Thor: Tales of Asgard - Politics, Religion, and Her

Welcome to today's roundtable discussion of Thor: Tales of Asgard. Today's discussion members are myself, of course, relapsed monster on an international scale, Muammar Gaddafi--is it still Colonel, or do you go by something else now?

"Muammar Gaddafi is not a president to resign, he does not even have a parliament to dissolve."

Fair enough. next, we have Jesus, simultaneously God and demi-god. How's that working out for you Jesus?

"With the exception of a few really bad days, it's been pretty excellent."

Good to hear. Finally, we have New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Meyer. How are things, Stephanie?


“Good, but I’m afraid I can’t stay long. Taylor Laughner’s contract says I can touch his abs five times a day, so my schedule’s kind of busy until Breaking Dawn finishes filming.”

Penny Reviews: The Disappoint

A side feature that I update whenever possible, Penny Reviews tells you all about a comic in 100 words or less.

Invincible Iron Man #33 - I'm not up to speed on the current Iron Man arc, but organic recaps made that a non-issue. The story centers around physical conflict, but was more than punching something until it was broken. It balances a glut of distinct, unlikable villains with Tony and his supporting cast. Yea: The natural supervillain reveal. Nay: Supervillain team up teaser. If C is what average superhero book should be, Invincible Iron Man #33 was a C. However, Good Morning Tony, the feature story at the back, was a solid B (maybe B+) and my real reason for picking up this month’s issue.

Thor, the Mighty Avenger #8 - Thor's recap isn't that smooth, but you get the point: a magic god of ancient lore is pitted against computers and government in an excellent contrast that nudges the main plot forward. His team-up this week is--who cares? It's the characterization and art that make Thor: The Mighty Avenger fun to read. Thor manages to juggle haughtiness and innocence expertly in a beautiful book. There's even a classic pre-team-up fight, but no one mentions what a cliche it is, subverting the subversion of the cliche, which in-and-of-itself has become a cliche. Overall, looking forward to next month's issue.

...aw.

Action Comics: Lex Luthor # 896 - Just pointless. Fans of the Luthor-as-protagonist Action Comics will probably like the villains-as-protagonist concept of Sinister Six, but I hate crossovers and can’t get Sinister Six, so it's aggressively pointless. It even features the one line motivation of "makes as much sense as anything we do," which is just so. weak. It’s loud, thoughtless filler that keeps the Mr. Mind/Loisbot subplot slowly boiling in the background so you don't notice it. Loisbot dies, but she'll be back because she's part of the main plot. Maybe they're actually writing a book that people who are and aren't paying attention will enjoy.

Penny Reviews-Stupid Hero Tricks

Batman and Robin – The Sum of Her Parts, Parts 1-3 (Issues 17-19)

‘The Sum of Her Parts’ is an aptly named, three-story arc that introduces Absence to Gotham City. The first half of the arc finds her appropriately missing. Only her work identifies her; missing body, missing finger, missing fingernail. Absence works with things that aren’t there; it’s her requisite Batman character signature, and though it may not stay that fresh in subsequent appearances, it is in this one. I'd much rather her brand of plotting freak (and gross affront to science) than another psycho in a flamboyant costume, sidekick turned bad, or gritty muscle man screaming Batman's (or his own) name.

The dynamic between Dick and Damian has dropped from arguing to bickering. Their conversations are short here, but still entertaining. Listening to Damian talk about how ridiculous dating is and whine about Dick being too friendly break both the investigation and recap threads up nicely, in addition to starting a countdown timer to his inevitable, disastrous, and hilarious first romance. Paul Cornell just took over the book from Grant Morrison, and he seems eager to assure us of his Batman qualifications, giving us well-executed deathtraps, knockout gas, monologing, a crash through a window, and some good, old-fashioned world’s best detecting.

Meeeeh. Really want to video blog.

Want to so bad. I think there are some things I could comment on better on tape. Maybe it's because I just want an excuse to buy something new and shiny.

I'm holding back on a few posts when maybe I shouldn't be because I'd rather talk about them.

-The Thor/Heimdall issue that's passe now.
-The Muslim Batman from France
-The dangerous habit of ignoring racists.

They're all related, but each one in a different way. I guess I'll have to chain myself to my lappy one day and spell it all out.