What a very light week for me! Pretty much just a few comics and catching up with a title I had forgotten about (probably because I’m old).
I’d like to take a moment to babble on about some other places to get comics, specifically Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a rabbit hole for many creative people or people who like to get things before anyone else. I started playing around on Kickstarter when it first started and it could be a crap shoot as to whether the item you helped along would actually come to fruition. I did get some cool things like the watch band for my iPod nano which kind of made it the first Apple Watch. I also tried some other ones that weren’t that successful, like the animatronic Arduino run head, the creator realized that he had over extended himself since was just a kid in college and didn’t have access to the school’s laser cutter after he completed the class he was in… ugh. The early days of anything can be frustrating… but as the bugs got worked out it became easier to use and almost a guarantee for those who have the patience to wait things out. Comic book creators use Kickstarter (and other platforms) to see if they can get enough people committed to their idea so it can be printed. Usually this includes special bonuses if certain levels of funding are achieved. I mention comics, but it really encompasses everything. The areas I tend to follow deal with comics/art and board games. I am cutting down on board games, not because they aren’t excellent, but because I’ve found I’m not playing games as much as once did (I think I’ve mentioned this before). Back to Kickstarter… This week something wonderful arrived in my mailbox. That’s one thing that is cool, is you sometimes have no idea when something will arrive. This week it was Thorn by Jeff Smith. If you didn’t already know, Jeff Smith is one of my favorite creators. His comic Bone wasn’t originally all ages, but has become a staple in many school libraries. The characters started out at Ohio State University in their school newspaper when Jeff was a student. He’s taken the time to pull all those strips together and publish them for fans like me. A publisher would probably look at it and say there’s not a large enough audience for this, but on Kickstarter if you don’t get enough support… you just don’t do the project. No one is charged until the project gets enough pledges to get made. Sometimes I’ll wait until I know a project has broken (or is really close to) that barrier before funding it, other times, I just jump into it on a whim.
This Week’s Comics:
Thorn by Jeff Smith: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 and Other Early Drawings- I really enjoy seeing the evolution of a character. Seeing the early strips with Phone Bone and knowing what the character becomes is amazing. Having done a comic strip (off & on) for over a decade I think about how Cecil has evolved from a simple concept and (horrible) drawing to what he is now, this is what I get to do with Bone. Some of the basic story is there, but there are so many ideas that made it into Jeff’s college strips that didn’t make it into Bone. Understandably so, since many parts were tied to time current events of the day, and the college audience. I have a few regrets, one of those is not having the guts to actually do a strip in high school or college. The strips done in my school papers I saw as much better than anything I could produce, so why try? It’s awesome that creators are now releasing early works so we can see that it takes time and effort to get something great.
Power Pack into the Storm #2-#4 – I know I missed a few, but to sum it up the Power Pack get captured and Franklin Richard’s is the only one who can save them by getting help from the X-Men. When it comes to involving the X-Men and evil aliens it means the Brood are now involved. Will they be able to save Franklin? Does Mayhem know what she is getting herself into- we know, but she is clueless.
Captain America #8 – so Cap is now saving the world from mystic evil… what happened to just punching Nazis in the face? I’ve seen Cap trapped in other dimensions – which made me seriously stop reading for a while. Now he’s fighting an army of evil (in another dimension?) in order to save the innocent. His new mission- he must go and find four catalysts for change and bring them back to The Front Door…. I’m giving Straczynski some leeway since I usually love his stuff.
Batman #146 – Has Batman figured it all out? That doesn’t mean he’s won and this arc is over… it’s only part two so we’ve got four more issues to go. For it to follow the “Heroes Journey” he’s got a few more steps to go before he can leave the cave… a lot more villains to fight, and then there’s everyone who are now thinking Zur-En-Arrh is Bruce Wayne- even though he’s a robot. Maybe I’m just used to six issue arcs and not epic sagas. (Although I do like Saga)
Love Everlasting #14 – the Cowboy’s Tale continues… BLAM! Joan dies so many times I lost count, BLAM! but we do find out who is behind all this, will the cowboy survive finding out?
As of for blabbering this week- not much to say, just coasting as I wait for weather to get nice for more than 35 minutes and the next “whimventure®”
This week was a good mix of comics and I’m sure I’ll do a review of the Indiana “Comic” Con happening this weekend. I do hope I’m wrong, but from what I can tell, I know Indiana can do better when it comes to hosting an actual comic con and not a celebrity photo/autograph fest, but is that what people here want? Is it just me?
This Week’s Comics:
Man’s Best #1 – We were introduced to Athos, Porthos, and Lovey in the intro issue #0 now we get to relive that issue, but also find out what happens next to get the story started. We still don’t know the origin of the “Klangers” who they have been training to fight. or what’s up with a vanishing planet, but I’m sure it will all come in due time.
Spider-Boy #5 – The hunt for Bailey continues (and I don’t mean my cat… he’s chirping at some birds by the window). Also some backstory on Madame Monstrosity and her work and lost love 💕 I find it interesting how Bailey has avoided detection and has been able to survive… clever kid.
Star Trek #18 – Glass and Bone Part 6 Does Benjamin Sisko and the crew of the Theseus stop an intergalacticic war? What about what Dr. Crusher and Mr. Scott’s discover at the core of Tzenketh? Will this change things dramatically? (melodramatically?).
The Displaced #2 – In issue one we were introduced to our cast of characters- people from Oshawa who were out of town when the place vanished and now are forgotten. No one remembers them. We get a few of the rules in this universe- like they need to stay together or they might disappear. So they head off to a secluded cabin to figure things out… hmm…
Justice Society of America #9 – The search goes on… Helena Wayne (Huntress) is still woking on putting together her team of misfits . Sons and daughters of villains seeking redemption. This, of course, leads to some nice fights as sometimes words alone cannot sway people. Remember this is in combination to all the unknown sidekicks from the original JSA were rescued and are trying to find their place in this future. Quiz Kid (Mr. Terrific’s sidekick), has some ideas and then there’s the appearance of the Legionnaire… my oh my… what next? (Oh, the Tony Harris variant cover is what is in the photo- I know, I know I complain about variants, but every so often there is one I want.)
Superman # 12 – So with Bizarro having taken over the world through magic the only person Superman can trust is… the Joker?!?! Wait, that’s Action Comics, not Superman. In this issue of Superman the Lex Luthor Revenge Squad® is poisoning Metropolis (with Kryptonite laced gas) and it takes the combined resources of Super Corp. to try and save everyone and catch the bad guys. What happens next? ummm… Like with Batman and Detective Comics I’ve been waffling to decide if I’m going to follow both titles: Action Comics and Superman. DC has decided to do a crossover story that will be in both! 🙄 It looks like I’m still reading both for at least a while.
U & I #2 of 6 – In this universe where some people have powers and others don’t we have “U” who seems to be living in his own world who was saved by Isabelle (“I”). Now U with Isabelle’s help has decided his mission, who is the enemy he must fight. Sometimes comics get a bit real…
Of course he sees it a bit differently, but he now has a an idea how to help everyone… so he starts to stir things up… with Straczynski there is no way to tell where is will end up, or if it will be a happy ending.
Blue Book #2 – 1947 More strange things happening with flying saucers and the introducation of the concept of the “Men in Black” as we follow Kenneth Arnold. Of course next up is a little place in New Mexico.
Midlife #6 – Most stories in comics run in 6 issue arcs, this makes creating trade paperbacks easier. We discover the secrets of Ruben’s dad’s powers (shhhh… family secrets are uncovered) and while not all the loose ends are tied up it does come to a nice conclusion with hints of what’s to come.
Titans #9 – So the Titans help out and actually clean up after themselves (Teen Titans would never do that… heck, they would just shove all their dirty clothes into the closet and close the door). Of course we are building up to something bad happening in the next three issues (six issue arcs remember?) Amanda Waller has been brought in to create some future chaos after making a deal with the devil… or at least a close facsimile.
Wish me luck as I head into the Indiana “Comic” Con and The VEX Robotics State Championship. I’ll be working one and ignoring the other one…
Oh the joys of being out of town… it means you have twice the comics to read when you come back!
I’m not sure which comics are from which week so I’m not even going to try to figure that out, but there were some awesome comics released!
While on my trip I happened to stumble into a comic shop in Odense that was pretty amazing, it had a bit of everything, but it made me realize just how lost I am when it comes to European comics. This hole in my knowledge base I intend to fix, but it will take time. First place to start, there’s TinTin. I’ve read some of Hergé’s masterpiece and even sat through the film. Our first geocache, before Sue took over the ProfessorZoom caching name was “TinTin & Snowy” at a nearby dog park. It was archived at the beginning of 2024. 🙁
Faraos Cigarer as seen from my hotel room in Odense.They weren’t open, but were running a game night so we snuck in here are cars from TinTin.The LARP/Cosplay section of this amazing store… I just need a bigger suitcase (or two)
While I’d love to blabber on about my lack of knowledge when it comes to European comics Nothing Special Volume One – Through the Elder Woods the book came out while I was a away and I’d love to take a moment to blabber on about this amazing comic and all three volumes that hopefully will be coming out in paper form more sooner than later. First of all Katie Cook is amazing (amazingly amazing). Her style is cartoony (which I like) and she has been a standard at conventions for years. I have a cartoon of Hemi (bestest cat in the world) done by her and I own a few of her drawings and strips. Due to personal stuff she vanished for a couple years (starting around COVID and things piled on after that) and is now coming back. I found her at C2E2 years ago and started reading Gronk, her Webcomic at the time. When Webtoon started up they gave her the opportunity to tell another story in their format which is like having an infinite scroll. Nothing Special is the story of a teenage girl, Callie, who lives between worlds. Her father spends most of his time in a fairyland with magic and cools stuff, while she is in our world. It’s senior year and she stumbles upon DeClan who has carried a torch for her since kindergarten. They actually connect (over dead plants- it makes sense… really it does) and when her father goes missing on her birthday Callie heads out to find him with DeClan a perfectly “normal human boy” coming along to help. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is one of the stories from Webtoon that I followed religiously until towards the end of the third season, life got complicated for Katie and it took a hiatus. Having taken a hiatus (or two or three, myself I can’t complain). Nothing Special is especially funny, clever, and just a great read. If you don’t like it… we might need to discuss our friendship. 😉
This Week’s Comics Minus Nothing Special (see above):
Ultimate X-Men #1 – As the Ultimate Comics relaunches after the issues of the Maker in Ultimate Invasion & the stuff that followed it’s time to figure out what happened to the X-Men. We have Ultimate Spider-Man, which I enjoy. Ultimate Black Panther, which I don’t follow… I know I really should. Now Ultimate X-Men, which having not really followed and X-men comic since the last Ultimate X-Men and before that John Byrne and Chris Claremont were the creative team. I’m trying to piece it all together and it looks like this might take some time. The artwork is beautiful, and the story pasted with emotion, but I need to give it s few issues to figure out what is going on.
Love Everlasting #13 – We now get to see the first time the Cowboy had to deal with Joan… and it seems like its all part of a organized effort focused on Joan…but why?
Batman # 145 – Batman, Batman, Batman… Can you stop trying to confuse me? after that brief intermission, we are back dealing with Zur-En-Arrh the Batman personality that now is running Failsafe, the Batman robot Batman built for that moment when he might do something wrong, like kill. So mBatman is locked up with a joker who is physically incapacitated and Zur is going around cleaning up the city, and being a better Batman than Batman… When will Bat-Mite come back and save the day?!? What does Ace, the Bathound, think of all this?
Action Comics #1063 – Superman teams up with Bizarro Joker to solve the whole Bizarro problem… but at what cost? Can Superman trust the Joker? I can say, a “sane” joker is almost scarier than the crazy one.
Speed Force # 5 – Am I just getting old? Maybe it’s jet lag. Maybe it’s my lack on knowledge or interest in music… It looks like Wallace and Avery are figuring out what needs to be done to save the world of teenagers addicted to an app just as congress tries to outlaw TikTok (life imitates art?). SO how is the Speedforce, and Magic being used to create this (insert modern slang for crisis)? Can they stop it in time?
Wesley Dodds Sandman #6 – The conclusion 😢 of this adventure, will the Sandman be able to recover his notebook filled with formulas that in the wrong hands (the military) could create havoc across the world? Didn’t this guys learn anything from watching Oppenheimer? Ultimate weapons just lead to ultimater weapons that lead to ultimatest weapons, that lead to… you get the idea. Well, I guess if you are a weapon manufacturer all that matters is profits.
Spectacular Spider-Men #1 – SO Peter Parker and Miles Morales decide to take some time and just chill. every Wednesday meet at a coffee shop and talk over life as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. What could go wrong? If you’ve ever read a Spider-Man comic, you know the answer. Humberto Ramos is doing the art, so I had to buy it. I’m just hoping that I won’t get confused since I’m already reading a handful of Spider-Man titles that just got out of Gang War.
Captain America #7 – Has Captain America now become the Patriotic Sorcerer Supreme? int eh last arc he was fighting a demon that tried to cause problems in pre-WWII New York and now present day. So issue seven we get to deal with the repercussions of actions… by visiting The Front Door, a theater macabre or is that theatre… Spell check says they are both correct. then again is it macabre?
The Amazing Spider-Man #45 – So Gang War is over? Finally? What happens now? This is what could be called a “filler Issue” in which we set ourselves up for whatever comes next while tying up some loose ends fhat may have been forgotten over the past issues. Can we get MJ’s Aunt out of the asylum? What is going on with airplane mode around a ginormous green brain (did the Leader have a full lobotomy and no one told me?) And what about those not quite so mysterious fellows on the last page? I’m sure they are planning something nefarious like hijacking a truck load of Girl Scout cookies! Oh the horror! Oh the Thin Mints!
Batman First Knight Book One – Detective Comics #27 started things off for the Bat-Man. Bill Finger and Bob Kane created this character and comics at that time had multiple stories that were pretty quick reads, only a few pages. This takes us back to those simpler times, but expands the story with more details, and some stunning artwork. Missing is Alfred since he wasn’t in those early comics. The mystery- who is going around killing corrupt politicians (Oh, like our generation invented the concept of corrupt politicians- go watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Then again there is something strange about the killers…
Dark Ride #11 – So we’ve established that We have an amusement park of horror run by a guy who made a deal with the devil. He’s done everything he can to not let the devil collect his soul… His son was last seen running into a ride to rescue his daughter. Now after much mayhem, there is a family ruin, I mean reunion, as a new ride is unveiled, a giant kaiju sized animatronic devil, who will be sacrificed? When will Mickey and a gang of lawyers come and save the day?
I Hate Fairyland #12 – A retelling of the Tale of the Billy Goats Gruff as only Scottie Young & Gert can do it…
Adventureman Ghost Lights #2 of 2 – Will Adventure get rescued and save the day? Will the ghosts win? What will the effects of the Super-serum be on Adventureman’s friends? Frankly, this is one of those series that you almost need to read the entire arc in one sitting. So much going on, but all of it amazing.
Sons of Star Trek #1 – Those of us old enough to remember there was a time when we were trying to figure out life, the universe, everything. We tried to decide our path and wouldn’t listen to any advice. As I look back on it and look at how my life worked out I can’t say I made a bad decision, although I’m sure I made a bunch. The thing is I like who I am, if I learned anything from ingesting decades of science fiction and loving time travel stories it’s that one change, no matter how minor could change things in a drastic way. (Watch It’s a Wonderful Life for an example. Gosh, I’m just full of Frank Capra references today) Here we have three sons of major Star Trek characters – Jake Sisko (Son of Captain Benjamin Sisko), Nog (Son of Grand Nagus Rom), and Alexander Rozhenko (Son of Worf, son of Mogh, House of Martok, son of Sergei, House of Rozhenko, Bane to the Duras Family, slayer of Gowron. maker of chamomile tea.) All are at a turning point. So who comes along to help them out but… Q or as he calls himself son of Q or QJ (for Q Jr.). Now these three are in an alternate universe where things are… different. Morn is in a Star Feet Uniform, Tuvix is still around as is Jadzia Dax… It looks like Mariner, and Shaw are also on the crew of this ship… I’m sure I’m missing others. I’m also very curious as to what series of events happened to create this alternate timeline. This is going to be either a train wreck or a wonderfully wild ride… I’m hoping for the latter.
No/One #8 – The plot thickens… and I need to go back and reread all the past issues. The gun used in the current string of murders has been tied to a past killing that was controversial… Gee a militant white supremacy social club (we wouldn’t want to call them a gang) has decided to take matters in their own hands… and No/One… <spoilers>
Fishflies #5 – It looks like we are getting to a conclusion, but, I could be wrong. Francis and bug have met a couple of nice old folks who are not shocked or surprised by seeing a giant bug with a little girl… shouldn’t this send up some red flags? Some research is being done at the library (why you should always support your local library- who knows when you might be researching similarities between events in the past). And our helpful police man who has been removed from duty decides to do the right thing… will he be too late?
So this week was a bit lean when it came to titles but all in all some good things. I was actually able to spend part of yesterday catching up on some work in the Pit the Despair. Bagged and boarded a couple hundred back issues so I might be able to go back and read them in a decade or so. Mostly Justice Society and Golden Age heroes most people don’t care about. It was nice to catch up on some organization work. As always a bit of commentary then the reviews.
When I first started reading comics it was pretty much art first, story second. I liked to look at the pictures. I followed artists, not writers. I’d stop reading a comic when the artist switched. This was in the time of Frank Miller- Daredevil, John Byrne- X-Men and Fantastic Four, George Perez – Teen Titans, Walt Simonson – Thor, Bill Sienkiewicz – Moon Knight… you get the idea. I took a break from comics during the whole 90’s and when I returned (as a way to escape the stresses of grad school) I started focusing on art and story, in some cases story was more important than art. Maybe I had grown as an artist, maybe I’d matured as a reader, I don’t know. Now if you can’t tell I read a rather eclectic mix some with amazing art, some with amazing stories, most with a good mix of both. For this I thank the folks at my LCS (Local Comic Shop). I started stopping into Comic Carnival when it was on the way to my grad school classes which met on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I learned about the pull list when I kept missing some issues since new comics came out on Wednesdays. Over the next 30+ years things started to just show up in my stack. For those who don’t understand, most comic shops have a pull list for regular customers. the customer comes in is given a list of comics and basically, a couple months before the comic comes out orders it. When that issue comes out it is pulled. As the customer, I have already paid for it, but then after a while they get to know you and start pulling other things for you. I’d also get pulled aside and asked about things I didn’t mark on my list. “Bruce, you’ve always pulled Captain America, you didn’t this month…” I’d say I wasn’t interested in the way the story was going… then I’d be told, I had missed out on a super key issue that they’d sold out of and they’d try to get me a second printing… or it might be “OK, just checking.” The moral of this story… get to know your local shop, support them, they’re great people and they will take care of you.
Variant winner this week according to the CLZ Newsletter- Red Sonja #7 with 17 variants… although in the next line the mention Femme Force : Taylor Swift #1 had 18 variants… Ummm… why do you need that many? I didn’t need 25 Princess Diana purple Beanie Babies. Then again Quested had 9, Defiant and Power Pack each had 3. I received the “A” versions of each which means the one that everyone gets.
This Week’s Comics:
Star Trek Defiant Annual #1 – So what is an Annual? You’ve seen a few of these show up in my list. For the most part these are bigger issues. They can either start or finish a story line, or could be a one off story. In the case of Defiant this is a background story of Sela- you know Tasha Yar’s daughter who has played a villain over the course of a few Star Trek story lines. Here we get to see her come to grips with her mommy issues. It is basically starting off a new twist for the crew of the Defiant when they finally meet up.
Ministry of Compliance #2 – Issue number 1 was pulled for me, and I frankly kept meaning to pull issue number 2 but being me, forgot. This week I remembered. So the world is secretly being run by aliens (who look just like us) with various ministries in charge of various aspects. The Ministry of Compliance is the ministry in charge of keeping everyone in line. Right now, everything has fallen apart and there is a scramble to figure out what they should do next… I rarely will pull something from a comic, but I felt these three panels say a lot about the world we live in… Yes, comics do offer social commentary, and not just spandex.
Mech Cadets #5 – I was reading this back when it was Mech Cadet Yu and before Netflix turned it into a cartoon. The Earth has been attacked by aliens, we were rescued by giant robots that bond with their pilots. The Military Industrial complex doesn’t like being dependent of aliens so they build their own… Now aliens are back and those in power giving the orders aren’t listening to the people who know better. You think their hearts might be in the right place, but… so they are abandoning a unauthorized rescue attempt which could save the planet… gotta love egos.
Detective Comics #1081 – Is it real? Is it a fever dream? What are they putting Batman through this time, because it is so much fun to torture Batman. Last entry I said, I’m seriously thinking about dropping one of my Superman and Batman titles… In Batman, Bruce Wayne is getting beaten up by his own subconscious in the form of Zur-En-Arrh. In Detective he’s been hung and now is finding himself in some weird dreamscape… Where’s the giant penny? Where’s the giant typewriter? You know chum, this is getting to be a bit much for me.
Power Pack Into the Storm #1 – in an attempt to create an all ages comic decades ago Marvel created “Power Pack” a group of siblings who each got powers and saved the World from aliens. It was a cool comic, Louise Simonson did an amazing job. They’ve brought the team back and mixed them in with Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four. This is a flashback to an early adventure and with it being issue #1 it is just setting up the pack trying to save an alien princess and their friend from evil aliens…
Quested Season 2 #1 – Fun D&D adventure… I won’t go into it, because the intro at the beginning of the issue goes over Season 1 better than I could. Let’s just say the band has broken apart, but they will get back together at some point…
The Flash #5 – Wally West the original Kid Flash, who took the Flash mantle when Barry Allen was “killed” during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Wally has been put through the wringer during all the various Crisis that DC comics decided they needed. He is back, with his wife and kids finally and trying to figure it all out. Last month he was wandering around a garden filled with statues trying to determine the meaning of life (42). This time around we are following his son Jai. Now as we know super powers are fickle, sometime heroes pass them along, sometimes, they don’t. In this case Jai’s sister got the super speed power and Jai… well he got a mixed bag, that includes things like super strength and some other weird things. In this issue Jai comes to grips with his powers, but also his destiny. Remember when you were a kid? I know for me at some point I had to let my parents down and let them know their idea (or what I thought their dream for me) wasn’t what I wanted. For me it was getting into a super elite private school and after the first week being asked if I was happy. I was honest (for probably the first time didn’t just say what I thought they wanted to hear) and said “No.” Like any kid, I figure I’d let them down, and I probably did, but they said “OK” and on Monday I was back at my old public school, with my friends. FYI- my old public school was one of the top schools in California, so I really wasn’t losing anything education wise, just I didn’t have to deal with ultra snobby kids. So Jai, after all this and thinking he’s going to let his dad down, tells him that he really isn’t into the whole superhero thing and then has to deal with the consequences. Basically one of those comics that focused more on character growth than action… which is OK.
Next week- same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel. Unless Bruce Wayne is dead (again) which means we’ll have to wait 3-8 months for him to return.
So I was sick… I know you heard about that already so I won’t go into details. I dropped by Comic Carnival on Monday to pick up last week’s pull list to catch up… looking at what’s coming in this week, maybe I should have waited, it looks like it might be a light week.
Some comic collecting commentary then on with the show… You might notice I avoid certain titles. I do this mostly because, while they are popular, they are also a tangled web. I’m noticing that more and more often publishing companies try to tangle up stories in order to get you to read… everything. When I started out collecting comics most heroes appeared in one solo book. The exceptions were Superman (Superman & Action Comics) and Batman (Batman & Detective Comics). There were limited other runs, and of course the Team books or Team-Up books, but again, unless the hero was amazingly popular it was in just one book. Every once in a while there would be a crossover, but for the most part… one comic per hero or group. I used to read The Uncanny X-Men, I stopped when I couldn’t keep up with the continuity or which comic I should read. Wait?!? Wasn’t Phoenix dead? So Wolverine is now an Avenger, and an X-Man and a member of Power Pack? That’s when I started looking outside the big two (DC & Marvel). I always recommend talking to your Local Comic Shop. Tell them what you like, even though the kid behind the counter might not look old enough to drive, they know their comics and may have some suggestions. Worst thing? You read something and come back saying – “it wasn’t for me.” I’ve been shopping at the exact same store continuously for almost 40 years. I trust everyone there, even the new kids. I’ve stumbled upon some great writers, artists and characters by just trying something new. You may have noticed as you look at my pull list…there is a mix- variety is the spice of life.
Speaking of variety the winner for number of variants last week was “Avengers Twilight #1” with a shabby 13 variants. Running a close second was “Cobra Commander #1” with 12.
This Week’s Comics:
Jay Garrick: The Flash #4 – I’ve always been a fan of the Flash- Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, Kevlar Age, Linoleum Age, pick an element and put age after it and I’d probably still be a fan. So we’ve recently (Stargirl: The Lost Children Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Todd Nauck) introduced Judy- the Flash’s hitherto unknown daughter and as we find out a bit of history we find out the diabolical schemes that made the Flash, the Flash. Let’s just say – it wasn’t an accident. Now what will Jay and Judy do about it? I’m concerned that I may lose my favorite new edition to the Flash Family in the process, but I really hope not.
Superman #10 – aka Back to the Future 3? I’m starting to think I need to stick with one Batman and one Superman title. While each title has their own flavor, I think I just need to pick a story… it’s getting too confusing. Superman is back in time fighting to return aided by a ghost of a hero from that time period. The bad guy? A future cowboy who I recall first appeared in the 1970s…
Titans #7 – while the Titans have a massive event going on with Beast World which I am not following I seem to have been able to catch the end of it by just reading the main title. Yes, I’ve missed out on some important details, but like many crossover/special events I can’t say I’m having issues (pun intended) about it. So we find out who the evil aliens are, and many of the infected heroes are saved. When Titans restarted it was hinted at that this was going to no longer be the “Jr. Justice League” but would actually replace the JLA… well they have dealt with an intergalactic bad guy, so… let’s see what happens next. I’ve been reading the Teen Titans since the 1970’s they, like the Flash I have weathered through good times and bad… only time will tell.
Amazing Spider-Man #42 – Gang War ‘nuff said.
Jackpot #1 – Gang War ‘nuff said. Who is Jackpot? MJ Watson granted super powers at some point after breaking up with Peter Parker… it’s as confusing as it sounds – Peter Parker, like Bruce Wayne can’t seem to have anything nice happen. Although Bruce Wayne at least had money, until they took that away from him… kind of.
The Enfield Gang Massacre #6 – I’ve never, really never been one for westerns. While I started reading this series because it connected to “That Texas Blood” a fictional true crime like series, I stuck around. One thing it had was a fascinating prose portion. Reminding me of the “Shade’s Journal” in Starman. Telling a bit more of the detail and backstory for those willing to take the time… spoiler- the all live happily ever after, maybe, if you look at it from a certain point of view.
Unnatural Order #2 – you’ve heard about it..: drug dealers give you a “free sample” to get you hooked. Well that’s kind of what happened here. Issue one was free with purchase. Like I explained to my students when encountering a new book… the first few chapters set up the rules for the world the writer has created. They also introduce the characters… not all the details, but enough to get you to either care, or not. If after a few chapters you decide it isn’t for you, you should be able to explain your reasoning. Comics work the same way, in the “old days” the set up was done in panels. By the end of the first page… you had everything you needed. Now, it can take issues. We’ve got mad science, and soldiers and magic and universe changing, you might even throw in some time travel- hard to say after one quick reading. After this issue (which I had to pay for) I’m curious as to how our intrepid band of adventurers will defeat the evil Druid and his minions.
Phantom Road #8 – you know how I mentioned that Jeff Lemire just writes some weird stuff? Well, this is another one, but like everything else it’s weird, yet good.
Star Trek #16 – Harry Kim is no longer an Ensign! Dinosaurs! Geology! Saving worlds! Did I mention Harry finally got pips?
Black Hammer The End #5 – yes, Jeff Lemire rears his weirdness into my pull list again this week. A little back story on the whole Black Hammer universe for those unaware. These stories take place in an alternate universe in which a different set of heroes battle evil… the ultimate evil being the “Anti-God”. When the series first started a group had been transferred to another dimension in order to save their world. Memories erased and trying to just lead ordinary lives. There have been crossovers with the Justice League, some amazing characters like Sherlock Frankenstein and Cthu-Louise. I felt it was like (but not like) Astro-City. So now we reach “The End” and I’m not going to say B anything except that it is a unique take on dealing with the “great power…” bit and family responsibility.
What else am I reading?
I’ve been bouncing between some prose books using the *gasp* library… I’ve read Legends & Lattes but started with the prequel Bookshops & Bonedust. The story by Travis Baldree of a 1/2 orc mercenary looking at other career options. Owning a coffee shop, in a fantasy land that really had never heard of coffee seemed like a good move. overall I’ve been a big fan of “Comic Fantasy” a subgenre that makes fun of high fantasy and the overly serious nature of elves & the like. This fits right in and was a lite escape.
On the other hand I’ve always been a fan of Science Fiction aka Speculative Fiction. I tend to avoid books that require a glossary to understand what is going on. I recall in High School missing out on getting bumped into Honors English when my Freshman english teacher suggested I read Dune and I returned it after one chapter because it was just too hard to get through having to bounce between the glossary and the story. Then again I took Science Fiction in High School (Thank you Mr. Calkins for offering it) and didn’t have to take the final because my GPA in the class was so high. I instead sat during the final, reading the book that the class was being tested on, giggling at all the references Mr. Calkins had dropped throughout class the week before. I also took Science Fiction Advanced Projects and as my Senior Art project painted a mural on his door. That said I’ve been reading the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells on the recommendation of my mother in-law and throughly enjoying it. I really can sympathize with Murderbot and his feeling towards humanity.
While sick (System Efficiency Down to 62%) I fell back to one of my old favorites- Dream Park by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes. I read the sequels, but nothing really equalled the first book and the unique premise- murder mystery, in the middle of a Live Action Role Playing Game in a completely immersive environment in a massive amusement park. Basically two story lines running simultaneously. The dates are off, but I’m still waiting for tech to catch up with what was envisioned. Then again it was written in the 80’s.
MINIon #1332 is based on a character from one of my favorite graphic novels (that started out a comic book), Bone by Jeff Smith. It’s the story of the three Bone cousins and how they help save the valley while trying to just get back to Boneville. I’ve over simplified the story, but it’s hard to take 1332 pages and boil it down to an elevator speech.
The three cousins are Phone Bone, Smiley Bone, and Phoney Bone. One is kind, brave and curious. one is devil may care and laid back. The last cousin is a Bone after Cecil’s heart- always planning, always scheming, always trying to pull something over on you. Just if he offers you prune tarts, you might want to decline.
As school has started back into session, and I have a new group of third graders, my class is usually overwhelmed by the number of comics and graphic novels available to read. Recently though I discovered that I’m having to teach how to read a comic book to some kids. How to go from panel to panel. How to read the word balloons, in order. How some words in the balloons might just be sound effects. Most importantly how you don’t just read the words, but need to look at the pictures to understand what is happening. It was fun this week to see one of my students actually get it, and then she really liked the story she was reading. No, it wasn’t Bone, it was Giants Beware, but I’m sure Bone will soon be on her reading list.
Excelsior True Believers! This month (yesterday actually) marks the anniversary of one of those “comics that changed it all” except this one actually did change a lot. As I post this I must remember that with great power comes great responsibility. With apologies to Steve Ditko.
I had a “Spider-man” MINIon on my first short list, but then, (like Batman) after I tried it a couple of times I realized that the ears just don’t work… So as I was trying to figure out what to draw I saw that it was the 53rd anniversary of Amazing Fantasy #15. I felt I should give it one more try and then realized what I could draw. After some research to see the exact style and colors really liked the end result.
I’m a comic book guy, and I’m sure by the time this project is over you are going to be sick (if you aren’t already) with me saying that. Most people know about the big heroes, the ones that DC & Marvel make movies about, or at least cartoons. There are other comics out there that unless you know a comic book guy, or are a comic book guy (or gal) you may have never heard of. One of those titles is Kurt Busiek’s and Brent Anderson’s Astro City (with covers by Alex Ross). I don’t remember why I picked up my first issue, maybe it was the cover, maybe it was suggested by someone, but once I read that first story I was hooked. Here’s the thing, the arcs move around, and it’s not always a superhero that the story is about. This is a comic about world building, about taking what we already know and changing it just enough to make it new. It’s one of my favorites. Now that it seems ot be on a more regular publishing schedule makes it even better. If you can find a copy of one of the 12 collected volumes, read a few stories. I’d be curious what you think.
This MINIon is actually a character from the just completed arc, where an intelligent gorilla (sorry had to be a monkey, rules are rules) escapes from his homeland because he wants to be a drummer in a rock and roll band, and what happens. It was another great story about a character that would most likely be tossed away in a planning meeting or used as a joke.
Good bye! What am you looking at? Me am Bizarrook #1…
I think I better give up talking in Bizarro talk, it’s harder than it looks. We all know Cecil cloned himself a few times (hence all the MINIons), we also might remember that he had a few failed attempts (Mongo aka Failed Cloning Experiment # 6). So taking one of the many origins of Bizarro Superman (failed clone by Lex Luthor) I ended up here. I have been reading the recent Bizarro mini-series and think it’s great and something people should try out. Me hope you hate it.
OK If you aren’t a Marvel comics fan, or at least aa reader of the now defunct Fantastic Four, you might not recognize this guy. As far as villains go, he’s probably the ultimate bad guy. You see this guy eats planets. He’s tried to eat Earth a couple times and ends up being thwarted (villains hate to be thwarted) by those meddling kids and their dumb dog… or the maybe it was the Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men. You name a group they’ve probably gone up against him. Most recently Squirrel Girl had her chance to thwart him. Yes, Squirrel Girl… it’s actually a rather good comic, I recommend it.
