I realise that the law of diminishing returns comes into play here. I can't expect that generous visitors to TooBusyThinking will perpetually keep suggesting comics that I might review in the coming week. Yet should you have a stray moment to kill, I would be genuingly grateful if you might take a look at next week's new comics list - find it here - and nominate a book or three which you might like to see discussed on this blog. The last spin of Reader's Roulette resulted in posts on John Byrne's Trio #1, Vertigo's Mystery In Space #1, and DC's Scooby-Doo Where Are You #21. None of them were comics which I would ordinarily have read, let alone reviewed, and I very much appreciate the encourgement to do so.
I'd be as happy to be nudged into reviewing mainstream super-books as out-there taboo-busters, and any and all of your ideas would of course be very welcome. It's simply extremely good for my writing not to know what I've got to try to get my head round next. This particular round will close Wednesday 24th May at noon, Brit-time, and digressions in the comment boxes are, of course, very much welcome as part of the process.
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Batman Inc. #1 is out, so there's that. I'm kind of excited and also not-excited about that, since I can't get away from that fanboy feeling that the last REAL Batman (as in MY Batman) comic was Leviathan Strikes, and while this new guy might have some of the moves, he's not the time-travelling dark James-Bond-turned-M of the soul who's big enough and cool enough to have more than one of himself in the mix without crying about confusion in the brandsphere.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe he is! Maybe Morrison can pull off the transition where other great writers have failed. (Although I did enjoy Scott Snyder's take on it before that Batman got crossoveritis.) Maybe this is The Return Of Bruce Wayne Part Deux! I hope so. I'll be interested to get your take on that.
Hello Al:- Morrison's Batman is one of my blind spots, and I regret that. I really SHOULD be enjoying it, but in a great many places, it's passing me by. It's a source of no little frustration to me, and I'm definitely going to pick up Batman Inc. There are moments when I think I'm getting it, and then the signal fades. I've just bought and read the Batman Inc collection, and all the way through, I find myself oscillating between thinking it's great and thinking something else entirely.(But then Scott Snyder's Batman has escaped me too, and folks I greatly admire speak well of it. I never had any desire to be The Bloke Who Missed The Point, so forehead will keep getting bashed against brick wall until enlightenment arrives.)
ReplyDeleteI share your concern about the consequences for how we buy into characters as they're rebooted. I know the reader's supposed to take it in their stride as a sign of not being wed to the tyranny of narrative, and I know that an attachment to how a character's been developed over a period of time in the past is a sign of the heresy of Over-Continuity. But if the personality and experiences of a character are of so little importance, then why are we supposed to be reading onwards anyway? Though I’ve a loathing for the analisms of the Fanboy Backstory Cops, I’m equally repelled by the idea that an ill-planned reworking of decades worth of tales can result in a fictional universe of equivalent if not superior value to what came before. So, yes, I'm interested to see how GM squares that particular circle ...
I'd like to nominate Resident Alien from Dark Horse. I picked up #0 last month and would be interested to see what you make of the title. Personally I'll also be picking up Godzilla, but that will be mostly because I believe Simon Gane's wonderful artwork will feature, so you may want to add that to the review list?
ReplyDeleteHello Paul:- Resident Alien and Godzilla are currently lying equal first with Batman Inc, and it'd be a pleasure to have a chance to check them all out. I absolutely LOVE Simon Gane's art, and - clap me across the head - I didn't realise that he was working on Godzilla. I guess that means I'll be checking out the Big G regardless of how the Roulette falls. Thank you for the nudge in that direction :)
DeleteIt doesn't sound like you need much convincing, but here's a post from Simon with some lovely art-
Deletehttp://simongane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/godzilla.html
and he also did a wonderful one off for Godzilla Legends-
http://simongane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/godzilla-legends-rodan.html
I did enjoy Resident Alien #0, it's no Illegal Alien, but that's a pretty special comic. Always nice to see Steve Parkhouse art too.
Hello Paul:- I don't need much convincing, you're right, but that doesn't mean that I object to my level of anticipation being increased. Thanks for the links, and may the best comic win.
DeleteColin, I love these two pictures in today's blog. As a History Major, I can certainly relate to the faux Clark. On the other hand, Sun Boy's dickishness just confirms my belief that all of the Legion teens were just horrible people.
ReplyDeleteHello Sally:- It's certainly true that the Legion were often horrible people in those old tales. Yet they were often lovely individuals too. In fact, the characterisation in the early 60s was in many ways as inconsistent as it is in the worst of today's super-books. But the old Legion tales were at least more charming ...
DeleteBecause I'm evil, I think you should find a copy of Lady Mechanika. You know you love the sexy steampunk!!!!
ReplyDeleteAll right, my Top Five:
Mind Mgmt #1. Matt Kindt is neat, and it's a first issue!
All Star Western #9. I want to get this in trade, and I'm curious how they fit in the "Night of the Owls" crossover.
Chew #26. I don't recall if you read Chew, but I love it.
Youngblood #71. Because, yes, I'm evil.
Mighty Thor #14. In your post about Iron Man, there was some discussion about how terrible this comic is. I'm interested to see why you think that, if you do.
Enjoy!
Hello Greg:- If Lady Mechanika - whatever it may be, for it's outside my experience - is in next week's releases, then consider that a vote's been cast in its favour. Yep, I'm the man to go to for the sexy steampunk. Still, what do i know? Could be fantastic.
ReplyDeleteMind Mgmt is another comic which has completely passed me by. I'll Google it once I've posted this. I've just bought the first TPB of Chew, so I'm behind but hoping to start catch up. Youngblood? Well, I liked the Moore issues, though they weren't exactly typical, were they? The other Liefeld rebooks have seemed interesting, but my hopes aren't high. My knowledge of Mighty Thor is limited to the first few issues, which I wrpte about here while foaming at the meaninglessness of it all. And All-Star Western? I've dipped in and out. I'm not particularly impressed, but I wouldn't deny that there's honourable work going on there.
By which I mean, none of them seem like a cake-walk to write about. Splendid.
Hi Colin,
ReplyDeleteI would really like to see your take on Elephantmen. I stayed away from it for a long time because it looked like a funny animals comic with unnecessarily realistic art for some reason that I couldn't be bothered to fathom. When I was finally persuaded to read I found it to be very much not that at all - if anything it reads more like a 2000ad story written as an ongoing monthly.
Aside from that -
I should warn you that Greg is being triply evil in his suggestion of Lady Mechanika - once because it's terrible; twice because the one billed as coming next week is a reprint of a nearly year old issue; and thrice because if you were to actually enjoy it you'd maybe be able to track down issue #3 (which has also been out for months) and then run into the problem that issue #4 has been cancelled.
Mind Mgmt also gets a vote from me. Because, hey! It has a cover by Gilbert Hernandez and if I'm going to take a punt on something I've barely even heard of because of an alternate cover then why shouldn't I try and persuade other people to do the same? Ok, also because I like that Dark Horse is trying to make a line out it along with Reset from Bagge and a new comic from Hernandez. In that sort of company it pretty much has to be worth a shot.
Other than that I think you've already mentioned trying Prophet and I would really like to read your thoughts on it.
And finally I'd recommend giving Ragemoor a look in. The first two issues have managed to create a world that feels both very old and yet also refreshingly distinct from most of the horror comics I find on the shelves. I personally found them very effective and hope that you might enjoy the title as well.
Hello Timothy:- You make a good case for Elephantmen, which is a title that I've never felt I had a strong reason for picking up. I've a vague idea that it's a sci-fi noir tale with, well, an elephant-headed lead, but beyond that and respect for its creators, there's never been a USP to make me
Deleteturn curiosity into a sale. Well, until now ...
Lady Mechanika sounds like - shall I say - a difficult product to shift in the marketplace under the conditions you describe. But Greg did warn me of his motives :)
Mind Mgmt, which as I say I've never heard of, has a GH cover? Sold, I say.
Thanks for asking me and reminding me about Prophet. It's a brave title in many ways and, yes, well worth the discussing.
By sheer coincidence, I saw an ad for Ragemoor this very evening and found myself wondering if I should check it out. Obviously I should. Thanks for the nudges, and I will, whether for next week or later, check your recommendations, and indeed all those added to these comments, out. It's an expensive process, I fear, but a really good way of finding interesting books to read. Cheers :)
Sorry for the double post. I've just realised it might be a bit dull if one only recommends comics one likes.
ReplyDeleteDoubly so as I've always appreciated how much effort you put into being a least charitable towards comics that aren't so great and trying to find some redeeming qualities.
So if you wouldn't mind, forget my last of couple of shout outs to titles I admire and consider this instead a request for a review of Fables. I've personally never done anything but despise the comic when I've had the misfortune to read it (even when drawn by Terry Moore I couldn't enjoy it for anything other than the briefest of moments).
If there's anyone I'd trust to find something praiseworthy in Bill Willingham's writing it's you, and I'd very much like to know if it's there - even if I expect I'll never be able to see it for myself.
Hello Timothy:- There's no problem with anything like double posts! It's a privilege to have the chance to chat with the good eggs who drop into the blog on occasion. And Fables is certainly a comic that I too struggle with. There are moments when I'm sure it's going to be the best thing since - as my Grandmother would've said - sliced bread, and yet long moments when I feel that stories are spun out for the sake of it. I can see that alot of what I've written in these comments today reflects a frustration I have that I can't tune into certain titles in the way that I'd like to, and Fables and its spin-offs are included in that number. I love the concept, like several of the characters, enjoy the basic set-up; why doesn't it touch me? Still, I've not read it carefully as a title since starting the blog, and things do look very different to me now, so I'll happily add Fables to the list and see if anyone one else cares to nominate it. (I'm a lucky bloke; there's been more nomination already than I hoped for. That's a kind business.) But regardless of this particular poll, you've made me curious about the whole issue of Fables and I can't see me sidestepping that challenge.
DeleteThanks for the kind words. I hope the evening goes well with you.
Is it okay to nominate a title that's not on that list? If so, I'd like to pop in a nomination for The Dandy #3583.
ReplyDeleteHello Neil:- Absolutely it's OK! More than that, it's very welcome. I've been meaning to catch the latest The Dandy after having read about it - if memory serves - on the splendid Down The Tubes.Net. (At least that's where I think I saw it mentioned.) I appreciate you mentioning it, so I can pick it up for myself, and I hope that if anyone's scanning down here with a thought to nominating a comic or two, they'll consider your suggestion as much as anything else.
Deleteps:- Of course, I now remember that it wasn't the splendid Down The Tubes, but the equally splendid Blimey! at http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/ which mentioned The Dandy. Credit where it's due, and they're both excellent blogs dealing with British comics.
DeleteI'd second the suggestion for Elephantmen, though if you as a reviewer are unfamiliar with it it could be unfair to expect a fair appraisal perhaps, not all books are to a persons taste and Elephantmen might be one such book.
ReplyDeleteI think myself I'd like to put forth Aquaman for your appraisal. This one has risen to the top end of my reading due not just to the typical Geoff Johns plotting and world building but the romance between Arthur and Mera. Romance... a thing heavily frowned on heavily by DC these days. I have noted there's a rather wonderful romanticism about Geoff Johns writing, he really is a romantic, just look at the shape of the darker DCU today and despite it it is notable that in every one of his books there is a nicely built romantic element, whether it be the Steve Trevor/Wonder Woman fascination or the Hal Jordan/Carol Ferris chase, he always has that element in his books. About the only place in todays DC you get this possibility of a loving relationship is maybe the fringe books like Swamp Thing and Animal Man...
Hello there:- I do promise you that I'll do my best to be as fair as possible within the limits of my own taste. It's something that still worries me a great deal, even after a long time reviewing work both here and elsewhere, and it's especially hard to reflect the virtues of a title when looking at just one issue. But given that I'd not have registered that there even was an Elephantmen issue coming out next week, I'm grateful for the comic being raised as worthy of attention. And with your vote, it's risen - ta-da! - into first place.
DeleteI haven't read the last three or four Aquaman issues, and I'll be honest that I wasn't impressed - bar a panel or two of art - by what I did read. But I dearly love the character, and have no interest in dismissing the virtues of a title which I may well have misjudged. I'm glad to be told that the Mera/Arthur relationship is holding up, as I share your concern that stable relationships seem practically verboten in the modern super-book.
Anyway, the whole point of this - and I grateful to you for lending a hand here - is to push me out to comics where I might not otherwise go. Whenever folks praise a book which I fear I have a poorer opinion of, it immediately gives me a sense that I ought to look again. As I undoubtedly should.
I'll second Batman Inc #1 (to hear how it pulls off being a #1 again), The Dandy (of course!), and Youngblood #71 (because I am honestly curious) too, and add in calls for:
ReplyDelete- Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #5 (because)
- Epic Kill #1 (because what a catchy title!)
- Charles RB
Hello Charles:- That's a list broad enough to make even a man who's somewhat traumatised by watching the end of The Bridge to smile. Thank you :) Batman Inc and The Dandy seem likely to be bought even if they don't make the final three. Re: the new Youngblood: you do know there's a superhero in there called "Golden Stream"? I read that in the preview on CBR. The mind boggles, the heart trembles ...
DeleteI'm glad to see the case for Transformers being continued! I'd expect nothing less from you. And Epic Kill looks intriguing, doesn't it? From what I've seen, it could go to an extreme in either direction, but then, that in itself is intriguing.
Thanks Charles :)
Batman, Inc. # 1 and Prophet #25 please.
ReplyDeleteYTMND
Hello there:- I have a strong sense that Batman Inc will be on the list. Prophet, as I think I said in the above, is an interesting book, and neither comic would be an unpleasant prospect to "have" to discuss :)
DeleteHi Colin, I'm a long-time reader and first-time poster. Two things, 1.You have a great blog, and I look forward to reading your postings, and 2. I'd like to nominate Archie #633 for review.
ReplyDeleteHello Steve:- Thanks for your generous words, and Archie #633 is another book I'd like the chance to discuss. I discussed Life With Archie in Q last month, but there's only a few sentences to discuss each comic there. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you!)Archie is doing a fine job at the moment. Whether their books are always to my taste or not is orrelevant. The job the company's done is admirable.
DeleteDid I miss a link to the new comics list the last time around? I didn't post any suggestions because I couldn't be arsed to open up another window and look that information up.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I would love to see you review:
Bart Simpson #71 (Gail Simone speaks highly of Bongo as a company with true popular appeal and good creative and business practices.)
Irredeemable #37 (Aren't you curious how well Mark Waid manages to finish his Superman-gone-rogue horror epic?)
Best Shot in the West: the Adventures of Nat Love GN (IIRC, Nat Love was a historical figure--a renowned African-American bounty hunter)
I notice that the third Strikeforce: Morituri paperback is coming out. Those would be the ones written by James Hudnall. Fine work, which I enjoyed when it came out. It's the initial run written by its creator, Peter Gillis, that was (and is) truly groundbreaking work. If that doesn't convince you, what about Brent Anderson on pencils?
Hello David:- I totally understand your point about opening windows and trawling through lists. No, I really do. I'm grateful to everyone, and that of course includes your good self, who's done so. It's all abit of a cheek, this Reader's Roulette, and I'm glad folks recognise that I know that fact and that I appreciate their ideas.
DeleteI don't think I've ever reviewed a Bongo title. That's not to my credit, is it? I wonder how Irredemable #37 could be reviewed and not spoil such a long-running story at all. That in itself would be a challenge. And Best Shot In The West would've been quite off of my radar. I tell you, David, I've ended up spending far too much money on the various titles suggested last time, whether I reviewed them or nor.
I recall Strikeforce Morituri from the Eighties, when it was one of the few bright spots in a generally mediocre output from Marvel. I'd be interesting to go back and re-read them, especially in the light of how fiercely politically committed Mr Hudnall has become. (I enjoyed JH's Alpha Flight in the day too.)
Hello Colin,
ReplyDeleteThey're not on the list, but my own current favorites are James Robinson's Shade and Garth Ennis' Shadow (insert obvious joke here). I wasn't sure Ennis was somebody I wanted writing The Shadow, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This is the Ennis of Battlefields and Enemy Ace, not the Grand Guignol Ennis, and he's nailing it.
Hello Brian:- I'm keeping an eye out for early issues of The Shade so I can catch up. You're one of several splendid folks who've pushed the book's case. It seems to have really caught folk's imagination, and gawd knows, it'd be good to have my pre-Cry For Justice opinion of JR's work restored. I bought the first of the new Shadow book. GE's got the lead character nailed, I'd agree. I felt the book was too deconstructed for my taste, but if it had been half a comic, I'd probably have loved it. I felt the same about the recent Fury Max first issue. For a comic, it felt like a great half-an-issue.
DeleteLet me add my voice the chorus calling for BATMAN, INC. It has been an odd ride, so far.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd love to see your thoughts on Hickman's FANTASTIC FOUR. I cannot decide whether I like it, or not.
Hello Dean:- Yep, that's Batman Inc way out in front! Oh, I think I a little charged up about that. Reviewing GM is always likely to offend someone, so there';s always a sense of tightrope walking when oing so.
DeleteI've not been back to Hickman's FF since #600. My feelings about his work on the title up to that point - or as much as I'd read - can be found in the following;
http://toobusythinkingboutcomics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/on-fantastic-four-600.html
but of course, you're discussing now rather than then. I do keep meaning to go back to the FF. There's a sense that JH is this close to be a great writer, but I've never seen him narrow that chasm between potential and achievement. Not a popular view, I will admit. I'm trying to prove my opinions wrong; I've the next two issues of Manhattan Projects arriving in the next few days.
"There's a sense that JH is this close to be a great writer, but I've never seen him narrow that chasm between potential and achievement."
DeleteThe saddest thing is he did narrow that chasm* on his very first comic: The Nightly News. It's just everything since then has been (frequently fascinating) ideas shouted loudly over the thinnest of plots.
*Narrow, hell he jumped a bike across that chasm and did a triple somersault on the way over before absolutely nailing the landing.
Manhattan Projects for me is the most dismal of his failures since then simply because as weird and original as his ideas for the story may be in any other context, in a story involving people who could get to grips with the strangeness of quantum theory & relativity to the point that they could not only talk about them coherently but do actual things with those theories? It feels flat, ordinary, banal even. Like he's not even trying to get to grips with real weirdness of his subject just putting up gaudy decorative "weirdness" as a distraction.
It doesn't help that his rewriting of history at the end of the third issue is actually deeply unpleasant.
Hello Timothy;- I must admit, my heart sank when opening the Manhattan Projects first issue to face yet another book without significant roles for women and people of colour. Or am I unfairly recalling something which I looked at many weeks ago? I've bought the next two issues simply because the comic's become a great success and I feel obliged to keep digging for its virtues. I hope not to be disappointment, but your last paragraph hardly excites anticipation.
DeleteNightly News awaits me upstairs. It's just that there always seems to be something more enticing. But you're hardly the first person to praise it over this-a-way, so perhaps tonight ....
Usually I would just go through this and pick out what I feel would be the most interesting car crashes, but I (mostly) did not do that this time:
ReplyDelete1. Crossed: Badlands #6 - is there a poet's heart in the savage beast?
2. Mind MGMT #1 - This one will probably be good or interesting.
3. Chew #26 - Do you read Chew? I feel it is written in a very accessible manner if not.
4. I'm going to go with what Neil requested and say The Dandy, only because I know nothing about it over here on my side of the pond.
Hello Bill:- I have to say, I know so little about the broad range of comics that just about everything anyone can choose is a potential car crash. Chew is a book I've just started reading in TPB, but Crossed; Badlands and Mind MGMT are completely unknown to me. It's terrific - if I can be forgiven the uncool enthusiasm - to be directed towards interesting books and to have the excuses not to do so blocked off.
DeleteBoth The Splendid Wife and I, in our various travels today across the frozen East, have been searching for copies of The Dandy. Not a single copy is to be found. But perseverance will undoubtedly pay off. I'm curious too to see what's become of it.
Thanks Bill :)
Votes for Batman Inc being redundant, I offer Youngblood and the Dandy, and Astonishing X-Men 50 for the cover alone, which is the gayest* thing I have seen in a while, featuring as it does a dominatrix, a goth pixie trailing pink lights, Northstar, Gambit, Iceman, and Wolverine, the poster-boy for bears everywhere even before you get to his samurai background.
ReplyDelete* "gayest" being a descriptive and not an evaluation.
Hello Brigonis:- Oh, gawd, not Youngblood. I read the preview and it's just predictably terrible. Still, a challenge is a challenge. The Dandy has proven remarkably popular:- I wonder how the Statcounter will turn if it wins out. I've not seen the Astonishing 50 cover, so I'll just go Google it .... for heaven's sake, that's just a terrible, terrible cover/costume design/imagination. Why not a Youngblood/AXM crossover? When did the majority of superhero comics become actively designed to push away the great mass of potential readers? That has be the explanation, doesn't it? It can't be by accident, can it?
DeleteAstonishing gets the nod for what I consider to be a level of visual gayness approaching critical mass rather than unimaginative layout, then again, the level of gayness may be a big selling point in some quarters. Considering the way women are objectified in the average funnybook, I reckon that's just fair play.
DeleteI've read the Youngblood preview you mentioned and rescind my nomination as no-one needs to read the rest of that, though in my defence my suggestion was prompted by fond memories of the willfully fun Moore version of the team without which we would never have had Grant Morrison's JLA. Read Resident Alien instead and let me know how you get on - I dismissed it (as I do many things) on the basis of the similarity to an episode of Enterprise, but others have said it's good.
Hello Brigonos:- You know, I've never really understand how the G word might best be used, but in the context of the hyper-sexualisation of the male body such as on AXM - and here I fully realise that I've just got up and am already claiming a space in Pseud's Corner - then I grasp the point. (I'm obviously finding it hard to construct sentences without my early morning poached egg and slice'o'bacon.) It was the figure of the young lady in the front of the design which most caught my eye, actually. Honestly, aren't we beyond that?
DeleteBut of course, we aren't .... Or rather, they aren't. Did you see the Churchill ad for the new DC super-team - the Ravagers or something? Let's make comics like the year was 1992, and let's have women as objectivised as ever. Yep, that's gonna reach out to a broader audience.
Thank you for the kindness of withdrawing the Youngblood nomination. That preview is nothing - nothing - other than rank. On every level it's despicably poor work. Yep, I'd give RL control of a raft of DC Comics. Of course that's a good idea. Would that be your first choice when it comes to establishing excellence in the super-book?
Resident Alien has a splendid premise, doesn't it? I'd enjoy reviewing that, I suspect, though I'll buy it regardless.
And I too liked the Moore Youngblood. Never thought of it as a precursor to the Morrison JL, but it does make sense as a - Pseud's Corner Ahoy!!!! - working hypothesis.
Enterprise? Whisper it, but there were some fine episodes of that show. Lots of cack, of course, but the 4th series was mostly fine, and I actually quite liked the 3-Vulcans-In-Eisenhower's-America episode.
I'll add another vote for The Dandy; it's good to see a comic reaching out for an audience like that.
ReplyDeleteI'd also quite like to hear your thoughts on Crossed: Badlands. The first volume was, beneath the stomach churning violence, a remarkably affecting, human work, and Si Spurrier is doing good work with the free webcomic, but I've not read any of the ongoing. I believe Jamie Delano is writing it at the minute.
(And if you really want a challenge, see if they still have a copy of Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #4, it would be interesting seeing you review something which actively rejects coherent storytelling.)
Hello Mark:- I'm amazed that the Dandy and Batman Inc are running neck and neck, and I'm also REALLY pleased. I originally designed TooBusyThinking to deliberately deal with a narrow range of comics, in order to push me to try to deal with a limited option of things to talk about. But I do feel alot happier talking about The Dandy AND The Batman. I hope that's how the nominations pan out, but then, even if it doesn't, I can still write about more than the top 3 that's chosen.
DeleteI've been impressed by Si Spurrier's web-comic. It's really not my kettle of fish at all, but it's really web written, full of what I can still hear my old art teacher declaring is the quality of conviction! Crossed; Badlands is another comic which seems to be gathering good press. I had no idea Jamie Delano was writing it. I've not read anything of his in any number since the early Hellblazers, which I adored until it all started to go a little New Age traveller for my own tastes.
Bulletproof Coffin is a fascinating prospect. In fact, I'm off to E-Bay to track down a copy right now. I've no problem at all with a comic which rejects linear storytelling purposefully :) It's those wretched creators who abandon transparency and purpose without ever realising that they've done so. Pah to them.
I'm not sure if it's coming out next week specifically, but I'd love to know your thoughts on the Adventure Time comic - it's based on a cartoon that has a large number of twenty-something/adult fans, as it is well-written and entertaining and funny. The comic is written by Ryan North, who's written probably a decade's worth of webcomics using the exact same panel format - it's not only an excellent (and successful) formal experiment, but quite an entertaining comic itself, Dinosaur Comics: http://qwantz.com/index.php
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm curious to know how he approaches this material - it could be a good contrast to the Scooby-Doo. The similarities are obvious enough: comic tie-in to a successful cartoon - but the difference is that both the cartoon and author are very popular and hip right now with (a certain group) of twenty-something indie comic/webcomic/cartoon people, which implies to me that he'd be aiming a little higher than the Scooby-Doo writers.
So, yeah, that'd be my recommendation, but if it's not sale this week, I guess I'd throw my vote in for Batman Inc, because it's always fun for you to take on people like Grant Morrison, and I'm curious to know how it all fits into nuDC stuff.
(btw, apropos of nothing, I just read Black Hole by Charles Burns, and DAMN that book is heavy. Amazing way he ties in the mystery disease to the natural anxieties and worries about the changes our bodies go through in adolescence, as well as the effect it has on our social lives, the way it changes or doesn't change high school social standing.)
Hello Historyman:- First off, Batman Inc is now pulling away from the pack, the first Big Two to really register at all in Reader's Roulette. I find that really interesting, and perhaps it explains why folks are willing to pay so much to attend the Morrisoncon later this year - or whatever it's called; he really is seen as being a writer apart. I'm looking forward to reading it and hopefully re-acquiring my taste for the man's work. I've been somewhat out of the loop since the early X-Men issues, though some of the Seven Soldiers stuff was well worth the price of entry.
DeleteAh, I think we mentioned Black Hole in a previous exchange. A splendid book, genuinely unsettling.
Adventure Time I've never - to my shame once more - heard of. Thank you for the nudge and the reference. I'll go check it out today.
Mind MGMT sounds interesting. My fear is that it's another tv pilot script comic, but it could be good.
ReplyDeleteGodzilla 1: I don't know who Simon Gane is, but his art looks good. I've always had a soft spot for the big G.
-Mike Loughlin
Hello Mike:- I know exactly what you mean by "another tv pilot script comic". I can understand why creators are producing them, but I've yet to read one which didn't infuriate me within three or four pages. Hopefully Mind MGMT is anything but such an option-me calling card.
DeleteI don't know if you've been to Mr Gane's web-site. There's some lovely work there. And of course, it's hard not to feel warmly towards the original Godzilla. I don't know why I should, since I've never seen anything with him in that I've ever enjoyed. But there you go, he's so big'n'cute.
I'm going to cast my vote for Near Death #8. I read an issue just this weekend that I picked up from the bargain bin at my LCS after seeing that Eric Stephenson (Image Comics publisher) said it was the most underrated comic they had and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's a nifty twist/reversal of the hitman trope that seems so prominent in crime (and superhero) comics. The art is nothing exceptional but it does a good job which services the story (i.e. emotions are conveyed as well as the action is) well enough.
ReplyDeleteAn alternative vote would be intended to put you through what is likely going to be a horrible comic: YOUNGBLOOD #71 (capitalised for dramatic effect).
If however you'd like to try a comic I have enjoyed thoroughly (so far) there's always Prophet #25 or Orchid #7. Orchid certainly needs some critical love, it's really flown under the radar and in spite of its imperfections it keeps me coming back for more.
Hello Ed:- Well, Mr Stephenson's quite right about Near Myths being underrated. I've never heard of it at all. Still, I've learned to trust your opinion, so I will keep an eye for it. Orchid too has escaped me. In fact, far too many of my replies to comments in this thread involve an admission that I know nothing at all. Sadly, tis true.
DeleteOn the other hand, a vote for Youngblood is a cruel, cruel busines. Having seen how the likes of Supreme have been rebooted, I was ... disappointed to see that Youngblood is, if the preview pages are to be trusted, as terrible as it ever was. Just as bad as RL's work for DC these days, actually.
I'll be honest, the vote for Youngblood #71 was entirely driven by my desire to see it de-constructed without having to get my own hands dirty (and a touch of cruel humour too).
DeleteAs it happens I'm glad you chose to review Batman Inc #1 instead and had the opportunity to enjoy Burnham's superb artwork.
I looked up the preview pages you mentioned, and also saw some post-release scanned panels in reviews and...yeah...I think they decided to go 'full Liefeld' on it instead of doing what they did with Glory or Prophet (rejecting practically everything about the original comics). Incidentally, while I'm sure you've probably heard about Prophet, Glory is turning out to be a fine example of the 'dark age' superbook (5/6 issue arcs, well drawn bloody violence punctuated with melodrama) and so long as you don't expect it to be laden with deeper meanings then it's rather good fun (and I must confess I enjoyed seeing Glory tear off Supreme's arms in a 'flash forward' far more than I should - like it was an anti-Liefeld revenge fantasy given form).
Thanks for the compliment by the way!
Hello Ed:- I would say that I'm relieved by the fact that Youngblood didn't win the votes, but I took the suggestions on board and I've picked up a copy of Grifter, Hawkman and Deathstroke so that I can see why DC are willing to give such wealth and freedom to RL. It beggars belief that the New 52 needs such drastic surgery just 8 months into the grand enterprise, or rather it would, if the basic standards of storytelling hadn't been wretched if enthusiastic from the very off. Of course, as always, the usual splendid parties and their work is excused from that blanket criticism, but there's not many of splendid creators falling into the "excused because of splendidness" category. So, it may be that there'll be a RF/New DC piece coming anyway, for whatever that's worth.
DeleteI hope I'll be displaying my "more-than-willing-to-listen" credentials if I say that I picked up the latest issue of Glory a few days ago. I can see why good folks have been recommending it, and I was fascinated to see how the strip had be reconfigured. Still a touch deconstructed for my taste, but there were good ideas - very good ideas - on display and I will be looking for the collected edition when it comes out.
Compliment? Statement of fact, old boy. Compliments can sound awkward, so I avoid them, on the whole :)
Hi Colin
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how my vote will affect things at this late stage, but here's another vote for Batman Inc. Morrison has given me so much pleasure in the aggregate that I find it hard to fault his occasional missteps. Morrison managed to make his Batman epic surprisingly moving and personal to himself along the way, but it took a few readings before I could really see it.
I only read Leviathan once, (Morrison comics do need to be read a few times) but because it existed -between- the DC-Old and the DCNu, there was a tremendous freedom and sense that here was superhero comics where anything could happen, and anything could have as the new series was going to be in a reset universe.
Yes, review the Dandy! When I was a wee boy, on Saturdays my mother would bring home the Bunty for my older sister, the Beano for my older brother, the Dandy for me and Twinkle comic for my wee sister. They got us all reading at an early age, and were used as bribery to get us off to bed before an unsuitable Dirty Harry movie came on. I'd love to see what it is like these days. Surprised to hear that it has been hard for you to find.
The Dandy is probably the older and more respected comic, but I always thought my older brother got the better deal. The Beano had Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids after all!
If it was up to me, I'd love to hear what you had to say about Flash #9. You've damned it with faint praise before, but I'd be interested in seeing a more detailed analysis. For myself, it seemed to be the most ambitious of the new 52 comics, so I got on board late in the day, but it's only 'good' rather than fantastic.
Fables #117 - I read up to the end of the first major arc - book 11 or so. I don't know if it would show up in a read of one comic, but a pattern began to emerge of attitudes Willingham was trying to get across in his comics that really put me off. He trumpets how proud he is to be American elsewhere, but there is a very odd attitude to democracy and the politics of power - the relationship of the governed to their 'betters' - in Fables.
From my reading of Fables, I'm not sure Willingham understands what the American Revolution was fought for...
You've spent a lot of wordage on Bendis, (I've enjoyed your pieces on his work more than his work itself, I must say) but two writers I admire that haven't got a lot of coverage here are Dan Slott and Greg Pak. I haven't touched Amazing Spider-man since the end of the Brand New Day multi-author era. Murder and mayhem wasn't what I'd signed up for and overly cynical plots put me off. But I'd be interested in what you have to say about a current title of Slott's.
I've only read the 2nd part of the current Journey into Mystery crossover, but I loved it. There is a lightness and sense of fun in Gillen's work that is a rare commodity nowadays. He's done something a little profound in having ancient dieties Loki and Hela allow themselves to be teenagers and experience the world in that mode. There is something touching in how they can be cynical, and awkward and sensitive all on the same page. They seem very 'realistic' as teenagers. That's realism I can get behind.
There you go, 5 nominations and some blather!
All the best
Hello Figserello:- You see, everyone sees things in Leviathan that I missed. I'm borderline anxious to get hold of the new Batman Inc and discover - hopefully - what I've been missing out on.
DeleteOh. I know that Mr Willingham has been rather forward about his politics in the past few years, and good for him. My problem - and I'm sure yours too - isn't so much folks who are up-front about their beliefs as those who either hide them or don't realise what their work is expressing. Which doesn't mean that what I've read of BW's politics sit too comfortably with mine, but again, that can be fun too. I can understand how it can be something else if, as you suggest, there's a "very odd attitude to democracy" going on. I'm VERY behind on Fables; I just found myself not being touched by the fate of the characters, and the stories seemed for my money to lack a distinct character. One tale rolled into another and I felt myself struggling to grasp the point of it all. Yet you and the others who've mentioned the tile have convinced me to pull a copy tomorrow.
I've struggled with the new Ultimate Spider-Man simply because the style is so transparently BMB. Well, of course it would be, and I'm not blaming the man for having a style; it's just that it's not to my taste. I've the first collection and I couldn't get past the first fight scene. Each panel seemed so entirely BMB that it seemed redundant to read it. No doubt I'm letting my frustration/disillusionment with his Marvel mainstream work affect my judgment. I'll have another crack at the collection. But I do know that Julian Darius at Sequart thought very well of those issues, which certainly made me think twice. You can find his piece at http://www.sequart.org/magazine/5657/eight-thoughts-on-ultimate-spider-man-vol-3-1-2/
The Slott Spider-Man was on my list, but I don't think I can bear yet another Marvel hero turned into a heroic torturer. I really don't. (Of course, I'll have to read the current arc to confirm that that's what happened, but good folks have assured me that that's so. Oh dear ...)
I'm shocked that there's been no other suggestions for Mr Gillen's JIM crossover. I'm still trying to get hold of the second part of the crossover, which I must see to, but JIM is consistently well worth reading, as you quite rightly say. Yet it's notable how few votes both Marvel and DC's mainstream books get in these straw polls, and considering that this is a blog predominantly concerned with the super-blog, that's a shame.
Thank you :)
Oops, meant to say that your link above to the list of comics now links to the comics released on 30 May. The 23rd May list is linked to on the right hand column of the new page.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is your reply to Ed Allen there a guarded approval of Geffin's take-up of Moore's Supreme? I liked it well enough. (I found Moore's final script to be surprisingly dated and 'obvious' in places.) Of course, Geffin's seeming scorched Earth policy regarding Moore's concepts was a bit off-putting, but 'meet the buddha, kill the buddha', and all that. It certainly puts the characters we grew to like in Moore's run in a pretty gripping cliffhanger.
Hello Figserello:- THANK YOU for noting the updating of the page linked to. I've attended to you. You remain an egg :)
DeleteI haven't even read the final Moore Supreme issue yet! I'm so out of that envelope that I don't even know what a Geffin take-up would be. I've never read as many books from as many cultures and time-periods as I do today, and I've never been so aware of all the things I've no knowledge of.
Which does at least suggest that the comics biz is far more fecund and successful than is sometimes suggested :)