@bralinator Marvel (and DC) stories' reliance on formula has bored me away from many of their titles and events. It's "by-the-numbers storytelling." Makes me appreciate titles like King's VISION all the more.
@bralinator Marvel (and DC) stories' reliance on formula has bored me away from many of their titles and events. It's "by-the-numbers storytelling." Makes me appreciate titles like King's VISION all the more.
I am with you @BionicDave . While I was initially excited about Rebirth, I'm just picking up a few of the trades, but still interested to see how this experiment turns out. Marvel pretty much used up all their goodwill during the recent Secret Wars event for me. I'm now only getting one Marvel ongoing in the December solicits. Yet, since I also get the occasional trade, omnibus, or epic collection, it isn't like I'm opposed to the basic 'formula,' I'm just not interested in seeing it recycled in this modern day and age I guess. I'm not even sure that's accurate though.
My current DCBS order for December includes a handful of DC & Marvel (Super Powers #4, Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #2, and Hulk #3 ), but the rest are indie titles like Skybourne, Reborn, Moonshine, Letter 44 TPB, Knight Guardians of Relativity, God Country, Freelance, Atoll, and a few fun titles like the new Red Sonja, Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman '77 meets the Bionic Woman.
Tom King's Vision was a welcome and pleasant anomaly for Marvel.
@bralinator Your December order list is a-ok with me! Especially the WONDER WOMAN '77 MEETS BATMAN '66 / BIONIC WOMAN titles (can't resist the nostalgia) and the PLANET OF THE APES GREEN LANTERN mashup (can't resist the... weirdness lol). And thanks for reminding me about LETTER 44 - now there's a title I need to return to, I really liked the first few issues.
Many of the Green Lantern mash-ups seem to work when the other property is a popular sci-fi license. The Star Trek crossover was great. And the recent Planet of the Apes Star Trek and the Planet of the Apes/Tarzan (so far) were both worth reading. No need to worry too much about continuity with those kinds of issues either, so they're just fun.
And I'm a sucker for Linda Carter'a Wonder Woman '77...
Reggie and Me #1 was pretty good. As with Archie, there aren’t many laughs, per se, but you get some good character development of Riverdale’s biggest jerk. Solid writing, solid artwork—I'd put it slightly above B&V, and a little behind Jughead. It's only a five-issue mini, so I'm getting the rest of the series.
The only problem I had with it was that it was narrated by Reggie’s new dog, Vader. In and of itself, it's fine, as no one spends more time with Reggie than his dog (at least in this version of Riverdale). But do we need two (out of five) New Riverdale series narrated by dogs? Despite that I give it a B+. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy any of the other new Archie series.
Anyone reading Violent Love? A new Image book I tried. Real glad I did, a great crime story, based on real life events. If you liked Fargo, this would be right up your street.
Infinite Comics - Ghost Rider Xmas Special So if you told me Method Man wrote a Ghost Rider Christmas Story; I would tell you take my money. If you also told me it was not very good; you would be right. So why is a not good Ghost Rider story on my list? I mean does there need to be another reason than the chance to read Method penned Krampus story? I can't recommend it.
On the recommendation of my pal Sara at the LCS, I read Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. It's very good.
Carroll is phenomenal. Her "Ann By the Bed" comic, from Youth In Decline, was my favorite comic of 2014. [my thoughts on that comic, here] Somehow, Carroll manages to craft a creepy tale through her words and pictures that makes me feel uneasy, something I rarely experience with comics. Great stuff!
This week's Dr Strange continued Jason Aaron's long, weird tale of The Orb that he's been telling since his Ghost Rider run.
I love when writers on work-for-hire books spin an extended tale of a particular character across multiple books, even more when their pet character is someone you'd never consider for that treatment. It's one thing for Starlin to spin Warlock and Thanos' tales across multiple series, another for Joe Casey to tell the tale of The Circus of Crime's Clown.
Cursed Pirate Girl is a fantastic series. It isn’t really an example of wabi-sabi, as there is no economy or simplicity in the linework, but the artwork does have that quality where the imperfections actually add to the charm and beauty of the drawings because they perfectly match the atmosphere of the story.
I've been meaning to read this for a while now. I'm fairly certain I picked up the first few issues when they came out. Alas, I've been away from the comic scene for a couple years now. Recently, I started helping my Uncle Jim sell some of his countless books on eBay, and I gotta admit hanging out at his place where I'm surrounded by what seems like endless shelves of books does kind of make me yearn to get back into comics.
Man. Aliens Defiance #7 by Wood and Thompson was not f***ing around. Totally suspenseful issue with a kind of horror scene that I've never seen done in an Aliens book before. Excited that this ongoing series keeps going strong.
I finished the first arc of volume 1 of James Bond (started it over to give the story a fair shake).
I love the book version of Bond, which this closely resembles. It's a fun read, and the action comes off a very fluid. The story was very Bond. I still don't like the foot chase in issue one. I get that it is a comic book, but you don't stand up when a cinder block is thrown/crushed into your spine. I also feel that there was a missed opportunity to show James Bond at his coldest; he's a man that takes revenge of his colleagues very seriously. That version would have placed far more weight on his conversation with M.
Overall I thought that the comic was good. I'm not sure the balance of silly and serious was right, but it was a good enough story to get me to buy the next six issues from comixology.
Guilty Pleasure: My used merchandise store got in about a dozen old Femforce comics and was letting them go on the cheap. Not great condition but good reading copies. A fun use of public domain characters and a throwback to the fun indie feel of the late 80s/early 90s.
I'd been hearing good things about Head Lopper, but hadn't gotten around to trying it out. But it sounded like it would be right up my brother's alley, so I bought the trade, which collects the entire story (so far) in one book, to give him for Christmas. And I thought I'd better read it before I gave it to him. You know, just to make sure it was good.
And it was. It's a fun sword-&-sorcery story with a hero who's as much like The Man with No Name as he is Conan. But the action isn’t so grim as in Conan, even when a monster is biting a warrior in half. There’s a bit of humor mixed in, and just an overall feeling of fun that prevents the S&S tropes from feeling stale and boring.
And as enjoyable as MacLean’s writing is, his artwork is even better. There’s a definite Mignola influence in his work, particularly in his designs, but there’s also a lot of life and energy in his cartooning. The best comparison I can think of is that it's like a blend of Mignola and Jeff Smith, but a little looser than Smith. Good stuff. I may get a copy for myself down the road.
USAvengers #1 was the subtle-as-a-brick superhero political & social satire I was needing. Al Ewing's Marvel work has had a great knack of merging 2000AD Thrill Power with Kirby-esque Big Superhero Ideas, and Medina & Vlasco's art makes this great out the gate, an advantage his previous Avengers runs have not had.
As the title might suggest, Hulk #1 was a very different type of She-Hulk comic. No yuks here, folks. I don't want to give too much away, but our favorite green-skinned lawyer hasn't just taken on her cousin’s moniker, but his anger issues as well—though it seems to be more like PTSD that makes her lose control, which could make for some interesting stories.
It didn't blow me away by any stretch, but it was a good comic. Good, solid writing. Good, solid artwork. Nothing exceptional about any aspect of it, but it wasn’t a waste of money either. I give it a solid B.
As the title might suggest, Hulk #1 was a very different type of She-Hulk comic. No yuks here, folks. I don't want to give too much away, but our favorite green-skinned lawyer hasn't just taken on her cousin’s moniker, but his anger issues as well—though it seems to be more like PSD that makes her lose control, which could make for some interesting stories.
It didn't blow me away by any stretch, but it was a good comic. Good, solid writing. Good, solid artwork. Nothing exceptional about any aspect of it, but it wasn’t a waste of money either. I give it a solid B.
I liked it (enjoyed it doesn't quite seem the right word for this sort of theme), particularly in how it presented the same oddball legal problems as Soule or Slott's runs did, but coloured them through the PTSD of a near death experience at the hands of a mad Titan.
It did have the nagging feeling of a treatment for a Netflix She-Hulk show, which is not bad, or unique (Ellis' Moon Knight and Karnak also feel this way), but it's definitely there either by design or accident. Possibly it's just the fact it's a She-Hulk comic where Jen doesn't fully transform into She-Hulk at all that gives it that feel.
It did have the nagging feeling of a treatment for a Netflix She-Hulk show, which is not bad, or unique (Ellis' Moon Knight and Karnak also feel this way), but it's definitely there either by design or accident. Possibly it's just the fact it's a She-Hulk comic where Jen doesn't fully transform into She-Hulk at all that gives it that feel.
Yeah, I can see that. I think Jen walking around in her normal skin (or, I guess, not her normal skin for the past few decades) does play into that. It's certainly more TV budget friendly.
It did have the nagging feeling of a treatment for a Netflix She-Hulk show, which is not bad, or unique (Ellis' Moon Knight and Karnak also feel this way), but it's definitely there either by design or accident. Possibly it's just the fact it's a She-Hulk comic where Jen doesn't fully transform into She-Hulk at all that gives it that feel.
Yeah, I can see that. I think Jen walking around in her normal skin (or, I guess, not her normal skin for the past few decades) does play into that. It's certainly more TV budget friendly.
It did have the nagging feeling of a treatment for a Netflix She-Hulk show, which is not bad, or unique (Ellis' Moon Knight and Karnak also feel this way), but it's definitely there either by design or accident. Possibly it's just the fact it's a She-Hulk comic where Jen doesn't fully transform into She-Hulk at all that gives it that feel.
Yeah, I can see that. I think Jen walking around in her normal skin (or, I guess, not her normal skin for the past few decades) does play into that. It's certainly more TV budget friendly.
Will there be sad music and lonely highways?
Sad music: check Lonely highways: TBD (but I'm guessing not)
I flipped through The Unstoppable Wasp #1 at the shop and picked it up based mostly on the artwork of Elsa Charretier. It's a fun little book, and although some of the humor felt a little forced to my ears, I liked the overall tone and direction of the story. There's quite a bit of exposition at the beginning to let us know just who this new Wasp is, but it was presented in a clever way, and didn't bog things down too much. And the rest of the book proceeds at a quick pace.
Nadia, the new Wasp, is a likeable character. Yes, she's another young girl genius, but she definitely has a personality all her own. My only concern is that her over-the-top cheerfulness may become a bit wearisome over time. But between the two, I'll take over-the-top cheerfulness over non-stop mopiness and self-pity.
For me, the main appeal of the book is the artwork. There's some engaging storytelling and creative page design on display here, which really adds to the
Like Hulk #1, this didn't blow me away, but it didn't disappoint me either. It also gets a B from me, thanks to a bump from the artwork.
Unworthy Thor #1 and #2..great start to a series that ties nicely into Original Sin and Secret Wars..although it directly contradicts the new Thanos book.
Unworthy Thor #1 and #2..great start to a series that ties nicely into Original Sin and Secret Wars..although it directly contradicts the new Thanos book.
Yeah Thanos feels like it's happening long after Unworthy Thor, Ultimates & Civil War 2. There's a similar problem in this week's Captain America Steve Rogers where the Darkhold shows up in the UK, despite it still being the focus of the Carnage comic. Maybe it was the paperback edition?
At least Al Ewing built a No Prize clause into his Eternity plot which explains how he's chained up in his comics, but wandering around freely in Silver Surfer and Civil War 2.
If you can get past the awful title, Occupy Avengers is shaping up to be a modern Defenders mixed with Hard Traveling Heroes era Green Lantern/Green Arrow. The first two issues gave us Hawkeye and the new, time & universe displaced Red Wolf as the founding members of the team. The new arc introduces Tilda Johnson (the former Deadly Nightshade) and the Supreme Power version of Nighthawk into the mix.
As my comparison hopefully conveyed it's a mix of torn from the headlines stories and oddball teammates who can barely get along. All with some of the best Carlos Pacheco art I've seen for a while.
Comments
My current DCBS order for December includes a handful of DC & Marvel (Super Powers #4, Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #2, and Hulk #3 ), but the rest are indie titles like Skybourne, Reborn, Moonshine, Letter 44 TPB, Knight Guardians of Relativity, God Country, Freelance, Atoll, and a few fun titles like the new Red Sonja, Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman '77 meets the Bionic Woman.
Tom King's Vision was a welcome and pleasant anomaly for Marvel.
And I'm a sucker for Linda Carter'a Wonder Woman '77...
The only problem I had with it was that it was narrated by Reggie’s new dog, Vader. In and of itself, it's fine, as no one spends more time with Reggie than his dog (at least in this version of Riverdale). But do we need two (out of five) New Riverdale series narrated by dogs? Despite that I give it a B+. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy any of the other new Archie series.
So if you told me Method Man wrote a Ghost Rider Christmas Story; I would tell you take my money. If you also told me it was not very good; you would be right. So why is a not good Ghost Rider story on my list?
I mean does there need to be another reason than the chance to read Method penned Krampus story? I can't recommend it.
-chris
I love when writers on work-for-hire books spin an extended tale of a particular character across multiple books, even more when their pet character is someone you'd never consider for that treatment. It's one thing for Starlin to spin Warlock and Thanos' tales across multiple series, another for Joe Casey to tell the tale of The Circus of Crime's Clown.
I love the book version of Bond, which this closely resembles. It's a fun read, and the action comes off a very fluid. The story was very Bond.
I still don't like the foot chase in issue one. I get that it is a comic book, but you don't stand up when a cinder block is thrown/crushed into your spine. I also feel that there was a missed opportunity to show James Bond at his coldest; he's a man that takes revenge of his colleagues very seriously. That version would have placed far more weight on his conversation with M.
Overall I thought that the comic was good. I'm not sure the balance of silly and serious was right, but it was a good enough story to get me to buy the next six issues from comixology.
And it was. It's a fun sword-&-sorcery story with a hero who's as much like The Man with No Name as he is Conan. But the action isn’t so grim as in Conan, even when a monster is biting a warrior in half. There’s a bit of humor mixed in, and just an overall feeling of fun that prevents the S&S tropes from feeling stale and boring.
And as enjoyable as MacLean’s writing is, his artwork is even better. There’s a definite Mignola influence in his work, particularly in his designs, but there’s also a lot of life and energy in his cartooning. The best comparison I can think of is that it's like a blend of Mignola and Jeff Smith, but a little looser than Smith. Good stuff. I may get a copy for myself down the road.
It didn't blow me away by any stretch, but it was a good comic. Good, solid writing. Good, solid artwork. Nothing exceptional about any aspect of it, but it wasn’t a waste of money either. I give it a solid B.
It did have the nagging feeling of a treatment for a Netflix She-Hulk show, which is not bad, or unique (Ellis' Moon Knight and Karnak also feel this way), but it's definitely there either by design or accident. Possibly it's just the fact it's a She-Hulk comic where Jen doesn't fully transform into She-Hulk at all that gives it that feel.
Lonely highways: TBD (but I'm guessing not)
Nadia, the new Wasp, is a likeable character. Yes, she's another young girl genius, but she definitely has a personality all her own. My only concern is that her over-the-top cheerfulness may become a bit wearisome over time. But between the two, I'll take over-the-top cheerfulness over non-stop mopiness and self-pity.
For me, the main appeal of the book is the artwork. There's some engaging storytelling and creative page design on display here, which really adds to the
Like Hulk #1, this didn't blow me away, but it didn't disappoint me either. It also gets a B from me, thanks to a bump from the artwork.
At least Al Ewing built a No Prize clause into his Eternity plot which explains how he's chained up in his comics, but wandering around freely in Silver Surfer and Civil War 2.
As my comparison hopefully conveyed it's a mix of torn from the headlines stories and oddball teammates who can barely get along. All with some of the best Carlos Pacheco art I've seen for a while.