It must be 3 weeks since we last convened and cast our verdict on the week's floppies. That's very lax, people.
What did you buy? What was good? What was not? What surprised you? Did anyone buy Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born? How was that? Was Shazam as dreamy as I hoped? Does anyone actually read Supergirl? Did anyone buy Civil War: The Road To Civil War TPB? Are you receiving medication for this condition at the present time? I'm interested to hear. So interested in fact I'll spare you my verbose verdicts and we can get straight in on yours.
i bought the new walking dead, even after i promised myself i would wait for the paperback. really enjoyed it. i also got Robots vs Zombies which is shaping out nicely. i was a bit confused about the whole blood being transmitted as a worm virus thing but the art made up for it. http://ashleybambaland.blogspot.com/
I got the killer#2 which was really good, that guy is seriously messed up. Scalped was probably my best read of the week with it again still feeling like i've read two comics in one. After the fireworks of the last punisher story this one seems a little tame but i suppose it's only the second issue of the story. I thought i'd give nightly news a try a few weeks back and found it quite a harrowing read but the second issue is better than the first i thought and easier to read after the first.
Killer #2 IS really good. I really liked the broken-up artwork about 2/3 of the way through. The story is great too.
Let's see... Fell #7 was a bit disappointing, without spoiling the plot I can see where the idea came from, but that kind of story is generally much later on in police procedurals. As they're self-contained issues it remains to be seen if this feeds back into an overall story arc. And where was the much-touted backmatter? A few pages from Casanova #1 are useless to me, I've already read it!
Bullet Points 4, really really good - the artwork seems a bit sketchy, but it works for me. Storyline is really getting going, and the final issue will hopefully wrap it up nicely.
Back to Ellis again with Newuniversal 3. Oh dear, we have a hard-boiled tough-talking female character. Never seen that before. But it's still hitting the buildup pretty hard, the payoff had better be good!
Confession: I forgot to pick up Scalped #2 - I'll have to pop back this week.
I have just read The Punisher and l have been moved to log on and demand that we at The OKComics Forum form a pressure group. A group with the stated aim of wiping out the use of Samuel L Jackson as photo reference for any and all black characters. It's distracting. Also, Is Samuel L Jackson the only gentleman of colour in the world? I rather think not.
More generally, enough with the famous faces ! Put the photos down and just y'know draw a face like a y'know artist. I don't want poorly drawn versions of Simon Pegg/Tommy Lee Jones/Eminem etc etc in my comics. It kinda ruins the suspension of disbelief. Stop it!
Did no-one read Shazam? Dark Tower? How come nobody bought any X-Men/Wolverine? Huh?
Shazam? Just finished it. Good not brilliant but enjoyable. And better than the Trials of Anybody Who Reads Shazam thingy. But Smith's rendering of the human form is painfully poor at time. Some of the perspective leaves a lot to be desired.
Ghost Rider: Trail Of Tears - a GR series I might actually continue buying. Ennis is good but it's Crain's art that makes this title worth picking up.
Still enjoying the Helmet Of Fate titles (Sargon is out this week).
And unfortunately the Creeper hs finished it's six issue run.
Still to read The Killer, Dark Tower & Desperadoes: Buffalo Dreams ~ but I've a wedding to go to before I get to them.
i got all this weeks X-Men comics, but have yet to read any of them. I generally keep most my weekly stash until sunday afternoon and chill out reading them.
I've read, and really enjoyed Jonah Hex, Bullet Points, Fell, Ghost Rider, New Universal, Scalped, Action Comics Annual. Books With Pictures is well worth checking out. It's a new indie title about a girl who works at a comic book shop. Anybody who hasn't read it already should definately check out Star Wars Tag and Bink Are Here. It's a humorous reworking of the starwars movies from the point of view of two reluctant stormtroopers. But the surprise hit of the week, for me, is definately The Secret, from Dark Horse. It's got a feel of a teen horror movie, but with more subtle characters and wonderful painted artwork by Jason Alexander (kind of like Kent Williams).
It's really interesting but, surprise surprise, extremely slowly paced. Everybody in it looks like a famous film star. Angelina Jolie, James Gandalfini, Johnny Depp, Gene Hackman, James Cromwell..... Bruce Willis is my favorite.
I read Fell. That was it. I don't know why everyone is criticising this issue, I thought it was great. I love Templesmith's artwork and I thought that the introduction of the colour splashes to show the drugs concoctions was really fine. Particularly as he uses it on the front cover as a total contrast to the previous six issues.
The Secret sounds interesting, I saw that in store and thought that the art looked pretty good. I might pick it up!
THE GOOD Jonah Hex #16: Boy! Those frontier women sure had a hard time. I fully expect Doctor Light to appear in future issues, all that r*ping and female abuse, and no Doctor Light! Why that's just plumb loco, Sir! Big Bad Brad Meltzer could write it, he could be Cap'n Light, of The 7th R*pe Brigade or something. It could lead into Crisis On Infinite Prairies. Er....anyway Gray & Palmiotti seem to have got the hang of telling a straightforward story and although Noto is no Bernet he's okay. Very Good. Maybe just good if you don't have a fan-thing for ol' Jonah.
The Punisher #44: "God Loves. Frank Kills!" Do you see what I did there X-fans! Ho! Ho! Every Punisher arc is the same. And every one is great. So this is great. But horrible. As usual.
Loveless #15 In which Brian "The" Az demonstrates that people always need someone to look down on, even the people you look down on, and if you're at the bottom you best run and get you a gun. Beautiful art and a serious story with a <blimey!> clear point. Great. Best comic I read this week.
THE BAD: Squadron Supreme: Hyperion Vs. Nighthawk #2 : WOW! This AWFUL! It's pretty much issue #1 but remixed from Batman's instead of Superman's (or whatever they're called) point of view. Even some of the art is re-used. I have been conned. Oh, it's Marvel. Terrible. STAY AWAY FROM THIS!
THE DOWNRIGHT STOMACH CHURNINGLY UGLY
Action Comics Annual #10 Oh, Geoff Johns! How you amuse me. Kids! How many images of Superman dying can you find in this book? What's your favourite, lil Timmy?; Superman choking on his own blood or Superman's out of control heat vision incinerating lovable Jimmy Olsen and co, amongst oh so many others? So hard to choose! (Geoff Johns really liked Miracleman Book 3, didn't he? Maybe a tad too much do you reckon? Yeah, me too.)
If there is one superhero who doesn't need "edgying", "grittifying" or "maturicating" it's Supes. That should be obvious to a dumb man's elbow.
This apparently sets the scene for the next year of Action comics. Judging by the rate Action comics comes out it's going to be a busy four issues. The artwork however is great. Art Adams!, Joe Kubert!, some other people! Great art, sloppy, sick and self indulgent scripting. Bizarro is in it too, goodbye Bizarro! Me am not liking you the worst!
"Everybody in it looks like a famous film star. Angelina Jolie, James Gandalfini, Johnny Depp, Gene Hackman, James Cromwell..... Bruce Willis is my favorite."
sounds brilliant! Most Ellis stuff I get in trade as it seems to read better in one big go, can't wait for this.
My only problem with Action Comics Annual was trying to give Non a backstory. Non, Zod, Ursa and Jor El were all bezzy mates, two pages later they want to eat his children. Utter nonsense.
Yeah that Non stuff was a bit odd. Nice to see that even on super advanced Krypton they still have to cut your skull open for a lobotomy. Subtle touch, that.
"Everybody in it looks like a famous film star. Angelina Jolie, James Gandalfini, Johnny Depp, Gene Hackman, James Cromwell..... Bruce Willis is my favorite."
It's a bit dull and predictable isn't it, though. Howsabout:
"Everybody in it looks like a famous person. Avril Lavigne, Bob Hope, The Chuckle Brothers, Jim Bowen, Thomas Pynchon..... David Jason is my favorite."
Sadly Da Hopester left the world a poorer place in 2003.
But that shouldn’t bar him from featuring in modern challengingly transgressive picto-literature. Surely the sight of Bob Hope in “The Road To…Newuniversal” drop kicking a robo-rottweiler’s face off while smoking, swearing and quoting large parts of New Scientist articles with a syringe hanging out of his arm would brighten all our days. It would mine.
Thomas Pynchon? That ugly bast can keep his gnarly mug away from my four color funnies. On a lighter note. I saw David Jason again the other day. And once again I was to scared to speak to my hero.
Punisher #44 really good read, im still waiting to find out what was with that crazy chick from #43.
I also bought this week Wolverine #50 which i didnt think i would like but shall deffinately be buying the next few issues, I also picked up Punisher War Journal #2 and #3, both giving interesting insites into the whole cap and frank thing from CW. Had a interesting chat when i bought them that centered on the fact that there could be two punishers as both depictions on each issues cover looked different. Possibly a clone?
