Anime Review: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 12

"Love Attack!"

Review
Outside of the school festival episode and moments for fans Lelouch/C.C. and Lelouch/Kallen relationships R2 has largely dealt with the serious tone of the war being fought. This episode was a nice break from the actual war between the Black Knights and Britannia.

Seeing how Lelouch dealt with the "problem" of Sayoko making the playboy of the school with so many dates scheduled and then having to deal with Milly's going away party was fun to see. It was pretty funny seeing everyone, even Lelouch, overreact to how Sayoko was over doing it with her trying to get away from everyone chasing her while she was Lelouch. It is cool seeing that the writers made Sayoko into a super martial artist and hopefully we will see more of the Super-Maid in action against real opponents in future episodes.

Also I was glad that the writers of the show have move the subplots of Milly and Shirley. For Milly it looks like her overall story arc is over and we will only be seeing her occassionally as a reporter on TV. Also from the looks of the end of the episode the things aren't looking good for Shirley since she now remembers everything about Lelouch and her being brainwashed. I kind of wonder were they are going to take Shirley now since there are multiple ways her character can go from here.

As always though the writers continue to develop all the other plots, except for the Emporers endgame (weird!?), going on during the war. We get to see that Nunally will be spending time with Kallen, the remaining children of Emperors (sans Cornelia) meeting to talk about the Chinese Federation, Cornelia learning about Geass, and V.V. and Jeremiah starting their endgame. All these subplots helped to balance out the light moments of that we got over in Ashford. And probably being seeing more of these little moments during this mini Return to Ashford arc.

Though at the same time while it was good to see the writers continue to work on all the subplots of the war this episode has me question if R2 has to many plotlines going into the halfway mark. We probably get two or three more episodes of Lelouch in Ashford so that means even less time to wrap up the war. While we got the plotlines mentioned above moving along we also still have the to learn what both the Emperor's endgame involving the Sword of Alabaska is about, what Schneizel has planned, Lelouch getting Kallen back, what are V.V. true intentions, and what C.C. wish is (death?) to name a few. The other problem is that with such a huge cast unless they start killing of some of the supporting cast it will be harder to end all the various plotlines running across R2 to were they can satisfy all the fans. Though since this show is not known for killing off their major characters or supporting cast I hope the writers don't start rushing through all the various plots.

Still this isn't anything against this episode but it will be interesting to see how the writers will deal with this and if these concerns will grow in later episodes. Overall while not one strongest episodes, this was a fun episode that help bring some comedy to the show before getting back to the serious tone R2 is has set for itself this season.

Episode Rating - 7.8/10

Cartoon Review: Wolverine and the X-Men 5

"Thieves Gambit"

Review
Coming into this new X-Men series I a bit skeptical about, especially with Wolverine taking priority over the title of the series. Now with five episodes in to this new series I can see that my skepticism wasn't completely warranted. Sure Wolverine is the star of the show but it is clear that this is a show created by fans of the X-Men. Both Chris Yost and Craig Kyle are no strangers to the X-Men universe since they were writers on X-Men: Evolution and have written New X-Men and currently writing X-Force. And even though the Wolverine we get in this series is a much more toned down version from the one we get in the comics or in the Hulk vs movie (which is in the same continuity of this series) Yost, Kyle, and the other writers have been able to go around this and still provide a lot of energetic fight scenes.

This episode deviated from the previous four episodes since we didn't see any "new" member being brought back to the X-Men. In truth this episode felt much more like the old Marvel Team-Up comic were we see two heroes starting of fighting one another only to team up for a mission to take down the bad guy. Though we didn't see the X-Men as a team, other than few second shots of Kitty, Emma, and Beast in their individual rooms, this was a good introduction to fan favorite Gambit.

I never been a big fan of Gambit, since he like Wolverine became way to overexposed due to being a fan favorite, so it was a good move to make him part of the Thieves Guild and with no previous affiliation to the X-Men. This works much better for a character like Gambit and will probably build towards an episode were we see Gambit and some of the X-Men take on the Thieves Guild in future episodes.

Though I find it weird that the Sentinel robot Wolverine keeps fighting looks more like a Spider-Slayer than an actual Sentinel it is good to see that we get to see Wolverine let loose on these Sentinels since we wont be seeing him going all berserk on actual soldiers or villains.

It will be interesting to see how Senator Kelly and Bolivar Trask plans to to destroy the mutants will play out in future episodes as the average citizens continue to feel threaten by mutants. And from the looks of it we will be seeing Master Mold make his introduction.

Overall this was a good episode that introduced a fan favorite character that deviates from the normal team building episodes we have gotten in the past. Though I hope that we don't get to many episodes of Wolverine acting by himself and we get to see more of the rest of the X-Men play major roles in future episodes.

Episode Rating - 9.1/10

Anime Review: Bleach 101

"Mayuri's bankai!! Sawatari Clash of the Demon"

Review
For the past few episodes we have seen the Bount arc kick into gear as the various Soul Reapers fight of the Bounts. While these episodes have been an improvement of what was going on in the real world most of the episodes haven't been able to meet the similar quality of the Soul Society arc. For that reason this episode will probably stand out as one of the best episodes of this filler arc.

What makes this episode stand out from the other episodes of this filler arc is that anyone can come into this episode without having watched this series before and understand who each of these characters are and why they are fighting each other. If this was any of the other Captains than this episode were the fight was drawn out would have been really boring but it works for a character like Mayuri. It is completely in Mayuri's mad scientist personality to play with his opponent since he always wants to keep them intact to study. It is the reason he lost the fight against Uryu in the Soul Society arc and why he had to use his Bakai to defeat Sawatari.

I was glad that Nemu wasn't part of this fight so that we got to see Mayuri fight with out having to use someone as a distraction. It was cool to see how he actual acts in a fight and his scientist mind allows him to quickly analyze his opponent's abilities. He definitely prove to be just as smart, or maybe smarter, than Uruhara since he was able to create a Bount tracker that was even more affective than those Uruhara created.

Overall the fight between Mayuri and Sawatari we get in this episode is a close second to the Ichigo and Byakuya vs Kariya fight so far in this Bount arc. Now that we only have three Bounts left (Kariya, Koga, and Yoshi) it looks like this filler arc wont be lasting long so that we can back to the manga's story. And it looks like we are in store for a nice fight between long-range and short-range fighters as Uryu and Yoshi fight.

Episode Rating - 8.6/10

Green Lantern Corps #33 Review

Creative Team
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Inker: Rebecca Buchman
Colorist: Randy Mayor

Story - Emerald Eclipse: Part 1

Review
One of the major criticism's that I, as well as other fans, have had against DC is that they have relied on three writers to handle the bulk of their major properties: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, and Greg Rucka. DC has really had a hard time growing their own talent or cultivating talent from other companies. But with Peter Tomasi, James Robinson, and Gail Simone it seems that DC has finally found a couple other writers to help Johns, Morrison, and Rucka out and shoulder more of the DC major titles.

What is amazing about what Tomasi has done here on Green Lantern Corp is that he has been able to take a title that was living in the shadows of its big brother title and make this title stand out on its own since the end of Sinestro Corp Wars. This title has been able to become just as an important read that Green Lantern is as we head into Blackest Night.

It is a good move by Tomasi that he used this issue to slow things down a bit after the insane arc that just ended involving Kryb. I like that we are seeing the blossoming relationship between Kyle and Soranik got some attention as we see these two get together in this issue and agreeing to keep their relationship a secret. It should be interesting were this relationship is taken with the new law stating that relationships between Corps members to be forbidden.

Also it was not surprising to see the Green Lantern Corps have take a huge hit with the new law making so many members renounce there position as Green Lanterns. With all the new laws the Guardians are setting into place that continue to make it so that those who are Green Lanterns to become mindless soldiers it seems that it will be much harder for them to find new recruits that will be willing to renounce there emotions in order to become part of the Corps. And with there still 6 or 7 laws yet to be announced it only looks like there isn't going to be much left of the Green Lantern Corps once Blackest Night starts.

Now even though this was a slow issue we still got some action. Gleason did a great job building the tension between Mongul and Arkillo as they fight it out for the position of who will be the leader of the Sinestro Corps. With these two destructive forces meeting head we look to be in store for one sick fight and Gleason's art will only help the enjoyment of the fight.

And speaking of the fight it is cool to see that Sodam's homeworld of Daxam will be the battle ground of the huge fight. It makes for an interesting development since Sodam didn't leave his homeworld with the greatest memories since he was basically kicked out by his dad for taking care of an alien and then becoming a Green Lantern. So his return to help out his people should make for a strange moment for Sodam after all that has happened.

I have to say while I enjoyed the Origins and Omens back up for Nightwing I have not really got the need for the back up stories to be the books. This is just another cheap gimmick that DC is putting out there to promote Blackest Night which doesn't help that we just came off the Faces of Evil tag that ran across all the DC titles last month. And the story we got in this issue GLC wasn't anything that added to the story.

Issue Rating
Story: 9.2/10 - Tomasi just continues to kick ass with Green Lantern Corps as he has made this a must read going into Blackest Night.
Art: 8.3/10 - Gleason's cartoon type style perfectly fits this title with so many different creatures from all over the universe. It will be great to see Gleason's art as he draws the Mongul vs Arkillo in the next issue.
Overall: 8.75/10 - This was another great issue of GLC and for any still looking for a great time to start reading this title this issue is a great jumping on point.

Nightwing #153 Review

Creative Team
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Artist: Don Kramer (main story) & Joe Bennett (Origins and Omens back up)
Inkers: Jay Leisten, Sandu Florea, Rodney Ramos
Colorist: Hi-Fi

Story - Black Dawn; Origins and Omens: Nightwing

Review
After more than a decade worth of issues Nightwing is one of the books to fall in the wake of Batman RIP. And even after Battle for the Cowl is over Nightwing will not be part of the 8 "new" Batman titles that was announced in the Batman panel at NYYC (read here). So for me, as big Nightwing and Dick Grayson fan, this issue was bittersweet.

As someone that has been reading this series since the mini-series that preceded this ongoing series I couldn't ask for a better way to end this series. I think I can speak for many Nightwing fans when I say that this series was probably at its peak when Chuck Dixon started the series and since Dixon's run Nightwing has suffered from being average to just plain horrible, especially Devin Grayson's and Bruce Jones runs on this title. Even though I enjoyed most of Marv Wolfman's run on this title Wolfman's run was cut a few issues to short so the enjoyment of that run lost some steam at the end. So because this series has been average for so long it has made this run by Tomasi even more special. Since Tomasi started his run on this title he has treated us with what may be the definitive version of Nightwing and the Dick Grayson character as a whole. But as always DC sticks it to Nightwing that as soon as we have a great run going this title is canceled as I said before.

Still even though this was a bittersweet issue for this was still a fantastic way to end an ongoing series. This issue was probably the best final issue of an ongoing series.

I have noticed around on other comic blogs and websites that one of the things some people have not liked about Tomasi's run is that he has had guest stars, outside the Batfamily, appear in almost every issue. I have actually really liked this aspect of Tomasi's run. For a long time most writers of Nightwing have always tended to ignore the fact that other than Superman the one character with the most connections in the DC Universe is Nightwing. It is one of the things that has annoyed me about the portrayal of Dick Grayson and thought him interacting with the JSA, Wally, Roy, and other DCU characters was a great touch. And even having the short interaction between Dick and Wally that reminds the reader that for as much as these two characters may not interact much, which is shocking to me, that they are best friend.

It was a good thing that Tomasi addressed the fact that now with Bruce gone it is important for Tim that both Dick and Alfred are around. Without Dick or Alfred around Tim would probably end up turning into another Bruce maybe even darker. The poor kid has had his dad, his two best friend, old girlfriends, various teamates, and now his adopted father all die in the span of a few years that it would make anyone go over the edge. So for Tim not to go over the deep end, especially with his current state of denial over Bruce's "death," that Dick act like the big brother Tim needs right now.

I have to give also give Tomasi a lot of credit for remembering that Crime Alley is not actually alley but a nickname to the street Bruce's parents were murdered at Park Way. It is a good call back to Batman: Year One. Though this will probably a one-shot deal since all the other Batman writers will continue to be an alley called Crime Alley instead of a street Park Way. Still it was cool thing to see that Tomasi recognize this fact even though it will revert to the way it was.

Also the last scene were we see Dick, as Nightwing, go back to Park Way to renew the oath he took back when he first became Robin with the same candle he Bruce used for the original oath was a powerful scene. Don Kramer just knocked it out of the park with that scene with his art. It makes the reader remember that Dick started his career in the same manner that Bruce did with the death of his parents at a very young age. It helps to restate the fact that Dick is the successor to the mantle of the Batman even though he and Bruce have many difference between them it is only right that Dick take over his father's place as Gotham's protector.

Overall I have not liked the Origins and Omens backup story since I think it is just a cheap plug to promote Blackest Night, when that big event does not need any promotion to begin with. Though I'll say the story of Dick giving Barbara her birthday present was a nice sweet moment between both characters and will probably excite many Dick/Barbara shippers. Also the last page had a lot of ominous things for Dick's future in Battle for the Cowl and after which should be interesting which ones are just preview of something that may happen and which one of them will actually happen.

Issue Rating
Story: 10/10 - Tomasi couldn't have capped off his run on this title in any other fashion. His take on the Nightwing and Dick Grayson character will be hard to match for other writers since he gave us the definitive version of the character.
Art: 9.6/10 - Don Kramer provided some excellent art and he did a great job conveying the various emotions of Dick, Tim, and Alfred. The only problem with the art is that we had an inker by committee in this issue though it did not have any major inconsistencies there were a couple panels were it was noticeable.
Overall: 9.8/10 - Nightwing #153 was a great read and a great way to end the series. It also does a good job setting up the Batfamily for BFTC and has me actually excited to see what happens in the event. Kudos Tomasi and Kramer for ending this series the way it should.

Batman #686 Review

Creative Team
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Andy Kubert
Inker: Scott Williams
Colorist: Alex Sinclair

Story - The Beginning of the End

Review
I have to admit that Batman #686 maybe one of the weirdest comics I have had to review since I started this blog. After the first read through I thought the first part of Neil Gaiman's "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" to be a very straight foward and simple homage of all the various era's of Batman that include both the comic book, live action, and cartoon version of Batman.

The odd thing about this issue when I first read it is that I questioned the timing of this two part story by Gaiman. Just about a month ago we already had Morrison pay homage to all the various eras of Batman in his "Last Rites" two parter. So for us to get another tribute-type story so soon after getting one feels like Didio and Marts did not clue in on what Morrison had planned in Final Crisis since here we see Batman's body in tact and not the bag of bones we saw at the end of Final Crisis #6.

Also unlike the current made for trade paperback type stories in the current era of comics this Batman story feels Gaiman wrote this story not to be split into a two-parter but to be a single oversize issue. The whole format of this story being a story within a story within another story just makes this an odd read. Even the ending wasn't much of an ending or cliffhanger.

Now this is not to say I did not like this issue but I just feel that I will enjoy this story much more when I am able to read the second part of "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" Also this is a type of story that would work well if I read it 6 months to a year from now since I still have Morrison's "Last Rites" two-parter fresh in my mind.

I have to give it to Gaiman and Kubert though because this is a type of issue that you can't just read it once since this issue is pact with a lot of cool things for Batman fans that may be missed with only one read through.

One of those moments is right at the start of the issue and continues as the various villains enter the bar for Batman's funeral. I may be wrong about this but the red haired kid that keeps asking each villain if they want them to watch there cars is actually the pre-Crisis Jason Todd, though aged a bit. My knowledge of the pre-Crisis isn't great but I remember reading that when Jason Todd was first introduced he had red hair but dyed it black because the Batman writers of that time wanted Jason to be a carbon copy of Dick Grayson (read here). Also it would make sense since the kid had a deep seeded fear when he talked to the Joker and continuously saying that the Joker will kill him.

Also Gaiman gave me one those rare moments were I actually stopped for a second and went back to read the line were the bartender is telling Selina his name. I thought I read it wrond but it was Joe Chill otherwise known famously for being the one who killed Bruce's parents. It was one of those moments were I just went "Wow" and just knew I was in store for a crazy read.

Also with all the material Gaiman pact into this book it definetly gave Kubert a lot of room to flex his artistic muscle as he drew almost every era of Batman. We get the Golden Age, the Adam West version of Batman, Batman: The Animated Series, and some of the post-Crisis Year One through Three versions of Batman. For me it was cool seeing Kubert drawing the Joker the same way he was drawn as in the Batman: The Animated Series version since that is the series I grew up with and Mark Hamill's voice as the Joker is usually the voice I hear when reading the Joker in comics. And for many fans Kubert really pacts this issue with a lot more cool moments that I sure all Batman fans will enjoy both old and new.

Issue Rating
Story: 7.8/10 - This story just feels like a retread of the Last Rites story we got a month back. Still Gaiman did a good job paying homage to the various era's of Batman and can't wait to see what he does with the other villains version of Batman's death.
Art: 9/10 - Kubert did an awesome job showing off that he is adapt at drawing various versions of Batman.
Overall: 8.4/10- With all that said I got to say that I am going to actually wait to make my complete judgement about Gaiman's story since it really does feel that we need the second part to judge this story as a whole. Though I wish we didn't have to wait for a month to get the next part of the story in Detective Comics and find it weird that it is coming out a week after the first issue of Battle for the Cowl.