Top Fifteen Games That DIDN'T Come Out in 2009

Since the decade just came to a close (not really, that will happen at the end of this year, but anyway) I figured some sort of list was in order. But I didn't want to do the typical list, so here are my Top 15 Favorite Games that Didn't Come Out in 2009. This is an extremely personal list (which means I'm gonna get called names and yelled at) and the only stipulation is that the games did NOT come out in the year 2009. Hit the jump for the list.

The Gods of Carbonated Beverages

Here is a transcript of a Facebook conversation that took place last night and today. It compares mythological deities to sodas. I found it amusing. Read more after the jump.

Secret Warriors Volume 1 Review

So, there's this guy named Nick Fury. I've never liked him, to be honest. Then I heard about this series Jonathan Hickman (with some help from Brian Michael Bendis) was doing about him. I found the hardcover today at a used bookstore for ten bucks. Ol' Hickman really restored my faith in the Fantastic Four. Could he and a ten dollar bill do the same for Nick Fury? Hit the jump to find out.

Shameless Plugs!

Ok, I'm just gonna take some time to plug some writing I've been doing across the interwebs. Hit the jump for some articles I've written/contributed to.

2010

Ok, let's get things straight from the get-go: I'm not resolving to do anything. I've learned that these things I want to do take time to become habit, and by resolving to change overnight I set myself up for failure. So here, rather, we have a list of things I am going to work toward this year. Baby steps at first, but leading into leaping strides. Here we go:

I will write my book and work to get it published.

I will find a job that doesn't cause panic attacks and severe stress.

I will be a better husband and father.

I will wake up early to work on writing/drawing projects before work.

After work, I will spend less time online and more time with my family.

I will focus more on making/saving money and less on spending it.

I will stop letting stress from my one crappy job adversely affect my two good jobs.

I will no longer allow my Crohn's disease to affect my lifestyle.

There ya go. Guess I'll get to work on these now. Happy New Year. Cheers.

H-E-R-O

Whew! Been a while, eh? Well, I have good reason to return this fine evening. My friend Comicflipper (or Flip the Page) is doing a lil' thing over on his blog called A to Z. Basically, he's going down the alphabet bringing you reviews and tidbits about some of his favorite (or not so, as you'll soon see) comics. He was hurting for a comic for the letter D, so I jokingly suggested Dial H for H-E-R-O. Its a Silver Age comic about a young boy, Robby Reed, who finds a dial that can turn him into thousands of different superheroes. The only catch is that the choices are random, and they don't always quite fit his current situation.

The irony here is that soon after I made the suggestion, my local comic shop put their comic sets on sale for five bucks a pop. I went in to look around, and lo and behold, I saw a series staring back at me called H-E-R-O. Ever curious, I took the set home and began to read. Here's what I found:



First off, while the original series was apparently hilariously Silver Age, the new series is beyond depressing. It basically goes through the lives of different people that come into contact with the Dial, and it chronicles how it ruins their lives. The first example is Jerry, a young boy with no prospects, no girlfriend, and no hope of leaving his run-down hometown. Upon finding the Dial, he decides to use it to spice up his life a bit. Unfortunately for him, his small town doesn't exactly have a bustling crime rate.

During all of this bumbling around (including one unintentionally humorous event in which Jerry tries to stop a runaway truck, only to have it plow over him) Jerry ends up getting the girl he likes shot and hospitalized, and also obliterates his place of employment with his out-of-control flame powers. Jerry then loses the Dial, and thus begins a spiral of ruin for everyone who comes in contact with it.

The series isn't terrible. It explores some things that I'm sure the original was unable to, things like....well, I'll let the image speak for itself:

...yeah.

In this story arc, the guy turns into a female superhero, after which he seeks help from his best friend, who, like the best buddy he is, gets his guy-turned-girl friend drunk and sleeps with her. Silver Age this ain't boys and girls.

Did I mention that good ol' Robby Reed, hero of the original series, has retained some residue of his former power and is now the villain of the story? SOCKAMAGEE!

So anyway, other than being remotely disturbed for the duration of the series, H-E-R-O turned out to be a decent read. I doubt I'll be picking it up again anytime soon, however, lest I feel compelled to dance in traffic. Hope you enjoyed the review, and don't forget to check out Comicflipper's review here for a comparison with the original.

Peace!

Quick Post

With everyone recovered from the H1N1, I thought this would be a good time for that follow-up post. That and I'm bored at work. So without further ado:

REVIEWS!
(Posting from my phone, so it will be image free for now. I'll come back tonight and spice it up.)

First up, Astro City. How did I miss this? This is my first encounter with Mr. Busiek, and now I know what the hype is about. This is a great satire on the superhero genre in general. Can't wait to get more into this series.

Rating: 10/10

Secondly, Annihilation. I haven't finished the series yet, but so far I'm quite impressed. The first volume started off pretty slow, with substandard art. Once you get beyond the issues leading into the event, its quite excellent. Having read the first two volumes, I can say two things: this is the best use of the Silver Surfer since the 1987 run, and this is the first good use of Super-Skrull.

Rating: 9/10

I finally got to read Alan Moore's Complete Wildc.a.t.s. I grew up on the Wildc.a.t.s animated series, and I enjoyed it greatly, so its good to see the series' roots. Sure, its 90s-tastic, but in a good way. Its a really fun and groundbreaking (at the time) book that I highly recommend, even if Alan Moore is the comic industry's "angry old man."

Rating: 9/10

Essential Silver Surfer Volumes 1 and 2. This is a monster. The first volume is written by Stan Lee with art by Jack Kirby. How can you go wrong there? Well, you can't, but there are other problems. Mainly, the writing in the sixties seems to insult the reader's intelligence. What I mean is, instead of letting the art speak for itself, the characters have to proclaim every action. "Behold! The wall falters at the merest touch of the mighty Mephisto!" I'm not putting it down, but it does take away from the experience, and makes for a long read. Volume 2 is from the aforementioned 1987 run, issue 60 of which is why I originally got into comics. Its fun to finally, after all these years, read the story leading up to my entry into the Marvel universe. And the art is very Kirby-esque, which helps a great deal.

Rating: 8/10

That's all I have time for right now, but I will check back in later with my reviews of volumes 1-3 of Incredible Hercules.