A pretty slow week for me with only two comics coming out plus a Wizard magazine. I really liked the first part of Wizard's 200th issue that came out a couple weeks back. I know Wizard takes some heat from some people including myself but it was still fun to look back over the years at some of the history they've witnessed. This second part wasn't quite as strong but still had some interesting parts to it. As a Hulk fan and a huge fan of the Peter David/Dale Keown run it was interesting to see that team listed as one of the top team ups. I'm actually such a fan of Keown's that I still check every now and then to see if we might still see the 4 issue Darkness/Pitt series he was supposed to do (issue 1 was supposedly done back in 2005/2006). How sad is that? :)
Anyways, on to the comics...
Ultimate Human #4 (of 4) -- Not much dialogue or story here and it's all pretty much front loaded. Not that this is a problem, I think readers had enough of the talky talky in the previous issues and wanted to see some action. And they really deliver. Maybe one of the downsides of it is that you don't get to see Iron Man physically do anything (though Tony has a few key moments). It's pretty much all Hulk. Not that I'm complaining. :) It really was a well crafted series with an interesting take on the characters (especially the Hulk). If you're looking for 616 Hulk/Iron Man, it ain't here but if you're open to a sort of "Elseworlds" that takes certain aspects of the characters and runs with it (such as the Hulk's ability to adapt) then it really is an engaging story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I thought the art style lent itself well to it. I highly recommend the series.
Elephantmen: War Toys #3 (of 3) -- I've made no attempt to hide my love of all things Elephantmen so of course I was really looking forward to this book. And I wasn't disappointed. The depth of character that Starkings continues to bring to the table is incredible. The combination of the narration describing the Elephantmen as Mappo's "war toys" while the visual story shows one simple young woman breaking down that image works on many levels. It's a book you can simply enjoy for the story it is or spend much time examining the characters and the paths that they are on. And artistically, I felt this may have been one of the stronger issues of the series and that's saying a lot. I hate repeating myself and this is only my opinion but I really love this book and it continues to make my recommended reading list.
So that's it, two great books in my opinion. So overall, a good week despite the low numbers. On the TPB front, I've sorta been slowed down by going outside the comic medium for a bit. But I've also added the first volume of Fables to my reading list which leaves us with... American Splendor: Our Movie Year (currently ongoing), Wanted (must read before seeing movie), Criminal volumes 1 and 2, and Fables volume 1. And come June I'll be adding even more. Yeah, I'm spending way too much on comic books right now. :)
Oh yeah, congratulations go out to Ilias Kyriazis whose comic Melody won this month's Zuda Comics competition. And while you're visitting Zuda you might want to check out some of the other ongoing books (such as Bayou, High Moon, or Pray For Death) and remember that the deadline for submitting your list for the Zuda Comics 2008 Invitational is May 23rd so start assembling your list soon.
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