Brunner's Bar

Batman The Dark Knight I am a rare breed. I am one of the very few, if not only, person who read Fran Miller's The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and hated it. I didn't like it so much I never read the follow up book The Dark Knight Strikes again. So you might be asking why on earth am I reviewing this book? I got caught up in the hype. I follow DC Comics on twitter, and I keep up with the DC Comics All Access app and every article and snippet of art wasn't missed when I was nerding out. Now I have been very fortunate to have been approved for books from DC Comics and Netgalley in the past, but I never expect to get anything I request. This was one book that I would have been fine if I got turned down but was still interested enough to want to read this.  Thank you DC Comics for the opportunity to read this book for a review. When I first opened the digital file and saw it was over 300 pages my first thought was what did I get myself into? Now that I have gott

The Truth I have been a fan of Wonder Woman for a long time. I'm one of those guys who has no issue with a strong female character. I love that Wonder Woman is getting the respect she deserves and the movie was fantastic. I'm the very proud father of a little girl and I'm so happy that she and my son take after their dad and love superheroes. My daughter always pretends to be Batman, or the Flash and never Wonder Woman. I want my daughter to be proud to be a girl and know that women can be strong too.  The writing on this series has been really good. The stories have been really well developed and have worked as a year one story re defining Wonder Woman. I wish there was a little more action. As of the last volume Diana has lost her mind. She has realized that she has been lied to and lost who she is. Now Steve Trevor and his team have to try and get to Diana before this secret criminal organization gets to her.  On the Paradise Island side something is cha

Quest for Hope I have been a fan of Green Lantern for a long time. I remember reading Kyle Rayner's stories and I remember Hal Jordan's Rebirth, so this book has all of my favorite Lanterns in it. This book marks some big changes in the world of the Corps. To be honest I missed Volume 2 for some reason. I thought I had read it and jumped at the chance to read this book. Thanks to Net Galley and DC Comics for letting me read this for a review.  Volume 2 apparently had another war with Sinestro which was won by the Green Lanterns. Leading the way Lantern John Stewart is head of the Green Lantern Corps and he gave the Sinestro Corps an ultimatum. Join the Green Lanterns and fight along side them or be arrested. While trying to play nice and build a bigger more unified Corps Kyle is tasked with finding the only Blue Lantern left. Hope is needed in the universe and the Guardians of the Universe are looking to find Saint Walker and try to help him grow Hope.  As you ca

Multiplicity A big thank you to Netgalley and DC Comics for letting me read this for a review. I have been a big fan of the Superman since Rebirth. I was very happy to continue on this series. The last two books were really good and the mystery around My Superman in this new Earth world has been one that has kept my attention. This book starts out with this exact topic. Things around Clark are starting to change. The river (or creek, I don't remember) has run dry and Clark has no idea what happened. Until a guest star grows out of the ground. Swamp Thing has shown up to explain that the frequency around the Superman I know doesn't match with the frequency of this Earth and it is causing nature to pull away. Superman needs to leave or submit to Swamp Thing in order to put the natural order of Nature back to normal. The first issue or two of this was a lot of fun to read and I always like with Swamp Thing shows up in an issue of one of my favorite heroes. Once the st

Dark Tower (2017) I have been waiting for this for so long. This movie was teased over and over again with new directors and new actors until it was finally made. I loved the books and it is one of my favorite epic series of all time. You can imagine my apprehension to finally see something I have been building up in my mind for so so long. My wife and I actually saw this movie on August 18th but I have been toiling over this since. ***SPOILER WARNING*** If you haven't read the Dark Tower series and would like to then I would stop reading my review. I will be sad to see you go but it is for your own good. Last chance, turn back now. When the movie first started leaking tid bits about casting and plot I was getting really worried about the direction this was taking. Then I found a tweet from Stephen King that showed the Horn of Eld. The rumor mills started ramping up until we found out that this is a continuation of the series and not a visual representation. At the end

Emerald Outlaw Let's just say that during New 52 I was less than impressed with the Green Arrow books. The character was nothing like what I remembered. I wanted the Emerald archer from the year one books and the wedding album where he gets married to Black Canary. That guy was lost in New 52. Rebirth changed all that and brought back the hero I had been missing.   A big thank you to DC Comics and Netgalley for allowing me to read this for a review. I have really enjoyed this series and can believe all the things DC has done to Oliver Queen. First they took away everything of substance and meaning from Oliver. Next the writers did something I never thought I would see in the pages of a Green Arrow comic. They killed Oliver Queen!!! Of course if you are reading this I am going to assume you have read the previous book or don't care to. Oliver really isn't dead but the villains and the city think he is.  So what's left after taking everything and killing a

Rouges Reloaded I am very grateful to DC Comics and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I have been very fortunate to be able to read these great books in Rebirth for reviews and this was the Flash book I was waiting for.  Since Rebirth started there has been a lack of classic Flash Rouges and we had no idea what happened to them Were they laying low until the city calmed. Central city had been plagued by a speed force storm and a slew of random speedsters. A new villain named Goodspeed putting the city in a state of terror, then there were random lackeys that tried to live up to the legacy of the Rouges. This book is the triumphant return of our favorite villains/anti-heroes. The Rouges have been keeping a low profile and planning the theft that will finally beat the Flash. Starting with a trip out of the country to steal something outside of Central City hoping the Flash wouldn't figure it out. This is only the first step of their master plan that leads to

Justice League Vs Suicide Squad You have no idea the excitement I had when I saw this book was coming out. When DC Comics and NetGalley had this up for review I jumped on the chance right away. Thank you DC and NetGalley for letting me read this for a review. Getting the approval was fantastic and I couldn't wait to start this one. Sadly I had other things on my plate that made me late to read it and my review is later than it should have been.  Ok, so if you have read any of DC Comics or seen the movie (which I am one of the few who liked the movie, minus Jared Letto) you know who the what the Suicide Squad is. These are criminals forced to work for Amanda Waller because she has put a tiny explosion in their necks and if they don't their head becomes airborne. Waller has a new assignment for the group and there are some new faces along for the ride. Killer Frost has been added to the team. As they head out on their mission Batman has begun one of his own. He is out

The Dark Tower Well I have finished my re-read of the Dark Tower and just in time for the movie release in August. I really can't wait for this movie and I have had gift cards to the movies set aside waiting for this, and other movies this year. I'm going to do this review a little differently. I tried to review this the first time I read this and you can see that review on GoodReads if you really want to. I dance around what this book is about and gush way more than I really needed to. This time I'm not going to review the synopsis. You can read that on the dust jacket, back of the paperback, or on GoodReads. This is the last book in the series and everything has led up to this.  The first time I read this book I was completely sucked in by the grand scale of everything. I hung on every word and then couldn't wait to talk about it with anybody. Sometimes they didn't even care I was reading this. My wife is a saint. This time was different. My opinion ha

The Hound of the Baskervilles I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan for a very long time. I grew up knowing the name and we even had an entire room dedicated to Sherlock Holmes memorabilia. I remember meeting Jeremy Brett at a channel 9 telethon event when I was little. Now I watch over and over Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in Sherlock.So when my wife said her book club book this month was going to be this one I had to give it a re-read.  Holmes and Watson are challenged with one of the strangest cases they have faced. A family friend of the Baskervilles comes to Holmes to look into the saftey of the newest resident to Baskerville Hall. All the previous family members who have lived there have found themselves dead due to some strange circumstances. The last one died of complications of heart failure. His heart failed because he was literally scared to death.  I can see how for it's time, this book could have been considered a horror novel. The story goes that

Back to Bludhaven I have loved Nightwing from the time I was very young and first learned to read. I have follwed his story all the way from the second series where he first donned the Black and Blue costume he wears again. Since we now know that we are on a different Earth than what we read before Flashpoint and New 52 we now know this isn't the Nightwing I have known for so long. Since we are reading a new Nightwing to us this book is all about Nightwing finding out who he is.  This is sort of broken into two parts. The first part is a normal adventure for Nightwing. His dreams are being invaded to help build up a being who feeds on fear and despair in dreams. In order to defeat this guy, Nightwing gets a littel help from our very own big blue, Superman. Nightwing is then forced to live out his worst fear in his dreams and that is the death of all the people he loves. Superman helps Dick realize that no matter what he is never alone because of the kind of man and hero

Fort Solitude The Secret Hero Society books are really cute. My son and I look forward to each of these books because these we read just the two of us. We read a ton of kids books together with my daughter and we read the Harry Potter books with my wife, but these are just Father and Son time.  We both really enjoy the fact that these books are about our favorite heroes but as kids around my son's age. In this book it's summer camp time. Our heroes have been sent to summer camp and strange things start to happen. Campers who win competitions mysteriously vanish. Now Clark, Bruce, and Diana have to figure out what is going on before there are no kids left.  The first book centered around the big three with Bruce Clark and Diana. In this book we get more heroes involved like The Flash, and Cyborg. These books are a lot of fun to read. They incorporate so many different forms of telling a story. There are journal entries, text message, camp flyers, and comic strips.

Better Together I love these heroes. Whenever there is a series with these three I have to read it. Big thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley for allowing me to read this for a review. I loved the weekly series Trinity back when Infinite Crisis had the 52 weeks series going on. I had high hopes for this book and I can say I wasn't let down.  So Rebirth Spoiler here. In New 52 the Superman we had been following died of nothing more than Kryptonian Cancer. All this time a Superman had been in hiding on the Earth with his wife Lois Lane and a son Jonathan. Turns out he is the sSuperman we used to follow before Flashpoint. Some how he has moved to a new Earth and now that their Superman is gone he has come out of hiding to help the people of this Earth.  This book starts out with a dinner party. Bruce and Diana were invited to Clark's home to have dinner so they could all get to know him and he could get to Bruce and Diana. The best part of that is watching Bruce be a no

Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love I have always been fascinated with this hero. Deadman is a former daredevil who died while performing a stunt and now remains on this plain to help those in need. Boston Brand has popped up in many different series I have read and I always like the stories he is in. I know he is in the Justice League Dark series but I have yet to read that one. When I saw this book pop up on Netgalley I had to throw my name in the hate to read this. Thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley I got that chance to read this for a review.   Ok so this book is about Boston being drawn to this house. He isn't sure why and he usually helps people but there is something different here. When he finds it he becomes trapped and there is a Spirit in torment. While in the house the current residents come home. A man who is trying to write a book and his girlfriend who has this connection with the spirit world. I have to say this story is a little slow but it is haunting. I was

Half-Blood Prince Slowly but surely we are getting through this series with my oldest. He is a huge fan of Harry Potter and knows his trivia already. The look of his face when we got to the end and the big surprise hit was priceless. If you have read this book or when you read this book you will know exactly to what I refer.  Book 6 in this series is dark. The wizard world now officially knows that Voldemort has returned. Now that the world knows Harry and Dumbledore are not crazy, the pressure on them has become tougher than ever. Everyone may know Harry was right but now they know he is the chosen one. Harry is in fact the one person to end Voldemort. This book has two story lines that progress through the book.  The first story line leads right into the title. Harry is taking potions this year and he didn't expect to The reason is Snape is now the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher and since the new teacher isn't as strict Harry can follow his school plan t

Song of Susannah I enjoyed this book both times I have read it now. I went back and read my old review on Goodreads from when I read this back in 2011 and I was disappointed with my write up. It is really hard to write up a book in a series towards the end of it. As I have written more and more reviews I have come to terms with the fact that when I read a series I cannot write to those who have never read anyof the books in the series. I will not spoil the book but I will write a true review that will possibly spoil parts of the previous books. I say this so that you are officially warned. If you have any interest in reading the Dark Tower, read the other books before this review.  This book picks up right where Wolves of the Calla leaves off. Susannah has gone through a door in the cave of the Mani and Jake, Roland, and Eddie are left to find her and save the tower. As our heroes wonder what to do next a beam quake hits hard shutting the door way into our world and Jake is

Year One DC knew what they were doing when they did a Year One story for Volume 2 to coincide with the Wonder Woman movie that also has an origin/year one story. I have loved reading Wonder Woman but have missed a few during New 52. I will catch up at some point but for now I am trying to keep up with Rebirth and not miss a thing. Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics I was able to read this for an honest review. I fell down on my reading a bit so I am a bit late getting this review up but I'm back and ready to read.  Greg Rucka is a great writer and I have loved his stories in the past. This one just wasn't my favorite. I really liked Vol 1 of Wonder Woman. Diana is dealing with conflicting memories of her origin and has partnered up with Cheetah to take down a demon. It had a really goo start to a larger story line and then it was a bit unsettling to interrupt that with a Year One story. I'm not saying this isn't a good book, just that the timing on this book w

Wonder Woman (2017) One word... FANTASTIC!!!!! My wife and I have been waiting for this movie for so long that at Christmas time we asked for Movie gift cards so we could seer this and Justice League because we knew money would be tight. We waited in anticipation until the day came this came to theaters and I want to go see this again.  The movie fits in with the current universe of DC movies as it opens but hten this is a flash back origin story in the best way. Gal Gadot was absolutely impressive in Batman versus Superman and she surpassed that performance in this movie. We see Dinana Prince walking into the Louvre on her way to work and a Wayne Enterprise truck shows up to deliver a case to her. This is where the story flashes back to when Diana is just a little girl on  Themyscira growing up under the shadow and protection of her mother the queen. Here we get to watch Diana grow up until the world of the Amazons is shattered by the arrival of Steve Trevor as his plane cr

Speed of Darkness I love this series but I have to admit that I am so confused. I'll admit that I didn't read much of the Flash during New 52 so I am sure I missed some stuff but these books are confusing because I keep waiting for answers and none have come in two books. The being said I have been so wrapped up in Vol 1 and 2 that I still have loved every panel of these books. A big thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics for allowing me to read this for a review. Now before I get into the book I am going to explain why I am so confused. This may be a spoiler so read forward at your own risk. In volume 1 we see briefly that Wally West has come back. What do you mean Wally is back you might be asking yourself. Wally has been there all the time. Well I grew up with one Wally West and since New 52 there has been a whole different Wally West. So now we have 2 Wally Wests in this world and I have no idea how my Wally ended up gone and how this new Wally exists. So yeah, m

I Am Suicide I have been a fan of Batman since I first started to read. Being able to follow this series has been very exciting. Thank you to Netgalley and DC Comics for letting me read this for a review. Batman is desperately trying to help Gotham Girl after she was whammied by Psycho-Pirate . In order to try and get to him he has to go through Bane.  To do this job Batman has to enlist the help of some strange characters. Batmaan creates his own version of Suicide Squad. The biggest shock in his decision isn't who he picks for his team but why she is locked up. Catwoman has been locked up for killing 237 people. I'm not going to lie, I still have the last 2 books of the Batman series to read before Rebirth took over. Rebirth was so exciting I jumped ahead so I could get started right away so I have no idea what is going on. Apparently Catwoman is awaiting lethal injection for killing the terrorists that wiped out the Orphanage she grew up in killing everyone inside

The Crossing I have been a big fan of Michael Connelly's for a very long time. Harry Bosch is one of my favorite detectives and I have also enjoyed the Mickey Haller novels. Its a good thing that I enjoy these two characters because the last few books Connelly have written haven;t fit in one series or the other but they fit in both. Now that we know Bosch and Haller are half brothers they tend to cross over more and more in these books. I'm ok with that. I love a good crossover and these two work well together to enhance the plot. Most people would think, of course they are going to work well together since they were written by the same author. That isn't always the case and trying to get two completely different and, in a way, opposing characters to work this well is pure talent.  This book's title has so many meanings the crossing means so much to different people. In this book the title has two meanings. One is Bosch's battle to make sure he doesn'

The Phantom Lantern My favorite Green Lantern is Hal Jordan with Kyle Rayner a very close second. It took a long time for me to get into the Green Lantern Corps series which I started to read when Blackest Night began. I'm a fan of Green Lantern and I tried to keep up through New 52 so I got to see Simon Baz become a Green Lantern and I was a little uneasy with his picking up as yet another Lantern of Earth. Rebirth started and I had to find out what is going on with the missing Corps and what is going on with Hal since he was outcast from the Corp and using a Renegade ring. So I requested this series not knowing what to expect.  This series hasn't disappointed yet.I have been so impressed with the plot and artwork in these books that I am already looking forward to Vol 3 when ever it comes out. I have to thank NetGalley and DC Comics for letting me read these for reviews. I am thoroughly hooked on this series and Lantern Jessica is a close second to Hal Jordan in my