Iron Man 3 Movie Review

Spoiler Free.

So what did I think of Iron Man 3 . . . it was a damned good time.

I  decided long ago that comic book movies are not to be judged on the comic books they are based on and I just look for the nods to source material and let the movies be their own universe. Iron Man 3 was funny, it had a lot of action, it had a major unexpected twist to the plot of the story and it had tons of armor (lots based on the armor appearing in the comic books over the years).

I've seen a few people giving it early bad reviews but I'm here to say it was a really good movie that will give you laughs, superhero fun and even a few moments of Pepper Potts bad assedness. Movies will never be the exact same as the source material, this is something you just have to live with.

During the film there was a lot of talk about events in other Marvel movies (Avengers & Thor) that kept the universe connected which is something that I always enjoy. Robert Downy Jr. gives another great performance as Tony Stark and has some great scenes with young actor Ty Simpkins that were really funny. It wasn't all Iron Man saving the day on his own, he had help, kinda like the comics, I got what I expected from this movie and I mostly got what I wanted out of an Iron Man movie. Lots of crazy tech, armor flying all over crashing bashing and crashing through baddies, plenty of explosions and some "Hot" new villains.

This may be the last Iron Man movie in the series but I could go for one more.

I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading,
Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Image ia copyright © 2013 Marvel Studios and are used as Fair Use Review images only. Image will be removed upon the request of Marvel Studios.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (Marvel Comics 2013)

Guardians Of The Galaxy Issue #1

Published by Marvel Comics

Cover Price $3.99

21 story pages, full color

May, 2013

Brian Michael Bendis - Writer
Steve McNiven - Penciler
John Dell - Inker
Justin Ponser - Colors

Well this is where the story should have started. A much better introduction than the 0.1 issue for sure but still the book seems to be mainly focused on Star-Lord. It does take about half the book before we get the names of the entire team Gamora, Drax The Destroyer, Groot, Rocket Raccoon and of course Star-Lord and umm Iron Man maybe?


Interior pencils from Guardians Of The Galaxy #1



The issue starts off with Star-Lord (Peter Quill) being met by his father the King of Spartax Planetary System. They have a light hearted argument yet heated argument and basically it ends up that Star-Lord is to leave the Earth alone and it will be left alone by all others as well. Well Star-Lord see's flaws in this theory and heads to Earth anyway.

When approaching Earth Star-Lord and the Guardians Of The Galaxy meet up with Iron Man who has come into battle in space near the Earth with an alien race known as the Badoon. The battle rages on and a really good fight scene ends up taking the last eleven pages of the book. In the battle Groot the tree-like character who looks pretty awesome is blow up but I assume he can regenerate because Rocket Raccoon finds a little piece of him and it seems that that is all that is needed.



Interior spread art used as a Marvel Comics Wallpaper



So this issue to me is a lot better than the 0.1 issue and has taken that rub the wrong way and put it back to a neutral rub. I like the art, the inking is done by a local guy (for me) John Dell and you can't go wrong with big fight scenes. I still don't really know anything about these characters but I'll try a few more issues and see where it goes.

Rocket Raccoon Limited Series #1

The one thing I really don't like about this issue is that Rocket Raccoon doesn't look cool, he doesn't look awesome and he doesn't look funny, he looks like a crazed freak. Actually he almost looks like a cat and that helmet he's wearing has got to go. I prefer the Rocket Raccoon of old over this version any day.

So as I said before this series is at a draw for me now I'll need a lot more good than bad to become a permanent reader of Guardians Of The Galaxy but I think I should be ready for the movies by the time I figure out if this is a keeper title.

Thanks for reading,

Kevin P. Johnson 

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Images are copyright © 1985, 2013 Marvel Comics and are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of Marvel Comics.



Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 (Marvel Comics 2013)

Guardians Of The Galaxy Issue #0.1

Published by Marvel Comics

Cover Price $3.99

36 pages, full color

April, 2013

Brian Michael Bendis - Writer
Steve McNiven - Penciler
John Dell - Inker
Justin Ponser - Colors

1990's Guardians Of The Galaxy

Well it's just as I predicted as soon as Marvel announced its movie for Guardians Of The Galaxy . . . they would release a new series about a year before the movie hit theatres and try to build an audience. I think everyone else predicted that as well. Now I don't have much knowledge of the team but I do remember the series from 1990 I think I read the first 12 issues of that before I fell out of reading comics for a while. The first thing that I thought when I heard about this movie was "who in the world is going to go see it? Nobody knows those characters who really isn't really into comic books. They are going to have to appear in Iron Man 3 or Thor 2 right?" Well I don't know what the plans are for that movie business but I do know that the characters in the current series are not the same characters that I remember from back in the early 1990's which is a bit of a disappointment and also seems that it will make it less likely that anyone will know them.

Enough of the movie and 90's let's talk about this issue. I picked it up because I was looking for a new title that I could review from start to finish and thought that this could be it . . . I don't know if that thought will be a lasting one. Marvel loves to do it's point one (0.1) issues which are usually used as a jumping on point for new readers that kind of give you some background of what is going on in the title and introduces you to a good bit of the cast. This issue did not deliver on that and what you end up getting is the basic origins of two characters and the death of another character. The issue isn't actually bad but it just felt like a money grab to me by Marvel and this issue could have been told in a few pages of issue #1.

The main point of this issue is actually to introduce you to Peter Quill who will become Star-Lord leader of the Guardians Of The Galaxy. (This next part will be as spoiler free as possible)You see his mother and fathers first meeting, you see Peter as a child and then an alien attack that Peter is able to stop when he finds a special weapon left behind by his father. The entire issue is really about one character in the group and that kind of turned me off on this book right away since this is a team book. You do not get introduced to anyone else on the team and only see them on the last two pages of the story where Iron Man also appears and apparently is on the team . . . oh yeah movie tie-in . . . uggghhhhh.

I like the art and the story isn't bad it just rubbed me the wrong way and I would have much rather had something else be the start of this title.

Stay tuned I have a review of Issue #1 of Guardians Of The Galaxy coming up and hopefully that will be a little more hopeful for the future of this title.

Thanks for reading,

Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson
Images are copyright © 1990-2013 Marvel Comics are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of Marvel Comics.

Free Comic Book Day at Magic Comics and Hobbies

Free Comic Book Day is an annual event happening the first Saturday in May for comic book fans and newcomers to gather in comic book stores around the country to get samples of mainstream and independent comic books and plenty of kids comics as well. As a fan of almost every style of comics and art I try to get as many of the offered books as I can and most years I visit multiple stores to see if they may have something different or have a store special and as a rule I will buy something at each store that I get free comic books from because I know that what is Free for me is not free for the comic shop.

This year I spent the day at Magic Comics and Hobbies in Slidell, LA as a guest artist along with Transformers artist Robby Musso and upcoming artist Mark Rhodes who plans to produce comic books in the near future. I only did two sketches but I had fun seeing old friends, talking about comics, video games of yesteryear, and just about everything else under the Geek Sun.

Here's what I drew:

There are a lot of free comics to be found on Free Comic Book Day at Magic Comics and Hobbies and they let you take whichever ones you want. Owner David Strecker does a great job of having a large supply of the comics available and most customers get the comics they were looking for in the program. For me I as I said before I want to get as many as I can (my collector brain loves free stuff) below is a list of comic books that I got this year (A major haul).

What I got :

Sideshow Collectibles Catalog

The Tick: FCBD 2011

Green Lantern Flashpoint Special

Locke & Key FCBD 2011

World's Of Aspen 2011

Young Justice Batman Super Sampler

The Mis-adventures of Adam West/Things To Come . . .

Jake The Dreaming

The Amazing Spider-Man

Elric: The Balance Lost FCBD

Path of the Plainswalker

Mouse Guard/The Dark Crystal

Super Dinosaur: Origin Special!

2000 AD

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse

Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Predators/Top 10 Deadliest Sharks

Inspector Gadget/Johnny Test

Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers/Darkwing Duck

Geronimo Stilton and The Smurfs

Atomic Robo/Foster Broussard/Moon Girl

John Stanley's Summer Fun!

Pep Comics featuring Betty & Veronica

Rated Free For Everyone!

Witch & Wizard

The Stuff of Legend/The Intrepid Escape Goat

Bongo Free-For-All 2011

Baltimore/Criminal Macabre

Top Shelf Kid's Club

Spontaneous

Captain America and Thor The Mighty Fighting Avengers

Sonic The Hedgehog

Richie Rich in Eruption Disruption!/Kung Fu Panda

Silver Scorpion

Loose Ends/I.C.E. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The Darkness: Confession

Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Avatar: The Last Airbender

Civil War Adventure

White Lantern Ring

Black lantern Ring

IDW Star Trek Infestation Patch

Sideshow Collectibles Keychain

Green Lantern Hero Clix figure

Ultimate Flame-O (Strange City Heroes) Sketch

I love that there are so many comics and that there is a such a great variety of art styles that makes every comic stand out as a star. I have only read one so far but I keep looking at the pile and am ready to jump in and read things I may never have been exposed to if not for Free Comic Book Day and Magic Comic and Hobbies.

I hope that the tradition of free comic book day continues for years to come because it seems to get bigger and better each and every year.

Another big tradition at comic book events is that the Louisiana Chapter of the 501st Legion Bast Alpha Garrison show up and help bring in the crowds who want to take pictures with official looking replicas of the characters from the Star Wars movies and these guys take it very seriously when it comes to making their costumes look authentic. The 501st Legion has branches all over the world and make appearances at events and raise money for charities of all sorts. Along with the Star Wars characters a beautiful pirate lady showed up and posed for pictures as well.

Free Comic Book Day 2011 was great fun. I'd like to thank David Strecker and the Magic Comics and Hobbies staff Trey and Mikey for allowing me to be a guest in their store and for being such a great place that helps spread the love of comic books. The customers there are also great and there is always a great conversation to be had. If you're in Slidell check them out its an awesome place with an awesome supply of comic books, toys, models, games, statues and action figures (and probably a heck of a lot more.)

Magic Comics & Hobbies LLC
727 Robert Blvd.
Slidell, LA 70458
(985)649-4171

Thanks for reading,
Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2010 Kevin P. Johnson

Secret Invasion #2

This image is copyright © 2008 Marvel Comics and is used as Fair Use Review images only. Image will be removed upon request of Marvel Comics.

Secret Invasion #2
Cover Price: $2.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Major Characters: SKRULLS, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hawkeye/Ronin, Wolverine, Mokingbird, Luke Cage, Vision, Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Ares, Captain America, many character doubles

WHO DO YOU TRUST!

Man I just don't know and I am giving warning that I am spoiling some of this so if you have not read it you better stop reading this!

SKRULLS! SKRULLS! SKRULLS!

So in issue #1 a bunch of old school 70s and 80s style heroes jumped off of a crashed SKRULL ship. In issue #2 all hell breaks lose and Avengers old and new break out into battle. Its unclear who is a Skrull and who isn't (thats what they wanted right) so the battle breaks out and Ares is telling the Avengers that we know in todays comics to leave because this isn't the right fight to be involved in but the fight happens anyway and some of the pieces start to fall into place.

Several of the characters from the Skrull ship are revealed as Skrulls when they are killed in the fight or by the giant T-Rex that rips through the middle of the fray (Savage Land Style). Spider-Man & Hawkeye + dead = skrulls. I think some of the 70s/80s characters are going to be who they say they are. Emma Frost is shot with an arrow and is bleeding red blood (do skrulls have red blood?) and I anm going on record saying that I believe Mockingbird is the real deal.

In the 80's I was a huge fan of the West Coast Avengers and I loved Hawkeye and Mockingbirds relationship and really wished that they had not killed her off. I want these two back together almost as much as I want Spider-Man and Mary Jane back. I always found it interesting to have married heroes no matter what Joe Quesada thinks. I think Clint Bartons little test of what "October 12th" is one of those things that always works in the movies and it has to work here please Mr. Bendis for me let ths be the real Mockingbird and Hawkeye, please, please, please.

Anyway it ends up with a load of Skrulls descending on Manhattan looking like skrulls but dressed as a load of Avengers and X-Men with what looks like armor instead of spandex.

Francis Lenil Yu again does a nice job on the art and I am ready to read some of the comics that I get that tie-in to this series.

- Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2008 Kevin P. Johnson

Iron Man The Movie

So I just saw the movie a day early (not sure how the theatre got away with it but for me and the ten or so others that were there it was awesome)

I'm not gonna spoil it so here is a brief review:

Tony Stark: Kick Ass
Iron Man Armor Mark 1: Kick Ass
Iron Man Armor Mark II and beyond: Kick Ass
Pepper Potts: I wanna make babies with her - Kick Ass
Iron Monger Armor: Kick Ass
Random Afgani Soldiers: Got their Asses Kicked
Was That The Mandarin? - Dunno didn't pay attention in the credits
Music: AC/DC, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Sabbath - KICK ASS
James Rhodes: Gonna Kick Ass in part two
Jarvis: Very Interesting
Technology: KICK FUCKIN' ASS
Staying After The Credits: Priceless see also Kicking Ass


Kevin P. Johnson
Copyright © 2008 Kevin P. Johnson