3/27/13

Marvel and DC galore! I had a "balanced" pull-list with many treasures and only one disaster. I also want to thank everyone who joined the G+ community this week +Sam's Pull List is also doing great. I am so thankful that all of you read and enjoy this blog.

My Pull-List this week. Enjoy!

• Deadpool Killustrated #3

This is one of the funniest non-Millar comics ever. With a hilarious new cast of story-book characters for Deadpool to butcher and some of the wittiest one-liners yet. The art was luscious with dark inks and bright colors and the cover art was spectacular. One of the most endearing parts of this particular storyline is it's ability to make supporting characters more than just mindless lackeys. When Deadpool takes over Frankenstein as a home for his "second mind" I thought: "We won't be seing much of him." I was so wrong. Frankenstein is the perfect sidekick for an insane mercenary and together they slash their way through many dear children's story characters. Some victims are:

• Scrooge
• The little Mermaid
• The jungle book characters

I mean, the Jungle Book characters? It was quite a battle to behold, complete with a Shakira reference. Great issue!

• Age of Ultron Book 3

I was so confused when this issue began. They showed a scene that seemed disconnected from the arc so far, and it was. Only when I began to read deeper into the issue I realized the thought behind the opening scene. What followed was an issue of lots of dialogue and very little action. This was quite enjoyable because BMB is a master of the craft of conversation. The plan that the survivors came up with was smart but risky. All of the major heros played a large part in the making of the final decision  but it was Hawkeye who really made the best points. The best part of this storyline is the ability to switch between little groups of survivors. Seeing how different heros are taking in the apocalypse.

About the art. Everyone LOVES Bryan Hitch. I do not understand that at all. His terrible facial expressions cause dialogue to be less meaningful which is tragic when the writer is the legendary BMB. I am excited for next issue and am thinking about buying the Ultron title.

• Batman Incorporated #9

I would have thought that it would be hard to settle back down to the normal BI after the universe altering #8. This issue was perfect in all aspects. A emotion filled funeral, suspenseful flashbacks, a sidekick becoming a hero, a tank and a speech that said that Batman was no longer welcome in Gotham. Bruce's speech at Damian's funeral was meaningful without crossing the line into cheesy-hell. The book was well paced and bleak with Chris Burnhams art remaining to be the perfect fit for this title. Batman is a very emotional character and Grant Morrison makes that very clear. I am sad that Morrison is leaving but think he has done a superb job on this crazy title. 

• Guardians of the Galaxy #001

I didn't know that this issue was being so hyped until I received a promo card and info card from the comic store tonight. They had already given away all of their posters. The issue was a great debut and I felt like I really got a good feel for all of the characters. I usually don't like Iron Man but in this story he is portrayed as less of a self-confident snob but more as a team member. The encounter of Peter and his dad was exciting and well-written, it is a very interesting dynamic that I am sure BMB will explore in more detail. The action sequence was terrific. I enjoyed how BMB split the Guardians into a few "mini-teams" within the team. 

• Batman: The Dark Knight

This is now one of my favorite DC title. The artwork is unmatched, with the best inking for a long time and Batman at his finest Ethan Van Sciver is a top-notch illustrator. It's emotionally driven. Gregg Hurwitz make the Mad Hatter one of the best in Batman's rogues gallery. The frequent flashbacks make this title less about Batman and more about the villains. This book deserves more than a T though, maybe T+ borderline A. There is a ton of brutal, immoral murder and gallons of blood. The Hatter seems to be planning some kind of performance and I can't wait to see what it entails. 

• Talon #6

The Grandmaster! What an ominous title. Calvin delves deeper into the court and finds things that were meant to stay hidden. The battles are great and suspenseful, the Washington's are their emotion driven selves and a HUGE secret is revealed. The art is beautiful and plays well with the writing. I was skeptical about this spin-off but know I am digging it. 

• Teen Titans #18

One word: Unreadable.

3/13/13

This week was depressing in comics, all of the titles in the Bat-Family had the word "Requiem" on them. The whole weeks comics were about the death of Damian Wayne. It also proved to be a terribly bleak week in comics. In some cases this proved to be to the books benefit and in others, not so much.

• Batman #18

I really don't understand DCs love for selling so many bridge issues. My guess would be that the normal artists are just so exhausted by the rigorous release schedule that they need a months break. I usually don't enjoy this type of issue, Batman #12 was the worst of the Batman title thus far into the New 52. So this issue surprised me. We revisit the seemingly insipid character of Harper Row, except this time a little of her origin is mixed in. She visits her dad in Blackgate where the dad is nasty to both Harper and her brother Cullen. If this dialogue was put in the words of any other writer it would be cheesy and boring. Somehow, Scott Snyder makes the dialogue crisp and natural. The second half of the book is a story of how Harper tries to help Batman out of this dark place. Scott Snyder does a terrific job of painting the picture of a Batman who is similar to the post-Jason death Batman in being feral and uncontrollable. This is a very well made issue and a good way to bridge the story of Death of the Family and the events of BI #8.

These Bat-Issues had some of the most amazing and heartfelt covers I have ever seen.

• Batman and Robin #18

I was really skeptical as to how they were going to pull this one off without Damian, but they did. It was really nothing more than a sob-fest, but that was all that was needed. What was the real shocker in this issue was that there were no words at all. The amazing creative team behind this title managed to showcase the extreme misery of Bruce and Alfred without any dialogue. There was definitely lots of strong emotion in this book, but $3 is a little steep for three minutes worth of reading material.

• Batgirl #18

Thus begins part two of the Ray Fawkes take over for Gail Simone. It was not as bad as the first part, but still not a quality comic. While I think that James Gordon Jr. has potential to be a very interesting character Ray Fawkes just fails to bring the mysteriousness that Gail Simone did so very well. I think the story told in this issue was mediocre, more about how Batgirl is a hero and how psychotic James is really demented. The thing that really made this issue not as good as it could have been was the fact that all of the non-dialogue text-boxes were about Batgirl in the voice of James. This took his mysterious edge away. I also think that if a Robin is on the cover and the book is marked "Requiem" there should be a larger Robin presence than just one moment. I just wrote an article about how DC never gives us enough of the story we bought the book for. Here it is: The article

• Thor: God of Thunder #006

I was thoroughly pleased with the "Gorr-igin" Even with the artist change this book continues to be one of the most prominent in Marvel NOW. The book completely lives up to the title with nothing but origin as Thor doesn't make a single appearance in the book. Gorrs life is so bleak it is hard to even read about it. The few people he cares about in his life all meet terrible fates while he lives his life hearing all about how the gods will look after him. He is a rebel and a leader and doesn't seem inherently bad until the last couple of scenes where he whips a helpless God. Jason Aaron really does the perfect job in writing this amazing story.

Although the interior art is done by Butch Guice, Esad Rubic still draws amazing covers for the series.

• Age of Ultron Book #2

I have to say, of all of the books this week AoU was the one I was most excited for. Why? Because #1 was so damn good. This one doesn't quite match the quality of the debut, but it comes pretty close. This issue was really just a way to get settled with the cast of characters and the circumstance. There is lots of talking about what will be the next step and even a flashback to before the crisis. I appreciate that this creative team is trying to really give the reader a strong grasp on the story. There is also a team-up in this book that I quite enjoyed, this was Black Widow and Moon Knight. They had entertaining conversation and seemed like a realistic alliance given the situation. I am so ready to see how this plays out.

• Before Watchmen: Ozymandias

I have very little to say about this book. It was just as good as any of the other books on the series. Two things I will commend them for: it was not nearly as wordy as the other issues and it wrapped up the series nicely. I am so excited that Before Watchmen only has one more book left!

Marvel and DC Crossovers

If there is one thing that comic publishers like to do it is hold mega-crossovers. Why? Money. People buy lots of comics to get the whole story. This can cost almost $100. Why are we spending this much? Is it worth it? No.

DC Crossovers. The half-stories.
Let me explain that subtitle to you. DC advertises that all of these books tie into Death of the Family, yet when one reads them they only get 2 or 3 pages of story about Joker. DC sucks us into a trap of thinking that we need to read these, don't let them! One thing that is especially hard for me is dropping subscriptions. Shortening my Pull-List isn't easy because every time I read a lousy issue I just think "Maybe next issue will be better." Spoiler alert. It isn't. No matter what title, if the first tie-in is bad the second will be complete crap too. This takes $2.5 dollars out of future comic buying endeavors. We should no longer submit to this torment, here is my advice. Stick to 2 or 3 tie-ins that you think will be great. If they don't meet your expectations, drop it. Now I just have to try that...

Marvel Crossovers. The core driven events.
Marvel has one thing that DC will never catch onto, core-issues. In AvX the were the Avenger Vs. X-Men issues, in Civil War there were Civil War issues, now in Age of Ultron there are Age of Ultron issues. Why does Marvel do this? For readers who weren't planning on reading the storyline to go "Hey I might wanna just read the core-issues and no tie-ins." Now the reader is sucked in. Enter ads for tie-ins. Now the reader wants to know everything about the storyline because the core-issues are just so good. The reader is now caught in a web different from DC's but equally as deadly.

I hope you have learned a little about the buying habits of us comic readers when faced with a succulent looking crossover. I hope I have inspired you to be less willing to purchase a whole event, be it Marvel or DC. I also hope that I can practice what I preach and not buy everything that has the words "Age of Ultron" on it...But they just look so good.

3/6/13

This week was the first week that I felt that I was really a Marvel fan, instead of a DC fan who got a Marvel book here and there. My Pull-List was four-fifths Marvel. Let me also say, that this week was a phenomenal week for comics.

• All-New X-Men #8

What a truly wonderful story arc. rarely do I find a comic series that has such a surprisingly strange conceit that turns out to be entertaining and understandable. The issue starts of with Archangel and his past self flying around and trying to grasp the fact that they are actually meeting each other. It was a touching and human moment. This moment didn't last long as the Angels fly over to Avengers Tower where Hydra's troops are burning the building to the ground. They work together to stop the destructive forces until Thor comes and bails them out. The Avengers part in this issue was brief and consisted of Cap and Beast talking behind the X-Men's backs while Iceman and Kitty Pryde try to guess exactly what the pair are saying. This turns out to be a funny and clever scene. I will not ruin the last part of the issue for those who are yet to read it but will end with saying that it was a terrific issue.

• Age of Ultron #1

I bought this book on a whim. The cover looked awesome and if it was going to be a big deal I didn't want to miss it. It is a big deal. This was the only post-apocalyptic comic I have ever enjoyed. Even though Hawkeye is a pretty dull character he was portrayed perfectly and the fight scene was amazing. This whole book just screamed bleak. It was so pathetic to see what humanity had become with this Android takeover. The dialogue between the survivors, who were well selected except for Tony Stark who would in reality be the first to go, was really natural, and again, super bleak. I am super pumped for #2.

• Deadpool Killustrated #1 (second printing)

As soon as I saw the cover of this issue a month a go I was sure I wanted it. Too bad that the comic store had already sold out. The wait for the second printing has been grueling, but it was so worth it. This really shows Deadpool at his funniest. As he fights Moby Dick he just spits out one-liners making the scene just that much more ridiculous. I really liked how this issue summed up everything that I missed from Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe in only a couple pages. Deadpool has an awesome encounter with a character whom he dispatches with haste, I won't spoil who though.

• Deadpool Killustrated #2

I think that the other of this book just wants Deadpool to fight as many people as possible in the allotted pages. He finishes of Moby Dick, Dracula, The Headless Horseman, and my favorite, Little Women. He kills all of these fictional beings in only the funniest ways. The plot is also great with Sherlock Holmes thinking about how he might stop the Merc with a Mouth before he hurts the time continuum beyond repair. This is one of my favorite books in print and I am looking forwards to next month.

• Before Watchmen: Rorschach #4 of 4

I can't write a full review about this comic because I didn't understand a page of it. It was awful.