Whee! Comics! Pull List for March Thus Far

Before we begin, I have to follow through with a threat -

"Blue Beetle is better than any character Alan Moore could EVER come up with! Oh yeah, I said it!"
- Aaron Trites

This comment was SCREAMED during an argument about the book Birds of Prey. In one particular story arc, Barbra Gordon has talked the retired Ted Kord into riding around in The Bug, his floating beetle air-ship thingee, with her. Ted talks about how he's retired from super-heroics with Barbra until they see a train on fire. He is reluctant to get involved, until Babs talks him into suiting up and rescuing some people. Afterwards she points out that he should keep the costume on, and keep super-heroing.

If this sounds familiar, that's because it's a scene practically stolen from WATCHMEN, the most read and acclaimed graphic novel of ALL TIME. Now, I know that the character from Watchmen, Night Owl, was based on the Blue Beetle, but that doesn't excuse just TAKING a scene from another book! When I pointed to this as an example of sloppy Birds of Prey writing, Aaron had the outburst above, which I assured him would see print on the internet immediately.

Thank you for that.

At some point, I swear to high heaven, I will get a regular blogging schedule. In the mean time, thanks to you who have stuck around when I do post (I'm talking to YOU, secret stalker!).

I would like to take this opportunity to sound the SPOILER ALERT!

The Pull List!

Marvel Comics!

Captain America Vol. 1 - The Winter Soldier -

This was definately the Marvel comic I was most excited about. It's written by Ed Brubaker who was half of the writing team on the deservingly-gushed-about-by-me Gotham Central. The art is nothing to sneeze at either, with an art Steve Epting rocking the present-day Cap action, and Michael Lark doing pencils on the World War II flashbacks. So with a high-profile team in place, and 17 months of everyone from Aaron at Comicazi to Wizard Magazine telling me it was great, I picked up the trade.

And I could not put it down.

Until I was done reading it, and I haven't picked it up since.

This story was an odd experience for me, someone who reads comics over and over again. It was completely engaging, it had international intrigue, all the Cap "face" characters such as the Red Skull and Sharon Carter, and the action was big without being Ultimates-over-the-top. But for whatever reason, after reading it, I was done with it.

So what, you're asking, didn't work? Well, and I warned you about spoilers, but Ed Brubaker kills the Red Skull at the end of the first issue. The Red Skull is an icon, and a hell of a villain, so his death has little impact on me as a reader because... well, he's coming back. I know it probably won't be Brubaker to do it, but if the villian is really villianous, he cannot die.

I paraphrase from the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game Handbook -

"If your villian dies, there's no body found. If the heroes find the body, then they find a robot. If it's not a robot, then it's a clone. If there's a body, and it's not a clone, and the villian is really dead, then he probably wasn't a very good villian o begin with."

Basically don't expect me to flip my wig when you plug the Red Skull - that crazy Nazi bastard will be back eventually.

Also, the book tries to ret-con some pretty serious stuff in regards to Cap's last mission with Bucky, and does it in an odd way. Instead of simply saying how it was, with Cap saying, "I've never told anyone this before..." or the like, Brubaker has long dormant memories awaken in Captain America by way of the Cosmic Cube... Seriously, the Cosmic Cube made Steve Rogers remember that his young partner was tortured by Baron Zemo before his "death". I think it would have been more interesting to actually show Cap coming to this un-blocking on his own.

So in general this trade did not live up to the considerable hype, and maybe I'll give it another read at some point, but for now if I want Cap, I'll just re-read Geoff Johns' Avengers trades.

Powers #17 -

I'm going to come clean. Seriously. I have no idea what was happening during the big fight of this book. Walker gets new powers and... wins? Maybe? Against something? I'm not sure. At least it's interesting.

Also, Brian Bendis proves that some of his strongest stuff doesn't need dialog, as we get a glimpse of Deena Pilgrim tempted to take a very bad way out of her current situation.

Ultimate Spider-Man #91 -

Kitty Pryde and Spider-Man are ADORABLE.

Kitty gets a new costume to fight crime with Spidey and not compromise his identity as Peter Parker. This is all good stuff up until we hea back to the X-Mansion and Ultimate Deadpool, a character every bit as unneccessary as Ultimate Moon Knight, rears his ugly head. Hopefully he'll be proven interesting in the next issue?

X-Factor #4 -

This issue closes the book on X-Factor Investigation's first official case, and it's not quite as interesting as the way Layla Miller handles their frist UN-official case.
There's some more Mutant Town stuff in there as well that's interesting - apparently people who used to be mutants are still feared and hated right there with the people still mutants. So Stong Guy and Wolfsbane make it clear that mutant town is a haven for any mutant, past present or future.

And yes, if you were wondering, I do get a check from Marvel every time I say "mutant" this review.

Mutant.

The Pulse #14 -

This issue of The Pulse was the last, and it abandoned the format of a newspaper suppliment that wasn't really working for Bendis, and gave us all what we really wanted - one more issue of Alias.

The story of how Jessica Jones met Luke Cage is incredibly sweet, and one I'm glad we got to hear. It's a quite a bit sweeter than their first meeting in the pages of Alias which was illegal in many, many states. The whole thing is told to little baby Noname Cage-Jones, who remains unnamed by issue's end.

I'm glad that we get more of Luke in New Avengers, but let's hope Jessica doesn't dissapear into the background, as she's one of the few new unique, strong, real characters in the Marvel U.

Next Wave #2 -

Did you ever have a classmate, or a friend, who desperately wanted to be funny? Oh, they'd spout out whatever came into their heads that passed for wit, but more often than not it would simply be an ol' eye-roller? Ladies and gentleman, that friend has a job writing Next Wave.

I do not like this comic.

Everyone else loves it, so I will continue to try and see the good in it, but so far I've been presented with jokes unoriginal (Ha, ha! Machine-Man calls humans "meat-bags!"), and obvious (Look at Fing Fang Foom's pants! They're purple! He's a dragon wearing pants! HILARIOUS!). Outside of one excellent Douglas Adams moment describing human beings as "the Elvis of snack-food" to giant monsters, I was bored.

DC Comics

Jonah Hex #5 -

That ugly cuss Jonah Hex always gets his man, and this issue is no exception. Here is a book that gives you absolutely no reason to wait for the trade - every issue is self-contained, each story great. Keep it up, DC. I swear to god though, if this book jumps forward "One Hundred & Fourty One Years Later" after Infinite Crisis, I will be very irked.

Batman - Year 100 #2 -

In this issue, Batman... does something other than run from Police.

I'll admit that Paul Pope's take on the Dark Knight doesn't have the most original premise, pitting Batman against the police in a dystopian future, his art style is perfect for the gritty, organic world he's creating. In the first, all we got was Batman running away from football uniform clad Police, but in issue #2 we're thankfully given more of a look at this future Batman, his allies and tactics.

There's also a page where this year's Commisoner Gordon is looking at footage and documentation on The Batman from years past. This page, where we see the Thirties Batman and the Seventies Batman as seperate entities, make me wonder if Pope is trying to untangle the twisted timeline of Batman - the costume changes, the tone changes - that Alan Moore and Frank Miller have tackled so sucessfully in The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns. Good luck, Mr. Pope, you're standing in an awfully big shadow.

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge! #5 of 5 -

This mini finishes off with Guy Gardener getting some respect for once! He takes charge in a way that his ego has always told us he could, and thanks to that, the Gaurdians make him a sectorless Green Lantern! It thankfully looks like he and Kilowog will the focus of the upcoming Green Lantern Corps ongoing series that's out in a few months.

While this book is part of regular continuity the publishing schedule kept it out of Infinite Crisis' path - Kyle Rayner is still flying about as a Green Lantern, Oa is still the center of the of the Universe. With Kyle allready converted into Ion, will there be other major changes to Corps members during Crisis?

Y: The Last Man #43 -

This book continues to be fun, thoughtful and unpredictable.

This is the first part of a new story-arc, which means a combination of talking heads about both the plot and whatever fun facts that popped into Brian K. Vaughn's head. Also a great deal more romance, both overt and tragic (Dr. Mann), and subtextual and misguided (355), than we're used to. Kind of a slow issue, but the last page, as usual, keeps you wondering until the next one comes out.

Seven Soldiers: Frankenstien #3 -

Of the three reamaining Seven Soldiers books, this one simultaneously made the least amount of sense and the least to do with the giant crossover that was the point of these miniseries.

This story, entitled The Water!, managed to simultaneously share all the traits of Grant Morrison's best and worst writing. It's fiercely imaginiative, and has that classic feel of the genre he's aping - Frankenstien reads like an old E.C. Horror book on acid - but nothing makes sense outside of the author's head, and nothing inside of the story operates in the parameters of any kind of logic.

Why does the water turn some things into fierce predators and some people into weaklings? It just DOES.

This was a huge problem I had with Morrison's JLA: Rock of Ages story-arc, wherein the Jusice League prevent an apocalyptic future ruled by Darksied from happening by saving a magic rock from destruction. The same magic rock was being used by Lex Luthor to control Jemm (a telepathic alien), and essentially anything else Luthor wanted it to. They never say how it's doing these things, or why it'll prevent Darksied from conquering Earth, it simply does.

These over-powered, story driving plot McGuffins had been kept out of his Seven Soldiers work thus far, a fact which aided my enjoyment of them SIGNIFICANTLY. But when I read this, I was incredibly frustrated.

Doug Mahnke's art is very, very pretty though.

Seven Soldiers: Mr. Miracle #4 -

On the other hand, Morrison shows in Mr. Miracle that he's really the only person who should be alowed to handle Jack Kirby's New Gods. The people of New Genesis as homeless bum-gods, Darksied as basically Ving Rahmes from Pulp Fiction, and a dimension jumping Mr. Miracle still trying to escape his greatest trap.

In the end, it's compelling, complex, and the greatest compliment I can give it is that I stopped thinking about the original Mr. Miracle after a few pages.

Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #4 -

The final issue of The Bulleteer managed to really push it over the top for me. Up until now, the story felt secondary to the art and the concept - a woman who's husband turned her into a super-hero to fulfil a sexual fantasy. Issue four is devoted almost entirely to the back-story of her husband's Super-Mistress, and it shines some unpleasent realistic light on Silver Age style stories.

What makes this title work though, is that while everyone around The Bulleteer is absorbed in the DC Universe and super-hero life, she sees the absurdity of theses people's lives. It's very reflexive, with Bulletteer questioning why she even got into costume, and after the big fight super-fight scene, doing what I've never seen a hero do before - asking someone to call an ambulence for the loser.

Infinite Crisis Secret Files -

Well, that cleared things up quite a bit!

Most Secret Files stories are superfluous, and sub-par. Breaking the trend, the Infinite Crisis Secret Files is well written, well drawn, and crucial to understanding the new Crisis for people who aren't familiar with old-school DC. People like me.

This issue is a look at life inside the "paradise" Alexander Luthor built for himself, Lois 2, Superman 2, and Superboy Prime. Superman runs around trying to do nice things for Lois, and we see how much she becomes his entire world after the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, setting up his actions in Infinite Crisis #5. It does the same for Superboy, showing how Luthor basically spent the enitre twenty years stuck there subtley torturing him. He didn't seem too well glued together to begin with, so Luthor messing with his mind makes the Teen Titans fight in #4 a little more believable.

The most important thing DC does with this book is to use Superboy pounding on the walls of reality to excuse any major glitch in DC Continuity (Hawkman's very existance and history for example), or wipe away things they'd rather just forget (Jonah Hex in the future?). I really enjoy when they can explain poor story choices with a cool in-continuity event.

Infinite Crisis #5 -

And here's the big one.

While it's a good issue, it seems to be full of more problems than the other four. Rather than just run down what happened, I'm going to ask some spoilerific questions, and leave it up to you to answer -

I know asking questions about time travel is simply asking for trouble, but...

Booster Gold comes from the future with knowledge of the events of Crisis. Why isn't he able to do more? Why doesn't he foresee Superboy Prime breaking out of the speed-force at the end of this issue? Instead he comes in and says, "I know of one of your failings, and I am here to prevent it!" And how does he prevent it? With the new Blue Beetle! He's supposedly the only one who can see the Brother I sattelite, but they don't explain why. My speculation: Blue Beetle is the only new hero to emerge since Max Lord had control of Checkmate, so Brother I doesn't know how to hide from him. We'll see if there's another explaination - for now, his costume looks still looks damn cool.

We reach my biggest problem with Infinite Crisis #5 - Pretty much everything with Wonder Woman.

In the last few pages of Wonder Woman's previous series, she sees a riot in Boston, and comes down to the people throwing bricks. There she asks them if this is how they would want to be remembered, and inspires them to put down their weapons and help put out the fires. She puts hope and awe in them, and they become better for it. The whole crux of Wonder Woman in two pages.

In Infinite Crisis #5, we see the same scene, the same riot, but this time, in a completely different set of events, Wonder Woman looses her temper and engages these regular people in a fight. These actions were so incredibly out of character for her, even considering the crisis. That aside for a moment, before a violent Wonder Woman thrashes more powerless people about, Earth 2 Wonder Woman returns from Olympus.

(For sanity's sake, from here on out, our Wonder Woman will be refered to as Diana.)

She said that her husband, Steve Trevor, died using her last bit of power teleporting Wonder Woman to Earth. After a brief talk where Diana is told by her older counterpart that she needs to go to Superman, Earth 2 Wondery Woman does for Diana what Steve Trevor did for her, dissapearing into the aether to send Diana across the barrier to Earth 2.

My question is this: Why does Wonder Woman have to sacrifice herself to teleport Diana to Earth 2 when our Superman simply FLEW there ten pages earlier?

For that matter, in a book that's re-defining the roles and attitudes of the "Big Three" in the DCU, Wonder Woman is written as increasingly blood-thristy. When she does finally come around towards the Diana we know, her purpose seems only to serve Superman's character, something I firmly object to. Geoff Johns is doing a great job serving some of these characters, especially Batman, but Wonder Woman is getting the short end of the icon-stick by my read.

There was a lot of things I did like, but I was so put off by this that I felt let down. The good stuff is the Superman fight on an empty Earth 2 - Jerry Ordway does a great Action Comics #1 homage there, and there's a bit about how all the new post-C.o.I.E. characters would have been from Earth 8 had the multiverse lived on. I think when the next two issues come out, this will have been the lull before the true chaos, so let's hope it all pays off in the end.

Teen Titans Annual '06 + Teen Titans #33 -

The annual was was absurdly delayed. A Valentine's Day issue, it came out last wednesday, after Teen Titans #33 came out. Since most of the events lead into #33, a good deal of this stuff was given already given away.

In the Annual, we get to see Tim Drake - Robin - really come into his own as a leader of the Teen Titans, something that bodes poorly for Cyborg's odds of making it out of Crisis. He and most of the other Titans are helping relief effort after Chemo is dropped on Bludhaven, and even Superman gives Tim the thumbs up to lead the clean-up.

Back in Smallville, things get a little too TV's Smallville, with a recovering Conner and a de-powered Wonder Girl. I really enjoy this pairing, it always made sense to me that the two Titans who felt so overshadowed by their mentors would get together. In this issue, however, they sleep together, and the Kents are suprisingly mellow about it. Superboy answers a call to Titan's tower from Nightwing, and leaves Wonder Girl behind. In #33 we learn that after Conner leaves, Wonder Girl strikes a deal with Ares to regain her powers... how they might change because of this is still a mystery.

Most of the rest of this issue is spent doing the dueling caption box thoughts of Superboy and Nightwing as they make their way towards Alexander Luthor's lair in the arctic. Nightwing is an odd match for Superboy who spends most of his time with, well, Robin. He even points out at one point that it's like "hanging out with your friend's older brother." This is basically to flesh out Conner more before his big showdown in Infinite Crisis #6, and they do a pretty good job. I've been shown more depth to this character in the past two years in Teen Titans than in the entirety of his own series. This could just be to kill him, though. DC is mean like that.

All in all, these were the best two issues of Teen Titans we've gotten in a long while. The next issue is One Year Later, so who knows what's happening or even who's still alive to fill the team's roster.

That's it for me. I'm pooped. I'm so tired, I'm going to go read some comics.

Did I mention that I like comics?

Thanks for reading.
-casey-

UPDATE!

The YouTube video I posted below was taken down, for some reason.

It was a trailer for an upcoming Samuel L. Jackson movie.

What movie, you ask? Oh, just a little movie called...

SNAKES ON A PLANE!

It has snakes! And planes! Well, okay, one plane!

If you're still interested, and after the title how can you not be, here is a link...

SNAKES ON A PLANE!

Revel in the absurditity and awesomeness.

-casey-

This Isn't Comics Related, But...

It Is Here...

Have You Seen This Man

The picture you see above is the DC Direct Blue Beetle action figure from 2002.

I didn't KNOW this existed until a week ago, and as you might notice, it is now 2006.

I've searched eBay, I've made phone calls, I've asked people at Toy Shows to keep an eye out for me... to no avail! So I figured I'd use the meager soap-box afforded me by the internet to beg anyone who stumbles upon this website and knows anything regarding the wearabouts of one Theodore Kord to get in touch with me, and I'll exchange some cold hard cash for your blue molded plastic.

BWA-HA-HA-HA!

-casey-

Comic Shop Box - What I Got In February

Readers and Readettes,

I'm back, for now, and since I haven't done any Pull Lists for this month, I thought I'd take a bit and do the entire month of February in one shot! Next post will be in a few weeks, that Wonder Woman look back I've been talking about, I've been re-reading all the back issues so I hope it'll be worth the wait.

Anyway, here goes nothing:

MISC Publishers:

The Middleman: Vol. 1 -

I kind of stumbled upon this one... I saw the trade paperback at Comicazi, and the art caught my eye, but with a strained budget I couldn't spend 10 bucks on an unknown collection of four issues... oh, what a fool I was. Later, with my lady, we were digging through the quarter bin at Newbury Comics when I found the first two issues: it's solid gold.

At first glance, this story about a cool-as-ice agent of a secret society that cleans up supernatural occurrences seems to just be a Men In Black rip-off, but it after reading the sense of humor and adventure in this book feels more like if Johnny Quest met Bugs Bunny. One of the keener things is that where in Men In Black they had to use a Neuralizer to wipe the memories of witnesses, in The Middleman they just chock it up to people rationalizing things to stay sane.

Any other reservations about originality were cast aside when I picked up the first issue of Volume 2, which features Sensei Ping, an untrappable martial artists who wears a Mexican luchadore mask. It's fabulous.

I also discovered, after the fact, that the art I like so much is done by Les McClaine, an ex-Comicazi regular! Here's a link to his site, Johnny Crossbones!

Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty #4 -

Ennnnh. I'm usually enthused, but my patience for this book is wearing thin. Fresh up until the last few issues, Ashley Wood is running out of tricks that we haven't already seen in Metal Gear Solid 1, and the plot is overly complex and murky... On the other hand, so was the plot of the game. I'll tough it out, because I wish I were Solid Snake, but anyone who's not a crazy fan should wait until IDW puts out Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater which does this crazy stuff with a 1960’s cold-war twist.

Put the Book Back On The Shelf: The Belle & Sebastian Anthology –

An Open Letter To Newbury Comics: Peabody, MA Location –

Dear Newbury Comics,
You are fairly awesome - you put out a yearly zine letting me know what music you liked from the past 365, and always have friendly people working with you. You even let me paw through the loose Star Wars minis when someone opened the box already. So it is with a heavy hand and heart that I write this. While I appreciate that you discounted Put The Book Back On The Shelf by five dollars, WHY DID YOU PUT A BIG PINK STICKER ON THE COVER? Now, the damage was not irreparable... after some long, hard work with a razor and some Goo-Gone, it came off. But I was tested, and tried... we can stay together, but it may take some time to re-build trust.
I love you, Newbury Comics, and can't wait to see you again this weekend.

Now that that's done, if you like Belle & Sebastian, there's no reason not to get this book. It covers a good deal of their rather prolific career, up to Dear Catastrophe Waitress. The different creators they got managed to pick and choose perfectly when to adapt the lyrics of the songs, when to tell a story with the tone of the songs, and when to just let the lyrics tell the story over their pictures. Piaza, New York Catcher is the best of the book, and I get more than a little choked up when I read it.

When Zombies Attack! #1 -

A new piece from Jim Mahfood about cops who handle zombies and vampires in a town where that's the norm. As Middle Man is to adventure, this book is to horror. There's a bit less of winking and nudging in this one, though. It's got a gritty truck-stop flavor, and reading it the town feels less like a suburb and more like the rural south with slightly more flesh eating. A solid read, and Mahfood proves again that his art is good for pretty much any genre.

Marvel Comics:

Powers #16 -

I want you to think about the concept of a Green Lantern Corps.
A group of aliens pick locals from each sector of space, and grant them powers to protect said space. Now picture that concept on as much acid as you can get your hands on, or the equivalent amount of Grant Morrison's Blood, and you'll have a good idea of what this issue of Powers is like. Throw in a really odd movie reference, and viola, instant Bendis Love.

New Avengers #16 -

Just as much Bendis! Not as much love!
Wait, why does that get an "!"?
The readers get another look inside the now inept S.H.E.I.L.D., something every recent Marvel writer has decided to do... it's getting to the point that I wonder how this new director got the job after Nick Fury? Did she loose a bet? Someone needs to show her getting the job even remotely done, just to add some believability to her as a nemesis. Also Alpha Flight dies. If you look at that sentence proportionately to the rest of this summary, that's about how much space their deaths took up in the actual comic. With very few actual Avengers in this comic, I have to question the pacing of a story, even if it's just started.

Daredevil #82 -

Way less Bendis! Way more love!
This book was brutal. Ed Brubaker decided that when everyone says "Boy, it's been a rough year for Matt Murdock!” he should reply "YOU ARE ALL PANSIES!" and cause further havoc in everyone's favorite blind lawyer. Michael Lark's pencils are welcome as always, and I miss them both on Gotham Central like a vegan misses cheese. The ending is a shocker, unless you read Previews (See: my earlier post)

Ultimate Spider-Man #90 -

Equal Bendis and Love!
The perfect balance is struck in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Um, this book is great? It comes out twice a month, and is always great? I don't know what to say about Ultimate Spidey except that it's the only title I buy those sweet deluxe hard-covers for.

X-Factor #3 -

Mutant Noir!
Multiple Man runs a detective agency and employs Siren, Wolfsbane, M, a de-powered Richtor and Strong Guy (who I still don't 'get'). The art is care of Ryan Sook, so it's as dark and silky smooth as the finest dark chocolate, with Peter David's writing providing an ironic sense of humor for a smidge of bitterness. I hereby proclaim this simile complete!
I typically don't buy X-Books, but this one jumped to the top of my read pile after issue #1 off the shelf.

I Heart Marvel: Web of Romance -

Speaking of "Off Radar," Marvel did a whole month of romance comics in celebration of Valentine's Day, most of which were tremendously boring or just plain dumb. All is forgiven, however, because Marvel put out a comic that is the essence of Spider-Man:

Super-powered fights and not knowing quite how to handle girls.

In this ish, Spidey is at a loss for what to get his wife Mary Jane this Valentine's Day, and consults everyone from Captain America to the Mandrill. Pete comes through in the end, as always, and even gets to have some fun at the expense of Johnny Storm. This was a great read.

She Hulk #5 -

While this wasn't the best issue of this book, I'll still take She-Hulk a hundred times before I pick up almost any other book.

X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl #2 -

X-Force/X-Statix was WAY ahead of its time. About a privately owned Mutant Super-Team, the book drawn by Mike Allred and written by Peter Milligan featured bizarre characters like the super-sensitive Orphan, electric-sweat-wielding Anarchist, green blob with a video-camera Doop, and of course Dead Girl.

When a group of heroes and villains come back from Hell to make trouble for Dr. Strange, the sorcerer supreme goes to Heaven to put together a team. Also, he complains about his hemorrhoids and re-incarnates Dead Girl out of prime cuts of meat. It's insane, completely, but fun.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #3 -

Oh me, oh my, do I loves me this book. In fact, the name of this blog should be changed to Casey Loves Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.

Like Web of Romance, it takes the melodramatic romance of early Spidey comics blends that with the fun of Peter Parker's secret identity and then shifts the focus to the utterly charming Mary Jane Watson. This issue is about Mary Jane joining a production of Othello at the school, and all the social pitfalls that come with changing cliques. The whole thing has the same fun nostalgic charm as an episode of Degrassi Jr. High, but with Spider-Man walking around in his civvies.

Don't judge me.

DC Comics:

Rann/Thanagar War Infinite Crisis Special -

This was the only comic I got this month that really tied into Infinite Crisis in any direct way, and it was a yawn - possibly a yawn and a half?
Some anti-climactic deaths, confusing pencils and something… odd happening to Kyle Rayner, my favorite Green Lantern adds up to disappointment.

Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #3 -

Bulletteer is the weakest of the Seven Soldiers series yet it's still strangely appealing.
Bulletteer is Morrison's take on the Nineties Super-Hero - the scantily armored busty lass - is reflexive enough to keep my interest. The ludicrousness of the whole situation is on every page, and none more than the last one of this issue.

Y: The Last Man #42 –

Young 355 in Boston! Woo-hoo! BOSTON REPRESENT IN A POST APOCALYPTIC WORLD WITHOUT MEN!

Ahem.

I really liked this issue! The flashbacks give us a good look at how messed up 355 really is, and why. I'll be sad when it's over.

JLA #125 -

Thank GOD this is over.
What can I say? When a key part of your big cross-over is to break-up the JLA, maybe you should end their book, instead of dragging it out in some half-assed Key story-line? The art was abysmal, and it tied in more with the story from Justice League: Elite than anything else, something I had to learn by going "Hey, Aaron, who are these people?" even though I've been reading this book since day one.

I have great faith in Brad Meltzer's upcoming run that takes place One Year Later, and let's hope that Booster Gold and the new Blue Beetle make the roster!

Jonah Hex #4 -

Jonah Hex shoots a LOT of people, and damn, if it isn’t fine reading.

Teen Titans #32 -

Teen Titans is suffering badly from artist Mike McKone's departure. I know a lot of fans are having trouble believing the recent romantic developments but overall the story is just kind of bland. Everything about this book, from its’ characters to it's creators, are stretched too thin across the DCU right now.

Maybe that's a problem inherent in having a book starring teen sidekicks, but I thought the point of Teen Titans was for them to develop outside of their roles as diminutive Supermen, Batmen, and Wonder Women – so it would have been nice to see their development happen here instead of in Crisis or Detective Comics or whatever titles things are going down in.

Gotham Central #40 -

Come back, Rene!

Gotham Central was one of those rare titles full of real people instead of supermen: people braver than any of those dressed in tights and Kevlar. Gritty and mature without being exploitive or pornographic, every issue of Gotham Central said something about standing ones ground in a city so corrupt it needs a man dressed like a bat just to contain the chaos. This book will be sorely, sorely missed.

This is the issue where we see what's to become of Crispus Allen's killers, and watch Rene Montoya spiral further downward. It's the finale to the book, and as the cover suggests, Rene's time with the GCPD. She's become a good friend over the years, and I'm hoping that something can shake her out of this during 52. I know that everyone who reads this book will be there for her.

Wonder Woman #226 -

This was the perfect ending to this series, something that was a big conflict with a scene in Infinite Crisis #5. But I leave you with something Greg Rucka signed on my copy of #195.

"She gives us hope."


While typing up this list, I noticed that I'm getting less comics than I used to... this is for two reasons:

The first is that Marvel is putting out less and less comics that interest me. While Daredevil and She-Hulk remain great, and there are surprises like Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane or X-Factor, the majority of their books... aren't that good. Not "great", good.

Spider-Man is without a doubt my favorite comic book character, and his flagship book is just crummy, with gimmicks, crossovers, costume-changes, and silly characterization bogging it down.
Instead of seeking fresh looks at new characters, Marvel seems to be repeating their pattern of giving two or three really great creators an back-breaking load of work: while they've laid the pressure off Bendis in recent months (cutting his work-load down from nine books to three), I'm a little scared for Ed Brubaker's work, which might suffer under the weight of Captain America, Books of Doom, Daredevil, AND his upcoming Uncanny X-Men run.

The second reason is that DC is culling their titles in the wake of Infinite Crisis. Out of the titles I listed, all but two were limited series, and three of them ended this month. That being said, I've been furiously adding new books to my pull-list, books like Blue Beetle, Paul Dini's Detective Comics, and Checkmate. I have high expectations for these books, as I'm losing a lot of the comics I used to rush to the store to get before.

Here's hoping DC reaches the finish line as neatly and excellently as they've run the race.

So that's February for me! In writing this, I've become two weeks late on March, so hopefully I'll get something for that up soon.

Thanks for reading!

-casey-

Lack of Updates

Hey.

So I'm working on a screenplay, and hoping to put it into production in the coming months.

Unfortunately, with a 32 Hour-A-Week job, school five days a week, and a girlfriend who I don't really get to see as much as I'd like as it is, the ol' Blog is going to take a hit...

So instead of writing a few little updates each week, until this script is done, I'm going to just write a big piece every now and again. The next one will be about Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman run. After that, probably a breakdown of All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder so far, and then some Infinite Crisis mojo.

So keep your eyes open, and hopefully soon I'll get back to a more regular schedule.

Thanks for reading,

-casey-

A Correction, An Omission...

Or: The Perils of Late-Night Blogging...

First, a correction from my last post.
Wonder Woman #225 isn't actually the last issue of this volume! This is nothing but good news, as an extra issue of Wonder Woman is always a good thing. I'm not sure why I thought this was the final issue, but me and The Lady were all worked up, and now we get to continue being all antsy and teary-eyed for another month. That being said, the post looking back at the last 31 issues of the book will come at the end of February, you know... When the book is actually over. I discovered that it wasn't the final issue first when I read it today, and saw "Next Month..." in the back, and then when I got home and received an e-mail correcting me.

And since I've read it, a brief review!

Wonder Woman #225 -
What better way to take your character out of the middle of an action scene without having her run away? In this one, Athena plucks Diana out from above the sea where Paradise Island used to be for a chat, in which a great deal of questions about the Gods of Olympus get tied up. We also get a really great response from Diana about why she stays: it's the heart of the character, simple and true, and I got a little lump in my throat when I read it. Great character work on everyone, from the Gods to the staff at the embassy. Also, Ferdinand wears a trench coat and fedora, Ninja Turtle style. I look forward to seeing how this chapter in Diana's life ends.

And I can't believe I left this out when writing up my pulls for last week.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2 -
This book is so much fun. A lot of people look at it sideways, like it belongs on the WB, but there's far more Archie than Dawson's Creek in these pages. The first issue was Mary Jane trying to corner Spidey to ask him out on a date, which provided a great deal of comedy, some of which in the "wink-wink" variety when she professes her plan to Peter Parker and we get to be in on the joke. When people moan and complain that comics aren't "fun" anymore, I like to generally ignore them while I bury my nose in this fine book.

So that's it, and remember kids: Don't Post Things On The Internet past 11 P.M.! It's a great way to embarrass yourself!

Till next time,

_casey_

Shameful: My Pull List for 3/4 of January!

Okay... Please, forgiveness?
Because sadly this blog does not rain pennies down upon me, and I need to get an education, and because I've been catching up on the new season of Gilmore Girls (what? I don't work ALL the time...), I kind of let my pull-list back up. So here's all the books I've either gotten or will be getting in January. The bonus of doing this late is that I've actually read some of them!

I'm also going to get all wacky and group them by publisher... Okay, KINDA - the Big Two and then Misc.!

MISC:

Metal Gear Solid Vol. 2 TPB & Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty #3 -
Good stuff, and I'm glad that they seem to be publishing the entire game series as comics. Ashley Wood's art is perfect for this surreal world of giant shamans, cloned secret agents and giant, war-head launching tanks. The only bad part is that you don't get the signature sound-track that comes with the game...

Penny Arcade: Attack of the Bacon Robots -
Does Penny Arcade really need me to talk about it? It's a enjoyably profane comic, and the second listing here that's video-game related. It's also the only webcomic that has a CONVENTION all about it. Here's a link to the site, where you can read the comics archived in this volume, but I want to have it bound and bathroomable:
Penny Arcade!

Sexy Chix -
Have I mentioned lately how much I love anthologies? Because I do. Throw in dozens of amazing female creators, from Gail Simone to Jill Thompson to Joyce Carol Oates, and you've got something that should make you sit up and take notice. There's a lot of hoopla about the name of this book, but if our friend 50 Cent has taught us anything, it's that you can't really fight marketing.

WETA Kong vs V-Rex Statue -
I know that this is not a comic book.
I know that it's something that, priced at 500 dollars, is what I like to call a "relationship-ending-purchase."
That being said, it's King Kong, and he's fighting a dinosaur... And he could be doing that in my living room every day till I die.
Feel free to pick one up for me.

Marvel Comics:

Daredevil #81 -
Last Bendis/Maleev issue! The Murdock Papers has been an amazing ride, and I can't wait to see where all the characters end up by the last page of this issue.

New Avengers #15 -
I was really impressed with the last issue, not just with Frank Cho's always outstanding work, but with the depth of Jessica Drew's backstory. It's easy to have a character that betrayed a team seek redemption, and often kind of dull, but to draw an incredibly complex and logical series of events leading to what happened in #13 is well, art. Good show, Bendis.

The Pulse #13 -
What? ANOTHER book I love that Bendis is leaving? The Pulse is more of an off-beat superhero title, and it sadly didn't receive the editorial support of DC's excellent Gotham Central. I'm hoping the new creative team (whoever they are)
understands the behind-the-scenes concept, and gets the book on a monthly schedule.

She Hulk 2 #4 -
Woo! Scott Kolins! He did some amazing work back on Avengers & The Flash with Geoff Johns, but they lured him to She Hulk because of the former. This is a flashback issue, shining new light on the events of the Avengers: Search for She-Hulk story arc that Kolins penciled, and giving us a peek at the aftermath. It's amazing character work, and Dan Slott shows us that even though he's brilliantly funny, he can tug a heart string or two when he needs to.

Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #6 -
This took a surprising turn with the last issue... And no, I don't mean "It came out." While the Dodson's work has a very cheese-cake feel, work like this and Trouble really highlights their subtle expression work. There's a lot of emotion packed into Kevin Smith's script for #5, and I hope #6 continues the trend.

Ultimate Spider-Man #89 -
This issue ties up the Silver Sable arc. Lately this book has fallen into the trap that Brian K. Vaughn's run of Ultimate X-Men has: spending each arch introducing the "Ultimate" version of some character from the regular Marvel U. Ultimate Spider-Man is a whole big sandbox full of toys: play with the ones you've got for a bit. The next arc introduces Ultimate Deadpool but at least we get some Spidey/Kitty pride interaction.

DC Comics:

All Star Superman #2 -
"Can YOU Guess The Secret of Superman's FORBIDDEN ROOM?!"
I miss the days before barcodes, when that would be a big box taking up 1/4 of the cover. The fact that it's on there at all is really a testament to the wacky silver -age feeling of the book. While generally not a member of the Morrison/Quietly Mob (I say mob because they CAN get violent), I'm really enjoying this book.

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #4 -
Kilowog says to pick up this book, poozers.
While I'm not nutty about Hal Jordan coming back to life, or the direction they've taken his series in, DC at least did us the favor of returning Guy Gardener to the ranks of the Green Lanterns and restarting the Corps. Look for this to turn into a monthly OYL, and for this to lead into Ion, which I'm really looking forward to.

Infinite Crisis #4 -
The Crisis gets bloodier. Weather this issue is more extreme than the Freedom Fighters scene from #1 is up for debate, but there's no arguing that this is a big issue. I really don't want to spoil any of the stuff for you, but now that all the exposition is done, I can't imagine how much nuttier it's going to get in #5.

JLA #124 -
Dawn Raven? More like YAWN Raven!
I feel like a lot of books DC is putting out right now are just waiting to be canceled and re-booted. The Flash had the same problem: Geoff Johns finished his run, and since there was a few months left before the book ended, they've had some really bland filler stories featuring Vandal Savage. JLA, on the other hand, brought back the Key, and ties up the loose ends from the Justice League Elite mini series. While I don't mind Green Arrow getting some face-time, with all the insane things that the League could be dealing with right now his fling with Dawn Raven shouldn't be at the top of the list.

Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #3 -
A particularly cool take on the New Gods, where the people of New Genesis seem to be homeless crazies, and DeSaad is a conniving therapist. I'm curious to see how this all ties into the Seven Soldiers books, as right now it seems to be in a parallel kind of universe. I have faith as the other soldiers stuff have been an impressive, lego-like piece of work.

This brings us to the last book I'm getting this month:

Wonder Woman #225 -
Issue #225 marks the end of Wonder Woman Vol. 2, and the end of Greg Rucka's tremendous work on the book. This was a character that I wasn't really attached to one way or another 30 issues ago, and now I'll fiercely defend her and the title. I'm going to post a big look back at this particular chunk of Wonder Woman on Saturday/Sunday, and give some speculation about the future of the character. Something this great deserves it's own post.


That's it for me, folks. That's a big chunk of change (especially if I somehow score that Kong statue... With my discount it's only 450 dollars... hmmm...).

Until next time!

_casey_

Buy This...

During my last breakup, a big part of getting through it was reading through all three parts of Jeffrey Brown's Girlfriend Trilogy. After that really cathartic reading of Clumsy, I remarked how good these were to read while I was heartbroken, but how they were just as amazing to read when I was happy in love.

It's that unique quality in Brown's bio comics that makes them stand out - he manages to make your heart swell and then deflate just as big and flat as his did. All this, using 4 (or sometimes 2) panels a page drawn in ball-point pen.

So this new one, Every Girl Is The End of the World for Me will definately make my list of things to read come April. The title alone sends me back to highschool, when I got a deadly crush on every pretty girl I knew (with the exception of a few lasting ones).

Brown also does a great deal of funny, funny shit. Be A Man is his re-telling of Clumsy if he'd been more "macho". Also, anyone who likes Super Hero comics should pick up BigHead, in which the titular character battles villians such as The Puncher. Brilliance all around.

Order Jeffrey Brown's work here (or at your local shop!) - TopShelf Comix
Visit his website here - The Holy Consumption

-casey-

Solicit Problems...

The biggest problems for comics retailers is that books are solicited 2-3 months in advance. That means, before issue #1 has even hit the stands, they have to determine their need for issue #2. This can cause some serious shortages if the book is a break-out hit. The fist example that comes to mind is Ultimate Spider-Man (USM). USM started off back in 2000, when Marvel began their "Never Reprinting" rule, before they did the political "Well... I guess if we print it with a different cover, it's not the same, right? So we're really NOT re-printing! Heh-heh ::wrings hands greedily::" move.

Now, USM was something that had been done a few times: re-tell the Spider-Man story without having to worry about how many times he's fought who or when or which lady he was with at the time. Not knowing that Bendis was about to become a hit mainstream writer, and not knowing they had a slightly fresher take on the concept than any bland Spider-Man Year One kind of deal, comic shops didn't order too many of issue #1. Then they cut orders on #2, since it lacked that big shiny #1 which seems to move comics. Seeing this, Marvel cut the print run on #5, which was about to go to press.

Then #1 made it to the stands, and KA-BOOM! Home run for Marvel. However, the demand for #5 FAR out weighed the print run... check out the Price Guide for Ultimate Spider-Man. Look at the price for #5. It's higher than #3 & #4 combined! So because everything's done so far in advance, things can get way out of whack.

Enter Previews.

Previews is the monthy book put out by Diamond, the company that, in all honesty, has a monopoly on the comic book distribution across the country. In previews, they give cover art, hints and things to come, and slightly dodgy plot summaries of up-coming issues. They try to keep it vague because, hey, owners are readers too!

Now, as you may have noticed, I've reached a certain point in comics nerdity, to the point where I, say, keep a blog about them. I read the previews each month to make sure that nothing I'm excited about slips under my radar. And sometimes, I find something expressly cool that maybe isn't getting the full media blitz of a publisher like the "I think I'm too cool for school" Nextwave is.

With all the changes going on in the DCU, it's pretty dangerous to read the solicits, since they're ads for books during the One Year Later period, and pretty much HAVE to reveal who makes it out... if they're advertising a Green Arrow issue with Ollie Queen on the cover, then hey, I bet Ollie doesn't buy it in Infinite Crisis.

So what have I done for my Previews fix? With nothing earth-shattering going on in the coming months, I assumed, wrongly, that the Marvel previews would be safe... Now, if you don't care about spoilers, by all mean, click THIS. Daredevil is the book I'm furious about.

Bendis still has an issue left on his run, Brubaker's first issue hasn't even hit stands yet, and they're giving away this MAJOR event in Daredevil's life! I understand that it's a catalyst for the story to come, but COME ON! Give us a chance to be suprised, moved, and hurt. Whatever drama was packed into the moment of revelation on the page has been stripped away and left us just turning pages until it happens. I've seen an issue of Previews where Marvel blanked out a cover of Amazing Spider-Man because it had the face of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborne's illegitamate child on the cover. That horrible secret required protection and this didn't? This is the same fury I'm filled with when I see movie trailers, that instead of hinting at the film and giving us a taste of the flavor, simply spoil every detail of the plot up to the climax.

I know these aren't really meant for fan consumption, and are a tool for the retailer... but again: the retailers are fans too. And the reality of the situation is that fans DO read them, and I've found it's a great tool for finding out when things like trades are coming out, or again, little books that I might have missed. They even put an order form for people with Sub-Boxes to give to their local shop's owner to make sure they get exactly what they want.

So at what point is it the responsibility of publisher to warn us of spoilers, how explicit should these solicitations really be, and at what point do we just give up reading Previews?

Tonight, or tomorrow if I can't get to it, my picks from last week and this!

-casey-

Two Sweet Art Projects: Too Bad I Can't Draw

Tonight I've got two links to some terribly keen art projects.

The first is from LiveJournal. Yours, Truely is suckered with a certain fondness for Babs Gordan, the first Batgirl. So when a friend kicked me towards this, the Draw Batgirl project, I spent entirely too much time clicking back and forth through the various Batgirls, new, old, or entirely new concepts.

Here's my fave so far -

What can I say, I'm a fool for the classic costume!

It's by a cat called Ian J.

He's got a LiveJournal where he posted this (Linksville!), and a website where all sorts of cool illustrations are up (Link to the Past!).

I'm a big fan of both Brian Lee O'Malley and Andi Watson, so it says something that this sketch is my favorite over the ones they did.

There are seriously hundreds of these things, and if you have some free time and love comics, give it a click. If you're a busy fella or gal, I take no responsiblity when you fall terribly, terribly behind after clicking. It's all the Pretty, Pretty art's fault.

Draw Batgirl!





The second project is something I found through MySpace (yes, I have a MySpace account... Leemee alone.) Jim Mahfood posted on his page about it, it's called Drink And Draw, and it's exactly as it sounds.

A gaggle of artists get together with alcoholic beverages and pens of various inks and draw whatever they want. The end result is completey groovy.

Here's one of Food's pieces that I love.

It's got this crazy romantic Ralph Steadman-y quality too it, thanks to the ink-blot/lizard combo.

You can find most of the Drink And Draw stuff on their MySpace page:

Drink And Draw!

This particular picture was yanked from Mahfood's personal page, which itself has no shortness of awesome:

FOOD ONE!













So that's it for me kiddies. Tomorrow I might be able to swing the always late Pull List for last Wednesday. Next week maybe I'll get to some reviews?

Here's hoping, and see you soon...

_casey_

Pull List Week of 01/05

Comics ho!

New Avengers: Breakout TPB -
FINALLY. I beleive I've allready expressed my qualms with this "overpriced hardcover and then the paperback trade months later" nonsense.
That aside, I've read this trade in single issue form allready, and frankly - I dig it. I was resistant to it at first, mostly because it's called "New Avengers," and while it's a very cool, these characters don't seem to gel as a team in my mind the way the old Avengers do. It's nothing I can put my finger on, but put this trade side-by-side with Young Avengers and... something... is missing.
Once you get past it, the art is mighty pretty, and Bendis gets to shut-up all those people who complain that he can't write action. On top of the action, though, we get the Bendis Spider-Man, who in my opinion is the best version of the character swinging around the Marvel U right now. I highly reccomend it.

Marvel Zombies #2 -
They talk about Spider-Man eating his wife and aunt.
This book is completely crazy and utterly awesome. The covers alone are worth $2.99.

Gotham Central #39 -
I'm so sad this is ending. At least it's on the creator's terms and not canceled by DC Editorial. If anyone hasn't been reading this book so far, I won't go into what it's about, but it should be my most intense read of the week. A bonus note: Greg Rucka has said they're going to reprint this entire series eventually in trade, so start picking them up now and avoid the rush! BUY IT!

Jonah Hex #3 -
What's cooler than pirates?
For those of you who answered "Cowboys!" Then you, sir or madam, are correct. While ninjas would have also been an acceptable answer, Jonah Hex has none. It's just nice to read a comic that is self-contained, beautifully drawn and features a scarred character with a firm yet undefinable moral code.

Seven Soldiers: Frankenstien #2 -
It took me a loooong time to get on board with this Seven Soldiers thing, but now I'm totally absorbed in it. I'm not sure where, exactly, it's headed though. The first issue of this comic featured a decapitated magician and weird psychic slug things. So I have no clue what's coming in this ish.

Superman: Sacrifice TPB -
Let's play everyone's favorite game "How Many Times Can We Get Casey To Buy Wonder Woman #119?!?!" Apparently the answer is at least three (the issue, this, Omac trade) but PROBABLY four, as they'll reprint it in the appropriate volume of Wonder Woman.
The sacrifice arc itself isn't that impressive, and other than getting to see Darksied wearing boxing gloves it had me screaming "MOVE IT ALONG!" as we got teeny tiny little clues about what was going on in each issue. Luckily the payoff, the Superman/Wonder Woman fight, was more than worth it.
Four times, though?
I should just burn the money, right?

Teen Titans #31 -
Everything that's going on with Superboy, and the Titans off in space with Donna Troy and we're reading about Brother Blood? Geoff Johns might be stretched too thin over at DC. Well, I'll give the issue a fair shot anyway, but the title has been hurting since Mike McKone left.

Y: The Last Man #41
The origin of Agent 355! They've been doing quite a few asides to the main story lately, and while I'm glad for the depth it gives to important characters like 355, and supporting characters like Hero, I have to wonder if it means that the actual Y story is coming to an end. I know Vaughn is only doing a set number of issues, but I don't want it to end. Good things never last, Mr. Denham.

So that's it for this week, I'll give you some pocket reviews as soon as I pick up my books! Hope you grabbed some good stuff this week!

_casey_

Livejournal Feed!http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

A teacher, excellent author and fellow blogger Michael A. Burstien created a Livejournal feed for this very page! In case there is more than just me and him reading it, I'm posting the link here once, and after that I'll be over in the link bar yonder!

Here's the info, just click the link and then add it as a friend!
Casey of Earth 2: Now On LJ!

Here's Michael's website, and a link to his own blog, which I read daily.
- MABFAN.com
- MABFAN's Musings

_casey_

Coolest Comics Couples - 2005

So I'm a little TOO into the romantic aspect of fiction, and comics are no exception. So here are the five couples that got together (or should have) over the past year that hit the right chord with me, be it a funny one, a sad one, or one that makes me go "Awwwww..." louder than a bucket of kittens.

5 – Spider-Man and Luke Cage;
Oh, c’mon. Did you see these two in the pages of New Avengers? Luke probably sneaks across the hall to Spidey’s room for a little Alias #1 action once the lights go down in the Avenger’s Tower. If you listen closely, you can hear Iron Fist crying.

4 – Scott Pilgrim and Kimberly Pine;
This one takes place in the past, but a 4 or 5 page montage of Kim and Scott gave us so much insight into her character, and made me fall head over heels. At first she's rescued by Scott and things are grand and adventurous, but later there's a panel depicting what I took to be their first time together and it's heart-felt, and romantic and real. To hear how Scott asked Kim out, skip back a bit to my favorite lines from last year.

3 – Matt Murdock and Milla Donovan-Murdock;
Finally Matt Murdock gets the nice, stable woman he deserves. Thank god he's over his ninja/spy/ex-porn star phase. Milla on the other hand didn't really win the stability lottery, but hey, she’s married to Daredevil. I really like them as a couple, the dual blind saviors of Hell’s Kitchen, one by night and the other by day. Now if only his arch-enemies and ex-girlfriends* would stop barging in on them while she’s in her underwear…

2 – Ultimate Spider-Man and Kitty Pride;
That Peter Parker, It’s about time he found himself a nice Jewish girl. While it was heartbreaking to read Peter cut M.J. loose, these two seem made for each other. They’ve only been together for two issues, but they’re dynamic is a charming one. Spidey can’t trust anyone normal to be around him, since they keep getting hurt, so a Super-Girlfriend is perfect. Kitty on the other hand is a misfit in a house full of mutant super-people, so someone who understands alienation is good for her. Also, as any lady who's stooped to our level knows, nerds try harder.

1 – Diana (Wonder Woman) and Io;
“Whaaaat?,” you say? Go back, and re-read Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman run. In every scene between these two, there is a tenderness, concern, respect and care between the characters that can’t be construed as anything other than romantic love. Diana is the first name Io utters when coming back to conciousness after a battle with Ares, and Wonder Woman recognizes Io by scent alone when her sight is gone. Wonder Woman #224 was told from Io’s perspective, and was an almost completely tragic ending to their expertly crafted romance.

Tomorrow a look back at some of the odder titles that I've really dug from 2005, followed by a look at the last year's CRISIS, and what could be coming!

_casey_

Comics 2005! The Lame and the Slightly Amusing

Well, I’m back!

I’ll give you a moment to regain consciousness.

Well, it’s almost a new year, and part of my many, many resolutions is to update this silly blog more often! I’m aiming for at least twice a week; hopefully I can kick it into a Monday/Wednesday/Friday kind schedule. Right now, however, let’s take a look back.

Over the last year, I’ve read a lot of comics, epic and intimate, horrifying and humorous, and most importantly, amazing and just plain crappy. Here, in the last post of my first calendar year of blogging it up blog-school, let’s shoot a glance towards the latter.

This is the stuff I was impressed with… not so much. Sadly, most of the comics I felt were ill conceived or poorly executed (or sometimes horrifyingly both) were from the publisher of my childhood, Marvel Comics. Before I get into what I haven’t really liked, I should make a special note that I haven’t read Ed Brubaker’s Captain America, something universally praised by my peers. I’m waiting for the trades on that one. And oh, how waiting for the trades at Marvel has changed this year!

Before this year, I could get the trade of a story-arc a month or two after it’s competition… but now, if it’s something like the Brubaker Captain America, New Avengers, or Wolverine, we get the Marvel Premier Hardcover line. A fairly transparent moneymaking scheme, Marvel tacks an extra five dollars onto the price of a given trade for two small pieces of cardboard and an extra piece of paper for the book-jacket. I’m all for hardcover comics when warranted - Ultimate Spider-Man is collected three paperback trades apiece into oversized hardcovers, but New Avengers, for example, has reached it’s fourth story arc, 15 issues in, and there hasn’t been a soft-cover printing of it’s inaugural story.

Waiting has been sort of a theme at Marvel this year, because in the war on release dates, they lead the charge. DC has only really had the problem with All Star Batman, which really suffers from an odd six-week printing schedule, across the street Marvel has racked up an impressive, star-studded list of late books.

Suprisingly we saw the printing of further installments of Kevin Smith’s Spider-Man/Black Cat – The Evil Men Do, a mere 3 years late! Not to be outdone by his buddy, Joe Quesada, the Editor in Chief released Issue #1 of Daredevil: Father in April, following it up with Issue #2 in August. What If…? Month’s parody book Wha Huh? came out five months after the event was over, thanks to the Marvel legal department. Nick Fury waged a Secret War against the country of Latvaria, and we learned how it ended in the pages of New Avengers and The Pulse, since the last issue of this “summer event” came out during the last week of December. Probably the most impressive is Iron Man, who can’t seem to get a title past that crucial issue #5 mark.

Lateness aside, both companies were guilty of some less-than-stellar decisions from their editorial departments. Marvel decided it was time to kill Spider-Man and bring him back to life, all in one twelve-issue cross-over called "The Other", encompassing even a newly launched Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, something that kept me from picking up an otherwise enticing new Spidey title. Over in New Avengers, they introduced Ronin; a new Avenger who Daredevil claimed had the same intricate knowledge of the Japanese mob and operations of The Hand as he has! Ronin’s identity was revealed to be… Echo. A Native American deaf woman who spent her life as a boxer-slash-pianist, exploiting her ability to replicate any action she sees, until she became romantically entangled with Daredevil. How ANY of this adds up to a lifetime of knowledge of the inner workings of an ancient, Japanese secret society of ninja is beyond me. Just disappointing.

DC, on the other hand, made a few more long-lasting and far more irksome decisions. The return of two characters from the dead in particular bother me. The first is Jason Todd, the infamous dead Robin. He's back, as the Red Hood, and he's here to take revenge on Batman!... which is possibly the least interesting thing he could do. We spent the better part of the eighties and early Nineties watching Batman agonize over Jason’s death, now we get to see it all over again! Where a more interesting story could have been found, instead we get a fairly standard revenge tale, and the Batman universe continues to get grimmer and grittier.

Yippee.

The second return is that of Hal Jordan. I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I’ve always been a rabid Green Lantern fan. Even when I was sorting through my DC Animal Crackers as a toddler, I’d save G.L. as the last to be devoured. Hal had, however, become somewhat stale by the time the excellent Emerald Twilight came around. Kyle Rayner became Green Lantern of Earth, and after a long initiation period, became a respected hero and a powerful member of the JLA. Hal also became a far more interesting character posthumously, as the host for the Specter. Kyle Rayner was sadly fazed out of the JLA and the spotlight by John Stewart, thanks to his inclusion in the Justice League cartoon show. And then came Rebirth. All the guilt Hal had for killing the corps, for Zero Hour, all the pathos and penance he went through as the Specter… wiped away and made meaningless with a little bit of ret-conning. Suddenly he wasn’t responsible, it was an evil ring alien thing? Way to take your only flaw out of an otherwise flat heroic character.

Finally, the most disappointing thing in 2005 is a single sentence:

Rob Liefeld penciled two issues of the otherwise excellent Teen Titans.

That is all.

So those are my downs for the year… Not too numerous, but I felt the need to point them out. If we don't acknowledge history, we're damned to repeat it! Or at the very least, ret-con it.

I’m hoping to close out the year with things I really loved in comics, because that stack of long-boxes casts a big shadow over the pile of disappointments. So rather than making a wholly negative post, I’m going to close it out with my five favorite bits of dialogue from comics from the past year.

#5: Guy Gardner, to the Super-Buddies: JLA Unlimited #4 –
Guy: “Fasten yer seatbelts, you pathetic losers --- cause yt’s gonna be a bumpy ride!!!”
(Sidebar: The title of this issue was even better... "THIS GUY, THIS--- GARDNER!")

#4: Wolverine, to Magneto: House of M #8 –
Wolverine: “Lost your power over metal, have yuh? ::SNIKT:: I haven’t!”

#3: Spider-Man and Luke Cage, about the unresponsive Ronin’s identity: New Avengers #13 –
Spidey: “Is it Shang Chi?”
Luke: “Does that SOUND like Shang Chi?”
Spidey: “That's how Shang Chi sounds when he ignores me." (To Ronin) "Are you Foggy Nelson?”

#2: Scott Pilgrim and Kimberly Pine: Scott Pilgrim Vol.2 –
Scott: “I like you Kim, we should be dating. Also, do you want to play drums in my band?”
Kim: “Yes, Scott! Oh yes!!”

And my personal favorite... the line that I have been repeating non-stop since reading, nay, since someone TOLD me about it...

#1: Batman & Robin: All Star Batman & Robin #2:
Robin: “Who the hell are you, anyway, giving out orders like this?”
Batman: “What are you, dense? Are you RETARDED or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I’m the goddamn BATMAN."

So that's it! Hopefully I'll be back either tomorrow or Sunday with my favorite things from the year, ranging from Wonder Woman's Would-Be Girlfriend all the way to Hulk Versus the Devil Dinosaur!

See you soon!
-casey-

UPDATE COMING!

Ok, so I just picked up two completely amazing anthologies, True Porn Vol 2 and Project Superior, and there's nothing that makes me want to write about comics more than really great comics.

Sorry for the delay, to whomever might be reading. UPDATE TOMORROW!

_casey_