Review of Genetic Predispositions, By Johnathan
/Okay: this post is about something I noticed while reading Detective Comics No. 90 the other day, but I can't just up and tell you what that thing was. I have to lay out a sequence of events for you - trust me, it's the only logical way.
The plot revolves around the riverboat Mississippi Mermaid and its 'celebrated water carnival'. Seems every time the durned thing comes to town, thugs clean out the whole place. Thugs that all buy their suits at the same place, I might add.
When the sheriff (note the purple vest and hat, the bushy white mustache) comes to check out the suspicious boat-people, he is foiled by their air-tight, witness-laden alibis. Since I'm not really paying attention to the mystery aspect of this story I'll tell you now that the whole scheme's dependent on a clock that speeds up and slows down to make the show's intermission seem shorter than it actually is or something like that - evidently this clock is so awesome to tell time with that none of the party-goers bother to look at their watches during the whole production.
Reading of the robbery in Carver Town, Dick and Bruce head for the next stop on the river...
Dalestown! Noted for its opulent hotel lobbies and abundant supply of nogoodniks in matching suits.
Batman gets trounced, wakes up, rounds up the sheriff, and heads boat-ward.
Wha? May I say, Mister Sheriff, that I have seen your like before? Well, I suppose that perhaps Dalestown and Carver Town are small and close enough to share asingle, purple-clad law-enforcement gent, right? Sure, it's totally possible.
Anyway, the Dynamic Duo keep on following the ship, and one week later (so: one week's travel down what is presumably the Mississippi River), in the scenic town of Andre's Bend (snicker), the bandits strike again. Once more, the law gets involved:
The purple-vested, white-mustached, Colonel Sanders tie-wearing law, who seems not to know Batman from Adam.
So: Possibly two but probably three identical sheriffs in three river towns along the Mississippi. My theory is that the American South contains a nomadic clan of law-enforcement types. As they walk the land they provide sheriffs and other forms of lawmen to towns in need of regulation - these three happened to be long lost triplets from that very tribe. That or the artist liked drawing sheriffs like this - this guy actually shows up all over the place in Detective Comics of the time.
JOHN APPROVED
World's Finest #71: Teaming Up To Confuse Lois
/Showcase Presents: World's Finest finally came out last week. If you buy only one book in your life, make it this one.
Behold the greatness that is World's Finest #71!
Well that was bad luck, Superman. But maybe you should be more careful about where you get changed. Well-lit hallways aren't the best hiding spots. And you should probably actually step back into that "convenient doorway," not just stand in front of it. Also...you can change at Super speed! Come on, man! How bad do you want this?
Superman saves Batman and Robin, of course. And Batman, being the full-time sweetheart that he is, only cares about Superman's problems. Mostly because, apparently, Superman was whining to him about Lois seeing him getting changed.
As always, Batman has a plan. A crazy plan!
I know you are probably thinking that, while Superman could plausibly pass as Batman, what with the mask and all, Bruce might have a tough job posing as the Man of Steel. For one thing, his entire head is exposed. For another...no powers. Because Batman is awesome, he lets none of these small details stop him.
Even though anyone would say that Superman has the easier job here, he fails miserably at being Batman. Behold the first couple of panels of Superman being Batman:
And there he stays for the remainder of the comic. (I love that second panel so much).
Bruce starts Operation: Confuse Lois by blatantly changing in front of her:
Lois can't be played like that. She's too smart. She sees Superman's crazy scheme and she raises one:
A date with Lois Lane is a SCARY date!
Let's see what happens on the Lion Picnic date:
A date with Bruce Wayne means a date where no less than three lions get punched in the mouth.
Bruce actually offers this explanation later:
That actually sounds pretty complicated, Bruce.
Lois has an even more insane plan up her sleeve. She goes on another date with Bruce, this time to the art gallery. Check out this slick move:
First of all, I love Bruce's art interpretation. Secondly, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LOIS?! There is a line between sane and crazy that you crossed a loooong time ago.
And wait until you hear Bruce's explanation of this one:
Wow. When exactly did he do all that?
That's an excellent point that Robin is making. The same thing occurred to me.
Ok, this comic gets more excellent right now:
Yeah, I can't think of a single reason why Superman might not be able to help Lois move. Just make up anything! "Sorry, Lois, but I had to stop an Earthquake/visit another planet/stop a super villain/save people/I'm Superman and I don't really have to help you move."
But all Bruce can come up with is this:
By the way, Bruce does actually end up looking exactly like Superman when in costume. This is thanks to what has to be POUNDS of theatre make-up. He must look insane.
I love Bruce explaining that Superman patronizes local businessmen unnecessarily. I like the idea that Superman maintains a tight network of business contacts.
You think that Bruce can't lift that moving van, but look!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: HOW MUCH FREE TIME DOES BATMAN HAVE?!
I'll tell you: enough to construct a cardboard truck, a complicated balloon system to keep it afloat, and some sort of steering mechanism. AND paper mache replicas of ALL of Lois's possessions. That must have been a late night for the Dynamic Duo.
Let's take a moment to remember that, during all of this, Superman is slumped, unconscious, in a corner somewhere wearing a Batman costume.
Lois is more determined than ever to prove that Superman is out to trick her. In the process she almost gets run off the road by her own thought balloon:
She finally discovers poor Superman's nearly-dead body:
That is a very confusing set of panels. "It's Batman! It's Superman! It's Clark!" I mean, there's your answer right there. If you can look at Superman and say with certainty that it is Clark Kent, then clearly Superman = Clark.
These next panels are adorable:
I wonder if this is the point where it occurs to Bruce that his brilliant plan is actually pretty stupid. Just look what happened: Superman is almost dead, Bruce has to carry a very heavy man to safety, and EVERYONE is confused.
Oh, and now Lois thinks Bruce Wayne is Superman. Which isn't good for anyone.
But don't worry. They have a plan for that too:
Oh man I love it when Superman winks at me. I totally blush and start giggling every time. I can't even imagine how exciting it would have been for the kids this comic was written for.
I also love that Lois isn't buying any of this. She's just "Whatever, Superman. You and Bruce can play your stupid games all you want. I'm not dumb."
This is just a taste of the total and complete awesomeness that lives inside Showcase Presents: World's Finest. I mean, we haven't even started talking about the Caveman From Krypton yet.
All-Star Batman and Robin #7: Live Running Commentary...Again!
/It's that time again! This thing is coming out more or less on schedule now! It's creeping me out!
Now, once again, I will read this for the first time and post my running commentary. When you hear Batman kick you in the teeth, it's time to turn the page.
Before I get started I just want to say that as soon as I picked up this comic I launched into a giant sneezing fit. So maybe I am allergic to All-Star Batman and Robin.
Page 1 - "Striking TERROR. Best part of the job." Isn't striking terror the only part of the job?
CRUNCH!
Page 2 - "You don't know from screwed, you losers!" This gets my vote for worst Batman quote ever.
CRUNCH!
Page 3 - "Let me take you to school, suckers!" Ok, we have a new winner.
Also, Batman really gets off on people shooting each other. I guess.
CRUNCH!
Page 4-5 - "WADS"???!!!! Batman used the word 'wads'!!!!
CRUNCH!
Page 6 - Oh man. I am really glad that I didn't actually buy this. So Batman just called one guy "sweetheart," another guy "boy of mine" and all of this is making "Black Canary" (who is Irish, for whatever reason) very hot.
CRUNCH!
Page 7 - Oh, come on. Selina's not a smoker.
Yes, of all the crap on this page, that's what bothers me.
CRUNCH!
Page 8 - WHA?! NO!! YARG! I...can't believe this. At all.
CRUNCH!
Page 9 - I am so confused about what this is supposed to be. Clearly, it's a joke. I mean, it has to be, right? So my question then is, why is someone with so much obvious contempt for comic books allowed to write this comic? Let me write it! It would be so delightful!
CRUNCH!
Page 10 - So, what is Dick Grayson doing during all this? Starving in the Batcave? Sharpening his axe? Eating rats?
CRUNCH!
Page 11 - ??????!!!!!!
CRUNCH!
Page 12 - Hey, it's Robin! "I have no idea how long I've been here, in the Bat-Cave." Yeah, neither do I. I am pretty lost on the time frame of this comic. How many nights since Dick's parents were killed? Was it this same night? And didn't he leave the cave to play with that axe at one point? Or was that in the cave? Meh. Next Page.
CRUNCH!
Page 13 - 14 - Seriously, if I see one more person throw up in one of my comics this week...
CRUNCH!
Page 15-16 - Well, this is messed up.
CRUNCH!
Page 17-18 - At this point I would believe anything. It would not surprise me if I turn the page to find that Robin has chopped that guy's head off. And then the next page is a giant orgy.
CRUNCH!
Page 19 - 20 - Normally I would kind of love Batman leaning on his car like that. But this isn't any kind of Batman I want to know.
CRUNCH!
Page 21 - Oh, well, terrific. (The Joker has pierced ears?!)
Aaaand we're done. Ouch. This exceeded my expectations of shittiness. Way to go, DC.
This Week's Haul: The Sexiest Week Ever
/So many Batmans this week. Adorable Batman. Horny Batman. Retro Dickweed Batman. Loving Father Figure Batman. Grumpy Wedding Invite Decliner Batman.
There were other characters too. But mostly Batman.
It's a sexy week for comics all around. Let's have a look:
Catwoman #71
Rachelle cannot come to the phone right now because she has MELTED INTO A PUDDLE OF GOO after reading this comic.
Behold Batman holding Helena:
Ok, I try not to be, like, a girl, but I just really lose it over Batman and Catwoman. I want them to be together forever.
And then...Selina asks Bruce to help her "kill" herself and her daughter so bad guys will stop going after her. So they come up with this crazy scenario where Bruce dresses up like a crazed suicide bomber:
He blows the three of them up, or so it seems, and Catwoman is free to start a new life. Which we'll see starting in the next issue, but I assume involves the Outsiders. I hope it involves Bruce Wayne, but that's me being a girl again. She's the only woman I'll accept as Batman's lady...except me.
Superman/Batman #40
I do not know much about Bekka, other than:
a) she is Orion's wife and a New God;
b) she is a giant ho.
While I appreciated the amount of naked Batman in this issue, I did not appreciate Little Miss No-Pants pawing him:
Nor did I appreciate how into it Bruce was:
Oh what, Bruce? You've never seen a woman wearing nothing but a dish towel over her ass before?
She's such a skank. Look at how she prays:
Anyway, Miss Thang and Batman have to do something or other together. I was trying to focus on something other than wanting to smack Bekka down, but Batman was not helping:
What sorcery are you using on my poor Batman, witch?!
Birds of Prey #110
Huntress is awesome. And so is Tony Bedard.
And now a public service announcement from Robin:
This whole page was very cute...Bruce has been all cranky about Tim wanting to join the school tennis team. Which, I gotta say, is pretty obnoxious of Bruce.Good for you, Tim! Stand up to him!
Captain America #30
My monthly hit of my delicious Winter Soldier.
But wait! What's this?
He can be shut down just by saying a single word? Don't we wish all men could have that feature? Am I right, ladies? Holla!
Tony Stark is being all emo:
Tony, you have to do what makes you happy.
Meanwhile, Sharon's complicated life doesn't get any easier:
Oh, girl. You have to have Captain America's baby. It will be the most awesome baby.
And this complicated my life:
So sexy! And yet...Tony Stark! Argh! I'm so confused!
Big shocker ending on this comic! You should read it!
Countdown Week 32
I just really like that cover. Very cute.
We get to see Black Canary's Bachelorette party for the third time in this comic. But this time Piper and Trickster are there...trying to steal car keys so they can make a break for it. It's pretty fun.
And we get to see more of the party, including Wonder Woman being Captain Bring-Down:
I think it might be too late for those girls being exposed to sexist objectification, Wonder Woman. I mean, they have mirrors, right? (Zing!)
I do appreciate her effort, though.
The Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special
I think that Judd Winick and Amanda Conner are a great match. They both have a goofy playfulness to what they do, so this ended up being pretty fun.
Plus, Judd Winick is a pretty big superhero friendships nerd, so I think he was the right man for the job for this.
I loved this dig at Connor:
Vegan food and slide shows! Oh man, slide shows! It's true. And I love that whole bottom panel of the party-clothes superheroes.
This scene between Wonder Woman and Superman was absolutely adorable:
So cute. Too bad he wasn't right about all that "no evil to be found" stuff. The wedding kinda had some problems.
I enjoyed all the Snapper Carr bashing in this:
I enjoyed this. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Amanda Conner was a great choice for the art because no one does cheesecake better than her. And there was a lotta sexy action in this.
And of course A BIG SHOCKER ENDING!
JLA/Hitman #1
This was fun! I was skeptical because I don't really enjoy Garth Ennis's cynicism toward superheroes, but I liked this. It was a fun 90s throwback, and I liked having a follow-up story to Hitman #34, which had Superman having a heart-to-heart with Tommy on a rooftop.
The highlight for me was definitely Batman chewing Kyle out for once working with Tommy, only to be interrupted by Superman entering the room:
This was great. Looking forward to the next one.
Aquaman #56
I love this comic. It's fun, intelligent, great-looking, well-written and funny. So of course it's been canceled.
I'm miserable. I'm not kidding when I say that this was one of the comics that I looked most forward to every month.
I mean, just look at how great this page is!:
What I really like about Tad Williams' writing is that his characters have a very natural way of speaking. There's a lot of dialogue, and it's quippy, but not in a Bendis way. I have nothing against Bendis, but the dialogue sounds a lot more scripted in his comics. I mean, it's a comic book so you can expect some over-dramatic and clunky dialogue, but I thought the writing really stood out on this series. And the story was really exciting. I'm very sad that there is only one issue left. Boooooooo!
World War Hulk #4
We finally get to see Dr Strange, Iron Man, Mr Fantastic and Black Bolt fight each other in a gladiator arena. But we don't get to see enough of it, in my opinion. I was really looking forward to some crazy gladiator action. I guess I wouldn't have been satisfied with anything short of a major motion picture. (Oh, wouldn't that have been great? If WWHulk had just been leading up to a two hour movie of the four of them wailing on each other?).
It woulda looked a little something like this:
Reed is totally gonna smash Tony with that mace!
Good times.
Marvel Adventures: Avengers #16
Speaking of good times, this was awesome!!
Stark gets some battlesuits stolen from him, and the Avengers have to fight them.
And Iron Man gets his pants melted off!
Aw, remember when the Avengers were fun?
Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Parallax
It's a good week for Kyle fans because you get a lot of him in this, and in JLA/Hitman.
And in this, he is super dreamy:
Man, it's a good week for hotness in my comics this week. Thanks, comics!
I enjoyed this. It was emotional and exciting and stuff.
And Kyle put his old outfit on!
It's one of those A-Hero-Battles-His-Evil-Self-Inside-His-Own-Mind comics, but that never really gets old, does it?
Superman Doomsday on DVD
Ok, this movie was flawed to say the very least. For one thing, it is way too dark and violent for kids (I lost count of the number of necks being snapped) and way too boring and lame for adults. It's just not a good movie. I'm not a fan of this story line in the comics, but this was infinitely worse. And that's too bad.
Also, it was very, very gay. And by 'gay,' I mean 'homoerotic.' And not in a good way. In the way that Lex Luthor makes a Superman clone specifically so he can take his frustrations out on him. He beats him around while wearing Kryptonite gloves and no shirt, yelling things like "Why did you leave me?!" Then he straddles him, leans in so their faces are an inch apart, and says, I swear to God, "Who's your daddy?" And I fell out of my chair. It's messed right up.
Again, not really for kids. Besides the parade of spinal snappings and Lex's sexual dysfunctions, there are scenes like, oh, I don't know, LEX SHOOTING MERCY IN THE FACE, POINT BLANK!
Cartoons are fun!
This Week's Haul: Countdown to Everything!
/I suppose I could take some time out of my busy schedule of repeatedly watching the 3:10 to Yuma trailer to review some comics. Although none of these comics feature Christian Bale and Russell Crowe in cowboy clothes. So I have to get over that disappointment first.
Countdown to Adventure #1
I had basically no expectations for this comic, other than it was exciting to have a comic with Animal Man in it. And Adam Strange. And Starfire. I guess.
So this was really very enjoyable. Long after the events of 52 (too long, perhaps) we get to check in on our three space heroes. Adam Strange is still getting used to his new eyes, but is generally very happy to be home and ready to return to his full-time job of being Rann's protector.
Buddy is back to being a family man...and is working as a film stunt man, which is fun. His family is still getting adjusted to the fact that he is both back and alive, but overall things are pretty decent in the Baker household.
Kory has been asleep this whole time in the Bakers' guest bedroom. Despite Ellen's constant suggestions that Buddy contact the Titans about Kory because maybe she needs medical attention, Buddy insists that they should just let Kory sleep and they'll see what she wants to do when she wakes up. I have to say, that is kinda weird.
In this issue, Buddy comes home from work to find that Kory is finally awake, and is looking super fine:I love Ellen in the background, wiping up the coffee that Kory spilled. I'd want that leggy golden bitch out of my house too.
So Kory is going to take a stab at a normal life, and live at the Bakers' house as their nanny for awhile. I'll bet that doesn't last too long.
Meanwhile, on Rann, Adam has been replaced by another Earth man as Rann's protector (incidentally, the action movie star Buddy is stunt doubling for). He's been forced into retirement.
So there it is. Three heroes who have hung up the capes. But not for long, I suspect, for they have only five more issues in which to countdown...TO ADVENTURE!
Oh, there's also some Forerunner nonsense at the end of this comic on which I have no opinion.
Countdown Week 35
Everytime I get out, a McKeever issue pulls me back in.
This issue didn't even have Piper and Trickster and I still liked it. I think the key to enjoying this comic is to just let everything go, like timelines or continuity or things making sense. Instead focus on fun moments like Jimmy Olsen getting his ass handed to him by the Justice League:Superman scorched his pal!
Does Vixen have her animal powers back, then?
I should clarify, in case people are following the whole Jimmy-as-a-super-hero thing. Jimmy is trying out for the Justice League with his new powers which only seem to surface when he is in mortal danger. So he insisted that the JLA beat on him so his powers would show themselves. Instead the JLA went a little too easy on him, so the powers stayed dormant and Jimmy took a beating.
Amazons Attack #6
Well this took an unexpected turn on the last page. Anyone else very surprised?
I don't want to give away the surprise, but it was pretty crazy. I also liked this final issue quite a bit. As I have mentioned before, I am so confused about what is actually happening in the DCU right now, and about what order it's happening in, that I have decided just to ignore continuity and such and just enjoy each comic/series individually. It's very relaxing. I invite people to join me. I appreciate that DC is trying to bring all of their various comics and series together using Countdown as the glue, but sadly the glue is more like that shitty scotch tape you buy at the dollar store that only holds for one second. So I appreciate what DC is trying to do, but I think they may have gotten a little cocky after the success of 52 and now are just basically in way over their heads. I'm glad that they have now introduced the Final Crisis as a focal point (or at least an ending point) for everything. We are indeed counting down to something. And the death of the New Gods (which, I'm just going to say it, is pretty lousy. I don't want the New Gods to be killed off. Isn't there anyone interested in writing new and awesome New Gods stories? It's like The Death of the Legion of Superheroes or something. It's just so cynical).
I'm getting way off track here. What is it that I wanted to say about Amazons Attack? Hrm...Ok. It's for whatever reason prompting a lot of people to get really angry and say mean things about it on the internet and in comic shops. And while I'm not saying that it was fantastic, it certainly didn't suck on the level that people seem to think it does. Especially considering that it spun out of a pretty weak Wonder Woman book. Amazons attacking Washington DC and the Justice League showing up to stop them is a pretty fun idea for a series. It was well-written and had beautiful art. The Catwoman tie-ins were awesome. The last issue of Supergirl was great. But if you try to figure out when exactly this war is going on in relation to other DCU events, your head will explode. But that's true of pretty much every DC title right now. So what I'm saying is that I need to not think about that stuff and just enjoy my super hero stories on their own. And I suggest everyone else who is getting fed up with DC's jumbled mess of a multiverse do the same.
That all being said, the surprise twist ending of Amazons Attack does actually tie it more tightly into current DCU continuity. I'm not sure if that makes it more or less confusing. It's certainly surprising.
Wonder Woman #12
I think J. Torres is doing a bang-up job on these fill-ins.
In this issue, which ties up some Amazons Attack lose ends, we get to see Nemesis battle Everyman. Which is pretty neat.
Ah, people who can change into other people. Always good for keeping you on your toes.
Wonder Woman got in on the action, expertly using her tiara and lasso. It made me happy.
And we get some fun at the end because Nemesis forgets that Diana Prince and Wonder Woman are one and the same. He continues to harbour a crush on Wonder Woman, and believes that Diana is jealous. Oh, Nemesis. It's wacky ironic alter-ego love triangles like that one that make me read comics in the first place. But I still say Wonder Woman is way out of his league.
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen
Remember WWIII? Ah yes, I remember that week well. I am one of countless victims of that war, in that I spent $12 on four comics which I will never read again.
Let's all get in our time machines and go back to that week and see how our heroes deal with its aftermath. At least I assume that is when this takes place, mostly based on Superman's angry face reaction to the president(?) of Bialya's accusing remarks about the Flash not being around helping people:
I liked this comic. I liked it a lot. It's much, much too late, but I still enjoyed it. For one thing, it's no secret that I totally nerd out about Superman/Batman interaction. And this comic had better banter between the two of them than any issue of Superman/Batman ever had:
The four horsemen of the apocalypse, Famine, War, Pestilence and Death, have possessed the bodies of four random people in Bialya. Bruce and Clark have a run-in with Famine in this issue, and it's pretty insane:
What you are seeing there is Bruce Wayne running as fast as he can out of the building full of corpses with his mouth covered because he suddenly has an uncontrollable desire to eat them. Or anyone he can get close to. And that's just interesting reading.
Also interesting is that Superman gets his arm bitten by the possessed guy. I really like this series of panels. Especially Superman clunking that soldier on the head. Keep in mind that during all of this, Bruce and Clark are both trying to ignore how badly they want to eat people:
I think this series will be fun.
Teen Titans #50
I am very excited about Sean McKeever getting the Teen Titans gig. I think it will rule, and will turn Teen Titans into a comic I almost read regularly, to one that I can't miss. Especially if that lovable Blue Beetle is involved.
I also like Robin's new low-rise shorts. Trendy!
So this was big and had a lot going on. It was basically several short stories, all in memory of Bart Allen. It was cute and fun and sometimes sad. My heart broke for Miss Martian when she tried to cheer everyone up by shapeshifting into Bart. Poor, misguided Megan.
Heartbreaking. But look at how well Tim handles it! He's just so mature. Man I love that kid.
And guess who else loves him!
Yowza! Teen romance! (They didn't actually kiss. Something distracted them...but now it's out there! Honestly, those two probably shouldn't go there, but what fun!).
I thought it was kinda odd that they inserted a good-sized chunk of last week's issue of Blue Beetle into this comic. Especially since it didn't seem to be credited anywhere. [EDIT: upon closer inspection, I guess it is actually just the same scene, re-written and re-drawn. I totally thought they were the exact same pages]. But overall it was really good. And look at where Martian Manhunter is chillin':
Action Comics #855
Man, it was really nice to finally see this. It was just as beautiful as I'd hoped, and the writing was great. I've been saying lately that I am getting tired of Bizarro stories, but this was really great.
You think that the Bizarro jokes have been exhausted, and then a comic comes out with a bunch of new funny ones:
And the two flashback pages of young Clark Kent and his dad were very sweet:
I'm glad there are two more issues of this. And then Geoff Johns continues on with Gary Frank! It looks like Superman is in good hands for awhile, and that makes me happy.
Batman Annual #26
I was really happy to see Team Lopez doing the art on this book. Those guys draw a nice Batman.
Alright, do we need another Ra's Al Ghul origin comic? Maybe not, but it doesn't hurt. And this was entertaining, nice-looking, and will bring new readers up-to-speed. I know some hardcore fans don't like updated versions of stories that were don't right the first time, but it is important to consider new readers. I'm just sayin'. The real challenge of re-telling an origin story is to make it both informative for newbies, and interesting for long-time fans. I liked reading this, and I definitely liked looking at it. Plus it's not a bad idea to incorporate Damian into the re-telling of Al Ghul's origin. It's a good comic. I've got no complaints.
Incredible Change-Bots by Jeffrey Brown
This book is hilarious. Everyone should buy this. Jeffrey Brown is on fire lately, after the awesomeness of his last book Cat Getting Out of a Bag. What Cheat Commandos does for G.I. Joe, this book does for Transformers.
Alright, that's all I've got to say about comics. I still have to get caught up on the World War Hulk tie-ins. And I literally have nothing to say about the Last Fantastic Four Story. It was fine.
And now back to that 3:10 to Yuma trailer.