2008 was the comeback year for cosmic comic books. A series of solid series was put out by both Marvel and DC featuring characters on their space-faring adventures. For those of you wondering why cosmic comics are so in at the moment, look no further than Green Lantern.
For the longest time, Green Lantern was a second-rate title but now it is top of the pile. The reason for this change was “The Sinestro Corp War”. The series which ran in the Green Lantern & Green Lantern Corp regular series made a superstar out of Geoff Johns and put GL up there alongside Superman and Batman as DC icons. With a discount available, I went and bought all 3 TPB involved in “The Sinestro Corp War”. For the record, this is “The Sinestro Corp War- Part 1”, “The Sinestro Corp War- Part 2” and “Tales of The Sinestro Corp”. So how did I find the series that started the whole cosmic craze?
My overall view of the “The Sinestro Corp War” is that it’s good, it’s very good but it’s just short of great. I can see why many people liked it as Johns put in the right mix of action and characterization. Although the main character is the Earth GL, Hal Jordan, Johns did not ignore the rest of the cast. Sinestro was terrifying and scary and with Superman Prime, Henshaw and the Anti-Monitor, the Sinestro Corp looked like a powerhouse. You can see why they managed to stand up to the more experienced GL Corp. Supporting characters like Kilowag and Sodam Yat also shines as Johns showed that they are also Green Lanterns, powerful and important in their own right.
For all my talk of characterizations, ‘Sinestro Corps War’ is an action-driven epic. We have fights in space, on alien planets, on Earth, in the Anti-Universe, and there are many, many of them. We have everything from ones-on-ones, to skirmishes, to full scale battles. Everything is here. I especially like how brutal the fights were; GLs were taken unaware by snipers, Sinestro Corp members were overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and casualties were taken on all sides.
There are parts in the story which I thought could be avoided. I can understand the need to have a war on Earth and to involved Superman and gang, but the issue about Coast City was unnecessary. It was like a road bump in the middle of the expressway; you are going fine and fast when suddenly something knocked you of your stride. The whole world is in danger and both Parallax and Hal Jordan take themselves out of the fight for some family matters?
Still, this was a good series and a pretty admirable way to revitalizes the Green Lantern mythos. 3 TPB may be a little on the steep side but as I said earlier; this is a very good series and if you enjoy action epics, cosmic stories, or even war stories; this is the series for you.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Time for Hard Questioning
Words can mean different things when they are being said by different people. US President Barack Obama can say that the global economic crisis is far from over and he can make it sound like there are better things ahead. However when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that the global economic crisis is far from over, I sit up and take notice.
Putin made his name when as the Russian President, he single-handedly turned Russia from a laughingstock back into a world power. He did it in a tough, no-nonsense way that remained everyone of the old Soviet Union. Whatever you want to say about his methods, it worked and no one is laughing at Russia now.
So when a tough S.O.B like Putin says that the global economic crisis is far from over, you should be worried. It’s an indication of the troubles facing the world when even the powerful president-turned-premier took heat from the Duma (the Russian parliament) on his handling of the crisis.
It’s saying something about how bad the economic crisis is when an almost-legendary figure like Vladimir Putin face hard questioning from his people. I wonder if that will ever happen in Singapore.
Putin made his name when as the Russian President, he single-handedly turned Russia from a laughingstock back into a world power. He did it in a tough, no-nonsense way that remained everyone of the old Soviet Union. Whatever you want to say about his methods, it worked and no one is laughing at Russia now.
So when a tough S.O.B like Putin says that the global economic crisis is far from over, you should be worried. It’s an indication of the troubles facing the world when even the powerful president-turned-premier took heat from the Duma (the Russian parliament) on his handling of the crisis.
It’s saying something about how bad the economic crisis is when an almost-legendary figure like Vladimir Putin face hard questioning from his people. I wonder if that will ever happen in Singapore.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Overreaction
The U.S., Japan and South Korea went to the U.N. Security Council seeking punishment for North Korea's launch of a test rocket over the weekend. The emergency U.N. meeting failed to come out with any agreement to Pyongyang's defiant missile test.
The reason for this is because any country not called U.S., Japan and South Korea treat the missile test with a, “Uh…ok.” The big problem U.S. faced is that no one really thinks of a missile test as a security crisis. How can they when U.S. has the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world, Japan has nuclear reactors in their country, and South Korea is a firm ally of the U.S. And they are complaining about one lousy missile test from North Korea?
One also can’t help but think that this “international crisis” come at a very good time for the Japanese and South Korean government. With their tottering economy, a little international incident against the dangerous North Koreans seem like just what the doctor ordered to distract attention away from domestic issues. To be fair, they are hardly the only countries to do this. Notice how the Cambodian-Thai border issues only flare up whenever the Thai government has to deal with protestors in Bangkok. Most countries also think of sanctions for one missile test as a gross overreaction.
That’s why the U.S., Japan and South Korea are having so little success at the U.N. Security Council
The reason for this is because any country not called U.S., Japan and South Korea treat the missile test with a, “Uh…ok.” The big problem U.S. faced is that no one really thinks of a missile test as a security crisis. How can they when U.S. has the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world, Japan has nuclear reactors in their country, and South Korea is a firm ally of the U.S. And they are complaining about one lousy missile test from North Korea?
One also can’t help but think that this “international crisis” come at a very good time for the Japanese and South Korean government. With their tottering economy, a little international incident against the dangerous North Koreans seem like just what the doctor ordered to distract attention away from domestic issues. To be fair, they are hardly the only countries to do this. Notice how the Cambodian-Thai border issues only flare up whenever the Thai government has to deal with protestors in Bangkok. Most countries also think of sanctions for one missile test as a gross overreaction.
That’s why the U.S., Japan and South Korea are having so little success at the U.N. Security Council
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Disastrous Start to New F1 Season
As the new Formula One season get under away and our neighbor Malaysia holds the second race of the season today, I have to wonder what the hell is going on in F1 this year.
Only 2 weeks into the season and I believe everyone will have to agree that the season has thus far been a total disaster. Before the season even started, there were already mass complains and appeal when 3 of the teams found a loophole in the new rules and modify their cars to achieve more speed. One of the cars won the opening race Australian Grand Prix and the rest of the padlock are appealing the decision to allow the cars to race.
That however is nothing compare to the furor surrounding defending champion Lewis Hamilton. In Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton exchange of third place with Jarno Trulli while they were behind the safety car. You are not allowed to overtake when the safety car is on track unless the car in front of you went off the track. That’s what happened when Trulli went off the track to avoid the debris from the collision. Hamilton took over third place but later Trulli took over third place again while the safely car was on the track. Trulli said that he had no choice as Hamilton slowed to a crawl and allowed him to overtake. In 2 hearings after the race, Hamilton and McLaren racing team said that they never did so and that Trulli overtook them illegally.
The race stewards ruled against Trulli. He was out of the points and Hamilton was placed third in the race. Now a fresh stewards' hearing into the Melbourne race was held this week after they got their hands on new audio evidence of the team radio transmissions. That plus an amateur video taken by a fan at the Australian race made it clear that Hamilton did slowed down to allow Trulli to pass him and orders were given to him to that effect. The stewards realized that they had been lied to (twice) and promptly disqualified McLaren and Hamilton. Now there is talk about disqualifying McLaren and Hamilton from the rest of the season.
I fail to see the problem here. McLaren and Hamilton clearly lied to the race stewards (twice) and even the British press, faithful defender of Hamilton till now, has condemned him for it. McLaren has gone into damage control by suspending its long-standing sporting director Dave Ryan but no matter who masterminded the lie, one thing is clear. Hamilton was the one who lied! I fail to see the reason why he shouldn’t be kicked from the season.
Just suspend him for the rest of the season and hopefully we can get back to the racing.
Only 2 weeks into the season and I believe everyone will have to agree that the season has thus far been a total disaster. Before the season even started, there were already mass complains and appeal when 3 of the teams found a loophole in the new rules and modify their cars to achieve more speed. One of the cars won the opening race Australian Grand Prix and the rest of the padlock are appealing the decision to allow the cars to race.
That however is nothing compare to the furor surrounding defending champion Lewis Hamilton. In Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton exchange of third place with Jarno Trulli while they were behind the safety car. You are not allowed to overtake when the safety car is on track unless the car in front of you went off the track. That’s what happened when Trulli went off the track to avoid the debris from the collision. Hamilton took over third place but later Trulli took over third place again while the safely car was on the track. Trulli said that he had no choice as Hamilton slowed to a crawl and allowed him to overtake. In 2 hearings after the race, Hamilton and McLaren racing team said that they never did so and that Trulli overtook them illegally.
The race stewards ruled against Trulli. He was out of the points and Hamilton was placed third in the race. Now a fresh stewards' hearing into the Melbourne race was held this week after they got their hands on new audio evidence of the team radio transmissions. That plus an amateur video taken by a fan at the Australian race made it clear that Hamilton did slowed down to allow Trulli to pass him and orders were given to him to that effect. The stewards realized that they had been lied to (twice) and promptly disqualified McLaren and Hamilton. Now there is talk about disqualifying McLaren and Hamilton from the rest of the season.
I fail to see the problem here. McLaren and Hamilton clearly lied to the race stewards (twice) and even the British press, faithful defender of Hamilton till now, has condemned him for it. McLaren has gone into damage control by suspending its long-standing sporting director Dave Ryan but no matter who masterminded the lie, one thing is clear. Hamilton was the one who lied! I fail to see the reason why he shouldn’t be kicked from the season.
Just suspend him for the rest of the season and hopefully we can get back to the racing.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Comics this week
War of Kings #2- After the excellent #1, I was looking forward to #2. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning didn't disappoint with a issue that showcase the political aspect of the war. This is something most comics just ignore in favour of the action but they didn't and this made War of Kings more interesting. We saw that the Kree don't have that much love for the Inhumans and even among the Shi'ar, not everyone enjoyed working for a super-powered madman. Having said that, there were a few things I dislike. In all her appearances in FF, Avengers, X-Men etc; I had always found Crystal to be an extremely annoying character. This issue didn't change my view. Suddenly through luck, she became the "People Princess"? What she Princess Diana? The art was another thing. Some pages of this issue looked rush and I wonder if Paul Pelletier was on a strict deadline. Overall, this was another excellent issue.
Secret Warriors #3- You would think that an issue whose main scene is a dinner date between an old spy veteran and his old flame would be a bore. However Jonathan Hickman made it an interesting experience to say that least. Who else could get away with telling Nick Fury "you're a poor little boy who's gone and lost his flag"? Intertwine the dinner date were the Secret Warriors who were soundly beaten by Gorgon, making Nick call for reinforcements. Look like there will be more warriors next issue.
Irredeemable #1- The idea of a Superman-like character gone bad is interesting but if you are expecting an action-pack issue showing the main character destroying everything in his path, you will be disappointed. Irredeemable is really an investigation series by Mark Waid showing a group of heroes trying to find out WHY the best hero in the world has gone bad. It's a slow burn but it was interesting and there was enough in here to get me back for issue 2.
Secret Warriors #3- You would think that an issue whose main scene is a dinner date between an old spy veteran and his old flame would be a bore. However Jonathan Hickman made it an interesting experience to say that least. Who else could get away with telling Nick Fury "you're a poor little boy who's gone and lost his flag"? Intertwine the dinner date were the Secret Warriors who were soundly beaten by Gorgon, making Nick call for reinforcements. Look like there will be more warriors next issue.
Irredeemable #1- The idea of a Superman-like character gone bad is interesting but if you are expecting an action-pack issue showing the main character destroying everything in his path, you will be disappointed. Irredeemable is really an investigation series by Mark Waid showing a group of heroes trying to find out WHY the best hero in the world has gone bad. It's a slow burn but it was interesting and there was enough in here to get me back for issue 2.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
EPL this month
Last month, I said that the title race looked over and that Sir Alex Ferguson would not allow Man Utd to screw it up. I spoke too soon.
Top Teams this Month
Liverpool- They beat Real Madrid, they slaughtered Man Utd at Old Trafford and they destroyed Aston Villa at Anfield. They are without question the team in form right now. Two things were answered in this run. One; Liverpool is a title contender. Two; Steven Gerrard's best position is as an attacking midfielder playing behind Fernando Torres. Manager Rafael Benitez need to maintain this position till the end of the season and Liverpool will drive Man Utd all the way till the end of the season.
Arsenal- New signing Andrei Arshavin has come good and not a moment too soon for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Arshavin has been scoring goals and creating chances, so much so that you can hardly notice the absence of Cesc Fabregas. With the return from injuries of several key players (and the implosion of Aston Villa), the Gunners seems to have 4th place sewn up.
Fulham- Roy Hodgson had his team playing good solid football for a few months already but no one notices. Then Man Utd came to town and Fulham promptly beat them 2-0. Suddenly everyone stood up and took notice. Good for them because Hodgson and Fulham deserved some pundits for their good work this season.
Surprise Team this month
Everton- I seem to have a habit of underestimating Everton. After an off-season in which they did almost nothing, I thought it would be very hard for manager David Moyes to get them to 5th again this season. For most of the season I was correct, but now at the business end of the season they are there again. They are still the effective, hard to beat, and slightly boring team of last season but there they are challenging for a place in Europe. Now that is a surprise.
Disappointing Teams this month
Manchester United – They were 7 points in front with a game in hand. 2 straight losses later and suddenly the title race is wide open. Personally I’m not that surprised as Man Utd had been getting results without playing very well for the past few months. What is surprising is how Man Utd lost it. They were beaten 4-1 by Liverpool at home and had 2 players sent off at Fulham. Despite what Sir Alex Ferguson said publicly, both Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes deserved their red at Fulham and they were NOT the better team against Liverpool. I still think they will win the EPL title but it’ll be a lot closer than I thought it would be.
Aston Villa- A lot of people said that the international break came at a good time for Man Utd. I disagree. As bad as the results were for Man Utd, they are not in freefall like their next opponents. Aston Villa are in horrible form right now and manager Martin O'Neill will be even more grateful for the break than Sir Alex Ferguson. A lot of the blame has been put on Gabriel Agbonlahor for the poor run but I think the bigger problem for Villa was the loss of John Carew. I’ve said earlier this season that for Villa to challenge the Big 4, they need Carew to stay healthy. He didn’t and now they are now in a slump. The break couldn’t come at a better time for them.
Hull City- Nothing is going right for them right now. Hull City can’t buy a win and things are getting desperate. Pressure is also getting to them, how else can you explain Phil Brown’s spitting accusation against Cesc Fabregas, and amazingly they are in real danger of dropping back into the Championship. After the great start they had, who could have guess that?
Top Teams this Month
Liverpool- They beat Real Madrid, they slaughtered Man Utd at Old Trafford and they destroyed Aston Villa at Anfield. They are without question the team in form right now. Two things were answered in this run. One; Liverpool is a title contender. Two; Steven Gerrard's best position is as an attacking midfielder playing behind Fernando Torres. Manager Rafael Benitez need to maintain this position till the end of the season and Liverpool will drive Man Utd all the way till the end of the season.
Arsenal- New signing Andrei Arshavin has come good and not a moment too soon for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Arshavin has been scoring goals and creating chances, so much so that you can hardly notice the absence of Cesc Fabregas. With the return from injuries of several key players (and the implosion of Aston Villa), the Gunners seems to have 4th place sewn up.
Fulham- Roy Hodgson had his team playing good solid football for a few months already but no one notices. Then Man Utd came to town and Fulham promptly beat them 2-0. Suddenly everyone stood up and took notice. Good for them because Hodgson and Fulham deserved some pundits for their good work this season.
Surprise Team this month
Everton- I seem to have a habit of underestimating Everton. After an off-season in which they did almost nothing, I thought it would be very hard for manager David Moyes to get them to 5th again this season. For most of the season I was correct, but now at the business end of the season they are there again. They are still the effective, hard to beat, and slightly boring team of last season but there they are challenging for a place in Europe. Now that is a surprise.
Disappointing Teams this month
Manchester United – They were 7 points in front with a game in hand. 2 straight losses later and suddenly the title race is wide open. Personally I’m not that surprised as Man Utd had been getting results without playing very well for the past few months. What is surprising is how Man Utd lost it. They were beaten 4-1 by Liverpool at home and had 2 players sent off at Fulham. Despite what Sir Alex Ferguson said publicly, both Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes deserved their red at Fulham and they were NOT the better team against Liverpool. I still think they will win the EPL title but it’ll be a lot closer than I thought it would be.
Aston Villa- A lot of people said that the international break came at a good time for Man Utd. I disagree. As bad as the results were for Man Utd, they are not in freefall like their next opponents. Aston Villa are in horrible form right now and manager Martin O'Neill will be even more grateful for the break than Sir Alex Ferguson. A lot of the blame has been put on Gabriel Agbonlahor for the poor run but I think the bigger problem for Villa was the loss of John Carew. I’ve said earlier this season that for Villa to challenge the Big 4, they need Carew to stay healthy. He didn’t and now they are now in a slump. The break couldn’t come at a better time for them.
Hull City- Nothing is going right for them right now. Hull City can’t buy a win and things are getting desperate. Pressure is also getting to them, how else can you explain Phil Brown’s spitting accusation against Cesc Fabregas, and amazingly they are in real danger of dropping back into the Championship. After the great start they had, who could have guess that?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
17 out of 21
Rugby is a fringe sport in Singapore. Some people in Singapore don’t even know that we have a Singapore national team. The latest news is that we don’t.
The TODAY newspaper had reported that nine local players from the Singapore rugby squad had missed training due to unhappiness within the team. The Singapore Rugby Union is investigating the case. Nothing special there except that I notice that there are 17 expatriate players in the 30 member team. Wait, 9 local players are gone so that’s 17 foreign players out of a 21 player team.
It’s official. Singapore does not have a national rugby team.
The TODAY newspaper had reported that nine local players from the Singapore rugby squad had missed training due to unhappiness within the team. The Singapore Rugby Union is investigating the case. Nothing special there except that I notice that there are 17 expatriate players in the 30 member team. Wait, 9 local players are gone so that’s 17 foreign players out of a 21 player team.
It’s official. Singapore does not have a national rugby team.
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