A-Next #3

Down 'n' Dirty With the Defenders

Doctor Strange has found out information that shows the fate of the world is at stake due to the research of Doctor Jennifer Bissette. The new mystic supreme, Doc Magus, astral projects into Strange's workshop and tells him to watch his business. Strange banishes him from the room. Magus confers with his friend Deacon, who suggests that if Strange is organizing a group then Magus should get the new Avengers. Strange is then shown tracking down the Sub-Mariner, Namor, who has secluded due to the destruction of his kingdom by Doctor Doom. At the Avengers mansion, Edwin Jarvis is showing around a new technician, Shannon Carter, when Magus pops in and requests the assistance of the Avengers. Strange is then shown finding Bruce Banner in Colorado where he has kept the Hulk at bay and has started a new life, including having a son. Strange uses a spell to bring out the Hulk and put him under Strange's control.

The Avengers all are assembled at the mansion when Jarvis makes a startling revelation that Scott Lang, Cassandra's father, would be joining the group as head technician. Before Cassandra can protest too much, Mainframe draws everyones attention to Doc Magus' problem. Magus and Strange both tell there respective teams that Dr. Bissette's research deals with harnessing the power of the Earth's core. This would eventually lead to catastrophic shifting of the Earth's mantle. The Avengers vow to stop the senseless death and try to find another way to stop her. They show up at the lab in Arizona just as Strange, Hulk, and Namor are about to lay siege. The two groups fight. J2 thinks he was able to take the Hulk down too easily after Stinger disoriented him, but the Hulk comes back and humbles J2. As Thunderstrike is about to confront Strange, Magus steps in and transports Strange with him to a temporary zone. Magus is able to subdue him there and uses the Eye of Agamotto to find out Strange's true intentions.

Back at the fight, Namor and Hulk tear Mainframe in two. Scared, J2 runs away while Thunderstrike assaults Namor, asking him is this the type person he wants to be. As J2 is running away, he is confronted by Mainframe, who reveals the other Mainframe was a robot. With renewed vigor, J2 takes on the Hulk again to get him away from Stinger. Namor stops the two from fighting then because he has seen his errors, saying he will be giving money to Bissette to safeguard the planet if Strange's prediction does come true. Back in the magic zone, Magus finds out Strange had orchestrated this to give the Avengers something to test on, to snap Namor out of his self-deprecating stupor, and Strange says that the Hulk has a destiny to fulfill. The issue ends with the Avengers congratulating themselves while their new assistant Shannon leaves to meet a mysterious group of people in her apartment.

This was a pretty good issue with an interesting story line. I know little about Strange, but what I did see of Doc Magus, I enjoyed and hope he will pop in again. We see a little bit about J2 still being young, since he becomes easily frightened when they think Mainframe is dead. The addition of Scott is interesting, as is Shannon, since she is trying to do something sneaky.

Score: 3 / 5

Doktor Sleepless 2

Tesla Boy Gangsta
Written by Warren Ellis

The first page of the comic seems to be a satirical look at possible future medical advancements ... or a way to keep check on people. At the Heavenside Police Department, Commissioner Stoker is worried about the new character Doktor Sleepless broadcasting on the airwaves, saying he is John Reinhardt. The reason he is worried is because Reinhardt is suppose to be locked up. We are next shown Sleepless dictating on the air waves about his trip to the Amazon. He was lead to believe he would be communing with a shaman, but actually the shaman is as well off technologically then just about anyone else. Even though he berates Reinhardt, he agrees to hear him out when Reinhardt says he wants to change his mind, since it isn't big enough. Sing is at the bookstore with her boyfriend talking about how she fears it might be Reinhardt. She is worried he is still as crazy as he was when he left ten years previously. Sleepless is then shown talking to Nurse Igor about her agenda, which is still kept a secret. He then describes how he made the Shrieker Girls, a hivemind-like group of women who feel everything every other Shrieker Girl feels. He also reveals to Nurse Igor that he created Clatter, the IM eye communication enhancement, before being secretive about various H signs around Heavenside. At Saint Thomas, Commissioner Stroker and Mayor Mingozzi arrive to see for themselves that Reinhardt is indeed still in his cell, where he has been for the past three years. At a local club, Sleepless has a conversation with himself about his various "Reinhardts", including the one in the mental institution. He starts to remember something about his parents and what he saw one night. He commences to go ballistic and smashes the mirror. Nurse Igor comes in and hurries him out of the club, wanting no one to see him in a panicked state. Before he gets in his car, though, he and Sing make eye contact.

I am now starting to get the comic a bit more and I am certainly intrigued by what may or may not be going on. Reinhardt/Sleepless is a very mysterious character and I find very interesting, especially since I want to see what he is planning. How will Sing be connected? He has now seen her, so it will be interesting to see his reaction in the next issue, if he has one. The multiple Reinhardt angle is something else ... perhaps he is doing something like astral projection. Perhaps the man in cell 23 is a stand-in. Looking forward to where this may be going.

Score: 3 / 5

Plague of the Living Dead 3

Issue #3
Written by John Russo

We begin by seeing a dream sequence with Private Terry Ellis and his wife Kelly making love. He is summarily awoken by Corporal Todd Clark, since he had been resting in a drain pipe with him and Private Steve Green after they "escaped" the MP's transferring them to Fort Sill. The guys then notice someone coming up the pipe and see a zombie at the other end. At the same time in Stone Mountain, Jessica and Darlene are still fending off the zombies in the Price basement when Jessica suggests they try to get out through the storm cellar door. Jessica tries to open it, but hears someone outside trying to open it as well. Her and Darlene decide to open it anyway and Jessica is shown unlatching the door as the scene switches back to the Army men fighting the two zombies. They are able to incapacitate both and make their way out of the pipe. As they walk along the road towards town, Terry talks about how he is worried about Kelly possibly being unfaithful. They are unawares that the MP's are not far away from them and have decided to use lethal force instead of reporting to their superiors that the men escaped. The final panel shows the Stone Mountain men in a cross hair.

I am surprised at how pleased I am with this series. While I am sure some people would find the diversion to the men as taking away from time spent more on the zombies, it gives the story a very human nature. I like where the script for them is going. As for the two surviving women, I pretty sure that is Patrick on the outside of the storm door. It should be interesting to see what his reaction towards the women is and if he will leave them in the cellar to die. Very good issue.

Score: 4 / 5

Plague of the Living Dead 2

Issue #2
Written by John Russo

We pick up the story of the zombie invasion in Stone Mountain in the Army truck that is transporting Corporal Todd Clark and Privates Terry Ellis and Steve Green to Fort Sill for psychiatric help. Todd starts to talk with one of the sentries watching over them, an MP named Terry, who they knew prior to going to war. He tries to sympathize with him about the crap they saw with zombies in Vietnam while Terry was able to stay home in Stone Mountain. Terry makes the drivers stop the vehicle and tells the men they have to take a piss. The men think that Terry is now under orders to execute them in the woods. Back at the Price household, Jessica is still in disbelief seeing her zombie father in the doorway. Darlene has to ax him in the head and closes the door again. Jessica is in denial, but when the zombie's burst through the door, she finds the key in her fathers pocket for the gun case. While Darlene fends off the zombies, Jessica tries to open the case, but the key snaps off in it. In the Stone Mountain woods, Terry doesn't kill the men, but instead lets them go after telling them to knock him around a bit. When Terry stumbles back to the vehicle, the others don't believe him but don't care either, since they know the three men are going head for the town where the Army knows the zombies have overrun.

I still feel like the issues are over way too fast and I am little sad, especially when I believe these are great ones. It was interesting to see how the men got there exit from the Army truck. I am glad they got help instead of having to kill/harm any of the "innocent" other troops. As for the survivors of Darlene and Jessica, hahaha! That has to suck when you see that key break. Where is Patrick? I guess maybe we will see him next issue, either dead, alive or zombie'd.

Score: 4 / 5

Smallville - S6E13

Crimson
First Aired: Thursday February 1, 2007

It's Valentines Day and Lois is given a special lovers concoction ... laced with red meteor rocks. When she falls for Clark and kisses him, things get a little out of hand at the Lana/Lex engagement dinner.

It's Valentines Day at the Talon when Chloe and Jimmy try to cheer up Clark. The problems start when Jimmy brings Lois along for the ride and tries to pair the two up. A woman can see Lois' pain, so she offers her a special lipstick that is laced with red kryptonite that makes her fall for the first guy she sees, which happens to be Clark. The next morning, she shows up at the Kent farm in very sexy garb and seriously comes on to Clark. He makes a quick exit to Metropolis to find Chloe. He fills Chloe in before Lois shows up and Chloe notices there definitely something wrong. She goes to investigate while Lois corners Clark and kisses him, causing the red kryptonite to take over. With zero inhibitions, Clark flaunts his power to Lois and, while making out Oliver's old loft, he notices an RSVP for the Lana/Lex engagement dinner. At the mansion, Lana talks to Lex about keeping the pregnancy away from the engagement dinner so that people won't think she is marrying him just because of the baby. When Clark and Lois crash the dinner though, Clark lets this slip while berating his loved ones before kidnapping Lois. He takes her back to his loft where he confesses his true feelings and kisses her, though she doesn't fight back. Chloe finds out from Jimmy about the concoction as well as the cure, a green kryptonite spray. Lex shows up at the loft and pulls a gun on Clark, but Clark fights it out of his hands before he can fire. Clark begins to strangle Lex to death and Lana grabs a sharp tool to strike Clark with. Martha shows up with green kryptonite just in time, but not before Lana sees what happened to the sharp tool after she stabbed Clark; it was all bent up. The next day, Lois confronts Clark but she doesn't remember anything. At the Luthor mansion, the doctor checks on Lana. He and Lex confer secretly about her "unusual" pregnancy, but everything is "going as planned." The episode ends with Lana looking at the tool that was bent on Clark.

Wow ... just, wow. At one point in the final 20 minutes, I actually had to get up and walking around trying to process what just happened. The final couple of scenes at the Luthor mansion, I actually had my jaw drop. So, what is going on with this pregnancy? Is Lex staging it somehow to make Lana want to stay with him? Or is it some type of experiment? What will Lana do with this information about Clark? The acting by Tom Welling was excellent and I just couldn't believe the stuff that was coming out of his mouth at the dinner. My only complaint about the episode was that the first half of the episode was slow. I actually groaned at the beginning because I thought this was going to be typical, Valentines Day theme episode and very boring. It was the only thing keeping this from a perfect score.

Score: 4 / 5

Smallville - S6E12

Labyrinth
First Aired: Thursday January 25, 2007

Something attacks Clark in his barn and we awakens in a mental institution. With no powers, he learns that the past five years have been all in his head.

Clark is in the barn with Shelby when she starts barking at something. Clark goes to see but is knocked to the ground be something. The next moment, he awakens on the floor of a common room in a mental institution during group therapy. The fellow patients mock him with Kal-El, Zoners, and other intimate details. Doctor Hudson tells him that as a child, he started to create another identity for himself after the tragic death of his real parent before being given to the Kent's. During his freshman year of high school, though, it became full blown pyschosis and he became a schizophrenics. Clark is unable to believe this and finds a way to escape. Returning to his home, he finds Lana is no living in the loft after she and Nell had bought the farm. She is madly in love with Clark and thought that he had undergone the treatment. Disoriented, Clark first goes to confront Lex. He reveals that Clark, thinking something was wrong with Lex's car, jumped in front of it, causing Lex to swerve and crash the car. He has lost both of his legs. Clark then leaves and goes to find Chloe at the coffeehouse. He finds her there, but she was also a patient at the mental institution, falling into family history of mental illness. As Clark and Chloe try to leave, some men show up and kill Chloe after she tries to pull a gun. Back in the hospital, Doctor Hudson shows Clark where he pulled all of his "memories" from and Clark sort-of comes to the realization that Chloe is dead. In his cell, the man next door, from Mars, tells Clark not to give up and that Hudson is a Zoner that will use the "treatment" to take over Clark's body. That man is taken away right before Clark is taken for the treatment. In the treatment room is Lana, watching while Hudson does the procedure. However, as the procedure starts, Lana disappears and Clark frights back, killing Hudson/Zoner. The Zoner is pulled into a crystal like Clark's but the person holding it is the Mars-man. His eyes flare up like the guy from Seattle, he calls Clark Kal-El, and then flies off into the night. The episode ends with Clark seeing Lana and almost telling her he is still in love with her, but Lex comes into the coffeehouse to find her so they can go to the wedding planner.

Following the awesome JLA episode, this was a very good episode. I like episodes that deal with what is real, what is not, and what could have been. Tom Welling does a good job acting both paranoid and still being Clark/Kal-El. One of the things I had hoped for was that everyone in his life were mad up and also in the institution. I think it would have been cool to have Lex, Lionel, Chloe, Lana, Martha, Oliver, Lois ... heck, even Raya, Jonathan, AC, Whitney, ect. be patients that Clark incorporated into his psychosis. However, they went the route where those people were really who they were, just twisted a bit. Also, we got our first real look at the "good" Zoner, who has now helped Clark two times and seems much more powerful than Clark. I am interested in finding out if this a DC character or totally new guy just for the show.

Score: 4 / 5

Smallville - S6E11

League
First Aired: Thursday January 18, 2007

As Clark and Chloe get closer to 33.1, they find that another group is just as eager to stop Lex's plans.

The episode begins at the Planet, where Chloe is waiting to speak with a doctor involved with 33.1. He shows up, Chloe grills him, and he pulls a gun on her. She is saved thankfully by a speedy blur who she believes is Clark, who shows up next to her a split second later. He says it wasn't him and Clark chases the blur. It turns out to be none other than Bart Allen. Welcoming him back with open arms, Clark is still worried about what Bart is up to. When he goes to talk to Lionel Luthor about the Luthor lawyers getting the doctor out of jail, Lionel shows him a picture from Mexico of a blur infiltrating a Luthor Corp facility. Clark confronts Bart about this, but he leaves before anything can be said. Bart then takes some information he got from Lex's personal computer to Oliver/Green Arrow. Chloe is able to back trace some of Bart's cell phone calls and they find out that he had been in contact with Oliver Queen. Clark goes to confront Oliver and they discuss 33.1. Bart goes on another mission to get the mainframe information, but is captured by Lex, who puts him in a cell where if he stops then the floor will fry him. Clark finds out about Oliver's League, which includes A.C. (Aquaman) Victor (Cyborg), along with Oliver and Bart. Chloe and Clark are able to deduce where Bart is being held, in Metropolis, so Clark goes ahead but he encounters meteor rocks and is subdued. Chloe lets Oliver and the group know where Clark was headed and the team gets ready as well. They infiltrate the base, with Oliver saving Clark. Clark then goes and gets Bart while Aquaman, Cyborg, and Green Arrow get the information from the mainframe and blow the facility. Later, Cyborg reveals there are 33.1 facilities all over the world and the group is headed to one in South America. Oliver breaks up with Lois because he has to go do this. They ask Clark to come, but he opts to stay behind to get the rest of the Zoners first. Lex talks with Lionel about his suspicions that Clark was at the facility, but Lionel covers for him. Lex seems not to buy it, though.

Wow ... welcome JLA! This was one of the better episodes of the series I have seen in a while and the best of the season, so far. There was something about the team that was so seemless and well-executed that they didn't seem too far fetched. I, for one, would welcome a JLA series with these characters because there is so much to go with here. It seems like Lionel is still good enough, or least really working at helping Clark, which I like. I am sad that the team left so soon, but I hope they make a return at some point in the seventh season. Highly recommended!

Score: 5 / 5

Smallville - S6E10

Hydro
First Aired: Thursday January 11, 2007

A reporter with an interesting ability catches find first about Lana's reservations about Lex's proposal and then about Clark's identity. Also, Lois believes she has found out who the Green Arrow is: Oliver.

Chloe is working at the Daily Planet when a higher-up reporter requests her to do copying. Chloe refuses, though, since she is a reporter and not an intern. As the reporter, Linda, is leaving the planet, the subject of her latest story shows up and threatens her life. Using water-based powers, Linda is able to kill the man. The following day, Lana visits Chloe and tells her about her issues with Lex's proposal. Unbeknownst to either of them, Linda is spying on them from the water cooler and writes a story the next day about how Clark is the reason Lana hasn't answered yet. Elsewhere, Lois buys some Green Arrow pictures from Jimmy. At the coffee house, Chloe has to let Clark know what is on the front page of the paper, as does Lex to Lana at the mansion. Clark shows up at the mansion shortly after, finding out about the pregnancy from a vindictive Lex. Lana visits Chloe and at first believes Chloe was the source of the story. She allows her doubt while they try to figure out how Linda got the story. Lois sees an injury on Oliver that is similar to one on Jimmy's pictures, so she goes to Clark and tells him she is going to out Oliver. Clark goes to Chloe and Lois' apartment to get the picture, confronting Chloe in the process. While first made at Chloe, he relents when Chloe rants about how it is hard to keep his secret. From the bathtube, Linda is listening, since Lex had paid her to find out more about Clark. Clark consults Oliver and they come up with a plan within Lois' plan. Lois wants to stage an attack, but when the Green Arrow shows up, it is Clark in the costume. When Olive shows up, Lois is stunned that the Green Arrow is also there, especially after she kissed the Arrow. Lana and Chloe set up a web camera to get a video confession from Linda, which they do, but Chloe destroys the computer just as Linda is about to reveal Clark as an alien (since Lana was listening). Linda chases Chloe into the street, where Lana inadvertently hits her, though she turns to water. The next day, Chloe has Clark listen to Lois' gushing of the Arrow, especially his kissing. Lana finally comes and talks to Clark in the loft. She tries to extract the secret he has with Chloe, but Clark shrugs it off because the baby has changed everything. She returns to the mansion and tells Lex the answer is yes.

This was a half and half episode; I enjoyed the Green Arrow side of the story, but not so much the Linda Lake side. While it was something to show Lana that Chloe is in on the secret, it really wasn't anything great. She died from geting hit by a car? But she turned to water, how could she die? Unless she comes back ... As for the Oliver/Arrow story, I liked it but I think Lois should be let in on it soon. I understand that by possibly finding out about Olvier would lead to the revealtion of Clark, especially now that Clark used his powers to protect Oliver. The only thing I can see happening now is that he dies just as she finds out. Dark Lana ... all I gotta say is "Boooo!"

Score: 3 / 5 (The Arrow storyline saved this from a 2)

Smallville - S6E9

Subterranean

Illegal immigrants working on a farm in Smallville are disappearing, but one is able to get away. He finds refuge with Clark.

On a farm in Smallville, two Mexican men toil in the fields, talking about how they came to American to be with the one boys mother. As a worker collapses near them, the vow to leave that night, though no one ever supposedly makes it. When they are escaping that evening, a creature underground takes one of the young men, but the other gets away. The next day, Clark finds him in his barn and finds out the story of what happened to him. Clark goes to check on the farm and, distracting the owner, asks the workers about the boys missing friend. He learns later that the ground swallowed him up. Clark uses his X-Ray vision and sees the skeletal remains of many bodies. Chloe researches and finds out that the farm was funded by Luther Corp after the second meteor shower, so Clark goes to confront Lex, who is not too pleased to hear these accusations. Clark alerts the police and they find the bodies. When taking the farm owner into custody, though, he is able to escape by burrowing underground. Clark goes first to find the boy, who has escaped from under Chloe's watchful eye. He is tipped off by a police scanner at the Planet and saves the boy before the police show up. As Clark tells the boy about the death of his friend, he asks Clark to pull over. Getting out the car, this leaves the two open to attack by the farmer owner. Clark is able to go underground with the man, though, and knock him out. Chloe and Jimmy meanwhile had found the boys mother and reunited them at the Kent residence, where Martha vows to do what she can to keep the two together. The next day, Lana shows up to offer her support to Martha in helping house and employ the illegal immigrants from the farm. Clark ends up ticking her off when he mentions it just seems like a way for Lex to clean up his mess. The episode ends with Lex supervising the arrival of the farmer at the new 33.1 facility.

I found this to be a sub-par episode. I understand the political commentary angle of the episode and the creature was interesting, but it felt like a slow moving episode. Also, I felt it was stupid how the farmer ultimately got to Clark and the boy and how Clark did next to nothing to defeat him. Jimmy provided a few laughs, not some of it was just cringe worthy. Overall, just a bump in the otherwise decent seasons so far.

Score: 2 / 5

Smallville - S6E8

Static

An emergency at the Luthor mansion leads to Lex being trapped in another dimension. Clark travels to Seattle to follow a lead on a possible Zoner.

This episode begins in Lana's room where Lex shows up to impart his feelings to her. They are interrupted when an alarm in the mansion sounds and they head for the panic room. Along the way, something happens to Lex and he disappears. The next day, Lana tries to get answers first from Lionel and then Chloe. Chloe tells Clark about Lex, but Clark opts instead to go to Seattle where a freighter came into port with a possible Zoner on board. Chloe and Lana try to find out what they can about something called 142 through Lex's computer. Somehow, Lex is also in the room with them, but can't communicate or touch them. Chloe is unable to hack the hard drive, so she takes it with her. Lionel, after Lana's visit and discussion about 142, makes a mysterious phone call. Clark shows up an Seattle and finds out that the victims on board the freighter had their bones completely removed. He encounters the man/thing, but it reveals that it isn't a Zoner before knocking Clark away, making his getaway. Back at the Daily Planet, Chloe gets into the files and her and Lana see the video footage of Lex disappearing. Lana then receives a phone call from the man responsible for Lex's disappearance. They meet and he reveals that he was affected by the meteor storm the previous year, able to move between frequency dimensions, and she wants to show Lana the secret lab Lex created to experiment on the freaks. When they get to 33.1, everything is gone. The man becomes angry with Lex and demands to know where the experiments went, but Lex doesn't know. At the Planet again, Jimmy tells the girls he found Lex's voice and that he could possibly jam the frequency to bring him back. In Seattle, Clark faces down the thing again, but is saved by something/someone new. When he confronts the new person, its eyes light up and he flies away, leaving Clark stunned. At the Luthor mansion, Lana hopes Lex is listening when she reveals that she is pregnant. The man with the powers then shows up and threatens her life if Lex doesn't tell him where 33.1 is now. Jimmy shows up and knocks the guy away from Lana, but he and Lana go to Lex's frequency while Jimmy and Chloe try to bring them back. Lex is able to get the knife away from the guy and kills him right before the frequency is jammed. Chloe goes to the Kent residence to find Clark, who is agitated by the new hero. The episode ends with Lex proposing to Lana.

This was a better than average episode and I liked the concurrent story lines. It was nice to see someone other than Clark take on the meteor freaks for once. It certainly was an interesting concept in having the frequency's be different dimensions and it turned out that Jimmy had the bright ideas. Dark Lana is spiraling further and further from being good, as she is starting to alienate even Chloe. The proposal wasn't a shocker, but I am not sure what happens next. As for the Clark story, I am beginning to wonder how the Zoners are so much more powerful than Clark. He is Superman; shouldn't be able to at least be on equal footing with them? As for the mystery guest, I am very intrigued as to who/what this is. Glowing eyes and flight ... no clue.

Score: 4 / 5

Smallville - S6E7

Rage

Oliver is wounded badly during a night as the Green Arrow, but he is miraculously fine the next day. Clark finds out that he is using a new synthetic drug that heals tissue, but it has severe side effects.

During an intimate evening with Lois, Oliver slips out to foil some criminals. Though at first successful, he is shot in the chest by someone he left get the jump on him. The next morning, Clark and Martha are talking about the Thanksgiving dinner when Lois shows up talking about how Oliver mysteriously skipped out on here the previous night. Hearing also that the Green Arrow was severely injured, Clark goes to check on Oliver. He is in surprisingly good health, though, and when Clark leaves he uses his X-Ray vision to see Oliver use a drug after breaking a glass in frustration. Talking to Chloe, she agrees to take a sample to one of her biology professors. She tries to hurry Clark out because Lana shows up. When Lana and Chloe are alone together, Lana askes her to look into a half-way home and why Lex might want to keep Lana away from it. Lana, however, passes out briefly and asks Chloe to keep it to herself. Oliver is shown conversing with a doctor who created the drug. She tells him that the side effects are starting to show in the lab rats and that he shouldn't take the serum anymore. He defies her and takes a handful more of the serum. At the Kent residence, Martha and Lionel share a moment where they nearly kiss before Lionel excuses himself. Using video he took of the guy who shot him, Oliver prepares to go after him when Lois shows up and hits him, thinking the Green Arrow is robbing Oliver. He knocks her away, injuring her, and leaves. Clark goes to the hospital, finds out from Lois what happened, and then finds out about the drug from Chloe. They go to check on the doctors lab, but it has been ransacked. It turns out Lex had paid the doctor more to work with him and he had been giving the serum to people at the half-way house Lana was interested in. Oliver goes to Lex's office and they have a Mexican standoff. Both ultimately shoot, with Oliver using the serum to survive. Clark shows up and chastises Oliver before using the serum on Lex to bring him back. The next day, Oliver is back to normal and apologizes to Clark, who still invites him to Thanksgiving dinner. Lana shows up at Chloe's and reveals that she is pregnant, though she doesn't appear too happy. The final scenes show the warm, homey dinner at the Kents with Clark, Lois, Oliver, Lionel, Chloe, and Martha while at the Luthor mansion Lex and Lana share a quiet, cold meal.

This was an very good episode. I liked the concept of a rage-enduing drug and it was interesting to see Oliver lose the control. Lana's revelation, which I had heard about, is shocking because she seems very unhappy about it. I am beginning to enjoy the Green Arrow more and more with each episode and hope he stays in a bit longer.

Score: 3 / 5

Spider-Man / Red Sonja 1

Issue 1 of 5
Written by Michael Avon Oeming

Everything seems ordinary in New York City as Spider-Man swings around town and fights a group of bad guys ... all while talking on his cell phone to MJ! At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Senator Thomas is attending a major art exhibit while battling his conscience over some shady dealings with his confidant, Reilly. J Jonah Jameson welcomes the Senator to the exhibit with kind words, hoping to score an interview. Thomas agrees to it, but his eyes are drawn to a unique necklace on display. Though the curator, Professor Jones protests, Thomas puts on the necklace. This in turn releases the imprisoned spirit of the sorcerer Kulan Gath. Using his vast powers, he reshapes New York City into his own medieval/Hyborian version of itself. Spider-Man seems to be the only one unaffected by the spell.

People are still in need of help, though, so he springs to action to save the commoners. As he does so, Gath wishes Professor Jones to be his scribe. Refusing, Gath kills him and then requests Jameson to take over the duties. Gath then conjures up a sword and tells about how Spider-Man and Red Sonja foiled his plans before when they teamed up. This time he wishes to pit them against each other so they will be occupied. He calls forth Mary Jane to claim the sword and become Red Sonja. Spider-Man continues to fight his assailants, who have somehow become goblins in the meantime. Even though he saves the people, they fear Spider-Man as a demon. Getting away, he sees what used to be the Met and a strange glow. He goes to it to investigate and sees Mary Jane climbing the walls to get to the sword on the roof. Confronting her after she grabs it, he is instead face with Red Sonja.

I must say that I really enjoyed the artwork for this issue as well as the scripting for Spider-Man. He felt spot on, even though he wasn't in Marvel's hands. Makes me want to check out Red Sonja comics or other works by these staff to see what I am missing. As for the rest of the store, it really is a primer for things to come, but I still have high hopes, especially whenever Venom shows up. The only thing that really irked me was the manner of Jameson ... he allows himself to be bossed by Kulan to easily. Granted, he saw what happens when someone protests, but I still think he would be a bit more defiant. Looking forward to issue two.

Score: 3 / 5

Smallville - S6E6

Fallout
First Aired: Thursday November 2, 2006

Another Zoner makes itself known as Clark is reunited with Raya. Lana is again caught in Lex's world of secrecy.

This episode begins with showing one of the Zoners possess a young man in California. He requests the location of Kal-El and begins his trek to find him. In Metropolis, Lana meets secretly with the scientist working on Lex's box. He wants out and gives Lana the box for safe keeping. Jimmy Olsen takes picture of the meeting from the shadows of an alleyway. Chloe brings news to Clark that one of the Zoners was possibly coming for him, feeding off of nuclear power plants along the way. As she leaves, Clark is surprised by the appearance of Raya. They discuss Jor-El and Krypton. At the Daily Planet, Jimmy lets Chloe in on his "scoop" but she brushes him off. He then goes to Lex's mansion and confronts him with the pictures. Lex is none too pleased and has Jimmy removed, but not before Jimmy snaps from photos of the stuff on Lex's desk. He shows these to Chloe, who recognizes them as Kryptonian symbols. At the Kent farm, Clark and Raya meet Barren face-to-face and fight briefly. Barren has to leave when he loses his pent up power, though. Clark and Raya then go to the Daily Planet where Chloe tells them about Jimmy's pictures. Raya recognizes the symbols as belonging to BRAINIC which she says Barren can absorb for untold power. At that same time, Barren breaks into Lex's mansion, fending off Lex and Lana, and absorbs the box. Eventually, Clark and Raya go to the Fortress and face off against Barren. He is able to kill Raya, but Clark uses Jor-El's crystal to absorb first all of Barren's power and then suck Barren back to the Phantom Zone. Clark is able to take the young man back to Smallville General where he doesn't remember anything over the past six weeks. Lex and Lana reconcile as best as they can and Clark reveals to Martha that he will begin Jor-El's training as soon as he returns or kills all of the Zoners. The episode ends with the Fortress being revived.

This was a good episode. I liked the idea that Raya had a little more screen time than see did in the first episode, though she was a bit overbearing with Kal-El's destiny. That is expected, since she was an aide to Jor-El and saw first hand what will happen if he doesn't. Barren was an interesting villain, but like Gloria before him, he was a powerful Zoner but dispatched pretty easily the second encounter. I think it was good to give Clark a goal (to find the Zoners and then train) instead of his aimless track he has been on for the year(s).

Score: 3 / 5

Smallville - S6E5

Reunion
First Aired: Thursday October 26, 2006

Lex attends a reunion at the Excelsior Board School and, along with Oliver, is confronted with a dark secret. Chloe begins to research the other Zoners who came to Earth with Clark.

The episode begins with a flashback of Lex and his time at the Excelsior school, where he was classmates with the bully Oliver Queen and his gang. Lex's sole friend, Duncan, is also the object of ridicule because his family is poor and he is there on scholarship. In the present, Lex and Lana are attending the school's reunion for business socialization and meets up with his tormentors. During a "freak accident", one of them is impaled with a sword. Another flashback shows Lex and Duncan talking about helping the poor when they notice Oliver and his friends stealing some mid-term answer keys. Back in the present, Chloe tells Clark about sightings of possible Zoners (creatures that escaped from the Phantom Zone) and how she would like to use Oliver's satellites to see if she can find out where they all landed. Oliver and Lois start to leave after identifing their dead friend, but Oliver's other friend is blown up. Clark visits Oliver to request the satellite information and Oliver agrees as long as he tries to find out how Lex is killing off his friends. Lex and Lana are the next victims, however, but they both survive with Lana having a concussion. Talking with Lois in the hospital, Clark learns about Duncan and confronts Oliver about the boy. Oliver reveals that Duncan was going to turn the boys in, but Lex wanted to use the information for blackmail so Oliver's group would accept them. When Duncan refuses, Lex beats him up severely and when Duncan tries to get away, he gets hit by a car. He apparently dies, though Lionel Luthor tried his best to save the boy. Clark goes to Lionel and finds out that Duncan actually is not dead. Lionel had paid off his mother in order to use Duncan as a guinea pig. It turns out the treatments have begun to work and it is involves meteor rock. As Clark and Lois, who is on the trail of a story for the Inquisitor, go to Duncan's hospital room, Lex goes to Olivers and they get into a fight. It turns out Duncan is astral projecting himself and he tries to take out Lex and Oliver, using arrows on the the latter. Clark shows up just in time to stop an arrow from killing Oliver, but it is an EMP one that somehow ends up killing Duncan. In the end, Lex tells Lana everything and Oliver gives Chloe the information she wants. Chloe tells Clark she found handfuls of craters so far and shows Clark the picture of one. Clark recognizes it as Raya.

This was a pretty uninteresting episode that showed exactly what happened between Oliver and Lex. I figured it out from the beginning that it was Duncan, though I thought it was his ghost first. It is amusing to see the writers/directors trying to hide secret identities, such as when Lex conveniently gets knocked out before Duncan opens Olivers Green Arrow cache. I started to like Oliver a little bit more with this episode because you can see he is trying to atone for his mistake.

Score: 2 / 5

Plague of the Living Dead 1

Written by Joe Russo
April 2007

Picking up where the Plague of the Living Dead Special left off, the survivors in the Price household try to get a grip on what is happening. They try to phone the police to no avail and Jessica sees the zombies eating Kelly. Zombie Greg busts through the door and Mr. Price is taken. As he is, he yells for Larry to get the women to the basement where his guns are. They watch Mr. Price get eaten. The women head for the basement, but Larry doesn't want to be stuck down there and wishes to stay above ground. Jessica and Darlene go down and leave him upstairs. On the Stone Mountain military base, Major Henry is having Corporal Todd Clark and Privates Terry Ellis and Steve Green transferred to Fort Sill. Todd hears gunfire in the distance, but Major Henry shrugs it off, telling their guards to use lethal force if necessary. Back at the Price residence, Darlene is trying to open the gun cabinet, but Jessica says her father must have the key. In shock, Jessica goes to open the door to the basement, thinking it is her father. The startling fact is that when she opens it, it is him, only now a zombie.

Now reading this after knowing the back story from the PotLD Special issue, I enjoyed this more. While it short (16 pages), they are able to show the crazed desperation that takes over. Mr. Price bits it and comes back in zombie form at the end. I am sure Larry got out alive somehow and will show up in an issue or two. The story with the troops is interesting, especially since the Major seems to know something. I am sure that their convoy will be stopped somehow by zombies. The art is top-notch again and is a pleasure to see the evilness, hah. Still, the comic is a bit to short to get an above average score for me.

Score: 3 / 5

Plague of the Living Dead Special

Written by Joe Russo
February 2007

In this special issue of Plague of the Living Dead running up until the series begins in Issue #1, we learn (sorta) what is happening in the quiet little town of Stone Mountain, Virginia in August of 1971. We start at the Stone Mountain bridge where teenage lovers Katie and Robbie talk about their futures; her going to college and he heading to Vietnam. As she begins to fellatio him, his brother Greg shows up to interupt them, telling them about the peace rally going-ons at the Price residence before leaving again. Katie and Robbie go to Katie's fathers store to get condoms. At the Price home, we meet the other youngsters getting posters and such ready for the peace rally. It turns out three of the women have fiances/husbands in Vietnam their are trying to get returned home. Mr. Price, a veteran of the Korean War, comes downstairs due to the noise, but doesn't mind since he agrees with the young adults to a degree. Elsewhere, the reader is shown those men from Vietnam just discussed: Privates Terry Ellis and Steve Green and Corporal Todd Clark.

These men are under military psychiatric evaluation due to problems in Vietnam. They told a story about how they were shadowing a troop and burning these troops' tracks. When they accidentally catch up to them, they witness the carnage the troops reek on a Vietnamese village. They are zombies unleashed by the American Army. Now, their superiors tell them there is completely no record of any of this. Back with Katie and Robbie, they have arrived at her father store, they are ambushed by zombies, and are killed. Back at the Price household, Sandy finds out Greg is having sex with Kelly, her brothers wife. As she runs out of the house, she is attacked by zombies, as is Greg and Kelly. The zombie then begin to siege the home while the other panic. Back with the Terry, Steve, and Todd, they find out to their surprise that they are actually at the base in Stone Mountain.

I first began to read the initial issue of Plague of the Living Dead and felt I was missing something. Reading some stuff on the internet, I find out that this special issue came out first. Having now read this and the first one to completion, I am glad I got to read this because it gave almost all of the background information. It introduced all of the major characters and what happened when the plague hit Stone Mountain. Overall, I think this zombie story is pretty interesting, especially the army side of things with these three men actually being in the town when it goes to shit. The art is great and really fills the comic with dread for the living people.

Score: 4 / 5

Doktor Sleepless 1

Issue 1
Written by Warren Ellis

John Reinhardt has returned to Heavenside ... a bit different. He hasn't slept in a year and his angst has reached a peak. He has become the "character" Doktor Sleepless and he wishes to bring salvation to those he feel jipped of a future. DJ Amun is confronted by a former lover who has kept his aborted child/fetus with her in a vial around her neck. He freaks out, Sleepless takes his Pronoia, and he ends up killing himself. His friend, Sing, finds out the next morning while Sleepless begins to size up Heavenside with his nurse. At Sing's bookstore, a shipment shows up unsolicited from Reinhardt and Sing wonders it Johnny is back in town when she sees his address, but Doktor Sleepless' name. Sleepless pays visit to a local grinder bar where he revives a man everyone thinks is gone for good. Doing so, he proclaims him self the "Future Science Jesus". Back at Sing's bookstore, she and her friends enjoy a drink in DJ Amun's honor, putting on his radio show hoping a pre-taped show would be playing. Instead, Sleepless has taken over the airwaves, proclaiming what is on everyone's minds: "Where is our future? The one we deserve."

I wasn't really sure about this comic at the start. I started to read it and stopped after the first couple pages, thinking I was completely lost or missing something, an inside look. Today, I read some preview stuff on the internet about what this is "suppose to be" and, reading it right now, I came to a better understanding. If nothing else, this is a primer for things to come. A quick read through again before reviewing, I started to see things coming together, especially how Sing is somehow connected to Sleepless/Reinhardt. To me, this first issue was intriguing, but nothing spectacular. I will, however, read the next issue or two to see where this might be going and then decide if I will continue to get/read it.

Score: 2 / 5 first impression, 3 / 5 second read through

Smallville - S6E4

Arrow
First Aired: Thursday October 19, 2006

The Green Arrow (Queen) finally makes his Smallville debut.

During a gala event for Martha Kent set up by Lionel, The Green Arrow shows up and steals a Luthor jewel from Martha. Lois, at the even with Oliver Queen, chases after the bandit and is able to snag a ring before he makes his getaway. Lionel's security company grills Lois afterwards, but when he leaves, she tells Oliver about the ring she got and about the story she is going to write. Clark shows up shortly after and he sizes up Oliver before Lois gets annoyed and leaves. At the Luthor mansion the next day, Lex allows Lana to know what is going on with the alien artifact (piece of the ship) that a scientist is researching. Later in the day, she has a meeting with Lionel, who tries to persuade her to steer away from Lex. On the elevator from his office, she sees the scientist and threatens him about when Lionel will try to buy him off. While telling Chloe the scoop on the Arrow and showing her the ring, the Arrow shows up and takes the ring back after using a gas arrow. From Lionel, Clark learns only one more person is left on the list by the security agency, so he stakes the place out. The Arrow shows up and Clark confronts him. The Arrow is able to slip away, though. Lois has her article published about how she will unmask the Arrow, but she is kidnapped by the security firm, thinking she knows who he is already. Clark and Oliver both show up at Lois' place after she is taken. Chloe lets Clark know there was an emblem on the ring and Clark realizes the crest was in Oliver's loft. Going there, he finds Olivier's secret room with his Arrow gear. Elsewhere, Arrow shows up and saves Lois but when he wakes her up, she becomes hostile. Seeing this, Clark creates a diversion for him to get away. On the streets below, they meet and reveal they know each others powers. Oliver also reveals that all of the items he stole were purchased on the black market. The next day, Chloe tells Clark the items the Arrow stole were returned to their rightful museums. She deduces he knows who the Arrow really is, but he won't tell her. At the Luthor mansion, Lex and Lionel share a drink while talking about how they were testing Lana. The episode ends in Clark's loft when Oliver shows up to tell Clark that when he is ready to look beyond just helping his friends, The Arrow will be ready.

This was an above average episode thanks to the interesting take on the Green Arrow. While I still don't care much for Oliver Queen, I think the look and actions of the Arrow makes up for him. Lois has always sort of bugged me, but this episode continues my dislike of her. As for the whole Lex/Lana/Lionel "test", I am still trying to figure out what is going on, but I am not enjoying what I will further dub Dark Lana; she it becoming evil. Also, it is coming to light that Lionel's being nice with the Kent's may just be an act. While I was a bit confused by all of this, I still think this will be good drama in the future episodes. Finally, I liked how it was Chloe and Clark in this episode again without Jimmy trying to butt in.

Score: 4 / 5

Smallville - S6E3

Wither
First Aired: Thursday October 12, 2006

While "on assignment", Chloe and Jimmy encounter a dead girl in the woods. Clark investigates and finds her boyfriend, but he has been affected by strange foliage. Also, Lana and Lex get closer while Lois meets Oliver Queen.

This episode begins with Jimmy and Chloe at Make-Out Point. They hear a scream from the path and Chloe makes them go investigate. They find a woman impaled on a tree. During the search party the next day, Clark meets Gloria, the alluring park ranger, before using his X-Ray vision to find the dead womans boyfriend in some vines. Trying to help, Clark is cut by the vines. At the hospital, X-rays reveal strange pods in the mans stomach and Chloe's bio professor tells her the plant is not of this Earth. Elsewhere, Lex is throwing a costume charity ball for Black Thursday, but Lana is continuing to have doubts about their "relationship". At the Kent residence, Lois snubs billionaire Oliver Queen, thinking he is a courier. Martha later corrects her and tells her Queen was there to talk about how he could help Martha's political platform. In the woods, Jimmy has taken it upon himself to find pictures, but he instead encounters Gloria. She uses her strange powers on him. At the hospital, surgeons try to remove the pods from the boyfriends stomach but apparently they burst and start to grow, killing the man. As Clark rushes to the forest after finding out Gloria is not the real park ranger, Chloe witnesses electricity killing the vines. In Metropolis, Lois goes to apologize to Oliver, who anticipated her arrival and asks her to Lex's ball. Clark finds Gloria in the forest and she reveals that she had been a prisoner of the Phantom Zone that escaped when Clark opened the gate. She subdues him and goes towards Lex's party for more suitors. Chloe shows up with a tazer gun and uses it to release Clark and Jimmy. Clark gets to Lex's greenhouse and defeats Gloria. Lana has come to terms with Lex and shows up at the ball. During the ball, Lex notices Oliver and they exchange some barbed words. Oliver, wowed by Lois, agrees to help Martha. When he takes Lois home later, she agrees to kiss him if he can shoot a can with his Robin Hood bow and arrows, but he misses (intentionally). The episode ends with Lois and Lex undressing while Clark sits alone in his loft.

This was a decent episode, nothing spectacular, though it seems the production value for some of the powers/action sequences has increased. This was more soap opera like then the previous two, but I guess it was needed to push the three relationships to the forefront now instead of later. It was funny to see Oliver dressed as Robin Hood, but I still don't know how I feel about him as the Green Arrow. I think we already have one arrogant billionaire (Lex). I also don't know what I think of Jimmy, since I would like to see Clark and Chloe instead of Chloe and Jimmy.

Score: 3 / 5

Captain America: The Chosen 1

Now You See Me, Now You Don't
September 5, 2007
Written by David Morrell

In Afghanistan, an outfit of the United States Marine Corps is fighting insurgents and operatives of Al Qaeda. The story itself focuses on Corporal James Newman and his inner struggles. Newman's unit has been dispatched to a nearby village where smoke has been spotted. His thoughts show his opinions on why he is fighting and also his confusion as to who it is that are targets. His mind is also occupied with thoughts about his wife, Lori, and his five-month-old son, Brad, in San Francisco. His convoy is ultimately attacked in town, with Newman fighting a fierce gun battle with the residents. Entering a home after taking out a gun-totting man, he encounters a native couple and he begins to let his fears almost get the better of him. It is at this time of indecision that, out of nowhere, Captain America show up to impart some words of wisdom. Bolstering Newman's courage, the two men spring to action and save two fellow troops.

After the skirmish, Newman is a bit dismayed to find out no one else had seen Captain America helping him. In fact, several of the men said it was Newman who single-handedly did the saving. Newman, now a bit shaken from this revelation, begins to wonder if fighting for so long has begun to take a toll on his sanity. The issue ends with a shot of Captain America on a sort of respirator, being attended to by a woman and a mysterious man (Nick Fury) while a monitor behind Captain America shows Newman on the battlefield.

Now about a day after reading this comic, I am still a bit at odds. One plus for the comic is that the art is masterful. Mitch Breitweiser is an excellent artist and will most likely be the reason I continue to read the following issues. As far as the story goes, I enjoyed it for the most part, but felt a bit at odds with the overly patriotic slant of it. Of course, being a Captain America focused limited series about war, I figured it would. The writer was able to convey the inner turmoil of Newman well. The ending has me asking questions, not doubt what it is suppose to do. Knowing very little of the Civil War proceedings beyond the fact that Cap was assassinated, I found myself wondering "Is this really Cap? Is Nick Fury keeping him alive? To save him?"

Score: 3 / 5

Spider-Girl Vol 1 #3

Fun 'n' Games with the Fantastic Five
December 1998
Written by Tom DeFalco

Peter is up for an award directly from the Mayor, which is the topic of discussion at breakfast. May vows to be at the ceremony in time. At school, May is talking with Davida Kirby when Jimmy Yama breaks into the conversation. He asks May if she would like to go the new Fantastic Five showing at their base. Before May can answer, Moose Mansfield shows up with Brad Miller to mock him. However, Brad convinces Moose to back off and says how both groups of May's friends should go after school. They all do make it there after school and things seem to be going fine enough until a portal shows up in the middle of the room. Out of this dimensional doorway swaggers Spyral. It turns out he is looking for a Negative Zone device so he can get back to his right dimension. As May begins to engage him as Spider-Girl, the Fantastic Five shows up and jumps the gun by assuming she is working with Spyral. Before things can get straightened out, Spyral puts the public in danger and is able to get away as Reed Richards saves the crowd. May is also able to change back into her normal clothes before the Fantastic Five can capture her.

As she makes her way home, she is stopped by Phil Urich, he fathers partner as Midtown South Police Station. They have a conversation where he reveals to her that he once tried to be a superhero. May contemplates why he may have told her this a bit later as she watches for the Fantastic Five to go after Spyral. When they finally do, she follows them to the seedy warehouse 317 and assist them in their fight. Spyral is able to get the upper hand and May, along with Franklin Richards, are sent into another dimension, but with the Negative Zone technology. They try to fend of the creatures there as they wait for the rest of the team to bring them back, which they do. With Spyral in custody, The Thing and Johnny Storm want to hold May, but Franklin vouches for her, allowing her to leave with no questions asked. May hastily makes her way to her fathers ceremony, but she is already too late. The comic ends with Mary Jane and May walking away from each other in frustration.

This was a very well down issue, I believe. I like May's character more and more each issue and has a progression that I feel the other solo title, J2, is lacking. She is really starting to mature into the Power/Responsibility theme and she is becoming her father's daughter. The inclusion of the Fantastic Five didn't feel tacked on but felt like a natural part of the story. I am glad they are least gave a passing explanation as to what happened to Reed, because I didn't know that was him to begin with. It will be interesting in the next issue how May handles her parents, as well as Phil, who seems to know it is her who is the Spider-Girl.

Score: 4 / 5

A-Next #2

Suddenly ... the Sentry!
November 1998
Written by Tom DeFalco

As the second issue of this Earth-982 series begins, Mainframe, J2, and Thunderstrike are waiting for Stinger to come to an meeting. She is late because she is getting a stern talking to be her father, the former Ant-Man, about putting herself in jeopardy. She arrives shortly after and Mainframe tells the team that Earth's space defense satellites, put into orbit years ago after a major Skrull invasion, shot at something that then broke into two pieces, landing in Washington Park National Forest. Dr. William Foster and his son John Foster are in the area working with the Maria Stark Foundation (also a backer of the Avengers), and sends its own people to check on the crash. Their two people, Carol and Walt, are blasted by some creature though. On the flight in the Quinjet to the Forest, the group learns J2's identity since he reverts back after a time. Thunderstrike in particular becomes angered that a kid is part of his Avengers. They decide to continue the conversation after the mission as they land and are briefed by Dr. Foster. The Avengers and Fosters then break into two groups to investigate the crashes. Mainframe and Thunderstrike find the two researchers, set them free, and then begin a battle with Intergalactic Sentry 666. Stinger, J2, and the Fosters find the ship and infiltrate it, finding the pilot dead. As the battle gets closer to the craft, Stinger and J2 join the fight, but a misplaced hit by J2 sends the Sentry towards the ship. Panicking and wishing to save his father, John Foster tries to the Kree controls and becomes a human/Kree Sentry! He comes out of the ship with his father and joins the battle. He lures the Sentry into the ship, which falls into a ravine, and activates the ships self-destruct. The issue ends with John proclaiming himself the Earth Sentry and telling the Avengers he knows the Kree are going to try something eventually.

This issue was a bit better than even the first one, since it didn't get bogged down by trying to explain how they all got together in the first place. Once thing that I was a little perturbed by was the amount of exposition during the fight scenes ... it was like Shakespeare during a Jackie Chan movie! Other then that, I enjoyed the conflict of interest between Thunderstrike and J2, since I find J2 a bit unnerving, especially in his series. I think it is funny that he continually thinks he is doing good when it turns out very bad. John Foster seems like he will be an interesting character, but I almost thought he would become evil by the way he was first presented. Overall, a good issue, but still a bit below of 4.

Score: 3 / 5

Smallville - S6E2

Sneeze
First Aired: Thursday October 5, 2006

While Metropolis and the world continue to reel from Black Thursday, Lana moves in with Lex, who is becoming paranoid. Clark, possibly as an effect of being in the Phantom Zone, has contracted his first cold ever, but it is no ordinary cold.

While Lex is transporting Lana to his mansion in Smallville because of the University being shut down, he notices he is being followed. Lana is able to pick up that something is wrong, but lets it go. At the Kent farm, Martha is watching a news report about the miraculous cleanup in Metropolis as Clark returns home. This is his handiwork, but it has begun to take a toll on his health. As he is doing his chores, he sneezes for the first time and blows the barn door off, which lands near a jogging Lois. As Martha and Clark deal with Clark's first cold, possibly due to the Phantom Zone, Lois shows up and notices it was their barn door. Lex, after consulting his P.I., goes to confront Lionel, who he thinks is the one having him followed. As he leaves Luther Corp, he is ambushed and taken away. Clark, also in Metropolis, tells Chloe about his problems and about how Lois is poking around. When he returns home, Lionel shows up to warm him Lex is missing and that he may still know Clark's secret. Clark begins to investigate, even going to the mansion and seeing Lana is there now, before overhearing Lana call the P.I. He goes to Chloe to get her help and he finds the man's apartment. There, Chloe suggests he huff-and-puff like the Big Bad Wolf, blowing the door off a secret room which has pictures of a warehouse. Elsewhere, Lana is also able to find out about the warehouse and gets there after Lex had revealed about the serum and Zod. Lana and Lex are able to get away from their captors, but a fire starts and they are trapped. Clark shows up and uses his new power to put out the flames. We also learn that these men were sent by Oliver, a old friend of Lex's, who saw video footage from Lex's Pentagon break-in. At Lex's mansion, Lana confronts Lex about the secret cameras, particularly the one in her room, and he says he will remove hers but the rest must stay. Lois, who had investigate the barn door, decided to write a story and try to get it published. It did, but in the Inquisitor, the tabloid-ish newspaper.

This was a good follow-up to the previous episode and introduced a new character; the Green Arrow! I think it was interesting to finally show Clark with a cold and it makes sense he got it in the Phantom Zone. It was also cool to finally see him use his "lung powers". I like how Chloe and him were close(er) in this episode as well. I am not too happy with Lana's living arrangements and she is becoming a bit of a bitch, but I am sure stuff will happen in future episodes. It is also good to see Lionel is still trying to "help".

Score: 4 / 5

Smallville - S6E1

Zod
First Aired: Thursday September 28, 2006

In the sixth season premiere of Smallville, things are in complete disarray after Lex was infected by Zod and sent Clark into the Phantom Zone. His friends and family come to the realization that they must kill Lex to save the world as he fights the denizens of the Zone.

Picking up right where the season finale of the fifth season ended, Clark is stuck in the Phantom Zone, a barren wasteland for Kryptonian criminals, by Zod, who had completely taken over Lex's body. Lana begins to realize Lex is someone/something else and starts to become frightened when she watches him transform the black ship into a small red tablet. Chloe and Lionel are able to retreat to his office in Luther Corp, where they come to conclusion that Clark has failed and they need to get the knife to kill Lex. Lionel volunteers to return to Smallville, due to Chloe's injured leg. In the mountains somewhere, Martha finally comes around and finds Lois' inert body in the wreckage. Surprisingly, she has been drawn to the Fortress by Jor-El, who tells her what has happened and that she must fulfill Clark's destiny of killing the vessel. He returns her and Lois to Smallville as Clark encounters Raya, a Kryptonian aide to Jor-El in the Phantom Zone. She explains to Clark that the phantoms in the Zone are the worst of the worst from the 23 known galaxies, no longer able to take the form of their own bodies. She also explains that there is a back door to the Zone so that any of the El line are able to escape and she vows to take him there. Back on Earth, Zod brings the power back to the world because he needs to get to the Pentagon for their satellite information. He leaves Lana behind with a pike sticking out of her hand, vowing he would return so she can sire his heirs. Chloe has found shelter at the Daily Planet, where she also encounter her old fling, Jimmie Olsen. Lionel, Martha, and Lana all arrive at the barn at the same time to find the knife. Lana wishes to take the knife to kill Lex. Even though Clark and his guide are ambushed by Nam-Ek (from the fifth season premiere that Clark sent to the Zone), he is able to ultimately escape, though some of the phantoms appear to follow him. Lana tries to use the knife on Lex, but is unsuccessful, and he begins to use the satellite information he obtained to destroy the Earth. Clark shows up in time and they start to fight. Though it appears that Clark is defeated and kneels to Zod, he uses Jor-El's gift to Raya to send him back to the Phantom Zone. Lex awakens in the hospital later, knowing nothing of what he did and can tell he has a lot to work out with Lana. Clark confronts Chloe about their kiss, but they both try to shrug it off as Clark meets Jimmie. The episode ends with Lionel scribbling designs with the word "Power", Lex holding a piece of the tablet/ship, and a brief glimpse of one of the escaped phantoms in Argentina.

This is everything a season premiere is suppose to be; suspenseful and making me constantly question what can possibly happen next. Rosenblum's acting as Zod is truly marvelous. I wish we could have done more with the Phantom Zone, but it will always be there and I think the escape of the phantoms is a great vehicle for the season. One thing I am hoping is that Lionel doesn't go back to his truly wicked ways. Of course, I have always enjoyed Glover's acting as the devious man, but I started to really enjoy him as a "good guy". I am also a little peeved about Chloe/Clark, since I really want to see them happen because they are right for each other. Of course, this is another plot vehicle for the season. All in all, a great start.

Score: 5 / 5

Angel - S1E22

To Shanshu in L.A.
First Aired: Tuesday May 23, 2000

In the season finale of Angel, Wolfram and Hart bring forth the demon Voka, who is enraged they let Angel get the Scroll. Vowing to retrieve it in order to complete the ritual, he targets Cordelia, Wesley, and the Powers That Be.

As this season finale begins, Wesley is hard at work translating the Scrolls that Angel obtained from the WR&H vault in the previous episode. In particular, he finds the word Shanshu, which he translates to mean that after Angel fulfills his duties, he will die. Elsewhere in the city, Lindsay, Holland, and Lila welcome the Warrior of the Underworld, Voka, who is angered that Angel has the Scroll. He needs it for a ritual that specifically targets Angel, so he vows to retrieve the scroll himself and cut off his communication with the Powers That Be. He first goes to the Oracles and slays them before putting a curse on Cordelia that makes he power of clairvoyance increase astronomically. Angel gets word she is in the hospital and rushes to her side, locking the scrolls in his office. Wesley returns minutes before Angel does again and the office is blown up by a bomb left by Voka after he had taken the Scroll. With Wesley now also in the hospital, Angel is confronted by Kate who he finally loses patience with and tells her to stay out of his way. Going to the Oracles, Angel discovers their bodies and the ghost of the female who is able to tell him that he must retrieve the Scroll in order to save Cordelia. He takes Voka's scythe and tails Lindsay and the other WR&H lawyers to the ritual area. Angel breaks into the party and engages Voka in battle. Lindsay continues the ceremony himself and is able to complete it, allowing the WR&H people to get the box out before Angel is able to kill Voka. Though he tries to burn the Scroll before Angel can do anything, Angel throws the scythe at Lindsay and cuts off his hand. He takes the Scroll to Wesley, who then does the spell and releases Cordelia. On the mend at Cordelia's home, Wesley realizes that his translation of Shanshu was wrong, and that Angel will actually become human once he fulfills his destiny. This makes Angel happy and he smiles. The season ends with Holland, Lila, and Lindsay all talking about the box before we see that inside of it is none other that a frightened Darla.

A wonderful episode, it is just a notch below stellar. We get to see the really coming together of Angel's "family", of his loving bond between Wesley and Cordelia (and the eventual others in coming seasons). I really liked the demon Voka and kind of wish that he would have survived a bit longer; I could have seen him teaming up with Darla. However, Angel was very determined, so it made sense that he was able to kill it. I also enjoyed Angel finally telling off Kate, because while she may have started out as great character, she has become too much of a bitch. As far as a season finale, the two twists at the end with Shanshu and with Darla were good vehicles to push for the next season. Buffy's pushes for season five were a bit more subtle and mysterious instead of Angel's straightforward "Here's Darla". Overall, a great season ender.

Score: 4 / 5

Freaks and Geeks - E06

I'm With the Band
First Aired: Saturday November 13, 1999

Nick's future is in jeopardy and he is trying his hardest to make it as a drummer. Lindsay tries to help, but ends up messing things up. Sam is ordered to take a shower in gym class, but he continually tries to duck out of them.

The episode opens with showing Nick pantimoining to a live recording while playing his drum kit. His father comes downstairs and shakes his head disapprovingly. The next day, Lindsay goes to hear his band play, but everyone bails when Nick's father wishes to talk to him. Lindsay stays and overhears the conversation. His father is going to send him into the Army when he is eighteen if he doesn't keep a C+ average. Lindsay tells Nick that they need to practice more and that they currently aren't that great. When the band gets together the next day, Nick brings this up and the band becomes disgruntled after having to perform "Sunshine of Your Love" six times. Ultimately, the band dissolves and Lindsay is to blame. All of the friends are at odds now the next day. Lindsay tries to rectify it by showing Nick a "drummer wanted" flyer for a local band. He goes to try out, but finally realizes he is way out of their playing league. To reassure him, Lindsay kisses him in the parking lot. The next day, all of the friends are talking again and Nick is more at ease with things. However, Kim talks with Lindsay about how Nick told people he and her had sex, leading to a confused Lindsay.

In the other story line, Sam's gym class is told by their gym teacher that they must all now take shows afterwards. Sam continues to refuse to do so, even getting Bill and Neil to join him in protest the first day. The following day, however, they relent and go to take shows. They are summarily harassed by the bigger kids with towel slaps. Sam finally does agree to take a shower, but on the way there, he is waylay-ed by his bully Alex. The bully pushes Sam out into the halls and then takes his towel. Sam then sprints around the school trying to get to his locker, but ends up back in the gym area where the teacher is flirting with another teacher. Sam is depressed about his ordeal and his bully confronts him after school about it. However, a car of football players and cheerleaders come by and applaud Sam's "ballsy" move. His bully leaves in a huff since Sam feels better now.

This was a good episode, a bit better than the couple of previous ones. I think it was and interesting story line for Nick and progressed his character. One thing I don't enjoy too much is that previous episodes aren't ever addressed, it seems. Lindsay and Dan are friends again even though she laughed in his face during the cheating episode. I am also sure nothing will come of Nick's "boasting". As for the Sam story, I think this is a common theme is sitcoms dealing with young boys, so I wasn't terribly impressed with it. Bill and Neil did have some great lines, though.

Score: 3 / 5

Buffy - S4E22

Restless
First Aired: Tuesday May 23, 2000

In this strange season finale, the Scoobies fall into a deep sleep and are stalked by an unknown assailant.

Picking up briefly after the previous episode, Buffy is saying bye to Riley who is going in for a debriefing from the government. As he leaves, Xander, Willow, and Giles all sit down with Buffy to watch some video because they claim that they aren't tired from the spell used to destroy Adam. However, moments after Joyce leaves the room and Xander puts in the first video, they are all asleep. This is where the episode gets weird, as we are transported into the jumbled dreams/nightmares of each of the characters, starting with Willow, going to Xander, then Giles, and finally Buffy. Willow is afraid that she may be acting the part of cool wicca person/lesbian and that people will see right through to what she used to be. Xander is running from his basement where he is currently stuck and hiding from his parents. Giles is worried about how is training or not training Buffy and begins to realize something is terrible wrong. Finally, Buffy is faced with her fears about Riley joining right back up with the government. At the end of each of their dreams, they are accosted by a strange faced-painted warrior who takes Willow's breath, Xander's heart, and Giles' brain. Buffy finally confronts the creature in the desert and it speaks through Tara. The thing tells her that she is the first slayer, her gift is death, and that there should be no friends. Buffy then proceeds to fight her to get control of her body again. She is successful and the others are safe as well. They discuss the dreams as the episode ends.

I can't stress how much I love this episode, especially since I have seen it last because I have gotten into more experimental things, such as David Lynch's movies and Chuck Palahniuk's books. It seems this is either a love it or hate it episode that is a little difficult to "get", but once I did, it was great. The cameos were very good, such as Snyder, Harmony, Oz, and non-killer Adam. The filming and the dialog is spot on for this type of dream sequence episode. This was an odd choice, perhaps, for a final episode of the season, since Buffy had already killed the Big Bad the episode before, but I found it revealing and a great vehicle for the next season.

Score: 5 / 5

Angel - S1E21

Blind Date
First Aired: Tuesday May 16, 2000

While fighting a group of vampires, Angel encounters a blind woman with amazing powers. He eventually finds out she is a client of Wolfram and Hart. This leads down a crazy path that includes Lindsay coming to Angel for help.

This episode begins with Angel fighting some vampires and being drawn into a fight with what appears to be a blind person. She kicks his ass and gets away. The next day, Wesley and Cordelia do research, find out the womans name, and find out she is on trial for murder, being represented by Lindsay of Wolfram and Hart. Lindsay is able to get her off all charges, which thrills the Senior Partners. His mentor, Holland Manners, informs him that they will be sending her after some children and that Lindsay should prepare a defense for the possible court proceedings. Angel is enraged to find out the woman walks, but is surprised when Lindsay comes to his office asking for help to get out of Wolfram and Hart. He wants to save the children. Angel, though skeptical at first, agrees to do it by getting into the files vault at WR&H. They enlist the help of Gunn and are able make it into the building. Angel grabs the files as well as a strange scroll, but doing that sets off an alarm. Angel gets out and takes the disks to Cordelia, who tries to decrypt them with Willow's help over the phone. Lindsay, on the other hand, gets trapped in WR&H and mind readers let his mentor know what Lindsay had done. The man chastises Lindsay, but ultimately lets him go. He arrives at Angel's in time to prepare their surprise attack on the blind woman. They are able to save the children and Lindsay returns to WR&H to gloat. His mentor is moving up the corporate ladder and he still offers Lindsay a job ... his job, with more power and money. In the end, despite his conflict, he takes the office.

Now back to another episode I don't remember seeing. It was good to see this one because it showed how/why Angle got the prophecy scroll that tells of his exploits for the coming years. It was also an interesting episode in that is focused at least half of its story on Lindsay, which is a character I enjoy. While still not leading up to a big season one ending, this was a very good next to last episode and showed more of Lindsay's character, as well as the character of WR&H.

Score: 4 / 5

J2 #2

Secrets and Lies / Alone Against the X-People
November 1998
Written by Tom DeFalco

In the first story, Zane is dealing with the aftermath of being admitted into the Avengers. His mother, A.D.A. Yama, is concerned this new Juggernaut may have had contact with Cain Marko and explains this to her son. Zane leaves for school worrying about what this may all mean for him if his mother finds out he is actually J2. In school, Miller is still gloating about "helping" J2 in the previous issue and Zane becomes angry. J2 calls to check in with the Avengers and Jarvis tells him A.D.A. Yama would like a meeting with J2. Miller shows up and demands the phone. Vowing to "diss" Miller, he changes into J2 later but ends up responding to a bank robbery. There, he meets and fights with Buffer Zone, a shield-protected bad guy. In the end, it is Miller again who helps Zane by taking the guy out when his force field was down. Zane slinks away in shame and meets with his mother at the Avengers headquarters. She demands to know who he is and how he got his powers, but he doesn't relent and she leave in a huff. In the end, Zane's high school classmates are talking about how Miller is partners with J2 and Zane begins to feel even worse.

In the other story, Zane is on his way to visit the X-People in Saddle River, New Jersey when he notices their gate is broken. Changing into J2, he rushes in to offer aid, but is mistaken for someone else; Enthralla, niece to the Mastermind. He is able to fight off the various X-People, but is ultimate faced with Enthralla herself, who uses her powers to enthrall J2. Zane's helmet is impervious to mental and psonic attacks, though, and he is able use a shockwave to disorient her. His splash wave from the pool he used to knock out the X-People also brought them to their senses and they proceed to take care of Enthralla. The story ends with J2 being accepted as a good guy by the X-People.

While not as bad as the first issue, I was still hoping this would be a one story issue. However, both stories were decent enough, even if they had some cheese exposition. I don't like the side-story about Miller being J2's helper very much, but I do like the mystery with A.D.A. Yama trying to figure out who J2 is. The X-People story reminded me a lot of the old comics from the 50's and 60's, with the action and the comments. Overall, a better issue then that first, but still only average.

Score: 3 / 5