the renaissance nerds

Comicbook Pregame: week of 4/28/10

2010-04-27T00:00:00.005-07:00

Join me once again, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Conan The Cimmerian #20, $2.99

If you are a guy and you don't like Conan comics we can not be friends. That's very sad for you because I am super fun to hang out with.

Flash Rebirth HC, $19.99

I strongly recommend not buying this comic as it was very bad.

Northlanders #27, $2.99

The disease, the cold, the famine, but the true plague is the wickedness of man.

Green Hornet #3, $3.99

This has 10 different covers. Ten. shakes head in disbelief

Last Unicorn #1 (of 6), $3.99

Can anyone tell me if I should read the novel?

Star Trek The Official Movie Adaptation #3 (of 6), $3.99

I think you might have missed your window of opportunity on this one IDW.

Green Lantern #29 (New Printing), $1.00
Image Firsts Invincible #1, $1.00
Image Firsts Proof #1, $1.00
Civil War #1 (Marvels Greatest Comics), $1.00

One dollar comics make me happy.

Captain America Reborn Finale By Bryan Hitch Poster, $8.99

So you can also remember how much better you hoped Captain America Reborn would be.

Fantastic Four #578, $2.99

Hickman killed it on S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 hopefully in translates into improved FF stories as well.

Incredible Hercules The Mighty Thorcules TP, $14.99

This may be my favorite Herc story, which is saying quite a lot.

Invincible Iron Man #25, $3.99

The exciting premier of the new armor as well as a proposed jumping on point for the Iron Man 2 movie crowd. Wait a second, doesn't this take place after Siege #4? Spoliers?

Punisher #16, $2.99

The conclusion to one of the most unlikely and incredibly fun Punisher stories in history.

Secret Warriors #15, $2.99
Siege Secret Warriors #1, $2.99

Triple dose of Hickman this week.

Thor #609, $2.99

The best Siege tie-in.

X-Force #26, $2.99

More Second Coming.

Truth Of Buffy Essays On Fiction Illuminating Reality SC (New Printing), $35.00

Yes I'm still watching Buffy. Made it about halfway through season 2 thus far. It comes as no surprise that Whedon knows what hes doing especially in terms of character, dialog, and long term plotting. Individual episodes still kind of suck though.

Wasteland #28, $3.50

What happened to this. It was humming along pretty well for the first 2 years and know it rarely ships. I still enjoy it, I just wish it would actually come out on some sort of schedule, say something like once a month.

Avatar Blu-Ray, AR
Avatar DVD Widescreen, AR

Every time the ad for this comes on I think to my self "oh, pretty, I should really see Avatar again". Then the people start talking and I'm reminded of the plot. My desire to see the film again quickly passes.

What are you looking forward to? Comment below.

-egs

Apparently Avatar sold more copies DVD/Blue-Ray copies in it's first week then any film in history. Do people not realize that within a year or two a dozen films will have special effects just as impressive and at least half will be better written, better directed, and better acted? At that point why even watch Avatar?

Comicbook Postgame: week of 04/21/10

2010-04-26T22:45:00.014-07:00

Wow, what a great week of comics. If I were a more cynical man I'd say that they were just making up for last weeks suck-fest but I'm nothing but positive on this here blog. The same way I'm positive that your mom enjoyed last night...in bed, with me...I'm talking about my penis violating her.

Captain America: Who Won't Wield The Shield #1

This was pretty damn hilarious. I actually had a hard time deciding what panel/page to post, hell, even in the (awesome) Fraction/McCarthy story (pic above) there were several great moments. Jason Aaron writes an extremely funny story that bookends the comic which includes the Red Skull writing a check on pinup-style Hitler checks and playfully pokes fun at many writers and editors at Marvel. Any fan that has seen interviews with these guys or follows them on twitter will get a kick out of Aaron's portrayal of Bendis, Brubaker, Fraction, Wacker, Quesada and company. Great fun. Best part might be Jason Aaron writing a comic entitled "Wolverine kills all the kittens in the world" which just might be the greatest name for a comic ever.

Doomwar #3

This comic is issue 3 of a 5 part mini. It spends five pages recapping the first two issues. This is a waste of 5 pages and would normally earn my disdain. This comic also features a section in which Doom stares down the panther god and owns. Totally worth it.

X-Men: Legacy #235

You know it's a good week in comics when even a Greg Land issue is completely readable. I mean, the still not very good but it didn't piss me off and make me want to shout "LLAAANNNDDDD!!!" as is my nature to do when reading his tracing. Is it possible that he's actually listened to his critics and is trying harder? Possibly but it could just be that I've been suckered in by this event. Also Ariel died, I guess that answered that question, and people thought it would be someone important. Actually I doubt we've seen our last death this event and I have no idea who will die next. I do know that one fan somewhere in the world is writing an angry letter to Marvel demanding they bring back Ariel and that that person is very strange.

Sif #1

How great is Fraction's love for Thor that his wife writes kick-ass Thor stories. Maybe that's completely wrong, maybe Kelly Sue Deconnick is the one who is the air apparent to Walt Simonson and Fraction's cool Thor stories were through knowing her. Either way they're the best husband/wife writers of Thor I've seen in at least forever. Also Deconnick tweeted while giving birth to their kid so it may just be that she's so hardcore that she inherently gets a bad-ass chick like Sif. This is an almost perfect spin-off/one-shot, it plays off of the history of the character while being clear enough for new readers. It's action packed, well paced, and has great dialog and narration. Honestly I was very impressed. I know she's writing a Pepper Potts one-shot latter this year and if Sif #1 is any indication of her abilities Marvel should be sending a lot more work her way.

Her-Oes #1

I still think this is absolutely one of the worst titles of any comic ever, however, it was pretty good. Also I love that robot with the big mustache, is that from something? Anyways, I like what Marvel is doing here incorporating their characters in a type of story completely unlike your typical superhero story. Basically we have a typical high school drama with a touch of Marvel style. Janet "The Wasp" Van Dyne stars as the protagonist with Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters as her nerdy best friend and Namora as the bitchy antagonist. Apparently other Marvel super-ladies will be joining the cast. I was surprised at first that the object of the girls' affection was not one of the main Marvel men but in retrospect it was probably a good idea to seperate the story from the largly male dominated Marvel U. For people who love high school dramas this appears to be a good time but I'm not sure that there is enough there to justify me following it regularly.

Joe the Barbarian #4

Morrison continues his cleaver, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, fantasy epic and Murphy continues to kill it on art. Another cleaver piece of scripting gleefully snickering a t typical fantasy conventions with their vow of cowardice as only a chosen few will have the courage and fortitude to face evil in times of need. It also leads to completely un-ironic moments of cool like when Zyxy forsakes the vow and bravely joins our heroes on their quest. Which then leads to cool and similtaously funny moments like this:

This is going to make one hell of a great trade.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #9

Bendis should rightly receive a lot of credit for writing the crap out of these 9 issues but it's Lafuente who seems to have rejuvenated this series. Whether it's doing engaging action layouts, teenage drama, or charming comedy Lafuente delivers. Check out the two page spread above, that is awesome stuff and you combine that with his skill with character 'acting' and Lafuente is quickly rising through the ranks as a must read superhero artist. It seems Bendis has been reinvigorated by Lafuente's arrival writing his best stories in years. This issue sees some extremely funny stuff such as the start of a romance between Johnny Storm and (Peter's female clone) Spider-Woman and the combined forces of the women in Peter's life organizing in order to give him a haircut. Even with all the comedy and a fair amount of action it manages to end on some very serous dramatic beats as government agents come to forcibly expel Kitty from school since she's a mutant. Honestly this comic combined with Siege gives me a lot of hope in Bendis' Avengers relaunch.

That's all for now, sorry it was a bit short this week but your mom won't please herself. Comment below.

-egs

that's what we call a bookend boys and girls

Comicbook Pregame: week of 04/21/10

2010-04-19T23:32:00.005-07:00

Join me once again, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Okko Cycle Of Air #1 (of 4), $3.95

I bought the first mini in a collected hardcover. Story was fairly average but hot damn was it beautiful. Well worth owning.

Joe The Barbarian #4 (of 8), $2.99

Morrison, Murphay, you know the drill. (the drill being that it is good)

Power Girl #11, $2.99

Another great book that you will totally, love...unless your a Nazi. Are you saying you're a Nazi?

Spirit #1, $3.99

Again DC? What happened to the last Spirit series?

Genshiken Return Of The Otaku Novel TP, $9.99

I really enjoyed both the Manga and Anime, they're nerdcentric but then, I'm a nerd. Actually even putting aside all the otaku stuff, Kio Shimoku did a great job of making the characters 'real'. A bit suspicious of a novel by a new writer but I'm genuinely interested in spending more time with these people.

SheBucaneer Origins #1 (of 3), $3.99

First off, that is a terrible name. I love how the solicit mentions Ann Bonney and Mary Read thinking, well there you have it, woman pirates. Never mind that they were famous precisely because the were the only ones people had ever seen or heard of.

Image Firsts Girls #1, $1.00
Image Firsts Witchblade #1, $1.00
New Avengers #1 (Marvels Greatest Comics), $1.00

I will always list dollar comics in the pregame because, fuck yes, dollar comics.

Magdalena #1, $3.99

Ryan Sook, there you are. Are you drawing a Top Cow book now? Oh, only the covers, ok then. Phew, for a minute there I thought I'd have to buy a Top Cow book.

Amazing Spider-Man #628, $3.99

See the words for Power Girl, duplicate them here.

Captain America Who Won't Wield The Shield #1 (One Shot), $3.99

I always get the impression that Marvel doesn't take its self quite as seriously as DC. Could be part of the reason for their success.

Firestar #1, $3.99

You know at least one person will be buying this.

Hercules Fall Of An Avenger #2, $3.99

We should start a betting pool on how many terrible photoshoped background Olivette uses in this issue. My money's on 11.

Marvel Her-Oes #1, $2.99

The idea of Marvel heroes re-imagined as high school kids has a lot of potential but that title is so bad it makes SheBucaneer sound good...actually SheBucaneer still sounds like crap none-the-less, bad title.

Sif #1, $3.99

Travel Foreman has some experience drawing kick-ass Marvel mythology. This is also written by Matt Fraction's wife, so that's cool.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9, $3.99

This issue sees the return of David Lafuente and Spider-Woman who, according to the solicits is totally going to make out with one of the main characters. Seeing as she's a clone of Peter that's going to be awkward no matter who it is.

What If Secret Invasion TP, $19.99

...had been good? Had to do it Marvel, you set yourself up.

X-Factor #204 (X-Men Second Coming Tie-In), $2.99
X-Men Legacy #235 (X-Men Second Coming Tie-In), $2.99

Two issues of Second Coming which sound increasingly more sexual every time I say it.

WWE Heroes #2, $3.99

Ha ha, wrestling comics. When will people learn?

and on that note, comment below with your thoughts on this weeks releases.

-egs

despite the fact I said releases, try and keep it clean, or not, I don't really care, it's not like kids read comics.

Comicbook postgame: week of 04/14/2010

2010-04-19T23:22:00.010-07:00

Hey everybody, I dragged myself away from reading things (like Empowered volume 1 and Lovelock) to talk about things (like last week's comics). Spoilers and stuff ahead (Spoiler, there were not many good comics last week).

Daredevil #506

I just wanted to post the picture above because I thought it was a pretty awesome way to start a comic. This issue also featured a beautiful cover by Pablo Rivera. The book itself was another solid issue of ninja politics, which contains only slightly less killing then normal politics. They're doing a nice job of balancing martial art melee with the intrigue and betrayal of the fractured Hand organization all while slowing Murdock slipping ever further towards the edge. The real question is how far is Marvel willing to go. Would they dare to make Daredevil a full on villain? I kind of doubt it. The way I see it you got two possibilities. One, Daredevil becomes an extreme antihero in the vain of The Punisher, or two, this is all part of some master plan and DD will be back to normal once he's finished his endgame, this is far more likely. Thinking about it though for all the villains that have turned good how many heroes have turned, and this is the catch, stayed evil? A few have had temporary stints but I can't think of any that have become long lasting major villains.

The Savage Sword of Ares #1

It's kind of weird that my favorite piece of art from the issue was from the text story. Truthfully I thought the text story was the best story in the book as well. Written by Duane Swierczynski with illustrations by Leonardo Manco, Wojina (the text piece) is a great little pulp style story with a fantastic, quasi-twist ending as Ares transforms a 15-year-old coward into the greatest hero his village had ever seen. The other three stories are also quite enjoyable. Staying true to the pulp feel the stories are all bloody and violent often reading like Conan meets the Twilight Zone as the stories provide twist endings that try and leave you thinking about the nature of betrayal, war, and warriors. The cover (which looks sweet) also reads, "Skull-Spliting Metal Mayhem featuring Marvel's God of War", which is a pretty great thing to have on the cover of your comic, provided you'd like it to sell many issues. I will say that the 'Bob Ares Greek God Body Building' bit was pretty weak. After what Grant Morrision did with Flex Mentallo no other parody of Charles Atlas can compare.

Siege: Loki #1

This was surprisingly awesome. I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the creative team but I just don't expect much from one shots or minis tying in to big events as usually they are a complete waste of time and money (see Siege: Captain America). This one shot though not only matters in Siege but moving forward seems to leave big repercussions for Thor and the rest of the Marvel U. It's also a lot of fun. McKelvie's art is as fantastic as always and Gillen continues to impress the shit out of my with his Thor work. I was super excited to hear Fraction would be writing Thor after I'd read his Age of Thunder series but now I'm kind of sad to see Gillen go (not that I still don't think Fraction's Thor will be amazing, because I do and it better........or I will be sad). This issue is all about Loki living up to his reputation as the master manipulator as he plays Osborn, Mephisto, the Disir, and Hela as well as sacrificing some pawns. There is also a great moment that showcases that he has might as well as cunning, as he beats the Disir single handed. One of the great joys of fiction is seeing a plan come together, even when it's an evil plan...perhaps especially when it's an evil plan.

Hellcyon #1

Such a disappointment. The cover features some guys on an sweet looking future-bike escaping from a mech so I immediately thought of all kinds of cool Anime like Akira, Gundam, and Code Geass. This is not of that caliber. It does feature a pretty good chase scene as depicted on the cover but the pacing and dialog are so off that the story never engages you. At the end of the first issue I knew virtually nothing about the characters and while I knew the basic political set up I had no understanding of the reason or rhyme. The idea itself, political activist students get caught up in a futuristic civil war between a federation and a would be independent planet, is a good idea. We've seen similar before but done well sci-fi rebel stories can be a blast. Considering that those stories already exist and are much, much better then this, there's no reason to buy this comic.

Batgirl #9

This was a very enjoyable comic but I'm going to bitch about it anyways. My big problem is that I was expecting this to be the conclusion of the crossover with Red Robin which would make sense, this being the next issue and the crossover being, you know, a crossover between two comics. I guess I was ridiculous to expect this crossover to be formated like every other crossover ever. Also doesn't it kind of kill the suspense of the next issue of Red Robin (which I guess will be the conclusion of the crossover) to have this issue come out first? Once I got over that it was a good issue although I still have a problem with Stephanie Brown. Not her personality because she's very likable, but the concept of her as a superhero character. They've basically created her to be the Batversion of the hapless, semi-incompetent hero that only in the business because it's the right thing to do and only gets by on determination and a little luck. This works fine for characters with superpowers, we can believe that Blue Beetle can take out 10 dudes, because he has got magic powers. The whole Batfamily stretches believability but we as readers buy into it because they're suppose to be the best of the best, the smartest, fastest, strongest, most highly trained, and highly funded group of "normal" humans on the planet. Stephanie is none of those things. It makes her unique, and the book itself has been good, but I just can't buy into the concept.

PunisherMax #6

"Oh good," you think "a Jason Aaron book, he won't bitch about that." Wrong! The first eight pages of this are a waste...well kind of. I understand exactly why Aaron wrote them, he's establishing Bullseye for anyone who doesn't know who he is. That's all well and good but he does it based largely around bathroom humor (another Garth Ennis staple that I guess Aaron wants to keep)which I've never been a big fan of. My personal tastes aside it's still a problematic scene, it's predictable. You know from page one, panel one exactly what's going to happen which I might have been okay with if I found the execution funny instead of gross and boring. Bitching aside this bit:

actually did make me laugh out loud. Dillon's art is still great and Aaron's take on Frank (as seen in that first page) is still spectacular. Like his Wolverine Aaron's Punisher speaks exactly the way you'd expect, behaves exactly the way you'd expect, and, largely thanks to Dillon, looks exactly the way you'd expect.

Unwritten #12

This is the best issue of the Unwritten yet, considering how much I've loved the first eleven and considering it was nominated for 3 Eisner awards, that is saying quite a lot about just how fucking good this issue is. I've heard some other people talk about these one-offs as pleasant diversions that fill out the world of the story but as someone who has read Carey and Gross' phenomenal Lucifer series I can almost guarantee that each of these stories will tie in to the saga of Tom Taylor. That being said this issue is a stand alone story and is so funny, smart, and gorgeous to look at that you'd be a fool not to give it a chance.

...and you know what they say about fools, they should get an education lest they be pitied by large black men wearing copious amounts of gold chains.

That's it for this week, nice to leave on a good note after all my nerd-rage. Comment below.

-egs

Are people excited for the A-Team movie?

Comicbook Pregame: week of 4/14/10

2010-04-13T09:40:00.004-07:00

Join me once again, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Mercury HC (by Hope Larson), $19.99
Mercury GN (by Hope Larson), $9.99

Pretty looking indie cartoons from Eisner Award-winner Hope Larson, check it out.

Wolfskin Hundredth Dream #1 (of 6), $3.99

Brutal barbarian brutality from Warren Ellis, it's brutal.

Hellcyon #1 (of 4), $3.50

Sci-fi civil war. Art looks pretty and it's only 4 issues, seems like a good risk to take.

Brightest Day #0, $3.99

3.99 for a biweekly book. You really think that's a good idea DC?

Daytripper #5 (of 10), $2.99

This has been fantastic. Each issue is stand alone so if you missed the first four you should still pick this up.

Ex Machina #1 (New Printing), $1.00
Image Firsts Age Of Bronze #1, $1.00
Image Firsts Savage Dragon #1, $1.00
Hulk #1 (Marvels Greatest Comics), $1.00

More dollar issues, yay.

Flash #1, $3.99

Manapul's art is excellent but Rebirth sucked so much that I have no interest in this.

Unwritten #12, $2.99

The thrice Eisner nominated comic you should be reading.

Women Of The DC Universe Series 3 Batgirl Bust, $60.00

These Amanda Conner designed busts are adorable. If I collected such things these would be at the top of my list.

Art Of Tony Harris Art & Skullduggery HC, $49.99
Art Of Tony Harris Art & Skullduggery HC (Signed & Numbered Edition)(per IDW), $79.99

Too rich for my wallet but it should be very pretty.

Kill Shakespeare #1, $3.99
Pantheon #1 (of 5), $3.99
Pilgrim #1, $3.99
Wire Hangers #1, $3.99

A bunch of #1s from IDW none of which sound any good. Pantheon is a movie pitch for Michael Chiklis and Pilgrim is written by the dude who did the Transformers movies. The others might be readable....maybe.

Black Widow #1, $3.99

3.99 for an ongoing Black Widow comic. You really think that's a good idea Marvel? Still, that is a great cover:

Iron Man Legacy #1, $3.99

3.99 is a bit much but Van Lente writing and Kurth drawing makes this hard to resist.

New Mutants #12, $2.99

The next chapter in the Second Coming, dig it.

PunisherMAX #6, $3.99

Jason Aaron, Steve Dillon. The first story arc was phenomenal, I expect nothing less from this issue.

Savage Axe Of Ares #1, $3.99

I've been loving this old school black and white anthologies that Marvel's been doing. This one features Ares, a character I've enjoyed immensely since the dynamite Oeming/Foreman mini.

Siege Captain America #1, $2.99
Siege Loki #1, $2.99

Siege tie ins. Most likely they'll be completely skip-able but solid.

Spider-Man Died In Your Arms Tonight TP, $19.99
Spider-Man The Gauntlet Volume 2 Rhino & Mysterio HC (Premiere Edition), $19.99

One of the best superhero comics on the stands, if you haven't been reading Spider-Man here's your chance to catch up.

Teen Aged Dope Slaves And Reform School Girls TP, $20.00

Best title of the week.

Inu Yasha Volume 47 TP, $9.99

47 volumes?!? Maybe you should drag it out some more, I'm sure it hasn't gotten old at all.

Yotsuba & ! Volume 8 GN, $10.99

This is an extremely lovable comic. Really great stuff, highly recommended.

There is also a whole horde of books coming out from IndyPlanet. Don't know if they're any good but it's worth browsing the website. Always on the lookout for cool new creators.

That's all for this week, join us next time when I totally talk shit about something you love.

-egs

Favorite BatCharacter that is not Batman? Comment below.

Comicbook Postgame: week of 4/7/10

2010-04-12T22:34:00.011-07:00

Every week I take a look back at the comics that deserve discussion, damnation, and/or praise. I spoil, I curse, I have sex with your mom...like, all the time.

S.H.E.I.L.D. #1

This is Hickman's best work for Marvel, by far. Reshaping the history of the Marvel Universe is a big undertaking and one that could easily go awry. First you have to navigate through decades of stories and even if you manage to do that without contradicting other works, the fans could still hate the changes you make. Fear not boys and girls, Hickman and Weaver have deftly constructed a tale that simultaneously adds depth and intrigue while flowing seamlessly with our understanding of Marvel history. It also delivers cool geek-out moments like that above wherein Imhotep fights an invasion by the Brood alongside characters like Apocalypse (pre-celestial tech) and the original Egyptian Moon Knight. Or when Galileo beats back Glactus in 1582. Or when Leonardo DaVinci built a steam punk rocket pack(?) and flew to the sun to save the world. Behold:

It goes without saying that the art is quite good. Hickman has always had a wealth of cool and interesting ideas but he hasn't always been able to present them as a coherent story, not so here as, despite all the big concepts, the book is driven by the story. Hickman does enough with the main character, Leonid, and his situation to hook the reader into his experience. The small things like Leonid's reaction to his father or the Immortal City, it's not much, but it's enough to make him real. Hickman also smartly avoids relying too much on fanboy knowledge. Not every flashback is necessarily connected to superheroes or villains and even the ones that are don't count on you knowing it. The fathers of Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic are a part of S.H.E.I.L.D. but even if you didn't recognize them it's not crucial to the story, it's just a nice detail for the hardcore. It's a great start and a meaty read I highly recommend picking up this issue.

Wolverine: Weapon X #12

Okay so I know it was established in the fondly remembered Age of Apocalypse that Logan could totally loose a hand but it's always really bugged me. Dude has a healing factor! Even if your saying that somehow the whole adamantium bones thing didn't prevent limb loss it would grow back. (I know that gets into a whole other pseudoscience argument about joints and tendons and the inability to move if they were covered by an unbreakable metal.) I'm disappointed in you Aaron and that's what really hurts. That aside this was another good issue I just felt like nerd bitching.

Uncanny X-Men #523

Relief, the Dodsons are back, this is a good thing. The Second Coming got off to a pretty good start last week and Fraction and the Dodsons continue that goodness here delivering a bit of everything. They've managed to smartly separate the various teams and pace out the action sequences so the event should hum along. I really liked that Fraction found the time to add a some human touches with Hope and Cable. The scene where she jumps ecstatically on the hotel bed and the one in which Cable gives her the hair/beauty supplies adds so much impact to scenes like the one above where shit is blowing up. Hope hasn't been around long but scenes like that, especially when drawn by talented artists, really help endear a character to the audience.

Thor and the Warriors Four #1

I picked the page above because I thought in encapsulated a lot of the reasons why this was good. There's the obvious humor with The Pet Avengers failing to introduce themselves, some serous drama with the older kids trying to convince Frog Thor to help them save their Grandma, and some great detail/comedy work in the background as the younger kids goof around. I'm not sure how much of the is writer Alex Zalben and how much is Girihuru but both did a stand up job on this. As always Girihuru delivers a fun, dynamic comic with clear layouts and expressive characters. Zalben equals his artist with a funny, surprisingly heartfelt, issue. Zalben seems to understand that just because it's a kids story doesn't mean you can't talk about real things. People die, life is sometimes scary, bad things happen, no matter how hard parents or writers try and hide it these things are true, denying them won't make them go away and kids have to face them just like adults do. It also shows ample talent to balance the somber bits of the story with the humor and fun of the rest of the issue without feeling forced and unnatural so kudos all around. Then to top it off you get a back up story by Coleen Coover...

...that also excels. I love the expression that the Power Pack kids have as they listen to Herc's story. Not as much as I love the lion's expression however, as that shit is priceless. I haven't laughed as much at a funny animal expression since Frank Castle punched a polar bear.

Star Wars: Purge: The Hidden Blade #1

That is entirely too many colons. Anyways, in this issue Darth Vader fights not one, but two Jedi. He also slaughters a bunch of rebels. You should know by now if you want to buy this comic.

Turf #1

The first thing you'll notice about Turf #1 is that it's beautiful. The second thing you'll notice about Turf #1 is that it's beautiful. By the third time though you might notice that it's actually a pretty good story too. It's a mash up of a prohibition-era gangster story with vampires and even more surprisingly, aliens. Somehow it actually works together. Part of this is because Tommy Lee Edwards absolutely kills it blending the 30s style crime look with just enough gothic horror so the vampires feel right at home even the alien stuff blends while still looking alien and otherworldly. That's not to lessen Jonathan Ross's script as it does a capital job of thematically tying in themes of addiction, power, corruption, and greed that spans all three stories connecting them as one. If there's one critique I have of the script is that he harps on his themes a bit too much without the subtlety that a seasoned comics writer might have. Overwriting is a common problem with writers that have never, or don't often, work in comics and Ross does suffer somewhat from it, but the plot, characters, and dialog are all strong enough to overcome any redundancies in the narration.

It's an exciting week when you have four #1s and all deliver.

That's all for now, we've had one winner in the Comment Challenge 2010 contest, will you be next? Comment below.

-egs

I'd talk about Batman and Robin but at this point you should know enough just to buy it.

Answering the age-old question

2010-04-10T01:37:00.004-07:00

What comic do I give to a n00b to get them interested in comic books? There is simultaneously no answer and a million answers to this question.

By the time I left my last job I had no less then 8 people reading comics and they were all reading a mixture of different things that I selected for them.

Two were pretty easy, both had read Marvel and DC as kids/teenagers, both were artists, all I had to do was find quality superhero books with good art and they latched on. One, as a matter a fact, is now buying even more comics then I am. In their cases I used books like The Immortal Iron Fist, The Ultimates, and New Avengers.

Another coworker was a long time Star Wars fan as well as a big fan of crime/gangster movies/novels. For him I prescribed Dark Horse's Star Wars comics and a large helping of Brubaker and Phillips, largely Criminal.

Two more were fans of fairy tales and fantasy novels, for them Gaiman, Carey, and Willingham. Even the one who looked at me like I was a crazy man for giving her a comic admitted to loving Gaiman's work afterwards.

Two more had been swept up in the excitement connected with the plethora of comic related movies. Wolverine (Claremont/Miller), Watchman, Punisher: Welcome Back Frank, and Essential X-Men had them reading comics on a nightly basis even when their significant other made fun of them for it.

Another was interested in comics for her kids. Outside of the kid friendly stuff she even ended up reading more adult stuff like Umbrella Academy.

Pretty much everyone damn near cried with WE3, laughed out load at Kick-Ass, and loved Scott Pilgrim.

The fact is there is no 1 answer to this question. For every reader there is a comic. They might not know about it, but a comic exists that they will love, it's just a matter of finding it. If there is a person or people in your life that you want to share the joy of comics with ask questions, find out what they like, and then choose appropriately. Remember you are an ambassador of a strange, largely unknown land, don't insist and don't be a jerk if they disagree. Try giving them a couple different things and let them find their own groove.

So go forth champions of comicbookdom and spread the word, and that word is variety.

-egs

Three posts in one night, so much for needing a social life.

This is old news but...

2010-04-10T01:10:00.002-07:00

Since hitting the interwebs 2 months ago I've watched this trailer at least a half a dozen times, I really like it. Spider-Man is, of course, one of the greatest superheroes ever created and Wes Anderson is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers. I realize that this is a joke and that the two styles clash immensely but damn if I don't want to see a full out Wes Anderson Spider-Man. Wes, if you're reading this, you're not but if you are, I will give you all the money in my bank account, that is like 20 whole dollars, if you make Spider-Man. Think about it.

-egs

Of course I give you like 20 whole dollars every time you make a movie but still.

2010 Eisner Nominations

2010-04-09T22:30:00.005-07:00

Eisner award nominations came out yesterday, I figured I'd weigh in. The list below is the nominations, my comments will be in bold.

The 2010 Will Eisner
Comic Industry Award Nominees

Best Short Story

* "Because I Love You So Much," by Nikoline Werdelin, in From Wonderland with Love: Danish Comics in the 3rd Millennium (Fantagraphics/Aben maler)
* "Gentleman John," by Nathan Greno, in What Is Torch Tiger? (Torch Tiger)
* "How and Why to Bale Hay," by Nick Bertozzi, in Syncopated (Villard)
* "Hurricane," interpreted by Gradimir Smudja, in Bob Dylan Revisited (Norton)
* "Urgent Request," by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The Eternal Smile (First Second)

In what will be a fairly common thing, I haven't read any of these. I was a big fan of American Born Chinese so i guess I'd lean towards Yang and Kim's story.

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

* Brave & the Bold #28: "Blackhawk and the Flash: Firing Line," by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz (DC)
* Captain America #601: "Red, White, and Blue-Blood," by Ed Brubaker and Gene Colan (Marvel)
* Ganges #3, by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics)
* The Unwritten #5: "How the Whale Became," by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
* Usagi Yojimbo #123: "The Death of Lord Hikiji" by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse)

Not a bad list, my favorite single issue of 09, Northlander 17, isn't listed so I guess I'll go Unwritten #5 which was very good.

Best Continuing Series

* Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy et al. (Vertigo/DC)
* Irredeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!)
* Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
* The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
* The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image)

I actually stopped reading Fables early last year so that's out (not that it was bad, but it really lost steam lately and it reads so much better in trade). The Unwritten is the only I'm reading regularly but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see 20th Century Boys win with Urasawa being awesome and all the good word of mouth it's getting. No Scalped? Really?

Best Limited Series or Story Arc

* Blackest Night, by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Oclair Albert (DC)
* Incognito, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)
* Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ Media)
* Wolverine #66-72 and Wolverine Giant-Size Special: "Old Man Logan," by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines (Marvel)
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

If Blackest Night or Old Man Logan wins someone needs to be shot in the face. Both are okay but neither compare to the other nominations. It's a coin toss between Pluto and Incognito for me.

Best New Series

* Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
* Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick, art by Tony Parker (BOOM!)
* Ireedeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!)
* Sweet Tooth, by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo/DC)
* The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)

My pick is The Unwritten but Chew was the talk of the town.

Best Publication for Kids

* Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, by Jarrett J. Krosoczeka (Knopf)
* The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, by Eleanor Davis (Bloomsbury)
* Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme (First Second)
* The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon)
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young (Marvel)

I have not read any of these. In fairness I am not a kid...legally.

Best Publication for Teens

* Angora Napkin, by Troy Little (IDW)
* Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
* A Family Secret, by Eric Heuvel (Farrar Straus Giroux/Anne Frank House)
* Far Arden, by Kevin Cannon (Top Shelf)
* I Kill Giants tpb, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura (Image)

I only read I Kill Giants, but it was very good.

Best Humor Publication

* Drinky Crow's Maakies Treasury, by Tony Millionaire (Fantagraphics)
* Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me, And Other Astute Observations, by Peter Bagge (Fantagraphics)
* Little Lulu, vols. 19-21, by John Stanley and Irving Tripp (Dark Horse Books)
* The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets, by Roger Langridge (BOOM Kids!)
* Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrm vs. the Universe, by Brian Lee O'Malley (Oni)

Scott Pilgrim should win every year it comes out. hell, it should probably win even on years it skips

Best Anthology

* Abstract Comics, edited by Andrei Molotiu (Fantagraphics)
* Bob Dylan Revisited, edited by Bob Weill (Norton)
* Flight 6, edited by Kazu Kibuishi (Villard)
* Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe Keatinge (Image)
* Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays, edited by Brendan Burford (Villard)
* What Is Torch Tiger? edited by Paul Briggs (Torch Tiger)

Flight is always great...I haven't read of any these.

Best Digital Comic

* Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl,
www.abominable.cc
* Bayou, by Jeremy Love,
http://zudacomics.com/bayou
* The Guns of Shadow Valley, by David Wachter and James Andrew Clark,
www.gunsofshadowvalley.com
* Power Out, by Nathan Schreiber,
www.act-i-vate.com/67.comic
* Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart,
www.sintitulocomic.com/

I haven't read any of these either. Finding out that Kerschl and Stewart have webcomics means I have new webcomics to read.

Best Reality-Based Work

* A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Footnotes in Gaza, by Joe Sacco (Metropolitan/Holt)
* The Impostor's Daughter, by Laurie Sandell (Little, Brown)
* Monsters, by Ken Dahl (Secret Acres)
* The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
* Stitches, by David Small (Norton)

All of these sound very good. Does anyone want to send me one or more of them for free? From what I hear, A Drifting Life should win

Best Adaptation from Another Work

* The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton)
* Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Michael Keller and Nicolle Rager Fuller (Rodale)
* Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, adapted by Tim Hamilton (Hill & Wang)
* Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
* West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

Only read The Hunter and it was great. It will almost definitely win although I can see some votes for Crumb.

Best Graphic Album-New

* Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzuccheilli (Pantheon)
* A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton)
* My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
* Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Almost every blog and comics website says that Asterios Polyp was the best comic of '09 so I'd be really surprised if it didn't win.

Best Graphic Album-Reprint

* Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC)
* A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, by Josh Neufeld (Pantheon)
* Alec: The Years Have Pants, by Eddie Campbell (Top Shelf)
* Essex County Collected, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
* Map of My Heart: The Best of King-Cat Comics & Stories, 1996-2002, by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly)

Essex County is really fucking good. The idea that Justice is nominated in the same breath is kind of ridiculous.

Best Archival Collection/Project-Strips

* Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
* Bringing Up Father, vol. 1: From Sea to Shining Sea, by George McManus and Zeke Zekley, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW)
* The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley's Cartoons 1913-1940, edited by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics)
* Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, by Gahan Wilson, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
* Prince Valiant, vol. 1: 1937-1938, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
* Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Walt McDougall, and W. W. Denslow (Sunday Press)

Apparently I don't read enough comics.

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books

* The Best of Simon & Kirby, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, edited by Steve Saffel (Titan Books)
* Blazing Combat, by Archie Goodwin et al., edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
* Humbug, by Harvey Kurtzman et al., edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
* The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
* The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon)

Look at those names, whoever win deserves it.

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

* My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)
* Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme (First Second)
* West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)
* Years of the Elephant, by Willy Linthout (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

??? So someone really should send me some free comics.

Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia

* The Color Trilogy, by Kim Dong Haw (First Second)
* A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
* Oishinbo a la Carte, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki (VIZ Media)
* Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ Media)
* Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

2 nominations for Urasawa, he is a master. I wonder if he won't spit the vote resulting in a win by Tatsumi.

Best Writer

* Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel) Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)
* Geoff Johns, Adventure Comics, Blackest Night, The Flash: Rebirth, Superman: Secret Origin (DC)
* James Robinson, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC)
* Mark Waid, Irredeemable, The Incredibles (BOOM!)
* Bill Willingham, Fables (Vertigo/DC)

Out of this list, Brubaker. Even in a so-so year he is better then anyone else on this list. But really, no Aaron, no Morrison, no Ellis, no Fraction, no Gillen, no Kelly, no Urasawa while Johns and Robinson get nods. That is crazy town. Waid and Willingham are quality dudes so I can't argue them but Robinson was second only to Loeb in most mocked writer in the industry and Johns is the very definition of pedestrian. Though it's hard not to vote for Morrison every year, I'd have voted for Aaron.

Best Writer/Artist

* Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
* R. Crumb, The Book of Genesis Illustrated (Norton)
* David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
* Terry Moore, Echo (Abstract Books)
* Naoki Urasawa, Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka (VIZ Media)

This is a loaded category, all of these people are worthy of accolades. It'll probably be Mazzuccheilli this year. As I said Asterios Polyp was the most celebrated book and traditionally the Eisners have not favored manga.

Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction

* Reinhard Kleist, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness (Abrams ComicArts)
* Willy Linthout, Years of the Elephant (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt)
* David Small, Stitches (Norton)
* Carol Tyler, You'll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)

Damn it, I really need to read more comics. My vote, having never read any of these, goes to Kleist cause he did a comic book about Johnny fucking Cash.

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

* Michael Kaluta, Madame Xanadu #11-15: "Exodus Noir" (Vertigo/DC)
* Steve McNiven/Dexter Vines, Wolverine: Old Man Logan (Marvel)
* Fiona Staples, North 40 (WildStorm)
* J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)
* Danijel Zezelj, Luna Park (Vertigo/DC)

McNiven and Vines killed it on Old Man Logan but I can't see anyone but J.H. wining this year.

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

* É Bravo, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
* Mauro Cascioli, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC)
* Nicolle Rager Fuller, Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation (Rodale Books)
* Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children's Books)
* Carol Tyler, You'll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)

I'll say Jill Thompson just because I'm familiar with her work and she didn't draw Cry for Justice.

Best Cover Artist

* John Cassaday, Irredeemable (BOOM!); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
* Salvador Larocca, Invincible Iron Man (Marvel)
* Sean Phillips, Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon); 28 Days Later (BOOM!)
* Alex Ross, Astro City: The Dark Age (WildStorm/DC); Project Superpowers (Dynamite)
* J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)

A lot of really talented people, Cassaday and Phillips are two of my absolute favorites and Ross and Larocca certainly aren't slouches themselves. Still, this has been the year of J.H. Williams the Third (Now I really want to see Williams III draw Lupin III).

Best Coloring

* Steve Hamaker, Bone: Crown of Thorns (Scholastic); Little Mouse Gets Ready (Toon)
* Laura Martin, The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures (IDW); Thor, The Stand: American Nightmares (Marvel)
* David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
* Alex Sinclair, Blackest Night, Batman and Robin (DC)
* Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Luna Park (Vertigo)

Again, talented people all around but it's Dave Stewart. There's a reason he does so much work, he's the best.

Best Lettering

* Brian Fies, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? (Abrams ComicArts)
* David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
* Tom Orzechowski, Savage Dragon (Image); X-Men Forever (Marvel)
* Richard Sala, Cat Burglar Black (First Second); Delphine (Fantagraphics)
* Adrian Tomine, A Drifting Life (Drawn & Quarterly)

Errr...the key to good lettering is to flow seamlessly and avoid notice. I did not notice any of these people so I guess they all did a good job.

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

* Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
* ComicsAlliance, edited by Laura Hudson www.comicsalliance.com
* Comics Comics, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel
(www.comicscomicsmag.com) (PictureBox)
* The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti (Fantagraphics)
* The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon
(www.comicsreporter.com)

ComicsAlliance is my choice. It's updated constantly by a staff of funny intelligent writers and reports on everything that matters. They should really think about adding a separate blog category, not just so I have a shot at an Eisner but because there are some great comics blogs out there that really enhance the comic reading experience (mine is probably a bad example).

Best Comics-Related Book

* Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel, by Annalisa Di Liddo (University Press of Mississippi)
* The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)
* The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, by Helen McCarthy (Abrams ComicArts)
* Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, by Eric P. Nash (Abrams ComicArts)
* Will Eisner and PS Magazine, by Paul E. Fitzgerald (Fitzworld.US)

Not only do I not read enough comics, I don't read enough comics-related books either.

Best Publication Design

* Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC)
* The Brinkley Girls, designed by Adam Grano (Fantagraphics)
* Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)
* Life and Times of Martha Washington, designed by David Nestelle (Dark Horse Books)
* Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press)
* Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? designed by Neil Egan and Brian Fies (Abrams ComicArts)

All of these are nice. The Brinkley Girls looks especially pretty.

And that's it. A pretty diverse list this year. That makes me happy. Outside of the glaring 0 nominations for Scalped and the lack of a nomination for Yatsuba& not a bad line up. There was so much great art last year I feel bad for people like Marcos Martin, Amanda Conner, Peter Gross, JRjr, Chris Bachalo, and the many more who didn't get recognized. Please know that you are appreciated.

...Also send me free comics.

-egs

Seriously, free comics, I will review them, I can be bought.

Mixed Bag

2010-04-08T22:03:00.005-07:00

Going to be trying some new things here on the blog including these "mixed bag" posts. The basic idea is that i have a few things to talk about but not in depth enough to justify having their own posts.

Greg Rucka is leaving DC.

So what? No really, cause people are freaking about this and I don't think it's a big deal. No mistake Rucka's a good writer but it was made pretty these last few months that without J.H. Williams III his Detective Comics were mediocre, and I'm sure DC can find plenty of people to write mediocre Batwoman and Question stories (it just so happens that I can write mediocre Batstories and am available). Really fans of Rucka should be glad that he can make money doing his creator-owned stuff. As for fans of Batwoman, J.H. Williams III still works for DC. Which is good news for any DC fan whether they give a crap about Kate Kane or not.

I'm really excited for Scott Pilgrim

Mainly for July 20, 2010 which is when the sixth and final volume of the comic phenomenon comes out. Oh, I guess there's also a movie too:

Okay so that actually does look pretty fucking awesome. I think I'm coming to terms with the fact that the movies going to be it's own thing and I'll try and judge it accordingly rather then constantly think of the stuff they don't include. It won't be easy since my love for the comics is as deep and true as Batman's love for perching on gargoyles.

Speaking of things I have an unreasonably high quantity of love for...

Sylvester Stallone alone is enough to get me to see almost any movie, add in Jason Statham, Jet Li, and a cameo from almost every big action star of the 80s (Segal was suppose to be in it but turned it down at the last minute due to some drama with one of the producers) and that is box office gold. Well not really but I'm excited. Before you scratch your head too hard, Sly's last two movies, Rocky Balboa and Rambo (4), were fantastic. Both were the best entries into their respective franchises since the first films and both were written and directed by Stallone, just like The Expendables.

So... I never got around to those reviews.

So yeah, I'm sorry about that. I know I said I write up some full reviews of Up in the Air and Planet Hulk (the movie) and then I totally didn't. Now it's been awhile and the details are beginning to get a little fuzzy so I'm just going to do some quick reviews.

Up in the Air

This is a really, really good movie. Clooney has been on an absolute tear lately and the last two movie of his I saw, this and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, were fucking great. This movie marks the high point in the carrier of Jason Reitman by being better then the much celebrated Juno or the darker, lesser known, Thank You For Smoking. There's also brief appearances from Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, and Sam Elliott who are all cool dudes. Clooney plays a man with a job that requires him to travel almost year round solely to fire people. He lives out of a single piece of luggage, going from airport to hotel room and back unburdened by possessions, guilt, family, friends, or love. So yes it has some drama mixed in their but it's also really funny. It's probably the best film I've seen in at least a year (although The Fantastic Mr. Fox was great) so if you haven't seen it, see it.

Planet Hulk (movie)

I really like the comic this film was based on so, as we touched on earlier, it's hard for me not to compare the two. The real lacking of the movie, even if I didn't know the more fleshed out comic, is that it's way too short. It's 81 minutes long, not even a full hour and a half. That's fine for some stories but this is an epic tale of slaves, messiahs, aliens, gladiators, wars, and rebellions. It's just too much tale for 81 minutes. That being said, it's still pretty enjoyable. The core story is still there and it's still good as the enslaved Hulk fights his way to freedom only to find himself serving as a religious and political leader in a revolt against a tyrant king. A story made even better by the additions of various monsters, aliens, and robots. Most things could be made better with such additions. The one thing that does really elevate the movie is the soundtrack, which is sweet. The voice acting is good and the music is epic. Guy Michelmore scored the film and hats off to the dude because it was just about perfect. It's one thing that the comic, by the very nature of being a comic and, you know, not having a soundtrack, can't match. Would still recommend you read the book but if that's not your thing the movies not a bad way to kill 81 minutes.

I'm giving Buffy the Vampire slayer one last try.

I mentioned before that despite loving Firefly, Dr. Horrible, and Whedon's X-Men I just could get into Buffy. My attempts before basically consisted of catching a few episodes on FX and being unable to forgive it for being about vampires and not featuring Alucard (Hellsing), or D (Vampire Hunter D), or even Blade (Blade). Well I recently discovered that Netflix had season one streaming so I thought what the hell, I'll give it one last go. Last night I watched a couple episodes and live twitted my thoughts. If your interested I'm @egseitz, link. It has it's moments but I'm really not sure I can make through 7 seasons of this.

I'm watching Naruto again.

I had stopped because of filler. Once I catch back up I'll probably start posting weekly reviews. Likewise I stopped watching Bleach last time they went into filler mode so if anyone would be so kind as to alert me when real episodes start again that'd be great.

Speaking of letting me know things...

2010 Comments Contest!

So I got a comment on my last post from comic writer/reviewer Alex Zelban largely, I think, because I said he was a cool dude. So I have decreed that the next four people to comment on the blog (any post, new or old) will receive official 'cool dude' status from me, your humble blogger. That's right, I will publicly acknowledge you as a cool dude or dudette. Enter today!

...by commenting.

-egs

Named as an official cool dude or dudette, think of how jealous your friends will be...if you had friends.

Comicbook Pregame: week of 4/7/10

2010-04-06T22:27:00.004-07:00

Join me once again, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Star Wars Purge Hidden Blade (One Shot), $3.50

Per the solicitation this seems like the Darth Vader vs Jedi showdown I've been waiting 15 issues of Dark Times for.

Batman And Robin #1, $1.00
Batman And Robin #11, $2.99
Batman And Robin Deluxe Edition Volume 1 Batman Reborn HC, $24.99

It's nice of DC to re-offer issue one for only a buck, the first three issues remain the best of the run. The 1st trade also hits stores Wednesday and despite some pretty bad art on a few issues is good stuff. Also, new Batman and Robin so yes to that.

Losers #1, $1.00

In time for the movie DC, well Vertigo, is also offering this up for a mere one dollar. I read this in trade and it's a lot of fun complete with big action and fantastic art.

Red Robin #11, $2.99

Part 3 of a so far solid crossover with Batgirl.

Image Firsts Chew #1, $1.00
Image Firsts Spawn #1, $1.00

More dollar issues, I love this trend.If you have any interest at all in a comic how can you not drop one unit of cash money.

King City #7, $2.99

NEW! Sweet.

Turf #1, $2.99

A new crime/noir story this time with art by Tommy Lee Edwards. That sounds pretty appealing but I've never heard of the writer. Will probably still check this out...actually looking again at the cover, is that a spaceship?!? Okay I will be buying this then.

Viking Volume 1 Long Cold Fire HC, $29.99

I would probably recommend this...at about half the price.

Avengers The Origin #1 (of 5), $3.99

Doing a little calculations Marvels asking you to spend 20 bucks for a decompressed version of a single issue of Kirby/Lee Avengers. Pass.

Daredevil Noir TP, $14.99

Putting aside all the jokes of this being redundant I never actually heard if it was any good.

New Avengers Luke Cage #1 (of 3), $3.99

For a few years I've heard people asking for a Luke Cage series, well this one has art by Eric Canete so double win for Cage fans.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, $3.99

Though I've yet to be blown away by Hickman's Marvel work this one looks awesome.

Thor And The Warriors Four #1 (of 4), $2.99

This ones written by Alex Zalben of Comic Book Club fame (well fame in a reviews comics sort of way). He's always seemed like a pretty cool dude so hey why not read this comic.

Uncanny X-Men #523, $2.99

The great thing about these big X-Events is you get a chapter every week. That's how all big events should be, it keeps the audience excited and prevents that burn out that happens when a story stretches past 6 months.

Vengeance Of The Moon Knight #7, $2.99

So... this is still happening.

Wolverine #66 (Marvel's Greatest Comics), $1.00

More comics for a buck, this ones worth it if only for the jaw dropping art.

Wolverine Weapon X #12, $3.99

Had to survive last week without a Jason Aaron comic, luckily, this week, we have this.

Dr Who Magazine #419, $8.40

I feel like I should probably know more about Dr. Who. All I know is that there's been a bunch of actors play him and he has like a magic phone booth, or powers, or super science or something. I think he can travel through time?

One Piece Volume 39 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 40 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 41 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 42 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 43 TP, $9.99

Holy crap, again with the five volumes at once.

That's all folks. Anything you're looking forward to? Comments.

-egs

What else you going to do with a dollar, go to McDonald's? McDonald's is fucking terrible. These comics have more nutritional value.

Comicbook Postgame: week of 3/31/10

2010-04-05T22:20:00.011-07:00

Gather your forces and divide them in to dramatically posed teams it's time for a action-packed look at last week in comics. Spoilers, cursing, and curmudgeon like behavior ahead.

X-Men: Second Coming #1

Hey remember the plot of Messiah Complex where in everyone, bad guy and good guy alike, chased after Cable and the kid for like 3 months? Hope you're ready to do that again. That's actually a bit more cynical then I actually feel. Despite the set up being eerily familiar this was not a bad issue. It does all the necessary first issue stuff; it introduces the cast, it presents the conflict, and it informs you of the stakes. Plus even with all that set up it provides some big action scenes.

The art is by David Finch and it's pretty good. If you like Finch and his kind of Silvestri/Image style you'll love it, if not, it could be a lot worse (see this week's X-Force below). Finch is solid when it comes to action and quite frankly the art on the X-Franchise is at a point where solid is a welcomed change. A random musing: this issue in which the 'Mutant Messiah' comes back was released a few days before Easter, that can't be a coincidence right? It's interesting to note that like Messiah Complex and Necrosha X the real driving force behind this crossover seems to be the stuff Kyle and Yost set up first in New X-Men and then in X-Force. It's intriguing if only because those books are seen as peripheries and sell much less then the flagship Uncanny or even Astonishing and Legacy. Seeing as Kyle and Yost are almost like the Geoff Johns of the X-Men I almost wonder if Marvel wouldn't be better served, at least financial, to give them Uncanny. And hey if that freed up Fraction to write some Iron Fist I wouldn't complain.

X-Force #25

You wonder if when Kyle and Yost get these pages they have as much trouble telling what the fuck is happening as we readers do. Even having written the story I think that sometimes they're confused. I'm not trying to attack Clayton Crain on a personal level or anything, for all I know he routinely saves puppies and feeds starving orphans, but damn man this shit is murky. That's not to completely exonerate the writers who criminally miss used the teleporter and kind of half-assed the resolution. I have no problem with them using some Native American magic to combat Selena but I think touching the spirit realm should be a bit more complex then painting your face. Shouldn't you need at least a ritual of some sort? I suppose they did have plenty of sacrifices. Ultimately though it's the art that fails it. It's hard to present a climatic confrontation between James and his brother (a climax not only of this story but of almost every story that Warpath has been in for almost 30 years) when you can barely tell a confrontation is even happening. A moment I did think was pretty sweet was the final showdown between Elixir and Wither, though it does remove a potentially interesting villain it was nice to get some resolution to a rivalry that was started like 8 years ago. Thus ends this incarnation of X-Force as the issue ends with them more or less disbanded. It will be interesting to see who joins Wolverine in the post Second Coming version.

Amazing Spider-Man #627

When I got to this page I couldn't help but laugh. ASM has had a bit of an old school vibe for awhile but this was straight up 80s style. While a throwback Roger Stern shows that he can still tell a good Spider-Man tale, revisiting two of his more famous stories; Spider-Man vs. Juggernaut and Spider-Man as Captain Universe. I confess I've never actually read those stories but I was still able to follow this just fine. Of course this is Stern who comes from a time in which comics needed to be new reader friendly even while building on previous plot points, writers didn't assume you'd read stories from before you were born (*cough*Geoff Johns*cough*). It helps a great deal to have Lee Weeks on art, he is very good. While his work doesn't quite have the dynamic action of recent artists like Martin, Bachelo, or Pulido his style is beautiful, his layouts flow, and his design sense is great. Unlike the X-Books it seems that only top notch artists are working on the Webhead these days. The Spider-Man offices should give themselves a pat on the back, they've done good yet again.

The Sword #23

I love this page. And no, not just because someone is getting a sword jammed through their head. I mean it's partly that but mainly I love the way the Luna Brothers fuck a bit with your expectations. They start playing the old 'revenge is a fools game' angle, flashing back to Dara's father teaching her about forgiveness and non-violence and for just a moment you wonder what she'll do. Will she actually give up her quest and let Malia live? Embrace a life of peace? Fuck no, stab. And this isn't even the biggest spoiler in this issue. It seems the Lunas had one more twist up their sleeves. They do a nice job of raising the stakes for next issues finale.

Blackest Night #8

So I posted this panel because it's really the only one worth talking about. I maintain my opinion the Blackest Night was utterly okay. Johns is a mediocre writer with a lot of tendencies that irk me to no end but he can write a solid big action story which is what this is. I was sort of disappointed that he punked out and had Sinestro fail so Hal could save the day, not that anyone really expected any different. Despite a few flaws, mostly with stupid dialog, Blackest Night was fairly enjoyable. It also surprisingly had consistently good artwork from Reis and company who finished all 8 issues on schedule without a fill in and without sacrificing quality. This seems like it should be common place but alas it is not. But back to the panel above (okay so I guess I had a few things to say about the rest of the book after all). Since their's only one character that I really care about let me say welcome back J'onn J'onzz, The Martian Manhunter. The rest of these people, no offense, but I couldn't care less. Max Lord? The Hawks? Firestorm? Really was the DCU so lacking without these people? Take Osiris, he was a decent enough character but nothing so unique or appealing that you couldn't just invent a new similar person that would have a clean slate, one who fans both new and old could enjoy on equal terms. I will admit I'm intrigued to see what they'll do with a living Deadman. Also, while I'm fine with DC picking and choosing which characters get to come back shouldn't Johns at least try and give some sort of explanation as to why these people came back while others who were standing right next to them did not?

That is rhetorical, the answer is yes.

The real problem here is that it once again shows DC's backwards looking philosiphy, a philosiphy that I strongly disagree with. I understand that Didio and Johns love these old characters and want to bring back the DCU of their childhood (Hal Jordan Green Lantern, Barry Allen Flash, Arthur Curry Aquaman) but it stagnates the books and repeals new readers. Whatever benefits you get from bringing back a good character are crushed by the weight of continuity baggage that come with him or her. Part of this is just bad writing as Johns and others focus their stories on the past instead of moving the rebirthed characters forward. I don't believe continuity its self is a bad thing but when every plot and subplot is tied into 40 and 50-year-old stories I think you have a problem.

Punisher #15

Fuck yes. Frankenstein Punisher mowing down a bunch of zombie Nazis, what more do you want in life? What's that, Frakencastle riding a fire-breathing dragon while firing a rocket launcher at Samurai monster killers on top of an ancient castle.

Ask and ye shall receive. So yeah this was awesome. The only slight downside was the lack of Tony Moore art but Boschi does an admirable job filling in. Other then that one slight complaint this issue, and this story has been perfect. They've tried three times to do the Punisher as a dark and serous movie, and each time has ended in varying degrees of failure, next time do this story. It is action-packed, funny, dark, perverse, dramatic, for fucks sake it's a story in which the reanimated corpse of a mad vigilante joins with a band of legendary monsters to fight the samurai who killed Godzilla and who are lead by a crazy living head encased in a steampunk exosuit after his fight with Dracula who uses magic to raise zombie Nazis!

Nothing can follow that so that's all for tonight. Comment below onegaishimasu*.

-egs

*it means por favor

Comicbook Pregame: week of 03/31/10

2010-03-30T22:09:00.005-07:00

Join me won't you, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Governator #1, $3.99

This is a great idea for a few strips in a webcomic, not sure it can fill a whole issue.

Littlest Zombie #1, $3.50

This sounds pretty good but seriously enough Zombie stuff for a while.

Sonic The Hedgehog #211, $2.50

211 issues?!? Really? Wow.

Rasl #7, $3.50

Love Jeff Smith's Bone but I still haven't checked this out. From what I hear it's great.

Blackest Night #8 (of 8), $3.99

In this issue Sinestro saves the day and Hal Jordan is revealed to be impotent. SPOILER.

Detective Comics #863, $3.99

MMmmmm...J.H. Williams cover.

Gotham City Sirens #10, $2.99

I like Guillem March's art, I don't care if it is cheesecakey.

Dragon Age #1, $3.99

Based on the hit video game is usually code for stay the fuck away but the Penny Arcade guys have been doing comics for Dragon Age and this issue features Orson Scott Card who, despite political views, is a hell of a writer.

Transformers #5, $3.99

For a Transformers series this has been a bit of all right.

Image Firsts: Walking Dead #1, $1.00

Cool, I've been meaning to read this. This 'Image Firsts' program is a good idea for a promotion, way to go Image.

Image Firsts: Youngblood #1, $1.00

This 'Image Firsts' program is a terrible idea for a promotion, way to go Image.

Amazing Spider-Man #627, $2.99

Roger Stern's first issue as a regular part of the writing team, fingers crossed.

Fantastic Four #577, $2.99

Still waiting for this to start being a story and not just an idea. Lets hope it starts here.

Iron Man Extremis HC, $24.99

Now that Tony no longer has the Extremis armor buy the book where he gets it. A bit slow but Warren Ellis and Adi Granov tell a solid Iron Man story.

New Mutants #11, $2.99

Eleven issues in and this has already tied into two big events, that's usually not a good sign. This issue is written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Niko Henrichon so I have high hopes.

Punisher #15, $2.99
Punisher MAX #1 (Marvel's Greatest Comics), $1.00

Two Punisher books that are worlds apart but both are awesome. Well at least MAX is and Frankencastle has been so I expect this issue to be rad, that's right, rad.

Women Of Marvel Poster, $8.99

Alan Davis, 'nuff said.

X-Force #25, $2.99

The X-Necrosha finale ships on the same day as the Blackest Night finale...awkward.

X-Men Second Coming #1, $3.99

Not sure what to expect out of this event but the last massive X-Men crossover (Messiah Complex) was the best big crossover Marvel had done in years so let's hope this one can be its equal. Also let's hope Greg Land's not drawing any of it.

Johnny The Homicidal Maniac HC (New Printing), $44.95

I'm pretty sure this is one of the books that I'm suppose to read but 45 bucks.

Pluto Urasawa X Tezuka Volume 8 GN (of 8), $12.99

I've only read the first three volumes but damn were they good. Really looking forward to finishing the series.

Wizard Magazine #224, $5.99

Wizard is still being published, good for them.

Zombie Ninja Pirates Card Game, $17.95

It had to happen.

Tokidoki X Marvel T-shirt Line

Cute.

That's all that caught my eye this week. Anything I missed comment below.

-egs

Not even going to mention the ridiculous Bluewater books anymore...except for right now when I did, but that was just to say that I'm not mentioning them...err, anymore...starting now.

Comicbook Postgame: week of 03/24/10

2010-03-29T22:15:00.012-07:00

One week older, one week wiser. What will our newly found wisdom have to say about comics? Let's find out. Spoilers ahead.

Orc Stain #2

It took awhile to come out but it was totally worth the wait. First off the book is gorgeous. I highly recommend you expand the image above too see a little bit of what I mean. I really liked James Stokoe's black and white art in Wonton Soup but his use of colors totally elevates his work here to another level. The book is also funny, interesting, and completely unlike anything else on the market. Much like his fellow cartoonists Bryan Lee O'Mally (Scott Pilgrim) and Brandon Graham (King City) Stokoe adds so much depth through small, crazy details like this:

I have no idea why that can of unknown liquid is seemingly alive, or why a living creature filled with juice would have a pop-top, but it's awesome. It's very hard to world build effectively while being original which is why so much fantasy relies on your basic sword and sorcery ideas (Lord of the Rings and D&D). While Orc Stain clearly didn't invent Orcs what Stokoe is doing with them is unique and by adding little details like the living, quasi-inanimate objects gives the reader an excitement that only comes with discovering something that feels truly fresh and new. It's also really funny. Be forewarned you do get one panel of orc penis so there is that.

Nemesis #1

So Steve McNiven drew this comic...I guess,I mean that's what it says anyways, it doesn't really look like Steve McNiven but Mark Millar would never lie to us right? That being said the arts not bad by any means it just lacks the usual McNiveny goodness of McNiven. From time to time artist do play around with styles and that perfectly okay I just don't think this was his best work, I suspect he's drawing a bit faster to speed up the process of this selling to a Hollywood studio and McNiven making more money then he's ever made before. Honestly, I'm okay with that. It kind of sucks for us comic fans but if it means a big paycheck for a great artist and allows Steve McNiven to afford to stick around drawing comics then I'm cool. You might also notice that this is drawn basically like a storyboard, convent if you're chosen to direct the adaptation that I assume will be announced a week or two after Kick-Ass comes out. It's also quite possible that McNiven read the script and decided that this was all it deserved. Not that it's bad but it is severely lacking. Where Kick-Ass and much of Millar's other work is bolster by quite a bit of humor this seems to be taking itself entirely too seriously. Since this is only a four issue mini-series it probably would have been wise to make the characters a bit more engaging. While Millar peppers in a few odd details the cop never really connects and Nemesis is kind of bland. What kind of villain is Nemesis? Does he enjoy what he's doing, because he kind of seems board. I guess he's really smart but he doesn't speak like it. And maybe it's cause I read quite a few comics during the Bush years where The President was killed, captured, or humiliated (including Millar's own Ultimate X-Men) that that's really lost it's potency. Like the art the story's fine, I'm sure it will make a decent flick, but it was a disappointment.

The Guild #1

If you've never seen The Guild click here and/or here and enjoy. The comic is written by regular series writer and star Felicia Day (who has like 1.8 million followers on twitter, absolutely crushing a lot of main stream hotties, nerd chicks FTW) and has much the same feel as many of the episodes. The art is by Jim Rugg who also drew the much celebrated Afrodisiac. He's quite good and does a really nice job capturing facial expressions and body language. It's not necessary to have seen the show since this serves as a sort of prequel for season 1 but it really is a book for fans of the show. But really, the show is free, why wouldn't you watch it? I do feel that without the rest of the cast the first issue is a little sadder and not quite as funny as the show but still enjoyable and pretty.

Amazing Spider-Man #626

I have no complaints to get a comic drawn by Gaydos but I'm not sure he's the best fit for Spider-Man. That being said this was another great issue of ASM. I'm not sure if it's the writers or the editors but the Spider-Team is doing a great job at pacing out the ongoing plot threads, letting relationships develop slowly while changing things often enough to prevent malaise or boredom. The ongoing subplot of Peter's roommate Michele has been great starting as strangers that didn't get along, the unseen romantic twist which then lead to a funny and dramatic hostel living environment for Peter, and now they're almost friends. It took it's time but never got to repetitive. If you're not reading Spider-Man you are missing out.

Scalped #36

If you've been reading the blog you know I love Scalped and I routinely gush praise all over it and Jason Aaron's Marvel work. This is the issue were I finally say something negative. This issue is not as good as the last two... of course the last two were just about as good as any 2 comics you'll ever read so that's not much of a damnation, in fact this is still really good. I was a little worried at first that the twist in this issue was a cheap ploy to drum up shock but I should have had more faith because by the end Aaron had totally sold me on the concept. I usually don't worry about spoilers but i know a lot of people read Vertigo books in trade so I won't say what the twist was but I certainly wouldn't have guessed it after the first 35 issues. The art by Furno is solid and fits completely with the style of the series and this issue specifically. You should really be buying Scalped, it's a +4 to Wisdom and a +2 to charisma.

Power Girl #10

The best thing about the panels above, there are girls in the comicbook shop. It always irks me when even nerdy shows/movies/comics act as if a girl in a comic shop is some kind of impossible dream. I see girls in comic shops all the time, not that they out number the dudes by any means but still, not the second coming. So, much love to Amanda Conner for drawing a normal comic shop and not some uber nerd parody. It really is too bad that the creative team is leaving after #12 because this book continues to impress. As always Amanda Conner's art steals the show but I don't want to shortchange Gray and Palmiotti who are writing an almost perfect fun, old school superhero comic. If DC is smart (and that is a big if) they'll release the whole 12 issues in a nice trade. If they do, I highly recommend checking it out for good, superhero times.

What's Conner drawing next?

That's all for now. Another short week but that doesn't mean comments aren't appreciated and expected.

-egs

Seriously the whole "holy shit a girl in comic shop, wwwhhaaattt?!?" was the proverbial straw for Heroes.

Comicbook Pregame: week of 10/24/10

2010-03-23T22:15:00.003-07:00

On the eve of new comic Wednesday I bring you a short look at comics of interest.

Supergod #3, $3.99

I'm a sucker for these Warren Ellis Avatar minis. Lots of cool ideas.

Guild #1 (of 3), $3.50

I do love The Guild but do I love it enough for a comicbook spin off? Yeah I probably do, especially since it's written by Felicia Day.

Northlanders #26, $2.99
Northlanders Volume 3 Blood In The Snow TP, $14.99

A new single issue Northlanders for those of us up to date on our viking goodness while the trade waiters get a heaping helping of Brian Wood and company. The trade collects all the one shots and short stories that have come in between the longer arcs. Quite frankly they're the best issues yet. Wood himself said that they're the best work he's ever done and I see no reason to disagree. That is one awesome trade, buy it.

Power Girl #10, $2.99

We found out this week that issue 12 will be this creative teams last. Saviour them.

Scalped #36, $2.99

Scalped comes out this week. You know of course that this means that next week I will spend a fair amount of time praising Jason Aaron. Be prepared.

Robert Jordans Wheel Of Time #1, $3.99

So this will be done with what, issue 1500?

King City #6, $2.99

New material starts next issue yeah? Can't wait. Oh, I almost forgot, I found one of Graham's old erotic comics, it was hilarious. Not sexy really but it was damn entertaining.

Orc Stain #2, $2.99

Stoke is another artist much in the same vain as Graham and similarly I enjoy his work immensely. It's been a while since issue 1 which was my fear what with Stoke writing, drawing, coloring, and if I'm not mistaken, lettering the book by himself. Still looking forward to it.

Amazing Spider-Man #626, $2.99

Fred Van Lente, Michael Gaydos, and the Scorpion. Spider-Man is a must read for any superhero fan.

Captain America #604, $3.99

Chris Evans has been cast as Cap but who else will fill out the cast? Oh the comic? Yeah you should buy it, it's been good.

Nemesis #1, $2.99

So I kind of don't want to buy this if only cause it could take for ever to finish but I'm sure that if nothing else it will look very pretty and give us all a lot to debate and analyze so I probably will.

New Avengers #63 (Siege Tie-In), $3.99

Sounds like a closer look at some of the battle that's been going on. Could be just what people want with the Siege mini only being 4 issues long.

Thor Tales Of Asgard By Stan Lee & Jack Kirby HC, $29.99

If you've never read this old Thor stories you should. Awesome stuff. Kirby art with some off Lee's best scripting.

Thor #608, $2.99

Keiron Gillen is doing a real nice job with his Thor run. It would have been easy for this stop gap between JMS and Fraction to be a piss poor holding pattern but I've really enjoyed it.

Uncanny X-Men #522, $3.99

Kitty's coming back! And if that wasn't exciting enough, no Greg Land!

X-Factor #203, $2.99

Let's hope they got those art problems figured out. PAD deserves better.

Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #68, $3.25

They're still making Ninja Turtle books? Sort of intrigued.

Anime & Philosophy SC, $19.95

This sounds interesting. If anyone knows more about it then the Amazon description (like if it's worth reading) please let me know.

That's all I have to say on that. Anything you're excited about this week? Comment below.

-egs

Hey Astroboy comes out on DVD this week. I never saw the old anime or read the old manga but I've been reading Pluto (which is sensational) so now I want to see it. Is it any good?

Comicbook Postgame: week of 03/17/10

2010-03-21T20:21:00.013-07:00

What the hell, might as well start with the big to-do. Spoilers, curse words, and reviews ahead.

Siege #3

First off, Oliver Coipel's art is so good that I'm thinking about getting a sex change so I can bear his children (reality be damned). A bit of an exaggeration but damn can he draw pretty. Bendis has been slowly building The Sentry into a villain but Coipel's art really helps sell it with some amazing panels of The Sentry looking all kinds of evil and badass.

That is a great line Bendis. In general it seems Bendis has really learned from his last two attempts at telling a big crossover, Siege has been action packed with plenty of big moments. That's not to say it hasn't had some problems. The whole set up was a tough pill to swallow and you could argue that Bendis is compressing the story a bit to much but the last two issues of been a lot of fun. It seems that often with these big events everyone is excited going in but that excitement quickly fades away whereas Siege has gotten progressively better with each issue and I find myself psyched for the finale.

For those of you not reading it a quick recap: Norman Osborn (The Green Goblin) has been in charge of national security for the last year (Marvel taking a bit of a shot at The Patriot Act, Guantanamo, and The Bush Administration in general), he's been progressively losing control of the situation, in issue 1 he lays Siege to Asgard, home of Thor and the Norse gods (it's now in Oklahoma long story), this is basically the final straw as Norman losses his government backing and the true heroes of earth, lead by the newly returned Captain America, unite to take him down. In this issue Thor and The Sentry mix it up and Cap, with an assist from Iron Man, takes Norman down. It's then revealed that Norman has completely lost it having painted(?) his face to look like the Green Goblin and that the real problem is The seemingly unstoppable Sentry who destroys Asgard and looks poised to do the same to The Avengers and company. It's been good old fashion superhero fun. I look for Phobos, son of the Sentry slain Ares, to join the fight in issue 4 and play a pivotal role in The Avengers victory. Phobos is the god of fear after all and Sentry knows much fear, plus he still has the Grasscutter sword that was made to kill gods. If you've been sleeping on Siege because you didn't like House of M or Secret Invasion pick it up, it's much better then either of those series even at half the size.

Speaking of dead gods...

Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1

I talked a bunch about Herc last month and about how much I enjoyed the character and the book so no surprise that I liked this. This is a simple 2 part mini about the funeral of Herc which will then lead into the new Prince of Power staring Amadeus. It's really good. Like the entire Herc run it balances humor and drama masterfully. There are some really funny scenes like Amedeus poring a beer out for Herc, or like the women Herc has been with telling stories of his...exploits (the reaction shot of the guys is priceless), or Northstar running off so as to not to share his Herc stories. There's also some touching moments of people dealing with loss. The back up by Tobin and Brown was the best Agents of Atlas backup yet so you really get your moneys worth.

X-Men Legacy 234

I'm a sucker for these one shot character pieces and this one's pretty good. It's a nice break from Necrosha and continues to build Rouge, Gambit, Magneto, and several of the New X-Men who have been left without a book to call their own. And yeah, Rouge and Magneto make out and I find that pair kind of fascinating, they even tease the Rouge/Iceman connection which was another interesting almost in the annuls of X-Relationships. Basically Rouge gets telepathy for a day and causes a bit of havoc with her personal life as well as here new role as camp councilor to the young mutants. This is a book that's great for fans of the 90s soap opera X-Men done much better, with more depth and reality.

Choker #2

I can't help but think about Fell when I read this but that's not necessarily a bad thing as Fell was a fantastic comic. Similarities not withstanding this is an enjoyable as well. Templesmith's art is great as always though it's not for everyone and McCool's (is that really your name?) script is tightly plotted with solid dialog. It's a classic sci-fi, ex-cop, noir story set in a city that makes Gotham look nice. Not the most original thing but well done. If that's the kind of story you dig you could do a lot worse.

Joe the Barbarian #3

I talked about the first two issues before, brief recap: it's good. This issue continues that goodness. It's a pretty and simple story but it's so well executed. Murphay's art continues to shine and Morrison, whether doing big concept wackiness or straight forward adventure, is the best writer in comics. Boys and girls of all ages can enjoy this fun romp where sewer pirates driving submarines catch giant sea-monsters for breakfast.

Amazing Spider-Man #625

Joe Kelly is killing it. I mentioned before that I'd finally read I Kill Giants and I will be reviewing it in full soon and I promise I will. It seems as though IKG started a streak in Joe Kelly's career where he can do no wrong, everything he's written since has been fantastic. Kelly's proven in previous issues that he can definitely do the classic Spider-Man humor and with this issue and his last he tears out your heart with powerful drama. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Fiumara on art because, damn, this book looked good, really good. ASM is one of the top three superhero books on the market right now and it's issues like this that prove it.

S.W.O.R.D. #5

Note, this actually came out last week but I didn't read it until now. Wow, this got really good. I enjoyed the first issue all right but each issue just got better and better to the point where now I'm officially joining the small group of people who actually read the series in lamenting it's loss. Not that I really expected a series staring Abigail Brand, Beast, and Lockheed to last for long but I will miss it. If anything this, the Ares mini, and his short run on Thor has proven to me that Kieron Gillen is a name to look for, this cat can straight up write comics. I'll even say that while I initially found his odd looking Beast distracting Sanders steeped up his art in a big way and drew some fantastically fun panels:

So while I'll miss S.W.O.R.D. the real question is: what are these guys doing next? Cause we're all going to be wanting to buy that.

That's all for now, sorry for the delay. Please comment below, it will validate my existence.

-egs

Insert joke here.

Comicbook Pregame: week of 03/17/10

2010-03-16T20:59:00.005-07:00

Another week, another look at the upcoming comics and comic related merchandise.

Time Lincoln (One Shot), $3.99

You cocksuckers. I guess great minds do think alike.

Robotika Volume 2 HC, $19.95

Due to all the various troubles with Archaia this took along time to come out, but it's good stuff. The art, as you might be able to tell with the cover above, is pretty sweet. Like the original this combines sci-fi, western, and samurai elements with a little humor and a lot of action. So if that sounds like something you'd like, check it out. Also if you were annoyed with the cyborg's speech bubbles in the first volume, they fixed them for this one.

American Vampire #1, $3.99

Art looks great but I'm tired of vampire shit.

Joe The Barbarian #3 (of 8), $2.99

Check the cover...

...that looks awesome.

Battlefields #4 (The Firefly And His Majesty Part One), $3.50

Ennis + war comics = good

Green Hornet Year One #1, $3.99

Don't really care about the comic and I stoped caring about the movie once Stephen Chow dropped out.

Choker #2, $3.99

Did you like Fell? (You should, Fell was fucking great.) This is a lot like Fell.

I Kill Giants Titan Edition Volume 1 HC, $39.99
I Kill Giants Titan Edition Volume 1 HC (Limited Signed/Numbered Edition), $50.00

I mentioned yesterday that I finally read this. I'm going to try and do a full review soon but in short, I really liked it.

Amazing Spider-Man #625, $2.99

Is this still only 36 times a year, cause it seems like much more, which is totally okay with me.

Captain America #1, $1.00

Brubaker and Epting's first issue of Cap for only a buck. The first issue is pretty good and the run, which is back on track after Reborn, will be remembered as a classic for years to come. It's very good.

Dark Avengers Ares TP, $24.99

This includes both the 3 issue tie in to Dark Reign and the 5 issue mini from a few years ago. Both are terrific. You don't need to know anything about Dark Reign or Marvel comics, as a matter of fact I picked up the first issue of the original mini without even realizing it was a Marvel book. If you like big action with heart (the original story is all about the relationships between fathers and sons as is the second series to some extent) you'll love this.

Doomwar #2, $3.99

The first issue impressed me so I guess I'll check this out. Doom vs. The Black Panther, Storm, and several X-Men.

Hercules Fall Of An Avenger #1 (of 2), $3.99

I did a week long salute to Herc, so yeah, I'll be reading this.

Siege #3, $3.99

This week's big issue. I'm actually excited for this and the cover art looks fantastic. Hopefully Bendis keeps up the pace and this doesn't fizzle out like the last two Bendis events.

Wolverine Origins #45, $2.99

This is still happening? Wow. Really? Really? Wow.

X-Men Legacy #234, $2.99

X-Men romance drama! Hell yes.

D&D Players Handbook 3, $34.95

They really want me to spend a lot of money, don't they?

That's all for this week. There's an area below that you can put comments, so maybe you should do that.

-egs

There's also a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun, but I don't suggest you go there.

Comics Postgame: week of 03/10/10

2010-03-15T21:15:00.012-07:00

If you're wondering why I'm late in posting this here's the reason. Plus now that I have to get up all early for work (3 more weeks of seeing the sunrise) this maybe a bit shorter then usual.

And now my musings on the good, bad, and the ugly this week in comics, there will be spoilers...role for initiative.

Daytripper #4

Last month I said this book was amazing. I haven't changed my mind. If you don't like this book you should be forced to watch Uwe Boll films until your head explodes and you smother yourself with your own freshly removed stomach lining.

Solomon Kane: Death's Black Riders #3

Solomon Kane is the kind of Christian who believes that God helps those who help themselves. He also believes in killing the fuck out of any monsters or demons foolish enough to get within a 100 miles of Solomon Kane. Shortly after the exchange above Kane blows the head off a four legged demon with not one but two musket shots, before stabbing it and then using it's corpse as a defensive barrier. Later he has to beat a skeleton apart with a big candelabra. So yeah, pretty fucking cool. Kane plans to hold a besieged position and pick the horde apart as the attempt to breach his defenses but when it's revealed that the demons have the power to light fires with their very touch...

...Solomon Kane ushers forth to meet the pack in open combat.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #8

So Ultimatum happened and I didn't read it because Loeb is a bad (and not in a 90s slang kind of way) writer and it had been at least a year since I'd cared in the slightest about any of the Ultimate books but that lead to the Ultimate Spider-Man relaunch which, 8 issues in, is the best this book has ever been. That's actually saying quite a lot since the original 130 plus issues were some of Bendis' best work and it was one of Marvel's most consistent titles but it's true. This is an extremely fun book. Bendis speak, while sometimes sounding odd coming from the Avengers, sounds perfect as young Peter Parker and company quip their way through big superhero action. The art this issue is by Takeshi Miyazawa who, much like regular artist David Lafuente, brings a young vibrant energy to every panel. This issue starts out with Spidey, Iceman, and The Human Torch making fun of Rick Jones for being the typical reluctant hero despite having awesome superpowers. It's a nice bit of a tong-in-check look at the genre convention as Jones derides the trio's names, costumes, and missions while they call him out on being such a bitch. They all teleport to a SHIELD facility where the run into The Ultimate Serpent Squad along Rick to embrace his awesome powers and allowing a really good running joke as Bobby hits on the various members of The Squad.

Just good stuff all around. Having Gwen, Johnny, Bobby, and sometime Kitty move in with Peter was an inspired choice and I'm loving this book.

Batman and Robin #10

So Bruce is leaving clues in the past for Dick and company in the present. It's kind of surprising that Bruce never found them himself...unless, he did find them and knew this was going to happen this whole time. Which is the kind of wacky stuff that you can do with time travel. By weaving Bruce through time Morrison seems to be creating this weird, integrate back story for the Waynes and for Gotham its self. I'm officially excited for the adventures of Caveman/Pirate/Cowboy/Puritan/Detective Batman as he tries to escape the ultimate death trap; time. Also really curious what Morrison is going to do with Damien (and slightly worried that what ever he does will be quickly destroyed by the writers and editors that follow him) now that Talia wants him to kill Dick. With Bruce coming back I'm not sure Damian still makes sense as Robin but I've so enjoyed having him around, if only to fuck with the other Batcharacters, that I'd like to see him stay on even after his old man in back in cape and cowl.

The other two Battitles this week, Batgirl and Red Robin, were also pretty darn good. Not B&R good, but they're solid superhero titles with fun action, solid art, and a satisfying story. It's a really good time to be a Batfan (all things must have Bat in front of them as established by the TV show).

Unwritten #11

This continues to be fantastic. What really stood out about this issue was the amazing art (seriously maximize that pic above and check that shit out) as Jimmy Broxton joined the aways great Peter Gross on art duties. My usual heaps of love that I pile onto Carey still apply. If you're a reader with any interest in fantasy, history, or literature this is a book you must read, hell, even if you're not this is a book you should read.

Punisher Max #5

One look at Fisk's face in that last panel and you know how it's going to play out but damn if it's not fan-fucking-tastic. I don't do a book of the week but if i did this would be my hands down pick. Since I started the blog it seems like not a week goes by that I don't give a verbal hand job to Jason Aaron but that's not going to stop me from doing it again, this guy is the real deal. Seriously, in the span of just a few years Aaron has established himself not just as an up-and-comer but as one of the best writers in the industry. Why DC didn't lock him down while he was working for Veritgo I'll never understand and if Marvel is smart they will sign him to a 50 year deal. I haven't even mention Steve Dillon who is the perfect guy to draw all Punisher stories, or at least all the good ones. Dillon takes the comedy, tragedy, and violence and somehow makes them all work together. Plus he draws pages where Frank Castle kills people by dropping safes on their heads.

I said last week that the key to a good Punisher story was combining violence, comedy, and fucked up stuff and making them all work together. This issue certainly dose all that with an extra large does of the tragic fucked up stuff. (SPOILER: How fucked up was it that Fisk immediately tells his wife "We'll have another one."? That is one stone-cold motherfucker)

That's all for now. Make a D20 roll to comment below.

-egs

Reviews upcoming for Planet Hulk (the movie), Up in the Air, and I Kill Giants as soon as I stop wasting time sleeping.

Comic Book Pregame: week of 03/10/10

2010-03-09T20:29:00.004-07:00

Join me won't you, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest. Only one day late, I'm catching up.

Cat Named Haiku, $5.95

Children's stories in haiku, cute and educational.

Solomon Kane Deaths Black Riders #3 (of 4), $3.50

More Robert E. Howard goodness from Dark Horse. Sword-wielding puritan badass surrounded by demons in need of killing. I trust Solomon Kane will fulfill that need.

Batgirl #8, $2.99

Be aware this is part 1 of a crossover with Red Robin. Former lovers reunite to fight evil, drama will, I'm sure, ensue.

Batman And Robin #10, $2.99

This is shipping biweekly now isn't it. That is awesome!

Ex Machina #48, $2.99

It's a pity that so close to the end this book is shipping too infrequently to really garner much buzz or excitement. It's been a great run and it will surely live on in trades but my personal excitement for it has really waned of late. I do look forward to setting down with all 50 issues and reading them all again without the delays.

Red Robin #10, $2.99

Part 2 of the crossover, see above.

Unwritten #11, $2.99

Nazis, ghosts, and resolution to last issue's cliffhanger (someone was shot in the chest), sign me up.

A-Team Shotgun Wedding #1, $3.99

WARNING, does not feature Mr. T and the T Force.

Image United #1 (Of 6)(Signed & Numbered Collectors Edition), $25.00

WARNING, this will never be worth $25 and is not a collectors item.

Amazing Spider-Man #624, $2.99

More new Vulture action, WARNING no John Malkovich.

Cable #24, $3.99

2 years latter real time, 17(?) years latter in book time will they finally finish this fight?

Criminal The Sinners #5, $3.50

I think this is all we're going to get out of Criminal for a while as Phillips is working on other things so savor the shit out this one folks. I will impatiently wait for it's return.

Mystic Hands Of Dr Strange #1 (Black & White), $3.99

Dr. Strange one-shot by these people:

Kieron Gillen, Peter Milligan, Ted Mckeever, Mike Carey, Frazier Irving, Frank Brunner, Lucio Parrillo

You're going to want this one.

PunisherMAX #5, $3.99

Another week, another Jason Aaron comic. Who says there's no God? ...Too much?

Runaways Parental Guidance HC (Premiere Edition), $19.99

How many times have they repackaged Runaways? Surely everyone who wants to read it has plenty of purchasing options by this point, is one more really necessary?

S.W.O.R.D. #5, $2.99

Last issue. The blogasphere weeps, only a few thousand readers notice.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #8, $3.99

More with Bendis's young Peter Parker, arts is still by Takeshi Miyazawa, I assume this is the issue where we find out what's going on with Rick Jones (Cocaine is a hell of a drug.).

Vengeance Of The Moon Knight Must Have (issues 1-3), $4.99

Labeling a Moon Knight book 'must have' - a bit of a stretch Marvel.

X-Men Forever #19, $3.99

I think I'm done with this.

X-Men Pixie Strikes Back #2 (of 4), $3.99

I know this will probably get me some heat from other bloggers, but i didn't really like the first issue all that much. Also, while at times funny, and always very pretty, wasn't huge on Hellcat.

Tick Color Series Complete Works Volume 2 TP, $34.95

SPOON!

Serenity Atlas Of The Verse Volume 1 TP, $39.95

The Browncoats strike again! ....I still miss Firefly, it was beyond great.

FF XIII Play Arts Kai Lightning Action Figure, $39.99
FF XIII Play Arts Kai Snow Action Figure, $39.99
FF XIII Play Arts Kai Vanille Action Figure, $39.99

Expensive action figures from a game I may never play (it's getting terrible reviews and I don't own a PS3). Still, it's Final Fantasy.

That's it for this week. Anything you're looking forward to?

-egs

Now I will anger the Whedonites that suddenly have a higher opinion of me knowing my undying love for Firefly (and Dr.Horrible and his X-Men) by admitting that I don't like Buffy. Bring it Buffy fans.

Comic Book Postgame: week of 03/03/10

2010-03-08T22:04:00.018-07:00

Two days late but I'm still bringing the pain and praise for the week in comics...a bit more pain this week.

It's weeks like this that I'm really grateful to Conan, because Conan delivers.

Conan #19

Month in, month out Conan is just a pleasure to read. So this issue picks up with Conan in a swamp a few days after all his comrades were killed in a vicious battle, he's sick, either from an infection of his wounds or from the raw rats and assorted swamp vermin he's been surviving on, then, he sees a vision. It's Almalric, the former commander of the mercenary band that Conan eventually lead to their demise. Usually in this situation you'd assume it was just a result of Conan's fever but this being a series were the main character sometimes fights demons and snake people it could very well be a ghost. Almalric is none to pleased that Conan has lead his men to their ruin and demands an explanation. Conan provides, and thus we get the meat of our story. Conan is leading his men into battles, tearing across the country side taking what they please (though Conan does not permit rape, the purchasing of whores with stolen loot sure, but not rape).

Meanwhile a super hot, half naked princess is sold into a harem...

...but our princess is more then she claims. It seems she's there for perfidious matters of assassination. Artist Tomas Giorello who has been sharing art duties throughout the Conan relaunch gets this issue all to himself and he delivers. He's pretty much the perfect guy to follow in Cary Nord's foot steps, combining a lot of the raw passion and grittiness the Nord brought but with his own style and sensibilities. Truman's scripting meanwhile is the best Conan has seen since the early Busiek issues. So yeah, bloody battles, seductive harem assassins, fights with ghosts, and this is only the first issue of the story arc. Also, has a few pretty good jokes, some of them about fucking horses but hey, it's a Conan book, what do you expect?

Wolverine: Weapon X #11

It's pages like this that elevate Aaron and Garney's Wolverine from good to great. You'd think it would be pages like the one were a dude made out of granite has his head chopped of by a cyborg assassin from the future...and well you'd be partly right since that was pretty awesome, but the devil is in the details as they say and these guys get it. And by it, I mean Wolverine, and by extension the other Marvel characters that guest star in the various issues. Lots of people have drawn Logan in cowboy boots and a hat, but not many add a Native American belt buckle. Meanwhile you have Steve in the combat/hiking boots, with the star buckle and it's just so perfect. Then you have the dialog, no talk about heroing just two old men talking about bars and a changing world. Also, you're damn right Logan listens to Hank Williams Sr. My only complaint here is that poor Nightcrawler isn't even allowed to hangout in the bar with them, he's just sitting outside in the Blackbird waiting to drive them around. Come on Logan that's like your best friend not some damn chafer, I realize he's your DD but at least let the dude hangout with you guys. Oh yeah, and there are a bunch of Deathlocks trying to kill Captain America next issue and Wolverine and Cap (Bucky) get to fight them, so that'll be pretty sweet.

Invincible Iron Man #24

So I had a lot of problems with this issue but Doc Strange taking a dudes gun apart with magic before laying into him with kung-fu, absolutely no problem with that. I've said a lot of positive things about the Fraction/Larroca run on Iron Man and I still think the book over all is pretty good but this issue was a big let down. This is the conclusion of this story arc as Tony is being rebooted and fighting his way through his own mind to regain consciousness just in time to defeat a super villain. Sounds pretty awesome but for some reason wasn't as exciting as one would hope. Then we get to my big issue, the end. If you remember right before Secret Invasion there was a lot of talk about Tony being a Skrull, since they'd basically made him into a villain with Civil War. Everybody pretty much agreed that this would be a huge cop out and in the end it turned out that Tony was indeed Tony Stark and thus responsible for all his bad decisions. Well it turns out the memories that Stark saved for his reboot were made Pre-Civil War so now they can easily brush that all aside. I know it's comics and it's a long standing tradition to come up with some over the top sci-fi reason to redeem a creators favorite character (*cough* yellow space bug *cough*) but Stark wasn't that far gone, he could have been redeemed the old fashion way, by working for it. Now Fraction might still be planing some sort of apology/forgiveness sub plot between Stark and the other Avengers but isn't it largely hollow now? This version of Tony Stark never did those things so how can he truly overcome them?

Detective Comics #862

So remember a few months ago when some people said that once J.H. Williams III left this book everyone would realize how utterly average it was? Those people were right.

The Sword #22

HOLY SHIT LUNA BROTHERS! After 21 issues of shocking violence I didn't think you had anything left that would astound me and make me curse out loud. I was wrong. Chick rips out Dara's uterus! Wow. Two issues left and this will make for a nice collection of trades. Probably the best work The Luna Brothers have done. If your not familiar with The Sword the basic set up is that there are these 4 godlike beings that murder the main character, Dara's, family looking for this mystic sword. Dara survives thanks to The Sword and sets off for revenge. The plot thickens as the past is revealed, there is a lot of brutal and excellent fight scenes, and every arc also focuses on Dara's relationship with one of her dead family members in a way that is really quite touching without being sappy. Like Girls before it The Sword is clearly written for the trade but has had enough great cliff hangers that reading it in issues has been plenty enjoyable.

The Great Ten #5

This is a series no one is talking about, it's about 3 years too late to properly tie into 52 where the characters were introduced and it has absolutely nothing to do with Batman or Blackest Night. The thing is this is a good book. It's not ground breaking but each issue has been a highly enjoyable origin story of some very interesting and unique characters all the while carrying a ongoing plot. Big ups to Bedard and McDaniel (and I guess Morrison and Jones for the original character creation) for turning in a solid book. Honestly I enjoy it more then the Green Lantern stuff (controversy!).

Girl Comics #1

So first off Amanda Conner's cover is great as is Colleen Coover's introduction, both are fantastic artists. Now on to the stories. After I re-read this I realized that it was pretty normal for an anthology, some good, some bad, over all pretty decent, but I gotta tell you my first reaction to this was extreme disappointment. Since it's announcement this comic has been talked up, down, and sideways by the comic bits of the Internet and, well, I was expecting a bit more. Let's take a quick look at the individual stories:

The first story proper is a Nightcrawler tale by G. Willow Wilson and Ming Doyle and it's not very good. It's not terrible it's just very light on content. I guess the point is that Kurt may look like devil but is really an angel, don't judge a book by it's cover and all that which makes up for about 97% of all stories ever told about Nightcrawler and this one doesn't do it particularly well. Not a great start.

Next is the worst story in the book. Tina Robbins and Stephanie Buscema tell the story of the Greek/Roman goddess Aphrodite/Venus coming to Earth on a bet to prove that she can be as good of a superhero as Hercules. She then proceeds to get a job at a fashion magazine and do absolutely no superheroing. Granted the secret identity is a part of being a superhero/heroine but I'm pretty sure there's more to it then that. I suppose she does save the day in the end but this is still pretty terrible. That's two down, not off to a good start at all.

Luckily things drastically improve with a quite excellent Punisher story by Valerie D'Orazio and Nikki Cook. It's a simple idea, Castle pretends to be an underage girl online and then kills the perverts that he attracts. But it strikes the right balance of dark comedy, sickening dredges of humanity, and violence that all good Punisher stories have. Finally we have a winner.

Followed by a very funny 2 page Doc Oc story by Lucy Knisley. Now were talking. Doc Oc in a supermarket, thought bubbles sharing his sad life with the reader in a fun and funny way. These two stories mark the highlight for this issue.

But this one's not too bad, largely due to some great art by Agnes Garbowska. The story by Robin Furth is a slightly sci-fi take on Hansel and Gretel staring Franklin and Valeria of the Fantastic Four and it's pretty darn fun. The art is great, capturing the classic storybook feel while adding just enough gears and cogs to give a bit of a science twist. Good stuff.

Finally we have a story by Devin Grayson and Emma Rios. It's a bit of a revisit of the Jean, Scott, Logan love triangle with a neat twist and Emma Rios is art is terrific. Grayson who I didn't even realize was a woman during her Nightwing run (which I enjoyed) does a decent job here but it's nothing to write home about, thankfully Rios' art which seems to combine elements of manga with flowy European sensibilities makes it a good read.

Looking back on it it's pretty okay but typically these anthologies lead with their best stuff which makes me a bit worried for the remaining issues. Overall not bad, but certainly not the home run a lot of bloggers and creators were hoping for.

That's it for this week, it's way past my bedtime so good night y'all, comment below.

-egs

Oh, so a new Jeph Loeb book came out this week as well. I didn't read it, since, you know, Jeph Loeb, but I though I'd mention that I've come to terms with his books after discovering that kids love them. I'm not entirely sure that they're appropriate for children but they dig them and there should be some comics for people under 20. The only sadness I still have is that Loeb gets artists like Cho and McGuinness while Fraction and Morrison are saddled with artists like Land and Tan. Where is the JUSTICE! in that James Robinson, avid crier for things JUSTICE! related, where is the JUSTICE!

.......JUSTICE!

Two nerd passions collide in Heroman

2010-03-08T18:10:00.002-07:00

If you haven't heard Stan Lee created an anime series. Production was by Studio Bones so the animation looks pretty nice. Never been big into 'boy with giant robot' shows preferring 'boy pilots giant mech' but with east and west geekdom coming together like this I'll have to check out at least the first few episodes.

-egs

That is one American looking robot. Is this show set in Japan?

Obligitory IronMan 2 trailer post

2010-03-07T23:37:00.004-07:00

The first Iron Man was great so I actually have high hopes for the sequel. In fact, since I plan to be disappointed with The Last Airbender, Kick-Ass, The Losers and Scott Pilgrim this may be the film I'm most looking forward to in 2010. And yes, that's fucking briefcase armor people. Also the AC/DC song playing during part of the trailer, War Machine.

-egs

just for the hell of it here are some more trailers. As I said I plan on being disappointed in The Last Airbender but I still can't help but be a bit excited after watching this.

Movies that predate my birth...by quite some time actually

2010-03-05T19:56:00.006-07:00

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I just started a new job and am still adjusting to my new schedule that includes less time for sleep and, more regrettably, blogging. I should get in to a more frequent blogging schedule as I adjust. Or not, in which case it'll be more like 3 days a week, which still isn't too bad. Anyways It's Oscar Season and you know what that means...it means I'm going to talk about movies that came out almost 50 years ago. First off both of these films are streaming, for free, on Hulu, which is how I saw them.

Charade (1963)

Directed by
Stanley Donen
Written by
Peter Stone
Starring
Cary Grant
Audrey Hepburn
and
Walter Matthau
James Coburn

This is what I love about old movies, no matter the situation every character has a witting comment to make at precisely the right time. It's incredibly unrealistic of course which is why you don't see it in movies as much anymore, but it's damn entertaining. It's almost impossible not to like a character when they always have a snappy comeback. Keep in mind this isn't really a comedy, even though it has some very funny parts, it's a mystery thriller. Basic setup is as follows: Hepburn is on vacation planning to divorce her husband, during the vacation she flirts with Cary Grant who happens to be there. When she returns home to Paris she discovers her house destroyed and her husband dead. It turns out her husband was part of a group that stole $250,000 from the US government but then he betrayed his fellows and kept the money for himself, escaping to Paris. Now his confederates want the money back and are after Hepburn to get it for them, this is all news to her and she has no clue where the money is. Re-enter Grant as her benevolent savior who's not what he claims. The plot twists and turns, a few people are killed, lies are discovered, and throughout it all romance blooms between the reluctant Grant and the aggressive Hepburn. The mystery is all well and good but the real head scratcher here is the relationship between Grant and Hepburn. Putting aside the obvious age difference and the inexplicable reluctance for Grant to get him some of that, Hepburn discovers lie after lie that Grant has feed her and she still keeps trusting him. A woman's libber would have a field day ripping this movie up. Hepburn comes across as mostly weak and helpless, and so blindly in love with Grant that she's willing to forgive anything with little more then a shrug. I know their are people who keep going back to a partner with a history of lying but Grant gives her like 5 different identities and after each one she's mad for like 10 seconds before completely forgetting about it and trying to fuck him. Apparently if you're Cary Grant you can pretty much do and say whatever you want and you'll still get layed. In short, Cary Grant's a good gig if you can get it. If you can get past that particular hang up it's an enjoyable movie with some good performances, a decent mystery, and some cleaver dialog.

Zatoichi (1962)

Directed by
Kenji Misumi
Written by
Minoru Inuzuka
Kan Shimosawa
Starring
Shintarô Katsu

Though this is the first Zatoichi film it's actually the third that I've seen. Like all the others this film follows Zatoichi, the wandering blind swordsman, as he gets himself involved in some local Yakuza trouble. The film is very post war Japanese, meaning it's deliberately paced and anti-war/anti-violence despite being about a dude that kills people as for living. The pacing of Asian films is something that I've become accustom to but it's worth pointing out that the first action sequence doesn't occur until an hour into the movie so if you're just looking for balls out sword fights this may not be the film for you. The film instead focuses on the characters and the time and place. The film is a slow boil, building the atmosphere, along the people and the situation unfold slowly, all the while knowing that blood will be spilled and people will die. As I mentioned before post WW2 flicks from Japan tend to be anti-war and this one is no different, Zatoichi is ever reluctant to draw his sword, preaching against the Yakuza lifestyle to the would be love interest of the film. Even the conclusion, which features a large action sequence in which many people are killed, is presented in such a way that it seems more sad and pathetic then glorious and exciting. It also shows that that people with disabilities are far from useless, and shouldn't be judged on that alone. Zatoichi may be blind but he's the best swordsman, gambler, and masseur around. I kind of love that the never explain why he's so badass it's just like, hey blind people grab a sword and start practicing, man up and you could be this cool too. So yeah, good morals and shit. While not a great film it's a good start to an epic franchise and introduces the world to a fantastic character that is around to this day almost 50 years later.

-egs

Without Zatoichi there is no Toph.

Comic Book Pregame: week of 03/03/2010

2010-03-01T22:15:00.006-07:00

Join me won't you, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Bo Obama White House Tails (One Shot), $6.99
Female Force Sarah Palin (Going Rogue Edition), $3.99

Stop it Bluewater or I will find you.

Buck Rogers 1930s Collection Frame, $31.99
Buck Rogers 25th Century Frame, $31.99
Buck Rogers Collage Frame, $31.99
Buck Rogers Logo Belt Buckle, $21.99
Buck Rogers Ray Gun Belt Buckle, $21.99
Buck Rogers Ray Gun Cigarette Case, $29.99
Buck Rogers Rocket Man Belt Buckle, $21.99
Buck Rogers Rocket Man Cigarette Case, $29.99
Buck Rogers Small Card ID Case, $22.99
Buck Rogers Space Girls Unite Belt Buckle, $21.99
Buck Rogers Spaceship Small Card ID Case, $22.99
Buck Rogers Vintage Cigarette Case, $29.99
Buck Rogers Vintage Keychain, $12.00
Buck Rogers Wilma Cigarette Case, $29.99

Is it really a good idea to have all of these come out on the same day? Can even the most hardcore Buck Rodgers collector afford so much all at once?

Conan The Cimmerian #19, $2.99

Conan! Tomás Giorello returns on pencils to one of my favorite ongoings.

Detective Comics #862, $3.99

As much as I love Jock, and I fucking love Jock, it is a bit of a come down after the first 7 J.H. Williams' issues. This is still a very enjoyable book but the magic might be gone.

First Wave #1 (of 6), $3.99

Azzarello and Morales do pulp comics with Doc Savage, The Spirit, Batman, and more. Honestly I wasn't too impressed with that one-shot that came out a while back but the premise is intriguing and the art looks really good.

Great Ten #5 (of 10), $2.99

This series has been surprisingly enjoyable and this issue has a cool propaganda style cover, a technique that I never tire of. (Now that I've said that Marvel will publish a thousand variants using this technique and I will hate it.)

Planetary Volume 4 HC, $24.99

Your trade collection is complete Planetary fans. At least until they release an all in one omnibus.

Sweet Tooth #7, $2.99

First trade goes on sale May 12, 2010 according to Veritgo's website, can't wait to read it.

Warlord #12, $2.99

As a guy that loves Conan stories should I be reading this?

Sword #22, $2.99

The end approaches. Will Dara survive?

Amazing Spider-Man #623, $2.99

Another week another issue of ASM. Despite my frequent joking about One More Day, condensing the Spider-Man comics into one thrice monthly book like this is one of Marvel's best ideas in years.

Black Widow Deadly Origin HC (Premiere Edition), $19.99

They are getting ridiculously fucking fast on trade releases. Good job Marvel.

Girl Comics #1 (Of 3), $4.99

Still a terrible title but that's a shit load of talent on one book. I imagine this will be well worth picking up even at $5.

Invincible Iron Man #24, $2.99

I've really enjoyed the Iron Man relaunch but I hope that post Siege they pick up the pace a bit. I don't mind decompression but this seems a bit too slow. Still a definite buy, especially since this issue is the end of the arc.

Punisher MAX Butterfly #1, $3.99

These Punisher one-shot are usually enjoyable and this one looks particularly good.

Realm Of Kings Son Of Hulk #2 (Of 4), $3.99

As one of the like 50 people who actually read Son of Hulk to the end I'm really interested in what they'll do with Hiro-Kala.

Strange Tales HC, $29.99

I want to buy this since I missed the single issues but that's crazy expensive. Wasn't this series three, $5 issues? Even with "material from ALL SELECT COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL" that is entirely too much money. Guess I'll keep waiting until the library gets it or something.

Ultimate Comics Avengers #5, $3.99

Only what, two months behind schedule? That can't be right, Marvel better delay it some more or it won't feel like a Mark Miller book.

Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #1, $3.99

Is that the worst title in comics history. It might be especially when you add 'by Jeph Loeb'. At the very least the worst comic title of the last 10 years that I can think of. I really dig Frank Cho's art but I would rather be punched in the face then buy this book.

Wolverine Weapon X #11, $3.99

Have I mentioned how much i love Jason Aaron's work? I'm think I have but I'm not sure praising him every week is enough for you to truly understand how good this guy is. Just read this excerpt from the solicitations:

Killer cyborgs have come from the future to kill the heroes of today, while Wolverine embarks on an international pub crawl with a certain recently reborn Sentinel of Liberty. Beer and bullets galore!

This issue also sees the return of Ron Garney on art so you're going to want to buy this.

Girls And Corpses Magazine Spring 2010, $8.95

What. The. Fuck. You know what, I don't even want to know.

One Piece Volume 34 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 35 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 36 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 37 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 38 TP, $9.99

Again, unless these are all reprints it seems ill advised from a business sense to release them all on the same day.

Thems the books I done got my eye caught. Hows you thinking? Ain't nothin' wrong 'bout commenting below.

-egs

Who runs Bluewater? Satan?

I've seen the future, it was 1996.

2010-03-01T20:46:00.008-07:00

When I started watching anime it was still kind of obscure. I'm not saying I was cutting edge or anything, anime has been around for a long time and it was largely thanks to Toonami and shows like Gundam Wing that I became a fan. Not exactly the most underground of sources. Anyways, when I started seeking out anime it was still a small niche market and pretty hard to find. If you were lucky one of your local video rental places might have a small shelf with Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and maybe some random volumes of Slayers or Lodoss War but that was about it. If you lived in a town large enough to have a Suncoast(remember those?), which I did not, you'd see a small section, usually in the back, with a few VHS copies of the more popular stuff, DBZ, Ranma, EVA etc. Again, that was it, anime simply didn't have a large enough market to validate any more.

Then something crazy happened around 2000/2001, anime blew up. Suddenly those hidden corners became giant, extremely visible and advertised, sections. By like 2003 half of Suncoast was anime and even place like Blockbuster were carrying a decent selection. It was still a niche market, make no mistake, but it had grown exponentially and it had grown in an extremely profitable demographic; 13-30 year-olds. America was finally a valuable part of a lot of shows' profits. Things were looking up for anime.

A few years ago when I went to a few conventions I started to hear people, especially voice actors and directors, talk about how bad sales had become. It seemed like even a lot of fairly well known voice actors were having to get other jobs just to pay the bills. More then that they suggested that it had become increasingly harder to break in since the actors who were already in the industry needed every job they could get, and with their connections, would take as many as possible. It seemed like the popularity of anime was still increasing but, at least according to many insiders in the American companies, fansubs and the Internet were really hurting sales.

Then a few months ago I read an article that stated that most professionals in Japan starting out in animation were making the equivalent of under $22,000 a year. If you know Japan you know that Japan is crazy expensive which makes this amount seem even more paltry. Many of these professional animators were still living with their parents because they couldn't afford to move out. That's pretty crazy.

Finally, today I stopped by Best Buy. I had noticed for a while that the anime section was slowly getting smaller and smaller with less and less variety. Tonight, anime consisted of only one small shelf unit. It was the late 90s, over a decade later. Now granted I'm sure that legitimate Internet purchases account for some of the reasons Best Buy doesn't sell anime in 2004 numbers, as does the struggling economy. That's not all of it though and the decline of anime sales started in 2007, before the economy took a nosedive.

So what does this mean? If you look around anime is as popular worldwide as it's ever been, should we even be concerned? In short, yes. Companies make anime to make money. It doesn't matter how many people you run into that have seen anime if that doesn't translate in to profits. Now don't think for a minute that this means anime will suddenly disappear cause that's not going to happen. What's going to happen, and it's already happening, is that companies are changing the type of shows they make and how they're made. You would think that this could actually beneficial, that it would weed out the bad show, letting the creme of the crop rise to the surface. That's not necessarily what's going on. The reaction of the industry seems to fall into one of two categories:

1. Stick with something safe or proven.

Just like Hollywood, Japan knows that if you have a popular, successful series it means that you can run it in to the ground with sequels, spin offs, adaptations etc. until fans finally lose interest. They also understand what formulas work, and while I've enjoyed some Shonen Jump shows I wouldn't want all my shows to be like that. What this does is hurt anything unique or challenging, leaving it either made with major budget constants or left in production hell, never to be seen.

2. Appeal to your base.

Just like politicians, The Anime Industry knows that its base, the hardcore otaku, are extremely passionate and can sometimes prop up a show without mainstream appeal. What essentially seems to be happening is that almost every new show is filled with fan service and typical otaku fetish stuff, many of them offering uncut versions on DVD. Again, like Shonen Jump, there have been some fan service heavy shows that I quite enjoyed, but there's also shows where the over use of T&A hurts the final product. What this does is hurt any chance of really good anime breaking in to the mainstream. Panty shots on cartoon characters are a hard sell for American TV and even a show that avoids this still has to deal with the public perception that is only reinforced by this trend.

So what can we do? Pretty simple, buy some anime. Now I won't sit here and say that I've never watched some free fansubs on the Internet...I won't say I have cause you know, laws, but I think we all know the reality of the situation. People only have so much money, and there are a lot of shows and movies out there, so I'm not going to say you have to buy everything or that you can't watch fansubs but if you see something you really like, you should probably go ahead and buy it. Also a lot of shows and movies are now available through legitimate means. Mainstream rental places like Netflx and Blockbuster all have pretty good selections and you can even see a lot of shows for free online through legal sites like hulu or Funimation's own website. Certainly this doesn't create as much profit as purchasing the series but at least it's something.

I think ultimately the companies themselves need to make some major changes to move anime forward. If America is an important part of a shows profits then Japanese and Amercian companies should be working together so that shows air in both countries, in both languages, at the same time. Otakus are impatient and when they hear about something awesome they won't wait around for it to get stateside if it's already available online. I realize that this means the American companies can't wait and see if a show is popular or even any good but I think a lot of the time they know which shows would translate to an American audience well before the show is actually on TV. A great deal of shows are based off popular manga and so many others are made by popular directors/writers/designers that you can often tell before they come out that they'll hit big. I don't know all the numbers but it would seem like getting a show on TV, especially if they could manage to get a show on prime time cable or, dare I say, on one of the networks, it would create as much profit as you'd get from DVD sales. Plus it would probably turn out to increase the DVD sales themselves. That's a mighty big 'if' though and one that is only accomplished if a show is really good.

It's not a problem with an easy solution but as an anime fan it's one that does concern me and it's one that I'll probably revisit form time to time. This is definitely a subject that I'd be really interested in hearing from others on so if you have any thoughts, comment below.

-egs

-I live in a dream world where a new Shinichiro Watanabe show is on CBS instead of the 100th crappy reality television show.

In Remembrance: The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-27T22:41:00.003-07:00

...should not have had that 10th shot of whiskey last night.

-egs

And that's it for my week long salute to the Incredible Hercules. To Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente and all the artists, editors, letterers, and everyone who worked on the book: thanks.

Comic Book Postgame: week of 02/24/10

2010-02-27T19:22:00.021-07:00

My musings on this week in comics, there will be spoilers.

Scalped #35

No bullshit, Scalped is quite possibly the best comic being published today. Coming off an epic five part story that saw the culmination of several plot threads and ended in a truly bloody and compelling way, Aaron leaves the ongoing plot and tells a done in one story about two characters we've never seen before, and it is amazing. Aaron is joined by guest artist Danijel Zezelj who does a great job of capturing the harsh reality and beauty of this story. The comic tells the tale of two elderly Native Americans, Mance and Hazel, living on the reservation as far from town as they can get. They survive in large part due to farming but this year the crops run short, the wife is sick, they're broke, and they're running out of food. The harsh tale is one many can relate to these days but it's not that simple. The story truly excels at showing the love between the couple, Mance feels responsible for not being able to provide, and, without him saying a word Hazel understands and offers comfort. The story is fairly strait forward although it has a few unexpected turns. The real joy is in the execution. The art and writing work seamlessly and every line of dialog and every expression seems real and genuine. Only 22 pages but this comic kicks like a mule and delivers a complete and rewarding experience.

New Avengers #62

This issue was fine and I really don't have much to say about it. If you've been reading New Avengers well, here's another issue, and if you haven't you're not missing all that much. I did want to nerd bitch a bit about the end though. This shows what appears to be the same moment from the last page of Siege #1 but under different circumstances (for example Steve's not in his Captain America uniform). I normally wouldn't really care about such a small detail but it's the same writer, granted different artist but still since Bendis penned both of them you'd think he could keep it a bit more consistent. Now that I think about Bendis also wrote another big Cap reveal in one of the annuals that was nothing like this or Siege #1. Also, since when was Stonewall a giant? In Secret Warrior they always draw him as just a regular, all be it large, dude, not some 30 foot tall guy. On the positive, it was nice watching Steve reuniting with a bunch of his old comrades (is it just me or does their always seem like some romantic tension going on between Steve and Carol?).

Speaking of mistakes...

X-Factor #202

...this issue had some big art fuck ups. Notice in the picture above how in the wide shot you don't see Monet and then suddenly she's talking to Doom and has an M tattoo which she shouldn't have. That's cause it's suppose to be Layla, I'm betting they added the tattoo to try and make some sort of fix on it but it kind of wrecks the conclusion of the issue because, as a reader, you're pretty confused. It happens again on the next page where at first it looks like Monet is talking to Shatterstar and they teleport away while the other member wonder where Layla went. Uhg, I'm sorry I appreciate that the book is on time but you got to fix that shit. This isn't like a typo or something small that might be overlooked this is a major plot point made bewildering through obvious mistakes. It seems like someone must have recognized the mistake since the tattoo was added but if that's the case why not redo those pages? At the very least you'd think they'd recolor them so 'Layla' would at least have the right skin and hair color. That aside this was another pretty good issue but come on, that's amateur hour Marvel.

X-Force #24

Can anyone tell me what's going on in that panel? Anyone? That's what I thought. Kyle and Yost continue to tell solid if unremarkable X-tales but seriously Crain, take it easy on the dark colors.

Thus concludes the bitching.

X-Men Legacy #232

Magneto finishes the fight with Proteus and it's damn entertaining. Magneto is pretty tore up but the old man can still lay it down and kick some ass. This was a really engaging fight scene, something that's often hard to do with character with energy based powers so big ups to Carey and Mann for selling it. Since this current direction of the book is Rouge focused she spends most the issue saving/fighting the other X-Men in another good fight sequence. X-Fans will remember the brief romance between Rouge and Magneto in the late 80s (some may also recall the romance between Rouge and not quite Magneto, Joseph) so this sequence brought a smile to my face:

Just when it seemed like Remy and Rouge might finally be a real couple, LOVE TRIANGLE! Oh X-Men, how I love your complicated inter-team relationships. Also, I loved that when question about Proteus Magneto flat out says that he'll be back. No 'maybe he's gone forever' bull just temporary victory, that's how superhero stories roll.

Thor #607

Volstagg youtubes an apology to the nation. Sure, why not. This issue does actually tie into Siege so yea for truth in advertising. This issue starts shortly after the incident in Chicago as the Asgardians receive a prophecy of doom that is ignored until it's too late. We also find out why Heimdall didn't warn everyone in advance as he, and his near all seeing eyes, were held captive by Loki. Overall Gillen has done a real nice job in his short run setting up and balancing the Siege crossover while still keeping up with the plot threads of JMS's run. I especially like that he took a page to keep tough with Kelda as she tracks down Bill's parents. The art is pretty strong in this issue in no small part due to some pages by Rich Elson who's an artist I'm not familiar with but does some nice work:

His Kelda is quite good, capturing her otherworldly beauty. Anyways, the issue ends with a nice twist as Volstagg heads to Asgard to join in her defense...

...he is attacked by what I assume is the Clone Thor from Civil War. Since we haven't seen Clor since then and this event is suppose to be a kind of resolution to the last several years it seems only right for Clor and Thor to finally meet in battle. Not that that happens this issue but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time.

Fantastic Four #576

Ladies and gentlemen, Johnny Storm. That's a nice touch it would have been easy to just have the FF all show up but it helps build or at least reinforce Johnny's characterization to have him strut in like that. The issue follows the FF as they investigate a unexplored lake in Antarctica and discover an unknown intelligent species of water dwellers unlike the Atlanteans we've seen before.

I felt like I pretty much had to review this issue after my rant earlier this week on the FF and strangely enough this issue actually followed some of my advice. Unfortunately, it still wasn't all that good. I will say that Eaglesham's art is very nice; good designs, clear storytelling, distinct characters, and just all around pretty. Hickman's has done something interesting with the last two issues both of which embrace the explorer sci-fi aspect of the FF, regrettably the execution has been lacking. Clearly Hickman has some big ideas and has used the last two done-in-one issues to set up a larger plan. The problem is that the issues don't feel like a story. The fact that they've had to use the last page to explain how these new developments are affecting the world shows you that they're incomplete. Instead of feeling like an adventure the issue have felt like a bland summary of events. I do like a lot of what the new creative team is trying to do and I really do hope that the execution improves.

Batman and Robin #9

If not for Scalped this would be the best issue of the week. Morrison continues his fight against Frank Miller Batman pitting the near zombie like Evil Clone Batman against the new Bat-family. This also plays off the whole 'blackest (k)night' theme of the current DCU as the emotional tethers of the past effect the current day characters. The Evil Batman talks of pain and hurting people in broken sentences, not quite Miller style but it's showing the legacy of Miller's Batman; a worn out, lifeless husk. I don't entirely agree with this as Miller's Batman is the Batman of my generation and the one I think about when I think about Batman but this seems to be Morrison's opinion, or at least his opinion of post Miller Batman as people tried to duplicate or outdo Miller's version. On the other side you have Morrison's New Batman...

...the hero Batman, saving the day in the knick of time. Morrison's Batman has a sense of humor he's driven to be a hero but he also enjoys it. This isn't just limited to Dick who Morrison does write as more carefree but even his Bruce in earlier issues and in the JLA despite his darkness had a sense of humor and of the dramatic. Miller's Batman also understood theatrics and seemed to enjoy being Batman as well as possessing a (admittedly dark) sense of humor. It seems Morrison's real problem is the people that followed Miller who made Batman into the super serious, friendless, sort of dickish character that he became.

What's great about Morrison is that you can ignore all of that and you still have a great comic about Dick and Damion having to fight an evil clone of their father, the original Batman. You could also talk about the whole son replacing father element of this issue and of Morrison's entire run. Evil Batman straight out says that his son is there to replace him and then he tries to kill him to prevent it. Keep in mind that Ras al Ghul was perfectly willing to sacrifice his son to live again earlier in Morrison's run. Evil Batman as the bitter old man, unable, or unwilling to accept change.

Still, ultimately it's a great action book. Damion, in a wheelchair, straight out of surgery, fighting off Evil Batman until Dick and Batwoman show up for a massive martial arts meele. That's just fun comics.

This is a Batman book where people smile. I'm pretty sure no one smiled in Batman books in the entirety of the 90s. Also, kind of glad they've kept up the flirtation between Dick and Kate. Obviously it's not going to go anywhere but it's fun and cute, it makes perfect sense for Dick, and I think it's believable even for Kate.

I haven't even mentioned the art which is fantastic. Cameron Stewart absolutely killed it this arc, I only wish he was doing more then 3 issues. Stewart's layouts, his fight scenes, his expressions, just gorgeous work. Great issue all around.

In other news Spider-Man was again very good this week and that's it for me. Comment below.

-egs

Yep, no Blackest Night #7, I haven't read it yet. I only read it and Flash Rebirth courtesy of my friend Q, maybe next week.

In Remembrance: The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-26T23:08:00.002-07:00

...planning, not really his strong suit.

In Remembrance: Is The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-25T21:23:00.005-07:00

...gonna have ta choke a bitch?

Anime Review: The Wallflower

2010-02-25T20:07:00.006-07:00

Animation is not live action. It seems like a pretty simple concept but it's one that is often forgotten. Playing with design and style can vastly effect the impact that scene has on an audience. This can be an especially valuable tool when doing comedy. Shinichi Watanabe is a director that understands how to use the freedom of animation to really sell a joke. Watanabe constantly plays with character designs and animation styles in his adaptation of Tomoko Hayakawa's Shojo parody(?), The Wallflower, which is available LEGITIMATELY, FOR FREE, from Funimation. Can I just say, big ups to Funimation who clearly understand that Internet streaming is changing the way people watch anime and TV in general. Funimation offers The Wallflower as well as many other shows streaming for free on their website, which I highly encourage you to visit. And hey, if you dig it, show some support and buy some stuff.

The Wallflower tells the story of four bishounen (beautiful) high school boys as they attempt to turn one anti-social super goth into a real lady. The girl is Sunako Nakahara, and it seems that after her first crush called her ugly she gave up on fitting into normal society or caring what other people think. Sunako's hair is uncut and unkempt, covering the face that she's ashamed of, her manner is rude (well, for the Japanese anyways), and she only leaves her room when necessary. The room itself is dark, both literally as well as figuratively, as it's filled with skeletons, embalmed organs, and gory horror films. Also, she has a tendency to act super creepy and scare everyone around her. The four boys charged with turning Sunako into a real lady are the four best looking guys in school who take the case after Sunako's Aunt offers them free rent at her expansive mansion. The four boys; Kyouhei, Takenaga, Yuki, and Ranmaru, each represent a different bishounen archetype and seem to cause riots everywhere they go. Each guy also has his own subplot(s) and problem(s) to add depth to the story. So you have four beautiful boys and one, not so normal in this case, girl living in the same house and going to high school together. Pretty typical Shojo setup all be it with a slight twist the fun here is in the execution.

The director, Watanabe, is most (in)famous for the cult classic, and completely bizarre and frenzied, Excel Saga. The Wallflower never reaches Excel Saga levels of insanity but it still provides a steady steam of laughs with its over-the-top humor. Despite Sunako's insistence that she wants nothing to do with the four guys she's frequently faced with glowing, glistering man flesh, at which point a gust of blood explodes from her nose and she passes out. Watanabe often highlights the difference between the four guys, Sunako, and other members of the cast through animation styles with the guys typically being drawn in full on bishounen style while other characters are plain or even chibized.

The story progresses fairly typically but provides enough humor that you probably won't mind. I will say that I was a bit disappointed in the ending as I didn't realize going in that the Manga was still running in Japan. Like many shows before it (Berserk) The Wallflower is denied a true conclusion since the story is still ongoing. Not that by the end you don't already know where it's headed and who Sunako will end up with but you don't get that definitive conclusion wherein they embrace and all is right with the world so you can't help but fill a bit let down. I can't say that The Wallflower was a great show but it was amusing enough that a watched the whole thing and that's a rarity these days.

-egs

I can't believe I wrote a sentence that included the phrase "glowing, glistering man flesh."

In Remembrance: The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-24T20:45:00.003-07:00

...believes in personal hygiene.

Forging a more Fantastic Four

2010-02-23T19:40:00.006-07:00

So I was going to write a review of The Wallflower anime series today until I came upon this post at Everyday is like Wednesday and its subsequent comments. The question was raised in the comments whether or not the Fantastic Four is still a relevant concept with relevant characters. Next year the FF will have its 50 year anniversary and some people have wondered if Marvel has continued publication simple because it was the first 'real' Marvel book. This idea can be quickly discounted since Fantastic Four, while no longer a best seller, still does pretty well, certainly well enough to justify it's existence. It is true however that despite brining in 'hot' creative teams, despite two (all be it terrible) movies, despite even two animated series's, The Fantastic Four hasn't been able to gain much buzz or excitement among comic readers or the general population. The fact that the FF have spawned so many adaptations shows that there certainly is something to the concept, though one could argue that that something is the issues that Stan and Jack did in the 60s.

So why isn't The Fantastic Four still the 'World's Greatest Comics Magazine', why aren't people excited about the FF, and how can they be better? As a public service your friendly neighborhood Renaissance Nerd is going to provide the answers in a segment I'm calling: If I Ran Shit.

1. Superheroes no more.

Marvel and DC are filled with spandex wearing heroes that live to fight evil and that's all well and good but the FF always had a bit of a sci-fi (syfy*) explorer angle that's made them unique. At this point though they're just another superhero team so, ditch the superhero thing entirely. Oh sure they can still help out in whatever mega crossover is going on and they'll still save the universe on a regular basis but as SCIENCE! explorers. They can still have blue and white outfits but ditch the spandex. Have them wear regular pants and jackets and such but with a clear team design element. Make them stand out out by really embracing the pulp adventure roots of comic books. Most of their conflict should be driven by themselves, not as reactions to a super villain but as a problems that they confront while exploring new places/things/ideas.

2. Make the characters likable.

This is especially important for Reed since if you are going with a science explorer angle he's going to be a big part of that. The fact is that under a lot of writer the members of the FF aren't very likable. Reed often comes of as an callous, insensitive jerk rather then as a somewhat forgetful genius. Sue doesn't always seem to have much of a personality at all unless she's being evil or flirting with Namor (which should pretty much stop at this point). Johnny can be a lot of fun but some writer make him so self-centered that you want to punch him. Ben...well Ben's pretty awesome actually. None of these characters have to be unlikable. I understand that people write them this way to create drama but in doing so you sacrifice having a character that your audience actually loves and wants to read about. In such a close knit family environment you can have tension from small things rather then someone acting like a dick.

3. Be more than four.

While Marvel has rotated in new members for a small time by the very title The Fantastic Four is rather limited in the number of members they can have. While overly large teams can suffer from lack of focus team books accrue a lot of their engrossment through character interactions. Books like The Avengers or X-Men that can play with a lot of different members can always fashion excitement through hook ups, break ups, feuds etc. The FF has done a lot of this as well but it's much harder to do with a smaller cast. This one is a bit harder to solve. They can continue to rotate in replacement members from time to time (and use that time to have the members who are replaced join other teams or individuals), or, they can build a cast of supporting characters around the FF as they've done in the past. I would add that these people need not be civilians, they don't need to have powers either but some additional scientists, archaeologists, astronauts, or just explorers would be a welcome addition. This actually leads to my next point...

3.5. Let the kids play too.

If it was anything I loved more then superheroes growing up it was kid adventurers and the FF has two already built in. I know they already get involved in small ways as is but I don't think they fully take advantage of the fact that you have two kids, one normal (provided he's not all-powerful), one super smart, with access to some of the coolest toys imaginable. This is Jonny Quest times 10. The kids should be main characters and should be involved in the adventures. Of course it doesn't help that Marvel has stunted Franklin's age (going by X-Men time he should be like 11 or 12) so let them both grow up a bit. Really play up the gadget angle with the kids as well as the adults, these people have jet backs, and shrink rays, and time travel devices, and portals to other worlds, let them have some fun.

4. Have Fun.

I think that's the answer really: fun. Sure life is hard, responsibilities, drama etc. but these people go place and do things we can only dream about. When they take a trip into a distant galaxy it should be cool and exciting for the audience and the FF. They have superpowers, they have future tech, they don't have to get real jobs, these people should be enjoying life. If Harrison Ford has taught us anything it's that you can have fun even when you're being shot at by Nazis or chased by Imperial Fighters. So just because the world might be invaded by aliens or conquered by Moloids, that is no reason not to enjoy yourself.

That's my thinking anyways.

Am I on to something? Am I fool? Comment below.

-egs

Why has Grant Morrison never written the Fantastic Four?

*correct spelling if you're a douche bag

In Remembrance: The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-23T12:54:00.002-07:00

...has a dignity matched only by his bravery.

-egs

Comic book Preganme: week of 02/24/10

2010-02-23T00:01:00.006-07:00

Join me once again, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Captain Swing #1 (of 4), $3.99

It's Warren Ellis doing steampunk, that tends to work out rather well. I think I'll have to buy it.

Gravel #17, $3.99

More Ellis, I shouldn't be surprised he writes like 10 books a month. I hear good things about Gravel but I still haven't checked it out. Sounds like a cool concept (special forces type hard-ass who's a combat magician right?) I'll have to grab the first trade sometime.

Female Force #3 Michelle Obama (Limited Edition Foil Cover), $19.99

Please tell me people aren't buying this.

Blood+ Novel Volume 5 Kowloon Nights, $9.99

I couldn't get through the show, it wasn't bad but I lost interest. Are the books any better?

Batman And Robin #9, $2.99

Another issue of Batman and Robin so soon? Awesome. I don't know what comic readers did to deserve this but thanks.

Blackest Night #7 (of 8), $3.99

I'm a bit behind on this, I trust zombie superheroes are still running amok? As events go I suppose this one has been alright.

Flash Rebirth #6 (Of 6), $2.99

This on the other hand has been terrible. all of Johns flaws without any of his redeeming qualities. I trust issue six will be the best of the bunch though, with a lot of big action moments and bad one liners.

Gotham City Sirens #9, $2.99

Will this one actually be written by Paul Dini? I know Dini's busy but DC really should be a bit clearer about such things.

Madame Xanadu #20, $2.99

Another thing I really want to try in trade, if only for the gorgeous art.

Northlanders #25, $2.99

This book is great and I highly recommend the first trade. This arc has been a bit slower paced but is building the tension and atmosphere beautifully. Also the art is very good.

Scalped #35, $2.99

One of, if not the best, comics being published today. If you have any interest in gritty crime comics you need to be reading this book. First trade is only 10 bucks people, you have no excuse.

Negima Volume 25 GN, $10.99

Another manga that I've never read but I thought the anime was both disturbing and just not very good. I'm use to over sexualized anime girls but when those girls are in middle school it's really not okay. Again, I know that's nothing new but usually at least it's only one really young girl in a crowd of more reasonably aged women rather then just fan service with 13 year olds. Also, the show, not that funny.

Neil Gaiman Neverwhere HC (Signed Limited Edition), $200.00

That's a good book but do people really have an extra $200 just to get it signed?

King City #5, $2.99

I have the original digest size of this and it's great. Can't wait until the release the second volume.

Viking #5, $2.99

Am I still reading this? I'm not sure if I bought issue 4 or not. Hmm...I'll have to check but that's not really a good sign. While the art has been stellar it seems to ship somewhat sporadicly and the the story telling is not always clear. I still more or less enjoy the book so I probably will finish out this arc at least.

Amazing Spider-Man #622, $3.99

Holy shit, Greg Weisman! For those of you who don't know Weisman, among many other things, was the creator of Gargoyles and the the head writer/show runner of Spectacular Spider-Man, the greatest Spider-Man adaptation of all time. I'm excited to see his take on 616 Spidey.

Captain America Theater Of War HC, $24.99

I'm a sucker for WW2 Captain America stories so I enjoyed these. They varied in quality but one issue in particular in which Cap and the Americans capture a German solder stood out as being particularly good in that "we're not so different" war story way.

Deadpool #20, $2.99

Didn't Deadpool 19 come out last week? What is going on?

Fantastic Four #576, $2.99

The Hickman run has been solid so far but still hasn't blown me out of the water like it has some people, still, worth reading.

Immortal Weapons TP, $16.99

Buy the ever loving hell out of this book! One, it's very good, and two, I desperately want more Iron Fist/Immortal Weapons stories.

Marvels Project #6 (Of 8), $3.99

Waiting for the trade on this one, but man, the art I've seen from this; fantastic.

Ms Marvel #50, $3.99

50 issues, I know this is the end but well done Ms. Marvel. I haven't read any of them but I hear they've been good and just the fact that the made it to 50 issues is pretty darn respectable in this day and age.

Nation X #3 (Of 4), $3.99

These are often better then Uncanny and they certainly look much better. (LAAANNDDD!!!)

New Avengers #62 (Siege Tie-In), $3.99

Chugging along, buying time until the relaunch. Still you do get both Captain Americas, so there is that.

Secret Warriors #13, $2.99

Like the FF, this has failed to live up to the hype, but, I have quite enjoyed it.

Thor #607, $2.99

Keiron Gillen writes a good god comic (Ares, Thor, Beta Ray Bill) and Tan's art is adequate if a big come down from Coipel and Djurdjevic. This seems like it actually will tie into Siege which, I believe, will make it the first to be properly branded as doing such.

X-Factor #202, $2.99

This series is the most constantly good X-book these days, big ups to Peter David for keeping it so. Still can't seem to find a good ongoing artist but the current guy is solid.

X-Force #24, $2.99

More Necrosha stuff and, I'm guessing, more impenetrable art by Crain. I was never a huge fan of his but his art on this story has just been ridiculous. I've read thousands of X-comics over the years and yet without the captions I can't tell who the characters are half the time. I'll be happy when this is over and Mike Choi is back on art.

X-Men Legacy #233, $2.99

Despite loving a lot of Carey's work I wasn't too high on his X-Men stuff. However, re-reading in large chunks has made me much more of a fan. In trade this probably reads really well I just wish the issues moved a bit faster.

That's all that caught my eye this week, anything tickle your fancy? Comment below.

-egs

Now that Disney owns Marvel I expect Spider-Man to team up with Goliath to take on Xanatos. Make it happen Marvel.

Or really Gargoyles related stuff of any manner.

In Remembrance: The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-22T15:59:00.004-07:00

...understands the finer points of politics.

-egs

In Remembrance: The Incredible Hercules...

2010-02-21T20:44:00.003-07:00

...always fights fair.

-egs

Spider-Man vs. Marriage

2010-02-21T19:46:00.005-07:00

Spider-Man is a real American. Unlike these New Yorkers, what with their sex parties and drug filed orgies where they talk about Karl Marx in an attempt to destroy this country that they so clearly hate, Spider-man believes in the sanctity of marriage. Spider-Man understands that marriage is a precious thing between a man and a woman who are joined under GOD for ever and ever until the end of time. Or, until you make a deal with the devil that allows you to hook up with your hot new roommate, your best friend's girl, this cute nerdy chick, this other cute nerdy chick, and The Black Cat. Something the gays just wouldn't understand.

By now you've probably seen this picture that Marvel released to promote Spider-Man in 2010.

So a lot of people have been talking about what the different elements of the picture mean, in particular, what Mary Jane in a wedding dress means. Some people even wondered if they were going to reverse One More Day. To which I would respond, not a chance in hell. I will guarantee that as long as Joe Quesada is editor in chief Peter Parker will not be married (exceptions would of course include alternate reality stories, what ifs, stories set in the future, etc.). I told friends that, if anything, MJ would be getting engaged to someone else.

Then this weeks issue had a homeless Harry Osborn crashing at MJ's place.

Suggesting to me that Harry and MJ are going to rekindle their long dead romance. Does this mean that MJ and Harry are getting married? I'm going to say no but I wouldn't be surprised if the got engaged. It adds a bit of tension but can easily be broken off by MJ going back to Peter or, more likely, Harry going back to the Green Goblin. After all the current thrust of the Amazing Spider-Man has been the reemergence/re-imagining of classic Spider-Man foes coupled with lots of relationship drama. Honestly, it's been pretty great and I'm excited to continue reading it.

-egs

Of course if they did marry off Harry and MJ that would be a pretty definitive way (as much as anything in superhero comics is definitive) of ending the MJ portion of Peter's life. Or, if he decides he still loves her, of creating a lot of drama and angst for Peter. Would Peter Parker go after his best friend's wife? You think he feels guilty about everything now...

Comic Book Postgame: week of 02/17/10

2010-02-20T13:44:00.021-07:00

My musings on this week in comics, there will be spoilers.

Daredevil 505

This book continues to produce consistently good issues month after month and this is no exception. The issue does see the arrival of new co-writer Anthony Johnson (writer of the very enjoyable Wastelands from Oni Press) and new (fill in?) artist Marco Checchetto and this dude can flat out get it done.

You don't hear a lot about colorist Matt Hollingsworth but he deserves mad props for keeping the look and tone consistent through multiple artists. Story wise Daredevil heads to Japan to meet with the various Daimyos of The Hand as he attempts to solidify his power as The Hand's new leader. While light on action this issue starts to unravel the politics behind The Hand and I love political intrigue so this arc is shaping up nicely in my opinion.

Black Widow and the Marvel Girls #4

This book wins the battle of the Black Widows this week as Natasha teams up with Storm and The Mole Man who find themselves in the middle of a gang war while trying to rescue a kidnapped Senator. The other book, Black Widow Deadly Origin #4, was perfectly adequate but was lacking the charm that Paul Tobin and Takeshi Miyazawa bring here. I especially like The Mole Man here as somewhat charming and manipulative, traits that I don't normally associate with MM. All in all a fun little mini.

Captain America #603

Last issue was the best this book has been in close to a year and this issue continues that trend. This is the kind of issue that made Brubaker's Cap such a hit to began with as it seamlessly blends current events, politics, espionage, and action into a fun, smart story. I will admit that I still miss Steve Epting's art but the issue looks fine, the story telling is clear and the characters are distinct. I still don't care about the backup but it's not bad and if they're going to charge 4 bucks anyways it's nice to get a bit of extra content.

Punisher #14

While I wasn't quite as giddy after reading this issue as I was with the issue 13 this comic is still great. Tony Moore shares art duties with Dan Brereton who illustrates the origins of our villain, Robert Hellsgaard. Hellsgaard's origin makes him a perfect foil for Frank as the parallels of both their pasts and their current circumstances become clear. Both have become monsters, figuratively and literally, to enact revenge on the monsters that killed their families. The great thing is that Frank doesn't care. He can see the connection but he just pushes past it with the single-minded determination that he always has, he is completely beyond sympathy or understanding. All this and it still finds time for Steampunk monster hunter robot suit versus Dracula.

Uncanny X-Men #521

Greg Land is still on this book, I don't even want to post any pictures. Anyways I just wanted to make a few quick comments:

1. It's nice that writers are finally incorporating some of the Morrison stuff that was abandoned after he left the book.

2. I was kind of hoping Kitty would have some cool space adventures before returning, Flash Gorden, Buck Rogers type stuff.

3. That is a pretty cool way of getting her back though it seems to be increasing the limit of what Magneto can do right after we were told that he'd grown weaker with age.

Doom War #1

Picked this up for the hell of it and you know what, it was actually pretty good. As someone who has not been reading the Black Panther this does a nice job of getting you up to speed on what's going on as well as moves the story forward. Basically there has been a coup in Wakanda and T'Challa, the new Black Panther (his sister), and a small group of loyal Wakandaians travel to Utopia to recruit the X-Men into a war to take back their country. The coup was lead by a group calling themselves Desturi, claiming to be a movement of Wakandaians with traditional values who are holding a murder trail for The Queen, and former X-Man, Storm. The real power behind this is Dr. Doom who wants Wakanda for its Vibranium, for once he has it, he will be unstoppable. It's a nice setup combining superhero tropes with a bit of politics that capture some of the common perceptions about Africa. It also realizes that at its heart it is a kick-ass action/revenge story about T'Challa taking back his country through what ever means necessary.

Power Girl #9

Yet another great issue of Power Girl. Amanda Conner's art is so much fun. It's still sexy but has a great sense of humor that you can see in the pages layouts and in the expressions and body language of the characters. To say nothing of Gray and Palmiotti's script which is clever and funny while still setting up a lot of good old fashion Superhero action.

Anyone who enjoys fun comics would be straight irresponsible to miss out on this comic.

Joe The Barbarian #2

I know this is reading way to much into this but I couldn't help but think this was almost Morrison himself giving a weapon he will eventually need to Joe at the beginning of this issue. Maybe that's just because they're both bald, older gentlemen from the British Isles. In actuality this almost seems like Morrison's answer to those who say his books are too confusing. For example, the TVs in Joe's hallucinations all show the graveyard where is father is buried, is that clear enough symbolism for everyone? The fact is that this is a pretty straight forward adventure story. The charm here is in the skill that Morrison and Murphy show in execution. I've mentioned Murphy's art before and it continues to impress here with the always great Dave Stewart on colors. For all the acclaims and damnations heaped upon The God of All Comics not enough people talk about how good a scripter Morrison is. It's not just that he has great ideas he also has a great sense of humor, he understands how to structure a comic, and he writes the best dialog of any comic writer ever.

What can follow that? How about the last issue of the always good Incredible Herc.

Incredible Hercules #141

It ends the only way it could with, SPOILER, the death of Hercules. But hey, if you gotta go might as well go down saving all of existence. It's been hinted for a while (the solicitations didn't do it any favors) that Herc would eventually die and it would be up to his sidekick Amadeus Cho to become the new Prince of Power and champion of Olympus and here it finally comes to pass. Pak and Van Lente have been playing with the mythological archetypes all along and Herc's death wouldn't be complete without a bit of treachery and tragedy as Hercules is betrayed by his most beloved relative Athena, the new Queen of Olympus and wielder of the power of Zeus, for what, she weepingly alleges, to be the greater good. While this may be the last issue the story will continue in the pages of Hercules: Fall of an Avenger and the forthcoming Prince of Power series starring Amadeus. Now being a comic, Hercules won't stay dead forever but this does open up some story possibilities for Amadeus Cho. Herc was a great mentor while alive and I'm sure his teachings will continue to help and shape Amadeus in his further adventures.

If you haven't been reading Hercules you should really pickup the trades, it's not mind blowing but every issue has been high quality, meshing mythology with the Marvel Universe and mixing comedy and drama with an expertise. Also, for a book that never had a true ongoing artist, it always looked good.

Yesh, it's a bad time to be a Greek god in the last month or so Zeus, Hera, Ares, and Hercules have all been killed and Aphrodite has passed her post to a siren.

I just saw that the Agents of Atlas is getting another try as an ongoing series. Wow, Marvel just won't let this one go. I wonder why they have such devotion to these characters when others seem so easily tossed aside. Basically what I'm saying is I want more Iron Fist damn it.

Random thought: Is it just me or does Michael Lark just keep getting better?

Yo dog, comment below.

-egs

His name is Hit-Monkey. He's a hitman. Who's a monkey.

Things you don't know about that I know about that you should know about that now you will know about: Colt Noble and The Megalords

2010-02-20T01:33:00.008-07:00

When I was three years old I told everybody to call me He-Man, so it should come as no surprise that a comic pastiche of He-Man would be right up my alley. First off a big shout out to Aaron of the Awesomed By Comics Podcast for alerting me to this books existence because it was pretty great.

The story is told to the reader by Anon-Z: Adventure Videographer and after a a few one panel send ups of such shows as Transformers and Thundercats our epic tale begins with our hero, Prince Jaysen, being thrown out of a strip club. I should also mention that on page two they take a shot at Michael Bay's Transformers films which, if you read my post a couple weeks ago, you know is a good way of getting me on your side. Anyways after War-Man (Man-at-Arms) collects our rebellious young Jaysen we turn to Hoodoo Hex (Evil-Lyn) in a scene that I'll let speak for it's self.

And like all lonely witches rejected by douchebags she attempts to summon a demon boyfriend from hell. Unfortunately for her rather then getting the tall, dark, sexy demon lover with a beautiful tortured soul, forearms like a drummer and a great ass like she asked for, she gets Archfiend, Lord of Annihilations (Skeletor as if you hadn't figured that out by this point, in fact I'm going to stop doing this and you'll just have to decipher the rest of the connections on your own, it's not hard).

The next morning Prince Jaysen is sent on a grueling training run with War-Man's younger sister, Mareea, who Jaysen has a bit of a thing for. Thanks to a bit of mud and a bit of the old classic bathing at the river peeping, Jaysen gets a glimpse of his very first topless lady. When it appears that the jig is up Jaysen takes off in a blind panic until he eventually reaches the Winding Ruins where, after a few fortuitous mishaps, he gains the power to transform in to Colt Noble.

Meanwhile things get worse for Hoodoo Hex..

...as Archfiend start putting together his world conquering plans

Eventually Colt Noble and Mareea fight their way through the minions and upset Archfiend's nefarious plot. Along the way we get some nice art, some good jokes, and some clever dialog. Then after Colt Noble's adventure you get some pinups, some sketchbook pages, and a backup feature staring...

...who fight an Intergalactic Pimp and, spoiler, meet up with Colt Noble on the last page. Now that's a cliffhanger.

So yeah, I really enjoyed this book and it seems like there is a possibility of getting more if people buy it, so buy it damn it. I know it's 6 bucks but it's 64 pages of add free content making it much cheaper, page to dollars wise, then your average comic.

So now you know, and knowing is the part of the battle that happens before someone stabs you.

-egs

The next part of the battle is known as profuse bleeding.

Also being a Scientist/Karate Master/Rock Star, kind of my dream job. (see page one of this comic)

Dreams do come true

2010-02-18T12:02:00.004-07:00

Thor fighting a laser breathing robotic t-rex on the cover of Avengers 295. Art by John Buscema and Tom Palmer, color by Paul Becton(?), written by Walt Simionson.

-egs

That is so freaking awesome.

Time travel and alternate realities present strange dilemmas

2010-02-18T02:12:00.007-07:00

In the late 80s Walt Simionson wrote a run on the Avengers featuring the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. This story asked the age old question "if you meet a opposite sex version of yourself from an alternate time line, would you hit it?" Evidently if you are Kang the answer is an resounding yes.

A resounding yes.

So yeah, it seems like almost all the Kangs slept with Kang Nebula. Kang always was a bit of an egomaniac but this seems like going a bit far.

Full discloser it turns out Kang Nebula isn't a Kang at all but a former Avengers villain that claims to be Thanos' granddaughter. Still, the Kangs didn't know that at the time. You'd think being the only girl in the bunch might have been a clue but apparently the Kangs were too busy getting busy to question her identity.

Also, one of the Kangs calls him self Kang Kong which makes me laugh every time.

So we know what Kang would do but how about you dear readers? Would you have some sweet you on opposite sex you loving?

-egs

I imagine you'd know what you like so it'd probably be pretty good.

Earth-200500...

2010-02-18T02:07:00.004-07:00

...is the most rugged earth of them all.

With great beards comes great manliness

2010-02-16T20:19:00.017-07:00

They are rugged, they are manly, they are beards. In honor of my recently acquired beard I'll be talking about some of the best beards in comics. I've consulted the best beardoligists and quantum beard scientists in the world and this is the list I've assembled. First up...

Spider-Man (pictured above)

You probably don't remember Spider-Man rocking the beard since it was erased from continuity due to One More Day. All cause fucking Quesada felt they could tell better stories with a clean shaven Peter Parker. "Spider-Beard just wasn't working, it was holding the writers back, forcing them to tell stories about Norman Osborn impregnating Gwen Stacey" - Joe Quesada. It wasn't the beard's fault Joey Q, it wasn't the beard's fault.

Thor

Never has Thor looked more badass then when he was slinging his hammer with a full beard. Thor grew his beard during the legendary Walt Simonson run, considered by many to be the greatest Thor run of all time. Coincidence? I think not.

Fun Fact: Did you know Thor's beard can press over 30 tons?

Hercules

While the question of whose stronger has been long debated Hercules does have beard bragging rights over the thunder god. While his beard is perhaps no more impressive his commitment to the beard is. While Thor is seldom seen unshaven Hercules has been representing the glory of the beard for the majority of the last 3000 years. Thumbs up to you, you magnificintly bearded bastard.

Batman

He grew that beard in month. A month! If there was ever any doubts that Batman was the manliest man in the DCU that beard should put them to rest.

Fun Fact: Batman's beard knows what your thinking and has already figured out 17 ways to beat the shit out of you. It's also bulletproof so don't even try it.

Iron Man

Even the master of the mustache couldn't resist the seductive sirens' call of the beard. Some of you might point out that Tony's gone back to the mustache of late. What you don't know is that he shaved because his beard was against the Superhero Registration Act.

Fun Fact: When Stark was imprisoned by communists/terrorists it was his growing stubble that suggested building armor to escape.

Green Arrow

Right now, as you read this, Green Arrow's beard is having sex with your significant other. Hey Ollie might be married but the beard ain't wearing a ring.

LIGHTING ROUND BEARD OFF CHALLENGE...OF THE GODS!!!

First off in this corner The Lord of Olympus, The Master of Lightning...ZEUS!

And in this corner The King of Asgard, The All Powerful All Father...ODIN!

A titanic clash of epic proportions, truly a battle for the ages. Zeus is coming beards a blazing with a full red mane cascading from his face. While Odin is proudly showing his age and wisdom with his long flowing white chin hair. This one might be too close to call but are judges have reached a verdict, the winner is...Odin! The Norse god of gods brings victory home across the rainbow bridge.

Fun Fact: Odin won because of his awesome helmet.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the greatest beard in comics!

Terry Long

Now a lot of people give Terry Long crap just cause we was a creepy older dude who managed to score with Wonder Girl but that's precisely why his beard wins this honor. I mean what else does this guy have going for him? He's not a superhero, he's not rich, he's not particularly smart or athletic and yet he gets Wonder Girl!?! One of the most powerful people in the DCU who just happens to also be one of the hottest. (see below)

Dude is ten years older then her, is divorced, and has a daughter meanwhile she hangs out with guys like Superman and Nightwing on a regular basis. If Terry Long marrying Donna Troy doesn't prove the awesome might of the beard I don't know what does. I know he's dead now, even the power of the beard has limits, but if anyone can die happy it's Terry Long.

Other kick-ass beards that I've missed, comment below.

-egs

Fun Fact: I just figured out why Batman shaves, if he didn't he would never have time to fight crime what with all the ladies jumping his bones everywhere he went.

Superheroes....who are girls!?!

2010-02-16T11:48:00.005-07:00

I said yesterday that Power Girl was the best comic that DC was publishing and I meant it. Further more the second best comic the publish at the moment is Detective Comics. The books could not be more different in terms of tone but both feature a female protagonist. Why is this important? Well, it's not really I just thought it was interesting that among all the justifiable complaints made by blogers about the way women are treated in comics that two of the best comics on the stands star women. What's also nice is that the two ladies are so completely varied and distinct both from one another and from the male characters that they're based off (Batman and Superman). Is that the right word? Perhaps inspired by.

The balance of sexuality that both characters have is nice change as well. Batwoman has no problem playing the roll of temptress if it will get her what she wants yet we know that's she not some untouchable fem fatale since we've seen her in real relationships. We also know that's she's not defined by this relationships and can stand on her own.

Power Girl is also well aware of her sexuality but is almost annoyed by the attention while being somewhat flattered at the same time. She's single and a relationship doesn't seem to be a huge priority but she doesn't seem adverse to the idea but rather that other things are more important right now. I love that she almost sleeps with Vartox in the last issue and it wasn't out of desperation or loneliness it was because he'd actually become kind of endearing.

A lot of the complaints about women in comics come from how they're drawn an understandable concern given most of their costumes. No one is complaining about how these books are drawn. The art in both books is fantastic but more than that artists do a great job balancing sex appeal with storytelling. Both these women are hot and are drawn to be so and yet it never gets in the way of the story. There are no panels with women inexplicably posing or panels with an ass in the foreground just to show off a character's thong like outfit. Despite this both books have a ton of sex appeal with Detective dripping with lusty noir sensuality and Power Girl overflowing with playful charm and allure.

Does this signify some kind of revolution in the portrayal of women in comics? Probably not. Most likely both books will be swept away and forgotten in the Brightest Heroic Day and women will go back to existing only as sex objects and dead girlfriends for male characters to lust after/avenge. But in the meantime these are two pretty great books so, enjoy.

I also mentioned yesterday that Sean Murphy was doing some killer art on Joe the Barbarian and that you should check out his Deviant Art page. If you did you might have noticed that the dude loves to draw Wolverine.

You hear that Marvel? Can you imagine Garney and him trading off arcs on Aaron's Weapon X? That sound you just heard was comic book fans across the world becoming sexually aroused by the very thought. Wolverine, Sean Murphy, make it happen.

-egs

Comic Book Pregame: week of 02/17/10

2010-02-16T01:31:00.006-07:00

Join me won't you, as I peruse this week's shipping list and comment on things of interest.

Ignition City Volume 1 HC, $27.99
Ignition City Volume 1 HC (Dual Signed Edition), $49.99
Ignition City Volume 1 TP, $19.99

I liked Ignition City but $50? Even 28 seems like too much for a five issue series. I do recommend getting this for any fans of Ellis or of steam punk comics but I'd try and find it a bit cheaper if I were you.

Batman #696, $2.99

Really DC? You still have Tony Daniels writing and drawing one of your flagship titles? It's weird that all the other bat-family books are really good right now while the one book actually called Batman is near unreadable.

Batman Streets Of Gotham #9, $3.99

It looks like Paul Dini's back for this issue which means it should be worth picking up. The art in both the main feature and backup has been great throughout and Dini is a reliable writer of all things Batman. A much better choice then the book above for those in need of a Batman fix (and who's not?).

Joe The Barbarian #2 (of 8), $2.99

The first issue was a lot of set up coupled with fantastic art (seriously check out this dude's work). I'm hoping this one has bit more content to accompany the pretty pictures.

Power Girl #9, $2.99

The best book DC* is currently publishing. That's right, the best.

Battlefields #3 (of 9)(Happy Valley Part 3), $3.50

Garth Ennis and war comics are like chocolate and peanut butter only with a lot more killing.

Amazing Spider-Man #621 , $2.99

Michael Lark joins Dan Slott for this issue so you can pretty much guarantee it's going to be good.

Black Widow And The Marvel Girls #4 (Of 4), $2.99
Black Widow Deadly Origin #4 (Of 4), $3.99

I'm guessing this must be selling pretty well since The Black Widow's getting her own ongoing to coincide with Iron Man 2 being released. They've both been okay but neither has made me think that I needed more.

Captain America #603, $3.99

Fresh off some ridiculous controversy! I wonder if it will affect sales at all, I'm guessing...not in the slightest. What people aren't talking about is that the last issue was the best issue of Captain America in months. Here's hoping it continues.

Daredevil #505, $2.99

Do you realize that this books been good for like 10 years now? That's pretty crazy right?

Dark Avengers #14, $3.99

More Sentry. This two issue arc seems to be validating a villain turn for a hero that, quite frankly, not many people really liked. He does make a pretty good villain what with his earth shattering powers and rampant psychosis.

Deadpool #19, $2.99
Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #8, $2.99

There are 2 Deadpool books coming out on the same week. What the hell people? I have a hard time thinking that anyone needs more then 1 Deadpool comic a month let alone more then 1 in a single week.

Incredible Hercules #141, $3.99

Fuck yeah! This series is so much fun.

Incredible Hulk #607, $3.99

I was so happy when Greg Pak returned to Incredible Hulk and I loved the direction he was going with Banner and Skarr. Then they decided to tie this book in with Loeb's Hulk and now I'm not reading it. Way to ruin something else for me Loeb.

Kick Ass HC, $24.99

That was fast the last issue just shipped like a month ago. Anyway JRJr absolutely killed on this book, maybe the best work of his career. The story was okay, it had some really funny bits and some parts that were suppose to be funny that didn't quite work. It started out better then it finished but if you like violence it's definitely worth reading.

Punisher #14, $2.99

This story arc has been so good. It's been funny, exciting, creative, and has had killer art. I'm looking forward to this more then any other issue this week.

Uncanny X-Men #521, $2.99

LAAANNDDDD!!!! Remember when Greg Land could actually draw? Apparently he doesn't.

Tick New Series #2 , $4.95

The Tick is back and it's really expensive.

That Dude Who Survived, $5.60

I have no idea what this is but that's a good title. Also who prices something at $5.60?

Marvel Scarlet Witch Bishoujo Statue, $64.99

Let me first say that I have no intention of buying this...but does it make me a bad person that I think this statue looks kind of hot?

Nge Evangelion 2.0 Asuka Plug-in Suit Ani-Statue, $74.99

It's been 15 years since Eva and still horny otaku everywhere can not get enough.

Rocketeer Statue, $179.99

That's pretty awesome looking. Not 180 bucks awesome but still.

That's all for this week, comment below, if you dare (BumBumBa).

-egs

*I'm not including imprints that DC owns like Vertigo.

Today is a day for celebrating meaningful relationships...with people who aren't real

2010-02-14T19:44:00.015-07:00

So today is Valentine's Day and I pretty sure I'm suppose to sacrifice an animal to ensure fertility however, not quite sure I'm ready to be a father. So instead I decided to do my own, ever popular, top ten list of awesome fictional ladies. Since I haven't yet talked about video games I'm going to count down my top ten Final Fantasy Women.

10.

Terra - FF6

I admit the first FF I played, like many of my contemporaries, was VII so I didn't end up playing VI until it was re-released for the PS1. The good part about this is that I was able to enjoy the opening CG which firmly established that Terra was pretty darn hot. She has this very ethereal almost elven like quality (since she's half esper) that is really appealing.

9.

Aeris - FF7

I'm sure some people are flabbergasted that she's not higher on the list but I'll explain. I spent an ass load of time leveling Aeris up, she was almost always in my party and then she gets killed and it's like, well great there goes a bunch of work down the drain (That's not a spoiler at this point right? Everyone knows she dies right?). Don't get me wrong it was really sad when she was killed and she was great wile she was alive but I'm afraid dieing before the final boss subtracts points.

8.

Quistis - FF8

Ah Quistis, smart, sexy, and just a bit stuck up. How do I describe what Quistis meant to me, and all the other teenage boys of the time? I believe the renown poet a Mr. David Lee Roth said it best it his quintessential work Hot For Teacher.

7.

Rikku - FF10

You'll notice I put up a picture from FFX and not FFX-2. Two reasons; one, X is a much better game and two, I thought her design in X-S was a bit whorish. That's not the Rikku I remember. The Rikku I know is sweet, sincerer, and cute. She's got a great upbeat attitude and she's also hell a useful against mechanical foes.

6.

Ashe - FF12

Ashe gets huge bonus points because she's the only girl on this list that is a fucking tank in battle. Seriously she like your most useful damage engine throughout the game. Plus, look at that outfit, sure it can't possible serve any real defensive purpose but if that skirt was any shorter it'd be a belt. How proud the people of Dalmasca must be to see their last remaining royalty run around the world in that outfit.

5.

Garnet/Dagger - FF9

The one saving grace in a game whose other main female characters were a rat lady, a four year old, and a strange, glutinous creature. To be fair I've always been a sucker for rebellious princess characters and Dagger is that with the cuteness dialed up to 11. Her two outfits in the game; a strapless wedding gown and a skin tight one piece body suit.

4.

Yuna - FF10

The classic Japanese heroine Yuna is polite and responsible with a fun side that only comes out as you get to know her. All the girls on this list are risking their lives to save the world but only Yuna is walking open eyed into certain death. Bravery bonus to sex appeal. Plus, like Garnet above, she's you only source of white magic through much of the game making her extremely valuable (and then she gets Bahamut and you're like kakow bitches mega flare!). Also, one green eye, one blue, for what ever reason that is hot.

3.

Lulu - FF10

Hottest fictional goth girl ever. The hair, the dress, the purple lipstick, she just has ridiculous sex appeal. She also invaluable in combat with her black magic (not to mention the cleavage shot that you get when she wins a battle).

2.

Tifa - FF7

Do an image search for Tifa. Congratulations you just saw thousands of naked, often pornographic images. Seriously it's like she's the biggest fake porn star ever, it's preposterous. I almost feel like the fan community would lynch me if she didn't make it near the top of list. Yeah so anyways, she's super hot and she kicks a lot of ass.

And now the moment of truth...

1.

Rinoa - FF8

Really, for me, it's not even close. Rinoa is far and away my favorite FF girl and just might be my favorite fictional female of all time. First of all she is super cute. She has a great balance of being sexy without dressing to skimpy or trying to hard, she comes across as one of those girls that's just naturally beautiful. I also love her personality, she's outgoing, fun, courages, and determined. She just seems like a girl that would be great to hang out with, plus, I may have mentioned, super cute.

*EDIT*

I feel like I should give a bit more background on this. I first played FF8 when i was like 15 or 16, I'd never had a girlfriend, and Rinoa was pretty much the idea of everything I'd ever wanted. The fact that she approached Squall, for a shy unsure, nerdy virgin, was a beaming ray of hope. So that's why she'll always have a special place in my heart.

Have a problem with this list? Comment below or leave a list of your own for all to enjoy and discuss.

-egs

Comic Book Postgame week of 02/10/10

2010-02-13T19:48:00.022-07:00

Reviews, analysis, and general thoughts on this week in comics. Mild spoilers ahead.

I didn't read anything I hated this week, pretty awesome right, so I'm just going to talk about a few books that really stood out.

DAYTRIPPER #3

So we all knew this guys could draw but who knew they were also talented writers as well? Each issue thus far has grabbed me with a very human and genuine story and then killed the protagonist on the last page. Here's the thing though, each issue has had the same protagonist. In a rather brilliant bit of story construction Moon and Ba have created a series of books that are at once both completely self contained and yet also connect in the telling of this man's life(s) and the possibilities that it/they contain. Each issue is also thematically built on a particularly important relationship or moment in a relationship. The first issue focused on Bras' relationship with his father, the second on meeting what seemed like the love of his life, and this issue, set 7 years latter, focuses on his breakup with that same woman. It goes without saying that the art is stunning and some credit should go to colorist Dave Stewart who is earning his Eisner Awards once again. Because of the way it's structured you can jump on at any point but each issue has been so good I suggest you get them all are at least pick up the trade when it becomes available.

Speaking of great comics...

The Unwritten #10

This issue Tommy and company find them self in Nazi Germany...kind of. They're sort of like hosts wandering the city until they meet up with Josef Goebbels.

He has some rather interesting ideas as to the uses of propaganda.

So it seems Carey and Gross are adding yet another layer to this history filled literary exploration and I for one am excited to see this ever deepening story unfold. This guys really understand how to build a world and structure a story in such a way that each issue makes older issues that much better as plot lines and character arcs are built.

Of course when one talks about peppering in clues and moments that build upon each other to create a complete work, one has to talk about Grant Morrison.

Batman and Robin #8

Speak of the devil.

That is awesome. Who comes up with satanic, ninja, chimney sweeps? Morrison that's who. Then there are other ideas that are a bit more obvious but then you have Cameron Stewart draw them and well...

As everyone knows the only way to beat Batman is by being Batman. So yeah, this issue was pretty sweet. Batman (Dick Grayson) has put what he thinks is Bruce's dead body in a lazareth pit causing it to reanimate and attack Dick and company. We find out in this issue that that's not Bruce Wayne's body at all but one of the clones that Bruce destroyed in Final Crisis ("What kind of man can turn his very memories in to a weapon?"). Of course we know that he's trapped in time (or possible his own mind based on Morrison's Mister Miracle series) after being hit by Darkseid's Omega Sanction. Of course Dick doesn't know this and doesn't want to hurt what he thinks is Batman. Clone Batman has no such reservations.

This is from Batgirl not B&R but I wanted to includ it because I thought it was a great panel.

Damion's trying so hard. Also love the way he and Stephanie have developed this playful rivalry, it kind of reminds me of Robin and Batgirl in The Batman cartoon from a few years ago.

Random thought...

...I love that comics can have dialog like that and it actually makes perfect sense.

Amazing Spider-Man #620

I love how Martin's and Pulido's art shows the ease and fluidity that Spider-Man moves with. Even in simple panels like that above the just capture how cool it would be to have those powers and how completely comfortable he is hundreds of feet in the air. Slott's script here is solid as well as ASM continues to be one of the best books Marvel has to offer. We're now knee deep in The Gauntlet story line in which a bunch of Spider-Man's old enemies are returning, generally with upgraded schemes and abilities. This issue Spider-Man finds himself in a gang war between Mr. Negative's men and the Maggia lead by Silvermane, or so it would seem. In reality the Maggia are being controlled by classic Spider-Man foe Mysterio. Which leads to pages like this:

Fantastic. The end of this issue also sees the return of the now very frightening Cameleon as he attempts to recruit Mysterio into the group the new Kraven and her mom are putting together. Thing's are not going to get any easier for old Peter Parker.

Meanwhile other Steve Ditko designed characters are performing surgery on the Universe.

Strange #4

Before he can though he needs a little help due to his recently broken hands (World War Hulk)

That is adorable. I really dug Rios's art in this series and this issue is no different. Meanwhile Mark Waid shows his mastery over superhero stories with the conclusion to this miniseries. Since Dr. Strange's body is helpless while he attempts this surgery his new apprentice Casey has to use a forbidden spell (that was explained and explored in issue 2 so both Casey and the reader understood the consequences) to save his life. In doing so she sacrifices herself...or so it would seem.

This is the perfect "conclusion" for a superhero story. One that has an ending and is simultaneously a beginning for a new story that Waid or future writers can explore. Well done sir.

And now on to a man who says his 'sirs' and 'thank yous':

The Mennonite in...

Punishermax #4

What do you get when you combine Jason Aaron, Steve Dillon, and Frank Castle? Great fucking comics. When I went to San Diego Comic Con in summer of '08 everyone was saying look out for this Jason Aaron guy he's going to be great, and you know what, everybody was right. In this issue the mob hires a retired hit-man known only The Mennonite to kill Castle which leads to a fantastic fight scene that has panels like these:

And while the mob might have The Punisher on the ropes the real winner here is...

Wow. If you're the kind of person that likes The Punisher it really doesn't get any better.

That's it for this week, comment below with your thoughts/musings/accusations.

-egs

edit:

The preview for X-Factor Forever...

...has some great art. You're telling me this guy is only good enough to do a five issue mini that only older hardcore fans care while Greg Land is on the flagship book. I'm calling bullshit on that Marvel.

Did people like Wonder Man?

2010-02-12T20:28:00.016-07:00

I mean like, ever?

Three things are needed for a superhero character to be successful and engaging.

1. An Iconic look - Costumes can change but need to share some basic design elements. For example Batman's costume has been slightly modified several times but it's always clearly Batman. The same can be said for Thor, Iron Man, Wolverine, etc. The also need to be dynamic and, for lack of a better word, cool.

Behold Wonder Man -

Now to be fair most of them do have some type of 'W' motif as a chest symbol, but remember for a big chunk of time he wore this:

Which at least was unique. I don't think that any of these costumes are particularly appealing or cool looking but I suppose they're passable.

2. Unique and Interesting Powers - They don't have to be anything too crazy but they need to be simple to explain and need to have some kind of twist to differentiate the character from others. This applies even to a teams 'strong man' which is what Wonder Man was for The Avengers. What are Wonder Man's powers? He's super strong and more or less invincible. That's it, no twist, nothing to set him apart from other super strong characters.

3. Personality - This can includes attributes, character flaws, and back story. Wonder Man's back story is convoluted, not to the point of some Marvel heroes (Psylocke), but still messier then your Icons (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk etc.) His personality? Not very likable. For a long time he was unsure of himself and afraid of death which, while understandable, is not particularly heroic. Then for years he was a pompous asshole that thought he was better then all the other Avengers. You can only get away with thinking your better then your teammates if you're Batman, since, you know, he is.

For contrast let's look at some other Marvel Powerhouses.

The Hulk

Iconic look? Green (sometimes gray) behemoth with purple shorts. Check. Twist on an easily explained power? Super strength with an adaptation, the angrier Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets. Check. Personality? Easily explained back story, Jekyll/Hyde mental disorder, sympathetic quest to find inner and outer peace. Check. That would be 3 for 3.

The Thing

Look? Made of orange rocks, stocky. Check. Powers? Pretty generic Super Strength but he's made of rocks people and rocks are strong therefore, I'm calling that a unique twist. Check. Personality? No one in the Marvel Universe is more likable then Ben Grimm, dude is solid (not a pun). He's super nice, never gives up, and never lets his friends down. Plus how can you not sympathize with a guy that's stuck being a big rock creature, can't be easy getting ladies. And his back story is simple; cosmic rays. Empathic Check. Final count 3 out a 3.

Colossus

Look? Dude's made of fuckin' metal. Check. Powers? Super Strength and Invulnerability because he's made of fuckin' metal (should start Death Metal band with Thor, Wolverine, and Death). Check. Personality? Easy to explain back story, gentle giant type (likes to paint, sensitive), shy around girls. Nothing groundbreaking but likable enough. Check. 3 for 3.

I could go on but i think you get the idea. Basically what I'm saying is that there's a reason Wonder Man only shows up in a comic book like once a year.

The boring kind.

-egs

edit

Oh, and I hate that he has a rocket belt. I mean I understand how it's convenient for a motherfucker to be able to fly but why does he get a rocket belt/pack and no one else does? Because a team where everybody has the same stuff would be hell a boring. Still it's like, you have Thor level strength and invulnerability what the fuck do you need a jet belt for? Dude has serious self-esteem issues. You don't see Capitan America whining about how he can't fly, he just gets shit done. Be happy with who you are Simon.

I happen to like robots

2010-02-11T15:21:00.004-07:00

I still haven't seen Transformers 2. Oh I probably will at some point but it just hasn't been a high priority. Of course there are lots of films I haven't seen why point this one out? Well, because I was huge Transformers fan growing up. I watched every episode, bought every toy I could afford, and constantly pretended that everything around me might suddenly transform into an awesome giant robot. I shit you not I must have watched the original 1986 Transformers film close to 200 times. But I didn't see Transformers 2 because the first Transformers was pretty bad. Now I'm not saying that the old show was great or anything because, well, it's not, but you know what the old show was?

It was a show about awesome giant robots fighting!

What it wasn't was a show about some teenager running around trying to get laid. I can deal with a Transformers film without Dinobots, Constructicons, Hot Rod, or Omega Supreme but a Transformers film in which the Autobots don't even save the day? Inconceivable. Think about it, the end of that film Optimus gets his ass handed to him and the human has to save the day. A human saving the day is fine in 99% of films but in one called Transformers that shit don't fly.

I don't think I'm asking for too much, I'm not saying they need a good plot, or reasonable dialog (although Optimus says 'my bad' really?), I just want to watch a movie that's actually about robots.

Preferably giant transforming ones with laser guns.

-egs

The Road is only long and winding if you're not eaten by @#$%ing Cannibals

2010-02-11T01:35:00.005-07:00

I've never really liked horror films. It's not that I don't like scary things I just don't find many horror films frighting. To be frighting you need to be engaging, you need to have characters that the audience cares about and most horror films fall far short in that respect. Also a dude with a knife? I own a gun. A living doll? I think I have the size advantage. A giant monster? I suppose that would be pretty scary but how many giant monsters are you really going to run into. Starving to death on a dying world while trying not to be eaten alive by roaming hoards of cannibals? That's terrifying. Humanity at it's desperate worst is exponentially scarier then any movie monster because we know it's real, we know that humans are capable of unspeakable horrors. Fortunately we also know that humans are capable of love, compassion, determination, and self-sacrifice.

The best and worst of humanity come together in The Road. I should clarify The Road is not a horror film, it does however have some exceedingly tense and frighting moments and earns it's R rating. Director John Hillcoat presents a bleak version of the future in the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name. This is a challenging, taxing film that transports you to possibly the most horrific post-apocalyptic future ever captured on film. The film follows a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) after an unnamed and unseen catastrophe has devastated the world. We're talking total devastation, plants, animals, humans, everything is either dead or dying. What few humans left are fighting for their very survival, many have chosen suicide, some have resorted to cannibalization. The Man refuses to give up and with iron determination and a willingness to die or kill for the safety of his son, The Man leads them southeast toward the ocean where he hopes the warmer climate and sea life may provide salvation, or at the very least, survival.

Along the way the pair must be ever vigilante against danger while always hunting for food, shelter, and any supplies that they can use. Shoes for example become a high priority when all the gasoline has been used, all the horses dead, and you have no choice but to walk everywhere. Of course, with food and supplies so limited the threat of other humans increases. Knowing what people will do to survive The Man trusts no one and every encounter with another living being is fraught with tension, fear, and doubt, if not full on terror. The boy on the other hand inexplicably trusts people and empathizes with them in the way that only a kid can. Even knowing how hard food is to come by he will gladly give some to a stranger and while this might stretch logic it transforms him into the embodiment of human kindness and generosity.

The Man could be any man just as the boy could be any kid. They're not special, there's no chosen one, no mutant powers, no badass warriors, and that's what makes these two special. They're each inspiring in their own way; the man in his die hard determination, his will to survive, his steadfast love and devotion to his son. The boy in his hope, his unwavering optimism, and his belief that mankind is by nature good and decent.

The cinematography, combined with the set and location design, perfectly captures the desolate mood. The landscape is dead and cold, everything you see looks dirty, old, and broken. The actors, costumers, and makeup artists also deserve a lot of credit for personifying people that have gone through hell and are stubbornly clinging to life. I can not stress how good Viggo Mortensen in this film. I mean, he's always good, but here he is amazing, he carries this film and that it works is in no small part because he sells it so convincingly. Charlize Theron and Robert Duvall also have small, but important rolls in the film. Theron plays The Man's wife and through flashbacks we see her fate and we recognize how easily anyone of us might have shared it, given the circumstances. Duvall is given less to do but brings a fantastic performance full of sorrow and age, you can see the pain he's endured etched in his face and in every word he speaks. Smit-McPhee can't measure up to the talent surrounding him but his performance is acceptable.

The Road is one of those films that while good, you know you won't want to watch to many times, it's too draining and grim. However, it's a film well worth watching and one that will stay with you for a long time.

-egs

Comic Book Pregame Post: Week of 02/10/10

2010-02-11T00:16:00.003-07:00

Every week I'll be pointing out the books of interest so that you, my loyal readers, will know what to look for on your Wednesday outing. This will usually go up on Monday or Tuesday except for this week in which it is late, but hey if you read comics you should be used to that by now.

Batman And Robin #8: With Cameron Stewart's arrival this book looks fantastic once again. And while I think his Batman run is one of Morrison's lesser works it's still interesting and this ark has me excited. (not sexually but still)

Batgirl #7: This seems to be getting better the last few issues. It's still not great but the dynamic between Stephanie and Damion is fantastic and Tim shows up next issue. Oh teenage love, will you ever cease to entertain.

JSA All-Stars #3: I read the first 2 issues courtesy of my friend Q and they were surprisingly readable. Not great by any means and I'm not going to buy it but for a book that's trying to get me to take Magog seriously as an awesome, extreme hero, the fact that I didn't want to burn it speaks highly of the creative team.

Secret Six #18: I don't read Secret Six. Post your scornful comments below. (It's nothing personal I just haven't read it)

Unwritten #10: Mike Carey and Peter Gross. After Lucifer I'll pretty much buy anything they do together. It helps that this series has been great. In this issue, Nazis. (See above)

Legendary Talespinners #1 (of 3): I'm going to take a long hard look at this on the shelves. It's $3.99 but it's only 3 issues, might be worth it.

Choker #1: I think I'm trade waiting on this but that Ben Templesmith sure can draw.

Amazing Spider-Man #620: ASM has been one of the most consistently enjoyable titles I've been reading for the las year and a half or so. This one is drawn my Marcos Martin so sufficed to say I look foreword to it.

Dark Tower Battle of Jericho Hill #3 (of 5): I still need to pick up issues 1 and 2 but I'm excited to see the conclusion of this story as well as the return of Jae Lee on art.

Dark X-Men #4 (of 5): If you haven't heard Nate Grey is back. Obviously he's not going to be the one to take down Osborn but seeing as how he's one of the most powerful beings on earth I'm highly interested to see how or if Marvel will use him post Siege.

New Mutants #10: Pure nostalgia but I'm enjoying it. If you, like I, read the entire run of New Mutants you should probably try this out.

Nextwave Agents Of H.A.T.E. Ultimate Collection TP: I already own this series but if you don't you need to but the shit out it immediately. Some of the most fun comics you'll ever read. To quote: "If you like anything you will love Nextwave!"

PunisherMAX #4 : I have never read a Jason Aaron comic that didn't make me think 'Jason Aaron is awesome'. I expect this to live up to that criteria. Plus Steve Dillon!

Strange #4 (of 4): What will become of Strange's new assistant? I don't know but Waid is still writing and Rios is still drawing so I'll be reading.

S.W.O.R.D. #4: AS everyone has heard this book will end with issue 5. Man, Marvel is pulling the plug fast these days. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Buy the trade a bunch and maybe it will come back.

Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #4 (of 4): Written by Warren Ellis drawn by Steve Kurth who's as close to Bryan Hitch as humanly possible. This really should have been better, hopefully it ends strong.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #7: The first six issues of this were great. This is easily the best thing Bendis is writing right now. This issue Takeshi Miyazawa fills on art and that's damn fine for a fill in artist.

Vengeance Of The Moon Knight #5: I think this is canceled as well though I'm not a 100% on that. The art looked nice but really Marvel, relaunching a failing book at $3.99 with a creative team that's pretty far from famous, are you surprised this didn't work?

X-Men Forever #17: More nostalgia from Marvel. This one started out pretty terrible but just crazy enough to be intriguing now that it's settled down I don't know how long readers will stick around (myself included).

X-Men Pixie Strikes Back #1: Hmmm...I do like Sara Pichelli's art and this does have a bunch of kids from New X-Men, I'll probably at least try the first issue.

That's all that caught my eye, if there's something you think I missed comment below.

-egs

What's in a name? Apparently everything.

2010-02-10T22:31:00.004-07:00

This is a movie called Ninja Assassin. I'll let that sink in for a minute. Still here? If you are I'm going to assume you're the type of person who might be interested in a movie about ninjas who are also rather redundantly referred to as assassins. Because if you're not someone who grew up catching old Asian action movies or someone who has argued the pro-ninja side of a ninja vs. pirate debate, this is probably not the movie for you. If, on the other hand, you spent chunks of your youth trying to blend into shadows and perfect your shuriken skills like some people who may, or may not, be typing this review, you might find this movie an enjoyable way to spend 99 minutes.

The film follows Naomie Harris as FBI Agent Mika Coretti, who has pieced together the long kept secret of the ninja clans. It seems that for generations the clans have abducted children and trained them to be the perfect assassins, yours for the low price of a hundred pounds of gold. Fearing for their secrecy the clans sends ninjas after Mika, however she's saved by the good looking uber ninja Raizo, a man who left his murderous clan and now fights to stop them.

Raizo is played by Korean Pop star Rain and surprisingly, he is not a bad actor. Rain certainly looks the part and the ladies will be happy to know that he spends a chunk of the movie sans shirt. Of course, the clans won't stop until they're both dead so carnage ensues as wave after wave of ninjas slaughter anyone in their path before inevitably falling to Raizo's skill.

Intercut with this is Raizo's childhood as he is trained by Ozunu (Shô Kosugi) to ignore pain, to move without sound, to fight without sight, and to kill without hesitation. Your basic badass ninja package. Kosugi nails these scenes absolutely embodying the classic strict, unyielding, merciless teacher. Unknown to Ozunu, Raizo also learns love and compassion courtesy of female ninja in training Kiriko. The last thing Ozunu wants is a ninja with compassion, understandable really as that would be an undesirable trait in a hired killer, so when Raizo refuses to kill a comrade that attempted to flee, he becomes a traitor in the eyes of his ninja brethren.

The film comes to us from the Wachowskis' right hand man James McTeigue who also directed the much better V for Vendetta. I was a bit perplexed that a seemingly up and coming director would make a rather mediocre action movie about ninjas with a story that generally winds up being made as a straight to DVD affair. It makes perfect sense however when you realize that McTeigue like the Wachowskis is looking to make live action anime which is essentially what this is, just a bit toned down in terms of ninjas can do anything (there are no Naruto level ninjas who are wizards that also know kung-fu and can destroy whole armies single handily in this film). What's slightly more perplexing is the presence of award winning writer J. Michael Straczynski, who co-wrote the film. Then again for those that read JMS's rather polarizing run on The Amazing Spider-Man this may not come as a shock.

My only real complaint (because complaining about a cliche story or a bit of bad acting in a movie called Ninja Assassin would be like complaining that a movie called Aliens had aliens in it) is that the vast majority of the fights are propped up by cgi. Sure you'll see lots of limbs flying and blood splattering but almost all of it is clearly cg. A movie like this there is a certain satisfaction in seeing a practical fake arm being severed as red colored corn syrup splatters on our hero's grimaced face. That sounded gayer then I meant it to but my point still stands. Personally I hope that the next ninja/samurai/dude with a sword movie goes a bit more old school in its action sequences.

If your looking for action, blood, and, well, ninjas, you could do a lot worse. In short, this is a movie called Ninja Assassin.

-egs

So it begins

2010-02-10T21:47:00.006-07:00

Why The Renaissance Nerds?

There are some people in this world with complete and utter devotion to one thing, I am not one of these people. That's not to say that there is any thing wrong with that, it's just not me, nor is it most of the people I know. It seems to me that a new kind of nerd has arisen, one whose interests are wide and varied. Therefore a new kind of blog was needed, one that would cover many, if not all of the things that nerds world wide hold near and dear to their hearts. That is what I hope this blog will become.

With any luck you will soon see posts, not just from me but from a wide array of Renaissance Nerds on topics including, but not limited to; comics, manga, anime, movies, tv, books, and games. Hell, I may even do some posts on sports. So stay tuned, I'm pretty sure we'll have something you'll like.

-egs

I know it's not a particularly exciting post but I figured I needed some sort of introduction. Although now that I look at it I didn't really introduce myself. I'm a nerdy dude in my mid twenties that's been fooling around with film and theater almost my entire life. Went to film school, worked on a ton of stuff, still trying to make it in to the industry, you know the drill. Everything else you'll find out soon enough. Just for the hell of it, here's a picture.