So maybe I'm just the suspicious type, but did you notice that our Project Wonderful Ad is all about Stan being back?
Geez, Stan who I wonder? Could it be Stan Lee? Yeah obviously. So where is he coming back too? It isn't going to be Marvel, he has a deal with Archie in the works, DC is not going there, who the heck else in the industry has the ability to pull off something like this?
The only one that makes sense to me is BOOM Studios. In fact it reeks of BOOM studios. BOOM has been pulling off impossible deals left and right and making stuff work that I never thought they could pull off. They picked up Farscape and Disney and have done great stuff with BOOM Kids. These guys are re-inventing how to do comics and tapping into every vein to find ways to market and sell books.
Remember last year when with Irredeemable they stepped into doing super hero comics. In the midst of Marvel and DC having all of the capes almost tied up they dared to try it and have succeeded. Irredeemable is on most people's reading list and is holding its own and has spawned a sister title.
Plus the whole campaign reminds of when Mark Waid was evil.
So my guess is Stan Lee is coming back to super hero comics with BOOM studios! You know if I'm guessing right this will be something I want to see.
Of course I could just be looking a gift horse in the mouth as the ad is making me at least a penny a day or more.
BOOM/STAN LEE/MARK WAID - That could be very cool.
I find other people's speculations
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/02/stans-back-i-didnt-know-he-was-ever-gone/http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/02/22/stans-back-ads-explained/
Monday, February 22, 2010
What I’m Getting Wednesday Feb 24
The internet has really led to a host of experts on everything. Well at least at a lot of us think we are experts on things. I guess what caused me to make this remark is a host of political back and forth on CBR between some political blogger and CBR personnel and the comment sections underneath it all. I skim read much of it and everyone is so self assured as they know what is right and what is wrong. In the end I think this is a good thing as anyone with an IQ over room temperature should read everything and then run it through your own filter as to whether it sounds plausible or not. I think when we all thought the newspapers and television were reporting facts we were too accepting of what was being told to us. Now I find that I read things and then think about it on my own to see if it really sounds like it is real or just utter bullsh*t. In many ways I can be viewed as cynical, but a cynic is just a skeptic with the facts. On some things I can be an expert and no one can beat my expertise on what I’m getting Wednesday.
We start off with Blackest Night #7 (of 8). I’m amazed that I’m still into this series. The Rainbow Corps are set to go up against Nekron and I want to see the results. We already know Hal is running the JLA afterwards; something happened to Ollie, Aquaman is coming back from the dead, but what is death now in the DCU and what is going to happen with the Guardians and the other corps. Like I said, the series still has my interest. This includes looking forward to Blackest Night JSA #3 (of 3) and the ominously named Black Lantern Green Arrow #30. 
Each one of DC’s big three has their home title coming out with Batman and Robin #9, Superman #697 and Wonder Woman #41. Of the three Batman and Robin still is the book for me. I know it has gotten a little off kilter with the overseas adventure but the Batman versus Robin issue promises to be exciting. Plus even though I’m a little concerned with all the plans I have heard about I’m holding out hope that Dick and Damian remain the dynamic duo even after all is said and done with Bruce’s return. I hope Superman and Wonder Woman pick up their game in 2010, as last year those books were only okay for most months. 
Rounding out books from the DCU we have Flash Rebirth #6 (of 6), Gotham City Sirens #9, Justice Society of America #36, and The Web #6. Plus we have a lone strangler from Wildstorm with Victorian Dead #4 (of 6). You know DC has kicked Dan Didio upstairs from Executive Editor to co-publisher with Jim Lee. From an outsider’s perspective I’m a little confused because under Dan, DC has been hit or miss. The Web is already being revamped and he had many other aborted series that started in disaster. Flash Rebirth is a series that after all the hype and push around the book has sort of become an afterthought. I guess the proof will be in the actual series. Heck, Johns did not really starting hitting his stride with GL until the regular series was a year old or more. Of course trying to understand the decision making when you are just a fan is almost an impossible task. My bottom line is that they choose Didio, Lee and Johns as the main three guys driving the bus and each one of those loves this art form. So good luck gentlemen and may your successes outweigh your failures and may you have to courage to be willing to fail. 
Vertigo has a strong week with three of my favorite series coming out Madame Xanadu #20, Northlanders #25 and Scalped #35. Madame Xanadu is in the midst of a two part flashback by guest illustrator Joelle Jones and of course Matt Wagner. Joelle’s work is nice, but for me Amy Hadley is the artist for this book. I appreciate the high quality artists who have filled in and keeping the book monthly helps with sales, so all is good, but I miss Amy’s work anytime she is not the illustrator on the book. Scalped is a one shot by Jason Aaron with Daniel Zezlj, whose art work I love, about how live is in the Badlands. Northlanders is in the middle of the excellent “Plague Widow” arc. All three of these books are great series. 
Marvel is Siege heavy this week with New Avengers #62, Thunderbolts #141 and Thor #607 all being tied into the event. Thunderbolts is my favorite book to add and drop from my list. It is such a strange duck since Ellis left the book, but it appears Jeff (Agents of Atlas) Parker is at the writing helm for right now and I will hang in and see how this book morphs into whatever form it will take after Siege. This issue the Thunderbolts are called in to help with the Siege and run into the Mighty Avengers, depending on who is part of that group right now it could be a one sided fight in favor of the good guys. 
Next up I have two hard covers from Marvel with Marvel Masterworks Volume #132. This is the twelfth volume for the Fantastic Four and covers issues #117-#128 and I believe it contains the last regular issue with Stan Lee as the writer. By now I think the FF was no longer the number one title for Marvel and Spider-Man had become king, after that the X-Men and now the Avengers. Still some highly entertaining issues, although at the end of Stan’s writing career at Marvel he was repeating his stories a lot. The other thing is this era does not hold up as well as the earlier material in my opinion, but I will have to re-read again to be sure. The other hard cover is the Avengers Korvac Saga which was Jim Shooter’s brain child and suffered from a lot of creative hands being involved. Today it would have been a mini-event and delayed for months as the one artist writer team completed it. It was still a good story and one I’m happy to add to my collection. 
The rest of Marvel is a mixed bag with Fantastic Four #576, Marvels Project #6 (of 8), Realm of Kings Inhumans #4 (of 5), Secret Warriors #13 and X-Factor #202. So far Jonathan Hickman’s run on the FF is not blowing me away month after month, but it has drawn me back into the series and made it one that is never on my radar for cancellation. Also it is in my mind as to what is happening and how these storylines will play out. The whole Franklin Richards mystery has been well done and I really appreciate that the FF feels like a family again. I still hate the static approach in that Johnny is the perpetual 20 something after 50 years, but if the stories are good I can let that pass. Dale Eaglesham as the main artist on the series still has everyone a little too buff but I’m back to reading the FF on a regular basis and that makes me happy, my complaints are minor quibbles at best. 
Five very good books and one unknown are on my list from the indy side of the world. We have the glorious and insane Cowboy Ninja Viking #4. One thing I will have to get the trade of this so I can re-read it, but it better be in the Golden Age size. Walking Dead #70 is out in which Rick and his crew is joining another community of survivors outside the Washington, DC area (welcome to the neighborhood Rick, stop in Baltimore one day). Kirkman set us up thinking we may find out what caused the plague, but has left that plot thread in the dust for now. I want to learn more. Captain Swing #1 (of 4) is the wildcard in this group as Ellis has a flying pirate ship in the 1830s. Ellis has been hit or miss for me of late, but I will try out any and all of his number one issues. Gravel #17 the continuing story of our Combat Magician who is now the man in Magic, at least in England, always a good read. The very sacrilegious Chronicles of Wormwood The Last Battle #3 (of 6), which due to its slow publishing schedule I had actually forgotten about. Last and far from least is Irredeemable #11. I have gone from loving this series and thinking it could be a seminal work, to thinking it is a good series and one that I enjoy. If it had been a limited series it would have been better, in my opinion. If the truth is told I can still be proven wrong, but stories that have an ending going in are often better stories. This is the kind of week that actually makes me get into an almost can’t wait for Wednesday mode. Thankfully I’m sure my real job and life have plenty to keep me occupied until then.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
McCourt Rules!
A little bonus for your reading pleasure, this is the 2d through 4th paragraphs of the opening chapter of Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. Few book openings have been so captivating to me or so clearly set the course of what was to come, with both tragedy and humor evident throughout.
"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.
People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years.
Above all - we were wet."
"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.
People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years.
Above all - we were wet."
What the Dead Know, and You Should, Too
'Tis the season when I read books. No picture books, that is. Not that I don't like to read books at other times of the year, but at Christmas I tend to get either books or gift cards to book stores from various people. This year was actually a little light, as I got no books and only one gift card.
Of course, I don't live around the corner from the Barnes and Noble, so it takes a few weeks before I'm in the area and stop in, then a little longer after that to read any books purchased, what with the comics, newspapers, and magazines that I read, in between the usual life stuff of wife, kids, exercise, work, and TV. But, I've finally read one of the two books purchased. The actual reading only took a few days, even with the life stuff, because it's the kind of book you make the time to read.
Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know is not the first of her books I've perused. Actually, her books aren't her first writings I read because she started out, in my orbit, as a writer for the Baltimore Sun, back when it was actually a newspaper and not its current sham of a USA Today bastard step-child. But that's a topic for another day, and fewer mixed modifiers.
Lippman's initial books were the Tess Monaghan series of mysteries. Those were hewing closely to what she knew, starring a former newspaper reporter come PI in a time of newspaper staffing cut backs. They were also set in Baltimore and its environs, with one foray I recall to Austin, TX, where Lippman had also worked as a reporter. What the Dead Know also sticks to familiar grounds for Lippman. Again set primarily in Baltimore, with some DC and Northern Virginia thrown in for good measure, as well as some Austin scenes, Lippman has added Brunswick, GA and Mexico, locales to which she also has ties.
Locational similarities are the only similarities to the Tess Monaghan series, though. What the Dead Know is a mystery story, too, but a totally different sort. The Monaghan stories adhered to the expected in the detective fiction genre. The lead was a well intentioned sort with various personal problems and a precarious financial situation. She intended to be hunting down the answers to myseries as her job, whether in the press or as a PI, pointed in that direction. She had the expected relationship issues. In many ways the stories were familiar, as one would want in a series that continued to feature the same lead character.
What the Dead Know has a totally different character, and character is really the right word. This book is all about its characters. The story centers on the disappearance of the Bethany sisters, 11 year old Heather and 15 year old Sunny, in 1975. Well, to say it centers in 1975 isn't really correct. It jumps around in time, with frequent layovers in 1981, 1989 and 2005, where the mystery is resolved. Lippman doesn't just take a non-linear tack to telling the story. She shifts voices. She tells her story from different perspectives but shapes one whole story that is moving and personal. Personal to Lippman, as she indicates in the author's notes afterward, but also personal to the reader, who can easily relate to each of the characters, no matter how off putting they can be at different points.
And Lippman has a real knack for getting inside the heads of her characters. Whether it's detective Kevin Infante, retired detective Willoughby, social worker Kay, the parents of the missing girls, or the Jane Doe who's the central element of the story, she doesn't just tell the story from different eyes, like a shifting camera. She tells it from the biases and prejudices of each of those people. Whether male or female, she gets the biases of the person right, which is to say she knows how men and women think, how their own personal damage is reflected in their perception of events, how they are frequently distracted from their goal at a given moment. The book is constantly in motion. Not just in the plot but in the perspectives. The same sto
ry could be told in a linear fashion but would be utterly lacking in the exploratory and revelatory joys that Lippman's tale is telling.
It's a big leap from the Monaghan books to this book, which were good works in their own right. As the cover says, in really small print, "A Novel". It would make a great transition to comic book, too, should someone be so adventurous. Probably better than a transition to film or TV. I'm looking forward to checking out another of her novels, Hardly Knew Her.
Of course, I don't live around the corner from the Barnes and Noble, so it takes a few weeks before I'm in the area and stop in, then a little longer after that to read any books purchased, what with the comics, newspapers, and magazines that I read, in between the usual life stuff of wife, kids, exercise, work, and TV. But, I've finally read one of the two books purchased. The actual reading only took a few days, even with the life stuff, because it's the kind of book you make the time to read.
Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know is not the first of her books I've perused. Actually, her books aren't her first writings I read because she started out, in my orbit, as a writer for the Baltimore Sun, back when it was actually a newspaper and not its current sham of a USA Today bastard step-child. But that's a topic for another day, and fewer mixed modifiers.Lippman's initial books were the Tess Monaghan series of mysteries. Those were hewing closely to what she knew, starring a former newspaper reporter come PI in a time of newspaper staffing cut backs. They were also set in Baltimore and its environs, with one foray I recall to Austin, TX, where Lippman had also worked as a reporter. What the Dead Know also sticks to familiar grounds for Lippman. Again set primarily in Baltimore, with some DC and Northern Virginia thrown in for good measure, as well as some Austin scenes, Lippman has added Brunswick, GA and Mexico, locales to which she also has ties.
Locational similarities are the only similarities to the Tess Monaghan series, though. What the Dead Know is a mystery story, too, but a totally different sort. The Monaghan stories adhered to the expected in the detective fiction genre. The lead was a well intentioned sort with various personal problems and a precarious financial situation. She intended to be hunting down the answers to myseries as her job, whether in the press or as a PI, pointed in that direction. She had the expected relationship issues. In many ways the stories were familiar, as one would want in a series that continued to feature the same lead character.
What the Dead Know has a totally different character, and character is really the right word. This book is all about its characters. The story centers on the disappearance of the Bethany sisters, 11 year old Heather and 15 year old Sunny, in 1975. Well, to say it centers in 1975 isn't really correct. It jumps around in time, with frequent layovers in 1981, 1989 and 2005, where the mystery is resolved. Lippman doesn't just take a non-linear tack to telling the story. She shifts voices. She tells her story from different perspectives but shapes one whole story that is moving and personal. Personal to Lippman, as she indicates in the author's notes afterward, but also personal to the reader, who can easily relate to each of the characters, no matter how off putting they can be at different points.
And Lippman has a real knack for getting inside the heads of her characters. Whether it's detective Kevin Infante, retired detective Willoughby, social worker Kay, the parents of the missing girls, or the Jane Doe who's the central element of the story, she doesn't just tell the story from different eyes, like a shifting camera. She tells it from the biases and prejudices of each of those people. Whether male or female, she gets the biases of the person right, which is to say she knows how men and women think, how their own personal damage is reflected in their perception of events, how they are frequently distracted from their goal at a given moment. The book is constantly in motion. Not just in the plot but in the perspectives. The same sto
ry could be told in a linear fashion but would be utterly lacking in the exploratory and revelatory joys that Lippman's tale is telling.It's a big leap from the Monaghan books to this book, which were good works in their own right. As the cover says, in really small print, "A Novel". It would make a great transition to comic book, too, should someone be so adventurous. Probably better than a transition to film or TV. I'm looking forward to checking out another of her novels, Hardly Knew Her.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Logan’s Run: Last Day #1 – A Review
Logan’s Run: Last Day #1 Writer: Paul J. Salamoff
Penciler: Daniel Gete
Colorist: Joseph Baker
Letterer: Johnny Lowe
Story: Jason Brock, William F. Nolan & Paul J. Salamoff
Publisher: Bluewater Comics
Price: $3.99
When I saw the solicitations for this comic a few months ago, I had recently watched the classic 1976 film again. Afterwards, I immediately reread the Marvel Comics movie adaptation that was wonderfully illustrated by George Perez. Those first five issues stand in my mind as the single best movie adaptation in the history of comics (Maybe one day, I’ll attempt to prove it to you.). I’ve loved Logan’s Run since I was a kid watching the short-lived TV series back in 1977 (I’m sure I saw that before the film). I even dressed up as Logan for Halloween one year. However, I’ve never read the original novel and I was definitely going to take a wait-and-see attitude before getting too excited about this comic book based on the novel, not the film.
Anyway, I saw on my store’s website that it was coming out this week and when I arrived, there was one lone copy sitting on the bottom shelf (the store had only ordered 2 copies). I flipped through it quickly to see if it was worth my $4. The cover didn’t exactly “wow” me and the art was certainly less detailed than a Perez comic (isn’t everything), but something about it sparked my interest, so I decided to purchase at least the first issue…I’m glad I did, because I really, really enjoyed it!
First of all, the terminology is different from the film and it will help to show some of the changes (from film to comic) to get you up to speed:
Logan 5 is now Logan 6.
The palm life-clock is now the palm flower.
Sandmen are now Deep Sleep Agents.
Life doesn’t end at 30, instead it now ends at 21.
There is no Carousel ritual, now you just report to Deep Sleep for self-termination.
Obviously, most of these changes were probably in the original novel. However, since the comic’s writer, Paul J. Salamoff, also has a story credit too, he’s probably revamping things slightly. So, this isn’t a direct adaptation like Boom’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep – it appears to be more like a modern spin that’s faithful to the original source material (if that makes any sense). I would have appreciated some backmatter, so I wouldn’t have to guess at these things. The nice thing is that the new terms are explained naturally in the flow of the story.
The first page consists of five stacked “widescreen” panels. The first panel shows the feet of a runner. All of the surrounding legs are a different color to match the color of the individual’s palm flower. The next panel is an aerial shot of an elevated walkway, which is followed by a torso shot of the runner (his head is not totally shown yet). The runner then jumps off the skyway (his foot actually extends off the panel). Finally, we see the back of Logan as he faces a crowd of people that are parting like the Red Sea before him. Logan and Francis-7 are talking to each other over their radios in these panels’ captions. Turn to page 2…
BLAM! Full splash of Logan running (full figure) toward you, wearing this really cool black skull mask. It’s AWESOME!!! (How much for the original art, Daniel?). To me, the art by Daniel Gete seems to be a cross between Mike Allred and Steve Conley. It’s definitely a simpler style (and I think the hands seem a bit too small – minor nit-pick), but the inks give it is a very polished look. Combine that with the spectacular colors by Joseph Baker and it all really pops off the page. I don’t know if this book is drawn from a detailed script or if it’s done the Marvel-way (I would guess it’s a detailed script), but the panel layouts and pacing of this book is really engaging. The lettering by Johnny Lowe is also top-notch, especially the scene where Logan dispatches the runner with a “homer” bullet (The “homer” bullet is one of those things that they explain later in a flashback scene).
Unfortunately, I don’t have time to go into too much detail, but there is a LOT to like in this story. I will say that since Last Day is at age 21, you find out that Logan has been on active duty from a very young age. He was literally selected at birth to be a Deep Sleep agent. This Logan-6 (so far) seems very cold and is not at all like the questioning Logan-5 from the movie. In fact, when he investigates the domicile of the runner he dispatched, Jessica comes in and thinks that Logan is her runner “pairup” with a New You face job. Logan saw images of Jessica from a video recording from the dead runner’s palm flower (really cool idea), so he knows this is his chance to find out more about Sanctuary. The way Logan’s eyes glow out of the shadows after he pretends to be her boyfriend is downright chilling and that’s how the issue ends.
This is the first Bluewater comic that I’ve ever purchased and I really like the package. It has the heft of an IDW comic (thicker paper), but without all those annoying Ads padded in the back, meaning, when you get to the end, you’re really at the end.
Overall Grade A. An unexpected surprise with excellent pacing and brilliant colors – an awesome interpretation of a favorite classic. I was hooked on page 2 and I can’t wait for the next issue!
Friday, February 19, 2010
A Fistful of Reviews
Red Robin #9 (DC)
I'll admit I've missed a few issues of this book what with moving and all - but this seemed like a good issue to pick back up on the story. I like that Tim's back in Gotham and it should be interesting to see what happens with Ras. I really like the guest appearance of Conner - its nice to see Tim in a bit of a better place.
House of Mystery #22 (Vertigo)
Okay, I was icked out by the ending of this issue. I mean, I'm sure that was the intent - but really. I hope that the insinuated incest forthcoming is just insinuated. That the writer is just trying to keep people reading and that nothing happens between Fig and her supposed brother. Because that is just more than I want to know. Or read about for that matter. Ew. Also the idea that she all of a sudden has a brother is odd - I'm not sure where this is going. I miss Harry.
Cinderella #4 (Vertigo)
I really have a enjoyable time reading this book. It isn't the best spy story I've read but it's fun and entertaining. I really liked the addition of Puss in Boots to this issue. Of course it may have been funnier if the mouse had been summoned instead. Then again I don't know that the mouse could have done much to help save Cindy.
I really have a enjoyable time reading this book. It isn't the best spy story I've read but it's fun and entertaining. I really liked the addition of Puss in Boots to this issue. Of course it may have been funnier if the mouse had been summoned instead. Then again I don't know that the mouse could have done much to help save Cindy.
The Question #37 (DC)
The only reason I want to mention this book was the great way Shiva dealt with the undead - by becoming emotionally invisible. That was awesome. It made me like Lady Shiva more. Almost as much as I liked her when she was playing Black Canary.
The only reason I want to mention this book was the great way Shiva dealt with the undead - by becoming emotionally invisible. That was awesome. It made me like Lady Shiva more. Almost as much as I liked her when she was playing Black Canary.
World of New Krypton #12 (DC)
Well this was apparently the final issue of this book. It's been interesting to see Superman in a new environment but I'm glad this story is moving on as the book was draggiing a bit for me. I've found myself much more interested in Supergirl as her adventures have been about her coping with trying to help on Earth while she's not welcome. I'm glad it's beginning to all tie together as far as the Superman books are concerned.
Well this was apparently the final issue of this book. It's been interesting to see Superman in a new environment but I'm glad this story is moving on as the book was draggiing a bit for me. I've found myself much more interested in Supergirl as her adventures have been about her coping with trying to help on Earth while she's not welcome. I'm glad it's beginning to all tie together as far as the Superman books are concerned.
Wonder Woman: Blackest Night #3 (DC)
Wonder Woman as a Star Sapphire is awesome. I think I missed something to do with Mera and the Blackest Night stuff... I'm not quite getting what WW's revalation was. Hopefully it'll be explained later. Or I'll have to go back through the books. Was it the whole not wanting a baby thing mentioned in the Parralax rebirth issue of GL? Ah well. This was a good Blackest Night issue and offered some insight into the idea of wielding a power ring. I'm really looking forward to see where all this craziness goes.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Marvel Preview Review for April Part 2 of 2
As promised Part 2
WORLD WAR HULKS #1
Written by JEFF PARKER, PAUL TOBIN, SCOTT REED & HARRISON WILCOX
Art by IG GUARA, RAMON ROSANAS, ALUIR AMANCIO, TERRY AUSTIN, RYAN STEGMAN & TOM PALMER
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
After the jaw-dropping conclusion of FALL OF THE HULKS, secrets, mysteries and surprises galore are revealed in this giant-sized, bone-crushing, gamma-irradiated special featuring key players of the biggest Hulk-saga ever told: A-BOMB, COSMIC HULK, RED SHE-HULK, DOC SAMSON and DEADPOOL! What is the heart-breaking decision that Rick Jones must make? Is there a hero left in the dark abyss of Leonard Samson’s distorted mind? Whose appearance will shock the wild Red She-Hulk to her core? Can an ancient alien technology spell certain apocalypse to the world? Don’t miss out on this essential assembly of startling secrets in one of the greatest conspiracies in the history of the Marvel Universe!!! 56 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99
Jim: No let up from Marvel regarding the whole mini-event thing. They have to be worried about even mini-event fatigue with some things. Hulk has been running on event mode for a few years now so I guess no regular series will ever be published again. What this means is we lose the characterization bits which I love because it is always a non-stop adventure in this mode.
Lee: Yep, I love the transition from mega events to mini-events. This is sssooooo much better. But it goes back to the point I made yesterday, will this be re-readable? I somehow doubt it. Although all the punching with no characterization is a wonderful return to Marvel in the 70's.
H.O.H. #1 & #2
Written by JEFF PARKER
Pencils & Covers by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Issue #1 & 2 Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS SOLICIT & FINAL TITLE CLASSIFIED UNTIL THE FINAL PANEL OF THE FALL OF THE HULKS IS REVEALED.
40 PGS.(each)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (each)
Lee: I can only judge this storyline on its cover and I’m sorry to say but this looks stupid. I wonder if H.O.H. is “House of Hulks”. The perfect book-end to “House of M”.
Jim: Yeah the idea of taking your character which was unique and just making everyone into that character is incredibly stupid and with nothing else but a cover to judge it on stupid seems to be the consensus.
IRON MAN NOIR #1 (of 4)
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Penciled by MANUEL GARCIA
Cover by MIKE FYLES
Finally, IRON MAN enters the world of MARVEL NOIR, with an action-packed pulp reimagining like you’ve never seen before!
In 1938, Tony Stark is a daring adventurer, traveling the world in search of its mythological treasures and trying to forget the responsibilities of an iron magnate. From the Fountain of Youth to the hanging Gardens of Babylon, Tony has conquered them all…but only his closest confidants know it’s all one last-ditch effort to cure the disease that slowly killing him. But someone has been selling out Stark Industry secrets to Count Nefaria and his Nazi sympathizers, and it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with Tony on his latest quest! 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
Jim: Some characters are a natural for the noir treatment and some you have to wonder why. This is one where I really wonder if it will work.
Lee: How can this work? Make him steampunk???? And, let's not even discuss how Stark is now Indiana Jones! This has bad, bad, bad written all over it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by GERALD PAREL
Leonardo Da Vinci was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. So was Issac Newton. So were Imhotep and Zhang Heng and Galileo and many other geniuses throughout time. They were the first heroes to defeat Galactus and the Brood and turn Celestials back. They saved the world long before Captain America or Iron Man were ever born, but what does this mean to our heroes of today? What does this mean to Nick Fury? Do not miss this Marvel Comics masterpiece that fans will be talking about for decades to come. All the insanity is courtesy of JONATHAN HICKMAN (FANTASTIC FOUR, SECRET WARRIORS, Nightly News) and DUSTIN WEAVER (X-MEN). 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Jim: I hope this is not just a one shot as I would love to see a SHIELD series, especially with Jonathan Hickman as the writer. So far Hickman has been doing a good job on regular super hero comic while still maintaining his own identity. Although I miss his indy work.
Lee: I'll like it if it can be somewhat independent of the Avengers. But, I'll doubt they'll do that which will make this Avengers: West Cooo... I mean Avengers: SHIELD.
X-FORCE #26
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Penciled by MIKE CHOI
Cover by ADI GRANOV
Variant Cover by DAVID FINCH
RIP VARIANT by TBA
SECOND COMING, CHAPTER FIVE
As the X-Men make their desperate attempt to get Hope to Utopia, the battle will cost them one of their own. Nothing will ever be the same. 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99
Lee: Nothing screams buy me like chicks groping each other on the cover. Oh wait, they’re just hugging. Completely different. Oh sorry, they’re just hugging and smearing blood on each other. WTF??
Jim: I have to agree. WTF?? Still after this issue nothing will ever be the same. Love the over hype that companies give you. After awhile it becomes meaningless. Plus I have to say that the variant cover thing was already overdone and now Marvel has as many variant covers as Zenoscope (Grimm Fairy Tales).
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: BLACK PANTHER JUNGLE ACTION HC
Written by DON McGREGOR
Penciled by RICH BUCKLER, BILLY GRAHAM & GIL KANE
Cover by GIL KANE
Collected for the first time ever, the MARVEL MASTERWORKS bring you the ground-breaking, trend-setting Black Panther from JUNGLE ACTION! In 1973 comics’ first African super hero took the headlining slot in an ambitious ongoing series, beginning a 13-issue epic unprecedented in its time. Writer Don McGregor teamed with artists Rich Buckler and Billy Graham to tell “Panther’s Rage,” a story so huge it ranges across the savannah, into the deepest jungles and up to the snow-topped mountains of Wakanda. Over its course McGregor & Co. would define T’Challa, give full depth and life to the Wakandas and their culture, while pitting the Panther against the murderous Erik Killmonger for control of the kingdom. Not one to rest on his laurels, McGregor then set out to raise the bar once again, sending T’Challa to the American South to investigate the murder of Angela Lynne and its connection to the Klan and the history of the Soul Strangler. A challenging storyline by a challenging storyteller, you’ll read it and so much more in this much anticipated hardcover classic! Collecting JUNGLE ACTION #6-24. 352 PGS./All Ages …$64.99
Jim: I’m really looking forward to this book. I know Don overwrote most of his books, but it was a good series and I’m glad it is getting the Masterworks treatment.
Lee: I'll get this but I'm not sure I'm gonna like it. I have all the original issues so I dug them out last night. The pictures are very, very pretty but it reads like a novel.
ASTONISHING X-MEN: GIFTED GN-HC WITH MOTION COMIC DVD
Written by JOSS WHEDON
Penciled by JOHN CASSADAY
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Dream-team creators Joss Whedon (TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Planetary, CAPTAIN AMERICA) present the explosive, all-new flagship X-Men series – marking a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men! Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started? As demand for the "mutant cure" reaches near-riot levels, the X-Men go head-to-head with the enigmatic Ord, with an unexpected ally -- and some unexpected adversaries -- tipping the scales! Collecting ASTONISHING X-MEN #1-6 plus a DVD featuring the ASTONISHING X-MEN: GIFTED motion comic. 176 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
Jim: The motion comic was horrible from what I saw of it. One thing people have to realize that a motion comic is a different animal then a comic. Dialogue that you read may work, but not when said out loud. Also certain shots done for a comic should be edited or modified to make it work for a motion comic. Still a lot of work to do to make this a viable entertainment form.
Lee: This is perfect for one of the primary rules of life, "If you say it out loud, and it sounds like a bad idea, then it is a bad idea." True comic book dialogue never sounds good out loud.
ULTIMATE COMICS WOLVERINE VS. HULK TPB
Written by DAMON LINDELOF
Penciled by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
It’s the unstoppable Hulk vs. the unkillable Wolverine in the biggest fight the Ultimate Universe has ever witnessed! S.H.I.E.L.D. head Nick Fury thought he’d killed the Hulk’s alter ego, scientist Bruce Banner. But now, the tower of rage and green muscle is rampaging across the globe. Fury has a long list of operatives at his disposal. But there’s only one man capable of doing this job right: Wolverine! With razor-sharp claws, unbreakable Adamantium bones and a healing factor that can shrug off wounds that would kill lesser men, Logan seems the perfect match for the Hulk. But in their first encounter, the Hulk shows him the meaning of raw power — by ripping Wolverine in half! Can either man survive this fearsome reckoning? And if so, will they ever be the same again? Collecting ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #1-6. 144 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
Lee: Fine, I will admit that I want to read this. It sounds like it was fun in a pointless action sorta way, but I don’t want to pay more than a dollar for it. Ebay here I come.
Jim: Good luck on getting it for a $1. I think that will take a year or so to happen.
Jim: Not a lot that I’m looking forward to from Marvel this month, but I’m curious as to what the “Heroic Age” will be all about.
Lee: Well, this was supposed to be Jim's month for picking all the Marvel books. I just can't stop making fun of Marvel. Maybe next month I'll find less to bitch about.
WORLD WAR HULKS #1Written by JEFF PARKER, PAUL TOBIN, SCOTT REED & HARRISON WILCOX
Art by IG GUARA, RAMON ROSANAS, ALUIR AMANCIO, TERRY AUSTIN, RYAN STEGMAN & TOM PALMER
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
After the jaw-dropping conclusion of FALL OF THE HULKS, secrets, mysteries and surprises galore are revealed in this giant-sized, bone-crushing, gamma-irradiated special featuring key players of the biggest Hulk-saga ever told: A-BOMB, COSMIC HULK, RED SHE-HULK, DOC SAMSON and DEADPOOL! What is the heart-breaking decision that Rick Jones must make? Is there a hero left in the dark abyss of Leonard Samson’s distorted mind? Whose appearance will shock the wild Red She-Hulk to her core? Can an ancient alien technology spell certain apocalypse to the world? Don’t miss out on this essential assembly of startling secrets in one of the greatest conspiracies in the history of the Marvel Universe!!! 56 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99
Jim: No let up from Marvel regarding the whole mini-event thing. They have to be worried about even mini-event fatigue with some things. Hulk has been running on event mode for a few years now so I guess no regular series will ever be published again. What this means is we lose the characterization bits which I love because it is always a non-stop adventure in this mode.
Lee: Yep, I love the transition from mega events to mini-events. This is sssooooo much better. But it goes back to the point I made yesterday, will this be re-readable? I somehow doubt it. Although all the punching with no characterization is a wonderful return to Marvel in the 70's.
H.O.H. #1 & #2Written by JEFF PARKER
Pencils & Covers by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Issue #1 & 2 Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS SOLICIT & FINAL TITLE CLASSIFIED UNTIL THE FINAL PANEL OF THE FALL OF THE HULKS IS REVEALED.
40 PGS.(each)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (each)
Lee: I can only judge this storyline on its cover and I’m sorry to say but this looks stupid. I wonder if H.O.H. is “House of Hulks”. The perfect book-end to “House of M”.
Jim: Yeah the idea of taking your character which was unique and just making everyone into that character is incredibly stupid and with nothing else but a cover to judge it on stupid seems to be the consensus.
IRON MAN NOIR #1 (of 4)Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Penciled by MANUEL GARCIA
Cover by MIKE FYLES
Finally, IRON MAN enters the world of MARVEL NOIR, with an action-packed pulp reimagining like you’ve never seen before!
In 1938, Tony Stark is a daring adventurer, traveling the world in search of its mythological treasures and trying to forget the responsibilities of an iron magnate. From the Fountain of Youth to the hanging Gardens of Babylon, Tony has conquered them all…but only his closest confidants know it’s all one last-ditch effort to cure the disease that slowly killing him. But someone has been selling out Stark Industry secrets to Count Nefaria and his Nazi sympathizers, and it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with Tony on his latest quest! 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
Jim: Some characters are a natural for the noir treatment and some you have to wonder why. This is one where I really wonder if it will work.
Lee: How can this work? Make him steampunk???? And, let's not even discuss how Stark is now Indiana Jones! This has bad, bad, bad written all over it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. #1Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by GERALD PAREL
Leonardo Da Vinci was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. So was Issac Newton. So were Imhotep and Zhang Heng and Galileo and many other geniuses throughout time. They were the first heroes to defeat Galactus and the Brood and turn Celestials back. They saved the world long before Captain America or Iron Man were ever born, but what does this mean to our heroes of today? What does this mean to Nick Fury? Do not miss this Marvel Comics masterpiece that fans will be talking about for decades to come. All the insanity is courtesy of JONATHAN HICKMAN (FANTASTIC FOUR, SECRET WARRIORS, Nightly News) and DUSTIN WEAVER (X-MEN). 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Jim: I hope this is not just a one shot as I would love to see a SHIELD series, especially with Jonathan Hickman as the writer. So far Hickman has been doing a good job on regular super hero comic while still maintaining his own identity. Although I miss his indy work.
Lee: I'll like it if it can be somewhat independent of the Avengers. But, I'll doubt they'll do that which will make this Avengers: West Cooo... I mean Avengers: SHIELD.
X-FORCE #26Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Penciled by MIKE CHOI
Cover by ADI GRANOV
Variant Cover by DAVID FINCH
RIP VARIANT by TBA
SECOND COMING, CHAPTER FIVE
As the X-Men make their desperate attempt to get Hope to Utopia, the battle will cost them one of their own. Nothing will ever be the same. 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99
Lee: Nothing screams buy me like chicks groping each other on the cover. Oh wait, they’re just hugging. Completely different. Oh sorry, they’re just hugging and smearing blood on each other. WTF??
Jim: I have to agree. WTF?? Still after this issue nothing will ever be the same. Love the over hype that companies give you. After awhile it becomes meaningless. Plus I have to say that the variant cover thing was already overdone and now Marvel has as many variant covers as Zenoscope (Grimm Fairy Tales).
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: BLACK PANTHER JUNGLE ACTION HCWritten by DON McGREGOR
Penciled by RICH BUCKLER, BILLY GRAHAM & GIL KANE
Cover by GIL KANE
Collected for the first time ever, the MARVEL MASTERWORKS bring you the ground-breaking, trend-setting Black Panther from JUNGLE ACTION! In 1973 comics’ first African super hero took the headlining slot in an ambitious ongoing series, beginning a 13-issue epic unprecedented in its time. Writer Don McGregor teamed with artists Rich Buckler and Billy Graham to tell “Panther’s Rage,” a story so huge it ranges across the savannah, into the deepest jungles and up to the snow-topped mountains of Wakanda. Over its course McGregor & Co. would define T’Challa, give full depth and life to the Wakandas and their culture, while pitting the Panther against the murderous Erik Killmonger for control of the kingdom. Not one to rest on his laurels, McGregor then set out to raise the bar once again, sending T’Challa to the American South to investigate the murder of Angela Lynne and its connection to the Klan and the history of the Soul Strangler. A challenging storyline by a challenging storyteller, you’ll read it and so much more in this much anticipated hardcover classic! Collecting JUNGLE ACTION #6-24. 352 PGS./All Ages …$64.99
Jim: I’m really looking forward to this book. I know Don overwrote most of his books, but it was a good series and I’m glad it is getting the Masterworks treatment.
Lee: I'll get this but I'm not sure I'm gonna like it. I have all the original issues so I dug them out last night. The pictures are very, very pretty but it reads like a novel.
ASTONISHING X-MEN: GIFTED GN-HC WITH MOTION COMIC DVDWritten by JOSS WHEDON
Penciled by JOHN CASSADAY
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Dream-team creators Joss Whedon (TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Planetary, CAPTAIN AMERICA) present the explosive, all-new flagship X-Men series – marking a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men! Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started? As demand for the "mutant cure" reaches near-riot levels, the X-Men go head-to-head with the enigmatic Ord, with an unexpected ally -- and some unexpected adversaries -- tipping the scales! Collecting ASTONISHING X-MEN #1-6 plus a DVD featuring the ASTONISHING X-MEN: GIFTED motion comic. 176 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
Jim: The motion comic was horrible from what I saw of it. One thing people have to realize that a motion comic is a different animal then a comic. Dialogue that you read may work, but not when said out loud. Also certain shots done for a comic should be edited or modified to make it work for a motion comic. Still a lot of work to do to make this a viable entertainment form.
Lee: This is perfect for one of the primary rules of life, "If you say it out loud, and it sounds like a bad idea, then it is a bad idea." True comic book dialogue never sounds good out loud.
ULTIMATE COMICS WOLVERINE VS. HULK TPBWritten by DAMON LINDELOF
Penciled by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
It’s the unstoppable Hulk vs. the unkillable Wolverine in the biggest fight the Ultimate Universe has ever witnessed! S.H.I.E.L.D. head Nick Fury thought he’d killed the Hulk’s alter ego, scientist Bruce Banner. But now, the tower of rage and green muscle is rampaging across the globe. Fury has a long list of operatives at his disposal. But there’s only one man capable of doing this job right: Wolverine! With razor-sharp claws, unbreakable Adamantium bones and a healing factor that can shrug off wounds that would kill lesser men, Logan seems the perfect match for the Hulk. But in their first encounter, the Hulk shows him the meaning of raw power — by ripping Wolverine in half! Can either man survive this fearsome reckoning? And if so, will they ever be the same again? Collecting ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #1-6. 144 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
Lee: Fine, I will admit that I want to read this. It sounds like it was fun in a pointless action sorta way, but I don’t want to pay more than a dollar for it. Ebay here I come.
Jim: Good luck on getting it for a $1. I think that will take a year or so to happen.
Jim: Not a lot that I’m looking forward to from Marvel this month, but I’m curious as to what the “Heroic Age” will be all about.
Lee: Well, this was supposed to be Jim's month for picking all the Marvel books. I just can't stop making fun of Marvel. Maybe next month I'll find less to bitch about.
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