Sorry about not posting this yesterday, I was pretty out of it. I didn't sleep much on Saturday night and was sick Sunday morning. I still went out to play ball hockey Sunday morning though and by the time I got home I was totally gone mentally and physically. I'm feeling much better now though.
First up, David Gallaher of High Moon was named as one of the eight "Breakout Creators" of 2008 by the Comic Foundry Magazine. Congratulations!
Marvel is ramping up its Secret Invasion storyline. I am curious to see who survives (there may have already been a casualty in the online "prequel" book Marvel posted in their digital comics) and who's a Skrull so I'll probably be keeping track via online spoilers. I've convinced myself I have to so that I know what is happening considering Marvel characters share their universe and I am still reading a couple Marvel books.
And the internet nearly broke in half with the latest ruling in the Time Warner/Siegel family dispute. I have to admit, I don't fully understand all the details of it but it seems that doesn't stop others from giving their 2 cents. So here's mine, I'm torn. I do support the Siegel family in that Superman was Siegel and Shuster's creation and DC/ Time Warner/whatever other company name has become very rich on that creation while Siegel and Shuster (and their families) had to continually take them to court to get any real money. I do think the creators of a character deserve some protection and compensation. But I also have to recognize that it was DC and their employees (writers, artists, editors, movies makers, TV show crews, etc) that have also made Superman the character and franchise he is today. Which I guess is somewhat covered in that this ruling only pertains to how Superman and the characters appeared in Action Comics #1.
In the end, I only hope the Siegel family and Time Warner come to an agreement that makes everyone happy (or at least a little less unhappy) because as the selfish jerk I am, I'm also hoping this doesn't have an impact on the planned sequel to Superman Returns. And I'll leave the bickering and arguing to the lawyers.
To end on a happier note, I polished off a few more volumes of Invincible (I just finished volume 6). I'm still really enjoying this series. Though, at the moment it seems to have a lot of stories going on that are getting a little bit tougher to keep track of. I don't know how I'd feel reading it monthly instead of as TPBs, I think I'd be getting more frustrated by the disjoint feel to some of it. I do plan to pick up the remaining TPBs though and then see where I want to go with it. I may continue reading it in TPB form (just as I'm doing with the Walking Dead).
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for March 26th, 2008 -- Spoilers
A whopping 4 books for me this week so let's get to it shall we.
She-Hulk #27 --And here is where I eat crow. I had written off the previous two issues as pretty much a throw away story and I was totally blind-sided here. With this issue, Peter David really hammers it out of the ballpark. I'm getting a little tired of people making the comparison to Dan Slott. Yes, Peter David is putting his own mark on the book and who can blame him? And this issue I felt was Peter David's best yet on this series. I'm also pretty happy with the new artist that's been brought on board. I find the style a bit more suited to the book, slightly better at the storytelling aspect, and a little more consistent. I can't quite say it makes my recommended reading list just yet but it got a lot closer here. I'm more eager for the next issue than I was for this one.
World of Warcraft #5 -- I don't think this book will last much longer for me. I'm sure some people are really enjoying it (some of them may or may not be fans of the game) but for me, it's not really hitting the mark for me. The art is pretty to look at but I find it continues to falter at depicting the events going on and at times, I find myself taken out of the story as I flip back and forth examining the panels to try to figure out what's going on. And to have to do that during fight scenes, it really takes a reader out of the pace that you should be establishing. The story is okay and the characters are somewhat interesting (though I find Lo'Gosh, the human and main character, the least interesting so that's a bit of a problem) but it's really not grabbing me. We're five issues in and I'm actually hoping things just get wrapped up. After reading that this storyline ends with issue 7 that may be a dropping point for me unless something in the next two issues changes my mind. It's not a bad book and in terms of comics based on another commodity it's better than many but I'm somewhat disappointed in it. So it doesn't make my recommended reading list.
Freddy VS Jason VS Ash #6 (of 6) -- I'm sorry to say that I'm glad this series came to an end. Artistically, I think this issue was the most disappointing for me. You have Jason and Freddy slashing at one another and yet I'm bored by the small panels of straight shots (no dynamic angles, no real movement on either character's part, etc). It looked rushed, not very well thought out, and pretty amateurish to be honest. And the story didn't really feel like it hit a climax. The end didn't hold any surprises or even really that much entertainment (other than the woman using Ash's line of "Gimme some sugar baby"). And am I the only one that hated the "Ch-ch-ch ah-ah-ah" or whatever that they kept doing for Jason's entrances? That works in the movies and I can understand wanting to pay homage in the comic but it got annoying for me as the series went on. So in the end, the series doesn't make my recommended reading list. I'd suggest passing on it. Die hard fans of any of the series might get some enjoyment from it but personally, I got very little and was disappointed for the most part.
Ultimate Human #3 (of 4) -- I knew going into this issue not to expect any Hulk or Iron Man action (or any action whatsoever) so I guess you could say I had prepared myself for it. Though, as someone who read Millar's Ultimates books I've had some experience here. In the end, I actually liked this issue. Not every book can have Hulk and Iron Man action, you need these downtimes to make the action that much more special. And we get the origin of the Ultimate version of the Leader. And as a Hulk fan, I was looking forward to that. And despite having a problem following along with all the acronyms and single letter names/identifiers I actually found myself pretty engaged by the characters. I thought the dialogue was pretty solid and the art was really great. It really brought you into the settings and you felt the characters' emotions. So yeah, prepare yourself for some non-action if you pick it up but in my opinion, it's still a pretty cool story. And I for one, can't wait until the next issue comes out. So far, this series makes my recommended reading list. I just hope the final issue can live up to the hype I've created for myself.
I also got a couple more TPBs of Invincible but I've only read volume 3 so far (I had already read volumes 1 and 2). I'm really enjoying this series so far. It's a great combination of a mature story with some pretty quirky humour (referencing artists using the same panel over and over or the government guy trying to avoid having to explain who their stuff works both got a chuckle out of me). The art is great. It's not the "realistic" style that many books with mature content try to go for. Just like the book itself, it blends well the humour and traditional superhero aspects with the mature elements. And the battles are great and intense when they need to be. I'd definitely recommend checking out what Newsarama has posted online for free and maybe the second TPB so you can decide for yourself. It may not be for everyone but I'm enjoying it.
Woah! I got a serious case of deja vu while writing up that Invincibles paragraph. It was so bad I had to go back and see what I already said about Invincible here. In fact, I still have it while typing this. Weird huh?
She-Hulk #27 --And here is where I eat crow. I had written off the previous two issues as pretty much a throw away story and I was totally blind-sided here. With this issue, Peter David really hammers it out of the ballpark. I'm getting a little tired of people making the comparison to Dan Slott. Yes, Peter David is putting his own mark on the book and who can blame him? And this issue I felt was Peter David's best yet on this series. I'm also pretty happy with the new artist that's been brought on board. I find the style a bit more suited to the book, slightly better at the storytelling aspect, and a little more consistent. I can't quite say it makes my recommended reading list just yet but it got a lot closer here. I'm more eager for the next issue than I was for this one.
World of Warcraft #5 -- I don't think this book will last much longer for me. I'm sure some people are really enjoying it (some of them may or may not be fans of the game) but for me, it's not really hitting the mark for me. The art is pretty to look at but I find it continues to falter at depicting the events going on and at times, I find myself taken out of the story as I flip back and forth examining the panels to try to figure out what's going on. And to have to do that during fight scenes, it really takes a reader out of the pace that you should be establishing. The story is okay and the characters are somewhat interesting (though I find Lo'Gosh, the human and main character, the least interesting so that's a bit of a problem) but it's really not grabbing me. We're five issues in and I'm actually hoping things just get wrapped up. After reading that this storyline ends with issue 7 that may be a dropping point for me unless something in the next two issues changes my mind. It's not a bad book and in terms of comics based on another commodity it's better than many but I'm somewhat disappointed in it. So it doesn't make my recommended reading list.
Freddy VS Jason VS Ash #6 (of 6) -- I'm sorry to say that I'm glad this series came to an end. Artistically, I think this issue was the most disappointing for me. You have Jason and Freddy slashing at one another and yet I'm bored by the small panels of straight shots (no dynamic angles, no real movement on either character's part, etc). It looked rushed, not very well thought out, and pretty amateurish to be honest. And the story didn't really feel like it hit a climax. The end didn't hold any surprises or even really that much entertainment (other than the woman using Ash's line of "Gimme some sugar baby"). And am I the only one that hated the "Ch-ch-ch ah-ah-ah" or whatever that they kept doing for Jason's entrances? That works in the movies and I can understand wanting to pay homage in the comic but it got annoying for me as the series went on. So in the end, the series doesn't make my recommended reading list. I'd suggest passing on it. Die hard fans of any of the series might get some enjoyment from it but personally, I got very little and was disappointed for the most part.
Ultimate Human #3 (of 4) -- I knew going into this issue not to expect any Hulk or Iron Man action (or any action whatsoever) so I guess you could say I had prepared myself for it. Though, as someone who read Millar's Ultimates books I've had some experience here. In the end, I actually liked this issue. Not every book can have Hulk and Iron Man action, you need these downtimes to make the action that much more special. And we get the origin of the Ultimate version of the Leader. And as a Hulk fan, I was looking forward to that. And despite having a problem following along with all the acronyms and single letter names/identifiers I actually found myself pretty engaged by the characters. I thought the dialogue was pretty solid and the art was really great. It really brought you into the settings and you felt the characters' emotions. So yeah, prepare yourself for some non-action if you pick it up but in my opinion, it's still a pretty cool story. And I for one, can't wait until the next issue comes out. So far, this series makes my recommended reading list. I just hope the final issue can live up to the hype I've created for myself.
I also got a couple more TPBs of Invincible but I've only read volume 3 so far (I had already read volumes 1 and 2). I'm really enjoying this series so far. It's a great combination of a mature story with some pretty quirky humour (referencing artists using the same panel over and over or the government guy trying to avoid having to explain who their stuff works both got a chuckle out of me). The art is great. It's not the "realistic" style that many books with mature content try to go for. Just like the book itself, it blends well the humour and traditional superhero aspects with the mature elements. And the battles are great and intense when they need to be. I'd definitely recommend checking out what Newsarama has posted online for free and maybe the second TPB so you can decide for yourself. It may not be for everyone but I'm enjoying it.
Woah! I got a serious case of deja vu while writing up that Invincibles paragraph. It was so bad I had to go back and see what I already said about Invincible here. In fact, I still have it while typing this. Weird huh?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Here there be Skrulls
Despite the fact that I'll be passing on Secret Invasion I just have to be impressed by the fun that Marvel is having with their promotional material. Their latest photos of Skrulls at the Marvel office put it over for me. So I had to come up with my own list of the top 10 Skrull suspects:
10. Michael Jordan -- C'mon, the guy could fly!
9. Gary Oldman -- I swear this guy shape shifts for every movie he's in. He's not even trying to hide it. And I've also had my eye on Christian Bale ever since watching the Machinist.
8. Shannon Tweed -- Who, other than a Skrull, could look that hot at fif... I mean forty-one. ;) Plus, her sticking with Gene Simmons this long has to be some sort of alien plot that makes use of his money and influence with the KISS army.
7. Sean Combs -- His constant name changing is him compensating for not being allowed to change his appearance.
6. Tinkerbell (Paris Hilton's dog) -- I'm convinced that he's the brains behind her "success".
5. Wayne Gretzky -- Another case of in-human abilities.
4. Ric Flair -- Fifty-nine years old and still working in the wrestling scene? Gotta be a Skrull.
3. Angelina Jolie -- Just look at her.
2. Elvis Presley -- He ain't dead, he just took another form.
1. Jon Stewart -- What better way to infiltrate us than to have us ridicule our leaders and laugh off serious political issues. Plus, the story can end with a Stephen Colbert/Jon Stewart face off because we know Colbert ain't no Skrull.
And to answer the question on a lot of people's minds, no, Tom Cruise is not a Skrull. Though I would put him at the top my list of Skrull sympathizers.
10. Michael Jordan -- C'mon, the guy could fly!
9. Gary Oldman -- I swear this guy shape shifts for every movie he's in. He's not even trying to hide it. And I've also had my eye on Christian Bale ever since watching the Machinist.
8. Shannon Tweed -- Who, other than a Skrull, could look that hot at fif... I mean forty-one. ;) Plus, her sticking with Gene Simmons this long has to be some sort of alien plot that makes use of his money and influence with the KISS army.
7. Sean Combs -- His constant name changing is him compensating for not being allowed to change his appearance.
6. Tinkerbell (Paris Hilton's dog) -- I'm convinced that he's the brains behind her "success".
5. Wayne Gretzky -- Another case of in-human abilities.
4. Ric Flair -- Fifty-nine years old and still working in the wrestling scene? Gotta be a Skrull.
3. Angelina Jolie -- Just look at her.
2. Elvis Presley -- He ain't dead, he just took another form.
1. Jon Stewart -- What better way to infiltrate us than to have us ridicule our leaders and laugh off serious political issues. Plus, the story can end with a Stephen Colbert/Jon Stewart face off because we know Colbert ain't no Skrull.
And to answer the question on a lot of people's minds, no, Tom Cruise is not a Skrull. Though I would put him at the top my list of Skrull sympathizers.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Weekly Recapping
Happy Easter! And to those of other religions, Happy Sunday!
Perhaps it's because work was especially busy this week or perhaps it's that I don't really care to talk about the latest batches of universe spanning "epic" storylines but I don't have all that much to recap. But I will go through what I found interesting this week anyways.
First up, the pictures of Snake Eyes from the upcoming GI Joe film which you can see at SuperHeroHype (among other locations). Well, I was a big GI Joe fan as a kid but I'm not sure I'm really looking forward to a live action film. The first shot doesn't really work for me, I just don't like the rubber muscle suit there. But it could be a lot worse so it does help make me feel a bit better about the film.
Over on Occasional Superheroine Valerie posted an interesting post about online marketing for comic book companies. Yes, I realize there was another post with similar stuff here but I'm not going to get into that dispute as it's irrelevant to the thoughts I want to post about. In the end, I'm not too surprised by DC Comics' poor showing. Just off the top of my head, they don't use movie news to bring in more traffic (they should be showing off a bunch of Dark Knight stuff). No simple character bios. They have origin stories under "Heroes & Villains" yet Superman (of all people) seems to be missing. No big flashy marketing of upcoming stories. They even seem to have pages dedicated to Batman and Superman yet I didn't find these links on their main site but through a google search. Overall, their web presence seems to be pretty sad to me.
As I mentioned, work has been keeping me pretty busy as of late and family events seem to be taking up a lot of time as well (it seems everyone's birthday is around this time of year). So work on Divine Leap is still going extremely slowly. I had been hoping to get some work done this weekend but I've had to put in some hours with work and of course, the Easter get togethers with family. Hopefully things will start to quiet down in April.
Going back to the Zuda competition, I decided my final vote will go to The Litterbox Chronicles.
Perhaps it's because work was especially busy this week or perhaps it's that I don't really care to talk about the latest batches of universe spanning "epic" storylines but I don't have all that much to recap. But I will go through what I found interesting this week anyways.
First up, the pictures of Snake Eyes from the upcoming GI Joe film which you can see at SuperHeroHype (among other locations). Well, I was a big GI Joe fan as a kid but I'm not sure I'm really looking forward to a live action film. The first shot doesn't really work for me, I just don't like the rubber muscle suit there. But it could be a lot worse so it does help make me feel a bit better about the film.
Over on Occasional Superheroine Valerie posted an interesting post about online marketing for comic book companies. Yes, I realize there was another post with similar stuff here but I'm not going to get into that dispute as it's irrelevant to the thoughts I want to post about. In the end, I'm not too surprised by DC Comics' poor showing. Just off the top of my head, they don't use movie news to bring in more traffic (they should be showing off a bunch of Dark Knight stuff). No simple character bios. They have origin stories under "Heroes & Villains" yet Superman (of all people) seems to be missing. No big flashy marketing of upcoming stories. They even seem to have pages dedicated to Batman and Superman yet I didn't find these links on their main site but through a google search. Overall, their web presence seems to be pretty sad to me.
As I mentioned, work has been keeping me pretty busy as of late and family events seem to be taking up a lot of time as well (it seems everyone's birthday is around this time of year). So work on Divine Leap is still going extremely slowly. I had been hoping to get some work done this weekend but I've had to put in some hours with work and of course, the Easter get togethers with family. Hopefully things will start to quiet down in April.
Going back to the Zuda competition, I decided my final vote will go to The Litterbox Chronicles.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for March 19, 2008 -- SPOILERS
So let's just get down to business shall we:
Angel: After the Fall #5 -- Yet again, I see solid story with less than solid artwork. Though it's not quite so bad here or perhaps I'm just getting used to it. The last page bugged me a bit though. It just looked like an odd pose job. More of a cover shot than a final story page. And as for the Fred issue, I'm a little confused. When Illyria took over they made a point of mentioning over and over again that they weren't able to bring Fred back as her soul was consumed/destroyed when Illyria took over. But here we have Lorne saying she was the lucky one because she was in "heaven" (unless that's just his way of saying she's gone) and the big finale at the end. Now Illyria did say that part of Fred remained in her via Fred's memories but I thought that was just talk. So I'm really curious to see how this plays out. So overall, I'm still digging the story, I'm just not digging the art and some of the storytelling. If you're an Angel fan though I still recommend it.
World War Hulk: Warbound #4 -- I have mixed feelings about this issue. On the one hand, I was actually really liking this story. The Warbound are an interesting mix of characters all of whom I find intriguing. But I just felt this issue was rather weak on several fronts. First up, it took me a little while to figure out what was going on between Hiroim and Korg. I just felt the art could have been slightly better there. Then Hiroim's sacrifice seemed kinda weak in that he just reassembles himself in the next panel. Then really, what was the point? So in the end, the issue answered a bit about the Leader but seemed kinda pointless beyond that. And now we have the last issue coming up and this issue ends off with SHIELD's killer robots appearing. That just seemed out of nowhere and really, I feel the teaser for the last issue should be a standoff between the Leader and the Warbound, not some SHIELD robots that weren't even involved in the story up until this point. So yeah, unfortunately I don't think this issue was strong enough to warrant being on my recommended reading list. I still think the series has some potential though and I hope it ends well. As for the little story in the end, I'm still really enjoying those flashbacks to the Warbound member's backstories. This one was also solid but not really worth the price of the issue on its own.
Incredible Hercules #115 -- We get the showdown between Herc and Aries here. Unfortunately, I didn't care for it. One scene in particular really rubbed me the wrong way, the scene where Herc pulls up the metal flooring and makes a wave in it sending Aries flying. That just seemed silly to me and took me right out of the moment. Also, I didn't think the art conveyed the story well. I had no idea what was going on when they were fighting on the wing as it seemed choppy and out of order in some way. Also, in the last few pages they use the trick of duplicating the exact same panel (once three times and the time twice). I generally don't like seeing the exact same panel with no change used but I didn't think it fit either time here. So overall, yet again I dig the story but the execution I felt was off. For Herc fans though, it's great to see a decent book for the character so they'll most likely want to check it out. For me, this is my jumping off point. With the Hulk not returning to this book and me not being the biggest Herc fan around there's not really much incentive for me to buy this book.
So that's it for this week. On the TPB front, I decided to pick up the first two volumes of Invincible. Great storytelling with a slightly different art style. I'm enjoying it so far and I'm interested to see where they're going with it. I'm not solid on it entirely but it's something you may want to check out. And thanks to Newsarama you can read most (and eventually all) of volume 1 online for free.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/comics.html
Angel: After the Fall #5 -- Yet again, I see solid story with less than solid artwork. Though it's not quite so bad here or perhaps I'm just getting used to it. The last page bugged me a bit though. It just looked like an odd pose job. More of a cover shot than a final story page. And as for the Fred issue, I'm a little confused. When Illyria took over they made a point of mentioning over and over again that they weren't able to bring Fred back as her soul was consumed/destroyed when Illyria took over. But here we have Lorne saying she was the lucky one because she was in "heaven" (unless that's just his way of saying she's gone) and the big finale at the end. Now Illyria did say that part of Fred remained in her via Fred's memories but I thought that was just talk. So I'm really curious to see how this plays out. So overall, I'm still digging the story, I'm just not digging the art and some of the storytelling. If you're an Angel fan though I still recommend it.
World War Hulk: Warbound #4 -- I have mixed feelings about this issue. On the one hand, I was actually really liking this story. The Warbound are an interesting mix of characters all of whom I find intriguing. But I just felt this issue was rather weak on several fronts. First up, it took me a little while to figure out what was going on between Hiroim and Korg. I just felt the art could have been slightly better there. Then Hiroim's sacrifice seemed kinda weak in that he just reassembles himself in the next panel. Then really, what was the point? So in the end, the issue answered a bit about the Leader but seemed kinda pointless beyond that. And now we have the last issue coming up and this issue ends off with SHIELD's killer robots appearing. That just seemed out of nowhere and really, I feel the teaser for the last issue should be a standoff between the Leader and the Warbound, not some SHIELD robots that weren't even involved in the story up until this point. So yeah, unfortunately I don't think this issue was strong enough to warrant being on my recommended reading list. I still think the series has some potential though and I hope it ends well. As for the little story in the end, I'm still really enjoying those flashbacks to the Warbound member's backstories. This one was also solid but not really worth the price of the issue on its own.
Incredible Hercules #115 -- We get the showdown between Herc and Aries here. Unfortunately, I didn't care for it. One scene in particular really rubbed me the wrong way, the scene where Herc pulls up the metal flooring and makes a wave in it sending Aries flying. That just seemed silly to me and took me right out of the moment. Also, I didn't think the art conveyed the story well. I had no idea what was going on when they were fighting on the wing as it seemed choppy and out of order in some way. Also, in the last few pages they use the trick of duplicating the exact same panel (once three times and the time twice). I generally don't like seeing the exact same panel with no change used but I didn't think it fit either time here. So overall, yet again I dig the story but the execution I felt was off. For Herc fans though, it's great to see a decent book for the character so they'll most likely want to check it out. For me, this is my jumping off point. With the Hulk not returning to this book and me not being the biggest Herc fan around there's not really much incentive for me to buy this book.
So that's it for this week. On the TPB front, I decided to pick up the first two volumes of Invincible. Great storytelling with a slightly different art style. I'm enjoying it so far and I'm interested to see where they're going with it. I'm not solid on it entirely but it's something you may want to check out. And thanks to Newsarama you can read most (and eventually all) of volume 1 online for free.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/comics.html
Sunday, March 16, 2008
That new feature... My Weekly Wrap Up
So I said I'd be adding something other than comic reviews so here it is, my new weekly (hopefully) wrap up feature where I just give quick blurbs about stuff going on on the web and elsewhere.
Over on Occasional Superheroine there have been a few conversations of interest this week. The ones I took note of are the Secret Invasion posts (she's pretty hyped about it, I'm slightly curious but kinda tired of the big crossover events and will be skipping it), moderating posts (I guess I should consider myself fortunate that so few people read this blog, high profile people and their blogs have a tendency to attract a lot of people looking for anything to pick a fight over. I do wonder if Valerie being a woman makes her more of a target on its own as comic geeks object to her voicing her opinion or if it just makes her higher profile and in turn, a bigger target whether male or female...If that makes any sense. Of course I don't think anyone can answer that for sure), and Reality Comics (which would be about celebrities making comics and not, as I originally thought, comics depicting real life. I guess Harvey Peckar already wrote the book on that one).
High Moon continues to soar. David Gallaher (writer and co-creator) has been gracious enough to check in here every now and then so you may have seen a few of his comments. Not only am I seeing High Moon advertising everywhere but the Honolulu Star Bulletin and Rue Morgue both took the time to cover it. I'm happy for David as he seems like a great guy and they've obviously been working extremely hard on High Moon so it's great to see it taking off. But beyond that, I have to say that I'm happy for web comics and comics in general. That may seem kinda odd to say but I'm a pretty firm believer that North American comics need better coverage of genres outside the superhero realm. It's why sites like Zuda or DrunkDuck are getting a lot of attention from me. They are providing an outlet for comic creators and readers to present or read comics of varying genres. By the way, I'm still really enjoying Bayou as well.
The Buffy/Satsu event still has some people talking. I don't really think I have much more to say and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I do find quite a bit of negativity coming from people who didn't watch the show nor read the comics (though the negative thoughts definitely are not restricted to that group of people). Some conversations I've read have been very mature and enlightening. Others consist of "Yay! Lesbians!"
And the big event for me, the Incredible Hulk trailer. As a lifelong Hulk fan I was very eager to see any glimpse of where they might be going with this movie. And for the record, I'm one of "those" people who actually enjoyed Ang Lee's movie (though I wouldn't consider it a perfect movie by any means). Now obviously I'm not going to come to a decision about this movie after only seeing the trailer but I did see a lot I liked. I'm happy to see the concentration on Banner's inner struggle with the monster along with his external struggle with the military. I was actually rather happy with the Abomination's look, despite being different from the comics he at least has the appearance of being a physical threat for the Hulk. And the Hulk is big and green so I'm happy. I'm not the type of person to get too nitpicky about his looks, he's had so many artists give him their own take on the character so really, who's to say what he really should look like. So as long as he's a big and green (or even gray) monster, I'm happy. I'm looking forward to seeing this one when it comes out.
Almost forgot, one other thing about the Hulk trailer. My brother and I were making plenty of jokes about possible endings to the film after watching the trailer and they centered around the Hulk and Abomination deciding to put aside their differences and go into Zanzibar for a drink and some entertainment. Zanzibar is an "Adult Club" on Yonge Street in Toronto where the movie was filmed. Appearantly while they decided to put up fake "Apollo Theatre" and other stuff they decided to leave in Zanzibar. The Big Slice restaurant and Sam the Record Man (also Yonge Street landmarks) are also left in.
Over on Occasional Superheroine there have been a few conversations of interest this week. The ones I took note of are the Secret Invasion posts (she's pretty hyped about it, I'm slightly curious but kinda tired of the big crossover events and will be skipping it), moderating posts (I guess I should consider myself fortunate that so few people read this blog, high profile people and their blogs have a tendency to attract a lot of people looking for anything to pick a fight over. I do wonder if Valerie being a woman makes her more of a target on its own as comic geeks object to her voicing her opinion or if it just makes her higher profile and in turn, a bigger target whether male or female...If that makes any sense. Of course I don't think anyone can answer that for sure), and Reality Comics (which would be about celebrities making comics and not, as I originally thought, comics depicting real life. I guess Harvey Peckar already wrote the book on that one).
High Moon continues to soar. David Gallaher (writer and co-creator) has been gracious enough to check in here every now and then so you may have seen a few of his comments. Not only am I seeing High Moon advertising everywhere but the Honolulu Star Bulletin and Rue Morgue both took the time to cover it. I'm happy for David as he seems like a great guy and they've obviously been working extremely hard on High Moon so it's great to see it taking off. But beyond that, I have to say that I'm happy for web comics and comics in general. That may seem kinda odd to say but I'm a pretty firm believer that North American comics need better coverage of genres outside the superhero realm. It's why sites like Zuda or DrunkDuck are getting a lot of attention from me. They are providing an outlet for comic creators and readers to present or read comics of varying genres. By the way, I'm still really enjoying Bayou as well.
The Buffy/Satsu event still has some people talking. I don't really think I have much more to say and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I do find quite a bit of negativity coming from people who didn't watch the show nor read the comics (though the negative thoughts definitely are not restricted to that group of people). Some conversations I've read have been very mature and enlightening. Others consist of "Yay! Lesbians!"
And the big event for me, the Incredible Hulk trailer. As a lifelong Hulk fan I was very eager to see any glimpse of where they might be going with this movie. And for the record, I'm one of "those" people who actually enjoyed Ang Lee's movie (though I wouldn't consider it a perfect movie by any means). Now obviously I'm not going to come to a decision about this movie after only seeing the trailer but I did see a lot I liked. I'm happy to see the concentration on Banner's inner struggle with the monster along with his external struggle with the military. I was actually rather happy with the Abomination's look, despite being different from the comics he at least has the appearance of being a physical threat for the Hulk. And the Hulk is big and green so I'm happy. I'm not the type of person to get too nitpicky about his looks, he's had so many artists give him their own take on the character so really, who's to say what he really should look like. So as long as he's a big and green (or even gray) monster, I'm happy. I'm looking forward to seeing this one when it comes out.
Almost forgot, one other thing about the Hulk trailer. My brother and I were making plenty of jokes about possible endings to the film after watching the trailer and they centered around the Hulk and Abomination deciding to put aside their differences and go into Zanzibar for a drink and some entertainment. Zanzibar is an "Adult Club" on Yonge Street in Toronto where the movie was filmed. Appearantly while they decided to put up fake "Apollo Theatre" and other stuff they decided to leave in Zanzibar. The Big Slice restaurant and Sam the Record Man (also Yonge Street landmarks) are also left in.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for March 12th
So I've been debating as of late about the content of this blog. For the most part my weekly comic reviews have taken over as all I post and I'm not sure if that's all I want this to be. I seem to be debating quite a bit with myself over posting any non-comic stuff (don't worry, I don't plan on ranting about personal issues) or even posting my thoughts on comic beyond just reviews (let's face it, I'm only an outsider here with no real comic industry experience or knowledge of the ins and outs of things). So I'm considering trying a little something different this week. Perhaps after my reviews I'll be make a second post of quick comments and opinions, mostly in regards to other stuff I've seen on the web recently. So keep an eye out for that, either later today or tomorrow.
But first, the reviews. All one of them:
Serenity: Better Days #1 -- As a fan of so much of Whedon's work and a fan of Firefly/Serenity, I was really happy to hear about this series a while back. And now it finally comes out. But I was able to keep myself from getting too hyped about it. Anywho, the book picks up nicely as we're thrown back in time a bit (the story occurs during the run of the show). The characters are all well written, great dialogue, and the story fits with your typical Firefly story (whatever that may be). It's definitely not the "Verse" altering storyline of the movie, more a locally set story of our ragtag team of bandits. So yeah, I was happy with it in those terms. Art wise, the likenesses are solid while at the same time not being overwhelming (sometimes when an artist tries to get the likenesses down so much they suffer as being static looking or out of place, here, it works). But at the same time, there were a few pages/panels where the storytelling (whether it was the art or writing) seemed a bit out of whack. The scene with the "mule" for instance didn't really work for me. But overall, as a fan of the show and movie I enjoyed it and can't wait for more. So yeah, it makes my recommended reading for other fans of the show/movie. For non-fans, you probably won't have too much trouble figuring things out so you won't be lost but it would probably lose a bit of its appeal.
As for other reviews, I know I haven't done the Zuda thing in a while. And to be honest, I stayed away from it last month because I really didn't care for the selection they had in last month's competition. None of them really stood out to me. This month is the opposite. I'm going to have a tough time voting because I see so much I'd be interested in checking out. So quickly:
Among the Silver Stars -- Loved the choice of art style here (though a few times I felt it not really consistent in some areas but solid overall) and it seems to be a great start to a well developed story.
Day of Prey -- Who knew a comic about fishermen could be entertaining? :) A funny start with solid cartoon art. Not sure if I think it has the staying power but not a bad start.
Laura's Bazaar -- Again, good art and decent writing. Looks like it could be a fun story of magic meets real world. The characters seem interesting and entertaining with some snappy dialogue.
Little Inventor -- A slightly different cartoon art style. Decent storytelling but I'm not completely sold on the story unfortunately. The artist definitely has the potential for something great though.
Rojo Fernandez: Son of the Wind -- Could be a decent webcomic but I think the artist needs a bit more development. I also wasn't terribly excited by the story. I guess it just seems a bit too overdone ("Human son of some power" kinda thing).
Sam & Lilah -- Good dialogue, great art that is solid technically and well laid out for great storytelling. I'd like to see more but possibly not in a good way, I just don't know if these 8 pages really sold the story well enough.
Black Cherry Bombshells -- Considering I'm currently reading through the Y: The Last Man TPBs I definitely see connections here. (Yeesh, I suddenly had a weird case of deja vu, did I post reviews on these already or something?) I'm a little surprised that this one currently ranks as number 1 but anywho. The art isn't really my cup of tea but it's solid enough to tell the story and quirky in its own sorta way. So that may appeal to some. The story may feel a bit more unique if I wasn't currently reading Y: The Last Man though turning the men into zombies is a different twist (even if I'm getting a little tired of zombies at the moment). Though I think it's a pretty strong competitor it probably won't be getting my vote.
The Litterbox Chronicles -- I like this one. The character designs and art style may not be something totally new but I really liked the characters for some reason. Though I also like Pooch Cafe so maybe it's just some unknown obsession I have with trouble making cartoon animals. A few of the strips may have missed the mark slightly but overall I liked it.
Tiempo -- Probably the more "out there" of this month's batch but a great piece of graphic storytelling. You really have to take your time to appreciate it (which is something today's readers may not be used to, they'll probably see no dialogue and just whip through it). It's really beautiful stuff and it kinda reminded me of a few of Will Eisner's short stories where he let the pictures speak for themselves. Having said that, I don't know if the 8 pages presented here are enough to get the attention of voters. It's too bad really, I'd like to see more from this artist.
Yuletide -- Decent art that conveys the story well but I don't know if the story is solid enough or maybe it just doesn't appeal to me. I just didn't really feel a connection to it or a desire to see what comes next. But it could definitely build into a decent webcomic.
So overall, a pretty good selection. I'm not quite sure just yet who I'll be voting for.
But first, the reviews. All one of them:
Serenity: Better Days #1 -- As a fan of so much of Whedon's work and a fan of Firefly/Serenity, I was really happy to hear about this series a while back. And now it finally comes out. But I was able to keep myself from getting too hyped about it. Anywho, the book picks up nicely as we're thrown back in time a bit (the story occurs during the run of the show). The characters are all well written, great dialogue, and the story fits with your typical Firefly story (whatever that may be). It's definitely not the "Verse" altering storyline of the movie, more a locally set story of our ragtag team of bandits. So yeah, I was happy with it in those terms. Art wise, the likenesses are solid while at the same time not being overwhelming (sometimes when an artist tries to get the likenesses down so much they suffer as being static looking or out of place, here, it works). But at the same time, there were a few pages/panels where the storytelling (whether it was the art or writing) seemed a bit out of whack. The scene with the "mule" for instance didn't really work for me. But overall, as a fan of the show and movie I enjoyed it and can't wait for more. So yeah, it makes my recommended reading for other fans of the show/movie. For non-fans, you probably won't have too much trouble figuring things out so you won't be lost but it would probably lose a bit of its appeal.
As for other reviews, I know I haven't done the Zuda thing in a while. And to be honest, I stayed away from it last month because I really didn't care for the selection they had in last month's competition. None of them really stood out to me. This month is the opposite. I'm going to have a tough time voting because I see so much I'd be interested in checking out. So quickly:
Among the Silver Stars -- Loved the choice of art style here (though a few times I felt it not really consistent in some areas but solid overall) and it seems to be a great start to a well developed story.
Day of Prey -- Who knew a comic about fishermen could be entertaining? :) A funny start with solid cartoon art. Not sure if I think it has the staying power but not a bad start.
Laura's Bazaar -- Again, good art and decent writing. Looks like it could be a fun story of magic meets real world. The characters seem interesting and entertaining with some snappy dialogue.
Little Inventor -- A slightly different cartoon art style. Decent storytelling but I'm not completely sold on the story unfortunately. The artist definitely has the potential for something great though.
Rojo Fernandez: Son of the Wind -- Could be a decent webcomic but I think the artist needs a bit more development. I also wasn't terribly excited by the story. I guess it just seems a bit too overdone ("Human son of some power" kinda thing).
Sam & Lilah -- Good dialogue, great art that is solid technically and well laid out for great storytelling. I'd like to see more but possibly not in a good way, I just don't know if these 8 pages really sold the story well enough.
Black Cherry Bombshells -- Considering I'm currently reading through the Y: The Last Man TPBs I definitely see connections here. (Yeesh, I suddenly had a weird case of deja vu, did I post reviews on these already or something?) I'm a little surprised that this one currently ranks as number 1 but anywho. The art isn't really my cup of tea but it's solid enough to tell the story and quirky in its own sorta way. So that may appeal to some. The story may feel a bit more unique if I wasn't currently reading Y: The Last Man though turning the men into zombies is a different twist (even if I'm getting a little tired of zombies at the moment). Though I think it's a pretty strong competitor it probably won't be getting my vote.
The Litterbox Chronicles -- I like this one. The character designs and art style may not be something totally new but I really liked the characters for some reason. Though I also like Pooch Cafe so maybe it's just some unknown obsession I have with trouble making cartoon animals. A few of the strips may have missed the mark slightly but overall I liked it.
Tiempo -- Probably the more "out there" of this month's batch but a great piece of graphic storytelling. You really have to take your time to appreciate it (which is something today's readers may not be used to, they'll probably see no dialogue and just whip through it). It's really beautiful stuff and it kinda reminded me of a few of Will Eisner's short stories where he let the pictures speak for themselves. Having said that, I don't know if the 8 pages presented here are enough to get the attention of voters. It's too bad really, I'd like to see more from this artist.
Yuletide -- Decent art that conveys the story well but I don't know if the story is solid enough or maybe it just doesn't appeal to me. I just didn't really feel a connection to it or a desire to see what comes next. But it could definitely build into a decent webcomic.
So overall, a pretty good selection. I'm not quite sure just yet who I'll be voting for.
Monday, March 10, 2008
A Brief Comment on Snow and Colds
After the latest dumping of 50+ centimeters (about 20 inches for my non-metric readers) of snow over the weekend I think I've had my fill of winter. Actually, I think I had my fill a while back but what can you do? And to top it off, I'm still fighting a really nasty head cold. I don't even want to think about how many boxes of facial tissues I've gone through but judging from how raw my nose is it must be a lot. So yeah, I'm glad that my condo fees cover snow removal so I could spend my weekend laying on the couch doing some channel surfing. I only had to go out and shovel once.
But the snow does make for some nice/interesting pictures and a good story to tell.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/photogalleries/template.html?topic=digout
Though they won't beat the "Ice Storm of 1998" stories/pics it's still something.
But the snow does make for some nice/interesting pictures and a good story to tell.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/photogalleries/template.html?topic=digout
Though they won't beat the "Ice Storm of 1998" stories/pics it's still something.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for March 5, 2008 -- HUGE SPOILERS
Well, my cold took a turn for the worse so I decided to stay home from work. My head is swimming, my nose is running, and my throat is ... I don't know an exercise that goes with "sore throat". So after I get through these reviews it's back to the nice warm comfort of my bed.
Buffy #12 -- Uhm... Wow! I did not see that coming at all. So Buffy and Satsu... Very interesting. My first reaction was "This must be a dream, we've had a few of them already in this series, this must be another one." Then "This must be a spell or something." But nope, as the scene progresses (quite comically I might add) it's clear that this is real ... Or at least "real" in Buffy/Comic-land. So now I have to figure out how I feel about this development. And really, I feel okay about it. I don't feel it was done to shock people and sell more comics (as some have suggested). It seemed to be portrayed more as a character moment. You look at the life Buffy's led up to this point and having someone around her who loves her and cares for her as deeply as Satsu, well you can kinda see the potential there. And now they are both left to figure out where do they go from here (yes, I've listened to the Once More With Feeling CD too many times as I almost sang that outloud). But moving on to the comic as a whole, the art remains solid, Drew Goddard does a good job of capturing the characters and setting up a new storyline (one that doesn't even revolve around the Buffy/Satsu "incident"). I'm not entirely stoked about the guest appearance at the end as I didn't really care for that particular episode of Buffy but it makes sense story-wise. So yeah, the series continues to be on the top of my pile as the book I look forward to reading the most and comes highly recommended by yours truly.
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1 -- I was debating whether I was going to buy this book or not. But then I realized it was coming out shortly and I hadn't removed it from my subscription list at the store so it was either buy it or stick them with it (which I hate doing). Plus, I read the first series, I might as well keep going. The first series was hit and miss for me. Some issues seemed to flow nicely and had the art match the story. Other issues seemed disjoint and the art was a little tough to follow for me. This issue seemed to work for me. The story provided enough of a flashback to help the story along and the storytelling seemed to flow okay. I'm not entirely sold on the artwork but it seemed to work here. For the die hard Stephen King fans, it's recommended reading. For others, it may just be something you might want to check out to see if it's your cup of tea.
Echo #1 -- I bought this book on a whim. I really enjoyed Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise so I figured why not give this book a shot. The artwork is fairly simple and not over the top (and is black and white) but it works for Moore's work. It tells the story well and doesn't make it over the top with flash and pizzazz. The story is... it's tough to say. In a weird way it feels like you are still in the dark as to what this story will be about yet in a short time you get to feel you know the characters, even the ones who are only there briefly. Moore seems to have a knack for connecting the reader with each and every character. I don't know where it's going but I'm sure it'll be an interesting ride so it makes my recommended reading list.
Logan #1 -- Here's another book I picked up on a whim. I'm still rather tired of Wolverine stories, especially ones that go back to his messed up history, but I've really liked a lot of Brian K Vaughan's work so I thought I'd give it a try. Plus, it's only 3 issues. After reading it, I'm not entirely sold on it. The art has a unique style to it and tells the story well. But so far I wasn't really blown away by the story. Perhaps it's just because I don't really care for the "Wolverine in Japan" stories that flooded the market for a while. So I'm checking out the series but it's one I'm holding off on recommending. Perhaps when it's done I'll suggest the TPB.
So that's it for this week. I've also made a pretty big dent in those Y the Last Man TPBs I got but I'm not sure if I'll be posting reviews of those or not. And so, I'm off to bed to try and sleep my way through this cold. Cheers!
Buffy #12 -- Uhm... Wow! I did not see that coming at all. So Buffy and Satsu... Very interesting. My first reaction was "This must be a dream, we've had a few of them already in this series, this must be another one." Then "This must be a spell or something." But nope, as the scene progresses (quite comically I might add) it's clear that this is real ... Or at least "real" in Buffy/Comic-land. So now I have to figure out how I feel about this development. And really, I feel okay about it. I don't feel it was done to shock people and sell more comics (as some have suggested). It seemed to be portrayed more as a character moment. You look at the life Buffy's led up to this point and having someone around her who loves her and cares for her as deeply as Satsu, well you can kinda see the potential there. And now they are both left to figure out where do they go from here (yes, I've listened to the Once More With Feeling CD too many times as I almost sang that outloud). But moving on to the comic as a whole, the art remains solid, Drew Goddard does a good job of capturing the characters and setting up a new storyline (one that doesn't even revolve around the Buffy/Satsu "incident"). I'm not entirely stoked about the guest appearance at the end as I didn't really care for that particular episode of Buffy but it makes sense story-wise. So yeah, the series continues to be on the top of my pile as the book I look forward to reading the most and comes highly recommended by yours truly.
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1 -- I was debating whether I was going to buy this book or not. But then I realized it was coming out shortly and I hadn't removed it from my subscription list at the store so it was either buy it or stick them with it (which I hate doing). Plus, I read the first series, I might as well keep going. The first series was hit and miss for me. Some issues seemed to flow nicely and had the art match the story. Other issues seemed disjoint and the art was a little tough to follow for me. This issue seemed to work for me. The story provided enough of a flashback to help the story along and the storytelling seemed to flow okay. I'm not entirely sold on the artwork but it seemed to work here. For the die hard Stephen King fans, it's recommended reading. For others, it may just be something you might want to check out to see if it's your cup of tea.
Echo #1 -- I bought this book on a whim. I really enjoyed Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise so I figured why not give this book a shot. The artwork is fairly simple and not over the top (and is black and white) but it works for Moore's work. It tells the story well and doesn't make it over the top with flash and pizzazz. The story is... it's tough to say. In a weird way it feels like you are still in the dark as to what this story will be about yet in a short time you get to feel you know the characters, even the ones who are only there briefly. Moore seems to have a knack for connecting the reader with each and every character. I don't know where it's going but I'm sure it'll be an interesting ride so it makes my recommended reading list.
Logan #1 -- Here's another book I picked up on a whim. I'm still rather tired of Wolverine stories, especially ones that go back to his messed up history, but I've really liked a lot of Brian K Vaughan's work so I thought I'd give it a try. Plus, it's only 3 issues. After reading it, I'm not entirely sold on it. The art has a unique style to it and tells the story well. But so far I wasn't really blown away by the story. Perhaps it's just because I don't really care for the "Wolverine in Japan" stories that flooded the market for a while. So I'm checking out the series but it's one I'm holding off on recommending. Perhaps when it's done I'll suggest the TPB.
So that's it for this week. I've also made a pretty big dent in those Y the Last Man TPBs I got but I'm not sure if I'll be posting reviews of those or not. And so, I'm off to bed to try and sleep my way through this cold. Cheers!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
A Non-Comic Review Post
Yep, no reviews in this post. I just felt like babbling for a bit and decided what the heck, my blog doesn't need to be only about comic reviews right? So here's what's new in my life today.
I signed up for summer badminton. Exciting no? :) I wanted to sign up for some uninstructed figure drawing as well but I discovered the place I wanted to sign up at only runs it in the fall and winter. Ever since starting Divine Leap I felt like I should put more of an effort into improving and figure drawing is one area that I think could help. So I'm thinking that if that's not a possibility I might use that time to draw various environments. Maybe tour the city a bit drawing various settings. And perhaps that will help with the whole "backgrounds" issue.
Secondly, my latest shipment of TPBs to read came in yesterday. This batch of TPBs is all "Y the Last Man" stuff. I've heard so much talk about it and with it ending I figured now is the time to read it. So there will be plenty of comic reading in my near future. The downside is that the TPBs also came with another book I ordered. You see, while ordering the TPBs I also decided to pick up another book but it wasn't for me. It was for a woman I went out on a date with a couple weeks back. She was looking at it while we were in Chapters together but she didn't have the money to be buying a bunch of books. So I figured what the heck, things seemed to go well on our date and she expressed interest in going on another so I'd pick it up for her as a gift. But considering she stopped responding to my emails and has seemingly been avoiding me on MSN over the last few days things aren't looking good. Life goes on I suppose.
I also signed a two-year extension to my contract at work (as a software developer). Things have been a little rocky as of late so the 2-year contract is a nice change.
And lastly, I woke up early this morning thanks to an oncoming cold. So it's looking like I might be staying home tomorrow. And with Saturday's snow storm coming I'll probably be locking myself up for that day as well.
Enough babbling, comic reviews will most likely be back tomorrow.
I signed up for summer badminton. Exciting no? :) I wanted to sign up for some uninstructed figure drawing as well but I discovered the place I wanted to sign up at only runs it in the fall and winter. Ever since starting Divine Leap I felt like I should put more of an effort into improving and figure drawing is one area that I think could help. So I'm thinking that if that's not a possibility I might use that time to draw various environments. Maybe tour the city a bit drawing various settings. And perhaps that will help with the whole "backgrounds" issue.
Secondly, my latest shipment of TPBs to read came in yesterday. This batch of TPBs is all "Y the Last Man" stuff. I've heard so much talk about it and with it ending I figured now is the time to read it. So there will be plenty of comic reading in my near future. The downside is that the TPBs also came with another book I ordered. You see, while ordering the TPBs I also decided to pick up another book but it wasn't for me. It was for a woman I went out on a date with a couple weeks back. She was looking at it while we were in Chapters together but she didn't have the money to be buying a bunch of books. So I figured what the heck, things seemed to go well on our date and she expressed interest in going on another so I'd pick it up for her as a gift. But considering she stopped responding to my emails and has seemingly been avoiding me on MSN over the last few days things aren't looking good. Life goes on I suppose.
I also signed a two-year extension to my contract at work (as a software developer). Things have been a little rocky as of late so the 2-year contract is a nice change.
And lastly, I woke up early this morning thanks to an oncoming cold. So it's looking like I might be staying home tomorrow. And with Saturday's snow storm coming I'll probably be locking myself up for that day as well.
Enough babbling, comic reviews will most likely be back tomorrow.
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