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Tag Archives: The Surface

What’s I&N Store (4/8)

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

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

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Ales Kot, All-New Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Astro City, BOOM!, Brent Eric Anderson, Brian K. Vaughan, Brian Wood, Chris Burnham, Convergence, Coppperhead, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Descender, Dustin Nguyen, Evil Empire, Fiona Staples, Grant Morrison, IDW, Image, Jay Faerber, Jeff Lemire, Kurt Busiek, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Max Bemis, My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic, Nameless, Nick Spencer, ODY-C, Ramon Perez, Rebels, Saga, Scooby Doo Where Are You?, Scott Lobdell, The Surface, Vertigo, Victor Santos, zero

Here’s What’s I&N Store: The Spring Break Edition.  It’s a lot like the MTV Spring Break shows of the late-’80s, just without the alcohol and the butt floss.

OK, so it’s nothing like the MTV Spring Break shows of the ’80s.

  • Rebels #1 (Dark Horse):  Just I&N and I&N Demand I’m grabbing this one and I’m grabbing it fast!  How fast?  Howard Fast–that how fast.  Man.  That’s pretty damn fast.  It’s not as fast as I’d like, though.  See: my guy doesn’t open until Noon.  So, instead of picking up my book on a fine April morning, I’ll be picking it up in the afternoon.  Hey: either way, it works for me.  I’m just excited to get something original from Brian Wood, one of our favorite writers.  In fact, his recently completed Dark Horse series earned the #5 spot in our Top Ten of 2014.  But this–this–may be an even more massive undertaking.  There’s a Revolution calling–and I’m picking up.  Fast.
Rebels #1

Rebels #1

  • Astro City #22 (DC/Vertigo): You know, it’s funny: I didn’t care for the Quarrel arc at all until, wouldn’t you know, “The End of the Trail.”  #21 hit some decent notes, including the all-in, action-packed opening and the honesty that fueled the resolution.  But as someone who has been critical of the arc, I found the final page the most honest bit of writing that Busiek has done outside of The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw lo these last several months.  I know, I know: I’m hearing what I want to hear; but, come on, it’s pretty remarkable that Samaritan says, “There’s got to be a better way than this.  We’re losing people we shouldn’t lose.”  Um, yeah!  Hello!  “Good hearts, good minds.”  My heart!  My mind!  “There’s got to be a fix”–yes, indeed!  “We can’t leave it like this…”  Mr. Busiek, I suspect you won’t.  That’s why I’m willing to stick around.  Good talk, by the way.
  • Convergence #1 (DC): Ouch.  Dan Jurgen’s super-redundant #0 left me feeling super-loopy; it left me feeling like I want to be left out of the latest reboot loop.  Are we kicking things off in the Bizarro world or something?  Because I can’t imagine that Scott Lobdell’s name is much of a selling point nowadays.  I guess if your plan is to destroy the Universe as we know it…
  • Copperhead #6 (Image): Copperhead started off really, really well.  Then it became, well, pretty run-of-the-mill.  Hey, I get it: it’s tough to keep the magic going.  Correspondingly, it gets tougher to keep the money flowing.
  • Descender #2 (Image): Look: #1 was OK.  It was familiar and cheesy and did what it needed to do for a first issue.  But it wasn’t the big book that many of the review sites built it up to be.  Gotta give my man Derek props for his prediction, which may or may not play out: he expects Descender to play out a lot like Sweet Tooth, which I haven’t read.  I do know, however, that Lemire’s not afraid to lean on stuff he’s already written.  I’m willing to go at least two deep to see if he’s got something new–at least in my sphere–something that’ll hit me like Essex County or Trillium.
  • Nameless #3 (Image): I&N Demand Let’s be honest with each other: #1 wasn’t all that good.  (Granted, it was a #1–even more, it was a Morrison #1.)  #2, however, asserted very adamantly, “We’re all good,”  what with that terrific twist and all.  So, yeah, I’m glad I didn’t cross this one off of my list.  It may claim to be Nameless, but it’s kinda Namemore, isn’t it?  I mean, Morrison and Burnham are names that sell, names that deliver.  Scott Lobdell, however…
Nameless #3

Nameless #3

  • ODY-C #4 (Image): There’s something messy about it, but I’m still digging it.
  • Saga #27 (Image): Saga always leaves me foaming at the mouth.
  • The Surface #2 (Image): I don’t know: I didn’t like #1 very much.  Might be because I’m stupid.  Might also be because Ales Kot–who’s killing it on Zero, our #7 book of 2014–can be pretty incomprehensible at times.  No, really: I skimmed through it.  I never skim through a comic.  I skimmed through this one, though, because I couldn’t connect to it.  Odd, right?  Especially considering the clever social commentary about being hyper-connected…
  • All-New Hawkeye #2 (Marvel): Fraction’s baby should’ve been put to sleep for good.  But it wasn’t.  Instead, Lemire’s in charge; and, as usual, he’s reaching into his quiver of tricks–this time back-waaaaaaay back–to Trillium.  That’s right: the last page, if anything, was a flipping warning.  Yeah, I’m leaning toward passing.
  • Ant-Man #4 (Marvel) I&N Demand Ant-Man is a big book–a huge book!  We loved #2 enough to name it one of our Top 5 Books of February.  #3 was pretty awesome, too.  I mean, c’mon: the Taskmaster?  And how about the line of the year so far: “Pick a theme!”  Yeah, I laughed out loud.  Thank you, Mr. Spencer!  Something tells me that we’ll be celebrating your book again!  Yeah, it’s more than just a little vice at this point, ain’t it?
Ant-Man #4

Ant-Man #4

  • Evil Empire #12 (BOOM!): Suddenly, I’m not so excited about Evil Empire.  Doesn’t feel as tight.  And, if I’m being honest, Victor Santos’s art hasn’t lived up to the standard set by those who have come before him.  I’m pretty invested at this point, so I can’t imagine jumping off.

Avery’s Pick of the Week

  • Scooby Doo Where Are You? #56 (DC): Of all of the comics I’ve bought for Avery, the ones I reread the most are Scooby Doo books.  She loves the big reveals!
  • My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #2 (IDW):  That’s right: my baby girl loves her some evil ponies.
My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #2

My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #2

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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What’s I&N Store (3/11)

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

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

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Tags

Abstract Studio, Ales Kot, Ant-Man, Astro City, Avatar, Cullen Bunn, Dan Slott, Dynamite, East of West, Ed Brisson, Fred Van Lente, Garth Ennis, Hellbreak, Image, J. Michael Straczynski, Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Johnnie Christmas, Jonathan Hickman, Kurt Busiek, Magnus: Robot Fighter, Marvel, Matt Kindt, Mike Allred, Nick Dragotta, Nick Spencer, Ninjak, Oni, Rachel Rising, Sheltered, Sidekick, Silver Surfer, Star Wars, Terry Moore, The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust, The Surface, Thor, Vertigo, War Stories

A real conversation I overheard in my head:

What are you looking forward to most this week?

Me?  Without a doubt: Thaw.

Oh, wow, OK.  I was expecting you to say something else.  You know, with Kindt and Kot and Slott and whatnot.

Hmm?  I said thaw.  Right?  Thaw.  Especially after all of the ice and snow.

Yeah, no, I know.  Frost giants are bad-ass.  But whoever the hell it is under that helmet is all business.  Girl power, baby!

Thaw.  Not Thor.  Thaw.

That is the question, isn’t it?

No, it isn’t.  You’re just not getting it, are you?

Are you kidding me?  Of course, I am!  I mean, Aaron’s hammering home a relevant point about gender, about identity–it’s almost Shakespearean if you think about it!

Just did.  And, no, it isn’t.

I’m so confused right now.  Doesn’t really sound like you’re really all that interested in Thor.  I mean–I don’t know.

Third base.

 

  • Astro City #21 (DC/Vertigo): This Quarrel-centric arc’s been a drag.  Wondering if Astro City‘s suffering from Busiek’s attention to his excellent–and anthropomorphically-fresh–The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw.
  • East of West #18 (Image) I&N Demand I always look forward to getting lost in Hickman’s fatal vision, particularly now with the increasingly-intriguing boy with the A.I. balloon.  Alas, Babylon: I wish you well on your journey!
East of West #18

East of West #18

  • Sheltered #15 (Image): Wait a sec.  This is the end?  Oh, well.  I guess the volcano’s gonna blow after all.  Kinda glad it’s over.
  • Sidekick #10 (Image): I’ve liked Sidekick a lot.  Hard to imagine I almost quit after the first one!  Oh, and then there was the time I accused J.M.S. of plagiarizing–his own material, for goodness sake!  (In an odd twist, Straczynski employed a plot device in The Twilight Zone [our #10 book of 2014, by the way] that just so happened to be an integral part of fellow shelf-sitter Sidekick.)  All blood under the bridge.  Can’t wait to see how this wraps up.
  • The Surface #1 (Image) Just I&N Ales Kot–love him (Change, Zero) or hate him (Suicide Squad, Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier)–demands attention with his off-beat, oft-rhythmic writing style.  He definitely does “mind-bending” well, so I’m definitely down with discovering what lies beneath The Surface.
The Surface #1

The Surface #1

  • Ant-Man #3 (Marvel) I&N Demand Never in my life–or at least in the last couple of months–did I expect to find myself excited about Ant-Man.  Ant-Man for God’s sake!  It’s mostly promotional material, isn’t it?  And what about Secret Wars?  I mean, is this series gonna get stepped on after #5?  But Spencer’s having a good time and it shows!  (See Darth Vader and Princess Leia for very much the opposite feeling.)  And, then, of course, there’s the promise of the Taskmaster, one of my all-time faves.
Ant-Man #3

Ant-Man #3

  • Silver Surfer #10 (Marvel) I&N Demand Any regular reader–or occasional clicker–worth his power cosmic knows that we love Slott and Allred’s Silver Surfer, our #4 book of 2014.  What you don’t know–no matter your status–is that #8 was a Top 5 Pick of January and #9 was a Top Five Pick of February.  (Yeah, no links.  Sorry: we’re kind of behind.  It happens.  A lot.)  It’s been the perfect balance of humor and huge moments–none huger than the coming of Galactus.
Silver Surfer #10

Silver Surfer #10

  • Star Wars #3 (Marvel): Of the three newly relaunched Star Wars books, this one’s the only one that seems to care.  How much do I care?  Not as much as I had hoped.  We’ll see if this one helps.
  • Thor #6 (Marvel): OK, so I’m intrigued.  Sure, there have been some terrible moments (#5, for example: What is that nonsense between Thor and Titiana?  Is it The Sisterhood of the Traveling Spandex?); but they’ve been generally tempered by the well-developed mystery and the emergence of the Odinson as a superior supporting character.
  • The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood #5 (Dynamite): A decent Twilight Zone-ish story with some literary notes comes to close.
  • Magnus: Robot Fighter #12 (Dynamite): Yet another series comes to a close–a merciful, merciful close.
  • Ninjak #1 (Valiant) I&N Demand Matt Kindt’s proving that Valiant picked the right guy to power up their universe–especially with his latest wave of books (The Valiant, Divinity)  Ninjak promises to be further proof.
Ninjak #1

Ninjak #1

  • Rachel Rising #32 (Abstract Studio): I had this book written off for dead after #29.  #30 found Terry Moore resurrecting everything that made Rachel rise above the rest–and into our Top Ten Books of 2013.  Pretty glad I kept it on my pull list.  Thing is, I know that Moore can slip to less–and that knowledge is going to linger, maybe even spoil.  Rats.
  • The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust #1 (Oni):  If it’s The Sixth Gun, it’s going to find its way into my bag.
  • War Stories #6 (Avatar): Garth Ennis and Tomas Aria are telling the harrowing story of the Children of Israel, and I’m on the edge of my seat to find out how it ends.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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