Mix Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and a little Mad Max and what do you get? Probably this excellent series of comics. Mark Schultz has dreamed up a truly original fantasy world. Set 600 years in the future, in the mythical "Xenozoic Age," mankind no longer dominates the earth. The ecosystems represent all ages of earth. T-rexes and mammoths walk side-by-side. Sure, this isn't very likely, but it is a lot of fun. Unlike most comic artists, Schultz can not only draw but he can tell a good story (Steve Stiles does a good job also). Schultz's landscapes are extremely detailed and extremely beautiful. My only problem with the comic is that the dinosaurs are a little primtive-looking (stand upright, drag tails). However, the reader will notice that in later issues Schultz's dinosaurs become more scientifically correct. Still, this is an excellent comic. Take it from someone who dosen't usually read comics

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs contains superb art and a solid story full of action and adventure

,precision and efficiency. If you have invested in woodworking machines, you want and need to get the most out of them. In Mastering Woodworking Machines, Mark Duginske shows you how to choose, set up, and tune your machine for safety, precision, and efficiency. His common-sense techniques will help you avoid frustrating mistakes and put you in complete control of your woodworking projects.

Duginske's systematic approach picks up where owner's manuals leave off, and it applies to all brands and makes of machinery. You'll also learn how to prepare stock effectively and how to produce the joints and cabinet parts you need without any expensive add-on jigs. Whatever you want to make in your shop, you'll work more efficiently with Duginske at your elbow. (As quoted form the FWW site).

This is a great book, that will help you learn how to tune up your woodworking machines. It is written with wit and some very dry (Wisconsin) humor. The entire book is very readable and informative on woodworking in general, and on tuning woodworking machines in particular.

I read the whole book, and used the information on tuning the table saw in great depth. I was able to take an old Taiwanese table saw that had serviceable tolerances, and tune it to maximum performance. Initially, I concentrated on measuring the run-out of the arbor to decide whether the machine was worth keeping at all. It was. A year later, after moving, I went back to this reference and found a problem with the trunion alignment. In so doing, I also found and fixed a potentially dangerous problem with the blade raising mechanism. Once identified, it was easily fixed, but I wouldn't have had the courage to look without the confidence inspired by the author's careful treatment. He made the process seem simple, and encouraged patience and perseverance in approaching the tune-up task.

All of this was very necessary in the case of my old saw.

The best sections, in my opinion, are the table saw and band saw, but he covers a number of machines, including the router, shaper, and jointer.

This is a very interesting story to say the least. Of the aliens comics I would say it is one of the more sought after books because it features, yes, a Jockey (AKA Big elephant thing in the space ship in alien) spawned alien. Also, this book, like many others in the series, features characters that to some degree resemble celebrities. I can make out a definite Gina Gershon along with other **familiar** faces. I gave this four stars because it was too short of a read, and lacked good characterization and ALIENS, there were very little aliens in this book, and the ones that were in the book weren't drawn very well. The _Jockey-Alien_ isn't such a big deal, but hardcore alien fans this is a must.

From the title, I really was expecting just another military-operation gone wrong title, but this book was a pleasant surprise. Going back to the time before the Human-Alien Wars, to a time when, 20 years after the first Alien movie, most people don't even know the creatures exist, this book explores the creatures' origins. Why are there here, and who put them there?

Of course, these questions aren't all answered, leaving the door open for more Aliens: Apocalypse -- titles, but it's a refreshing and thoughtful changes. The interesting rescue story is complemented by good dialogue, typically wonderful artwork (some of the Aliens comics are so badly drawn it's incredible), and yes, a few action sequences.

While I liked that they were trying to explain the aliens, I didn't agree with the explanations, and this book somewhat contradicts previously published Aliens comics, making it hard to accept as part of a whole. Still, this is quite an enjoyable comic, one that should be read by every Aliens fan.

This graphic novel belongs to the Aliens universe. I have read all of these novels, but in my opinion, this one is the best. It picks up many loose ends from the first movie, such as the origin of the "Stargazer" race that H.R. Giger put in the alien derelict.

The story deals not only with the classic "Humans hunting aliens" - theme, but goes deeper, exploring the origins and deeper purpose of this terrible race. This leads to a whole new perspective on our own place in the universe.

And this novel does all of that without once becoming less thrilling and suspenseful than the others!

The artwork is beautiful, die-hard readers will see much of H.R. Giger's original Alien design.

So, if the Alien movies got under your skin - buy this one. You won't regret it!

Iai: The Art of Drawing the Sword is good as a refresher, at best. Craig opens his tome with some personal history and stories, which is a fine method of doing things, until he brings his own opinion into it. He gives the impression that spiritualism should account for most everything in iaido; as most practitioners are aware, spiritualism is only one aspect, and technique is equally or more important.

Throughout the book, Craig provides small interludes detailing Japanese history, and other information, some of which is accurate, some of which is very much exaggerated, and some of which is not true. While the thought was nice, he should have researched his facts more.

The drawings accompanying his descriptions of the kata are sketchy and vague; a beginner would have difficulty following them, although someone with grounding in another Japanese sword art such as kenjitsu may have better luck. However, with knowledge of the kata, or at least of the mechanics of the motions, a reader would find this book a helpful reminder, as long as he does not try to base his study entirely on this book.

Overall, this is not a terrible book, but there are much better on the subject, with regards to technique, illustration, and history.

This book covers all aspects of Japanese sword.From examining a sword, ettiquete,seppuku, kata and history. This book is a must reference book for any martial artisit who is studying the sword. Iai, iai-jutsu, kendo etc...

This book offers a lot of great information. It starts with care of the blade, and a little history. It then progresses into several basic techniques, a history of ritual suicide, the 47 ronin and how the old blades were tested on prisoners, their results printed on the tang (I have actually found blades with such ratings on them). It also covers identifying marks on blades, what to look for when looking at a historic sword and more.

Worth every penny I spent for it.

This new title from Titan/Lucas books introduces some characters I have not seen in other Lucas books (I am a professional reviewer). Aurra Sing is a good character who we may get to see more about - she kicks off the first story. The ending was a might predictable however. The next story was of Lando, our old friend from Sky City, then a story about Boba Fett which I found rather boring. The last story is about Kenix Kil AKA Kir Kanos and is probably a prelude to further adventures of Kanos. An uneven collection, all out of different stables, Lucas books are usually of a higher quality than this. Rather disappointing which is why it has a low rating. One for addicts only!

Dave Dorman rendered the cover art for this work. Mr. Dorman is by no means the only artist that creates the visual work for this and other Star Wars Series, but I have always felt he is one of the best. I wish I could say the same for the collection of short stories profiling some old friends and some new, but that would be a stretch for even science fiction.

The books short stories vary greatly in terms of the quality of the stories, and several of the "Hunters" are worthy of their own books, as some of them have already enjoyed solo pieces with the focus on only one of their guild. Boba Fett has already extended well beyond a few pages in a mediocre collection, and his character enjoys a following that is almost as large as the gap between his skills and those of his fellow hunters. He is in a class by himself, and I believe that is how he should be portrayed.

There are two newer entries that were not part of the original trilogy and they both seem to have strong futures. The first is Aurra Sing who appears to be headed to a level of performance second only to her male counterpart Fett, and then Kenix Kil, who brings the whole storyline of the Imperial Guards that were seen in the first movies, but never spoke or revealed anything about their elite group. This same character has appeared in the "Crimson Empire Series" which I feel is one of the better groups of collections.

One of the three of these I read recently covered in detail the work that goes into the cover art. It also documented how careful Lucas and his people are to be sure that characters have consistent visual appearances. In this work that quality control stopped at the cover as far as Lando Calrissian was concerned. I don't know who was drawn for that episode, but this guy didn't even look like a distant relative. Very often the level of enjoyment I get out of these is determined by the quality of the art, and I think that is appropriate given the level of effort involved. And I guess that is why I continue to be mystified that you can read one book and the renderings are as faithful to the characters as film, and then pick up another volume and view images drawn with no care given to the fact that a real actor played this part, in many cases for hours at a time on screen. Who they are and what they look like are not open for interpretation. When they are badly rendered you have to wonder how they ever got approved.

Want a guide to the notoriously infamous benefactors feeding off the rage of others, dealing exclusively with an eclectic montage of bounty hunters from all species and all walks of life? Well, this just be the book for you then. It pits not on the popular into a world of hunting and trying to survive, but it also sports newcomers as well, introducing its reader to why these faces are revered as some of the most successful seekers in the business. First there's the lovely Aurra Sing, Jedi-hunter extraordinare, capable of capturing the most elusive prey in the best and worst of conditions. In fact, she makes a great deal of sport out of it, finding herself capable of outwitting even the most dangerous proponents. This is something she finds herself entwined in now, the calling card of the face she seeks taking her to Endor and beyond. Switching gears, see how Bossk, Dengar, and 4-Lom work into the plans of Quaffag the Hutt as he decides to deal once and for all with Lando Calrissian while playing games that Hutts are known to play. Then its off to see the most reviled of the feared in action, with Boba Fett finding himself needing to take out a little trash by the name of Jodo Kast; a bounty hunter who thinks that he's in the same league as the man with the Mandalorian armor. Lastly, we join Kenix Kil as he makes his way through the remnants of the empire disguised as a bounty hunter, the last of the Imperial Guard left in circulation and one of the most dangerous men alive, still loyal to his oath of destroying all those enemies of the Empire years after the Emperor's departure.

All the stories collected within these pages are good despite being short, with Aurra Sing, Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction, and Kenix Kil rating within the praiseable ranks. Of these three, I'm partial to the telling of the Boba Fett story because it is written well and is drawn well, plus its dealing with the most infamous of the big kids. Aurra Sing comes in a close second with Kenix Kil right behind her because these stories are done well themselves, and they are also about characters that many haven't yet tasted that much. Scoundrel's Wage, while an interesting story in some rights, doesn't do much in regard to bounty hunters at all and only explains how Lando manages to get himself into Jabba the Hutt's palace in Return of the Jedi. It paints the hunters out as ineffective and is more about Lando himself and the cunning he possesses than the minions commanding the high dollars.

If you find the forces working outside the boundaries of both good and ill, then this might be something you'd like to check out. All the stories are pretty good in this TPB form, and the Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction tale needed to be harvested for quite some time now. So, sit back, barter on the outcome of who will and won't taste the talents of the figures lurking in the shadows, and read up on some rather exquisite struggles. For the Star Wars seeker, it is something that comes highly regarded.

This is the first RPG(Role Playing Game) that I have seen for Cadillacs @ Dinosaurs. It is well written and well illustrated with art from Mark Schultz. This RPG is an in depth look at the people like "Jack Tenrec", Animals like the "Shivat"(Tyrannosaurus Rex), and the lands that this story was created on. Also there are pages that have maps and character data sheets that can be copied. Soon I should have my own game set up. I would recommend it to anyone who really likes RPG, Dinosaurs, cars, and just about anything else in this great book.

I was really not looking forward to reading these stories, but as when they came out collected I picked them up, but I really didn't have very high hopes. And then I read them. It was quite a pleasant surprise. This is not one story, but rather 4 stories which take place during the events of The Phantom Menace, as well as the little Episode 1 #1/2 which is kind of silly.

The Anakin story was the best of the lot. Taking place (immediately) before the Jedi land on Tatooine, it shows us Anakin's idealism, his dreams, and a glimpse of his life and friends. The art, while not spectacular, also fits his story very nicely.

Next came Queen Amidala's tale. Taking place right before the podrace, it is similar to one of the levels of the TPM game. A component of Anakin's pod is stolen, so Amidala and Jar Jar take off to retrieve it. The art wasn't very interesting, not bad, but not good, and the whole story is pointless and doesn't really fit into the whole. There are a few neat character interactions here, but not much.

Next come Qui-Gon. The art was the best of the lot, done by Robert Teranishi of "Union" fame. It portrays Watto's double crossing of Qui-Gon as he tries to collect on the parts he needs and Anakin's freedom, and it also includes the scene cut out of the movie where Anakin beats up the Rodian kid. Plus, it has interesting dialogue which sounded right.

Last came Obi-Wan, which was the most dissapointing of the bunch. The art was okay, but the story, written by the guy who did the comic adaptation of the film, was essentially Obi-Wan recapping the entire movie to Yoda, and once in a while a little commentary by Yoda on Obi's performance.

And then came the 1/2 issue. It had little segments by each of the four writer/illustrators of the main stories. The Anakin bit isn't real interesting, but the assassination plot ties into the "Emissaries to Malastare" plotline. The Qui-gon basically just is a little epilogue to the existing story, Obi-Wan is found reflecting on Ani's admirable Jedi traits, and the Queen gets to know Jar Jar a little better on the way to Coruscant.

Overall, a quick enjoyable, read. Recommended.

The artform in this one is kinda unusuall. ,, but works pretty well, though it wasnt the coolest stuff i've seen ... story is kinda different too,, predators hunting for prey deep down in the sea... of course some stupid humans find out about the hunters and get smacked.. not much predator in this one.. if youre a predator fan , you should check it out, if youre just an average comic reader this one aint nuthin special...

carl

In my opinion, this installment of the continuing Predator saga was actually better than many pieces of feedback seem to imply. The art is actually above average, the storyline - brought to us from the Southern Chilean Coast - is done fairly well considering the watery implications on a normally landbound struggle, and the Predator is in enough of it to keep from overwhelming the reader with the drudgery of meaningless combat while still posing a threat.

The story setup is as follows:
A fishing vessel located several miles from one of the archipelagoes that make up the Southern Chilean Coast find themselves in a fast-moving weather front. While riding out the gargantuan thunderstorm in its tow, they notice something unusual; first a deafening roar and then something of an electrical ghost that first hovers, tries to ascend, and then crashes into and slips below the water's surface. Enter an array of stunningly foolish humans who, after theorizing that the "bogeys" (yes, they do know about the Predators and their atypical hunts in only the most humid of regions) were attracted to these frigid waters by some seismic activities, decide to go and play tag with the Predator. This, of course, leads to deaths, plenty of them, and to some strange discoveries in an undersea cavern that show why the Predator was really here.

As I said before, this was interesting because it removed the Predator from the trappings of its blandly overplayed normality, plus it had some other elements that were, in a word, odd. If you only want fighting and nothing more, however, skip it. If not, however, you should at least give it a once over.

Which is fair enough. I mean, to get these three classic movie bad guys together, you need to bend a few rules. A damn good idea, but in this case, extremely poorly executed. They should have just left it alone. One star for the monsters, one star for the cover.

Well I can't deny it...i absolutely love the Alien, Predator and Terminator. So when I heard of the crossover that pit all 3 against each other, I was thrilled...until I bought it and read it, that is.

This is probably the most convoluted and bizarre story yet in the Aliens vs. Predator universe. It hardly consists of any of the 3 fighting each other at all...at least not to the extent of which the cover and blurb on the back would have one assume. The story tells of John Connor and the resistance defeating Skynet, only to have Skynet reawakened years later by Terminators that have gone into deep cover, posing as scientists. To assure victory, samples of Alien DNA have been used to construct a new generation of Terminator, which the Predators see as a great threat of war.

If it sounds ridiculous...it is. The story is bizarre and goes in all different directions. And worse yet...it spins off of Alien: Resurrection. That alone makes me not like this comic, aside from the bizarre story and sub-par artwork. The story even has Ripley 'become' a Predator. So...she's human, she's Alien, and now she's Predator. The book just gets worse and worse as you go on.

I suppose if you are a fan of any or all of the characters, like I am, it should pique your interest. But the sloppy and senseless story combined with the elements that made Resurrection such a bad movie, not to mention the lack of attention paid to detail both in artwork and in story, just make this comic unreadable. This is a crossover that had so much potential, and it could have been in so many different, better ways...but it turned out to be nothing more than an attempt to throw 3 popular franchises into one book as a cash-graber. Buy this if you are a collector and want it for your collection, but don't bother reading it. Otherwise just stay away from it completely.

AvPvT is a very interesting plot, but the it gets one star off because the Aliens are only featured in three pages at the most, and they weren't drawn as well as the predators or terminators. How do each of the three races fit in the story? The Terminators are using Alien anatomy to perfect their combat effeciency, and the Predators have come in to stop that. The story follows Ripley, after Alien Resurrection. She is forced to follow Call and her friends to infiltrate a military compound to stop the Alien research that is going on there. The mission goes wrong when they encounter a Terminator/Alien hybrid and a band of predators that kill most of the team and cause havoc, and you figure it all out from there. The story was rushed for a book of this length, and a lot of events happen waaay too quickly, and some events take too long. For instance, one part where the team witnesses a terminator/alien hybrid fight a predator takes 12 pages, while an event where two terminator/alien hybrids single handedly attack and destroy 2 military bases, and wipe out an entire fleet of ships takes 10 pages!!!! AvPvT gets a point off for that. However, it gets 3 points for art and creativity. The art is about as close as you'll get to an anime styled AvP comic, it was all well drawn with a lot of effort and very original. The idea of how the story continues off Alien Resurrection is very original, the way the plot uses the three sides is original as well, though the aliens deserved more credit. Its a unique book. If you want an AvP book with unique art and story, this is it. But if you want something with more bite, with more of a realistic yet cinematic feel, consider getting Stronghold.

One thing you can say about the Superman books over the last several years is that the stories are either too difficult to follow or they are medicore at best. Which desribes this collection of stories for his poor dialoge, lack of character development, and "a sense of rushing the story along", and in the end, it is a waste of both your time and the money you paied buying the book in the first place.

Full spectrum of stories are presented here. Some fun, some touching, some exciting. I highly recommend it.