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AICN COMICS REVIEWS THE THING! PUNISHER! BIG EYES FOR THE CAPE GUY! INDIE JONES AND MORE!!!
#5 | 06/01/06 | align=right> #5 |
Hey folks, Ambush Bug here. We try to shy away from intros in this here column because we know you want to get right to the reviews, but every now and then, a few introductory words are in order. Let’s face it: I don’t know too many people who have picked up a comic book for the first time as an adult. Usually, it is somewhere during our childhood that we are turned on to these fantastic monthly mythologies. I remember reading my first book at seven and talking my father’s ear off about it until he bought me more just to shut me the hell up. Since that day, I was hooked. Now, I know we all like to justify our four color addictions by calling them serious fiction and intellectualizing them ad nauseum. But let’s face it. These are kiddie books and we’re all kids at heart. Every time you crack open that new comic, you’re taken back to your childhood and I’m not afraid to admit, this is a refreshing feeling that is one of the main reasons I still read comics in my thirties. That’s why I am very excited about our first review.
Although, in the late nineties, the government issued a secret order that the @$$holes are not allowed to reproduce in a pre-emptive strike against an uprising in loud and opinionated online blatherings and a possible vicious coup, some of us have fallen through the cracks and actually spawned some offspring. Professor Challenger Jr. is one of the next generation of @$$holes. He’s eleven and our first review in this week’s column is his first review ever. I hope to hear more from this fresh, new talent, and you all should remember that one day, not too long ago, you too were reading comics for the first time. With all of us adults gabbing it up about comics, it’s nice to hear a new voice from an untapped population in online reviewing: the kiddies.
Now I just have to get over the guilt I’m feeling every time I toss out swears and lewd references to my pants in a review.
(Click title to go directly to the review)
THE THING #7
THE PUNISHER: THE TYGER ONE SHOT
Comics Catch-up presents DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON, IRON MAN: THE INEVITABLE, and SON OF M
Big Eyes for the Cape Guy presents NO MAN’S LAND Vol. 1 and 2
Big Eyes for the Cape Guy presents DRAGON HEAD V.2
Big Eyes for the Cape Guy presents BASILISK V.1
Indie Jones presents SCATTERBRAIN #2
Indie Jones presents DAISY KUTTER: THE LAST TRAIN
Indie Jones presents ARTESIA: BESIEGED #1
Indie Jones presents…
THE THING #7
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Kieron Dwyer
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Prof. Jr.
Editorial Note: The following review is submitted by the 11 year-old son of "Prof. Challenger." It's his first time ever trying something like this but he loves Slott's THE THING comic so much, he asked if he could write up a review of the latest. A shout-out request to the Talk-Backers to take all that into account if you feel like commenting on his work. Thank you. Now, on with the review.
Okay people, I read this THING comic, and it is soooooo funny. This is about Ben giving Alicia a big birthday surprise. He knows that the "Venus de Milo" is her favorite work of art. So he takes her back in time to see . . . oh, sorry Alicia *ahem* be there when Alexandros finishes it. As you can probably imagine, it doesn't go exactly the way Ben planned it.
For example, Ben meets Hercules back in ancient Greece. Herc thinks Ben is a "rocky troll," and tries to protect Alicia from him, so they get in a huge fight! And since Alicia was able to predict Ben saying "It's Clobberin' Time!" they thought she was a blind oracle.
Now to the serious stuff. I thought this comic was cool because it was kind of like a bonding between Ben and Alicia. I'm not saying that Arlo isn't still Alicia's boyfriend, but Ben realizes that he can still be her very good friend. And about the art, Kieron Dwyer was very good. I could hardly tell a difference between him and Andrea DiVito. Anyway, that is what I thought of this comic.
THE PUNISHER: THE TYGER ONE-SHOT
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: John Severin
Publisher: Marvel MAX
Reviewer: Sleazy G
I’ve spoken here before about how happy I am with the work Garth Ennis has done since THE PUNISHER was relaunched as a MAX title. He’s had a demonstrably more mature approach that proved he was finally taking both the character and his work on the title more seriously, and as a result the series was a vast improvement over its previous incarnation. There has been the occasional slip-up—I didn’t much care for the BORN miniseries—but for the most part, I’ve been impressed.
THE TYGER, though, is something else altogether. I’ve always known that if Ennis jettisoned the more childish and scatological aspects of his writing, or at least exorcised them in the right sorts of projects, he would be capable of truly impressive work. I’ve enjoyed much of what he did, but sometimes felt as though some of his impulses were holding him back as a writer. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the eternally delayed CITY LIGHTS because I thought that was where he would finally get the chance to truly prove himself.
Imagine my surprise, then, to find him proving himself right here in a dismally underpromoted PUNISHER one-shot. Ennis once again explores a formative experience in Frank Castle’s past, peeling back the layers of the character and helping us understand how he became what he is today. Unlike other stories of its type, though, this one reaches back much further. I don’t recall ever having glimpsed Frank at such a young age before, and while a ten year old Frank is certainly more innocent than the one we know went to Vietnam, we learn here that his life has already been touched by too much ugliness. Frank’s parents are clearly blue collar, and hard working, and loving, and good people at their core. At times, though, there’s a hardness that comes through: the hardness that comes from being beaten down and taken advantage of for so long that it’s the only way to respond to your situation.
Frank isn’t completely broken at so tender an age, though. Ennis reveals him to have been a sensitive soul, a quick study who loved to read and enjoy poetry—a side his mother nurtures over his father’s objections. There’s a poetry class Frank is allowed to tag along to, and he usually goes with a friend—a neighborhood girl a few years older than her that all the guys in the neighborhood have a crush on. In the end, something terrible happens to her, the kind of thing usually discussed in hushed tones. Frank himself is helpless to do anything, but he watches as the girl’s brother exacts the kind of vengeance Frank later comes to embrace himself.
The title of the one-shot comes, of course, from the well-known William Blake poem of the same name. In the hands of a lesser writer, it use would be clichéd: either overplayed until we’re beaten over the head with it or underplayed to the point where it held little meaning. Not so in this case, however. Rather than just use the poem as a framing device, it plays a very specific part here. While in the poetry class Frank suggests a reading of the poem whereby the tiger was not created by God, but by someone more likely to create the dark things in the world. The priest conducting the discussion assures him this can’t be the case, but Frank chooses to pursue his own beliefs on the subject, and we see him do so again at a museum. Even as a child, he has both a fear of and an appreciation for predators, and in time comes to view himself as one of them: not among God’s creatures, but rather born of something far more sinister.
THE TYGER is more than just a major accomplishment for the author, however: it is also among the most beautifully illustrated books I’ve bought in recent memory. John Severin is a legend in the field, but I’m not old enough to have encountered much of the work that earned him that reputation. I’ve been impressed with some of the work he’s done on westerns like DESPERADOES over the last few years, able to see his gift for storytelling there. Nothing else I’ve seen him do thus far could possibly have prepared me for what I found here. The postures, the emotions the characters put across, the play of shadows and light are all transcendent. This is clearly the work of a master, and even the most wretched of stories would have been worth buying just to have the art on hand to flip through again and again. I lack the training and vocabulary needed to describe what Severin does here, and it’s a damned shame. All I can say is that he uses some sort of technique which makes much of the backgrounds and details look almost engraved. Honestly, I just feel woefully underequipped to describe just how fantastic this issue is. Just pick it up and flip through it and you’ll see that it’s so unique, so distinctive, that it’s unlike anything else you’ll buy this year.
I really am awestruck by just how impressive THE TYGER really is. If anyone had ever told me that so powerful and impressive a piece of work would come from a book featuring The Punisher—a character I’ve bought for going on two decades—I would have laughed outright. The combination of Garth Ennis and John Severin has proved me wrong here with a thoughtful, heartfelt and startling look at the character. What I found here was completely unexpected and absolutely amazing. This is easily the best Punisher story I’ve ever read. That Marvel has done so little to support it prior to release is completely beyond me, and must be disheartening to the creators who put so much into this issue. If you have ever been interested in The Punisher, you owe it to yourself to pick this issue up—it’s well worth the $4.99 price tag. If you’re not someone who’s paid much attention to Frank Castle, I think you’ll probably like this issue anyway since all but a handful of pages are set in the character’s past, prior to his vigilante existence. I simply can’t recommend THE TYGER highly enough—it’s easily the most unexpected thing I’ve come across from one of the major publishers this year.
It happens to me all of the time. As the responsibilities of the real world rear their ugly heads, the stack of comics on my bed stand grows. Pretty soon, I end up having to take an entire afternoon to read entire arcs or, in this case, entire miniseries. Or sometimes, the voices from the Talkbacks (or are those the voices in my head?…sometimes I’m not sure) are loud enough to make me go out and search for a few issues of a comic I don’t normally read. That, my friends, is when I deem it time for yet another Comics Catch-Up…miniseries-stylee.
THREE RECENT MARVEL MINISERIES WORTH CHECKING OUT!
DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #1-5
#6 to be released next month.
Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art: Khari Evans (pencils) and Jimmy Palmiotti (inks)
IRON MAN: THE INEVITABLE #1-6
Writer: Joe Casey
Art: Frazer Irving
SON OF M #1-6
Writer: David Hine
Art: Roy Allen Martinez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Catcher-upper: Ambush Bug
As frustrated as I am with Marvel these days, what with their mainstream titles lacking in almost every thing that ever attracted me to the company’s characters in the first place, Marvel has been producing a handful of pretty interesting miniseries in the last few months. Three of them are just coming to a close and I thought this would be a good time to catch up with them and point out what makes these miniseries so much better than their ongoing brethren.
First on tap is DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON, following the sassy adventures of the Marvel Universe’s own bail bondswomen, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. One’s a street tough ex-cop with a bionic arm, the other’s one of the world’s most dangerous samurais. Together they work to bring in the Marvel U’s criminals to court. Everything I know about the world of bail bondsmen comes from watching JACKIE BROWN and those who love the retro-70’s vibe from Tarantino’s films will definitely have to check out this miniseries. Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (who are kicking all sorts of @$$ at DC with JONAH HEX) bring the same kind of excitement to this series as the Daughters of the Dragon bound through the Marvel U in search of criminals on the run.
What makes this miniseries stand out is the way it completely enmeshes the vast cast of characters of the Marvel Universe into the story. Like the legal firm in Dan Slott’s amazing SHE-HULK series, this premise is ripe with potential and limitless possibilities. Virtually any villain in the Marvel U, be they Orca, Rhino, or Humbug, can be clients of Wing and Knight. And despite the fact that they are not major power players, they hold their own with sass, confidence, and attitude.
It also helps to have friends like Iron Fist (Misty Knight’s boyfriend) around as back-up. Palmiotti and Gray give this book the same type of incorporated universe feel that Geoff Johns did so well in JSA and Dan Slott does in his Marvel books. You don’t have to know the Punisher’s whole story when he makes an appearance in issue #5, just that he’s a madman vigilante who has no problem helping out the Daughters--a fact clearly shown as the Punisher leisurely walks past the blood-soaked sheet covered corpse of a person he just finished torturing while talking with Wing and Knight. Issue five also shines when the Daughters pay a visit to see the Mole Man allowing him to try to woo them with this line:
”The Mole Man has so much bling and no one to share it with.”
To which, Misty Knight responds:
”Please…don’t say bling…ever again.”
This miniseries is filled with fun moments like this.
The only criticism I have of this book has to do with the clothing styles Wing and Knight sport. It’s not that they aren’t cool looking, because they are. They’re probably the best dressed super powered bailbondswomen in the Marvel U. I guess it is just that the styles are so trendy that not only does it make you feel uncool as you read it, but it automatically dates the book as wholly embracing the “this just in” style of the moment. I get the same annoyed feeling when I see the uber-stylish clothes the RUNAWAYS run around in. They’re children…living on the street…and yet they dress as if they walked straight out of IN STYLE magazine.
I dunno. Maybe I’m just getting old.
But in the end, the modern stylings just add to the appeal of this book. It’s a hipper, trendier BIRDS OF PREY with SHE-HULK sensibilities. With a mixture like that this miniseries is proving to be great and an intriguing prequel to the upcoming HEROES FOR HIRE series featuring the same cast.
Next on the list is IRON MAN: THE INEVITABLE. I reviewed an issue of this series a while back and told you all that this is the IRON MAN comic you all should be buying, and not Warren Ellis’ annoyingly late and overly-deconstructed run that restarted the ongoing series. THE INEVITABLE follows a determined Stark as he fights to save the life of a fellow scientist and find what’s left of his former nemesis, the Living Laser. Along the way, Spymaster and the Ghost team up to cause Stark more problems.
The true draw of this series is the art and design work by the talented artist Frazer Irving. His work has been seen in DC’s KLARION THE WITCH BOY, but although I recognized the talent in the brush-like panels of that miniseries, it wasn’t until this series that I stood up and really took notice of his talent. I love the way Irving uses real patterns to give a three dimensional feel to the walls and surfaces. Irving draws some truly bizarre humans. His organic forms give me an uneasy feeling--a feeling that disappears when the armor goes on and you enter the world of the tech. In a book like IRON MAN, this is an aspect that is welcome since Tony Stark himself often feels more comfortable with his machines than humans.
Writer Joe Casey throws in just about everything that makes Stark one of Marvel’s coolest characters into this series. Casey remembers Stark loves the ladies, has to avoid the drink, and is very much a man struggling for control over his world and his body. He’s an impulsive genius who often overtaxes himself and has control issues. All of this is perfectly illustrated as the search for the Living Laser continues and the Spymaster and the Ghost play their hands. This miniseries embraces Iron Man’s rogues and casts them as powerful foes, something the regular ongoing has failed to do for ages.
The final issue of this series ended a bit abruptly for me. The Living Laser was taken care of a bit too quickly and the red herring regarding the fallen female scientist never really came to fruition to my satisfaction. But this miniseries deserves recognition due to its amazing visuals and complete understanding of the character.
Last, but definitely not least, is SON OF M. I wasn’t initially interested in this series, but after hearing requests from the TBs, I decided to take a gander to see what all of the hubbub was about. I had liked David Hine’s take on DISTRICT X enough to have faith in the writing, but HOUSE OF M left such a bad taste in my mouth, I swore off any spin-offs like the plague. Turns out I shouldn’t have stayed away from this series because it was one of my favorites so far this year.
I can only liken this miniseries to the experience I had when I saw the movie PLEASANTVILLE. Although the stories are nothing alike, as both stories unfolded, pleasant surprise turned to sheer enjoyment and then to complete awe. SON OF M starts out small but ends, quite literally, with a bang heard around the entire Marvel Universe.
After the HOUSE OF M, the Scarlet Witch obliterated the powers of most of the mutants in the Marvel U, including her brother, Quicksilver. Quicksilver has always been an arrogant shit. Although he was an Avenger and a member of X-Factor, no one besides his family really liked him very much. Even his marriage to Crystal the Elemental Inhuman fell to pieces. Writer David Hine understands Pietro Maximoff’s history and incorporates it into this story of a stubborn, proud, and flawed hero with good intentions. Now slow as the rest of the humans, Pietro wants at first to end his life, and when that is foiled by Spider-Man, he decides to go on a quest to get his powers back. This quest leads him on a trip to the Blue Area of the Moon and the island of Genosha (where the events of HOUSE OF M took place).
Like the first two miniseries in this Catch-Up, this miniseries builds on the histories of the characters and highlights the Marvel Universe to be a fascinating place filled with imaginative characters with rich histories. As the drama unfolds, Quicksilver steals the Terrigen Mists and his daughter, Luna, from the moon. Turns out the Mists can spark the mutant gene snuffed out by the Scarlet Witch. Like an illegal drug smuggler, Pietro tries to convince the powerless mutants that he can restore their powers and their place as the next step in human evolution. All the while, Pietro is oblivious to the effect this new quest has on his daughter ,who is quickly becoming addicted to the Mists herself.
Hine casts Pietro as a desperate man in need of a quest. Throughout this miniseries, Pietro assumes many roles: father, outcast, husband, deceiver, misguided hero, and possible future threat to the entire Earth. It is a complex and adult tale, picking up the pieces of a mess of a crossover and making it interesting.
As this miniseries came to an end, I found my self saying, “Holy shit! This is major some shit going on right here!” What started out as a small story about one desperate man quickly unspiraled into something that could have huge ramifications of the Marvel U. Hopefully, Hine is connected to whatever story will unfurl from this miniseries because he did one hell of a job with this one.
Along with Michael Oeming’s ARES miniseries, these Marvel’s miniseries are the place to go for great action, humor, interconnectedness, and everything else that makes comics cool. Although their mainstream titles may be mired down by ego, crisscrosses, and flash, these miniseries offer more of an intimate look at the Marvel U and utilize that universe to the potential it deserves. I’m sure all of these minis will be compiled as trades, so if you don’t want to dig into the back bins, do yourself a favor and check them out.
NO MAN’S LAND Volumes 1 and 2
Writer:Jason DeAngelis
Art by: Jennyson Rosero
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Reviewed by superhero
Well it looks like it’s certainly going to be western central in my corner this week because I just happened to come across another great comic in that genre recently. While this book isn’t as terrific as DAISY KUTTER, NO MAN’S LAND certainly deserves a place at the table where all great comic series go to eat.
If anyone’s read the book PRIEST from Tokyopop they’ll find NO MAN’S LAND familiar territory. In NML we’re introduced to a lone gunman wandering the Old West with a mission to hunt down demons and terminate them. But where PRIEST can sometimes come off as a bit jumbled and convoluted NO MAN’S LAND excels with some clear and straightforward storytelling. While the first volume of the series isn’t as compelling as the second book NO MAN’S LAND is a great read straight from the get go. Most of this is because many of the big reveals in the story arc take place in book two with book one being mostly setup for the feel of the whole series. Either way the first chapter of NO MAN’S LAND was good enough on its own to make me keep an eye out and actually purchase book two so the creators of this book must’ve been doing something right.
The art in NO MAN’S LAND is extremely well done and highly professional. Jennyson Rosero is extremely, and I mean extremely, talented. His work is crisp and detailed and crackles with an energy that only some of the best manga artists have. My only quibble with his art would be with some of the storytelling in the first volume. While his style certainly is flashy there are certain sequences that suffer because the pace of the story loses its flow. In my opinion this is mostly due to the fact that Rosero seems to be more focused on dazzling readers with flashy panel setups and angles than just telling a story. But by volume two all of my qualms went out the window as Rosero’s style seemed to mature and his flashy technique took a back seat and allowed his storytelling skill to shine. Rosero is truly going to be one of the hottest new artists out there and you heard it here first.
As I said before, NO MAN’S LAND really grabbed me with the second volume and that’s because writer Jason DeAngelis crafts one of the more interesting origin stories for a mystical gunslinger I’ve ever read. He smartly incorporates real life historical events and mixes them with some truly outlandish fiction so that while the story is obviously not based in any kind of history it still feels like it could be. This was something that I really appreciated about the story. It seemed that while the writer was crafting a tale of the supernatural he still took the time to research the history during which the book took place. It helps make NO MAN’S LAND a really interesting read in more ways than one. The second book is also where the characters really begin to develop and motives are brought to the forefront. It’s the second book where DeAngelis’s writing talent manages to shine. While the first book is good the second volume graduates to truly great.
In short, it seems to me that this book just gets better as it goes along. Hopefully the third volume will increase this story’s trend of just getting better with each volume. Unfortunately, according to the publisher’s website the third volume isn’t due until 2007! What the f#$k??? Oh, well, if the third book is as entertaining as the first two were hopefully it’ll be worth the wait.
DRAGON HEAD V. 2
Story and Art by Minetaro Mochizuki
Publisher: Tokyopop
Bug Guy for the Cape Eyes: Ambush Bug
This is my first Manga review.
I’ve never been in this corner of @$$hole HQ before.
Hm…
…kinda roomy.
After reading the positive review of the first volume of DRAGON HEAD here in the Big Eyes section, I was prompted to buy my first Manga comic ever. It was the premise described in that review that nabbed me by the short and curlies and prompted me to search it out. As soon as I finished Volume One, I read that issue two was available and as quick as you can say “Bug has impulse control problems” I was in my comics store, Volume Two in hand, and ready for a second course.
What I love about this book is the sense of horror and mystery that permeates every panel. Three young adults are the sole survivors of a train wreck. The tunnel they were traveling through has collapsed. There are hints that some major shit is happening outside of the tunnel (the radio keeps popping in and out about some kind of emergency and one of the students noticed a change in the color of the sky before entering the tunnel), but no one knows for sure what’s going on. These three kids are trapped in the darkness and they are going mad.
That’s the premise. It’s simple and beautiful and horrifyingly effective all at once.
While Volume One sets up the situation, Volume Two sits back and lets the madness pour out all over our characters as they succumb to hopelessness, despair, madness, and the dark unknowns that tear at their minds in this dire situation. As the aftershocks of what the kids believe to be the earthquake that caused the cave in rumble around them, as the temperature inside the tunnel rises, and the amount of food dwindles, and the smell of the rotting bodies around them begin to reek, these three kids are literally tearing themselves apart.
I loved this book for its bleakness. This is some truly dark shit happening. It’s a maddening experience for the reader as well because you are trapped with these kids in this tunnel, not knowing what caused the collapse, if and when a rescue party will arrive, or if there is a world out there waiting for these kids if they do survive this experience.
All I know is that I’m hooked. This is an intense read. A real nail-biter. Deliciously drenched in evil and darkness. Writer Minetaro Mochizuki makes that tunnel a literal hell on Earth for these kids and it’s one place I can’t wait to return to in Volume Three.
BASILISK V.1
Original Story: Futaro Yamada
Creator: Masaki Segawa
Publisher: Del Rey
Reviewer: Dan Grendell
"This battle will decide the next Tokugawa Shogun."
I'm a fan of manga set in feudal Japan. It's just a favorite setting of mine, so stories set there have an initial boost for me right out of the gate. Not to say I love them all - just check out my review of LADY SNOWBLOOD if you think that - but they do have a higher base level of interest for me than many other stories. BASILISK is set in a very popular time of Japanese history, the rule of the first Tokugawa shogun, and it features some famous characters from history - Hanzo Hattori, head of the Tokugawa ninja, and Munenori Yagiyuu, Tokugawa fencing instructor.
The basic plot is an interesting one. Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose two sons are each building their own faction and preparing to succeed him, needs a way to decide between them - so rather than waste samurai fighting, he breaks the truce between the Iga and Kouga ninja sects and decrees that ten ninja from each will fight. Each sect fights for a son, and whichever wins determines who will be his heir. Of course, there are no rules, because they are ninja, so what follows immediately is the death of the head of each sect - and the game is on!
An extra wrinkle is that the heirs to each ninja sect are in love and betrothed, and their marriage was intended to bring peace to the two sects - but that peace is gone now. However, only some members of each sect are aware that the truce is over, so betrayals and ambushes are the order of the day. And, of course, each ninja has his own special technique that is really cool. Glue-spitting, razor-threads, throat-spears, stretching, skin control, all sorts of really cool stuff make this manga a fun read and make each battle sweet.
Segawa's art is pretty good at showing all of the different ninja techniques, although some of them get lost in the various speed lines and blood splashes and the like. It is easy to tell each ninja apart, as they are drawn in outrageous ways, and have different personalities that show on their faces. The artwork does a good job of adding to the story instead of taking from it.
Overall, like the anime NINJA SCROLL, BASILISK does a good job of delivering cool ninja battles with interesting techniques. It’s also an interesting story, and is well worth a look.
SCATTERBRAIN #2
Writer: Brendan Deneen
Artist: Szymon Kudranski
Publisher: Markosia
Reviewer: Prof. Challenger
I gave SCATTERBRAIN #1 an enthusiastic review awhile back. So, I'm not going to just repeat what I said there. But issue #2 holds up the quality and drives this intense storyline forward. It's clearly marked on the covers with a "mature readers" label, and it deserves it. The violence is harsh, the language filthy, and the world presented so dark and unforgiving. I find this comic to be a gripping tale in the tradition of film noir but while the mystery and the mood move the plot along, the real reason why this comic resonates with me is the characters and the way they interact with each other. I'm not talking about flippant "...the hell?" type nonsense, but dialogue that rings true to the characters and not to the schtick of the writer.
Deneen appeared to be so bold in the first issue as to kill off the title character on the last page. Not to give away what follows from that shocking scene, but he continues the storytelling device here wherein the title character is not someone who the reader is given any real insight into. But his mere existence is the force that pulls these different characters together. I find it a very mature way to tell what is, in effect, a super-hero story, but it's more like UNBREAKABLE by way of CHINATOWN or SCARFACE. Every character is just slightly mad, whether hero or villain and the decidedly unsettling artwork by Kudranski perfectly complements that perspective. Expressive and unyieldingly brutal when necessary.
For those who have read that first issue and are curious about the second, I will say that the villainous Shroud has a lot of page time and for some reason, I had this image pop into my head and I kept seeing and hearing him as if he were being portrayed by Frank Langella with that Skeletor mask he wore in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Har! That kind of helped balance out the disturbing creepiness of the character. Deneen reveals quite a bit more about the son of our anti-hero, Det. Anderfold. We knew the kid was screwed up in issue #1, but I was a bit taken aback by discovering how screwed up he really is. The scenes with Anderfold and his wife (both of whom were shown maintaining blatant extra-marital affairs in issue #1) are effective because they illustrate the deep emotional connection that a married couple has with each other - even when the relationship has been adulterated. Pretty deep insight for a fairly new writer.
One last thing. Both of these SCATTERBRAIN comics that I've read have been very dense in story and art. In other words, the quick little skim through that a lot of Marvel and DC get from me just doesn't cut it for this comic. It requires actually sitting down and giving it a good read through. You won't regret it. It's very good stuff.
DAISY KUTTER: THE LAST TRAIN
Written and Illustrated by: Kazu Kibuishi
Published by: Viper Comics
Reviewed by superhero
It’s just great when I come across a book that is a perfect representation of sequential art. When I read a graphic novel/comic book that is the pinnacle of characterization, storytelling and art I just giggle with glee. It makes me so happy to come across a book that exemplifies the best in its class and make no mistake about it DAISY KUTTER: THE LAST TRAIN is one of the best comics I’ve ever read. Period.
When I came across this book at the Alternative Press Expo the first thing that sucked me in was the art. This book is just great to look at. Kibuishi’s free flowing and cartoony style brings out the best in every panel. His storytelling is superb. His pacing is fantastic. His character design is endearing. Reading this book is an almost filmic experience. The pages and panels flow easily throughout the book keeping the narrative tight. Kazu Kibuishi knows how to put pen to paper (as well as lay out gray tones) and every page of this book shows off his mastery at storytelling. This book is a joy to look at.
But it’s not enough that the cartoonish style of the book sucked me right in, the story in and of itself is terrific as well. DAISY KUTTER is an old school western at its best. It’s a western the way great westerns have always been done. It’s got a hard nosed yet identifiable character as its protagonist who’s on a mission to find herself in a world that may not have room for her anymore. Daisy Kutter is a former outlaw trying to go straight despite every fiber of her being fighting against it. During the course of the story she loses everything to a bad round of cards and is forced to face the fact that she may have to pull one last job to pull herself out of the hole she got herself into.
Sure, this may not seem like the most original plot to a western but Kibuishi breathes so much life into his main character and her world that I couldn’t help but love everything about it from the moment I opened its pages. THE LAST TRAIN is a book that is as entertaining as comics can get. It’s got everything that a comic book could ever want and more. Trust me on this one. It’s a straight up entertaining and heart tugging read that’ll leave you appreciating the medium of comics more than you did when you began reading the book. This book is a classic waiting for its audience to discover it. Find it by any means necessary and then tell all of your friends all about it.
ARTESIA: BESIEGED #1
Creator: Mark Smylie
Publisher: Archaia Studios Press
Reviewer: Bated-Breathed Dan Grendell
"In our fear, we forget that we already know the only way home is through VICTORY."
I have been waiting for this comic for two years. Mark Smylie's ARTESIA series is as good as it gets in fantasy comics, and each time I hear even a whisper of the next chapter I get excited. The stories of the warrior-priestess Artesia, haunted by spirits and leading her troops against an incredible army, are grim, exciting, and as sensual as satin sheets. It's a mix that takes a perfect balance, and Smylie nails it. Like nothing I have read before, ARTESIA truly creates the feel of a medieval world where spirits exist, magic is terrible, religion rules people's lives (and not just some insubstantial Gods, but true religions with incredible detail) and the strong and strong-willed dominate.
This is the first issue of the fourth mini-series, but don't worry - the first three are all available in trade and well worth it. Though the sheer number of names getting tossed around can get confusing, there is a short essay about some aspect of the world at the end of each issue to help clear things up. At the end of the third series, Artesia and her soldiers managed to gain safety for the city they were in - the attacker gave his word. They are, however, trapped there. This issue sees them having to deal with the boredom of what is essentially a siege, keeping people from fighting amongst themselves and planning their next move. At the end of the issue, an actual attacker appears - but it is not the one Artesia expected.
Characterizations make this issue, as there is little actual action. Smylie shows Artesia taking refuge in the realms of the flesh - as one of the goddesses she is a priestess of is Dieva, who rules physical pleasures and sex, this makes complete sense. The Baroness of the city retreats into her tower, away from everyone. Old clan-feuds break out among soldiers. The wealthy grumble about food. And the Sultan who swore not to attack tries to spy. I take that back: even with no actual fighting, there is a ton of action.
What really makes the ARTESIA series shine is Smylie's painted artwork (ten page preview). Full of detail and color, but always somewhat muted, it gives the feel of a darker time - and I mean that not just as a time when things were bad but when there were no electric lights - perfectly. Emotions seem stronger, colors seem richer - the colors chosen are spectacular. If ARTESIA were illustrated any other way, it would lose much of its impact.
ARTESIA isn't just your standard fantasy story - it's a comic that stays with you after you've read it, and draws you back again. I rank it among the best I've ever read.
WAR OF THE WORLDS: SECOND WAVE #3
BOOM! Studios
I’ve mentioned how this book surprised me with it’s second issue and it continues to be a really great read, but this time I have to point out artist Chee’s true skill with the pencil and masterful ability to convey emotion and work with the writer to turn in some of the best use of sequential art I’ve read in a while. Silent beat panels are commonplace these days in comics, but Chee nails the facial expressions so well in this issue that the writer doesn’t need to say a word. I know people label Kevin Maguire and Steve Dillon as the masters of modern facial expressions in comics, but Chee beats all of them with his light, feathery brush strokes and pencil shadings. This series is turning to be a real surprise hit in terms of art and storytelling. - Ambush Bug
ZOMBIES!: FEAST #1
IDW Publishing
Y’all knows, I’s loves me some zombies! If it’s got rotting flesh and a hankerin’ for cerebellum, I’m all over it like leprosy. Zombies in space. Zombie soap operas. Zombies on a MUTHERFUCKIN’ PLANE! I don’t care where you put zombies, they’re damn cool to me. This first issue jumps right into the action as a busload of hardened criminals crashes and three guards are stuck walking their prisoners through a desolate forest. They’re oblivious to the fact that the dead are walking and eating, but they find out soon enough when they come across an inviting farmhouse that turns out to be anything but. I could have used a little more exposition in this one distinguishing the criminals and the guards from one another. That way, I’d care who gets it and actually feel a little for these prisoners in peril. Right now, there’s bearded guy and black guy, and black bearded guy, and skinhead dude, and that cop, and that other cop. Not much by way of characterization, but the action is pretty intense and the set-up for next issue may lead to some more distinguishing characteristics in our cast. Writer Shane McCarthy knows his zombie formulas and sets things up pretty nicely. The fact that the inmates are chained to one another is a plot device ripe with potential in this zombie populated story. An impressive first issue in a Walter Hill movie type of way. - Ambush Bug
LEADING MAN #1
ONI Press
What if Tom Cruise was really a spy and the fact that he stars in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movies is just a clever ruse to cover his tracks? That’s kind of what the premise of ONI press’ new miniseries is. It’s the kind of lighthearted title that seems to be on the upswing in the current market. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s not a ton of grim and grittiness. It’s a fun romp with some of the most vividly realistic artwork I’ve seen in a long time by Jeremy Haun. He’s definitely got a Tony Harris/Cully Hamner feel to his lines and shadework. The copy I read was in black and white and I can’t wait to get a look at his work in full color. I like the way writer B. Clay Moore chose to wait and let the audience find out the blurred lines between the film industry and world of espionage and how they intersect, overlap, and cover for one another in the main character Nick Walker’s complicated life. He’s your average flighty Hollywood actor…or is he? This is the question posed in this first establishing issue. An impressive issue, at that. - Ambush Bug
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.
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'Nuff said.
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it pays to have a worthless job on the graves!
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i use to hate that character, he was a hypocrite. Ennis knows the Punisher is a psycho-asshole.
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Prof. Challenger's kid has better reading comprehension skills than his old man. I say use him instead from now on.
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so true
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I really enjoy the "scatalogical" element in Ennis' work. I always felt that, while extreme, the mayhem and random atrocity in his books had a certain ring of truth. But I agree that it is not always necessary, and am glad that he now seems to make sure everything serves the story (or title) more than his tastes/impulses. For the record I actually thought Born was extraordinary too, and (as this one seems to) tied into a broader theme in the Max series Punisher that Frank had perverted his family's death into something terrible. It's an inspired and original take on what was originally a pretty useless character.
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Two great Punisher one-shots that Marvel failed to publicize. There was some News-a-rama interviews for The Tyger when it was first announced, but that's all I ever saw. It was first said to be coming last winter. I don't think it was solicited then, but there was a bit of a delay. A friend who reads the Max series doesn't even know it came out and doesn't know I have it for me. He'll be happy. The story and execution was really great. I liked how my brain worked out what was going on in those all-black pages. Confusion to revelation, was a neat trick. -- I wouldn't have thot the "Dragon" mini at Marvel could have been any good. I think I'll put the collection on my list.
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But kudos last week on the Judge Dredd reviews. It is definitely one of the most underappreciated books ever. Interesting, exciting and funny. I've managed to chase down full funs of the Eagle and Quality series, and I've always wondered why there weren't sequential-type trades to help new readers catch up with all of Dredd's past. And, interesting review on the Punisher special. I've never been impressed with Ennis on Punisher. The first 12-issue mini pretty much sucked, but I did enjoy Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe. But, it definitely sounds like he's on a better track now.
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Actually, there is the hint that the vigilante act bookending the flashback is not in the present day, but years ago and one of the first he committed. He states that 1960 (the flashback) was 16 years ago, placing his mob hit in '76, a year the MAX title has said was when hi family was killed. That's why he repeats "They'll blame it on Vietnam."
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...what's up with this "Last Planet Standing" thing?
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...if they packed more COMIC into the 7 pages they allot for the comic. Compared to Dan Slott's work, the entire of issue 3 could have taken up a lot of less space; more story and quicker. I'll page through the next issue in the store for meatiness before I decide whether it's worth shelling out my $$.
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Excellent review of "The Thing". I'd love to see more reviews like that on the site. Comics and some genre films would be better reviewed pre-irony, wide eyed, and without a life time of baggage attatched to the opinion. Great work, bubba, I hope to see more of your work.
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Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Super Man, etc. Who really gives a fuck about Zombie Storm or Dick Burglars?
The comics you schmucks review are retarded. -
Talk about your "last hero standing" the Thing is totally out of tune with the current Marvel Universe. It's like watching a mime do the "Robot" at the World Trade Site. Someone just isn't getting with the program.
Is it funny. Well, kind of. Is it well drawn. Well, no. Is it moving the Thing/Alicia relationship anywhere? No. They're still just friends. Come on guys don't most of us want to see Alica banging the big rocky guy like she used to? Haven't we all imagined poor Alicia, riding the Grimmobile, and thinking she's getting it on with The Rock? This is where the black humor of the Marvel Universe rests, my friend. Dan Shott, I respect you man, but you were born twenty years too late. -
Tyger is damn good. It's sad JoeQ. won't get behind Ennis/Punisger because Bendis and Millar ain't writing it. Fucking Asshole
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Wow, that was a damn good review of The Thing. Nice short description of the plot followed by a short opinion, and it lacked any obnoxious and overly long biographical details. Best review...ever!
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That was some dark, dark stuff. Normally I have a pretty bleak worldview and a black sense of humor, but two things I don't mess around with are stuff involving kids and sexual assault. Sad as it is, you can make beatings and killing and drug use funny and charming, but there's no reconcilliation with anything involving kids and rape.
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Clear and to-the-point. Ya even managed a blind joke.
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Although there's a little part of me that sees everything he does as a Cracked Magazine parody.
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Now I know at least one other person has read Son of M. It's really amazing stuff. I love the story, the art, the way Hine knows that Pietro is, well
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Honestly? That was a good review, maybe even a really good review. Clear, to the point, acknowledged the art and even had a blind joke
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I just received the first 3 issues of Son of M this morning. (I read 1-4) after downloading them. The ending of the series seems to lead into something huge as the reviewer here suggests... but how the hell is THIS going to get tied in the Civil War?
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The complete reason I got into this series is because of that cover.
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but SON OF M does end big and with a hook that is much more interesting than HOUSE OF M or CIVIL WAR. Like the Hulk, you don't want to see the Inhumans when they are angry. More closer to super hero stuff than those two heavy crossovers. What DRAX was to ANNIHILATION, SON OF M is to whatever happens next. Plus the development with Pietro sets him up to be a major player in the Marvel U. Can't wait to see what Peter David does with him in X-FACTOR.
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but then I realized after reading it again that things are going to get bad if something isn't given back... I haven't gotten into X-Factor yet, but it would seem that now is a good time to try it out.
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Great review! You've done a good job, and indeed, we'd like to see more. Feel free to share what your other favorite books are, it's truly great to get a first-hand feel for what younger readers enjoy. You're at the same age many of us were when we first got interested in comics. But don't despair, there is still a chance that you will turn out better than all of the rest of us!
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And that makes three who've read it. Sweet. ; )
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you know, my local comic book shop owner knows me. he knows what i like. he knows to put aside anything by Ennis, Brubaker, Casey, Kieth, Morrisson or Milligan even if i haven't expressly asked for it. but even he didn't catch Tyger, now i'll have to hunt it down. and i have to agree that the art on Iron Man: The Inevitable is utterly fantastic. it actually completely draws you into the book, creating an atmosphere, a trick i'd only seen accomplished twice before by Jae Lee on Fantastic Four 1234 and by aaron alexovitch on Serenity Rose. but credit shouldn't be taken away from Casey's writing as i do believe that this is some of the best writing he's done for a major company. and i'd like to ask if anyone here is currently reading Sam Kieth's Batman: Secrets. i'm gonna wait until the series wrapped up to pass judgement, but i do believe that this may end up being the greatest batman story ever. (hey T., hey Psy, yest, it is me, your friendly neighborhood Kitchen Staff Supervisor)
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I kind of agree with bilbo up there... did you guys miss everything last week? And if you are gonna mainly review Indies... where the hell was "The Five Fists of Science" from Image???? Or DMZ? or Y?(okay not really indies but... you get my point.) Now you guys can review whatever the hell you want, it's your column, but lately its been tons of manga, very few mainstream, especially seems like none of you are reading DC/Vertigo, or at least if you are you just don't review it. I generaly really like your column, you've even introduced me to several comics that I now read regularly, I'm just wondering where the love for mainstream comics and bigger indies went in the last few columns. Not trying to be a negative nilly just wondering...
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Nice going, sir. You're published! Keep up the good work. I appreciate your perspective. Future writings: I want to hear about the first time you ever read Fantastic Four. Also, favorite FF story ever...so far...
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I'm with you. I hate the Big Eyes and Indie Jones sections of these reviews. Actually, the Pull List section also sucks. I guess buying this stuff might earn you a look of admiration from the fatass with the goatee and button-up dragon shirt behind the counter at your local shop but I prefer fun, familiar comics. I read a lot of Vertigo too but I know enough about comics to know that that doesn't make me hip or some kind of rebel. It seems like DC and the handful of decent Marvel books have ceased to exist for these guys. I know where they're coming from though. I always shit all over bands who become too talented or too popular for my tastes. I learned long ago that reading comics will never be "cool" so I just resigned to unabashed fanboyism, reading superhero books that I actually find enjoyable instead of sampling the manga trash I see the 10-year-olds perusing at Barnes & Noble or the indie shit my emo peers enjoy. I do like Emo Boy though.
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I don't hate the Big Eyes and Indie Section, I don't read Big Eyes because my interest in Manga and Anime went away after Ghost in the Shell, but Indie is a great way to introduce readers to other stuff outside of the safe and familier. That being said, there is NOTHING wrong with the safe and familier. I love my Bats and Robin (not the all star mind you), etc, etc. But yes, it seems like the mainstream comics section is being downsized and (in my fanboy opinion, marvel focused). But once again, its their column.
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and Vertigo give me a shout. I don't have much time but I always manage to find some time for me comics. Or I could do a weekly column on Mignola. That might be a little much...
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Ennis' "Slavers" arc was even better. So if you want to see a truel talent re-define what used to be a fairly one-dimensional character, pick up the three MAX one-shots (The End, The Cell, and The Tyger) as well as the Slavers TPB.
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I think you @$$holes hit on something with the Prof Jr. review. Look at how clean and relatively upbeat the first-day TB has been. Need I say, more! Good stuff kiddo. You're apparently wowwing everyone here. Hope to see more from you in the future, as your p-o-v is a much-needed one around here.
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Arkhan!!! Dude! Have you been lurking all this time?
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There was so many great books that came out last week. Action comics, 52, Amazing Spider-Man #532, and none of them even made the quick shots. There is so much exciting stuff going on in Marvel and DC right now with their respective events, and none of it seems to be being covered. Even in the Marvel coverage, it is the side stuff.
-- Side question: Anyone think Spider-Man will do it? do what he was consideringin 532? If he does, this will be huge and I will pledge to buy every 616 Spider-man book as well as all Civil War tie ins(right now I only buy Amazing and the main Civil War from them). -
Slapstick appeared, albeit in a cameo at best, in SHE-HULK issue 8. I might be a lone in this idea, but who hopes this is signal for at least a miniseries from the Plastic Man of the Marvel U? Imagine getting Kyle Baker to write Slapstick and take on everything wrong with comics today! It would be pure brilliance that is being grossly over looked. SLAPSTICK NEEDS TO BE EVERYWHERE!!! Have him sent out on an existential quest to find what "funny" really is. Through that you can have a rotating cast of guest stars i.e. Deadpool, Spiderman, The Thing, etc. You could also make it a socially poignant book in the vein of Green Latern / Green Arrow. He could be hitting the road!!! SLAPSTICK COULD BE AWESOME!!!
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Really enjoyed your review. That does sound really funny.
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Seeing you be so positive in your responses to Prof Jr. is really refreshing and heartwarming. I was worried we'd get a bunch of ugly backlash, but instead you all really made my day. As somebody who wishes more kids were into comics, I was glad we were getting a chance to run something by one of them. It's nice to see you all be so welcoming. It's really appreciated, and I'm sure the Prof and his son will agree.
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Prof. Jr review was good. I would like to see more reviews from him covering something like All-Star Superman or Sensational Spider-Man. Or even such works like old classic Uncle Scrooge comics
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It seems like this past year has been a good time to get into the whole comic medium. whereas friends showed me X-Men comics 10 or 15 years ago. But then I realize that the mid-90's didn't bode well for comic readers because of the apparent shitty writing. So much to pick and choose from today, that you can't lose.
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Yeah - what was up with that ending? I mean, how the hell are they going to back down from this one? This was one of these issues where you just think - no matter how they resolve this it will be a disappointment but the anticipation of it is great.
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I loved everything Peter David did with Quicksilver all those years ago in his X-Factor reboot, so I'm pretty jazzed to see Pietro return in a few weeks. And I thought 'Son of M' was pretty brilliant in its slow build from the small personal tragedy of one of the MU's most textured heroes into a possible EVENT that could have honest to god ramifications. To Peter David: Don't drop the ball!!
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What if they just don't actually back down? Have him do it? It would be awesome and we'd finally get to see Peter's character move forward some. And Marvel claims that Civil War #2 will be absolutley huge with one of the biggest things to happen ever that fans will rant about for months, and that Civil War #2 is the one to own.
Could it be Spider-man will finally go public? -
Was rubbish. Ben Urich looking like a sex criminal, writing stuff like "The feeling, Jennifer recalls, that followed was a different story" Uh - what? No wonder he's an almost-award winning writer. I also like how he signs his peice "By Ben Urish Investigative Reporter" I don't know how I feel about Bendis from one week to the next. Powers one week, this shit the next....Ah Bendis, like an abusive husband you caress me with one hand and then slap me with the other.
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Make it so....(bitches).
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I'm an idiot
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As Prof Jr's very proud aunt, I just want to say thanks to all of you for your positive comments about his first review! I hope he gets to write many more reviews like this one! :)
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i need to hunt down the punisher tyger. that sounds cool. i liked the prof jr.s fresh take on comics. good review kid! keep up the great work and we might have to draft you to the cogs!
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Less Manga Eyes for the Cape Guys. I mean, how about 100 Bullets, Y, Bats, and for God's sake, what about the job Mike Carey has done with Lucifer. In fact, why the hell doesn't Carey get more props from this community?
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wasn't he one of The Kids in the Hall?
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This is what is should be! We see the power of comics here and it is good!
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Universe so great? In 1990, that would have meant being in tune with Rob Liefield, for example. Was Shott born too late or is he ahead of his time? I think he's taking comics back to their purest form while taking them into their next stage. The current state of Marvel is bloated, pretentious, under-grad serious crossovers that move at the pace of a Merchant Ivory film or a Jane Austen novel (and don't any of you tell me for one minute that you're into Merchant Ivory films or Jane Austen novels and don't bring up Stanley Kubrick because he was different and YOU know it). What you're talking about with Ben and Alicia is a relationship for inexperienced adolescents instead of well adjusted adults or innocent kids like Prof. Jr. It's not Slott who is stuck in past Cooky. I think you've set Dr. Doom's time machine for circa 1990-1995, mistaking it for 1986. I'm stuck in the past though. I remember a time when we either had mindless disco or bloated arena rock for music until a bunch of ugly guys from England took rock back to its' three chord roots. What comics need are the equivalent of a bunch of ugly guys from England. The good news is there's no shortage of ugly people who want to do comics.
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Good point about indies. I can't say I've read that many, or that I've not been turned off by the pretentiousness of quite a few, but I appreciate the fact that indie comics can stray from the expected and the formulaic and cater to tastes that are a little more out there. Anything that attracts more readers to the medium is usually a good thing. I'm not that familiar with manga or anime either (though I've been exposed to the original Ghost in the Shell film by a friend and dug it; very cyberpunk) but I think they've done great things for comics, such as bringing more girls into the fold and popularizing the digest style of TPB that I've enjoyed catching up on Runaways and Concrete with. I would hope that these changes would help win some fans for the great mainstream stuff out there but I don't know if I see a correlation. I personally feel that there's never been a better time to be a mainstream comic fan. I didn't hate House of M but I stopped reading all the Decimation off-shoots after just a couple of issues. I'll give Son of M a try in trade since I've heard such good things. I plan to do the same for Civil War and related titles since I'm spending so much currently on DC books. I know that Infinite Crisis was not very well-received around here and that DC generally gets a lot of flack from critics and fans, but I'm along for the ride and loving it. I've never bought so many monthly books before. I'll admit that they're not doing a flawless job of correlating post-IC events, but the work they're doing is far above average and I'm having a great time trying to suck up as much of the whole story as I can. I've spent $100+ in the past two months on back issues as far back as 1993 trying to get a well-rounded view of the post-COIE DC universe. The 90's were somewhat of a bad time for DC and comics in general, but I credit their current upswing with the growing competition from Marvel. No business strives harder than when they are receiving a healthy dose of competition from their primary rival. The reviews on this site aren't terrible (they're actually more competent and literate than most comic reviews I've read out there) but I wish that comic critics here and everywhere would have a little more fun with the mainstream, sit back and enjoy the ride.
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Just out from Silent Devil. Tony Fleecs is getting some good press and he's a local boy from South Dakota. Came out today (June 7th) at your LCS>
P.S. I am not Tony Fleecs, but I bought the comic, and it's gold. -
A guy walks into the local welfare office, marches straight up to the
counter and says, "Hi... You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd
really rather have a job.
The social worker behind the counter says, "This is amazing, your timing
is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who
wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful, nymphomaniac
daughter. You'll have to drive around in is Mercedes, but he'll supply
all of your clothes.
Because of the long hours, all your meals will be provided too. You'll
be expected to escort her on her overseas holiday trips. You will have
to satisfy all her sexual urges. You'll be provided a two-bedroom
apartment above the garage.
And finally, the starting salary is $200,000 a year.
The guy, wide-eyed, says, "You're bullshi**in' me!"
The social worker says, "Yeah, well... you started it..." **This shockingly clean joke is in honor of our 1st Junior @$$hole***
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... me in picking up all these cool sounding indie books. Talent for instance from Boom... I want it but I can't get it up here... Anyone read it? I might consider eBay
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So in order to prep myself for reading New Avengers, I'm planning to buy the TP's for Avengers: Disassembled and House of M (not all of them, just the first/main one). Will this help me get my Marvel barings, or perhaps just confuse me more than is necessary?
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A fine job my man! Let me run an idea by you. I'd love to read your take on some classic runs of yesteryear. Maybe Pops could loan you his old X-Men and let you take a gander at the Phoenix Saga, or perhaps you could check out some Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four issues (of course TPBs will do just fine). Something along those lines...just an idea. At any rate, it's good to see a guy your age reading comics. I hope you write some more reviews soon.*****Also -- loved the Iron Man review. I'm sold. I've always dug the Living Laser. I first caught him back in the Micheline/Romita Jr./Layton heyday. I didn't realize anyone was doing quality Iron Man comics for Marvel anymore.
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Great review, I second Boru999's suggestion about reviewing "old school" comics, it would esp. be interesting in how you view the "Essential" trades, like Amazing SM.
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I'd also invest in Astonishing X-Men too. I was fortunate to find all the issues for A.X-men and N.A. Great reads for the most part. Avengers Disassembled helped answer questions I had after reading N.A. #1. House of M is also something worthy to invest in because of the fallout for certain characters afterwards... (Son of M and Deadly Genesis, the most noteworthy for me)
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the astonishing xmen recomendationd. i recently picked up the hardcover trade of 1-12 for less than 25.00 and its worth every damn penny
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Another vote for more mainstream, although I do like the stuff you point out- Punisher/Tyger and Son of M sound like great reads that I wouldn't have considered otherwise. However, I scroll right past the manga stuff...
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towards mainstream. The review on Mouse Guard pushed me to get all the first 3 which are fantastic. BTW does anybody here have a New Avengers issue #1 Spider-Man variant? That thing is the friggin' diamond in the rough.
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Son of M was a good read. Best parts of #06, a one man gang-up on Magneto by Pietro(s), and Unus the Untouchable buying it like a kid trapped in a junkyard refrigerator--creeeeepy. The covers were all great, #5's Pietro sliding on Magneto's helmet was extremely cool. But issue #1 of a broke down Pietro in a hooded trench in the middle of the street while the world speeds along around him is still one of my favorite desktop images.
On Amazing Spiderman #532, I thought that if he was going to reveal his identity he would have done it at the end. With it coming next issue, it's definitely not going to happen. I predict some sort of fight breaking out just as he's about to unmask.
Runaways #16 is out. No matter how hard I try to get into this book I just really hate these little brat bastards. Are teens and jerks synonymous? Cause I just hate these kids.
Ultimate Spiderman was so-so. More of a set-up for the next issue.
Ultimate Fantastic Four was good but Land makes every girl look like Susan Storm to the point of confusion.
Your best bet is Nextwave Issue #05. This series just gets better and better. Best parts? Even the Celestial Gods think Aaron is shit, koala death bears, Captain America to Monica: 'Cover your eyes, go back to the Avengers Mansion, and make my dinner', and Cable's imminent techno-organic prolapse(Google it and try not to vomit on your keyboard). So Good.
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you've raved about son of m and implored people to read it and voila...seemingly months later your wish is granted. extra loaf of the pumpkin spice for you my friend. and prof j. keep up the good work...nice and concise without hatred and disdain for everything about the medium...that comes after your 500th crossover event when you are 13 and no longer 11...enjoy these 2 years...enjoy em'.
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And I don't know what would be worse... that or a kidney stone. I have this feeling that Captain America is going to bust in on Spider-Man's conference and talk him out of revealing himself. Which is kinda too bad, cuz it would be pretty interesting, atleast for a while, to see the public knowing who Spidey is
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I hate to say it but I'm not going to buy mainstream books that
suck just so I can make one or two talkback fanboys happy. I review what I buy with my own money. If Marvel and DC want to send me books for free, fine, maybe I'll check them out but until then my comic buying budget is finite and I'll buy what looks interesting to me. That's one thing that you whiny narrowminded comicbookreaders
don't get...for the most part we're buying our own books to review!
Y'know, I'm not going to try and please the two or three people who are bitching about no mainstream book reviews. I can't tell you how many e-mails I've gotten from people saying that it's great that we write about stuff that isn't
mainstream. They just don't need the attention that some myopic talkbacking comic fan who can't get enough of Spider-Man punching Doc Ock in the face for the millionth time needs. So, y'know what? I'll start reviewing mainstream books regularly when mainstream books become regularly interesting again. Besides, I think we pimp them more than enough around here. It's not like they NEED our help in the marketplace. What's a damn travesty is that there are AMAZING books out there that deserve attention but don't get it all because of the limited buying tastes of fans who only buy books about men who run around fighting crime in their underwear. Hey, I love guys running around fighting crime in their underwear as much as the next guy but after a while it gets tedious. If there's stuff out there that is a great read that has nothing to do with Marvel or DC then I'm gonna climb that indie mountain and shout about it until the cows come home. And if you've got a problem with that then you can go and jump in a lake, brotha... -
p-p-please don't beat me...
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...everybody's screaming for the mainstream. Usually everybody's bitching because we're too mainstream, too Marvelcentric, too DCcentric. Contemplate this with me: we call ourselves @$$holes. Does an @$$hole sound like someone who would say, "If our readers want it, by Gollum, we're gonna give it to 'em"? We're a little more R. Crumb than Stan Lee here. Do we still have archives of these bad boys? Because I gotta tell ya, you may not WANT to see what we have to say about your favorite comics...because really, what you're asking for is that we read the same comics you read and that we tell you what you thought about them, as jumped-out @$$hole Jon Quixote used to say.
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there's good and bad indie, and then there's good and bad mainstream. of course the only indie left that i read is SIP (technically Stray Bullets is still alive, but who knows when we'll get another issue), and it seems more and more of my favorite writers are turning mainstream (Milligan on X-Men would be the best example). not that they need my permission, but the @$$holes can review whatever pleases them and i won't complain. the talkback's here so we can talk about anything we want. so here's a topic if anyone cares to indulge me: Brubaker is the best writer out there today. sure, his Authority and X-Men, while still very good, were not his best work (it just proves he should stay away from ensemble books and keep to single character books). But his Captain Americ, Daredevil, and The Books of Doom were juste pure classics. as big a fan of Morrison that i am, Bru is giving him a run for his money. (and T. i've been lurking for a couple of weeks and couldn't resist jumping back in when i saw you and Psynapse having so much fun over here)
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I've heard from someone who read a "first look" copy of THUNDERBOLTS, which comes out the same week as Civil War #2. It features a panel of the former Beetle watching tv with interest as an unmasked Peter Parker answers press questions about Gwen Stacey's death. Or so I've heard... ***** In other news, I've been something of a non-presence lately when it comes to reviews, due to my admittedly insane notion of going back to school as an English Major. After next week, however, I'll be running full steam with an old/new feature that should be fun.
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I am always on the lookout for nwe independant comics and never woul dhave heard of Scatterbrain without your review. I picked up the first issue and much like you was blown away, can't wait to pick up the second now.
If ther are any hardcore comic detective noir readers out there, pick up this book.
It's one of the best things I have read in a long time. Great story so far, and real characters.....I cna se this as a movie already. And then everyone on the boards bitching about some aspect of it! Ha! -
This could be the best and most interesting thing to happen to Spider-Man ever. Spider-Man has been growing and growing in responsibility and leadership qualities, and I say that's a damn good thing. Peter Parker unmasked is excellent news, there are so many good stories that can come from this.
Now onto "mainstream comics", if you don't want to review them, fine, but I'll be damned if you say you don't buy them because they suck and are stale. "Mainstream" comics are in their best shape in God knows how long, at both DC and Marvel with great stories, art, characters, the works. You sound like someone who doesn't like things when they become just a little too popular or doesn't listen to Bono anymore since he "sold out" and does *GASP* commercials now. -
Ark: Yeah, it did almost get to Spike vs. Angel proportions not too long ago, didn't it? We get BILN back in here, Enigma in his 97th iteration calling me T-money (and pissing everyone off in the process), and a few others and it'll be like we have a mini-White Room again. And I do have to thank you and Psy and a few others from the Room for getting me into comics: one of the best things that ever happened to me. So what are you reading? Do you have Manhunter and ArchEnemies on your pull list, by any chance?
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have any of the Cogs read it? I know, Shig checked out the artwork once. The last issue is just so good. Black Bolt, Pietro, everything. I hope this plays a part in the bigger picture of what's going on. With Reed and Black Bolt being in the Illuminati, it has a good chance of it I'd say. What I really want to get across is that David Hine needs to be on a sturdy ongoing pronto. As much of a a-hole Pietro is, I'd read about him every month if Hine wrote him and if Roy Allan Martinez drew. Hine and Martinez would be good on an Inhumans, X-Factor, X-Men, X-anything really.
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that new feature sounds cool. *** Thalya, I picked up Manhunter 1-2 & 20-22 yesterday. Haven't read them yet due to a pile that I'm having trouble keeping up with, but I will tell you my thoughts soon
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I'm seriously considering picking up the trade on Son of M, but my Marvel-phobia so far has prevented me. I saw some previews on Newsarama and I think it looks damn good, but the thing is I know nowhere near as much about Marvel as DC. Like, I have no clue who the Inhumans are (and why does it seem as though Marvel is group-happy while DC isn't so much?). And I dig ya on the Supes love. Really good storytelling. This is how Superman needs to be done if you're gonna rack up interest in him.
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Hooray for a junior's perspective... it's sorely lacking...well, in comics in general.
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Heathen-- I'm definitely picking up this trade when it comes out. I've heard enough great things about it and I am a sucker for the Inhumans... blame it on Earth X. *** In other news: WALKING DEAD!! @#$(*!!!!! *** And Runaways 16 was superb... I don't know why the TB'er above was complaining. The Runaways are teenagers being forced to grow up too fast and under traumatic circumstances. Teen angst and drama is awesome! Gert and Chase's breakup was amazing (please don't kill Gert, BKV!)... And Adrian Alphona is my hero for that last page...damnation that is beautiful!
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Repeat after me: I can still be a comic book fan and grasp the concept of "either or" "shades of grey" and "middle" ground.
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Thalya, I barely new anything about the Inhumans besdies the fact that they live on the moon and if their leader, Black Bolt says anything he could really f*@k something up. Son of M does a pretty good job of introducing you to who everyone is and the culture that the Inhumans live in. It's user friendly to put it short. Glad you and, Shig are thinking about picking up the trade. *** SHIGERU!!! I haven't read Walking Dead or Runaways yet, but I should get to them tonight. I love those books. *** Who the heck is Dave_F? And why does that name sound so familiar?
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of "either or" "shades of grey" and "middle" ground." Repeated. I feel like I do this well. For every Superman there's a Mouse Guard. For every Batman there's a Elk's Run
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well T., i'm glad all that time and energy i spent in my comics forum ended up being useful to someone. if i contributed to even one person discovering the might and beauty of comics, then it wasn't in vain. here's what my pull file looks like at the moment - Marvel: Captain America, Daredevil (Bru is a God), Astonishing X-Men (the Whedon still rules), X-Men (Milligan doing a serviceable job), Fantastic Four First Family, Iron Man The Inevitable (Joe Casey just keeps getting better) and Punisher (Ennis almost never disappoints). DC - Batman Secrets (Sam Kieth at his best and the best Batman story ever told) All-Star Superman, Seven Soldiers (never count out Morrison, can't wait for his WildC.A.T.S.), Teen Titans (i had given up on it at the onset of the Crisis, but started picking it up again One Year Later). Indy - Strangers In Paradise (wrapping up and breaking my heart), Stray Bullets (yeah, i'm a hopeless optimist) Others - Mouse Guard (just blowing me away), Kabuki (technically Marvel, but it's all Mack's baby) American Virgin (i used to buy pretty much anything Vertigo, now i'm lucky to find one book i like in there). But no Manhunter; care to give me a pitch and convince me to give it a try ? in return i'd urge you to pick up Astonishing X-Men. it's Whedon at his best. and a DC classic i'm sure you'd like if you checked it out is Catwoman. but not the current one (Pfeiffer if i'm not mistaken?). go back and pick up the first trades written by Ed Brubaker. you won't be disappointed. But, um, yeah, think of any other former Senior Partners we could drag in here?
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The only greys I can grasp as a comic book fan are the shades of grey in my Marvel Essentials and DC Showcase collections.
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"For every Batman there's a Elk's Run
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It will high-five your genitals with a strong force of ten thousand hurricanes!
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I just want his run to be over. No, wait. If his run ends, then that means Bachalo takes over as artist, which is bad, horrible even. But Garney will be writing and even though I've never read anything written by him it must be better than Milligan's X-Men run. Golgotha? Iceman's power return? Apocalypse? War-Machine/Sentinel Transformer? Next please.
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Thanks for the link. Can't wait to finish Elk's Run. I thought I'd never get the chance to. *** And I can't wait to have my genitals high-fived with the force of ten thousand hurricanes (Cog Dialogue
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If that's the "biggest thing to happen at Marvel since the 60's" (quote courtesy of Millar and I'm sure JoeyQ) then I might drop CW. Give me a break. What about Daredevil being outed? Revealing a secret identity is the best they can come up with? How about Uatu revealing his secret gay love affair with The Living Tribunal? Only to have Galactus get jealous, cause c'mon he's always had a crush on ol' Baldie, and subsequently eat the Moon?
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That's it. It's OVER for me. Fuck that stupid shite. Seriously. No more Spider-Man. First it's Gwen Stacy fucking tha Goblin, then it's organic web-shooters, and now THIS???? Screw that noise. They pretty much killed the brand fro me with that one. While marrying MJ didn't kill Spidey for me him revealing his ID to the world most certainly would. Better not happen.
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I just cannot comprehend why people find the idea so volatile. Sounds great to me, unlike totem powers or Gwen boning Norman.
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And thereafter you can't have secret identity stories anymore with the character.
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Exactly, Thalya. Where do you go with stories from that point on. Yeah you may be able to get a couple neat ones out of the event but not much else, and something like a public unmasking is NOT taken back easily. Plus it's been done before so it's hardly shocking. Not to mention the fact that Spidey's secret identity woes have always made the character all that more fascinating and great.
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Ark!! Dude! Oh shit, with you me and T back on the TB's this can only mean one thing: The Apocalypse really IS nigh.....
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That shit is fucking clown shoes man. F'real an' shit.....
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That's part of the appeal to me, I think. Where do I see this going? I see it moving toward Spider-man going from a follower to a leader. After his conflict here, becoming a publicly accepted superhero and instead of simply being a team member or someone who runs into trouble and stops it, being a team leader as good as Cyclops or Captain America, really kind of growing as a superhero out of his current role. Probably the "biggest" hero I can think of who's gone unmasked for a large portion of his career is Wally West, and I think we got really good stories out of that. Spider-man's a bit different than the Flash, of course. But to me, "Oh no, I must protect my identity" has always been more of a boundary to stories with some characters, Spider-man being one of them. It forces the writers to focuse on more interesting elements, ones which to me are more interesting.
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... is that it would be great and interesting for a year or two... but then you'd want back the times when his identity was secret. If it's worked this long keeping his identity then it obviously aint broke. It really depends on the writers how good the outcome would be if he does.
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And give you the best Spider man story ever. This is a souple of year's later, after Spider-man is both public and single(because Jo Quesada "put the genie back in the bottle"). He is on a blind date with some girl, and this is his third date in one night, because he is a ladies man. The thing is, all his dates are at the same place, and the girls have no problem with it because they're cool like that. Suddenly the Vulture attacks, trying to kill one of the girls. Peter grabs her out of the way and starts to web-sling, to lead Vulture away, with the girl hanging on. Ok, this is the best part coming up. The girl turns to Spider-man, ok? Then she says... heh, ok get this she says "I knew you were a swinger, but this is ridiculous!" Oh man, instant Eisner award.
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And will be the moment Marvel's ruling elite says "No More Joey Q"....Bet on it.
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I think the best way to do it in continuity, would be to have Scarlet Witch actually say "No more Quesada".
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to fix any mistakes Marvel makes... She'll come by and just say "no more this", "no more that", "bring this back", "you never existed", "now there's 3 of you"... and so on.
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She won't look nearly as hot in that Blue and Yellow costume. (God I'm such a geek....)**PS-50 points for anyone old enough or geeky enough to get this joke**
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which means you failed the joke. No points for you!
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Jun 08, 2006 6:01:10 PM CDT
*saunters away to "Christmas Time is Here" piano music"
by clifford brown
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Judging from the blurbs on Marvel's site, it seems clear Spider-man is going to go public with his identity. I can't wait, I'm loving this. This is what has brought me over to Marvel from DC - all these great stories. I admit, is probably not THE greatest Marvel story, but for me right now, it's the only thing interesting. Re: Indie comics: not only do we not get many here in Oz, but I find I don't have the time or the care or even the money to sift through to see what titles I might like. I'm just being honest. And it sucks, since at one point I churned out a couple of graphic novels that I know no one will read because of that. :( ***** And I find it amusing that the most pissed off talkbacker here is not a talkbacker. ***** Anyone read Krypton to Earth, yet? I probably won't touch it until I see the movie ...
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"Where do I see this going? I see it moving toward Spider-man going from a follower to a leader. After his conflict here, becoming a publicly accepted superhero and instead of simply being a team member or someone who runs into trouble and stops it, being a team leader as good as Cyclops or Captain America, really kind of growing as a superhero out of his current role." The problem with all of that, my friend, is it's NOT SPIDER-MAN! If you want stories like that then go read Captain America and Cyclops comics. Spider-Man is not meant to be a leader type. He's a straight out adventurer with a heart of gold. He's not some stalwart type leading the Avengers! He's a street fighter. If you take away that aspect of him and just turn him into some lame super-cop then you've destroyed what makes the character great! You want a Spider-Man that's got his shit together and is a ladies man? Wow, that sounds incredibly LAME. Didn't McFarlane try that with Peter Parker making all kinds of money off of his photography and going on talk shows and such? Yeah, those were great stories...Um, NO. The Peter Parker I like reading in your everyday guy trying to make good in the world. He's AVERAGE except for the fact he's got spider-powers. Not to mention what they'll have to do with the costume...what's an unmasked Spider-Man costume gonna be like...UGH. Not that crappy spider-armor that Tony Stark gave him I hope.
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You might want to consider, uhm, changing your fucking name.
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Jackass. And I've reviewed mainstream books several times in the column. I just don't get why certain people would start weeping when they're not getting enough mainstream reviews for the week. Please. Marvel and DC aren't the only publishers out there and I don't have to act like they are. Just because they own the copyright/trademark on the word "superhero" doesn't mean that I should be their reviewing whore. Besides, what I have a problem with is what they're doing RIGHT NOW. I pick up books from the mainstream companies. They just happen not to be the "core titles" of said publishers. Heck, I picked up the new Wonder Woman and I thought it was pretty nifty. Does that make evryone happy?
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... the next one if it is well-received.
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"is it's NOT SPIDER-MAN!" --- but isn't that what the Ultimate titles are there for? I would think that with those running, the writers can allow for some shake-ups like the ones approaching in CW. It wasn't until they killed Superman that I started collecting comics.
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Jun 08, 2006 10:05:02 PM CDT
The Ultimate line I have absolutely no association with
by clifford brown
Are they worth getting... I hear they're well written. Well, at least the ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four are. Anybody recommend them? I don't know if its worth getting into.
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while reading the recent DC Nation column. DiDio made a point of telling all hopeful comic artists to familiarize themselves with submission guidelines so that they could submit portfolios at the major cons this year. He also discussed their non-submission policy regarding writers, stating that it is much easier to gauge an artist's talents and abilities on the spot than a writer's and that they usually work only with published writers. This is totally understandable but not such great news for hopeful writers. It did change how I feel about these reviews a little bit to read that because the voices of tomorrow depend largely on what we read today. I'm a mainstream kind of guy and a DC fanboy to boot so I hate to see my guys neglected in any comic review but I do feel obligated to branch out a little and hope for the best. Indies aren't really my thing (the most adventurous I've gotten lately is Brian Wood's Supermarket) and DC gets a very healthy chunk of mine and my girlfriend's paychecks every week but, as a fan, I want to help this industry in any aspect I can and I'm sure I'll discover some great books along the way.
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YES!! very highly recomended. start out with some of the trades for ultimate spidey and ultimate x-men and of course ultimate ff and ultimates are amazing.
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Capital M, capital B. Thanks much little s.
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Are we feeling a little, ahem, inadequate my friend boinfoint...? :O)
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While, yes, I agree that the Ultimate Spidey titles are there for anyone who wants a teenage Spider-Man with youth and inexperience that doesn't mean the mainstream Spidey's core character traits should change drastically. Or what makes him an interesting character should be thrown out the window. Spidey is not a leader type. Just like Wolverine isn't. I'm not talking about stunting any growth of the character but stripping him of what makes him interesting (like a secret identity, his insecurity, or web-shooters that he manufactured himself) just isn't what should be done. Those are all elements that made me love Spidey all of those years ago and a headstrong Spidey who leads the Avengers (or is Tony Stark's little beeyotch), to me, isn't as interesting as a loner Spider-Man who depends on himself to get out of situations on his own. Yet still constantly questions himself as, well, most of us do. That's why I, and so many others, identified with him! Make him a rock star and, guess what? He's about as interesting as an artilce in PEOPLE magazine. As far as the Death of Superman goes? I'm surprized that that was what sucked someone in to collecting comics because it's one of the things that steered me away from the mainstream to seek out indies in the first place. But to each his own, y'know? Maybe CIVIL WAR or INFINITE CRISIS will be the thing that gets a lot of other people to throw their hands up in the air and say "Bah! I'm done with this!" I just hope they don't give up on the medium altogether like I've seen a LOT of people do because they didn't know that there IS better stuff out there that doesn't require that you read a bajillion comics to know what's going on...
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I'll admit that most of my titles are mainstream, but I don't figure to put the "Big Two" on a pedestil. I just happen to know X-Men, Hulk and Daredevil more than what the indie publishers are putting out. I'm all for anything that is a good read and has great art as well.
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Before I get into this Spider-Man debate I want to mention the Walking Dead. "It will high-five your genitals with a strong force of ten thousand hurricanes!" More like twenty thousand hurricanes, Shig. Good. God. This reads so well, so scary, so unerving that I finished it as quickly as if I was watching it on live tv. It scared the crap outta me. I can't believe what happened. Damn, Kirkman. Here's hoping Tyrese comes through. *crosses fingers*
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that's all...heathen...for our x-men run under buzz...i'm including lots of futbol...just warning you.
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First of all, Spider-Man as a defining character trait has a secret identity and relationship problems. Half of that has already been taken away due to his happy marriage to Mary Jane. Joey da Q said it was a huge mistake that is pretty much unrepairable to the life of Peter Parker. You can't kill Mary Jane, you can't have them divorce, you can't have adultry enter the scene. You're stuck with Peter being married. Now, da Q wishes he could have not had that happen and say's he wouldn't have let it if he was in charge at the time. So, Joe Quesada, here's your chance to save the remaining half of what makes Peter Parker, Spider-Man - his identity. Don't let it happen. If you do, your the biggest hypocrite I've ever heard of. Can you imagine J. Jonah Jameson knowing? I agree that you would get a couple of years worth of stories out of it, but after that
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the new Wonder Woman wasn't too shabby.
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Heathen, regarding Milligan's X-Men: you gotta take it for what it is, Milligan being imposed stories by the editors and doing the best he can with it. this is not Morrisson or Whedon being hired as big-name writers and being given free-range, this is just work for hire, but work for hire at its best. the very first issue of Golgotha had some huge plotting problems, but the overall the storyline turned out very fine. and Bizarre Love Triangle was just too much goddamned fun. and the Apocalypse stuff was great too. it's a soap opera and i'm fine with it
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It's not that I don't like Milligan, and I agree that two of the issues from Bizarre Love Triangle were great fun, but the Apocalypse stuff is dreadful. I know he's not Morrison or Whedon "star' talent, but if people like David Hine or Peter David can make good stories with editorial telling them how to stear, then why shouldn't Milligan be able to? I'm not really buying that ediotrs told him to write what he did either, but I guess it's a mute point considering his run's all but over. I really enjoyed Milligan's short story in the Amazing Fantasy #15 issue. That was good and I couldn't believe the same guy who wrote it was writing X-Men. Feel the same about JMS with Amazing Spider-Man (pretty crappy) and Supreme Power (pretty not crappy).
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"Omigawd, look at that! It's more hideous than I've ever imagined! Let's get out of here, honey. Honey?"
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See, Joey Cue and these guys aren't even consistent with their own bullshit. It's all sound bites. Supposedly, the reason that comics are slow and dull and nothing happens these days is that they are about character. "It's a book about Peter/Matt/Bruce/Abraham/Martin/John. We're concentrating on the Man instead of the Super." That really means that certain writers don't know how to integrate character and action and therefore can't write comics, but that's beside the point. The best AMAZING SPIDER-MAN issues were about a young guy named Pete with a ton of problems and wracked with guilt, who had a superhero identity that did him no good in real life but that he couldn't shake. Maybe being Spidey gave him enough self-esteem to score a couple of cute girlfriends, but that also brought other worries with it. The point is, as an open superhero, Pete can never again stand in for you or me or any of us. Spidey had the troubles of everyman, plus superhuman maniacs trying to kill him. Unmasking is a gimmick, but it's poor planning, poor thinking. These guys should concentrate on putting out good issues and forget trying to engineer a Direction, because they can't do it well...Good thing you can always make up your own continuity, just like the pros. See, the Spider-Man persona has always allowed Pete to release his aggressions, which is why Spider-Man only teams up briefly with other heroes and has never joined a team. And while he did eventually marry Mary Jane, she was never an actress or successful model. She worked the perfume counter at Macy's and did some catalogue modeling but never enough to make a living.
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Ark: She-Hulk, only the title character kills off the little-name villains. Less Slott-ian light and whimsy, more L.A. cynicism and it makes with the groundedness and snarky pop culture refs. Plus the art is fantabulous, with the switch between Saiz and Pina virtually indistinguishable. Facial expressions border on Kevin Maguire level and as of last issue, the comic-y goodness was running on all cylinders. Plus, Kate Spencer's a mom (and not the best one, either). How many female superheroes can you say that about? Excellent supporting cast as well, including Cameron Chase and Mark Shaw (former Manhunter); Dylan Battles is the one who'll probably hook you though: former techy minion for at least 10 major villains turned to the white hats. How's that for a pitch? And should I do one for ArchEnemies?
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In other news, Ark, I have picked up the first 6 of Astonishing, but my interest has kinda waned. One the other hand, Wonder Woman looks beautiful and #1 had a good story. Lots of fun twists, and I think DC is going on a minor-character spree, which is great. Good to see a character like Tom Tresser in an active supporting role. Plus, this looks like the year of Green Lantern Alan Scott, n'est-ce pas? Just look at 52, Outsiders, and JSA this week, ye gods!
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Awesome. I must say though that I think that perhaps The cell was a little better overall. The writing in The Tyger was excellent --Ennis didn't fill every speech bubble with the word fuck as he has a tendency of doing-- but the overall tone of The Cell I think I preferred. Where has Ennis to go from here? Two origin stories (Born and The Tyger) and a bit of resolution also in some ways (The Cell, The End and The Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe if you wish). Are there any more really pivotal moments in Frank's life that he can deal with? We'll find out in a year or so I suppose (If he gives another attempt at a cracker of a one shot). Who would people like to see write Punisher after the age of Ennis? Personally I think that Azarello would be much suited to the comic. And why is it that the excellent Cable & Deadpool is never reviewed here, BUY IT PEOPLE!!!!
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It just seems right that he would. That would totally progress the already growing rivalry between Caps and Iron Man... wouldn't it?
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What about her tits?
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Heathen: i actually consider Milligan to be a writer that, when at his best, can give Morrisson a run for his money (witness Shade the Cahnging Man, Human Target, X-Statix and others). So at first i was a bit disappointed in his X-Men (espescially his first issue which is still horrendous; i can almost hear him getting the art and going "what can i write that will turn these images into an actual narrative?"). but i learned to like it for what it is: Milligan phoning it in and cashing the big check while being allowed to do what he really wants, another X-Statix story. i find it to be still great fun though. ----T., i might give Manhunter a chance if i find an issue somewhere in one of the stores i frequent. ArchEnemies though, i never heard of. ----Psy, you going tits-crazy is what actually convinced me to register here and start posting again. i missed your special brand of insanity. ---- Cars. i know this doesn't belong here but i went to the Cars talkback and it seems the only intelligent discourse going on on AICN is in the comics section, so i'm posting here. Just came back from Cars and Pixar does it again. taking the classics and making it work. they truly are the 21st century Termit Terrace. but Ratatouille! man, a kid's movie that references Trainspotting! fuck i just can't wait.
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i finally got home and got to watch my tivoed games so i can finally say it! ecuador wins their first game in world cup!
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cars...enjoyable if not quite predictable but the ending credits were hilarious...oh drive through movies...but yeah cars...the texturing and ligthing was fantastic on it...made me feel more inadequate...damn talent! darth the poland/ecaudor game was quite sloppy...definately on the poles side who were horrendous, dissapointing and have made a nation cry...on the other hand ecaudor played very good defense and deserved their win against those an awful polish side for that evening...off to a good start...the first game between germany and costa rica was entertaining as hell ...anyway i'm too excitited...watching england v. paraguay as i envision half of cog-mansion in world cup mode...and well...GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
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darth...the poland/ecuador game with ecuador winning was an upset but not a "huge" upset...good things happen when you have a colombian coaching some talented ecuadorian footballers...reminds me of the time vale and i were supervising you when we put in the cog-mansion pool since you are the cog with the most muscle and a little things like hard terrain falls before your considerable strenght since you are th cog's colosus/superboy-prime...well maybe not superboy-prime...you haven't kicked our spectre of a dog to my memory...and since vale doesn't like to lift things and i have this thing about being 10 yards or more from my cage and banana bread stash we feel comfortable yelling and pointing randomly in hope that things will turn out correct. next add-on for the cog-mansion will be the cog-pitch for whenever that cog-world cup starts.
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I think that's one of the nicest things that has ever been said to me. Right back at you my friend, right back at you.
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Feel free to talk about anything!!! That's why I honestly feel that this is the best talkback on the site. Just wait until we talk about who's doin who at the X-Mansion. "Is good, da?" All we need to do is have Prof Jr. review something every week to keep the angry trolls from early rantings and we'd be five by five. Haven't seen Cars yet, but plan on it tomorrow or the next day. *** GOAL!!! *** Shig, just read Runaways and you were also right about (SPOILERS) the break up between Gert and Chase. When Chase is crying and says, "Why are you doing this?!" it just felt so real. Brian K., you are awesome. Glad Karolina is back and I wonder who is gonna bite the dust? Walking Dead is still hunting me. Kirkman. Wow. *** 52 Week Five was pretty entertaining with the space heroes and stuff. Liked Starfire *uhhum* bathing and
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so, let me be a total noob here and ask: why Cogs? can someone explain? and as i said Cars is just more Pixar greatness. the short film preceding it, One Man Band is absolute pure genius. and while Cars may probably end up being my least favorite Pixar movie, it's still a great film. end credits had me peeing my pants. a couple of jokes in there that will sail right over the kiddies head. and, well, best part would probably be when the opening sequence is picked up again at the end, bookending the whole thing. But you know what Pixar, and Cars is? it's storytelling. and those guys are master storytellers. like i said, going for the classics, and making it fresh again. i think i'll go watch Finding Nemo. (oh, did you guys know they were gonna make a documentary about the rise of Emo bands? it's gonna be called Finding Emo!)
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Blame Miller and Bendis really. Last July a group of tb'ers had talked so much (primarily due to the first issue of All Star Batman) that it was almost time for the next weeks column. Then, Darth Kal-El (The last Sith from Krypton) said these historical words, "I think we can keep it going till this weeks column. Who's with me?" To which I replied, "I'm with you.' Thus, the All Weekers were born with Darth Kal-El, Shigeru, El Vale, blackthought, Gus Nukem (where are you, Gus?) and The Heathen. A few weeks later after going 24/7 we all thought we needed something catchier than just "The All Weekers" so we were discussing Bendis and his dialogue that included many "the hells?", "da fugs", etc. Somebody asked what he would say next and I said he'd probably call somebody a "COG SMOOCH." And there you have it. Our official name was born. The All Week Cog Smooches or even more in depth, The International League of All Week Cog Smooches. Thalya and Psy have been the only official added members. And by official I mean they were cool and it kinda just happened. Kismet? I dunno? There's no handshake to the club though as some of the grumpier tb'ers have chided. I think that's it. Cogs? (We should link the Cog Smooches origin to someplace, no?)
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Before we were called the Cogs. The first all week tb. ** http://tinyurl.com/qknwp ** Darth's words are about 3/4 down the page. Enjoy and Happy Early Anniversary Cogs!!!
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we should be in wikipedia by now...i'd like to get a link to the origin of "last" with me and gus' mug shots...i'm pretty sure gus has a mug shot...he is greek...one man band was a very good short...i'm liking the re-emerging short cartoon feature before the full lenght feature...hmmm...breads...
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welcome arkh! any friend of thaya and psy...welll u know.good summary heath!and blackthought im in total world cup mode!u,vale and me are going to be monopolizing the big screens in the mansion for the time being! yeah the game was a bit uneven and seriously the poles played like ass but its true-some colombian coaching partnered with some ecuadorian skills does wonders-were in the muthafugging world cup for christ sake! hopefully well continue to do well.either way all the games are going to be SUHWEEET to watch.i havent seen cars yet but its on the weekend to do list.i did go to the omen and it is pretty forgettable like everyone is saying. and then i snuck into xmen 3***sheepish grin***i know, i know everyone hated it but i just cant get enough!and if by alll hte muscle u meant the beer belly then yes thats me.
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i was reading through that link heath posted with our "origin" and there is some hilarious shit in there!seriously go back and re read it. ive been laughing like a loon at some of the posts. for example-vale asks Are there any girls in these AICN comics talkbacks? Or in the whole of AICN? to which buzz replies
Nope. AICN Is Where You Come When You're Tired Of Getting Laid.
Everyone here has gotten laid so much that we need a break so we come here.' so vale says
'All that getting laid makes geeks starve for discussions about Frank Miller'buzz comes back with
'No. Yer Putting The Cart Before The Horse.
You have the discussions about Frank Miller to insure that you won't get laid.'the prof chimes in with this
'Yes, there's one girl...
Say "hi" to all the boys, Dave. :D '. and then theres the scene buzz was hired by arad to write for FF2-LMAO!
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none of which I'll admit to
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That is all...for now.
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Yeah, I enjoyed Cars. For some reason I hated the short. Didn't notice the Trainspotting reference in the Rat trailer. Cool. ***** Spider-Man: I've just come on board for this hero and I've found superhero + Co.'s thoughts on this informative. It has made me wonder why I seem to jump aboard these titles when in the eyes of true comic buffs, things are going to shit (ie. starting Supes with his Death, starting Bats when Knightfall hit, now on board for all these Marvel heroes in the event of the CW). Maybe I need my head scanned. Or maybe it's just been an issue of timing and finances for me. Good to get your perspectives, though. I will now hold back from debating any further about Spider-Man's potential character development in this CW arc. ***** The World Cup interests me in as far as my country Australia is participating. Japan will probably kick our barbecued arse tomorrow night. The UK/Paragay match was fun, though.
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a bit of that kewell magic maybe...more likely cahill and viduka.
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But I *will* be your girl if the price is right. My price being, you respond in the TalkBacks when I review a book no one cares about. Then I love you long time.
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holy shit man! we thought u were MIA!!you had to be absent for a while to take care of that whole Avi Arad thing huh?n was that you behind the whole 'original trilogy' on DVD thing? probably not. that was unprofessional and Dave_F is NOT unprofessional.good to have you back man!
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dave, i was worried about you...i began a search, i asked the questions...other cogs responded as if we were the green lantern corps with all our cog rings activating and responding to the distress call...and lo and behold...dave has been found...i think i'm crying...what's your price again dave?
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I was just putting on my emergency batsuit with Booster Gold sponsor stickers and having my cog ring activated by the spectregans ectoplasm to go and find the, Dave_F!!! Good to hear from you. So much has happened. I haven't heard your disdain for IC or Civil War. I need to hear that stuff. Keeps me balanced. I've read 100%, Black Hole, Mouse Guard but waiting on Atheist to finish though
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just because you've come into comics when everyone else thinks they've gone to the shitter, doesn't mean you can't enjoy them and enjoy them for whatever reasons they may be. Right now, is an interesting time for the medium in general. Indie's are strong if you know where to look and superhero books are not as consistant, but a lot of them are kicking ass. Here's what I suggest: If you like Spidey, then keep reading it, but it would also be cool if you caught up on the major backstory's he was involved in (not The Other though, that was just bad) so when some 'comic buff' get's antzy you can know what he's moaning about. Marvel is going through major changes right now, but let me offer a bunch of titles from everywhere that should possibly interest you. MARVEL: Runaways, Daredevil, Captain America, Uncanny X-Men (when Brubaker takes over), Astonishing X-Men, X-Factor, Young Avengers, Son of M and you might as well through in New Avengers because stuff will kinda happen in there from time to time. DC: Having just gone through there big event, a lot of there books are going back to more story and character driven books. Check out Action Comics, Detective Comics (Paul Dini & JH Willimans), Batman (Morrison!!!), Superman, Green Lantern, All Star Superman, Birds of Prey and Justice. Justice League is about to relaunch too and Wonder Woman just did as well. INDIE BOOKS (KINDA): Walking Dead, Mouse Guard, Invincible, Exterminators, Fell, Shaolin Cowboy, Elk's Run are all good. Hope that helps and if nothing else I took up some bandwith! But always debate! You're never wrong if you're right and being right is just a matter of opinion. Just ask moviemack
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Invincible I require and Blue Beetle actually isn't bad either if you haven't read it yet. (I'm trying out Ion but it's tough to see if it works out to anything soon)
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don't pay for x3...you forgot that heathen.
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Ark: good for you! Also, if you need ArchEnemies deets, go here and then check out the main page linked there: myspace.com/TrishDarrow And I think I'm addicted. My shop isn't getting #3 until next week and I'm almost to the point of getting the shakes. *** In other news: DAVE!!!! And dude, I just picked up the first 3 Mouse Guards and got the chance to have them signed by their creator at a con I went to last weekend. Very great stuff, so thanks for starting the recommendation train.
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I just got done sweating over a hot stove, so there's banana bread and pumpkin spice bread for all. Anyone touches my blueberry bread though, I cut you!
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I remember some talk about Nextwave a while back - is that as good as people were saying? I don't have the cash to check out all those titles. But since you put three exclamation points after Morrison's name, perhaps I really should throw Batman back on my order when he starts. I'm already on board for Uncanny and New Avengers. Waiting for #19 in the mail before I begin reading. Need to get the House of M TP before I check out Son of M. Thalya, I remembered to seek out Manhunter in store but was so consumed with getting my head around all those Marvel TP's I completely forgot! But I did pick up Wolverine 41 which I will check out soon. Right now I'm catching up on that Hypothetical Bullshit arc on JLA Classified. Daredevil and Punisher strike me as interestingly gritty pulp. The Green Lantern stuff I will keep away from since there are just too many people with those rings, it's like having one Green Lantern hero splintered into ten. I actually miss Kyle Rayner. This new faceless hero ION gives me the creeps. Blue Beetle looks kinda cool. But what I will check out now that I have copied and pasted your post onto a word doc are those indie titles you suggested - a world I know nothing about outside of Erik Larsen's b/w TMNT (which he did some years ago). I'm gonna suit up, grab me some banana bread and see what I find out there ...
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So many Batman mini's out these days, it's tough to figure which ones to consider trying out.
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im a huge matt wagner fan from back in the mage days so i might be a little biased but its an awesome story. i suggest waiting for the trade since its about to come out in a nice hardcover version for about 20.00. but yes highly recomended
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... i'd say it's a safe bet Spidey is definitely about to go public with his identity. Interesting short/poem at the issue's end - I had no idea the US government shipped its Japanese citizens to war camps during WW2 until I saw Hikaru Sulu mention so on one of my Trek DVDs. It's an interesting issue. Oh, and Wolverine 41 rocked. Fantastic art.
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You'd better not be tired of us you bastard!
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Really intense issue. I just don't think Spider-Man will reveal. I really don't. If he does than so be it... but I don't think it will happen. Something or someone(Captain America?) will stop him from doing it.
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Anyone else aching to read Lost Girls. 75 bucks, le sigh...i don't have that kind of money!
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What is that code for, Thalya? *** Sorry I've been away for a few days peoples... the Mom was up visiting... went to the Dragon Boat festival in Boston on Sunday and saw some sweet Japanese Taiko Drumming, ect. *** Hooray for Walking Dead being the the best it's ever been. ...And did The Question say "ELF NEEDS FOOD BADLY" in 52???? Holy CRAP!
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Well, it's my first TB anyway...
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That is all
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I don't care what blueberry is code for, cause I'm hungry for some (don't cut me!). I had half a blueberry donut this morning. It was devine. Mmm
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Suggest and those. Welcome, GreatA'Tuin.
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Thanks for that link to the founding TB... I was reading through it and found "i have a jeep warnagler" and I just lost it and started laughing out loud...hahaha
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Yeah, that tb is fun times. I can't find the one were we actually came up with the Cog tag, but I found the one before and after it. *** I checked out the Entourage tb and remember why I usually never read any other tb on this site for the most part.
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It's just Mom's blueberry bread recipe. Mmm...blueberries.. Also, is it just me or in Wonder Woman does it seem like Heinberg's already going for something thematic in his choice of Diana's partner?
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that is good times indeed guys! entourage was great! i like that show a lot. the dane cook special wasnt that funny tho.
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I'm just jumping back into the funy book scene after about a 3 year sabbatical. Um...What'd I miss?
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Oh dear lord.. DC and Marvel have done complete overhauls, the aftermath still ongoing right now. Hmmm.. on the DC side of things, you might want to start with Identity Crisis, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Rann-Thanagar War, Day of Vengeance, The OMAC Project, Villains United, and Infinite Crisis. Oh, and pick up Manhunter to get its sales up so it doesn't go bye-bye. You'll be happy you did. Other than that, too much good stuff to keep track of: Wonder Woman got rebooted and is off to a sweet start, JLA and JSA are getting reboots later on this year, Green Lantern Corps and Flash later this month, plus DC is making with obscure-character love all over and it's fabu. Oh, and Hal Jordan's back as Green Lantern. Too much stuff to mention.
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i second the vote for amazon. you can get trades and hardcovers for so much less than the cover price and if u order 25.00 or more you get free shipping. ive been steady building a collection by buying a few trades every couple of weeks when i get paid. i just got the complete powers HC for 18.00 bucks! amazon is great! and greatA theres quite a few things worth getting into-ultimate marvel,100 bullets,astonishing xmen,powers,conan,invincible,walking dead,young avengers,dmz, to name a few and im sure youll get other suggestions. hope this helps
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you can buy any marvel team book and there's a 90 percent chance wolverine will be in it.
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I thought I was the only one who thought the Tourgasm show was lame. I'll take Last Comic Standing anyday over that. I'm so tired of everybody blowing Dane Cook. Sure his acts funny, but not after the millionth time hearing it. I had on a Spidey shirt and my friend was like, "lucky that's not a Superman shi--" and then I said, "Yeah, yeah. Dane Cook and bullets don't bounce of of you. Blow me." It's fun when you beat somebody to the punch line. Anyway's
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since Thalya covered the DC side of things, I'll give a poke at Marvels stuff. They just wrapped up their HoM event that was pretty much ill recieved most of that that led into Decimation which was the fallout of House of M which actually had better books than HoM itself. Check out Son of M, The 198, Generation M and X-Men: Deadly Genesis. And Decimation is leading into Civil War (a Marvel event in seven parts
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All I saw was tight clothing and shiny colors....
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So just because a comic doesn't have a superhero in it, it's not a real comic?? What a total moron!
It's closed minded pricks like this that are keeping the comic industry in a downward spiral.
Has this guy not considered that the reviewers may have grown out out of the repetitive shite that Marvel and DC churn out every month and are starting to look for something more satisfying to read? -
ooh, and Florida has it's official first hurricane this year
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... Anybody read Jack Cross... 4 part mini?... I saw it the other day... looked cool
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Good Ellis. Is it only a four parter? I thought it was going to be an ongoing for some reason. But I guess that it hasn't had any issues in months could mean different, then again it's Ellis. Btw, Desolation Jones in another aesome title GreatA and dreg.
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Umm...I liked Bendis on Ultimate SM for a while. From reading you guys for the past couple of weeks, I fear, I dread. I now hate Joey Q for the smoking thing. If he wanted to do that, it's cool, just put it in the damn books. Have someone die of cancer, since Bendis was gonna kill a bunch of 'em anyways, and have Wolvie look at a stogie and go all "snikt". How hard is that? Fuggin' mongoloid.....mumblemumbleASSHATmumblemumble.....Wait,where the hell am I? Is this Kansas? Toto? Antie Em? Wade? Crud!
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Robinson on Starman. JMS's Midnight Nation was frickin' sweet. I liked some of his Spidey stuff at the time. I caught some of Bru on Catwoman, bastard made me care about that bitch and I'll never forgive him for that. I got into the DH Star Wars Tales cause I like short stories. Like I said Ultimate Spidey, hated Ultimate X-men though. Did they really make Peter gay? I stopped reading when the said his favorite show was "Will and Grace". JUST USE NORTHSTAR! He's already there! I like most of the Bat-books, even NW when I didn't have to think too hard about it. JSA and JLA were cool. Umm...probably more. My head hurts. I'm going back to work. They're paying me, I should do SOMEthing. Maybe.
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it's as if you've fallen into the land of typos.
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Jun 12, 2006 6:30:49 PM CDT
anybody here read "Talent" yet?... I need to know if...
by clifford brown
It's worth getting on eBay or just leaving alone.
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...was watching Wolverine light up a stogie within a matter of minutes of "X3" starting. Whoops.
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It's Marvel's latest team book sensation written by Todd Van Dorn, best known as the writer of the "Singing Corn Hole" episode of TVs COP ROCK. It's drawn by some guy not from America. The line up goes as follows: Wolverine, Wolverine, Wolverine, X-23, Wolverine, Wolverine, Wolverine, Wild Thing, Wolverine, Nicorette Gum Chewing Wolverine and Wolverine. The first arc guest stars Wolverine and while they don't fight anybody, it's leading up to a confrontation (but not a fight) with Dark Wolverine.
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"G-Mart regrets that there is no cost-effective method for international shipping. International shipping is either expensive or unreliable." At least Australia beat Japan 3-1 last night. ***** But Amazon is the shit - I had no idea they sold trades there. I'm going to screw local businesses and grab me some cheap TP's from the States - so cheap!!!
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Borat Movie Trailer!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOTpfkfS-2k -
I thought Patch was on that team?
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Patch was Wolverine...with an eye patch... crap, I don't blame you for not knowing that.
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Dreg : if you've seen the Ratatouille trailer, the Trainspotting reference is the chase followed by freeze fram followed by voice over about life. that's the exact intro of Trainspotting - GreatA : if you liked Brubaker on Catwoman (and what a classic run that was) i suggest you pick up his Captain America ongoing and his Books Of Doom mini. i consider both to be some of the greatest superhero comics ever produced. - Thalya : you got some signed Mouse Guard! whoo to the motherfucking hoo! you rock! Mouse Guard is just too good for words, and is exactly the kind of book that could bring some new readers to the comics field. and i was at Now & Then Books over the weekend and picked the first issue of Manhunter. while i have nothing in particular to say against it, it just didn't grab me either. it just left me bleh. the writing didn't pop, wasn't interesting or different. the greatest thing about the entire issue was the Jae Lee / Jose Villarubia cover. sorry. ----- and the greatest line of dialogue ever to come out of Wolverine's mouth was courtesy of Joss Whedon (see subject line).
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Ark: Or at least leaf through the first TPB! I'd agree, the first issue is kinda meh since it's all setup. The next issue where Kate's son Ramsey gets ahold of her power staff that she carelessly leaves in a closet and nearly blows his own head off? That's where things pick up. Andreyko is a big fan of the slow-build and setting up plot and character strands through the issues. Issue 4 is where some fresh ideas really start to hit (and payoff on some bits from issue 2). And then #5 has one of Kate's (male) coworkers hitting on Hawkman. ** On Mouse Guard: *weak shrug* I delayed getting it, then just got lucky, I suppose.
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I speled al that rite didnt' I? Umm
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Captain America, Mouse Guard, Books of Doom, Runaways, Daredevil, AXM with the Buffinator, and Yound Avengers. That should cover Marvel and the Indies. Anything worthwhile put out by the Distinguished Competition?
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I swear by all that is unholy, and therefore fun, I will be driven totally Bursar by the lack of a freakin' EDIT feature! Sodding wankers.
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Buy Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, too! As far as DC goes...ask Thalya, but I would suggest the new Wonder Woman, the Batman titles once the creative teams switch in June, Secret Six, Ex Machina, Y the Last Man, All Star Superman, ect.
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Identity Crisis, Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, the Seven Soldiers minis, Blue Beetle, Teen Titans, Green Lantern, and the arcs of Superman/Action and Batman/Tec since March. Also, from Dark Horse: ArchEnemies.
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Get all that it's great. Too bad the last ish won't be out till September! And BTW, the comic "ect." (from my last post) is written by Buzz Maverick with art by Jack Kirby's corpse.
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Jack Cross will be coming back in a few months, no one knows for sure when, but it will return. Talent was actually pretty good, interesting premise that all ready has Hollywood salivating, and the Wolverines are actually going to be in Exiles. After the whole world tour storyline, there is a stand alone issue where Wolverines from different earths will join together to do a better job then the Exiles. No joke...
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Heathen have you read Blankets yet? *gets pimp slap hand ready*
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but I don't think he is. No sir, I don't. *** GreatA. What Thalya and Shig said. Oh, and Walking Dead and Invincible are consistently good from month to month.
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I ave decided to A) wait for the fall/winter because it's my fav time of the year or B) wait until one of the inevitable bigger hurricanes scares the crap outta me later in the coming months so I have something nice and big and good to read. But I do have it, but I have not read it
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It's not like he hasn't read Watchmen like me.. *ducks*
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from Superman Returns? Okay. Thought so, but I was just trying to be sure. I don't even know what type of music or who those guy's are really, but the song sure is cut well with the TV spot I tell ya. And while I'm confessing things, I have to say that I watched the MTV Movie Awards on the DVR the other night. I didn't hate it, not all of it. I actually liked quite a bit of it. Here's why: 1) Christian Bale accepting an award for best hero from non other than Superman, Brandon Routh made me geek out (World's Finest!!!) and I was further geeked out when Bale said Batman was the baddest bad ass of superheroes, "No offense Superman." Awesome. 2) Gnarls Barkley. I love Cee-Lo. Loved him when he was with Goodie Mob (10 cool points for whoever knows what Goodie Mob stands for) and I love that in each performance they're in they dress up. At the awards they had everybody dressed in Star Wars costumes!!! Vader, Ben, Storm Troopers on guitars and Chewie on the drums! 3) Christina Aguilara is hot. Really hot. And not even 1/4 as annoying as Spears or Simpson. 4) Jim Carrey is funny as shit on these shows. He came out with an armada of angels! I haven't watched MTV in two years and I probably won't until something like this again but those were the highlights. End confession.
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Those weren't the issues you were looking for. You're going to give them to me. *woooh* *booga, booga* *eerie noise* *wooh* Help me out Spectregans, *snrualphftttfff* Oh, never mind
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Or was the Florida one in February? By the looks of things, ASP the publisher is strongly pushing Mouse Guard, so I'll bet that David Petersen will be making the rounds.
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i enjoyed the awards for pretty much the exact same reasons you did. man supes and bats shook hands on stage? and the badass comment was cool. i was geeking out too! and thalya even if he did have a con coming up its more fun to try to jedi mind trick u to give him his comics
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I think our con was in Feb, yeah and I'm a bum for not having the bones then so now I'll just use my Jedi mind trick on you with the aid of Spectregans **snrualphftttfff* *argghhulff* There he goes again. Glad you liked the awards Kal-El. They did shake hands!
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now i feel the need to go get those cd's and put them in...ceelo kicks as...i watched him many moons ago when his first solo album came out and the concert lineup was some black chick i think faded away for ever followed by ceelo, then followed by lauryn hill with a bunch of marleys, then followed by THE ROOTS(prob my favorite rappish group), then Outkast(prob my favorite rappish group...damn its a tie!) with Killer Mike...and J5 had to cancel that venue or else i'd throw em' in too...hella good concert though, gnarls would kick ass to see live...and i feel one day we'll have bale and routh in a bats/supes flick...it has to happen...that would make good coin...oh and comics...they have lots and lots of ads...thus the love of all things trades...like blankets...fantastic little book...so heathen chop chop man!...okay...we'll wait till fall....................
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The Good Die Mostly Over Bullshit. Ahh, Cee Lo Green and his perfect imperfections. Love me some Outkast because I'm into fish n grits and all that pimp shit. ATLiens. My cousin used to call that at-liens. Tard.
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And here I thought the Ender trilogy was so awesome. Now I have this bitter taste from having wasted money and energy on it. What a fucking fag, man...Fuck you Orson Scott Card, fuck YOU up YOUR stupid ass. Fuckin dick....
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good musical tastes guys! yeha gnarls rules and so does outkast. and goodie mob man thats some old school back in the day shit!man i love the roots! and trades!....and bread
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and yes, Orson does hate you, Psy. So does the President
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Hollidill is a cool long time talkbacker! Plus, this stuff is so ridiculous sometimes you can't spoof it. Back before there were @$$holes, Skippy, I used to do an unofficial spoof column in the talkbacks of Elston Gunn's Weekly Recap, called, natch, Buzz Maverik's Weekly Recap. I'd post the stupidest movie ideas I could think of. The stunning thing was how many movies came out like those fake trade announcements, often with the same titles. Hell, I'd shoplift a copy of THE LEGION OF WOLVERINES.
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...is that it's not about smoking, per se. It's about good fiction. Interesting fiction. Anybody ever read any James Ellroy novels. Wrote LA CONFIDENTIAL, THE BLACK DAHLIA, WHITE JAZZ, etc. His heroes are all racist, misogynistic, homophobic, dirty LA cops who still end up doing the right thing (along with a lot of wrong things). They are incredibly interesting characters that make for good fiction. Wolverine smoking isn't on the same level, but it's sort of the comic book version. He's 100 years old. He comes from a time when everybody smoked. He's got a go-to-hell attitude. He'd smoke. Now, Daredevil lighting up would be idiotic because his whole schtick depends on his athletic condition and with his hypersenses taking a puff would be like being at a burning Philip Morris warehouse. Questioning Quesada is the opposite of having a hive mind.
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The name gave you away, m'man. I dig 'em too, but "Tipping Point" wasn't as strong as their previous stuff. I'm really hoping they tighten it up a little for the new disc. Oh, and I get to see Gnarls and Kanye at Lolla this summer. Oh, and I think I'm gonna see Ghostface this summer at a festival too, and prolly Lupe Fiasco as well (local boy made good). Damn, I really need to see The Roots this time around.
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that's all...it's like 3 am and i'm fuggin' rendering...this is when i despise animation.
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For being the first (?) one to know where my screen name comes from. Or at least acknowledge it. I don't even care that you haven't read Blankets anymore. I <3 (penis) Miyamoto.
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AND I get a cookie. Sweet. Miyamoto is the man. I hear that the new Mario game on the DS is the only game worth buying this summer. Have you played it, Shig?
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Yes I've played and beat and gone through again trying to get all the secrets in New Super Mario Bros for the DS. It is indeed awesome... like Mario 3 awesome. I can't wait until the new Castlevania DS game, the DS Zelda game and Final Fantasy 3 DS come out...drool. In other news, there are rumors of LucasArts creating a Star Wars game just for the Wii that focuses primarily on LIGHTSABER FIGHTING. FUCK YES!!!!!!!
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It would be, wii-markable to play that. Hell yeah. I kinda want a DS for that Mario game alone, maybe later.
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American Hi-Fi. They suck pretty bad. I still like the Superman Returns song though.
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so when you fired up the saber, you'd hear that flash...
Other very quality DS games: Meteos, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Mario Kart DS, NINTENDOGS, Brain Age, Kirby Canvas Curse, Advance Wars DS... -
Best...Talkback....ever...****Sidenote: I just bought a Sega Saturn System($40), had it shipped cross country(20$), then had to buy the power line(10$). All so I can buy and play Dragon Force($40). All that, and yet I don't feel sorry, and I know you're all jealous. (Unless of course you all already have this, which is likely cause I'm WAY behind on this shit, in which case I'm a douche!) YEAH! I prod copious amounts of buttock!
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It's like this every week for the most part. And I did that for a SNES and Crono Trigger. And for everyone's viewing pleasure: http://tinyurl.com/q929j
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What's everyone's Top 3? Mine are Castlevania: SOTN (Sotry sucked, but the gameplay, graphics, voice acting and the music, good God, the music, made up for it.), Street Fighter II (I HATE YOU, Vega. I hate you with a passion burning with the fury of a million suns.), and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (The first game I lost sleep over because I HAD to get through the next dungeon. F*ing pointy eared harlot of a princess, why do you treat me this way? Can you not see that I love you? What do you want from me? Do you want me to bleed? Is that what you want....er, sorry.)****Christ I'm a GEEK!
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Marvel did it. You know what I'm talking about.
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@#*($&!!
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we all knew it would happen. I think it's stupid for the long run of the character just like marrying Mary Jane was. It's a quick fix that makes you feel good for 20 minutes and then you come crashing down
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for All Star Superman and Justice previews. It helps the stink in the air.
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..that's why DC got it right. There wasn't too much changed during IC, but just enough because DiDio et al had enough foresight to know the difference between good and bad change.
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Dear Joey Q.,
Please take this time to pull Mr. Bandis's head out of your ass, and FUCKING EDIT SOMETHING! You miserable little twat! I don't even care if you agreed with this shit, some little nano-bot should have been injected into you when you took the job. Something that has Goddamn "CRITICAL MASS" alert and just makes your hand put pen to paper and write a big red "NO! BAD BALD MONKEY!" on it. Next, you'll have Silver Surfer grow long hair and start wearing Burkenstocks, Captain America will become a Naval Admiral complete with jaunty eye-patch, Iron-Man will become Fiberglass Body Kit-Man to get a few extra horsepower on the front end, and Professer X will suddenly get out of the chair and go, "What the fuck? Damn it was just a rock in my shoe the whole time. Who's up for some wind-sprints?"***Did the article happen to mention if he would be breaking up with MJ before or after the whole shark jumping thing? -
how Quesada is going to say shit about fans hating it, but buying it in record sales numbers. Of course this issue will sell out, but it has the stench of the Death of Superman and hologram foil covers all over it. This does not bode well for the industry in the long run in addition to the character. I went to Marvel's website and noticed their tagline is, "Marvel: Your Universe."
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tab != Enter. What I meant to say is: Go Spiderman! You gettin the girl, savin the day! I for one am very happy at Peter Parker unmasking. Characters are supposed to evolve, change, and develop over time. But let's save this for the next talkback.
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yeah, i just saw that newsarama article. stupid reveal, publicity stunt. BUT. i'll still go with Marvel over DC for now. i think Steven Grant said it best in his most recent Permanent Damage over at comicbookresources.com. DC, right now, is just too incestuous for me. i left DC when Brubaker left. the only DC stuff i read now is Morrisson's stuff, and Seven Soldiers was amazing because one needn't known the entire DC universe backstory to get what was going on. sure, Marvel has some stupid stuff and Giant Extraordinary Event Crossovers (which from now on shall be known as GEEC) but the reason i'd side with Marvel now is that, at the same time, they allow for things like Ed Brubaker's Captain America and Joss Whedon's Astonixhing X-Men, stories that can be read on their own and enjoyed fully. i just tried to get back into Teen Titans, thinking that OYL seemed like a good point to jump back on, but it's still the same self-referencing gimmick where i need to buy 52 to eventually figure out what's going on. but yeah, that's a stupid reveal, publicity stunt.
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lame
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First up, thanks for the kind words Buzz! Second, in the June Previews from Diamond, in the Marvel Section under Exiles # 85 we have the following solicitation: "THE NEW EXILES" Part 1 (of 2) SNIKT! to the sixth power! With the Exiles fired, it's time for a new group of dimension jumping heroes. Wolverine has always been known as the best there is at what he does, so six Wolverines must be really really REALLY good at what they do! Can the Exiles get their jobs back from these scene stealing Canucks? Don't bet on it! The cover on the page (page 70 of Marvel Previews if you have it) has eye-patch wolverine, though not Patch since this wolverine is in spandex, greying Days of Future Past Wolverine, Zombie Wolverine, and a strange mix of AOA Wolverine and Weapon X. The other two are not shown.
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Bendis, dammit, not Bandis
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Zelda: Link to the Past/Zelda: Ocarina of Time (TIE), Crono Trigger, and....gee the last spot would go to: Tie Fighter (PC game), Resident Evil 4, Super Smash Brothers Melee, Tetris...ummm lots others?
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I failed college classes cause of that game. Heathen which Ninja Gaiden? I would put Ninja Gaiden 2 from the NES on my list... SHIT and MEGAMAN 2!
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castlevania:sotn
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And I gotta say that Ninja Gaiden on XBOX was freakin incredible. Hard. Beautiful. Really hard. Fun. Rewarding. Ninja Gaiden 2 on NES was hard too, but I didn't get to play that one as much. I also love Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire for 64.
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.....grumblegrumble.....Fuck that game, seriously. Beautiful, Fun, Ninja that fuckin' moves like a Ninja, and a killer soundtrack. Still, WHY MAKE A QUARTER MUNCHER FOR A HOME SYSTEM?!?!?!? ......challenge of 100 demons......Seriously, FUCK THAT GAME IN IT'S BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED PATENT LEATHER ASS!
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Read the entire article...It's freaking true. How awesome is this?***http://tinyurl.com/fzp43***
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And I'll tell you why. First, this will score him points with some people, in fact I was trolling some of the other talkbacks, and it already has. Second, He only wants to fight critics, not anyone else. While that makes sense, I'm sure that he knows that most movie critics llok like Harry, Ebert, or that girly man Roeper. Third, he's limited it to 140 to 190 wightclass. I'm 5'8" and I'm bgger than that. Last, I thought I heard somewhere that Mr. Boll used to be a boxer. Great, so he gets to beat the shit out of some skinny little geek that dared to speak ill of his fine works of shite. Five of 'em at that. This is ego stroking at it's best.***Why do I hate so much? Because I can see the shit stains even in something as cool as a hack giving people a chance to shitkick him into submission or at least retirement. I SUCK!
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That's why I love it. When you beat it, you actually feel like you've accomplished something.
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because somewhere there is a movie critic that is friggin ripped and hates Uwe as much as any normal person who loves movies does. *crosses fingers*
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Naa....That's good enough on it's own.
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http://imdb.com/title/tt0383222/
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It's especially interesting because the 2 ILM people I met at the Star Wars exhibit had JUST switched over to digital painting from model making/matte painting...
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yes this is the best tb on the site and it is typically like this towards end of the week. fave games-thats a hard one cuz theres classics on every generation of consoles. my top faves on my xbox are halo 2, def jam fight for NYand crimson skies. on the 360 so far its DOA 4, burnout revenge and call of duty. but man i do love me some gaming!and comics! and great a u got a saturn? *Lucky!*
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You can get 'em pretty cheap. The one I got was $40, came with two controllers and two Panzeer Dragoon games. Hell, I paid just as much for the one game that i really wanted for it.
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i really want to start a collection of old consoles but the 360 is eating up all my gaming time right now. my poor psp sits on my desk like a one night stand,never called back
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It won't matter if there's a ripped up movie critic with 15 years of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training and a Cro-Cop like kick. Why, you ask with hopeful puppy-dog eyes welling with heart-broken tears? BECAUSE UWE THE BOIL GETS TO CHOOSE WHO HE FIGHTS FROM THE PICTURES THEY SEND IN! Expect 4 Urkels and an elderly wheelchair bound dwarf with gout, just to spice it up a bit.
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Cit of Heroes/Villains: Level 50 Mind/ Empathy Controller (Psynapse-NATCH bitches), Level 38 Sonic/Electric Blaster (Shocking Shriek), Level 40 Necromancy/ Dark MasterMind (Death Genie), Level 34 Plant/ Thorn Dominator (Spite Sprite) and the last 11 months of my life....
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and please understand I hold you in the highst regard, but you have no fucking life. That is a massive amount of dedication that I just could not muster on my best day. Well done, sir, well done indeed.
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That's NOT counting several characters I built up to between levels 15-20 but then deleted. Yes, I need a 12 step program for this damn game....I'm just so damn good at having superpowers dammit!!
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i hold u in high regard as well!
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of me on Def Jam Vendetta: Fight for NY. i made and beat 7 different profiles in the medium and then in the hard difficulty. so a total of 14-15 times playing the game through. whats sad about that is that a big part of the appeal for me was not only the fighting but the dressing the guy i made in cool urban clothes. i seriously would put him in a new outfit and bling before every damn fight! whats even worse is im pissed its not compatible with my 360 cuz i want to make another profile!
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I always tried to make the most Aryan guy I could, just so I could have this huge ubermensch skin-head psycho with the most ghetto voice possible. I just imagined that dude walking into a Neo-Nazi party goin' "Yo, SNAP! What up, homies?" Then getting curbied and starting a riot that ended in hundreds of dead racist pricks. It made me giggle.
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some of that there comdey gold you hear about atuin!
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Last?
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I'm picking up CW 2 today. Woo-hoo! I knew it!
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Oh well
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LAST gents. ; )
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yeah...me...gus was a worthy foe...but my colombian blood gave me the edge.
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*places deck of cards on table*
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LAST (bitches) (*_^)
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Damn.
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