Beyond Comics puts out a weekly newsletter, listing the new comics and the like coming out that week.
This list caught my eye as an egregious sign that speculation is back in the comic book market:
Variant Covers
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN THOR GOES HOLLYWOOD VAR #658
BATMAN AND ROBIN VAR ED #22
BLACK PANTHER MAN WITHOUT FEAR THOR GOES TO HOLLYWOOD #517
FLASH VAR ED #10
GI JOE VOL 2 10 COPY INCV #1
HELLBOY BUSTER OAKLEY GETS HIS WISH MIGNOLA VAR
IRON MAN 2.0 DJURDJEVIC VAR #3
JOHN BYRNE NEXT MEN 10 COPY INCV #5
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY A ADAMS VAR #622
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY THOR GOES HOLLYWOOD VAR #62
JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST VAR ED #23
NEW AVENGERS THOR GOES HOLLYWOOD VAR #11
SHIELD INFINITY WEAVER VAR
SKAAR KING OF SAVAGE LAND TAN VAR #1
SUPERMAN VAR ED #710
TRANSFORMERS ONGOING 10 COPY INCV #18
TRANSFORMERS RISING STORM 10 COPY INCV #3
ULTIMATE AVENGERS VS NEW ULTIMATES CHO VAR #3
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN MCGUINNESS VAR #157
UNCANNY X-FORCE THOR GOES HOLLYWOOD VAR #7
UNCANNY X-MEN THOR GOES HOLLYWOOD VAR #535
WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS 10 COPY A ADAMS VIRGIN VAR #2
X-MEN LEGACY THOR GOES HOLLYWOOD VAR #247
...almost 25 variant covers in one week? Not good.
Showing posts with label comic books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comic books. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Commercialization of Comics: A Broad Historical Overview (1999) part 2
Click here for part 1.
Click here for part 3.
Comic Books
The comic book itself was originally a form of merchandising comic strips. Early magazine-style comic books, such as Proctor & Gamble's premium Funnies on Parade in 1933 and Famous Funnies in 1934, reprinted comic strips. Gulf Comics Weekly, a tabloid-sized oil company premium had begun publishing original comics in 1933 and the rest of the industry eventually followed (Beerbohm and Olson, 1999: 229). There are thousands of free promotional comic books. Giveaway comics are usually created to educate about or promote a company or cause. Examples include Marvel and the American Cancer Society's Spider-Man, Storm and Powerman (1996); Disney and Exxon's Mickey and Goofy Explore the Universe of Energy (1985) and Field Enterprises and the Union Fork and Hoe Company's Miss Peach Tells You How to Grow Flowers, Vegetables and Weeds (1969).
Comic book licensing has occurred at least since the creation of the first superhero, Superman. All of the major companies like DC, Marvel, Fawcett, Archie, Malibu and many minor ones like Cartoon Books, the publisher of Bone, have merchandising and licensing. Some companies, like Dell were the merchandising, as they produced comics mostly based on characters and stories licensed from other media. A modern counterpart exists in Dark Horse Comics which publishes an extensive Star Wars line among other licensed properties. Gladstone Publishing, which, like Dell, relied totally on producing comics based on licensing, shut down in 1998. Gladstone's owner, Bruce Hamilton, described the occasional difficulty of using licensed characters, "[Disney] keep[s] coming up with licenses that have tougher and tougher and more unreasonable demands in their boiler-plate language to the point where I have decided I am just not willing to negotiate any new licenses with them" (Spurgeon, 1998: 8). Hamilton's experience with Disney may reflect both the current financial value and also the changing legal definitions of intellectual property, but it is the reader of comics that has lost the pleasure of these classics11. Games such as Dungeons and Dragons and toys like the Micronauts have also become successful comic book series.
Of the major comic book companies, DC Comics has been among the most successful in selling their characters. DC has been licensed so successfully that its characters are household words, rivaled only by Disney and a few other major properties such as Tarzan. 
Figure 5 Batman's world-wide popularity during the television show is demonstrated by this US Army Intelligence copy of a bootleg image on a Vietnamese nasal decongestant. Courtesy of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, Washington, D,C. (Vietnam War Collection).
The 1966 Batman television show (Figure 5) demonstrated how successful marketing could be in the increasingly prosperous and consumer-oriented America. About the same time, Marvel Comics began merchandising its characters after the successes of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Hulk. Steve Ditko, the co-creator of Spider-Man, reportedly left the company when he did not receive a share of the licensing (Beerbohm, 1999). Like most companies, Marvel pursued licensing and had a wide variety of products and tie-ins with its characters including television shows, Slurpee cups, Pez dispensers, toys, and other products. In the 1990s, Marvel, after becoming a publicly-held company traded on the New York Stock Market, began aggressively seeking commercialization of its characters, and expanded its domain by purchasing sticker and trading cards companies. Its core business of comic books also grew because of "speculators" buying multiple copies of comics for long-term investments. When all three of these collectibles became less popular, Marvel was left in poor financial condition ("Comic Book Publisher", 1998). After declaring bankruptcy in 1996 and being taken over by its licensing partner, ToyBiz, in 1998, the reorganized company reported, "This [year's first quarter] increase [in sales over 1998's first quarter] was largely attributable to the inclusion of approximately $15.3 million in sales from the Licensing division and approximately $10.4 million in sales from the Publishing division, which were acquired as part of the Company's acquisition of Marvel Entertainment Group in October, 1998" (Marvel Enterprises, 1999). In other words, the licensing, on a strict accounting level, was more profitable than publishing the comic books, but both parts of the business, which is still based on comic characters, had multi-million dollar sales.
At times, the characters themselves become merchandise. The survival of comic strips far beyond the life of their creator is too well known to discuss here, although a quote from the Ripley's... Believe It or Not! website is instructive: "Almost 50 years after [Ripley's] death, the Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon is still wildly popular; printed daily in 147 papers worldwide, in 38 countries and in 10 different languages" (Ripley's, 1999). A similar, although less frequent, occurrence happens with comic books when a successful company purchases the creations of an unsuccessful rival. DC Comics has been especially active in purchasing characters, including Blackhawk from Quality and Captain Marvel from Fawcett, both of which were "seamlessly" integrated into what is currently known as the DC Universe. For a short time in the 1990s, DC licensed and published Archie Comics' superheroes from the 1960s under their Impact! imprint. This trend towards the commodification of characters in comic books can also work in favor of some creators who, since the 1980s, have been able to own their characters12. Many characters have now been published by multiple companies who essentially licensed the character from the creator. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, perhaps the ultimate self-published merchandising success story13, has recently been published by Archie and Image companies.
Even unlikely sources lead to licensing empires. EC's 1950's horror comics were licensed extensively 45 years after their creation due to the success of the television series, Tales from the Crypt in 1989. These are the same comics that were originally considered so gruesome that they were indicted in the anti-comics movement (Diehl, 1996). EC's Mad Magazine, putatively an anti-establishment, anti-commercialization comic, at least based on its editorial stance, resisted the trend for years, but eventually succumbed. As William Gaines said, "A lot of people have one way of looking at [merchandising Mad]: like 'Peanuts' is merchandised to its eyeballs...I don't object to that, except that a magazine like Mad, which makes fun of people who do that -- it doesn't seem proper for us to do it ourselves" (Reidelbach, 1991: 174). Mad's long-term drop in circulation eventually led them to licensing. With Gaines' death and Mad's complete incorporation into the Time-Warner conglomerate, the process has accelerated with Alfred E. Neuman and Spy vs. Spy action figures now available in comic book stores.
Figure 6 Kitchen Sink's candy bar illustrated by Crumb's Devil Girl proved surprisingly popular and was followed by more underground candy.
Possibly the most unlikely source, underground comix creator Robert Crumb has been heavily merchandised in recent years (Richter, 1995). Crumb, as a counter-culture icon, had seen his "Keep on Truckin" image appropriated without any compensation nearly three decades ago. In the 1990s, and especially with the release of the movie Crumb, Kitchen Sink Press extensively used his oeuvre in ways not entirely expected, such as the Devil Girl candybar (Figure 6). Kitchen Sink, on the other hand, barely survived over-extending itself on merchandise for the second Crow movie in 1996 and in 1999 found itself taken over by the candy side of its business (Riley, 1997).
In recent years, due to the direct market, comic book publishers, readers, and store owners have concentrated more on the collectibility aspect of comics and companies have been formed to take advantage of that niche. Graphitti Designs, whose motto is "Quality Licensed Products Since 1982," exists solely to merchandise existing characters from other companies. In 1994 they were producing "screen-printed shirts, limited edition books and prints, sculpted statues and busts, cloisonne and sculpted pins, compact discs, and embroidered caps"; among these were a $195 Vault-Keeper Statue (from Tales from the Crypt), three Batman T-shirts, 2 Superman T-shirts, a Rocketeer Club pin, a Vampirella T-shirt and three Akira books priced at $49.95 each (Chapman, 1994). Graphitti Designs advertises itself as vital to a comics retailer: "Many comics consumers do want more than just the comics. Ancillary products have the ability to also attract a clientele beyond the traditional comics reader. People will walk into a comics store displaying cool media-related shirts or other peripheral products even though they don't read comics" (Chapman, 1995). This positive view is affirmed by Big Planet Comics store owner, Joel Pollack, who said, "I think overall [merchandising] is a good thing. It's a great way to publicize the characters." Big Planet Comics, in Bethesda, Maryland has been in business for 13 years, weathering several downturns in the comic book market so Pollack's opinion is indicative of business realities (Pollack, 1999).
Adaptations in other media
It is possible to draw a difference between adaptations in other media and the plain licensing of a character for a toy or food. Superman is a prime example having been adapted into a comic strip (thus recapitulating his original creation); a novel -- Superman by George Lowther (1940); a radio show (1940-1951); an animated movie short series by the Fleisher Brothers (1941-1943); movie serials14 (1948 and 1950); a live action television series (1953-1957); a Broadway play -- It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman (1966); an animated television series (1966-1969); a hit movie and sequels (1979-1987); a second animated television series (1988-1989); another live action television series -- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1996); and most recently, a third animated television series (1996-1999). Any of these adaptations could be successful and enjoyed by an audience that did not read Superman comic books. Adaptation of Superman to other media became a necessity by the 1990s when the comic book's sales figures were regularly below 100,000 copies sold. Adaptations can frequently inject new life into a property as seen by the introduction of Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and Inspector Henderson and the invention of kryptonite in the Superman radio show (Tollin, 1997: 1-2), Superman and Lois Lane's marriage in Lois & Clark, and the arrival of a new successor to Bruce Wayne as Batman in Batman Beyond.
Successful comic strips are turned into comic books . Literally dozens of strips, such as Flash Gordon, Popeye, Dick Tracy and the Phantom have had original stories published in comic books. Batman, Superman, the Hulk, Spider-Man, and Marvel's version of Conan are among those that have been made into strips, some multiple times.
Theater adaptations began almost immediately after the creation of the comic strip. They continue to the present day. Winchester's studies of plays show that many were produced from 1894-1930 including multiple, different road shows of the Brownies, the Yellow Kid, the Katzenjammer Kids, Happy Hooligan, Buster Brown, Mutt and Jeff, and Bringing Up Father. This was followed by a lull when most adaptations were done as radio shows or films. The three decades from the 1950s to the 1980s saw major adaptations such as You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Annie. In recent years, smaller shows adapting unconventional work such as Crumb's have predominated (Winchester, 1993). 
Figure 7 Kudzu: A Southern Musical is one of the latest in a long line of plays adapted from the comics.
Doug Marlette's Kudzu was produced in Ford's Theatre in 1998, while being advertised in his comic strip (Figure 7). Neil Gaiman's work is frequently adapted and a version of Signal To Noise has been staged in Chicago as a fund-raiser for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (Spurgeon, 1999).
Adapting comics into prose has been popular whether in Little Golden Books (children's books with simple prose and large illustrations), Big Little Books (alternating text and drawings), or adult novelizations. Hundreds of prose works featuring dozens of characters have been created. Most novelizations are made from movie adaptations of comics, but Marvel Comics currently has a successful original novel series (O'Hearn, 1998).
Radio, as a popular medium, arose concurrently with comic books and the two shared a cast of characters. Comics characters with radio shows included Batman, Buster Brown, Dick Tracy, the Green Lama, Hop Harrigan, Little Orphan Annie, Mandrake the Magician, Red Ryder, Skippy, Superman, Terry and the Pirates, and certainly others (Tumbusch, 1989). Most adaptations were between the 1930s and early 1950s, but from 1995 to 1996 National Public Radio aired Ben Katchor's Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer. Most radio shows were not perceived as having long-term value and some were permanently lost, but The Adventures of Superman is currently being reissued by the Smithsonian (Tollin, 1997). Radio shows generated a vast amount of "secondary" merchandise - premiums or giveaways based on a character's adapted version, and not the original comics creation15. As Smith (1982: 40-41) noted:
Ovaltine gave away more premiums on its radio shows, Orphan Annie and Captain Midnight, than any other radio sponsor. Entire warehouses of paraphernalia -- shake-up mugs that made 'a picnic out of every meal,' identification tags 'like real soldiers and aviators wear,' buttons, photos, games, masks, pins, rings, badges, bandannas, booklets, bracelets, coins, cutouts and maps - were shipped out to listeners..."
Literally hundreds of movies -- thousands if one includes animated shorts -- have been made from the comics. The seven live-action Happy Hooligan shorts done in 1900 by director J. Stuart Blackton are probably the first. Most adaptations were made into series of shorts or serials; Blondie starred in twenty-eight B-movies from 1938 to 1950. Television usurped this role in the 1950s when Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Joe Palooka and Dennis the Menace began appearing. Movies like the 1966 Batman starring the television cast were still made, but usually with larger budgets than television could afford. Superman (1979) and Superman II (1981), which were essentially filmed at the same time, became the model for licensing. Both movies together had 200 licensees, including Warner Publishing, producing 1,200 products. Superman made $140 million dollars in film rentals for Warner Bros. which distributed the movie. Superman II had already sold $100 million worth of overseas tickets before the movie opened in the United States. The initial movie also galvanized support for creators' rights, becoming the lever which shamed the company into giving Joe Siegel and Jerry Shuster, the Superman creators who had signed away their rights to Superman for less than $200, a lifetime pension of initially $20,000, a "gift" of $10,000, and lifetime medical coverage. The two also received a credit line on future uses of Superman (Harmetz, 1981; Sherwood, 1975).
12. Due to both a creators' rights movement that began in the 1970s and an increase in the number of publishers, some characters are owned by their creators. Creators who design new characters that are firmly a part of the companies' "universe" are usually compensated for them now. Marv Wolfman's current lawsuit against Marvel Comics reveals past practices (Dean, 1999).
13. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird self-financed the publication of their black & white first issue in May 1984. They issued a press release that was picked up by UPI and they quickly sold out their first issue. Eventually the Turtles had "more than five hundred licensees in some thirty countries producing more than nine hundred Turtle products," including an animated television series, three movies, and toys (Wiater, 1991: xv-xix). To their credit, they put some of their licensing money back into comics through Tundra, the Words & Pictures Museum and Xeric grants.
14. Tollin (1997: 2) notes that the serials "were adapted from the Superman radio program broadcast on the Mutual Network" and not the comic book.
Click here for part 3.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Glen Weldon attempts comic book schooling...
...the fool!
Pop Culture Happy Hour: We Give Thanks, Try Comics, And Debate Happiness
by Linda Holmes
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog November 26, 2010
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/11/26/131609227/pop-culture-happy-hour-we-give-thanks-try-comics-and-debate-happiness or
http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/blog/2010/11/20101126_blog_pchh.mp3
Pop Culture Happy Hour: We Give Thanks, Try Comics, And Debate Happiness
by Linda Holmes
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog November 26, 2010
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/11/26/131609227/pop-culture-happy-hour-we-give-thanks-try-comics-and-debate-happiness or
http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/blog/2010/11/20101126_blog_pchh.mp3
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Post reviews Fringe's Superheroes Who Are Super
At Fort Fringe, X-Men mark the spot for 'Superheroes Who Are Super'
By Fiona Zublin
Washington Post July 15, 2010
By Fiona Zublin
Washington Post July 15, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Weldon on comics and literacy (in the big picture)
It Pays To Enrich Your Nerd Power: What Kids Learn From Comics
by Glen Weldon
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog April 7 2010
- even more nerdy? His title is a play on Reader's Digest old feature, It Pays To Enrich Your Word Power.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Finally, I address iPad comics
I wasn't all that concerned about them actually, but my editor asked for an article - Shannon Gallant, John Gallagher, Matt Wuerker and Ann Telnaes ventured opinions for me - In D.C. and Industrywide, Will the iPad Save Comics and Kill Print? by Mike Rhode on Apr. 6, 2010.
Said editor, Jon Fischer, drastically cleaned up this article too and made it much more readable.
Said editor, Jon Fischer, drastically cleaned up this article too and made it much more readable.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A collector's account in the Post
There's quite a bit of overlap between book and comic book collectors these days...
Dispatch from the hoard
People who collect things and those who don't can be friends
Washington Post Sunday, January 31, 2010
The accompanying photo of generic comic books is actually Steve Geppi's collection at the Geppi Entertainment Museum in Baltimore
Dispatch from the hoard
People who collect things and those who don't can be friends
Washington Post Sunday, January 31, 2010
The accompanying photo of generic comic books is actually Steve Geppi's collection at the Geppi Entertainment Museum in Baltimore
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Weldon on floppies vs. trades
Weldon, Glen. 2010.
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Wait For The Trade Collection.
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (January 20).
Like Glen, I'm of two minds about this. I usually buy the individual issues to make sure the series survives and then buy the collection if I think I want to read it again.
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Wait For The Trade Collection.
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (January 20).
Like Glen, I'm of two minds about this. I usually buy the individual issues to make sure the series survives and then buy the collection if I think I want to read it again.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
SL (Shannon) Gallant, comic book artist, now in DC
SL (Shannon) Gallant has written in to introduce himself, and look for fellow artists. I've got to say that I've never bought GI Joe in my life (although I liked the small comics they used to package in their toy sets in the 1960s), but now I'll be picking it up
I'm a comic artist-illustrator living in DC and currently working for IDW on G.I. Joe. I've also worked for DC, Dark Horse, Marvel, and Titan UK in the past on titles ranging from Marvel Adventures:The Avengers and Torchwood to more cartoon oriented work such as Shrek and Monsters vs Aliens.
The last few months I've been making the effort to create connections with other artists in the area, through DC Conspiracy and other groups. I was hoping you might know similar professionals in the region I should try to get in touch with who are less likely to participate in such outings?
So if you're a comic book professional in the area, feel free to post below. Send me news of your current and upcoming projects and I'll promote them as well. I know my co-author Randy's compiled a list of local people at one point - does he still have that?
I'm a comic artist-illustrator living in DC and currently working for IDW on G.I. Joe. I've also worked for DC, Dark Horse, Marvel, and Titan UK in the past on titles ranging from Marvel Adventures:The Avengers and Torchwood to more cartoon oriented work such as Shrek and Monsters vs Aliens.
The last few months I've been making the effort to create connections with other artists in the area, through DC Conspiracy and other groups. I was hoping you might know similar professionals in the region I should try to get in touch with who are less likely to participate in such outings?
So if you're a comic book professional in the area, feel free to post below. Send me news of your current and upcoming projects and I'll promote them as well. I know my co-author Randy's compiled a list of local people at one point - does he still have that?
Sunday, June 21, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-24-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-24-09
By John Judy
ACTRESS AND THE BISHOP #1 written and drawn by Brian Bolland. Collecting Bolland’s little known humor strips about a duo that can most charitably be called “Politically Incorrect.” From Desperado Publishing. Gotta look!
ASTONISHING X-MEN #30 by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi. The prettiest X-book on the stands wraps up its first arc, “Ghost Boxes.” Recommended.
AVENGERS: INITIATIVE #25 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. In which things go South for our heroes. That Norman Osborn is a bad egg to be sure…
AVENGERS INVADERS #12 of 12 by Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger and Steve Sadowski. Our long national nightmare is over.
BARACK THE BARBARIAN: QUEST FOR THE TREASURE OF STIMULI #1 of 4 by Larry Hama, Chris Schons and Rachelle Rosenberg. A humor title featuring a familiar figure. But will a comic book with President Obama on the cover sell? A bit of risk-taking from Devil’s Due Publishing.
DAREDEVIL #119 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Lady Bullseye and her hangers-on finally come out of hiding. Not good for heroes with horns and their fat sidekicks.
DARK AVENGERS #6 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato. Norman Osborn is hearing voices again. And they’re not keeping tempo and harmony.
DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: UTOPIA #1 by Matt Fraction and Marc Silvestri. The Dark Avengers are sent to San Francisco to keep the hippies in line. Mutants too. Hijinks ensue.
DARK REIGN: SINISTER SPIDER-MAN #1 by Brian Reed and Barry Kitson. The evil Dark Avengers Spidey (who is really The Scorpion/Venom) is living life and eating people. Because somebody’s gotta do it!
DETECTIVE COMICS #854 by Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams and Cully Hamner. Oh sure, you think of this old war horse book of DC’s as another in an endless series of Bat-titles. But what if I told you this one had not one but TWO awesome creative teams and the book was devoted to the two most high-profile, butt-kicking lesbians in the DCU? Got your attention now, eh? Batwoman and The Question every month. Must Have. Highly recommended.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #2 of 6 by Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino. Granted, it’s a spin-off series from a disappointing “event” book, but this one’s actually pretty durn good. A mostly reformed bad guy whose tattoos come to life to hurt other less-reformed bad guys. And it’s set in my new/old hometown of Washington, DC. Worth checking out if only to see if the new Tattooed Man goes after Marion Barry. Recommended.
GOLDEN-AGE STARMAN ARCHIVES VOL. 2 HC by Numerous Legends of the Comics/Sci-Fi Golden Age. Collecting ADVENTURE COMICS #77-102. Thousands of dollars worth of comics for a lot less than you’d pay on E-Bay.
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #1 by Paul Dini and Guillem March. The adventures of Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn featuring covers that will make you hit puberty all over again. What more can one ask?
GREEN LANTERN #42 by Geoff Johns and Philip Tan. Green vs. Orange! Will power vs. Greed! Must say, on paper I’m betting on Greed. Good luck, Hal.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #27 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. The Final Issue. I guess his kung-fu wasn’t so tough after all. This was a good series and will be missed. Recommended.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #28 by Jerry Ordway and Bob Wiacek. A Japanese spirit who’s still peeved about the A-bombs takes it to the JSA. Enter their old ally, the Spectre! Of course this is the new Spectre who’s a little less inclined to throw planets at people when he’s moody. Anything can happen. Read it!
NEW AVENGERS #54 by Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo and Billy Tan. Brother (I mean “Brudder”) Voodoo?!? Are you kidding me, Bendis?! Screw it, I’m rooting for Dormammu….
NORTHLANDERS #18 by Brian Wood and Danijel Zezelj. A Must-Have two-parter about the real story of the Norse Valkyries. “The Shield Maidens” begins here. Highly recommended.
PREVIEWS by Diamond and Marvel Comics. “Uncertain the future is.” Here’s everyone’s best guess for three months from now.
SUPERMAN #689 by James Robinson and Renato Guedes. A dying Mon-El decides to see the world before he cashes in his chips. And hit people.
THOR #602 by J. Michael Straczynski and Marko Djurdjevic. Loki continues rocking all of Thor’s nine worlds. Okay, that sounds dirty. “Loki continues vexing Thor with his/her mischief.” Eh, better. Thor still needs his head examined. Trusting Loki? Too many war clubs to ye olde noggin.
THUNDERBOLTS #133 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. Osborne’s hit squad tries once again to take down Songbird. Only Andy Diggle and a few others could make this work. And he does.
UNCANNY X-MEN #512 by Matt Fraction and Yanick Paquette. Mutant chicks, time travel and the first Sentinel. I’m in.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW? HC written and drawn by Brian Fies. A graphic novel by the creator of MOM’S CANCER. This one takes us through an account of growing up from 1939 to 1975 when technology was making promises its creators never quite managed to keep. Does not come with a jetpack, appropriately enough.
WOLVERINE: WEAPONX #3 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. Wolvie vs. the Adamantium Men. This is the good Wolverine book, folks. Aaron/Garney. Accept no substitutes. Recommended.
WONDER WOMAN #33 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. WW puts paid to her evil future zombie self and lots more. The final chapter, at least for some. Gotta look!
X-FACTOR #45 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. Madrox meets Doctor Doom. This could be the shortest issue yet.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
ACTRESS AND THE BISHOP #1 written and drawn by Brian Bolland. Collecting Bolland’s little known humor strips about a duo that can most charitably be called “Politically Incorrect.” From Desperado Publishing. Gotta look!
ASTONISHING X-MEN #30 by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi. The prettiest X-book on the stands wraps up its first arc, “Ghost Boxes.” Recommended.
AVENGERS: INITIATIVE #25 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. In which things go South for our heroes. That Norman Osborn is a bad egg to be sure…
AVENGERS INVADERS #12 of 12 by Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger and Steve Sadowski. Our long national nightmare is over.
BARACK THE BARBARIAN: QUEST FOR THE TREASURE OF STIMULI #1 of 4 by Larry Hama, Chris Schons and Rachelle Rosenberg. A humor title featuring a familiar figure. But will a comic book with President Obama on the cover sell? A bit of risk-taking from Devil’s Due Publishing.
DAREDEVIL #119 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Lady Bullseye and her hangers-on finally come out of hiding. Not good for heroes with horns and their fat sidekicks.
DARK AVENGERS #6 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato. Norman Osborn is hearing voices again. And they’re not keeping tempo and harmony.
DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: UTOPIA #1 by Matt Fraction and Marc Silvestri. The Dark Avengers are sent to San Francisco to keep the hippies in line. Mutants too. Hijinks ensue.
DARK REIGN: SINISTER SPIDER-MAN #1 by Brian Reed and Barry Kitson. The evil Dark Avengers Spidey (who is really The Scorpion/Venom) is living life and eating people. Because somebody’s gotta do it!
DETECTIVE COMICS #854 by Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams and Cully Hamner. Oh sure, you think of this old war horse book of DC’s as another in an endless series of Bat-titles. But what if I told you this one had not one but TWO awesome creative teams and the book was devoted to the two most high-profile, butt-kicking lesbians in the DCU? Got your attention now, eh? Batwoman and The Question every month. Must Have. Highly recommended.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #2 of 6 by Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino. Granted, it’s a spin-off series from a disappointing “event” book, but this one’s actually pretty durn good. A mostly reformed bad guy whose tattoos come to life to hurt other less-reformed bad guys. And it’s set in my new/old hometown of Washington, DC. Worth checking out if only to see if the new Tattooed Man goes after Marion Barry. Recommended.
GOLDEN-AGE STARMAN ARCHIVES VOL. 2 HC by Numerous Legends of the Comics/Sci-Fi Golden Age. Collecting ADVENTURE COMICS #77-102. Thousands of dollars worth of comics for a lot less than you’d pay on E-Bay.
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #1 by Paul Dini and Guillem March. The adventures of Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn featuring covers that will make you hit puberty all over again. What more can one ask?
GREEN LANTERN #42 by Geoff Johns and Philip Tan. Green vs. Orange! Will power vs. Greed! Must say, on paper I’m betting on Greed. Good luck, Hal.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #27 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. The Final Issue. I guess his kung-fu wasn’t so tough after all. This was a good series and will be missed. Recommended.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #28 by Jerry Ordway and Bob Wiacek. A Japanese spirit who’s still peeved about the A-bombs takes it to the JSA. Enter their old ally, the Spectre! Of course this is the new Spectre who’s a little less inclined to throw planets at people when he’s moody. Anything can happen. Read it!
NEW AVENGERS #54 by Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo and Billy Tan. Brother (I mean “Brudder”) Voodoo?!? Are you kidding me, Bendis?! Screw it, I’m rooting for Dormammu….
NORTHLANDERS #18 by Brian Wood and Danijel Zezelj. A Must-Have two-parter about the real story of the Norse Valkyries. “The Shield Maidens” begins here. Highly recommended.
PREVIEWS by Diamond and Marvel Comics. “Uncertain the future is.” Here’s everyone’s best guess for three months from now.
SUPERMAN #689 by James Robinson and Renato Guedes. A dying Mon-El decides to see the world before he cashes in his chips. And hit people.
THOR #602 by J. Michael Straczynski and Marko Djurdjevic. Loki continues rocking all of Thor’s nine worlds. Okay, that sounds dirty. “Loki continues vexing Thor with his/her mischief.” Eh, better. Thor still needs his head examined. Trusting Loki? Too many war clubs to ye olde noggin.
THUNDERBOLTS #133 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. Osborne’s hit squad tries once again to take down Songbird. Only Andy Diggle and a few others could make this work. And he does.
UNCANNY X-MEN #512 by Matt Fraction and Yanick Paquette. Mutant chicks, time travel and the first Sentinel. I’m in.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW? HC written and drawn by Brian Fies. A graphic novel by the creator of MOM’S CANCER. This one takes us through an account of growing up from 1939 to 1975 when technology was making promises its creators never quite managed to keep. Does not come with a jetpack, appropriately enough.
WOLVERINE: WEAPONX #3 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. Wolvie vs. the Adamantium Men. This is the good Wolverine book, folks. Aaron/Garney. Accept no substitutes. Recommended.
WONDER WOMAN #33 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. WW puts paid to her evil future zombie self and lots more. The final chapter, at least for some. Gotta look!
X-FACTOR #45 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. Madrox meets Doctor Doom. This could be the shortest issue yet.
www.johnjudy.net
Sunday, June 14, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-17-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-17-09
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #12 by Greg Rucka and Pere Perez. Wow. Who knew ACTION COMICS was only 12 years old? Isn’t 1950 awesome? Anyway, this is the great Greg Rucka delving into the backstory on Nightwing and Flamebird. Guaranteed Rucka magic. Gotta look!
BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #1 by Many People. The new Batman is making his mark in Gotham and on the increasingly crowded comic book shelves of America. This will be interesting if only to see if all the different creative teams can keep their stories straight until Bruce Wayne returns. Also featuring a MANHUNTER back-up story by Andreyko and Jeanty.
BOYS: HEROGASM #2 by Garth Ennis and Peter Gross. Yes, I know we’re supposed to be rooting for the Boys against the Supes, but be honest, most of us would go to Herogasm if we were invited. Not for kids.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #600 by Ed Brubaker, Luke Ross and Many Others of Note. This one’s gonna make what’s left of The Papers. Plus, it’s awesome! Reserve your copy now!
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 #14 by Paul Kirk and Leonard Cornell. Vampires, Dracula! Doctor Doom and warm beer! It’s on!
EX MACHINA #43 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Man, this comic looks great! It appears Mayor Hundred’s old enemy Pherson is back commanding New York City’s rats to kill everyone. It’s a zombie flick without the easy out. Way creepy and recommended.
INCOGNITO #4 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Our anti-hero’s antics have been noticed by all the wrong people on both sides of the law. Consequences ensue. Highly recommended.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #26 by Dan Slott and Stephen Segovia. “Doctor Richards? It’s on, b****.” This is officially the Best Comic Ever and Dan Slott should be President. Highly recommended.
ULTIMATUM SPIDER-MAN REQUIEM #1 of 2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen and Mark Bagley. Ultimate J. Jonah Jameson writes Spidey’s obituary. Sometimes dreams really do come true.
YOUNG ALLIES COMICS #1: 70th ANNIVERSARY EDITION by Roger Stern, Marcos Martin and Others. It’s Our Gang fighting the ratzis on the homefront in an original adventure starring Bucky, Toro and the gang, presented along with a golden-age reprint. Good on Marvel for doing this stuff. Heritage ought not to be forgot. Check it out.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #12 by Greg Rucka and Pere Perez. Wow. Who knew ACTION COMICS was only 12 years old? Isn’t 1950 awesome? Anyway, this is the great Greg Rucka delving into the backstory on Nightwing and Flamebird. Guaranteed Rucka magic. Gotta look!
BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #1 by Many People. The new Batman is making his mark in Gotham and on the increasingly crowded comic book shelves of America. This will be interesting if only to see if all the different creative teams can keep their stories straight until Bruce Wayne returns. Also featuring a MANHUNTER back-up story by Andreyko and Jeanty.
BOYS: HEROGASM #2 by Garth Ennis and Peter Gross. Yes, I know we’re supposed to be rooting for the Boys against the Supes, but be honest, most of us would go to Herogasm if we were invited. Not for kids.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #600 by Ed Brubaker, Luke Ross and Many Others of Note. This one’s gonna make what’s left of The Papers. Plus, it’s awesome! Reserve your copy now!
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 #14 by Paul Kirk and Leonard Cornell. Vampires, Dracula! Doctor Doom and warm beer! It’s on!
EX MACHINA #43 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Man, this comic looks great! It appears Mayor Hundred’s old enemy Pherson is back commanding New York City’s rats to kill everyone. It’s a zombie flick without the easy out. Way creepy and recommended.
INCOGNITO #4 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Our anti-hero’s antics have been noticed by all the wrong people on both sides of the law. Consequences ensue. Highly recommended.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #26 by Dan Slott and Stephen Segovia. “Doctor Richards? It’s on, b****.” This is officially the Best Comic Ever and Dan Slott should be President. Highly recommended.
ULTIMATUM SPIDER-MAN REQUIEM #1 of 2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen and Mark Bagley. Ultimate J. Jonah Jameson writes Spidey’s obituary. Sometimes dreams really do come true.
YOUNG ALLIES COMICS #1: 70th ANNIVERSARY EDITION by Roger Stern, Marcos Martin and Others. It’s Our Gang fighting the ratzis on the homefront in an original adventure starring Bucky, Toro and the gang, presented along with a golden-age reprint. Good on Marvel for doing this stuff. Heritage ought not to be forgot. Check it out.
www.johnjudy.net
Saturday, June 6, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-10-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-10-09
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS #878 by Greg Rucka and Fernando Dagnino. Meet Krypton’s own Bonnie and Clyde! Awe! Some! Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #597 by Joe Kelly and Marco Checchetto. Babies and weddings! It’s what you buy super-hero books for, right?!
ANGEL: BLOOD AND TRENCHES #4 written and drawn by John Byrne. Your favorite vampire with a soul continues his World War One adventures. This issue he meets Snoopy! (If only….)
BATMAN #687 by Judd Winick and Ed Benes. Winick and Benes have some tough competition from Morrison and Quitely over at BATMAN AND ROBIN. Still, let’s give each team their shot. Nothing wrong with having more than one good Bat-book on the stands each month.
BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #1 of 3 by Kieron Gillen and Kano. He’s got the power of Thor and the face of a horse! He’s like Ann Coulter with muscles! He’s Beta Ray Bill and he’s back to fight Galactus! And that’s why it’s a mini-series.
BUCK ROGERS #1 by Scott Beatty and Carlos Rafael. The original Man Out of Time is relaunched for the latest generation. Featuring covers by Alex Ross and John Cassaday and nary a dwarf robot in sight. Lotsa jetpacks and blasters though! Gotta look!
FANTASTIC FOUR #567 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The Marquis of Death is back to slap around his old Padwan Learner, Victor Von Doom. Yeah, that’ll work out well for all…
FLASH: REBIRTH #3 of 6 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Barry Allen vs. Superman in a race to the finish. Oh yeah, it’s on. Must-Have!
JSA VS KOBRA: ENGINES OF FAITH #1 of 6 by Eric Trautmann and Don Kramer. The JSA takes on Kobra! Because GI Joe just ain’t hackin’ it, kids!
MISS AMERICA COMICS #1 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Jen Van Meter and Andy MacDonald. Featuring a golden-age reprint and a new story of Timely Comics’ biggest female super-star! Okay, she was no Wonder Woman but these 70th Anniversary issues are turning out to be a lot of fun, especially if you already have a soft spot for the old-timers. Recommended.
PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX #71 by Victor Gischler and Goran Parlov. The Punisher’s in Louisiana with something bad in his trunk. Do you really need any more info to know this one’s gonna rock? Not for kids. Recommended.
RED ROBIN #1 by Christopher Yost and Ramon Bachs. Someone’s wearing that old costume from KINGDOM COME and looking for Bruce Wayne’s carcass! But who?
UNCANNY X-MEN #511 by Matt Fraction and Greg Land. Well, well, well, look who’s back. She always comes back, doesn’t she? Gotta look!
UNWRITTEN #2 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. This one’s heating up fast, kids. It’s the story of a guy who may or may not have been written into the real world and all that implies about other pop fiction characters. This is not your father’s Earth-Prime! Recommended.
WALKING DEAD #62 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. Okay, who were those creeps in the bushes? Not for kids. Recommended.
WOLVERINE #74 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert & Daniel Way and Tommy Lee Edwards. Two stories! Two creative teams! One left standing! Half-Highly Recommended!
X-FACTOR #44 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. A little number titled “Dirty Sexy Monet.” Oh, Peter David…..!
X-MEN FOREVER #1 by Chris Claremont and Tom Grummett. Ever wonder what would have happened if X-scribe Chris Claremont hadn’t been unceremoniously axed from the X-Men book he launched with Jim Lee back in the nineties? Me neither, but now he’s getting his chance to tell the story he always wanted, separate continuity and all. Hey, the guy built the foundations of a billion-dollar multimedia empire 30 years ago then got treated like a dog. I’m checking it out. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS #878 by Greg Rucka and Fernando Dagnino. Meet Krypton’s own Bonnie and Clyde! Awe! Some! Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #597 by Joe Kelly and Marco Checchetto. Babies and weddings! It’s what you buy super-hero books for, right?!
ANGEL: BLOOD AND TRENCHES #4 written and drawn by John Byrne. Your favorite vampire with a soul continues his World War One adventures. This issue he meets Snoopy! (If only….)
BATMAN #687 by Judd Winick and Ed Benes. Winick and Benes have some tough competition from Morrison and Quitely over at BATMAN AND ROBIN. Still, let’s give each team their shot. Nothing wrong with having more than one good Bat-book on the stands each month.
BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #1 of 3 by Kieron Gillen and Kano. He’s got the power of Thor and the face of a horse! He’s like Ann Coulter with muscles! He’s Beta Ray Bill and he’s back to fight Galactus! And that’s why it’s a mini-series.
BUCK ROGERS #1 by Scott Beatty and Carlos Rafael. The original Man Out of Time is relaunched for the latest generation. Featuring covers by Alex Ross and John Cassaday and nary a dwarf robot in sight. Lotsa jetpacks and blasters though! Gotta look!
FANTASTIC FOUR #567 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The Marquis of Death is back to slap around his old Padwan Learner, Victor Von Doom. Yeah, that’ll work out well for all…
FLASH: REBIRTH #3 of 6 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Barry Allen vs. Superman in a race to the finish. Oh yeah, it’s on. Must-Have!
JSA VS KOBRA: ENGINES OF FAITH #1 of 6 by Eric Trautmann and Don Kramer. The JSA takes on Kobra! Because GI Joe just ain’t hackin’ it, kids!
MISS AMERICA COMICS #1 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Jen Van Meter and Andy MacDonald. Featuring a golden-age reprint and a new story of Timely Comics’ biggest female super-star! Okay, she was no Wonder Woman but these 70th Anniversary issues are turning out to be a lot of fun, especially if you already have a soft spot for the old-timers. Recommended.
PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX #71 by Victor Gischler and Goran Parlov. The Punisher’s in Louisiana with something bad in his trunk. Do you really need any more info to know this one’s gonna rock? Not for kids. Recommended.
RED ROBIN #1 by Christopher Yost and Ramon Bachs. Someone’s wearing that old costume from KINGDOM COME and looking for Bruce Wayne’s carcass! But who?
UNCANNY X-MEN #511 by Matt Fraction and Greg Land. Well, well, well, look who’s back. She always comes back, doesn’t she? Gotta look!
UNWRITTEN #2 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. This one’s heating up fast, kids. It’s the story of a guy who may or may not have been written into the real world and all that implies about other pop fiction characters. This is not your father’s Earth-Prime! Recommended.
WALKING DEAD #62 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. Okay, who were those creeps in the bushes? Not for kids. Recommended.
WOLVERINE #74 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert & Daniel Way and Tommy Lee Edwards. Two stories! Two creative teams! One left standing! Half-Highly Recommended!
X-FACTOR #44 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. A little number titled “Dirty Sexy Monet.” Oh, Peter David…..!
X-MEN FOREVER #1 by Chris Claremont and Tom Grummett. Ever wonder what would have happened if X-scribe Chris Claremont hadn’t been unceremoniously axed from the X-Men book he launched with Jim Lee back in the nineties? Me neither, but now he’s getting his chance to tell the story he always wanted, separate continuity and all. Hey, the guy built the foundations of a billion-dollar multimedia empire 30 years ago then got treated like a dog. I’m checking it out. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
Sunday, May 31, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE WEDNESDAY 06-03-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE WEDNESDAY 06-03-09
By John Judy
32 STORIES: THE COMPLETE OPTIC NERVE DEFINITIVE EDITION HC written and drawn by Adrian Tomine. A sweet collection for fans of Tomine and his comics, mini- and other. A handsome addition to any bookshelf. Recommended.
AGENTS OF ATLAS #6 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman. At last, it’s family reunion time for Namora and her cousin, the Sub-Mariner. Aquatic awkwardness galore! Recommended!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #596 by Joe Kelly and Paulo Siqueira. Spidey breaks and enters, mostly the former. Big Fight!
ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK THREE #2 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. The saga of the Williams brothers and their search for their parents’ killer gets wilder as only a game of super-cops and robbers can. Recommended.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Don’t worry, it’s not the perennially late-shipping ALL-STAR version by Jim Lee and the guy who killed The Spirit for a generation. This is the dream-team that gave us ALL-STAR SUPERMAN among other things. It’s the new Dynamic Duo and their flying batmobile! Gotta look!
BLACK PANTHER #5 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley. Morlun the Devourer of Totems just chowed down on the Man-Ape (don’t ask) and now he’s ready for dessert. Time for the new BP to teach him when to say “when!”
THE BOYS #31 by Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra. The supes finally decide to go after the Boys instead of waiting for the knock on their door. First up: The Female. Not for kids.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: TALES OF THE VAMPIRES ONE-SHOT by Becky Cloonan and Vasilis Lolos. A story of a small-town boy looking for a way out on the Fang Express.
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 ANNUAL #1 by Paul Cornell and Michael Collins. The long-lost Meggan is looking to get out of Hell. I suggest hiring a baby-sitter.
DARK AVENGERS #5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato. Norman Osborne’s got trouble as the public is reminded of his past as the murderous Green Goblin. Stupid public! Don’t they know we’re looking forward, not back?!
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #2 of 6 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie E. Williams II. Okay, so far the FCA titles have been an extremely mixed bag in terms of quality. This one about a jerk who helped kill the Martian Manhunter trying to get out of Dodge is among the best. A great ride for those of us who like dark humor and well conceived anti-heroes. Recommended.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #25 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham. Hank Pym decides to break into the Baxter Building. Because he’s Hank Pym! Recommended.
PUNISHER MAX: NAKED KILL #1 by Jonathan Mayberry and Laurence Campbell. Frank Castle has to take down a snuff film ring armed only with office and cleaning supplies. This could be the most awesome thing ever associated with Staples! Recommended!
SCALPED #29 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. C’mon people, this is one of the best comics being published today. It must not be outsold by SEAGUY. Let’s all stop waiting for the trades and do our part. This is the conclusion to “High Lonesome” where cracked out undercover G-man Dash Bad Horse has to rob the casino. This is the one to buy for you and both your pals.
SECRET SIX #10 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. “The most brutal Secret Six story yet!” Well, after the whole Rag Doll family saga that’s a pretty high bar to clear. Gotta look! Recommended.
SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #4 of 12 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. New K gets a visit from the Green Lantern Corps in the form of Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Sodam (swear to god) Yat. Hijinks ensue.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #133 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. The final issue? Well, it’s been a respectable run by a writer who reintroduced Marvel to the idea of making deadlines. Kudos to Mr. Bendis and the whole sick crew!
ULTIMATUM #4 of 5 by Jeph Loeb and David Finch. Almost over…. Just a few more characters to “kill….”
WOLVERINE REVOLVER ONE-SHOT by Victor Gischler and Das Pastoras. In which Logan is apparently fighting DC’s Man-Bat with claws that are now as long as his arms.
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW VOL. 1: A GOOD AND DECENT MAN HC written and illustrated by C. Tyler. The first graphic novel by artist and short story author Tyler concerning her quest to understand her World War Two veteran father. This one is getting high praise from creators like R. Crumb and Jim Woodring. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
32 STORIES: THE COMPLETE OPTIC NERVE DEFINITIVE EDITION HC written and drawn by Adrian Tomine. A sweet collection for fans of Tomine and his comics, mini- and other. A handsome addition to any bookshelf. Recommended.
AGENTS OF ATLAS #6 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman. At last, it’s family reunion time for Namora and her cousin, the Sub-Mariner. Aquatic awkwardness galore! Recommended!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #596 by Joe Kelly and Paulo Siqueira. Spidey breaks and enters, mostly the former. Big Fight!
ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK THREE #2 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. The saga of the Williams brothers and their search for their parents’ killer gets wilder as only a game of super-cops and robbers can. Recommended.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Don’t worry, it’s not the perennially late-shipping ALL-STAR version by Jim Lee and the guy who killed The Spirit for a generation. This is the dream-team that gave us ALL-STAR SUPERMAN among other things. It’s the new Dynamic Duo and their flying batmobile! Gotta look!
BLACK PANTHER #5 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley. Morlun the Devourer of Totems just chowed down on the Man-Ape (don’t ask) and now he’s ready for dessert. Time for the new BP to teach him when to say “when!”
THE BOYS #31 by Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra. The supes finally decide to go after the Boys instead of waiting for the knock on their door. First up: The Female. Not for kids.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: TALES OF THE VAMPIRES ONE-SHOT by Becky Cloonan and Vasilis Lolos. A story of a small-town boy looking for a way out on the Fang Express.
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 ANNUAL #1 by Paul Cornell and Michael Collins. The long-lost Meggan is looking to get out of Hell. I suggest hiring a baby-sitter.
DARK AVENGERS #5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato. Norman Osborne’s got trouble as the public is reminded of his past as the murderous Green Goblin. Stupid public! Don’t they know we’re looking forward, not back?!
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #2 of 6 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie E. Williams II. Okay, so far the FCA titles have been an extremely mixed bag in terms of quality. This one about a jerk who helped kill the Martian Manhunter trying to get out of Dodge is among the best. A great ride for those of us who like dark humor and well conceived anti-heroes. Recommended.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #25 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham. Hank Pym decides to break into the Baxter Building. Because he’s Hank Pym! Recommended.
PUNISHER MAX: NAKED KILL #1 by Jonathan Mayberry and Laurence Campbell. Frank Castle has to take down a snuff film ring armed only with office and cleaning supplies. This could be the most awesome thing ever associated with Staples! Recommended!
SCALPED #29 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. C’mon people, this is one of the best comics being published today. It must not be outsold by SEAGUY. Let’s all stop waiting for the trades and do our part. This is the conclusion to “High Lonesome” where cracked out undercover G-man Dash Bad Horse has to rob the casino. This is the one to buy for you and both your pals.
SECRET SIX #10 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. “The most brutal Secret Six story yet!” Well, after the whole Rag Doll family saga that’s a pretty high bar to clear. Gotta look! Recommended.
SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #4 of 12 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. New K gets a visit from the Green Lantern Corps in the form of Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Sodam (swear to god) Yat. Hijinks ensue.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #133 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. The final issue? Well, it’s been a respectable run by a writer who reintroduced Marvel to the idea of making deadlines. Kudos to Mr. Bendis and the whole sick crew!
ULTIMATUM #4 of 5 by Jeph Loeb and David Finch. Almost over…. Just a few more characters to “kill….”
WOLVERINE REVOLVER ONE-SHOT by Victor Gischler and Das Pastoras. In which Logan is apparently fighting DC’s Man-Bat with claws that are now as long as his arms.
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW VOL. 1: A GOOD AND DECENT MAN HC written and illustrated by C. Tyler. The first graphic novel by artist and short story author Tyler concerning her quest to understand her World War Two veteran father. This one is getting high praise from creators like R. Crumb and Jim Woodring. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
Sunday, May 24, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE THURSDAY (not Wednesday) 05-28-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE THURSDAY (not Wednesday) 05-28-09
By John Judy
(Note: Shipping delayed by Memorial Day.)
ALIENS #1 of 4 by John Arcudi and Zach Howard. They’re back, doing what they do. Where’s a Predator when you need one?
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #595 by Joe Kelly and Phil Jimenez. Spidey begins his crusade to take down Norman Osborn for good. Go get him, Tiger!
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #16 by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard. Wolfie and Zechariah throw down once more, Nosferatu vs. Lycanthrope, no holds barred! OK!
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #24 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. The kids are stuck in Wolverine’s old stomping ground fighting his old foes. Fortunately they’re among Wolvie’s lamest old foes and that’s saying something.
BATMAN IN BARCELONA: DRAGONS KNIGHT #1 by Mark Waid and Diego Olmos. Mr. Wayne puts on the cowl to solve a series of killings in B-town. Drawn by Barcelona native Olmos, but for some reason featuring a cover by Jim Lee. Go figure.
DARK REIGN: THE HOOD #1 of 5 by Jeff Parker and Kyle Hotz. It’s not easy being the demon-possessed crime-lord of New York City but the Hood makes it all work. Between his knocked up girlfriend, junkie cousin and momma in the nuthouse this one reads like a sitcom spec from Hell. Gotta look!
ETERNAL SMILE GN by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim. Three stand-alone stories ranging from classic fantasy to contemporary urban fiction from a pair of award-winning, eclectic creators. Well worth a look.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #1 of 6 by Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino. Recovering bad guy Tattooed Man has a problem. His tattoos are taking him over. A cautionary tale to the illustrated whippersnappers of today. Now get offa my lawn and stop stealing from me!
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS: TANKIES #2 of 3 by Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra. Tank runs over Germans. Germans shoot at tank with all kinds of bad stuff. Ennis writes it so it is truly a Must-Have. Seriously, most of Ennis’ war comics should be movies. Recommended.
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS, VOL. 2: DEAR BILLY SC by Ennis and Peter Snejbjerg. Half-romance, half-war comic, all human tragedy this three-issue collection is a true heart-breaker as only the best war stories are. Tough to read in places but well worth it. Not for kids. Recommended.
GHOST RIDER #35 by Jason Aaron and Tony Moore. Beat-up and knocked down ex-Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze just wants to die in a Japanese monastery, but then a load of evil bikers shows up….. It’s written by Jason Aaron so you gotta look! Recommended.
GREEN LANTERN #41 by Geoff Johns and Philip Tan. Agent Orange, the villain powered by avarice, wants what he wants when he wants it! Agent Orange will make America great again if we just cut his taxes! Recommended.
IGNITION CITY #3 of 5 by Warren Ellis and Gianluca Pagliarani. Mary Raven gets closer to her father’s murderers even as they get closer to her. The zap guns will be a-zappin’ fer sure!
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #26 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. Danny and the gang have to kung-fu their way out of Hell. I hope their kung-fu is tough…
INCOGNEGRO SC by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece. The paperback of Johnson and Pleece’s powerful graphic novel about a light-skinned African-American reporter passing as white in the deep South at the height of the segregation era. Highly, highly recommended.
JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY: MELVIN MONSTER HC VOL. 1 written and drawn by John Stanley. Drawn and Quarterly is collecting the works of this under-appreciated silver-age creator who was best known for his work on LITTLE LULU. This first volume collects all ten issues of his stories about a misunderstood monster who just wants to be good. Great for the young at heart.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #33 by Dwayne McDuffie and Rags Morales. It’s Dharma vs. Starbreaker! With a little Justice League thrown in for good measure.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #27 written and drawn by Jerry Ordway. The young JSAers have to rescue the old JSAers so they can steal from them and play on their lawns! And not listen neither! Recommended dagnabbit!
LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN #1 of 6 by Gerry Conway and Chris Batista. It’s the year 2024 and being the man with animal powers is not what it used to be. Especially if you’ve been aging in dog years…
MY INNER BIMBO SC by Sam Keith and Josh Hagler. The adventure of a guy whose trampy feminine side suddenly manifests (no pun intended) in the real world. Gotta look!
NEW AVENGERS #53 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. Who will be the next Sorcerer Supreme? The likeable boy next door? The openly gay glam rocker? Or the frumpy middle-aged lady who’s never been kissed? And why is Simon so mean all the time?
NORTHLANDERS #17 by Brian Wood and Vasilis Lolos. Two Vikings fight to the death in slow motion. Lots of time to contemplate that axe headed for your skull. Excellent stuff! Recommended!
PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. Your back-to-school comics featured here!
SPECIAL FORCES VOL. 1 SC written and drawn by Kyle Baker. Collecting issues 1-4 of the comic inspired by the corrupt recruiting practices of the US Military that put kids with autism in the front lines of the Iraq War. Seriously. This happened. Highly recommended.
SPIDER-MAN: SHORT HALLOWEEN #1 by Bill Hader, Seth Meyers and Kevin Maguire. A one-shot comic romp by two SNL stars and Kevin-freakin-Maguire! Highly recommended.
THE STAND: AMERICAN NIGHTMARES #3 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. Larry goes into the tunnel. Good times. Highly recommended.
SUPERMAN #688 by James Robinson and Renato Guedes. Mon-El’s having a hard time with the Superman stand-in gig, but then he loses his powers and, well, do the math…
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS HULK #6 of 6 by Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis Yu. The battle royale concludes as we learn how many pieces Ultimate Wolverine can be chopped into and still appear nonchalant.
WOLVERINE #72 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. “Old Man Logan” is back for the penultimate chapter of this dystopian future road movie.
WONDER WOMAN #32 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. Diana dukes it out with her hideous future-self once more. It’s enough to give one a headache before the first punch is thrown.
X-MEN LEGACY #224 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Marvel sez: “Rogue and Gambit fans DO NOT MISS THIS ISSUE!” Yeah, I’m looking at both of you!
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
(Note: Shipping delayed by Memorial Day.)
ALIENS #1 of 4 by John Arcudi and Zach Howard. They’re back, doing what they do. Where’s a Predator when you need one?
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #595 by Joe Kelly and Phil Jimenez. Spidey begins his crusade to take down Norman Osborn for good. Go get him, Tiger!
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #16 by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard. Wolfie and Zechariah throw down once more, Nosferatu vs. Lycanthrope, no holds barred! OK!
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #24 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. The kids are stuck in Wolverine’s old stomping ground fighting his old foes. Fortunately they’re among Wolvie’s lamest old foes and that’s saying something.
BATMAN IN BARCELONA: DRAGONS KNIGHT #1 by Mark Waid and Diego Olmos. Mr. Wayne puts on the cowl to solve a series of killings in B-town. Drawn by Barcelona native Olmos, but for some reason featuring a cover by Jim Lee. Go figure.
DARK REIGN: THE HOOD #1 of 5 by Jeff Parker and Kyle Hotz. It’s not easy being the demon-possessed crime-lord of New York City but the Hood makes it all work. Between his knocked up girlfriend, junkie cousin and momma in the nuthouse this one reads like a sitcom spec from Hell. Gotta look!
ETERNAL SMILE GN by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim. Three stand-alone stories ranging from classic fantasy to contemporary urban fiction from a pair of award-winning, eclectic creators. Well worth a look.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #1 of 6 by Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino. Recovering bad guy Tattooed Man has a problem. His tattoos are taking him over. A cautionary tale to the illustrated whippersnappers of today. Now get offa my lawn and stop stealing from me!
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS: TANKIES #2 of 3 by Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra. Tank runs over Germans. Germans shoot at tank with all kinds of bad stuff. Ennis writes it so it is truly a Must-Have. Seriously, most of Ennis’ war comics should be movies. Recommended.
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS, VOL. 2: DEAR BILLY SC by Ennis and Peter Snejbjerg. Half-romance, half-war comic, all human tragedy this three-issue collection is a true heart-breaker as only the best war stories are. Tough to read in places but well worth it. Not for kids. Recommended.
GHOST RIDER #35 by Jason Aaron and Tony Moore. Beat-up and knocked down ex-Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze just wants to die in a Japanese monastery, but then a load of evil bikers shows up….. It’s written by Jason Aaron so you gotta look! Recommended.
GREEN LANTERN #41 by Geoff Johns and Philip Tan. Agent Orange, the villain powered by avarice, wants what he wants when he wants it! Agent Orange will make America great again if we just cut his taxes! Recommended.
IGNITION CITY #3 of 5 by Warren Ellis and Gianluca Pagliarani. Mary Raven gets closer to her father’s murderers even as they get closer to her. The zap guns will be a-zappin’ fer sure!
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #26 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. Danny and the gang have to kung-fu their way out of Hell. I hope their kung-fu is tough…
INCOGNEGRO SC by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece. The paperback of Johnson and Pleece’s powerful graphic novel about a light-skinned African-American reporter passing as white in the deep South at the height of the segregation era. Highly, highly recommended.
JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY: MELVIN MONSTER HC VOL. 1 written and drawn by John Stanley. Drawn and Quarterly is collecting the works of this under-appreciated silver-age creator who was best known for his work on LITTLE LULU. This first volume collects all ten issues of his stories about a misunderstood monster who just wants to be good. Great for the young at heart.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #33 by Dwayne McDuffie and Rags Morales. It’s Dharma vs. Starbreaker! With a little Justice League thrown in for good measure.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #27 written and drawn by Jerry Ordway. The young JSAers have to rescue the old JSAers so they can steal from them and play on their lawns! And not listen neither! Recommended dagnabbit!
LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN #1 of 6 by Gerry Conway and Chris Batista. It’s the year 2024 and being the man with animal powers is not what it used to be. Especially if you’ve been aging in dog years…
MY INNER BIMBO SC by Sam Keith and Josh Hagler. The adventure of a guy whose trampy feminine side suddenly manifests (no pun intended) in the real world. Gotta look!
NEW AVENGERS #53 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. Who will be the next Sorcerer Supreme? The likeable boy next door? The openly gay glam rocker? Or the frumpy middle-aged lady who’s never been kissed? And why is Simon so mean all the time?
NORTHLANDERS #17 by Brian Wood and Vasilis Lolos. Two Vikings fight to the death in slow motion. Lots of time to contemplate that axe headed for your skull. Excellent stuff! Recommended!
PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. Your back-to-school comics featured here!
SPECIAL FORCES VOL. 1 SC written and drawn by Kyle Baker. Collecting issues 1-4 of the comic inspired by the corrupt recruiting practices of the US Military that put kids with autism in the front lines of the Iraq War. Seriously. This happened. Highly recommended.
SPIDER-MAN: SHORT HALLOWEEN #1 by Bill Hader, Seth Meyers and Kevin Maguire. A one-shot comic romp by two SNL stars and Kevin-freakin-Maguire! Highly recommended.
THE STAND: AMERICAN NIGHTMARES #3 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. Larry goes into the tunnel. Good times. Highly recommended.
SUPERMAN #688 by James Robinson and Renato Guedes. Mon-El’s having a hard time with the Superman stand-in gig, but then he loses his powers and, well, do the math…
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS HULK #6 of 6 by Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis Yu. The battle royale concludes as we learn how many pieces Ultimate Wolverine can be chopped into and still appear nonchalant.
WOLVERINE #72 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. “Old Man Logan” is back for the penultimate chapter of this dystopian future road movie.
WONDER WOMAN #32 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. Diana dukes it out with her hideous future-self once more. It’s enough to give one a headache before the first punch is thrown.
X-MEN LEGACY #224 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Marvel sez: “Rogue and Gambit fans DO NOT MISS THIS ISSUE!” Yeah, I’m looking at both of you!
www.johnjudy.net
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-20-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-20-09
By John Judy
AGENTS OF ATLAS #5 by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan. The AoA vs. the New Avengers (the ones with Wolverine). Big Fight!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #594 by Mark Waid, Barry Kitson and Mike McKone. Spidey’s non-stop campaign is catching up with him and so is New York Mayor J. Jonah Jameson!
BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #3 of 3 by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea. One of these goofballs gets to be Batman until Bruce comes back from the dead. Oops, did I give something away?
BOYS: HEROGASM #1 by Garth Ennis and John McCrea. The first-ever BOYS spin-off series, re-uniting Ennis with HITMAN co-creator John McCrea! What Secret, Final Infinite War-Crisis could be so earth-shaking that it requires every supe on the planet to gather for one common cause? And will it show up on YouTube? The trademark Ennis black humor is in full effect as the title suggests so this one is Not For Kids. Recommended anyway.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #50 by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross. It’s Bucky America’s birthday! “Eighty-something years young!” Recommended.
EX MACHINA #42 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Pushing the boundaries of what a superhero comic can be, Vaughan and Harris take a standard-issue guy who can talk to machines and build jetpacks and make him do something truly superhuman: Raising taxes on Americans and not lying or apologizing for it! “The Galactus Trilogy” now seems tame… Highly recommended.
FANTASTIC FOUR #566 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The gang has to fight the guys who taught Dr. Doom how to be a creep! And you thought he was self-taught…
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #1 of 6 by Joe Casey ChrisCross. Japan’s “Super Young Team” follow up on their distracting and meaningless appearance in FINAL CRISIS with… a little soft-shoe, a little rumba, maybe some ballroom… I hear one of them does “The Robot” really well because he is one! A Must-Have for both of you FINAL CRISIS completists out there!
GOON, VOL. 7: PLACE OF HEARTACHE AND GRIEF SC written and drawn by Eric Powell. “We love Oprah droppings!” Almost as much as we love THE GOON and Eric Powell. Collecting issues 19-23, “The Return of Labrazio!” Highly recommended.
HELLBLAZER #255 by Peter Milligan and Goran Sudzuka. Fever. Delirium. Constantine appears to have Swine Flu. Awesome cover by Lee Bermejo.
HULK #12 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. The Defenders versus the Offenders (seriously) fight comes to an end with “a twist ending you will never see coming!” Most likely because it will make no sense whatsoever! The bad Hulk is red!
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 by Tom DeFalco and Chris Burnham. A ten-page golden-age reprint plus an all-new story of the Human Torch, Toro, Namor, the Angel and…. The Ferret? Is that what they were calling Wolverine back then? Gotta look!
THUNDERBOLTS #132 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. The T-Bolts recruit Mr. X! No, not the bald, indy guy with the glasses, the other one, the one who fought Wolverine.
UNCANNY X-MEN #510 by Matt Fraction and Greg Land. Big fight! “You won’t believe the ferocity! No one is safe!” Bad day to be wearing a red shirt to class!
WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #2 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. The Wolvie Dream Team of Aaron and Garney are back! They’re the ones who make the Wolverine comics that don’t suck! Read it! Please. Highly recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
AGENTS OF ATLAS #5 by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan. The AoA vs. the New Avengers (the ones with Wolverine). Big Fight!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #594 by Mark Waid, Barry Kitson and Mike McKone. Spidey’s non-stop campaign is catching up with him and so is New York Mayor J. Jonah Jameson!
BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #3 of 3 by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea. One of these goofballs gets to be Batman until Bruce comes back from the dead. Oops, did I give something away?
BOYS: HEROGASM #1 by Garth Ennis and John McCrea. The first-ever BOYS spin-off series, re-uniting Ennis with HITMAN co-creator John McCrea! What Secret, Final Infinite War-Crisis could be so earth-shaking that it requires every supe on the planet to gather for one common cause? And will it show up on YouTube? The trademark Ennis black humor is in full effect as the title suggests so this one is Not For Kids. Recommended anyway.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #50 by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross. It’s Bucky America’s birthday! “Eighty-something years young!” Recommended.
EX MACHINA #42 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Pushing the boundaries of what a superhero comic can be, Vaughan and Harris take a standard-issue guy who can talk to machines and build jetpacks and make him do something truly superhuman: Raising taxes on Americans and not lying or apologizing for it! “The Galactus Trilogy” now seems tame… Highly recommended.
FANTASTIC FOUR #566 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The gang has to fight the guys who taught Dr. Doom how to be a creep! And you thought he was self-taught…
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #1 of 6 by Joe Casey ChrisCross. Japan’s “Super Young Team” follow up on their distracting and meaningless appearance in FINAL CRISIS with… a little soft-shoe, a little rumba, maybe some ballroom… I hear one of them does “The Robot” really well because he is one! A Must-Have for both of you FINAL CRISIS completists out there!
GOON, VOL. 7: PLACE OF HEARTACHE AND GRIEF SC written and drawn by Eric Powell. “We love Oprah droppings!” Almost as much as we love THE GOON and Eric Powell. Collecting issues 19-23, “The Return of Labrazio!” Highly recommended.
HELLBLAZER #255 by Peter Milligan and Goran Sudzuka. Fever. Delirium. Constantine appears to have Swine Flu. Awesome cover by Lee Bermejo.
HULK #12 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. The Defenders versus the Offenders (seriously) fight comes to an end with “a twist ending you will never see coming!” Most likely because it will make no sense whatsoever! The bad Hulk is red!
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 by Tom DeFalco and Chris Burnham. A ten-page golden-age reprint plus an all-new story of the Human Torch, Toro, Namor, the Angel and…. The Ferret? Is that what they were calling Wolverine back then? Gotta look!
THUNDERBOLTS #132 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. The T-Bolts recruit Mr. X! No, not the bald, indy guy with the glasses, the other one, the one who fought Wolverine.
UNCANNY X-MEN #510 by Matt Fraction and Greg Land. Big fight! “You won’t believe the ferocity! No one is safe!” Bad day to be wearing a red shirt to class!
WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #2 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. The Wolvie Dream Team of Aaron and Garney are back! They’re the ones who make the Wolverine comics that don’t suck! Read it! Please. Highly recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Weldon asks, 'what is that 24 page story-filled paper thing one buys each Wednesday anyway?'
See "What To Call the Comic Book?" by Glen Weldon, National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (May 13 2009).
Oddly enough, the US Department of State examines some of the same issues in "Asian-American Authors Explore Identity, Cultural Roots," By Lauren Monsen, NewsBlaze May 12,2009, where she talks to "Adrian Tomine (a fourth-generation Japanese American), Gene Luen Yang (a Chinese American) and Derek Kirk Kim (a Korean American who immigrated to the United States at age 8)."
Oddly enough, the US Department of State examines some of the same issues in "Asian-American Authors Explore Identity, Cultural Roots," By Lauren Monsen, NewsBlaze May 12,2009, where she talks to "Adrian Tomine (a fourth-generation Japanese American), Gene Luen Yang (a Chinese American) and Derek Kirk Kim (a Korean American who immigrated to the United States at age 8)."
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Post profiles Naval Academy educational comic book
See "Survival Tips for Midshipmen Offered in Graphic Detail," By Ashley Halsey III, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, May 12, 2009.
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-13-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-13-09
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS #877 by Greg Rucka and Eddy Barrows. Nightwing and Flamebird versus Ursa, Round Two. Expect twists that will actually make you care about Nightwing and Flamebird. Because Rucka really is just that good.
BLACK PANTHER #4 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley. Morlun, Devourer of Totems is back to mess with the Black Panther and eat your tiki bar! Hope Spidey doesn’t find out because of all that radically altered Spidey continuity biz!
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 #13 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. More vampiric intrigue among the British super-set. Continually better than it has a right to be with strong characterizations and clever twists adding life and undeath to a bunch of folks who have never really popped like this before. Well-worth checking out.
DARK REIGN: HAWKEYE #2 of 5 by Andy Diggle and Tom Raney. Already well on its way to being a seriously guilty pleasure this mini focuses on the bloodthirsty assassin Bullseye not really even half-trying to pass himself off as the iconic archer of the Avengers. Recommended.
DARK REIGN: YOUNG AVENGERS #1 of 5 by Paul Cornell and Mark Brooks. I would normally not give this title a look, but it’s by Paul Cornell who’s doing such interesting things over in CAPTAIN BRITAIN. Anyway, “Evil kids take over the franchise from the good kids.” Let’s see what Cornell and company do with this.
DARK TOWER: THE FALL OF GILEAD #1 of 6 by Peter David, Robin Furth and Richard Isanove. Roland kills his mom over a grapefruit. It’s a magic grapefruit, you see… Stephen King really knows his stuff but why did he have to call it “Maerlyn’s frickin’ Grapefruit?” It just kills the moment, y’know?
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1 of 6 by Ivan Brandon and Marco Rudi. Wonder Woman’s boyfriend is being tortured, but when you’re Wonder Woman’s boyfriend that’s not so bad. Nope, not so bad at all….
LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS #1 of 4 by Chris Eliopoulos and Ig Guara. Somebody at Marvel lost a serious bet. Was a short straw involved? Will this result in mandatory drug-testing at Marvel? Questions and more questions….
PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX #70 by Duane Swierczynski and Michel Lacombe. Frank really needs the antidote to that poison he’s been dosed with. It would be quite a shame if an army of punks, gangsters and lowlifes were to find themselves between Frank and his object of desire, would it not? Recommended, especially if you’ve ever lived in Philadelphia.
SECRET SIX #9 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. Two of our group join the Battle for the Cowl. They want to be the new Batman, you see. It’s sort of like Sarah Palin wanting to be President. Fun to watch.
THOR: TALES OF ASGARD BY LEE AND KIRBY #1 of 6 by A Couple of Guys Named Stan and Jack. Collecting the legendary back-up stories from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #97-104, re-mastered with new coloring and six new covers by red-hot THOR artist Olivier Coipel.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #132 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. MJ versus Kitty. Girl-fight at the end of the world.
UNWRITTEN #1 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. The story of a guy who may or may not be a world-famous fictional boy wizard. Fun stuff but contains some of that famous Vertigo adult content.
WALKING DEAD #61 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. The zombie comic that urges you this month to “have a bit of priest!” Yum!
WOLVERINE #73 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. NOT!!! It’s actually a “70th Anniversary Issue” in honor of Wolverine’s first appearance in 1939. Okay, really “Old Man Logan” is taking a two issue hiatus to make room for two two-parters, one by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert and the other by Daniel Way and Tommy Lee Edwards. I am torn on this because I hate fill-in issues and Daniel Way but I have a complete fan-crush on Jason Aaron. Recommended. Mostly…
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS #877 by Greg Rucka and Eddy Barrows. Nightwing and Flamebird versus Ursa, Round Two. Expect twists that will actually make you care about Nightwing and Flamebird. Because Rucka really is just that good.
BLACK PANTHER #4 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley. Morlun, Devourer of Totems is back to mess with the Black Panther and eat your tiki bar! Hope Spidey doesn’t find out because of all that radically altered Spidey continuity biz!
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 #13 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. More vampiric intrigue among the British super-set. Continually better than it has a right to be with strong characterizations and clever twists adding life and undeath to a bunch of folks who have never really popped like this before. Well-worth checking out.
DARK REIGN: HAWKEYE #2 of 5 by Andy Diggle and Tom Raney. Already well on its way to being a seriously guilty pleasure this mini focuses on the bloodthirsty assassin Bullseye not really even half-trying to pass himself off as the iconic archer of the Avengers. Recommended.
DARK REIGN: YOUNG AVENGERS #1 of 5 by Paul Cornell and Mark Brooks. I would normally not give this title a look, but it’s by Paul Cornell who’s doing such interesting things over in CAPTAIN BRITAIN. Anyway, “Evil kids take over the franchise from the good kids.” Let’s see what Cornell and company do with this.
DARK TOWER: THE FALL OF GILEAD #1 of 6 by Peter David, Robin Furth and Richard Isanove. Roland kills his mom over a grapefruit. It’s a magic grapefruit, you see… Stephen King really knows his stuff but why did he have to call it “Maerlyn’s frickin’ Grapefruit?” It just kills the moment, y’know?
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1 of 6 by Ivan Brandon and Marco Rudi. Wonder Woman’s boyfriend is being tortured, but when you’re Wonder Woman’s boyfriend that’s not so bad. Nope, not so bad at all….
LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS #1 of 4 by Chris Eliopoulos and Ig Guara. Somebody at Marvel lost a serious bet. Was a short straw involved? Will this result in mandatory drug-testing at Marvel? Questions and more questions….
PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX #70 by Duane Swierczynski and Michel Lacombe. Frank really needs the antidote to that poison he’s been dosed with. It would be quite a shame if an army of punks, gangsters and lowlifes were to find themselves between Frank and his object of desire, would it not? Recommended, especially if you’ve ever lived in Philadelphia.
SECRET SIX #9 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. Two of our group join the Battle for the Cowl. They want to be the new Batman, you see. It’s sort of like Sarah Palin wanting to be President. Fun to watch.
THOR: TALES OF ASGARD BY LEE AND KIRBY #1 of 6 by A Couple of Guys Named Stan and Jack. Collecting the legendary back-up stories from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #97-104, re-mastered with new coloring and six new covers by red-hot THOR artist Olivier Coipel.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #132 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. MJ versus Kitty. Girl-fight at the end of the world.
UNWRITTEN #1 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. The story of a guy who may or may not be a world-famous fictional boy wizard. Fun stuff but contains some of that famous Vertigo adult content.
WALKING DEAD #61 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. The zombie comic that urges you this month to “have a bit of priest!” Yum!
WOLVERINE #73 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. NOT!!! It’s actually a “70th Anniversary Issue” in honor of Wolverine’s first appearance in 1939. Okay, really “Old Man Logan” is taking a two issue hiatus to make room for two two-parters, one by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert and the other by Daniel Way and Tommy Lee Edwards. I am torn on this because I hate fill-in issues and Daniel Way but I have a complete fan-crush on Jason Aaron. Recommended. Mostly…
www.johnjudy.net
Monday, May 4, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-06-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-06-09
By John Judy
AGENTS OF ATLAS #4 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman. A tale of two times: 1958 and the present day with the Agents throwing down hard in both eras. And one of them’s starting to lose his calm center. Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #593 by Mark Waid and Mark McKone. Okay, so last issue’s last panel probably had you scrubbing your eyes with lye. Now we find out how Spidey deals with the fact that Aunt May still has “a woman’s needs.” This never happened in the Lee-Ditko Era. Back then it was all wheat cakes and heart attacks…
ANGEL: BLOOD AND TRENCHES #3 written and drawn by John Byrne. An entertaining romp that succeeds in capturing the spirit of the much-missed TV show. It also begs the question of whether vampires ever fought on behalf of non-Germans in either World War. Y’know, except for good vampires…
ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK THREE #1 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. Kurt and Brent continue their epic saga of the Williams brothers, one a thug with a good heart, the other a conflicted cop. Oh, and there’s superheroes too. Recommended.
THE BEATS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY HC edited by Paul Buhle. What it sounds like: A history of the beat poets told in graphic form. Contributors include Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Peter Kuper and Trina Robbins among many others. Recommended, daddy-o!
BLAZING COMBAT HC by Archie Goodwin and a Pantheon of Sixties Art Gods. Collecting all four issues of the war comic that was so good it got put out of business by people who were afraid it would end the Vietnam War. Kudos to Fantagraphics for putting this together. Highly, highly recommended.
BOYS #30 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. A bonus cover by Jim Lee marks the Big Three-Oh for our heroes as they each regroup in their way after the apocalyptic events of last issue. Not for kids. Recommended.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #25 by Doug Petrie and Georges Jeanty. This story is titled “Living Doll” but don’t worry. It focuses on Buffy’s sister Dawn and is NOT an awkward promotional tie-in with A Certain TV Show of Which We Do Not Speak.
CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 3 HC by Various Creators, including Frazetta Toth, Orlando, Morrow and Torres. The third in this series of superb horror reprints from Dark Horse Comics. Recommended.
DESTROYER #2 of 5 by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. Destroyer destroys stuff before he is destroyed. Hey, it’s still got more heft than the Wolverine movie! Give ‘er a look!
FIN FANG FOUR RETURN #1 by Scott Gray and Roger Langridge. Admit it, you’d want to know what Triple-F, Elektro, Googam and Gorgilla were up to even if it wasn’t hysterically funny. Me too. Recommended.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #1 of 6 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie E. Williams II. The story of the costumed moron who taped the murder of the Martian Manhunter on his cell phone. Meet the Red Flame. Everyone hates him so now he’s got to RUN!
FLASH PRESENTS REBIRTH #2 of 5 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Barry Allen! Still fast and still not dead! Gotta look!
HUMAN TORCH COMICS 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Scott Snyder and Scott Wegener. My heroes have always been flaming Golden-Age androids so I kind of have to have this. Comes with a new story and a classic reprint. And two covers to signify twice the awesomeness.
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN CENTURY #1 (1910) by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. The lads are at it again. Hopefully they got their game back after BLACK DOSSIER. Significantly, this is the first LOEG from Top Shelf Productions, with Moore having now completely divorced himself from DC/Wildstorm/ABC. Gotta look.
MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 #2 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. The Hood’s gonna make everyone zombies unless the Marvel monsters can stop him. There. A story. Nice and straightforward. Respect.
NEW MUTANTS #1 by Zeb Wells and Diogenes Neves. It’s a reunion of the old crew as done by people whose names make me suspect that they too are mutants. Zeb and Diogenes? Right, suit up and to the Danger Room with you! PS- Four covers!
POWER GIRL #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner. Um, I read it for the articles….
SUPERMAN WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #3 of 12 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. Superman’s a grunt in the Kryptonian Army, but he’s a sassy one! Expect to see Private El peeling a lot of potatoes. Hoo-yah!
Y: THE LAST MAN: DELUXE EDITION VOL. 2 HC by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and Others. Collecting issues #11-23 of this groundbreaking series in a beautiful oversized format. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
AGENTS OF ATLAS #4 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman. A tale of two times: 1958 and the present day with the Agents throwing down hard in both eras. And one of them’s starting to lose his calm center. Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #593 by Mark Waid and Mark McKone. Okay, so last issue’s last panel probably had you scrubbing your eyes with lye. Now we find out how Spidey deals with the fact that Aunt May still has “a woman’s needs.” This never happened in the Lee-Ditko Era. Back then it was all wheat cakes and heart attacks…
ANGEL: BLOOD AND TRENCHES #3 written and drawn by John Byrne. An entertaining romp that succeeds in capturing the spirit of the much-missed TV show. It also begs the question of whether vampires ever fought on behalf of non-Germans in either World War. Y’know, except for good vampires…
ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK THREE #1 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. Kurt and Brent continue their epic saga of the Williams brothers, one a thug with a good heart, the other a conflicted cop. Oh, and there’s superheroes too. Recommended.
THE BEATS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY HC edited by Paul Buhle. What it sounds like: A history of the beat poets told in graphic form. Contributors include Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Peter Kuper and Trina Robbins among many others. Recommended, daddy-o!
BLAZING COMBAT HC by Archie Goodwin and a Pantheon of Sixties Art Gods. Collecting all four issues of the war comic that was so good it got put out of business by people who were afraid it would end the Vietnam War. Kudos to Fantagraphics for putting this together. Highly, highly recommended.
BOYS #30 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. A bonus cover by Jim Lee marks the Big Three-Oh for our heroes as they each regroup in their way after the apocalyptic events of last issue. Not for kids. Recommended.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #25 by Doug Petrie and Georges Jeanty. This story is titled “Living Doll” but don’t worry. It focuses on Buffy’s sister Dawn and is NOT an awkward promotional tie-in with A Certain TV Show of Which We Do Not Speak.
CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 3 HC by Various Creators, including Frazetta Toth, Orlando, Morrow and Torres. The third in this series of superb horror reprints from Dark Horse Comics. Recommended.
DESTROYER #2 of 5 by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. Destroyer destroys stuff before he is destroyed. Hey, it’s still got more heft than the Wolverine movie! Give ‘er a look!
FIN FANG FOUR RETURN #1 by Scott Gray and Roger Langridge. Admit it, you’d want to know what Triple-F, Elektro, Googam and Gorgilla were up to even if it wasn’t hysterically funny. Me too. Recommended.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #1 of 6 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie E. Williams II. The story of the costumed moron who taped the murder of the Martian Manhunter on his cell phone. Meet the Red Flame. Everyone hates him so now he’s got to RUN!
FLASH PRESENTS REBIRTH #2 of 5 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Barry Allen! Still fast and still not dead! Gotta look!
HUMAN TORCH COMICS 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Scott Snyder and Scott Wegener. My heroes have always been flaming Golden-Age androids so I kind of have to have this. Comes with a new story and a classic reprint. And two covers to signify twice the awesomeness.
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN CENTURY #1 (1910) by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. The lads are at it again. Hopefully they got their game back after BLACK DOSSIER. Significantly, this is the first LOEG from Top Shelf Productions, with Moore having now completely divorced himself from DC/Wildstorm/ABC. Gotta look.
MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 #2 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. The Hood’s gonna make everyone zombies unless the Marvel monsters can stop him. There. A story. Nice and straightforward. Respect.
NEW MUTANTS #1 by Zeb Wells and Diogenes Neves. It’s a reunion of the old crew as done by people whose names make me suspect that they too are mutants. Zeb and Diogenes? Right, suit up and to the Danger Room with you! PS- Four covers!
POWER GIRL #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner. Um, I read it for the articles….
SUPERMAN WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #3 of 12 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. Superman’s a grunt in the Kryptonian Army, but he’s a sassy one! Expect to see Private El peeling a lot of potatoes. Hoo-yah!
Y: THE LAST MAN: DELUXE EDITION VOL. 2 HC by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and Others. Collecting issues #11-23 of this groundbreaking series in a beautiful oversized format. Recommended.
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