This Week In Comics: 04/20/2005

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for April 20th, 2005 - April 26th, 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_042005.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.marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/RUNAWAYS_3image_small.jpg (http://www.marvel.com/catalog/showcomic.htm?id=1877&format=comic)

Runaways #3




Ace the Bathound's Picks:



..http://www.comicon.com/pulse/images_3/1flw1_th.jpg (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D002953).....http://www.edwick.com/boneyard4TPB.jpg (http://www.nbmpublishing.com/comingup/comapril.html)


Four-Letter Worlds TPB................Boneyard Vol. 4 TPB





Clayface's Pick:


http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/2916_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2916)

Ex Machina #10




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[Batman91]

This week I got:

Teen Titans Go#17
Good issue,I liked Hotspots pesonality B+ :D

Batman#638
I know people were upset because of something in this issue but,I think its brought us some good storylines A- :D

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Today's BPoL comes with two items associated with Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon. First, he reports on the news that the first Julie Schwartz memorial lecture will be held at MIT (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003678), broken on Neil Gaiman's weblog (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/journal.asp). No word when or where, but the topic will be the broad range of pop culture Julie influenced over his career.

Meanwhile, Comicfoundry.com has How to Critique Comics the Tom Spurgeon Way (http://www.comicfoundry.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=86).

Newsflash: Bone creator Jeff Smith is, apparently, a comic-book rockstar (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/jeff_smith_rock.html).

DC and Marvel are now facing some really tough competition in the comic book market, apparently: the US Federal Reserve (a.k.a., "The Fed" and "The House that Alan Greenspan Built") is making a bunch of comics available to schools that teach kids about money (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/the_fed_goes_co.html) (search here (http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/teachers/) for medium "Comic Books" to see the full list).

Finally, via Scott McCloud, badly drawn cartoons that take their subject from spam e-mail subject headers (http://spamusement.com/). At least something kind of good will come from them.

-- Ed/Ace

[Chad Bonin]

I've read some stuff, but I'm unable to pick it up for a few days.

Either way, I'll be getting a copy of Spectacular Spider-Man. I planned to only read the Sarah arc, but heck, I don't mind getting it signed by Paul Jenkins on FCBD...

[the panther]

Big list this week, considering the last couple weeks. But, hey, the last two weeks of the month are always the biggest for me. I shouldn't be surprised!

I picked up:

Birds of Prey #81
Catwoman: When In Rome #5
Marvel Knights 4 #17
Robin #137
Superman #215
Teen Titans #23
X-Men #169

Two the shop didn't have:

Green Lantern: Rebirth #2
The OMAC Project #1

But I'm picking up at least OMAC tomorrow or Friday at another shop. Well, that is, if they have it. If not, I'll have to wait till the one I went to today get more in next week (also when I should be getting GL:R).

I'll post more when I read them!

PS - Anyone notice that the Superman cover says "30 PAGES!"? Boy, two pages short. What a rip. Actually, it's supposed to say "40 PAGES!". Some idiot made a typo that wasn't caught.

[PaQ]

This would probably be the biggest one week haul I've had since I can remember. A lot of books just fell on this release by chance. 17 books: 6 DC, 6 Marvel, 2 Image, 2 Speakeasy & 1 Dark Horse.

Conan #15 - Origin story somewhat. Tales of little Conan's youth, saving that man from the pack of Wolves, killing the leader was pretty cool to read. ****

Batman: Gotham Knights #64 - Jealousy certainly doesn't suit Hush well. Telling Poison Ivy that Bruce is Batman, Bruce having to cover his ass with good ol' Alfred (sorta surprised he didn't get Dick to suit up real quick). And now Ivy is human again, and Bruce was pretty friendly with Ivy throughout.. ****

Birds of Prey #81 - Black Canary teams up with Wild Cat to take care of business, but of course things never go that easy. I like the new BOP artist, very busty. ***

OMAC Project #1 - Great start for the first mini-series out of Countdown. That ending was great, Sasha showing compassion and sending Bruce a message.. Beetle's glasses and the little note. It's about to hit the fan. ****

Robin #137 - Tim gets signed out of school, continues to face off with these new villains. I did like the interrogation scene, with Batman watching and giving Tim advice as he interrogated the Sunrise Archer. ****

Superman #215 - A lackluster ending to a lackluster arc. ***

Teen Titans #23 - Okay, the twist at the end with Deathstroke and Rose dressing up as Batman & Batgirl and taking Dr. Light away.. how did Superboy not notice?. Was it just a matter of respect, or am i shaky on his abilities? Great ending, I continue to love how everything of DC is tying in to Crisis. ****

Invincible #22 - This continues to be my favorite book to read every month. And now his secret identity has been revealed to his girlfriend and a nice lead-in to issue 0.

Spawn #145 - Continues to be a great read, yet confuses me as well. I thought he wouldn't be able to use Spawn anymore.. but that still seems to work. A good showdown in the next issue it seems. ***

Amazing Spider-man #519 - Peter adjusts to living in Stark Tower, and of course bangs Mary Jane. "Can't waste a good babe." Also Hydra is back. ***

MK: 4 #17 - I don't remember much, but Johnny fights Doom, the Reeds try to make a comeback to the right time. ***

New X-men #12 - So the student/teacher relationship is outed and reprecussions are felt througout the New Mutants. Nothing like angst. ***

Runaways #3 - Another solid issue, and it looks like a step closer to finding out who Victor's dad is. Speculation shall ensue! ***

Ultimate Spider-Man #76 - Somehow Harry is about to turn into whatever Norman turned into. I've lost interest with USM and will be dropping it, coincidently once this arc ends. **

Young Avengers #3 - Great issue, silly Avengers (since I guess this is before NA), lock up YA without their weapons and Kang shows up. Should be fun battle. ***

Atomika #2 - I can't stand this book. I'm glad I dropped it, nothing takes place. *

Grimoire #2 - Some new group and a "family friend" get introduced.. I have a bad feeling about them though. ***
Thoughts after I get through them all. :D

[wonderfly]

GAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Must Marvel and DC (and all the Indies) really put out all of the titles I collect in one week?!? I show a total of 16 titles on my pull list that came out today!!!

I ended up breaking my rule of never spending more than 30 bucks per week, and I still didn't buy everything on my pull list...

Here's what I did get, but don't expect complete reviews for everything...it's going to be one of those type of weeks...

Amazing Spiderman #519: This is what a "Spiderman in the World of the Avengers" story should be like. JMS mixes quite well the "down to Earth" world of Spider-man with the "larger than life" world of the Avengers. The conversation between Aunt May and Jarvis is quite revealing. So it's a shame that the last few pages totally derail the plot. Hydra is an enemy that works well for Captain America and SHIELD, but what they have to do with the Avengers and Spiderman, I don't know...though I suspect the whole point of the arc is not the threat of the villians, it's to show how Spiderman reacts to being absorbed into the Avengers lifestyle. How they deal with terrorist organization's like Hydra will just be part of illustrating how Spidey and the Avengers are similar yet different. And is it just me, or did the artwork go down in detail in the last few pages featuring Hydra? Yet the credits list only one artist throughout the issue...Grade: B

Conan: Isn't it amazing when the fill-in story is better than the main story? And I really like the main storyline! :) The story of Conan's youth is something you would think would make for a dull story, but Kurt Busiek and Greg Ruth show us THE best portrait of Cimmeria ever: a dreary and cold landscape that quickly turns boys into men. Grade: A

Ex Machina #10: A nice ending I suppose, but this feels rushed. I for one would've liked an answer to "what the @#$%'s going on here!" but I suppose Vaughan doesn't want to reveal everything yet. The Gay Marriage thing is wrapped up a bit too tidy, but the last couple of pages were nice. I'm glad they didn't reveal the answer to that last question posed by Mayor Hundred's would-be lover...it's a nice bit of "leaving the audience guessing"...but I hope we see more of this potential couple in future issues. As for the gore and violence in some scenes: GAH! That aspect of the book is looking more and more like a twisted X-files knockoff..Grade: A-

Fantastic Four #525: Ah, a fill in issue. Karl Kesel's done his time on the FF before now, and he respects what's come before, so he's an adequate choice to write this two-parter. But nothing fundamental is getting accomplished. This issue is nothing more than "Day in the Life" material for the FF. Oh well, I guess not every issue can have our heroes saving the universe from Dr. Doom or Galactus...so in that regard, it makes for a nice change of pace...but still, the threat posed by Diablo doesn't seem that troublesome. Grade: C+

Livewires #3: Another great issue. What makes this offbeat miniseries work is in seeing the androids trying to act human. On one hand, they do it all too well, acting more alive then the reclusive tech geeks who created them. On the other hand, they realize that they are simply acting out interaction protocols, giving them a self awareness which isn't usually found in such stories. Showing us the team through the eyes of Stem Cell, (the malfunctioning andriod) is also a smart move: she's one of them, and yet seperate from them. A good narrative device. Add on top of that the manga style of Adam Warren, which truly sells this story, and you have a great comic! Grade: A

New Xmen #12: A decent, solid issue. I'm glad to see that there is going to be some fallout from David's "dream sequence" from the last couple of issues: it turns out the boy's a bit traumatized! That's good, as I was afraid that the last couple of issues wouldn't have any repercussions at all...Meanwhile, the secret relationship between Rahne and Josh becomes public news, with predictable results. That part wasn't so interesting, since it played out exactly as I thought it would. Still, they're setting up for some good storylines to come. Grade: B+

Runaways #3: Another good solid issue. I especially like the last two pages...nice set up to the revelation of who Victor's Dad is...I have no clue who it could be. The "Excelsior" group provides some good scenes as well. Comedy Relief, and yet, showing the dangers of being a teen superhero, (look how messed up Darkhawk is)! I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue. Grade: A

Spectacular Spiderman #27 Do you love how they increased the price for the final issue? Grrrr....And yet it was worth it. I have to admit I had lost faith in Paul Jenkins story telling ability in the last couple of years, but this issue showed he still knows the essense of Spiderman. This is the third tale that Jenkins has wrote set at the gravestone of Uncle Ben, yet each one keeps getting better and better. Sure, it's a tad disturbing that this heartwarming Christmas tale was published 4 months late, (stupid Marvel publishing schedule...) but it reaffirms what being Spiderman's all about: he's truly the hero all of us average men and women can identify with. And was it just me, or was this issue very reminiscent of the old Calvin and Hobbes strips? Beautiful artwork. Grade: A+

Uncanny Xmen #458: And this storyarc drags on...actually, this issue is better than last issue. But at the end of the day, I just have no interest whatsoever in Psylocke being back from the dead, I have no interest whatsoever in sentient dinosaurs trying to take over the world, I have no interest whatsoever Savage Land stories, and did I mention I have no interest whatsoever? Grade: C

Wolverine #27: Ah, now this is how an action issue SHOULD be handled. Mindless violence, yes, but seeing Wolverine doing what he does best...sometimes that's all that a comic needs to be good. When you boil Mark Millar's plot down, it's basically tearing Wolverine's world down, and seeing if it can be built back up again. But unlike his run on Marvel Knights Spiderman, here the consequences feel real. A grim and gritty revenge comic. Killing the bad guys over the course of the next few issues is going to feel sooo good. Grade: A

Xmen #169: The creepy atmosphere of this story arc really works, but the plot still doesn't make sense. I'm also not so sure that this was a good choice for Milligan's first story arc on the book: what's this title going to read like when he tells a story where our heroes AREN'T going crazy? Still, that last page was really cool, (very Call of Cthulhu-ish). But wait, since when did the Xmen have ties to a space station? Grade: C+

Young Avengers #3: Y'know, I wasn't certain about wether I was going to enjoy this title or not, but it just keeps getting more and more interesting with each issue...and yet more predictable. I already know how this first story arc is going to end, (and the cover from the Previews for Issue #6 confirms it). Still, some nice twists in this issue: Patriot's identity is a nice surprise. And isn't it interesting that "Antgirl's" shirt has the same unique properties as the Hulk's pants?!? ;) Must...suspend...disbelief...Grade: B+

Reviews to follow as I read them.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Bad, bad Marvel. Modeling the "House of M" Magneto after a painting of the current King of Spain (http://www.millarworld.net/index.php?showtopic=48082&st=0) was not a Smart Thing to Do. If you habla espanol, you can lea el artículo original (http://www.lavanguardia.es/web/20050421/51182332025.html).

We can expect a number of Maxim and Sports Illustrated swimsuit models sue the pants off Greg Horn and Greg Land any day now (speaking of which, has anybody ever seen them in the same room together at once? Hmmm....).

Clearly, Marvel's going to the pits because editor C.B. Cebulski is leaving (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32105). He talks to Newsarama about why. Best part of the interview?


However, I think the award for my proudest accomplishment for anything I did at Marvel would have to go to Runaways. I could not be happier with all the success and accolades that book and its creative team has garnered. They deserve every ounce of praise they get. I do truly believe Runaways is the best comic Marvel is currently publishing!
Buy Runaways or C.B. Cebulski will find you on his world travels and beat you up and make you cry. And he's a mighty big dude (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/disturbing_week.html).

ComicBookResources.com covers The Middleman (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5136), a new comic by one of the writers of Lost. TV writers are the new ninjas. However, it's an amusing bit of fluff that has a strong Paul Dini vibe. Several sample pages, with family friendly yuks for all.

Finally, forget about Detective Chimp from the upcoming Day of Vengeance mini-series. Cops in Arizona want to train a capuchin monkey to be on the SWAT team (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/fringe/sns-ap-swat-monkey,0,6935805.story?coll=sfla-news-fringe). Forget about flinging poo -- this monkey's gonna be packing heat. He is, however, still no match for the dog with a camera strapped to his head (http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001404.html).

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/images/dog_con_camera.jpg

According to the article, "Everybody laughs about it until they really start thinking about it," said Mesa Officer Sean Truelove. Yeah, and then they laugh even harder.

-- Ed/Ace

[Robin]

I see that DC is releasing "Batman: The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" this week. I swear I have seen this title before somewhere else. Is this just a release of an old collection with a new, but cool, Alex Ross cover (http://dccomics.com/media/covers/2932_400x600.jpg)? Batman Begins fever is starting to kick in and I'm looking forward to getting some nice collections.

[rggkjg1]

THE OMAC PROJECT #1 - looks like the infinite crisis tie ins got off to a great start.
TEEN TITANS #23 - it was nice seeing every titan battle doctor light.
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #18 - great arc.
SUPERMAN #215 - it finnally ends. i wouldnt call "for tommorow" a complete loss or dissapointment. this arc has had its moments. it was a great to see jim lee working on superman and i am glad that mr. azzarello has brought back general zod.
ACTION COMICS #826 - this was an alright issue. the various suicides were odd. i dont really have an interest in this arc or captain marvel. this arc is a good place to start since i am now getting every superman title. the new creative teams that begin in may is going to be awesome.
MAJESTIC #4 - can't wait for the next arc. i felt that this series has gotten off slowly because i expected majestic to be a superman like figure in his universe. i am looking forward to the next arc to see what happens since all the people of earth are against majestic.
GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH #4 - hal is back. the battle with sinestro was pretty good. i wonder what batman has to say though...
THE QUESTION #6 - this mini series was ok. i really expected more out of it. i was really hoping for this series to have the same tone as the justice league episode which featured the question. i instantly fell in love with the character in that episode and could not wait for anything featuring the question. in mean time i was able to get every issue of dennis o'neil's question series. i kind of wish that this question series had the same tone as o'neils. overall the question was an alright story. i would like to see more of the question some time in the near future though.
SUPERMAN STRENGTH #3 - superman strength was a good read. i enjoyed this story and strongly recomend this for people to pick up if they are begining to check out superman.
THE PUNISHER #19 - :eek: words can not describe this issue. all i can say is this arc will top "mother russia". mr. ennis, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Tim O'Neil is on a tear, with a one-page remix (http://whenwillthehurtingstop.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_whenwillthehurtingstop_archive.html#111409024269046065) of the end page of DC Countdown and then at Buzzscope.com with his usual remix silliness (http://www.buzzscope.com/remixer.php?id=940&p=1). Mucho spoilers ahoy.

Matthew Vaughn, director of X3, does not fill me with confidence when he talks about his ideas for a Stardust (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/vaughn_on_x3.html) movie:


I think the problem is that when people say 'we're going to do a fairy tale, so therefore, let's shoot it in a fairytale way.' I wanted to shoot it more modern and grittier. I have to wonder if he read the same Stardust (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156389470X/qid=1114203601/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books) that I did.

Hometown Boy Makes Good: Tom Beland, writer/artist for True Story Swear to God (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1932051090/qid=1114203750/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2003060-1000127?v=glance&s=books), is profiled in his local hometown paper (http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=B1366718-5CA2-42EE-9D72-718067B20BE7).

Finally, the Boston Phoenix produces a well-written and thoughtful article about modern comics readership that starts with the latest Birds of Prey (http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/books/documents/04616359.asp) TPB and then roams all the heck over the place after that.

-- Ed/Ace

[Stu]

I see that DC is releasing "Batman: The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" this week. I swear I have seen this title before somewhere else. Is this just a release of an old collection with a new, but cool, Alex Ross cover (http://dccomics.com/media/covers/2932_400x600.jpg)? Batman Begins fever is starting to kick in and I'm looking forward to getting some nice collections.
I have an older version of that book (or a book with the same title) but yeah... I didn't like it. It's filled with a lot of pre-Adams/Neil and a lot of it comes across as campy. There's a few good stories, but nothing remarkable, if I recall. I wouldn't really recommend it, there's a lot better books out there.

[Condiment King]

Catwoman: When In Rome 5 – What a twist! I'm not even sure if I like the twist but its nice that there was one. The mini-series was really winding down and just..finishing. I'm glad that the character had a bigger part in the series than I thought and its nice to see the Batman daydreams weren't just random things that Selena was having. ****

Ex Machina 10 – Mayor Hundred and his in-your-face gay marriage ceremony. I don't really agree with alot of what Mayor Hundred says but his misadventures are always fun to watch. Strange to see such diplomacy in a comic. Anyways, twas a fast issue that didn't have as much meat as previous issues. ***

Gotham Central 28-30

Invincible 22 – Things are really picking up in this book as the build-up for big issue 25 starts next issue. Interesting character development with Mark's girlfriend and her new friend Bridget as well as her friends earlier. Tons of little sideplots that could go somewhere like Angstrom Levy's time-hopping scheme being completed, Robot's plan, and the upcoming villain's preparations continuing. Good book with tons of build-up. I also liked Art talking with Mark's mother about Mark's father. Internal conflict for those characters in that they would miss Nolan yet hate him for what he's done at the same time. ****

Runaways 3 – It took one more issue longer than advertised but I really started digging Runaways with a re-read of #1 and the plot of #2. Now it just continues to roll. I still have a problem with the way the runaways are treating Victor. They have to realize that he hasn't done anything yet so they can't really push him around as much as they are, or they shouldn't, rather. Unfortunately, it turns out Victor's mother lied to Victor about a little something. ****

The Walking Dead 18 – Time for my monthly gush about The Walking Dead. What an awesome book. This issue was as amazing as any other. Honestly, Robert Kirkman does his finest work on this book. The plots flow so well. Case in point, this issue with the circumstances of how/if Thomas would be put to death and someone's sudden major involvement in the plot. I'm not even sure if this book has heroes, but it has survivors, if that makes sense. *****

[screw on head]

I picked up Dare Detectives #1.1 by Ben Caldwell. The art in this digest sized comic is absolutely fantastic. I happened to be in NYC Wednesday for an interview, so I dropped by Jim Hanley's Universe and eventually found this. Again, this is digest sized, which is pretty small, so it wasn't that easy to pick out among regular sized comics.

I'm very glad I picked this up. I bought this mainly to see Caldwell's pencilling/inking/coloring work, but I was surprised to find the story in this wasn't half bad. It's very straight forward, but it's a lot of fun. The art is so kinetic and well handled that these panels just move. One of the set pieces in this is such a comic book no-no (a car chase), but with Caldwell's talent, it flows just as well as it would if it was animated.

There are little lettering issues here and there, but aside from that very minor occurance, this was one fun read. His pencils/inks, his fantastic design work, his choice in colors, all of it was an absolutely refreshing breath of fresh air. He's sold me with this installment so I'll be sure to pick this up faithfully, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a truly fun ride of a story.

[Spider-Man]

This was a pretty heavy week. It seemed like Marvel and DC shipped almost half of their titles this week! It was unreal! I couldn't really afford any extra titles because so many of my regular books came in.

The best comic of the week is without a doubt Spectacular Spider-Man #27. A beautiful comic. Jenkins goes out on top with this great one-shot story. Anyways time for what I got this week.

Spectacular Spider-Man #27 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139223) (talkback)
Ultimate Spider-Man #76 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139228) (talkback)
Wolverine #27 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139227) (talkback)
Uncanny X-Men #458 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139224) (talkback)
Amazing Spider-Man #519 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139225) (talkback)
X-Men #169 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139505) (talkback)
Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man 2005

[Mister Intensity]

I see that DC is releasing "Batman: The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" this week. I swear I have seen this title before somewhere else. Is this just a release of an old collection with a new, but cool, Alex Ross cover (http://dccomics.com/media/covers/2932_400x600.jpg)? Batman Begins fever is starting to kick in and I'm looking forward to getting some nice collections.
They traded a few of the stories for this release. This time there is more of an emphasis on post-1970 material, including some stuff that's been published since the original release of the The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told in 1992 or so. I would say that half of the stories were in the older collection and half are new to the collection. I would recommend buying if you haven't read most of the stories. I love the older Batman material (why can't Batman stories be so good these days).

Mister Intensity

[wonderfly]

The cover of this week's Comic Shop News had an interesting story on an upcoming new comic called: The Stardust Kid. After reading the news article, I can't wait to read this title! It's by the same creative team that came up with Abadazad. I think comics could use more titles like the ones J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog are creating.


They traded a few of the stories for this release. This time there is more of an emphasis on post-1970 material, including some stuff that's been published since the original release of the The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told in 1992 or so. I would say that half of the stories were in the older collection and half are new to the collection. I would recommend buying if you haven't read most of the stories. I love the older Batman material (why can't Batman stories be so good these days).
You would think there'd be more than enough material out there for there to be a "Vol. 2" of "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told"...that seems like the best alternative rather than releasing the same old book with a few swapped out stories...

[randomguy]

The cover of this week's Comic Shop News had an interesting story on an upcoming new comic called: The Stardust Kid. After reading the news article, I can't wait to read this title! It's by the same creative team that came up with Abadazad. I think comics could use more titles like the ones J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog are creating.
I read that article too. The Stardust Kid looks really neat, and given how refreshing and fun Abadazad was, I look forward to picking it up. DeMatteis can do no wrong.

Anyhow, this week's comics...

Ex Machina #10: Mayor Hundred juggles an extraplanetary threat with his controversial choice to perform and license a gay marriage ceremony. This issue has all the usual Vaughan goodness. The nature of the mysterious threat driving the "Tag" storyline is revealed, and comes as a very genuine surprise. The gay marriage subplot is handled with the usual insight and aplomb that I've come to expect whenever Ex Machina does politics. There's some great teasing for future storylines, and fantastic art from Tony Harris. There's a lot of violence in this issue, and it comes across as violence truly should: it's not glamorous, and it's not pretty. It's horrifying, and brutal, and you want to close your eyes. Great stuff, still one of the top five books on the stands. Grade: A

Marvel Milestones: Venom and Hercules: The second issue of Marvel's funky little reprint book. To tie into this month's Toxin and Hercules miniseries, this issue reprints the first appearances of Hercules (from a Journey Into Mystery annual) and the Venom symbiote (from Secret Wars #8). Secret Wars #8 is a bit of a peculiar choice, when you think about it. The Venom symbiote/black costume doesn't appear until the final page, and you don't even know it's alive yet. Besides, Secret Wars #8 is right smack dab in the middle of the crossover, and not the most accessible of issues. A more logical choice for a reprint might have been Venom's first appearance, Amazing Spider-Man #300.

Of course, it's hard to complain too much, because Secret Wars #8 is a pretty fun comic book. The plot goes something like this: on the Beyonder's planet, the Avengers, three of the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man, convinced that the Wasp is dead, storm a compound of villains to take their revenge. Meanwhile, the X-Men and Magneto keep their eye on Galactus, ready to warn Reed Richards as soon as he starts devouring the planet. It's pretty much an issue-long fight scene, with the Avengers and the FF taking on villains like Titania, the Wrecking Crew, and Ultron. It's melodramatic and silly, but it's also exceedingly fun. Spider-Man's role, wherein he jokes around and manages to beat Titania (who's got to be ten times stronger than he is) is great, and there's a fantastic character moment with Hawkeye. The art is good, but the reprint quality is unfortunately not great. Still fun to read, though.

The second story is the first appearance of Marvel's version of the Greek god Hercules. Thor and Loki are travelling through one of Asgard's forbidden realms on horseback when they come across a passageway to Olympus. Thor falls into it, while Loki (being Loki) gets the hell away before things inevitably go south. Anyhow, Thor winds up in Olympus, and comes to a bridge being guarded by Hercules. Thor being Thor, it never occurs to him to actually talk to Hercules, so the two start wailing on each other pretty much immediately.

It's an interesting fight. It's not cinematic or particularly well-choreographed or anything. There are no explosions or huge leaps or moments of incredible coolness. Instead, the fight's exactly what you'd expect from Thor and Hercules: it's two big, musclebound guys wrestling each other. Lots of grapples and holds and things. Very straightforward. It's a decent little story, but nothing special.

The downside to Marvel Milestones, the way I see it, is that it's a tie-in book meant to promote new miniseries, instead of a more all-purpose reprint title. That's a bit of a shame, but as long as the material they choose for the tie-ins is good, it's hard to complain too much. Grade: B

Invincible #22: Mark and Amber's relationship hits a new milestone, while various other subplots continue to boil. Good issue, as always. This is a much more dense issue than most for Invincible, something Kirkman acknowledges in the letters pages. It'll look somewhat odd in the trade paperback. It's a nice change, though, and a good little story, with strong art, and good pacing. Solid stuff as always. Grade: A

Runaways #3: The Runaways retrieve Victor Mancha while fighting Excelsior. Primarily a fight scene, but a darn fine and well-paced one with some great character bits (particularly Chase's excitement when he finds a new weapon on the Leapfrog). There's some more teasing as to Victor Mancha's father, which is a genuinely compelling mystery. I'll admit that I think Vaughan is making note of Karolina's sexuality just a bit too often (she's a lesbian, we get it), but it's still good stuff that comes highly recommended. Fantastic art as always. Grade: A

Spectacular Spider-Man #27: The final issue of the title, and the final issue of Paul Jenkins' run. Spider-Man visits Uncle Ben's grave one snowy Christmas. Jenkins really excels with these single issues, and this one is a strong tale indeed. The Calvin and Hobbes homages are great, Buckingham's art is fantastic, and Jenkins makes some interesting observations on the true source of Peter's motivation to be Spider-Man. It's not as good as #14 (still my favorite issue of the title), but it's quite solid, and the final page is very special. Grade: A

[Blue Zeo]

Batman: Gotham Knights #64
Batman: Jekyll and Hyde #1
Birds of Prey #81
The Omac Project #1
Robin #137
Superman #215

[wonderfly]

I'll admit that I think Vaughan is making note of Karolina's sexuality just a bit too often (she's a lesbian, we get itShe is?!? Is this something I would've read about in the previous volume of Runaways? Or am I just totally clueless here. :)

[randomguy]

She is?!? Is this something I would've read about in the previous volume of Runaways? Or am I just totally clueless here. :)They've never flat-out made it clear, but the writing is on the wall. I've no clue whether Karolina herself is aware of it, but Vaughan's dropped numerous hints that she's either lesbian or bisexual. We can infer this most notably from the various times she's expressed an interest in Nico.

Once I think about it, though... yeah, most of those hints were dropped in the first volume. I won't spoil it for you, in case you're planning on picking up the digests or the upcoming hardcover. But there were plenty of them.

I digged through my Volume 2 issues, though, and Vaughan's hinted on Karolina's sexuality only twice so far: once in Issue #1, when she gets mad at Chase for using "gay" as a derogatory term, and in this week's issue, when she stops in mid-fight with Julie (from Power Pack) to tell her how pretty she is. Which, of course, is really not that substantial at all, so I might have overexaggerated a bit. Oops.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I read that article too. The Stardust Kid looks really neat, and given how refreshing and fun Abadazad was, I look forward to picking it up. DeMatteis can do no wrong.
I thought that too, but then I read Blood: A Tale in TPB, which was kind of pretty but a complete incoherent mess of a book. I couldn't eBay it fast enough.

However, the Stardust Kid does look really cool, and will do nicely until they manage to get those Abadazad books out. If you search the CBC, I know I've linked to articles about it a few times now.


They've never flat-out made it clear, but the writing is on the wall. I've no clue whether Karolina herself is aware of it, but Vaughan's dropped numerous hints that she's either lesbian or bisexual. We can infer this most notably from the various times she's expressed an interest in Nico.
I think Karolina knows she's gay, but is mostly in denial about it. Re-read her conversation with the new kid in the "Teenage Wasteland" arc of Season 1, where she says stuff about, "wanting it to feel like I'm supposed to" or something.

-- Ed/Ace

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

So, 24-Hour Comics Day has come and gone. Anybody here go to one? Anybody here DO one? About Comics has a gushing press release (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/archives/2005/04/24_hour_comics_1.html).

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Comicon has come and gone, with Newsarama providing the journalistic views of what happened (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32429). Apparently, Michael Turner had to cancel his appearance due to a relapse of his cancer (!). Anybody caught making derogatory comments connecting Turner's health (or lack thereof) with his art skills (or lack thereof) will be found and kicked in the shins quite mercilessly.

Greg Thompson's annoyed that he can't buy comics for his kids any more. I still disagree with that statement on its face, but at least Thompson's doing something about it with Hero Camp (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5155), formerly a mini-comic, now a limited series, and supposedly already optioned for a movie. Check out the preview at ComicBookResources.com.

TV shows turning into comics is the new cowboys. Rumors abound that the new Battlestar Galactica TV show is next up for the treatment (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32433), courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment. If this is true, I have one word for the people who will do the comic, and that word is: Boomer. We must have lots of Boomer.

Finally, Randy Lander covers more self-published comics (http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/0405/monitorduty25.shtml) from the STAPLE small-press show in Austin (part one (http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/0305/monitorduty23.shtml) and part two (http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/0305/monitorduty24.shtml), in case you've forgotten). See if there's something you like and go support the little guys.

-- Ed/Ace

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Seems to be a day to find stuff on Black Diamond, the new comic coming in June from AiT/PlanetLar about an 8-lane lawless highway stretching from New York to San Francisco. Comicon.com's PULSE talks to artist Daniel Way about the comic (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003703), and gets an earful about what it's like working for the Big 2 (and why Way isn't doing it any more). Meanwhile, the Isotope Virtual Lounge (http://isotopecomics.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=363) links to a nice big 16-page PDF preview (http://www.ait-planetlar.com/resources/BDSG.pdf) that has 8 pages of Black Diamond and 8 pages of the stylish-if-slightly-carcinogenic Smoke & Guns, which tells a gangland story involving cigarette girls of San Francisco. Check it out!

The creators of Image Comics' upcoming Flak Riot (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003700) talk to the Pulse about their comic, and bring lots of pages of pretty preview art. Hey, it's got a redhead on a motorcycle and a dinosaur (http://www.comicon.com/pulse/images_05/1flak1.jpg) -- good enough for a look for me.

Finally, Sean Wang of Serve Man Press gives the skinny on the remastered edition of Runners coming on Free Comic Book Day (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D37%26t%3D004581). Check it out on May 7 -- he's a buddy of TZ's own CaptainInfinity and the comic is pretty kickin'.

-- Ed/Ace

[wonderfly]

Better late than never, but all of my reviews are up for this week, (last week now). My Pick of the Week goes to Spectacular Spiderman #27: A great way to end a Spiderman series. Really, if ever they wanted to stop telling Spiderman tales all together, that could definently serve as a good "Spiderman: The End" tale...