SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:12 Min.
It’s the ninth track from Blake Shelton’s 2011 contemporary country album: Red River Blue.
REVIEW:
“Over” is a solid enough tune, as it works for Blake Shelton’s vocal style. The song has a likable sound making it worth consideration for a contemporary country playlist. The downside, however, is that Shelton’s charm makes up much of the difference for a middle-of-the-pack song.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:58 Min.
Off his 1985 comedy album, Dare to Be Stupid, “Weird Al” Yankovic parodies The Empire Strikes Back’s Yoda and his mentorship of Jedi Knights. For this faux soft rock tune, Yankovic lifts the melody from The Kinks’ 1970 song, “Lola.”
REVIEW:
To Yankovic’s credit, his vocals make good on the wacky lyrics, as best as one could expect. During a first listening, the melody may be hard to place, no matter how vaguely familiar it sounds. Even so, it should mildly amuse Star Wars fans of any age. This overly repetitive novelty tune would make ideal cover material for The Big Bang Theory’s Howard & Raj in their two-man band: Footprints on the Moon.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 4:27 Min.
Recorded by Queen for the 1986 Highlander film, this romantic pop ballad later made its CD debut in 1991 upon A Kind of Magic’s re-release. Continuity-wise, a lyric re: “and pain is so close to pleasure” would inspire its own track on this same album.
REVIEW:
Queen (especially Freddie Mercury’s sharp vocals) delivers a good ballad conveying Conner McLeod’s present-day romance in Highlander. Including a satisfying sax solo, this contemplative love song blends low-key ambiance with wistful poignancy. As a solo download option, “One Year of Love” is overshadowed by flashier tracks off the same album. Yet, it’s still worth consideration for ‘80s soft rock playlists.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 4:21 Min.
Recorded by Queen as a background song for the 1986 Highlander film, this tune later made its CD debut in 1991 upon A Kind of Magic’s re-release.
REVIEW:
Even Freddie Mercury in his prime and a nice melody can only do so much with this upbeat mush. Much of the blame can go to some insipid lyrics. Suffice to say, “Pain is So Close to Pleasure” is one of A Kind of Magic’s weaker efforts. It’s okay to hear on the album, but the song is quickly forgettable filler. Only for die-hards is this song worth the price of a download. Considering the song’s title is also a lyric in “One Year of Love,” the latter song is a distinctly better bet on this same album.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:20 Min.
It’s an instrumental of Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever” from the 1986 Highlander film. The piano-driven track made its CD debut in 1991 upon A Kind of Magic’s re-release. Brian May performs the piano sections. Notably, this remix runs two minutes shorter than the original song.
REVIEW:
Even without Freddie Mercury’s haunting vocals, this poignant track is still potent. For the ethereal “Who Wants to Live Forever” from this same album, the “Forever (Remix)” delivers a high-caliber reprise.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
Note: There’s a digitally-remastered rendition of “Who Wants to Live Forever” on Queen’s 2002 Platinum Collection.
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Salvador Larrocca; Sergio Borjas; Carlos Pacheco; Oscar Jimenez; José Marzan, Jr.; Tom McCraw; & Gaspar Saladino
Cover Art by Mike Wieringo
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics for April 1995, this 40-page centennial issue is entitled “Terminal Velocity: Overdrive – The Quick and the Dead.” With Wally West missing in action and presumed dead, Linda Park, Iris West, and the ex-Pied Piper must defend Keystone City from Kobra’s overwhelming forces. Impulse (Bart Allen), Jesse Quick, and Jay Garrick are all weakened, injured, and/or hospitalized, with only a slim chance of Max Mercury making the save in time.
With the city surrounded by an impenetrable force-field, Kobra’s high-tech weaponry starts crushing Keystone with a devastating earthquake. Max Mercury may prove the last speedster to challenge Kobra. Determined to go down fighting, amateur commando Linda makes a defiant last stand against Kobra. At the outset, Linda states she doesn’t believe in miracles, but, without the Flash, the world desperately needs one now.
Pitted against Kobra’s sleeper squads, Batman & Robin, Superman, John Henry Irons’ Steel, Hawkman, & Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern make cameo appearances.
Note: There’s a variant cover by José Marzan, Jr. featuring Linda Park, Impulse, Max Mercury, and Jay Garrick surrounding a broken Flash Museum statue of Wally West.
REVIEW:
For Wally West fans, it’s an iconic moment, as writer Mark Waid (like Geoff Johns would later do) makes Barry Allen’s energetic successor shine bright … literally. Aside from broadly hinting at the franchise’s introduction of the Speed Force, Waid is on his game building up this Keystone catastrophe to its rightful climax.
Despite overplaying Linda’s Sarah Conner impersonation (a la The Terminator franchise), Waid’s depiction of the plot through her point-of-view makes ideal creative sense. He also does fine playing with the Justice League guest stars, but it doesn’t make sense why none of them are rushing to save Keystone under the circumstances. Presumably, they are thinking that Wally is busily working his own turf.
In terms of the visuals, the artwork ranges from excellent to above-average – it’s a welcome touch, considering DC’s propensity for artistic laziness in the mid-90’s. If anything, Flash # 100 is a satisfying milestone for Wally West’s Flash, even as his supporting cast covers virtually all of the ‘screen time.’
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Series editor Brian Augustyn handles a two-page “Speed Reading” letters-and-answers column. A blurb re: Issue # 101 indicates that the its title will be “Going the Distance.”
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Leinil Francis Yu; Mark Morales; Laura Martin; Emily Warren; Christina Strain; & Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Art by Gabrielle Dell’Otto
SUMMARY:
Published by Marvel Comics for November 2008, Issue # 6 of this eight-part mini-series is untitled. Engaging Marvel heroes worldwide, Queen Veranke (still in her Spider-Woman form) and her Skrull forces are on the verge of claiming Earth. Noh-Varr/Marvel Boy discovers the fate of Captain Mar-Vell’s Skrull impostor. With at least one mole still among them, the demoralized Avengers return from The Savage Land seeking a rematch against Veranke, who’s expecting them.
Thor returns to Earth, as he meets Bucky Barnes’ Captain America. Uniting behind Nick Fury, the New Avengers/Young Avengers (including Wolverine, Mr. Fantastic, & Spider-Man), Norman Osborn’s squad, and even The Hood’s mercenaries defiantly engage Veranke’s army in full-blown combat.
Note: Artists Frank Cho and Leinil Francis Yu each created variant covers.
REVIEW:
Impressive! This issue smartly conveys the super-hero equivalent of the mid-80’s V franchise. The art team’s excellent visuals equal writer Brian Michael Bendis’ epic scripting. He’s clearly on his game, as the storyline’s unpredictability holds up well. The Thor scenes stand out as this issue’s best, particularly as Nick Fury effectively repudiates Veranke and her Skrulls’ fake allegiance to God. There’s no doubt that Issue # 6 supplies incentive to track down the other seven issues; for practical purposes, it makes sense opting for a trade paperback format.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The first page is a helpful storyline summary. There’s a full-page cover reveal for Secret Invasion # 7.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
SUMMARY:
Publish by CrossGen Entertainment, this untitled issue was released for August 2003. A heroic quest to recover a mystical arrow’s five fragments is now 3/5 of the way complete. Yet, defiant prisoner Arwyn is being escorted by Bohr’s troll army to Mordath’s stronghold. To his skeptical captive, Bohr recalls the backstory of his army’s allegiance to the demonic Mordath.
Ambushed by bloodthirsty dinosaurs called Razormouths, Arwyn & Bohr may be forced into an unholy alliance amidst the bloody mayhem.
REVIEW:
Including the cover, Greg Land’s imagery is high-caliber – it’s consistent with his lush painting-like style. Writer Ian Edginton’s scripting mostly holds up its end, as the plot (with a helpful summary included) is an easy jumping-on point. Bohr’s characterization interestingly leaves open what he might do next; in that sense, he comes off more compelling than the traditional rebel/vengeful heroine, Arwyn. Their tentative team-up plays out in a way that shouldn’t disappoint readers.
Edginton’s dialogue is easy to grasp … maybe too much so. Much like Kevin Costner’s lazy American take inhabiting Robin Hood, it’s disingenuous that Arwyn and Bohr both enunciate in spotless modern English, including some colloquialisms. Granted, George Lucas made the same kind of creative choice fit the original Star Wars films, but Edginton’s rendition tends to deplete Sojourn’s credibility. Had he indicated that this world’s dialogue was ‘translated’ for readers, that would have worked. For that matter, just inserting some Red Sonja-style lingo would have been appreciated, plausibility-wise.
Sojourn # 25 is a pretty good read, but it had the potential to be better.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The inside front cover summarizes the saga-to-date, including main characters Arwyn, Gareth, Cassidy, & Bohr. Aside from plenty of ads, the two-page “Can’t Get Enough” column has CrossGen insider news and a profile on artist Steve Epting. The column also includes reports from Philadelphia’s Wizard World: East and even a staff recommendation for rival DC’s Batgirl: Year One. A full-page cover reveal for Sojourn # 26 is provided.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics for June 2007, “The Valiant” is Issue # 2 of this four-part 52 spin-off. Returning from her Infinite Crisis disappearance, an exhausted Supergirl crash-lands on Earth. After his traumatic run-in with Black Adam in Issue # 1, Martian Manhunter seriously re-evaluates interceding on Earth’s behalf. Aquaman resorts to desperate measures to raise ‘Sub Diego’ from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Covering for Batman, Harvey Dent battles Killer Croc in a Gotham alleyway. Deathstroke tries recruiting Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl as his new protégé. As multiple waves of DC heroes can’t thwart Black Adam’s worldwide rampage, Firestorm and Donna Troy are separately helping contain the fallout.
REVIEW:
As with the cover image, the visuals are well-played. It’s disappointing, however, that Keith Champagne’s plotting doesn’t keep up with the hectic pace being set. Perhaps he’s juggling too many sub-plots, as DC’s heavy-hitters (short of The Marvel Family) aren’t the ones yet engaging Black Adam.
Most inexplicably, the cool cover presence of Donna Troy’s Wonder Woman (conveniently, her iconic big sister can’t be bothered amidst a year-long sabbatical) suiting up suggests that she is next up against Black Adam. It’s a potentially exciting notion, but Donna is inexplicably relegated to a few solo scenes on damage patrol. This same odd insignificance applies to a brief glimpse of Jason Rusch & Lorraine Reilly’s combined Firestorm/Firehawk after sufficient screen time in Issue # 1. All that really comes across is that, per a few updates, Black Adam is whupping most of the DC Universe’s second-tier heroes.
Inside a trade paperback, the material in Issue # 2 would be okay reading. As an individual issue, fans aren’t missing much, if they opt skipping the uninspired “Valiant.”
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The front inner cover summarizes this storyline to date. In his “DC Nation” column, Dan DiDio explains the ‘why’ behind World War III spinning off from the last issues of 52. Thumbnail cover reveals appear for World War III # 3; 52 # 50; Birds of Prey # 105; and Bart Allen’s Flash: The Fastest Man Alive # 11.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett; Pere Perez; Walden Wong; Guy Major; & Travis Lanham
Cover Art by Stanley “ArtGerm” Lau
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics for August 2010, it’s titled “Batgirl Rising: The Flood, Part Three of Four.” A captive Oracle/Barbara Gordon struggles to resist the Calculator’s mind-probing (including a false reality married to Dick Grayson). It’s up to the original Batgirl to face her abductor in virtual reality.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Brown’s Batgirl must run a drenched Gotham City gauntlet evading Catwoman, Huntress, and, in the sewers, Man-Bat, as they’re all the Calculator’s mind-controlled pawns. With help from Wendy Harris (the Calculator’s own daughter), Stephanie launches a last-ditch strike to rescue her mentor.
REVIEW:
In this penultimate installment of Stephanie Brown’s year-long “Batgirl Rising,” neither writer Bryan Q. Miller nor a top-flight art squad disappoint fans. Reminiscent of Gail Simone’s long stint on DC’s Birds of Prey, Miller does exceptional work conveying his female characters — they’re all actively capable players.
In particular, an increasingly savvy Stephanie comes off as a worthy Bat-Family member on a par with ex-boyfriend Tim Drake’s (Red) Robin, including a HALO-style jump. The only caveat is a disturbing plot element re: the villain’s murdered son, Marvin. Fortunately, readers this time only see a glimpse of the character’s decaying corpse.
As seen in the spot-on cover image, this issue’s art team delivers excellent visuals. In that sense, Batgirl # 11 accelerates on all cylinders. On Miller’s watch, the new Batgirl isn’t the detective Barbara naturally is and doesn’t possess Cassandra Cain’s formidable athleticism. Proving both likable and relatable, Miller’s spunky Stephanie has enough of everything else to fill Batgirl’s role admirably. This issue is proof that Stephanie Brown’s short-lived Batgirl series deserves re-discovery.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Along with a full-page color cover image, there’s a five-page black-and-white textless preview of Neal Adams’ artwork for his six-part Batman: Odyssey mini-series. Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler’s “DC Nation” column hypes the release of the direct-to-video Batman: Under the Red Hood animated film.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
