Scott Pilgrim vs the World (may contain spoilers)

My daughters and I went to see Scott Pilgrim on Saturday. My girls are 11 and 16, and all three of us have read all six books of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series from Oni Press. All three of us have been anxiously waiting for the movie to come out since it was first announced, and rabidly waiting since the trailers started coming out. Within the first five minutes of the movie I turned to my oldest to let her know I already thought it was the greatest movie ever made. This was prior to the credits even being over. Even if that was mostly a statement for comic effect, all three of us loved it completely, and were drawn in from start to finish.

There are a lot of potential pitfalls with any movie based off of a beloved work from any medium. Scott Pilgrim was very smartly done. Things that could have been problems or weak-points were turned into strengths that made the movie distinct and different from the books, while still keeping major themes pretty faithfully, and allowing the books to not fully be spoiled and retain their unique and special separateness from the movie.

The movie has sequences that are almost panel for panel from the comics, but also has graphic enhancements, and entirely new gags and setups worked into it that make the movies into a sort of value added experience. On the other hand, they also cut the ever important to the books, Envy Adams character almost completely out. The movie sacrifice a lot of depth and meaning and real character development, and has a very compressed feel to it. It does this for the sake of remaining a pretty straightforward fast paced comedy with a reasonable run-time that never gives you any time to check your watch or get bored.

The movie feels complete, and left us pretty happy and satisfied with no complaints, but it leaves the books with some really great, powerful stuff all of its own that should be a great revelation for anyone drawn to the books from the movies. Book Six of the series absolutely floored me with its emotional significance. It remains pretty fully untouched and unsullied by any attempt to tack that sort of weight onto a movie that was designed to be fast and funny.

The movie is not superior to the books. The books are a must read for anyone that even smiled at any part of the trailers for the movie in my opinion, but the movie is one of the best movies ever that draws its inspiration from a comic property, and one of my absolute favorite movies of any type based on a single viewing.

I thought the casting was brilliant. There are a lot of people that don't like Michael Cera, and really hate the idea of him as Scott. I think what people imagine about Scott based on how he is drawn in the comics does not translate into the sort of person in real life that they think it would. I think anyone playing Scott more hyper or loud or heavy handed would become one of the jokes and weaken the over all feeling of the movie. Scott isn't really a loud snappy hyper guy, he is a fully self centered jerk that goes through life imposing on people and having little regard for others' feelings. He's not a bad guy, he just never developed out of that phase probably from middle school. The book portrays his growth one way, and the movie does it in a slightly different way.

I would like the movie to do well, but its financial success or 'failure' is of no great interest to me. What is of interest to me is that it was a brilliant movie I now adore, made out of an even more brilliant series of comics that I adore, by a director I think was pretty great, based on an artist who is pretty great, with a cast that is really great, etc. Shitty movie, financial success is not something I would wish on this. We can't make the mass audience suddenly have our taste and like things they aren't inclined too. I assume this will pick up in video, and is only just out of its first weekend. I hate when people write things off like that.

There have been a lot of really interesting and varied opinions that have been written about the movie already, and about the comic, etc. I may cover some of them at some point in depth, but until that time, I will leave you with two very insightful takes on the thing. Here is ComicsGirl's take on it, as well as Joe McCulloch's review. Both of them were helpful to me when trying to get my thoughts together and think of the big picture and different ways to think about it.

A Fistfull of SPX 2009 part 2

It's SPX (Small Press Expo) in July!! I have been meaning to post more of these to finish up the haul I got at SPX last year, but the road to hell is personally paved by ME and MY good intentions specifically. I imagine that other people's good intentions are paving other major thoroughfares. So with no further introduction here we go.

SPQR Blues -by klio (Carol Burrell) is a 'Generally Quite Serious Sword and Sandals Epic Under The Shadow Of Mt. Vesuvius' The table for this comic was one of my favorite tables to visit at SPX. Everyone there was friendly and fun and enthusiastic for their product, etc. It was a real pleasure to pop by periodically and chat, say hello again, and also tell them which exit to use etc. (remember, I was working as a volunteer). I bought the first three chapters in print form, and am glad I did. I like having the print, I like buying things to support creators that are talented and nice and especially who put out a good product. The printing is ok, but does not do justice to the quality and the crispness of the art. klio is a very talented cartoonist and her skills have definitely continued to develop and improve. Follow the link and check it out. Online is definitely the best way to view this. The comic has humor and drama, and looks to hold some mystery and intrigue as well. It takes place in Herculanium, and has a pretty sizable cast of characters, but focuses on Felix, a soldier returning from the legion, and Mus, a younger man that Felix once cared for when he was younger. Mus passes himself casually off as perhaps being younger than he is. I am only through the first chapter, but there is already a connection with the characters and a desire to know more, which si a great thing for a story to elicit in a reader. I look forward to reading more. I like the print, but there is so much going on that it is a bit tight on the page. Online it is even prettier (I felt obligated to add that, as I am not really ragging on the print version)

It may also be a fine thing to point out that while the comic had a brief hiatus, it started back up and is rolling along.

Pinstriped Bloodbath - This comic was my personally selected winner for coolest cover design / packaging. I imagine that every year I will have one of these. My first time I went the honor belonged to one of Falynn Koch's pieces that was cooler than the average fare. In 2009 it was this one. Pinstriped Bloodbath had a cover that was a double breasted pinstriped Suit jacket with a blood spatter as an outer cover. The inner cover that is visible under the jacket is a white shirt and red tie. There is a paper band that is illustrated and touts the book as an Anthology of Gangland Violence by Chicago Cartoonists. There are 8 different stories in the volume, which is edited by Jeff Zwirek, and has small art pieces by Ivan Brunetti and Josh Cotter for the contents and contributors pages. The stories themselves run the gamut from really abrupt short pieces, to longer ones on a variety of subjects. My favorite both in art and subject matter is a several page piece by the editor that focuses on the historical facts around the use of the Thompson Sub Machine Gun in Chicago crime. The art is great, it is an interesting story, and the footnotes are really informative. I like this collection a lot. There are only a few items in it I don't like, and the total package certainly makes up for that. It's a good idea executed pretty well.

Girl Ninja Presents Corporate Ninja Saga - Rebecca Simms, Story by Patrick Lewis - I thought Girl Ninja was pretty funny when I picked it up at a previous SPX. I also liked the vibe at the table at the time. There was a group of people selling their various projects and everyone was friendly and talky. It was enough good will to make pick up this comic when I saw it this time. In this we get Girl Ninja vs Corporate Mind control... ninja style. Once again it is fairly rough. This time it is just one side of the page, stapled 8.5 x 11. The art is a slightly rough manga influenced style, and it is cute and funny and works fine. I go to SPX to get a fuller range of variety in production and styles, etc. I continue to enjoy this. There is almost a hint of the sort of cuteness you get in the comic Empowered, without otherwise being related to that... It's a feeling I get from it that is a positive one.

Style and Grace #1 - Mike Jasorka - Mike was also one of the highlights of the show for me. He was exceptionally nice, and very willing to talk about his work. Chatty and fun work well for me. The comic is pretty funny. Las Vegas, 1982 Jimmy finds out that his Mom is getting married to a pimp. The pimp wants Jimmy to take over the business for him. It's all so bright and clean. It is sort of like the South Park where Butters becomes a pimp. This pre-dates that, but the humor is similar which isn't a bad thing at all. Mike also has work published in Rinksider magazine and has a roller girl related project in the works if I recall correctly.

Mix Tape and Piece Meal - Nate Beaty - I picked up two mini's from Nate Beaty. He was also responsible for one of the short but very good entries in Pinstriped Bloodbath as well. Piece Meal has two stories in it. One is called Blanks and is about awkward sexual and interpersonal dynamics among teens, played out in one evening. Yasek Loop is a sort of lush and ethereal dream sequence, or maybe not a dream sequence that starts with a fall from a very tall platform in the woods, and works in seemingly spectral animals and the noncorporeal. Mix Tape is about a sequence in his life involving the making of a mix tape and that sort of awkwardness involved when you put yourself out there like that. It's a well done cartoon. It shows a lot in the art and rings true.

CBD 01/27/2010

Batman and Robin, Detective Comics, Kick-Ass

Batman and Robin #7 (Grant Morrison, Cameron Stewart) - I am still enjoying this series. This issue wasn't one I liked at first. I had to warm up to it a bit and re-read it, but it was good, almost fun even, comics. I am not a blackest night sort of comics person for the most part. This comic has DickBat taking CorpseBat to a Lazarus Pit in England. It also has some fun British gang war stuff, and Squire and the Knight... and BatWoman, who just sort of poofs there. It's pretty fun stuff in a pure superhero comic kind of way, with just a bit of the modern gloominess thrown in, as it does involve trying to make CorpseBat into LiveBat again, and Damien, the current Robin and BatSon apparently in a healing tank getting a new spine.

Detective Comics #861 - We get some Batman in this issue, as well as a new and grizzly badguy who looks like Max Headroom with knives stuck all over his suit. He looks pretty stupid, but he is pretty tough and awful. The art in this issue is by Jock, and Jock's art is very good, but it isn't even close to the bar that JH Williams has set for this title. This may be my favorite superhero title right now that isn't Tiny Titans. The Question backup feature has also been good, and is particularly good in this issue, while not exactly blazing new trails.

Kick-Ass #8 - I am still fully on the fence about this series. I guess I like it. I don't love a lot of things Millar is inclined to do regularly, but I have certainly enjoyed his writing in the past. I think the writing in this, the concept, the premise, and the aspirations it has, are all overblown and perhaps even irresponsible. It's a comic that was born to be a movie and it involves regular kids dressing up as super heroes, taking drugs, brutally murdering and being horribly physically abused. A father raises his young daughter to kill and gives her weapons and instructs her to use drugs. The main character has his body beaten and broken severely and keeps coming back. I enjoyed the story, and the action, but like Wanted, it left me feeling a bit dirty. I am not really a prude, but I don't always think thst freedom of expression should come without some personal responsibity. Maybe High School me wants to yell 'fuck yeah!', but the responsible adult me that still loves comics wonders if this needed to be done like this. Just because you can show the main character's Dad Fucking a woman from behind on their couch as his son walks in, doesn't mean it needs to be done, or that it makes for a good story

CBD 11/29/2009

Image United, Detective Comics, The Tick New Series, Ultimate Avengers, Beasts of Burden

Image United #1 - I had no interest in getting this until I read something recently that talked about it and it got in my head for some reason. It is both a crossover book AND an image comic filled with all of the characters I was turned off of in the 1990's. It is slightly better than my expectations, but not great. I don't think I will get any further issues, but this wasn't exactly terrible. There is something that I secretly like about this stuff but am afraid to admit.

Beasts of Burden #3 - This is really a great series. I've said this before, but the art is fantastic, and the writing is every bit as good as the art. This comic is about animals that dabble in the supernatural. The animals are cute and compelling and distinctive. The dialog is natural and fast paced. It would make a fantastic cartoon in my opinion, which isn't always the case. There is a lot of action and suspense in this issue, as well as humor in the form of banter. Great stuff. It is a tiny bit to the right of pg, but I think this would be a good comic for kids over 10 or so, and it certainly works for me as well.

Ultimate Avengers #4 - I think that I would absolutely buy any comic where the focus was all the big powerful heroes trying to beat up Captain America, and Captain America Schooling them as he is inclined to do (same thing with Batman... It's a thing of mine). Again, I don't think I will continue to get this title, but something about it calls to me when I see it on the shelf. I think that I am hoping it will be a reprint of the first Ultimates series.

Detective Comics #859 - This is another chapter in the Batwoman origin story. I am still really enjoying this. It's nice to read this as it isn't a story we've seen before.

The Tick New Series #1 - Reviewed Here... Go buy it, you'll love it. If you don't love it then you are incapable of love and I can't help you.

CBD 10/07/09

North 40, Batman and Robin, Models Inc, Doctor Voodoo, Haunt

North 40 #4 - Aaron Williams, Fiona Staples - Still loving this series. I am not always a fan of horror, but this really has me hooked. It is well written, and the art is fantastic, with emphasis on just a great job on the colors. It isn't what I would call a comedy, but it certainly has a sense of humor. It comes off almost in a Twin Peaks meets Lovecraftian apocalypse sort of vibe. At this point the law is trying hard to maintain order in the face of all the strangeness, and things are gradually coming together. There is so much to take in at this point that i am not asking for the plot to move any faster than it is. Each issue brings us new mysteries and new insights into the characters we see. It's creepy smart and fun.

Batman and Robin #5 - Grant Morrison, Philip Tan - I like this title, and I liked this issue. I think it is well written, but just a bit more extreme than I am interested in . I think it's great, I just don't think it beats out some of the other titles I am reading for my comic dollars. This title vs Detective comics at this point... I have to go with BatWoman. It isn't really a contest like that, but given limited funds and rising prices, I do have to keep jockeying my money around where it gives me the most bang, or lets me pick up things I just 'have to check out'. The story lines move from a guy who replaces faces to a guy who eats them... I'll check back in with this title later I think.





Doctor Voodoo #1 - Rick Remender, Jefte Palo - I loved this issue. I haven't paid much attention to Doctor Strange in a really long time. I used to love it when I was in Middle School, though. For some reason, it was like Daredevil at the time for me, Maybe my local library had some runs of it and I read a lot of it. My library back then had these bins of single issues that were beat to hell, but you could check them out. They stamped right on the comic, it was kind of great. I like Brother Voodoo, and if this issue is an accurate intro into how this will consistently be, then I will need to put this on my pull list. It starts out with Dr. Voodoo getting the easy upper hand over Dormamu, and certainly gets no less awesome on it's way to a cross dimensional battle of indeterminate length with Dr. Doom. It was really awesome on a very high level for me.


Models Inc. #2 - I think this is a pretty decent comic. It has a LOT of human interaction, some murder mystery elements, etc., but probably isn't something I will keep picking up from this point on. I don't think this is a bad book at all, I just think it isn't a book I am particularly interested in reading.





Haunt #1 - Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Todd McFarlane - Despite the fact that I have been making fun of this character since the first picture of it was released (See... It's from Robert Kirkman and Todd McFarlane, and the McFarlane cover image really really looks like a cross between Spider-Man and Spawn... More like a hybrid of the two than like Venom in my opinion, but it has a venom-esque look as well.) That being said, this comic has some Spawn-like elements to it... Mercenary or government killer type who dies and becomes something else... That being said, it really is something wholly new. I really enjoyed this issue, and think it is a pretty great setup to an intriguing and interesting ongoing story. Ryan Ottley's Pencils have Todd McFarlane's inks over them, and the art is brilliant. My favorite 'panel' has the good guy jumping over the front of an oncoming jeep and simultaneously shooting the driver in the face while kicking the passenger in the face. As the story goes on, the soldier is killed, but his ghost keeps appearing to his brother who is a priest. When people show up to kill the brother, the soldier's ghostly self merges into his brother and becomes this other sort of creature. I guess it sort of is like Venom, if the symbiote was his brother. I was not at all surprised by the quality of this book, but I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. I am glad I succumbed to my curiosity and picked it up. It definitely has me for a few more issues at least.

CBD 09/16/2009

Beasts of Burden, Tiny Titans, Batgirl, Batman & Robin, Atomic Robo

It's really nice when the comics I get meet the level of excitement that going to the store and getting them generates in me.

Beasts of Burden #1 - I am surprised that there was a copy of this on the shelf. I am guessing that it was purchased for someone and then accidentally got shelved. Yay me! This comics is written by Evan Dorkin and illustrated by Jill Thompson. I described it to my daughter as sort of like scooby doo, only the gang is all dogs, and a cat I guess fills the odd person out spot that Scooby occupied in his group. That is really only a valid comparison on the surface, and even then it's a sketchy comparison, but it made me laugh. The story is cool, the setting and the premise are even cooler, the characters are distinctive. There is humor and drama and right there tying it all together is art that is cute and stunning and fully capable of conveying the sort of horror/supernatural element of the story as well. Burden Hill is a town with dark and sinister secrets, according to a paragraph on the inside of the cover, and it is up to the animals that live there to protect the town and its other inhabitants. The Dogs and cats and scenery are all just beautifully done, and the animals work together using their wits and resources (including a dog that can cast spells!) to get through difficult situations (in this case a giant frog that is eating pretty much anything or anyone it wants to.) This isn't a kids title exactly, but I would certainly let my 10 year old daughter read it.

Batman and Robin #4 - Still good, even without Frank Quitely on board at the moment. There are some points where the art me be a bit confusing, but I don't see it as particularly bad or anything. I am viewing it like I am supposed to think it's awful, because everyone has worked hard to create that expectation. I am pretty sure Philip Tan is not a fan of that assumption. Frank Quitely is a pretty great artist. It would be hard to follow him on a title. Nothing in this book makes me unable to follow or enjoy the story, so I find it hard to have a negative opionion about the art. So I will say. Good job guys. We get Red Hood and Scarlet popping up in place of Batman and Robin, or ahead of them, and doing very un-Batman sorts of things. I don't really dig the whole 'let the punishment fit the crime' catch phrase, but 'who am I to judge' (maybe that will be my new catch phrase)

Batgirl #2 - I really like the Phil Noto cover to this. There is a sort of old school sexiness to the shot of a fully clothed woman pulling up or adjusting her boot. It is not done in a lurid way, it isn't cheesecake, or even overtly sexual, but I like the picture. The comic is ok, and features a good bit of Oracle seeming jealous of the new Batgirl, or overly protective or something. I liked it, but I don't think i will continue picking this up, unless I am in the situation where I can get it and still come out under 20 bucks.

Atomic Robo Shadow from beyond time #5 - This is the final installment of the third volume of Atomic Robo. I loved this series. This issue, for being strong and funny, and resolving things nicely, is probably the weakist issue of the series. That distinction still allows this issue to be better than a majority of comics I read. I loved it, it just didn't have the bang for me that some of the other issues did. It's still funny as heck, and has a really great take on non-linear time that feels almost like time travel but isn't, because time travel is impossible... There is a description of evil computers vs normal computers that is hilarious and brilliant as well. If you didn't read this as it was coming out, do yourself a favor and pick up the trade. Great stuff. Clevinger, Wegener, Pattison and Powell is certainly one of the all time best groups of four names to see together on the front of a comic. Here's looking to volume 4!!

Tiny Titans #20 - The latest installment of the Eisner award winner for best publication for kids, continues to delight. This issue deals with magical holes created by Raven, and their many uses. The best part of the issue is the spread where Alfred is polishing the Eisner! I would do that if I had an award winning comic that I wrote and drew. Good job Baltazar & Franco!

Wednesday Comics #11 - I will be very sad to see this over. The awesome thing about this issue in particular is how big everyone is going. I would say this specific issue has the greatest concentration of oversized panels of the entire run. The Flash wins for layout design, but Green Lantern and WonderWoman are also just beautiful. There is a lot of good in this issue. Looking at the whole run so far, I would say that Teen Titans is the only feature that didn't seem to work for me on any level. Even Emo Superman went big and bold art-wise. Once it is finished I will go back and read each feature straight through. This has been a very successfull experiment in my opinion. I sure hope they continue to push boundaries of art and design and such in other ways. I would love to see another weekly collection like this at some point.

CBD 09/10/09

Models Inc., Wed. Comics, North 40, The Unwritten, Ult. Comics Avengers, Nomad, Kick-Ass

The Unwritten #5 (Mike Carey & Peter Gross) I think this is one of the best single issues of comics I have read this year. In this issue the story steps back a bit and shows us just how deep things go, and how the literary conspiracy/cabal stretches back probably as long as stories have been written. This issue focuses on Rudyard Kipling, Oscar Wilde, and Mark Twain. The primary focus is Kipling, and it is just brilliantly written. It wraps the realities of Kipling and Wilde, for instance, in the fabric and context of the story, and ties them together in an achingly sad story. Fantastic stuff. You could almost read it out of the story context and still have it be a meaningful read. I highly recommend this series.

Models Inc. #1 (Tobin & Villagrasa) - I kind of wish that Marvel Divas was more like this title. I don't Dislike Marvel Divas, and I like Tonci Zonjic's art a lot, but this title seems to have a lot more going for it in characters, interaction, a fun spirit, and a better cover. Why Couldn't Marvel Divas get the sort of cover treatment that this has. Divas had Super ladies drawn in unsexy 'sexy poses' on the cover, this has a relatively classy magazine cover feel in which the character is drawn sexy and pretty, but much more realistically, and not in a pose that only occurs in a Men's magazine. You get Model stuff, fashion stuff, some action stuff. It's really not bad. The Tim Gunn backup is especially great if you have Tim Gunn Fever! as all right minded folks should, and as far as celebrities dropped into comics go, it's a good bit, and is funny and pretty well done.

North 40 #3 (Williams & Staples) - This really looks to be a great series. It is genuinely creepy as well as funny. It feels like a perfect TV show setup. Seriously. There are a lot of good characters in a relatively limited environment. There is a great deal to be discovered regarding what the full effects of the event are, as well as an effort to set things right somehow, and in the middle of it we have a Sheriff just trying to keep order in a small town that's turning into freak central. The art continues to be great, and really provides the right atmosphere. I think the writing is well done and is paced nicely. Really good read. If you like horror, old gods, monsters and small town sheriffin', you are well covered with this.

Kick-Ass #7(Millar, Romita Jr) - I wanted to hate this. I wanted to stop getting it. I don't always love things that are sold as brutal and bloody and over the top. I don't actually have a problem with Comic book as movie sales pitch, especially if it's a good comic. Kick-Ass is really a good comic. Written extremely well, and drawn great too. This issue absolutely pushes all the right buttons for me. I am unable to resist a good 'Rocky' style comeback, and this has one of the best comebacks ever. Kick-Ass gets absolutely destroyed in this issue, and then formulates a plan to get out of it by getting beaten mercilessly until he can get his pants back on. It's brilliant. There may be a message about the dangers of comic books in this, but I think it really is more about the awesomeness of comic books.

Ultimate Comics: Avengers #2 - This is looking pretty good. I sort of stopped reading vol 3 early on of Ultimates, and I didn't really follow Ultimatum. This series seems to grab some middle ground between the two, and is off to a good start. I know I'd cut my face off if I had Steve Rogers' good looks. Pretty good, but I can't afford to keep getting everything I like.

Nomad: Girl without a World #1 (Sean McKeever, David Baldeon) - I didn't know what to expect from this, but I was compelled to pick it up. It's about Rikki Barnes a girl from another earth who is inexplicably on this earth now. She is the Bucky of her world. She wants desperately to meet the Captain America of this world, but something comes up every time she tries. In this issue that something is the Black Widow. BW tells Rikki that plenty of people know about her, etc. and that She's not going to let Rikki meet Cap. There is also the plot line where Rikki has chosen to be where she is on this earth because although she doesn't exist in this reality, her brother does, so she puts herself close to him. This comic gives us High School drama, dimension travel, Action, and butting heads with adults. I think if it keeps this balance it will be a good title, and maybe one that kids (boys and girls both I would hope) can like.

CBD 09/02/2009

Chew, Strange Tales, Wednesday Comics, Sweet Tooth, UltCom Spider-Man, North 40

You are correct that not all of the comics I listed there are actually new this week. I found Chew #3 not long ago in a store that is not my LCS, and I was happy to see the 4th and 3rd printings of 1 and 2 show up on the shelf long enough for me to buy them. North 40 #2 is one I should have gotten when it came out, but didn't. The good news is that my LCS hunted it down for me, and now I have it.

Chew #1,2,3 - John Layman and Rob Guillory - The concept for this, which is: In a world where poultry is outlawed... one man with the ability to get sort of psychic impressions by eating things will... do cool stuff as an FDA agent. I wouldn't wish Tony Chu's ability on anyone, as it means he will routinely be called upon to eat really nasty stuff, and experience all the horrors of the food processing industry as well. In the three issues so far he is solving crimes, hearing that the bird flu panic is a hoax, going from cop to FDA agent, and falling in love. I guess I read a lot of clever things, but this series is clever, it is interesting and funny, and the character design / artistic style is really great. I plan to grab the rest of it as well.

Wednesday Comics - I think my comments on this have been pretty consistent. I will just jump to the thing that for no good reason jumped out and me and made me laugh.

Supergirl - Amanda Conner's art continues to be the cutest most endearing stuff ever. I love that it is in WC because it is just fresh and light and fun. The writing is cute and funny as well. They are at Dr. Midnite's and he has alerted Supergirl to something fishy going on in the sun. I would love an ongoing like this is, done all ages style. The thing that made me laugh was that all rear shots of Streaky and Krypto have their butt-holes drawn in. Maybe it's been like that the entire series, but still it made me laugh. I am 12, and I am living with it.

Sweet Tooth #1 - Jeff Lemire - I really like the distinctive style of the art in this comic. I haven't read any of Lemire's other works, and I will need to remedy that. This a very well told story so far, and definitely uses the medium well. The dialog is spare, and most of the story is told solely in pictures. It is the story of a boy with antlers who was raised by his father in a strict religious environment, in a secluded area. We find out that there have been other children born similarly, but possibly with other animal characteristics. It's pretty compelling so far. I think I will give it a few issues if I can. It shipped with a $1 cover price, which is a sure fire way to get me to read something.

North 40 #2 - This is just getting better. I am enjoying the developments a lot. The writing is great, the art is great.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man - The second half of this issue really just made it for me. Spidey fights a mother/daughter team and it is just awesome classic spider-man fun.

Strange Tales #1 - Exceptionally funny takes on Marvel characters by a varied and unexpected collection of artists. James Kochalka, Nicholas Gurewitch, Jason, Johnny Ryan, Dash Shaw and more. The bits range from cute to just wildly funny. Certainly worth getting the next 2 issues in my opinion.

CBD 08/26/2009 - a really good week for #comics

Invincible Presents Atom Eve, Detective Comics, Batman & Robin, Wednesday Comics, Shazam

Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam #7 - I am pretty sure I asked my LCS to cancel this for me, but I am pretty happy they ignored me. Each time I see it in my stack, I can't bring myself to not get it. This issue may be the best in the series so far. It just has everything going for it. It is fun and has real plot and action and humor in it. The art is very good, and the overall style just works for the sort of comic it is. I think this is a kids comic that embraces that fact and at no point talks down, or has any other agenda than to tell a good story and entertain. Dr. Sivana is at his evil genius best in this. I sometimes think Baltazar and Franco should just write every kids comic. Byron Vaughns art is also just perfect.

Batman and Robin #3 - This series, despite the lack of Bruce Wayne as Batman, is probably my favorite Batman treatment in a long time. It has the true spirit of Batman and Robin in it, but also the dynamic of trying to fill big shoes, and a sort of reluctant partnership. We know what Dick Grayson can do, but being Batman is another thing entirely. This issue continues with the two main characters not working together. You know they should be, but they aren't. It ends with a better understanding of why the partnership is important. The story continued to be really creepy and edgy, without being too far over the edge.

Detective Comics #856 - JH Williams makes this title worth getting even if they stopped putting any words in it. The layouts are every bit as lovely as the art itself. The writing in this is no slouch either. I've seen reviews that speak a bit critically, but I just don't see where anything is being done wrong in this title. Developments in this issue ramp things up even more, and I am excited about how this is going. We get to see a little bit more of Kate as a person in this one, and it is very well done. I think Rucka is portraying his characters as real and fairly rounded people. We have a main character who is a lesbian, but I don't think we are getting just a caricature or a stereotype or worse, a school boy fantasy, we are getting a complex character. I know this is another Alice in Wonderland themed villain, but I don't have any issue with it, and kind of love it, regardless. I am loving this so far.

Wednesday Comics #8 - I will be really sad when this is over.

Kamandi - still the prettiest thing ever.

Adam Strange - Very well done, still liking it more than I want to

Wonder Woman - Still not trying to read it yet

Green Lantern - I do a shot every time he says Dill. I thought this week was better than most. Green Lantern is in it and there is something happening.

Flash - still a solid story.

Teen Titans - Maybe the best week for this. Still should be way better, but I do want to love Galloway's art.

Supergirl - Honestly, I think it's humor and awesomely cute art make this one of the best entries in a field of strong entries.

SGT Rock - I like the art a lot, but the story is a bit underwhelming so far

Superman - I like the art and the scale of this, but it is pretty slow moving. I don't hate it though

Demon/Catwoman - I LOVE this this week. Maybe it's picking up. I want to like this, and haven't really until now.

Metal Men - Not a big fan of them, but I liked this week, and may enjoy the rest of it

Metamorpho - This is another lazy writer installment. Instead of a game board we get a periodic table... part one of two...

Deadman - I am really enjoying this. The art and writing pair perfectly. It's fun stuff.

Batman - still solid

Hawkman - Still pretty crazy good. I am not a fan of everything Baker does, but I like this

Invincible Presents Atom Eve (collected edition) - I picked this up when it came out as a two issue... series of two issues. I like this format better. I like the heavy cover and having the whole story in one piece. Definitely pick this up, especially if you didn't read it yet. You do NOT need to be a regular reader of Invincible to appreciate this. This is good comics. I swear I got a lot more out of this by reading it again. It is very funny and very well well written. The art is also well done and very expressive. This story also has a pretty sad element to it, and that is done very well, balanced nicely with the humor. Benito Cereno and Nate Bellegarde are talents very much deserving of recognition. Look for their upcoming continuation of Eve's story in the Atom Eve and Rex Splode mini series coming out in October, and Hector Plasm: Totentanz coming in November. Benito is also going to be writing the new ongoing series for The Tick which starts in November as well.

CBD 08/19/2009

Wednesday Comics, Tiny Titans, Atomic Robo Shadow From Beyond Time

This week I also picked up Empowered V5. I am not including a picture. But if I did, it would double the number of hits I get here. I haven't read it yet, but I had meant to pick it up for a while, and they were out of my first choice which was Planetary V1.

Wednesday Comics - Another good, enjoyable issue. Notable this week: Metamorpho isn't a cop out writing-wise, and Green Lantern appears in more than one panel of the Green Lantern strip. Kamandi continues to look like a frame-worthy homage to classic newspaper strips. Supergirl gets another extremely funny and cute page with Aquaman, Deadman is also striking this week in it's full page layout, and looks sort of like Eisner designed a page and had Kirby draw it. Strange Adventures and Hawkman continue to be very good comics. I think they should make this year round and sell it for 2.50. That would be a comics revolution. Do it in X #week runs, and switch up at the end of each run while continuing to focus on Art and design coupled with good writing and 'classic comic strip' sensibilities.

Atomic Robo Shadow From Beyond Time #4 - If Atomic Robo is on the cover, it's like a written guarantee that you will enjoy the contents. That isn't hyperbole. Even taken out of context with the series it is in, I have not read an issue yet that didn't make me laugh, and didn't leave me feeling satisfied about how I spent my comics dollar. That isn't hyperbole either. It may actually be understatement. This series moves through time, making each issue like it's own separate thing, even though all of them contribute to the whole. The best part of this one is Carl Sagan as a kickass Rambo... of SCIENCE.

Tiny Titans #19 - This is another sure thing for me. It is sweet and nice and fun. It is geared toward young kids, but makes me smile as much at 40 as it would have when I was a little kid. My daughters routinely read this before I get my hands on it, and enjoy it at ages 10 and 15 too. at $2.50 it's perfectly priced as well. This issue focuses on friendships, and highlights Bumblebee and Plasmus, as well as Monsieur Mallah and the Brain. Lovely stuff as always.

CBD 08/12/2009

The Unwritten, Wednesday Comics, Marvel Divas, Hero Comics, Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Spider-man

The Unwritten #4 - Mike Carey & Peter Gross - This is one of those things you really need to read from the beginning in my opinion. If you haven't jumped on board this title yet, I recommend it, but but you will really be best served if you can get all the issues, or hopefully the trade when there hopefully is one. This is to literature as Phonogram is to writing. It's well done, written and drawn. My favorite line is delivered by a menacing figure stalking through a house

murdering people. To a victim hiding behind drapes after running from him he says "You know what's really guiding you? controlling you? Pushing you on?" in regard to the victim's actions. He then supplies the answer as he closes in for the kill. "GENRE conventions." It's good stuff so far.

Marvel Divas #2 - Aguirre-Sacasa, Zonjic - With two issues away, I can say for certain that I love the art in this. I really just enjoy the art an awful lot. The writing is ok, the story is ok. It's a lot of not too much happening and kind of a lot of talking. It also seems to be setting itself up for a sort of predictable series of next steps, but I am hoping I am a bit wrong about that. I like the angle this is taking. I like seeing supportive friends show how a

super-hero community and super-hero friends might deal with a friend having cancer, etc. It has a lot of 'very special Blossom' feel about it, but that doesn't have to be damning either. So... Love the art, have hope for the next 2 issues.

Hero Comics - There was exactly one of these at my LCS today and I grabbed it. It was the Wagner Grendel cover, so I feel like I won the lottery! This is a hero initiative Benefit book put out by IDW. A number of the entries are like presentations during a telethon, but so what, it's still comics for a comics related cause, so go out and buy 5 of it. There is a short American Flagg piece by Chaykin, and an extremely good piece about pop directors directing stories from the bible. It's good stuff. and it's worth picking up. All Proceeds from this title go to the Hero Initiative, which works to help people in the industry who have fallen on hard times, in many cases by helping them get work.

Wednesday Comics #6 - I have not loved every weekly comic that has been made available to me by DC over the years, but I sure love the idea of weekly comics. When I was getting it I really enjoyed getting Spider-Man nearly weekly as well. Happily, there is enough in Wed. Comics to have me excited to pick it up weekly. Here is a quick take on where I stand on the various features.

• Kamandi, Batman, Metamorpho, Hawkman, Superman. are all very good, some of them are better than others, and Kamandi in particular is beautiful.
• Supergirl is cute as heck, which is good, as Amanda Conner has stated that Cute was her strategy in this. It is refreshing to have it there, although there are a couple other light offerings.
• Teen Titans gets my vote as most disappointing. I LOVE Galloway's style, but in this format everything seems to bleed together and it is hard to get into it.
• Caldwell's Wonderwoman is beautiful, but so small and busy that I look at it for it's loveliness and don't even try to read it. I will read it when I have all the pages.
• I think Sht. Rock is great, but we are six pages in and he is still tied to a chair at the start of this one. It's good though, and the art is awesome.
• I like Deadman, but need to see where it goes.
• I just can't love Metal Men. I'm not sure why.
• I am not loving the Green Lantern series here, but it could be worse, it could be blackest night.
• I am also unable to get very excited over the Flash, although I like the Flash too
• I think that Adam Strange is the best of the offerings so far. The art and the writing are great. I wish that wasn't the case, but I really think it's true.

Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 - Millar, Pacheco - I Loved the Ultimates. I sort of Liked Ultimates 2. I stopped getting Ultimates 3 and cried a little about how much I disliked it at that point. I didn't follow Ultimatum, but I looked forward to some post Ultimatum Ultimate comics. After this first issue, I think it is not out of the question that I will really enjoy the Ultimates again, regardless of what they are called.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 - Bendis, LaFuente - I hate Peter Parker's hair in this, but I like the art a lot. I enjoyed this issue and think it will probably be a pretty great series again. I had kind of weened myself off of Ultimate titles, but have always had a good bit of affection for that universe.

Popgun Bullets V3 P4

- Bulleted mini reviews of the entire contents of Image Comics anthology Popgun Volume Three (the final installment)

• 303 The Jailhouse Swing - Jamie S. Rich, Joelle Jones - I particularly like the style of this 8 page narrated piece about a down on his luck palooka and the Angel that loves him regardless. The art goes heavy on the lines in some places, and uses a very sketchy style when showing bits of his fights.His girl seems always drawn with a bit of delicacy. It has a little bit of the feel of something you might see related in Ed Brubaker's Criminal (not the only piece in this review that made me think of that).
• 311 50 Miles to Marfa - David Hopkins, Daniel Warner - The art in this piece sits on a weird line for me. I am not sure if I love it or if I hate it.The lettering got on my nerves a little, but as I sit here going over the whole thing again, I will say that I really like the art. It's bright, and certainly conveys the setting well, also, the hot-headed character is so expressive he is almost manga-like. The story itself is funny and well written. It is a clever double-cross, and I kind of love those.
• 319 Cuffs - Derek McCulloch, Peter Krause - Speaking of double crosses and things that could be right out of Criminal, this story has at least three twists in it. The art is very good, and yet again a different style. It's a decent story all the way through.
• 333 These Kids Today... - Eric Skillman, Connor Willumsen - I love Willumsen's art in general, but I don't love the coloring on this piece. This is a narrated piece that is 3 pages long and a bit abrupt. It isn't badly done, I just don't like it very much. It may just be the theme.
• 336 Tackle Goes Fishing - Robbie Lawrence - This is a single page bit, and is really cute. I have a hard time saying anything negative about it. It's a kid fishing for birds with a balloon. It's brightly colored and whimsical. I looked at it a few times and thought... ok... graphic mixtape... I get it.
• 337 Eternal Warrior: Endings - Paul Grist - I like Grist's work a lot, and like this piece as well.
• 345 The Real Incidentals in Kill Phil - Zac Gorman - I really liked the art and the humor in this one. This is sort of a super heroes meet Captain planet rings that summon embodiments of music styles. The enemy they are tackling is Kill Collins who ruins parties with his insipid Lite Rock. There are a lot of embedded jokes in this thing to look for, The art and color are great. I enjoyed it.
• 349 Sanz Pantz: Home Al-Owned - Chris Moreno - I love Sanz Pantz. This is another good piece. Every aspect of it is polished and well done. Nothing wrong with Ninja Platypus in my book.
• 355 Curse of Silence - George Gousis - This is a good efficient anthology piece. It tells a complete story in 4 pages with a twist and good distinctive art. The art and writing are equally strong and both contribute to the story.
• 359 Bunnyboy - Robb Mommaerts - A cute little girl, a cute little bunny and an atomic chemistry set. This entry takes those three things and remains cute through the entire bit, even when it's horrific and gross. Facial expressions are especially well done in this, and I liked it.
• 367 Lumberjack in The Root of All Evil - Stephen Reedy, Greg Titus - I loved this piece. The art is very slick and polished, the colors are great, and the writing is sharp. If this were a serious super-hero bit, I would probably not like it, but it is the story of a larger than life, plant hating lumberjack who seems to exist solely to eradicate plant based threats to humanity. He sort of reminds me of the Tick in a way. There is a vibe about it, rather than any direct correlation. He spouts lines like 'My ass will be wiped by your children's warm leafy bodies!' as he leaps in with axes and chainsaws flashing. It commits, takes the risk and succeeds.
• 379 Avocado Allegrando - Maximo V. Lorenzo - I don't love the lettering in this piece, but that's about it for things I don't love about it. It has a strong manga flavor about it with dynamic layouts and intense one on one duel action. The action is a musicians' battle between a guitarist and a violinist. It is clever and very well done.
• 387 Deathnaut: Emotional Baggage - Danilo Beyruth - Deathnaut is another very slick good looking entry. It's another one that is a bit tongue in cheek in it's delivery, while not being jokey at all. It works for me, although I am not sure I would want to take this in much larger doses than this. It's solid, but isn't particularly exciting to me. It IS very well drawn and written, though.
• 403 Londown - Alberto Mielgo - I am sadly mixed on this one. The story is brilliant and touching and kind of lovely. It is a strange sort of super-hero love story with a strong de-emphasis on the super part. The art is my issue. I loved it at first, but after a while it really started feeling like it was done entirely by drawing over top of pictures. After that got into my head it somehow brought down my opinion of the art and got in the way a little. I still think it is very artfully done, and it isn't like I don't consider it a top notch comic even if that is the case. It tells it's story pretty well and I like that story a lot. I don't love the odd text effects it has and the way the word balloons are done, but on a whole, they just cement it's uniqueness whether I love them or not.
• 421 Failure After Failure - Vassilis Gogtzilas, K.I. Zachopoulos - this is kind of a sweet little sketchily drawn piece lifted out of a relationship between two currently jobless people. It is more a slice of life/moment in time kind of thing that shows the tensions, but also shows some hope. The dialog is a little stiff, but it's nice. Some of the text is hard to read.
• 429 Olympus: They Say... - Christian Ward, Nathan Edmondson - gorgeous art. The story isn't so much of a story, but the art is just beautiful, and the piece is decent regardless.I like the underwater color effects in particular.
• 435 Found In The Attic - Olaf Brill, Donald Hello - Time travelling 'secret in the attic' creepy twist sort of story. It works well, and definitely captures the flavor of the sort of story it is patterned after.
• 443 The Young Macaw - Derek Yu - This is pretty funny. The last page is a bit of a surprise, and should put a smile on your face. The art is well done, and pretty different from anything else in the book. It is set up as a cultural/tribal coming of age ceremony and it fits that pattern well. The pacing is good, and I think the payoff is cute. Plus it has an owl bear in it, and that is worth something.
• 453 King's Hollow: The Trade - Ryan Cody - I love this piece. I love the main character Nissa, I love the art. I love it and I may just marry it. It really feels like something there should be more of. It is a nice self contained bit, but it really feels like there should be a graphic novel of it somewhere. It looks like there is a one-shot with the same character in it, and I think I will seek that out at some point.
• 461 Hairballs - Gary Fields - I don't love this. It is an itchy and scratchy sort of piece by way of the campy unfunny Sunday funnies. It's all puns and things that look like puns. I get it, but it isn't my favorite thing. Not badly done for what it is, but not my thing.
• 463 Mickey Maus - Erik Larsen - It is what it sounds like. It is a one page gag about Mickey Mouse being in a concentration camp and not getting it. Atrocities are funny! I would like to see an edition of this with no Mark Andrew Smith, and no Erik Larsen. No offense to them, but really, make this about other things and other people's work. Innovative and widely varied stuff.
• 464 Twilight - Michael Woods, Nic Klein - Wow. This is stunningly beautiful and equally sad. The art is lovely, but man is it sad. It's both lovely and haunting. It's a hard situation to face, but the idea of the piece is a good one. It involves a child in a coma, but paints an extraordinary world around them. It will probably stick with me.

Thoughts, opinions, comments? let me have it!

I enjoyed this volume, and if I can afford it, I may very well try to continue this project when the next volume of Popgun comes out. I like this series best when it is giving me really different and innovative stuff, or when it is giving me a very broad range of styles and subjects and genres and art, etc. It's nice to get to see 50 things or so I wouldn't have otherwise seen, and get a maximum number of creators in front of my face. I really do want to experience as much as I can, and this continues to be a decent way to do it. It also forces you to think about short works and anthology pieces as a very different thing from serialized comics or long form graphic novels, etc.

CBD 7/8/2009

North 40, Wednesday Comics, Unwritten, Dark X-Men

North 40 #1 - Aaron Williams, Fiona Staples - I had put in for this title when I saw it in previews based on the premise and the artist. Here's the story: Two kids unwittingly set of what equates to a Cthulu Nuke in a small town. Tentacles and disembodied voices abound. This first issue is pretty much just a series of establishing bits in addition to what may just be the tip of a more complex origin story, or it may not be. I think everyone deserves to write at least one story that starts with someone reading or opening a book they shouldn't, as the justification for everything that happens next. That's not even sarcastic. The writing looks good so far, although as I said, it's the first issue, and we get introductions to a number of characters, as well as the sorts of things we can expect to see more of. I love that we have more than a few people who seem to have voices in their heads, and a lot of wildly different results from the 'event'.

Fiona Staples does a really good job with the art. Characters are expressive, creepy things are creepy, dark shadowy things are dark and shadowy, and the style isn't heavy at all. The color works great and helps set the tone. If you like Horror or supernatural stuff with an elder gods angle, this looks pretty great. I also get a sense that we may get some Walking Dead type character development in this as well, but that's just a guess.

Dark X-Men #1 - I have seen some Namor recently in Agents of Atlas, but nothing prepared me for the bizarre extended shower scene that opens this title. We are a full ten pages in and Namor is still without pants. Norman Osborn probably demands that all of his meetings involve someone showering... good to be the king I guess. After the shower scene in which it's all about ...'we're really quite alike, you and I' Which again, I imagine that at some point in every conversation with Norman, someone uses that line. "Here's your McMuffin mister Osborn... You know we're really quite alike you and I... with our dual nature and our liking of McMuffins..."

Also in this issue is a big feature with Mimic (a character I have never cared for, but who seems a bit cooler in this, with the beard and everything), and another with Dark Beast, another character I have never cared for. So why did I buy a comic filled with characters I don't like? and pay 4 bucks for it, at that? I liked the cover, and I'm kind of an idiot. I don't want to get any more of this.

Unwritten #3 Still liking this. It's developing well so far. It's different from anything else I am reading, and it's well written. I like the sense that there is this deeper reality to writing and fiction, and that if you study fiction, there is a sort of magic available to you.

Wednesday Comics #1 - I loved this. I am looking very forward to getting the entire run of it. There are a number of stories that seem sort of out of place in this format, but a weekly serialized anthology filled with a ton of undeniable talent, with a focus on the art seems like a perfect way to make people think that 3.99 for a comic is kind of a bargain. There are a lot of people who have written exhaustively on this thing, but in addition to the feeling of the thing, is a truly undeniable quality to the majority of the offerings you get here. 15 different stories, 15 different titles, 15 different top notch creative teams. Full page newspaper sized comics, nearly all of which are just beautifully done artistically. We will see how the writing is, after we get a few pages into each, but the art is amazing. There's something strange about the format that seems to make the retro styled offerings look amazing, while the more modern looking pieces (Superman specifically) looks sort of out of place. Neil Gaiman's first page of Metamorpho manages to get the lines - "She was hoping for the mother of all pearl necklaces, and now she's trapped" as well as "a blast of frozen nitrogen will take care of Sapphire's giant clam!" - innuendo-y The style is perfect though, and Allred's art makes you feel like you are back in time.

It is a format that makes you feel like you are reading something and destroying it at the same time. It really tests you to see if you are committed to reading and enjoying comics, or collecting them. I found it a little hard to find a way to hold it that didn't make me self-conscious about ripping it up every time I turn the page. It's funny that something that really pushes the envelope in my opinion does so as simply as using bankable talent, focusing on artistic creativity, and doing it in a larger format and a low tech package. It's kind of brilliant, and I am pretty certain that my LCS ordered as few copies as it possibly could because it assumed people were tired of weekly comics... because of Countdown and Trinity...

Comic Book Day 07/01/2009

Reviews-Marvel Divas, Batman and Robin, Echo, Agents of Atlas, Destroyer

Marvel Divas #1 - I am going to claim that I held off on posting this until Comicsgirl had posted her review of it. I am not going to worry over whether or not that is the whole truth. I respect her opinion, and appreciated where she stood on it prior to it's release, when it was getting a lot of negative comments based on the cover that seems to exist in a completely different universe than the comic itself was supposed to.

I read this comic and thought it was cute and funny. I don't think I watched an entire episode of Sex and the City... ever, so I can't compare it to that. When I read this, especially with the cancer plot, I thought it's Adamantium Magnolias, or Marvel Beaches, or... etc. You have a group of strong women, who all have their quirks and weaknesses, etc., and when they get together I imagine they love each other's company, and talk about whatever they are thinking about at the time. It is a bit heavy on the lamenting about men side, but that doesn't make it unrealistic. I bet you, there actually are groups of single young women who talk about their love lives and ogle people in bars, etc. when they get together. The only two page spread in issue #1 that doesn't feature talking about guys is the two page spread where one of the characters tells her friends she has cancer. It fails the Bechdel Test. Does that mean it's evil? Nope, of course it doesn't mean that. We are seeing a group of women with a lot in common who hang out in a sort of support group for each other. I bet a lot of people could put together a 23 or so page comic where every page has a reference to men or women or football, whatever. That doesn't have to be a statement about all people of that gender, it could just be the specific people, or the editing you choose to do.

I think this comic is written really well, and maybe drawn even better. Aguirre-Sacasa's writing is sharp and funny, and Zonjic's art is distinctive and expressive. It is the opposite of everything the cover is.

I am pretty sure that isn't the point, but entertain this idea for a moment. The cover shows the 4 women in their sexy super-hero fanboy wet-dream poses and costumes, every one of them with gigantic round boobs, arching their backs at least slightly, and looking fierce or dripping sexuality. One might say that's how they are viewed, or what people might think is their purpose, etc. You open the book and you are looking at them in their' real lives'. These are flawed but pretty women more realistic features and no great propensity to try and put their butts and their boobs on the same side of their body. These are women who get annoyed at the a-listers, and cry together when they find out one of their friends is ill, and who enjoy a good time together, etc. I think it's a contrast that should make some people ashamed of the way they look at the world, and others just nod. Just because there was no irony intended doesn't mean it isn't there.

This isn't exactly my thing, but I am probably not the exact target for it. I will most likely get the whole thing if I have the funds for it. I really like the art, and want to see how the rest of the story plays out. $3.99 an issue is pretty steep, though.

Agents of Atlas #7 - Still a fun and excellently written book. The art is pretty cool. The style is interesting, but still has a bit of beauty about it despite being a bit dark.

Destroyer #2 & 4 - I finally got issue #2 of Destroyer. I had read issue 3 already, and two is great and does give me more setup information for #3. I enjoyed it a lot, even out of order. Issue 4 definitely has less blood than 3... The Red Cross has less blood than issue 3. Issue 4 has a terrific battle with a big slug like worm thing, and a LOT of human interest, interaction and family dynamic. This title really excels at showing us the humanity of a superhuman character. There is a feeling of realism and humanity in this that you don't always get in super-books. The art and color are perfect as expected, Walker and Staples deliver beautifully in the action scenes as well as in the human drama sequences. I will almost gladly pay 3.99 for the final issue of this mini.

Echo #13 - At 3.50 this now looks almost like a bargain. Another great issue. I sort of feel we had some forward progress taken away from us in this issue, as we were very close to a potential meeting between Julie and Ivy, but we got a sort of deus ex machina to pull her away. I hope it serves more of a purpose than just that. I guess it shows us her humanity and her priorities. We also get a bit more Pam (Julie's Sister) in this issue, and a cool development with Dan Backer (the giant bearded guy we met earlier on in the series). I am enjoying this series, but really wish we got more of it at a time.

Batman and Robin #2 - This is extremely good Batman comics. Someone else way better at comic reviews pointed out how cool it is that Quitely is drawing very recognizable Batman, with all the standard batmanishness about him, and yet he does it consistently in a way that lets you know without a doubt that the guy in the suit isn't Bruce Wayne, isn't the guy you are used to seeing in the suit. I am also loving Damien as Robin. I also also kind of love Robin having a Robin of his own. Damien is an obnoxious and headstrong brat, but when you see him and hear him, and know his pedigree, you kind of believe his hype. This kid isn't just a bratty obnoxious kid that needs people to bail him out (although he is, and does), you really get the feeling that he means business and his overconfidence may really be merited. It really looks like they are doing this comic right... and hey, it's only 2.99... a bargain!

CBD 6/17/2009 & not too much whining

Fantastic week - Mysterius the Unfathomable, Destroyer, Incognito, Tiny Titans, Executive Assistant Iris

But firs I revisit a thing I mentioned previously.

I am not able to go to Heroes (con) this year. I went last year with my girls and we loved it and loved Charlotte, NC. I was going to make it a family vacation, I got the cheap room at the great hotel, I got my favorite LCS owner to say he would get me in for free, I got the days off, I got the realities of some out of control spending and an economic downturn..., so...

I have adjusted my goals and am shooting for SPX this September. I will try to make that my con for the year, since it is within metro distance and it has the sort of stuff that's hard to find elsewhere, and has a very cool vibe about it.

Not driving all the way there and stretching our finances to do so is a little bit of a weight off, in a strange way, despite how much I was hoping to go. The other good aspect of this is that my family will go visit my parents for the long weekend, and that always means lots of leisure and good food and good company. Going there is always like a vacation for us, and indentured servitude for my parents (They insist on making amazing meals with veggies from their garden and my Mom's (and Dad's) amazing cooking. Plus we will do something with my Dad for father's day and it will be fun.

Oh, right... comics... Here are some lazy and tiny little reviews:

Incognito #4 - Still awesome. Brubaker and Phillips and Staples know how make the heck out of good comics. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

Mysterius The Unfathomable # 6 - Funny and smart and well written interesting stuff with fantastic characters. Parker and Fowler... I may be starting to realize something.

Tiny Titans #17 - My happy place. We get imps, we get Robin's myriad wardrobe, a battle for the cowl, and a discussion of continuity! Baltazar and Franco...

Destroyer #3 - I really love this. I think it is just very well done. Great writing, great art, a great look at a character I had probably seen, but never heard about until this series was solicited, even though he's one of the earlier characters out there. Kirkman, Walker, Staples... (more on that in a minute) This comic is violent. It also features my favorite premise, the 'hero' at the end of his lifecycle (a concept not just limited to Clint Eastwood movies, although Unforgiven and Gran Turino are both brilliant examples of this). Destroyer makes the Punisher look like he's not all that committed to making bad guys pay... Destroyer doesn't just punish... The guy Destroys for cryin' out loud. At one point he fights while covered head to toe in a sort of liquid latex-like body sheath of blood(his and everyone else's). I am not an across the board fan of this sort of bloody violence, but it is done in a tense and serious setting, and still keeps a certain sense of humor about it. It doesn't offend me in this context in the least. I am really enjoying this.

Which brings me to an observation. Every one of the books I got in my box today shares a very common trait. Every one of them has a stellar and proven creative team that knows more than a little about making pretty great comics. There is really no substitute for quality. I'm not suggesting that less experienced writers and artists can't produce amazing comics, I am suggesting that you don't have to buy bad comics. There are people out there who make some amazing stuff. Not only do you not need to buy bad comics, but big publishers don't really need to put out bad comics. It's possible to make good ones every time.

I picked up one book not on my pull list this week, and it is:
Executive Assistant Iris #1 - I haven't had time to do much but flip through it so far, and it looks great. The art is very good, and the feel of the comic is good.

CBD 6/10/2009

Billy Batson & the Magic of Shazam, Unwritten

Tiny little haul this week. Actually, I don't think two comics can even constitute a 'haul'.

I resisted picking up a couple of impulse buys this week, and opted to get out of the store for just over five bucks, which is nice.

Unwritten #2 (Mike Carey, Peter Gross) This issue certainly lived up to the first issue. I wonder if I should just stop now and wait for the trade. I like getting the whole story at once, especially the first installment that establishes everything. At the same time, though, I don't want to wait that long. The idea of our main character possibly being a character out of a book, and definitely being an expert on literary geography is really cool. The supporting characters and the sense of intrigue are also building a good case for continuing to get the singles.

Billy Batson & the Magic of Shazam #5 (Not Mike Kunkel?) - Hey, Why isn't this awesome Mike Kunkel book by... awesome... Mike Kunkel anymore? I have a feeling I missed some news somewhere along the line. I LOVE tiny titans, I LOVE Baltazar and Franco, but I loved the Kunkel-ness of this title. The energy of every page and Kunkel's dynamic style were what made the book for me. The art in this is fine, Byron Vaughns does a fine job, but it just feels like a bait and switch for me. I will probably cancel this now. I am not a huge Shazam fan. I like some of the modern takes on him in relation to Superman mythos, and liked Jeff Smith's take on him and such, but really it was the look and feel that Kunkel brought to the book that drew me in, just as Baltazar and Franco did for Tiny Titans, and Walker/Jones did for Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade.

Popgun Bullets v3 p3

- Bulleted mini reviews of the entire contents of Image Comics anthology Popgun Volume Three (the next 100 pages)

• p215 Alien Abduction - Isam S. Prado (Assistance from Alisa Stern & Amy Stern -Not my favorite piece, but not a bad piece really. The art is different enough from everything else, and well done for its style. It isn't a style that I love, but I won't say it's bad or anything. It sort of makes me think of the Rugrats cartoon in its style, and i am not a fan of that style either. It's at least a complete thought, and an original take on an aliens are real story.
  
• p224 Intermission: Just Outside Circus Liquor - Dan Brereton - This is a two page illustration with evil clowns in a sort of circus setting with what looks like some Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters people thrown in. Good stuff, but not my thing really.
  
• p226 Young Johnny Appleseed - Frank Gibson, Becky Dreistadt - I will call this piece sweet and unexpected. It feels to me like it was lifted right out of the 1970's for me. I remember a big focus on Johnny Appleseed then, and the cute characters look like products of that time. It's a cute thing start to finish.
  
• p231 Rex Onazuka, The Japanese Wasp in the GodFather of Monsters - Mark Andrew Smith, Johann 'Ullcer' Leroux - I have in the past said some things about Popgun seeming almost like a vanity publication for Mark Andrew Smith, and maybe one or two others, given the volume of their work appearing in the first two volumes. This volume doesn't have that feel at all. I LOVE the Rex Onazuka stories. The writing is great, the art is great, what's not to like. You get around thirty pages of really great story that gives you giant monsters and real characterization and story. It is nice to see a piece like this.
  
• p261 Ever Upward - Tonci Zonjic - This story made me look up Joe Kittinger. The art is great and distinctive, with a sort of Non-fiction historical cartoon feel to it. It documents a major accomplishment in test piloting, and memorializes a man who did some truly amazing things in his long lifetime.
  
• p267 Father of Two - Amanda Becker, Janet Kim - This is a creepy and wonderfully done sort of horror short. The art is amazing, and the story is just awesome. This is another story that seems to have the horror anthologies of old as its spiritual successor, but this is better than most in all ways. It focuses on two sisters living with their Father who has signed on to make monsters for the Nazis. Good stuff!
  
• p271 There's Always a First Time - Michael Dialynas - Cute and funny little love story featuring the Grim Reaper. I like stories like this a lot. Death meets a girl he is taken by, and dates her, but can't touch her. It ends how you might expect it to, and is just lovely.
  
• p285 Cave Pat and the Early Femenist Movement - Alison Acton - It's tough being a smart and independent woman in the time of cavemen. This is a pretty good one also. The art is really well done, and it's funny. I would love to see more antics with these characters in this setting.
  
• p299 Same Again - Ray Fawkes, Justin Randall - We end this on a string of really high notes. The art is stunning, and the setting and premise of this sort of put chills down my back. Seriously. I consider this a perfect anthology piece. It's four pages and uses all of them and requires not a single bit more than that to tell us a story that resonates and gives us something that will stick with you.
  

CBD 6/3/2009

Atomic Robo, Batman and Robin, New Mutants, Agents of Atlas

Just a few things this week, but it's all good stuff.

Atomic Robo: Shadow Beyond Time # 2 - This issue is a completely different sort of ride from the first issue. This time around, our heroes and the giant tentacled creature from beyond our universe take it outside for a car chase and a good bit of action comedy. The banter and comedic timing are still perfect. I could gush all day about this comic and it's creative team, but I will spare you for right now.

Batman and Robin #1 - I can't say this was better than I thought it would be, as I thought it would be very good. It is indeed a very good comic. I liked it a lot, but odd as this may sound, I am not sure I care about it. Morrison's writing can be great, and it is in this book so far. Quitely's art is always fantastic, and it is in this comic. I will give this a few issues, I am sure it will be great. Not sure what it is, but I have a tiny bit of apathy counter-balancing my inclination to go all fanboy over this.

New Mutants #2 - The art on this is good, and the writing is pretty good as well. I love picking back up with the characters I loved so long ago, and the characters are recognizable and distinctive. The story itself has a very creepy element to it and an interesting psychological horror sort of vibe at the moment, since the primary antagonist is Legion and a lot of the action is in his head. It juggles the action inside and out pretty well, and hopefully I will be able to keep up with it for a while.

Agents of Atlas #6 - I am crazy about Jeff Parker's writing and his considerable talent. I am also absolutely crazy about the character of former SHIELD agent Derek Khanata. I am planning to go into greater detail on that at some point, but man is that a compelling and well written character. We are under water for most of this, and we get a lot of insight into Atlanteans and their realities. Good stuff.

CBD 4/13/09

Mini-reviews- The Unwritten, Umbrella Academy, Echo, Jack Staff, Green Lantern, Human Torch Comics

Human Torch Comics #1 (Snyder, Wegener, Pattison) - This is from last week, but the Wegener reaction didn't happen until this week. I am sure you understand what that is, that's the reaction where you go... Holy crap! Scott Wegener did the art for this!? Here... have my money! Fortunately for me, the story is great as well as the art, and Ronda Pattison's colors of course. I am not a particular fan of the old Human Torch, but this story is very well done. It touches on everything it needs to, hitting all the right beats as it were. We see his humanity and heroism, his android, other-ness, Human Torch as celebrity and monster and ultimately hero again. Ultimately ending up with a date with someone who accepts him as he is. The second half of this book is a reprint of what I guess is the first appearance of Toro from 1940. The book is 4 bucks, but It's a nice buy if you like this sort of thing.

Green Lantern #40 - This is what it is. I am liking it enough to keep getting it, but with this issue I have no specific points to recommend it on other that it will hopefully some day result in the blackest night event. The art looks great, and the writing isn't bad or anything, I just am not sure that it accomplished anything really important.

Jack Staff #20 - Pretty great stuff. If you haven't given Jack Staff a read yet, I recommend you pick up the first trade. It's well written and distinctively drawn. It's funny and... clever as well. In this issue the focus is on a very X-Men like group of young people in a very Xavier like School.

Echo #12 - Every issue I say it is great, and every issue I say I wish it were longer. This one is particularly good in my opinion. There is one page that stands out as probably my favorite in the series based solely on Julie's facial expressions. We also get some advancement with Pam (Julie's sister), Ivy is closer than ever to our 'heroes', and Julie is sporting more of the 'suit' than before.

The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #6 - I really liked this series. I think this issue was great. I had read a review saying it was a weak ending, but I thought it worked really well. I thought that the twists in this were interesting, I didn't see it coming, really. I love the characters enough, that as long as something is going on with them I am happy. I hope we get more of this from this team.

The Unwritten #1 (Mike Carey, Peter Gross) - I like Mike Carey as a writer. I enjoyed Confessions of a Blabbermouth, and really like what I have read of Lucifer so far (I have a lot of the trades but have not read them all yet. I love this title. The Unwritten focuses on a reality where Literary geography matters, where just maybe literary characters can step out of their literary world and into ours. The main character Tom is the son of a writer who achieved even greater success with a series than JK Rowling did with Harry Potter. Tom spends his days finding work that pays him for exactly that fact. His father disappeared, or abandoned him, depending on who is telling the story, and he is still bitter about the fact that he himself doesn't exist as much as the character named for him does. One day, everything changes. A reporter suggests he is not who he says he is. Evidence supports the idea that Tom was never really born, so who is he? The uproar that this causes is almost as out of control as the uproar that occurrs when it is suggested that Tom IS the character from the book, that perhaps TOM is a messiah of sorts. It is an excellent premise. The book suggests that our reality may just be stories built upon stories. It is well written, the art is great, and this issue is ONE DOLLAR!!! It just can't get better than that. I am excited about continuing to read this.

Popgun Bullets v3 p2

- Bulleted mini reviews of the entire contents of Image Comics anthology Popgun Volume Three (the next 100 pages)

• p105 Crow Rooster - Connor Willumsen - This entry has good art, a real sense of mood about it, and is evocative of a scene from a mob movie. I don't really love it, solely because I don't really understand it. I don't think it tells a complete story, and it ends with what looks like a cover that features a character I assume is dead, and i don't know if we are going back in time, or if that is just an unrelated cover(endpage) or what. I like the elements a lot. I think it's pretty good stuff, but as an anthology piece it leaves me a little flat.
• p120 Twig & Cassius - Ulises Farinas, Ben DeRosa - Maybe it's just me. I'm not the deepest guy, or the smartest, but I am inclined to like comics. This is another one I just don't understand. The art is interesting, but I don't know what I am supposed to take away from the square headed guy and the giant crow, and what looks like a giant baby mouse. There is dialog that suggests a larger story than we are seeing, but again this feels like a piece of something, and not enough of a piece to be in a story anthology, assuming that is what popgun even wants to be.
  
• p132 EEKS! and SHRIEKS: A Brief History - Josh Parpan - This is a good example of something that isn't a story, but is a complete piece, and works fine in an anthology in my opinion. The art is pretty awesome. It is a bit on the grotesque side for my tastes, but it is very well done. It is a series of panels representing events in world history, re-enacted with monsters more or less.
  
• p137 Swordsman Monster Slayer: Monster Revenge - Frank Stockton - Relatively short and fairly funny, this isn't my favorite bit, but it certainly isn't bad or anything. I at least smiled at it. decent art but not my favorite style
  
• p141 Max!! Get out Of My Room! - Mike Dawson, Antonio Campo - Brotherly hijinx between a teleporter and a telekinetic. It's really funny stuff, as in 'MOM! MAX TELEPORTED MY ARM OFF!!'. I liked this one a lot.
  
• p153 Agents of the WTF in Would You Like to Dance, Papi? - D.J. Kirkbride, Adam P. Knave, Matteo Scalera, Antonio Campo - I also liked this piece a lot. The art is great. The best part of it being the dynamic action and layout/ panel design. This is a well done entry.
  
• p159 2 Copper Pieces: Gotcha! - Jim Zubkavich, Chris Stevens - This is another example of really well done art that just isn't a style I love, but I acknowledge that it's really well done. It is also an entry that gives you just a piece of what seems to be a bigger story, but it is perfectly packaged so that it is complete in and of itself. Great anthology piece!
  
• p163 The Last Voyage - Scott Hallett, Thomas Mauer - Can't say I get much out of this, but the art is pretty great. It's a boat full of viking like guys who go and get eaten by a sea monster. Really, it's like 'here's some guys, here's a monster, chomp, the end'
  
• p167 One In Every Box - Jim Zubkavich, Jason Ibarra, Matt Moylan - What if you were a fantasy world witing for the chosen one to arrive from another world to save them, but when the chosen one arrives they decide they would rather finish their breakfast instead... This is really pretty funny and well done. I enjoyed it.
  
• p176 Superhero Bobby - Dennis Brown - This entry is stupid and lazy. I Saw this someplace, and I can't recall where that was. There is some cool art here, The guy has a ton of talent, but this bit just isn't anything.
  
• p181 Nudging Buddy - Ron Turner - Amazingly well done backgrounds and scenery, etc. The art is very good, the story isn't bad, but it is really just packed with dense narration, in a sort of hard to read small font. The art and the story go together, and the art certainly enhances and reinforces the story, but man this is wordy.
  
• p189 Bastard Road: Cockfighter Blues - Brian Winkeler, Dave Curd - I said of a previous Bastard Road from a previous popgun, that I didn't want to like it, but it grew on me. This one has the benefit of it having already grown on me, as well as the fact that it is extremely funny, with exceptionally distinctive and humorous art. This comic is filled with as many penis and vagina references as you can fit into one comic without actually talking about penises or vaginas. If this took itself seriously for a second, none of it would be funny, but everything about it is tuned to make it work. Very funny stuff.
  
• p203 Error - Jeik Dion, Dominique Carrier - I flat out love the art in this. Limited color palette, post apocalyptic look and feel,cool character design, etc. I would almost like it better if it had no text at all, rather than the one or two word text boxes scattered about that read sort of like poetry. I guess post apocalyptic sci-fi poetry comics are a completely valid art form, but I may need some time to get used to it as an art form.