|
Hellhunters - This alternate earth series continues to show Bucky as kind of a little psychopath. I almost have to wonder if that was a directive from on high. Meanwhile, WW II Ghost Rider gets a tank, then Zarathos gets a new origin as a fallen angel of justice. Interesting. I think there’s only one or two more issues.
Batman: Dark Patterns - Issue #4 and we’re on a new story arc. I’m (somewhat) impressed. I’ve never been a big Watters fan, but this series has been solid. The new arc kicks off with some crazy stuff. Batman trying to rescue a hostage from a building with architecture that causes havoc with sound. And we get the original Ventriloquist. Maybe? Along with a Scarface Cult. Kind of weird, but cool.
Redcoat - this new issue was a cool little one-shot about Simon Pure’s first encounter with the legendary Annie Oakley. I liked it. She’s not super-powered, just someone with serious skills. Skills earned through hard work and necessity.
Geiger - the Glowing Woman tries to pass on some of what she’s learned to the Glowing Man. It doesn’t work out well. We do find out there’s more to her than seems at first. Especially with the relegation she’s holding the scientist who helped them both as a prisoner. I like the way John’s continues to build up this post apocalyptic world. Between this and the other Ghost Machine books he writes, I think he’s one of the best writers in the industry these days. Not sure if that’s saying much, though.
The Great War of Separation - The Rippaverse books had been hinting at some alternate version of the USA, and this is our first peek behind that curtain. In this universe, the US had already seen some secession, when the cartels start a war with Texas. That will apparently lead to Texas being another break away from the USA (the first being from the Rockies to the west coast). At some point, the cartels get an Exceptional involved, and that will lead to an escalation in the second book.
FYI,
Hellhunters isn't alternate history. At least not that I can tell.
|
|
The Rocketfellers - Tomasi continues to build an interesting world with this little corner of the Ghost Machine Imprint. I really liked that he made the mom not bitter and resentful over her adventurous career being halted by a family. It was very refreshing. And I kind of like the naive innocence of the little girl. The rest of the family is equally interesting. Especially the grandpa. We also get a bit of a sneak peek into more of the Time Zone Protection Program, seeing that the Rocketfellers aren't the only ones in the program. That, to me, has more potential than the Rocketfellers themselves.
Werewolf by Night - He learned a spell that kept his ghost tethered to the living world, but only in werewolf form? How idiotically convenient. And I remember when the first introduced Lilith. She was a deadly power in her own right, not subservient to Chthon. I'll probably give this until at least the end of this first story arc. If they keep the same writer after that, I'll probably drop it. Shame. I think the werewolf deserves better.
New Gods - This Ram V guy is growing on me more. He really does have a way with incorporating more mythology into the Fourth World setting, and making it seem like mythology in its own right. Again, he's no Kirby (still The King), but he's not too shabby. Still, while I like seeing old New Gods like Magnar, I could do without some of these newer ones. Except that Rah-Houw dude, he looks kind of cool. Very Asian mythology. Maybe a mix of some Chinese and Japanese. That image of Orion dragging his power baton(?) across the ground, leaving a gash in the ground, was cool. Looks like next issue will see Highfather unleashed.
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor - Despite Waid's ongoing bout of extreme douchery, and the nearly year and half gap between issues 1 and 2, I still picked this up. Despite other issues, the dude can still write like there's no tomorrow. This issue really captured why Supes is such an inspiration to all other heroes. And I loved the bit about why he loves humanity so much. Then, at the end, we get a nice little surprise villain. Cool. Let's hope Book Three doesn't take as long to get out.
The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England - The finale of this series was mostly one big fight. In the end, the good guys were victorious, but so was the villain. Nice.
Conan the Barbarian - This was tehcnically a continuation of the arc running through the previous two issues, but there's a two year time jump involved. The story picks up right after Belit's death, with Conan being hunted as he tries to make his way back to some semblance of civilization. And what a character to be hunted by. We get a blast from the marvelous past of comic-book Conan - Zula. The interior art was Braithwaite, who isn't shabby, but at least we get a gorgeous De La Torre cover. Still one of the best comic series on the market today.
|
|
Mark Waid Will Be Rewriting The Timelines For Classic Heroes With ‘New History Of The DC Universe’
I have to admit. I am intrigued by this.
Despite the fact Waid is kind of a butt head, his knowledge of comic history is incredibly vast and extremely impressive. And his personal faults aside, he's still one of the best writers in the industry today. This series might be worth a look.
If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see how long it takes them to undo whatever he writes and change it all again.
|
|
Metamorpho - The more I think about it, the more I’m of a mind this book would have fit it well with the 60s Batman TV show. It’s got that same quirky goofiness. It’s still kind of fun, but I’d have preferred a bit more serious Metamorpho.
Batman - This issue was the start of the new Hush 2 story arc. I enjoyed the first Hush storyline, so I figured I’d pick this one up as well. Loeb’s writing is, of course, top notch. Lee’s art is superb, but some bits of it didn’t seem like him. Maybe it’s old age.
Frankenstein: New World - The Sea of Forever - This future Earth setting is pretty cool. Frankenstein is badass. And we’ve got vampires chasing him and the girl. Pretty sure I saw Queen Alice in the girl’s dream. So this might be linked to the recent Ed Grey series. Cool.
Batman: The Last Halloween - We get to see a much younger, FBI Agent Amanda Waller. And what a surprise - she already doesn’t get along with anyone. I loved her Foxy Brown hair, though. Gilda riding on Two-Face’s back was unexpected, but hilarious. I saw the Mister Freeze helmet shot coming a mile away. I’m wondering what Catwoman’s up to. And perhaps curious about that phrase they keep repeating. Either subliminal, or some kind of control. Enrico Marini’s art was great.
|
|
I would have had more books to talk about, but several were delayed by the whole Diamond thing. I hear they finally got bought out, or are in the process of being bought, so hopefully that’ll get fixed soon-ish.
I do have one more book to read, but it’s a special hardcover. Wanted to get the smaller books out of the way first.
|
|
Bowling with Corpses & Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown - this is Mike Mignola’s new hardcover book. It’s filled with a whole bunch of stories. According to his afterward, it all started because he wanted to adapt an old Italian story about a kid who “bowls with corpses”. From there it grew into an entire fantasy world, with numerous lands, dozens of characters, and more stories than one book could contain. Hopefully, it sells well enough to earn a sequel.
The book itself is a nice hard back, with great Mignola cover art. He did all the writing and art, with Dave Stewart providing the colors. Mignola’s art is, as expected, phenomenal. The stories are quirky and fun. I’d love to see more of this world.
If you like Mignola, I highly recommend this book.
|
|
Damn! I was looking forward to the new preview magazines that came out this week. Sadly, there was hardly anything that looked worth my money, other than the books I might typically get. The only new series that I plan to add is DC’s The New History of the DC Universe. Waid may be a butthead, but he knows that history, and is still a solid writer.
Still, I was hoping at least hoping for a few new collected editions, or maybe a Marvel Epic Collection to catch my eye. I know they’ve got some stuff coming out this year that has me intrigued. Some of it is already on my list (Cosmic Odyssey, Wrath of the Spectre, the DC Ditko book, the Loeb and Sale Spider-Man). The rest I’ll just have to wait until they show up in a future previews.
|
|
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma - I like the character, and I’ve been somewhat impressed by Ram V’s work on New Gods, so figured I’d give this a try. The first issue is really well written. And gives us a potentially interesting new antagonist. The art is passable. I look forward to more.
Hello Darkness - the stories in this issue were all pretty decent. The art ranged from pretty good to meh. They did have a note near the end from the company saying they initially had 12 issues planned out, but now have much more. That’s cool.
Immortal Thor - the fight scenes were cool. I was glad to see Hermod still kind of kicking. And now we’ve got a kind of Utgard-Minotaur. Meh. To be honest, I mostly just want this arc to end. It’s starting to get boring.
Moon Knight - This issue had more humor than usual, which was a nice break from the all-too-serious. It was cool seeing Hank Pym again. Hopefully, this be the first of many more appearances. I love 8-Ball, though. If they do ever get rid of those damned vampires, I hope they at least keep him around.
Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell - I saw this advertised and thought it looked like DD was getting the “old man” treatment. And he was. The setup is interesting. He’s old. No powers. There’s some kind of war with super-powered folk going on. Then there’s a dirty bomb explosion. Hilarity ensues. Then we get to see Cap (briefly), Bullseye (makes sense), and Punisher (damn, Marvel still hates Frank). Good story so far. Solid art. Looking forward to more.
JSA - Poor Wildcat. To be honest, though, I’ve long thought he was the character they knew least what to do with. So killing him makes fixes that problem. Hopefully, they’ll begin moving this plot forward a little quicker.
Hyde Street - We get the origin of yet another denizen of the street, Miss Goodbody. She’s made appearances in other books already. And we get a brief introduction to yet another denizen - Sister Hood. It’ll be interesting to see more about her. We’re also getting a bit of an overarching story, with Mr. X-Ray trying to secure the help of others to get rid of Pranky the evil scout.
Shadow of the Golden Crane - Apparently this came out a week or so back, but I missed it. The story continues with modern day BPRD folk finding artifacts relating to the past exploits of the Golden Cranes. And we get Warlord Biker Grandma.
Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring - I love Kane, so was really excited to see Patch Zircher following up his Kane stories from Savage Sword with a four issue miniseries. This one starts with Kane acquiring a snake artifact, and promising to deliver it. Plenty of action. Solid art. And a bit of a crossover with the world of Conan, since it looks like we’ll be dealing with that wily old serpent Set. Hopefully, this’ll sell well enough to encourage more Kane books.
Firstly, I think the Immortal Thor arc in this was great. I loved the conceit with the coin. That was baller. As for Utgard Minotaur, that's Kemur, God of Violence. Or did you think the sword was just for show?
Honestly some times I just wonder how you can read some of what's REALLY good at there and just go 'meh'. But I guess that's why I enjoy more of what's going on in Marvel and DC along with Image that is Power Fantasy and/or anything James Tynion IV.
Look like the Harley Quinn April Fool's issue was....very unusual.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yes it is. Perhaps the creator was riffing on an internet meme
All I know is Ultimate Line and the Absolute Line are doing great work.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I saw an article about the new Superman, David Corenswet, saying he'd love to take part in an adaptation of the old animated episode Knight Time, where Superman disguises himself as Batman. That way he could play both iconic heroes.
I doubt it'll ever happen, but it'd be cool.
|
|
Slow week for new books…..
Batman: Dark Patterns - I love a good Ventriloquist and Scarface story, but why is DC still trying to replace Wesker? He’s such a unique character, there really should only be one of them. Then you kill him off. Instead, they keep trying (never successfully) to replace him. Stupid.
Vatican City - I picked this up because (a) it’s Mark Millar, and (b) it just sounded like a really cool premise. Vampires take over and a bunch of survivors hold up in the Vatican. The execution was a wee bit lacking. It might be partly due to the terrible art, but the first issue felt really rushed. Like they were glossing over a lot of potential story. I expected better.
Geiger - Turns out the US Government is just another gang in this future. Albeit a better equipped gang. Still, they’ve got their hands full against two glowing people. Except, it seems those two will soon be at each other’s throats. I don’t trust the Glowing Woman, but I trust the crazy, super-nuke building commie scientist even less. Well, as long as the newly bathed Barney makes it out okay, I’m cool.
They are rebooting it yes, with Al Ewing writing it again. No word yet on the artwork. I am MILDLY annoyed (to put it mildly) Marvel isn't just letting it go on for more than 25 issues. Breevoot claims there's no way to sustain a long lasting series. Which seems BULLSHIT to me given they're doing in DC AND they are doing it in Image. I just guess the House of Ideas is running of real talent to do editorial properly.
|
|
Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time - I had nearly forgotten about this series, so was surprised to see it was on the schedule to be released this week. It was an appropriately solid conclusion to a decent story. Overall, however, I get the feeling Cullen Bunn was sort of phoning it in on the whole miniseries. Still, I enjoyed it enough that if they did another I’d like buy it.
Shadow of the Golden Crane - this issue continues the pattern of the BPRD confronting some supernatural threat that ties into a past confrontation between the Golden Crane Society and the same threat. Looks like all the threads are leading to Hellboy. There’s a shock. It’s a fun book, though.
Redcoat - The mystery of this comic universe continues to grow. This issue we get further introduction to The Northerner. He’s dressed like a Yankee soldier, appears to have some foreknowledge, and has access to advanced (for the time he appears in) weapons. I’m guessing time traveler. Especially the way he says someone who discovers his existence is now in danger. Looking forward to more.
New Gods - I’ve often thought Black Racer stories are difficult to pull off. The only other writer I’ve ever seen to do a really spectacular job of it was Grant Morrison over in JLA (a long time ago). Ram V does a great job with it here. The focus on one character is, I think, the best touch. Since death, in the end, is always personal. I like the Alpha Effect. And that last page as well. I’m still not too keen on the bad guys. They remind me too much of those magic-hating villains from that godawful run of Doctor Strange several years back. Ram V is at least attempting to make these guys cool. It looks like they’re powered up by some primordial darkness. Whereas I think the new New God Orion is currently failing to pulverize is going to end up being empowered by some primordial light.
|
|
I nearly forgot…..
Conan the Barbarian - We get a bit further into the modern reintroduction of Zula. There’s a nice homage to the character’s reimagining in the Conan the Destroyer movie. Other than that, it’s him using ancient magic to help Conan rid himself of the taint of Set. My only disagreement with the book is they kept referring to Set as female. That was pretty stupid.
|
|
Metamorpho - it’s getting a bit silly, but I’ll give them credit for bringing in one of the cooler DC villains of the last 30 years (not to mention one of those ideas that helps balance out Grant Morrison’s other sins) - Solaris, the Tyrant Sun. I saw it coming, but only a few pages ahead. Plus, Algon. Another blast from the past.
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor - I hadn’t expected this to actually come out on time and so soon. The ending was not quite what I was expecting, but it was pretty good nonetheless. “Tell no one.” Solid.
Batman - This is the second part of the Hush 2 story. We get an appearance by Leslie, a fight between Jason (whom I’m still angry they brought back), and a jacked-up Riddler who knows everyone’s identity. I think I preferred him when he only thought he was the smartest man in the room. And I don’t think bitter suits Barbara.
Solomon Kane - A resurgent church of Set. The classic, shape-shifting serpent folk! The Ring of Thoth Amon!! Awesome doesn’t begin to cover it. Titan’s REH work continues to be some of the best in the industry.
Honestly I feel like Loeb isn't doing his best work here. But again, this is why Absolute and Ultimate series are working for me.
I recommend everyone read the Absolute Line. Especially with Camp writing a very distinctive and ball tripping Martian Manhunter series plus Thompson's Diana is just powerful in so many ways...just seriously great comic.
On the Ultimate side, Ultimate Black Panther continues to improve after the defeat of Khonshu and Ra. Some great stuff on this "Dark Vibranium"
|
|
Just saw a YouTube video about Grant Morrison reportedly coming back to DC for a Batman story. I’m cautiously optimistic about that. I’ve always considered him hit or miss. Though when he does “hit” it’s usually pretty damned good.
I’ve seen some speculation it might be a miniseries focusing on an older Damien Wayne as Batman. I’ve made no secret I despise that character, so if that speculation turns out to be accurate I’d probably skip the series. Maybe they’ve improved the character since back then, but in those early days he was written as young punk with an overinflated opinion of himself. It bugged the crap out of me, so that kind of put a damper on my Batman collecting for years. Best to ignore annoyances like that.
Still, it’s nice to see someone with that much experience and good story telling back at DC.
I'm fine with Grant coming back for Batman... I dunno if I want to see Batman 666 though.
|
|
Sweet!
Yesterday the lady who takes care of our kitchens and office supplies let me know the executive secretary downstairs was giving away some comic related items. So I went down to take a look.
She had four wood signs with images from various comic book covers printed on them: Avengers #144, Detective Comics #587, X-Men #100, and then what looked part of an old Superman cover (not sure which, since I was never a big Superman collector).
These had apparently once belonged to the lady's daughter, when she was younger and into superheroes. The girl is older now, so when they moved they decided to get rid of them (and some other, more girly signs).
So now I have some more decorations for my future Comic Book Room at home.
I have Detective Comics #587, and a reprint of X-Men #100. I'm looking at them now, and... yeah, I guess those cover pictures do look iconic. But they wouldn't draw my attention. Cover art seldom does.
But if I did want to display a cover picture of a comic, which would it be? There was one cover picture that first drew me into what would become my all-time favorite comic-book series, the 1999-2006 JSA run. That cover picture - of the first trade paperback that reprinted that series - looked like this.
In fact, I related the story before, in this post.
|
|
I saw that Jeremy Renner turned down a Hawkeye Season 2 because he felt insulted by an offer of half the salary he had for Season 1. Can't say I blame him. I'd be peeved as well. It's a shame. I actually thought that show was one of the few decent ones they did. Right up until that last episode, anyway.
Oh well. I had hoped we'd get another season, but I'll guess we might just settle for "Better Hawkeye" in Kate. Maybe.
|
|
New preview magazines this week. There were a couple of things that piqued my interest.
The definites:
Nemesis Forever
Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire
Hellboy and the BPRD: Professor Harvey is Gone
Gotham by Gaslight: A League for Justice
The Maybes:
DC Finest: Horror - The Devil’s Doorway
Wonder Woman by John Byrne Omnibus
X-Men by Chris Claremont: Prelude to a Future Past
Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle TPB
|
|
Lots of books this week, especially with Free Comic Day. It took me until today to read through it all.
ID Dark - Horror offering from IDW. Of the four stories, I only thought the middle two were worth a damn. One was a new 30 Days of Night story. The other was called Tuatha. Overall, this was the least impressive of the offerings I chose.
Diablo: Dawn of Hatred - This was from Titan. It’s a direct sequel to D4 and the Expansion, with Cullen Bunn writing. The art wasn’t all that great, but was decent enough. I’m intrigued enough I’ll probably get at least a couple more issues when it starts up regularly. Another free offering.
Best of 2000AD - This was a good one. There was a Dredd story, a Rogue Trooper Story, a War of the Worlds follow up story, and a Judge Anderson story. All very fun to read, with some decent to excellent art. The third free book I picked up.
Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution - The series ends on a low note. Killed off April. Brought back the Foot Clan. Yawn. And here I thought they’d at least continue in a new direction, but it looks like if they move forward it’ll be the same old.
Hell Hunters - The final battle was a bit anticlimactic, but overall the series was fun to read. I really like WWII Ghost Rider, and hope they do more with the character.
Rocketfellers - So not everything Ghost Machine does is great. The most recent characters introduced to this series seem to be a pair of midget twin crime lords who apparently feel the need to compensate for something by dressing like a pair of tin-pot, third world dictators. They come across as kind of idiotic and pathetic. The stuff with the dog was funny, though. And I’m still intrigued enough by the overarching mystery. Overall, this series is the weakest of the Ghost Machine offerings I collect.
Lost Fantasy - I picked this up because I thought the cover was cool. I think it’s an anthology. What appear to be the first two stories kind of blend together a bit, but the third is clearly different. All in all, I’m intrigued enough to keep it going at least another issue or so.
Wolverine and Kitty Pryde - Claremont’s sequel to the classic miniseries. It feels like old X-Men (i.e. good). The art is pretty solid. Cover was Alan Davis. Logan and Kitty are still in Japan, trying to get Kitty used to what remains of her Ogun-possessed fighting skills. By the end of the issue they’re pulled (along with Mariko) into what appears to be a feudal Japan setting. I liked the bit with Wolverine not popping his claws in a fight because he’s trying to be a better mentor. Overall, I look forward to the rest of this series.
Frankenstein: New World The Sea of Forever - damn, that title is long. The monster being served by the two ghost Mermaids turns out to be the Bog Roosh from an old Hellboy story. Cool, but I guess it shouldn’t be unexpected. This world was burned the Ogdru Jahad, and now is recovering. The creatures pursuing Frank and his charge are closing in, however. Some kind of vampires.
Batman: The Last Halloween - I really like the young Dick Grayson stuff. Especially the revelation this issue was set at Mother’s Day. And now we’ve got at least two actual Holidays, one of whom is actually Julian Day this time. And now we’ve got Momma Falcone as well. Interesting. The art this time was by Dave Johnson. Not bad, but not great. More adequate.
Conan: Scourge of the Serpent - this was the last of the free books I picked up. It’s setting up the next miniseries they’re going to do for the Howardverse. This time something to do with Thoth-Amon and the Serpent Ring of Set. The story was great, as was the art. I look forward to the continuation of the story. The only problem I had was the dude doing the editorials at the back of the book. This is at least the second time he’s referred to Set as “she”, and that’s just flat wrong. The dude is supposedly some kind of archaeologist and historian, so I can only guess his error is deliberate for some stupid reason. Not a deal breaker, but it annoys me.
Savage Sword of Conan - This issue had five different stories, four of Conan and one of Cormac Fitzgeoffrey. All were good stories, but the second Conan story had horrible art. It just kind of ran together on the page. Very messy. The pinups were mostly solid. The last story was really cool, both writing and art.
Huh. Looks like the Bog Roosh revived after getting killed.