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AICN COMICS REVIEWS GAMEKEEPER! LOGAN! ATOM! & MUCH MORE!!!
| #45 | 3/5/08 | #6 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
GAMEKEEPER V2 #1
YOUNG LIARS #1
LOGAN #1
GREEN LANTERN #28
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #1
THE ALL NEW ATOM #21
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #6
SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #12
Indie Jones presents A BUNCH FROM IDW
Indie Jones presents…
CHEAP SHOTS!
GUY RITCHIE'S GAMEKEEPER V2 #1
Created by Guy Ritchie
Story by Jeff Parker
Art by Ron Randall & Ron Chan
Publisher: Virgin Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
A lot of fun was had reading the first GAMEKEEPER comic miniseries. Guy Ritchie's nature-loving badass did what he does best with a bunch of invading mercenaries in search of a scientific formula developed by a reclusive scientist. This first miniseries reminded me of such films as FIRST BLOOD and DEATH HUNT where a true bad@$$, sick of all of the bureaucracy and business of the real world decides to say "'eff you!" and return back to nature to live a simpler life. Of course, this decision never lasts long. Trouble follows our hero. It happened with Sylvester Stallone. It happened with Charles Bronson. And it happens here with Brock, a true hard as nails killing-machine of a man who would rather hunt game than humans...until the humans do him wrong, that is.
Series one ended with the Gamekeeper taking care of a shitload of mercenaries who siege the farm of his employer, a scientist developing some sort of "thing" that the Russian military wants. The miniseries was simply acted out, highlighting the sheer bad-@$$edness of the main character in the way he strategically took out the entire squadron. It was a straight-forward action yarn that pulled no punches and never really tried to be more than what it was...a kick-@$$ action experience.
Series two starts out slow. Readers of the old miniseries already know how cool the Gamekeeper is, so new writer Jeff Parker (of AGENTS of A.T.L.A.S. fame) gives us a little bit of introspection between Brock and the person he is protecting, then swiftly leaps into introducing the team of baddies who have been hired to take care of him.
What I like about this issue is that it plays like a great caper film. A team of characters work together to steal a piece of artwork. The meticulous plan unfolds and it plays as a pretty clever one at that. At the same time, the caper highlights and introduces the key players, all of them soon to be meeting the Gamekeeper, I'm sure. The twist at the end comes from out of nowhere and is an extremely satisfying way to end this issue and give a feeling of impending doom for the Gamekeeper and the people he is protecting.
I keep on referring to films in this review and the reason for that is the cinematic way in which the story plays out. GAMEKEEPER V2 #1 is definitely paced like a film, but it's not your typical trade-paced dreck. Issue #1 feels like part of a bigger picture, but it definitely doesn't feel like a throw away issue. In film, every second counts and builds upon itself. This issue feels the same way. Jeff Parker is a good enough writer to know that if you don't nab the reader in the first issue, they won't be back for a second. This issue grabs you and lets you know that there is more bad-@$$edness to come and sets up a capable crew of no-goodniks to challenge our hero. I can't wait to see how this one turns out. The first issue starts with a simmer, but by the end of the book, it boils over as an homage to action films and a promise to readers that more carnage is on the way.
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, reviewer and co-editor of AICN Comics for close to seven years. Bug often walks the Earth in search of answers to life’s burning questions…only to find them back at his place, on his nightstand, in the four-color pages of comic books. Look for his first published work in this March's MUSCLES & FIGHTS 3 from Cream City Comics
YOUNG LIARS #1
Words & Art: David Lapham
Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
If there is anything I love about a David Lapham work, it's that each and every one of them seems to try and trump one another when it comes to pure nihilistic decor. YOUNG LIARS is yet another, uh, shining example of this trend, with nary a bit of hope or light at the end of the tunnel to be seen, but goddamn it's a firecracker of a book.
Syphilis, bulimia, drug consumption, a bullet lodged in a young girl's brain, facial mutilation, some punk-fucking-rock, and a bit of hopeless romanticism...it's all there and more, and this is just the first issue. Obviously the purpose of a first issue is to set the tone and scene, and again Lapham does this as dirty as possible and I love him for it. This is a pretty dense debut though, with over a half dozen characters to introduce and some pretty heavy background for a couple of them to lay down. Don't worry though, the mad, hedonistic energy this work revels in holds up throughout, and despite a good bit of the characters being some real pieces of work or downright pieces of shit, there manages to be some light at the end of the tunnel.
The real saviors of the book when it comes to a redeeming quality are what look to be our main characters: Danny Noonan, a one-time aspiring guitarist whose dreams have fallen prey to reality but tolerates it because he's met Sadie. Sadie is your all American punk rock grrl except, y'know, with massively erratic mental behavior due to a bullet in her brain pushing on part of it. It's a romantic comedy for sadists I guess. But it's also a great anchor for a book featuring some very vile and lost characters. I also enjoyed where the book went towards the end of the issue as far as a driving plot for this rag-tag bunch. A little sudden and jarringly placed, but I kind of dig it despite its randomness, which pretty much exactly sums up my feelings on this comic as a whole.
As much as Vertigo banks on its trade sales, I think this is definitely something that needs to be picked up and bought individually. There's just so much crazed energy mixed with some very downbeat humor in this title that I'm not even sure a large chunk of it would be a good thing. And I can see its contained catastrophic-ness keeping a good hold on the reader from month to month. But this is definitely a book to check. It's definitely going to be polarizing for sure, but those that would enjoy something of this level of degeneracy (i.e. me) are going to fall in love with it, which really seems to be Lapham's staple. The Vertigo line may have just captured lightning in a bottle yet again with this one...
Humphrey Lee is a long time AICN reviewer and also a certified drunk whose claim to fame is making it up four steps of the twelve step program before vomiting on steps five and six and then falling asleep on steps one through three. Also, chances are, he's banged your mom (depending on the relative hotness of said parental figure) and is probably the father of one of your younger siblings.
LOGAN # 1 (of 3)
Written by Brian “K.” Vaughan
Art by Eduardo Risso
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Stones Throw
Are there any current X-MEN fans that jumped aboard in the past ten years? Not ULTIMATE X-MEN, mind you. I mean the variant-cover sporting, multiple title-spanning, many crossover-having real thing. I understand the recent MESSIAH COMPLEX event (which did some kind of cutesy, capitalized thing with the X that I don’t wanna replicate here) has brought aboard some new readers, but still…
Every comic fan has one major franchise they’ve never cared for. For me, it was always the X-Men. For having the number one property throughout the 1990s, Marvel Comics sure did a good job of making sure their vast pantheon of X-books was impenetrable to new readers. Sure, I’d read reprints of the early Lee / Kirby stuff, but somewhere along the lines it seemed like the simple idea of ordinary people turned into super humans by a genetic trait had become inextricably convoluted, taking in multiple deaths and resurrections, timelines, alien races and whatever else.
Then I started reading the original Chris Claremont stuff and I finally “got” the X-Men. I saw the missing link between the original premise and the pretty awful stuff I had read in the present day (some of which Claremont was actually writing). I saw how he and his collaborators -- Dave Cockrum first, then John Byrne and others -- had expanded the scope of X-MEN comics, taking the starting point of a team of superhuman adventurers separated from the rest of humanity and adding any manner of action-packed, wayfaring stories. And hey, it’s not their fault if the comics were so good later writers haven’t been able to get past what they did.
Wolverine seems pretty emblematic of the problem with the X-Men. He started off as a supporting character whose best quality was simply how bad-@$$ he was. Unfortunately, because of that great volume of bad@$$ity, he became one of Marvel’s most successful characters and now, after decades of over-exposure and glamorization, his mystique (which was part of what made him so bad-@$$ in the first place) has completely disappeared and there’s nothing left to say with the character.
Hot property Brian Vaughan thinks he can break the mold, though, and he’s brought 100 BULLETS’ Eduardo Risso, one of the best pen and ink artists in the biz, along for the ride. And…
Well, what do you think, smart guy? I liked it!
As far as I’m concerned, Wolverine’s still best as the outsider figure on a team, but this is the kind of solo tale I can take. Logan’s not a man on a mission, he’s a soldier in a Japanese P.O.W. camp determined to get out alive, no matter how many enemy soldiers he’s gonna have to gut. I appreciated the way Vaughan stuck to the Clint Eastwood characterization (strong, silent type, but with just enough of an inferiority complex) rather than bombarding us with a raft of tough guy clichés. His story shifts smoothly from superhero drama to war story to folk tale, and ends on a pretty wicked cliffhanger.
Risso’s art? C’mon, man! It was as brilliantly hard-boiled as you’d expect. The watercolor paint gives it a whole new texture too. And trust me, I tried painting in watercolor once or twice and it’s not easy. So props to whoever painted it.
If you want to know about the minor faults, I’ll list them in this paragraph. Here goes: Firstly, Risso got the height right, but I still didn’t think his Wolverine was quite ugly enough. In fact, in some panels he’d almost pass for SMALLVILLE’s Tom Welling. Not that I watch that show. Uh, any more. The references to ORIGIN still make me wince a little. Plus, the setting and time period is a little covered. Like I said, minor.
The mark of good fiction is how well it manages to engross you, so you forget the writer sat behind his laptop or the artist at his drawing table. These kinds of reviews try to pick apart that process, but I’ll just say that while I was reading it the story and art gripped me enough that I clean forgot about the wider malaise of the X-Men line. Hell, by the time I turned that last page, I’d already stopped thinking about plot elements that had been craftily introduced in the present-day prologue.
Wolverine’s still a broken character, and the X-books still suck balls, but this issue was pretty darn good!
GREEN LANTERN # 28
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Mike McKone
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Optimous Douche
I’ll admit that I’m the first to be wary of new characters when they are introduced into a story. This addition of what I like to call the Brian Bonsall Factor is generally indicative of two things: the writers have run out of steam with the existing stable of players, or the publisher is desperately searching for a successful spin-off. It’s often handled clumsily with little regard for canon or the viewing audience.
So you can imagine my concern when Johns not only set the stage for new characters at the end of the Sinestro Corps War, but opened up the flood gates for new ring wielders, new armies, hell, even new Gods. I feared that there was no way the delivery would ever be as delectable as the set-up. I was also certain that I would be spending $400 every week to buy Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Red Lantern, Red Lantern Corps, Orange Lantern, Orange Lantern Corps, etc. to keep up with this galactic color wheel.
After reading this issue of GREEN LANTERN I’ve made a few life decisions. I will still take pause when some new cherub-faced brat appears on the TV screen repeating some adorable catch phrase until I not only hate children, but television as well. I am still distrusting of Marvel; c’mon, one mutant baby, two spin-offs, disgusting. However, from this day forward, when Geoff Johns is at the keyboard, I will cast aside all fears and predispositions and just simply enjoy the amazing ride.
I don’t think DC realized how many levels this book played on. Why? Because they only charged $2.99 for the book and they didn’t try to cross it over with some title floundering on the brink of cancellation. Yes, this book was so good, I can say in my worst Fabio accent, “I Can’t Believe it’s not a crossover.”
In this one issue of GREEN LANTERN, Johns has delivered a tale of blood, betrayal, disillusionment, abandonment, prodigal sons, edicts from the mount, and self-fulfilling apocalyptic prophecy on a cosmic scale. Quite honestly, the only biblical parable that this book seems to be missing is a savior. And that’s a damn shame, because the Green Lantern Corps and the entire DC universe will need one.
The Alpha Lanterns are doing a fine job in their newly appointed role of internal affairs. I must admit though I was a bit shocked to see them not only watching the watchmen, but acting as judge, jury and executioner as well. I know our universe is wrought with middle management, but middle management on a universal scale is a new one for me. I guess this one-stop-shop for intergalactic justice is a necessary evil since the Guardians spend all of their time now updating the Patriot Act, I mean the book of OA, and searching out the rest of the universe for their chromatic counterparts.
McKone has done exquisite work with the pencils in this book. The conversation between Sinestro and Hal Jordan and the transformation of the first Red Lantern have been so indelibly burned in my brain I still see them when I close my eyes at night.
My nipples haven’t been this hard about colors since Lucky the Leprechaun stopped drinking long enough to finally add the purple horseshoe marshmallow to Lucky Charm’s sugary spectrum of flavor.
When Optimous Douche isn’t reading comics and misspelling the names of 80’s icons, he “transforms” into a corporate communications guru. Check out the lazy bastard’s MySpace page until he gets a real website up and running.
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #1
Plot and Script: Jim Krueger
Plot, Covers and Art Direction: Alex Ross
Artist: Carlos Paul
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Guest Reviewer: Bottleimp
When Superman was introduced to the world in 1938, he sparked the beginning of the Golden Age of comic books. Almost overnight, newsstands became filled with the exploits of dozens of other crimefighters. Some of these characters were successful; many of them failed mere months after they debuted. After WWII, the comic book superhero lost popularity, and with the exception of Superman, Batman, and a few others, these Golden Age creations faded into obscurity. Marvel eventually revived Captain America and the Sub-Mariner, DC has utilized the Justice Society for decades now, but the majority of characters from the 1930's and 40's have remained untouched...until now. Two companies, Marvel and Dynamite, are dipping back into that pool of now-public-domain characters for two miniseries: Marvel's THE TWELVE and Dynamite's PROJECT SUPERPOWERS. And it's impossible for me to talk about one series without comparing it to the other...because THE TWELVE is good. PROJECT SUPERHEROES, unfortunately, is not.
The biggest problem with PROJECT SUPERHEROES is the writing. The thing about these old characters is that they are basically blank slates--the average comic book reader today doesn't know anything about them, and even the most fanatic fanboys will probably only recognize a few names and costumes. In THE TWELVE, J. Michael Straczynski deals with this fact beautifully-- within three pages of the first issue, he tells us who these characters are, their powers (or lack of them), and even some of their personality quirks. No such luck with PS-- two issues in (and yes, I know this is issue #1, but #0 was really the first issue--if you didn't read it, don't bother with #1-- you'll be hopelessly lost) and we still don't know who everyone is or what they are able to do. Krueger and Ross use the same storytelling format they used in their JUSTICE miniseries, adding a few "journal entries" to the end of the story that are meant to tell us more about the characters. This was okay in JUSTICE, since that series dealt with comic book icons that most readers were already familiar with, but in PS these pin-up pages are vague and add nothing to the plot or to the reader's knowledge of these superheroes.
Since the reader knows next to nothing about these characters, it's hard to be concerned (or even intrigued) with what's happening to them. For example, the Black Terror smashes his fist through Dynamic Man's chest, revealing that Dynamic Man is in fact a robot. I don't even think that telling you this is a spoiler, since the reader has no preconceived notion about Dynamic Man anyway! If this was supposed to be a big shock or plot twist, it fails completely due to the lack of characterization.
In addition, the dialogue is not so hot. I get the sense that Krueger knows what he wants to say, but has trouble finding the words to articulate what's on his mind. The first-person narration by the main character is clumsy, and a lot of lines are so random that they become non-sequiturs. More than anything, the writing reminds me of an essay written by someone for whom English is a second language. Ross and Krueger also damn themselves by repeating plot elements from their earlier works. The Fighting Yank, now an old man, is sent on his quest by a mysterious spirit that appears to him, calling to mind the Spectre and Norman McKay from KINGDOM COME. In New York City, the heroes have to fight off an army of robotic Dynamic Men in a scene very reminiscent of the city of Brainiacs from JUSTICE. It's funny that even though there has been more "action" in the first two issues of PS than in THE TWELVE, the latter is a much more exciting read, simply because Straczynski's writing makes the reader care about the characters.
The art isn't bad, but it's not great. The decent pencilling by Carlos Paul is unnecessarily muddied by an attempt to make the artwork look more "painted"-- in the back of the issue there's actually a reproduction of Paul's black and white art; just compare the crisp and competent linework to the over-colored final art. Yuck.
Even though I love all those old Golden Age characters, and even though some of my favorites (like the original Daredevil, rechristened "the Death-Defying 'Devil" for copyright purposes) are going to show up in PS, I don't think I'll be sticking around for the next issue (especially at $3.50 a pop!)-- I'd rather find out what happens with THE TWELVE instead.
THE ALL NEW ATOM #21
Writer: Rick Remender
Pencils: Pat Olliffe
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
For some reason or another, almost a couple years back when DC was presenting its round of "All New! All Exciting! All Ethnically Diverse!" legacy characters post INFINITE CRISIS, I didn't really give any of them much of a shot. Maybe I flipped through the debut issue or whatnot, but I just wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was the feeling of forceditude (sorry, I lost my thesaurus) that came with these characters seemingly being shoved down our collective gullets in order to capitalize on post-event, new number one fever, but I just feel I didn't give some of these a fair shake. The one I regretted the most was this book here, THE ALL NEW ATOM, because it featured the lovely and ever talented Gail Simone and if anyone could have infused some originality in a situation like that, it would have been Ms. Gail.
Now though, there's a new writing direction, headed up by the, uh, lovely and ever talented Rick Remender? For those not in the know, Mr. Remender has been making a nice little rep for himself via publishers like Dark Horse and Image the past couple years and writes what I currently hail as one of my top ten monthly reads, FEAR AGENT. That title right there was really what convinced me to try out this new Atom character, especially since I was going into learning him from scratch. I figured if Remender could infuse his "rough-and-ready" brand of SciFi action into a book like this, using a character with powers like The Atom possesses, well this could be something special. And so far, it's not off to a bad start.
The thing of it is, I guess since I'm so little exposed to this new version of him (hell, I didn't even know his secret identity until halfway through the issue) I was expecting more of an introductory debut for Remender with the high-falutin', science-slinging action to come later, but this issue definitely jumped right in with both feet with a story involving less about the character and more of what was in him, specifically his blood. And I got what I wanted from that front. Watching as Ryan Choi (our new Atom's name for anyone at home that is as ignorant as I was) rode himself through a sample of his own blood (something that sounds "simple" but has very grave consequences in case of a fuck up as Remender amply describes to us) and then came face to, uh, corpuscle with some weird mutated blood cell was very Heath Huston-esque and was indeed some good old fashioned SciFi action with a hit of comedy. Sort of like INNERSPACE but with a tiny shrunken Asian man instead of Dennis Quaid (fuck I hope someone gets that reference).
The last third of the issue kind of serves the purpose of intro-ing who Ryan is, but I could still have used more of a Cliff Notes version of exactly who he is and what he "stands for" I guess is the term to use. What I could have especially used, though, is an explanation of why there's some giant fucking Metron looking floating head yelling stuff about slain canned cheese in his living room, and things like who his somewhat portly "sidekick" is, but I'm sure this is coming in due time. Really, I can't complain. From an adrenaline standpoint, this is exactly what I wanted. I'm sure Remender will infuse some more personality into the book as his run goes on, but this all in all from top down, writing to art, was a pretty rock solid debut. If this ends up being even half as good as FEAR AGENT has, DC will have something very special on its hands. Hopefully they don't fuck this one up too...
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #6 (of 10)
Words & stroy: Jonathan Lethem & Karl Rusnak
Art: Farel Dalrymple
Publisher: Marvel Comics
No longer looking for the devil: Ambush Bug
If the devil is in the details, as many people say, then I'm no longer looking for it in this book. OMEGA THE UNKNOWN is the closest thing to a TWIN PEAKS episode you can get. Much like David Lynch's groundbreaking television series, there's a whole lotta kooky going on in OMEGA THE UNKNOWN. I know many have spent hours upon hours trying to "understand" the bizarre things that occurred on TWIN PEAKS; the Black Lodge, the Log Lady, Bob, why Josie ended up trapped in that doorknob, the chick with the eye patch, amnesia & super-strength, etc. but as I watched that series many years ago and re-watched it recently, I decided to quit trying to figure out everything that was going on and sit back and just enjoy the feeling of bewilderment that accompanied every viewing. If you are one of those people who needs everything explained, who needs their world to make sense, who needs everything wrapped in a pretty bow and spelled out, you probably hated TWIN PEAKS and should probably steer clear of OMEGA THE UNKNOWN. But if you're like me, and are able to shut off the logic factor of the brain and simply enjoy something for the kookified quirk that it is, then I'm pretty sure you're going to be digging OMEGA THE UNKNOWN as much as I am.
This comic is a glimpse into a completely alien mind, where strange things occur and people simply don't react to it. Statues come alive, hands grow into people, a book schmelds its way onto a guy's chest and is absorbed into his being, a guy in a superhero suit flips burgers and no one blinks an eye at it. I like the robotic way the main character stumbles around in this book, but I guess that's ok since Alex was raised by robots himself. Like the characters in another Lynch film, BLUE VELVET, everyone seems to be walking around in a robot-like trance, unfazed by the truly insane stuff that happens around them. I also like the over-the-top villainy of The Mink, a glory hound superhero whose devious schemes are just starting to show. The way the Mink interacts with his minions and manipulates both his men and the media with his own comic book and product endorsements is extremely funny. The Mink's posturing at the graveside of a fallen henchman is priceless as is the moment where he okays the photo taken of the event to be sent onto the internet for all to see.
And how does Omega the Unknown, Steve Gerber's enigmatic hero from the 70's who often was mistaken for other heroes, fit into all of this? Not completely sure. He has been taken hostage by the Mink and is being tortured for information since the Mink doesn't like to share the spotlight. All the while, mild-mannered Alex is trying to fit into society after being in exile for so long. I'm sure the book will come together and make some kind of sense in the end, but honestly, I don't care if it does or not. Writer Jonathan Lethem has done a great job of supplying some of the most entertaining pages to grace the shelves this year. The art is scratchy and often seems crammed into the panel. Movement is awkward and stiff occasionally. The panels are often crude, but highly detailed, as with the panel featuring the robotics students all constructing the same type of robot in a room full of cubicles. It is all so fascinating to look at and I can't help but love it. I couldn't see any other type of art working for this book.
There really is nothing like this book out there in the mainstream these days. It has enough mainstream hooks to work, yet isn't afraid to take risks, to completely forget to explain stuff, and to go off on tangents that one wouldn't begin to imagine. Like TWIN PEAKS, which pushed the boundaries of tolerance on a mainstream television channel, OMEGA does the same for Marvel. I have to give it to Marvel for having the balls to publish this book. I've never seen anything like it grace Marvel's output and I doubt many at Marvel even "get" the book. But if you're like me, and are able to turn off that scrutinous mind that dissects and asks "'the hell?" and needs every little detail explained to them, you just might enjoy this book for the gem that it is for as long as it lasts.
SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL # 12
Written by B. Clay Moore
Art by Phil Hester and Ande Parks
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed lately by Stones Throw
I’ll sum it up like this: I’m more interested in following the stories of the Marvel characters, but every now and again I get a hankering to read a good SUPERMAN or BATMAN comic.
Fortunately, DC caters to that whim with a variety of titles. Its publishing seems to lack a little logic. There’s SUPERMAN, that’s self-explanatory. SUPERMAN VS. BATMAN, that too. Then ACTION COMICS STARRING SUPERMAN, that’s for the quieter, more character-based stories. ALL STAR SUPERMAN is for the out-of-continuity, iconic stories. And SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL, uh…
Hey, I’m not complaining if the end result is more comics like this one. I guess this functions as the new origin of the Toymaster, and that’s okay by me. Siegel and Shuster and whoever might have been ghosting at the time observed almost seventy years ago that Superman’s most entertaining stories often come when the villains are pests rather than titans. Personally, I’m still waiting for the return of Lois Lane’s niece, Susie Tompkins.
The current trend in comics is towards dragged out storylines and low amounts of action, but you wouldn’t tell by reading this issue. There are numerous plot lines established, all pretty good, and a fair few action scenes, stylishly drawn by the idiosyncratic Hester / Parks team. Just as importantly, I liked the matter-of-fact tone with which Superman and his world were treated. Writer B. …or B. Clay …or BCM …or Clay Moore …or, uh, whatzisface, y’know, the HAWAIIAN DICK guy, knows we all know who Superman is and isn’t afraid to just dive right in and show us all aspects of the character. The man in action, Clark Kent at work in the Daily Planet, paging Jimmy Olsen on his signal watch, having a close run-in with a neighbor.
The setting seems kind of indeterminate. The backdrop is Jimmy Olsen getting into SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN-type Silver Age scrapes (last seen getting a whole issue devoted to ‘em in ALL STAR SUPES # 4), but then it’s apparently pre-Fortress of Solitude, and yet we’re still told Superman’s relatively new in Metropolis. Talk about a headache. Hey, didja know that when Jack Kirby returned to DC he didn’t want to disrupt anyone’s work, so he asked to be put on their lowest-selling title? And that was SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN? No? Well, why the hell not? Everyone knows that, dumb@$$!
I believe the next issue of SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL hits stores today. So sue me, I picked it up a few weeks late. Anyway, if, like me, every so often you get a craving for a non-committal Superman story, my advice is you can’t do much better than this issue and its sequels.
Up, up and…whatever.
A BUNCH OF BOOKS FROM IDW
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Although I still consider IDW Publishing in independent comic book publisher, it has been around for quite a while. I recently happened upon a handful of IDW books and figured I’d lump them all together in one review rather than pick and choose from the bunch. What I found was a lot of stuff I found interesting, a few concerns, and definitely a few treats.
The first crop of books focused on pre-existing material. The good thing about these books is that they often have a built in audience crossing over from the material in its original form. The bad thing is that, this being a new medium, you’re bound to have newbies coming across this new material, and one shouldn’t assume the audience is going to know everything about the property just because it’s on tv. I, myself, am one of those newbies, especially concerning some of these books.
DR WHO #1Written by Gary Russell & drawn by Nick Roche
Knowing next to nothing about DR. WHO, I appreciated the one page recap this issue provided. It didn’t seem obtrusive or redundant and I doubt those familiar with the series would find it annoying to read through. The story was somewhat light in tone, but a fun read. The art in this issue seemed to get looser as the were flipped as if artist Nich Roche took his time with the first pages, but was rushed towards the end of the book. All in all, coming from someone new to the DR WHO universe, I found this to be a story I was allowed to enjoy because those behind it took new readers into consideration.
GHOST WHISPERER #1Words by Becca & Carrie Smith and art by Elena Casagrande
Considering new readers was not as much a priority for this book. I’ve never had the privilege of watching an episode of GHOST WHISPERER and unfortunately this book didn’t really give me anything that warranted me checking it out. The art is really nice and Elena Casagrande does a good job of making the shapely star of the book…uhm…er…shapely. The story jumps right into the action with the Ghost Whisperer “happening” upon a spooky encounter in a coffee shop. This opening scene seemed somewhat coincidental for my tastes. Maybe GW gets drawn to these strange occurrences. Maybe this was explained on the tv show. I haven’t seen the tv show, so I don’t know. Again, this wasn’t a heavy story, but by the end of the book, I found myself invested in the main character. Had I as a new reader been considered while this book was made, I would have appreciated it more.
STAR TREK: ALIEN SPOTLIGHT – THE BORG #1Written by Andrew Steven Harris and art by Sean Murphy
This book read less as a spotlight on the alien race called the Borg and more as a regular STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episode. I really liked the loose artwork and there’s an especially effective scene that spreads across the entire top of a page featuring the entire flight deck of the Enterprise that was really, really sweet. The characters look enough like their real life counterparts to be recognizable, but are loose enough to not look like traced pictures plopped into a comic book environment. Even though I’m no Trekkie, I knew enough about the material to follow along without getting lost. I’m not sure if that is because of the writer’s talent to convey the story (the motivations and make-up of the Borg is gone into with quite detail) or if it was because I’ve seen a few Borg episodes on rerun. A fun issue, nonetheless.
STAR TREK: ALIEN SPOTLIGHT – THE ROMULANS #1Story & art by John Byrne
Anyone looking for where John Byrne has been can look no further than this issue. Sure there are those who dislike the veteran comic book writer/artist, but I strongly feel that although his work with mainstream books may have failed to gain the approval of modern fans, he may have found his new niche here in the STAR TREK universe. This was a very strong issue that does what the issue promises us it will do, namely tell us what these Romulans are all about. Byrne does a good job of illustrating the cultures, traits, and practices of this alien race. I really liked the story of a conflicted father and son, but I liked Byrne’s intricate designs of the Romulan architecture and machinery even more. A very strong issue and even though the ending may tie a little too closely with the first appearance of the Romulans in the STAR TREK series, I would recommend this to old and new fans.
FX #1Story by Wayne Osborne & art by John Byrne
Byrne returns in this original series about your typical kid who (by now, in comics, typically) stumbles into some not so typical super powers. Seems whatever type of object Tom Talbot thinks of, he becomes it. If he wants to fly, an energy field in the shape of a rocket ship appears around him and he flies. If he makes a fake gun out of a fist and a pointed finger, energy bolts fly from it. As described in the comic, Tom has become a human special effect. Lord knows where these powers come from or what exactly they mean, but I had a fun time following the lead character’s journey of discovery and adventure. I have to say, Byrne turns in some more impressive work here, although I found it a bit distressing to find Byrne’s choice to fill many of the backgrounds simply with color rather than grounding the characters in some kind of landscape or flooring. But the book’s got a giant talking ape and a cool young hero with some cool powers. If you’re interested in reading about yet another awkward and nerdy kid gaining superpowers and stumbling into adventures while juggling a stressful personal life, then this book may be for you. Personally, all of the cool things listed above made me look past the clichés and enjoy the hell out of it.
EVERYBODY’S DEAD #1Story by Brian Lynch & Art by Dave Crosland
To round out our handful of IDW new #1’s, we have EVERYBODY’S DEAD, which looks to be a slacker zombie story reminiscent of SHAUN OF THE DEAD. I know schmelding the zombie premise with every other genre has been done to death, but it’s kind of funny seeing it work with your typical gross-out teen comedy. The art is cartoony, the comedy is sophomoric (but it is set in a college, so it fits), and even though it took the entire issue for everyone to actually die (except our cast of slackers), I found myself pretty engaged with this one. Writer Brian Lynch seems to be writing from experience here (not about the zombies and death cult fraternities, but from college life) and in just a few pages he has me caring about this crew of survivors. Looks to be a fun ride.
But wait, there’s more: I couldn’t mention IDW without talking about my two favorite comics they publish, WORMWOOD and ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS VS AMAZONS. I like both books for the same reasons. Each has an artist that has broken away from the norm and is pushing the boundaries of definition when it comes to graphic storytelling. And both, from one month to the next, boggle my mind as to what the creators behind them will come up with next.
WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE - CALAMARI RISING #2Story & art by Ben Templesmith This book is my monthly dose of morbid fun. Following the exploits of a corpse reanimated by a talking worm and his partners in crime (a clockwork man, a ghost detective, a stripper with live tattoos, etc.), WORMWOOD is one of those books where tongues are firmly planted in cheeks and often times bitten off. Ben Templesmith not only continues to dazzle us with his expressive artwork, but twists and turns your expectations with every issue. Wormwood looks and reads great. Fans of TERROR INC, THE GOON, and CAL MCDONALD are sure to love this one. It's great to see Templesmith's range when it comes to new and disgusting creatures month in month out with this ongoing series of miniseries. In this issue, Wormwood fights squid-like creatures from another dimension. It seems Wormy has a history with these creatures and although we don't know it yet, I'm sure Templesmith has a sordid story to tell.
ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS VS AMAZONS #3Chris Ryall did the story and Ashley Wood did the pics This issue finishes off the sequel to the original bot/living dead war as the carnage spills out over a remote island which happens to be the home of the Greek Amazons. I like the way Ryall and Ashley keeps you guessing as to what's next and what kind of creature will be caught up in this war next. I was hoping for Cavemen myself, but the future story featuring Mermen seems interesting enough to warrant a return trip. Ashley Wood's art (like Templesmith's) is extremely expressive and loose. He has fun with the medium and structures his panels and the way he communicates the action within then in ways that are anything but conventional. The final scenes of this issue were especially shocking--not as shocking as the baby scenes in the first issue, but definitely worth a gasp or two.
If you're looking for a treat for the eyes and the mind, you don't have to look any further than the last books on my IDW list. The cool thing about this company is that it has a little bit of everything and it doesn't seem to overstretch its reach with too many books on the shelves. While some companies spread out their product too thinly and overexpose their one or two good ideas, IDW seems to have plenty of talent in its stable to go around and a lot of ideas that indicate that this is a company that will be around a while. Fans of sci fi, horror, good art & story, comedy, and straight up adventure can find it at IDW.
ECHO #1
Abstract Studio
I’m not an indie guy, but for the nigh-legendary Terry Moore, I’ll make an exception. ECHO is a black-n-white book, as one might expect. But the pencils are great, and for a story that is only really getting going, I’m very much wanting to see what happens next. The high concept here: nice woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. At this point, we can’t tell if it’s a vast right-wing or left-wing conspiracy, but military weapons testing and some radioactivity may be involved. Also, we have some non-newtonian pseudoplastic fluids, and you don’t have to be a rheologist to know that spells “FUN,” am I right, boys and girls? Well, am I? I think so. Bottom line – with a writer of Moore’s caliber, ECHO could go in a hundred different directions, and all of them interesting. Worth checking out. - Rock-Me Amodeo 
HALLOWEEN: NIGHTDANCE #2
Devil’s Due Publishing
I’m not sure what to make of this book. The first issue moved along somewhat slowly, but ended with a one-two gut punch to the nads with some truly great uses of Michael emerging from the darkness. This issue has some more effective scenes with Michael emerging, Michael standing in the background and staring, Michael attacking and staring and killing and doing some wicked things. These scenes pack the same visceral punch as the one from the previous issue, but all of the scenes that don’t focus on Michael ring wrong with me. Some of the captions are horrifyingly poetic (in a good way). Others are painfully overwritten (in a bad way). The scenes focusing on the survivor from last issue are wince-inducing reeking of the most clichéd melodrama. One of the main things that bothered me about this book is the overabundance of thought captions. Too much by way of flowery descriptors and too little by way of stuff happening. When the stuff happens, it’s often good. The Michael scenes are pretty scary and definitely paint him as a true terror, but like the latter HALLOWEEN films and many other slasher films of its ilk, the scenes without the murderer in them are shallowly scripted and only there to make me want to see the focus of those slasherless scenes face the business end of Michael’s butcher knife all the sooner. – Ambush Bug 
COUNTDOWN #8
DC Comics
Ugh. Let me summarize this issue: Atom anguish over Jean. Monitor vs. Darkseid. And then “We’re all in danger! You don’t understand! Karate Kid is dying!” Have each character repeat those three lines about four times, and you will have the gist of the last 15 pages of the book. People smile when they shouldn’t (Donna is practically leering at the notion that Jimmy will commit suicide – I guess he’s officially NOT her pal) and gesture wildly while saying nothing. I can see why so many characters were drawn with their mouths shut – who really knows if they’re going to be saying anything until the last word-balloon is drawn? Crikey. I think the idea of a fast paced issue that conveys the general panic and indecision of our heroes was a good idea, but the execution reeked. The only thing that was clever, well-drawn and cool was the two page “Unsecret Origin of Bizarro.” It have me at good-bye. It have me at goodbye… - Rock-Me
X-FORCE (2008) #2
Marvel Comics
This book is the perfect example of redemption. Some of you might remember the thorough ass reaming (sans lube) that I gave to the kick-off issue of this book. You might remember me questioning the mental acuity of Scott Summers; you might also recollect my befuddlement as to why two holy rollers would be placed in a black-ops killing organization, and finally you might remember a scenario I laid out where what would happen if the X-men proper found out about Mr. Summer’s foray into the dark arts. I must now give credit to Kyle and Yost for knowing their fan base better than we know ourselves. Not only did this book answer all of my quandaries and openly mock the logical inconsistencies, but it also threw in a slew of new surprises. Telling part of the tale from Wolverine’s perspective as an ineffective leader was brilliant, as was the addition of Reverend Craig to the Purifiers roster. Now, Rahne’s involvement on the team makes sense, and even though I still have questions about Warpath being part of the roster it’s OK. I now have faith that my questions will be answered in due time. I should also mention that I was pretty harsh about the fact that this title was lacking in carnage, fear not, X-FORCE #2 delivers a delectably high body count. While I’m still not a fan of Crain’s work on mass carnage, his billowy pencils are a perfect conveyance for the sheer terror of torture. - Optimous
THE SPIRIT #14
DC Comics
I guess it sometimes takes something going away for you to realize how much you really value it. One thing Darwyn Cooke unquestionably achieved in his twelve issue run on THE SPIRIT was to shadow some new ground for the character, and remove the Spirit from the, er, shadow of ah, Will Eisner’s uh, spirit-like…shadow… Anyway. But reading this conventional murder mystery, with the Spirit’s sidekick Ebony cracking jokes about the internet, or a running gag about the Spirit outwitting Inspector Dolan, all drawn in a very Eisner-esque style by Mike Ploog, I’m starting to wonder if that promise of progress might have been a little futile, and if the book can last that much longer without the auteur-like direction of Cooke. It’s a perfectly fine comic, but, y’know... - Stone 
THE TWELVE #3
Marvel Comics
THE TWELVE may be the best comic Marvel is publishing right now. JMS has been kicking ass with these newly revived heroes. There hasn't been much by way of action, but damn if the characters aren't fascinating to read about. This plays like a modern-day WATCHMEN where we are presented with the murder of a hero at the beginning (in this case The Blue Blade, and in the WATCHMEN's case, obviously The Comedian) and then taken back a few steps in the story to see how it all went so horribly wrong. JMS does a great job of giving each and every member of the Twelve a fascinating backstory and a major problem to contend with in the present day. They aren't so much a team as they are a group of people with a similar problem, that being out of time costumed adventurers. Since the beginning of this series, the question has been posed to these characters: will these larger than life heroes be able to inspire some sort of hope in the apathetic world we live in today, or will the world be the one that wins and prove to be a foe that was even more powerful than the enemies of World War II? This has been an underlying theme of these first few issues, but in this issue, JMS clearly maps out this question as a news reporter approaches the Phantom Reporter (one of the Twelve) with a job opportunity. This is the only flaw that I see so far in this epic miniseries. We live in a day and age where many a literal minded reader requires such explanation, so I understand why JMS decided to structure the book this way. JMS and excellent artist Chris Weston seem to be making a modern classic here. If taking a second to catch the slowpokes up with the story is the only thing I can find to criticize about this book, then it must be a pretty damn fine read. – Bug 
NIGHTWING #142
DC Comics
There was a chance this book was going to veer into cheeseville. I saw it coming, and faster than you can say, “old chum” I would have dropped it. But this is officially the book I enjoyed the most this week. The only reason it’s not getting a full review is that I just GAVE it a full review, and I liked it then, too. It really has it all: camaraderie with other heroes that is surprisingly continuity-free. Great art. Excellent pacing. Clever in-jokes (the note left for Alfred was laugh-out-loud priceless.) Hey, when is Nightwing getting HIS second book? - Rock-MeRemember, if you have a comic book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
Check out the @$$oles’ ComicSpace AICN Comics page here for an archive and more @$$y goodness.
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Best book from Marvel in quite some time. It must have slipped past Joey Q or something, cause I didn't think Marvel had the balls to publish something like it.
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It better not end like I think it's gonna end (hint: white light, big explosion)... cause if so, BKV stole my idea >_<
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accept your fate
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Gotta agree - I would take a chance on a Geoff Johns book even if it was biography of Justin Timberlake. The Red Lantern reveal was, well, exciting. Like parts of the Sinistro Corps War were. I buy too many comics for a 37 year old but it is very rare that I get excited while reading them. Last 2 times that happened. The first and lasts part of the SCW. The ending of the first special with that 2 page spread revealing the Parralax, Hank Henshaw, Superboy-Prime and THE BLOODY ANTI-MONITOR made me shout. Brilliant stuff. Interested to hear the theories of who is behind the Black Lantern now we know The Empire of Tears are behind the Red Lanterns. Hmmm.
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Was hardcore last week! Grim stuff, specially for a non-max book.
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The Beige Lantern.Because "lame" isn't officially a colour.
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Especially Hal Jordan.
There, that ought'a stir the pot. -
This guy kicks ass. He really does. His Green Lantern run will go down in history as probably the greatest highlight in the series run.
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This run kicks ass indeed.
However, I will still forever hold a plaec in the cockles of my heart for Emerald Dawn.
As far as GL touching little boys; well were they asking for it? :-) -
...the name of the kid from "Caddyshack?"
I want to go on record that I love David's work. I think he's one of the most talented cats in the industry, and I'd be fortunate if my career once reached the zenith he's set with "Stray Bullets" and "I Die At Midnight." But I'm just not entirely sure I can get behind a new project when his old Stray Bullet-baby is still kicking in the crib without a bottle. David, you owe the fans a sendoff with these characters, and you've never given it to them. Are you telling me you still can't write an ending for that series? -
"The Dali Lama told me that he wasn't gonna tip me, but on my death bed, I'd receive pure enlightenment. So I got that goin' for me."
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There's a Kyle Baker GN with the same name I believe.
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that thing sounds great! it might be the first comic i buy in shrmrhrm years!
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All I know about Green Lanters is what I got from Darwyn Cooke's "New Frontier" and the reputedly boring-est evar GL - Jon Stuart from the JLA cartoon. Having confessed my ignorance let me now profess my eagerness to catch up. Can anyone tell me where to start/what to collect/what to ignore so's I can read along with the unveiling of the various lantern corps and the Blackest night that's coming?
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If they can't win you over there, then there isn't much point, is there?(But Geoff Johns' run begins with the REBIRTH trade with Ethan Van Sciver.)
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Stones is right Rebirth is a great place to start. If you don't want to go that far back though just pick up the Sinestro Corps War trade that just came out.
If you want some retro GL goodness I'm still going to remain steadfast about Emerald Dawn -
Back in the mid-late '80s there was a publisher called Blackthorne. They're mostly remembered for putting out a bunch of 3-D books. They also used to advertise that the covers of their comics were "laser scanned". So my question is, what did that mean and why would it be any sort of selling point?
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...is Dry Blackthorne Cider. I bet it's better than those comics, tho, even if it ain't laser scanned.
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Mar 12, 2008 1:43:21 PM CDT
Did I say "I Die At Midnight?" I meant "Murder Me Dead."
by grantchastain
Big mistake on my part -- I love Kyle Baker's work as well. And of course I didn't give props to David Lapham's work on "Harbinger" which was also top-flight.
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It's The Black Hand (the GL villain, not the Serbian-based pan-slavic secret society believed responsible for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, thereby sparking WWI). Details on the dude can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hand_%28comics%29
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Astonishing X-Men is written for all the X-geeks who grew up reading the X-Men during the Cockrum/Claremont/Byrne/Austin golden era. (You know, when it was really great and it didn't suck at all?) Great art by John Cassady and well, what can I say about the incredible writing by Joss Whedon that hasn't already been said before? Well, it also doesn't suck! If you're not reading this book, get to it. And if you are reading it, well, I'm preaching to the choir, (again) and you already know how non-sucky it is! But it's ending soon, and that does, in fact, suck! (but it's going out with a Giant-Sized bang, not a whimper, so that definitely doesn't suck!)
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I know the rings had his insignia - but how the hell could he capture the anti-monitor?
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Zardoz you are right on the money, in my mind this has supplanted Uncanny as THE X-men title.
If they could just get the damn thing out on a regular basis it would help Marvel and the fans.
Every time a new issue comes out I have to reread the old ones to get back up to speed. -
I never really warmed to it. Maybe it's Whedon's pacing, maybe it's because I don't have the same level of affection for the characters that he obviously does. The stuff I have read seemed to suffer from the empty blockbuster mentality similar to a lot of modern Marvel comics. But then I haven't read a lot of it, so I could stand to be won over.
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The first issue had me when Wolverine was hovering over Scott and Emma's bed while they were sleeping. As soon as tehy woke up Wolverine made some snarky comment about not waiting for the body of Jean Gray to get cold. Then next panel, BAM, optic blast out the window.
The original beauty of this book was Whedon's reverence for the characters. I felt like it was 1991 again and X-Men 1 was just hitting the shelves.
It was a core team of characters not overly laden with new faces or overly complex missions.
Again though, this last story run left me wanting. I don't know if it was the delays or the story it self. Going to go give these a reread to judge accurately. -
Phenomenal issue last week.
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Quoting from the wiki site because I read the story but couldn't remember the details: "Now missing his right hand and driven insane from trauma, Hand fled. However, after hearing of Hal Jordan's resurrection, he decided to live in the rebuilt Coast City to stay close to his foe. While on board an airplane, he is targeted and abducted by the Kroloteans, a race of mysterious German-speaking aliens, who are akin to the gremlins of myth. They perform experiments that enhanced his inherent power, and abandon him in a public park."
So basically, Black Hand was operated on by mysterious aliens who amped up his powers in several ways--some of which we may not have seen yet--but which at the very least allow him to suck the life force from others. There may be more to it, but at the very least we've got that much to work with. -
short film "losing lois lane" on youtube...
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Mar 12, 2008 6:14:07 PM CDT
They should make a comic book about Hollywood Hogan.
by pops freshemeyer
To be more specific, the comic should be about how he challenged Lord British to a fight, brother.
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I just read the latest issue, so I thought I’d weigh in. Firstly, it’s definitely a great series, and, I’d agree, at the top of what Marvel’s putting out at the moment, above Bru’s CAPTAIN AMERICA and OMEGA THE UNKNOWN. Is it up there with WATCHMEN? I’m saying no for the moment. One of the things that’s holding it back is the fact that it’s obviously patterned after WATCHMEN. A new WATCHMEN would have to do something comparatively revolutionary, I think. Also, JMS isn’t really going into the level of metafictional comment that Moore did. Like in # 3, he references the cheesy origins of the Golden Age characters but doesn’t try to present any wider subtext. Admittedly, that segment ends with a great one-liner, but it doesn’t really seem to me THE TWELVE is on a level with WATCHMEN, which was about the medium as well as the characters. JMS and Weston are just telling their story, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, I just don’t think it’ll go down as a new WATCHMEN. I do think it’ll be looked back on as a classic Marvel miniseries though.And for the record, let it be said that I called THE TWELVE’s kick@$$ity, and busted out a WATCHMEN comparison, FIRST! in my review of # 1. So there.
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First we would all have to agree on how WATCHMEN revolutionized the medium?
Most folks said it was the concept of humanizing the infallible hero. Although I still think Stan Lee should get some credit for this concept on that little book he wrote about the kid, was raised by people 112 years his seniors, fucked a marijuana euphemism...oh yeah Spider-Man. Sorry, sore point.
My Spider nonsense aside, WATCHMEN opened the flood gates for the entire industry to embrace the concept of the "real" hero.
How the hell do you top that? How do you fundamentally change cultural icons?
We've seen our heroes perfect and flawed, what the hell is left?
Will comic revolution merely be an eternal pendulum swing between light and dark?
Thoughts?
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I will never understand why Whedon has such a big community of fans. I suppose it's the same reason that people actually like Juno. He writes every character in the same wise cracking, bon mot dropping, all too precious tone he writes all his original characters in. It may be great for said original stuff, but it's not the X-Men. I don't understand why the world constantly needs to be reminded that Wolverine is a bad-ass far more than he is a wise ass. Not the way Whedon writes him, just DRIPPING with sardonic quirk. And Buff, err, I mean Shadowcat certainly fills Whedons CW-like girl quotient. To say nothing of his Soap Opera cliche Emma Frost. His Cycops and Beast are alright, but nothing new or spectacular. Not to mention he has yet to write a memorable story arc. This breakworld bullshit? Please. Overcomplicated and the antagonists are incredibly dull.
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A)Accept the WATCHMEN.2)Embrace the WATCHMEN...and D)Get over the WATCHMEN.
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I think what I liked about the first AXM are all of the reasons it irked you.
For years the mutants have been bleeding together into what I'll call sameness for lack of a better word.
Those first few issues of AXM gave the X-men a different voice,and as someone who has every issue of uncanny from 1-496, I found this very refreshing.
I will agree that the Breakworld story was utterly convaluted and far from Whedon's A-Game. -
It was really just another "Alan Moore deconstructs Super-Heroes!" wank-fest. I read it in single issues when it came out and while I DID enjoy the story there wasn't a single goddamn thing that blew my mind (and I was 18 in 1986 so kiss my ass) and it sure as fuck didn't 'revolutionize' fuck all from what I could see. Were people talking about it's great story? Sure but 'MoonShadow' was just as popular around that same time so what does that tell you? Oh and anyone touting Moore as a God needs to remember he's a god that thinks it's cool for brothers to fuck sisters and have babies with them (Check out his DC/Twilight proposal if you don't believe me).
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It was really just another "Alan Moore deconstructs Super-Heroes!" wank-fest. I read it in single issues when it came out and while I DID enjoy the story there wasn't a single goddamn thing that blew my mind (and I was 18 in 1986 so kiss my ass) and it sure as fuck didn't 'revolutionize' fuck all from what I could see. Were people talking about it's great story? Sure but 'MoonShadow' was just as popular around that same time so what does that tell you? Oh and anyone touting Moore as a God needs to remember he's a god that thinks it's cool for brothers to fuck sisters and have babies with them (Check out his DC/Twilight proposal if you don't believe me).
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I'm so cool...
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I will lay my money down RIGHT NOW that the She-Guardian that the Anti-Monitor scarred will become the Black Lantern Guardian or did you miss the scene where she lies to the Lantern (whom she is charging with searching FOR the Anti-Monitor) about the other guardians knowing where she is and what she's doing? Go back to the very panel she's telling the lie in and you see the 'Black Hand/ Black Lantern' symbol IN HER EYES.
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The story was really just an opportunity of the times. 'Grim-N-Gritty' super-hero stories were at that time like the first Jenna Jameson movie, all hot and glisteny and new. As you may know, that whole movement stayed about as fresh and hot as ole Meth-Head Ho herself did. 'Kay? 'Kay.
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The story was really just an opportunity of the times. 'Grim-N-Gritty' super-hero stories were at that time like the first Jenna Jameson movie, all hot and glisteny and new. As you may know, that whole movement stayed about as fresh and hot as ole Meth-Head Ho herself did. 'Kay? 'Kay.
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Sweet! My interface must be doing crank again! (*_^)
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...but couldn't help but notice it was, y'know, the Black Hand's symbol.
Just sayin'. -
I mean, I think he's connected and involved but I'm laying money on Scarface. Johns has outright said in the books that a large part of why the Guardians banned emotion among themselves is because THEIR emotions are dangerous for the sheer power they wield. That coupled with her lying to the other Guardians makes me go...hmmm......(well that and that unless it's a sociopathic impulse lying is usually predicated on an emotional crux of some sort).
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Sameness is what I hate about Whedon's AXM. He writes every character like they're the exact same wisecracking, sardonic stereotype. None of the x-men have their own unique voice. Whedon doesn't so much write dialogue as he does write a stand up routine in every single issue. Every character sounds like Joss Whedon, not Wolverine, Emma Frost, etc.
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That in my comment about WOlverine, I mean that Whedon doesn't write him the least bit bad ass. He's just another one of Whedons wise cracking joke conduits. Reading that over I wasn't sure if that was clear.
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I can totally respect and can see your point man.
I see it as, there have been so many writers of the X-books over the years that the characters are more trait driven than say having a particular voice.
Wolverine was still a bad ass in AXM, he's just a bad ass with observational irony also at his disposal.
Emma Frost is still a dispassionate bitch, she just also now has a dose of Monty Python dryness sprinkled into her vocabulary.
It all boils down to what interests you. Personally I like humor and heavy doses of deprication.
It's a big comic universe out there, always something for everyone.
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I’m often reluctant to re-read WATCHMEN because the angst and darkness and the deconstruction of superheroes can seem a little adolescent in retrospect. But the thing that makes it an undeniably great work is that it’s much deeper than *just* a deconstruction of superheroes. The characters are some of the most powerful and resonant in all of comics. Ditto individual scenes like Dr. Manhattan on Mars, or Rorschach in prison, or the Comedian in Viet Nam. The story is powerful and gripping in its own right, and simultaneously it’s a comment on the superhero genre, and comic books, and the Cold War, and much more besides. As far as I’m concerned it’s the first and last word in deconstructing superheroes. And as for influence, just look at every single comic published post-WATCHMEN. Trouble is, many less talented authors just took on the surface characteristics of Moore’s work, rather than embracing the new complexity he brought to the table. For example, as Al’s said, every team book having the obligatory psychopathic character.
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Mar 13, 2008 6:55:26 PM CDT
OK, I used the word "powerful" too much in that last post.
by stones_throw
But you get my general gist.
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Just like nobody will ever admit that Blade Runner wasn't that great. (I like Watchmen though, I was just making a point.) One comic I think that does deserve to be brought down to size-Maus. Yes, I know. But the thing is, it's a second-hand acoount of events. The book was cold and dry. Persepolis was a a similar story of the struggle with real-life war and it actaully made me feel for the characters. One of the few comics I cried over. So suck on that, Maus.
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FROM HELL, MAUS, SANDMAN, probably some manga crap, possibly Grant Morisson's SEAGUY and WE3?Oh, and most of Alan Moore's ABC line.
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A deconstruction of human/ animal relationships is FAR more relevant than a deconstruction of our societal male adolescent power fantasies in my book.
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It is, was and will always be a great achievement.But it is not the ultimate achievement in comics or the superhero genre.WATCHMEN did what a great comic should do: something different while telling a great story with great characters, as the writing and art work perfectly in sync.The reason WATCHMEN is greater than 99.9 percent of everything else is that most comics fail on those levels.
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Blade Runner wasn't that great. Visually stunning for it's time? Sure but the story was drier than melba toast. (and had about NONE of the resonance that the tale it's based on did)
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I just didn't (and don't still) see it as some kind of Holy Grail. Personally I hold Kingdom Come in higher regard despite it's flaws because KC was about rebuilding/restoring the heroic ideal (and it's ancillary ethical requirements) rather than tearing it down and showing just what asshats people claiming to be heroes can be.
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Just a bitchy one....(*_^)
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Does lend some perspective. I completely agree with you, Psy, on that point. I still remember being in this tiny comic shop, looking through the shelves, saying, "Crap! Crap! Crap! Hey, this is something different." The main thing with WATCHMEN is that it is first and foremost a terrific read. I always feel a little uncomfortable getting a lecture on its' earth shaking importance from someone who only experienced it in the annotated $5000 Special Deluxe Editions. I remember rescuing yer fellow Cog, Thalya, from some of yer other fellow Cogs who kept telling her: "You have to read it! You have to!" I was all, "Why does she have to?"I always used to joke in the talkbacks that I was going to direct WATCHMEN and fans would hate it but Moore would love it. I'd never make a fan film or write a screenplay based on someone else's property without being paid tons of the filthy green in advance, but if anyone had been insane enough to hand WATCHMEN over to me, I would have given them back a trip and a half.I digressed big time...I remember buying BATMAN YEAR ONE in single issues at a SafeWay supermarket, which is why I can't help but find a lot of it creepy and objectionable. I mean, WE comic shop guys knew that it was a hard edged, neo-noir social commentary with shades of TAXI DRIVER, etc., but I hope no doting Grandpa's bought one for the little shavers or earnest Mom's brought an issue back for a kid home sick from school.KINGDOM COME, I bought the first issue and loved the art but I was too much of a Marvel Zombie to appreciate the story until I got the trade years later.
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Does lend some perspective. I completely agree with you, Psy, on that point. I still remember being in this tiny comic shop, looking through the shelves, saying, "Crap! Crap! Crap! Hey, this is something different." The main thing with WATCHMEN is that it is first and foremost a terrific read. I always feel a little uncomfortable getting a lecture on its' earth shaking importance from someone who only experienced it in the annotated $5000 Special Deluxe Editions. I remember rescuing yer fellow Cog, Thalya, from some of yer other fellow Cogs who kept telling her: "You have to read it! You have to!" I was all, "Why does she have to?"I always used to joke in the talkbacks that I was going to direct WATCHMEN and fans would hate it but Moore would love it. I'd never make a fan film or write a screenplay based on someone else's property without being paid tons of the filthy green in advance, but if anyone had been insane enough to hand WATCHMEN over to me, I would have given them back a trip and a half.I digressed big time...I remember buying BATMAN YEAR ONE in single issues at a SafeWay supermarket, which is why I can't help but find a lot of it creepy and objectionable. I mean, WE comic shop guys knew that it was a hard edged, neo-noir social commentary with shades of TAXI DRIVER, etc., but I hope no doting Grandpa's bought one for the little shavers or earnest Mom's brought an issue back for a kid home sick from school.KINGDOM COME, I bought the first issue and loved the art but I was too much of a Marvel Zombie to appreciate the story until I got the trade years later.
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Well, mine and Psy's anyway. Maybe we're a dual personality, which would explain why some dude named "Ronnie" keeps calling me.
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Because let's face it, for minds as immense as ours one dimension is rarely enough. (In hindsight I see that only QM/ M-theory nerds are gonna get that one)
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Don't be callin' out my actual name like that. (*_^)
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i'm seeing double of everything here.
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I still haven't gotten beyond issue 2 in my Absolute Watchmen. I do use the box though as a laptop stand/cooler if that counts though.But enough geeking. I have to get back to playing Miss Muse for Luthor as he implements a long-game Injustice League plot to steal the white hats' moral superiority. Someone needs to hold that man's ego in check long enough to make sure the follow-through succeeds and it may as well be me since I can point out some subtle pitfalls. Thank goodness I saved him from a short-range plan which entailed mobs of villains atacking heroes one-by-one, then capturing and torturing them. It was beneath him and it was clear he was bored of it before he even thought it up.
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Or as I know him-Dane Cook! Oh yeah, he tried to hide it, but it's true. The two are one and the same. Of course, no self=respecting @$$hole would ever admit to it, but I did my research. I've got the detective skills. I've got the proof. You have been avenged, Psynapse!
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Because I figure you're all smart enough to know what's up.
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That's pretty cool. I used to post a lot over all the talkbacks and somebody started a rumor that I was James Cameron, which I wish I would have started myself.My favorite one was when I stopped posting for awhile, which coincided with the death of Lane Staley of Alice In Chains and someone wondered if I was Staley.Now, I don't post much so people just say, "Oh him" when I do.Best identity rumor of all: Ambush Bug and Bendis, one in the same.I'm kidding. Bendii, don't e-mail Bug with worshipe. Bug is about seven feet taller than BMB.
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I don't think Bendis even has eyebrows. He looks like a fat cancer patient.
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i used to post almost daily and keep the talkback going all week till the next one came out(yeah im one a' them infamous cogs) but fatherhood and other obligations limited my time severely when it came to bouncing around the net.im really glad to see that buzz is still around and posting and i may skim through some of the other posts that dont talk about something im reaading but i always stop and read a buzz maverick post.also i like how everyone is generally being cool to each other and expressing opinions instead of turning this board into the cesspool of vile muck that a lot of the other boards on aicn are.thats awesome! and looda u crazy reserve cog! glad to see your still around
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Mar 17, 2008 2:26:11 AM CDT
heres another example of wat psy is talking abou re:watchmen
by darth kal-el
i heard pretty much all my life how blade runner is such an awesome movie and the quntiscential sci fi flick but i had never seen it. i saw the final cut tonight and yeah a good movie but not the mastepiece i expeced. i dont know it seemed like a lot of what they were doing ihd already seen before and i know thats because it probably inspired the movies id seen.i saw it with my 20 year old cousin who even made the comment that it reminded him of the 5th element a bit.i just couldnt get all the way into it.so i can see what psy means about watchmen.
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You know it's true. @$$es & Cogs rule, all others drool. Happy drunk Irish day and wish Psy's 68 year old ma a Happy B-day while you're tossing back the brews folks!
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Mar 17, 2008 11:31:59 AM CDT
While looking at the talkback from the Orbiting Cog Mansion…
by the heathen
I felt I should chime in. Why? Just so you know that I wasn't Heath Ledger (God rest his talented soul) and to say that it's great to still be around. However, Darth is right about obligations and all that life stuff. It can get to be a bit annoying. So… to leave you with some discussion - I thought that ASBAR #9 was a good comic. Like, it wasn't fucking horrible. It was, dare I say… entertaining? Still too many goddamn's, but this is the first time we've seen a somewhat caring Batman and the yellow paint gag was pretty funny along with the lemonade. Swear to Cog, not making this up. ; )
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Or in my case a computer simulated super heroic one. Victory server: 50 Controller/ 44 Mastermind/ 39 Blaster/ 34 Dominator/ 23 Blaster/ 6 Brute and on Freedom Server: 47 (almost 48) Defender....oh and then there's all of that artwork crap. yeah I know you didn't ask but it's a slow workday.
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I used to think he was Mark Haden Frazer.
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After what Barking Frog said about it being from Robin's point-of-view, it made a little more sense. I don't know if I enjoyed this issue better because of it, or if it was a genuine improvement. Either way, I look forward to when I can enjoy the comic un-ironically.
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Nothing against Barking Frog, but I thought he was reaching more than a little with his view. Sure, the way things end up in Dark Knight Returns may tie in with some of this ASBAR stuff, but up until issue 9 it's been 110% crazy mother fucking goddamn BATMAN!!!!!! And not the one, that should and would act at least how he did in some of issue 9.
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I think someone else might have actually made the POV connection, but I'm not sure. Anyway, once you've gotten past the initial shock to the nuts of how ridiculous the comic is, it's kind of enjoyable in a "Death Wish 3" kind of way.
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Everything before issue #9 has been complete and horrible shit. It's been a mockery to the talents of Miller and even Lee. Not even when I try to enjoy it for it's over the top ridiculousness it turdness is in no way transparent. Issue 9, despite the odds, was decent.
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Because A) Frank Miller has kidney punch coming for DK2 (Way to show how badly you NEED AA Frank!) from ole Psy and B) I have this hang-up about people of celebrity: If I can't stand the person (and it was Trent Reznor who made me realize this quirk I have) creating the material then I have no use for whatever creative endeavor they undertook. Which is why I have YET to actually read a Bendis book. (Yeah, FUCK YOU TOO BMB! You can kiss my pale white ass if your ego can ever fit on the same fucking continent) Just because JoeQ (yeah fuck you too ya goddamn hypocrite!) licks yer balls daily doesn't mean anybody else besides your rabid (not to mention mentally retarded in a syphilitic rape baby kind of way) fawning fanbase gives a hairy rat fuck about your pompous ass. Oh and while I'm on a roll: Gail Simone could fall into a coma and STILL write circles around your pretentious ass! Can you tell I have a massive sinus headache yet?
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Sinus tear or no, I stand behind EVERY statement I just made. I'd gladly kick the shit out of Quesada and Bendis at the same time if they weren't too chickenshit to take 2 to 1 odds against someone with a disability (Miller just gets the kidney punch because that's all it would take to knock down his sad ass).
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Is this talkback in a temporal flux going back between now and a month ago?
I agreed 9 wasn't too bad. But I'm one of retarded syphilitic aspirin snorting rape babies that enjoys a good romp with puerile crap from time to time. :-) -
why hasnt anyone started a car wash or bake sale to send psy where he needs to go to do what he needs to do.
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