My Marvel Year (4/27/2009)

Here's what I have been reading lately on Marvel Digital Comics & a little lip service on the experience.

• Beyond #1-4 - Dwayne McDuffie, Scott Kolins -You need to note right away that this mini series is longer than four issues. It actually runs six issues, but only four are online. I still think there is a conspiracy to make you have to buy everything, rather than to allow you to finish things online, even though it's a pay service... (I like to say that, but I may not really believe it). This isn't a bad series so far, for being one that uses a 'beyonder' premise. I have a certain nostalgia for the contest of champions, secret wars style stories that throw a bunch of different folks together. This one does it, and you get Gravity and Firebrand and Medusa... Deathlok shows up, so does Dragon Man and Space Phantom, among others. It really isn't bad, and manages to be a bit of fun. I wish the rest was online.
• Ghost Rider #1-6 - Garth Ennis, Stan Lee, Clayton Crain - This comic is one I balked at a long time ago because I thought it was the type of comic that needs to have an angel force a child to poke his eye out with a pencil to show how edgy it was. I still think that part of the first issue is unnecessary and cheapens the thing, but upon reading the entire six issue mini, I pretty much love the thing now (minus that scene) It is funny and cool, it is over the top in a way that a Marvel Knights Ghost Rider title maybe should be, and the art justifies everything. Every scene with demons or fire or indeed Ghost Rider himself is the best one ever done. Every Ghost Rider panel should be a giant poster on the walls and ceilings of my dream office. I don't love the art when it is not being used to show fire and Ghost Rider, etc. Regular figures and scenes done in the style really aren't my favorite things, but holy crap can Clayton Crain draw/paint? the most awesome spirit of vengeance on the most awesome chopper with flaming wheels (yes, the flaming wheels are the most awesome.) His art captures everything I ever thought was cool about that character, in a way that no-one else has.
• New Avengers #37 - 44 - This run has the breakup of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones in it. It also has the scenes where the Skrulls are testing out clones of Mr. Fantastic in what seem like realistic scenarios. There is some pretty great stuff in these. My favorite bit in everything I read of this is when Spider-Man is convinced that Ka-Zar and Shanna are Skrulls and keeps calling her Sheena. I laughed a lot.
• She Hulk - I read some issues of She Hulk from around the time she slept with Hercules. I didn't note the specific issues I read, but I haven't read any modern She Hulk, and I kind of enjoyed what I read. I will need to make an effort to read more stuff, hopefully that predates civil war and secret invasion, etc.

Marvel Digital Comics - My issue this time is that it seems to forget that I am logged in more than seems reasonable. I have to log back in a good bit. It also has semi-annoying popup adds that tell you where to find the print version of what you are reading, and sometimes they sort of stay in the way. Otherwise, no real issues