The first part of the question is...How long should comic reviews be?  I have written nearly a hundred reviews and read an uncountable amount and I have noticed that the length of the reviews varies greatly.  I have seen reviews that are only useing the hundread word minimum and reviews that are longer to read than the comic they are reviewing. Don't belive me?  Check out the following. 
 
Too Short?   http://www.comicvine.com/the-incredible-hulk-sons-of-wrath/37-228986/
Too Long?   http://www.comicvine.com/alpha-flight-things-arent-always-what-they-seem/37-24190/ 
 
Let me be clear that I have no intention of calling anyone out.  I merely chose these reviews as examples.  Is there a happy median and what is it?  Now I admit that I have written reviews that were not terribly long but I felt did the job of the review.  I believe that a review needs to be just that a review.  Do you like the book?  Why or Why not.  What parts of the book did you like and what parts did you not like?  If these things are not covered then I think the review is lacking.  I would also say giving away every plot point when the plot summery is already on the page is too much.  Also, if the plot summery is not on the page put it on the page before the review is written.  Let's look at this like a movie would you want to see a movie based on a still frame from that movie or would you watch a half hour preview before you see the movie?  There are definite extremes.
 
The second part of the question is... Who reads them?  Again I have written a bunch of the reviews and it seems that only one person of the thousands on comic vine even read the reviews.  Why is that?  Is it because many of the reviews give up too many spoilers?  I have to admit I do not read many reviews unless I have read the book first.  (This of course would ruin the point of having a review.)  I always read the review after I read the book.  The reason for me is because of all the spoilers.  If I want to read the book I will avoid the review especially if it is particularly long because the longer ones seem to have more spoilers.  That may be why many of my reviews don't get read as they are usually for comics that are ten to forty years old.  It seems every new comic has five reviews but the older ones have nothing.  If I see a review that I like for a book I read I don't fell the need to write another one.  Sometimes I may comment on it if I felt it was missing something but that would be all that I think would be needed.
 
That leads me to a side question.  When a review is read the question  "Would you recommend this review to others? Yes | No" pops up.  If you choose "No" do you leave a comment as to why?  I can see not liking a review but how is the reviewer to get better with no feedback.  I admit I hate leaving or getting a "No".  There seems to be no point unless someone tells you why they wouldn't recommned the review.  If a person can't say why then should "No" be selected?  As long as you comment is constructive and not moronic like "Your review sucked!!!"  It should be well received.  That is not to say the writer will agree but input is better than just hitting "No".
 
So, do people even read reviews for older comics or do they read them at all?  What are your review reading habits?  Why don't people put comments when they don't like a review?  What do you think of reviews?  Lastly and self indulging.  What do you think of my reviews.  Enquiring minds like to know.

 First let me saw I enjoy doing the Quests but I am disappointed in the amount of scavenger hunt Quests lately. I would like to see more Quests that would require work. I really was frustrated by the Quests that took time but I felt like I actually did something when I completed the Quest. Quests like Tactical Nuke, Major Fan, Super Sup Check, Respected Critic and Critic of Critics were all quests that made me feel like I did something. They got me out of my shell and participating in things I would not have otherwise. I am still trying to get the Chaste Monk done for crying-out-loud. Not only that when I did the Super Sup Check I got twenty seven days in a row and my grandfather died and I missed a day. I had to start all over and when I finally did it I felt thrilled. Yes, it is frustrating but when I'm done I will have earned something.

Now I would like to suggest some ways to do this and I think it would be easy to do. First and foremost would be limited time quests. I know we already have quests like we do above and you can't just double up the same quest permanently but what about limited time quests? Having similar quests that only last a month or so and then end. Then you can bring them back in six months a year or what ever you want.

Here is an example. Have a quests like you have to write a review everyday consistently for a week or two. You can vary the time anytime you want. How about earning 100 wiki points everyday for ten days? There are a ton of ways this can be done. You could also reward a quest to someone who works on a point bounty.

The whole point is earning your level as appose to just randomly getting it by just browsing the website. The scavenger hunt style is usually a pretty popular character, object or place. You can easily level up pretty high by just looking around. When I found out there was a new quest and started it, the Quest only took me an hour to find all the answers. I just feel this would be a better system. What do you think?

This brings up a few questions like... After all these advancements shouldn't there be more super-powered organs and limbs available to everyone? What kind of a hero would hide this advancement from the greater population when they could vastly improve the lives off so many other people? Cyborg was saved by technology that was suppose to be used according to the first issue of Tales Of The New Teen Titans to help veterans "whose bodies were destroyed in war."  That technology despite it's success was never used for the veterans it was intended to help.  Are these heroes inspirational to people with similar disabilities or are they too easily restored and thus an arrogant depiction and flat version of what it is really like to loose a limb or organ. 
 
To me there is too much death and dismemberment in comic books as it is. I don't like it when my favorite hero is killed. This is made worse by the weak resurrections and patch jobs that come later. I understand the characteristics of having a character die every once in a great while to establish an unsure world but dead heroes don't sell comics in the long hall so they always get resurrected. Death and dismemberment happens too much to the heroes in comic books. Death is not death and dismemberment is quickly overcome. So... What do you think?

In the 1980's DC created the Crisis of Infinite Earths mini series to fix the continualality of the DC Universe. To merge the heroes of the different earths and bring them together in one universe. This was desperately needed at the time and needed again. The problem was that everything that was done has been undone in the years following. Check out the blog Was it worth it. http://www.comicvine.com/crisis-on-infinite-earths/39-40764/was-it-worth-it/92-22170/ Sure there have been many, many half-hearted attempts to do what I'm asking for from Zero Hour to Final Crisis but they never really restarted the franchise.

DC should just simply write a storyline that completely ends and destroys all of the universes ending every hero, character, stone and blade of grass. Everything completely gone and then begin a new rebirth of sorts were a new universe emerges and the heroes start over as blank slates. For example Batman going through his training to become the hero everyone knows today and Superman as an adult just becoming familiar to his new powers.

I know doing this will really change many characters as it is decided what to do with historic characters like the Blackhawks, and the Justice Society. This however would be a good thing. It is certain that the charters origins would be changed to make them fit but it could really better the charters more than it would hurt. Imagine a Blackhawk squadron in today's world using jets and what if Allen Scott was the first Green Lantern from earth to join the Green Lantern Corps instead of Hal. (Of course Hal would come later.)

Now I know that doing this is not without it's problems. First, few people like having the origins of their favorite charters messed with in such a way but if it was done correctly it would only improve the characters and the world they live in. Second, This would leave characters that we love out of the DC Universe for a while. For example I'm a huge Guy Gardner fan so a league starting with Alan Scott as the only earth Green Lantern means there would be a long time before I will see him in a book. The positive side of that is I will get to see the characters that have died come back and perhaps be sparred the weak story that killed them in the first place.

The mantle of heroes has been pasted down in some cases so many times that it is hard to write about other hero's in a believable way. Take Batman (Bruce Wayne) for example. He has had at least four different Robins that were his side kicks. If he started out as batman in his mid twenties let's say 25 years of age and fought crime for a few years before he let Dick Grayson become the the first Robin. Let's say three years. Dick stays robin from about 13 till sometime in college say the age of 21. Now Batman would be about 31. So Batman waits about a year or so before Jason Todd becomes Robin and he stays robin until he is killed a few years later. Now Bruce is 35 and we get to Tim Drake. Lets say another year after the death of Jason and about five years as Robin making Batman as about 41 at the time of his death. A forty-one year old crime fighter with no powers is pretty tough. Now what is going to happen when the bring Batman back and we all know DC will bring him back. Batman just keeps getting older and replacing his sidekicks. The Bruce Wayne character can't go on like this without changing what make Batman so cool. Batman cannot stay the same age as the Robins grow up one by one.

The same can be said for all the major DC heroes. We have had four flashes, four Earth Green Lantern five if you count Alan Scott five Batgirls, and to be honest I do not know how many Supergirls there have been. It goes on and on and on. That is why we need a revamp.

Now remember the stories don't have to be revamped recycled stories. Sure the canon can stay the same but the stories can be interesting. I would use Marvel's example of the Ultimates as that kind of story. There were many other “Ultimate marvel” stories but this one was done the way I think DC should do it's whole universe. In the end it has to do something we can not keep going with another four Robins and keep the charters that we love around them like Bruce Wayne, James Gordon, the Joker and so on. They all can't stop aging.

There are so many other points I could add to this but if I do you may not read it. If you do read it let me know what you think.

I know unless you lived in Michigan you may not get the sadness we feel in this state at the loss of Mr. Harwell.  He was like a father to some of us and very dear friend to the rest of us.  He was a christian man and was unashamed about it.  He started every season with the bible quote from the Song of Solomon.  
 
For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
 
He would remember the names of people he met only once twenty years later.  he made you feel like you were important.  He donated his time and money to the community and was an unbelievable kind, generous, and thoughtful man.  To really know how we feel about him can be heard in his farewell speech.
 
"Rather than good-bye, please allow me to say thank you. Thank you for letting me be part of your family. Thank you for taking me with you to that cottage up north, to the beach, the picnic, your work place and your backyard. Thank you for sneaking your transistor under the pillow as you grew up loving the Tigers.  Now I might have been a small part of your life. But you have been a very large part of mine. And it's my privilege and honor to share with you the greatest game of all.  Now God has a new adventure for me. And I'm ready to move on. So I leave you with a deep sense of appreciation for your longtime loyalty and support. I thank you very much, and God bless all of you."
 
He lived a long 92 years with dignity.  We should all be so lucky.
 
Rest In Peace Mr. Harwell.  Rest In Peace.

Now that I've given you my thoughts and set up. Let me tell you my pipe dream. I already have Ice, Fire, Captain Atom, and Booster Gold back is a comic together. I am happy right there but it looks like even Ted Kord, Blue Beetle may come back. (Maybe that is just my hopeful thinking on my part) Next it appears that the Book will tie in with the Brightest Day story line. Now this could mean (dare I say it) a resurrection of the heroes I lost over the past fifteen years. Could Brightest Day bring back Maxima, Question and the Crimson Fox twins? Now, I know there is another woman who currently wears the Crimson Fox cowl but The big thing that made her cool was the fact she had a twin. Two people could take the heroic role and this allowed them to do all kinds of things. They didn't have to leave a real duel life. They just took turns being the hero. This is also fun when interacting with the other heroes. Now everything I said is just my twisted dream but I would add Kilowog as a Green Lantern and leave Guy in the Corp. I love Guy but he is too perfect in the book he is in and beside he can always show up from time to time. Then add one more hero the dark Ragman and let Rocket Red go wherever. This would give me about as close to my dream league as I am likely to get. The league would be Blue Beetle (Reyes), Booster, Fire, Ice, Kilowog, Question, Crimson Fox, Ragman, Maxima, and Captain Atom. Lastly I would have three side charters behind the scene so to speak, That would be Ted Kord as a mentor and scientific mind to the league. (His health has suffered enough trauma. Now add Oberon and believe it or not Gypsy to take care of the Maxwell Lord role.

What do you think? Huh? Pretty cool eh? Yeah, well even if you don't like it and it will never happen, it is still my pipe dream after all.

When I started collecting there were a lot more comic store than there are now.  I drive an hour for no other reason than to pick my books up every month.  It is because of this I don't get to talk about the cool books I read with friends.  Sure I have you fine people but, there is something to be said about having a friend you can hang out with.  Now when I started collecting I had these friends but they are gone, moved away etc.  The friends I have now have no interested in comics.  This drives me nuts because I'll chat about something I read and I can tell I'm boring them.  I am a nerd.  I have the same problem with my love for Star trek and Warhammer 40,000 and baseball.  I am not a social inept person and do meets fans on-line but I just don't know any fans my age with the same hobbies that live near me.  I looked into some clubs in the area but they are either far away or a little weird.  Hell even someone who liked baseball enough to go to the bar and get a beer would be cool.  My question is am I the only one and is there advice you can give to a guy like me?

 I know the inmate death of a hero will get customers to buy comics for a while because of shock value or maybe the mentality that a book might be worth something. Isn't the result however only short term? The long term result would be that once a hero is dead there are no more stories unless the character is brought back in someway or the occasional flashback. It is for this reason that I believe we see so many stories of heroes dying and coming back. They have to come back in order to sell more books. As I said dead heroes don't sell comics unless your Deadman and now he is not even alive (That is unless something just happened).

I get really annoyed with the deaths in comics not because they have them but because they are so prevalent. You need to have an occasional death to have suspense in stories. To me it seems however that there is an overwhelming number of deaths in the past ten to twenty years. I think it all started with Superman everyone went nuts about his death and then it seem there was a steady inclination in the body count. When Batman died a while ago no one believed it would be permanent. What was the saying the only hero that stays dead is Bucky, and then he came back.

Not just heroes but just people in these universes are slaughtered. It is seeming that all the superheroes are failures. They only seem to stop a villain after they have a large body-count. I like the idea of a hero actually saving lives and preventing death. The argument for these deaths I hear is that it somehow it is more realistic. I would argue that it is less realistic. For starters were dealing in a world with superpowers and magic but with things like time travel, cloning, alternate universes, magic, and gods every reader knows that death is not permanent. How realistic is that.

I could go on forever but let me say one more thing. I am sick of reading about dark brooding heroes. It is becoming that all heroes suffer from horrible tragedies. It works for Batman but for every Batman there needs to be someone who is actually happy. Maybe even enjoying life.