New Comics Day - 11/05/2008

Well, it's Thursday. That means that yesterday was Wednesday, and new comic book day. And, in a somewhat shocking turn of events, this week has proven to be yet another awesome one for funnybooks. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend you stop reading things you don't like. But, anyways, let's talk about some comics what I bought.

THEY WERE ALL VERY GOOD, THANK YOU.

(I'm a bit busy at the office, but I might have more to say about a few of these books later)

New Comics Day 10/29/2008

As I get closer to my moving day, I've started to notice that my "cut down to only buying comics that are on my pull list" strategy hasn't worked out very well. Instead, I've been saving money by only eating shitty, cheap food. I'm pretty sure this is my first sign that I have a problem. But, that's ok, because Comics, am I right? This was a good week for pretty good books. And, since I skipped last weeks review due to being sick, I'm going to review every single book I got this week. Let's see the scroll!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #575
This is actually a really frustrating book for me. Part of me wants to hate it, because the writing makes Spider-Man look like a total asshole. I mean, I understand that there's a certain level of humor to the whole situation with this nasty "Greta" lady, but beyond that, half this book is Spider-Man making fun of a crazy lady right to her face. On the other hand, Joe Kelly writes a good Aunt May (not a fan of Chris Bachalo's pencils on her, though). That's not even mentioning the fact that the second half of this book makes up for the shittiness of the first half. We not only get a couple pages of surprisingly actually funny spider-bloopers, and a battle with a new-and-improved Hammerhead.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #18
This book continues to be one of the most fun of the handful of Secret Invasion tie-ins I still pick up. This issue, especially, is particularly awesome. While journeying around with the Skrull Kill Krew, we get a chance to check in on the new Freedom Force, who I seriously hope get their own series, or at least more face time in this book. Not only does this team have former Initiative trainees Hardball, Komodo and Cloud 9 (who are now really badass, all of a sudden), but it also has a hero who is terribly underused, Gravity. Anyways, lots of fighting and skrulls, as you'd expect, but wait until you meet the original Skrull Kill Krew.

CAPTAIN AMERICA THEATER OF WAR: OPERATION ZERO POINT
This Mitch Breitweiser guy draws an awesome Captain America Riding Atop a Nazi UFO. Oh, by the way, that happens.







KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND
I understand that the internet comics community is largely of the opinion that Grant Morrison can do no wrong. I've yet to reach that level of Morrison fanboydom. So, at risk of alienating myself, can I just say this book was only just ok? It follows a young english schoolgirl who runs away from home into a life of crime and drugs, and is a pretty entertaining book. I really love the concept, but it feels like it rushes along way too quickly. The main character often does these little "monologues" where she breaks the 4th wall, which could be fun, if it were more clearly defined of when she was going to stop talking in story and start talking to the audience. Instead, you can only tell that she's talking to you if she's looking at you, which you always realize after you've tried to read the text into the story. And, honestly, the "twist ending" was just bad.

MARVEL 1985 #6
This book, on the other hand, is so damn good. I really like the way Millar and Edwards manage to make this book feel like a movie. This mini series has had such perfect pacing all the way through, and even managed to tie up all the loose ends well. And, well, let's just say the end was enough to bring a tear to your eye. If you were some kind of sissy, I mean.




MARVEL ADVENTURES: FANTASTIC FOUR #41
I'm pretty sure Chris Sims might have died when he read this book. Because, well, it's got Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy in it, see? And, as it were, that's pretty awesome.







NO HERO #2
Warren Ellis has really managed to put together a storyline that still has me trying to figure out what's going to happen. Normally, when you were 3 issues into a book (that's including issue #0!), and you've still only done a little bit within the books, I start to lose interest. Luckily, this book continues to hook me with the endings. This issue is a good example of that.





SUPERMAN #681
A bunch of supermen show up in Metropolis. People are worried. The end.









X-FORCE #8
Bringing The Vanisher, one of my favorite classic X-Men villains, back in the mix? Ok. Killing him off at the end? NOT OK!

New Comics Day

New Comics Day was yesterday, and it was another great day for comics! I seem to be noticing that I'm enjoying my comics experience more now that I'm only buying books that I really enjoy. Also, I'm getting pretty fond of doing these reviews on Thursday, instead of Wednesday, so look forward to more of this in the future. So, without further rambling, let's check the list!AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573

While I readily admit to early speculation that Anti-Venom was the dumbest character concept I'd heard in years, can I just comment on how fucking badass he is? However, I would really love to know what happened between his fight with Venom and his appearance at the end of this issue. Because I'm pretty sure that made no fucking sense. Or did I just miss something?

Of course, the real reason you should be interested in this issue (no offense to the creators) is the special Spider-Man/Stephen Colbert story in the back of the issue. I'm sure nobody expected a golden performance by the characters here, but I really wish it had been a little funnier. Granted, fans of the show will get a lot of chuckles at the inside-jokes,
and Spider-Man even gets a few witty comments that are actually witty. I think it just felt
way too rushed. I would've totally shelled out a few bucks for a full issue story.

GHOSTBUSTERS: THE OTHER SIDE #1

To say I grew up a fan of the Ghostbusters is a bit of an understatement. I had all the toys. Even though they (for reasons I've yet to figure out) made Egon blonde. Even though most of the "ghosts" they busted on the TV show (or that came as toys) weren't actually ghosts at all. That didn't matter, because I was an impressionable kid who loved him some Ghostbusters. You could've sneezed into a paper bag and told me it was ectoplasm and I would gladly have paid you for it. Really, it wasn't healthy (mostly due to handling bags of snot). That all changed the day my god damn mother* (Hi Mom!) gave away my Ghostbusters
Firestation playset (and most of my action figures) to charity. After that I moved on to new
and exciting adventures with X-Men action figures and eventually discovered masturbation.
It's been pretty much the same since then. But today, I read this book, and I now have the
strangest urge to buy some snot. Anyone selling?

SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #1

Just a word of warning to anyone considering buying this book. Not once, in this entire damn story, does Jimmy Olsen turn into a gorilla. In fact, the book has a marked absence of wacky and/or zany things. No mysterious gaining of super powers, no time travel, no slightly disturbing antics by the Jimmy Olsen Fan Club. Is it good? I guess in the only way that a book that doesn't involve Jimmy Olsen turning into a gorilla can be, sure.

THE AGE OF THE SENTRY #2

This, on the other hand? 100% zany. Seriously, if you're not already reading this, you really need to stop being fucking stupid. This issue not only features Sentry fightin Ursus The Ultra-Bear, but also takes a moment to highlight Truman Capote's long, traumatic history with bears. Yeah, you read that right.

New Comic Book Day 10/08/2008

So, in approximately 1 month, my girlfriend and I will be moving into a new apartment. Unfortunately, that means cutting back on a lot of my extra spending. Which means buying less comics. Really though, it's kind of a good thing, since I tend to buy a lot of books I don't really like, just to keep up with big company-wide events. So, this was my last week to buy books outside of my handful of established favorites. And I'm glad I did, because a few of the books this week have really changed my opinion of what ends up on my finalized pull list. Let's have a look at what I bought this week.

DEADPOOL #3

Initially this was one of the books I had decided I was probably going to stop buying. It's been a good series so far, but the character never really lived up to the fantastic way he was written in Cable and Deadpool. This issue is only slightly above par compared to the first two, but the last page was really enough to save it from the chopping block for one more issue. Deadpool versus zombies? Yes, please!

FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #3 (OF 5)

I've been pretty pleased with this Final Crisis event as a whole, but I think I'm done with it and all these little tie-in books. These are the kind of books that I always find myself putting off until last, even though the stories are usually pretty good. I think I'm just tired of company-wide events. This particular issue is definitely not one of the best out there, but I think that's just a matter of personal taste for me. I've never been a huge fan of the Spectre, and the new lady Question really doesn't do it for me.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #6

I think it's safe to say that Matt Fraction has been killing with this series so far. This is currently one of my favorite books on the shelves, so there's no way it's getting the axe from my collection. Not to mention the variant cover (which I've never been one to get too excited about) is absolutely gorgeous. This issue marks the end of a great story arc that (as the story states) really looks to be a turning point in the direction this series is heading.

SECRET SIX #2

Best comic of the week. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that Gail Simone is the best writer DC has working for them right now. I've never read her Birds of Prey work, but between this book and her current Wonder Woman run, I can't get enough. This book is cleverly written, and features what is probably the greatest conversation about mexican food that has ever been featured in a comic book. Not to mention that the art (covers especially) is great. I really can't say enough good things about this book. I'm definitely adding this to my pull list.

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BONUS CONTENT!

In addition to all the great content that I've not been posting here lately, I've also recently become the newest staff reviewer over at ProjectFanboy.com. You can head on over and read my review of Worlds of Dungeons and Dragons #4, with more to follow shortly!

But wait, there's more, I'm also the author of a brand-new miniseries coming from Highburn Studios. The story is based in the same universe as their title Tribulations, and is going to be pencilled by Tribulations creator Lyle Pollard. We're still working on getting an inker, colorist, and letterer connected to the book, but we're aiming for a release alongside Tribulations #3 some time after the turn of the year.

Out Of Context Paneol Of The Day

Wait, what now?

(From the pages of Nightwing #149)

New Comic Book Day - 09/17/2008, an addendum

So, after my last post, I decided to check my longboxes to see if I had any of my old 1963 books. I found issue #2 and re-read it.

I take back anything bad I said in my original post. These things are great!

New Comic Book Day 09/17/2008

Well, it's new comic book day, and I purchased quite a bit of books today. Let's take a look at the list.

So, as you can see, a big stack of books there (note to self: get bigger scroll). And, just to save my own face, I'm going to use the quantity of books I had to read as an excuse for why this post is a day late. It's not true, but you don't know that, so I get off easy.

Now, you might be thinking: "Gee willickers, Ryan sure did read a lot of comics this week. I bet he has all sorts of crazy things to say about them. I can't wait to read them and then not post any comments, just to spite him. Seriously, fuck that guy." Well, dear reader, you thought wrong!

Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of things worthy of freaking out over (i.e. the giant Mecha War Machine in Iron Man: DOS, Luke Cage making an appearance in 2 unrelated titles this month, or everyone in the Marvel U continuing to be monkies), but I'm not going to write about any of those things. Instead, I'm going to tell you about the one comic you need to buy. And that comic is:

THE AGE OF THE SENTRY #1

With this book, Marvel tries to recapture the essence of their Silver Age titles. This is certainly not a terribly original concept in the comic industry. DC did it back in '99 with such titles as National Comics #1 and Star-Spangled Comics #1. Heck, even Image had the short-lived series called 1963. The key difference is that this one is much better.

As I mentioned nearly a year ago in my first post, I am quite a big fan of the Silver Age. It gave us countless books that offer idealistic heroes who never give you any reason to doubt their intentions. The books were straight-forward, easy for anyone to pick up and read, and generally way too silly not to enjoy. In my opinion, the Silver Age was the perfect age for comic books.

So, every time I see a new series like this pop up on the horizon, I rush to pick up my copy. Usually, I find myself disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the books are still good and I enjoy reading them. The problem, I think, is that they serve to be a mockery of the Silver Age, instead of an homage to it. They tend to overplay the camp and silliness, which can get old really fast.

This book, however, got it right. It has the camp, but the writing is spot-on, and the art and colors are even more perfect than that. If I hadn't known this came out yesterday, I'd have had no idea I wasn't reading an old Stan 'n Jack book. But, looking back on it, with a writer like Jeff Parker (Marvel Adventures: Avengers, X-Men: First Class), it really couldn't be anything less. He captures the essence of Silver Age plot and dialog perfectly, not to mention his beautiful handling of classic villainy and comic book science. Pairing that up with his old X-Men: First Class partner Nick Dragotta and Ramon Rosanas and you've got a Silver Age book on your hands. I had never heard of Rosanas prior to this book, but he and Dragotta have managed to craft art that you would almost swear Jack Kirby drew himself. Outside of a handful of pages in Troy Hickman's Twilight Guardian (which, I might add, just won Top Cow's Pilot Season), I've never seen Silver Age done so well in these modern times of computers and flying cars.

Basically, what I'm saying is that I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of the good old days. Now, I'm off to re-enjoy this issue for myself! If you've got anything you want to add, or want to hear my opinion on anything else I bought this week, feel free to let me know in the comments section. You know, it's that link right down there that says "0 people think this is stupid".

New Comic Book Day - 09/10/2008

Comics. Am I right, guys? I mean, we all read them. But what do they really mean? I'm not really sure why you think you're going to find answers to questions like that here!

CABLE KING-SIZE SPECTACULAR # 1

This had pencils by Ken Lashley, instead of series regular artist Ariel Olivetti. I was a bit worried, as the last book I read that Olivetti did art on kind (Punisher War Journal) seemed to lose alot of it's appeal to me once he left the book. And honestly, I was a bit disappointed when I first opened this issue up. Because, well, Lashley an
Olivetti have wildly different styles. But really, as I sit here and look at it, the Lashley's pencils with Frank D'Armata's colors look pretty fucking awesome. I have a hard time getting through the story because I get so caught up looking at the detail in the backgrounds and crazy explosions. Also, did I mention that almost half of this book involves fighting giant bear-armadillo hybrids? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I mentioned that...

DEADPOOL # 1

Ok, so I understand that Secret Invasion is the big hot thing right now in the Marvel U, and I realize that making fun of the current big hot thing is kind of Deadpool's whole reason for existing, but I kind of wish they hadn't gone that route. Don't get me wrong, the book was still really good, I just couldn't enjoy it to the fullest because I am so fucking sick of Skrulls. Otherwise, it was great. The funny side of Deadpool's personality has been turned down a lot from where it was towards the end of Cable and Deadpool, but that's not really a bad thing. You get to see a lot of badical fights, and the jokes are still there, but the whole thing seems to be more driven by the plot than by the jokes.

WOLVERINE: SAUDADE # 1

I'll be totally honest, I bought this book because I thought it was called Wolverine Sausage. Turns out, it's not. There's not even a single thing about deliciously-seasoned ground meats in this entire book. What a rip.

(slightly delayed) New Comic Book Day - 09/04/2008

Well, it's Thursday yet again, which means it's time for another one of those "Ryan talking about comics and making fart jokes" posts that I seem to do here every so often. After all the comics I bought last week, I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish them all in time for this weeks books. In fact, I actually just finished the last of last weeks pull just this morning. What was the big delay in reading, you ask? Well, I had to travel out of town for a few days this weekend, and then Sunday I spent at Dragon*Con here in Atlanta. Met some cool folks and bought some cool stuff, but I'll save that for a later post. Now it's time for comics!

DETECTIVE COMICS #848

I've heard a lot of complaints about this villain called Hush, and I really don't see what everyone hates about him so much. Granted, all I have to go on is this one issue so far, but he seems pretty on-par with the rest of the crazies in Batman's world. He's no Mr. Zsasz, but still a pretty cool character so far. More importantly, this issue is fairly Scarecrow-heavy, and that is very rarely a bad thing!

IRON MAN: GOLDEN AVENGER # 1

Is page 3 of this book the most hilariously misleading page ever printed ever? I'm pretty sure it is. Honestly, I was kind of disappointed to turn the page and find out that furry rape was not going to be a prevailing theme in the issue. Overall though, this book is pretty good. My only complaint is that it seems to not be able to decide if it's
a serious book or a funny book, and not in the good way like Cable and Deadpool. But, I can't complain too much about it. Definitely a fun read, and definitely very kid-friendly. That said, if any kids are reading this blog, maybe you should tell your parents to do a better job.

MARVEL APES # 1

A bunch of super heroes turn into monkies. I'm pretty sure that's all I really need to say about this. But, I guess I should also say this. SUPER HEROES TURN INTO FUCKING MOKIES!

SECRET SIX #1

First off, let me just say that Cliff Chiang knows how to draw a damn cover. This issue was good, but not as good of a start as I was hoping for with this series. Though, with Gail Simone penning it, I can't imagine the it will be a bad read in the future. The concept set up in this first issue sounds like it holds all sorts of potential badassery.

New Comic Book Day 08/27/2008 Part 1 (A-K)

Ok, just so I don't make all 4 of you wait too long for the Internets Most Ignorable Comic Reviews, here are the highlights from the first half of today's pull.


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 569
First appearance of Anti-Venom was just as silly as I had thought it would be, and yet also pretty damn cool. I'm pretty iffy about the whole concept, but with Slott and Romita Jr. behind the story, it should hold up fairly well.











AMBUSH BUG: YEAR NONE #2 (OF 6)
Was this good? I'm not entirely sure. There were a lot of funny points to the story, and I kind of dig the stream-of-consciousness style that was going on here, but I still have absolutely no idea what the point of this mini is.











AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE # 16
I'm really glad to see that this book has once again become fun. With the exception of the short "KIA" arc a few months back, this book consistently delivers a storyline that is action-packed, highly informative in relation to the Skrull invasion, and really damn funny at times.









DAREDEVIL # 110
I've really liked the arc that wraps up in this issue, but I'm kind of glad to see it come to an end. This book has felt more like a really cool legal thriller that contains a Daredevil cameo. I'm glad to see that next month's issue appears to mark a return to the more "superhero vs supervillain" kind of story. And, well, the villain is a sexy lady Bullseye, so that's always nice, right?







FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES' REVENGE #2 (OF 3)
I'm not wildly fond of the core Final Crisis series, but all these secondary books so far have been absolutely fantastic. Despite being about my least favorite DC 'family' and their villains who generally suck so good, this book is not only a funny read, it's was also unexpectedly clever and well scripted.









FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND #1 (OF 2)
The fact that this book is printed in 3D should be enough for you to know it's good. My only gripe is that not every page was 3D, so you've either got to keep putting on and removing the glasses every other panel, or deal with the resulting headache. Still a fun book, and the cover looks fantastic in 3D.










KICK-ASS # 4
This book was actually supposed to come out a few weeks ago, but it was well worth the delays. This issue really ups the ante in the "blood and guts and other fucked up shit" department that Millar and Romita Jr. do so well. Unfortunately, some interviews that have been released on the net about the upcoming movie have already ruined several of the surprises about the two new characters.

Pre-New Comic Day Reviews Space Filler

So many comics to read this week. Going to be a little late on the reviews. Until then, enjoy some shit!

Well, it's Wednesday, and the comics have been read, and boy were there a lot of them. This was a good week for interesting covers, and I made a lot of purchases I usually wouldn't, based only on the cover art. Let's have a look at this weeks catch.

AIR #1

This is a good book. The concept is very intriguing, and the main characters really draw you in and make you care about the goings on in their life. My only complaint is that the storyline seems rushed. I think this issue could have stand to be turned into two issues, and have the situations explained in a bit more detail. But, the fast pacing works well to illustrate the mental state of the main character, Blythe. I'd definitely recommend grabbing it if you're looking for a new series to get into.

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #16

I've picked up one or two issues of this series in the past, but they've never really done much for me. After reading this issue I realized that a lot of it had to do with the patricular team-ups in each issue. This one features Superman and Catwoman, and it couldn't be more fun. The characters play well off of one another, with Superman showing his common aversion to sexual contact with women and Catwoman, well, being Catwoman all the time.

PUNISHER # 61

The cover to this book is fantastic. I've picked up the MAX line of Punisher before, but it's never really captivated me. This book, however, is fantastic all the way through. Gregg Hurwitz writes a perfect Frank Castle.

ROBIN #177

Another impulse buy based on the cover. I've never bought an issue of Robin because, well, I've always thought Robin sucked. Don't hold it against me, I was raised in an era that brought us Batman Forever. But, I'm a sucker for that Red Robin costume. And, it turns out this series is really good. Robin succeeds in kicking a lot of people in various body parts. Not to mention that it further supports my theory that Batman is really Carol Brady.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #51

So there I was, browsing the new comics, when what should I find? Why, just the scariest cover I think I've ever seen on a comic book. There's just something about this mini-JLA with their shiny midget faces and giant mouths that sends a chill down my spine. Naturally, I had to buy it. And well, the writer totally called me out on it. The Mikes Green and Johnson are two very clever dudes. Well played.

X-FACTOR # 34

Wow. Worst art ever. I think I officially give up on X-Factor.

X-FACTOR: LAYLA MILLER # 1

This, however was pretty fantastic, except the end. The end I believe to be stolen directly from an episode of Lizzie McGuire.