ZGangsta

I think they're starting to spread themselves a bit thin in terms of number of storylines lately. I think they developed enough plot threads over the first 20 issues that they don't need to spend pages on new stuff like the dude with the magic rock from last issue. Who knows though, it could all tie together beautifuly by then end. It just seems like we go many issues without any development on the 'major' storylines.

So I recently caught up on all of Ultimate X-Men and I have to say that it's kind of a wierd series quality wise. There's times it's really good and draws you in, but then there's arcs (or parts of arcs) that just suck. Like most of the stuff with Magneto is really good, the Weapon-X stuff is ok, and then the Proteus arc was just horrible (and dear god did the art suck during that one). It can probably be attrbuted to the creative team constantly changing. It really stands out when you compare it to the other Ulitmate regular series. Ultimate Spider-Man has been pretty consistant, as can be expected from a title with the same writer and artist for all 100 isssues, and in my opinion The Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic 4 have always kicked major ass (though the current UFF run hasn't impressed so far). Ultimate X-Men is just so inconsistant, and it's not just the quality, the characterization changes in wierd ways too. Oh and it seems that every other creative team has to do the whole 'Wolverine goes rogue and leves to find himself' so you have Wolverine ditching the team ever 10 issues. I think there's been a lot of good ideas, but if they'd stuck with creative teams for more than just an arc or two it could be a really good book. Oh yeah, and I forgot about the part where Jean goes from 16 to 17 to 19 in the space of the first 4 issues.

Yeah my thoughts exactly. There was so much buildup and story developed for the Helo/Boomer child that it seems wierd they'd just have someone literally walk through the door and go 'hey look everyone, it's another Cylon baby, how about that!'

Season premier was off the chain. I really like the current direction of the show with the occupation and resistance, though I wasn't getting bored of the Cylons chasing the fleet. So what's the deal with Starbuck's 'kid'? If it's suposedly from when she was back on Caprica then the age doesn't really jive does it? I'm guessing that she's just a normal human child and that Cylon is fucking with Starbuck's mind. Also no mention of the real hybrid baby that Roslin and Adama hid in this episode. The whole human/cylon hybrid plot thread is so wierd and mysterious, especially the part about invisible-6 talking about Boomer and Helo's child as her and Gaius'.

That was one of my favorite Office episodes ever. I laughed so loud when the Stanford boss calls Jim and Ed Helms into the conference room and starts reaming them out about how they're 'getting slaughtered out there' and it turns out he's talking about Call of Duty. The Entourage stuff was gold as well.

I'm going to have to go with Bodie as well.

I miss your hot girl shurgging picture. Thats better. So I picked up the new Fantasic Four tie-in today and it confirms a few things here and there. I also picked up the new Captain America that I guess came out last week that the comic shop didn't have, Red Skull is now involved and some random guy in a beard who I don't know. Both the Cap/FF tie-ins were huge fucking jokes for different reasons: The Cap issue is utterly skipable, since Brubaker and Millar are politically on opposite ends of the Marvel Bullpen (mainly, Brubaker wanting to keep Millar from fucking up his storyline plans for Cap in his own book) and as such, the Cap tie-in had jack shit to do with Civil War and more to do with setting up the return of Dr. Faustus. The FF book was utterly unreadable, especially if you read ASM this month...... I agree with you about the Cap issue, the only thing that was civil war related was the girl he was seeing talking to the therapist about what has happen so far. The FF comic was ok, it set a good tone for me and that was sorta of a dark tone with a light said of "I feel sorry for you" kinda mood. Though I think the only points of the FF comic was just to confirm that The Thing was leaving the country, that Sue and Reed were seperating, and that Iron Man was ease dropping on Spiderman. That's the thing I hate about Marvel doing these giant "status quo changing" crossovers so frequently. The writers of the monthly books don't get a chance to develop any long running storylines. They start getting a good run going and then they have to spend months in crossovers and now it seems like every book needs to spend issues after the big crossovers dealing with the "world shattering fallout" of the big crossover. Brubaker's Captain America run was doing awesome with the slow burn with the Winter Soldier stuff and the Red Skull stuff and it just seems like Civil War is annoyingly interrupting.

There's 2 videos from the European festivals up on gunsnroses.com. And allow me to reiterate. When the fuck did this band start sounding good and not looking completely rediculous?

That was quite hillarious. Daggar going "Thor killed Goliath!" while Falcon flies through the background yelling "I CALLED IT!" cracked me up.

That's just it, Sony is blowing the upcoming generation gaming platform on a media format that won't be ready for adoption until the NEXT generation. And that's only if High Definition (blue laser) DVD doesn't get leapfrogged by holographic storage completely.

I think it would be a gigantic cop out to have some big evil villian end up being behind this whole thing, manipulating Stark and such. However, I think that's the only way this can be heading, due to the characterization of Stark and Richards so far. And what's this 'Fifty-states initiative' that was brought up in issue 4 and Cable's been warning against in Cable and Deadpool

I like that idea of Parker being put in such a desparate spot that he has to take the symbiote back.

They're apparently going to run a storyline called "back in black" after Civil War, where he goes back to a black suit. (presumably not the symbiote) ostensibly to help tie in to SM3 Saw an interview with Quesada where he claims that it absolutely has nothing to do whatsoever with a movie tie in. If you believe him...

At first I wasn't thrilled that Cable/Deadpool was going to be crossing over with Civil War but it's been really great. So is Spiderman losing the Iron-suit now?

Yeah Ultimates completely smokes Civil War, and also deals with super heroes as government agents in a better way. Odd, since they're both written by Mark Millar.

Great show. I loved the bit where he's talking to the room of writers about how everyone is going to start dressing, writing, and behaving professionally and then his ex bursts through the door and yells something about how he's an 'adolescent, oversexed whoremonger.' And he just deadpans "And all that will begin in just a few minutes." That had me laughing quite a bit (even if it was a little bit Chandler-ish).

There was a shot of the hammer opened up with a bunch of wires and probes coming out of it. So I guess they built the magical hammer...

What the fuck happened to Axl this year? He's actually showing up to his shows, he's talking to the media and making public appearances, his band actually looks like rockstars instead of some fucked up alien circus, and he can actually sing the songs without getting winded and missing notes. It's like the antithesis of that shitty 2002 MTV VMAs 'coming out' and subsequent aborted tour.

Omar walking down the street in his pajamas with no guns while everyone still yells 'Omar coming! Omar!' and running away might have been one of the best moments in the whole series.

What ever happened to that Czech Republic guy....

"Phantom of the Opera" is one of my very favorite Maiden songs. For an 'intro to Maiden' I'd definately go with Edward the Great. It's lacking some stuff (what greatest hits album isn't) but it's incrediably full. However, I would have preferred a couple D'Ianno tunes on it rather than the Blaze ones that made it on.

The new one, it's better than Brave New World.

IGN just called Civil War the next Watchmen. Yeah right.

Yeah, them deciding to actually have Roy character development was kind of a trip.

Civil War #4. Lots of goings on.