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Finally made it out to the comic book store. Wasn't even sure if they were open during the week, with so many places not having power and/or internet.
Anyway....
Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance - Johnny Blaze is getting closer to this showdown with this loser who stole Zarathos. And damn, they finally did get around to showing just how much of a loser he is. Next issue's final showdown should at least be interesting, if for nothing else than to (hopefully) relegate The Hood back to the below D list where he belongs.
Incredible Hulk Blood Hunt One Shot - I collect Hulk, so they put this in my box. It was decent. More like a regular Hulk story than part of yet another crossover.
Gotham By Gaslight: Kryptonian Age - There was something almost Lovecraftian about this issue, with Professor Adam Strange leading an Antarctic Expedition to mysterious ruins. And meeting Wonder Woman, it looks like. The top-of-train fight between Batman and Talia was cool. Of course they had to bring Constantine into it. I liked him long ago, but think they overuse him these days. I look forward to seeing where they go with this story, though. I think I like this elseworld better than the Knights of Steel world.
Death in the Family: Robin Lives - I have fond memories of the original story, and remember calling the line in favor of killing a Robin I didn't like all that much (if only they'd allow that these days....). So I was interested in this alternate history. With DeMatteis writing and awesome art by Rick Leonardi, I wasn't disappointed. Too bad they don't let old timers do more work. Looks to be an awesome miniseries. And I lucked out on snagging a kick-ass cover by Mignola.
Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu - this was the "0" issue reintroducing Marc Spector. I heard they put out the same issue, at a higher price, a week or two back. Not sure if that's true. My store had it for $50, but I decided to wait. It was worth the wait. The entire issue was from Khonshu's perspective and narrated by him. Very well-written, with the usual awesome art by Cappuccio. Although I kind of wish they'd just continued on with Hunter's Moon, I'm still glad to see Marc Spector.
Get Fury - This series continues to kick butt. I love the back and forth between violence and the bad guys pulling strings and plotting. Ennis really does this kind of stuff well. And we get a...daughter of Nick Fury? Interesting.
Geiger - Some dude kidnapped Barney the two-headed wolf, and Geiger is just a teensy bit upset. So he takes on an entire airport full of Organ People (kind of like a mix between Fireflies Reavers and the Beverly Hills freaks from Escape from LA). Nate the Nuclear Knight even grows a pair and kicks some butt. This bad guy, though, is prepared for Geiger. With science! Cool. I look forward to him being thoroughly destroyed. Though he'd probably make a good recurring villain.
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Savage Sword of Conan - another great excellent issue, though the delay in putting it out was a bit disappointing. The first story saw Conan cursed with lycanthropy, going after the entire pack to find and destroy the leader (and so end his curse). The writing was adequate, even if I think the story was a little silly. The art by Cay Nord was excellent. The ending was hilarious. Then they had an excerpt from a Conan novel by some dude named John C. Hocking. It was decent enough maybe I’d consider picking up the book. The Solomon Kane story reached its conclusion, with Kane once again torn between his need to make use of the supernatural and his devotion to God. A solid story overall. Jim Zub gave us a cool little poem to accompany an excellent pinup by Rob De La Torre. Finally, there was a “silent” Conan story which sees him fighting a monster. Solid art on that one.
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I know Alex Ross has put out books on his art. What I'd love to see is a series of books showcasing cover art by various, well-known artists. I'd pay good money for a book of Kelley Jones cover art. Or stuff by Ross. Although I do already have a lot of covers both those men have done.
What got me thinking about this was a post from Jones on Facebook, with a sample of his cover art from (I think) Detective 1087. It was sweet. Not sweet enough for me to buy they book, though.
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Immortal Thor Annual - an interesting story, even if it kind of felt unnecessary. I kind of like the way they tied this in so neatly to the overarching plot of the regular series. And it was cool seeing Blackjack O’Hare again. And even The Champion of the Universe.
World’s Finest - a rather disappointing and pedestrian end to the story arc. Although it was cool seeing some of those magic users. They should have brought in more of them though. Anyway, for reasons I won’t discuss on these boards, I’m thinking this might be my last issue of this series.
Incredible Hulk - Well that seemed like a weird, kind of trippy issue. But this whole story is starting to drag. I hope it ends soon.
Redcoat - so the villain, and yet another immortal, is George Washington? I’ll admit, at first I was a little insulted. Then I thought that at least he’s doing something creative and a bit off the wall. And it’s interesting to think Washington might have been corrupted by whatever dark magics he stole from Native Americans. Or maybe he was already corrupt, and the magics just fed off that darkness. Either way, I look forward to seeing what else this story brings to us. I already really liked the lore behind the Axe of Lies.
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I saw an article about a new bit of idiocy from Disney Marvel. Apparently, some new books are putting the last page of issues (claiming it as bonus material) behind QR codes that people have to scan.
It's an interesting idea, but a stupid one. What if, in the future, they decide change that material? Or what if it suddenly becomes unavailable for some reason or other? Or accidently gets erased? Or lost? They may claim it's "bonus" material, but the chances of it being relevant to a story would likely increase over time.
If they do it on any books I collect, I'll stop collecting that book right then and there.
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Some time ago, I was watching a show on YouTube that had some dude going by Razorfist as a guest, as well as an artist named George Alexopoulos. They were talking about a graphic novel they were working on called Ghost of the Badlands. It was a western inspired by movies like Pale Rider (a favorite of mine). So I backed it on Indiegogo, ordering a copy of the hardcover colored version, as well as a softcover, black and white version.
I got the books yesterday. Finally read the story today. It was pretty good. The story not only had elements of Pale Rider, but also some from The Phantom movie with Alec Baldwin. The story itself was pretty straightforward - a bandit named Righty Redstone is turned on and nearly killed by his gang after an attack of conscience. He loses his right arm, but is spared by the Ghost (who kills Righty’s gang). The Ghost then recruits him as one of several agents, to stop some land-grabbing by the mayor of Canyon Diablo. The mayor’s main henchmen are a group of bandits led by a Navajo gunman named Will Blackfeather.
The main story was followed by a back up story (just writing, no art), which served as a kind of prequel. The newly arrive sheriff had to deal with another gang trying to affect a land grab. This gang is lead by a Cajun named Duchamps.
Both stories also hint at a greater conspiracy of villains.
Overall it was enjoyable to read. The art was really solid. I look forward to more.
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I saw an article about a new bit of idiocy from Disney Marvel. Apparently, some new books are putting the last page of issues (claiming it as bonus material) behind QR codes that people have to scan.
It's an interesting idea, but a stupid one. What if, in the future, they decide change that material? Or what if it suddenly becomes unavailable for some reason or other? Or accidently gets erased? Or lost? They may claim it's "bonus" material, but the chances of it being relevant to a story would likely increase over time.
If they do it on any books I collect, I'll stop collecting that book right then and there.
Yeah, I saw a story about that too. If it's really a bonus, that's not too bad as a gimmick, but if it's an important part of the story or if it becomes too common, that's not cool.
Imagine picking these up as back issues decades from now. Are QR codes still a thing? Is Marvel still maintaining the sites to support this?
And to add a bit further insult, apparently X-folk group editor Brevoort has confirmed the extra pages will appear in print....in future collected editions. So you penalize the comic book fans who buy the single issues? The type of customers who made your business possible to start?
I'll just leave it at ridiculus, since what I really want to say would be against the "no cuss words" rule Paizo has now.
That reminds me of the Final Fantasy 9 guidebook that had parts where you had to log in to SE to see the hidden stuff.
Far as I know this only affects X-books. Not other series...
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Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives - well, that’s done with. Thankfully. It was a well-written series, but had little enough of the actual creature to make it good. The real monsters were the people. Oh, how creative! I won’t get the next series, which will be Frankenstein. The art was solid, though.
Vengeance of the Moon Knight - a (very stylish) jailbreak, and now we know the specifics of Marc’s resurrection. And, really, what better way to break the lock on an Asgardian prison than someone powered by Asgardian magic. Maybe it’s just me, but the door on Khonshu’s cell, with all those chains on it, reminded me of the big window in the Sanctum Sanctorum. And this is the Khonshu I like - not a villain. That is as it should be. The reunion of Marc and Tigra was well done.
BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets - Yes, I know “face full” should have two of the letter “L”, but that’s how they had the title. Anyway, this is a period of B’s history from the old west. It’s the classic tale of a young girl wanting to marry and her disapproving father’s wrath, but with the usual BRZRKR twist. The art was by Salvador Larrroca. I can’t recall the last time I saw some of this stuff. It was a solid enough story, and I love these little one-shots from throughout history.
Rook: Exodus - it’s all-out war between the Wardens, with the villainous Ursaw leading the bad guys. At least one of those, Kaa, is a chick who got rejected as a Warden because she let “Instinct Influence” (animal instinct feedback from the helmets that let the Wardens control their animals) overwhelm her mind. Anyway, Ursaw is after the Wildlife Grid, the unique tech that connects the Wardens to their animals, as well as to each other. And it’s unique because, as the entry at the end of the book says, it’s got something mysterious (alien?) inside of it. Sadly, the turtle Warden Carapace was much less of a threat than I hoped he’d be. Ah well. Oh, and the birds Rook is linked to aren’t good for crap.
Conan the Barbarian - a new story arc goes back to when a young Conan first left his tribe, after the battle at Venarium. He travels north, fights some wolves, then a bear. And then he comes across three Hyborian Aesir. Off in the woods, a mostly naked red-head lurks. So it looks like we’ll be getting Titan’s version of The Frost Giant’s Daughter. Doug Braithwaite did the art for this issue. Not sure if he’s going to stick around for more (though I’d assume at least this story arc).
So that makes two older artists on books I’ve gotten this week. That makes me happy. Now if only we could get more old writers…..
Honestly, if you had read Blood Hunt #4, you'd see how it happened A-zombie. But I guess that's too much work for you...
I will say in this week's releases were a little less satisfying but I still think that Marvel outpaces/does better than DC right now. In some ways.
We'll see once Absolute Power finishes and the next phase of DC stuff comes round.
Also, ALL hail the God of Magic! All Hail Doom!
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Spent most of the day reading through some collected editions I'd picked up over the past few months. I'd been meaning to get to each one of them, and finally decided I it was as good a time as anyway. And I wasn't too busy (except for all the adulting things I need to do but keep putting off. I'm sure there are a few people around here somewhere who can relate to adulting things).
Anyway, first up was Barbaric Volume 3: Hell to Pay. It was sometime in the last year I discovered the first collected volume of this series, right around the time they came out with the spin-off with Deadheart, Ka, and some other chicks. Anyway, this series covered Owen the Barbarian being trapped in Hell with Deadheart. Meanwhile, his friends are traveling through the real world trying to rescue him. Hilarity (and lots of bloodshed) ensues. It leads directly into the series with Deadheart I mentioned earlier, so it was cool seeing how those deadly ladies got together as a group. All in all, it's a fun series. Since it's been on my radar, I've been picking up actual issues of each miniseries and one-shot. So no more collected editions after this.
Next up is another long-running series I only recently got into - Walt Simonson's Ragnarok series. I still haven't been able to get a hold of volume 2 (it goes for more than I want to spend), so this time I read volume 3. Thor goes to Helheim and confronts Hel as to why she wasn't at the final battle. His enemies plot against him. Hilarity ensues. Again. Pretty straightforward, but it's cool to see this world Simonson has built up around the Norse mythology. And the are rocks. As expected. I also just saw the announcements that they'll be producing a new collected edition of all three existing volumes, as well as starting to put out the fourth volume. Sweet.
Lastly was the most recent of my acquisitions - Millar's The Magic Order, volume 1. This is the magical entry into the Millarverse, and it was pretty cool. The Order is a family responsible for protecting the world from magical threats and keeping it from the public. The family is kind of disfunctional, with some serving as the lead villains. There's an evil tome, a mysterious and powerfully destructive entity that seems harmless, and a slighted daughter who's angry about not inheriting something she thought was rightfully hers. It's brutal, but entertaining. And it left me intrigued to see more. And it reminded me of the old saying: 'Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
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The other day I received my copy of the latest Rippaverse offering - Goodyng The Polymath. This was written by Mike Baron, whom I've always had an appreciation for since he kicked off the Wally West era of Flash, with art by Will Conrad (solid artist, but unremarkable in my book). The book was offered to Baron after he called up the Rippaverse offices and asked to work for them.
The protagonist of the story is Cato Goodyng. He was introduced in Isom #2 as a kind of disaster specialist and investigator. So this first issue of his goes through his background. He starts off as a child genius. Gets bullied in high school (for which he has a simple, but effective solution). Eventually goes into the tech industry, starts his own business, and marries his high school sweetheart. Meanwhile, the dude who bullied him in high school enters the military, gets drummed out on a conviction of theft, then is recruited by an evil corporation. Along the way he gets injured on a mission to disrupt some scientific research and develops the power to give people aneurysms by touch, becoming a villain named Splatterpuss. Since the corporation Splatterpuss works for is a rival to Goodyng's company, and has been stealing his work, they send the villain after Goodyng. The book ends with the hero winning, but the villain escaping.
Overall, I was unimpressed. The story covered a lot of ground but didn't really seem to say a whole lot. It seems like they more often allowed the art to attempt telling the story instead of words. I think if they'd actually put in more text and allowed Baron to engage more with his obvious writing skills, the book could have been much better.
The only two characters who got any kind of development were the hero and the villain. And even their development was too glossed over as to be good. The supporting characters barely gave any support. They were boring and interchangeable. Even the girlfriend/wife hardly got any attention. For being a supposed polymath, we barely get to see any good science stuff from Goodyng, other than a few quick blurbs of speech here and there to gloss over some tech development plot point. If I were to compare this to Baron's first issue of The Flash from '87, that much smaller (page count) book had way more character development in its first few pages than this did in the entire book.
It was still entertaining, and I find the character interesting, but ultimately, I'm not sure I'd want to continue with this series. I expected better of Mike Baron. I'm hoping this is just a showcase of Eric July's inexperience as an editor.
No it's a sign that you got duped into buying from a guy I wouldn't pay to wash my car. Much less be able to run a comic book company.
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Just goes to show, I should never dismiss the monthly IDW previews magazine, even if it rarely ever has anything worth spending my money on. This time around it’s advertising Hell, Ink & Water: The Art of Mike Mignola. It’s billed as the “official hardcover catalog for his first New York art gallery show”. Sounds awesome.
There were a couple of other things I found interesting the the other preview magazines. From DC, I saw a new Black Label miniseries, Batman: Full Moon. From Boom! (I think), I saw an Azzarello miniseries called The Creeping Below. And the finally were soliciting Hyde Street, the upcoming horror book from Ghodt Machine.
I was slightly disappointed to not see some other new offerings I’d heard about from DC: New Gods and Justice Society. That dude Ram V is writing New Gods. I wasn’t too keen on some of the character designs I’ve seen, but it might be cool. Lemire will be doing JSA, so I might get that one. It depends on whether they plan to fix some of the characters DC has screwed up.
Ram V doing New Gods will be excellent. And Lemire doing the JSA will be great. I don't there's much needing to fix DC characters that much.
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Ghostlore - This was the series finale. I guess we could call it a maxi-series. Anyway, the apocalypse happened, then the young girl and her father beat the bad guy. Then the girl sacrificed herself to become some new guardian of the dead. Anyway, it’s over now.
William of Newbury - this issue gives some backstory on William and his brother, the Abbott Edward. Turns out they really are brothers, and they think faerie folk stole their souls when they were younger. They both take on a spirit this time, though Edward still arrests William at the end. I like that William is getting more into fighting spirits because it’s fun, and because it makes his brother angry. Fun times.
Hello Darkness - I picked this up partly because the cover was cool, and partly because I love a good horror anthology. This turned out the be a so-so horror anthology. Most of the stories were great. Though it was hard to judge Tynion’s story because it’s only part one, but that part was intriguing. The Orlando story was just awful. Seriously, people actually hire that dude? Still, I was slightly more disappointed by the Garth Ennis story. It was a good story, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t seem to fit a supernatural horror book. It’s to be continued, though, so maybe it’ll get better.
Immortal Thor - I really like the way Ewing is doing a deep dive into mythology. Bringing Nyx/Nott into it is cool. She really fits the bill as another primordial deity. The shot of Thor, Hercules, and Loki riding in Thor’s chariot reminded me of the old FF Simonson run for some reason. I hadn’t realized they killed Zeus in Marvel comics. Must have been in another book.
Nemesis: Rogue’s Gallery - I missed out on this last week, but my store found me a copy. It picks up after Big Game, when Nemesis finally got his butt handed to him (richly deserved). Anyway, the cult that trained him breaks him out and heals him. Now his going to work on revenge. Some enemies he’s made along the way are coming after him, though. As much as I love to hate this guy, I’m torn about whether I want to see him ended. He really is a great villain.
Zombie,
It was in Al's run on Guardians of the Galaxy which came out AFTER Avengers: No Road Home.
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Finished reading through Thomas and Giordano’s Dracula adaptation. It was just as awesome as I expected it to be. I was in awe that Giordano’s art for the later half of the book was so dead on to the first half, despite 30 something years in between. The lettering was impeccable as well, with a ton of writing squeezed onto most of the pages. The only problem with that, of course, is that it was tiny enough to put a strain on my poor, old-man eyesight. What’s more, since this follows the novel and had the chapters narrated by different people, they made sure to give each set of writing its own look and background color.
I’ve seen plenty to adaptations of Dracula (including at least one other comic book version), but I think this was one of my favorites. Although I did promise the boy we’d maybe watch Coppola’s version maybe next weekend.
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Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time - I like horror, especially of the Lovecraftian variety. This one is a noir horror period piece by Cullen Bunn. It’s got a dame looking for her sister, the private eye (good name, Joe Diamond), and the evil cult run by an old, powerful family. I’m fairly certain it’s a miniseries.
Incredible Hulk - the issue was more from the point of view of the bad guys, with a glimpse into the past and the last time they faced a being like Hulk. Turns out, that was Enkidu. That’s cool. Anyway, looks like things are building to a head. Once the battle with the Mother of Horrors is done, I suspect we’ll see this series end so they can have an excuse for a new number 1 issue (probably with a higher price).
Wolverine: Deep Cut - Wolverine vs the Marauders. I didn’t think Scrambler’s powers worked like that (pretty sure they didn’t until now), but I suppose it makes sense he can scramble the physical form as well. Poor Riptide, though. He just doesn’t have much luck against X-Men. The interior art is decent, but I like the covers better. And I like delving into the effects the adamantium has on his speed and agility.
Doctor Strange - I’d long though Doom might be against taking a piece of someone else’s soul, since recall his mother’s being held by Mephisto(?) for so long. Then again, he is one of the best villains in the Marvel Universe, and that’s exactly the kind of lengths he’d go to for power. Anyway, I like that General Strange is on the path to redemption. I’m also glad they’ve been once again letting Strange be happily married. Especially to such a badass chick as Clea. It seems like this is the last issue, I guess? Unless they’re just passing it on to a new writer? I rather hope that’s the case. I always hate seeing a series end, then restart. Use to be they took pride in seeing how long they could get a series to run for.
Unfortunately with Strange I don't see any solicits YET for the next two months. We'll see when November's come out. In the meantime All Hail Doom.
As for Philip Kennedy Johnson's run, it doesn't seem like this will end after the Mother of Horror/Eldest defeat. More likely, based on solicits, that some how Charlie will kind of Merge or become a new Hulk of sorts. We'll see.
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I was never a collector of the Heavy Metal Magazine, but the animated film is one of my favorites. So, the other day a video popped up in my Youtube feed with a review of one of the volumes of the Den stories by Richard Corben.
I was intrigued. So I watched the video, then ordered volume 1 from Amazon. It was delivered yesterday.
I haven't had a chance to read it yet. That'll come hopefully during the week. It looks nice, though. Decent hardback, with a cool dust jacket. The interior art is well reproduced, with nice quality paper. I look forward to actually reading it.
And buying the other volumes, of course.
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Werewolf by Night - I love me some WbN, but I kind of suspected this whole "red band, sold in a bag" thing was just a cheap gimmick. I was correct, of course. I've seen far worse in a non-red band, unbagged book. Even one from Marvel. Even one that was also Werewolf by Night. That said, I mostly enjoyed this first issue. The only thing I found truly depressing about it was that cheap, pathetic Hood character being tossed about yet again. Seriously, can they just consign this loser to the dustbin of comics history where he belongs? Other than that, loved the old-school look of the werewolf (even if he was a bit bigger). I enjoyed most of the story. Loved seeing Deathwatch again (though I thought he was dead).The art was pretty solid.
Gotham By Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age - Well, that's a new twist on the Amazons. I kind of like the idea of them having fled to Skartaris. And this mystery doom has me intrigued. They seem to be kind of hinting that it's Martian Manhunter, but I find myself wondering if it's something else. Maybe something more...Brainiac. Alan Scott Green Lantern, maybe? Hopefully they'll do him more properly old-school. The way he should be.
Death in the Family: Robin Lives - DeMatteis continues to write solidly. This story is really building into something cool. The art continues to impress, of course. Loved the scene with Nightwing in the old costume. His sudden turn from fooling around to kicking the crap out of Brutale was awesome.
Vengeance of the Moon Knight - I'd heard that utterly ridiculous idea some idiot had come up with to finish up the most recent crossover by having vampires being able to walk in the sun. Sadly, I'm not surprised they did something so stupid. And I'm saddened by the thought whatever utter fool came up with such a horrid idea is still employed. Hey, though! Spector is back. The gang is reunited. And he's going to defeat (but probably not kill) the fake Moon Knight. I really liked this fill-in artist they got. And I loved Marc's interaction with 8-Ball. Hopefully, they'll keep him around and finally get rid of the vampires.
The Immortal Thor - I'm really enjoying this run. It feels like actual myth. Ewing's writing is top notch. I'll be sad to see it come to an end. I'll be intrigued to see who the creative team will be when the reboot the series again. Loved seeing the night goddess. Those are some of my favorites.
Barbaric: Born in Blood - Ouch. Mr. Werewolf Barbarian King is sure going to feel that in the morning. Oh, wait. No he won't. All Hail King Steel.
And we get our obligatory look at the horrible future your magical destiny has planned. I like Owen's attitude about that. I get the feeling this Woodlawn Fawn they found is going to be a real pain in the butt, but maybe a fun one. Looking forward to the next series.
Geiger - Ouch, again. That was a brutal fight. ANd a richly deserved end to our villain. It was cool to see someone with no super powers, but lots of smarts, giving so much trouble to our hero. And maybe I'm crazy, but I'd say the President looks an awful lot like The Invisible Man. That's cool. This is a cool little Super Hero setting Johns has built.
Firstly I don't see this Thor run ending before they hit issue 50. That seems to be the goal for Ewing and he's pretty consistent in that.
Secondly the whole "vampires in sunlight" thing was because of the CURRENT writer of Avengers, X-men, Moon Knight and Doctor Strange...so basically you're bad mouthing the same guy you just praised before. So yeah...
Thirdly, ULTIMATE UNIVERSE IS THE BEST MARVEL UNIVERSE AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL AFTER SEEING NEW ULTIMATE SHE-HULK. Everyone that loves Marvel SHOULD BE READING THIS.
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Since I have other things to do tomorrow, and was working from home today, I decided to use my "lunch" to drive over to the comic book store and pick up my books for the week.
Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance - It was a satisfying ending to this series. Now I can see why they used The Hood. They needed someone who wasn't as badass as he pretends to be. I liked the mental meeting between Blaze and Zarathos, but thought they could have run it a bit more. Hell, that's the kind of conversation a good enough writer could take for at least half an issue and make compelling. I think Percy could have done it. I also enjoyed Mephisto's appearance. He wasn't acting like a super villain, more like what he really is. All in all, while I would have loved to see the Ghost Rider mantle pass on to someone new again, I'm glad it wasn't that lame character.
Something Crawled Out - This new horror series had a cover that caught my eye. So I picked up this first issue. The art is adequate. Could be better. The story is intriguing so far. There's sufficient creepiness to make me go back for more. And those last few pages were brutal.
Giant-Sized Thor - Nothing really special in this. The main story was adequate, with kind of blah art. The backup reprint was fun to read. I got the version with a sweet Simonson cover.
Night Club 2 - I'm not terribly familiar with this series, having never read the first one (something I plan to do). It's interesting though. Teen angst breaks up the trio of vampires, and now it looks like one of them is on a collision course with the other two. I'm guessing there'll be lots of blood and mayhem in between. Juanan Ramirez's art is pretty solid.
Get Fury - This continues to be a solid story, though I have a feeling Ennis could have ended it by now. Lots of political intrigue, spy skullduggery, and the brutality of communism and government corruption. It's seems to be finally building to a head, and I expect lots more mayhem in the next issue.
Red Coat - Surprise! Surprise! Washington is not, in fact the bad guy. Not to say he wasn't a villain at some point. That's still implied. Turns out Benedict Arnold really is the scumbag history has him down as. I'm starting to like Simon more and more. Even though he's kind of a tool (as the author notes), he's one that seems to want to do the right thing.
Conan the Barbarian - a much younger Conan continues his adventures in the north with the Aesir, the Vanir, and a certain giant deities daughter. It looks like they'll be delving directly into that story in the next issue. This issue just continued the bloody build-up. Very bloody. I really love this series. I think it's one of the best comics being put out right now.
Wolverine: Revenge - I like Hickman's writing, but was more excited for Capullo drawing Wolverine. And the art kick's butt. The story is...weird. I'm assuming it's a kind of elseworld's story. Lots of dead folk, otherwise. Enough to shake the foundations of the Marvel Universe. It was cool seeing classic Nick Fury and SHIELD. Not sure I like them doing dirty to Colossus like this by making him a villain. Peter's better than that. Or at least he used to be. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what Wolverine does to all of them. Though you'd think if they could find a way (even temporarily) around his healing factor, they'd know something like a little bomb wouldn't end him. And Wolverine going to the Savage Land for vacation is just awesome.
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William of Newbury - This was the 4th and final issue of what I think is a miniseries. I'm not really sure. It ends with "A New Chapter Begins". Whether they keep going with the same series, or start a new miniseries, I'd probably keep going with it. The series was fun, with very solid art. And the story was kept pretty straightforward. Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind more of this. Especially since, in the end, William and his brother, the Abbott, make amends and team up against the forces of evil.
Hello Darkness - only one story, the Garth Ennis WW3 story, was continued from the first issue. Which is weird, since that's the one that was least horror themed. I think he's building to it, though. The clown story was sufficiently creepy. Probably the best of the bunch. The werewolf vs vampire story was yawn inducing. The art was adequate, though. I think it might have been inspired a bit by Wrightson. The third story was kind of modern druid cult vs industrialists. It had too much of a preachy, eat the rich nonsense vibe to be any good. Then there were two, one-panel-each stories on the same page that put most other modern writing to shame. Finally, the Ennis, not-horror story (yet anyway).
Nemesis: Rogues Gallery - Damn, I had always thought Millar intended Nemesis to be a kind of evil a-hole Batman, and this issue furthered that belief. So now the villain who's so over the top he's ridiculous has a sidekick. I kind of hope they both die at the end. However, then I couldn't get my chuckles at how much of a ham he is.
Barbaric vs. Deathstalker - I'm not terribly familiar with Deathstalker, though he seems like kind of a douchenozzle. Anyway, this one shot has him, Owen, and Soren kidnapped by a wizard so Deathstalker and Owen can fight to the death. Hilarity ensues. Along with lots of violence and some female anatomy parts. Good times.
BRZRKR: The Lost Book of B - An ancient cult who worship Unute but aren't above using him as a weapon to steer civilization along the path they choose, mized with Genghis Khan. What could go wrong? Plenty, for lots of poor S.O.B.s. How do you control an unstoppable warrior? With opium. Until he decides he no longer wants to be controlled anyway. One cool part - they made use of the historical Mongols launching dead bodies into cities they besieged, and added in Unute as a living missile. Since he's pretty difficult to kill, he could then attack from within. Another cool one shot.
Phases of the Moon Knight - this is a new anthology series, I believe. Not sure how many issues they plan to get out of it. The first story was about The Shroud being Moon Knight. It made me kind of wish they'd kept him in the role longer, and not just used him as filler until they could (yet again) go right back to the status quo. The second story was a crusader warrior who ends up becoming the Fist of Khonshu and fighting Apocalypse. Cool story, with pretty good art. Hopefully, this series can keep up this kind of quality. Though I'm sure they'll allow a few lame ducks to get something in print.
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I thought the new issue of Savage Sword of Conan deserved a post all to itself again. This issue was all tie-ins to the upcoming Battle of the Black Stone story.
First you had a kind of dream sequence Conan story. Seems like it was set right before Beyond the Black River. The art was not the usual, but it was solid.
Then we had a Solomon Kane story set in Hungary, during a war with the Ottoman Empire. One of Kane's companions uses the Black Stone to summon a horror against the Turks. This one was done by the same guy who did the previous Kane story. Not bad, with solid art.
Then they did a story with Brissa, the Pictish warrior woman from the first few issues of the new Conan series. This delved into her background, and focused on what became of her at the end of that first arc. It ends with her in more modern times (1930's, I think).
Then we had a Conrad and Kirowan story set in Egypt. This involved the uncovering of an ancient Stygian tomb. There was something older than the tomb beneath it. Not pleasantness ensues. The art was really good on this one.
Then we had a Dark Agnes story. It starts off with her investigating some cult activity, only to be taken by surprise and thrust into some kind of dream memory event of what led to her becoming an adventurer. The art was very manga inspired. Even though that isn't my favorite art style, it leant itself well to the character.
The last story was El Borak. He rescues some kid and takes refuge in an ancient tomb to battle the bad guys pursuing them. The kid serves as the narrator, describing the fight and his impression of El Borak. Ron Marz did the writing on this one. The art was by Mike Perkins. This was my second favorite story of the book.
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Artists Talk About The Right Way To Draw Batman
Kelley Jones posted this article on his Facebook page. It was really cool to read.
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WOOHOO!!!!
My Wagner/Jones Dracula book arrived! It’s #157 of 666 of the signed copies! I haven’t read it yet, but I didn’t look through it. Absolutely gorgeous.
Along with the book was my also limited number Kelley Jones art. That set me back a few dollars, but it was worth it. Now I’ve just got to find a frame for it…..
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Incredible Hulk - this was another flashback issue to an earlier Hulk. As I might have already mentioned, this was an alternate version of Enkidu, from the Epic of Gilgamesh fame. Anyway, he fights Eldest in ancient times, because Eldest wants to use that power to open the door to The Mother of Horror’s prison. So now they seem to be making the One Below All into a kind of necessary evil or anti-hero. The overall story has been decent, but now they’re just following the new pattern of calling something an ongoing series when it’s really just a miniseries (or maybe maxiseries), only ever meant to tell one story. Not sure I’ll get the next Hulk series.
Arkham Horror - the protagonists, detective and dame, continue to search for dame’s sister. There’s a battle with monsters under an old church. There’s recovery of an ancient artifact. There’s infiltration of a high society party where cult members are in attendance. Something named Dezmaethragel. And then there’s time travel. I guess I should have expected that from a series whose subtitle is The Terror at the End of Time. Fun book. Solid art.
Thor banished glam Loki. Then he goes home and deals with a visit from Enchantress. And that Minotaur dude is back, just less….Minotaur-ish. This is another one like Hulk. A good story, but you know it’s set to run only as long as it takes to tell that one story. Again, not sure if I’ll pick up the next Thor series. With both that and Hulk, it’ll probably depend on the creative team.
Get Fury - Damn! That image of Fury when they first find him in the cell at the Hanoi Hilton, and his subsequent scenes of madness and violence. Brutal. Now the poop has definitely hit several fans. I’m really looking forward to seeing the end of this.
Rook Exodus - our protagonist survived his fight against the bad guys, and spends most of this issue in a kind of fever dream brought on by feedback from his helmet. But he’s got to learn some things, and accept some things. In the end, he’s ready to step up and be a hero. Not for people. Not for the corporation that terraformed the planet. Not even for his fellow wardens. He’s fighting for the innocent animals. This is easily the best book from Ghost Machine, I think. Jason Fabok’s art seems to get better with each issue.
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone - I’m not normally one for “event” stories these days. Mostly because I think the big two have both over done them, and not always done them well. This is an event book, but instead of being draped across multiple character books and special issues, it’s a Conan story across his books. With a bunch of other REH creations thrown in for good measure. So this is the story they’ve been setting up since issue 1 of the new Conan from Titan. This mysterious eye rune is worming its way into the minds of heroes across time and space: Conan, Solomon Kane, El Borak, Dark Agnes, Conrad & Kirowan. And there’s a writer character named James Allison who lives in Lost Knob, Texas in 1936. Heh. The art isn’t the usual de la Torre. It’s Jonas Scharf. Different, but still good.
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Just finished reading Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones’ Dracula: The Impaler. It’s volume 1 of their intended four volume grand epic regarding that most famous of vampires. This first volume picks up with Vladimir fighting and being defeated by the Ottoman Turks. He escapes death, but only so he can seek out and gain admittance to the legendary Scholomance. In that fabled school of black magic from Romanian lore he learns many of the skills we see him wield in Stoker’s novel - controlling weather, communing with bats, shapeshifting. By the end, he’s cursed with vampirism.
The story was…brutal. Dracula is every bit the horrific monster he should be. Consumed with a hunger for power and victory over his enemies. Gary Oldman he was most definitely not. And the depictions of Satan and the Scholomance were familiar with some of what I’ve read from folklore. Overall, it was an epic “origin story”.
The art by Kelly Jones was nothing short of magnificent. His gift for depicting horror, darkness, and violence in his art is truly impressive. His depiction of Satan, through Vlad’s eyes, reminded me of one of the angel stories from Justice League, where the villain comes down in the form of a child. Or maybe the depiction of the Devil in the classic Batman story Gothic.
Overall, I would recommend anyone who loves comics and Dracula to try and get a copy of this. I think it’s eventually supposed to be released in mass format.
I fervently look forward to Volume 2: The Brides.
You really have poor taste if you're thinking that BOTH the Hulk and Immortal Thor are "running the same story". That and the fact you didn't even BOTHER with Ultimate #4. A truly HEARTWRETCHING story about this Earth Reed and what the Maker put him through. Very, very well done.
Again I don't know why you keep reviewing s$*@ with no real understanding of...WELL anything really.
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AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!! I haven't organized my new comics for storage in a few months and was trying to get that done. I ran out of bags and boards though. The regular ones anyway.
I have some Mylar bags but won't waste them on the new stuff. They cost a bit more, and the store doesn't typically carry them. So I have to order them. And I prefer to put them to best use on older stuff.
Luckily for me, there's a store right around the corner from work. It's partly a comic book store (though mostly games). So I've got to call them later today and hope they have some of the regular bags and boards.