My 'best of' New 52 list

1. "Batgirl"
2. "Aquaman"  
3. "Nightwing"  
4. "Red Lanterns"  
5. "Justice League"  
6. "Animal Man" 
7. "Detective Comics"  
8. "Demon Knights" 
9. "Green Lantern Corps"  
10. "Batman"  
11. "The Flash" 
12. "Batwoman" 
13. "Justice League International"  
14. "Resurrection Man" 
15. "Wonder Woman" 
16. "Batman and Robin" 
17. "Static Shock" 
18. "Capt. Atom" 
19. "The Dark Knight" 
20. "New Guardians"  
21. "Superman" 
22. "Green Arrow" 
23. "Justice League Dark" 
24. "Red Hood"  
25. "Teen Titans" 
26. "Suicide Squad" 
27. "Hawkman"  
28. "Green Lantern"  
29. "Firestorm"  
30. "Stormwatch"  
31. "Action Comics"

This is based solely on the first issues alone. Many of these spots have changed since I've read the second issue, and that list will be along at the first of next month.

 

I can say there are at least 4-5 books that I plan on dropping. I will pick up five additional books to make up for that.

'X Factor' finds its top 12

After what seemed liked an eternity, "The X Factor" finally made it to the live shows with 17 acts that needed to be narrowed down to 12. Which meant each judge had to cut someone from their category, or in Simon's case two someones.

The Groups


As the groups' mentor Paula's particular brand of crazy didn't take long to show up. Her song choices were nothing short of ridiculous. Unfortunately, The Brewer Boys became a casualty of her insanity when she gave them a mash up of Hall & Oates "Rich Girl" and George Michaels' "Faith." They sounded great on the Hall & Oates song, which made me wonder why she didn't have them do a medley if she was so desperate for a mash up.

InTENsity seems destined for a Disney Channel series about a group of friends who start a band and eventually all date each other. The problem with those shows and the group is that the members are interchangeable. If no one knows your name, will they vote for you?

Stereo Hogzz and Lakoda Rayne were fine but neither one of them will win the competition so who cares.

The Girls

I've been wondering all along why Simon chose Simone Battle to make it this far, when she clearly has cruise ship/theme park performer written all over her. Last night she wasn't even good enough for a Disney parade with that trainwreck of a performance. Tiah Tolliver also had a bad night and became the other girl eliminated in the least surprising moment of the show.

Here's the thing, Rachel, Drew and Melanie have been Simon's favorites from day one so it's absolutely no surprise that they ended up as his final three.

The Over 30s

Again, why Nicole gave a final spot to the ridiculous Dexter Haygood over someone who could have actually given a real performance and not a overexcited karaoke rendition of "I Kissed a Girl" and "Womanizer" is beyond me. He was mercifully eliminated.

The interesting question came when Simon asked if Stacy Francis was a church singer or a pop star? I see her as a church singer who can sing pop, but I'm not sure she can sell records in today's pop climate. If she went the gospel route, she could become a bona fide star.

The Boys

I have been anti-Brian Bradley since day one so it pains me to write this next line; he was actually good last night. As a matter of fact the boys were the only group with 100 percent good performances. L.A. Reid chose to eliminate Phillip Lomax after giving him a very cruise ship version of "I'm a Believer" to sing.

If he made his decision with his ears and not his wallet, he would have picked Chris Rene to go home. While Chris' story is heartbreaking and great, his voice was not better than Phillip's last night.

So after last night's eliminations the categories remain like this:
Groups: Lakoda Rayne, InTENsity, Stereo Hogzz
Girls: Rachel Crow, Drew, Melanie Amaro
Over 30s: Stacy Francis, Leroy Bell, Josh Krajcik
Boys: Brian "Astro" Bradley, Marcus Canty, Chris Rene

Next week will start the public vote along with the inevitable theme weeks. While theme weeks are usually predictable, they do show the weaknesses of the contestants and help thin the herd.

Fox is making it hard to be a 'Fringe' fan

I've enjoyed "Fringe" since it first started. Every single episode I've been there watching. I have the DVD sets and everything.

But, Fox seems to be doing everything in it's power cancel the show.

First it got moved to the dreaded Friday death slot. You know, where every good show goes to die. Hey "Firefly" fans!

Then Fox goes and does something beyond idiotic.

So the last new episode aired on Oct. 14. I am usually home and waiting by the television to watch "Fringe," but that night something came up. And I even forgot to DVR it.

I didn't fret because I figured, "hey I'll watch it online." Not so fast.

Hulu stated the episode was locked for eight days. Seriously?

I head to the Fox website and it said I could watch it if I had a certain cable provider. Apparently Charter isn't good enough.

When a show's ratings are sinking each and every week you think the idea would be to get the show out to as many people as possible, not punish people that don't have certain providers.

Technically it's my fault for going out on a Friday night (heaven forbid) and loving the show so much I watch it live (and not DVR it). But Fox, come on.

Just look how many people don't watch it live. According to TVByTheNumbers.com "Fringe" has a 62 percent increase of ratings from people watching it later.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a parallel universe with Fox.

'Once Upon A Time:' Two shows for the price of one

ABC's ambitious new drama "Once Upon A Time" follows fairy tale characters who have been cursed to live in the real world without any knowledge of their true selves.

Viewers are introduced to the fairy tale world first, with the classic scene of Prince Charming riding up to save Snow White by awakening her with a kiss. Then everything shifts to their wedding which is interrupted by the Evil Queen cursing the happy occupants of fairy tale land.

The action picks up in the real world where bail bond agent Emma Swan tracks down a bail jumper by setting up a blind date with the criminal, chasing him down and beating him up, all while wearing a tight red dress and stiletto heels.

After a lot of set up that involved Emma meeting the son she gave up for adoption and taking him back to Storybrooke, ME viewers were introduced to real world versions of the fairy tale characters.

The Evil Queen is Regina the mayor, Snow White is sweet schoolteacher and Rumplestiltskin is ruthless business man Mr. Gold.

The real problem with "Once Upon A Time" is that it's two shows in one, neither being very well developed. The pilot felt disjointed and unsure of itself. The producers don't seem to know whether they want it to be a serialized drama like "Lost" or a fairy tale adventure.

For a show featuring some of literature's most enduring personalities, they were very one note and predictable.

Of all the fairy tale characters, the only interesting person was Prince Charming, who is unfortunately in a coma in the real world.

The only thing saving the show from its overly complicated premise is the strength of the cast, which includes Jennifer Morrison as Emma, Lana Parilla as Regina, Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin.

Though it's always hard to judge a show by its pilot, "Once Upon A Time" will have to conjure up some powerful magic to keep the average TV viewer interested in the convoluted plot.

DC new 52: The second issues

Today we continue our ongoing DC new 52 coverage with reviews of three of the best comics of the relaunch.

"Justice League #2"


Geoff Johns and Jim Lee pick up right where No. 1 left off with an awesome battle featuring Superman vs. Green Lantern and Batman. The artwork in the fight scenes is superb as the green of Hal Jordan's constructs really pops off the page.

Johns quickly establishes that this is not the Superman or Lantern that everyone is familiar with by having them exchange a lot of snarky banter during the fight. In a clever bit of role reversal, Green Lantern has to convince Flash to join the fight, while Barry Allen is the voice of reason who claims he can't come because he has to work.

Perhaps the most fun aspect of this whole sequence is that it's Batman who puts stop to everything with diplomacy and understanding.

While the first issue established that super-humans aren't seen as the heroes we know them as in this new universe, the second issue builds on that idea by having them openly flaunt longtime characteristics and ideals. However, it's those changes that makes the story interesting and a definite page turner.

"Nightwing #2"


I was on the fence about adding "Nightwing" to my pull list but ultimately couldn't resist reading Dick Grayson's return to normal life, following his stint as Batman.

The first issue jumped right in with Grayson acknowledging how being Batman improved his skills and helped him rediscover who he really he is. It's nice to read a story that doesn't completely rewrite history and has nods to some of the pre-established universe.

The first arc of Nightwing's story will deal with him returning to Haly's Circus, where he grew up and lost his parents. In "Nightwing #2" Grayson battles a mysterious a assassin who thinks he is Gotham's fiercest killer and reconnects with a dying Mr. Haly who leaves him the circus.

One of the things I've always found surprising about Dick Grayson is how he gets so many women. This time it's an old friend from the circus, Raya, who he romances on one of Bruce Wayne's private jets. Ok the private jet helps.

After another attack from the assassin, Mr. Haly dies in Dick's arms telling him everything can be traced back to secrets surrounding the circus.

What has been great about "Nightwing" is seeing Dick get back to his roots and enjoy life without the added responsibility of being Batman and caring for Damian Wayne. He is once again a carefree young man who fights crime because he wants to, not because he has to.

Dick is also scheduled to make an appearance in the next issue of "Batgirl" so it will be interesting to see if any of the drama he's dealing with affects his relationship with Barbara Gordon.

"Action Comics #2"

Other than "Batgirl" and "Justice League," there was no comic I was more excited to read than "Action Comics." Unfortunately, the first issue was majorly disappointing. It mainly involved Superman running from government officials who threw everything at him but the kitchen sink to bring him down. And who else would be leading the charge but Lex Luthor.

The issue ends with Superman finally being brought down, so "Action Comics #2" begins with him held captive and enduring intense torture and questioning. The surprise here is that issue two was a huge improvement with Superman displaying some great personality in his banter with Luthor and Lex showing signs of the sociopath he will become.

The only real awkwardness came when Lois showed up at the base to whine about Superman's imprisonment. This wasn't the strong, capable Lois we've come to know and love. This Lois was whiney, spoiled and self-involved. Hopefully, the character evolves once she becomes more central to the story.

As much as I liked issue two, the cliffhanger made it seem as if the upcoming action will revolve around a love triangle. While I trust Grant Morrison's writing, I have to ask, a love triangle? Really?

After careful consideration, I've decided to give "Action Comics" one more issue before I make a final decision on whether or not to take it off my pull list. However, right now it's not looking good.

Inscaped for Oct. 13

Best movie trailer (for a film coming out before 'Avengers')

Since we can't wait until May for "The Avengers," it's a little easier knowing we have about a month before "The Muppets" comes out.

I've loved trailer and clip I've seen from the film so far and this is no different. I've watched it twice and laughed both times.

People I know that never go to the movies are even excited for this one. Take that Tony Stark!

Top selling 52 books

So we are done with the total month of DC Comics New 52.

Of course, "Justice League" was the top book out of all the new releases. But, there are some surprises in Diamond's list of the top selling comics.

2. "Batman"
3. "Action Comics"
4. "Green Lantern"
5. "The Flash"
6. "Superman"
7. "Detective Comics"
8. "Batman The Dark Knight"
9. "Batman and Robin"
10. "Green Lantern: New Guardians"

"Batgirl," "Wonder Woman" and "Green Lantern Corps" followed.

What is not surprising is the total dominance of the Bat titles. People love them some Batman.

A bit surprising to see "Flash" so high up, but it's still a good thing.

The worst selling titles? "OMAC," "Men of War" and "Static Shock," which is too bad because it is a good book.

'Avengers' trailer is out and it's glorious

There is not a movie Tim and I are more excited about than "The Avengers." Today the eagerly anticipated trailer was released and it is everything we were waiting for and more.

We'll talk about it in detail on this week's "Inscaped." However, in the meantime caution this footage may send viewers into a nerd coma. It's that awesome.

'The X Factor' ignites a new British/American war

Simon Cowell has finally brought his long running British reality hit "The X Factor" to the States, unfortunately all the talent was left in the U.K.

In a fun twist of fate, both versions of the show are airing concurrently with the Brits two weeks ahead of the yanks.

"X Factor U.K." just had its first week of live shows, while American "X Factor" is heading to judge's houses.

In a head to head comparison of judges, hosts and contestants the results are clear, this time the British are winning.

Judges

"X Factor U.K." went through a complete judging overhaul with Louis Walsh as the only returning judge. For most shows this would be disastrous, however, the change has breathed new life into the competition.

Pop stars Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland bring actual credentials to a singing competition (something very rare) and genuinely care about the singers they mentor. They actually give relevant criticism that is helpful to the contestants and have a fun chemistry with each other. If you ignore the increasingly useless Louis, they're the best judging panel on TV.

At the other end of the spectrum is the "X Factor U.S." judges who, besides Simon, have not been very impressive so far. Paula is her usual ridiculous self, Nicole Scherzinger has lost any goodwill she built up on "The Sing Off," can't seem to say anything negative and cries at the drop of a dime, while L.A. Reid is constantly competing wit Simon to be the alpha male.

In the middle of all this the judges have forgotten that the contestants are the stars and constantly steal the spotlight.

Advantage U.K.

Hosts

This one isn't even close as the stiff and forced "X Factor U.S." Steve Jones can't touch the James Bond swagger of the U.K.'s Dermot O'Leary. Like Ryan Seacrest, Dermot is great at comforting contestants when they falter. He lets them cry it out, hugs them and lets them know it will be OK. To be fair, this is Jones' first season, so hopefully he'll improve, but right now Dermot is schooling him.

Advantage U.K.

Contestants

Until the finals of boot camp the American singers weren't very impressive, meanwhile the U.K. singers were spectacular from day one. Several immensely talented people were cut at judge's houses. Right now on "X Factor U.S." it's clear who the front runners are and short of a miracle they'll all make it to the live shows.

Misha Bryan took "Rolling in the Deep" and did the impossible by making it completely original and a new song.

The only American singer who approached that level of talent was young Rachel Crowe's rendition of "If I Were A Boy."

It's close but advantage U.K.

Since the British version is clearly better and more popular Simon should consider a crossover episode where the contestants visit each other's shows. Imagine the publicity and ratings that would generate.

Inscaped for Oct. 6

Inscaped for Sept. 29

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

When people die it's easy to overstate their importance or rewrite their legacy. However, when we say Steve Jobs was a visionary, that may be understating things.


The co-founder/CEO of Apple died Oct. 6 at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer.


Jobs literally helped invent the modern world. The Macintosh was the first personal computer, the iPod changed the way we listened to music, when he said the iPhone would reinvent the phone he didn't lie and the iPad will no doubt lead even more advance inventions that will shape the future.

"Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips," said Steven Spielberg in a statement.

It wasn't just the products that came out of his tenure at Apple, it's the devices that other companies were inspired to invent. Without the iPhone there would be no Android, the iPod made mp3 players the normal way to listen to music and would there be a Kindle without the iPad?

"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators-brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it," said President Barack Obama in a statement.

In 1986 when no one knew what the company was capable of Jobs purchased Pixar from Lucasfilm for $10 million. Obviously that investment paid off and he once again pioneered a new technology and helped bring countless hours of entertainment to children of all ages. Though the studio had become successful and he didn't need to be a part of daily decisions, he still showed up for story and animation meetings, offering his opinion and expertise when it was needed.

Earlier this summer at the D23 expo Pixar storyboard artist Ronnie Del Carmen told a story about pitching the ending to "Ratatouille" to Jobs and John Lasseter. When he concluded his pitch, both men hugged him and Jobs told him the sequence was perfect. He described it as the greatest moment of his professional career. There no doubt hundreds of tech professionals who have similar stories.

"His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built," said Walt Disney President/CEO Bob Iger in a statement. "It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed and the culture he defined."

The one thing that all these statements have in common is that they refer to Jobs as a visionary, creative genius and rare original.

No one has had the impact on the modern world that Jobs had and short of his competitor/colleague Bill Gates, perhaps no one ever will again.

"The world has lost a visionary and there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented," Obama said.

Choose your 'Destiny,' just not here

As in, this game sucks.

I'm a sucker for "X-Men" games. I'll go out of my way to play any and all of them. I still have a PS2 copy of "X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse" that I still play.

Which is probably why this stings more than it should.

I knew the game was coming out and I'd been checking local Redbox locations for the game. I finally found one about three miles from my work, so I woke up extra early to go down and get.

Then, of course, I sat at work all day just wanting to play it.

When I finally got home I shot putted the game right into my PS3 and gripped the controller like I was ready for action.

Too bad the game wasn't. It had to install a bunch of files first.

And when I say a bunch of files, I mean it literally took 30 minutes to do. That right there should have told me to power off and take the game back, but noooooo I love "X-Men" games too much.

So I waited. Finally after what seemed forever the game started.

And all I could think was "meh."

The graphics are bad. Not just bad, but if this was on a Playstation 2 people would still be complaining. I literally sat there thinking "people thought this looked good enough to sell?"

The plot is alright. The X-Men and humans are at a rally when all heck breaks loose. You choose one of three characters at the rally: a Japanese girl who is smuggled into the country and who's parents are mutants, a mutant hater and a jock that doesn't really care either way.

You see the chaos at the rally causes mutant powers to come out and your character must decide what to do. And another lame thing, you only get to choose from three powers: energy blasts, shadow swords or rock like armor.

I pick the best character plot wise, the mutant hater. This is where the game took another bad left turn. He accepts being a mutant WAY too fast. As a man who has been taught mutants are evil his entire life I thought it would take more than 10 minutes of game time to be pals with the X-Men.

The game makes a big deal about choices as well. At various points you can choose between working with the X-Men or the Brotherhood. But, there is no incentive to do either. I kept wishing for a third option where the guy tells both off and walks away.

At least the X-Men are cool, the Brotherhood doesn't come off as that at all.

Another notch against the game? You basically fight three groups of people... the entire game. It's literally mashing buttons like crazy against guys in red, then mashing buttons like crazy against guys in white. Then a boss.

And a majority of the boss battles are hilarious... in a bad way. There is really no challenge here. I think I took down 90 percent of the bosses in my first try, without blocking or anything.

But, Tim, you also get to fight alongside the X-Men or Brotherhood! That would be cool if you could tell what the heck is going on. Between the bad graphics and carpal tunnel inducing button mashing it's all a blur of ugly colors.

OK, the game does have a few shining spots. Mike Carey, who writes "X-Men Legacy" handles the script for the game and I'll give him credit for keeping the characters acting who they should be. Never once did I think "OK, Wolverine wouldn't do that."

Two of the boss battles were pretty cool. One you fight John Sublime who keeps injecting himself with powers until he is a giant. Then near the end you find a full sized Sentinal on top of a building.

And you can change costumes and secondary powers. This could have been cool, but there isn't enough there for me to care if my character's outfit looks like Wolverine.

My advice? Pass.

All about 'Castle'

My love for "Castle" is well documented, so stick with me.

The first Richard Castle graphic novel was released last week: "Deadly Storm."

The graphic novel is based on the Derrick Storm novels that Castle has written (and have been talked about extensively on the show.)

Of course Castle doesn't write the graphic novel, but comic veterans Brian Michael Bendis and Kelly Sue Deconnick do along with art by Lan Medina.

And you wouldn't even notice.

The book has the same style and humor that the character of Castle projects.

The plot follows private investigator Storm pulled into working for the CIA and assassins. "Castle" fans are used to only hearing about Storm in passing, so this is a big treat to be able to read his first adventure.

And the book is REALLY good. There are twists and turns (including one I didn't see coming at all), laughs and some good action moments. Reading it, the thought of "this could be a great movie" pops up now and again.

The art is also well-done, especially making Storm look a lot like Nathan Fillion... or Castle as you will.

Another fun part of the graphic novel is on the sleeve: a list of other books by Castle. And near the end of the book it goes into great detail to tell the plot of each Castle book. And that part is really fun because it plays on moments from the show where Castle talks about how he got the idea for that specific Storm book.

Speaking of books, the newest Nikki Heat book, "Heat Rises," was also released recently AND debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

That makes me really happy to see that the little show that could is doing great and is a full fledged hit and franchise.

I've only started to read the book, but was already hit by the dedication:

"To Captain Roy Montgomery, NYPD. He made a stand and taught me all I need to know about bravery and character."

I really started to get a little emotional, then I remembered it's just a television show...

'Doctor Who' goes out in style

The fantastic thing about Steven Moffat's "Doctor Who" is that you never quite know where you stand.

That element of the show was on full display in the series six finale "The Wedding of River Song."

The episode began with all manner of time anomalies like pterodactyls, hot air balloon cars, steam trains and Winston Churchill as Caesar. When The Doctor is brought forth as a prisoner, he explains that a women has done something with time. Of course he means River as he begins to tell his story leading up to the events of "The Impossible Astronaut."

This all happens by about five minutes in, and instantly it's the most confusing episode of "Doctor Who" ever. That's saying something on a show about an immortal time traveler whose blue police box spaceship is bigger on the inside.

Once it is revealed that it's indeed River in the astronaut suit, she decides not to kill The Doctor and everything goes "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" and it's back to Churchill Caesar.

With all these crazy time problems the Silence aren't far behind and naturally mysterious marks begin to show up on The Doctor's arm. Fortunately, Amy and Rory show up as kickass commandos and save the day.

In the new timeline Amy remembers The Doctor and Rory but doesn't recognize the awesome Capt. Williams as her parents.

Let's take a moment and discuss the complete badass that Rory has become. When he stayed behind to fight off the escaping Silence he officially won the title of best companion ever. Arthur Darvill is so spectacular at simultaneously portraying Rory the heroic "last centurion" while also never losing site of the dorkiness that makes him so lovable.

In the end The Doctor had to convince River to let him die so that time could be reset. Before she agreed to do it, he married her and shared his plan to have a Tesselecta robot take his place.

He later explained that he had gotten too big and famous and it was time for his to go back into the shadows. This comment signaled a return to The Doctor's roots as a secret operator who doesn't like extra attention.

The best of the rest:

• The Doctor wasn't ready to say goodbye and said he could help Rose Tyler with her homework or go to all Jack's stag parties. I bet Jack has the best stags.


• It wasn't until he heard about the death of the Brigadier that The Doctor accepted his fate. This was a nice tribute to the late Nicholas Courtney.


• Amy's line before she killed evil eye patch lady was so satisfying. "River didn't get it all from you sweetie."


• It's nice to see that River visits Amy and Rory and calls them mom and dad.


• Steven Moffat cleverly hid the answer to everything in plain sight in regards to The Doctor's death.

Though the finale brilliantly tied up all the loose ends, there's still that little matter of "the question." What happens if it gets answered? Knowing Moffat, he may leave that one hanging for awhile and start a new mythology in series seven.