...but I have my reasons! I'm sorry for the dearth of posts this past week, but I was in Chicago because of my real job (blogging doesn't count you know), and have not even had a chance to pick up new comics until I got back in town.
Luckily for me, this meant that I made my drop on Sunday, which just so happened to be the day of a giant backissue sale at my shop (60% off! w00t!), so not only did I pick up my new issues (only 2 this week, ugh), but also my backordered first TPB of Casanova, as well as all 4 issues of Kirkman's Wolfman, along with back issues of Invincible, and Brubaker's Criminal.
(Which by they way, if any of you haven't read yet, I might have to excommunicate you.)
Haven't yet had a change to get through it all since, well, Memorial Day weekend is for BBQ's and Yard Sales (...or is that just me?). BUT, I promise I will soon.
What I can give you guys, is my honest opinion of a book I read on the (interminably long) plane ride: Life Sucks. (PS, really funny note-when you Google "Life Sucks", the first result is kind of hilarious. True Story.)
Ok, so this book is a Vampire story (yawn), but in a new way (reserved yawn?). Instead of showing us how awesome and deliciously evil it must be to be a vampire, it shows you the crappy "real" side of it. (Not being able to see the sun, indentured servitude to your master, those stupid vampire teenage wannabes, etc.) I actually liked the book, even though I have the feeling I was a bit older than the target demographic. (But then again, every so often I do catch an episode of That's So Raven...) Bonus points for the "blood orange" juice joke.
More writeups when I get home. Promise!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
More stuff I've read!
Young Liars #3: I was honestly more confused after reading this issue than I was before. All I can say is that the Sherlock Holmes getup made me gag I was laughing so hard, and that I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel like crap after reading #4. Also, I think it's awesome that Sadie boxed Marcus' ears, because I'd totally box everyone's ears if I could. It's so fun, easy to do, and yet it hurts like a mofo if you do it right. I always wished I knew about ear-boxing when I was a kid and didn't feel bad about hurting people. F'reals.
NewUniversal-Shockfront: I missed this. The last time we had a new issue was back in mid-2007, so I'd kind of forgotten what had happened so far. I appreciated the quick catch-up in the beginning, so I didn't have to go running back upstairs to reread everything. Although, I'm kind of miffed on the dialogue complaining about people who only buy comics on Wednesdays-Why the heck would I come into the shop on Tuesday? You don't have anything I need yet! Anyway, the book was good and the last page certainly shocked me. (In a good way!) Excited to see where it goes from here.
Everybody's Dead #3: Man, I'm really loving this. (And not in the McDonald's sort of way, either) There's visual gags, puns, retro jokes (Paddington Bear?! Come on!) and a great story. (At least, so far.) It's the most enjoyable thing I've read all week, and that's no lie. It's a short run by a smaller label so it might be hard to find, but don't be shy about asking your shop to order it for you. You'll thank me!
Walking Dead #49: I hate Robert Kirkman a little more every day.
EVERY DAY.
Kirkman, I'm willing to ignore the last two issues if you are-can we please go back to issue #47 and try this again? Something where, you know, NOT EVERYONE DIES?!?!?!!>2.
KTHX.
Locke & Key #4: Aw, man. I don't like this issue. I mean, I understand that it's necessary to the story, and blah blah, blah. But that doesn't mean I have to see the writing on the wall and like it, darn it! Agh! *Sigh* Put me down for #5...
NewUniversal-Shockfront: I missed this. The last time we had a new issue was back in mid-2007, so I'd kind of forgotten what had happened so far. I appreciated the quick catch-up in the beginning, so I didn't have to go running back upstairs to reread everything. Although, I'm kind of miffed on the dialogue complaining about people who only buy comics on Wednesdays-Why the heck would I come into the shop on Tuesday? You don't have anything I need yet! Anyway, the book was good and the last page certainly shocked me. (In a good way!) Excited to see where it goes from here.
Everybody's Dead #3: Man, I'm really loving this. (And not in the McDonald's sort of way, either) There's visual gags, puns, retro jokes (Paddington Bear?! Come on!) and a great story. (At least, so far.) It's the most enjoyable thing I've read all week, and that's no lie. It's a short run by a smaller label so it might be hard to find, but don't be shy about asking your shop to order it for you. You'll thank me!
Walking Dead #49: I hate Robert Kirkman a little more every day.
EVERY DAY.
Kirkman, I'm willing to ignore the last two issues if you are-can we please go back to issue #47 and try this again? Something where, you know, NOT EVERYONE DIES?!?!?!!>2.
KTHX.
Locke & Key #4: Aw, man. I don't like this issue. I mean, I understand that it's necessary to the story, and blah blah, blah. But that doesn't mean I have to see the writing on the wall and like it, darn it! Agh! *Sigh* Put me down for #5...
Ok, the weekly update
Here's my take on what I've read so far this week:
SkyDoll #1: This book is actually a bestseller in France-it's part of a new project by Marvel to translate and publish some of France's best stuff. If they're all like this one, I think the project will be successful. (Although the $5.99 price tag stings a little, they're huge issues and well worth the money when you consider how much you pay for a paperback these days...) So, this story is actually about an alternate future (kind of looks like Snow Crash a little bit for the nerds who read that book), where there are these sex dolls that are created solely for purposes of "pleasure", although they can talk and interact and have personalities (although limited). I won't go into much detail from there because I don't want to ruin the story for you, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and will definitely be picking up #2. (Also, it will be interesting to see how far Marvel takes this comic, considering they dropped The Boys because of the graphic content, and this line seems to have it in spades. We shall see...
DMZ #31: What can I say about Brian Wood that I haven't already? DMZ is one of my favorite books to read each month, and this issue was no exception. We had a rousing speech, parental interference, a lovers' quarrel (?), a personal moment of principle, some fabulous art (seriously, some of the nuance in this issue is second to none), and *gasp* oh no! Pick it up.
Shoot, I've got a lot of work piling up. I'll finish later.
SkyDoll #1: This book is actually a bestseller in France-it's part of a new project by Marvel to translate and publish some of France's best stuff. If they're all like this one, I think the project will be successful. (Although the $5.99 price tag stings a little, they're huge issues and well worth the money when you consider how much you pay for a paperback these days...) So, this story is actually about an alternate future (kind of looks like Snow Crash a little bit for the nerds who read that book), where there are these sex dolls that are created solely for purposes of "pleasure", although they can talk and interact and have personalities (although limited). I won't go into much detail from there because I don't want to ruin the story for you, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and will definitely be picking up #2. (Also, it will be interesting to see how far Marvel takes this comic, considering they dropped The Boys because of the graphic content, and this line seems to have it in spades. We shall see...
DMZ #31: What can I say about Brian Wood that I haven't already? DMZ is one of my favorite books to read each month, and this issue was no exception. We had a rousing speech, parental interference, a lovers' quarrel (?), a personal moment of principle, some fabulous art (seriously, some of the nuance in this issue is second to none), and *gasp* oh no! Pick it up.
Shoot, I've got a lot of work piling up. I'll finish later.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Jack of Fables was cancelled?
This blog:
http://blog.newsarama.com/2008/05/13/cant-wait-for-wednesday-92/#more-8162
From the generally correnct Newsarama site says that Jack of Fables was cancelled.
*Gasp*! Is this true??
I did a quick search on some forums and at fabletown, but haven't seen this confirmed anywhere.
Someone please tell me-they didn't kill Jack, did they????
EDIT: Ahhh, they fixed it, those cheaters!
http://blog.newsarama.com/2008/05/13/cant-wait-for-wednesday-92/#more-8162
From the generally correnct Newsarama site says that Jack of Fables was cancelled.
*Gasp*! Is this true??
I did a quick search on some forums and at fabletown, but haven't seen this confirmed anywhere.
Someone please tell me-they didn't kill Jack, did they????
EDIT: Ahhh, they fixed it, those cheaters!
Vertigo: First Cut trade paperback
Kevin: The second of Vertigo’s big first-issue samplers, this trade paperback gathers the premieres of Army@Love, Crossing Midnight, DMZ, The Exterminators, Jack of Fables, Loveless and Scalped. I realize collected editions are forever, but it’s a bit, I don’t know, sad that more than nearly half of the series represented here — Crossing Midnight, The Exterminators and Loveless — have been canceled.
Still sad that some great lines have been axed, but it's a relief that JoF is still kicking!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Why I don't read superhero comics
Ok, so this is the elephant in the room, and I think it’s about time I bit the bullet and addressed it. If you ever take a look at my pull list (not sure how you’d get your hands on it, but I’m assuming you guys are really crafty), you’d notice that I have a significant number of titles on there, with relatively no traditional superhero presence whatsoever. I think the last one I had died off with the last issue of Astonishing X-Men.
To be honest, the answer is simple: They’re too complicated to follow. Now, I know that doesn’t exactly make sense considering I’m a fan of all things Warren Ellis, which are as twisted as a comic can get, justabout. But, what I mean is, with Doktor Sleepless, or Black Summer, or any of the other stuff I read, there’s a finite history. In order to understand exactly what’s going on in the universe, I only have to trace the line back to Issue #1. Even if I come into a line 20 issues in (I’m looking at you, Invincible), I pick up some trades and I’m all caught up. If I suddenly decide that I want to pick up an issue of Justice League, I’m completely lost. Not only would I have to pick up all of the previous issues, but I’d have to address everything that’s happened in each of the team members’ individual lines. That’s a significant amount of catching up just to read one issue to see if I like it. I know it sounds like I’m choosing not to read these comics because I don’t want to have to read other comics, but seriously. There’s much to be said for the “plug and play” aspect of Vertigo lines and those in that vein.
There are so many new lines coming out with promising writers and artists each month, that I honestly don’t feel left out when someone asks me about Countdown to Infinite Crisis on Infinite Earths, although I will admit that I read Civil War (but couldn’t get into House of M), and Identity Crisis. The ones that are masterfully done and don’t make me feel as if I’m losing a large chunk of the story without having read all 545834 issues that have ever been written, are the issues I’ll read. Until then, I’ll stick with my self-contained storylines that aren’t in and of themselves a ploy to make me buy more comics. I’m honestly not shy about buying comics, really-as it is, I already buy about 8 issues per week (man, the money I’d save!), and that’s without supporting the overarching “universe-changing” events that are supposed to be the real sales motivators. Write good stories, people-THEN I’ll buy more comics!
To be honest, the answer is simple: They’re too complicated to follow. Now, I know that doesn’t exactly make sense considering I’m a fan of all things Warren Ellis, which are as twisted as a comic can get, justabout. But, what I mean is, with Doktor Sleepless, or Black Summer, or any of the other stuff I read, there’s a finite history. In order to understand exactly what’s going on in the universe, I only have to trace the line back to Issue #1. Even if I come into a line 20 issues in (I’m looking at you, Invincible), I pick up some trades and I’m all caught up. If I suddenly decide that I want to pick up an issue of Justice League, I’m completely lost. Not only would I have to pick up all of the previous issues, but I’d have to address everything that’s happened in each of the team members’ individual lines. That’s a significant amount of catching up just to read one issue to see if I like it. I know it sounds like I’m choosing not to read these comics because I don’t want to have to read other comics, but seriously. There’s much to be said for the “plug and play” aspect of Vertigo lines and those in that vein.
There are so many new lines coming out with promising writers and artists each month, that I honestly don’t feel left out when someone asks me about Countdown to Infinite Crisis on Infinite Earths, although I will admit that I read Civil War (but couldn’t get into House of M), and Identity Crisis. The ones that are masterfully done and don’t make me feel as if I’m losing a large chunk of the story without having read all 545834 issues that have ever been written, are the issues I’ll read. Until then, I’ll stick with my self-contained storylines that aren’t in and of themselves a ploy to make me buy more comics. I’m honestly not shy about buying comics, really-as it is, I already buy about 8 issues per week (man, the money I’d save!), and that’s without supporting the overarching “universe-changing” events that are supposed to be the real sales motivators. Write good stories, people-THEN I’ll buy more comics!
Look! Someone is doing something cool on the Internet!
Yet Another Comics Blog: May is Free Comic Book Month 4 at YACB!
So, I found this guy's blog in one of my random internet searches today, and he's doing the coolest thing:
He's choosing one person every day to send a free comic book that he thinks they'll like, based on 5 comic titles they've submitted.
I think this is super-cool (and something I just might try, considering how overflowing my bookshelves are right now...)
Is it bad that I'm going to enter his contest to get a free comic, when I already have too many of my own?
So, I found this guy's blog in one of my random internet searches today, and he's doing the coolest thing:
He's choosing one person every day to send a free comic book that he thinks they'll like, based on 5 comic titles they've submitted.
I think this is super-cool (and something I just might try, considering how overflowing my bookshelves are right now...)
Is it bad that I'm going to enter his contest to get a free comic, when I already have too many of my own?
Friday, May 9, 2008
Finishing up the week
Ok, so here's the rest of what I got this week:
House of Mystery#1: I wasn't going to buy this one, as I actually wasn't too impressed with the preview I had seen in the back of last week's book, but CBG James basically threatened to melon ball me if I didn't, so under duress, I picked it up. Glad I did. I love Sandman (who doesn't?), and who doesn't love a good mystery? The great thing about this line is that there's an ongoing story, and a one-shot contained in each issue. As of right now, I think I preferred the one-shot to the initial set up of the main story, but that might be due to my Willingham bias. But we'll see, I'll be getting #2.
Pretty Baby Machine #1: SNORE. Seriously, how can anyone turn a noir comic about gangsters, murder, vengeance, bootlegging and Al Capone into something I can barely keep my eyes open for? I was reading this one in between commercial breaks for Lost, and I was really tempted to watch the commercials instead. I honestly think this comic would have been MORE interesting if it actually was about a pretty baby machine. Like a machine that just pumped out pretty babies. In a factory. All day. MORE INTERESTING. I don't know exactly where the major malfunction was. I mean, it was in black and white, but I'd kind of expect a comic like this to be black and white. And some of my other favorite comics lack color too and don't suffer for it, (coughwalkingdeadcough), but this black and white was definitely kind of all muddled together, so maybe that had something to do with it. I'm certainly a fan of a more clean style of art, where I can tell exactly what's going on and don't have to guess at what the thousands of little scribbles all over the place are trying to tell me. That's not the only reason I hated it, though. The writing, too. Which is amazing considering there's Tommy guns and bribes and JFK in the storyline. But about 6 pages in, it starts to get wordy. REALLY wordy. Like, so wordy that there's hardly any room for the artwork between the dialogue and the narration. To be honest with you, I didn't even finish it. If anyone made it through past page 13, let me know if it gets better. Me? I just went back to Lost.
The War that Time Forgot #1: Lots of #1's this week, huh? Anyway, I had to pick this one up, considering the cover has (seriously) a T. Rex, Davy Crockett (or Daniel Boone, I can't tell), a WWI German soldier, a WWII American pilot, and a rampaging Native American on a horse. Come on. Do I even need to tell you what's inside to make you go buy it?
The Boys #18: After issue 17, I wasn't too convinced I wanted to see what else Ennis had in store for Poor Hughie. Luckily, there's only ghosts, urine, butt hamsters, and dead bodies. Such a sweetheart. (PS, I'm not sure why the reviewer in that link calls Hughie Willy, although I have my theories...)
Dynamo 5 Annual: What can I say? A solid book comprised of 4 stories. 1 reprint (but rarely-read) taken from Noble Causes, and 3 completely new original stories, all from various points in the Dynamo storyline. Solid stories, interesting artwork, and all for the cost of only two comics. If you're a Dynamo fan, I certainly recommend this, if only for the sweet Cinar pinup in the back.
And finally, the one I was most excited about, HelenKellerKiller #1: Oh man, oh man. SO. AWESOME. MUST. BUY. NOW.
House of Mystery#1: I wasn't going to buy this one, as I actually wasn't too impressed with the preview I had seen in the back of last week's book, but CBG James basically threatened to melon ball me if I didn't, so under duress, I picked it up. Glad I did. I love Sandman (who doesn't?), and who doesn't love a good mystery? The great thing about this line is that there's an ongoing story, and a one-shot contained in each issue. As of right now, I think I preferred the one-shot to the initial set up of the main story, but that might be due to my Willingham bias. But we'll see, I'll be getting #2.
Pretty Baby Machine #1: SNORE. Seriously, how can anyone turn a noir comic about gangsters, murder, vengeance, bootlegging and Al Capone into something I can barely keep my eyes open for? I was reading this one in between commercial breaks for Lost, and I was really tempted to watch the commercials instead. I honestly think this comic would have been MORE interesting if it actually was about a pretty baby machine. Like a machine that just pumped out pretty babies. In a factory. All day. MORE INTERESTING. I don't know exactly where the major malfunction was. I mean, it was in black and white, but I'd kind of expect a comic like this to be black and white. And some of my other favorite comics lack color too and don't suffer for it, (coughwalkingdeadcough), but this black and white was definitely kind of all muddled together, so maybe that had something to do with it. I'm certainly a fan of a more clean style of art, where I can tell exactly what's going on and don't have to guess at what the thousands of little scribbles all over the place are trying to tell me. That's not the only reason I hated it, though. The writing, too. Which is amazing considering there's Tommy guns and bribes and JFK in the storyline. But about 6 pages in, it starts to get wordy. REALLY wordy. Like, so wordy that there's hardly any room for the artwork between the dialogue and the narration. To be honest with you, I didn't even finish it. If anyone made it through past page 13, let me know if it gets better. Me? I just went back to Lost.
The War that Time Forgot #1: Lots of #1's this week, huh? Anyway, I had to pick this one up, considering the cover has (seriously) a T. Rex, Davy Crockett (or Daniel Boone, I can't tell), a WWI German soldier, a WWII American pilot, and a rampaging Native American on a horse. Come on. Do I even need to tell you what's inside to make you go buy it?
The Boys #18: After issue 17, I wasn't too convinced I wanted to see what else Ennis had in store for Poor Hughie. Luckily, there's only ghosts, urine, butt hamsters, and dead bodies. Such a sweetheart. (PS, I'm not sure why the reviewer in that link calls Hughie Willy, although I have my theories...)
Dynamo 5 Annual: What can I say? A solid book comprised of 4 stories. 1 reprint (but rarely-read) taken from Noble Causes, and 3 completely new original stories, all from various points in the Dynamo storyline. Solid stories, interesting artwork, and all for the cost of only two comics. If you're a Dynamo fan, I certainly recommend this, if only for the sweet Cinar pinup in the back.
And finally, the one I was most excited about, Helen
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