So I saw the GHOST RIDER movie yesterday.  I’m a long-time fan of the comic book character, but I was admittedly skeptical of what the movie would be.  My skepticism was understandable, particularly because the movie was kind bad.

For starters, how does Nic Cage keep getting work?  His over-acting is either painful or comical, and he somehow manages to annoy the crap out of me these days.  There were other actors that could have played Johnny Blaze better, so why Nic?  Really?

Second of all, I found the dialogue to be pretty shitty.  Especially when Johhny transformed into the Ghost Rider.  And just about every single one of Blackheart’s lines.  And pretty much every line in the entire movie.  Even Eva Mendes’ lines were
poorly written.  Bah.

Third of all, the Ghost Rider in the movie was a mix of the original Ghost Rider (Johhny Blaze from back in the day) and the second incarnation of the Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch).  He changed outfits during the movie, which I guess was okay, but he had the combined powers of the two Ghost Riders, which I thought was confusing.  And they screwed up the Penance Stare, which pissed me off.  And they gave no explanation for the Penance Stare, or why the Ghost Rider was called “the Spirit of Vengeance.”  The continuities were just a mess.

The storyline, however, was fairly decent.  They screwed up Mephisto, too, calling him Mephistopheles instead, but that was a minor problem.  I did like how they used the old western Ghost Rider, though.  That was pretty sweet.  If you’ve never read a GHOST RIDER comic or know practically nothing about the character, this movie is fairly enjoyable.  However, if you’re a big fan of the character, the movie is confusing and not all that good.

My rating:  3 (out of 5)

Life’s never dull here in WV.

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So Ross harassed me into reviewing the comics I recently got in the mail, so here we go. These comics were all released in the months of Aug. and Sept.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR #1 (of 4): I never read any of Harvey Pekar’s stuff before I watched the movie American Splendor, but I wanted to change that. AMERICAN SPLENDOR #1 was a few collected shorts that basically sum up how much Harvey’s life sucks. He seems to have the worst luck out of any human being on the face of the Earth. Even me. But the stories were cute and interesting, and they were very, very far from the world of superheroes. I recommend it.

AMERICAN VIRGIN #7: Are you guys reading this book? If not, WHY?! It’s soooooo good. Becky’s art is only one small plus amongst the many strong points of this series. Poor Adam has to get inside a gay club in order to find the man that cut the head off his girlfriend. The first TPB is set to come out very soon, so if you haven’t been reading this series, it’s a perfect way to jump on board. I recommend it.

BERSERK Vol.13: BERSERK is an interesting series. If you’re into massive amounts of violence, sex, and demons, it’s for you. Some of the storytelling is a little slow at points, and the majority of the series is one gigantic flashback, but if you can stand it, it’s worth reading.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #s 116 & 117: These two issues wrap up the latest story arc in BLADE. For those not reading this series, FOR SHAME! This arc has probably had the least amount of action in the entire series so far, but the drama itself is very intense. I recommend it.

CASANOVA #4: This is possibly the weirdest comic I’ve ever read. Seriously. I can’t even begin to describe it, other than saying it’s like James Bond on every drug known to man. And maybe a few that haven’t been discovered yet. I also like how each issue is stand-alone, yet it all comes together in the end to continue the main plot. In this issue, Cass has to steal a god. Just buy the damn thing, cuz I recommend it.

DMZ #11: The backstory of Zee. Aside from that, words fail me. This series is so thick and so good. I highly recommend it.

HAUNTED MANSION #4: The only reason I bought this is because my friend Drew Rausch did the art for one of the stories. It was a good story, though, and he’ll be doing work in the next two issues, as well.

MOON KNIGHT #s 4 & 5: I’m not sure if I really like this series yet or not. I was always intrigued my Moon Knight. Like Daredevil, he’s one of Marvel’s darker characters, only he’s a bit edgier than DD. The series so far has been MK getting back to being a hero again after having both his knees shattered. Very psychological, but not much action until now. Gonna wait to read #6 before I decide to keep reading or not.

NEXTWAVE #8: Hands down the best superhero comic in all of history. This is how real heroes would be, especially a team made up of C-Rank heroes. The ridiculous crap that happens to this team makes me laugh with each issue. In this one, The Captain finally does something right. I highly recommend it.

PHONOGRAM #1 (of 6): Another weird comic. The story revoloves around magic and music, and aside from that, I have no idea. At the very least, it’s intriguing, and I’m going the get the rest of the issues.

RUNAWAYS #s 19 & 20: This series has seen better days. After killing off yet another character, the team gets split up as more trouble erupts in LA. Also, a new artists has come aboard, and the whole vibe has been thrown off. Not sure if I like this new direction.

SULLENGREY #4 (of 4): The end is just the beginning. Though a little slow from the beginning, this series ends with a pretty huge bang. My good friends Drew & Jocelyn Rausch really pulled out the stops in their first mini-series. An epic battle is waged here, and the result will change the world. Because next comes…ZOMBIES!! I recommend this series.

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #5: Words fail to describe how good this series is. Clark goes to Alcatraz to interview Lex Luthor as Lex stands on Death Row. And Lex knows a deadly secret: SUPERMAN IS DYING. Also, a prison riot breaks out, and Clark has to find a way to stop it without revealing his secret identity. I highly recommend it.

THE ULTIMATES 2 #12: Over-the-top superhero battles rage out of control. Shit gets blown up, villains get their heads punched off, and Thor returns to defeat his brother Loki. Part of me is glad this will all be over in the next issue.

THE WALKING DEAD Vol.5: After barely surviving the wrath of their former roommates, the cast begins to really settle in to life in prison. Except when a crashing helicopter disrupts their relatively peaceful life. Investigating the crash reveals a new group of survivors that are less than friendly. Now held captive, Rick, Glenn, and Michonne will be lucky to survive. I recommend it.

WASTELAND #3: The first story arc begins as the world around the group of survivors continues to grow. No one is who s/he seems. I highly recommend it.

WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE #2: Beer, magick, and the undead. That pretty much sums up this book. Oh, and sex with leprechauns. Yep. This is probably one of the most original and unique comics I’ve ever read. I recommend it.

X-FACTOR #s 10 & 11: As X-Factor continues to investigate into Singularity Investigations, the past of Damian Tryp is slowly revealed. As well as the past of Jamie Madrox, who is apparently not a mutant. And Strong Guy was previous brainwashed by Mr. Tryp, which kinda pissed me off. But now, as X-Factor creates a diversion in order to bring SI down for good, it would appear that there are more than a few Damian Tryps in the building.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #17: Okay, so I was incredibly confused when I started reading this issue. But that’s what I was supposed to think, apparently. As the Hellfire Club’s true objective is revealed, the rest of the X-Men finally awaken from their severe ass-whupping. And Cyclops (or the mutant formerly known as Cyclops) busts a cap in White Queens ass. I’m so confused.

Some of you may be unaware of this, but UPS sucks major ass. This may come as a shock, I know, and it’s something I’d forgotten until recently. Like Ross, I, too, pre-ordered a copy of Bella Morte’s new album, Bleed The Grey Sky Black. But what I didn’t know was how my order would be shipped.

The first UPS delivery attempt was on the 26th of Sept. At work, I was rather NOT HOME to sign for my package. So I called UPS that night to re-schedule my delivery. This then turned into UPS deciding to drop my package off at some random UPS Store several miles away. And UPS never bothered to tell me they were doing this. I then called to log a complaint with their service dept., and they offered to deliver again. Unable to give me even an estimate of delivery time, I missed the 2nd delivery attempt. And now I’m working all week starting Monday, and my final delivery date is scheduled for Monday. YIPPEE!!

So beware of UPS shipping, friends! They suck, and they’re not afraid to prove it!