Well, as expected I am back from Thanksgiving vacation (that I desperately needed) and I'm working my way through a 30-book week. But for the record, here is what I picked up:
dark horse
UMBRELLA ACADEMY #3
dc
ACTION COMICS #859
DETECTIVE COMICS #838
EX-MACHINA #22
THE PROGRAMME #5
SPIRIT #11
WETWORKS #15
WETWORKS ARMAGEDDON #1
devil's due
G.I. JOE: AMERICA'S ELITE #29
dynamite
BOYS #12
LONE RANGER #10
idw
ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL #1 was this as necessary as buffy season 8? we'll see
image
GODLAND #20 i'd kind of forgotten about this series. that's not good.
HAWAIIAN DICK #1
INVINCIBLE #46
WALKING DEAD #44
marvel
CAPTAIN AMERICA #32
CAPTAIN AMERICAN THE CHOSEN #4
INCREDIBLE HULK #111
IRON MAN ANNUAL #1
LONERS #6
NEW X-MEN #44
PENANCE RELENTLESS #3
POWERS #27
SHE-HULK 2 #23
THUNDERBOLTS: BREAKING POINT
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #19
X-MEN: EMPEROR VULCAN #3
Still looking for Brian Reed's THE CIRCLE to check out, as well as Peter David's SCREAM that I missed, but neither are priority.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
weekly loot: black dossier m.i.a.
So after the long wait, the excitement, the draaaaama, Amazon didn't send me my copy of Black Dossier! WHAT?! They must have ran out of their initial allocation. I suppose this is karma for not getting it through my local comic book store, but the big Consumerist Monster gives to good a discount on TPBs. Anyway, it is in the mail as we speak, and now I'll spend the upcoming holiday weekend in a turkey coma reading me some Dossier.
But a whole bunch of pamphlets came out to fill my time:
book of the week
DMZ #25
(w. Brian Wood, a. Danijel Zezelj)
Brian Wood continues his run of done-in-one stories, and out of the three so far, this is the best one. "Wilson" follows the title character, from before the war, to the start of the war and into the present where Matty only makes a cameo. A chinese man, who before the war was destined to never be anything more than a low-level Triad, has used his own brand of leadership to gain power in China Town with aspirations for even more. An excellent issue, drawn by guest artist Zezelj. He's bounced around doing some Loveless issues as well as the new "ongoing" artist for Desolation Jones (before THAT disappeared). His artwork can be hard to decipher at times with his heavy use of blacks, but it's unique and displays excellent storytelling.
runner up
100 BULLETS #86 - Another issue where our main characters play alongside characters we haven't met before, culminating in a dark crime, but Azzarello and Risso handle it beautifully. Victor is the one to shine here, as we get to see a little of his humanity, amongst a couple of his grizzlier acts of violence. The overall plot gets a little bump forward with the death of another Trust member, but more importantly is Victor and his wavering allegiance to both sides. Another really good issue.
other real good books
ALL STAR SUPERMAN #9 - Whaaat!?!? An issue of All Star Superman and it ISN'T book of the week?!?! How could this happen? Well, this is two in a row that this has happened, and it truly has nothing to do with the still excellent comic book, it has just set a really high bar for itself is all. Although was anyone else besides me a bit confused by the odd space-time glitch half way through? After getting his ass kicked (gorgeously by Quitely), the beaten Superman worries about the cracked moon the Kryptonians caused, and after the villains go off to fix it, we CUT TO: Clark Kent in the office? I felt like I missed a moment. I suppose he was hiding out, waiting for the Kryptonians to weaken? Otherwise, excellent stuff.
FABLES #67 - The Good Prince continues its epic journey, and the story of Flycatcher and his new Kingdom just gets better and better. Last issue promised much violence, and although all out war has been delayed an issue, Flycatcher's mind games and resolve continue to entertain. Who would have thought it 15 issues ago, but starting with the excellent origin story in 1,001 Nights and continuing into The Good Prince, Flycatcher has been elevated to one of THE characters in Fables and I couldn't be happier.
three-star comics
X-FACTOR #25 - Messiah Complex continues, and sue me for being a long-time X-Men fan, but I'm enjoying it. The whole Jamie Madrox dupes in the future thing worked pretty well, as did most scenes with Layla (no surprise). One stumbling block, was how quickly the infiltrating Rictor is shown the company secrets. I guess there isn't time to let Rictor be under cover for 12 issues, even though it would have been more effective.
PUNISHER #52 - This story is really clicking. Bullshit or not, the last page cliffhanger was awesome.
WONDER WOMAN #14 - Gail Simone finally arrives! And a pretty solid Wonder Woman comic it is. Admittedly, I do not have tons of experience with the character, but this was fun. First off, Simone's story looks amazing, as the Dodson's knock it out of the park every time and may just be the perfect artist for WW. A perfect balance of strength and beauty. The opening action sequence was good, and although the whole 'Clark Kent" aspect of Diana doesn't work for me, Simone makes the best of it. Good start.
THOR #4 - The change in locale was a bit shocking, but I'm still enjoying the slow moving Straczynski take. Copiel's art has been great as well, which begs the question, what happened to the design on The Warriors Three? After Heimdall looked bad-ass last issue, these three looked like douche bags.
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #13 - So I kind of liked this ultra crazy Matt Fraction take that only he can bring. Besides Spider-Man being a little too jokey and nonchalant about "Punny" trying to kill again, this worked. The inclusion of Domino makes me smile, as I've always liked her potential and I'm glad someone is using her somewhere. Cory Walker does some nice mainstream work too.
NEW AVENGERS #36 - Even when you remove the sycophants and the haters, Brian Bendis' New Avengers continues to polarize people online. The pace of the story is slow, yes, but it is still working for me. Not many scenes here, but a lot happened. We got the recap of he Mighty Avengers story that is way behind, but this book needed to keep going so that is fine. I blame this on marvel, not the quality of this book. The lengthy talk between Cage and Jones seems to be leading to something, and it even made me miss the Jessica Jones of Alias a bit. The scene between Wolverine and Spider-Woman was good, and needed. Although apparently its not weird at all for the Black Widow, dressed only in her underwear, to walk into Jessica's shower looking for deodorant. Come on Bendis, that's just parody. Yu was great as always.
(Side Note: My girlfriend wondered why Jessica's tits were so huge all of the sudden. Am I being too kind in assuming that Yu is just being conscious of the fact that she just had a baby?)
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #2 - Another perfectly entertaining comic book. Not sure where this book is headed post rescue, but as long as the charming art of Cliff Chiang is here, I am too.
comics with problems
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 - I'm on the fence with this title. Although I am unsure of the point, it wasn't a bad read. I mean, they went through all the trouble to return him to the Marvel Universe, badly tacked on to a crossover that definitely didn't need it, but then we are being presented a story that ends with him eventually going back to die. Huh? Could this internal Marvel conversation be far from the truth:
"Lets bring him back during Civil War too! The fans will be shocked!"
"And then what?"
"We'll figure it out later. Waaaay later."
We are led to believe that this matters, and we SHOULD be reading this. I suppose once we get around to SECRET INVASION this will become clearer, but that shouldn't be the case.
MICE TEMPLAR #2 - A) I really want to like this title. B) I really don't want to compare it to Mouse Guard. C) FUCK, I'm gonna have too. This issues was sooooo boooooooogged dooooown in exposition, that it was tough to get through. Both mice comics have a lot of characters with a lot of history and that's fine, but Mouse Guard never makes me feel overwhelmed by it. Oeming and Glass have been so caught up in the detailed history they've come up with, that they feel we need to get it all right now. The history lessons would have been better over issues I would think. The second half of the issue, where we stay with our heroes and the assassin after them was decent. I'm still around for more.
THE SWORD #2 - I've read Ultra, I've read Girls, and now, I've read two issues of The Sword. This could be the worst single issue I've read in 34 comics from the Luna Brothers. The dialogue just went off the deep end here. The interrogation with the cops was excruciating. This conversation defied logic, as it would never have happened the way it did just after her family was massacred and she (a cripple!) miraculously survived. These were the dumbest cops ever. Then later, our (dumb) villains decide they need to send in a guy to take care of her. Um, aren't our villains these guys? At least, compared to the bumbling idiot that they did call? Confusing. They still have me at the sword though. What/who/where/when/why? So I'll read some more.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48 - Not quite sure why this issue didn't work for me. It was a decent comic, but it felt very paint by numbers to me. It could be my apathy for the Ultimate Universe, as it is just hard to keep any enthusiasm up. I'm around for the Loeb ruckus, then some decisions are happening in regards to this title and Ultimate X-Men.
AVENGERS THE INITIATIVE #7 - This title is slowly slipping for me. There just isn't anyone I'm invested in. Seven issues in, the best I can do is Justice. I like Justice. But I've always liked Justice and what's annoying about that, is I feel like he is being made to look dumb while they yank him around. SO its kind of a win-lose that his storyline is moving forward. The Scarlet Spiders and the whole Parker thing at the end didn't work for me. And if Marvel wants this to be something that is important For future Spider books, why have it happen here? Odd choices. Still curious who the Ninja Mutant is.
NIGHTWING #138 - This crossover has not been very good so far, has it? Nightwing helps Robin and Damien fight off a shit load of ninjas. Where is Batman anyway? And where is Ra's al Ghul in this, his return for that matter? This crossover is feeling stretched.
WORLD WAR HULK #5 - I almost put this below with Wolverine, but for John Romita's art and the Sentry/Hulk battle it will go here. Now, for the most part I've enjoyed this series. Even though it came from the Planet Hulk storyline which I hated, the Hulk duking it out with the Marvel heroes has been mostly good times. The issue starts off fine, then escalates with a pretty cool (but bright) fight between the Super Giants and once that is over, it quickly goes wrong. First, the Hulk just stops. He was never going to do anything anyway, but slap some wrists. I mean, okaaaay, but I would have rather Sentry stopped him. And then, oh yeah, Lame-ass Miek goes nuts revealing that he was in fact responsible for the death of Hulk's wife and kills Rick Jones. Um, WHAT THE FUCK? I mean, Rick dying is a shoulder shrugger, because he'll be back, and its not like he has been featured anywhere but here anyway. But having the deaths taken away from the Illuminati pretty much sucks, and the Hulk being taken out by a lazer (?) pretty much sucks too. This got messy.
Oh wait. Back matter: Incredible Herc with Amadeus as sidekick? Could work for a few fun issues. Red Hulk? It will look good for sure (McGuinness), but with Loeb who knows what we'll get. Oh, and SKAAR SON OF HULK. Jesus Hector Christ. NO.
um, just no
WOLVERINE #59 - Three issues into this storyline and I'm just not interested. In fact, anyone that likes good comics should not be interested. Never a huge fan of Chaykin, not even the luxury of his art on a monthly basis is exciting. For those that are, great? For those with me: T-Minus TWO more issues until Jason Aaron's run starts.
*****
Now that I feel like I've finally caught up to my stack, a huge week looms with me traveling to Vegas for Thanksgiving. We'll see what I can even get read over the next four days.
But a whole bunch of pamphlets came out to fill my time:
book of the week
DMZ #25(w. Brian Wood, a. Danijel Zezelj)
Brian Wood continues his run of done-in-one stories, and out of the three so far, this is the best one. "Wilson" follows the title character, from before the war, to the start of the war and into the present where Matty only makes a cameo. A chinese man, who before the war was destined to never be anything more than a low-level Triad, has used his own brand of leadership to gain power in China Town with aspirations for even more. An excellent issue, drawn by guest artist Zezelj. He's bounced around doing some Loveless issues as well as the new "ongoing" artist for Desolation Jones (before THAT disappeared). His artwork can be hard to decipher at times with his heavy use of blacks, but it's unique and displays excellent storytelling.
runner up
100 BULLETS #86 - Another issue where our main characters play alongside characters we haven't met before, culminating in a dark crime, but Azzarello and Risso handle it beautifully. Victor is the one to shine here, as we get to see a little of his humanity, amongst a couple of his grizzlier acts of violence. The overall plot gets a little bump forward with the death of another Trust member, but more importantly is Victor and his wavering allegiance to both sides. Another really good issue.other real good books
ALL STAR SUPERMAN #9 - Whaaat!?!? An issue of All Star Superman and it ISN'T book of the week?!?! How could this happen? Well, this is two in a row that this has happened, and it truly has nothing to do with the still excellent comic book, it has just set a really high bar for itself is all. Although was anyone else besides me a bit confused by the odd space-time glitch half way through? After getting his ass kicked (gorgeously by Quitely), the beaten Superman worries about the cracked moon the Kryptonians caused, and after the villains go off to fix it, we CUT TO: Clark Kent in the office? I felt like I missed a moment. I suppose he was hiding out, waiting for the Kryptonians to weaken? Otherwise, excellent stuff.FABLES #67 - The Good Prince continues its epic journey, and the story of Flycatcher and his new Kingdom just gets better and better. Last issue promised much violence, and although all out war has been delayed an issue, Flycatcher's mind games and resolve continue to entertain. Who would have thought it 15 issues ago, but starting with the excellent origin story in 1,001 Nights and continuing into The Good Prince, Flycatcher has been elevated to one of THE characters in Fables and I couldn't be happier.
three-star comics
X-FACTOR #25 - Messiah Complex continues, and sue me for being a long-time X-Men fan, but I'm enjoying it. The whole Jamie Madrox dupes in the future thing worked pretty well, as did most scenes with Layla (no surprise). One stumbling block, was how quickly the infiltrating Rictor is shown the company secrets. I guess there isn't time to let Rictor be under cover for 12 issues, even though it would have been more effective.PUNISHER #52 - This story is really clicking. Bullshit or not, the last page cliffhanger was awesome.
WONDER WOMAN #14 - Gail Simone finally arrives! And a pretty solid Wonder Woman comic it is. Admittedly, I do not have tons of experience with the character, but this was fun. First off, Simone's story looks amazing, as the Dodson's knock it out of the park every time and may just be the perfect artist for WW. A perfect balance of strength and beauty. The opening action sequence was good, and although the whole 'Clark Kent" aspect of Diana doesn't work for me, Simone makes the best of it. Good start.
THOR #4 - The change in locale was a bit shocking, but I'm still enjoying the slow moving Straczynski take. Copiel's art has been great as well, which begs the question, what happened to the design on The Warriors Three? After Heimdall looked bad-ass last issue, these three looked like douche bags.
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #13 - So I kind of liked this ultra crazy Matt Fraction take that only he can bring. Besides Spider-Man being a little too jokey and nonchalant about "Punny" trying to kill again, this worked. The inclusion of Domino makes me smile, as I've always liked her potential and I'm glad someone is using her somewhere. Cory Walker does some nice mainstream work too.
NEW AVENGERS #36 - Even when you remove the sycophants and the haters, Brian Bendis' New Avengers continues to polarize people online. The pace of the story is slow, yes, but it is still working for me. Not many scenes here, but a lot happened. We got the recap of he Mighty Avengers story that is way behind, but this book needed to keep going so that is fine. I blame this on marvel, not the quality of this book. The lengthy talk between Cage and Jones seems to be leading to something, and it even made me miss the Jessica Jones of Alias a bit. The scene between Wolverine and Spider-Woman was good, and needed. Although apparently its not weird at all for the Black Widow, dressed only in her underwear, to walk into Jessica's shower looking for deodorant. Come on Bendis, that's just parody. Yu was great as always.(Side Note: My girlfriend wondered why Jessica's tits were so huge all of the sudden. Am I being too kind in assuming that Yu is just being conscious of the fact that she just had a baby?)
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #2 - Another perfectly entertaining comic book. Not sure where this book is headed post rescue, but as long as the charming art of Cliff Chiang is here, I am too.
comics with problems
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 - I'm on the fence with this title. Although I am unsure of the point, it wasn't a bad read. I mean, they went through all the trouble to return him to the Marvel Universe, badly tacked on to a crossover that definitely didn't need it, but then we are being presented a story that ends with him eventually going back to die. Huh? Could this internal Marvel conversation be far from the truth:"Lets bring him back during Civil War too! The fans will be shocked!"
"And then what?"
"We'll figure it out later. Waaaay later."
We are led to believe that this matters, and we SHOULD be reading this. I suppose once we get around to SECRET INVASION this will become clearer, but that shouldn't be the case.
MICE TEMPLAR #2 - A) I really want to like this title. B) I really don't want to compare it to Mouse Guard. C) FUCK, I'm gonna have too. This issues was sooooo boooooooogged dooooown in exposition, that it was tough to get through. Both mice comics have a lot of characters with a lot of history and that's fine, but Mouse Guard never makes me feel overwhelmed by it. Oeming and Glass have been so caught up in the detailed history they've come up with, that they feel we need to get it all right now. The history lessons would have been better over issues I would think. The second half of the issue, where we stay with our heroes and the assassin after them was decent. I'm still around for more.
THE SWORD #2 - I've read Ultra, I've read Girls, and now, I've read two issues of The Sword. This could be the worst single issue I've read in 34 comics from the Luna Brothers. The dialogue just went off the deep end here. The interrogation with the cops was excruciating. This conversation defied logic, as it would never have happened the way it did just after her family was massacred and she (a cripple!) miraculously survived. These were the dumbest cops ever. Then later, our (dumb) villains decide they need to send in a guy to take care of her. Um, aren't our villains these guys? At least, compared to the bumbling idiot that they did call? Confusing. They still have me at the sword though. What/who/where/when/why? So I'll read some more.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48 - Not quite sure why this issue didn't work for me. It was a decent comic, but it felt very paint by numbers to me. It could be my apathy for the Ultimate Universe, as it is just hard to keep any enthusiasm up. I'm around for the Loeb ruckus, then some decisions are happening in regards to this title and Ultimate X-Men.
AVENGERS THE INITIATIVE #7 - This title is slowly slipping for me. There just isn't anyone I'm invested in. Seven issues in, the best I can do is Justice. I like Justice. But I've always liked Justice and what's annoying about that, is I feel like he is being made to look dumb while they yank him around. SO its kind of a win-lose that his storyline is moving forward. The Scarlet Spiders and the whole Parker thing at the end didn't work for me. And if Marvel wants this to be something that is important For future Spider books, why have it happen here? Odd choices. Still curious who the Ninja Mutant is.
NIGHTWING #138 - This crossover has not been very good so far, has it? Nightwing helps Robin and Damien fight off a shit load of ninjas. Where is Batman anyway? And where is Ra's al Ghul in this, his return for that matter? This crossover is feeling stretched.
WORLD WAR HULK #5 - I almost put this below with Wolverine, but for John Romita's art and the Sentry/Hulk battle it will go here. Now, for the most part I've enjoyed this series. Even though it came from the Planet Hulk storyline which I hated, the Hulk duking it out with the Marvel heroes has been mostly good times. The issue starts off fine, then escalates with a pretty cool (but bright) fight between the Super Giants and once that is over, it quickly goes wrong. First, the Hulk just stops. He was never going to do anything anyway, but slap some wrists. I mean, okaaaay, but I would have rather Sentry stopped him. And then, oh yeah, Lame-ass Miek goes nuts revealing that he was in fact responsible for the death of Hulk's wife and kills Rick Jones. Um, WHAT THE FUCK? I mean, Rick dying is a shoulder shrugger, because he'll be back, and its not like he has been featured anywhere but here anyway. But having the deaths taken away from the Illuminati pretty much sucks, and the Hulk being taken out by a lazer (?) pretty much sucks too. This got messy.Oh wait. Back matter: Incredible Herc with Amadeus as sidekick? Could work for a few fun issues. Red Hulk? It will look good for sure (McGuinness), but with Loeb who knows what we'll get. Oh, and SKAAR SON OF HULK. Jesus Hector Christ. NO.
um, just no
WOLVERINE #59 - Three issues into this storyline and I'm just not interested. In fact, anyone that likes good comics should not be interested. Never a huge fan of Chaykin, not even the luxury of his art on a monthly basis is exciting. For those that are, great? For those with me: T-Minus TWO more issues until Jason Aaron's run starts.
*****
Now that I feel like I've finally caught up to my stack, a huge week looms with me traveling to Vegas for Thanksgiving. We'll see what I can even get read over the next four days.
Monday, November 19, 2007
monday night art: frank cho
This is one of my favorite Frank Cho pieces. Its a variant cover to a John Carter from Mars series that IDW published. The girl is Dejah Thoris. The martian is fucked.
Yeah, awesome.
Until next week. Maybe even some comic talk tomorrow.
Yeah, awesome.
Until next week. Maybe even some comic talk tomorrow.
Friday, November 16, 2007
league of extraordinary gentleman week: ncrl - nov. 14
Yeah, you heard. BLACK DOSSIER fiiiiiiinally gets published. Can't wait to plow through it, especially since I'm all caught up with my comics reading. Hell, I even got a Graphic Novel read.
This week's loot:
dc
100 BULLETS #86
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #2 fuck yeah
DMZ #25
FABLES #67
GEN 13 #14 Simon Oliver's arc starts
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #2 is Cliff Chiang enough to keep me getting the book?
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN: BLACK DOSSIER (HC) !!!!!
NIGHTWING #138
WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY #12
WONDER WOMAN #14
image
MICE TEMPLAR #2
SWORD #2
marvel
AVENGERS: INITIATIVE #7
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
NEW AVENGERS #36
PUNISHER #52
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #13
THOR #4
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48
ULTIMATES SAGA as much as I love Travis Charest, I couldn't bring myself to pay $4 for four pages. I flipped through it though and it looked great. I would love for him to do a full book. An annual or something.
WOLVERINE #59
WORLD WAR HULK #5
X-FACTOR #25
I somehow missed that CIRCLE #1 was coming out, but even when that happens I usually see it at the store, but I missed it there too. I wanted to check it out, so I guess I'll keep my eye out for it.
This week's loot:
dc
100 BULLETS #86
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #2 fuck yeah
DMZ #25
FABLES #67
GEN 13 #14 Simon Oliver's arc starts
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #2 is Cliff Chiang enough to keep me getting the book?
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN: BLACK DOSSIER (HC) !!!!!
NIGHTWING #138
WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY #12
WONDER WOMAN #14
image
MICE TEMPLAR #2
SWORD #2
marvel
AVENGERS: INITIATIVE #7
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
NEW AVENGERS #36
PUNISHER #52
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #13
THOR #4
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48
WOLVERINE #59
WORLD WAR HULK #5
X-FACTOR #25
I somehow missed that CIRCLE #1 was coming out, but even when that happens I usually see it at the store, but I missed it there too. I wanted to check it out, so I guess I'll keep my eye out for it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
catching up on some comics
So I'm finally caught up on my reading. But that means there is something like 60+ comic books to talk about over a three week period. Unfortunately, it isn't gonna happen in any detail or I'll be writing all week. So I'm going with the abbreviated takes like I did when I let 60+ books build up on me around Comic-Con.
Here we go.
Week 1, OCTOBER 24TH
book of the week
STREETS OF GLORY #2
(w. Garth Ennis, a. Mike Wolfer)
After a really average preview issue, and more of the same first issue, this book takes a big leap up. Garth Ennis expertly settles us and the main characters into the town and world we are going to be living in. More characters are introduced, including old war buddies and railroad barons, and the history that everyone has. The most surprising, being Joe Dunn's ex-wife and the daughter he has never met. There are some Western cliches happening here, but it doesn't matter because now there are a whole lot of real, detailed characters demanding some panel time. I almost feel like the book needs more than six issues to let all of them have space and a comfortable conclusion. The dark gory ending is classic Ennis (and classic Avatar) and it catapults the series even farther along.
runner up
VELOCITY PILOT SEASON #1 - This was real close. Like Ripclaw, for at least one issue, this was a superb comic experience. And Kevin Maguire is fucking brilliant.
other real good comics
THE KILLER #5/6 - We fly past the midway point and the delay in printing is really the only thing wrong with the book. (Which makes very little sense considering it's a reprint of a French book that finished publishing in 2003.)
POTTER'S FIELD #2 - Great concept. I kind of want this as a TV show.
GREEN ARROW: YEAR ONE #6 - This little jam by Diggle and Jock closes out as one of the better minis of the year.
LONE RANGER #9 - Pretty fast paced issue for this title. Lone Ranger shot and dying on the cliffhanger.
DAREDEVIL #101 - Brubaker + Lark + Daredevil = Still one of the best super hero comics on the stands.
three-star comics
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #115 - Another good issue in the re-energized Immonen era.
THUNDERBOLTS #117 - Pretty good issue. I really liked the scenes with Doc Sampson and Speedball.
X-MEN #204 - These quieter X-Men issues were always some of my favorites. I like that Carey is giving me that old feeling to be honest.
WALKING DEAD #43 - Good, but lets get to the WAR already!!
SHE-HULK 2 #22 - Solid start to Peter David's run with a lot of questions to be answered. Can't wait.
CASANOVA #10 - Some dirty sex scenes! Awesome.
FEAR AGENT: THE LAST GOODBYE #4 - So um, Heath has committed GENOCIDE? Shit. Wasn't expecting that.
DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #3 - Not great, but I'm still interested enough in Warren's crazy mind to stick with this.
WETWORKS #14 - Lots of vampires and monsters yapping about thrones and plans and double crossing, but I thought it was better than that sounds.
TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION #2 - Still no Six Shot whoopin' ass, but a solid issue.
ACTION COMICS #857 - This was probably my favorite issue of the Eric Powell/Bizzaro arc, but I'm kind of glad its over.
comics with problems
LOVELESS #20 - I'm sad that this book is here. Marcelo Frusin went MIA, Wes Cutter was killed and the book meandered through its teens, and now I'm just not sure what I think of the ghostly visions here. I will eventually give Azzarello the benefit of the doubt and read these again, together. It's no longer working for me as a monthly comic however.
SUPERMAN #669 - This was better than the first part, but I still feel its a bit dumb of DC to keep adding Kryptonians.
AUTHORITY: PRIME #1 - This wasn't really bad exactly, just not all that engaging. That's why its here.
CABLE/DEADPOOL #46 - This was probably my least favorite issue of the recent run. Was it the T'Challa/Storm Fantastic Four? I wonder. Hmm...
GEN 13 #13 - Gail Simone's up-and-down run with the Gen 13 kids concludes. Unfortunately, it was probably my least favorite issue in the run. I mean, they killed Kid Apollo! Seriously, I'm more curious to see what Simon "Exterminators" Oliver brings because they (read: Wildstorm) need a shot in the arm as they desperately try to find a good book.
bad
MEGATRON: ORIGIN #4 - This mini STARTED good, but by the end of the fourth issue I was just bored with it all, but more importantly, the hard to read, frustrating art has me desperate to reach the last page. Ugh.
***
Week 2, HALLOWEEN
book of the week
MOUSE GUARD: WINTER 1152 #2
(w/a. David Peterson)
The sequel to the break-out Mouse Guard chugs along into one of its better single issues. The cast of characters is pretty large now, and after being separated into two groups, the various mice have some nice character moments, especially the pairing of youngster Lieam and the aging Black Axe (my favorite). The plot slowed, but definitely hasn't stopped, as one set of mice make a big discovery. David Peterson's art continues to be amazing, as the look and feel of this book is gorgeous. Well done.
other real good comics
DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1 - One of the better Annuals of the year for sure, and as good as the main title has been, one of the better Daredevil stories period. The plot isn't crazy original, with a criminal trying to go straight, but it was extremely well written and the art by Leandro Fernandez was awesome. Even at the end when there isn't much that separates the Black Tarantula from the Punisher, I thought it worked. I really hope the character makes a return appearance in the regular title.
CROSSING MIDNIGHT #12 - Bedtime Stories comes to its conclusion, and it ends up being my favorite arc of the series. By far.
WASTELAND #13 - Johnston and Mitten rolling on all cylinders as the second major arc comes to a close.
three-star comics
X-MEN MESSIAH COMPLEX #1 - Part 1 of 13. Aside from the Marc Silvestri art, which feels dated, this was actually a pretty good start to the crossover.
NEW X-MEN #43 - Nice issue. I'm really going to miss Skottie Young on this title, as I he was making the characters his own.
JACK OF FABLES #16 - I'm starting to like this title, maybe even enough to come off of my "We don't need this book, Jack should be in Fables" stance.
BATMAN #670 - Ra's al Gul, A Prelude. Harmless enough, and I even don't mind Tony Daniel. But following the epic three-parter with J.H., this return to normal super heroics just feels like a step down, even though its competent.
ACTION COMICS #858 - As anyone knows that reads this blog, I don't know much about DC and the history of their universe, so this Legion means little to me as far as incarnations go. Jimmy seems to be a reset of sorts, but whatever, it was a fun issue with some nice debut art by Gary Frank.
comics with problems
IRON MAN #23 - So-so issue with Iron Man starting to go insane. The art was rough here.
MIDNIGHTER: ARMAGEDDON #1 - On its own, it was a been-there-done-that Days of Future Authority issue. Problem is, this is the start of an entire storyline. Maybe it gets better (see TRANQUILITY below).
ULTIMATE POWER #8 - So part 8 of 9 and we are suddenly starting the MARCH ON ULTIMATUM. This story long lost any energy it might have had, so based on the last page, lets hope that at least the last installment has a very cool fight and the outcome actually matters (as was promised).
SAVAGE DRAGON #133 - It has been 15 issues (2+ years) that I've picked up a Savage Dragon comic. A big fan for a long time (I have the first 118 in a box), it isn't because the comic got bad that I stopped, it was just because I missed a few when I was broke and I've been waiting for a chance to catch up. Since that hasn't happened, I thought I'd check in. What did I find? A comic that has gotten even more retro, with two "8-pagers" instead of one story and lots and lots of word balloons jammed full of exposition that really didn't help me. Um, the fun wasn't there that I used to have, but I'll get it again in case it was due to the gap.
bad
STORM SHADOW #5 - This wasn't very good. A silly storyline that REALLY missed the dynamic art that Mark Robinson brought to the first arc.
***
Week 3, NOVEMBER 7TH
book of the week
Y: THE LAST MAN #59
(w. Brian Vaughan, a. Pia Guerra)
After the end of the last issue and the sudden death of one of our main characters, I didn't know what to expect in the penultimate issue of the series. Turns out, even MORE good stuff as most of the remaining plot threads come to a head in good and surprising ways. By the last page I'm taking a big breath with Yorick. One more issue.
runner up
SCALPED #11 - This was awesome. Y got the tie-breaker since it is ending, but this was a great comic. Gina Bad Horse takes center stage and of course, I'm now bummed that she's dead because she would have been an interesting POV to have.
other real good comics
ASTONISHING X-MEN #23 - The long wait was worth it, as Whedon and Cassaday are spot on. The telepathic conversation reveal was cool, but nowhere near as cool as Cyclops kicking ass. Loved the last page splash with the glowing red eyes.
CRIMINAL #10 - Excellent end to "Lawless" the second arc. And at this point, I liked "Coward" more, but its close. Great series.
STRANGE EMBRACE #5 - The creepy cover leads to even more of the creepy flashbacks. What's in store for our young hero listening to the past? Can't wait.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #10 - No Danny Rand, but that's not enough to hurt this title. The Tourney continues in another great installment.
three-star comics
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #5 - SPOILER: I had a lot of fun with this. The reveal of Blackbolt being a Skrull wasn't too much of a surprise, as he was the likeliest candidate. I hope the actual crossover is as fun.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #8 - Season 8 continues, and issues between Buffy and Faith rear their ugly head again.
THE ORDER #4 - The best issue in this series so far. Its Fraction's wacky Casanova ideas filtered through mainstream super hero Marvel editorial. So far its working.
UNCANNY X-MEN #492 - Messiah Complex Part 2. We're still in the setting up phase, but with a 13-part storyline, we are only 15 minutes in to the movie, so that's okay with me. Cyclops smacking Xavier around was awesome. I love that he is getting some love. I'm having fun so far, which is good.
EXTERMINATORS #23 - Lots of crazy fun, with the roach vs. human battle reaching a climax.
MS. MARVEL #21 - A) Agent Sum is turning into a really cool character. B) Aaron Lopresti has cemented himself as a really solid comic book artist. C) Machine Man is still funny. With a female Life Model Decoy body that he got as a signing bonus? Even funnier.
OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #2 - This comic is getting even weirder, but I'm still with it.
FANTASTIC FOUR #551 - The best issue in the McDuffie/Pelletier run, bar none. It had some moments that made me cringe, but for the most part it was a fun comic book adventure, with a neat twist on Reed's 100 fix-the-world things. Turns out he is a villain in the future, and super heroes (including Doom) have to come back in time to stop him. The cliffhanger, where Reed blows Namor's head off was genuinely cool, too. What more can you ask for?
FALLEN ANGEL #21 - This series spends another issue with Jude as the main character, which is fine. As he accepts his role as Magistrate, he and the book are getting better.
ROBIN #168 - Not bad, but just not all that good. It seemed like we stretched a beat out into an entire issue so that they can stretch the crossover.
comics with problems
SUPERMAN #670 - A so-so end to a so-so plot. The worst part was that I spent the whole issue just waiting for it to end the way it did with the "old lady" Kryponian returning to save the day because she DOES have a conscious. Ugh. Best part of this Kryptonian arc? Batman. Nuff said.
MIDNIGHTER #13 - This was a bit of a mess, story and art wise. The start of this storyline showed more promise, but at this point its stretching out a little long.
TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: RAMJET - They tried to make Ramjet interesting, but he came across as an idiot. This wasn't necessary at all.
SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME #1 - I was really excited for this title. Tan Eng Huat's art, one of the main reasons I bought the book was just too much to handle and ruined the story for me. I don't even know if he was the primary culprit, as it is the colors that made it hard to decipher. I think I'm done with the mini, and that's too bad.
bad
TRANQUILITY: ARMAGEDDON #1 - So ARMAGEDDON doesn't get better. It gets worse. Besides the switch to an inferior artist in the middle, this just didn't work for me at all. Poor Wildstorm.
Here we go.
Week 1, OCTOBER 24TH
book of the week
STREETS OF GLORY #2(w. Garth Ennis, a. Mike Wolfer)
After a really average preview issue, and more of the same first issue, this book takes a big leap up. Garth Ennis expertly settles us and the main characters into the town and world we are going to be living in. More characters are introduced, including old war buddies and railroad barons, and the history that everyone has. The most surprising, being Joe Dunn's ex-wife and the daughter he has never met. There are some Western cliches happening here, but it doesn't matter because now there are a whole lot of real, detailed characters demanding some panel time. I almost feel like the book needs more than six issues to let all of them have space and a comfortable conclusion. The dark gory ending is classic Ennis (and classic Avatar) and it catapults the series even farther along.
runner up
VELOCITY PILOT SEASON #1 - This was real close. Like Ripclaw, for at least one issue, this was a superb comic experience. And Kevin Maguire is fucking brilliant.
other real good comics
THE KILLER #5/6 - We fly past the midway point and the delay in printing is really the only thing wrong with the book. (Which makes very little sense considering it's a reprint of a French book that finished publishing in 2003.)
POTTER'S FIELD #2 - Great concept. I kind of want this as a TV show.
GREEN ARROW: YEAR ONE #6 - This little jam by Diggle and Jock closes out as one of the better minis of the year.
LONE RANGER #9 - Pretty fast paced issue for this title. Lone Ranger shot and dying on the cliffhanger.
DAREDEVIL #101 - Brubaker + Lark + Daredevil = Still one of the best super hero comics on the stands.
three-star comics
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #115 - Another good issue in the re-energized Immonen era.
THUNDERBOLTS #117 - Pretty good issue. I really liked the scenes with Doc Sampson and Speedball.
X-MEN #204 - These quieter X-Men issues were always some of my favorites. I like that Carey is giving me that old feeling to be honest.
WALKING DEAD #43 - Good, but lets get to the WAR already!!
SHE-HULK 2 #22 - Solid start to Peter David's run with a lot of questions to be answered. Can't wait.
CASANOVA #10 - Some dirty sex scenes! Awesome.
FEAR AGENT: THE LAST GOODBYE #4 - So um, Heath has committed GENOCIDE? Shit. Wasn't expecting that.
DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #3 - Not great, but I'm still interested enough in Warren's crazy mind to stick with this.
WETWORKS #14 - Lots of vampires and monsters yapping about thrones and plans and double crossing, but I thought it was better than that sounds.
TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION #2 - Still no Six Shot whoopin' ass, but a solid issue.
ACTION COMICS #857 - This was probably my favorite issue of the Eric Powell/Bizzaro arc, but I'm kind of glad its over.
comics with problems
LOVELESS #20 - I'm sad that this book is here. Marcelo Frusin went MIA, Wes Cutter was killed and the book meandered through its teens, and now I'm just not sure what I think of the ghostly visions here. I will eventually give Azzarello the benefit of the doubt and read these again, together. It's no longer working for me as a monthly comic however.
SUPERMAN #669 - This was better than the first part, but I still feel its a bit dumb of DC to keep adding Kryptonians.
AUTHORITY: PRIME #1 - This wasn't really bad exactly, just not all that engaging. That's why its here.
CABLE/DEADPOOL #46 - This was probably my least favorite issue of the recent run. Was it the T'Challa/Storm Fantastic Four? I wonder. Hmm...
GEN 13 #13 - Gail Simone's up-and-down run with the Gen 13 kids concludes. Unfortunately, it was probably my least favorite issue in the run. I mean, they killed Kid Apollo! Seriously, I'm more curious to see what Simon "Exterminators" Oliver brings because they (read: Wildstorm) need a shot in the arm as they desperately try to find a good book.
bad
MEGATRON: ORIGIN #4 - This mini STARTED good, but by the end of the fourth issue I was just bored with it all, but more importantly, the hard to read, frustrating art has me desperate to reach the last page. Ugh.
***
Week 2, HALLOWEEN
book of the week
MOUSE GUARD: WINTER 1152 #2(w/a. David Peterson)
The sequel to the break-out Mouse Guard chugs along into one of its better single issues. The cast of characters is pretty large now, and after being separated into two groups, the various mice have some nice character moments, especially the pairing of youngster Lieam and the aging Black Axe (my favorite). The plot slowed, but definitely hasn't stopped, as one set of mice make a big discovery. David Peterson's art continues to be amazing, as the look and feel of this book is gorgeous. Well done.
other real good comics
DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1 - One of the better Annuals of the year for sure, and as good as the main title has been, one of the better Daredevil stories period. The plot isn't crazy original, with a criminal trying to go straight, but it was extremely well written and the art by Leandro Fernandez was awesome. Even at the end when there isn't much that separates the Black Tarantula from the Punisher, I thought it worked. I really hope the character makes a return appearance in the regular title.
CROSSING MIDNIGHT #12 - Bedtime Stories comes to its conclusion, and it ends up being my favorite arc of the series. By far.
WASTELAND #13 - Johnston and Mitten rolling on all cylinders as the second major arc comes to a close.
three-star comics
X-MEN MESSIAH COMPLEX #1 - Part 1 of 13. Aside from the Marc Silvestri art, which feels dated, this was actually a pretty good start to the crossover.
NEW X-MEN #43 - Nice issue. I'm really going to miss Skottie Young on this title, as I he was making the characters his own.
JACK OF FABLES #16 - I'm starting to like this title, maybe even enough to come off of my "We don't need this book, Jack should be in Fables" stance.
BATMAN #670 - Ra's al Gul, A Prelude. Harmless enough, and I even don't mind Tony Daniel. But following the epic three-parter with J.H., this return to normal super heroics just feels like a step down, even though its competent.
ACTION COMICS #858 - As anyone knows that reads this blog, I don't know much about DC and the history of their universe, so this Legion means little to me as far as incarnations go. Jimmy seems to be a reset of sorts, but whatever, it was a fun issue with some nice debut art by Gary Frank.
comics with problems
IRON MAN #23 - So-so issue with Iron Man starting to go insane. The art was rough here.
MIDNIGHTER: ARMAGEDDON #1 - On its own, it was a been-there-done-that Days of Future Authority issue. Problem is, this is the start of an entire storyline. Maybe it gets better (see TRANQUILITY below).
ULTIMATE POWER #8 - So part 8 of 9 and we are suddenly starting the MARCH ON ULTIMATUM. This story long lost any energy it might have had, so based on the last page, lets hope that at least the last installment has a very cool fight and the outcome actually matters (as was promised).
SAVAGE DRAGON #133 - It has been 15 issues (2+ years) that I've picked up a Savage Dragon comic. A big fan for a long time (I have the first 118 in a box), it isn't because the comic got bad that I stopped, it was just because I missed a few when I was broke and I've been waiting for a chance to catch up. Since that hasn't happened, I thought I'd check in. What did I find? A comic that has gotten even more retro, with two "8-pagers" instead of one story and lots and lots of word balloons jammed full of exposition that really didn't help me. Um, the fun wasn't there that I used to have, but I'll get it again in case it was due to the gap.
bad
STORM SHADOW #5 - This wasn't very good. A silly storyline that REALLY missed the dynamic art that Mark Robinson brought to the first arc.
***
Week 3, NOVEMBER 7TH
book of the week
Y: THE LAST MAN #59(w. Brian Vaughan, a. Pia Guerra)
After the end of the last issue and the sudden death of one of our main characters, I didn't know what to expect in the penultimate issue of the series. Turns out, even MORE good stuff as most of the remaining plot threads come to a head in good and surprising ways. By the last page I'm taking a big breath with Yorick. One more issue.
runner up
SCALPED #11 - This was awesome. Y got the tie-breaker since it is ending, but this was a great comic. Gina Bad Horse takes center stage and of course, I'm now bummed that she's dead because she would have been an interesting POV to have.
other real good comics
ASTONISHING X-MEN #23 - The long wait was worth it, as Whedon and Cassaday are spot on. The telepathic conversation reveal was cool, but nowhere near as cool as Cyclops kicking ass. Loved the last page splash with the glowing red eyes.
CRIMINAL #10 - Excellent end to "Lawless" the second arc. And at this point, I liked "Coward" more, but its close. Great series.
STRANGE EMBRACE #5 - The creepy cover leads to even more of the creepy flashbacks. What's in store for our young hero listening to the past? Can't wait.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #10 - No Danny Rand, but that's not enough to hurt this title. The Tourney continues in another great installment.
three-star comics
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #5 - SPOILER: I had a lot of fun with this. The reveal of Blackbolt being a Skrull wasn't too much of a surprise, as he was the likeliest candidate. I hope the actual crossover is as fun.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #8 - Season 8 continues, and issues between Buffy and Faith rear their ugly head again.
THE ORDER #4 - The best issue in this series so far. Its Fraction's wacky Casanova ideas filtered through mainstream super hero Marvel editorial. So far its working.
UNCANNY X-MEN #492 - Messiah Complex Part 2. We're still in the setting up phase, but with a 13-part storyline, we are only 15 minutes in to the movie, so that's okay with me. Cyclops smacking Xavier around was awesome. I love that he is getting some love. I'm having fun so far, which is good.
EXTERMINATORS #23 - Lots of crazy fun, with the roach vs. human battle reaching a climax.
MS. MARVEL #21 - A) Agent Sum is turning into a really cool character. B) Aaron Lopresti has cemented himself as a really solid comic book artist. C) Machine Man is still funny. With a female Life Model Decoy body that he got as a signing bonus? Even funnier.
OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #2 - This comic is getting even weirder, but I'm still with it.
FANTASTIC FOUR #551 - The best issue in the McDuffie/Pelletier run, bar none. It had some moments that made me cringe, but for the most part it was a fun comic book adventure, with a neat twist on Reed's 100 fix-the-world things. Turns out he is a villain in the future, and super heroes (including Doom) have to come back in time to stop him. The cliffhanger, where Reed blows Namor's head off was genuinely cool, too. What more can you ask for?
FALLEN ANGEL #21 - This series spends another issue with Jude as the main character, which is fine. As he accepts his role as Magistrate, he and the book are getting better.
ROBIN #168 - Not bad, but just not all that good. It seemed like we stretched a beat out into an entire issue so that they can stretch the crossover.
comics with problems
SUPERMAN #670 - A so-so end to a so-so plot. The worst part was that I spent the whole issue just waiting for it to end the way it did with the "old lady" Kryponian returning to save the day because she DOES have a conscious. Ugh. Best part of this Kryptonian arc? Batman. Nuff said.
MIDNIGHTER #13 - This was a bit of a mess, story and art wise. The start of this storyline showed more promise, but at this point its stretching out a little long.
TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: RAMJET - They tried to make Ramjet interesting, but he came across as an idiot. This wasn't necessary at all.
SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME #1 - I was really excited for this title. Tan Eng Huat's art, one of the main reasons I bought the book was just too much to handle and ruined the story for me. I don't even know if he was the primary culprit, as it is the colors that made it hard to decipher. I think I'm done with the mini, and that's too bad.
bad
TRANQUILITY: ARMAGEDDON #1 - So ARMAGEDDON doesn't get better. It gets worse. Besides the switch to an inferior artist in the middle, this just didn't work for me at all. Poor Wildstorm.
Monday, November 12, 2007
monday night art: chris ware
This has been running around the internet like crazy for the last week or so, but here it is again. Chris Ware does the poster for THE SAVAGES, an upcoming movie starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
(click to make bigger)
Its a really cool poster. I love it when my two favorite mediums come together.
And if you haven't seen this yet. Here is an AMAZING animated short that Chris Ware did for This American Life:
(click to make bigger)Its a really cool poster. I love it when my two favorite mediums come together.
And if you haven't seen this yet. Here is an AMAZING animated short that Chris Ware did for This American Life:
Thursday, November 8, 2007
adding to the pile: ncrl for nov. 7
Just when I think I'm about to be caught up, another Wednesday comes around and I have TWENTY-ONE more books to read. I act like I mind, which isn't true. I'm HAPPY AS HELL to have a lot of books to read. I've been just too busy to read AND talk about them here. This weekend maybe.
Here's what I got:
dark horse
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #8
dc
EXTERMINATORS #23
MIDNIGHTER #13
ROBIN #168 i'm sucked into the bat-family titles for the crossover; ra's al guhl part 1
SCALPED #11
SUPERMAN #670
TRANQUILITY: ARMAGEDDON #1
Y: THE LAST MAN #59 almost there...
idw
FALLEN ANGEL #21
TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT - RAMJET was he really a character deserving of a spotlight?
image
STRANGE EMBRACE #5
marvel
ASTONISHING X-MEN #23
CRIMINAL #10
FANTASTIC FOUR #551
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #10
MS. MARVEL #21
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #5
OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #2
SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME #1 i normally avoid this kind of mini, but spurrier/haut is an interesting combo
THE ORDER #4
UNCANNY X-MEN #492 messiah complex part 2
Here's what I got:
dark horse
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #8
dc
EXTERMINATORS #23
MIDNIGHTER #13
ROBIN #168 i'm sucked into the bat-family titles for the crossover; ra's al guhl part 1
SCALPED #11
SUPERMAN #670
TRANQUILITY: ARMAGEDDON #1
Y: THE LAST MAN #59 almost there...
idw
FALLEN ANGEL #21
TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT - RAMJET was he really a character deserving of a spotlight?
image
STRANGE EMBRACE #5
marvel
ASTONISHING X-MEN #23
CRIMINAL #10
FANTASTIC FOUR #551
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #10
MS. MARVEL #21
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #5
OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #2
SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME #1 i normally avoid this kind of mini, but spurrier/haut is an interesting combo
THE ORDER #4
UNCANNY X-MEN #492 messiah complex part 2
Monday, November 5, 2007
monday night art: david peterson
YES, I'm still ridiculously behind on my comics. Work has been a pain with long hours, leaving my free time with me in a vegetative state in front of the TV. But I'm digging deep, getting some good comics read and having fun when I do. Soon I'll do some yapping, I'm sure.
THIS WEEK!
DAVID PETERSON DOES CTHULHU MOUSE !!
I forgot where I first saw this picture (Newsarama?), but what I do know is, that it was linked to from David Peterson's blog.
Yeah, pretty fucking cool. David Peterson's art is glorious. His book Mouse Guard is even better. Buy it.
THIS WEEK!
DAVID PETERSON DOES CTHULHU MOUSE !!
I forgot where I first saw this picture (Newsarama?), but what I do know is, that it was linked to from David Peterson's blog.
Yeah, pretty fucking cool. David Peterson's art is glorious. His book Mouse Guard is even better. Buy it.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
jason aaron forces me to buy ghost rider
Jason Aaron is one of my favorite new writers in the business. Not that I'm alone, as most of the comic book world has nothing but great things to say in regards to his breakout series The Other Side and of course, his phenomenal Vertigo series, Scalped.
So what is a man to do when it is announced that one of his favorite writers is hired to take over not only Wolverine, but Ghost Rider starting this February?
Yeah, you guessed it. Buy them both.
Of course, as an X-Men guy I buy Wolverine anyway. If you read my blog, I mostly talk shit about it month-after-month. Coincidentally, the Jason Aaron penned #56 was the only Wolverine issue that hasn't been disastrous in months. So this is definitely good news.
But Ghost Rider? This is crazy, but cool. I haven't read Ghost Rider regularly since the early 90's. I did read the first Garth Ennis mini recently, and that was good fun, but nothing has drawn me back to the character since Andy Kubert left art duties. For Jason Aaron? I will gladly give my three bucks. He's even a fan, which is always good. I love it when people remember their first issue. From his Newsarama interview:
Awesome.
So starting in February, it looks like I'm reading Ghost Rider again.
And people, if you haven't read Scalped, please BUY IT. Jason Aaron himself is offering a money back guarantee:
Now PEOPLE, how can you not get into that? Click the SCALPED picture below for the Amazon link.
So what is a man to do when it is announced that one of his favorite writers is hired to take over not only Wolverine, but Ghost Rider starting this February?
Yeah, you guessed it. Buy them both.Of course, as an X-Men guy I buy Wolverine anyway. If you read my blog, I mostly talk shit about it month-after-month. Coincidentally, the Jason Aaron penned #56 was the only Wolverine issue that hasn't been disastrous in months. So this is definitely good news.
But Ghost Rider? This is crazy, but cool. I haven't read Ghost Rider regularly since the early 90's. I did read the first Garth Ennis mini recently, and that was good fun, but nothing has drawn me back to the character since Andy Kubert left art duties. For Jason Aaron? I will gladly give my three bucks. He's even a fan, which is always good. I love it when people remember their first issue. From his Newsarama interview:
JA: The first Ghost Rider issue I ever bought was #32 of the original series, way back in 1978. It has Ghost Rider on the cover all in flames and dangling from a noose, being hanged by the black-clad Bounty Hunter and several skeletons wearing cowboy hats, a couple of them angrily shaking their fists in the air.
Awesome.
So starting in February, it looks like I'm reading Ghost Rider again.
And people, if you haven't read Scalped, please BUY IT. Jason Aaron himself is offering a money back guarantee:
We the creators of SCALPED are so proud of our new Vertigo series that we're offering a money-back guarantee on the first trade collection, "Indian Country." If you buy a copy and don't like it, just mail it back to us and we'll refund the price, plus the cost of your shipping. It's as easy as that. So now you really have no excuse for not trying SCALPED, the gritty crime series that's been hailed by critics, fans and the industry's top creators as the best new comic of the year.--Jason Aaron & R.M Guera
P.O. Box 8620
Prairie Village, KS 66208-0620
creators at scalped.info
Now PEOPLE, how can you not get into that? Click the SCALPED picture below for the Amazon link.
ncrl for halloween
Still waaaaay behind on my HUGE pile last week, so why I went to the store to buy more, who knows, but here is the list for Halloween 2007:
archaia:
MOUSE GUARD WINTER 1152 #2
dc:
ACTION COMICS #858 my girlfriend's take on the cover: 'why is superman an old man now?" regardless, I'M happy that gary frank is the artist now
BATMAN #670 crossover alert: part 1 of 8
CROSSING MIDNIGHT #12
JACK OF FABLES #16
MIDNIGHTER ARMAGEDDON #1
devil's due:
STORM SHADOW #5
image:
NECROMANCER PILOT SEASON #1 i was going to get all five of the pilot seasons, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it after the flip through. just looked like a T&A book with monsters, and that just isn't my thing.
SAVAGE DRAGON #133 checking in with an old friend after a 15 issue absence. i have been waiting, so that I can fill the gap, but thought I would check in anyway, because i've missed it.
marvel:
DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1
IRON MAN #23
NEW X-MEN #43
ULTIMATE POWER #8
X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX #1 crossover alert: part 1 of 13
oni:
WASTELAND #13
other:
I'm still trying to figure out this whole POTTER'S FIELD thing. My backup store was out too. So who knows when I'll get my hands on it.
archaia:
MOUSE GUARD WINTER 1152 #2
dc:
ACTION COMICS #858 my girlfriend's take on the cover: 'why is superman an old man now?" regardless, I'M happy that gary frank is the artist now
BATMAN #670 crossover alert: part 1 of 8
CROSSING MIDNIGHT #12
JACK OF FABLES #16
MIDNIGHTER ARMAGEDDON #1
devil's due:
STORM SHADOW #5
image:
SAVAGE DRAGON #133 checking in with an old friend after a 15 issue absence. i have been waiting, so that I can fill the gap, but thought I would check in anyway, because i've missed it.
marvel:
DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1
IRON MAN #23
NEW X-MEN #43
ULTIMATE POWER #8
X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX #1 crossover alert: part 1 of 13
oni:
WASTELAND #13
other:
I'm still trying to figure out this whole POTTER'S FIELD thing. My backup store was out too. So who knows when I'll get my hands on it.
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