Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns
Justice League of America #26
No Hero #2
Superman #681
Trinity #22
Ultimate Captain America Annual #1
Ultimate Spider-man Annual #3
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews: The day evil won
Aetheric Mechanics
Final Crisis #4
Final Crisis: Submit
Hellblazer #248
Invincible #54
Trinity #21
Superman: New Krypton
Ultimate Spider-man #127
Final Crisis #4/Final Crisis: Submit
I’ve been watching Final Crisis: Submit appear and disappear off the publishing schedule for a couple weeks now. I don’t know the reason for its perpetual vanishing act, but if someone with any brains at all intentionally decided to release these two titles on the same day, I give them well deserved kudos. FC: Submit reads almost like an exceptionally long Prologue, yet the events that take place within it dovetail nicely into the more opaque goings-on of FC #4. Weighing in on the J.G. Jones controversy, I think it’s a shame that he won’t be finishing the penciling on the lead series. With so much riding on the success of this crossover event I don’t think DC comes off particularly well in their ability to adequately plan and co-ordinate the whole thing. When the series penciler is publicly questioning his own role with the project you can tell something has gone wrong behind the scenes.
Invincible #54
Still not feeling the new costume. It’s not just that I’m notoriously resistant to change (I am) but the new threads feel like a generic re-tread of so many of the superhero costumes currently out there. The original Invincible look was clearly punching above its weight, borderline iconic, representative of the wearer’s personality and it makes an instant impression on the reader. Black and blue and a darkening personality is an overused gimmick I’ve seen in too many other places to really care about it. Yes I know Kirkman and Ottley are making a point here, but I think they’re being self-referential about an era in comic history that’s better left in the pass. I hope this Dark-Mark bit will be finished sooner rather than later.
Final Crisis #4
Final Crisis: Submit
Hellblazer #248
Invincible #54
Trinity #21
Superman: New Krypton
Ultimate Spider-man #127
Final Crisis #4/Final Crisis: Submit
I’ve been watching Final Crisis: Submit appear and disappear off the publishing schedule for a couple weeks now. I don’t know the reason for its perpetual vanishing act, but if someone with any brains at all intentionally decided to release these two titles on the same day, I give them well deserved kudos. FC: Submit reads almost like an exceptionally long Prologue, yet the events that take place within it dovetail nicely into the more opaque goings-on of FC #4. Weighing in on the J.G. Jones controversy, I think it’s a shame that he won’t be finishing the penciling on the lead series. With so much riding on the success of this crossover event I don’t think DC comes off particularly well in their ability to adequately plan and co-ordinate the whole thing. When the series penciler is publicly questioning his own role with the project you can tell something has gone wrong behind the scenes.
Invincible #54
Still not feeling the new costume. It’s not just that I’m notoriously resistant to change (I am) but the new threads feel like a generic re-tread of so many of the superhero costumes currently out there. The original Invincible look was clearly punching above its weight, borderline iconic, representative of the wearer’s personality and it makes an instant impression on the reader. Black and blue and a darkening personality is an overused gimmick I’ve seen in too many other places to really care about it. Yes I know Kirkman and Ottley are making a point here, but I think they’re being self-referential about an era in comic history that’s better left in the pass. I hope this Dark-Mark bit will be finished sooner rather than later.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Pull List: 15 October 2008
Brave and the Bold #18
Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds 2 of 5
Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge 3 of 3
Flash #245
Grant Morrison's Dr. Who #1
Justice Society of America #19
Trinity #20
Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen #1
Ultimate Origins #5
Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds 2 of 5
Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge 3 of 3
Flash #245
Grant Morrison's Dr. Who #1
Justice Society of America #19
Trinity #20
Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen #1
Ultimate Origins #5
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Pull List: 1 October 2008
Batman #680
Doktor Sleepless #9
No Hero #1
Invincible #25
Justice League of America #25
Trinity #18
Doktor Sleepless #9
No Hero #1
Invincible #25
Justice League of America #25
Trinity #18
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Shock and Awe
Oh yah,
ASBAR #10.
The one that has apparently been recalled due to a printing error. (Must fight the urge to add air quotes.) The one which must be instantly destroyed if you see it out in the open sunlight.
Well apparently my local comic shoppe decided to ignore that edict, received the title as planned, and stuck it on the shelf anyway.
Yes, there are some very bad words in here.
Yes, you can see said bad words without trying very hard.
No, I’m not shocked.
Let’s face it. If you’re reading ASBAR you’re doing it because a) You want to see just how far Miller will go before his overlords at DC pull him back. b) You like a good laugh, (and the dialogue in this title is nothing if not hilarious.) c) You want to be a part of the tidal wave of public criticism and (sometimes) mockery. d) You like Jim Lee’s art.
Honestly, it doesn’t bother me that much. It feels like shock for shock’s sake, like a writer trying to push the envelope, trying to stir up some controversy and hey, its working.
Very few people I know admit to liking ASBAR, but they all read it, because they’re fascinated by how far this thing will go. I don’t know how well this title is selling, mostly because I’m too lazy to use the internet, but it’s still being published so obviously someone is reading.
Yes the language goes way beyond strong, but honestly this comic wasn’t intended for younger readers. The argument that, just because it contains Batman, we should be extra vigilant in ensuring that it remains all ages friendly is disingenuous. We make Batman comics (Super Friends) for younger readers, why can’t we have ones for older ones as well? Like anything else that may be bad for children, booze, drugs, cigarettes, guns, etc, accountability for making sure this comic doesn’t end up in the wrong hands lies in the hands of responsible adults.
Of course kids are going to want to see Batman swear. They’re also going to want to Daddy’s Playboys as well. Specifically because they’re not supposed to see it. We know to keep pornography from children, so why not questionable reading material as well? If your childhood hero using offensive language disturbs you on a personal level, then vote with your wallet or write to someone who can do something about it.
In an industry where almost every safe plotline has been done, it’s inevitable that someone is going to try to push the boundaries in order to find something new. If that offends you, push back.
ASBAR #10.
The one that has apparently been recalled due to a printing error. (Must fight the urge to add air quotes.) The one which must be instantly destroyed if you see it out in the open sunlight.
Well apparently my local comic shoppe decided to ignore that edict, received the title as planned, and stuck it on the shelf anyway.
Yes, there are some very bad words in here.
Yes, you can see said bad words without trying very hard.
No, I’m not shocked.
Let’s face it. If you’re reading ASBAR you’re doing it because a) You want to see just how far Miller will go before his overlords at DC pull him back. b) You like a good laugh, (and the dialogue in this title is nothing if not hilarious.) c) You want to be a part of the tidal wave of public criticism and (sometimes) mockery. d) You like Jim Lee’s art.
Honestly, it doesn’t bother me that much. It feels like shock for shock’s sake, like a writer trying to push the envelope, trying to stir up some controversy and hey, its working.
Very few people I know admit to liking ASBAR, but they all read it, because they’re fascinated by how far this thing will go. I don’t know how well this title is selling, mostly because I’m too lazy to use the internet, but it’s still being published so obviously someone is reading.
Yes the language goes way beyond strong, but honestly this comic wasn’t intended for younger readers. The argument that, just because it contains Batman, we should be extra vigilant in ensuring that it remains all ages friendly is disingenuous. We make Batman comics (Super Friends) for younger readers, why can’t we have ones for older ones as well? Like anything else that may be bad for children, booze, drugs, cigarettes, guns, etc, accountability for making sure this comic doesn’t end up in the wrong hands lies in the hands of responsible adults.
Of course kids are going to want to see Batman swear. They’re also going to want to Daddy’s Playboys as well. Specifically because they’re not supposed to see it. We know to keep pornography from children, so why not questionable reading material as well? If your childhood hero using offensive language disturbs you on a personal level, then vote with your wallet or write to someone who can do something about it.
In an industry where almost every safe plotline has been done, it’s inevitable that someone is going to try to push the boundaries in order to find something new. If that offends you, push back.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews
Offered without comment.
Trinity #8
The Brave and the Bold #15
Green Lantern Corps #26
Justice League of America #23
Superman #678
Ultimate X-Men #96
Invincible #51
Gravel #3
Black Summer #7
Green Lantern Corps #26
Mongul II, dead and dismembered? Don’t bet your life on it. In this issue Mongul goes head to head with almost the entire cast of the GL Corps. In a predictable battle, but beautifully drawn by Patrick Gleason, Mongul gets his ass handed to him after one of the Lanterns, Bzzd, sacrifices himself to bring down the new Sinestro Corps leader. A rock’em, sock’em, widescreen space opera that absolutely could not be any more enjoyable, highlighting just how much writer Peter Tomasi is on top of his game. Consistently one of the best comics being published right now, by any company.
Black Summer #7
Warren Ellis’ two year old blockbuster comic event comes to an end, and boy does this thing get talky. The surviving female contingent of the Seven Guns decide that helping keep their city safe is more important than taking revenge on the military for killing Tom Noir in cold blood. Horus, Blacksmith and a not-quite-as-dead-as-we-thought Noir then proceed to jaw at the reader for half a dozen pages in an attempt to justify their actions over the course of this series. A good, but somewhat anti-climatic, end to a better than average story. The incessant moralizing by three of the leads, in order to make their character motivations explicit, really pulled me out the tale. I would have preferred to let their actions speak for themselves and avoid spoon feeding me the unnecessary details.
Invincible #51
The Venom years, only without the sentient costume. For a Jim Lee cover I can’t help but feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth. Invincible’s right hand seems to be twisted into some kind of claw shape and there’s no background to speak of. It’s not a bad cover, just not what I’m used to from JL. Anyway, in this ish Invincible gets a new, darker toned costume, a kid sidekick and a girlfriend to boot. A series that continues to live up to the high standard of comic bookery that it has set for itself, if you’re an Invincible fan you’ll find nothing to hate here.
Superman #678
The latest attempt to repatriate a long lost Jack Kirby creation into the DCU proper continues. Atlas, a former hero type turned planetary dictator, shows up in Metropolis in order to challenge Superman for control of the city. The fists then proceed to fly. There’s a pair of obligatory shadowy figure types pulling various strings in the background and Atlas’ backstory is given an appropriate Kirby style visual treatment. There’s an unfamiliar cadence to some of the dialogue in this issue that’s neither good or bad, but pulls me out of the story nonetheless. An admirable attempt at varying the Superman formula a little bit that will keep me onboard with this title, for no other reason that to see how this story plays out.
Trinity #8
The Brave and the Bold #15
Green Lantern Corps #26
Justice League of America #23
Superman #678
Ultimate X-Men #96
Invincible #51
Gravel #3
Black Summer #7
Green Lantern Corps #26
Mongul II, dead and dismembered? Don’t bet your life on it. In this issue Mongul goes head to head with almost the entire cast of the GL Corps. In a predictable battle, but beautifully drawn by Patrick Gleason, Mongul gets his ass handed to him after one of the Lanterns, Bzzd, sacrifices himself to bring down the new Sinestro Corps leader. A rock’em, sock’em, widescreen space opera that absolutely could not be any more enjoyable, highlighting just how much writer Peter Tomasi is on top of his game. Consistently one of the best comics being published right now, by any company.
Black Summer #7
Warren Ellis’ two year old blockbuster comic event comes to an end, and boy does this thing get talky. The surviving female contingent of the Seven Guns decide that helping keep their city safe is more important than taking revenge on the military for killing Tom Noir in cold blood. Horus, Blacksmith and a not-quite-as-dead-as-we-thought Noir then proceed to jaw at the reader for half a dozen pages in an attempt to justify their actions over the course of this series. A good, but somewhat anti-climatic, end to a better than average story. The incessant moralizing by three of the leads, in order to make their character motivations explicit, really pulled me out the tale. I would have preferred to let their actions speak for themselves and avoid spoon feeding me the unnecessary details.
Invincible #51
The Venom years, only without the sentient costume. For a Jim Lee cover I can’t help but feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth. Invincible’s right hand seems to be twisted into some kind of claw shape and there’s no background to speak of. It’s not a bad cover, just not what I’m used to from JL. Anyway, in this ish Invincible gets a new, darker toned costume, a kid sidekick and a girlfriend to boot. A series that continues to live up to the high standard of comic bookery that it has set for itself, if you’re an Invincible fan you’ll find nothing to hate here.
Superman #678
The latest attempt to repatriate a long lost Jack Kirby creation into the DCU proper continues. Atlas, a former hero type turned planetary dictator, shows up in Metropolis in order to challenge Superman for control of the city. The fists then proceed to fly. There’s a pair of obligatory shadowy figure types pulling various strings in the background and Atlas’ backstory is given an appropriate Kirby style visual treatment. There’s an unfamiliar cadence to some of the dialogue in this issue that’s neither good or bad, but pulls me out of the story nonetheless. An admirable attempt at varying the Superman formula a little bit that will keep me onboard with this title, for no other reason that to see how this story plays out.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews
All right you insufferable bastards.
Enjoy your pound of flesh.
Trinity #6
Action Comics #867
Green Arrow\Black Canary #10
Justice Society of America #17
Ultimate Origins #2
Wolfskin Annual #1
Final Crisis: Requiem
Booster Gold #1000000
Wolfskin Annual #1
This was a surprise purchase on my part, especially since I’m actively trying to prune my pull list. But two things combined to encourage me to pull this number off the shelf. First, it’s written by Warren Ellis. Second, Wolfskin kills a man by hitting nails into his face as if he were practicing hammering fly balls into the outfield at Sky Dome. What’s not to like? Aside from some intentionally opaque dialogue I thought this was an amusing done-in-one story that sets the stage for the title character’s next story arc.
Booster Gold #1000000
I hadn’t realized that Johns’ final issue of Booster Gold was coming out this week. Regrettably with his departure this title moves into my drop pile. After the death of Ted, Blue Beetle II, time repairs itself and Booster begins to question what’s been driving him to be a superhero in hiding over the last twelve issues. That is until Batman shows him the photographs from the Joker’s camera, that he's apparently been holding onto for years, of Booster trying to save Barbara from being shot. I’m sorry, I’m not buying it. Even keeping the vagaries of a fictional universe’s timelines in mind I have touble believing that Batman is dick enough to hold on to those photos for so long without saying or doing something about them.
Final Crisis: Requiem
Hey, lookit that, Aquaman’s back. Um, I was never the biggest Aquaman fan, but the Internet tells me that the incarnation showing up in this issue is no more. Is this a scheduling goof that has now spoiled upcoming events from Final Crisis? Or was DC determined that all of their Big 7 make an appearance at J’onn’s funeral, throwing logic and continuity to the wind? Anyway, Requiem chronicles the life and death of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Nothing about the way his death is presented smacks of permanence and I think it’s obvious that this is an editorial decision to remove him from the board for a while, for whatever reason.
Action Comics #867
Geoff Johns thrives in his role as DC’s chief continuity repairman for some of their more convoluted properties. This time out Brainiac is getting the Johns treatment. Rather than wait for Brainiac to discover his existence on Earth, Clark decides to turn the tables and bring the fight to him. So he heads out into space where he interrupts one of Brainy’s city smash-and-grab routines. Gary Frank’s art made this issue for me, I’ve never seen Brainiac, and Braniac related constructs, looks so evil and menacing. Now if only we could find some way to get rid of Steve Lombard again, another Crisis maybe?
Now get out of here. You can’t bother to leave me my dignity, so just leave me in peace.
Enjoy your pound of flesh.
Trinity #6
Action Comics #867
Green Arrow\Black Canary #10
Justice Society of America #17
Ultimate Origins #2
Wolfskin Annual #1
Final Crisis: Requiem
Booster Gold #1000000
Wolfskin Annual #1
This was a surprise purchase on my part, especially since I’m actively trying to prune my pull list. But two things combined to encourage me to pull this number off the shelf. First, it’s written by Warren Ellis. Second, Wolfskin kills a man by hitting nails into his face as if he were practicing hammering fly balls into the outfield at Sky Dome. What’s not to like? Aside from some intentionally opaque dialogue I thought this was an amusing done-in-one story that sets the stage for the title character’s next story arc.
Booster Gold #1000000
I hadn’t realized that Johns’ final issue of Booster Gold was coming out this week. Regrettably with his departure this title moves into my drop pile. After the death of Ted, Blue Beetle II, time repairs itself and Booster begins to question what’s been driving him to be a superhero in hiding over the last twelve issues. That is until Batman shows him the photographs from the Joker’s camera, that he's apparently been holding onto for years, of Booster trying to save Barbara from being shot. I’m sorry, I’m not buying it. Even keeping the vagaries of a fictional universe’s timelines in mind I have touble believing that Batman is dick enough to hold on to those photos for so long without saying or doing something about them.
Final Crisis: Requiem
Hey, lookit that, Aquaman’s back. Um, I was never the biggest Aquaman fan, but the Internet tells me that the incarnation showing up in this issue is no more. Is this a scheduling goof that has now spoiled upcoming events from Final Crisis? Or was DC determined that all of their Big 7 make an appearance at J’onn’s funeral, throwing logic and continuity to the wind? Anyway, Requiem chronicles the life and death of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Nothing about the way his death is presented smacks of permanence and I think it’s obvious that this is an editorial decision to remove him from the board for a while, for whatever reason.
Action Comics #867
Geoff Johns thrives in his role as DC’s chief continuity repairman for some of their more convoluted properties. This time out Brainiac is getting the Johns treatment. Rather than wait for Brainiac to discover his existence on Earth, Clark decides to turn the tables and bring the fight to him. So he heads out into space where he interrupts one of Brainy’s city smash-and-grab routines. Gary Frank’s art made this issue for me, I’ve never seen Brainiac, and Braniac related constructs, looks so evil and menacing. Now if only we could find some way to get rid of Steve Lombard again, another Crisis maybe?
Now get out of here. You can’t bother to leave me my dignity, so just leave me in peace.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Michael Turner 1971 - 2008
I always used to rip on Scott for liking Turner's work.
Now I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before the internet makes an extremely inapproriate remark about his passing.
Yes.
The internet.
Now I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before the internet makes an extremely inapproriate remark about his passing.
Yes.
The internet.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk
I don’t know many people who will voluntarily confess to liking the first Hulk movie. The best you can hope for is a begrudging admission that it wasn’t THAT bad.
However, I really enjoyed the first film. I thought it was a bold attempt to take the concept of a superhero movie and push it in a different direction, imbue it with a deeper meaning, a sense of mythology.
Unfortunately the movie going public felt the film was slow , after re-watching it recently, it seems even slower now, especially considering in the five years since it was released the superhero movie concept has been considerably refined and perfected.
There’s an accepted formulae filmmakers follow now, heavy action, recognizable fan favourite villains, storylines or in-jokes and a minimum of dialog and exposition.
We demand to see Hulk smash or Superman catch that falling plane, we don’t want to hear them wax philosophical about their purpose in life. This is a comic book movie goddammit.
More smashy-smashy, less talky-talky.
For comic fans almost any effort to try something new or different to their heroes is destined to be universally reviled. We’ve spent years investing ourselves in these characters, taking the stories from the page and re-enacting them in our minds. Now Hollywood is attempting the same thing and heaven help them if their finished product contradicts our childhood fantasies.
For those worried few, fear not. The Incredible Hulk is the kind of movie you’ve been waiting for. The controversy generated by the first film is glossed over and quietly rebooted in the opening credits. After that we’re introduced to the ‘standard Hulk plotline #1’
1. Bruce (Edward Norton) is hiding from the military, attempting to cure himself.
2. Military finds him.
3. Bruce hulks out and smashes things up.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 4, until Bruce is finally caught.
Liv Tyler is Betty Ross, Bruce’s obligatory love interest. Her sole roll in the movie is to look worried, get in trouble and to run out into the rain whenever she’s wearing a white shirt. William Hurt and Tim Roth play the military figures chasing Bruce. Roth’s character, Emil Blonsky, gets injected with a WWII era super-solider formula that gives him the power and the strength to take on the Hulk. However these powers get corrupted when Roth is injected with a vial of Bruce’s blood, turning him into the monstrous Abomination.
William Hurt as General Ross, Betty’s father, is the least interesting of the three supporting characters. He broods a lot, looks stern and seems to have a never endingly supply of custom-made Hummer’s lurking around every corner. There is none of the gruff warmth that Sam Elliot brought to the same role in the first film.
You’re not going to strain any brain cells here trying to follow along with this movie. Once you’ve mastered the plot basics its clear that you’re only here catch the smashy-smashy and I can assure you, in this instance, the movie will not disappoint. Hulk smashes his way through a pop factory, the U of T campus (er Culver university) and downtown Toronto. (As a local, it’s weird to see Zanzibar and Sam the Record Man show up so prominently in the last big melee.)
The special effects are about a half step up from the first go round, which was no slouch in that department either. We’ve traded in the bright comic book hues of the first film for a darker, grittier palette. I’m guessing we may have reached the point of diminishing returns when it comes to special effects. We’ve come so far in the last fifteen years or so, that creating fully functioning CGI characters is now almost a ho-hum experience for movie goers. The technology will continue to improve, giving us characters that are even more realistic and lifelike, but I strongly suspect that the phenomenal growth we’re using to seeing from these types of effects is all but done.
There are also plenty of fan boy nuggets for comic readers in this movie as well. The script borrows characters, plot devices and visual motifs that the general public won’t pick up on but fans of the Hulk will recognize instantly. My personal favourite is Bruce jumping out of a helicopter in order to trigger the appearance of the Hulk, ripped almost directly from the pages of the Ultimates it was a nice little fan boy moment I enjoyed.
But what is really interesting is how Marvel is methodically tying all their film franchises together. The appearance of Robert Downie Jr. as Tony Stark shows that the company is aware that fans aren’t just interested in a single character, they want to see a whole world where their favourite characters can mingle and interact with each other, just like the comics. As the momentum to the inevitable Avengers movie builds Marvel demonstrates an incredible amount of prescience in maintaining their intellectual properties across all mediums. It’s top drawer marketing that can’t help but appeal to casual and hardcore fans alike. It shows this company is playing the long game and most people eat it up.
(In comparison, DC can’t seem to get its act together enough to release a second Superman film much less think about tackling the Herculean feat of putting together a Justice League movie. )
The Incredible Hulk is a better than average superhero movie. The acting is decent, the story acceptable and the director was wise enough to give a fairly paint-by-numbers interpretation of the Hulk story. But despite all the guns and the smashing you can’t help but feel that this film lacks a little heart and soul. That’s what the Hulk is all about isn’t it? He may look like a monster and act out inappropriately, but in the end he’s a scared little boy just trying to find a little peace.
You won’t walk away hating this movie but I guarantee there’s very little about it that will stick with you.
We’ve seen it all before.
However, I really enjoyed the first film. I thought it was a bold attempt to take the concept of a superhero movie and push it in a different direction, imbue it with a deeper meaning, a sense of mythology.
Unfortunately the movie going public felt the film was slow , after re-watching it recently, it seems even slower now, especially considering in the five years since it was released the superhero movie concept has been considerably refined and perfected.
There’s an accepted formulae filmmakers follow now, heavy action, recognizable fan favourite villains, storylines or in-jokes and a minimum of dialog and exposition.
We demand to see Hulk smash or Superman catch that falling plane, we don’t want to hear them wax philosophical about their purpose in life. This is a comic book movie goddammit.
More smashy-smashy, less talky-talky.
For comic fans almost any effort to try something new or different to their heroes is destined to be universally reviled. We’ve spent years investing ourselves in these characters, taking the stories from the page and re-enacting them in our minds. Now Hollywood is attempting the same thing and heaven help them if their finished product contradicts our childhood fantasies.
For those worried few, fear not. The Incredible Hulk is the kind of movie you’ve been waiting for. The controversy generated by the first film is glossed over and quietly rebooted in the opening credits. After that we’re introduced to the ‘standard Hulk plotline #1’
1. Bruce (Edward Norton) is hiding from the military, attempting to cure himself.
2. Military finds him.
3. Bruce hulks out and smashes things up.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 4, until Bruce is finally caught.
Liv Tyler is Betty Ross, Bruce’s obligatory love interest. Her sole roll in the movie is to look worried, get in trouble and to run out into the rain whenever she’s wearing a white shirt. William Hurt and Tim Roth play the military figures chasing Bruce. Roth’s character, Emil Blonsky, gets injected with a WWII era super-solider formula that gives him the power and the strength to take on the Hulk. However these powers get corrupted when Roth is injected with a vial of Bruce’s blood, turning him into the monstrous Abomination.
William Hurt as General Ross, Betty’s father, is the least interesting of the three supporting characters. He broods a lot, looks stern and seems to have a never endingly supply of custom-made Hummer’s lurking around every corner. There is none of the gruff warmth that Sam Elliot brought to the same role in the first film.
You’re not going to strain any brain cells here trying to follow along with this movie. Once you’ve mastered the plot basics its clear that you’re only here catch the smashy-smashy and I can assure you, in this instance, the movie will not disappoint. Hulk smashes his way through a pop factory, the U of T campus (er Culver university) and downtown Toronto. (As a local, it’s weird to see Zanzibar and Sam the Record Man show up so prominently in the last big melee.)
The special effects are about a half step up from the first go round, which was no slouch in that department either. We’ve traded in the bright comic book hues of the first film for a darker, grittier palette. I’m guessing we may have reached the point of diminishing returns when it comes to special effects. We’ve come so far in the last fifteen years or so, that creating fully functioning CGI characters is now almost a ho-hum experience for movie goers. The technology will continue to improve, giving us characters that are even more realistic and lifelike, but I strongly suspect that the phenomenal growth we’re using to seeing from these types of effects is all but done.
There are also plenty of fan boy nuggets for comic readers in this movie as well. The script borrows characters, plot devices and visual motifs that the general public won’t pick up on but fans of the Hulk will recognize instantly. My personal favourite is Bruce jumping out of a helicopter in order to trigger the appearance of the Hulk, ripped almost directly from the pages of the Ultimates it was a nice little fan boy moment I enjoyed.
But what is really interesting is how Marvel is methodically tying all their film franchises together. The appearance of Robert Downie Jr. as Tony Stark shows that the company is aware that fans aren’t just interested in a single character, they want to see a whole world where their favourite characters can mingle and interact with each other, just like the comics. As the momentum to the inevitable Avengers movie builds Marvel demonstrates an incredible amount of prescience in maintaining their intellectual properties across all mediums. It’s top drawer marketing that can’t help but appeal to casual and hardcore fans alike. It shows this company is playing the long game and most people eat it up.
(In comparison, DC can’t seem to get its act together enough to release a second Superman film much less think about tackling the Herculean feat of putting together a Justice League movie. )
The Incredible Hulk is a better than average superhero movie. The acting is decent, the story acceptable and the director was wise enough to give a fairly paint-by-numbers interpretation of the Hulk story. But despite all the guns and the smashing you can’t help but feel that this film lacks a little heart and soul. That’s what the Hulk is all about isn’t it? He may look like a monster and act out inappropriately, but in the end he’s a scared little boy just trying to find a little peace.
You won’t walk away hating this movie but I guarantee there’s very little about it that will stick with you.
We’ve seen it all before.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews
Six sentence comic book reviews. Where I try to summarize and analyze what happened this week in comic books. And you try to pretend you give a damn.
Trinity #3
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
It’s telling that the element I enjoyed most about this issue is the probable return of a decade gone supporting character from the Super-titles. I could sit and watch Bags draw the entire DC Universe and not complain. But right now I don’t feel that this title has a clear identity and direction beyond ‘this is our trinity and they are important.’
Anna Mercury #2
Um, WTF? Despite evidence to the contrary I’m not a stupid man. But Ellis has thrown out so much techno-babble in this issue that I barely have any idea what’s going on. Apparently there are other worlds in orbit around Earth and Anna Mercury’s job is to hop between them and make sure that everything is going along just tickety-boo. I’d tell you more but I had to re-read the obligatory exposition scene so many times that I just kind of zoned out trying to make sense of it all. When I came to again I had apparently broken my keyboard by trying to repeatedly force my forehead through it.
Hellblazer #245
I have some fairly significant holes in my Hellblazer collection. Which means that, while I understand the broad strokes of what happened in John Constantine’s past, I’m sometimes a little short on the specifics. This issue follows “Behind the Music” as they explore Constantine’s old stomping grounds from his time fronting the punk band Muscous Membrane. The whole thing comes across like a stereotypical horror movie. The TV crew engages in sex, drugs and rock and roll and one by one, like so many Star Trek red shirts, their minds begin to fall prey to the machinations of some unseen monster. It’s an interesting enough idea but unfortunately the execution is a little below the standards I’ve come to expect from this title.
The Brave and the Bold #14
Deadman and Green Arrow team up to take on some disembodied-skeleton terrorist types hell bent on world domination. Mark Waid and Scott Kolins turn in a respectable effort at what feels like a filler-plus story. I find that the greatest strength of team-up titles are also their biggest weakness. It’s all about finding a convenient excuse to slap two disparate characters together in an adventure that is guaranteed to have no effect on either’s current status quo. On that note, what’s up with Deadman these days? I think he’s a vastly underused character that would fit in particularly well on a team like JLA or JSA who may be looking for a hero with some sort of affinity for magic and the underworld.
Justice League of America #22
Vixen? Full frontal chest shot.
Black Canary, Chairwoman of the JLA? Ass shot.
Reading comic books shouldn’t make me feel like I’m trying to peak at the centerfold of a nudie mag. I don’t even know how Wonder Woman’s body can contort like that on the cover anyway, showing both her chest and her butt.
That’s it for this post. Now go forth, read comics and lets all agree to meet up here at the same time next week.
Trinity #3
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
It’s telling that the element I enjoyed most about this issue is the probable return of a decade gone supporting character from the Super-titles. I could sit and watch Bags draw the entire DC Universe and not complain. But right now I don’t feel that this title has a clear identity and direction beyond ‘this is our trinity and they are important.’
Anna Mercury #2
Um, WTF? Despite evidence to the contrary I’m not a stupid man. But Ellis has thrown out so much techno-babble in this issue that I barely have any idea what’s going on. Apparently there are other worlds in orbit around Earth and Anna Mercury’s job is to hop between them and make sure that everything is going along just tickety-boo. I’d tell you more but I had to re-read the obligatory exposition scene so many times that I just kind of zoned out trying to make sense of it all. When I came to again I had apparently broken my keyboard by trying to repeatedly force my forehead through it.
Hellblazer #245
I have some fairly significant holes in my Hellblazer collection. Which means that, while I understand the broad strokes of what happened in John Constantine’s past, I’m sometimes a little short on the specifics. This issue follows “Behind the Music” as they explore Constantine’s old stomping grounds from his time fronting the punk band Muscous Membrane. The whole thing comes across like a stereotypical horror movie. The TV crew engages in sex, drugs and rock and roll and one by one, like so many Star Trek red shirts, their minds begin to fall prey to the machinations of some unseen monster. It’s an interesting enough idea but unfortunately the execution is a little below the standards I’ve come to expect from this title.
The Brave and the Bold #14
Deadman and Green Arrow team up to take on some disembodied-skeleton terrorist types hell bent on world domination. Mark Waid and Scott Kolins turn in a respectable effort at what feels like a filler-plus story. I find that the greatest strength of team-up titles are also their biggest weakness. It’s all about finding a convenient excuse to slap two disparate characters together in an adventure that is guaranteed to have no effect on either’s current status quo. On that note, what’s up with Deadman these days? I think he’s a vastly underused character that would fit in particularly well on a team like JLA or JSA who may be looking for a hero with some sort of affinity for magic and the underworld.
Justice League of America #22
Vixen? Full frontal chest shot.
Black Canary, Chairwoman of the JLA? Ass shot.
Reading comic books shouldn’t make me feel like I’m trying to peak at the centerfold of a nudie mag. I don’t even know how Wonder Woman’s body can contort like that on the cover anyway, showing both her chest and her butt.
That’s it for this post. Now go forth, read comics and lets all agree to meet up here at the same time next week.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews
That’s right true believers, if I can’t review an issue of my weekly crack habit in exactly six sentences I’ll not only refund you all your money back, I’ll double it!
Action Comics #866
Hey, it’s the return of Brianiac: Version 833 squared to the fourth decimal place! Or at least that’s what Geoff Johns wants us to believe. Honestly, who knows anymore? Brainiac, to me, is one character who’s been changed so often that it’s impossible to have a definitive version of him anymore. Every time they settle on an interpretation I enjoy another writer comes along and revamps him. Gary Frank, you do gooooooooood penciling, a nice blend of pre-COIE Braniac influences with a modern touch.
Booster Gold #10
What the, Mr. Mind is back, again?! Reusing his own plot device from the somewhat successful weekly series, 52, Geoff Johns reveals that the evil genius responsible for forming the Time Stealers is a demented caterpillar. Either Johns is co-opting Mr. M as a Booster Gold villain or he's running a little low on ideas. But if ain’t broke don’t fix it. The next to last issue of Johns run on BG wherein our titular hero tries to fix time, rescue his pal Blue Beetle II and become a real superhero. I approve.
Trinity #2
You know what? I’m digging this series. I’ve always had a deep admiration for Mark Bagley’s art and Kurt Busiek is no slouch at writing a decent spandex slugfest. It’s nice to see Bags penciling something other than Spider-man for a change. My biggest beef so far is that for a title showcasing DC’s big three the cover art work, and series logo, falls a little flat. How about rotating in some high caliber cover artists to keep things fresh and coming up with a logo that does this series justice?
Invincible #50
I’m a late convert to this series. So I’m sure anything I’d have to add to an analysis of it has already been said elsewhere. But what the hell, it’s my g.d. blog. Reading this book feels like what it must have been like to read Spider-man in it’s early days. It’s always fun, fresh and absolutely free of the grim and gritty superheroes that seem to be populating my comic books. With Invincible’s upcoming costume change it almost reads like this series is a self-referential, tongue-in-cheek take on the traditional story arcs of decades old superheroes.
That’s round one in the bag. I’m hoping the six sentence review structure will force me to be concise and timely in my reviews. But then again, I hope that working out keeps me slim and in shape, instead of just giving me excuses to crummy foods. So, y’know, my standards are all over the place.
Action Comics #866
Hey, it’s the return of Brianiac: Version 833 squared to the fourth decimal place! Or at least that’s what Geoff Johns wants us to believe. Honestly, who knows anymore? Brainiac, to me, is one character who’s been changed so often that it’s impossible to have a definitive version of him anymore. Every time they settle on an interpretation I enjoy another writer comes along and revamps him. Gary Frank, you do gooooooooood penciling, a nice blend of pre-COIE Braniac influences with a modern touch.
Booster Gold #10
What the, Mr. Mind is back, again?! Reusing his own plot device from the somewhat successful weekly series, 52, Geoff Johns reveals that the evil genius responsible for forming the Time Stealers is a demented caterpillar. Either Johns is co-opting Mr. M as a Booster Gold villain or he's running a little low on ideas. But if ain’t broke don’t fix it. The next to last issue of Johns run on BG wherein our titular hero tries to fix time, rescue his pal Blue Beetle II and become a real superhero. I approve.
Trinity #2
You know what? I’m digging this series. I’ve always had a deep admiration for Mark Bagley’s art and Kurt Busiek is no slouch at writing a decent spandex slugfest. It’s nice to see Bags penciling something other than Spider-man for a change. My biggest beef so far is that for a title showcasing DC’s big three the cover art work, and series logo, falls a little flat. How about rotating in some high caliber cover artists to keep things fresh and coming up with a logo that does this series justice?
Invincible #50
I’m a late convert to this series. So I’m sure anything I’d have to add to an analysis of it has already been said elsewhere. But what the hell, it’s my g.d. blog. Reading this book feels like what it must have been like to read Spider-man in it’s early days. It’s always fun, fresh and absolutely free of the grim and gritty superheroes that seem to be populating my comic books. With Invincible’s upcoming costume change it almost reads like this series is a self-referential, tongue-in-cheek take on the traditional story arcs of decades old superheroes.
That’s round one in the bag. I’m hoping the six sentence review structure will force me to be concise and timely in my reviews. But then again, I hope that working out keeps me slim and in shape, instead of just giving me excuses to crummy foods. So, y’know, my standards are all over the place.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
NCD #8: When will Final Crisis get here?
Booster Gold #9
Geoff Johns continues to do what he does best, mine DC’s past for continuity errors to smooth over. This week’s victim of nostalgia is the Justice League International. In Booster Gold #9 Johns makes an attempt to explain away how Maxwell Lord showed up in the pages of Countdown to Infinite Crisis with a flesh body instead of the cyborg chassis we last saw him sporting.
It wasn’t a great explanation, apparently he’s one massive skin graft, but it’s more than anybody else could be bothered to do. John’s time on this title is coming to a close so at this point he’s really not really advancing the plot much, just tying up loose ends. (I suspect the next issue won’t extend much beyond a generic fight scene and a long villain exposition about why they’re doing this)
But the biggest question I have about this issue is; Does Batman wear his entire costume under every disguise, bat ears and all?
Green Lantern Corps #24
Patrick Gleason, you’ve done it again, Oh and kuds to everyone else who helped out with this issue. I’m glad to see that the Green Lanterns have officially swiped Mongul from Superman for their own Rogue’s Gallery. It just makes sense to have an intergalactic dictator match up against the space cops, as opposed to the guy who could be almost anywhere in the blink of an eyelash but rarely leaves downtown Metropolis.
In this issue writer Peter Tomasi tries a different take on the Black Mercy by making it show victims their greatest fear rather than deepest desire. Considering Mongul is now the leader of the Sinestro Corps it’s a neat little twist that pays homage to Mongul the first’s most recognizable story while acknowledging his son’s new role in the GL mythos.
I approve.
Batman #676
This is the first part of Batman R.I.P. which promises to change everything in Batman’s life…again. Here we’re introduced to the Black Glove group who may, or may not, know Batman’s secret identity. Tony Daniels art and layout is much more palatable this time out than it was in the previous issue. Unfortunately readers are still getting stuck with serviceable art when they should be getting someone a little more A-list. I understand if Kubert is off that list for perpetually blowing deadlines but surely there is someone a step up from Daniels.
I’m a little bitter because I was hoping for something really visually different for the new batmobile and what I got was a generic re-tread of the first bat-car, only with red headlights. I wonder if Batman’s throwaway line about the car ‘not being what he expected’ is part of the story or Morrison’s opinion on the limitations of the artist he’s been saddled with.
Green Arrow \ Black Canary #8
I read this title because I like the character of Green Arrow.
I’m clearly not reading it because I enjoy the writing or the art.
I hate myself.
Walking Dead #49
However, I am reading this title because I enjoy both the art and the writing. Robert Kirkman has significantly pared down the group of survivors who were previously residing at ye olde prison complex. And despite the perception the reader is left with after the bloodbath of the last issue, the original group of survivors isn’t quite as decimated as they seem, especially when you take into account those who left in the RV with Dale and Andrea.
In this issue, with the exception of a brief cameo by Michonne, we follow Rick and Carl as they attempt to find food and shelter after escaping from the Governor’s deathsquad. It’s a nice simple break from the all out action this title usually provides. It feels like everyone, writer and readers alike, are taking a nice deep breath before plunging into the next chapter of a post-apocalyptic zombie world.
I can’t wait.
Geoff Johns continues to do what he does best, mine DC’s past for continuity errors to smooth over. This week’s victim of nostalgia is the Justice League International. In Booster Gold #9 Johns makes an attempt to explain away how Maxwell Lord showed up in the pages of Countdown to Infinite Crisis with a flesh body instead of the cyborg chassis we last saw him sporting.
It wasn’t a great explanation, apparently he’s one massive skin graft, but it’s more than anybody else could be bothered to do. John’s time on this title is coming to a close so at this point he’s really not really advancing the plot much, just tying up loose ends. (I suspect the next issue won’t extend much beyond a generic fight scene and a long villain exposition about why they’re doing this)
But the biggest question I have about this issue is; Does Batman wear his entire costume under every disguise, bat ears and all?
Green Lantern Corps #24
Patrick Gleason, you’ve done it again, Oh and kuds to everyone else who helped out with this issue. I’m glad to see that the Green Lanterns have officially swiped Mongul from Superman for their own Rogue’s Gallery. It just makes sense to have an intergalactic dictator match up against the space cops, as opposed to the guy who could be almost anywhere in the blink of an eyelash but rarely leaves downtown Metropolis.
In this issue writer Peter Tomasi tries a different take on the Black Mercy by making it show victims their greatest fear rather than deepest desire. Considering Mongul is now the leader of the Sinestro Corps it’s a neat little twist that pays homage to Mongul the first’s most recognizable story while acknowledging his son’s new role in the GL mythos.
I approve.
Batman #676
This is the first part of Batman R.I.P. which promises to change everything in Batman’s life…again. Here we’re introduced to the Black Glove group who may, or may not, know Batman’s secret identity. Tony Daniels art and layout is much more palatable this time out than it was in the previous issue. Unfortunately readers are still getting stuck with serviceable art when they should be getting someone a little more A-list. I understand if Kubert is off that list for perpetually blowing deadlines but surely there is someone a step up from Daniels.
I’m a little bitter because I was hoping for something really visually different for the new batmobile and what I got was a generic re-tread of the first bat-car, only with red headlights. I wonder if Batman’s throwaway line about the car ‘not being what he expected’ is part of the story or Morrison’s opinion on the limitations of the artist he’s been saddled with.
Green Arrow \ Black Canary #8
I read this title because I like the character of Green Arrow.
I’m clearly not reading it because I enjoy the writing or the art.
I hate myself.
Walking Dead #49
However, I am reading this title because I enjoy both the art and the writing. Robert Kirkman has significantly pared down the group of survivors who were previously residing at ye olde prison complex. And despite the perception the reader is left with after the bloodbath of the last issue, the original group of survivors isn’t quite as decimated as they seem, especially when you take into account those who left in the RV with Dale and Andrea.
In this issue, with the exception of a brief cameo by Michonne, we follow Rick and Carl as they attempt to find food and shelter after escaping from the Governor’s deathsquad. It’s a nice simple break from the all out action this title usually provides. It feels like everyone, writer and readers alike, are taking a nice deep breath before plunging into the next chapter of a post-apocalyptic zombie world.
I can’t wait.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
NCD #5: Wind ups and winding down...
DC Universe 0
Action Comics #864
Green Lantern #30
Ultimate Human #4
Ultimate X-Men #93
Black Summer #6
DC Universe 0
So, the big news with this issue is that Barry Allen is back.
Maybe.
(Probably)
Granted, it could be some other Flash, Bart perhaps, as we never actually see the character narrating throughout the story. But from everything I’ve seen and heard around the comic blogosphere I reasonably sure Captain Crew is back.
Unfortunately, the character of Barry Allen has more emotional significance by remaining dead than he ever will running around busting up bank robberies and foiling crime. His death represented something truly unique in this business known for shock killings and rebirths in order to drive up sales, permanence. His legacy provides the foundation for the current Flash mythos, the importance of sacrifice in the pursuit of what is right.
Flashes retain heroic value by passing along the responsibility of the name after their leg of the race has been run. So much of Wally’s career is built around living up to his uncle’s name. To bring Barry back is to deprive Wally’s character of his purpose and relevance.
Twenty some odd years on I find it difficult to believe that fans are still clamouring for Barry’s return. We’ve already got a super speedster tearing around in red pajamas. His name is Wally West and he’s doing just fine thank you.
Nothing much else of note in this thing. It reads like an episode recap.
“Previously on the DCU…”
One things that does raise my pulse a littlebit is the appearance of Fernus, last seen, by me, at the end of Joe Kelly's JLA run. I could be way off here as nothing actually identifies the flaming Martian-headed pointy toothed character as actually being Fernus, but the resemblance is definetly there. Seeing as how it's widely rumoured that J'onn is going to bite it during Final Crisis and Fernus was created directly from his DNA I have to think that it makes sense that he's going to reappear in this story.
Green Lantern #30
Interesting enough read, but I wish the story was focused more on Abin Sur than Hal Jordan, as Sur’s story is where all the interesting stuff happens. The “Blackest Night” setup is a story worth telling, rather than redredging the origins of Hal’s superhero career.
The story is perfectly readable, Johns has never had any problems turning in a serviceable GL script. And Ivan Reis’s art is more than passable. I just find it hard to see why I should care about something that Johns has already covered in this same title and I saw again in the New Frontiers movie about a month ago.
Note: I really liked the explanation of why Abin Sur needed a spaceship to come to Earth, he was worried about his ring failing him, as he normally would have just whipped up a standard lantern bubble to travel. Not once in all the years I’ve been reading comics have I have twigged to the inherent contradiction of a GL needing a space ship. Which goes to show you how…slow…I am.
Black Summer #6
This is the only comic I bought this week that wasn’t winding down from something or setting the groundwork for its next ‘real’ story.
Warren Ellis take on the ultra-gory citizen\solider superheroes is about as fun a read as you’re ever going to get. It gives you the bare minimum of expository plot before cutting away to a blood soaked battle scene. (When he feels like a change Ellis merely open with the fight and tacks the exposition on the end.) In this issue we have an interesting two page splash where pencilier Juan Jose Ryp has spent and awful lot of time inserting children’s cartoon characters into the firefight.
I was curious as to why Bam-Bam would be a part of such a high octane fight scene until I stared at the page a little longer and other characters started to stand out from the rubble.
Ellis and Ryp seem to have spent a fair amount of time trying to deliver a realistic take a on a superhero smack down, a la Alan Moore and Miracleman. Body parts get ripped off, (most) characters who are shot go down and never get back up and very few characters are safe from being written off by virtue of their importance to the title. This isn’t a sanitized showdown in the streets of Metropolis, but a bloody battlefield fracas that takes no prisoners.
Action Comics #864
Green Lantern #30
Ultimate Human #4
Ultimate X-Men #93
Black Summer #6
DC Universe 0
So, the big news with this issue is that Barry Allen is back.
Maybe.
(Probably)
Granted, it could be some other Flash, Bart perhaps, as we never actually see the character narrating throughout the story. But from everything I’ve seen and heard around the comic blogosphere I reasonably sure Captain Crew is back.
Unfortunately, the character of Barry Allen has more emotional significance by remaining dead than he ever will running around busting up bank robberies and foiling crime. His death represented something truly unique in this business known for shock killings and rebirths in order to drive up sales, permanence. His legacy provides the foundation for the current Flash mythos, the importance of sacrifice in the pursuit of what is right.
Flashes retain heroic value by passing along the responsibility of the name after their leg of the race has been run. So much of Wally’s career is built around living up to his uncle’s name. To bring Barry back is to deprive Wally’s character of his purpose and relevance.
Twenty some odd years on I find it difficult to believe that fans are still clamouring for Barry’s return. We’ve already got a super speedster tearing around in red pajamas. His name is Wally West and he’s doing just fine thank you.
Nothing much else of note in this thing. It reads like an episode recap.
“Previously on the DCU…”
One things that does raise my pulse a littlebit is the appearance of Fernus, last seen, by me, at the end of Joe Kelly's JLA run. I could be way off here as nothing actually identifies the flaming Martian-headed pointy toothed character as actually being Fernus, but the resemblance is definetly there. Seeing as how it's widely rumoured that J'onn is going to bite it during Final Crisis and Fernus was created directly from his DNA I have to think that it makes sense that he's going to reappear in this story.
Green Lantern #30
Interesting enough read, but I wish the story was focused more on Abin Sur than Hal Jordan, as Sur’s story is where all the interesting stuff happens. The “Blackest Night” setup is a story worth telling, rather than redredging the origins of Hal’s superhero career.
The story is perfectly readable, Johns has never had any problems turning in a serviceable GL script. And Ivan Reis’s art is more than passable. I just find it hard to see why I should care about something that Johns has already covered in this same title and I saw again in the New Frontiers movie about a month ago.
Note: I really liked the explanation of why Abin Sur needed a spaceship to come to Earth, he was worried about his ring failing him, as he normally would have just whipped up a standard lantern bubble to travel. Not once in all the years I’ve been reading comics have I have twigged to the inherent contradiction of a GL needing a space ship. Which goes to show you how…slow…I am.
Black Summer #6
This is the only comic I bought this week that wasn’t winding down from something or setting the groundwork for its next ‘real’ story.
Warren Ellis take on the ultra-gory citizen\solider superheroes is about as fun a read as you’re ever going to get. It gives you the bare minimum of expository plot before cutting away to a blood soaked battle scene. (When he feels like a change Ellis merely open with the fight and tacks the exposition on the end.) In this issue we have an interesting two page splash where pencilier Juan Jose Ryp has spent and awful lot of time inserting children’s cartoon characters into the firefight.
I was curious as to why Bam-Bam would be a part of such a high octane fight scene until I stared at the page a little longer and other characters started to stand out from the rubble.
Ellis and Ryp seem to have spent a fair amount of time trying to deliver a realistic take a on a superhero smack down, a la Alan Moore and Miracleman. Body parts get ripped off, (most) characters who are shot go down and never get back up and very few characters are safe from being written off by virtue of their importance to the title. This isn’t a sanitized showdown in the streets of Metropolis, but a bloody battlefield fracas that takes no prisoners.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
NCD #4: Where I talk about stuff I bough this week, again
Batman #675
Oh Grant Morrison, even your run-of-the-mill stories are anything but. You’re one of the three or four writers that my gf actually recognizes because a) I have so much of your stuff lying around the house and b) I get a little weak in the brain every time something you write comes out. Final Crisis just might kill me.
Anyway, Batman. A fairly straightforward story here. Bruce Wayne is having dinner with Vicki Va…Jezebel Jet who is in the process of breaking up him because she doesn’t feel that he opens up to her enough. During dinner bad guys come in and kidnap her and Bruce is forced to take them down without his batsuit. We’ve all heard this plot before right? Bruce Wayne forced to fight crime in street clothes because he can’t change into his tights in time. This motif is a fairly regular staple in Bat-comics.
Only this time supermodel, politician and international activist Jezebel Jet sees through the thousand dollar suit to the crimefighter beneath and pegs him as Bats. It feels like Morrison is using this issue as a lead-in to Batman R.I.P. It’s good for what it is, but it doesn’t show us anything we haven’t seen before.
The art was a little weak. Repeated readings of the dinner scene didn’t make it any clearer as to who some characters were supposed to be, where they came from and what side they were fighting on.
I was also a little mystified by the appearance of Merlyn, alongside Talia and Damian, in the B story. I know Merlyn as primarily a Green Arrow villain, although I hear he spent some time with the League of Assassins. With some of the dialogue being kicked around I couldn’t be sure if Merlyn was aware of Bruce’s double life or not. Given some of his history in the DCU I’m not sure that this makes sense. Merlyn strikes me as the type of character that if he knew about Bruce’s alter-ego he’d either try to profit from it or start spreading it around the underworld.
Am I the only one who thinks this?
Death of the New Gods #8
A fitting, if albeit temporary, end to the New Gods saga. I was surprised at how melancholy I was after finishing this issue. It felt to me that I wasn’t saying goodbye to the New Gods, rather I was saying goodbye to Jack Kirby himself. With this title almost all of Kirby’s ongoing DC characters have been taken off the board. I know that with FC the role of the New Gods will be substantially revamped but I’m not sure what that ‘Fifth World’ will look like yet.
This issue hits the stands a week after Countdown #2 and answers some of the questions that issue left us with, such as how Orion came back from the dead and why Superman was content to let him stagger off, alone and dying, after killing his father (because he was already dead apparently) Unfortunately it also highlighted some fairly notable discrepancies as well, like where did Dark Side’s Celestial power go to, why can Orion speak now and a host of others mysteries.
However, overall this series has been pretty consistent throughout. I’m not a huge fan of Starlin’s art or his writing, but there was nothing overly offensive about either that was going to drive me away from this book. It’s a little unfortunate that so many characters had off-screen or unseen deaths. In a perfect world we’d have seen more of their personal stories before they were shuffled off into parts unknown. But DNG touched on enough of the really prolific characters to make reading the story worthwhile.
Next stop, Final Crisis.
Justice League of America #20
Hey, who’s that? It’s the Queen Bee. Last seen, by me anyway, in the now defunct title, JLA, durign it’s World War III arc. Apparently she’s no longer slurring her words by adding z’s onto everything but is still trying her level best to take over the world.
This is one of the steadier League stories in a long time. I’m one of the rare few who don’t foam at the mouth when you bring up Meltzer’s run on this title. I freely admit some of his decisions on the title were downright crap. But I think Meltzer gets a bad rap for being, well, Meltzer. It almost feels like there’s a prejudice against him because he doesn’t believe writing comic books is the holy grail of his career. I notice the same scorn whenever someone talks about a television writer trying to cross mediums as well.
Anyway, this story is a done-in-one, team-up style tale where the Flash and Wonder Woman join forces to kick ass and take names. Wally lays some science on us as he’s putting out fires and Wonder Woman tries to talk him into making the League more of a priority. And somewhere in there they find the time to foil the Queen Bee’s plans.
I enjoy how McDuffie writes Wonder Woman. I find that he was able to make her sound like the warrior diplomat that she’s supposed to be. Van Sciver’s art was highly enjoyable, much more engaging than I usually find it. I guess he just needed a break from drawing the entire rogue’s gallery of the Green Lantern Corp.
Checkmate #25
So long Greg Rucka. And with your departure I’m officially dropping this title. I first started reading this book a year ago on a lark because I had a light week in comics and was looking for something else to read. I was hooked on the series pretty quickly. Enough so that I even trolled through some back issue bins to see what I’d missed.
Rucka’s final issue reveals the identity of the rooks, Checkmate’s heavy hitters in emergency scenarios. In order to function as a team, the rooks inject alien DNA from Starro the Conqueror in order to maintain a telepathic link and improve their efficiency.
What I like about this series is that it’s part of DC continuity yet outside it as well. This is a comic where soldiers do all the things traditional spandex heroes aren’t supposed to do. They kill, shoot guns and hurt people badly. Yet Rucka never shied away from bringing in name heroes on occasion and doing so in a way that was seamless, suited the story and didn’t seem like a callous sop to boost sales. That’s never an easy thing to do.
Rucka is in his element with this title. He’s always paid meticulous attention to detail, working hard to bring us the flavour and terminology of a world wide para-military counter-intelligence unit. Nowhere was this more evident than in this issue. I really enjoyed the little dialogue bubbles that he created to show how the rooks were in constant three-way communication with each other. It was a neat little extra that showed a willingness to think outside the box a little.
From some of his recent statements it sounds like Rucka is not all that happy with life at DC. He recently let his exclusive contract with the company expire without resigning. Best of luck on your future projects Greg, I look forward to reading them.
Oh Grant Morrison, even your run-of-the-mill stories are anything but. You’re one of the three or four writers that my gf actually recognizes because a) I have so much of your stuff lying around the house and b) I get a little weak in the brain every time something you write comes out. Final Crisis just might kill me.
Anyway, Batman. A fairly straightforward story here. Bruce Wayne is having dinner with Vicki Va…Jezebel Jet who is in the process of breaking up him because she doesn’t feel that he opens up to her enough. During dinner bad guys come in and kidnap her and Bruce is forced to take them down without his batsuit. We’ve all heard this plot before right? Bruce Wayne forced to fight crime in street clothes because he can’t change into his tights in time. This motif is a fairly regular staple in Bat-comics.
Only this time supermodel, politician and international activist Jezebel Jet sees through the thousand dollar suit to the crimefighter beneath and pegs him as Bats. It feels like Morrison is using this issue as a lead-in to Batman R.I.P. It’s good for what it is, but it doesn’t show us anything we haven’t seen before.
The art was a little weak. Repeated readings of the dinner scene didn’t make it any clearer as to who some characters were supposed to be, where they came from and what side they were fighting on.
I was also a little mystified by the appearance of Merlyn, alongside Talia and Damian, in the B story. I know Merlyn as primarily a Green Arrow villain, although I hear he spent some time with the League of Assassins. With some of the dialogue being kicked around I couldn’t be sure if Merlyn was aware of Bruce’s double life or not. Given some of his history in the DCU I’m not sure that this makes sense. Merlyn strikes me as the type of character that if he knew about Bruce’s alter-ego he’d either try to profit from it or start spreading it around the underworld.
Am I the only one who thinks this?
Death of the New Gods #8
A fitting, if albeit temporary, end to the New Gods saga. I was surprised at how melancholy I was after finishing this issue. It felt to me that I wasn’t saying goodbye to the New Gods, rather I was saying goodbye to Jack Kirby himself. With this title almost all of Kirby’s ongoing DC characters have been taken off the board. I know that with FC the role of the New Gods will be substantially revamped but I’m not sure what that ‘Fifth World’ will look like yet.
This issue hits the stands a week after Countdown #2 and answers some of the questions that issue left us with, such as how Orion came back from the dead and why Superman was content to let him stagger off, alone and dying, after killing his father (because he was already dead apparently) Unfortunately it also highlighted some fairly notable discrepancies as well, like where did Dark Side’s Celestial power go to, why can Orion speak now and a host of others mysteries.
However, overall this series has been pretty consistent throughout. I’m not a huge fan of Starlin’s art or his writing, but there was nothing overly offensive about either that was going to drive me away from this book. It’s a little unfortunate that so many characters had off-screen or unseen deaths. In a perfect world we’d have seen more of their personal stories before they were shuffled off into parts unknown. But DNG touched on enough of the really prolific characters to make reading the story worthwhile.
Next stop, Final Crisis.
Justice League of America #20
Hey, who’s that? It’s the Queen Bee. Last seen, by me anyway, in the now defunct title, JLA, durign it’s World War III arc. Apparently she’s no longer slurring her words by adding z’s onto everything but is still trying her level best to take over the world.
This is one of the steadier League stories in a long time. I’m one of the rare few who don’t foam at the mouth when you bring up Meltzer’s run on this title. I freely admit some of his decisions on the title were downright crap. But I think Meltzer gets a bad rap for being, well, Meltzer. It almost feels like there’s a prejudice against him because he doesn’t believe writing comic books is the holy grail of his career. I notice the same scorn whenever someone talks about a television writer trying to cross mediums as well.
Anyway, this story is a done-in-one, team-up style tale where the Flash and Wonder Woman join forces to kick ass and take names. Wally lays some science on us as he’s putting out fires and Wonder Woman tries to talk him into making the League more of a priority. And somewhere in there they find the time to foil the Queen Bee’s plans.
I enjoy how McDuffie writes Wonder Woman. I find that he was able to make her sound like the warrior diplomat that she’s supposed to be. Van Sciver’s art was highly enjoyable, much more engaging than I usually find it. I guess he just needed a break from drawing the entire rogue’s gallery of the Green Lantern Corp.
Checkmate #25
So long Greg Rucka. And with your departure I’m officially dropping this title. I first started reading this book a year ago on a lark because I had a light week in comics and was looking for something else to read. I was hooked on the series pretty quickly. Enough so that I even trolled through some back issue bins to see what I’d missed.
Rucka’s final issue reveals the identity of the rooks, Checkmate’s heavy hitters in emergency scenarios. In order to function as a team, the rooks inject alien DNA from Starro the Conqueror in order to maintain a telepathic link and improve their efficiency.
What I like about this series is that it’s part of DC continuity yet outside it as well. This is a comic where soldiers do all the things traditional spandex heroes aren’t supposed to do. They kill, shoot guns and hurt people badly. Yet Rucka never shied away from bringing in name heroes on occasion and doing so in a way that was seamless, suited the story and didn’t seem like a callous sop to boost sales. That’s never an easy thing to do.
Rucka is in his element with this title. He’s always paid meticulous attention to detail, working hard to bring us the flavour and terminology of a world wide para-military counter-intelligence unit. Nowhere was this more evident than in this issue. I really enjoyed the little dialogue bubbles that he created to show how the rooks were in constant three-way communication with each other. It was a neat little extra that showed a willingness to think outside the box a little.
From some of his recent statements it sounds like Rucka is not all that happy with life at DC. He recently let his exclusive contract with the company expire without resigning. Best of luck on your future projects Greg, I look forward to reading them.
Friday, April 18, 2008
NCD #3: Better late than never
I missed my weekly ritual this week because of a work thing. As a result my reviews are a day late and thus woefully dated.
Countdown #2
In lieu of a review I've decided to substitute my words with the sound of me repeatedly smashing my head against my desk.
I figure that this course of action is still less likely to kill brain cells than actually reading this comic. But it's my own fault really, I haven't enjoyed a single issue of this comic and yet I continue to buy it. I'm my own worst enemy. However I take solace in the fact that Final Crisis is mere weeks away and that Grant Morrison will soon soothe my troubled soul.
The art on this issue is a little better than some of the stuff I've been subjected to on this title in recent weeks. But that still doesn't make up for the atrocious plotting, poor characterizations and weak writing that has plagued this series. If you haven't caught the scuttle butt on the internet already this issue was meant to tie together some loose ends that Jack Kirby left dangling a quarter of a century ago and open the door for Morrison's Fifth World, a concept he introduced in his final issues of JLA.
The Brave and the Bold #12
On the flip side of the quality scale B and B wrapped up it's inaugural plot arc. There's not much to add here. Waid, Perez and Ordway have done a fantastic job in shepherding this story, with a multitude of heroes from several different eras of the DCU, into a single mostly coherent storyline.
It's a fun comic that absolutely reeked of nostalgia and I'll be sorry to see the current creative team part ways and move on to new pastures.
Superman #673
Speaking of parting ways, this issue marks the end of Busiek's run on Superman. Busiek is on to bigger and better things, a year long stint at Trinity with Mark Bagley being one of them. I've read a lot of good Superman stories, a lot of blah Superman stories and some pretty terrible Superman stories. I'm glad to say that Busiek falls firmly into that first category.
His Camelot Falls plotline almost felt like retro Superman storytelling. It was a nice decompressed story that deftly managed to weave multiple plotlines into one coherent overarching story.
Plot synopsis, Superman takes on Paragon and a trio of Daxamite priests. There's some pre-requisite fighting and the standard Superman solution of managing to take on the baddies without having to dirty his hands. In this story he lets Paragon do all the dirty work, and the majority of the heavy lifting, only really doing anything constructive at the end of the story.
Speaking of Camelot Falls we see the last dregs of that plotline wrap up here with the creation of Alexandria II, a super-library of sorts containing all of Earth's scientific knowledge so that even if the planet is thrown into chaos the knowledge of mankind will never be lost.
Good luck Kurt, I look forward to see what you have to offer with Trinity.
Flash #239
This Flash story kind of felt like an old school Mark Waid tale.
Countdown #2
In lieu of a review I've decided to substitute my words with the sound of me repeatedly smashing my head against my desk.
I figure that this course of action is still less likely to kill brain cells than actually reading this comic. But it's my own fault really, I haven't enjoyed a single issue of this comic and yet I continue to buy it. I'm my own worst enemy. However I take solace in the fact that Final Crisis is mere weeks away and that Grant Morrison will soon soothe my troubled soul.
The art on this issue is a little better than some of the stuff I've been subjected to on this title in recent weeks. But that still doesn't make up for the atrocious plotting, poor characterizations and weak writing that has plagued this series. If you haven't caught the scuttle butt on the internet already this issue was meant to tie together some loose ends that Jack Kirby left dangling a quarter of a century ago and open the door for Morrison's Fifth World, a concept he introduced in his final issues of JLA.
The Brave and the Bold #12
On the flip side of the quality scale B and B wrapped up it's inaugural plot arc. There's not much to add here. Waid, Perez and Ordway have done a fantastic job in shepherding this story, with a multitude of heroes from several different eras of the DCU, into a single mostly coherent storyline.
It's a fun comic that absolutely reeked of nostalgia and I'll be sorry to see the current creative team part ways and move on to new pastures.
Superman #673
Speaking of parting ways, this issue marks the end of Busiek's run on Superman. Busiek is on to bigger and better things, a year long stint at Trinity with Mark Bagley being one of them. I've read a lot of good Superman stories, a lot of blah Superman stories and some pretty terrible Superman stories. I'm glad to say that Busiek falls firmly into that first category.
His Camelot Falls plotline almost felt like retro Superman storytelling. It was a nice decompressed story that deftly managed to weave multiple plotlines into one coherent overarching story.
Plot synopsis, Superman takes on Paragon and a trio of Daxamite priests. There's some pre-requisite fighting and the standard Superman solution of managing to take on the baddies without having to dirty his hands. In this story he lets Paragon do all the dirty work, and the majority of the heavy lifting, only really doing anything constructive at the end of the story.
Speaking of Camelot Falls we see the last dregs of that plotline wrap up here with the creation of Alexandria II, a super-library of sorts containing all of Earth's scientific knowledge so that even if the planet is thrown into chaos the knowledge of mankind will never be lost.
Good luck Kurt, I look forward to see what you have to offer with Trinity.
Flash #239
This Flash story kind of felt like an old school Mark Waid tale.
The Flash is dealing with fallout from the bad vibes being pumped out by Spin, a new villain on the scene in Keystone. One of the perennial Flash III tales is that poor Wally West never has any money. Unlike Flash II, he's never really had a secret identity that required him to be duly employed, thus he's never really had a credible excuse for where he gets his money from.
Geoff Johns tried to address this by giving Wally back his secret identity and giving him a job (mechanic). But previous Flash writers have let the Flash win the lottery or start up a super-speed courier service.
Either way the "where does Flash get his money" story line is a bit hackneyed. Not as bad as "Superman gets hit with Kryptonite" or "Batman gets punchy" but it's in the ball park.
I'm fairly sure Peyer is just trying to knock out a quick story before DC gets caught up in Final Crisis mania. It's not a bad story, or even badly done. It just feels like everyone is putting in time here before we get on to the BIG things, oh say, like the return of Barry Allen.
Stay Tuned
Monday, April 14, 2008
Toronto Comic Convention
Scottie and I hit up the Toronto comicon on Sunday.
It was full of cheap comicy goodness. I think I bought somewhere in the realm of 50 - 60 comics and plugged some fairly decent holes in my collection. I STILL can't find Morrison's run on Flash or the end of Ennis' Hitman. I must have gone through just about every back issue box in the place looking for them.
Somewhere along the way though I did find a pretty sweet run of Action Comics and Hellblazer. (I know I should probably just buy every HB comic in TPB form, but I just can't bring myself to do it, I'm a comic snob at heart, I want the singles)
It's only my second Comicon but I'm already noticing a handful of repeat fans. One particularly....aggressive...fan is absolutely fascinating in his singleminded domination of every space he inhabits.
I got some Green Arrow comics signed by Mike Grell, half a dozen Invincible issues signed by Ryan Ottley and a mixed bag of stuff signed by Leonard Kirk.
I actually laid out 60 bucks to get a sketch by Leonard Kirk. I got him to draw Supergirl and Buzz from his time on Supergirl. It was absolutely amazing. I like it so much I think I'm actually going to spring to have it framed. Kirk and Peter David's Supergirl was one of the few comics I actually kept up with in University and a lot of it had to with Kirk's art. He's got nice clean lines and actually draws realistic representations of women, as opposed to stick figures with breasts that I see in so many comics.
I'd say that I'd scan it and upload the picture, but that'd just be a lie and I think we're closer than that.
It was full of cheap comicy goodness. I think I bought somewhere in the realm of 50 - 60 comics and plugged some fairly decent holes in my collection. I STILL can't find Morrison's run on Flash or the end of Ennis' Hitman. I must have gone through just about every back issue box in the place looking for them.
Somewhere along the way though I did find a pretty sweet run of Action Comics and Hellblazer. (I know I should probably just buy every HB comic in TPB form, but I just can't bring myself to do it, I'm a comic snob at heart, I want the singles)
It's only my second Comicon but I'm already noticing a handful of repeat fans. One particularly....aggressive...fan is absolutely fascinating in his singleminded domination of every space he inhabits.
I got some Green Arrow comics signed by Mike Grell, half a dozen Invincible issues signed by Ryan Ottley and a mixed bag of stuff signed by Leonard Kirk.
I actually laid out 60 bucks to get a sketch by Leonard Kirk. I got him to draw Supergirl and Buzz from his time on Supergirl. It was absolutely amazing. I like it so much I think I'm actually going to spring to have it framed. Kirk and Peter David's Supergirl was one of the few comics I actually kept up with in University and a lot of it had to with Kirk's art. He's got nice clean lines and actually draws realistic representations of women, as opposed to stick figures with breasts that I see in so many comics.
I'd say that I'd scan it and upload the picture, but that'd just be a lie and I think we're closer than that.
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Great Purge
So.
The great comic purge continues.
I gave a friend of S's about 20 or so comic books today. Apparently her kids love comics so much that at recess they write their own.
Damn.
That's a comic book fan.
If they're drawing their own comics I almost feel kinda bad that I unloaded a buncha mid 80's Marvel on them. If anything will crush the creative spirit it's Big Two corporate greed. I'm taking unbridled creativity and hemming it in with form and structure.
But these kids will probably appreciate them a lot more than anyone else. And I'd rather give them away to them, than make a couple bucks for on Ebay. They strike me as the type who'll read em to pieces about a million times, lose the covers, cut'em into pieces and remember
em forever.
So the next time I come back from Port, these kids are going to hit the jackpot.
The great comic purge continues.
I gave a friend of S's about 20 or so comic books today. Apparently her kids love comics so much that at recess they write their own.
Damn.
That's a comic book fan.
If they're drawing their own comics I almost feel kinda bad that I unloaded a buncha mid 80's Marvel on them. If anything will crush the creative spirit it's Big Two corporate greed. I'm taking unbridled creativity and hemming it in with form and structure.
But these kids will probably appreciate them a lot more than anyone else. And I'd rather give them away to them, than make a couple bucks for on Ebay. They strike me as the type who'll read em to pieces about a million times, lose the covers, cut'em into pieces and remember
em forever.
So the next time I come back from Port, these kids are going to hit the jackpot.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
NCD #1: What I dun read...
ACTION COMICS #863
The story thus far. Superman’s friends from the future, The Legion of Super-heroes, need his help in stopping a xeno-phobic 31st century Justice League. The only problem is, Earth’s sun has mysteriously turned red, meaning Superman is far less super than he normally is.
This issue wraps up the whole arc and the whole thing wasn’t too shabby. On the whole, I’m fairly clueless as to who\what the Legion are. Although with all their exposure recently in the DCU I’ve picked up enough by osmosis to follow a conversation, even if I can’t chip in intelligently.
Geoff Johns is a capable writer, so he’s able to keep things moving at a fairly decent clip, despite the burgeoning amount of heroes on the page that he needs to make time for.
Gary Franks’ art was solid and I enjoyed seeing him sneak in a DCU version of Doctor Zoidberg, a la Futurama, strappy sandals and all.
Only one thing bothered me in this issue. Johns split up the first act of the story, having the Legion attempt to ‘fix’ the sun, while Superman and Earth man duke it out in orbit. Even though it doesn’t say so explicitly it’s strongly implied that these two events are taking place simultaneously. The problem is that when they fix the sun Superman is instantly re-powered, despite the fact that it takes 8 minutes for sunlight to reach Earth.
This may not have bothered me as much if I hadn’t watched Sunshine recently and had that little fact re-inserted into my brain. It’s an easy fix, with a text box to label the Legion story has happening “Eight minutes ago” and the Superman one as taking place “Now.” I’m pretty sure I’m just quibbling over details.
On the whole, I approve.
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #4
I stopped reading this series about a month after it first started and I only picked it up again recently because I want to know how they’re setting things up for Morrison’s upcoming Final Crisis.
It says nothing good about me as a fan that I’m reading a terrible comic book only so I can understand what else is happening in an entirely fictional universe.
In all fairness the art wasn’t as bad this week, as it has been in this title’s recent history. But the writing and dialogue is just atrocious. I won’t bother with repeating any of it here, mostly because I don’t hate myself enough to read this issue again.
Suffice to say if you don’t like making your brain bleed, don’t read this comic.
THE WALKING DEAD #48
I read this and you should too.
I love this comic. I love it enough that I employ passive-aggressive techniques, and flat out begging, to get my girlfriend to read it, and she really doesn’t care for comic books.
I expend a massive amount of relationship capital every month just so I’ll have someone else to talk to about it. I love it that much.
I probably shouldn’t gush this much, it destroys my objectivity.
But an open ended zombie story that refuses to let itself get drawn into making all the safe choices, yes, I’ll have some of that please.
This month? A lot of people die. A lot. Many of them who’ve been around for a very long time.
And one death that still has me on the fence.
Yah, you know the one I’m talking about.
ANNA MERCURY #1 (new pull)
I’m almost always willing to try out a new Warren Ellis comic, considering that he’s told some of my favourite stories over the last four years.
If you subscribe to Bad Signal or visit his website at all then you’ll quickly discover that Mercury is visually just the kind of protagonist that Warren would design. Smart, smart-mouthed and wearing skin light leather.
This one is pretty much Warren doing his thing.
We jump into a story already in progress, throw in some clipped techno-babble, a graphic beatdown (or two) and give readers just enough of the bigger picture to draw them in.
So yes, I’ll be reading this.
The story thus far. Superman’s friends from the future, The Legion of Super-heroes, need his help in stopping a xeno-phobic 31st century Justice League. The only problem is, Earth’s sun has mysteriously turned red, meaning Superman is far less super than he normally is.
This issue wraps up the whole arc and the whole thing wasn’t too shabby. On the whole, I’m fairly clueless as to who\what the Legion are. Although with all their exposure recently in the DCU I’ve picked up enough by osmosis to follow a conversation, even if I can’t chip in intelligently.
Geoff Johns is a capable writer, so he’s able to keep things moving at a fairly decent clip, despite the burgeoning amount of heroes on the page that he needs to make time for.
Gary Franks’ art was solid and I enjoyed seeing him sneak in a DCU version of Doctor Zoidberg, a la Futurama, strappy sandals and all.
Only one thing bothered me in this issue. Johns split up the first act of the story, having the Legion attempt to ‘fix’ the sun, while Superman and Earth man duke it out in orbit. Even though it doesn’t say so explicitly it’s strongly implied that these two events are taking place simultaneously. The problem is that when they fix the sun Superman is instantly re-powered, despite the fact that it takes 8 minutes for sunlight to reach Earth.
This may not have bothered me as much if I hadn’t watched Sunshine recently and had that little fact re-inserted into my brain. It’s an easy fix, with a text box to label the Legion story has happening “Eight minutes ago” and the Superman one as taking place “Now.” I’m pretty sure I’m just quibbling over details.
On the whole, I approve.
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #4
I stopped reading this series about a month after it first started and I only picked it up again recently because I want to know how they’re setting things up for Morrison’s upcoming Final Crisis.
It says nothing good about me as a fan that I’m reading a terrible comic book only so I can understand what else is happening in an entirely fictional universe.
In all fairness the art wasn’t as bad this week, as it has been in this title’s recent history. But the writing and dialogue is just atrocious. I won’t bother with repeating any of it here, mostly because I don’t hate myself enough to read this issue again.
Suffice to say if you don’t like making your brain bleed, don’t read this comic.
THE WALKING DEAD #48
I read this and you should too.
I love this comic. I love it enough that I employ passive-aggressive techniques, and flat out begging, to get my girlfriend to read it, and she really doesn’t care for comic books.
I expend a massive amount of relationship capital every month just so I’ll have someone else to talk to about it. I love it that much.
I probably shouldn’t gush this much, it destroys my objectivity.
But an open ended zombie story that refuses to let itself get drawn into making all the safe choices, yes, I’ll have some of that please.
This month? A lot of people die. A lot. Many of them who’ve been around for a very long time.
And one death that still has me on the fence.
Yah, you know the one I’m talking about.
ANNA MERCURY #1 (new pull)
I’m almost always willing to try out a new Warren Ellis comic, considering that he’s told some of my favourite stories over the last four years.
If you subscribe to Bad Signal or visit his website at all then you’ll quickly discover that Mercury is visually just the kind of protagonist that Warren would design. Smart, smart-mouthed and wearing skin light leather.
This one is pretty much Warren doing his thing.
We jump into a story already in progress, throw in some clipped techno-babble, a graphic beatdown (or two) and give readers just enough of the bigger picture to draw them in.
So yes, I’ll be reading this.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
thunder, Thunder, THUNDERBOLTS! HOOOOO!!!
When Bad Signal stumbled into my inbox sometime over the weekend I was marginally disappointed to see that Ellis had decided his time on Thunderbolts had come to a close.
The only reason I picked up that title in the first place had to do with his name on the cover. His immanent departure means that I can safely drop this title with no remorse, which goes perfectly with the theme of yesterdays post.
No harm, no foul.
So I was a bit surprised to see that a couple of other blogs that I browse chose to take him to task over his decision. Apparently the recent Siegel ruling on the ownership of the Superman trademark made Warren’s whole creator ownership angle in his email particularly relevant. Some people found his tone arrogant, others questioned the viability of some of the other pro-creator rights names he dropped.
My two cents.
If Warren has the power, influence and pocketbook to be able to survive on only doing brief stints at the mainstream publishers, good on him. He’s fairly straight up when he says that working for Marvel bumped up some of his numbers on his old material. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to own the rights to your own characters in your personal sandbox and making a buck at the same time playing in the sandboxes of others, that’s his right too.
As long as there’s a market for his work and someone is willing to pay him for it, he’s free to write for whomever he wants for whatever length of time he wants to do so.
The only reason I picked up that title in the first place had to do with his name on the cover. His immanent departure means that I can safely drop this title with no remorse, which goes perfectly with the theme of yesterdays post.
No harm, no foul.
So I was a bit surprised to see that a couple of other blogs that I browse chose to take him to task over his decision. Apparently the recent Siegel ruling on the ownership of the Superman trademark made Warren’s whole creator ownership angle in his email particularly relevant. Some people found his tone arrogant, others questioned the viability of some of the other pro-creator rights names he dropped.
My two cents.
If Warren has the power, influence and pocketbook to be able to survive on only doing brief stints at the mainstream publishers, good on him. He’s fairly straight up when he says that working for Marvel bumped up some of his numbers on his old material. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to own the rights to your own characters in your personal sandbox and making a buck at the same time playing in the sandboxes of others, that’s his right too.
As long as there’s a market for his work and someone is willing to pay him for it, he’s free to write for whomever he wants for whatever length of time he wants to do so.
Monday, March 31, 2008
These are a few of my favourite things...
So.
I’m phasing comic books out of my life. Well not entirely. But I’m definitely going to be changing the way I read them. Over the last month or so I’ve been culling my collection. I’ve been putting the culled bits up on eBay and I’ve sold about a dozen lots or so. I’m sure that, after the posting fees, I’ve lost money. But I feel better actually taking a small financial hit if it means giving the comics to someone who actually appreciates them rather than recycling them or giving them to one of my friend’s kids who may, or may not, give a rats ass about comic books.
But with somewhere north of 4,500 comics in my collection there’s a lot of pruning still to do.
Of course the size of the collection is part of the problem. I’ve been reading comics since I was six, collecting since I was 10 and buying seriously over the last four or five years. My hobby has grown in leaps and bounds and its getting hard to contain it all.
So I’m getting rid of the stuff that I don’t absolutely love and trimming my purchasing habits. Which means some titles are going to be dropped all together, some will be purchased only in trade and the rest will be kept on a very short leash.
I’ve sort of set the upcoming Final Crisis event as my cutoff point. I figure this will be the last major reshuffling of the DCU for awhile and that a new status quo is a good time to make a clean break of things. (Of course it could also mean trouble if new series and projects start to make a name for themselves, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it) A lot titles are winding down their story arcs in preparation for FC and that will make the whole thing a lot easier.
So far so good.
Now if I could just curb my Silver Age back issue habit.
I’m phasing comic books out of my life. Well not entirely. But I’m definitely going to be changing the way I read them. Over the last month or so I’ve been culling my collection. I’ve been putting the culled bits up on eBay and I’ve sold about a dozen lots or so. I’m sure that, after the posting fees, I’ve lost money. But I feel better actually taking a small financial hit if it means giving the comics to someone who actually appreciates them rather than recycling them or giving them to one of my friend’s kids who may, or may not, give a rats ass about comic books.
But with somewhere north of 4,500 comics in my collection there’s a lot of pruning still to do.
Of course the size of the collection is part of the problem. I’ve been reading comics since I was six, collecting since I was 10 and buying seriously over the last four or five years. My hobby has grown in leaps and bounds and its getting hard to contain it all.
So I’m getting rid of the stuff that I don’t absolutely love and trimming my purchasing habits. Which means some titles are going to be dropped all together, some will be purchased only in trade and the rest will be kept on a very short leash.
I’ve sort of set the upcoming Final Crisis event as my cutoff point. I figure this will be the last major reshuffling of the DCU for awhile and that a new status quo is a good time to make a clean break of things. (Of course it could also mean trouble if new series and projects start to make a name for themselves, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it) A lot titles are winding down their story arcs in preparation for FC and that will make the whole thing a lot easier.
So far so good.
Now if I could just curb my Silver Age back issue habit.
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