Tag Archives: Valiant

What’s Up?

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

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The evidence is overwhelming.  The Bloated Two are losing my interest–and, as result, my business.  But, as you can see by my list, I’m going to end up with a bloated bag anyway.

  • Batwoman #19 (DC): Pretty much ready to ditch it.  The selling point–Mr. Williams III’s images–has become a period, ending my run, too.
Batwoman #19

Batwoman #19

  • Wonder Woman #19 (DC): #18 was pretty terrible on the art front and on the writing front.  Not a good sign; but could be a hiccup.  We’ll see.
  • Five Ghosts #2 (Image): The first one wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped it’d be.  Willing to give it another shot, however.
  • Mara #4 (Image): I’ve made it this far.
  • Revival #9 (Image): #8 was a return to form.  Plenty of plot threads to tug at.
Revival #9

Revival #9

  • Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth #4 (Image): Thank goodness!
  • Daredevil #25 (Marvel): Still Marvel’s best
Daredevil #25

Daredevil #25

  • Bloodshot #10 (Valiant): Has been pretty darned good of late.  Now: Harbinger Wars.
  • X-O Manowar #12 (Valiant): Has come back to life with Planet Death!
  • The Shadow: Year One #2 (Dynamite): Wasn’t bad.  Liked #1 more than I liked Ennis’s turn with the same character.  Also liked it more than Waid’s Green Hornet. Wonder if I’m the only one.
  • The Sixth Gun #30 (Oni): I’ve read Vols. 1-4.  Waiting for Vol. 5, sure; but I’m going to start my monthly obsession now.  Odds are good, however, I’ll let it sit around until I’m caught up.
The Sixth Gun #30

The Sixth Gun #30

  • The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun #3 (Oni): A must for any serious fan of The Sixth Gun.  I may be late to the party, but Bunn and Hurtt have hooked me hard!

That oughta keep me from my responsibilities for a while.

Turning pages,

Scott

Back & Forth: Hail the Future Heroes of Yesteryear!

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Back and Forth

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Derek Mainhart: Friends, mutants and aliens, lend me your ears! Join us as we travel back to the future, to a time when heroes roamed the sky and science paved the way for a better tomorrow! A time of ancient robots and futuristic gladiators! Atomic monkeys and electric guitars! Beckoned by the spark of a holographic welder’s torch, we hurtle forward into history to meet our retro-destiny! Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Future Past…

A 1930s pulp hero created in the 1980s and revived in the 2000s? Who better to exemplify nostalgia for an innocent era that never was than The Rocketeer? Like his contemporary Depression-era adventurer, Indiana Jones, Dave Stevens’ legendary creation peddled in, and paid homage to, the wanton exuberance of classic B-movie serials. Stevens’ buoyant, uncynical cliffhangers (hell, the lead character’s name is Cliff) combined with his lush illustration (its classic draftsmenship itself like a relic from a bygone era) to inspire a devoted cult following. And let’s not forget his masterstroke; making pin-up queen, Betty Page, Cliff’s girlfriend. Stevens’ work was so accomplished, it seemed superfluous for anyone else to try their hand at the character, even after his untimely death in 2008.

Some characters however, are simply too good to fade away. Happily IDW has relaunched The Rocketeer, giving the hero his due: first in an anthology series featuring top-flight creators, then in a four-issue mini by creative team par excellence, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. Now we have Roger Langridge and J Bone on The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror. Folks, this may be the best new Rocketeer yarn yet. The previous stories tried (and succeeded to various degrees) to recapture the inherent nostalgia of the character via an innocent, never-say-die tone indicative of 1930s and ’40s Americana, perhaps casting it against a major historical backdrop like, say, WWII. Well Langridge goes five steps further and fully immerses him in the era. This should perhaps come as no surprise from a writer whose past work has encompassed everything from the slapstick of early cinema (Fred the Clown, hysterical) to Carrollian nonsense (Snarked!, inspired) to his current work, the vaudevillian, high-seas adventures of Popeye (a gift to anyone with an appreciation for the history of the medium). For The Rocketeer, he’s not satisfied to present his tale in a typical one-size-fits-all B-movie slang; rather he seems conversant in a variety of era-specific patois and idiom. Further, he entangles our hero with fictional characters specific to that time: first, the minions of Doc Savage (that greatest of pulp heroes), and then, seemingly apropos of nothing, Nick and Nora (and Asta!) from the venerated Thin Man film series. Between this and the multitude of references to old movies and forgotten actors (the narrator himself seems to be one), this book is a dream for lovers of pulp and classic Hollywood. It would be right at home being introduced by Robert Osborne on TCM. And let’s not forget J Bone’s pitch-perfect art. His bold, cartoony rendering immediately cues dirigibles, De Soto’s and dames. His work stands well with Darwyn Cooke and Jeff Smith (one wishes he was handling the covers as well; nothing against the legendary Walt Simonson, but his style, all harsh angles and frenetic line, is simply a poor fit – my one quibble). All in all Langridge and Bone are crafting a Rocketeer comic that is not only worthy of its legacy, but builds on it. Somewhere, I daresay, Dave Stevens is smiling.

Scott Carney: Geez, yeah, all that and–  OK, who am I kidding?  I’m not as tuned  into the history of The Rocketeer as you are.  (Is anyone?)  In fact, my first experience with the character was The Cargo of Doom.

DM: Oh, trust me; there are people who know way more about The Rocketeer than I do. What about the movie? Ring a bell?

SC: There was a movie?

DM: I can’t even.

SC: No, really, I liked what Waid and Samnee did in their mini.  If I’m being honest, I bought the series for them; and for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed; but I wasn’t all of a sudden a Rocketeer fan.  As far as I was concerned, it was an act of loyalty–to the creators; and if they were to take on the character again, I’d be there.  Wasn’t planning on ever following the further adventures of Cliff Secord.  In fact, I passed on this one–initially, anyway.  You recommended it–emphatically, if I’m remembering correctly–so I picked it up.  Dude, you were so right.  What a good time!  Through two, I’m thinking, like you, that Hollywood Horror is at a whole other level, thanks to Langridge’s vision and Bone’s fleshing it all out.

DM: Next up in our Canyon of Heroes is Archer and Armstrong #8 (Valiant). Their centuries-spanning pseudo-epic is rich in taste but refreshingly light in calories. Part buddy-story, part sibling-rivalry, part worldwide-conspiracy, this frothy fable features improbable adventure and high satire. It’s like The Da Vicni Code as written by Terry Pratchett. Writer Fred Van Lente (with solid art by Emanuela Lupacchino and Guillermo Ortego) garnishes the high-octane action with Big Ideas and comedic flourish, never failing to entertain. His one misstep here though; in an attempt to counter the usual lighthearted tone with some emotional heft, he has the villain speak of his role in an event that is very like a recent national tragedy. My immediate reaction, for what it’s worth, was a discomfiting “too soon.”  Again, this is a quibble, lasting as it does for all of one panel. Month in, month out, we write about the pleasures delivered by Van Lente & Co.’s work on this book. So pick the damn thing up, if you haven’t already.

Scott Carney: I know you’re glad I picked up Buddy Cops (Dark Horse) for you after your initial pass.

Buddy Cops #1

Buddy Cops #1

DM: Yeah it was all right I guess…

SC: “All right”?  That’s quite an understatement, my friend!  Sure, Buddy Cops–an hilarious one-shot from a publisher that has been making its name seem more and more ironic with each passing week–seemed to come out of nowhere.  In fact, it was an “Oh, and by the way” recommendation from one of my shop guys.  (That’s right: I have more than one.)  There was room enough in my bag and a few bucks still smoldering in my pocket, so I went for it; and I was not disappointed.  As promised, Nate Crosby and Evan Shaner deliver “da muthaf***in’ ruckus” in this crack-a-panel homage-slash-send up of the buddy cop genre.  The ready-to-rumble, Wu-Tang spoutin’ Uranus and the electrode-in-the-mud T.A.Z.E.R. are on the case–three of ’em, in fact–and take on outrageous creatures (including, a ninety-foot-tall orangutan in a monk’s robe, who professes precariously, “da lord iss my sligshot,” while sitting atop a church) and social issues (Gay marriage!  Arbortion!) in one giant “monsterswat!”  They are Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon; they are Carter and Lee from Rush Hour; they are Hammond and Cates from 48 Hours; they are Starsky and Hutch from, well, Starsky & Hutch–the T.V. show, dammit!  But despite their being so obviously and so proudly derivative, they’re the freshest pair to hit the funny pages in recent memory.  I laughed out loud and profess my love for this book even louder!  And, borrowing from George Costanza, I say this with an unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality: I hope this isn’t the last I’ll get to see of Uranus.

DM: Ok, ok, it was funny. Yeesh!  Even so, it wasn’t even the funniest book this week, at least for my money.

SC: Keep your dirty money!

DM: Would that I could. But the biggest barrel o’ laffs this week was Bravest Warriors #6 (kaboom!). This time out, our future science heroes are knee-deep in bazookas, beauty pageants and brain transplants; and that doesn’t even scratch the surface. Joey Comeau’s story takes beloved sci-fi tropes and makes mincemeat out of them. And having his hysterically depraved scenarios drawn by Mike Holmes in the faux-naive, child-friendly style of Adventure Time (saturated in pretty, pretty colors by Lisa Moore)  just makes the whole thing seem so, so wrong. (Ditto Ryan Pequin’s giggle-inducing back-up story). The absurdity in this book is so ridiculous, it’s almost profound.

Of course the book that did more than any to bring science adventurers to the modern era was Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s Fantastic Four. Emphasis on mod. After fifty-plus years of history, it’s easy to forget that these staples of the spinner rack were once downright cutting edge. As Pop Art was breaking the boundaries between ‘fine’ and ‘low’ art, Kirby was exploding the restrictive design of the comics page. In the midst of the Space Race, the costumed quartet were frequent fliers. And at the height of the British Invasion, Lee and Kirby gave comics its own Fab Four. Those early issues still crackle with energy and freshness. As the years wore on however, FF inevitably transitioned from zeitgeist to nostalgia, revolutionary to venerable.

Now Eric Stephenson and Nate Bellegarde have dusted off the elements that made FF great and reconfigured them (along with a whole bunch of other stuff) to create Nowhere Men (Image), a decidedly 21st century comic. The story (with the tagline ‘Science is the New Rock-N-Roll’) concerns four celebrity scientists (bearing more than a passing resemblance to The Beatles) who banded together in the ’60s, forming a mega-conglomerate called World Corp dedicated to the betterment of mankind. In the present however, they’ve long since gone their separate ways, due to ego clashes, differing visions, (sound familiar?) as well as mysterious circumstances that haven’t been fully revealed yet. One or all of them are also somehow involved in the fate of a space crew whose mission has somehow gone seriously awry.

Here the comparison to FF is particularly instructive: where Kirby and Lee, reflective of their age, presented a utopian faith in scientific progress, Stephenson and Bellegarde present a view that is, not cynical exactly, but knowing, tempered by an awareness of human weakness and fallibility. The innocence of scientific discovery for its own sake has been replaced by the reality of serving corporate profit. Technological advancement is understood as at least as destructive as it is creative. For example, in FF the group is testing an experimental rocket when they are struck by ‘cosmic rays’ endowing them with superpowers, which they promptly use to protect humanity (with the monstrous Thing serving as tragic, though still noble, counterpoint). In Nowhere Men, we have a group of scientists quarantined in a space station due to a ‘sickness’ they’ve contracted under mysterious circumstances. The effects of the sickness affect each individual randomly, even capriciously, as some are granted ‘abilities’ (as opposed to ‘superpowers’) while others undergo grotesque transformations that make the Thing look like Michael Caine in comparison. And some are in between (one of the more appealing characters seems to combine the brute strength and appearance of the Thing with the intellectual remove of Mr. Fantastic). Where one offered limitless promise, the other deals in disillusionment; even the title seems to suggest it.

This is far from a hopeless affair however. For one, the sheer inventiveness of the storytelling will not allow it. In addition to alternating between the past and present, Stephenson’s elliptical narrative is fragmented amongst various viewpoints. Only now, in this fourth issue, are its non-linear elements beginning to coalesce (I didn’t even feel comfortable reviewing the thing ’til now). But that’s not all. The very presentation of information is unorthodox. In the current issue for example, Stephenson thinks nothing of inserting three pages of prose – an excerpted ‘chapter’ from a tell-all history of World Corp – right in the middle of the action. This not only serves as a clever transition, but adds visual depth to the story, as the chapter is presented in a specific graphic style that convincingly suggests the late ’70s / early ’80s. Where FF‘s brash, boundary-breaking style was in keeping with the modern sensibilities of its era, Nowhere Men‘s approach is distinctly postmodern, befitting our own fractured time.

Which brings us to perhaps the most notable aspect of the book: its design. FF had the kinetic genius of Kirby’s art. Nowhere Men instead employs the principles of sophisticated modern graphic presentation. The clean, cold concision of Bellegarde’s art is impressive enough. But it is packaged, along with the aforementioned textual pieces, faux ads and information graphics, in a carefully considered manner that takes into account the comic book as an object. The refined aesthetic has been compared, aptly, to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odessey.  Fonografiks, the company responsible for the look of the book, is really to be commended; I only wish the name of the specific designer was credited. The inside covers, the selection of fonts, the credits; all act in concert to create a visually immersive experience that reinforces the incidents of the story. When was the last time the design of a comic played such a concerted, integral role in the narrative?

FF has had any number of interesting runs over the years (Jonathan Hickman just finished up a pretty good one at that). But the true successor to Kirby and Lee’s vision, innovation and cultural relevance is Nowhere Men.  Book of the Week.

 Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

What’s Up?

18 Monday Mar 2013

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Turns out, Brian Wood’s The Massive is about this week’s haul.  Man, I could’ve sworn that I was trimming my typical take-home.  Silly me.  Sure, I’ll be closer to broke after Wednesday, but there are some top-notch books in this bunch, which makes it so worth it.

Right There Waiting for Me

  • Mind MGMT #9 (Dark Horse): Hoping for a little more after a slightly off month.  (By “off,” I mean “really, really good,” which, for the average book, would be, clearly, a compliment.  Matt Kindt, however, has been working at a much higher level on this title; so anything shy of mind-blowing is remarkably obvious.)
Mind MGMT #9

Mind MGMT #9

  • Action Comics #18 (DC): Finally, Morrison’s finale.  Could very well be my jumping off point, which will leave me Superman-free.  Big-time sigh–especially considering Big Blue was a big reason why I got back into buying comics.  We’ll see what Diggle digs up next month–and what Snyder and Pak bring to the rack in the months to come.
  • Batwoman #18 (DC): Another one I may jump off of.  J.H. Williams’ art has been the draw, and that chore has now been delegated to another–in this case, Trevor McCarthy, who’s a fine artist, sure; but will he do enough–as Williams did–to overcome the story’s shortcomings?
  • Wonder Woman #18 (DC): Still solid.  A book you can count on every month–whether it’s Chiang or Akins on art.
  • TMNT: The Secret of the Foot Clan #4 (IDW): Mateus Santolouco conjured up a little magic in this mini.  It’s a shame it’s only four!  Let’s hope he gives us some more down the road.
  • Comeback #5 (Image): Ran the same route as Dark Horse’s Colder.  Started off a house afire and cooled off quickly–to the point where I couldn’t wait for it to end.  The waiting’s over.
  • Revival #8 (Image): Still have some mixed feeling about this one.  #7 was definitely an step in the right direction.  But there’s too much evidence that inconsistency is the true plague at play here.
  • Daredevil #24 (Marvel): #23 was great on many levels.  The Power Pair of Waid and Samnee are killing it–and Foggy?  Say it ain’t so!
Daredevil #24

Daredevil #24

  • Indestructible Hulk #5 (Marvel): I hope we’re not all monster this time around.  Not after the House half of last issue.
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #21 (Marvel): Not going to use Venom as a epithet this time around.  Amazing, I know!  I’m keeping an open mind because of how Bendis ended #20.
  • Harbinger #10 (Valiant): Dysart’s kicking all sorts of ass.  A must read.
Harbinger #10

Harbinger #10

  • X-O Manowar #11 (Valiant): Planet Death!  That about says it all, doesn’t it?

Wide Pickens

  • Saga #11 (Image): Lying Cat?  Nooooooooooooooooooo!  So damn good.
Saga #11

Saga #11

  • Justice League of America #2 (DC): #1 wasn’t terrible.  Still anticipating that #2 will be.  Gotta buy it to find out.
  • G.I. Joe #2 (IDW): Van Lente hit the ground running.  I’m willing to follow–at least for a while.
  • All-New X-Men #9: Ugh.
  • Poison Elves #1(Ape Entertainment): Lucifer returns!  One of my faves–created by the late Drew Hayes–is brought back to life by Robb Horan and Osvaldo Pestana Montpeller.  Could be good, could suck.  Either way, worth a try.
Poison Elves #1

Poison Elves #1

Wasn’t kidding.

So.  What are you looking forward to on Wednesday?

Turning pages,

Scott

In Scott’s Bag (2/13)

13 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in I&N Scott's Bag

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Big stack, little time.  Here’s the rushed rundown as drawn from the sacred sack:

  • Fury: My War Gone By #9 (Read half of it at the gas station while filling up.  Full service with a smile–on my face, anyway!  Headbutts and boots to the throat’ll do that.)
  • Archer & Armstrong #7 (My sherbet!  My lychee nut!  Bring on Batman!)
  • Bloodshot #8 (Looks like it’s loaded!  And, umm, it is weird that I seem to, umm, like Gamma, umm, well, as more than just a friend?  Sigh.  I wonder if she’ll be my Valentine.)
Bloodshot #8

Bloodshot #8

  • Battlefields: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova #4 (Yes, please!)
  • Fatale #12 (Don’t think it’s a stretch to say that it’s gonna be tough to knock it off its perch.)
  • Uncanny X-Men #1 (How can one go wrong with Bendis and Bachalo?  Yeah, I’m gonna keep telling myself that until I actually crack it open.)
  • Secret Avengers #1 (It’s no secret: my expectations are pretty darned low.  It’s just that I can’t imagine a world–or a non-reboot-reboot–without a monthly Avengers book.  But then there’s reality.  Sad, sad reality.)
Secret Avengers #1

Secret Avengers #1

  • Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth #2 (Yeah, I get the irony.  I hope that’s not all I get.  If it is, I probably won‘t get #3.)
  • Change #3 (A quick flip: an acid trip, a peyote paid vacation.  Glorious.  Can’t wait to marry words to the psychedelic imagery.)
  • Batman #17 (Don’t want to open it until I’m good and ready.  I’ve got Archer and Armstrong, just in case.)
  • Bedlam #4 (Last issue pissed me off.  This could be my jumping off point.)
  • Comedian #5 (Nothing to say.  I feel like I should apologize for buying it.)

So, that’s what was in my bag.  What was in yours?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s Up?

05 Tuesday Feb 2013

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“What’s up?” you ask?  Yeah.  It’s more like what isn’t up.  Keeeeey-riced!  Check it:

Crisis of Definite Comics

  • Action Comics #17 (DC): Promises to be epic.  Either way, Morrison’s last will be mine as well.
  • Animal Man #17 (DC): Wondering where this is going to go after Rotworld.
  • Dial H #9 (DC): Didn’t kick off 2013 the way it stomped through 2012.  Expectations are still dialed up pretty high–and maybe that’s the problem.
  • Green Arrow #17 (DC): Lemire’s run begins.  Will it be a bull’s eye or another quivering misfire?
  • Swamp Thing #17 (DC): Not caring where this is going to go after Rotworld.  As with Morrison’s Action, Snyder’s last will be mine as well.
  • Daredevil: End of Days #5 (Marvel): #4 was really good.  In fact, halfway through, this mini has been surprisingly effective.
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #20 (Marvel): Venom?  Gag–unless he’s going to be used in an unexpected manner, which is totally possible.  Bendis has earned a long leash– even with a poisonous character like the toxic tongue wagger himself.
  • Harbinger #0 (Valiant): Great stuff.  So great, in fact, that I’m not worried about a zero diversion.  Not in the least.
  • Shadowman #4 (Valiant): Didn’t expect to get this far with it.
  • Snapshot #1 (Image): Looks interesting enough.  Don’t have much experience with Diggle.  I’m jumping on because of Jock, who has been doing some transcendent work on the Batman back-ups, or extensions, or whatever they are.
Snapshot #1

Snapshot #1

  • Garth Ennis’ Red Team #1 (Dynamite): Ennis is so hot right now he’s impossible to pass up.
Garth Ennis Red Team #1

Garth Ennis Red Team #1

  • Colder #4 (Dark Horse): Started off so well.  Unfortunately, has fallen faster than Declan’s body temperature.
  • Fairy Quest #1 (BOOM!): Jenkins and Ramos?  Come on: definitely worth a shot.
Fairy Quest #1

Fairy Quest #1

Is This a Comic Which I See Before Me?

  • All-New X-Men #7 (Marvel): Mainly because of Marquez.  Also because I’m an idiot.
  • Winter Soldier #15 (Marvel): Brubaker’s take is THE take, no doubt.  But why not try someone else’s take for at least an issue or two?  Can’t be worse than Remender’s Captain America for goodness sake.
  • Dia De Los Muertos #1 (Image): I’ll give it a quick flip.  Rossmo’s certainly worth a maybe.

I wonder if I’ll be able to buy some time, too; I’m gonna need it.  Yow-to-the-za!

What are you looking forward to?  Anything else I should keep an eye out for?

Turning pages,

Scott

Back and Forth: The More Things Change…

18 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Back and Forth

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(From On the Road to The Road in one comic review? Read on…)

Scott Carney: Two pages in, I knew that Change #2 (Image) would be my favorite book of the week. This trippy little thing is big on bouncing to the beat of an earlier generation. Oh, we’re on a road, all right; I’m just not entirely sure where that road–or where writer Ales Kot–is taking us, and I’m pretty sure that Google Maps isn’t going to help me.  And, you know what? That aspect, which could easily be a deal breaker, is actually one of the endearing qualities of this enigmatic issue–along with the poetry that pulses like poisoned blood through the veins of the sharply shifting vignettes, which all lead back, apparently, to the newly-revealed lungs of the book: New Atlantis. Another draw comes in the form of the fresh characters, whom I still hardly know two issues into the series, but about whom I care more than the hopeless heroes of of the Avengers Arena and more than the trite assemblage of assassins in the frivolous Thunderbolts.  (Each of those NOW! titles is now a THEN!  That’s right: El Droppo.  Would you say I’ve dropped a plethora of books?)  Sure, yeah, I felt lost; but isn’t that what I’m supposed to feel?  (Isn’t that what the characters feel?)  Damn it!  Isn’t that what I want?  Isn’t that what I’m paying for?  For an escape from the grind?  For a change of pace?  Appropriately, “YESSSSssss.”

Derek Mainhart: I agree that this is one idiosyncratic little book. The analogy you make to beat poetry is good one; this book has an evocative, rambling cadence that seems as much the point as the actual events that take place (whatever they are). The experience of reading an experimental, seemingly stream-of-conscious work like this can be an engaging, highly personal one. Like beat poetry, I appreciate the unorthodox immediacy of it (not to mention Morgan Jeske’s Paul Pope-inflected artwork). But it is simply not my groove. (Or maybe between this, Fatale and Locke and Key, I’ve just reached my quotient of Lovecraft-inspired comics.)

The Superior Spider-Man #1 (Marvel)

Speaking of change, this was billed as a BIG one. As regular readers are aware, I’m among those who are appalled by Spidey’s recent history. So when the rumors started flying about this book’s premise, I started picking up Amazing Spider-Man again for the first time in years. And I have to say, I was intrigued by Dan Slott’s story: having ol’ Doc Ock mind-swap with Peter Parker, then letting Parker die in Ock’s enfeebled body did, in fact, feel like a shake-up of the status quo. Letting a megalomaniac muck about in the life of an icon seemed to have potential (It says volumes about the mess Marvel’s made of Peter Parker that killing him could actually improve the book). So I was on board. And for the first twenty-one pages I was not disappointed (SPOILERS!): Doctor Spider-Pus fighting the new Sinister Six, not so much out of moral obligation but because he’s indignant that they’re sullying his legacy. Then, in true supervillain fashion, he defeats them by leading them into a meticulously prepared, elaborate deathtrap. With great ego, it would seem, comes great responsibility. That ego is again on display in a scene in which the brilliant Doctor starts fraying at the edges with the knowledge that all of his future accomplishments will be credited to Peter. And finally, in the best sequence in the book, Otto Parktavius goes on a date with Petey’s beloved Mary Jane. In a hilarious tour de lettering, Otto’s self-absorbed narration is “pasted” over MJ’s dialogue while he blithely ogles her (I assume this was Slott’s decision, but kudos to letterer Chris Eliopoulos anyway for an effect I’ve never quite seen before).  Ryan Stegman’s aggressive artwork, all sharp angles, blocky shadows and speed-lines, perfectly matched the irreverent tone of a story that held the promise of deconstructing super-hero tropes by turning them on their head (not that this is Watchmen or anything, but there is a gleeful audacity in doing this sort of thing to Spider-Man).

And then page twenty-two. Who should show up to ruin the fun? Why, Peter Parker of course! (or his ghost, or whatevyawn…) Now, I’m not naive; we’re talking about a super-hero comic. Of course Peter’s coming back. Nobody stays dead, silly! But so soon? The first issue of the much hoopla-ed big change? Maybe it was Slott’s plan all along, but this reeks of corporate hand-wringing: God forbid Peter Parker doesn’t appear in a Spider-Man comic for even one issue. (Slott even goes to the extent of having Petey verbalize the Game Plan: “I am Peter Parker. And I swear I will find a way BACK!“) Never mind that this retroactively robs AMS #700 of even the illusion of poignancy less than a month after its publication; in one fell swoop, an edgy, promising, even satirical premise has been rendered safe, predictable and pedestrian – the very opposite of a change in status quo. I, for one, am not looking forward to watching Peter play Lily Tomlin to Otto’s Steve Martin. (Name That Reference! Win a prize!) I haven’t been this deflated by an ending since A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

SC:  Yeah.  Me, too!  No, really: you took the web right out of my shooter.  But I–may I vent?  Come on!  They couldn’t’ve given us three issues–just three issues!–to savor this stroke of genius.  No, sir!  Gosh, I wish I were a spider on the wall during the pitches and the planning and any of the other processes that led to–to–this!  I mean, seriously: was this Slott’s plan all along?  Was there some directive from on high to not let this linger too long?  I’ll tell you what I wasn’t thinking after reading the page that shall remain numberless: Oh boy, I can’t wait to see how Peter comes back!  So, yeah, it’s quite possible that as quickly as they won me over, they’ve lost me.  I’m not too sure how far I’ll follow this not-so-superior turn.

OK, then, well, really speaking of change (you’d think it’s a theme or something): a big change is coming for one of our favorite titles.  And, it’s a bag-shattering change, too.  That’s right: Scott Snyder’s almost done with his run on Swamp Thing (DC); so I guess that means I’m almost done with my run, too.  Aye, and it was a good one.

DM: Yeah, talk about change you can’t believe in. It really is a shame; with issue 16, Snyder has recaptured some of the aura of the first year of the book. The extended build-up to the current Rotworld storyline distinguished itself with a steady baseline of unease, intermittently punctuated by surreal spasms of horror (especially when rendered with skin-crawling effectiveness by sometimes-series artist, Yanick Paquette). The series began to lose a little mojo with the introduction of Anton Arcane as the villain of the piece. The terror went from chillingly existential to almost cartoonish super-villainy (Anton would twirl his mustache if he had a face.) When Rotworld kicked into high gear a few months ago, the book seemed to further strain under the expectations of “epic” storytelling. But here Snyder once again hits his stride with a tale split between the struggle of the past to prevent the nightmarish present. The two strands also serve as emotional counterpoint, traversing the oh-so-short distance between hope and despair. In the (alternate?) present, Swamp Thing valiantly struggles to save, not the world, nor reality itself, but the only thing that matters to him in the end; his love, Abigail. More’s the pity then that Abigail’s quest in the past seemingly renders Swampy’s  heroics utterly futile. This is the stuff of tragedy–and of terror: without giving too much away, let’s just say that when Snyder promises a shock (unlike Superior Spider-Man), he doesn’t back down.

Only two more issues of Snyder and Paquette? Now that’s tragic.

SC: Hell yeah it is!  But, come on: do you really think Abigail’s gone for good?  I have a sneaky suspicion that Mr. Thing is going to use some of his bio-restorative formula to bring her back to life–to some form of life, maybe even as a Swamp Thingess.  That’d be a fitting finale, wouldn’t it: another out-of-step ending for the otherwise superior Scott Snyder.  (See the end of his Batman: Court of Owls arc if you don’t believe me.)

Moving on, I’m willing to admit it: I’ve changed my mind about Shadowman (Valiant) with #3.  A little background: I don’t have any background with Shadowman as a book or as a character.  I figured I’d give it a whirl since Valiant’s revamp was 4-for-4 with two home runs (Archer & Armstrong and Harbinger) and two triples (X-O Manowar and Bloodshot).  The first issue really didn’t do it for me, and I pretty much called it quits there.  Then, during a trip to a more well-stocked shop than my home base, I saw #2 and decided to pick it up because I had a few bucks left over.  (Yeah, I’m still working on the whole willpower thing.  Getting better, though!)  I still wasn’t too taken by it.  Flash forward to another trip to my shop on the side: the proprietor offered up #3 as one of his favorite covers of the week.  Yup.  That was enough for me.  And wouldn’t you know: I really liked it: I finally bought Mr. Twist as a terrifying villain.  I dug the descent into the Deadside; more specifically I was taken–along with Jack–by Jaunty, the talking monkey with the sweet hat and the sweeter Cajun ‘tude.  I appreciated the obvious allusion to King Arthur: Jack, in this case recognizing his responsibility, his destiny, draws the scythe from the shadow and becomes the new Shadowman.  And with that, Justin Jordan and Patrick Zircher have earned a new Shadowfan.  Bring on the big baddie: bring on Master Darque!

DM: And finally (and finally), Sweet Tooth #40 (DC/Vertigo), a book that’s all about change. Throughout it’s run this book has always seemed an odd, at times ill-fitting addition to the post-apocalyptic literary landscape. Jeff Lemire’s take on the end of man seemed to lack the visceral drive of The Walking Dead, the gravitas of I Am Legend, or the pointed political commentary of Y: The Last Man (to name but a few well-known exemplars of the genre). The story seemed to have a narrow focus: the young hybrid boy/deer, Gus and his grizzled protector, Jepperd fight to survive against malevolent pursuers, endlessly chasing them through the woods, determined to discover the mystery of Gus’ creation and, they hope, the key to mankind’s survival. And though the cast expanded, the scope of the narrative was never itself expansive in the way stories like this generally are. The same, however, cannot be said of the art. Nobody does desolate landscapes like Lemire (praise must also be heaped upon series colorist par excellence, Jose Villarrubia, he of the muted earth tones and washed out firmament). The setting and spare nature of much of the writing created a lyrical tone of atmosphere and ache. This restrained aesthetic, which is Lemire at his best (see Essex County) is ultimately what separates this book from the rest of the genre. In fact, with its devotion to craft, the work it most resembles is perhaps Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Both are about fathers and sons (a recurring theme in Lemire’s work, from The Underwater Welder to Animal Man). And both find hope in the passing of the torch to the next generation. But whereas McCarthy’s hope is a flickering candle in unremittant darkness, Lemire’s is a bonfire of celebration. Though the territory covered by the series may not have broad, this generous, and alas, final issue is expansive in perhaps its most important measure: its heart. Book of the Week. Good Night, Sweet Tooth.

Sweet Tooth #40 Cover

Sweet Tooth #40 Cover

Turning pages,

Scott and Derek

What’s Up?

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

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Not a big week; not a small week; but certainly a solid week; and I’ll take a solid week any day of the week–well, on Wednesday, mostly, unless, of course, I can’t shop hop; and then it is, quite literally, any day of the week–well, in this particular scenario, any day other than Wednesday.  I hope to snag:

All A-Bag!

  • Batman #16: Nowadays, I feel like I’m picking up Batman because, you know, I’m supposed to: because it’s Snyder, mostly.  Believe me: I don’t want to cave in; I don’t want to drop it.  I mean, it’d be a Batshame if I weren’t picking up a montly Batbook, right?  But this arc ain’t grabbing me the same way The Court of Owls did–until the broken wing of an ending, that is.
  • Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #16: The “final issue finale.”  Typing about effing shames: this is a terrible loss: a our #6 book of 2012 tossed to the garbage pile, crushed by the Third Wave!  I guess we’ll be seeing the grandiloquent greenie as a regular over on JLD.  Better than nothing.  As far as Kindt’s concerned: sucks to lose out on another opportunity to enjoy his work; but there’s always the brilliant Mind MGMT (our #3 book of 2012, by the way), which is back next week, thank goodness.
Goodbye Frankenstein!

Goodbye Frankenstein!

  • Comeback #3: So far, so good.  Good thing, maybe, it’s not going too far.
  • Daredevil #22: The Superior Spider-Man makes a visit to Hell’s Kitchen.  As long as Peter keeps to himself, I’m willing to get into the swing.
  • Indestructible Hulk #3: I like what Waid’s doing here.  Heck, I like what Waid’s doing everywhere!
  • Archer & Armstrong #6: Big week for fellas named Armstrong, eh?
  • Bloodshot #7: This book’s been really good of late.  Kudos to Swierczynski, who’s killing it.

No plans to hit the rack this week.

Oh, yeah: Derek threatened to ban me from the blog if I pick up Captain America #3.  So, keep an eye out: if you don’t see me for a while, it’s because I had enough money left over but not enough willpower to let that red, white, and blue nonsense lie.

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

The Top Ten Comics of 2012

29 Saturday Dec 2012

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Welcome to the 27th Annual Edition of the Top Ten Comics of the Year! What began as two educators blogging in obscurity about their love affair with comics, has grown to become the most highly-anticipated event of the year amongst trend-setters, industry-watchers and that most idolized of velvet rope celebrities, the comic book creator. Why it seems like just yesterday that a little book called Sandman made the list (No. 7, 1991) giving birth to a worldwide phenomenon (we just received our yearly gift of one dozen black roses and homemade crumpets from Neil in eternal gratitude).

A note to the naysayers who complain about end-of-year lists: comics and numbers go hand-in-hand like old movies and cigarettes. If you say the number 27, what serious comics fan wouldn’t think Detective? Or 252, Spidey’s black costume? Why do round-numbered “anniversary” issues always sell higher? From what dark recesses of the mind  doth spring the obsession for a new Number 1 (as this past year surely demonstrates)? Fighting it is like the Kingpin fighting his urge for a donut: counter-intuitive and pointless. So to the list-cynics I say: go make a Top Ten List of your Least Favorite Top Ten Lists and be done with it. You’ll feel better.

The rules: As always, 80% (or 8) of our choices are books that Scott and Derek both read. We each get one alternate to round out the list (see if you can guess which ones these are! Correct answers will get a prize!). For limited series, the lion’s share of the story had to have seen print this year to be eligible (for instance, although Severed finished in 2012, most of the story was published in 2011. Similarly, Garth Ennis’ latest run on Battlefields, which tend to run in nine-issue installments, is only two issues in – and is already a strong contender for next year’s list). There are also no graphic novels on the list. There is no shortage of exciting work being done in a longer format, but this list, like the website itself, is dedicated to those wonderful monthly, folded-and-stapled periodicals which compel us to make our weekly Wednesday trek to the local comic book store for fear of missing something. (Having said that, congrats to Chris Ware on the inclusion of Building Stories on the NY Times own list of Top Ten Books of the Year. Check it out. It is a piece of work.)

What unites most of the books on the list I think, is an expansive approach to storytelling; a willful cherry-picking of literary devices from various genres, gleefully mashing them up against each other and seeing what happens. The playfulness in the examples below is infectious but not inchoate; they are produced by masters of their craft. Each creator involved has hit some kind of stride in the past year. Each comic is a breath of fresh air in our four-colored medium. We are the lucky recipients.

We here at Images and Nerds, of course, welcome debate (as long as you realize the futility of it, as all results are final, having been engraved in a cave wall for posterity.)

Without further eloquence, here’s our Top Ten:

ST_Cv0_ds10. Animal Man/Swamp Thing (DC) – OK, so this is our sneaky way of cramming eleven titles into our top ten list, but these two books really need to be considered as one. The amount of planning and coordination done by respective writers Jeff Lemire and Scott Snyder could serve as a template for the proper way to do that most fraught of endeavors: the crossover. These two clearly share a vision and it’s been thrilling to watch two creators at the top of their game working in such organic concert. Though the story has bogged down somewhat now that we’re in the middle of the epic proper, it’s been one of the surprising delights of the past year to watch their little corner of the DCU grow into its most compelling destination. (DM)

9. Fury: Myfury max War Gone By (Marvel) – I hope you didn’t let your year go by without your grabbing Garth Ennis’s take on Marvel’s eternal warrior, Nick Fury, the only cyclops worth a good Goddamn in the Marvel Universe, anymore, be it NOW! or MAX or whatever.  Fury’s certainly the star here as he boozily–and honestly–reflects upon some of the secret missions he undertook after WW II to ostensibly make a difference in a dangerous world.  But this title is more so everything we love about Ennis: perfectly composed conversations amongst expertly crafted characters (like the deliciously deep Shirley Defabio and the larger-than-life–and classic Ennis creation–Sergent Chef Steinhoff), all before a backdrop of war, with stops in Indochina, Cuba, and Vietnam, where the book will continue–at a punishing pace–in 2013.  But if Fury’s too hero for you, check out Ennis’s latest Battlefields saga, Battlefields: The Green Fields Beyond; it’s through two–a Top Ten worthy two–of six.  Either way, you can’t go wrong; in this guy’s hands, war is heaven. (SC)

shade8. The Shade (DC) – Once upon a time their was a writer of enormous range and nuance; one who easily blended genres and had an uncanny ability to capture the untidy, individual voices of each of his many characters in service of stories both grand and intimate. His name was James Robinson and the exemplar of his craft was a series called Starman. Now in the years since the end of that remarkable book, there has been a writer named James Robinson working on various super-hero books, but the quality of them has been so wildly inconsistent and lacking in authorial voice that it can scarcely seem possible that it is the same writer. Interesting then, that it took a return to the Starman universe to bring about a return to form. In The Shade, Robinson returns to his most compelling creation; a character both physically and morally in the shadows, one whose dandyish affectations and droll, Oscar Wilde-inflected narration serve as perfect counterpoint to the pulpy theatrics of a host of skillfully handled genres and subgenres. Welcome back Mr. Robinson. Stay awhile, please do. (DM)

dd127. Daredevil (Marvel) – Even a blind person who hasn’t had his other senses enhanced by exposure to radioactive material could see that this title has been Marvel’s best for over a year now.  Aside from the seemingly endless Omega Drive arc, which was a series of wrong turns–including a pointless crossover with Spider-Man and The Punisher–with a few delectable diversions dribbled in, specifically issue #12, Daredevil has been the model book in terms of how to marry mirth and mystery.  Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Javier Rodriguez had Daredevil dance with Doom for a couple of sensational issues and then created something strange and beautiful with the Coyote storyline, one that had me, at times, wondering if it were headed anywhere–and, in the end, boy, was it!  Damn my dubiousness!  There are a few creators worth our blind trust and our limitless patience, and Waid is without a doubt one of them.  (Speaking of, have you noticed the tone Waid’s establishing over on Indestructible Hulk?)  Similarly, there are many heroes whom we hold dear, but none as dearly as The Man Without Fear. (SC)

FRSH_Cv06. Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (DC)  – What could easily have been a Hellboy rip-off instead turns out to be an exuberant melange of Universal Monsters from the 1930s and James Bond tropes turned on their head. Jeff Lemire (see #10) got the ball rolling (along with Alberto Ponticelli, whose pitch-perfect art will be missed when he leaves shortly – see #1) with a commitment to unrelenting, over-the-top action. The extraordinary Matt Kindt (see #3) continued the run by focusing on Frankenstein’s tragic history, without sacrificing a whit absurdity or epic carnage. If anything the hint of pathos serves to ground the general giant-monster frenzy, making the book even stronger.  Another oddball (and alas, soon to be late and lamented) winner from DC. (DM)

Fatale-Cover-Image-Comics5. Fatale (Image) – Sure, Ed Brubaker seemed to give up on Captain America in an uninspired final run; and he ran a minimalist route as he turned Winter Soldier into a must-read–and, unexpectedly, a top Marvel book for 2012.  It’s clear, however, where he was focusing his energies: Fatale is Mr. Brubaker at his brutal best.  If you have enjoyed his iconic work with the spectacular Sean Phillips on such titles as Criminal and Incognito, then you’ve most assuredly found Fatale to die for.  A dangerous dame, herself in danger; a fistful of dupes, their freewill twisted as if by magic; some crooked cops and crazy cultists; buckets of blood and nightmarish monsters: all of it comes together to set a terrifying tone and to mold and unfold a complex and compelling mystery–one that insists upon your complete attention.  And how about Phillips’ covers?  Stunning.  Yes, indeed, this is a book that stands out from the rest–in more ways than one. (SC)

ZaucerofZilk_Image4. The Zaucer of Zilk (IDW)  – Brendan McCarthy and Al Ewing’s mini-masterpiece is also perhaps the hardest book on the list to define. Carrollian fantasy, 1960’s psychedelia, and high-flying adventure crash together in a two-issue candy-colored phantasmagoria of a tale. The all-too-brief narrative packs in a lot of story but never feels weighed down by its creators everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach. Indeed the sheer scope of imagination on display – conceptually, thematically, incidentally even –  breathes such voluminous life into the thing that it threatens to take flight right out of your hands and soar into the ether. It would take most comics years to build a universe as enthralling as this. I, for one, am hoping for a return trip. (DM)

190133. Mind MGMT (Dark Horse) – This is one sexy book.  Matt Kindt–a creator on the cusp of greatness–is doing what he’s so very good at here: telling a taut tale at a brisk pace, one supported by humble yet gorgeous artwork, with colors you just want to drown in.  Go ahead: open any issue to any page; I guarantee you’ll gasp for air–and it’ll feel exhilarating.  I love the concept: Mind MGMT is like the Bush-era Office of Strategic Influence on steroids.  The execution is flawless: the story starts with a startling scene of murderous rage, which, teasingly lacks motive and context, and then segues into a cloudy memory of Amnesia Flight 815, which, in turn, sets the stage for Meru, who sees her next bestseller in the mid-air mystery.  But it’s all just foreplay, friends.  Once Meru meets Henry Lyme, the narrative explodes with the latter’s back story, which is awe-inspiring in its inventiveness and hellishly heart-wrenching, especially as we learn how the rogue operative had a hand–or, more accurately, a mind–in the opening sequence of ultraviolence.  Simply masterful.  The extras are fun, too, especially the bonus stories, which help to build this brilliantly intricate new mythology of men and women who are dangerously and desperately more than their fellow man.  Through seven issues of Mind MGMT and with his fantastic work on Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Kindt’s proving that he’s more, too–that he’s undoubtedly fit to comfortably sit in the pantheon of present day comic book gods. (SC)

saga-12. Saga (Image) – Combine Star Wars with Romeo and Juliet. Douglas Adams with Meet the Parents. Heavy Metal with The Wonder Years. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples are pushing against all kinds of boundaries here in a comic that truly has the air of limitless possibility about it. They are also unafraid of testing the preconceptions of their own readership (not to mention their intestinal fortitude – I personally can’t wait for Fard the Ogre’s 2012 Pin-Up Calendar, in all its scrotal glory). But for all this, in the end their story is about one family’s struggle to survive. In this day and age, what could be more resonant? (DM)

DIALH_Cv41. Dial H (DC) – Who knew that it’d take a “Second Wave” to shore up our faith in The New 52?  Well, it did: and said wave, which rolled in during low tide–with even lower expectations–deposited this unexpected treasure from novelist China Mieville and artist extraordinaire Mateus Santolouco at our feet; but once in hand, it was clear: this weird and wonderful story of a regular schmoe who dials up heroes from different worlds is a tsunami of creative vision.  Sure, the first few issues are tough to follow, but it’s in a manner reminiscent of the best of Grant Morrison, where perplexity percolates into something akin to pleasure.  And there’s plenty of pleasure to be had here, especially in the surprises born of Nelson’s turning the dial: there’s the unforgettable first, Boy Chimney, conjured in a stunning sequence of soot and smoke by Santolouco; and there’s the brilliantly satirical Chief Mighty Arrow, depicted bravely by guest artist David Lapham in an issue that just missed being named our Best Single Issue of the Year.  No hero, however, was as inspirational as Rescue Jack: with the dial down, Nelson finds the hero within and saves the day–if only for a moment.  Looking forward, 2013 promises an exciting turn: former Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. artist Alberto Ponticelli has been tapped to take on the challenge of bringing the magic of Mieville’s mind to the page.  We know he’s up for it.  Let’s hope that the readership is, too.  While Dial H has survived the Fourth Wave–sadly, the same can’t be said of Frankenstein–who knows which books the inevitable Fifth and Sixth Waves will wrest from our hands.  So, we say, with the volume dial cranked to 11: buy this book! (SC)

Derek’s Honorable Mentions:

5. Wonder Woman (DC) 4. Snarked! (kaboom!) 3. Stumptown: The Case of the Baby in the Velvet Case (Oni) 2. Popeye (IDW) 1. Tales Designed to Thrizzle (Fantagraphics)

Scott’s Honorable Mentions:

5. Winter Soldier (Marvel) 4. Wonder Woman (DC) 3. Harbinger (Valiant) 2. Archer & Armstrong (Valiant) 1. Rachel Rising (Abstract Studio)

Best Single Issue of the Year: Adventure Time #10 (kaboom!) – “Choose Your Own Adventure Time!” by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb. This 15 page story is: An entertaining juggling act of any number playful narratives. A nostalgic, tongue-in-cheek callback for Gen Xer’s and one of their quaint, decidedly analog forms of interactive experience. A meditation on the control we have over our lives (or lack thereof) invoking the Free-Will vs. Determinism debate. A formalistic tour de force where story and design combine seamlessly in an innovative fashion that seems to expand the very  possibilities of the comic book medium. A children’s book with fart jokes. You choose.

Publisher of the Year: This is easy. With four out of the top ten spots (including No.1) it’s gotta be DC right? Wrong. If the first full year of the New 52 relaunch was able to till some fertile ground where the above books were allowed to grow, we are grateful. But each of these books are outliers in the DCU (or in the case of Animal Man/Swamp Thing, at least started as such). Much of their appeal lies in how they’re straining against and redefining the very super-hero mold that they are a part of. Because that of course was the focus of the New 52: superheroes. Retrenching, dusting off the icons and giving them a makeover for the 21st century. In 2012 however, that seems a backward-looking editorial mandate. Artistically, comics as a medium have long since proved capable of encompassing any genre or subject under the sun (or behind it. or beyond it.)  But what our medium still suffers from (and this is why the general public remains unconvinced about the viability of comics as a legitimate entertainment source) is a lack of the sheer amount and variety of product that you see in other formats (TV, movies, books, etc). Like it or not, when most people think comic books, they still think superheroes. Well the company doing the most change that, to fill the void on a week-by-week basis is: Image Comics (knew I’d get there eventually, right?) Go ahead, check out their catalog on any given week: crime, sci-fi, espionage, historical fiction, horror, comedy (and yes, some capes too). And all creator-owned. Are they all hits? Of course not. But Image is doing more than any publisher to create a culture that cultivates young talent while also attracting established creators, united by this one overarching philosophy: create any damn comic you can think of. Smells like the future–or at least 2013.

Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

What’s Up?

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

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Image has been killing it of late.  As a result, my What’s Up? list has been growing like something that grows a whole lot really, really fast–and its caretaker, the list maker, is not ready to accommodate its unexpectedly freakish size either time- or dollar-wise.  Don’t tell Derek, but it doesn’t help that this week Marvel’s dropping a NOW! bomb of sophomore issues for a slew of titles–many of which I’ve been scoring on the sly.

Definites

  • Batwoman #15: More beautiful than any book deserves to be.
  • Wonder Woman #15: Not as much of a sure thing as it had been, but still a pull-list must.
  • X-O Manowar #8: Things are finally picking up with Ninjak.  Look out MI-6!
  • Harbinger #7: #6 was so very good.
  • Comeback #2: I really liked the first issue.
  • Nowhere Men #2: Ditto.  Big friggin’ ditto.
Nowhere Men #2 Cover

Nowhere Men #2 Cover

  • Daredevil #21: The Coyote climax!
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #18: Bendis has been off his game for several issues now.  Mus be the crossover blues.
  • FF #2: FF is just Allred with me!
  • Indestructible Hulk #2: Hoping the first half of #1 is the whole of #2.

Now, No, But Later…?

  • Avengers #2: Will thumb through it first.  Odds, however, are good.
  • Avengers Arena #2: Guilty pleasure of the week.  No, really.
  • Thunderbolts #2: Once again: it’ll have to pass the Elektra test.
  • Captain America #2: It’s tough for me to just say no.  I mean, it’s Cap.

Yeesh!  That’s one big week!  If the pages turn right, could be the best big week in a while.

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s Up?

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

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Last week wasn’t all that bad.  If anything, I proved to myself that I had enough willpower to pass on books I didn’t really want.  Let’s hope that had is more like have ’cause I’m gonna need it this week, too.  The plan is to stick to the plan: to embrace the bag and pass the rack.

High Five

  • Batman #15: Still waiting for the punchline.
  • Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #15: Lemire’s been borrowing the big guy of late, and it’s been a welcome reunion, for sure: JLD and Animal Man have been better for it.  Kindt’s been owning him over here.
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #15

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #15

  • Archer and Armstrong #5: Last issue was really good.  Let’s hope the insinuation of the Eternal Warrior doesn’t drag it down, you know, like when Ninjak popped up in X-O and made for an awkward couple of issues.
  • Bloodshot #6: This, too, has big pages to fill.  (If you’ve been following along, you know how much I liked #5.)
  • Winter Soldier #13: Almost done.  Sad.

You know the danger: I’ll be standing at the register with some money left over, and the rack will be soooooo tantalizingly close…

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott