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Tag Archives: Clayton Henry

What’s I&N Store (1/15)

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by ScottNerd in What's I&N Store?

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

A Voice in the Dark, Alex + Ada, All-New X-Men, Archer & Armstrong, Astro City, Avatar, BOOM!, Brent Eric Anderson, Brian Hurtt, Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo, Chris Samnee, Clayton Henry, Cullen Bunn, Curse, Daredevil, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Department of Monsterology, Di Amorim, Ed Brubaker, Egos, Fred Van Lente, Garth Ennis, God Is Dead, Gordon Rennie, Gus Storms, Harbinger, Image, Imagine Agents, Indestructible, Jeff Kline, Jonathan Hickman, Jonathan Luna, Joshua Dysart, Kurt Busiek, Kurtis J. Wiebe, Larime Taylor, Mark Waid, Marvel, Matt Kindt, Michael DiPascale, Michael Moreci, Mike Costa, Miracleman, Oni Press, P.J. Holden, Patrick Zircher, Rat Queens, Renegade Arts, Roc Upchurch, Rover Red Charlie, Sarah Vaughn, Skyman, Steve Epting, Stuart Immonen, Stuart Moore, Suicide Squad, The Sixth Gun, Uncanny X-Men, Unity, Valiant, Velvet, Vertigo

And by “narrowing down,” I clearly mean this:

  • Skyman #1 (Dark Horse): It’s on my radar.  Don’t know the character; don’t know the creators–but I do know Dark Horse, our 2013 Publisher of the Year.
  • Astro City #8 (DC/Vertigo): #7 was no small Victory.  It was very, very good.  Bold statement of the week: Kurt Busiek’s the best storyteller in the DC stable.  Is anyone even close?
Astro City #8

Astro City #8

  • Suicide Squad #27 (DC): Kindt has revealed that nothing lasts Forever–including his time on Suicide Squad.  I appreciate what he’s done; but when he’s done, so am I.
  • Indestructible #2 (IDW): There was something interesting–though not nearly indestructible–about the first one.  Leaning toward passing on it.  I mean, look at this list, for goodness sake!  I can’t buy everything, folks!
  • A Voice in the Dark #3 (Image): From Larime Taylor’s mouth to our eyes.  Truly remarkable.  #2 was a compelling ask-questions-first-shoot-later follow-up to a dangerously drawn-out, extra-sized first issue.  Expectations have crept up a notch.
  • Alex + Ada #3 (Image): Most of all, I love the tone of the book.  There’s a sincere tension that’s undeniable–and beautiful.
Alex + Ada #3

Alex + Ada #3

  • Egos #1 (Image): Worth a shot, I suppose.
  • Rat Queens #4 (Image): Every page is infested with rattitude!  Wiebe and Upchurch gleefully give us a mischief of grrls, a swarm of snarky sword swingers doing their very best to make it in a man’s world!  It’s not much more than that, really; but it doesn’t need to be, does it?  Everyone needs a book like this in his or her bag.
  • Velvet #3 (Image): Bit of a slow build, sure, but Brubaker can take all the time he needs; I’ll be right here with him, Steve Epting, and their gorgeously cinematic and super smooth Velvet.
  • All-New X-Men #21 (Marvel): Well, it certainly seems like all of my complaining about the unevenness of Bendis’s writing has finally caught up to me.  OK.  No, it hasn’t.
  • Daredevil #35 (Marvel): Loved #34.  It’s a “best of,” if you think about it: everything that Waid’s done well over the course of the series is played up to some effect in the issue.  I know major changes are on the way; I just hope that Waid’s approach to handling Daredevil’s duality and crafting relationships–through lively dialogue, especially (something Bendis has struggled with on the X-titles)–is not one of them.
Daredevil #35

Daredevil #35

  • Miracleman #1 (Marvel): I have no idea what to expect with this.  I’ve never read any Miracleman–or Marvelman for that matter–but I’m certainly willing to give it a try.  Might take a miracle to keep me around, though.  Seriously: have you seen this list?!
  • Uncanny X-Men #16 (Marvel): As a whole, it’s been more engaging than All-New X-Men.  Yeah, that’s not saying much.
  • Archer & Armstrong #17 (Valiant): One of our Top Ten titles of 2013!  Can’t wait to see what Van Lente and co. have in store for us this year!  If it’s more of the same, all the better!
Archer & Armstrong #17

Archer & Armstrong #17

  • Harbinger #20 (Valiant):  Dysart’s doing with Harbinger what I wish Bendis was doing with his X-books: writing an effin’ solid team book.
  • Unity #3 (Valiant): If I’m being honest, I’m keeping on ’cause of Kindt.  I see more potential here than in any of his Marvel and DC work, which, as a whole, has been pretty blah even as he’s brought his unique narrative style into the mainstream mix.
  • Curse #1 (BOOM!): Another werewolf story?  I hope not.  I mean, Six-Gun Gorilla wasn’t just another gorilla story, was it?  No, not even close.  Time to go BOOM!
Curse #1

Curse #1

  • Imagine Agents #4 (BOOM!): This rounds out the series–which I haven’t started reading yet.  Oops.
  • God Is Dead #5 (Avatar): Definitely on the dropping block.  My interest is mostly dead–especially as Hickman’s participation in the creative process comes to its inevitable end.
  • Rover Red Charlie #2 (Avatar): As I mentioned in a prompt post-read tweet concerning an apocalyptic #1: “some really ruff moments I [couldn’t] seem to shake.”  Poor doggies.  It’s a real man-beat-man world, innit?
  • The Sixth Gun #37 (Oni Press): One of the best monthlies around.  Writing and art of the highest caliber from Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, respectively.
  • Department of Monsterology #4 (Renegade): A monstrous surprise!  I’ve really enjoyed this series so far.  Sad to see it come to a close.  Gosh, I hope Gordon Rennie and P.J. Holden have something else in store for us!
Department of Monsterology #4

Department of Monsterology #4

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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I&N Scott’s Bag (10/23)

28 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Aaron Ginsburg, Brian Michael Bendis, Chip Zdarsky, Chris Samnee, Clayton Henry, Clone, Daredevil, Dark Horse, David Marquez, David Schulner, Ed Brubaker, Emma Rios, Harbinger, Howard Chaykin, Image, Jordie Bellaire, Joshua Dysart, Juan Ferreyra, Juan Jose Ryp, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Kiss Me Satan, Kurtis J. Wiebe, Mark Waid, Matt Fraction, Matt Kindt, Mind MGMT, Pretty Deadly, Rat Queens, Satellite Sam, Sex Criminals, Steve Epting, Ultimate Spider-Man, Valiant, Velvet, Wade McIntyre

This is actually, kinda, sorta on time.

  • Mind MGMT #16 (Matt Kindt is the Thomas Edison of comics: he’s invented yet another way to make this book the most involved read on the rack.  As important as this story is to the world Kindt’s been building, it is a stand alone issue.  Do yourself a favor and pick it up, even if you’re not looking to add another title to your monthly haul; it’s a stunning example of what the medium can do.)
Mind MGMT #16

Mind MGMT #16

  • Velvet #1 (I like the bad-ass Miss Moneypenny angle from Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.  The other angles–all of them right–come together to take the shape of an exceptionally executed exposition.)
  • Pretty Deadly #1 (Pretty underwhelming.  Not entirely Kelly Sue DeConnick’s fault, really.  Sure, I wasn’t particularly taken by the–perhaps purposely–juvenile poetry that frames the issue, and Emma Rios’s art was often tough to translate; but I think the main problem is with me–with my bag.  Not only am I already invested in wonderfully wild westerns–including BOOM!’s Six-Gun Gorilla, Image’s East of West, and Oni’s The Sixth Gun–I’m seeing similarities, which steal a bit from the experience.  Even if they’re complete coincidences, which I assume they are, they’re enough to affect my experience here.  To be fair, I’m going to meet #2 at high noon on or around Wednesday 11/27.  We’ll see who flinches first.)
  • Satellite Sam #4 (Had to spend extra time with it to suss out some of the dialogue.  Time well spent.  Who knew I’d be more interested in the early days of TV than I am in the recent exploits of Captain America and Superman?  It’s not what I came back to comics for, but it’s why I’ll be sticking around: an original voice affected effortlessly by Matt Fraction and ridiculously detailed black & white artwork from Howard Chaykin.)
Satellite Sam #4

Satellite Sam #4

  • Harbinger #17 (Wouldn’t have been so terrible if it were terrible, but it wasn’t.  Peter and friends live to see another What’s I&N Store post.)
  • Kiss Me, Satan #2 (Other things me, too, Satan.  And make it fast because, despite Juan Ferreya’s art, I’m not sticking around for #3.)
  • Rat Queens #2 (The joke ran the risk of getting stale–like a chunk of cheese on a ill-placed trap–but then came the end.  “[Fudge] buckets,” indeed.  At its best, like during the final two-page sequence, Kurtis J. Wiebe’s world spins not unlike something you’d see in Saga.  At its worst, it reads like Fraction’s cutting-room floor.  Here’s hoping for more of the best.)
  • Clone #11 (I wasn’t sure where we were headed after #10.  Now I know–and I’m stoked!  All the way around, a terrific issue.  The twriters [that’s tri-writers, to reflect the combined efforts of David Schulner, Aaron Ginsburg, and Wade McIntyre–did I just coin that?] continue to celebrate the unique experience that is the comic book page turn in this fast-paced effort; and the art from Juan Jose Ryp, with colors from Andy Troy, is at its detailed best.  Really, really good.)
Clone #11

Clone #11

  • Sex Criminals #2 (Even filthier than the first, which makes sense since we get the guy’s side here.  It goes without saying that I found it hard to relate to.  I have a friend, though, who found it remarkably resonant–especially the bit about the–umm–treasure in the woods.)
  • Daredevil #32 (Quite a ride.  Went from hard to diJester to frighteningly flavorful in a single course!  Who would’ve thunk it: Mark Waid twists the political slog from #31 into something fiendishly fun and then, just as quickly, into something D-D-deadly.  Two fantastic splashes from Chris Samnee, the best being the ironic “They’re not monsters!” monsterpiece.  Hard to believe we’re that much closer to the end of this glorious run.)
Daredevil #32

Daredevil #32

  • Ultimate Spider-Man #28 (Sad to say, I’m happy that this one’s done.)

Missed a few–The Massive, Numbercruncher, and Death Sentence–for one reason or another; but I won’t be without them for very long.

What did you think of this bag’s worth?

Turning pages,

Scott

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In Scott’s Bag (6/12)

15 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in Uncategorized

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Ales Kot, American Vampire, Batman, Bloodshot, Breath of Bones, Brian Reber, Clayton Henry, Cullen Bunn, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Duane Swierczynski, Eric Nguyen, Golem, Greg Capullo, H.A.R.D. Corps, Harbinger Wars, Helheim, IDW, Image, Jason Ciaramella, Jeff Stokely, Jim Lee, Joe Hill, Joelle Jones, Jonathan Hickman, Joshua Dysart, Nick Filardi, Nick Pitarra, Oni Press, Patrick Zircher, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Simon Spurrier, Steve Niles, Suicide Squad, Superman Unchained, The Manhattan Projects, The Renegades, Thumbprint, Valiant, Vertigo, Vic Malhotra, X

Even though I’ve read a bunch already, I’m sticking with a simple rundown–with an insinuation or two tossed in for your own good.  Can’t fool around: gotta get to the latest Back & Forth, after all.

  • Helheim #4
  • Harbinger Wars #3
Harbinger Wars #3

Harbinger Wars #3

  • Six-Gun Gorilla #1 (If you didn’t already: BUY THIS BOOK!  You will NOT be disappointed.)
  • X #3
  • Thumbprint #1 (Also very good.  Don’t miss it.)
Thumbprint #1

Thumbprint #1

  • Suicide Squad #21
  • American Vampire: The Long Road to Hell
  • Half Past Danger #2
Half Past Danger #2

Half Past Danger #2

  • Superman Unchained #1
  • Batman #21
  • Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #1
  • The Manhattan Projects #12
The Manhattan Projects #12

The Manhattan Projects #12

 

What did you get in your bag this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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In Scott’s Bag (5/8)

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Ales Kot, Archer & Armstrong, Avatar, Batman, Batman and Red Hood, Battlefields: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova, Caanan White, Chin Music, Clayton Henry, Danny Miki, Dark Horse, David Finch, DC Comics, Duane Swierczynski, Eric Nguyen, Fred Van Lente, Garth Ennis, Geoff Johns, Greg Capullo, Harbinger, IDW, Image, J. Bone, Joshua Dysart, Justice League of America, Khari Evans, Kieron Gillen, Patrick Zircher, Peter Tomasi, Roger Langridge, Russ Braun, Scott Snyder, Steve Niles, Suicide Squad, The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror, Tony Harris, Uber, Valiant, X

If I’m…using this…stupid abacus correctly…it seems…I’ve purchased…Gosh darn it!  I’ve purchased eleven books.

  • Uber #1 (Read it!  Soaked from the opening splash!  Memorable, for sure.  [Tell me you weren’t like, “Pull it, you Nazi bastard!  Pull it!]”  Then comes the twistory upon which the story is built.  After that, some obnoxious Nazi name dropping, followed by, as one might expect, violence worthy of the Avatar brand.  What I didn’t expect: Gillen’s got the Reich stuff!  He’s already made Hitler and his Nazi posse a more interesting lot than the post-Schism, pre-NOW! X-Men he so painfully mishandled.  Looks like I’m down for #2!)
Uber #1

Uber #1

  • X #1 (Read it!  Not bad.  Nguyen’s art is fine, never really spectacular.  So’s the story.  It is what it is: a #1.  Willing to give Swierczynski more time: I mean, Bloodshot‘s bangin’ and–at its core–this isn’t so different.)
X #1

X #1

  • Chin Music #1 (Read it!  Story’s sort of all over the place.  But, like Swierczynski, Niles has earned my precious patience.  [I’m not handing it out as freely as I had, say, when I first came back to comics and tried to stick with too many New 52 books because I loved the characters and the stories just had to get good at some point, right?]  Harris’s work, as expected, is fantastic.  Lovelovelove the layouts.)
  • Suicide Squad #20 (Read it!  Change is here!  And Ales Kot lets us know two panels in–just in time to support the upcoming release of the collected Change, Kot’s crazy little mini for Image that only recently reached its own form of flatulent enlightenment.  Blatant self-promotion aside, in this first issue from Kot and Patrick Zircher, we’re treated to a kick-ass Suicide Squad circa Adam Glass’s New 52 nod–before SS shattered to boring bits with some awful pacing and the relentlessly regrettable Regulus claptrap.  Man, I wanted to take the shards to my wrists and–I thought better of it and simply dropped the darned thing from my pull-list.  Safer.  Now, I’m back on board, and so is the sexy storytelling–the spirit of spontaneity–that sucked me in from the get-go.)
Suicide Squad #20

Suicide Squad #20

  • Batman #20 (Read it!  Convoluted.  Irrelevant.  Everything we’ve come to expect from the keystone Batbook.  I hate myself for having bought it because, at this point, I know better.)
  • The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #4 (Never excited to see a good mini go–for a few reasons, actually.)
  • Justice League of America #3 (I really want to like it.  We’ll see.)
  • Batman and Red Hood #20 (Thanks to Peter Tomasi, I may have found a way to satisfy my need for a monthly Batbook.  Would make dropping Snyder’s  that much easier.)
Batman and Red Hood #20

Batman and Red Hood #20

  • Archer & Armstrong #0 (Still hate dinosaurs.)
  • Harbinger #12 (As solid a monthly series as your bound to find.)
  • Battlefields: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova #6 (End of an arc–an Ennis arc.  The mourning period begins now.)
Battlefields #6

Battlefields #6

That’s what’s in my bag.  What’s in yours?

Turning pages,

Scott

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In Scott’s Bag (5/1)

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Alberto Ponticelli, All-New X-Men, Andrea Sorrentino, Animal Man, Ape Entertainment, Ben Templesmith, BOOM!, Brian Bolland, Brian Michael Bendis, Buddy Baker, Bush administration, China Mieville, Clayton Henry, Cyborg 009, Dan Green, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Dean Motter, Dial H, Duane Swierczynski, Elena Casagrande, Freddie Williams II, Gail Simone, Green Arrow, Harbinger Wars, Image, Indestructible Hulk, J. Michael Strczynski, Jason Latour, Jeff Lemire, Joe's Comics, John Paul Leon, Joshua Dysart, Justin Jordan, Mark Waid, Marvel, Mico Suayan, Mister X: Eviction, Nic Klein, Roberto De La Torre, Sesame Street, Shadowman, Stuart Immonen, Suicide Risk, Ten Grand, The Movement, Wade Von Grawbadger, Walter Simonson, Winter Soldier

Ended up with 15 books.  Go figure.

  • The Movement #1 (Can’t imagine I’m going to like this.  Yet here it is.  In my bag.)
  • Winter Soldier #18 (That’s right: it survived the purge–at least for another month.  Thumb through cinched it.  Nic Klein’s artwork–especially his colors–was the draw here.)
Winter Soldier #17

Winter Soldier #18

  • Dial H #12 (Hope it comes back down to earth–not that the cover suggests it will.)
    Dial H #12

    Dial H #12

    • Snapshot #4 (Had forgotten all about this one.  Good thing I remembered while I was in the shop!  Best thing about it: it’s #4 of 4–which means it’s done and, going forward, I’m left with a lighter list.  Whoot!)
    • Cyborg 009 Preview (For a buck, why not?)
    • Mister X: Eviction #1 (Gorgeous cover.  Inside’s pretty damn gorgeous, too.)
    Mister X: Eviction #1

    Mister X: Eviction #1

    • Shadowman #0 (Quick flip: lots of chefs, but the broth is still refreshingly aromatic.  Can’t wait to taste it.)
    • Harbinger Wars #2 (Headed into it with realistic expectations.)
    • Indestructible Hulk #7 (Read it.  Better than #6, sure; but I’m still left thinking, “What difference does any of this make?” and “Why do I care?”)
    • Sesame Street #1 (No way I could pass this up.  My daughter loves Cookie Monster and Elmo.  Can’t wait to read it to her.  Really can’t wait until she’s able to read it on her own!)
    • All-New X-Men #11 (Read it.  A bit stuck in the mud–in more ways than one.  Overall, however, not bad.)
    • Ten Grand #1 (Read it.  Have you heard the one about the hitman with a heart who sells his soul to the devil in order to be with his lost love just one more time?  Of course you have.  Will probably give it another issue.)
    • Green Arrow #20 (Read it.  Perhaps one of the worst books I’ve read since I’ve been back in the game.  I just don’t get it.  Why can’t this character catch a friggin’ break?  I’ll tell you what this is further proof of: looks like Lemire is not suited for superhero books.  [See our recent reviews of Rotworld-related Animal Man to see what I’m talking about.])
    • Animal Man #20 (Read it.  Finally free of the Rot and the Red; finally we’re back in Buddy’s head.  That’s the Lemire we know and love!  A bit nervous about the promise for the next issue: the Red and Totems, too?  Just what am I going to do?)
    Animal Man #20

    Animal Man #20

    • Suicide Risk #1 (Read it.  Not terribly exciting.  Not terrible, either.  A little too familiar throughout.)

What did you end up with in your bag?

Turning pages,

Scott

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Back and Forth: Comics Interruptus

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by ScottNerd in Back and Forth

≈ 1 Comment

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Al Ewing, Alberto Ponticelli, Archer & Armstrong, Arturo Lozzi, Battlefields: The Firefly and His Majesty, Battlefields: The Green Fields Beyond, Bloodshot, Brendan McCarthy, Brian K. Vaughan, Carlos Ezquerra, Clayton Henry, Duane Swiercynski, Dynamite Entertainment, Fiona Staples, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Fred Van Lente, Garth Ennis, IDW, Image, Jason Aaron, Korean War, Manuel Garcia, Matt Kindt, Robert Venditti, Saga, Steven Sanders, The Boys, The Zaucer of Zilk, Valiant, Wayne Faucher, Wolverine and the X-Men, Wolverine Max, WWII

Scott Carney: So, umm, what do you want to talk about?

Derek Mainhart: I’m glad you asked! There’s actually a couple of-

SC: Geez, man, nothing?  If you’re going to be that way, I guess I’ll talk about, I don’t know, Archer & Armstrong #4.  How’s that sound?  Good?

Archer & Armstrong #4 Cover

DM: But I-

SC: Let me tell you: I’m totally into this book.  This issue, in particular, is a cornucopia of comic book goodness.  For one, the tone is timeless: you’ve got your comedy, your tragedy, your mysteries, your revelations, and action, action, action!  I mean, #3 promised Nazi monks and that’s what Van Lente, Clayton Henry, and Matt Milla deliver in #4: psychic Nazi monks with little mustaches, which they seem to “just like”–for whatever reason.  The comedy continues as one of the monks belts Archer with a belly-busting, “You just been blitzkreiged, dummkoff!”  But the knockout blow: A Geomancer–you know you know what that is–is crushed almost to death after shouting, “The Earth is saved!”  He asks Armstrong for “one wish…”; Armstrong replies, “Uh, do I haveta?  Kinda got a lotta stuff on my plate right now.”  Flat out funny!  As luck would have it, the Geomancer’s eventual death sets the scene for the return of another Valiant heavy hitter.  Expect a home run.  Heil Van Lente!  Heil Henry!  Heil Milla!  They’re doing everything just reich.

DM: I agree about the book, but I-

SC: I think I’ll drop the Nazi puns and stick with the baseball allusions: Valiant went two-for-two for the week with the other hit coming from Bloodshot #5.  There have been some pretty remarkable–and remarkably gruesome–sequences to open books of late.  This opening sequence?  An absolute bull’s eye of a flashback.  How great is Gamma, a green-frocked hulk of a woman, who tends to children–young psiots–imprisoned at Project Rising Spirit?  Her grandmotherly countenance is counterbalanced by bulging biceps and a terrible threat to an overpowered young Melissa: “Don’t tell anyone…but I enjoy the troublesome ones.”  That sequence segues into the present seamlessly as an adult Melissa is jarred from sleep, presumably the result of this horrible memory from her youth.  The rest of the story is developed dynamically as the assault on the P.R.S. facility is supported slyly by off-color slices of a scene that reveals Kara’s role as a nanite-smuggling Trojan horse; that way, Bloodshot could circumvent all of P.R.S.’s security measures!  Brilliant!  With the final splash–a promise of a bloody showdown between Bloodshot and the killer Chainsaw crew–Duane Swiercynski, Manuel Garcia, and Arturo Lozzi prove that they’ve got something special brewing here; and to think I was an issue away from dropping this title from the ol’ pull list!

DM: I didn’t read that one, but I would like t-

SC: I am definitely an issue away from dropping Wolverine and the X-Men. With #20, it’s clear: I’ve been duped.  For one, I never should have jumped on board; I mean, it really has nothing that appeals to me: I’m not a fan of Wolverine or the irregular cast of characters; and the mutant struggle for acceptance in an intolerant world doesn’t necessarily shout silliness as a rule.  But there was always something that drew me back month after month or week after week–which, by the way, is another issue I have with this title: its being a more than monthly for no good reason, other than to take advantage of saps like me.  And this issue has finally sapped any interest I’ve had in this book, which was mostly born from the brave and bold pencils of Chris Bachalo.  For one, I’m sick of fill-in issues.  That’s what this series has felt like for a while NOW!  And this issue does nothing to buck that trend.  I mean, the artwork–by Steve Sanders–doesn’t help matters, that’s for sure:  Iara, the utterly pointless new mutant Shark Girl, is established on pages 2-4.  I don’t know who the heck the girl is on pages 6 and 7.  I know it’s supposed to be Iara, but it looks nothing like her.  I don’t know how many times I turned back a page and then forward a page just trying to get comfortable with the unexpected shift in her appearance.  It was in that worthless exercise that I decided that I was done.  But I persevered: bumped into a Beast who looked like he’d be more comfortable harassing some pigs in some fairytale housing development; happened upon a horny Silver Samurai with a girl-on-Shark Girl fetish; and found myself awash in anime.  And wouldn’t you know: there’s some noggin’ noshin’!  (It’s uncanny how many head-chomping moments there have been in comics over the last several months.  In fact, in last month’s awful Wolverine Max #1, a woman has her head torn off by a shark!  Imagine that!)  But it wasn’t enough to turn me around.  A classic example of too little too late.  And please, don’t get me started on the stupid Mudbug and the poorly put together final page, which looks like several villains have been copied and pasted on top of each other without any care for the final product.  Did I mention I didn’t like this issue?

DM: And now on to-

SC: But I did love–love, love, love–Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #14.  And I’ll bet next week’s Wolverine and the X-Men that you did, too.

DM: NEEAARRGH! Saga’s Back! AND Battlefields! Zaucer of Zilk! AWESOME!!!! NYYAAAHH!!!!

SC: Dude, what is your problem?

DM: I’m…I’m sorry…just got a little excited, that’s all…what were we saying? Ah, yes. Frankenstein. Matt Kindt, Albeto Ponticelli and Wayne Faucher knocked it out of the park yet again –

SC: Enough with the baseball metaphors.

DM: They continue to serve up a winner-

SC: No tennis either.

DM: It’s great and everyone should read it! How’s that?!

SC: Whatever. I’m grabbin’ a–

DM: Anyway, what I’d really like to highlight is the return of Saga (Image). After a couple of months off, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples bring us Chapter Seven of their free-wheeling epic. When last we saw the alien husband and wife team of Alana and Marko, their tree/spaceship had been invaded by…his parents. Marko and Alana are from separate warring alien races so, needless to say, mom and dad aren’t pleased. Beautiful setup, conflict ensues, family secrets are divulged. The blend of Romeo and Juliet, Star Wars and Meet the Parents is a pitch perfect tale for our postmodern, genre-bending, mash-up culture. Still not enough for you? Well Vaughan is kind enough to throw in a splash page, full-frontal gross-out, lovingly rendered in all its grotesquery by Ms. Staples. (I can’t un-see it! I can’t un-see it!) Welcome back.

Another highly anticipated return is Garth Ennis’ superlative Battlefields: The Green Fields Beyond #1 (Dynamite). Ennis is a supremely versatile writer who seems to enjoy working in a variety of modes, from splatter/gore (Crossed) to genre satire (The Boys). If those books are where he gets his jollies out, his Battlefields series has consistently showcased him at full maturity. Here his command of character, thematic depth and period texture (ably abetted by artist Carlos Ezquerra) are on full display. Taking place at the height of the Korean War, the story reintroduces Sgt. Stiles, last seen in WWII in The Firefly and His Majesty. Something of a hothead in previous series, he’s presented here as a soldier thoroughly chastened by his experiences. Through him, we are witness to the tragedy, absurdity and, yes, heroism of war. Ennis’ respect for history, and the men who lived it, shine through on every page. These may be fictional characters, but with his uncanny ear for dialogue and truly prodigious research, Ennis has breathed life into them. Not that there isn’t plenty of violence and foul language to go around, but because it arises in the context of war, these are not only completely earned, but utterly necessary. War comics at their best. Ennis at his best. Book of the Week.

Changing gears, we have The Zaucer of Zilk #2 (IDW) by Al Ewing and Brendan McCarthy. The conclusion to this preposterous flying circus of a comic surprises and delights on every level. If you haven’t read it yet-

SC: I haven’t. Shut it.

Turning Pages,

Scott and Derek

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Back and Forth: DC Won!

19 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by ScottNerd in Back and Forth, Microviews

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Tags

A Clockwork Orange, Action Philosophers, Alan Moore, Alberto Ponticelli, Archer & Armstrong, Axel Alonso, Batman, Clayton Henry, DC Comics, Frankenstein, Fred Van Lente, Greg Capullo, Image, John Cassaday, Joker, Jonathan Glapion, Kubrick, Marvel, Marvel NOW!, Mary Shelley, Matt Kindt, Pere Perez, Prometheus, Rick Remender, Rotworld, Scott Snyder, Severed, The Great Gatsby, The Killing Joke, Uncanny Avengers

Derek Mainhart: Well here we are closing in on Halloween, but for comics, the summer-style blockbusters from the Big Two keep on comin’. I guess I should start with the one I actually read.

Batman #13 – The Joker? Issue 13? Perfect set up for some Halloween frights. If only it were just that; but this much-hyped return of Batman’s nemesis is also the next epic crossover. Having just come off the whole Court of the Owls storyline (which was largely excellent) I must admit to feeling a little epic-fatigue. I do wish this was contained solely within Scott Snyder’s Batman instead of spread out across the whole Bat-family (not that I intend to buy all the other issues). Having said that, Snyder gets things off to a solid start. We get all the classic Joker beats in one issue: Joker assaults a police station? Check. Joker stages an elaborate, announced plan to kill a public official? Check. Joker lures Batman into an over-the-top deathtrap? Check. Having cleansed his palette, we can assume Snyder will be off and running with some new wrinkles next issue right? He certainly hints at it. He seems to be setting up a bigger, badder Joker. Harley Quinn spells it out: “He’s not the same Bats. He’s not my Mr. J. anymore…” I suppose this is tied into the whole getting-his-face ripped-off thing from Detective #1. (This begs the question: whose idea was that? Tony Daniel’s? The editors’? Or was Snyder setting this current story up a year ago?) But really, how much more twisted can the Joker get? Is Snyder suggesting that this version is somehow more monstrous than the Joker of Alan Moore’s character-defining turn in The Killing Joke? Trying to make this character more extreme seems to be just a way to fulfill the parameters of an “epic event”. Why not just give us an awesome Joker story? But, like I said, there’s much to like. The story-telling by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion is excellent. Most of all, Snyder really excels at developing an underlying sense of dread through the entire book (his mastery at this was established in Severed (published by Image) which was practically an exercise in keeping your skin crawling over seven issues. The best horror book of recent memory. Get the trade for Halloween.) Speaking of which, how about that back-up? I only wish we could have read that before the events in the lead story!

I’ll let you handle the honors on this week’s other blockbuster: Uncanny Avengers #1.

Uncanny Avengers #1

Scott Carney: Oh, joy.  Your generosity knows no limits!  Must be your mutant ability.  For the record: I’m looking at Batman #13 as I would the first ten or so pages of The Great Gatsby–which means, in my mind’s monotone: “Now that that’s done with, let’s get on with the good stuff.”  Like you said: the back-up was pretty sweet–like cyanide.  Damn thing should’ve been part of the story proper.

OK.  I’ve put the “honors” you so benevolently bequeathed to me off long enough.

Now, I know you didn’t read UA #1, which is why you’ve lobbed it over to my side of the net.  But I’ll tell you all you need to know by analyzing one page: page one.  Picture this:

First panel: an eye held open a la the brainwashing scene of Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange; glowing in the iris is Cyclops as the Phoenix.  Speech bubble: an unknown spouting anti-mutant babble.

Second panel: zooming out, we  see two eyes held open a la the aforementioned a la, a trickle of blood between them, and some more babble, rousing some rabble about “evolution” and “competition”–which, interestingly enough, put me in a certain mind.

Third panel: the voice gains a scalpel-wielding hand, which is slicing into the exposed brain of the now Phoenix-free eye guy.  As unnamed character–he of the hand–blathers about the world’s having “felt the mutant boot on its neck”; and I was like, “Mr. Remender, you’re talking about AvX, aren’t you?”

Fourth panel: the voice digs itself deeper into a villainous vat of nonsense as its two hands pull part of the poor fella’s–the eye guy’s–brain out of his head.  And I was like, “Mr. Remender, you’re crafting the perfect Marvel fan, aren’t you?”

Fifth panel: the voice–now clearly Remender, in my mind, anyway–hops into a heap of “hatred[, which] protects a [comic company, like Marvel] from complacency in the face of [its more successful] rivals[, clearly DC].”  As he does, he shoves some device into the empty space in the eye guy’s head.

And that device, my friend, is Marvel NOW!

What a way to begin this glorious new initiative: with Remender’s mocking Marvel readers by making them out to be an easily-led legion of lobotomized zombies–zombies willing to buy into the reactionary ReEVOLUTION, which, apparently, isn’t much of a revolution at all.  In fact, according to Axel Alonso, Marvel’s editor-in-chief: “The only change is some subtle tweaks to some costumes.”  Indeed!

Phew.  I’m exhausted after that.  I’ll leave the rest to you!

DM: Yeah, dude.  Take a deep breath–or a nap or something.

I’ll jump into another book tying in to a crossover event is Frankenstein: Agent of Shade #13. This book also pairs well with our October fright-fest, as our favorite, tragic zipper-neck gets knee-deep in the Rot from the current Animal Man/Swamp Thing epic. Tie-ins like this are usually superfluous and best-avoided. And truly, nothing integral to the Rotworld story seems to happen in this issue. But not picking it up would mean depriving yourself of the stirrings of undead/amphibian love! Frankie riding a talking horse through post-apocalyptic Metropolis! And Matt Kindt’s freewheeling revisiting of Mary Shelley’s Modern Prometheus with Daddy issues! In terms of the larger story, this issue is indeed tangential and probably unnecessary. It is also one more thing: wildly entertaining.

Archer and Armstrong #3 may not be part of any crossover event, but with its globetrotting antics and millennia-spanning conspiracies, it sure feels like a blockbuster (and a pretty one too, as drawn by Clayton Henry and Pere Perez). But no mindless action spectacle this. The swordplay and martial arts are merely dressing for the big ideas that Fred Van Lente is playing with here (no surprise from a scribe who co-created a comic called Action Philosophers). Van Lente is an interesting, idiosyncratic writer; conversant in popcorn archetypes, he exploits them to plumb deeper thematic territory. If he has a weakness, it’s that his character’s reactions sometimes seem unearned. Archer’s about-face rejection of his lifelong indoctrination doesn’t ring true. And Armstrong’s response to the killing of a character he calls “the best woman I’ve known for ten thousand years” is simply “Bastards.”  Still, this is fascinating stuff. The rollicking action and effortless odd-couple, cop-buddy banter make a breezy read out of what is, after all, a thoroughly-researched satire about nothing less than the nature of faith.

SC: You know, that’s exactly what I was gonna say!

Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

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