Before I start..Kudos to DC for use of the Red Circle heroes. Nice placements. Who's ever idea that was. Gold star.
Trinity #52: A nice send off to an enjoyable story. I think Busiek and Nicieza tied up all the loose ends nicely and left a plentiful toy box of threads for creators to use in the future. bravo. I liked much of the dialogue between the characters. Particularly the discussion between Carter, Alan Scott and Jay Garrick. And I loved The trinity (Batman, Supes and Wonder Woman) discussing how they felt as gods to those closest to them and of course them doing what they do best running off to save the day in a big splash leading DC's heroes to the next challenge. The one thing I found odd was Enigma and Sphere(Steph(his daughter), They want to give Earth-3 (the opposite DC Earth and home of the Crime Syndicate) Hope...not looking like that. They need some serious new duds...they look like villains. I am not sure what's next for Krona, but he has always been an interesting character, hopefully he will show up again someday. The art was very nice, not the greatest. Bagley is great and his pages are always dynamic, but as throughout the series the companion artists haven't been consistent. And you can see it on these pages as well. Again wonderful colors by Pantazis. have fun on your well deserved vacation Kurt. Can't wait for Wednesday Comics. 8.5 out of 10
Amazing Spiderman #595: That was a great Spiderman issue. No two ways about it. Joe Kelly really did a great job with every character in the book. Especially portraying Peter's rising frustration with Osborne and wanting to protect his best friend Harry (to no avail) from Norman. Great roof top conversation by Spidey and Wolverine, just a really excellent scene. Great use of a cameo. And the After the dinner that didn't happen at Gracie Mansion, we are presented with a powerful, dramatic beat down of Osborne by Spidey...that is really to no avail again. Much to Spidey's frustration Norman Osborne always wins. In the end he gets the call from his son. Norman uses any one and any thing to get what he wants. tense powerful superhero drama. I love Norman's threat to Spidey. More then just the word it's illustrated beautifully by Phil Jimenez. And every page is beautiful. unique and expressive characters, wonderful backgrounds, detail off the scale, and intense action. the beat down scene of Spidey man-handling Norman was intense and powerful. This issue rocked. BND nay-sayers better get on board. Your missing some great stuff. 9.5 out of 10
Wonder Woman #32: Certainly the best issue since the Queen of Fables two-parter. A great massive superfight. And I must admit a pretty damn well done one to boot. Visceral, powerful, big. What the issues should have felt like all along since Genocide showed up. Nice touches, like throwing buses and missiles. Great. I even liked some of the narration by Diana. The one element of the big fight I did not like was Wonder Woman using her tiara as a melee weapon, dumb is the only thing I can say about that. Other then that, the entire fight, including ripping the lasso out of Genocide's body was amazing. What I didn't like was that although the narration was good you get no emotional resonance from the dialogue or character interaction. The reveal about Wonder Woman's feeling about Nemesis was...well...*lame* and Zeus (still in his space suit) talking at Achilles was weak at best. he needs to tell Achilles, legendary warrior of warriors and leader of the Myrmidons about intensity...I think if any one knows a thing or too about that it's the greatest mythic warrior ever. That being said I am curious about the next chapter and what Ares is up to. The art was excellent. Really nice powerful super hero slug fest pages by Lopresti. Intense. And the colors in this book are great too. A solid read and hopefully a sign of things to come from this book. 7.5 out of 10
New Avengers #53: Bendis brings it big time with this issue. Of course it's filled with great banter. Its fun in that regard. But what really is working is the use of characters, the interactions, and best of all a well executed story. I love the bit with Cap finding it odd no will take a gun. And I really love Damien Hellstorm. Wow. I have always loved him, way back to the bare chested and a cape days. But here, he comes of as an interesting character. I love his parts in the issue and his confrontation with the Hood. I love him asking matter of factly, "who is the demon possessing you?". This Search for the next Sorcerer Supreme has been fun, the Action and story has been great, and as much as I though I would hate having Wolvie and Spidey on the same team...I am thinking they should stay Avengers forever. I am not the biggest fan of Tan. he tends to be a little messy for my tastes but I have to admit he does a fantastic job with the camera and moving it around. and although sometimes the characters are oddly skinny or posed. The action and expression is dynamic. He does a hell of a super fight in the streets of New Orleans. I mean explosive. I cannot wait to see how this ends. The whole scene in Damien's apartment between him and Hood are beautifully handled. This issue was bananas. Can the Hood be saved? If Dormammu makes it to the Earth plane..the NEW Avengers are gonna need some back up. And I am curious who will be the New Sorcerer Supreme? , I was kinda hoping for Wiccan. 9 out of 10
Supergirl #41: It is sad when a great story, especially one that has ran several issues with the original art team is ruined by a fill in artist. Not that Dagnino is horrible. He is homage artist. Heavily influenced by the Davis/Hitch/Reis style. Unfortunately it comes off a ta amateurish. Some of the anatomy is too awkward and the weird panel shapes are distracting. again not horrible. But really not on a level with what Igle has been bringing since he joined the book. And worse the coloring also contributed to muting the art. Page after page instead of enhancing the art the colors are either dark, or have a burnt effect which I believe is supposed to be shading. The action is handled well overall, and there are some good dramatic scenes, like the last page. But I really wish Igle could have finished this off. I love his art. After all the complaining about the art the story ends great. We get a dramatic climactic battle and really I love hating Reactron. He has become an awesome villain. You really get impact and emotion from the script especially in the final pages of the issue. Theres a real sense of loss here. And I am sure general Lane is gonna be out for blood, Great job Gates, i really would love to see yo on the Teen Titans. I recommend this series highly. I was just let down by the issues art, Big time. 6 out of 10
Superman #688: A mixed bag. While good, and definitely sets up some more great plot. The book has been moving slow. But what was here was good. I like the dialogue a lot. And am glad Mon-el has no become a duplicate of Superman. I love Harper. I would love a series with him. Robinson does much to pull us in, but doesn't really give us anything explosive. The Sci-police freeing Tellus from general lane, with a pointless fire fight between guards and the science police as Guardian and Mon do the break out without any resistance of any type although there is a great silent confrontation with Code Name: Assassin in the night sky. So I have high hopes for what is to come. Things I did not like were. Mon-El's hair. That is not his hairstyle and never will be. Please pay attention to detail like that. Mon-el has history with a huge group of fans, Legion nuts like myself. So get it right. Next. Can some one tell Guedes Dr. Like is Japanese. And her costume is horrible. A pointless and badly conceived cosmetic change for no reason. If you are gonna do it..go all in. And lastly...What does' Mon-el know about Hemingway or what would be considered a classic quality of human women in Paris? that was odd. The art was good. I can't complain about Guedes too much. nice backgrounds and great expression. The coloring is a little washed for my taste. So over all. The book is plodding along..something important needs to happen soon. 6 out of 10
Justice Society of America #27: The past it seems comes back to haunt certain members of the Society. I think this arc by Ordway will be a nice fill in as we wait fir Willminghamn to come on board. Forgot how well Ordway knows these characters, he was drawing them way back in All-Star Squadren days. Its a solid read, but not big on action. Basically Obsidian locks out certain members from the JSA Brownstone as he has a feeling certain members are in danger. To the other he requests that they stop whatever is going to happen from getting in. Well they don't bickering in and out leads to the Ghost getting in and kidnapping Green Lantern, Flash, Wildcat, Liberty Belle and Hourman back to Hiroshima, and the heroes are powerless to stop the Atomic blast. meanwhile the issue ends with Spectre appearing before the other members essentially saying, come with me if you want to save your friends. The art by Ordway and Wiacek is perfect for these characters, I always say that when Ordway draws the book. But I can't help it, there is something about his style that captures a certain quality that works especially well on them. Not to mention he is an incredible storyteller. Simple straight forward panel arrangements, he doesn't mess around with busy scenes and hyerstylization or flash. 7.5 out of 10
Hercules #129: More fun of mythic proportions by Pak and Van Lente. This book continues to be one of my favorite monthly reads. And what has been best is how the writers in a witty way have inserted the last two major events into the title. The God Squad was fun and the last arc with the Dark Avengers was great as well..Herc being one of my favorite characters tossing around Sentry will always put a smile on my face. This issue continues Herc's mission against the evil God's plans on Earth, Athena sends Herc and Cho in to Hades to save Zeus. Unfortunately it's by way of an Atlantic City Casino. Silly? Sure. But well executed and fun. Nice little cameos of characters like Wasp and Jack-of-hearts, amusing scenes with the boatman Charon, and a great cliffhanger of Zeus in chains at Hades feet. The art is also really nice by Stegman. Clean, great character and expression and gesture. Good storytelling and he really handles the brief moments of excitement and action like a pro. Some really nice splash pages. I like the coloring, but it tends to be a little dark in places. Overall a good read, but definitely a slower pace to get to the big action that seems to be waiting n the next issue. This is a book I always recommend people pick up. You will be pleasantly surprised. 8 out of 10
Wolverine: Old Man Logan #72: If this isn't the best Wolverine story in the last 10-15 years you really have to prove it to me. This is high octane, Mad Max comics with superheroes with the added bonus of two of the best creators in the business right now, Millar writing and McNiven drawing doing everything perfectly. I don't care if it's in continuity or not, I don't care about anything other then it's a fun visceral ride executed by the best in the biz. And really i can't imagine this arc done by any one else. It will stand the test of time mark my words. The writing and pace is excellent, Millar has you on the edge of your seat from the moment you get a history lesson from the Red-Skull. It all comes together. The background and character quirks make this wonderful if a somewhat fast read. But it doesn't matter, because you get a great fight between Logan and Skrull. Sure the ending is somewhat predictable, but you know that's how it has to be. Logan returns home after his personal Pilgrim's Progress to find his family is killed. The Hulk Clan are in for it big time. Vengeance. And I am sure it will be just as fun and visceral as the rest of the series. From an art perspective it is perfect. McNiven's tone and style, use of detail is amazing. All the elements come together to tell a great story. It's almost like it isn't a Marvel comic. Like Marvel characters are on loan to Heavy Metal. The violence is strangely appropriate to the title. And the expression is perfect, page after page there great facial expressions...the last few of Logan are amazing...and McNiven may do the best Red Skull ever. The book is full of memorable scenes. Especially obviously the last page of Wolverine claws extended. Brilliant. But my personal favorite image is the homage to the Zeck Captain America Cap Vs Wolverine cover with roles reversed. Nice touch. I wonder who's idea that was. This book is great. There is no excuse in the world not to buy this. 10 out of 10
Green Lantern #41: Another book that is great but suffers some due to fill in art. The story is great don't get me wrong. I love Agent Orange actually, although I don't like that his Corps are orange energy constructs he creates. I understand the power is his. And he shouldn't have to generate what essentially amount to slaves to do his bidding. He is Greed incarnate everything is his and done for his pleasure. Johns adds another layer of tapestry to the Lantern mythology with Agent Oranges origin. Very nice interesting stuff. My only quip is whats going on with Hal and the Green and Blue rings. I am kinda glad he gets his arm lopped off so agent Orange can claim it. And it was interesting how Hope is tied to Greed in the story. Where the art fails is in Tan's art. he isn't bad, but it certainly needs to be reigned in and tightened up his pages are chaotic, and at times lack focus. I am not sure having a strong inker would help. It seems to be his style. That being said he does well with alien design and landscapes. The origin of Agent Orange and the history lesson is drawn by some one I think has big things in store for him. Eddy Barrows, the guy is amazing. But for some reason he falls victim to the chaos as well. But I think it is far superior storytelling to Tan's pages. The coloring tends to be dark. And maybe it works with the story, I think with all the ambient light from the rings especially when Lanterns of different colors or the Guardians are unleashing their power it should be deliberately brighter. 8 out of 10
Hey did Animal Man come out this week? I missed it. Need to get that. Gerry Conway and Chris Batista..gotta have it.
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Comic Capsule Reviews 5/20/2009
Trinity #51: Spectacular. A wonderful engaging story about Krona's mad search for secret knowledge at all costs, personal motivations of Morgana and Despero for absolute power. Enigma yo save his world from the Crime Syndicate, And the very nature of the DCU due to the primacy of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as the Trinity got even better as we hit the last several issues. In this issue The Earth is brought back together and the Trinity sacrifice the last of their power to deal with Krona, and also defeat Despero and Morgana who were contemplating a last dash for power and kill Enigma or have they. And it ends with a wonderful cliff hanger....Super, Bats and WW weakend turn to face their counterparts in the syndicate. great stuff. Busiek and Nicieza pull it all together very well with some nice scripting throughout. Bagley really does a stand out job with dynamism and energy..and I think he really does a great Batman. Pete Pantazis does wonderful colors over him. They should stay a team. unfortunately the portion of the book done be Derenick looked very rushed. Completely forced anatomy, even for his extreme style was way over the top. Morgana looked broken and twig like in many panels and some of the foreshortening was just to far and off. Still it reads well. And I can't wait to see what the climax holds. Great stuff. (Aquaman is back? Doesn't DC know they are supposed to hire me to write that story?) 8.5 out of 10
FC aftermath:DANCE #1: Mmmm..this is a tough one. admittedly I wasn't going to by any of the FC Aftermath stuff..but I love Chriscross' art. So I decided to buy it. And after reading it I still don't care about the characters, but I do like the developments. Basically Super Young Team gets sponsored by some Japanese consortium and even given a lot so super cool space station and throw a the appropriately marketed release party for their brand. What I liked was the script and Most Excellent Superbat and his internal exploration presented via "twtteratti" and his questioning through out the book. I like the part with Ultimon-Alpha a lot. Other then that nothing in it did any thing to make the characters interresting, which I hope will change as the story goes on. although the story itself is. I am curious about the ending and if MOSEXBAT finds what he is looking for and they become the next generation of heroes he sees himself as. Th art is great. Eventhough there isn't much in terms of superhero action, Chriscross really shows his chops with great character and expression, and wonderful work on the sets and back grounds. Its like super fusion comic manga-Kirby, especially the first two page splash interior of the Space Station. Impressive stuff. and he manages to bring a level of dynamism of that is usually absent in an issue that is mostly standing around talking. There is a bit of action thrown in there..and its fun, but not really essential. Not fan of the colors really, but it's not so bad as to distract from the art and story(Snakebite?). The saving grace for me is Casey's great scripting and Chrisscross' art. And that will keep me buying this series. 7 out of 10
Invincible #62: This comic is like a non-stop roller=coaster of super-fights to the max. Invincible can't get a break..coming out of the Invincible War he gets a Viltrumite powerhouse dropped on him, and he makes no pretense about it he likes to kill and destroy. Its an awesome superfight. And i love the end..the Global Defense Agency has a plan, an eerie sick plan, but unfortunately not the time to get it off the ground things don't bode well for the home town hero Invincible....if the next issues cover is any indication. The art is second to none. Almost no one can do what Ottley does every month. Cartoony, bold, dynamic, graphic...its one of the best illustrated books on the stands. and really I think out side of Mahnke no one can touch Ottley when it comes to visceral violence and power. This is a super fight you have to see. Power unleashed on a scale you would expect when two Superman level power houses face off. Punch into space? Yeo, City blocks destroyed? yep...all illustrated perfectly. and to add to Ottley's bold open art is Plascena's perfect colors. Awesome. 9 out of 10 for balls out action. There is no good reason not to read this book.
HULK #12: say what you want about Loeb, but as long as he has the space to tell his own stories and not muck with the continuous story telling in an ongoing his pretty much gonna give you an explosive fun rockarolla comic like no other. That what the Defenders/Offenders story has been. Sure we all hate Rulk, and this issue does nothing to change it...but the use of characters, cliche bolded dialogue and character antics coupled with McGuiness' power and style it's a home run hit full of fun. Listen I can't remember these versions of the characters where used this well, and really pays homage to all the comics I loved growing up and turning it on it's ear with some bizarre zaniness that blows the mind. Come on..how silly is it that Rulk kills Hulk, surfer and Terrax uses their combined power flies through Dormammu's head and then gets in Galactus' face all indignant like...it's as awesome as it is preposterous, it's a super hero cartoon...like Loeb took marvel and went Bugs Bunny Warner brothers with it. And again, blend those absurd comic sensibilities with McGuinness' style and mind blowing ability to tell stories and there is no way not to like this. Even if Rulk beats Grandmaster to death...who cares..its a fun ride, and you know what...I know it's not in my continuity, you don't have to bring it into yours either just love it for what it is. Great comic fun, with the best art you can imagine. I am dropping the book now, but am glad i picked up this arc. 9 out of 10
Amazing Spiderman #594: Another great issue. Not the stuff with the new Vulture, which is horribly designed like a cross bewteen some bad American anime and the thing from JeepersCreepers. I am completely uninterrested in him, but he serves a purpose. A menace to bring Spidey's nagging feelings about Osborne to a head. And the other elements in the story...Aunt May and J.J. Sr..did she really say YES?, JJJ, Pete's new roomate yelling at him as he walks around naked, the piece with the REAl Vulture, and finally Pete's decision at the end were all handled very well by Waid. I am also excited about the upcoming American Son storyline. The art was good but unbalanced. The inking helped Kitson's pages, which made him much stronger then I usually think he is and then you had great pages by McKone, who I think should have handled the whole issue, the last 3 pages were beautiful. A good issue in the BND era...but not as good as others. 7 out of 10
Fantastic Four #566: Fantastic is just about right. A great build up, as Doom's Master finally shows up and is somewhat disappointed in his pupil..and it seems he's come sideways across dimensions destroying Earth's and killing Watchers along the way. Yeah..The FF better get real ready real quick. I like how Millar is building this, Reed's autopsy of the other-dimensional Uatu was nicely done. I also liked Doom in Latervaria. The stuff with Ben caught me by surprise..that story line might be bigger then I thought. Great job by Millar, he has done a great job carving out his slice of FF history. A lot of things have been added and really added a sense of wonder, and creepiness to Marve;'s first family. Hitch is amazing throughout. Nice big panels and his signature detail. I really love how spooky he makes the Master's of Doom. I am certain the next issue will be blow the door off the house crazy as the FF face off against the Marquis of Death. 8.5 out of 10
Captain America #50: Wonderful tale of Bucky's non-birthday's since his early days as a 16 year old army base brat. I really enjoyed the little vignettes Really nice portrait interspersed between some great action and roof jumping. and I love how Bru brought it all together with Bucky understanding what Steve(cap) really gave him. A family. Nicely done. opening the book I thought I was going to grumble through my review..without Epting on art chores. But wow, Ross handled things beautifully. Talk about action..wow, great movement. And even better nice art during historical pieces exploring Bucky's birthdays over the years. I also enjoyed the origin and history lesson masterfully presented in full page illustrations by Marcus Martin. Beautiful. And you can never go wrong with Hembeck. I great anniversary issue. Well done Bru and co. 9 out of 10
FC aftermath:DANCE #1: Mmmm..this is a tough one. admittedly I wasn't going to by any of the FC Aftermath stuff..but I love Chriscross' art. So I decided to buy it. And after reading it I still don't care about the characters, but I do like the developments. Basically Super Young Team gets sponsored by some Japanese consortium and even given a lot so super cool space station and throw a the appropriately marketed release party for their brand. What I liked was the script and Most Excellent Superbat and his internal exploration presented via "twtteratti" and his questioning through out the book. I like the part with Ultimon-Alpha a lot. Other then that nothing in it did any thing to make the characters interresting, which I hope will change as the story goes on. although the story itself is. I am curious about the ending and if MOSEXBAT finds what he is looking for and they become the next generation of heroes he sees himself as. Th art is great. Eventhough there isn't much in terms of superhero action, Chriscross really shows his chops with great character and expression, and wonderful work on the sets and back grounds. Its like super fusion comic manga-Kirby, especially the first two page splash interior of the Space Station. Impressive stuff. and he manages to bring a level of dynamism of that is usually absent in an issue that is mostly standing around talking. There is a bit of action thrown in there..and its fun, but not really essential. Not fan of the colors really, but it's not so bad as to distract from the art and story(Snakebite?). The saving grace for me is Casey's great scripting and Chrisscross' art. And that will keep me buying this series. 7 out of 10
Invincible #62: This comic is like a non-stop roller=coaster of super-fights to the max. Invincible can't get a break..coming out of the Invincible War he gets a Viltrumite powerhouse dropped on him, and he makes no pretense about it he likes to kill and destroy. Its an awesome superfight. And i love the end..the Global Defense Agency has a plan, an eerie sick plan, but unfortunately not the time to get it off the ground things don't bode well for the home town hero Invincible....if the next issues cover is any indication. The art is second to none. Almost no one can do what Ottley does every month. Cartoony, bold, dynamic, graphic...its one of the best illustrated books on the stands. and really I think out side of Mahnke no one can touch Ottley when it comes to visceral violence and power. This is a super fight you have to see. Power unleashed on a scale you would expect when two Superman level power houses face off. Punch into space? Yeo, City blocks destroyed? yep...all illustrated perfectly. and to add to Ottley's bold open art is Plascena's perfect colors. Awesome. 9 out of 10 for balls out action. There is no good reason not to read this book.
HULK #12: say what you want about Loeb, but as long as he has the space to tell his own stories and not muck with the continuous story telling in an ongoing his pretty much gonna give you an explosive fun rockarolla comic like no other. That what the Defenders/Offenders story has been. Sure we all hate Rulk, and this issue does nothing to change it...but the use of characters, cliche bolded dialogue and character antics coupled with McGuiness' power and style it's a home run hit full of fun. Listen I can't remember these versions of the characters where used this well, and really pays homage to all the comics I loved growing up and turning it on it's ear with some bizarre zaniness that blows the mind. Come on..how silly is it that Rulk kills Hulk, surfer and Terrax uses their combined power flies through Dormammu's head and then gets in Galactus' face all indignant like...it's as awesome as it is preposterous, it's a super hero cartoon...like Loeb took marvel and went Bugs Bunny Warner brothers with it. And again, blend those absurd comic sensibilities with McGuinness' style and mind blowing ability to tell stories and there is no way not to like this. Even if Rulk beats Grandmaster to death...who cares..its a fun ride, and you know what...I know it's not in my continuity, you don't have to bring it into yours either just love it for what it is. Great comic fun, with the best art you can imagine. I am dropping the book now, but am glad i picked up this arc. 9 out of 10
Amazing Spiderman #594: Another great issue. Not the stuff with the new Vulture, which is horribly designed like a cross bewteen some bad American anime and the thing from JeepersCreepers. I am completely uninterrested in him, but he serves a purpose. A menace to bring Spidey's nagging feelings about Osborne to a head. And the other elements in the story...Aunt May and J.J. Sr..did she really say YES?, JJJ, Pete's new roomate yelling at him as he walks around naked, the piece with the REAl Vulture, and finally Pete's decision at the end were all handled very well by Waid. I am also excited about the upcoming American Son storyline. The art was good but unbalanced. The inking helped Kitson's pages, which made him much stronger then I usually think he is and then you had great pages by McKone, who I think should have handled the whole issue, the last 3 pages were beautiful. A good issue in the BND era...but not as good as others. 7 out of 10
Fantastic Four #566: Fantastic is just about right. A great build up, as Doom's Master finally shows up and is somewhat disappointed in his pupil..and it seems he's come sideways across dimensions destroying Earth's and killing Watchers along the way. Yeah..The FF better get real ready real quick. I like how Millar is building this, Reed's autopsy of the other-dimensional Uatu was nicely done. I also liked Doom in Latervaria. The stuff with Ben caught me by surprise..that story line might be bigger then I thought. Great job by Millar, he has done a great job carving out his slice of FF history. A lot of things have been added and really added a sense of wonder, and creepiness to Marve;'s first family. Hitch is amazing throughout. Nice big panels and his signature detail. I really love how spooky he makes the Master's of Doom. I am certain the next issue will be blow the door off the house crazy as the FF face off against the Marquis of Death. 8.5 out of 10
Captain America #50: Wonderful tale of Bucky's non-birthday's since his early days as a 16 year old army base brat. I really enjoyed the little vignettes Really nice portrait interspersed between some great action and roof jumping. and I love how Bru brought it all together with Bucky understanding what Steve(cap) really gave him. A family. Nicely done. opening the book I thought I was going to grumble through my review..without Epting on art chores. But wow, Ross handled things beautifully. Talk about action..wow, great movement. And even better nice art during historical pieces exploring Bucky's birthdays over the years. I also enjoyed the origin and history lesson masterfully presented in full page illustrations by Marcus Martin. Beautiful. And you can never go wrong with Hembeck. I great anniversary issue. Well done Bru and co. 9 out of 10
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Best Comics Ever: the Micronauts (Marvel)
Micronauts are one of my oldest comic book memories.
This comic almost out Star Wars'ed Star Wars.
Hard to believe I know. But there was something magical about the Micronauts from the giddy up. Balls out Sci-Fi fantasy action, amazing characterizations, wonderfully designs that took from the toy line and some that departed from them completely, and you had Baron Karza.
I don’t know a lot of people that read Micronauts. But it came out in the late 70’s, a time when the toys were selling hotcakes(I had them all and still have a lot of them boxed up in storage), and Marvel was doing a great job with other toy properties like Shogun Warriors and Godzilla (and ROM too!). It was Written by Bill Mantlo and drawn by a virtual who’s who of Marvel artists, but to me the most memorable stories and covers were drawn by the legendary Michael Golden, Pat Broderick and Butch Guice.
The book followed Marionette, Acturus Ran(Space Glider), Bug, Microtron, Biotron, Acroyer and eventually expanded to Huntarr and Devil as they Rebel against the power hungry Tyrant Baron Karza who’s lust for control of the Enigma Force (a version of the Uni-power that exists in the Marvel Universe and is employed by Captain Universe.) and the rest of the universe is all consuming it leads them through many perils and adventures that play out through the series.
What was amazing about the book was that the subject matter was really taken seriously and the universe and the stories were brilliant. The book also intersected with the Marvel Universe cast of characters in interesting ways when the characters break through the Microverse in the Marvel world were they have great adventures. The meta plot of freeing the homeworld and disposing Karza is peppered with great side stories like Bug getting mutated into some sort of monster insectoid by Plantman. Coming up against Molecule man, getting involved with SHIELD and HYDRA. It was brilliant stuff. Acroyer was an inch tall and could flip a truck. And I can’t think of a character anywhere that looked cooler then he does.
But the absolute best part of Micronauts was the epic scale of it. In possibly the best issue ever Acroyer uses the power of the Worldmind, where he can absorb the power of the Acroyer homeworld to defeat the Karza and his fleet. In the process he destroys the Planet he rules. He is so grief stricken that he brands himself and his people are left homeless and his evil brother Shaitan calls him a traitor. The stuff is EPIC I tell you. And Force Commander(Prince Argon(?)) sacrificing his humanity for the power to lead his people battle against Karza(The bastard never stays down long). In the end there huge losses as the team finally defeats Karza.
I also loved the relationships and interactions between the characters. Bug and Acroyers friendship, Huntarr turning from assassin to hero, Devil struggling with his bestial nature, Ran and Karza’s philosophical battles and discussions of the Enigma Force. Karza is a great villain and certainly up there with Darkseid and Thanos. Believe that.
It’s funny the characters were popular enough to warrant a mini in which they teamed up with the X-men, and Bug managed to make his way to the Marvel Universe as member of Guardians of the Galaxy.
If you haven’t read these books before, please go find them, This was a great series. (The Marvel one.) and tons of fun for the comic and Sci-fi fan. I have so many great memories of this book and the toys. To this day the complete series is the gem of my collection. :)
If you never heard of or ever read these comics, chances are you can find them on the cheap, in dollar bins at your LCS(Local Comic Shop). Read them and join the cult of Micronauts.
This comic almost out Star Wars'ed Star Wars.
Hard to believe I know. But there was something magical about the Micronauts from the giddy up. Balls out Sci-Fi fantasy action, amazing characterizations, wonderfully designs that took from the toy line and some that departed from them completely, and you had Baron Karza.I don’t know a lot of people that read Micronauts. But it came out in the late 70’s, a time when the toys were selling hotcakes(I had them all and still have a lot of them boxed up in storage), and Marvel was doing a great job with other toy properties like Shogun Warriors and Godzilla (and ROM too!). It was Written by Bill Mantlo and drawn by a virtual who’s who of Marvel artists, but to me the most memorable stories and covers were drawn by the legendary Michael Golden, Pat Broderick and Butch Guice.
The book followed Marionette, Acturus Ran(Space Glider), Bug, Microtron, Biotron, Acroyer and eventually expanded to Huntarr and Devil as they Rebel against the power hungry Tyrant Baron Karza who’s lust for control of the Enigma Force (a version of the Uni-power that exists in the Marvel Universe and is employed by Captain Universe.) and the rest of the universe is all consuming it leads them through many perils and adventures that play out through the series.
What was amazing about the book was that the subject matter was really taken seriously and the universe and the stories were brilliant. The book also intersected with the Marvel Universe cast of characters in interesting ways when the characters break through the Microverse in the Marvel world were they have great adventures. The meta plot of freeing the homeworld and disposing Karza is peppered with great side stories like Bug getting mutated into some sort of monster insectoid by Plantman. Coming up against Molecule man, getting involved with SHIELD and HYDRA. It was brilliant stuff. Acroyer was an inch tall and could flip a truck. And I can’t think of a character anywhere that looked cooler then he does.
But the absolute best part of Micronauts was the epic scale of it. In possibly the best issue ever Acroyer uses the power of the Worldmind, where he can absorb the power of the Acroyer homeworld to defeat the Karza and his fleet. In the process he destroys the Planet he rules. He is so grief stricken that he brands himself and his people are left homeless and his evil brother Shaitan calls him a traitor. The stuff is EPIC I tell you. And Force Commander(Prince Argon(?)) sacrificing his humanity for the power to lead his people battle against Karza(The bastard never stays down long). In the end there huge losses as the team finally defeats Karza.
I also loved the relationships and interactions between the characters. Bug and Acroyers friendship, Huntarr turning from assassin to hero, Devil struggling with his bestial nature, Ran and Karza’s philosophical battles and discussions of the Enigma Force. Karza is a great villain and certainly up there with Darkseid and Thanos. Believe that.
It’s funny the characters were popular enough to warrant a mini in which they teamed up with the X-men, and Bug managed to make his way to the Marvel Universe as member of Guardians of the Galaxy.
If you haven’t read these books before, please go find them, This was a great series. (The Marvel one.) and tons of fun for the comic and Sci-fi fan. I have so many great memories of this book and the toys. To this day the complete series is the gem of my collection. :)
If you never heard of or ever read these comics, chances are you can find them on the cheap, in dollar bins at your LCS(Local Comic Shop). Read them and join the cult of Micronauts.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Comic Capsule Reviews 5/5 and 5/12/2009
Sorry didn't make it to the comic shop last week, so I am going to double up on the last two weeks with this instalment. Thanks for giving the blog a chance.
and without further procrastination here come the reviews...
Trinity #49 and 50: Two best issues yet. strong dialogue as what looks like a defeat of Krona turns into the end of the World literally. Although Batman's plan works Le Fey sacrifices herself to free Krona and then he rips the Earth asunder. Which leads to great cosmic conversation between Krona and the soul of the Earth. Great cosmic stuff DC usually doesn't engage in. Excellent dialogue and exploration and great art by the entire trinity creative team. In the end The Trinity, Earth Soul and Krona combmine and reconstruct the Earth? Maybe? We will have to wait and see. Have to take a sex to really give a thumbs up to the great colors and efx provided Pantazis. Nice. 8.5 out of 10
Powergirl #1: Powergirl caused a bit of a Facebook stir...I guess her costume is too risque for sum...and yet no one seems concerned about the rampant whoring of pre-teen girls by what passes for pop-culture these days. But Powergirl ads on Facebook morality needs to take a stand there! Whatevah! I got the one with the Hughes cover, it was the last one...Not sure I like the style..I know Hughes is an art god, bit something was different. Nice boobage..but it didnt pop and wasn't as clever as I thought it was supposed to be. Amanda Conner can do no wrong, her interior is fantastic. Clean, open and expressive. She draws a powerful lead, and really does a great job with the action. Nice big scale action too. her style is perfect for Powergirl. She looks strong yet remains womanly, and the cartoony aspects of the style help capture great characterization and expression. the coloring is nice, but like in many comics today, the color hold on line work, especially on the faces are distracting. I don't think it enhances the art at all. But everything else was perfect. Paul mounts has always been amazing, he does a wonderful job sperating the main characters and action from the backgrounds and doesn't over do it with effects and blurs and burns. The story is interresting, although like Kara I don't get what the villain is doing even though he explains it..why life the whole island and send out an army of robots, when kidnapping few people would have gotten you the same result? Still, it made for some great action and good dialogue. I do think Kara's secret identity and interviews were kinda silly..even for a comic. Completely wrong for Kara, she needs something more mundane if you ask me, running a corporation doesn't seem right with her character. And the interview at the end with Bevlin was...well an example of the silliness to the max. I have mixxed feelings about the issue. Great art, action, nice story elements and interesting villain, I love Powergirl...but the Karen Starr stuff was completely uninteresting. Definitely going to stick around and see how it plays out. 7 out of 10
Action Comics #877: Unfortunately losing Barrows has sunk this book for me. Teles is ok at best, he may grow into a great artist, but here his dynamism, structure and layouts are a shadow of Barrow's. many of the pages with panels on top of each other are messy and do not lead the eye well, especially when bad decisions to crop or break panel boarders are made. It is like the wind was taken out of the sails of this book, because the previous issues were nothing short of stunning. And since I have no investment with these characters it's an easy book for me to drop because of the art. The story is still a decent one, and although the part with Lois lacks emotional impact, Christopher's care for Thara and confrontation with Ursa were well done. What was not well done was the ending...which was silly to the point of being down right stupid. Two Kryptonian criminals from the Phantom zone on Earth as agents for Zod..robbing a bank with Ski masks and shot guns....only to pull them off and reveal their powers because the cops showed up? And then after killing a few people still holding their shotguns kiss each other like its some big Bonnie and Clyde moment. oh, the cover don't make sense either. That was bad. It;s funny i would like Christopher to be the new Superboy actually...oh well. 4 out of 10
R.E.B.E.L.S. #4: Tell me you are reading this book. Bedard is doing an amazing job. Great characterization and developments. I love the characters. Vril is great and what is being done with STARRO(were those super-powered Starros?(WOW!)), well i don't know exactly what it is yet, but it 's great. I love the use of DC's aliens and empires and the disparate groups who are obviously going to come together some how in a big trans-galactic throw down. It's really fun, and clever and really well paced. Hat;s off to Bedard. The art is inferior to the last 3 issues. Almost like they just threw in an artist who kinda like the other guy...but you can see it's not as well defined, and weaker then it should be. What really bothered me was page in page out having art bleed to the edges of the page. very distracting. But not enough to kill the joy of a really well written space story. The art isn't horrible mind you, the story is easy to follow and the artist does a decent job, it's just not as good as it has been. Really, give this book a shot, you don't need to know anything about Legion of Super-heroes or even L'E.G.I.O.N....Bedard is weaving something new and wonderful here. Don't let anything keep you from supporting this book. 8 out 10 (woulda been a 9 if not for the art)
the Flash: Rebirth #2: Great cover. And the interior is really nice too. Van Scriver managers to throw in great detail, push the anatomy to the breaking point, tell a great story and really give the book and the Flash(es) the great energy the book needs. awesome job throughout. And I have to add terrific coloring by Alex Sinclair. Bravo. story wise Johns does his thing, but I think the book is a little too long. Too many wasted panels and pages giving Barry some history and trying to give him personality with Iris. Other then that the story is genuinely interesting, i want to know what's going on and how this is going to play out, maybe not how we all thought...Black Flash? Really? I like what johns is laying out, not sure the issue was paced right, still had good dialogue, developments...what was with the Gorillas? aren't they like super advanced? why are they drawing pics of humans on caves? 7.5 out of 10.
Secret Six #9: this book gets better every issue. i cannot praise Simone high enough for her ability to nail great dialogue, create an off beat sort of horrible fun with her use of violence and the perverse. And still manage to make a respectful nod to the Batman by her trio of sorta-good-guys-maybe then any thing the Bat-books are doing in their Battle for the cowl event. Kudos. I hated Bane..now he is an interesting character. Ragdoll's Robin is awesome. And Catman..heh...you know he wants to be the Bat. and finally amid the carnage of goodness and violence of saving babies, Nightwing. Wow that was a great moment between him and the Secret Six. Nicely done Simone. the art is tremendous. Nicola is a goddess with the pencil. Wow. Terrific balls to the wall action and just great moments of eerie violence. It is captured and presented perfectly. great backgrounds, story telling and expression. I could go on and on. And I really love the walking up the side of the building nod to the old Batman show. Brilliant. this book is amazing. I recommend it highly . A very nice interlude into the Batverse for these characters. Great job. 9 out of 10.
Superman:World of Krypton #3: Rucka and Robinson are delivering big time on this title. I love all the characters and the use of the Kryptonians here. I like That Kal outsmarts Gor's bad decision to shot after the hostage crisis and how the inevitable confrontation between he and Kal come to a head. Best Part, Kal smiling with a bloody lip, fighting Gor...he was trained by Batman..that was a nice touch. This is developing nicely. Especially with the GLs showing up. Gonna be a throw down next issue for sure. Pete Woods art is simply beautiful. Clean and precise. Elegant. I love his ability to show facial expression and gesture. and he really does a wonderful job with the layouts and panels. But most of all...the kryptonian architecture and fashion is amazing. This is great work, I really believe not only in this Pete Woods best work...but I need to rethink my top 5 artists. That's how good he is. Brad Anderson also needs an award for his coloring. Very subtle and clean. great job. great comic. 8.5 out of 10
Captain Britain and MI:13 #13: Paul Cornell is incredible. The pacing on this book is really incredible and it's full on great little moments and dialogue. I really like this team And Dracula's Vampire Invasion is brilliant. It is full of great comic book things like impenetrable force fields keeping help from getting in or escape out, guests sowing up for a moment, the heroes facing a team member turned to the dark side...all handled wonderfully. The cast of characters and villains are great. and I really love the scene with "Baron" Blood and Spitfire, and i am certain Faiza isn't dead. Nice touch of narration at the end leading to Dracula triumphant in the Parliament. The art was very nice as well. Kirk shared penciling duties but it wasn't a distraction. Nice action and characters and really great mood. Whenever they draw Dracula I love it. This is a great comic book, and as I say month after month deserves your support. For those of us who remember Claremont's classic X-men run, it has all that in it. Characterization, big events, development over time, and nice twists. a great fun comic. 8.5 out of 10.
War of Kings #3: Everything you are hearing about this book is true. It's great. Abnett and Lanning have pulled in elements from the various Marvel galacticverse and really made a wonderful tale conquest, personal exploration, and war. This issue is a great turning point for the heroes Gladiator, perhaps the single most powerful space character has decided to change sides and support Lilandra. After taking out the combined force of the Starjamming X-men and Guardians of the Galaxy. And I really enjoy this characterization of Ronan, Crystal and the odd place I am finding the Inhumans. Are they that callous and prideful to put the Kree at risk for their own needs? And then there's Vulcan, still hate him, but I am sure h is going to get his in a big way. All the elements are handled wonderfully, I can't wait for Ronan to back on his feet and Black Bolt unleashed. But will they be fighting side by side or each other? The art is masterfully handled by Pelletier. really engaging stuff. Great storytelling and powerful action. This is the stuff great, memorable comics are made off. Great job to everyone involved. I have one crit and that's Gladiator. When did he get so massive? I know its been years now..but somewhere along the way he became a muscle head, if I remember originally he was much more understated. It was his power not his size that was impressive. Any way, its a tiny minor personal crit. This book is awesome. 9 out of 10
Green Lantern Corps #36: Tomasi and Gleason give us another month of super-heroic-space action to the fullest. I love the developments with Sinestro and his daughter, should prove interesting, I especially like the fact the he is going to reclaim his corps....it's been fun Mongul. The jail break on Oa keeping the Lanterns occupied as Sodam takes the fight to Mongul for the freedom and soul of his homeworld. Wonderfully written and paced. Tomasi is really showing his chops on this book. I am guessing Sodam flying into the star is going to burn the lead out of his blood and allow him to access the Ion power for his on one with Mongul. man this book rocks. Gleason brings the A+ game to the art chores. great expression and drama...and then turns the dial to 11 with so much visceral bone gnashing action its almost mind numbing. You feel all the power unleashed on sinew and flesh as bodies and light constructs mash and fury is unleashed on Daxam and Oa. This book is consistently a great read. 9 out of 10
Finaly the pick of the week..in a week (or two) of great reads. Drumroll please...
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1: This is a fun comic. I love that it's about Lockjaw stumbling across an Infinity Gem and then collecting a bunch of super-powered animals to go collect the rest. Throg or Thor Frog is hilarious. I love his initial telepathic conversation with Lockjaw and then the move from borough to borough to collect Redwing, Lockheed(I did know he was such an emo), Furball and MS. Lion (is a dude!). Chris Eliopoulos does a wonderful job with throwing the group together and giving them personalities. Redwing is a pompous bird, Hairball a wisecracker, and Ms. Lion..well...he;s just not with it. He's the Kramer or Dom delouise of the bunch. It's really fun and funny. The art is off the chain. The cover is great . But the interiors are simply beautiful. It looks like the art is pencils only, but with Sotomyers great washed color selections it's perfection. And I hate not having inks so that's saying a lot. The animals have great personalities and expressions, without being forced or too cartoony. It almost has an illustrative quality to it. perfection. with great storytelling, beautiful art, and wonderful fun Idea this book is a great fun read. I am certainly glad this book shot way beyond expectations, and that marvel took a chance with this. Definitely highly recommended. Can't wait to see what the next issue brings..a battle with a T-Rex!!! 9 out of 10
and without further procrastination here come the reviews...
Trinity #49 and 50: Two best issues yet. strong dialogue as what looks like a defeat of Krona turns into the end of the World literally. Although Batman's plan works Le Fey sacrifices herself to free Krona and then he rips the Earth asunder. Which leads to great cosmic conversation between Krona and the soul of the Earth. Great cosmic stuff DC usually doesn't engage in. Excellent dialogue and exploration and great art by the entire trinity creative team. In the end The Trinity, Earth Soul and Krona combmine and reconstruct the Earth? Maybe? We will have to wait and see. Have to take a sex to really give a thumbs up to the great colors and efx provided Pantazis. Nice. 8.5 out of 10
Powergirl #1: Powergirl caused a bit of a Facebook stir...I guess her costume is too risque for sum...and yet no one seems concerned about the rampant whoring of pre-teen girls by what passes for pop-culture these days. But Powergirl ads on Facebook morality needs to take a stand there! Whatevah! I got the one with the Hughes cover, it was the last one...Not sure I like the style..I know Hughes is an art god, bit something was different. Nice boobage..but it didnt pop and wasn't as clever as I thought it was supposed to be. Amanda Conner can do no wrong, her interior is fantastic. Clean, open and expressive. She draws a powerful lead, and really does a great job with the action. Nice big scale action too. her style is perfect for Powergirl. She looks strong yet remains womanly, and the cartoony aspects of the style help capture great characterization and expression. the coloring is nice, but like in many comics today, the color hold on line work, especially on the faces are distracting. I don't think it enhances the art at all. But everything else was perfect. Paul mounts has always been amazing, he does a wonderful job sperating the main characters and action from the backgrounds and doesn't over do it with effects and blurs and burns. The story is interresting, although like Kara I don't get what the villain is doing even though he explains it..why life the whole island and send out an army of robots, when kidnapping few people would have gotten you the same result? Still, it made for some great action and good dialogue. I do think Kara's secret identity and interviews were kinda silly..even for a comic. Completely wrong for Kara, she needs something more mundane if you ask me, running a corporation doesn't seem right with her character. And the interview at the end with Bevlin was...well an example of the silliness to the max. I have mixxed feelings about the issue. Great art, action, nice story elements and interesting villain, I love Powergirl...but the Karen Starr stuff was completely uninteresting. Definitely going to stick around and see how it plays out. 7 out of 10
Action Comics #877: Unfortunately losing Barrows has sunk this book for me. Teles is ok at best, he may grow into a great artist, but here his dynamism, structure and layouts are a shadow of Barrow's. many of the pages with panels on top of each other are messy and do not lead the eye well, especially when bad decisions to crop or break panel boarders are made. It is like the wind was taken out of the sails of this book, because the previous issues were nothing short of stunning. And since I have no investment with these characters it's an easy book for me to drop because of the art. The story is still a decent one, and although the part with Lois lacks emotional impact, Christopher's care for Thara and confrontation with Ursa were well done. What was not well done was the ending...which was silly to the point of being down right stupid. Two Kryptonian criminals from the Phantom zone on Earth as agents for Zod..robbing a bank with Ski masks and shot guns....only to pull them off and reveal their powers because the cops showed up? And then after killing a few people still holding their shotguns kiss each other like its some big Bonnie and Clyde moment. oh, the cover don't make sense either. That was bad. It;s funny i would like Christopher to be the new Superboy actually...oh well. 4 out of 10
R.E.B.E.L.S. #4: Tell me you are reading this book. Bedard is doing an amazing job. Great characterization and developments. I love the characters. Vril is great and what is being done with STARRO(were those super-powered Starros?(WOW!)), well i don't know exactly what it is yet, but it 's great. I love the use of DC's aliens and empires and the disparate groups who are obviously going to come together some how in a big trans-galactic throw down. It's really fun, and clever and really well paced. Hat;s off to Bedard. The art is inferior to the last 3 issues. Almost like they just threw in an artist who kinda like the other guy...but you can see it's not as well defined, and weaker then it should be. What really bothered me was page in page out having art bleed to the edges of the page. very distracting. But not enough to kill the joy of a really well written space story. The art isn't horrible mind you, the story is easy to follow and the artist does a decent job, it's just not as good as it has been. Really, give this book a shot, you don't need to know anything about Legion of Super-heroes or even L'E.G.I.O.N....Bedard is weaving something new and wonderful here. Don't let anything keep you from supporting this book. 8 out 10 (woulda been a 9 if not for the art)
the Flash: Rebirth #2: Great cover. And the interior is really nice too. Van Scriver managers to throw in great detail, push the anatomy to the breaking point, tell a great story and really give the book and the Flash(es) the great energy the book needs. awesome job throughout. And I have to add terrific coloring by Alex Sinclair. Bravo. story wise Johns does his thing, but I think the book is a little too long. Too many wasted panels and pages giving Barry some history and trying to give him personality with Iris. Other then that the story is genuinely interesting, i want to know what's going on and how this is going to play out, maybe not how we all thought...Black Flash? Really? I like what johns is laying out, not sure the issue was paced right, still had good dialogue, developments...what was with the Gorillas? aren't they like super advanced? why are they drawing pics of humans on caves? 7.5 out of 10.
Secret Six #9: this book gets better every issue. i cannot praise Simone high enough for her ability to nail great dialogue, create an off beat sort of horrible fun with her use of violence and the perverse. And still manage to make a respectful nod to the Batman by her trio of sorta-good-guys-maybe then any thing the Bat-books are doing in their Battle for the cowl event. Kudos. I hated Bane..now he is an interesting character. Ragdoll's Robin is awesome. And Catman..heh...you know he wants to be the Bat. and finally amid the carnage of goodness and violence of saving babies, Nightwing. Wow that was a great moment between him and the Secret Six. Nicely done Simone. the art is tremendous. Nicola is a goddess with the pencil. Wow. Terrific balls to the wall action and just great moments of eerie violence. It is captured and presented perfectly. great backgrounds, story telling and expression. I could go on and on. And I really love the walking up the side of the building nod to the old Batman show. Brilliant. this book is amazing. I recommend it highly . A very nice interlude into the Batverse for these characters. Great job. 9 out of 10.
Superman:World of Krypton #3: Rucka and Robinson are delivering big time on this title. I love all the characters and the use of the Kryptonians here. I like That Kal outsmarts Gor's bad decision to shot after the hostage crisis and how the inevitable confrontation between he and Kal come to a head. Best Part, Kal smiling with a bloody lip, fighting Gor...he was trained by Batman..that was a nice touch. This is developing nicely. Especially with the GLs showing up. Gonna be a throw down next issue for sure. Pete Woods art is simply beautiful. Clean and precise. Elegant. I love his ability to show facial expression and gesture. and he really does a wonderful job with the layouts and panels. But most of all...the kryptonian architecture and fashion is amazing. This is great work, I really believe not only in this Pete Woods best work...but I need to rethink my top 5 artists. That's how good he is. Brad Anderson also needs an award for his coloring. Very subtle and clean. great job. great comic. 8.5 out of 10
Captain Britain and MI:13 #13: Paul Cornell is incredible. The pacing on this book is really incredible and it's full on great little moments and dialogue. I really like this team And Dracula's Vampire Invasion is brilliant. It is full of great comic book things like impenetrable force fields keeping help from getting in or escape out, guests sowing up for a moment, the heroes facing a team member turned to the dark side...all handled wonderfully. The cast of characters and villains are great. and I really love the scene with "Baron" Blood and Spitfire, and i am certain Faiza isn't dead. Nice touch of narration at the end leading to Dracula triumphant in the Parliament. The art was very nice as well. Kirk shared penciling duties but it wasn't a distraction. Nice action and characters and really great mood. Whenever they draw Dracula I love it. This is a great comic book, and as I say month after month deserves your support. For those of us who remember Claremont's classic X-men run, it has all that in it. Characterization, big events, development over time, and nice twists. a great fun comic. 8.5 out of 10.
War of Kings #3: Everything you are hearing about this book is true. It's great. Abnett and Lanning have pulled in elements from the various Marvel galacticverse and really made a wonderful tale conquest, personal exploration, and war. This issue is a great turning point for the heroes Gladiator, perhaps the single most powerful space character has decided to change sides and support Lilandra. After taking out the combined force of the Starjamming X-men and Guardians of the Galaxy. And I really enjoy this characterization of Ronan, Crystal and the odd place I am finding the Inhumans. Are they that callous and prideful to put the Kree at risk for their own needs? And then there's Vulcan, still hate him, but I am sure h is going to get his in a big way. All the elements are handled wonderfully, I can't wait for Ronan to back on his feet and Black Bolt unleashed. But will they be fighting side by side or each other? The art is masterfully handled by Pelletier. really engaging stuff. Great storytelling and powerful action. This is the stuff great, memorable comics are made off. Great job to everyone involved. I have one crit and that's Gladiator. When did he get so massive? I know its been years now..but somewhere along the way he became a muscle head, if I remember originally he was much more understated. It was his power not his size that was impressive. Any way, its a tiny minor personal crit. This book is awesome. 9 out of 10
Green Lantern Corps #36: Tomasi and Gleason give us another month of super-heroic-space action to the fullest. I love the developments with Sinestro and his daughter, should prove interesting, I especially like the fact the he is going to reclaim his corps....it's been fun Mongul. The jail break on Oa keeping the Lanterns occupied as Sodam takes the fight to Mongul for the freedom and soul of his homeworld. Wonderfully written and paced. Tomasi is really showing his chops on this book. I am guessing Sodam flying into the star is going to burn the lead out of his blood and allow him to access the Ion power for his on one with Mongul. man this book rocks. Gleason brings the A+ game to the art chores. great expression and drama...and then turns the dial to 11 with so much visceral bone gnashing action its almost mind numbing. You feel all the power unleashed on sinew and flesh as bodies and light constructs mash and fury is unleashed on Daxam and Oa. This book is consistently a great read. 9 out of 10
Finaly the pick of the week..in a week (or two) of great reads. Drumroll please...
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1: This is a fun comic. I love that it's about Lockjaw stumbling across an Infinity Gem and then collecting a bunch of super-powered animals to go collect the rest. Throg or Thor Frog is hilarious. I love his initial telepathic conversation with Lockjaw and then the move from borough to borough to collect Redwing, Lockheed(I did know he was such an emo), Furball and MS. Lion (is a dude!). Chris Eliopoulos does a wonderful job with throwing the group together and giving them personalities. Redwing is a pompous bird, Hairball a wisecracker, and Ms. Lion..well...he;s just not with it. He's the Kramer or Dom delouise of the bunch. It's really fun and funny. The art is off the chain. The cover is great . But the interiors are simply beautiful. It looks like the art is pencils only, but with Sotomyers great washed color selections it's perfection. And I hate not having inks so that's saying a lot. The animals have great personalities and expressions, without being forced or too cartoony. It almost has an illustrative quality to it. perfection. with great storytelling, beautiful art, and wonderful fun Idea this book is a great fun read. I am certainly glad this book shot way beyond expectations, and that marvel took a chance with this. Definitely highly recommended. Can't wait to see what the next issue brings..a battle with a T-Rex!!! 9 out of 10
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Comic Capsule Reviews 4/29/2009
Trinity #48: The Trinity take it to Krona, and Batman puts a plan together to defeat him. Nice action and drama. Even if I feel a little lost, I really enjoy the grandeur of it and how everything has come together. And more then that I'm wondering how this series is going to leave all the characters? What's to become of Warhound? Of Despero? Have we seen the last of Ro? Is Krona beat? What of John Stewart? Busiek and Bagley are really doing an excellent job. I also liked the secondary story and the focus on the GodBat plan and the three integral parts. Nice. 7.5 out of 10.
The Cabal #1: I was really hoping for the magic of the Illuminati in this one shot. Unfortunately it was a waste of money. The character vignettes were a mixed bag. I enjoyed the Doom exploration in the first one(he isn't a nice man), the Namor story which was beautifully illustrated and the Loki/Doom short. The other didn't move me. What bothered me about this wasn't the quality, although to be honest it seems like a hastily thrown together anthology for a few extra Dark Reign bucks...what bothered me was that it was completely unessential to Dark Reign. There are no essential insights to the characters that we didn't already know about them or seemed immediately part of the Dark Reign story. 5 out of 10.
Wonder Woman #31: by far the best issue so far. Ares? No surprise there..but bearing gifts for an Amazon? And the Manazons take over the UN. Not sure I could ever see Achilles riding elephants..not very Greek. And I was hoping he would be more then an annoyance to Wonder Woman, she defeated him rather easily. Not being from this time shouldn't really matter in hand to hand combat. But we got some kick ass Wonder Woman moments. And a great revelation about Genocide..although that character has yet to live up to any promise. The art is great..to be honest I think Bernard Chang is better for the book then Lopresti. Chang somehow manages to capture something intangible that works on Wonder Woman stylistically while Lopresti seems to lack impact and dynamism. Chang does some nice big action, and some great dramatic scenes. I love his storytelling, and action..the scene with the missile was perfection. Certainly a better Wonder Woman then the previous issues. 7.5 out of 10.
Justice Society of America #26: Eaglesham is REEEEEAAALLLY going to be missed on this title. Beautiful art throughout. The opening splash of Courtney(Stargirl) getting off the school bus is beautifully rendered, as is the rest of the issue. Its almost mind boggling how Eaglesham crams so many characters in and manages to highlight the appropriate members, tell a great story and keep everything easy to read. Great expression, and character. Johns gives us a great send off, Courtney's birthday at home, with wonderful character insights, and drilling in that this book has not just been about heroes, but family. An ever growing family of characters, growing and contributing to the whole. Fantastic resonance and characterization. I'm sorry to see this team go, its been one of my fave books since the relaunch, but I'm curious to see what's next. 9 out of 10.
Superman #687: A solid read by Robinson, but largely a another set up issue. And unfortunately this is the weakest of the super-titles. It needs to move a little quicker because I am genuinely interested in all the elements. Zatara, Parasite wandering around, Guardian and the Sci-police, Tellus, Project 7734, Mon-el, Atlas and Irons...lots of meat, except its getting cold. Guedes is a wonderful, yet quirky artists. Nice expression and action. And I really love his back grounds..especially the sewers of Metropolis. But he is a victim of washed out colors..Mon-el's red isn't red enough. All in all not as good as I hoped. 7 of 10.
Green Lantern #40: Unfortunately this chapter in the race towards Blackest Night suffers from fill in art. Tan is an interesting study..alternately brilliant stylistically and inappropriately chaotic and unpolished.The art work looks unfinished and rushed which doesn't help Tan. And the storytelling is weak and unfocused. The inking is way too loose and page upon page looks tragically messy for a story so vitally important to the ongoing event. That being said there are flashes of brilliance like the last page image. The story is great, savage and brutal, but really more of the same as we are introduced to more Orange Lanterns and I am trying to figure out which one is "Agent Orange". Still its a solid read..and adds to the architecture of the Lantern mythos, which is always very cool. I did love the story and art in the Tales of Orange Lanterns, Albuquerque is amazing. That guy should be placed on Teen Titans pronto.7.5 out of 10.
Legion of Three Worlds #4: An event...that looks and feels like an event. I love it. But I have to get this out of the way. Conner and Bart are cool characters, nice to have them back, but they really are nothing but annoyances to Prime. I'm not sure why they are given primacy over other powerhouses on 3 teams of Legionaries? Ok, got that out. This an amazing action packed emotional roller coaster. The Legion loses Kinetix and Elementlad..but Sunboy is back. And the Timetrapper enters the fray personally as the Legion bring back Conner to add another emotionally relevant layer to the war with Prime. Great dialogue by Johns as he brings a host of great character moments, like the three Legion Founders and Supes talking to Time Trapper and Wildfire and Dawny. The "Substitute Legionnaire" taking a stand against Prime. And a great, unexpected reveal at the end. The art is amazing, I can't say it enough Perez is the master of these types of event comics. Dazzling amounts of characters in jaw dropping action. All brought in an amazingly well constructed, dramatic and coherent fashion. Guns blazing or standing around talking Perez nails every scene. 9 out of 10.
The Cabal #1: I was really hoping for the magic of the Illuminati in this one shot. Unfortunately it was a waste of money. The character vignettes were a mixed bag. I enjoyed the Doom exploration in the first one(he isn't a nice man), the Namor story which was beautifully illustrated and the Loki/Doom short. The other didn't move me. What bothered me about this wasn't the quality, although to be honest it seems like a hastily thrown together anthology for a few extra Dark Reign bucks...what bothered me was that it was completely unessential to Dark Reign. There are no essential insights to the characters that we didn't already know about them or seemed immediately part of the Dark Reign story. 5 out of 10.
Wonder Woman #31: by far the best issue so far. Ares? No surprise there..but bearing gifts for an Amazon? And the Manazons take over the UN. Not sure I could ever see Achilles riding elephants..not very Greek. And I was hoping he would be more then an annoyance to Wonder Woman, she defeated him rather easily. Not being from this time shouldn't really matter in hand to hand combat. But we got some kick ass Wonder Woman moments. And a great revelation about Genocide..although that character has yet to live up to any promise. The art is great..to be honest I think Bernard Chang is better for the book then Lopresti. Chang somehow manages to capture something intangible that works on Wonder Woman stylistically while Lopresti seems to lack impact and dynamism. Chang does some nice big action, and some great dramatic scenes. I love his storytelling, and action..the scene with the missile was perfection. Certainly a better Wonder Woman then the previous issues. 7.5 out of 10.
Justice Society of America #26: Eaglesham is REEEEEAAALLLY going to be missed on this title. Beautiful art throughout. The opening splash of Courtney(Stargirl) getting off the school bus is beautifully rendered, as is the rest of the issue. Its almost mind boggling how Eaglesham crams so many characters in and manages to highlight the appropriate members, tell a great story and keep everything easy to read. Great expression, and character. Johns gives us a great send off, Courtney's birthday at home, with wonderful character insights, and drilling in that this book has not just been about heroes, but family. An ever growing family of characters, growing and contributing to the whole. Fantastic resonance and characterization. I'm sorry to see this team go, its been one of my fave books since the relaunch, but I'm curious to see what's next. 9 out of 10.
Superman #687: A solid read by Robinson, but largely a another set up issue. And unfortunately this is the weakest of the super-titles. It needs to move a little quicker because I am genuinely interested in all the elements. Zatara, Parasite wandering around, Guardian and the Sci-police, Tellus, Project 7734, Mon-el, Atlas and Irons...lots of meat, except its getting cold. Guedes is a wonderful, yet quirky artists. Nice expression and action. And I really love his back grounds..especially the sewers of Metropolis. But he is a victim of washed out colors..Mon-el's red isn't red enough. All in all not as good as I hoped. 7 of 10.
Green Lantern #40: Unfortunately this chapter in the race towards Blackest Night suffers from fill in art. Tan is an interesting study..alternately brilliant stylistically and inappropriately chaotic and unpolished.The art work looks unfinished and rushed which doesn't help Tan. And the storytelling is weak and unfocused. The inking is way too loose and page upon page looks tragically messy for a story so vitally important to the ongoing event. That being said there are flashes of brilliance like the last page image. The story is great, savage and brutal, but really more of the same as we are introduced to more Orange Lanterns and I am trying to figure out which one is "Agent Orange". Still its a solid read..and adds to the architecture of the Lantern mythos, which is always very cool. I did love the story and art in the Tales of Orange Lanterns, Albuquerque is amazing. That guy should be placed on Teen Titans pronto.7.5 out of 10.
Legion of Three Worlds #4: An event...that looks and feels like an event. I love it. But I have to get this out of the way. Conner and Bart are cool characters, nice to have them back, but they really are nothing but annoyances to Prime. I'm not sure why they are given primacy over other powerhouses on 3 teams of Legionaries? Ok, got that out. This an amazing action packed emotional roller coaster. The Legion loses Kinetix and Elementlad..but Sunboy is back. And the Timetrapper enters the fray personally as the Legion bring back Conner to add another emotionally relevant layer to the war with Prime. Great dialogue by Johns as he brings a host of great character moments, like the three Legion Founders and Supes talking to Time Trapper and Wildfire and Dawny. The "Substitute Legionnaire" taking a stand against Prime. And a great, unexpected reveal at the end. The art is amazing, I can't say it enough Perez is the master of these types of event comics. Dazzling amounts of characters in jaw dropping action. All brought in an amazingly well constructed, dramatic and coherent fashion. Guns blazing or standing around talking Perez nails every scene. 9 out of 10.
Friday, May 1, 2009
New Mutants #1 Preview (Newsarama)
http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=27685
I am very excited about this! The art looks very nice. Wells and Neves..some of my favorite characters. Out next week. Go get it!!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Retro Review: PITT #1 (Image comics 1993)
Pitt wow. I forgot how much I loved this comic. I loved Dale Keown, who is probably the best Hulk artist of the late 80's and 90's. I fell in love with his art the first Hulk he was on, and it blew me away month after month. He just expressed Hulk's strength in and power in every panel.
And when Pitt was announced I was genuinely excited. And when I got it, I loved it. in 1993 it had that image magic, combined with Dale's Heavy Metal art style and dynamism. It was raw and powerful stuff.
That was then.
Upon re-reading. Not so much. The story is pretty simple. An alien creature arrives on Earth to save us, naked, and is attacked by bikers. he kills them something awful by the way. But as savage as he is, he has a bigger role to play as our saviour. So that is the set up as the secondary characters are introduced. Cops sent to investigate Pitts appearance and bloody attack on the subway. And the boy who is having visions, who will eventually join Pitt on his savage journey to protect the world from the Creed. Who's agents show up and kill some people at the end of the issue.
The dialogue and plot are very simplistic, and really are only there to serve as an excuse to have Pitt kill and fight. Its even silly at times. But to be honest, no one picked this up for the writing. No way. What people did want they got in spades. Raw, dynamic, visceral action by Dale Keown. It powerful stuff. Pitt is scary. if not a little bit of a cliche, but scary and powerful.
I think this isn't Dale's best work. he embraced the Image style of lines and cross hatching that was super popular at the time. it was messy compared to his work on Hulk, which if I remember correctly was inked by Rubenstein(?). Messy, but full of energy. The figure work and expressions pushed to the cartoony stylistic limit. Pitt himself is awesome to behold, pretty much a simple unremarkable design..but drawn, rendered beautifully. Dale Keown is really heavy Metal in comic form. The action is intense and brutal. The layouts are simple, mostly frontal shots, and the background are more suggestions and often nonexistent. Again, this was a sign of the times. Brutal violent snarling and jumping. Ultra-huge characters with guns and pointless cybernetics or claws..basically roaring through panels for really no other reason then it looked damn cool.
all in all the re-read for the review was satisfying but very dated. Fun yet...well...unfullfilling.
I definately recommend every one who reads comics pick up his Hulk run with Peter David. It was excellent.
6 out of 10.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Mondo Marvel by Paul Brain McCoy @ comicsbulletin.com
Any one who loves comics should really give this column a read. Basically Paul is going back to the begins of the House that Stan and Kirby built and basically giving us a tour of the history of the Marvel Universe. He plans on reading and offering commentary being with 1961's Fantastic Four #1 up through December 1969.
It's a labor of love..really good stuff for fans of comic history in general.
http://www.comicsbulletin.com/soapbox/124034662387693.htm
Good job Paul. Awesome idea and execution.
It's a labor of love..really good stuff for fans of comic history in general.
http://www.comicsbulletin.com/soapbox/124034662387693.htm
Good job Paul. Awesome idea and execution.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Aris Asks Jamal Igle
Jamal Igle has been drawing comics for 15 years and is currently artist on Supergirl for DC, he also teaches and lectures on comic art at the Art Students League in NYC.
1. Most people don't realise how long you have been a professional comic artist, when did you start drawing comics professionally?
About 1993, I guess. That's when I got my first regular assignment for a small publisher called Majestic entertainment
2. You graduated from New York's Art and Design High School and teach at the Art Students League, how important is formal art education to drawing comics?
I recommend it actually. I was always told that you have to know the rules first in order to break them and i think that's true. With superhero comics especially, there is such a reliance on knowing anatomy, perspective, and observation. You can learn to draw comics on your own, which is what happened to me. However, learning how to draw properly first was the best thing I could do for myself as an artist.
3. What were the first book you read that really made you a comics fan?
It was an issue of Captain America, I couldn't tell you the number but It was drawn by Paul Neary.
4. Creator's who's work influence your love of comics and art?
Steve Rude and Dave Stevens.
5. The work you are doing on Supergirl is awesome, how long do you see your self continuing on drawing duty?
I'll be on the book for a bit longer, there are some things being discussed but it's too early to discuss.
6. Would you say this is the best work you have put out so far?
Artistically i think Supergirl is the best work I've done so far.
7. On the average how long does it take to do one page?
Depending on the detail anywhere between 4 and 12 hours
8. You have a wonderful family, do you have your studio in your house? What are the challenges of working from home?
Yeah, i actually sectioned of a corner in the living room. With a 1 year old it's better for me to work at home so we have a babysitter during the day until 5 pm, I take over, feed the baby, give her a bath and put her to bed. I cook dinner for my wife and we relax for a bit. when Karine goes to bed I sometimes work during the night for a few hours. I try to spend as much time as possible with Karine and Catherine.
9. What character or title are you dying to get a shot drawing at DC?
You know, until recently I hadn't considered him, but I wove to try and do an Aquaman book.
10. As a professional artist are you ever intimidated by other artists?
I'm in awe of some artists, but never intimidated.
11. Can you give us any idea what's next for Jamal Igle at DC?
Something big but I can't discuss it right now.
12. You have drawn a variety of characters over the last 10 to 15 years, which title has been the most challenging?
12. You have drawn a variety of characters over the last 10 to 15 years, which title has been the most challenging?
G.I.Joe. I realized that sometimes you can be a fan of something as a kid , and not wanting anything to do with it as an adult. It was two of the most painfully awful issues I've ever drawn.
13. When you come on a title, do you actively try to tweak the character design or leave your own creative stamp on the character?
13. When you come on a title, do you actively try to tweak the character design or leave your own creative stamp on the character?
It depends, With Firestorm the changes were already in place when Stuart Moore took over the book, so I was allowed to change the costume. With Nightwing I tried to stick very closely to what was already established for the look of the character.With Supergirl I actively tweaked what I thought didn't work for the character design wise, again with DC's approval and encouragement.
14. Who would win in a fight....Supergirl, Mary Marvel or Powergirl?
14. Who would win in a fight....Supergirl, Mary Marvel or Powergirl?
Oh that's a tough one, but I'd give the edge to Supergirl.
\
15. What do you think can really be done editorially to reduce late comics? Can it be helped?
Not really, and I don't think that's the answer most people want to hear. Things happen, people get sick, people quit, some artists just aren't as fast as others.People Jim Lee or John Cassaday are late because they have other things going on outside of comics. It's just the way it is.
16. Do you think digital comics will ever completely replace floppies?
Eventually but not in the time frame some people think they will.In order for it to happen, it would have to be an across the board change to all of the publishing industry. Everyone, magazines, newspapers, prose books would all have to go paperless at the same time and you'd have to have an inexpensive E-reader that people would be satisfied with.
17. Are there any characters at Marvel, that given the chance you would love to draw?
Captain America and Daredevil.
18. Will Blackest Night crossover into Supergirl?
18. Will Blackest Night crossover into Supergirl?
I don't know yet.
19. I have read a recent interview regarding some of your thoughts on creator owned projects, cost aside, you have to some ideas, any chance you will get to those eventually?
19. I have read a recent interview regarding some of your thoughts on creator owned projects, cost aside, you have to some ideas, any chance you will get to those eventually?
I'd like to think so. In some form or another, and It's just about the money.If I had the capital, You'd only see my once a year promoting whatever novel I was working on and then I'd disappeared into the woods like Big Foot
20. Is Supergirl an all ages book?
20. Is Supergirl an all ages book?
It's as much of an all ages book as Byrne and Claremont's X-men. it's violent in spots and there is some blood, although I try to keep it to a minimum.
21. If your daughter wanted to be a comic artist you would say?
I'd encourage her but I'd also let her know much work it is and how difficult it is to get into the business. It's doubly hard if you're a "Junior" like John Romita jr., Adam and Andy Kubert, or Leah Moore. She'd be unfairly compared to me or accused of being a recipient of nepotism.
22. Do you have any words of advice for some one reading this that has aspirations of being a comic artist?
Be patient, be open to suggestions and be a professional. Keep your commitments and your promises.
23. If you weren't drawing comics you would be....?
A Chef, maybe open my own restaurant.
24. By your estimation, greatest comic artist of all time?
Alex Raymond was the best, hands down.
Find out more about Jamal at his website and blog
Find out more about Jamal at his website and blog
And Make sure to pick up Supergirl..fun, good, action packed comics.
Aris Asks Oliver Selby
Oliver Selby is a rabid fan of the legendary Walt Simonson and all things Thor. And is actually living his dream running the Walt Simonson Appreciation Society on Facebook.
1. Let's get it out of the way...What is it about Walt Simonson you love so much?
1983, walk into Comic Showcase with my brother, see Thor #337, hair stands on end, read entire run over the next 45 issues, decide Walt is God.
I only got back into comics as I was banned from riding (and crashing) motobikes, had retired from Kung Fu competitions and was spending all my time looking after my daughter. So far the great Walt and Weezie have yet to tell me to bugger off, so I'm happy.
Met the pair of them in Bristol in May 2008. I decided to go the con the night before after a few beers, and wrote up one of my favourite peices of dialogue, the last 2 pages of Thor #379. Printed it out and got Walt to sign it and have a photo done. Went home a very happy chap.
My brother bought me the helmet (bloody awful re-design job that it is) and a year later I picked up a ridiculously expensive Mjolnir replica. Before my better half could laugh at me, I plonked the hat on, hefted the hammer in one hand and the camera in the other and got a shot. Later I realised I was in front of my daughters pink bedroom, which makes me look like the Norse God of Interior Decorating
5. Is Thor your favorite character?
Have Charlton just been relegated?*
7. What books are you reading now?
Crikey, monthly only Thor since the Crunch, but Incredible Hercules in trade, Yotsuba, The Boys.
8. What creators work do you really enjoy?
Matt Fraction deserves a knighthood for his initial Thor trilogy, such was it's utter fun, pomp and headbanging sillyness. Fred Van Lente for both Action Philosophers and Incredible Hercules, Simone Lia for Fluffy (one of the greatest books in history) Millar and Hitch in every thing they do, Garth Ennis, Bendis, Ellis, Joe Sacco, Gaiman and the mad mage of Northampton
9. How did you get involved with the Walt Simonson Appreciation Society?
After I met Walt, I created a Facebook group and a few stalwarts (Youri, Gar Jones, the Peytons, Mr Dodsworth) joined. Less than a year later we have nearly 500 members, including Mr Simonson himself, Fred Van Lente, Dougie Braithwaite, Dan Brereton and so many other creators its like Disneyland for geeks.
10. How much time to you take gathering information and administering that corner of fandom on Facebook?
20 minutes each workday. It's not a big job.
11. Obviously you love Thor. What are some of your favorite Thor stories?
1) Volstagg and Agnar of Vanaheim have a chat (around issue 340) 2) Thor gets the living crap kicked out of him by everybody after Hela curses him with the bones of an old lady (373-378) 3) Thor gives his Henry V type speech, end of #379. IT IS THE SINGLE GREATEST "F&$K YEAH!" MOMENT IN HISTORY 4) Issue 380. Best. Comic. Ever.
12. Have you read any Thor prior to Walt's legendary debut on issue #337?
Yep, and man it was disappointing.
13. JMS and Coipel are having explosive and signature run on Thor, how do you think that stacks up against Walt's incarnation of the character?
I truly love it. Coipel is a giant now after this. And JMS can have a beer any time he wants after the way he humbled Iron Man in issue 3 :)
14. Do you think social networking sites like Facebook , message boards and Myspace has been good for fans, and interacting with creators?
Good grief, of course. In 1984, Art Adams sent a letter to Marvel complaining that Walt drew a skateboarder at a ridiculous angle in issue 337. Now I can read what he does day to day. I am conversing with Gods of the industry and life is good.
15. Do you think the price of comics matters, won't the remaining fans collecting monthly pick the comics anyway?
$3.99 spelt the end of 90% of my pull list. Sorry Marvel.
16. Do you think monthly comics will survive going digital?
I still find it hard to enjoy digital comics. I've got the entire runs of FF, Iron Man, Daredevil, X-Men and Thor on my hard drive but almost never look at them, whereas printed matter is always to hand.
17. Out side of Thor, who is your favorite supporting character from Thor comics?
Thanos, Spider-Man and Piotr Rasputin
18. How do you feel about female Loki?
A bit like watching Laurel and Hardy doing a porn film. It’s wrong but I can’t help watching anyway.
19. Do you own Star Slammers?
No – to my eternal regret and shame.
20. Do you have any aspirations to write or draw comics?
Good lord man, I can barely draw stick figures. In fact, my 5 year old is better than me.Nope, I’m a fan. As John Cleese said, I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.
21. This has been a Thor-centric interview, but lets talk THOR: the Motion Picture anyway....what will it have to be about for people to get it?
23. What games are you playing on the Wii(and you better not be exercising using the Wii fit)?
Wii Sports, Kung Fu Panda and Excite Truck
24. Take a moment to tell us about your blog(http://olavthehairy.blogspot.com/ (actually a great fun blog))?
Don’t read it, it’s at least 6 months out of date. Give me a few weeks and I’ll get it shipshape.
25. It's been a joy the last few years getting to know you, but I have to break this to you any way, Hercules can kick Thor's a$$. ;)
Hey, if you read Thor: Blood Oath, the Nordic one himself agrees that Hercules would win in a fist fight. “After all, he IS Hercules”. I love Herc and his new series is a perfect blend of Greek mythology and Marvel mythology.
Check out Olver's Blog
http://olavthehairy.blogspot.com/
And if you roam Facebook check out the Walt Simonson Appreciation Society it's a great fun place full of information and oliver's own Thorific sense of humor.
1. Let's get it out of the way...What is it about Walt Simonson you love so much?
1983, walk into Comic Showcase with my brother, see Thor #337, hair stands on end, read entire run over the next 45 issues, decide Walt is God.
2. At this rate do you think Walt, or his wife might think your a little bit....fanatical?
I only got back into comics as I was banned from riding (and crashing) motobikes, had retired from Kung Fu competitions and was spending all my time looking after my daughter. So far the great Walt and Weezie have yet to tell me to bugger off, so I'm happy.
3. How has been interacting with you favorite creator and have you ever met him?
Met the pair of them in Bristol in May 2008. I decided to go the con the night before after a few beers, and wrote up one of my favourite peices of dialogue, the last 2 pages of Thor #379. Printed it out and got Walt to sign it and have a photo done. Went home a very happy chap.
4. Whats with the picture with the Thor Helmet and Mjolnir?
My brother bought me the helmet (bloody awful re-design job that it is) and a year later I picked up a ridiculously expensive Mjolnir replica. Before my better half could laugh at me, I plonked the hat on, hefted the hammer in one hand and the camera in the other and got a shot. Later I realised I was in front of my daughters pink bedroom, which makes me look like the Norse God of Interior Decorating
5. Is Thor your favorite character?Have Charlton just been relegated?*
*yes
6. When did you start reading comics?
7. What books are you reading now?
Crikey, monthly only Thor since the Crunch, but Incredible Hercules in trade, Yotsuba, The Boys.
8. What creators work do you really enjoy?
Matt Fraction deserves a knighthood for his initial Thor trilogy, such was it's utter fun, pomp and headbanging sillyness. Fred Van Lente for both Action Philosophers and Incredible Hercules, Simone Lia for Fluffy (one of the greatest books in history) Millar and Hitch in every thing they do, Garth Ennis, Bendis, Ellis, Joe Sacco, Gaiman and the mad mage of Northampton
9. How did you get involved with the Walt Simonson Appreciation Society?
After I met Walt, I created a Facebook group and a few stalwarts (Youri, Gar Jones, the Peytons, Mr Dodsworth) joined. Less than a year later we have nearly 500 members, including Mr Simonson himself, Fred Van Lente, Dougie Braithwaite, Dan Brereton and so many other creators its like Disneyland for geeks.
10. How much time to you take gathering information and administering that corner of fandom on Facebook?
20 minutes each workday. It's not a big job.
11. Obviously you love Thor. What are some of your favorite Thor stories?
1) Volstagg and Agnar of Vanaheim have a chat (around issue 340) 2) Thor gets the living crap kicked out of him by everybody after Hela curses him with the bones of an old lady (373-378) 3) Thor gives his Henry V type speech, end of #379. IT IS THE SINGLE GREATEST "F&$K YEAH!" MOMENT IN HISTORY 4) Issue 380. Best. Comic. Ever.
12. Have you read any Thor prior to Walt's legendary debut on issue #337?
Yep, and man it was disappointing.
13. JMS and Coipel are having explosive and signature run on Thor, how do you think that stacks up against Walt's incarnation of the character?
I truly love it. Coipel is a giant now after this. And JMS can have a beer any time he wants after the way he humbled Iron Man in issue 3 :)
14. Do you think social networking sites like Facebook , message boards and Myspace has been good for fans, and interacting with creators?
Good grief, of course. In 1984, Art Adams sent a letter to Marvel complaining that Walt drew a skateboarder at a ridiculous angle in issue 337. Now I can read what he does day to day. I am conversing with Gods of the industry and life is good.
15. Do you think the price of comics matters, won't the remaining fans collecting monthly pick the comics anyway?
$3.99 spelt the end of 90% of my pull list. Sorry Marvel.
16. Do you think monthly comics will survive going digital?
I still find it hard to enjoy digital comics. I've got the entire runs of FF, Iron Man, Daredevil, X-Men and Thor on my hard drive but almost never look at them, whereas printed matter is always to hand.
17. Out side of Thor, who is your favorite supporting character from Thor comics?
Thanos, Spider-Man and Piotr Rasputin
18. How do you feel about female Loki?
A bit like watching Laurel and Hardy doing a porn film. It’s wrong but I can’t help watching anyway.
19. Do you own Star Slammers?
No – to my eternal regret and shame.
20. Do you have any aspirations to write or draw comics?
Good lord man, I can barely draw stick figures. In fact, my 5 year old is better than me.Nope, I’m a fan. As John Cleese said, I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.
21. This has been a Thor-centric interview, but lets talk THOR: the Motion Picture anyway....what will it have to be about for people to get it?
Answer from brain:Lord of the Rings duplicate with tender moments between Thor and Sif.
Answer from heart:I don’t care about anybody else. I want to see Thor and Balder fleeing Hel, Skurge knocking out the blonde bombshell with a right hander, nicking 2 M-16’s, telling the lads to have a beer for him later and holding the bridge at Gjallerbru. At that point I will have exploded with joy so will not care a jot about whether Branagh chose the right key grip or whatever.
22. Who would win in a fight Thor or Superman?
Superman would win. The world would stop turning if he didn’t. I am only saying this in case Sarah Horrocks reads this as she knows DC inside out. If I chose Thor she’d crucify me.23. What games are you playing on the Wii(and you better not be exercising using the Wii fit)?
Wii Sports, Kung Fu Panda and Excite Truck
24. Take a moment to tell us about your blog(http://olavthehairy.blogspot.com/ (actually a great fun blog))?
Don’t read it, it’s at least 6 months out of date. Give me a few weeks and I’ll get it shipshape.
25. It's been a joy the last few years getting to know you, but I have to break this to you any way, Hercules can kick Thor's a$$. ;)
Hey, if you read Thor: Blood Oath, the Nordic one himself agrees that Hercules would win in a fist fight. “After all, he IS Hercules”. I love Herc and his new series is a perfect blend of Greek mythology and Marvel mythology.
Check out Olver's Blog
http://olavthehairy.blogspot.com/
And if you roam Facebook check out the Walt Simonson Appreciation Society it's a great fun place full of information and oliver's own Thorific sense of humor.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Comics Capsule Reviews 4/15/2009
Teen Titans #69: was in the store, checked it out, looked like a new start type issue and I decided to give it a shot. unfortunately I won't be back next month. It really isn't even the writing or the art. I just do not care about the characters. Not one bit. There is plenty of dialogue and interaction but some how it was pretty hollow...and the humor was...well not really funny or clever. With all the great things DC seems to be doing I think it's time to start cleaning up the Titansverse. i am not beating up the creative team, it's just plain not interesting. The stuff with the FACE was just plain terrible, as was how they exited candidates from the issue and finally walked away with the new line up. i think there should have been more action..less silliness. the art is good, with pretty utilitarian storytelling. but fell victim to digital coloring. This book needed to be brighter and more vibrant. i would not say it was bad, just nothing that grabbed me enough to pick up the next issue or be interested in following these characters. 5 out of 10.
Amazing Spiderman #591: much more satisfying then I thought. Clever storytelling by Slott to move plot points into position and explanation of the time distortion of the Macroverse. I really enjoyed the discussion and revelation Peter and the FF have. And I found myself enjoying Slott's Thing and definitely the last few pages were a surprise, gonna be very interesting in NYC for Spidey now for certain. The art was very nice, a different cleaner style from Kitson. Which I really liked. And Eaglesham did a terrific job on his portion. I love his Harry Osborne. all in all an Enjoyable story. 7 out of 10.
Trinity #46: another solid piece by Busiek who move the good guy side of the board together in this control for the metaphysical soul of the Earth. I loved the one page sequence in the Batcave, nice touch Busiek. Bagley's art seems a little rushed and raw but still brimming with great storytelling. I also liked pulling together the events on Earth-3 and Dreambound collecting Warhound from frozen wastes. good stuff. 7.5 out of 10.
Secret Six #8: a very nice character driven interlude. Simone is magic all day on this book. I love the exploration of the burgeoning relationships. "wonderfully wicked and hilariously twisted" is an understatement. and the added bonus of Ragdoll's dream from the locked trunk of Deadshot's ride was a nice little addition. Wonderful. I love me some Jeanette. Her toe to toe with Wonder Woman? i think I saw that in Origins and omens...can't wait. The art by Jose Rodrguez is a nice fill in for Nicola Scott. His style is similar yet less refined and nuanced. He does a very nice job conveying the script with gesture and facial expression and even handles the bits of violence very nicely. Kudos for another a plus installment of the Secret six. 8 out of 10.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #3: Bedard is awesome. Vril is pulling his group together and its a joy to read. love the characterization of Vril and finding Strata and Bounder. Great characterization, fun dialogue and developments. Nice moments of acction and explanations and finally a revelation...as the Omega men come face to face with Starro? well it looks like Starro is in the body of a female Lobo..which means some dead Omega men!! The art is beautiful, clean crisp easy to follow, nice unique designs. Tremendous work by Clarke through out. The coloring also very nice and clean and makes the entire book shine. This is a great new addition to my monthly read list, I highly recommend it. 8 out of 10.
Captain America #49: Wow. What a wonderful exploration of Sharon...what is she dreaming about? I know this isn't a casual fill in...the images in her dream will be revealed. Nice touch with Falcon looking for the 50's era Cap...and where "Steve" winds up. Where is this going? The art is very nice. Luke Ross is an excellent fill in here, and with the color it continues seamlessly fro Epting's established work on the series. And here we are...next up issue #50...can't wait. 7.5 out of 10.
Action Comics #876: Barrow's comes out of nowhere and blows the doors off action in the latest installment of Action comics. intense is an understatement really. I am literally at a loss for words here. Ever panel of this bursting with intensity the fight seen in the Fortress of Solitude is illustrated with intense dynamic power. You get a feeling crisp clear in every panel of whats at stake and power levels here. not to mention it's well rendered, easy to follow and wonderfully illustrated. the emotions are there..gesture..perfect comic art. A definite stylistic melody of the best of Reis and Pacheco. DC do what ever you can to keep this kid. He draws it, I'll buy it. Rucka does just as powerful a job with the narration and dialogue. Emotive and powerful. We hardly know these characters, but the intensity of the interaction and language brings it all together wonderfully. I love what they have done with Christopher, which is crazy, because i hated the idea of the character. Now I love him. Great job, nice ending. The Superman family of books are very strong. Your really missing a good thing if you aren't picking this book up. 9 out of 10.
Green Lantern Corps #35: Month after month Tomasi and Gleason deliver the most visceral, nuanced, character driven stories around. The Jail break on Oa, with Guy LEADING the GL's to stop all hell from breaking loose. and Yat and Arisa descending on Daxam and taking out some sinestro's and trying to inspire and educate the Xenophobic fundamentalists!!! I love Arkillo. and Finally..Sinestro on Korugar...to have a chat with his Daughter. Man this comic has it all. Action, adventure, surprise, fun....and outstanding art by Patrick Gleason. It's just beautiful stuff. Nice thick lines and organic figure work. Varied and interesting aliens. balls out action and raw displays of gore and violence. I love this comic. Another book by DC everyone should be reading. 9 out of 10
The preview of Conway and Batista's Last Days of Animal man in the back of this weeks DC titles look very good. I am definately going to give it a shot.
Amazing Spiderman #591: much more satisfying then I thought. Clever storytelling by Slott to move plot points into position and explanation of the time distortion of the Macroverse. I really enjoyed the discussion and revelation Peter and the FF have. And I found myself enjoying Slott's Thing and definitely the last few pages were a surprise, gonna be very interesting in NYC for Spidey now for certain. The art was very nice, a different cleaner style from Kitson. Which I really liked. And Eaglesham did a terrific job on his portion. I love his Harry Osborne. all in all an Enjoyable story. 7 out of 10.
Trinity #46: another solid piece by Busiek who move the good guy side of the board together in this control for the metaphysical soul of the Earth. I loved the one page sequence in the Batcave, nice touch Busiek. Bagley's art seems a little rushed and raw but still brimming with great storytelling. I also liked pulling together the events on Earth-3 and Dreambound collecting Warhound from frozen wastes. good stuff. 7.5 out of 10.
Secret Six #8: a very nice character driven interlude. Simone is magic all day on this book. I love the exploration of the burgeoning relationships. "wonderfully wicked and hilariously twisted" is an understatement. and the added bonus of Ragdoll's dream from the locked trunk of Deadshot's ride was a nice little addition. Wonderful. I love me some Jeanette. Her toe to toe with Wonder Woman? i think I saw that in Origins and omens...can't wait. The art by Jose Rodrguez is a nice fill in for Nicola Scott. His style is similar yet less refined and nuanced. He does a very nice job conveying the script with gesture and facial expression and even handles the bits of violence very nicely. Kudos for another a plus installment of the Secret six. 8 out of 10.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #3: Bedard is awesome. Vril is pulling his group together and its a joy to read. love the characterization of Vril and finding Strata and Bounder. Great characterization, fun dialogue and developments. Nice moments of acction and explanations and finally a revelation...as the Omega men come face to face with Starro? well it looks like Starro is in the body of a female Lobo..which means some dead Omega men!! The art is beautiful, clean crisp easy to follow, nice unique designs. Tremendous work by Clarke through out. The coloring also very nice and clean and makes the entire book shine. This is a great new addition to my monthly read list, I highly recommend it. 8 out of 10.
Captain America #49: Wow. What a wonderful exploration of Sharon...what is she dreaming about? I know this isn't a casual fill in...the images in her dream will be revealed. Nice touch with Falcon looking for the 50's era Cap...and where "Steve" winds up. Where is this going? The art is very nice. Luke Ross is an excellent fill in here, and with the color it continues seamlessly fro Epting's established work on the series. And here we are...next up issue #50...can't wait. 7.5 out of 10.
Action Comics #876: Barrow's comes out of nowhere and blows the doors off action in the latest installment of Action comics. intense is an understatement really. I am literally at a loss for words here. Ever panel of this bursting with intensity the fight seen in the Fortress of Solitude is illustrated with intense dynamic power. You get a feeling crisp clear in every panel of whats at stake and power levels here. not to mention it's well rendered, easy to follow and wonderfully illustrated. the emotions are there..gesture..perfect comic art. A definite stylistic melody of the best of Reis and Pacheco. DC do what ever you can to keep this kid. He draws it, I'll buy it. Rucka does just as powerful a job with the narration and dialogue. Emotive and powerful. We hardly know these characters, but the intensity of the interaction and language brings it all together wonderfully. I love what they have done with Christopher, which is crazy, because i hated the idea of the character. Now I love him. Great job, nice ending. The Superman family of books are very strong. Your really missing a good thing if you aren't picking this book up. 9 out of 10.
Green Lantern Corps #35: Month after month Tomasi and Gleason deliver the most visceral, nuanced, character driven stories around. The Jail break on Oa, with Guy LEADING the GL's to stop all hell from breaking loose. and Yat and Arisa descending on Daxam and taking out some sinestro's and trying to inspire and educate the Xenophobic fundamentalists!!! I love Arkillo. and Finally..Sinestro on Korugar...to have a chat with his Daughter. Man this comic has it all. Action, adventure, surprise, fun....and outstanding art by Patrick Gleason. It's just beautiful stuff. Nice thick lines and organic figure work. Varied and interesting aliens. balls out action and raw displays of gore and violence. I love this comic. Another book by DC everyone should be reading. 9 out of 10
The preview of Conway and Batista's Last Days of Animal man in the back of this weeks DC titles look very good. I am definately going to give it a shot.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Aris Asks Andres Ponce
Andres Ponce is currently working on pages for Tales of the TMNT and Heist(with Brendan McGinley). And has worked on Jay Faerber's Flamebirds from Image Comics.
3. What are you working on right now?
9. Words of advice to aspiring comic artists?
12. Do you like to ink?
21. Do you think you draw sexy women?
1. Who is Andres Ponce?
Penciler, sensible human being.
2. How did you get discovered?
Jay Faerber´s fault! I think that I saw a post of Jay on a forum looking for new talent.Jay gave me my first shot with a pin-up on his Noble Causes. Later we did more stuff together in the form of a pair of short stories, completed a NC mini for him when the penciler couldn't do it and a One Shot.
3. What are you working on right now?Currently I´m doing Tales of the TMNT #61, and, slowly, HEIST #2. Maybe something with Jay in the future.
4. What else have you worked on?
I started like an inker on the Graphic Novel called Diorama, inking my friend Dario Brizuela. Later came all the Noble Causes stuff and the Firebirds one shot. All that from Image. After that, jump to Mirage where I did Tales of TMNT #32 and the April:TMNT movie prequel.Also I did 10 page stories for a TMNT magazine from the UK. Here in Buenos Aires I did story boards, stuff for ads and I wrote for 6 years kiddie comics for a magazine.
5. Do you think the internet has been good for comics?
Yes, I think.
6. Which characters are you dying to draw?
Outsiders, Green Lantern Corps, maybe Superman...and…Aquaman. I´m a DC guy, you see.
7. Are there any creators you think you really want to work with besides me?
Oh, that´s a hard one :)….I love the work of Peter Tomasi and John Arcudi. Arcudi´s Doom Patrol and Aquaman were great to me. Brendan McGinley and me on Guy Gardner.
8. What are your favorite comics right now?
Green Lantern Corps, because has Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, love his art there. Outsiders, because the original team is back. Ender´s Game because I liked the story in the novel and I´m a huge Pascal Ferry fan. Shark-Man because has gorgeus art and is fun. Anything with Doug Manhke in it. Anything with Frank Quitely in it.
9. Words of advice to aspiring comic artists?Keep drawing! Never stop! What project has been your favorite to work on?I think that Star-Crossed with Brendan McGinley. It`s unfinished :P
10. Who is the toughest Ninja Turtle to draw?
Leonardo, because I always forget to draw his straps.
11. Do you do commissions?
Yeah! I do commissions, is fun and help to pay the bills.
12. Do you like to ink?I love to ink!...I rather love to ink others pencilers than myself.
13. Who do you think would ink you the best(besides me)?
Another hard one :)…I don´t know, my inking is made mostly with a brush. Any inker with a brush, I guess.
14. If you weren’t drawing comics you would be…?
I´d be working on my last job, I guess. On a Library.
15. How is working with Brendan McGinley on Heist?
Is Great! a lot of fun. Brendan is an excellent writer. He´ll be a star, sooner or later.
16. Are you worried about the value of the dollar?
Of course!
17. How long does it take you to do the average page?
One day.
18. How do you get anything done with all the distractions?
It´s a daily fight. A never ending fight. I always lose.
19. Do you consume energy drinks?
Only coffee, tea and mate cocido.
20. What three things would you want if stranded on a remote desert island?
A Porn Star, a sun-powered I-Pod and a picture of my parents.
21. Do you think you draw sexy women?I try at least :)
22. Priya Rai is very hot…is she hot enough to make you wife her, quit doing comics and settle down with 3 kids and a job at the factory?
I´m sorry for Priya but I´m useless for manual works. Barely I can use a hammer. A factory is out of question. If Priya allow me another job? Quitting comics? Hmm….
For more of Andres' art check out his blog @ http://andresponce.blogspot.com/
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Capsule Reviews 4/8/2009
Trinity #45: Morgiane Le Fay's unholy Trinity descends into chaos as they strike a deal with Krona. Enigma and Warhound get banished and Krona makes a pact with Morgaine and Despero. We also got to see the Crime Syndicate beaten by the godly Trinity and some nice developments and action when the unholy alliance falls apart. The art is tremendous, although I am not a fan of McDaniel, its a nice transition from Bagley's pages to his. And certainly, and I haven't said it enough...the coloring by Pantazis(another Greek?) are great. Bright and energetic. They do not overpower the pages with pointless textures and highlights. Another solid issue. 7.5 out of 10.
Captain Britain and MI:13# 12: Dracula on the Moon invading Britain to become ruler of the magics on Earth. I can hardly imagine any thing cooler. Cornell continues doing a great job building his story, drawing us in and throwing in some action. I really enjoyed the parts on the moon with Spitfire and Dracula. Dracula's dialogue and PoV is great. The plot rocks and I love the idea of the short lived anti vampire-invasion skull. Its Brilliant stuff. The art is also brilliant. I think Kirk delivers on every level. Great choreography and storytelling, wonderful back grounds and wide shots. The right amount of detail, and a serious knack for expression and gesture. All wrapped up in a clean, straight forward style. I really love his Dracula and the splash of the "Serpent's Crown" was very impressive as was the last page. A static splash page but still blazing with energy. I can't get over how this book stirs up all the reasons I love comics. Fun, great characterization and plot, and high energy. 8.5 out of 10.
Superman: World of Krypton #2: Wow..if this isn't a beautifully illustrated comic I don't know what is. It's off the charts amazing. I always liked Pete Woods but this is next level. Every aspect is beautiful. The designs for New Krypton, the expression, all the nuances of the Kryptonian technology and citizens. I had no idea I was going to be blown away like this. I also love the movement of the camera..tight and long shots...the two page splash. The coloring clean and pure is a great compliment to the clean open line work. Rucka and Robinson do amazing work too this issue. Really pulling you in to the Kryptonian culture, introducing characters, setting up friction within the established Kryptonian order and setting up very interesting developments. Kal-el stopped one slaughter, can he stop another? And GL showing up? How awesome will next issue be? 8 out of 10.
New Avengers #51: Bendis is possibly the best dialogue writer in comics and also at setting up interesting situations. This Sorcerer Supreme thing and Hood plot has been brewing for some time and it plays out nicely here. Strange is looking for his replacement, and Dormammu has his own under study on the Earth plane locked and loaded to take him out. The Dialogue with Wiccan in the diner is great. That character has tremendous potential. And the team meeting around the dinner table is great. I love it. And to top it off we get a great ending..that we know is really a beginning. The art chores are shared by Bachalo and Tan. Bachalo really does a wonderfully stunning graphic job with the opening and confrontation in the streets between Hood and Strange. Hood looks evil and menacing. Tan handles his part nicely as well. Nice movement and expression around the table between the Avengers. It's an issue that all talking, but still wonderfully dynamic and entertaining. I love the relationships, characterization and banter. 8 out of 10.
Green Lantern #39 :I really liked how Johns opens this up. The Controllers seeking out their own light in the Vegan System only to be ripped to shreds by the Orange of greed. And starts a chain of events that leads the Orange and Green on a direct path for a head on colission. There is a great amount of plot in this issue and we get closer and closer to Blackest Night. It also seems like Hal has the Blue ring stuck on him until he can pass it on to some one worthy. At first I was put off by Tan's art, but upon actually reading the issue I was really pulled in by it, particularly the beginning scene with Controllers nice dramatic angles and style. The problem at times are when you get large full figures. They end up stiff and awkward. But everything else was wonderful. Another outstanding chapter in the War of light. Things are really heating up...the Guardians are going to take action themselves, hopefully they will get knocked on their haughty a$$es. 9 out of 10.
Captain Britain and MI:13# 12: Dracula on the Moon invading Britain to become ruler of the magics on Earth. I can hardly imagine any thing cooler. Cornell continues doing a great job building his story, drawing us in and throwing in some action. I really enjoyed the parts on the moon with Spitfire and Dracula. Dracula's dialogue and PoV is great. The plot rocks and I love the idea of the short lived anti vampire-invasion skull. Its Brilliant stuff. The art is also brilliant. I think Kirk delivers on every level. Great choreography and storytelling, wonderful back grounds and wide shots. The right amount of detail, and a serious knack for expression and gesture. All wrapped up in a clean, straight forward style. I really love his Dracula and the splash of the "Serpent's Crown" was very impressive as was the last page. A static splash page but still blazing with energy. I can't get over how this book stirs up all the reasons I love comics. Fun, great characterization and plot, and high energy. 8.5 out of 10.
Superman: World of Krypton #2: Wow..if this isn't a beautifully illustrated comic I don't know what is. It's off the charts amazing. I always liked Pete Woods but this is next level. Every aspect is beautiful. The designs for New Krypton, the expression, all the nuances of the Kryptonian technology and citizens. I had no idea I was going to be blown away like this. I also love the movement of the camera..tight and long shots...the two page splash. The coloring clean and pure is a great compliment to the clean open line work. Rucka and Robinson do amazing work too this issue. Really pulling you in to the Kryptonian culture, introducing characters, setting up friction within the established Kryptonian order and setting up very interesting developments. Kal-el stopped one slaughter, can he stop another? And GL showing up? How awesome will next issue be? 8 out of 10.
New Avengers #51: Bendis is possibly the best dialogue writer in comics and also at setting up interesting situations. This Sorcerer Supreme thing and Hood plot has been brewing for some time and it plays out nicely here. Strange is looking for his replacement, and Dormammu has his own under study on the Earth plane locked and loaded to take him out. The Dialogue with Wiccan in the diner is great. That character has tremendous potential. And the team meeting around the dinner table is great. I love it. And to top it off we get a great ending..that we know is really a beginning. The art chores are shared by Bachalo and Tan. Bachalo really does a wonderfully stunning graphic job with the opening and confrontation in the streets between Hood and Strange. Hood looks evil and menacing. Tan handles his part nicely as well. Nice movement and expression around the table between the Avengers. It's an issue that all talking, but still wonderfully dynamic and entertaining. I love the relationships, characterization and banter. 8 out of 10.
Green Lantern #39 :I really liked how Johns opens this up. The Controllers seeking out their own light in the Vegan System only to be ripped to shreds by the Orange of greed. And starts a chain of events that leads the Orange and Green on a direct path for a head on colission. There is a great amount of plot in this issue and we get closer and closer to Blackest Night. It also seems like Hal has the Blue ring stuck on him until he can pass it on to some one worthy. At first I was put off by Tan's art, but upon actually reading the issue I was really pulled in by it, particularly the beginning scene with Controllers nice dramatic angles and style. The problem at times are when you get large full figures. They end up stiff and awkward. But everything else was wonderful. Another outstanding chapter in the War of light. Things are really heating up...the Guardians are going to take action themselves, hopefully they will get knocked on their haughty a$$es. 9 out of 10.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Aris Asks John Layman
And I kick off the interviews with John Layman. As you may know he has started pimping his upcoming book from Image called Chew. And it really sounds and looks fantastic. He also recently launched the website http://www.chewcomic.com/ make sure to visit as him and Rob Guillory will be updating and the art is really too delicious(I made a funny…delicious…Chew…get it?) to miss.
And in case you didn't know he was trained by the late great Bruce Lee himself(not really).
1. What's up with the Lego?
1. What's up with the Lego?
They are the single greatest thing in creation, and I have a collection that will blow your mind, and make you weep with envy.
2. John Layman in a sentence?
Layman!!!
3. What's Chew?
An upcoming image comic about a federal agent who gets psychic impressions from the things he eats, and consequently, he eats a lot of terrible things in order to solve crimes.
4. Are you sticking with that Logo?
More or less. Artist Rob Guillory has made some minor tweaks to it, but I’m pretty happy with it. It was designed by Tom B. Long of Tombgraphics, an ex-WildStormer and IDW employee who does coloring and design work. Whassamatter? Don’t you like the logo?
5. How far into Chew are you now?
Writing issue #6, Rob is penciling issue #4. Issue #1 comes out June 3rd, so we’re in pretty good shape.
6. When are you going to send out some preview pages?
Soon. In the meantime, check out http://www.chewcomic.com/
7. Why Rob Guillory?
Coz he is awesome, fast, a great storyteller, a phenomenal colorist and one smart dude.
8. 3 reasons we should pick Chew are?
1. Great art. 2. Great story. 3. And REALLY great lettering!
9. Chew takes off, what's next?
Keep it going until the end, which is at least 25 issues. Possibly more.
10. What else have you done?
Well, the thing that sold the most of Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness, but I’ve written Scarface, Xena, Thundercats, Gambit, Sentinel Squad O*N*E, Puffed, Bay City Jive, Armageddon & Son… and some other stuff. Oh, and video games like Metriod Hunters, Marvel Trading Card Game, Soldier of Fortune 3, and, currently, Champions Online.
11. Book at Marvel or DC that could lure you away from creator owned projects?
Eh. Nothing really, at the moment. I’d like to write X-Men, like to write Plastic Man. But enough to pull me away from Chew? Not a damn thing.
12. If you weren't working in comics you would?
Probably write video games, which is my day job. Though I’m also of the opinion I’d be a mighty fine trucker or caged arena fighter.
13. Word on internets is you lost a lot of weight...how did you do it?
Running three and a half miles a day, every evening while I watch a section of a movie, or a bit of TV.
14. Do you think you can keep it off?
Probably not, but I am trying. I am actually blowing off running to answer these stupid questions, so if I blow up, it’s your fault, dick.
15. Did it have anything to do with some comments on Millarworld?
I post there occasionally. I was one of the original members. Mark and I go way back, back to when I was an editor with him on Authority, back before he was a comic book superstar and darling of Hollywood. I enjoy posting on his forum. I kinda play a wizened mentor role to a lot of the mixed-up kids that post there, particularly on the politics forum. A lot of them don't really understand how the world works, so they look to me for guidance.
16. Who do you love more Reggie(cat) or Carter(son)?
Is that really a fair question?
17. With all your hobbies, how do you find time to write?
Most of the hobbies have been sidelined. The Legos have gone into storage, so they don’t get eaten, lost or destroyed by a two year old. I rarely play video games, where I used to routinely finish them— except for an occasional round of World of Warcraft, and I’ve got an enormous stack of comics I’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t yet gotten around to.
18. Married to Tom Peyer. Does Carter call him daddy?
When we visit Vermont he does.
19. Who is your personal hero?
Jim Henson, John Ritter and Phil Hartman
20. Best comic you have ever written?
Whatever is the most recent. In this case, Chew #5.
21. Boxers or briefs?
Freestyle, baby!
22. Creator you are jealous of?
I dunno. Everybody who is more successful than me in comics—and that’s pretty much everybody!
23. Creator you would stop everything to work with?
Maybe Frank Quitely, or John Cassaday.
24. Spongebob Squarepants vs. Bugs Bunny?
Both
25. Do you still have Obamamania?
Who doesn’t?
I look forward to your comments..and remember to check out http://www.chewcomic.com/
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