Jennifer Blood Vol's 2 & 3 - The best books on the stand????

Today I want to talk about Jennifer Blood Volume 2 and Vol 3, written by Al Ewing, illustrated by Kewbar Baal and Eman Casallos, published by Dynamite.

Garth Ennis wrote the first six issue arc to set up the Jennifer Blood series. Very simply, Jennifer was a suburban house wife who trained for years to get vengeance on the men (who just happen to be her uncles) that killed her father. If it sounds like a paint-by-numbers, violent, Punisher light Ennis plot then you know the story. So why would I recommend reading this?

You should read this because it is a MIND BLOWINGLY good series. It is a masterpiece of writing and visual storytelling that is so far above 90% of the books on the stand these days that it’s incredible. What’s even more amazing is that Ewing and company have done it with a throw away Garth Ennis idea. So, now you know this is going to be a positive review. Read on to see why you should be buying this.

The main problem with a concept like Jennifer Blood is what do you do with a vengeance based character once he/she has achieved their goal? Ewing makes the second arc something very special by asking one simple question: “what happens the day after you get your vengeance?” It should be simple right? Everything Jennifer worked towards for years is now complete. All she needs to do is tie up a few loose ends and return to her very normal, suburban housewife life. And things go according to plan until the loose ends start to fray and grow.

Ewing skips all the obvious clichés that would have made this a waste of time by starting the story 10 minutes after Ennis wrapped his arc up. By making Jennifer exhausted and emotionally empty it’s easy to watch her make little mistake after little mistake. Also, Ewing conveys Jennifer’s inner thoughts via a journal so you can watch her justify all her decisions. It’s an amazing deconstruction of a person slowly disintegrating.

The greatest part is that Ewing makes it all seems so natural. He gives Jennifer a voice that is both likeable (even when she’s killing people) and relatable. There are more than a few points when you find yourself going, “yeah Jennifer, given the situation that is a good idea.” Until you pause for a second and realize that her idea is only going to make things worse. Much worse.

And that’s just the second arc! Ewing manages to make the ending of the second arc seem very natural. Then he starts Vol 3, and just when you were ready to believe that Jennifer was just tired and making bad decisions, Ewing makes you realize that no, in fact, she’s quite the loon. Ewing just builds the story perfectly from, ok that’s a bad decision to omg how do I get off the crazy train because this is wildly out of control. And, as much as you want to turn away, you can’t!

My personal favorite scene is the one in which the husband finally figures out what is going on. It’s a cliché. You know it. I know it. We all know what’s going to happen. And then it doesn’t. In fact, it doesn’t happen for several pages so you doubt you belief in the cliché. And then when something does happen, not only is not what you expect (or what I expected) it’s wwwaaayyyy over the top. The level of crazy in Vol 3 is off the charts.

The art throughout is fine. The figure work is fine but never gets above decent. What is fantastic is the storytelling. The panel-to-panel storytelling is fantastic. The little bits in each scene which carry your eye around the page are as close to perfect as I have seen in a long long time. The visual cues which repeat themselves over and over make for a nigh perfect read.

I know I am gushing but this book really is that good.  In this book, Jennifer Blood goes from a second rate Punisher clone to her own person and it is fantastic to watch. Sure it’s a little violent. Sure it’s got some weird, creepy scenes that will give you the jeebies, but in terms of watching someone mentally crumble it’s great. If you are looking for a book that’s a little violent and a little twisted, and a ton of fun then this is the book for you.

NOTE:  Start with the second trade.  I'm not saying you can't pick up an issue off the stands and enjoy it but you can get so much more if you start at the beginning... which is after Ennis left.

Before Watchmen the Series Reviewed

After reading the entire Valiant Universe, I decided to keep up the good work and read most of Before Watchmen. I basically read everything not written by someone named Azzarello which left me with DR MANHATTAN, NITE OWL, MINUTEMEN, SILK SPECTRE, MOLOCH, and the DOLLAR BILL One-shot.

Since I am an art guy, let’s talk about the art in general. There are a bunch of different artists and a bunch of different styles but I can talk about them all at once because they were all incredible. The best, of an already very good bunch were Adam Hughes and Amanda Conner. Adam Hughes on reminds me of how good a story teller he was and Amanda Conner, of all the artist, kept to the original 9 panel grid layout.

As for the stories themselves… well none were bad. How’s that?

DR MANHATTAN #1-4 written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by Adam Hughes
Briefly: Because Dr. M can see all things at literally all times so he travels back in time to see his own creation. In so doing he causes the time line to branch. Now he has to fix it.
The Good: Straczynski goes all out with a story revolving around Schrödinger's cat (see here if you aren’t familiar with the concept). Because Dr. M is so powerful it makes perfect sense and as long as you don’t linger on the science too long it’s great.
The Not-so-good: Nothing really.

The Conclusion: This is a solid, superhero, science fiction story that you will enjoy.

NITE OWL 1-4, written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by Andy Kubert
Briefly: Nite Owl starts his career and falls in love.
The Good: Since I already mentioned the art all I can say is that it’s well executed.
The Not-so-good: It’s dull. It’s a long extended origin story and if I swapped Nite Owl and his love interest with Batman and Catwoman it would be the exact same thing.

The Conclusion: It’s a fine superhero book. You won’t feel cheated reading it but you won’t remember it in 6 months either.

MINUTEMEN 1-6, written/illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
Briefly: You thought the Watchmen were grim, gritty, and a bunch of messed up heroes? You haven’t read anything yet because the Minutemen are even worse!
The Good: It’s pretty to look at and the story is fine.
The Not-so-good: This reads just like my synopsis says. It feels like Cooke isn’t trying to tell a story as much as make the Minutemen heroes even more messed up as people than the Watchmen were. There are too many scenes that felt like “oohhhh look at this SHOCKING turn of events” or “See, look here, the Comedian is even worse than you thought he was.”

The Conclusion: If you like stories where the good people caught in really bad situations then you will like it. For me, it was too forced and driven by ‘shocking event’ after ‘shocking event’ and not real characterization.

MOLOCH 1-2, written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by Eduardo Risso
DOLLAR BILL One-shot written by Len Wein, art by Steve Rude
Briefly: The origin stories of characters long dead in the original Watchmen series.
The Good: They are certainly well executed.
The Not-so-good: I couldn’t get past the fact that there was no real reason for these books to exist. Dollar Bill is the better of the two but, like the Titanic movie, we all know how it ends. Moloch was 2 issues of ‘ooohhhh, look at how bad he is.’ In fact, the whole point of Moloch was summed up in 5-10 pages in the second issue when he figures out that Ozman gave him cancer. If that was the point of the series (and it was) then it could have been done in one issue.

The Conclusion: These are fine books. Because they are C-list Watchmen characters, you might feel cheated and again you won’t remember it in 6 months either.

SILK SPECTRE 1-4, written by Darwyn Cooke, art by Amanda Conner
Briefly: Laurie, sick of over bearing mother, runs away to San Francisco to be with the boy she loves. She grows up and figures out that she loves being a superhero.
The Good: This is a fantastic story about a girl growing up as both a person and a superhero. It’s great and when the twist comes at the end (and it’s a Watchmen book so no one can be happy) it’s all the more heartbreaking.
The Not-so-good: The series is over. Not that this could have been an on going series but this was good enough to make me want to read more about Laurie.

The Conclusion: Just fantastic and well worth your time to read.





Overall I have to say Before Watchmen is a mixed bag. The art in every book is amazing and worth the pricve of admission.  As for the series themselves, they are fine and well executed.  In fact, a couple of them were great.  But I couldn't help feel that some of the other books were just money grabs to squeeze a few more pennies out of a franchise.  The trades, all the BW series collected in 2 large books, have been listed in Previews but there isn't enough here to make me get them. 

The New Valiant Universe Reviewed

So I finally sat down and read everything from the New Valiant Universe. Some of it was good. Some of it was not so good but none of it is what I would call bad.  In terms of consistency, Valiant has the strongest group of books of any publisher right now.  Yes I know they only have five titles, but for a small publisher it's still quite the achievement.  Now, on to what I thought...

HARBINGER #1-8 written by Joshua Dysart, illustrated by Khari Evans, Phil Briones, Barry Kitson, and Lee Garbett, published by Valiant.
The Good: Everything. Seriously, this has been one of the best series that I have read all year. It is amazing. It’s full of great characterization, solid pacing, and plenty of action. You can read my long review here.
The Not-so-good: I’m afraid the series will eventually crash and burn. But other than me not wanting it to end, there’s nothing wrong.

The Conclusion: This is absolutely one of the best books on the stands today. It’s fantastic.

BLOODSHOT 1-7, written by Duane Sweirczynski, art by Manuel Garcia
The Good: Sweirczynski is doing a great super soldier who lost his memory. It’s got plenty of action, solid characterization and supporting cast, pretty good art, and world building tie-ins to Harbinger.  I think Sweirczynski pacing is what keeps me coming back.  He keeps dangling just enough hints and tips as to Bloodshot's secret that I want to learn more.
The Not-so-good: There have been a couple of plot holes that Sweirczynski missed in one issue that got filled in on the next one. Since I self-traded the series it didn’t bother me, but 30 days apart it might have been annoying. And, occasionally, I am required to just “go with it” because the story moves fast.

The Conclusion: Even with some hiccups along the way, I have really enjoyed this. It ties in nicely with Harbinger and Sweirczynski’s done a great job of making me want to see what’s going to happen next.

X-O MANOWAR 1-10, written by Robert Venditti, art by Cary Nord, Lee Garbett, Trevor Hairsine
The Good: I’ve enjoyed this series because it’s what I call a summer-blockbuster series. This is all about the event and build-up to the next big action sequence.  It’s fun in a mindless way that doesn’t require any deep thought.
The Not-so-good: The development of the supporting cast has been weak and the overall story has been moving at a snail’s pace. The series started slow with the origin dragged out over 4 issues. After 10 issues I would expect the characters and their motivations to be better developed. The issues seem to alternate between all action and all plot movement. Finally, there aren’t many subplots. Normally this isn’t a problem but it makes the story almost too linear. First he get the armor, then he returned to earth and battled an earth villain, then he headed off to space to fight the big bad. Unfortunately, the lack of a continued subplots makes it easy to leave the book.

The Conclusion: It’s fine. If you like lots of action then you will enjoy the book.

ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG 1-6, written by Fred Van Lente, art by Clayton Henry, Emanuela Lupacchino
The Good: The opening arc (issues 1-4) was a fun, buddies-on-a-road-trip story. There was good characterization, plenty of action, and lots of loose ends that can lead to future plot lines.
The Not-so-good: I’m not sure that I care about the characters. Issues 5-6 introduced the new Geomancer and the Eternal Warrior which was a well-executed story. I can’t say anything was wrong because there wasn’t but I never connected with the characters.

The Conclusion: It’s a solid, paint-by-numbers superhero buddy book. If you have an affinity for the original characters you’ll enjoy it. If not, it’ll be fine.

SHADOWMAN 1-4, written by Justin Jordan, art by Patrick Zircher
The Good: The opening arc was pure setup. It was the origin of the new Shadowman including details of his new powers, introducing the supporting cast, and setting up subplots for future storylines. As an origin arc it was pretty good.
The Not-so-good: Personally, I’m not a huge mystical superhero fan. I prefer my magic heroes to be more Constantine-slight-of-hand and not Dr.-Strange-big-fireworks-displays. This isn’t a concept that I normally read so I wasn’t moved.

The Conclusion: Much like A/A before, there’s nothing wrong with this book. It’s well executed and if you have an affinity for the original character you’ll enjoy it. If not, it’ll be a fine.


So, overall I have to say the new Valiant Universe has been a success. Even though there are a couple of books I’m not thrilled with, there’s really nothing wrong with them. But, Harbinger and Bloodshot are both solid home runs and highly enjoyable.

Good Books You Probably Aren't Reading

So, after Wednesday's rant, Jim told me I needed to write something positive.  Ick!  But, he had a point.  This isn't about telling you all the things about comics that bore me, this is about trying to get you to read new and better comics.  Over the past week or so I've managed to read some great things so let me share those with you today.

Over the past few weeks I've managed to read Shadow #7-8, Shadow Special #1, the latest OMAC tpb, and Ralph Azham.

You can see what I thought about them below the break

What I read this week - Christmas Presents and Prose

So, the holidays are over which means it’s time to bit*ch and moan about them. In all actuality the rest of the family had a great vacation. Well, maybe just the kids. They got everything they wanted, and then some for Christmas, and, as an added bonus, got to see their cousin for the first time in over a year.

Wife did well on Christmas but she starts her new job… well yesterday… so she was a total stress ball. Add that to my Brothers visit which meant she got to spend twice as much time with her in-laws as normal and she would call the holidays a push.

As for me, I got to work on everyone else’s list. I got to put toys together, update the computer so all the electro-gizzies the kids got would work, photocopy for 4 hrs so Wife would be set for the new job, and listening to the wife vent about my parents. It was humdinger. Not to mention I stacked… I mean STACKED my Amazon list so I would get cool new sh*t for Christmas. Out of 800 possible selections Wife bought 3 items and managed to pick 2 of which I had already ordered from my LCS. Are you kidding me???? Sadly, I was happy to go back to work this week.

The best comic book selections from the holidays were the Thrill Power Overload hc and Marvel Comics: The Untold Story.  Basically, I got the history of Marvel Comics and Eagle/2000AD. It’s glorious and even though I’ve finished neither, they have both been terrific so far based on spot reading.

The one book I got without pictures was The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Briefly, in the future there was a revolution and all women’s rights were revoked. They could no longer own land, work, learn to read, or write. Their sole function is to have children in order to continue the human race. Our narrator remembers the days before the change when she had a job and a family. Now she is nothing more than a handmaiden who’s purpose is to create a child with one of the leaders of the revolution. This is her story.

If you like novels of dystopian futures then you need to find a copy of this! This is one of the best I have ever read and I’ve read a lot. This isn’t nearly as bleak as Orwell’s 1984 or Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl but it’s damn close.

What sets this apart is the female perspective and the stream of consciousness style of writing. The writing is fractured and disjointed which captures the essence of our lead perfectly. She is a broken woman living in a very scary time. Atwood does a great job of giving her a ‘voice’ and her loneliness and pain practically drip off the page. But, even with all that there is some ember of hope that isn't normally present in such stories.  Maybe it was because of the female lead or maybe it's because the story is so real that you can't, don't want to believe, it's as bad as described.

It's that sense of reality that really made the most impact.  The simple truth is this probably isn’t that far from actual events taking place today. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think of the women in Iran who lost their rights years ago. I couldn’t help but think about the women in Egypt whose rights are tenuous at best. As much as I wanted to believe the circumstances in this novel could never happen here, it’s hard to convince myself. Maybe that’s what made this book so scary, the fact that it could very well happen here.

I am sure this is available at your local library so I highly recommend checking it out.

That's all for now and this is long enough.  Enjoy your weekend!

What I read this week - Dec 7

So this week is a little of what I read and a little of what I saw.

Let's start with what I saw and that was Contagion.  The movies stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lawrence Fishburne, and many others.  If you couldn't guess from the title, it's the story about what happens when a plague hits the world and lots and lots of people die.

And... it's ok.  I think it's a scary movie for people who don't like to be scared.  It's a really good break down of what a worldwide epidemic might look like.  Think the Influenza Breakout of 1918 just sped up and modernized.  The science is fantastic and explained in a simple enough fashion that the layman can understand it.  The story takes into account the impact on different social strata's, lack of security, the red tape of modern medicine and even the blogosphere.  It covers all the bases.

But, for someone like me, who reads plague and environmental disaster novels it was light on consequences.  It shows food stores being raided but it never really touches on the fact that famine would be widespread.  It shows trash in the street because garbage pickup would stop, but doesn't explain how pestilence would spread.  Yes, it's morbid to think of such things but it's what would likely happen.  Bottom line, this is a Hollywood epidemic movie in which some good people die, but everyone ends up happy in the end.  Good but not deep.

Below the break, comics including Riven, Fatale, and Omac.  Sorta...

What I read this week - Nov 30

It's been  a long time so I'm getting right into it with simple, ultra short reviews.

The Complete Major Bummer Super Slacktacular!
(w) John Arcudi, (a) Doug Mahnke, published by Dark Horse, 348 pgs, $30
Just a boatload of fun.  Arcudi creates the world's worst superhero and puts him into weirder and weirder situations.  All expertly drawn by Mahnke.  Tons of action and lots of humor made this a great read.  I wrote a long review here. 
More short reviews and some longer ones below

What I read this week - Nov 9

Another week, another lame intro.  I saved all my words for the reviews...  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Just two books this week, Chico and Rita and King City.  Both very good in completely different ways.

Chico and Rita
(w) Fernando Trueba, (a) Javier Mariscal, published by SelfMadeHero, 216 pgs, FC, $25

In case you weren't aware, this is actually the comic adaption of the Spanish, animated film of the same name.  I'd heard good things about the film, and it was nominated for 2012 Oscar, so I thought I would give the book a try.  You can see the movie trailer, and hear some of the music here.

You can see what I thought below the break, and hear about the other book I read this week, King City.

What I Read This Week - Nov 2

Ok, I have a huge amount of books to talk about because I missed last week so I'm going to try something different and keep it short.

Bloody Chester

(W) J.T. Petty (A) Hilary Florido, Published by :01 Second, 160 pgs, $19
This is a good western with some different takes on classic themes and a wicked twist at the end.  Petty does a good job moving the story forward and creating the appropriate tension.  Florido's art is a little cartoony for the subject matter but it works.  This is another one of those books were I felt I missed something.  I think there were some subtle things that I overlooked the first time so I'll read it again. I want to say this was great but I'm sticking to good until I read it again. 

What I Read This Week - Oct 19

So this weekend I finally managed to see the Avengers movie.  I know, I know I am slow but finding 3 hrs to waste doing nothing is harder than it looks at my house.  Grandpa came to visit and brought his copy with him so there were no excuses.  Boy and I could barely wait to see it while the girls could care less. 

How do I know the girls didn't care?  I asked.  The conversation went something like this,
Me:  Girl, Tiny, wanna watch the Avengers movie with us?
Girl: Is there any kissing?  I like the kissing parts.
Me: No.  There is no kissing in superhero movies.  There is no crying in baseball and no kissing in the superhero movies. 
Girl:  No kissing?  It's just gonna be dumb boys punching each other.  I'm gonna go play.

So it was just the boys watching the movie.  Now, Boy is getting older and while he hasn't quite found girls yet he's getting close.  As far as that goes, I keep my head in the sand and hope that he doesn't find them until he's in college and long gone so I don't have to worry about it.

Well, apparently I am not going to be so lucky.  Do you remember the scene with Gwyneth Paltrow early in the movie.  Downey Jr flies in as Iron Man into his new fancy skyscraper and proceeds to flirt with her.  And, in case you forgot she is wearing daisy dukes, which, while looking good, are completly ridiculous in context.

So, as Gwyneth is doing he best catwalk across the sceen, Boy turns to me and non chalantly states: Yep, that's what you call a butt shaker.

Well, he was right.  And on that note, on to the books!  This week I read Echo: The Complete Edition, Alias Vol. 1, and The Taxidermist.

This week suffered from high expectations but you can see exactly what I thought below the break.

What I Read This Week– Oct 12

I had a story to tell but I got really wordy in reviews so I'm just jumping right in. 

This week The Twelve and Miracleman.  Read on!

The Twelve - Volumes 1 and 2
Each 144 pages, collecting issues 1-12 of the series.
(w) J. Michael Straczynski  (a/c) Chris Weston
Ok, let's start by reviewing the troubled history of this series.  The first issue was published March '08 and the eighth issue 8 was published in Dec '08.  At that point this series became part of the infamous lost series club with other members like Kevin Smith's Daredevil stuff.  It looked like we would never see the end of the story.  But then, issue 9 was published in April '12 and the last issue in June '12.  I am gonna say that by the time the conclusion was done no one, except me and 3 others, cared.  But I am here to say all's well that ends well.

Basically, 12 heroes are placed in suspended animation at the end of WWII.  They awake in 2008 to find a radically different world than the one they lived in.  How do they handle it?  Not all that well.  But, if they were well adjusted we wouldn't have a story either.

The obvious question is why did this series exist?  I think Straczynski was trying to introduce new characters into the Marvel U by modernizing some really silly GA characters.  Marvel has been fairly stagnant over the past 5 or more years so it was a good idea. 

In terms of execution, Straczynski  sets it up well by weaving the man-outta-time plot and telling an origin of each character into each issue.  It works and by the end of the series the characters have been updated and are interesting enough.  There's more than enough for another writer to pick them up and move them all forward, or work them into the greater Marvel U. 

Weston's art is highly detailed and entertaining.  But after 12 issues it's easy to see when he has problems with perspective and anatomy.  Actually I can't take credit for noticing it the first time.  I was talking with Ian Gibson and he noted it to me, and he was right.

Even though it took years to get it, this was a fun series that was actually quite good.  It's too bad that nothing will ever be done with it.


Mircleman #1-9, August '85- July '86
Written by Alan Moore, Art by Garry Leach, Alan Davis, and Chuck Austen (Yes, that Chuck Austen)

Sheesh, this feels like history week.  So, another quick back story, Miracleman was originally published by Warrior magazine in the UK from '82-84.  It was picked up by Eclipse, who republished the original stories and then started new stories with issue #7, '86.

This was an early deconstruction of a superhero.  The first 7 issues have Miracleman rediscover his powers after having lost them.  It includes a brief, yet brutal encounter with his former sidekick who had since gone bad.  Then Moore rounded out the first arc with MM's updated origin. Issue 8 is a filler and fun if you like reading British GA stories but a pass otherwise. Issue 9... is... wow 9 is.  Umm, 9 is the birth issue.  If you've never seen a birthing picture well look no further because it's shown in all it's glory here.  It contains a highly graphic birth scene, based on medical illustrations of the process and carried a parental warning on the cover.

This is Alan Moore at his peak and it doesn't get any better than this.  You can make an argument that Alan Moore's output from 82-86 is one of the greatest, if not the greatest by a writer ever.  During this time, Moore wrote MM, V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing which started February of '84, and Watchmen which started in September of '86.  These are series, and characters, that we still talk about 25 yrs later.  The only other person who even remotely comes this close to sustained greatness is Stan Lee at Marvel from '61-'64.  But you can argue the artists were as much the writers as Lee was. 

MM is pure superhero deconstruction goodness.  It is just great!  It's kinda forgotten these days because it's caught up in litigation but it's worth hunting down the back issues.  I highly recommend it.

That's all for this week. 

What I Read This Week– Sept 28

Ya know, the best laid plans and all that jazz.  If you want my version... she went nuts.  Coo-coo for cocoa puffs, fruity for fruit loops, and it was all my fault.  Oh yes it was and the truth is irrelevant!  So, because I am such a.... good person... I listened in rapt attention for over an hour to every excruciating detail of her day.  Then I topped it off with an evening of Project Runway and didn't add snarky commentary once. 

So, no daily life intro this week.  Just me... typing.  Quietly.  Expressing my... love of Project Runway.

Anyway, it was a light week for books, this week I read The Manhattan Projects Volume 1: Science Bad TP, Operation: Broken Wings, 1936, and Northlanders Vol. 1: Sven The Returned.

You can see what I thought of the rest of the books below the break.

What I read this week - Sept 21

There are few things worse in life than 'the talk'.  Up until this point, Wife and I have managed to avoid it.  Unfortunately, with everything going on and kids talking to other kids, it was time.  Actually, it was well past time so over the summer, we explained evolution to them.

That's right, we explained the theory of evolution and the scientific basis for it.  In a nutshell, we explained how everything we know about man has come from this little theory.  We also had to explain that not everyone believes in it which led to another long, long discussion.  But, that is a topic for another day.  At the end of our family discussion, the kids understood the basics and that our family believes in evolution.

Soon after, we were at the pool, and Tiny swam over to me with a gleeful look in her eye.  She motioned me closer and whispered into my ear, "Daddy, Daddy, I can prove evolution to all the people who don't believe."

To say my curiosity was piqued is an understatement. "And, how would you do that?" I asked.

Tiny looked around conspiratorially, fixed her eyes on the biggest, hairiest man I had ever seen and POINTED. "Look at him Daddy.  He's got hair everywhere.  He's even got hair on his back so he must have come from monkeys.  See Daddy, he proves evolution."  And with that, she swam off happy as a clam that she had proven the theory of evolution.

Well, it's hard to argue with such logic.  I'm just glad the man didn't see her pointing because he would have killed me.

Anyway, as for books, this week I read Prophet Vol 1, Glory Vol 1, Peter Panzerfaust Vol 1, and The Bulletproof Coffin.


You can see what I thought of the rest of the books below the break.

What I read this week - Sept 14

What a week! Actually, it’s been a month or so but who’s counting. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re back! I am sure that more than a few of our readers were worried that it was the end of ComicsAnd, but I can happily announce we’re still going strong. I will say that an annual vacation might be just what the doctor ordered. What to expect going forward? More of the same that you have grown to love.

The schedule,
Monday - Jim's Reviews
Tuesday - Jim previews what's coming out for the week.
Wednesday - A deep dig into previews by one of the gang
Thursday - Thomm's Reviews
Friday - Lee's Reviews
Saturday - Matthew's Reviews
... that's a heck of alot of reviews.
Sunday - A look at the glorious covers of yesterday!

Now then, since it's Friday, it's my turn to talk about books.  Let's just go with, chances are you haven't read these.  This week I managed to read Absalom: Ghosts of London, Sláine: Treasures of Britain and Mars Attacks Classics Vol 1.

Absalom: Ghosts of London (w) Gordon Rennie (a) Tiernen Trevallion  published by Rebellion/2000 AD
The hype:  Veteran copper, Inspector Harry absalom, heads a special squad that enforces The Accord - a diplomatic treaty made in the sixteenth century between the throne of England and Hell. If any demonic entities step out of line, Harry and his team will track the infernal offenders down and sort them out for good. A miserable old bastard with a knack for finding trouble, Harry was the perfect man for the job. But years of strife are starting to catch up with him, and now Harry also has to contend with the fact that he is dying of terminal cancer...

The best of the week was easily Absalom.  Imagine an older, grouchier Constantine with a team of helpers and you will have a very good idea of what this is about. 

I'm an art guy and I have to say the art was stellar.  Trevallion has some talent and it shows.  It reminded me of Risso with smooth, flowy lines, but without the heavy inks.  I really can't think of anything bad to say, the characters were well designed, the pages were well laid out, and the story telling flowed.  You can't ask for anymore from a new artist.

Rennie's story matches the great art.  He quickly establishes our hero, Harry, as your typical crotchety old war horse and in one bit of cliche introduces the "new female recruit."  But once we're past that the story goes all out.  It's full of action and groovy monsters.  What made this stand out was the world building that Rennie did.  There are multiple subplots, and all sorts of hints to stories yet to be told. 

This was great and worth hunting down.

What I read this week

It was pointed out to me that all my stories seem to have me 'winning' or otherwise causing trouble and antagonizing my ever so innocent wife.  Well, this week I want to set the story straight that what comes around goes around at my house.

It started last week when I was working in the attic.  I thought I had taken all the necessary tools up with me, but as with any home project, things quickly got out of control and I needed some additional widgets.  So I leaned out of the access hatch and calmly called out, "WWIIFFFEEEE  IIIII NNNNEEEEEEEEEEDDDDD HHHHEEEELLLLPPPP!"

Which earned me an exasperated, "How come your projects always become my projects, but my projects never become your projects? What do you need now?"

"Sorry darling.  Thank you very much, but could you get me a couple of tools?  I need the socket wrench, a pair of wire cutters, and the small hand drill.  The wrench and the cutters are in my tool bag, and the drill should be on top of the work bench."

Now it should be noted that Wife is a very smart woman and normally this wouldn't be an issue.  But my work bench is a pit, always has been, always will be.  This just means that finding tools isn't always the easiest.  And from the semiglazed look I got I knew I was going to have to provide more details.  So I added, "Sorry, I mean I need the silver tool that goes rinka rinka rinka clack clack clack.  It should be next to the orange tool that you always think I am going to cut my arm off with.  The cutters look like little tiny grooming scissors, and the drill isn't the big orange one but the smaller black one that you always complain sounds like nails on a chalkboard."

"Don't be like that.  I know what tools are."

"Sorry, I was just trying to help," I responded.  But it should be noted that I got the right tools.

The very next day I was in the kitchen cabinet looking for something to eat.  I was digging and rearranging and searching high and low.  All I wanted were some dried cherries.  The cabinet is always a mess, and I was just about at the curse out loud stage when I caved.  "Honey, where are cherries?  I can't find them."

"Have you tried looking behind the green box that goes schwooba schwooba schwooba when you shake it?  Or next to the odd shaped box full of stuff that you're afraid to try?"

Even though I think she was making fun of me, I found the cherries.

Anyway... I managed to read two books this week, Chew Omnivore Edition Vol 1 and Creepy Presents Bernie Wrightson.  You can see what I thought of them below the break.

What I've been reading the last few weeks

So, it's been awhile since I've actually read anything.  Why you ask?  Because I received the Game of Thrones box set for my birthday.  Even I understand that's a poor excuse for not reading since it is reading.  The problem is that I am a slow reader.  Like really slow!  It's taken me weeks to read all 807 pages plus appendices.  It's ridiculous.  As Wife says to me, "aw, it's like a child using training wheels!  It's so cute when you read a book without pictures"

Anyway, I am happy to report that the TV series follows the book exactly.  There are no major deviations and much of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book.  If anything, the book helped me understand the show even better.  If you have the time, or are a fast reader, then I highly recommend it.

In the meantime, I did manage to read a couple of trades in between chapters...
There was Kingdom: Call of the Wild, written by Dan Abnett, illustrated by Richard Elson, published by Rebellion, (long review here).  A straight forward Kamandi type story in which our hero is more Tuftan the Tiger instead of Kamandi.  It's fun, fluffy, pointless fun.

Son of the Guns Vols 1 - 2, written by Alexandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Georges Bess, published by Humanoids (long review here).  Jodorowsky is one of my writer heroes because he is just insane.  Seriously, he has more whacked out ideas than even Morrison.  In the first 4 pages the story is established when a dwarf, transvestite hooker finds a baby abandoned in a trash can. He’s about to feed the baby to dogs when he notices the child has a tail. Yes, a tail. Realizing the child is as much of a freak as he is, he takes the child to raise as his own.

This is seriously twisted stuff that isn't for the meek.  If you like your crime comics dirty, and nasty, and leaving you feeling.... well dirty and nasty then this is the book for you.  It's great but you've been warned.

More below the break...

What I Read – Apr 10

Where do the weeks go?  Seriously, as I get older the time seems to go faster... and faster.  Since I had a birthday this past weekend (still younger than Jim) it seems like life is moving at light speed. 

Anyway, Saturday was the big day so we went on a family hike up one of the local mountains.  3 hrs up, and 2 hrs down.  It was a doozey.  I mostly spent the walk up with the girls, and the walk down with the boy. 

Boy, far and away had the best comments, but you can decide for yourself which one is better.  You choices are:

#1) Just as we are starting down, Boy turns to me and says "hold on dad, I'll be right back. I have to go fertilize the grass with my ray-gun."

I can honestly tell you I have never referred to my privates, or his privates, as a ray-gun.   Ya gotta love the things they learn in school.  And, honestly, it's more of a bazooka.

#2) About half way down, as we were looking for a stick that he had gotten rid of earlier on the walk
Boy: Sigh. I really wish I had my stick back.  It was such a cool stick but I had to throw my stick away.
Me: Yeah, that's true.
Boy: It's was so cool with these markings on it that looked like cool stuff.  But Mom made me throw it away. I wish I still had it.
Me: You do know Mom made you throw away the stick because you hit her in the head with it right?
Boy: Yeah. But it was a really cool stick and I only hit her once and I didn't do it on purpose.

It's a really tough choice.

Anyway, as for books, this week I read Blue Estate Volume 1, James Sturm's America: God, Gold, and Golems, and Planet of the Apes Vol 1.

You can see what I thought of the rest of the books below the break.

What I Read This Week – Apr 3

Not a lot of intro this week because I am running out of time and need to post this. But I did see a couple of things worth noting on the web.
First, is the passing of Jean Giraud who most people know as Moebius. And before you say “eh, who cares” you should realize that he is as influential as Kirby was in America, or Tezuka in Japan. And, it should be noted many of today’s artists can trace their influence back to him, either directly or indirectly. I am not going to even try and do him justice because it was done better here.

And, one of his short stories is here. I cannot recommend it enough and yes, it is that awesome.

Anyway, as for books, this week I read Infinite Kung Fu, Whispers in the Walls, and The Path #1-9

You can see what I thought of the rest of the books below the break.

What I Read This Week – Mar 27

Because of all the indie books I skipped reviews last week, which means this weeks list of books is longer than ever. So, no intro, we’re just getting right to it.

This week I read Catwoman Vol. 1: Trail of the Catwoman, Daredevil Vol 1, Battle Royale Vols 1 / 2, Black Widow: Deadly Origin, and The Incredible Hulk #5

The best of the week by far was Catwoman Vol. 1: Trail of the Catwoman written by Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker, illustrated by Darwyn Cooke and Brad Rader, inked by Mike Allred Cameron Stewart, Rick Burchett, published by DC Comics. Collects Selina’s Big Score, backup stories from Detective, and Catwoman #1-9, 336 pgs, $30

It’s Brubaker. It’s Cooke. Was there ever a chance this was gonna be bad? Nope. Since I read, and still have, these in single issues I really just wanted to see if it was as good as I remembered it to be. And, I am happy to report my memories are as good as ever. This is a gritty, noir-superhero pastiche which is as good today as it was 10 years ago. Yep, 10 years. Bottom line, it’s great and deserves a second, or third read. See my long review here. 

You can see what I of the rest of the books below the break.

What I Read This Week – Mar 13

So, I am a day late this week because I am starting a new job! Nothing fancy, same company, different position and title. Currently I work in the ‘services’ division and tomorrow I will work in the ‘corporate’ division. Normally this isn’t a big deal but my company is fairly large so the two divisions are across town from each other. Such a little distance and the divisions are soooo different… and the crowd screams HOW DIFFERENT ARE THEY? Well, let me tell you..

First, ‘Services’ has a pool. Granted the pool is part of a training facility in which we hope no one drowns but it’s still a pool. ‘Corporate’ tore out ½ the parking spaces in order to build a little picnic area for us to use during lunch hours. It’s actually a nice idea except for the fact that they didn’t put in any trees or shade of any sort so in the summer, by noon the metal seats are too hot to sit on without burning yourself.

Second, ‘Services’ is a wee bit more casual. There is a better chance I will meet someone in jeans carrying a spit cup than someone with a collar. ‘Corporate’ is as corporate does and ties are commonplace.

But the biggest difference is… and y’all knew this was coming… is the bathroom. In ‘Services,’ if you go to the bathroom on the corridor to the training center, occupy stall #3, then use the long handled plunger to pop ceiling tile #4… voila down drops the current issue of Muscle and Fitness. Usually the limited edition bikini special. Oh it’s a fine, fine, fine magazine.

Now, the reading material in ‘Corporate’ is slightly different. In this case you have to go to the second floor, center bathroom. In there you will find a handicapped stall, and located on the metal railing… open to the best article is an issue of Readers Digest. I can’t make stuff this good up.

I am certainly going to miss life in ‘Services.’ Anyway, this week I managed to read The Replacement God, Salvatore: Vol. 2 - An Eventful Crossing, and surprisingly The Hunger Games. You can see what I liked below the break.