Collecting Star trek Comics

I am a reader and collector of Star Trek comics.

This is a wonderful website by Mark Martinez Star Trek Comics Checklist where he documents every Star Trek comic ever published.

Rating Star Trek Movies

Star Trek movies tend to a mixed bag. There are some really good ones and some that are frankly boring.

IDW recently brought out a three-issue adaptation of the Star Trek Movie, The Wrath of Khan. This led me to thinking about my favourite Star Trek movies.






Here are my first three favorites in order

(1) The Voyage Home

(2) The Search for Spock

(3) The Wrath of Khan

What are yours?

.

Movie Review on Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine




The movie




The movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine attempts to trace in chronological order the life story of James Howlett Logan a.k.a Wolverine. For me, a fan of Wolverine , it has taken me at least three decades to learn the life-story of Logan. From Wikipedia

The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974) and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by Herb Trimpe.Wolverine later joined the X-Men's "All New, All Different" roster in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). X-Men writer Chris Claremont played a significant role in the character's subsequent development as well as artist/writer John Byrne, who insisted on making the character older than the other X-Men. Artist Frank Miller collaborated with Claremont and helped to revise the character with a four-part eponymous limited series from September to December 1982 in which Wolverine's catch phrase, "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice," debuted. Read more

We have been offered bits and pieces of his life-story: he is a mutant with incredible healing power, strong, short, hirsute (hairy), invulnerable with adamantium fused to his bones and have claws coming out of his knuckles. And there is this continual battle in him to control the amok berserker beast inside him which tends to take over. He is an amnesic with no memories of his previous life. Over the years, we learned that he is the result of project X (a US government covert scientific experiment). We also learned of his adventures in Japan, and in Majipoor as Patch. Recently we get to know more of his origins after Wanda (Scarlet Witch) in the series House of M changed reality and Logan got his memories back.

More of the definitive biography here at Marvel Universe



Hugh Jackman gives a good performance as James Logan. However, IMHO he is still too tall, too handsome and not hairy enough as Logan. Somehow, the movie tend to give too much information so at times it seems like a documentary. The fight scenes are good. There are some new mutants featured but it is good to see some familiar figures such as Gambit and Sabertooth (who do not look like the Sabertooth in the X-Men movies and comics).



Wolverine, like the Hulk reminds me of our dual nature - the good and the bad. This is often portrayed as an angel whispering in one of our ears and the devil whispering in the other. What we become depend on who we listen to. Unlike animals which seem to have one nature, human beings have two. This is why I like the comics cover Wolverine Origins #1. In the reflection in the pool, the wolf has one reflection while a beast is reflected back to that of Wolverine.




I admire Wolverine because of his self knowledge. He knows that he is good but is capable of great evil. He knows that he is dangerous when he gives into his bestial side. I guess it is the same for all of us. We are all aware of the beast inside us. It may be an insidious anger which may flare out into a rage at a moment's irritation. Then we become like the Hulk. Or the capacity to do damage or a danger to others as in Wolverine. Comics (and movies based upon comics characters) have become the modern mythology. Characters like the Hulk and Wolverine have taken over from Odin and Thor or Zeus and Hercules as mythological characters which teaches us about our own nature.

Movie Review on Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine




The movie




The movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine attempts to trace in chronological order the life story of James Howlett Logan a.k.a Wolverine. For me, a fan of Wolverine , it has taken me at least three decades to learn the life-story of Logan. From Wikipedia

The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974) and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by Herb Trimpe.Wolverine later joined the X-Men's "All New, All Different" roster in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). X-Men writer Chris Claremont played a significant role in the character's subsequent development as well as artist/writer John Byrne, who insisted on making the character older than the other X-Men. Artist Frank Miller collaborated with Claremont and helped to revise the character with a four-part eponymous limited series from September to December 1982 in which Wolverine's catch phrase, "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice," debuted. Read more

We have been offered bits and pieces of his life-story: he is a mutant with incredible healing power, strong, short, hirsute (hairy), invulnerable with adamantium fused to his bones and have claws coming out of his knuckles. And there is this continual battle in him to control the amok berserker beast inside him which tends to take over. He is an amnesic with no memories of his previous life. Over the years, we learned that he is the result of project X (a US government covert scientific experiment). We also learned of his adventures in Japan, and in Majipoor as Patch. Recently we get to know more of his origins after Wanda (Scarlet Witch) in the series House of M changed reality and Logan got his memories back.

More of the definitive biography here at Marvel Universe



Hugh Jackman gives a good performance as James Logan. However, IMHO he is still too tall, too handsome and not hairy enough as Logan. Somehow, the movie tend to give too much information so at times it seems like a documentary. The fight scenes are good. There are some new mutants featured but it is good to see some familiar figures such as Gambit and Sabertooth (who do not look like the Sabertooth in the X-Men movies and comics).



Wolverine, like the Hulk reminds me of our dual nature - the good and the bad. This is often portrayed as an angel whispering in one of our ears and the devil whispering in the other. What we become depend on who we listen to. Unlike animals which seem to have one nature, human beings have two. This is why I like the comics cover Wolverine Origins #1. In the reflection in the pool, the wolf has one reflection while a beast is reflected back to that of Wolverine.




I admire Wolverine because of his self knowledge. He knows that he is good but is capable of great evil. He knows that he is dangerous when he gives into his bestial side. I guess it is the same for all of us. We are all aware of the beast inside us. It may be an insidious anger which may flare out into a rage at a moment's irritation. Then we become like the Hulk. Or the capacity to do damage or a danger to others as in Wolverine. Comics (and movies based upon comics characters) have become the modern mythology. Characters like the Hulk and Wolverine have taken over from Odin and Thor or Zeus and Hercules as mythological characters which teaches us about our own nature.

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (6)

IDW publishing issue April 2009

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (6)

IDW publishing issue April 2009

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (5)

IDW publishing issue March 2009

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (5)

IDW publishing issue March 2009

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (4)

IDW publishing issue February 2009

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (4)

IDW publishing issue February 2009

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (2)

IDW publishing issue January 2009

This is the first of four issues that tell the story which is a prequel to the coming Star Trek movie.

Countdown to Star Trek Movie (2)

IDW publishing issue January 2009

This is the first of four issues that tell the story which is a prequel to the coming Star Trek movie.

Postcard from the Edge (13)

These are special issue stamps from Australia

Postcard from the Edge (13)

These are special issue stamps from Australia

The Art of Watchmen

On display now at the Museum of Comic Book Art in Manhattan: an exhibition of the art from the graphic novel series WATCHMEN along with visual art from the movie.

The Art of Watchmen

On display now at the Museum of Comic Book Art in Manhattan: an exhibition of the art from the graphic novel series WATCHMEN along with visual art from the movie.

Top 7 Tech Goodies in Watchmen

This is from DVICE.com

Top 7 tech goodies you'll see in Watchmen

For a comic without all that much fighting in it, Watchmen sure has some awesome gadgets kicking around. We already know of a few things we can expect to see on the big screen from the trailers — the Owlship, for one — but what else? Well, wonder no longer. We've dug up some tech goodies from the comic that have been faithfully recreated in the film.

Click Continue for seven gadgety reasons to be excited for Watchmen.

---

1. The Owlship

The Owlship — also known as Archimedes, or lovingly as "Archie" — is Nite Owl's sweet crime-bustin' jalopy. It does a little bit of everything: The Owlship can fly, go under water, emit ear-piercing frequencies that keep people at bay, and it's armed to the teeth with stuff like air-to-air missiles and water cannons. Just don't try to light a cigarette — that's not an in-dash lighter.

---

2. Rorschach's Mask

Just like the man himself, Rorschach's mask is an ever-shifting mosaic of hard black-and-whites that never produce any gray. Rorschach made his "face" from a material synthesized by Dr. Manhattan, incorporating a layer of heat- and pressure-sensitive viscous fluid held between two layers of latex. In the comic, it's rarely the same between two panels and, in the movie, watching it shift around is a treat. Just don't take his "skin" from him — his face isn't the only thing that's uglier when the mask comes off.

---

3. Intrinsic Field Chamber

Getting caught in the intrinsic field chamber doesn't seem so bad if you get godly powers like Dr. Manhattan. Makes you wonder why no one else tried it. Because of it, Dr. Manhattan is able to do seemingly anything, from teleporting to Mars to synthesizing water, materials for lithium-ion batteries, or anything else he wants. How does it work? To quote Wally, the assistant who first introduced the good Doctor to the machine, "Beats the hell outta me!"

---

4. Rorschach's Grapple Gun

Rorschach's grapple gun gives him another option instead of heading through the front door, though he's certainly not afraid to do so (just ask the gun's builder, Nite Owl II, whose house door certainly wasn't spared after he made the gun for the vigilante). It's got a big four three-pronged hook and a seemingly endless line, and it has even helped him escape when there wasn't a wall to climb. There's a guy out there with a hole in his chest who probably didn't appreciate Rorschach's creativity, though.

---

5. Nite Owl's Goggles

While he isn't based off of Batman, everything about Nite Owl will probably have moviegoers thinking back to the Caped Crusader, Nite Owl's goggles included. They allow the Owl to see in the dark — perfectly, rather than in all green, like you'd get with infrared — and in the movie they even have a heads-up interface for a little extra zing. Arguably their most important feature, though, is that they're a babe magnet. Well, for chicks in costume anyway.

---

6. Über Remote Controls

In the comic, Nite Owl uses a universal remote control that does everything from turn on the lights in his kitchen to steer the Owlship. Not too shabby, right? Ozymandias has a remote in the comic, too, though it's the same thing you've got at home and only in a few frames. In the movie, however, his über remote will help him control more than just his big wall of TV screens he has in his arctic fortress, Karnak, pictured above.

---

7. Nite Owl's Lair

While not a gadget itself, Nite Owl's lair is packed with them. It's more than just a hangar for the Owlship, the Nest's also got a few other vehicles — including hover bikes

read more

Top 7 Tech Goodies in Watchmen

This is from DVICE.com

Top 7 tech goodies you'll see in Watchmen

For a comic without all that much fighting in it, Watchmen sure has some awesome gadgets kicking around. We already know of a few things we can expect to see on the big screen from the trailers — the Owlship, for one — but what else? Well, wonder no longer. We've dug up some tech goodies from the comic that have been faithfully recreated in the film.

Click Continue for seven gadgety reasons to be excited for Watchmen.

---

1. The Owlship

The Owlship — also known as Archimedes, or lovingly as "Archie" — is Nite Owl's sweet crime-bustin' jalopy. It does a little bit of everything: The Owlship can fly, go under water, emit ear-piercing frequencies that keep people at bay, and it's armed to the teeth with stuff like air-to-air missiles and water cannons. Just don't try to light a cigarette — that's not an in-dash lighter.

---

2. Rorschach's Mask

Just like the man himself, Rorschach's mask is an ever-shifting mosaic of hard black-and-whites that never produce any gray. Rorschach made his "face" from a material synthesized by Dr. Manhattan, incorporating a layer of heat- and pressure-sensitive viscous fluid held between two layers of latex. In the comic, it's rarely the same between two panels and, in the movie, watching it shift around is a treat. Just don't take his "skin" from him — his face isn't the only thing that's uglier when the mask comes off.

---

3. Intrinsic Field Chamber

Getting caught in the intrinsic field chamber doesn't seem so bad if you get godly powers like Dr. Manhattan. Makes you wonder why no one else tried it. Because of it, Dr. Manhattan is able to do seemingly anything, from teleporting to Mars to synthesizing water, materials for lithium-ion batteries, or anything else he wants. How does it work? To quote Wally, the assistant who first introduced the good Doctor to the machine, "Beats the hell outta me!"

---

4. Rorschach's Grapple Gun

Rorschach's grapple gun gives him another option instead of heading through the front door, though he's certainly not afraid to do so (just ask the gun's builder, Nite Owl II, whose house door certainly wasn't spared after he made the gun for the vigilante). It's got a big four three-pronged hook and a seemingly endless line, and it has even helped him escape when there wasn't a wall to climb. There's a guy out there with a hole in his chest who probably didn't appreciate Rorschach's creativity, though.

---

5. Nite Owl's Goggles

While he isn't based off of Batman, everything about Nite Owl will probably have moviegoers thinking back to the Caped Crusader, Nite Owl's goggles included. They allow the Owl to see in the dark — perfectly, rather than in all green, like you'd get with infrared — and in the movie they even have a heads-up interface for a little extra zing. Arguably their most important feature, though, is that they're a babe magnet. Well, for chicks in costume anyway.

---

6. Über Remote Controls

In the comic, Nite Owl uses a universal remote control that does everything from turn on the lights in his kitchen to steer the Owlship. Not too shabby, right? Ozymandias has a remote in the comic, too, though it's the same thing you've got at home and only in a few frames. In the movie, however, his über remote will help him control more than just his big wall of TV screens he has in his arctic fortress, Karnak, pictured above.

---

7. Nite Owl's Lair

While not a gadget itself, Nite Owl's lair is packed with them. It's more than just a hangar for the Owlship, the Nest's also got a few other vehicles — including hover bikes

read more

More Reviews on Watchmen

A CT Movie review with discussion questions.

Watchmen
Review by Russ Breimeier | posted 3/06/2009

Legions of fans who have read Watchmen over the years already know they want to see this long awaited film adaptation. But for the sake of the uninitiated, let's make something perfectly clear: this is not your average, straightforward, family-friendly superhero movie.

For sure, it's got plenty of caped crusader action, but not the tame "Biff! Bam! Boom!" variety common to Saturday morning fare. The graphic violence is surrounded by a labyrinthian plot packed with satire and social commentary that oftentimes blurs good and evil into a complicated mixture of gray. Those who felt last year's The Dark Knight was too intense for its PG-13 rating may want to stay away from this one; Watchmen relishes in its R rating because there's no way to tone down its adult content while remaining true to the source material.

In other words, this film represents yet another example of the contrast between a comic book and a graphic novel. The difference should now be clear after Sin City, 300, V for Vendetta, Wanted, and Chris Nolan's Batman films, all adaptations of popular graphic novels incorporating complex stories, heady concepts, adult themes, and stunning visuals. These are indeed visual novels with mature content, giving equal weight to printed word and images—for that reason, it's a wonder that movies have only recently turned to graphic novels for ideas.

Ask any comic geek for their pick of the greatest graphic novel of all time, and most of them will tell you it's Watchmen. Written nearly 25 years ago, the groundbreaking story would later earn writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons a Hugo Award (the highest honor in sci-fi literature). Name your favorite literary classic—Watchmen is considered the equivalent among graphic novels, a masterpiece influencing everything from Pixar's The Incredibles to television's Lost.

read more

Other reviews:
Plugged in
Catholic News Service
Left out of the Briefing

Film Review: Watchmen
Reviewed by Nathan Koblintz
Watchmen the comic book is one of the highpoints of modern storytelling. What sets it apart from most portrayals of a materialist morality is that it pursues a hard-headed morality that is based solely around this world being all there is, and the film retains this hard-headedness. Read more

More Reviews on Watchmen

A CT Movie review with discussion questions.

Watchmen
Review by Russ Breimeier | posted 3/06/2009

Legions of fans who have read Watchmen over the years already know they want to see this long awaited film adaptation. But for the sake of the uninitiated, let's make something perfectly clear: this is not your average, straightforward, family-friendly superhero movie.

For sure, it's got plenty of caped crusader action, but not the tame "Biff! Bam! Boom!" variety common to Saturday morning fare. The graphic violence is surrounded by a labyrinthian plot packed with satire and social commentary that oftentimes blurs good and evil into a complicated mixture of gray. Those who felt last year's The Dark Knight was too intense for its PG-13 rating may want to stay away from this one; Watchmen relishes in its R rating because there's no way to tone down its adult content while remaining true to the source material.

In other words, this film represents yet another example of the contrast between a comic book and a graphic novel. The difference should now be clear after Sin City, 300, V for Vendetta, Wanted, and Chris Nolan's Batman films, all adaptations of popular graphic novels incorporating complex stories, heady concepts, adult themes, and stunning visuals. These are indeed visual novels with mature content, giving equal weight to printed word and images—for that reason, it's a wonder that movies have only recently turned to graphic novels for ideas.

Ask any comic geek for their pick of the greatest graphic novel of all time, and most of them will tell you it's Watchmen. Written nearly 25 years ago, the groundbreaking story would later earn writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons a Hugo Award (the highest honor in sci-fi literature). Name your favorite literary classic—Watchmen is considered the equivalent among graphic novels, a masterpiece influencing everything from Pixar's The Incredibles to television's Lost.

read more

Other reviews:
Plugged in
Catholic News Service
Left out of the Briefing

Film Review: Watchmen
Reviewed by Nathan Koblintz
Watchmen the comic book is one of the highpoints of modern storytelling. What sets it apart from most portrayals of a materialist morality is that it pursues a hard-headed morality that is based solely around this world being all there is, and the film retains this hard-headedness. Read more