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10-16-2006, 09:31 AM
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BEST SHOTS: FRAGILE THINGS, DE TALES, ULTIMATE POWER, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, & MORE
 From the Cast and Crew of ShotgunReviews.comYour Host: Troy Brownfield Gratuitous Plug Alert: Be on the look-out later this week for a special installment of Super-Articulate from me, The Rev. OJ Flow, and Jim Beard. You’ll find it at this very site as it happens. Until then . . . The Column Rules, then, which I would like for people to follow: 1) Be kind to one another and my hard-working team. It’s fine to disagree with the reviews or with each other, but let’s stick to factual points and themes and leave the personal stuff out. Intentionally rude behavior isn’t welcome, and those posts will be gone faster than a scandal-free Pacers season. 2) Each review is individually credited to the person who actually wrote it. While Matt Brady is a fine, strapping young man, his name appears at the left because he’s The Newsarama Pimp, not because he wrote the reviews. 3) If you happen to catch a factual error or a typo, drop me a personal message and I’ll correct it. In a column that can often run up to 20 pages in Word doc form, things do sometimes squeak through. I’d rather you just zap me a mail than derail the entire discussion because I missed an apostrophe while I was editing at two in the morning. And now, a non-comics review to kick off . . . Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman Review by Sarah Jaffe The subtitle of Fragile Things is "Short Fictions and Wonders," and that's appropriate. Obviously, it's got short fictions--and a few stories that appear to be nonfiction as well-but, as always with Gaiman, the Wonders are apparent. It could just be a catch-all term for poems and prose-poems and things that just aren't quite stories because they don't have what Gaiman rightly calls "story-logic," but the word wonders accurately describes Gaiman's writing. For those two of you who don't know who Neil Gaiman is and why his book is being reviewed in a space normally reserved for comics and graphic novels, he's the writer behind the best series in modern comics, The Sandman. Recently, he's spent more time in other media, but every work he's created relates back to the world of magic, fairy tales, and spooky things-that-go-bump-in-the-night that all of us comic book people love so dearly. Let's face it, there are very few comic readers who stick to strict real-world-based reading. There's an element of fantasy to all of it, and so you should all enjoy reading fantasies without pictures as well. (You're reading Newsarama, so I know you can do it.) The stories in Fragile Things were written over the span of several years, and just about all of them have been published elsewhere before, but having them all collected in one place is worth it. (Plus, the cover is pretty.) Gaiman has an imagination that I'd love to borrow and a seemingly unending stash of worlds hidden in the folds of his brain. The first story here is set in a hybrid of the worlds of H.P. Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes, if you can imagine that, and in others the months of the year walk and talk and hold storytelling contests, a girl can also be a poem, and Hell is a scarier version of other people than Sartre could've imagined. For those of you who devoured American Gods as voraciously as I did, you'll find a novella about Shadow, its half-god hero, and his meeting with some other famous monsters, and if you're a Tori Amos fan, Neil's short writings that accompanied two of her albums are here as well. Anybody who can write a fairy poem and a horror story like "Feeders and Eaters" in the same lifetime, let alone the same book, should be hailed as a genius. Gaiman has the sense of humor necessary to write humor and wicked satire, and the ability to suspend it to create cobweb-light flights of fancy and stomach-churning horror. Even when the worlds Gaiman invades aren't of his creation, like the world of The Matrix or of C. S. Lewis, he makes them wholly his own and at the end you forget that he didn't invent them in the first place. Both a literary chameleon and a completely original talent, Neil Gaiman is a comic book guy made good, advanced to the ranks of the top modern writers in any genre, and we should all support him. After all, where he leads, we all may follow. We’d like to thank Sarah for continuing to class up the joint.  De:Tales, Stories from Urban BrazilFrom Dark Horse Comics Written & Illustrated by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá Reviewed by Michael C Lorah Moon and Bá are brothers. They live in Brazil, and this book is a collection of short stories that they have collaborated on or created individually. The first story starts the collection with a dream-tale – Moon and Bá follow a guide through a series of streets, discussing the paths of storytelling. In the end, their guide concludes the tour by telling them that their work succeeds because “of the truth you put into it.” It is an opening that could easily be described as pretentious and self-important. It’s not either of those things. It’s simply a case of the brother throwing down the gauntlet and daring the reader to put aside his or her expectations for the following eleven stories. Tackling topics that range from parties, love and sex, to travel, surreal metaphysical encounters, death and friendship, each story showcases a new facet of Moon and Bá’s growing talent. The all-silent “Estrella” is a moving piece of romance, inviting the reader into a young couple’s first encounter, asking the reader to bring his or her own first meeting with a true love to the story. Meanwhile, “Outdated” plays up the circumstances and missed connections that lead to such romantic encounters. How many stars have to line up for two people to be together, they ask. An intriguing storytelling experiment happens in the middle of the book, when each brother takes the same story and illustrates it in his own style and with his own sense of pacing and value. Bá’s slicker, higher contrast style plays the story as a more humorous tale, cutting right to the gist of it, while Moon’s inky blackness adds a touch of haunted loss to the same dialogue. “Late for Coffee” survives saccharinely cute dialogue thanks to Moon’s terrific sense of rhythm and pacing, as each line of dialogue pulls the reader along inexorably to the inevitable, melancholy outcome. “Qu’est-Ce Que C’Est? (‘What Is It?’)” details the horrors of traveling the French subway system, and “Saturday” tours the daily routine of the men and women in Moon and Bá’s neighborhood. “All You Need Is Love” riffs the Beatles’ tune into quickie on the differences between love and sex, and why you should never get the two confused. Finally, “Outras Palavras (‘Other Words’)” is another wordless meditation on love and being apart from loved ones. Moon’s gorgeously lush open panels pull you right into the characters and show off the beauty of urban life. It also reminds you how easy it is to be alone even when surrounded by a million other souls. Subtitled Stories from Urban Brazil, De:Tales is more than that. It is a collection of stories about us all. If there are a few slight missteps along the way, a few too-easy-lines, the outcome is the same. This book reminds us how small the world is, how tied together we all are, and how people all over the world deal with the exact same pleasures, distractions and escapes as we do right here. Raise your hand if you’re glad that Mike’s back. Me too.  JLA: Classified #28Writer: Howard Chaykin Art: Kilian Plunkett and Tom Nguyen From: DC Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco There are times where I feel like the wild-eyed scientist predicting some unlikely cataclysm in a disaster movie whom everyone dismisses until it’s too late to do anything but run away from the special effects. That is, I feel like the only person freaking out about something that is just so damn obvious to me, yet the powers that be just don’t seem to notice the problem, let alone give a damn about it. Case in point: The Howard Chaykin-written “Secret History, Sacred Trust” arc in JLA: Classified, and where it fits in Justice League continuity (See! You’re doing it too! Rolling your eyes, thinking I’ve lost my mind!). There are a few easy to spot “tells” among the League’s line-up to tell where a particular story featuring them may fall on their fictional timeline—The length of Aquaman’s hair, who’s wearing the Green Lantern ring, whether Batman has an oval on his chest or not. But the tells all conflict here. For example, this is the Big Seven, so we know we’re talking somewhere between the Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare and “The Obsidian Age,” right? But Aquaman’s wearing his post-“Obsidian Age” duds, the shark tooth necklace and water hand he sported when Rick Vietch was at the helm of his solo title. This Aquaman wasn’t on the Justice League. Maybe he came back to help out, like in JLA Classified: Cold Steel, you say. Yeah, maybe. But how do you explain Kyle Rayner being there instead of deep in space, where he headed to after asking John Stewart to take over as the League’s GL right after “Obsidian Age.” Maybe Kyle’s just visiting earth and decided to guest star? Maybe. I suppose J’onn J’onnz, who was on a leave of absence at the time, could also be just visiting, too, huh? Okay, well if all of that’s true—and it isn’t, because Aquaman’s in the ocean commanding sea life in this story, even though he was unable to do so during the time he wore this costume—there’s one final damning detail. Lex Luthor isn’t President of the United States in this story, the guy who came after Luthor and Pete Ross is president. You know, the guy who looks like he might be Mr. Fantastic’s dad, President Jonathan Horne. But he wasn’t president until after “Identity Crisis,” when the “Countdown to Infinite Crisis” started ramping up, when Kyle was in space, John Stewart was the League’s Lantern, Aquaman wore a shirt and the Trinity was barely speaking. Put it all together, and this story can’t possibly have happened! Not like this! It’s impossible I tell you, impossible! Don’t look at me like that! I’m not crazy! I’m not! It’s you! You’re all crazy! You’re all crazy but me! At this point, I should probably point out that it took me three issues of this arc, before I even really noticed all these glitches, which just goes to show how effective Chaykin’s story has been. The JLA has been forbidden by the UN to fact-find in the two fictional South American countries that are on the brink of meta-human war, so Wally West, Bruce Wayne, Kyle Rayner, Clark Kent and an in cognito Princess Diana go on that same mission instead. They keep in touch with J’onn, Aquaman and the League’s newest ally, President Horne, via telepathic link. This issue, they’re still fact-finding, but Chaykin makes the espionage pretty intriguing, and the political elements of the League and how they work are things I’ve always been interested in, and always disappointed by the fact they’re never directly dealt with. Chaykin seems to go farther on this end than anyone has since the late ‘90s relaunch of the title. The art, penciled by Kilian Plunkett and inked by former JLA inker Tom Nguyen (he inked most of these characters back when Doug Mahnke was drawing them), is great, and this art team really distinguishes the characters from one another, something all too rare in superhero comics. Bruce Wayne looks like a mysterious jerk (and nothing like Clark Kent), Wally West looks like a lanky young runner (and nothing like a redheaded Kyle Rayner), and so on. As maddening as I found the conflicting continuity—which easily could have been corrected, by simply drawing Aquaman with a gold hand and long hair, in his old pants and replacing Faith with a different character—this storyline, and this issue in particular, is full of little pleasures, some charmingly goofy. I love Superman’s simple disguise of a pair of sunglasses (Hey, if the glasses work, why shouldn’t sunglasses?), or the thought of an unmasked Bruce Wayne scaling church towers in broad daylight, and Aquaman’s, “Aw, screw this, I’m going home” moment. Basically, this story arc is what Justice League Elite would have been like, if the A-List Leaguers were on that roster. And in my book, that’s a good thing. Even though this particular story doesn’t fit into continuity and thus never happened. You hear me? It never happened! And I’m not crazy! I’m not! For further evidence that Caleb’s totally not crazy at all, click to Everydayislikewednesday.blogspot.com for reviews of last week’s top eleven books, recommended reading featuring Wildcat and Hal Jordan and more bitching about continuity.  Ultimate Power #1From: Marvel Comics Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Greg Land/Matt Ryan/Justin Ponsor Review by: Kevin Huxford It starts here, true believer! Well, honestly, it feels more like, “I swear, it will get started by the midpoint of next issue, cynical believer!” This is a BMB book, you know. OK…that would be a cheap shot. Bendis does a very good job with this issue. I’m sure there will be some that complain that this seems just like an Ultimate Fantastic Four book, rather than the first issue of the big crossover mini-series. But that’s the thing here: this is a crossover that will be getting no play in the regular book. Bendis can’t just play this book for the action and the broad strokes. He (and the writers that follow him) has to present a compelling story that isn’t just throwing these two universes together for giggles. That means having to devote time to developing the characters you’re going to see running around on these pages and it probably speaks to why this will be “an event in 9 parts”. At least we got to see a page of the Squadron Supreme. Greg Land’s artwork looks good here. It looks just like all the other books he’s done…and I mean JUST LIKE it does in every other book he’s done in the last few years. It seems suiting that the colorist on this book gets billing on the cover because it seems like he has almost as much to do with Land’s signature style as Greg himself. Of course, this is true of more than a few artists that this can be said about (which would be obvious to you if you’ve been reading my recent reviews). I think Greg Land (like Pascal Ferry) is one of those artists that should always chose their words wisely with their colorists: if they ever tick them off…its curtains. That being said…Greg’s art here is beautiful at its best, but is at times repetitive and simply effective. The storytelling gets the job done, which is always the most important aspect to artwork in comics. Bendis and Land have put together an issue that certainly has me interested in seeing more, even though that might be a function of UFF being my favorite Ultimate property and my hope of finding a more entertaining Squadron Supreme moments here than in their regular title. Ultimate Power gets 7 out of 10 ____bags. We almost had a fill in the blank contest. Almost.  Tales of the Unexpected #1Written by David Lapham and Brian Azzarello Illustrated by Eric Battle, Prentis Rollins, and Cliff Chiang Published by DC Review by Koben Kelly I didn't know what to expect when I first found out that DC was putting out a new Tales of the Unexpected (Editor’s Note: Ba-dump-bump) that would somehow involve the newest incarnation of the Spectre. I had enjoyed the three-issue series written by Pfeifer that attempted to wrap up threads left dangling by not only the events of Gotham Central but also mega-crossover Infinite Crisis. Crispus Allen, homicide detective, was now fused with the Wrath of God, but in a way unlike his predecessor. Crispus was to have no mortal identity used to anchor the Spectre to the physical realm. No, until the fate of the guilty was to be dealt, Cris would wander the Earth as a ghost himself. While I liked his character in the pages of Gotham Central, and while I wanted the details of his story to continue, I couldn't help but feel cheated that he would never interact with the rest of the cast again. I can honestly state that I was shocked, no matter how pleasantly, by the new direction this series has taken the chronicles of the Spectre in. Make no mistake, this is a direct attempt by DC to appeal to the fans of horror fiction... and a fine attempt it is. David Lapham does a fantastic job at bringing the reader into the world of a former homicide detective's interests. It only makes sense that Allen would keep tabs on murders occurring in his city, and that this would provide his vengeance-minded partner with guilty parties to be punished. The horror angle comes into play when dealing with two factors. First, the details and images surrounding the induced death being investigated. Eric Battle's illustrations grant horrible life to the scene of the crime, bringing to mind such films as Saw and Se7en. Second, as has been tradition, the Spectre's supernatural retribution. I can only pray that I never view such a sight through my windshield as do the two officers investigating said homicide. This first installment gives me hope that DC may once again be a top contender for the title of best horror comics publisher as they were decades ago with titles like House of Mystery and House of Secrets. As an added bonus, a second feature will accompany each issue of this series. Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang will be presenting the new adventures of myth-debunker Dr. 13. From what could be ascertained in this initial portion of the story, the back-up will be used as a form of comic relief with humor rising from the interaction of a non-believer with that which is beyond belief. There's even an appearance by a certain vampiric staple of DC's past horror efforts. With no preconceived notions about this book in my mind before I read it, I have come away fulfilled. I give Tales of the Unexpected issue one eight Eggheads out of ten.  Gen 13 Vol. 4 #1Written by Gail Simone Illustrated by Talent Caldwell and Matt Banning Published by Wildstorm Review by Koben Kelly Let me get this out in the open. I was never really a fan of previous incarnations of Gen 13. I guess the main repelling feature was the artwork of J. Campbell... never been a favorite of mine. I did dabble a bit when Arcudi and Frank took over for a while years ago, but mostly, this series is virgin territory for me. I have little to nothing to make a comparison to, so forgive me if retread ground isn't obvious or if Gail has pulled a complete one-eighty and I'm all but oblivious. The main characters seem to be the same in powers and looks with the exception of the team's pyrokinetic, who now sports blond dreads. What this first issue amounts to is an establishing of the kids as variations on the average teen complete with alienation, a need for attention, and an internal desire to simply matter. Caitlan's an awkward dork, Lane's a bullied dreamer, Roxy's an unrepentant rebel, Sarah's a misunderstood romantic, and Grunge (please, God, let Gail change his name) is still a loud-mouthed idiot. Everything is relatively okay, until the Everything You Know Is Wrong moment explodes into being. It seems that the kids are actually engineered super-weapons raised by people who have falsely posed as their parents for all of the Gen 13ers' lives. With their physiologies soon going gen-active, the agency that created them has decided to take them into custody. When a fight is put up, internal seizures are triggered rendering the soon-to-be team unconscious. As introductory issues go, Simone does a fine job rebooting the origin story for a new era in comics. Sure, some moments may have been a little too interested in current pop-culture or a tad off the mark in the attempt to be teen relevant (Grunge's skaterboi (*gag*) antics come to mind), but Gail is a lot closer to accuracy in writing teen characters than other comic book authors have come. I'm almost positive that in future issues we will see the team dynamic squash the alienation each of these individuals feel so deeply. Talent Caldwell's work delivers a fresh, manga-influenced feel without falling back on the limitations of lifeless imitation. Each character is given their own sense of individuality providing personality definition outside of what is simply written. I'm sure that much of this has already been established in previous incarnations of the title, but again, it's all fresh to me. My only beef with the art stems from the scratchy style echoing the recent work of Michael Turner. It just looks unprofessional and rushed to me, not like a stylistic choice. If this is due to the inks of Banning, I can only hope that in the future another inker is chosen. Caldwell's pencils could shine so much more with solidly defined line work. With the majority of the team being female, I am satisfied with Wildstorm choosing the industry's top female writer to helm the book. It seems only logical. I look forward to her insights unavailable to the title's previous scribes. I give Gen 13 issue one seven Vultures out of ten. Help me remember . . . has Koben used Urlachers yet as a measure? Pellet Reviews! Civil War: Front Line #7 (Marvel; by Caleb) Writer Paul Jenkins’ three-to-four ongoing short stories in this anthology book are increasingly starting to step on each others’ toes, as events bleed out from one story and into another and the main Civil War title (Speedball’s shooting is re-watched from a different perspective here, for example, just as #6 revisited the battle scene from Civil War #4). The stories are all still beautifully illustrated, but the longer the stories go on, the less and less the format seems to be working—this isn’t a bunch of single stories, but one big story, right? The most dramatic development this ish is another mystery man being introduced during a conversation with Norman Osborn, which makes three mystery men in the overall story now. Or are Ski Mask Man, Banana Hold-Up Guy and Thunderbolts Puppet Master all one and the same? Marvel still hasn’t seen the light on the unfortunate back-ups. I know I’ve complained about them here before, but I’m going to again, as this one seems even more offensive than the last few: The World War I battle of Somme in which 950,000 soldiers died fighting over a patch of Europe is juxtaposed with the death of a handful of blue terrorists who were, um, pumpkin-bombed to death in front of, uh, Wonder Man. Classy. Sam Noir: Samurai Detective #2 (Image; by Caleb) I don’t blame you if you missed the sold-out first issue. The book boasts a really dumb title, and detective stories and samurai stories have been so thoroughly parodied in comics over the years that the prospect of a book parodying them both at once isn’t exactly exciting sounding. Well, the book kicks tons of ass; the second issue even more than the first. Our titular samurai detective goes into action mode here, taking on “a pretty impressive cliché of thugs” in a long sequence that is a hilarious parody of a lot of Asian action films, ninja anime in particular. The glowing black and white art is glorious, of course, but it’s Sam’s narration that really makes the book sing for me, as it’s filled with lines like, “There’s a trick to fighting archers that they don’t teach ya in school: Don’t get shot with an arrow. Everything else just kind of sorts itself out.” Stan Lee Meets Doctor Strange #1 (Marvel; by Caleb) The Lee-written lead story is weaker than Lee’s Spider-Man story of two week’s ago, but Newsarama.com visitors won’t want to miss Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s back-up, which seems to be written specifically with the likes of us in mind. Bendis, whose biting sense of humor seemed tempered to the point of timidity in the Wha—Huh? one-shot (he wasn’t alone in that regard), is back in rare form here, throwing elbows at himself, his fellow writers like Mark Millar and JMS, his boss (check out the drawing on Quesada’s cobweb cluttered drawing board), and, most especially, us bitchy fans, in this hilarious short story. He even has a character utter a DC copyrighted word! Is this really the same company that apologized to DC while parodying it in the aforementioned Wha—Huh?? Ultimately, Bendis vindicates the many changes he, Queseda and the rest of Marvel’s movers and shakers have instituted over the last few years, but after a performance like that, he deserves to be able to award himself the win. All that, and there’s still a Mini Marvel’s story and a Lee/Barry Windsor-Smith reprint. Trust me, it’s the best $3.99 you’ll spend this week. Cross Bronx #2 (Image; by Jeff Marsick): After a solid start with the first issue, Mr. Oeming stumbles here in the second. The story feels thin, as if it was six pages too short, but manipulated to go the distance through the use of unnecessary double-spread splash pages and what appears on page twelve to be creative use of PhotoShop to render one drawing three more times. Even the ending, the stinger that is supposed to leave us counting the minutes until the next installment, falls flat, and I found myself asking, “That’s it? The crux of the weirdness is that someone forgot to put mothballs in the cedar chest?” It’s a pretty predictable read from start to finish, the art has a lazy feel to it, and the lead character’s voice-over narration is so robotic and flat that it serves only to make me wish his more interesting partner would take over the spotlight. I hope next month has Mr. Oeming returning to full strength and the series gets back to the standard set by the first issue. Martian Manhunter #3 (DC Comics; by Kevin Huxford): It took three issues, but AJ Lieberman has pretty much blown the benefit of the doubt I was giving him. I wanted to like this series…really…I did. But it is pretty difficult to enjoy a story where the lead character is made out to be confused, indecisive, and incompetent as often as J’Onn has here. I mean…one guy he promised safety to died TWICE, for all intents and purposes. Adding insult to injury, the artwork from Barrionuevo is a fairly inconsistent (though some of the issues might be brought on by the inker or the colorist, as any weak link in the chain hurts the finished product). Adding injury to insult to injury (can that even be?), the gang of super-heroes that the bad guys are wrangling up to go after J’onn? Kinda hard to manage that kind of suspension of disbelief and I’m cringing at the thought that Didio might have to start explaining what happens in #4 the same way he had to apologize for the 52/Shadowpact faux pas. 52 #23 (DC; by Koben): This was a watershed issue. Drew Johnson's pencils provided a fine line definition missing from previous installments. With the exception of a few shots of Black Adam's face, superb art all around. The fate of the missing scientists is revealed in a most Morrison-esque manner. A new addition is made to the Black Marvel family, and I hope much more is shown of Adam's untapped abilities, although impending tragedy is inevitable. The Question's humorous attempts to induce similar results got this issue's best chuckle. The most consistently quality title available from DC. Powers #20 (Icon; by Koben): What would a book about homicide detectives be without a new murder to solve? A killing involving the leader of the most publicly defiant team of superheroes is the driving force of the current storyline. It takes a high level of power to twist someone to death. Bendis' talent with making self-indulgent dialog entertaining is in full effect as Walker and Pilgrim search for answers. Why has Noir gone into hiding, what is the extent of her powers, and what IS that smell? Before the last page, our detectives will have a second tragedy on their hands. Included in the letters section is the Newsarama interview with series artist Mike Oeming on his new book Cross Bronx. If only we didn't have to wait months for the next issue. *sigh* Spawn #160 (Image; by Troy): The storyline continues to wade hip-deep in crazy as seeds from the very first issue continue to pay off. God builds his Raptured army, the Devil plays with plate tectonics, and Spawn visits a whippin’ on some extremely made-over Disciples. This well-drawn, action-packed issue also features the return of The Counter . . . and time is running out. Solid stuff, leaving one wondering how much further everything can go. Green Arrow #67 (DC; by Troy): I’ve enjoyed the whole “Ollie gets re-trained” arc, featuring as it does Scott McDaniel doing what he does best: drawing ass-kicking martial arts action. Writer Judd Winick does a nice job of digging at Ollie’s deeper moral issue, using the character of Natas to prod our protagonist over the fact that his machinations have their own diabolical air. It should make for an active concluding issue. Green Lantern Corps #5 (DC; by Troy): While it’s good to see Gibbons drawing this book, this definitely wasn’t him at his penciling peak. Still, he’s got a classic line and he does a solid job on the cast. I liked the conceit of using the comedic storyline involving Guy and Salaak as a balance to the battle and high drama that other Lanterns are facing. I don’t believe that this title has completely found its voice yet, partly because so much is happening with the Corps these days across three books (this one, the regular GL, and Ion). Nonetheless, a worthy read. Fables #54 (Vertigo; by Troy): Hansel’s a witch-hunter. So obvious, and yet, not. And that’s why Bill Willingham is so great on this book. He’s become incredibly adept at both playing to and subverting expectations with these familiar characters. The fact that he can still integrate fairy tale icons and take things in new directions as the book marches through its fifth year is fantastic. Buckingham’s art is, as always, terrific. Of special note also is a back-up with art by Mike Allred. If you aren’t reading Fables already, please start. Best Shots team leader Troy Brownfield writes for Newsarama, Fangoria Comics, and runs ShotgunReviews.com. He’s also a professor of English, journalism and communication. Anyone wishing to submit their titles for review can contact Troy at psikotyk@aol.com. If you’re interested in taking a class with Troy via the miracle of Distance Learning, check out the program here http://www.smwc.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?futureDistance , and specifically mention him or his areas (Journalism, Professional Writing, Creative Writing, Film Studies) when you call. The other plugs: www.shotgunreviews.com and www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews |
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10-16-2006, 09:49 AM
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#2 |
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Thank you for the kind words and insights on Gen13. This book is going to surprise people, I think.
I've said too much.  Great reviews, as always. I hope you guys keep doing this for a long time as many of my favorite review sites seem to have gone away lately (thank you, Comixtreme and comixfan, among others, for sticking!). Gail |
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10-16-2006, 10:02 AM
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#3 |
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My shop sold out of Gen 13 and it was supposed to be on my pull list.
 I will order online today, and I can't wait to read it. |
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10-16-2006, 10:10 AM
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#4 |
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I think Fables #54 has the creepiest cover of any book I've seen lately. More disturbing than any blood and gore cover.
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10-16-2006, 10:15 AM
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#5 |
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It sold REALLY well, I'm told...I'm sorry it was sold out at your store!
 Gail |
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10-16-2006, 10:20 AM
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#6 |
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i liked gen 13 for what it was. does anyone know if they are still related to team 7 or is this a complete reboot?
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10-16-2006, 10:22 AM
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#7 | |
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Quote:
Guh. Amen to that. That's just....horrible. That's not even funny anymore. Neil Gaiman's latest effort sounds intruigingly delightful. |
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10-16-2006, 10:24 AM
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#8 |
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I thought the first issue of GEN 13 was pretty decent. The webcam chat scenes at the beginning were pretty annoying with the back-and-forth from the actual events and the webchat. Once you got past that, the book flowed pretty well.
I did notice that Grunge no longer has his big chest tattoo. I wonder if he'll update his '90s-esque code-name from "Grunge" to a 21st century name like "Emo" as well... |
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10-16-2006, 10:26 AM
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#9 | |
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i tried the first issue based on strictly ur name alone and i really enjoyed it.. |
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10-16-2006, 10:27 AM
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#10 | |
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Well, yes, it's impossible for Wally to look likea redheaded Kyle Rayner... WHEN THEY'VE COLORED HIS HAIR BLOND!!!!!! |
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10-16-2006, 10:29 AM
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#11 |
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OH! Gen13!! Damnit! I didn't pick that up....gorram.
Well, the trio of Gen13, Authority and Wildcats will make up for that. |
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10-16-2006, 10:39 AM
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#12 | |
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Gail, could you tell us how long are you going to be on the title? |
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10-16-2006, 10:41 AM
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#13 | |
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If you have not read this you really should it was the funniest thing I read in a long while |
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10-16-2006, 11:02 AM
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#14 | |||
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Exactly how I felt warning Marvel not to fall for the easy temptation of vilifying Tony Stark and everyone on the pro-reg side before CW#1 ever hit the stands. After the reviews for the first couple of issues came in, a mysterious last-minute delay was issued. And magically, the Tony Stark in CW#4 is considerate, generous, and repentant... and now it's Cap not giving a damn that someone just died, and yelling at anyone who doesn't see things his way to get lost. Oh yeah, baby. I'm gonna be swinging from this vine for months to come. Quote:
I've taken Front Line off my pull because of the paint-by-numbers predictability of vilifying Stark & Big Brother while championing "little guy" Cap. Civil War, up until the re-write of issue #4 of the main book, was the comic book equivalent of watching professional wrestling : You know who you're supposed to cheer for, because the other guy is flipping the audience the bird and cheating every chance he gets. Aside from the handful of hardcore fans who will always be fans, everyone who was watching wrestling in the late 90's moved on to less intelligence-insulting entertainment. Front Line (Jenkins) and Amazing Spider-Man (JMS) are still writing easy, good-vs-evil, paint-by-number stories that were beginning to genuinely irritate me until I dropped Front Line. ASM is next if JMS can't up his game in the next couple of issues. Kudos to Millar, however, for upping it nicely in CW#4. Quote:
Hmm.. Bendis, Millar, JMS, Quesada... the Marvel Boys Club people keep denying exists. Must just be a coincidence that their names are re-united here. Jon |
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10-16-2006, 11:05 AM
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#15 | |
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Quote:
MattB |
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10-16-2006, 11:28 AM
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#16 |
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Gen13 was good, and I've liked Gail's work so far on it... from the hints she's given, things might not be exactly as they appear, and I'm pretty geeked to figure out exactly what's going on here... the first issue was good and for new readers, flowed better and was more easily understood than WetWorks was (for good reason), even though I did enjoy WetWorks a bit more... (probably because I knew what led up to the first issue of WetWorks more than most other new readers)
As for the code-name "grunge", it still works for the character... even though that particular musical genre isn't in the nomenclature anymore, it still fits the character... Eddie's a pretty grungy dude... ripped up jeans, unshaven, long hair, beater w/ holes and mustard stains on it... it pretty much fits the character... although, personally, I'd prefer them to just plain avoid "codenames" completely... I've liked that Wildstorm doesn't seem to NEED to have catchy codenames for their characters... about 1/2 of the characters have them, the other half doesn't... and I like that... because well, some of us just think that going by a catchy codename is kinda lame and VERY cliche` for the superhero medium.. the one thing that I hope that this Worldstorm event doesn't take away from the Wildstorm universe is the fact that there really aren't many "superHEROES" in the conventional sense... it's a collection of superHUMANS instead... with all the inherent flaws that human beings have... and not some sort of unbending and unwavering sense of honor for the "good guys" and the cackeling, mustache-twirling "villain" that is out to destory the world or whatever... I prefer the conflict of ideas over the "white hat vs. black hat" thing that Marvel and DC have for the vast majority of their characters... I like reading WSU books that are all about the shades of grey... |
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10-16-2006, 11:49 AM
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#17 |
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Tales of the Unexpected was very off for me. Battle's art looked wonky on the Spectre portion of the comic and both the lead and back up story failed to grab me - they were neither tales nor very unexpected. Is this a horror comic? It was about as horrifying as Scooby Doo. Disappointing given the recent Spectre mini. I am seriously considering dropping this - and I NEVER drop titles (I'm loyal like that).
Green Lantern Corps - two titles on my chop list in one week? Say it isn't so! Not only hasn't this title found its voice, it hasn't found its raison d'etre. I never warmed to the Corps as main players in a comic and this title isn't going any way towards convincing me. Or maybe its me - every time I read this comicI keep wishing that Thunderbolt Jaxon was the ongoing and Corps had ended with the mini. Why can the Martian Manhunter get no love around here? The story is moving along nicely and the art is sublime. I'm totally engaged. J'onn is acting confused because he is! He's just found out he's not the only green Martian. His world is rocked. Hijinx will ensue... By the way, did the Shadowpact appearance in 52 get explained away? I must have missed that... |
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10-16-2006, 12:12 PM
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#18 | |
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This book is brilliant, I totally agree with the review. Let me just add my two cents about a story in the book which you didn't mention, "Happy Birthday, My Friend", in which they summon the ghost of a dead friend to celebrate what would be his birthday in their favorite bar. It's incredibly touching, humane and bittersweet, and it spots one of Fábio Moon's best artwork ever. |
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10-16-2006, 12:40 PM
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#19 | |
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Don't you think you're being a little self important here? What makes a shift in the way each side is portrayed a conspiracy instead of just the story as it was already written, an art delay due to lack of lead in time on the project? |
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10-16-2006, 12:47 PM
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#20 | ||
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Ultimate Power was a pretty good introduction to a book I don't really see the point of, unless it's to promote Ultimates 3 & 4.
Haven't read Civil War: Frontline but your review doesn't bode too well. Oh dear... Quote:
State your source. It's a common fact that the delay was due to the art being late and there was no mention of a re-write. Quote:
Kudos to you Matt. The last thing we need going here is a rumour mill. |
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10-16-2006, 12:55 PM
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#21 | |
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I really enjoyed that story as well. The only reason it wasn't mentioned in the review is that I simply ran out of space, and I couldn't mention every single story (not that there is an official limit, but I feel that one page in a Word document is long enough to get the point across without taking up too much space). "Happy Birthday, My Friend" was the one story I debated going back and mentioning. Very, very good work. |
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10-16-2006, 01:14 PM
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#22 |
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Ultimate Power #1
Greg Land's pencils are accidentally funny in this issue. On the cover, he draws Hyperion from scratch (it is above his stock Wolverine face). On the big double page splash at the end, he uses Jayne from Firefly for Hyperion (Adam Baldwin). And on the preview cover for issue #2, he uses a second model.
I thought reference was used for consistency. Bill |
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10-16-2006, 01:16 PM
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#23 |
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Sweet, I think I'm going to have a look at this version of Gen 13, sounds like it's the way the story should have been.
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10-16-2006, 01:27 PM
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#24 | |
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Why do I feel the urge to call Gail's other Wildstorm book, Tranquility, in December?  |
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10-16-2006, 01:46 PM
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#25 |
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This week, I have nothing to complain about. Oh sure, there are petty little things I could bring up, but in all it's a very good week in the world of comics!
Oh, and as far as Gaiman's book goes... I enjoyed Anansi Boys so much that I can't wait to pick this up, and look for his other books. Terrific writer of comics, and outstanding novelist! Last edited by Spaz_Monkey : 10-16-2006 at 01:50 PM. Reason: editid bekus i kant spel |
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