Monday, October 31, 2011

Trick or Treat 3

Our third annual Happy Halloween Ten of a Kind! (With a shout-out to everyone's favorite Little Stuffed Bull)











(Trick or Treat 1 is here!) 
(Trick or Treat 2 is here!) 

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!




A monkey leads Tarzan to a gruesome discovery on the cover of Tarzán #365 (1958?).


Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

DCnU Capsule Reviews, Week 8

After writing reviews for every single of DC's new #1 issues, I'm slowing down. But here are capsule reviews of last week's books:


All Star Western #2: Lead story drawn by Moritat, the back-up by Jordi Bernet—this is certainly one of the best-drawn books of the week. The Jonah Hex story is better for having fewer pages than in the lead-off issue. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Aquaman #2: Missing a lot of the sly humor of the first issue. I'd also like to see the story move quicker and not spend four opening pages on the sea creatures attacking civilians when one page would have done the job just fine. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Batman: The Dark Knight #2: Oh I see, all of Batman's villains are getting amped up, though the Joker sure is getting a lot of face time in the new 52. Better than the first issue. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Blackhawks #2: I'd rather have Zinda as Lady Blackhawk than this boring mess. Rating: 1.5 (of 5).

Flash #2: Barry starts to use his Speed Force power in a new way. The art continues to be fantastic, which is good because I'm not entirely sure what the plot actually is. Oh, and Barry should just forget about Iris; Patty Spivot is adorable. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

The Fury of Firestorm #2: I really hope we get an explanation for how these Firestorms work fairly soon. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Green Lantern: New Guardians #2: Mildly better than the first issue, but still not terribly great. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

I, Vampire #2: The pacing on this comic is very odd, but I'm willing to put up with it as it adds a uniqueness to what could be a standard issue vampire story. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Justice League Dark #2: I wonder if the 'team' will ever actually get together? Janin's art is nice but sometimes is a bit too stiff. A couple of things confuse me: Can everyone now see Boston Brand in his ghost form? And whose side is Mme. Xanadu supposed to be on? Rating: 3 (of 5).

Legion: Secret Origin #1: Recent history suggests that The Legion has a tough time maintaining one title, let alone two, so I question the wisdom of adding in a third series. Plus do we really need yet another re-telling of the Legion's origin? But we do get to see some nice Chris Batista art. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

The Savage Hawkman #2: The story is confusing, and the art doesn't help, and the coloring is muddy. Rating: 2 (of 5).

Superman #2: Normal page-length this time, but still a lot of story packed into another done-in-one. So where exactly is Superman's secret hideout? Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Teen Titans #2: Also a bit better than the first issue. This comic might eventually win me over; it would help if Booth would tone down the use of odd angles for no good reason. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Voodoo #2: I was actually trying to give this book a chance, but not if the characters are going to be this stupid (You know you're dealing with a shapeshifter so you give out a codeword, and then don't ask for it?!) Rating: 2 (of 5).


Ratings compared to the first issues: 3 improved; 6 stayed the same; 4 were worse; 1 was new.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this evening. All the previous caveats apply.

1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6) *
2 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 7
3 (-1). Batman: Arkham City
4 (+2). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
5 (-). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
6 (-2). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2
7 (-). The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 5)
8 (+5). Batman: Year One
9 (+3). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
10 (+5). Batman: The Killing Joke
11 (+6). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
12 (+22). The Walking Dead Volume 15 *
13 (-3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
14 (+7). Batman: Hush
15 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 1
16 (+3). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
17 (-9). Habibi
18 (-7). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star
19 (-10). Hark! A Vagrant
20 (+18). V for Vendetta
21 (-7). Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary
22 (-4). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle edition)
23 (R). What It Is
24 (+2). Batman: The Long Halloween
25 (+6). Dilbert: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar
26 (+7). The Walking Dead, Book 2
27 (+3). Big Nate: From the Top
28 (-4). Amulet #4: The Last Council
29 (+12). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
30 (R). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle edition)
31 (N). The Legend of Zelda Box Set
32 (-). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 5
33 (+10). The Walking Dead, Book 3
34 (R). The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus
35 (+2). Dork Diaries 3 1/2 (Kindle edition)
36 (-7). Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1
37 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
38 (R). Scott Pilgrims Precious Little Boxset
39 (N). Ultimate Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man *
40 (-4). Yotsuba&!, Vol. 10
41 (-1). Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 *
42 (N). Batman: Noel *
43 (-18). The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
44 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 13
45 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
46 (R). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
47 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
48 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
49 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 12
50 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 5


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever is at #3 on the overall books list, and maintains its hold on the #1 slot on the comics list. The runner-up is the latest Walking Dead hardcover (#217 overall).

* Dead Watch: A whopping fourteen slots this week are taken up by various Walking Dead collections. It's good to be the comic on which a highly-rated television show is based.

* Batman also does well, as the Arkham City video game gives a boost to the caped crusader landing eight Batman titles on the list this week.

* I had expected Habibi & Hark! A Vagrant to spend more time in the top ten, but they have already started to slip in the face of the Walking Wimpy Batman onslaught.

* Only three new titles on the list this week: The Legend of Zelda Box Set; and pre-orders for Batman: Noel & Ultimate Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

DCnU Capsule Reviews, Week 7

After writing reviews for every single of DC's new #1 issues, I'm slowing down. But here are capsule reviews of last week's books:


Batman #2: Easily the best of the Batman solo titles out of the new 52. Also, it's nice to see some pages in a Batman comic bathed in sunlight, so Kudos to colorist Glapion for nicely rounding out the art team. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Birds of Prey #2: Not exactly sure why this title rubs me the wrong way; probably has something to do with characters whose names I recognize but aren't acting like the characters I'm used to. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Blue Beetle #2: The unnecessary retelling of the origin continues. It's still fine, but I want it to move on faster than it is going. Rating: 3 (of 5). 

Captain Atom #2: Young Justice #9 also featured Capt. Atom this week, and was a much better story than this. Some pretty art from Williams though. Rating: 2 (of 5).

Catwoman #2: So at the end they kill off the only interesting character in the book. This is worse than exploitative garbage. It is that, but it is also just bad. Rating: 1.5 (of 5).

DC Universe Presents #2: Part two of the Deadman story continues with the philosophical but isn't quite as dense as the first issue as it adds in some action as well. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Green Lantern Corps #2: This level of graphic violence and dismemberment is simply not appropriate for a Green Lantern comic. Rating: 2 (of 5).

Justice League #2: I like the repartee between Green Lantern and Flash. Plenty of action, though it is mostly heroes fighting each other; that chestnut gets old. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Legion of Super-Heroes #2: The story continues to barrel ahead at full steam. I'm sure that new readers are lost, but I'm not one so I don't care. Bring on the crazy large cast! Rating: 3 (of 5).

Nightwing #2: Dick's weakness for redheads gets him into trouble again. Better than the first issue, both art and story-wise. If only the villain were more interesting... Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2: Mostly lacking the offensiveness of the first issue, but fails to make me care about the happenings at all. Rating: 2 (of 5).

Supergirl #2: A slightly longer read than the first issue, but still way too much fisticuffs. Good to see that Superman is asking the same questions about Kara's power levels as the rest of us. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Wonder Woman #2: Such a dark approach shouldn't work for Wonder Woman, but Azzarello and Chiang make it work, even with a dark and mysterious Paradise Island. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).


Ratings compared to the first issues: 3 improved; 8 stayed the same; 2 were worse.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this evening. All the previous caveats apply.

1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6) *
2 (+11). Batman: Arkham City
3 (-). The Walking Dead, Book 7 *
4 (-2). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 *
5 (+1). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
6 (+6). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
7 (R). The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 5)
8 (-4). Habibi
9 (-4). Hark! A Vagrant
10 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
11 (-4). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star
12 (-3). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
13 (+1). Batman: Year One
14 (-4). Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary
15 (+6). Batman: The Killing Joke
16 (+19). The Walking Dead, Book 1
17 (+17). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
18 (-3). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle edition)
19 (+1). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
20 (-9). Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm
21 (R). Batman: Hush
22 (+7). Chew Volume 4: Flambe
23 (-1). The Death-Ray
24 (-5). Amulet #4: The Last Council
25 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
26 (R). Batman: The Long Halloween
27 (N). Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called, Vol. 2 *
28 (N). Charlaine Harris' Grave Sight Part 2 *
29 (-13). Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1
30 (R). Big Nate: From the Top
31 (+13). Dilbert: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar
32 (-14). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 5 *
33 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
34 (+3). The Walking Dead Volume 15 *
35 (-5). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
36 (-19). Yotsuba&!, Vol. 10 *
37 (-14). Dork Diaries 3 1/2 (Kindle edition)
38 (+2). V for Vendetta
39 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us
40 (-2). Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 *
41 (-10). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
42 (-16). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
43 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 3
44 (-12). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
45 (-12). Feynman
46 (-18). Codename: Sailor V 1
47 (+1). Black Butler, Vol. 7 *
48 (R). Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs
49 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 6
50 (-9). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever is up to #2 on the overall books list, and thus easily retains the #1 slot on the comics list as well. The runner-up is the tie-in to the Batman: Arkham City video game (#105 overall).

* The second volumes of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called & Charlaine Harris' Grave Sight don't come out until January, but they're already popular enough to land back-to-back at #27 & #28 as this week's only debuts.

* Dead Watch: The second season premiered this part week, and we now have nine Walking Dead collections in the top fifty.

Monday, October 17, 2011

DCnU Capsule Reviews, Week 6

After writing reviews for every single of DC's new #1 issues, I'm slowing down. But here are capsule reviews of last week's books:


Batgirl #2: There's a still a lot going on, but it feels less crowded that the first issue, with most of the heavy exposition out of the way. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Batwoman #2: Everything here was great, from the opening fight scene to the involvement of Chase, who is turning out to be an excellent antogonist/catalyst. At some point I'll probably run out of superlatives to describe this title, but not yet. Rating: 4 (of 5).

Batman and Robin #2: Who is that guy that Bruce confronts at the end? Are we supposed to know and/or care about him? I definitely sense some Tim Sale sneaking into Gleason's art in places (in a good way). Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Deathstroke #2: Normally I'd be a bit miffed if a comic only took three minutes to read; but in this case, it's brevity is pretty much the comic's only redeeming feature. Rating: 1.5 (of 5).

Demon Knights #2: The Kights fight an attack from the air. And robot dragons. And dinosaurs. What more do you want? Rating: 3 (of 5).

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #2: Even more awesome than the first issue, and Ponticelli is drawing the heck out of this. I don't care where this is going, I'm totally on board for the ride. Rating: 4 (of 5).

Green Lantern #2: Sinestro may be a fascist ass, but he does have a point about the way that Jordan uses the ring. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Grifter #2: For a comic with so much action, not a lot actually happened. Good thing that Cafu can draw fairly cinematic action scenes. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Legion Lost #2: We get a bit of the backstory as to how these Legionnaires came to be stranded in our time. Still decent, but I don't see how this will be stretched out for more than eight issues or so... Rating: 3 (of 5).

Mister Terrific #2: Well there goes my Eath-2 theory. Still not digging on Gugliotta's art, but I will admit that the 2-page spread in the 9th dimension looked pretty cool. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Resurrection Man #2: An all-around improvement on the first issue, and a very interesting cliffhanger. Rating: 3 (of 5).

The Shade #1: Good thing I decided to not worry about what is and isn't in the new DCU continuity, because otherwise this would give me a headache. Would ordinarily seem to be too much sex and violence, but Cully Hamner manages to keep everything under control. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Suicide Squad #2: Plenty of beheadings and people getting shot in the head; must be a DC book. This is a slight improvement on the first issue, but really there almost no way is could have been worse. (I"ll probably regret saying that...) Rating: 2 (of 5).

Superboy #2: Lost a bit of the charm of the first issue, but not yet a lost cause. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).


Ratings compared to the first issues: 2 improved; 10 stayed the same; 1 was worse; 1 was new.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!



Jerry gets caught in a gorilla love triangle on the cover of The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #123 (1971).

(Standard disclaimer about zoo-dwelling gorilla lovers not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.

1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6) *
2 (+1). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 *
3 (+8). The Walking Dead, Book 7 *
4 (-2). Habibi
5 (-1). Hark! A Vagrant
6 (-). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
7 (+3). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star
8 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
9 (+6). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
10 (+4). Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary
11 (-3). Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm
12 (+15). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
13 (+24). Batman: Arkham City *
14 (+12). Batman: Year One
15 (-3). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle edition)
16 (-3). Sailor Moon 1
17 (N). Yotsuba&!, Vol. 10 *
18 (N). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 5 *
19 (-2). Amulet #4: The Last Council
20 (+10). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
21 (+4). Batman: The Killing Joke
22 (N). The Death-Ray
23 (N). Dork Diaries 3 1/2 (Kindle edition)
24 (+16). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle edition)
25 (+3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
26 (R). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
27 (N). Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists
28 (-5). Codename: Sailor V 1
29 (-11). Chew Volume 4: Flambe
30 (-11). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
31 (+7). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
32 (R). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
33 (-17). Feynman
34 (-). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
35 (+13). The Walking Dead, Book 1
36 (-5). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth
37 (N). The Walking Dead Volume 15 *
38 (R). Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 *
39 (-). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
40 (R). V for Vendetta
41 (-5). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
42 (+7). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
43 (-1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
44 (N). Dilbert: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar
45 (-1). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
46 (-24). Watchmen
47 (-18). Big Nate Out Loud
48 (N). Black Butler, Vol. 7 *
49 (N). Highschool of the Dead, Vol. 4 *
50 (R). Berserk Volume 35


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Expect to see The Wimpy Kid Vol. 6 entrenched at the top of this chart for many weeks to come. This week it is #5 on the overall chart. The second Twilight volume moves up to #2 on the comics chart and is #107 overall.

* It's a good week for The Walking Dead and Batman; the former's second television season starts Sunday, and Batman has a new video game. Thus the comics climb the charts as well.

* There are a lot of new books on the chart this week, led by the latest volume of the awesome Yotsuba&!

* There are seven manga titles on the chart this week, which historically is pretty good.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

DCnU Capsule Reviews, Week 5

After writing reviews for every single of DC's new #1 issues, I'm slowing down. But here are capsule reviews of last week's books:


Action Comics #2: The young Superman escapes the captivity of Lex Luthor and the Army. Different from last issue, but still keeping with the spirit. Unfortunately only 20 pages of comics for $4 (what is this, Marvel?) and uneven tag-team art make this not quite as good as the debut. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Animal Man #2: Moves away from super-hero stuff and more into the Vertigo-esque horror territory. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Batwing #2: Is it really a good idea to have your new hero character in traction for a great majority of his second issue, while other characters fight it out? Pretty much a train wreck, alas. Rating: 1.5 (of 5).

Detective Comics #2: An improvement over #1. Until we get another 'shocker' last page. Oh, and Bruce Wayne is something of a slut now. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Green Arrow #2: The art is still solid, and the story is a bit less annoying as the bad guys finally have a motivation (a stupid one, but at least it's there). Still mostly dull though. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Hawk and Dove #2: More of the same of what we got in the first issue. Not great, but neither the disaster you might think it is. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Justice League International #2: The team's origin mission continues, and things are not going well for our heroes. Solid story, nice art. If you like classic super-hero stories, this is a good book for you. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Men of War #2: Rock's new team faces a very powerful super-powered woman with red hair. Back-up continues to have nice art though the story bores. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

O.M.A.C. #2: A little more exposition, a lot more brightly covered pages of big guys beating the shot out of each other. And a last-page reveal of a character of whom you may have been wondering where he was in the new DCU. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Red Lanterns #2: What the heck was the point of this? Pretty much no connection to what was going on in the first issue. And no Dex-Starr. Rating: 1.5 (of 5).

Static Shock #2: See, I knew that severed limb from issue #1 was a ruse. Was this sister-clone thing something that had been established before? Rating: 3 (of 5).

Stormwatch #2: There's a lot going on. Which usually I like, but Cornell needs to slow things down just a bit and let us get to know the characters better. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Swamp Thing #2: Snyder finishes his establishment of the new status quo between Holland and Swampy, and does so without throwing way everything that came before. But there's a lot of exposition in the front half. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Ratings compared to the first issues: 1 improved; 6 stayed the same; 6 were worse.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!


There are no signs at the zoo saying not to let the animals feed you, as Jughead learns on the cover of Jughead's Double Digest #152 (2010) by Jeff Shultz.

(Standard disclaimer about people-feeding gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Friday, October 07, 2011

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6) *
2 (-). Habibi
3 (+2). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 *
4 (-1). Hark! A Vagrant
5 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
6 (+1). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
7 (N) Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories Volume 1 *
8 (+4). Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm
9 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
10 (-1). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star
11 (+3). The Walking Dead, Book 7 *
12 (+1). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle edition)
13 (-2). Sailor Moon 1
14 (+2). Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary *
15 (+4). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
16 (+5). Feynman
17 (-5). Amulet #4: The Last Council
18 (+19). Chew Volume 4: Flambe
19 (+8). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
20 (+5). V for Vendetta
21 (R). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
22 (+14). Watchmen
23 (-8). Codename: Sailor V 1
24 (R). Jericho Season 3 TP
25 (-13). Batman: The Killing Joke
26 (-4). Batman: Year One
27 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
28 (-8). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
29 (-). Big Nate Out Loud
30 (-13). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
31 (-1). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth
32 (N). Prince Valiant: 1943-1944 (Vol. 4)
33 (-2). Big Nate Boredom Buster
34 (-2). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
35 (R). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
36 (R). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
37 (N). Batman: Arkham City *
38 (-15). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
39 (+4). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
40 (-1). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle edition)
41 (-23). New Teen Titans: Games
42 (-18). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
43 (-35). Holy Terror *
44 (-5). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
45 (-11). Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 6
46 (-5). Locke & Key Volume 4: Keys to the Kingdom
47 (R). Codename: Sailor V 2 *
48 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 1
49 (-14). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
50 (N). Vampire Knight, Vol. 13


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* The top two titles this week remain Wimpy Kid's Cabin Fever (#6 overall) and Habibi (#129 overall).

* Another surprise top ten debut this week, as video-game tie-in Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories comes in at #8. Also debuting this week are fellow video-game tie-in Batman: Arkham Ciy, along with new volumes of Prince Valiant and Vampire Knight.

* Now that Barnes & Noble has pulled Watchmen and ninety-nine other DC graphic novels off their shelves in a hissy fit over Kindle Fire exclusivity, will Amazon doubly reap the benefits by selling more of their print counterparts as well? Tune in next week to find out...

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Re-Ranking the DCnU Titles

Now that I've read and reviewed all of the first issues of DC's New 52, how do they stack up? Here's a handy index, ranking all of the titles with the rating I assigned.

Rating: 4
1. Action Comics (1)
2. Batwoman (3)

Rating: 3.5
3. Wonder Woman (11)
4. Superman (2)
5. Batman (17)
6. Animal Man (8)
7. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (4)
8. O.M.A.C. (27)
9. Stormwatch (21)
10. Aquaman (29)

Rating: 3
11. The Flash (30)
12. All Star Western (10)
12. I, Vampire (28)
14. Demon Knights (19)
15. Blue Beetle (13)
16. Superboy (43)
17. Swamp Thing (18)
18. Static Shock (9)
19. DC Universe Presents (32)
20. Green Lantern (14)
21. The Fury of Firestorm, the Nuclear Men (12)
22. Justice League Dark (33)
23. Legion of Super-Heroes (16)
24. Legion Lost (26)
25. Batgirl (7)
26. Justice League International (6)
27. Justice League (5)
28. Detective Comics (34)

Rating: 2.5
29. Mister Terrific (22)
30. Supergirl (23)
31. Captain Atom (42)
32. Batman and Robin (24)
33. Green Lantern: New Guardians (31)
34. Resurrection Man (35)
35. Grifter (40)
36. Red Lanterns (45)
37. Batwing (25)
38. Hawk and Dove (20)
39. Teen Titans (46)
40. Voodoo (36)
41. Men of War (39)
42. The Savage Hawkman (52)

Rating: 2
43. Batman: The Dark Knight (44)
44. Birds of Prey (48)
45. Nightwing (47)
46. Green Lantern Corps (15)
47. Green Arrow (51)
48. Blackhawks (38)
49. Suicide Squad (37)
50. Catwoman (41)

Rating: 1.5
51. Red Hood and the Outlaws (49)
52. Deathstroke (50)


The number in parentheses is the ranking I initially assigned based solely on the solicitations. As you can see, some titles were better than I expected, some the same, and some worse.

Were I to be making a decision about which titles to keep buying, I'd likely opt for those rating a 3 or higher. But, since DCBS had the same offer for the #2 & #3 issues that they had for the #1s, I went ahead and pre-ordered the whole package for October and November as well. So titles have the chance to turn things around, or conversely show that the first issue was just a fluke.

I'm not crazy enough to keep up writing individual reviews for all of the titles going forward; but I'll likely do a weekly capsule review post for the next couple of months. And now that I've gotten back into the swing of this reviewing business, hopefully I'll get around to writing reviews of some non-DC comics as well.

Monday, October 03, 2011

DCnU Reviews, Week 4: Superman

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)


Superman #1
by George Pérez & Jesús Merino

Original Rank/Assessment: 2. (Definitely Yes) - I'm actually a bit apprehensive about the Superman reboot, like I am with every Superman reboot. But with Morrison & Perez at the helm, I'm fairly optimistic this time out. Plus, I've bought every issue of Superman since 1982, and I'm likely not stopping until I'm dead or it stops being published.

And thus we come to the end, the last of the New 52 number ones. I opened week 1 with Action Comics, so it seems fitting to close out week 4 with Superman.


This is pretty much what I would want out of a first issue of a new version of Superman: plenty of action with Superman being super, and an introduction to the supporting cast. As with Action Comics, we don't need an origin story; we basically know who Superman is, and despite some funny minor changes to his costume we still recognize this Superman as Superman. One of Pérez's skills as an artist is that he can make any super-hero costume look good, no matter how ridiculous it is!

Another of Pérez's skills is the ability to cram a page full of story without it seeming too crowded. There are an average of seven or eight panels per page in his layouts, compared to for example this week's Teen Titans which averages just half that (and you could probably read this month's Supergirl seven or eight times in the time it takes to read this one issue of Superman!). And with the extra five pages in this inaugural issue,  we get a lot of Superman story. Merino, no slouch of an artist himself, works admirably on Pérez's layouts, and I suspect that these next six issues will see him kick his art up to the next level via the experience.

One of the things I like is how the citizens of Metropolis react to Superman. They're not afraid of him—he's obviously saved the city too many times for that sort of silliness—but neither are they reliant on him. As the comic opens, it appears that Superman has been away for a while, and that this is not an odd occurrence. Superman is still something of a mystery to the City of Tomorrow. Clark Kent has settled in at the Daily Planet, but is not (yet?) a Pulitzer-winning front-page journalist. He is clearly in the shadow of an older and wiser Lois Lane, who is moving up in the world of Morgan Edge's media empire.

We've seen bits and pieces of Superman over the first month of the new DCU, but he is still something of a cipher. Even here is his own title we mostly see Superman through the eyes of others and have yet to get inside his head; even the newspaper 'voice-over' by Clark Kent is a detached objective view of the action. I look forward to seeing how Pérez and Morrison, working in tandem at opposite ends of Superman's career, flesh out the character over the coming months.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

DCnU Reviews, Week 4: Teen Titans; Voodoo

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)


Teen Titans #1
by Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth & Norm Rapmund

Original Rank/Assessment: 46. (Definitely No) - Seems like for the last five years or so I've always been on the verge of dropping this title, but there was always another new creative team around the corner. But this looks to be the final straw.

After Lobdell's surprisingly good work on the new Superboy comic two weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic about his Teen Titans; then after last week's Red Hood debacle, that optimism slipped away. His Teen Titans turns out somewhere between the two. Kid Flash and Wonder Girl resemble their previous versions in name only, so it maintains the pod-people aspect of Red Hood but without the elements that made that comic highly offensive. This is another get-the-band-together comic, but by the end of issue #1 the band isn't even even half formed yet. And it looks like this comic may be very tightly linked to Lobdell's Superboy, which could be bad news if knowledge of one is necessary to enjoy the other. The script leaves plenty of room for Booth to overdraw big panels of people who look like half-elves. All in all it could have been a lot worse, but it also could have been a lot better.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


Voodoo #1
by Ron Marz & Sami Basri

Original Rank/Assessment: 36 (Maybe/Provisional) - This will really depend on the execution by a solid but not exciting creative team.

It's really saying something when the comic about a bisexual alien stripper is not the most exploitative comic in DC's New 52 (but that something isn't exactly positive...) It's possible that Marz is going someplace interesting with the character: the guys that visit the strip club are not portrayed in a positive light; the female agent has the makings of a potentially interesting character; and by the end of the comic it appears that Pris/Voodoo is leaving stripping behind to continue her mission. Maybe Marz is just using the character's previous profession as a jumping-off point to something more interesting. All of that reasoning would be easier to swallow without Basri's cheesecake art. Still, we'll wait and see if issue #2 finds the comic crawling out of the slime-gutter or if it stays in exploitation land.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Sunday, October 02, 2011

DCnU Reviews, Week 4: All Star Western; Blackhawks

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)




All Star Western #1
by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Moritat

Original Rank/Assessment: 10 (Yes, with Reservations) - Gray & Palmiotti's Jonah Hex has been consistantly entertaining for going on five years now, but I'm not sure it needs to lose the done-in-one stories nor does it need a Gotham City tie-in.


Month in and month out, one of my favorite titles of the old DCU was Gray & Palmiotti's Jonah Hex; not they've taken the western anti-hero to 1880s Gotham City and thrust the rough-edged bounty hunter into what is essentially a Sherlock Holmes mystery, complete with a late 19th century-style serial killer. Moritat brings a heavy-lined style that works well, though the colors by Gabriel Bautista are a bit too drab even for a western. But despite the change in milieu and the shift to a longer-form story, Gary & Palmiotti's Hex is still the same character we've come to expect, and that's a good thing indeed. This isn't their best Hex story, at least not yet, but it will do.

Rating: 3 (of 5).


Blackhawks
by Mike Costa, Graham Nolan & Ken Lashley

Original Rank/Assessment:  38 (Maybe/Provisional) - Could be interesting, but could also go disastrously wrong. (Now if Jock were drawing this, I'd be all up for it...)

I imagine when the New 52 were being dreamed up, the editorial staff was looking at what kind of comic genres they could mine to fill out their remaining few slots and someone came up with the idea of doing G.I. Joe in the DCU. So they appropriated the Blackhawks name, went out and got Mike Costa—known primarily for doing G.I. Joe comics for IDW—to write it, and ended up with a second rate G.I. Joe comic set in the DCU. This comic isn't really horrible, but it commits the cardinal sin of being boring and unmemorable, full of generic characters with the personality of their non-existent action figures. Nolan is usually a dependable go-to artist, but here he provides only the layout and Lashley's finishes don't do them any favors. This comic really needed a unique and visually interesting art style to help it stand out, but comes up far short. This comic alas is entirely forgettable.

Rating: 2 (of 5).

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!


Detective Chimp helps Batman and Elongated Man find a missing Gorilla City on the cover of Justice League Unlimited #39 (2008) by Zach Howard.

(Standard disclaimer about detecting chimpanzees not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

DCnU Reviews, Week 4: I, Vampire; Justice League Dark

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)


I, Vampire #1
by Joshua Hale Fialkov & Andrea Sorrentino

Original Rank/Assessment: 28 (Maybe/Provisional) - I want to support this title, but man, that cover... ugh.

Of all of the New 52 titles, this one is the most Vertigo-esque, right down to the writing style and the coloring. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that this had originally been a pitch for a Vertigo comic before the New 52idea came along, and Fialkov just took out some four letter words and added in a couple of references to super-heroes. This first issue ably sets the stage for the story of Andrew Stanton, self-appointed policeman of vampires, who now must face organized resistance by his former lover Mary, Queen of Blood. Sorrentino's art is highly reminiscent of Jae Lee, and even though there is plenty of violence it is stylized and appropriate to the story and not at all gratuitous like we have seen in other of the DCnU books this month. So if you can get past the gratuitous nearly-naked woman on the cover, you'll find the beginnings of what looks to be an interesting vampire saga.

Rating: 3 (of 5).


Justice League Dark #1
by Peter Milligan & Mikel Janin

Original Rank/Assessment:  33 (Maybe/Provisional) - Horrible title, interesting premise. And that Milligan guy, who will now be writing both the Vertigo and DCnU versions of the character.

One has to imagine that Justice League Dark was simply a working title for this book, but as the solicitation deadline loomed they couldn't come up with anything better so we're left this awkward title. (And frankly, putting "Justice League" in the title will likely help with sales...) With the regular Justice League unable to handle the supernatural threat of The Enchantress, Zatanna decides to round up some of her supernatural colleagues to try to form them into a team. Although hopefully 'team' will be a very loose concept as it's hard to see this motley crew able to band together other than if they absolutely have to. It's a good start in a getting-the-band-together sort of way, so we'll how well Milligan is able to take the concept from here.

Rating: 3 (of 5).

DCnU Reviews, Week 4: The Flash; The Fury of Firestorm

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)


The Flash #1
by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato

Original Rank/Assessment: 30 (Maybe/Provisional) - Can Manpul write? I'll give his a shot, but I'm not a huge Flash fan so this will be a very short trial.

Another pleasant surprise from the New 52. Not only can Manapul & Buccellato write, but they're also doing some interesting things visually as well. It's hard to do The Flash without pulling from the work of Carmine Infantino, so ingrained is Infantino's vision of super speedsters in comic's collection psyche. And his influence is here as well, but it's not overwhelming. The action scenes feel fast and fresh and bring a sense of motion to the page. The plot beings a police procedural/CSI-ish style to the comic, one that the previous version of The Flash was trying to do, but Manapul & Buccellato pull it off better, likely because they're not also trying to tie the comic into a grand time-travel plotline or setting up the next big crossover. If left to its own devices, this could be an enjoyable monthly super-hero speed trip.

Rating: 3 (of 5).


The Fury of Firestorm, the Nuclear Men #1
by Gail Simone, Ethan Van Sciver, and Yildiray Cinar

Original Rank/Assessment: 12 (Yes, with Reservations) - Big fan of the character from the 80s and the recent Jason Rusch version as well. It will be interesting to see how Van Sciver & Simone merge their sensibilities in writing.

This is a complete reboot of the character, not too surprising as all of the previous versions had become so convoluted in their continuity over the years (okay, not even close to Hawkman level, but still...) Simone & Van Sciver do a great job setting up Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch as high school students in conflict but not making either one in-the-wrong or a jerk. Cinar has really stepped up his game here; this is the best art of his career so far, and when the Firestorms show up near the end, the pages ooze with power (aided in no small measure by Steve Buccellato's vibrant colors). This is another comic to keep following.

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Saturday, October 01, 2011

DCnU Reviews, Week 4: Aquaman; The Savage Hawkman

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Aquaman #1
by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

Original Rank/Assessment: 29. (Maybe/Provisional) - I always give new Aquaman titles a try, but am often disappointed.

I'm glad to say that this time out I was not disappointed. I always expect Johns & Reis to produce a comic that is at least competently done, and they do so with the kind of Aquaman that I like: powerful, heroic and stoic. The basic plot here is simple, as a series of events convinces Aquaman to re-dedicate his time to the surface world, while meanwhile a Lovecraftian threat is rising form the deep. But it's a perfect plot for a first issue as it sets the stage for what is to come, tells us how Johns is going to approach the long-time character (who in the real world just celebrated his 70th anniversary!), and provides plenty of action. I'll admit that I'm a bit concerned as to what I've seen of the possibly gratuitous violence of future issues, but for now I'm rating the comic in front of me, and it was quite good.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5).


The Savage Hawkman #1
by Tony S. Daniel & Philip Tan

Original Rank/Assessment: 52 (Definitely No) - Non a huge fan of Tony Daniel's writing, and even less of a fan of Philip Tan's art. A very easy no.

The big surprise here was how much I didn't hate it. Oh it wasn't a perfect by any means; the opening scene goes on too long, Tan's artwork is muddled in places and the coloring is far too dreary for a comic about a man with wings who can fly. But Daniel's new take on Hawkman as a man who is literally possessed by the Nth metal is intriguing, and I liked the bits with Carter Hall working with a team of xeno-archaeologists. So while I wouldn't say that this rise to the level of being a perfectly good comic, neither was it the worst of the new 52 titles DC published this month.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).