Happy Halloween!
Like usual for me, it was a slow week with only two books. I'm going to have to start reviewing other stuff just to give me something to post about. :) Oh well, there's always TV shows or I really should start reviewing the TPBs I'm picking up (just got the latest Ex Machina TPB as well as two Conan TPBs).
Spike: After the Fall #4 -- I think this series ended on a positive note. I haven't been a huge fan of this series so it was a bit of a surprise. Most of it was the Ilyria/Fred stuff that's going on. I kinda wish the Angel series focussed a bit more on this element (though from the cover to the next Angel book, perhaps they will). The art didn't blow me away or anything and I kept trying to figure out who was who between Connor and the other regular guy in this book. But all around, it was a pretty strong finish for a series that I wasn't all that into. Perhaps it'll work well in TPB form.
Skaar: Son of Hulk #4 -- I know I'm in the minority here but things still seem off with this book. I really want to enjoy it, it seems to have some interesting stuff going on, but the execution still seems off to me. One thing I find myself needing is a character key in the front of the book. Half the time I don't have a clue who anyone is. I think part of that is the art to me, it seems so rushed that I don't find the characters to be easily identifiable. With the conclusion of this issue I have hopes that the next issue will answer a lot of questions so hopefully it'll help settle things for me.
Huh, I'm starting to feel that too many of my reviews are turning towards the negative. That worries me a bit. Though on the positive side of things, I am enjoying catching up on Dark Horse's Conan series and the latest Ex Machina TPB looks pretty good (though I've only read the first issue from it so far). So perhaps it's just my tastes changing or something.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Will $1 make a difference?
Thanks to a comment by Joe Quesada about comics (Marvel ones in particular) inevitably going up in price there seems to be a lot of discussion about what the reaction of the readers will be. Many publishers are already at the $3.50/$3.99 mark but Marvel and DC have been able to hold many of their books at $2.99. So I've been thinking quite a bit about what it would mean for me.
Financially, I could probably afford the extra dollar on the Marvel books I'm currently reading but it helps that I'm not collecting very many Marvel books. Definitely not as much as some people. But I do find it a bit of a tipping point for me. It's making me re-evaluate a few books I'm collecting that I'm not really feeling are worth it. The funny thing is that they aren't necessarily the Marvel books but the independent ones that are already at the $3.50/$3.99 mark. They're the books I've talked about dropping for a while now and spending the extra buck on the Marvel books I buy may just give me one more excuse to do drop them.
But I also find myself in a different situation in that quite a few of the books I buy are limited series. So for these I'll probably keep buying them but the question becomes whether I'll add anything else to replace them. Looking ahead as far as I can I don't really see anything on either the Marvel or DC side that catches my eye. Though honestly, I haven't looked too hard on the DC side of things. But "Dark Reign" looks like just another "Marvel event" that I'm rather tired of.
So will the $1 make a difference? I can't say it's going to be the one thing that makes me drop stuff but it may be another straw that's breaking this camel's back. It's one more thing that makes me think "is this really worth spending the money on?" But the bigger picture is just lack of interest in the books being put out.
Oh well, there's always free webcomics on Zuda, DrunkDuck, and other places right? Well, free for now at least. Who knows what will happen there.
Financially, I could probably afford the extra dollar on the Marvel books I'm currently reading but it helps that I'm not collecting very many Marvel books. Definitely not as much as some people. But I do find it a bit of a tipping point for me. It's making me re-evaluate a few books I'm collecting that I'm not really feeling are worth it. The funny thing is that they aren't necessarily the Marvel books but the independent ones that are already at the $3.50/$3.99 mark. They're the books I've talked about dropping for a while now and spending the extra buck on the Marvel books I buy may just give me one more excuse to do drop them.
But I also find myself in a different situation in that quite a few of the books I buy are limited series. So for these I'll probably keep buying them but the question becomes whether I'll add anything else to replace them. Looking ahead as far as I can I don't really see anything on either the Marvel or DC side that catches my eye. Though honestly, I haven't looked too hard on the DC side of things. But "Dark Reign" looks like just another "Marvel event" that I'm rather tired of.
So will the $1 make a difference? I can't say it's going to be the one thing that makes me drop stuff but it may be another straw that's breaking this camel's back. It's one more thing that makes me think "is this really worth spending the money on?" But the bigger picture is just lack of interest in the books being put out.
Oh well, there's always free webcomics on Zuda, DrunkDuck, and other places right? Well, free for now at least. Who knows what will happen there.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for October 22nd, 2008 -- Some Spoilers
After a few slow weeks I finally had a decent week with 4 books coming out. But before I get to the reviews, here's what not to say while applying for a passport. As they were looking through my application the guy asked "So, you've known John for at least 2 years?" To which I replied "Who?" He pointed at my application and said "John". Stupid me, it was early in the morning and I forgot that my reference's first name was John as he always goes by his middle name. I laughed about it after the fact but it's probably a sure fire way to get my application flagged as a possible problem. :)
She-Hulk vol.2 #34 -- I was a little surprised to see this book begin to tackle a problem that is reflected very closely in the real world. It even singles out Russia and China as two countries that are enabling the fictional dictator in a fictional land. I wonder how much negative responses Marvel gets for that. There is also quite a bit of humour in this issue, possibly to counter the serious side of the story. But there's not much action as we mostly get set up in this issue. But enough about that, I do like that it's touching on a real world like problem while still keeping things a little light. And I got a few chuckles out of it. The art was solid (though the Red Guardian looked a little off to me on that last page). Overall, the series still gets a recommend from me.
Echo #7 -- I know I've talked about dropping this series due to the pace but I just haven't bothered to yet. I think the next issue will be it for me though as it'll bring me to the end of the second TPB. It's still a somewhat interesting story with good characters but it's just going a bit too slowly for me. I may pick up the TPBs eventually but we'll have to wait and see.
Runaways vol.3 #3 -- This issue seemed off while I was reading it. It was fun and all seeing the Runaways interact but it felt off somehow. Then the last page hits and wow, I didn't see that coming. After reading so many books that seem off and being told by the writers to just give it time, with this book you're hit with it right away. The art seems to be growing on me slightly though I still have some issues with it here and there. Not much action though so it was a little lengthy to read through but all around a decent issue. I'm eager to see what happens next and I still recommend this series.
Angel: After the Fall #13 -- Again, I like the storyline, I just don't like the execution. I found the art was a little better in this issue but I still find I'm reading this in a fog, where I don't really get what's going on and it's hurting my caring for the characters. And it's not just the art, I just can't get into a flow with it. It's a bit of a disappointment really. I couldn't recommend this series to anyone but Angel fans and even that I'd be hesitant to do.
She-Hulk vol.2 #34 -- I was a little surprised to see this book begin to tackle a problem that is reflected very closely in the real world. It even singles out Russia and China as two countries that are enabling the fictional dictator in a fictional land. I wonder how much negative responses Marvel gets for that. There is also quite a bit of humour in this issue, possibly to counter the serious side of the story. But there's not much action as we mostly get set up in this issue. But enough about that, I do like that it's touching on a real world like problem while still keeping things a little light. And I got a few chuckles out of it. The art was solid (though the Red Guardian looked a little off to me on that last page). Overall, the series still gets a recommend from me.
Echo #7 -- I know I've talked about dropping this series due to the pace but I just haven't bothered to yet. I think the next issue will be it for me though as it'll bring me to the end of the second TPB. It's still a somewhat interesting story with good characters but it's just going a bit too slowly for me. I may pick up the TPBs eventually but we'll have to wait and see.
Runaways vol.3 #3 -- This issue seemed off while I was reading it. It was fun and all seeing the Runaways interact but it felt off somehow. Then the last page hits and wow, I didn't see that coming. After reading so many books that seem off and being told by the writers to just give it time, with this book you're hit with it right away. The art seems to be growing on me slightly though I still have some issues with it here and there. Not much action though so it was a little lengthy to read through but all around a decent issue. I'm eager to see what happens next and I still recommend this series.
Angel: After the Fall #13 -- Again, I like the storyline, I just don't like the execution. I found the art was a little better in this issue but I still find I'm reading this in a fog, where I don't really get what's going on and it's hurting my caring for the characters. And it's not just the art, I just can't get into a flow with it. It's a bit of a disappointment really. I couldn't recommend this series to anyone but Angel fans and even that I'd be hesitant to do.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Following up on Thor #11
Since I mentioned the delay with this book in an earlier post I feel I should acknowledge that in an interview with Newsarama JMS takes the blame for the delay. I'm glad someone acknowledged it but I still feel Marvel's been a bit too easy going with the delays that have been happening, at least in terms of being open and upfront with their readers. It would have been nice if someone would have acknowledged it a while back instead of just quietly pushing the date back periodically on their website.
Weekly Comic Reviews for October 15th, 2008
Wow! I actually have books to review this week. A whopping two of them. I had completely forgotten about the Tek Jansen series so it was a pleasant surprise to find it in my box yesterday. So here goes...
Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen #3 (of 5) -- The last issue of this came out in July so it took me a minute to try to figure out where we were story wise (and in the end I just gave up and just started reading). I have to admit, this one was a little disappointing to me. It just didn't seem to have as clever a story or dialogue as the first two issues. And the art seemed a little disappointing. Even Tek looked off to me, a little too bulky I think. And in the second story, the huge amount of body hair that seems to be multiplying to the point where Tek looks more like a squiggly black blob just seemed weird. I know it's supposed to be a fun book and you can't take anything seriously but it just seemed off to me. So overall, a pretty disappointing issue.
Hulk Monster Size Special #1 -- I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it was great to see the Hulk paired up with Frankenstein's creature (with Banner even commenting on their similar stories thanks to Frankenstein's creature being an influence on the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). On the other hand, it did kinda seem forced at times (which I guess is understandable but could have been improved on a bit). At least the writer of the story made a point of having Banner acknowledge how out of character it is for him to just jump right in and try to resurrect the creature. But once that's done, it's a good story albeit somewhat too short. The werewolf story was a bit more of a miss for me. There was a lot of build up that I don't think was too effective and then a fight that just didn't seem to live up to it for me. Overall, the art in these first two stories effectively told the story and fit the mood well. The little two page cartoon was kinda fun and I had no real problems with it. I thought it was pretty comical. And lastly, the Peter David story with Dracula... I haven't read it yet. I didn't get around to my comics until late in the evening due to some visiting family so by the time I got to this part I knew I was just too tired to concentrate enough on it. So overall, it's an interesting book to pick up if you're a Hulk fan but not really required reading and I think it's pretty skippable.
Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen #3 (of 5) -- The last issue of this came out in July so it took me a minute to try to figure out where we were story wise (and in the end I just gave up and just started reading). I have to admit, this one was a little disappointing to me. It just didn't seem to have as clever a story or dialogue as the first two issues. And the art seemed a little disappointing. Even Tek looked off to me, a little too bulky I think. And in the second story, the huge amount of body hair that seems to be multiplying to the point where Tek looks more like a squiggly black blob just seemed weird. I know it's supposed to be a fun book and you can't take anything seriously but it just seemed off to me. So overall, a pretty disappointing issue.
Hulk Monster Size Special #1 -- I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it was great to see the Hulk paired up with Frankenstein's creature (with Banner even commenting on their similar stories thanks to Frankenstein's creature being an influence on the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). On the other hand, it did kinda seem forced at times (which I guess is understandable but could have been improved on a bit). At least the writer of the story made a point of having Banner acknowledge how out of character it is for him to just jump right in and try to resurrect the creature. But once that's done, it's a good story albeit somewhat too short. The werewolf story was a bit more of a miss for me. There was a lot of build up that I don't think was too effective and then a fight that just didn't seem to live up to it for me. Overall, the art in these first two stories effectively told the story and fit the mood well. The little two page cartoon was kinda fun and I had no real problems with it. I thought it was pretty comical. And lastly, the Peter David story with Dracula... I haven't read it yet. I didn't get around to my comics until late in the evening due to some visiting family so by the time I got to this part I knew I was just too tired to concentrate enough on it. So overall, it's an interesting book to pick up if you're a Hulk fan but not really required reading and I think it's pretty skippable.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Me and the Internets
You know what I'm liking about this blog? Nobody talks back to me... Partly because nobody but me talks (more or less). In the last week I find I've been talked down to, told I "just don't understand" how "things work", had the links I took the time to research and share be labelled as "nonsense" and hogwash by someone who refused to read them, and had my personal opinion of a comic dismissed as not important and told that I should buy it anyways. I know, it's the Internet and you just have to let these things slide and all that, and I really should because in the end does it really matter that a couple people feel the need to look down on someone they don't even know? Not really. I guess I just find it rather hard when the more important things in my life seem to be in a slump right now. Even my escapes seem to be dumping on me.
Oh well, I get to add two more forums to the list of sites I used to frequent.
Oh well, I get to add two more forums to the list of sites I used to frequent.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A couple things
Well, one election down and not much has changed really. Of course, as a Canadian, I can't vote in the American election but I'm still following it pretty closely due to the effects it may have on Canada.
Scott Allie posted a message to Buffy fans concerning the delay in issue #19. Of course he doesn't point fingers at any individuals and I'm happy for that but he does recognize the lateness of the book and apologizes. I've said on this blog several times that I find all the delays that seem to be happening in comics to be getting all too common and I do find it can ruin my enjoyment of the series at times. But really, this is what I'm looking for. An acknowledgement that they were late, that they do take it seriously, that they're working hard on getting it out there, and a simple apology. I don't need to single any one person out for the reasons, just an acknowledgement that "hey, we kinda messed up and we appreciate your patience as we sort things out" is great. On the other hand, Thor #11 got pushed back an extra week to October 29th while issue 10 came out on July 30th and I haven't really heard anything other than speculation on the forums as to why and the usual calls to fire Straczynski and/or Coipel.
And over on CBR we have talk of The Cartoon Network execs talking with DC Comics about animating some Zuda comics (starting with Night Owls). That sounds awesome for the creators there and I hope things work out, I'd love to see that.
As for the Marvel movie stuff, the Keneth Branagh directing Thor rumours seem to be more than just rumours and I think that would be a great choice. I think he can really bring something special to the character. And as for Terrence Howard being replaced in Iron Man, I like him as an actor (I don't know him otherwise of course), I thought he was good in Iron Man, and I'm sure he would have done a great job in Iron Man 2 but on the other hand, I think Don Cheadle is an awesome actor and look forward to seeing what he brings to the role. So it kinda evens out for me.
Well, back to work I go.
Scott Allie posted a message to Buffy fans concerning the delay in issue #19. Of course he doesn't point fingers at any individuals and I'm happy for that but he does recognize the lateness of the book and apologizes. I've said on this blog several times that I find all the delays that seem to be happening in comics to be getting all too common and I do find it can ruin my enjoyment of the series at times. But really, this is what I'm looking for. An acknowledgement that they were late, that they do take it seriously, that they're working hard on getting it out there, and a simple apology. I don't need to single any one person out for the reasons, just an acknowledgement that "hey, we kinda messed up and we appreciate your patience as we sort things out" is great. On the other hand, Thor #11 got pushed back an extra week to October 29th while issue 10 came out on July 30th and I haven't really heard anything other than speculation on the forums as to why and the usual calls to fire Straczynski and/or Coipel.
And over on CBR we have talk of The Cartoon Network execs talking with DC Comics about animating some Zuda comics (starting with Night Owls). That sounds awesome for the creators there and I hope things work out, I'd love to see that.
As for the Marvel movie stuff, the Keneth Branagh directing Thor rumours seem to be more than just rumours and I think that would be a great choice. I think he can really bring something special to the character. And as for Terrence Howard being replaced in Iron Man, I like him as an actor (I don't know him otherwise of course), I thought he was good in Iron Man, and I'm sure he would have done a great job in Iron Man 2 but on the other hand, I think Don Cheadle is an awesome actor and look forward to seeing what he brings to the role. So it kinda evens out for me.
Well, back to work I go.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for October 8th, 2008
Another incredibly slow week for me with only one book coming out and it was Marvel Adventures Hulk.
Marvel Adventures Hulk #16 -- I was pretty excited at the idea of the Abomination appearing and getting a good ol' slobberknocker in this issue. And I liked it for the most part. It was an easy read, good for all ages, but the art seemed a tad inconsistent to me. The shot of the Hulk and Abomination rushing to slide under a closing blast door was a little hard to follow I thought and seemed kinda odd for the characters to do at first. Most of the time the Hulk would just assume he'd be able to pound his way through a door rather than doing the Indiana Jones slide underneath it. But I guess it could have Banner's influence since pounding through the door would mean many people being exposed to radiation or a possible meltdown. But anywho, it was a pretty good issue over all.
I have to admit, on the way to the comic shop last night I got to thinking what books I could live without (partly due to a survey being conducted on Occasional Superheroine). And it doesn't look good, at least for my monthly buys. There are the TPBs I'd really miss (Fables, Ex Machina, Invincible, and the Walking Dead) so I'd probably still pick those up. But in terms of other books I have ones that I'm currently buying but are somewhat on the chopping block anyways (Mouse Guard, Mice Templar, Echo, and Marvel Adventures Hulk is inching onto this list), I have books that I'd rather not drop (She-Hulk, Runaways, and Skaar), and then I have the books I'm not likely to drop (Elephantmen, Buffy, Angel, and Spike). Though oddly enough 3 of those last ones are limited series anyways.
Which kinda makes me wonder if perhaps my weekly trips to the comic shop may be coming to an end, to be replaced with TPB purchasing for the few books I really want to keep up with. After all, it's easier to just wait and order those online then to make a trip to the comic shop for an issue or two now and then (especially with the constant delays and sporadic schedule for some of the books I read).
Or perhaps I'm just being pessimistic, it's been a rough couple of weeks for me. :)
Oh well, go check out the October competition on Zuda. There are some beautiful looking comics this month. And yes, I know I never did get around to reviewing last month's entries. Sorry about that.
Marvel Adventures Hulk #16 -- I was pretty excited at the idea of the Abomination appearing and getting a good ol' slobberknocker in this issue. And I liked it for the most part. It was an easy read, good for all ages, but the art seemed a tad inconsistent to me. The shot of the Hulk and Abomination rushing to slide under a closing blast door was a little hard to follow I thought and seemed kinda odd for the characters to do at first. Most of the time the Hulk would just assume he'd be able to pound his way through a door rather than doing the Indiana Jones slide underneath it. But I guess it could have Banner's influence since pounding through the door would mean many people being exposed to radiation or a possible meltdown. But anywho, it was a pretty good issue over all.
I have to admit, on the way to the comic shop last night I got to thinking what books I could live without (partly due to a survey being conducted on Occasional Superheroine). And it doesn't look good, at least for my monthly buys. There are the TPBs I'd really miss (Fables, Ex Machina, Invincible, and the Walking Dead) so I'd probably still pick those up. But in terms of other books I have ones that I'm currently buying but are somewhat on the chopping block anyways (Mouse Guard, Mice Templar, Echo, and Marvel Adventures Hulk is inching onto this list), I have books that I'd rather not drop (She-Hulk, Runaways, and Skaar), and then I have the books I'm not likely to drop (Elephantmen, Buffy, Angel, and Spike). Though oddly enough 3 of those last ones are limited series anyways.
Which kinda makes me wonder if perhaps my weekly trips to the comic shop may be coming to an end, to be replaced with TPB purchasing for the few books I really want to keep up with. After all, it's easier to just wait and order those online then to make a trip to the comic shop for an issue or two now and then (especially with the constant delays and sporadic schedule for some of the books I read).
Or perhaps I'm just being pessimistic, it's been a rough couple of weeks for me. :)
Oh well, go check out the October competition on Zuda. There are some beautiful looking comics this month. And yes, I know I never did get around to reviewing last month's entries. Sorry about that.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Oops...
I completely forgot to mention the Araknid Kid over on Sugary Serials as well as Tastes Like Chicken on Josh Alves' blog as two other webcomics I've been keeping up with.
My apologies.
My apologies.
Weekly Comic Reviews for October 1st, 2008
SURPRISE!!! I had no new comics come out this week. Kinda sad isn't it? Oh well, it left me with time to watch the debates last night. Yeah, I should have been watching the Canadian debate but I was curious to see the US VP one. But enough about that.
I guess instead of doing reviews I'll just ramble about a few things I've been reading. On the webcomic front, I'm still keeping up with Bayou, High Moon, Pray for Death, and Celadore on Zuda. Though to be honest, with a couple of them I may start waiting for the individual chapters to finish before reading them as I find I enjoy them better that way than reading 4 pages every week or few weeks. I'm also hearing a lot of good things about Night Owls. Maybe once my home computer is back up and running I may spend an evening reading that. And Manifestations on DrunkDuck recently ended and looks really interesting. So that's also on my list.
On the TPB front, I've recently read Superman: Red Son, Conan Volume 2: The God In The Bowl And Other Stories, and the first volume of the Astounding Wolf-Man. I though Red Son was really interesting and a good read though it wasn't really what I was expecting. I thought it was just a "What if Superman landed in Russia" but the "What if's" went beyond that. Still, I really enjoyed it. I thought the second volume of Conan was better than the first (not that the first was bad or anything). I really hope the movie is as good. As for the Astounding Wolf-Man, I picked this up knowing about the crossover with Invincible (which I haven't got to yet due to reading the TPBs). I thought there were a few leaps the reader has to take and not question as things happen rather quickly in the first few issues but by the end of this volume you're really starting to establish a connection with the characters and what they're going through. And it does have me wondering what happens next.
On the non-comic (though still comic related) front, I read Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko. I won't go into a lengthy review at the moment but it was a fascinating read for me. As someone who grew up reading comics (though I'm young enough to have only read Ditko's more memorable work in reprints or back issues I've picked up over the years) I find myself really wanting to understand the story behind the story. Obviously, getting the stories second hand through books like this and Kirby: King of Comics isn't perfect as people's memories fade and such but it's all we got. And it's interesting to see how the industry evolved on the backs of legends like Ditko, Kirby, Lee, Eisner, and far too many others to name. I think they all deserve to have their stories told.
I guess that's it for my "comic reviews" for this week. See ya!
I guess instead of doing reviews I'll just ramble about a few things I've been reading. On the webcomic front, I'm still keeping up with Bayou, High Moon, Pray for Death, and Celadore on Zuda. Though to be honest, with a couple of them I may start waiting for the individual chapters to finish before reading them as I find I enjoy them better that way than reading 4 pages every week or few weeks. I'm also hearing a lot of good things about Night Owls. Maybe once my home computer is back up and running I may spend an evening reading that. And Manifestations on DrunkDuck recently ended and looks really interesting. So that's also on my list.
On the TPB front, I've recently read Superman: Red Son, Conan Volume 2: The God In The Bowl And Other Stories, and the first volume of the Astounding Wolf-Man. I though Red Son was really interesting and a good read though it wasn't really what I was expecting. I thought it was just a "What if Superman landed in Russia" but the "What if's" went beyond that. Still, I really enjoyed it. I thought the second volume of Conan was better than the first (not that the first was bad or anything). I really hope the movie is as good. As for the Astounding Wolf-Man, I picked this up knowing about the crossover with Invincible (which I haven't got to yet due to reading the TPBs). I thought there were a few leaps the reader has to take and not question as things happen rather quickly in the first few issues but by the end of this volume you're really starting to establish a connection with the characters and what they're going through. And it does have me wondering what happens next.
On the non-comic (though still comic related) front, I read Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko. I won't go into a lengthy review at the moment but it was a fascinating read for me. As someone who grew up reading comics (though I'm young enough to have only read Ditko's more memorable work in reprints or back issues I've picked up over the years) I find myself really wanting to understand the story behind the story. Obviously, getting the stories second hand through books like this and Kirby: King of Comics isn't perfect as people's memories fade and such but it's all we got. And it's interesting to see how the industry evolved on the backs of legends like Ditko, Kirby, Lee, Eisner, and far too many others to name. I think they all deserve to have their stories told.
I guess that's it for my "comic reviews" for this week. See ya!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Bad karma?
Well, let's see what has happened since my comic review post. First up, the power supply in my home computer went bye-bye and I haven't been able to get it back up and running yet. On Sunday morning I ended up playing in 3 ball-hockey games instead of my usual 1. So I ended up spending the rest of Sunday passed out on my bed. Though it could have been worse, I was actually asked to play in two additional games but said no as that would have meant playing in 5 straight games. And I guess I should be flattered that I was asked to play but still, I was pretty dead afterwards and my Sunday was killed because of it. Work continues to stress me out but I think that's all I'll say about that.
Then last night I got into a worse mood. I decided to pick up the Iron Man DVD at Zellers despite having a history of bad experiences with them (especially at this store in particular). I look at their display and see a sign that lists the "Iron Man DVD" (no other specs) on sale for one day, regular price $25.98 on sale for $19.98. I look at the regular version and see it listed as $23.98 while the two disc version is $25.98. This doesn't make much sense to me, I suspect it should be normal version that is $19.98 but the sign seems to indicate that it's the one that is regularly $25.98. I want the two disc version anyways so I take it to the cash. The cashier rings it in and it comes up $27.98. I point out the sticker on the box says $25.98 and the sign seems to even indicate $19.98 but the cashier says there's nothing he can do and says I'd have to pay for it and then go to customer service to get my money back. So I pay and head over to Customer Service where I wait in line behind a woman who'd been waiting. But unfortunately for us, nobody is working the Customer Service counter. After standing there for a while two employees finally stroll over, no apology for keeping us waiting or anything. So I show them my receipt and one of the employees says it's supposed to be $27.98. I say that not only is the price tag on it $25.98 but the sign seems to indicate $19.98. He says that's only the one disc version and when I go to explain to him how the sign lists the $25.98 version he clearly ignores me. So when I try to explain it again he actually turns his back to me and walks away.
Yes, Customer Service simply ignored a customer with a complaint. No "We'll look into that", no "Sorry, for the confusion", nothing. I did end up getting my $2 back but no apology for that mistake either. So yeah, I'm even more upset with Zellers than before. My brother, who was also buying the DVD and witnessed all this, just decided he'd seen enough so he returned the DVD and went to HMV instead. I was avoiding Zellers as much as I could before the incident, I'll be avoiding them even more now.
I think the other thing pushing me over the edge is the election stuff going on in both Canada and the US. I refuse to get political on here but the ads coming out from all (or at least most) parties in both countries are just infuriating. It seems nobody can put out anything but an attack ad that either bends the truth, distorts the fact, or flat out lies. And of course all these snippets get repeated over and over by their loyal followers until they somehow become fact.
"So give me something to sing about. Please give me something..." -- Buffy Summers
Then last night I got into a worse mood. I decided to pick up the Iron Man DVD at Zellers despite having a history of bad experiences with them (especially at this store in particular). I look at their display and see a sign that lists the "Iron Man DVD" (no other specs) on sale for one day, regular price $25.98 on sale for $19.98. I look at the regular version and see it listed as $23.98 while the two disc version is $25.98. This doesn't make much sense to me, I suspect it should be normal version that is $19.98 but the sign seems to indicate that it's the one that is regularly $25.98. I want the two disc version anyways so I take it to the cash. The cashier rings it in and it comes up $27.98. I point out the sticker on the box says $25.98 and the sign seems to even indicate $19.98 but the cashier says there's nothing he can do and says I'd have to pay for it and then go to customer service to get my money back. So I pay and head over to Customer Service where I wait in line behind a woman who'd been waiting. But unfortunately for us, nobody is working the Customer Service counter. After standing there for a while two employees finally stroll over, no apology for keeping us waiting or anything. So I show them my receipt and one of the employees says it's supposed to be $27.98. I say that not only is the price tag on it $25.98 but the sign seems to indicate $19.98. He says that's only the one disc version and when I go to explain to him how the sign lists the $25.98 version he clearly ignores me. So when I try to explain it again he actually turns his back to me and walks away.
Yes, Customer Service simply ignored a customer with a complaint. No "We'll look into that", no "Sorry, for the confusion", nothing. I did end up getting my $2 back but no apology for that mistake either. So yeah, I'm even more upset with Zellers than before. My brother, who was also buying the DVD and witnessed all this, just decided he'd seen enough so he returned the DVD and went to HMV instead. I was avoiding Zellers as much as I could before the incident, I'll be avoiding them even more now.
I think the other thing pushing me over the edge is the election stuff going on in both Canada and the US. I refuse to get political on here but the ads coming out from all (or at least most) parties in both countries are just infuriating. It seems nobody can put out anything but an attack ad that either bends the truth, distorts the fact, or flat out lies. And of course all these snippets get repeated over and over by their loyal followers until they somehow become fact.
"So give me something to sing about. Please give me something..." -- Buffy Summers
Friday, September 26, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for Sept. 24th, 2008 -- SPOILERS
No smalltalk this week...
Hulk #6 -- Okay, I'll admit it, I went into this issue knowing I wasn't going to be happy given the first 5 issues and I wasn't disappointed. I'd like to use the phrase "steaming pile of poo" but I'll refrain. Oops, too late. The writing continues to be horrible in my opinion. You gather a team of heavy hitters to end issue 5 and they do absolutely nothing but take up pages bickering at the beginning of issue 6? Garbage. Everyone just leaves this uber-Rulk lying in the desert to continue rampaging? Crap. And speaking of uber-Rulk, this big tough guy goes down that easily? I can't think of a good word to use. And the "humour" in this book, the only time I laughed was when the Rulk started lecturing the Hulk on going to hell instead of heaven given that in issue 5 he said he didn't believe in gods. I know, minor detail there. This book was just painful for me to read and Hulk's dialogue... everyone's dialogue for that matter, was just horrible. Looking at what's to come in this series, they seem to be pushing "Ooh, buy this issue so you can see Frank Cho draw hot chicks!" and that doesn't sell me on a Hulk book. I like Art Adams' artwork but it ain't enough. So for the first time in about 20 years I'm dropping the Hulk. I know it means nothing to Marvel since they are making a killing on this book already but it means something to me.
Ultimates #5 of 5 -- Well, wasn't this a kick in the nards. I bought this series expecting an Ultimates series not some lame 5 issue teaser to Ultimatum. It seemed like every page just kept getting more and more painful. When Cap's asked why he's dressing up as the Black Panther and he says they'll talk about it later it felt like a slap in the face. It's not how you set up a mysterious element to the story. I'm done ranting about this book, it's not worth my time. Even the art seemed disappointing to me. I won't be picking up Ultimatum and unless a miracle happens, I won't be picking up Ultimate Avengers even though Millar is coming back. All this just leaves too nasty a taste in my mouth.
She-Hulk #33 -- Finally, a bit of good news. I liked this issue. She-Hulk was well written, good dialogue, good story, and pretty solid art. We get Jazinda's story and why the Super-Skrull is so determined to kill her. Now perhaps it's not exactly a new story but it has enough twists and emotion to work. Overall, despite some ups and downs I'm liking this series as a whole. But maybe it's because I need some Hulk stuff to fill the void.
Runaways #2 -- We fill in a lot of the story here so that's good. And it's still done in a light hearted, fun way so it's enjoyable. It wasn't an overwhelmingly good second issue and maybe not a great follow up to the previous issue but it was an enjoyable read. The art was a bit more of a miss with me in this issue though as I couldn't really get what was happening in the beginning (a lot of smallish panels with a lot going on, cluttering them up in my opinion) and characters looking a little too cartoony and contorted at times, almost making it more challenging to recognize who is who. But overall, I can look past all that and still enjoy it for the most part.
Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents - Savage World of Sakaar #1 -- And the longest title award goes to... Ok, getting past the title now. At times, this book fails for me in the same way much of Pak's Hulk and Skaar stuff do, I just can't quite follow it at times. The whole vines thing for instance, I had no clue what that was about. And I have to say, the art for the Caiera/Princess story was really REALLY bad. And I'm not quite sure how this fits because I though they'd established that Skaar could talk and wasn't an idiot in the last issue, yet they do so again here? Or maybe I'm missing something. So yeah, overall I'm still liking the series but it's not really making my "recommended reading list" (should such a list ever be created).
So that's it for the reviews. I'll try to get around to posting other stuff soon. I have a few rants and such I'd like to do. I just need to find the time to do them.
Hulk #6 -- Okay, I'll admit it, I went into this issue knowing I wasn't going to be happy given the first 5 issues and I wasn't disappointed. I'd like to use the phrase "steaming pile of poo" but I'll refrain. Oops, too late. The writing continues to be horrible in my opinion. You gather a team of heavy hitters to end issue 5 and they do absolutely nothing but take up pages bickering at the beginning of issue 6? Garbage. Everyone just leaves this uber-Rulk lying in the desert to continue rampaging? Crap. And speaking of uber-Rulk, this big tough guy goes down that easily? I can't think of a good word to use. And the "humour" in this book, the only time I laughed was when the Rulk started lecturing the Hulk on going to hell instead of heaven given that in issue 5 he said he didn't believe in gods. I know, minor detail there. This book was just painful for me to read and Hulk's dialogue... everyone's dialogue for that matter, was just horrible. Looking at what's to come in this series, they seem to be pushing "Ooh, buy this issue so you can see Frank Cho draw hot chicks!" and that doesn't sell me on a Hulk book. I like Art Adams' artwork but it ain't enough. So for the first time in about 20 years I'm dropping the Hulk. I know it means nothing to Marvel since they are making a killing on this book already but it means something to me.
Ultimates #5 of 5 -- Well, wasn't this a kick in the nards. I bought this series expecting an Ultimates series not some lame 5 issue teaser to Ultimatum. It seemed like every page just kept getting more and more painful. When Cap's asked why he's dressing up as the Black Panther and he says they'll talk about it later it felt like a slap in the face. It's not how you set up a mysterious element to the story. I'm done ranting about this book, it's not worth my time. Even the art seemed disappointing to me. I won't be picking up Ultimatum and unless a miracle happens, I won't be picking up Ultimate Avengers even though Millar is coming back. All this just leaves too nasty a taste in my mouth.
She-Hulk #33 -- Finally, a bit of good news. I liked this issue. She-Hulk was well written, good dialogue, good story, and pretty solid art. We get Jazinda's story and why the Super-Skrull is so determined to kill her. Now perhaps it's not exactly a new story but it has enough twists and emotion to work. Overall, despite some ups and downs I'm liking this series as a whole. But maybe it's because I need some Hulk stuff to fill the void.
Runaways #2 -- We fill in a lot of the story here so that's good. And it's still done in a light hearted, fun way so it's enjoyable. It wasn't an overwhelmingly good second issue and maybe not a great follow up to the previous issue but it was an enjoyable read. The art was a bit more of a miss with me in this issue though as I couldn't really get what was happening in the beginning (a lot of smallish panels with a lot going on, cluttering them up in my opinion) and characters looking a little too cartoony and contorted at times, almost making it more challenging to recognize who is who. But overall, I can look past all that and still enjoy it for the most part.
Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents - Savage World of Sakaar #1 -- And the longest title award goes to... Ok, getting past the title now. At times, this book fails for me in the same way much of Pak's Hulk and Skaar stuff do, I just can't quite follow it at times. The whole vines thing for instance, I had no clue what that was about. And I have to say, the art for the Caiera/Princess story was really REALLY bad. And I'm not quite sure how this fits because I though they'd established that Skaar could talk and wasn't an idiot in the last issue, yet they do so again here? Or maybe I'm missing something. So yeah, overall I'm still liking the series but it's not really making my "recommended reading list" (should such a list ever be created).
So that's it for the reviews. I'll try to get around to posting other stuff soon. I have a few rants and such I'd like to do. I just need to find the time to do them.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Quantum of Solace trailer and guns
Okay, I think I'm going a little whacko. While watching House last week the Quantum of Solace trailer came on and when the scene comes up near the end where he points the gun at the camera I quickly remembered the deal that was made about the Watchmen trailer and how a gun had to be removed/replaced due to MPAA guidelines. So, thanks to my PVR, I was able to rewind and pause it and I was sure the gun was removed here too. But now I'm looking at the trailer online and, although it's a little blurry depending on what version of the trailer you view and when you pause it, the gun is still there. Not only that, earlier in the trailer you actually see a gun pointed at the camera go off (albeit really quickly).
So first off, was I seeing things during House (which would be quite the coincidence wouldn't it)? And why didn't the MPAA step in on the Quantum of Solace trailer?
Yeah, I know that nobody reading this blog will have the answers but it's bugging me so I thought I'd put it out there.
Quick update: I double checked and sure enough, the gun was still there in the commercial during House. I'm guessing that it's just not on screen for long enough for the MPAA to make a fuss about.
So first off, was I seeing things during House (which would be quite the coincidence wouldn't it)? And why didn't the MPAA step in on the Quantum of Solace trailer?
Yeah, I know that nobody reading this blog will have the answers but it's bugging me so I thought I'd put it out there.
Quick update: I double checked and sure enough, the gun was still there in the commercial during House. I'm guessing that it's just not on screen for long enough for the MPAA to make a fuss about.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for September 17th, 2008
A whopping 2 books this week...
Echo #6 -- I think I should have dropped this from my monthly list and went to TPBs, I just don't find it moving enough for me to enjoy in small monthly snippets. I still might. The art is solid, the story is an interesting one, and the characters are all great. But I get through each issue wondering "That's it?" A lot of the time I just don't even feel like anything happened in the book. The first TPB is out and collects the first 5 issues so it may be worthwhile for anyone curious to check that out. I think I'll have to get back to you on whether I'll keep picking this up. But with Hulk on the chopping block too, my monthly books are really dwindling.
Spike: After the Fall #3 -- I didn't find the art so bad this issue. On a technical level I thought it was better and it conveyed the story better than in previous issues (and in the Angel series). I am finding the story a bit week though. Having read the Angel series, it just seems like we've seen a lot of this already. Gunn's attitude, "vision" talk, and slayer killing just seems like "been there, done that." And the whole reveal of Connor at the end didn't really seem to be a strong end to the issue. I had been hoping for more answers surrounding the Fred/Ilyria situation but I don't seem to be getting them. So overall, I'm a little disappointed with this series.
Huh, two fairly negative reviews, that bites. It's really weird actually, with all the attention comics are getting from outside (movies, tv shows, etc) and all the excitement people seem to have for certain mainstream events (Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, etc) or books (Hulk, Thor, etc) I thought I'd be on a comic high right now. Instead, I seem to be moving away from looking forward to the weekly comic pickup and looking more at older TPBs or independent TPBs. Oh well, c'est la vie I guess.
Echo #6 -- I think I should have dropped this from my monthly list and went to TPBs, I just don't find it moving enough for me to enjoy in small monthly snippets. I still might. The art is solid, the story is an interesting one, and the characters are all great. But I get through each issue wondering "That's it?" A lot of the time I just don't even feel like anything happened in the book. The first TPB is out and collects the first 5 issues so it may be worthwhile for anyone curious to check that out. I think I'll have to get back to you on whether I'll keep picking this up. But with Hulk on the chopping block too, my monthly books are really dwindling.
Spike: After the Fall #3 -- I didn't find the art so bad this issue. On a technical level I thought it was better and it conveyed the story better than in previous issues (and in the Angel series). I am finding the story a bit week though. Having read the Angel series, it just seems like we've seen a lot of this already. Gunn's attitude, "vision" talk, and slayer killing just seems like "been there, done that." And the whole reveal of Connor at the end didn't really seem to be a strong end to the issue. I had been hoping for more answers surrounding the Fred/Ilyria situation but I don't seem to be getting them. So overall, I'm a little disappointed with this series.
Huh, two fairly negative reviews, that bites. It's really weird actually, with all the attention comics are getting from outside (movies, tv shows, etc) and all the excitement people seem to have for certain mainstream events (Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, etc) or books (Hulk, Thor, etc) I thought I'd be on a comic high right now. Instead, I seem to be moving away from looking forward to the weekly comic pickup and looking more at older TPBs or independent TPBs. Oh well, c'est la vie I guess.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for September 10th, 2008
I only had two books this week. I guess I'm saving quite a bit of money by cutting back on the books I collect but a lot of it is disappearing into Trade Paperbacks. Oh well. Zuda reviews are still to come but you should check out this month's contenders, there's some good stuff there.
Secret Invasion Young Avengers/Runaways #3 (of 3) -- In terms of a single issue, the writing was pretty good (though there were times I felt the dialogue was a little off or confusing) and the art was fairly solid (I thought it was a bit better this issue but could have been better than that). So all around, it wasn't a bad issue. As for the series as a whole, it was for the most part your standard big event tie in. Little impact on the main story (so that those reading the main Invasion series don't miss anything) and little impact on the characters (so those not reading this series won't be confused). There is a bit of character development with the two skrulls on these teams but not essential reading by any means. So it wasn't a bad series, it was fairly enjoyable to read, but it didn't knock me over. I'll be happy to get back to just reading the Runaways series. And was I the only one who thought it was weird how they kept referring to Xavin as "she" in the opening thing and then having stay in his male skrull form throughout the issue?
Marvel Adventures Hulk #15 -- Yeah, I'm still getting my Hulk fix from this series. It's kinda funny that with all the "Hulk smash" dialogue that has been thrust on him throughout the years, I now find it weird when he actually speaks somewhat coherently from time to time like in this book. But anywho, it was a pretty simple issue to introduce the Leader to the Marvel Adventures line. Obviously, his plan to just enter the UN and declare himself the leader of the world wouldn't work as a storyline anywhere but the Marvel Adventures books but that's to be expected. It was a fun issue with plenty of Hulk action and some funny bits thrown in. And the art was pretty solid and fitting for this book. I still think Marvel is doing well with this series and I hope it sticks around.
On the TPB front, I'm still buying more than I should. Three I've read are Criminal: The Dead and the Dying, Conan: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories and The Goon: Nothin' But Misery. They were pretty good but I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with them. Probably not Criminal but Conan and the Goon are possibilities. I also decided to pick up The Killing Joke deluxe edition as I had never owned it myself. Still an interesting read and you can see the inspiration it had on the Dark Knight.
Secret Invasion Young Avengers/Runaways #3 (of 3) -- In terms of a single issue, the writing was pretty good (though there were times I felt the dialogue was a little off or confusing) and the art was fairly solid (I thought it was a bit better this issue but could have been better than that). So all around, it wasn't a bad issue. As for the series as a whole, it was for the most part your standard big event tie in. Little impact on the main story (so that those reading the main Invasion series don't miss anything) and little impact on the characters (so those not reading this series won't be confused). There is a bit of character development with the two skrulls on these teams but not essential reading by any means. So it wasn't a bad series, it was fairly enjoyable to read, but it didn't knock me over. I'll be happy to get back to just reading the Runaways series. And was I the only one who thought it was weird how they kept referring to Xavin as "she" in the opening thing and then having stay in his male skrull form throughout the issue?
Marvel Adventures Hulk #15 -- Yeah, I'm still getting my Hulk fix from this series. It's kinda funny that with all the "Hulk smash" dialogue that has been thrust on him throughout the years, I now find it weird when he actually speaks somewhat coherently from time to time like in this book. But anywho, it was a pretty simple issue to introduce the Leader to the Marvel Adventures line. Obviously, his plan to just enter the UN and declare himself the leader of the world wouldn't work as a storyline anywhere but the Marvel Adventures books but that's to be expected. It was a fun issue with plenty of Hulk action and some funny bits thrown in. And the art was pretty solid and fitting for this book. I still think Marvel is doing well with this series and I hope it sticks around.
On the TPB front, I'm still buying more than I should. Three I've read are Criminal: The Dead and the Dying, Conan: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories and The Goon: Nothin' But Misery. They were pretty good but I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with them. Probably not Criminal but Conan and the Goon are possibilities. I also decided to pick up The Killing Joke deluxe edition as I had never owned it myself. Still an interesting read and you can see the inspiration it had on the Dark Knight.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for September 3rd, 2008
It was a very Joss Whedon week for me with only two books coming out, Buffy and Angel. So...
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #18 -- I found that we have the usual "penultimate lull" with this book. That's not to say it's a bad book, but it's clearly just there to set things up for the final issue. There are some pretty big twists and such so it's definitely an engaging read but it didn't exactly blow me away. The Xander/Dawn stuff was so quick that it almost seemed like an after thought which is too bad. The art was solid for the most part though there were a few shots where Fray and Buffy looked a little off, a little too thin perhaps. So overall, a solid issue but not the best of the series.
Angel: After the Fall #12 -- I'm just repeating myself over and over again with this book. I like the overall story and at the end of each issue I'm thinking "Wow, this is really cool and I can't wait to see where it goes" and yet I really dislike the execution. The art seemed messy at times and inconsistent to me. The narrative wasn't as bad as it has been but wasn't great. One thing that seemed weird was having Angel out of his body talking while his body still seemed to be moving (at one point it looked like it was sitting next to the wall with a leg bent up and his arm resting on the leg, it looked like a very relaxed pose for someone in his condition). Maybe reading the series in its entirety when it's done will be better but right now, I just wish the issues were being done better.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #18 -- I found that we have the usual "penultimate lull" with this book. That's not to say it's a bad book, but it's clearly just there to set things up for the final issue. There are some pretty big twists and such so it's definitely an engaging read but it didn't exactly blow me away. The Xander/Dawn stuff was so quick that it almost seemed like an after thought which is too bad. The art was solid for the most part though there were a few shots where Fray and Buffy looked a little off, a little too thin perhaps. So overall, a solid issue but not the best of the series.
Angel: After the Fall #12 -- I'm just repeating myself over and over again with this book. I like the overall story and at the end of each issue I'm thinking "Wow, this is really cool and I can't wait to see where it goes" and yet I really dislike the execution. The art seemed messy at times and inconsistent to me. The narrative wasn't as bad as it has been but wasn't great. One thing that seemed weird was having Angel out of his body talking while his body still seemed to be moving (at one point it looked like it was sitting next to the wall with a leg bent up and his arm resting on the leg, it looked like a very relaxed pose for someone in his condition). Maybe reading the series in its entirety when it's done will be better but right now, I just wish the issues were being done better.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for August 27th, 2008
A whopping three books to review this week...
She-Hulk #32 -- We continue the Secret Invasion story here, without X-Factor. It was a good start to the next part of this storyline but there were a few moments that felt out of place or forced. Two scenes inserted for comedic purposes come to mind that just didn't seem to fit well for me. Either I'm getting used to the art or something has changed a bit but it seemed a bit better here. The outlines around the characters (from not using a black ink line) didn't seem to be as distracting for me. Overall, it was a fun and interesting issue but wasn't exactly a home run. I still recommend checking out this series.
Runaways #1 -- The series gets re-started with Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos taking over on writing and art respectively. It took a bit for me into the new writing with new dialogue and character designs. I had to remind myself who was who. But after just a few pages it felt good to be back to basic Runaways goodness. There are a couple new stories being introduced but they are presented well, without being too daunting and I'm eager to see where each goes. The art was interesting. I think there were a few times where it didn't really work for me completely, either because of a weird looking neck or a dark scene involving gym equipment that took me a bit to figure out what was going on, but overall it fits well with this book. I'm already thinking that I may enjoy this run more than Whedon's. Blasphemy I know. :) Hopefully the quality remains this high throughout their run.
Skaar Son of Hulk #3 -- Art-wise, I'm still not a big fan of the no-inking style here. It just looks too "muddy" and not in a good/barbarian story kind of way. I didn't really find this to be the strongest issue of the story with the weird back and forth between Skaar and the Princess. They're fighting, they're not, they're fighting, they're not.... Between this and the little story at the end we do get to learn a bit more of Sakaar, the Princess, and Skaar (which was a bit of a surprise for me) but like I've said about much of Pak's Hulk stuff, the story is interesting but I'm not always the biggest fan when it comes to the storytelling portion of things. I'm still interested to see where things go but it's tough for me to say for sure that I'll be sticking around for the long haul.
And in other news, over on Zuda High Moon is now updating weekly. I'm glad to hear this. Though I enjoyed season 1 I enjoyed it more in a second reading after it was posted in its entirety. I thought it flowed better that way than in the 4 page chunks every two weeks. So getting more pages faster seems like a good idea to me.
She-Hulk #32 -- We continue the Secret Invasion story here, without X-Factor. It was a good start to the next part of this storyline but there were a few moments that felt out of place or forced. Two scenes inserted for comedic purposes come to mind that just didn't seem to fit well for me. Either I'm getting used to the art or something has changed a bit but it seemed a bit better here. The outlines around the characters (from not using a black ink line) didn't seem to be as distracting for me. Overall, it was a fun and interesting issue but wasn't exactly a home run. I still recommend checking out this series.
Runaways #1 -- The series gets re-started with Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos taking over on writing and art respectively. It took a bit for me into the new writing with new dialogue and character designs. I had to remind myself who was who. But after just a few pages it felt good to be back to basic Runaways goodness. There are a couple new stories being introduced but they are presented well, without being too daunting and I'm eager to see where each goes. The art was interesting. I think there were a few times where it didn't really work for me completely, either because of a weird looking neck or a dark scene involving gym equipment that took me a bit to figure out what was going on, but overall it fits well with this book. I'm already thinking that I may enjoy this run more than Whedon's. Blasphemy I know. :) Hopefully the quality remains this high throughout their run.
Skaar Son of Hulk #3 -- Art-wise, I'm still not a big fan of the no-inking style here. It just looks too "muddy" and not in a good/barbarian story kind of way. I didn't really find this to be the strongest issue of the story with the weird back and forth between Skaar and the Princess. They're fighting, they're not, they're fighting, they're not.... Between this and the little story at the end we do get to learn a bit more of Sakaar, the Princess, and Skaar (which was a bit of a surprise for me) but like I've said about much of Pak's Hulk stuff, the story is interesting but I'm not always the biggest fan when it comes to the storytelling portion of things. I'm still interested to see where things go but it's tough for me to say for sure that I'll be sticking around for the long haul.
And in other news, over on Zuda High Moon is now updating weekly. I'm glad to hear this. Though I enjoyed season 1 I enjoyed it more in a second reading after it was posted in its entirety. I thought it flowed better that way than in the 4 page chunks every two weeks. So getting more pages faster seems like a good idea to me.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Zuda August Competition Winner
Congratulations to the Gulch team for winning the August Zuda competition. I had Gulch fairly high on my list even though I didn't vote for it. I felt the 8 pages didn't really draw me in to a story but I'll wait and see what the next few pages offer up.
And feel free to let me know if any of the other competitors are continuing their comics on other sites. I'd like to see them continue.
And feel free to let me know if any of the other competitors are continuing their comics on other sites. I'd like to see them continue.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Science Doesn't Belong in Comic Books? (And other story telling mediums)
Being the Hulk fan I am, I often lurk around the Incredible Hulk message boards and such. Because of this I have spent the last little while thinking way too much about "zero gravity". The discussion comes about from Hulk #5 obviously and just how the Red Hulk was able to wield Mjolnir. But the question I've been asking myself is "does science belong in comic books?" Should we care whether the Flash could truly run up a building? (I recommend "The Physics of Superheroes" by James Kakalios for the answer to that question and many others, some of which I might mention here) Should we wonder whether the Atom would be able to breath after shrinking down? About the only answer I can come up with is "That's entirely up to the individual reader."
What a cop out huh? But really, who am I to say what readers should be looking for in comic books? So it's entirely up to you. As for me, I have my own take on it. I like talking about these things, I tend to have a weird facination with this sort of triva. So does this mean I look at every comic looking for instances that heroes defy science? Obviously not. I think I'd go insane to try that even for a month. But that doesn't mean I won't take a second look at things just out of curiousity. Now does this mean I'll be critical of a book (or tv show or movie or whatever) that doesn't match? That depends.
On one hand, if it's clear the science isn't important to the story then I just chalk it up to random trivia. It doesn't effect my view of the story so I'm able to look beyond it. I'd put stuff like the original Star Wars trilogy and Firefly/Serenity into this category. Lucas and Whedon didn't want to be bogged down by the science of it all so they chose to keep it out. Whedon even had Captain Reynolds break down one situation as something like "Without this ship don't go?" while holding up ... something. Whedon clearly didn't want to get bogged down in the specifics of it all. So I can appreciate a good conversation of things they may have gotten wrong but it won't change my appreciation of the movies/tv shows/comics.
On the other hand, you have the writers who choose to use science. You more likely to see this in something like Star Trek (the Next Generation and such). With this sort of thing the writers often introduce something scientific as part of the show. They use science to explain why something is impossible or how they get around a difficult situation. And this is where things differ for me from the first scenario. If you are going to introduce a solution to a problem or situation based on science then you should work on getting your facts straight. Now obviously there are some things they'll never be able to explain and I understand that. And sometimes you just have to believe someone along the way invented a doohicky device that solves a problem we currently don't know how to solve but if they get basic stuff wrong then I do get disappointed. That hits me as being a bit lazy, using a solution to your story that we already know is incorrect.
So what is the Hulk example for me? I'd put it in the latter. Loeb wanted to come up with some way for the Red Hulk to wield Mjolnir and he decided to have him do it in space. After all, Iron Man has done it. And it gets explained as "zero gravity" or as Quesada saying "once in space, void of gravity". But then it becomes a problem because they are clearly not understanding that there is gravity in space. At this point they appear to be using their own misconceptions to explain something and yes, I will be critical of that because they are making it a point of the story. If they had have left it at pseudoscience or up to the interpretation of the readers then fine. But if I see them say something wrong, I want to call them on it.
Now I can understand why a lot of people don't like this approach. They just want to sit back and enjoy their comics without putting so much thought into it. They just want to take it as fact that the Red Hulk can do this because of "0 gravity" and because, let's face it, he did it. And that's fine. I might be a little disappointed that these people don't have the same curiousity to understand how things work that I do but really, when is a very basic understanding of space travel going to help me in life? But I really can't change who I am. So for me, yes, science belongs in comic books but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
Oh who am I kidding, I probably will lose sleep wondering if it's possible for the Flash to jump up and touch a ceiling fast enough that people won't notice or some other useless trivia. :)
What a cop out huh? But really, who am I to say what readers should be looking for in comic books? So it's entirely up to you. As for me, I have my own take on it. I like talking about these things, I tend to have a weird facination with this sort of triva. So does this mean I look at every comic looking for instances that heroes defy science? Obviously not. I think I'd go insane to try that even for a month. But that doesn't mean I won't take a second look at things just out of curiousity. Now does this mean I'll be critical of a book (or tv show or movie or whatever) that doesn't match? That depends.
On one hand, if it's clear the science isn't important to the story then I just chalk it up to random trivia. It doesn't effect my view of the story so I'm able to look beyond it. I'd put stuff like the original Star Wars trilogy and Firefly/Serenity into this category. Lucas and Whedon didn't want to be bogged down by the science of it all so they chose to keep it out. Whedon even had Captain Reynolds break down one situation as something like "Without this ship don't go?" while holding up ... something. Whedon clearly didn't want to get bogged down in the specifics of it all. So I can appreciate a good conversation of things they may have gotten wrong but it won't change my appreciation of the movies/tv shows/comics.
On the other hand, you have the writers who choose to use science. You more likely to see this in something like Star Trek (the Next Generation and such). With this sort of thing the writers often introduce something scientific as part of the show. They use science to explain why something is impossible or how they get around a difficult situation. And this is where things differ for me from the first scenario. If you are going to introduce a solution to a problem or situation based on science then you should work on getting your facts straight. Now obviously there are some things they'll never be able to explain and I understand that. And sometimes you just have to believe someone along the way invented a doohicky device that solves a problem we currently don't know how to solve but if they get basic stuff wrong then I do get disappointed. That hits me as being a bit lazy, using a solution to your story that we already know is incorrect.
So what is the Hulk example for me? I'd put it in the latter. Loeb wanted to come up with some way for the Red Hulk to wield Mjolnir and he decided to have him do it in space. After all, Iron Man has done it. And it gets explained as "zero gravity" or as Quesada saying "once in space, void of gravity". But then it becomes a problem because they are clearly not understanding that there is gravity in space. At this point they appear to be using their own misconceptions to explain something and yes, I will be critical of that because they are making it a point of the story. If they had have left it at pseudoscience or up to the interpretation of the readers then fine. But if I see them say something wrong, I want to call them on it.
Now I can understand why a lot of people don't like this approach. They just want to sit back and enjoy their comics without putting so much thought into it. They just want to take it as fact that the Red Hulk can do this because of "0 gravity" and because, let's face it, he did it. And that's fine. I might be a little disappointed that these people don't have the same curiousity to understand how things work that I do but really, when is a very basic understanding of space travel going to help me in life? But I really can't change who I am. So for me, yes, science belongs in comic books but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
Oh who am I kidding, I probably will lose sleep wondering if it's possible for the Flash to jump up and touch a ceiling fast enough that people won't notice or some other useless trivia. :)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Weekly Comic Reviews for August 20th, 2008
It was a pretty slow week for me with only one book coming out. But I also picked up volume 16 of the manga series "Monster" so I had enough reading last night.
X-Factor #34 -- This issue seemed to go by at an unbelievably quick pace and I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, it had that feel of urgency you'd expect from an alien invasion. But on the other hand, certain character points seemed rushed or glossed over and slow scenes (such as the farewells at the end) seemed out of place and weird. And the start seemed a little choppy to me. The art also wasn't really my cup of tea but perhaps I was more prepared for it after last issue and it didn't seem so distracting to me. And it did convey alot of the action and intensity well. Having said all that, I did really enjoy this crossover. I think Peter David may be my favourite writer for giving reader satisfaction with every issue rather than taking 5 or 6 issues before getting anywhere. And yet he still can put together a great 5 or 6 issue storyline of good individual issues. So overall, I recommend it. I have no idea how well it fits in with the whole Secret Invasion stuff but I enjoyed the crossover. But no, I will not be picking up X-Factor despite it looking like a great read.
I won't do a full review of Monster volume 16 but I'm glad this series is starting to wind down and answer some questions. It's been a good series but there's just been so much built up and so many things to keep track of that I think it may have gone on a bit too long. I think I see at least one twist coming up but I'll have to wait and see.
I also read the first volume of the Goon (or should I say "Volume 0"). Powell writes how this first book wasn't the best work of his and how things improved since the beginning but I think that's to be expected in most books. And I didn't find it as bad as he claims. I think I'll try out at least the first real volume before saying for sure but it looks like a fun book to read.
X-Factor #34 -- This issue seemed to go by at an unbelievably quick pace and I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, it had that feel of urgency you'd expect from an alien invasion. But on the other hand, certain character points seemed rushed or glossed over and slow scenes (such as the farewells at the end) seemed out of place and weird. And the start seemed a little choppy to me. The art also wasn't really my cup of tea but perhaps I was more prepared for it after last issue and it didn't seem so distracting to me. And it did convey alot of the action and intensity well. Having said all that, I did really enjoy this crossover. I think Peter David may be my favourite writer for giving reader satisfaction with every issue rather than taking 5 or 6 issues before getting anywhere. And yet he still can put together a great 5 or 6 issue storyline of good individual issues. So overall, I recommend it. I have no idea how well it fits in with the whole Secret Invasion stuff but I enjoyed the crossover. But no, I will not be picking up X-Factor despite it looking like a great read.
I won't do a full review of Monster volume 16 but I'm glad this series is starting to wind down and answer some questions. It's been a good series but there's just been so much built up and so many things to keep track of that I think it may have gone on a bit too long. I think I see at least one twist coming up but I'll have to wait and see.
I also read the first volume of the Goon (or should I say "Volume 0"). Powell writes how this first book wasn't the best work of his and how things improved since the beginning but I think that's to be expected in most books. And I didn't find it as bad as he claims. I think I'll try out at least the first real volume before saying for sure but it looks like a fun book to read.
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