This Week In Comics: 04/06/2005

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for April 6th, 2005 - April 12th, 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_040605.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!



Randomguy's Pick:


http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/2908_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2908)

Vertigo: First Taste TPB




Ace the Bathound's Pick:



http://www.eviltwincomics.com/imgs/action1_small.jpg (http://www.eviltwincomics.com/action.html)


Action Philosophers #1





Clayface's Pick:

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/2817_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2817)

Y: The Last Man #32



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[Batman91]

This week I got:

Marvel Knights Spiderman#6
Marvel Knights Spiderman#7
Marvel Knights Spiderman#8
Marvel knights Spiderman#9
Marvel Knights Spiderman#10
Marvel Knights Spiderman#12
Infinite Crisis#1
Green Lantern Rebirth#1

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

ComicBookResources.com posts a preview of Paul Jenkins' final issue of Spectacular Spider-Man (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5060). They also have a preview and interview of The Surrogates (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5068), coming soon from Top Shelf Comics, a slightly strange sci-fi mini-series about people living their lives through electronic surrogates.

Hey, kids, free comics! Studio Foglio is moving Girl Genius from single issues to on-line (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D37%26t%3D004435). It's a fun enough comic book involving mad scientists and a steampunk-ish setting.

Mike Wieringo talks about the end of Fantastic Four (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33022) and the moving of the Waid/Wieringo team over to Spider-Man, courtesy of Comixfan. Mike has also posted some early sketches (http://www.mikewieringo.com/html/Blog.htm) of Peter Parker and Mary Jane on his weblog.

Marvel's much-delayed Combat Zone comic has shifted from a five-issue mini-series to a single trade paperback (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31093&bcsi_scan_08B40C3FE94D1912=+ftYFGoTi9o/iQoseK7ArgEAAADIgRAA&bcsi_scan_filename=showthread.php). For those who don't remember it, this was a mini-series that was supposed to feature true tales of combat in the latest Iraq War that generated some controversy for being written by neocon Karl Zinsmeister. Liberals crow that they "won," conservatives howl over "liberal intolerance," and I think it's a lot easier to blame it all on low pre-orders for the monthly issues because Wolverine wasn't in it. The Newsarama thread has many posts I didn't know whether to laugh or cry over.

Gary Groth posts an essay about Will Eisner (http://www.tcj.com/267/e_groth.html) at the Comics Journal website, notable because he refuses to genuflect to Eisner and levels more criticism than Eisner generally receives in comic book circles. Some of it is fair and some of it isn't, but that's Gary Groth for you, I guess.

Finally, the Johnny Bacardi weblog links to a contest where you can win issue #1 of Bluesman (http://johnnybacardi.blogspot.com/2005/04/contests-contests-contests-this-from.html) (just scroll down a bit). Lifting from the PR:


Win Bluesman Book 1!!!

It's a book that Alan David Doane calls "One of the most thoughtful, moving and human stories I've ever read in any form." and Marc Sobel says "This is an outstanding, unique story, crafted by an artist and a writer who are passionate about their subject matter (http://www.comicbookgalaxy.com/020705_MSCS_review.html)."

Lem Taylor and Ironwood Malcott are a pair of travelling blues musicians who come to the town of Hope looking for food, rest, and a place that will let them preach their own brand of gospel. Set in 1930s America, Bluesman promises to be another fantastic story from the Eisner-nominated creative team behind The Castaways, Rob Vollmar and Pablo G. Gallejo.

Here at the House we've got two copies of this wonderful first volume to giveaway. All you need to do is email your name and address to dedpool1979@aol.com (http://dedpool1979@aol.com) by midnight, April 30th and you could recieve (sic) a copy! Winners will be chosen at random and announced on May 1st right here at the House. JB links to many, many other people saying good things about Bluesman. This was my pick of the week when it came out and it was a fine, fine, super-fine comic book. Check out the preview at Absence of Ink (http://www.onypsus.com/absenceofink/) if you're on the fence.

-- Ed/Ace

[randomguy]

First, a quick word about this my pick this week, for those not in the know:

The Vertigo: First Taste TPB collects six different #1 issues of six different Vertigo comics, and retails for only five dollars. If you're one of those folks who tends to stick with superhero titles, please give this book a chance. It's got a little something for everybody, from sci-fi (Transmetropolitan and Y: The Last Man), to fantasy (Death: The High Cost of Living), to noir (100 Bullets). It's a really neat collection, and if you're not reading any of the aforementioned books, I urge you to give it a shot. I enthusiastically endorse all of my picks, but this one is especially cool.


Marvel's much-delayed Combat Zone comic has shifted from a five-issue mini-series to a single trade paperback (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31093&bcsi_scan_08B40C3FE94D1912=+ftYFGoTi9o/iQoseK7ArgEAAADIgRAA&bcsi_scan_filename=showthread.php). For those who don't remember it, this was a mini-series that was supposed to feature true tales of combat in the latest Iraq War that generated some controversy for being written by neocon Karl Zinsmeister. Liberals crow that they "won," conservatives howl over "liberal intolerance," and I think it's a lot easier to blame it all on low pre-orders for the monthly issues because Wolverine wasn't in it.Well, on the plus side, at least Marvel is releasing something straight to trade paperback. A lot of us have been requesting that approach for a while now, so perhaps it'll pay off and we'll get more straight-to-TPB projects. Lord knows there are more than a few Marvel books that would probably read better that way, and it doesn't seem to be hurting manga...

And thanks for the link to the Bluesman contest. I tried everything I could to get my hands on a copy of that book, but to no avail. It's nice to have yet another avenue to try.

Anyhow, I'll update later this week, Friday-ish, with reviews of this week's and last week's titles. That means:

Marvel Milestones #1
Astononshing X-Men #9
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #12
Countdown to Infinite Crisis one-shot
Green Lantern: Rebirth #5
Y: The Last Man #32
Superman/Batman #18
The Walking Dead #17
Ultimate Fantastic Four #17
Street Fighter #14
Secret War #4

[wonderfly]

Howdy,

Mike Wieringo talks about the end of Fantastic Four (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33022) and the moving of the Waid/Wieringo team over to Spider-Man, courtesy of Comixfan. Mike has also posted some early sketches (http://www.mikewieringo.com/html/Blog.htm) of Peter Parker and Mary Jane on his weblog.

Mike's a great guy, but I strongly disagree with two points he made in that interview.

Point #1: he complains that artists don't get enough input into comic creation nowadays. Well that's what we got in the 90's, remember? The Image artists whined at Marvel that they were underappreciated, they went and started Image, and now everyone knows the stink that is Rob Liefeld and Todd Mcfarlane comics. Artists should have no bearing on the plot. Leave the writing to the writers. I will say that I agree with him in that too many fanboys want their comic art to be all dark and edgy, (which is why I welcome Wieringo's artwork to the Spidey-verse).

Point #2: he complains that Spider-man is not the "everyman" hero he used to be, and mentions Spiderman has a best selling book and is married to a super model. Though he doesn't outright say it, you can tell he yearns to turn back the clock on Spiderman, and to make him a loser again. To which I tense up in fear of him implimenting his desire. Can't we give Peter Parker just a little bit of happiness? Wieringo hasn't read the Spiderman books lately, it seems. Okay, so he's married to a supermodel. But they're house has burned down, he found out his ex lover had an affair, his Aunt May was kidnapped for months... I for one am surprised Peter Parker didn't throw himself off a bridge ages ago. He's been a loser long enough. Loser is another word for "Everyman". Cut the guy some slack, and just tell good stories. Don't grind Peter into dust.

[Chad Bonin]

With my amazing ability to copy and paste...

FEB050280 DEADSHOT #5 (OF 5) $2.99
End of a decent series that I don't feel too bad about buying all of.

DEC040261 GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH #5 (OF 6) $2.95
Yay, Hal's back. I should be excited, shouldn't I?

FEB050337 INTIMATES #6 (MR) $2.99
Whenever I get this, I know I need to hold it off for a different day, because so much goodness is packed.

FEB050264 LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #2 (OF 5) $2.99
Good, especially for Lex fans.

FEB050305 SEVEN SOLDIERS ZATANNA #1 (OF 4) $2.99
I guess I'll read this whole mini. Art is good, but Morrisson's writing is weird. Had an interesting debate on what the cover was trying to imply...

DEC040245 SUPERMAN BATMAN #18 $2.95
End of the arc, which I found to be the weakest of the series so far.

FEB050363 Y THE LAST MAN #32 (RES) (MR) $2.99
I considered dropping this book. Then I saw the, um, titular scene.

FEB051871 AMAZING FANTASY #7 $2.99
Ain't read it yet.

FEB051908 GLA #1 (OF 4) $2.99
Funniest book of the week; Dan Slott is classic.

FEB051874 POWER PACK #1 (OF 4) $2.99
Decent little Marvel adventure...

FEB051897 SHANNA THE SHE DEVIL #3 (OF 7) $3.50
Mmm... Frank Cho-y.

JAN051813 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #17 $2.25
Good Reed and Ben action.

FEB051876 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #75 $2.25
So, anyone else notice the references to the various Goblins?

FEB051911 X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR #5 (OF 5) $3.50
Great art, decent story, love both Sue and Emma.

DEC042538 STREET FIGHTER BABERI CVR B #14 $2.95
Hate to see this go on hiatus.

And the others?
FEB052879 AFTERMATH DEFEX #1 GRAHAM CRACKERS EXCLUSIVE CVR $6.99
It's waiting on me, just forgot to actually buy it.

DEC041531 THE GIFT DIRECTORS CUT #1 $3.99
Too much stuff makes me wait.

[PaQ]

Finally nice to see some books get released after delays. 9 comics: 5 DC, 2 Marvel, 1 TopCow & 1 Kandora.

Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1 - This issue has to have one of the greatest looking covers I've seen recently in comics. It's done by Sook, no clue who that is, Sook's doing #2 as well (I'm guessing the whole 4 issues) and it looks just as good as this one. I haven't really seen many stories focused on Zatanna, I think she's really been underutilized and it's nice to see her character get the time to develop more. I'm really intrigued by what's going on, Zee is unable to use her powers (or just backwards spells i'm not sure) and this young girl from the group wants to be her apprentice.. Looks good so far. *****

Intimates #6 - It's been a unique series to this point, and this has to be the most bizarre issue of a comic I've ever read. The gang, intent on finding out more about Sykes, releases that head shield thing he has and end up in some type of illusion involving Sykes childhood. Luckily Kefong wasn't thrown into the illusion and was able to put things as they were, how the experience will change the gangs view on Sykes is yet to be seen, but at least they know more than they did, even if they might have more questions than they originally did. ****

Y: The Last Man #32 - My first step into the great beyond with Yorick. I'll keep my comments brief since I'm not real sure what's going on, except he stowed away on the ship, got out, was able to turn off (imo) the hottie captain, and his two female friends are going at it in their bunk. Also that one girl with early signs of scurvy got killed and some old lady is on her way towards the ship, I'm presuming for Yorick. An interesting issue. ***

Ultimate Spider-Man #75 - 75th issue of USM, and it has to be the first one in the last 10 that has really captured my attention. I think now that the guy that's been badgering Harry might have been in his head from the start, and I really don't like how he's like busting into flames right there in front of Peter.. And really, what is with Peter always taking off his mask, just because Harry knows doesn't mean he has to keep doing that. ***

Barbarossa & The Lost Corsairs #1 - Ok, this is an indy comic that I just got because it looked interesting. However the $3.50 price tag let me know right away this was going to be a 1 time deal and well I can see why it's so pricy with the nice and thick paper this issue was printed on. Interesting enough story, reminded me a bit of the beginning of Pirates of the Carribean in some ways. ***

Ultimate Fantastic Four #17 - I was actually expecting neither Reed or Ben to be affected with the helmets breaking but amazingly enough Reed had to use his hand to cover his and weld some metal onto the helmet, while Ben was perfectly fine. Probably a way to let the Thing shine and take care of that weird evil creature dude. It'll be interesting to see what the ramifications will be for the encounter, and how Johnny will recover from his condition. ***

Witchblade #84 - Now even I must admit, the interest in this opening tale is starting to dwindle in me. Marz started out strong, but I really think he could've found a way to tighten the story a bit. At least her partner is still somewhat alive, I was certain he'd be a goner, it'll be interesting to see if he makes it or if this new guy will be her new partner, because it sure seemed like it was going that way. **

Green Lantern: Rebirth #5 - Now my friend who's a big Lantern fan thought this was only an ok issue, but I absolutely enjoyed it. The final panel is what really made it for me, Hal was ready to lead the newly formed GL corps against whatever is left of Parallax when Batman stops him with his batarang. "Jordan! You're not going anywhere if I have anything to do with it!" I just simply love the animosity between Batman and Hal Jordan, it brings up the intensity and helps fall in line with what DC's doing, that heroes can be out to save the day but they don't always see things the same way or feel friendly with one another. Can't wait to see the end issue, and man how i hate delays. *****

Superman/Batman #18 - Another delayed comic, Superman & Batman showdown with their "parents" & Ra's and Batman decapitates him with the Kryptonite sword once Superman "sacrificed" himself to save Batman. S/B returned the criminals to their time, and then returned to theirs, I loved how they went to go see Ollie and he greeted them as the Hardy boys. Great interaction there and that ending with future Superman and Lois was a nice touch to wrap everything up before the stand alone issue revolving around Supergirl. ****

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


Point #1: he complains that artists don't get enough input into comic creation nowadays. Well that's what we got in the 90's, remember? The Image artists whined at Marvel that they were underappreciated, they went and started Image, and now everyone knows the stink that is Rob Liefeld and Todd Mcfarlane comics. Artists should have no bearing on the plot. Leave the writing to the writers. I interpreted Wieringo's comments as saying that the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, towards a purely writer-centric perspective where the artist gets no input at all. Comics is words and pictures working in tandem, and I think it behooves a writer to collaborate with their artist.

As an example, I remember Dan Slott talking about a sequence in Justice League Adventures #13, where Min Ku said he wanted to insert a single, wordless panel of Wonder Woman glaring at All-Star at a critical point near the end. Slott told him to go for it, and that silent panel spoke volumes in the scene. I think Wieringo is just saying that a lot of modern-day writers would have just said, "that's nice, but draw what I wrote and shut up" (maybe not in so many words).

A lot of comic writers will talk about how they'll adapt their scripts to the artist that they're working with (off the top of my head, I remember Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Brian K. Vaughan, Ed Brubaker, and Kurt Busiek saying those sorts of things). Neil Gaiman has said he's actually re-written things based on the finished artwork. Plus, there are also the artists who are genuinely good writers in their own right (Darwyn Cooke, Frank Miller, Colleen Doran, and Matt Wagner come to mind) -- I'd think that ignoring their advice in favor of writing strictly what's in the script would be foolish in the extreme.

Of course, the trick is figuring out when an artist is a Frank Miller and when he's a Rob Liefeld, but that's a different discussion :).

-- Ed/Ace

[RAINMAN]

Mike's a great guy, but I strongly disagree with two points he made in that interview.

Point #1: he complains that artists don't get enough input into comic creation nowadays. Well that's what we got in the 90's, remember? The Image artists whined at Marvel that they were underappreciated, they went and started Image, and now everyone knows the stink that is Rob Liefeld and Todd Mcfarlane comics. Artists should have no bearing on the plot. Leave the writing to the writers. I will say that I agree with him in that too many fanboys want their comic art to be all dark and edgy, (which is why I welcome Wieringo's artwork to the Spidey-verse).

Point #2: he complains that Spider-man is not the "everyman" hero he used to be, and mentions Spiderman has a best selling book and is married to a super model. Though he doesn't outright say it, you can tell he yearns to turn back the clock on Spiderman, and to make him a loser again. To which I tense up in fear of him implimenting his desire. Can't we give Peter Parker just a little bit of happiness? Wieringo hasn't read the Spiderman books lately, it seems. Okay, so he's married to a supermodel. But they're house has burned down, he found out his ex lover had an affair, his Aunt May was kidnapped for months... I for one am surprised Peter Parker didn't throw himself off a bridge ages ago. He's been a loser long enough. Loser is another word for "Everyman". Cut the guy some slack, and just tell good stories. Don't grind Peter into dust.
Tell me about it. I don`t know why writer get this idea people like seeing peter suffer? Do they really think fans enjoy seeing their fav hero suffer all the damn time? It just make me sick when writers write what they want and not what the fans want.:mad:

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Hey, Kids, Free Comics! Read all of Territory 51 on-line for free free fre (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31145)e (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31145). Four cowboys find aliens in Roswell, New Mexico in 1873. Cowboys are the new ninjas, I'm telling you.

Newsarama is also previewing Northwest Passage from Oni Press (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31153). Nothing says "good comics" like "Canadian history," eh?

Except maybe good AMERICAN history, especially when its told with funny animals. For those who skip Toon Zone News, I've linked to an article on Swamp Fox (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=36&t=003637), a Disney-esque take on early American Francis Marion, the fellow whose biography Mel Gibson mauled to make The Patriot.

Moving later in history, we get World War II comics with Image's Iron Ghost by Chuck Dixon. Comicon.com's PULSE News talks to Dixon, where he delivers the deathless quote, "For my tastes you can’t write a story where you kill too many Nazis, commies or zombies. (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003636)" Hey, Chuck, you forgot vampires and stinking aliens.

Finally, stepping away from historical-ish comics, the PULSE also talks to Fred Van Lente about Amazing Fantasy #7 (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003634), debuting the all-new, all-different, all-spunky-chick Scorpion, where he manages to hit a bunch of my buttons all at once, like mentioning how he's overlaying fairy tale structures onto the globetrotting spy-thriller genre. Add in the fact that he's one of the writers on Action Philosophers (http://www.eviltwincomics.com/action.html) and a surprisingly solid preview at PopCultureShock.com (http://www.popcultureshock.com/reviews.php?id=3977) and now I'm all curious.

-- Ed/Ace

[Condiment King]

Fantastic Four 524 – Great ending to a great run from Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo. Seemed like a rather predictable tale at first but changed to something more later on. Now it seems that FF 60 was a beginning and this is the end. ****

Flash 220 – Rogue War! Many good plotlines going on around here makes me feel like this is the old epic Flash from earlier in Geoff Johns' run. I'm especially interested in what Zoom has in mind with his meeting with Jay Garrick. The rogues are as interesting characters as ever, especially the leader, Captain Cold. The rogues have split into two defined sections and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact this has on the rest of the Flash cast and crew. ****

Green Lantern: Rebirth 5 – Sorry Geoff, but this mini-series is losing steam fast. I can't really blame ya, though. I mean this was a really functionary job to bring back Hal Jordan and kick off the new Green Lantern series. This series had a really interesting beginning that rose many questions but now everything seems to be in order. That is -- except the (sometimes annoying) DCU heroes' noses in this. ****

Ultimate Fantastic Four 17 – I gotta hand it to Ellis. This was the first issue that I thought was rather interesting of the entire N-Zone arc. Unfortunately, it still went by rather fast. Not to mention, that the villain doesn't exactly have the same kind of threat to the Four as a Victor Von Doom. I mean, The Thing was clobberin' him all around. ***

Ultimate Spider-Man 75 – Not only am I dropping the Four with the end of the Waid/Weiringo run, but this goes as well. I'm just sick of these mediocre issues, even if 75 was a tad bit stronger than the others. This Hobgoblin arc has, in four parts, gone virtually nowhere. At all. The teen melodrama is a waste. I'm done. ***

[DarkHawk]

Small list this week....

Green Lantern Rebirth #5- Its great to see Guy back in his GL gear, but I agree with a previous poster. This book is losing steam fast....

Ult Spidey #75- God, this arc is dragging big time. I feel like I'm reading a comic book version of Dawson's Creek. Where is the action?! Bendis needs to read Wolvies current arc to see how a arc is done! If the next issue doesn't fare better then bye bye :(

Uncanny X-men #456- Catching up to the current arc. I love X-23's character in this book. She fits in well.

Paradise X TPB- Holy crap! So this is Marvel's Kingdom Come? I about wept when I saw the Guardians of the Galaxy. I have all of their old series from the 90's. A must read if you like alt universe books!

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

This one's going out to those no longer with us. First, Dalia "Dale" Messick has passed away (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/07/arts/07cnd-messick.html?). Messick was the creator of the Brenda Starr comic strip, and her long-running participation in it makes her one of the most successful female syndicated comic strip artists. Mark Evanier pays tribute (http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2005_04_07.html#009773), as does Tom Spurgeon's Comics Reporter (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/more_on_the_passing_of_dale_messick/) and Heidi MacDonald's The Beat (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/dale_messick_de.html).

Meanwhile, a special Will Eisner memorial was held yesterday in New York City. It was sponsored by DC Comics, but the spirit of the man had a long reach in the industry, as shown by the list of guests at the service. Again, you get your pick of blog entries describing the service (here's Innocent Bystander's (http://innocentbystander.typepad.com/innocent_bystander/2005/04/the_will_eisner.html) and The Beat! again (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/will_eisnes_spi.html)).

Bill Willingham talks about Day of Vengeance (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31287) at Newsarama. Big mucho spoilers, if you haven't already checked out the preview. My curiosity was piqued after reading Willingham's comments about it, but it vanished with great rapidity after reading the preview pages. It really does seem that the Countdown to Infinite Identity Crisis Forever tie-in is enough to kill any interest I might have had in it, but that's just me.

Comicon.com's PULSE News must really find the Mr. T comic amusing, because they just interviewed the writer (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003641). I must find this amusing, because I just linked to it.

Hurm.

And last but not least, a comic book shop FINALLY got the right idea and set up a table at a movie theatre on Sin City's opening weekend (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31309). Read on to see what happened next.

-- Ed/Ace

[Stu]

And last but not least, a comic book shop FINALLY got the right idea and set up a table at a movie theatre on Sin City's opening weekend (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31309). Read on to see what happened next.

-- Ed/Ace
I remember seeing something similar when X-Men first came out over here. They had T-Shirts, figures, models and some of those Essential X-Men volumes on display and a few flyers promoting thier store. Unfortunatly, the store is a good couple of miles away, and none of the merchandise was available to buy, despite several people asking. Shame, it didn seem to attract a lot of the younger audience.

When Spider-Man first came out, there was a little buzz about the threatres selling the comic adaptation, only my theatre didn't actually do it. I got mine in a retail store and got it for around 1/2 price. :D

[Spider-Man]

This was an inexpensive week for me this time around. I only had two books to pick up which gave me a bit of money to pick up some extras.

Ultimate Spider-Man #75 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=138127))
Detective Comics #805 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=138206))
Vertigo: First Taste TPB

All of this cost me under $12 dollars. Without a doubt my favorite purchase this week was the Vertigo: First Taste TPB I picked up. Not only did my comic shop sell it for the American $5 price tag but I'm really enjoying it. I would have paid the $6.75 Canadian price anyways. Any way you look at it the book is a great deal. Between DC's $1 comic last week and this week's $5 trade they are really making some nice gimmicks to pull in the readers!

There was something that caught my eye that I was thinking of getting but hesitated. I saw The Batman Chronicles: Volume 1 TPB on the shelf and I was wondering what people thought. Is it worth buying?

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Point #2: he complains that Spider-man is not the "everyman" hero he used to be, and mentions Spiderman has a best selling book and is married to a super model. Though he doesn't outright say it, you can tell he yearns to turn back the clock on Spiderman, and to make him a loser again. To which I tense up in fear of him implimenting his desire. Can't we give Peter Parker just a little bit of happiness? Wieringo hasn't read the Spiderman books lately, it seems. Okay, so he's married to a supermodel. But they're house has burned down, he found out his ex lover had an affair, his Aunt May was kidnapped for months... I for one am surprised Peter Parker didn't throw himself off a bridge ages ago. He's been a loser long enough. Loser is another word for "Everyman". Cut the guy some slack, and just tell good stories. Don't grind Peter into dust.
I think what many writers fail to understand is the degree of angst Peter should have. Today's writers all seem to say that Peter should go back to being an everyman, and that being a loser defines him, but what they have done to him in recent years is like a practical joke turned deadly. It's just waay overboard.

I don't disagree that Peter should go back to an everyman, actually. But they need to tone down the scope of his problems. Instead of busting his gut every 2 months with supervillains tearing down his personal world, or introducing creepy necrophiliac subtext, they need to go back to what really worked--bills, money problems, a complicated social life. And it has to have a sense of humour to it, too. One thing Stan Lee and Roger Stern understood was that Peter's problems were bad, but not psychologically damaging. And they had a light enough touch to make his angst bearable to the reader. I think what it comes down to is that Spider-Man is just too damned dark these days.

It's sad when a Hollywood movie "gets" Spider-Man better than some of today's Spider-Man writers.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


One thing Stan Lee and Roger Stern understood was that Peter's problems were bad, but not psychologically damaging. And they had a light enough touch to make his angst bearable to the reader. I think what it comes down to is that Spider-Man is just too damned dark these days.
Um, what he said.

Really, I think that's what sums up where Peter Parker ought to be in the Marvel Universe. What set him apart from Batman, Superman, and all the DC heroes in the first place was that he had human problems -- paying his rent, keeping his aunt healthy, and having Jameson and occasionally the cops after him. Forget about "will Lois figure out my secret identity?" -- Peter's problem would have been, "can I get Lois to go out with me in the first place?"

Of all the Spidey plot points I've heard about recently, having MJ getting hit on by Wolverine is the one that, I think, is the closest to the kind of problem Peter would have to be dealing with at this point in his life. I don't have an issue with the fact that he's married to a supermodel, but they ought to use that as a source of one of those 1,001 problems Peter has to deal with in addition to being Spider-Man. Finding out that your significant other is turning someone else's head? That's the kind of problem regular people deal with. Finding out your ex-girlfriend slept with the enemy who eventually killed her but had two kids nobody knew about and who have miraculously grown 20 years in the space of 2? Nobody outside a TV soap opera deals with that kind of problem.

-- Ed/Ace

[randomguy]

One thing Stan Lee and Roger Stern understood was that Peter's problems were bad, but not psychologically damaging. And they had a light enough touch to make his angst bearable to the reader. I think what it comes down to is that Spider-Man is just too damned dark these days. At the risk of looking like a total crowd follower... yeah.

Back in the Amazing Spider-Man #512 talkback, I made the point that Peter's life had gotten dark to the point of absurdity. Take a look at what happened to the poor guy in 2004: his dead ex-lover was revealed to have had hyper-aging children with his archrival that tried to kill him, he was robbed of his humanity and transformed into a grotesque giant spider, his Aunt May was kidnapped for a period of several months and used to blackmail him, and he had a front-row seat to the horror and carnage of "Avengers Disassembled". Peter's life should never be a walk in the park, but it's equally as ridiculous to thrust trauma after trauma on him. At this point, it's pushing plausibility that he wouldn't have thrown himself off the top of the Empire State Building by now.

Spider-Man should have problems, but the kind of problems everybody can relate to and overcome themselves. As you said, Spider-Man 2 really nailed it, with the financial difficulties, assorted bouts of lateness, and inability to handle his workload. That's the kind of everyday angst that made him so unique in the first place.


There was something that caught my eye that I was thinking of getting but hesitated. I saw The Batman Chronicles: Volume 1 TPB on the shelf and I was wondering what people thought. Is it worth buying? I really enjoyed it, but it's going to depend on your own preferences, in all honesty. If you can appreciate this kind of material, then it's a safe purchase, but it's not for everyone.

Much of the appeal of reading The Batman Chronicles is similar to the appeal of reading The Complete Peanuts. Although the comics are entertaining in their own right, the real kicks come from seeing classic characters in such early states, before they were fully realized. The Batman Chronicles is fascinating primarily because it offers a glimpse of an early, very different Batman: a solitary guy living by himself, sans Alfred or Robin, cruising around New York City (or at least it's NYC for a little while) in an anonymous car, killing criminals and occasionally packing heat. It's not the Batman you're used to, and if that picques your interest, I'd say go for it.

I won't be picking up future volumes, because Batman's stories become pretty boring and childish not long after this book, but these very first few appearances are pretty entertaining and unusual.

Anyhow, this was a bigger week than I realized. Here are the comics from this week and last that I picked up.

Marvel Milestones #1: This is the first installment of Marvel's funky new reprint book. I'll confess that I have a fondness for reprint material, as the very first comic I ever read (the two part "Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut!" from Amazing Spider-Man #229 & 230) was in a reprint book. In the last few years, reprint titles have pretty much disappeared. That's probably a fairly reasonable consequence of the increasing prevalence of trade paperbacks, but I still really miss them, which is why I'm so happy to have at least one back.

And this is an intresting little reprint title indeed. For one thing, there's no motif, so any and all Marvel stories are presumably game. I like this. Furthermore, like the new Official Handbook series, it's not numbered. This probably means that the orders for each individual issue of the series are going to vary wildly from month to month (just like the Handbook), depending on the marketability of the material included. This is probably a good idea also, because there's no need to number a reprint title.

It's also a far classier item than most reprint books of old. The cover is the same fancy, thick cardstock used for Marvel's "Director's Cut" books. The pages are nice and glossy. The art is the same digitally retouched and recolored art that you'll find in the Masterworks. It costs $4.00, which isn't bad at all for 48 pages without ads. All in all, it's a nice package at a good price.

Of course, those are just my general, meandering thoughts on the title's overall presentation quality. As for this issue itself, this month contains the first appearances of Iron Man, Captain America, and Hank Pym.

The Iron Man origin is a peculiar one in a lot of ways, because of how insanely dated it is. Most Marvel origins are reasonably timeless, but reading how heavily tied into the Vietnam war Tony Stark is made me a bit more sympathetic to Warren Ellis' recent retool. That, and the way Asians are handled is... shall we say less than flattering. Other than those problems, though, it's a damn fine origin story. The central idea, wherein a man is granted power by technology yet still imprisoned by it, however medically improbable, is thematically very strong. Tony Stark is a fun character even in his early stage, a cool pastiche equal parts Howard Hughes and James Bond. There's even a nice comedy moment where, in his first spin in the suit, Iron Man keeps falling over. Don Heck's pencils are good, too. This issue also contains two more Iron Man stories. One is his second appearance, which features the debut of the golden armor and a truly kooky plot with a robotic caveman sent by aliens (gotta love the Silver Age). The other is a few-page back-up which briefly explains the capabilities of Iron Man's first red-and-gold armor. As near as I can tell, this back-up first saw print sometime before the first issue of Iron Man's own solo comic. Marvel did a lot of these explanatory backups back in the day, and this one is a lot of fun.

Hank Pym's origin story is another odd one. You'll notice I say Hank Pym, and not Ant-Man. That's because, at least in this twelve-page story that introduces the character, he doesn't have the costume or the ability to talk to bugs yet. He's just a typical scientist type with none of the dramatic flourishes that would define him later on. The story is very fun, but obviously incredibly dated and silly. Essentially, Hank Pym develops a shrinking potion, tests it on himself, and has to escape an anthill. It's an inauspicious start for the man of many identities, offering absolutely no indication that this guy would wind up being one of Marvel's most complex characters. I find it interesting on that level. It's a fairly typical science-fiction story for Marvel at that time, but it's undeniably intriguing.

Finally, the five-page origin of Captain America and Bucky, from Captain America Comics #1, is included. You've probably all seen this before, but just for completeness' sake, I'll note that it's aged surprisingly well and is a decent little read in its own right.

These are all decidedly old-school comics. They're silly and goofy, but if you're the kind of person that can appreciate comics from this era, they're also very fun. They're refreshingly dense, taking a long time to read, and they could teach modern writers a thing or two about pacing. I enjoyed revisiting these gems, and I look forward to future issues of this title. There's a whole lot of possibilities, and the 48 page count is especially enticing, given that Marvel used to do tons of two-part stories. I mean, all of "Days of Futures Past" could fit into this book. How cool would that be? All of this is a long-winded way of saying Grade: A

Astonishing X-Men #9: While Kitty Pryde contends with a newly liberated Danger Room, the rest of the X-Men try to free her and the students. The general consensus was that this was a somewhat weak issue for Cassaday and Whedon's standards. I disagree wholeheartedly. I thought it was a blast. Sure, this story's been done before... a lot. "The Danger Room/Holodeck is trying to kill us" is pretty standard sci-fi at this point. But darnit, it's well-executed and very fun. Whedon's logic behind allowing the Danger Room to bypass its own programming is exceedingly clever. As usual, nice character moments are interspersed throughout, notably Kitty's grace under fire, and Colossus' determination. Cassaday's art really brings things to life. Though I'm uncertain of the direction taken with the cliffhanger, I still got a kick out of this issue. More thoughts in the talkback on this one. Grade: A

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #12: Well, I didn't hate it. I can say that much. But I'm not terribly enthused either. Millar wraps up most of his loose ends, and moves the pieces off of the board in a graceful enough manner. There's nothing very exciting, original, or unexpected here, though. It's by-the-numbers storytelling lacking the blockbuster action feel that makes Millar's Wolverine so much fun. The action is disappointing. That's not to say there's nothing cool here, though. Millar's grasp of Peter Parker is still very strong, and there's some interesting story opportunities left open for future writers. The last few pages are also rather interesting. Overall, this run was competent, with some fun moments and some great art, but probably missable in the end. I'll post more thoughts in the talkback. Grade: C for this issue, and let's say Grade: B for Millar's entire run.

Countdown to Infinite Crisis: I already posted a dissertation on this thing in the talkback, but basically: I liked the story okay, but didn't care for the things it says about the DC Universe and the coming year of DC stories. The book itself is decent, with a strong mystery, good art, seamless writing, and some good suspenseful moments. But I don't like the tone established here. In fact, I find it adoloscent and uninteresting, and the revelations in the closing pages don't thrill me. It doesn't bode well for the upcoming miniseries, and not for Infinite Crisis itself. This isn't a huge surprise coming from Greg Rucka or Judd Winnick, but is rather out-of-character for Geoff Johns, who's traditionally a bit of a superhero purist. One of the 4th Rail guys gave this book two seperate ratings, one for the story and one for the knee-jerk reaction caused by its developments. I'm going to do the same, giving this a Grade: C and a Grade: D, respectively. That's fair enough.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #5: Hal and Sinestro duke it out. Not much else happens. Contrary to popular opinion, I didn't see any steam lost in this issue... in fact, I thought it a more compelling read than the last couple of issues. Yeah, it's basically an issue-long fight sequence, but those things can be darned cathartic and fun if done right, and this is definitely one spectacular fight sequence. Van Scriver's gorgeous art elevates the fight to something genuinely sublime, and there's a nice emotional subtext to the battle. It's a huge fight, spanning the entire solar system, and it's darned cinematic, with the panels feeling like the storyboards to a sweet Green Lantern film we'll never see. Plus, there's the whole "Hal is back! Sweet" fanboy factor, which is more considerable than I expected it to be. Much like Phoenix: Endsong, this miniseries is shaping up to be far better than it has any right to be. Grade: A

Y: The Last Man #32: Yorrick and company stowaway on a cargo freighter, trying to get to Japan so they can track down Ampersand. This is primarily a set-up issue, which keeps it from being as freaking awesome as Y: The Last Man usually is. We get at least one cool new character introduced, a nice glimpse into how the gendercide has affected the high seas, and a major development for two members of the main cast. The book has been building up to it for a long time, and the scene containing the advancement works surprisingly well. Other than that, there's not a whole lot to talk about. Decent cliffhanger, and excellent fill-in art. And get your mind out of the gutter, Knux. Grade: B

Superman/Batman #18: A chronally-altered Superman and Batman, still reeling from shifting timelines and colliding existences, try to stop three Legion villains from forever dominating the timestream. This arc has been... peculiar. It's a pretty fun read, and holds together better than the previous two Superman/Batman arcs. There have been some neat ideas and very cool guest stars. But as is common with alternate universe stories... this tale didn't really make much sense. It's rather confusing. This issue seemingly resolves the myster of the future Superman, but... not in a way that I understood. I'm still struggling with that scene. However, it's fun, and thanks to Pacheco, absolutely gorgeous. Not a must-read, but a pleasant enough diversion with enough things to say to justify a Grade: B

The Walking Dead #17: This series has been punched up to 11 in recent issues, setting a higher bar than usual. This is the first issue in a while to not totally wow me. It's a fairly logical continuation of where the last few shock endings have left us. All the running plots continue to boil over in The Walking Dead's trademark way. I'll keep vague to avoid spoilers, but overall, this was a good issue, but not one that totally blew me away as the last few did. Grade: B

Ultimate Fantastic Four #17: Reed and Ben struggle to escape from Nihil, as Johnny's condition continues to deteriorate. This is a fun issue, primarily because it gives the Thing a chance to really cut loose and do some clobberin'. There's not much else to it, but what's here is a blast. I know some people have issue with Ellis' pacing in this title, but I've really enjoyed this arc, and I really dig Ellis' sci-fi-flavored take on the FF. The book has been awfully slow in getting to some developments I want it to reach... namely, the Fantastic Four still haven't been referred to as the Fantastic Four, haven't gotten their costumes yet, and haven't been revealed to the public yet. The last one particularly is a loss, because I've always viewed the Four as superhero pop stars, whose fame is a big part of their dynamic. But in the meantime, I'm still enjoying Ellis' take. Kubert's art is fantastic, really capturing the alien environment. Fun stuff overall, with a good sense of humor. Grade: A

Street Fighter #14: Ryu, Ken, Sakura, and Guile face off with Vega and Balrog, each learning something new about themselves in the process. This is the conclusion to the title's second storyarc, and it hits all the right notes, as usual. Like I'm fond of saying, this isn't profound comics, but it's fun, well-drawn stuff with a great grasp of its very large cast, and I've yet to be disappointed by an issue. The second storyarc advances the characters nicely, features a couple of awesome fights, and leaves some tantalizing clues for future stories. As always, great book, well-executed. Grade: A

Secret War #4: Wherein the plot grinds to a halt. This is an issue-long fight scene, but not a terribly well-done one, and the overall story is advanced glacially at best. Great art, as usual, but the book has lost some major steam and commits the cardinal sin of bad comics: it's boring. Grade: D

[Redhood]

This week I got

Ultimate Spiderman #75- best issue of the story arc so far. I can't wait for the next tow issues. I dislike the flashbacks with harry but they are neccesary for the story. 3 out of 5 stars

batman/superman#18- After a long delay its here. This arc started better than it ended. It was still a good issue though. Wouldn't superman immediatly die after he was stabbed with the sword? 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Green Lantern rebirth #5 hal's really back! Great issue with the return of sinestreo. I'm glad kyle showed up to. Cool scene with both hal and kyle beatig on sinestreo. It looks like Hal's gonna have some trouble with batman next issue! 4 out of 5 stars

the incredible Hulk#80- Peter David's run keeps getting better and better.I'm curious to what happened to Gwen. It was fun to see kang and wolverine too. And I really hope the last page cliffhanger is real. that'd be so cool! 4 out of 5 stars

Spidergirl#85- As usual this is a great issue. after the venom arc this was a great follow up. I enjoyed the interaction between spidergirl and Peter Parker. 3 out of 5 stars

ultimate fantastic four #17- I dont really like Ellis on this title. He makes the stories so long! This could be a 3 issue arc but instead its 6. Good action though. 2 out of 5 stars

Strange#5- Another delayed book. This issue really sped up the pace of this series. definitely the best issue yet. 3 out of 5 stars

Amazing fantasy#7-Intresting plot but i doubt this scorpion girl will show up anywhere after this story. Good use of A.I.M. though 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Marvel adventures spiderman #2-the only reason i get this book is because its about spiderman. Hprrible writing 1 out of 5 stars

lex luthor man of steel #2- good issue. Its a point of view thats never been shown before. The art brings this book down. 2 out of 5 stars

Justice league unlimited #8- I love the animated question. Hes such an intresting character. Good plot twist at the end 3 out of 5 stars

zatanna #1- way to weird for my likings. good art though 1 out of 5 stars

deadshot #5- A decent ending to a altogether good series. It was cool seeing all those c rate villains. 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

detective comics #805- Ok issue. ok story- 2 out of 5 stars

Thats all folks over all good week

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I won't be picking up future volumes, because Batman's stories become pretty boring and childish not long after this book, but these very first few appearances are pretty entertaining and unusual.

Hmm. I saw this book on the shelves and said to myself "Again?" Golden Age Batman is the most reprinted Golden Age superhero at DC, but I also wondered if DC are considering "chronicle" books of their other heroes. I'd love to get some affordable Golden Age Wonder Woman reprints...


This week I got


the incredible Hulk#80- Peter David's run keeps getting better and better.I'm curious to what happened to Gwen. It was fun to see kang and wolverine too. And I really hope the last page cliffhanger is real. that'd be so cool! 4 out of 5 stars


Hmmm. Here's another character I'm surprised hasn't killed himself yet. To be fair, Hulk has always been a dark book, so at least it's somewhat in character. But does that make for entertaining reading? I liked PAD's original run overall, but killing Betty might have been a mistake for the longterm survival of the book (unless they truly bring her back, which you never know). I know there are a lot of defenders of PAD's decision to do that, but Hulk is a book that always gave the title character at least a glimmer of daylight to work towards, to keep moving on. Killing Betty pretty much shuts the door in Hulks face. Even Rick's not really around anymore, is he? Hulk is really truly a bum now.

That said, I'm keeping an eye on this title now that PAD is back.

[Blue Zeo]

Not much for me this week, mostly just issues I missed over the past 2-3 months.

Action Comics #826 [Display Issue]
Gotham Central #30 [Display Issue]
Detective Comics #805
Batman #635
Batman #636
Batman #637
Batman Gotham Knights #62

[the panther]

On Friday I picked up:

Green Lantern: Rebirth #5 - Haven't gotten 1-3 yet, so I haven't read this issue yet. Probably end up getting 1 & 3 next week (they're on-order AFAIK), and 2 on the 20th when the third printing comes out.
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #2 - Damn, just when I thought this might actually be something written by Azzarello and good, this issue proved me wrong. I so need to reread this issue. It totally lost me.
Superman/Batman #18 - Haven't read this issue yet, but I probably will tonight. Looking forward to it, even if I'll have to read 14-16 first due my loss of memory of the story.

I looked for the past three issues of Solo, but the shop I was at didn't have them, so, well, I didn't get them. Totally forgot to look for any issues of JLA: Classified or pre-#20 issues of Teen Titans while the final printings of Identity Crisis caught my eye (though I'm not going to squander my money on final printings of a mini that I already have first printings of). The shop also didn't have Batman #638 or X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong #3, so I'll probably be picking those up with the 13th's pull at the other shop. Gah. I so need to cut back on these things. Good thing I'm doing exactly that over the summer. :ack:

[superprime]

This week I got:

Adventures of Superman #638: This is easily the best Superman book out right now. I've really like what Rucka's been doing these last few months. This issue in peticular was a really fun look at what could happen if Superman and Lois had a baby. I liked seeing the different point is Lara's life, especially the Calvin and Hobbes and Bruce Timm inspired ones. Mathew Clarks art was fantastic. He perfectly replicated Frank Miller and Bill Watterson's styles. It's to bad this was his last issue. He's one of the better Superman artists we've had in awhile. I really liked the living in hope message Mxy was giving to Clark and Lois, as that's basically what Superman's all about. 5 out of 5.

Nightwing #106: A good conclusion to a really fun story. The interaction between Dick and Jason was really funny. Overall this arc gave me a good introduction to Nightwing's character and really got me interested in him. 4 out of 5.

Superman #214: The last couple of issues of For Tomorrow have been better, but still not exactly good. I guess this was suppoesd to be the big reveal issue where we figure out everything that's been going on so far, but it's done kinda poorly. That's really my main compliant about this arc, that everything is so cryptic and explained so poorly that it doesn't make much sense. We're never told how Superman created Metropia, how he can make himself forget about it, why Zod's in the Phantom Zone, and other things. Then there's whatever's happening to Father Daniel. That came completely out of nowhere and again made little sense. Azzarello has one issue to make sense of all of this and I reall don't think he's gonna do it. 3 out of 5.

Teen Titans #22: Dr. Light demolished the Titans. I was really surprised by how powerful he was. He's a lot more dangerous than I ever would have thought. I liked the introduction of the new Hawk and Dove. They seem like pretty good characters. However, the best part of this issue was the end. The spread of all the Titants gathered together was amazing. McKone did a great job. The last page with Light's taunt and Nightwing saying "Titans Together" was an awesome end. I can't wait for the huge fight next issue. 4 out of 5.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

The headline link for today would have to be Robert Kirkman's interview about The Walking Dead (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31425) over at Newsarama.com. Really, really, really mean to get me one of them TPBs Real Soon Now.

Courtesy of the Comics Reporter (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/sunday_morning_at_scholastic/) comes an amusing little interactive interview with Jeff Smith, as conducted by Fone, Phoney, and Smiley Bone (http://www.scholastic.com/bone/author.htm#). I'm kind of hoping that Smith didn't do that sketch of himself on the left, or that he did it left handed or something.

Finally, longtime Toon Zone readers will remember Paul Storrie, writer for a few issues of Justice League Adventures and the terribly fun Gotham Girls mini-series who hung around here while doing his Animated Age comics. Storrie has a new, more mature mini-series being solicited by Moonstone Publishing for June, and blabs to Newsarama about it (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31451). Skip a crossover this month and give it a pre-order, eh? Paul will thank you for it.

-- Ed/Ace

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Today's BPoL begins with two links to Tom DeFalco, Marvel editor and writer of cult comics hit Spider-Girl. First is an interview with Newsarama about Spider-Girl and the mini that looks like a tie-in to House of M, but isn't and whose name I've forgotten and can't look up because Newsarama is being temperamental for me right now (http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31503&bcsi_scan_2CAC76AE434EDE0E=j4VGGMZJ73+HP8AWyjyzyAIAAABdClIA&bcsi_scan_filename=showthread.php). Fans of Spider-Girl fearful that House of M will wipe out their favorite title can breathe a little easier, it seems.

The other good news is that I may have just made the longest link, like, ever.

The second bit of Tom DeFalco-y goodness comes from his interview with ever-manly Beau Smith (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/busted/111325049731831.htm) for this week's Busted Knuckles column.

Speaking of a set of questions asked to comics creators, one of IGN's new features of their comics sections is the Dirty Dozen (http://comics.ign.com/index/features.html?constraint.grid.section=Features&constraint.grid.topic=The%20Dirty%20Dozen), which fields the same 12 questions to a variety of people in the industry. This week's questions are sent to Larry Young of AiT/PlanetLar.

For those old enough to remember him, Norm Breyfogle was one of the definitive Batman artists of the 80's and 90's; his run with Alan Grant writing was one of the few times I've ever collected a Batman title regularly. Breyfogle just got interviewed on a weblog (http://www.thegreatcurve.net/2005/04/sitting-down-with-norm-breyfogle.html) about his Batman tenure, his seeming blacklisting at DC, and his current projects. This interview also eventually leads to Breyfogle's home page, where you can buy original Batman artwork for as little as $50 a page.

Local paper visits Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould's grave (http://www.nwherald.com/MainSection/295108627144584.php), and talks to his daughter about the comic strip and the movie with Warren Beatty and Madonna. It seems that she and I may be among the very few who really liked the movie.

For those interested in High Aaaart (sniff), check out the Draw! weblog's link to "Deconstructing Lichtenstein," (http://drawn.ca/2005/04/08/deconstructing-lichtenstein) a look at the comic art that modern artist Roy Lichtenstein lifted to make his artwork and a much bigger pile of money than a lot of the original artists did.

PopCultureShock.com just got a makeover to become Buzzscope.com, complete with crap-tacular interface that won't let me open links in new tabs (a key feature for the BPoL). However, they do have the second installment of Color Commentary (http://buzzscope.com/features.php?id=926), dealing with minorities in the comics, and a big, long interview with Bill Willingham (http://buzzscope.com/features.php?id=927), mostly focusing on Fables. Fables fans should definitely check out the latter. For those who actually care about these sorts of things, Willingham also identifies himself as that most elusive of beasts: a politically conservative comics creator.

Hey, if it gets someone to try Fables who wasn't going to look at it before, I ain't gonna quibble.

-- Ed/Ace