Comic rant: Ultimate Spider-Man #132

For the first time in several issues, Ultimate Spider-Man didn’t blow my mind.

Oh sure, it was a good issue. Solid. But up to the scope and emotional ferocity that the last two issues had? Not a chance.

We’re spinning wheels while Jeph Loeb catches up with the sure-to-be-ignored universe ending saga Ultimatum, but Spidey is still saving the day, as usual. We’re given some cameos from Hulk, Doctor Strange, and a few of the closer members of Spidey’s supporting cast.

Finally we get to see what MJ and the gang are up to during this madness, and it looks like there’s a fair amount of stress. MJ and Kitty spar for a moment, which sparks a reaction from Kitty everyone but the people present expected (poor Kenny). After this, Kitty goes off in search of our protagonist.

Spidey fights the forces of evil and magic (and evil magic) alongside a more complacent Hulk. We’re granted a flashback which explains why he’s fighting magic rather than Magneto, and then all hell breaks loose from Peter’s subconscious. Hulk tries to beat the evil ball of magic to death, and winds up causing a pink nuclear explosion in the middle of an already-water-logged Manhattan.

The suspicions of Spidey’s impending demise are rising to the level where even Peter Parker himself wonders why he isn’t dead yet (just wait, there’s only ONE MORE ISSUE left before Ultimate Spider-Man ends forever… to be replaced by Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, of course). Since he’s the driving force behind the book (sorry MJ, Aunt May, and Ben Urich), I’d be sad to see his absence from the comic for any length of time. We’re also catered to a little glimpse into what the comic would be like without Peter, and it looks like a hell of a lot of worrying and angst from pretty much all women in the comic.

The plus side to all of this is I can honestly say I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen. Since Ultimatum is later and later every day, and this own issue was months overdue, I keep forgetting about what’s happened and need to look back and refresh myself on the events we’re leaving and leading up to. That’s kind of a big strike, but I still have no real prediction about what’s going to happen, besides the fact that I’m nearly 95% sure they’re going to kill our titular character… for an issue or two.

Three flags — late, and brought nothing truly new to the table. I’m sure I’ll eat those words next issue.

Happy first anniversary

Happy One Year Anniversary to Mr. & Mrs. Howe! Just think– a year ago today, we all were in Vermont watching these two make the biggest promise of their lives to each other. How cool is that?

 

Relive the day!

My heart’s all a-Twitter

WordPress added a Twitter function. I wanted to link a few accounts into one Twitter box, but it looks like that’s just for WordPress.org users. For schlubs like me, I have to do it a little more old-fashioned. As a result, you’ll notice a few more Twitter boxes. If you notice yours there and you don’t want it up, drop me a line the usual way and I’ll take ‘er down. If you don’t see your box up there, rest assured it’s not because I don’t think it’s worthy of being posted. I just wanted permission to throw them up there. Likewise, let me know in the usual way if you’d like me to add you to the ever-increasing list. We’d love to have you, whoever you are.

Happy birthday, Chris & Jenna

Since they share a birthday, why not kill two congratulatory posts with one stone? In the slightly modified words of Frosty the Snowman, “Happy birthdays!”

SMBFC web board

Yes, we have a forum.

I thought I’d make a quick reminder for anyone who goes online for extended periods of time but has virtually nothing to read by midday. If you look at the righthand colum, you’ll see in External SMBFC the title “New Boards.” Just click that and you’ll be magically whisked away to a land where you can talk about porn or comics. True, you have to register, but it should only take a minute. Hope to see you there!

And for you lazy people, here’s a direct link:
http://smbfc.freeforums.org/

SMBFG – Free Comic Book Day

Really busy FCBD this time around! In addition to comics, we had some Roma’s, gardened, played with Indy, sought (and found) an Empanada place nearby (Morristown), had shakes and watched EQUILIBRIUM! Easily the greatest film with the highest brow.

SMBFP Episode 9: The Tubes (FINALLY!)

Sal and Sam catch up and discuss a myriad of bullshit, from Obama’s Soviet-esque grip on The Tubes (formerly “The Internet”), to poop vigilantes. One episode behind the milestone 10th Episode!

It’s tentatively hosted on a free network called 4shared. Download, or click the bar above the download option to listen right off the ‘net!

SMBFG – BBQ & Bath Time

We had a really fun Saturday, full of frisbee, cooking, and Predator 2. Sadly, all I got was some food preparation shots, and a few of us hanging around. So it wouldn’t seem too empty, I piggybacked Indy’s first bath along with it, that following Monday. So yeah, there’s more pictures of Indy on the galleries, but I’ll take more shots the next time we do something.

If anyone else has pictures from that day, let me know and I’ll give you the info to upload your shots to the album!

Podcast! Nooooo!

Just finished editing together the 9th installment of SMBFP and remembered that SMBFC.NET’s system is down! Curses!

We’ll try to get that up and running soon. Sorry for the delay (it’s mostly my fault*).

*It’s all Jason’s fault.

SMBFD – Heritage Grille

Dining around town when you’ve got a narrow variety of options becomes difficult really quickly. If you’re in Denville, your dining options are even more limited. You have a horrible pizza place, Steward’s Root Beer joint (which we’ll get to one of these days), the Denville Diner (which is routinely slow or closed), and two other places we’ll get to. One such option is The Heritage Grille, which boasts a great game, and shows its popularity when it’s nice enough to eat outside. But is the place as good as it says it is?

Kind of.

Don’t get me wrong: Heritage Grille has some great menu items. Their star-shaped cornbread is excellent. They come with every meal you order, in addition to some muffins and bread which are also both delicious. These are staples of the place, and make for a very pleasant first impression.

Their burgers and sandwiches are very nice. They’re obviously not going to be thick, juicy, all-American burgers like you’d find at a burger joint, but they do embody a kind of classy, upscale reputation when you order them. The So-Cal burger, for example, is the only burger I can order with avocado in the entire Morris County area. Its combination of burger, cheese, toppings (including the green versatile veggie) are simply excellent. Likewise, most burgers you order will not disappoint.

Signature salads are a big thing at the Grille. They, too, are quite appetizing. They offer a wide variety of salads with really unique choices that make it perfectly acceptable to order a salad for dinner.

The real drawback to Heritage Grille is their prices. For a place on Broadway in Denville, the place has pretty good parking and location availability. Sadly, the salads cost an arm and a leg, and if you order anything besides the burger you’ll be met with decent enough options with a very pleasant topping or sauce, for a price near or over $20. I’m sure Denville’s outrageous rent has something to do with it, but it certainly is discouraging when you’re compiling a list of places to dine, for two.

Likewise, the seating is odd. There are booths, yes, and they appear to be quaint, pub-style booths. When you sit down, however, they are either cheap or too-authentic. They move very easily, and they are probably quite comfortable for a child or tiny person. If you’re over five and a half feet tall, however, you’ll find your legs searching for another place to sit.

Their to-go options are great. Phone ahead and by the time you get there, more often than not, it’ll be ready. Sit down and eat, and you’ll probably wait longer, though. If you have no place to go, or you’re not in much of a hurry, though, it should be a nice experience.

The staff is also very nice. I’ve only encountered one employee who wasn’t 100% great, but it had more to do with a language barrier than a personality deficiency.

In the end, Heritage Grille might be a nice option if you’d like a sit-down meal at home, but you don’t want to cook anything. And check out that So-Cal burger. Seriously, it’s awesome.

Three flags (3/5).

Heritage Grille
18 Broadway
Denville, NJ 07834
973-983-9600
http://www.heritagegrill.com