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.

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!!!

Aris Asks Gerry Conway

Gerry Conway is currently writing The Last Days of Animal Man due out form DC in May with Chris Batista. Gerry also co-created the Punisher and Firestorm the Nuclear Man and has written just about every title over his career including the best team book ever written (my opinion) Justice League of America #200!

1. You have written so many comics I love..just wanted to get that out of the way. Did you always want to work in comics?

I started writing and drawing my own comics when I was ten or eleven years old, soon after reading Fantastic Four No. 4, so I guess, yes, I always wanted to write comics.

2. Who were some creators who inspired you to write?

Stan Lee and Gardner Fox were my earliest inspirations in comics; Robert Heinlein was a science fiction writer I admired from an early age.

3. You scripted one of the best known Spider-man stories, the Death of Gwen Stacy, what are you thoughts on that now looking back?

Oh, gosh. I've talked about this so much elsewhere. At the time, it was just a story, and I tried to write it as well as I could. Looking back, it's pretty clear to me it was a turning point in comics, a demarcation line of sorts. But it wasn't intended to be that way.

4. How do you feel about the recent Brand New Day event that reset Spidey continuity and "Mephisted" his marriage away?

Well, it sounds like they wrote themselves into a corner, by marrying Peter and Mary Jane, and had to get themselves out of it somehow. I expect one day we'll see the same thing happen with Superman. These things are bad ideas, generally. Robin never marries Marion; Tristan doesn't get Isolode; Romeo and Juliet don't live happily ever after. Romances in serial fiction should never reach the natural climax; when they do, they cease to be romances and become something else that may or may not be useful for a character.

5. Continuity seemed pretty important growing up reading comics, has that changed? or am I just imagining it?

Comics are a niche market in print, but a major cultural touchstone in other ways. The actual comic book has less and less relevance as such, but the creations the comics produce are more and more important, outside the actual publications.

6. How did you come up with the Punisher?

I needed a secondary villain for a continuing storyline I was developing with the Jackal. I honestly thought he'd be a one-shot, throwaway character, patterned after some popular vigilante-style anti-heroes that were around at the time. In the writing, though, he became something more.

7. When you and Ross Andru came up with him...did you imagine he would be as popular as he has become?

Nope.

8. Did you see Punisher: War Zone? (I liked it by the way)

I haven't seen any of the Punisher films. Don't want to salt the wound.

9. You wrote the first official DC/Marvel crossover Superman vs the Amazing Spiderman, which I still own and love, how did you get involved with that?

When I went over to DC after several years at Marvel, DC's publisher, Carmine Infantino, saw me as a "catch" and wanted to use me on a high profile project. He and Stan Lee had just agreed to the first cross-company project, and under the terms of their agreement, DC got to pick the writer and Marvel got to pick the artist. I was jazzed to get the assignment, as a fan and as a writer.

10. You created Firestorm too!! Wow, another long time fave of mine. How did you come up with the Nuclear man?

I wanted to create a superhero who was just an "ordinary" kid -- not a brain like Peter Parker, just a regular teen. I'd played around with flaming characters before ("Firelord" in Thor comes to mind) and wanted to do something similar. I also liked the idea of updating the Captain Marvel "Shazam" shtick -- and then there was the notion of giving Firestorm a secondary personality in Professor Stein, who'd comment on what Ronnie was trying to do, etc. Just wanted to have fun.

11. You have done a lot of writing work, how does writing for the small screen, novels, or big screen compare to your love of comics?

Well, I seem to have far more freedom to do what I want in comics than I ever had writing in film or television. Writing novels is also liberating, but it requires far more concentration and commitment than I seem capable of producing these days.

12. Fire and Ice too!, I loved that, I was a rabid Dungeons and Dragons nut, that's a cult hit, do you think it stands up today?

Haven't seen it in twenty years, so I have no idea. I wasn't that happy with the final product at the time, though.

13. What about Conan the destroyer?

Same.

14. Looking back at your work in comics what would you say is the work you are the most proud of?

My run on Spider-Man, my run on Batman and Detective, and my run on JLA.

15. You have the Last Days of Animal Man coming out this May, how did you get involved with the project?

I pitched an idea to Joey Cavalieri about a hero reaching the end of his time as a super-powered being, and coming to terms with that. Joey suggested Animal Man as the hero, and we set the story in the future so it wouldn't interfere with regular DC continuity.

16. Can you tell us a little about the story?

It'll be out this month, buy it and see for yourself! Hehe.

17. Will there be any thing in it from the Vertigo Animal Man series?

I touch on some elements from that series, but this is intended as a straight-forward story, not a story about a story.

18. Are you providing fully scripted Animal Man plots for Chris to draw?

Yes.

19. Brian Bolland is doing beautiful cover work (as he did on the Vertigo series), do you provide input for the cover designs?

I do.

20. Will $3.99 comics be the end of the monthly floppy?

Beats me; I thought 25 cents was more than kids should pay, and we passed that marker lonnnnnng ago.

21. Will the digital format be comics savior?

Your guess is as good as mine.

22. Any advice you for aspiring comic creators?

Don't take no for an answer.

23. What is next for Gerry Conway?

I'll let you know when I know!

24. This isn't a question but you have also worked on some of my favorite show..I heart you!!!

Back at you!

Make sure to pick up the Final Day for Animal Man from DC due out on May 27th. And thanks Gerry you really have written some of the comics that have kept me a fan of capes all these years.

Kieran Asks Aris!

Aris Asks will now do a special guest interview with the creator of the blog that is the hottest property in the world of comics right now. Aristides Iliopolous. (thanks but I am not sure anyone knows this blog exists!)
Special guest interview by Kieran Beech

1. Aris lets start with the all important questions, Where did the idea for this blog come from? Also can you give the new readers and the current fans an insight to what they can expect this blog to bring in the coming months?

I was thinking about the whole 20 question meme on Facebook and thought fans like me might be interested in seeing creators answer questions about comics, art, and other stuff in the format.

More interviews, more reviews, hopefully more content if I can sucker a few people to do some columns.

2. Right, when did you first pick up a comic?

Mid 70's. I remember riding around with my mom in Queens in her Lincoln mark V with the whitewalls and stopping in shops and just picking up comics off a spinning rack. It was awesome back then, they had the huge treasury sized stuff, comic records and of course the great Famous Monsters magazine. I used to eat the stuff up. I was lucky to have a mom who indulged me so much.

3. What is your favourite comic?

Of all time? Probably Micronauts...or ROM(Marvel get to stepping on that relaunch!). But if you are asking specific issues....it's either the anniversary Justice League of America #200, the best Superheroes ever, it has it all or Silver Surfer #4..Thor vs Silver Surfer.

4. What comics are you currently reading?

I am really enjoying a lot of books right now. Captain Britain, Secret Six, GLC, Hercules and the Superman books are really exciting. Any one not buying these books are missing some great comic fun.

5. Name three comics you would recommend to new readers of comics?

Captain Britain and MI:13, Dynamo 5 and Hercules.

6. Who are your current top 5 writers?

Millar is doing amazing work on FF and Old Man Logan may be the best Wolverine story in the last 10 years. Paul Cornell is just perfect. Christos Gage gets it(he is a name every one needs to get familiar with). Why these two guys aren't saving the X-franchise I have no idea(wake up Marvel). Tomasi, is really kicking a$$ on GLC, and finally Bendis who does the best dialogue ever. I really Like Johns, Busiek and Van Lente as well.

And Layman. You all need to get CHEW when it comes out.

7. Now artists?

Doug Mahnke is for me the top dog right now. He is just stylistically dynamic and powerful. Any thing he does I will buy, you should too. Plus he could probably pick me up and throw me like a ragdoll. The guy power lifts! Cully Hamner. Guy is so smooth and slick. And really, if you read Mosiac it's hard to believe it;s the same artist. But he is amazing. Coipel. Just beautiful, guy is energetic. Ed McGuinness, thick and bold. He is a modern stylistic master, effortless blending anime and comics into a powerful superdeform fun fest. Patrick Gleason. The guys is amazing. He never ceases to amaze me how handles violence and action.

8. Out in the comic book world now, which up and comer, current professional, or legend would you most like to collaborate with?

Up and comer..probably 2 people you haven't heard of. Keith Conroy. He is probably the BEST artist no one has ever heard of. Works in animation. He is my THAT GIRL artist. Eventually we will get to it. And if you haven't his art your really missing out. We have been friends since college. Christopher Copeland. I discovered this guys blog and I have never seen another artist meld comics, anime and graf. It's beautiful to behold. If I could get him to draw Jurassic it would sell gangbusters. Seek these guys out. They are both amazing.

I'll add Adrian Barrios. Another animator. The guy is amazing.

Pro...Doug Mahnke or Cully Hamner. Inks by Mark Morales and colors by Kanilla Tripp.

9. You have previously asked about Colourists and inkers, do you have any favourites?

Inker..right now...Mark Morales. Another guy I knew in college..he was born to ink. he slick lines he uses are second to none. Back in the day Karl Kesel and Joe Rubenstein.

Colorists. Kanilla Tripp and Crabtree. Both are so amazing with nice clean shades and pure perfect selections. I hate guys that are too digital and look like they went bananas with the burn tool.

11. Now I know you have a particular thing for Rom, but which other characters do you like the most?

I am a big fan of Hercules. And his book is awesome. I also love Namor, who is underrated and rarely put to good use. At DC it's all about Black Adam and Aquaman.

12. For those of the readers who don't know what the SFL is explain to them why Guy Gardner would beat the living daylights out of the Hulk?

He's Guy Gardner. What's the Hulk, a big strong guy in dirty purple pants?

13. Moving along... I myself have talked to you, about my own love for the penciled page of sequential art from THAT GIRL, that was posted on http://www.blogger.com/www.arisverse.blogspot.com, can you tell everyone else whats happening with this project?

Not much. Keith Conroy my partner is busy at work in animation. I am sure when his time frees up he will get to the pages. I tried to find an artist before, but it was a bad idea. This is Keith's book.

14. Are there any other projects you are willing to discuss that are in development?

I wish I had more to say. Jurassic, That Girl and Trio are on hiatus until I can get some one to handle art duties.

15. Which company out of these for would you most like to work with or for, Wildstorm, Image, DC or Marvel?

DC or Marvel. One of the big teams. JLA or Avengers. Big stories, the universe hanging in the balance every time, with a lot of character and relationship building along the way.

I have a Super-adaptoid/Cosmic Cube story I have been dying to do with the Avengers. And for the JLA I have always wanted to do a story with Despero really unleashing him and making him a force of nature rather then a intergalactic megalomaniac which is mostly what he is now.

Of course those that know me and see my rantings know I am dying to do Aquaman and do a mini staring Argonaut, that character has untapped potential to be everything a Mythic Superman should be. Picture Herc mixxed with Supes battling giant monsters and mystical creatures on behalf of the gods and your close.

16. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Pining away on my blog and ranting about comics on the internets. But you never know I may surprise you. :)

17. Do the kids like comics as much as there dad?

Not a chance. My kids are too busy with High School Musical and video games. No time for comics. Believe me I try. I don't know who is gonna end up with my collection? Have any space in your attic?

18. Apart from internet ranting, working, writing, drawing and spending time with the kids, what else do you like to do?

I have 5 kids...it's hard to find time for anything else. :)

Cook and eat. Mostly eat. A lot. :) I exercise but not like I used to, but do some push-ups and sit-ups every day.

19. Which comics are hot on your demand list?

Thor, Cap, Superman books, Herc, Gl titles, JSA, New Avengers, Invincible.

20. Whats your favourite film?

If it's one. it's the Original Star Wars(a New Hope). Then Halloween. Then Meatballs. Then the Godfather. :) And from there Conan the Barbarian, Superman 1 and 2, and Bachelor Party.

21. Whats your favourite game of now, and your favourite classic game?

Pitfall. Endless side-scrolling fun and mindless game chirps. Watch out for the alligators!!!

22. You asked Sarah Horrocks whether she was a geek, she answered that she that's she is more a not so overtly nerd. What about you Geek or Nerd?

Geek. I am not smart enough to be a Nerd.

23. Anything else you would like to say to the readers?

Come to the blog. Be nice to people. Eat your veggies. :...oh...BUY MORE COMICS!!!

Please come back and check http://www.arisasks.blogspot.com/ for more interviews, reviews and updates. Tell a friend!!!

And a special thatnks to Kieran for doing the interview!!!

Chew production art up at CBR!

Great stuff to whet your appetite as we wait for Chew to be released in Jun.

Take a look, it is tremendous. I am looking forward to this book big time.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21021

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.

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.

Aris Asks Todd Gross

Todd Gross is a regular at the Millaworld forums, and all around nice guy. He is known for finding pictures of comic fans on the internet and using them to great comic effect...and he is also an all around good guy.






1. When did you start reading comics?

I think my parents bought me comics when I was maybe around 4 (1972). Growing up, I read Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America and Thor. I had a few DC comics but one of my favorite books was Batman: 30s – 70s. I think I wore that book out. Another was Jules Pfeiffer's The Great Comic Book Heroes.

2. Who are your favorite characters?

My favorite character is the Punisher. I own almost every comic book appearance he has ever made. Spider-Man is also a favorite. I have a special place in my heart for Batman.


3. are you a DC guy or Marvel Zombie?

Make Mine Marvel! :D

Seriously, I prefer Marvel because that is what I grew up with but I will read books from any company if project interests me.



4. any aspirations about being a comic creator?

Nah. I prefer reading comics

5. And who are your favorite creators?

My all-time favorite artist is John Romita, Sr. I also like Skottie Young, Sean Phillips, Esad Ribic and Steve McNiven. Carmine Di Giandomenico did some absolutlely brilliant work on Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock and Magneto: Testament. A very underrated artist.


When it comes to writers, I like Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman and Greg Pak. And of course, John Steele Layman.

6. Are the $3.99 comics signaling the end of the floppy?

It is signaling the end of me buying the floppy. I have been cutting back on books because of the higher price and only purchasing select $3.99 titles. As to the future, I think we are reaching a ceiling of what the majority of comic buyers will pay for 32 pages per month.


Given the current economic times and the near future, I can see people dropping floppies due to the high price. Now is the time for the companies to begin transitioning readers to a digital format.

7. Do you think it's inevitable that digital comics replace the floppy?

I think at some point in the not so distant future that digital comics will be the standard form. I think floppies will be used as promotional pieces, marketing giveaways and special prestige projects. Companies can still collect their online issues into trades. That said, I think digital comics still have to get some kinks out before they truly take over.


I think comics will evolve when they go online. Hyperlinks to back issues and character/plot information and animation. In 10+ years, digital comics will be very different beasts from their print ancestors.

8. What are the best comics your reading now?

Scalped, Criminal, Air, Incognito, Northlanders, Glamourpuss and a bunch of Marvel books

9. what do you think about the term "event fatigue"?

I’m tired of it! ;)

I understand why the Big 2 do events regularly but I would like to see a two year gap from the last issue of one event to the first issue of the next. I think it would give books plenty of time to explore changes and lay groundwork for the next one that doesn’t feel rushed.

10. Who would win in a fight John Layman or Archonis?

The viewing public.

11. Your predictions about Chew?

It will be discovered to be the cause of the swine flu outbreak and make cannibalism fashionable again. Everything balances out.


12. You pretty much start off all the new comic threads with a theme or gimmick at Millarworld, always very funny, how do you come up with those?

Sometimes I will see a picture that sets that just screams a particular idea. Other times, a last minute inspiration hits me. It gets harder and harder each week though some weeks, it all comes together in my head days before I post it.


13. Your votes in the MW-SFL (Super hero fantasy league) are horrible and obviously biased against DC characters why is that?

I go with who I think would win the fight. I look at each fight on its own merits. Some are very close and it doesn’t always go the Marvel way. Besides, all the other teams are better than yours! :P

14. Do you think at this point you can justify me ever sharing my home made Eggrolls with you?

I have been horribly abused by Layman. Pity me!


15. Do you frequent other comicbook related forums?

I have accounts at some other boards but I rarely go to them. I like Millarworld because it is not limited to just comics. There are times I think I post more in Current Affairs and the Pub than the Comic forum.

16. Do you use any comic related news sites like Comic Book Resources or Newsarama?

I used to go to Newsarama daily but when they changed their site, it put me off though I still visit it occasionally. I go Comic Book Resources daily.

17. Are you on Facebook just to find compromising pictures of comic fans to use for your comedic pleasure?

No, but I do take advantage of that. At Millarworld, we used to have threads of pictures where we would post pictures of ourselves and I mined the hell out of them. As I friended more Millarworlders on Facebook, the riper the fields became. And for the record, I have only a literal handful of pictures saved of Millarworlders. I get 99% of them from Facebook and Millarworld itself.


18. Barry is back as the Flash(one of many) what are your thoughts on that?

Barry was the Flash I knew growing up. When I got back into comics in the late 80s, Wally was the Flash. While I did pick up some stories with Wally and enjoyed them, he never really clicked with me. He wasn’t my Flash.

That said, I am still not convinced bringing back was the best idea though with Geof Johns behind it, I think it will turn out pretty good.

19. Do you care that the last part of Old Man Logan by Millar and McNiven are coming out after the issue of Wolverine it is supposed to be in front of number wise?

While a bit silly on Marvel’s part, it really doesn’t matter that much to me.

20. Do you think John Voulieris really gets all those girls?

I think when Johnny Vee to the modern Fonzie. All he has to do is walk into a room and the hot ladies run to him to inhale his musk.

21. Do you think Continuity matters any more, or are self contained Start, middle, finish comics are better?

I am not as obsessed about continuity as I used to unless it is something glaringly done with no explanation. As long as the story is good, that is all that should matter.

22. Do you think that American comics could survive mimicking the Manga model?

If Marvel were to make a paradigm shift with their entire line, it might be successful. To me though, it would delay the inevitable move to digital.

23. DC is trying something called Wednesday Comics, kind of like a Sunday comics format, have you heard of it? are you willing to give it a try?

I have heard about it but it doesn’t grab me. I will say I really admire DC for trying this and hope it is successful. I think the companies need to experiment with formats because they could open up great new avenues of storytelling. That is something that may help them to survive in print form as prestige projects once digital comics become the norm.

24. Who do you think has a better chance of becoming a mod at Millarworld forums, you or me?

Me, of course! I’m the better speller.


Todd is all over Facebook and chances are he is pilfering your photos to use when you least expect it.

Comics Capsule Reviews 4/22/2009

Trinity #47: A wild ride as the Trinity face off against Krona and his cronies (Morgana and Despero). It's a huge mega fight, with allies coming from adjacent Earth's to help defeat the Dark Trinity. Good dialogue and progression by Busiek and great art by Bagely. The secondary story is interesting. Luthor has the plan that can help the trinity gain the upper hand and actually set things right. Nice Dialogue and narration. Not a big fan of Derenick, the figures are awfully bug and hyper muscled and some what awkward. But the story is very interesting. We are closing on the end game and there are plenty of players in place. Great job by all involved. 7.5 out of 10.



Supergirl #40: someone give Gates and Igle a gold star. Excellent issue. Balls out action and intrigue. Reactron is a mailto:d!@. Great fight between the two as Supergirl unravels the mystery of Superwoman. Twists, turns and drama galore. Next issue is gonna really be tremendous. I hope Supergirl stops Superwoman from running around killing people. The art is great. Igle is really a master of the craft of comic art. Great action and super powered fisticuffs in Metropolis. Great character work. And really nice backgrounds and layouts. Really fantastic storytelling. The coloring not so much. It is amateurish and a digital mess of highlights and fades. The book should be brighter. Its an unnecessary distraction from the great art Igle is presenting. Still the book is a great read every month and the certainly the best Supergirl I have ever read. 8 out of 10



Hulk #11: FUN. Balls out fun. I just decided to go for the ride. The classic Defenders line up snatched out of time by the Elders to take on their opposite the Offenders. And it is awesome fun indeed. Kudos to Loeb for the Coney Island Cyclone comic thrill ride. Great faces offs and turns as Galactus, Dommamu, and the Psycho-Man add a twist to the main event. Great art by the modern master McGinness. Thick, stylized lines and great expression and action. inked perfectly by Vines and colored beautifully by Guru EFX(that's a studio I guess?). Its a beautiful fun flurry of action and big time cartoon drama. A+. 9 out of 10



Amazing Spiderman #592: Wow. McKone is an amazing Spider-artist. I just love it. He was always good but since he joined the Spidey cabal after BND he has been at another level. he nails the costume and movement perfectly. Nice detailed backgrounds, fluid transitions and layouts. Great characterization and expression..which he nails throughout this issue...especially the naughty last page. Shame on you Mark Waid. Waid delivers a tremendous issue full for rich characters and dialogue. I love it. a great issue, kick yourself for staying away from the best Spidey in 15 years. 8.5 out of 10.



Mighty Avengers #25: Way too silly. The writing is down right silly. I think outside of a few moments most of the characters I have been reading for close to 30 years sound nothing like they are supposed to. Pietro like a high school hot head? Pym was completely off. The dialogue was terrible, especially the childish nature of the CABAL's interaction. These are the Earth's power elite of villains? And the thing with Loki/Wanda? Orchestrating things is horrible. It has never been in her nature to lead or plot. Its a complete departure from her characters. Other then that the issue managed to be fun and full of action. The art was definitely an improvement. I actually like Sandoval's version of the Pym "Wasp" outfit, and he really brought some serious dynamic energy to the action. Even the static talking heads stuff was great. I think there are a few tweaks needed. One that's a horrible design for Quicksilver. It sucks. What's with the "darker" green half moon and the awkward silver bolt? Someone needs to fix that ASAP as well as remember what his hair is supposed to look like. Second...the inking. The lines where very week and sometimes incomplete. Thinker outlines would have really made Sandoval's figures pop off the page. The major problem i have with the book...it doesn't feel Mighty any more. 6 out of 10.


New Avengers #52: Ok. Aside from that NOT being the Son-of-Satan...Bendis delivered another kick-ass issue of New avengers. I have to admit the dialogue is wonderful. Fun, character driven..clever. The bit with Clint and Bucky getting Spidey on the Quinjet was brilliant comic banter. You get all that fun and a really solid bit of action as Strange tells of his encounter with the Hood in smalltown New Jersey. Great stuff...and I loved the few pages of the Hood with Madame Masque (she has got to be super hot! LOL). This story is really building for me, a face of with Dormammu...these guys are gonna need some serious fire power. The art was very good, great transition from the powerfully stylized Bachalo to the loose line work of Tan. Both do an amazing job here...although I will say Tan much have been rushed. He can be a little messy, but some of his work here is more messy then usual. Even with that that...the entire issue is dynamic. great job guys. 8.5 out of 10

Incredible Hercules #128: Oh i so enjoy this comic. I will start with the art. Clean, open lined brilliance. This Dietrich Smith is new to me, but he can draw a comic. Great action and expression. Incredible layouts and dynamism. Good detail. This was a wonderful super fight handled like a true pro. Kudos to Marvel for adding this guy to the Herc line up. He is amazing. Pak and Van Lente deliver big. the Olympus group vs the (dark) Avengers vs Herc and friends. Fun and clever. Great dialogue and a hell of a last page. Heh. Very funny. But what i loved is Herc. Tossing around the big yellow pretty boy Sentry like a ragdoll. Awesome. This comic remains one of the pieces of joy in my comic stack every week. I really recommend it. Clever, fun and action packed, I hope it never ends. 9 out of 10

Thor #601: as much as I love it. It lacks something without Coipel on art chores. This is his book. Not that Djurdjevic is bad, his previous issues were excellent...but this is a rough, maybe rushed for him. Things look awkward and off.Still he delivers good storytelling and drama. I certainly like his Doom. JMS brings us another powerful chapter in this mythic version of the Thor series. Its funny Hercules is pure comics with myth thrown in for flavor, and this is mythic storytelling using comic. there is a difference, not sure I am explaining it. But both are great. but different. I love the dialogue between Doom, Baldur and Loki. And Loki going to Blake. the best part...I believe the Executioner will be back. 8 out of 10.

Aris Asks Chris Eliopoulos

Chris Eliopoulos is creator of his own web strip Misery Loves Herman, long time professional letter extraordinaire and writer of the the up coming Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers (how awesome is that!) from Marvel in May 2009.

1. Where would the world be without the Greeks?

Without democracy amongst a million other things. :)

2. My last name is Iliopoulos, similar, are we related?

Could be.

3. Lets start out with Pet Avengers (because it's awesome!), how did you come up with the concept?

My editor at Marvel said he wanted me to come up with a book about Lockjaw and a bunch of other animals. I picked out which animals I wanted to use and got to work.

4. When you pitched it, did any one look at you strange?

I think there were a few up at Marvel who wondered if I lost my mind, but enough thought it was fun and an interesting take of the Marvel U.

5. How did you pick your team? Is Lockjaw actually the leader?

Lockjaw sets this book in motion and he and Frog Thor co-lead. I really went through the list of all the Marvel animals and picked out which ones I thought were cool or might play well off each other.

6. Can you tell us anything about the series that haven't been addressed in the solicits?

I can't say too much, but I will say that a character may die.

7. Anything else out there from Marvel that has you doing writing duty?

I just finished writing the framing sequences for the Marvel Assistant Editor's book and I still write and draw Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius 4 times a year.

8. When did you start reading comics?

I mostly read comic strips, never really read comic books except Richie Rich, Casper, etc. as a kid. Never got into the super hero books much.

9. Right now what are some titles you are really enjoying?

Honestly, I have so little time, I don't really keep up on anything.
Usually I'll find stuff at the bookstores and buy collections. Also really enjoying webcomics now.

10. Now that you are writing are there any artists or projects you are dying to get your hands on?

I tend to lean toward non-mainstrean (superhero) books. I like doing these fringe books, so I just keep trying to come up with new things in the Marvel U to play with.

11. How did you get into Lettering?

I got an internship at Marvel in college, was hired when I graduated and one of my friends taught me how to letter. I had studied type and graphic design, so it seemed a natural fit. I moved into the lettering department and a few years later I went freelance and have been ever since.

12. You created the fonts Marvel uses digitally now, can you explain what that means?

All the fonts anyone uses on a computer were created using a font-creation program like Fontographer. I've made a large amount that look like hand lettering and sound effects. Me and the people who work for me use them to letter the Marvel comics you know and love.

13. For a split second, when you were doing that, were you worried you would be out of work?

Well, I created the fonts for myself and my team. Marvel has licensed a few of them, but I've had a very good relation with Marvel and they have always done well by me. So, I don't think I was worried much.

14. With the increased use of digital media for lettering, inking, coloring and effects do you think any of the craft or artistry is being lost in comics?

Nope. I just think they are new tools. It's the people who use them and how they use them that make the difference. Just like computer animation is only as good as the people making the films, some people can do great work in comics on the computer and others can just be bad. It's the people, not the tools.

15. Why do you think Larsen wanted you to letter Dragon so long the traditional way?

He loves the traditional way. It's his right as a creator to do what he wants on his book. Just like on my webcomic, I letter it by hand, draw in brush and ink and do my Marvel work on the computer. On my work, I can do what makes me happy and so does Erik. I think he just happens to really like the organic feel of hand lettering and, personally, I think it goes better with his art.

16. People should really check out Misery Loves Sherman, can you tell us how this strip came about?

I've always wanted to do a daily strip and I've come close to syndication, but I felt that the opportunities in the newspaper market were drying up and I saw a lot of successful creators doing webcomics and felt that this may be the future of cartoons. So, I work on the idea, wrote it, drew it, got a webpage and started posting a strip every weekday. It's great in that the web cuts out the middleman--no syndicate, no editor, no distributor. Just you and your audience. Seems real pure.

17. Greatest comics strip of all time?

Krazy Kat, Barnaby, Pogo, Peanuts, Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbs.

18. With the decline of newspaper circulation, what do you think strip creators like yourself can do to get your projects out there?

Move to the web. I have plans to do my own kids book and instead of going to publishers right away, I'm going to post to the web and when it's done, offer it to publishers. Web strips seems to be growing and improving. The cream is rising to the top and the really professional creators are gathering audiences. It's like being a part of the original astronaut corp. This is the ground floor.

19. You have been doing stories about Franklin Richards for some time now, how did you get that going?

A number of years ago, I pitched the idea to Marvel's publisher and it was rejected. I mentioned it to C.B. Cebulski a year later and they loved it and we got started on it. At first Franklin was a back up feature, but people seemed to like it enough to warrant a full comic and we've been going strong since.

20. Do you think comic strip sensibilities are appreciated by the "capes" comic book audience?

Not really, but the goal of Franklin is not to go after the people who already read comics, but those who don't. It's designed to get children reading and parents having something they can read with them. We, as an industry, have to reach out to new markets to keep growing.

21. What are the greatest influences on your work over all?

Charles Schulz, Walt Kelly, Berkley Breathed, Bill Watterson, Erik Larsen.

22. What are the chances of an all Greek creator comic coming out from DC(Wonder Woman) or Marvel(Hercules)? Don't you think that would be crack the internets in half huge?

It could happen--wait I write, draw and letter Franklin. Does that count?

23. Back to Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers(because it is AWESOME!), is it set in continuity?

Yup.

24. Chances of a series of events starring the Pet Avengers like Marvel has been doing with their Galactic characters since Annihilation?

Anything is possible. If Marvel feels it's something they want to publish, it will be done.

25. Any parting advice for the guys and girls out there who dream of being a being a comic creator?

Stop trying to break into Marvel or DC and create your own work. Use the web--it's much cheaper than paying for printing. When you're good enough, the Marvel's and DCs will be grabbing you.

Please check out more of Chris' strip at http://www.miserylovessherman.com/ it is constantly hilarious and make sure to pick up Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers9because it's AWESOME! :) out in May from Marvel Comic.