Infinite Crisis #1 Review

          The wait is finally over. Quite possibly the most anticipated comic event of the year has arrived, and to put is short and sweet...it doesn't disappoint. Quite frankly, I was keeping my hopes pretty well grounded for this series. That's nothing against Geoff Johns and Phil Jimenez whose work I adore...it was more of a defense mechanism to make sure that I wouldn't be as disappointed as I was with some of the Countdown to Infinite Crisis minis. Fortunately, or not depending on the perspective, this issue not only kept pace with my expectations, it raised the bar to a whole new level for every single subsequent issue and damn but this is a fine book.I have way too many praises for this so I'll save those till the end...the nitpicks I'll cover right up front.

          First off, I would like to say that while this was a DC fanboy's dream come true, this issue was not even slightly new reader friendly. The cut-aways to events being referenced from the minis, the slavish degree to which continuity which goes back 20 years was referenced, and the appearance of more than a few characters who new readers would have no idea about make this series a headache for any reader who is either new to the DCU or new to comics entirely. Supposedly this gets fixed in issue 2, but since most people determine he effectiveness of a comic by the first issue, it does not bode well for the browsers. Another nitpick, and this is most likely personal rather than general, is that this series is now most definitely a complete and total sequel to Crisis On Infinite Earths and while that's ok, it's unfair in the sense that DC kept saying it either wasn't or the old refrain of "wait and see." I don't mind the secrecy, but the few times that Dan Didio has outright lied about this not being a sequel really burns me. The readers should get atleast a modicum of respect in that they should be allowed to formulate their own theories rather than lying to them flat-out. Anyway, that's pretty much it for the bad stuff about this issue...and considering that it's a 30 pager...that definitely ain't half bad.

          The good, the fanboyish squeal-worthy moments in this issue far, far outweigh any and all things that may be construed as unsavory. First off, kudos to Johns for making me absolutely adore the 'Goddamned' Batman. These panels not only captured everything that I believe defines the Superman-Batman relationship, but also, very effectively showed how wide the rift between them has actually become:Jimenez also perfectly captured the inner workings of the two and brought them to the surface. Superman looks so wounded, so raw right there, that it's hard to believe that this is the strongest mortal on the face of the planet. Batman ofcourse, does not give anything away, and therein lies the beauty of this book. Each character (with the possible exception of Wonder Woman...that's a matter of argument) acts exactly like you would expect them to act. Far too often characters starts acting like polar opposites in minis which and I'm glad to see that the writing is consistent between all the DCU titles.

          Rather than go on and on about each and every single page of this book (and trust me, I could) I would rather like to comment on the end while trying to not give it away...Friggin' Awesome!!! That's the best ending ever, and while I still am on the fence about what exactly it means, it undoubtedly made me want to yell out loud and pump my arm in the air (I didn't...but I did want to). Absolutely brilliant, and I cannot wait for the next issue. I plan on reviewing every single issue of this series, so if nothing else, this blog will be on a monthly schedule for a while...that's something huh?

          As much as I love talking about comics, this is a general interest blog, so expect the next entry to be about another one of my cats...and then maybe I will actually be the last blogger to discover Scott Pilgrim...we shall see...stay tuned!!

Pakistan Earthquake

Let me take a break from my self-imposed silence and speak seriously for a minute. For those of you who live under rocks, today is the one week anniversary of what may have been the worst natural disaster to ever strike Pakistan in it's short history. The Earthquake which struck most of the country, but most especially the Northern areas was felt first on Saturday, October 8th, 2005 at approximately 9:00 AM. It was a massive (for Pakistan) 7.6 on the richter scale at the epicenter which was very near to Azad Kashmir, and was still at 6.2 in Lahore when it reached here, which is a distance of over 450km. I can't comment on everyone's experience although let me assure you...there has been nothing else on the minds of the people of Pakistan since this tragedy occured. All we've been able to talk about is the Earthquake, and like it or not, it has forever become our JFK Assassination or 9/11(as in, 'Where were you when the Earthquake hit?')

Fortunately for me, I live in Lahore and we barely felt the quake as it tore it's way through Pakistan. Sure some old buildings did collapse, but they were barely noteworthy. The real tragedy occurred in the small town of Muzaffarabad. There is now nothing remaining of this town. A classmate of mine is from here, and I'm sorry to say that most of his family is now no longer with us. The only survivors of an extended family of over 10 people are now down to 3; the classmate, and his parents. When the whole world was filled with tragedy; be it the tsunami, or the katrina fiasco, it never really hit that close to home. Having something like this happen to someone I know, however, has really struck a chord. It's made me question my own mortality, as trite as that may sound, and more than anything, it's really made me think about my life. I feel blessed to not have lost anyone close to me in this Earthquake, and while I can't even imagine what these people who have lost everything must be going through, I wish them the best, and hope that they can somehow find the courage to go on and continue with their lives.

If you want to help the earthquake victims...be it money, clothing, anything really, please contact the people at this site: http://www.earthquakepakistan.com/

A lot of people need your help, and anything, no matter how small in your eyes, can help. Please try to devote some of your hard-earned money this way.