Bought / Thought July 19 2007.

[SouLeSS]

Ever had one of those weeks where you get to the shop, and the owner or guy behind the counter gives you the weekly subs you have and you just kinda go "meh" after looking through them?

This week was one of those for me. Nothing really jumped out at me like a "I NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT AWAY" as the previous, oh, 6 or so months have. I partly blame 52's weekly being able to pull me in for the first, and last reads of the week, but there were others before that too. Anyway, enough ranting.

Avengers The Iniative 4 - Nothing big here, except the fact that

Spoiler

hardball doomed us to what's the end result of World War Hulk

. Kind of a decent end page too. Very easily skipped, and the book has let me down from the previous three issues.

Annihilation Conquest : Quasar - Literally the best part of the book was the ad for 300 being in Blueray and HDDVD on July 31. I don't see myself getting the rest of this mini, but I know that I'll be suckered into it out of guilt or something.

Action Comics 852 - A very Jimmy-centric issue. Explains more in detail what he's doing with his 'super powers', even though I'm pretty sure he still doesn't even know how they work. I'm going to assume he's going to eventually die because of it, which wouldn't be too much of a shocker. Although it did have drunken scottish robots. Which is awesome. Awesome to the max.

Countdown 41 - Trickster and Piper going to Penguin, lame. Jimmy Olsens costume, lame. Mary Marvel having a one page talking about how shes becomming evil and she needs a mentor, promising. Jason Todd naming the moniter Bob is either awesome, or lame. Depending on how you look at it. I find it awesome, because I personally like the Jason Todd character, even if he's all over the place. I honestly couldn't care less about the Holly Robinson part of the story, and it's six or so pages seemed to span 40. Oh, and apparntly this all takes place before the previous JLA issue, because the ending of the Lightning saga is shown by Karate Kid. Get your timelines straight. If you're going to have a comic that is a weekly, and have every issue that comes out that week have a tag on it, at least try and keep some of the stories in check.

JLA 11 - The art was...amazing? I don't know, but I loved it. Nothing really happened in this issue, other than reinforcing how good of a superhero Red Arrow is. It went into some detail as to what was going on with Vixen, but if you hadn't really figured that out by now, you shouldn't be reading comics. Though I don't like having to spin my comic around just to read some of the panels. It was a one and done, but overall it was fairly good.

Robin 164 - Dodge is a badass. There, I said it. He phased a dudes arm off, and opened the hole in the wall where the other one fell out a high rise building. He went around and recruited a bunch of random rogues, none of which I've ever seen. And I've read every issue of this Robin series to date. Bruce telling Tim 'no' to joining the Tennis team was a good little setup. I mean, it's true and all, imagine him going to get a physical and they see all his cracked and fractured and never going to heal right bones again? Red Flag city. Just another way of showing that Bruce always thinks ahead and that Tim is more impulsive when it comes to certain things. I like where this arc's going, as Dodge looks like he can pretty much solo the **** out of anyone that doesn't have some kind of super speed. He also looked like a badass throughout most of the issue with his hood on and just going right up to people saying "join me, now."

It was just one of those weeks.

 

[Marcdachamp]

Captain America- PICK OF THE WEEK! Someone once called this book the "24" of super hero comics. I really don't think I can figure out a more apt comparison. Brubaker set up the pieces so carefully for over twenty issues and now everything is paying off in a way I never expected. It's been almost 3 years since I picked up Captain America #1 and all of the investment has been worth every penny. 9/10

World War Hulk- Good lord, I LOVE John Romita Jr. Amazing Spider-Man may be the book he was born to draw, but this was the book he was meant to draw. The action moves like a summer blockbuster. I have no idea how this story is going to end. There's a million potential possibilities, and I can't wait to see how it all comes crashing down. 9/10

Ultimate Spider-Man- The end of an era. Seeing Bags leave is definitely depressing, but Immonen did a great job here, too. I'm not sure if this issue was Bendis' idea or not, but I loved seeing one run end and another begin in one issue. The only problem I have is that it really hasn't been that long since JMS did a similar issue. I suppose that's just one of the trappings of the Ultimate line, though. When it comes to certain ideas (like Aunt May and Peter discussing his identity), there's only so much that can be done. 9/10

Avengers: The Initiative- Man, am I the only one getting sick of reading the Hulk's holographic message? I get that it's necessary, but with the number of books I buy it just gets a little tedious. Anyway, it's a small nitpick when we've got a series that's as good as this one. Slott's setting up some great stuff, and I really liked how he incorporated Hardball into Iron-Man's defeat in WWH #1. 8/10

New X-Men- I'm really having a tough time with the art here. On one hand, I really like how Young is drawing the demons and Limbo. The final two-page spread is fantastic! And the coloring is stunning, as well. But, on the other hand, the kids look too cartoony for such a dark story. I liked seeing Kavita Rao show up in the back-up story. It's cool to see she's not forgotten as McCoy makes his world tour. 8/10

Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures- Not as good as Ellis and Deodato, but Jenkins writes a great Bullseye. Fun fill-in while Deodato recharges his batteries for arc 2. 7/10

Legion of Monsters- Decent little one shot with fantastic art. I felt that the Morbius story was more entertaining while the Dracula one relied a little too heavily on character knowledge for such a short tale. 7/10

World War Hulk: X-Men- Decent, but that better not be the end of that Juggernaut fight or I'll be PISSED. 6/10

 

[Roughneck]

Avengers: The Initiative #4 - Good read, I am loving the way that Marvel is handeling the continuity of World War Hulk, With antman beign inside Hulk for the IM fight and the initiave watching on TV, the F4 throwing together a last minute attempt while the fight is happening....and of course hardball dooming the world, very well done thus far Marvel...Salud. Oh and I love how the Constictory arc that Slott has been rolling with since his first run on She Hulk is still going.....Bravo to Big Danny Slott.

World War Hulk - Nothing spectacular for me, but it was fun to read....just another issue depicting just how damn tough the Hulk actually is right now....love the lighting/fire combo.......and then once again Marvel comes through witht he continuity but tossing in the Champions (Herc, Angel, Namora and Smart kid) in there near the end. Oh and the ending is something else....King Hulk vs the full forceof the army? Wow, I am hoping this leads to SHIELD Releasing all of the Hulk Villains that she Hulk captured and seeing if they can't maybe slow the Hulk down. I am login WWH a lot more than Civil War and I actually liked Civil War a lot more than I thought I would.

WWH: X-men #2 - I am very very very dissapointed in this book......Dissapointed that it's only 3 issues. This has thus far been the highlight of the enitre WWH Story......it's been two solid issues of Hulk fighting the X-men Non Stop, and roun three is coming next month....I wish Captain Brittain could have gotten there too.....and I also think that that cannot be the end of the Juggernaut fight.....Unless Cytorrak has forsaken him....which might make sense......love the all out fighting and I love that Wolverine got his ass handed to him, that's been a long time coming. Yay Colossus.

 

[Roughneck]

WWH: Front Line - Jenkins does a great job of throwing us into the action from a civilian's Point of View.....it was awesome....but who is that Daredvil? Isn't Matty still in Europe or something?

Ultimate Spider-man #111 - Meh...A good recap book I guess....Ultimate Spot wasn't worth it or explored enough.....Meh.

New X-men 40 - .......

Super Villain Team Up #1 - Modok's Eleven....I'm not sure what to think of this just yet...Buncha rejects, can't we get some real villains in there....and isn't Spot dead? Also I only count nine.....Anyway....Guess I'll have to wait this one out and see.

 

[CaptainCanada]

but who is that Daredvil? Isn't Matty still in Europe or something?

Er, no, he's been back for several months now.

 

[hippie_hunter]

No it's Matt, he came back a while ago.

On a side note I want to give a big F**K YOU to Jenkins. Front Line is a piece of s**t comic.

There's a difference between an intelligent liberal and a stupid liberal (yes there are intelligent and idiot conservatives and moderates too). Jenkins falls under the category of a f**king idiot liberal.

In the main World War Hulk book the evacuation of New York City was extremely efficient with the pro-regs and anti-regs helping evacuate the city. The Initiative took part in helping people evacuate. S.H.I.E.L.D. even said that all they had to do was think about it and a telepath would locate them so they could get them out.

But what does f**king idiot liberal Jenkins do. Tries to make the evacuation look like Hurricane Katrina by having the government f**k that one up too. Basically if you're poor or black, the government doesn't give a f**k about you. And the poor areas such as Hell's Kitchen will be ignored also. But it doesn't just end there, Jenkins goes up trying to compare this to the Iraq War also.

Listen here, if this weren't contradicted in almost all the other World War Hulk books, I'd have no problem with this, but when Jenkins pretty much ignores that and does whatever the hell he wants to do just so he can do a criticism of the government for pretty much no reason. This is World War Hulk, Hulk Smash, get revenge, yada yada. Not Civil War which was a criticism of the USA PATRIOT Act, people willing to do things in the name of security, etc. so it's understandable there. This crap has no point in being here.

So f**k you Jenkins. F**K YOU!

 

[Anubis]

Whatever you say Tucker.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I have no problems with liberal viewpoints at all. I have problems with viewpoints that come off as ignorant and asinine which is what Jenkins is doing with his Front Line stuff.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Avengers: The Initiative #4 - Good read, I am loving the way that Marvel is handeling the continuity of World War Hulk, With antman beign inside Hulk for the IM fight and the initiave watching on TV, the F4 throwing together a last minute attempt while the fight is happening....and of course hardball dooming the world, very well done thus far Marvel...Salud. Oh and I love how the Constictory arc that Slott has been rolling with since his first run on She Hulk is still going.....Bravo to Big Danny Slott.

Agreed. Everything's flowing wuite nicely.

 

[PhotoJones]

World War Hulk #2 - Yeah, this is how you do a company crossover. Civil War may have gotten more press and will most likely be remembered as one of the boldest arcs in modern comics, but this one is just good comics. This is why I started buying comics, really. I mean, who doesn't like seeing huge dudes beating the snot out of each other? It could pretty much write itself. Instead, Greg Pak is writing it, and he's writing it very well. He's hip to what's going on in the rest of the Marvel Universe and thankfully he's not like some Marvel writers (I'm looking at you, Bendis) who choose to ignore it. The same goes for Dan Slott (I'll get to him). Most of the continuity questions I had from last issue are brought to light here. How'd She-Hulk get her powers back? It's in here. Why can't Strange just blink the Hulk out of existence? It's here. Where's the Sentry? He's here. See a pattern? Everything's jam packed into this book.

And is this not the book that JRJR was born to draw? Good Lord. For anyone in the dark about what we mean when we talk about "storytelling" rather than just "art", you need look no further then these pages. I haven't seen art this kinetic since Kirby, and that's the God's honest truth. Credit goes to Christina Strain as well, who's coloring the hell out of JRJR's pages. I remember when she was still "UDON's Christina Strain". She's turned herself into one of Marvel's superstar colorists, along with Hollowell and Isanove. I wonder if she's hot.

Avengers: Initiative #4 - So we see how Hardball ****s up the entire plan to take Hulk down (from WWH #1). That's gotta weigh heavy on one's shoulders. This kid's turning out to be a serious dickbag and I hope he gets cycled out. I like Rage, Cloud 9 and even Komodo a lot more. And it's nice to see Slott using Triathlon, and not just in a background cameo role. I hope he remains as part of the cast. I also have to give Slott major props for not only having the balls to include Slapstick as the star of a book that bears the Avengers banner on the cover but to also find a way to use him that doesn't suck. I mean c'mon...being in charge of morale for the evacuating kiddies? That's too cute for words.

We don't get a lot of Hank Pym in this issue, which sucks considering he's one of the characters I was most looking foward reading, but Slott makes up for it by giving us some Rhodey/Tony exchanges. Poor Rhodey. Tony just continues to **** all over him. And the sad part is, is that most of the time, he doesn't even know he's doing it. And even still, Rhodey tugs that company line further down the road.

There's a brief MVP related tease that lets us know not all is what it seems with that boy. It occurs during a nice scene with Cloud 9 and Justice who go to the Van patrick farm to inform MVP's parents of his death. I like the role that Justice fills in this title. He's the moral compass that holds everyone together and I hope it stays that way. There's a shortage of heroes who actually strive to live by a strict code of conduct and it would suck to see Vance become just another cape with no sense of guidelines. Not to say guys like Luke Cage, Daredevil or Iron Fist aren't superheroes. They are heroes. But there's a difference between Batman and Superman. I just like the boy scout in Vance. It's fitting.

Oh, and I mentioned earlier Slott's penchant for recognizing and embracing continuity. He gives it to us in spades. We get a better understanding of when, how and why the SPIN tech was created, and it ties directly into WWH. We also get to see Tony working on the Hulkbuster armor that got smashed in WWH #1. We also learn that Tony has asked Dr. Strange to use his astral projection to gather all the heroes we first saw in WWH#1. And there's another mention of Stark giving She-Hulk her powers back. These are just simple asides that when included, make the Marvel Universe feel that much more connected. It's so easy, that I would think these types of things would be an editorial mandate but theu're not. Instead, we've got guys like Slott who actually give a damn about the sandbox they get play in and work to improve it. Once again, hats off to you, Dan Slott.

The Order #1 - Fraction's a really good writer. He's so quick and sharp. Even his superhero books have a quality of "smartness" about them that a lot of other books don't. This is a smart book. If you're looking for big, dumb slobberknocker (not that there's anything wrong with that), go elsewhere. If you want some really good drama and fast pace, well, here you go.

We're introduced to Henry Hellrung (great name) who's a washed up actor and old friend of Tony's. Back in the day, Henry used to play Tony Stark on TV and the two of them pretty much boozed and ****ed their way through Hollywood. It's a nice retcon that doesn't cause any disturbances to current continuity. A few years ago, Henry wised up and sobered up and brought Tony with him. Fast foward to today in the post-Civil War America and smack dab in the middle of the Initiative. Henry co-leads the Order (along with Pepper Potts), California's answer to the 50 State Initiative. They consist of regular people who get to pick their super powers and have an advanced medical team "hack" their system to give them the powers needed to fight bad guys. The thing is, this kind of procedure isn't meant to last forever and the volunteers are only given a year to keep and use their powers. Any longer, and their bodies could being to strain. It's a cool concept, and the answer we've been looking for as to why it was stated in interviews that these guys could only be superheroes for a year. I can already see some Rictor-esque stories of despression after loosing your powers, as well as some stories about guys who'll do anything to keep theirs. The possibilities are endless and I'm sure Fraction and Marvel realize this.

Anyway, I won't give anymore away. Just go out an read it. Even if somehow you're not pulled into the story, Kitson's artwork is always a pleasure to look at. And while you're at it, go read some Casanova.


I also picked up Captain America #28, Annihilation Conquest: Quasar #1 and Super-Villian Team-Up: MODOK'S 11 #1, although I don't know if I'll get to these tonight. I'm gonna spend some time with the lady of the house.

 

[Anubis]

Hey, if we are supposed to believe that the Hulk killed people over the years during his cognitive rampages, I can believe that Stark forgot about the Black and Brown people when doing the evacuation thing.

But for serious, what we saw in Frontline #1 was the reaction of the people during the first few hours of the evacuation. Even if they did eventually get everybody that they could off the island, you gotta figure the extremely poor, you know, the ones with nowhere else to go, got left behind or chose to stay. Just like New Orleans. And simply offhandedly stating psychics can get you where you need to go isn't the same as actually doing the job. You saw one side of the situation in the actual WWH issue. With Frontline, you see the other. One that, seeing as realism is supposed to be the "it thing" in comics these days, is likely to happen if such a situation occurred. So you know, chillax. No reason for the F-Bombs. I thought it was pretty damn good.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

PJ, tell your woman to wait. You got comics to read!

 

[Anubis]

Just put an oven mitt on, then she wont see what your doing with your other hand.

 

[PhotoJones]

PJ, tell your woman to wait. You got comics to read!

Hahaha. I've been coming home from work and spending the majority of my freetime reading so much recently, I'd thought I'd surprise her with dinner tonight.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Hey, if we are supposed to believe that the Hulk killed people over the years during his cognitive rampages, I can believe that Stark forgot about the Black and Brown people when doing the evacuation thing.

But for serious, what we saw in Frontline #1 was the reaction of the people during the first few hours of the evacuation. Even if they did eventually get everybody that they could off the island, you gotta figure the extremely poor, you know, the ones with nowhere else to go, got left behind or chose to stay. Just like New Orleans. And simply offhandedly stating psychics can get you where you need to go isn't the same as actually doing the job. You saw one side of the situation in the actual WWH issue. With Frontline, you see the other. One that, seeing as realism is supposed to be the "it thing" in comics these days, is likely to happen if such a situation occurred. So you know, chillax. No reason for the F-Bombs. I thought it was pretty damn good.

Well yeah in real life this would most likely happen if a situation like this happened. That's not my problem. My problem is that it is not like the other World War Hulk books that portrayed the efficency of the evacuation. Like everyone has said, the continuity of this event is awesome, Front Line is the exclusion because even though it depicts the events that happened, Jenkins has to put in an incredibly out of place thing just to get his point across. And Sally is still an annoying character.

I'll give him credit though, the other stories are pretty damn good.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Hahaha. I've been coming home from work and spending the majority of my freetime reading so much recently, I'd thought I'd surprise her with dinner tonight.

Awww :heart:

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

World War Hulk #2

I honestly wasn't crazy about the New Avengers/ Mighty Avengers getting trounced by Hulk's warbound so badly. These are the best of the best and they pretty much got their asses handed to them. The only one's that should have given them trouble was Korg and the Shadow dude (and Hulk of course).

To see Spider-Man overcome by a girl (Elloe) with little one-on-one combat experiences was irritating, same goes for Ms. Marvel vs. Brood. These people have turned back alien invasions time and time again. I know somebody commented that they were as strong as Hulk used to be but that just felt like a weak attempt to justify what was happening.

That being said, although Reed was the Hulk's opponent in this issue, the real star was the Thing and the knock-down drag out fight they had at the Baxter building. Real awesome stuff.

The reveal of General Ross was also pretty cool, a good way to use the Hulk's universe.

4/5

It loses a point for that BS Avengers loss.



Annihilation Conquest: Quasar #1

Well, it was a pretty good start. Nice to see an Avenger's villain like the Super Adaptoid being featured again and it makes a lot of sense with a villain like the Phalanx, plus his fight against Quasar was pretty cool: especially that last bit in the asteroid field.

At first I thought when Quasar was going berserk she was being "assimilated" somehow, but I liked the reveal with Annihilus leaving a mental imprint in the bands better. Plus she's starting to run low on batteries. Good to see Marvel's going to make things difficult for her.

4/5

The Order #1

Very good debut. I'm glad Marvel's following through with the Fifty State Initiative concept. People are always complaining that everything happens in New York and while that's still largely true, the Marvel Universe feels more expansive now than it has in years.

I'm guessing we'll be seeing a lot more death and character development in this baby since its Fraction's little corner of the Marvel Universe and quite honestly that's a great attraction on a team title. Fraction goes out of his way to show this is not New York, its California, so expect something new. Firing a third of the team was brilliant, honestly, I wasn't feeling the first roster and it was good to see that was intentional.

Looking forward to the scuffle next month.

5/5

World War Hulk: X-Men #2

If you're reading this, you're reading it to see the Hulk vs. the X-Men. Nothing else.

And this comic really delivers on that. The action is almost non-stop. Wolverine and Cyclops are knocked out of the fight early on, leaving the rest of the Astonishing team to fend for themselves.

I have no idea how this is going to end. Is Xavier going to be captured? Wouldn't that confuse people not reading this mini? How else can this fight end? I doubt Hulk will walk away until he gets what he wants.

My real complaint is that part with Juggernaut's was a ****ing disgrace. He went out like a *****.

3/5

 

[Roughneck]

Er, no, he's been back for several months now.

Oh...I was unaware, thanks.

No it's Matt, he came back a while ago.

On a side note I want to give a big F**K YOU to Jenkins. Front Line is a piece of s**t comic.

There's a difference between an intelligent liberal and a stupid liberal (yes there are intelligent and idiot conservatives and moderates too). Jenkins falls under the category of a f**king idiot liberal.

In the main World War Hulk book the evacuation of New York City was extremely efficient with the pro-regs and anti-regs helping evacuate the city. The Initiative took part in helping people evacuate. S.H.I.E.L.D. even said that all they had to do was think about it and a telepath would locate them so they could get them out.

But what does f**king idiot liberal Jenkins do. Tries to make the evacuation look like Hurricane Katrina by having the government f**k that one up too. Basically if you're poor or black, the government doesn't give a f**k about you. And the poor areas such as Hell's Kitchen will be ignored also. But it doesn't just end there, Jenkins goes up trying to compare this to the Iraq War also.

Listen here, if this weren't contradicted in almost all the other World War Hulk books, I'd have no problem with this, but when Jenkins pretty much ignores that and does whatever the hell he wants to do just so he can do a criticism of the government for pretty much no reason. This is World War Hulk, Hulk Smash, get revenge, yada yada. Not Civil War which was a criticism of the USA PATRIOT Act, people willing to do things in the name of security, etc. so it's understandable there. This crap has no point in being here.

So f**k you Jenkins. F**K YOU!

Actually I see your point but I am going to disagree. And I do agree....but other books have shown that folks are left, and not all of the folks shown to be left in WWHFL were not all black and poor. Some of them were crazy some of them were partying....yesm there was a bit of an undertone that Hells kitchen and poor folks were forgotten, but during the evactuation they did, as you mentioned, have psychics and stuff, but they also said something umong the lines of "If you do not accept our help we have to assume that you decided to stay behind" or something like that, they offerend them all help but some people were not willing to go and SHIELD cannot assume any responsibility for that.

I thought that Jenkins' writing of the folks left behind (Political undertones or not) was very realistic and very human. There were folks looting (Actually there were folks looting in The Initiative as well) and there was even one woman who just took off and left her kids behind. Sad as it is **** like that can and does happen. I felt the people left behind adds a nice flavor of realism into a story involving a Giant Green Muscle Man and his Alien Cronied fighting a man inside of a huge robot designed to defeat the Green Giant.....Ho Ho Ho.

 

[Roughneck]

Oh and I wanted to interject another thought of mine on The initiative.....I, like almost everyone in the world, hates Triathalon, but I've got to say that I actually enjoy him as a character when Slott is writing him...I dunno why...maybe it's the pants.

His exchang with Rage on Avengers Seniority was awesome.....Yay Slott.

 

[Darthphere]

No it's Matt, he came back a while ago.

On a side note I want to give a big F**K YOU to Jenkins. Front Line is a piece of s**t comic.

There's a difference between an intelligent liberal and a stupid liberal (yes there are intelligent and idiot conservatives and moderates too). Jenkins falls under the category of a f**king idiot liberal.

In the main World War Hulk book the evacuation of New York City was extremely efficient with the pro-regs and anti-regs helping evacuate the city. The Initiative took part in helping people evacuate. S.H.I.E.L.D. even said that all they had to do was think about it and a telepath would locate them so they could get them out.

But what does f**king idiot liberal Jenkins do. Tries to make the evacuation look like Hurricane Katrina by having the government f**k that one up too. Basically if you're poor or black, the government doesn't give a f**k about you. And the poor areas such as Hell's Kitchen will be ignored also. But it doesn't just end there, Jenkins goes up trying to compare this to the Iraq War also.

Listen here, if this weren't contradicted in almost all the other World War Hulk books, I'd have no problem with this, but when Jenkins pretty much ignores that and does whatever the hell he wants to do just so he can do a criticism of the government for pretty much no reason. This is World War Hulk, Hulk Smash, get revenge, yada yada. Not Civil War which was a criticism of the USA PATRIOT Act, people willing to do things in the name of security, etc. so it's understandable there. This crap has no point in being here.

So f**k you Jenkins. F**K YOU!

I hope you realize this rant is about a month late.

 

[samurai black]

Didn't get to read Initiative 4, stuck in this little town with a crappy LCS, what exactly happened with Hardball and why is everyone saying he's a screw up, and why does it give away the ending for WWH?

 

[Kevin]

I get comics this weekend. WHOO!!!

 

[Roughneck]

He stole some of the Spin Technology and replaced it with a Fake.....of course that bit of Spin Tech was the stuff that Stark tried to use against the Hulk.

He did it for some guy that took care of his families financial troubles.

 

[samurai black]

He stole some of the Spin Technology and replaced it with a Fake.....of course that bit of Spin Tech was the stuff that Stark tried to use against the Hulk.

He did it for some guy that took care of his families financial troubles.

Man, that makes alot of sense. I wondered about that. When i saw IM inject hulk with that HUGE needle and it didn't do anything, i was kinda puzzled. Good storytelling marvel, but i hate it when a major plot point happens in another book away from the main title.

 

[Darthphere]

Now seems like the best time to use this phrase:

What the Hardball?