I just found out that Gail Simone was informed in an email from her new editor that she is no longer the writer of Batgirl.
She was fired in an email.
I am so unbelievably pissed off.
For those who haven't been reading our blog for long, Batgirl is one of the first comics I started following in the New 52. It's also the first superhero comic I really identified with. You can read my first blog post about her here: Tonight, I'm Batgirl. I can't express how disappointed I am in DC's decision to remove Simone as Batgirl's writer.
Simone has been incredibly classy about the whole mess. You can read her response here: I am so fricking fortunate. There has been an outpouring of support for her on Twitter.
All I have to say is that I will be taking Batgirl off of Christian's and my pull list as soon as Simone's run is over and I will be following Simone to wherever her next project takes her.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
All Aboot the X-Men: Uncanny Avengers #2, X-Men Legacy #2, and All New X-Men #2
So first off, this is the most X-Men comics I've read in a single week in well, I can't even remember the last time I bought three X-Men related comics all at once. And yet, here I am, absolutely loving the shit out of these books.
I know a lot of people were wary about Marvel NOW going into this relaunch, but if you're reading the same books I am, I don't know how you could not be excited about the future prospects of these titles, except perhaps if you're burnt out on superhero books altogether. In that case, this week had a lot of alternatives for you, like: Nowhere Men #1, Prophet #33, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1 if that's your bag. But me, I'm gonna talk about some X-Men comics.
Uncanny Avengers #2
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: John Cassaday
Marvel
Yes, this is technically an Avengers book, but come on, this post-AvX title is mostly about the mutants. Even though the Red Skulls super-powered S-Men are explicitly "not mutants," they act like mutants. It's an X-Men comic with Thor and Captain America in it: deal with it. This issue was delayed somewhat because that's how John Cassaday works, and I don't know why anyone should be surprised by this. Was it worth that wait? Well, that I'm not so sure about.
John Cassaday was one of those artists, along with Brian Hitch and Greg Land, who was on fire in the early 2000s. They were some of the major artists to pioneer the widescreen format, and when you first saw their work, it really stood out as being hyper-modern. Their comics screamed: this is the future! However, history hasn't really been kind to any of these artists. Of the three, Hitch has been the most consistent, Land is mostly hated now due to his inability to draw people that don't look like porn stars, and Cassaday, well, he hasn't drawn an ongoing series since Planetary ended. Cassaday's art is not what it used to be. It's still very good, and he has an inimitable style, but his minimalist style has grown into the tendency to look static and flat, and even worse, are some of his costume design choices. Does Captain America need chain-mail armor? Why is Rogue dressed like she is on her way to Yoga class? These are the questions I find myself asking as I read Uncanny Avengers.
This is too bad, because the story is actually a lot of fun. A clone of the original Red Skull has stolen the body of Professor X, cut out his brain, fused it to his own, and has been using Professor X's mind powers to create an army of mutant haters. There is a real Silver Age feel to all of the scenes involving the Red Skull, and it almost seems like this would be a great book for Tom Scioli to draw instead of Cassaday.
Uncanny Avengers is a fun comic, but not extraordinary. Remender's story hits all the right notes for a book that combines Avengers with a throwback to the classic X-Men, but I wouldn't call it a return to form for Cassaday. If you don't mind following a book that is likely to be delayed again and again until Cassaday is replaced or the title is cancelled, I'd say give it a chance. That's a pretty backhanded recommendation, I realize, but really, the concept is here for a fun, entertaining comic book. I just wish it was drawn by someone who can stick to a schedule.
Story 4 Art 3.5
X-Men Legacy #2
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Marvel
X-Men Legacy is a comic that I don't even want to talk about, because I don't want to spoil what's inside for anyone. What can I tell you to expect without going into detail. Well for one thing: X-Men Legacy is weird. Weird in the best way. It's weird in a way that will open doors to other ways of thinking. You'll think: "I never thought about my own mind like that before, thank you Si Spurrier, for making me think about my own mind again." Superhero books don't normally go in for complexities: thematically, linguistically, or emotionally. X-Men Legacy is all about the messy complexities. It embeds manifestos within dialogue, cloaks raw emotions and psychology within weird fiction, and it unsettles the way you read, by forcing you to read in Scots dialect, which no comic has successfully done in ages as far as I'm concerned.
People often like to talk about how they "only read the books that matter." I understand this sentiment while I disagree with it vehemently. The stories that matter are the stories that should have some greater meaning, convey some deeper emotion or theme, and maybe tell us something about what it means to be human.
X-Men Legacy is a vital addition to Marvel's lineup, and an argument for it's continued relevance in spite of increased corporatization and the increasing homogenization of their product line.
Story 4.5 Art 4
All New X-Men #2
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Marvel
I have had a love/hate relationship with Bendis for years. I've loved Alias, The Pulse, Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man, and his early runs on Avengers/New Avengers, and I've hated his Moon Knight, and later runs on Avengers/New Avengers. I was completely prepared to hate his take on the X-Men. I had no intention of even buying this issue after the lackluster debut. I would have been so wrong.
All New X-Men #2 is the proper debut of Bendis' all-new direction for Marvel's mutants, and it is a great start to what I'm optimistic will be a very interesting year for the X-Men. In another writer's hands, this hackneyed plot of Back to the Future style time-travel would fall completely flat, but Bendis plays it all up for big emotional payoffs and fantastic dialogue. Every one of the original five X-Men has a great moment, and their encounter with both the realization of their future selves as well as their increasing understanding of the future itself is beautifully realized. I would never have thought that Bendis would make a great writer for the X-Men, but here he is, in all his Claremontian glory.
This is another book that I really don't want to spoil for any potential new readers, which might seem like a lazy and impotent gesture when you can just go to any number of more popular blogs to spoil it for yourself, but let me just say this: this was the best book I read this month. If you ever loved the X-Men, and have been wanting the opportunity to start over with the mutants. NOW is your chance.
Story 5 Art 5
I know a lot of people were wary about Marvel NOW going into this relaunch, but if you're reading the same books I am, I don't know how you could not be excited about the future prospects of these titles, except perhaps if you're burnt out on superhero books altogether. In that case, this week had a lot of alternatives for you, like: Nowhere Men #1, Prophet #33, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1 if that's your bag. But me, I'm gonna talk about some X-Men comics.
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: John Cassaday
Marvel
Yes, this is technically an Avengers book, but come on, this post-AvX title is mostly about the mutants. Even though the Red Skulls super-powered S-Men are explicitly "not mutants," they act like mutants. It's an X-Men comic with Thor and Captain America in it: deal with it. This issue was delayed somewhat because that's how John Cassaday works, and I don't know why anyone should be surprised by this. Was it worth that wait? Well, that I'm not so sure about.
John Cassaday was one of those artists, along with Brian Hitch and Greg Land, who was on fire in the early 2000s. They were some of the major artists to pioneer the widescreen format, and when you first saw their work, it really stood out as being hyper-modern. Their comics screamed: this is the future! However, history hasn't really been kind to any of these artists. Of the three, Hitch has been the most consistent, Land is mostly hated now due to his inability to draw people that don't look like porn stars, and Cassaday, well, he hasn't drawn an ongoing series since Planetary ended. Cassaday's art is not what it used to be. It's still very good, and he has an inimitable style, but his minimalist style has grown into the tendency to look static and flat, and even worse, are some of his costume design choices. Does Captain America need chain-mail armor? Why is Rogue dressed like she is on her way to Yoga class? These are the questions I find myself asking as I read Uncanny Avengers.
This is too bad, because the story is actually a lot of fun. A clone of the original Red Skull has stolen the body of Professor X, cut out his brain, fused it to his own, and has been using Professor X's mind powers to create an army of mutant haters. There is a real Silver Age feel to all of the scenes involving the Red Skull, and it almost seems like this would be a great book for Tom Scioli to draw instead of Cassaday.
Uncanny Avengers is a fun comic, but not extraordinary. Remender's story hits all the right notes for a book that combines Avengers with a throwback to the classic X-Men, but I wouldn't call it a return to form for Cassaday. If you don't mind following a book that is likely to be delayed again and again until Cassaday is replaced or the title is cancelled, I'd say give it a chance. That's a pretty backhanded recommendation, I realize, but really, the concept is here for a fun, entertaining comic book. I just wish it was drawn by someone who can stick to a schedule.
Story 4 Art 3.5
X-Men Legacy #2
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Marvel
X-Men Legacy is a comic that I don't even want to talk about, because I don't want to spoil what's inside for anyone. What can I tell you to expect without going into detail. Well for one thing: X-Men Legacy is weird. Weird in the best way. It's weird in a way that will open doors to other ways of thinking. You'll think: "I never thought about my own mind like that before, thank you Si Spurrier, for making me think about my own mind again." Superhero books don't normally go in for complexities: thematically, linguistically, or emotionally. X-Men Legacy is all about the messy complexities. It embeds manifestos within dialogue, cloaks raw emotions and psychology within weird fiction, and it unsettles the way you read, by forcing you to read in Scots dialect, which no comic has successfully done in ages as far as I'm concerned.
People often like to talk about how they "only read the books that matter." I understand this sentiment while I disagree with it vehemently. The stories that matter are the stories that should have some greater meaning, convey some deeper emotion or theme, and maybe tell us something about what it means to be human.
X-Men Legacy is a vital addition to Marvel's lineup, and an argument for it's continued relevance in spite of increased corporatization and the increasing homogenization of their product line.
Story 4.5 Art 4
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Marvel
I have had a love/hate relationship with Bendis for years. I've loved Alias, The Pulse, Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man, and his early runs on Avengers/New Avengers, and I've hated his Moon Knight, and later runs on Avengers/New Avengers. I was completely prepared to hate his take on the X-Men. I had no intention of even buying this issue after the lackluster debut. I would have been so wrong.
All New X-Men #2 is the proper debut of Bendis' all-new direction for Marvel's mutants, and it is a great start to what I'm optimistic will be a very interesting year for the X-Men. In another writer's hands, this hackneyed plot of Back to the Future style time-travel would fall completely flat, but Bendis plays it all up for big emotional payoffs and fantastic dialogue. Every one of the original five X-Men has a great moment, and their encounter with both the realization of their future selves as well as their increasing understanding of the future itself is beautifully realized. I would never have thought that Bendis would make a great writer for the X-Men, but here he is, in all his Claremontian glory.
This is another book that I really don't want to spoil for any potential new readers, which might seem like a lazy and impotent gesture when you can just go to any number of more popular blogs to spoil it for yourself, but let me just say this: this was the best book I read this month. If you ever loved the X-Men, and have been wanting the opportunity to start over with the mutants. NOW is your chance.
Story 5 Art 5
Friday, November 23, 2012
Journey Into Mystery #646: "Stronger Than Monsters"
Journey Into Mystery #646
"Stronger than Monsters (1 of 5)"
Writer: Kathryn Immonen
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Marvel
This review begins with a bit of a disclaimer: I don't really know anything about The Lady Sif, outside of her role in last year's Thor movie. I've never really been much of a fan of Thor or the Asgardians until recently, and so I'm coming into this series as a complete newbie to the character of Sif and her world. I'm happy to say that this didn't affect my enjoyment of this issue at all.
Journey Into Mystery #646 begins in media res, as Sif rescues one of Volstagg's sons from Asgard's library, set on fire by the demons of Surtur. Sif explains to the mother of the boy that she's tired of constantly fighting battles after they occur, and this inspires her to seek out a power that can help her destroy her enemies before they attack. Sif remembers the legend of the berserkers, and travels throughout the realms to find someone who can teach her the secret of the berserkers. By the end of the issue though, it seems that Sif has received more than she bargained for.
I really enjoyed the first issue of this new arc. Despite not knowing anything about Sif, I became invested and interested in her story. High-fantasy can become cheesy if not handled well, but Immonen's writing contains enough modern self-awareness to balance out all the flowery speech of the Asgardians. Speaking of which, there is a lot of text in this book. If you find yourself constantly complaining about decompression in modern comics, this is the book for you. There is tons of dialogue and narrative captions throughout this issue, and though it took some time to get through, it never felt overly cumbersome or threw off the pace of the issue.
Valerio Schiti's art was also very good, reminding me somewhat of Cliff Chiang's work on Wonder Woman. Again, Schiti's art maintains this great balance between the Marvel fantasy style and a pop-art sensibility, brought out in these pages by Jordie Bellaire's bright colour work. I hope this art team decides to stay throughout the entire first arc, because after a first issue this good, I'd hate to see it drop in quality.
If you're on the fence about Journey into Mystery, or you're an Midgardian noob like me, give it a look.
Story 4
Art 4
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Deadpool #2: "We Fought A Zoo"
Deadpool #2
"We Fought A Zoo"
Writers: Brian Posehn & Gerry Duggan
Artist: Tony Moore
Colours: Val Staples
Cover Artists: Geof Darrow and Peter Doherty
Marvel
When Marvel NOW first announced a new Deadpool series, I was not interested. Deadpool has been more or less off-my-radar entirely ever since Daniel Way took over his title, and it wasn't until I found out that one of my favorite comedians, Brian Posehn, would be taking over the book with co-writer Gerry Duggan (Infinite Horizon), and that Tony Moore was going to be the artist.
"SOLD!" I said, as I slapped my money down on the counter at Comic Readers (lie: I paid with debit), and nearly pissed myself from laughing so hard as Deadpool slaughtered his way through two U.S. presidents (including a wheelchair-bound FDR) and a giant Godzilla-alike (with Mothra sized nipples).
The second issue of this series continues the chest-bursting (or was that "gut-busting?") one-liners from last issue, but the visual gags and excellent artwork by Moore really make Deadpool great sequential art. It's one thing to tell a good joke in a word balloon, but the comedy in both the art and writing puts this on the level of MAD Magazine.
Comedy isn't often a respected genre in comics, and Deadpool isn't exactly a respected character either (I mean, he's a Deathstroke ripoff created by Rob Liefeld, fer cryin' out loud), but this is just a fantastic comic book. I'm dead serious. Deadpool is exciting to look at, and a blast to read.
Story: 4
Art: 5
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Christian's Week in Comics 11/14/12: Saga, Thor, Bloodshot and more!
OK. Holy hell did I ever buy a bloody lot of comics today. Right. So instead of doing three or four mini-reviews in my "Week of Comics" thingy, I'm going to try and keep my thoughts on each book to a minimum, and assign a little number rating out of five (people apparently like numbers- I am allergic to mathematics). Alright, enough with the preamble!
Batman #14
"Funny Bones"
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
DC
I'm just going to say it right now, this is the best Joker story in years. Snyder and Capullo have stepped out of the shadow of Heath Ledger and a delivered a chilling new version of the Man Who Laughs that has more in common with Freddy Krueger than any former incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime.
This isn't an issue you want spoiled, so go to Comixology or your local comic shop and read it for yourself, or else the Joker is going to keep hitting Alfred Pennyworth with his hammer, and God only knows what he's done to Alfred's eyes. Story: 5 Art: 5
X-Men Legacy #1
"Prodigal"
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Marvel
People (if they can be so generously described as "people") like to complain a lot about how the Big Two never take risks, and then proceed to not support the books that Marvel and DC publish that challenge this preconception. I hope I am wrong, because X-Men Legacy is one of the riskiest damn books Marvel could have decided to publish as part of its Marvel NOW event.
For starters, it's a book by a relatively unknown writer from the UK, Si Spurrier, drawn by another unknown artist, Tan Eng Huat, and stars David Haller, a mentally ill mutant with a serious case of disassociative identity disorder otherwise known as Legion. It's also as mad as Spider Jerusalem's acid flashbacks. Although careful readers will be able to make sense of what's going on inside and outside of Legion's crazed head, Spurrier and Huat seem determined to blur the lines between reality and the Qortex Complex, the brain-jail where Haller has locked up all the deviant psycho-personalities lurking in his skull.
This is a great book for new readers to get into, and if you find yourself pining away for the days when crazed men from across the pond like Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison used to scribe for Marvel, this is the X-book for you. Story: 4 Art: 3.5
Saga #7
"Chapter Seven"
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Fiona Staples
Ah, can you feel that? It's the collective sigh of relief from thousands of readers who can finally breathe easy because the greatest comic being published right now is back from its three-month hiatus. Yes, Saga is back, and despite the break, this book hasn't missed a step. Picking right up from where issue #6 left off, Marko's parents have arrived and are not very pleased with his choice of life partner. After a masterful look into the war-torn past of Marko's father, which really serves the anti-war metaphor that underlies the entire book, Vaughn and Staples split the parents up with the newlyweds, leading to some great moments between characters.
I'll admit I was little worried when Saga first went on hiatus, but now that it's back, I realize I had nothing to fear. If you haven't read the first 6 issues of Saga yet, you'll need to pick up the first trade before jumping on with this arc.
Also: giant swollen alien testicles. Story: 5 Art: 5
Bloodshot #5
"The Rise and Fall Part 1"
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artists: Manuel Garcia Arturo Lozzi
Valiant
Bloodshot is not everyone's cup of tea. I get that. It's full of blood and nastiness and mixes its hard military SF with real sociopolitical overtones that can be hard to swallow. But me, I like my tea bitter (which is kind of apt, since if Bloodshot were a tea, he'd be Earl bloody Grey). This issue finds Bloodshot storming the secret base of Project Rising Spirit, but finds more than he bargained for in the special ops nightmare that is Chainsaw: an early project of PRS' that also attempted to fuse human beings with sharp cybernetic objects.
I love Wolverine and The Punisher, but it seems absolutely redundant reading those books in a world where Bloodshot exists. Here, you get the best of both worlds. Bloodshot is basically an indestructible cybernetic Punisher with a head full of secrets that would make Julian Assagne blush. If brutal, bloody action and modern day military SF sounds like your thing, read this book. Even though this is #5, the helpful back matter on the first page of the book will fill you in on everything you need to know about the series going into this new arc. Valiant has been doing a great job of making each issue friendly to new readers, and Bloodshot #5 is no exception to that. Story: 4 Art: 3
Thor: God of Thunder #1
The God Butcher, Part One of Five, "A World Without Gods"
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Esad Ribic
Thor is a character who I've always liked as an Avenger, but haven't been interested in reading in his own book. This changed when I saw preview pages of Esad Ribic's interiors for this new series. The painterly quality of Ribic's art seems like it was transported out of the pages of some forgotten issue of Heavy Metal and into my Marvel comic, and I absolutely love it. Sometimes art drawn in this fashion doesn't work as well sequentially, but Ribic's strength as a visual storyteller shines here. He and Aaron make an excellent pair, as Ribic's visuals compliment Aaron's story of Thor across three time periods. The mood of this story is foreboding, and often eerie. Thor's anger and confusion when he arrives at the atheist planet is palpable, and his dismay when he finds the butchered corpses of the Sky Lords fills the comic with a overwhelming sense of dread and despair. Epic is a word that gets tossed around quite loosely in geek culture, but in the case of this story, it thoroughly applies. If I had to pick a favorite moment, it was when the old God-King Thor (heretofore known as O.G. Thor) asks for someone to bring him his metal arm, only to remember that all his servants are dead. Story: 4.5 Art: 5
"Funny Bones"
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
DC
I'm just going to say it right now, this is the best Joker story in years. Snyder and Capullo have stepped out of the shadow of Heath Ledger and a delivered a chilling new version of the Man Who Laughs that has more in common with Freddy Krueger than any former incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime.
This isn't an issue you want spoiled, so go to Comixology or your local comic shop and read it for yourself, or else the Joker is going to keep hitting Alfred Pennyworth with his hammer, and God only knows what he's done to Alfred's eyes. Story: 5 Art: 5
"Prodigal"
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Marvel
People (if they can be so generously described as "people") like to complain a lot about how the Big Two never take risks, and then proceed to not support the books that Marvel and DC publish that challenge this preconception. I hope I am wrong, because X-Men Legacy is one of the riskiest damn books Marvel could have decided to publish as part of its Marvel NOW event.
For starters, it's a book by a relatively unknown writer from the UK, Si Spurrier, drawn by another unknown artist, Tan Eng Huat, and stars David Haller, a mentally ill mutant with a serious case of disassociative identity disorder otherwise known as Legion. It's also as mad as Spider Jerusalem's acid flashbacks. Although careful readers will be able to make sense of what's going on inside and outside of Legion's crazed head, Spurrier and Huat seem determined to blur the lines between reality and the Qortex Complex, the brain-jail where Haller has locked up all the deviant psycho-personalities lurking in his skull.
This is a great book for new readers to get into, and if you find yourself pining away for the days when crazed men from across the pond like Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison used to scribe for Marvel, this is the X-book for you. Story: 4 Art: 3.5
"Chapter Seven"
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Fiona Staples
Ah, can you feel that? It's the collective sigh of relief from thousands of readers who can finally breathe easy because the greatest comic being published right now is back from its three-month hiatus. Yes, Saga is back, and despite the break, this book hasn't missed a step. Picking right up from where issue #6 left off, Marko's parents have arrived and are not very pleased with his choice of life partner. After a masterful look into the war-torn past of Marko's father, which really serves the anti-war metaphor that underlies the entire book, Vaughn and Staples split the parents up with the newlyweds, leading to some great moments between characters.
I'll admit I was little worried when Saga first went on hiatus, but now that it's back, I realize I had nothing to fear. If you haven't read the first 6 issues of Saga yet, you'll need to pick up the first trade before jumping on with this arc.
Also: giant swollen alien testicles. Story: 5 Art: 5
"The Rise and Fall Part 1"
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artists: Manuel Garcia Arturo Lozzi
Valiant
Bloodshot is not everyone's cup of tea. I get that. It's full of blood and nastiness and mixes its hard military SF with real sociopolitical overtones that can be hard to swallow. But me, I like my tea bitter (which is kind of apt, since if Bloodshot were a tea, he'd be Earl bloody Grey). This issue finds Bloodshot storming the secret base of Project Rising Spirit, but finds more than he bargained for in the special ops nightmare that is Chainsaw: an early project of PRS' that also attempted to fuse human beings with sharp cybernetic objects.
I love Wolverine and The Punisher, but it seems absolutely redundant reading those books in a world where Bloodshot exists. Here, you get the best of both worlds. Bloodshot is basically an indestructible cybernetic Punisher with a head full of secrets that would make Julian Assagne blush. If brutal, bloody action and modern day military SF sounds like your thing, read this book. Even though this is #5, the helpful back matter on the first page of the book will fill you in on everything you need to know about the series going into this new arc. Valiant has been doing a great job of making each issue friendly to new readers, and Bloodshot #5 is no exception to that. Story: 4 Art: 3
The God Butcher, Part One of Five, "A World Without Gods"
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Esad Ribic
Thor is a character who I've always liked as an Avenger, but haven't been interested in reading in his own book. This changed when I saw preview pages of Esad Ribic's interiors for this new series. The painterly quality of Ribic's art seems like it was transported out of the pages of some forgotten issue of Heavy Metal and into my Marvel comic, and I absolutely love it. Sometimes art drawn in this fashion doesn't work as well sequentially, but Ribic's strength as a visual storyteller shines here. He and Aaron make an excellent pair, as Ribic's visuals compliment Aaron's story of Thor across three time periods. The mood of this story is foreboding, and often eerie. Thor's anger and confusion when he arrives at the atheist planet is palpable, and his dismay when he finds the butchered corpses of the Sky Lords fills the comic with a overwhelming sense of dread and despair. Epic is a word that gets tossed around quite loosely in geek culture, but in the case of this story, it thoroughly applies. If I had to pick a favorite moment, it was when the old God-King Thor (heretofore known as O.G. Thor) asks for someone to bring him his metal arm, only to remember that all his servants are dead. Story: 4.5 Art: 5
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Shadowman #1 Review on iFanboy.com's "Pick of the Week" podcast
I'm an occasional poster on iFanboy.com and a longtime listener of their "Pick of the Week" podcast. This week, I was lucky to have been selected by the iFanboy crew, who read a short review of Shadowman #1 I wrote on this week's podcast.
If you're not already a listener of the podcast, give it a shot. It's like listening to a bunch of your friends sit around and talk about their favorite comics. Also check out their "Don't Miss" podcast, where they talk to a comics creator about an upcoming book that you, well, shouldn't miss. For example, last week they talked to Joshua Hale Fialkov about the surprisingly excellent Masters of the Universe: The Origin of Skeletor #1.
They're both great shows and I look forward to them every week.
Side note #1: I've learned something after listening to someone else read my review. I definitely need to make my sentences shorter and less wordy. I got the feeling that my long run-on sentences were a little hard to process.
Side note #2: I imagine our readers are a colorful gang of rogues, kind of like The Warriors.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thought Bubble Anthology: 2012 Edition
November 2012
Image
Once again, the cover caught me! For those of you who don't know me, I'm writing my MA thesis on fairy tales right now and I have had a thing for the Little Red Riding Hood story lately. You can read about that on my other blog: "Must I Write?"
The next thing I noticed was that this anthology contains stories from Kate Beaton, of Hark, A Vagrant (hilarious, and one of Christian's favorites) and Gail Simone (current writer of Batgirl). So, I was curious and I picked it up.
There are some real gems in here. Steve Reynolds tells a poignant but funny story about his dad's floating ear, Dave Johnson tells the hilarious story about how he met Bob Layton, and Gail Simone's depiction of a comic book store in the Victorian(?) period selling comics called "Bat Gentleman" and "Lady Wonder" is awesome.
But, I have to say that I had two big favorites: the first was Kristyna Baczynski's "Due Returns" and the second was Ivan Brandon's "I'm Through." Apparently I also have a thing for portal stories.
Totally worth the $4!
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