The Week of Dec 2 in Review

The format from last week continues as I got a positive review from one person. It is funny because this blog normally never sees a lot of commenting other than the other bloggers but I know we have a decent readership. When Lee caused a storm of controversy a few years back boy did we get comments then, but normally very little. Of course I’m guilty of the same thing as I may read a post here and there on other blogs and yet seldom take the time to give some feedback or just say I liked something. Over the years I have grown used to the silence. Now all of this is a preamble to the fact that I’m starting off on a negative note. Hopefully the creators we all know and love want feedback and more than just the sycophantic ravings. Also it is much easier to sit back here and react to something then to create a story.

Shadowland #5 (of 5) – Writer Andy Diggle, Pencils Billy Tan, Inks Victor Olazaba

What I Liked – That the series is over.

What I Didn’t Like – The art work had a generic quality to it and lacks that noir quality I look for in what has to be called a Daredevil book. The fact that this book became the main series when Daredevil has his own comic, I prefer that the main series host the event involving the character. Iron Fist hitting the possessed Daredevil to heal Matt Murdock buried within the Demon who has possessed Daredevil. The dialogue included Iron Fist saying “wakey, wakey, Matt.” The whole long drawn out scene where Matt has an internal dialogue crying about all of his fears and he uses a samurai sword to kill his inner self and those destroy the Demon. I mean, really is the best that can be done? Finally Typhoid Mary is a double agent working for the Kingpin who was unaware that she was a double agent. Which leads us to this piece of dialogue as the Kingpin says “Thanks to the initiative implanting her with a three word trigger phrase that unlocks her secret fourth personality.” I was waiting for someone else to pop up and say a secret four word code that unlocks yet a super secret fifth personality. Cringe worthy dialogue, sixties style resolutions and just an overall atrocity that will go down in the annals of one of the worst DD stories of all time. This was a very bad series and only my love for the character and morbid curiosity kept me on for the whole ride.

Daredevil #512 – Writer Andy Diggle & Anthony Johnston Art Marco Checchetto

What I Liked – It was a decent epilogue to Shadowland and set up the new series with the Black Panther in Hell’s Kitchen. Matt Hollingsworth on colors, he saves the artist many times over and gives the book the wonderful atmospheric touch of noir.

What I Didn’t Like – It took until this epilogue for them to explain why Daredevil has any culpability in the entire chain of events. Of course it is all conjecture on Daredevil’s part that since he decided to kill Bullseye that allowed the demon to possess him. Blechh, I just threw up in my mouth. What is a shame is the story had great potential about a good man trying to run the Hand and what he may or may not have to do in order to make it work. Instead of writing out a thoughtful storyline they turned it into a mini-event and the potential was lost. Matt Murdock was a perfect chance to do an examination of elements of what is and what is not heroic and instead we got a comic book.

Heroes for Hire #1 – Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Pencils Brad Walker, Inks Andrew Hennessy

What I Liked – A nice bizarre set of characters all pulled together via Misty Knight playing Oracle in the Marvel Universe, except she has her own Charlie (of Charlie’s Angels) feeding her the crime tips. The nice added twist that Misty is in some sort of virtual reality with the Puppet Master pulling all the strings was a great surprise ending. It has me curious where the book is going so I will hang around for the next issue.

What I Didn’t Like – It felt so derivative of Birds of Prey at first and if the Puppet Master is continuing running things this way it may get old. In fact by adding the Puppet Master into the story line we sort of know that the first arc is the heroes finding out a bad guy is behind it and then the heroes will decide to keep doing good work anyway. It could become contrite very fast, but DnA are smarter than that and I will give them a lot of rope passed on their terrific track record. . The art work is borderline generic which is a huge turn off for me.

Brightest Day # 15 – Writers Geoff Johns & Peter Tomasi, Pencils Patrick Gleason & Scott Clark, Inkers – A group of 8.

What I Liked – J’onn Jozz being given center stage and beating the bad guy.

What I Didn’t Like – We are treading water. All of the Brightest Day stuff (that still has the banner) feels like it is a story waiting for a climax or is just building to the next event. Johns’ work feels like he is phoning it in more and more and I feel like his new role of Chief Creative Officer is making it harder for him to be the creator I used to love.

Bullet to the Head #6 (of 6) – Writer Matz, Art Colin Wilson

What I Liked – Basically due to Killer I will try anything by Matz as the writer. I enjoyed how the series ended in general.

What I Didn’t Like – The book read as a graphic novel and due to the complexity of the story and large cast I got lost over the course of the story. Bits and pieces stayed with me, but in general I was lost as to the impact of the whole thing. I like Matz and the art enough that I will buy the trade and give this a second chance when I read it as a whole.

Bring the Thunder #1 – Plot/Concept Alex Ross, Plot Script Jai Nitz, Art – Wilson Tortosa

What I Liked – It has some interesting story ideas and I’m intrigued enough to come back for issue #2. I enjoyed the story laying out what a para-rescue jumper does.

What I Didn’t Like – The story had a narrative at odds with the actual pictures which often cause a disjointed read of the book. For this story it came close to working but still failed. On top of that the starting with a future point in the story then back to the past, then to the present adds to the disjointed nature of the story telling. Writers need to trust that the story is good enough to keep us involved and not rely on stunts uncalled for in a story. The artwork borders on less then professional and a little generic, but it does succeed in telling the story.

Edge of Doom #2 – Writer Steve Niles, Art Kelly Jones

What I Liked – What a great story that harkens back to the EC days or Outer Limits type stories. It has a space theme, with some little horror twists and then a great physiological twist ending. The art by Kelly Jones was some of his best work ever. Kelly can go over the top at times, but this work was lush, more on the realistic side of the coin for Kelly and done to perfection.

What I Didn’t Like – That Axl died. It was sad.

Killer Modus Vivendi #6 (of 6) – Writer Matz, Art – Luc Jacamon

What I Liked – The story is so political and refers to different countries and their competing national objectives, it is fascinating stuff to read and makes me rethink what I thought I knew. I’m also enjoying that we are getting into the head of the Killer and learning what he believes in or not believes in. The story itself is also fascinating although it will read better as a whole. Finally I appreciated that we still have some strong action scenes as it keeps the book from being too much of a talking head book.

What I Didn’t Like – It did not really end here and appears that like the first story is really a 12 issue series when broken down into a monthly comic book format. I’m okay as long as it gets published in English, but I still wish the publisher would be honest about the length when printing the series.

American Vampire #9 – Writer Scott Snyder, Art Rafael Albuerque

What I Liked – I’m enjoying this series, Scott is successfully telling us stories of individuals and making us feel for these characters and at the same time telling us a greater story about Skinner. It works so well that it is amazing. This type of complexity allows each arc to be its own thing while still building to a greater whole. It is deceptive simple in Scott’s hands but the planning to get it right has to takes an enormous effort. The story of Cashel and how he ended up with the burden that is his son concludes this issue, but you know we will see them later on. Rafael’s art work continues to grow and just like when he was drawing Blue Beetle he continues to evolve as an artist. His work has more gravitas now and his layouts and expression get better and better. I know we lose him for a few issues, but I can see why he needs a breather to get back ahead of the deadlines as he is pouring his heart and soul into this book. This series is one of the top ten books of 2010

What I Didn’t Like – Nothing really, it is a series that I can try and learn from and maybe in my dotage I will try and write comics myself using this type of work as an example of how to do it right. I hope the next trade or hardcover contains some of Scott’s scripts.

Jonah Hex #62 - Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Art Eduardo Risso

What I Liked – Risso on Jonah Hex, wow, what a great cover and as always stellar interior artwork. I love Eduardo’s style and his work is always a thing of beauty. His layouts, line work and ability to spot blacks are second to none. He is a true master of comic art. The story was fun also. Gray and Palmiotti continue to do a great job of one and done stories for Jonah and weave in tons of great artists. This is a severely overlooked series and I’m glad DC supports the book.

What I Didn’t Like – It ended and the comic book was over, I wanted more!

Action Comics Annual #13 – Writer Paul Cornell, Art Marco Rudy on Darkseid, Ed Benes on Ras As Ghul

What I Liked – The depiction of a young Lex Luthor. Paul is creating a Lex Luthor that is interesting and as multi-dimensional as any other villain. Lex has always been fascinating now he is layered. The Darksied story was especially good as we see Lex in full arrogance believing he can outdo anyone and yet expresses anxiety and doubt as he yells at Perry White. The Ras story had some nice moments, especially when Lex was abandoned by Ras after betraying his trust.

What I Didn’t Like – The poetic narrative used to tell the Ras story, it was a clever idea, but didn’t work. Marco Rudy’s page designs. Marco is a good artist but he tries to be J. H. Williams III sometimes with his elaborate page designs and ends up creating problems in trying to read the story.

Adventure Comics #521 – Writer Paul Levitz (Legion) Jeff Lemire (Atom). Geraldo Borges & Marlo Alquiza (Legion) Mahmud Asrar (Atom)

What I Like – The Legion of Super Heroes. The Atom story was entertaining even though I have missed at least half of it.

What I Didn’t Like – I came back to this book as it is now part of the current Legion continuity. I’m still very confused about this Legion as I’m not 100% sure what version I’m following. It feels like it is the original Legion picked up after Levitz left it 20 years ago, but it feels like it is its own thing also. It is very confusing for a long time fan of all the incarnations of the group. Paul’s stories are disjointed at this point and from story to story I’m not getting any real cohesion from this book. In this issue Mon’el is talking about his last stay in the Phantom Zone, I’m so confused by this continuity mixing in with the Superman stuff. The new Green Lantern is, well I’m won’t spoil the surprise, but the person was a great hero without the ring. The artwork is very generic and is not a plus for the book.

Freedom Fighters #4 – Writers Justin Gray & Jimmy Pamiotti, Pencils Travis Moore, Inks Trevor Scott

What I Liked – I love the characters and I have always enjoyed seeing some “C” or even “D” list characters get spotlight time. The art work in this book is very strong in the more realistic side of things but with great line work and tons of detail. I almost feel bad for the artist as the list of characters that had to draw must have had them dreaming about the chance to just do a Batman book. If I was Travis Moore I might have asked the writers if they thought I was George Perez.

What I Didn’t Like – This plot line in the first arc is so complex and has so many moving parts that I can’t begin to remember who is who and what is happening to whom and why. I love the characters and trust the writers enough to hang in there, but I worry they may have chased away pat of what was probably a small audience. This is where having a strong editorial staff comes in and they have to say we need to streamline the story or break it down differently or start with a different story to draw in an audience and keep it.

Doom Patrol #17 – Writer Keith Giffen, Pencils Matthew Clark & Ron Randall, Inks John Livesay

What I Liked – The cover was great with the DP in a blood splattered photo of them in Victorian era garb. I don’t think covers sell many comics anymore, but this one stands out and may grab a new reader here or there. The story continues to be fantastic; Giffen is channeling his inner Arnold Drake / Grant Morrison and crafting the best DP in many moons. I love how the book has a Vertigo type vibe with classic super hero art work. The actual villains of this arc the Aristocrats are just marvelously bizarre and appear to be some sort of blood feeding family. Negative Man’s lines continue to crack me up and yet the story maintains a strong narrative flow that is easy to follow. Finally I loved the “Dick and Jane” style primer as the opening page bringing new readers up to date.

What I Didn’t Like – That DC is not putting a big push behind this book. One of the more unique books on the stands.

IZombie #8 – Writer Chris Roberson, Art Mike Allred

What I Liked – Our Zombie girl Gwen going out on her first date since becoming a dead person. Of course it took almost the whole book to get there, but it was a fun ride. I love the whole cast of characters and the wonderful bizarreness and yet almost light hearted nature of the book. While there is some interesting over and under soul stuff that I probably should pay more attention too, I just read this book and marvel at how great it is. We have Gwen the Zombie girl, her ghost girl-friend, a were-terrier friend, monster hunters, vampires, a chimp inhabited by a cast member’s grandfather and it all just flows from issue to issue.

What I Didn’t Like – Amon is a cast member who has a lot going on and I will either need a story summary or something to help keep me up to date on what is going on with him. All the other story elements seem to flow easily. Amon’s story is complex and it feels like it is at odds with the rest of the book.

Sweet Tooth #16 – Writer and Artist Jeff Lemire

What I Liked – The pacing of this story is perfect at this point. In 16 issues Jeff has laid the ground work for his stories and given us enough answers to balance out the ongoing mysteries. The revelation on the last page as Sheppard is beating the crap out of the main bad guy was appropriately an “oh crap” moment.

What I Didn’t Like – Nothing. In this case the editor just needs to stand out of the way and offer encouragement.

With five week months the companies just spread out what we would get anyway over five weeks instead of four and with my hard cover list getting smaller and smaller that makes for some cheap weeks in what I spend. The reduced dollar amount makes the reward of a strong week of some excellent books even sweeter.

A Fistful of.... Band Reviews!

So, as of this past Thursday my fiance and I have been together for 9 years. Seeing how last year for our anniversary he proposed to me there was little we felt could top that so we were fairly laid back about it. We hadn't been planning on doing much as we're still saving for our wedding but then came Black Friday - with an actual useful sale. See, here in Florida we have a similar concert to HFStival in Maryland called Next Big Thing. However André had a bad experience with lawn seats the last time we went to the Amphitheater venue so despite some of our favorite band playing on our anniversary weekend I thought we'd be skipping it because real seating is expensive. Luckily I heard on the radio that they had decided to sell $60 seat tickets for $20 each so We got to see three bands that we really like - one of them being My Chemical Romance (which is a band I really enjoy). Which is, of course, my only way of relating this concert review to comics at all as MCR's lead singer is the author of The Umbrella Academy thus I can link this to comic books! I rule.


Next Big Thing is an all day concert (10-10) but the first band Andre and I wanted to see, Sick Puppies, didn't go on until 5pm. And yes, I know, they have an odd name, but regardless they're a good band. Either way they hold NBT at what used to be the Ford Amphitheater (now it's called the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater which is awful). So there's a large mainstage with covered seating and a field for lawn seats. There's also a smaller "discover new rock" stage and two areas with booths and food places. All together it's one of the more enjoyable venues especially because the parking is on site, free, and easily accessible. André and I had semi-decent seats and it was a lot nicer than it had been on the lawn - especially considering it got a bit cold as the sun set.







Sick Puppies put on a good show. I found that I actually knew more of their songs than I had thought. Also they seemed to be really appreciative of the fans and it's always nice when you get the impression that a band genuinely wants to be there performing. If you haven't heard their music check it out here.


Next was Cage the Elephant. I'm not a fan and now less so as they kept sounding off feedback loops that hurt my ears. I like loud music but I don't like screeching noises. So we went booth hopping for most of their set.






Chevelle had a great set. For some reason the girl sitting next to us in the Cookie Monster hoodie didn't seem to like them - but she had liked seeing Cage the Elephant so we obviously didn't have much in common in the world of music preferences. Chevelle's a band I've come to appreciate more since the Sci-fi Crimes CD came out. I've like previous songs by them but Letter From a Thief is what really got me into them. Also, not I have an excellent glittery Chevelle concert shirt :) I was sad the MCR girl cut shirts had sold out before we got to the concert, but oh well. Regardless Chevelle's set was one of the highlights of the concert for me.


Then The Black Keys performed. I think I vaguely know one song by them. There's something a bit too country-ish about their music for them to be on the main stage at a rock concert but they were decent performers. Just not a band that I'd but songs for from itunes or anything. Most of this set was spent by me watching André play angry birds on my phone.





The closing band was My Chemical Romance. Wow do those boys have a lot of energy - Gerald Way was running all over the stage. They played quite a few songs from their new CD but managed to mix in some old favorites as well. It was a lot of fun to see them on stage - and according to them 97x (the radio station that organizes NBT) was one of the first station to get behind MCR as a band which was pretty cool. Either way it was awesome to see them on stage and they even came out for an encore. They also played my favorite song (so far) from their new CD which you can check out here!


All said we had a lot of fun. It's always fun to see several bands at once and there were some excellent performances.

The List - November 2010

This month The List is a bit skewed. Three trades are on the list and bump some monthlies down. No reflection on the bumped monthlies, but these are really excellent trades. Gotta love 60% off sales after Thanksgiving.

1. Invincible 75 - Boom! Really big boom! Squish! Lots of squish! It doesn't get more fun than Invincible when it comes to super hero comics. I think a lot of that has to do with the finality. Death means death, unless you're the Immortal. Plus, Freddie Mercury really kicks ass in this book. On top of all that, there are bonus stories of Science Dog and Tech Jacket in this over sized, twice the price issue. Nah, it's not really twice the price, but I liked the rhyme. Kirkman doesn't even have the Viltrumite War ending in this issue. With all that's going on, it's still just one chapter in the saga, not a forced ending to coincide with the 75th issue. The biggest kicker? A ring around Viltrum, a la the rings of Saturn, composed entirely of the bodies of dead Viltrumites.

2. Scalped 43 - Yeah, it's something of a filler, but this slice of life story of a white sheriff of a town that borders the Rez is one of those examples of short story telling that so well fit the medium when it's used as a self contained product in one issue. The blowhard sheriff type has been seen many times previously, but this one gives him sympathy with his comeuppance. He seems to be set up for a larger story in coming tales, too. Guest artist Jason LaTour does a good job with the feel of this book's take on life on the Great Plains.

3. Xenozoic - This would be last Sunday's review choice. I'm still wishing for more tales from Schultz to complete his story, but I'm not overly hopeful. All the same, a great read and just wonderful pictures.

4. Echo: Atomic Dreams - This is volume 2 of the trades of Terry Moore's Echo. It's been almost a year since I read the first volume, but I was right back in it from the first page. Patience is well rewarded here. Moore keeps his pacing similar to the first volume. There's the ongoing mystery of just what the "suit" is or was and there's an epic battle with the messianic crazy who also has pieces of the suit attached to him. The most interesting aspects of the story were the development of Ivy, who's hunting for Julie and the suit, and the relationship between Julie and Dillon. I particularly like Ivy, who's working with an employer who's hiding information from her. What direction Ivy goes as a protagonist will be interesting.

5. Locke & Key: Head Games - The third of the three trades. This was also a big wait between chapters, as I had volume 1 around the same time I had volume 1 of Echo. Although there's much less action than the first volume, I found this one far creepier. Dodge is an evil Peter Pan. A hermaphroditic, sadistic Peter Pan, but eternally youthful all the same and with a significant disdain for adults. The Locke kids are subjects of Dodge's manipulation throughout this volume but at least they're doing better than Ellie, who loved Dodge when he last appeared to youth of Lovecraft 30 years ago. I particularly enjoy Dodge's anachronistic references resulting from his entrapment over those 30 years. Doug Henning? Heh. I saw that guy live when I was a kid. Here's hoping Rufus gets to be the hero and survives the adventure.

6. The Walking Dead 79 - Well, I didn't see Douglas's collapse coming, that's for sure. Not that he's had the kind of breakdown Rick has had, but he sure has fallen into apathy. I like the everyday nature of the gay relationship that we see in this issue, too. Just another couple. No big deal, as it should be. I'm also reading the first volume of the Compendium that collects issues 1-48, and will be getting to discussion of that down the road. The dead are more of a presence in this issue like they have been in those older issues. Sometimes the dead don't even feel like a threat anymore, but not now.

7. Atomic Robo: Deadly Art of Science 1 - Fun, fun, fun. Previously we've only had Robo and his merry band of scientists presented as heroes in this world. Now we have a masked vigilante, Jack Tarot, Gunfighter. Better than the usual first time meeting of super heroes, with the requisite misunderstandings leading to fighting, Robo's just a pest that Tarot doesn't want around. Tarot even shoots Robo in the head, to no effect of course. It's all very lighthearted, as always. The corny '20s dialog Robo uses is great, too.

8. Secret Six 27 - I think I like Simone's version of Skartaris even better than Mike Grell's version. Definitely better than the most recent iterations. Of course, Calafiore's art certainly helps, as it's all very pretty as it bloodily and merrily continues on its way. The civil war between Secret Six factions continues. Excellent quote of the month from this book: "Hey, I like these guys! They fight good, and they're not so fatty!" It's only going to get better with Machiste possessed by Deimos. And remember, "Don't ever 8#*% with the Wall."


9. Madame Xanadu 29 - Ah, the first of several final issues this month. This is the saddest of the lot, as there was a lot more story telling to be had. If that telling had continued with Matt Wagner at the helm, I'd have had pleasant months for many to come. I highly doubt the return of Nimu to the DCU fold that caused her exile from Vertigo will be up to the same par, unless Wagner or another of his ken is holding the reins. At least Amy Reeder was back for this concluding issue. That was only right, considering the long run of beautiful work she provided through these two plus years. Not much happens in the issue itself. It's more a summary of where things are when it ends in the '60s and the tutelage of Nimu's protege.


10. American Vampire 8 - More Pearl. That's both what we have in this issue and my ongoing request for stories in this book. Pearl rules. Not that Skinner Sweet isn't interesting, but he's more of a characterization, being so much the evil bastard. I like the idea that people are remaining the same sort of person they were before becoming a vampire, at least with the American version of the species. The supporting cast continues to develop well, with Pearl's boyfriend taking an interesting step to try to protect Pearl this issue. Our vampire hunter socieity has some interesting tactics and treaties of its own. Yes, there's much of interest in store here.


11. Unknown Soldier 25 - The second final issue. This one was intentionally so. Dysart rightly reached an end that had to be. I was somewhat surprised in these last few issues that Moses was never the man he thought he was. There's an element of Manchurian Candidate about it. Or maybe it's more the Bourne trilogy? Regardless, the book was less about the deus ex machina than it was the culture and tragedy of Uganda. In exploring that mileu it was entirely successful. If you didn't read it in singles, get the trades.


12. The Unwritten 19 - The vaguely answered question of whether Wilson Taylor is a son of a bitch was definitely pushed into son of a bitch being the right answer. Aside from that, our trio take a trip to Herman Mellville's home to start on the path of the map, though they have no idea where to start there. Meanwile, a new character, a crone toymaker, has some interesting powers of story and manipulation. Oh, and Lizzie plants a passionate kiss on Tom.


13. Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard 4 - The end of this guest tale telling. The structure of the story was mice sitting in an ale house telling tales to win the prize of having a tab forgiven by the keeper, which meant different voices for each mouse. With each story being told by a different guest creator, there was in fact a different voice for each mouse. It's a great device that serves the narrative perfectly. Another good one to get in trade.


14. Northlanders 34 - Wow. A happy ending. Didn't see that coming. I thought Erik and Ingrid were goners for sure. Still not sure what to make of the mystic nature of a lot of this arc. I think a re-read is in order. Right now I'm not sure if it was all halucinogenics or supposed to be actual magic. Kinda hoping for the former, the latter being out of keeping with how stories have been more realistic up to this point.


15. Incorruptible 12 - I love Jailbait/Headcase and Alannah Patel. Max Damage is a good, interesting character, but his two female supporting cast members are even better. Look better, too.


16. Batwoman 0 - Yeah, there's not much to this. It's just laying the groundwork for the ongoing series, but I sure loved the character's appearance in Detective under the guiding hand of Greg Rucka. Now it's JH Williams III and W Haden Blackman writing with Williams and Amy Reeder doing the art. Williams did the art in Detective, and Reeder's fondly mentioned above regarding the end of Madame Xanadu, so I have high hopes for this series continuing at those high standards. Am I the only one who noticed that it appears there were two people trailing Kate Kane to see if she's Batwoman? One's Bruce Wayne Batman, but who's the other?


17. Birds of Prey 17 - Black Canary was coerced a little too easily for my taste. Sure, it's nice to see the Huntress be the strong one, fighting back against the scheme, but I think Dinah would have put up more of a fight, at least the character I've seen previously in BoP. A likable series, but not as strong as Simone's Secret Six.


18. The Astounding Wolf-man 25 - Ah, a fond farewell to Gary and the Actioneers. Heh. Love that name. So cheesey. The cover reminds me of the days of old when the interior had little to do with the cover. Considering that Zechariah died at the end of last issue, his appearance as a sword wielding combantant on the cover of this issue is unlikely, especially because Kirkman tends to keep the dead dead. A good wrap to the series with potential to return on its own or somewhere else in Kirkman's Invincible centric hero-verse.


19. Batman and Robin 16 & 17 - A transition here. The former is Morrison's last issue and the latter Paul Cornell's first. As usual with Morrison, I'll have to read the whole arc again before I can figure out what all happened and whether it was worth the ride. I liked Cornell's start. "What...are...we...missing?" Isn't that the question for us all?


20. Justice League: Generation Lost 13 & 14 - Worth every penny just to see Magog blow up. Let's do it again and again and again. No, better yet, let's have him actually be dead and stay that way. Unlikely, but a fellow can dream, right? The second issue with Captain Atom in the dystopian future was fun, too. Always love those sort of future tales, going back to the Uncanny X-Men 141, as long we don't start having Cable show up or something. Looks like Max Lord is coming out of the shadows soon, too.


21. iZombie 7 - I continue to enjoy this book withour a lot of it sticking with me as something I should really invest in following. I particularly like Allred's art, but the book's walking a fine line, teetering on being dropped. Looks like Gwen's eating mom's brain so that should prove interesting. I think Roberson may have a good slow build going on, so I'm holding on for the moment.


22. Batman Streets of Gotham 17 - To a large degree I can't believe I've made it this far on this book. Hush is a minimally interesting villain. We're looking a lot at flashbacks to Martha Wayne and Hush's mother being involved with our aged gangster who's kidnapped Hush in the mistaken belief that he's Bruce Wayne. Still Dini makes it interesting. More interesting than the Ragman backup, which I've forgotten altogether. I do like Szymon Kudranski's art for Ragman, though.


23. Gotham City Sirens 17 - See, I really need to pare down my Bat related titles. These two books just get jumbled in my mind, and I don't think I really need to follow either of them. This one's looking like the one that loses out, as soon as this story involving Selena's repressed memories of Bruce's identity ends. For the life of me, I don't know when those became repressed memories. I thought she was perfectly well aware of who he is. Maybe I'm reading something wrong. Fah, it's not worth the effort to figure out.


24. Haunt 11 - Still just skimming that cut line. If it weren't for Kirkman, it'd be gone already. Greg Capullo's women all seem to have the same face, differentiated primarily by hair color and outfit. I found this somewhat striking a few pages into the issue when there were close-ups on two different women and it became obvious we were looking at the same face. The same was true with a couple of chippies knockin' boots with Hurg. Don't know why there's such a lack with the women. He draws men with different noses and cheek bones and such.


25. Irredeemable 19 - And this one did hit the cut list. Clearly, this is never going to end. Mentally unstable Superman will continue to destroy randomly because even though we've now thrown in powerful aliens to bring him down, Waid has clearly shown that having powerful people around to bring down the Plutonian isn't going to stop him from writing more into this story. The Paradigm has had enough power to take him out for awhile now. There was a demon who could have taken him out. Still kickin'. He'll be around for a long while, obviously. I think Ward would have a more interesting tale if he just ended the Plutonian somehow and delved into how the world recovers, the Paradigm adapts, etc.


26. Zatanna 7 - This one's very close to being on the cut list, too. No Dini now and Adam Beechen's story was entirely uninteresting. Goofy, too, what with Zatanna fighting an empty suit of mismatched magicians' clothes. I'm only holding on because it appears Dini will be back.


Not a bad total. Counting the couple issues I doubled up, 28 new purchases on the month, three of which were trades. With three of the titles ending and 1 other being dropped, The List is lightening. Gotham City Sirens will probably be the next to go.

zig-zagging: A Memoir – Loving Madly, Losing Badly… How Ziggy Saved My Life – A Book Review

This post has been in the queue since August and it's been my security blanket "buffer" post. I hate to let it go. So long Ziggy -- I'll miss you!!!

Whenever I go on vacation, I usually pack way too many books to read. There’s just this optimism that there will be plenty of time to wile away the hours reading. I don’t think I’ve had a summer like that since I was in college (I remember when I bought a ton of early Marvel Team-ups in Kansas and when I collected all the Ian Fleming James Bond novels one summer). So, this year I reduced my non-Bible reading book packing to a minimum: Green Lantern Archives #5, Devil Dinosaur Omnibus, Marvel Adventures Super Heroes (for interview research), and one non-comic book.

Other than a few issues of Super Heroes, the only one I completed was the non-comic, which was actually a memoir. Webster’s defines memoir as “a narrative composed from personal experience”. I looked up the term because I was curious how it differed from a biography, which is more of a complete history of someone’s life. Well, this book certainly lived up to the definition.

The full title is zig-zagging: A Memoir: Loving Madly, Losing Badly…How Ziggy Saved My Life by Tom Wilson. Tom is actually Tom Jr., or Tom II, the son of Ziggy creator, Tom Wilson (the original). Ziggy is that lovable round-headed comic strip icon from the funny pages and the greeting card aisle. The book is peppered with Ziggy illustrations and a few family pictures. The narrative is very free flowing and easy to read with plenty of thoughtful moments, including a few super-hero references.

The book is structured around a drive Tom is making from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Along the journey he flashbacks to various parts of his life up to this point. I’m not sure if all the physical events of the journey (the storm, the cup of coffee, the bumper sticker, etc.) actually occurred for real during one particular drive – maybe it was a compilation of several trips. I don’t think it’s really important as the road trip is more of a device to tie into the narrative of what he’s experienced and he uses the road/journey metaphors to enhance his tale. Just as the title describes it’s a tale of love, loss, and salvation.

While the book is divided into eight thematic sections, you can’t always compartmentalize your life; consequently, most of the themes intertwine throughout the narrative. The first section is “Backward” and it primarily deals with him and his father. The account of how his Dad set him up with his own drawing area was wonderful, and it really helps the reader experience how he must have felt at the time. Even more fascinating is the Batman and Robin relationship they have with regard to Ziggy. He’s being trained to take over and eventually has to assume full responsibilities on Ziggy, becoming the Dick Grayson Batman so-to-speak. This isn’t some clever insight on my part, but actually the way Tom describes the transition himself.

The second section “Upward” deals with the beginning of his marriage to Susan and the start of his professional career, including the creation of his short-lived “Ziggy-esque” character Ug, the caveman. No, I don’t remember him either. There’s also some more great Batman and Robin insight in this section. It seems like just about everything is going Tom’s way when tragedy strikes.

The third section “Downward” chronicles his wife’s seven-year battle with breast cancer. This is really the heart of the book and it’s heart wrenching heavy stuff. The account where they’re in the shower together shaving Susan’s head prior to her first Chemo treatment was especially moving. She didn’t want cancer to claim her hair, so she took it first. From his writing, Susan must have been an incredibly strong woman with a huge reservoir of faith. By all implications (Scripture paraphrases and the like), she must have been a born-again Christian.

The next three sections “Heavenward”, “Inward”, and “Wayward”, chronicle Tom’s post-Susan existence. He’s angry with God for taking Susan away. He wants to deny that God exists, but to do so would mean no Heaven for Susan. It’s all very honest and raw. He starts to take on a Superman type persona as he throws himself into his work, getting a huge lead-time on his commitments. Meanwhile, he starts to get involved in an up-and-down relationship with a woman whom he calls “Lois”, who is really not the right person for him, especially at this time. She also causes conflict between him and his two sons. Along the way, the depression kicks in and he’s almost totally incapacitated. The accompanying Ziggy strips help illustrate what he’s going through.

In the last two sections “Outward” and “Homeward”, Tom gets his life back on track. The terrorist attacks of September 11th really helped him with his depression and self-pity. He also seems to regain his faith in God, although the specifics are not really explained. The book concludes with him arriving home in time to watch Spider-man with his two boys, while he draws Ziggy. He’s come full circle in away, even though the roles are now reversed. His Dad used to do his drawing while Tom was watching Godzilla.

I hope I’ve given you enough of the flavor of the book for you to try it out sometime (maybe get it from the local library like I did). It’s a very personal story and in many parts painful, but there’s plenty to learn from his experience and lots to think about on the journey. I really like how he uses the Batman and Superman themes to describe some of his situations and of course the Ziggy cartoons are great. The narrative is well constructed around the “drive” home. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would eagerly reread it one day.

I do have one main quibble with the book. It’s partly billed as an inspirational book and there certainly is a lot of talk about God. However, unless I missed it, there is no mention of Jesus Christ anywhere. Considering the evidence provided about his wife’s faith, I can’t understand why Jesus is absent. It reduces his reconnection to faith in God as something a little more vague or “new agey”. Still pointing someone back to God is a good place to start, even if he doesn’t take you quite far enough…

Shadowland #5 / Daredevil #512 - A Review

So Shadowland is over and it ended much like it began, as an uneven mess of unrealized potential.

Shadowland was billed as Daredevil’s fall from grace and potential transformation into a villain. Given everything that’s happened to Daredevil thanks to his last 20 creative teams, this story made a fair amount of sense.

Basically the story goes something like this, Daredevil snaps and kills Bullseye, so he gets possessed by a Devil and fights New York’s superheroes until Iron Fist punches him so hard he gets better and dies, but not really. Actually, that sounds pretty cool. The execution isn’t quite there though.

The consequences of being in charge of the Hand, namely that a horrific demon would take him over if he became corrupt, was never really given the appropriate build up or focus in the run up to Shadowland or in the first issue. Thus, when Matt kills Bullseye and becomes possessed, it felt more like a cop out than a tragic consequence.

The final issue itself has a lot to recommend about it. There’s a pretty radical fight between a possessed Daredevil and Ghost Rider and, as I may have mentioned earlier, Iron Fist punches Daredevil so hard he forces him into 4 pages of self introspection. However, like the series itself, there’s a lot of problems here. Those 4 pages of introspection are painfully on the nose. The Beast stuff feels like its coming out of nowhere (although, it is pretty cool if taken in the isolation of this issue). Phillip Tan’s art frustratingly verges between pretty awesome (his Ghost Rider, martial arts sequences) and kinda shoddy (Matt in a suit, the Kingpin talking to the Hand).

Daredevil 512 is the epilogue to the series, so it’s worth discussing. The issue largely deals with the crossover’s aftermath on Daredevil’s supporting cast. But what it does most effectively is make us all wish that Marco Checchetto had done the art on Shadowland. Moody and atmospheric, he’s the perfect artist for Daredevil and I hope to see more of his work in the future. The issue also reinforces the idea that it was his idea to kill Bullseye and sets up Daredevil’s status quo, which seems to be wandering as a drifter, alone through the Midwest.

Now here’s the problem with Shadowland – it’s a mess, but its brimming with potential. Matt Murdock losing it and going over the edge is a great idea, but somehow that got muddled in the transition from idea to story. I don’t know if that’s because it was a crossover or because Diggle was just trying to resolve the status quo that Brubaker left behind, but something didn’t click.

Now, we have another great story idea – Matt Murdock has finally hit bottom, I mean absolute rock bottom. His friends don’t trust him, he’s given up his life, and he has nowhere else to go. That is a Daredevil story I’d like to read and that makes total sense for the character. Daredevil has consistently been one of the best mainstream comics over the past ten years, which is what makes Shadowland so disappointing. Andy Diggle is a better writer than Shadowland would suggest and I hope that with Daredevil: Reborn, he can realize his potential on this character, because my patience with this book is wearing thin.

Lucky In Love - Reviewed

Since I live in France, I’ve been forced to mail order my comics. If you thought shipping was expensive in the States, you don’t even want to know what it costs to send books over the ocean. Even at media mail rates, it’s outrageously expensive.

Due to high costs, I’ve really tried to par down my list to only those books that I felt were obvious winners. Which is why I picked Lucky in Love: A Poor Man's History script by George Chieffet, plot and art by Stephen DeStefano, 120-page 6.5" x 8.5" hardcover published by Fantagraphics.

Lucky in Love is the story of Lucky Testatuda, an Italian American, growing up in New Jersey in the 1940’s. The story highlights three stages of Lucky’s life: his teenage years just before joining the military in the early 1940's, his time during the war, and after he is discharged and returns home. Lucky is a, to borrow Bob Fingerman's description, "not-outright-liar, but serial embellisher," and this leads to many a interesting comparion between what you see occurring on the page and the event as related by Lucky.

Let’s cut to the chase, Lucky in Love is a very good book with an outstanding story and stellar art. The story is incredibly well written and Lucky, as a person, practically leaps off the page at you. His characterization was spot on, and I recognized the personality in people I had known over the years. It’s hard to create a character that is so rich that anyone can relate to him, or her, but Chieffet and DeStefano have done it. At the same time, Chieffet and DeStefano place Lucky in situations that present him with opportunities to be a better person, or at least tell the truth. These instances really let you get to the heart of the character and understand him.

The same can be said of the art. Stephen DeStefano is the consummate professional who has been working in comics, and animation, for years. In the 1980’s, he created one of the best loved, sincere, and heart warming comics ever in “‘Mazing Man.” His style has changed significantly since then, but it remains a thing of beauty to look at. It reminds me of Tex Avery, Milt Gross, and even a smidge of George Carlson’s Jingle Jangle Tales. The influence of animation is evident and the images on the pages practically jump out at you. The book is predominantly 6 or 9 panel pages that are stuffed with detail. It's just fantastic.

But, as masterful as the book was, I’m not sure that I liked it. The problem is that I loathed the main character Lucky. There are several cringe worthy moments, perfectly in character, that make you despise him. After two or three of those, I was losing interest in reading about him. But, that is obviously the point of the story. Chieffet and DeStefano achieve the goal with far too much success and Lucky went from loveable scab to pure loser.

The other problem I had, similar to Charles Burns X’ed Out, is the fact that the concluding volume won’t be released until 2013. In the final pages of the book, just when it looked like Lucky might actually have a mature moment, the story ended. To Chieffet and DeStefano’s credit, it is a clean ending and the book stands on it’s own. But, I wanted more! There were enough hints and tips to show that Lucky might actually develop into a person that I could respect, if not like. But, those moments never came and now I am left waiting for a conclusion.

Overall, this book has great art, a great story, but I can't help but feel that the authors might have done their job just a little bit too well.

FYI, there is an 8 page preview here.

Dark Horse Previews Review for February 2011

Lee: DH seems to always have 4-5 books that are interesting. It doesn’t matter which month, they are just consistent. There’s something to be said for that.
Thomm: They have their niche and know how to work it.

ARCHIE ARCHIVES VOLUME 1
FC, 160 pages, HC, 7" x 10", $49.99
Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics Publications are thrilled to present Archie Archives! Seventy years ago, a small independent comics publisher in New York introduced a new kind of character to comics fans. He wasn't a superhero or a warrior, neither a spaceman, nor a villain—he was Archie Andrews, the red headed teenaged "everyman" we all grew up with! Volume 1 of the Archie Archives series shines the spotlight on young Mr. Andrews's earliest adventures on the streets of Riverdale, from the budding romances he shares with Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, to his anxious antics at Riverdale High and all the trouble he's caused along the way!• Collects all of the first appearances of Archie Andrews from Pep and Jackpot Comics, through Pep #31 and Jackpot #8.
Lee: I cannot even express how cool this is. The early Archie adventures are impossible to own in original format and have very rarely been reprinted. If at all! These stories are very good, the art outstanding, and really are the start of something special. This will be coming home to my house… *GASP*… then again maybe not. $50 for 160 pages???? Is DH insane? A full Masterwork, 260 give or take pages is $50. I’ll buy it at deep discount of ebay because this is ridiculous.
Thomm: Even as a kid I never got into Archie. I had a few issues here and there, but somehow he never appealed to me, despite us both being red heads. Maybe I had enough of that idealized high school bit from watching Happy Days. Red headed lead there, too, come to think of it. Anyway, easy pass for me.

BETTIE PAGE 16 OZ. PINT GLASS SET
4-pack, 16 oz. glasses, $19.99
We're putting the glamour back into glassware! Our favorite 1950s bombshell, Bettie Page, has added to her fashionable list of accessories with this high-quality boxed set of heavy-duty glasses. What can we say? It's just another classy item from Dark Horse Deluxe.
Lee: I couldn’t agree with the hype, nothing says classy like drinking from a glass that has a woman in her underwear on it. I can wait to get my set and then use these for Sunday brunch with Mom.
Thomm: Ah, sarcasm. How do I love thee? I try to avoid turning what should be a practical item into something I can’t really use if I want to keep myself respect, but I do love the wink and nod in the hype.

LET ME IN: CROSSROADS #3 (of 4)
Marc Andreyko (W), Patric Reynolds (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Sean Phillips (Cover)FC, 32 pages, $3.99The body count is rising fast in the sleepy little town Abby and Thomas call home—but this time, they're not the ones responsible! Desperate times have led to very desperate measures for someone very close to them, forcing Abby to make a life-changing decision. Featuring a regular cover and a foil-enhanced photo variant cover!
Lee: I don’t think this cover was the “foil enhanced” version but it would be cool if it was. Can you imagine the blood in a clear acetate overlay so you could have a non bloody before and bloody afterwards cover. That would be cool.
Thomm: Another good use of tricks in the medium, if that were the case. Don’t count on it, but maybe someone will run with your suggestion to up the “cool”. Is there anything good between the covers?

THE OUTLAW PRINCE
Rob Hughes (W), Thomas Yeates (P/I/C), Michael Wm. Kaluta (P), Lori Almeida (C), and Esad Ribic (Cover)
FC, 80 pages, 7" x 10", TPB, $12.99
FC, 112 pages, Ltd. HC, 7" x 10", $49.99
This timeless tale unfolds during the tumultuous Second Baron's War, when a young prince is ruthlessly abducted from his royal family, taken into the rugged mountains of Derbyshire, and brainwashed to forget his very heritage. He's trained to become the greatest swordsman the world has ever known—and grows to be the most dreaded name in all of Britain! With civil war looming upon the horizon, the fate of the kingdom of England may very well rest in his hands! Presenting a medieval adventure based on The Outlaw of Torn, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This deluxe limited edition features an afterword by Burroughs expert Frank Westwood and a cover by artist Alan Lathwell!
Lee: What is it with DH and $50 hc that have a miniscule amount of pages? I’m sure the art will be good because it’s Kaluta but that’s about all I can say positive about this.
Thomm: Did Burroughs really write about brainwashing? If memory serves, the very concept didn’t come about until the post WWII era. Then again, maybe it’s been around since medieval times but washed from my brain. Kaluta’s definitely the high point, though I do like Burroughs. See that little thing up there that says TPB $12.99? That’s the way to go.
Lee: And, let’s mention the cover for a second because Ribic does a great job. Good colors. Huge barbarian, manly man legs and arms…. And Fatty McFatso’s baby face????? What happened to the mean barbarian face? It looks like Tubby’s head on Conan’s body. How’s that for a non positive comment?
Thomm: Very good, grasshopper.

TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN OMNIBUS
Shannon Wheeler (W/A)
b&w, 536 pages, TPB, 8 1/2" x 11", $24.99
Shannon Wheeler was once just another ambitious cartoonist with some big ideas (and some small ones, too), a wicked sense of humor, a questioning spirit, and a coffee jones the size of a tanker truck. Who would have ever guessed that ten years later, he would have multiple volumes of critically acclaimed cartoons under his belt and a rich, satisfying career? Too Much Coffee Man Omnibus gathers all of the cartoons from four hilarious volumes of work, bringing together all of Wheeler's signature satire and sweetness in one convenient package. Essential for Too Much Coffee Man fans, and sure to convert new ones! • Too Much Coffee Man Omnibus collects four Too Much Coffee Man volumes—Guide for the Perplexed, How to Be Happy, Parade of Tirade, and Amusing Musings.
Lee: TMCM is one of those strips that I never understood. To be fair, I first read the stories at the height of my superhero addiction so I’m not sure I ever stood a chance of understanding it. This is perfect for long time fans, and great to experience it if you’re new to the material. For me, I will see if I can find my single issues and re-read those.
Thomm: Never read it. Probably never will. Nothing is calling out to me here.

Lee: I like the offerings this month but DH pricing policy leaves me confused. The overall economy is down so they are charging $50 for slim hc’s???? It makes no sense.
Thomm: The economy is down, but guys like you and Jim are still spending, spending, spending on these things. Pavlov says when the Previews comes out, pull out your credit card.