Panel of the Week – 1/27/10 | Techland

Hoo boy, what a haul this week! I dropped more coin on Wednesday than I have in a long, long time. And for my considerable dollars I got some great shots for Panel of the Week. Kick-Ass finally lived up to his name. Marvel wrapped up the longest labor in history with Cap Reborn. Green Lantern did his best Zool impression. Parasite brandished his perfectly round, toothy mouth and Doom gets hammered. Let’s get started.

Kick-Ass #8
This might be the only time in history that a comic was optioned for a movie and the movie was finished before the comic hit issue #8. Yes, the delivery schedule on this title was horrid. I don’t care. I love this book. The violence is over the top but it’s a great story of how idiots in capes would operate in our world. Well, except for Hit Girl. A ten year old girl probably still fights like a ten year old girl.

Captain America: Reborn #6
The man behind the pencil, Bryan Hitch, has been one of my favorite artists of the last decade. However, the brutal shipping schedule and the uneven work on this series has made me think again. It went an extra issue for no reason I can see. This panel of Cap is a perfect example of the uneven work. If every page of this book looked this good it might be one of the most beautiful comics I’ve ever read. This is not the case, however. Splash pages aside the work in Reborn felt rushed and sloppy for Hitch.

Green Lantern #50
Back in the 90′s Hal Jordan bonded with Parallax and went on a rampage. He killed other Green Lanterns, his friends, even Guardians. So when a giant, Black Lantern Spectre shows up Hal decided to let Parallax behind the wheel again. A big publisher goes back to the well, no biggie. What I want to know is where did the crazy new costume just come from? It was like a couple of months ago when all 15 Flash characters got new costumes from the magical Speed Force costumes department.

Superman: Secret Origin #4
I have always been amused by how writers get painted into corners by the overwhelming power of Superman. Take Parasite, for example. Need someone to fight the unstoppable Man of Steel? Well, here is a villain that eats life force. Just like Kryptonite, Superman’s enemies usually have only one tactic: make him weaker. In Secret Origin I am loving that Parasite, whose super power is basically super gluttony, is portrayed as a fat slob.

Thor #606
Where’d you go psycho boy? I felt like destroying something beautiful.

The 12 Best Android Widgets for 2012

With all due respect to smartphone apps, sometimes you don’t want to open a new program just to get some quick info or perform a minor task. That’s where Android widgets come in handy, bringing the functionality of those apps right to the phone’s home screen. But not all widgets are wonderful. Some are glorified app launchers, while others are downright ugly. Here are the 12 best widgets that no discerning Android user should be without.

Review: Soulo Converts iPad into Karaoke Machine

Karaoke lovers typically fall into two categories: Those who enjoy it, and those whose arms have to be twisted to get up and sing in public. Enter Soulo, a software and microphone kit that can turn an iPad or other Apple device into a karaoke machine. It gives you instant karaoke in the privacy of your own home, or wherever you carry your Apple gadgets. That’s the idea, anyway.