Batman '66 #18 - 8.3/10
Sensation Comics #5 - 9.6/10
Friday, December 26, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Batman '66 #18 and Sensation Comics #5
My other book reviews for the Christmas week have arrived!
Batman '66 #18 - 8.3/10
Sensation Comics #5 - 9.6/10
Batman '66 #18 - 8.3/10
Sensation Comics #5 - 9.6/10
Comic Book Reviews: Batman Eternal #38 and Batman Annual #3
Hope everyone had a good time with their Christmas Day! Here are some belated reviews from this week.
Batman Eternal #38 - 8.1/10 (revised from 8.5 in video)
Batman Annual #3 - 8.9/10
Batman Eternal #38 - 8.1/10 (revised from 8.5 in video)
Batman Annual #3 - 8.9/10
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Doctor Who Series 8 thoughts
So Merry Christmas, everyone! (If you don't celebrate it, it's a well-wish. Please take the compliment and not assume the worst in people during this great time of year.)
In honor of the Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special/First episode of Series 9 when it releases on Netflix, Here are my thoughts on the Revived Series' eighth season.
For the record (in case you don't have time to watch immediately or don't want spoilers for your binge-watch), I thought Peter Capaldi was an excellent Doctor and early on appears to be my favorite for the Revived Series. It's early, but he's definitely starting well.
Clara has grown on me slightly (mostly due to growth from actress Jenna Coleman), but her status in the show as 'Impossible Girl' is still frustrating to me and so I'm still very lukewarm at best to her.
Her possible departure from the show would have rated highly as a companion departure had it been a true departure. But it's already known she's in the Christmas special and is rumored for Series 9, so I can't count it.
I really liked Danny Pink, though I don't count him as a companion, Courtney counts as a companion, and she was decent. Hopefully she shows up more in Series 9.
My episode rankings are as follows:
1. Robot of Sherwood
2. Flatline
3. Caretaker
4. Into the Dalek
5. In the Forest of the Night
6. Dark Water/Death in Heaven (two-part story)
7. Kill the Moon
8. Listen
9. Mummy on the Orient Express
10. Time Heist
11. Deep Breath
In honor of the Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special/First episode of Series 9 when it releases on Netflix, Here are my thoughts on the Revived Series' eighth season.
For the record (in case you don't have time to watch immediately or don't want spoilers for your binge-watch), I thought Peter Capaldi was an excellent Doctor and early on appears to be my favorite for the Revived Series. It's early, but he's definitely starting well.
Her possible departure from the show would have rated highly as a companion departure had it been a true departure. But it's already known she's in the Christmas special and is rumored for Series 9, so I can't count it.
I really liked Danny Pink, though I don't count him as a companion, Courtney counts as a companion, and she was decent. Hopefully she shows up more in Series 9.
My episode rankings are as follows:
1. Robot of Sherwood
2. Flatline
3. Caretaker
4. Into the Dalek
5. In the Forest of the Night
6. Dark Water/Death in Heaven (two-part story)
7. Kill the Moon
8. Listen
9. Mummy on the Orient Express
10. Time Heist
11. Deep Breath
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Batman #37, Batman Eternal #37 and Wonder Woman #37
I've got some reviews for you!
Batman #37 - 9.6/10
Batman Eternal #37 - 8.1/10
Wonder Woman #37 - 7.3/10
Batman #37 - 9.6/10
Batman Eternal #37 - 8.1/10
Wonder Woman #37 - 7.3/10
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Batman #36 and Gotham Academy #2/Thoughts on DC's latest cancellations
I am finally caught up on comics! Check out the reviews here:
Batman #36 - 9.0/10
Gotham Academy #2 - 8.0/10
Batman #36 - 9.0/10
Gotham Academy #2 - 8.0/10
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Why I... rank the College Football Playoff like THIS
The final game of the college football regular season (not counting Army-Navy) has been recorded and so the time has come for the committee to make the only ranking set that counts.
Before I get into my thoughts on the six teams vying for the four playoff spots, I feel I need to make a very loud, vehement complaint against how this entire process has worked.
I am NOT a fan of the College Football Playoff rankings being issued every week. To me, it makes the early games of the season get counted in one shot and relies a tad too much on the early season rankings, since most of the big make-or-break games have not been played and the validity of certain conferences cannot necessarily be ascertained yet.
If an entire body of work is going to be judged, then at most there should only be two rankings - one before widespread conference play and one after all the games have been played.
But this is a 'give it to me now' society, so let's throw out what makes sense and talk about this week's set of games, which I'd guess will have a tremendous amount of weight in the committee room.
It was about as big a nightmare as the committee could have asked for, as every member of the top six won, and all but Florida State won by double digits.
Now the debate begins between four conference championship game winners and a pair of co-champs from the Big 12. Who gets in? Who gets out? Let's look at the teams.
(Order of examination based on previous week's rankings)
Alabama
Record: 12-1 (SEC Champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs West Virginia, vs Florida Atlantic, vs Southern Miss, vs Western Carolina
Opponents beaten while ranked: at LSU, vs Mississippi St., vs Auburn, vs Missouri
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs West Virginia, vs Texas A&M
Loss: at Ole Miss
Thoughts: This hasn't been one of the SEC's better years, and just looking at the teams the Tide have listed as their claims to fame leads me to question their actual skills. Still, six teams who were ranked at some point hit the team's schedule, so that's more than enough for me.
Oregon
Record: 12-1 (Pac-12 Champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs South Dakota, vs Michigan State, vs Wyoming
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs Michigan State, at UCLA, at Utah, vs Arizona
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Stanford
Loss: vs Arizona (avenged on neutral site)
Thoughts: You know, actually reading the schedule out loud makes me realize that Oregon lucked out that they were in the North division. This team would have fallen in the South division. Regardless, the wins that Oregon has make up for an otherwise pedestrian schedule.
Texas Christian
Record: 11-1 (Big 12 Co-champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs Samford, vs Minnesota, at SMU
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs Oklahoma, vs Oklahoma State, at West Virginia, vs Kansas State
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Minnesota
Loss: at Baylor
Thoughts: The Big 12 is probably the deepest conference in football this year, but it lacks a high perception to make mid-level teams look like bigger threats. Admittedly, the resume is still solid, but it's hindered by a lack of a title game and a minimal non-conference schedule.
Florida State
Record: 13-0 (ACC Champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs Oklahoma State, vs the Citadel, vs Notre Dame, vs Florida
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs Clemson, vs Notre Dame, at Louisville, vs Georgia Tech
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Oklahoma State
Loss: None
Thoughts: Honestly, the schedule for FSU doesn't look half bad, and considering they're the lone undefeated, I've got no gripes.
Ohio State
Record: 12-1 (Big Ten Champion)
Non-conference schedule: at Navy, vs Virginia Tech, vs Kent State, vs Cincinnati
Opponents beaten while ranked: at Michigan State, at Minnesota, vs Wisconsin
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: None
Loss: vs Virginia Tech
Thoughts: This is probably the weakest resume of the bunch, but it may be one of the hardest to question, as the opponents listed are mostly shared by other teams.
Baylor
Record: 11-1 (Big 12 Co-champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs SMU, vs Northwestern State, at Buffalo
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs TCU, at Oklahoma, at Kansas State
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Oklahoma State
Loss: at West Virginia
Thoughts: I'm torn, on one hand, this team beat TCU. On the other, West Virginia beat Baylor. It comes down to whether the head-to-head matters or record vs. common opponents.
Final rankings: If I'm casting a ballot, here's what I think... we need an 8-team playoff. Seriously, it would ensure that any gripes over a tournament slot would be between dunderheads with at least two losses and no leg to stand on.
As it is, though, here are my rankings:
1) Florida State - perfect season, discussion over
2) Oregon - multiple road wins over ranked squad and a slightly better conference than the SEC
3) Alabama - way too many wins over ranked squads to overlook
4) Baylor - The Big 12 produces a better resume than the Big Ten, and when comparing the two co-champs, Baylor has head-to-head. Besides, TCU only managed a one-point win with WVU themselves, indicating the loss they took was a good one as well.
On the outside: TCU and Ohio State (in some order)
I am NOT a fan of the College Football Playoff rankings being issued every week. To me, it makes the early games of the season get counted in one shot and relies a tad too much on the early season rankings, since most of the big make-or-break games have not been played and the validity of certain conferences cannot necessarily be ascertained yet.
If an entire body of work is going to be judged, then at most there should only be two rankings - one before widespread conference play and one after all the games have been played.
But this is a 'give it to me now' society, so let's throw out what makes sense and talk about this week's set of games, which I'd guess will have a tremendous amount of weight in the committee room.
It was about as big a nightmare as the committee could have asked for, as every member of the top six won, and all but Florida State won by double digits.
Now the debate begins between four conference championship game winners and a pair of co-champs from the Big 12. Who gets in? Who gets out? Let's look at the teams.
(Order of examination based on previous week's rankings)
Record: 12-1 (SEC Champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs West Virginia, vs Florida Atlantic, vs Southern Miss, vs Western Carolina
Opponents beaten while ranked: at LSU, vs Mississippi St., vs Auburn, vs Missouri
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs West Virginia, vs Texas A&M
Loss: at Ole Miss
Thoughts: This hasn't been one of the SEC's better years, and just looking at the teams the Tide have listed as their claims to fame leads me to question their actual skills. Still, six teams who were ranked at some point hit the team's schedule, so that's more than enough for me.
Record: 12-1 (Pac-12 Champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs South Dakota, vs Michigan State, vs Wyoming
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs Michigan State, at UCLA, at Utah, vs Arizona
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Stanford
Loss: vs Arizona (avenged on neutral site)
Thoughts: You know, actually reading the schedule out loud makes me realize that Oregon lucked out that they were in the North division. This team would have fallen in the South division. Regardless, the wins that Oregon has make up for an otherwise pedestrian schedule.
Record: 11-1 (Big 12 Co-champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs Samford, vs Minnesota, at SMU
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs Oklahoma, vs Oklahoma State, at West Virginia, vs Kansas State
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Minnesota
Loss: at Baylor
Thoughts: The Big 12 is probably the deepest conference in football this year, but it lacks a high perception to make mid-level teams look like bigger threats. Admittedly, the resume is still solid, but it's hindered by a lack of a title game and a minimal non-conference schedule.
Record: 13-0 (ACC Champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs Oklahoma State, vs the Citadel, vs Notre Dame, vs Florida
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs Clemson, vs Notre Dame, at Louisville, vs Georgia Tech
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Oklahoma State
Loss: None
Thoughts: Honestly, the schedule for FSU doesn't look half bad, and considering they're the lone undefeated, I've got no gripes.
Record: 12-1 (Big Ten Champion)
Non-conference schedule: at Navy, vs Virginia Tech, vs Kent State, vs Cincinnati
Opponents beaten while ranked: at Michigan State, at Minnesota, vs Wisconsin
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: None
Loss: vs Virginia Tech
Thoughts: This is probably the weakest resume of the bunch, but it may be one of the hardest to question, as the opponents listed are mostly shared by other teams.
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Record: 11-1 (Big 12 Co-champion)
Non-conference schedule (all wins): vs SMU, vs Northwestern State, at Buffalo
Opponents beaten while ranked: vs TCU, at Oklahoma, at Kansas State
Opponents beaten who were ranked during season: vs Oklahoma State
Loss: at West Virginia
Thoughts: I'm torn, on one hand, this team beat TCU. On the other, West Virginia beat Baylor. It comes down to whether the head-to-head matters or record vs. common opponents.
Final rankings: If I'm casting a ballot, here's what I think... we need an 8-team playoff. Seriously, it would ensure that any gripes over a tournament slot would be between dunderheads with at least two losses and no leg to stand on.
As it is, though, here are my rankings:
1) Florida State - perfect season, discussion over
2) Oregon - multiple road wins over ranked squad and a slightly better conference than the SEC
3) Alabama - way too many wins over ranked squads to overlook
4) Baylor - The Big 12 produces a better resume than the Big Ten, and when comparing the two co-champs, Baylor has head-to-head. Besides, TCU only managed a one-point win with WVU themselves, indicating the loss they took was a good one as well.
On the outside: TCU and Ohio State (in some order)
Friday, December 5, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Action Comics #36-37
Almost caught up! Check out my thoughts on the last two issues of Action Comics.
Issue #36 - 8.0/10
Issue #37 - 8.2/10
Issue #36 - 8.0/10
Issue #37 - 8.2/10
Comic Book Reviews: Detective Comics #36-37
The latest catch-up comes for Detective Comics!
Issue #36 - 8.3/10
Issue #37 - 7.3/10
Issue #36 - 8.3/10
Issue #37 - 7.3/10
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Batman Eternal #35 and Superman Unchained #9
Catch-up continues with some Scott Snyder Batman and Superman action!
Batman Eternal #35 - 8.7/10
Superman Unchained #9 - 9.0/10
Batman Eternal #35 - 8.7/10
Superman Unchained #9 - 9.0/10
Comic Book Reviews: Green Arrow #36-37
I have A LOT of catching up to do, so I'm going to pair a November issue with a December one to try to make these blogs go as efficiently as possible. First up, the Green Arrow comics!
Issue #36 - 8.8/10
Issue #37 - 9.0/10
Issue #36 - 8.8/10
Issue #37 - 9.0/10
The Flash "Flash vs. Arrow" episode recap/review
I know it's been some time since I've been on here, but the good news is that I'll be belting out stuff quite a bit to get caught up, so expect a very, very busy December. What better way to start than by tackling the Flash-Arrow crossover's first part? Check it out here!
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