So far Batman #701 is my MotW. I'm loving this RIP/FC crossover. It feels like a "behind the scenes" sort of story. The whole "30 Days to Omega" thing is pretty sweet. Its impending doom to something we already know about.
Gotta say though, my favorite part was Superman on the big screen. "We need you on this." Its like... god stuff is happening. Galactic level crap. And who do they need? A mortal. They need the Batman.
I didn't like how he said "I've tried so ahrd to earn their respect"
He doesn't need their respect and it doesn't seem at all like him to actually work at earning it.
I thought it was in character. Basically I took it as him saying that he has worked so hard to become the Batman that when a galactic level crisis is happening, that the most powerful men on Earth come to him for help and he has nothing super to offer.
Another way of putting it is this: Batman is so awesome that he doesn't need super powers and the guys that do have super powers respect him that much that they invite him along on their big boy adventures.
@Doug: I will be grabbing it and Orc Stain tomorrow along with my other books
Nice. I am going to the store today. Orc Stain is really awesome from what I have read, looking forward to more of that. Stoko is one of my favorites, dude is awesome as hell.
Some great comics came out this week. Here are a few.
Darwyn Cooke's The Man With the Getaway Face, based on Richard Stark's novel, is a great read from start to finish. It's really interesting to see how tightly Cooke compressed the book, while still maintaining the spirit of it. The book is, as Cooke describes it in the forward, an "oversized, underpriced bitchslap," at just two dollars, for twenty-five pages of super-sized art. Really, check it out if you read last year's Parker: The Hunter, wanted to check it out but never got around to it, or just like good art.
Here in the opening pages, Cooke does a call-back to The Hunter, which had a page of Parker looking at himself in the mirror. After receiving plastic surgery, most of his face is different, but his intense eyes remain the same.
Also, I just fucking love Cooke's linework. Look at how he breaks up the lines on the spring-arm attached to the mirror, completing them with color.
Girl Comics #3 opens with a good Jubilee/Wolverine team-up story, written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sara Pichelli, both of whom have really quickly established themselves as creators to follow. I don't think Pichelli's art looks as good here as did in the Namora one-shot she did, but the sketchier feel does lend itself to the gritty, urban story she and Liu are telling here.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #18 seems like a step down in quality from past issues, and it doesn't help that it picks up a major event from a totally unrelated comic without any explanation. But Bedard continues to weave a bunch of disparate plot threads together while still juggling a huge cast, and launching his own little self-contained mini-event, The Sons of Brainiac. The whole thing's beautifully drawn by Claude St. Aubin, who crams detail and background into every panel, but sometimes chooses layouts that I think are a little weird, or lacking the oomph they should have. The last page of this issue is a particular example of that. Still, it's a fine comic.
In this issue, Vril Dox's son Lyrl declares war on Colu, home of Brainiac's people, using his pet tyrant sun.
What a genocidal jokester he is.
The Officer Downe one-shot by Joe Casey and Chris Burnham was non-stop blood-splatter and action from start to finish, rendered in a style reminiscent of Geoff Darrow, and infused with all kinds of science fiction weirdness. For those unfamiliar with the premise, Officer Downe is an unstoppable super-cop that polices "Motherfucking L.A." which has become overrun with crime. When he finally becomes too much of a pain in the ass for the local crime bosses, they hire Zen Master Flash and his tracksuit-wearing ninja students to kill Downe for good.
I'll just put this here sans context, because really, what could I say?
So far Batman #701 is my MotW. I'm loving this RIP/FC crossover. It feels like a "behind the scenes" sort of story. The whole "30 Days to Omega" thing is pretty sweet. Its impending doom to something we already know about.
Gotta say though, my favorite part was Superman on the big screen. "We need you on this." Its like... god stuff is happening. Galactic level crap. And who do they need? A mortal. They need the Batman.
I didn't like how he said "I've tried so ahrd to earn their respect"
He doesn't need their respect and it doesn't seem at all like him to actually work at earning it.
I thought it was in character. Basically I took it as him saying that he has worked so hard to become the Batman that when a galactic level crisis is happening, that the most powerful men on Earth come to him for help and he has nothing super to offer.
Another way of putting it is this: Batman is so awesome that he doesn't need super powers and the guys that do have super powers respect him that much that they invite him along on their big boy adventures.
Here's yet another way of looking at it:
Darkwarrior do you know why Captain America doesn't respect Batman? Because Batman is too much of a wuss to use a gun.
Also seriously Guardians of the Galaxy should be a flagship comic. Cosmo the Telepathic Russian Dog should get at least a movie.
My MOTW was picking up Burbaker's Daredevil Omnibus Vol. 2, Absolute Planetary Vol. 1, Absolute Planetary Vol. 2 and the new Casanova (curse you Mai-Kero for hooking me on this comic) simultaneouly.
Nothing like picking up 15lbs. of comics for the weekend.
It originally ran as a 16 page $1.99 Image Comic for 14 issues. Fraction and the Ba brothers are rereleasing the previous books as colored, 32 page issues, and are then following that up with a continuation of the series (it's also collected in two trades, Luxaria and Gula).
The book is hard to sum up - "James Bond on crack filtered thru Kirby" doesn't quite cut it. It's probably the best work Fraction has done.
It originally ran as a 16 page $1.99 Image Comic for 14 issues. Fraction and the Ba brothers are rereleasing the previous books as colored, 32 page issues, and are then following that up with a continuation of the series (it's also collected in two trades, Luxaria and Gula).
The book is hard to sum up - "James Bond on crack filtered thru Kirby" doesn't quite cut it. It's probably the best work Fraction has done.
I'm trying to move away from single issues, I told the comic store guy that about the Casanova reprint, but I don't know if I can hold out.
Officer Downe was completely ridiculous. Interesting, and the art was really great. Completely psychotic and nutso.
King City 9 and 10 were really, really good. The larger format allows you to see Brandon's growth as an artist much more easily. The characters are well-done, the setting is goofy fun really well done, and the whole thing is just great. I'm thinking about buying a second copy of 9 to play the games with.
I still have to read Orc Stain 4 and Punisher 18.
DouglasDanger on
0
astrobstrdSo full of mercy...Registered Userregular
edited July 2010
Is it horrible that I keep reading that as Officer Down's? And that I would want to read that comic as well?
I guess my MOTW was getting ot the store for the first time in several weeks and having a decent stack of stuff, all of which was excellent. James Stokoe is an amazing cartoonist. Orc Stain is so bizarre and intense, there is nothing else like it. Nothing close.
Booster Gold #34 has Booster Gold, transported back to his days in the Justice League, getting swept into a job recovering a holy artifact, along with Blue Beetle. Realizing they're going to need some help, they recruit two old friends to give them a hand.
This book's totally a nostalgia trip for me, and I love it. It's pretty interesting too, in that Booster is being portrayed as the competent straight-man to Beetle's goofy guy. That's pretty much what their relationship was back in the day, but it does show how different they are from the last few times they were seen together, in the near-past. You almost get the feeling that the Booster of today wouldn't have had the patience to deal with the guy that would eventually become his best friend.
It's a real "can't go home again," kind of thing.
Justice League: Generation Lost #5 has more of the new Rocket Red. And really, that's all I need. I thought Max's motivation was a little weak, especially after what was a terrific reveal last week. I'm hoping there's a lot more to it.
One of my biggest complaints with the new Rocket Red was his weird stance on Western culture v.s. Western superheroes, so I'm happy to have Judd Winick just head that one off and offer an explanation. Even if the explanation, in light of how strong his convictions are, comes off a little weak.
In Chew #12, Tony Chu teams up with an old rival to have a sit-down with a local crime boss. Things don't go well.
Knowing he's only going to get one shot off, Tony makes use of the deranged champion cockfighter that's caged nearby.
Yeah, the chicken's wearing a tiny luchadore mask. I love this comic.
The Brave and the Bold #35, starring The Inferior Five and The Legion of Substitute Heroes, wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but it was still okay. Basically, the LoSH accidentally travel back in time, transporting a black hole along with them, which destroys the Earth. So they have to go back in time even further and collect The Inferior Five to help them undo it.
After they make everything exponentially worse a few times, the two teams finally manage to solve the problem, and the LoSH kicks the Five out of their time bubble, into the present day.
I love that penultimate panel. Jesus Saiz is a talented guy.
I seriously cannot say it enough: everyone should be reading Chew. It's only twelve issues in, and so much awesome stuff has happened. Every issue feels like an event, even when it diverges from the main plot.
And speaking of killing people, X-Force Sex and Violence was gorgeous. Yost & Kyle pretty much let Dell'Otto do all the heavy lifting here. Amazing art.
The art in S & V was definitely my visual moment of the week. I am a sucker for that style.
Iron man wasn't too bad, its interesting because one of these super geniuses is finally using their tech to drastically alter the landscape of the world, even if its just a repulsor car right now.
I have really mixed feelings about Iron Man right now, but this exact thought was the biggest thing that jumped out at me of all the comics I've read this week.
I mean, I presume that they will have some gimmick by the end of the story to preserve the status quo, but the idea is interesting. I wish they had done something with Angel running that car factory in X-Men, but I think all of that got swept away by more time travel and Jean Gray's DNA or somesuch. Now Tony is going to attempt to build a car rather than punch a robot. Could be good. I hope they take this tech startup storyline somewhere non-cheesy, because the mind erase / reboot / backup / whatever thing is not really propelling the story anywhere so far. If they really do build the Stark Model T in six weeks, I am ready to stick with the book.
My moment of the week is finally getting to read vol. 4 of The Sword
Good god, that ending was pitch-perfect and beautiful. I don't think I have ever been this satisfied from any other comic series. Even though I saw
Phaistos returning
coming from a mile away, how they did it caught me completely off guard.
Is Ultra or Girls this good? I have an overwhelming urge to give the Luna brothers more of my money
After thinking abut it, the whole
Phaistos
thing made sense, but it wasn't on my radar at all.
I loved the ending so much. Especially
Dara going back home and all her injuries coming back. Man, that was ridiculous.
As for other Luna brothers stuff, I thought Ultra pretty fun, but I don't remember much of it. An Girls was awesome, and also crazy. For a comic about naked lady zombie clones running around and sexing all the men, it could get genunely disturbing. I really enjoyed it. (Plus they have a fantastic giant collected edition out now.)
Posts
I thought it was in character. Basically I took it as him saying that he has worked so hard to become the Batman that when a galactic level crisis is happening, that the most powerful men on Earth come to him for help and he has nothing super to offer.
Another way of putting it is this: Batman is so awesome that he doesn't need super powers and the guys that do have super powers respect him that much that they invite him along on their big boy adventures.
Nice. I am going to the store today. Orc Stain is really awesome from what I have read, looking forward to more of that. Stoko is one of my favorites, dude is awesome as hell.
Darwyn Cooke's The Man With the Getaway Face, based on Richard Stark's novel, is a great read from start to finish. It's really interesting to see how tightly Cooke compressed the book, while still maintaining the spirit of it. The book is, as Cooke describes it in the forward, an "oversized, underpriced bitchslap," at just two dollars, for twenty-five pages of super-sized art. Really, check it out if you read last year's Parker: The Hunter, wanted to check it out but never got around to it, or just like good art.
Also, I just fucking love Cooke's linework. Look at how he breaks up the lines on the spring-arm attached to the mirror, completing them with color.
Girl Comics #3 opens with a good Jubilee/Wolverine team-up story, written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sara Pichelli, both of whom have really quickly established themselves as creators to follow. I don't think Pichelli's art looks as good here as did in the Namora one-shot she did, but the sketchier feel does lend itself to the gritty, urban story she and Liu are telling here.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #18 seems like a step down in quality from past issues, and it doesn't help that it picks up a major event from a totally unrelated comic without any explanation. But Bedard continues to weave a bunch of disparate plot threads together while still juggling a huge cast, and launching his own little self-contained mini-event, The Sons of Brainiac. The whole thing's beautifully drawn by Claude St. Aubin, who crams detail and background into every panel, but sometimes chooses layouts that I think are a little weird, or lacking the oomph they should have. The last page of this issue is a particular example of that. Still, it's a fine comic.
What a genocidal jokester he is.
The Officer Downe one-shot by Joe Casey and Chris Burnham was non-stop blood-splatter and action from start to finish, rendered in a style reminiscent of Geoff Darrow, and infused with all kinds of science fiction weirdness. For those unfamiliar with the premise, Officer Downe is an unstoppable super-cop that polices "Motherfucking L.A." which has become overrun with crime. When he finally becomes too much of a pain in the ass for the local crime bosses, they hire Zen Master Flash and his tracksuit-wearing ninja students to kill Downe for good.
Tumblr Twitter
Here's yet another way of looking at it:
Darkwarrior do you know why Captain America doesn't respect Batman? Because Batman is too much of a wuss to use a gun.
Also seriously Guardians of the Galaxy should be a flagship comic. Cosmo the Telepathic Russian Dog should get at least a movie.
Nothing like picking up 15lbs. of comics for the weekend.
The book is hard to sum up - "James Bond on crack filtered thru Kirby" doesn't quite cut it. It's probably the best work Fraction has done.
Tumblr Twitter
What just happened?
That's a common response to your first hit of Casanova. It's slighty more comprehensible in trade format.
I'm trying to move away from single issues, I told the comic store guy that about the Casanova reprint, but I don't know if I can hold out.
Officer Downe was completely ridiculous. Interesting, and the art was really great. Completely psychotic and nutso.
King City 9 and 10 were really, really good. The larger format allows you to see Brandon's growth as an artist much more easily. The characters are well-done, the setting is goofy fun really well done, and the whole thing is just great. I'm thinking about buying a second copy of 9 to play the games with.
I still have to read Orc Stain 4 and Punisher 18.
Fucking awesome. Gave me chills when I read it.
This book's totally a nostalgia trip for me, and I love it. It's pretty interesting too, in that Booster is being portrayed as the competent straight-man to Beetle's goofy guy. That's pretty much what their relationship was back in the day, but it does show how different they are from the last few times they were seen together, in the near-past. You almost get the feeling that the Booster of today wouldn't have had the patience to deal with the guy that would eventually become his best friend.
It's a real "can't go home again," kind of thing.
Justice League: Generation Lost #5 has more of the new Rocket Red. And really, that's all I need. I thought Max's motivation was a little weak, especially after what was a terrific reveal last week. I'm hoping there's a lot more to it.
One of my biggest complaints with the new Rocket Red was his weird stance on Western culture v.s. Western superheroes, so I'm happy to have Judd Winick just head that one off and offer an explanation. Even if the explanation, in light of how strong his convictions are, comes off a little weak.
In Chew #12, Tony Chu teams up with an old rival to have a sit-down with a local crime boss. Things don't go well.
Yeah, the chicken's wearing a tiny luchadore mask. I love this comic.
The Brave and the Bold #35, starring The Inferior Five and The Legion of Substitute Heroes, wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but it was still okay. Basically, the LoSH accidentally travel back in time, transporting a black hole along with them, which destroys the Earth. So they have to go back in time even further and collect The Inferior Five to help them undo it.
I love that penultimate panel. Jesus Saiz is a talented guy.
Tumblr Twitter
I seriously cannot say it enough: everyone should be reading Chew. It's only twelve issues in, and so much awesome stuff has happened. Every issue feels like an event, even when it diverges from the main plot.
Tumblr Twitter
Buying the shit out of that.
*You don't know how hard it is for TexiKen to write that!
Book of the week
Ding!
It looks a LOT like that
The art in S & V was definitely my visual moment of the week. I am a sucker for that style.
I have really mixed feelings about Iron Man right now, but this exact thought was the biggest thing that jumped out at me of all the comics I've read this week.
I mean, I presume that they will have some gimmick by the end of the story to preserve the status quo, but the idea is interesting. I wish they had done something with Angel running that car factory in X-Men, but I think all of that got swept away by more time travel and Jean Gray's DNA or somesuch. Now Tony is going to attempt to build a car rather than punch a robot. Could be good. I hope they take this tech startup storyline somewhere non-cheesy, because the mind erase / reboot / backup / whatever thing is not really propelling the story anywhere so far. If they really do build the Stark Model T in six weeks, I am ready to stick with the book.
Good god, that ending was pitch-perfect and beautiful. I don't think I have ever been this satisfied from any other comic series. Even though I saw
Is Ultra or Girls this good? I have an overwhelming urge to give the Luna brothers more of my money
After thinking abut it, the whole
I loved the ending so much. Especially
As for other Luna brothers stuff, I thought Ultra pretty fun, but I don't remember much of it. An Girls was awesome, and also crazy. For a comic about naked lady zombie clones running around and sexing all the men, it could get genunely disturbing. I really enjoyed it. (Plus they have a fantastic giant collected edition out now.)
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
Girls was really really weird, but I remember liking it.