Huh, Diamond's site seems to be down right now, so I'm going to comiclist.com to get the information for
New comics this week (Wednesday, 2/14/07):
Rex Libris #7, $2.95
Hey, this book doesn't come out very often. It's usually pretty fun; I'll have to try to do a review.
Batman #663, $2.99
Ah Grant Morrison finally returns. It's only been two months, but it seems like a long wait. I believe this issue is the return of the Joker, with art by John Van Fleet.
Neil Gaimans Neverwhere TPB (resolicited), $19.99
Hey, was this any good? I've read the novel, but I wasn't especially interested in the comic adaptation. Any opinions? Anybody?
Y The Last Man #54, $2.99
Ooh, more Y! Does this start the final storyline? I'll be sorry to see this end.
EC Archives Tales From The Crypt Vol 1 HC, $49.95
Wow, this looks pretty cool. Too expensive for me, but I would definitely like to check it out.
Casanova #7, $1.99
Probably the book of the week. Guaranteed to be fun. This ends the first "volume" of the series. I don't know if there will be a hiatus or anything, but I hope more stories come soon!
Godland #16, $0.60
This one's sure to be pretty awesome as well. And it's only 60 cents! Maybe it's supposed to be a jumping-on issue. Whatever the case, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Hellshock Definitive Ed Vol 1 TPB, $19.99
More Jae Lee, after last week's release of The Dark Tower. I've never read this, but I hear it's good. I'll take a look at it if I see it.
Astonishing X-Men #20, $2.99
Is this book monthly now? It seems like it's coming out more quickly than it was last fall. Whatever; I'm looking forward to it.
Franklin Richards Lab Brat Digest TPB, $7.99
I'm not sure what this collects; I assume it's the various Franklin specials to date. I have all those specials, so I don't need to get this, but I will recommend it. It's lots of fun, with good all-ages stories. And it's cheap!
Nextwave Agents Of Hate #12, $2.99
Oh man, it's the final issue! Well, this might give Casanova a run for it's money. I always love reading this, but I'll probably be a little sad when I'm done with it. Pour one on the curb for the late, lamented Nextwave.
Nextwave Agents Of Hate Vol 1 This Is What They Want TPB, $14.99
Oh, and if you don't know what the hell the big deal is or why I'm making a big deal about the book ending, get this! It's awesome, and it'll rock your face off!
Thunderbolts #111, $2.99
Well, I kind of enjoyed the previous issue of this, so I'll probably get this issue as well. Make me anticipate the next issue, Ellis!
Drifting Classroom Vol 4 TPB, $9.99
Dammit, I'm way behind on this series. I need to find volumes 2 and 3 soon so I can catch up.
Naoki Urasawas Monster Vol 7 TPB, $9.99
And this one, I haven't even got the first volume yet! Someday I'll start reading this series.
Vagabond Vol 24 TPB, $9.95
I have the first three volumes of this series; I don't expect to get caught up anytime in the near future.
-----
Looks like that it for what I'm interested in this week. Looks like DC's new solicitations are up (I always look at them on CBR), so watch for my look at them (and Marvel's) soon. And Image, whever they get around to soliciting them. Later!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
This game is psycho...NOT!
Wow, that's a really lame post title. Sorry. Anyway, I wanted to talk about the PS2 game I've been playing, Psychonauts:
It's a really fun game, from, as the cover says, "the mind of Tim Schafer", who was the creative force behind classic adventure games like Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. I haven't played either of those, but I might like to try them out after the enjoyable experience I'm having with Psychonauts. I'm not sure how easy it would be to find them, let alone get them to run on current computer hardware. Well, it's something to consider.
Psychonauts takes the form of a "platform game", similar to Jak & Daxter or Super Mario 64. It takes place at a "psychic summer camp" which acts as a training ground for the elite force of the title. You play Rasputin (Raz for short), a young escapee from the circus who is a budding psychic. As the game goes on, you develop several psychic abilities, such as levitation, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and clairvoyance (which allows you to see through other characters' eyes). It's tons of fun to use these powers as you explore the camp, but the real enjoyable part of the game is when you get to enter other characters' minds. This is where the creators really let their imaginations run wild, coming up with all sorts of crazy ideas for what people's psyches might look like.
The first "level" that you enter is the mind of Coach Oleander, an ex-military man who teaches "Basic Braining." His mind is like a war zone, filled with barb wire, explosions, tanks, aircraft, and other army paraphernalia. Next is Sasha Nein, a Psychonaut secret agent whose mind is very controlled, appearing as a near-featureless cube. That is, until an experiment goes awry and his subconscious chaotically explodes out from below the surface:
Then comes Milla Vodello, another secret agent who evokes mod 60's style. Her mind is like a giant dance club, filled with disco balls, TV screens, lava lamps, and go-go dancers. She refers to everyone as "dahling", in a Zsa Zsa Gabor accent. However, at one point you discover a room containing the memories of her children, who died tragically in a fire; it looks like the party-girl personality is a facade to hide her pain. That's good, subtle writing in my opinion. Especially for a video game.
Those levels mostly serve as an extended training sequence, allowing you to accrue psychic powers and get used to the game's atmosphere. Then the real plot kicks in: Someone is kidnapping campers and extracting their brains, planning to use them to control an army of psychic tanks and take over the world! So, you've got to rescue everyone and defeat the evil mastermind.
I estimate I'm only about a third of the way through the game, with a long way to go. So far, the game's been excellent, with some incredibly creative levels. When you discover the evil scheme, you have to fight one of the tanks in a dreamscape made of blueprints. When the tank locks onto you, it looks like a pencil has drawn a dashed line and arrow from the tank to you. Later, you have to enter the mind of a mutated lungfish (really!), and you become a Godzilla-style monster, rampaging through a cityscape filled with miniature lungfishes. It's hilarious. Another level has you entering the mind of a conspiracy-obsessed security guard (or is he a milkman?). It's a warped view of a normal suburban neighborhood, with the streets twisting and turning in different directions (and dimensions), and cameras popping out of every feature (bushes, mailboxes, fire hydrants) to keep an eye on you:
Plus, there are what look like spies everywhere, posing as workers.
They crack me up, saying things like, "That woman's breasts are of above-average size," or "Although I often smell of excrement, I should not be discriminated against as I provide a valuable service," all delivered in a monotone.
So, I'm really digging the game. I'll be doing updates of future levels as I play them. Right now, I'm in an insane asylum, and there are three characters whose minds I'll enter next: an aging actress (like the lady in Sunset Boulevard), a man with a split personality (the second personality is Napoleon), and a man obsessed with bullfights. They should all be fun. Plus, there's an orderly whose mind I'll have to try to infiltrate. In fact, there's several minor characters who I could try that on; I wonder what will happen if I do? Well, I'll see. Stay tuned for more news of my exploits!
It's a really fun game, from, as the cover says, "the mind of Tim Schafer", who was the creative force behind classic adventure games like Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. I haven't played either of those, but I might like to try them out after the enjoyable experience I'm having with Psychonauts. I'm not sure how easy it would be to find them, let alone get them to run on current computer hardware. Well, it's something to consider.
Psychonauts takes the form of a "platform game", similar to Jak & Daxter or Super Mario 64. It takes place at a "psychic summer camp" which acts as a training ground for the elite force of the title. You play Rasputin (Raz for short), a young escapee from the circus who is a budding psychic. As the game goes on, you develop several psychic abilities, such as levitation, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and clairvoyance (which allows you to see through other characters' eyes). It's tons of fun to use these powers as you explore the camp, but the real enjoyable part of the game is when you get to enter other characters' minds. This is where the creators really let their imaginations run wild, coming up with all sorts of crazy ideas for what people's psyches might look like.
The first "level" that you enter is the mind of Coach Oleander, an ex-military man who teaches "Basic Braining." His mind is like a war zone, filled with barb wire, explosions, tanks, aircraft, and other army paraphernalia. Next is Sasha Nein, a Psychonaut secret agent whose mind is very controlled, appearing as a near-featureless cube. That is, until an experiment goes awry and his subconscious chaotically explodes out from below the surface:
Then comes Milla Vodello, another secret agent who evokes mod 60's style. Her mind is like a giant dance club, filled with disco balls, TV screens, lava lamps, and go-go dancers. She refers to everyone as "dahling", in a Zsa Zsa Gabor accent. However, at one point you discover a room containing the memories of her children, who died tragically in a fire; it looks like the party-girl personality is a facade to hide her pain. That's good, subtle writing in my opinion. Especially for a video game.
Those levels mostly serve as an extended training sequence, allowing you to accrue psychic powers and get used to the game's atmosphere. Then the real plot kicks in: Someone is kidnapping campers and extracting their brains, planning to use them to control an army of psychic tanks and take over the world! So, you've got to rescue everyone and defeat the evil mastermind.
I estimate I'm only about a third of the way through the game, with a long way to go. So far, the game's been excellent, with some incredibly creative levels. When you discover the evil scheme, you have to fight one of the tanks in a dreamscape made of blueprints. When the tank locks onto you, it looks like a pencil has drawn a dashed line and arrow from the tank to you. Later, you have to enter the mind of a mutated lungfish (really!), and you become a Godzilla-style monster, rampaging through a cityscape filled with miniature lungfishes. It's hilarious. Another level has you entering the mind of a conspiracy-obsessed security guard (or is he a milkman?). It's a warped view of a normal suburban neighborhood, with the streets twisting and turning in different directions (and dimensions), and cameras popping out of every feature (bushes, mailboxes, fire hydrants) to keep an eye on you:
Plus, there are what look like spies everywhere, posing as workers.
They crack me up, saying things like, "That woman's breasts are of above-average size," or "Although I often smell of excrement, I should not be discriminated against as I provide a valuable service," all delivered in a monotone.
So, I'm really digging the game. I'll be doing updates of future levels as I play them. Right now, I'm in an insane asylum, and there are three characters whose minds I'll enter next: an aging actress (like the lady in Sunset Boulevard), a man with a split personality (the second personality is Napoleon), and a man obsessed with bullfights. They should all be fun. Plus, there's an orderly whose mind I'll have to try to infiltrate. In fact, there's several minor characters who I could try that on; I wonder what will happen if I do? Well, I'll see. Stay tuned for more news of my exploits!
Fortunate. Advantageous. Serendipitous. I'm a walking thesaurus!
Lucky
by Gabrielle Bell
This is a pretty enjoyable book. It's a collection of three issues of a diary comic that Bell did. I'm not sure why, but I found this much more appealing than many autobiographical artcomix. Maybe it's Bell's skilled rendering of actual events. Maybe it's because it's a diary format, so it's less self-important than some autobio comics. Whatever it is, I enjoyed reading it quite a bit.
The book is divided into three sections, corresponding with the three issues of the comic that Bell published. The first issue goes day-by-day, for the most part, with each page chronicling one day's events. Sometimes there is an eventful day that fills two, or even three, pages. It's pretty interesting, covering the ordeals of living in New York, hunting for an apartment and a job.
In the second section, Bell loosens up a bit, reducing the panel count to four per page, and letting individual stories stretch for as long as they need. She also stops dating the stories, for whatever reason. Perhaps this change came about due to her losing her sketchbook in an airport and having to redraw it from memory. It's a good choice, and gives her more of a chance to show off her artistic chops, especially in a humorous story about her embarrassing turn in a yoga class.
The third section is the best, in my opinion, as Bell begins to fully take advantage of the four-panel format she started earlier. She starts to really flesh out her stories, and fill the panels with neat details. I love the background "noise" that she includes as she works assembling jewelry and contemplates the turns her life has taken. In another story (possibly my favorite in the book), she gets a job as an artist's assistant, drawing background details in her paintings (drawings?). As she works, she fantasizes about the artist becoming famous due to Bell's contributions. The fantasy gets more elaborate, as the artist offers to work with Bell, splitting the profits down the middle. Bell refuses on ethical grounds, but then she can't find work anywhere because everybody thinks she's just copying the artist's style. Funny stuff. Another story that I liked was one in which she gets a job as an art teacher to two French boys. I've included a panel from this story because I think it's a great representation of her abilities to show expressions using mostly body language:
Again, funny stuff.
So, recommended.
-----
Bonus: I've included this story from the bonus section because I showed it to my wife, an elementary school art teacher, and she said it is a perfect representation of what it is like to teach art to fourth-graders. (Click to enlarge.)
by Gabrielle Bell
This is a pretty enjoyable book. It's a collection of three issues of a diary comic that Bell did. I'm not sure why, but I found this much more appealing than many autobiographical artcomix. Maybe it's Bell's skilled rendering of actual events. Maybe it's because it's a diary format, so it's less self-important than some autobio comics. Whatever it is, I enjoyed reading it quite a bit.
The book is divided into three sections, corresponding with the three issues of the comic that Bell published. The first issue goes day-by-day, for the most part, with each page chronicling one day's events. Sometimes there is an eventful day that fills two, or even three, pages. It's pretty interesting, covering the ordeals of living in New York, hunting for an apartment and a job.
In the second section, Bell loosens up a bit, reducing the panel count to four per page, and letting individual stories stretch for as long as they need. She also stops dating the stories, for whatever reason. Perhaps this change came about due to her losing her sketchbook in an airport and having to redraw it from memory. It's a good choice, and gives her more of a chance to show off her artistic chops, especially in a humorous story about her embarrassing turn in a yoga class.
The third section is the best, in my opinion, as Bell begins to fully take advantage of the four-panel format she started earlier. She starts to really flesh out her stories, and fill the panels with neat details. I love the background "noise" that she includes as she works assembling jewelry and contemplates the turns her life has taken. In another story (possibly my favorite in the book), she gets a job as an artist's assistant, drawing background details in her paintings (drawings?). As she works, she fantasizes about the artist becoming famous due to Bell's contributions. The fantasy gets more elaborate, as the artist offers to work with Bell, splitting the profits down the middle. Bell refuses on ethical grounds, but then she can't find work anywhere because everybody thinks she's just copying the artist's style. Funny stuff. Another story that I liked was one in which she gets a job as an art teacher to two French boys. I've included a panel from this story because I think it's a great representation of her abilities to show expressions using mostly body language:
Again, funny stuff.
So, recommended.
-----
Bonus: I've included this story from the bonus section because I showed it to my wife, an elementary school art teacher, and she said it is a perfect representation of what it is like to teach art to fourth-graders. (Click to enlarge.)
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Game time!
Let's play Spot the Celebrity!
Here's some pictures from Newuniversal #3 (Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Salvador Larroca):
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
In the comments, say who you think the celebrity is whose likeness is being used for each of these characters. No prizes will be awarded to the person who gets them all right!
-----
By the way, it probably seems like I'm being snarky here, but this didn't really bother me. I had read other people's blogs complaining about the use of actors' images, but other than #6, I didn't really notice it until now. In fact, I probably wouldn't have noticed #3 if I hadn't read a review where somebody said the character looked like a certain actor; that review (and noticing the others here) kind of made me look for a resemblance. So, now that I did notice, it still doesn't really bother me. My friend/coworker Scott Cederlund and I were discussing this the other day, and we agreed that it's like visual shorthand; the artist is using these well-known images to add a little bit of characterization, so we can imagine what they might act like if we saw them moving. Huh, I didn't explain that very well. I do know some people see it as a cheap ploy to get the story considered for film adaptation, similar to what was said about Mark Millar's and J.G. Jones's Wanted. Well, I think that's kind of cynical, and I don't agree. I'm really enjoying the intrigue of the story, and some of the pieces are starting to fall together now. I'm interested to see what Ellis has planned for the characters, and how he'll end up bringing them together. We'll see!
Here's some pictures from Newuniversal #3 (Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Salvador Larroca):
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
In the comments, say who you think the celebrity is whose likeness is being used for each of these characters. No prizes will be awarded to the person who gets them all right!
-----
By the way, it probably seems like I'm being snarky here, but this didn't really bother me. I had read other people's blogs complaining about the use of actors' images, but other than #6, I didn't really notice it until now. In fact, I probably wouldn't have noticed #3 if I hadn't read a review where somebody said the character looked like a certain actor; that review (and noticing the others here) kind of made me look for a resemblance. So, now that I did notice, it still doesn't really bother me. My friend/coworker Scott Cederlund and I were discussing this the other day, and we agreed that it's like visual shorthand; the artist is using these well-known images to add a little bit of characterization, so we can imagine what they might act like if we saw them moving. Huh, I didn't explain that very well. I do know some people see it as a cheap ploy to get the story considered for film adaptation, similar to what was said about Mark Millar's and J.G. Jones's Wanted. Well, I think that's kind of cynical, and I don't agree. I'm really enjoying the intrigue of the story, and some of the pieces are starting to fall together now. I'm interested to see what Ellis has planned for the characters, and how he'll end up bringing them together. We'll see!
I don't know if absolutely everyone says it...
So, I just got done watching Everyone Says I Love You, Woody Allen's 1996 musical, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite good. The friend that I mentioned the other day who is a Woody Allen fanatic said that I should definitely take his recommendation with a grain of salt, since he usually hates musicals, and somehow he just happened to like this one that Allen directed. But, luckily, I also really like Woody Allen, and I thought it was great.
It's got quite the star-studded cast, with Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda, Edward Norton (early in his career), Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, a young Natalie Portman, Natasha Lyonne, Tim Roth (as a romantic ex-con), Billy Crudup (in a very small role; I had trouble figuring out who he was after I saw his name in the credits), and Woody himself, of course. There's lots of the normal Woody Allen humor, with psychiatry and infidelity factoring heavily into the plot. And the music is great; it's a movie musical filled with his style of jazz and old-timey hits. And some great dance numbers. That's the kind of musical I like, where it's like people are so overcome with emotion that they break out into song and dance, somehow putting a spell on everyone around them and causing them to join in. My favorites were a dance number that begins with Edward Norton singing "My Baby Just Cares for Me" while buying an engagement ring for Drew Barrymore; a crew of patients, doctors and nurses singing "Makin' Whoopee" and dancing throughout the halls of a hospital; a French version of "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" performed by a bunch of dancers at at Marx Brothers-themed party; and a beautiful dance by Woody Allen and Goldie Hawn to "I'm Thru With Love". Plus, it's one of the few Allen movies I can remember containing notable special effects; there's a dance by a bunch of translucent ghosts at a funeral to "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", and the aforementioned Allen/Hawn dance contains what must be some Hong Kong-esque wirework that has Hawn literally rising off the ground with emotion. Really good stuff. As a Woody Allen fan, I definitely recommend this one.
It's got quite the star-studded cast, with Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda, Edward Norton (early in his career), Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, a young Natalie Portman, Natasha Lyonne, Tim Roth (as a romantic ex-con), Billy Crudup (in a very small role; I had trouble figuring out who he was after I saw his name in the credits), and Woody himself, of course. There's lots of the normal Woody Allen humor, with psychiatry and infidelity factoring heavily into the plot. And the music is great; it's a movie musical filled with his style of jazz and old-timey hits. And some great dance numbers. That's the kind of musical I like, where it's like people are so overcome with emotion that they break out into song and dance, somehow putting a spell on everyone around them and causing them to join in. My favorites were a dance number that begins with Edward Norton singing "My Baby Just Cares for Me" while buying an engagement ring for Drew Barrymore; a crew of patients, doctors and nurses singing "Makin' Whoopee" and dancing throughout the halls of a hospital; a French version of "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" performed by a bunch of dancers at at Marx Brothers-themed party; and a beautiful dance by Woody Allen and Goldie Hawn to "I'm Thru With Love". Plus, it's one of the few Allen movies I can remember containing notable special effects; there's a dance by a bunch of translucent ghosts at a funeral to "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", and the aforementioned Allen/Hawn dance contains what must be some Hong Kong-esque wirework that has Hawn literally rising off the ground with emotion. Really good stuff. As a Woody Allen fan, I definitely recommend this one.
Friday, February 9, 2007
In which cavemen and juvenile delinquents run amok
It's comics review time! Man, a lot of good comics came out this week. I probably won't get to all of them, so I'll start with some that I haven't heard a whole lot about, especially the first one, which I'm trying to get the word out about, because it's awesome!
(As always, click any pictures to make them larger if you want)
Maintenance #2
Written by Jim Massey
Art by Robbi Rodriguez
I reviewed the first issue of this series a few weeks ago, and I'm happy to say that the second issue is also very good. We open with our custodial heroes, Manny and Doug, in the lounge drinking coffee, where they witness what has to be a Black History Month moment:
Hee hee. Then they go help repair a time machine for another mad scientist, and end up getting sent to the past, where they interact with cavemen who appear to be modeled after Captain Caveman rather than any existing fossils. It seems the professor with the time machine is bringing them technology, in hopes of training them as an army, which he can bring back to conquer the world. I hope I'm not giving too much away, but most of this is pretty rudimentary, a structure on which to hang gags about the uselessness of the technology to the cavemen and silly pop-culture references (Phoebe Cates? Really?). Here's a shot of the cavemen's view of the professor:
It's primitive comics! Anyway, I highly recommend this comic, especially if you like humorous writing, expressive and funny cartooning, and wacky plots filled with mundane details and goofy references. Check it out!
-----
Pirates of Coney Island #4 (of 8)
Written by Rick Spears
Art by Vasilis Lolos
Variant cover by Becky Cloonan
First of all, I love that cover. That's the Becky Cloonan-drawn variant. There's the way the Cherries have taken over the cover, drawing their name in graffiti over the logo. Then, in addition to the depiction of the battered Cherries themselves (note the blood and scrapes on the faces and knuckles), you can see one of the Pirates in the reflection on the knife blade, which has that cool "burst" around it to draw attention. And I like the fish at the bottom too. I thought it was just a design-y element, but it actually factors into the plot of the issue. Great stuff!
Anyway, this issue is a big fight scene between the titular Pirates, a gang of wayward youths on, you guessed it, Coney Island, and the Cherries a rival girl-gang. It starts out with a face off, in which all the gang members are identified in captions by their (nick)name and weapon, with the art showing them in close-ups. "Knievel, bike chain. Zeus, sling shot. Tats, brass knuckles. Black Jack, knife. Patch, a fucking pipe." I love that. Patch has a beef with Trish, the leader of the Cherries, for ripping out his eye in the first issue. So they fight (sending tourists scattering), and soon enough, mayhem ensues:
That's another great panel; I love the big 3-D letters for the word "FIGHT" in the background. Soon enough the cops show up, sending everybody running. They end up in pairs, with each Pirate chasing a Cherry; some pretty brutal fights ensue. It brought a (possibly stupid) question to mind: is this comic empowering or degrading to women? The girls are treated as equals, and they give beatings as well as take them. But [spoilers here] there's also some potentially degrading moments, like when Tats has Heather in a chokehold and her breasts slip out of her shirt. He gets a hard-on, which embarrasses and distracts him enough that she can whack him on the head with a metal bar and run away. When Zeus and Cleo, the youngest members of their respective gangs, are fighting each other, she apparently gets a crush on him and chases him while trying to kiss him (he runs away, terrified). When Darcy and Knievel are fighting, he hits her and knocks her down, and she starts crying. They both get embarrassed; she denies crying, and he apologizes, so she kisses him on the cheek and runs away. [end spoilers] I guess I'll ultimately say that I think it's okay; the characters act pretty much like teenagers, albeit cartoonishly violent ones.
So anyway, the fight ends (I won't say how), to probably be continued again in the future. I really dig this comic; it's full of energy, with some really fun, inventive art. I love the sound effects Lolos uses, stuff like "Doom!", "Grab!", "Vish!" (the sound of a bat being swung), "Clobber!", "Gdaf!", or "Ka-krunk!" There's even a "Yoink!", and this one, which isn't really a sound:
Awesome. So, highly recommended. Read it!
-----
Fell #7
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Ben Templesmith
I've read some good reviews of the plot of this issue over at Comics Should Be Good, so I won't go into detail about that, other than to say I don't have a problem with it; in fact, I think it's a good depiction of Richard Fell's character (especially that last panel!). I mostly want to point out one or two cool thing I noticed in Templesmith's incredible art. First, I might be dumb for not paying attention to this sooner (or maybe I just forgot about it in the six months since the last issue), but I noticed that the white background "behind" the panels on every page has sort of a dirty texture applied to it. It's very subtle, and it adds to the dingy atmosphere of the book.
It's a pretty minor detail, but it shows the meticulous construction that goes into this comic. I like it. Second, check out this panel that shows a cop firing his gun:
It's a shocking moment, with the bright colors really standing out against the muted tones used in most of the rest of the book. It's so incendiary, the flash has washed out the black lines around the panel. You can't see it in the scan, but it even washes out the lines in the panels above and below this one too. That's a really cool detail. And finally, there's this panel of a guy suffering from drug-induced hallucinations:
Again, note the bright colors. I love the way they swirl around him. The next page, which I didn't scan, is more hallucinations, and the panel borders on that page are all wavy and gray, rather than the sharp, black lines in the rest of the book. It's like the guy's world is dissolving. Very effective.
So, I recommend this book too, of course. There's supposed to be a collection coming out in April, I believe, so if you haven't looked at it yet, that will be a good chance to check it out. Enjoy!
-----
That's all I'm going to do tonight; I'll try to do some more comics reviews for tomorrow. See you then!
(As always, click any pictures to make them larger if you want)
Maintenance #2
Written by Jim Massey
Art by Robbi Rodriguez
I reviewed the first issue of this series a few weeks ago, and I'm happy to say that the second issue is also very good. We open with our custodial heroes, Manny and Doug, in the lounge drinking coffee, where they witness what has to be a Black History Month moment:
Hee hee. Then they go help repair a time machine for another mad scientist, and end up getting sent to the past, where they interact with cavemen who appear to be modeled after Captain Caveman rather than any existing fossils. It seems the professor with the time machine is bringing them technology, in hopes of training them as an army, which he can bring back to conquer the world. I hope I'm not giving too much away, but most of this is pretty rudimentary, a structure on which to hang gags about the uselessness of the technology to the cavemen and silly pop-culture references (Phoebe Cates? Really?). Here's a shot of the cavemen's view of the professor:
It's primitive comics! Anyway, I highly recommend this comic, especially if you like humorous writing, expressive and funny cartooning, and wacky plots filled with mundane details and goofy references. Check it out!
-----
Pirates of Coney Island #4 (of 8)
Written by Rick Spears
Art by Vasilis Lolos
Variant cover by Becky Cloonan
First of all, I love that cover. That's the Becky Cloonan-drawn variant. There's the way the Cherries have taken over the cover, drawing their name in graffiti over the logo. Then, in addition to the depiction of the battered Cherries themselves (note the blood and scrapes on the faces and knuckles), you can see one of the Pirates in the reflection on the knife blade, which has that cool "burst" around it to draw attention. And I like the fish at the bottom too. I thought it was just a design-y element, but it actually factors into the plot of the issue. Great stuff!
Anyway, this issue is a big fight scene between the titular Pirates, a gang of wayward youths on, you guessed it, Coney Island, and the Cherries a rival girl-gang. It starts out with a face off, in which all the gang members are identified in captions by their (nick)name and weapon, with the art showing them in close-ups. "Knievel, bike chain. Zeus, sling shot. Tats, brass knuckles. Black Jack, knife. Patch, a fucking pipe." I love that. Patch has a beef with Trish, the leader of the Cherries, for ripping out his eye in the first issue. So they fight (sending tourists scattering), and soon enough, mayhem ensues:
That's another great panel; I love the big 3-D letters for the word "FIGHT" in the background. Soon enough the cops show up, sending everybody running. They end up in pairs, with each Pirate chasing a Cherry; some pretty brutal fights ensue. It brought a (possibly stupid) question to mind: is this comic empowering or degrading to women? The girls are treated as equals, and they give beatings as well as take them. But [spoilers here] there's also some potentially degrading moments, like when Tats has Heather in a chokehold and her breasts slip out of her shirt. He gets a hard-on, which embarrasses and distracts him enough that she can whack him on the head with a metal bar and run away. When Zeus and Cleo, the youngest members of their respective gangs, are fighting each other, she apparently gets a crush on him and chases him while trying to kiss him (he runs away, terrified). When Darcy and Knievel are fighting, he hits her and knocks her down, and she starts crying. They both get embarrassed; she denies crying, and he apologizes, so she kisses him on the cheek and runs away. [end spoilers] I guess I'll ultimately say that I think it's okay; the characters act pretty much like teenagers, albeit cartoonishly violent ones.
So anyway, the fight ends (I won't say how), to probably be continued again in the future. I really dig this comic; it's full of energy, with some really fun, inventive art. I love the sound effects Lolos uses, stuff like "Doom!", "Grab!", "Vish!" (the sound of a bat being swung), "Clobber!", "Gdaf!", or "Ka-krunk!" There's even a "Yoink!", and this one, which isn't really a sound:
Awesome. So, highly recommended. Read it!
-----
Fell #7
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Ben Templesmith
I've read some good reviews of the plot of this issue over at Comics Should Be Good, so I won't go into detail about that, other than to say I don't have a problem with it; in fact, I think it's a good depiction of Richard Fell's character (especially that last panel!). I mostly want to point out one or two cool thing I noticed in Templesmith's incredible art. First, I might be dumb for not paying attention to this sooner (or maybe I just forgot about it in the six months since the last issue), but I noticed that the white background "behind" the panels on every page has sort of a dirty texture applied to it. It's very subtle, and it adds to the dingy atmosphere of the book.
It's a pretty minor detail, but it shows the meticulous construction that goes into this comic. I like it. Second, check out this panel that shows a cop firing his gun:
It's a shocking moment, with the bright colors really standing out against the muted tones used in most of the rest of the book. It's so incendiary, the flash has washed out the black lines around the panel. You can't see it in the scan, but it even washes out the lines in the panels above and below this one too. That's a really cool detail. And finally, there's this panel of a guy suffering from drug-induced hallucinations:
Again, note the bright colors. I love the way they swirl around him. The next page, which I didn't scan, is more hallucinations, and the panel borders on that page are all wavy and gray, rather than the sharp, black lines in the rest of the book. It's like the guy's world is dissolving. Very effective.
So, I recommend this book too, of course. There's supposed to be a collection coming out in April, I believe, so if you haven't looked at it yet, that will be a good chance to check it out. Enjoy!
-----
That's all I'm going to do tonight; I'll try to do some more comics reviews for tomorrow. See you then!
The boob tube
Watched some TV last night, both stuff that I had recorded, and stuff that aired yesterday (well, I also watched yesterday's stuff off a recording, but I did see it on the day that it aired). So here's some quick thoughts:
Rome, episode 2.4:
Highlights:
Battlestar Galactica, episode 3.whatever (the most recent episode):
Highlights:
My Name Is Earl, 2/8 episode:
Highlights:
The Office, 2/8 episode:
Highlights:
30 Rock, 2/8 episode:
Highlights:
-----
So that's everything I watched yesterday. Stay tuned tonight; hopefully, I'll have some reviews of new comics!
Rome, episode 2.4:
Highlights:
- When asked why she's torturing the kid who tried to kill her, Atia replies, "The confession's not legal unless there's torture!"
- Mark Antony vowing to destroy his enemies, especially Octavian, when we know that's not going to happen.
- Seeing Servilia tortured. I don't especially like her, and I think her rivalry with Atia has dragged out for too long.
- Cicero's speech to Agrippa. Nicely acted by David Bamber; he's been a standout this season.
- Switching actors for Octavian. I kind of understand why they did it: they want to show him as older, and the previous actor (Max Perkis) still looked young; the previous actor might also have been unconvincing as a military leader. Still, it's always offputting when a different-looking guy is playing the character, and other characters (who still look the same, of course) recognize him.
- Servilia escaping. I wish they would just kill her and end the rivalry plot. Or they could kill Atia, I suppose, which would be risky since she's a very enjoyable character, but it would mean some forward motion.
- My confusion over when Mark Antony went from beloved leader to traitor. Was it when he beat up the guy in the Senate?
Battlestar Galactica, episode 3.whatever (the most recent episode):
Highlights:
- Baltar's interrogation, for the most part. It was interesting to see them struggle to get information out of him.
- The opening bit where the creators basically said, "See, Baltar's a Cylon after all...Psyche!".
- The godawful love parallelogram, or whatever you want to call it. They've dragged it out for so long, and just when you think they're going to split up the two marriages and end all the pining, they decide to stay together so they can drag it out longer. Oy.
- The continuing nonsense about the "final five". This reeks of Lost- (which I don't actually watch) or X-Files-style writing where the writers string the viewers along with the promises of revealed secrets, which always makes me suspect they're pulling stuff out of their asses.
- Why did they spend all their time interrogating only Baltar? Don't they have a captive Number Six? Being an actual Cylon, you'd think she would be able to provide them some real information. Maybe they want to see if Baltar leaked any information. Or maybe they think she's too manipulative to trust anything she says. It would have been nice to at least mention her existence though.
My Name Is Earl, 2/8 episode:
Highlights:
- Joy's black half-sister being married to a white equivalent of Darnell.
- "My daddy was Ray, I'm Ray Ray, I gotta have me a Ray Ray Ray!"
- DJ Qualls' skinny arm when he was trying to arm wrestle against his character's buff wife.
- Darnell giving Listerine to Mr. Turtle.
- Just plain good character-based comedy all around.
The Office, 2/8 episode:
Highlights:
- Michael dragging the wheelchair down the aisle. In fact, most all of his disgruntled behavior after being upstaged at the wedding was cringe-inducingly hilarious. I particularly liked his toast, which he started by saying, "For the next 40 minutes, you will see why this couple is so perfect for each other...", or something like that. And then, in a "confessional" scene, he says, "The most important part of a good speech is the opening line. If I have enough time, I like to use three or four of them."
- Michael's conversation with Uncle Al. "That guy is weird!"
- Scrantonicity!
- Dwight and Angela dancing outside. I really like their relationship, especially in the way it's made Angela a more well-rounded character and more than just the hateful bitch of the office.
30 Rock, 2/8 episode:
Highlights:
- Isabella Rossellini saying "Oh Johnny, you know I love my Big Beef and Cheddar!" That's funny regardless of context.
- Alec Baldwin's drunken monologue celebrating/lamenting his divorce. He is incredibly funny on this show.
- Tina Fey arguing on the phone with the flower people. "Oh, I just found the card. The flowers are from your mom. Your gay mom sent me flowers!"
- Kenneth saying "I got her underwear!", while holding up a pair of what are obviously men's briefs. In fact, now that I think about it, those were probably his own briefs, which makes it even funnier.
-----
So that's everything I watched yesterday. Stay tuned tonight; hopefully, I'll have some reviews of new comics!
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Deja-vu, sort of
A friend/coworker of mine came over to my desk today and showed me this piece of clipart he found:
That won't mean anything to people that haven't met me in person (or seen my picture, I guess), but it looks just like me. I don't always have a full beard like that, but I've been known to grow one. I do have a high forehead, and my nose is shaped like the picture. You can check out pictures of me on Flickr (see sidebar for link) if you want to compare. Anyway, it's a strange and interesting coincidence, so I thought I'd share.
That won't mean anything to people that haven't met me in person (or seen my picture, I guess), but it looks just like me. I don't always have a full beard like that, but I've been known to grow one. I do have a high forehead, and my nose is shaped like the picture. You can check out pictures of me on Flickr (see sidebar for link) if you want to compare. Anyway, it's a strange and interesting coincidence, so I thought I'd share.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)