FILMonBLU-RAY: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Review)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
2010 - Warner Home Video
Released on Blu-Ray & DVD on April 15, 2011

# of Discs: 3 (Blu-Ray x 2, DVD *Best Buy Exclusive version comes with extra Blu-Ray disc*)
Runtime: 146 minutes

As the penultimate film in the Harry Potter franchise and focusing on the first half of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 takes Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) away from the comforts of Hogwarts and thrusts the three magical friends into a world dealing with the ramifications of a wizarding war.

The aftermath of the Death Eaters' intrusion of Hogwarts in the previous film has left Harry and his friends without the guidance of Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and has put the task of finding the Horcruxes of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Along their journey they cross paths with old friends, new enemies and discover the existence of a set of items that may tip the balance of the war in their favor, the Deathly Hallows.

Deathly Hallows starts with a first look at Hermione's home and a last visit to Harry's place with the Dursleys. This leads to one of the highlight moments of the film, the battle of the Seven Potters, where in order to remove Harry from 4 Privet Drive several members of the Order of the Phoenix drink Polyjuice Potion to take on Harry's appearance before taking part on an aerial escape from the waiting Death Eaters.

Once they are forced to leave Bill and Fleur's wedding at the Burrow and begin their journey, 12 Grimmauld Place makes a return to the screen as does the Ministry of Magic, where the next spectacular magical moment happens with Harry, Ron and Hermione using Polyjuice to impersonate ministry officials and infiltrate the Ministry and find one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

And the showdown that takes place at Malfoy Manor near the end of the film is memorable for the spectacular environment, the viciousness of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), Hermione's pain and Dobby's (Toby Jones) heroic actions.

One thing that has improved as the Harry Potter film saga has gone on has been the extras included along with movies. With the existence of ultimate editions an eventuality for every Potter film I know there are probably plenty of featurettes being held off for the Deathly Hallows Part 1 version but that being said there is still plenty for fans to watch in this package (even more with the Best Buy release of the film with over 65 minutes of exclusive special features). Besides the Blu-Ray features like Maximum Movie Mode, the extras disc includes a few deleted scenes, and several featurettes: how the Seven Potters scene was created; the running competition between Dan, Emma and Rupert; and a conversation with Rupert, Tom Felton, Oliver and James Phelps while they play a round of golf between filming.

Being as big of a Harry Potter as I am, the movies gain a fondness level from me that other, less biased viewers might not do as well. That said, the last few films have had a steady transition from fun kids films to more of an action-adventure orientation that non-Potter faithful can appreciate. As has been seen in the progression of the series, the quality continues to improve from the actors to the special effects and the overall story. While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a much darker film than its immediate, lighthearted predecessor, I found myself laughing more with this film and it has quickly become one of my favorites of the series. While the deliberate pacing might throw those not familiar with the Deathly Hallows story, everyone should give this film a look, especially with the fantastic visuals of Blu-Ray.

Look to buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Blu-Ray over at Amazon for only $22.99.

FILM: Star Wars - The Complete Saga Blu-Ray Details (News)

The wait is nearly over for Star Wars fans seeking to own an HD collection of their favorite movies, with breaking news on the Star Wars Blu-Ray release later this year. Lucasfilm Ltd. sent out a press release today revealing the complete details of the nine-disc collection that will be released on September 12 internationally and September 16 in North America. Star Wars: The Complete Saga contains more than forty hours of special features, deleted scenes and never-before-seen archival materials. Each individual trilogy will also be available in their own separate Blu-Ray collection.


From the Lucasfilm Ltd. press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 4, 2011) — Bring home the adventure and share Star Wars™ with your whole family — when Star Wars: The Complete Saga comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment! To be released beginning on September 12 internationally and on September 16 in North America, the nine-disc collection brings the wonder of the entire Saga direct to your living room, where you can revisit all of your favorite Star Wars moments — in gorgeous high definition and with pristine, 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Dive deeper into the universe with an unprecedented 40+ hours of special features, highlighted by never-before-seen content sourced from the Lucasfilm archives.

The comprehensive collection also features numerous deleted, extended and alternate scenes, new documentaries and a cross-section of the countless Star Wars spoofs that have appeared in pop culture over the past three decades. Marking the first time ever that the full Saga is available in one complete collection, Star Wars: The Complete Saga also features a coveted peek into the making of the Saga with vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.

Episodes I-III and IV-VI will also be available as distinct Blu-ray Trilogy collections.

Fans will get an exclusive first look at some of the collection’s extensive special features at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International — which marks Lucasfilm’s 35th anniversary as a Comic-Con presence. In 1976, the fledgling film company was looking for innovative, grass-roots ways to promote its underdog release, a film no one expected to succeed — a space opera known (at the time) only as Star Wars. One of the first film companies to reach out directly to core audiences by way of fan conventions, Lucasfilm will return to the venue to showcase the full evolution of the epic story with a special first look at Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.

Special Features:
Star Wars: The Complete Saga is presented in widescreen with 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Special features include:

• DISC ONE — STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE
o Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
o Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

• DISC TWO — STAR WARS: EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES
o Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
o Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

• DISC THREE — STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH
o Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
o Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

• DISC FOUR — STAR WARS: EPISODE IV A NEW HOPE
o Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
o Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

• DISC FIVE — STAR WARS: EPISODE V THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
o Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
o Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

• DISC SIX — STAR WARS: EPISODE VI RETURN OF THE JEDI
o Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
o Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

• DISC SEVEN — NEW! STAR WARS ARCHIVES: EPISODES I-III
o Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives and more

• DISC EIGHT — NEW! STAR WARS ARCHIVES: EPISODES IV-VI
o Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more

• DISC NINE — THE STAR WARS DOCUMENTARIES

o NEW! Star Warriors (2007, Color, Apx. 84 Minutes) — Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures … these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.

o NEW! A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Color, Apx. 25 Minutes) — George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.

o NEW! Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Color, Apx. 91 Minutes) — The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more — and don’t miss “Weird Al” Yankovic’s one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!

o The Making of Star Wars (1977, Color, Apx. 49 Minutes) — Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.

o The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) — Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!

o Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) — Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams.

o Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Color, Apx. 26 Minutes) — See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.

o Star Wars Tech (2007, Color, Apx. 46 Minutes) — Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.

ABOUT STAR WARS

The May 25, 1977 theatrical debut of Star Wars — on a scant 32 screens across America — was destined to change the face of cinema forever. An instant classic and an unparalleled box office success, the rousing “space opera” was equal parts fairy tale, western, 1930s serial and special effects extravaganza, with roots in mythologies from cultures around the world. From the mind of visionary writer/director George Lucas, the epic space fantasy introduced the mystical Force into the cultural vocabulary, as well as iconic characters such as evil Darth Vader, idealistic Luke Skywalker, feisty Princess Leia, lovable scoundrel Han Solo and wise Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since its 1977 debut, Star Wars has continued to grow, its lush narrative expanding from modest beginnings into an epic, six-film Saga chronicling the fall and redemption of The Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker.

The amazing visuals that can be achieved with HD and Blu-Ray especially with studios that have the time, money and skill to take advantage of the technology ... September can't get here soon enough.

FILM: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Trailer Breakdown (Commentary)

On Wednesday the first trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released and like was done with Part 1, here on GeekPlate the trailer will be broken down and speculated about in this post. The hope is to point out most of what is revealed in the trailer and what part of the story the scene is from. Spoilers will follow from this point forward with the embedded trailer and the breakdown below it.



Throughout the trailer is a Voldemort voice-over that is probably what he says to bring Harry out to the forest to him.

0:06 - Snape is walking down an alley in Godric's Hollow. Most likely memory related, either a flashback or perhaps a new location for the scene between he and Harry.

0:10 - The Ravenclaw Diadem. One of the many horcruxes that have yet to be found or identified. Realization of Voldemort's nod to the founders will hopefully happen by the time the focus of the story returns to Hogwarts.

0:11 - Two girls on a hill, watching a flower grow in the redhead girl's palm. The girls are Lily and Petunia Evans as children and the moment is most likely from Snape's memories.

0:12 - An older hand holding the destroyed diary at Dumbledore's desk. Reasonable elimination of possibilities leads to the hand probably belonging to Professor McGonagall.

0:13 - A shot of Harry's arm reaching for a female arm in the forest. This is probably the resurrection stone scene with Lily in the forest. The only other possible female in the forest would be Narcissa and I do not see why Harry would reach for her.

0:16 - A look at Voldemort's face. It is only a short flash but from the perspective I could almost imagine it as a post-Harry's sacrifice scene.

0:23 - Harry kneeling at Dobby's grave outside Shell Cottage and glancing at the broken mirror shard. Has to be one of the opening scenes of the film.

0:27 - An angled closeup of Harry's face, probably during an introspective/emotional moment.

0:30 - Fenrir Greyback being thrown back by a spell. The background looks like Hogwarts, so the final battle is a safe bet.

0:32 - Voldemort at Malfoy Manor with bodies littering the floor and Draco with his head bowed. Clearly the aftermath of Voldemort's rage at Harry's escape and probably one of the first scenes of part 2.

0:36 - A cart ride through the depths of Gringotts. Interesting to see that it has evolved since the days of the first film but not really surprising. Looks like they are being chased by another cart. Then there is the guard dragon on the main level of Gringotts being ridden by Harry, Hermione and Ron followed by the guard dragon's fiery breath. These moments are from their search for Hufflepuff's cup and the escape from Gringotts.

0:42 - Snape standing outside the Potter's blown up home at Godric's Hollow. A continuation of the scene that began the trailer, makes me curious to where they are going with this.

0:44 - Outside the Great Hall where students appear to be gathering an animated armored knight falls into a defensive stance at the entrance. Possibly right before the final battle, with Hogwarts getting ready to fight as well.

0:47 - Voldemort standing with his Death Eaters. Bellatrix and Pius Thicknesse are directly behind Voldemort. I assume this is part of their march on Hogwarts.

0:51 - Harry grimacing somewhere in Hogwarts. That is usually the way Harry reacts in the films when Voldemort is near or angry.

0:53 - People scatter as Hogwarts is blasted and debris rains down. Definitely part of the final battle.

0:54 - Shacklebolt deflects a spell at the entrance of Hogwarts as Harry, Ron and Hermione approach. More of the final battle, depending on how Yates has decided to film the movie I have a feeling this is just before Harry and Voldemort's face off.

0:55 - Narcissa turning around in the forest. I imagine this could be her turning around to lie to Voldemort and declare Harry dead.

1:02 - The Weasleys surround a fallen Fred. This should take place after the retrieval of the diadem but before Harry takes on Voldemort and I doubt there will be a dry eye from anyone in the theater.

1:05 - Voldemort, Nagini and Bellatrix are at some type of hill/cliff as a spell expands before them. Now this is one part of the film that I have no idea where it is supposed to take place. All I have come up with is maybe this moment is just after Voldemort retrieved the Elder Wand and is giving it another test of its strength.

1:07 - Tonks and Lupin reach for each other. Probably part of their last moments on screen, I imagine there will be probably a passing reference to their demise whether it be a reference or passing shot of their fallen bodies but I do not imagine it will be onscreen.

1:10 - Harry pulls Voldemort off a bridge. I do not know what to think of this moment, it was the part of the trailer that had me stop with bewilderment. This feels like it will be something like the dragon challenge in Goblet of Fire where they went off in a tangent to make things more interesting. Cannot wait to see how they come back from that jump.

1:17 - Snape twirls his cape and disappears in the Great Hall. From the mysterious shapes made with his cloak it is easy to connect the dots to the moment where he is run out of Hogwarts and was said to fly off like a bat.

1:19 - Hermione and Ron run away from the fiendfyre rushing behind them. This is in the Room of Requirement when in search of the diadem, they cross path with Draco and his fellow Slytherins.

1:22 - The Hogwarts paved courtyard is in chaos with the final battle. If you look closely the statue is moving as part of the castle fighting back and there appears to be a giant among the wizards battling.

1:25 - What appears to be the Hogwarts covered bridge begins to blow up and fall apart, catching several people trying to cross it.

1:28 - Molly and Bellatrix face off. Looks like it will go down in the Great Hall and is started because Bellatrix fired a spell in Ginny's direction. I think everyone is waiting to hear Molly yell, "Not my daughter, you bitch!"

1: 31 - Harry and Voldemort wands do battle. The films have fallen in love with the aspect of Harry and Voldemort's wands continuously connecting even when they no longer have brother wands. The awesome visual is worth repetition and is most likely part of the final showdown.

1:38 - Hogwarts reaction shot. Ginny is screaming, Arthur catches her, Neville is looking grim as others look on behind. This is either the battle is over or Harry's apparent death. I am leaning towards the latter given the faces on the characters.

FILM: 2011 Summer Movies Game + Trailers (Commentary)

Last year, a few months before the existence of GeekPlate, I played along as a fan for the first time with the Totally Rad Show and Slashfilm guys in prognosticating the final standings of the summer film releases in terms of their United States domestic gross. I ended up with a solid 41 points. I enjoyed it so much I thought I would do it again this year and include it here on GeekPlate.

--The goal of the game is to pick what you think will be the top ten grossing films in the U.S. and three extra choices to make the top ten that you are not as sure of. For an overview of the rules check out the game's originating page at Time Travel Reviews.
--Use this page to see the list of 2011 Summer movies (through August is applicable).
--How the Scoring Works:

Getting number 1 or number 10 dead-on gets you 13 points (each).

The rest of the scoring goes like this:
10 points for numbers 2-9 dead-on
7 points if your pick was only one spot away from where it ended up
5 points if it was two spots away
3 points if your pick is anywhere in the Top 10
1 point for each dark horse that makes it into the Top 10
The scoring is tabulated so that you get the SINGLE HIGHEST point value for each pick- that is, if you get number ten right, you don't get 13+3, you only get 13.

GEEKPLATE'S 2011 PICKS (Trailers linked):
1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (July 15)
2) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)
3) Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)
4) Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 27)
5) Cars 2 (June 24)
6) Green Lantern (June 17)
7) Thor (May 6)
8) Super 8 (June 10)
9) Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (August 19)
10) Fast Five (April 29)

DARK HORSE PICKS:
The Smurfs (July 29)
Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
X-Men: First Class (June 3)

This summer seems loaded with heavy hitters nearly ever week, and I am very interested in seeing which movies distance themselves from the pack. Enjoy the theatergoing, I know I will!

FILMonDVD: Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (Review)

Scooby Doo: Abracadabra-Doo
2010 - Warner Home Video
Released on DVD on February 16, 2010

# of Discs: 1
Runtime: 75 Minutes

Animation's favorite team of teenage sleuths is back in a feature length film that blurs the line between reality and illusion. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and their dog Scooby go on a trip to visit Velma's younger sister, Madelyn, who is studying magic at the Whirlen Merlin Magic Academy. But where the Scooby Gang goes, mysteries cannot be far behind. There is trouble brewing at the Academy with attendance dwindling due to sightings of a giant beast around the castle. It is up to the gang to investigate and find the truth to the beast before the school is forced to close.

Most of the film takes place at the magic academy the gang visits, which happens to be in an ancient Irish castle. And the great mysterious beast that is terrorizing the school happens to be a mythical griffin. There is also a large cast of suspicious characters around the magic academy for the gang to check out: the head magician and his brother with differing personalities, the attractive magician's assistant, a gruff groundskeeper, a woman caretaker and a crafty tycoon eager to purchase the castle property. Another point of interest is the reason for the Scooby Gang's presence, Madelyn. She seems to be harboring a crush on Shaggy that is adorable to see and throws some intrigue with the fact that Velma is usually the girl paired off with Shaggy. Seems the Dinkleys find Shaggy irresistible.

As a direct-to-video release (the fourteenth animated film based on the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons) there is not much on the disc when it comes to extras. There is a short featurette where the host shows the steps to make your own scary hand puppet and not just one kind is made, several different puppet designs are created.

Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo is a fun ride for all, Scooby fans and just plain animation fans should check it out. And if that is not going to convince you, there are also some great contributors to the film: Andrea Romano did casting and voice direction; Alan Burnett was a co-producer, created the story and did the teleplay with Paul Dini and Misty Lee.

The voice actors Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn and Grey DeLisle return to their iconic roles and were joined for the first time on the animated side by Matthew Lillard as the voice of Shaggy. Throw in eighties teen heartbreaker Danica McKellar as Madelyn and you have a wonderfully diverse cast of voices performing a Scooby-Doo story worth watching.

Look to buy Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo DVD over at Amazon for only $11.99.

FILMonBLU-RAY: Tangled (Review)

Tangled
2010 - Walt Disney Pictures
Released on Blu-Ray & DVD on March 29, 2011

# of Discs: 2 (Blu-Ray, DVD)
Runtime: 100 Minutes

For it's fiftieth full-length animated feature film, Disney presents a new twist on one of the oldest fairytales ever told. Tangled focuses on Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a girl with long magical hair that is forced by her mother to live her life trapped in an isolated tower.

Her only wish is to see in person the floating lights in the sky that only appear on her birthday. Enter thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), who needs a place to hide after stealing the tiara of the lost princess and double crossing his accomplices. He finds Rapunzel's tower and Rapunzel realizes he is the chance to leave the tower she was waiting for.

The best moments happen during Rapunzel and Flynn's journey that takes them away from the hidden tower. Their first stop is a rowdy pub called the Snuggly Duckling. There they meet a cast of characters that are both unique and properly rounded out despite their labeled appearances. The interaction leads to a fantastic musical number, "I've Got a Dream" between Rapunzel, Flynn and the pub-goers. There is also a fantastic dance scene once they arrive at the kingdom that Rapunzel starts with all of the villagers in the street. The special features mention that the scene is the biggest crowd scene in a Disney animated film with over three thousand CG characters. The previous largest crowd scene had been in 1995's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. But the most breathtaking moment in the movie may just have to be when Flynn and Rapunzel go out into the water to witness the floating lights and sing "I See the Light".

The extras that come with the movie include three deleted scenes, which is a rarity in animated films due to the cost producing animation usually anything produced makes it into the final film. The unfinished scenes presented here include different versions of the film's beginning using a storybook introduction for Tangled that the directors were experimenting with to give the movie a classic Disney feel to it. There are also two songs extended, Rapunzel's "When Will My Life Begin" which starts off Tangled and Mother Gothel's "Mother Knows Best", a wickedly delicious song from the film's villain.

But the highlight of the special features might be the making of featurette "The Making of a Fairy Tale" hosted by the film's stars, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. With Mandy's adorableness and Zachary's charm, they entertain viewers with Disney trivia and facts while sharing behind the scenes segments on Tangled with the directors, animators and voice actors.

Very few movies can replicate the theater experience but watching Tangled on Blu-Ray was just as wondrous as seeing it in 3D theaters. It is easily the most beautiful looking animated movie I have seen, animation and Disney fans alike should flock to stores and pick up a copy of Tangled on Blu-Ray. It is well worth the purchase and I expect it to quickly become one of the most watched films in my collection.

Look to buy Tangled Blu-Ray over at Amazon for only $17.99.

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Tiny Titans #38 (Review)

Written by Art Baltazar & Franco Aureliani
Art by Art Baltazar
Cover by Art Baltazar

Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Youth was a big theme during the third week of March's comic book releases. Adventure Comics had the Legion Academy in its pages, the Avengers Academy title also came out, as well as the side book to Avengers Children's Crusade featuring the Young Avengers, the current young mutants book - Generation Hope and the next issue of DC's Young Justice companion book. But despite the crowd of minors, there was still the veteran of the kids pack to deal with - Tiny Titans - and in the end the pure fun the series brings distanced itself from the others.

Baltazar and Franco, the creative team for Tiny Titans continues to hit the ball out of the park when it comes to spinning tales with these characters. They have this way of telling simple stories in a fun and exciting way that appeals to both young and old readers alike. And the balance in their story design makes it so the book is a constant good read no matter which characters are in the issue, like this one where regulars like Supergirl do not show up but that does not take away from the story one bit.

This issue of Tiny Titans shifts the focus of the book from the regular cast of Tiny Titans to the water-based members of the group. Aqualad and Lagoon Boy go swimming and meet Aquagirl, her super hero team and their pets. There is also cameos by Starro, Batcow and Atlantis has to deal with a wet pants epidemic. Deliciously funny moments once again in the pages of Tiny Titans.

Baltazar continues to be stellar with his art on the book. The cover with Lagoon Boy, Aqualad and Aquagirl is cute and fun to look at and stands out on the shelf. The best thing about the Tiny Titans style is that any character that gets brought into the universe for the first time looks like they were always a part of the book and brings the energy onto the page like previous characters. Every panel flows with the story and the quality brought is so great I would not minding seeing an absolute version of Tiny Titans someday.

Tiny Titans is becoming a regular top of the stack winner lately with its last two issues and it always seems to be one of my favorite books to read month in and month out. As long as Baltazar and Franco continue to be the creative force behind the book I don't see my enjoyment of the title changing anytime soon. It is always one of the first books I mention when recommending people on titles to try out. The brilliance of this comic should not be contained to just pages and I hope that in the future DC can turn it into an animated series.