Comic Book Day 12/10/2008

I have been really happy with the comics that have come out in the last several weeks. There has been almost nothing that I haven't liked, and quite a few that I have greatly enjoyed.

Ambush Bug Year None #5 - Bringing you more Dan Didio than you ever expected to find in a comic. It's still very funny stuff. The art works great, and Giffen sure knows how to write funny books. One of my favorite bits is Darkdidio (Didio as Darkseid) telling his flunkie to unleash the Anti-Sales equation.













Echo #8 - This was a bit of a nice departure from the slow build up we have been reading for a few issues. We finally get to see the first encounter between the two 'wielders' and it shows us a bit more about the magnitude of the powers the 'metal skin' gives people. Julie's pursuers are all getting closer, and none of them seem inclined to give up.

Amazing Spider-Man #580 - Another different artist and writer, but we still get a nice looking, well written (presumably) done in one story about the Blank coming to town. I swear Spider-Man should have let Aunt May stay dead for all the trouble he has to face because of her. Does EVERY villain he faces have to somehow threaten his aunt even by just odd coincidence to get Spidey to notice them? This was a fairly light read, but not a bad one. It read like the old Spectacular Spider-Man issues I used to love when I was younger, more or less.







The Forsaken World Ythaq #1 - This is another Marvel import from Soleil. Good job Marvel! I missed Sky Doll, but I will pick it up in trade at some point (or maybe the HC, who knows). Based on reading this issue, and the bits of Sky Doll that I saw, Soleil seems to know what they are doing when it comes to putting out beautifully illustrated comics. The issues are 48 pages of story, with a cover price of 5.99. I would love it if they were cheaper, but with the quality of product, and the enjoyment I got, I will probably continue to pick it up until I feel it isn't worth it. This is another one I am not sure why it needs to be mature content, but since they are just presenting the original content, so I understand that, at least. The story is fun, with lots of action and sci-fi and fantasy... the whole 9 yards. It starts on a starship and ends up on an uncharted planet with strange factions and mystical powers. It was a lot of fun to read.

No, I don't like everything I read, but sometimes I just don't post about stuff I think is crap. I don't see any great reason to.

X-Men and Spider-Man #2 - Christos Gage and Mario Alberti are doing a bang-up job on this. I was unsure about it, but the art made me buy it. It's really great so far. The story centers around the idea that Kraven worked with Mr. Sinister to get DNA from the X-Men, etc. and Spider-Man is working with the X-folk to take care of it. The first issue was Spidey with the original X-Men, and this one has him working with a newer lineup from the time of the Marauders, right around the time of Kraven's last hunt. The art and writing are good enough to justify getting this if you are a fan of the characters at all.














Courtney Crumrin And The Prince Of Nowhere - I have made no secret of my absolute adoration of Ted Naifeh's work in it's various forms, and specifically with regard to Courtney Crumrin. This is another terrific Courtney Crumrin story. It stands out a bit, as she seems at her most vulnerable, and most adolescent here. I have to admit that at the moment I don't know how old she is in the comics, but her feelings of estrangement and her fear of being alone are at their strongest in this story. I highly recommend that if you have not read any Courtney Crumrin comics, you go out and get some. The same thing goes for Polly and the Pirates. They are just good comics.