One thing I've been trying to do is read a character or characters I'm not too familar with. So recently I picked up issue 13 and 14 of Titans and must say I enjoyed them very much.
I know this is being added to the chorus, but Mister Miracle #1 by King and Gerards was fantastic. A hell of a start. I loved the DeMatteis/Gibson/Phillips/etc. series back in the day, and I like that this still has that domestic grounding in the Scott/Barda marriage, but also clearly has much bigger ambitions. Will follow this one in singles.
Today I had the joy of reading Scooby-Doo where are you? #80, 82. They weren't particularly good, or interesting, but my daughter sat on the couch beside me loved my silly voices and Scooby/Shaggy imitations. I'll take that as the best thing I read this week.
A really good Jonah Hex story that stars a miner (Sam) in desperate need of a protection, a circus freak pugilist (Foghorn Leghorn) and a bounty hunter named Hex. The art was really good, the dialogue was spot on and as most of you know, Jimmy tells a fantastic western.
This could have been any issue of Jonah Hex. Sam and Foghorn are given a lot of depth and sympathy; it's a really good issue. If you see it sticking around on a shelf at your local store pick it up and add it to your pile.
Just read DARK NIGHTS: METAL #1, and even though I resent the Batman-centricity of the DCU, and I am not at all a fan of stories hinting that my heroes are not heroes by their own choice but that they are heroes because *destiny fated them to be* (eyeroll) and also I am nervous that this story is also hinting at something very midichlorians-y about all metahumans in the DCU (sour-face)... I'm having fun with this event. :joy:
The two DARK DAYS prologue issues were overwritten but still great reads - and this METAL #1 issue was actually a Justice League adventure, one which brought in some surprising faces - and even homages to classic scenes from comic books past - all which excited me. Yes, this event won't end until (gulp) early 2018. Yes, it will force me to read lots of titles I usually don't give a rat's butt about. But I'm all in with this Metal story. To quote the most annoying midichlorian'er who ever midichlorian'ed: yippee!
Just read DARK NIGHTS: METAL #1, and even though I resent the Batman-centricity of the DCU, and I am not at all a fan of stories hinting that my heroes are not heroes by their own choice but that they are heroes because *destiny fated them to be* (eyeroll) and also I am nervous that this story is also hinting at something very midichlorians-y about all metahumans in the DCU (sour-face)... I'm having fun with this event. :joy:
The two DARK DAYS prologue issues were overwritten but still great reads - and this METAL #1 issue was actually a Justice League adventure, one which brought in some surprising faces - and even homages to classic scenes from comic books past - all which excited me. Yes, this event won't end until (gulp) early 2018. Yes, it will force me to read lots of titles I usually don't give a rat's butt about. But I'm all in with this Metal story. To quote the most annoying midichlorian'er who ever midichlorian'ed: yippee!
There is a Dark Multiverse here if you're interested...
Two books this week one new the other a little older but still newish
Generations: The Mighty Thor and the Unworthy Thor-I've been reading some of Jason Aaron's run on the Thor title. I'm not big on Marvel these days but Aaron is doing some great work. Going forward this is going to be the Marvel title I pick up.
Batman/Elmer Fudd-This shouldn't have worked. It worked tremendously. One of my favorite things I've read all year
Wonder Woman/Tasmanian Devil Special - The second of the WB/SC crossovers to work. Written by Tony Bedard Pencilled by Barry Kitson
This one was a lot of fun; Taz's language was great. I also loved that he was integrated into the story as a Mythology Monster. The art was very nice and I loved the Dinah/Taz relationship.
While it wasn't as good as the Hex/Sam Special it was a very enjoyable read. I'd put this in the strong borrow stack.
I was only planning on picking up one of the DC Kirby one-shots, and it came out today: Manhunter Special #1. The lead story is plotted and laid out by Keith Giffen, scripted by Dan Didio, with finished art by Mark Buckingham. Bucky’s art is as great as always, and the story moves at a brisk pace, moving between the classic four-panel and six-panel grid layouts. There’s plenty of action, and the confrontation between Manhunter and Sandman (and Sandy) does a great job of illustrating what makes Manhunter different from most other heroes. All in all a nice little story.
But the main attraction is the Demon backup by Sam Humpries and Steve Rude. It's only six pages, but you get you money’s worth on every page. As with the Manhunter story, this tale gets straight to the heart of what makes the Demon tick. Rude’s art is top-notch, as one would expect, and John Kalisz’s colors are fantastic as well. Too bad we couldn't get a whole issue of Rude drawing the Demon, but I'll take what I can get.
The Kirby-drawn backup story from Tales of the Unexpected #13 isn’t all that great, but it’s one I hadn’t read before, so it still made for a nice bonus. All this and a Bruce Timm cover to boot make Manhunter Special #1 a satisfying buy for me.
I just finished getting caught up on Silver Surfer in preparation for the final issue of the Slott/Allred run. Saying that this series, especially the last half-dozen or so issues, is the best romance comic Marvel has ever produced would be accurate, but would also not really speak to just how incredibly joyous, sad, playful, and just downright good it is. I've been saying this about a lot of Marvel books lately, but I wish this wasn’t ending so soon.
While Future Quest Presents #1 isn't as fun nor as evocative of the old cartoons as Future Quest was, it's still a pretty good issue. This story has a more serious tone throughout, but it goes a little deeper into the characters’ and their worlds’ back stories than the first series had room to do. It's still Jeff Parker writing, so no worries on that end. And while I would have preferred Doc Shaner to have returned for this story, Ariel Olivetti’s art (he does finished, full-color work as he usually does) is just fine. Normally I don't go in for making cartoon characters look “realistic”, but Olivetti has enough cartooniness in his work here that it doesn’t bother me. It's a solid buy for me, and I'm looking forward to the next issue.
Wow. I really enjoyed two mini-series that I finally got around to. I've let several issues get backed-up recently and my reading pile is overflowing. Both series are dripping in nostalgia and I was looking forward to them both.
*******************
Planet of the Apes / Green Lantern series (1-6) BOOM! Studios and DC Comics
What was most surprising about this series was how much of the Green Lantern mythos is on display. Hal Jordan and Sinestro are there, or course, but all of the various Corps show up for this, including the Indigo and Hope Corps. The plot is thankfully straightforward. Each issue ends on a great cliffhanger, and they even bring Gorilla Grodd into this, because why wouldn't they? The story takes place between the first and second films of the original POTA series with Cornelius eventually discovering the mutated humans of 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' and enlisting them to stop the gorilla army coming to take away his newly found and powerful artifact from the Forbidden Zone. It worked surprisingly well! Much better than the recent Star Trek+POTA crossover, imo.
Justin Jordan and Robbie Thompson have a firm grip on the Lantern Corps and Barnaby Bagenda's art is consistent and strong, both with the characters you know and his space battles are well choreographed. The story is briskly paced and reads great in single issues or collected. What could have been a weird mash-up ended up being a fun tale through two pop culture franchise favorites, with enough pathos to add depth to it. Fans of either IP will find something to enjoy.
4 out of 5 Stars
Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 series (1-6) DC Comics & Dynamite Entertainment (This was originally published as digital firsts in 12 chapters)
If you ever wanted to see Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman and Adam West's Batman go into action together, this series will scratch that itch. This series made me smile from start to finish. It's packed with cheesy goodness, but for fans of both iconic television shows, this comic is a joy to read. Marc Andreyko and Jeff Parker clearly love these icons and you can tell. And with artists David Hahn and Karl Kesel at the helm, how could it go wrong? The entire series is a fast-paced escapade with spot-on characterizations; as you read, you can practically hear the dialogue in Adam West, Burt Ward and Lynda Carter’s voices.
The story begins in the same era as the original Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series, with Nazi's showing up at Wayne Manor for an auction of an ancient tomb. It's here that we meet a young Bruce Wayne and a young Talia and her father, Ra's al Ghul. The writers play a bit with Batman's origin here, but it works. Then we move on to the Adam West era, and eventually into the late 70's with Batman having retired after killing the Joker and Nightwing taking over. It's the disco era too, and they have fun with that. Lot's of small Easter eggs throughout for fans of both series, including Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt all portraying a different version of Catwoman, depending on what era the story is in, but all played as the same character. It's fun, it's weird, it's purrfect.
Just binged all 6 issues of another series on my "to-read" pile. Writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw created a minor masterpiece here. God Country is a beautiful story wrapped around a very human journey. It deals with fatherhood, loss, family, and Alzheimer's. Very heavy subjects. But it also deals with demons, hell, a magical sword of the gods, and cataclysmic battles. It's a story about legacy and the one you leave your family. This series was amazing and the pace was perfect. At first I wasn't sure if there was going to be a deeper meaning to it all, but by the time I hit the last two-page spread in the final issue, I found myself wiping mist from my eyes.
Spot.On.Perfect.Conclusion.
And for what it's worth, this same creative team is taking over Marvel’s Thanos with issue #13. This is some of the best talent Marvel could've found for that property. It should turn out brilliant, beautiful, and insane.
Check this out in trade if you haven't already. It read splendidly in single issues back to back.
Just binged all 6 issues of another series on my "to-read" pile. Writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw created a minor masterpiece here. God Country is a beautiful story wrapped around a very human journey. It deals with fatherhood, loss, family, and Alzheimer's. Very heavy subjects. But it also deals with demons, hell, a magical sword of the gods, and cataclysmic battles. It's a story about legacy and the one you leave your family. This series was amazing and the pace was perfect. At first I wasn't sure if there was going to be a deeper meaning to it all, but by the time I hit the last two-page spread in the final issue, I found myself wiping mist from my eyes.
Spot.On.Perfect.Conclusion.
And for what it's worth, this same creative team is taking over Marvel’s Thanos with issue #13. This is some of the best talent Marvel could've found for that property. It should turn out brilliant, beautiful, and insane.
Check this out in trade if you haven't already. It read splendidly in single issues back to back.
5 out of 5 stars
I picked the trade up because of this post. I'm two chapters in and ...
HOT DAMN THAT'S SOME GOOD COMICS!
Btw, big mad love to Geoff Shaw. One of the few illustrators to draw that great American South West and not make it look like the surface of the moon. Well done!
Just binged all 6 issues of another series on my "to-read" pile. Writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw created a minor masterpiece here. God Country is a beautiful story wrapped around a very human journey. It deals with fatherhood, loss, family, and Alzheimer's. Very heavy subjects. But it also deals with demons, hell, a magical sword of the gods, and cataclysmic battles. It's a story about legacy and the one you leave your family. This series was amazing and the pace was perfect. At first I wasn't sure if there was going to be a deeper meaning to it all, but by the time I hit the last two-page spread in the final issue, I found myself wiping mist from my eyes.
Spot.On.Perfect.Conclusion.
And for what it's worth, this same creative team is taking over Marvel’s Thanos with issue #13. This is some of the best talent Marvel could've found for that property. It should turn out brilliant, beautiful, and insane.
Check this out in trade if you haven't already. It read splendidly in single issues back to back.
5 out of 5 stars
I picked the trade up because of this post. I'm two chapters in and ...
HOT DAMN THAT'S SOME GOOD COMICS!
Btw, big mad love to Geoff Shaw. One of the few illustrators to draw that great American South West and not make it look like the surface of the moon. Well done!
Awesome! Glad you decided to pick it up, @aquatroy! Come back here with your thoughts on it when you finish the trade - and enjoy the journey.
I stumbled across Batman: Gotham Noir by Brubaker and Phillips in the bins at my LCS last week. An elseworlds story. Unsurprising given the creative team, but it was terrific.
Just figure I'd ask this here, but is the James Bond series worth a gander?
A lot of people have praised them (including CGS' own Chris Eberle). I read the first Warren Ellis arc VARGR and realized that Bond, for me, is a franchise which does not translate well to the medium of comics. Give it a shot though, read an issue or two. You might like them!
Just figure I'd ask this here, but is the James Bond series worth a gander?
Above average writing, but not Ellis’ best. Below average artwork—that was the real killer. Dropped it partway through Ellis’ second arc.
Yep.
Dynamite is REALLY hit or miss with their licensed properties. Too often the artwork really suffers. I'm a huge Bond fan and didn't make it past the first arc either.
Just figure I'd ask this here, but is the James Bond series worth a gander?
Above average writing, but not Ellis’ best. Below average artwork—that was the real killer. Dropped it partway through Ellis’ second arc.
Yep.
Dynamite is REALLY hit or miss with their licensed properties. Too often the artwork really suffers. I'm a huge Bond fan and didn't make it past the first arc either.
Have to agree with @nweathington & @bralinator. I've liked Dynamite's Bond. It's Bond stripped of hairless cats, parkour, & crazy gadgets. Just a stone cold killer. I found it a refreshing take on the character. Unfortunately, the illustration never gets past "meh" and every arc seems to follow the same formula.
Just figure I'd ask this here, but is the James Bond series worth a gander?
Above average writing, but not Ellis’ best. Below average artwork—that was the real killer. Dropped it partway through Ellis’ second arc.
Yep.
Dynamite is REALLY hit or miss with their licensed properties. Too often the artwork really suffers. I'm a huge Bond fan and didn't make it past the first arc either.
Have to agree with @nweathington & @bralinator. I've liked Dynamite's Bond. It's Bond stripped of hairless cats, parkour, & crazy gadgets. Just a stone cold killer. I found it a refreshing take on the character. Unfortunately, the illustration never gets past "meh" and every arc seems to follow the same formula.
The characterization of Bond was very good; I really like the more stone cold Bond from the books. 00s are killers, so I like a more serious version of Bond.
However I knew I was going to be on the fence after the first 4-5 pages of issue #1, and the art is ehh, like everyone said.
But I stick with my rating a solid borrow, or a good buy while it's on discount.
Just figure I'd ask this here, but is the James Bond series worth a gander?
Above average writing, but not Ellis’ best. Below average artwork—that was the real killer. Dropped it partway through Ellis’ second arc.
Yep.
Dynamite is REALLY hit or miss with their licensed properties. Too often the artwork really suffers. I'm a huge Bond fan and didn't make it past the first arc either.
Have to agree with @nweathington & @bralinator. I've liked Dynamite's Bond. It's Bond stripped of hairless cats, parkour, & crazy gadgets. Just a stone cold killer. I found it a refreshing take on the character. Unfortunately, the illustration never gets past "meh" and every arc seems to follow the same formula.
The characterization of Bond was very good; I really like the more stone cold Bond from the books. 00s are killers, so I like a more serious version of Bond.
However I knew I was going to be on the fence after the first 4-5 pages of issue #1, and the art is ehh, like everyone said.
But I stick with my rating a solid borrow, or a good buy while it's on discount.
Why can't they just hire a good artist? They've got good artists on their cheesecake books (Sheena, Red Sonja, etc), and I'd even settle for Alex Cox, who did their recent John Carter: The End mini series. Dynamite is their own worst enemy sometimes.
Why can't they just hire a good artist? They've got good artists on their cheesecake books (Sheena, Red Sonja, etc), and I'd even settle for Alex Cox, who did their recent John Carter: The End mini series. Dynamite is their own worst enemy sometimes.
I liked Alex Cox’s work quite a bit. I think he’s got a lot of potential, and he’ll move on to bigger and better things eventually.
The problem with Dynamite is they don’t offer very high page rates for interior work. Maybe if they didn’t pay 15 different top artists to do variant covers for every issue they put out, they could put that money towards hiring better interior artists. Occasionally they'll luck out and get someone good who is early in their career and just hasn't caught on yet, and even more rarely they'll get a good penciler for a project they think will sell better than their average book. But for the most part they get what they pay for.
Agree with all of the above-- I read the first story sitting in a library while the girls were reading and playing, which says something about how fast it read. I enjoyed it well enough as a free read, being an Ellis fan. But it is definitely not his strongest work by far (even in the same genre, I think his Jack Cross at DC was much better). I don't remember being turned off by the art, but it wasn't great or didn't stand out to me.
I would read more James Bond from Dynamite on a borrow, as they are mostly hiring writers I like, but am not going out of my way to find it.
And I would agree that, at least to judge from what I've read, Dynamite just doesn't deliver (or, it sounds like, spend) on their licensed properties the way Dark Horse and IDW do.
And I would agree that, at least to judge from what I've read, Dynamite just doesn't deliver (or, it sounds like, spend) on their licensed properties the way Dark Horse and IDW do.
IDW has pretty low page rates too. Last I saw, their average page rate was in the neighborhood of $150, pretty much the same as Dynamite, maybe slightly better. Dark Horse has a higher top end for their page rates, but on average they're not really that much higher than IDW. But $15, $20 more a page can make a huge difference over time. I think the biggest difference is that IDW and Dark Horse have more properties younger and/or lesser artists—the people most willing to work for those rates—can get excited about, so they basically end up with first pick from that group.
Comments
They weren't particularly good, or interesting, but my daughter sat on the couch beside me loved my silly voices and Scooby/Shaggy imitations.
I'll take that as the best thing I read this week.
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Mark Texeria
A really good Jonah Hex story that stars a miner (Sam) in desperate need of a protection, a circus freak pugilist (Foghorn Leghorn) and a bounty hunter named Hex. The art was really good, the dialogue was spot on and as most of you know, Jimmy tells a fantastic western.
This could have been any issue of Jonah Hex. Sam and Foghorn are given a lot of depth and sympathy; it's a really good issue.
If you see it sticking around on a shelf at your local store pick it up and add it to your pile.
The two DARK DAYS prologue issues were overwritten but still great reads - and this METAL #1 issue was actually a Justice League adventure, one which brought in some surprising faces - and even homages to classic scenes from comic books past - all which excited me. Yes, this event won't end until (gulp) early 2018. Yes, it will force me to read lots of titles I usually don't give a rat's butt about. But I'm all in with this Metal story. To quote the most annoying midichlorian'er who ever midichlorian'ed: yippee!
Generations: The Mighty Thor and the Unworthy Thor-I've been reading some of Jason Aaron's run on the Thor title. I'm not big on Marvel these days but Aaron is doing some great work. Going forward this is going to be the Marvel title I pick up.
Batman/Elmer Fudd-This shouldn't have worked. It worked tremendously. One of my favorite things I've read all year
Written by Tony Bedard
Pencilled by Barry Kitson
This one was a lot of fun; Taz's language was great. I also loved that he was integrated into the story as a Mythology Monster. The art was very nice and I loved the Dinah/Taz relationship.
While it wasn't as good as the Hex/Sam Special it was a very enjoyable read. I'd put this in the strong borrow stack.
But the main attraction is the Demon backup by Sam Humpries and Steve Rude. It's only six pages, but you get you money’s worth on every page. As with the Manhunter story, this tale gets straight to the heart of what makes the Demon tick. Rude’s art is top-notch, as one would expect, and John Kalisz’s colors are fantastic as well. Too bad we couldn't get a whole issue of Rude drawing the Demon, but I'll take what I can get.
The Kirby-drawn backup story from Tales of the Unexpected #13 isn’t all that great, but it’s one I hadn’t read before, so it still made for a nice bonus. All this and a Bruce Timm cover to boot make Manhunter Special #1 a satisfying buy for me.
Planet of the Apes / Green Lantern series (1-6)
BOOM! Studios and DC Comics
What was most surprising about this series was how much of the Green Lantern mythos is on display. Hal Jordan and Sinestro are there, or course, but all of the various Corps show up for this, including the Indigo and Hope Corps. The plot is thankfully straightforward. Each issue ends on a great cliffhanger, and they even bring Gorilla Grodd into this, because why wouldn't they? The story takes place between the first and second films of the original POTA series with Cornelius eventually discovering the mutated humans of 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' and enlisting them to stop the gorilla army coming to take away his newly found and powerful artifact from the Forbidden Zone. It worked surprisingly well! Much better than the recent Star Trek+POTA crossover, imo.
Justin Jordan and Robbie Thompson have a firm grip on the Lantern Corps and Barnaby Bagenda's art is consistent and strong, both with the characters you know and his space battles are well choreographed. The story is briskly paced and reads great in single issues or collected. What could have been a weird mash-up ended up being a fun tale through two pop culture franchise favorites, with enough pathos to add depth to it. Fans of either IP will find something to enjoy.
4 out of 5 Stars
Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 series (1-6)
DC Comics & Dynamite Entertainment
(This was originally published as digital firsts in 12 chapters)
If you ever wanted to see Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman and Adam West's Batman go into action together, this series will scratch that itch. This series made me smile from start to finish. It's packed with cheesy goodness, but for fans of both iconic television shows, this comic is a joy to read. Marc Andreyko and Jeff Parker clearly love these icons and you can tell. And with artists David Hahn and Karl Kesel at the helm, how could it go wrong? The entire series is a fast-paced escapade with spot-on characterizations; as you read, you can practically hear the dialogue in Adam West, Burt Ward and Lynda Carter’s voices.
The story begins in the same era as the original Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series, with Nazi's showing up at Wayne Manor for an auction of an ancient tomb. It's here that we meet a young Bruce Wayne and a young Talia and her father, Ra's al Ghul. The writers play a bit with Batman's origin here, but it works. Then we move on to the Adam West era, and eventually into the late 70's with Batman having retired after killing the Joker and Nightwing taking over. It's the disco era too, and they have fun with that. Lot's of small Easter eggs throughout for fans of both series, including Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt all portraying a different version of Catwoman, depending on what era the story is in, but all played as the same character. It's fun, it's weird, it's purrfect.
4 out of 5 Stars
God Country mini-series (1-6)
Image Comics
Just binged all 6 issues of another series on my "to-read" pile. Writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw created a minor masterpiece here. God Country is a beautiful story wrapped around a very human journey. It deals with fatherhood, loss, family, and Alzheimer's. Very heavy subjects. But it also deals with demons, hell, a magical sword of the gods, and cataclysmic battles. It's a story about legacy and the one you leave your family. This series was amazing and the pace was perfect. At first I wasn't sure if there was going to be a deeper meaning to it all, but by the time I hit the last two-page spread in the final issue, I found myself wiping mist from my eyes.
Spot.On.Perfect.Conclusion.
And for what it's worth, this same creative team is taking over Marvel’s Thanos with issue #13. This is some of the best talent Marvel could've found for that property. It should turn out brilliant, beautiful, and insane.
Check this out in trade if you haven't already. It read splendidly in single issues back to back.
5 out of 5 stars
HOT DAMN THAT'S SOME GOOD COMICS!
Btw, big mad love to Geoff Shaw. One of the few illustrators to draw that great American South West and not make it look like the surface of the moon. Well done!
http://www.neatorama.com/2014/03/19/George-Washington-Could-Swear-Like-an-Angel-from-Heaven/
Dynamite is REALLY hit or miss with their licensed properties. Too often the artwork really suffers. I'm a huge Bond fan and didn't make it past the first arc either.
However I knew I was going to be on the fence after the first 4-5 pages of issue #1, and the art is ehh, like everyone said.
But I stick with my rating a solid borrow, or a good buy while it's on discount.
The problem with Dynamite is they don’t offer very high page rates for interior work. Maybe if they didn’t pay 15 different top artists to do variant covers for every issue they put out, they could put that money towards hiring better interior artists. Occasionally they'll luck out and get someone good who is early in their career and just hasn't caught on yet, and even more rarely they'll get a good penciler for a project they think will sell better than their average book. But for the most part they get what they pay for.
I would read more James Bond from Dynamite on a borrow, as they are mostly hiring writers I like, but am not going out of my way to find it.
And I would agree that, at least to judge from what I've read, Dynamite just doesn't deliver (or, it sounds like, spend) on their licensed properties the way Dark Horse and IDW do.