No Time For Comics

Cell Phone

2008-03-05T22:10:00.009-06:00

Small scratches on the corner and around the camera lens. None on the lens itself.

Small scratches on the corner.

These are the major scratches on the phone.

Notice the scratch on the upper left. Its outside the viewing area. Also, small scratches on the top right.

No major scratches on the main display. Notice the cover is gone for the screw on the upper left.

Thanks for looking!

Comic Book Quote of the Week

2007-12-31T11:14:00.000-06:00

"Drugs, gangs, bad grades - I was ready for those. Laser beams, no."

-- Alberto Reyes, father of the new Blue Beetle, Blue Beetle #22, DC Comics.

Comic Book Quote of the Week

2007-12-06T16:00:00.000-06:00

"I didn't found this crazy organization to not nuke things." - Atomic Robo, Atomic Robo #3, Red 5 Comics.

Welcome Back!

2007-09-11T14:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, I guess "No Time For Comics" really means "No Time For Blogging About Comics," because I still read them like crazy, in a little closet while my wife sleeps.

Invincible is still great.
Blue Beetle keeps getting better.
Uncanny X-Men is ramping up with nice artwork, while
X-Men's Ramos cheapens the industry.
Dynamo Five? More like...Dynamo JIVE!
Star Trek Season Four isn't anything new.
Morrison's Batman is kicking butt.

Please stay tuned.

X-Factor #21

2007-07-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Jaime's jus' eatin' him up some good ol' cookies n' milk. This issue starts a new four-part story line: The Isolationist, which we should all presume is this electrified red pupil zombie guy, but there's much more. We've got more of a lead-up to The Isolationist - he's in maybe a handful of pages. Before the whole X-Cell fiasco, things happened that are now being... not so much resolved, but... revisited. Good character-driven, signature Peter David stuff.

X-Factor is also taking on a new case which - also in classic PAD style - hits close to home, with a transparent mutant-bashing-as-a-racism-metaphor angle.

Guido gets a visit from an old friend in the form of Val Cooper. This scene is pretty good for Strong Guy fans; we get a nod to these characters' history together.

--as an aside, PAD's original X-Factor run (vol.1 #70-89) is what made me a fan and got me to start following his work. and of course his work on Spyboy only solidified that. haven't heard of Spyboy? GEEZ! Ask your local comic shop. --

This is a good issue, Raimondi is back as artist, so the panels are easier to follow. Mr. Peter David did not disappoint.

Nine minutes.

Transformers: Haiku Movie Review

2007-07-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

Big robots who fight
bring tears of joy to my eyes
So do hot, hot girls.

X-Factor #20

2007-07-11T16:59:00.000-05:00

X-Cell conclusion.

You know, maybe I should go back and reread this storyline all at once, because I didn't get any of it. At some points it went too fast to keep up with, and others were so confusing that I didn't know what was going on.

Maybe it was the artwork, considering the last few issues with Khoi Pham doing pencils made me cry tears of blood.

I liked the part where Pietro describes Layla Miller and is like, "this is the girl that knows stuff" and Layla's all like, "don't screw with my catchphrase, jerk!" and then he's like, "whoah, watch it, little girl, or I'll punch you in the face."

And he does.*

I'm ready for a new storyline and a new artist. I have faith that Peter David can come up with some good stories.

Six minutes.

*not an actual occurence.

Invincible #43

2007-07-06T15:09:00.000-05:00

You know, my boy Invincible has been pretty busy these last few months what with saving his insect alien hybrid half-brother from his father's bent on galactic domination mustachioed super powered brethren out to teach a lesson and his recent jaunt to a Martian battleship controlled by a squid-human symbiote intent on destroying earth...and breaking up with his girlfriend.

Makes sense then that he'd want to chill out a bit, no? So he does. Or rather, he tries to...

Guest-starring everyone's favorite cycloptic alien Allen, this issue backs up a bit to let Invincible catch his breath.

And you know what I love? A letters page, thats what. This issue has 3 full pages of letters and answers - a fanboy's dream.

Same creative team: Kirkman*/Ottley/Crabtree = great story/pencils/color.

Nine minutes.

*I orginally listed Walker, co-creator, as the writer. Cory Walker hasn't contributed to the book since its early days. Sorry, my bad.

X-Men #200

2007-07-03T09:25:00.000-05:00

Mike Carey has some chops. X-Men chops. He's doing very well with this series and it gets ramped up with issue 200.

Last issue, Rogue defeated the Hecatomb by devouring its eight billion (with a "B") lives. We see the effect it has on her here. Mike does a good job of giving us a sense of her confusion and unraveling. The Marauders return with Gambit - which is not a spoiler; everybody and their dog knew this was coming. I never liked him, by the way. I don't have to be reminded he's Cajun with every other word he says being "dat" or "chere."

Endangered Species chapter one also debuts. Beast is desperate. He can't find a cure for the depowering of mutants, and they are very possibly facing extinction. Hilarity ensues.

Bachalo's art is nice. Ramos' art isn't. Its actually pretty ugly and offensive to my eyes. But the stories make up for it.

Seven minutes, thirty seconds.

Blue Beetle #16

2007-07-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

The one thing I don't like about Blue Beetle is it's focus on magic-wielding characters. Sure, the original Blue Beetle got his powers from a magic scarab, but that has been ret-conned into a short circuiting, half-working alien scarab from the future and/or outer space! I like cool robot laser things, not dumb mystical wizard things.

That being said, this issue with a magic villian was acceptable - if not for the fighting, then for the funny.

We're promised more aliens next issue, so my fighting laser robot spaceship time travel cyborg clone alien invasion hyperspace sensibilities will be assuaged.

Six minutes.

Networking

2007-07-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Comics can be funny, while we Live Between (Betwixt, mayhaps?) Wednesdays.

Continuity Error has moved.

Tired of Zombies? NO?!?! ME EITHER!!! Zombie Superman and Zombie Batman.

Invincible #42

2007-06-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Series Recap! New Reader Friendly! Buy! Buy! Only $1.99 Cheap!

'Nuff Said.

Blue Beetle

2007-06-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

I began my collecting with Marvel and the X-men and only recently have I become interested in the DC universe, because of the good things I've been hearing about. One of those good things is the new Blue Beetle. Meet Jaime Reyes, an El Paso, Texas teenager who finds the discarded scarab we all know and love. This book is pretty interesting. For one, we have a young hispanic hero, presumably of Mexican descent, which we should be seeing a bit more of, considering current population rates (unless our current immigration issues don't jive with DCU's Earth). Also, the scarab fuses to his spine.

I have a truth to tell: I'm a hispanic! A young one! Yes, it feels good to finally let that out. So naturally I wanted to see how young Mr. Reyes was depicted in these, the pages of Blue Beetle. I was pleasantly surprised. The dialogue is pretty great, with little spanglish quirks which were very familiar, yet not cliche. Its funny how profanity can be gotten away with, as long as said profanity is in another language.

The art is original and intriguing. Blue Beetle's design is pretty fascinating. Below are character designs from artist Cully Hamner.

I picked it up initially because of the hispanic angle, but stayed aboard because of the great story these guys have going. In researching, I found co-creator John Roger's blog
and a nice q & a on the first few issues. You can jump on anytime (#15 came out last week, I believe) and should be able to pick up the goings on fairly quickly.

I like this book. Read this book. Do it for the childrens.

Astonishing X-Men

2007-06-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

Ahh. Raise your hand if you love X-Men. Raise your hand if you love TV. Behold! X-MEN TV! Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and Firefly, bring us this gem.

Forget it. You know how good this comic is, and you will weep with me when Whedon and Cassady's run will end.

Invincible #41

2007-06-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

Recap issue. Invincible saves the world, then comes back home to check on everyone. The left behind heroes stopped a Lizard League threat, but lost Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Ray. Mark has a heart to heart talk with his girlfriend Amber, and resolves his conflicting emotions.

This issue enjoys more great pencilling from Ryan Ottley. I'd put up a link for Robert Kirkman's Kirmania website, but it looks like he has No Time For Websites.

Buy this book. Really. Buy this book. This is one of the best superhero stories out there. Next issue will be cheaper, just for you who haven't jumped on yet. We are experiencing a comic book renaissance, if you haven't noticed yet, and this book is in the middle of it.

9 minutes.

Dynamo 5

2007-06-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

The full low-down is over at Comic Book Resources, but here's the skinny: five illegitimate children of recently dead Captain Dynamo come together to form...(wait for it...) the Dynamo 5!

I saw a preview in Invincible number something-or-other, and my interest was piqued. I just picked up issues 1 - 3 and will let you know.

X-Men #199

2007-06-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

Scary cover, eh? This particular X-Squad is against the Hecatomb, powered by a cosmically lethal Shi'ar core. Can nothing stop it? (Psst. Look at the cover.)

More great art by Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend; good story by Mike Carey.

We have some disturbing situations develop: Iceman and Mystique seem a bit...close. How's Rogue going to react? The aftermath of the Hecatomb's defeat also leaves Rogue with some complicated consequences, which I'm sure will be explored in the future.

This is a short, sweet read, but take time to appreciate the art. 8 mintues.

X-Men Vol. 2

2007-05-30T09:05:00.000-05:00

I only recently had No Time for Comics, and had some catching up to do, especially with these guys. The X-Men and me have this thing. They start getting boring, and I leave for a bit. Then they begin to entice me with new writers, new artists, new line-ups (more like New Writers! New Artists! New Line-ups!), and call out to me in the night. Thats what X-Men Vol. 2 did. Starting with the most recent 3-issue arc, I got hooked.

This new guy, Mike Carey, has me a bit impressed. Good dialogue, unintruding exposition. Like Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men - which I'll get to soon enough - Carey's issues read like fast paced television. I'm also very intrigued by Chris Bachalo's art. The background watercoloring is great. The pencilling equal parts simple cartoony and stylized manga. I really enjoy it.

Plus! Issue #200 promises great happenings! I'm back on the wagon.

X-Factor #19

2007-05-25T16:39:00.000-05:00

Mostly fighting in this one. To tell you the truth, this X-Cell storyline confuses me. I've not kept up with the "Decimation" event and Quicksilver's involvement, so this mess about him granting powers to the "worthy" flies over my head. Blob without blubber is funny. Preview the issue at IGN.

Come to think of it, I'm kinda disappointed with this title. It has so much promise, being a detective agency. These guys don't have to effect the Marvel U with every story they're in. Its a frikkin' detective agency! Solve some mysteries! A red hot dame smoking a cigarette waiting for Jamie in his office, the meddling landlord reluctantly asks for help in exchange for this month's rent, mysteries!

Being that its the Marvel U, however, everything connects and affects and relates to everything else. I may not be making sense here (I lost my train of thought a few paragraphs ago), but I feel like this book is derailing. Upcoming previews hold some promise, though.

Seven minutes.

StarCraft 2

2007-05-25T16:07:00.000-05:00

Holy jaw-dropping, bed-wetting, girly-giggle-inducing Crap! StarCraft 2 is in production. I predict the most glorious game ever. EVER. I also have No Time For Video Games, but thats a whole 'nother blog.

X-Factor

2007-05-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

Peter David knocks my socks off. His first, entirely-too-short run on X-Factor volume uno (#70-89) took a band of misfit second and third string mutants and inserted them delicately into my heart.

Now they're back! Well, some of them: Guido "Strong Guy" Carosella, Boring "Wolfsbane" McIrish Chick, and Jaime "Multiple Man" Madrox (along with others I don't know) star in X-Factor vol. 3!

A quick note about Peter David's writing. He often uses the same tricks. But they work! I love it when a character is saying something foreboding, and a second finishes the sentence, in an entirely different location and context. Kiss my grits if it doesn't get me every time.

But anyway, this new series is great. Madrox leads, and is having to deal with his dupes having minds of their own, "Mutant Town" suddenly being unmutantified, and this new chick who "knows stuff". Very film noir, as the characters themselves like to point out more than occasionally.

I like Strong Guy. He's my favorite.

Invincible #40

2007-05-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

Dude, this is an issue of issues: martians, sequids, lizards, DEATHS! PUNCHING! This is what we were all waiting for. Invincible and company are on their way to stop a Sequid invasion of Earth, but find themselves out in space after their shuttle explodes. Atom Eve manages to create a space bubble to save them and Invincible manages to BASH! through the martian ship, from whence the PUNCHING! commences. You can checkout the first few pages at Comic Book Resources.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Dupli-Kate, Rex Splode and Shrinking Ray take on the Lizard League. Whoo-baby, great fighting scenes. I think I'm a fanboy.

The writing is great. Coupled with the great faces Ryan Ottley can draw, the drama is subtle, but definitely palpable. PUNCH! SMASH!

Oh yeah, ten minutes.

Invincible #39

2007-05-22T16:56:00.000-05:00

Outer Space! What better setting to fight an astronaut who's been taken over by a symbiote alien race of tiny squids? The new guy, The Shapesmith, tells us the where and henceforth of the Sequids. The Guardians of the Globe, plus Invincible and Atom Eve take on a Martian Battlecruiser. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Lizard League takes over a nuclear silo.

You need to take time to drool over Ryan Ottley's artwork. This is why I read comics. Beautiful, crisp lines. Holy crap, great characterization. His art has seeped into my soul over time. It was a little jolt when co-creator Cory Walker left, but Ryan has come a long way, becoming my favorite penciller. And he did it slowly, too: this new Martian story-arc really brought it home.

Dude. Ten minutes, easy.

Bye-Bye Peter David

2007-05-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

Dude, I just found out that Peter David will be leaving F'n Spiderman. He was really the only reason I read that book, so I have to find a new one. Irredeemable Ant-Man? Kirkman (Invincible writer) writes it, but I can't find copies anywhere! Should I go back to an X-Title? I'm not a comic book snob by any means, but since I have No Time For Comics, I have to be very picky about what I read. I have No Time for five new books a month and I need some suggestions, which sucks, because noone reads this.

Invincible #38

2007-05-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

Ryan Ottley is a great artist. Look at that cover.

We've got an astronaut stranded on Mars taken over by the Sequids, a symbiotic hive-mind who only need one host. Without a host, they were mindless drone slaves of the Martians. And now they're headed for Earth. Yeah. Most issues pack in a lot of story, and this one is no exception.

We catch up with the stronger than ever Allen the Alien, Mark's recently de-cyborg'ed friend Rick, the quasi-cheating girlfriend Amber, the semi-threatening Lizard League, and everyone in between.

Dude, if you haven't picked up this book yet, you need to start now. With this issue. It catches you up, plus keeps everything moving forward. You should still be able to find it at your local comic shop.

I give it 10 minutes.