Anyone who still complains about decompression in superhero comics need to know that 3 issues into USAvengers we've already had 2 complete stories.
Talking of overly decompressed storytelling... After Civil War The Oath felt like Spencer's Cap as Hydra Spy story unravelling, Steve Rogers Captain America #11 sets it back on track somewhat.
Zemo's presence ties it all back to the start of the story in Standoff! and reminds you 1) Kobik's reality altering is by individual only. 2) It can be shook off. Ironically, it's the Zemo in Cap's altered past who throws him a reminder of who he really is and prevents him from fully becoming what Red Skull was trying to turn him into.
Spencer does a good job of allowing the story to smooth over the cracks in Zemo's recent history - namely the disconnect between the Nicieza Zemo and the Brubaker/Remender Zemo.
And there's an left-field twist at the end as a classic Cap villain discovers Cap's secret. Which paralleled nicely the end of this week's Deadpool team up with Cap.
Sat down last week and read Valiant's BRITANNIA #1-4 (W: Peter Milligan, A: Juan Jose Ryp). Love the artwork! - I don't think I've ever seen Ryp's stuff before, and now I really hope to see him on many future titles.
I also love the story's setting, and even much of its premise. However... I must say I did not like the writing. I think Milligan overwrote it. Many word balloons were just way too dialogue-heavy, it made a chore out of scenes which should've happily drawn me in deeper. Also [SPOILERS AHEAD!] I was disappointed to find the story depending upon supernatural elements. The idea of a detective operating in the Roman Empire is rare and fascinating enough; I'd've much preferred to see him test naturally-acquired deductive skills without the aid of apparent superpowers granted to him by a codex of the Vestal Virgins - and I'd've preferred to see him deal with human adversaries, instead of magic-users and a stock demon from Central Casting. These are threats which you could plop into almost any comic book. I wish BRITANNIA had given me a real threat equally as interesting as its protagonist. Well, actually, it almost did. The head of the Vestals is a very interesting (and believable) character, as is Emperor Nero, who also plays a minor role. Perhaps if this title comes back with a story revolving more around antagonists like them and their non-magical deeds, I'll give BRITANNIA another try.
Royal City #1 is Jeff Lemire doing what Jeff Lemire does best—telling the story of a family, and what brings them together and what tears them apart. I can't really say much about it without giving too much away. It’s a $4.99 cover price, but don't let that scare you away, because you get 46 pages of story, plus a few pages of extra content.
As with his current work on A.D.: After Death, Lemire is incorporating more negative space and a fairly brighter palette than he has in the past. I like it. It fits the magical realism elements of the story.
One other cool thing: he’s going to be putting together a Spotify playlist for each issue.
The Old Guard #1. Chris mentioned it on a recent episode - I missed it in the solicits. Greg Rucka doing what appears to be Seal Team Highlander. I tossed on Immigrant Song for the back half of the issue - an excellent pairing.
Thanks for your perspective on Moon Knight! I think it might just be something that I would enjoy more in a trade. Reading issues I can't tell what is actually happening, what is real and what is dreams.
After reading Royal City, I decided to catch up on another Lemire series, Moon Knight. Reading five issues in a row definitely improved the reading experience for me, and I have to say, this is a really interesting book. Once Lemire finally gets to Spector’s other personalities, the book takes off. Whenever Spector switches to the perspective of a different personality, a different artist draws that section. Francesco Francavilla draws the Jake Lockley persona, Wilfredo Torres draws the Steven Grant persona, and James Stokoe draws the Knight of the Moon persona (which is, I think, a new set-in-the-future sci-fi take on Moon Knight’s first appearance in Werewolf by Night and the early issues of the original Moon Knight series). Not only is there fantastic artwork by a couple of my faves (Francavilla and Stokoe), but as sometimes Spector changes persona from panel to panel, it makes it much easier to follow along with what’s going on inside Spector’s mind. This book has moved several rungs up the ladder of my Marvel comic rankings.
Thanks for your perspective on Moon Knight! I think it might just be something that I would enjoy more in a trade. Reading issues I can't tell what is actually happening, what is real and what is dreams.
After reading Royal City, I decided to catch up on another Lemire series, Moon Knight. Reading five issues in a row definitely improved the reading experience for me, and I have to say, this is a really interesting book. Once Lemire finally gets to Spector’s other personalities, the book takes off. Whenever, Spector switches to the perspective of a different personality, a different artist draws that section. Francesco Francavilla draws the Jake Lockley persona, Wilfredo Torres draws the Steven Grant persona, and James Stokoe draws the Knight of the Moon persona (which is, I think, a new set-in-the-future sci-fi take on Moon Knight’s first appearance in Werewolf by Night and the early issues of the original Moon Knight series). Not only is there fantastic artwork by a couple of my faves (Francavilla and Stokoe), but as sometimes Spector changes persona from panel to panel, it makes it much easier to follow along with what’s going on inside Spector’s mind. This book has moved several rungs up the ladder of my Marvel comic rankings.
That sounds great (and I love any and all Francavilla I can get). I will look to start catching up on that via Marvel Unlimited.
Sidebar: I'm hearing Lemire is no longer going to be working at Marvel.
That’s quite possible, given that he’s more firmly in creator-owned mode this year. If nothing else, he’ll probably cut back on the number of titles he’s writing for them. He’s currently writing two ongoings, and one miniseries for Marvel. But he was doing that and writing for Valiant all last year while working on his Roughneck graphic novel for Gallery 13 (an imprint of Simon & Schuster). Of course Roughneck was supposed to come out back in November 2016, and now is set for release in April. If he has a multi-book deal with them, then he'll probably have to cut something somewhere to keep on schedule for the next book. Again, that might mean only dropping one or two of his Marvel gigs. But if Royal City sells well enough, maybe he won’t need to work for Marvel.
My hunch is, that of the three he’s writing for Marvel, I think Moon Knight is the one he would prefer to stay on.
Well, he's got some option money to work with. Underwater Welder, A.D.: After Death, Plutona, and Descender are all optioned for film, and Essex County is optioned for TV. He's still writing Descender and Black Hammer, along with writing and drawing Royal City, plus he's writing a new Image series called Family Tree with Phil Hester doing the art that starts this fall. He’s probably doing just fine without Marvel’s money.
Of that you can be sure. Rumor has it that once Lemire’s contract with Marvel is over, he will not be renewing it. Instead, he wants to focus on his creator owned work, namely Royal City from Image and whatever else he may decide to work on.
However, that doesn’t mean Lemire’s superhero days are over. Valiant has already announced that Lemire will continue to work with the company on Bloodshot Salvation, the second part of the much longer Bloodshot story Lemire wants to tell, coming this September. And his Black Hammer series over at Dark Horse has been a treat.
But it looks like those hoping to see Lemire back on the X-Men or continue Moon Knight, or with Thanos may be out of luck. It sounds like he doesn't want to work for Marvel anymore. Not that I blame him, either.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a matter of not wanting to work for Marvel. I think it’s more that now he is in a position where he can create work he has ownership in, and still make a comfortable living, and who wouldn’t prefer doing that?
Jeff has said that he can write four books and draw one book a month—that’s his limit. Which is why he didn’t draw much last year, because he was drawing A.D. and Roughneck. If he’s writing and drawing Royal City, and writing Descender, Black Hammer, and Family Tree, that leaves him with one open writing slot, which evidently will be filled by Bloodshot: Salvation rather than a Marvel title.
[EDIT: Actually, that doesn’t leave him with any open slots. I wonder if he'll be dropping Bloodshot this summer once Family Tree starts gearing up. Or maybe some of the books will have hiatuses so the artists can keep up.]
Just read Vault Comics' HEATHEN #1, by writer/artist Natasha Alterici. From what I could tell, it seems to be a re-lettered (?) reprint of Alterici's 2015 self-published title - which I loved. So hopefully, this new publisher will continue the story past its original four issues, to let Ms. Alterici tell even more tales in her fascinating mythic world.
I'm not spoiling anything by describing this story as "a lesbian Viking hero's journey." I was drawn to the comic back in 2015 because I was hooked on the History Channel's "Vikings" TV series and I was waiting for a new season to start, and I was hungry for some good, non-Thor-y Norse comic books to quench my thirst lol. Listening to CGS - in particular Chris Eberle's praising of Brian Wood - sent me to NORTHLANDERS, which was great, great reading. When done, I started looking around for other stuff, and found HEATHEN - which had me at hello.
Alterici's artwork is gorgeous; its rough lines and earthy colors are so primal... it's as if the reader is getting a glimpse into some aged story book. And I really dig the writing - it's actually a unique twist on the classic hero's journey, with an emotional narrative that can be beautiful/sexy/romantic, yet still dark and violent.
Wish I could say the same for Man-Thing #1. It’s just meh—not bad, but not great either. I knew what to expect tone-wise going in. That wasn't the problem. It’s just not as fun as I was hoping it would be. The main story is 16 pages, six of which are a retelling of Man-Thing’s origin (there’s also a four-page backup story). I get why you need to retell the origin, but over a third of the story? And I wouldn’t have minded Man-Thing’s sarcastic remarks if they’d actually been funny. The Tyler Crook cover is great, and Rachelle Rosenberg’s interior coloring is quite nice, but overall the book is just kind of average for me.
The question is, will it bring in R.L. Stine fans?
Grass Kings #1 by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins was pretty darn good, though. I've seen Jenkin’s artwork in Peter Panzerfaust, but he’s doing watercolors here, and it’s gorgeous over his loose inking. The paper they used is a heavy, non-glossy stock that I love. It mutes the colors a bit, but that fits the tone of the story.
As for the writing, this feels a bit grittier and more grounded than what I’m used to from Kindt. And this is a great first issue, in that he introduces the main characters, the setting, and some important background details through a plot device that makes it all feel natural, and without any of it feeling like exposition. Not much happens, but the pacing of the story is spot on.
I like that Kindt is stretching in a lot of different directions these days. Dept. H feels like old Kindt, while Ether is more fantastical with shades of light and dark, and now Grass Kings is more human and topical. If he’s not careful, I might be nominating him for Best Writer next year.
Wish I could say the same for Man-Thing #1. It’s just meh—not bad, but not great either. I knew what to expect tone-wise going in. That wasn't the problem. It’s just not as fun as I was hoping it would be. The main story is 16 pages, six of which are a retelling of Man-Thing’s origin (there’s also a four-page backup story). I get why you need to retell the origin, but over a third of the story? And I wouldn’t have minded Man-Thing’s sarcastic remarks if they’d actually been funny. The Tyler Crook cover is great, and Rachelle Rosenberg’s interior coloring is quite nice, but overall the book is just kind of average for me.
The question is, will it bring in R.L. Stine fans?
I think the series will appeal to those who appreciate the "Evil Dead" Army of Darkness' style of cheesy dialogue and bad jokes. This series is being played strictly for laughs and the art is very good. Truthfully, Stine's dialogue has always been pretty terrible.
Well, Army of Darkness was my favorite of the Evil Dead movies. I'm more a humor guy than a horror guy. So that wasn't my issue. I've never read Stine before. My son did for a while, but ended up with a bunch of unread Stine books on his shelf. The dialogue was definitely the weakest link in the book.
He tried to inject some of that humor into the origin flashback, and it felt really forced and at odds. Frankly I don't think he went far enough with it during those pages. He tried to have his cake and eat it too, and it just didn't work.
I'm signed up for it so I'm committed for two more issues. Hopefully it will get better.
Speaking of Man-Thing, comixology has a Man-Thing and Thunderbolts sale happening right now. They also have a BOGO sale too for Marvel books. Enter in MARVEL at checkout for the discount. I got Man-Thing, by Steve Gerber Vols 1 and 2 for only $10. Without the sale and BOGO it would have cost me around $45. I look forward to reading them.
I got Man-Thing, by Steve Gerber Vols 1 and 2 for only $10. Without the sale and BOGO it would have cost me around $45. I look forward to reading them.
Lucky. I paid for the Epic trades (1/2 price of course).
I know continuity is no longer a thing but do they explain Man-Thing's personality? The old comics repeatedly remind readers that he is mindless and doesn't have the physical ability to speak.
I know continuity is no longer a thing but do they explain Man-Thing's personality? The old comics repeatedly remind readers that he is mindless and doesn't have the physical ability to speak.
Yes, but (man-)things may not be what they appear.
I have been reading the first Howard the Duck collection with the first 15 or so issues... I am amazed at how well they read, for 40 year old stories. I have had many a sensible chuckle, and a few laugh out louds. It has a treasure trove of supplemental stuff, also, like interviews from FOOM and other stuff.
I can jump on this thread some more now since I picked up some stuff on the Comixlogy Marvel BOGO sale.
I just read the first four issues of The Invincible Iron Man with Riri as Ironheart. I liked the story. Sort of Spider-manish. Young genius who undergoes tragedy and wants to do go. I'll keep picking it up. I haven't read any Bendis in awhile.
Comments
Talking of overly decompressed storytelling... After Civil War The Oath felt like Spencer's Cap as Hydra Spy story unravelling, Steve Rogers Captain America #11 sets it back on track somewhat.
Zemo's presence ties it all back to the start of the story in Standoff! and reminds you 1) Kobik's reality altering is by individual only. 2) It can be shook off. Ironically, it's the Zemo in Cap's altered past who throws him a reminder of who he really is and prevents him from fully becoming what Red Skull was trying to turn him into.
Spencer does a good job of allowing the story to smooth over the cracks in Zemo's recent history - namely the disconnect between the Nicieza Zemo and the Brubaker/Remender Zemo.
And there's an left-field twist at the end as a classic Cap villain discovers Cap's secret. Which paralleled nicely the end of this week's Deadpool team up with Cap.
I also love the story's setting, and even much of its premise. However... I must say I did not like the writing. I think Milligan overwrote it. Many word balloons were just way too dialogue-heavy, it made a chore out of scenes which should've happily drawn me in deeper. Also [SPOILERS AHEAD!] I was disappointed to find the story depending upon supernatural elements. The idea of a detective operating in the Roman Empire is rare and fascinating enough; I'd've much preferred to see him test naturally-acquired deductive skills without the aid of apparent superpowers granted to him by a codex of the Vestal Virgins - and I'd've preferred to see him deal with human adversaries, instead of magic-users and a stock demon from Central Casting. These are threats which you could plop into almost any comic book. I wish BRITANNIA had given me a real threat equally as interesting as its protagonist. Well, actually, it almost did. The head of the Vestals is a very interesting (and believable) character, as is Emperor Nero, who also plays a minor role. Perhaps if this title comes back with a story revolving more around antagonists like them and their non-magical deeds, I'll give BRITANNIA another try.
As with his current work on A.D.: After Death, Lemire is incorporating more negative space and a fairly brighter palette than he has in the past. I like it. It fits the magical realism elements of the story.
One other cool thing: he’s going to be putting together a Spotify playlist for each issue.
My hunch is, that of the three he’s writing for Marvel, I think Moon Knight is the one he would prefer to stay on.
However, that doesn’t mean Lemire’s superhero days are over. Valiant has already announced that Lemire will continue to work with the company on Bloodshot Salvation, the second part of the much longer Bloodshot story Lemire wants to tell, coming this September. And his Black Hammer series over at Dark Horse has been a treat.
But it looks like those hoping to see Lemire back on the X-Men or continue Moon Knight, or with Thanos may be out of luck. It sounds like he doesn't want to work for Marvel anymore. Not that I blame him, either.
Jeff has said that he can write four books and draw one book a month—that’s his limit. Which is why he didn’t draw much last year, because he was drawing A.D. and Roughneck. If he’s writing and drawing Royal City, and writing Descender, Black Hammer, and Family Tree, that leaves him with one open writing slot, which evidently will be filled by Bloodshot: Salvation rather than a Marvel title.
[EDIT: Actually, that doesn’t leave him with any open slots. I wonder if he'll be dropping Bloodshot this summer once Family Tree starts gearing up. Or maybe some of the books will have hiatuses so the artists can keep up.]
I'm not spoiling anything by describing this story as "a lesbian Viking hero's journey." I was drawn to the comic back in 2015 because I was hooked on the History Channel's "Vikings" TV series and I was waiting for a new season to start, and I was hungry for some good, non-Thor-y Norse comic books to quench my thirst lol. Listening to CGS - in particular Chris Eberle's praising of Brian Wood - sent me to NORTHLANDERS, which was great, great reading. When done, I started looking around for other stuff, and found HEATHEN - which had me at hello.
Alterici's artwork is gorgeous; its rough lines and earthy colors are so primal... it's as if the reader is getting a glimpse into some aged story book. And I really dig the writing - it's actually a unique twist on the classic hero's journey, with an emotional narrative that can be beautiful/sexy/romantic, yet still dark and violent.
Those first stories are really good; much better than early Dredd. Thanks @Caliban and @nweathington .
Wish I could say the same for Man-Thing #1. It’s just meh—not bad, but not great either. I knew what to expect tone-wise going in. That wasn't the problem. It’s just not as fun as I was hoping it would be. The main story is 16 pages, six of which are a retelling of Man-Thing’s origin (there’s also a four-page backup story). I get why you need to retell the origin, but over a third of the story? And I wouldn’t have minded Man-Thing’s sarcastic remarks if they’d actually been funny. The Tyler Crook cover is great, and Rachelle Rosenberg’s interior coloring is quite nice, but overall the book is just kind of average for me.
The question is, will it bring in R.L. Stine fans?
As for the writing, this feels a bit grittier and more grounded than what I’m used to from Kindt. And this is a great first issue, in that he introduces the main characters, the setting, and some important background details through a plot device that makes it all feel natural, and without any of it feeling like exposition. Not much happens, but the pacing of the story is spot on.
I like that Kindt is stretching in a lot of different directions these days. Dept. H feels like old Kindt, while Ether is more fantastical with shades of light and dark, and now Grass Kings is more human and topical. If he’s not careful, I might be nominating him for Best Writer next year.
I'll stick around.
He tried to inject some of that humor into the origin flashback, and it felt really forced and at odds. Frankly I don't think he went far enough with it during those pages. He tried to have his cake and eat it too, and it just didn't work.
I'm signed up for it so I'm committed for two more issues. Hopefully it will get better.
Just found my copies of this 80s series. Love Ms Tree and wish someone would either make trades of the comic or bring her back to comics.
I just read the first four issues of The Invincible Iron Man with Riri as Ironheart. I liked the story. Sort of Spider-manish. Young genius who undergoes tragedy and wants to do go. I'll keep picking it up. I haven't read any Bendis in awhile.