• >>My copies of Doctor Dremo’s Taphouse of Tall Tales and Short Stories: The Spoils of Crime finally arrived this week, so instead of going to the shop to buy books, I went to sell them. If you don’t feel like waiting for an order from ComixPress.com, check out Cosmic Comics in NYC for a copy of this latest DC Conspiracy anthology.

• >>As for the next DCC Dremo anthology, The Splendor of Romance, I finished up a script for one piece (titled “Love Is A Many Severed Thing”) that will be drawn by my regular Dremo partner, Renzo Ventrella, while Spoils of Crime cover artist Jake “King Ink” Warenfeltz sent me his pencils for another Romance piece I wrote for him. We’re still open to submissions for that book, which is scheduled to be print-ready by February–check out the DCC site for info on how to participate.

• >>My co-editor on the Dremo anthologies, Evan Keeling, has helped revive the  title that “brought me to the show”–Division 18: The Union of Novelty Costumed Performers. Evan had taken on the daunting task of laying out the D18 trade paperback, which will now (finally!) be available for purchase (also via ComixPress.com) by the end of this year.

• >>Finally, a script I started working on at the start of my shitty year (when my dad died in June 08) and started sending around at the end of the shitty year (during my recovery from cancer surgery in July 09) got a nibble from a potential publisher. No jinxes. No whammies. It was just a nibble, not a bite…but sometimes that is enough to warrant a happy dance.

Non-comic distractions this week have included (but weren’t limited to: receipt of my sample of the Book of the Month Club-exclusive 2010 Stephen King Library Desk Calendar, for which I wrote two essays; finalized travel arrangements with former-DM/current-best seller Peter V. Brett for upcoming trip to the Toronto set of Resident Evil: Afterlife (woot!); general social/parental/husbandal duties; and a few headaches at my day job that I refuse to admit could have been caused in part (and just a tiny part at that) by some or all of the above.

So you can see why it has taken me a while to get through Haunt #2 (still Venom by way of Rescue Me) and the latest issue of the drone saga in Amazing Spider-Man (still boring and in need of a new storyline, ASAP).

I picked up Deathlok The Demolisher #1 (of 7), by Charlie Huston and Lan Medina, based 100% on the fact that I used to have a Deathlok action figure that I loved, yet had never read a single Deathlok comic appearance. I figured I owed it to that 4-inch plastic man who contributed to my childhood fun to give his new title a shot. I appreciate the new series’ take on Deathlok’s future setting–a mix between Gamer (a movie I liked) and Starship Troopers (a movie I loved)–but I found that for such a simple premise, this first issue was cluttered, confusing , and dull. Consider the debt paid, action figure.

Books I liked this week:

Captain America: Reborn #4 (of 5) was a great read, as expected, but the book has lost some oomf due to the ending being spoiled by everything from Marvel solicits for upcoming comics to the title itself. Steve Rogers is coming back, we get it, but will there be enough of a twist to how he comes back? I hope for the best, but expects him to just…be back. Poor Bucky-Cap.

Batman: The Widening Gyre #3 (of 6) continues to entertain me, despite my having to look up the word gyre every issue. Some vocabulary words just don’t stick.  The quality of the art has diminished since the first issue (brace yourself for a joke about the book actually being drawn by Walt Flanagan’s dog by #6, if the decline continues), but i’m really enjoying Kevin Smith’s words coming out of Batman and his supporting cast’s mouths. This issue features some great exchanges with the original Robin and a fun, unexpected scene with Aquaman.

Of course, the best book of the week for me is one that actually came out last week–Punisher: The List! In this comic, Frank Castle gets his ass handed to him (literally, though I think it happens off-panel) by Wolverine’s sone and Dark Avenger, Daken. The battle between these two is fantastic–artist John Romita Jr. at his brutal, bloody best. This issue is cover-to-cover action and the stakes are huge. Daken, and by extension, Norman Osborn, should be elevated as serious, badass Marvel villains to be reckoned with after an issue like this, but between the other “The List” one-shots having zero impact and the results of this issue leading directly into the laughable “Punisher: Franken-Castle” storyline, I suspect the whole thing will be forgotten in a few week’s time. But still, as a stand-alone comic, this issue rocked my socks.

If you’ve been reading Fables, you know what’s up, but for those of you who are uninitiated, the title is tremendous. Bill Willingham brings us a new take on our favorite bedtime fable characters, and in this volume, he threatens to undo existence with the introduction of The Literals. It’s a great jumping-on point for new readers and I really can’t sing enough praises for Willingham’s writing. The art is pretty stellar to boot! ;0)

This volume collects all nine issues of the Great Fables Crossover story arc: Fables #83-85, Jack of Fables #33-35 and the three-issue Literals miniseries. It’s worth it, even at the cover price, but as with all pre-orders at TFAW.com, you’ll save 20% off the cover price–just $14.39.

Did you read all nine of the Great Fables Crossover floppies? Did you dig it as much as I did? Let us know below!

Granted, this isn’t the most original idea. In fact, the inspiration came from an old website (I mean, it’s so old, it’s still hosted on geocities!) by a guy named Paul Chen who chronicled the web’s best Asian action figures. Unfortunately, homeboy’s site hasn’t been updated in a decade, and action figures have gotten way better (and more Asian American, natch!) in the years since.

So rather than just listing each and every action figure of an Asian character that’s sitting at your local Toys ‘R’ Us, I gave myself some criteria. First off, either the character or the actor portraying that character immortalized in plastic has to be Asian American. That means Ken Watanabe as Asian R’as Al Ghul from Hasbro’s Batman Begins or McFarlane Toys’ Yao Ming don’t count. Sorry guys.

The other criteria I look for in an action figure are sculpting, likeness accuracy, and points of articulation.

So without further ado, let’s start with #5, which is actually a tie!

#5. Sulu from Diamond Select Toys/Sulu from Playmates

How could we talk about Asian American action figures without talking about the granddaddy of Asian American sci-fi: Mr. Sulu? There have been several Sulu action figures from various companies over the years, but for the sake of this blog post, I’ll stick with this 6-inch fig from DST’s Star Trek Classics line. When it comes to Trek action figures, I think Diamond and Art Asylum are unrivaled. I love the scale and detail in all their figures, and the sculpt on this Sulu in his classic uni is the spitting image of George Takei!

Back in the late ’80s/early ’90s, my brother and I used to collect the 4-inch Next Generation figures from Playmates. The detail and articulation on those toys weren’t the greatest (which is likely the case for most toys of that period), but there is definitely a sense of nostalgia that kicks in when thinking back to those figures. So I was (sort of) excited to learn Playmates was returning to the world of Star Trek to do figs for the reboot that came out last May. And to be honest, these weren’t the greatest toys. The 3 3/4-inchers left a lot to be desired and the detail on the 6-inch scale was not as impressive as their DST analogs. Still, we were treated to our very first John Cho action figure. Now, if only they’d make action figures for the rest of the Better Luck Tomorrow crew and my collection will be complete!

#4. Athena and Boomer 2-Pack from Diamond Select Toys

Wow, another DST figure? Trust me, this has nothing to do with the fact that I used to work at Diamond! Anyway, I’m putting Boomer and Athena here even though I don’t watch Battlestar Galactica. What’s that? How can I make that claim and still be allowed on a site like PopCultureShock without having my geek credit card cut up into a million pieces? And where do I get off recommending an action figure of a character from a show I don’t even watch? Good questions, all. First off, I’ve always meant to watch BSG, but just never got around to it. So it isn’t like I’ve purposefully shied away from it like I did with, say, everything in the Whedonverse (blasphemy!) As for the second question: my justification for putting this Grace Park 2-pack on my list is, well, because it’s a Grace Park action figure. Duh! Plus, there are two of them.

#3. Data from Mezco Toys/Short Round from Hasbro

That’s right. Number 3 on my list is Jonathan Ke Quan, baby! Now, while it could be argued that his two most iconic portrayals–Short Round from Temple of Doom and Data from Goonies –are essentially Long Duk Dong for the tweens of the ’80s generation, I have to disagree. First off, Data was the man in The Goonies. And secondly, Short Round is the heart and soul of Temple and is the best sidekick Indy’s ever had. That’s right, Shia! I said it.

Anyway, even though Quan hasn’t worked in several years, the last couple have been good for him, at least from an action figure point of view. First off, Mezco released a series of Goonies figures and didn’t skimp on the accessories! I mean, he comes with the Pinchers of Peril for chrissakes! As for Short Round, I’ve been wanting 3 3/4 scale Indy figures since I was a little kid (hell, I actually remember Kenner’s short-lived Raiders figures) for no other reason than to have Indy and Han Solo standing next to each other on my desk. So, when they expanded the line that came out in ‘08 to include Short Round, I was so there. But, what was even cooler was the Short Round Mighty Mugg that was exclusive to Entertainment Earth. Seriously. How dope is this?

#2. Tunnel Rat (1987) from Hasbro

I think it’s safe to say G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was the be-all-end-all action figure/comic/cartoon franchise of my childhood. I mean, I loved He-Man and the Super Powers and the Real Ghostbusters and Thundercats… Okay, I loved every toyline in the ’80s, but there was something special about Joe vs. Cobra (so the fact that I’ve gotten to know and hang out with Larry Hama in the last few years is, like, mind-blowing). I knew that a Joe had to figure on this list somehow. I could have gone with easy ones like Storm Shadow or Quick Kick. And I was this close to putting Snake Eyes here. But in the end, I had to go with Chinese-Trinidadian Tunnel Rat. And not the “Resolute” one that came out this year. I’m talking old school. The one with the “Win a Fridge Action Figure” sticker on the card! Not only was Tunnel Rat’s likeness based on Hama himself (though the bio on the filecard, like most of the one’s in the collection, was based on a friend of Larry’s), but the dude’s got the coolest specialty: explosives! Not the resident martial artist or ninja. Nicky Lee was the dude who blew sh*t up! And you don’t get more Asian American than that.

#1. Bruce Lee series from Enterbay

Tops on the list have to go to the coolest sixth-scale action figures I’ve ever seen. And ironically, my favorite Asian American action figure is one I don’t (and will probably never) own: Enterbay’s Bruce Lee series of figures. Unless, you had $200-$300 you wanted to give me, that is. Still, I’ve seen these bad boys up close and personal, and they are worth every dollar that I don’t have to spare.

Enterbay has done several Bruce Lee figures now. There are two from Enter the Dragon, one from Game of Death, one from Way of the Dragon, and a Kato from Green Hornet. But my personal favorite is the one modeled on Bruce as Chen Zhen from Fist of Fury.

Not only are these the best, most intricate sixth-scale bodies, like most 12-inch figures, each one comes with a plethora of accessories and outfits. To wit, the FoF Bruce comes with two different head sculpts and three(!) different hair sculpts (seriously), two different tailored, cloth outfits, five sets of hands, a pair of nunchucks, a premium wooden diorama, and the infamous “Sick Man of Asia” wooden sign that Bruce so famously cracks in two!

And the best part? Enterbay’s exclusive 360 Eyeball system, which allows you to pose his eyes! I know I’m a sucker for articulation, but that’s just crazy!

Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team

Click here to read Heidi’s post in full.

SIEGE is coming! It’s all been leading up to this universe shattering four issue limited series from the superstar team of Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel! Following the events of Dark Reign: The List, Norman Osborn sets his sights set on Asgard and nothing will stop him from completing his mission. But what does he want? How do Loki and Thor figure in? And just how does this relate to the inner strife between the Cabal? Marvel’s greatest heroes unite against the deadliest threat they’ve ever faced, but even they have no idea what’s coming next. It’s time for the most jaw dropping comic book event of the decade begins in December with Siege: The Cabal and continues in January’s SIEGE #1!

What is MILESTONE FOREVER, you ask? Well, we can take a guess, but why slow down the process? Since it’s part and parcel of what we do, being The Source and all, we talked to Milestone founder and MILESTONE FOREVER writer Dwayne McDuffie for the scoop on the new project, along with some essential back story to bring you newbies up to speed. Take it away, Dwayne:

16 years ago this month, industry giant DC Comics and upstart Milestone Media entered into an unprecedented creative partnership, producing 14 interlocking, creator-owned titles including Hardware, Icon, and the multimedia hit that would best be known as Static Shock. The story Milestone chose to tell was an audacious one, larger than life on its surface, character and story-driven at its base, Humanist and multicultural at its heart. For over 250 issues, fans explored a superhero universe like no other.

Today, nine Parents Choice awards, four Eisner Award nominations and one Emmy and Humanitas award-winning hit TV series later, Milestone is back, its continuity mysteriously merged with the DCU. While we saw the DC side of the story in “Justice League: When Worlds Collide,” Milestone Forever gathers the original artists from Milestone’s launch titles: John Paul Leon, Mark Bright, Chris Cross and Milestone Founder Denys Cowan, to complete the tales told in the original runs of STATIC SHOCK, ICON, HARDWARE, SHADOW CABINET and BLOOD SYNDICATE. Milestone Editor in Chief Dwayne McDuffie reveals the final fate of each of Milestone’s launch characters in a bittersweet tale that chronicles the literal end of a universe, and the birth of something new, with major consequences for the future of the DC Universe.

This week’s Wednesday New Releases is especially exciting, with looks at Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1, Psylocke #1, Buffy Season 8 #30, Doom Patrol #4 with the Yellow Lantern ring, the Criminal Omnibus, and the Wolverine: Old Man Logan Hardcover. Watch the video below to hear more!

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ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS PROLOGUE: For those of you wondering when to jump on Incredible Hercules — this is the issue. Pak and Ven Lente make every issue of Herc brim with humor and intelligence. It’s a dense, fun read in exactly the right way… Only problem is, it ain’t sellin’ too good. So here we go with a universe spanning cross-over, kicking off with a fight with Spider-Man, and guest appearances by the big stars of the Marvel U. It’s a sales ploy… But it totally works. This issue builds on months of Herc storylines, and introduces every single bit of the storyline, conflict, and characters succinctly in one or two pages, without feeling needlessly expository. Plus, even if you haven’t been paying attention to the title before, there’s a new/old adversary, the big bad of the series, who also is effortlessly added in. Fun, funny, sexy, and darn near perfect: you need to know nothing to pick up this issue, other than that you have a love of comics and things that are good.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #32: Can I say I like this current storyline approximately one million times better than the last one? I think I probably can, because I’m writing this review, so I’ll just go ahead and put this on record: I can totally get behind biological sentinels that shoot brood from their fingertips. That’s good comics.

BLACK WIDOW: DEADLY ORIGIN #1: I love Paul Cornell, and though this is a blatant “let’s get the series out, so we can collect it in trade before Iron Man 2″ move, he completely makes the issue work. In particular, the first scene is a doozy of spy one-up-manship. The rest of the issue is a current day story mixed with flashbacks to the Black Widow’s, um, deadly origin, and while I’m not a huge fan of the “huge swathe of a person’s life” montage, Cornell does make the flashbacks fluid and easy to read. What I’m not as crazy about is the current day story, but as that’s given the least page time, I could change my mind next issue.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #4: Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Four issues in, and we finally get the huge action movie we were promised from the start, with big reveals, big villains, and big, big action. Hitch draws the crap out of this issue, and Brubaker writes a totally perfect Dr. Doom. One issue can’t really forgive the wheel-spinning of the last two issues (I’ll say I liked the first, for the record), but if it keeps up this pace for the next two, we are good to go.

DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #899: There’s been a lot of talk about why there are so many Deadpool books right now, and whether three ongoing series is too many. The thing is: you guys are buying them. Personally, I’ve been mildly enjoying them, with Daniel Way’s main series my fave of the three, but Fred Van Lente turns in a fun old-school team-up in this book, that ties into current continuity, while still existing nicely on its own. My only quibble is the three dueling Deadpool voices. Again, Van Lente makes it work for the story, which is great, but the dueling narration is Daniel Way’s thing, and I wish it would stay in his book. Meaning, being an author’s tool, rather than the way Deadpool is portrayed across the board. Don’t think I’m going to get my wish there anytime soon.

DEATHLOK #1: Hey, everybody: in the future, war will be like sports! I don’t really like sports. That aside, and ignoring the fact that makes this book a little impenetrable to me, I do think the Starship Troopers vibe Charlie Huston cleverly injects the Deathlok concept with doesn’t quite mesh with the hyper-real art of Len Medina. They’re both good at what they do, I’m just not sure its working together. The opening sequence, introducing (I think) a new Deathlok works quite well, but the subsequent pages and action are a little too stiff.

DOCTOR VOODOO: AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL #2: I like the fact that Dr. Voodoo is trying to get a handle on who he is, now that he’s Sorcerer Supreme, just as we, the readers are doing the same. Writer Rick Remender has also done an excellent job of throwing DV in a situation way out of his league right off, so we know he’ll be more worthy of the title once he conquers this sitch. Though, knowing Remender’s work, its actually possible he might find himself deeper in a hole than he is now. Anyway, this second issue sells me more on the title than the first did, and that’s a good thing.

GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN’S ON FIRE #4: I love than Jason Aaron is really flexing his comedy muscles, in general, and that shines through nicely in this issue. The panel with Ghost Rider (yeah, you read that right) is one of the funniest of the week, and the rest of the issue is pretty amusing, too. Plus, Aaron balances the humor with great moments of horror and terror, as well as a delightful trip through villains of the Marvel U. past. Possibly the most fun Ghost Rider has ever been.

HOUSE OF M: MASTERS OF EVIL #4: A good story is a good story, no matter what, right? Except not exactly so in the world of mainstream comics, where continuity and universe building trump story-telling… At least most of the time. Point is, I have intellectual problems with this series, and questions why it even exists. But beyond all that, Christos Gage has built a solid story that exists better on its on, than when compared to the House of M event and universe. Its not necessary reading, but it is a well done story. And that should matter more in comics than it does.

MARVEL ZOMBIES: EVIL EVOLUTION: Zombies vs. Apes shouldn’t be nearly as complicated as it is… But it is. Ah well, I was really liking the Marvel Apes stuff up until now, and the Zombies stuff tied itself up nicely with the last mini. Let’s just pretend this issue never happened?

PSYLOCKE #1: Psylocke has got a complicated history at this point, and though I may be singing a different tune at the end of this mini, I don’t think this first issue helps that much. You need to know most of her history, most of the current X-Men history, and even a little international law to get into this. Plus, the art is a little too action-manga-esque for my tastes, at least when melded with a Western coloring style. I trust Chris Yost enough to give the next issue a try, but this did not grab me.

THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ #1: “Perfect” is a pretty big word to throw around, and I don’t use it lightly, but the first Oz series by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young was a perfect comic book experience, beautiful to look at, and a joy to read. The one thing hampering it, perhaps, was the familiarity of the story, which took the reader out a bit… We’re all familiar with the movie, the book less so, and the differences led to a less immersive reading experience than an unknown story would have. Which is why this new series is so great. I’ve read the Oz books, but so long ago that I don’t even vaguely remember what happened in the novel version of this story. So its a completely new experience, and perfectly recaptures the magic of “The Wizard of Oz,” and moreso. Skottie Young’s art is brilliantly paired with Jean-Francois Beauleu’s lush coloring for a unique artistic experience unlike anything on the stands. Plus, kudos to both Shanower and Young for adapting a book, making it literary, but still uniquely molding it to the comic book form. Once again, I’m pleased to say this is a perfect comic book experience.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #4: Along with Skottie Young’s work on the Oz books, David LaFeunte’s take on Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the two best drawn books Marvel is currently publishing… As much as I love Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen, LaFuente’s unique characters have taken Bendis’ plotting to the next level. This is as good as, if not better than, Ultimate Spider-Man has ever been. One of the great things about these first four issues is that Bendis nicely bucks the trend of this title, that would intersperse very dialogue-light issues, with dialogue heavy ones, and instead has found a way (with LaFuente’s help, I think) to merge the two sides of his brain into a glorious whole. All of the characterizations are great, the mysteries are interesting, and this whole package earns the right to call itself “Ultimate,” once again.

X-MEN ORIGINS: ICEMAN: Honestly, I don’t remember whether Iceman has ever had his origin told before, but this probably isn’t it? For me, Angel: Revelations is the gold standard to which all of these Origins books should be held, which sounds unfair, except… Sorry, they should be. That Origin, and Magneto: Testament were quality pieces of work, and unique bits of storytelling. I like the idea of having Origins stories for all the X-Men, but this needed to be a little less generic. Bobby Drake is the happy mutant; why does he have to have the exact same origin as everyone else? Couldn’t we see some other side of things? Not to mention, there’s bits that just don’t fit, like Professor X talking about having a school for mutants, and us seeing full grounds of kids… But then, at the end of the issue, Xavier clearly states that there are only two students, Cyclops and Iceman. Unfortunately spotty work.

X-MEN VS. AGENTS OF ATLAS #2: I really hope you picked up the first issue of this, and now pick up the second, because this series is tons of fun. Its accomplishing the same thing as Assault on New Olympus, giving a lighter, easier story for people to get into the Agents of Atlas, and like AoNO, it works. Other, side note: Read this before you read the back-up in AoNO, it’ll make more sense that way.

(Picked up from AICN)

Some cute/cool faves from this set:
• Gold Digger Annual #15 pinup by Neolucky
• Mayhem #3 pinup by Jim Mahfood
• Sky Pirates of Neo Terra #2

Sinestro’s got a point. Halloween is a busy time for geeks and parents alike, so I’ll keep this week’s dose brief.

With a double dose of DC Undead (Green Lantern and Blackest Night shipped–both were solid), I didn’t expect my favorite read this week to be so far removed from the Halloween spirit–yet somehow, amidst all the ghouls and gore, my favorite comic moment would be a simple superhero beatdown. But when the Dark Avengers came a-sniffing for Bucky-Cap in New Avengers #58, the star-spangled substitute showed them why he is more than qualified to weild the sheild:

I agree with Ares.

Ultimate Cap didn’t have such a bad week either, as he tussled with Nick Fury’s new team of black-ops ”heroes” in Ultimate Avengers #3. And what a team? The new Wasp plays human bullet to assassinate a roomful of baddies, the new Black Widow is Snake Eyes with lady parts, a new “smart” Hulk has been grown in a lab, a creepy new Hannibal Lecter-like Spider-Man fills the quickly-becoming-cliched role of mysterious team member with the unknown alias,  and Ultimate War Machine is a transformers with attitude!

I was surprised to see the epic Fantastic Four debut of Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham wrap up so abruptly. Those two creators are still on the book, but they seem to have closed the door (at least for the time being) on the League of Infinite Reeds, infinity gauntlets from around the multiverse, and foot-racing Celestials…all so our Mister Fantastic can spend some more time with his family. Noble…but Sunday brunch with the kids won’t make for the same kind of excitement we’ve grown accustomed to from this book.

The last book in my pull this week actually does fit this spooky season–FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency is a 3-issue horror book from Radical Comics and (according to Radical) based on a website, http://www.fvza.org/. Written by David Hine and illustrated by Roy Allan Martinez, FVZA is creepy, violent, sexy, and gross–and it manages to put just enough of a spin on vampires and zombies that it is complementary to, rather than derivative of, True Blood and Zombieland. Check out this preview and decide for yourself.

[View with PicLens]

Sideshow Collectibles and Marvel Comics proudly present the latest addition to the Marvel Legendary Scale Bust series: Spider-Woman. This outstanding bust meets the standard of excellence that is the hallmark of a Sideshow sculpture, hand-finished, hand-painted and cast in the highest quality polystone. Capturing the alluring arachnid superhero perfectly, the Spider-Woman Legendary Scale Bust is a perfect addition to any Spider-Man or Marvel collection!

click here for full release info