So, Saturday was National Comic Book Geek Day, otherwise known as Free Comic Book Day, which to further clarify (because every time I bring up to my sisters, they assume you can pick up just any comic for free), is when pretty much every publisher puts out a special release that's absolutely free. It's the best comics advertising of the year, and what they provide often gives you keen insight to what they consider important.
Take DC, for instance. This year they published a special reprint edition of Suicide Squad, somewhat obviously because the next DC movie is...Suicide Squad. But more importantly, because DC's next big event is DC Rebirth...which is just around the corner, and the big reveals are waiting to be discovered in Justice League #50 and DC Rebirth Special. So this year there wasn't really much point in doing something other than what it did for the freebie. The company has brownie points to earn for its next movie, because no one actually thought Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was as cool as DC did, and Deadpool looked like it just created a revolution earlier this year, and so yeah, the somewhat tonally-similar Suicide Squad looks like a pretty good horse to back.
But enough about that. But a little more about movies! Because after visiting my local haunt, I went and saw Captain America: Civil War. It was a pretty good movie, all told. It's my favorite Avengers movie, somewhat easily, I might add. Although plot-wise it's full of holes (about as many as people tried really hard to see in Batman v Superman), it does the Marvel method better than any other in that franchise to date. So that's pretty cool.
Getting back to the comics, my local haunt put a three-book maximum, and so I had to be pretty careful. The first choice was really obvious, and so that left two. I'll walk you through my thought process:
Avatarex FCBD Special Preview (Graphic India)
This is Grant Morrison. You know Grant Morrison, right? Chances are, if you've read this blog at all, you'll catch a hint that he's one of my favorite comic book writers. So this was the gimme. Avatarex is something I first learned about last year, but it was a pretty exclusive affair in 2015, being available only through a special online bundle (I assume it was digital, but Graphic India did not go out of its way to make this easy to decipher). Once I'd read this preview, I found out what Avatarex is all about. Basically, it's Morrison's modern 18 Days, featuring Superman as depicted in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. The whole thought process is very clearly spelled out in the preview. Also included in the preview is an excerpt from 18 Days, which is a project I've wandered from recently but fully intend to read completely at some point, because it's fascinating. This is the primordial superhero epic, the Crisis in Ancient India, as it were. Morrison himself isn't writing the complete story, which is part of the reason I've found it easy to stray, but it's such powerful stuff, a vision Graphic India would really have needed to screw up. And thankfully, from everything I've read to date, the company really hasn't. Which is really good. It's also good that we're getting a writer of Morrison's caliber presenting comics from a totally different landscape than we're used to. And bringing his A-game...
Civil War II FCBD (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung present this preview of the upcoming sequel (-ish thing). In terms of what they present here, I'm glad I read, and relished, Charles Soule's Secret Wars effort, because as of this material, I have no idea what the fight will be about. This is more like random material they tossed in (which is kind of how most of Captain America: Civil War plays out, but again, I say that out of admiration, because eventually, weird logic ensues), including completely downplaying Thanos. (Somewhere along the way, I have to assume someone making the movies decided Thanos wasn't as important to the overall arc as Joss Whedon suggested, because he's been almost completely insignificant, even in Guardians of the Galaxy.) Unlike the reprint synergy DC brought to FCBD this year, Marvel's just reads cynically. Which is weird, because Bendis is literally one of the chief sources of inspiration that brought about the hugely successful movies, and his work subsequently just looks like afterthought. Even weirder, the special also slips in a random All-New, All-Different Avengers excerpt, which is Mark Waid literally riffing on last year's Ant-Man. I just don't get it. Here's Marvel doing exactly what DC usually does, and ending up looking like it wasted the whole thing. But at least it reminds everyone that Marvel's got comics, too...
Valiant 4001 A.D. FCBD Special (Valiant)
This is a company I've grown quite fond of in the last year. I haven't been reading a lot of it lately, but it made for an easy selection, because there are various previews of upcoming projects, including the titular latest crossover event and Divinity II, both from writer Matt Kindt, who is easily the company's greatest steal, if nothing else than for his Divinity. The second volume of this saga looks just as fascinating as the first, with Kindt pulling back the curtain a little and having a look at the two cosmonauts left behind last time and maybe more about what's really going on. I look forward to reading more of that.
And finally, I was also to slip into another shop later in the day. Predictably, the pickings were slim, but I came away with:
Camp Midnight FCBD Special (Image)
In the spirit of Lumberjanes (which is a huge buzz book I've sampled thanks to comiXology), Camp Midnight is a young readers adventure set in summer camp. The writer is Steven S. Seagle, whom I'd shockingly not yet made a label here, despite his rather formative accomplishments (including the seminal if sparsely-referenced It's a Bird... Superman graphic novel). He's part of the creative group behind Ben 10 and Big Hero 6. And his writing chops are in evidence here, which is an excerpt from a graphic novel. A lot of times, material aimed at younger readers tries to be too clever, so that it ore represents Adult Swim-inspired material like Archer, or the caffeine-inspired cartoons that kids have today. Seagle wisely backs off from that approach, but still maintains an edge. Glad I had a second chance to catch a look.
It's also worth talking a little about the character of FCBD as I experienced it this year, in Virginia. My last two experiences were in Maine, and waiting in line there was a little like experiencing riffraff congregating (plus some Stormtrooper cosplay). This year I had a better sense of the comic book fans who saw this as a special occasion. I got to overhear, and participate, in some of the better chatter I've heard at a comic book store. These places can sometimes be a wretched hive of scum and villainy (it's no wonder geeks largely define the dialogue of the Internet), so it was nice to experience something better for a change.
On the whole, it was a pretty good day.
Showing posts with label Civil War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civil War. Show all posts
Monday, May 9, 2016
Monday, March 7, 2016
Quarter Bin 69 "Eight Below"
As always, "Quarter Bin" is a figurative term. This is a back issues feature.
The title of this edition comes from the fact that I bought the following comics from the store Five Below (basically another dollar store), two different packs of four comics each. These are not the first comics I've gotten from Five Below, and not even the first bargain packs I've picked up in the last few months, but there's one excellent, and several good ones, reason to write about this set first (I'll get to the others later). Namely, it gave me my first look at one of Grant Morrison's Marvel projects I hadn't gotten around to yet. Without further adieu, let's dive in:
New Avengers: Illuminati (Marvel)
From September 2006.
Civil War was kind of better in a handful of one-shots specials than it was for the event itself or the comics that followed it. Here I'm mostly thinking about the ones concerning the death of Captain America (I'm sorry, "death"), but this is another of the literate stories Marvel let slip through, Brian Michael Bendis getting to write about the Marvel landscape in frank terms, setting up a cabal (that kind of went nowhere but was intended to be more significant), a meeting of the heads of the big guns before everyone started to become Avengers (even before the movies made it cool). I guess I'll never understand why Namor has been such a tough nut for Marvel to crack, I guess just too difficult to reconcile with the more juvenile instincts of the company, even though he's one of its founding creations. He's a standout here. Conspicuous by his absence? Captain America.
Daredevil #253 (Marvel)
From April 1988.
I thought this would be a Frank Miller issue (shows how much I know, I guess), but it ended up being Ann Nocenti, one of the more long-lived female comic book creators who has been involved in DC's New 52 initiative recently, writing Green Arrow and such. She writes about what you'd expect from Daredevil. It's telling, what fans were thinking, or at least what Marvel was thinking, from the letters in the back lamenting the grim turn in then recent years, which would be the Frank Miller era, which was not yet completely over. The editor suggests to readers still searching for a good Kingpin story Daredevil: Love and War, Miller's graphic novel from two years earlier. Well, anyway, what's perhaps best to talk about is the debuting artist in the issue, none other than John Romita, Jr., at least as described in the letters column (which was always months behind), actually three issues into his run at this point. Romita would go on to make quite the name for himself (probably known at the time very much as "Junior"), and a distinctive style. Which is hard to find in the work here. So I spent perhaps more time trying to find the Romita I know than to anything else. But it was still worth checking out for all three reasons.
DC Universe Presents #11 (DC)
From September 2012.
James Robinson, just starting his comeback, though everyone seemed to ignore The Shade (despite its generally excellent quality), writing a Vandal Savage arc, uniquely featuring him as something other than the villain, trying to make peace with a rebellious daughter while trying to avoid the sins of his past. As the antagonist of Legends of Tomorrow and having apparently resurfaced in the Superman titles recently, Savage is experiencing a renaissance of significance lately. He's a compelling character, and Robinson certainly helps sell him better than the norm.
Fantastic Four: 1234 #4 (Marvel)
From January 2001.
I assume Marvel did a roundabout second printing of this, because the copyright fine print says "Vol. 2" and the cover features a 9/11 memorial logo, even though the publication date still lists it as the beginning of the year...Either way, this is the first time I've read anything from this Grant Morrison's project. Morrison's Marvel work is better known for his New X-Men and Marvel Boy, but there's also this to consider. And now having read some of it firsthand, I would almost consider it his response to Marvelman/Miracleman, a dystopian twist on a traditional superhero property. Aside from a classic comic book twist that undoes it, the issue features Dr. Doom turning the team against each other, against themselves, all of that, in ways Alan Moore's opus never adequately explained, except that he just didn't understand superheroes anymore and wanted them to "grow up." This is a whole thing among fans, the relationship between Moore and Morrison, how Morrison tried to write in his own contribution to Moore's work on that property (to be printed years later by Marvel), and how they've been "rivals" ever since. It's a fairly one-sided creative conversation, though. Morrison did his version of Watchmen in Pax Americana (within the greater Multiversity construct). But few observers seem to have perceived 1234's commentary. It even makes Dr. Doom credible for the first time...ever. So that's good to read, too. Now on to Skrull Kill Krew!
Force Works (Marvel)
From January 1995.
The Image explosion caused chaos across the board, and one of the weirdest effects was forcing (heh) Marvel and DC to try and ape the style approach, which meant as much about the art as the less subtle storytelling (which eventually gave way to more subtle storytelling, so on the whole it was probably a good thing). DC created a Justice League that starred in the series Extreme Justice, Marvel created an Avengers called Force Works. I originally learned about the latter in a calendar I had as a teenager. I admit, I liked the title. So now I read an issue for the first time ever. Scarlet Witch is taken semi-seriously, in a kind of stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold kind of way. U.S.Agent is in a costume I don't recognize. There's a Mandarin story that doesn't really feature Mandarin all too well (Iron Man 3 wants its plot back!), and Tony Stark is being a shmuck. On the whole, seems about right.
Hawkeye #11 (Marvel)
From August 2013.
I think I've read this issue already. Or maybe Matt Fraction used the dog gimmick again later? Either way, this is the dog gimmick issue, which features a dog and the only words the reader gets to read are the ones in the dialogue the dog would understand. Otherwise, it's the various associations the dogs would make, conveyed via icons. I don't want to underestimate the uniqueness of the artistry, certainly in a mainstream work, that Fraction manages to bring to Hawkeye. In any other era, this would have been hailed as the second coming of Frank Miller. For whatever reason, that just never happened with this series. I don't think anything groundbreaking was achieved, except to highlight that no one really has a definitive Hawkeye story they figure is worth telling (except, you know, that he debuted as a villain?), which even the movies acknowledge, so that Fraction literally could do anything, like this dog issue. But that's still a breakthrough for a mainstream superhero comic.
Prime #3 (Malibu)
From December 1995.
I used to think that Prime was basically a Captain Marvel) (DC version) ripoff, but after this issue, I guess he's kind of more like the Spectre, a powerful entity that needs a human host to anchor it. Which obviously was otherwise poorly conveyed. In hindsight, Prime is just too comically overmuscled. I mean, was that deliberate?
Professor Xavier and the X-Men #1 (Marvel)
From November 1995.
I think I got this comic back in the '90s. I guess it doesn't particularly matter. It's a '90s version of the early X-Men years. It still baffles me that Marvel has never considered using Jean Grey more productively. Here's a character who used to be known as Marvel Girl. She's the center of one of the most famous X-Men, if not Marvel in general, stories ever in "The Dark Phoenix Saga." And even the movies had her as second lead after Wolverine. She's the lead character in this issue, too. And still...Nothing. Talk about missing a golden opportunity.
The title of this edition comes from the fact that I bought the following comics from the store Five Below (basically another dollar store), two different packs of four comics each. These are not the first comics I've gotten from Five Below, and not even the first bargain packs I've picked up in the last few months, but there's one excellent, and several good ones, reason to write about this set first (I'll get to the others later). Namely, it gave me my first look at one of Grant Morrison's Marvel projects I hadn't gotten around to yet. Without further adieu, let's dive in:
New Avengers: Illuminati (Marvel)
From September 2006.
Civil War was kind of better in a handful of one-shots specials than it was for the event itself or the comics that followed it. Here I'm mostly thinking about the ones concerning the death of Captain America (I'm sorry, "death"), but this is another of the literate stories Marvel let slip through, Brian Michael Bendis getting to write about the Marvel landscape in frank terms, setting up a cabal (that kind of went nowhere but was intended to be more significant), a meeting of the heads of the big guns before everyone started to become Avengers (even before the movies made it cool). I guess I'll never understand why Namor has been such a tough nut for Marvel to crack, I guess just too difficult to reconcile with the more juvenile instincts of the company, even though he's one of its founding creations. He's a standout here. Conspicuous by his absence? Captain America.
Daredevil #253 (Marvel)
From April 1988.
I thought this would be a Frank Miller issue (shows how much I know, I guess), but it ended up being Ann Nocenti, one of the more long-lived female comic book creators who has been involved in DC's New 52 initiative recently, writing Green Arrow and such. She writes about what you'd expect from Daredevil. It's telling, what fans were thinking, or at least what Marvel was thinking, from the letters in the back lamenting the grim turn in then recent years, which would be the Frank Miller era, which was not yet completely over. The editor suggests to readers still searching for a good Kingpin story Daredevil: Love and War, Miller's graphic novel from two years earlier. Well, anyway, what's perhaps best to talk about is the debuting artist in the issue, none other than John Romita, Jr., at least as described in the letters column (which was always months behind), actually three issues into his run at this point. Romita would go on to make quite the name for himself (probably known at the time very much as "Junior"), and a distinctive style. Which is hard to find in the work here. So I spent perhaps more time trying to find the Romita I know than to anything else. But it was still worth checking out for all three reasons.
DC Universe Presents #11 (DC)
From September 2012.
James Robinson, just starting his comeback, though everyone seemed to ignore The Shade (despite its generally excellent quality), writing a Vandal Savage arc, uniquely featuring him as something other than the villain, trying to make peace with a rebellious daughter while trying to avoid the sins of his past. As the antagonist of Legends of Tomorrow and having apparently resurfaced in the Superman titles recently, Savage is experiencing a renaissance of significance lately. He's a compelling character, and Robinson certainly helps sell him better than the norm.
Fantastic Four: 1234 #4 (Marvel)
From January 2001.
I assume Marvel did a roundabout second printing of this, because the copyright fine print says "Vol. 2" and the cover features a 9/11 memorial logo, even though the publication date still lists it as the beginning of the year...Either way, this is the first time I've read anything from this Grant Morrison's project. Morrison's Marvel work is better known for his New X-Men and Marvel Boy, but there's also this to consider. And now having read some of it firsthand, I would almost consider it his response to Marvelman/Miracleman, a dystopian twist on a traditional superhero property. Aside from a classic comic book twist that undoes it, the issue features Dr. Doom turning the team against each other, against themselves, all of that, in ways Alan Moore's opus never adequately explained, except that he just didn't understand superheroes anymore and wanted them to "grow up." This is a whole thing among fans, the relationship between Moore and Morrison, how Morrison tried to write in his own contribution to Moore's work on that property (to be printed years later by Marvel), and how they've been "rivals" ever since. It's a fairly one-sided creative conversation, though. Morrison did his version of Watchmen in Pax Americana (within the greater Multiversity construct). But few observers seem to have perceived 1234's commentary. It even makes Dr. Doom credible for the first time...ever. So that's good to read, too. Now on to Skrull Kill Krew!
Force Works (Marvel)
From January 1995.
The Image explosion caused chaos across the board, and one of the weirdest effects was forcing (heh) Marvel and DC to try and ape the style approach, which meant as much about the art as the less subtle storytelling (which eventually gave way to more subtle storytelling, so on the whole it was probably a good thing). DC created a Justice League that starred in the series Extreme Justice, Marvel created an Avengers called Force Works. I originally learned about the latter in a calendar I had as a teenager. I admit, I liked the title. So now I read an issue for the first time ever. Scarlet Witch is taken semi-seriously, in a kind of stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold kind of way. U.S.Agent is in a costume I don't recognize. There's a Mandarin story that doesn't really feature Mandarin all too well (Iron Man 3 wants its plot back!), and Tony Stark is being a shmuck. On the whole, seems about right.
Hawkeye #11 (Marvel)
From August 2013.
I think I've read this issue already. Or maybe Matt Fraction used the dog gimmick again later? Either way, this is the dog gimmick issue, which features a dog and the only words the reader gets to read are the ones in the dialogue the dog would understand. Otherwise, it's the various associations the dogs would make, conveyed via icons. I don't want to underestimate the uniqueness of the artistry, certainly in a mainstream work, that Fraction manages to bring to Hawkeye. In any other era, this would have been hailed as the second coming of Frank Miller. For whatever reason, that just never happened with this series. I don't think anything groundbreaking was achieved, except to highlight that no one really has a definitive Hawkeye story they figure is worth telling (except, you know, that he debuted as a villain?), which even the movies acknowledge, so that Fraction literally could do anything, like this dog issue. But that's still a breakthrough for a mainstream superhero comic.
Prime #3 (Malibu)
From December 1995.
I used to think that Prime was basically a Captain Marvel) (DC version) ripoff, but after this issue, I guess he's kind of more like the Spectre, a powerful entity that needs a human host to anchor it. Which obviously was otherwise poorly conveyed. In hindsight, Prime is just too comically overmuscled. I mean, was that deliberate?
Professor Xavier and the X-Men #1 (Marvel)
From November 1995.
I think I got this comic back in the '90s. I guess it doesn't particularly matter. It's a '90s version of the early X-Men years. It still baffles me that Marvel has never considered using Jean Grey more productively. Here's a character who used to be known as Marvel Girl. She's the center of one of the most famous X-Men, if not Marvel in general, stories ever in "The Dark Phoenix Saga." And even the movies had her as second lead after Wolverine. She's the lead character in this issue, too. And still...Nothing. Talk about missing a golden opportunity.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Countdown to QB50 2015: September
18 DAYS #3 (Graphic India)
In which I realize Grant Morrison will not actually be writing the series. But turns out not to drastically affect its quality.
ATOMIC ROBO AND THE RING OF FIRE #1 (IDW)
New home, same great storytelling. Very glad to see Clevinger and Wegener back in print.
BATMAN #44 (DC)
Snyder and Azzarello make for a potent combination. Out of current continuity, this flashback tale made the news thanks to its commentary on the spate of police shootings making news.
ROBIN: SON OF BATMAN #4 (DC)
If Deathstroke (with all due apologies to Tony Daniel, etc.) were as awesome in his own comic as here is here, I'd read that, too. Reminds me how awesome it was to see him in The Shade, too.
BLOODSHOT REBORN #6 (Valiant)
In which Bloodshot realizes there's a bad guy who's also attempting to absorb all the stray nanites...
CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHITE #1, 2 (Marvel)
Seven years in the making, Loeb and Sale finally return to this latest collaboration. I'm ecstatic to see this happening. Curiously, the first issue reprints the long-ago zero issue, but after the contents of the new material.
CIVIL WAR #4 (Marvel)
Black Panther turns out to be a Skrull. And suddenly the follow-up to the original Civil War, Secret Invasion, seems less random. Yet another thing this reprise gets more right than the original. Thanks, Soule. Again.
DAREDEVIL #18 (Marvel)
I assumed all along that Waid was headed to a quasi-rehash of the classic Daredevil narative, and in this finale that's exactly what he does. The comic itself is not so bad, but then Waid writes in his going-away thoughts how this run has been his most creatively-rewarding to date. How he forgotten writing Wally West? Even if the style was more deliberate, I'd hold the best of that run to anything Waid has written in a regular superhero comic since...
DIRK GENTLEY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY #4 (IDW)
I've settled in to really enjoying the random pleasures of this experience. Viva Douglas Adams! Who makes a cameo this issue!
DOCTOR WHO: FOUR DOCTORS #4, 5 (Titan)
Cornell concludes the crossover epic. Eventually gets around to explaining why the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) wasn't included.
DOOMED #4 (DC)
The only objection I have to this series, as it turns out, is the poor choice in style for the lead's narrative captions. Otherwise, more solid material from Lobdell.
E FOR EXTINCTION #4 (Marvel)
The conclusion to this Secret Wars tie-in seems to be a comics version of X-Men: The Last Stand's final encounter between Wolverine and Jean Grey. Nice save, Burnham.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #4 (DC)
I love, love, love how this series has completely embraced the full potential of being its own continuity.
FIGHT CLUB 2 #5 (Dark Horse)
Finally had a look at this. That's about all I've got to say about that.
THE FUSE #14 (Image)
I'm settling in as a regular reader.
GRAYSON #11, 12, Annual #2 (DC)
Yeah, I've finally decided to read this series more regularly. It's just too darn good to continue overlooking.
GREEN LANTERN Annual #4 (DC)
Venditti promised, or someone promised, answers. But there are frustratingly few. Darn you, Venditti!
IMPERIUM #8 (Valiant)
Divinity, the guy from Divinity (no, seriously!) pops up in something other than Divinity. Although this is kind of more or less a rephrasing of Divinity except in an Imperium context...
JUSTICE LEAGUE #44 (DC)
Don't tell anyone else that Darkseid dies in this installment of "Darkseid War"!
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #3, 4 (DC)
Don't tell anyone that I snuck back into this series because I realized all over again, this is supposed to be Legion of Super-Heroes territory. But Giffen/DeMatteis have managed to create yet another platform for their genius instead...
MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER #12 (Dynamite)
I caught up with this release from earlier in the year because it concludes a story I finally got around to seeing in its inception from a first issue I read in my comiXology account (don't tell anyone I'm still working away at that!). I don't think the muted impact (the first issue was better) is because I skipped, oh, ten issues. But it's still fun seeing Van Lente in something I actually wanted to read again.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4 (DC)
Through no real fault on my own, I missed the previous issue. But I still love this series.
MIRACLEMAN #1 (Marvel)
This new first issue marks the start of the reprints as they reach the Gaiman material, having concludedAlan Moore's The Original Writer's. Turns out to be very similar to Sandman, somehow...
MS. MARVEL #18 (Marvel)
Kamala's mother knew!
NAMELESS #5 (Image)
Morrison's weird comic (his latest weird comic) finally saw another issue published. Burnham shows restraint (for a change). Reads a lot like the first issue. Made me interested again.
THE NEW DEAL (Dark Horse)
See thoughts elsewhere.
PREZ #4 (DC)
The comics shop had a giant mix-up in its shipments that week. So I panicked and got a digital edition. I've had some fun digitally lately, but I'm not gonna tell you anything else. Then the shop got the print edition. And this becomes the latest comic where I have both, and don't mind. Just two issues left, alas.
SANDMAN: OVERTURE #6 (Vertigo)
All along I've been reading how this whole story leads back to Sandman #1. And that's exactly what happens. This was probably my favorite issue of the series. Sad to see it go. Very, very gorgeous work, Williams (III).
STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN #3 (DC)
Larfleeze on the cover...!
STAR WARS #9 (Marvel)
I thought they promised answers from Sana Solo this issue?
STAR WARS: SHATTERED EMPIRE #1 (Marvel)
Takes place concurrently with the Battle of Endor (at least during this issue). Features Poe Dameron's parents. No idea who Poe Dameron is? Perhaps this prequel to The Force Awakens just isn't meant for you, son...
The, ah, misshipment issue prevented me from reading a new Star Wars: Lando...
STRINGERS #1 (Oni)
Guggenheim and Greenwood (Resurrection) started working on this years ago. Guggenheim and Greenwood, meet Loeb and Sale...
SUPERMAN #44 (DC)
As far as I'm concerned, some of the best Superman storytelling...ever.
THIS DAMNED BAND #2 (Dark Horse)
Cornell's second issue was good enough to helped the series get a foothold in the QB50 running.
WE ARE ROBIN #3, 4 (DC)
In the fine tradition of the original Robin ongoing being the best thing about Jean-Paul Valley's stint as Batman, Bermejo has turned this one into the best thing about the Commissioner Batman era. That second issue, which doesn't feature Duke, is the best one to date.
SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #21 (DC)
My periodic sampling of this series continues. Superman is a dick. But he kind of has a reason to be.
In which I realize Grant Morrison will not actually be writing the series. But turns out not to drastically affect its quality.
ATOMIC ROBO AND THE RING OF FIRE #1 (IDW)
New home, same great storytelling. Very glad to see Clevinger and Wegener back in print.
BATMAN #44 (DC)
Snyder and Azzarello make for a potent combination. Out of current continuity, this flashback tale made the news thanks to its commentary on the spate of police shootings making news.
ROBIN: SON OF BATMAN #4 (DC)
If Deathstroke (with all due apologies to Tony Daniel, etc.) were as awesome in his own comic as here is here, I'd read that, too. Reminds me how awesome it was to see him in The Shade, too.
BLOODSHOT REBORN #6 (Valiant)
In which Bloodshot realizes there's a bad guy who's also attempting to absorb all the stray nanites...
CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHITE #1, 2 (Marvel)
Seven years in the making, Loeb and Sale finally return to this latest collaboration. I'm ecstatic to see this happening. Curiously, the first issue reprints the long-ago zero issue, but after the contents of the new material.
CIVIL WAR #4 (Marvel)
Black Panther turns out to be a Skrull. And suddenly the follow-up to the original Civil War, Secret Invasion, seems less random. Yet another thing this reprise gets more right than the original. Thanks, Soule. Again.
DAREDEVIL #18 (Marvel)
I assumed all along that Waid was headed to a quasi-rehash of the classic Daredevil narative, and in this finale that's exactly what he does. The comic itself is not so bad, but then Waid writes in his going-away thoughts how this run has been his most creatively-rewarding to date. How he forgotten writing Wally West? Even if the style was more deliberate, I'd hold the best of that run to anything Waid has written in a regular superhero comic since...
DIRK GENTLEY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY #4 (IDW)
I've settled in to really enjoying the random pleasures of this experience. Viva Douglas Adams! Who makes a cameo this issue!
DOCTOR WHO: FOUR DOCTORS #4, 5 (Titan)
Cornell concludes the crossover epic. Eventually gets around to explaining why the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) wasn't included.
DOOMED #4 (DC)
The only objection I have to this series, as it turns out, is the poor choice in style for the lead's narrative captions. Otherwise, more solid material from Lobdell.
E FOR EXTINCTION #4 (Marvel)
The conclusion to this Secret Wars tie-in seems to be a comics version of X-Men: The Last Stand's final encounter between Wolverine and Jean Grey. Nice save, Burnham.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #4 (DC)
I love, love, love how this series has completely embraced the full potential of being its own continuity.
FIGHT CLUB 2 #5 (Dark Horse)
Finally had a look at this. That's about all I've got to say about that.
THE FUSE #14 (Image)
I'm settling in as a regular reader.
GRAYSON #11, 12, Annual #2 (DC)
Yeah, I've finally decided to read this series more regularly. It's just too darn good to continue overlooking.
GREEN LANTERN Annual #4 (DC)
Venditti promised, or someone promised, answers. But there are frustratingly few. Darn you, Venditti!
IMPERIUM #8 (Valiant)
Divinity, the guy from Divinity (no, seriously!) pops up in something other than Divinity. Although this is kind of more or less a rephrasing of Divinity except in an Imperium context...
JUSTICE LEAGUE #44 (DC)
Don't tell anyone else that Darkseid dies in this installment of "Darkseid War"!
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #3, 4 (DC)
Don't tell anyone that I snuck back into this series because I realized all over again, this is supposed to be Legion of Super-Heroes territory. But Giffen/DeMatteis have managed to create yet another platform for their genius instead...
MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER #12 (Dynamite)
I caught up with this release from earlier in the year because it concludes a story I finally got around to seeing in its inception from a first issue I read in my comiXology account (don't tell anyone I'm still working away at that!). I don't think the muted impact (the first issue was better) is because I skipped, oh, ten issues. But it's still fun seeing Van Lente in something I actually wanted to read again.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4 (DC)
Through no real fault on my own, I missed the previous issue. But I still love this series.
MIRACLEMAN #1 (Marvel)
This new first issue marks the start of the reprints as they reach the Gaiman material, having concluded
MS. MARVEL #18 (Marvel)
Kamala's mother knew!
NAMELESS #5 (Image)
Morrison's weird comic (his latest weird comic) finally saw another issue published. Burnham shows restraint (for a change). Reads a lot like the first issue. Made me interested again.
THE NEW DEAL (Dark Horse)
See thoughts elsewhere.
PREZ #4 (DC)
The comics shop had a giant mix-up in its shipments that week. So I panicked and got a digital edition. I've had some fun digitally lately, but I'm not gonna tell you anything else. Then the shop got the print edition. And this becomes the latest comic where I have both, and don't mind. Just two issues left, alas.
SANDMAN: OVERTURE #6 (Vertigo)
All along I've been reading how this whole story leads back to Sandman #1. And that's exactly what happens. This was probably my favorite issue of the series. Sad to see it go. Very, very gorgeous work, Williams (III).
STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN #3 (DC)
Larfleeze on the cover...!
STAR WARS #9 (Marvel)
I thought they promised answers from Sana Solo this issue?
STAR WARS: SHATTERED EMPIRE #1 (Marvel)
Takes place concurrently with the Battle of Endor (at least during this issue). Features Poe Dameron's parents. No idea who Poe Dameron is? Perhaps this prequel to The Force Awakens just isn't meant for you, son...
The, ah, misshipment issue prevented me from reading a new Star Wars: Lando...
STRINGERS #1 (Oni)
Guggenheim and Greenwood (Resurrection) started working on this years ago. Guggenheim and Greenwood, meet Loeb and Sale...
SUPERMAN #44 (DC)
As far as I'm concerned, some of the best Superman storytelling...ever.
THIS DAMNED BAND #2 (Dark Horse)
Cornell's second issue was good enough to helped the series get a foothold in the QB50 running.
WE ARE ROBIN #3, 4 (DC)
In the fine tradition of the original Robin ongoing being the best thing about Jean-Paul Valley's stint as Batman, Bermejo has turned this one into the best thing about the Commissioner Batman era. That second issue, which doesn't feature Duke, is the best one to date.
SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #21 (DC)
My periodic sampling of this series continues. Superman is a dick. But he kind of has a reason to be.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Quarter Bin 67 "Here, There, and Everywhere"
Action Comics Weekly #632 (DC)
From 1988.
This is apparently one of the final Action Comics Weeklys. I know this because the letters column addresses this. Unlike DC's later weekly comics, this was an anthology series that borrowed the flagship more closely associated with Superman for about a year. Rather than addressing the content from this particular issue, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the material that spun out of the experiment, at least as announced in the letters column...
The first is Blackhawk, which I actually got to sample a few months back and was impressed by, even though I was surprised to see sexy art from Rick Burchett. Although being surprised by sexy art from Rick Burchett was a response the original Action Comics Weekly material garnered as well, and this was before Burchett ever did material based on Batman: The Animated Series. The surprise from this point was actually from scandalized readers...The second title is Green Lantern, the relaunch that led to "Emerald Twilight" and Kyle Rayner, featuring the creative team of
Asylum #2 (Millennium)
From 1993.
An anthology title (another one???) scored a lucky break (although it lasted only one more issue...) by featuring Neil Gaiman, who provided a straight-up horror story (much of Sandman was basically horror). So when I saw that I bought the issue just to read it. That's pretty much it. Among the other material is P. Craig Russell providing a piece of artwork for an old Edgar Allen Poe poem, "Eldorado."
The Books of Magic #26 (Vertigo)
The Books of Magic #32 (Vertigo)
From 1996.
This was something conceived by Gaiman and later continued by others, featuring young wizard Tim Hunter as he explores the magical world. I've long wanted to read something, anything, from the concept, and so finally took the opportunity. Of course, Harry Potter later completely usurped the genre of young wizards, and Vertigo later had The Unwritten, which was more or less the imprint reclaiming the concept in a very meta way. The issues I had a look at bookend a trip to America ("Rites of Passage") from the British youth, featuring bits of continuity that the letters column helps spell out for neophytes (wherever they may be coming from). I liked what I saw.
Civil War: The Confession (Marvel)
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3 (Marvel)
From 2007.
The Fallen Son issue is written by Jeph Loeb and features Tony Stark (Iron Man) convincing Clint Barton (Hawkeye) to become the new Captain America (for about the length of the issue). That's all fine and dandy, but it's more The Confession that fascinates me. Civil War was a Mark Millar comic, but Confession is written by Brian Michael Bendis, and is perhaps the comic that anyone looking for the best Civil War material should read. This is literally the two main characters from Civil War, Stark and Steve Rogers, presenting their closing arguments in the polarizing debate that split the Marvel universe apart. And it's absolutely brilliant. If none of it ended up meaning anything more than a bump in the road for everyone involved, even the temporarily assassinated Rogers (Ed Brubaker ended up making a mockery of the whole thing by wrongly co-opting what Grant Morrison was doing with Batman at the time), then the concept endures somewhere other than the forthcoming Captain America: Civil War in theaters in a spin-off one-shot that completely transcends typical superhero storytelling. I read it when it was originally released, along with Civil War itself, and I remember being impressed then, too, but I think its value has increased with time, knowing what Marvel actually did post-Civil War (the next big event involved alien shape-shifters infiltrating Earth, which is about as opposite Civil War as you can get).
Legionnaires #0 (DC)
From 1994.
I sometimes dabbled in the two Legion of Super-Heroes titles from that era, and so revisiting it is hardly a tough call. This issue, part of the original zero issue month post-Zero Hour, features Mark Waid co-writing, and conveniently enough a speedster (at the time Waid was best-known as the writer of The Flash) named Jenni Ognats, granddaughter of Barry Allen and soon to be known as XS (not to be confused at all with Bart Allen, who was known originally as Impulse). And yes, this is her first appearance, so that's a good thing to have in a collection (for a Waid fan, at the very least). She, ah, appears only on Page 20, however. She next appears in the following month's Legion of Super-Heroes #62.
Punk Rock Jesus #1 (Vertigo)
From 2012.
I think I mentioned at the time this mini-series was originally being released how impressed I was by it. Sean Murphy had previously ended up on my radar thanks to his work on Grant Morrison's Joe the Barbarian. He would later work on Scott Snyder's The Wake and Mark Millar's Chrononauts (his current project, actually). I still haven't read the whole thing, but I'm continually impressed with Murphy's turn as writer/artist on the project, for my money easily one of the most interesting Vertigo titles of the recent past. Scientists use the Shroud of Turin to create a clone of Jesus, which is then featured as the star of a reality show in the vein of The Truman Show. The sacrilegious baby is surrounded by a mother who isn't entirely comfortable with the whole thing and a bodyguard with a traumatic past. And it can only get better from there, right?
Saga #4 (Image)
From 2012.
I was reading this series pretty much from the beginning, but to randomly revisit it from somewhere near the beginning is to be reminded all over again how fascinating Saga really is. First of all, The Will is featured on the cover along with Lying Cat (can it get any better?), and the bounty hunter is featured inside as well (in other comics, this is never a given). Given that The Will has been largely absent from recent issues, and he's basically my favorite character in the series, this was hugely welcome to read again. The letters column also features the inaugural Saga Readers Survey results (so soon???). Apparently Brian K. Vaughan was a huge fan of the movie Haywire at this point. It makes sense. But that was also the last time Gina Carano was culturally significant, right at the moment where she was poised for her biggest breakthrough. Now all her thunder's been stolen by Ronda Rousey. But c'mon folks, Gina Carano!!!
Zot! #10 (Eclipse)
From 1985.
Looking back, it's incredibly bizarre that Scott McCloud ended up becoming such a notable name in the field of comic books. Until 1993's seminal Understanding Comics, the only thing he'd really done was write Zot!, which was a part of the deconstruction of the superhero form that the '80s featured a number of ways, culminating in Alan Moore's Watchmen. Eclipse was a publisher was a little like the Image of the day. It was one of the early publishers of Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer (which until the later movie was much more important than it seems today) as well as the stateside home of Miracleman, among other seminal projects, Zot! being among them. It's incredibly common for someone who succeeds in comics to begin thinking they've more or less transcended the form as practiced by everyone else, and McCloud was among those who began thinking of himself in that way. This was supposed to be the final issue, but a few years later he picked it back up and continued for a while longer, but then more or less abandoned work as a regular creator (this year he released a new graphic novel, The Sculptor), working almost exclusively as someone trying to push comics into some imagined future (I first became aware of these efforts when I attended a McCloud seminar in college about the possibilities of the Internet). I'd read some of his more elaborate later Zot! (I'm pretty sure on the Internet), so to see some of the early material in its original form was certainly interesting.
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