Of course, everything is arriving late, due to Labor Day. Here’s the thread, in preparation.
For the first time in months I managed to get out of work early enough to get to the LCS yesterday evening. D’oh!
For my birthday I got copies of Blankets and Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, so it was pretty good haul this year.
–Cliffy
The Manhattan Guardian #4 - creepy, stuffed with Grant Morrisonized-Silver Age storytelling and builds to a great climax, though its gonna be a pain to wait to see how everything wraps up (but thats true for the whole Seven Soldiers series).
Oooh! My Fantastic Four DVD ROM came in. Muhuhaha! That completes my run of the FF, with style, from a noncollectible point of view.
Congrats! Collectibility is a bunch of industry-wrecking hooey. Ownership of what you love is completely awesome.
I don’t have my books yet and I forget exactly what’s coming out this week. I know there’s Villians United #5, Manhattan Guardian #4, the first issue of Garth Ennis’ Ghost Rider miniseries, and Warren Ellis’ new book Fell, which I’m going to try. I’m sure I have a bunch more too.
Oh, cool. I’d heard of this a while ago and it seemed neat but then I lost track of it.
–Cliffy
I just got caught up on a two-month backlog of comics that I missed buying because I was in a bungalow in the Catskills rather than at home in the city. So, my haul:
JSA # 75-76: Fantastic. What a beautiful focus on Atom Smasher. You can actually feel Black Adam’s anguish over his “brother.” Top-notch work from Mr. Johns.
JSA Classified # 1-2: Eh. It’s a decent enough story, and I like how Power Girl’s angst is explored, but she was re-defined as Arion’s granddaughter almost the second the Crisis was over, it wasn’t contradicted like Hawkman’s or Donna Troy’s was, and I never realized (until her recent appearances in JSA) that anyone had a problem with that. Hopefully, her real origin is a compelling story, but the whole issue seems unnecessarily manufactured out of thin air.
Rann-Thanagar War # 3-4: Great war and space-opera action.
OMAC Project # 3-5 and Sacrifice 4-parter: The Sacrifice story did not need to be four issues, the first three “iterations” of Superman’s Lord-induced delusion could have been much shorter. Still, Wonder Woman’s part in this was very well done, and points to her being a unique personality rather than a generic hero who happens to be the strongest female. The actual OMAC miniseries has turned a bit disappointing; I was enjoying the spy-paranoia genre story, and now it just seems to be a big battle against a villainous machine. I can continue to hope that it will end with only one man - Buddy Blank - capable of turning into OMAC, but I have a feeling it won’t tie into that continuity.
Finally, my favorite, Legion of Super-Heroes # 8-9: Brainiac 5 seems to have become Vril Dox reincarnated, but I don’t find that so bad…Vril was a fascinating character. The rest of the cast is fun as well…Ultra Boy, Invisible Kid,Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Triplicate Girl stick out for me…but it seems that Brainy is the engine that drives this iteration of the team, and it works well.
Garth Ennis doing a Ghost Rider mini?
Woot! I gotta check that out.
(I finally got excited about the upcoming movie when I learned Sam Elliot is playing Caretaker)
I side with these guys on that issue.
They also cover the Hawkman and Donna Troy SNAFUs. Good reading if you have some free time.
First time buying new comics in the new city. In theory there are four LCS’s around Cincinnati, but I have only found two. I like the way one handles back issues, but not how they handle new comics and via versa with the other. Like in South Jersey I’ll probably use one almost exclusively for new comics and the other almost exclusively for old comics, unless of course the two stores that I haven’t found are better at either.
Anyway, I picked up Villians United and Outsiders. I also finally found #11 of Dan Slott’s run on She-Hulk. For some reason nobody had that particular one. One though ten? No problem. Twelve? plenty of them. #11? Nope, sorry. Never heard of it. I haven’t got around to reading anything. Maybe tonight.
Manhattan Guardian 4 - not my favourite 7S series, but I’ve been enjoying it. I’m liking the tie-ins with the other series happening, but I’m glad the Seven Soldiers themselves aren’t meeting, yet.
Supreme Power: Nighthawk #1 - Looking good, so far, actually. I wasn’t expecting to like it, since Nighthawk’s probably my least favourite character from the series, and the Doctor Spectrum mini (I love Doc) was such a disappointment, but I had to read it anyway, just in case. I was pleasantly surprised.
A blowjob and a cigarette and a murderer goes free. Almost beginning to think Kyle has a point.
Superman/Shazam First Thunder #1: Loves me some Big Red Cheese. So, if this happens very early in Superman’s career, before even Hal and barry show up, then that must beam that Billy must be… No. That way madness lies. Just go with it. Not much to crow about yet, but they’re still warming up.
Aquaman #34: The solution to Mera’s problem couldn’t be more obvious if it were tattoed on Arthur’s face.
**Villains United #5: ** Definitely the highlight of the week. Some amazing cjharacterizations (LOVE Vandal Savage), brutal Machiavellian plottings, and the first clearer hints of what’s coming in InfCri proper. Worse than Luthor with the combined might of all tose baddies behind him? That’s a pretty big promise. Can DC deliver?
Guardian #4: It’d be perfec if Morrison wasn’t going to leave us hanging. All seven issues in one book? I’ll believe it when I see it, Grant. is Lil’ Hollywood Gimmix?
Y: The Last Man #37: Alas, poor Yorick. It’s no wonder he’s so screwed up.
Serenity #3: Much better, although I had trouble following what happened to the Blue Men (which was kinda anticlimatic, whatever it was). now, go see the movie! You won’t regret it!
Well, I don’t dispute that. It’s a retcon, and after the Crisis, there were going to be a lot of retcons of Earth-2 characters, especially someone so intimately tied to a character who’d been retconned out of existence (Earth-2 Superman). But given that, it’s a retcon that had been undisputed in comics for almost twenty years, and she’d appeared in Arion’s mini-series and in Aquaman as someone with an Atlantis connection. Why a sudden urge to decide that it wasn’t a good enough retcon I have no idea.
3 is out? Bugger me, I only just got 2!
More reading done…
Villains United 5 - Even if the story sucked, VU would be worth it for the dialogue alone. Luckily the story doesn’t suck.
No surprise to the traitor, although the revelation said traitor…uhm…revealed just prior to it was a bit. Not much. Just a little.
I pegged Ches’s motives for sleeping with Blake pretty well, it looks.
I brought a bunch of comics to my shop to trade in, hopefully for store credit, and they took a lot off my hands: Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries and its sequel from JLA Classified, OMAC Project #1-4, Identity Crisis #1, JSA: The Liberty File TPB, and a few Fantastic Four, Flash, and Hawkman TPBs by Mark Waid and Geoff Johns. I also sold my recent Zatanna #1 to a kid who works at the store for $5.
In exchange, I got:
Coup D’Etat TPB
JLA: American Dreams TPB (Morrison)
JLA: Rock of Ages TPB (Morrison)
She-Hulk: Single Green Female TPB
X-Statix: Back From the Dead TPB (3)
X-Statix: Vs. Avengers TPB (4)
Animal Man #24-25 (Morrison)
Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood #1-6
Catwoman #20 (Brubaker)
Villains United #5
And next week, they’ll give me a DC Direct Captain Atom action figure when they get some more in. I feel like I got a great deal, things I wanted for things I no longer wanted.
Outsdiers #28: Ah, back to the main plot. Capt. Marvel Jr. as an Outsider? Isn’t he a bit too squeaky clean to fix in the Outsiders group? The guy quoted Elvis in a battle for Pete’s sake. Nice characterization for the team. I wish we had seen more Roy, but the book is only so long. Are Dick and Barbara still a couple?
Villains United #5: Holy cameos, Catman! First Psycho Pirate pops up in JSA: Classified, now Pariah? I’d half expect Harbinger to show up, but that won’t be happening. Not easily at least. Also happy to see Sinestro. Lady Quark? Didn’t she disappear in the Crisis? Who wants to play name the baddie with the two page spread towards the end? I recognize (left to right) Dr. Psycho, Deadshot, Scarecrow, a dinged up Weather Wizard, Solomon Grundy, Capt. Nazi, Toyman, Deadman (?), Teth Adam, the Shark (?), and what looks like Bizzaro Mr. Terrific. Who did I miss?
Nope…Her, Pariah, and Harbinger went off together at the end.
Ones I can ID that you haven’t (And that wouldn’t be Deadman, though I can’t figure out who it is.):
Ragdoll (I’m looking forward to him and the Six’s Ragdoll running into eachother.), next to the ball thing. I think that’s Amygdala on the other side of it.
Knockout under Grundy’s arm.
Amazo, in front of Grundy, and behind Shark.
Humpty Dumpty beside him.
Giganta in front of Shark.
Mallah, with his ear bandaged, in front of Ragdoll.
What looks like a new (female) Fiddler next to him.
The guy in front of Giganta, with all the scars looks familiar, but I can’t place him.
Also, I assume you meant Deathstroke when you said Deadshot (who was still inside the mansion at the time).
Top: Deathstroke, Scarecrow, Weather Wizard, Black Adam
Second:* Guy in back with Shotgun*, Skull on Chest, Captain Nazi (Now Bald!), The Atomic Skull (but didn’t he just die over in Superman/Batman?), Ragdoll (the other one, supposedly brother of the one in the Six), Big Guy in wife beater.
Third: Dr. Psycho, Grundy, Guy in White, Knockout, Amazo, Green Guy, the Ventriloquist?, a female Fiddler?, Mallah*, Bug-eyes*
Fourth: Humpty-Dumpty, The Shark (or possibly King Shark), Giganta, Mr. Zsasz, Mr. Horriffic.
Italics are just descriptions, not names.
New Books for September 8th:
Punisher 26: was a decent enough set up for the upcoming arc. I do wish Ennis had let us in on the details of Viorca’s story, the better to enjoy the terrible vengeance Frank is sure to shower down on the Eastern European white slavers. I suspect we’ll get the horrible details soon enough, intercut with the scenes of Frank at work. As ever, “Go Frank, Go!”
It was great seeing Middleton’s art again in Superman/Shazam: First Thunder #1.. I was surprised to find people complaining about his facial expressions, which I rather liked. They fit the simplicity of Winnick’s script this issue with along with the stories setting, in the more innocent Silver Age, compared to the darker DCU of today. They also go hand in hand with the heroic look of his Superman and Capt. Marvel, whose anatomy, and the perspective from which we see them, which reminds me of the iconic quality of the way Alex Ross renders these characters. For some reason I really like the way he renders smoke. For me, the only problem in this regard was the look of the civilains, which was far too contemporary to have taken place so far in the past.
Villains United has been solid from issue #1, Eaglesham’s “acting” complementing Simones’ characterizations perfectly. For me the highlights of issue #5 were the Parademon’s line about garbage as food, the appearance of Vandal Savage (which leads me to suspect he might show up next issue to save Scandal’s butt), the interaction between Catman, Deadshot, Scandal and Cheshire, the deal with Mockingbird, and of course Cheshire’s evil wiles. Of the five or six storylines DC spun off from “Countdown to Crisis”, this has been the best by far, and the only one I would care to see continue beyond the current storyline, membership and creative team intact. However if some of them must go down fighting next issue, let it be a glorious battle with heroic deaths, akin to the final hour of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”! “Banzai!”
I foundUltimate Spider-Man #82 okay, but then I only read this title once in a while. I’ve been picking this arc up to see what Bendis and Bagley do with Shang Chi and Danny Rand. Now that the action’s moved away from last issue’s Chinatown setting, I guess they’re out of the picture, for now, something I found disappointing. That said, i really enjoyed the banter between Parker and Felicia this issue, and was actually relieved and grateful to see Parker later, think out his options, and talk to himself the way any red-blooded young male would, when presented with the kind of opportunity the Cat’s offering. Fun stuff.
I’ve been enjoying Scott Eaton’s rendering and storytelling throughout House of M: Fantastic Four and issue #3 was no exception. My gripe, such that it is, had to do with the story. I found myself wishing Big John Layman had pushed the ending to Shakespearean extremes, lingering longer on the deaths of Doom’s wifea and adopted son, and having Doom die in pained disarray. Obviously I’m thinking Macbeth here. Certainly it would have required another issue, and whoever planned out this crossover event may well have plans for the dispirited Doom , but I think it would’ve been worth it.
Winnick’s Outsiders is the one book where his character work and dialogue really shines. As I’ve remarked in the past, I’ve also gotten attached to the newbies: Grace, Thunder, Shift and the Dear, Dead Indigo. I enjoyed all of the conversations this issue, esp. the heart-to-heart talk between Shift and Metamorpho about Indigo’s passing. The conversation between Nightwing and Starfire was pretty intriguing. Not for the first time, it occurs to me that Dick Greyson may retire soon from the vigilante life, and take Kory with him, which would be fine with me. I’ll miss him, but the DCU is getting too dark for him. Better Nightwing leave now, before Devin Greyson kills him.
As an interim issue, between arcs, this would serve as a good jumping on point, or a good jumping OFF point, which sadly might be the case for me. As much as I love the newbies, I can’t say I’m thrilled with Matthew Clark’s layouts. They’re lifeless, and not a bit schematic in quality, like Ale Garza’s work at times on Batgirl. Looking at these pages, i find myself missing Tom Raney’s take on the team which complemented Winnick’s characterizations a lot better than Clark’s. (Compare the two artists work on the title, and you’ll see what I mean.) I’ll give it another arc and see.
Gotham Central #35 was solid, as always. It’s nice to have titles you can count on. Now that we’ve met Felix Swack , and shared Detective Chris’ discovery this issue, I can’t help but think Swack gets off on pretending to be Batman, and the Robin that Stacy has been meeting on the roof, will be the next Robin to die. Of course this is an easy bet, as we haven’t met any other compelling suspects yet, and there’s only one issue left to go. Thoughts on this theory, folks?
Howard Chaykin’s City of Tommorrow came to a close with** issue #6,** with plenty of plot threads left open for a possible sequel. This has been Chaykin’s most sucessful miniseries in some time, and I enjoyed every page of gratuitous sex and violence. It’s interesting to compare his work with Matthew Clark’s, discussed above in my review of Outsiders. Both men’s rendering style is a bit on the sketchy side, but Chaykin’s strong sense of composition makes each shot and facial expression work. Chaykin’s work has always had this quality, however slight or overbaked the script. In interviews he’s spoken of studying the work of the illustrators of the Golden Age of American magazine illustration (roughly from 1900 to 1970, when photography fully supplemented painted illustration in American periodicals) and New Yorker magazine cartoons - work where the artist had to get across a ton of storytelling information and characterization in a single image. Looking over this miniseries, and comparing to stuff like his American Flagg! and Shadow miniseries, I gotta’ say, all the study has paid off.
I picked up Uncanny Xmen #464 and Witchblade #87 to see how Chris Bachalo’s work looks these days. I do like the man’s work, but there are times (particularly on his “Steampunk” where I thought he’d gone overboard. The pages were unreadable, and I quickly dropped the books. I did the same during his 90’s run *Genration *XI’m glad to say he’s allowing more space between his figures, and cutting back on the shadows and heavy black areas, both problems which plagued his work on Millar’s run on “Ultimate Xmen” and Morrison’s run on “New Xmen”. It’s much more readable now, though I could quibble about page 17 of his issue of Witchblade where Tom Quick is circling around trying to get the drop on Sara Pezzini. When the figures overlap like this, the figures become too difficult to tell apart.
I also picked up Supreme Power: Nighthawk and Ghost Rider. I’ll be discussing those in reviews for the Millarworld Magazine.
I’ve not much to say, other than, as someone who has thought Yorick Brown was the hottest guy in comics for years, I really enjoyed
the last frame of this week’s Y: The Last Man