1. Start home brewing beer
2. Learn to bake bread and bread related products
3. Learn how to make my own sausages.
4. Increase exercise to counteract the effects of a beer/sausage/bread diet
5. Finish writing my novel
6. Get at least two short stories published
7. Learn more Italian

I wrote up an update around September for my post a day and not much has changed since then.

I made beer and started learning Italian. Most importantly I put a lot of effort towards increasing my daily exercise.

Way back at the beginning of the year I was given a free session card for the gym located in the same building as I work. Given the heavy fees most gyms charge finding that little card was like finding a golden ticket to healthiness. It was only 10 sessions, and I only managed to use 9 of them, but for 30 minutes I worked myself like a dog.

I also hit a separate gym close by the house for a couple of spin classes. If you've never been, spin class is hell. 45 minutes of constant leg moving, intersected with periods of standing, sitting and high tension leg breaking. After all that you get to nap, wait a week and do it all over again. Fun with a capital F.

So thats 1, 4, half of 6 and part of 7. Although you could argue that 7 was vague enough that it would never ever be 'completed'. In fact all of those resolutions weren't as fleshed as they could've been. Three and a bit resolutions out of seven completed. Terrible, just terrible.

I'm rambling again, so I'd better get to the list for 2009. I've tried to make it a lot more detailed so there's actual goals to reach:

1. Learn how to make bread. Be able to make sourdough and wholemeal high tin loaf.
2. Go on a mushroom picking tour.
3. Convince the Italian community to let me get involved in making sausages.
4. Submit fiction to at least two short story competitions.
5. Finish a 100 page script for Script Frenzy in April.
6. Participate in Dry July.
7. Loose 10 kilograms.

So that's seven moderately easy resolutions. Same number as last year. Now I just need to keep them.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #20

Readers of this site and followers of my Twitter account may know of my utter disappointment with anything that comes from Jeph Loeb's hand. So it was with utmost trepidation that I sat down and started in on this book.

Just a note of warning: this is a book for the hardcore fans only. Unless you've been watching the show since episode one you will be lost.

The meat of this book is a flackback to season 2 of the TV show in the style of the animated series that was proposed wayback when.

There's a couple of decent enough moments in the book, Like Buffy thinking back to Angel's words of advice and getting them mixed up. But the majority of it is just incredibly bad. Like the "real-life" scenes that bookend the cartoony middle. The characters are written so over the top that they border on parody. They get worse once the cartoon sequence begins.

And Loeb? Points off for using the same lame Wizard of Oz reference that you used in the season finale of Heroes. It wasn't good then and it's not good in this book.

Thank the various gods that this is just a one shot. I don't think I could handle another Loeb issue.

Mighty Avengers #20

When Secret Invasion started way back at the start of the year both the Mighty and New Avengers books were hijacked to provide for filler material.

You could easily class this book as more filler, but the writing, by Bendis, is just so much better than the main Secret Invasion book. I wonder how much better SI would've been had Bendis stuck to the small character-focused arcs, rather than resorting to scenes where the Skrulls break out the big guns.

Probably my favourite part was the silent montage of Ms Marvel filling in Hank Pym on the Marvel Universe happenings since he's been gone. Can't wait for the inevitable photoshops where Captain America's death is replaced with pictures of Sarah Palin. If it hasn't happened already that is.

There's three artists listed in the credits: Lee Weeks, Jim Cheung and Carlo Pagulayan. I don't know why they needed three different artists to finish off this book as it's just a standard 22 pager. No upsizing at all. Which is strange as this is Bendis' last issue of Mighty Avengers. Dan Slott takes over next month ad for the foreseeable future (hopefully).

Complete List:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #20
Ex Machina #40
Trinity #29
Avengers: Initiative #19
Dark Reign New Nation
Mighty Avengers #20
Thor: God-Size Special #1
Thunderbolts #127
Ultimate Fantastic Four #59
Uncanny X-Men #505
X-Factor #38
X-Men: Legacy #219

Booster Gold

This is the first issue written by Dan Jurgens, creator of Booster Gold and drawer of said character since issue one of this particular ongoing. This issue is a  lot more light-hearted than the previous issues written by Rick Remender. While adventerous, his issues were completely lacking in charm. But enough about ol' Rick. How does Booster Gold stand up now?

Better. Much, much better. It's not quite Geoff Johns level, but this Booster has just the right amount of self-indulgent goofiness and Skeets has the right amount of know-it-all sidekickiness going for him.

I would've preferred this to be a done-in-one issue, but it looks like we get another multipart story, spinning out of the storyline Remender followed. Is this Jurgens' way of ignoring Remender I wonder?

After a cute opening scene with Booster and Goldstar in 16th century Italy looking for food and fame, the story quickly becomes a search for Rip Hunter and their headquarters that seems to have vanished from the timestream. There's a fun sibling fight then Skeets informs the two that all evidence points to time traveling knife, misplaced during the Killer Moth mission, being the cause and not Goldstar's posing for a portrait with Leonardo da Vinci as Booster suggested. Booster meets up with future fellow Justice League International teamster Elongated Man, in a scene that would mean a lot more had I grown up reading JLI. Then Booster is flung through time to somewhere next month's solicit reveals to be World War 1.

This book sits fairly low on the month-by-month sales chart. Lower than Blue Beetle and Birds of Prey. I hope that doesn't mean that this book is up for cancellation. Though I wouldn't be too surprised, given DC's cancel-happy attitude these last few weeks.

Green Lantern Corps #31

Confession time. Kryb scares the every loving shit out of me. This is Kryb:

Seriously, it took all of my willpower just to post that picture.

Not only is she a superpowered baby-stealing alien that runs on fear. her "milk" also acts as a DNA-specific mind-controlling agent if it gets on your skin. Jesus H. Christ. The only way Kryb could be more creepy is if "she" was a "he".

Despite the recent ick factor Green Lantern Corps has been great to read. Expanding on the emotional spectrum where the standalone GL book has become more tightly focused.

Yes, we know that the Love Lantern is going to defeat Kryb and break the hold over the other lanterns. Well at least I hope that's what happens. Before Kryb cuts the baby out of Amnee's body, thanks. The third law of Oa, "no relationships between Green Lanterns", is only going to end in disaster. But if the Guardians actually thought things through instead of just reacting to everything then we wouldn't have the Manhunters or the Alpha Lanterns.

Yes, this book is creepy, but it's creepy in a "look through your fingers" kind of way. And I love it for that.

Complete Pull List:

Booster Gold #15
Final Crisis #5 (of 7)
Green Lantern Corps #31
Justice Society of America HC Vol 03 Thy Kingdom Come Part 2
Justice League of America #27
Secret Six #4
Trinity #28
Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #2 (of 2)
Secret Invasion Dark Reign
Wizard Mag 2009 Platinum

Secret Invasion #8 (of 8)

Firstly, just a few things about this issue I found to be incredibly dumb:

1. Janet Pym (founding member of the Avengers)'s death is portrayed terribly. Shes paralysed by  massive amounts of pain, until Thor generates a cyclone as tall as her that appears to engulf half her body. Then she dies.
2. SHIELD is a UN-based agency, so the US President can't do shit about it. Unless of course the President is Bendis himself.
3. All the heroes that were replaced by Skrulls weren't killed, instead the aliens kept them locked in a ship floating above the earth ready for some wandering hero to come across them. Which they do.

Now on to the review proper.

It's hard to review this book without touching on the seven issues preceding it. So forgive me if I seem to jump back and forth.

I came into Secret Invasion with middling expectations at best. After House of M, Civil War and World War Hulk  I was tired. Very, very tired. The whole series was roughly 4 issues too long. I can only guess that it's as long as it is because Bendis wanted it to match up with DC's 80's "secret invasion" series Millennium.

As far as finales to crossover heavy events goes it doesn't completely suck. The framing device (a debriefing) works well and is a nice change from seven long months of people screaming and firing bullets at each other.

Norman Osbourne kills the Skrull Queen and in doing so sets himself up as the new defacto ruler of the superhero community. Whats interesting is that if he'd pulled the trigger a fraction later we'd be looking at a year of "King Wolverine rules the world". Although with the amount of Woverine titles currently put out by Marvel you'd thing that was the current status quo anyway.

The book finishes up with the obligatory Marvel brand non-ending that sets up the much darker universe and the various Dark Reign tie-ins for the next year or so. (At one point Nick Fury literally disappears off the page. No doubt reappearing in the upcoming Secret Warriors title).

Based on the solicits I don't see myself buying any of the new books Secret Warriors included. I'm just burnt out. As a marketing exercise to get people to invest in yet another new line of books Secret Invasion has failed. As far as the story goes it gets a passing grade. But only just.

Complete Pull List:

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #1 (of 8)
Trinity #27
Invincible Iron Man: The Five Nightmares HC
New Avengers #47
Secret Invasion #8 (of 8)
Secret Invasion Front Line #5 (of 5)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19

It's incredibly hard to review this issue of Buffy. The previous issue shipped nearly 3 months ago so I've forgotten nearly everything that's happened in this storyline. All I remembered when going in was Buffy was 200 years in the future with Fray (the last Slayer), Dark Willow was again the Big Bad, Nice Willow was trying to get Buffy back and Dawn was in the forest with Xander.

To properly review this issue I'd have to go back through the last few issues to catch up. Due to poor filing skills thats not going to happen, so I'm stuck reading this book with only a vague recollection of whats come before.

So, the story. Buffy fights Fray. Fray fights Buffy. Dark Willow tries to kill Buffy "to save the world". Dawn and Xander fight ghostly goblin-things with some help from magical forest sprites and a handful of Slayers. Buffy kills Dark Willow. Buffy returns to her present. Oh, and Riley makes an appearance at the end with a Twilight scar on his chest.

So Twilight is the Initiative? This and many other questions remain unanswered in this issue.

The art serves the story well. While the characters are not hyper realistic like in the ongoing Angel series, I was still able to recognise Riley easy enough.

The 3 month delay is a real shame, because up until this point Season 8 has been a lot of fun to read. I'm worried that the huge delay shook a few readers loose. I'm sure this storyline will read a lot better in trades. So someone Jefah should enjoy it a lot more than I did.

Double shame is the consistently bad Jeph Loeb is writing the next issue. It makes me wonder if they're intentionally trying to lose readers.

Thor: Man of War

How do you surpass the Blood Colossus - a vengeful giant made from the blood and flesh of fallen vikings and powered by a god - that appeared in Thor: Reign of Blood? The short answer is "you don't". But Man of War doesn't suffer from a lack of Blood Colossi at all.

This, the third (and last) book in Matt Fraction's series of Thor one-shots is a great yarn about what happens when gods get pissed off at humans, other gods and existence itself. While a lot darker and grittier than Reign of Blood, or Ages of Thunder before it, Fraction still manages to weave a lot of black comedy (the best kind of comedy!) into the story.

The book is divided into two halves with a different artist handling each part. Clay Mann (really?) does a decent enough job on the first half, right up until the Storm Giant shows up. The next few pages of battle were incredibly hard to follow, until I spent a few minutes staring at each panel and trying to suss it all out.

The final part, drawn by "artist" Patrick Zircher, is a lot easier to read. Maybe because he didn't feel the need to invoke the z-axis like Mann. Odin and Thor's final battle has just the right amount of bloody Viking action to keep me wanting more. But sadly this looks like it for Fraction's Thor. You will be missed.

Wolverine: Origins #30

It feels a bit weird to be reviewing the last issue in a two book crossover. But after last week's far too happy reviews I needed a book I knew would be bad. Of course I wasn't counting on Buffy dropping the ball this week.

Anyway, on to this issue. It begins with Wolverine squaring off against against his *shudder* son Daken. At least it lets Mike Deodato draw the one good panel in the entire book. A worm's eye view of the two, claws out and ready to get slicing. While this is happening Profesor X lies dead on the floor. victim of a psychic bomb planted deep in Daken's mind. Oh, whats that? He's not dead just unconscious? It seems the damage from the bomb triggered in the last issue was ineffective against the "fractured nature of his mind". Uh, right.

Wolverine retreats to his happy place in an attempt to hold back the beserker rage he's well known for. But then his "Julie Bowan in white lingerie moment'" quickly becomes "Grandma making out with Shooter McGavin while wearing a KISS mask" and the fight is back on.

Professor X brings them both into Wolverine's happy place and explains that Daken draws his rage from the same place. Back in the real world Daken stabs Sebastian Shaw before he can kill Professor X. Then Daken and Wolverine wander off to rejoin their own storyline. Phew.

Deodato's pencils are fine, but hey're let down by substandard inking. The less said about Daniel Way's writing, the better.

Complete Pull List:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19
Legion of Super Heroes #48
Trinity #26
Ms Marvel #33
Runaways vol 3 #4
Thor: Man of War
Ultimate Origins #5 (of 5)
Ultimate X-Men #98
Wolverine: Origins #30
X-Force #9
Wizard Magazine #207

From: Springfield Punx

But not to worry. I'm going to push on regardless. I promised reviews and reviews I shall deliver.

Thunderbolts #126

The first post-Secret invasion comic released by Marvel is also one the the best comics they've released in months. The issue doesn't give much of the SI storyline away. It reads much like one of the "downtime" issues from the 90's era X-Men. Except instead of playing baseball, Songbird and Swordsman are moping around and burning their dead, the really evil characters are busy being evil and Norman Osbourne faces up to a government committee hearing on his role during the Skrull invasion.

This issue marks a new creative team: Andy Diggle on words and Roberto De La Torre on pencils. I'd never read any of their previous work so I came in sans preconceptions. It's a credit to this team that I didn't actually notice the change in roster until well after I'd finished reading the book. Provided they keep to a regular schedule (something Warren Ellis wasn't able to do) then this should become a top 20 book.

Uncanny X-Men #504

I'll say one thing about Matt Fraction. Dude has created some of the best "ohmygod" moments I've read in comic form this year. Nikola Telsa fighting a demonic JP Morgan, Iron Fist exploding a train with one punch, and, with this issue, reintroducing the eccentric Dr Nemesis to the Marvel Universe. He of the guns that fire science!

Half the issue consists of Beast and Angel trying to convince Dr Nemesis to join the X-Men, in between fighting off tube-grown supernazis. The rest of the issue has Emma Frost taking a psychic stroll through Cylops'...well, I guess you'd call it his spank bank. A hotel full of X-Women, both past and present. Psylocke; Rogue and two Storms, both classic and mohawked. But strangely no red-heads.

The art, by Terry Dodson, moves along at a cracking pace. Had the issue being "drawn" by Greg Land (the other penciller in the Uncanny X-Men stable, then a lot of the great kinetic interaction between Beast, Angel and Dr Nemesis would've been lost.

Complete pull list:

Angel: After the Fall #14
Ex Machina #39
The Flash #246
Trinity #25
Thunderbolts #126
Ultimate Fantastic Four #58
Uncanny X-Men #504
X-Factor #37
X-Men: Legacy #218

Now that I've got it back I thought I'd show you my effort from this year's Script Frenzy. I'd originally set out to write three separate stories totally 100 pages, but only ended up getting one out. An episode of Heroes set in an alternative season three.

About halfway through I started getting a bit worried about how I was portraying some of the characters. After seeing how badly they're all being portrayed in the real season three I'm happy I at least managed to keep them consistent.

Had I read a few scripts before hand I would've seen that most scripts are bulked up with large blocks of notes from the writer(s) to whoever is directing the piece of distraction. Everything from what colour a car should be to the number of clouds in the sky. My script doesn't have a lot of that, so comes off a bit anorexic. Lesson learned for next year I guess.

Have a read of the script and tell me what you think. Any comments and/or criticisms are welcome (but keep it constructive, please).

Heroes - "Fifty"

Booster Gold #14

This isn't the cover originally solicited. I'm not sure why they changed it, but I do prefer this one. I'm also happy that this is the last issue written by Rick Remender. Sure he's a decent enough writer, but he just doesn't fit into Booster Gold's style.

Green Lantern Corps #30

There's been a lot of hate on the internet about this whole "War of the Light" thing, but you know what? I'm really digging it. I guess I'm just a sucker for Geoff Johns' Silver Age stuff.

Trinity #24

Trinity has been a weird book to talk about here. When I mention that I really like an issue, the next one is invariably boring. When I point that out the following issue improves greatly. Despite these oscillations the books - at it's worst - is still far, far better than Countdown at it's best. However it's still nowhere near the level of 52.

Final Crisis: Resist #1

I didn't mind Submit all that much. It was a nice little distraction that tied into the greater FC story the way Rage of the Red Lanterns didn't. This book being the counter point to Submit I'm sure it'll read just fine.

Secret Six #3

Quickly becoming one of my favourite DC books. Except for Green Lantern that is.

Trinity #23

They've spent a few issues now establishing the new "rules" of this world, but haven't done that much with it. We seem to have hit a slump story-wise. and we're not even at the midpoint of the series.

Avengers: Initiative Special

I don't know why they didn't label this and the Ms Marvel book below 'Annuals'. The Ultimate Captain America book last week was an Annual and that character doesn't even have his own book.

Ms. Marvel Special: Storyteller

Should be a decent enough book. From the sounds of it it revolves around a minor character who only appeared very briefly at the  beginning of the Ms. Marvel series. Could be good. Could be bad.

Ultimatum #1 (of 5)

With any luck this'll be the last Jeph Loeb series I ever read. While he was a goodish writer in the past (the 90's X-Force title notwithstanding) something seems to have snapped. He seems to have ignored any previously established personality traits in favour of driving a story forward.  See Ultimates 3 and the latest season of Heroes.

I did this for three reasons:

• to payback the site for pointing us in Shabu Shabu's direction
• to payback Shabu Shabu for an awesome meal; and
• as a small writing exercise

What I didn't realise is that there would be many, many others who would find tummyrumbles.com the same way I did, that they would see my review and that they would check out Shabu Shabu based solely on my favourable comments. But they did.

Ange and I walked into Shabu Shabu on Saturday to find the place packed out. What few seats they had left were marked with a small, triangular Reserved sign. One of the staff (the owner?) recognised me and ushered us over to the counter. He gestured to the bustling restaurant, the horde of people ripping plates of food off the train as quick as they could be replenished and told me my review did that. With 500 or so words I'd managed to turn a slow burning eatery into a break away hit in just three weeks!

To make up for the lack of seats he gave us a card for 25% off the next bill. incredibly generous given the discount I'd already had the first time I was there. He also told me I should book for next time. I told him I would and that it'd be awful nice if he had some sort of golden chair ready for me when I came back.

Hellboy: In The Chapel Of Moloch

At my local comic shop I've been put down for 'anything Hellboy". So I'll automatically pick this book up.

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1

Of all the Final Crisis tie-ins this has to be the one I've been hanging out longest for. Just check out this preview over at Newsarama. Amazing.

Final Crisis: Submit #1

Another FC tie-in. Unlike The SI books, these tie-ins have actually been enhancing the main storyline, so I haven't regretted buying them.

Justice League of America #26

I was right on the verge of cancelling this book, but then they suckered me back in with a storyline that featured both a god and Elseworlds styling. Damn their hides!

Legion of Super Heroes #47

Three more issues left. I've been a bit critical of this title in the past but I finally figured out what had been bugging me. The story had been moving at a glacial pace. Now with an end in sight all plot lines are starting to come together.

Trinity #22

I don't usually emote when I'm reading comics (is there something wrong with me?), but last week's Trinity was an exception. Origin stories for two of the three bad guys and a not-so surprise reveal for the last.

Astonishing X-Men Ghost Boxes #1 (of 2)

Two issues into this series and we get a spin off mini. Is that some sort of record?

Avengers Initiative #18

This book just keep going from strength to strength. The main drawcard for me is that the cast is largely made up of a bunch of unknowns. With no shield of invincibility around them, like the rest of the Marvel stable, these guys could die at any moment.

Ultimate Captain America Annual #1

I wasn't looking to buy this book. But the comic guy dropped it my bag, so I figured I might as well check it out.

X-Force #8

Still not a big fan of what they've done to X-23's character. There's still a lot to like in this book however. A legion of the X-Men's greatest eneimes versus five of the X-Men's more violent members.

Final Crisis #4 (of 7)

Issue 4 finally arrives! (sorry). It's been a long wait, but I've been enjoying the series too much to complain. I'm probably the only person who's loving FC and not complaining about the change in artist. Check out the new improved Darkseid there. Doesn't he look like the long lost brother of Baron Ünderbheit from Venture Bros:

Trinity #21

Really, really, really liking this series. Not a whole lot more I can say about it.

Ms Marvel #32

Last issue ended really strangely, with Ms Marvel promising to kill Norman Osbourne. It was set long after the end of Secret Invasion. So who the knows whats going on there. Now it looks like they're jumping back in time back to write what looks to be a Secret Origin-type story for Ms Marvel.

New Avengers #46

Both this and Mighty Avengers are still playing catch up with information we don't really need or have already figured out on out own. That said both books have actually been written and drawn pretty well.

Runaways vol3 #3

I'm loving that there's a regular schedule so I can keep track of things. It's annoying that the kids don't seem to have done anything now that they're back in the present.

Secret Invasion #7 (of 8)

This has the be the single most decompressed miniseries ever written. One day of event spread over 8 issues? Bendis, you've out done yourself!

Thunderbolts #125

Seems like only last week I was reading issue #124. I'll put that down to the neat writing and easy to follow art. Christos Gage's writing has been absolute perfect on this book.

Uncanny X-Men #503

Who is the Red Queen of the Hellfire Cult? My guess: Madelyne Pryor. I can't wait for Greg Land's run on this title to end though. Look how boring that cover is. He could've at least made the two girls looks like they were part of the playing card instead of plastered over the top of it.

X-Factor #36

Still slumping since Messiah Complex. It's the art more than anything. I don't know what they were thinking, bringing on a guy who draws in a ugly, sketchy style to draw a noir book. Luckily this appears to be his last issue. Goodbye, Larry Stroman. You will not be missed.

X-Men: Legacy #217

Part 2 (I guess) of the crossover with Wolverine: Origins. part 1 was a retconner's delight, so I don't see this being any different.

Angel: After The Fall #13

This comic has the strangest release schedule. It's been seven weeks since the last issue. Before that it was three weeks between bites (yuk yuk). I haven't found an image of the cover yet. The IDW site isn't nearly as organised as the Marvel and DC ones.

Booster Gold #13

The first 12 issues of this book have been fantastic. Some lighthearted adventuring through time. This issue and the next are written by a guy who has been quoted as saying that he's going to change the tone of the book. Why?

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #2 (of 5)

The first oversized issue was fantastic. Superboy-Prime blasted to the end of time from his altercation with the Monarch Guardian during the events of Countdown the Sinestro Corps War is sent back in time to the 31st century where he discovered nobody remembered who he was. The Legion of Superheroes has recruited two other alternate versions of themselves to help bring him - and the Legion of Supervillians - down.

Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge #3 (of 3)

This hasn't been a true tie-in to the Final Crisis event, but it's been entertaining none the less. Even with the  disconnect between this and The Flash. But continuity isn't really a bugbear of mine anymore I'm just happy to be enjoying the story.

The Flash #245

Not sure what this new storyline is leading to, but The Flash did fight a giant bug last issue...for what it's worth.

Secret Six #2

It's a shame Cliff Chiang only did the first two covers for Secret Six. They've been very, very good. Gail Simone has been great on this book too.

Trinity #20

I understand why they started this book with a main story and backup. With no Batman, Wonder Woman or Superman those backup players are now at the fore and the book hasn't suffered at all for it.

Astonishing X-Men #27

I can't even remember when the last issue of this came out. Looks like we'll be suffering through the same delays the last team put us through. Warren Ellis really does write the shit out of Emma Frost though.

Mighty Avengers #19

More flashbacks to how the Skrulls began their infiltration. This Captain Marvel died recently in the main book, so I'm not sure what dwelling on his past will accomplish story-wise. Again, it looks like no actual Avengers will appear in this book.

Secret Invasion: Front Line #4 (of 5)

Loving the covers in this mini, but the story has been a bit too thin for me. I haven't connected with any of the characters sadly, but like I said: nice covers.

Young X-Men #7

I keep forgetting to remove this from my pull list. At least this one seems to be another stand alone issue.

Iron Fist vol 3

I preordered this not realising it was the hard cover. Not a problem though as it isn't that much more expensive than the soft cover of volume 2 I bought a few weeks back. Currency shenanigans and all that. These are the final issues of Brubaker and Fraction's amazing run, so I'll be sure to savour them.

X-Men: Original Sin

A lead in book for a crossover I'm not all the interested in. X-Men:Legacy has been pretty decent, but I gave up on Wolverine: Origins after about 5 issues to do it's mediocrity. If this crossover doesn't bring down X-Men : Legacy it will be a miracle.

Green Lantern #35

This must be the finale to the Secret Origin storyline. It feels like it's been going forever. Not that it hasn't been interesting. But I've been hanging to get back to stories featuring the new Lantern factions.

Green Lantern Corps #29

Fun fact: I mispronounced "corps" wrong once about 15 years ago and copped flack for it from friends right up until about 5 years ago when they finally forgot about it. Oh! Is that a Star Sapphire on the cover?

Trinity #19

Much like Countdown, Trinity has segued into an Elseworlds tale. Unlike Countdown this story has actually been good. After Trinity is done, can someone get Mark Bagley on a Power Girl book? Just look at how awesome he drew her last issue:

I'm not 100% sure what that is (because I didn't label the rows in the vegetable garden) but if memory serves that little patch of green will, hopefully, one day become carrots. Of course there's every chance it could be cucumber, eggplant or watermelon. But I'm fine with that. I just hope it's not grass. That would be a real kick in the teeth.

Only time will tell.

I really shouldn't have laid on that last shovelful of topsoil. The clay, rocks and other miscellanea that it contained stick out like sort thumbs. Every now and then I'll flick a rock, plastic jigger or piece of cloth out of the patch and into the neighbour's yard. At a rough estimate I'd probaly need around 46,789 hours to get down and sift out all the offending crap. While it doesn't seem to be a big issue for the plants, without the layer of crap the vegetable garden would at least look a bit more presentable.

Justice League of America #25

They're charging more for this issue, so I hope it's a double-sized issue at least. It would also be nice if they finally wrapped up this Red Tornado stuff thats been going since issue #1. The rest of the DCU has moved on, it's time JLA did too.

Trinity #18

Know what I like about DC? They let the bad guys win every now and then. It makes them a far greater threat than the Marvel villains. Marvel heroes had to resort to fighting amongst themselves for the last two years because of how ineffective their rogue's gallery is.

In last week's Trinity the bad guys managed to - not only defeat Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman - but change the very nature of the universe itself. And we're only a third of the way through the series!

March on Ultimatum Saga

I guess this is supposed to act as a bridge between the awful Ultimates 3 and the Ultimatum miniseries. Much like DC Universe #0 was for Countdown and Final Crisis.

There won't be a lot of new information in this book while Ultimate Origin is still going, but it is free so I'm not complaining too much.

Runaways vol3 #2

I was a bit miffed when the last issue opened with Xavin in male form, after Whedon established that his female form was the 'true' one. But this cover does allay some fears. And yes, that sounds weird to me too.

If you answered 'No' you win the prize.

I barely remember any of the interview anyway. I'm not sure if this is due to laying my eyes on the fancy new digs they worked in or the cold terror that clutched my heart as I realised maybe I should have written down some notes or something.

I must've said something right during my 20 minute long rambling session because at the end of it they asked for my referees. Then they asked again when I told them I hadn't heard right the first time. I didn't admit that what I had heard was a sort of rushing white noise sound. Possibly the sound of my blood trying to explode.

Having someone call up and say "hey you got the job" surely rates as one of the greatest things to happen during your life. Next to getting married, having kids winning a major sporting event. I'm assuming.

I still have that feeling every now and then. It's the little things that bring it on, like no one telling me I have to attend training courses I have no interest in just to meet performance plan goals; the view; the abundance of natural (natural!) light and finally my boss.

A boss that actually listens and offers advice; understands (but sadly doesn't approve of ) my acute hatred of meetings; and wants me to be the best at what I do, rather than be mediocre at a whole bunch of vaguely connected tasks without offering me any support.

Yeah, this place really is great.