No comics came in for me this week and I'm still waiting on a few Amazon orders so I have nothing to review at the moment.
I'm also still trying to collect my thoughts on the iPad. I think it's an impressive piece of technology and it has people excited about what they can do with it. But I don't see myself owning one any time soon if at all. I think it may just be one of those things I watch from the sidelines to see where it goes.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
DrunkDuck and EZ Prints
So it seems that the DrunkDuck server upgrade (which has resulted in several weekends of semi-downtime, comics viewable but nothing else) is connected to a deal struck between Platinum Studios and EZ Print to connect DrunkDuck (and its users) with EZ Print so they can sell merchandise for their comics more easily.
My first thought was that this seems kind of nice for some people. Users who may not know about setting up a store on other sites similar to EZ Print, who don't know how to go about it and are a little scared or reluctant, may go for EZ Print (if they are convinced it's as easy as they're saying it will be). And users who don't want to set up with EZ Print (for whatever reason, such as the ability to set your own prices/markup which it appears EZ Print will not allow DrunkDuck users to do) will still have the option of linking to other stores/sites on their DrunkDuck comic. And so people may be able to sell a few things to make a bit of money of their hard work.
Though some of the optimism I'm seeing seems a little rushed. When the feature goes online there will most likely be a rush of DrunkDuckers putting up merchandise in the hopes of quick money. If you're not already making money off your comic than this seems really unlikely to me, there just won't be the demand for merchandise from so many of the comics. Sure, you'll probably sell a couple things to friends or the few followers you have and it'll be nice to get a bit of extra money, but I think that will be it.
Obviously, it also depends on your comic. Some comics people enjoy reading but they may not be up for wearing a shirt or buying a coffee mug from it. Other comics, people probably don't read but if they have cute zombie teddy bear ninjas that look cool then you may do okay.
In the end, I like that they're adding the feature. It seems okay and may help some webcomic creators on there. And considering how slow Platinum has been in doing anything with DrunkDuck (other than keeping it running) it's nice to get something from them. But I don't necessarily see it as a game changer.
My first thought was that this seems kind of nice for some people. Users who may not know about setting up a store on other sites similar to EZ Print, who don't know how to go about it and are a little scared or reluctant, may go for EZ Print (if they are convinced it's as easy as they're saying it will be). And users who don't want to set up with EZ Print (for whatever reason, such as the ability to set your own prices/markup which it appears EZ Print will not allow DrunkDuck users to do) will still have the option of linking to other stores/sites on their DrunkDuck comic. And so people may be able to sell a few things to make a bit of money of their hard work.
Though some of the optimism I'm seeing seems a little rushed. When the feature goes online there will most likely be a rush of DrunkDuckers putting up merchandise in the hopes of quick money. If you're not already making money off your comic than this seems really unlikely to me, there just won't be the demand for merchandise from so many of the comics. Sure, you'll probably sell a couple things to friends or the few followers you have and it'll be nice to get a bit of extra money, but I think that will be it.
Obviously, it also depends on your comic. Some comics people enjoy reading but they may not be up for wearing a shirt or buying a coffee mug from it. Other comics, people probably don't read but if they have cute zombie teddy bear ninjas that look cool then you may do okay.
In the end, I like that they're adding the feature. It seems okay and may help some webcomic creators on there. And considering how slow Platinum has been in doing anything with DrunkDuck (other than keeping it running) it's nice to get something from them. But I don't necessarily see it as a game changer.
Friday, January 22, 2010
My Webcomic Sucks... Yet I Keep Going
Okay, I don't know if I should really say it sucks, it's just not that good. When I started it I was naive. I didn't really know what I was doing or just what it takes to make a good comic. But then again, I wasn't looking to make a living off it or become some sort of comicbook superstar. I just wanted to make a comic and I thought I had a decent idea for a story or at least a story I wanted to tell even if I didn't know who I wanted to tell it to. So given my opinion of my work, why do I keep going?
Over the years (yes, "years") I've been working on it I've had ups and downs both in my personal life and in doing the comic. I've learned a lot about making a comic, either through trial and error or through very constructive criticism I've gotten or through reading some really great advice (either online or in various books). I know I still have lots to learn, and I really have to do a better job of applying what I've already learned, but I like to think I've improved. And despite some depressing times, times where nobody seemed to be reading it and yet I was spending so much of my free time doing it, I kept pushing through (other than one break after chapter 1).
So I guess in the end I continue to do webcomics because I have ideas, ideas I think would make for good stories (whether others agree with this remains to be seen). And I want to get better so they get told in a way that does them justice. Why I continue to work on my current webcomic instead of starting over (either on it or on a different story), it mostly comes down to wanting to finish it. I started it believing this was a story I wanted to tell and I still feel that way. I want to see it through to the end despite it's very shakey beginnings (can't stress that enough, I sometimes go back and cringe at some of the art and storytelling). There will be no money for me (I'll definitely be in the minus on this one with the stuff I've bought to do the comic) and I'll never have the readership of a successful webcomic but it will be something I can say I did.
Plus, if I just stop and start over it's just one more step to never being satisfied with my work to the point where I'll never put any of it out. I've always had issues with not being satisfied with my work (which you can probably tell from this post) so if I wait until I'm happy with my own work, it'll never happen.
And so Divine Leap continues. Just wanted to get some of this off my chest.
Over the years (yes, "years") I've been working on it I've had ups and downs both in my personal life and in doing the comic. I've learned a lot about making a comic, either through trial and error or through very constructive criticism I've gotten or through reading some really great advice (either online or in various books). I know I still have lots to learn, and I really have to do a better job of applying what I've already learned, but I like to think I've improved. And despite some depressing times, times where nobody seemed to be reading it and yet I was spending so much of my free time doing it, I kept pushing through (other than one break after chapter 1).
So I guess in the end I continue to do webcomics because I have ideas, ideas I think would make for good stories (whether others agree with this remains to be seen). And I want to get better so they get told in a way that does them justice. Why I continue to work on my current webcomic instead of starting over (either on it or on a different story), it mostly comes down to wanting to finish it. I started it believing this was a story I wanted to tell and I still feel that way. I want to see it through to the end despite it's very shakey beginnings (can't stress that enough, I sometimes go back and cringe at some of the art and storytelling). There will be no money for me (I'll definitely be in the minus on this one with the stuff I've bought to do the comic) and I'll never have the readership of a successful webcomic but it will be something I can say I did.
Plus, if I just stop and start over it's just one more step to never being satisfied with my work to the point where I'll never put any of it out. I've always had issues with not being satisfied with my work (which you can probably tell from this post) so if I wait until I'm happy with my own work, it'll never happen.
And so Divine Leap continues. Just wanted to get some of this off my chest.
Weekly Comic Reviews for January 20, 2010
A whopping one book came out for me this week. Though that appears to be one more than next week. And with my usual Zuda reads either ending or taking a break it seems like I'm hitting a lull in comic reading.
Incredible Hulk #606 -- First up, I usually like Paul Pelletier's art but he, and the rest of the art team, really knocked this one out of the park. Absolutely beautiful art while not sacrificing storytelling. In terms of the story, I often seem to have mixed feelings of Pak's work. I like his stories and in the end, I find them satisfying. But in terms of the issues I often feel like I'm playing catch up or missing something as things seem to jump around. Sometimes this can work, but not in every story. As Banner jumps around in this issue I felt that way. In the end there was some cool stuff but some confusing moments. It gets the Fall of the Hulks storyline off to an interesting start. I won't be collecting all of the Fall of the Hulks (at least not the Red Hulk or the Jeph Loeb Hulk series) so we'll see how that goes for me. This book was good though and I'm curious to see where things go.
Incredible Hulk #606 -- First up, I usually like Paul Pelletier's art but he, and the rest of the art team, really knocked this one out of the park. Absolutely beautiful art while not sacrificing storytelling. In terms of the story, I often seem to have mixed feelings of Pak's work. I like his stories and in the end, I find them satisfying. But in terms of the issues I often feel like I'm playing catch up or missing something as things seem to jump around. Sometimes this can work, but not in every story. As Banner jumps around in this issue I felt that way. In the end there was some cool stuff but some confusing moments. It gets the Fall of the Hulks storyline off to an interesting start. I won't be collecting all of the Fall of the Hulks (at least not the Red Hulk or the Jeph Loeb Hulk series) so we'll see how that goes for me. This book was good though and I'm curious to see where things go.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Weekly Comic Review for January 13th, 2010
Only one book this week...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31 -- I have to say that this issue was better than some of the previous issues. It flowed a bit better and was a little easier to follow along. Though I did feel the dialogue was a little awkward at times, but maybe that's just Buffy being Buffy (and I just didn't have this problem when I was watching it on TV for some reason... which seems odd, you'd think comic dialogue should be easier). Having said that, this issue still seemed awkward to me. Not necessarily in the storytelling but in the story that was told. It felt more like "Hey, we have to cover a few story elements that we need set up by the next storyline, we'll just fill an issue with them." Not a bad issue, but not really bringing the story out of its funk either.
And as an additional comment, I have to admit that I'm really upset with Dark Horse's handling of Twilight's identity. They keep saying that there's more to the story and promoting the spoiler doesn't ruin anything but I have to disagree. I don't want any of the story spoiled, I want to experience it as it should be (ie. reading it in the comic). Revealing the character's identity outside of the comic just weakens the comic in my mind. And it's not like I went looking for spoilers, they put it out there. To be honest, it felt like a complete slap in the face to someone who's been reading this series for the last 4 years waiting for the reveal. I've said that I'll be stopping with the monthlies once Buffy is done but them doing this made me consider dropping them earlier.
Image's $1 books
In regards to Image selling some first issues for $1, at first I thought it was interesting and saw one or two I might be interested in checking out. But then I thought "You know, I'd rather them just put these first issues online." I'm not going all "environmental" or anything but I really don't need a physical copy of a book that I may or may not be interested in. I could pick it up and recycle it I suppose but there's still an environment cost to that. And reading the first books online is how I got started on Invincible after all (they posted them legally, I didn't steal). I know this promotion is tied in with the Free Comic Day and aims at getting people into the stores so in terms of that aim, putting them online would be the exact opposite but for me, it would work in maybe getting me interested in picking up a new series.
So in the end, I probably won't ask my store to order me any though if I'm having a slow week I may crack and grab one or two from the shelf.
But I know, I'm already going into the store regularly and buying books (at least for the time being) so I'm not really the target audience for this promotion either.
So in the end, I probably won't ask my store to order me any though if I'm having a slow week I may crack and grab one or two from the shelf.
But I know, I'm already going into the store regularly and buying books (at least for the time being) so I'm not really the target audience for this promotion either.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Weekly Comic Review for January 6th, 2010
No new books came out for me. So instead, I'll give a quick blurb about other comics I've been reading lately (in trade paperback).
Jack of Fables volumes 1-6 -- I didn't expect to enjoy this series as much as I enjoy Fables, Jack didn't seem to be one of my top characters from that series. But thanks to a strong supporting cast and some great writing, I really enjoyed it. A lot more than I thought I would. The Pathetic Fallacy and Babe the Blue Ox are two of my favourites. I was surprised that the story starts going into so much of the Fables backstory/universe, I would have expected that to come up more in the main Fables series. I also don't really know how I feel about where that part of the story is going but I guess I'll know more after reading the Great Fables Crossover. In the end though, a great series and another book to add to my trade paperback purchasing.
Logicomix -- I suppose I'm a bit of a math geek. Not a huge math geek but I do have a bit of a background in the field. So the math behind the story did interest me. For non-math geeks, it may be a little daunting. But this book about some of the people behind the math and the people behind this book itself is a compelling character story. I was entirely sucked into their world and the people. It admittedly varies from history in some parts for artistic license type reasons but I'm glad they admit to it and point out some of their "changes". If you have a math history and enjoy comics, buy this book. If you enjoy comics and can look beyond the math, you'll still get an amazing story. Really great work.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
New Toys
I guess I should admit that I saved the biggest Christmas gift for myself. I recently received the MacBook Pro and 12" Wacom Cintiq I ordered. I'm also giving Manga Studio 4 a try. Not sure if it'll improve Divine Leap or help me work faster but I've been talking about getting it for a while now and finally decided to treat myself. For the moment though, until I get used to it, I'm still working with my old Graphire4 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
My End Of The Year Post
I know everyone and their dog are doing the end of year posts whether it's "The year in review" or "Top X comics of the year/decade" but I figured why go against tradition so I might as well join in. I won't be covering the decade or anything, this year was enough for me. It'll be a mix of comics/geek stuff and other things (but mostly comics) so you've been warned.
The year started off not so good for me. Ottawa was still dealing with a bus strike with no end in sight. And considering I don't own a car and am living in the burbs, I wasn't in a happy place. Friends and family stepped up to help with the essentials (work, groceries, etc) but other than that, I was stuck at home for the most part. It was a pretty rough time for me though admittedly, there were a lot of people who had it far worse.
So getting to the comics, this year really continued my transition away from the monthlies. I dropped titles or titles I was reading were dropped. It's got to the point now that after Buffy season 8 ends I will stop buying monthlies and go to trade paperbacks for my two remaining books, the Incredible Hulk and Elephantmen. On the topic of the Hulk, I initially hated the idea of the "new She-Hulk" but the character has grown on me a bit. I'm still not a big fan of her being "She-Hulk" as I'm still a fan of "the She-Hulk" but she's become someone I could follow. I still dislike the "Red Hulk" and Loeb's writing (on the Hulk books at least).
The first highlight in terms of print books was finally reading Sandman. It's a lot to take in but an excellent story. And I'm enjoying Invincible, the Walking Dead, Locke & Key, Fables, Jack of Fables (a recent/Christmas addition), Ex Machina, Umbrella Academy, and Mouse Guard, all in TPB or collected editions. I'm also looking forward to Powers picking up again and the conclusions to Planetary and Scott Pilgrim. So still plenty of reading, just in a different format. And I'll still be picking up the odd mini-series and such in collected forms.
Which leads me to the webcomics world. I was sorry to see "Celadore" and "Night Owls" come to an end, but at least they weren't like "I Rule the Night" which just stopped. I have picked up a few others along the way to fill the void. "Lily of the Valley" seems to be picking up as it goes and the "Abominable Charles Christopher" for instance may be my favourite webcomic. And I think Andy Belanger's "Bottle of Awesome" has been getting better as it's gone on. But admittedly, I have sort of stuck to webcomics on Zuda and DrunkDuck or followed some of the talent from those sites.
A definite highlight to my year was attending Canada Fan Expo 2009. It was my first big convention and I was a bit overwhelmed but it was definitely a weekend to remember. There were the tv/movie celebrities I got to meet (or just see in person) and there were the comic professionals. Most of the people I met were very friendly. I probably bugged Caanan and Andy Belanger the most by dropping by every once in a while to chat (when they weren't busy) but they were nice enough not to show any annoyance.
So that was a brief look at some of 2009 for me, at least the comic/geek related stuff (I'll leave the more personal rants and such for my friends and family). As for the coming year and the future, here are some of the things I'm looking forward to, either in 2010 or beyond. We have Josh Alves' latest webcomic, Heropotamus. It looks to be off to a good start and I enjoyed his Araknid Kid. There is the Guild comic written by Felicia Day (who took the time to comment on the sketch of Codex I did a while back, which was also a highlight of my year). Of course, there's Canada Fan Expo 2010 which I'm already looking forward to. We have Marvel purchasing Marvelman which I'll be picking up as soon as they get the Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman stuff back into print (I was really excited by that news this year). And personally, I'll be kicking off the final chapter of my webcomic, Divine Leap. And of course, I'm looking forward to more great stuff from the above mentioned books I'm reading.
So I'll just end 2009 by saying thank you to everyone who's stuck around to read this blog, to everyone who took the time to comment, and to anyone who just dropped by. I hope 2009 was good to you and that 2010 will be even better.
The year started off not so good for me. Ottawa was still dealing with a bus strike with no end in sight. And considering I don't own a car and am living in the burbs, I wasn't in a happy place. Friends and family stepped up to help with the essentials (work, groceries, etc) but other than that, I was stuck at home for the most part. It was a pretty rough time for me though admittedly, there were a lot of people who had it far worse.
So getting to the comics, this year really continued my transition away from the monthlies. I dropped titles or titles I was reading were dropped. It's got to the point now that after Buffy season 8 ends I will stop buying monthlies and go to trade paperbacks for my two remaining books, the Incredible Hulk and Elephantmen. On the topic of the Hulk, I initially hated the idea of the "new She-Hulk" but the character has grown on me a bit. I'm still not a big fan of her being "She-Hulk" as I'm still a fan of "the She-Hulk" but she's become someone I could follow. I still dislike the "Red Hulk" and Loeb's writing (on the Hulk books at least).
The first highlight in terms of print books was finally reading Sandman. It's a lot to take in but an excellent story. And I'm enjoying Invincible, the Walking Dead, Locke & Key, Fables, Jack of Fables (a recent/Christmas addition), Ex Machina, Umbrella Academy, and Mouse Guard, all in TPB or collected editions. I'm also looking forward to Powers picking up again and the conclusions to Planetary and Scott Pilgrim. So still plenty of reading, just in a different format. And I'll still be picking up the odd mini-series and such in collected forms.
Which leads me to the webcomics world. I was sorry to see "Celadore" and "Night Owls" come to an end, but at least they weren't like "I Rule the Night" which just stopped. I have picked up a few others along the way to fill the void. "Lily of the Valley" seems to be picking up as it goes and the "Abominable Charles Christopher" for instance may be my favourite webcomic. And I think Andy Belanger's "Bottle of Awesome" has been getting better as it's gone on. But admittedly, I have sort of stuck to webcomics on Zuda and DrunkDuck or followed some of the talent from those sites.
A definite highlight to my year was attending Canada Fan Expo 2009. It was my first big convention and I was a bit overwhelmed but it was definitely a weekend to remember. There were the tv/movie celebrities I got to meet (or just see in person) and there were the comic professionals. Most of the people I met were very friendly. I probably bugged Caanan and Andy Belanger the most by dropping by every once in a while to chat (when they weren't busy) but they were nice enough not to show any annoyance.
So that was a brief look at some of 2009 for me, at least the comic/geek related stuff (I'll leave the more personal rants and such for my friends and family). As for the coming year and the future, here are some of the things I'm looking forward to, either in 2010 or beyond. We have Josh Alves' latest webcomic, Heropotamus. It looks to be off to a good start and I enjoyed his Araknid Kid. There is the Guild comic written by Felicia Day (who took the time to comment on the sketch of Codex I did a while back, which was also a highlight of my year). Of course, there's Canada Fan Expo 2010 which I'm already looking forward to. We have Marvel purchasing Marvelman which I'll be picking up as soon as they get the Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman stuff back into print (I was really excited by that news this year). And personally, I'll be kicking off the final chapter of my webcomic, Divine Leap. And of course, I'm looking forward to more great stuff from the above mentioned books I'm reading.
So I'll just end 2009 by saying thank you to everyone who's stuck around to read this blog, to everyone who took the time to comment, and to anyone who just dropped by. I hope 2009 was good to you and that 2010 will be even better.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for December 23, 2009
My last weekly comic reviews post of 2009. I am planning a "2009 Year End" post for next week. I just have to look through the year's posts and see what I want to say. :)
Fall of the Hulks Gamma -- I really want to avoid the spoilers here... Let's start with the art. I have to be honest, I have seen better work from Romita Jr. Some parts just looked rather bad, like he just rushed through it way too quickly. And I can't say for sure where the story is going but all the "surprises" and "twists and turns" of this issue seemed not only forced but also could be seen coming from miles away. I almost didn't expect them to happen because they seemed too obvious but I was wrong. I have an idea where the story is going but again, it seems so obvious that I hope I'm wrong. Overall, not really liking this issue and don't really have high hopes for the storyline at the moment.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow -- I think I could have passed on this issue. First up, it takes place before the series started, so much has happened that it seems like revisiting that time isn't really all that necessary. Unless there's something important which I may have missed. You see a bit more of Willow's character but not really enough for a full comic. And I found the writing and dialogue felt a little off in the beginning, I just found it a little hard to follow. I did think Karl Moline did a good job on the likenesses and the art was pretty solid throughout, though the inks may have been a bit heavy in parts. Overall, a good issue for Buffy fans I suppose but not a great issue in my opinion.
So I end the year on two not-so-positive reviews. I have a few TPBs coming in so perhaps I'll do some reviews of those to end the year on a more positive note. But with that...
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Fall of the Hulks Gamma -- I really want to avoid the spoilers here... Let's start with the art. I have to be honest, I have seen better work from Romita Jr. Some parts just looked rather bad, like he just rushed through it way too quickly. And I can't say for sure where the story is going but all the "surprises" and "twists and turns" of this issue seemed not only forced but also could be seen coming from miles away. I almost didn't expect them to happen because they seemed too obvious but I was wrong. I have an idea where the story is going but again, it seems so obvious that I hope I'm wrong. Overall, not really liking this issue and don't really have high hopes for the storyline at the moment.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow -- I think I could have passed on this issue. First up, it takes place before the series started, so much has happened that it seems like revisiting that time isn't really all that necessary. Unless there's something important which I may have missed. You see a bit more of Willow's character but not really enough for a full comic. And I found the writing and dialogue felt a little off in the beginning, I just found it a little hard to follow. I did think Karl Moline did a good job on the likenesses and the art was pretty solid throughout, though the inks may have been a bit heavy in parts. Overall, a good issue for Buffy fans I suppose but not a great issue in my opinion.
So I end the year on two not-so-positive reviews. I have a few TPBs coming in so perhaps I'll do some reviews of those to end the year on a more positive note. But with that...
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for December 16, 2009
Let's get right to it shall we...
Darkness/Pitt #3 (of 3) -- First off, amazing artwork. I don't know if it was my print of the book or not but a few pages seemed a bit washed out where the inks and colours looked a little faded but still, really great. In some panels though the art seemed ... different than the previous issues. Maybe it was just the difference between when issue 1 was done and issue 2 but I don't know. Still, I really do love Dale Keown's work. It was a good conclusion to the story which I'd say was pretty good but really, it felt like just an excuse to get these characters together. And they were great together. Funny and intense. I did enjoy this series. One thing I said to Dale Keown when I met him briefly at Fan Expo Canada was that I almost wished the pages were larger to show off more of the detail of his work (though I don't think I put it that way and I think I just confused him or he thought I just wanted more pages, not too sure, but he was polite about it). Anywho, enough name dropping, I'd say this series is worth checking out.
Elephantmen #23 -- I was a little harsh on the last issue but I thought this one was much better in terms of art and the writing. It did feel a little weird and a bit jumpy as we get closure in some things and some new questions/stories seem to be starting up. I'd say it's a solid issue of what I consider a great series. And I guess that's all I have to say about that. :)
As an added bonus, here's the gift I drew for the DrunkDuck Secret Santa. It was for the user usedbooks who makes the comic Used Books.
Darkness/Pitt #3 (of 3) -- First off, amazing artwork. I don't know if it was my print of the book or not but a few pages seemed a bit washed out where the inks and colours looked a little faded but still, really great. In some panels though the art seemed ... different than the previous issues. Maybe it was just the difference between when issue 1 was done and issue 2 but I don't know. Still, I really do love Dale Keown's work. It was a good conclusion to the story which I'd say was pretty good but really, it felt like just an excuse to get these characters together. And they were great together. Funny and intense. I did enjoy this series. One thing I said to Dale Keown when I met him briefly at Fan Expo Canada was that I almost wished the pages were larger to show off more of the detail of his work (though I don't think I put it that way and I think I just confused him or he thought I just wanted more pages, not too sure, but he was polite about it). Anywho, enough name dropping, I'd say this series is worth checking out.
Elephantmen #23 -- I was a little harsh on the last issue but I thought this one was much better in terms of art and the writing. It did feel a little weird and a bit jumpy as we get closure in some things and some new questions/stories seem to be starting up. I'd say it's a solid issue of what I consider a great series. And I guess that's all I have to say about that. :)
As an added bonus, here's the gift I drew for the DrunkDuck Secret Santa. It was for the user usedbooks who makes the comic Used Books.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for December 9th, 2009 -- SPOILERS
I decided to pick up the What if? World War Hulk special so a whopping two books to review. Spoilers abound.
Incredible Hulk #605 -- This was a pretty disappointing issue. I guess it all centers around Skaar feeling it necessary to be the one to kill the creatures from Sakaar but the book seemed to be all over the place. From Moleman's sad little story to Tyranus' appearance, it just seemed like a mix of things that were unnecessary to the story. Perhaps it's due to the fact that this is the calm before the Fall of the Hulks storm or it's just that I don't really care about these characters (including Skaar) all that much. Both Olivetti and Pelletier's art were nice but didn't really fit together over the story. And I felt the fight between Skaar and Tyranus could have been a bit clearer as to what was happening in some panels. Overall, not really a great issue in my opinion.
What if? World War Hulk #1 -- After the disappointment of the Incredible Hulk issue I really hoped this would be a good book. It wasn't. It was really bad. I almost wondered if the creators had even read the World War Hulk series. The Hulk just didn't feel like the "Green Scar" Hulk that was in World War Hulk. And the idea of "what if the heroes had lost" just seemed off because it's not really like they won World War Hulk in the first place. This was more like "what if the heroes really screwed up and killed themselves" and focused on the Skrull/Secret Invasion. The Thor joining WWH story was really bad. So a trainload of people convinced the Hulk to talk it out with Thor? That seemed really weak. Some of the cartoons at the end were pretty funny though. But a very week issue of What if? and not something I'd recommend.
So yeah, not a very good week I felt.
Incredible Hulk #605 -- This was a pretty disappointing issue. I guess it all centers around Skaar feeling it necessary to be the one to kill the creatures from Sakaar but the book seemed to be all over the place. From Moleman's sad little story to Tyranus' appearance, it just seemed like a mix of things that were unnecessary to the story. Perhaps it's due to the fact that this is the calm before the Fall of the Hulks storm or it's just that I don't really care about these characters (including Skaar) all that much. Both Olivetti and Pelletier's art were nice but didn't really fit together over the story. And I felt the fight between Skaar and Tyranus could have been a bit clearer as to what was happening in some panels. Overall, not really a great issue in my opinion.
What if? World War Hulk #1 -- After the disappointment of the Incredible Hulk issue I really hoped this would be a good book. It wasn't. It was really bad. I almost wondered if the creators had even read the World War Hulk series. The Hulk just didn't feel like the "Green Scar" Hulk that was in World War Hulk. And the idea of "what if the heroes had lost" just seemed off because it's not really like they won World War Hulk in the first place. This was more like "what if the heroes really screwed up and killed themselves" and focused on the Skrull/Secret Invasion. The Thor joining WWH story was really bad. So a trainload of people convinced the Hulk to talk it out with Thor? That seemed really weak. Some of the cartoons at the end were pretty funny though. But a very week issue of What if? and not something I'd recommend.
So yeah, not a very good week I felt.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Very late reviews for December 2nd, 2009 (and older)
I was travelling for work last week but I was finally able to pick up my books from last week which included the second issue of "The Stuff of Legend" (my comic shop missed ordering it for me the first time around).
The Stuff of Legend #2 -- I thought that this was advertised as a two issue story but it looks like only chapter 1 is two issues and there's not a lot of closure with the ending of chapter 1. This was a really solid issue though. A lot of emotions at play and unique characters showing their range. And the art is really beautiful and solid storytelling for the most part (a few scenes took me a minute to figure out but weren't too bad). I have seen/heard people comparing this to Toy Story (it is toys coming to life after all) but I think that really does this a disservice, there's so much more to the story and the characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story and characters go so I'm a little disappointed in the length of time between issues (I think the second volume is set to start in the spring 2010, around the same time as the collected version of the first two issues) but at least they're upfront with the schedule. I definitely recommend checking this one out, especially with the Free Comic Book Day book online.
Fall of the Hulk Alpha #1 -- I was on the fence as to whether or not I would be picking this series up but I decided to give it a try, I need some books to review after all. I'll see where it goes and drop it if I need to pick up Loeb's Red Hulk stuff (seriously, even the characters who created him are refering to him as "a Red Hulk" as in "we will create a Red Hulk"?). First up, I love Pelletier's work. I thought the inking here was a little rough but still really impressive art. As for the story, I'm not a huge fan of this trend towards "Look, we have another group of masterminds who have secretly been behind all these events in the Marvel Universe. Isn't that clever?" How many "secret groups" are there and how many have Doom involved? Though I guess that makes sense for Doom. I do have to admit to kinda liking the explanation of this group being behind helping each other out when they get caught or worse, explaining their (and other character's) unexplained freedom and reappearances throughout the years. But in the end I was sort of "meh, it feels like it's been done very recently by the Illuminati and the Cabal." If you're a big Hulk fan and looking forward to Fall of the Hulks this is a pretty important book, but I wasn't really blown away by anything in the story yet. Just have to see where things go I suppose.
The Stuff of Legend #2 -- I thought that this was advertised as a two issue story but it looks like only chapter 1 is two issues and there's not a lot of closure with the ending of chapter 1. This was a really solid issue though. A lot of emotions at play and unique characters showing their range. And the art is really beautiful and solid storytelling for the most part (a few scenes took me a minute to figure out but weren't too bad). I have seen/heard people comparing this to Toy Story (it is toys coming to life after all) but I think that really does this a disservice, there's so much more to the story and the characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story and characters go so I'm a little disappointed in the length of time between issues (I think the second volume is set to start in the spring 2010, around the same time as the collected version of the first two issues) but at least they're upfront with the schedule. I definitely recommend checking this one out, especially with the Free Comic Book Day book online.
Fall of the Hulk Alpha #1 -- I was on the fence as to whether or not I would be picking this series up but I decided to give it a try, I need some books to review after all. I'll see where it goes and drop it if I need to pick up Loeb's Red Hulk stuff (seriously, even the characters who created him are refering to him as "a Red Hulk" as in "we will create a Red Hulk"?). First up, I love Pelletier's work. I thought the inking here was a little rough but still really impressive art. As for the story, I'm not a huge fan of this trend towards "Look, we have another group of masterminds who have secretly been behind all these events in the Marvel Universe. Isn't that clever?" How many "secret groups" are there and how many have Doom involved? Though I guess that makes sense for Doom. I do have to admit to kinda liking the explanation of this group being behind helping each other out when they get caught or worse, explaining their (and other character's) unexplained freedom and reappearances throughout the years. But in the end I was sort of "meh, it feels like it's been done very recently by the Illuminati and the Cabal." If you're a big Hulk fan and looking forward to Fall of the Hulks this is a pretty important book, but I wasn't really blown away by anything in the story yet. Just have to see where things go I suppose.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for November 25th, 2009
Only the one book came out for me this week.
Son of Hulk #17 -- I haven't been a big fan of this series but I was hoping for a good finale. Unfortunately I was left pretty disappointed. I found myself just struggling to make it through the issue as I really didn't care about the characters or what was happening. Every character seemed to be a throw away character. Even one of the "main" characters is listed as "MIA" at the beginning of the book which led me to believe there would be more to her story, there wasn't... So why should I have cared? I really should have stopped collecting this series a while back and I don't recommend it.
I'll be away next week for a conference (work related) so there won't be much happening on here for a little while.
Son of Hulk #17 -- I haven't been a big fan of this series but I was hoping for a good finale. Unfortunately I was left pretty disappointed. I found myself just struggling to make it through the issue as I really didn't care about the characters or what was happening. Every character seemed to be a throw away character. Even one of the "main" characters is listed as "MIA" at the beginning of the book which led me to believe there would be more to her story, there wasn't... So why should I have cared? I really should have stopped collecting this series a while back and I don't recommend it.
I'll be away next week for a conference (work related) so there won't be much happening on here for a little while.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for November 18, 2009 -- SPOILERS
Two books to review this week and I'll have to make them short.
Dr Horrible One Shot -- Good art, decent story, but not a great book. I felt the character's voices were there and it was interesting to see Dr Horrible's start but this book felt a little light on story. Some parts seemed to be dragged out over too many pages/panels and by the end I thought that it could have potentially been reduced to fewer pages and either put online or maybe had the other Dr Horrible online comics included in this print version. If you're a Dr Horrible fan you're probably going to pick it up no matter what anyone says and as a fan, I'd say check it out but don't expect something that great.
Incredible Hulk #604 -- My first thought was "When did Rick take over A-Bomb? And if he has, why hasn't he revealed to everyone who the Red Hulk is?" But I quickly figured it happened in Loeb's Hulk series (or not) and moved on. I do like both artists who work on this book and again, the two artists wasn't really as distracting as I've seen it in the past. The overall story is interesting, we get to see a lot more of Banner's thinking and current personality/state of mind, but parts felt a little quick/convenient/rushed. The Harpy/Marlo thing for instance, where did that come from so suddenly? And it disappeared as quickly as it started. I really want to like this book and I don't think it's bad, but I think the story could be told a bit better.
Dr Horrible One Shot -- Good art, decent story, but not a great book. I felt the character's voices were there and it was interesting to see Dr Horrible's start but this book felt a little light on story. Some parts seemed to be dragged out over too many pages/panels and by the end I thought that it could have potentially been reduced to fewer pages and either put online or maybe had the other Dr Horrible online comics included in this print version. If you're a Dr Horrible fan you're probably going to pick it up no matter what anyone says and as a fan, I'd say check it out but don't expect something that great.
Incredible Hulk #604 -- My first thought was "When did Rick take over A-Bomb? And if he has, why hasn't he revealed to everyone who the Red Hulk is?" But I quickly figured it happened in Loeb's Hulk series (or not) and moved on. I do like both artists who work on this book and again, the two artists wasn't really as distracting as I've seen it in the past. The overall story is interesting, we get to see a lot more of Banner's thinking and current personality/state of mind, but parts felt a little quick/convenient/rushed. The Harpy/Marlo thing for instance, where did that come from so suddenly? And it disappeared as quickly as it started. I really want to like this book and I don't think it's bad, but I think the story could be told a bit better.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for November 11th, 2009
I got nothing. No books came out for me this week which really isn't too surprising. I'm not really too sure what I'm going to blog about when I switch to TPBs. I don't normally like reviewing those and they are months apart. Perhaps I'll try to post more about other comic news and webcomic stuff.
But if you're really desperate for some reviews I did read "I Kill Giants" and "Stitches: A Memoir" recently. And looking back, I wish I had separated them with a few more light hearted books instead of reading them one after the other.
I found with I Kill Giants that it took a few pages before I felt comfortable reading it. It's a little different visually than what I'm used to but it was the word balloons that I found a little challenging, always looking for the little line that indicated who was saying what. Either I adapted or it got better as the book went on. But overall, an extremely moving and compelling story and the art really fit and told the story well. Definitely worth checking out.
Stitches: A Memoir didn't have the dynamic art and layouts of I Kill Giants but told a very personal story in a more straight forward style. The art was more along the lines of storybook illustrations though it did flow rather well. I think this style worked here and anything more "dynamic" just wouldn't have fit. When I was done reading it I had mixed feelings about some things such as wanting to explore certain parts of the story more but I think David Small says it best in the write ups at the end, this is his story. He could have gone more into his mother's story or his father's but I think he's right not to and just leave it to the reader to think about. It's definitely a touching story that plays on many emotions. I'd say this one is worth checking out as well.
I also finally checked out an episode of "Ink: Alter Egos Exposed" and it was interesting. It was about politics in comics. The downside is that there is so much that could be talked about that you only get snippets in the 30 minutes they boil it down to and so much is missed. But on the other hand, they do talk about some interesting stuff that I hadn't heard about (such as Joe Sacco, a journalist who uses comics to report on what's happening). I really want to see the other 9 episodes they did for this show but then again, I can always stand to listen to people talk comics so that's no surprise.
But if you're really desperate for some reviews I did read "I Kill Giants" and "Stitches: A Memoir" recently. And looking back, I wish I had separated them with a few more light hearted books instead of reading them one after the other.
I found with I Kill Giants that it took a few pages before I felt comfortable reading it. It's a little different visually than what I'm used to but it was the word balloons that I found a little challenging, always looking for the little line that indicated who was saying what. Either I adapted or it got better as the book went on. But overall, an extremely moving and compelling story and the art really fit and told the story well. Definitely worth checking out.
Stitches: A Memoir didn't have the dynamic art and layouts of I Kill Giants but told a very personal story in a more straight forward style. The art was more along the lines of storybook illustrations though it did flow rather well. I think this style worked here and anything more "dynamic" just wouldn't have fit. When I was done reading it I had mixed feelings about some things such as wanting to explore certain parts of the story more but I think David Small says it best in the write ups at the end, this is his story. He could have gone more into his mother's story or his father's but I think he's right not to and just leave it to the reader to think about. It's definitely a touching story that plays on many emotions. I'd say this one is worth checking out as well.
I also finally checked out an episode of "Ink: Alter Egos Exposed" and it was interesting. It was about politics in comics. The downside is that there is so much that could be talked about that you only get snippets in the 30 minutes they boil it down to and so much is missed. But on the other hand, they do talk about some interesting stuff that I hadn't heard about (such as Joe Sacco, a journalist who uses comics to report on what's happening). I really want to see the other 9 episodes they did for this show but then again, I can always stand to listen to people talk comics so that's no surprise.
Friday, November 06, 2009
V -- SPOILERS
Finally got around to watching the first episode of V and was pretty disappointed. I thought the acting was good but that was about it. The story didn't really hook me and it felt like they were trying way too hard with the whole "secret terrorist cell" to be relevant to the real world or something. And I found it extremely predictable. All the plot twists (really, how many do you need to throw into the first episode) were pretty transparent early on. Also, how many worm's eye views do you really need? They really seemed to be pushing the whole "Hey, crazy camera angles, that creates drama right?" thing. I really hope it gets better soon but if this what they thought would hook people as their initial episode I'll probably be dropping this show from my watch list pretty quickly.
Weekly Comic Reviews for November 4th, 2009
At home sick today. Nothing serious, I think it's just a combination of several things.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30 -- Again, not really too thrilled with this issue. And it's the same things, the storytelling aspect just doesn't seem to be executed well. Sometimes it's confusing what's going on, who's talking, and their is just weird times where I'm trying to figure out if I'm missing something. I'm wondering about Twilight mentioning a god almost killing Buffy and her friends only it's not shown until half way through the next page. Can he see the future or something? Overall I've just found this series to be going downhill recently. I'm still hoping things get turned around but we'll see.
One other thing, once Buffy season 8 is over that'll most likely be it for my weekly comic purchasing. If I do decide to buy season 9 it will be through the TPBs so I'd be down to two monthly books at that point (Incredible Hulk and Elephantmen) and I was thinking of going with TPBs on Elephantmen anyways so that would just leave the Incredible Hulk. So long story short, there's no point and I'll be going all TPBs. Perhaps I'll drop by a store to pick up the odd one-shot (though if companies start selling online through Longbox or something else then I won't even do that) but that's about it.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30 -- Again, not really too thrilled with this issue. And it's the same things, the storytelling aspect just doesn't seem to be executed well. Sometimes it's confusing what's going on, who's talking, and their is just weird times where I'm trying to figure out if I'm missing something. I'm wondering about Twilight mentioning a god almost killing Buffy and her friends only it's not shown until half way through the next page. Can he see the future or something? Overall I've just found this series to be going downhill recently. I'm still hoping things get turned around but we'll see.
One other thing, once Buffy season 8 is over that'll most likely be it for my weekly comic purchasing. If I do decide to buy season 9 it will be through the TPBs so I'd be down to two monthly books at that point (Incredible Hulk and Elephantmen) and I was thinking of going with TPBs on Elephantmen anyways so that would just leave the Incredible Hulk. So long story short, there's no point and I'll be going all TPBs. Perhaps I'll drop by a store to pick up the odd one-shot (though if companies start selling online through Longbox or something else then I won't even do that) but that's about it.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Weekly Comic Reviews for October 28th, 2009 -- SPOILERS
I know, I'm really late with this review. And even now I have to make it quick.
Son of Hulk #16 -- I said in my last review that we seem to be getting dragged very slowly to the final confrontation (or whatever) with Galactus and here we have yet another issue supposedly building up to that. I'm really not into this series at all any more. Characters that I kinda cared about are dead and they just seem to be throwing random characters with no identities into the mix and killing them off. There really doesn't seem to be a strong pull for me to get into the story. If the next issue wasn't the last I would have dropped this series already.
Son of Hulk #16 -- I said in my last review that we seem to be getting dragged very slowly to the final confrontation (or whatever) with Galactus and here we have yet another issue supposedly building up to that. I'm really not into this series at all any more. Characters that I kinda cared about are dead and they just seem to be throwing random characters with no identities into the mix and killing them off. There really doesn't seem to be a strong pull for me to get into the story. If the next issue wasn't the last I would have dropped this series already.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
What I've Been Reading
I'll be heading to my comic shop tomorrow. So until here then, here's a list of some of the stuff (TPBs for the most part) I've read over the last while:
All New Savage She-Hulk Vol 1 -- Yeah, I was ticked about the whole canceling She-Hulk and having this series come out using the She-Hulk name but after reading the She-Hulk bits in Incredible Hulk I decided to give it a try. I actually think it's well done and the character is interesting.
Irredeemable Vol 1 -- Better than I was expecting, really good actually. They're doing a good job of the whole "most powerful hero becoming the most evil person on the planet", an idea I initially kinda didn't think was enough of a hook for me.
Umbrella Academy Dallas -- I actually liked this volume more than the first. Somewhat out there but well done.
Wonderful Wizard of Oz -- Beautiful art and more faithful to the book (than the movie). Worth checking out.
Locke & Key Vol 2 -- Took me a bit to get back into it (had to really remind myself of the characters and where they were left off at the end of Volume 1) but some really interesting stuff going on. Definitely looking forward to volume 3.
Peter & Max -- Great novel and a must read for Fables fans. Non-Fables readers can also enjoy it.
All New Savage She-Hulk Vol 1 -- Yeah, I was ticked about the whole canceling She-Hulk and having this series come out using the She-Hulk name but after reading the She-Hulk bits in Incredible Hulk I decided to give it a try. I actually think it's well done and the character is interesting.
Irredeemable Vol 1 -- Better than I was expecting, really good actually. They're doing a good job of the whole "most powerful hero becoming the most evil person on the planet", an idea I initially kinda didn't think was enough of a hook for me.
Umbrella Academy Dallas -- I actually liked this volume more than the first. Somewhat out there but well done.
Wonderful Wizard of Oz -- Beautiful art and more faithful to the book (than the movie). Worth checking out.
Locke & Key Vol 2 -- Took me a bit to get back into it (had to really remind myself of the characters and where they were left off at the end of Volume 1) but some really interesting stuff going on. Definitely looking forward to volume 3.
Peter & Max -- Great novel and a must read for Fables fans. Non-Fables readers can also enjoy it.
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