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November 29, 2005
To Buy Or Not To Buy
Just in time for your holiday shopping, I have a new batch of eBay auctions! Along with recent books like Daredevil vs. Punisher, Ultimate Secret, and Banana Sunday, I have begun liquidating the young Pickytarian's collection of 80's comics. The original Punisher limited series, Secret Wars I and II (Say what you will about Secret Wars II, but that auction is far and away getting the most hits), some Todd McFarlane Incredible Hulks, and much more! Won't you please help restore some empty space to my overstuffed apartment?
No, I haven't stopped reviewing comics. In fact, I have a new review on Buzzscope: Hatter M by Frank Beddor and Ben Templesmtih.
JLA Classified #14 - I spent a good part of the weekend flipping through my old comics, marveling at early-career artwork from some of my favorite artists. Jackson Guice's work on X-Factor, for example, was barely recognizable. Needless to say, his style has become much more consistent and confident in the last 20 years. I've really been enjoying his work on Warren Ellis' JLA Classified arc.
Losers #30 - Three issues to go, and I'm already starting to miss it.
Fell #3 - Priced at $1.99, each issue consists of 16 pages of 9-panel grids. This format experiment is interesting, but it will be much more impressive if Ellis shows that he can tell more than one type of story with it. As much as I've come around to Ben Templesmith's art, I'm going to lose interest real fast if the stories remain this formulaic.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #25 - Ahhh, the thrill of dropping a title!
BPRD The Black Flame #4 - Ahhh, the thrill of Guy Davis' art!
Usagi Yojimbo #89 - It's a very light week, but it includes a new issue of Usagi Yojimbo, so how bad can it be?
Secret Voice #1 - Zack Soto's piece in Project: Superior was one of many highlights of that anthology. This first issue of his new series from Adhouse Books is notable not only for Soto's idiosyncratic drawing and storytelling, but because the ongoing pamphlet format has become so much less popular among "indie" cartoonists in the last few years. Check out Tom Spurgeon's interview with Soto for more information and insight.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:49 AM
November 23, 2005
To Buy Or Not To Buy?
I'm back in New York, but I'm still on Las Vegas time, a disorienting result of switching to the Pacific time zone and going to bed at 6AM (or is that 9AM?) for a weekend. The young Pickytarian could have shrugged this one off easily. The... mature Pickytarian required a day of laying on the couch and reading The Complete Peanuts to get to his current stage of semi-recovery.
Before I know it, my dazed self will be standing in front of the new comics rack, trying to decide among this week's healthy if relatively uninspiring slew of new books. This is one of those unfortunate weeks where there's a slew of new comics that I only sort of want. Taken individually, I could rationalize the purchase of each one, but a fat stack of expected mediocrity like this one always makes me re-evaluate. The good people running the blackjack tales at The Venetian this weekend made it abundantly clear that I won't be overspending on comics in the near future. Something's gotta give, but what?
Catwoman #49 - After a rocky first half, the current story arc has settled into a smoother ride. Pete Woods seems to have taken my advice (ha ha, yeah, that's probably what happened) and become more judicious with the detailed backgrounds. The story is flowing now instead of lurching along in plot-hammered fits and starts. Mostly, though, I'm a sucker for a good cliffhanger, and for the first time in Woods & Pfeifer's run, I'm eager to see what happens next.
Jack Cross #4 - What's the over/under on the last issue of this title? I'm guessing #8. For me, it's going to be #4. This clunker combined with Ocean to bump Ellis off of my must-buy list.
Loveless #2 - I kinda liked the atmosphere and dramatic art of the first issue. It would be nice if the characters stopped speaking in Azzarello-puns, but other than that I wasn't as put off as many other reviewers. I'll see where it goes.
Seven Soldiers Frankenstein #1
Seven Soldiers Zatanna #4 - It would have been nice if Zatanna #4 came out 3 months ago when I still had a faint memory of what happened in #3, but other than that I can't complain about this week's double dose of Seven Soldiers goodness.
Tom Strong #35 - On the plus side, this issue sees the return of the original art team, Chris Sprouse and Karl Story. On the minus side, this is "a sequel to the Snow Queen story from Tom Strong #24," which I either didn't read or don't remember. The tie-breaker is this weekend's blackjack massacre. How many times can the dealer wind up with a 20 when she's showing a 4? As many times as she wants, apparently, my double-downs be damned. Ugh.
Vigilante #3 - Here's another potential victim of this week's fat-trimming. I like Ben Oliver's art, but so far the story is going nowhere fast. A super-vigilante in therapy? Thanks but no thanks.
Ex Machina #16
Y The Last Man Vol 6 Girl On Girl TP - I lumped these two books together, but I still have nothing terribly enlightening to say about them. I like Brain K. Vaughan. I'm buying these books. Um... did I mention that I went to Las Vegas?
Batman Marionette - Yes, it costs $295.00, but there are only 1,500 Batman Marionettes being produced! Food for thought: it would only take $442,500 to buy every last one...
Amazing Joy Buzzards Vol 2 #2 - Maybe only half as stylishly clever as it thinks it is, but that's still a lot of stylish cleverness. Does that make sense? The previous issue addressed one of the problems that I had with the earlier volume, which was way too much black. If they actually show the end of Vol. 2 in the comics instead of holding it back for the trade, they will have addressed my other problem with Vol. 1.
Down #1 - Should I be concerned that Warren Ellis hasn't mentioned this book on his blog or his mailing list? I don't see him pimping Jack Cross very much, either, and we all know how that turned out. Tony Harris is doing the art, which has to count for something. This preview on the Buzzscope site shows a bit of a departure for Harris from his usual photo-reference style. That alone should make it interesting.
Fade From Grace TP - Strong reviews from trusted sources like Guy LeCharles Gonzalez and Don MacPherson have me curious about this superhero love story. In a crowded week like this one, though, I'm not sure it makes the cut.
Godland #5 - Am I the only person who has no interest in this book? Homage is one thing, but I don't understand the appeal of an entire series drawn in what can only be a pale imitation of Jack Kirby's style.
Black Widow 2 #3 - Honestly, this series hasn't quite captured my interest yet. I think the concept of Sean Phillips inked by Bill Seinciewicz sounds better on paper than it plays out on, er, paper. For all his skill with layout, storytelling, and atmosphere, Phillips isn't the strongest draftsman in the world. Don't get me wrong; he's one of my favorites. But he's more of a "bold stroke" guy and Seinciewicz really shines when he calls out a particular area of a drawing with his scratchy, naturalistic detail. The story seems to be tying up threads from the previous series that didn't really demand tying up.
Captain America Vol 5 #12 - This book, on the other hand, I am definitely buying. I swear that last issue was the best Marvel comic I've read all year.
Punisher vs Bullseye #1 - I missed out on Daniel Way and Steve Dillon's Bullseye: Greatest Hits, but it seems to have gotten some positive buzz. The same team reunites for this series, which seems to promise that one of the characters will die at the end. Lord. Why do they even bother? As long as Dillon's art looks better than it did in that Ultimates Annual, I still might check this out.
She-Hulk 2 #2 - I still miss Paul Pelletier's art, but Slott rules!
Young Avengers #9 - As with Runaways, I'm constantly on the verge of giving up this series, then it gets its hooks into me and I have to come back the next month after all. The "Patriot as a drug user" plot could have been cringingly awful, but I have to give Allan Heinberg credit for keeping it one half-step ahead of afterschool special-type schmaltz. According to Marvel's site, Jim Cheung returns to handle the art duties this month. That will be a welcome relief from the solid-yet-uninspiring Andrea DiVitto.
Conan #22 - "Infidel Defilers. They shall all drown in lakes of blood!"
Perhapanauts #1 - In this preview from the Dark Horse site, artist Craig Rousseau shows off an appealing clean-line style. The premise, though, sounds pretty worn-out: "There is an organization hidden from this world which has taken upon itself the responsibility to confront these creatures... It's Bigfoot, ghosts, aliens, faeries, and chupacabras ... and they're on OUR side!" The cover art and the premise are too reminiscent of Hellboy/B.P.R.D., and that's an awfully high bar to set.
Cromartie High School Vol. 4 - I bought Volume 1, and I was unimpressed by its recycling of about one and a half jokes. It's definitely quirky and offbeat, but woefully short on the laughs that I expected. Maybe somebody who is better versed in manga can help me out: was it because of cultural differences or was it just the personal style of the creator that didn't quite click for me? I wonder if deadpan humor like this is reliant on linguistic and social subtleties of which I may not be aware. Maybe broader, cartoonier humor translates better?
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:04 AM
November 17, 2005
Steven Grant on Art vs. Craft
Steven Grant's Permanent Damage column is not only far and away the best thing on Comic Book Resources, it's consistently my favorite source of comic commentary on the entire InterWub. His latest column features an in-depth look at the necessity of craft in comics, explaining it in the context of punk rock.
Craft without art is pretty damn pointless, it's true (not to mention annoying as hell). But art without craft is as bad. The point of craft isn't to break the spirit but to facilitate communication, because, really, that's what we're trying to do: communicate.
Later on he makes a great observation about recently deceased wrestler Eddy Guerrero, stating that Eddy "was also the only guy I ever saw who looked like he was drawn by Steve Ditko c. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #9."
Awesome stuff. Check it out.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:13 PM
Subway Reading: All-Star Superman and The Thing
All-Star Superman #1 - Morrison and Quitely delivered what everybody expected: a clean, stirring Superman story. Morrison hit all the right character beats in his typically efficient style; Jimmy Olsen is eager and mildly annoying; Lois is smart and a little haughty, Lex is ruthless and somewhat obsessed. The split between Superman and Clark Kent is played perfectly, reminiscent of Christopher Reeves' overdone bumbling and hunched posture. Morrison even manages to overcome the age-old obstacle in plotting Superman, the problem of coming up with a credible threat to somebody who can fly into the sun and lift 20 quintillion tons.
One of my favorite things about this comic was the pace. While other Morrison projects, like Seven Soldiers or The Invisibles can get bogged down by their over-arching mythologies, this book has a smooth, confident flow that should appeal to even the most casual reader.
Frank Quitely dials down the storytelling eccentricities that he displayed in We3, but his drawing is as spot-on perfect as ever. "Digitally inked" by Jamie Grant, his lines have a scratchy, loose energy that nicely complements the precision of his forms. Unfortunately, these lines are too often obscured by heavy-handed coloring. Didn't we learn our lesson about garish gradient blends in the 90's? You tell me the difference between the surface of Lex Luthor's head and that of his jumpsuit.
Sub-par coloring aside, this comic hit everything it was supposed to hit and left me with a good feeling about not just the rest of this series, but also the books that come out of Morrison's upcoming editorial stint at DC.
The Thing #1 - Dan Slott plays it more or less straight in the debut issue of The Thing's newest solo series. There are plenty of laughs, but none of the self-aware "meta" gags that he deploys so effectively in She-Hulk. Slott captures the goofy Marvel tone that appealed to me as a kid; groan-worthy real-world analogues like "Milan Ramada" are just corny enough to work. While it has its clever moments, such as the effects of The Thing's punch on Cauldron The Scalding Man's mouth, this comic hews closer to the straightforward tribute style of Slott's Spider-Man/Human Torch miniseries than the over-the-top mania of Great Lakes Avengers.
Artist Andrea DiVito has a nice eye for staging and composition. His character design on the aforementioned Cauldron is imaginative and inspired. His drawing style still has room to mature, though. His figures betray too much focus on unnecessary details and not enough attention to proportion or gesture. The second-guessing and over-working that lead to this look is certainly not unique to DiVito; it seems to be one of the last tendencies that mainstream comic artists shed as they develop. This is actually a great project for him because he can't lean on the crutch of over-rendered muscles when he's drawing The Thing. Compare the easy grace with which he draws Ben Grimm to the flat, stiffly posed Goliath in this book and you'll see what I mean.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:10 PM | Comments (5)
November 15, 2005
To Buy Or Not To Buy?
First off, I'd like to thank Alex and Mary from Rocketship for throwing that swingin' party Friday night. I'd also like to thank Dean Haspiel for nearly remembering my name when I ran into him outside a Brooklyn diner Sunday morning, and for the words of wisdom he imparted to me Friday night about overworking one's art: "Pretty good has to be good enough." It was very cool to meet other people who I've only known as names on the internet (what's up Joe, Brant, and Brian), and it was bizarre to meet people who only know me as The Pickytarian (i.e., Joe, Brant, and Brian). Anyway, good times were had by all, and I'm looking forward to the next shindig. Thanks again, Rocketshippers!
On to this week's comics. Not a huge list this week, but there are definitely some gems...
All Star Superman #1 - And here's the first gem of which I speak: Grant Morrison & Frank Friggin' Quitely's long-awaited Superman book! I've been on a bit of a Superman kick lately, reading the invaluable Showcase book and John Byrne's Man of Steel revamp. Here's hoping for another classic. (That's right, you heard me, I called Byrne's Man of Steel a classic! That's largely on the strength of that whole "Superman uses his heat vision and a mirror to shave" bit, but you have to admit that was pretty cool.)
Fountain HC - This adaptation/expansion of Darren Aronofsky's upcoming film looks promising, but the $39.99 price tag might be a little steep for an unknown property like this.
Tomorrow Stories Special #1 - ABC Comics is like the Tupac Shakur of comic book imprints. Long after its supposed expiration, it's more prolific than ever. I'm not complaining; I just finished Tomorrow Stories Vol. 2 trade and I've been desperately hungry for more antics and bad puns from Jack B. Quick, Splash Brannigan, and the rest of the crew. The best part is that there's another of these 64-page specials coming in December.
Top 10 Beyond The Farthest Precinct #4 - That Tupac "joke" didn't really have enough legs for one usage, so I'm not even going to try to stretch it out into two. Suffice to say that the most stringent Alan Moore-hating superhero fan (ahem, Suckytarian) would find a lot to like in the pages of Top 10. But I know they still won't read it. Because they hate our freedom.
Books Of Doom #1 - At first glance, I was quick to dismiss this series. Who needs the 934th re-telling of Doctor Doom's origin? Didn't Waid and Wieringo do that like a year and a half ago? The strength of the creative team (writer Ed Brubaker and Madrox artist Pablo Raimondi), however, is enough to pique my interest. A game-time decision.
Daredevil vs Punisher #6 - You know who drew the greatest Punisher? Mike Zeck. I believe that, by the time the Rocketship party was finally dying down in the wee hours of Saturday morning, I was drunkenly hectoring anybody unfortunate enough to be within earshot of me about the virtues of Mike Zeck's art. I think I was even annoying myself at that point. See what fun you missed?
Fantastic Four Iron Man Big In Japan #2 - In my review of issue #1 on Buzzscope, I concluded that "this is a book that I would recommend to anybody who is a fan of imaginative, unique artwork and angst-free superhero romps." Unfortunately, I had just used the word "romp" to close out the previous paragraph. Proofreading, who needs it?
Spider-Man vs The Black Cat Vol 1 TP - I believe that the John Romita Jr. comics reprinted here were some of the first superhero comics that I ever read. Will the power of that nostalgia be enough of a draw for me? It might be, if it wasn't for the fact that two big cartons of my childhood comics have been evicted from my parents' house and are about to wind up in my tiny apartment. By the third or fourth time that I trip over those boxes, I anticipate that I will hate that era of comics with the white-hot fury of a thousand blazing suns.
Thing #1 - Here's another one of this week's gems: a new Dan Slott series! Andrea DiVitto's art strikes me as very workmanlike; it gets the job done but doesn't knock me out of my seat by any means. Nonetheless, I've been looking forward to this book for months.
Concrete Vol 2 Heights TP - I predict that one day, we're going to look back at this trend of digest-sized reproductions with regret and dismay. Paul Chadwick draws beautifully, and his writing tends to land on the verbose side. Given those facts, why reduce the trim size so drastically in these collections? I know, I know, marketing, bookstores, etc, etc. After reading the first volume, though, I busted out my copy of the larger-than-original The Complete Concrete and it did so much more justice to Chadwick's work. It's still great to have all the Concrete stories in one matching set of books, but the squinty-eyed old man in me wants to go on record as preferring a different format.
Man With The Screaming Brain TP - While the story may have been a touch too padded, Rick Remender and Hillary Barta did such a great job on the appealing, cartoony art that the unnecessary pages were still a lot of fun to look at.
Banana Sundays #4 - That's funny: I actually have the same exact comments about this title. A little too long, but it's sustained by the cartoony eye-candy.
Local #1 - I actually picked this one up last week, but most stores will be getting it in this Wednesday. The main character has a difficult decision to make, and writer Brian Wood illustrates her thought process by showing the potential outcomes of each of her rejected courses of action. It was a clever way to turn an otherwise skimpy story into an engaging character study.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:08 PM | Comments (10)
November 10, 2005
Infinite Crisis #2 - Even though his drawing style is not entirely to my taste, Phil Jimenez is doing a spectacular job with the inventive page layouts and storytelling in this book. He's compressing a ton of visual information into a lot of panels without making things too crowded or busy. Enjoyment of the story depends on how much iffy logic you can swallow, but fortunately it doesn't depend on an encyclopedic knowledge of DC history. Crisis on Infinite Earths is tied in to the DCU's general shift from fun and happy to grim and gritty in an efficient, clear recap. If you can accept things like Batman never considering that his meta-human monitoring satellite and army of robots may go horribly wrong, or Power Girl's touching Earth-2 Lois Lane and inexplicably regaining all her memories, this is a fairly enjoyable read.
676 Apparitions of Killoffer - Published by Typocrat books, this book by French experimental comics artist Killoffer is definitely one of the most original, most handsome, and most insane comics I've ever lied eyes upon. Don't take my word for it; check out these sample pages and see for yourself (the sample pages are somewhat adults-only, but they barely scratch the surface of the depravity that occurs later in the book). The $25.95 price tag is a little hefty, but the deft, intricate page designs and fantastical story, wherein Killoffer's life is overrun by hundreds of copies of himself, are amazing.
For those of you who may have missed the busiest week ever in The Pickytarian's comment threads, here is a quick rundown:
Me: stupid, unpatriotic lowlife
Rocketship: not snobby
Farel Dalrymple: awesome. When is that Omega the Unknown series by Dalrymple and Jonathan Lethem coming out, anyway?
This apparently happened about a month ago, but it's news to me: Bryan Lee O'Malley has made his "Monica Beetle" comic from Adhouse Books' Project:Superior anthology available online. Good stuff! I especially like Vincent's buddy's line at the end.
Finally, I love comics. Sometimes I re-read my posts and I'm shocked by how negative and snide I sound in my reviews and commentary. I have the utmost respect, admiration, and love for the men and women who create, publish, and sell comics. Comic professionals of every stripe are working very hard in a field that doesn't offer lucrative financial rewards, demonstrating a deep love for and dedication to the medium that I wholeheartedly appreciate. It's easy to get carried away and go for a cheap laugh when I bad-mouth somebody's efforts, and while I try to restrain myself, I don't always succeed. Next time you see me ripping Greg Land's art, Bendis' plotting, or Marvel's editorial decisions, please keep in mind that I'm only doing so because I love the living holy heck out of comic books!
OK, really finally: here's a panel from an aborted jam comic that Peat, The Suckytarian, and I worked on last year. Presented here for no reason whatsoever:
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:49 PM | Comments (6)
November 08, 2005
To Buy Or Not To Buy
What a light week! It's nice to catch a break once in a while. This will give me a chance to catch up on some recent trades that I picked up - the last Sleeper collection, Tomorrow Stories Vol. 2, as well as Black Hole and Acme Novelty Library. Not that the last two are all that easy to read on the subway. The lovely and talented Mrs. Pickytarian reported seeing some hipster-nerd type perusing Chris Ware's giant-format tome on the train recently, but it wasn't during rush hour. Between the unwieldy dimensions and the squinting to read the tiny print, I don't think I could hold on to the book, the pole, and my dignity for very long during the morning commute. Ah well, as Biggie teaches us: mo' comics, mo' problems.
Speaking of mo' problems, a certain writer of a particular right-wing fantasy comic took exception to my comments in last week's rundown. I don't think I have anything equally controversial this week, but you never know...
DMZ #1 - Brian Wood's near-future tale of Manhattan during America's second civil war might wind up veering into strident polemic territory, but as you can see in the DMZ preview on Buzzscope, Riccardo Burchielli's line work has a stylish confidence that could easily carry the book.
Oni was scheduled to release the first issue of Wood's other new series, Local, this week. Unfortunately, the book isn't showing up on Midtown Comics' list of new releases, and I've seen reports that other stores are not getting it either. Hopefully I'll be able to score a copy at the Brian Wood/Dean Haspiel party at Rocketship this Friday. Speaking of which, you are going to the Brain Wood/Dean Haspiel party at Rocketship this Friday, aren't you?
Gotham Central #37 - For some reason I believed the most recent issue in this series was the last one. You would think that with all the time I waste reading comic book news, some of it might actually sink into my brain. You would think wrong, my friend.
Infinite Crisis #2 - What? Don't look at me like that.
Drax The Destroyer #3 - I've been reading this series since it began, and I have to say it has its strengths. The characterization and dialogue are about as snappy as you would expect from writer Keith Giffen, and the art, by Mitch Breitweiser, has an appealing John Cassady-like finish to it. That said, the momentum that was established in the first issue seemed to be somewhat squandered by the wheel-spinning second chapter. And this may be a symptom of my aforementioned poor retention skills, but for some reason, despite the color-coded word balloons and relatively small cast size, I still can't entirely tell all of the alien characters apart.
Marvel Knights 4 #24 - I abandoned Straczynski's Fantastic Four a few months ago, and I just can't subject myself to Millar's Ultimate Fantastic Four any longer. So I decided to give the inexplicably branded Marvel Knights series a shot with issue #23. The art was a little uneven, but Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's script, which starred himself and the Impossible Man, was engaging and clever. The covers by Mike Allred were a nice bonus.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:45 PM | Comments (34)
November 02, 2005
Subway Reading: Express Line
Monsters on the Prowl - Steve Niles did a solid job with this superhero vs. monsters script; the Hulk-Thing banter was inspired and the scene with the sandwich was very funny. I'm consistently amazed by Fegredo's art. The hands that he draws are so expressive that they practically tell the story by themselves. The splash page with Hulk holding up all the monsters, with the lizard tail snaking down the front of the pile, was fantastic. All in all, the Marvel Monsters Group line delivered all the throwback fun that it promised.
Loveless #1 - Does anybody else find Brian Azzarello's dialogue too clever for its own good? I realize that the puns are a defining characteristic of the noir genre that Azzarello loves, but the quips are sometimes way too labored and forced. The fact that every character comes up with them goes a long way towards wiping out any kind of distinctive characterization that may have been established. This certainly isn't a problem unique to Loveless; the same thing has been hampering my otherwise unabashed love of 100 Bullets from the get-go. Beyond that little pet peeve, there wasn't much to dislike about this comic. The story was kind of slight, but the historical context and the art worked for me.
Ultimate Secret #4 - The secret that I want to find out is why everybody's head in this book was so painfully deformed. The awkward, uncomfortable art was the nail in the coffin for this bloated, boring exercise in superhero/sci-fi cliche. Ellis giveth and Ellis taketh away.
Captain America #11 - I can't think of a better way to do an extended flashback sequence than to have Steve Epting tell the story with a series of montage splash-pages. Finish it off with that haunting last page, with Cap sitting alone in his apartment, and you've got my favorite Marvel comic of the year. In the immortal words of Dave's Long Box, F*@% YEAH!!!
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:52 PM | Comments (1)
November 01, 2005
Guess I Won't Be Quitting My Day Job
My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?
Oh, snap! Only $637,365.66 to go and I'll catch Warren Ellis...
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:34 PM | Comments (4)
To Buy Or Not To Buy?
Well that was a jam-packed week of Pickytarianism, wasn't it? One whole review in a week. Even worse (or better, depending on how much you dislike me), I did not contribute a review for Buzzscope this week. Guy and I are brainstorming about different ways for me to contribute to the site; frankly, the long-ish reviews were too taxing for my short attention span and generally slacker-ish tendencies. I think we've come up with an alternative that will be pretty fun. Stay tuned for an announcement.
Luckily, the Pickytarian's editorial guidelines impose no restrictions on the brevity, accuracy, or coherence of its content. With that in mind, here's my typically cursory look at this week's new comics:
Desolation Jones #4 - Sadly, there's only one Warren Ellis book coming out this week. Happily, it's not Jack Cross.
Detective Comics #815 - On the other hand, there are TWO books by Dave Lapham on the stands this week. While his corporate superhero work has been considerably less transcendent than Stray Bullets, there's a workmanlike charm to it that I enjoy. His expertise in pacing, blocking, and the other mechanical aspects of comic storytelling make these occasionally unoriginal books go down like a warm glass of milk. The grimy warm milk of urban decay and hyper-violence, that is.
Jonah Hex #1 - Here's a preview from the DC site. I enjoyed Brian Azzarello's Loveless from last week, but is there enough room in The Pickytarian's heart for two ongoing western comics? A game-time decision.
Originals SC - I borrowed this book from the library recently and I have to say, it blew away my inexplicably low expectations. Dave Gibbons does a through job of building an imaginative retro-future world that serves as the backdrop for an engaging character-driven story. His drawing, design, and storytelling are, as always, impeccable. Definitely worth your time.
Seven Soldiers The Bulleteer #1 - You either missed the bus on the Seven Soldiers series or you didn't. If you're standing by the side of the road, tearfully clutching the copies of Day of Vengeance that you bought instead, well, too bad. I'm too swept up in Morrison's superhero madness to spare much concern for you.
Smax TP - As good as Top Ten was, this limited series might even have been a little tiny bit better. Fantasy genre fans will dig the visual gags and "easter eggs" that are packed in to every page, but any comic fan will appreciate Alan Moore's sly comedy, tense action, and endearing characters. Best of all, this collection is only $12.99! Not to be missed.
Vigilante #2 - Artist Ben Oliver is awesome. The story so far isn't all that original, but... did I mention that Ben Oliver is awesome?
Winter Men #3 - I'm not as taken with this title as others seem to be, but, you know, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye. Which is more than I can say for most comics.
Powers Vol 2 #14 - For a little while there, the status quo-changing events couldn't happen fast enough in this book. But that was 12 issues ago, and since then the wheels have gone back to their usual spinning. Now it looks like we're starting up the umpteenth variation of the same tired crime investigation story arc. Ugh.
Spider-Man House Of M #5 - The one thing I've really appreciated about the House of M minis that I've read (and I've only read two, so maybe I got lucky) is that they definitely can't be accused of decompression. The art in this title is sometimes very tough on the eyes, but the story has been hopping along at a brisk enough pace that I'm still enjoying the book.
Chosen TP - Written by the "good" Mark Millar, this story of a teenager that may be the second coming of Jesus is pretty entertaining. I seem to recall that the ending is a little hackneyed, and occasionally it swerves into precocious know-it-all teenager mode, but otherwise it has an unexpected sort of appeal. The visuals are nicely offbeat, with watercolor-like colors and brushy inks.
Conan & The Demons Of Khitai #2 - I don't really have any praise to lavish on this book. I just like Conan.
Stray Bullets #40 - Somehow this book gets better and better with every issue. What more can I say? It's probably my favorite comic ever.
Liberality For All #1 - The fact that this title comes out three days after Bush nominated an arch-conservative Supreme Court justice only makes its ham-handed "oppressed right wing" theme that much more distasteful and absurd. If it wasn't so jaw-droppingly bizarre, I'd be able to work up more hate for it. As it is, there's a part of me that wants to buy it, just to appreciate the audacity and wrong-headedness of the entire affair. Check out the synopsis and preview and tell me you're not just a little bit morbidly curious.
[*UPDATE - According to ACC Studio's web site, "10% of the profits of the series are to be donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, founded by Oliver North and heavily supported by Sean Hannity." That's a pretty convincing argument against indulging any morbid curiosity you may have.]
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:38 AM | Comments (8)