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Tag Archives: Dennis Hopeless

In Scott’s Bag (4/24)

28 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Batman Incorporated, BOOM!, Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Wood, Chris Burnham, Chris Sotomayor, Clone, Cullen Bunn, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Deathmatch, Dennis Hopeless, East of West, FF, Frank Quitely, Frazer Irving, Fury: My War Gone By, Garth Ennis, Goran Parlov, Grant Morrison, Helheim, Image Comics, Janet Lee, Jim McCann, Joe Quinones, Joelle Jones, Jonathan Hickman, Juan Jose Ryp, Jupiter's Legacy, Lost Vegas, Mark Millar, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Matt Kindt, Mike Norton, Mind MGMT, Nick Patarra, Oni Press, Paul Jenkins, Sara Pichelli, The Answer, The Manhattan Projects, The Massive, Ultimate Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men

Planned on picking up a ton of books.  Ended up with a ton minus one.  Left me with blood pressure rising.

Big Ol’ Bags Under My Eyes

  • Helheim #2 (Score!)
Helheim #2

Helheim #2

  • Deathmatch #5 (As much as I’d like to let this one fall by the wayside, I can’t.  I just can’t!  It’s all Paul Jenkins, who is doing a fine job of combining familiar flavors with fresh ingredients.)
  • Mind MGMT #10 (My prediction: back to form.  Looks beautiful.  Kindt’s artwork has such an amazing flow to it: it’s uncannily kinetic.)
Mind MGMT #10

Mind MGMT #10

  • Lost Vegas #2 (Read it.  Once again, the art’s the star here.  Lee’s work, amplified by Sotomayor’s stunning colors, still trumps McCann’s story, which, if I’m being fair, has laid more cards–better cards–on the table.)
Lost Vegas #2

Lost Vegas #2

  • East of West #2 (Read it.  Big plans and baby steps: Hickman’s M.O.  I’m willing to stick around, though I suspect that this might read better as a trade.)
  • FF #6 (Read it already: not Allred-y at all, now is it?  Joe Quinones?  Say it ain’t so!  It is so–and isn’t even a fraction as effective.  So, no.)
  • Uncanny X-Men #5 (Two minuses from the get-go: no Bachalo and a trip to Limbo.  Just when I was getting caught up in…)
  • Fury: My War Gone By #11 (Read it.  So, so good.  The spectre of the looming finale has me feeling melancholic.)
  • Clone #6 (Read it.  Not going to complain about it anymore.  Whatever the title’s weaknesses–and there are some glaring weaknesses–Clone has earned its place as a guilty pleasure.  Gotta see what’s next!)
Clone #6

Clone #6

  • Ultimate Spider-Man #22 (Quick flip through: Oops, probably shouldn’t have flipped through.  Some gorgeous work from Pichelli.)
  • Jupiter’s Legacy #1 (Promise officially broken.  We’ll see if it’s “Shame on me” soon enough.)
  • The Massive #11 (Saving.  Gotta catch up.)
  • The Manhattan Projects #11 (Saving this one, too, for the same reason.)
  • The Answer #4 (Read it.  Now I know the question: WTF?  No, really.  Would’ve fit right in with DC’s offerings for the month.)
  • Batman Incorporated #10 (Read it.  Really good.  The source of the gravity in the Batverse.  Speaking of gravity: how ’bout a little lead rain?  Kudos Mr. Burnham.)

Missed out on Rachel Rising #16.  Yeah, can’t let that happen again.

Turning pages,

Scott

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What’s Up?

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

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

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Tags

Abstract Studio, Battlefields: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova, Brian Hurtt, Clone, Cullen Bunn, Dark Horse Comics, Deathmatch, Dennis Hopeless, Dynamite Entertainment, East of West, Ed Brubaker, Fatale, FF, Fury: My War Gone By, Garth Ennis, Goran Parlov, Green Hornet, Image Comics, Jonathan Hickman, Mark Waid, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Mike Allred, Mike Norton, Oni Press, Paul Jenkins, Rachel Rising, Red Team, Sean Phillips, Terry Moore, The Answer, The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun

Another sizable stack–with one remarkable difference.  Let’s see if you can pick up on it.

To All the Books I’ve Bought Before

  • The Answer #3 (Dark Horse): Unquestionably a good time.
  • Clone #5 (Image): The end of the first arc may be the perfect time to bid this underperformer adieu.
  • Fatale #13 (Image): Consistently terrific.  Impossibly defies expectations with each new offering.
Fatale #13

Fatale #13

  • FF# 5 (Marvel): Fraction and Allred are paired so well on this otherwise inconsequential title.  Off beat?  Right on!
  • Fury: My War Gone By #10 (Marvel): “The final arc begins.”  Don’t think I can express to you how those words make me feel.  OK, I’ll give it a shot: Ain’t good.  How’s that?
Fury: My War Gone By #10

Fury: My War Gone By #10

  • Deathmatch #4 (BOOM!): Frivolous?  Sure.  Worth reading?  You bet!
  • Battlefields #5: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova Part 2 (Dynamite): Ennis at his very best.
  • Red Team #2 (Dynamite): Wow!  Three Ennis books in one week?  Happy Easter, indeed!
Red Team #2

Red Team #2

  • Rachel Rising #15 (Abstract Studio): I’m all caught up and wanting Moore!  No self-respecting comic nerd should be without this title on his or her list.
  • The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun #2 (Oni): I’m through the first two trades of The Sixth Gun, waiting on the next two.  (Go Amazon!)

You Always Remember Your First

  • East of West #1 (Image): Miss an Image #1?  Not a chance!  Seriously, though, while I missed out on Hickman’s The Manhattan Projects (I did order Volume 1 recently and am awaiting its arrival, however), I’ll not make the same mistake here.  Definitely worth a shot.
East of West #1

East of West #1

  • Green Hornet #1 (Dynamite): Mark Waid.  ‘Nuff said.
Green Hornet #1

Green Hornet #1

Did you pick up on it?  Of course you did.  It’s yet another first: no DC books this week.  That’s kinda huge.  A little light on the ol’ Marvel, too, now that I think of it.

Something’s afoot, friends.

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

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What’s Up?

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

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

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BOOM!, Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo, Comeback, comics, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Deathmatch, Dennis Hopeless, Ed Brisson, Erik Burnham, Five Weapons, IDW, Image, Jeff Lemire, Jimmie Robinson, Justice League Dark, Mateus Santoluoco, Michael Walsh, Mike Norton, Mikel Janin, Paul Jenkins, Ray Fawkes, The Answer, TMNT: Secret History of the Foot Clan, Uncanny X-Men, Wednesday, What's I&N Store?

Not a shy week, no; but not nearly as obnoxious as the last, or the last, or the–

Reading Rainbow

  • Justice League Dark #17 (DC): A little less Lemire is like a little less tread on the tire.  Not so thrilled by this one anymore; don’t really care where it’s headed.
  • Comeback #4 (Image): Started off really well but has gotten a bit muddled here in the middle–a fault of many a mini of late.   Can’t quit now, though.  Damn the lure of the mini!
  • TMNT: Secret History of the Foot Clan #3 (IDW): Here’s one I never expected to like.  But I do!  Mateus Santolouco–along with help from Erik Burnham–has done a heck of a job putting this mini together and making it relevant to a reader like me–an admitted relative stranger to TMNT lore.
TMNT: Secret of the Foot Clan #3

TMNT: Secret of the Foot Clan #3

  • Deathmatch #3 (BOOM!): Certainly enough intrigue strewn in to warrant another round.
  • The Answer #2 (Dark Horse): Solid Derekommnedation.  No question: I’m grabbing this one from Mike Norton and Dennis Hopeless.
The Answer #2

The Answer #2

  • FF #4 (Marvel): Its quirkiness is keeping it around–for now.

Call Them Maybe

  • Five Weapons #1 (Image): Another Image miniseries?  Oh, why not?  Worth a flip through, for sure.
Five Weapons #1

Five Weapons #1

  • Uncanny X-Men #2 (Marvel): Only if I’m feeling particularly masochistic.

A modest mix, no?  Oughta give me a chance to catch my breath–maybe even knock out a Back and Forth in a timely fashion!  (A nerd can dream.)

What are you looking  forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

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Back and Forth: Conspiracy Series

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by dmainhart in Back and Forth

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, Dark Horse, Dennis Hopeless, Dial H, Erik Burnham, Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils, IDW, Liz Lemon, Madman, Mateus Santoluoco, Matt Kindt, Meru, Mike Norton, Mind MGMT, Shredder, Steve Ditko, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Answer, The Mask, The Question, TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan

“I’ll take Superheroes for $100 Alex.”

“This 2013 Dark Horse comic by Mike Norton and Dennis Hopeless featured a lead character with an exclamation point on his face.”

“What is The Answer?”

Derek Mainhart: What indeed? This romp of a first issue involves conspiracy theories, pseudo-philosophies, and other trivial pursuits dressed up in whizbang! superhero tropes. The action revolves around everywoman Devin MacKenzie, as she unwittingly gets embroiled in deadly intrigue replete with brain-teasers and begoggled, gun-toting assassins. Well, ‘unwitting‘ is perhaps the wrong word; Devin is a garden-variety genius whose propensity for puzzle-solving is what gets her into this fine mess. Bursting in to save her is the eponymous hero, his earnestly goofy mask the perfect expression of good ol’-fashioned costumed action. And ‘bursting’ is the right word, as Norton’s art evokes the bombast of the Silver Age greats, like the artist whose work partly inspired this book, the legendary Steve Ditko. Indeed it is difficult (damn near impossible for this reader) not to relate this comic to Ditko’s own quirky anti-hero, The Question. That singular man of mystery had an unflinchingly black and white view of morality, and served as a vehicle for its creators idiosyncratic brand of Ayn Rand-inspired philosophy. This book, by contrast, casts the villain as a soul patch-sporting motivational speaker selling ersatz-Randian jargon to the desperate masses. So, though the admiration of Ditko’s work is clearly evident, there also seems to be a touch of gentle parody at play. (There is also something of the anarchic spirit of Madman and The Mask in these pages, though not quite so over the top. But here’s hoping.) A comic book parody of a semi-obscure series from a famous recluse? Sound a little too comic-book in-jokey for you? Well luckily, Norton and Hopeless have crafted a book that can be enjoyed in a straightforward manner as well. The action is propulsive, the mystery, intriguing, the hero, just the right side of preposterous. And in Devin, they’ve created an engaging, brainy, and downright funny lead character (Liz Lemon comes to mind) who is sharp enough to quip at her ever-increasing peril, and sensible enough to be terrified.

Is this comic a conspiracy-driven plot with metaphysical undertones? Or is it a lighthearted satire of one? The Answer: is fun.

TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan #2 (IDW): Now here’s a book that snuck in under the radar. I’ve never been a big fan of the Turtles. I was a tad too old for them when the craze hit in the late ’80s. Honestly, what little I know of them is from their sheer pop cultural ubiquity. The only reason I picked up this book is because of how much I dug Mateus Santolouco’s art on Dial H. I fully expected to be one-and-done on this. Yet here we are, two issues in and I’m fascinated!

TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan #2

TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan #2

Scott Carney: And I’m pretty fascinated, too.  I had no idea that I’d like this as much as I do.  Like you, I don’t have an investment in the Turtles; I mean, I haven’t purchased a TMNT book since #2 way back in the day.  Hmm.  Maybe I should go find where that is.  Memories.  Flooding.  Back.  Mini-regret: I abandoned the Turtles after one book but bought a few of the many rip-offs: silly parodies that featured gerbils and hamsters, if I’m recalling them correctly.  Annnnnd a quick Google search reveals that I am.  Check ’em out:

So, thanks to Santolouco and co-scripter Erik Burnham , I’ve scored more Turtle books in the last month than I have in the past twenty-eight years or so.  What works so well here?  It’s the secret history that‘s doing the bulk of the work for me; I was drawn into a fresh story that unapologetically pulls, in part, from the spectacular period pieces of the Beijing New Picture Film Co., renowned for their epic stories, lush settings, and unparalleled action sequences.  As it turned, I didn’t have to worry about the Turtles and their cartoonish rep too much: they’re used more so to keep Dr. Miller’s compelling history lesson in some sort of context–not that it needed it to be effective, mind you.  Heck: toss out the Testudines–leave ’em spinning on their shells!–and you’ve got something more effective than most of what I’ve read from Marvel of late.

DM: I agree. What’s most intriguing about this book is the way Sanatlouco and Burnham are presenting the history as being discovered in an almost archeological sense. Combined with the interweaving elements of folklore, this gives the story a real sense of breadth.

SC: As is, that first issue was certainly good enough to warrant my picking up number two; and wouldn’t you know, the  second issue does a fine job tying together the Turtles and their conflict with the modern-day Foot Clan–established energetically in the initial knock-around–with the still-unfolding background of Shredder’s band of bad guys.  In the final panel, Saki, with book in hand, turns pages intently to learn of his mysterious legacy.  That’s how I’m gonna look when #3 comes out: I can’t wait to see where Sanotloucco goes with this!  And, having said that, I still can’t believe I’m buying a TMNT book!

One book I believe in more than any other being published right now is Dark Horse’s Mind MGMT.  After a bit of a break, it’s back with issue #7; and Matt Kindt clearly hasn’t skipped a beat.  In fact, he’s added an extra beat just to jazz things up a bit: Meru resignedly compares herself to Kerouac and Lyme to Dean Moriarty as the two hit the road, as she tries to make sense of what she’s heard and seen–what’s she’s learned about Mind Management. 

Mind MGMT #7 Cover

The artwork is just as terrific as ever, with Kindt’s trademark watercolors splashed across every page, amplifying and tempering tones enough to stir up an undertow that sucks the reader in and refuses to let go.  And while Meru’s interrogation of Brinks–during which he spills his brains–is gripping enough on its own, Kindt doesn’t stop there: he once again plays up the extras–including, quite literally, a side story served up with Verve; an illustrated and informative footer, which tracks the evolution of a killer tool: the assassination letter; and an incredibly smashing case file–to add even more value to the already complex narrative, which insists upon the reader’s complete attention.  It also demands to be named Book of the Week.  To be honest, I can’t think of another book that deserves it more.  Wait.  I, umm–I can’t even think of another book.  Geez, I could’ve sworn I read something else this week.  Hmm.  Guess not.  So, yeah: Mind MGMT #7 is our Book of the Week.  If you haven’t jumped on board yet, what are you waiting for?  A letter?  Gosh, I hope not.

Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

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In Scott’s Bag (12/19)

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Avengers, Avengers Arena, Barry Kitson, Batwoman, Brian Azzarello, Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo, Chris Samnee, Cliff Chiang, Comeback, Daniel Way, Daredevil, Dark Horse, David Marquez, DC Comics, Dennis Hopeless, Ed Brisson, Eric Stephenson, FF, Francesco Francavilla, Image, Indestructible Hulk, J.H. Williams III, Jerome Opena, Jonathan Hickman, Joshua Dysart, Kev Walker, Lee Garbett, Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Waid, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Michael Walsh, Mike Allred, Nate Bellegarde, Nowhere Men, Robert Venditti, Steve Dillon, The Black Beetle, Thunderbolts, Ultimate Spider-Man, W. Haden Blackman, Wonder Woman, X-O Manowar

Saw it coming, and I still couldn’t get out of the way.

Something to Bag About

  • Batwoman #15 (The first page is pretty.  So’s the last page.  In between, Trevor McCarthy.  Sigh.)
  • Wonder Woman #15 (Cliff Chiang’s back!  Yay!  And look!  He’s brought Orion with him!  Sigh.)
  • Daredevil #21 (Chris Samnee makes me happy.)
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #18 (Quick flip: Mask-free Miles.  Promising.)
  • Comeback #2 (After a crisp first ish, I’m back for #2.)
  • X-O Manowar #8
  • Harbinger #7 (Building momentum with Barry Kitson!)

I’ve Add It!

  • Indestructible Hulk #2 (Love Yu!)
  • FF #2 (Allred had me at Medusa’s ringing a bell with her hair.)
  • Nowhere Men #2 (Definitely want to see where it goes, man.)

No Comic Left Behind

  • Avengers #2 (And…it’s the first one I’ve read.  Go figure.)
  • Avengers Arena #2 (Like the classic Lord of the Flies cover.  Love the honesty.)
  • Thunderbolts #2 (She slashes a throat.  Close enough.)

Derekommendation of the Week

  • The Black Beetle #0 (Love, love, love the retro vibe.  I guess I really like Francesco Francavilla.  Why wouldn’t I?  I mean, if Samnee makes me happy…)
The Black Beetle #0 Cover

The Black Beetle #0 Cover

If I know what’s good for me, I better start

Turning pages,

Scott

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