BEST SHOTS: NEXT ISSUE PROJECT, FF, TINY TITANS, & MORE [Archive]

View Full Version : BEST SHOTS: NEXT ISSUE PROJECT, FF, TINY TITANS, & MORE

MattBrady

02-18-2008, 11:33 AM

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/NextIssue01.jpg" align="right">by The Best Shots Team, courtesy of ShotgunReviews.com
Your Host: Troy Brownfield

Welcome back! Here’s a quick run-down of our advance reviews and Best Shots Extras that ran between last week’s column and now:

Booster Gold #0 (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=146483)

X-Force #1 (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=146570)

The Vlog is back! Meet your latest vlog hosts, Team Siegel, from Shots in the Dark! Lucas and Janelle bring you their opinions on several books in a week full of goodness. In part one (http://www.shotgunreviews.com/2008/02/17/best-shots-review-vlog-volume-2-11/), Lucas takes on a thoroughly mediocre cosmic book with lots of hype and marketing behind it, and a consistently fantastic cosmic book with nearly no hype or marketing behind it. After those reviews of Captain Marvel and Nova, Janelle checks out (http://www.shotgunreviews.com/2008/02/17/best-shots-review-vlog-volume-2-12/) the final issue of American Virgin and the premier issue of Tiny Titans. An eclectic mix, to be sure. Lucas wraps it all up (http://www.shotgunreviews.com/2008/02/17/best-shots-review-vlog-volume-2-13/) with an X-stravaganza, featuring Wolverine, X-Force, and X-Factor all at once. It’s a good time to be an X-fan or to invest in the letter X.

And, over at ShotgunReviews.com . . . Can’t get enough of Lucas and Janelle’s opinions? You’re in luck! Shots in the Dark, Shotgun Reviews’ internet radio show is back with an all new episode. In the Gatling Geek, we toll the bell for the death of HD-DVD, and rip on Microsoft a little in the process. Imoticon’s review of the Wii Zapper and two associated games clashes with Vince’s take on the device. The rest of the episode is “Lost”. Click on through and listen up to find out what that means… (http://shotgunreviews.com/shots/2008/02/18/shots-in-the-dark-podcast-episode-15-lost-the-wii-zapper-and-the-death-of-hd-dvd/)

This installment also marks the first for Barbara Hallock! You’ll meet her in the pellets. (For those who are curious, that makes about fifteen official team members.) Until then, here’s Caleb . . .

Next Issue Project #1: Fantastic Comics #24
Writers and artists: Various
From: Image Comics
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Comics readers are lucky to be around at a time when virtually the entire history of comics is available in reprints somewhere—Classic strips from Krazy Kat to Peanuts to Thimble Theater to Dick Tracy to Dennis the Menace to Moomin are benefiting from thorough reprint programs. Kids comics like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich and Little Lulu are available in affordable volumes. An increasing number of DC and Marvel’s trash and treasures are readily available thanks to their Archives, Masterworks, Essential and Showcase Presents programs. All the classic comics of Japan are filling the shelves of big box bookstores, and English language publishers continue to scour Japan, Korea and Europe for potentially profitable series to translate and rerelease.

While everyone has their little wish lists of what they’d still like to be able to buy, an extraordinary amount of comics history has been put back on the page and in stores in just the past five years or so.

One of my own personal sources of fascination were all those Golden Age superhero characters that never went on to be as big as Superman and Captain America (or even as big as Plastic Man and Namor…or Black Condor and Doll Man). The characters I knew existed at one point because I’d see them mentioned in histories of Golden Age artists, or see pictures of the covers of their books in price guides, or fine a few lines about them in an old encyclopedia of superheroes I’d gotten from the library in the ‘80s.

You know the guys—The Green Lama, The Green Giant, the other Daredevil, the Catman who wasn’t a Batman villain, Pat Parker, War Nurse, and so on.

Well, while there still aren’t any trades collecting the adventures of The Zebra, we sure have been seeing a lot of these minor Golden Agers in the last few months, between Marvel’s The Twelve, Dynamite’s Project: Superpowers and now Image Comics’ Next Issue Project.

Unfortunately, as exciting as it is to get to know these golden age oldies, some aspect of each of those projects has been something of a let-down, and the Next Issue Project makes it a perfect strike-out.

The problem with the book is that it seems to have a compelling hook, but it’s not one that’s very stringently forced, and the results are all over the place. The title alone lays it all out: Image is producing new “next” issues of long-cancelled Golden Age comics; starting with the twenty-fourth issue of Fantastic Comics, the twenty-third issue of which shipped in 1941 (Hey, that means this issue is sixty-seven years late! Man, if Kevin Smith and Bryan Hitch teamed up for a comic, I bet even they couldn’t top a delay like that!).

There are nine stories within, each by a different creative team and each tackling a different character, but there seems to have been no agreement going in as to what the unifying concept was. Should the creators being mimicking the style of a Golden Age book, as the book design seems to indicate? (It’s a huge, magazine-sized format, with reprinted old-school ads in it). Or are these modern stories, updating the characters adventures for the 21st century?

It depends on the story. You couldn’t ask for a better set of creators—in all cases, these are top creators at the top of their game—but you sure could ask for a more unified conceit. Some stories are told as if they were pretending to have come out in the ‘40s, some seem like Silver Age stories, some seem like they were made by modern creators for a modern audience. Some are messily colored to approximate the old process, some aren’t, with no real rhyme or reason.

Thomas Yeates does the best Golden Age approximation on a story featuring power-ring wielding swordsman the Golden Knight, and Godland’s Tom Scioli, Street Angel’s Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca and B. Clay Moore all similarly take the Golden Age comic impression approach (Tackling Space Smith, Captain Kidd and Carlton Riggs, respectively).

Erik Larsen and the team of Joe Casey and Bill Sienkiewicz go for an older comics vibe with their stories, both of which seem more like a mixture of Silver and Bronze Age aesthetics and concerns than Golden Age books. Ashley Wood and Andy Kuhn do stories that don’t even feign concern with the conceit. (There’s also a two-page Fred Hembeck story which is undoubtedly the work of Fred Hembeck; fine for his fans, but not so hot at trying to capture the feel of the era).

The crown jewel is probably the story written by Joe Keatinge, drawn by Mike Allred, cleverly colored by Laura Allred and lettered in a perfect approximation of the feature’s original lettering by Val Nunez. They get Stardust, The Super Wizard, which, if this came out a few years ago, would just be some random weird character, but has been transformed into the most famous of the lot of these characters thanks to Paul Karasik’s enthusiastically received book collecting Fletcher Hanks’ tales of Stardust and other Golden Age heroes, I Shall Destory all Civilized Planets!.

Allred is one of the last artists I’d think of when it comes to covering Hanks—and he draws some panels homaging specific Hanks panels—given how heavily influenced he seems by the Silver Age, but his smooth, steady lines are a welcome twist on Hanks little-headed hero, and it’s cool to see Allred tackling other Golden Age heroes in the last few pages (Including Hanks’ own Fantomah, plus Fighting Yank, Dardevil, Bullet Man, Green Lama and others).

It probably helps that Allred is given one of the better scripts to work with. Keatinge also doesn’t seem to be trying to write a Golden Age story, but he turns in a story that is a nice meditation on how the heroes of yesteryear fare in our modern world, and whether or not they have anything left to offer. It’s essentially the same message as every Alex Ross comic ever, only told in just seven pages. (Kidding!)

There’s certainly a lot of room for improvement here, starting with a more unified vision for the project, and making every story one worth reading, but for the caliber of the talent taking such a peculiar creative challenge involving so many strange characters, this has got to be one of the most interesting things on the stands this week.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/FF554.jpg" align="left"> Fantastic Four #554
Writer: Mark Millar
Art: Bryan Hitch with Paul Neary and Paul Mounts
From: Marvel Comics
Review by: Lucas Siegel

Mark Millar is known for both driving and riding the hype machine. His fans say it’s all well earned, and his detractors point to it as ridiculous. Ultimates, however, is nearly universally enjoyed and revered as being a step forward for comics. Millar’s partner in crime, Bryan Hitch (and team) is along for the ride once again here. This time however, it’s anything but a revolution.

Derivative, plain, boring. Those were the first three words I thought of after my first read through. Yes, the end sets up something that could be mildly entertaining or pretty awesome, but that wasn’t enough to completely save this first issue.

This is perhaps the most well established super-team in comics. Regardless, we get taken on a “meet the family” show, where Millar goes out of his way to prove that he knows who these characters are and introduces them to us; he nails the characterization, but almost too much so. He forces the now-standard views of these characters down the readers’ throats, as if no one knew that Reed’s a geek, Ben’s a tough guy, Johnny’s vapid, and Sue’s the glue that (somewhat reluctantly) holds them all together. All in all, it felt like the first issue of a series, not the first issue by a new creative team of a series that’s been going for over 45 years. On top of this, some characters *cough Johnny cough* were written a liiiiittle too much like the Ultimate version Millar tackled a couple years back.

The story itself was filled so much with these introductions, the real story was only about six pages long, with two of those pages being a dialogue-less (albeit very pretty) spread. So, this story essentially became four pages long. Not really what I expected. Sometimes Ultimates had an over-arc that was on a slow burn, but plenty still happened in each issue, even the first issue of each respective volume. I am wholly uninterested in the nu-world idea because it got no face time. It seems too much like Sue said, “It’s the end of the world for ten minutes, then nothing happens for the next three months.” This issue gave us the reverse of that.

The art was great, overall. Hitch seems to fall a little into the “female face” trap that so many artists seem to be in lately, where nearly all women have a very similar face. Other than that, you can expect the highly detailed backgrounds and highly expressive characters you’ve come to love by this art team. I have to say, that two page spread of technology, I just plain feel sorry for Neary and Mounts when Hitch passes something like that along to them. The technical side of the art is nearly flawless. Hitch absolutely has a great grasp on perspective, clean lines, shading; the story just didn’t give him a lot of room to shine.

So, you probably think I just plain hated the issue, right? Well, I certainly didn’t like it. It definitely didn’t live up to the hype. I still have faith that Millar will ramp up the action and give this team the chance to shine. It’s just a shame we didn’t see that at all in their first issue.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/TTians01.jpg" align="right">Tiny Titans #1
Writers: Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani
Artist: Art Baltazar
From: DC
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

It can be tough reviewing a book that has been announced as a kids book—not necessarily an all-ages book, but a kids book—when the critic in question is not a kid. I suppose I could have bought multiple copies and convened a focus group of my nieces to get their input, but even at the more welcome $2.25 price point, that’s a lot of money I could be spending on Showcases and Essentials for my greedy self.

So I’m going to take a stab at it—I loved this book. That may or may not be bad news for how well it will be received by its target audience, which editor Jann Jones has said is kids too young for the too-intense Johnny DC books like Teen Titans Go! and Justice League Unlimited.

I think as a kid I would have hated it, because it is somewhat in-your-face about it’s being for kids, and even the youngest kids don’t like to think of themselves in kid terms (Being told they’re too young or too little for something, for example). Also, I didn’t have any real appreciation for abstracted art like this as a kid, however today’s kids are growing up with more stylized cartoons than we had back in the late seventies/early eighties, so maybe it will hit with them.

I do think this is a poor replacement for TTG!, as the only thing they have in common is the word “Titans” in the title, and think it’s a little weird that DC is even marketing this book to little kids. For example, here you can read about the cute little Ravager who is embarrassed her dad “Mister Slade” is the principal of her elementary school; then you can check out The Judas Contract trade and watch Mr. Slade sleep with a teenage girl, or early issues of Teen Titans to watch Ravager put out her own eye with a blade. Read about Cassie here, and then check out Teen Titans Annual #1 to watch her have teenage sex with her boyfriend on the eve of the Titans being literally torn apart in Infinite Crisis.

But these are concerns about the book in general, not the work under it’s cover, and, like I said, that I loved—this is the best Titans-related comic book I’ve read, both in terms of art and story, in a long, long time.

Baltazar’s style is amazingly cute, and it’s almost mindboggling how darling he makes these characters, a mixture of the “Year One” team with the Wolfman/Perez era characters and the modern team with newly minted characters like Miss Martian and Kid Devil.

The little details packed into the panels are great, like Green Arrow’s kitchen décor, or the tiny little stick figure Bumblebee that echoes her ful-size counterparts’ action.

The writing is similarly charming, and I was somewhat surprised by how amusing I found much of it, as there seemed to be more DC trivia-related humor than I’d expect for an entry level book like this (Would seeing Trigon wearing glasses and a suit, while Raven gets embarrassed that her dad is the substitute teacher even be remotely amusing to someone who has no idea who they are?)

The book is broken up into about a half-dozen gag strips of varying short lengths, and includes a maze (although if you do it, you’ll totally never ruin the book’s chances of every being worth any money) and a preview of the upcoming Super Friends book which looks as horrible as this was charming.

Grown-up DC fans who like great, colorful, cute art and mildly amusing superhero and kids gags should love this. Whether kids will like it or not, well, you’ll have to ask a kid.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/FFLOST001.jpg" align="left"> Fantastic Four the Lost Adventure #1
From: Marvel Comics
Written by: Stan Lee
Art By: Jack Kirby, Ron Frenz, Joe Sinnott
Reviewed by Tim Janson

By the time I started reading comics in 1974, Jack Kirby had already left Marvel for DC. Yet even a young fan like myself was aware of the tremendous aura that Kirby still had at Marvel. I was fortunate to have a couple of comic book stores in my area as well as regular comic book shows and quickly put together quite a collection of my favorite titles The Avengers, Thor, and Fantastic Four. Kirby, of course, had tremendous influence on all of these titles, especially FF and Thor, which saw his longest runs as an artist. He worked on 102 issues of Fantastic Four with Stan Lee but now we discover that there was actually a 103rd issue, long forgotten and never fully completed. As Marvel points out, this is almost like finding a lost Beatles recording.

The “Menace of the Mega-Men was penciled by Jack but never saw print. Portions of the story eventually saw print as a brief flashback sequence in FF #108, drawn by John Buscema and John Romita, but utilizing some of the Kirby’s unpublished art. Now, for the first time, that original story is in print as originally intended by Lee and Kirby along with inker Joe Sinnott with assists from Ron Frenz and colorist Christ Sotomayor.

Interestingly, the actual story in #103 is told as a flashback as Reed Richards relates the team’s encounter with a being called Janus to a colleague of his. Janus attacks New York with an armory of high-tech weapons, plundering a bank where he just so happens to encounter The Thing! Calling himself Mega-Man, he takes out both The Thing and the Human Torch almost effortlessly. Mega-Man has given the city 24 hours to turn over their entire treasury or face destruction. Can Reed figure out the secret to his incredible power in time? Well I think you know the answer to that one. There’s nothing really special or provocative about the story. Nothing that would have made it stand out had it actually been published back in 1970. Mega-Man is a forgettable villain and the story is very simplistic. But the attraction here is just seeing a new Lee & Kirby teaming again after nearly forty years. Even when the stories weren’t especially good, and Stan would probably be the first to admit that this one wasn’t that good, they still created magic because of their incredible chemistry together. In that regard, it makes this issue a true gem.

As a bonus, this issue also includes Kirby’s original penciled pages with Stan’s border notes and analysis by John Morrow of TwoMorrow’s publishing you puts out the fantastic Jack Kirby Collector Magazine. Here you get to see the story told but in a very different way, which Morrow surmises is the reason that Stan originally shelved the story. Finally, this issue also reprints FF #108 which makes wholesale changes to the plot and ends up changing the character’s name to the “Nega-Man” and having his power originate from the Negative Zone. It’s quite fascinating to read through all three versions and note the differences. Great fun for Kirby enthusiasts to see some “new” work from the King!

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/WW17.jpg" align="right"> Wonder Woman #17
Story by Gail Simone
Art by Terry and Rachel Dodson (and poor, non-credited-on-the-cover, Ron Randall)
Published by DC Comics
Review by Brian Andersen

Gail Simone’s much hyped and promoted first arc on Wonder Woman comes to a rapid-fire end. Throughout this four issue storyline, Simone has managed to not only tell an interesting and action packed story, but has also been able to widely develop and explore new aspects to what it really means to be a women on an island inhabited solely by women. In the not too-distant past, the Amazons on Paradise Island have been portrayed as a cheery and happy group, so it’s a stroke of pure creative intelligence from Simone to bravely cast a new, darker, and shockingly true light on the desperate yearning and heartache these Amazons might truly have felt towards their cold, eternal reality: they will never experience the joys and miracle of childbirth and motherhood. In the real world, we sadly often hear news stories told about sterile woman driven to the brink of madness from their inability to have a child - resulting in murder, kidnapping and other horrors - so the notion that Paradise might also, in fact, be a sterile prison for some Amazons is such a bold and revolutionary idea that I am thankful Simone is talented enough to portray this in her first storyline.

To have the four honored guards to queen Hippolyta rebel and try to kill the infant Diana - believing they were saving the women on Paradise from the ravages of jealousy - was, in the case of leader Alkyone, even more rich to read about since it was this selfsame jealousy that was the shocking true reason for her rebellion. Simone has made me excited and energetic with Wonder Woman for the first time in ages, and in many ways, she has also managed to bring new and old readers along for the ride. Kudos to her!

This arc also laid the groundwork for new themes and ideas to explore; like Diana’s new god, her new patron, and what services she will owe him in pledging him her allegiance. Turning her back on the Greek gods is bound to bring major ramifications. Also, wild woman Alkyone is most definitely not dead and we can be assured that this Sinead O’Connor-lookin’ Amazon beyotch will rear her ugly, bald, crazed head to torture Wonder Woman again. Perhaps with Alkyone we have the making a new and powerful rogue for Wondie - heaven knows our girl desperately needs some new, interesting villains. It will be also interesting to find out which god provided these rogue Amazons with their magical weaponry. A god must have been providing these armaments and it will be most exciting to discover who this arms-dealing-deity might be. I also liked the idea of the gorilla army remaining on Paradise and working as a new guard for Hippolyta. Fun! I would like to see more of these smart and humorous battle-ready apes.

The only thing I felt missing in this otherwise great wrap-up was the much needed conversation and reuniting of Hippolyta and Diana. So, SO much needs to be discussed between this mother and daughter; like how her mother is back from the freakin’ dead and how she went all bat shiz crazy and attached the US with all her Amazon sisters in tow (which resulted in all the Amazons being spread out across the world). That is a discussion that will be ripe with drama and I was sad it was quickly passed over to finalize this installment. Perhaps it is still coming, as Hippolyta needs to recover from her grievous wounds? Oh! And does Hippolyta still posses her super strength? Or did she come back from the dead normal? I am not sure if that has been made totally clear.

In this otherwise perfectly great story arc, I did have one item to question: namely, how did these rebellious Amazons manage to survive the total destruction of Paradise Island during the “Our Worlds at War” epic a few years ag?. Ya’ know, when Hippolyta died and stuff and the entire island was blasted into pieces during the war? So, like, how did these ladies not only survive, but also remain in their individual cells? Maybe I am being a continuity whore here, but the question has been nagging me since the beginning of this story. Thankfully, I believe, I have the answer! Yay! My guess is that the cells were magically created, so despite the fact that everything was blasted to bits, each chunk of land their cells inhabited remained secure and whole and this powerful imprisonment kept them alive until the Greek goddesses reformed Paradise Island. Sound good? Ok, great, let’s go with that then!

Sadly, so much ado was made with last issue’s artist “swap surprise” that I hate to retread what was already expressed, other than to say: what a let-down. Terry and Rachel Dodson are such amazing and unique talents that having a fill-in (even though Ron Randall did do an admirable job, if it did seem a smidge hurried and not totally polished) makes the book disjointed and inhibits the whole flow of the story. If I were Mr. Randall, I would be quite PO’ed that my named didn’t even make it on the cover credit for a second time in a row –and this despite the fact that he did most of the heavy lifting! In truth, this switcharoo only managed to hamper this otherwise fantastic conclusion. If the Dodson’s can’t handle the monthly work load, then I am more than happy to welcome incoming penciler Aaron Lopresti, who seems to be the rare artist today who is capable of handling a monthly comic while rarely missing an issue.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/ShadowHunter01.jpg" align="left"> Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter #1
From: Virgin Comics
Written by: Jenna Jameson & Christina Z
Art By: Mukesh Singh
Reviewed by Tim Janson

I suppose it is the height of irony that a comic book created and written by a former adult film star is published by Virgin Comics. And yeah, go ahead and get all the smart-ass comments and innuendo out of your systems. You never really know how much the celebrity in question had to do with the actual comic although Jameson is noted in the credits not only as the creators but one of the writers as well, along with Christina Z.

Shadow Hunter combines elements of Witchblade, Spawn, and The Darkness (evidently someone was dipping into the Image/Top Cow pool a bit too much) for this tale of good vs. evil. Jezzerie Jaden has had visions of monsters and demons ever since she was a child. Her visions have led her to see the aid of a doctor who is an expert in past lives but her unique case has the doctors concluding that she is seeing a parallel life…seeing past the veil of our world into those that co-exist in other planes of existence. These hallucinations become all too real when she is attacked on the streets of New York by shadowy demonic creatures that apparently only she can see. Just as startling is the double-bladed sword that seems to grow right out of her hand that she uses to battle the demonic horde. The most startling surprise is what Jezzerie encounters at the conclusion of the first issue.

I’ve always said that reviewing the first issue of a brand new character can be very difficult. You have no background to fall back on and you’re just looking for the one hook that will bring you back for issue #2. Now despite this being Jameson’s creation and despite the various covers for the book, Shadow Hunter #1 didn’t fall back on just being a “cheesecake” book with our heroine running around near naked. In fact, if I were to guess, it would seem as if artist Mukesh Singh went out of his way to not make the book too sexually provocative. Singh’s art is extraordinarily detailed. I loved the full-page panel where Jaden is walking down the street as thick, shadowy hedgerows spring up on either side her with several sets of malevolent eyes following her movements. Singh also did the colors which are some of the most elaborate I’ve seen in a while. There is a fantastic contrast with the dark shapes of the creatures and the deep crimson blood that covers Jezzerie.

The jury is still out on the storyline. We obviously need to find out more about Jezzerie and the reasons behind her visions. I’m willing to stick around for a bit to see where the story goes but if you are looking for that hook to bring you back, you have it with Mukesh Singh’s art. In this era of comics when so many artists are utilizing a minimalist style, it’s nice to see someone put in the effort to detail that Singh has done.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/Dnought.jpg" align="right"> Dreadnought Invasion Six #1 of 4
Writer: Richard F. Roszko
Artist: Guillermo Sanna
TalcMedia Press
Review By: Jeff Marsick

This series has an intriguing tagline: “Existence to extinction is one short trip.” Take military science fiction, temper it with a dash of space opera, and refine it with a touch of hard science fiction, and you get this series. It certainly is not for the casual reader who doesn’t savvy to hard science fiction or who fixes a blank stare when asked for their favorite Robert Heinlein or Gordon Dickson novel.

In this first issue, Lord Commodore Ranor Broxton seems to have quite the future ahead of him. He’s been field promoted and when his current patrol ends he is going to be commander of an exploration group headed for the uncharted reaches of space. He has even asked his wife, fellow officer Lord Marshal Alianna, to arrange with HQ a transfer to his ship as his new ground forces commander when her current tour completes on the planet Pirene. But when Alianna’s base is wiped out by a mysterious invasion force and the Lord Commodore’s fleet proves impotent in even merely slowing the enemy, it appears that Broxton’s prospects have dimmed enough that he won’t any longer need shades in order to see them. Broxton orders his badly damaged ship into a hasty jump away from his eviscerated fleet and the pursuing enemy, to an uncolonized and barely hospitable planet where survival will quickly become the order of the day.

Richard Roszko does a fine job of grabbing the reader by the back of the neck and steering them at breakneck speed through the story’s tumult and action. After the first six pages, take a deep breath because you won’t get another opportunity to reinflate until after page thirty-one, which is fine with me because that’s just how I like my military fiction. His writing has trappings of Davids Drake and Weber, and he keeps a tight reign on dialogue and crew interactions to give the book a proper military feel, more “Battlestar Galactica” than “Star Trek”; again, a plus. What is unfortunate, however, is the occasional short-shrifting Mr. Roszko performs on himself though the use of captions or thought balloons. One scene in particular, when the invaders attack Pirene, shows a crew being obliterated, while a narrative follows and supports. It’s unnecessary, distracting, and along with the minimally used thought balloons, it becomes obvious that Mr. Roszko has let himself be led astray into the familiar punji trap of comic writers, that barbed pit of telling as opposed to showing.

It is the artist, however, that does the most damage to Mr. Roszko’s vision. Typical of small and micro-press offerings, the artwork is heavily inked, garishly colored, and bereft of an appreciable amount of depth. Mr. Sanna displays much difficulty in maintaining a consistency with the human form, especially facially. In one panel, two soldiers salute each other, and it looks more like they’re doing a commercial for Head-On than actually rendering honors. His greatest weakness (aside from the HUD displays that look equal parts Commodore 64 screenshots and first grader renderings of space fights) is drawing action sequences. This is the meat of the book and the ion engine that drives this genre, and what should be dynamic is instead plain and unimaginative. The visuals are far too simple for a story that clearly deserves more.

My understanding is that TalcMedia Press is a company that specializes in turning a writer’s screenplay into a comic book. It is a micro-press, one of many you haven’t heard of, but Richard Roszko could be the name that gives this company the necessary exposure, especially if given a better artist. While not perfect, Dreadnought: Invasion Six has flashes of originality and potential that could make it a better product than current sci-fi television show adaptations or even the puerile Cowboys and Aliens.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/ScenesStories.jpg" align="left"> Of Scenes and Stories TPB
From: Transfuzion Publishing
Written by: Gary Reed
Art By: Various
Reviewed by Tim Janson

There’s not many people in the comic book industry I respect more than Gary Reed. Gary is a true Renaissance man when it comes to comics. He’s been involved in nearly every facet of the business. He was a retailer (which is where I first met him over 20 years ago); he was a convention promoter (King Kon), a publisher (Caliber Comics), he served as Vice President of McFarlane Toys, and, of course, he’s an outstanding comic writer.

This 300-page trade paperback reprints nearly three-dozen of Gary’s short stories written over his illustrious career. Now if Gary wanted to, I think he would be a fantastic writer on a title like Batman or Superman. But although he is a lifelong comic fan, he has no interest in doing the popular titles. Gary loves to do what he loves. First and foremost, he is a storyteller. For instance, Gary loves to set stories against a historical background or with a historical figure or character from literature and put his own unique and clever spin on them. Of Scenes and Stories provides some of these interesting takes. Many people have written about Dracula to the point of sheer boredom. Reed though takes a look at Dracula’s insane servant Renfield. Reed explores the madness, which drove the character in a brilliant story illustrated by Galen Showman.

Other historical figures that Reed tackles include The Mad Monk, Rasputin; Spanish Conqueror Cortez; and writer Edgar Allan Poe. But it’s not all about historical stories. Reed was equally adept at writing the fantastic as well. Included in this volume are some of his stories about his team of paranormal Investigators, Raven, Inc., the apocalyptic zombie tale Deadword, and his immortal character Saint Germaine. Further displaying his eclectic talent are some of the prose stories that are also included, one of which is among my favorite stories in the book, “Plague”. Illustrated beautifully by Vince Locke, this story is the narrations of those unfortunate folk who lived and died during the Black Plague.

Of Scenes and Stories features a host of talented artists including Guy Davis, Craig Brasfield, Dalibor Talajic, Michael lark, Michael Gaydos, and many more. If your’re looking for something far different than the ordinary, something with a little more literary bite with stories much more intellectually stimulating , you must puck up Gary Reed’s “Of Scenes and Stories”.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb08/Nexusv6.jpg" align="right"> Nexus Archives vol. 6
Written by Mike Baron (with Judah the Hammer back-up stories by Roger Salick)
Illustrated by Steve Rude & Paul Smith, with John Nyberg (inks), Les Dorschied (colors) and Ken Bruzenack (lettering) (Judah art by Al Vey, Robb Phipps, Barry Crain and Mark Heike with Doug Hazlewood)
Published by Dark Horse Books
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

Nexus is the absolute finest superhero comic book ever published, and the issues collected in this beautiful hardcover book find the book at its creative zenith.

In case you missed it, the story of Nexus: 500 years in the future, Horatio Hellpop, known famously as Nexus, has been given astonishing powers by a mysterious alien. The catch, that he dreams of mass murders and their crimes, the dreams becoming more intense each night, until Nexus is forced to hunt down and execute the cause of his torment. Horatio has settled a small, uncharted moon, soon inhabited by the galaxy’s outcasts and exiles, who quickly found and establish their own working government. They call their world Ylum (pronounced as in asylum).

Nexus Archives vol. 6 collects issues 33-39 of the Nexus comic book series, originally published in 1987. This particular volume launches from issue 32’s cliffhanger, wherein Horatio – tired of life as a killer (no matter how deserving his victims) – opts to give a list of killers to two alien assassins who’ve sworn to follow Nexus’s “they deserve it” example. At this book’s open, both assassins are in the grip of a killing fever that infects members of their species, forcing Horatio to battle two friends and face the reality that denying his responsibilities – however unwanted – has led directly to the deaths of over 3000 innocent beings.

It’s a pretty heady way to launch into the story, but Mike Baron’s just getting started with the moral dilemmas of the universe. What really puts this series so far above anything else out there is how skillfully Baron captures the nuances of so many different cultures – dozens of alien species exist in Nexus’s world, yet each one is distinct, formed from millennia of cultural, political, artistic and religious traditions and histories. No, more than making each alien race distinct, Baron makes each individual being distinct. Judah Maccabee and his father Dave are both Thune, and there is a clear sense of loyalty, honor and nobility that carries through both men, yet Dave remains passive, always calm, the voice of reason during the most trying occasions. Judah is excitable, a gourmet chef, a wrestler without peer, a loud-living adventurer.

Similarly, Baron is able to create an array of sympathetic characters – priests, poets, librarians, expatriate girls, young alien musicians, telekinetic decapitated heads – and convincingly smash them together in a sci-fi melting pot.

Beyond Horatio’s lesson in responsibility, this Archive gives us a return to the inter-dimensional Library at Alexandria, where Horatio’s lover Sundra saves the day with wisdom and resourcefulness, triumphing after Horatio’s effort at violence failed. We get further insights into the terrible honor of the Quatro race, as stoic Kreed and gentle Sinclair cope with the aftermath of their killing rampage. We witness multiple incursions into and from the despotic Sov Empire, as young Mary Gazinka from Chernenko, newly arrived from the Sov territory, takes readers on an issue-length tour of Ylum’s refugee culture, and as Nexus attempts to save both an imprisoned poet and a terrorized female priest from the government’s prosecution. Freedom and oppression, never the lines are clear as you think.

The book has a great sense of humor. Sure, the hyperspeed jokes don’t really translate unless you’ve read the letter columns in the original issues, but Baron’s not afraid to have a little fun in his world. One of the necessities of creating a fully realized world is that it must have lightness as well, and Baron isn’t shy about using one-liners, visual gags, puns, or showing some playful one-upsmanship between Horatio and Sundra. He’s exploring serious themes, but the universe isn’t a dour place.

The art… I just realized I haven’t even gotten to the art. Paul Smith, best known for his work on comics including Leave it to Chance and The Golden Age, is one of the best in the business. He draws two issues in this book, filling in while regular artist Steve Rude catches up on his deadlines. Smith’s amazing, and his work here is no exception – clean, imaginative, clearly told. He’s a master storyteller. That Smith’s pages look positively pedestrian next to Steve Rude’s pages should tell you exactly how good Rude is. Filling pages to the gills with alien designs – from weapons and technologies to everyday, household items – and capturing the unique body language and subtlest expressions of each character, Rude absolutely inhabits every page. He’s a strong storyteller, with a gift for creative use of panels and pages. Complimented by Les Dorschied’s coloring, you can really stop to admire any single page the tandem worked on.

Six of the seven issues include short back-up stories starring Nexus’s friend and ally, Judah the Hammer, man about town and freelance problem-solver. Roger Salick scripts, and several artists draw. The Hammer stories are, by and large, well-crafted adventure yarns with a sense of humor. They don’t measure up to the main stories, but they have a spirit of high adventure and bon mot humor.

So, yeah, it’s faster, funnier, smarter, edgier and just plain prettier than your favorite comic. It’s the best superhero comic ever. Read it.

Pellet Reviews!
The Al Williamson Reader (Pure Imagination; by Mike): It’s rare that I buy a comic for the artist. Though few of the stories in this volume have egregious sins against logic, none of them are exactly inspired work either, so this must be one of the rare art-driven comics I pick up. Al Williamson is, flatly, one of the true greats of the medium’s history, and I’ll take any opportunity to pick up a collection of true Williamson artwork. Ideally, the reproduction would’ve been somewhat nicer, but Williamson crams so much detail and fine linework into each panel, and the production values during the 50s were so low, that it’s hard to complain about the clean-up job done on these stories. For my money, nobody draws more heroic men or sexier women than Williamson, each figure with palpable weight and presence on the page. He handles everything from horses to WWII fighter planes, from sci-fi landscapes to horror monsters, with equal skill, presenting them on the page as absolute reality. If you’re looking for comics art at its peak, you can do a lot worse than looking for a volume of Al Williamson’s work.

Tiny Titans #1 (DC; Reviewed by Andersen): Yippee Skippy and Golly Gee Gumdrops; Tiny Titans is possibly the cutest book ever created. The artwork and story is so lively, so energetic, and so totally sweet and dear I just couldn’t help but smile. This book actually reminds me of my beloved late 80’s early 90’s cartoons of yesteryear, when I feasted on the exploits of the lovable Muppet Babies, the playful Flintstone Kids, and the hilariously goofy Pup Named Scooby Doo. Why even 80’s cartoon giant the Smurfs got new kid characters added to the mix! It seemed like every longstanding cartoon show in the 80’s was tossing kiddie or baby versions of their characters to wall in a maniac marketing attempt to reinvigorate the popularity of their slumping series. After all, any comic book character or cartoon series can only be made all that much more fun by making them into children, right? (X-Babies anyone?) Perhaps I am utterly naïve, but Tiny Titans seems to be above all this corporate desperation, as it appears to be created simply for the purpose of being a delightful, clever, and utterly fantastic read for kids of all ages – including us jaded comic reading adults. My favorite gag in this first fantastic issue is so simplistic that its utter brilliance is easy to overlook. Casting the evil and vile Deathstroke the Terminator, aka Mr. Slade, and Trigon, aka Mr. Trigon, as Principle and substitute teacher respectively, and playing with Rose Wilson (white eye patch and all) and Raven’s horror works on two levels: the characters horror-filled reactions play with the fact that these vile villains from Titans lore are as evil as they come, as well as showing a genuine reaction any kid would to having a parent show up in an authority position at school. Plus, I loved seeing tiny Batgirl join the other Titan girls - with my fave being the flying, no-mouthed, Bumblebee in all her twin-bun hairdo cuteness - on a lollipop adventure. Cute, cute, cute. Tiny Titans succeeds in bringing a creative breath of fresh air to the Johnny DC line of comics. It’s great to see a comic created for kids that is pure unpretentious fun and that isn’t just a marketing tie-in to sell toys, games and increase waning cartoon show ratings.

Green Arrow and Black Canary #5 (DC; Reviewed by Andersen): Green Arrow and Black Canary, the horny sweethearts and stars of this series, have finally sealed the deal and gotten themselves hitched. Yay! (Although I still feel slightly embittered by the Wedding Special that bears no meaning or relevance to the actual wedding of these two, but I digress) Also Brain-dead Connor Hawke gets himself stolen, right after his father confessed the whole truth as to what a douche he was in pretending that he never knew of his existence. Over all not a bad issue. My only complaints deal in the art side of the book. First, where was Amanda Connor? She was credited as the artist in both the solicitations as well on the cover. Yet her art was nowhere to be seen. Whoops! You mean to tell me that the editors of this comic didn’t have ample lead time to correct this? The solicitations are one thing, as they go out months ahead, but as the book is actually being produced? Dropping the ball much? Thankfully replacement, and actual artist, Andre Coelho provided clean, handsome artwork that left me wanting more. However, my second art complaint is unfortunately directed right to him: what is up with the mega-slutty-assed-dressed girls in this book? Connor’s soon-to-be-mother shows up in a flashback to confront a pre- heroic Green Arrow wearing the lowest “show me the money” hoochie jeans on earth, as well as a cleavage-baring top that barely reigns in her more than ample chest. Well, what an expert stratagem my lady! What better way for a pregnant one-night-stand to inform a jerky millionaire playa that she is with child? C’mon, Coelho! Who thought this would be a good idea? What woman in her right mind would dress like that after discovering that she was preggs, I man besides Britney Spears? Black Canary also sports a belly bearing crop top to her official wedding. Now I’m all for the causal “come as you are” idea of the wedding, that speaks truer to the character to me that any hyped up wedding event, but can’t the woman find something even a little a lady-like for her official wedding? Like a sexy dress or skirt at least and maybe a full-length top?

Wolverine #62 (Marvel; by Barbara Hallock): Part one of this arc begins with a flashback, offering readers a glimpse of just how Wolverine and Mystique first met – in 1921, in Mexico, in front of a firing squad. As the book progresses, we join modern-day Wolverine in pursuit of Mystique, who has managed to slip out of the X-Men's grasp during a bit of excitement (at the end of Messiah Complex). This book appeals to many of my sensibilities: not only do we get quite a lot of plot happening, but exposition to go with it. A lot happens in a few pages, and I had to read it a couple of times before all the subtlety of the issue impacted me, but the pacing somehow never managed to feel unreasonably rushed. Every seasoned X-Men fan knows that appearances can be deceiving, especially where Mystique is concerned. Those who gave this issue only a cursory glance would do well to go back and read it again; a lot of nuance comes through on a second, more in-depth read – something to be treasured. If the rest of “Get Mystique” lives up to the standard set by this issue, Jason Aaron and company have something truly amazing in store for us. I, for one, can't wait for issue two.

Fantastic Four #554 (Marvel; by Chanel Reeder): This issue is enough to give someone’s brain a complete workout. There were so many different story aspects that jumped around throughout the entire thing, and I was left wishing for just a little bit of continuity. I liked all the different parts, but this issue definitely lacked organization. Also, a pop culture reference to Paris Hilton about midway through, while somewhat humorous, still is likely to elicit the same slight groan that I had after reading it. The artwork, however, I found to be quite impressive. The color was very subtle, different then what I’m used to, but I think it really worked. I thought that the amount of detail in the art was one of the issue’s high points. Overall as a whole issue, it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Captain Marvel #3 (Marvel; by Troy): Despite the fact that many people want the readership to take that Last Panel at (false) face value, I still don’t buy it completely. Captain Marvel’s resurrection wasn’t “wobbly” in the traditional sense; the science-fiction concept behind it is sound, it just happened to have occurred in a terrible book (that being, The Return). Sure, I’ll accept it if it turns out to be the case, but I really think that Reed and company are driving at something just slightly different. There are too many interesting angles to the continuing notion of hero-as-religious-icon to just punt the stunt for this years’ crossover. Additional kudos to Weeks, Guadiano and Guice for some solid art.

The Walking Dead #46 (Image; by Troy): The build-up pays off in a big way here with some extreme brutality visited upon a cast member of long-standing. I can’t say that I’m totally surprised, given the way that the story’s been going, but it was still a gut-wrenching sequence. Still, it seems as if a lot of the carnage has been driven more by some notion of “Hmmm . . . been a while since the carnage” rather than a specifically developed rationale for why a character should die when. Regardless, it’s still strong serial storytelling, and I’m interested to see how the drive to fifty progresses.

Red Sonja #30 (Dynamite; by Troy): First off: great art by Lee Moder. Apart Ron Marz spins a decent, if by-the-numbers, tale of Sonja’s past. There’s not much particularly revelatory, since Sonja’s friends die constantly, but it’s well-handled.. I’m primarily relieved to see that Kulan Gath is in the rearview mirror. I could see Marz and Moder as a good long-haul team, but let’s see where this current ferry ride takes us for now.

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nonamesleft

02-18-2008, 11:50 AM

Nexus is pretty freakin sweet, but the best superhero comicbook ever? I don't know. . .

dkc_2001

02-18-2008, 11:57 AM

My kid didn't care for Tiny Titans, as he's eleven. He was bummed TTG! was cancelled. He's too young for TT, but too old for Tiny Titans.

He does love Superboy and the Legion, though.

johnnygo

02-18-2008, 11:58 AM

SpyGuy

02-18-2008, 12:01 PM

GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #5 was just plain insulting to any regular DC fan. Apart from the poor artistic decisions (the aforementioned clothes for female characters, Connor being depicted as more white than bi-racial, etc.), Winick's horrible script expects you to believe that, once again, even with fully competent superheroes such as Superman and Batman standing guard, the bad guys can still sneak in, kill people and kidnap Ollie's comatose son.

If GA/BC is any indication, I really, really have a bad feeling about Winick on the upcoming TITANS series...

As for NEXUS, the best superhero series ever is obviously STARMAN. Everyone should know that if they don't already.

WildcardZ

02-18-2008, 12:05 PM

After reading this issue, the first thing that poped into my head would probably get the fans riled up and angry in a way that might rival OMD. In a way, I hope I am right, because I think it would be kind of cool if they did what I think they might do. If I could find the spoiler icon I would post my thought on this. I loved the issue, and I think there is a lot more going on underneath the surface than we are being led to believe. Lee Weeks is awesome, and Brian Reed is turning into one of my favorite writers.

Tobias

02-18-2008, 12:06 PM

Man, I love Nexus. And I miss it. Does anyone know when issue 100 is supposed to come out?

WildcardZ

02-18-2008, 12:10 PM

Great review on Wolverine as well. I think Jason Aaron should come back as the regular writer after Millar/McNiven and Cebulski/Finch wrap their respective stories. My only dislike about the review was the lack of praise for Ron Garney's art. He really amped up his style for this arc. It looks like a cool cross between Cassaday and Romita Jr.

Omega Flyer

02-18-2008, 12:11 PM

Regarding the FF review it seems strange to criticise the first issue of a run which is clearly going to bring a lot of new readers to the book for being set-up in a way to introduce the characters to these new readers. You may have felt that it was forcing the characterisation a little much but i'm sure it's helpful to the new readership. Stragely enough i also disagree about the art, i don't feel Hitch is suited to the family aspect of this series, although i'm sure his designs and and technologies will be amazing, it's important with a book like this you can do the quiet familial moments too, something i don;t feel with Hitch's art.

WildcardZ

02-18-2008, 12:13 PM

Moored

02-18-2008, 12:20 PM

davi0850

02-18-2008, 12:23 PM

I really enjoyed Tiny Titans. It was a fun reminder of the comic strips I used to love like Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts.

However, does anyone else feel like this is DC's attempt at mimicing the sucess Marvel has had with the Mini Marvels strips and one-shots, or the quarterly Franklin Richards: Son of a Super Genius comics?

It feels very similar to me. Not that that's a bad thing.

Sims

02-18-2008, 12:38 PM

My kid didn't care for Tiny Titans, as he's eleven. He was bummed TTG! was cancelled. He's too young for TT, but too old for Tiny Titans.
Teen Titans Go! has not been cancelled.

Innercaine

02-18-2008, 12:44 PM

Winick's horrible script expects you to believe that, once again, even with fully competent superheroes such as Superman and Batman standing guard, the bad guys can still sneak in, kill people and kidnap Ollie's comatose son.

If GA/BC is any indication, I really, really have a bad feeling about Winick on the upcoming TITANS series...

I respectfully disagree with this comment. And for the record, I'm not a Winick apologist, there have been times he has deserved his lumps. I don't think this specific point is one of them.

I had the impression reading on reading the issue that time had passed, in it's nebulous comic book way (which is pretty common really). Connor had been transported home, and his day to day care was being administered by home nurses.

If Batman, Superman, and other community friends and loved ones were to be on hand for every emergency, the book really wouldn't be about the BC/GA family. When Connor was initially shot, it made sense to have friends and loved ones at the hospital scene- but afterwards it seems pretty natural for people to step back and give them space, and the time and means to adjust.

And that's the simulationist point of view... From an editorial point of view, how is a writer supposed to explore the relationship between the two main characters, and offer meaningful challenges without the whole community of superheroes getting involved? The book isn't a Melrose Place of superheroes.

I disagree with Spyguy concerning the script. In fact, I liked the scenes when Ollie was exploring his past with Connor and his mother.

On the other hand, I don't disagree with some of the remarks made about the art.

Innercaine

02-18-2008, 12:53 PM

I agree with Brian Anderson's review of Wonder Woman, both in the positives and areas where it could have seen some improvement.

I wasn't sure about the Circle initially, but it is refreshing to see that it didn't always rain lemonaide on Paradise Island, and there was an emotional impact upon the lifesyle of the Amazon's- specifically that they didn't ever have the means to experience children. While I don't mean to say that defines a woman, it is something unique to women.

The gorillas, likewise, could be seen as comic relief, but they also demonstrate Diana's ability to resolve problems and relationships through something other than violence.

This was a good first run. Gail has earned herself another arc.

Things I would have liked to have seen handled better- the Etta part was a bit rough. I found myself confused and wondering if I missed an issue, but I think I have it figured out.

Jef

02-18-2008, 12:57 PM

Re, Fantastic Four: "The story itself was filled so much with these introductions, the real story was only about six pages long, with two of those pages being a dialogue-less (albeit very pretty) spread. So, this story essentially became four pages long. Not really what I expected."

I think it's bad reading to assume that Sue Storm starting a new, all female superhero team, Ben getting a new love interest, and Johnny igniting his career as a celebrity aren't plot points in what will become plot threads as the series progresses. It's not as if these plot points were subtle. Maybe a third reading is in order?

artiepants

02-18-2008, 01:06 PM

On top of this, some characters *cough Johnny cough* were written a liiiiittle too much like the Ultimate version Millar tackled a couple years back.
whay, Millar write a 616 character too much like their Ultimate version that the pretty much created? that'd be as unlikely as Ultimate Captain America starring in Civil War;) ... or as unlikely as...
Also, a pop culture reference to Paris Hilton about midway through, while somewhat humorous, still is likely to elicit the same slight groan that I had after reading it...mark millar making a pop-culture referance that's about 2 weeks from being horribly dated *cough FreddyPrinceJrinUltiamtes cough*
Ultimates, however, is nearly universally enjoyed and revered as being a step forward for comics. 

What is your backing/reasoning for that second part, Lucas? Because many--like me--see THE ULTIMATES as cynical, superficial, emptily-posturing, overblown Bruckheimer-ian claptrap, with rich and complex characters reduced to little more than one-note caricatures of themselves.

That actually feels like a step backwards to me. And even if my opinion is not universal, nor is THE ULTIMATES as overwhelmingly revered as you make it sound.
That would be my opinion as well
and mine even more so...

NatePetrelli

02-18-2008, 01:11 PM

Ultimates, however, is nearly universally enjoyed and revered as being a step forward for comics. 

What is your backing/reasoning for that second part, Lucas? Because many--like me--see THE ULTIMATES as cynical, superficial, emptily-posturing, overblown Bruckheimer-ian claptrap, with rich and complex characters reduced to little more than one-note caricatures of themselves.

That actually feels like a step backwards to me. And even if my opinion is not universal, nor is THE ULTIMATES as overwhelmingly revered as you make it sound.

Step Backwards??

Have to disagree...

-everything in the run had consequences,superhuman battles in the heart of a metropolitan city WILL have casualties and must be dealt with,the heroes weren't off to the next adventure in the next panel with the city cheering them on

-widescreen comics have never been done to this magnitude

-Cap was cynical of this new America for the majority of the run and his reactions to many new things were plausible and well explored

-volume 2 pretty much showed how a government sponsored superhero team would only spell bad news for the world

phoenix_24

02-18-2008, 02:01 PM

I just wanted to heap some more praise on Wonder Woman. It's nice to read a take on the character from someone who actually knows who Diana is. Gone are books where Diana can't pump gas or use a credit card. On to the days of a strong woman warrior with a good supporting cast and new, menacing villains. Way to go, Gail. I can't wait for the next issue. Also, very excited to see Aaron Lopresti on pencils. He's been a fave of mine since he first started with Marvel and I think he's a great addition!!

bluebird

02-18-2008, 02:05 PM

Teen Titans Go! has not been cancelled.

Apparently, subscribers to TTG! were mailed a letter saying it was, and that their subscription would be rolled over to tt unless they cancelled it.

ClaudioPozas

02-18-2008, 02:17 PM

Re: Wonder Woman...

At what point during Countdown does this series take place? If it is before Granny took over Paradise Island, why is Hyppolita hiding in a cave there, and where are the Ape Guards? If it takes place concurrently with Countdown, where are Granny's amazons when the Nazis come calling?

Re: Green Arrow/Black Canary

It is actually the editor's job to say "y'know, tone down Connor's mom in this flashback... and give Black Canary a dress for her wedding" to an artist.

AllPwrflStev

02-18-2008, 02:22 PM

DF2506

02-18-2008, 02:34 PM

Just wanted to say: I completly disagree with the Next Issue Project review. I love Fantastic Comics #24. In 64 pages, it really gives you bang for your buck. All of the stories (well, ok, not the last one) are great and I love the oversized format & the old ads. This is definitly my favorite book recently.

Its a book that you can read over and over and over again. Unlike some comics these days...

DF2506

Innercaine

02-18-2008, 03:08 PM

Re: Wonder Woman...

At what point during Countdown does this series take place? If it is before Granny took over Paradise Island, why is Hyppolita hiding in a cave there, and where are the Ape Guards? If it takes place concurrently with Countdown, where are Granny's amazons when the Nazis come calling?

I would have to guess that it takes place after Countdown completely, with Granny long gone from the Island. For that matter, when Gail took over the book I think she stated she wasn't going to be doing a lot of the crossover story service.

I wish they'd allow that latitude that attitude with JLofA in the near future.

nightwingoracle

02-18-2008, 03:09 PM

I've enjoyed Gail Simone's WONDER WOMAN arc very much. My only real quibble is the lack of Diana/Hippolyta conversation. I'd really like to see one issue focused on nothing but Diana and Hippolyta as they try to reconnect and restore their relationship. Hopefully that's coming.

As for THE ULTIMATES - I like it for what it is: an "elseworlds" version of the Avengers. In that light, I find it very enjoyable. If this was the "mainstream" version, however, I would hate it. This is not how I'd want to see my "mainstream" heroes act.

LaughingJak

02-18-2008, 03:40 PM

As for THE ULTIMATES - I like it for what it is: an "elseworlds" version of the Avengers. In that light, I find it very enjoyable. If this was the "mainstream" version, however, I would hate it. This is not how I'd want to see my "mainstream" heroes act.

Which was, I think, completely the point. If you had wanted to be reading the Avengers when Ultimates came out - you should've gone and read the Avengers. It was exactly what you'd want / expect from the book. Having the Ultimates act exactly the same as the Avengers would've just given us 2 of the same (poorly selling) book. They didn't have a teenage Spider-Man, so they made an Ultimate version so we could read those stories with a different twist.

The Ultimates was a real attempt to try something different with characters that had been around for a really long time. There was LOTS of substance in the subtext and for the first time I didn't need a 100 issue run to feel the characters as being more like people and less like archetypes. They didn't act like Super Heroes because they didn't know how to be them. It was a whole team of people trying to get by in the circumstances they found themselves in day-to-day.

Say what you will about it, but people still ate it up despite some REALLY painful delays. The enthusaism for the book (in the market in general) never really died out. Only now (Vol 3) are the lines between MU and Ultimate U being blurred a bit, and you may notice there are even more people complaining.... (c;

Billy Parker

02-18-2008, 04:06 PM

FF by Millar was amazingly good. This reviewer is sooo off it's funny.

Having read every Stan/Jack FF, I have to say this is every bit as great!

BamaRainbow

02-18-2008, 04:11 PM

I have one minor quibble about Gail's otherwise great Wonder Woman story. Has Hippolyta's origin/backstory as revised by Pérez been erased from continuity?
It was that story which explained why Hippolyta "created" Diana in the first place. The Amazons had been created by the Greek goddesses from the souls/spirits of dead women and the soul/spirit which would infuse/become Hippolyta was that of a woman who'd died while she was very obviously pregnant (Wonder Woman #1 [1987 series]) and it was the residual memory from that soul/spirit's unfinished pregnancy that led to Hippolyta's yearning for a child.
Throughout the entire story, I just couldn't escape the nagging feeling that the Pérez tale had been either ignored or erased.

Marvin Lee

02-18-2008, 04:14 PM

Nexus is the best superhero series ever.

Pseudoderm

02-18-2008, 04:59 PM

I agree with the praise for WW. I think this was the best story arc WW has had in years. I will echo the comments here that Diana and Hippolyta really need to have an issue where they sit down and discuss everything that has happened to her. (Maybe like a "Day in the Life" issue?)

It's good to see Etta again. Hopefully there will be more Hippolyta and Nemesis in soon. Maybe I Ching eventually, as well?

Oh, and seeing Plastic Man at Diana's birthday party made my day...week...year. :D
Gail, thank you for remembering to include Plas in the celebration. He was a huge part of the JLA and that book now ignores him completely. Glad to see him appear.

Hopefully we'll see some old foes return like Dr. Cyber and the Duke of Deception.

The Guvnor

02-18-2008, 05:33 PM

I really enjoyed Fantastic Four. The art was superbly detailed and excellent throughout and I felt that Millar had a great handle on the characters. I can see why people thought it was a bit slow/dull but look on it that all the set-up has been done so the stories can go full steam ahead.

Spider-Man Family #7 was worth buying for Waid, Dezago & Kesel's tribute story to Mike Wieringo.

Sims

02-18-2008, 05:56 PM

Apparently, subscribers to TTG! were mailed a letter saying it was, and that their subscription would be rolled over to tt unless they cancelled it.
My understanding is that #50 was going to be the last issue, but DC later decided to move forward with the book. Issue #55 is slated for a May release, so we'll have to see how long it lasts beyond that.

Adm_Snackbar

02-18-2008, 06:12 PM

OMG Best post ever lol! I completely agree with you. I thought the Ultimates read like Image comic from the 90s. All shock no substance. Just big guns for people with small penises.
No offense to those with small penises.

I really hate how people generalize on these boards. I have a small penis, and I didn't enjoy Ultimates at all. I'd rate it 'ok' at best.

jsf

02-18-2008, 06:33 PM

Chalk me up as another who's glad to see Nexus gettin' some love. The archives have been incredible (I've got the first 4), and he's a wonderful character ... probably one of the more important indie creations of the '80's.

More people should give these a go (especially if they're diggin' Annihilation and GL).

Darthphere

02-18-2008, 06:34 PM

[-Cap was cynical of this new America for the majority of the run and his reactions to many new things were plausible and well explored

Yes, I can totally see how all that makes someone a giant douchebag, GNR.

phoenix_24

02-18-2008, 07:09 PM

In regards to Diana and Hippolyta talking, I have faith that there will be an issue devoted to that. I think right now, after what happened in Amazons Attack! there still needs to be time before mother and daughter can have a heartfelt conversation. But I have faith that it will happen and when it does I'm sure Gail will write it phenomenally. Normally, when we suggest something like that, a good writer already has the idea and is waiting for the oppurtunity.

EMeadow

02-18-2008, 07:29 PM

Teen Titans Go! has not been cancelled.

It got a 5 issue reprieve. Its already been announced that #55 is the last issue of TTG.

Troy Brownfield

02-18-2008, 09:42 PM

FF by Millar was amazingly good. This reviewer is sooo off it's funny.

See, that's the thing about reviews . . . you don't have to agree with them.

I was all set to do a double-shot pellet of this issue as well . . . until I saw that my take pretty much tracked with Lucas and Chanel. I wanted that first issue to be great, and there was just a resounding . . . sameness about it. If Millar wants to make an all-female FF and emphasize that story, then hey, I'll follow that because it will be interesting. But between the BTTF3 homage and other elements, this first issue was way too familiar. If it arcs another way, then great. As it is, I thought that it was just okay.

BADunn

02-18-2008, 10:29 PM

I will have to check out Wonder Woman now. I never read much of her before but with Gail Simone in charge and doing some stuff that a male writer probably wouldn't have the understanding (or the guts) to write, I think this sounds like an interesting look at the not-so-shiny-as-it-used-to-be universe of DC.

I need to check out Nexus too. I love it when superheroes are used to explore things outside of simple good-vs-evil claptrap.

AllPwrflStev

02-18-2008, 10:33 PM

I really hate how people generalize on these boards. I have a small penis, and I didn't enjoy Ultimates at all. I'd rate it 'ok' at best.

LOL I do apologize. That was a blanket stereotype.

jedifish

02-18-2008, 10:42 PM

Tiny Titans was a blast.

Agree about Fantastic Four. For all the hype, it was pretty average, and had a huge been there done that feeling. That, and I felt like I was watching the beginning of Serenity at the beginning of the book.

AllPwrflStev

02-18-2008, 10:45 PM

Which was, I think, completely the point. If you had wanted to be reading the Avengers when Ultimates came out - you should've gone and read the Avengers. It was exactly what you'd want / expect from the book. Having the Ultimates act exactly the same as the Avengers would've just given us 2 of the same (poorly selling) book. They didn't have a teenage Spider-Man, so they made an Ultimate version so we could read those stories with a different twist.

The Ultimates was a real attempt to try something different with characters that had been around for a really long time. There was LOTS of substance in the subtext and for the first time I didn't need a 100 issue run to feel the characters as being more like people and less like archetypes. They didn't act like Super Heroes because they didn't know how to be them. It was a whole team of people trying to get by in the circumstances they found themselves in day-to-day.

Say what you will about it, but people still ate it up despite some REALLY painful delays. The enthusaism for the book (in the market in general) never really died out. Only now (Vol 3) are the lines between MU and Ultimate U being blurred a bit, and you may notice there are even more people complaining.... (c;

Um... the only difference I noticed between Ultimate Spiderman and 616 Spiderman was Norman was and MJ were involved at the beginning, and it moved a little slower. Other than that it was a perfect revamp. Which is why it was so successful. 616 was a teenage when he was bit by a spider too. Ultimate Fantastic Four was the same way. The Ultimates weren't so much as a different twist as they were completely different characters who happened to share the same name as their 616 counterparts. And Vol 3 is hardly a blurred line between the two Universe. Vol 3. is the same ____ with crappier writing (Which I didn't think was possible) So what if the general public liked them! The general public also voted Bush into the White house TWICE! But considering Vol 2 was just one 13 issue conservative hand job it's no wonder the general public liked it.

Yo, Larry!

02-18-2008, 11:31 PM

Nexus Archives vol. 6
So, yeah, it’s faster, funnier, smarter, edgier and just plain prettier than your favorite comic. It’s the best superhero comic ever. Read it.

Couldn't agree more.

Man, I love Nexus. And I miss it. Does anyone know when issue 100 is supposed to come out?

According to Rude's website (http://www.rudedudeproductions.com/) it should be out next Wednesday.

Adm_Snackbar

02-18-2008, 11:50 PM

Um... the only difference I noticed between Ultimate Spiderman and 616 Spiderman was Norman was and MJ were involved at the beginning, and it moved a little slower. Other than that it was a perfect revamp. Which is why it was so successful. 616 was a teenage when he was bit by a spider too. Ultimate Fantastic Four was the same way. The Ultimates weren't so much as a different twist as they were completely different characters who happened to share the same name as their 616 counterparts. And Vol 3 is hardly a blurred line between the two Universe. Vol 3. is the same ____ with crappier writing (Which I didn't think was possible) So what if the general public liked them! The general public also voted Bush into the White house TWICE! But considering Vol 2 was just one 13 issue conservative hand job it's no wonder the general public liked it.

Not to nitpick, but some would argue that he was only elected into the White House once. ;)

librarykat

02-18-2008, 11:51 PM

My son is 13 and has been a TTG fan from the very beginning. He's also an Art Balthazar/Franco Aureliano fan and loves Patrick the Wolf Boy. He grabbed my copy of Tiny Titans as soon as I unpacked it and read it. And read it again. And one more time. Giggling the whole time. Does he like it? You betcha. That's what matters to me.

Sims

02-19-2008, 03:41 AM

It got a 5 issue reprieve. Its already been announced that #55 is the last issue of TTG.
That's a damn shame.

MrToady12

02-19-2008, 06:03 AM

LOL I do apologize. That was a blanket stereotype.

I appreciate your apology re: blanket stereotypes. As a person with quite an abnormally large fallus who abhors weapons of any kind, I was quite offended by your blanket statement as well. I found the Ultimates to be a mixed bag - often moments of excellence surrounded by excess baggage (who cares what actor would play Cap in a movie?). As for Ultimates 3... the less said the better.

Cheers :(

Doc_doom79

02-19-2008, 02:13 PM

R.McKegan

02-19-2008, 02:44 PM

I thought FF was easily the best book to come out last week. The fact so many people were underwhelmed by it speaks volumes to how great a writer Millar is that a just 'very good' book from him can come off as lacking. :p At least, that's how I'm choosing to view it. ;)

Lwnasidh

02-21-2008, 09:19 AM

My three-year-old asked me to read Tiny Titans to her. I did, and while she enjoyed the time with daddy, I don't know that she really "got" much of the book. She was more interested in the Superfriends preview, which brings me to the main problem I had with Tiny Titans... my kid doesn't know most of the characters.

At three years old, she can identify Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman on sight, but the Teen Titans characters aren't ones that she recognizes. I'd rather have a Tiny Justice League book, personally, though I'm sure she'll learn more about these characters as I continue to read the book to her month after month... it'd still be nice to interest her from the get-go.

She loved Krypto the Superdog, because she recognized the S and Bat shields... I'd love to see those icons again in a comic for the single-digit-aged reader.