Comic Book Marathon
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 05/18/05
Hm, unusual number of floppies this week.
Also, notice how I buy a lot of Marvel Comics stuff? This kind of surprises me. I mean, I would still be buying Powers from Image and Adam (Livewires) Warren's work from Dark Horse, if that were the option, so my purchases have nothing to do with the publisher itself, but still . . .
Powers Vol VIII: Legends - A few years ago, around the time of volumes 4 and 5, I thought this title was heading towards the deep end, dragged down to the low standards of Brian Michael Bendis's mainstream work. Boy was I wrong. Volumes 6 and 7 were excellent pulp fiction, and from all indications this title has hit its stride in the middle of quite a long run. Compelling characters, Michael Avon Oeming's hyperkinetic art, and a very real sense of mortality make this title once of the most intense reads in the super-hero power fantasy category. Remember when Kurt Busiek was delivering mediocre mainstream scripts for Marvel while producing pure gold on Astro City? That's where Bendis and Oeming are now, and Powers is where the gold lies.
The Dark Horse Book of the Dead - Speaking of pulp fiction, here's a sophisticated horror anthology that deserves more attention. While IDW and Steve Niles rule the action/horror comic roost with their all-out intense zombie and vampire titles, editor Scott Allie has compiled a collection of suspense/horror stories that will appeal more to fans of Hellboy and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. On top of that, fans of lush graphic novel art will not be disappointed by the selection of fine artists. Creators returning from previous volumes in this series (Hauntings and Witchcraft) include Mike Mignola, Gary Gianni, Scott Allie, Paul Lee, Brian Horton, Jill Thompson, and Evan Dorkin. They are joined this time by Kelley Jones, Eric Powell, David Crouse, Todd Herman, Bob Fingerman, Roger Langridge, Pat McEwon, Jaime S. Rich, and Guy Davis. If nothing else, these creators will ensure that this collection will be both creepy and beautiful at the same time.
Strange Eggs #1 - Also in the anthology department this week is this entry, a collection of tales based on the same central conceit: a mysterious man delivers an egg once a week to Kip and Kelly Hatcher, young siblings who live on a farm. Each contributor to this anthology offers their take on what is in one of the eggs, usually resulting in a Twilight Zone style twist. The creator list includes Slave Labor Graphics mainstays Crab Scrambly, Ian Carney, and Woodrow Phoenix as well as mad mavericks Derf and Roger Langridge. Scott Saavedra writes the introduction, and that's as far as I go in terms of name recognition. The remaining creators of this book are new to me, including the editor/creators who came up with the concept in the first place: Chris Reilly, Steve Ahlquist, and Ben Towle.
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 - Dr. Strange on cover. Rationale shorter than title.
Livewires #4 - Ok, I admit this title might not be for everyone. But COME ON! At least 99.44% of the population should be reading this. If "Nanobuilt humanform combat mecha" makes your skin crawl due to its overwhelming geekiness, YES ME TOO! But this book rocks ANYWAY! It's the search for the meaning of life for the ADD generation, the question of who we are with lots of action and government conspiracy thrown in. I don't want to overuse the word "sophisticated" this week, but that is EXACTLY what separates Adam Warren's work from all the schlock that only LOOKS like Adam Warren's work. Even with two freaking Roger Langridge books this week, this is still the one you need to buy! (Wow, this comic is such a rush, even writing about it gets me excited! Must . . . remember . . . to breathe . . .)
JLA Classified #7 (I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League part 4 of 6) - Pathos. It's a concept that, when used sparingly, can turn a good comic into a great one. When Giffen and DeMatteis employed pathos on their original Justice League series, it resulted in their best work. In this issue, our team of not-ready-for-prime-time super heroes get plenty of laughs in as they are trapped in hell, but when it comes time to escape, it becomes clear that they may have to leave one person behind. I would suggest that comedy is nothing without pathos. Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire aren't great because they create the funniest super-hero comics on earth, they really don't. But they create some of the most affecting comics in the genre, and I'm glad they've given us one last shot to spend some time in the lives of these characters before DC Comics consigns them to oblivion.
Plastic Man #16 - It's Kyle Baker, man, what other reason do you need? Unfortunately, since I'm pretty sure that they will never put out a second collected edition of this title, I will try to read the monthly issues. We'll see how long that lasts, because man these issues are extremely slight.
One last thought. This quote by Alan David Doane basically sums up why I continue to buy comics every week and why I discuss what I buy here. I want to find the next great comic book. Thanks for coming along on that search.
Also, notice how I buy a lot of Marvel Comics stuff? This kind of surprises me. I mean, I would still be buying Powers from Image and Adam (Livewires) Warren's work from Dark Horse, if that were the option, so my purchases have nothing to do with the publisher itself, but still . . .
Powers Vol VIII: Legends - A few years ago, around the time of volumes 4 and 5, I thought this title was heading towards the deep end, dragged down to the low standards of Brian Michael Bendis's mainstream work. Boy was I wrong. Volumes 6 and 7 were excellent pulp fiction, and from all indications this title has hit its stride in the middle of quite a long run. Compelling characters, Michael Avon Oeming's hyperkinetic art, and a very real sense of mortality make this title once of the most intense reads in the super-hero power fantasy category. Remember when Kurt Busiek was delivering mediocre mainstream scripts for Marvel while producing pure gold on Astro City? That's where Bendis and Oeming are now, and Powers is where the gold lies.
The Dark Horse Book of the Dead - Speaking of pulp fiction, here's a sophisticated horror anthology that deserves more attention. While IDW and Steve Niles rule the action/horror comic roost with their all-out intense zombie and vampire titles, editor Scott Allie has compiled a collection of suspense/horror stories that will appeal more to fans of Hellboy and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. On top of that, fans of lush graphic novel art will not be disappointed by the selection of fine artists. Creators returning from previous volumes in this series (Hauntings and Witchcraft) include Mike Mignola, Gary Gianni, Scott Allie, Paul Lee, Brian Horton, Jill Thompson, and Evan Dorkin. They are joined this time by Kelley Jones, Eric Powell, David Crouse, Todd Herman, Bob Fingerman, Roger Langridge, Pat McEwon, Jaime S. Rich, and Guy Davis. If nothing else, these creators will ensure that this collection will be both creepy and beautiful at the same time.
Strange Eggs #1 - Also in the anthology department this week is this entry, a collection of tales based on the same central conceit: a mysterious man delivers an egg once a week to Kip and Kelly Hatcher, young siblings who live on a farm. Each contributor to this anthology offers their take on what is in one of the eggs, usually resulting in a Twilight Zone style twist. The creator list includes Slave Labor Graphics mainstays Crab Scrambly, Ian Carney, and Woodrow Phoenix as well as mad mavericks Derf and Roger Langridge. Scott Saavedra writes the introduction, and that's as far as I go in terms of name recognition. The remaining creators of this book are new to me, including the editor/creators who came up with the concept in the first place: Chris Reilly, Steve Ahlquist, and Ben Towle.
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 - Dr. Strange on cover. Rationale shorter than title.
Livewires #4 - Ok, I admit this title might not be for everyone. But COME ON! At least 99.44% of the population should be reading this. If "Nanobuilt humanform combat mecha" makes your skin crawl due to its overwhelming geekiness, YES ME TOO! But this book rocks ANYWAY! It's the search for the meaning of life for the ADD generation, the question of who we are with lots of action and government conspiracy thrown in. I don't want to overuse the word "sophisticated" this week, but that is EXACTLY what separates Adam Warren's work from all the schlock that only LOOKS like Adam Warren's work. Even with two freaking Roger Langridge books this week, this is still the one you need to buy! (Wow, this comic is such a rush, even writing about it gets me excited! Must . . . remember . . . to breathe . . .)
JLA Classified #7 (I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League part 4 of 6) - Pathos. It's a concept that, when used sparingly, can turn a good comic into a great one. When Giffen and DeMatteis employed pathos on their original Justice League series, it resulted in their best work. In this issue, our team of not-ready-for-prime-time super heroes get plenty of laughs in as they are trapped in hell, but when it comes time to escape, it becomes clear that they may have to leave one person behind. I would suggest that comedy is nothing without pathos. Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire aren't great because they create the funniest super-hero comics on earth, they really don't. But they create some of the most affecting comics in the genre, and I'm glad they've given us one last shot to spend some time in the lives of these characters before DC Comics consigns them to oblivion.
Plastic Man #16 - It's Kyle Baker, man, what other reason do you need? Unfortunately, since I'm pretty sure that they will never put out a second collected edition of this title, I will try to read the monthly issues. We'll see how long that lasts, because man these issues are extremely slight.
One last thought. This quote by Alan David Doane basically sums up why I continue to buy comics every week and why I discuss what I buy here. I want to find the next great comic book. Thanks for coming along on that search.
posted by chasdom, 10:50 AM
