As many have said, like them I would purchase something purely because it included my favourite characters and because I want to see them evolve etc. 

However, if I'm browsing and I have some money to spare, the cover is basically what seals the deal for me.  I mean, if it has a cover by Marko Djurdjevic, there's a complete gurantee I'll pick it up.  Also, any cover by Mike Choi usually, but I tend to buy everything he works on so that's okay.

Born naturally.  You won't feel lonely because you'd be a part of a race.  A dying race maybe, but still a race.

Despite the prejudice experienced by mutants because they're different, I still think it would be better to allow your abilities to develop at their own rate.  And also, if someone's annoying you, bullying you etc, flick your finger and kick their ass.

I'm a fan of "Buffy".  I'm a fan "Angel".  I'm a fan of "Firefly".  And now I'm a fan of "Dollhouse".  Yet, I still can't decide which one is my favourite.

"Buffy" is obviously the most well known, and Joss's first project.  The stupidity of mixing villain of the week with a long term arc was a spurt of utter genius, and it worked very well.  Depite a very bad season six, "Buffy" had very good seasons (my favourite either has to be number two or five) otherwise, and was a great show: quirky and whimsical and witty and odd dialog, great actors, awesome plots, some of the best character development ever and that uncanny ability which I've always loved about the show where no character is minor.  They all return at one point and never just make one appearance.

The darker theme of "Angel" is what really drawed me in, but when I saw it still had the unusual dialog I was shocked and thought it was awesome.  Bringing back Cordelia and Angel was great, and Cordy especially grew on me and I thought she was awesome.  It had a more realistic and credible tone than "Buffy" (one of my favourite things was in season three episode "Carpe Noctem" where they all head out to retrieve the possessed Angel, and where as Wesley and Gunn are showing off with martial arts moves and stuff, Fred and Cordy just have two baseball bats and start whacking him with it) also, and it included my favourite character: Fred.  Weird name as usual for Joss, well for a girl, but she evolved from being a timid wallflower into a strong feministic role, and it was so sad when she died.

"Firefly" was awesome.  We all love it, even if you haven't seen it.  Yet again, funny dialog but different, and I swear I must have been saying "Shiney" and walking around holding my belt for like a month after I first saw this series.  Character interactions were some of the best I've ever seen, and the actors (Summer Glau - awesome!) were amazing.  The whole mystery incorporated with River and Blue Sun Corporation was so intriguing and the political status made so much sense (and the cussing in Chinese was awesome).  Followed by the movie "Serenity", (which is one of my favourite movies of all time, and I'm such a big fan of the River bar fight scene, that I've learned most of it (except the flip, can't do that)), which gave some of us some answers and more questions, "Firefly" was a short but sweet.

Currently, I seem to be the only one who's completely enjoying "Dollhouse".  The whole Alpha mystery is something I wasn't expecting, and teamed with the illegality of the whole operation has just dragged me in.  Eliza Dushku, previously Faith in "Buffy" is a brilliant actress and evolves every week, and other cast members (Amy Acker again, and Alan Tudyk and Felicia Day and Mark Sheppard soon, except the latter because he's already appeared) are awesome.  Adelle DeWitt is one of the most intimidating best female character Whedon has ever created and I seem to be in the minority of people who actually like Topher.  And even though the whole point is that the Actives don't remember their personality etc, we can still see their characterisation evolving already (especially in the latest episode, Victor and his "man reaction"), and alreadly we can see Topher's cowardess yet sadisctically creepy personality showing.

So I ask you, which one is your favourite?  I have to say, no matter how much I enjoyed it, "Buffy" was my least favourite.  But the others, I don't know.  Can't wait to hear your comments.

     Ah yes, one of the most controversial topics in comic book history: the Punisher: hero or villain?  Ever since he was first introduced in the Amazing Spider-Man #129, the subject has been widely debated by comic fans, but today, I hope to bring some clarity to their minds.

Now normally, I'm very indecisive about subjects like these, and would normally just settle for "he's an anti-hero", but since there's a prize involved, I sat down and gave it a long hard five minute thought, and started typing.

Now, to come to a conclusion, we first of all need some information about the subjects past.  So here we go, and I quote from the Comic Vine archives: "Frank Castle was born Francis Castiglione in Queens, New York. He has Sicilian Ancestry. He was married to his wife Maria and they were expecting their first child before he enlisted with the United States Marine Corps. He completed Basic Training and then trained in Infantry, Reconnaissance, Force Reconnaissance and Sniper School. Castiglione was able to attain dockets to permit him to go through U.S. Army Airborne Training and U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team training to be qualified as a Navy SEAL."  There you go.  That's you first piece of evidence right there.  At heart, Castle is a soldier at heart, and to quote Spider-Man from Civil War #6 in a comparison between Castle and Steve Rogers "Same guy, different war".  Would you call soldiers out there today villains because they kill people to protect us?  No!  Well, I hope you don't otherwise your not a very nice person.

Castle is just a soldier, carrying on the war.  He isn't out there with the others though, he's more concerned about the things that are going on back home.  Like Captain America.  But where as Captain America doesn't kill, The Punisher realises that sometimes, it is the only way to protect innocents.

Again, more history now, and so I consult the Comic Vine archives: "Jackal had tricked Frank into thinking Spider-Man was a killer."  Now, in the milestone issue ASM #129, Frank Castle tried to kill Spider-Man.  There's no denying that.  But, the fact was that he was manipulate into this attempted assassination by a supervillain, and we all know that one point or another, every superhero has been in the claws of a supervillain, but they all wriggle free eventually, as did the Punisher.

Here we go again, to the Comic Vine archives: "Frank, Maria and they’re two children Lisa and Frank Jr. went for a picnic in New York’s Central Park when they accidentally witnessed the execution of a Mafia informant who was hung by a tree. Without a second thought the Costa crime family enforcers gunned down Frank and his family for witnessing the murder. Frank was the only one to survive."  Now, we all know this tragic story.  It depresses us all, but makes a good story.  But I need you people out there to ask yourself, if the most dear things in the world to you were taken away and you knew they were never going to be given back, what would you do?  You'd most probably go and find the S.o.Bs who did it and kill them.  So, I think Frank has a fair point here.

Although, on the other hands, heroes do not kill.  Now, I know he has his excuses, but, he could hand them over to the cops and made sure they were put away.  Justice can be served in other ways too.
So, to conclude, I believe that Mr. Frank Castle is a hero, and does what no other hero will to make sure justice is served.  And he makes sure it is.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  One of the most, if not the most powerful books I've read.  Seriously read it.  But, only if you're 13+ because it is really prejudice.

We actually refused to read some of the words in here aloud when my English teacher selected me to read, as I don't think they should be used in society today.