This Week In Comics: 03/09/2005

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for March 9th, 2005 - March 15th, 2005!

This is the place to discuss the comics you've bought this week, whether it be a brand new title or old back-issues. We also welcome and encourage talk about comics in general - news you've read on comic news sites, the state of the industry in general, upcoming issues you're excited about, etc. All we ask is that you please use spoiler brackets in the event that your comments get too detailed concerning a particular storyline. This way the book won't be ruined for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.diamondcomics.com/shipping/shipping_030905.txt).

To find a comic book store near you, check out the Comic Shop Locator Service (http://csls.diamondcomics.com/).

Comic store too far away from where you live? Want to support Toon Zone? We've teamed up with Things From Another World (http://www.tfaw.com/) to provide an avenue for you to buy comics. Click here (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1001569-5533438?url=http://www3.tfaw.com/comics/newreleases.html?cart=3183189286606656?qt=cjtoonzone) to see a listing of this week's comics being offered by TFAW.




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Highlights of the Week!




Clayface's Picks:


http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/med/00/00075.jpg (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=00-075)......http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/2741_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2741)

Concrete: The Human Dilemma #3..............Gotham Central #29..........





Ace the Bathound's Picks:


http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/med/00/00075.jpg (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=00-075)......http://www.onipress.com/covers/longhaul.jpg (http://www.onipress.com/graphicnovels/gn.php?id=108)

Concrete: The Human Dilemma #3..................The Long Haul...............





Fray's Pick:


http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0305/XMAOA002_COV.jpg (http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0305/XMAOA002_550.jpg)

X-Men: Age Of Apocalypse #2 (of 6)




Randomguy's Pick:


http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/2678_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2678)

Adam Strange #6 (of 8)




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[Spider-Man]

I'm surprised to see how quiet of a week it is going to be so thankfully I can use the money I usually put aside for new comics into something from the back issue catalogue or maybe even a new trade. I had a blast reading both V For Vendeta last weel as well as DC: The New Frontier so I'm definitely going to look for some similar reads. I see that Grant Morrison did the first 40 odd issues of the JLA comic which I may look into. Plus with the next She-Hulk trade a month off I may pick up the first volume and give it a test run. It's nice to have a slow week so I can look back on some older releases.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

One of the Marvel licenses are for inspirational posters for the workplace (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/03/marvel_motivate.html) suitable for snickering at or wondering why the company spent money on these when they skipped out on raises. Their choice for "Commitment?"

The Punisher (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/03/the_punishercom.html).

Newsarama's Super-Articulate column talks to a honcho at ToyBiz (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29190).

Top Shelf Productions, publisher of the works of James Kolchaka and Craig Thompson (Blankets), is having a massive sale (http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog.php?section=specialdeals&PHPSESSID=561075c0945402d8582d60af8e59ad5c), with a bunch of books available for $1 and $3. Tom Spurgeon helpfully provides a guide to what you ought to take advantage of (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/cr_reviews/1104/).

Comics as journalism? Sure, according to the esteemed Columbia Journalism Review (http://www.cjr.org/issues/2005/2/ideas-essay-williams.asp). Mentions Joe Sacco (mentioned in an earlier BPoL) and Art Spiegelman, along with Alan Moore's Brought to Light. Warning: political content ahead.

Takes guts to write a comic with Nazi cops as your lead character. Chuck Dixon's got guts -- Newsarama has a preview of The Iron Ghost #1 (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29168).

Brian Michael Bendis updates (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29174) on the status of New Avengers, Wha...Huh?, and House of M. Apparently, Peter David's claim (http://peterdavid.malibulist.com/archives/002650.html) that "M" stood for "Mode," as in The Incredibles Edna Mode wasn't quite accurate.

Finally, a much belated comic remix (http://www.popcultureshock.com/features.php?id=910) that riffs off the recent rash of Marvel's What If? titles.

-- Ed/Ace

[PaQ]

Back to a regular week. 7 Comics: 3 DC, 2 Speakeasy, 1 Marvel & 1 Image.

JSA #71 - Easily the best issue of the current JSA/JSA arc. Mr. Terrific against the KKK was entertaining, as awas Atom Smasher interrupting the Atom, or Stargirl showing Starman the right way of things, and Hourman saving his dad. The JSA is reformed, now it's on Degaton. ****

Nightwing #105 - I have to laugh, because this would be only a situation that Batman would get into. Try to give the new kid a test, and have others interrupt and make it more dangerous. Barbara setting Dick up, I wasn't surprised, but he certainly was. I never did read much with Jason Todd, other than 'A Death in the Family', so it is refreshing to see him in action, and it's even better to have Dick in the lead. See if the kids can bring back Alfred. ****

Superman #214 - Very quickly, Lee & Azzarello are really putting together quite the ending. Superman and Zod are going at it, and Supes is able to send the key back to the preacher man. At least we got to see how he made Jor-El and co., I wasn't sure what they were till then. I'm looking forward to seeing how it wraps up, still won't make up for the very slow first 10 or so issues of 'For Tomorrow'. ***

Armor X #1 - First issue, and.. it wasn't that bad. It definitely is a series that takes a controversial premise, having the main character be a kid that most call "Columbine", and have him find that special alloy and at the end of the issue attacking some of the jocks at the prom. Not to mention the blind girl he tutors saying she got her date by saying she'd sleep with him. Very provocative opening series. I'm going to stick with it for now, the art looks great. ***

Ultimate Fantastic Four #16 - As much as I like FF, I can't stand Ellis and his slow pace. It really seems like this current 'N-zone' arc could be an issue or two shorter, and I don't think anyone is surprised with what happened at the end of this issue. Although, ironic the two that they chose to get their helmet's destroyed, probably won't be affected by the air I bet. **

The Grimoire #1 - What a great start to this fresh, interesting series. The art looks great, and the issue was very fast paced with a lot of unique characters and what seems to be a pretty good storyline developing. Is the raccoon really her dad's familiar? Will she get the Grimoire to her dad? Why does her mom want to stop her? Plenty of questions I have, and I look forward to reading the next issue. ****

Atomika #1 - Well, it looks like you can't win them all. Everything that had me excited about Grimoire, was the exact opposite for Atomika. The first issue felt like nothing really happened, it felt like a long prologue, looking into how Atomika came to be. It didn't really catch me, and the art was average despite the awesome cover by Alex Ross. Unlike Grimoire, I won't be continuing this series. **

New Avengers #4 got delayed to next week I noticed. =[

[Trent Lane]

This was a catch-up week for me, I picked up Superman 213-214, Robin, Batman Strikes 7, and Justice League Unlimited 7. Normally, I wouldn't post about it, but I had to say something about JLU #7. This was by far the best issue of this series, story and art wise. It didn't feel dumbed-down storywise and the art reminded me of some of the Mike Manley art from the Superman Adventures. If you don't normally pick it up, I would suggest at least giving this month a try...

[Chad Bonin]

Like others, it was a very "Catch Up" week for me.

JAN050352 MAJESTIC #3 (MR) $2.99
DEC040240 SUPERMAN #214 $2.50
JAN051817 MARY JANE HOMECOMING #1 (OF 4) $2.99
DEC041740 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #16 $2.25
JAN051862 X-MEN THE END HEROES AND MARTYRS #1 (OF 6) $2.99

Also grabbed last week's Top Cow Preview.

Now, from the back issue bin...

X-Universe (The old Age of Apocalypse "Where everyone else is" special... probably gonna see if I can trade it back in)
Amalgam Comics: Magneto And The Magnetic Men (My quest to get all Amalgam continues...)
Married With Children: Quantum Quartet #1 (Random comic)
Darkchylde: Remastered #1 (I liked the manga version...)
Birds of Prey #75, #76 (Coworker loves it, so I figured I'd hop on this arc)
Super Dooper Groovy Space Chicks #0 (Found it in the bin...)

[Clayface]

This week at the store I picked up:

ADAM STRANGE #6 (OF 8)

CONCRETE: HUMAN DILEMMA #3 (OF 6)

GOTHAM CENTRAL #29

THE PUNISHER #18 - I hate to admit it, but my interest in the Punisher has waned significantly. I much prefered the dark, twisted, absurd humor of the previous Ennis incarnation to the dark depressing "serious" version we've got now. I used to look forward to reading Punisher each month, but now it's almost become a chore for me. The writing is still solid, and characterization good. But without the absurd humor to lighten things up a bit, this book is just too dark and gritty, to the point where I'm just not enjoying it as much. Yeah, we still get some black humor, but nothing that makes me laugh out loud like the old stuff did. This book is starting to rise on my drop list. Anyway, this issue finishes out the "Mother Russia" storyline in a logical but unsatisfying way, with oft repeated messages on politics and corruption (another reason I'm starting to get bored with the book). Not terrible, but nothing that makes me excited to return for the next issue. 3 out of 5

SAMURAI: HEAVEN & EARTH #3 (OF 5)

SUPERMAN #214 I really liked the first half of this run by Azzarello, but then things just fizzled after that. This issue was dense with information, some of which could be confusing on the first read through, and I thought some of the characters' motivations were questionable. I do find it interesting that we're seeing what appears to be the making of a new OMAC, especially in light of the upcoming mini-series by the same name by Rucka which is supposedly tied into the "Countdown" storyline. Makes me wonder what other groundwork for the upcoming event is being laid out elsewhere that I'm missing. Anyway, I'm eager to see the conclusion of this storyline next issue, if only so that I can drop Superman from my pull list. 2 out of 5

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #16

I'll also be getting the new issue of Fables in my next shipment from DCBS.

Over the weekend I stopped at my local comic shop because they were having a back-issue bin sale ($0.25 each). I picked up a bunch of Tick comics, which were all pretty disappointing - guess I shouldn't have expected them to be very good, since none of them were actually written by Ben Edlund. I also picked up some back-issues of Concrete ("Killer Smile" #3 & 4, "Fragile Creature" #1 & 2, "Eclectica" #1 & 2) All were excellent reads, and they only solidify by desire to read more of Chadwick's creation. I also picked up a Bill Willingham Vertigo mini-series called Proposition Player. Unfortunately, I was only able to find issue 1-5 (of 6), so I don't know how it ends. It's an entertaining read, though I have to say it borrows heavily from ideas Neil Gaiman already explored in Sandman and his novel American Gods.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I see that Grant Morrison did the first 40 odd issues of the JLA comic which I may look into. Plus with the next She-Hulk trade a month off I may pick up the first volume and give it a test run.
I don't think you'll go wrong with the Grant Morrison and early Mark Waid issues of JLA. I still thought it was fun into the much-maligned Joe Kelly era, but not as much gonzo crazy over-the-top fun as it was, and I thought it really kind of stopped being fun after the issues in the "Rules of Engagement" story arc. However, it's an excellent series to pick up for something in the vein of DC: The New Frontier.

If you want more Darwyn Cooke-ish goodness, Selina's Big Score (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899221/qid=1110468438/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) is a terrific amount of fun, as is the first Catwoman (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899086/qid=1110468476/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) arc with Ed Brubaker.

Finally, if you liked V for Vendetta, I'd just make a blanket recommendation to at least take a look at anything that credits Alan Moore as the writer.


I also picked up some back-issues of Concrete ("Killer Smile" #3 & 4, "Fragile Creature" #1 & 2, "Eclectica" #1 & 2) All were excellent reads, and they only solidify by desire to read more of Chadwick's creation.
Fragile Creature may be my favorite Concrete story arc (it's the one about the movie, right?). Killer Smile is deeply unsettling, but any negative reaction I may have to it comes from being upset at what happens to poor Larry more than any failing in it as a comic book or as a story.

Most of the stuff in Eclectica got reprinted in one of the short-story collections. If cash and availability allow it, The Complete Concrete (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569710376/qid=1110468324/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) is a nice expensive oversized softcover that collects the 10-issues Chadwick did of the monthly comic.

Don't know if I've ever linked to it, but the Paul Chadwick Web Comicography (http://www.weisshahn.de/concrete/index2.htm) is a great site if you want to know what got reprinted where.


I also picked up a Bill Willingham Vertigo mini-series called Proposition Player. Unfortunately, I was only able to find issue 1-5 (of 6), so I don't know how it ends.
If you can't find the last issue, the entire series was traded (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156389808X/qid=1110467787/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) by Vertigo after the success of Fables. I thought it was a fun series, although the ending was a bit strange.

-- Ed/Ace

[Clayface]

Fragile Creature may be my favorite Concrete story arc (it's the one about the movie, right?).

Yep, it's the one about the movie. Wish I had been able to find the rest of the issues of it! Ah well, that's part of the fun of being a collector - the hunt.


Killer Smile is deeply unsettling, but any negative reaction I may have to it comes from being upset at what happens to poor Larry more than any failing in it as a comic book or as a story.

I was surprised by what a downer the ending was, but I still enjoyed it. Any comic that can get an emotional reaction out of the reader in that way is a well-written comic, IMO.


Most of the stuff in Eclectica got reprinted in one of the short-story collections. If cash and availability allow it, The Complete Concrete (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569710376/qid=1110468324/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) is a nice expensive oversized softcover that collects the 10-issues Chadwick did of the monthly comic.

Don't know if I've ever linked to it, but the Paul Chadwick Web Comicography (http://www.weisshahn.de/concrete/index2.htm) is a great site if you want to know what got reprinted where.

I'm torn on how I'm going to go about reading what I've missed so far. The collector side of me is looking forward to the challenge of hunting down the individual issues. But the Concrete fan in me just wants to get a hold of any collected volumes I can find so that I can read the stories as soon as possible. I actually just received the Concrete: Complete Short Stories, 1986-1989 TP through a swap on Sequential Swap (http://www.sequentialswap.com/) this week, though I haven't read it yet. I'm hoping to get a hold of most of the other collected volumes in the same way while I continue to hunt down the single issues at conventions and such.


If you can't find the last issue, the entire series was traded (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156389808X/qid=1110467787/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) by Vertigo after the success of Fables. I thought it was a fun series, although the ending was a bit strange.

Yeah, I actually saw that myself the other day. I'm hoping I can hunt down the last issue though. So far it's cost me a total of $1.25 for the first 5 issues. Even if I have to pay a little more than cover price for the last issue somewhere, it'll be cheaper than what I would have paid for the trade.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I'm torn on how I'm going to go about reading what I've missed so far. The collector side of me is looking forward to the challenge of hunting down the individual issues.
If it affects your decision at all, some of the original 10-issue run got reprinted in prestige-format comics that inserted extra material within the individual stories and sometimes added a backup story. The first 3 collections ("Complete" and the 2 short story collections) will contain all the extra material that you'd miss if you just went with the real single issues. They're also oversized, which serves Chadwick's art well.

There aren't too many extras that go along with the collected editions for the assorted minis, but what is there is pretty cool. For instance, Chadwick comments with the benefit of hindsight on Fragile Creature and gives a kind of director's commentary on how it grew from his experiences working on a small indie horror film. The essay about Earth First! in Think Like a Mountain is good context for the story, too.

Apologies for those who don't know what we're talking about, but you know how you can fix that? Go read Concrete. Trust me.

Moving on to the Pile of Links portion of our show, I have found one person who liked the Ben Reilly Clone Saga, and it's Rob Thomas, creator and head writer of Veronica Mars. This clip of an interview (http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=139&story=7628&page=8&sort=&limit=) reveals how he lifted a bit from the show from a bit of the Clone Saga. (Tip of the hat to Adam Tyner for pointing out the interviews (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=136044).)

Lots of people are talking about Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers. The artist for the Shining Knight storyline, Simone Bianchi, gets some love from Newsarama (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29199). Not hard to get love when you've got M4D 4Rt S31LLz! like Bianchi does.

Speaking of L33T 4Rt1sTs, Comicon.com's PULSE News has a bit-o-news and preview pages for Olympus (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003543), the original graphic novel from DC/Humanoids by Geoff Johns, Kris Grimminger, and Butch Guice. Too bad the scans kind of suck -- I'd have liked to have been able to read the words that go along with the hot women Butch loves to draw so much.

-- Ed/Ace

[Condiment King]

Invincible 20 – Some interesting transitional things happened in this issue but nothing to write home about. I like how Robert Kirkman sets things up so I'm sure there's a big bang coming soon enough. I was surprised at how Kirkman was willing to cut one of his characters out of the little world but due to Invincible's abilities, I guess its fine. ****

JSA 71 – This arc has all the feelings of another epic JSA arc. The two leagues have finally come together under one hat in persuit of Degaton. Maybe why I'm digging this arc so much is because of the absence the characters I do like are noticibly absent. Importance is going on Pratt and Atom Smasher's plotline for a foreseeable outcome. ****

Nightwing 103 – I really like the Boston Brand character as Deadman so I was glad that I saw him come up in Dick Grayson's year one saga. As I said on my 102 comments, I don't think the circus was ever a good environment for this tale so I'm glad its moving after the quick pitstop. Oh, and the Robin issue makes things really interesting. ***

Ultimate Fantastic Four 16 – Bo-ring. **

Ultimate Spider-Man 73 – I really liked the cover..and...hmm...I really liked the cover. Why do we need an issue with Harry Osborne learning everything from Nick Fury that we figured that he has learned already from last issue? This issue was pointless. I'm getting annoyed, Brian. **

Walking Dead 16 – Fantastic, as always. Robert Kirkman apparently had more ideas and creative thoughts for this book than anything else he does as he is yet to run out of fuel for his plots. Either that or he just really loves horror movies. With the constant shocks, its like the 24 of comics and this issue wasn't any different. *****

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

The Fourth Rail has just done their look ahead for comics shipping in May (http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/0305/downthelinemarch.shtml) and hence ready for pre-ordering. As always, something they said got me to look at something in more depth, and now I'm spending more on comics than I meant to. In this case, it's Dark Mists #1, a story about geishas being recruited as spies against the yakuza in the 1930's, which led to an article on Newsarama with more preview art (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27807). Ooohhh...pretttyyyy....

Neil Kleid talks about brand identities and how they work into creating fictional characters:


But it wasn’t until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that the visual representation of Santa we know today began to establish itself. In the late 1800s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast ran a series of drawings representing St. Nick based on descriptions from the classic poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in Harper’s Weekly. These drawings established a rotund Santa with flowing beard, fur garments, and clay pipe. But in the 1930s, Haddon Sundblom and the Coca- Cola Corporation sealed Santa’s fate with his bright red uniform and hat, full white beard and thick black belt and boots.
< S N I P >
My hypothesis is as such: What Haddon Sundblom and Coke did wasn’t just design Santa. They branded him.
Gets responses from Larry Young of (AiT/PlanetLar) and Maureen McTigue (editor extraordinare, now with iBooks) that are entirely different, but equally interesting.

Yahoo! Movies Sin City page (http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/sincity.html) has just added a neat little slide show now that compares Frank Miller comics panels to stills from the movie. At the very least, the Sin City movie will be VERY visually compelling.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is doing one of those "community book read" things. The interesting bit is that the book they've selected is Art Spiegelman's Maus (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1685&dept_id=45280&newsid=14120138&PAG=461&rfi=9). First the Budapest subways, now Bucks County, PA. Guy's EVERYwhere, isn't he?

Roy Thomas gets interviewed by the mainstream press (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/entertainment/11100940.htm). Hilarity ensues.

Neil Gaiman is auctioning off naming rights for a cruise ship in his new novel Anansi Boys, but the REAL reason I'm linking to his blog entry today (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/03/i-suppose-i-could-always-ebay.asp) is because he posts a note from Officer Mark Kearney of the Waynesboro Police Department in Waynesboro, Virginia on behalf of the Book 'Em Foundation (http://www.bookemfoundation.org/), which is dedicated to highlighting the connection between poor literacy rates and crime rates, and is presumably doing something to improve the former to reduce the latter. Now that's just karmically cool any way you slice it.

At post time, it'll cost you at least $460 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4535020492) to get that ship named for you.

Australian newspaper is shocked, SHOCKED to discover that superheroes have been invaded by gays, junkies, violent sociopaths, and single mothers (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12511618-1243,00.html), but then blows most of its credibility by quoting a fan talking about Lobo.

Finally, when Steven Grant suggested that "Comics should be the new drugs (http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=1781)" a while ago, I'm think J+J Sports Cards and Collectibles of Albuquerque, NM may have jumped to the wrong conclusion (http://thoughtballoons.blogspot.com/2005/03/comics-crime-watch-albuquerque-nm.html):


Along with the trading cards and comics, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department deputies searching a North Valley collectibles shop said they found 4 pounds of marijuana and 2 ounces of psychedelic mushrooms.
Or maybe they thought they needed to give Speedy his fix?

-- Ed/Ace

[Batman91]

I think I got some back issues of Justice Leauge Adventures #22 and #30.By the way have they stopped making Batman Adventures?Because I haven't seen them in my comic book store.The last one I got was #17

It would be great if anyone could tell me:D THANKS

[Clayface]

I think I got some back issues of Justice Leauge Adventures #22 and #30.By the way have they stopped making Batman Adventures?Because I haven't seen them in my comic book store.The last one I got was #17

It would be great if anyone could tell me:D THANKS

Yep, sadly Batman Adventures ended with issue #17, to make way for the new animated-style comic The Batman Strikes, based on the new animated series "The Batman". Worst decision by DC comics, ever.

[Batman91]

Yep, sadly Batman Adventures ended with issue #17, to make way for the new animated-style comic The Batman Strikes, based on the new animated series "The Batman". Worst decision by DC comics, ever.
NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Spider-Man]

I don't think you'll go wrong with the Grant Morrison and early Mark Waid issues of JLA. I still thought it was fun into the much-maligned Joe Kelly era, but not as much gonzo crazy over-the-top fun as it was, and I thought it really kind of stopped being fun after the issues in the "Rules of Engagement" story arc. However, it's an excellent series to pick up for something in the vein of DC: The New Frontier.

If you want more Darwyn Cooke-ish goodness, Selina's Big Score (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899221/qid=1110468438/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) is a terrific amount of fun, as is the first Catwoman (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899086/qid=1110468476/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) arc with Ed Brubaker.

Finally, if you liked V for Vendetta, I'd just make a blanket recommendation to at least take a look at anything that credits Alan Moore as the writer.
I was actually in the book store last week looking at Alan Moore stuff and put my hand on Judgement Day and it was promptly swatted away. I asked my friend why he did that and he said that not every Moore work is gold and there is some stuff he did just for the check. Not surprisingly this Rob Leifeld collection was one of them. I've read Watchman, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and The Killing Joke, but I can't remember what else he's done.

Now for Darwyn Cooke I'm already searching out his Catwoman's Big Score book. I might plunk down a couple bucks for the Wolverine/Doop mini-series he did awhile ago.

As for the JLA my comic store has pretty much all of Morrison's run collected in trades but I hear his initial work on the title is his best and after "Rock of Ages" it begins to slip.

I was also thumbing through the Ultimate Fantastic Four trades and I was wondering what people have been saying about this comic. With the movie coming I am tempted to pick up some new material from them including their Ultimate and 616 counterparts. Any help?

I did pick up the first She-Hulk trade and completely loved it. The Spider-Man issue was hilarious. Slott does a great job on his character and I hope he gets another shot with him after Spider-Man/Human Torch.

[Stu]

Fantastic Four, the original Mark Waid and 'Ringo run is absoloultly brilliant, I couldn't recommend it enough. It really got me into the FF, and it's nice to see a superhero comic that isn't afraid to admit it's a superhero comic. I'd get the trades, as the hardbacks supposedly have printing errors. Seriously, check it out now.

Ultimate FF is a different matter. Without going into spoilers, the first arc has an incredibly bland villain, and the rest of it moves far too slowly. Even collected, I doubt there's enough content to justify your cash. However, it simply doesn't feel like the FF. I'm not feeling the FF as teenagers. At all. Considering how entertaing the Ultimate versions of Spider-Man, The X-Men and The Avengers have been, so far, FF has been a bit of a dissapointment. Thankfully, Mark Miller will soon be on the title, and hopefully he'll pick up the pace a bit.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I was actually in the book store last week looking at Alan Moore stuff and put my hand on Judgement Day and it was promptly swatted away. I asked my friend why he did that and he said that not every Moore work is gold and there is some stuff he did just for the check.
Well, I did say his name as the writer means it's worth looking at. To be honest, I've never been able to slog through From Hell and I don't know exactly how tied in to Terra Obscura he was, but that was pretty mediocre.

However, Moore may be accused of many things, but working for a paycheck is not one of them. If you look over his career, he has never taken an opportunity to sell out when it would mean compromising his principles, or shy away from commercially troublesome projects. He still refuses to work for either of the big 2 directly even though he'd probably break all kinds of sales records if he wrote one of the icons, and he now refuses to take any money from movie licensing deals, giving his share to his artist co-creators. The existence of Promethea also suggests he really doesn't care as much about the money as he does about the art.

All that being said, though, I'm still not sure what possessed him to start writing Rob Liefeld's characters. Maybe he was just trying to prove that there really are no unredeemable characters after all? Everybody seems to say his work with Liefeld on Supreme is the Best Superman Story Ever, though, so Liefeld's art is probably what would keep me away from Judgment Day more than Moore's writing.

Actually, thinking about it some more, I suspect he wrote for Image out of an affinity for what they were trying to do for creators' rights and artistic freedom over the paycheck. He did do an issue of Spawn when Todd asked, and he also had a run on WildC.A.T.S. that a friend of mine says was terrific, too. If I understand correctly, it was the WildC.A.T.S. run that eventually set up stuff like Stormwatch by Warren Ellis and then Micah Ian Wright and Point Blank and Sleeper by Ed Brubaker, so it can't be all bad, I guess.


Fantastic Four, the original Mark Waid and 'Ringo run is absoloultly brilliant, I couldn't recommend it enough. It really got me into the FF, and it's nice to see a superhero comic that isn't afraid to admit it's a superhero comic. I'd get the trades, as the hardbacks supposedly have printing errors. Seriously, check it out now.
The Vol. 1 hardback has one printing error where all the dialogue balloons for a two-page spread end up on the right page. This makes it easier to admire Mike Wieringo's artwork, but doesn't do much for readability. I haven't gotten my Vol. 2 hardback yet.

-- Ed/Ace

[Clayface]

As a counterpoint to Amazing Spidey's post, I have to say that I'm loving Ultimate Fantastic Four. In fact, it's my favorite of the Ultimate titles. I've never been a fan of the Fantastic Four before, but this book just totally sucked me in right from the start. The characters are interesting, and the book focuses more often on character development rather than pointless battles and forced action. That's my kind of book. It's well worth the cash, IMO.

[Condiment King]

I agree with Amazing Spidey. It has gotten to where I can't stand Ultimate Fantastic Four. The first arc was fairly good but like Amazing Spidey said, the villain is terrible. Doom was supposed to be epic and while I did like the first background issue that we got, the execution was slow and the actual story had no substance to it. The current arc, N-Zone is abysmal and I can't recommend it to anyone. It is terribly boring, filled with the #1 reason how a Fantastic Four arc can be bad -- an overfocus on the scientific part. This leads to issues of Reed Richards just explaining things while the rest of the characters fall into their usual roles. In fact, I don't see much character development at all in the book unlike Waid and Weiringo's run on the mainstream title.

I would recommend giving it a try when Mark Millar gets on the book but not before. The first and second arcs have good ideas but poor execution and flaws. The third arc has absolutely no redeeming qualities.

[wonderfly]

Hey, I'm back! And here to give my reviews:

New Thunderbolts #6: Too much is happening too fast this issue. The "Hydra/T-bolts connection" plot wraps itself up too fast, and the revelation about Speed Demon...would've been nice to have gotten a little foreshadowing of that actually! Still, Speed Demon's subsequent actions showed the potential for him to be a great character. Hell, all of the members of this cast have shown potential to be great characters, and that's why I'm still enjoying this title, (though the plots aren't really holding together). And they're changing Captain Marvel's name?!?! Don't mess up this character Fabian Nicienza!!! Grade: B

Punisher #6 Another sweet read! And on top of that, I'm finally satisfied with the way a story arc ended! Prior story arcs for this title had ended on somewhat unsatisfying notes, but this one was perfect for me. This story arc also proved to me that deep down inside, there's still a beating heart somewhere in Frank's body. And is it just me, or is that Russian General being set up as a reaccuring villian? Pick of the week! Grade: A

Shining Knight #1: And Grant Morrison's oddysey into strange superheroes continues. We the reader still can't make heads or tails of the plot, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting. The enjoyment in Morrison's works tends to be the solving of the jigsaw puzzle plots. And even after the puzzle is solved, if you still don't get everything, you can still smile and say, "Well, it makes you think." And how many comics can truly qualify as "food for thought" nowadays? Cool artwork, as well. Grade: B+

Strange #4: This is all very "Matrix" like, isn't it? JMS promised this title was supposed to update Dr. Strange for a new generation, and 4 issues into this miniseries, I can say that this is indeed an updated Dr. Strange, but it's not very original. I can't escape the "Been there, done that" feeling I'm getting while reading this title. And the whole revelation about Strange being manipulated didn't sit well with me either. It removes the responsibility for Strange's prior bad deeds, turning it all into "The Devil made me do it." Still, it's a decent enough read...it's just not very original. Grade: B-

Continuity error of the week:

Power Pack according to Runaways #1: As shown in the character of Julie Power, the Power Pack is all grown up now, on the verge of adulthood.

Power Pack according to Thunderbolts #6: As shown in one panel, the Power Pack are still a bunch of kids?!?


THE PUNISHER #18 - I hate to admit it, but my interest in the Punisher has waned significantly. I much prefered the dark, twisted, absurd humor of the previous Ennis incarnation to the dark depressing "serious" version we've got now. I used to look forward to reading Punisher each month, but now it's almost become a chore for me. The writing is still solid, and characterization good. But without the absurd humor to lighten things up a bit, this book is just too dark and gritty, to the point where I'm just not enjoying it as much. Yeah, we still get some black humor, but nothing that makes me laugh out loud like the old stuff did. This book is starting to rise on my drop list. Anyway, this issue finishes out the "Mother Russia" storyline in a logical but unsatisfying way, with oft repeated messages on politics and corruption (another reason I'm starting to get bored with the book). Not terrible, but nothing that makes me excited to return for the next issue. 3 out of 5I could not disagree more. With each new issue from this new MAX series, I find myself loving this title more and more. Garth Ennis is proving to me he can write a serious vigilante story without having to rely on South Park style humor. And I'm all for that.

Really, to me, the prior volume of the Punisher just was waaay too absurd for me. It was like a Road Runner cartoon. And really, if the writer can't take the character's seriously, then why should I?

But you know what I really loved about these last couple of issues? It proved that Frank still has a heart. He saved that little girl. I loved that scene in Issue 17 where Frank thought he had failed Galina, and he saw an image of his daughter dying in his mind. And he found the strength to get up and fight. I loved issue #7, where Frank helped out the wounded who were injured in the bomb blast. I love how in issue #13 Frank stood up for that Old Russian war veteran. See, the point of the Punisher comic should not be "how many people can Frank kill this issue". The point should revolve around Frank. The plot should be constantly testing him, seeing if he has any morals left, and whether there's any hope of salvation for this doomed man. And I know of course there isn't any hope for him. Issue #6, with Micro's death, proved that. But just like the good superheroes work best when you test them, seeing how low they will sink, ("Will Spiderman finally break and kill the Green Goblin?!?"), Frank works best when you test him to see how high he can rise.

This doesn't mean I haven't found flaws in this latest volume of Punisher adventures. In the last story arc, Garth Ennis went on way too long about the North Ireland problems. And yes, it seems like every time we see a government figure, they're corrupt. And those of you who know me, know I hate it when I writer uses a comic to express a political view. But strangely enough, it works for me in Punisher. In this dark and dreary world, all politicians are corrupt. I just accept it and move on. It doesn't read like the writer taking potshots at the American Govt., it reads like "this is just how the universe works in the Punisher's world".

So overall, I am loving this title. Here's to hoping it stays this good for some time to come.

[Clayface]

But you know what I really loved about these last couple of issues? It proved that Frank still has a heart. He saved that little girl. I loved that scene in Issue 17 where Frank thought he had failed Galina, and he saw an image of his daughter dying in his mind. And he found the strength to get up and fight. I loved issue #7, where Frank helped out the wounded who were injured in the bomb blast. I love how in issue #13 Frank stood up for that Old Russian war veteran. See, the point of the Punisher comic should not be "how many people can Frank kill this issue". The point should revolve around Frank. The plot should be constantly testing him, seeing if he has any morals left, and whether there's any hope of salvation for this doomed man. And I know of course there isn't any hope for him. Issue #6, with Micro's death, proved that. But just like the good superheroes work best when you test them, seeing how low they will sink, ("Will Spiderman finally break and kill the Green Goblin?!?"), Frank works best when you test him to see how high he can rise.

If you had said this to me 10 months ago, I would have agreed completely. I thought the new direction for the title worked well initially, but my views have changed over time. My problem with this story and a lot of the others recently is that it's just not original. Frank having flashbacks to his own kids while trying to save another? Frank saving any kid in general? I can't think of anything more cliche than that in a Punisher comic. The old books are filled with stories like that. And what's presented here in Ennis' latest take on the character doesn't really add anything new to it.

Now Frank fighting a cyborg Russian assassin with breasts? I can safely state that that's never been seen before in a Punisher comic. Yeah, it was way over the top, but that's exactly what made it so much fun - because this character by his very nature is way over the top. I'd pick up the new issues, and I didn't have any idea what to expect. I was constantly surprised by these oddball ideas and strange humor. For my money, Ennis is best when he's working with insanely odd characters in even more insanely odd situations (his run on Hellblazer and Preacher are good examples of this, and are his best works, IMO). With this new direction, he's gone too ordinary, and he's drawing too much on the same old staples we've seen a hundred times before. There's no real surprises anymore, and it takes itself far too seriously most of the time. There's just nothing fresh or new about it to me, and I just can't get excited about that.

To each his own of course, and I wish I could enjoy the book as much as you are. I really do, because I miss getting that thrill when I'd see a new issue of Punisher on the stands. But it's just not doing it for me anymore.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Mark Siegel just got handed a new graphic novel imprint by children's publisher Roaring Brook Press. The imprint, titled First Second, has already got a lineup including Eddie Campbell and Jessica Abel, but this interview at ComicBookResources.com (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4941) points out that they're also stretching overseas, making note of Malaysian cartoonist Lat's Kampung Boy, which is compared to Peanuts in terms of cultural impact and skill. Just what I needed...another place to buy strange comics.

Speaking of strange comics, Randy Lander reports back from Austin's STAPLE convention (http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/0305/monitorduty23.shtml), spotlighting the new indie comics expo and what he discovered there. Some good, some bad, some so-so, but all sounds pleasantly strange.

Breaking my "no movies" rule yet again, Frank Miller got interviewed by Heidi MacDonald about Sin City (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/03/frank_miller_ta.html), both in comic book and movie forms. Find out all about who did what and how, and why Frank still isn't going to go Hollywood any time soon. Ultimate Batman & Robin (Dick Grayson) comes in part 2.

According to Dynamite Entertainment, the 25-cent Red Sonja #0 just pre-ordered more than 205,000 copies (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29536). If Diamond didn't consider it a promotional item, it would have spanked everything and everyone else that month. It also seems to have pre-ordered in bigger numbers than anything else being offered for Free Comic Book Day, although the fact that retailers still have to buy FCBD stuff and they make money, however little, on Red Sonja may have had something to do with that.

Personally, I chalk it up to the scale mail bikini. Next thing you know, EVERYBODY'S going to be wearing them.

J. Michael Straczynski joins Marvel's Icon (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29567)imprint with Colleen Doran and Mike Deodato on The Book of Lost Souls and Dream Police, respectively. He says all the right things, but considering Rising Stars and Supreme Power on one side and Amazing Spider-Man on the other, I think he's going to have a hard row to hoe with the average comic book fan. Unless he puts all his characters in scale mail bikinis.

The Johnny Bacardi weblog just posted the cover image (http://johnnybacardi.blogspot.com/2005/03/everybody-else-is-doing-it-so-why-not.html) to Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely's We3 trade paperback. Too big for here, but click for cybernetic furry goodness.

Finally, seguing not-very-smoothly to our last link for today, we have yet another in our on-going "don't arm the robots" comic links, with the Toughest Drone in the World (http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001432.html), designed for security on military bases. The entry even name-checks ROM the Space Knight. Supposedly, the doodad is going to be armed with a gatling gun loaded with tranquilizers. Or rubber bullets.

Honest.

-- Ed/Ace

[wonderfly]

If you had said this to me 10 months ago, I would have agreed completely. I thought the new direction for the title worked well initially, but my views have changed over time. My problem with this story and a lot of the others recently is that it's just not original. Frank having flashbacks to his own kids while trying to save another? Frank saving any kid in general? I can't think of anything more cliche than that in a Punisher comic. The old books are filled with stories like that. And what's presented here in Ennis' latest take on the character doesn't really add anything new to it.

Now Frank fighting a cyborg Russian assassin with breasts? I can safely state that that's never been seen before in a Punisher comic. Yeah, it was way over the top, but that's exactly what made it so much fun - because this character by his very nature is way over the top. I'd pick up the new issues, and I didn't have any idea what to expect. I was constantly surprised by these oddball ideas and strange humor. For my money, Ennis is best when he's working with insanely odd characters in even more insanely odd situations (his run on Hellblazer and Preacher are good examples of this, and are his best works, IMO). With this new direction, he's gone too ordinary, and he's drawing too much on the same old staples we've seen a hundred times before. There's no real surprises anymore, and it takes itself far too seriously most of the time. There's just nothing fresh or new about it to me, and I just can't get excited about that.

To each his own of course, and I wish I could enjoy the book as much as you are. I really do, because I miss getting that thrill when I'd see a new issue of Punisher on the stands. But it's just not doing it for me anymore.There are some instances where I prefer "old school" as far as certain superheroes go, and I guess the Punisher certainly fits within that catagory. But still, even though it doesn't really have the absurd humor, I think there's been plenty of innovative twists. Stuff that makes my jaw drop just as easily as a Russian cyborg with breasts. For instance, I loved the plot twist on the method of escape from this latest issue. Who saw that one coming?!? The other thing I love is the suspense in these issues. Lots of "How are these characters going to get out of this one?"

You make some good points, but I think you're right that in the end: to each his own.


Breaking my "no movies" rule yet again, Frank Miller got interviewed by Heidi MacDonald about Sin City (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/03/frank_miller_ta.html), both in comic book and movie forms. Find out all about who did what and how, and why Frank still isn't going to go Hollywood any time soon. Ultimate Batman & Robin (Dick Grayson) comes in part 2.Sweeeet. I am sooo looking forward to this movie. One thing puzzles me though:


MILLER: I've told everybody within earshot that if this does well and they do a sequel, I'm in. How could they do a sequel to this movie though? Having read 90% (I think) of all Sin City material years ago, it seems they're adapting his three best tales for the movie. What leftover material is there for a sequel? I mean, I recall a few one-shots, but those were so short, I don't see enough for a movie. can someone list all of the Sin City stories, and what might be left over for a sequel?

[Spider-Man]

Just to get in on the topic I think the best The Punisher story I've read in awhile has been the excellent [i]The Punisher: The End[/b] one shot that was released last year. It felt like a great balance between the absurd nature of the early Ennis comics and the recent MAX revamp. The story is excellent and really gets down to the core of what The Punisher is all about.

My favorite recent Punisher storyline has to be Welcome Back, Frank. I've never had such a great time reading the Punisher then with that storyline.

And Clayface, thanks for the Ultimate Fantastic Four comments. My comic shop is having a trade sale again soon and I may pick up Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. I like the idea of focusing more on the character development and scientific aspect of the characters than the adventurer's side. Don't get me wrong I like seeing them jump through the cosmos but it's also good to see them toil with their won powers from time to time.

[Clayface]

How could they do a sequel to this movie though? Having read 90% (I think) of all Sin City material years ago, it seems they're adapting his three best tales for the movie. What leftover material is there for a sequel?

Well, there are seven TPBs:

Sin City (aka The Hard Goodbye) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1593072937/qid=1110896968/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
A Dame To Kill For (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1593072945/qid=1110896968/sr=8-3/ref=pd_csp_3/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
The Big Fat Kill (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1593072953/qid=1110896968/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
That Yellow Bastard (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1593072961/qid=1110896968/sr=8-4/ref=pd_csp_4/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
Family Values (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569713138/qid=1110896968/sr=8-6/ref=pd_csp_6/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
Booze, Broads, & Bullets (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569713669/qid=1110896968/sr=8-5/ref=pd_csp_5/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
Hell and Back (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569714819/qid=1110896968/sr=8-7/ref=pd_csp_7/103-5614641-9491836?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

This first movie is using The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, That Yellow Bastard, and one of the short stories in Booze, Broads, and Bullets. So there's still plenty of material to use. Whether or not that remaining material is as good as the stuff being used for the first film is certainly up for debate.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Mark Millar talks about the upcoming introduction of the Ultimate Defenders (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003556) at Comicon.com's PULSE News. Favorite Millar moment:


I was re-reading Stan and Jack's Fantastic Four run recently and was open-mouthed at how many characters they introduced in a single run and I'd love to leave the Ultimate universe even half as rich by the time we're done.
The interview must have clipped off the last bit of that sentence where Millar said, "by ripping off all of the same characters and adding a lot more violence, sex, and cannibalism." About the only good things I can muster at this point involve Bryan Hitch's art and the costume (or lack thereof) on the Valkyrie.

Speaking of skimpy costumes, Marc Oliver-Frisch, he of the DC Monthly sales numbers, comments on/debunks the press release that Red Sonja #0 sold 205K copies (http://poppd.blogspot.com/2005/03/landslide-fishy-news-of-day.html).

Andy Diggle babbles about Adam Strange (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29637), dealing with the challenges from start (fans griping, "This is just more grim-n-gritty crap!") to finish (fitting in the setup for the Rann/Thanagar War mini-series, which was apparently not part of the from the start).

CBR has a 6-page preview for Beowulf: Gods & Monsters #1 (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4948), which looks pretty neat. PopCultureShock has a 4-page preview of Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker #1 (http://www.popcultureshock.com/reviews.php?id=3974), which has one totally awesome transition from the last panels of page 2 to the splash image on page 3.

Finally, Tim O'Neil lacerates the X-Men: The End (http://www.popcultureshock.com/features.php?id=915) in the latest Comics Remix, perhaps the most ironically named limited series ever since it's going to go on for about 500 issues.

-- Ed/Ace