LEAVING TOXIC PEOPLE BEHIND - ADVICE

In life, we meet people every day and while most of them remain strangers or a mere familiar face, some of them will become friends or boyfriends or a future bridesmaid. The list is endless. But some people we form bonds with can sometimes end up hurting us, and we're left feeling let down and deflated.

I'm currently in a situation where I have decided to remove myself from a certain person because they're poisonous, and not the person they were when I was close to them. A person who was once friendly, caring and protective is now nasty, ignorant a rude. It can hurt when we have to leave that person behind because once love is created, the ties that bind it are hard to vanquish. But it can be done. And here's how. 

Look around you and see that no matter how much that person hurt you, you have people who love you ten times more. People who respect you more, who have your back more and help you with problems more. Family, friends, even your dog. You are loved, and don't forget that just because one person doesn't give it you. 

Speaking of love... love yourself. Give yourself more love than any man, or any amount of people could give you. You are in your own head every single day for the rest of your life and if you don't start loving yourself now, it's going to be a lot harder. Thank yourself for everything you've done to come this far and be proud of it. Embrace YOU. 

Finally, and most importantly: DON'T LOOK BACK! Once you leave, you leave! When that person pushes you away or causes you pain, that's the moment they lose the right to deserve you, and the moment you gain the right to get your stuff, your pride and yourself going. Leave them to lie in the bed they made and move on to live a happy life with people who love you and want you around. With people who are excited to have you share life with. 

You may love them, but you can love yourself WAY more. 

- Joshua

COMIC REVIEWS - JUNE 2014

First of all, welcome to my new blog. It's still the same, and I'll still be covering everything I usually do, I've just changed the site to Blogger and the site address is also different. The other site will still remain open for archive purposes, but for new articles and posts keep your eyes on this site. With that said, let's get into the reviews. 

You may have noticed that I'm posting the 'June' reviews in the middle of 'July' and for that, I have a valid excuse. The host of my other blog (blog.com - don't bother using it. It's terrible) has always got 'technical difficulties' and sometimes wouldn't allow me to log in, so after losing my cool in the end, I came here to Blogger where I've tried to get to grips with it all. But while all that blogging drama was happening, I have of course been reading all the latest comics as well as reading some UK re-prints that I've never read before. So without further ado, here's June's comic book reviews: 

01) The Amazing Spider-Man: Issue #03 

Since Peter Parker came back from 'the dead' back in April in the first issue of the newly relaunched 'Amazing Spider-Man' series, I have been hooked on the storyline and extremely happy to see one of my favourite characters come back for more action. Now, we're on issue three and the action and thrills are still going strong. During the first issue, we were treated to a little taste of what would be coming up in the next few issues, and one of those was the return of Black Cat, one of Spider-Man's 'foes/friends'. She's back with a vengeance after Spidey (Superior's Doc Ock version) stopped her crime spree and put her behind bars, and boy, does she bring the revenge. From the get go we're treated to some beautiful art which makes you want to keep reading for as long as you can. The writing is brilliant and the characters involved in the current stories are becoming less one dimensional and becoming a bigger part of the story. I personally can't wait to see where Anna Maria ends up now that she knows that her relationship with Peter wasn't real and it was in fact with Doctor Octopus. I want to know if she'll remain #TeamPeter or do whatever she can to find Octavius and possibly bring him back to her one way or another, ultimately bringing that character back as a villain. This issue, again, was a total epic read and it's definitely bringing back the feel of an 'old school' Spider-Man. The one I was around when I was coming in to the world of comics. I'm definitely going to keep reading this series and suggest that you do too. 

2) - Spider-Man 2099: Issue #01 

 

I will be honest, I'm not usually a big reader of 'non-Peter Parker' Spider-Man comic books unless it's part of a crossover etc. But it wasn't long ago when Spidey of 2099 made an appearance in 'Superior Spider-Man' and came forward from the future to save the time stream. Unfortunately for him, he ended up being stuck here in modern day, and now he's got his own series where we see him adjusting to that. So since I enjoyed his Superior appearance, I decided to give this comic book a go and I have to say, I really, really enjoyed it. It follows future Spider-Man, Miguel O'Hara as he navigates his way through 21st century New York City, still donning the Spidey persona he's known for in the future. After saving his future Grandfather, Tiberius Stone, in Dan Slott's run on Superior, he's now working as his assistant, trying to stop the company he works for from becoming the sinister 'Alchemax' one day. It isn't long before he runs in to trouble when 'An Adjustor' from T.O.T.E.M (Temporal Override Team Eliminating Mistakes) who has traveled from the future to destroy Spider-Man. A fight ensues and along with the art, the dialogue and the action, you will find yourself enjoying it as much as I did if you're a fan of any other Spidey comic. The back story of the character isn't too complicated and this comic would be ideal for first time readers. 

3) Giant Sized Spider-Man: (One Shot) 

Don't worry, this is the last Spider-Man comic review, but I must say, even though it's quite obvious now, that my love for Spidey has resurfaced lately and I've been enjoying his stories a lot more recently. When I was in my local comic book shop browsing the shelves for some new comics, I came across this issue and once I looked inside, I got a couple of pages in before I knew that I had to buy it immediately. The art and the amount of pages inside is what caught my attention. It includes four stories, including a retelling of Spider-Man's origins and three others including his first fights with Vulture, Doctor Octopus and Sandman. This was so much fun to read because it took me right back to my childhood when I was getting into things like the Spider-Man animated series, and it reminded me of old school storylines. It's one of those comics that is suitable mostly for new readers and younger readers, but if you're an extremely nostalgic comic geek like myself, you'll probably love this book. 

4) - Avengers Universe: Issue #01

Now onto the UK reprints. These are basically comics that can be read in the UK a couple of months after they've been released in the US that may be hard to obtain if you don't have a comic shop nearby, and collects 3-4 issues in one book for the amazing price of £3.50. In June, this new release hit the shelves. Avengers Universe, which is kicking off the Uncanny Avengers storyline which I missed out on when it was first printed, but despite being late to it, I'm still going to give my thoughts on it. This book gives us the first three issues, and sees Red Skull come back to cause mayhem in New York City. Meanwhile, Captain America puts a new team together consisting of Havok, Wolverine, Rogue and Scarlet Witch to name a few, and together, they take to the streets and try their best to put a stop to the threat. The art wasn't my favourite I've seen in a comic, but the dark, twisted storyline made up for it. If you're a fan of the Avengers then definitely go out and grab this book. There are plenty of other ones available in reprints and can be picked up from you local WHSmiths or newsagents. 

5) Mighty World of Marvel: Issue #01 

Another UK reprint, The Mighty World of Marvel covers three different comics such as Daredevil, Avengers Arena and more recently, The Guardians Of The Galaxy. I picked up this issue mainly to get reacquainted with the Guardians since I haven't read one of their adventures since last summer, and with the new movie coming out next month, I want to get in the mood for it. It reprints the 'Cosmic Avengers' storyline first printed in GOTG #01, which sees The Guardians team up to take down an alien threat which is invading planet Earth. The only thing is, all extraterrestrial life is banned from there, including the Guardians. Mayhem ensues and we get to see the fight for Earth pan out through three issues of amazing writing and gorgeous art with some amazing one liners from one of Marvel's soon-to-be most loved character, Rocket Raccoon. If you're a fan of superhero teams like The Avengers or The Justice League then this comic is definitely for you. 

So that's it for this months reviews. I read more comic books, but seeing as I'm a month behind, I tried to do as little as possible so I can focus on being on time with this month's comic reviews (which will be published towards the end of July). So head down to your local comic book shop or WHSmith's and pick up these comics, and don't forget to comment below suggesting some comic book adventures for me to get stuck in to.