It's awesome just an amazing action movie with Black Adam, Sabac, Doctor Fate Hawkman and more,

Great story , great action, great Special effects,

Great heroes and main villain,

Overall I give Black Adam a 8/10 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

I like this movie, but it has problems. I remember when this was the most anticipating superhero movie since Avengers: Endgame. A lot of people saying this movie is as good as The Dark Knight. I like it, but it's not Dark Knight level good.

There was good moment like the stuff with Batman, or when Barry had to say goodbye to his mom.

But, this movie had A LOT of problems.

I also ask because director Andy Muschietti said, he thinks it failed because women didn't see it, he blamed the female quadrants, of the 4 quadrants. I strong disagree, I mean there was girls in the theater when I saw it. There's A LOT of reasons why this movie flopped. After this comment, I'm now worried about him directing The Brave and The Bold.

I think there was 2 big reasons, 1: Ezra Miller, Ezra had gotten in serious trouble with the law for some bad stuff, and I had heard people didn't see it cause they didn't want to support him, cause I know hard some people didn't see Aquaman and the Lost Kindgom cause Amber Turd was in it and they didn't want to support her after the Johnny Depp trial, another this I think is I think James Gunn had announced his DCU and I think people were like, the DCEU sucks, let it die and start over. so I think people didn't want to support a universe that was gonna get rebooted soon.

Also, I don't think Zod should've been the main villain, They missed out on doing Reverse Flash.

I like the movie and I don't regret the spending the money and I don't say that this is the worst superhero movie of all time, it's far from it, I've seen WAY WORST movies. But, I'll be the first to say that The Flash isn't what I would call my new favorite movie.

2023 June had a HUGE line-up, but this wasn't most excited release, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was, and I thought that movie was better.

To be honest I only went and saw the movie for The Batman, I wanted to see Michael Keaton return after 30 years and Ben Affleck's final time as The Dark Knight.

Sometimes I'm mixed on this suit.

The cons I have with it: The head piece when up looks weird, and the muscle padding looks weird also. Rather keep the blue lightning instead of yellow.

Pros: Comic accurate look and makes more sense then the 'Justice League' suit.

It's definitely NOT perfect, but not the worst comic book movie suit. I do think it good. One of the problems was they also crafted CGI over it.

What were your thoughts on the series? What did you like and dislike?

A while back I was able to visit a real comic book store overseas and was lucky enough to find the two out of print Checkmate trades by Greg Rucka.

Just finished reading the run this weekend and really enjoyed it. For what is essentially a bureaucratic team, the book never gets bogged down in rhetoric while maintaining political conflicts and tension. The high-energy field action and boardroom power plays are well balanced. The key characters feel real, even if they don’t get a lot of panel time.

Michael Holt, who I’ve read little of, seems right at home in an intelligence role, and utilising the digitised Thinker as his Bishop is a bold and interesting take. Having him be in a relationship with Sasha Bordeaux is much more than just a conflict of interest tension builder, but logical as well, considering Holt’s bizarre “meta-ability” to be invisible to tech so her OMAC eye can’t analyse him like everything else. I love little details like that. It really humanises Sasha who is a very stoic or pitiable character for a lot of the series.

Amanda Waller is her manipulative, vindictive and scheming self. The power struggles during her tenure are highlights. I really need to read Salvation Run now, which ties into this.

There are a lot of fun elements throughout the large roster of characters. Fire struggles with her conscience. Tommy Jagger confronts his father’s killer. A team up with Nightwing’s Outsiders on Oolong Island as well as deputising Shadowpact early on. A dramatic activation of the Rooks, of which one is a new model of JAKE. Master Jailer becoming the Castellan and fending off The Mawzir, which I had always wondered about, considering Ennis killed the character off. It was also nice to see Valentina Vostok find an appropriate role to make her relevant again.

It also begins and ends with the Kobra Cult. I have always wanted to read Kirby’s original series and always loved seeing them pop up here and there in titles I have read, but while they tend to be punching bags or cannon fodder in most team books, they are portrayed as very creepy and dangerous in this one. The first arc involves an attempt to infiltrate the highly secretive terrorist group which later concludes with a genuine global threat and an ethical dilemma.

The series is a great example how stories can exist in a huge shared world and build upon it, yet still be accessible to new readers while referencing broader aspects of that world. The timeline Checkmate exists in is preceded by a lot of material, namely Infinite Crisis and 52. What I love about Checkmate that makes it somewhat unique, is that it gives us more of a “what if” metahumans existed in the real world. If the UN had actual authority behind it. The political consequences of metas. The threat level these kind of agencies would have to face. The grey areas that “Superheroes” tend to avoid when dealing in black and white morality.

Overall I give it an 8/10. Rucka’s Wonder Woman is also a good read if you haven’t already. Now I just need to find the Chimera trade that concludes this Checkmate run.

Live Action Only, Sorry I should have added that

Here's Mine:

10: Zack Synder's Justice League

9: Batman Returns

8: The Dark Knight Rises

7: The Flash

6: Batman

5: Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice

4: The Dark Knight

3: Batman Begins

2: JOKER

1: THE BATMAN

Honorable Mention: SHAZAM!

Just finished reading my second Prime Earth trade and first foray into PE Etrigan. There are pros and cons. The art is good. Etrigan is drawn with a traditional Kirby base with a few personal flourishes. The supporting cast is much the same, with Belial being the only one with more creative licence taken, but even that isn’t dramatic. The violence is delightfully immersive.

The writing is less consistent. The story has a good hook with decent tension and stakes, but the ending is unfortunately a convenient reset that leaves the reader feeling cheated and a little confused on what elements have actually be set to the status quo.

I could only discern one distinct New Earth reference amongst the new continuity; when listing places they have spent time, Los Angeles was mentioned which is the setting for The Demon: Driven Out, unless PE has reused the city elsewhere. The other references to character histories are PE exclusive, mainly regarding Xanadu and the Demon Knights. It’s heavily implied Etrigan and Nimue were an item at one point and I have no love for Etrigan having a romantic side. This was uncharacteristically The Demon for me.

The dynamic between Etrigan and Blood’s bond is mixed up for flavour. As this isn’t anything new, I had no problem with the writer exploring something different with that aspect. Etrigan has also gone between rhyming and talking, but not switching back and forth within the same story as occurs here. I am not in approval of this experiment in which Etrigan rhymes because he feels like it or not. I would have much preferred Etrigan to only speak normally in this tale as Andrew Constant, the author, is not very good at rhyming dialogue. He also uses the incorrect pronunciation of Belial, but I recall even Alan Grant did that too, so I can’t hold it against him.

Blood and Merlin felt true to their previously established characters, but it was a whole new Xanadu for me though, who I assume takes a more active roll in PE. Lucifer even makes an appearance but far from his NE or Vertigo depictions. Two members are also added to Etrigan’s family tree but swiftly eradicated (or perhaps not, considering the nature of the ending which is not clear.)

I did enjoy it overall up until the weak resolution. There were some memorable panels but no real noteworthy quotes, which is a shame for a Demon book. With consistent dialogue from Etrigan and a clever ending this series would have ranked higher, but my overall score would be 6/10.

Here's Mine:

1: A Better World: Part 1 & 2

2: The Enemy Below: Part 1 & 2

3: Hereafter: Part 1 & 2

4: Secret Origins: Part 1-3

5: Starcrossed: Part 1-3

6: The Savage Time: Part 1-3

7: Injustice For All: Part 1 & 2

8: Comfort and Joy

9: Legends: Part 1 & 2

10: Only a Dream: Part 1 & 2

Here's Mine:

1: Over The Edge

2: Old Wounds

3: Perchance to Dream

4: Beware the Gray Ghost

5: Dreams in Darkness

6: I Am The Night

7: Never Fear

8: Two Face: Part 1 & 2

9: On Leather Wings

10: Feat of Clay: Part 1 & 2

Honorable Mentions:

Nothing to Fear

Vendetta

Robin's Reckoning: Part 1 & 2

Terror in the Sky

The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne

Here's Mine

1: The Man Who Would Be Bat

2: Swamped

3: The Bat in the Belfry

4: The Clayface of Tragedy

5: A Matter of Family

6: Grundy's Night

7: The End of The Batman

8: Pets

9: The Big Chill

10: The Cat and the Bat

Honorable Mentions:

Traction

The Joining: Part 1 & 2

The Batman/Superman Story: Part 1 & 2

Clayfaces

Artifacts

Here's Mine:

1: Independence Day

2: Princes All

3: Agendas

4: Fireworks

5: Welcome to Happy Harbor

6: Auld Acqaintance

7: Usual Suspects

8: Nevermore

9: Bloodlines

10: Endgame

Honorable Mentions

Satisfaction

Quiet Conversations

Private Security

Royal We

Depths

Here's Mine:

1: Rebirth: Part 2

3: The Winning Edge

3: Eyewitness

4: Black Out

5: Hooked Up

6: A Touche of Curare

7: Splicers

8: Golem

9: The Call: Part 1 & 2

10: Sneak Peek

Honorable Mentions:

Revenant

Lost Soul

Out of the Past

Shriek

Meltdown

Here's Mine:

1: Chill of the Night!

2: Deep Cover for Batman!

3: Game Over for Owlman!

4: Death Race to Oblivion!

5: The Eyes of Despero!

6: Night of the Batmen!

7: The Knights of Tomorrow!

8: The Power of Shazam!

9: The Color of Revenge!

10: Invasion of the Secret Santas!

Honorable Mentions

Sidekicks Assemble!

The Legend of the Dark-Mite!

Super-Batman of Planet X!

The Battle of the Superheroes!

Evil Under The Sea!

Here's Mine:

1: Haunted

2: Mask

3: Apprentice: Part 1 & 2

4: Nevermore

5: Mad Mod

6: Fear Itself

7: X

8: Winner Take All

9: The Beast Within

10: Employee of the Month

Honorable Mentions:

Birthmark

The Prophecy

Revved Up

Switched

Final Exam

So another omnibus finished. This is one I bought years ago around the same time I bought the Death and Return of Superman Omnibus. At this point Supes is the Trinity member I’ve read the least of. I don’t find him as interesting as Diana or Bruce but he does have a broad supporting cast. Despite this, I got through these stories pretty quick as they are well written in the sense that they continuously keep the reader engaged with well orchestrated subplots over three titles. I love an omnibus for this reason more than any. I’d hate to have to collect the individual comics for this reading order.

This collection picks up right after John Byrne’s departure from being Superman’s core writer when he revamped the character for a modern audience, that divided some Superman fans. As someone who isn’t fanatically connected to Supes or knowledgeable about his pre-Crisis history, a fresh continuity is a bit of a luxury, I’ll admit. Reading Death of Superman cold with no context to the continuity was confusing as hell, but this was more accessible. Byrne left the title on a controversial note that is constantly referred to and the catalyst to the Exile story arc, so I was never constantly questioning what was happening or who people were.

What Exile allowed was Superman to have a huge crisis of confidence, question his morality, and see himself as some humans perceive him; as dangerous. The Exile is a little anticlimactic and not existentially thoughtful as Moore’s iconic Swamp Thing who does essentially the same thing, but much better. In fact, a lot of it revolves around the new history of Krypton and the “eradicator” artefact.

The best thing to come out of The Exile, for me, is the “Hostile Takeover” subplot involving Lex Luthor. Without Superman, Luthor has a small ego crisis himself and finds distraction in a small economic war with STAR Labs. The resolution was a satisfying victory for Luthor in several ways, revealing his true need behind the financial media chaos.

As I mentioned, there are a lot of subplots—a LOT—but they are spread out quite masterfully. Unfortunately, with a series spanning a magnitude as big as Superman, Adventures, and Action Comics, many of these are still ongoing by the end of the omnibus. There is Jose Delgado recovering from his injuries sustained as Gangbuster and his attempted romance with Lois Lane. Morgan Edge juggling his relationship with Cat Grant and Intergang. Luthor trying to harness the power and knowledge of the disturbingly powerful Brainiac. Ma and Pa Kent trying to care for the childlike Matrix. Jimmy Olsen trying to bang Cat Grant before being infected by the eradicator and having teenage-like saltiness towards Supes. There’s even a subplot raised at the end of the omnibus where Perry White’s son has a black girlfriend.

For the most part, it was a good sample of Superman’s world. There are some classic villains reintroduced, such as Brainiac and Mongul, as well as some new ones, like Maxima. Project Cadmus makes an appearance implying the original Kirby stories with Jimmy and the Newsboy clones never happened, and it’s revealed that every tine Edge was talking to Darkseid it was really DeSaad in disguise orchestrating Intergang on Earth. Kind of a nice touch seeing as unlikely it seemed for Darkseid to handle that kind of thing personally.

In short, The Exile storyline wasn’t that impressive itself, but a necessary progression from how Byrne left the series. It’s the world building provided by the subplots that make it diverse and engaging, helping Metropolis feel like a busy, bustling city, not just another generic location for aliens to break stuff. 7/10.

The Phantom Stranger Omnibus.

I had waited a long time for this one and overall I was happy with the collection. The first appearances of PS definitely concerned me. The basic premise of these early stories was that the Stranger was a mysterious man who simply debunked fraudulent supernatural phenomena. He had no powers other than deduction and the only thing”Phantom” about him was that he’d just show up and leave like Batman.

Fortunately, the writers adjusted this after a few tales by introducing a supporting character, Dr. Thirteen, to be the skeptical “Ghost Breaker” solving mysteries alongside the very real supernatural abilities of the Stranger. This was a clever change and the dynamic was much more enjoyable, especially when his iconic adversaries started showing up; Tala and Tannarak. Some other reoccurring occultists have since been forgotten, but they were nonetheless interesting foils. The introduction of Cassandra Craft also gave the Stranger a small spectrum of emotional range.

What I was most surprised of when reading such an assorted anthology compiled of various authors was how very consistent the writing was over time. The format, structure and characterisation was very uniform throughout for the most part. The biggest exception to this rule being the four different origin stories collected at the end of the omnibus. Of course I prefer the Stranger to be completely mysterious, much like Baron Winters or The Joker, but the attempts at an origin for the mystic wanderer are fun curiosities at the worst. I think my favourite of the four was titled, “And Men Shall Call Him Stranger,” in which he is the only good man in a Sodom like city destined for God’s retribution. An angel visits him to be the sole survivor, but the man questions the Creator’s judgment and is willing to sacrifice himself to spare all so they have a chance at redemption. His defiance is punished, forced to walk alone, neither truly apart of life or the afterlife, but with the ability to guide humans to redeem themselves. The other tales have pros and cons. The one by Alan Moore is well written, but seems more fitting as an outside continuity for the likes of Vertigo. The futuristic paradox origin is similar to The Spectre’s role in the never ending Ragnarök the JSA found themselves in. The Wandering Jew origin is my least favourite, but a perfectly good first attempt at giving the PS a backstory.

I was hoping for the anthology stories where the Stranger becomes more grounded to the living and grows his friendship with Dr. Thirteen, but hopefully there is enough material for a second omnibus in the future. It will be interesting if the more modern stories uphold the consistency of this collection. Overall I give it a 7/10.

The Creature Commandos.

Anticipating the release of the upcoming film, DC have released a nice little trade paperback collecting the original stories featured in Weird War Tales. These are from the early ‘80s but have that classic comic structure. What does make them more modern is some of the surprisingly dark subject matter. The Nazis brainwashing children into super soldiers whose first test is to kill their own parents waa pretty hardcore. There’s no happy ending, either.

The concept itself is both fun, has a clear theme, and certainly has potential for development, however it never really expands upon the basic setup. The characters are all one note while theme is very heavy handed and beaten to death. (They may look like monsters, but all humans are capable of monstrosity.) Team titles of outcasts have done this much better. Arnold Drake’s Doom Patrol empowered outsiders much better and much earlier.

The Creature Commandos never really grew, nor did it ever feel like they were ever in danger, which they should have been. Every time I saw Dr. Medusa in a fray, my brain could not accept that not one bullet would cross paths with her. I still think it’s a concept with good potential, especially for a film, but the comics are somewhat lacklustre. Overall, 5/10 for this book.

Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber.

Continuing the series that Jack Kirby began, Scott Free faces significant changes in his life. Mister Miracle was one of my least favourite characters in Kirby’s Fourth World, simply because the escape artist shtick gets old fast. No matter how convoluted the death trap we know he’s somehow going to escape. It leaves very little tension with only the reveal at the end to salvage the story, which is often anticlimactic with absurd rationales or the more boring help of mother box.

Englehart must have felt the same way as he put Scott in the position where he must strip himself of his mother box to save Barda. Without his safety net, Scott finally relies on his own skills as an escape artist to overcome adversity. As Gerber takes over, Scott is given his own physical apotheosis and philosophical revelation. He becomes a living mother box of sorts, inheriting his father’s ability to commune with the Source in his own unique way. He then disowns himself from the eternal conflict of his native worlds to become a messiah to humanity in the hopes to strengthen them against the inevitable threat of anti-life.

I found the arc to be far more enjoyable than the standard MM affair. It took Scott in bold new directions while keeping his far more entertaining cast of enemies true to form. It was nice that Doctor Bedlam had not been forgotten yet, even if his appearances were minor. I can’t quite recall Scott’s status quo in John Byrne’s Fourth World and if it matches up, only that Scott turns down leading New Genesis after Highfather’s death which seems in character with the Scott Free in this series. Overall a nice addition to my Fourth World titles. 7/10.