Quick DC Comic Reviews

Action Comics #823
by Chuck Austen, Ivan Reis & Marc Campos
Part two of "Repo-Man" is better than most of the recent issues of Action, though that's not really saying much. The bulk of the issue is a fight scene between Superman & the titular bad guy (whose motivation is, um, being bad?) with the aid of Superboy. Fortunately Reis & Campos excel at fight scenes, so while the comic is slight, at least it looks good. The remainder of the issue is filled out by two pages of the Preus subplot, one page of Doomsday 'Thoom'ing around Metropolis (yet still undetected!) and Lois and Lana acting like bratty high schoolers. I do like the cover though, which seems a throwback to something that would've come from the title in the 60s or 70s.
Rating: 2 (of 5)


Majestic #1
by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Neil Googe & Trevor Scott
Speaking of slight, not much happens in the first issue of the ongoing Majestic series either. Superman & The Eradicator return with Majestic to the WildStorm universe, only to find itempty of all animal life (including humans) yet otherwise intact. The many one- and two-panel pages give us ample opportunity to gaze at Googe & Scott's rather good skill at drawing cityscapes and backgrounds, and the battle against the giant alien robots iw well-handled as well. But a $3 introductory issue needs to take more than 4 minutes to read, don't you think?
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


Breach #1
by Bob Harras, Marcos Martin & Alvaro Lopez
Ex-Marvel E-i-C Bob Harras comes to DC to essentially re-tell Cary Bates's Captain Atom #1 from 1987. He's joined by artists Martin & Lopez, for whom I predict great things someday, but this probably won't be it. Still, there are several great scenes to gaze upon, incluing the opening sequence and the shot fo the supercolider that it's certainly worth a look-through. But the story, while mostly competent, does not present a compelling main character.
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


Green Arrow #46
by Judd Winick, Tom Fowler & Rodney Ramos
As the cover suggests, GA sponsors the new Speedy into the Teen Titans. It's a good change-of-pace issue, keeping the ongoing narrative going while taking a breather from the seriousness by lightening things up a bit. The new art team of Fowler & Ramos is a mixed bag; the opening scenes are quite nice, with animated character and great flow, while the later scenes with the Titans seem stiff and awkward. Chalk it up to growing pains, as I expect that we'll see the new guys settle in nicely within a couple of issues.
Rating: 3 (of 5)

Prof. Gloeckner

I finally got the chance to meet Phoebe Gloeckner in person on Tuesday. We didn't have a chance to talk for long, but she was very personable and intelligent. One of the courses she's teaching here is Art & Design 419: "ILLUSTRATION: Comics & Other Visual Narratives":

This course focuses on how words and pictures are used together in narrative expression, examining various genres of art and literature. A historical survey of historical and contemporary examples from literature and the visual arts and everything in between, from The Bayeux Tapestry and William Hogarth through William Blake and Robert Crumb. Students will be asked to create their own narrative pieces incorporating words and pictures; for example, a multi-page comic story or a series of paintings.

Anyway, this also gives me a good excuse to link to Prof. Gloeckner's recent photo essay. (Link via The Comics Reporter, among others.)

Quick Comic Reviews

Batman/Danger Girl
by Andy Hartnell, Leinil Yu & Gerry Alanguilan
This comic provides everything its title suggests, i.e. Abby Chase and the Danger Girl crew running around Gotham City for some MacGuffin-esque reason while running into Bruce Wayne, Batman, The Joker, Catwoman, etc. It's no deep-meaning work of art, but c-mon: it's Batman/Danger Girl for crying out loud! I've noticed over the past few years that Yu's art has become more and more stylized and that trend continues here, though he still maintains his excellent ability to present an action scene with aplomb. IT all makes for a fun, light-hearted read.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Youngblood: Imperial #1
by Robert Kirkman & Marat Mychaels
In this issue, poor Doc Rocket is suffering from severe back trauma which causes her to bend over unnatually as she races against time to find a chiropractor to fix her ailments before she is sidelined for good. Okay, that's not actually the plot, just what is suggested by that horrible pose on Rob Liefeld's cover. In fact, Doc Rocket barely appears in this comics at all, just showing up in the crowd shots on a couple of splash panels. The real plot of this book is, um, oh heck, I have no idea. It's all just seems to be pointless fight scenes and random posing. This comic is so poorly written and illustrated that I wonder if the creators are purposely parodying early 90s Image comics. Alas, probably not.
Rating: 1.5 (of 5)


B.P.R.D.: The Dead #2
by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, & Guy Davis
While Abe Sapien confronts his mysterious past in an old New England house, the rest of the B.P.R.D. crew moves into their new headquarters and tries to adjust to their new boss and surroundings. Not a lot actually happens here, but what does occur is tension-filled and moody and so nicely drawn that the slow pace of the plot doesn't bother me much at all. I continue to be along for the ride.
Rating: 3 (of 5)

New This Week: January 12, 2005

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:

The pick of the week is Jason Lutes's Berlin, book 1 trade collection from Drawn & Quarterly. This is actually a reissue, but it's definitely worth picking up if you haven't yet encountered it. Lutes's drafting and drawing is exquisite, deceptively simple but actually dense and detailed. The art would be enough for me to recommend Berlin, but there's also a fascinating story of love and politics set in the Weimar Republic-era.

In other comics:

Atomeka has Hero Squared Xtra Sized Special #1, from the crew that brought us Formerly Known as the Justice League.

Avatar has the final two of Warren Ellis's Apparat books, Angel Stomp Future & Simon Spector.

Beckett has the seventh issue of Ruule: Kiss and Tell.

DC has the collection of Gail Simone's first Birds of Prey stories in the Sensei & Student collection, as well as Rucka & Johnson's Wonder Woman in the Bitter Rivals collection. The start of Dixon, Beatty & McDaniel's "Nightwing: Year One" is in Nightwing #101, and Mr. Majestic returns to the WildStorm universe in yet another Majestic #1. Also from DC are new issues of Fables (#33), Gotham Central (#27), JLA (#110) & JSA (#69).

Image has the first issue of Darkness/Superman, and something called Two Bits, which I couldn't tell you anything about, but it's only a quarter.

Marvel has the first Araña digest and the first District X trade, a second Marvel Knights 4 trade, the first issue of Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill, and new issues of Captain America & The Falcon (#11), New Thunderbolts (#4), Pulse (#7), She-Hulk (#11), The Punisher (#16), and Ultimates 2 (#2).

Oni has the second Love Fights collection.


Finally, if for some reason you were considering buying the Youngblood Imperial Premium Signed Edition for $24.99, please for the love of all that's right and good take that money and instead donate it to a worthy cause. You have too much damn money.

Quick GN Reviews

She-Hulk, vol. 1; Single Green Female
by Dan Slott, Juan Bobillo, Paul Pellitier, Marcelo Sosa, Roland Paris, Tom Simmons & Don Hillsman
Sometimes you can believe the hype. She-Hulk turns out to be one of the most interesting and fun titles that Marvel has put out recently, and this trade colelcts the first six issues. After She-Hulk's partying lifestyle causes her to get kicked out of Avengers Mansion and her super-hero doings cause her to lose her job as a prosecuting attorney, she finds heself approached to work for the prestigious law firm of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway. The catch is that the firm wants Jennifer Walters, not her alter ego She-Hulk, so Jen has to spend her time in court de-powered, a state that she is not used to living in. Thus begins the fun as Jen adjusts to her new life and takes on cases with a non-traditional bent, such as a ghost testifying at his own murder, or Spider-Man suing J. Jonah Jameson for libel. The art in the first four chapters is by Bobillo, whose clean line and slightly cartoony style and really shines in the many non-action scenes. The final two-part story is more of a traditional super-hero story, and Pellitier's more action-oriented art serves it well. If depressing super-hero mega-events are getting you down, try She-Hulk for a dose of old fashioned fun with a modern twist.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)


Human Target, book 2: Living in America
by Peter Milligan & Cliff Chiang
In this second collection of the regular Vertigo series, Milligan continues to explore the concepts of identity and American nationality in ways both interesting and thought-provoking. The opening chapter is a story of Christopher Chance taking on the identity of a priest who has been targeted by an assassin, and while you won't be surprised by where the plot goes, it does offer an intriguing look at the nature of faith and forgiveness. The longest story in the collection is the three-part "Which Way the Wind Blows," which finds Chance entangled in a web of violence and deceit involving ex-60's radicals, modern-day anarchists, and the Feds, and interoduces what may be a long-term antagonist for Chance. The book closes with another one-shot, in which Chance takes on the identity of an escaped convict who wants the chance to live free for just five days so he can live life to the fullest. Throughout the book Milligan's writing skills are at the top of their form, and the art by Chiang looks great and moves the stories forward with seeming effortlessness (though as we can see by Chiang's bonus materials, it does require a good deal of effort!) Anyone looking for intelligent action comics should give Human Target a look.
Rating: 4 (of 5)

Very Quick What If... Reviews

I don't feel like doing even my normal quick reviews for these, so here are some very quick reviews:

The best of the lot was the Fantastic Four (What If Doctor Doom Had Become The Thing?), but then I've always liked Karl Kesel's FF, and it's always a treat to see art by Paul Smith. Peter David & Pat Olliffe's Hulk (What If General Ross Had Become The Hulk?) was good too. The Spider-Man one (What If Aunt May Had Died Instead of Uncle Ben?) was okay, even if it took a few jumps in logic.

The two by Bendis (What If Jessica Jones Had Joined The Avengers? & What If Karen Page Had Lived?) were pretty bad. The worst offense they both made was to spend half of the issue recapping what happened in the 'real' Marvel Universe, which only left a few pages for the actual story, which was told in summary fashion rather than as an actual story. The worst of the lot was the Daredevil (...Karen Page...), wherein Matt Murdock's actions really made no sense at all, and weren't compelled by the change in history, just DD deciding to do something different.

Monkey Covers

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

In honor of Will Eisner, here's his cover from 1990's The Spirit #70, as The Spirit gets tangled up with a freaked-out gorilla in a cargo net.

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

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

Quick Post

Not much to say today, as I'm trying to finish Tim Powers' Declare in time for a discussion group on Tuesday; I"m only halfway through and I tend to be a rather slow reader of prose at times, especially when it's dense like this book is.

I picked up the Comic Zone issue of Disney Adventures at the grocery store today--there's a two page strip by Matt Feazell. Yes, that Matt Feazell! In a Disney comic.

Yesterday I stopped by Jim O's office in between meetings and he showed me the 'rough' cover art by Mark Schultz for his next GN, the one with cowboys and dinosaurs (I forget the exact name) (and yes, it's non-fiction) (Zander Cannon is doing the interior art). I put 'rough' in quotes because it really wasn't rough at all, it's tight pencils and very cool. I also learned what Steve Lieber's next project is going to be, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be public knowledge or not so I shan't say anything, other than it'll be a creator-owned thing.

No Previews-o-Rama This Month

Around this time each month I would normally post my lengthy two-part Previews-o-Rama, wherein I would hilite things of interest in the current Previews. Alas there will be no Previews-o-Rama this month because I do not have a copy of Previews.

You see, my Local Comic Shop (LCS) came under new management a few months ago--they're now part of a chain of some sort--and one of the many changes they've instituted in that they're no longer giving away Previews to customers.

This is just the latest in a number of unfortuante changes that the new management has made to the LCS. Others include:

Much less shelf space devoted to graphic novels. Formerly there were 8 ranges of manga, which has now been lowered to 3. Those 3 ranges of manga have taken the place of 3 ranges of the independent GNs, which are now down to 4 (from 7). Shelf space devoted to DC, Marvel, Image & Dark Horse GNs has also decreased.

Less shelf space devoted to independent comics, down from 4 racks to 3.

New comics each week are now racked all together (instead of interspersed with the rest of the comics) and shelved way in the back of the store, in a place with very little room to stand--basically causes a big traffic jam on Wednesday.

Elimination of the subscriber discount (as of February), from 20% to 0%.

No more female employees. The store has always had at least a couple of female employees; there is always a turnover rate at a store like this, but those that have left have been replaced with white males. This may be just a coincidence, and I have nothing against white males (being one myself), but it does make one wonder.

There has also been a general decrease in the level of customer service over the past few months. I might be able to live with some of the changes (after all, with the Internet, I don't need a free copy of Previews) but taken all together it's just too much. It seems that the new management is intent on de-emphasizing comics at the store--it's also a gaming store; they used to be big on manga and anime too, although that aspect of the business has curiously decreased down to almost nil at this point*. And instead of a diverse store that handled 'mainstream', manga and indy comics with equal emphasis, it's moving towards being one of those 'front-of-the-catalog' stores.

Fortunately for me, I saw the writing on the wall last month and decided to switch all of my comic buying over to DCBS, starting with comics scheduled to ship in February. It won't be the same as going to the shop every Wednesday for the new comics, but with weekly shipping from DCBS I'll get my comics on the following Monday or Tuesday anyway. Plus, the discount will be much greater. The downside is that I have to pre-order a couple of months in advance (and pay in advance as well).

(BTW, the only reason I know that the subscriber discount is going away is because I overheard another customer ask one of the employees about a rumor he had heard that the discount was going away, and I subsequently asked about it myself and it was confirmed--so far there has been no notification or announcement of any kind.)

I've been a loyal, weekly customer at LCS for over ten years, spending over $200 per month, but no longer. I was willing to support a local business that was dedicated to being a quality comic store, but now that they're part of a chain and seem to no longer want to be a good store they've lost me as a customer.

It's really all kind of sad.

(Oh, if you're looking for a good Previews round up, I'd suggest Tegan's Flipping Through Previews over at Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog.)


* There is an entire store in town devoted to manga & anime though, as well as a B&N and 2 Borders with huge manga sections

Annoying Post About the Sidebar

I spent some time this morning on the links in the sidebar. I've added in several that I've been reading lately, removed a couple of dead blogs, and organized them somewhat. They're now divided into three categories: Comics Blogs, Creator Blogs, and Publisher Blogs, and within each category they're now organized by an obscure system I learned back in library school called 'The Alphabet.'

Library Comics List

I've finished compiling my recommended purchases for our initial comics and graphic novel collection here at the library. If you're interested, you can take a look at it here (I apologize in advance for the crappy M$ Excel output).

You'll notice that it's a fairly broad list, as I was tring to represent a wide range of the world of comics. If you don't see something obvious on the list, it's probably because we already have it, or else I know that we're getting it through some other means and/or it's already in the pipeline.

Thanks to everyone who helped out by offering suggestions.

(To save you from having to count, the list is 400 titles long...)

NPR & NYT on Eisner

Morning Edition's Renee Montagne has a very brief (1:13) segment on Will Eisner's passing, which you can listen to here.

And for the New York Times' obit, could they have possibly picked a worse The Spirit illustration to accompany it?

A New Year, A New Contest

Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag at Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog starts off the new year with a contest, where you can win a copy of Jeff Nicholson's Colonia: Islands and Anomolies collection. I've been a fan of Nicholson's since coming across his Lost Laughter many years ago, and his Through the Habitrails is rightfully considered a classic. Colonia is his most recent and one of his best, so if you haven't read it I encourage you to enter Laura's contest (deadline: January 20).

Big Box o' Comics

Another big box of comics from DCBS today. Let's open it up and see what's inside:

Samurai Executioner, vol. 2
ElfQuest; the Grand Quest, vol. 6
Remote, vol. 4
Peach Fuzz, vol. 1
DearS, vol. 1
Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 2
Little Lulu, vol. 1: Lulu Goes Shopping
Global Frequency, vol. 2: Detonation Radio
The Courageous Princess
Transgenesis 2029 #1: Fides
The White Lama, book 2: Road to Redemption
Astonishing X-Men, vol. 1: Gifted
New X-Men - Academy X, vol. 1: Choosing Sides
Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne, vol. 3
Manga Mover #1
Warren Ellis' Quit City
Batman / Danger Girl
The Hardy Boys #2
Temporary #1
Hunter-Killer #0
All of last week's What If... one-shots.
Comics Buyer's Guide #1601

Lots more reading to be done. Where will I find the time???

New This Week: January 5, 2005

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:

The Pick of the Week is Larry Young's Proof of Concept from AiT/PlanetLAR, in which Larry 'pitches' a bunch of high concept comics concepts at you, the reader, with the aid of artists Kieron Dwyer, Damian Coucerio, Steven Sanders, Jeff Johns, Paul Tucker, John Flynn & John Heebink.

In other comics:

Abstract and Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise #70, hits the stores, just in time for its special Christmas-themed cover.

Antarctic's Gold Digger #59 starts a new storyline.

DC has the second issue of Davad Lapham's Detective Comics arc (#802); the first issue of Breach (in today's current comics climate, I give it ten issues, max); the first issue of Scott McLoud's Superman: Strength (I'll be waiting for the trade); and new issues of Firestorm (#9), The Intimates (#3), and The Question (#3).

Image has the return of Flaming Carrot (#1), a new Noble Causes (#6), and a second Liberty Meadows trade collection.

Marvel has the first issue of Peter David's return to the Incredible Hulk (#77), and Ed Brubaker's second issue of Captain America (#2). They also have the second issue of New Avengers, but if you're interested in this you know that they're going to release it in a trade, where you'll be able to read a more-or-less complete story at once, with no ads, for less money.


It's a very light week (as the first week of the month typically is). So if you've got a little extra money in your pocket, why not try something by Will Eisner? There's no finer tribute to a creator than enjoying that person's work, and your local comic shop should have plenty of Eisner on their GN shelves to choose from. (And if your LCS doesn't carry any Eisner, you need to find a better comic shop.)

Quick Political GN Reviews

Warning: The following post contains half-assed political analysis and rhetoric which may not agree with your own views, may or may not agree with those of the writer of this blog, or even be particularly accurate.

The Walking Dead, vol. 2: Miles Behind Us
by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn
Wouldn't it be great if there were no rules, if people could do what they wanted without the interference of government? After all, people are basically good, and it's hierarchy and imposed authority that are responsible for society's ills. In this anarchist dystopa, Kirkman explores this notion, ultimately rejecting it. The characters in The Walking Dead, finding themselves in a world without rules and where it's every man for his or herself, yearn for the reimposition of governmental authority. With no social structre to rely on they are at the whims of the malignant other, both ignorant and evil. Is it because they were raised in an authoritative state and are thus unable to cope with authority is removed, or does mankind need hierarchy and authority to function as a society? Oh yeah, there are zombies eating people and getting blown away too. The zombies represent the ultimate threat to an anarchist society, creatures motivated solely by their own id, the thoughtless mass that threatens the rational man. But it's the so-called rational man that is the true enemy, as human desires and petty jealousies can cause even the best intensioned to act out in manner contrary to the group, and even a temporary lapse in judgment can have devastating results. The art by Adlard & Rathburn ably illustrates the quiet, talky scenes along with the zombie brain-eating scenes. It's all subtext, baby.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)


Everyman, vol. 1: Be the People
by The Brothers Goldman & Joe Bucco
In this political thriller, a group of politically-minded gen-x'ers form an Internet site, One Love, which seeks to galvanize people into political action in the run-up to the 2004 election. When a White House staffer uncovers a plot by the 'Birch' administration to steal the election by rigging electronic voting machines across the country, the group moves into action and exposes the treachery after the election. It is at this point that the story veers off into a progressive political fantasy, as the people of the United States rise up and demand a re-vote. Alas, as the real election just showed us, most people in this country are content to believe whatever spills out of their television set and cannot be moved to political action, or even worse be moved to support a candidate whose election would be counter to their own best interests as long as that candidate says that they share your 'values' are agrees with you on one key issue. Reading Everyman, you may come to believe that it's possible for truth to win out in the end and for The People to take back this country from the corporations and their political lackys, but it's a hollow, empty fantasy. In the real world, the forces of ignorance and apathy will always win out over a handful of idealists. Still, The Goldmans tell an exciting political thriller, and Bucco's layouts are storytelling are pretty good, even if his figure-drawing needs some work to be effective.
Rating: 3 (of 5)

No Matter Where You Go, There You Are

One of the greatest movies of all time is coming to a comic book store near you.

Johanna at Cognitave Dissonance has the news that Moonstone Books will be doing a comic based on Buckaroo Bonzai, the copiously quotable 1984 film. The all-new stories will be written by the film's writer Earl Mac Rauch and the film's director will be involved as well. Moonstone published the very good Cyclone Bill & The Tall Tales so in all it looks like this should be a very enjoyable comic.

I've been waiting 20 years for Buckaroo Banzai vs The World Crime League!

Quick Manga Reviews

Negima! vol. 2
by Ken Akamatsu
How can you not like a comic in which the first half is devoted to a saga called "The Baka Rangers and the Secret Library Island"? Negi and several of his students infiltrate the school's huge library (which, as the title suggests, takes up an entire small island in the bay) in order to access a magic book that will help the students ace the year-end exams and thus prevent the class from being split up and Negi from losing his job. But the library turns out to be riddled with traps, and with Negi's magic powers blocked they all must survive Indiana Jones style until they reach the tropical island study room deep in the bowels of the library (which of course provides plenty of opportunity for the girls to lose their clothes...) With the premise of the series established, Akamatsu starts to flesh out the large cast. His art is leps and bounds ahead of his work on Love Hina, with strong, consistant characters, excelent action and storytelling, and some lush, detailed backgrounds. Yes, there is a copious amount of fan service, but with the protagonist being a ten-year-old boy it all comes off as mostly playful and teasing, rather than creepy and perverted. The translation by Peter & Kathleen David remains one of the best manga translating jobs being done today.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Crayon Shichan, vol. 1
by Yoshito Usui
This collection of three-page strips feature Shichan, a five-year-old with a penchant for getting into trouble and annoying the adults around him. If you've spent any time around kids this age, you know that they have (in Freudian terms) massively developed egos and not much in the way of superegos. Shichan is no exception, and while he's not a bad kid, he can be humorously exasperating. As with most collections of this type, it is best enjoyed in small doses, as a certain amount of sameness can creep in if read all at once.
Rating: 3 (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.

The first Monkey Cover of 2005 is 1962's Adventure Comics #295. John Forte's cover illustrates Jerry Siegel's "Tales of the Bizarro World" story: "The Kookie Super-Ape." That's right, a Bizarro version of Titano, with Blue Kryptonite vision. I tell ya, they just don't make comics like this any more (but we're holding out hope for Morrison & Quitely's upcoming All-Star Superman...)

(Standard disclaimer about apes not really being monkeys applies.)

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

2005!

Happy New Year!

(Cover of Action Comics #810 by David Bullock. Courtesy of GCD. Click for larger-size image.)