Hooded Girl from the New 52 (week 13)

She disappeared for awhile but she is back this week in Tiny Titans #46. Here are all her appearances from the issue, but one question lingers in the air; do we find out who she is? No spoilers here. Go buy the issue yourself.
Tiny Titans Rule!










There you have it our Hooded Girl returns and makes the most appearances in a single issue to date. Where will she pop up next?

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 11/30/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 11/30/11:

(Note: I have included deep links for some titles if you wish to support Comics Conspiracy when you buy digital comics.)

01. DC Universe Online: Legends #18 DC
02. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz #3 of 8 Marvel
03. Fables #111 Vertigo
04. A Game of Thrones #3 Dynamite
05. Legion: Secret Origin #2 of 6 DC
06. Super Dinosaur #6 Image
07. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 of 6 DC
08. Tiny Titans #46 DC

This 5th week of November is a small not much shipped this week. I grabbed two titles I normally wouldn't have: Tiny Titans #46 and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1. Tiny Titans because the Hooded Girl makes her appearance in the kids line of DC titles and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents because I have heard good things from friends about the previous series. We shall see.

Remember you can now find these titles and more in digital format at our Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

It's Tuesday, Ryan Said What?

"Don't buy the sheep if you can't afford the cheese."

I am not making any of this up. Higgins actually said this.

Random Comic Pick - Episode 34

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 34 is the Marvel trade Planet Hulk written by Greg Pak with art by Carlo Pagulayan.
I know that I have had a lot of hate for Marvel so I wanted to show you that there are gems out there in the Marvel Universe that are worth reading. Planet Hulk is one of these books. I read this trade a few years ago when I got back into comics and loved it. Pak does an excellent job giving the reader a engaging and savage story about everyone's favorite green skinned menace.
Hulk is tricked by the Illuminati (the secret society that consisted of Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Professor X, and Namor) and he is supposed to be sent to a peaceful planet where he can finally be alone, but there is a malfunction with the spacecraft. The Hulk crash lands on a very brutal and fierce planet where life is anything but peaceful. Hulk finds himself enslaved and put to fight in an arena very much like gladiator battles the Romans would watch for entertainment. Hulk just wants to be left alone, but will this be the case? You'll have to read to find out.

(There is a Prelude to Planet Hulk trade that directly leads up to Planet Hulk, but you don't need to read it. And if you ask me you can just Wikipedia any Hulk story after this one; especially World War Hulk and War of the Hulks.)

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics and you can also download comics at the Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront for your computer, tablet or phone.

The Winning Review of the Podcast...

I know this is late, but I have had a rough couple of weeks. I wanted to thank SeaToad for his wonderful winning review of the podcast. So, here it is:

"In retail day, in podcast night,
No Comics shall escape their sight
Let those who worship Geekbox's might,
Beware their rants...Comic Conspirators unite!"

SeaToad, I hope you enjoy your nice run of the Suicide Squad. It should be in the mail tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers and hopefully going to the post office.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is officially turkey day and I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday with friends and family. Whatever you do today be thankful in some small way. I am thankful for my son, my girlfriend, the job I have, my health and having good people in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Would Like Input

I am happy with all the attention the blog gets, but I want to make it better, more appealing, in general a place that you the reader like to come and spend a few moments reading my thoughts.
What if anything would you like me to address here? Remember I work two jobs, record a podcast, take care of my son, try and spend time with my girlfriend, and I have to read my books every week so I need something I can do in a few minutes while at the computer or even on the go with mobile blogging. So, leave a comment with some input. Thanks for listening and visiting my little blog corner of the world.

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 11/23/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 11/23/11:

(Note: I have included deep links for some titles if you wish to support Comics Conspiracy when you buy digital comics.)

01. All Star Western #3 DC
02. Annihilators: Earthfall #3 of 4 Marvel
03. Aquaman #3 DC
04. Batman: The Dark Knight #3 DC
05. Blackhawks #3 DC
06. Captain America & Bucky #624 Marvel
07. DMZ #71 Vertigo
08. Flash #3 DC
09. Green Lantern: New Guardians #3 DC
10. Justice League Dark #3 DC
11. The Shade #2 of 12 DC
12. Superman #3 DC
13. The Unwritten #31.5 Vertigo
14. Voodoo #3 DC

We are all ready through November and DC is still going strong with their new rejiggered universe. This last week of number three's is overall a good read week because no title gets my overall attention due to the fact that all of the titles I pick up are interesting reads. I will pay a little more attention to Justice League Dark and Aquaman, but I like a lot of the titles from week equally.

Calli got Voodoo this week and I'm interested to see if she likes the Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) appearance that happens in it. I'll let you know.

My pull list seems to be getting smaller, but that is okay; I'm trimming out the garbage. For example, with Captain America & Bucky this week I noticed an ad in the back for a new creative team to start on the book with issue #625. All I could think about after seeing that was the fact that this book is now on my chopping block because I don't know if I'm going to like the new creative team and/or direction they are going to take the book. If this title goes though it will free up space for me to try something else; maybe Winter Soldier.
I know I talk a lot of Marvel hate here and on the podcast, but they make it hard not to. Most of what has come out of Marvel in the past few years has been less than readable and with all the turbulent news coming from the Bullpen as of late I'm not liking the direction Marvel is taking as a business or as universe. I'm still a hopeful Marvel fan wanting to read good stories about characters I like by creators that are not over worked or underpaid. Sounds like a long shot I know, but I can only be what I've been...a comic book fan left waiting.

Remember you can now find these titles and more in digital format at our Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

I Occupied for a moment...

I was in San Francisco today so I decided to go down and check out the Occupy SF encampment at Justin Herman Plaza. It was an experience to see it with my own eyes and I must say that it looked like a well organized encampment. The encampment wasn't really that dirty as the city of SF claims it to be (they yell safety and sanitation and an increase in crime so that there will be an excuse to evict them).
In fact the encampment looks as dirty as the rest of SF as far as grime is concerned. Maybe the City of SF should be evicted until they can clean up the city?
Being down there was something I have wanted to do for some time and I'm glad I got the chance to check it out. There is a movement spreading and I hope it brings about some much needed change.

Random Comic Pick - Episode 33

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 33 is Batman: Arkham City written by Paul Dini with art by Carlos D'Anda, Dustin Nguyen, Ben Herrera, Ted Naifeh and Derek Fridolfs. This awesome story takes place in between the events of the video games Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Currently this series is only collected in hardcover, but the soft cover should be coming out some time next year, but getting the graphic novel now you get the Batman: Arkham City Exclusive Online Digital Chapters which weren't released in print till now.
I would assume that the softcover would also include these digital chapters, but with the way DC has been in the trade market (R.E.B.E.L.S. Vol. 5 and Suicide Squad Vol. 2 cancellations - I'm still pissed) I am not so sure. Your decision though, but I will say this about Batman: Arkham City it is a definite must read and if you are a video gamer looking to get into comics it is a good starting point.

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics and you can also download comics at the Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront for your computer, tablet or phone.

Monday 11/21/11

A couple of things:

1) It is the start of Thanksgiving week, and all I want to do is visit Calendar Man in Batman: Arkham City and have a nice dinner with the family. I should get both of those accomplishments on Thursday.

2) I still haven't seen a good deal on the laptop I want to get to replace my old one that died. I'm hoping for that to change this weekend.

3) I am feeling much better and I will be back behind the mic tonight to record The Comic Conspiracy.

4) I will be updating on the reading lists posted here so check back soon.

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 11/16/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 11/16/11:

(Note: I have included deep links for some titles if you wish to support Comics Conspiracy when you buy digital comics.)

01. Amazing Spider-Man #674 Marvel
02. Batman #3 DC
03. Captain Atom #3 DC
04. Catwoman #3 DC
05. DC Universe Online: Legends #17 DC
06. DC Universe Presents: Deadman #3 DC
07. Green Lantern Corps #3 DC
08. Justice League #3 DC
09. Legion of Super-Heroes #3 DC
10. Red Hood and the Outlaws #3 DC
11. Severed #4 Image
12. The Stand: The Night Has Come #4 of 6 Marvel
13. Supergirl #3 DC

I've been off all week and it is all thanks to this year's flu. A warning for all you out there who don't like getting sick the flu this years is a vicious one and it will knock you on you ass.
Anyway, back to my regular blurb here about what I am really looking forward to this week. Here are the titles at the bottom of my read list; Catwoman, Batman, Severed, Green Lantern Corps, Red Hood and the Outlaws and Justice League will finish off my weekly reading and I can't wait to see what happens in all of them.
Calli of course snatched her copy of Catwoman from me when I held it out for her. She is a little obsessed with the kleptomatic Gotham City Siren, but you won't see me complain.


Why Isn't [blank] on My Pull List?

Incredible Hulk #2 came out this week and I was actually tempted to start picking this one up after I read the first issue, but then I heard that there were like twelve different artists on this book so I decided that I would give it a read to see if the story can make up for the artistic let down. My prediction is that Incredible Hulk will be an incredible waste of my time.

Captain America #4 also came out this week and it is no longer on my pull list because the shield in this series has no crack in it and the events in this book are after Fear Itself aren't they. Even if they aren't I haven't been a big fan of Ed Brubaker's current Captain America recently, which is sad because Captain America and Bucky has been so good and actually enjoyable to read. We will see if Brubaker can keep me tethered on the main Captain America title; if not another Marvel title will fall off my pull list.

Amazing Spider-Man #674 came out as well and it has a lot to do to get me to want to keep buying Amazing Spider-Man for $3.99. Spider Island was a huge disappointment and I am still surprised I wanted to see where Spider-Man was going after that abysmal ordeal. Amazing Spider-Man could be on the chopping block.

I think it is time for me to wrap this up and get to reading my comics from this week.

Remember you can now find these titles and more in digital format at our Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

No Brock!

I'm sorry I was not able to be on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 32 this week. I have been really sick since last Thursday. It got pretty bad last night, and Calli and I wanted to be sure that it wasn't Swine Flu or Bird something virus that could be very bad news for Brody; so I ended up at the ER.

(This was Calli's first time seeing me in the hospital. I've seen her in the hospital (not counting Brody's birth) way to many times.)

They said it was most likely this seasons flu and not one of the super viruses, but they did check for bronchitis and pneumonia as well and I seem to be free and clear of those. But I must warn people this season's flu is a vicious beast of severe aches, a cough that hurts your brain, chills, heat flashes, fever and an overall feeling of shit. So, be prepared.
I will return next week!

The Dream to Make T-Shirts Will Come True...

My friend Robert True has hit his project goal with a little time to spare, and so he will be able to start his t-shirt business to be able to stay home with his son who was recently diagnosed with autism. Thank you to everyone who donated and / or shared this link.

Check out WauiDesign.com for more updates and products.

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 11/9/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 11/9/11:

(Note: I have included deep links for some titles if you wish to support Comics Conspiracy when you buy digital comics.)

01. Batgirl #3 DC
02. Batman and Robin #3 DC
03. Batwoman #3 DC
04. Deathstroke #3 DC
05. Demon Knights #3 DC
06. Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E #3 DC
07. Green Lantern #3 DC
08. Grifter #3 DC
09. Huntress #2 of 6 DC
10. Legion Lost #3 DC
11. Resurrection Man #3 DC
12. Star Trek / Legion of Super-Heroes #2 IDW
13. Suicide Squad #3 DC
14. The Unwritten #31 Vertigo
15. X-Men Legacy #258 Marvel

Calli was happy this week. Two titles came out that are on her pull list. I'll let you guess, but if you want to know what's on her "New Rejiggered 52" pull list click here.
I'm excited that I get to read Green Lantern, Suicide Squad and Resurrection Man this week. I don't know about you but after I make this pull list I take my comics out of alphabetical order and I put them in a reading order; which basically means I save my favorites for last. Maybe I should start doing that list up here too. Calli would kill me if I took more time to write this, but let me know by leaving a comment if you would like to know my reading order.
DC has been dominating the market for the past few months and it definitely shows on my pull list. Marvel hasn't been putting out something I want to spend money on. For example I flipped through Avenging Spider-Man #1 and was not impressed with the art from everyone's favorite non-finisher Joe Madureira. It was pretty bad and I think all the artists on the Spider Island story from Amazing Spider-Man are going to be brought in to do filler on this book real soon. In my opinion this Avenging Spider-Man title (or as Higgins calls it the Spider-Man Marvel Team-Up book) could have been put into the Amazing Spider-Man series as another story arc and it would have sold better than a brand new number one. I passed on it to say the least and I also passed on Uncanny X-Force, the really stupid Marvel Point One One-Shot that is just a huge solicitation book for coming soon titles with a cover price of $5.99 (we are selling it for $1.99 if you are interested), and Fear Itself #7.2 or whatever Thor number the book should be. Man all this hate on my pull list, oh it must be from the cancellation of the trades Suicide Squad (Vol. 2) - The Nightshade Odyssey and R.E.B.E.L.S. (Vol. 5) - Starstruck. Damn you DC! Why do you have to go and be really great and then do something dumb like this? Remember you can now find these titles and more in digital format at our Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

Random Comic Pick - Episode 31

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 31 is Batman: Time And The Batman written by Grant Morrison and Fabian Nicieza with art by David Finch, Tony Daniel, Andy Kubert, and Frank Quietly. This trade collects Batman issues #700, 701, 702, and 703 and it is basically a must read if you have read or plan to read Final Crisis, R.I.P., Bruce Wayne: The Road Home, and The Return of Bruce Wayne. Time And The Batman helps explain a lot of what happens to Batman in between panels, story arcs and issues which definitely makes it a gap filler trade and a good addition to your already to bookshelf busting trade collection. (The hardcover is out now and the softcover version will be released on February 14, 2012.)
I enjoyed these issues as they came out, but I really wish I had them when I was reading all those other stories while Batman was no longer with us. These issues are a must if you are tackling the Batman Universe from Final Crisis through Batman Incorporated.
I will say this though, when I go back to re-read Final Crisis, R.I.P., Bruce Wayne: The Road Home, and The Return of Bruce Wayne this trade will be pulled out and read along with it.

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics and you can also download comics at the Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront for your computer, tablet or phone.

Batman: Arkham City...Just Buy It!

I have been up late for almost a month (pissing Calli off in the process) playing my recently picked up copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum - The Game of the Year Edition and Rocksteady Studios newest installment Batman: Arkham City. Needless to say, I have had a lot of Batman in the last month and I'm smiling like Joker inside and out about it all.

Batman: Arkham City is a fantastic addition to the Batman video game franchise not only because it is a great game, but it also introduces a lot more of the villains and heroes from the Batman Universe in the process. It is a must buy.

Many of the voice talents from Arkham Asylum return for this newest trek into the Batman Universe. The major ones are Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. This will be the last time Mark Hamill will be the voice of the Clown Prince of Crime and this makes me a little sad.

The game play in Arkham City is smoother overall than the game play in Arkham Asylum, and the amount of things to do and explore in the game is very rewarding. There is a lot more extra stuff to do in Arkham City than there was in Arkham Asylum, and I know some people said that Arkham City is shorter in the campaign than Arkham Asylum, but I think that they are to close for comparison, because both games gave you plenty to do in the main story and side stuff.

As of writing this I have completed about 70% of Arkham City overall and I haven't gotten everything. I almost have all of the Riddler trophies and such (400 for Batman and 40 for Catwoman), and I have one side mission to complete (damn AR Training...I hate gliding). I'm not big on challenge mode achievements so I don't think I will be getting much more of the overall completion of the game done, but there is still the New Game Plus version of the game to play and a couple of little things like visiting Calendar Man on the twelve holidays, seeing Killer Croc's cameo appearance in the sewers, decoding some hidden signals, finding the Scarecrow reference and in general enjoying the world of Arkham City again.

I'm waiting to hear about the Nightwing bundle to see if it is worth getting. So, leave me a comment if you have played as Nightwing to let me know what you think.

If you are on the fence about getting this game you shouldn't be. It is worth the $60 bucks and if you haven't picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum I highly suggest you do. The games are connected story wise, but you don't need to play Arkham Asylum to get into Arkham City.

The comic Batman: Arkham City written by Paul Dini (who also wrote the story for both video games) with art by Carlos D'Anda, Dustin Nguyen, Ben Herrera, Ted Naifeh and Derek Fridolfs, I would recommend picking up, because it directly leads up to the events in the video game and is honestly a really good read. I actually need to get the hardcover because it also includes the Batman: Arkham City Exclusive Online Digital Chapters which weren't released in print till now.

5 out of 5 Stars, 10 out of 10, how many Gabrielle Anwar's is perfection again? You get the hint. Batman: Arkham City is the must have video game of the year so just go out there and buy it already!

www.conspiratorbrock.com

Because "conspiratorbrock.blogspot.com" was so annoying to say on the podcast I have officially registered the domain name "www.conspiratorbrock.com" and it is now working. So, I need to do some "rejiggering" with my blog to make sure things have changed over with no bugs, and you should change your bookmark to the new URL. Thank you for listening and as always stay tuned for more.

The New X-Men...Wolverine and Uncanny #1's

It was a sad week for me and my favorite team of mutants from Marvel. After I couldn't read through half of Wolverine and the X-Men #1 last week, and the cold hard fact that I was so unimpressed with Uncanny X-Men #1 (I got through it), I will be using this new renumbering of the X-Men world as a great place to jump off from all of the X-Books completely.
This is a shame because I have always liked the X-Men, but there are only so many times I can read about mutant genocide, the Purifiers (a church of mutant haters), S.W.O.R.D., the Hellfire Club, rip-off stories from good writers, and in general the same old crap that has dominated the pages of Uncanny X-Men and X-Men for years.
I will admit there was some hope with Matt Fraction's run with art by Greg Land, but even with the change of coast lines and the creation of Utopia it wasn't enough to hold my interest in the titles after the disappointment of Age of X and Schism.
So, I will be saying good-bye to the X-Men until Marvel can realize that we need to have characters develop and mature; not jump from one event, to another crisis, to another epic-ground shattering cross-over, back to another event. We need down time and a chance to see the characters we know and love do something other than the same old repeated garbage. Adieu X-Books.

P.S. Does anyone know why and when Wolverine become such a pussy? If it was in Schism then I really don't care.

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 11/2/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 11/02/11:

(Note: I have included deep links for some titles if you wish to support Comics Conspiracy when you buy digital comics.)

01. Action Comics #3 DC
02. Amazing Spider-Man #673 Marvel
03. American Vampire #20 Vertigo
04. Animal Man #3 DC
05. Batwing #3 DC
06. Detective Comics #3 DC
07. Green Arrow #3 DC
08. Justice League International #3 DC
09. Red Lanterns #3 DC
10. Stormwatch #3 DC
11. Swamp Thing #3 DC

The number 3's are here! DC is moving into their third month of the "New Rejiggered 52" and I know I will be trimming a few titles back this month, but for the most part I have enjoyed where DC is taking us with the characters and stories. Out of this weeks releases I am really looking forward to Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Action Comics and Detective Comics. Amazing Spider-Man is the only Marvel title I picked up this week and I even cringed at this because Spider-Island is still going on and it has been a horrible story (almost as bad as One More Day or O.M.I.T.). Uncanny X-Men #1 came out this week. I will read it but I don't think I will continue with any of the X-titles. Check back this week for my review on the two new X-Men titles. Also on my Marvel "read list to stay current but not picking up" is Fear Itself #7.1 and I'm thinking that it will be a huge let down just like the whole numbered Fear Itself. I know that it seems as if I am hating on Marvel, but they aren't producing quality work and I want to be a True Believer again.
Remember you can now find these titles and more in digital format at our Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

Random Comic Pick - Episode 30

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 30 is Captain Atom #2 written by J.T. Krul with art from Freddie Williams II. Captain Atom is a very powerful character in the DC Universe and in this "New Rejiggered 52" his character has been rebooted to a point where he is just figuring out his powers

After the events of issue one Captain Atom is bombarded of information from the digital airwaves and it is too much for him. He gets this new power under control with help from The Continuum an advanced scientific research facility. He uses this new ability and after sifting through the stream of invisible digital information flowing through the air he hears the plea of a boy dying of brain cancer, and he feels compelled to help.
I don't want to spoil the issue so check it out because it is one of the rare examples of a good story contained in a single issue and that is why it is my random pick this week.

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics and you can also download comics at the Comics Conspiracy - Comixology Storefront for your computer, tablet or phone.