DRAGON'S BREATH

The Official Newsletter of Heroes and Dragons

http://www.heroesanddragons.com

Issue # 8.32 � March 14, 2004

Pick of the Week � New X-Men #154

By Comics Manager Tug Baker

This coming Wednesday will be something of a sad day in my life as a comic book reader. That�s because this Wednesday will bring the last issue of Grant Morrison�s run on New X-Men. While this certainly has been a long, strange trip that we�ve taken with Grant, it�s been nothing short of spectacular storytelling every issue and has truly changed the way that we think about the X-Men.

New X-Men #�154 finishes up Grant's final story arc, �Here Comes Tomorrow,� which shows us visions of the X-Men 150 years in the future. An updated �Days of Future Past,� to be sure, but the great thing about Grant�s run is that while he set out to model his run after the early Claremont/Byrne X-Men, he has made it uniquely his own as well.

�Here Comes Tomorrow� finds the remnants of the X-Men (Wolverine, Cassandra Nova, EVA, a new Beak, and Martha the floating brain, as well as a British human who has a pet Sentinel) taking on a Beast (!) who has discovered the sleeping Phoenix Egg. And with that sentence, I suddenly realize I can�t get any further into the story without spoiling things for you, dear reader. Suffice it to say, this issue is full of the typical philosophical revelations that we�ve come to expect from Grant along with some incredible action. Morrison is without a doubt a writer who knows how to end a run. Everything in this issue ties into the entire run of the book while perfectly setting up May�s "X-Men: Reload" event.

Oh, yeah, and the issue also has some lovely art by that Marc Silvestri guy who has been on for the entire �Here Comes Tomorrow� storyline. He makes the future look like one scary place.

Morrison�s run on New X-Men has certainly been one of the best I�ve ever read in all my years, and the ending doesn�t disappoint. In fact, if anything, it just makes me want to go back and pick up the first issue and start reading it all the way through again. It�s one of those runs that you could read over and over and always discover something new.

For those who have been reading it, enjoy this last issue!

For those who haven�t, get on it! We�ve got all the New X-Men trades in stock. Give �em a shot. You won�t regret it.

Looking for other cool stuff this week?� Sure you are � so I've got two extra mini-reviews for you on the heroesanddragons.com web site:

• Robin # 124

• Fantastic Four # 511

For Tug's complete review, click here.

Toys of the Week � DC Direct's Kingdom Come

By The Toyman

Welcome back once again, toy fans!� The Toyman has had all his wisdom teeth removed, but that can�t stop him!� This weeks review is the long-awaited (and anticipated) review of DC Direct's Kingdom Come Series 1-3.

As a big fan of Ross and Busiek�s mega-hit series, I was one of the legions of fans begging DC Direct for Kingdom Come toys.� When the first series was announced, I couldn�t have been happier.

Hawkman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Superman were the initial line-up.� What a great beginning!� Start with the biggest icons of the series, and do them right.� Tim Bruckner, DC Direct's sculptor extraordinaire, pulls out all the stops and delivers perfect likenesses.

DC Direct continues to impress.� I am beginning to wonder when Tim Bruckner gets to sleep, though.� All are well-sculpted, and DC Direct continues delivering innovative sculpts by combining multiple types of plastics.� In this case, they've managed near-perfect recreations of Alex Ross�s paintings.

The sculpts are dead-on likenesses of the characters. The muscle tone is realistic and well-defined.� Hawkman�s feathers are intricately detailed.� And everyone�s capes look like they are flapping in the wind.� These figures are Alex Ross�s art come to life.

The packaging is great.� It showcases each figure nicely and really stands out on the shelf.� The series' cover art is well-used on each package, and the packages themselves are extremely collector-friendly.� The figures could easily be removed from the package and placed back in them for display.

These are collectible toys, no doubt about that � but they are still toys.� Sure, they can�t pass the sitting test, but they are sturdy, well-made toys.

DC Direct made many a fan boy happy with the first set of figures based on Kingdom Come � a story often regarded as one of the greatest works of comic book mastery.� Who would have thought we would have received three fantastic sets� Can we hope for a fourth series?

Of course we can!� But like anything else, until we hear it from DC Direct, any rumors of more figures are just that, rumors.� I�ve got my fingers crossed for Norman McKay, the Spectre, and a half-dozen other of my favorite characters.

For the Toyman's complete review, click here.

Coming Events

Site to See

Last week we brought you the Best Buy exclusive Hellboy preview.� This week, our Site to See is the trailer for the long-anticipated Aliens vs. Predator feature film:

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Dragon's Breath is written and administered by Scott Simmons.
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