Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com, contentiously brought to you by Slacker and the Man.

Contents of Episode 171, with special guest co-host “The Man”:

• Getting caught up with Slacker and the Man in 2011;
• The X-Men: First Class trailer – did we perhaps fear for the film’s quality too soon?;
• The Man’s Marvel and DC Comics must-reads; plus, excitement over this summer’s upcoming crossover events, Marvel’s “Fear Itself” and DC’s “Flashpoint“?

And in case you haven’t yet seen the X-Men: First Class trailer, here it is:

Brightest Day #19
Written by Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Colors by Aspen MLT’s, Peter Steigerwald

Last issue’s shocking ending (and note how I did NOT put quotation marks around “shocking”, because when I finally got around to reading #18, right before picking up issue #19, I was floored) really got me feeling as though Brightest Day is really and truly winding down to a conclusion that might, just might, make all the meandering this story has done worth the while.

This issue picks up right where issue #18 left off, with Deadman (Boston Brand) and the White Lantern ring on his finger that’s been so enigmatic throughout the series thus far, only now the ring is feeling chatty, and sets out to explain what’s happening on Earth and what role the twelve heroes resurrected at the end of Blackest Night had to play in preventing something ELSE from destroying the Earth. This is only a small portion of the book, however; the main bulk of the comic switches us back to Aquaman and Jackson Hyde, the new Aqualad as they race to face down Black Manta, Siren, and the Atlantean invasion force behind them. By the end of this issue, things are going very badly for Arthur and Jackson, and Arthur finds himself feeling the most painful kind of deja vu, which leaves you truly wondering if his return to prominence in the DCU will be as brief as it appears the Hawks’ was.

I have to say, artwork really carries this issue, as at times the script gets mired in exposition both in Deadman’s story and Aquaman’s. Joe Prado’s work is solid in the Deadman portion, but it’s Ivan Reis’ handling of the Aquaman pages that really shines. When Reis is at the top of his game, as he is in this issue, you feel (or at least, I feel) as though he could tell the story coherently and powerfully without the script and dialogue present at all. Plus, he’s got some truly amazing splash pages in this issue that simply explode off the page. If you enjoy Reis’ work, you’ll find yourself flipping through the pages again a few times just to take in the scenes again as he depicts them. For my part, whatever book he happens to work on next, I’ll buy, regardless of what it is, because he’s THAT good.

From the outset of Brightest Day, writers Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi have told us that the story was about second chances, and that sometimes second chances don’t work out the way we hope they might. Because the story has taken so long to develop (can you believe this has been running for almost a year now?), it’s been easy to lose sight of that overarching idea. But it’s all really coming together now, and if last issue didn’t serve notice to readers that Johns and Tomasi meant what they said, this issue certainly makes a strong push to drive the point home even further. Look out everyone, because I think Brightest Day is about to get very, very dark in the final stretch.

Invincible Iron Man 500.1
Written by Matt Fraction
Pencils by Salvador Larocca
Inks by Frank D’Armata

Marvel begins its “Point 1″ series of re-launch titles this week with Invincible Iron Man 500.1, which undertakes the task of providing a good point for readers new to Marvel to start collecting books centered around its tentpole characters.

As such, there’s no new storyline introduced here (and that’s kind of irritating considering that issue #500 was also kind of a one-shot stand-alone issue with little resonance or connection to the previous story arc); but rather a VERY condensed retelling of Tony Stark’s life and times, as told by Stark himself and with the unifying theme being his neverending battle with alcoholism. The story device that writer Matt Fraction sets up to provide Stark with an opportunity to tell his own story to a room full of strangers (and to new readers) is interesting and compelling–it works primarily because Fraction has been writing Tony Stark for so long that the voice throughout is utterly authentic. In fact, it might work TOO well, as this Tony Stark sounds very little like the Tony Stark of the Iron Man movies, and fans of the films who pick up the book hoping to hear Robert Downey, Jr.’s voice resounding through the pages will certainly be disappointed. Fraction’s Stark has been humbled, time and again, over the course of the past few years of storytelling, and so the boisterous, irrepressible energy that characterizes Downey’s portrayal of Stark is nowhere to be found here. That’s a good thing, frankly; if the Stark of the comics could still walk around with all that Downey swagger and arrogance after what he’s been through and what he’s put his friends and allies through, he’d have people lining up to beat the crap out of him … even moreso than usual.

There is a lot to like about this particular issue if you’re a long-time Iron Man fan. Fraction’s script successfully gives us a slide show depicting the most important people, places, and challenges that Tony Stark has met as Iron Man in single images with no dialogue save for Stark’s speech, and those images should bring back good memories of some truly great moments. Larocca’s art style is so very different than those that originally brought us all those moments over almost 50 years of publication, but his depiction of Iron Man, like Fraction’s voice for Tony, is so familiar at this point after so many issues that the difference is not distracting. Oddly enough, considering that this book is meant to lure new readers, I think people unfamiliar with Fraction’s tone on Iron Man will be somewhat off-put by what they find, because it won’t be nearly the same kind of nostalgic fun for them that it is for someone who’s followed Tony around for a while.

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

Contents from Episode 167, brought to you by Heroes Landing in Clermont, FL:

• DC Comics “Drawing The Line at $2.99″ policy: early effects and indicators, and how is NOT changing prices affecting the choice to keep buying Marvel books?
• Thoughts on the end of Burn Notice’s Fourth Season–guest appearances, the finale, and what it might mean for next season’s status quo;
• ‘Stu’s Reviews’: Brightest Day #18, written by Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi, art by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark, and Joe Prado; Green Lantern Corps $56, written by Tony Bedard, art by Tyler Kirkham

And in case you’re more of a visual person and you like to SEE us geeking out in studio, here’s the video (note: raw audio – podcast version contains additional content). Enjoy!

Daredevil Reborn #1
Written by Andy Diggle
Pencils by Davide Gianfelice
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth

At the end of Shadowland, writer Andy Diggle, who took over writing Daredevil with the departure of Ed Brubaker and thus presided over Matt Murdock’s latest (and possibly greatest) missteps as ‘The Man Without Fear’, showed us a broken and fear-filled Matt walking away from New York, from his friends, from his very identity as Daredevil, in order to seek silence and anonymity. You just KNOW as a comic book reader that this won’t last, and it certainly aids that perception when you see an advertisement right after the last page of Shadowland that says, “Coming in January: Daredevil Reborn!”, so the dramatic impact of Matt’s choice was seriously compromised from the start. BUT that doesn’t mean Diggle won’t tell a compelling story, and that doesn’t necessarily promise that once this story is done, everything will be back to the way it was before. Thus, if you’re a Marvel fan, this book should be on your radar regardless of how you felt about Shadowland or the way Daredevil has gone over the past few years.

Daredevil Reborn #1 doesn’t do a whole lot in terms of story aside from set-up. We see Matt still walking, south southwest away from his former life, and we learn that it’s been weeks that Matt has been traveling, savoring the “nothing” that’s surrounded him. He finds himself in a tiny New Mexico town, and despite his efforts to stay out of trouble, trouble eventually finds him, as this town is a little too eager to see the stranger with the dark glasses be on his way out of town. Diggle sets up a mystery for Matt to reluctantly solve, and perhaps in the process rediscover his fearlessness and the need to be a hero again, as he currently is mired in the “every time I try to help, someone gets hurt” mentality. It’s pretty standard fare, no question.

What’s potentially interesting to me about this 4-issue series is if and how Diggle will break Matt free from the cycle he’s been in arguably since Brian Michael Bendis began his epic run on Daredevil years ago, a cycle that Brubaker continued and developed even further: Matt does what he has to, makes a mistake, someone gets hurt, Matt agonizes over the mistake, has to continue to do what must be done, makes another mistake, someone ELSE gets hurt, etc, etc. Matt’s Catholic, and thus his talent for carrying guilt is almost as impressive as his physical skills and perceptive abilities. At some point down the line, Matt has to run out of things to feel guilty over and start living again. I think a great many Marvel readers would argue that this should have happened a long time ago, and thought it was going to happen with Brubaker’s departure from the book. Alas, Diggle felt that there were still sins to be committed and things left for Matt to punish himself over. My hope is that with this series, he’ll reach the end of that road, and we’ll have the opportunity to see ol’ Hornhead find not only redemption, but also the ability to leave guilt and regret behind. He’ll never be completely free of it–like I said, he’s Catholic–but he’s got to be able to keep it under control and not be so morose all the time. We as readers can only take so much of it, and its been going for a LONG time.

Heroes For Hire #2
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Pencils by Brad Walker
Inks by Andrew Hennessy

Two issues into the latest incarnation of HFH, I can honestly say two things: 1) I REALLY like this book; and 2) I REALLY have no idea what the hell is going on. The fact that I can have both emotions is a testament to the great plotting coming from Abnett and Lanning, two writers who have apparently been doing wonders with Marvel’s cosmic-powered heroes and characters for a few years now, and are just now getting a chance to play in the Marvel street-level heroes sandbox.

What I’m really digging about this book so far is the different “heroes” Misty Knight, in her role as “Control”, is calling upon in order to handle different pieces of investigations she’s carrying out. The cases themselves aren’t that interesting or exciting–”Mission” #1 targeted stopping production of an “Atlantean Super Drug”, while the mission in this issue has to do with gun-runners selling unusually powerful weapons. But the line-ups that have shown up each issue have made the proceedings VERY exciting: Falcon, Black Widow, Moon Knight, and Elektra carried out Mission 1, while Silver Sable and Ghost Rider take on Mission 2. Sable is called in originally because it seems like a simple “take out the target” mission; Johnny Blaze enters the picture once the reason for why the weapons are so insanely destructive becomes clear and the need for Ghost Rider’s supernatural abilities become necessary. There’s literally no telling who’s going to show up in the book next, and that keeps the proceedings fresh and engaging.

Plus, there’s the fact that someone else is REALLY in “control” of the proceedings here, someone whom even Misty isn’t aware of, apparently, and in this issue we get another piece of the puzzle, and discover that someone else is aware of who’s “pulling the strings”, so to speak. It still doesn’t explain WHY it’s all happening or why the mastermind is going about things this way, thus my whole “I have no idea what’s going on” feeling. But it’s a good “I have no idea what’s going on” feeling. That, along with the ever-changing hero line-up, will keep me reading for a good long while.

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 153 is brought to you by Dinosaur World! The big day for the Talk Nerdy Show/Slacker and the Man field trip to that well-known prehistoric-themed attraction is tomorrow, and we’ll be there for a bit, taking pictures and maybe shooting a little video which we’ll of course post on our Facebook Fan Page and YouTube channel. Should be a lot of fun, so be sure and check out those sites tomorrow and the upcoming week.
[UPDATE: Due to "real world' obligations, I won't, in fact, be attending the Dinosaur World field trip after all. Please be sure to visit the Talk Nerdy Show and Slacker and the Man sites for pictures and video from the event.]

In this episode, our second with The Man from Slacker and the Man and Stu Cohen from Heroes Landing, we spend a good amount of time debating who’s currently on the right track as far as producing successful comic book movie adaptations, and whether or not stories of Marvel Studios‘ meddling in Iron Man 2 is cause for concern in regards to their upcoming features. We wrap up the hour with two comic book reviews from Stu, Superior #1, by Mark Millar and Leinil Yu, from Marvel’s Icon imprint, and The Last Phantom #2 by Scott Beatty and Eduardo Ferigato, from Dynamite Entertainment. Enjoy!

Here’s Part One of our Top Comic Picks for this week, focused on Marvel Comics titles released on Wednesday.

Shadowland: Ghost Rider #1 (one-shot) (written by Rob Williams, pencils by Clayton Crain): I have to admit, this is the first Ghost Rider-centric comic I’ve read in a LONG time. How long? Well, last time I checked in with the Spirit of Vengeance, it was the spirit doing the talking when the skull was on fire, not his host, whether it was Johnny Blaze or Danny Ketch. I was glad to see him show up in the main Shadowland book a few weeks back, when he was summoned by Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, using an ancient Hand magical spell to be a weapon AGAINST The Hand, because for all the supernatural-heaven-and-hell stories I know he’s been featured in over the course of the past few years, to me he’s always been a street-level vigilante-hero, albeit one of the most powerful ones out there. So this book topped my reading this week, and it didn’t disappoint. Non-Ghost Rider fans should not avoid this book thinking that they’re not familiar with the character’s backstory or recent adventures. Yes, there are references to ol’ Bonehead’s battles with angels and demons, but for the most part this is a Shadowland story, and it’s an important chapter in the story considering who exactly Fisk sends Blaze to take out. What happens by the end of the issue will certainly be felt in the main Shadowland title and in Daredevil, so you don’t want to miss this. Plus, writer Rob Williams writes a VERY cool Johnny Blaze, full of biker-brand swagger and southern drawl, and Clayton Crain lives up to the “superstar artist” billing he gets, giving us lots of digitally-painted panels illuminated only by Blaze’s … well, blazing head and bike, and of course many, many ninjas poised to strike from within the shadows. RECOMMENDED

Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #3 (written by Ed Brubaker, art by Dale Eaglesham): When we last saw Commander Steve Rogers in the previous issue of this four-issue limited series, he’d just been hit with “anti-Vita Rays” which de-activated the Super Soldier Serum in his body, returning him to his 98-pound “weakling” state and leaving him presumably helpless and in the hands of an old enemy, the Machinesmith. I admit, if I wasn’t already reading this book and the plot up to this point was laid out to me that way, I’d say “ummm hello, what year are we in? That sounds campy as all get-out.” But of course, this story comes from Ed Brubaker, the writer who has never, EVER failed to make Steve Rogers interesting as a character, not as Captain America before his “death” and certainly not now in his current role as Commander of the Avengers and the world’s “Top Cop”–”camp” simply is not in Bru’s vocabulary. What we get in this issue is yet another example of how compellingly Brubaker can deliver Steve’s voice, his vulnerability during flashbacks to his childhood as a bullied “beanpole” kid, and his quiet, unswerving confidence in his skills as a soldier, serum-powered or not. It’s true that you never once doubt that Steve’s going to find his way out of this and get his just-short-of-superhuman strength and physique back before the end of the issue, but that happens not because the book is written in a predictable way, but rather because Brubaker inspires you to believe in Steve–he always has. Dale Eaglesham’s pencils continue to really shine here; unlike his stellar work on Justice Society of America, which featured a gigantic cast of characters that required panels full of figures vying for your attention, this book, focused as it is on a solo character on an espionage-type mission, which allows for more emphasis on distinctive physical action and expression. Short version: we get to see Steve Rogers kick some serious butt as only he can. “98-pound weakling” my ass. RECOMMENDED

Later today we’ll have our DC Comics Top Picks for you and Flash TV reviews, so keep checking back throughout the day!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 147 is brought to you by Blastr, the news site formerly known as the Sci-Fi Wire. Blastr’s list of 20 new and returning sci-fi TV series, posted last week, served as a big part of our content in this episode, and so we wanted to suggest you follow them on Twitter and subscribe to their RSS feed, if you can. We get a lot of the stories we choose to talk about on PTG from the Blastr feed, plus they have the lovely and talented Jewel Staite blogging for them now! Great info, plus a beautiful and talent actor who keeps showing up in sci-fi TV shows: what MORE can you ask for in a entertainment news site? (Yes, aside from having me do an official podcast for them. I suppose you could ask for that. But I won’t, because it might come off as self-serving.) In case you don’t know her by name, shame on you, and here’s a pic to help you out:

After we open the episode with our thoughts on those 20 shows and listing the ones we’ll be reviewing, we bring you reviews on two shows, one wrapping up for the season, the other just getting started with its first season. Leverage’s summer finale, “The Morning After Job”, is a fun episode, though its a curious spot to sign off from before taking three months off (the season will finish with three episodes in December). Nikita, the new espionage drama from the CW starring Maggie Q, hits the ground running with a solid, if somewhat by-the-numbers episode. It’s certainly worth watching–I agree with a few of the critics out there who say that the potential for this show lies with its excellent supporting cast. We’ll be following it through the Fall season, so stay tuned.

Finally, we wrap the episode with our Top Comic Picks from Marvel last week, Daredevil #510 (Diggle, Johnston), which continues the Shadowland crossover event and brings us one step closer to the end of Matt Murdock as “The Man Without Fear”, and Thor #614 (Gillen, Braithwaite), which concludes the “Thor in Hell” storyline begun in issue #611. Enjoy!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 144 is brought to you by Heroes Landing. Our favorite comic store in Clermont has a birthday coming up, and we want to spread the word about what’s going to be a great party. Head over to their Facebook Fan Page for all the details on the event, which is going on September 18th, and that’s not all they’ve got going on. Todd and Stu love serving up cake and “refreshments” whenever a major title debuts, and the next one up is Uncanny X-Force, coming Wednesday, October 6th! Marvel has declared that day “Uncanny X-Force Day”–no, we’re not kidding, check out the image below, and make plans to come out and celebrate. Just don’t expect your work to give you time off for it …

It’s our first episode back after a week-long break, so for this, the first of two end-of-summer episodes, we brought in The Man from Slacker and the Man and Stu Cohen from Heroes Landing to sit in and help bring the laughs. In this 80-minute edition we cover Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman being developed for television (without Gaiman’s participation as of this posting), cast our votes in a few of Spike TV’s Scream 2010 Awards, and review Machete and The American, both new in theaters this weekend. To wrap up the show, Stu brings you reviews of two new comics from last week: Superman: Last Family of Krypton #2 from DC Comics and Wolverine #1 (yes, a new ongoing series) from Marvel. Enjoy!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 137 is brought to you by Vindictus, the eagerly-anticipated upcoming fantasy MMORPG from Nexon nominated for “Best MMO” at this year’s E3. Once again, we want to thank Assistant Producer Chris Gyselinck for spending some time talking to us about Vindictus and all it has in store for the avid online role-player and gamer. The interview has lots of great information about the game if you weren’t aware of it before now, so if you’re into MMORPGs or action-adventure games do give it a listen, because Vindictus sounds like quite a different gaming experience compared to other games in this genre. We’ve posted the trailer for the game below, which shows extensive scenes of actual game play, so check that out, too! We also wish to thank Joanne Sibug, Public Relations Associate for Nexon, for making this interview with Chris possible. We hope to hear more about the game as it gets closer to its 4th quarter 2010 release.

In this episode, our second with Mitsugi and Chiaki of the Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast, we focus almost exclusively on video games. In addition to our interview with Chris, Mitsugi weighs in the brand-new Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty from Blizzard Entertainment, which StarCraft fans have been waiting for now for a decade, and has much to live up to in terms of the fun its predecessor brought. Chiaki brings her own review of Final Fantasy XIII from Square Enix, measuring it up against its predecessors as well as assessing its strengths and weaknesses in its own right. And me? Well, I just listen, comment, and note the names of yet MORE games I hope to try out soon. Hey, I’m still playing Bioshock 2 and God of War III, so I’m a bit behind the times, I know, but at least they’re good games!

We wrap up the hour with reviews of new comics last week: Wonder Woman #601 (Stracynszki, Kramer) begins the new Diana-in-Pants Era of the Amazon Princess’ comic with a tale of legendary bravery and sacrifice, as Diana sees with her own eyes the destruction of Paradise Island and sets out in search of those responsible; while over in Marvel, Thor continues his battle with the soul-eating Disir (think Zombie Valkyries!) threatening Hela and the Asgardian dead in Thor #612 (Gillen, Braithwaite). Enjoy the show!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 134 is brought to you by San Diego Comic-Con. By all accounts, this was THE most epic year yet for the BIG comics convention of the year, thanks once again to all the Hollywood star power the movie and television studios brought to wow the crowds with dreams of things to come. My only consolation for the fact that I’m not there to see for myself the ENTIRE cast of The Avengers film on-stage together (see below), or Smallville’s final Comic-Con panel, or Odin’s Throne or Abin Sur’s corpse (pictured above) from next year’s Thor and Green Lantern movies, respectively, is that the lines for Hall H, where all the major presentations took place this past weekend, were so long that if I’d stood in line for all those presentations, I doubt I would have seen or done ANYTHING else during the convention. It’s just a sign that the convention has grown so very large and well-attended that maybe a move to a larger venue really IS needed. I just hope if the venue does change that it’s NOT Los Angeles. Put it in a city that will REALLY appreciate it and still has the natural beauty that San Diego does. Portland, OR comes to mind …

From left to right: Robert Downey Jr., Clark Gregg, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, director Joss Whedon, producer and Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige.

This episode features special guest co-host James Greene Jr, author of the JGTwo Land blog, the self-proclaimed Gore Vidal of crap, as well as a Comic-Con on-scene report from Jeremy Reinhard from our longtime friends at Grimm Visions, whose comics and fantasy photography we strongly recommend you check out. Later in the week we’ll have another Comic-Con report from PTG listener and working comics writer Chuck Spear, who we tried to contact during this hour and met with insurmountable technological FAIL. It did provide the opportunity for James to leave ol’ Chuck some funny voice mail messages, though, which in my opinion made for good radio, and we hope you feel the same when you listen. Enjoy!