Like Warren Ellis, I have to credit DC for doing something different.
Wednesday Comics is going to be a weekly comic that is supposed to be a twist on the Sunday comic serials. In fact, it's not a comic book at all. It looks like a Sunday comics section or maybe more accurately, a college newspaper.
It's a great idea in theory. 14 stories across the DC spectrum (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Katmandi, Sgt, Rock, Strange Adventures), and an impressive lineup (Gaiman and Allred, Palmiotti and Connor, Adam and Joe Kubert, Kyle Baker, Dave Gibbons, Azzarello, Busiek, Paul Pope).
So far, so good, and set up like the Sunday comics in that a story can standalone or continue from week to week.
Baker, Busiek, and Gaiman sold it for me, but I just don't know if I will make it to issue two.
I appreciate the thought behind it, but it doesn't give me enough.
Despite not being a .. you know...actual comic book, it is $3.99 an issue. I could probably justify that (there are no ads except on the back page and there are 14 writer/artist teams involved).
Each comic (except 2) gets a full page. Of course, this means you generally get 6-9 panels per comic. I know that is the theme of the comic, but it's not enough to suck me in.
Wednesday Comics will require patience on the reader's part and a bit of a financial commitment, and the first issue didn't give me enough reason to give either one.
Great idea. I would have liked to seen half the stories, and half the price, and you could have thrown in ads, and I would have been sold.
- Music:Aerosmith - Greatest Hits
Army@Love: The Hot Zone Club- written by Rick Veitch (DC/Vertigo) - This is the trade paperback collecting the first five issues of this comic at a reasonable $9.99.
Thanks to
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
garbagecanmusic for bringing this to my attention. I usually at least check out Veitch's work, but somehow had managed to skip over this.Veitch is real hit or miss with me, but is occasionally brilliant. He usually writes and draws, and I'm not crazy about his Kubert style of art. (Here he draws, while Gary Erskine inks).
A@L does provide a unique, over-the-top, very adult war satire. I would be tempted to compare him to other Vertigo writers (Garth Ennis' more profane stuff and Warren Ellis's satirical work, are two comparisons that come to mind) but Veitch has been doing this longer than that most of the Vertigo crowd.
I would probably offer it up as hit or miss. If you're a Vertigo fan, you should at least thumb through it. It's not going to be for everyone, but it's just different enough, that I will probably keep with it.
Don't go here if you want "True War Experience". Go here if you get a kick out of the idea that one day the Army may be so needy for troops, that they'll be advertising the Armed Forces as a great way to get laid.
Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder (In the Service of Angels)- Written by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse) Five issue miniseries with issue one coming out last week. I'm sorry, Mike, it seems like you are just too prolific for me. I am not sure if that is the actual case, but it sure seems like there is a new BPRD or Hellboy miniseries coming out every other week.
Witchfinder seems to offer something slightly different from the usual demons and nazis that we usually get from Mr. Mignola.
We get a beautifully drawn story from the Hellboy-verse, set in Victorian days. The story brings to my mind the story of Howard Carter and the curse of King Tut..
This really is Mignola at his best. It is one of those comics that would probably move people who otherwise wouldn't read comics. I'm intrigued and will finish this one out.
Soul Kiss- written by Steven T. Seagle (Image/Man of Action) - Five issue miniseries that has just wrapped up.
I know that I go on and on about Seagle, but I think he is about the most talented (relatively) unknown writer in comics.
Kudos to Image for starting up the Man of Action imprint. They've brought in Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Seagle and others to do comics that aren't superhero comics but look and read like those great indie comics of the 90s.
Soul Kiss definitely has that look. It's hip. It's stylish.It also has a great little story that almost seemed to end too soon.
I don't want to give anything away, but the plot reads something like this: "Young girl has ability to steal souls with a kiss".
Again, this is a comic for the non-superhero comic fan. It reminds me a lot of those great late 80s, early 90s comics that were put out by independent publishers, and really pushed boundaries and imagination.
I can't imagine these titles selling as many as a Spawn or a Savage Dragon spin-off would, but really hope Image sticks with it.
- Music:Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
He is the Star Spangled Superhero, fighting for the red, white and blue. He is America's defender and our ambassador across the world. Right now, he is the hottest thing in comics. The media probably isn't talking about any character more this summer than him.
Captain America?
Nope.
The hottest character in comics right now is Barack Obama. I covered this a few months back, but the hits keep rolling.
Why not? Obama is still as hot as ever. Even more people claim to have voted for him now than.. y'know.. people who actually voted for him.
I think of IDW as doing the definitive Obama biographic comic first. It would go to reason that they will continue to document Obama's career as long as it moves issues. You thought following the adventures of the X-Men and Batman was fun. Follow Barry as he runs in the general election, with the next issue The First 100 Days already planned out.
Of course, if one company has success, others will follow. Bluewater Productions has the obligatory Obama bio comic, and has branched out it's Political Power and Female Force series of bio comics to feature Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Princess Diana, and the biggest news of all - Oprah Winfrey.
Bluewater is also introducing America to the biggest superhero dog since Krypto. Yep, you can now buy the Bo Obama comic.
Still, while IDW and Bluewater got some attention, they didn't receive half the notice of the Barack Obama - the comic book character- who appeared with Spiderman and made cameos in a handful of Image comics titles.
While you can't borrow Batman or Superman without permission, no comic company owns Barack Obama, and while these issues sell, we will continue to see him show up in the 48 page color format.
Not that I'm complaining, because that means we get a Barack Obama/Ash crossover.
Finally!
Where was this idea for this team-up this time last year? Ash Williams couldn't have been more of a drag on the ticket than Joe Biden, right? Gun rights voters would like the Boomstick, and Middle America would like the S-Mart pedigree.
If you think that's as weird as it gets, you're wrong. Devil's Due Publishing gives us Barack the Barbarian.
Conan meets Yes We Can. The Audacity of Hope meets What is Best in Life.
Barack takes on Boosh the Dim (sound it out) and Red Sarah (from the icy north, naturally).
DDP also will bring us Drafted which appears to combine the best parts of Obama's inaugural speech and I Am Legend. It is a recount of Barack's first 100 days with less John Boehner and more Alien invaders.
- Music:Lee Rocker- Black Cat Bone
Here's the latest round up of #1 issues that struck my fancy in recent weeks.
The Amazon (Dark Horse) written by Steven T. Seagle- Dark Horse republishes a late 80's early effort from Seagle. I like Seagle a lot and feel (although he works for the major comic companies) that he is very under-rated.
The book is about the Amazon (the river, not Wonder Woman), and is a throwback to a time around Maus where it seemed comics could break away from tales about superheroes, and make grand political statements.
Seagle reveals a story that is riveting as he can tell. The art looks a bit outdated (done by the excellent Tim Sale), but you quickly get over it.
The first two issues of the the three issue miniseries are out, and I would imagine they will be collected. Worth a look.
Ignition City (Avatar) written by Warren Ellis - I don't know how he does it (I suspect it's the Red Bull) but Warren Ellis effortlessly throws out all these great ideas. This one is off to a start start- with a strong vision of an alternate universe. I have heard comparisons to Deadwood and Firefly, and I suppose that is where you start to describe it, but it's a pretty original story. You might as well get in on this title now, while it's new. Art by Gianluca Pagliarani is great, too.
Irredeemable (Boom!) written by Mark Waid - Waid is the Editor in Chief at Boom! Studios, a more promising than most indie publisher. He also is (as recounted by Grant Morrison in issue #1's afterword) a bit of a comic workhorse and traditionalist- something which has labelled him unfairly. It's true, but Waid has had some great moments. Empire is still one of my favorite titles of the last ten years.
Waid claims this is the third title (building off Kingom Come and Empire) to explore heroism and villany. I always thought (maybe unfairly) that when Waid is engaged in his work (as he seems here), he is among the best writers going.
This title explores what happens when a Superman-type hero goes back. Issue 1 offers a lot of potential to where Waid is going with this.
Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye (DC/Vertigo) written by Grant Morrison - I will be forgiving of Morrison's recent DC superhero work (which I will stop short of saying I hated), if he continues to do those weird, eccentric stories that made him famous.
The orignal miniseries was pretty good, and issue #1 of the return is pretty decent, too. The cartoon/amusement park icon (think Mickey Mouse) is Mickey Eye, a giant eye which will remind you of the Residents, but that's the tone. There's talking fish, bearded women, the character of Death who is always playing chess, and the title character is a superhero, who has never been on an adventure in a world where superheroes aren't needed.
This won't be for everyone (this might not even be for most people), but there's enough great moments here to keep me going. Fans of the science vs. religion debate (and are on the side of science) will especially get a kick out of issue 1.
- Music:Nitzer Ebb- Body of Work
GCM mentioned it in a previous post, but there's nothing hotter right now than the Amazing Spiderman #583 with Obama on the cover. I got a copy of #583 but it was the standard non-Obama cover. GCM got a copy of the comic with the desired cover, but it's a fourth printing.
My friend Rod made a point once that the best part of living in a big (but not that big) of a city is getting desired comics. Rod made a lot of money by buying up comics that could be found easily here and put them up on e-bay to those living in areas of the country that didn't have them.
It's nice, for sure. The Obama AS583 flew off the shelves even here though.
Now let me go off in another direction for a second.
I've been reading and collecting comics in earnest for close to twenty years now. I have always collected them because I love the stories. As with any hobby, this is why you should collect.
I survived the 90's speculator market which was a great and horrible time. A dark side of American life is that we want the Dream for nothing.
People realized that Action Comics #1 was worth a million dollars (and other older comics were worth a lot too). This didn't mean anything, except that these comics were rare and that made them valuable. It didn't mean that all comics were going to be valuable.
As non-comic readers put their eyes on the prize, the comic industry did all they could to get their greed on. Now, given time, if you sit back and look at it objectively, if everyone and their mother owns five copies of Amazing Abs Man, then it's not going to be worth anything.
The industry did everything they could to cash in. We'll give you an #1 issue and well give it five different covers, so you end up buying the same issue five times over. We'll give you holographic covers. We'll do special printings that are limited runs. We'll bag the comic, so you have to buy one to read and one to collect.
This was an awful time that hurt comics. The comic industry still suffers because of the unrealistic expectations of the 90s. If you're not selling 50,000 copies (and of course you're not unless you have X in your title, bub), the comic companies just aren't willing to hang with you. My gripe that comic companies won't take chances is fueled by this.
There weren't three times as many comic book readers in the 90s, there were the same amount of readers, just they were buying three issues apiece.
Image Comics was probably the worst offender of the 'gimmick cover'. Known for creators with the egos of rock stars like Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, and Todd McFarlane drew comics that were more style than substance. Men who looked like American Gladiators. Women whose proportions made Barbie look postiviely flat-chested.
I'm going to bring this all full circle now.
Today, I was in the comic book store and sure enough, there it was:
Obama on the cover of Youngblood #8.
I have to admit I was a bit tempted. It actually will probably be worth something (at least short term).
Moreover though, I have to say that I was a bit curious about the combination of Obama and Liefeld. That can only mean one thing.
Barry Hussein with moobs.
Well, I can't say I wasn't tempted, but I just couldn't do it. Liefeld's not getting my money this week.
- Music:Fischerspooner - Odyssey
I really dug issue one though. I think Millar can tell a story. Tommy Lee edwards' impressive art doesn't hurt either. I guess we'll see where it goes, but I am certianly along for the ride.
I have one criticism of Millar, and I said it about Kick-ass- Millar's character teen angst reads like 'teen angst written by a 30 year old".
House of Mystery - written by Bill Willingham (Vertigo) - I am a huge Willingham fan. I think Fables is one of the best books on the market. As cliche as it may sound, it really is a comic book everyone should read even if they don't like comic books.
I am not sure what to think of HoM. Not quite an anthology. Just horror/fantasy stories as told by five people in a house. Not quite an anthology, the stories interconnnect.
Maybe, this will be my loss, but I can't say it really connected with me. I am probably going to skip this one.
American Splendor: Another Day -written by Harvey Pekar (Vertigo) I really loved the movie about Pekar, hadn't really read Pekar, and thought I should.
I give DC (Pekar? somebody?) credit for putting autographical comics on the shelves. There are plenty of those titles, but DC and Marvel aren't likely to do it.
Autobiographical comics can get tedious. To a certain extent, I think I've got my fill of Pekar right here. He lacks the charm (such as it is) of Crumb.
On the other hand, I don't regret this purchase, either. Pekar has a pretty unique vision, and even if th action is mundane, he is still worth discovering.
- Music:Joe Strummer- Streetcore
It's the latest round-up of first issues that I have been reading.
Final Crisis written by Grant Morrison (DC)
Ok, I have spent the last two years (out of routine more than anything) reading 52 and Countdown to Final Crisis. I may get pissed off at Quesada now and then, but I more than ever make mine Marvel.
Those series are what's wrong with DC Comics. You read those series, and you feel you need to know the last 30 years of DC continuity. You also feel that you need to buy every DC title on the shelf to get the whole story.
Marvel doesn't do that. You can pick up Straczinski's Thor, for example, and have never picked up a comic book before, and you could follow along. You could also, for example pick up Amazing Spider-Man or Iron Man, and they would be tied into the Civil War series, but you didn't need to pick up Civil War to enjoy them or know what was going on.
The main thing though is the DC Universe is too fantastic. Although some people like that, it is hard to picture the DC Universe (parallel universes, monitors) in real life. You can do that with Marvel. The success of the Iron Man movie attests to that.
So, 52 and Countdown didn't do much for me. However, Morrison has got an interesting going on with Final Crisis. I have the feeling it could be a very memorable moment in DC History. So, I'll be picking it up.
I am kind of disappointed that they're playing the 'kill off a semi-major character' card. I think that like any great soap opera, the character will be back, but between this and teasing 'Batman RIP', I would have preferred that they went a different direction.
Killing a character makes an 'event', but doing it, cheapens the effect.
Deepak Chopra's Beyond written by Ron Marz (Virgin) - I picked this up because I like Marz alot. I also want to see Virgin Comics to succeed.
Virgin's current strategy is to take a disaparte group of celebrities (Nicholas Cage, Guy Ritchie, Jenna Jameson, Dave Stewart of the Eurythimics) and match them up with comic writers. There also seems to be a heavy Indian and Bhuddist influence (Deepak Chopra's son is the Creative Chief Officer).
Unfortunatley, at this point, the only title I have found worth picking up has been John Woo's Seven Brothers.
Beyond is Marz writing a Chopra story. It's beautifully drawn and captures the streets of India. However, the story seems kind of generic.
While you could probably do alot with the storyline, I wasn't sufficiently impressed to think I should continue to pick it up.
- Music:The Smiths - Live, Oxford 1985
sigma7, but I guess Quesada got what he wanted- a lot of publicity.For those who missed it this week, Spiderman aka Peter Parker made headlines by kissing someone else besides Mary Jane.
In Marvel Comics, editor Joe Quesada made the decision to go for a younger Spiderman. The plotline he came up with was 'One More Day'.
The past year, Marvel has run a story about superheroes havign to register with the government. This story lead to Aunt May being critically injured, and about to die.
The direction Marvel went with here was that their devil character (Mephisto) offered Spiderman the chance to save Aunt May, but to do so, any memory he and Mary Jane had of being married (and the last 20 years or so) would be completely wiped out .
Yes, a deal with the devil, and the character of Spider-man is reset. As a friend of mine said (A Marvel fan) "Well, we can't all have crises"
I have read Amazing Spider-Man for the last few years, because I do like the character, but mainly because J. Michael Straczynski has been writing it. I think JMS is an incredible writer. I hold him in the same reverence that Whedon fans hold for Joss.
Getting back to OMD, well, JMS wasn't too happy with it either, and if you are interested in that conversation, there's been a lot written about it.
I read issue 1 and 4 of the 4-part OMD, and it is incredibly well-written. Once again, JMS is so good at what he does.
It just seems like a weird cop-out. That was the best story anybody could come up with? So, Spiderman no longer with Mary Jane Watson, takes it place with the Death of Robin and other stories, that non-comic readers won't understand, but will get the comics some mainstream media attention.
I don't see how anyone would like this re-set (and I don't know anyone who has).
Disappointed? Yes. Will it change my comic selection? Will I boycott Marvel? No, of course not. Dan Slott and a rotation of others are taking over on Amazing Spiderman, and I will continue to pick it up. JMS is writing Thor, which I think is very good, and I will continue to pick up whatever he writes.
- Mood:
geeky - Music:.45 Grave - Sleep in Safety
Why I Hate Saturn is the K2 to Wally's Everest.
I wouldn't say everything Baker does is essential, but a lot of it is worthwhile.
Over Thanksgiving, I picked up Undercover Genie, which had came out in 2003, but I had been previously unaware of.
Genie is an odds-and-sods collection that new Baker readers would best pass on for some of his other works.
Treat it like a DVD bonus disc, as s some of the Wally and Saturn characters are here. There are a lot of sketches as well as ideas that are maybe not fully developed.
The intro Baker wanted was "If you don't know who, you better ask somebody." If you think that's funny, you'll like Baker.
Instead, Baker writes a two page intro that lametns being a comic book artist, and puts it as well as anyone.
Not the place to start in the Baker canon, but I enjoyed it a bit. Misanthropes and Cynics welcome.
- Music:Fischerspooner- Odyssey
- Music:Ride - "Vapour Trail"
I am of course really only bringing this up as an excuse to post this:
For full disclosure, I am a huge Evan Dorkin fan, so much that my Skype nickname is 'milkandcheese'. Dorkin even is a LJ user, check him out.
- Mood:
MERV GRIFFIN!!! - Music:The Pogues- Drunken Boys
Now, my first thought is to treat this like the Keith Richards snorting his father story, but this is just bizarre enough to be true.
U2 Men Sign On For 'Spiderman Musical'
Bono. The Edge. Peter Parker. I'm there.
- Mood:
busy - Music:REM- Green
Jake fans and Billy Batson fans will be interested by this news. With added Spiderman.
Although I think i have reported this before, Buffy fans will be interested in this news. With added staples.
I love Are You Being Served?, so I was saddened by this news. With added "I'm free".
Here's a picture of Morrissey with Kristeen Young on his shoulders.
Lastly, here's more Jake stuff, because I am all about bringing the people what they want.
- Music:Bob Dylan - The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
The list of twelve things that make me smile continues
7. Girl Scout Cookies - Girl Scout cookies rule. Which are my favorite? The Thin Mints or the Peanut Butter ones (do-si-dos)? Give me both, and throw in a box of Tagalongs (the chocolate/peanut butter ones) while you are at it.
8. The Roots of Acid Jazz- A friend of mine sent me this disc last week. I'm digging it. I could see this in JG Thirlwell's collection. Plus, I'm always a sucker for free music.
9. Jason's Deli- Apparently, a chain, but the website only finds one of these in Iowa. I like big deli sandwhiches now again, and was not disappointed. I still look back with much fondness to Carbondale's un-PC-named sandwhich shop, Booby's. Jason's is close top work, too- bonus!
10. NCAA March Madness- College Basketball's playoffs. Everybody is an expert, and everyone at work is talking about their brackets. There's so much uncertainity that even that pretty secretary who knows nothing about basketball can win the office pool. I always get in on this, and I always finish close to last. This year so far finds me in the middle of the pack.
I did find myself watching a game cheering for 16th seed Albany University to upset perennial powerhouse #1-seeded Duke. There was a middle-aged couple at the local sports bar watching because their daughter went to school with one of Albany's starting five. Good times.
11. Eye on Washington - I love my Sunday political shows, and initially did not like this roundtable discussion show that was brought in to replace the previous pundit show that came on before the McLaughlin Group. It's become an enjoyable show, though. Hosted by Derek McGinty. Regulars include Slate magazine's Michael Saletan, one of my personal favorites David Corn, USA Today's Susan Page, Linda Chavez (yes, the one with the illegal immigrant working for her), and radio loudmouth Michael Graham.
12. American Virgin- This is Steven T. Seagle's new comic on DC's Vertigo imprint. I don't think Seagle gets enough publicity. His last Vertigo series The Crusades was incredibly readable. American Virgin follows the 20-year old minister and voice of the Virginity movement through various temptations. Issue one holds a lot of promise for this series. Along with cover art by Frank Quitely, always a bonus.
- Mood:
calm - Music:Havana 3AM- s/t
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