11-12-08

Number Ones

Batman: Cacophony 1

And Kevin Smith comes back to comics again, with Walter Flanagan (of Walt Flanagan's dog fame) in tow. And while this issue is very interesting, I generally don't feel that it's the kind of standard I'm used to with Kevin Smith's work. Additionally, Onomatopoeia seems far goofier than I recall, which means I'm going to go back and read those issues of Green Arrow he was introduced in. Hopefully we'll see the next issue soon.

Push 1

This is about a group of psy-ops agents, and is fairly interesting, though really lacks the excitement that a series like this has the possibility of doing. However, there is a bit at the end that gives the whole thing a bit more dimensionality, and so I will be seeing how this continues to unfold.

Black Terror 1

This was fairly interesting, though less so than I expected. The writing is the same typical Alex Ross/Jim Krueger writing, which is enough to keep you interested, but not enough to really get you excited for when the next issue comes out. 

Sir Apropos of Nothing 1

I missed seeing this book on the diamond list, due to the fact that I had forgotten the title of this project in the first place. This is the one to pick up , of the number ones. It contains the constantly sharp and witty writing of Peter David, and additionally pokes fun at the Dark Tower (which incidentally David also writes the comic form of). The art may not be as flashy as we all are used to at this point, but it is quite adequate for purposes of the story told. WARNING: this is a fun book. If you don't like fun, don't buy it.

and now for everything else

There were two Batman RIP tie-ins this week, Detective Comics and Nightwing. Detective has done an amazing job of telling the best Hush story so far, doing much better than even the one he was introduced in. And while Hush has done an amazing job breaking Batman before the Black Glove can, he does a better job at breaking Catwoman (by removing her heart). And of course, before all is said and done, Batman breaks Hush. I'm starting to see where all these tie-ins fall in to place, in terms of the set up for post-RIP. Nightwing is quite extreme in this. While still showing bits of Dick Grayson, with his acrobatic flair, we're definitely starting to see what images and this issue in particular are starting to imply: Dick Grayson is ready, and moving in the direction of becoming Batman should the need arise (and that seems to be rather soon). Additionally, Two-Face is making his play at being far more prominent than he has been in the post-OYL Batworld. Alot of setup in this issue, very well written, and I'm glad to see that Tomasi will be taking over the Outsiders.

Now on to other things:

Green Arrow/Black Canary 14

This. This is one of those issues where Winick writes really well. He does this great issue. And you look back at the previous ones, some of which did not make any sense and say "what the hell Winick? Do this ALWAYS." Regardless, we see a bit of what's happened to Connor Hawke, deal with memory loss, and what Winick seems to be really good at writing, father-son bonding. The only problem I have is that shouldn't Connor's ability to magically heal be the result of, oh, i don't know, BATHING IN THE BLOOD OF A DRAGON? Hullo, let's read things. Still, good issue, farewell to Winick for this title, and we'll see how the next guy does.

Titans 7

Generally speaking, I have not been a fan of the direction of this new series. But at the very least, Howard Porter is now on the job ::cue horn flair:: so the wacked-out artwork is GONE. And generally speaking, this is a fairly well written issue. The only problem I have is I really don't like this new "Jerico's gone crazy" thing. Thanks, guys. Regardless, the explanation that has been given for the crazy at least makes sense, so points there.

Young Liars 9

If you are still reading this book, then more power to you. This is probably the most fucked up book I end up reading every month. And I read Gravel and Crossed. Additionally, I have very little idea as to what is going on most of the time, and the characters are almost entirely unlikeable when you actually find out about them. 

Captain Britain and the MI:13 7

This, on the other hand, is one of the most fun books I read every month. What I really want to note this month is the fantastic bit of back and forth between Blade and Spitfire, which to me seems to really cement Blade properly into the team. Also, Pete Wisdom's imaginary tea party on the moon? Gold.

Wolverine 69

I don't really care for Mark Millar. If you read this at all (which you probably don't, and you've only come here by accident, and are now wishing to leave), you'll know this already. However, I have to say, this is one of those instances where I do a slow clap and say "well done, Mark Millar. Well done." This storyarc in particular, not necessarily just this issue, has actually been really good. Not even to mention the Steve McNiven art, which is beautiful. In other Millar news though, it's been a while since a Fantastic Four issue, hasn't it?

In disturbing news, Blue Beetle is cancelled. This has been a fantastic series, and I'm very sad to see it go (as is Dan Didio, but y'know, sales). Additionally, it seems Grant Morrison is no longer writing the Battle for the Cowl series, but it is being written by artist Tony Daniel. WTF happened there?

Oh, and one last thing, since I noticed the only time I'm mentioned online is by a Fable community, here's what I have to say about Fables 78:

I like the character of Mr. Dark, very amusing. There's alot of things in the issue that sets up the future for the Fables now that they've won back the homelands, and I'm excited to see where it all goes from here.

11-5-08

Kind of a slow week, though we did have 3 books from Gray and Palmiotti, and one from Palmiotti and Ennis. And while Jonah Hex was enjoyable as always, nothing in particular really stood out, and Back to Brooklyn carried on the story without anything really exciting me aside from the mention of egg creams (EGG CREAMS!). Which brings us to Terra, which starts off the number ones.

Terra #1

While I'm a huge fan of the New Teen Titans, I wasn't particularly excited about this book aside from Gray/Palmiotti/Conner. So I was rather surprised when the book not only contained great art, but lots of interesting things involving creatures residing in the under belly of the Earth. Terra seems to be quite familiar with these characters, implying she's been residing sub-surface for some time. A good start to the mini, and I'll be looking forward to more.

Gigantic #1

I was quite surprised with this one. I like Remender alright, and I have really come to like Ngyuen's artwork, but the plot is much more involved and interesting than "OMG GIANT ROBOT." There is one problem I have with this issue is that the storyline harkens alot to the Southpark episode a while back where the Earth was a reality show that got cancelled.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1

Like an idiot, I've never read the original Dream Hunters prose. But I'm going to change that very soon if it's anything like P. Craig Russell's comic adaptation here. The art is very clean and tells the story well, and the writing is quite clever (though obviously owes much to Gaiman in that regard). 

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #1

The last of Gray and Palmiotti's offering that I'll cover for this week, we have a story involving Superman and Supergirl which seems to be pre-Final Crisis. Apokolips is still as it was, before even Starlin's messing around with it. The third star of this, Maelstrom, longs for the love of Darkseid, if you can imagine someone desiring such a thing. The writing? Great. The art? Looks nice, but here is where I had my major issue with this... issue. The artwork, while looking pretty, did not convey the story very well, and rarely contained the emotions of the characters.

Ultimatum #1

Let me start by expressing what I like about this issue: David Finch's artwork. Yay. Everything else? Ugh. Random characters dying off, Magneto suddenly far more powerful than he had been before, Thor still talks dumb, and apparently Doctor Doom suddenly looks just like he does in the normal 616. In fact, that seems to be the major problem with Loeb's take on the Ultimate universe (beside writing terrible dialogue). For the most part, Loeb's characters in the Ultimate universe act almost exactly as they do in the normal Marvel universe. Which, kind of defeats the purpose entirely. I continue to torture myself by reading this stuff because honestly, I do want to know what happens. Which I guess warrants some merit.

Cable #8

The reason I'm mentioning this issue (and I guess should mention the last issue as well) is because I was somewhat concerned after the first arc as to where this series would go. While interesting, the idea of Bishop chasing Cable through time FOREVER seemed rather limited. So I was very pleased to see not only some aging on the child's part, but also something other than Bishop for Cable to have to deal with. And Bishop is still prominent in the book, cementing his place as supporting cast as opposed to just Cable's arch-nemesis.

El Diablo #3

This book has been one of the bigger surprises for me. I didn't expect much from it, especially after Nitz's lackluster issue of Blue Beetle. However, introducing El Diablo into current continuity with a new carrier of the curse, as well as still having Lazarus Lane hanging around, has worked rather well. I admit, there are some similarities to Ghost Rider, but the story stands on it's own, especially with Phil Hester's fantastic artwork.

Final Crisis: Resist

Oh, how I've longed for a good Checkmate story again. And here it is! Morrison gives us a great story of Checkmate being reduced to guerilla tactics, solely consisting of Mister Terrific, Thinker, Snapper Carr, and for a bit, Cheetah. Ultimately what it comes down to is the return of the OMACs. There is a separate mood of this, which is why it wasn't given to us in Final Crisis proper, but is very important to the story, I think. 

Punisher War Journal Annual #1

Honestly, I think this could have been done better. I don't really feel like Spurrier has a great grasp on the Punisher's character, and the idea of the Punisher hallucinating a child's dreams (or hallucinating in any respect) is a great and amusing idea, but didn't seem to come out as well as I'd hoped here.

Sub-Mariner: The Depths #3

I wasn't sure how exactly this story was going to play out. One thing I have noticed is that lately, Peter Milligan has been writing about people's psychological behaviors, and the changes they go through under particular conditions. What he has done here is explore how the mind is affected by the isolation and claustrophobic nature of being in a submarine in the deepest, darkest recesses of the ocean. And one of the neater things, in my opinion: We still have not really seen Namor.

Terror Titans #2

Very, VERY slowly, Sean McKeever's run on the Teen Titans and his dealings with the Terror Titans are growing on me. And really, he seems to get the Terror Titans much better. This issue moves very quickly, and mostly what I am excited about is the Clock King's quick takeover of the Darkside Club. It seems that Boss Darkside himself is out of commission or dead (maybe part of Final Crisis?), and Vunderbarr, Desaad, and . What really helped this issue is the artwork. Joe Bennett's layouts and the paneling are done amazingly well, and he makes the Clock King less creepy (as he was in Teen Titans) and more likeable as a villain like him can be. Also, Young Frankenstein! But just briefly.

10-30-08

I still haven't quite made it through everything for this week, but I'm gonna start off with the #1s

Mirror's Edge

This was a book I saw listed in diamond list for this week and knew nothing about, but jotted it down, as the title did seem intriguing. One of a few new books from Wildstorm outside of their main universe, the story follows a young girl taken in by messengers in some type of totalitarian society. Which I found out about by reading Jim Lee's notes about it in the back. The story seems interesting, as does the concept, but there's no real lead up. This almost seems like the issue two, and somewhere down the line we missed the first issue or maybe the introductory page that told us where the hell we were.

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns 

I'm generally of the opinion that the two Green Lantern books are among the best being published right now. And I'm extremely excited about this new story arc. While Shane Davis may not live up to the same standards as Carl Pacheco, Ivan Reis, or Ethan Van Sciver, he certainly does a fine job of introducing us to a whole new group of unique beings and demonstrating the difference in the manifestation of their power. Also, I was very excited that the reveal of the first Blue Lantern is now and not later. I'm very excited about this storyline, though I have to say this doesn't really have a visible tie-in to the Final Crisis story. 

Zen: Intergalactic Ninja #0

I've always had some interest in this character, and have only been able to acquire a trade from the post-Archie period that had terrible writing and worse art. This issue doesn't really give enough space to reveal much in terms of how it might proceed from here, but Joe Casey is ever dependable (good lord, how many books is he writing?) and the art is well done and suits the character.

Garth Ennis' Battlefields: The Night Witches

I've been rather excited upon hearing about this book, to the point I neglected to notice it was only 3 issues. Here's why I find that a problem. The first issue is great, the characters introduced, etc. etc. In fact, there's so much set up, I'm concerned as to how all of it will be handled in only 2 more issues. Trust in Ennis though, most of his Boys stories have been 4 parters, so this as a 3 will probably pan out just fine. 

Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes

While this issue may be filler to allow Simone Bianchi to catch up on the next issue of this storyline, it provides more depth to a story that has seemed to move a little slow. While sadly, Alan Davis' artwork seems to provide some confusion as to what is happening in the first part, the dialogue gives you an idea of what kind of person the X-Men were dealing with. And as we find out, the universe. The second part is a fantastic romp through steampunk X-Men land, with great artwork and colouring. Additionally, we see a few gadgets you may have caught if you read Ellis' Aetheric Mechanics that came out last week.

More later on notable books of the week, and a few that I wonder why I read.

Bruce Jones

Let me start this off by saying that Bruce Jones is made of fail.

Jones had two books out this week, Checkmate (the last issue of the series) and The War That Time Forgot. Neither were any good. Amazingly enough, though War That Forgot has fighter pilots and heroes from multiple wars and time periods, Checkmate was the more ridiculous of the two. First off, this story started off seeming slightly interesting, and quickly turned into a complete and utter disregard for anything involving the ACTUAL cast of Checkmate. Which is sad, considering how fantastic Checkmate had been under the skilled hand of Greg Rucka. The most thing in this issue was the giant dragon that appears and sends out winged goblins dealing out biblical plagues turns out to be! DUM DUM DUUUUUM! SATAN! Yep. 

War has been written terribly from the beginning. I mean, we're talking about what has always been a great concept (much like Marvel's Savage Land) but is written terribly by Jones. I mean, Tomahawk fighting a dinosaur? That should be pure gold. Instead, with Jones, it falls flat. Additionally, and this doesn't seem to be the fault of the artist, there seems to be storytelling left out between some of the transitions, leaving the read a bit confused, to say the least. 

I'm really not sure how Bruce Jones got these assignments. Checkmate would have done great under Eric Trautman, who co-wrote a couple of the storylines with Rucka. And there's far more creative and interesting writers to tackle The War That Time Forgot that had the free time and would have handled it much better. 

Manhunter cancellation

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0810/16/index.htm

The story is all the way down in the "Briefly" section.  Essentially it just says "Manhunter cancelled with issue #38 (which is January's issue). Which is sad, yes, as the book will not have lasted a year since its return. I always get kind of aggravated that these stories only merit blips on the radar at times, and then I find myself picking up the last issue that contains a note at the end from the artist and writer "Thanks for the run guys!" and a big fat "THE END" at the bottom of the page. Or if we're lucky, a "Check out the adventures of [character] in [this other book where they'll be a minor character] monthly!"

It seems to me that there may be reasons as to why they are poor sales (besides the piss-poor marketing that DC does on their lower tier books). First of all, looking at the August sales (I'm not looking at all the sales charts, cause it's morning, and dammit, I just got up), Manhunter ranks 153 on the top 300. Below it are two other DC comics, Blue Beetle and The Spirit. Now, Manhunter took a significant sales drop by comparison to the two (over a thousand!), which is probably why Blue Beetle is still floating around, and The Spirit I imagine is hanging on due to the upcoming Frank Miller movie.

Why the sudden drop in interest? First of all, we had a huge gap between when we were told Manhunter was coming back and when it actually did. Roughly a year between the announcement it was coming back and when issue 31 actually did drop. Which is fair, Marc Andreyko had to come up with some new material and weave in where the subplots that were still running fit into that. Now, for most part the art has either been handled by Jesus Saiz or Javier Pina, both contributing fantastic art. But on this return of Manhunter, we are surprised with Michael Gaydos. Now, I like Gaydos' art, but after so many issues of him drawing Manhunter, I'm pretty sure the art doesn't fit so well into Kate Spencer's world. And no doubt some pickier readers may have gone as far as to pick the book up, looked at the art, put it back down, and walked away. These are probably the folks that pick up books cause Greg Land did the cover, but still.

Additionally, I can't say I was terribly impressed with Andreyko's writing this go-round. While the story was mostly fine, the dialogue seemed a bit lacking. It's possible this contributed as well. I have trouble even imagine how the book could suffer a thousand reader drop in sales so amazingly quick,  other than a late-in-the-month release date. At the very least folks, you'll be able to see Manhunter in Birds of Prey, as the quite capable Tony Bedard seems intent to include her. 

Secret Invasion and how I'm tired of it.

Secret Invasion, like most Marvel crossovers, start off with a fairly nice and pleasant collection of tie-ins, making it quite manageable. And then all of a sudden.... BAM. What title isn't involved? So I'm gonna go over some of the highs and lows so far.

The main series has been rather good. Occasionally Lenil Yu's artwork suffers from what it usually suffers from (making some people look hideous and also crazy boobs). Also, due to all the different tie-ins that spout off every month, by the time the next ACTUAL Secret Invasion issue comes out, I've damn near forgotten what in the hell happened. 

In terms of the main tie-ins with Mighty and New Avengers, these started off rather good, and have now moved into the realm of being mediocre and repetitive. Really, I think alot of these could have been done with more than one in each issue. Additionally, Avengers: The Initiative has been well done as always, bringing in the Skrull Kill Krew. But hardly up to the snuff that Initiative has previously been.

Just this past week, Secret Invasion: Inhumans came out. Not only dealing Black Bolt's skrull reveal in Illuminati, but also the end of Silent War. What Pokaski (of Heroes fame) seems to have done is FORGET that most of the main Inhumans royal family were kind of hypnotized by Black Bolt's brother Maximus. Fantastic Four explains what happens with the Baxter Building, and returns Lyja... and there the excitement ends. Whatever, Baxter Building is back. Nothing to see here. As much as I like Gage, it doesn't seem like there is alot of promise in his Thunderbolts tie-in, even though it is well written. It more seems just like the same thing we saw in the main series. But, there's still more issues to go, so maybe that will change.

Secret Invasion: Thor I think further proves that Matt Fraction should be doing stuff with Thor regularly, like the one-shots that he has been doing already. I just think they should continue is all. Jason Aaron's Black Panther tie-in (or which we only have one issue so far) looks to be quite promising, to the point that I would suggest he be writing the series instead of Reggie Hudlin. Captain Britain & the MI:13? The awesome cannot be contained. Basically think of the brilliance that Cornell brought to the Wisdom mini, add in a well written Captain Britain and lots of really neat concepts involving those characters, and you have the beginnings of an amazing series. As always, Mike Carey writes the X-Men brilliantly in their tie-in mini, and it appears he will do a bit more focus on Nightcrawler for this. Probably the most surprising to me was the Secret Invasion: Front Line book. Personally, I have not been a fan of the Front Line books (or their usual writer, Paul Jenkins). But here, Brian Reed has given us a very interesting and well worked story of the involving the average people on the streets of New York during the first part of the Invasion.

Still alot of stuff to go, and I'll do one of these for Final Crisis once it gets done with its one month gap.

What to look for this week

So, now that I've written far too much about Batman, let's take a look at what else is coming out this week that you should be looking into.

Action Comics 868
Part... what, 3? of Geoff Johns introduction to the real Braniac, not just the robot/cyborg/whatever that has changed so many times in the past. If you haven't been reading Johns' run on Action Comics, just take a look at the past 2 issues in addition to this one. It's as good a starting place as any, though I do recommend going back and picking up the trades of his stuff with Richard Donner and his Legion story.

Astonishing X-Men 26
Really, I shouldn't have to try to convince you to pick this up. Warren Ellis. Simone Bianchi. X-Men. That should be enough. I don't really know what else to tell you, except that this has done an amazing job of establishing the X-Men in San Fransisco.

Captain Britain and the MI:13 4
So far this series has been amazing, and even though it has been tied into Secret Invasion, it is standing by itself amazingly well, hinging on lots of information familiar with the history of the Marvel UK characters, but being reader friendly as well. Also folks, everything in this series indicates that Wisdom is in canon. That's right, that means Shang-Chi fought a Welsh Dragon in a bar.

Firebreather 2
First issue? Superfun. I'm excited about this one, I just wish it didn't take so long to come out.

Green Lantern Corps 27
Damn this series is good. I'm really not that sure as to what the upcoming story is, but I've just been so impressed with Tomasi's work since taking over, that I'm confident whatever comes out will be great.

Last Defenders 6
The last issue of this mini, which will hopefully be continued *crosses fingers*. This series has been really fun, as the Defenders should be. And also filled with superhero fail, another characteristic of the Defenders, and appropriate for New Jersey's Initiative team.

Lone Ranger 12
What? Yeah, this book is good. Believe it. Buy it.

Punisher 60
This is the last issue of Ennis' run right? Let's all shed a tear for this amazing run on Punsiher.

Tiny Titans 7
See pretty much every previous post.

Transhuman 3
I am sad cause I missed the second issue of this. I have no idea what's going on. But the first issue was so fantastic, and everything else I've read by Hickman has fallen into that consistency, I'm hoping this will be good as well. Need to find that damn issue....

Walking Dead 51
But you're already reading this, right? Just a reminder.

Zorro 6
Last issue of the origin of Zorro (written by Matt Wagner). This is another one of those surprisingly good series that Dynamite has put out that I looked into on a whim.

Things to look out for: Final Crisis: Revelations, Gen13 21, Golly, Secret Invasion: Inhumans, Secret Invasion: Thor, Secret Invasion: X-Men.

Batman R.I.P.: What the hell is going on?

One of the issues coming out this week is none other than the 4th part of Batman: R.I.P. Now, this story has been a bit...confusing to say the least. Understandably too, there's a lot of things going on. I caught a bit of the preview for this upcoming issue on Newsarama, and so I decided to go back and read all of Morrison's run (though I skipped over the Resurrection of R'as al Ghul story). Along with the help of a few internet blogs & commentaries, I was able to discern this: Grant Morrison has been planning this story THE WHOLE TIME. You want to know how long? Go pull out your trades, first issues, or scans of the first issue of Morrison's run. Part one of "Batman & Son," issue 655, page 6 (if you're not counting ad pages). What's that graffiti on the wall? Shit dog, it's ZUR EN ARRH.

Now Grant Morrison has stated (somewhere) that all things in Batman comics are canon, as far as he's concerned. And so while all this stuff seems extremely bizarre, there's a good reason behind that (sorta): Morrison is pulling tricks from the Silver Age. Not just the Silver Age, but the Zur En Arrh story is. It's about a Batman from a different planet (called Zur En Arrh) that seeks Batman of Earth's aid. There's lots of bits like this throughout. I'm not terribly good at picking out symbolism in comics either, and lots of times people have to point to it for me (like with Watchmen). Things that have been pointed out to me regarding this (from other blogs)? When looking back through the issues you see numerous references to eyes, the combination of black and red, and occasionally red, yellow, and purple (the colours of the Batman of Zur En Arrh).

In terms of what's going in Batman RIP proper. We have The Club of Villains, all characters named in the Club of Heroes story, that have been brought together by the Black Hand. The Black Hand is kind of interesting, as it is both a person and an organization of gamblers (note the use of roulette tables fairly often since the beginning of 667). One of the interesting theories as to the identity of the Black Hand is Alfred, which may be one of Morrison's red herrings he has said to have laid throughout the stories. If you go back and read closely the stories with this in mind, it brings forth quite and interesting possibility. For those not following closely, the doctor with the Villains is Dr. Simon Hurt, from the isolation tests during "Robin Dies at Dawn," another silver age story. He also is the creator of the 3 Batmen.

What Batman is dealing with, before being knocked out and drugged, is that the events in the black casebook may very well be true, instead of being hallucinations from repeated exposure to various chemicals and weird isolation tests. Additionally, with the Club of Villains swooping in to take out Batman, we find him on the street, not knowing who he is. Enter Bat-Mite, who has been appearing periodically throughout Morrison's run, starting from when he had a heart attack. It may well be that Bat-Mite has been at Batman's side for a while when he was a child (as indicated from the scenes where Bat-Mite talks with a young Bruce Wayne). It seems that Bat-Mite wants to help get Batman back on his feet, and Honor Jackson helps out with this. Now, according to a drug dealer who may or may not be One-Eyed Lincoln (EYE!), Honor Jackson died the morning before this adventure of Bum-Bruce Wayne began. So, if that is true, the Honor Jackson is either a) a ghost, b) resurrected for these purposes by Bat-Mite (Honor Jackson does mention something about the rules on the world of Batfairies) or c) Bruce Wayne is crazy and is imaging BOTH. The other possibility is the dealer doesn't know what he's talking about.

Which brings us back to where we're at, with his experience with Honor Jackson and his drug dosing by Simon Hurt (who is wearing a costume worn by Thomas Wayne at some point in time, but I'm unaware of specifically when) bringing him to thinking he is the Batman of Zur En Arrh, and donning the appropriate costume, according to his memory of the adventure.

So things to look out for in the upcoming issues are:
-Any revelation as to what the thing on Bat-Mite's back is. No one sees to know.
-Things involving Alfred. He's been beaten up by the club, which seems to absolve him of being the Black Glove. But we'll see.
-Jezebel Jet's role in this. I feel like she's more involved with this that she appears.
-What the CoV has in mind to do with the Joker. He's been lifted as a piece, but not really placed just yet.
-Any references to eyes, black and red checkers, especially contrasted with purple, red, and yellow. In Morrison's prose story, these are shown as the contrasting colours of Gotham City.

Out today (that you should be buying)

Singles:

Huntress: Year One # 3

This has been really good so far. In terms of DC's move for a Year One series on everyone, this and the Green Arrow ones have been the only one's I've liked so far (though I didn't read the Teen Titans one, so I guess that means I didn't like Metamorpho's). In all seriousness, this Year One (in the first two issues) comes very close to what I imagine as a Year One story should be. In addition, the writer is doing a magnificent job for not having written very many comics before. I'm looking forward to this one today.

Tiny Titans #5

What? you aren't reading this book? For shame! Despite it being mostly a children's book, if you are a fan of the Teen Titans books and also like things that are fun, then check this out. 

NewUniversal: Shockfront #2

And if you didn't get the first issue, I'm sure they've still got some. Warren Ellis' take on the world of the New Universe has been fantastic, and the story continues on here, introducing more people affected by the White Event. Don't know what I'm talking about? First soft trade is out there, with art by Salvador Larocca.

Sky Doll #2

After a few years of being overloaded with manga, finally the US get's us some French comics. Okay, so we've had some French comics translated and brought over here (fantastic stuff too, like Epileptic and Persepolis), but y'know, I'm a junkie. I need MOOOORE. Sky Doll is well written, funny, colourful, and also has naked robot chicks, cause Marvel/Soliel knows what you want.

and The Trades

The Programme Vol. 1

Basically "what if the Cold War produced superheroes," but with a few interesting twists. Like most weapons in the Cold War, these super-powered beings were never used. And when some of the Russian super-powereds accidentally get activated and start wreaking havoc, things go bad. And what's the US's secret weapon doing? Why he's running a bar. And he doesn't really want to fight. Lots of other interesting stuff, including racial tensions and the only other US super-being, an African-American man programmed with the personality of Joseph McCarthy.

The Question: Five Books of Blood HC

Usually I don't make a big deal about hardcovers and just wait for the soft. But in this case, it may contain the case file or a copy of it that was released as promo material. I know that Rucka was pushing for it. Otherwise, herein contains the first Renee Montoya as The Question story outside of the 52 series. I really don't think much else has to be said aside from that, though I think some of the loose ends of the series here may be wrapped up in Final Crisis or elsewhere soon.

Vinyl Underground Vol. 1

Ten dollars folks. Ten dollars. That's all you have to pay to get into this series, which is a neat little horror investigation book. The characters herein are well written and each being quite unique from the other. In this particular story a boy is killed in a way that points back to prominent African man and the use of African magical practices. There's alot of neat stuff in here, and incentive to continue reading from here, the next story goes into a group obsessed with William Blake.

More recent cancellations...

Upon further thought, a few more titles recently facing cancellation came to mind. Some I just became aware of today, much like the other day, when I read the next issue of All-New Atom would be the last. Today, I read the last issue of Midnighter. 

Now, it had occured to me that the solicitations for the new Authority series were a good indication the series would not be picking back up, and that Wildstorm was stream-lining their books again. Regardless, I find it sad, since this has been such a fantastic book, with the only slow spot being in the most recent arc, where there was one issue with almost no dialogue at all. However, the series got off to a brilliant start with Garth Ennis' opening (available currently in trade), and then followed by a series of one-shots by various writers and artists before Keith Giffen took over and took the book in a great new direction, placing Midnighter at the centre-point of a happy-as-apple-pie town under the protection of a patriotic group called Anthem. 

Crossing Midnight can be hard to get into. I tried to read a few individual issues to start off, but it just didn't seem to be happening. "How can this be?" I thought to myself. "I love Mike Carey." And so I took the chance and picked up the first trade, which by the way folks is 9.99. Anyway, what this book brings (much like particular selections from Mike Carey's amazing series, Lucifer) is a great look at Japanese culture and traditions, both current and modern, without actually using a manga format which I usually just hear people complain about. The story of these two twins born on opposite sides of midnight, and find themselves on opposite sides of a battle as to who is the rightful god of blades. Currently there are two trades out, Cut Here and A Map of Midnight, both great stories. The last issue comes out this month, #19.

Also finishing up this month is a book I was aware of being cancelled much further in advance, and I think that mostly has to do with the fact that they were being allowed a chance to finish up their story. Exterminators has become one of my favorite books period. Besides being amusing, and having a captivating story, and being rather disgusting at times, it's just plain awesome. I never thought I would be waiting anxiously for that next issue of a book about exterminators fighting off and ancient Egyptian power controlling the bugs and pests of Los Angeles? There's so much involved in this book... just go read it. #30, the last issue, comes out this month. There are currently 4 trades out, and the last will be the fifth, all decently priced (at least 14.99 or less). 

I'll try to get some pictures up for these soon, but I'm about to pass out. 

For those about to be cancelled

I'm going to be late for work today due to this, but I had it on my mind and wanted to spit it out before I leave. 

3 of the books I read on a regular basis, one of which was on my favorites list, are being/have been cancelled by DC. It's rather sad really, because they were all rather good books. I will say though, that Shadowpact did have a lull there before Matt Sturges took over from Willingham. 

Yes, these three books I speak of are Shadowpact, All-New Atom, and Infinity Inc. And by the way, DC does a spectacularly bad job of announcing the cancellation.

All New Atom had just started getting good in Remender's story arc. The first two issues? No, not so much. Last two issues? GREAT. There just wasn't a great transition between Gail Simone's take and Remender's take. One more issue of that.

Shadowpact is already over and done with, though apparently we'll see most of those folks in Keith Giffen's Reign in Hell. Looking forward to that, and thankfully, we are seeing members of Shadowpact bump around a little more often than we used to. But still, mystical DC book inside the DC Universe doesn't seem to do fantastically, sadly enough.

And finally, Infinity Inc., which aside from the first issue ads, has probably had the worst promotion by DC, EVER. No interviews with Milligan, no nothing. Which is a shame. Milligan has done some clever work here, with each character's power being someone representing in their power manifestation. And we get to see a bit more of the lives of these kids introduced in 52 than we previously had, not to mention some John Henry Irons action. 

For those interested, the first trade of Infinity Inc. just hit this past week. I believe 2 trades of All-New Atom are on the shelves as written by Gail Simone, and 2 of Shadowpact, the first being a decent price at what I believe is 8 issues for 14.99. 

From here on, this will be "You should be buying this," in hopes we can avoid this sort of thing in the future for decent books.

Scott Pilgrim

This is a long overdue post I've been meaning to make. Granted, most of you that read this are most likely people who actually know me, and therefore have heard me rant about this being my new favorite comic. Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series was something I checked out entirely at random. I had read a bit of the 3rd volume, and before getting very far, I realized I immediately needed to read the first two before continuing on.

This comic is just amazingly good. It's humor based, but there is action in it, as our hero Scott Pilgrim has to fight 6 (or 7) evil ex-boyfriends to date his new girlfriend. It's set in Canada, which for me is rather uncharted territory, but you know, I hear things. Mostly from people who watch Degrassi. So my immediate reaction was to suggest this to people I knew that watched Degrassi. Additionally, Scott is about 23 or so, and if you were born in the range where the video games close to your childhood heart are original nintendo game (but especially Mario 3), and the original transition into Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, then there's lots of references here just for you.

For example, his band's name  is "Sex Bob-omb." Don't know what a bob-omb is? Either you've never read any of the guide books that came with your Mario games, never saw the movie (in which it is screamed multiple times), or you're just too lazy to go look it up on wikipedia. 

Regardless, various other video game references are scattered throughout the books, without losing any part of the story. 

The books come in a manga size, and are often hidden in the manga section of the bookstore. Now, I know some of you regular comics readers shun the manga format or the average manga as if it were an unbelieving unicorn. And I understand that position. Scott Pilgrim is not manga though. Yes it's in black and white. Yes, the eyes are huge. But I'd hardly say it's manga-styled art in anyway, and is read left to right. In fact, one of my favorite parts of is the last page of the 4th volume, where Scott's gay roommate Wallace informs us that this is, indeed, THE BACK OF THE BOOK. "What do you think you're doing? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

I'd tell more about the book in general, such as things about Scott's group of friends. Or the leadup to him meeting this girl in the first place. But I personally the reader gains more by meeting these characters on their own. So go. Do it. 

05-07-2008

Most of the time I forget to post, or am to busy to get around to it. And by the time I sit down, ready to go, I've actually forgotten alot of what happened. So this will be updated periodically through the day.

The Man With No Name #1

Honestly, this didn't live up to my excitement about the title. I guess the artwork doesn't quite live up to what I would expect, mostly. Don't get my wrong, I love Wellington Ares. His work on Nova has been great. But I feel like the art for this should have a ton of sand poured on top of it before it gets scanned off. A grainy sort of feel, constant dust in the air. Additionally, he seems to be unable to capture the facial expressions, which to me are the most important characteristic involved in the Man With No Name's decision making process. However, the story does appear to be going in an interesting direction, and Gage has done okay at getting the shortness of the characters speech.

The Boys #18

With this issue, finishing up the current story arc, it seems that Ennis is making his way towards a wrap-up of the storylines thus far, leading us into the confrontations we've seen develop over the course of the series. The main thing is that apparently The Boys had some surveillance set up in The Seven's base...

Secret Invasion #2

Since I missed last month's Secret Invasion stuff, let me go ahead and get it all out here. I was very unsure about the initial issue, and the second New Avengers issue tying into Infiltration was kind of disappointing. Especially with the end of that first issue, I wasn't sure where it was going to go from there (I hope Dugan's alright). Anyway, the Mighty and New Avengers tie-ins to Invasion regular have been awesome. And this issue was a pretty good follow-up, after learning some of that info. However, it looks like we'll spending alot of time waiting on this next issue to tell us... well, anything at all.

Action Comics Annual #11

So I'm sure your main question is... was it worth the wait for this to finally come out. And it's hard to tell. It really is. The artwork is great though. In fact, there is an absolutely amazing 2 page layout towards the end of the story. All in all though, Johns and Donner's Bizarro story was much better. I do like that this has allowed more room in the Superman mythos for Zod, Ursa, and Non, as well as Mon-El. 

Detective Comics # 844

Here we have one of the last Dini revamps to the Batman rogue's gallery. At least, until Hush shows back up. Anyway, really liking Nguyen' s artwork, and Dini has done a great job of writing the post-52 Batman (aka, less tortured Batman). Real curious as to whether more will come of the Batman/Zatanna thing, but I guess to maintain some coherency with the Batman titles currently, that's not really an option.

more later...

3-26-07

It seems like I'm constantly changing the format, at least until I get it right.

I was actually a little surprised about All Star Superman #10, as it was a kind of flat lead up to the last two issues of Morrison and Quitely's run. Fun, but it was almost like filler. On the other hand, it does resemble the "things you do before you die," which is usually whoever trying to make the most of their last bits of time, and it kind of falling flat.  In other news of relative disappointments, Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #7 has to be my least favorite issue of this mini. Whereas I've rather enjoyed alot of it so far, this issue lacked in dialogue, once again having some issues in building up to the conclusion in the next issue. 

Blue Beetle #25 was an amazing ending to what John Rogers referred to as Blue Beetle: Year Two. I'm sad he's gonna be leaving for a bit and that the replacement is Will Pfiefer (who I really haven't had pleasant experiences with). Countdown to Final Crisis #5 gives us a world to have Kamandi stories without having to have some definite future for the DC universe, and Lord Havok & the Extremists assures us that all the big bads aren't gone yet (well of course, Brother Eyepokalips is still roaming around, which I think is infinitely cool.) Teen Titans #57 was better than usual, showing us that apparently McKeever can write one, maybe two (Blue Beetle, maybe) Titans right. Crossing Midnight is getting exciting again, and I just now noticed that Proof wears sweater vests on a regular basis. New storyline starts in Proof #6, by the way. This one is gonna focus on the mokele-mbembe, which is a personal favorite cryptid of mine.

Jack Hawskmooor mini? surprisingly good. Also, did anyone know anything about Transhuman before this issue came out? The shop I got it from had not even realized they ordered copies of it. This comic is full of win, and lord knows where it'll go next. Daredevil #106 provided us with another one of Brubaker's interim issues between big story arcs (the previous one being the Milla Donavan one shot). New Avengers and Mighty Avengers were mostly bad, with the Wasp's "You saw Luke Cage naked?" being the main highlight. I do admit though, I like Wolverine/Echo/Clint Barton being the core, so to speak, of the Flightless Avengers. Damage Control #3 landed kind of flat for me, even though the giant talking Chrysler Building was fantastically funny. 

And lastly, a few very quick notes. X-Men: Legacy? Awesome. Fallen Angel? Curious to see what's gonna end up happening here. Green Lantern? This is getting to be quite interesting. Hellblazer? I hope that Andy Diggle never leaves. He's practically forcing DC/Vertigo to release the unpublished Delano stories. Very excited about stuff in Wildstorm: Revelations and to see what happens in Number of the Beast. Lastly, I miss Darwyn Cooke on The Spirit. The new team isn't... bad, but it's just not as fun/awesome as Cooke's run was. 

03-12-08

The win:

Annihilation: Conquest #5

Y'know what's awesome? When you know the resistance will win, but they are currently injured and jumping off a giant exploding building, while the bad guy has just transferred his consciousness into quite possibly the most powerful being in the universe. As opposed to "yeah, they'll kill Cap at the end, somehow."

Avengers: Initiative #10

"Hey we need your help." "Yeah, too bad you've been busy being bastards. 'Cause here come the New Warriors, made up of actual former New Warriors members." "Shit... you do realize an evil clone is killing everyone, right?"

Booster Gold #7

Every week this books brings the awesome. If you feel that your life is lacking in awesome, it most likely has something to do with you NOT BUYING THIS BOOK. WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? REDEEM YOUR LIFE. What happens? Booster Gold and Blue Beetle destroy the Earth. Who will save it? Will it be the Rip Hunter/Supernova/Skeets supercombo? Green Arrow/Hawkman Justice League? Timebreakers?

BPRD: 1946 #3

Good lord this book is dark. Artwork is awesomely grimey. Dysart has given us this amazing story (3 issues of a 5 issue mini) about the beginning of the BPRD that's just incredible. In the midst of all this is a demon possessing Goldilocks (no, not the hot one from Fables).

Gen13 #18

Do you like good books? You should be reading The Exterminators. Do you already read that and can't get enough of Simon Oliver, and also have a hankering for a new twist on corny early 90s comics? Well then, head on over to Wildstorm, where Oliver took over for Gail Simone and has been doing a fantastic job with this book. The team of Gen13 is anything but the typical superhero team, and is mostly just trying to escape the trappings of their creators. Which is a hard thing to do when you don't realize everyone you meet is owned by a group of people filming you...

Mighty Avengers #10

This is a fun issue, with good artwork. Did it make sense to have this issue in the middle of the current storyline? No, not really. At least not in any way evident right now. 

Nova #11

Really, I don't think I should have to say anything about Nova being good every month. You should know. You should have it on a subscription, because this is a reliably awesome book in regards to art, writing, story, characterization, bringing in new ideas and reviving old ones. Hey look, it's Warlock, and he's grown up. Holy crap, it's a giant thing. Also, ideas in A:C regarding the Phalanx and the Technarch will be reflected here. You know why? Because DnA know what the hell they're doing.

Tiny Titans #2

Oh are you confused? Cause I'm not. This right here is canon as far I'm concerned. Hey, what does Terra do? Oh, apparently she throws rocks. At Beast Boy. And Kid Devil is tiny and never says anything, which is fantastic, since apparently only Geoff Johns and John Rogers can write him at all. ::coughcoughMcKeevercoughcough::

X-Factor #29

X-Factor post-Layla take two. Everything goes wrong. And where the hell has everyone gone to. It's been a while since we've seen this fellow Arcade, and lemme tell you, I think he's gotten both creepier and more effective. And he hasn't actually appeared yet.

And now, I present to you this week's fail:

Fantastic Four #555

Oh yeah, here's a giant planet we're making in orbit of Earth that you never noticed before Reed Richards. Also, we used the smartest and richest people on Earth to work on this. So while that was happening, we never even left a message for you, Tony Stark, Danny Rand, Hank McCoy or Hank Pym. Yeah, that's plausible. And you know, I liked Hitch when he drew the first volume of Ultimates (except for Nick Fury, cause I liked the one originally done by Bagley in Spider-man) and I liked Hitch when he did Stormwatch and The Authority. But really, he needs to go to learn-how-to-draw-the-Fantastic-Four school. 

Simon Dark #6

You know what happened in this comic? A truck was hijacked. A cat was bought. Kid Frankenstein (Simon Dark) reminisces. Mob guys show up and are dealt with. And then, finally, in the last 3 fucking pages. SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS. Demon soap! Read the last 3 pages for demon soap kids! It looks like the next few issues may be interesting, but seriously, this was the flattest leadup ever, and was decompressed to the point that it looked like one of those dinosaurs that you put in water and it expands. You know what I mean, it was like that one time you decided to fill a bucket of water and put it in that. That's what I'm talking about.

I just acquired a bunch of new comics, so when I get a chance I'll give you the heads up on the mini-series Two Guns, and the new ongoings Resurrection and The Circle. Additionally, curious about Scott Pilgrim? Me too! Let's find out together.

03-05-08

Sorry it's been a few weeks, I had a friend that died and have been dealing with that the past few weeks. 

Aside from that, I did manage to read my comics, and so I would like to comment on the past two weeks as far as this: Blue Beetle was awesome, and Mark Millar is still a hack. Also, I have gotten to where I really love John Romita Jr.'s artwork. Which made Kick-ass all the more a bizarre read for me.

Anyway, this week:

The Awesome:

The Boys #16

There a lot of really good emotion in this particular issue, and a whole lot less "omg Ennishock factor!" In fact, so far that's more or less how this current arc is. So that must mean that in the next two issues the disgusting rolls out.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #12

Oh man, this issue was awesome. I wasn't sure whether or not Drew Goddard's arc was gonna be as good as Whedon's and BKV's had been, and so far, it's looking good. My only complaint is that Xander didn't shout something along the lines of "See! I did see a panther!"

Cable #1

And here begins Marvel's Lone Wolf and Cub. I'm always amazed how well those stories fall into a kind of Western story feel, even though we're actually looking at some nasty beat-up future. Apparently Bishop's arm was not of the greatest quality.

Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1

Oh man. Do I really have to tell you why this is awesome? Peter David's adaptation is just fantastic, and Jae Lee... I mean really that's all you have to tell me. Jae Lee is doing the artwork. I'm sold. 

Detective Comics #842

Peter Milligan drops in to tell us a kinda creepy tale about Batman and the armor he wore for most of "The Resurrection of R'as al Ghul." Well done one shot, and we get to see a bit more about that sect that Azrael used to be a part of. Hopefully we'll keep it at that in terms of remembering that particular character...

Echo #1

Terry Moore gives us a new comic that appears to be a classic accidental superpower book. The artwork and story are a real good leadup to what might come, and also make me excited about him coming to Marvel to work on Runaways. Also, maybe I should check out Strangers in Paradise...

Green Lantern #28

Holy crap Red Lantern! HOLY CRAP RED LANTERN! RAGERAGERAGERAGERAGE! Mike McKone does a great job doing the work on GL right now, especially since he's picking up the book from Ivan Reis (who'll be back very soon, according to a Geoff Johns' interview).

Jonah Hex #29

This story, for me anyway, was amazingly intense. The colors are mostly brown, grey and red, and really creates this eerie, almost frightening story involving Jonah Hex and this elusive tribe hidden in a rock formation known as the Devil's Paw. 

Justice League: The New Frontier Special

Most of the stories were okay, but what's almost worth buying THE WHOLE DAMN THING is opening pages of this as introduced by Rip Hunter, who excuses himself from the panel for a moment to shoot A RANDOM GUY IN THE FACE. Okay, so maybe he wasn't entirely random, he was an aluminum siding salesman.

Scalped #15

We find Dash Bad Horse still having a rough time actually dealing and coming to terms with his mother's death. But it seems like he's finally coming to a point of a breakthrough, possibly with the help of a boy whose mother died right around the same time... and points could be leading to a one Diesel Injun.

Young Liars #1

This came out of nowhere. I thought it looked dumb when I saw a few bits about it a while back. I have been proven wrong. This is a great issue that gives a solid introduction and sets up a cool and possibly INSANE story in the process. Well played, David Lapham

And now, for this week's "huhbuhwuh?"

X-Force #2: X-23 shoots a gun! blam blam blam! Also, Marvel wants to bring back all it's Technarchy characters, apparently. I just find that weird, issue was okay.

Countdown Presents Lord Havok & the Extermists #5: I'm not exactly sure what even happened in this issue. 

All New Atom #21: Rick Remender, while I enjoy your "SCIENCE!" to a certain extent, it just didn't happen here. ::sniff:: I miss Gail already. 

Punisher War Journal #17: CURSE YOU HOWARD CHAYKIN! CURSE YOU! The story was good otherwise!

2-13-08

Because the process of me going over every book I read every week has become way too difficult, I've changed the format up. So here's the really awesome, and the "oh god why."

Really Awesome:

American Virgin #23

This was the last issue. I cried. Not in the way that I did on the last issue of Y the Last Man, but moreso because there could have been so much more done on this series. Regardless, it ends in a way that I think Seagle probably intended originally, with the title making even more sense than I thought it originally did.

Booster Gold #0

Every month of Booster Gold is awesome. I mean, they fly in the timesphere by Extant and Parallax in the time stream. And everyone just stares at each other.

BPRD: 1946 #2

Oh man, this is awesome. I'm suddenly quite interested in what Dysart did before this. Not to mention the art is really awesome. I feel bad that I considered telling my shop not to pull this one for me.

Brit #4

BEHOLD PLATADOOM. Oh wait, it was merely another Platadoombot. What? Read this book.

Countdown to Final Crisis #11

Everything's in place. I'm super excited. The payoff is right around the corner...

Green Arrow/Black Canary #5

I really like this title, much more than I thought I was towards the end of the last issue. I don't care what that jerk over at The Buy Pile says. There's a big difference between being whiney, and being emotional.

Gen13 #17

Last issue, I was not impressed, not to mention confused. This issue was AWESOME. Simon Oliver brings the awesome from Exterminators over here, especially since Exterminators is so close to being over.

Ghost Rider #20

Jason Aaron's debut on Ghost Rider. In a book I never cared about, there is suddenly a ton of awesome. Great dialogue from Johnny Blaze, and y'know what else? Commando nurses with guns in the employ of a sadistic angel. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you a buy-worthy Ghost Rider on the first issue without Daniel Way.

Gotham Underground #5

Frank Tieri and Jim Calafiore strike again! Gotham Underground has been a fantastic addition to the Batman line of books, as well as events going on in the mainline DCU. This particular issue really shows Calafiore's growth as an artist, and also really aids in the progression of the story. He has become one of the most dependable artists in the industry in my opinion, alongside Steve Dillon. 

Northlanders #3

It's official, I'm going back and buying all these issues. It's awesome. Buy buy buy.

Nova Annual #1

I don't need to talk about this book, really. You should just read it. Cause Nova is awesome. Also, Nova makes it to the Technarchy homeworld! Next issue: Warlock! I think.

X-Factor #28

Everyone is falling apart. No one handles it well. I'm excited. Peter David is writer supreme. Just imagine what happens when new characters are introduced!

And now... oh god why:

Fantastic Four #554

Mark Millar is a hack. I maintain morbid curiosity. Look here for more.

Punisher War Journal #16

Story? Awesome. Artwork? OH GOD NO, it's Howard Chaykin. AGAIN. Though granted, it's alot better than some of his other artwork recently.

Salvation Run #4

This issue was actually good except.... both Gorilla Grodd and Monsieur Mallah are no more? Noooooooo. Damn you DC! Damn you and your vendetta against the gorillas of the DCU! It's a good thing Gail Simone is fighting the good fight for the gorilla lovers of the world.

2-6-08 Part One

Abe Sapien: the Drowning #1

It seems like alot of the recent stories from the Hellboy universe lately have been set in the past. Lobster Johnson, BPRD: 1946, and now this, which is set in the 80s (at a time when Hellboy ran off the first time). First let me say that the artwork is fantastic. It's done by Jason Shawn Alexander, and that the opening bits of the story that are action with a poem superimposed over it worked amazingly well. I'm real excited to see where this story will go, exactly. 

Annihilation: Conquest #4

Tom Raney's artwork keeps getting better. I am really amazed at how good it looks compared to when he was working on Stormwatch and the Outsiders. I like the direction this is going in. This is the first chance I think I've had to talk about this book, so I'll go ahead and talk about it generally. The great thing about Annihilation, Conquest, Nova, and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy series, is that you get a good look at stuff that's going on in the Marvel universe outside of the occasional ventures off into space by the X-Men or the Fantastic Four. This is also fun because not only does Adam Warlock have a black Marvel Family looking outfit right now (eh? eh? Black Adam?), but now it seems his new powers are... of a magical nature? Oh man. Also, it seems he's remembered himself a bit better, as he's talking more and more like old Adam Warlock.

The Boys #15

I was wondering when we'd see the girl from the first story arc show up again. Most of the issue is her going through some revelatory thoughts in a church. A bit of Hughie mussing about and Butcher talking and making crazy rough sex with the director of the CIA. I imagine more story will come, but in the meantime, Darick Robertson is back! Hurrah!

Countdown to Final Crisis #12

Only a brief bit with the Challengers from Beyond in this one. We touch base with the rest of our characters to see where they're all headed to. Harley, Holly, and Mary unmask Granny on Paradise Island, and go after her through the Boom Tube. I'm rather curious as to where that's headed. Jimmy Olsen takes a shower. Seriously, that's it. And oh wait, another boom tube? That's right and it's here for... Piper? I get the feeling all our heroes will find themselves on Apokolips soon enough...

Detective Comics #841

In this issue, Paul Dini goes back to what made his run really cool in the first place: one-shot stories about Batman villains, revitalizing them in a way. This one tackles the Mad Hatter. I rather liked this one, and I'd rather not spoil anything for anyone reading. I think my favorite line in this was from Hatter in the spinning teacups. "My tea's gone cold."

Fables #69

So when this storyline started, I got bored with it real quickly, and kind of gave up on the title for a while. And then, a few months back, I decided to go back and read them all again. And this story is actually one of the best stories that Willingham has done in a while in the main Fables title. With what happened in this issue, it'll be interesting to see what happens from here.

Ms. Marvel #24

Very little Machine Man in this issue, so really the highlight was Ms. Marvel becoming Binary for a bit and destroying all the Brood. Take that Brood. Also, Tony Stark reveals to Agent Sum that he thinks Ms. Marvel is a Skrull infiltrator. But I think that's just a clever trick to bring Agent Sum, a secret Skrull agent, out into the open.

Omega the Unknown # 5

Lots of weird stuff happens. And it's really awesome. And it looks really awesome. And The Mink's severed hand not only glows in the dark, but it sprouts legs, chokes a guy, and runs off in the darkness. Also, fast food zombies get a beatdown.

Uncanny X-Men #495

At first I was a little wary about the artwork, but now I'm definitely not. Also, I have to say this is probably Brubaker's strongest issue on Uncanny yet. The only complaint I might be able to mention is possibly overdoing the scene with Wolverine coming out of the bar. Otherwise, the Colossus/Nightcrawler dialogue is very on point, and it's also nice to see Kurt using the old image inducer. Also: Cyclops has plans!

Wildstorm: Revelations #3

The girls take a trip to Tranquility, and the book continues to improve. And actual revelations occur in this issue! The secret history of the Wildstorm universe is revealed. Also, Nemesis shows some cleavage, and it's in context! As with any comic in the Tranquility community, this issue was alot of fun.

more later....

1-30-08

Oh god I read too much

Action Comics #861

Geoff Johns, you have not only made me like Superman, but you've made me like the Legion. Curse you sir, curse you.

Batman #673

kalgjkl;aj;ajfa omg crazy stuff

Black Adam #6

awww... poor Black Adam. Also, CHOCOLATE EGG CREAM! SHAKAKOOM!

Black Summer #5

Lots of cool stuff happens. Read this.

Captain America #34

New Cap. Has gun, will shoot. Blam blam. 

Crossing Midnight #15

This will be my next you should be buying this. Watch this space.

Daredevil #104

Okay, so for a bit I was worried about this title slumping a bit. But now it's awesome. I wanna see a throwdown between the Hood and Mr. Fear.

Death of the New Gods #5

Curse you Jim Starlin! Seriously, couldn't they have gotten a better writer/artist to do this?

Green Lantern #27

OMG! What've you done Guardians??? 

House of M: Avengers #4

I think Moon Knight finally got a grey outfit instead of the white one. Also, interesting choice of other gang there with the New Warriors.

Jack of Fables #19

You know what's better than zombie policemen? Nothing. "What's in a name?" "I don't know what's in a name. Is it cheese?"

Narcopolis #1

Jaime Delano has made up his own dialect/slang for this book. It's amazing stuff. It also takes a while to figure out what's going on. Also, you may be surprised by the fact that a penis appears twice (not in full blatant view, mind you), while there are no breasts or female genitalia in this comic.

Mighty Avengers #8

"::I can't be affected because my:: I can't be affected because of my ionic powers!" - Wonderman. No, you can't be affected cause you're a skrull. Skrullman.

Proof #4

Bigfoot has tea with Chupacabra, and there's a park ranger named Elvis. Do you really.need.anything.else?

The Spirit #13

Don't let the cover fool you! You shall not find Darwyn Cooke (or at least not much of him) in here!

Trials of Shazam! #11

Why is it I am actually interested in the Marvel family now? This has beautiful artwork, and is awesome. 

Ultimate X-Men #90

Sorry, but Ultimate Apocalypse is awesome.

Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse: Calamari Rising #1

This book is full of win. Also tentacles and a transexual leprechaun stripper.

Y the Last Man #60

This was a fantastic ending to the series, really tying up everything going on. The scene in the snow with Ampersand almost made me cry.

11-23-08: Highlights

Let me just run through some base things for the rest of this week, since I'm behind. We've got a fun series of Young Avengers stories that started this week. Messiah Complex ended (well, in fact). Sean McKeever hates everything I love, apparently (see: Teen Titans). Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters continued to be somewhere between superweird and completely awesome. Astonishing contains some very interesting storytelling, though leaves us with another "OMG R THEY DED?" Gotham Underground and Crime Bible continue to be consistently good. 

1-23-08

Blue Beetle #23

This is one of those books that are just waiting to be done as a "you should be reading this." A while back I did a personal list for myself of the 10 comics I would buy if I could only buy 10 a month. I decided it would probably be the issues that every month when it comes out, I can't wait to read it. This is one of those titles. Every story is fun and smart, and unlike most other superhero teens like Robin or Wondergirl, Blue Beetle has no experience whatsoever. And that's part of what makes it so great. This comic has great characters, and ropes in an extremely interesting supporting cast of original characters, and also characters from around the DCU (like Guy Gardner and Blue Beetle's girlfriend, Traci 13). Right now the writer, John Rogers, is working up to the end of the second year of Blue Beetle, and the conflict involved with the Reach, which is where the scarab that gives Jaime his powers.

 

Countdown to Mystery #5

Whenever I first picked this up, it was kind of on a whim. I figured why not, Doctor Fate story may be cool, and hey, Matt Sturges of Jack of Fables fame is writing the Eclipso backup. This has probably turned into the best random pickup of the past year. The art changed up on this particular issue, and continued the new adventures of Eclipso and the Spectre. Also, more development regarding the character introduced and killed in the last issue during the Doctor Fate section.

Punisher #54

Punisher has a baby! omg! This may be a reference to early in the series, which I have not read all of yet. And Barracuda may be one of the most frightning, most fucked up villain ever. If this had been the last story arc, it would have been a fitting ending to Ennis' run. It'll be interesting to see what happens next.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #50

Mike Carey has done amazing work on this book, and the underlying storyline that's been running since God War begins coming to a head 

here. There's alot of stuff in this that is not only the classic Jim Starlin cosmic Marvel stuff, but also Kirby's Fourth World (which for you noobs is DC), which as you might imagine, is somewhat of a challenger when working for the competing publisher... 

You should be buying this: Superman?

What? Are you serious? Yes, amazingly enough. I've always thought that the Superman book was outdated, boring, unexciting, etc. The most interesting stuff I had read before these was 2 issues Joe Kelly wrote in the midst of Infinite Crisis (positing things that might have happened to the Earth-1 and Earth-2 Superman if Crisis on Infinite Earths had never happened). What happened was my Grant Morrison obsession lead me to All-Star Superman. Morrison's intention seems to have been to write fun, wacky, Silver Age style Superman stories without seeming stupid. I would definitely say that Morrison succeeded. Arm wrestling with Greek gods, crazy SCIENCE, Bizarro world (including a bizarro Bizarro who calls himself "Zibarro"), among many other things, Morrison has done amazing things with the character, as he is not restrained by pesky continuity.
Geoff Johns run on Action Comics has been a little different. I haven't read "Up, Up, and Away" yet, as I find the co-writer, Kurt Busiek, boring as hell. Most of Johns' run so far has been with Richard Donner (writer and director of Superman and Superman II), though his current storyline is solo. Of the two Donner stories, the first introduces the Superman II villains into regular continuity. Don't be fooled though, it's not just a comic adaptation of the second movie. The story involves a boy who falls to Earth in a spaceship and is surprisingly... Kryptonian. Superman immediately forms an attachment to the child, and tries to find some way to adopt him (while the Department of Superhuman Defense wants to study him). As it turns out, it is the child of General Zod. And he's found out a way to escape the Phantom Zone, as well as... all the other prisoners. Another story they did was too bring the Bizarro World back into normal DC continuity, which was taken out during the original Crisis as it was seen as being "too silly." The story was fantastic, containing the fantastic artwork of Eric Powell (the man from Goon). Johns' current storyline involves bringing the original Legion of Superheroes back into continuity (friends of Superboy back in the day), except, things are so fantastic in the future anymore... in fact, that's a Red Sun orbiting the Earth. That could cause some problems. Sadly, the collections for most of these stories won't be out til May in a collected form (though you could probably still find copies at your local shop) with the exception of the All-Star Superman hardcover, which is out now.

You should be buying this: The Programme

So I went back through and read the full series up to current (the most recent issue being #7). Going back through, there were a number of things I didn't catch, or for some reason didn't piece together the first time I read it. One of the things that struck me was how awesome this series is. Milligan's writing on this is fantastic, and all of the characters are extremely interesting. So what is this book? Well, it turns out that the Nazis had started a program to generate a superhuman. And when Berlin is invaded by the Allied forces, one of those German scientists surrenders over to the Americans... with the fetus that would become that superhuman. The Russians take the technology. And during the cold war, both developed their own superhumans, but neither pulled the trigger... until one of the Russian "dolls" is awakened in the middle of a war similar to the current Iraq situation in the fictional country of Talibstan. The US ends up looking for this superman that they once had... and find out that someone reprogrammed him to be more liberal leaning, and to have no knowledge of what he was created for. All he wants to do is run his bar, and what he ends up doing is slowly become the most reluctant hero of all, the war machine who has been reprogrammed to hate what he was created for. The artwork in this works extremely well for the mood. The pencils are somewhere between sketchy and photo-realistic, and the coloration and shading use flat, bold tones, creating an eerie sort of feel. It affects the mood in all the ways that coloring should in a well told story.

You should be buying this: Black Summer

Warren Ellis is constantly thinking up and churning out new brilliance for you to enjoy. I feel bad that I didn't try this issue out. In fact, I really don't recall my logic behind it, other than it didn't sound like something I would like. Turned out I was wrong. What this story is about is a member of a team of superheroes walks into the White House, kills the president, the cabinet, and others, and then goes on tv covered in blood, and tells the American public they are free to rule themselves, among other things (like that his team aren't involved in his actions). From there, of course, everyone goes crazy, and the members of his team find themselves under the gun. This series contains fantastic artwork, a lot of violence (if you're into that sort of thing), and some of the most interesting concepts involving superhuman abilities I've seen in a while.

1-16-08 Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

This week's issue of The Programme confused me, so I'm gonna go back and read the issues in sequence, and report back regarding it. 

100 Bullets #87

Damn you transitional issue! I'm not sure what the hell is going on in this issue. Otherwise, artwork is awesome, as always. This issue goes by quick, so I hope the next one comes out right on it's heels before I forget what I was trying to figure out.

American Virgin #22

If I wasn't being lazy and trying to catch up, I'd put up an image for this one, since it's definitely on top of this week's list. This series is really awesome, and by the way folks, the trades are cheap. I think this has... one more issue? And then we end the series, and also Adam's adventures here in Cuba. I'm sad to see this series go, and I'll be curious as to what Steven Seagle will be up to after this.  The only downside is the cover art lately has been terrible.

Birds of Prey #114

This issue wasn't bad... apparently Sean McKeever has something rather specific in mind for our dear Birds. However, this issue, like the last one, is rather mediocre at best. It's not bad... but I don't think I can really deal with this title without Gail Simone. I feel like Sean McKeever is destined to sabotage some of my favorite books that they aren't going to cancel anyway.  We'll probably see the full extent of that next week with the newest issue of Teen Titans...

Cable/Deadpool #49

This is the first part of double Deadpool week. This is the one that's good. Deadpool & co. (Bob the Hydra Agent and Weasel as the Penetraitor) mosey on down to the Savage Land and say hello Ka-zaar and his friends. Also, ever wondered what Deadpool would be like if he couldn't hear? No? Then read this issue and curse yourself for not thinking of it first.

Checkmate #22

Pretty good issue, though not as top notch as Checkmate can be. Mademoiselle Marie goes on a solo mission, for France, essentially. And we learn lots of cool stuff about her legacy. And if you forgot that Marie is ruthless as fuck, you are reminded, sir.

Countdown to Final Crisis #15

This was an excellent issue of Countdown. I'm really excited about what might happen here with Mary and the 3 H's. Additionally, RED ROBIN. RED ROBIN. RED ROBIN. The time draws near, I can sense it. 

Fallen Angel #23

I'm glad that JK Woodard has changed his artwork to a more readable, less painted look to his artwork in this book. I'm excited about where this story is going, tying into some stuff from much earlier in the run (and maybe even from the first volume on DC). Sadly though, this issue didn't hit as hard as I hoped.

Flash #236

The changing of artists midway through this arc really destroyed it for me. It was an okay Flash story, and I decided I'd check it out, but I'm not sure if I'll hang around to see what happens. But, I may jump back on when Johns returns to Wally West. The backup stories to this have been surprisingly good. This story started off strong, but quickly lost it. At least with the art change the villains of this story didn't look so obviously like giant vagina monsters.

Incredible Hercules #113

This book is fun. I think that may be it's problem. I like it and all, but it hasn't really delivered like I hoped it might. We'll have to see, as it's really only 2 issues deep, and Greg Pak and Mr. Van Lente may flip it on us at any moment. I think this does its job in the places where you expect: Amadeus Cho is all techno-tricksy, Hercules smashes some stuff, and the coyote pup yips real loud.

Justice League of America #17

Dwayne McDuffie's backup story (wtf, backup for McDuffie? Come on)? Awesome. The main story? Not so good. It seems more like a lame attempt to tie the League into Salvation Run in some form or fashion. McDuffie gets to work on some stuff with Vixen, who has been having some problems with her powers. Which amazingly enough, some people who write the League outside of the actual League book forget. 

New Warriors #8

It's bad when you're reading a book that you have to tell yourself, "Man, I've got to stop downloading this book."

Shadowpact #21

This is another fun book. I love reading this one. Hey, whatchu doin' Detective Chimp? Hittin' on furries online looking for monkey-love, that's what's up. I'm waiting on Zauriel to have some more dialogue sometime soon. In other news, I keep getting confused as to why there are two Nightshades in the DCU right now, one here, and the other on the Suicide Squad. Maybe if I read Suicide Squad...  My conclusion is that this is the real one, and the one working for Amanda Waller is a Skrull.

World War Hulk: Warbound #2

I'm glad Elloe has gotten some more page time in this series, as well as some interesting stuff with our friend the Hiroim. There's lots of neat gamma objects in this one, that may be reminiscent of a recent Ultimate Fantastic Four issue... hey, wait a minute!

Wolverine: Origins #21

I read this for Deadpool. As a long-time Deadpool fan, I thought I'd check it out. And Daniel Way described what happened in a way that made it sound neat. Other than a few moments though, Way rarely hit on what makes Deadpool... well, Deadpool. The piano was definitely one, but Pool-O-Vision? Not. P.S.: Don't buy this book.