Batman: Hush. By Jeph Loeb

This book was fantastic.  Great story, great art, and great characters.  The main villain in this book, Hush, isn't a well known villain, but man are they are good one.  This book covers all the bases.  It shows you why Batman is called the worlds greatest detective.  You have a budding romance between Batman and Catwoman, or should I say Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. You've got most of Batman's most famous bad guys like the Joker, Posion Ivy, Harley Quinn, Two Face, and Killer Crock just to name a few. You've got other good guys like Jim Gordan, Oracle, the Huntress, Superman, Nightwing, Robin, and Harvey Dent.  The Hush story really has it all. For those that aren't familiar with the Bruce Wayne/Batman there are enough flashbacks that tell that story.  Batman has to make a huge decision on whether or not to reveal his identity to Catwoman. There are plenty of twist and turns. This book is the perfect book for those new to comic book or someone that wants to get back into them.  This is one of the best comic books I've ever read.  A must buy.

Green Lantern Corps: Emerald Eclipse. By Peter J. Tomasi

I don't know why it surprises me every time I come back to a Green Lantern story, but I love them.  I've been reading Batmans, Captain America, X-Men, but when I read a Green Lantern story, its like I'm home.  This book is the last book on the Green Lantern Corps side that leads right up to the Blackest Night event.  The corps members are still coming to grips with the new rules to the book of Oa, expecially the rule about there being no love relationship between corps members.  This is especially hard for Kyle and Soranik Natu as they express their love for one another.  But that isn't the only difficult thing for Soranik in this book, She ends up finding out the Sinestro is her real father. But unlike Darth Vadar in star wars,  Sinestro actually paints a picture of a caring father who watches over her, her whole life.  I can't wait to see where they take that story line.  The other big story line involves Sadam Yat and going back to his home planet of Daxam where Mogal has taken over the Sinestro Corps and setup Daxam as their home planet of operations. Sadam has to confront he own dislike for his own people before he can help them.  To what extent will he sacrifice himself inspite of his home worlds prejudice towards anyone that isn't from Daxam?  This was a very good book leading up to the Blackest Night. I would recommend this book.

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again. By Frank Miller

To follow up The Dark Knight Returns, I decided to go with Frank Miller's follow up Batman book, The Dark Knight Strikes Again.  This story takes place three years after The Dark Knight Returns.  Batman had faked his death and has been underground training a group of the former mutant gang.  This book was a huge disappointment to me.  It was interesting at best, but for the most part it was a hot mess.  The art was way too crazy.  It looked like it was done by a junior higher.  I'm sure there are some people out there that like this style of art, I am not one of them. It felt rushed.  The story could have been really interesting but there where times I had no clue what was going one or who was talking.  I think a lot of that was due to the fact that I didn't like the art and it was hard to figure out what was supposed to be going on.  Also, some of the subject matter and language where bad.  For a Batman story, I want that type of language or imagery.  I understand the author was trying to depict how society had degraded in Gotham City and Metropolis, but I did't appreciate it.  I would not recommend this to others. Even if you are a big Batman fan, this book gets a big pass.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. By Frank Miller

The Dark Knight Returns is a story about Batman where he is in his 60's.  Has been retire for 10 years and Gotham City hasn't seen him for that long as well.  Jim Gordon is day's away from retiring and there is a mutant gang that is terrorizing the city.  I've always read that Batman is a kind of the anti-hero. Well this book defines what it means to be that anti-hero.  It is dark.  Batman hold true to the code that he set out for himself many many years ago.  He is close to breaking down both physically and mentally.  There is a new Robin.  There is a new commissioner that puts out a warrant for the Batman's arrest.  There are so many cool story lines going on this book, once you get into it, it's hard to put down.  The internal struggle Batman faces both with his past and his aging body are fantastic. This story was really, really good.  The art was pretty good as well.  Though it seemed sloppy to me, I think it fit the tone of this story well.  Because of the darker nature of this story, I wouldn't recommend this to younger reader...yet.  But if you like Batman or noir type stories, this is a must read.

Batman: Haunted Knight. By Jeph Loeb

Batman: Haunted Knight is a collection of three different Batman stories.  The first is a story about Bruce Wayne and how he begins to get serious with a woman while the Scarecrow terrorizes Gotham.  The second is about the Mad Hatter and how he kidnaps Jim Gordon's daughter.  And finally, the third is a Batman version of the Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol."  All three stories were very good.  I think I liked the last one the most.  It was interesting to see how Batman can sometimes be the worst enemy for Bruce. I give this book a recommendation, and if you liked the other two Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale books, you will like this one as well.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Well this will be my first video game review.  I do enjoy playing video games but I get a chance to play a lot of different ones.  I really try to get as much replay-ability out of the games I purchase as possible. Saves money that way. I loved this game.  I loved the first two Uncharted games.  This game had one of the best stories I've ever played in a video game.  The character development, dialog, gameplay, voice acting, and action sequences were fantastic.  Just like the first two games you travel the world and explore a variety of different locations. The stories in all 3 Uncharted games are so good.  If Hollywood ever decides to rip this game off and make it into a live action movie, they actually have a pretty good script to work with.  I can't say enough good things about this game.  Everything you could want in a game to prove that video games can be a form of art, this is one of those games.  This game shows that not all video games are one dimensional and are only terrorist trainers.  Adult language is used so I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under 13 at the youngest, but this is a quality video game.  I only played the solo mode, no online multiplayer.  If you happen to be at a GameStop and see any of the Uncharteds for really cheap, pick them up, you won't be disappointed.

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Volume 3.

I finished Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Volume 3 the other night.  Just like the first two volumes, this book tells more historical stores of the Green Lantern Corps.  Obviously this book tells the most recent stories of the Corps (if you consider mid 1980's as recent).  This was a little more interesting for me then the first two because Jon Stewart play a bigger roll in these stories.  After reading all three volumes, all I can say is that if I had been into comic books when I was a kid in the 80's, I would probably not have been a Green Lantern fan.  The stories seemed really cheesy to me, overly simple.  But I also think that is a credit to Geoff Johns and what he has made the Green Lantern into now.  That a being said, this is a pass unless you already love the Green Lantern Corps and can't get enough.

EntreLeadership: 20 years of practical business wisdom from the trenches. By Dave Ramsey

Over seven years ago I was listening to a podcast about LOST (the television show) and the host was talking about his personal life and how he was trying to get out of debt and he was trying to follow a plan called "The Total Money Makeover" by a guy named Dave Ramsey.  This guy had a radio show (that wasn't in the Detroit area at the time) and he "preached" a debt free life style and saidt that it was biblicaly based. Not being completely happy with my family's finance's (honestly what 25 year old married guy really is) and with our first child on the way, I decided to see what this guy had to say.  Not only did he present his plan in a common sense method (common senses isn't so common any more) but I felt his interpretation of the bible and what it had to say about money was right on.  So I started downloading his free podcast's and listening to him that way for a number of years.  Since then, we have paid cash for three cars and haven't had a car payment in over 6 years.  We started more retirement accounts and college savings accounts for the kids.  Our only debt is now our home. (we are on baby step 6)  Much of that has been from the guidance of Dave Ramsey.  All that is to say that before I read this book, I already had a high opinion of this gentlemen.  Now after reading it, I wish I could work for an organization like his.  But in the same breath, I have to look at myself in the mirror and ask the question, would Dave Ramsey even higher me?  He only hires rock stars.  Though I would like to concider myself one (which in most lazy working cultures isn't hard to do, just getting to work on time seems to be a big accomplishment for a lot of people), am I rock star enough to work for him?
One of the main reasons why I wanted to read this book was because I am constantly looking for effective leadership books.  No quick fix stuff.  But idea's that I can incorporate into my life.  Not just at work but even at home.  How do I become a better leader?  Everyone one is a leader, in some form or another we all are.  At its most basic form, we are leaders for our own life.  You can be influenced, but ultimately you are responsible for yourself.  And from there you can be a leader of a family, small groups, church, community, or a leader in the work place.  The bulk of this book revolves around Dave's 20 + years of being in business for himself.  Starting from a card table in his living room with himself as his only employee, to a 300+ employee organization, that is debt free, and is consistently voted as one of the best places to work in Tennessee.  He talks about everything from purchasing, to hiring and firing, to benefits, communication, to expectation, to how to create a place of business that is pleasant for the employee's and a company culture polices itself.
There was a ton of great stuff in this book.  Whether or not you want to own your own business (I didn't phrase as "being in business for yourself" because ultimately we are all in business for ourselves) there are so many useful pieces of information in here, as a leader you will be hard pressed not to come away with pages of action items you can apply to your own life.  For any leader, this is a must read.

Aquaman: The Trench. By Geoff Johns

 I was looking forward to this book for several different reasons. The main reason being that Geoff Johns is the author that got me into comic books in the first place.  The second, Ivan Reis has become one of, if not my favorite artist out right now. And thirdly, since Aquaman seems to be the character everyone likes to pick on, I kind of wanted to root for the underdog.  I can see why some long time comic book fans wouldn't care for this, but I enjoyed it.  They might say that Arthur Curry (Aquaman) is too emo and constantly looks depressed.  I kind of liked that.  Others also might say that even in the comic book itself Aquaman isn't taken seriously and that would be true.  But again, I also kind of liked that element.  Arthur comes in and saves a situation serveral times but even the local cops kind of poke fun at him thinking that his only power is to talk to fish.  He can't talk to fish by the way, fish do not have intelligent though to communicate with.  He is just able to influence them to do what he wants.  Dolphins are a whole other story though.  I like all the different dynamics going on with Aquaman.  He is King of Atlantis, with citizens that don't want him, and he doesn't live there.  He lives on land, where people think him a joke.  And he has a wife that originally was sent to kill him, but has come to fall in love with him.  All this while trying to protect land dwellers from the Atlantians.  I enjoyed the sea creatures from the trench.  They very much remind me of aliens but instead of coming from space, they come from the sea.  I think there is a good correlation between space and the deep sea.  We only know a little about both and don't truely know what is out/down there.  I think what is even more fascinating about the sea is that it is actually apart of earth and in our own back yards, yet the depths are still relatively unexplored.  We don't know what truly is lurking down there.  The art by Ivan Reis once again is fantastic.  I really like the fact that he has a new primary location to draw in under water. It looks amazing.  At this point I don't mind the cheesy Aquaman being lame jabs or his emo attitude, but we'll see has this new reboot goes on.  All in all I really liked this book and thought it was worth while.  Wait until the price comes down or DC publishes it in trade paperback form.

The Flash: Move Forward. By Francis Manapol

I was really looking forward to reading some of the New 52 books that DC started publishing last year.  Since the Flash was one of the books I received for Christmas, this is where I started.  This book collects issues 1-8 and is really two different stories.  The first deals with Barry Allen (the flash) and his struggle against an organization called Mob Rules. The second story deals with an enemy called Captain Cold.  I was really, really disappointed with both stories.  The stories didn't leave me wanting more until the last 3 pages of the entire book.  Not enough for me to pick up another.  The art was OK. It took me most of the book to come to an appreciation for the art style.  I wanted to like this book but the story telling to me was sub-par and the art was was just OK.  Unless you are a HUGE Flash fan, pass on this one.

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Volume 2. By Alan Moore

Not much to really say on this one.  Same idea as the first volume, just a couple of more stories.  It was kinda cool to see some back story on the robot, insect, chipmunk and even planet green lanterns.  Like I stated about the first volume, this is not for everyone.  But if you like the world of Green Lantern and just can't get enough, this could be for you.  Otherwise, I give it a pass.

A vs X. By Brian Michael Bendis

This book was really, really cool.  Not only was it my first Avenger book, but it was also my first X-men book ever.  From a story standpoint, I really enjoyed it.  Only knowing what I've read in the Captain America books and reading a story description here and there, I didn't have a whole lot of back story.  But for the most part, it didn't really matter.  I was able to follow the story rather easily. The art in this book was really, really good.  This story revolves around the dark phoenix.  I was slightly familiar who/what the dark phoenix is from watching the x-men cartoon as a kid.  This is indeed the same dark phoenix, but this is its second coming.  Because the dark phoenix possesses several X-Men, it gives them to power to basically do whatever they want, even changing the world however they want.  This creates two sides, those that support the X-men that are changing the world, and those that support the avengers.  One of the other cool things about this book was marvel's AR.  It is an app that lets you basically scan AR labeled frames and it will automatically open a web page for some additional information from marvel pertaining to the frame.  I thought it was really cool and was kind of fun to get some explanation and or back story on some of the frames.  Even if you haven't stayed up to date in the marvel universe, I felt this book was pretty easy to get into.  This book is a worth while read.

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps. By Mike W. Barr

This book is collection of stories revolving around the mythos of the Green Lantern Corps.  It introduces some of the charactors like Nekron and Kronos that are key bad guys in the Green Lantern Universe.  Though Hal Jordan was in a lot of the stories, he is not the main focus in most.  Each story gives you a background of some of the other corps members from other sectors.  Originally published in the early 80's with stories collected from 20 years earlier, some of the art and story telling can seem dated.  This is definitely not for everyone. But if you like the world of Green Lantern and you just can't get enough.  This may be for you.  For everyone else, its a pass.

Captain America Lives! Omnibus. By Ed Brubaker

This was fantastic.  I really like Ed Brubaker's take on Captain America.  The first third of this book is carry over from the previous omnibus and follows Bucky.  But once the reborn story of Steve Rogers starts, it gets really good and everything comes together really well in the end.  I know some people may disagree, but I really like Brubakers take with Bucky Barnes as Captain America.  I love that Bucky's past as the Winter Soldier keeps coming back to haunt him and he has to deal with those issues.  Now I know one of the things that makes people that don't read comic books laugh at them is that a character never really stay's dead.  Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) didn't stay dead and Barry Allen (The Flash), though he probably stayed dead the longest (20+ years), didn't stay dead either.  But sometimes that is what makes comic books so fun.  There are elements of the fantastical, elements that aren't even possible, but still are very entertaining.  There is a certain level of reality that you have to be OK with not existing.  If you can get past that, this book is really, really fun. Steve Rogers being Captain America is such comic Icon, its hard to keep such a beloved character dead for long. This book is must read if you've read the first two Ed Brubaker Omnibus's.

MockingJay. By Suzanne Collins

I hope everyone had a great Christmas season.  I was able to get a bunch of reading done over my 11 day break from work.  I was finally able to finish the Hunger Games trilogy.  The third and final book is Mockingjay.  It picks up were Catching Fire left off.  Katniss has been pulled out of the arena and is finally coming to.  She is taken back to District 13 and is wanted to be the face of the rebellion, the mockingjay.  But as most stories go, it isn't smooth sailing or overly predictable.  Things that you thought Katniss would have a choice over, she doesn't.  Things that you thought would happen, don't.  And people you thought you had figured out, you haven't. As a whole I really liked the series and liked this final book.  But something about it just felt lacking.  I'm not sure what it was.  I really liked the first two books but then the manner in which the final book ended, I guess I was just expecting something different.  There is some hard hitting events in the end, so it isn't for lack of shock factor.  All in all this was a very entertaining series.  Some of it reminded me of Harry Potter.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for some light, entertaining reading.