Flash and Green Lantern’s First Meeting

“When Barry Met Hal” provides an inside look at their friendship over the years.

What begins in the past culminates in the present as the residual effects of a previous crime rears its ugly head. Of course, the residual is Green Lantern’s fault, and while on the surface, there are deadly consequences but it’s really just Hal being Hal.

Brian Buccellato writes this in a way where the reader lives vicariously through Flash because we’ve all had that really good friend that has gotten us into a sticky situation.

You want to choke them out and swear you will never speak to them again, but in the end, you have their back, and the friendship becomes stronger as a result.

Batman and Superman’s legendary friendship is one of the things that make them a popular duo. Flash and Green Lantern’s bromance should be on the same pedestal because certain variables make it more relatable.

Nicole Duback penned a nice back story highlighting how even a hero can’t save everyone all of the time, but you can help push things in the right direction. This was the right story to tell for this second annual because Hal is away on Oa running the Lantern Corps, and Flash is doing his thing on Earth with the Justice League. It may be a while before their shenanigans can entertain us again.

Grade A-

Undertaker vs. Undertaker: The Gravest Match In Summer Slam History

Column written for gerweck.net

I thought that Undertaker vs. Undertaker was going to be the greatest match of all time. To say I was wrong is a huge understatement. The forgettable encounter at Summer Slam 1994 is remembered as one of the most horrendous main events in wrestling history. As a kid, I ate up anything and everything that wrestling had to offer, but this was a match that can’t be defended.

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Believe the Hype for Red Sonja #1

Gail Simone is one of the more respected names in the industry whose reported firing from DC Comics’ Batgirl title sparked such fan outrage that she was hired back a few days later.

Simone’s take on the red-headed She-Devil generated a lot of buzz going into this past Wednesday.

After journeying through twenty-four pages of superb storytelling and fierce imagery, I’m here to tell you, believe the hype.

Red Sonja’s slightly refreshed origin story wastes no time in setting up a plot where the beautiful barbarian is charged with repaying a life debt.

What makes this moment poignant is how Sonja is portrayed as an unapologetic badass.

There was a fun moment where three would-be thieves attempt to pillage Sonja’s belongings. She is completely unfazed by this and draws the ire of the more daring thief by refusing to engage the trio because she doesn’t want to get blood on her horse. The blood splattering artwork of Walter Geovani shows how exquisite a sword through the head can look.

“I can teach them tactics. I can’t teach them WAR” is Sonja’s motivation as she serves the king who granted her salvation to prevent the slaughter of a kingdom. In my humble opinion, there aren’t enough comic books featuring female leads.

This ongoing series is another great example of why there should be more, and the talents of Gail Simone is the perfect archetype to improve a glaring need.

Grade: A

Heyman Hustle Shines on Pay-Per-View

Money in the Bank was an excellent event that pulled out all the stops and produced a great moment when Paul Heyman blindsided CM Punk with a ladder and cost him the MITB briefcase. These moments are normally reserved for Monday Night Raw. It’s not hard to understand why, considering that more people will always watch free Raw than a pay-per-view. Still, I would have bet any amount of money that the turn would have happened on Raw and build to a Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk match at Summer Slam.

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Everything Comes Full Circle in Polarity #4

“It’s been in my DNA, in my blood since my birth, an encoded destiny that spelled out the fact that I’m nothing more than an unhinged dreamer whose fantasies of normalcy and peace were always far out of reach.” This is life, according to Tim, as his superpowers brought on by his mental illness bring about an inevitability that may or may not be pre-conceived.

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The Oddity of Chris Wediman Knocking Out Anderson Silva

Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva — **Photo by Esther Lin**

The big question going into last Saturday evening’s bout was the legitimacy of Chris Weidman. Is he hope or is he hype? Despite knocking out Anderson Silva, the now-former middleweight champion of the world, we still don’t have the answer to that question. It’s an odd situation to assess considering the dramatic results of UFC 162.

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Star Wars Legacy # 4 Review

The second installment of the Legacy series has established a different kind of tone from its predecessor championed by the Skywalker clan.

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Remembrance of Chris Benoit

Column I wrote for Gerweck.net

Chris Benoit was my professional idol. There, I said it. It’s something that no one except my close friends know. In a way, I’m ashamed of this even though no one could have predicted the horrific events that occurred six years ago this very day. I remember where I was when I heard the news about the murders. I had just gotten out of class and my friend Reid call me and said: “I have something to tell you and you should sit down.”

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Man of Steel Review

It is hard for me not to be romantic when talking about Superman. He was the first comic book I ever read, the first action figure I ever owned, and often times, I’ve felt like a strange visitor from another planet. Superman inspires me like no other because he is the ultimate clutch player that comes through when things are at their worst. Needless to say, I had been eagerly anticipating the release of Man of Steel for over a year now, and I finally got to see it on opening night; and it is an epic film that captures who Superman needed to be in 2013.

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Superman Unchained #1 Review

Let me get this out of the way right now. Superman is my all-time favorite superhero. That being said, Action Comics has been either hit or miss, while the self-titled series has been completely uninspired since the inception of the New 52. Superman Unchained changes all of that.

I was curious about how Scott Snyder would approach things since his amazing knack for storytelling has been predominate with street-level characters.

Rest assured, Snyder, manages to put a fresh coat of paint on this 75-year-old classic. For starters, he actually made the book about Superman instead of focusing on the complexities of everything around him, such as his personal and professional life.

Those elements come into play when Lois informs Clark of an error in his news article, which prompts him to put on the cape and investigate the matter. Other characters from Superman folklore also make an appearance, and they were used for the purpose that they were intended.

Jimmy Olsen augments Clark Kent’s humanity as he receives a helping hand, including an attempt to be covered for, to avoid the wrath of his boss. The alien-hating General Sam Lane is not central to the story, but he brings about what could be Superman’s biggest threat.

Jim Lee’s legendary splash pages encompass your imagination as the action unfolds in front of your eyes. I mean it. It literally unfolds in the form of a beautiful gatefold poster with so much action that it couldn’t fit on one page.

While due to some dull moments, it is not a grand slam by any means, the newly heralded dream team Scott Snyder and Jim Lee have set the standard for what a Superman comic book should be in 2013.

Grade: B+