I finally made it to the blog. Yay!
I have so missed getting my geek-on what with being at the store so rarely.
Just did a quick perusal of the past blog activity and felt so satisfied! Yay!
The only book I got to read so far was Skaar Son of Hulk. Cheesy title, enjoyable read. Love that the beginning voice over is from Hulk's Queen's point of view (won't even attempt to type her name because the book is not in front of me). A momentary confusion over the time jump transition. More my fault for reading to quickly and not giving the art proper due. That is all I have time to review today. I will try and review at least one more book this week but no promises.
Oh, and I read the post about Buffy and the pillow fight. When I started reading that post, I had to pause and think was there or was there not a pillow fight? It was so believable in all it's stereotypical wonder given the world of Bi-Buffy we have just entered. I did enjoy the Dracula bit where he tells the main baddie it is not the vampire he needs to fear. And is Xander never allowed a girl. Maybe he should go gay - it would be less of stretch than Buffy given his relationship with Dracula.
-D
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - Matt gets caught up
Hey, so having a kid is time-consuming! Who saw THAT coming? Not me, obviously. Fortunately, she's a dreadful conversationalist, so I can safely read comics while rocking her and the like. Here are my reviews on last Wednesday's books, followed by a couple of "preview" reviews for books that'll be out tomorrow.
۞ Secret lnvasion #3 is, perhaps predictably, a huge disappointment to me. Issue #1 of this was exciting! It was punchy! Stuff happened and things blew up and there was a big surprise ending and wooooooooo! Since then, it's been a long, wanky fight scene (issue #2), and now this: the Marvel F-list fights bravely in New York! They all talk Bendis-y! Something bad happens to The Vision version 8.3, and I try manfully to remember who he is and where he came from and if I should care! There's one good paranoia scene that's got to be a fakeout (or DOES it?!?!), and then a cliffhanger where a bunch of heroes charge in to save the world and it would be amazingly cool, except that it's, like, the G-list of unrecognizable Marvel dudes.
Actually, it's not even the G-list -- it's a bunch of Bendis's pet characters who we know are awesome because he spent a whole issue of Avengers telling us that Nick Fury (who all the famous characters think is awesome) thinks these no-marks are awesome. THAT, my friends, is character development at its finest.
And Lenil Yu is clearly being rushed, as the cleaner line he was using in issue #1 is back to being the Sienkiewicz-ian scrawl he's perfected since Superman: Birthright. This is starting to feel an awful lot like Bendis's last Might Marvel Miniseries, House of Filler.
۞ A while back, Commenter Sean mentioned that he's been known to develop crushes on writers, and I know exactly where he's coming from. I was totally into Matt Fraction for awhile (Five Fists of Science, Casanova, that Spider-Man annual, Iron Fist), but then we got together and it was totally not all I was hoping it would be (Punisher War Journal). So I avoided him for awhile and he acted all embarrassed around me and it was totally awkward until we got drunk together at this party and made out, and there were no strings attached and that was pretty good except for that one part when Namor showed up (The Order). So now things are kind of okay again and I think I like him but I don't know how he feels about me and I'm afraid to ask because what if it makes things all weird, you know?
Which is a long way to go to say that Invincible Iron Man #2 is just as good as issue #1 was, and that you should be buying it and loving it and treasuring every moment with it, because it's summer and you can never tell what's going to happen to a guy on his summer vacation.
۞ I don't really want to make out with Justice Society of America #16, but I sure am pleased to bump into it. This is apparently the story that Geoff Johns has been setting up with the nigh-incomprehensible last four issues, because this is a sharp little character piece masquerading as a 1980's DC Comic (in the best possible way). Some nice swerves on the typical Galactus story, and a good use of the ridiculously large cast. Maybe I'll reread from issue #9 or whatever and see how it hangs together.
۞ I'm the dissenting voice on Kick-Ass #3, it appears. As I mentioned in my thoughts on Marvel 1985 a week or two back, I find Mark Millar surprisingly good at writing teen drama, so I liked the in-school bits, but the super-hero stuff remains dull to me, no matter how much violence he injects it with. I think this will read better in collection, to be honest.
۞ Trinity #1 is ... okay. It features the Superman-Batman-and-Wonder-Woman-sit-around-a-table scene that is apparently required in all 21st Century DC Comics, but THIS TIME THEY'RE IN THEIR CIVILIAN IDENTIES!!!!! ZOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!! That said, at least Kurt Busiek doesn't feel compelled to cover the page with 75 billion different colored captions (like Brad Meltzer), or to weight the proceedings down with trite pseudo-psychological melodrama (like, oh, say, Brad Meltzer). It's not the Busiek of Astro City, nor even the terrific early Thunderbolts issues, but it's a solid superhero comic and a promising start to a weekly series. (Except for the backup, which I found literally unreadable. That might be a problem down the line.)
۞ Ultimate Origins #1 was always going to be a problem for me. I found Bendis's thin reinventions of the Marvel Universe in Ultimate Team-Up and Ultimate Spider-Man to be much less interesting than Millar's ground-up rethinks in Ult. X-Men and Ultimates. (Ult. Spider-Man overcomes this with some excellent craft and lively character drama, but Team-Up was pretty much an unmitigated disaster.)
So Ultimate Origins, being Bendis's unifying theory of the Ultimate Universe, was bound to accent the side of the Ultimate line that I find less interesting, and as such to disappoint me.
Which it does. (And I thought this was Butch Guice's worst art in a while as well.) At least it met expectations.....
۞ I also read The Boys #19, which was just as good as the rest of the issues have been, and as such not worthy of special praise or scorn. The price you pay for consistent work, I suppose.
۞ Which brings us to this week's preview books. It was a pretty thin bunch, a lot of things that I don't find interesting to begin with (Moon Knight) or didn't find particularly interesting once I had read them (Hulk: Raging Thunder, the apocalyptically grim X-Force: Ain't No Dog). But I do want to call special attention to Skaar, Son of Hulk #1, which overcomes a catastrophically stupid title to be a surprisingly good book.
For everyone who was disappointed that World War Hulk failed to be an adequate follow-up to the themes and ideas of Planet Hulk ... this is your book. Something like a really good Conan comic blended together with Marvel's sci-fi stuff, there's a lot of promise here, and it's worth checking out.
(Also, it contains 100% less Jeph Loeb than Marvel's other Hulk book, which guarantees a quality uptick.)
۞ Secret lnvasion #3 is, perhaps predictably, a huge disappointment to me. Issue #1 of this was exciting! It was punchy! Stuff happened and things blew up and there was a big surprise ending and wooooooooo! Since then, it's been a long, wanky fight scene (issue #2), and now this: the Marvel F-list fights bravely in New York! They all talk Bendis-y! Something bad happens to The Vision version 8.3, and I try manfully to remember who he is and where he came from and if I should care! There's one good paranoia scene that's got to be a fakeout (or DOES it?!?!), and then a cliffhanger where a bunch of heroes charge in to save the world and it would be amazingly cool, except that it's, like, the G-list of unrecognizable Marvel dudes.
Actually, it's not even the G-list -- it's a bunch of Bendis's pet characters who we know are awesome because he spent a whole issue of Avengers telling us that Nick Fury (who all the famous characters think is awesome) thinks these no-marks are awesome. THAT, my friends, is character development at its finest.
And Lenil Yu is clearly being rushed, as the cleaner line he was using in issue #1 is back to being the Sienkiewicz-ian scrawl he's perfected since Superman: Birthright. This is starting to feel an awful lot like Bendis's last Might Marvel Miniseries, House of Filler.
۞ A while back, Commenter Sean mentioned that he's been known to develop crushes on writers, and I know exactly where he's coming from. I was totally into Matt Fraction for awhile (Five Fists of Science, Casanova, that Spider-Man annual, Iron Fist), but then we got together and it was totally not all I was hoping it would be (Punisher War Journal). So I avoided him for awhile and he acted all embarrassed around me and it was totally awkward until we got drunk together at this party and made out, and there were no strings attached and that was pretty good except for that one part when Namor showed up (The Order). So now things are kind of okay again and I think I like him but I don't know how he feels about me and I'm afraid to ask because what if it makes things all weird, you know?
Which is a long way to go to say that Invincible Iron Man #2 is just as good as issue #1 was, and that you should be buying it and loving it and treasuring every moment with it, because it's summer and you can never tell what's going to happen to a guy on his summer vacation.
۞ I don't really want to make out with Justice Society of America #16, but I sure am pleased to bump into it. This is apparently the story that Geoff Johns has been setting up with the nigh-incomprehensible last four issues, because this is a sharp little character piece masquerading as a 1980's DC Comic (in the best possible way). Some nice swerves on the typical Galactus story, and a good use of the ridiculously large cast. Maybe I'll reread from issue #9 or whatever and see how it hangs together.
۞ I'm the dissenting voice on Kick-Ass #3, it appears. As I mentioned in my thoughts on Marvel 1985 a week or two back, I find Mark Millar surprisingly good at writing teen drama, so I liked the in-school bits, but the super-hero stuff remains dull to me, no matter how much violence he injects it with. I think this will read better in collection, to be honest.
۞ Trinity #1 is ... okay. It features the Superman-Batman-and-Wonder-Woman-sit-around-a-table scene that is apparently required in all 21st Century DC Comics, but THIS TIME THEY'RE IN THEIR CIVILIAN IDENTIES!!!!! ZOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!! That said, at least Kurt Busiek doesn't feel compelled to cover the page with 75 billion different colored captions (like Brad Meltzer), or to weight the proceedings down with trite pseudo-psychological melodrama (like, oh, say, Brad Meltzer). It's not the Busiek of Astro City, nor even the terrific early Thunderbolts issues, but it's a solid superhero comic and a promising start to a weekly series. (Except for the backup, which I found literally unreadable. That might be a problem down the line.)
۞ Ultimate Origins #1 was always going to be a problem for me. I found Bendis's thin reinventions of the Marvel Universe in Ultimate Team-Up and Ultimate Spider-Man to be much less interesting than Millar's ground-up rethinks in Ult. X-Men and Ultimates. (Ult. Spider-Man overcomes this with some excellent craft and lively character drama, but Team-Up was pretty much an unmitigated disaster.)
So Ultimate Origins, being Bendis's unifying theory of the Ultimate Universe, was bound to accent the side of the Ultimate line that I find less interesting, and as such to disappoint me.
Which it does. (And I thought this was Butch Guice's worst art in a while as well.) At least it met expectations.....
۞ I also read The Boys #19, which was just as good as the rest of the issues have been, and as such not worthy of special praise or scorn. The price you pay for consistent work, I suppose.
۞ Which brings us to this week's preview books. It was a pretty thin bunch, a lot of things that I don't find interesting to begin with (Moon Knight) or didn't find particularly interesting once I had read them (Hulk: Raging Thunder, the apocalyptically grim X-Force: Ain't No Dog). But I do want to call special attention to Skaar, Son of Hulk #1, which overcomes a catastrophically stupid title to be a surprisingly good book.
For everyone who was disappointed that World War Hulk failed to be an adequate follow-up to the themes and ideas of Planet Hulk ... this is your book. Something like a really good Conan comic blended together with Marvel's sci-fi stuff, there's a lot of promise here, and it's worth checking out.
(Also, it contains 100% less Jeph Loeb than Marvel's other Hulk book, which guarantees a quality uptick.)
Friday, June 6, 2008
Kick-Ass Detective
First, Kick-Ass #3 is pretty much the same as Kick-Ass #2: a big, loud, brain-dead, bloody comic with a surfeit of ridiculousness (especially since it takes place in the real world...HA!). This is all to say, a totally awesome book that everyone should be reading. There's got to be a big twist coming (because there are hints to...something), but for now it's just big, goofy fun.
Then there's Detective Comics #845. I've liked the Paul Dini issues of Detective. They are all one or two issue stories that are fun to read. And when Don Kramer or JH Williams III or someone competant was doing the art, I really liked them. This issue is by new regular artist Dustin Nguyen. I'm pretty okay with him. But this issue has one of the most hideous pictures ever. If I can find a scanner, I'll post it but it's toward the end when the murderer is revealed. And it's awful. Still, I enjoyed the story. I like Riddler as Detective and am very glad that Paul Dini seems to have decided against turning him back into a bad guy (which he kept hinting he would do). As for the meet between Batman and Catwoman that is featured on the cover, well, that was two pages that only existed to awkwardly point out that Catwoman's escapades in Salvation Run were in continuity. Other than that, though, good stuff. All of Dini's work on this title has been.
Then there's Detective Comics #845. I've liked the Paul Dini issues of Detective. They are all one or two issue stories that are fun to read. And when Don Kramer or JH Williams III or someone competant was doing the art, I really liked them. This issue is by new regular artist Dustin Nguyen. I'm pretty okay with him. But this issue has one of the most hideous pictures ever. If I can find a scanner, I'll post it but it's toward the end when the murderer is revealed. And it's awful. Still, I enjoyed the story. I like Riddler as Detective and am very glad that Paul Dini seems to have decided against turning him back into a bad guy (which he kept hinting he would do). As for the meet between Batman and Catwoman that is featured on the cover, well, that was two pages that only existed to awkwardly point out that Catwoman's escapades in Salvation Run were in continuity. Other than that, though, good stuff. All of Dini's work on this title has been.
You know what Buffy needs? Pillow fights!
Now that the Lesbian Adventures of Buffy is done, we can all look back on it and reflect with the perspective only time can allow. And, honestly, it's only okay. The highs of Giant Dawn fighting Mecha-Dawn in the streets of Japan, coupled with the adventures of Racist Dracula and Xander (a buddy comic just waiting to happen), are gold. Then, they throw in Lesbian Buffy.
Back in college, my girlfriend had a group of friends with whom she was very close. Lady friends, to boot. And she has told me that, not only did NO lesbiany activities take place, but that they also NEVER HAD PILLOW FIGHTS IN TEDDIES! I was shocked. Because pop culture would lead us to believe that all college-age girls "experiment" and have pillow fights and so forth. It's the "Girls Gone Wild"-ing of America, if you will.
Which leads me to my problem with this arc of Buffy: Lesbian Buffy. Joss Whedon is an excellent writer, so when he wrote Willow's discovery of her lesbian-ness in the show, it was a careful progression rife with subtext involving her discovery of magic, etc. When he revealed that one of the slayers had the hots for Buffy in the comic, then, he had had Buffy (now roughly 27) handle it with maturity. Then came Drew Goddard.
For those who watched the show, Drew Goddard was part of the last two seasons of the show where they traded sub-text for super-text and drove home metaphors with the subtlety of an Abram tank. Or the subtlety of the metaphor (simile?) I just used. Plus, he wrote Cloverfield, a good movie but not known for its compelling character development. And he brought these skills to Buffy Season 8 and ran roughshod over Buffy and her friends and the hard work good writers like Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughan had done.
So why is Lesbian Buffy so bad? Goddard, rather than have Buffy act like a mature woman who is leading a batallion of bad-ass super-heroines instead has her act like a fifteen-year-old boys fantasy of what Buffy might do in his dreams: she falls into bed with a hot, asian girl. Then, they go back and forth about how Buffy's SO not into chicks. Then they talk about how awkward it made them feel afterwards. Then Buffy and Satsuo both agree Buffy's not into chicks (in case you forgot). Then they have sex again because they're bored. It's all so casual, like this is what girls do; get two hot women alone with a bottle of wine and of course they are going to explore each other's bodies and experiment. You know, if they're in a Cinemax movie.
Now, again, I am not a woman, but I've asked these questions enough times to know the answer. Do women just randomly fool around with lesbians because they're bored or flattered? "No, not really," says Emily. "Maybe in porn or something." This is by no means definitive. There have been journal articles written that suggest that women today are likely to find women attractive, an interesting side effect to the phenomenon described in "Reviving Ophelia" that first drew the lines between advertising and poor self-image (and suicide, bulimia, anorexia, and other terrible things) in teens and young adults. But there is a pretty big, thick line between finding Angelina Jolie attractive (consistently listed as the woman women would "be bi with") and having hot, sober, sweaty, animal, lesbian action with another woman. Unless a Girls Gone Wild cameraman is offering you a hat. Then all bets are off.
Back in college, my girlfriend had a group of friends with whom she was very close. Lady friends, to boot. And she has told me that, not only did NO lesbiany activities take place, but that they also NEVER HAD PILLOW FIGHTS IN TEDDIES! I was shocked. Because pop culture would lead us to believe that all college-age girls "experiment" and have pillow fights and so forth. It's the "Girls Gone Wild"-ing of America, if you will.
Which leads me to my problem with this arc of Buffy: Lesbian Buffy. Joss Whedon is an excellent writer, so when he wrote Willow's discovery of her lesbian-ness in the show, it was a careful progression rife with subtext involving her discovery of magic, etc. When he revealed that one of the slayers had the hots for Buffy in the comic, then, he had had Buffy (now roughly 27) handle it with maturity. Then came Drew Goddard.
For those who watched the show, Drew Goddard was part of the last two seasons of the show where they traded sub-text for super-text and drove home metaphors with the subtlety of an Abram tank. Or the subtlety of the metaphor (simile?) I just used. Plus, he wrote Cloverfield, a good movie but not known for its compelling character development. And he brought these skills to Buffy Season 8 and ran roughshod over Buffy and her friends and the hard work good writers like Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughan had done.
So why is Lesbian Buffy so bad? Goddard, rather than have Buffy act like a mature woman who is leading a batallion of bad-ass super-heroines instead has her act like a fifteen-year-old boys fantasy of what Buffy might do in his dreams: she falls into bed with a hot, asian girl. Then, they go back and forth about how Buffy's SO not into chicks. Then they talk about how awkward it made them feel afterwards. Then Buffy and Satsuo both agree Buffy's not into chicks (in case you forgot). Then they have sex again because they're bored. It's all so casual, like this is what girls do; get two hot women alone with a bottle of wine and of course they are going to explore each other's bodies and experiment. You know, if they're in a Cinemax movie.
Now, again, I am not a woman, but I've asked these questions enough times to know the answer. Do women just randomly fool around with lesbians because they're bored or flattered? "No, not really," says Emily. "Maybe in porn or something." This is by no means definitive. There have been journal articles written that suggest that women today are likely to find women attractive, an interesting side effect to the phenomenon described in "Reviving Ophelia" that first drew the lines between advertising and poor self-image (and suicide, bulimia, anorexia, and other terrible things) in teens and young adults. But there is a pretty big, thick line between finding Angelina Jolie attractive (consistently listed as the woman women would "be bi with") and having hot, sober, sweaty, animal, lesbian action with another woman. Unless a Girls Gone Wild cameraman is offering you a hat. Then all bets are off.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
And the new stuff
I only made it through three books for this week:
Trinity #1's lead story is, like, 10 pages of Superman, Batman, and Wonderwoman sitting in a coffee shop talking. And they are in their civilian identities. Now, this strikes me as odd because: why would a reporter from Metropolis, the world's wealthiest bachelor, and a DEO agent all be sitting at a coffee shop in Keystone City? And the paparazzi is there, though not allowed near. Why does no one think that's weird? Plus, the Flash shows up IN COSTUME and talks to them. And no one thinks its weird. But I do like Mark Bagley's effective storytelling and overall, it is good, if vague. Same with the back-up that confounds AND entertains. Still, I liked the whole thing and have high hopes for the series. Of course, I had high hopes for Countdown...
Secret Invasion #3 is a paradox. It's better than issue 2, but it also seems to ignore Bendis's own continuity for the event. REAL SPOILERS!!! BEWARE!!! If Echo is not a Skrull, why do that New Avengers issue that focused on her? Because that seemed to subtly indicate she was a Skrull. Plus, we know Iron Man isn't a skrull (even in the close-up there was no green in his eyes, so he's human) so why throw that red herring in there just to upset people if they've been doing the damage control for months already stressing how un-Skrully Iron Man is. Anyway, I liked it, but this issue seems to show that a lot of the buildup Bendis planned and worked on was merely to shock and sell books and not actually bolster the story itself.
Finally, Ultimate Origins #1 came out and it was underwhelming. Not, like Brian said, because the reveals made no sense, but because the reveals were so cliche. What is revealed in this issue has been done before. In the Marvel Universe. In Earth X (out of continuity), in New X-Men (in continuity?), in Truth (in continuity). But they built this up like it was revolutionary. Which begs the question: why should I care. Aside from that, though, the writing was very good (minimalist Bendis is all too rare these days) and Butch Guise's art is great. I just wish they were doing something better. Like Ultimates 3. Then, that'd be awesome. Or readable anyway.
Trinity #1's lead story is, like, 10 pages of Superman, Batman, and Wonderwoman sitting in a coffee shop talking. And they are in their civilian identities. Now, this strikes me as odd because: why would a reporter from Metropolis, the world's wealthiest bachelor, and a DEO agent all be sitting at a coffee shop in Keystone City? And the paparazzi is there, though not allowed near. Why does no one think that's weird? Plus, the Flash shows up IN COSTUME and talks to them. And no one thinks its weird. But I do like Mark Bagley's effective storytelling and overall, it is good, if vague. Same with the back-up that confounds AND entertains. Still, I liked the whole thing and have high hopes for the series. Of course, I had high hopes for Countdown...
Secret Invasion #3 is a paradox. It's better than issue 2, but it also seems to ignore Bendis's own continuity for the event. REAL SPOILERS!!! BEWARE!!! If Echo is not a Skrull, why do that New Avengers issue that focused on her? Because that seemed to subtly indicate she was a Skrull. Plus, we know Iron Man isn't a skrull (even in the close-up there was no green in his eyes, so he's human) so why throw that red herring in there just to upset people if they've been doing the damage control for months already stressing how un-Skrully Iron Man is. Anyway, I liked it, but this issue seems to show that a lot of the buildup Bendis planned and worked on was merely to shock and sell books and not actually bolster the story itself.
Finally, Ultimate Origins #1 came out and it was underwhelming. Not, like Brian said, because the reveals made no sense, but because the reveals were so cliche. What is revealed in this issue has been done before. In the Marvel Universe. In Earth X (out of continuity), in New X-Men (in continuity?), in Truth (in continuity). But they built this up like it was revolutionary. Which begs the question: why should I care. Aside from that, though, the writing was very good (minimalist Bendis is all too rare these days) and Butch Guise's art is great. I just wish they were doing something better. Like Ultimates 3. Then, that'd be awesome. Or readable anyway.
Must... Finish... 5/29...
So, to wrap up last week's offerings:
Thor #9 came out. It's really wordy. And only kind of makes sense. And barely has Thor. So...
Ultimate Spider-Man #122 was really good. Every now and then, this book slips a couple of notches and makes bone-headed moves (like Venom, or Carnage), but I have liked every issue since Stuart Immonen took over. And this one is a nice little "done in one" story that gives Ultimate Shocker some context and background.
Uncanny X-Men #498 was good. I'm sure there was supposed to be a shocking reveal of who the mutant causing all these problems was, but I got nothing. Still, I've been enjoying this arc, so far better than Brubaker's previous efforts on the title.
X-Force #4 was bad. I can't believe I (or anyone else) actually reads this stuff. It just kind of meanders, resurrecting odd bits of 90's continuity and ignoring others and generally not fitting in. Plus, Clayton Crain's digital art does not fit. I'd much prefer his pre-Ghost Rider "Top Cow" style on this book, especially given the 90's-love the book unloads on us. HOWEVER, the reprint of issues 1-3 is worth buying because of the cover, which is simply the best cover of any gore-filled, over-the-top X-Men comic featuring killlers with mad bloodlust EVER!
X-Men Legacy #212 came out, too. Which makes a lot of X-Men for one week. It was pretty good. Gambit returns, and over 90% of his dialogue lacks ridiculous, over-the-top "cajunification". And, unlike X-Force, Mike Carey is able to fold bits of 90's X-Men into his books effectively and not make you wonder, "Why would they bring Archangel back if there is an Angel miniseries beginning THE SAME WEEK?" Anyway, spoiler. Also, X-Men Legacy continues to be a pretty good (if not thrilling) title.
Young Avengers #5 made no sense. Even in the context of the "mini-series", it made no sense. I understand that each issue is by a different author and artist, but come on. At least pay attention to what the others have written. Again, spoiler (I guess), but if Cassie pretty much hates the other Young Avengers in the first 4 issues of the series, why would she be all BFF with them this issue? I know, because it's a terrible issue. But still, at least some editorial supervision would be nice. Also, why would a bunch of rebel teen superheroes who defied the government and refused to join SHIELD be excited to watch, essentially, an ultra-conservative almost-superhero who DID become a government shill super-agent on 24 is beyond me. But, again, this is just really bad, so the writer probably didn't care enough to think about that.
And that's it for Marvel.
Fables #73 was more Fables goodness. I just like Fables so much. I take it for granted that this book has made it 73 issues and has only one or two missteps.
Northlanders #6 is the best issue yet. I've been on the fence with this book because, c'mon, Emo Conan? But it's been pretty good up til now, but this issue gets bumped up to Very Good. And, it is Brian Wood's best comic right now. It's a readable book, unlike DMZ, and you can appreciate it instantly, not when you think back on it a day later. And, despite the lead being a d---, you actually do care about the characters, in stark contrast to Local whose lead really needs to stop. And those are both books I like.
And finally, Dan Dare #6 came out this week. Now, my previous knowledge of Dan Dare was the three issue Grant Morrison-Rian Hughes mini "Dare" (reprinted in Yesterday's Tomorrows and worth the price of admission alone), so I am coming to this with zero prior knowledge. And it doesn't matter. The whole thing is compelling enough: Garth Ennis writes a war comic in space. That's it. The art is nice, Gary Erskine doing his more-Chris-Weston-than-Chris-Weston imitation. All in all, a solid, readable effort. Though, the way the are putting this book in trade is all messed up: they are putting issues 1-3 (that's $9 worth of comics) in a $15 hardcover, with a second hardcover collecting 4-7 ($13 in singles) for probably $16 or $17. Then, they're putting out a $30 hardcover of all 7 issues ($22 if purchased singly) in October or November. See, messed up. Not even DC would do that.
And that is the week that was.
Thor #9 came out. It's really wordy. And only kind of makes sense. And barely has Thor. So...
Ultimate Spider-Man #122 was really good. Every now and then, this book slips a couple of notches and makes bone-headed moves (like Venom, or Carnage), but I have liked every issue since Stuart Immonen took over. And this one is a nice little "done in one" story that gives Ultimate Shocker some context and background.
Uncanny X-Men #498 was good. I'm sure there was supposed to be a shocking reveal of who the mutant causing all these problems was, but I got nothing. Still, I've been enjoying this arc, so far better than Brubaker's previous efforts on the title.
X-Force #4 was bad. I can't believe I (or anyone else) actually reads this stuff. It just kind of meanders, resurrecting odd bits of 90's continuity and ignoring others and generally not fitting in. Plus, Clayton Crain's digital art does not fit. I'd much prefer his pre-Ghost Rider "Top Cow" style on this book, especially given the 90's-love the book unloads on us. HOWEVER, the reprint of issues 1-3 is worth buying because of the cover, which is simply the best cover of any gore-filled, over-the-top X-Men comic featuring killlers with mad bloodlust EVER!
X-Men Legacy #212 came out, too. Which makes a lot of X-Men for one week. It was pretty good. Gambit returns, and over 90% of his dialogue lacks ridiculous, over-the-top "cajunification". And, unlike X-Force, Mike Carey is able to fold bits of 90's X-Men into his books effectively and not make you wonder, "Why would they bring Archangel back if there is an Angel miniseries beginning THE SAME WEEK?" Anyway, spoiler. Also, X-Men Legacy continues to be a pretty good (if not thrilling) title.
Young Avengers #5 made no sense. Even in the context of the "mini-series", it made no sense. I understand that each issue is by a different author and artist, but come on. At least pay attention to what the others have written. Again, spoiler (I guess), but if Cassie pretty much hates the other Young Avengers in the first 4 issues of the series, why would she be all BFF with them this issue? I know, because it's a terrible issue. But still, at least some editorial supervision would be nice. Also, why would a bunch of rebel teen superheroes who defied the government and refused to join SHIELD be excited to watch, essentially, an ultra-conservative almost-superhero who DID become a government shill super-agent on 24 is beyond me. But, again, this is just really bad, so the writer probably didn't care enough to think about that.
And that's it for Marvel.
Fables #73 was more Fables goodness. I just like Fables so much. I take it for granted that this book has made it 73 issues and has only one or two missteps.
Northlanders #6 is the best issue yet. I've been on the fence with this book because, c'mon, Emo Conan? But it's been pretty good up til now, but this issue gets bumped up to Very Good. And, it is Brian Wood's best comic right now. It's a readable book, unlike DMZ, and you can appreciate it instantly, not when you think back on it a day later. And, despite the lead being a d---, you actually do care about the characters, in stark contrast to Local whose lead really needs to stop. And those are both books I like.
And finally, Dan Dare #6 came out this week. Now, my previous knowledge of Dan Dare was the three issue Grant Morrison-Rian Hughes mini "Dare" (reprinted in Yesterday's Tomorrows and worth the price of admission alone), so I am coming to this with zero prior knowledge. And it doesn't matter. The whole thing is compelling enough: Garth Ennis writes a war comic in space. That's it. The art is nice, Gary Erskine doing his more-Chris-Weston-than-Chris-Weston imitation. All in all, a solid, readable effort. Though, the way the are putting this book in trade is all messed up: they are putting issues 1-3 (that's $9 worth of comics) in a $15 hardcover, with a second hardcover collecting 4-7 ($13 in singles) for probably $16 or $17. Then, they're putting out a $30 hardcover of all 7 issues ($22 if purchased singly) in October or November. See, messed up. Not even DC would do that.
And that is the week that was.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Yeah...About That
Well, this week I'm apparently wearing my angry hat because of one particular book. That book is Ultimate Origins. I have no problem with the Guice. Hell, I have no problem with them trying to go back to the ultimate mission statement of it being a unique universe that has the same characters. What I do have a problem with is, the reveal on the those last couple of pages. That and the fact that they have apparently ignored just about everything Mark Millar did in the burgeoning days of the Ultimate U by giving a certain , pivotal, character powers that have never been mentioned, hinted at or considered even in the books Bendis himself wrote. Oh, and that isn't even the reveal that I am talking about which is frankly silly be comic book standards, but I'll still finish the series. So go check it out to know what will be breaking the internet by the weekend. And now onto the rest of the books.
Secret Invasion # 3 - Like my opinion matters on this one. For what it's worth it's an improvement on the last issue, but still not as good as the first issue. And yes, they tease the unthinkable again. Actually, my only real problem with it is that it seems from time to time that they tease reveals of certain characters (you know who) that seems like it would drop a huge deuce on a lot of quality work that other creators have been doing in the past couple of years. As it's own book though, it's a decent read. And Yu is doing some of the finest work of his career. So, annoying teases aside it's an improvement over last issue. I know I can't wait until issue #5 for the startling return of Mantis. That's a joke...I hope.
Kick Ass # 3 - It's Millar at his Millariest and at some points it teeters on being Ennisish sensibilities. And I couldn't be more thrilled. Still a fun read and it only looks to be getting better. I think that sums it all up really.
Invincible Iron Man #2 - Damn fine. Fraction is keeping up the good work on this one. It's charming, it's got action and yup...Just go buy it.
Cable #4 - Kind of meh. As time wears on I tend to get bothered by some of the things Olivetti does from time to time. I mean I dig the way he renders characters, but some of the effects, the cars and action look a little off from time to time. I mean this is the man who left the Quake 2 targeting reticule in a background in War Journal. Anyway, as for the other content this book is kind of dragging. It's just another example of the modern trend of stretching out what would have been a two issue arc fifteen years ago into at least 4-6 issues for the sake of trade publishing. It's not really that bad it's just drawn out. Makes me afraid for Iron Fist.
Avengers/Invaders # 2 - I have absolutely no idea how this book is going to run for 12 issues. I mean it's been alright so far, but I really think they could wrap this up in a couple more issues. Unless, inevitably, the Avengers get sent through the time bubble and Luke Cage punches out Hitler or Wolverine and 40's Wolverine team up or something. Actually, the most potentially interesting element involves one of the grunts that ended up in the future with the Invaders. And the potential for 2 Submariners showing up next issue. Oh, points off for the bomb arm thing. That just seems bizarre. And if anyone can find evidence of that being an actual tactic well, I'll just be even more disturbed. Pretty much, this book is right in the middle of the pack.
The Boys # 19 - This book had returned to form in the previous arc, and this arc looks to continue the trend. The big thing that changed it was a return to telling stories about characters and attempting to develop them. So, yup, I'd give it the slight thumbs up.
Trinity # 1 - It can't possibly be worse than Countdown... It's not. I seriously have no idea where this is going though, but I'm a sucker for the weekly because, well, it's weekly. I'm going to wait a couple of issues until I pass judgment because this is pure exposition. But at least it'll have consistent art as opposed to Countdown. Also I never knew that I would actually miss 52 as much as I did during the Countdown period.
Well, that's it for me for now. Still haven't read War Journal and I haven't finished Detective yet. If anything that should be a review in and of itself. So there you go. That's about it. I read most of Young X-men and it's, well, Young X-men. With one of the silliest cameos of the year. Why can't we just bring back New X-Men already? And this arc on Spidey was alright which makes me think the next one will probably be awful. Seems to be the way that book goes.
Secret Invasion # 3 - Like my opinion matters on this one. For what it's worth it's an improvement on the last issue, but still not as good as the first issue. And yes, they tease the unthinkable again. Actually, my only real problem with it is that it seems from time to time that they tease reveals of certain characters (you know who) that seems like it would drop a huge deuce on a lot of quality work that other creators have been doing in the past couple of years. As it's own book though, it's a decent read. And Yu is doing some of the finest work of his career. So, annoying teases aside it's an improvement over last issue. I know I can't wait until issue #5 for the startling return of Mantis. That's a joke...I hope.
Kick Ass # 3 - It's Millar at his Millariest and at some points it teeters on being Ennisish sensibilities. And I couldn't be more thrilled. Still a fun read and it only looks to be getting better. I think that sums it all up really.
Invincible Iron Man #2 - Damn fine. Fraction is keeping up the good work on this one. It's charming, it's got action and yup...Just go buy it.
Cable #4 - Kind of meh. As time wears on I tend to get bothered by some of the things Olivetti does from time to time. I mean I dig the way he renders characters, but some of the effects, the cars and action look a little off from time to time. I mean this is the man who left the Quake 2 targeting reticule in a background in War Journal. Anyway, as for the other content this book is kind of dragging. It's just another example of the modern trend of stretching out what would have been a two issue arc fifteen years ago into at least 4-6 issues for the sake of trade publishing. It's not really that bad it's just drawn out. Makes me afraid for Iron Fist.
Avengers/Invaders # 2 - I have absolutely no idea how this book is going to run for 12 issues. I mean it's been alright so far, but I really think they could wrap this up in a couple more issues. Unless, inevitably, the Avengers get sent through the time bubble and Luke Cage punches out Hitler or Wolverine and 40's Wolverine team up or something. Actually, the most potentially interesting element involves one of the grunts that ended up in the future with the Invaders. And the potential for 2 Submariners showing up next issue. Oh, points off for the bomb arm thing. That just seems bizarre. And if anyone can find evidence of that being an actual tactic well, I'll just be even more disturbed. Pretty much, this book is right in the middle of the pack.
The Boys # 19 - This book had returned to form in the previous arc, and this arc looks to continue the trend. The big thing that changed it was a return to telling stories about characters and attempting to develop them. So, yup, I'd give it the slight thumbs up.
Trinity # 1 - It can't possibly be worse than Countdown... It's not. I seriously have no idea where this is going though, but I'm a sucker for the weekly because, well, it's weekly. I'm going to wait a couple of issues until I pass judgment because this is pure exposition. But at least it'll have consistent art as opposed to Countdown. Also I never knew that I would actually miss 52 as much as I did during the Countdown period.
Well, that's it for me for now. Still haven't read War Journal and I haven't finished Detective yet. If anything that should be a review in and of itself. So there you go. That's about it. I read most of Young X-men and it's, well, Young X-men. With one of the silliest cameos of the year. Why can't we just bring back New X-Men already? And this arc on Spidey was alright which makes me think the next one will probably be awful. Seems to be the way that book goes.
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