A waitress asks for the truth, and she gets far more than she was expecting, from everyone. Unable to take the full weight of everyone’s confessions she commits suicide, and she’s the first death of many. There’s also the dentist, who drills his patient to death when he reveals that he lust’s after said dentist’s daughter. And everyone learns some hard and sometimes hilarious truths.

Bobby’s truth: he likes to be pampered, so much so that he gets regular pedicures. Dean is his favorite, and theres a juicy tidbit about his first girlfriend, that we miss.

All the while investigating Dean’s very uncomfortable around Sam, to the point that he doesn’t even want to ride with him. Instead of following up on a lead, Dean chooses to instead stay and do research, very unDean-like.

And to make matters worse Dean’s drinking. You know it’s bad when he drowns his sorrows, and he has many.  His brother may be back, but he’s not the man he know. He’s like a total robot, super focused and devoid of emotion. Lisa still remains out of contact, he’s still working on what happened when he was a vamp. Outside of a couple of phone calls from Bobby and the chance sighting of Castiel, he’s essentially alone.  

Dean and Lisa finally talk via phone, and what she had to say is brutal. The truth doesn’t always set you free, most of the time it manages to mess you up more. Lisa knew Dean had issues, but once Sam returned she knew that his twisted codependent relationship with Sam would take him away. She pointed out that the relationship is completely unhealthy and that she and Ben would not be a part of his life. The look on his face said it all, that was a bigger blow to him, than any could have expected, even if he knew it was coming.

And the hard truths weren’t done. He confronts Sam about letting him get turned, but Sam claims he froze and Dean accepts it. Because everyone is being forced to tell the truth, so Sam must be as well, but I’m not so sure of that.

Finally the boys make it into the Goddess’ lair, which is in desperate need of a maid. There are body parts everywhere. But Veritas, the goddess of truth, quickly captures the boys. Veritas asks Dean what he thinks of his brother, and he has no choice but to answer.

At one point he wanted to kill him, because he thought he was a monster. But he’s come to realize that they’re acting the same way, that void, that one track mind about hunting. He goes further confessing  that he thought he wanted to have a regular life, but he realizes he can’t, he’s just a killer.

Veritas focuses on Sam, but realizes that he’s not affected by her. He can still lie, that perhaps everything he says is a lie, which means that he cannot be human, though she doesn’t know what he is. The boys manage to get free and kill Veritas, but her damage has been done. Dean pulls a knife on Sam, and its finally real confession time.

Since he’s returned he feels nothing. He’s a better hunter because there are no emotions getting in the way. He pleads that he needs help, and Dean loses it. He’s angry about so many things, and punching Sam in the face repeatedly seems like the right thing.

You read right. Turns out one of our favorite resident werewolves, Joe Manganiello who plays Alcide on True Blood, is just as scruffy and sexy in person, and he has a hidden talent. He DJs.


For those of us not lucky enough to have caught his act in college, he gave a little show last night in Santa Clara for the Pinkberry Opening, giving us yet another reason to love Pinkberry, decides the deliciousness they serve.

Joe swirled up free yogurt for a few lucky patrons, the rest was still rewarded with good ole free Pinkberry served by their perky employees.

Before spinning a few records, Joe took pictures with fans and signed autographed anything that was presented to him.

And the big softy that Joe is, he went down on his knees on the concrete to chat with his youngest fan while he signed her poster. He even asked for her autograph, which she gladly gave him.

If you want to check out more pictures from the event you can see them at out Flickr album!

Released: 10/26/10 304 pages
Publisher: Image Comics
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1607063278

The saga of survivors in a post apocalyptic zombie filled world continues with the story arcs of "Fear the Hunters" and "Life Among Them." Our hero Rick, is somewhat more himself. Last we saw him, he'd pretty much given up, but he's baaack.

Growing up is never easy, but its especially hard when you're constantly in fear of your life. And as much as the story has focused on the adults so far, we also get a glimpse how the dire circumstances of the world have had on the children.

And as if the dead walking among them wasn't bad enough, the group finds religion, and a shady man of the cloth, and that's not all. There's also an extremist group who wishes to take a bite out of them, literally.

The second half of the book finds the group back on the road to D.C. and they end up at a new community, which seems too good to be true. Kids are playing with no fear, safety all around, hell, there are cocktail parties here, when they've been starving on the road. This place seems like heaven compared to what they've experienced so far, and needless to say they're more than a little wary of it all. And I can't blame them after the year they've had.

This six book covers issues #61-72, and keeps the standards just as high as the previous 60. The plotting is tight, the arcs are magnificent with a wonderful natural flow. The characters are fleshed out, and believable, and the artwork continues to be superb.

Plain Jane flannel wearing Kristen fawns over the pale brooding Robert. His every word is all angst, and longing, and she eats it all up letting him lure her into an alley where a vampire is waiting.

Sam goes off to gather information, while Dean phones home to Lisa, telling her he’ll be home once this case is wrapped. The boys go to Kristen’s room, to search for clues and they’re all over her walls literally. She’s obsessed with all things vampire. Her room is filled with red velvet and twilight-esque everything everywhere. The boys come to the easy conclusion that real vampires are cashing in on the twi-mania.

Back at the bar, and last place Kristen was seen Dean and Sam see two suspicious pretty boys, and they split up to go after “Efron” and “Bieber.” Dean saves the girl, but gets a mouthful of vamp blood, as Sam sits by and watches the entire thing.

Back at the motel, Sam locks Dean in the bathroom. Poor guy is feeling the full effects of the vamp juice. He breaks free of the bathroom, and goes to see Lisa, doing the exactly, creepy, rapey thing he was making fun of vampires doing earlier, he watches he sleep. When she awakens he tells her his life is ugly and violent and doesn’t want that for her or Ben. He says goodbye, but Ben interrupts his leaving, and Dean shoves him out of the way.

But all is not lost, Grandpa Campbell says that there’s a cure, in fact he’s disappointed that Sam didn’t tell Dean about it earlier. It’s simple, Dean cannot drink a drop of human blood for it to work, and he needs the blood of the vampire who changed him. They can use this opportunity to infiltrate the vampire nest and gather intel on the alpha vampire.

Just like any other time, Dean quickly adapts to a sticky situation, but he’s still at a disadvantage with Boris, the vampire that changed him, until all of the vampires collapse. Dean included. He sees and hears the Alpha. By the time Grandpa and Sam catch up, Dean is not only up, but he’s taken care of the entire nest, Boris included.

Grandpa gives Dean the cure, and as he goes through its effects he has a vision. Dean sees not only that Sam watched Boris give him blood, but that he could have stopped it, which leaves him with no one. Lisa won’t return his calls after his little visit, the Campbells are crazy, and he’s not sure where Sam’s loyalties lie.

Released: 10/19/2010      528 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1439155820

The phenomenal team of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love, combine forces to craft the story of a group of supernatural warriors making sacrifices for the better of humanity.

Atlanta is being overrun with demons, and Evalle Kincaid is desperate to get to the bottom of it, but not completely out of the goodness of her heart. She doesn't really have a choice. She looks like the guilty party for the death of a mauled human, her demonic evidence keeps disappearing, and if she can't find proof to clear her name, she's doomed.

And that's just the start of her bad day. An ancient powerful stone is about to reveal its location, and her tribe, the Belador's must find it before their enemies do, or vanish from history permanently in the coming apocalypse.

As the first book in a new series, there is a lot backstory to cover, and they do it exceptionally well here for the most part, making the process painless by seamlessly integrating it. It should be noted that there is a short story, which features some of the characters, and is alluded to in the story, in Dead After Dark.

The story's plot is well developed and the characters are easy to fall in love with. Evalle is as prickly as she is beautiful, a character that shows true depth. She's an Alterant, a powerful half Belador that can change into a horrific beast. She's wildly independent, a bit of a pain in the ass, and she's got a heartbreaking past, a classic recipe for a Kenyon hero. And even though she's treated like a second class citizen, she continues to proves her loyalty to her tribe. The men that surround her are sexy, dangerous, and full of mystery, but she's no ones damsel.  

Unlike many of Kenyon and Love's other collaborations this one is more urban fantasy than romance. Although there are introductions to potential love interests, its a slow building romance that may not pan out, which is wonderful change of pace from many other books on the market. There are plenty of pleasant surprises, but a cautionary warning, this one is very hard to put down. The 500+ pages flew right on by. 

Weekend at Bobby’s marks Jensen Ackles’ directing debut! And it's an excellent one at that.

The episode starts a year ago right after the apocalypse has ended. Bobby Summons the King of the Crossroads to get his soul back, but Crowley isn’t really in the mood. The banter between the two is always a high of any episode and this one is no exception.

Apparently there was a pretty big loophole. He doesn’t have to actually give him the soul, only give his best effort into restoring it. Bobby reveals he had a feeling Crowley would double cross him, but showing the devil trap hidden, but Crowley, is king for a reason and he summons his hell hound. Without a better option at the moment, Bobby releases him, he has ten years to come up with a better option.

And back in the present Bobby has no time to rest. He’s the guy every hunter turns to when they need an identity confirmed, if his bevy of ringing phones is any indication. He’s also the guy others turn to when they need information, even if he has to break into a library when he doesn’t have the answer.

While Bobby is looking for answers, the boys are hunting  a Lamia in Wisconsin, Bobby’s pretty new neighbor, Marcy, is crushing on him, She comes calling as Bobby is in the middle of torturing a crossroads demon for some key information.

He learns that in the post-Apocalypse world Crowley isn’t just King of the Crossroads, he’s also the King of Hell, which would make his Castiel’s counterpart as the King of Heaven. As he puts fire to her bones, she spills the beans about his human life. His name was Fergus Macleod in the 1600s, and he had a son. Bobby uses that information to track down a siglet ring to summon the spirit to help him with Crowley. He finishes the burning of the bones, shockingly destroying the demon.

 And when Rufus needs to get rid of a dead Okami, he helps then sends him after the ring. But before Bobby can catch a break, the FBI is at his door because of Rufus’s recent tomfoolery.  He tells Dean how to dispose of the Lamia, and goes to deal with the FBI.

While walking his property with the FBI he discovers the Okami that they thought was dead, turns out to still be very much alive since Rufus only stabbed it five times instead of the magical seven. Since Rufus originally found it feeding off a sleeping woman, Bobby goes to the nearest woman he knows to check in on her, and not only finds the Okami, but throws it through her wood chipper, covering Marcy with blood, and ending her crush on him. Poor Bobby.

With the Lamia done, Dean calls Bobby to talk about Sam, but Bobby has other things on his mind, and he finally loses it, telling the boys that they’re being whinny and self-absorbed, and that they are not the Sun in his universe, that he needs their help.

They both agree all Bobby has to do is ask, and they’d do anything for him, but Bobby never asked, never even told the boys or anyone else what happened with Crowley. In fact he almost never asks for help, and soon he’s forced to ask for help again, this time from Sheriff Mills, to misplace Rufus. He needs the ring that Rufus has to beat Crowley.

Crowley comes, thinking Bobby is trying to exchange his soul for his sons. He mocks the effort since he hated the child in life, and could care less what happens to him in death. But Bobby has other plans, he’s gotten the location of Crowley’s bones. Turns out the hate is mutual, and the reason Crowley went to the dark side was for a few more inches below the belt. Classy.

Dean and Sam, meanwhile, are in Scotland with Crowley’s bones, ready to torch them if he doesn’t return Bobby’s soul. Crowley returns the soul, and Bobby makes sure he gets to keep the legs too. And after a long day, he goes back to his everyday, and answers phones.

Released: 8/25/09                    496 pages                         

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 978-0-061-67133-3

This book was superb. We've all heard the story of Peter Pan, most the sweet disney version but did we ever really listen? understand the words? the conflict? Even Barrie’s version was a little dark, with its laughing and entrails, but the style hid many of the horrors behind its pretty words.

Brom has reimagined the story, removing the fancy prose to give us the gritty modern telling of this beloved classic. Peter is just as charming, and blood thirsty, but now we understand his motive.

When I heard about this, I was both excited and a little apprehensive, but could not put this down. It is truly a masterpiece, but not for the faint of heart. The boys from the Lord of the Flies have nothing on the lost boys, or devils as they’re called here, where violence, murder, torture and rape are everyday experiences.

Even with the horrific happens, the story does not rely on violence and the shock to divert from a lack of plot, instead it drives the plot further. This also isn’t the normal retelling where the villains get a chance to tell their story ala Wicked instead we see past the glitz and the magic, behind the mask of the charismatic boy, who has always stolen children even in the Disney version, and the see the complex and haunting character Pan really is.

The reality weaved into the makes it more heartbreaking, and impactful as these broken children fight for a safe haven and the family that they’ve made. None of these kids come from a happy home, Peter Pan steals away children who are victims of abuse, neglect, molestation, and all the other such evils of our world that children should never have to endure, but do. And Neverland is not the safe happy place, its very dark and dangerous.

Brom excels in any medium he touches, and the Child Thief is a perfect example of that. Not only is the story one of the best I’ve ever read, there are also beautiful and dark pictures that accompany it. This is the one that should not be missed. The characters are fleshed out well, and the world we thought we knew is greatly enriched for the betterment.

The brothers are on the road again, but not quite how we’re use to seeing them. There’s still a disconnect between that extends to them in separate cars. While posing as FBI agents they discover a trio of odd deaths. Three officers have died deaths that mirror separate plagues: blood, boils and locusts. Before the third officer dies, he reveals to the boys that he and his plague ridden officers killed a boy and framed him.

Although that’s a doozy of a clue, it still doesn’t explain the how. Dean decides its time to call Castiel. Sam remains skeptical, Cas hasn’t answered any of his prayers since he’s returned, and he doesn’t expect him to now. But when Dean calls, Cas answers, giving us our first glimpse of the trench coated angel.

Sam could have really used Castiel’s help when he came back, he needs answers, but having raised Dean from perdition, they have a “profound bond,” and Castiel cannot provide Sam with those answers. He doesn’t know how or why Sam is back from hell. But he does know what’s at the center of these current deaths: the Staff of Moses. During the chaos and confusion that Heaven has been in since the apocalypse it was stolen.

Dean and Sam eventually find it in the hands of the brother of the boy that was framed and murdered by the police. Cas flashes the boy and the boys back to the motel room, to check to see if the boy still has his soul. Dean protested when Cas describes what it’ll feel like for Cas to touch his soul, which will be nothing short of torture for the boy. Dean’s protest falls upon deaf ears, and Cas feels away. Cas, just like Sam is severly lacking in the humanity, seems they lost a lot during that year a part from Dean.

Castiel didn’t torture the boy for nothing he managed to glean the exact information they were looking for. An angel he thought killed in the war is actually at the bottom of it.

Balthazar has been using the upheaval in heaven to parade around like a crossroads demon, stealing weapons and bartering souls. Misguided Balthazar wants a chance to experience the same rebellious phase he thinks Cas experienced and they can be allies so long as Cas doesn’t get in his way.

He leaves before Cas can really protest, but the archangel Rafael returns to smack Castiel around. After he gives Cas a serious beating Balthazar returns with a crystal, turning Rafael into a pile of salt, “same thing that happened to Lot’s wife.”

Dean sets a trap for Balthazar forcing him to release the boy’s soul before he’s able to get away. And Cas quickly leaves as well, which leaves Dean and Sam alone. And on par with the normal course they have a little heart to heart. Dean tells Sam he’s different, but Sam maintains he’s okay, that being in the cage didn’t affect him.

Released 10/1/10 472 pages.
Publisher: Mira
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0778328186

War is in the air, the end is finally here and it couldn't have come sooner. Alpha is the sixth and final book in Rachel Vincent's Shifter series. It's been a long road, with the most annoying, self righteous companion, but this last leg was a wrap-up at least.

It opens up back in Montana, back in Bruin country, and Faythe is still in trouble. You'd think the girl could learn to control her mouth, but the small amount of self control she's learned doesn't take her far, especially not where Calvin Malone and the council are concerned.


The smoking gun evidence she thought she had turned out to be little more than circumstantial, which anyone with half-a-brain knew. Hello? Wise Alpha how could you really walk into the biggest trap ever? Seriously, Wile Coyote's traps are better disguised than this one. As if Faythe was just going to walk in, hand over some bloody feathers and everyone was going to believe her, that even one person was going to give up their formed alliance because of some petty accusations when your hands weren't clean either. But I forgot this is Faythe, and that's the way things are suppose to happen. She rolls with the punches, and comes out on top because she's tough enough to play with the boys.


But she's not really tough enough, she never really was, and I love that finally, FINALLY that point is driven home, even if only for a second. In every fight, punches were pulled because they needed her, and that fed into her childish behavior. And she's not the only one being childish. With a huge loss to the Pride, you would think that the two men vying for Faythe's heart and to help lead the Pride could put aside their petty squabbles? No, they are constantly butting heads, doing everything to make a difficult situation more difficult except marking their territo- err, actually one of them did that too.


The love triangle was for a shining second even, where Faythe could have gone either way. I don't know about you, but I'll take the tingling encouraging make you a better person live wire kind of love, over the bitter angry jealous manipulative kind any day, but hey that's just me I guess. But then there was a sudden change, as if Ms. Vincent lost sight of Jace and needed to make him less so that you'd be ok with how things were looking. I'm not ok, I feel cheated. Because under the surface, the end of the war, the restructuring of prides, the whole shiny veneer is actually horribly tarnished. If I'd have know where the road would have ended and where all the players would be, I'd have long thrown Faythe from the car and found a new less annoying path to follow.

Sam is on the road, and after the little Djinn incident  Dean, Lisa and Ben have a new home, severing all ties to the old one. Dean’s a little panicked, but he has every right to be, kinda. He just wants to protect his family.

Sam is still very robotic, almost Stepford wife-esque. He’s more confident, better, heck he’s Dean without the conscious. And Dean continues to be torn between the life he’s always known, and the life he’s built over the past year. But as supernatural forces continue to invade his life, staying in normalcy seems like less and less a possibility. And even on the normal end, Ben is growing up, its hard enough growing up, harder when things keep changing so drastically. And when Ben takes an interest in learning to hunt, Dean almost loses it. He doesn’t want that life for the kid. He knows what it did to him, what its doing to him, cause like an addiction it calling his name.

While investigating Sam finds one of the missing children and needs Dean’s help looking after the child. A string of deaths have occurred where the parents are murdered but the children are just gone. Someone is baby snatching, but not for reasons that most would suspect.

The boys soon learn that the child is a shapeshifter,  and the killer is  just taking back what’s their literally. A shapeshifter is impregnating women, under the guise of their husband, and now he’s come for his progeny. The problem is that its not just any shapeshifter it’s the Alpha, as in first. And its stronger than any other they’ve come across, and it shows them that by mopping the floor up with some Campbells, who the boys gave the baby too. And the Campbells may be a problem in themselves. While accepting Sam into the fold, they seem more to grudgingly allow Dean in. And there’s also the mystery caller the Granddaddy is talking with.

By the end of the episode, Lisa knows that the game plan has changed. She understands what he does, and why. She wants him to go and hunt, and come home when he can, because the monsters are going to keep coming, and she knows she can’t really stop him. She just wants him to come home in one piece.