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AICN COMICS Reviews X-FACTOR! THE SPECTRE! JUDGE DREDD! And Much More!!
#4 | 5/24/06 | align=right> #5 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
An @$$itorial by Buzz Maverik
X-FACTOR #7
LOADED BIBLE: JESUS VS. VAMPIRES #1
THE SPECTRE #1 (OF 3)
Indie Jones presents CHICANOS #7
Indie Jones presents JUDGE DREDD
Indie Jones presents BUCKAROO BANZAI: RETURN OF THE SCREW #1
Indie Jones presents MODESTY BLAISE: THE GALLOWS BIRD
Indie Jones presents…
Big Eyes for the Cape Guy presents EUREKA 7 VOL. 1
Big Eyes for the Cape Guy presents QWAN VOL. 1
CHEAP SHOTS!
RIP Alex Toth
The honorable Buzz Maverik has a few words to say in response to the news that Avi Arad is leaving Marvel Comics. To those faint of heart and humor: The opinions expressed on the back of a hamburger wrapper left laying on the floor of the @$$hole clubhouse do not reflect those of anyone sober.
You’ve been warned.
Dear Mort,
I'm not going to beat about the bush making a bunch of namby pamby, mealy-mouthed small-talk because that's not my style and you know it! It looks like somebody fired Arad's @$$ and I am ready to take over his old job.
See how it rolls off the tongue. Buzz Maverik: Chairman & CEO, Marvel Studios. Chief Creative Officer of Marvel. Third World Strongman. Generalissimo.
I know it's been announced that Kevin Feige has taken over the job, but let's face it, all that guy ever did was get Brittany Spears pregnant. Him, or any number of people, still doesn't make them qualified to run Marvel.
You can see from my resume that I am the man for the job. I bought or shoplifted every issue of X-MEN from GIANT SIZE # 1 up until it was cancelled in 1991. (Under my regime, our first order of business will be a re-launch with an ALL NEW, ALL DIFFERENT team except, of course, for Wolverine. This will lead up to the start of a movie franchise. See how I'm thinkin'?).
And do I have experience running things? For the past five years, haven't I been the driving force behind the most reviled comic book review column of the century? Some say I've been dragging the column down, to which I always reply, "Fuck you, I will kick your ass!" The critic is the single most important element in the comic book industry today, I'm sure we'd all agree. All I know is that Harry practically depends on me to run AICN.
Besides that, I've got filmmaking experience. USC, UCLA, NYU? I applied to all of their film schools at one time or another. I know what makes a good superhero film, which is why I was thrown out of DAREDEVIL, THE PUNISHER, ELEKTRA, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, THE HULK and the first two X-MEN movies for making sarcastic remarks.
I'll be bringing in my own people. I call 'em the @$$holes. Joe Quesada? There'll always be a place for him as a Former Editor In Chief at Marvel. Have you heard of Ambush Bug? He'll be handling the day to day operations. Axel Alonso? He doesn't even like comic books. I've got a new young editor named Dave Farabee who just loves 'em. And what fanboy could resist group editors with names like Vroom Socko, Sleazy G., superhero, Dan Grendel, Humphrey Lee and Professor Challenger? And don't worry about such fan favorites as Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar and Warren Ellis, because their books will be taken over by a collective of edgy, if depraved, young talent collectively known as the Cogs.
We're talking good storytelling. Beginnings, middles and ends in each issue of continued stories. No more waiting for the trades because you just can't wait for the next issue. We're going to prove that you can have fast-paced, hard-hitting, intelligent, character-driven action stories with sharp dialogue working smoothly with superior, powerful, narrative fueling artwork.
Exciting shit, huh? Out with the old, in with the new, I always say!
You have my fee demands. I'll get the usual stock options, diplomatic immunity and indoor skeet range, of course. I'm having a team of contractors and decorators fly in to get my office ready and I'm shipping my stuff. Tell those freaks in the mailroom to be especially careful with my ARZACH poster by Moebius.
Enterpisingly yours,
Buzz Iwojima Maverik
X-FACTOR #7
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Ariel Olivetti
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
Now that we have Layla Miller's "origin" out of the way, the respectable Mr. PAD
brings us back to one of the main storylines that has been running through the
majority of the issues of X-FACTOR since it started as Jamie Madrox has some
face time with Damian Tryp, the head of Singularity Investigations (the company
that has been a nemesis to Jamie and his friends recently). We also get a long
overdue personal moment as Scott Summers of the X-Men stops by to give Siryn the
unfortunate news of her father's (Banshee) demise from the X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS
mini-series. Both encounters are met with some somewhat unexpected outbursts
and events, but both are very interesting, thereby making this particular issue
a very entertaining read.
As always the scenes that take place in the pages of this book are ripe with
comedy and drama. Siryn's state of denial over her father's death is a prime
example of both of these. As we see her try and come to grips with this
saddening news it's even more heart-sinking to see her total lack of belief in
the matter, though there are some comedic results of it as she's confronted by
her teammates with it. It's also a nice little commentary on the revolving door
that is known as superhero death. And I have to admit I got a bit teary-eyed by
Banshee's little farewell video to his daughter. I know he's a lesser tier
character, but I always thought he was fun when he showed up. Kind of a shame he
went down in such an inconsequential manner.
Jamie's encounter with Mr. Tryp is also a bit on the surreal side. There's a bit
of your typical good guy/bad guy stand-off banter, but some of their
conversation takes some wild turns. Everything from bantering back and forth
about Tryp buying Madrox's new X-Factor Investigations for fifty million bucks,
and talks about medical and dental benefits... not really your typical "Oh, I'm
on to you" kind of banter. And then it escalates into what you'd expect it to be
for the most part. Lots of angry posturing and finger pointing and then someone
gets thrown out of a window. Same old, same old. But nice levels of tension
around it.
And on art chores this issue we have Ariel Olivetti, and I don't see the title
"Guest Artist" anywhere around and am hoping we have a new regular pencil under
his hand. Most of my previous exposure to his work came in the form of whatever
art he did for the Versus Trading Card game, but now that I've seen regular
interiors from him I'm most pleased. This book has been scrambling and rotating
for artists ever since the talented Ryan Sook took himself off of it and I think
Olivetti's art is and would be a nice regular addition to the creative team.
Smooth lines, nice range of facial features and emotions, and some really good
detail in the characters and backgrounds. Definitely works for me.
So again we have another solid issue in what is still a consistently good
series. The Layla Miller nonsense from last issue aside (more the lack of a
definite background to the character, not the character herself) everything so
far in this run has been entertaining. The characters are fun and are enjoyable
to read about, and the overall story and how it ties into the House of M and
Decimation stuff works too. The Singularity Investigations stuff has been sorta
dragged out, but now it's nice to see why they're such a big deal and events
finally coming to a head. I can't wait to see where this goes next.
LOADED BIBLE: JESUS VS. VAMPIRES #1
Writer: Tim Seeley
Pencils: Nate Bellegarde
Inks: Mark Englert
Publisher: Image
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Wonderful sermon you gave yesterday by the way. The scholars put THAT one directly into the BIBLE PART TWO.
-- Bishop Parrish to Jesus Version 2.0 after a televised battle with a horde of vampires.
LOADED BIBLE: JESUS VS. VAMPIRES #1
That pretty much sums up the tone of this book. I am not a religious man. Although I can understand why people get offended by books such as this, I can’t help but laugh at those who take things so freaking seriously. I respect those whose beliefs and morals are strong, but there are no taboo subjects in the Book of Bug, so blaspheme away, I say to all. Not too much offends me, so I’m not going to shout outrageous, indignant comments about the use of subjects such as patriotism, the Bible, and 9-11 in this book. Yes, those who are picketing out in front of DUH VINCI CODE may have a new comic to make shoddy poster board signs out of now that LOADED BIBLE has hit the stands, but there’s room for all types of voices on this big blue marble and a book such as this is something that one should take note of.
In a lesser pair of hands, the concept of Jesus Christ versus Vampires could be a cheap one-note joke of a book. I myself joked to my comic book dealer that with a name like JESUS VS. VAMPIRES, it’s got to be good. But writer Tim Seeley shies away from this notion of frivolity and to dismiss this book as fluff is doing it a great disservice. This one’s got substance. Substance that goes past the smirk one might decorate one’s face upon hearing the title. Turns out, Seeley rolls with the idea that the world is spinning further and further towards the End of Days. After acknowledging the rise in global conflict and even showing a panel depicting the burning World Trade Center Towers (taboo—according to those who attend OMEN premieres), Seeley skips into a fictitious future, where the discovery of the existence of vampires sparks a rise in faith in the Catholic Church. After the nuclear holocaust, only the vampires (who have taken over the scorched America) and the Catholics (who live in a golden dome called The New Vatican) have survived. On a large monitor, those inside the Vatican can watch the vampires scavenge the barren American landscape and battle their savior, Jesus Christ, sword in hand and much vampire @$$ on his boots, and witness the making of the New New Testament—NOW WITH VAMPIRES!
But after seeing Jesus answering “You rang?” as he saves a fledgling archangel who takes the His name in vain, if you read on, you’ll find that there’s much more afoot as Jesus stumbles into a secret Catholic conspiracy that centers on martyrdom and manipulation and rings true not only in this story but in relation to how religion has functioned to some since the time when the first version of the Bible was written. With this new revelation, Jesus leaves the golden dome to find his true purpose.
That summation doesn’t really do the book justice though. It’s a smart, adventurous read that isn’t afraid to take risks. Seeley is pretty creative in his fleshing out of the world of the vampires; casting the leader of the vampires, Lilith, the first Vamp, as a half-ape, dung-flinging Cro-Magnon. That’s right: the main villain throws dung at an image of Jesus on the television. Fun, fun stuff.
The art is equally good. Reminiscent of Kevin O’Neill’s visceral work on MARSHALL LAW, artists Nate Bellegarde and Mark Englert give the book a vibrant and comic tone. These artists don’t pull their punches on the gore factor, filling every vampire fight scene with goo and grue, while straightforwardly telling the complex story. This art team is especially good with distinguishable faces and making the vampires look extra mean and menacing. All in all, a very slick looking book.
Fans of humor that is smart, poignant, and dark are definitely going to want to take notice of this book. Its comical style takes a backseat, though, as the adventure and coming of age story comes into full bloom in the last half of this 48 page first issue. If I were a pitch team in Hollywood, tossing out the premise of this book, I’d call it PREACHER meets THE GOON. It’s got the attitude and heft of Garth Ennis’ classic biblical opus matched with the gross-out sensibilities of Eric Powell’s carnival show of a comic. Those who are easily offended should stay home and eat soup. This is satire with balls. It’s got laughs supporting good storytelling and I can’t wait for issue two.
THE SPECTRE #1 (OF 3)
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Sleazy G
The Spectre has been one of my favorite characters since I first stumbled across him in a giant-sized reprint of Winter 1940’s ALL STAR COMICS #3, which featured the first appearance of the Justice Society of America. I was a little kid who got his hands on the oversized issue and reread it dozens of times. Each of the characters in the story shared a brief story of a bizarre encounter they had experienced. While many of them leaned more towards the supernatural than just dealing with bank robbers and the like, lending the book a delightfully creepy air, few of the characters could compete with the likes of The Spectre. The fact that he existed only to punish the guilty for their sins in a highly ironic and gruesome manner really grew on me over the years, as did his host, police detective Jim Corrigan.
Recently, though, the character has fallen on tough times. A new-age hippie writer turned him into a Spirit of Redemption instead of Vengeance, sucking all the horrific fun out of the whole “God’s Wrath” thing. Thankfully, though, the Big Reset Button known as INFINITE CRISIS came along, and we’re back to the old-school, ass-kickin’ Spectre I loved as a kid.
On to the real question: how well does Will Pfeifer handle The Spectre and his less-than-accomodating new host, Crispus Allen?
The honest answer? Pretty well, but with room for improvement. There’s no question that having an honest cop who’s murdered as a host for God’s Wrath makes a lot more sense than giving it to an intergalactic villain. I like Crispus as a character, and seeing him murdered in GOTHAM CENTRAL was a helluva shock, so seeing him back is great. There’s a strange little bit here, though, where Crispus initially refuses The Spectre’s offer. Specty’s response is to give Crispus a year to think about it. A YEAR. Does it fit right in with the whole “One Year Later” initative over at DC? Sure. A year of Crispus seeing his family but not being able to communicate with them, though, seems a bit cruel—as does having him witness crimes he can’t prevent. There’s also a huge jump in logic you have to overlook as a result of this jump: The Spectre lays the blame for an unimaginable number of crimes at Crispus’ feet, because had he merged with The Spectre he could have punished criminals rather than allow them to continue to commit further crimes. What—over 5 billion people on the planet, and only ol’ Crispus is good enough to get the host gig? Sounds to me like somebody’s got a crush on a dead cop…but it also sounds like the kind of thing that would drive Crispus nuts over the course of 12 months. Let’s just say I’m not convinced Crispus is really as stable as he appears in this issue, huh?
Still, if you can look past that problem, there’s plenty here to like. Seeing the worst kind of criminal getting justice old-school Spectre stylee—devoured by the tools he used to harm others—is a pleasure to see in a comic again. Crispus Allen is clearly being given a plenty to learn and a think about here, laying the groundwork for a lot of potential character development down the road. It’s clear he’ll be in opposition to The Spectre much of the time, and frankly, that’s what works best for this character: someone to challenge the inhuman presence and keep him grounded, reminding him (and us) that things aren’t always as clear cut as they initially appear. There’s also an interesting moment where Crispus finally gets the answer every cop in Gotham wants: the identity of Batman. Having Crispus walk away feeling under whelmed at the revelation was a nice touch, and one I didn’t see coming.
If you’re still looking for a reason to pick this issue up, flip it open and check out the second page. Give it a few seconds, then flip through and look for a few more panels with The Spectre prominently featured. That oughta do the trick. I first developed a real appreciation for Cliff Chiang’s work when he was on the woefully under supported HUMAN TARGET series. Chiang is a master at working with light and shadows, and he does a terrific job of conveying the characters’ emotions visually. The subtle changes to The Spectre’s body language and appearance when he merges with Crispus Allen are a nice touch: it’s more than just adding a goatee to the same figure. It’s as if you can tell when Crispus is driving the figure and when he’s not. It’s a difference you can feel, and it adds extra depth to the storytelling. The faint glow given to The Spectre via the coloring is a nice little touch, too.
This isn’t a perfect issue, but it gets a lot right. It gets the mood, the mission and the attitude of the character right and it looks good doing it. I have minor quibbles with some of the decisions made, but there’s no question there’s a lot of potential here. After the mess that was made of the character a few years ago, I can’t imagine any long-time fans will be disappointed: the issue takes several steps in the right direction. Those of you out there who were fans of Crispus Allen in Gotham City over the last decade or so may be interested as well, and anybody who’s ever enjoyed the more supernatural side of the DCU should be pretty happy with what they find here. With any luck this series will do well and we’ll get to see The Spectre in another mini some time soon.
CHICANOS #7
Writer: Carlos Trillo
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Reviewer: Small-Eyed Dan Grendell
"You think I'm stupid, don't you?"
Ah, Argentina. Land of the Pampas, the Perons, and, apparently, great comic talent. Plenty of you are already familiar with Eduardo Risso from his work on 100 BULLETS, and if you aren't, shame on you. But Carlos Trillo may be a new name, and he's good. Real good. CHICANOS is a translated reprint of a comic that first appeared in Europe in 1997, and is only one of several collaborations between these two fellows. I haven't read any others, but most are available through Diamond from SAF Comics, so I think I'm gonna check 'em out.
The basic premise of CHICANOS involves, duh, Chicanos. More specifically, one Chicano, Alejandrina Jalisco. If you live under a rock, a Chicano is a Mexican-American. Jalisco is a short, skinny, enormous-chested woman with chicken legs, quite a sight when run through the Risso wringer. In fact, that's half of the greatness of this book - how Risso makes every character a real character, if you know what I mean. In addition to being very odd-looking, Jalisco is a private investigator in the city of New York.
Now, New York isn't generally portrayed as a nice place, but you see a whole new side of it when you see it from Chicano eyes, especially the eyes of a P.I. In this issue, when Jalisco is attacked by someone who thinks she knows a secret, she runs to the police station - and they ignore her. As she's being beaten. But when she tricks her assailant into hitting one of the cops, well, that's something else entirely. Welcome to life in New York as a less-than-person. Sometimes it comes in handy, though - being able to go wherever you want because people assume you’re the cleaning lady can be useful.
Trillo has put together a combination of interesting stories and social commentary here, and though Risso was still developing his style it is still incredible and a strong part of the book. This is a great import, and an awesome find.
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align=left width=150 border=0>JUDGE DREDD: THE CHIEF JUDGE’S MAN
Written by John Wagner
Artists: Will Simpson, Colin MacNeil, John Burns
JUDGE DREDD: BROTHERS OF THE BLOOD
Written by John Wagner
Artists: Simon Fraser, Carlos Esquierra, Ian Gibson, Colin MacNeil, Charlie Adlard
JUDGE DREDD: THE ART OF KENNY WHO? THE CAM KENNEDY COLLECTION
Written by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Gordon Rennie
Art: Cam Kennedy
Published by http://www.2000adonline.com/ target=_blank> 2000AD
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
I know I’m a little late in saying this, but fuck Danny Cannon! Fuck Sylvester Stallone! Fuck Max Von Sydow and Rob Schneider and Joan Chen and Balthazar Getty and Diane Lane and Armand Assante and…okay…Jurgen Prochnow gets a pass because he’s kinda cool. But fuck all of the rest of the people who had anything to do with the JUDGE DREDD movie! I had successfully avoided this film when it was released all of those years ago, but a few weeks ago, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I found that it was on in five minutes on a cable channel and decided to give it a go. This just so happens to coincide with me coming across a slew of the original JUDGE DREDD material originally published in 2000AD MAGAZINE and recently repackaged in trade paperback form. After watching the film and reading the material, all I have to say that the film did a great disservice to the JUDGE DREDD property, and quite possibly, the character would be a much bigger icon than he is had the film never existed.
Part cop procedural, part noir, part political commentary, the stories of JUDGE DREDD are all of the highest quality and tell some of the best sci fi fiction I have ever come across in comics. Luckily, the kind folks at 2000AD have repackaged the tales of Dredd and the streets of Mega-City One for mass consumption. I sat down with three such compilations and was satisfied equally by all of them.
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align=right width=150 border=0>I think my favorite of the bunch was JUDGE DREDD: THE CHIEF JUDGE’S MAN. This future noir-ish tale focused on a villain who proves to be hard for Dredd to track down, as the villain continues to slip through Dredd’s fingers by changing his face and using his talents courtesy of genes spliced with cockroaches and leopards. This futuristic tale of conspiracy and revenge gave this new reader a vividly detailed glimpse at the futuristic legal system of the Dredd universe from the courts system to the prisons to the crime-riddled streets. Dredd is more of a faceless juggernaut (unlike his movie counterpart, this Dredd never removes his helmet) relentlessly treading closer to the wily villain in this book. Shades of noir definitely come to surface in this tale as double crosses lead to betrayal and Dredd is forced to look at his own police force for the real villain behind it all.
Next up is JUDGE DREDD: BROTHERS OF THE BLOOD, which could basically be a sequel to the movie if the movie were any good as Judge Dredd comes face to face with his own clone, a trainee in on the police force. This book charts the journey the Dredd clone goes on as he moves through the ranks of the police force coming into conflict with internal corruption and innate feelings of competition with the real Judge Dredd. Taking the name of Rico, Dredd’s deceased brother, the clone triggers troubling memories for Dredd. This book shows more of the character of Dredd as he ponders whether this clone will go down the path of the law as he has or the darker path that his brother chose. This story was more of a cop procedural, following a rookie as he earns his wings and learns what it takes to be a police officer.
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align=left width=150 border=0>The third volume I had the pleasure of gandering was JUDGE DREDD: THE ART OF KENNY WHO? THE CAM KENNEDY COLLECTION. This volume features a slew of short stories featuring the art of underrated art-teest Cam Kennedy. Probably best known for his extended work on the Marvel STAR WARS ongoing series, Cam’s distinctive artwork is a cross between Fred Hembeck, Walt Simonson, and Carmine Infantino. Kennedy’s work stands out among those comic book greats, though, due to the stylistic facial characteristics and especially unique hairstyles he adorns his comical figures with. The cool thing about this book is that in one multi-parter, Kennedy draws himself in the story as an artist who comes to Mega-City One to get some recognition as an artist, but instead finds that robots can be programmed to copy his artistic style making him obsolete. Kennedy’s frustrations about this futuristic form of artistic destruction escalate to the point where he comes into conflict with Judge Dredd himself. Dredd stories are always textured and so is this one, commenting on many facets of art theory while entertaining the hell out of you at the same time.
These are just three of the books collecting the adventures of Judge Dredd and the police force of Mega-City One. I came across 2000AD late, but I have quickly come to the understanding that this is the company to seek out if you like sci fi. 2000AD are also in the process of collecting just about every Judge Dredd story ever made. I haven’t cracked open the first three girthy JUDGE DREDD: COMPLETE CASE FILES volumes, but I can’t wait to do so. If you like sci fi, don’t let that god-awful movie deter you from seeking out Judge Dredd to satisfy your jones.
BUCKAROO BANZAI: RETURN OF THE SCREW #1
Writer: Joe Gentile (from a story by Mac Rauch)
Artists: Stephen Thompson (pencils)/Keith Williams (inks)
Publisher: Moonstone Books
Reviewer: Prof. Challenger
Thanks to cooperation from the Banzai Institution for Biomedical Engineering and Strategic Information, Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers finally return to comics graced by a movie-poster-worthy Matt Haley cover. It's long been known that Buckaroo was very pleased with the job that Mac Rauch and W.D. Richter, the writer and director respectively, did in telling the film story of his adventure across the eighth dimension. But I've often wondered whether the fact that more adventures of Buckaroo and the Cavaliers never materialized was really due to movie company head-up-the-ass idiocy or a need for Buckaroo to disappear out of the media limelight. The only reason I can think of why Buckaroo would need to do this would be that the evil Hanoi Xan and the World Crime League was on the verge of a massive dastardly plan of action. Now that this first issue has been published, it is safe to assume that the planet is safe once again, but if this is the adventure that caused Buckaroo to disappear from public view for 20 years, then it is also safe to assume that the danger we were all oblivious to was worse than we can imagine. I'm talking about a plot that involves both those alien scum, the Lectroids, Dr. Lizardo, and Hanoi Xan working together.
And Moonstone comics has the honor of presenting this tale that the faint-hearted should not read. It is a tale that should frighten anyone when they find out just how close the world came to being conquered by Xan and the Lectroids. However, smile because Buckaroo Banzai was on the case when the adventure he's calling "The Return of the Screw" occurred.
You know, if the Banzai Institute had really tried to get this adventure told through another big budget movie, no studio in Hollywood would have turned it down. But the Institute smartly realized that the type of audience that would really appreciate the efforts of Buckaroo and the Cavaliers would be those inclined to buy quality comic books. Writer Joe Gentile does a very fine job capturing the narrative style of the old BUCKAROO BANZAI: ACROSS THE EIGHTH DIMENSION movie. When Buckaroo speaks, I can hear the actor, Peter Weller (hand-picked by Buckaroo to portray him), deliver the lines. That's a testament to good dialogue work by Gentile working from a story treatment provided to him by Mac Rauch. I noticed that the date is deliberately left nebulous and I think that's intentional so as to not cause panic among the public but also to let the story be read as a timeless adventure as well.
We do know that some time has passed between the events of the movie and the current story, however, because there are a couple of new additions to the Cavaliers that have never been seen before like "Red River Daddy." As well, we begin with the internal conflict Buckaroo is struggling with because of Penny's murder after the events of the movie and before the events of this comic. His confidence is shaken and this puts Buckaroo in a position he's never been in before just as his greatest challenge is about to be put to him. Xan almost seems able to touch Buckaroo's mind and taunt him with his failure.
On the art, overall the work is clean and tells the story well. There are design elements to the art that I'm not a particular fan of, such as the excessive blank margin areas. I can tell it was a deliberate design choice, but at times it looked more like wasted space that could've been used for larger panels or more detail work. I've read an interview where, I believe, Marv Wolfman was asked about working with George Perez when George was starting out. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, that the drawing wasn't quite there yet but the storytelling was outstanding. He felt that storytelling is the harder aspect to learn and that if the storytelling ability is already there that the drawing will come with experience. That's similar to how I felt with Scott Thompson's work on this comic. The storytelling is there, but the drawing was not quite to the level of his natural storytelling ability. He chooses good variations in angles and cinematic points of view and moves the narrative so that the story could be followed without word balloons. But I felt the drawing was a bit inconsistent at times. I was glad to see Moonstone pair him up with an experienced professional inker like Keith Williams because I believe he was able to take Thompson's pencils and truly embellish his work, without overpowering it, and make Thompson's work even better. I was very pleased with the artwork and even surprised by the fine color work since for some reason I came into this thing thinking it was going to be a black and white comic. Color me pleasantly surprised.
Longtime fans of Buckaroo and the Cavaliers will be thrilled at our first opportunity to glimpse the fiendish Hanoi Xan. New fans should be intrigued enough by this first issue to want to check out the original movie or the Banzai Institute website to learn more about the world's greatest real hero and his team of adventurers.
Nice package all around and even offers the readers an opportunity for one lucky reader to be featured as the next Hong Kong Cavalier. Who would not want that honor? I can't wait read the next chapter in "The Return of the Screw."
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MODESTY BLAISE: THE GALLOWS BIRD
Writer: Peter O'Donnell
Artist: Enrico Badia Romero
Publisher: Titan Books
Reviewer: Switch-hitting Dan Grendell
"You're a magnet for trouble, it just happens around you."
Newspaper strips have always somewhat confused me. Not the humor ones, though I don't really find those funny, I mean the action or drama strips. It always seemed to me that if you missed a few days, you were screwed for weeks until that plot ended. And really, can you tell a decent story by stringing together a bunch of little three panel strips? Then, one day, a friend convinced me to try the first collection of the MODESTY BLAISE newspaper strips that Titan Books was putting out.
Holy shit.
Not only did these strips make a story, they made a damn good one. Several damn good ones. With great art. And compelling characters. And I wanted more. That being screwed thing? Well, these trades collected whole stories, so nuts to that. I felt like somebody had opened my eyes to a whole new world and said, 'Hey, dipshit, why do you think so many people read these for so long? They weren't all retards, you know." Man, do I feel stupid.
When I started reading, I had a vague idea who Modesty Blaise was - a spy or something, like James Bond. Well, I was kinda right. She's a sexy ex-criminal mastermind, adept at martial arts and the bedroom arts, who has retired because she got tired of crime. Bored, basically. Her number two man in crime, the fanatically loyal Willie Garvin, is a master of the knife and will follow her anywhere. Together they get in trouble, often getting involved in spy plots due to a friendship with a government minister, but just as often just stumbling into something or helping out one of their many old friends. And sometimes, the past comes calling.
O'Donnell has given both Modesty and Willie very solid and defined personalities, and you very much want them to win during each caper. Every story is smart and involves something new and interesting, and they go all over the world. They are also pretty steamy, sometimes including topless nudity (imagine seeing that in a newspaper strip - especially one that started running in 1963 in England!) and always with beautiful art. The artist changed a few times over the course of the series, but the look always remained the same - some of the strongest realistic art I've seen, with detailed backgrounds, expressive faces, and incredible line work.
This particular volume is the ninth to be released, and contains the stories The Bluebeard Affair, The Gallows Bird, The Wicked Gnomes, and The Iron God. The Bluebeard Affair involves a man who has been marrying and killing his wives to get their wealth, but when his current target is the niece of a friend of Modesty's, he may have bitten off more than he can chew. His two daughters are excellently deranged. In The Gallows Bird, a crazed killer is hanging people, and someone is threatening to blow up the levees of New Orleans - are the two connected? The Wicked Gnomes has a pair of happy-go-lucky kidnappers in it that are hilarious, as a spy-for-spy exchange goes wrong, and in The Iron God, a crash in the jungle causes all sorts of problems when an old enemy appears, ruling the nearby natives.
The forerunner of many intrigue-type comics gaining popularity now, MODESTY BLAISE deserves a look because of its history. If you are like me, you'll stay because of its quality.
TALENT #1
BOOM! Studios
I am going to say this as simply as I can: TALENT is the first great comic to come out of BOOM! Studios. For over a year now, BOOM! has created some pretty fun comics. From its hilarious HERO SQUARED series, to its promising WAR OF THE WORLDS SECOND WAVE, to its revolutionarily cool takes on old comics in WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?, they seem to be one of THE comic book companies on the rise, just waiting for that big, Big, BIG breakout title to secure their place firmly on the map. Well, this is it, folks. Trust me. Get in on the ground floor of this book. The concept is cool as hell. It takes shades of UNBREAKABLE, LOST, and X-FILES and uses them in new and original ways. Writers Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski and artist Paul Azaceta have really outdone themselves in creating a memorable tale of survival and mystery. Nicholas Dane was just a regular guy until his flight crashed in the middle of the ocean and he woke up to find he was the only survivor. Now the government wants answers and Nicholas finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy. To add to Nicholas’ troubles, he seems to have acquired all of the skills, the talents, and maybe even the memories of those who died on the plane that fateful night. I’m telling you, my nose was stuck in this book from cover to cover and nothing could tear it away from the story. On top of it all, this is yet another slick production of the highest caliber paper and printing from BOOM!, a company who is quickly becoming THE company with the best looking books out there. Since the company’s inception, BOOM! has been creating quite a rumble in the comics world, but with TALENT #1, they’re definitely living up to their name. Highly recommended. - Ambush Bug
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EUREKA 7 Volume 1
Original story by: Bones
Story and art by: Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou
Published by: Bandai Entertainment
Reviewed by: Reviewed by superhero
Published by: Bandai Entertainment
Reviewed by: Reviewed by superhero
Toss this one on to the completely undecipherable manga pile.
I picked this up because I had seen some of the anime on Cartoon Network. While I really had no idea what was going on I was impressed enough with the ‘toon version’s animation and appearance to want to find out more about it. So when I saw the manga I scooped it up hoping it’d answer some questions for me.
Boy was I wrong.
Turns out the only thing that the manga did was confuse me even more. I have no idea what this is about other than giant robots that ride giant surfboards through the sky much like the Silver Surfer ala NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. OK, maybe I do know a bit more than that but nothing is really clearly defined within the story’s structure. I can’t tell if it’s the actual writing or the translation but EUREKA 7 sure ended up being a heck of a frustrating read. Why is the protagonist so important? What are the rebel forces fighting against the government for? What’s the deal with the seemingly blank slate of a girl who happens to be the book’s namesake? Nothing is made clear in this book. It’s full of silly little jokes and jumbled storytelling which lacks any real character development.
It’s unfortunate that this book ended up being the storytelling mess that it is because I really wanted to like it. As it is this’ll be the first and last edition of this book I’ll ever pick up. Maybe I’ll just have to go back to the anime to see if I can make something out of the mess that the manga ended up being because the book didn’t help me either way. If anything it’s actually made me less inclined to go back and look at the episodes on Cartoon Network. Talk about damaging a brand. The manga of EUREKA 7 could do just that if too many fans get their hands on it.
QWAN Volume 1
Written and Illustrated by: Aki Shimizu
Published by: Tokyopop
Reviewed by: Reviewed by superhero
Take a demon hunting child, add a wandering and lazy grifter, and insert a bug princess with mysterious political ambitions and what do you get? You get QWAN, a highly entertaining and action filled manga.
A comet streaks through the medieval Chinese sky and splits in two. The next day a nomadic con man meets a strange and mysterious little boy. Eventually he (and the reader) will learn that this boy is more than he seems. Instead of the innocent and airheaded child that this boy appears to be, he is revealed as a mystical demon hunter who feeds on his prey. That’s right. Not only does this kid hunt demons but once he defeats them he turns them into dinner. That’s just one of interesting twists which makes QWAN an all around refreshing read.
Everything about this book clicked for me. The art, the writing and the translation were all superb. It’s got bits of humor, action and mystery which kept me flipping the pages in earnest. It’s rare that I delve into a book with this much enthusiasm but something about QWAN just came across as pure fun to me.
If you’re a fan of wholesome adventure manga in the vein of NARUTO then this book is probably for you. QWAN is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I can’t wait to get my hands on upcoming volumes. This will be a series that I’ll be keeping up with for the long haul if future editions end up being as entertaining as this first one was.
Remember, if you have an Indie book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
Remember, if you have an Indie book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
HAUNT OF HORROR: EDGAR ALLEN POE #1
Marvel Comics
Richard Corben, Edgar Allen Poe, Marvel Comics. One of these things is not like the others. I know it’s surprising to see a master of horror and a master of modern comic book art in a Marvel comic. That’s why this book needs to be cherished. Delivered in delicious black and white, this book not only depicts stories inspired by Poe’s original poetry, it also reprints the poems themselves for you literate types. The stand-out best of the bunch is “The Raven” rendered in absolutely mouth-watering grey tones. I’ve never seen Corben’s artwork look better. The other stories are “The Conqueror Worm” and “The Sleeper” and both are great and scary Poe stories brought to life by one of the most unique artists in modern comics. - Bug
SECRET SIX #1
DC Comics
Spinning out of what was in my opinion the best of the Crisis Countdown minis, the boys and girls from VILLAINS UNITED are back and doing, uh, stuff. Mainly this issue's purpose is to give us an idea on what this motley crew has been up to since their role in the big event ended and where they've ended up in that time. Some have gone on to happier things like Deadshot doing what he can with his "family" and trying to set them up for life while Scandal and Knockout have been doing a little good ole fashioned living in sin and so on, but mostly they're all right where we left them. There's a good bit of action in this book as we catch the crew on a mission in some third world despotic hellhole and facing down a small army, and then there's some calm before the storm moments that are both somewhat touching, disturbing, and comedic as the team is somewhat relaxed while on the lam from The Society. The thing is, though, while all the elements that made the first mini entertaining are still here, it just doesn't feel as "special" as it was the first time around. Maybe with a few interesting new developments to make the plot seem less like it's following the last mini's formula and trying to feed off of that book’s success. There's some good stuff here indeed, I just want it to be more its own book than a copy of the book that came before it. - Humphrey
THE LAST CHRISTMAS #1
Image Comics
Previewed here a few months ago, THE LAST CHRISTMAS is finally upon us. After seeing the preview pages, I thought I knew what to expect from this book, but in the end, Brian Posehn (MR. SHOW, JUST SHOOT ME, DEVIL’S REJECTS) and his writing partner, Gerry Duggan have created a twisted fairy tale that is destined to become a cracked holiday classic and required reading around the ol’ yule log at the Annual Ambush Bug Family Holiday Hootenanny. After Mrs. Claus and most of the rest of the world succumbs to the nuclear zombie mutant plague, Santa has nothing else to live for and dives into a bottle of booze and self-mutilation. It’s hilarious to see this age-old icon attempt to kill himself over and over to end his miserable days. This looks to be a very whacked-out story. It’s the kind of sense of humor that some may find offensive (definitely not for the little kiddies), but I ended up loving it. Rick Remender supplies some solid work here as he comically maps out this bomb-seared, zombie-ridden world that Santa and his elves inhabit. Once a creative dungheap of comic book pap, today’s Image Comics is proving to be a true force in today’s comics with innovative ideas, uber-talent not afraid to take risks, and perseverance. THE LAST CHRISTMAS is just more proof that this account is true. - Bug
RIP Alex Toth
By Vroom Socko
This past Saturday, at the age of 77, Alex Toth passed away.
Best known for his work at Hanna-Barbera, where he created such characters as SPACE GHOST, BIRDMAN, THE HERCULOIDS and THE GALAXY TRIO, Toth also did design work for the SUPER FRIENDS cartoon, as well as working as an artist for DC. His greatest notoriety at DC came with the story Burma Sky in OUR FIGHTING FORCES, and more of his work can be seen in the recently released Showcase Edition of HOUSE OF MYSTERY.
But it is ZORRO that first comes to mind when I think of Toth. The 1957 tv show starring Guy Williams was a favorite show for me and my father when it used to air on the Disney Channel at midnight, and the work that Toth did to bring the character to life was much beloved by the both of us.
Alex Toth had a style that was unique and an unmistakable talent. The world of comics and art is all the poorer for his passing. We at AICN Comics send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.
Alex Toth
1928-2006
1928-2006
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RIP. Damn that sucks.
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He was the MAN!
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I betcha I could whip those babies into shape...yes I could...
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for the cogs...it's so lonely here...the cog-symbol has been shone...i await your arrival with emergency batsuits in hand.
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you gave the comic world alot and we shall remember you.
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especially since it will employ "deranged" and "talented" cogs like me...but i'm not sure which of us is the "edgy" one...is it psynapse with his "clean" jokes? first thing on my agenda is get logan and the thing their beloved cigars...cuz smoking is um...something.
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http://tinyurl.com/2y2jl
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In the afterward of LOADED BIBLE, the makers of Jesus Vs. Vampires state that the concept for the comic came up before the film was made.
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Merely pointing out some more Jesus vs The Undeady-goodness. And a local movie to boot.
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soon we'll get the rest as well...so this spidey 3 movie has 4 villains...venom, green goblin II, sandman and most likely the lizard...i was hoping they'd throw hammerhead in there somewhere, maybe a visit from the kingpin...no spider splayers though...i pray.
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A quote from "Bishop Parrish?" Like Jeremiah Parrish, the Catholic Priest/Vampire/Superhero from Busiek's ASTRO CITY? Awesome. Or a coincidence.
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No, wait...no, Bru's writing that one, i like Bru. What to write, what to write?
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I get New Avengers and get to rape everything Bendis has done just to get back at his no talent ass
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Please keep Buzz away from the injokes and pointless rambling and keep the other dudes reviewing books.
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i hope its 3 and a half hours long!
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i was making a lame joke since u asked me to send pics of tigers,hookers, cigars, and poker. i was meaning poker as in "poke her" thats why i said shed be mad if i showed u those pics!anyways by gones like u said.****on x3-im going to try to express why i liked this movie as much as i did.There will be massive ***SPOILERS**** from this point on so read at your peril.i went to this movie anticipating to have a good time and for me at least it delivered. i know it didnt strictly follow the original story. they took liberties with some of the characters and some of the actions scenes and effects could have been better-i get all that. i understand why theres such a backlash from the hardcore fan community but i also understand why its making so much money at the box office. again, things i dont really care too much about.everyone has in their minds a specific idea of what xmen means to them. the rescue of mystyque,wolverine fighting that guy that shot bones from his arms,magneto moving the bridge while hovering over it,the final battle, these are all things that have always meant "X-MEN" to me.i could go on and on-i loved the showdown at the grey house with!wolverine vs the juggernaut was awesome,the thing with storm too!i was even ok witht professor x being killed because it lent a sense of real menace to everything that was going on that is usually missing from the comics.it was kinda of lame for them to reveal he moved to another body at the end but at the time it happened i was like "godamn this is no holds barred!".i also really liked how they handled the pheonix. making her a dual personality that prof x has been sort of manipulating was great! i loved how she kinda looked like she was possesed! the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been the pheonix effect.i loved the final battle with everyone doing what they do. pyro and magneto hurling the flaming cars? how fucking sweet was that. bobby iced up! yeah it was only for a minute but it was there! man theres so much of this movie i just loved that i can forgive the details i didnt which are few.i wish they had shown the pheonix effect like i said.i wish we could have seen bobby ice slide. fraser was perfect as the beast but i would have liked to have seen the catlike look they gave him in new x-men.i also didnt really like juggernauts helmet but other than that the character was cool."Im the juggernaut bitch!" awesome! i also wished we had seen more kids using their powers at the mansion but i can never get enough of that.all in all for me this was a great movie going experience. i know this wasnt really a review and was kind of disjointed but im here at work doing this in between helping my reps.hope that answers some of your questions heath but if not i encourage discusssion!
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Kinda all started with Space Ghost Coast To Coast dinnit? Well I like to think it did. Big props to the man.
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I say Buzz is the man for the job based purely on the fact, in an early User ID-incarnation, he and I were going to break heads during the Hollywood writer's strike. I doubt any help would be needed to manhandle comicbook writers, but if need arises, I still have my blackjack and will knock some sense into them.
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You're not a Cog. ZING! (Boy am i gonna get shit for this)
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If those cats really wanted to be "edgy" they would have made it Mohammed v. Vampires. Come on you pussies, don't let some doodler from Denmark get all the notoriety. We're AMERICANS!! Show the world we got the balls and lack of judgement/taste to do this. I'd buy a couple copies of it (through a third party, under the cover of night, using an assumed name and money from an untraceable Swiss bank account). And Buzz, if you get the job, could we please get Thor back? Late.
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that there was not one mention of the reveal that the new Batwoman is a lesbian.
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I wrote my little piece of woefully inadequite memorialization Sunday morning, figuring that yes, it was crap, but that Herc or Mori or Merrick or SOMEBODY else here would have something more substantial to say. *** a quick note that says everything that needs to be said about Toth: He died at his drawing table. that says it right there.
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...we have an X-book, not X-Books. We'll put out enough hit books with other concepts so they don't all have to have an X in front of every title. Secondly, NEW AVENGERS? We're going to have THE MIGHTY AVENGERS. No NEW in our titles because it gets stupid when it's no longer NEW. I mean, how can there be an issue #72 of the NEW AVENGERS? Yeah, we'll bring back THOR even though I don't personally like THOR, because, dammit, it's...money in our pockets. Shout out to Alonzo, who remembers the Pre-@$$hole BUZZ MAVERIK'S STRIKE BREAKING GOONS (we're still ready to break a strike/protect scabs for cash and beer!). And Bayou Willie, my ramblings always have a point: these are comic books, dude, we're talking comic books and you're worried about a point? Finally, El, remember Marvel is going to be significantly different under my dynasty, so don't limit your thoughts to existing superhero books. Use your imagination. It's time we put out some non-superhero titles. Do something about a character on a modern day quest or something, I don't know, do I have to think of everything? In the spirit of Stan Lee and trendy hucksterism, what with THE DA VINCI CODE and all, we're launching a title called JOHNNY MEROVINGIAN about a guy who is the reincarnation of Judas Iscariot. Johnny falls in love with the unspeakably cute Audrey, who is the last surviving descendent of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. They marry and Johnny takes her name, because, let's face it, it beats being known as Johnny Iscariot. Trouble is, on their wedding night, Audrey is kidnapped by the evil Albino Pope. Johnny and his two sidekicks, Martin and Luther, are out to rescue her. Hijinks ensue. Get to work! What am I paying you people for? Somebody make a fresh pot of Kona or Jamaica Blue Mountain and be sure to Irish mine up!
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For triggering a flashback to that giant-sized reprint of All-Star Comics. That reprint, along with its siblings, the giant-sized Action, Detective, and Captain Marvel books were my first exposure to comics. I absolutely LOVED that All-Star reprint, and it's absolutely what got me hooked on the superhero "team" books in the future. Of course, this happy flashback is brought back down to earth by the Alex Toth obit. Lots of my good saturday morning memories are owed to him.
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A pretty good read, no doubt. A few things I didn't like - the art changing right in the middle of the stories, a few word balloon placement problems. Ellis' American characters sometimes speak a little too Englishy, but Moore and Gaiman and Ellis and Millar all do that, too. Overall the art was top-notch, Ellis gets his characters down perfectly (with the possible exception of the X-Men - I don't read Ult. X-Men, so I don't know for sure), and it's a fine sci-fi superhero story. That said, it also points out the reason that the Ultimate Universe will never have the staying power of the regular Marvel U. A robotic hive mind that hates organic life is a cool concept, and perhaps more realistic, but it's got nothing on a gigantic man in a purple suit with a big "G" on his belt. It's just not as much FUN. Actually, now that I think about it, swapping realism for fun is the big problem with superhero books today. It's why I'm not reading Civil War - when you start overanalyzing the mechanics of a fantasy universe, you lose what makes that universe so compelling in the first place.
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Buzz Maverick is my hero. I know you don't like him but hell I'll write THOR in a heartbeat. The Enchantress would seduce/beguile him into having a vision of three magical wenches enslaved by Frost Giants. Of course it would be a trap in order to send Thor to some far-off plane of existence. Ect...
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He will be missed!
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Where in the multiverse is Seven Soldier of Victory #1?!?! HUH?! I'M LOOKIN AT YOU GRANT!
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...and frame it. I don't think there is anything I can add, except to say that I'm trying to do something about it. I've written a book that should come out in September, and I wrote it with all those things in mind: wouldn't it be nice if there were an old-fashioned action/adventure book for teenagers, with well-developed characters that are not perfect but value integrity, loyalty, honor, and still manage to dodge bullets and kick it up kunk-fu style? Where there are plots twists instead of gorific shocks? Hopefully, it doesn't suck. I won't plug it here by name, this is Mr. Toth's talkback, but I just wanted to say that I hear you. I hear you.
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It's called "Wolverine and Gambit vs. Sabretooth and Venom" and it's a four part miniseries consisting of nothing but splash page fight scenes and first person narration boxes! Each issue will come in three versions - die-cut and polybagged with a trading card, hologram, and a special goldfoil version with an extra page of Rogue in a thong for all comic shops that order more than 300 copies! What do you think?
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Throw in Bishop and re-kill Norman Osborn while your at it.
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They all have to team up to fight a new villian I've created that will surely stand the test of the ages. His name is Deathblood and he's covered in razorwire chains, has a dozen enormous guns, and a wildly improbable haircut.
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It's sad that he had to pass, but what an exit he made. At his drawing table. That's perfect in my book and I only hope to be so lucky.
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I second dropping the 'New' from these Marvel books. blackthought, word on the cigars. And I have no idea what I'd write, but I'd make sure it had a beginning, middle and an end without breaking internets in half or raping characters or being 9 months late.
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See, he's this demon, but he fights Heaven, which is really the bad guys, and Hell is the good guys but with bad PR. But he can only stay on this plane doing good/bad things if every so often, he kills children, which makes him feel really bad, but oh well, evil God wrote the rules.....No, wait, he can only stay on this plane if he kills really hot chicks in thongs, but only AFTER they stand under a mystic cleansing waterfall wearing nothing but a t-shirt. A waterfall with really cold water.
....or something. And he feels really bad about the water being cold, too. But what is a good guy/heaven bashing hot-chick killin' demon supposed to do? (Que the laugh track)
...or something... -
...for many of today's comic book (and television, and movie) writers. Some guy named Peter wrote these guys in the second chapter of...well, Peter..>>>
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the harmful desires of human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity -
He did Dark Empire and the Boba Fett series. R.I.P. Alex Toth. Space Ghost was great.
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cover artist for any book that my farts tell me I should be, then we're all good. Even though I'm strictly dickly in my datin' persuasions Ole Psy truly appreciates lookin' at sexy chick tits and ass so that would the THE new order for all covers going forward: TITS. Yep, thats's right. You want a cover showing the Hulk mutilating babies and dogs? No problem as long as it also features a babe with giant hooters as well. 'Cuz gay or straight EVERYONE knows titties equal fun. By the way, how can you tell a Redneck chick is a virgin? She runs faster than her brothers.
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kudos, rock-me Amodeo. I think the late Mr. Toth's (long) quote from above is very apropo for 1991 but maybe not so much today, since the field is so much more diverse.
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Dammit! See how Marvel's policies have already infected me???? See????
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im loving the idea of a buzz led marvel with cogs as scribes and @$$es as editors! and the bible got quoted! nice! hey heath did you read my reply re:X3? i read the guy on your blog who said your blinded by your fanatisism and while i dont agree with your x3 review HE is the one who is blinded...by poop!! from a volcano!
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TITS. Accept no substitutes.
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My friend James posted that Toth essay on his Deviantart journal as a tribute and i had this to say about it: "The ugly, mean, vile, banal, twisted, sick, bloody celebration of torture, rape, cruelty, filth, demonic and socio-political psycho-babble -- and death -- is disgusting stuff to me"
It may very well be, but it's a cultural manifestation and, as such, it's completely valid from an objective vantage point. Who's to say people are wrong for trying to use artistic mediums to talk about the things they want to talk about?
If artistic expression turns out to be adolescent in nature, who's to say it should be dismissed as garbage when it's clear that taken as a cultural phenomenon alone (since the quality of the work is irrelevant, apparently) it could be quite fascinating?
But, see, they just don't make them how they used to when you're a couple generations too old to appreciate the state of art in present times. No, they don't make movies or comics or music like they used to, but good movies and comics and albums still come out every day, even if you're too old to appreciate why they're good and why they're in fact relevant.
Furthermore:
"Much more 'adult and mature' are the stories no one can, or will, write about and illustrate: Joy, wonder, love honor, humor, wit, intelligence, invention, compassion, trust, respect, duty, character, sacrifice, sentiment, family, discovery, exploration, history, the myriad peoples, customs, and stories abounding out there in the world -- human stories!"
No one stopped writing about love and honor and joy, no one stopped telling human stories, and no one ever will. Garbage will always be garbage, make no mistake about it, but i could guarantee if we all went the Alex Toth way and stopped producing art that depicts violence, rape and torture, and instead focused on art that depicted joy, love, honor and all those things exclusively, 90% of it would still be dreadful and unworthy of mention.
And 80 year old men would still dismiss it as such. -
Here's the set up: Charles Xavier is dead. I don't know why. You figure it out. Scott Summers is a broken man. The X-MEN as we knew them no longer exist. The characters are leading their own lives. Then, the threat appears and in flashbacks, we find out why a disgraced Wolverine can't summon his own teammates. He has to recruit new mutants who are up to the job. The ultimate loner must carry on Xavier's dream. At the end, you figure out a clear reason for Wolverine to keep the team together and why they want to stay. Think of Wolverine as the ultimate drill instructor, but these mutants will be trouble for him in many ways. No one is based on an old character; no one is anybody's son or daughter. I want an artist with design and storytelling skills to create the characters. Ya got an hour.
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See? You wanna buy that comic already!
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It's been destroyed. This team gets their headquarters the Wolverine way: they show up at a Hellfire facility north of Westchester and Wolverine says: "We're the X-Men. This place is ours now. You can get out, but, frankly, we're hoping you object."
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Buzz's idea reminds me of the S-Men from "Earth-X". But here's my idea: the new team consists of the sort of mutants that don't really have powers advantageous in a combat situation. Peeper and Cypher are good examples, but the new characters might have powers that include: the ability to always knows exactly what time it is, even without a watch; accelerated healing - but not like Wolverine. This mutant breaks a bone and it fixes in about two weeks. A case of the flu is over in 24 hours. Most cuts and scrapes heal by sometime that afternoon.; the power to uncover lost keys, passports, and other frequently missing objects; edible feces; the ability to hold one's breath a really, really long time. Surely mutants with such mundane powers must be out there somewhere, right? Shouldn't they get a chance to be heroes?
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Secret Six #1 and Green Lantern #11 were the two comics I enjoyed the most last week. I want Johns and Simone to marry and produce the comic industries first super-writer.***One of my favorite cartoons as a kid was The Herculoids. What an awesome bunch even if their enemies were kind of lame (I seem to remember a lot of evil wizards and space phantom types).
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gets to write under buzz's regime.
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A mutant whose only power is that her tits remain plump and firm forever? you know you want it....
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then I want a chance at writing this X book of which you speak
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hooray for the gay man with tits on the brain! (not literally). *** how about the mutant power to shake exactly 2 asprin out of the bottle EVERY TIME?
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Oh! You mean that whole quote was all Toth? Now I feel stupid, Shigeru. Of course, I was thinking, how incredible, that both Toth and Bacci40 were both born in 1928! Double-doh!..... And you know, Vale, I appreciate the diversity in comics. I just wish that I didn't have to be so careful picking out comics for my 7-year old (or my 13-year old nephew) to read. I would hate to go back to the days of banality, when nothing serious was covered except Harry Osborns ledge-walking. By the same token, there is so much out there with a shiny sugar coating and a cyanide center. My perspective on the value of diversity has changed so much since I became a parent. Damn it. Some of the very reasons I hated grownups are the things I am becoming.
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we are pretty awesome!
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just pull a harry knowles and let them read whatever the hell they want! its funny in his omen review he mentions how they took his 5 year old nephew then he spends his time in the tbs defending himself by relating stories of his little nephew being a "normal" 5 year old. and i was very kidding rock-me i see your point
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was already done in Little Nicky. Although I DO have a new comic idea about 2 buxom bionic babes that run the Tactics in Tandem Securities agency. You KNOW a comic whose logos was T.I.T.S would sell hotter than discount crack in the ghetto....
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I was like, whoah we have a 78 year old talkbacker!! And even though I don't have a kid I can definitely sympathize with your predicament...and I would suggest OWLY or BANANA SUNDAY for the little ones. Plus you get double kudos for mentioning Harry Osborn's ledge walking! He was all tripped out! Groovy!
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Full scale Mutant-Human War. C'mon, you've been waiting 25 years for it. You know you want it. Not some mamby pamby Civil War either. Full on Mutant and Human slaughter with all the reprecussions that it entails and no going back for the Marvel Universe. EVER. Sort of like FAX FROM SARAJEVO but with super people.Bring it on.
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Hottie Diane Lane was in Judge Dredd? That may be enough to get me to watch that stinker again. Nice reviews, Ambush Bug! I
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for the little ones. Great read whenever one comes out. Mouse Guard too. (#3 came out t
his week!!!) Violently fun for ages eight and up I'd say. *** Is it Friday? -
did i use the word correctly? i mean comics with animal characters that talk.not really my bag these days tho i used to be a huge turtles fan and loved that book tellos not too long ago. i think ill check out mouse guard once it hits trades because the heathster cant stop talking about it so it must be at least decent. oh and hey my barnes finally got black hole and i read about halfway through it earlier this week with plans to finish it off this weekend. so far kinda weird but i do love the art and surrelism of it all. more thoughts when i finish it. man barnes n noble is great! all the trades you can read for the price of a couple cups of latte! they should make a place like that but with liquor
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I didn't grow up on superhero comics (yay for that) so the only comics i read when i was a kid were Tintin and Asterix. Highly recommended for your little ones, god those comics are amazing.
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it used to be awesome, but they just redesigned some of it and the graphic novels section was split in half and more manga digests were added. It's one big pastel fest over there now. I always have to step over some sweaty pasty kid when I'm trying to find a book like Black Hole. Ocala kinda sucks for anything cool. Yeah, Black Hole is weird and surreal, but damn good, Y. Tell Vale and I what you thought when you finish it. For those who haven't read it
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neither Asterix nor TinTin featured tits in any real capacity and thus your youth was actually quite deprived. Say what you will about Byrne's tenures on X-Men and Fantastic Four, he still gave good tit in spades.
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I'm loving it.
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is running on 5-1/2 hours of sleep and 3 VERY strong and VERY large cups of peel-the-paint coffee. If I was buzzing any more I'd be a goddamned hive. You've seen my art, I draw a mean pair o tits and all that attaches to it (by natural design not freudian urge you perves!). My favorite South Park catchphrase has always been "totally tits". I mean, let's face it, boobies are cool even when they can't give you wood. Aaand they ARE an all-ages phenomenon, after all where do most kids first meal come from? Tits! Boobies are cool no matter how ya shake 'em.
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with ample quantities of said coffee....
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My girlfriend's got quite a rack, and when we used to go out to clubs the gayboys loved 'em. I think it's something primal. Breasts = good.
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i always think...er...um...what was i going say? damn boobs!
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but i can always appreciate a nice pair
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I'd even go so far as to postulate it being in the level of genetic programming. Infants know instinctively how to suckle after all. (Though being an adoptee meant no titty lunches for me so it may be a bit pronounced as a result). (Okay, I just had an objective view of myself and realized I'm a gay man waxing poetic about my species programmed predilection towards mammary glands. How fucking surreal is that??)
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Go figure....(L-M-effin'-A-O)
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i kid because i love
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but its friday!
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Happy Friday!! (bitches) *zing!*
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Buzz, can we get some diversity at Marvel? DC has a lesbian Batwoman, a teen, Latino Blue Beetle & The Atom is an Asian guy. Marvel
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There will be an AMAZING amount of diversification of titties. Simply AMAZING. In fact, we may just put out the first all-tits, all the time book.
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I want a beaten down Cyclops to be Wolverine's lieutenant. Something has killed Scott's spirit and Wolverine is trying to help him. Ironically, without Jean, these two losers will grow old together. Also, the only other established mutant in the book (aside from villains): Wanda Maximoff. If she's dead or something, bring her back to life. We're going to redeem the Scarlet Witch and she's going to get her kids back!
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I told you @$$holes couple of weeks ago that if you didn't like reviewing Marvel and DC comics in the first place then stop, but now I realize the error of my ways. Two straight weeks with only a handful of main stream reviews? Could it be I actually miss your rants? Forgive the audacity of questioning your wisdom. Also, why no Mouseguard review? #3 out this week. Seek it talkbackers, you'll thank me later.
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because he time warped into the 90s and saw himself in chromium
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Manhunter is uncancelled! Until issue 30, that is. It's got a reprieve guys, buy it, please! It's my fave comic. *** In other news, DiDio wanted Nightwing dead in Infinite Crisis.
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All the banana bread and pumpkin spice bread is yours if you buy Manhunter. My goodie bag is yours.
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must...resist...double entendre!
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The only person rougher than Logan is Cyclops. His spirit may be down, but he takes it out on the opposition. Wolverine is still an ass kicker, but he's also having to coordinate teams and missions. Besides, Scott is using his visor a lot less these days and is clearing battle fields with a glare that literally kills
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I hate to say this, but they might as well have killed Nightwing if all they're going to do is keep him in a mediocre title, brooding more than a Cog in a cage without pumpkin spice bread. I love the character of Nightwing - the potential of it. But now, it's the same ol crap as it was before IC more or less. I will pick up Manhunter. Get one of those DC Nation badges for the Spectregans and fill us in on more later
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a very 70's Ghost Rider/ Man-Thing ongoing? Heavy supernatural stuff with girls in halter tops anddaisey dukes being saved by a ghost rider that wears a very evel knievel inspired outfit. Ghosty can give people a penance stare and the book becomes a 5 page acid trip. All the Man-Thing stories can have Man-Thing burning the shit out of hippies. "The long haired 'freak' finally shakes loose the effects of his 6 week high and knows fear. And whatever knows fear burns at the touch of Man-Thing"
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Nightwing was probably the first book I dropped, too. And you can see through IC how it may have been leading towards that anyway. Still, in spite of that, what I love is that DiDio openly admitted that they're on a learning curve here, and it's not like they're completely without missteps. That sort of humility is why I'm bleeding DC. It seems like what they're doing with DC Nation is building a community of fans and deliberately seeking advice from and understanding of their fanbase. The interesting thing was at the panel this afternoon, they had a few bits of business to pass on to us, but then it was all Q&A, with quid pro quo, where the panelists in turn got to ask a question back at the person who initially asked. Heavily advised: don't wear Spider-Man shirts, and know your alpacas. *passes a ghost version of her DC Nation badge on to the Spectregans*
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you'll have to excuse me as i take over from heathen's plotting of the logan/cyclops book...cyclops is my favorite x-man...i shall treat him with the respect that films haven't...i also shall draw, you should color...i can see myself and you getting lots of cigar ad's and what not from the copious amounts of cigars logan shall go throughm hell scott will go through a few...i envision logan's cigar going out in mid battle and cyke majestically blasting some anti-mutant or those who wrote his character for the x-flicks with deserved optic blast that ricochet here and there finally making there way to logan's unlit cigar and voila, we are back in business...in fact we'll co-write for i am liking where you are going my fellow cog...is there a way that we can write in spectregans without getting sued by dc? i wonder what book psynapse will be writing...i'm trying to think of the book with the most TITTIES...right now i'm thinking it will be any book that has Mojo in it. damn we should do some solicitations.
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will coplot and what not...sighs...transitions...all i want to know right now is what does buzz do with the ultimate universe? do you squash or do you keep it going...and for the love of odin, does thor have a solo book? and slott's thing doesn't get canceled...right?
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what do u say vale u want to share this one with me?
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we need a few more females though to meet our titties editor's requirment. In addition to Wanda who else? I say Rogue. She can be one of the mutants Logan and Scott our looking for.
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no, i kid...maybe a wayward optic blast unfortunately fried her. and i'd liketo recruit madrox too, he can be bad ass...if not him, then his "murderous" dupe...the more bodies, the more red we can use. and on a unrelated note...i miss colbert...why must you go on vacation? cyke and logan bring down the bear population by 60 percent...colbert returns...cigars are smoked and gabriel summers still has anger issues.
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He generates ideas and concepts and illustrates. I'm too much of a moody shit-ass to ever let my opinion actually try to matter. That said, I would most certainly turn She-Hulk into Marvel's Power Girl 'cuz the only the cooler than Tits is, of course, TechniColor Tits!
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and if not, how on EARTH did that last issue not get a review? My god what a comic!
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Do they grow old together in "That way"? Does their love of Jean transform into a love for each other? How's THAT for some Marvel diversity! Hoo Hah!
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I don
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aren't all breasts perfect anyway? I mean, excepting the original Terra from Teen Titans and Ian Churchill's I-suction-cup-my nipples attempts at rendering teeange boobies, they're all well, pretty tits. Possibly even totally tits. (See that's where you fall short Moviemack, you're just a boob.)
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...my vision is getting blurry...oh that's much better...perfect breasts in perfect focus.
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That would be Aphrodite A and Diana A from the Mazinger saga. Tit missiles! Need I say more?
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Like a mutant version of Brokeback Mountain. Only whenever they do it, they take turns wearing a red wig...
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Frank's fuggin lost it. ASS-BAR #4 is the worst thing I've ever read. If it was the first comic I ever picked up, it would be my last. Jim Lee needs to get off this book if only for the issues to come out quicker so Miller's run can end. Jsut had to say that. Any more X-ideas, blackthought?
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'Cuz, y'know, Saturday and stuff...
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lol!
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ZING!
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ZING!
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Anyone pick up Incredible Hulk #95, part four of the exile arc? It was the best the thing I've read all month. Consistantly a good read, with this new Planet Hulk stuff. There's nothing better than seeing the Hulk beating the Silver Surfer into the dirt.(CRUNCH!!) A great ending.
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i had this whole wedding issue planned out...jean grey returns to "LIFE", i kid you not, yes she does...even after buzz's take over, we are still contractually obligated to bring her back to life and kill her again at least twice in our run. so anyway, jean is back, logan and scott are, well not surprised but a little hipe is rising. well jean comes for scott and takes him to the movies, X3, seeing how they haven't seen it with her being dead and he dealing with some house of m retardation...so anyway they watch and are disgusted with their characterizations that they sue fox for the same total that x1-3 made at the box office. with their tidy sum they buy an off-shore planet and with some of the pocket change they hire vulcan to occasionally mess with xavier's head by growing long locks on it leaving xavier staring in the mirror for days wondering if he should part it in the middle or braid it...but then vulcan takes it away...i'm not sure if vulcan can grow hair, but he has like every power, so might as well use it. so let's see, back to logan...well all this leaves logan all "emo"...yeah, i said it...wolverine can be a bee-yatch sometimes...but not all is lost as he finds comfort in the arms of his mortal enemy...sabertooth or joey quesada for raping him and not allowing him to smoke a cigar afterwards...so nightcrawler is the priest that ties this union, for all intents and purposes it was a very hairy wedding...and some would even say gay...now enter the h.s.s. as honored guest and what not...and then finish it off with tits...and devil shit...rough honeymoon you know.
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word.
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haven't been keeping up with the Planet Hulk stuff. Tell me what's going on. Sounds interesting, what with the beating of Silver Surfer's head in and stuff
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"Kate Spencer is a hard-drinking, hard-living, two pack a day chick." Actually, for the record, she quit smoking, or so I've heard, I've yet to get those back-issues. She wanted to get in better shape for fighting baddies. Plus she's about to deal with her son having superpowers and wanting to take after her since she showed up in costume and saved him. I hear this next Manhunter arc is going to have greater relevance to the larger DCU, also. And if nothing else recommends the book, there's always the inimitable Dylan Battles, former henchman, current good guy.
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This is the recap at beginning of issue #95, part 4(of4) of the Exile story arc.
'Bruce Banner has long seen his alter ego, the Incredible Hulk, as a threat to innocent life. So when he saw the chance to use the Hulk's strength for good, Banner accepted a mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. to destroy a dangerous rogue satellite. But when the mission was complete, a group of Marvel heroes, including Reed Richards, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and Black Bolt (memebers of the mysterious Illuminati), exiled Hulk from the Earth, intending to send his shuttle toward an idyllic, uninhabited planet where he would pose no threat to himeslf or to others.
Instead, the shuttle flew off course, passing through a wormhole that deposited Hulk onto the savage planet of Sakaar. Weakened by his trip through the portal, Hulk was sold into slavery and sent to the Great Arena to die in gladiatorial battle, but he survived, along with a ragtag group of battle-tested survivors.
Shortly after, a group of rebels tried to free Hulk, offering him the chance to fight against the Empire. He rejected the offer, uninterested in being the rebels' pawn. But, Elloe, a warrior whose father was killed during gladiator training accepts the rebels' offer, only to be taken into custody by Death's Head Warguards.
In the Great Arena, Hulk and his team learned that if they survived three rounds of combat they would win their freedom. But the Emperor broke the rules, attacking the gladiators with a Deathfire bomb and a platoon of Death's Heads. Hulk's crew survived, except for Lavin Skee, who was killed in the fray. That night, the surviving members of the crew spoke their true names and took an oath-they are now Warbound to each other, no matter what may come.
And what's coming is the Silver Savage...'
The storys been great so far, and the art's fantastic. The best book Marvel puts out, the top of my list. Very re-readable(and not in that confused, what just happened way). It will make you root for the Brood(or atleast one). Good stuff.
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that sounds downright awesome! i cant wait for the trade on tht! and speaking of trades i recently bought the hardcover trades for wolverine enemy of the state part 1,2 and GODDAMN that was some good reading! i highly highly recomened this book! wolvie as a brainwashed hydra agent kicking ass throuhg the MU? fuckin amazing! i know im way behind on pimping this story arc but im a wait for the trades guy so for those of you who havent gotten it go get it!also the astonishing xmen hardcover reprinting 1-12 is quite nice! i did read the stories the first time around but they still hold up very well and look amazing in the new format. go get this too! and blackthought- rough honeymoon you know? LMAO!
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I'm good...
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that does sound good. I need to read this. I'm surprised I haven't heard more on this story and they way it seems to be developing. How many issues does it spand? And is the first trade out already? *** Darth, Enemy of the State IS good Wolverine reading. I love when Logan hijacked the Sentinel among other gnarly stuff. Heh, I said, "gnarly." I miss the 90's
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it's still not monday...sigh.
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Wolverine #42 was pretty good as well. Humberto Ramos kinetic, exagerated style makes wolverine slashing out an eyeball quite cool stuff. Beautiful and a little crazy. He's draws Wolverine like I like him, short and hairy. A civil war tie in, and a great interaction between Luke Cage and Logan where Logan explains to Luke what's so bad about registration:
Luke: You really gonna compare us--SUPER HEROES--to german Jews?
Logan: All I know is there's a sentinel camped out on the front lawn of xavier's and he ain't there to sell girl scout cookies.
Luke: He's there for your protection.
Logan: And what if that sentinel on the front lawn was a burning cross?
Luke: Excuse me?
Logan: 'cause that's what a sentinel is to mutants, Bub, a burnin' cross, a sumbol of opression.
Of bigotry.
I need a beer.
Worth checking out. -
he should just grunt then claw things...then smoke a cigar...reminds me of my granny.
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that wolverine shit sounds good! thansk for the dialogue play by play throb! that sounds really cool! and heath ill check out the stand alone issue as well!and blackthought your granny came by the cog mansion,went on a berserker rage,smoked a cigar...and baked cookies.
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I found this while searching for some stuff ** http://tinyurl.com/e5u6n ** Check out the post in the tb about this guy's, Liefeld story, it's funny.
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someone said x3 was the greatest superhero movie ever and was gonna gross like 300 million dollars...i begged to differ...and boy it took a steep drop off...almost 70 percent from last week...so i'm figuring 210-220 maybe...cars comes to crush ppl friday...and that da vinci code movie is still pulling in dough...why? anyway anyhow...ah, the break up.
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I don't get the Da Vinci Code craze. I saw it last week and it's instantly forgetable and a pretty clumsy action/adventure movie. National Treasure is by no means a masterpiece, but I had more fun with that than Da Vinci. Yeah, a 66.6% drop off (666
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I do wish i could get some Ultimate U action but i'm almost positive there'll be no Ultimate line under Buzz' regime, and that's a shame.
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I really hope diversity isn't really about relatability (is that a word?) in the end, because that would be pathetic. I've tried to find 20 year old Colombian characters and/or superheroes who are into writing and comics but there are none, i'm sorry to say, so there's no way i can relate to comics. I'm pretty sure Psy can only relate to gay caucasian characters who are into tits and Thalya can only relate to blonde chicks with high IQs, right? I mean it's not like human stories and emotions are universal.
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I've always thought Huge Ackman's Wolverine is a way better Wolverine than the comic book character, i don't know. Well except for Morrison's Wolverine (Remember that NXM silent issue where Jean and Emma are taking a psychic trip through Xavier's mind and Scott and Logan are waiting for them outside the lab or whatever? Wolverine just sits there and reads a book, i found that incredible). I'm sorry but a Wolverine who's only capable of slashing through stuff, grunting and smoking cigars, sounds like the worst non-character ever. Not an option.
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It was my first Wolvey (can I call him 'Wolvey'?) comic, and since I only have two comics to buy this week, I'll try and hunt down number 41. Just got done with the latest Uncanny X-Men. What a solid comic. I remember dipping into this title in the mid-90s and it was solid as a rock. And still is. The art is great, the pace fast but not too fast. Always exciting and interesting. Too damn many for me to backtrack, but I hope to stay with this title for a while. Bastards forgot to throw F4 537 into my order so I had to settle for the b/w second print *weeps*. I look forward to checking out Superman/Batman 26 though 25 was a very lame conclusion to a semi-cool fantasy arc. Spider-Man 532 was great. No action, but a very momentous issue. Can't wait to see Spidey forced to take down a former friend - all because papa Stark says he should. And I've been fascinated with this Hulk arc, though I know little about it. I'd love to go back and grab the issues where he is betrayed and all that. Even the Vegas shit if it is in that title. Wonder what they have in mind for the 100th issue ... I need to get a better job so I can buy more. moviemack, great words about DC. Grant Morrison's Batman looks kinda tasty with the promise of more Bruce Wayne, but even so. Still got that bad IC taste. See how bored I get when that series kicks in ... and Thalya, I'd give Manhunter a try if I didn't know it was going to end soon. Though I know jack about the title. How long did I think this was a Martian Manhunter spin-off? Embarrasing.
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it's official...it's monday.
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But the thing is, you don't know Manhunter will end soon. It just got a reprieve until issue #30 and it could go on if sales pick up. Do me a favor and go buy issue #22 and tell me it isn't good writing. Granted, it's midway through an arc, but just tell me all the stuff in there isn't comic-y goodness that makes you want to check out other issues, even with some of the deep continuity (though if anything the OYL issues will explain most stuff). All I've read so far is the first TPB and the OYL stuff and I gotta say, the trade hooked me immediately. And as Heathen mentioned, there are hints that the upcoming issues (#26-30) are going to tie in to the larger universe in a greater degree, so it might be worth it if you're reading other mainstream DC stuff. And, any continuity details I can help fill in, I will. Hell, if you wanted, I'll buy and ship you #22, just read the darn thing!
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..while I'm at it. Best thing of Wizard World Philly besides the Manhunter reprieve and Jimmy Palmiotti going on about lesbian superpowers: I paid $3 instead of $10 (at another booth) for Booster Gold #1 and $20 instead of $58 for 'Tec #464, 465, 466, and 468 (all because of my Spamalot tee). Conventions and Graham Crackers comics rule!
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Tell us about her tits.
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And thank goodness! (and no one bothers to pick up on my lesbian superpowers bit?)
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God gave this world's only lesbian superpower to Gene Simmons.
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read #42 last night and I think the wrting is better than the art. Ramos is almost too Bachaloish for me, but not quite as sucky. I don't mind Wolvie small and what not, but not my taste. The writing was pretty good though, despite the Civil War scenes I've pretty much already have read. LOVED the last line: "I've been in the Avenges for a coupla months now. And now I finally have something to Avenge." Nice. *** Vale, that silent issue is probably my favorite of the first New X-Men HC. For, Wolverine as a character though, I think he's way more than just the savage beast guy. He's lived a long life and repeatedly lost loved ones just as he begins to think he can have a normal existence. Not to mention the secret agent he was, Weapon X and Patch among other things. I know it's hip for everyone to hate on Logan because he's in everything, but he's a damn good character when handled right. Download Wolverine #41. I think you'll like that one a lot. *** dreg, you won't be sorry either. : ) *** Lesbian powers? A few friends of mine have those
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Is Power Girl totally tits?
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so not totally, but that's just me
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...can be viewed here: http://tinyurl.com/kqzb3. I read that thing over and over as a kid. The thing is, while all the stories were vaguely supernatural and creepy in tone, I recall the Hawkman and Hawkgirl one as being the freakiest. It involved bizarre humanoid creatures living inside Mt. Kroatoa just before it erupted. I don't remember if they looked melty, or if it was that when they touched people they melted, or what...I just remember it was jacked up and ended with a volcano erupting and the freaky melty shit was pre-"Raiders" and made me sit back and go "manohmanohman". That whole issue is pretty spooky, though, so if you can find a cheap reprint it's totally worth checking out. All the individual stories are great--even the Johnny Quick one.
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TOTALLY muddafuggin' tits! PG has loooong been a fave of mine.
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You're makin' with the Bendis-speak, dude. ^_*
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That sonuvabitch has been broadcasting mind control waves back into time to 1985 when I was still just a damn teenager?!? What a bastard.....
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perhaps
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I'm one of the biggest 'gore-wimps' ALIVE (icky just offends my sensibilities what can I say?) and the face melting in Raiders ALWAYS looked like what it was to me: Hot Wax sculpture getting buttfucked by a hair dryer. Then again, I'm the kid who made his own wax ragnarok with his sister's gay ass candle sculpture collection.....
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I might take a look at that TP first. And this line has me curious: "Manhunter's shocking new strategy makes her infamous in the eyes of heroes and villains alike!" ***** I've never had my feet both planted firmly in DC if only because I know very little about Power Girl. She has always bugged me with her short blonde hair and massive tits. I just figured she was a joke ... and was shocked to see her central role in IC. I can't remember, but I hope she died in IC. Is there an artist out there that can draw one of her breasts smaller than her actual head? If not, she needs to be nursing babies big time.
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why would you want them drawn smaller?
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Awesome! I especially recommend issue #4 in that TPB, the intro/origin of Dylan Battles. *** Also, Peege is still alive and well. JSA: Classified #1-4 might encourage a changing of opinion, too. *** 2 more days til ArchEnemies #3 comes out! w00t!
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Okay
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so there! and um....take that!.....I guess...umm yeah, Go Tuesday!
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It's cause Raiders of the Lost Ark came out when we were um 12 months old. I don't remember when I first saw it on VHS but I must have been a wee lad of 5 or so. And that scared me then! By that time Psy you were like 18 right? ;)
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can't even spell the title right gorramit!!! Go Tuesday!
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In other nutsacky news, Jon Powell, the composer of the non-existant theme for X3, is apparently doing the score for
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but then again I forget when I started trying to be clever and where I'm really just stoopid. Then again, I've twixed nethers while riding in Y's, Warnagler too. Hmm
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So yeah....a bit of an age gap in our respective experiences.
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good to see things are in full swing here at the tbs.i remember being scared of the face melting as well but i was more horrified by the dinner scene and the bugs in the tunnel scene from temple of doom. im more of a pussy when it comes to bugs and spiders and the like. i still cant watch that scene in the tunnels to this day without it making my skin crawl. i had to drop exterminators for similar reasons. and heath its inconvenient but we all got it anyways. speaking of nutsacks warren g dropped a cool rhyme on one of his early songs-"I was in baghdad before these little youngsters was in they daddy's bag" it just reminded me of that.on comics, i just read the lates ultimate spidey and goddamn it was good! i was going to drop this title from my monthlies and just wait till the trades came out since a new arc just started. i picked up the first issue out of curiosity and i think im still hoooked! ultimate blade and ultimate morbius kick ass! and of course the usual top notch writing and art that i love is still in place. this is comic crack!
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: ( - They're going to have a 616, Blade ongoing soon. Written by the guy who's writing Wolverine currently, Guggenheim.
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that sounds pretty sweet! i love the blade character and all the mytholgy associated. the movies rock too
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When's the Blade show premiering? Oh, Sticky Fingaz
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sans the roaches and rats and racoons and fat ladies and, and
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i appreciate it! gods i sound like a little bitch but seriously bugs creep me out! fat bitches dont bother me too much.also i cant wait for the blade show! and werent they going to do a nightstalkers show as well?
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id also love to see an invincible animated.speaking of shows i keep seeing these statues and maquettes advertised for star wars animated and they seem to feature characters from the OT. is there a new star wars cartoon coming out?has anyone heard about this? oh please be true,please be true!
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I think there's going to be a continuation of Tartovsky's, Clone Wars
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Is this a TP worth buying? The artwork looks like a bit of a mess. I'm wondering if it's required/recommended reading before I get into the new New Avengers first TP. ***** I have faith in a Wolverine movie so long as Hugh Jackman doesn't jump ship. And if he jumps, pray Russell Crowe takes over. ***** Watching Poseidon was like watching a glossy floating turd bobbing up and down in rough seas ...
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sounds mighty cool! im a huge star wars nerd so im there! i miss samurai jack too! hey season 3 just came out on dvd! and venture brothers!god i wish there was more hours in a day or less work in the ones there is!dreg i havetn read it but the general opinion on this board is its crap.
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That's the general opinion towards Disassembled. Wolverine will be Jackman. He's producing the flick. I haven't seen Venture Brothers. I feel uninformed. Please inform me?
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Tho' that would be totally sexy. No, i was attending my friend Felipe's band rehearsal and my cousins and me got up to play some punk songs and that was, sadly, it.
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I bought it after getting into New Avengers (have all issues now), and it helped me out a lot because it also explained the beginnings of House of M. I've only read through it once though
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Jack Nicholson circa 1978. Give him the hair and get him buffed... he's Logan.
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this sums it up http://tinyurl.com/f4nso
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venture bros...utterly fantastic...probably my favorite show on cartoon network...wait it's jl/jlu...i forgot that it showed on cn...they treated it so "well"...bastards.
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ever been posted on a wednesday...i'm still reeling from going to this site at 6 am and voila...assholes are running about.
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@$$holes running about at six in the morning. Gotta luv 'em.
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