Weekly Comic Reviews for May 23rd, 2007 -- SPOILERS

A whopping 3 books to review this week but I don't expect any to be as long winded as my Ultimates review from last week. And I haven't come up with my rating system quite yet, maybe by next week I'll have something creative. This week we have She-Hulk #18, Elephantmen #9, and The Spirit #6. So let's get to it.

She-Hulk #18 -- In an interview on Newsarama Dan Slott tried to convince readers that the issue was worth reading even though the delay meant the story was already spoiled by the Incredible Hulk #106. To some degree he may be right but with the big finale of She-Hulk being depowered by Iron Man already being revealed, the book just seemed to take a long time getting to a place we already knew it was going. Sure, there was a few things of interest like the Hulkbusters (sans She-Hulk) taking out the Leader. Seriously, this team of four individuals are taking out everyone who has given the Hulk a problem in the past, how sad is that? I've always hoped for writers to do more with the Leader but he continues to seem like just a joke. It makes me appreciate Peter David's run on the Hulk that much more. And getting nitpicky now, why did they need the U-Foes for their nano-technology? I had thought they were using gamma-powered individuals to develop it but the U-Foes are, like the FF, cosmic ray based. So it seems odd that they would hold the key to depowering gamma-powered people. But I guess She-Hulk line about needing "Hulk level threats" and developing a system to take them out (and the Hulk in particular) is supposed to cover that. Which seems odd, you would think a system to neutralize powers would be more based on how the powers act than on the person's "threat level". And why only Hulk foes then? Other characters and teams have taken on powerhouses. I guess the system is designed for the Hulk so it might make a bit of sense but in the same way, it seems rather forced. Oh yeah, and we get "Agent Beefcake" to counter "Agent Cheesecake" and take a wink at the double standard in comics... oops, I mean "SHIELD". I don't know what it is, whether it's trying to shove a bunch of World War Hulk stuff before the big story hits or Dan Slott trying to tie up as much as he can before he leaves the book but I just haven't been liking this series as much as of late. And the art just isn't helping. To be honest, I'd probably drop the series with this issue if I didn't know Slott was bringing things to an end and someone else was coming in. I'm eager to see who this someone is so I can decide if I want to keep going. But having said all that, She-Hulk's comments towards Tony and her comparing his actions to Dr Doom did make me feel at least somewhat good as was the pounding she gave him before being depowered. Almost forgot, the "Mission Accomplished" scene/banner, I did chuckle slightly but at the same time I kinda groaned. So in the end, I can't really recommend this book. Amazing how the mighty have fallen here.

Elephantmen #9 -- It seems like it's been a while since I last read an issue of this series. Again, we get the split book and again, we get two character-driven short stories. Now both are really well done. We have Hip on a grocery trip with his broken leg and it's a nice character piece. A few more details about MAPPO and the state of the world are outlined and taken on its own it's a nice little piece of storytelling with solid art. On the down side, it almost seems like this series is relying only on these. The narrative talking about how Hip was built for taking lives, the hardship he went through to be rehabilitated, and the extra "friendly" female acquaintance just seems to have been done already in this series. At this point I'd actually be happy with less "character" and more story. Fortunately, the conclusion of this mini-story seems to be the start of something and I'm kinda hoping it's not another character piece. The second story gives us an adventure of "The Silencer", a hitman sent out by Serengheti to take care of an ex-employee currently under police protection. A somewhat neat feature is that there's no dialogue to this story so it's just the art telling the story. Which matches the character. It's very short (and very quick to read considering the lack of dialogue) but you get a bit more of a sense of the character. Actually, it's done well enough that you can even sense a bit of Lieutenant Trench's character traits despite not actually getting the dialogue attached to him. So it was good little add on to a main story if the book had a main story. This issue still makes it to my recommended reading list but I can understand if some people are looking for a little more meat to the story.

The Spirit #6 -- We get another decent little story albeit a somewhat predictable one. It's weird for me, the characters are all distinct and interesting. The stories aren't really bad or anything. And the art, a somewhat cartoon style that matches the book well, is solid. But in the end, something is missing for me. It just doesn't feel very "fresh" or new. It's not a bad little story to read through but I guess I'm just too used to something different. As much as I like the characters, I'd like a little more character development of some sort. Instead, we get unique characters that will appear in this issue but we'll never see again. And I guess that's the downfall of each issue being a confined story, it's great for anyone who is interested in picking the series up at any point in time as nothing really relies on knowledge of the previous issue. But at the same time, it somewhat limits you that you can't develop something a bit more. I almost felt the same way when reading Eisner's original Spirit. The stories seemed interesting albeit done before. The problem there was that I was reading them as though they were written now when in fact, at the time the stories were written they were new and fresh for the world of comics. So it was a testament to the stories that they still seemed relevant. Here, it just seems they are going for that same feel and to some degree they are succeeding. But it's just not what I'm looking for. So unfortunately, this will be my last issue of the Spirit. I'd recommend reading it for yourself to see if it suits you but unfortunately, it just doesn't suit me.

Wow, it seems like a really down week or something with those reviews. Oh well, I'm still making my way through "From Hell" so there's always that.

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 16th, 2007 -- Some SPOILERS

Another week goes by. Only the two books this week, Ultimates 2 #13 (finally) and The Great and Secret Show #12. Well, it's almost lunch time for me so let's get right to it.

Ultimates 2 #13 -- I can't do a review of this book without bringing up the lateness of it. The series has been known for its lateness but the last issue came out in September. I've seen (and been involved in) enough finger pointing already so I won't go into that again. But Marvel really needs to get it under control. Too many books are just way too late. Getting beyond that, let's get in to the details. Do we have the big epic battle that we need? Yep, though throughout I wondered where Iron Man and his big battle cruiser was in all this. He gets tacked on in the end but it's like Millar just forgot about him. Or maybe I forgot what happened in the last issue (it has been a while) and there's a reason he wasn't in on the fighting. But everyone else gets screen time at least, if not dialogue. Tony gets nothing until the fight is over. Do all the plot lines and questions get answered? Yep. Do the bad guys get what they deserve? Yep. Everything gets a nice little bow on it so the next creative team can take over and do what they like. In fact, the team even sheds its overbearing and borderline evil controlling ways by splitting from the US and SHIELD to become their own little superteam (funny how Millar puts all the heroes under the US and SHIELD in the regular universe and then comes up with logical reasons to split them here). So there's less worry about the series continuing to have a political tone to it and may get to be a superhero book after all. As for the art, in some parts it did feel rushed. I'm not 100% sold on Hitch's art. Sometimes I look at a page and go "Woah! What detail." And then I look at a page and see the Hulk's arm twisted in some way that would make him appear to be rubber or Captain America with skinny, weird looking arms. The battles are impressive (as is the 8 page foldout) in the grand scope but also seem rushed at times. Perhaps he needed more than 9 weeks or could have dialed down the level of detail. So the story comes to a fitting end and everything is ready for the next team. I'm kinda happy with that. So all in all, it was worth the read and maybe some of the wait.

The Great and Secret Show #12 -- The series comes to an end here. The best thing about this book, they include a few pages at the beginning that run down the major events and characters so far. I needed that refresher and it was well done. It was worth the $4 (or whatever it was) right there. Then the story reaches its epic conclusion and we get the usual epilogue and set up for the next chapter in the story. This issue continued to be as well done as every other issue in the series and the recap really helped me (I keep saying that don't I?). Just like the Ultimates, things are tied up nicely while setting you up for the next chapter/book. Though maybe one or two times things get a bit rushed through for the sake of finishing the story but it wasn't too bad, it wasn't Spider-Man 3 bad. :) The art continues to be a great match for the story. For the Clive Barker fans (those who have read the novel and those who haven't) this series really does the book justice. And by their thank you statement to Mr Barker it's clear that doing a good job of adapting it was their priority. Perhaps I should have waited and picked up the TPBs but either way, it's worth the read.

For future reviews I'm considering going with a rating system of some sort. I don't want to go in to detailed scoring or anything, just give it three possible scores like a thumb up if I think it's worth checking out, a thumb down if not, and maybe a sideways thumb for books that on the fence. But I'd rather not go with the thumb as it's been done too many times. I'll have to come up with something. And some books I might give multiple ratings for multiple groups of people. One example would be a rating for fans of a character or creator and one for the common fan. But enough rambling, it's just something I'm thinking about doing.

Weekly comic reviews for May 3rd, 2007 with SPOILERS

Woohoo! Today was a day of meetings for me. But enough about work, let's get down to business. One book to review today and it's Marvel Zombies: Dead Days. I considered doing a Spider-Man 3 review but I figured I'd put that in its own post. Hopefully I'll get that post done soon. :) I will say that I was a little turned off by George Lucas' comments towards it (calling it "silly" and "a silly movie"). But after sitting through the Star Wars prequels I figure Lucas' opinion of a movie really doesn't matter much to me. Though I do like how he selects the one big summer blockbuster that ILM didn't work on this year to criticize. Anyhow, on to the review...

Marvel Zombies: Dead Days #1 or 1 -- The Marvel Zombies stuff in general has been fun to read with twisted over the top violence and weird twists and turns that you just couldn't do with the regular universe version of the characters (unless you're Mark Millar and writing Civil War... ok, cheap shot). So the book definitely took some twists that I really didn't expect (such as who was responsible for aiding the Zombie Sentry to come to this universe) and Reed Richard's conclusion/decision. So it was interesting to read. But on the other hand, it was a lot of story crammed in to a one shot. And then trying to keep this story straight with what's happening in Army of Darkness/Marvel Zombies ("AoD/MZ" from here on as it's too long to type) while also hearing about what's happening over in Black Panther, well it's enough to make your head do 180's (get it? Zombies... spinning heads... okay, it's almost the weekend so stop criticizing me for lame jokes). But seriously, there's no way you can avoid trying to figure out the timeline as Thor is prominent in this book and not zombified (at least for most of the book) yet zombified in AoD/MZ. And Doom's appearance here as well. There's enough intertwining but it makes my head hurt trying to match it all up. Especially at the speed that this book goes. Honestly, they are rushing out so much zombie stuff to catch the wave that it's becoming more of a flood. There even seemed to be story elements that weren't really thought out all that well (such as why, if Tony built the portal thingmajig, did zombie-Reed take it back to his lab to try and fix it himself when Tony, you know, the guy who built it, was now zombified and probably would have been able to re-build it cause you know, he built it). As for the art, I'm not a huge fan of Phillips' work. His style does fit the zombie genre to some degree but the hero shots sometimes come off pretty weak or to be blunt, ugly. More so in this book than in the initial Marvel Zombies series (at least I found). So again, it seemed rushed to try and get it out in the market before the zombie love dies down ("zombie"... "dies down"... yeah, it's been a long week). Overall, if you like the zombie stuff then it's another fun read. If you don't, then you're probably better off skipping it. Though this could almost serve as a decent jumping on point if you're interested in checking it out.

Free Comic Day Reviews with some spoilers

Yeah, I'm a little late getting to these given that new comics come out today (and I'll be picking them up tomorrow, as usual) but here goes. I picked up three of the free comics and the last two issues of Runaways (now that I've caught up via the digests).

Runaways 25 and 26 -- Joss Whedon's run has begun and what better way to start than with the Kingpin and Punisher? Though it does seem confusing as I though the Kingpin was in jail and the Punisher was busy moping about the death of Captain America but I haven't really been following either character so who knows? Beyond that, Whedon's love of the characters is evident in that he doesn't miss a beat. Every character picks up just where they left off in storyline and in attitude. Perhaps you could argue that they've all seemed to have developed a quick whit to them and there's a few more clever remarks than before but I think adjustments always have to be made for a new writer. But the storyline picks up well minus the jump in story since last issue. You see, the reading order is Runaways 24, then Runaways saga (where they mention getting away from Iron Man and crew), and then Runaways 25. Unfortunately I read Runaways saga but figured the story was just a rehash, then Runaways 24 (in the digest), and now 25. So I forgot that they mentioned getting away from Iron Man and now I wondered how they got away (though I still kinda do). Ok, enough about my problems. The art is great in the book as well with the kids looking like kids (unlike how some covers portray them). And the highlight of the two issues has to be Molly's handling of Punisher. It's perfect for a kid with super strength who forgets that not everyone is super powered. Runaways continues to crawl it's way to the top of my reading list.

Free Comic Day Spider-Man -- Written by Dan Slott and drawn by Phil Jimenez (the rumoured team to take over Amazing Spider-Man this summer) this book is a fun story of Peter's responsibilities as Spider-Man and how it impacts the "little" things in life (like being there for Aunt May's birthday). On top of that, you get some fun interaction between the villains who take bets on whether the new guy/villain will beat Spidey or not. The writing is great for a free comic but might need a bit of a boost for Amazing (though with Slott's writing on She-Hulk I'm confident he can bring his game to the next level, it's his scheduling that may be a problem). And Jimenez's art is good for the most part though I'm not a big fan of going back to the McFarlane-esque swinging (Spidey bent over so far his feet are above his head). My gripe about this book is that I'm not sure where it fits in and in that way, it doesn't really serve to get new readers in. If they read this and think "Yeah, I want to read more Spider-Man" where do they go? It doesn't fit with any of the Spidey books that I know of. Maybe it's Marvel Adventures but it didn't really seem to be.

Free Comic Day Iron Man/Hulk Marvel Adventures -- Two fun little stories with these two Marvel heavy hitters. I was almost going to skip the Iron Man part due to my dislike of what they've done to the character in their main books but I finally got myself to read it. And you know, I actually kinda liked it. Both stories were pretty simple and not really anything new but they were still fun to read. It was nice to see both characters go back to what I felt was their cores. You had Iron Man, despite Tony being an arse, being a hero. And you had the Hulk in his usual scenario (blamed for something that's not his mess and saving the day). And you didn't have a grunting Hulk, he could actually talk to some degree. It almost makes me wonder if the kiddy books (the Marvel Adventures) are what I should be reading.

Lone Ranger/Battlestar Galactica -- Unfortunately I can't review the Battlestar Galactica portion of this book as I didn't read it. It didn't really make much sense to me to read it since I've never watched the new show and have no clue who anyone is. The Lone Ranger portion is okay though. It's a classic "Lone Ranger comes in to town and beats up the bad guys" sorta thing (which the comic has yet to get to) so it might be fun for some readers who may also be disappointed if they then pick up the book and find it much more mature. But at least they won't be surprised by the art as it's the same artist. Again, it's not a bad little tale, especially for a free comic. And it's not completely off from the series so it's not a bad piece of sales bait.

Overall, I'm impressed by just how much Free Comic Day is taking off. There are reports of some Free Comics being picked up rather quickly and in some cases it's not even the Spider-Man or mainstream stuff. The fact that the companies are actually getting decent talent to do new stories for it is a major plus. I prefer if they tie it in with an ongoing book so readers who enjoy the Free Comic can continue reading but I know that can also be tough. I'm looking forward to where they go from here.

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 2nd, 2007 -- MINOR SPOILERS

It was a busy week for me in comics (relatively speaking) and I have a house warming to get to so I'll have to be a little brief. As for why these weren't posted yesterday, I went to see Spider-Man 3. That review will have to wait though. :) As for comics, we have Hulk #106, World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker, Astonishing X-Men #21, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #3, Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #3, Omega Flight #2, Dark Tower #4, and the seventh Runaways digest.

Hulk #106 -- Fortunately I read online that this book was to be read before the WWH Prologue. Unfortunately, it would have been nice to read the She-Hulk issue which precedes it but that was delayed until late May. And I'm a little disappointed that we already know what happens in it. Yet again, books coming out late and out of order but this time it happens right from the start. Hopefully Marvel can get their act together soon. Anyhow, Gary Frank is back to drawing the Hulk and boy what a difference in style since he last drew the book. His Hulk has definitely changed, not that we see much of the big green guy in this book as it's mostly Jen Walters (aka She-Hulk) that gets the screen time here. But it's a solid build up to World War Hulk. The characters are written well and everyone seems more in character than previous books. And we get a lot more character time than they provided in Civil War so you get to see exactly what's going on. It was a good issue and despite my reservations about the World War Hulk storyline, I'm starting to let down my guard.

World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker -- Gary Frank returns to the Hulk in the regular series, Peter David returns to write this prologue. We get a little more Hulk here and even more Jen Walters/Doc Samson stuff. The discussion between these two was great. You see where Jen stands now with her dislike for the registration and how it's being done, trampling over everyone's civil rights and totally corrupt yet she's not eager to start breaking laws either. And it's interesting to see both sides putting their spins on stories. Samson painting the Hulk as the villain or monster in them, Jen painting him as the misunderstood hero. With all my griping about Civil War characterizations so far World War Hulk has been a total 180 for me. But then again, you have Pak and David writing the stuff so far and both have a very good grasp of the characters in question. And so far it's not being driven by tying together events that don't make sense just for the sake of sales. Let's hope it stays that way. Getting back to this book, I'm not a huge fan of the multiple artists but it's not so distracting in this book. Partly because the story already jumps from Hulk to past to Jen and all about so it doesn't seem so jarring for a different artist to jump in. And David does a tremendous job of tying the story together so it doesn't seem jarring either. It's a very solid start and has my hopes up for the remainder of the World War Hulk series. But this time, I'm avoiding some of the spin offs like Frontline.

Oops, forgot to review the other parts to the Prologue. The cartoon was kinda cute and did give readers a quick rundown of Planet Hulk (even if they did get some things wrong such as why he's coming back to Earth). But I'm not so sure it fit here. I mean, the story should be a serious one of what's going through everyone's mind, the rage the Hulk feels at what they've done to him, his wife, and his new friends. So maybe the cartoon approach right off the bat in the prologue wasn't the best strategy. As for the Amadeus Cho story, it's your typical "guy befriends the Hulk" kinda thing. But it's good to give readers a bit of a backstory since Cho is really an unknown for many of us. So it didn't seem so out of place here and was interesting to read at least.

Astonishing X-Men #21 -- Wow! This is going to be hard to say but this was a bit of a letdown for me. Maybe it's partly due to the lengthy wait and the anticipation but I just felt this book was a little bland. You had some more Wolverine one-liners and some interesting character moments but the story seemed to start dragging on at some point. And the issue kinda left me feeling like there should be something more to it. Having said that, it's still a much better book than most of what's out there and maybe it's just up against some other stiff competition this week with the World War Hulk stuff debuting but it didn't thrill me like previous issues of the series. Where as the series has usually been a 10 or at least a solid 9, this book may have dipped down to an 8.5.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3 -- Yet more Whedon goodness. I'm starting to get past the whole "missing the actors" thing and getting used to the comic format for Buffy but I'm not beyond feeling joy at seeing the characters or finding out where they go next with their lives. A nice cameo by Joss in the dreamscape sequence by the way. This issue actually manages to avoid falling in to the "calm before the storm" which usually happens in the second last issue of a storyline but I still found myself eager for it to take that next step and get to the big finale. Some questions are answered, some remain, and some new questions pop up (exactly who did kiss Buffy for example). I can't wait for the next issue... And the one after that... And the one after that...

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #3 -- Well, my prediction for how Ash came through last issue's big finale was true. This issue continued the Army of Darkness/Marvel Zombies goodness with the usual fun oneliners, Ash being Ash, and zombies being zombies. The "Nextwave" stuff was a little lost on me but hey, I can understand that. The Runaways from the previous issue was probably lost somewhat on people who don't read that book. And I got the gist of it anyways. Some of the usual gripes for this book though, like Ash looking out of place in comparison to the other characters. And Thor holding Mjolnir when in the Marvel Zombies series he had a slab of concrete with a metal poll in it. I assumed it was because he could no longer wield Mjolnir after being zombified but maybe he just hasn't done anything yet to become unworthy and once he eats his first person or something, he loses that ability. The finale of this issue had me more stoked about the next issue than last issue's ending though.

Omega Flight #2 -- This book was a bit of a letdown for me. Since it's only a 5 issue series I had hoped that things would happen a little quicker than they are. Even at the end of this issue the team is just starting to meet each other and it's not even in a battle or anything. And as much as I liked the whole "you made the mess" stance to the US, repeating it along with any mention of "you clean it up" this many times starts to go from standing up to them to just being whiny and confrontational just for the heck of it. The art was a little off from last issue I felt. Things seemed a little bit more sloppy and overly dark or muddy at times. I thought it was kinda funny when she said they were looking for an American soldier yet for some reason the guy was drawn with a maple leaf on his helmet. And the number on his dog tag, 123456789, well I guess it's time to change the combination on my luggage. I think I might end up being happy that this was knocked down to a 5 issue series because this issue didn't instill confidence for the rest of it.

Dark Tower #4 -- This series seems to have its ups and downs. Now that we're done with all the new character introductions and such, maybe we can get down to business. And sure enough, we get more of the story developing here. I am wondering if the way they went about putting this book together was the proper way though. There are times where the art and writing just don't flow (like the art is larger and takes longer in comic time than it needs to while other times it's small and the writing takes longer and covers a bigger span than the artwork shows). The artwork itself didn't seem so distracting in this issue either. If this was an ongoing though, I'd have probably dropped it. As it's a limitted, I might as well finish it off. Not that it's terrible or anything, I just think it has lost a bit of its appeal on me.

Runaways volume 7 -- This was one of my favourite volumes of the bunch. The dialogue, the character interaction and development, the emotion, it's all top notch story telling. It had been a while since I had read the previous volume so I was worried I'd need a bit of time to get back into it but I was completely wrong. I fell right back where it left off and was connecting with each character in no time. The characters are different and unique. My emotions toward Chase were mixed, not with disliking the character but disliking what he was doing. And wow, what a way to end the run for Vaughan as Whedon takes over. This series is definitely high on my recommended reading list.

So that's it for me for now. I'm off to par-tay! :)

Weekly Comic Reviews for April 25th, 2007 -- NO SPOILERS

No spoilers because there were no books for me this week. But I have to review something right? Fortunately, I have reviews for Death Note volumes 8 through 11, The Makeshift Miracle, and Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy. Yeah, I was sick for a while and it ended up helping me get some reading done.

Death Note volumes 8 through 11 -- I really don't want to spoil the series for any potential readers so I'll have to be careful here. As the story has progressed it has taken some pretty drastic turns. Some times I kinda felt put off by certain events because I liked how the story was going and the characters. But you really have to be prepared to let any of the characters go at any time. It's kinda tough for a guy who's used to reading North American comics where dead doesn't necessarily mean dead but I see the importance of these events to the story. And in the end, sometimes the ends (in this case, the telling of a compelling story) outweighs the means (sacrificing some characters that readers have become attached to). So enough with the cryptic stuff. The story continues to shift and turn at every opportunity and the suspense builds as Light gets closer and closer to his goal of his "perfect world". I haven't been too ecstatic about the women in the book though and when some characters make comments about how easy it is to use women by playing with their emotions, the knot in my stomach starts to tighten. I wish it was just the raving of a stupid character but so far of the few women that have appeared in the book they haven't really been portrayed very well. I am very eager to read the 12th and final volume of the series when it comes out. I think it's set for a July release and it's going to be a long wait.

The Makeshift Miracle -- The background on how I came about reading this: I've been a lurker on the blog of the writer/artist for this book for a while now. I think I found it via a link on Newsarama when he was talking about how to put a portfolio together. And I would drop by to check out his comments or see his art from time to time. So when he talked about this book, which is a comic he had posted online but has now collected for print, I figured why not give it a read. Gotta support a fellow Canuck after all. :) So as for the review. This is definitely a book that I'll have to give a second read. Not necessarily because it's so great (and that's not to say it's bad) but because it really slaps you upside the head suddenly. It's kinda like those movies with the big ending that you have to re-watch to see how it got to that point. The story seems simple yet weird as you kinda wonder what these characters are thinking when all these events happen. Overall, the story is worth reading in itself as it's quite the magical story with surprising emotion. The art was pretty solid and the style matched the story well but I just felt that something was missing from it. I just can't put my finger on a single overall problem I had with it but it really did have the feel of an amateur webcomic artist without the real punch of a professional. That probably sounds harsh and I really don't mean it to be but that's just what seemed to stick with me as I finished the book. Maybe in a few weeks or maybe even a month or two I'll re-read it. But I'd definitely recommend it for those looking for something a bit different.

The Contract With God Trilogy -- I think more so than the Spirit stuff I read this book shows off Eisner in all his glory. The stories contained in this book are all so meaningful and show the beauty and ugliness of life. Eisner really was a first class storyteller who simply chose "sequential art" to tell those stories and had more than enough talent to tell those stories well. Readers can easily project themselves or those they know on to the characters in each story and see a little bit of their lives told back to them. As we see life on Dropsie Avenue cycle and evolve Eisner paints a history that fills you in a range of emotion from love to hate, happiness to sadness, and joy to sorrow. I really can't say much about this book. It's a masterpiece and a shining example of the comic book/sequential art/graphic novel medium.

So that's it for this week. Looking at next week's list, I should have plenty to review come next Friday. And beyond that, I'll probably be slowing down a bit. Civil War is over and although World War Hulk is coming, I just can't see myself buying too many Marvel books as I really just don't like what they've been putting out. Everyone keeps telling me "Yeah, I dislike their books but I have high hopes that they'll be doing something cool from here." Personally, I've given up that hope I guess as I've been disappointed too many times in the past. And I just can't seem to get myself hooked on any DC characters/books. As for the graphic novels and such, I think I need to slow down a bit with them and get back to reading a few novels and other books that have piled up on my "to read" list. I'll see about getting "From Hell" done and reviewed but no promises. Plus, I'd kinda like to get back to doing some drawing of my own, especially with my new tablet. I think taking these last few months to read a wide range of books has put a bit of a fire under me to finish the trilogy I had planned. I've already said I'd get back to posting pages of Divine Leap on DrunkDuck (though I'll be cutting back to only one page per week). So I really should get going on it. So wish me luck. :)

Weekly Comic Reviews -- April 18th, 2007

Only one book for me this week with the Spirit #5. But fortunately I also got volumes 3 through 7 of Death Note in the mail and I'm already done reading them. And since I'm still sick with a nasty cold, we'll make these reviews short and only include minor spoilers.

The Spirit #5 -- I wasn't really blown away by this issue. It was a fun issue for the most part, the art was solid, and the different characters all remained interesting and unique. But I think the story was something that didn't really work as a full length comic. And I have to say, the "relationship" between Carrion and his feathered-friend was a little bit too friendly for me. It wasn't a strike out but it definitely wasn't a home run. More like a lead off single.

Death Note volumes 3 through 7 -- This series continues to keep me on the edge of my seat. The plot continues to deepen. The life or death battle between just about everyone rages on and the cat and mouse game keeps going even if the cat and mouse change throughout. And the way the narrative changes and you get to see each character's thought process as you go along, it really is a thrilling story to read. Though I have to say that I find Misa Amane just a little too annoying for my taste. Her costumes, her speach, and her personality just rub me the wrong way as she always seems to come across as the cute little sexy bimbo. But on the other hand, she has surprised a few people with her smarts, myself included. I'm eager to see where it goes from here and I have volumes 8 through 10 already in the mail according to Chapters.

Weekly Comic Reviews for April 11th, 2007 SPOILERS

So we have 4 reviews this week plus Death Note Volume 2 and The Best of the Spirit. The 4 books I picked up this week were She-Hulk #17, The Great and Secret Show #11, White Tiger #5, and courtesy of my friends at the local comic shop The Spirit #2 (which they were able to track down for me). So let's get to it shall we.

She-Hulk #17 -- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Shulkie, how could you??? I'm still in denial of the whole "sleeping with Juggernaut" thing (just as she seems to be) but .... but... Tony Stark???? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Ok, let's get rational here. She-Hulk has had some questionable flings in the past and Dan Slott has continued it. Sometimes she seems to regret them, sometimes she seems to be in denial, and after this little excursion with Tony it seems she's okay with herself for doing it. She even brings up the whole "Why can Tony Stark do it and be respected as a lady's man while I'm considered a skank?" thing. So maybe that's where Slott is going with this, I just don't know. Though it's kinda funny that she would bring up that double standard as well as the whole "Tony gets to put on his armour while I'm stuck in my underwear" thing. Bringing up the double standard and such while also following it. And I know, my current feelings towards Tony Stark make this one as tough to swallow as the Juggernaut episode. Okay, getting past that now. The art stinks. Yeah, I gotta say it. I can't stand the art. It's not really improving that much and it's just annoying me more than anything. Characters look stretched, distorted and weird. Sometimes they look like 2-D cardboard cut outs and other times they just look awful. Really, the artist is bringing this book down for me. We get to see a bit more of "Project Achilles" (it seems to be some weapon for bringing down some pretty powerful people like the Abomination, Vector, IronClad, Wendigo, etc.) and we get to see SHIELD and Tony's overconfidence nearly cost them as Zzzax almost takes out a SHIELD hellicarrier (and almost gets control of Iron Man's suit but She-Hulk saved his butt). But then there's the big finale, the Nick Fury LMDs that were out of control and attacking She-Hulk were blurting out lines from various storylines that they've appeared in and sure enough the head that She-Hulk was carrying decides to blurt out the lines he said to the Hulk/Bruce Banner as they launched him in to space. And now the muck is about to hit the fan as She-Hulk is about to discover the truth about where exactly her cousin is. And oh yeah, they do have a few pages of Mallory and the others back at the law offices that are somewhat interesting (the first page of the issue is good for a chuckle) but that's not nearly as fun to talk about (yet it probably was more fun to read than She-Hulk's little adventure). Overall, not a bad issue but not the greatest. And the book needs a new artist and fast.

White Tiger #5 -- I enjoyed this issue a bit more than previous ones as there seemed to be a slightly better flow to it and it covered things pretty well. I do kinda wonder about some scenes though. Like right off the bat the Tiger awakens to see her legs invisible (all of her was before she woke up, it's a long story so just read the book) and for the next few panels she's standing around with her legs still invisible. When Daredevil/Danny Rand says she was invisible she makes a comment that it wasn't just her seeing things that her legs were invisible when she regained consciousness. That seemed kinda weird considering it's not like they became visible right away, they seemed to stay invisible for the first half of their conversation. It just seemed odd. I also found it odd that her costume (that I didn't think was linked to her powers) becomes invisible too yet later she discovers her regular clothes don't. And then you get yet another appearance from yet another character, Deadpool. I read they are trying to push the idea of the superhero community and them running into each in such close proximity but I don't know, it just seems so out of place to have Deadpool appear, mistake White Tiger for Black Cat and then take off just as quickly. Having said all that negative stuff, the art actually seemed better and I had fewer issues with it though there were times that characters were drawn in ways that meant the letter balloons had to stretch and contort to point out who's talking while at the same time making it clear the order of dialogue. And the story seems to be coming together a bit better in this issue. And I'm happy with that as we head in to the final issue next month.

The Great and Secret Show #11 -- Another solid issue. It was a little "quiet" as the tension builds for the final issue but that's just the way the story goes. You get a little bit of a calm before the storm. And this calm was well done. Well drawn, well written. Though I do still think the series would be better appreciated (at least by me) if you wait until the series is done and read it in its entirety instead of waiting a month between issues (so you can lose track of all the characters).

The Spirit #2 -- Another fun filled issue. This series is a nice throwback to old-style comics with fun and interesting characters, each with a complex past. Yet it's not so overwhelmingly dark as some comics have gotten. They do a great job of capturing some of the essence of Eisner's work and his characters and it's a solid overall story with great storytelling. I only hope that the movie captures the same essence but I have my fears knowing that Frank Miller is the man behind it. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The Best of the Spirit -- Having read none of the Spirit archives or anything, this was my first foray into Eisner's work. Wow! I really shouldn't have waited so long. It really is true, this guy was doing work in the 40's that many comic writers/artists couldn't match today. At a time when comics had even less recognition as an art form than they do today, Eisner's The Spirity really is a beacon to what comics could strive to. The stories are short and to the point and maybe one or two of them could benefit from being fleshed out a bit more but all in all, they are great little shorts. Characters are different and unique. So many stories have so many messages to them. I don't know if Eisner really gets the recognition he deserves from the younger (and even some older) comic enthusiasts, he really was one of (if not the) greatest storyteller in the business. I've also picked up his A Contract With God Trilogy and have started reading it as of last night. Eisner is truly a great storyteller and you would be doing yourself a huge favour by setting aside some time to read the Best of the Spirit and truly appreciating what he's done here. I might not be eager to put down the money for the Archive books but this one was well worth it.

Death Note Volume 2 -- I got this volume in the mail on Tuesday when I got home from work. After a trip to the gym, a shower, and some dinner I decided I had to take a break from reading the Best of the Spirit to see what happens next in this story. Well, I couldn't put it down. I finished the volume later that evening (though it didn't take all that long) and was even more eager to get volume 3. The tension builds between Light and L as their little cat and mouse game continues. Though who is the cat and who is the mouse is open for debate. It was interesting that at times I found myself pushing for Light to figure his way out of some situations and it took me a minute to remember that he is killing people, and not just bad people, to achieve his goal. His charm seems to not only work on the characters in the book, but on the reader. Where as L is a little harder to get into. He's secretive and rather weird so I don't really find myself connecting with him that much yet he really is the hero here (in my mind at least). And it's an interesting twist to the characters. And although some of the throw away characters are pretty one dimensional you do get some of the secondary characters that really shine. And you do find yourself being engaged in knowing their fates as well. All in all, I'm really loving this series. So much so that I've ordered the next 5 volumes already. And hopefully I'll have caught up in time to read the final volume (#12) when it comes out.

Stupid doctor or just me? You decide!

So on Tuesday my mother calls me in the middle of dinner. I figure it's another one of her "I just wanted to see how you were doing calls" so I was a little abrupt with her. Then she makes the quick comment that she went to the doctor and she needed me to look something up for her on the internet. Well, didn't I feel like an arse then for being abrupt.

So up I go to my office and I get her back on the phone to look it up. And here's where my rant begins. She went to the doctor due to dizzy spells that made her feel ill. They send her to an ear specialist (I think he specializes in other stuff too). After diagnosing her and doing some sort of "maneuver" he writes down what it was and tells her if she wants to find out more info then go on the computer and "google" it. Begin rant:

1 -- My mother wouldn't know how to turn on a computer much less "google" something. So simply sending her on her merry way to try and navigate through the web to find the information she's looking for would be asking a bit much (hence the phone call to me).

2 -- In my opinion no doctor should simply tell a patient to google it. Do they realize how much wrong information can be found with a simple google search? Sure, the correct stuff tends to float to the top but that probably wouldn't stop my mother from scrolling down to the page that describes some home-made remedy for this that involves standing on your head while smoking a joint. Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit but still, if the information is on the web then give her the address of a reputable site and don't just tell her to google it.

3 -- Okay, this is just for me but do you know how frustrating it is going through pages and pages of information on this condition while my mother's on the other end of the line asking "what does it say about this scenario?", "what would happen if this happens?", "does it say anything about this?", "why can't you answer any of these questions? Isn't the answer there? How much are you reading?" All the while I'm trying to understand the workings of the inner ear. I snapped back that these were things that she should have been bringing up with the doctor and that he should answer. And I could sense her frustration as she said how he told her to google it and that she thought that's something I could easily do.

4 -- Some of the websites mention other things a patient can do at home but the ones I saw as reputable avoided describing these things saying that they should be shown to the patient by a doctor. I'm sure I could find one that did describe some actions to take but there's no way I want to be explaining to my mom over the phone some trick that some website describes with basic little diagrams. I'd much rather the doctor go through those with her in person.

So yeah, I feel like garbage for snapping at my mom but I was really frustrated with the doctor and still am. I don't think the internet (or in turn, myself) should be acting like a doctor and answering my mom's questions. These are things he should have covered with her, given her some information on, or at least pointed her in an appropriate direction instead of booting her out the door with the task of googling it.

In the end, the condition doesn't appear to be too serious unless the "maneuver" that the doctor tried doesn't work. And last I heard it seems that it did. So yeah, I'm not really in my happy place.

Playing with my tablet -- Finally!!!

I finally found the time to play around with my new Wacom Tablet and for my first attempt at drawing something entirely with it I got this:

Obviously not the greatest piece of art I've ever done but not bad for my first attempt and a rather quick sketch at that.

Weekly Comics Review -- April 4th, 2007 HUGE HULKING SPOILERS

Woohoo! Extra long weekend! So in wanting to spend as little time in front of the computer this weekend as I possibly can, let's try and make this quick. And I got quite a bit to review (at least in comparison to most weeks). We have Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness 2, The Dark Tower 3 (of 7), Omega Flight 1 (of 5), Incredible Hulk 105, Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2, and a special addition of Death Note volume 1 (my first manga experience, woohoo!). All of this week's reviews contain SPOILERS and some being MAJOR SPOILERS. So be WARNED. (Caps are FUN!)

Incredible Hulk #105 -- This is going to be a tough one as this issue had quite a few positives but yet fell so short in my opinion. Art-wise, this was a strong issue by Pagulayan. He captures a lot of the emotion well and when things start to go "boom", it's pretty exciting to look at. And writing-wise I felt Pak actually paced this issue somewhat better than previous issues. Although there may have been hints of choppyness to it, this issue by itself seemed to flow a bit better. But overall, it was a bit of a disappointment. The first and most glaring for me is the death of the Hulk's new wife and mother of his unborn child, Caiera. Pretty much right from her introduction it seemed clear that she was yet another "woman in the refrigerator", a female character introduced solely as a plot device to further the story for the male lead. And after building her up as an interesting character to me, sure enough her fate was sealed when she said she'd never leave the Hulk. It was actually hard for me to really connect with the Hulk and feel what he's feeling at that point. And perhaps the "choppyness" that I refer to in previous reviews of this title added to that. You got glimpses or snapshots of her character and her interaction with the Hulk but in the end, she was just an empty device in the story. And in the midst of that, the fact that the whole planet was destroyed by the ship that the Illuminati sent the Hulk into space in seems to lose its impact as well. Yet another "whoops" moment by the Illuminati has led to a major booboo, this one being the destruction of a planet and who knows how many deaths. So with a pretty weak ending to the storyline Planet Hulk slides further from "compelling character story" and closer to a somewhat cheap attempt at triggering Marvel's next big event that they hope will make oodles of cash. It doesn't give me much confidence in World War Hulk.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #2 -- Joss you little minx, you're toying with us! This issue more than the first seems to be designed with Buffy fans in mind. Right from the start you have Giles making his first appearance. Then you get the tease of Xander and Buffy hooking up or bringing up once again, Xander's feelings for Buffy. Are they still there? Is it true love? Does Xander have the guts to find out? A glimpse of Buffy's love. Is it Angel? Is it Spike? And there's a whole bunch more but when I got to the second last page and read the line "As a friend of mine once said..." I knew right then (and maybe seeing next issue's cover may have helped, who knows) that we'd get our first shot of Willow. And that line, "... I'd like to test that theory", well it gave me chills and darn near brought tears of fanboy excitement just as it did when Giles said it to Willow. Yeah, I'm going to regret admitting to that but I was stoked. But that's a lot of talk from a Buffy fan, what about non-Buffy fans (those poor souls)? I gotta admit, while the story is engaging and there is some mysterious stuff going on. And there does seem to be enough for a non-Buffy fan to catch on to. But this issue more so than the first will connect more with the Buffy-fans and a lot will go over a new reader's head. But I guess this is "season 8" so you just have to expect that. Oh, and the art was another solid effort. I still don't think he has all the likenesses down but I'm still enjoying it. I can't wait to see more of the Slayer/walking dead battle in issue 3.

Omega Flight #1 -- The Canadian superteam gets another shot except this time, it looks like only one canuck (maybe two, I'm not sure what Sasquatch's role in this is going to be) will be making the team. And yes, that will be my first complaint. I know it doesn't bother some people but it bothers me. Canada is being overrun by villains who are high-tailing it out of the US during/after Civil War and sure enough they have to say that after Alpha Flight being killed and now this the few heroes that Canada had have just given up. That just seems so sad and pathetic. We created Wolverine... Well we did until they did that retcon to have the American government be behind it, yeesh, we can't do anything I guess. But I guess nobody wants to read about Canadian heroes (hey, Jenkins had some pressure from the fans to make Logan American when he wrote Origin). So one thing I have mixed feelings about is that nobody from the eventual team actually shows up in this issue. Instead, you get Sasquatch doing what he can against the Wrecking Crew. And that actually made this book pretty interesting to me. I'm also happy that the Canadian government is appearing and being depicted as separate from the US (and not just a bunch of yes-men/women to the US). And art-wise, I usually have somewhat mixed feelings about Kolins' work but this felt like a strong issue by him. Though, I wonder how much has to do with the inking or colouring but I can't say for sure. I guess this means I'll have to be checking out at least one more issue of the series to get my opinion of it.

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #2 -- About as much fun as a barrell of monkeys here. Ash's interaction with some of the heroes (Spidey, the Punisher, Dazzler,...) are all loads of fun just as any Ash interaction should be. But then you have parts like the two scenes in one with the Runaways eating Old Lace (their dinosaur) and the Blob huffing and puffing as he's being chased down by Zombies and you hit gold. But a lot of focus will be on that last page. I mean, Zombie Howard the Duck!!! Hopefully he goes after Lucas. Yeah, he was only Executive Producer on the Howard the Duck movie but I'm also one of those fanboys who didn't like the changes to Star Wars or the prequels. But that's way off topic. And without the flashbacks and such the story for this issue doesn't get all out of whack like the last issue (though I was kinda surprised at how quickly Ash went from being coccooned in webbing to being free since I thought even Spidey had problems with his own webbing). The art... Well I'm still not entirely sold on it. Some pictures of Ash just look weird in comparison to other characters (some being too "real" and others almost looking cartoony). And it took me a little while to determine that it was Old Lace that the Runaway were eating. But it's still fun and the "twist" ending had me for a moment but there are clues for issue 3 that I won't spoil here.

Dark Tower #3 -- I guess some of the novelty of this series has worn off for me. I wouldn't say it's gone to bad yet but I felt this issue was a little blah. I mean, the pages dedicated to a standoff that went nowhere just seemed to drag on. And with all the characters with strange names, I'm just losing track. I just hope this was just a blip on the radar and the book gets back into the groove soon. The art, it still seems to work for the book as a whole yet I'm still not a Jae Lee fan. Wow! That was a quick review wasn't it? :)

Death Note Volume 1 -- My first manga adventure. And yes, I had some issues with the whole reading from right to left thing (as this book is not adjusted for North America). I didn't realize that it's not just the individual pages but the whole book that's the reverse (ie. what would be the last page in North American comics is the first page of Manga). But I got by it after a while (though sometimes the panel layouts did take a minute for me). Anywho, this was a series that I saw mentioned on the Girl-Wonder forums and thought "Hey, I've been wanting to try out manga. Why not this book?" And I was really very surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. One bonus is that it doesn't go to the overly cartoony characters which I know have their place in some manga books but I still just don't like. Another is that I really enjoyed the twists and turns the story goes through. Just when you think you know what's going to happen or what Light is going to do, the rug gets pulled out from under you (or at least it did for me). The basic story: A death God has dropped his Death Note on Earth. The Death Note is a book that has a set of rules but the important one is that if you write a person's name down in the book that person will die (there's more to it but I won't go into it as I'm trying to keep this short). A top-of-the-class high school student finds the book thus becoming the owner. Needless to say he decides to use the book and attracts the attention of the police and one special investigator in particular. And the book becomes an interesting cat and mouse game between them (but who exactly is the cat and who's the mouse). Unfortunately the first digest ends before much can be resolved and I have to wait for volume 2 to come in the mail (with the holidays I don't expect it any time soon). But the first digest definitely had some interesting plot twists and multi-dimensional characters, more so than I was actually expecting. As for the art, I'm still not a big fan of it even though this was probably not an example of what some might think of when they think "manga art". I think it works well with the story and there are some great page breakdowns and tricks that enhance the storytelling but I guess I'm still too stuck on the "realism" of North American artists. Overall though this is a very well put together story and a top notch example of great storytelling. I'm eager to dive in to the second volume/digest.

So that's it for this week.

Extra comic reviews -- The Life and Death of Captain Marvel

On the weekend I finished the Life and Death of Captain Marvel TPB and I figured why wait until Thursday to post a review. So let's get right to it:

The Life and Death of Captain Marvel -- This TPB reprints the first encounters between Captain Marvel and Thanos, and Captain Marvel's eventual death (from his encounter with Nitro). If I needed something to remind me how much I dislike what Marvel Comics is doing now, this was probably it. There is a reason this storyline is heralded in much of the comic community. The emotions expressed through the narratives and the artwork as the most noble of characters slowly dies of cancer is magnificent. Watching, as the "warrior" is transformed into the "protector" and reading how it changes him not only physically but emotionally and mentally you realize that Marvel's recent attempt at bringing him back not only cheapens the original story but does such a disservice to a great character. I only wish the Captain Marvel that appeared in Civil War: The Return and Civil War #7 was a clone/cyborg because nothing else seems right. And as he lays dying with all his friends surrounding his bed (and even an enemy or two show up to pay their respects) and he comes to peace with his fate (not wanting to die but knowing there's nothing that can be done for him) you are right there mourning him as well. As Thanos appears to give him one last battle, a warrior's way to go, and escort him into death's realm you realize that this was a hero that stood above others.

Okay, enough talk about the problems I have with the current Marvel and let's get back to the TPB. The art, the writing and the dialogue are all just as they were in the 70's so you have to expect that. The story is deep and meaningful but it is wrapped in a classic comics package. It's nice for us older readers to look back on, younger readers may not "get it". Having said that, the art conveys a lot of intensity and emotion to it especially for its time. And it's nice to have this TPB as it covers the character very well. You understand his importance to the people of the universe and why they are there to mourn his passing. It ranks pretty high on my must-read list.

Weekly Comic Reviews for March 28th, 2007

Only one regular book to review this week and it's Elephantmen #8 but I also get to review Maus volumes 1 and 2. But since I'm pressed for time, here goes...

Elephantmen #8 -- Another strong issue from this great series. The current story with Hip, Ebony, and Trench coming under fire provides a starting point to flashbacks to reveal more about Trench. What he was like at MAPPO, how he got the name Trench, what's up with the eyepatch, etc. And the issue goes along way in establishing yet another dynamic and multi-dimensional character (even if he does say that things are only black and white to him, a zebra seeing only black and white... okay, it doesn't come across as cheesy as it sounds). He's definitely not the character I was expecting him to be and it should be interesting to see where he ends up. The great art, the narrative, the storytelling, it all works to flush out the characters (mainly Trench in this case). My only complaint is that maybe the actual story isn't getting the attention it deserves but I don't mind waiting a bit longer for the story to be flushed out. And as for the short story that accompanied it, Hip's personal assistant (Wagner the iFrog, a gift from Miki the cabbie) has to battle a rival personal assistant (Didier, I'm guessing he's an iMonkey). It was a fun, cute little story with artwork to match the fun nature of it. Yet in its simplicity you find yourself cheering for little Wagner. All in all, another great issue to an already stellar series.

Maus volumes 1 and 2 -- Winner of the Pulitzer Prize Special Award, these two volumes written and drawn by Art Spiegelman (who I will refer to as "Art" as though I know him or something)tell the story of his father Vladek and his years just before, during and shortly after the Holocaust and how he survived. The details of the story are interwoven with pages depicting Art interviewing his father and events that occur during the interview process. In the second volume Art goes even further to show events that occured after the release of the first volume and its critical success and at one point, Art includes a short comic story he wrote and drew following the suicide of his mother and his feelings at that time. Okay, hopefully I didn't confuse too many of you with that description. And I guess I should mention that Art decided to depict the various nationalities and races in the book as different animals. The Jewish are mice, the Germans are cats, Americans are dogs, etc. I guess in interviews one of the reasons for this metaphor is to show how stupid it is to try and divide up people in such a way. I thought at first that it would make it harder to read as there's not much to distinguish one mouse from another but since I think this is one of the things Art is going for it is handled well by having the characters identify each other and it isn't a distraction. And in some cases (such as when Vladek has spent quite a bit of time in the concentration camps) it makes sense as even he says with their heads shaved and weightloss they did become somewhat indistinguishable. But I let's move on. The story (all narratives) is simply amazing. Vladek's survival is truly remarkable and as the characters note themselves, it's probably impossible to pinpoint just one factor that kept him alive. But his resourcefulness and ability to barter got him through a lot. It's a hard story to review, the presentation of it is stellar but the story must be read to be truly appreciated and I couldn't do it justice here. Seeing Art interviewing his father and the openness and honesty he shows in telling of his father's flaws in the current day (while maybe trying to get an understanding of why he has them) makes the second narrative just as engaging as the first. At times, it's almost hard to see the two Vladeks. You have the one during the Holocaust who you feel so much sympathy for and then there's the older Vladek who is someone who is extremely challenging to be around. Even Art's discussion about whether he should include some of the details about his father at the risk of falling into the stereotypes about Jewish people (such as his father's persistence to not spend one cent unless he absolutely had to, going so far as to leave an oven burner on at all times to avoid using up more matches) brings the reader further into their lives and makes the story so much more engrossing as you see these characters as real people, despite their animal appearance. I really can't say enough about this book, it's truly an amazing piece of literature and a book I recommend that everyone read.

My latest toy

Last Friday I ordered my Wacom Tablet and I received a notice on Tuesday that it was waiting for me at the mall so I decided to swing by on the way home from work yesterday to pick it up. The store decided to ship it in a huge box. And by huge I mean a couple feet long, at least a foot wide, and at least a foot deep. Keep in mind, this is for a tablet that measures under 11 inches in length and width and less than 1 inch in height. Obviously, it's packaging is bigger than that but still, I was not expecting such a huge box. But I guess I should be happy that it was well protected for the shipping.

So after lugging it home (the box was light as a feather which meant the two inconveniences were its size and the wind blowing it around) I really wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, Wednesday nights are ball hockey nights so I didn't have the time to hook it up before heading out. I did set it up when I got home from hockey but just barely had time to play around with it before I had to head off to bed. It's going to take a lot of getting used to and practise I think. And I'll have to figure out a process that works best for me. But I'm eager to see what I can do with it. Hopefully I'll have some free time this weekend.

So why am I posting this considering I haven't really accomplished anything with it? Slow work day I guess. :)

Oh yeah, comic reviews will be delayed this week to accomodate going out for my sister-in-law's birthday.

Weekly Comic Reviews for March 21st, 2007

What started out as a slow week for me comic-wise (with none of my regular comics coming out this week) turned into a decent week of reading when I decided to expand my reading a bit. I had thought I'd only have "Reinventing Comics" by Scott McCloud to review but now I have Runaways Saga and the Spirit #1, 3, and 4 (I'm still hoping to track down a copy of #2). So let's get to it.

Runaways Saga -- I knew this was a mistake for me to pick it up but I decided to do so anyways. The rundown of this book is that you get the story of the Runaways up until Whedon's takeover of the book and it's from the viewpoint of their youngest member Molly. You get a few bookend pages where the team finds her diary and such, the rest is her diary entries with accompanying snapshots (panels from original comics). For anyone who has read the books already the only benefit is a few cute "Molly moments" in her diary entries (like saying "Cloak and Dazzler" instead of "Dagger"). Otherwise, it's really of not much benefit to them. For those who haven't read Runaways but are looking to jump on with Whedon's run, it does provide you with a pretty good synopsis of the story and a decent feel for the book. On the other hand, I enjoyed the series enough to say you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not reading the whole thing. The digests aren't all that much anyways or if you've got money to spend, they are collected in hardcover.

Spirit 1, 3, and 4 -- Might as well kill three birds with one stone. :) In my continuing quest to add classic comics to my "have read" list I figured the Spirit should be on the list. After all, Wikipedia has this to say in their current entry on the character/series:
"His namesake, seven-page weekly series is considered one of the comic-art medium's most significant and classic works, with writer-artist Eisner creating or popularizing many of the styles, techniques, and storytelling conventions used by comics professionals decades later."
But it was suggested that on top of reading some of Eisner's work (I have the "Best Of The Spirit" on order) I might want to consider checking out this new series. So I figured that after having a pretty bad week and no weekly comics to read why not give it a try. As for the books, they're fairly easy books to read with simple artwork (though don't take that as an insult, the artwork works for a book like this) and easy to read dialogue. There's no big moral quandary in these books, just interesting characters thrown in to dangerous situations. Issue #3 gives you a background on the Spirit and a few other characters but other than that, there wasn't much but I still found it pretty easy to dive in. Partly because each book is pretty much a separate story and written well enough that you can figure things out. I was worried about reading 3 and 4 without reading 2 but I had no problems whatsoever. The twists with narration (such as in issue 3 where different characters narrate different portions of the story or the twist in issue 4 that I'd rather not say for fear of ruining a nice surprise) give you a little bit more insight into the various characters and make them more enjoyable as you can connect with them. Even characters that don't narrate seem to have a way of making that connection. It really is a great job by Darwyn Cooke (the writer and penciller). But one character that stood out for me was Silk Satin in issue 4. That issue alone made me think I'd probably pick up the series if she was the main character instead of the Spirit. She (and the other characters) had a real human quality to them but I was delighted to see her pick up the Spirit and carry him to safety at one point. You just don't see scenes where the "damsel" turns the tables and saves the hero too often. So I guess in some ways it's sad that the scene made me chuckle so much as it's probably something that should happen more often in comics. All around, the three issues made for a fun, enjoyable read and a nice throwback to the classic heroes. I really do hope that I find issue 2 and I'll most likely be picking this series up for at least a few more issues. And I'm even more eager to get my "Best of the Spirit" TPB now.

Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud -- After reading Understanding Comics I was blown away by Scott McCloud's knowledge of and passion for comics and it really opened my eyes to so much that I missed or had taken for granted with comics. Making Comics is jam packed with so much useful information for anyone wanting to be in the comic book field (not just for an artist or writer, I felt anyone working in comics should read it). But from what he said in Making Comics, I knew this book would be the tougher book to read. This book delves more into the status of comic books as they are today, what he sees working and what doesn't, what needs to be improved and what needs to remain, and what he sees as the future of comics (some of which we haven't hit yet despite his prediction that we would... the book was written a few years back). I found myself agreeing with so much of what he has to say in this book that it actually scares me. When he talks about comics diversifying, gaining a new audience, and getting recognition for being more than childhood fantasy stories about men in tights flying through the air (though those stories do have their place as well) I found myself going "Yes, we really need to keep this in mind and make sure people realize this." In other parts such as where he talks about the future of comic making (producing more and more comics digitally) or comic delivery (delivering them digitally) I might not have been so quick to jump on his bandwagon but he does give strong arguments that made me think. And I'm seriously considering dropping my old paper and ink method for a Wacom Tablet. The ability to deliver comics digitally still hasn't reached the limits that he puts out there. Free webcomics have continued to grow and for some, advertising has allowed them to make at least some of their money back, but the ability to pay for comics to be delivered to you digitally still isn't there. To make a long story short, even though this book wasn't as fun or easy to read as his other two, the points he is making are important ones. And even if you don't agree with them (whether it's because you don't see the same future as him or because you just want to hold on to the past) they are all worth considering and discussing. Scott McCloud has stood up and by doing so he has made a serious statement about comics. And I think it's something we (the comic enthusiasts) should take notice of.

I'd love to go on and on about Scott McCloud's book (just as I could spend way too much time talking about his other two books) but perhaps that will have to wait until another day. For now, I do hope that perhaps another comic enthusiast or two will see yet another positive review for his work and decide to give it a look. Because whether you agree with all his points or not, the discussion is worth having and the first step is listening to what someone has to say.

Weekly Comic Reviews for March 14th, 2007 -- SPOILERS!!!

A whopping three books for me this week but I'll also fit in a movie review. It's for 300 so I think I'm allowed. So let's get to it, this week's reviews are for Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1, Civil War: The Confession (just when I thought I was done with Civil War they suck me back in), and Lone Ranger #5. And being the Joss Whedon/Buffy fan I am, that one went straight to the top of my pile.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1 -- So this is it, season 8 of Buffy in comic book format. First up, it's Joss Whedon writing Buffy so with that I had built it up as an 11/10 without reading it. And I don't think any single issue can live up to that hype. Having said that, I wasn't disappointed in it and am still happy to see Buffy's story continue but when you get yourself anticipating an 11/10 even a 9.5 just doesn't seem to hit the mark. In a couple days as I get to absorb it more, I'll get over it and appreciate it for the great book it was. As much praise as I give Whedon, I think the cast of Buffy deserved a lot as well. And somehow, no matter how hard I imagine it the lines just don't seem the same without Nicolas Brendon or Sarah Michelle Gellar delivering them. A plus for me was Buffy's narration. You get to be a little more in her head this way and see exactly where she's at, not just in her surroundings but emotionally and psychologically. I knew going into it that I'd have to get used to a different feel and it may take an issue or two. But in the end, I'm still excited to see where Joss Whedon and the other writers take us. As for the art, that's a tough one. To be honest, I don't think he was that great on the likenesses of the characters but on the other hand, it was nicely drawn comic where there was sufficient pullouts to give you a sense of what's going on, monsters were drawn well, actions were clear and exciting when need be, and all that. So I can't really complain about it too much. There were a few scenes where he pulled out and the character's faces seemed to become a little cartoony (almost like a Manga sorta thing) but I can get over that. I consider it a must read for Buffy fans and an all around great comic.

Civil War: The Confession -- Yeah, I thought I was done with Civil War but I heard some positive reviews of this book so I thought I'd give Marvel one more chance. I did find this to be a good book. The artist takes risks to really get a sense of emotion and also to keep the reader's attention in a book of just dialogue. Some of the risks work well, some maybe not so much but still get the point across and I give the artist kudos for his work here. The dialogue is pretty good. Tony's reasoning is at least put out there, although I totally disagree with it and it bothers me to no end that the rest of the characters in the Marvel Universe seem to be going along with this idea that Tony Stark is the only man who knows what's best for the world and are whilling to forgive his actions of murder, torture, backstabbing, lying to them, etc. because he's an "inventor" but I digress. I do get the sense of this being another one of those "telling us instead of showing us" moments though because again, we have Tony telling us about what he tried, what he knows, what he saw coming, etc, but we don't see any of this. Given Tony's lies and actions of recent memory I guess it's up to the reader to decide just how much Tony fought against doing what he did. But either way, I do feel that this idea that Tony knew for years what was going to happen but it's only now that the readers are hearing about his actions and not actually seeing them leaves me rather hollow. But what irks me the most about this book is yet again how it doesn't really feel like it ties in properly. At the end of Civil War Cap was a man who had accepted his fate. In Frontline he thought he was doing the right thing but seemed to be accepting of being under arrest and wanted to speak to Tony to explain his actions to him. Then in this book he's suddenly a "sore loser" (both he and Tony say this), it doesn't feel like this is the Cap that surrendered, this is the Cap that lost the fight (not just the argument as he says in Civil War) and is really bitter about it. It just doesn't seem to fit. Though Tony fits in well with his Frontline depiction of regretting what he had to do but doesn't really fit well with the ending of Civil War where he was almost gloating about his new position as Director of SHIELD and getting Maria Hill to fetch him coffee. And let's not mention the fact that these SHIELD agents were given specific weapons and armour that seemed geared towards keeping Cap in custody yet the few police who escort him to the courthouse (where he was shot) were given vests and... well, vests. In the end, this book felt too little too late for me. The whole event just doesn't seem well planned, there didn't seem to be a clear focus on the story or the characters, and it was all about selling books by having shock moments. In my mind, they might as well go the whole nine yards and bring back holofoil covers (though they already have "variant" covers) because although they say they're looking to put out good stories, I don't really see them working towards that. Some individuals may be putting out a few good stories but as a whole, Marvel seems to be losing it's focus. Or maybe it's better to say they found their focus and it's not on comic books.

Lone Ranger #5 -- In 5 issues I've gone from loving this series to being eager for the storyline to end so I can drop it. The multiple storylines and the shadowy figures/names of people that we never see or know very little about are just going on too long now. I get that they're trying to build the legend up but there was very little to chew on in this book. Even the deaths at the end of this book were hollow. At the beginning of this series the deaths of his father and brother were emotional because we saw the connection between him and these characters. The flashbacks showed us their relationships and showed us something about these men to make us care about them. The deaths of his mother and brother here (at least I hope I'm understanding that right) just didn't really connect with me. You see him being emotional about it but since we've never seen any interaction between him and these characters, we can only guess that they even had any sort of connection. And since we've seen very little of these characters (just a few pages in this book) they are just a tool by the writer and so their deaths really don't resonate with me either. It was just another woman and kid thrown in to the story to be killed and it seemed weak. All in all, I'm really losing interest in the characters and the story here.

Now on to movies...

300 -- This movie, just like the book, relies heavily on visuals because the story is a pretty simple one. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily. This is all about glorifying the 300 Spartans who fought in that battle even if that means tweaking history or simply re-writing it. And once you get past that, the movie is a beautiful piece of eye candy to behold. The visuals are really quite stunning and the work that went into them (including the training the actors went through to play the Spartans) has to be acknowledged. The acting was all top notch in my opinion as each actor played their part as though on some glorious stage, there was very little subtlety to it but subtlety wouldn't have fit here anyways. Now I've read quite a bit from people who know much more about the history of this battle and in an interview Frank Miller said his greatest adversary when writing this was reality (or maybe it was historical accuracy) so he just threw it out the window. He's not claiming any of this as fact, he's just taking that battle and like story tellers of old "embellishing" it. I have slightly mixed feelings about this but I do give him credit for stepping up and saying that instead of trying to pass this off as set in reality or history. Heck, many people won't even realize that there is a historical base for this story and will go on believing it's 100% fiction so as long as nobody believes it to be 100% fact, I can move on. And moving on, I really did enjoy this movie and you really do feel rather pumped after spending so much time feeling like you're on the battle field with these Spartans. Despite the outcome, you almost come out feeling good. But also, the movie is not for the youngens. Battles are very graphic with body parts (including arms, legs, and heads) flying through the air in glorious fashion as they are separated from their owners. And I've read from some parents (and some sons/daughters) that there was a definite feeling of discomfort of watching some of the more graphic sex/nude scenes while siting next to their sons/daughters/parents. I know my mother has expressed interest in seeing it and I think she could handle it fine but I also know I'd feel slightly awkward at some points. So it may be a matter of convincing my father to actually go out to a movie for the first time in months (maybe a year) so he can take her. So for the young (and some older) movie goers who enjoy some amazing visuals, intense action, and a story that although it's not the great American novel does have plenty of emotion and can really resonate with the viewer, this is probably a must see movie. And I do wonder if it will be remembered around Oscar time for at least some categories such as cinematogrophy or art direction or if it came out too early and will be forgotten by that time (though the DVD might be coming out then so there's that).

And as for next week, I'm slowly making my way through Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud and the more I read from Mr McCloud, the more in awe I become. His discussion of the comic book industry and some of the things holding it back or that led to it's near collapse back in the 90's really resonate. I think more comic book professionals need to read, re-read, and really listen to what he has to say. But I'll have more to say on that when I actually finish the book.

Weekly Comic Reviews -- March 7th, 2007 SPOILERS!!!

Hmm... Where to start for this week. Well, the obvious place would be the death of Captain America wouldn't it? I mean, we have major news people picking up this story including CNN and Fox News. But unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I didn't read the book so it wouldn't be right to put my thoughts about it in with "reviews". And I don't think the Web needs any more discussion of it. So maybe I'll just direct you here since he covers a lot of how I feel about it. And I really like the discussion of telling, not showing. That notion is something I'll probably bring up over and over again in my reviews for the next little while. So let's get to my three reviews for this week, The Incredible Hulk #104, Dark Tower #2, and Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #1. How about that? No Civil War tie ins!!!

The Incredible Hulk #104 -- This book continues to just not flow for me. This issue had a good start and a fairly solid ending but there were a few pages in between that felt like a series of postcards. It starts off well enough with the Hulk being reminded of the video the Illuminati sent with him on the spaceship (some have said that was a stupid move on the Illuminati's part and there may be some other motive for it but I disagree, it may have been stupid to let the Hulk know they were behind it but on the other hand, Banner was friends with these people and I think despite their betrayal they probably felt obligated to explain their actions to their friend... was that a shot at the pro-ref side of Civil War???). And we already see people upset with the Hulk or not trusting him but then the Spikes get involved in the story and the postcards start. We get snapshots of the Hulk doing "something" and the same dialogue that has been going on throughout this series. One character will ask "What's he doing?" and a second character will say "Wow! He's..." and tell us what he's doing. I hate to bring out the phrase this early but I have to, it's telling the readers what's happening instead of the more natural way of showing us. Instead of having the comic show us his actions, we get a snapshot or a postcard and the other characters standing around with the task of telling us what's happening. Just like the one oblivious character we sit and wonder "What's he doing?" only to be told in the next panel. And that's what's been off about this storyline for me. It improves in the last few pages but that brings me to my other concern, Caiera. Last issue she became the Hulk's wife, this issue we learn she's now carrying his baby. Everything seems to be pointing to her becoming the next woman in the refrigerator (a woman who is killed off as a plot device). I hope I'm wrong here as the fact that this trend has a name for it shows just how overused it is. Plus, I actually like her and the idea the Hulk having someone by his side that isn't killed off like Jarella or Betty (unless Betty wasn't killed off and was in a coma and now resides on an island with Nightmare... but let's not talk about that right now) especially after just announcing her pregnancy. He has enough angst as it is, there's really no need for her death. But I guess we'll have to see how it plays out. Art-wise, the book had a couple weird points but overall it's solid looking. I'd just like to see it flow with the story more.

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #1 -- C'mon! You have Ash from Army of Darkness and Spider-Man! How could this miss? And it doesn't, at least not in any major way. The dialogue is good, the story ... well, you have zombies and Ash, what more do you need? So it's a very good start but there were the hickups for me. First up, the art. Although the style is not my cup of tea I felt overall it works for the storyline but there were times that it just didn't feel right. At times, it seemed they were going over the top to make Ash look like Bruce Campbell with fancy colouring and such which made him stand out like a real person in a cartoon. And it didn't seem consistently done which seemed odd. But it's hard to combine because people do want to see Bruce Campbell so I know the issues. Then there were times where people just looked odd. Like Sentry holding up Ms Marvel, his arm seems to be coming out from the front of his chest. But it didn't really ruin the story or anything and worked okay with the overall feel of the book. There were times where I got confused with a jumpy narrative. One page we'd have Ash talking to the heroes and the next he would be elsewhere. It was meant to be a flashback but having it jump to a flashback in between pages with no warning is not a good idea in my opinion. So I looked for visual clues to let me know when it was a flashback and when not and I noticed the red borders around the panels. That seemed to work for a bit but then even regular shots had red borders. But fortunately I think the flashbacks are done for this series so I don't have to worry about that any more. They were only there to show those of us who didn't read the latest Army of Darkness books how we got to this point (but I have to say, it didn't really do a great job of doing so). Yes, I seem to have quite a few negatives about this book but overall, I'm still psyched for the rest of the series and can't wait to see more. Plus the covers are just amazing. :)

Dark Tower #2 -- As I said in my review of issue 1, Jae Lee's artwork doesn't always work for me and this issue has a bit of both. There are points where I get frustrated because I just can't understand what's going on. Some of these times is where he goes in close for an intense shot and refuses to pull out. In some ways, having such a helpful narrative (which even tells you when a character will be leaving the story for some time and not come back until later) helps guide you through the book. It might be an example of telling and not showing but in this case, you kinda know you're getting that going in. It's a mixture of showing us some parts of the story and then just giving us visual snapshots while telling us other parts. It's a different approach than what I'm used to so I'll give them props for trying it. Characters (at least some of them) continue to shine through while I found a few others missed the mark a bit. It may not have had the same impact on me as the first issue but it was a decent enough continuation of the story.

And I just added three more graphic novels to my collection and to my list of books to read/review. They are "From Hell" by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell and "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" volumes 1 and 2 by Art Spiegelman. I knew about From Hell mostly because of the movie but decided to pick it up after reading Alan Moore's other work and seeing how much I was missing by just watching the movies. Maus was something that gets mentioned over and over again in Scott McCloud's books and I finally decided I have to read it. Not sure when I will though as I still have The Life and Death of Captain Marvel to read as well.

Weekly Comic Reviews -- February 28th, 2007 SPOILERS

Now that Civil War is over and I have no interest in getting any of the follow ups my book count will go down for a bit. World War Hulk might give it a slight boost but I'm actually leaning towards not picking up the Frontline and Gamma Corps books. And you'll see why. This week we have Civil War: Frontline #11 and Clive Barker's The Great And Secret Show #10. And I'll also be including my Dark Tower #1 review that I mentioned last week and forgot about as well as my review of Marvels.

Civil War Frontline #11 -- I've expressed my dislike for this book since pretty early on so why stop now? The art, well it's pretty bad. It's "hey, let's create a tie in to Civil War so we can make more money but all our artists are currently working on stuff so let's get this guy to do it" bad. Too many characters look like their faces are made of pudding or something because they have a lumpy look to them. And now for the writing, it's bad. Not only is it a blatant rip off of a great comic story (I won't say which one just so I don't spoil that story while reviewing this series) but whereas the original was character driven and held together on an intriguing storyline that was well thought out, this one had horrible characterizations that change from book to book and the storyline was complete nonsense. To sum it up, after the reporters chastize Cap for wanting to protect civil liberties (because they'd rather have them taken away is what the reporter seems to say, great "reporting" skills she has there) they go on to reveal to Tony Stark that they know that he is the traitor. He's the one who had Osborne kill the Altantean ambassador. But let's not end it there, the rushing through of a badly written law, creating a horrible prison where heroes are under constant torture and face possible suicide from being in the Negative Zone (a point that was rebutted by Millar and in the regular series but is "confirmed" yet again here) but having that prison only be a test run to convince the government to fund a safer prison for the villains, bringing the country to the verge of war with Atlantis, setting up the deaths of some pro-reg heroes to make the anti-reg heroes look bad in the public eye,... it was all done by Tony Stark alone (and most of it behind everyone's back including Reed Richards... I wonder if his math predicted this) because he didn't want to see the heroes in camps with power dampening collars. So in order to avoid that happening he's willing to risk the lives of millions (if he's lucky) by possibly starting a war with Atlantis. He's willing to do exactly what he claims to be avoiding by taking them to the Negative Zone prison, locking them up without their powers. And these reporters decide to chastize Cap for standing up for what he believes in when they claim he's out of touch while they applaud Tony for his actions. And then they decide to keep it quiet because if people knew what Tony did it would supposedly rip the country apart. Are you telling me that these two reporters are the only two who could figure it out? Heck, the people they had help from to figure it out would also need to be silenced like Peter Parker. It's not like they had any information that isn't already public knowledge. And the whole Osborn thing, he kills the ambassador (with a simple gun no less) while supposedly under control and is now in charge of the Thunderbolts program thanks to Tony and nobody is going to blink? Not to mention the claim that the Thunderbolts are under their control already being proven false when Lady Deathstrike and Taskmaster are sent into the prison because they broke from their control in Civil War 7. And there's more, I could go on and on with the holes in this story but why bother? I felt it was a waste of time to read it (especially after it was said that it wasn't truly reflecting the events going on such as the prison) and it seems a waste to dwell on it any further.

The Great and Secret Show #10 -- Again, it's tough to really come up with anything new to say about this book. The art is still as solid as the first issue though there was one incident in this book where they focussed on a character's eyes and it seemed confusing as to whose eyes they were, and it shouldn't have been done so because it made the dialogue harder to follow and in the ending it's a little confusing because at first glance you don't really understand who's going through the portal but it's cleared up rather quickly. And the 2 page battle spread was great. When I first turned to the page it looked overwhelming but it quickly became appearant that this was the intention. You're put right in the middle of the battle along with the characters and their panels and dialogue guide you through just as they are moving through the battle to get to the house. That little bit of a twist on comic storytelling can really work the story well. And the writing continues to be excellent. I still stick to my opinion that I should probably read this series all at once but I keep getting sucked into reading it monthly. So in the end, this issue continues a great adaptation of Clive Barker's novel.

The Dark Tower #1 -- Right from the start I knew this book was going to need more focus than some other comics. The dialogue, the introduction of new words to the language, and a quick intro to a number of characters can be a little overwhelming. But after a short hiccup you get more into the story and it's a really intriguing one. You only get a small sense of the world the characters inhabit but it's enough to catch my interest. And then the characters begin to shine through. I used to read Stephen King books back in high school and looking back at them it was usually the characters I found that interested me the most. It wasn't the scary stuff, the undead cats, the rabid dog, and all that. It was the ad exec dealing with marketting a red cereal that had some "issues" or just the quirky old guy across the street who brings a father to an indian burial ground so a child won't suffer from the loss of his cat. It was those people that seemed to catch my eye. And that's the case I find here, though the situation is interesting the characters have depth to them and don't seem to be made from cookie cutters. So it was a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure if it was worth all the hype with stores openning at midnight to sell it but I've added it to my subscription list. Oh yeah, Jae Lee's art hasn't always appealed to me and a lot of times it depends on the subject matter (his Hulk stuff for instance, I really disliked that) but it works here. I think it's also helped out by Richard Isanove's colours though.

Marvels -- A four issue series written by Kurt Busiek with Alex Ross providing the art. Busiek constructs a masterpiece here. You have Marvel's Silver Age of comics as seen by the common man (a photographer by the name of Phil Sheldon). You start with the original Human Torch to the event that some say ended the Silver Age (I won't ruin it for those who don't know) but you never see any of it from the superheroes' perspective. And it's amazing. You see Sheldon reacting with fear and hatred just as many in the Marvel Universe do but as the character develops he has a re-birthing of sorts where he takes himself out of the Marvel Universe. He seems to take on the traits of the reader, able to take himself outside the world and see it and the heroes for what they truly are. Of course I'm speaking figuratively here, he doesn't actually get any superpowers. But this character progression, this growth as the world grows around him, is wonderfully done and I can't say enough good things about it. Alex Ross' art may not have been as polished off as it is now but it definitely stands the test of time. His realism and attention to detail is amazing. At times I thought that maybe his art in this book limits the storytelling, you couldn't do a page of small panels to slow down the pace for example, but it works for a book like this. Where the storytelling isn't necessarily about showing one event through a series of pictures but showing the grand story, the big picture if you will, through a series of snapshots. This book probably tops my list of must read Marvel books.

It was rather interesting to re-read the Marvels book just after finishing Civil War. The similarities definitely exist with people fearing or hating the "Marvels" as Sheldon calls them. And everyone turning their back on them or not trusting them, even believing events like Galactus coming to earth were staged. But a lot of what works and what doesn't for me depends on the characters. In Marvels, you get to connect with these characters and see things through their eyes and you understand them. In Civil War and its tie ins, you get characters that are unrecognizable from book to book, acting different and giving different reasoning depending on the writer, and in the end the focus seems shifted from developing the characters and the story to just trying to pigeon hole them in to a series of events that you want connected somehow.