Spectre: Infinite Crisis Aftermath

I encountered the Spectre first in my early Green Lantern readings when Hal Jordan came back via Geoff Johns and our Emerald warrior's soul was "grafted" to this avenging agent of God.


Since then I was curious about his origin and storyline and when Powerbooks marked this off as less 30%, well how can I not check it out.

Crispus Allen was a good cop and investigator when he was alive but after being killed on the job, God's agent of Justice called the Spectre needed a human host to perform his duty. Crispus was not ready and refused the offer. Without a host, the spirit took its frustration on humankind and went on a magical rampage leading up as one of the events prior to Infinite Crisis.


Since then Crispus had one year to think and after accepting the post, his task as the avenging spirit of justice, punishing sinners and evildoers for their crime begins and he learns that it is not as easy as punishing the guilty as singling them out based on priority or gravity of crime even if it leads to family.


If you want your reading dark, gritty and macabre then try this one for size. :)

Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Stephanie Meyer wrote in this book’s prologue that “no two writers go about things in exactly the same way. We all are inspired and motivated in different ways; we have our own reasons why some characters stay with us while others disappear into a backlog of neglected files.”
Now, if you have read Eclipse, 3rd book in her bestselling Twilight Saga, you would wonder why did she even bother to write about Bree as we all know her fate in the books. But as Meyer says, some characters just take on a life of its own; and vie for attention. I guess this is what happened to Bree. 

One would have to have read and be familiar with the saga in order to appreciate the novella. Lucky for me, National Glorietta had a major sale and I saw this novella on hardbound and scooped it up.
Basically this is a short retelling of Bree Tanner and how as part of the newly born vampires who fought the Cullens in Eclipse, she had to learn the hard way about truth, vampire politics and burgeoning attraction, if not love, by way of Diego.

Both Bree and Diego were part of a coven that Riley, another Vampire made by Cullen nemesis, Victoria, was breeding and training to be part of the group that is to attack Edward and his family. Victoria has an axe to grind with Edward as he killed her Vampire Boyfriend James in Twilight. 

Now, creating and deceiving Riley at the same time to breed an army for her to distract & dispose of the Cullens while focusing all her efforts on Edward and Bella was her plan all along. So, no need to tell Riley the truth and no need for Riley to give details about their “mission” for “her” to these newly born/made vampires and let them wait at her beckon call. Lucky for Diego and Bree, they found each other in all this, but sadly for these two, circumstances kept them apart and they found out about the lies a little too late.

Oh and which lies were these?

That Vampires like them will burn in direct exposure to sunlight. Wrong. They won’t for they will only be sparkling like, “disco balls”. That their Coven in Seattle is being threatened by the arrival of the Cullens who were originally from Seattle and they have come back to lay claim and ownership of their turf. Wrong. The Cullens are living a peaceful existence in Forks and have no knowledge of these newborns and have firsthand historical experience how unpredictable and untamed newborns are. That Victoria, who is unnamed to these newborns and only referred to as “her” or “Maker”, is devoted to the newborns welfare. Wrong, of course. She only wants revenge on Edward and on Bella. A eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. In this case, a mate for a mate; Bella for James.

I’m giving this a meager 3 stars. I liked it but felt Meyer could have done more with it. But perhaps, knowing how Bree’s life fared in the books, why give it your all? Why even bother to tell her tale when according to her it would be just in one of those hidden folders in her hard drive. Had she created another Vampire that lived to tell the tale with the Cullen skirmish and currently is going through their own Vampiric life, then perhaps that would have prompted her to dig a little deeper and paint a more fully envisioned tale; if not spun another one with a darker edge. But since she is writing for the young adult market, I suppose Meyer felt she should adhere to the parameters of that readership as well.

So, it’s a good thing I am an Anne Rice loyalist and that I am typing this review from my flat in Rue Royale close to Louis and Lestat’s while hearing Violetta’s waltz from La Traviata blaring from Julien Mayfair’s Victrolla as its being turned and wound up by Mona and Lasher up until the wee hours of the morning. 

Viva Lestat!

Comic-Con 2011 -- Servant of the Bones

FlashPoint – Abin Sur: Green Lantern #2

Some things never change.

This is what I learned in spite of the life altering events borne about from the current DC crisis called Flashpoint. It’s the current storyline following the previous years biggest event, Blackest Night that involved our favorite Green Lantern, Hal Jordan and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps as well as all other DC superheroes. It was that much of an “EVENT”.

This time around for Flashpoint, of which I myself am trying to wrap my head around, centers on an altered timeline in which Abin Sur, the original Green Lantern who bequeathed Hal Jordan his ring, is actually alive and is on his way via orders from the Guardians, to retrieve the White Entity (as revealed in Blackest Night) from Earth in order to be brought back to Oa for safekeeping from Nekron and the rest of the Black Lanterns. Apparently, in this time line, the Blackest Night was not stopped and took hold of the best, even our favorite drill sergeant, Kilowog.

Issue #1  ended with Abin Sur’s craft being shot down. The bolt was colored Violet, so I may be thinking what your thinking but that has yet to be revealed. I am hoping the last issue which is #3 will tell us that. Simultaneously, Sinestro is on the planet Ysmault talking to the crucified Atrocitus and extracting information about a prophecy; or should I say The Prophecy about Flashpoint.

Issue #2 begins with Abin having sought out Hal and giving him the ring but was stopped by Cyborg of the Teen Titans, nursed back to health and begins his own quest to save Earth from harmful elements of society, as a personal penance from not being able to save his own planet Ungara and his beloved sister, Ariana.

Sinestro soon arrives to tell Abin Sur of the prophecy and that it is caused by someone from Earth who has altered not only events in Earth but in the entire Universe as well. If you must know, in this current story line Aquaman is Emperor of the Seas and Wonder Woman is married to him; Batman is working for the government and Clark Kent is still a reporter. Here comes in what I mentioned about things not changing as Thaal Sinestro has revealed that The Flash is currently fixing to alter and fix the timeline once more. For Sinestro, he can make the Flash change the world in “Their” image. And only he being Sinestro can “fix” it all.

I guess in any timeline, ego will always be ego. And in so doing, Sinestro is blind to all and follows the prophecy to the letter; for as revealed by Atrocitus, as long as Abin Sur is alive, he is doomed to fail. Needless to say a battle between these two ensues and we are left hanging for the next issue.

Figuring that these stories are just supplementary tales to the main arc of Flashpoint for DC this year, I decided to collect them and found myself enjoying these changes. Plots involving timelines are certainly not new in any form of fantasy writing. Shows like Charmed, Legend of the Seeker, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have certainly incorporated this “alternate universe” angle and it does freshen up any franchise and gives us a peek into the the world of the “What-If”.

What if Sinestro does fulfil the prophecy to the letter, does that fulfil and rectify his timeline and complements the “work” that Flash is doing, or will this timeline be an added running story that the writers can continually reference and go back to whenever they just wanna spruce up the stories. I guess I would have to wait for Issue 3 next month. And looking up to the calendar, it is only a week away. 

Can’t wait.

FlashPoint -Hal Jordan #1

Having re-written and given birth to a new and alternate timeline that involved Abin Sur being alive in the current Flashpoint story arc involving Green Lantern and the rest of the DC superheroes, why should Earth’s first Green Lantern, Hal Jordan be any different and out of the action right?

Picking up the story from Abin Sur Green Lantern #1, Hal Jordan in this timeline is still a pilot flying for Ferris Air, pining for Carol Ferris and dealing with the loss of his father from that tragic airplane accident when he was a kid and just dealing with the attack of a shark-man that latched onto his plane in one of his flying sessions with Carol. 

And like Sinestro, in this timeline Hal is still as brash and hardheaded as he is in the timeline we know. Along with that, he crashes a multi-million dollar plane into Carol’s own in the process of saving her from the shark but not before taking off in another one and bearing witness to Abin’s own craft being shot down and be offered the chance to save Earth.

 As it is, this is only Issue #1 and so we can only wait for the next issue to see how different this timeline featuring Hal will play out and with a man legged shark up and about looking for meat as reminiscent of another compiled issue of GL featuring mutated animals due to some alien experimenting that also brought William Hand’s back but with much dire consequences, some things just needed to be played out in time, much like this 3 issued storyline. Strap in and wait.

Learning from Nate Berkus

One word. Oprah.

Either you love her or you don't. Either you listen to her or you tune out. But at the very least & with regards to her guests on the show, you should listen to them.

Chicago's own, Nate Berkus is one such person.

Unlike my other fave, design doctor, Thom Filicia from Queer Eye & his own show, Dress My Nest, which finally we have here, Nate's sense of design & style is self taught. He was thrust into the spotlight in 2002 when he guested on Oprah & since then has been giving home styling tips. He currently has his own show on Oprah's O.W.N network.

But this book which I got & also gave as a bday gift for a friend will most certainly give you tips on how to make you home a better one. This coffeetable book has lotsa great pictures which I know you will love & wouldn't mind incorporating into your own houses. From tackling each room what you need it for to little addendums to personalize your space, Nate's own rules for making your space should be heeded. And with my own house project coming up in the month, I know I am guided with these 2 Masters, Nate & Thom to keep me inspired & happy. ;)

One on One - Anne Rice