Oh, and check out my review of Criminal #7 over at Comics Bulletin. I love that series.
Army@Love Art of War #5
Boys #25
Charlatan Ball #5
Criminal Vol 2 #7
Haunted Tank #1
Punisher Max X-Mas Special
Astonishing X-Men Vol 2 HC
Daredevil Miller Janson Vol 2 TPB
Godland Vol. 4 TPB
Invincible Iron Man Vol 1 HC
Spirit Vol 1 TPB
Tale of Despereux Movie GN
Tiny Life GN
War At Ellsmere TP
Wasteland Vol 3 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos TPB
Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time Part 2 GN
New comics this week (THURSDAY, 12/4/08):
Army@Love Art of War #5
I believe this is the final issue of Rick Veitch's sequel miniseries. Hopefully it will sell well enough to spawn more. I know I'll be picking up the collection.
Boys #25
Superhero decadence! X-Men spoofery! Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson! I wish I didn't have to wait to read this!
Charlatan Ball #5
Joe Casey continues his Kirby-inspired magic-based weirdness, with Andy Suriano illustrating. I dig this series quite a bit.
Criminal Vol 2 #7
The final issue of the current storyline, and the last one we'll see until Brubaker and Phillips return from doing Incognito, a supervillain-based series that debuts next month. I'll miss it; this is great comics. See the link above for my review.
Fight Or Run #1
People have been talking about this goofy video game-ish thing from Kevin Huizenga; I'll have to check it out if I see it. I kind of like Huizenga, but I certainly don't worship at his feet like most people seem to these days. This does seem like fun though.
Haunted Tank #1
A new Vertigo take on the longtime DC war comics property. This one sees some soldiers in Iraq get advice from the ghost of the Confederate general. Does hilarity ensue, or poignant violence? I dunno; it could go either way. There does seem to be an interesting racial theme, from the descriptions I've read. Frank Marraffino (who?) writes, and Henry Flint draws.
Hellboy The Wild Hunt #1
A new eight-issue miniseries from Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo. Will it be comprehensible? Or will it just look pretty? I'll find out when it's collected, I guess.
Marvels Eye of the Camera #1
Oh boy, it's a sequel to Marvels. Why? Only God and Joe Quesada know, I suppose. I've read this first issue, and man oh man am I not interested in this sort of thing. I was never that big of a fan of the original series, but I don't remember it being this tiresomely reverent toward all things superheroic. Or maybe that was why I didn't like it in the first place; I really don't care for that sort of over-serious examination of what it would be like to be a man on the street during the Silver Age. Can't we tell some real stories here, rather than constant rehashes of 40-year-old stuff written for kids? Ugh. Anyway, this seems to be less of a sequel than a story that takes place within the original series, examining the dawn of the Silver Age and what it was like to see the Fantastic Four and other superheroes first appear. Kurt Busiek writes, and Jay Anacleto tries to imitate Alex Ross. Enjoy, if you like that sort of thing, but really, isn't this the reason people call comics fans "babymen"?
Punisher Max X-Mas Special
It seems like there always has to be a Punisher Christmas special, for some reason. I guess people think it's hilarious to contrast the happy holiday with violence and gore. This one is written by Jason Aaron, with art by Roland Boschi (cover by Chris Bachalo!). Whee!
Sandman Dream Hunters #2
I still say the original illustrated story was fine, but I'll have to check this out at some point, simply because I dig P. Craig Russell. That's all.
Alex Toth Edge of Genius Vol 2
Alex Toth Edge of Genius Vol 2
Hey, Alex Toth is pretty great, isn't he? I should read more of his stuff. Here's a collection, to aid in that discovery process.
Astonishing X-Men Vol 2 HC
The second half of the Joss Whedon/John Cassaday run on the series. Pretty good stuff, and it probably reads better collected than it did coming out ever-so-sloooowly. Check it out, especially if you were disappointed with the second storyline; it only gets better from there.
Cleburne GN
A Civil War-era graphic novel written by Justin Murphy, with art by Al Milgrom, involving a Confederate general who recruited slaves to fight for the South. Could be interesting. Here are some preview pages.
Creepy Archives Vol 2 HC
Classic stories from the revered horror anthology. I suppose I should try to read some of these one of these days.
Daredevil Miller Janson Vol 2 TPB
The second collection of Frank Miller's classic run on Daredevil. Pretty good stuff, for superhero adventuring. I guess I would recommend it if you haven't read it before, but I think Miller has done better.
Godland Vol. 4 TPB
Ooh, it's been too long since I've read this crazy Joe Casey/Tom Scioli bit of cosmic Jack Kirby-esque craziness. I think when I left off, the Triad (three aliens named Ed, Eeg-Oh, and Supra) were about to attack Las Vegas, Adam was locked out of Infinity Tower and about to battle a giant wasp monster, and his sister was off in space getting transformed into some kind of wacky energy being. Now I can see what happened next. Sweet!
Invincible Iron Man Vol 1 HC
I kind of liked this Matt Fraction/Salvador Larocca series when it started, but it has faded in my estimation since. I guess it's not awful, but I find myself wishing Fraction could be plying his awesomeness at something like Casanova rather than plugging away at superheroic status quo junk. Still, it's worth reading if you're into that sort of thing.
Spirit Vol 1 TPB
The first collection of Darwyn Cooke's run on the character, now in slightly cheaper softcover (it'll still cost you $20 though). Good stuff here; check it out if you're annoyed by Frank Miller's Sin City-lite movie version of Will Eisner's classic character.
Tale of Despereux Movie GN
I guess this is a new CGI-animated movie, about a big-eared, swashbuckling mouse? And here's the comics adaptation, by Matt Smith and David Tilton. I don't know which would be preferable.
Complete Terry And The Pirates Vol 5 1943-1944 HC
Milton Caniff is pretty awesome. I have the first volume of this series laying around; I should start reading it sometime.
Tiny Life GN
A weird-sounding book about a guy returning to his childhood home to discover himself, by Nick Jones. I could certainly take a look, even if Tim Callahan hated it.
War At Ellsmere TP
Faith Erin Hicks got some acclaim for her recent book Zombies Calling, and here's her follow-up, about mysterious supernatural happenings at a girls' boarding school. I never read the first book, but I wouldn't mind, and this one looks pretty good too. Maybe I'll get to it/them someday.
Wasteland Vol 3 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos TPB
Aw, yeah, this series is really good. This volume mostly details the defense of the city of Newbegin against a Sandeater attack; it's pretty well done, with some excellent art by Christopher Mitten and continued good plotting by Antony Johnston. I wouldn't start reading the series here, but I'll definitely recommend it as part of the whole. Come on, post-apocalyptic awesomeness abounds in every issue! Don't miss out!
Aria Vol 4 GN Tokyopop Edition
Aria Vol 4 GN Tokyopop Edition
Not too much on the manga front this week; mostly volumes of stuff that seem notable. For instance, it's another volume in that Martian gondolier series that I want to read someday. Ah, someday; when I get there, all will be well.
Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time Part 2 GN
So how did this series turn out? I dig the Zelda games, so I could see myself reading a manga version of the story. Here's volume 2.
St Dragon Girl Vol 1 TP
I just reviewed this one, about a martial-arts-rocking girl and her magician sort-of-boyfriend. It's not bad.
-----
And that's pretty much it. More content this week, I assume. If I get to it. Ah, laziness, how I embrace you.
So how did this series turn out? I dig the Zelda games, so I could see myself reading a manga version of the story. Here's volume 2.
ReplyDeleteI borrowed Vol. 1 from a library, expecting to a t least like it a little, but I couldn't even finish it, and I can't remember the last manga I couldn't even force myself to finish a volume of. I don't know why exactly, it just seemed kinda...super-extra boring? The only Zelda game I played was the first one though, so maybe more Zelda knowledge would have helped...?
Yeah, Ocarina of Time (which was the first Zelda game for the Nintendo 64, by the way) had a pretty detailed story, so maybe they expected the reader to have already played it. But that's silly; why not adapt the story into manga form? That shouldn't have been too hard to do. Okay, well I guess I don't need to bother seeking it out or anything. Thanks.
ReplyDelete"Enjoy, if you like that sort of thing, but really, isn't this the reason people call comics fans "babymen"?"
ReplyDeleteIs it? I always thought people called others "babymen" because nobody wants to be at the bottom of nerd pile. I love how we have yet another "deragatory" term for geeks to call one another. I here what you're saying, and can see why Marvels and its sequel don't interest you, but this whole "babymen" term is groan inducing -- even if some fans may fit that mold.
I'm certainly interested in the series, though I doubt it will be able to live up to the original.
Oh, now I've done it. I say stuff to be outrageous or funny sometimes, but I do get uncomfortable if I think I've insulted somebody. So maybe you're right, Kenny, and this sort of thing is an attempt to seem less nerdy than other nerds. But I think my intent in using it would be as a description of those who are ashamed of being fans of such a kiddie genre, and thus seek to make it more adult. In the case of Marvels, it's all about the reverence and importance, treating this stuff like it's the most amazing goddamn thing that ever happened. I'm just so sick of that shit; make it fun, or make it dramatic and soapy, or just try to tell a good story, but quit masturbating all over the crap that Stan Lee churned out 50 years ago. And I say that as somebody who likes that Stan Lee stuff; I just don't want to read rahashes of everything he ever did for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteI'm there with you about making it fun, truly I am, or I wouldn't protest that Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck or Batman Adventures vol 2 are two of my favorite comics. But at the same time isn't there space for this "mastabatory" content? I hear all the time how comics can be anything and everything, well this is just one of those things, and I think it's as valid as the next.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for anyone else, but I don't like Marvels because I'm ashamed of enjoying what is historically a kiddie genre, I just liked the story. I thought it was interesting seeing the events of silver age Marvel from a different, more realistic (if that's even possible), perspective. That doesn't mean I need or want all comics to be this, just that I enjoyed this for what it was.
Do you really believe that because something exists in a certain genre, that it then has to remain for a certain demographic only, though? Isn't that unnecessarily limiting?.
You don't want to read this, and that's cool because you don't have to. That's the beauty of comics and choice, or at least it should be, and that's you can find stuff that speaks to your tastes.
And don't worry, homie, you haven't insulted me.
Yeah, that's true; I suppose there's room for that sort of thing, just as there's room for yaoi manga and Jim Balent's Tarot. I still reserve the right to make fun of it though. I think the aggravation comes from seeing superheroes dominate the "mainstream" when I'm tired of the genre, and then seeing the majority of the genre taken over by over-serious, faux-adult posturing. I think I've done a decent job of moving on to other stuff that I like better (rather than still buying every issue of, say, Iron Man, and whining that it sucks), but I occasionally feel like commenting and pointing out some of the more egregious stuff that I see. But yeah, you know, if this is what people want to read, I won't try to stop them, unless you count trying to point them toward the better stuff that's out there.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I'm not reading yaoi, but I'm glad it exists for the people who enjoy it. Why shouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteAnd really it's your blog, so commenting and stuff makes sense. You definitely don't over due it, and wisely spend time talking about what genuinely interest you (both good and bad) instead of mocking and knocking what doesn't. Otherwise I wouldn't have you on my RSS feed.
I'm with you on the horribleness of Marvels 2. But everyone else at CBR seems to looooove it. Sometimes they are wrong and I am right, and this is one of those times. ESPECIALLY since you agree.
ReplyDelete