Here it is.
Ok, would someone like to explained to me what the heck happened in “Astonishing X-Men” issue 11? I’ve read it and I’m very confused.
Dammit, you beat me by 7 minutes! Curse you, CandidGamera, CURSE YOOOOUUU!!! 
Small (but good) week, IMO.
DEFENDERS: I was in the minority in that I never cared much for the Giffen/DeMatthis JL. None of the characters seemed right–most seemed like ham-handed parodies of the real characters. In Defenders, however, Giffen and Demathis have characters already so over-the-top that they can play them completely straight (ok, they’re not playing the Surfer straight, but that’s ok) and have them come out hysterically funny. That two page interchange between Namor and Banner (“So, have you found Nemo yet or are you still looking.” or “Great, we really appreciate input from the Little Mermaid.” (paraphrased) ) has gotta be some of the funniest stuff I’ve read in years
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: Um. If Bendis can write this well, why doesn’t he do so all the time. I love the complexity of poor Ultimate Petey’s world. The Kingpin actually has a hint of depth, the Jameson is very, VERY nuanced and the banter is wonderful. I’m really enjoying this.
ULTIMATES: I hate this book. It’s well done and all but every single character in it is a jerk. I’m really, REALLY hoping that the annoying PETA-version of Thor is really nuts and a ‘real’ Thor shows up. I loathe this guy. But frankly, I loathe all of 'em to one degree or another. The only reason I keep buying this book is the horrible “lookit the car accident” fascination–just when I don’t think I can hate the characters more, they do things like make jokes about WWII veterans.
HOUSE OF M: ZZZzzzzzzzzz…snore. More talking. More of “nothing happens with bad dialogue.” More contradictions: Why is Scott married to Emma when his heart’s desire is to be married to Jean? Why isn’t Logan married to Jean? Spider-Man got multiple wishes (to be a loved hero, married to Gwen, etc)–although I’ve heard that he only got one wish: to be a huge jackass.
Whichever SUPERMAN title came out today–Ok, now I see what’s going on. Good stuff! I can’t wait for next issue.
DAY OF VENGANCE: Eh. I’ve loved the book up to now, but this issue felt like padding. It could have been half as long, but then the “bloat books so they make better TPBs” trend is still going. (That said, this is Willingham, so it’ll probably turn out that I’m completely wrong and this was the key issue! )
JSA SECRET FILES: Hated the art. The story? So-so so far…but the realization that the Arion thing just didn’t work and her sense of loss that she’s not Superman’s cousin (plus the last panel :eek: ! ) promise a great next issue.
TITANS: I’m getting tired of Conner, I’m tired of Raven and I’ve been bored by Brother Blood since his first appearance in New Teen Titans (Perez/Wolfman) circa #28 or so. The next few issues are going to be dull.
GLA–Funny as always–Who is Dan Slott? He wrote the best She-Hulks ever, he (and Ty Templeton) wrote a wonderful Spider-Man/Human Torch series and this. What else has he done? I’ve got to get more of his work.
KITTY PRIDE: I’m surprised. This is better than I thought it would be. Considerably better (and the art’s gorgeous).
ASTONISHING X-MEN: Why don’t they fire all the other X-writers and just give Joss complete control over the franchise? This is the best ‘real’ X-Men (Grant Morrison wrote some wonderful stories, but they didn’t…feel like X-Men stories) in like 30 years.
Fenris
Aside from that, he also worked on the Batman Adventures (animated-style comics) for DC, along with Ty Templeton, and wrote the Arkham Asylum: Living Hell miniseries.
Thanks Lou–I’ll put the Arkham one on my list of stuff to get (I’ve got all the Batman Adventures–through most of the '90s, that was the only place to read about the real Batman! )
GLA #4: " I just found out, I’m Homo Supreme!" Ha! I’m gonna miss this book. I want GLX right now, dammit.
Astonishing X-Men #11: I loves me Joss Whedon. “I like to think Jean knew, and understood.”
Teen Titans #26: Now this is what I wanted to see in “The Insiders”. Very good work. Next… Liefield. Sigh.
Sacrifice Parts 2 and 3: Still need to find #1, but this is really good for a summer x-over tie-in. Now for the jokes:
“Weren’t prepared for that, were ya, jerkwad?”
“Superman is a dick.”
Thank you, I’ll be here all week.
Day of Vengeance #4: Meh. remains my least favorite of the InfCri buildups. Still pretty readable. And I loves me some talking monkeys.
GLA #4: You always have to upstage me…
(After Flatman reveals he’s gay, Mr. I… declares he’s Homo Supreme.)
Dan is a cool guy who loves comics. I met him once. ,I discovered later that the OHOTMU Spidey 95 now lists the Spider Mobile as probably a Meyers Manx. This could only have come from our conversation. And thus, I leave my footstep on history. It also means he listens and cares. Plus, he rocks. I started talking to him about the What-Ifs, fan to fan. Didn’t know who he was or anything, he was just in my store. And he knew it allllll.
Did you see the tagline at the end of Astonishing 11? Next Issue: Charles Xavier Is A Dick.
Day of Vengeance #4 - Ectoplasmic Snot: band name!
Adventures of Superman #642 - The presence of Ruin seemed like an afterthought, included only so DC’s artists could continue the cover motif.
Spoiler only if you haven’t read last week’s Action yet:
At least Batman wasn’t drawn receiving intensive care with his frigging mask still on this time.
Anyone happen to know what’s up with part 4 of the Sacrifice arc? The release dates on the DC website are screwy–they say today’s Adventures of Supes isn’t out until next week, with Wonder Woman 219 and OMAC 4 the same day! Diamond Comics Distribution shows AoS today, of course, and OMAC next week, but not WW. So it’s looking like the sequence that is supposed to fit in between OMAC 3 and 4 won’t be concluded until after OMAC 4 is out.
My thoughts exactly. Adventures of Superman is the only Supes book I read regularly so I was looking forward to Ruin. Sigh. Oh well. Good story. Not as good as the first two, but good. They worked in a shout out to the Insiders story for the Teen Titans/Outsiders crossover. By the by, cheesiest closing line, ever.
Teen Titans #26: Raven is my favorite Titan in the animated version so I was looking forward to seeing her featured. Eh. I only started reading around the Identity Crisis tie-in (#20?) so I feel like I’m missing a lot.
JSA Classified #1: I liked the art. I enjoy the realistic style as seen in Green Lantern: Rebirth, but cartoony* works in some cases too. Like here. Plenty of boobs for those of you who like that sort of thing. Plenty of story and emotion for those of you who like that sort of thing. I enjoy both, so party on! Look around the boobs; there are some fun visual gags like the box of doorknobs and the guy with the camera phone watching Power Girl’s fight. There’s also a shot of Power Girl in overalls. Thank you, Amanda Conner!
Day of Vengeance #4: I laughed out loud of bunch of times here, especially at the “frozen monkey/stripper” line. This is my favorite InfCri series. Take that back, Villians United has been kicking ass lately. Still, I’m looking forward to the next issue.
I’m very contrary tonight.
*Not to Plastic Man extremes, though it works in his series.
This may be beyond the scope of the thread, and if so I apologize, but I want to ask for some suggestions. I haven’t picked up a comic book for about a year; I stopped reading because of dire financial straits, but I’m now a little more comfortable and can start reading again. What should I start with? Some titles I liked about a year ago were:
Fables
Lucifer
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate Spider-Man
Robin (I think I stopped reading during Bill Willingham’s run but I could be wrong, is he still writing it?)
Y: The Last Man
Green Lantern
Avengers
Iron Man
Bear
Thanks for any help anyone can give me!
I’ve been trying to start them early, as we had a brief period where everyone decided to throw them up on Wednesday, but with mangled titles (so that meant I’d miss the thread and start a second one) - so I just shrugged and starting making sure to do it early.
I missed Astonishing this week - I really should put it on my pull list, because I miss it every time it comes out. Or, I should just give up on it.
This was an excellent week for “funny” books -** GLA ** #4 kept me rolling consistently; **Cable and Deadpool ** was solid yet again, even if it did borrow an Austin Powers joke; and the Defenders practically split my sides.
In the category of portentious DCU books, Titans did feel a little like… filler. Still, an epilogue of some kind was necessary; I just don’t know that what we got was substantive enough to deserve an issue by itself. **Adventures of Superman ** was excellent, and really shows off the interaction of the current DCU nicely.
Day of Vengeance also felt a little - fillery. Still, a recap of the Chimp’s backstory is nice. And I’m glad to see they’re using the magic gal from Birds of Prey way back when.
Speaking of which, **Birds of Prey ** was darn cool. Babs makes a little peace with Huntress, and struggles with her techno-tumor. Dinah and Wildcat call in a little extra as-yet-unidentified help to deal with the twelve martial artist brothers guarding the largest drug shipment Gotham has ever seen…
JSA Classified was pretty darn good, loved the ending - this is an excellent chance for them to straighten out Kara’s past. Though the thought balloons seemed to indicated she had no civilian identity until she met the JSA - I presume this is referring to a JSA stint before Justice League Europe, then. I also hadn’t realized the “Super-Cousin” thing was in continuity post Zero Hour.
Ex Machina continues to impress; I absolutely loved this month’s Conan though. John Severin does the art chores on the main tale, which doesn’t really feature Conan himself, but entertained me - but the backup feature! “Conan’s Favorite Joke” by Kurt Busiek, and drawn by Bruce Timm. (who here produces the first topless woman I’ve seen him draw… bonus!)
Timm’s quite the pinup artist. And his women, while stylized, aren’t hyper-mammaried freaks. Check out his web page. It’s a bit of a shocker if you gew up watching Batman:tAS. 
Speaking of which, any idea who this extra help would be? My best guess is Lady Shiva.
Thanks, Menocchio, I will. But not from work.
Hm. As cheery as their relationship is, I don’t picture Shiva as someone Canary can speed-dial, saying “I need your fists.”
Since Dick’s undercover, and Richard Dragon is believed dead, my money’s on Batgirl or Connor or Ollie.
Well, Dinah did say that it would be an awkward call for her to make. That’s one reason why I think Shiva is a reasonable choice, and why I don’t think it’d be Batgirl, Connor or Ollie.
And when it comes to unarmed combat, I don’t think she’d call Oliver anyway. He’s good – darned good – but not someone you’d want to pit against world-class martial artists.
I don’t think Willingham’s still on Robin - I recommend getting back into the ones you liked before, though. Fables and Ult. Spidey are still very good.
Avengers is very different than it was a year ago. The book ended and restarted as “New Avengers” from #1, and the team consists of Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, and Sentry. You will either love this book or hate it – there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. The creative team is Brian Michael Bendis (who was writing Avengers when it ended) and David Finch.
Iron Man was also rebooted from #1, with the new creative team of Warren Ellis and Adi Granov. Gorgeous computer-enhanced art and really great writing, but the book has been slow to come out. I recommend waiting for the trade paperback that will no doubt cover their first six issues – I think it’s only up to #3 so far. Ellis really is the perfect fit for Iron Man, as some recurring themes in all his work include the latest in high technology, body modification, and heroes who suffer from substance abuse.
Journeys of Self Discovery.
Sara Ryan’s & Steve Leiber’s Flytrap, a fourteen page ashcan (which goes for $2.00) is an remarkably efficient introduction to a new heroine, Maddy, and her essential dilemma. Maddy is the perfect enabler. She takes care of her distracted boyfriend, keeps in constant contact with her mother, and, in her working life, ministers to the administrative needs of an array of creative clients. She gets so caught up helping others, she isn’t aware she’s setting herself up for disaster. Fortunately she has an out, one that promises new vistas and new adventures. Steve Leiber’s storytelling really stands out here. His characters’ gestures are just expressive enough for our imaginations to sketch in the unspoken details of their lives and personality, and his storytelling is a marvel of economy. I don’t know whether Ryan and Leiber’s goal is to find a publisher for this story, or if they intend to publish it themselves, but they’re off to a good start. Very vertigo. (A.) In Batgirl #66, Cassandra Cain begins her own journey of discovery, embarking on a road trip from Bludhaven to Detroit, and into the shadowy past of Lady Shiva (Sandra) Woo-san, the woman who almost killed her, and a strong ‘suspect’ in her quest to discover the identity of her mother. The first half of issue #66 was fine: a chance encounter with a guy she’s been flirting with segues into speculation about the nature of her parents’ relationship. Then she has to plow through a couple of unwelcome advances, leading to an utterly coincidental encounter with an OMAC. Thankfully our girl’s all business, and she doesn’t get dragged into a Crossover. Good Girl! (B.)
Sometimes You Get Stuck.
Some people, like Maddy and Cassandra, notice a personal problems, then move on them, immediately. Others get mired in seductive self-pity or bogged down with guilt. The trick is to convey it without boring the reader to tears, or alienating them from your character. Fortunately, Amanda Connor’s expressive style makes Karen Starr immediately and immensely sympathetic, for the brave face she puts over her intense insecurity over her origins, in JSA Classified #1. Good issue overall, though when the homeless Atlantean goads her with hints of malevolent potential, it begins to remind me a bit too much of a long running Wonder Girl subplot in Wonder Woman and the Titans. (A.) Nearly paralyzed with guilt, Connor Kent wrestles with his uncertainty over the ease with which Luthor “turned” him in Teen Titans #26. Raven, a beautifully written sequence, shares his (and some of her) pain, in a well paced “head trip”. Here, the noncommittal ending, works fine, grounding the story in a believable “reality”. Pretty solid issue overall: I like Tony Daniel’s understated Raven. (B.)
Self Knowledge & Mastery
Willingham’s dialogue and McDaniel’s action scenes in Robin #140 are peppered with interesting ideas and references, ranging from the; ;legacy of war heroes, the ethics and psychology of the Dark Knight & the JLA, and a new way of looking at recent world wars. Thus Willingham proves he can write dialogue for Robin that’s as clever and intriguing as anything Bendis writes for Daredevil, as once again, Tim Drake proves himself the slickest Robin ever. (So slick that the reader isn’t sure if Tim isn’t intent on playing Batman and the Veteran against each another for his own maximum advantage, the same way a promising recent graduate will play perspective employers against each other for the better deal.) The one drawback to this, is that however well McDaniel draws action scenes, I wish his characters had more detailed facial expressions, the better to read their emotions and reactions in conversation (I felt much the same about Sprouse’s characters in Ennis’ Ocean, for example). I also find myself hoping that the Darla Aquista subplot, interesting as it looks, doesn’t derail the Spec Ops story. This looks to get get pretty intense. (A.) After four months ‘watching’ the denizens of Hells Kitchen speak out about their local ‘man without fear’, Matt Murdock takes ‘center stage’, in Daredevil #75, and what a performance it is! Clearly, self knowledge isn’t always a blessing. Matt could have been delivering his Last Will & Testament here. It’s THAT intense. (A+)
People You Share a ‘Fridge With.
Being pressed for time, I’ll just say a few words about this week’s team books. I enjoyed the action, shocks and surprises in Brubaker & Nguyen’s Authority Revolution #10 (great issue long battle) and Millar & Hitch’s Ultimates 2 #7 (loved the dialogue between Tony and Thor), so much so, that I’m pretty hard pressed to say which I enjoyed more. I also enjoyed the way Simone & Bennett ratchet up the soap-ish melodrama in ** Birds of Prey #84** as Oracle confesses her sins before going under the knife. And that isn’t the half of it, with the Huntress leading her crew against the mob, and twelve kung fu mutha@$#kers coming to Metropolis (or are they in Gotham. (I’m getting confused here). What a dense book! I hope the Canary and the ‘Cat recruit a few more martial arts bad@sses for their big last stand. (A’s all.)
I couldn’t find copies of the new Love & Rockets, Vol. 2 #14 or Hellboy: the Island #2 last night. Did either book come out in your neck of the woods?
A Quick Edit: Scratch this,…
[QUOTE=WonK]
Being pressed for time, I’ll just say a few words about this week’s team books. I enjoyed the action, shocks and surprises in Brubaker & Nguyen’s Authority Revolution #10 (great issue long battle) and Millar & Hitch’s Ultimates 2 #7 (loved the dialogue between Tony and Thor), so much so, that I’m pretty hard pressed to say which I enjoyed more. I also enjoyed the way Simone & Bennett ratchet up the soap-ish melodrama in ** Birds of Prey #84** as Oracle confesses her sins before going under the knife. And that isn’t the half of it, with the Huntress leading her crew against the mob, and twelve kung fu mutha@$#kers coming to Metropolis (or are they in Gotham. (I’m getting confused here). What a dense book! I hope the Canary and the ‘Cat recruit a few more martial arts bad@sses for their big last stand. (A’s all.)QUOTE]
Replace with,…
Being pressed for time, I’ll just say a few words about this week’s team books. I enjoyed the action, shocks and surprises in Brubaker & Nguyen’s Authority Revolution #10 and Millar & Hitch’s Ultimates 2 #7 so much so, that I’m pretty hard pressed to say which I enjoyed more. The patience of the Authority readers (those of us who hung on) was definitely rewarded this issue, as Bendix takes the fight to Jenny Quantum, the new Doctor and the rest of the Authority, and very quickly get’s “our guys” on the ropes. The new Rose Tatoo is sexy as hell, and you just gotta’ see what Brubaker did with the Midnighter this issue. I also liked the conversations between Tony and Thor, and the rather long one between Hank and Jan. I feel sorry for Cap. Jan’s complexities are beyond him. Simone & Bennett really ratchet up the soap-ish melodrama in ** Birds of Prey #84** as Oracle confesses her sins before going under the knife. And that isn’t the half of it, with the Huntress leading her crew against the mob, and twelve kung fu mutha@$#kers coming to Metropolis (or are they in Gotham. (I’m getting confused here). What a dense book! I hope the Canary and the ‘Cat recruit a few more martial arts bad@sses for their big last stand. (A’s all.)
My only new acquisition this week: a first printing of Gaiman and Bachalo’s Death: The High Cost of Living hardcover, which I got in a trade for my Starman: Sins of the Father TPB. (I already have all the Starman singles, so I didn’t need that TPB too.) The dust cover on the Death book is ripped and sun-faded and looks beaten to hell, but the book itself is in fine condition. It will be nice to own this story in an attractive hardcover format on better-quality paper.