I’ve never been that big of a fan of Squire I do like the pairing with Stephanie which provides some trademark Batgirl humor (and plenty of butt kickin’). And by the end you’ll know the real reason why Greenwich Mean is so important.

There are also a few sly pop nods throughout the book to keep your eye out for (including the a nice homage to the Beatles). Dammit Steph, I’m going to miss you when you’re gone. I’m happy for Barbara Gordon fans, but I’ve got to say DC is really missing the mark pulling the current Batgirl (who has much the same feel of the original) to reinstate a character who’s outgrown the position.

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White Collar – Where There’s a Will

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: White Collar – Where There’s a Will
  • wiki: link

“This is a centuries old book written to a man’s dead twin brother donated by an equally eccentric recently deceased modern day Howard Hughes as part of a posthumous treasure hunt. There’s nothing simple about this one.”

white-collar-where-theres-a-will

This is a very odd episode, and the fact that the cast make it work makes it all the more interesting. When a wealthy man leaves two forged wills and treasure map for his sons (played by real-life brothers Christopher Masterson and Danny Masterson) it’s up to Neal (Matt Bomer) and Peter (Tim DeKay) to follow the clues and solve the case. And the clock is ticking as the man’s granddaughter is being held for ransom by a kidnapper (William Sadler) demanding a piece of the estate.

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Morning Glories #10

/ / Comics

morning-glories-10-coverKeeping in form with the recent issues, issue #10 focuses specifically around Jade. What do you say about a comic that has a character hang herself in the middle of a classroom of her peers at the prompting of her teacher?

What we learn in this issue is that Jade sees reality in many different ways including while dreaming, under some kind of forced hypnosis or sleep, and, even during brief moments of death (real or imagined). The way the story is presented its hard to get a handle on how much is actually happening to Jade and how much of it is in her mind.

What we do know is in this other reality she sees several interesting characters including what appears to be an older version of herself trying to help her along her troubled journey. Like most of the series so far this one raises more questions than answers, and I’ve got mixed feelings concerning the emotionally explosive hanging sequence, but it’s certainly not boring. Worth a look.

[Image, $2.99]

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Birds of Prey #13

/ / Comics

birds-of-prey-13-coverI’ve never been a big fan of Renee Montoya as The Question. Don’t get me wrong, I love the character of Renee, but her stepping into the shoes of Vic Sage has never sat quite right with me.

What’s interesting is I could make a similar statement about the Huntress. Until Gail Simone took over the first volume of Birds of Prey and breathed new life into the character I honestly didn’t care what happened to Helena. Now I realize I’m going to miss her as much as the other Birds when this series comes to an end in August.

Sure the Birds (or some of them) will continue their adventures in a new title under a different writer, but this group’s adventures are coming to an end.

This issue gives us Black Canary and Dove vs. Junior (in a fight that elevates the villain’s prowess a little too high for my tastes), a Zinda Blake headbutt (no complaints here), Huntress and Question coming to the rescue, and even an appearance by Catman!

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Super 8

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Super 8
  • IMDB: link

super8-posterWriter/director J.J. Abrams sets out to make his version of a classic Steven Spielberg film in Super 8. Those who expected a Cloverfield sequel (which it thankfully isn’t) may be disappointed. What we get instead is a little bit War of the Worlds, a little bit Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a little bit Jaws, and a whole lot of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial – all filtered through J.J. Abrams lens-flare-filtered frame.

The story centers around a group of kids in a small Ohio town during the summer of 1979. In true Speilbergian fashion we get single parents, teasing shots of the film’s monster, and many, many reasons to be wary of the United States Government.

The film begins with a son (Joel Courtney) dealing with the tragic death of his mother. After a short jump ahead we see a snapshot of Joe’s (Courtney) life including his uneasy relationship to his father (Kyle Chandler), the town’s deputy sheriff, and time spent working with his friends to create an 8mm film.

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