I have made a fanvid. Of this I am quite proud.
Description (also on YouTube):
This is a tribute to a webcomic called The Dreamer, written and drawn by Lora Innes. Read it here: http://www.thedreamercomic.com. I've been wanting to make a fanvid for a while now, and this is my first... Well, it's my second, but it's the first that I can actually share. Still, I think this turned out reasonably well, and it wouldn't have if I hadn't found just the right music...
The music, by the way, is "Fur Elise", (composed by Beethoven, 'natch), as played by Taimane Gardner. It's from her album LOCO PRINCESS. Check out her homepage, http://taimane.com/, or listen to her at Tribe of Noise (http://www.tribeofnoise.com/TaimaneGardner).
The track is used with permission and under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
Showing posts with label IDW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IDW. Show all posts
Friday, February 06, 2009
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
On 23 August, 2006
Okay, this is just unusual. Not much of interest from Marvel this week. Go figure.
Reading music: Riverdance: Music from the Show
Blue Beetle #6: Blue Beetle and the Posse take the good fight to a metahuman compound that rings of the 198 prison camp over on Earth-616.
But there are two characters I feel like I ought to know. There's the burly tattooed fella on the red motorcycle, and there's the mysterious Dr. Strange type who keeps popping up out of thin air. Who are those guys?
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes. Mostly.
Do I Care? Yes.
Justice League of America #1: I have seen that first page floating around the blogosphere for what seems like months and, well... It's even weirder in print, and it is not comfortable. Maybe discomfort is what they were going for, but... Geez, it's weird.
Of all the stories here, Red Tornado was the most touching. Diana, Clark and Bruce voting on JLA members was entertaining, too. As for the rest, I have no clue. Eh.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Generally speaking, yes.
Do I Care? Not really, no.
Wonder Woman #2: I like that Diana is this woman confused about what her role in life ought to be. Very existential and very human, that. I like that, on top of the "Who am I?" stuff, she's managing the whole big sister/mentor role by watching over the two women replacing her as Wonder Woman, and she's maintaining a new job as a government agent.
I am going to posit that it is taking both Donna and Cassie to replace Diana as Wonder Woman, but that may be as shaky as Diana's secret identity, seeing as it's based primarily on this one comic. (I had no idea there even was a Wonder Girl.) Oh, and Kingdom Come. At any rate, in Kingdom Come, Diana is characterized as having two roles, right? That of a warrior, and that of a teacher/peacemaker... Something like that. (I can't believe I'm writing this. I shall probably be smote by the collective feminist comics blogosphere or something.) At any rate, in Wonder Woman, Donna (in the middle of a battle) calls herself a "kinder, gentler Wonder Woman." That's probably kind of tongue-in-cheek, but however it's meant, Donna still shows she has a sense of humor. Meanwhile, Cassie displays a quick temper and a less-than-forgiving nature. Are the attitudes of Donna and Cassie sort of representative of what Diana has to balance within herself?
Or not. It's a very fun, very pretty book though.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Kind of.
Supermarket #4 (of 4): The relationship between the two families (the Yakuza and the Swedes) is a bit confusing. A fake rivalry that disguises an alliance?
At any rate, whatever the deal is with the organized criminals, Supermarket #4 is an unexpected but strangely satisfying conclusion to Pella's story, complete with a great car chase and surprisingly little bloodshed.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes
Elephantmen #2: "Shock Crock!" A Howard Stern parody interviews Crocodileman Elijah Delaney. There is goofy banter, and there is the question as to how Elijah lost his tail. And whether he likes scantily-clad human women, of which there are two. That ends rather poorly. But what else do you expect from a Howard Stern parody?
"Behemoth and Leviathon." Okay, this is just odd. An epic battle between Hip Flask (I think) and a... That's not Elijah, is it? It would explain how he lost his tail, but honestly, that reptile looks more like something out of Jurassic Park. At any rate, it's narrated by Job. As in, the Book of Job, or parts of it. Weird contrast.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Pretty much, yeah.
Do I Care? Sort of.
Women of Marvel Poster Book: Okay, so I'm guessing there won't be any "Men of Marvel" poster books. There should be, in all fairness, but no. At least there's variety here, anyway, with all manner of reprinted images from various artists, most of whom are not named Greg.
In case you're curious, the following is a listing of all posters and artists, verbatim, from the inside front cover:
Week's most memorable moment: Pinata (a.k.a. Cinetico), a member of the Posse, describes her powers in Blue Beetle #6. (It's like something out of Nextwave...)
Tentative checklist for 30 August, 2006
(*Indicates a title I've preordered.)
*All New Official Handbook Marvel Universe A To Z #8
*All Star Superman #5
CSI: Dying in the Gutters #1
Civil War Young Avengers & Runaways #2 (Of 4)
Mythos: Hulk
*She-Hulk 2 #11
Snakes On A Plane #1 (Of 2)
*Ultimate Fantastic Four #33
Lordy...
Reading music: Riverdance: Music from the Show
--Warning: Spoilers ahead--
DC
DC
Blue Beetle #6: Blue Beetle and the Posse take the good fight to a metahuman compound that rings of the 198 prison camp over on Earth-616.
But there are two characters I feel like I ought to know. There's the burly tattooed fella on the red motorcycle, and there's the mysterious Dr. Strange type who keeps popping up out of thin air. Who are those guys?
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes. Mostly.
Do I Care? Yes.
Justice League of America #1: I have seen that first page floating around the blogosphere for what seems like months and, well... It's even weirder in print, and it is not comfortable. Maybe discomfort is what they were going for, but... Geez, it's weird.
Of all the stories here, Red Tornado was the most touching. Diana, Clark and Bruce voting on JLA members was entertaining, too. As for the rest, I have no clue. Eh.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Generally speaking, yes.
Do I Care? Not really, no.
Wonder Woman #2: I like that Diana is this woman confused about what her role in life ought to be. Very existential and very human, that. I like that, on top of the "Who am I?" stuff, she's managing the whole big sister/mentor role by watching over the two women replacing her as Wonder Woman, and she's maintaining a new job as a government agent.
I am going to posit that it is taking both Donna and Cassie to replace Diana as Wonder Woman, but that may be as shaky as Diana's secret identity, seeing as it's based primarily on this one comic. (I had no idea there even was a Wonder Girl.) Oh, and Kingdom Come. At any rate, in Kingdom Come, Diana is characterized as having two roles, right? That of a warrior, and that of a teacher/peacemaker... Something like that. (I can't believe I'm writing this. I shall probably be smote by the collective feminist comics blogosphere or something.) At any rate, in Wonder Woman, Donna (in the middle of a battle) calls herself a "kinder, gentler Wonder Woman." That's probably kind of tongue-in-cheek, but however it's meant, Donna still shows she has a sense of humor. Meanwhile, Cassie displays a quick temper and a less-than-forgiving nature. Are the attitudes of Donna and Cassie sort of representative of what Diana has to balance within herself?
Or not. It's a very fun, very pretty book though.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Kind of.
IDW Publishing
Supermarket #4 (of 4): The relationship between the two families (the Yakuza and the Swedes) is a bit confusing. A fake rivalry that disguises an alliance?
At any rate, whatever the deal is with the organized criminals, Supermarket #4 is an unexpected but strangely satisfying conclusion to Pella's story, complete with a great car chase and surprisingly little bloodshed.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes
Image
Elephantmen #2: "Shock Crock!" A Howard Stern parody interviews Crocodileman Elijah Delaney. There is goofy banter, and there is the question as to how Elijah lost his tail. And whether he likes scantily-clad human women, of which there are two. That ends rather poorly. But what else do you expect from a Howard Stern parody?
"Behemoth and Leviathon." Okay, this is just odd. An epic battle between Hip Flask (I think) and a... That's not Elijah, is it? It would explain how he lost his tail, but honestly, that reptile looks more like something out of Jurassic Park. At any rate, it's narrated by Job. As in, the Book of Job, or parts of it. Weird contrast.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Pretty much, yeah.
Do I Care? Sort of.
Marvel
Women of Marvel Poster Book: Okay, so I'm guessing there won't be any "Men of Marvel" poster books. There should be, in all fairness, but no. At least there's variety here, anyway, with all manner of reprinted images from various artists, most of whom are not named Greg.
In case you're curious, the following is a listing of all posters and artists, verbatim, from the inside front cover:
She-Hulk by Mike MayhewThe book might be worth unstapling for Steve McNiven's Sue Storm, though I have no idea where I'd display it, if at all.
Spider-Woman by Andrea DiVito
Ms. Marvel by Frank Cho
X-23 & Psylocke by Randy Green
Black Cat with Wolverine by Joseph Michael Linsner
Rogue by Rodolfo Migliari
Invisible Woman by Steve McNiven
Wolfsbane by Josh Middleton
Misty Knight & Colleen Wing by Khary Evans
Arana by Mark Brooks
Emma Frost by Greg Horn
Jewel by Mark Bagley
Mary Jane with Spider-Man by Takeshi Miyazawa
The Women of Marvel by Greg Land
Black Cat by Terry Dodson
Dazzler by Michael Ryan
Dagger with Cloak by Josh Middleton
Mystique by Mike Mayhew
Power Princess by Gary Frank
She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters by John Buscema
Psylocke by Josh Middleton
Ms. Marvel (House of M) by Terry Dodson
The Women of Marvel by Mike Mayhew
Ultimate Invisible Girl, Marvel Girl & Vision by Brandon Peterson
Storm by Michael Turner
Blink & Nocturne by Adrian Alphona
Spider-Woman by Joe Sinnott
Black Widow by Greg Land
Spider-Girl by Ron Frenz
Sersi by Rick Berry
Shanna, the She-Devil by Frank Cho
Kitty Pryde by John Cassaday
Rogue by Chris Bachalo
Polaris with Havok by Billy Tan
Phoenix by Greg Land
The Women of Marvel by Bruce Timm
Week's most memorable moment: Pinata (a.k.a. Cinetico), a member of the Posse, describes her powers in Blue Beetle #6. (It's like something out of Nextwave...)
Tentative checklist for 30 August, 2006
(*Indicates a title I've preordered.)
*All New Official Handbook Marvel Universe A To Z #8
*All Star Superman #5
CSI: Dying in the Gutters #1
Civil War Young Avengers & Runaways #2 (Of 4)
Mythos: Hulk
*She-Hulk 2 #11
Snakes On A Plane #1 (Of 2)
*Ultimate Fantastic Four #33
Lordy...
Friday, June 16, 2006
On 14 June, 2006
This week's pile includes 1 (one) DC comic, 1 (one) IDW comic, and 5 (five) Marvel comic books. That's over 71% Marvel and around these parts, that's not atypical. I think I need to use my new Photoshopping skills to make a... badge or something. A Marvel-centric Blog badge. Yes, that would be fun.
Reading music: Liz Carroll and John Doyle: In Play
Ex Machina Special #2: The Machine vs. Animal slugfest concludes with a bloody confrontation in a Manhattan animal shelter. The insane Pherson has murdered a police officer and fed him to the pound puppies. He is also holding two workers hostage in order to draw out a somewhat worse-for-wear Mitchell and kill him with said hounds. Needless to say, the whole thing ends messily, and then we're back to the "present," where a conflicted mayor shares his views on the death penalty with a hard-hitting radio host.
This really became more of a "former superhero looks back on his past with regret" story than a Man versus Nature tale. That's okay, too. It's still a good read.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Sure.
Supermarket #3: Streetwise, Pella is not. She's wanted by the rival gangs her parents represented, and she has only Beta, a Yakuza and a friend, to help her. Well, him and her parents' considerable funds. (How'd she get those funds back, anyway? I'm kind of confused about that; I thought she was locked out of their accounts or something.) She's still obsessed with money. She "look[s] down and wonder[s] what's the current market value of the square foot of pavement [she stands] on" in the richest sector of the city. She ponders wealth to no end, but has no clue about how to go incognito, to stay alive. She is, in fact, learning the real cost of survival. It's a sharp learning curve, Pella comes to see, as Beta kills one of his own to protect her.
The issue ends on a nice West Side Story note, which is actually not at odds with the overall tone of the book. We'll see how it leads into the conclusion, and how much Pella actually grows as a character next month (or whenever the fourth and last issue comes out.) At least, I hope that's what we'll see.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes
Civil War #2: Now, I can't help but wonder whether Tony Stark has staged the Doombot attack on the Big Apple. I mean, Reed Richards and Hank Pym are right there as part of the team that takes it out off-panel, and ever since Stark set up the battle between Titanium Man and Spider-Man, I just don't trust the guy. The ends don't justify these means, Tony! Oi. Sure, Dr. Doom is back in action somewhere, but it still seems like the odds of a set up are damn good.
Meanwhile... Reed's predicting the Apocalypse if Superhuman activities aren't brought under control (and upsetting Sue due to his seeming lack of interest in Johnny's welfare). Tony has doubts. A secret identity is revealed. (For that spoiler, check out some of the mainstream news organizations.) Lots of things are going on, but the main thing is Captain America's new underground safehouse network for illegal vigilantes. The camps are neatly established, and the plot is moving right along in tidy steps.
Also, and I know I don't comment much on artwork, but still... I really dig Steve McNiven now.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yes.
Four #30: Click here for a special review.
Marvel Romance Redux: Love is a Four Letter Word: "Hot Alien Love." Just what it sounds like. A female "Homeworld Security" agent falls in love (?) with a Lustarian and escapes Earth to join him on his homeworld. Make of that what you will.
"Buffy Willow: Agent of A.D.D." Another secret agent. This one has a bad case of (you guessed it) A.D.D. The narration is funny, so this one has some redeeming value.
"Mice and Money." Two disgusting people with a rodent fetish get together. Their world is filled with people who enjoy rodents. Mostly as cuisine, but still. Rodents. It's like a twisted version of Pokemon wherein the losing Rattatas and Pikachus end up in the oven.
"Love Me, Love My Clones!" A technophile falls for an android after breaking it off with half a dozen ever-lovin' clones.
"They Said I Was... Insane!" And they'd be right.
Do I Know What I Just Read? ???
Do I Care? ???
Marvel Westerns Two Gun Kid: Matthew Hawk goes werewolf hunting in the present and the past, the premise being that a lycanthrope's curse has followed the gunslinger from 1876 to 2006. And it has touched the current quarry. At least, that's what the Two-Gun Kid believes.Westerns really aren't my cup of tea (unless they're sci-fi westerns, in which case they are très cool), but this is a Dan Slott story. That's probably the reason I was able to get through it at all.
Haven't read the back-up stories yet. I will eventually, but to be honest, the dialect is a bit of a turn-off. Maybe it's just my northern ears. Or maybe the wannabe "Texas cowboy" President's ruined it for me. Probably a combination of factors, but what can you do, right?
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes, what I read of it.
Do I Care? Eh.
Ms. Marvel #4: Is total gibberish just shorthand for someone losing his or her mind, if the reader isn't looking through the crazy-person's eyes? Because, really, do people suffering from psychosis actually say stuff like "I cannot cartel any primrose?" Aside from bad poets on drugs? Just curious...
Anywho, Carol's just sort of starting to recover from her latest ordeal, but she has to deal with her overbearing publicist (who is sort of scary), and an evil other-dimensional sorcerer. That would be where Dr. Strange comes in. The sorcerer, Sir Warren Traveler, possesses the Eye of Watoomb; seems to be after the Wand that goes with the Eye; is somehow connected to Carol via the House of M event (They did actually refer to it as an "event."); and is more than a match for Dr. Strange. In other words, he's scary.
But still not as scary as Sarah Day.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Kinda sorta.
Week's most memorable moment(s): The sweetest Infinite Possibility is the last page and a half or so of Four #30, but this I.P. is a great deal more entertaining...
Tentative checklist for 21 June, 2006
All-Star Superman #4
Giant-Size Hulk #1
Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe #2
Manhunter #23
The Thing #8 (Last issue. Sigh.)
Reading music: Liz Carroll and John Doyle: In Play
--Warning: Spoilers ahead--
DC
DC
Ex Machina Special #2: The Machine vs. Animal slugfest concludes with a bloody confrontation in a Manhattan animal shelter. The insane Pherson has murdered a police officer and fed him to the pound puppies. He is also holding two workers hostage in order to draw out a somewhat worse-for-wear Mitchell and kill him with said hounds. Needless to say, the whole thing ends messily, and then we're back to the "present," where a conflicted mayor shares his views on the death penalty with a hard-hitting radio host.
This really became more of a "former superhero looks back on his past with regret" story than a Man versus Nature tale. That's okay, too. It's still a good read.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Sure.
IDW
Supermarket #3: Streetwise, Pella is not. She's wanted by the rival gangs her parents represented, and she has only Beta, a Yakuza and a friend, to help her. Well, him and her parents' considerable funds. (How'd she get those funds back, anyway? I'm kind of confused about that; I thought she was locked out of their accounts or something.) She's still obsessed with money. She "look[s] down and wonder[s] what's the current market value of the square foot of pavement [she stands] on" in the richest sector of the city. She ponders wealth to no end, but has no clue about how to go incognito, to stay alive. She is, in fact, learning the real cost of survival. It's a sharp learning curve, Pella comes to see, as Beta kills one of his own to protect her.
The issue ends on a nice West Side Story note, which is actually not at odds with the overall tone of the book. We'll see how it leads into the conclusion, and how much Pella actually grows as a character next month (or whenever the fourth and last issue comes out.) At least, I hope that's what we'll see.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes
Marvel
Civil War #2: Now, I can't help but wonder whether Tony Stark has staged the Doombot attack on the Big Apple. I mean, Reed Richards and Hank Pym are right there as part of the team that takes it out off-panel, and ever since Stark set up the battle between Titanium Man and Spider-Man, I just don't trust the guy. The ends don't justify these means, Tony! Oi. Sure, Dr. Doom is back in action somewhere, but it still seems like the odds of a set up are damn good.
Meanwhile... Reed's predicting the Apocalypse if Superhuman activities aren't brought under control (and upsetting Sue due to his seeming lack of interest in Johnny's welfare). Tony has doubts. A secret identity is revealed. (For that spoiler, check out some of the mainstream news organizations.) Lots of things are going on, but the main thing is Captain America's new underground safehouse network for illegal vigilantes. The camps are neatly established, and the plot is moving right along in tidy steps.
Also, and I know I don't comment much on artwork, but still... I really dig Steve McNiven now.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yes.
Four #30: Click here for a special review.
Marvel Romance Redux: Love is a Four Letter Word: "Hot Alien Love." Just what it sounds like. A female "Homeworld Security" agent falls in love (?) with a Lustarian and escapes Earth to join him on his homeworld. Make of that what you will.
"Buffy Willow: Agent of A.D.D." Another secret agent. This one has a bad case of (you guessed it) A.D.D. The narration is funny, so this one has some redeeming value.
"Mice and Money." Two disgusting people with a rodent fetish get together. Their world is filled with people who enjoy rodents. Mostly as cuisine, but still. Rodents. It's like a twisted version of Pokemon wherein the losing Rattatas and Pikachus end up in the oven.
"Love Me, Love My Clones!" A technophile falls for an android after breaking it off with half a dozen ever-lovin' clones.
"They Said I Was... Insane!" And they'd be right.
Do I Know What I Just Read? ???
Do I Care? ???
Marvel Westerns Two Gun Kid: Matthew Hawk goes werewolf hunting in the present and the past, the premise being that a lycanthrope's curse has followed the gunslinger from 1876 to 2006. And it has touched the current quarry. At least, that's what the Two-Gun Kid believes.Westerns really aren't my cup of tea (unless they're sci-fi westerns, in which case they are très cool), but this is a Dan Slott story. That's probably the reason I was able to get through it at all.
Haven't read the back-up stories yet. I will eventually, but to be honest, the dialect is a bit of a turn-off. Maybe it's just my northern ears. Or maybe the wannabe "Texas cowboy" President's ruined it for me. Probably a combination of factors, but what can you do, right?
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes, what I read of it.
Do I Care? Eh.
Ms. Marvel #4: Is total gibberish just shorthand for someone losing his or her mind, if the reader isn't looking through the crazy-person's eyes? Because, really, do people suffering from psychosis actually say stuff like "I cannot cartel any primrose?" Aside from bad poets on drugs? Just curious...
Anywho, Carol's just sort of starting to recover from her latest ordeal, but she has to deal with her overbearing publicist (who is sort of scary), and an evil other-dimensional sorcerer. That would be where Dr. Strange comes in. The sorcerer, Sir Warren Traveler, possesses the Eye of Watoomb; seems to be after the Wand that goes with the Eye; is somehow connected to Carol via the House of M event (They did actually refer to it as an "event."); and is more than a match for Dr. Strange. In other words, he's scary.
But still not as scary as Sarah Day.
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Kinda sorta.
Week's most memorable moment(s): The sweetest Infinite Possibility is the last page and a half or so of Four #30, but this I.P. is a great deal more entertaining...
Tentative checklist for 21 June, 2006
All-Star Superman #4
Giant-Size Hulk #1
Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe #2
Manhunter #23
The Thing #8 (Last issue. Sigh.)
Friday, March 24, 2006
On 22 March, 2006
--Warning: Possible Spoilers--
Marvel
Okay, I admit, I picked up BLACK PANTHER #14 mostly for the cover. The previews looked good too, though, and they didn't lie. This is a fun, fast read, and Storm is quite spectacular. Not much of a cliffhanger, though. What will Ororo's answer be? That question has pretty much been answered, hasn't it?
Make no mistake, SHE-HULK 2 #6 is a dramedy. Dan Slott is taking a fairly serious tone with this arc (appropriate, given the subject matter). There's a lot of romancing, and nothing has been resolved in terms of the two love triangles. I really don't want to spoil this book for anyone, so... no plot details. But this is an awesome book, and this issue would be a great place for new readers to jump in, what with the new arc and new artist.
Wow. Quite a bit of courtroom drama this week. I never quite expected to see more of it in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #530 than in SHE-HULK.
So it goes. This wasn't a high-excitement issue, and the subject matter is again serious. The arc should finish off with a bang, though, given the cliffhanger.
Thankfully, they quit with the Editors' notes after the third page...
Loved the first page Q & A section of NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. #3. Hopefully they'll make the primers a habit. Started a little slow what with the uberdirty cop, but it did pick up. As expected. The giant gun contraption tops the giant telephone contraption. And Dirk Anger kind of reminds me of the boss in The Office, if Michael Scott were completely psychotic.
"Beware of Skrulls bearing gifts" is good advice any day, I'd wager. Thank you, ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #28, for the tip.
DC
Can it be? Have I found not one but two DC comics I actually... enjoy? Wow. Good week, this. (On a side note, I seem to be gravitating towards the female solo titles. Odd.)
I think HAWKGIRL #50 is actually my favorite so far. At the moment, it's more horror mystery than superhero.
CATWOMAN #53 was nifty, too. Very dark. Gotham is always dark, isn't it?
IDW Publishing
SUPERMARKET #2: The story just keeps getting better, the mystery deeper. The humour is great, too, between a "Grill Bill vol. 2" restaurant (complete with red-splattered yellow color scheme) and an Aryan Nation-style Swedish porno gang. Wow.
Notes and Rankings (Best to Worst)
*Time and place have stayed pretty much constant, so from now on, no more redundancy. Music this week was the Liz Carroll & John Doyle album In Play, which I, regrettably, never got signed.
It was very hard to rank these, given that I rather liked all of them!
1. NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. #3
2. SUPERMARKET #2
3. SHE-HULK 2 #6
4. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #530
5. HAWKGIRL #53
6. CATWOMAN #50
7. BLACK PANTHER #14
8. ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #28
Not rated: ALL NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z #3
Panel(s) of the Week: A tie between this panel from NEXTWAVE #3 (and proof that Chris Sims apparently has way too much influence)...
...and this panel from CATWOMAN #50 (because who can resist Batman wielding a teddy bear?)
Marvel
Okay, I admit, I picked up BLACK PANTHER #14 mostly for the cover. The previews looked good too, though, and they didn't lie. This is a fun, fast read, and Storm is quite spectacular. Not much of a cliffhanger, though. What will Ororo's answer be? That question has pretty much been answered, hasn't it?
Make no mistake, SHE-HULK 2 #6 is a dramedy. Dan Slott is taking a fairly serious tone with this arc (appropriate, given the subject matter). There's a lot of romancing, and nothing has been resolved in terms of the two love triangles. I really don't want to spoil this book for anyone, so... no plot details. But this is an awesome book, and this issue would be a great place for new readers to jump in, what with the new arc and new artist.
Wow. Quite a bit of courtroom drama this week. I never quite expected to see more of it in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #530 than in SHE-HULK.
So it goes. This wasn't a high-excitement issue, and the subject matter is again serious. The arc should finish off with a bang, though, given the cliffhanger.
Thankfully, they quit with the Editors' notes after the third page...
Loved the first page Q & A section of NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. #3. Hopefully they'll make the primers a habit. Started a little slow what with the uberdirty cop, but it did pick up. As expected. The giant gun contraption tops the giant telephone contraption. And Dirk Anger kind of reminds me of the boss in The Office, if Michael Scott were completely psychotic.
"Beware of Skrulls bearing gifts" is good advice any day, I'd wager. Thank you, ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #28, for the tip.
DC
Can it be? Have I found not one but two DC comics I actually... enjoy? Wow. Good week, this. (On a side note, I seem to be gravitating towards the female solo titles. Odd.)
I think HAWKGIRL #50 is actually my favorite so far. At the moment, it's more horror mystery than superhero.
CATWOMAN #53 was nifty, too. Very dark. Gotham is always dark, isn't it?
IDW Publishing
SUPERMARKET #2: The story just keeps getting better, the mystery deeper. The humour is great, too, between a "Grill Bill vol. 2" restaurant (complete with red-splattered yellow color scheme) and an Aryan Nation-style Swedish porno gang. Wow.
Notes and Rankings (Best to Worst)
*Time and place have stayed pretty much constant, so from now on, no more redundancy. Music this week was the Liz Carroll & John Doyle album In Play, which I, regrettably, never got signed.
It was very hard to rank these, given that I rather liked all of them!
1. NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. #3
2. SUPERMARKET #2
3. SHE-HULK 2 #6
4. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #530
5. HAWKGIRL #53
6. CATWOMAN #50
7. BLACK PANTHER #14
8. ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #28
Not rated: ALL NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z #3
Panel(s) of the Week: A tie between this panel from NEXTWAVE #3 (and proof that Chris Sims apparently has way too much influence)...
...and this panel from CATWOMAN #50 (because who can resist Batman wielding a teddy bear?)
Monday, February 27, 2006
On 22 February, 2006
This week, between four publishers (Marvel, DC, IDW, and Boom! Studios), five first issues, and about four genres (super-hero, fantasy, horror, and mystery if my classifications are correct), I think I set a personal record for variety in comic book reading.
But before I get into all of those, I have to report the second (by my count) Great Wave sighting of 2006. The first was the cover of NEXTWAVE #1. The second is a panel out of SUPERMARKET #1. Please feel free to report any other sightings as you see them.
--Warning: Possible Spoilers--
DC
Cole at Mountain of Judgement recommended ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1 (among other things), and needless to say, I took him at his word and gave it a shot.
Apart from Kingdom Come, this was my first real comic-book introduction to Superman. I read this thing slowly (being new to DCU), not really feeling it until the very end, when Clark reveals his secret identity to Lois. Didn't catch any references beyond that which any American layreader might know, but that's really to be expected. I'll see if the store has the second issue on its shelves, yet, and will probably give the series until the third, but really, I don't have my hopes up.
My other foray into DC this week came in the form of WILD GIRL #1. This was one of two comics I chose from the dollar bin this week, and being in a bit of a hurry to get to work, I didn't give either of my choices a great deal of thought. And the guys at the shop were not overly enthusiastic about WILD GIRL.
Me, I thought it was cute. The art was a bit too cartoony, maybe, and maybe the whole "Girl who Talks to Animals" theme is a bit overdone, but the urban setting made it interesting. Probably not worth back-issue hunting for, though, and it doesn't seem to be in trades. Oh well.
Boom! Studios
IN THE BLOOD #1 is a dark study in grays, reds, and sepias. The origin story of a teenaged werewolf, I'd somehow expected something lighter. But, no matter, I'm a sucker for a decent werewolf story. The werewolf imagery itself reminds me of those Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books I read as a child (albeit more detailed). There is nothing light-hearted about this. Be warned.
IDW Publishing
Last week, the shop was out of SUPERMARKET #1, but this week, they had it. Not sure what I can really say about it, other than the fact that it's an excellent blend of murder mystery and social commentary. Truly excellent. It's now on my pre-order list.
Marvel
This week, on Earth-616, FANTASTIC FOUR #535 saw two major story arcs resolved, and lent an interesting angle to the Planet Hulk storyline that's been going on. Franklin and Valeria are not going into foster care after all (not a huge shock); and Ben calmed the Hulk down; and Ben suggested to Reed that the only way to really solve the Hulk problem would be to send him (the Hulk) into space. I'm not nearly jaded enough to not think this is nifty.
Meanwhile, in THING #4, the Inhumans' dog, Lockjaw, joined the cast, and Ben learned the value of family. Dan Slott provided a huge "aww" factor without being completely sappy. My favorite issue of THING, yet!
GRAVITY #1 (OF 5) didn't happen this week (it was my other Dollar Bin pick), but it did happen. And it was a whole lot of fun. Since this coming Wednesday is slow, I might pick up the trade.
Earth-1610 was in flashback mode, as ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #2 (OF 6) followed the "adventures" of Bruce Banner/Hulk, from his escape from execution to his current weird womanizing status in Tibet. Next issue promises to be a slugfest, but this one was oddly quiet. Aside from the requisite Hulk-kills-and-eats-people mayhem, anyway. Needless to say, I added the series to my preorders.
Notes and Rankings (Best to Worst)
*I first read all of these Wednesday evening, cloistered in my bedroom whilst listening to Celtic Twilight 2 (Hearts of Space), except for ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #2, which I read without background music. Loreena McKennitt kinda clashes with gory slugfests.
1. THING #4
2. SUPERMARKET #1
3. GRAVITY #1
4. FANTASTIC FOUR #535
5. WILD GIRL #1
6. IN THE BLOOD #1
7. ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1
8. ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #2
ALL-NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A To Z #2 BENNY BECKLEY TO CRAZY EIGHT. Not rated.
Panel of the Week: An extremely cool two-page spread from WILD GIRL #1.
But before I get into all of those, I have to report the second (by my count) Great Wave sighting of 2006. The first was the cover of NEXTWAVE #1. The second is a panel out of SUPERMARKET #1. Please feel free to report any other sightings as you see them.
--Warning: Possible Spoilers--
DC
Cole at Mountain of Judgement recommended ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1 (among other things), and needless to say, I took him at his word and gave it a shot.
Apart from Kingdom Come, this was my first real comic-book introduction to Superman. I read this thing slowly (being new to DCU), not really feeling it until the very end, when Clark reveals his secret identity to Lois. Didn't catch any references beyond that which any American layreader might know, but that's really to be expected. I'll see if the store has the second issue on its shelves, yet, and will probably give the series until the third, but really, I don't have my hopes up.
My other foray into DC this week came in the form of WILD GIRL #1. This was one of two comics I chose from the dollar bin this week, and being in a bit of a hurry to get to work, I didn't give either of my choices a great deal of thought. And the guys at the shop were not overly enthusiastic about WILD GIRL.
Me, I thought it was cute. The art was a bit too cartoony, maybe, and maybe the whole "Girl who Talks to Animals" theme is a bit overdone, but the urban setting made it interesting. Probably not worth back-issue hunting for, though, and it doesn't seem to be in trades. Oh well.
Boom! Studios
IN THE BLOOD #1 is a dark study in grays, reds, and sepias. The origin story of a teenaged werewolf, I'd somehow expected something lighter. But, no matter, I'm a sucker for a decent werewolf story. The werewolf imagery itself reminds me of those Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books I read as a child (albeit more detailed). There is nothing light-hearted about this. Be warned.
IDW Publishing
Last week, the shop was out of SUPERMARKET #1, but this week, they had it. Not sure what I can really say about it, other than the fact that it's an excellent blend of murder mystery and social commentary. Truly excellent. It's now on my pre-order list.
Marvel
This week, on Earth-616, FANTASTIC FOUR #535 saw two major story arcs resolved, and lent an interesting angle to the Planet Hulk storyline that's been going on. Franklin and Valeria are not going into foster care after all (not a huge shock); and Ben calmed the Hulk down; and Ben suggested to Reed that the only way to really solve the Hulk problem would be to send him (the Hulk) into space. I'm not nearly jaded enough to not think this is nifty.
Meanwhile, in THING #4, the Inhumans' dog, Lockjaw, joined the cast, and Ben learned the value of family. Dan Slott provided a huge "aww" factor without being completely sappy. My favorite issue of THING, yet!
GRAVITY #1 (OF 5) didn't happen this week (it was my other Dollar Bin pick), but it did happen. And it was a whole lot of fun. Since this coming Wednesday is slow, I might pick up the trade.
Earth-1610 was in flashback mode, as ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #2 (OF 6) followed the "adventures" of Bruce Banner/Hulk, from his escape from execution to his current weird womanizing status in Tibet. Next issue promises to be a slugfest, but this one was oddly quiet. Aside from the requisite Hulk-kills-and-eats-people mayhem, anyway. Needless to say, I added the series to my preorders.
Notes and Rankings (Best to Worst)
*I first read all of these Wednesday evening, cloistered in my bedroom whilst listening to Celtic Twilight 2 (Hearts of Space), except for ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #2, which I read without background music. Loreena McKennitt kinda clashes with gory slugfests.
1. THING #4
2. SUPERMARKET #1
3. GRAVITY #1
4. FANTASTIC FOUR #535
5. WILD GIRL #1
6. IN THE BLOOD #1
7. ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1
8. ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #2
ALL-NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A To Z #2 BENNY BECKLEY TO CRAZY EIGHT. Not rated.
Panel of the Week: An extremely cool two-page spread from WILD GIRL #1.
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