Blogs of Future Past

Til Death Do You Part

2008-08-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

So for the first time in quite a while, today I decided to read my newspaper's comics section. It's been a long time since I've bothered to read comic strips that aren't on the web, but I'm glad I did today, because this is what I saw (click to enlarge).

For Better For Worse... over? No. No way. I do not accept this. This I do not accept.

Whenever I thought of them, the Pattersons always felt like they were a part of my family. Granted, they seemed more like distant cousins with whom I only caught up every few months, usually finding out to my disappointment that they were all incredibly boring, their only contributions to conversations being life lessons vaguely concealed in progressively bad puns and turns of phrase.

Still, to say the comics were touching would be an understatement. I remember, when I was a kid, my dad actually sat me down to tell me that Farley the dog had valiantly saved April from drowning in a river. "That's good news," I replied. Then, noticing the sad smile he gave me, I added "...isn't it?" He took a deep breath.

"I love you, son" was all he could say in response.

So that's that. No longer will I be able to share and delight in all of the Pattersons' hopes and dreams. This depressed me, to say the least. "Oh well," I thought to myself after a few minutes. "Sure, it's the end of an era, but it's NOT the end of the world. After all, they're not the only syndicated comic strip family around. I'm sure the others are just as fun and exciting to read." Already starting to feel better, I turned the page to today's Family Circus:

Okay, what the fuck.

I Review 75 Comic Books

2008-08-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned that posts would be lacking until I managed to get a job and afford my heavy backlog of comic books. True to my word, that was almost two months ago.

Recently, however, I've managed to get a job at Indigo, an establishment that specializes in the selling of non-pictographic comics, or books, as it were. As a result, I have finally succeeded in scrounging enough money to catch up on the past two months' worth of comics.

I know, I know... it's been a while. Even though I haven't been able to afford new comics, that's no excuse for not posting at all. I realize that, and I'm sorry.

Here. To make it up for you, I'm going to review all 75 comics in my backlog that I've purchased since I've started making money. I'm not quite clear on which book came out which week, so I'm going to do this alphabetically.

(also this list should give you a fairly complete look at what books I'm reading, and what books I'm not, since this is everything I would have bought in the last month and a bit. Is something not on here that should be? Make a recommendation!)

So. Let's get started...

1) Amazing Spider-Man #564: I appreciate that they're going for more dynamic storytelling with this issue (the same car chase replayed from 3 different perspectives), but the fact is that the story itself kind of sucks here. Simply put, it needed more twists and turns to make the most of the unique storytelling.

2) Amazing Spider-Man #565: Nice twist, and fairly decent art. Not crazy about the new villain (Kraven the Huntress? Really?), but not a bad issue.

3) Amazing Spider-man #566: There's something intriguing about Spider-man having to dress up as Daredevil, since his own costume has been stolen. That being said, there's nothing intriguing about anything else in this comic, next to perhaps the identity of Kraven the Huntress, assuming she isn't the obvious choice of the original Kraven's daughter, because that would be uncreative and stupid.

4) Amazing Spider-man #567: Oh. She's the original Kraven's daughter.

5) Amazing Spider-man Extra! #1: This one-shot contains three standalone Spider-man stories. Two are fairly useless (though not without their charm), while the Hammerhead story is, to my great astonishment, really quite great. It's powerful, upsetting, and is overall a great examination of a villain who never appeared to warrant such an in-depth look. This is probably the best story so far to come out of Brand New Day, and indeed more character issues in general should be like this.

6) Astonishing X-men #25: I'm usually not a fan of Warren Ellis' mainstream jaunts, but for his debut issue on the X-men, this is pretty solid stuff. Snappy dialogue, beautiful art, and good characterization. The plot hasn't been deeply explored yet, but it has potential.

7) Astonishing X-men #26: Whenever a new creative team debuts on the X-men, I tend to hold them against Grant Morrison's New X-men, particularly his first arc, E is for Extinction. So far, this run is starting off much the same way while remaining unique. I don't think it's perfect yet (it's a bit slow, for example), but like I said with the above review, the run has potential.

8) Avengers: The Initiative #14: I'm not a fan of big event tie-ins in general, but with Marvel's Secret Invasion, it seems that it's being done right for the most part, with every tie in feeling important in their own right. This issue, which introduces the seemingly only device that can identify Skrull agents, is no exception. Also, we finally get introduced to the superteam in charge of Hawaii. Pretty entertaining stuff.

9) Avengers: The Initiative #15: This series just keeps getting better with each issue (actually not quite: this series gets better with each issue and then one particular bad issue comes out and upsets the progression. From there, they continue to get better, but the progress has been reset). That being said, this issue, which focuses on Crusader, is better than the last few ones to come out, especially considering I never liked Crusader before this one.

10) Batman #678: Like any good Grant Morrison comic, I have no idea what the fuck's going on, and I love it. In general, the more badly the hero is beaten by the villain, the higher the stakes seem for the rest of the story. Well, I've never seen Batman so completely destroyed as in this issue. The last panel has me eager to see Batman claw his way back up.

11) Batman #679: Okay, things are starting to make sense (but by no means completely), and it's actually really cool. I love the idea of the Batman having subconsciously provided himself with a backup identity should he ever have been driven mad. Once again, an awesome cliffhanger has me clamouring for more.

12) Benny Bunny on Wheels: A really cute comic about a skateboarding bunny. Even though the whole thing seems to be a metaphor for some drama that had shaken up the Toronto comic community, this book never stops being a ton of fun. I wish Sean Ward, the author, would make these comics more often.

13) B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man: As much as I love Johann Kraus, this one-shot contains a fairly useless story, which can be summed up as "Boy meets Girl, Boy cannot defeat Girl, Boy returns later and shoots Girl." Only replace Boy with "disembodied spirit" and Girl with "large Baroque soul-consuming Toad Monster."

...What the hell am I talking about? That's awesome!

14) B.P.R.D.: The Warning #1: I know most people won't agree with me that a bed-ridden immortal mummy is a good replacement for Roger, but damn it, I think Panya's awesome. As per usual, this installment of Mignola, Arcudi, and Davis' B.P.R.D. is shaping up to be quite the arc.

15) B.P.R.D.: The Warning #2: Yep. Quite the arc.

16) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #16: Even though season 8 has been pretty uniformly spectacular thus far, I'll admit the idea of a Fray crossover did not intrigue me in the least. So far, though, so good. Sure, very little of this particular issue focuses on Fray at all, but it's off to a good start. And man, I missed Warren.

17) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #17: So now we're off to a good no-longer-start-but-still-early-in-the-race. The Alan Moore nods certainly help.

18) Captain America #39: Art's a little grittier than usual, but I enjoyed the look into the mind of the Grand Director, who gets no small amounts of sympathy in this issue. Not nearly as good as the Nomad-centric issue from like two years back, but it's good for the same reasons, at least.

19) Captain America #40: I probably should have seen that last page coming, but ohhhhhh shit.

20) Captain America: White #0: Great art, buuuuuuut that's about it. Probably won't be picking up the actual series.

21) Captain Britain and MI13 #3: Man, I'm really digging John the Skrull.

22) Captain Britain and MI13 #4: Man, I'm really pissed they killed John the Skrull. Also, the "No more Skrulls" scene reminded me of House of M's "No more Mutants." And that's a BAD thing.

23) Catwoman #81: I wasn't a huge fan of the arc before this one, so this issue's a step in the right direction. Considering the series ends in, what, one more issue? it's a better time than ever for this book to get back on track.

24) Criminal #4: Jacob, the protagonist of this newest arc, is a wimpy insomniac who sucks in a fight Finally, a pulp hero I can relate to.

25) Daredevil #108: The addition of Greg Rucka to the fold has reinvigorated my love for this title. What we have here is an engaging crime mystery that happens to feature super heroes. What more could you want?

26) Daredevil #109: A cliffhanger that made me shit my pants, apparently.

27) Fables #74: What we have here, and what we've had for a while with this title, are the heroes pretty much winning round after round against the Adversary, with little to no repercussions. As great as it is, it's starting to get to the point that I'm rooting for the other team, which are starting to come off as the underdogs. Still, the final passage promises some bad news bears. I can't wait.

28) Fantastic Four #558: I don't understand it. A Bryan Hitch book that's coming out monthly, and on time. I think I'm dreaming. Also, the various mysteries are quite intriguing, particularly the one concerning Mrs. Deneuve. Who might she be, I wonder? I'll be happy as long as she isn't the original Kraven's daughter.

29) Fantastic Four #559: So yeah, it continues to be pretty badass. In this issue, Millar seems to start treating Johnny with at least SOME dignity, which is welcome in my books.

30) Final Crisis #2: In terms of Big Events, this one is really shaping up to be my favourite since Identity Crisis. It's so incredibly layered and complex, with amazing scene after amazing scene. My one complaint with this issue is that it's beautiful, but not quite as beautiful as issue one, where each panel could have been a cover to 52.

31) Final Crisis #3: I'd say the art's more or less back on track, while the writing continues to be as engaging as ever. What sucks is that we have to go a whole 2 months before we can get issue 4. I don't know if I can wait that long.

32) Final Crisis: Revelations #1: The issue was fine, I guess. What really irritated me, however, was the absolutely appalling way that Dr. Light's character has been represented since Identity Crisis. Brad Meltzer tried to offer us a complex character who wasn't just a one note loser, and since then, he's become "Rapey, the raper who can't stop raping things." Of course, this is a problem that's been around long before Final Crisis: Revelations, but it really solidifies things in this issue. I could go on, but something tells me this warrants its own blog post.

33) Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #1: Unlike Secret Invasion, which is significantly enhanced by a good portion of its spinoff titles, Final Crisis seems to be at its best when its spinoff titles are ignored. That being said, Rogues' Revenge is a fairly interesting title, probably because the Rogues themselves are probably my favourite group of villains in the DCU (Secret Six being a close second).

34) Green Lantern Corps #26: I pretty much love the over-the-top gore contained in this book, even though it feels a tad out-of-place (Green Lantern is all ages, isn't it?). Still my favourite moments in this issue include Mongul's violent yet effective conflict resolution when Duel, the insane set of conjoined twins, begins to argue about where they should be, as well as Bzzd's heroic sacrifice.

35) Green Lantern Corps #27: The art in this issue is significantly less gritty than the past few, yet it's still about as gory, especially in one very effective scene in particular.

36) Hellboy: The Crooked Man #1: I'm pretty sure this is the first book I've ever purchased that's been illustrated by Richard Corben, and I can finally see why he's been so popular for so long. Although quite cartoony, his characters seem to have a substance of their own, and really pop off the page. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Frank Quitely's art, which I love.

37) Hellboy: The Crooked Man #2: The art, which I've already complimented, is even creepier in this issue as the shit starts to really hit the fan. Man, if the villain of Hellboy 2 had been the Crooked Man instead of an elf who made Legolas look like the Terminator, maybe it wouldn't have sucked so hard.

38) Hulk #4: Goddamnit. I keep hoping the series will get better but this issue is even worse than the one before it. Maybe next issue will see some improvement.

39) Hulk #5: Goddamnit. I keep hoping the series will get better but this issue is even worse than the one before it. Maybe next issue will see some improvement.

40) The Incredible Hercules #119: So this one has pretty much the best cosmic God battle that I've ever read. This is way better than it has any right to be, considering it stars Hercules.

41) Invincible #51: The art on this one just seems to be getting better and better. I like Kirkman's approach in this issue (and indeed many issues in this titles) of advancing many different plot threads at the same time. It gives the book a soap opera feel to it, but I don't by any means mean that in a bad way.

42) Invincible Iron Man #3: A pretty strong issue, not least of which because Ezekiel Stane is such a cool villain, though isn't Maria Hill's hair supposed to be brown?

43) Invincible Iron Man #4: Not bad, but probably the weakest issue of the series so far. Larroca needs to stop "casting" big-name actors to play his characters, and I'm willing to accept that Iron Man could beat Mr. Fantastic at chess, but there needs to be SOME explanation.

44) Jack of Fables #23: The current arc is a little boring, since it features two characters we know survive fighting each other. That being said, great characterization and an interesting narrative approach elevate the story somewhat.

45) Jack of Fables #24: Again, not much surprising in terms of the overall story itself, but there are some great character moments, such as Jack's reaction to finding out his favourite hooker died of the Pox.

46) Joker's Asylum: Two Face #1: This is the first of the Joker's Asylum stories that I've picked up, and I'm now tempted to go back and pick up all the others, because this is surprisingly good stuff. A really suspenseful story that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

47) The Mighty Avengers #15: So.... the Skrull impersonating Hank Pym is a woman. Does that make Tigra... a lesbian?

48) The Mighty Avengers #16: There isn't MUCH of a story here, but it's certainly recommended for Elektra fans who are upset that she got replaced by a Skrull. She's... really cool in this issue.

49) The New Avengers #42: This is a pretty awesome issue that explains what the Skrulls were doing all this time. There are quite a few neat scenes, such as a conversation scene that seems to pan around the room, but my favourie part is the line "I think we accidentally put the Avengers back together."

50) The New Avengers #43: This issue makes me feel really bad for everyone on the Space Pod from Secret Invasion. They really get the worst of all worlds. It's like Total Recall, but depressing.

51) Punisher #59: The penultimate issue of Garth Ennis' spectacular run. Reading this issue, however, I couldn't help but think about how the current arc could be considerably shorter. I'm not even talking about the excerpts from Valley Forge, Valley Forge, which are really well written and quite haunting. A large portion of this issue is devoted to General Howe watching Castle's incriminating tape. However, we already know what the tape contains, so these segments could have happened completely off-panel. Still, I'm very sad this run is almost at its end.

52) Punisher #60: The ultimate issue of Garth Ennis' spectacular run. It's a pretty powerful issue that, perhaps predictably, likens the injustices behind the politics of Vietnam to the current state of the world. Still, he's not getting any objections on my end.

53) Secret Invasion #4: While nowhere near as cerebral as Final Crisis, this series is still more clever than I think most people are giving it credit for. There are a lot of cool artistic choices, such as the first few pages feeling like one continuous shot, and the Hood scene sets up something that could potentially be too cool for words. Nick Fury's return, however, was a bit goofy and disappointing, but still, this is a solid issue.

54) Secret Invasion #5: Perhaps the strongest issue in the series, at least since issue 1. Every story beat in this particular issue (and there are quite a few) is really strong. I kind of wish we had gotten to this point sooner (I mean, we've known pretty much since issue 1 that everyone on the pod was a Skrull), but that's not this issue's fault. The Mockingbird conclusion was appropriately upsetting, and I always welcome a scene that doesn't portray Maria Hill (one of my favourite relatively new charaters) as utterly incompetent.

55) Secret Invasion: Front Line #1: I like this series because we often lose sight of the regular joe in superhero comics. We get desensitized to things like an alien invasion, which should, to a civilian, technically be as terrifying as the first half of War of the Worlds. I can't say this issue achieves that particular level of terror, but it's a start.

56) Secret Invasion: Front Line #2: It also helps, I guess, that the Skrulls kill a lot of humans in this issue. I thought they only wanted to superheroes, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. For this series, it works.

57) Secret Invasion: Skrulls! #1: I bought this book not knowing what it was, and it turned out to be an encyclopedia of all my favourite Skrulls. I didn't really read it, but I guess I'll hold on to it because you never know when it might come in handy.

58) Secret Invasion: Runaways and Young Avengers #2: Shit sandwich.

59) Secret Invasion: X-men #1: The art's beautiful, but this is really just a book of people fighting for 22 pages. Still, it's worth it if you're a huge fan of the X-men, or pastels.

60) She Hulk #31: I only bought this because it's part 2 of a crossover with X-factor. The art's great and the characters are fun, but it's still frustrating because like most crossovers it's two people fighting because of a misunderstanding. Peter David takes the time to address that yes, this sort of storyline is stupid, but if anything, that makes the arc a bit MORE frustrating.

61) Squadron Supreme #1: So now, instead of Marvel re-imagining DC characters, we have Marvel re-imagining... Marvel characters... which they already do in the Ultimate universe. Still, I wouldn't mind this shift in the property if the series were, you know, good. But clunky dialogue, boring characters, and really, really awkward narration makes this not good. It's particularly depressing when I think back to how much I loved Straczynski's run.

62) Star Wars: Legacy #26: The book's a bit inconsistent, with some great stories and some pretty boring ones. I'd call this one middle-of-the-road, but it seems to set up some cool arcs for the future, particularly with Cade's plan to assassinate Darth Krayt. I'm really surprised with how not annoying this Skywalker is.

63) The Twelve #7: As depressing as Squadron Supreme is, all is not lost. The Twelve really took me by surprise by being a really amazing series, coming as close, quality-wise, to Supreme Power as possible. For some reason, I'd thought Straczynski had gotten stale in the past few years, but he demonstrates here that that couldn't be further from the truth. My only hope, though, is that the mystery of who massacred the Rail and Balls doesn't go the obvious route, which they seem to be hinting at in this issue. Time will tell, though.

64) Uncanny X-men #499: The art, particularly in the Omega Red scenes, is quite beautiful, but beyond that there really isn't a lot going on. Generic fare on almost every level. Of all the things that Brubaker is writing, this appears to be by far the worst. Baffingly so, in fact.

65) Uncanny X-men #500: This new arc seems to be an improvement over the last one, particularly because it at least feels important. I don't really feel that Greg Land's art serves the story very well, and would have hoped for more of Dodson's art instead. I'm not crazy about the portrayal of Magneto, but still. I'm intrigued, and and want to keep reading. That's more than I could have said for any Uncanny issue previously since Messiah Complex.

66) Walking Dead #50: Okay not much happens at all in this landmark issue, and I suppose that's fine, since this is supposed to be more of a character piece, a quiet examination of Carl's reaction to his father's failing health. Still, I found his monologues to be awkward, and feel the story could have been condensed to about half the length without feeling like any less of a meditation. After a series of kickass issues, this one just doesn't cut the mustard for me.

67) Walking Dead #51: Another slower issue, this one feels a lot more successful. We really get inside Rick's head, and the reveal towards the end is perfectly executed. Again, not much happens, but the storytelling is much more effective. Or whatever, maybe I just need at least one person eaten by zombies each issue.

68) War Heroes #1: Yet another offering from increasingly prolific writer Mark Millar and less prolific artist Tony Harris. It's off to a strong start. The first few pages are a bit expository, but it does allow Millar to provide us with all the backstory we need so we can get right into the meat of the story before the issue's end. And a very intriguing story it seems to be.

69) Wolverine #67: Yet another offering from increasingly prolific writer Mark Millar and less prolific artist Steve Mcniven. Even though the story takes a bit of a diversion in this issue, it's still a lot of fun, and particularly beautiful to look at. I definitely can't wait to read more. Also, Ultron 8? Best Ultron ever.

70) X-factor #33: Part 1 of the He Loves You storyarc (see the She-Hulk review for part 2), this issue is better than it should be (for a crossover), yet worse than it should be (for an issue of X-factor). I'm very intrigued to see how Darwin will fit into the lineup, but my enthusiasm is somewhat marred by the artwork of this issue, which I just don't like at all. In fact, I kind of hate it. Everyone's face looks like a Raggedy Anne doll.

71) X-Men Legacy #213: Even though I have no idea who the old lady antagonist is, most of the reveals of this issue are very satisfying, particularly discovering what Mr. Sinister's plan is.

72) X-Men Legacy #214: Oh look. They have a Miss Sinister now. Great. Suddenly, I'm starting to miss Kraven the Huntress.

73) Young Avengers Presents Hawkeye: A standalone issue focusing on the Young Avengers' own female Hawkeye (formerly Hawkingbird). Fraction does a good job focusing on the awkwardness of adolescence and the generation gap, with the superhero angle more of a metaphor. I'm glad he chose to opt out of focusing on the fact that this character is a rape victim. It's easy to get lost in sensational details like that, so I'm glad he didn't.

74) 1985 #2: In this issue, Mark Millar makes Sandman and Electro scary. Huh.

75) 1985 #3: In THIS issue, Mark Millar makes MODOK and Fin Fang Foom scary. Holy shit.

Annnnd there you have it. 75 comics. 75 reviews.

Up next: nothing because I just died from exhaustion.

I've Engaged in Dialogue with Joe Quesada

2008-06-29T01:58:00.000-07:00

These days, I really only have two reasons to visit myspace, and that's a lot more reasons than most people have. One reason is for their band sites, and the other is Myspace Comic Books, a page that offers tons of comic book interviews, news reports, and fairly lengthy previews.

Of all that Myspace Comic Books has to offer, I'd say my favourite column is one that offers a little bit of everything: Mycup o' Joe. Every Friday, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada sits down with Jim McLauchlin (who I think used to be the EIC of Top Cow) and unveils new preview art while discussing upcoming plans for Marvel comics. On top of that, he finishes each column by answering questions submitted by fans.

Well guess what? Last Friday he totally answered my question. You can read the entire article if you'd like, but here's the important part:

"Aaron asks:

Hey Joe,

1) I'm absolutely loving J. Michael Straczynski's The Twelve. I haven't been this excited about one of his projects since Supreme Power. However, something tells me that at this rate, by the time you guys hit issue 12, there will still be quite a lot of story left to tell. Any chance of a sequel? Or characters appearances [I could have sworn that typo wasn't there originally -A] in other titles?

2) Perhaps my favorite team of all time is X-Statix. I know that when last we saw them, they were fairly, you know, dead, but with Dead Girl making a cameo in One More Day and Doop in various things, any chance of a return?

3) I love "Brand New Day," and see why "One More Day" had to happen, but can you maybe pretty please offer a guarantee that you'll never do another "Poof! Magic!" ret-con? I say this because I love buying new comics yet am a bit anxious that in a few years there will be another event like OMD that will render my current comics null and void (like the death of Captain America never happened, or what-have-you). It would make me much happier if I knew this were a one-time thing. Thanks a lot, and Make Mine Marvel!

JQ: Aaron, thanks for playing our game!
1) Glad you're lovin' The Twelve, it's a great book! The plan has always been for any surviving members of the Twelve to branch out into the larger Marvel Universe and start appearing wherever there's a good story reason for them to do so. In terms of a sequel, that'd be up to JMS and artist Chris Weston—I know JMS conceived his story with a definitive beginning, middle and end, but that wouldn't necessarily rule out him having ideas for a follow-up when we get to that point.
2) How would that be possible? I mean, they're dead. D. E. A. D. Name one character that's come back from the dead. One.
3) Don't worry, now everyone's just a Skrull"

So there you have it. He even thanked me for playing their game! *swoons*

Okay yes I realize that a) he really only even sort of answered just one of the questions, and b) in retrospect, I'm kind of a huge kiss-ass, but still. Seeing my questions included in the article made me grin ear to ear. And whatever, his answers were humourous.

So now I have this fantasy that in a few years we'll for some reason cross paths. I'll be able to say "Hey, I was that guy who likes X-Statix on myspace" and his reply will be "yes. That exchange affected my life in some way whatsoever."

A few other notes:

1) Posts might be lacking due to the fact that I'm now out of university, trying to find a job, and can't really afford to buy my usual quota of comics each week. There's a huge pile waiting for me at Paradise Comics on which I'm eager to spend a few paychecks.

2) That being said, I'm gaining a newfound appreciation for webcomics, or "comics you generally don't have to worry about affording." I highly recommend artist Coco Wang's strips highlighting tales from the recent earthquake tragedy in China. These are some of the most powerful comics I've ever read (hint: start from strip one... that way you have the panda one to look forward to).

2a) If you'd rather read webcomics to laugh (you monster), then I suggest you check out Dumm Comics. This site is actually divided into five different strips by different cartoonists, one for each day of the week. My personal favourite by far would be Thursday's 1930 Nightmare Theatre.

3) RIP Michael Turner. I know his style has sort of polarized fans, but you can't deny that his covers looked gorgeous.

4) As part of an end-of-the-summer roundtable discussion podcast thingie for The Offline, I'm seeing all the comic book movies that come out this summer. So far, my ranking goes as follows:

Iron Man > The Incredible Hulk > Dog Shit Vomit > Wanted

Film Review: Isn't it Ironic?

2008-05-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

There aren't a lot of comic book movies that I would go so far as to call "good movies". Right now, I could probably name most of them off the top of my head: Batman Begins, Hellboy, Sin City, Ghost World, American Splendor, V for Vendetta, and I guess X2 wasn't bad (I still need to see Persepolis). So that's seven by my count, unless I'm forgetting any (EDIT: Eight. I forgot A History of Violence).

Well, you can add Iron Man to the list. In fact, you can probably put it right near the top.

I'm going to try to write a coherent review and not just type "IloveitIloveitIloveit" repeatedly, but to be honest the notion is kind of tempting. Because god damn, I loved it.

To start, the acting is great. I was happy that just about everyone opted for "acting" and not "comic book acting" (see: Willem Dafoe). Robert Downey Jr nailed Tony Stark (the role, that is), although I don't think that was ever in much doubt. More surprising is Gwyneth Paltrow's incredibly entertaining Pepper Potts. Maybe it's because female supporting characters in comic book movies unfortunately tend to be underwhelming at best (see: Katie Holmes, Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, and whatserface who played Lois Lane), but seeing her character portrayed as witty, warm, and, more importantly, competent, was something of a welcome shock. Jeff Bridges played Obadiah Stane straight, which again was a smart move, making him considerably more sympathetic a character than one would expect. Finally, Terence Howard rounds out the cast as Jim Rhodes, and while he had a bit less to do than the other characters, he wasn't without a few great moments (at least one of which had the crowd cheering).

One of the many reasons that past Superhero movies seem to have failed, in my opinion, is that they fail to deal with the extravagant nature of Superheroes in a way that is appropriate for live action. I mean, people who run around in costumes punching other people who run around in costumes may seem fine in illustration, or even animated, but in the real world it's easy to look ridiculous. A lot of Superhero movies, then, either take themselves far more seriously than they should (Daredevil), or revel in the ridiculous so much that the audience feels like they're watching a parody of what a film should be (Spider-Man 3).

Iron Man, not so much. It manages to hit the right balance of camp fun without being ridiculous, and that's probably largely due to the fact that this movie begins fairly grounded in reality. To say that this movie could happen in the news is a bit much, but by starting your film in Iraq, you already know you're dealing with a much more sober film (the irony of using the word sober while reviewing Iron Man is not lost on me). Also, Iron Man is less of a guy wearing a costume who fights crime and more of a guy who fights crime whose weapon of choice happens to look really cool. Like with Batman Begins, when Iron Man dons his suit for the first time, it seems perfectly natural. This is probably due to the fact that both films actually try to put some thought into the why of the suit. They're not just wearing costumes because it looks cool and that's what Super Heroes do. They're wearing the costumes because they have a very specific function.

Everything I've said so far is well and good, but I think I'm failing to touch up on the main thing: how unbelievably cool everything is. Iron Man as a character has always been awesome, pushing human technology to the absolute limits of suspended disbelief, and that tradition continues here. It occurred to me as I was watching Iron Man suit up that this may be one of the rare Superheroes that actually has more potential on screen than on the page. As cool as it is seeing him launch weapons in a comic book, there's so much to be said for the fluidity of everything on the big screen (even the computer he uses to design the suit is jaw-droppingly sweet). The CGI in this movie is some of the best I've ever seen - enough to make me believe that Iron Man was meant for film. As a comic book fanatic, that's saying a lot.

Finally, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not staying past the credits. I don't want to hype it up too much, but the fortyish second clip after the credits might have been the greatest theatrical experience I've had since watching Kill Bill volume 1 in theatres.

So, bottom line: I guess I kind of recommend this movie.

10 out of 10

Heck Yes

2008-04-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

My brain just exploded. And from the ruins of that brain, a new brain has emerged.

I'll keep you updated as I hear more.

EDIT: Okay so maybe not everyone feels exactly the same way as I do...

I just found out that the game is only coming out for X-Box 360 and Playstation 3. Damn my DS.

Comic books: Sexist!?

2008-04-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

So, I was reading my friend Margot's blog yesterday and she had the nerve to suggest that super-hero comics might be sexist! Say wha?

While I was shocked at first, I soon calmed down and let out a chuckle. "Girls will be girls," I thought to myself. "You know, because of the hormones." I didn't dwell on this thought for long, though. After all, it was Wednesday and that means new comic books. After purchasing my comics (a whole bunch of new stuff and two back issues) I returned home with my stash and decided to get reading. I started with the back issues...

... so the first book I decided to read was Mighty Avengers #10, which promised a tantalizing battle of...

The Sentry vs. The Thing

Just by looking at the cover, I knew I was in for a treat. Here we have the Sentry, right arm thrust back, about to deliver a mighty blow to the Thing. I knew, before even reaching page one, that this fight was going to be ball-to-the-walls. And I was excited. This cover said one thing to me, and that thing was: power.

The muscles ripple along the Sentry's body majestically. You can tell from this image that he is a hero among heroes. Unlike that pansy Ben Grimm.

The next back-issue I picked up was Amazing Spider-Man #551. Again, I knew I was in for a treat when the cover showed a promising battle of...

Spider-man vs. Menace

I mean, how awesome is this cover? Here we have Spider-man, right arm thrust back, about to open a can of whup-ass on Menace, a new villain who, frankly, is kind of lame. He's like the Hobgoblin only gayer because he has long hair. I simply couldn't wait to crack open my copy of this issue and watch that promised punch connect with his big stupid face.

While I had originally been pretty upset about the completely retconned Spider-man, this issue changed my man when I saw, right from the cover, that this wasn't your grandma's Spider-man.

After finishing the back-issues, I moved on to this week's new releases. First up: Salvation Run #6. I must have been good in another life, because I was met with yet another beautiful cover, this one promising...

Joker vs. Lex Luthor

Holy moly, this cover was a treat. Not only do we see Joker, right arm thrust back, about to introduce Lex's jaw to the back of Lex's head, but here, Lex is totally about to respond in kind. Gone is the faggy Lex Luthor who would settle his problems with his intelligence. This is Lex Luthor, unleashed! This cover went above and beyond and delivered a one-two punch of awesomeness (pun intended!!!), ensuring that, oh yes, there will be blood.

With only two comics left, and nearly exhausted from the sheer onslaught of power that my comics were delivering, I turned to the next book in my pile, The Incredible Hercules #116. Here we had the unusual but nonetheless kick-ass battle of...

Ikaris vs. Hercules

And oh my god, the sheer masculinity dripping from this cover. I was so overwhelmed that I went and showed this to my sister, who proceeded to get pregnant by looking at it. Here we have Ikaris, right arm thrust back, and fucking glowing, about to punch Hercules back from whence he came. Hercules is so muscular that his clothes can barely contain him. This comic was so manly that I had to headbutt the pages just to turn them.

I had one comic left, and that was Catwoman #78. This one promised a fight between Catwoman and Cheetah, two feline-based villainesses. I was excited, expecting another all-out slugfest, with Catwoman's right arm thrust back to punch Cheetah so hard she'll have kittens. Instead, what I got was so much better.

One word: Mrrrrrrrooooowwww!

I like this cover because the two characters are kissing and stripping, which is how girls fight. It reminds me of that great poster that's in every dorm room I've ever seen with the two girls making out. Cheetah also has a good costume because the inner lining of her pants are leopard skin and she has leopard skin, so it always looks like you can see her vagina.

Needless to say, after finishing these comics I had to take a shower and then tell my friend Margot about them, but she kept going on and on about - you guessed it! - comic books being sexist!

What a feminazi!

Skrull Watch: You Heard it Here... first-ish?

2008-04-02T03:23:00.000-07:00

Issue #1 of Marvel's summer blockbuster of 2008, Secret Invasion, launches soon. A few hours from now, in fact. Basically, the idea is that over the past few years, several Marvel Super-Heroes have been replaced by Skrulls - shape-changing aliens bent on world domination. In Secret Invasion, this sleeper agents will supposedly reveal themselves, and Skrull shit will hit the Earth fan.

Marvel has released a pretty cool little trailer for the event which points at some things to consider when trying to guess who may be a Skrull. Namely, that Avengers Tower (home of the Mighty Avengers), Camp Hammond (home of the Avengers Initiative), Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum (home of the New Avengers), and the Baxter Building (home of the Fantastic Four) have all been infiltrated, insinuating that someone on each team is a Skrull.

There have been conspiracies galore as to who may be a Skrull, and I'd like to throw my predictions into the mix. Seeing as how there will hopefully be plenty of Skrull reveals in issue one, which is coming out, as I mentioned, in a few hours, I feel now would be as good a time as any to share. I realize that there's a good chance that each team has multiple Skrull members, but I'm going to go with my top candidates.

Let's start with:

The Skrull in the Mighty Avengers: For a book that's trying to "bring thought balloons back", it hasn't allowed to readers to dig very deep into the characters' minds. If I had to guess, I'd go with either Wonder Man or, even more so, the Wasp, who's an important figure in Marvel history, but hasn't really done much on the team. Black Widow and Spider-Woman would be too obvious, having a history of being double agents (not that obviousness is a dealbreaking reason). The Sentry would have had to be switched sometime after the Sentry storyline of New Avengers (I'm still thinking no). Mrs. Marvel is also very obvious, whereas I'm too happy with Ares' character development (especially in Incredible Herc) to want him to be a Skrull. And I'll be really pissed if it's Iron Man. So yeah, my final verdict is The Wasp.

Certainty: 60%

The Skrull in the Avengers Initiative: The very, very obvious choice is Yellowjacket. After all, he was replaced by a Skrull (Hulkling) at the end of Civil War. Has he learned his lesson since? Bendis had stated quite a while ago that he had never liked Hank Pym. At the same time, however, people were sure Bendis was going to kill him off in Avengers: Disassembled yet he's still around, so you never know. But is this why he kept him around? And if the Wasp is a Skrull, it would make sense that the two would have been turned together, sometime after they decided to go off on their own to France, I would assume. As much as I'd hope to be surprised, I figure not every reveal will be completely shocking, and for this one I'm inclined to go with Yellowjacket.

Certainty: 75%

The Skrull in the New Avengers: Echo. Echo, Echo, Echo. Last week's New Avengers, which had her and Wolverine fighting a Skrull who is trying to take her over, just damned her even more in my eyes. "But Aaron," you might say. "She was the one who killed Electra and revealed her to be Skrull in the first place. What about that?" What about that? Exposing Electra was the moment that totally ripped apart any semblance of trust the Marvel Super-Heroes had built for each other since the end of Civil War. She threw the Super-Heroes in disarray, so that come invasion time, they'd be easy pickings. "And what about the fact that the Skrull tried to replace her last week? It wouldn't have tried if she was already a Skrull." My response to that is that it wasn't trying to replace her. It was putting on a show for Wolverine. If Wolverine hadn't of been there, I'd be inclined to agree, but he was there. It's like he said: "If I was a Skrull... you'd be the one I'd go after. You're the one with the least about a' ties. The least history." I agree. She would be the first target... so why wait until right now?

My opinion? The whole thing was a ploy so that she'd gain Wolverine's trust. I'm guessing she was replaced after being killed by Skrullectra in Japan. The "resurrection" was just a show, by then Echo had been replaced. Everything after that - the fight, the murder of Skrullectra - was planned from the beginning. The only thing nagging at me is that the Skrull report in the trailer wouldn't have reported that replacing her was a "failure". Maybe there's something I'm missing, or maybe the teaser's just a teaser, and not fully canon. Either way, my money is on Echo.

Certainty: 95%

The Skrull in the Fantastic Four: This one's the toughest one for me. The popular vote seems to be with Sue Storm, who could have been abducted after leaving Reed in Civil War. Reed Richards would be cool, but I think that poses way too many problems. I'm going to go with the second-most obvious choice, The Human Torch.

Certainty: Um, about 25%.

And there you have it. I probably won't be proven right/wrong for a while, but remember: you heard it here first-ish.

P.S: If my first two predictions are correct, would you call this a Skrull Fuc- ... nevermind.

Aaron's Picks of the Year: Top Seven of Oh Seven (part 2)

2008-03-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

You can check out picks 7-4 in my last post.

3. Y the Last Man #58

by Vaughan (w) and Guerra (a)

I realize that my past few picks have all been "moment" issues, and by that I mean issues that are pretty cool in their own right, but have one particular moment that makes you go "holy [crap]" and sticks with you for a long time afterwards. Well, Y the Last Man #58 is another one of these "moment" issues, but it's the last one, I promise. In terms of moments, though, this issue probably delivered the most gut-wrenching (and rewarding) one of the year.

What exactly happens? Well, I'm not going to say, because if you haven't read it yet you'd be doing yourself a criminal disservice not experiencing it for yourself, and if you have you know exactly what I'm talking about. All I'm going to say is that Y the Last Man #58 is a testament to putting a time limit on a comic series (as opposed to continuing them indefinitely), as it allows you to get away with moments like the one found in this issue. Oh, and I'll also say that the moment in question is not only shocking in and of itself, but it's executed beautifully with expert pacing, and artist Guerra's mastery of conveying expression. The final shot in this issue left me with no small amount of goosebumps, and the odd tear.

But okay, let's look at the issue as a whole. The last four pages aside, Vaughan does a very good job building up this series to its inevitable conclusion, while still throwing in both twists and some solid character moments, such as Agent 355's scene in the dress shop and Yorick's moment with Beth. There's a feeling of suspense that's pretty much been creeping through the story for the past 3 or so issues, and #58 continues that feeling perfectly, so that readers find themselves unable to handle the thirty day wait before #59 (which was good as well, but failed to live up to this one).

While I'll admit that issue #60 (the final issue), which came out in 2008, was a better issue overall, it's going to be the events of issue #58 - the climax of the series - that people will talk about for years to come. Read this issue for yourself, but before you do, read issues #1-57 first.

2. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier

by Moore (w) and O'Neill (a)

Quite frankly, I'm surprised this book hasn't made that big of a splash since its release. I mean, the fact that it's a new Alan Moore book alone should have been enough to get people talking, never mind the absolutely innovative approach he's taken here. One thing that makes Moore such a great writer, in my opinion, is the fact that he's always trying to challenge himself and push storytelling in new ways, and Black Dossier is probably the strongest example of this I've seen to date.

And okay, innovative is one thing, but it's not enough (like, innovative can still suck). But Black Dossier is also good. Really good. Italics good.

One of the main elements of Black Dossier, and indeed the entire League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, is that all the main characters (actually, all the characters period) are literary figures. As with earlier incarnations of the League (see volumes one and two), Moore has developed a rich continuity that incorporates countless characters from literary (and a few other pop culture) sources, but does so in a way that feels natural, so you may be introduced to a character from, say, a 1940s serial and not even realize it. This is sort of refreshing when compared to most stories that try to do the same sort of thing without the subtlety. Sure, it works okay in Shrek and Fables, but remember those cringe-worthy scenes in Shanghai Knights when like Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson would meet someone and then the audience would find out that the person was historically significant (eg Charlie Chaplin and Arthur Conan Doyle) like it had anything do to with anything? Also, the main villain's name was Rathbone, if I remember correctly. Don't see Shanghai Knights.

But yeah, Moore (and O'Neill) do a great job fitting in hundreds of clever references, only a small percentage of which I actually caught. But the beauty of it is that, while it always feels cool to catch a reference in a sort of "ohh hey!" moment, the references that fly over the head don't detract from the story. In fact, part of the fun of this story was logging on to Wikipedia after every sitting and checking up on references I didn't get at first.

You may have noticed I referred to sittings in the last paragraph. That's because this book takes quite a while for the average reader to finish. It took me almost a whole week, and I tore into this voraciously. This is a welcome change of pace for people who are used to finishing a comic in about 10 minutes, or a graphic novel in about an hour. Reading this book is more of an experience. This is partly because, as in Watchmen, Moore switches between the story itself and "firsthand documents" from within the story. Only this time, Moore has sought to emulate the works of those before him in these documents, with truly impressive results. For example, there is a "lost folio" of a Shakespeare play involving characters from League that hits all the right notes of a Shakespeare play. Or a story where the League meet Jeeves and Wooster that feels like it was written by P.G. Wodehouse. The Sal Paradise section, however, was apparently not very convincing (according to my dad; I never read any Jack Kerouac, and still thought the section itself was really cool). Still, this created a very cool reading experience, and one that took a lot longer to get through. Also, there's a very awesome, albeit gimmicky, sequence at the end that made me very happy (hint: it involves 3-D glasses).

My one, one complaint with the story is with the final monologue of the story, which didn't ring true to me; more particularly, it felt unnecessary. I don't want to give too much away, but basically one of the characters turns to the audience and says "we're all fictional characters. We live in the imagination and we're significant in the development of humanity." That's a pretty glossed-over account, but it's essentially what I took with me from it. This sequence, as I mentioned, didn't do much for me, and actually hindered the story a little bit, as it drew unneeded attention to the man behind the curtain. The message itself felt like it had already been said in some capacity in - oh, I dunno - like every issue of Sandman.

Still, this was truly a unique book, one that immersed me when I read it and has stuck with me ever since. I really don't know why it hasn't been talked about more, though I do suspect it might have to do with its scarcity in Canada - the comic shop I frequent had to smuggle it in for me, which is why they charged me extra (at least, they told me they smuggled it in). It was worth the extra charge. This is one of my favourite hardcovers of all time.

1. X-Factor #16

by David (w) and Raimondi (a)

This won't be as long as my spiel on the Black Dossier, not because there's less to say about it, but because I read this story way back in February 2007 and don't have a copy of it on me, so I'm mostly speaking from memory. But anyways, X-Factor has been one of my favourite comics since issue #1 of the new series (though my love originated in Davd and Raimondi's Madrox miniseries). The stories have been interesting, the dialogue has some of the wittiest banter I've read in a comic (rivaled by maybe Joss Whedon), and the characters are incredibly charming, especially through their flaws. There have been a few hiccups along the way, admittedly. I wasn't a fan of how abruptly they got rid of interesting antagonists Singularity Investigations in the first arc, and the issue where Syrin is captured by that crazy guy didn't really hit the right notes with me. The inconsistency of the rotating artists (sometimes within an individual issue) got pretty distracting as well. That being said, though, issue #16 was executed perfectly, and has stood out ever since as one of the strongest individual issues of a comic that I've ever read.

The premise itself is interesting: previously, Jamie Madrox (aka Multiple Man), in what can only be described as hardcore multitasking, had created copies (or "dupes") of himself and sent them out into the world. The dupes would gain experience in various areas of life (such as detective work, or becoming a Shaolin monk) before returning for him to absorb them, along with their newfound experience. However, some of the dupes had become unreliable, and Madrox had resolved to go around and collect as much of "himself" as possible. This issue deals with him meeting one such dupe who had gone off, become a man of God, and started a family. What's more, the dupe will do everything in his power to avoid being reabsorbed.

So already we have a very intriguing conflict that incorporates superheroic elements, but addresses it in a very human way; for example, the story could have stood on its own, with only minor changes, as a tale of a man living on borrowed time, preparing for his own demise (think Everyman). There are a lot of moral and spiritual questions that poke themselves into the story: does the dupe has a right to stake his own claim in the world, at the expense of Jamie's fractured identity? Is borrowed time a blessing or a curse? All this is a metaphor for something... isn't it? David, obviously aware of these issues, complicates them by really humanizing the dupe. If, say, the dupe had been treated like a one-note character (like most of the other dupes), a lot of these underlying issues would be lost.

But instead, we get to see this dupe (James Maddocks) as a human being with a full range of emotions. We meet his family, we hear him talk about religion and philosophy, and wrestle with the implications of Jamie's arrival into his town. David really lets us get into James' mind, so that at the climax of the issue, when James is caught between conflicting ideological and self-preservationist instincts, and makes a decision that effectively seals his fate, the reader is heartbroken (this reader was, at least).

David and Raimondi have created a standalone thought-provoking story that spans a wide emotional spectrum, and they've done it in 22 pages. This issue really is an example of what the medium can accomplish - even in something as goofy as a super hero comic.

If you read this list and disagreed with my choice of the top 7 of 07, feel free to comment with what you feel was left out, or why not share with us your own list?

Aaron's Picks of the Year: Top Seven of Oh Seven (part 1)

2008-02-28T23:09:00.000-08:00

Over on the Comic Book Syndicate's facebook group, members were asked to come up with their "Top Seven Comics of 2007". Naturally, I rose to the challenge and produced a list with which I was fairly happy. So I figured what the hey, it's Leap Day, so why don't I do something different and update my blog?

So here they are, my Top Seven comics of the year, in reverse order.

7. Star Wars: Legacy #15

by Ostrander (w) and Duursema (a)

After Star Wars Episode III hit theatres, a lot of Star Wars fans (myself included) were depressed for two reasons.

1) It sucked.

2) It was the final Star Wars movie for a long, long, time... perhaps ever.

This wasn't to say that there would no longer be any new Star Wars stories. I had been, after all, a longtime fan of the Star Wars comics and, to a lesser degree, the novels. But these stories always felt like they were traipsing around the bigger events (the movies). Whereas the movies gave us universe-shattering events, entire planets getting demolished, and Jedis dying in the thousands, the comics would have to focus on the more... fringier characters, doing more fringier things. We'd be treated to such stories as "Watto builds a new podracer," "Mace Windu trains an eager new padawan," or "Baboon-Ass-Faced Alien and the Hidden Library."

Well, for those still worried that there will never be another Star Wars story that could match the epic scope of the movies, you need look no further than Star Wars: Legacy. While the idea of "Star Wars 100 years in the future" may stink of "Archie 3000," the series so far has been nothing short of adventurous, dark, funny, clever, and in the case of issue 15's Darth Krayt reveal, really fucking cool.

And, oh yeah, epic.

6. Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together

by O'Malley (w and a)

See my last post.

5. Sinestro Corps Special #1

by Johns (w) and Van Sciver (a)

As far as DC superheroes go, I'd have to say that Green Lantern has always struck me as one of the least interesting heroes, next to perhaps Superman. I don't really think that the characters are lame in themselves, just that maybe their corner of the DCU doesn't necessarily appeal to me. Of course, that's the great thing about DC and Marvel Comics: the sheer variety of their superheroes assures that while not every superhero will appeal to you, at least one will. So, while I can enjoy the latest adventures of heroes such as Batman, Animal Man, and Plastic Man (probably my top 3 DC characters), I can at the same time leave Green Lantern be in his little pocket of space.

So you can guess how good this book must be to make the top 5, considering how few shits I give about the character.

But then again, as little as I've cared about Green Lantern, I've always had a soft spot for Sinestro, who I've always considered to be his arch-nemesis (his Joker, if you will). He's always struck me as the Dick Dastardly of the DCU, so it's nice to see him really get his due in this issue. Let's not forget the completely jaw-dropping reveal of the identities of the Sinestro Corps Guardians.

At the end of the day, this book didn't really make me care about any of the Lanterns any more than I used to, but introduced a massive threat to the DCU that I hope remains in some capacity for years to come.

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: #3

by Whedon (a) and Jeanty (a)

You know how I said the problem with most Star Wars comics is that they sort of have to tiptoe around the established continuity? Well Buffy has no such reservations. In fact, it's gone one step further and become the authoritative source of all things Buffy, killing off characters, bringing other characters back, etc. This series calls itself Season 8, and it certainly has acted as such. If anything, Buffy the comic is functioning even more effectively than Buffy the show can, in that the content suits the medium better than a reasonably budgeted television show ever could (compare the extravagant monsters in the comics to, say, the goofy CGI'd beasts of the show and you'll know what I'm talking about).

Prior to issue three, this just read like a solid series, and not much more. The reveal at the end of this issue, however, in addition to being perhaps my favourite moment of 2007, really solidified in my mind that this book functions not only as a supplement to the show, but as an integral force in its own right, and a must for any Buffy fan.

Next Up: picks 3 to 1

Aaron's Pick of the Week: I've Liked You for a Thousand Years

2007-11-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

For the week of November 14:

Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together

by O'Malley (w and a)

A lot of people think of comic books as a form of escapism. And I guess that makes sense, as the top comic books tend to be about people who can fly, shoot lasers out of their eyes, sling webbing from their wrists, or be blind but not really.

But then again, comic books, like any medium, can't be summed up in just one category (other than "awesome"). Just as movies aren't just about fantastical events but a whole array of subjects, there are some comics out there that focus on the more everyday aspects of life, such as getting a job, paying rent, and maintaining a steady relationship (although, come to think of it, only one of these things apply to me at the moment). Granted, these stories are somewhat hard to find in the mainstream world of comics. Which makes books like the Scott Pilgrim series all the sweeter.

As you can probalby tell from the image of the cover, this is the fourth installment of Brian Lee O'Malley's indie gem. I was first exposed to Scott Pilgrim in my first year of university, and was initially turned off by the "Anime" style of the art (because I was dumb). Still, by the time I got about 20 pages in, I was hooked (you can be too! Check out the free previews here). The art, while maybe too "cutesy" for some, really served the story well rather than complicating things, and was actually fairly intricate, as backgrounds sometimes proved.

This is a series with a lot going for it, from the art, to the storyline (a fairly straightforward coming-of-age story with many unique storytelling approaches), to O'Malley's excellent sense of humor.

For me, though, the number one draw has always been how damn relateable the book is. Scott Pilgrim is a mostly-directionless 23-year-old who's pretty much just starting to figure out how the world works, all the while juggling his social, romantic, and (somewhat) professional life. While there are a multitude of differences between the characters and myself (for example, I am 21, still in university, and can't play a musical instrument to save my life), I still identified with the characters on a level I hadn't with previous works that "spoke to a generation," such as Clerks, Garden State, or, uh, Degrassi High. As I was reading this book I constantly had to stop and note all the similarities between certain characters and existing friends of mine (that's right, existing). It probably helps that the series takes place in Toronto, where I grew up. Many locations, such as Sneaky Dee's and Lee's Palace, are featured in this series, adding to the "oh hey, just like MY life" factor.

This isn't to say that Scott Pilgrim is completely "slice of life." A lot of the storytelling is very over-the-top, completely abandoning concepts like "realism." At the same time, however, these over-the-top moments are told honestly and come from a real place, and therefore don't detract from the relateability. For example, an ongoing plotline throughout the series is that Scott must vanquish his girlfriend Ramona's Seven Evil Exes, and these scenes are usually depicted in a style similar to that of a video game. While this is obviously not a common thing most people have to deal with, anyone who's had a girlfriend (or boyfriend) probably knows that often, past exes can leave a "lingering" effect on new relationships, one that isn't necessarily welcome.

I often recommend comic books to other people, but it's not very often that I push them on non-comic-book fans. The Scott Pilgrim series is one very notable exception. I recommend this series (don't start with volume 4, as great as it is) to anyone who feels as if they're trying to figure out their place in life, or that no one can relate to what they're going through. And that's, what? Everyone?

9.4 out of 10

All interior shots (except for the last one) taken from Brian Lee O'Malley's flickr account.

Aaron's Pick of the Week: Joss Whedon is My Master Now

2007-11-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

For the week of November 7:

Astonishing X-men #23

by Whedon (w) and Cassady (a)

As I headed to my local comic book shop last Wednesday, I walked with an unusual bounce in my steps. This week was a particularly heavy week in terms of quality books, with such titles as Y: the Last Man, Criminal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, and Super-Villain Team-up. Each of these books are Pick-of-the-Week-worthy on their own, and the fact that they all came out on the same day means good times for the reader.

Of all the comics I was hoping to pick up, only Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-men #23 was sold out before I got to the store. I didn’t think too much of this at the time, as I had all those other titles to keep my mind occupied.

And keep my mind occupied those other titles did. For the most part, these titles really delivered, and I had decided that my Pick of the Week was to be Criminal #10, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. I had written about half of the review in my head, however, before I managed to get my hands on Astonishing X-men while in Toronto. I read it, and knew I had to rewrite my post.

Keep that in mind: Astonishing X-men #23 was so good that I was willing to completely abandon my original Pick of the Week just so I could talk about it.

Usually, when people ask me what I think of the X-men at the moment, I screw up my face and say something like “blech.” And that’s because, for the most part, X-men have been terrible for quite some time (note: when I refer to X-men I am referring to the “X-titles,” which include Uncanny X-men, X-men, New X-men, X-factor, Excalibur, and the up-and-coming X-force, not to mention various mini-series and one shots). One exception to this rule is X-factor, which is actually incredibly good.

Oh, and then there’s Astonishing X-men.

Joss Whedon’s been responsible for some of my favorite television shows (Buffy and Firefly), and I’ve always had a soft spot for his snappy dialog, so when in 2004 I heard he would be writing his own X-men book I was somewhat intrigued. At the same time, though, I was aware of the fact that a good writer of one medium is not always going to translate well into a different one. An example of this is Orson Scott Card who, despite his wonderful work on the fan-favorite Ender novels, went on to write the lackluster Ultimate Iron-man.

But Joss Whedon proved early on in his series that he wasn’t just a good television writer. He was a good writer period. From what I’ve witnessed from his comic book career, not only in Astonishing but in titles like Runaways and Buffy, Whedon has shown that he’s done his research and understands what makes the graphic novel medium unique. He is able to manipulate dialog in ways that an auditory medium (like TV, where you don’t see, but rather hear the dialog) would not be able to capture. By using techniques like removing punctuation in parts or otherwise playing with the appearance of the words, he makes the dialog more effective than it could be in any other medium.

That’s just one of the many techniques Whedon has used in the past – techniques that I had never seen before reading his comics, and ones that have left a lasting impression on me. In Astonishing X-men #23, Whedon uses another technique that I have never seen before, and frankly left me stunned. I don’t want to give too much away, but this issue contains a very interesting plot twist that, once again, would not nearly be as effectively conveyed were it not written for the medium of comics. It involves a page from issue #22 replayed panel-by-panel, only thought balloons replace word balloons and… ah, you have to see it for the full effect.

Even if you’re not a huge nerd like me, and don’t give a crap about “techniques” that Whedon employs, this issue still delivers in terms of action and especially characters. One of my other favorite things about this run is that Whedon took Cyclops, a character who has been considered “lame” for quite some time (but not by me!), and made him really, really, cool. The final action sequence of this book depicts probably the most impressive Cyclops moments since… ever. The final page sent shivers down my spine, although I’ll admit it could have been one thought balloon shorter for maximum effect.

None of this could be possible, however, without John Cassady’s beautiful artwork, which hopefully you are experiencing through the images I included (all taken from Comic Book Resources). He’s one of those rare comic book artists who is a perfect blend of dynamic artwork and crisp storytelling (you’d think it would be a given, but it’s actually something you come to appreciate in the world of comics). It makes the fact that this book only comes out once every 2-3 months almost worthwhile.

That’s pretty much my biggest complaint with this book. It doesn’t come out often enough, and I don’t just say that because I’m impatient. The book’s slow schedule means that it takes 2 years for a storyline to conclude. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to keep me excited for such an extended period of time. But then again, all it takes is an issue like this to make me a gushing fanboy again.

Oh, and I’m going to start having a ratings system from now on, out of ten (with decimals), because why not?

RATING: 9.7

Trailer Trash

2007-11-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

Last week I was lounging around on campus with a friend while she was on the computer. She was reading the celebrity gossip blog PerezHilton and as I glanced at her computer, a post about Angelina Jolie caught my eye.

Me: What's that?

Her: Oh, just a post about Angelina Jolie.

Me: What about her?

Her: Nothing really, just that there's a new trailer for her upcoming movie.

Me: Oh. Beowulf?

Her: No... (looks at post again) something called Wanted.

Me: (pause) What did you say?

Her: Some movie called Wanted.

Me: ...and the trailer's out?

Her: Apparently.

Me: Let me use your computer.

Her: Uh, what fo-

Me: LET ME USE YOUR FUCKING COMPUTER!

um... Perhaps some context is needed. Wanted was a 6-issue comic miniseries written by Mark Millar that ran from 2003-2004. The London Sunday Times allegedly dubbed it "the Watchmen for super-villains" and while I wouldn't necessarily go that far, I can certainly agree that it was one of my favorite books at the time. It was about a young loser who is pulled out of his mundane life of obscurity and obedience when he finds out that his father was the greatest super-villain of all time.

The story was clever, tense, humorous, and had amazing art by J.G. Jones. What's more, Wanted was unique, with interesting characters - each a rift on archetypal super-villains (like Catwoman and The Joker), only approached in new and colorful ways. It was through these characters that the book truly shined.

Which only made me more confused when I saw this garbage trailer:

"Where are the costumes?" I asked my friend, who was beginning to get a little scared. "Where are the colorful characters? The witty dialog? Hell, where's anything that would have me believe this isn't just a generic shoot-em-up piece of crap?"

They certainly aren't in this trailer, I told myself. I nodded.

A few days later I went and saw American Gangster with my comic-loving friend Michael and this trailer started playing. I turned to him and asked him if he knew what the trailer was for. He replied that it looked like the sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which was, let's face it, a generic piece of crap to begin with.

As much as I want to see Mr. Tumnus running around shooting people (not at all), I don't think I will be catching this one in theaters. I know the term "Hollywood-ized" gets thrown around a lot (at least, I think it does), but this is perfect example of Hollywoodization. It's like if they made a Batman movie, only he didn't wear a costume and instead went around shooting bad guys, and every time he shot someone he'd say some cheesy one-liner, like "Paper or Plastic?"

Wait, that's an awesome idea.

-A

Next up: Enough about comic book movies. Aaron's Pick of the Week.

Edit: In a rare turn of events, myspace appears to have actually done something cool. Thanks to them you can now download the entire first issue of Wanted here. How about that?

Get a WIFF of this (if you Cannes)....

2007-11-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

People who visit this site will probably know that I've blogged about comic book movies a few times in the past, rarely with anything particularly good to say about them as a whole. However, as I've also mentioned, the poor quality of your typical adaptation never stops me from getting excited about the upcoming movies anyway. This time, though, I'm pretty sure I'm not just gearing up for another suckfest.

This weekend, Windsor will be having its 3rd annual International Film Festival (lovingly referred to as WIFF). Of all the films being shown this year, the one I am most eager to see is Persepolis, an animated feature based on Marjane Satrapi's critically-acclaimed graphic novels.

The movie has played at several film festivals, including Cannes, where it won the Jury Prize (I don't know what that means, but I bet it's a good thing). Like many foreign movies, it hasn't seen widespread release. You can probably imagine my excitement, then, when I heard it was playing in my town.

You can probably also imagine my frustration when I heard I would be out of said town when the movie plays.

Don't make the same mistake I did. For those of you living in Windsor who aren't busy this Saturday, take my advice: go see this movie. Let me live vicariously through you. Please?

Persepolis is playing this Saturday, November 10, at 5:00pm at the Windsor Armouries. Tickets are 10 dollars. For more info on the WIFF, you can read Erica W's post or check out the official site.

image taken from Sony's official Persepolis site (linked in text).

P.S. I know I keep coming back to the topic of comic book movies, but I thought it important to talk about Persepolis for this post, both because of its impending screening as well as what its doing for comic book movies (ie, allowing the public to see them as Art-with-a-capital-A). If the next few comic book movies are as mature as this one appears to be, and are received with as high acclaim, I can see only good things for the genre.

Next up: I look at the piece of shit trailer for Wanted.

5 Quick Questions with Jeff Lemire

2007-11-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

This weekend I attended Windsor's annual Bookfest, which is essentially a festival celebrating literature of all sorts. Over the weekend, I saw a few different talks and readings, but the one panel that was a must-see for me was Getting Graphic, which not only examined the graphic novel but also gave some insights into life as an independent comic creator. The panel speakers were Michèle Laframboise, George Rizok, and Jeff Lemire. Having read Tales from the Farm a few days ago, I was only familiar with Jeff Lemire's work, of the three speakers (although now I definitely want to check out the other two). I really really enjoyed his book (one of the only comics out there that actually moved me to tears... but shh), so Lemire was a huge draw for me.

The panel was pretty informative, and really allowed the audience to understand what the life of a comic creator was like, covering topics such as the underground scene, fan interaction, artistic collaborations, and those late nights at Kinko's (bottom line: don't become a comic creator for the money).

After the panel I quickly went and purchased Lemire's follow-up comic, Ghost Stories, from the gift shop. As he signed my copy, I asked him if I could quickly interview him for the blog, to which he kindly agreed.

Blogs of Future Past: What was it that drew you to comics?

Jeff Lemire: I don’t know what it was. I guess it was just the drawings. I remember being really young and going in to get groceries with my mom and just being captivated by the magazine rack and the comics. As soon as I was able to recognize them, I was always drawn to them. I can’t say what it is. (laughs)

BoFP: What inspired you to write “Tales from the farm?”

JL: I think I really wanted to try to tell a little bit more personal stories. So many comics are set in urban centers and cities and stuff. I thought, there’s not enough stories set in rural areas. Especially since I came from here, I thought I’d have an interesting perspective on it and I could draw from some of the details. So I wanted to set a story in a rural setting, and it just seemed natural to create a character who was sort of like I was as a kid, and I’d fictionalize everything else.

BoFP: Are there any comics that you’re reading right now?

JL: My favourite comics right now are The Walking Dead, anything Ed Brubaker’s doing – Captain America, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Criminal – All Star Superman’s amazing, and Scalped by Jason Aaron. He’s my favourite writer right now. I think that guy’s going to be a star. Scalped and The Other Side [also by Aaron] are just brilliant.

BoFP: If you could take over a comic book character, would you? If so, which character would it be?

JL: Yes! I’d love to get a crack at a bunch of characters but my favourite guys are always the DC Silver Age characters. I’ve always had a really strong connection to Adam Strange for some reason. I love Adam Strange and also the Unknown Soldier. I have so many stories I could do with that guy.

BoFP: Finally, what advice do you have for any up and coming comic creators?

JL: I think the biggest thing is that if you’re a writer and not an artist, you know, team up with someone so you can do a book. Just do it, and print it yourself and get it out there. The easiest way to get people in the comic book industry to notice you is not to tell them about what a great writer you are or artist you are, but to show them a book that they can see. You have to start somewhere, so just self-publish and start doing it.

You can check out Jeff Lemire's personal blog here.

Aaron's Pick of the Week: Putting the "War" in "Warped"

2007-11-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

For the week of October 31:

Special Forces #1 (of 6)

by Baker (w and a)

Picking up a new title is no small feat for a comic book collector, especially one on a student's budget (ie me). Of course, someone who never picks up new titles runs the risk of missing out on some truly wonderful books (not to mention the chance to buy a series' Issue 1 before its price skyrockets).

For me, I only venture to try new titles out if A) they center around a character I am familiar with and like, B) they come highly recommended from a friend, or C) they're created by someone Scottish.

Now, Special Forces is none of these. I mean, I immensely enjoyed Kyle Baker's run on Plastic Man. But other than that, I haven't really known him from too much. I've seen his short cartoons about family life (The Bakers), which are pretty sweet and adorable, but not particularly indicative that this guy could write, you know, a good war comic.

But hey, it doesn't cost anything to flip through the comic (at least, not in any decent comic store), and so, as I was picking up my "reliable" titles at Rogue's Gallery, I opened up a copy of Special Forces to page 1.

And what a page 1 it was (warning: graphic, albeit a bit cartoony, violence). For me, it had just the right amount of shock, vulgarity, and violence, balanced out by self-awareness and irony, to make me want to pick up the book right away (note: in the final version of this page, the caption reads "the black guy dies first" as opposed to "the black guy died first").

I'm glad I did pick up this book, because it turned out to be a lot more than just explosions and dark humour. In Special Forces, Baker is making a statement on the Iraq war, on violence, but most of all on exploitation (he's against it).

Inspired by real events, Special Forces is about a group of soldiers who find themselves in the middle of Iraq. However, the reader quickly realizes that they are unlike just about any other company depicted in war stories (I assume). Due to rising pressure amongst army recruiters to meet a certain quota of applicants, this group of soldiers happens to be comprised of, among others, felons, the obese, and a young autistic man called Zone. Needless to say, once thrown into battle, they don't do that well.

The book is funny, true. However, rather than laughing out loud while reading this book, odds are you'll be doing that pissed off laugh you sometimes do (often followed with an "I can't fucking believe you just did that") after a friend does something stupid.

Baker wants you to laugh, but he also wants you to get mad.

A prime example of this is when the company's inept sergeant (who is also their recruiter) accidentally instructs air support to attack their own position as opposed to the enemy's, resulting in multiple casualties. This is not the only instance where the higher ups are responsible for the death of others (hell, that's what the whole comic is essentially about). The incredible loss of life in this opening issue is unexpected and only made more tragic by the fact that none of these soldiers should be fighting in the first place.

Despite the fact that this book fulfills none of my previously mentioned criteria for picking up new titles, I'm really glad I bought this book. You guys should do the same, especially now that it fulfills criteria B) it comes highly recommended from a friend.

Because if you took the time to read this far, you have now become my friend.

-A

P.S: It wasn't until I started writing this review that I realized the title of this comic is a pun.

Ironing out the Problem

2007-10-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, the Iron Man teaser has been around for a while, but for those of you who have yet to see it, here it is:

Now, I know that, according to what I said in an earlier post, I should be responding to this trailer with "Mass excitement." And I probably would be in most circumstances. I mean, the non-Home-Improvement costume looks awesome. But for some reason that I couldn't put my finger on, something about that trailer didn't sit right with me.

Then it hit me.

Here is a trailer from Ghost Rider, a movie that I and most of the surface world thoroughly didn't enjoy.

I hope the similarities between the two trailers speak for themselves (the one main difference being that the Iron Man trailer is only a "teaser" and therefore doesn't show as much). There was another Ghost Rider trailer where protagonist Johnny Blaze is told, like with Iron Man's Tony Stark, "You should [be dead]," as well as a similar ending (a prolonged CGI shot of the hero speeding in a particular direction), but I thought the similarities were more palpable in this one.

The fact that Iron Man's trailer is even remotely comparable to Ghost Rider's is, frankly, not good. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to line up at midnight to see it on opening night, dressed appropriately, but I won't be happy about it.

...no high five?

Aaron's Pick of the Week: One Bad Mother- Shut Your Mouth!

2007-10-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

For the week of October 10:

Punisher #51

by Ennis (w) and Parlov (a)

A lot of times, when I try to explain my love of comic books to other people, a question that I am often met with is "Comic books... aren't they just violent stories about two people beating the shit out of each other?" to which I reply that comics have been misleadingly portrayed in the mass media and that actually, comic books deal with a plethora of genres, many of which are nuanced works of profound introspection, working with an array of subtleties.

Punisher #51 is about two guys who beat the shit out of each other. And it's totally awesome.

I should start by saying that, until recently, I've never much liked Frank Castle (aka the Punisher). He always struck me as embodying the worst of your shlocky action movies, from the hypocritical moral stance to the cheesy one-liners. I never saw much entertainment in suspending my disbelief enough to accept that a single person armed with just one revolver could take out a hundred armed goons. But then I heard that Garth (Preacher) Ennis, a writer who I enjoy immensely, was on the book, so I figured "what the hell."

And what can I say? Ennis made a believer out of me. I think this is probably because of Ennis' talent to (among countless other things) breathe "cool" into anything he writes. He could write a 22 page story about an old lady crossing the street and it'd be more kick-ass than 90% of the other comics out there. Now, when the Punisher takes out hundreds of armed goons, I don't think, "oh, come on!" Instead, I think, "Fuck Yeah!"

However, this issue is unique because, rather than take on a hundred armed goons, here he goes one-on-one with the inordinately bad-ass Barracuda.

The Punisher is unique in the Marvel Universe in two ways. For starters, he doesn't have superpowers, which means he defeats his villains using a combination of cunning, his war-hardened combat skills, and a shitload of guns (I don't think Spider-man's ever even held a gun before in his life).

Second of all, the Punisher is unique because, when he defeats a villain, he doesn't send them to Ryker's Prison or The Raft. He kills them. There's no way around it; if you do something bad, the Punisher will kill you.

This presents a problem in terms of establishing arch enemies, as the average Punisher villain has a lifespan of about six issues. Still, Ennis has managed to come as close to a nemesis as possible in Barracuda, a "bad-ass motherfucker" in the truest (well, not literally) sense of the word who, in the hands of a less talented writer, would come across as a racist stereotype, inflated to a monstrous degree (well, he still sort of does, but Ennis makes it work). Barracuda managed to survive his first run-in with the Punisher (issues #31-36) by the sole virtue of being incredibly difficult to kill. He returns in this arc, shy several fingers and an eye, to make Castle's life a (short-lived) living hell.

Issue #51 makes this part two of the "Long Cold Dark" arc. Structurally, Ennis' stories have generally followed the same six-issue format, making this the part where the Punisher "barely escapes alive, realizing that he may be in for the fight of his life." Still, despite the almost formulaic plot of the comic, its delivery is anything but. Watching Barracuda torment the Punisher in the opening of this issue, I was surprised at how palpable Castle's helplessness felt.

Unlike the typical superhero brawl, the fight scene itself didn't consist of a single super-power - no eye-lasers or plasma beams. And the fight was all the more brutal for it. Instead of adamantium claws, the characters used fists, teeth, a knife, a chair, and an open window. Watching the aftermath was truly cringe-worthy.

Perhaps my favourite thing about this comic as a whole is Ennis' ability, time and time again, to give the reader a real sense of how high the stakes are. Reading this comic not only left me quite caught up in the moment, but dreading the events that will no doubt unfold in the issues to follow.

Punisher #51 is highly recommended to people who want a balls-to-the-walls action story, and think that super-heroes are too "kiddy." It is NOT recommended to people who, say, find Hot Stuff a little racy.

Not recommended:

Ghost Rider #16: Uninteresting, hard to follow, and bland. Makes me think back to the Ghost Rider movie as "the good ol' days."

Coming now, to a links list to the right of this text...

2007-10-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Comic Book Syndicate was a video podcast that focused on the various aspects of comic book geekery, from reviews to debates to guides on collecting. It was funny, interesting, and, perhaps most importantly, clearly came from the purest of fanboy hearts. What's more, it was put out, according to their site, by "4 of Windsor's leading costumed champions" (this is especially true if you frequent Rogue's Gallery, as I do).

Here's an excerpt from one of their shows, where they discuss bringing characters back from the dead (NOTE: many references might go over the heads of nonthusiasts, but even if this is the case for you, there is still a lot to enjoy):

You may have noticed I used the past tense when describing the Comic Book Syndicate. That's because they're not strictly a podcast anymore.

They're now a television show.

From what I understand, they've been picked up by ~~A-Channel~~ Cogeco Cable 11 and will premiere on said channel TOMORROW, Friday the 5th of October, at 11pm. If you're like me and usually spend Friday nights sitting on your mattress, rocking back and forth, I suggest checking the Comic Book Syndicate out.

-A

P.S. If the link I provided gives you trouble with loading the videos, you can access shittier versions (pixelation-wise) of the show on youtube.

Set Your Watches

2007-09-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Every time I hear that a comic book is to be adapted into a motion picture, I go through the same routine:

1: Vague interest upon the initial announcement
2: Mass excitement after seeing the first trailer
3: Total hysteria while waiting in line hours before the movie's release
4: Slight confusion during opening credits
5: Second-hand embarrassment halfway through the movie, (often exacerbated in the event of a Stan Lee cameo)
6: Post-traumatic stress disorder when leaving the theater

With a few exceptions (Sin City, Batman Begins, and Hellboy come to mind), any widely-released adaptation of a comic book turns out to be at best, mediocre, and at worst, Daredevil. And then, when a new comic book movie is announced, I foolishly think to myself that maybe this time will be different, that maybe the director will get it right. Of course, I'm always wrong.

But maybe this time will be different.

I am referring to the upcoming adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' groundbreaking maxi-series The Watchmen. Often considered one of the best, if not the best, graphic novels of all time, The Watchmen has had a long history of bad breakups with the film industry (a 1989 version of the adapted screenplay can be found here). Only now, it's finally happening.

The movie has been announced for quite a while now, but I am writing about it now because a few days ago, according to my Wizard magazine, the first poster has been unveiled, drawn by original Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons.

I'm not sure how I feel about it in terms of it working as a movie poster, but what I do get from it is this: director Zack Snyder is telling the world that he's not fucking around. He's not making just another shitty comic book adaptation. He's making the Watchmen (this is especially evident if you are familiar with how the covers to the individual comics looked. Essentially, this poster looks like it could be a hypothetical issue 0).

For more information on the poster, read the Wizard article online here.

Also, whenever I look at the release date I think of the lyrics to "Three is a Magic Number." Whether this is intentional or not is anybody's guess.

Aaron's Pick of the Week

2007-09-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

Pretty much every comic shop I've ever been to has a little feature known as a "pick of the week," where each employee offers their opinion on which books are not to be missed. I figure it would only be appropriate for me to do likewise.

Here's what I loved for the week of September 19:

Captain America #30

by Brubaker (w), Epting (a), and Perkins (a)

Why is it that, despite the fact that I never much cared for Captain America, despite the fact that I never much found the Red Skull to be a terrifying villain by any means, and despite the fact that the lead character's been dead since March... why is it that this book is so good?

Well, there are various reasons, not least of all the beautiful artwork, engaging dialogue, as well as surprising plot twists (at least two of which can be found in this issue). However, none of these elements, noteworthy though they may be, impress me as much as Brubaker's characters.

Where Brubaker really impresses me is in his ability to treat even the most ridiculous characters with dignity. And this applies to everyone, whether it's Captain America's best friends, formerly goofball villains such as Doctor Faustus and Armin Zola, or even (and perhaps most appreciatively on my part) Tony Stark (aka Iron Man), who since Civil War has been portrayed as the Idiot King of the marvel universe. In this issue, we see why he's Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Though I touched on this earlier, it would be a crime for me not to mention the art at least once more. While Brubaker can, as I said, make any character engaging through dialogue and actions, it would all be for naught without Epting and Perkins breathing cool into their designs. I mean, they even made this guy look cool.

In this particular issue, I was struck by Brubaker, Epting, and Perkins' ability to completely shift tones on a page-by-page basis. In the blink of an eye, the comic would quickly go from intense to sombre, from pensive to terrifying, from awesome to... well, it never stopped being awesome.

Knowing the trend in comic books, to state that Captain America's return is definite, even as soon as within the year, would be no great claim. One argument for his imminent return is the fact that there is still a Captain America series. "You can't have a Captain America series without Captain America," they'd logically argue. However, as this title proves, these people are dead wrong.

Also recommended

Groo 25th Anniversary Special: Hilarious. The only reason this one isn't my pick of the week is because it actually came out on the 12th.

World War Hulk #4 (of 5): Seriously, pick up this book. Not a fan of the Hulk? That's no excuse. Not a fan of super heroes at all? Again, not good enough. You aren't able to read? Okay, that's an adequate excuse.

Not recommended

Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #1 (of 5): The name aside, I found this to be surprisingly lackluster, especially considering how much I love Mignola's other works (Hellboy, sure, but especially B.P.R.D.). I'm not sure exactly where the book lost me. Oh wait, it was with this line: "Germans? Jeez! I don't know much, but I read the papers. That Hitler looks like trouble, and I bet he'd love to get a hold of this suit." Hopefully the book will pick up. I, however, will not be sticking around to find out.

Shipping list for Wednesday, September 19, 2007

2007-09-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

The following is a list of comic books slated to be released this Wednesday. It should be noted that these are the titles that were specifically ordered by Paradise Comics, so while this is an extensive list, it does not necessarily cover all titles. Bold indicates that I plan to purchase the title, while the inclusion of an asterisk(*) indicates that I recommend you do the same.

- Annihilation Conquest Quasar #3 (of 4)

- Aquaman Sword Of Atlantis #56

- Army @ Love #7

- Avengers Classic #4

- Batman Lobo Deadly Serious #2 (of 2)

- Birds Of Prey #110

- Captain America #30 CWI*

- Catwoman #71*

- Checkmate #18

- Countdown 32

- Countdown To Mystery #1 (of 8)

- Criminal Macabre My Demon Baby #1 (of 4)

- Cyblade Pilot Season #1

- Ex Machina #30*

- Flash #232

- Green Arrow Black Canary Wedding Special #1

- Hellblazer #236

- Highwaymen #4 (of 5)

- Irredeemable Ant-man #12

- JLA Hitman #1 (of 2)

- Jungle Girl Px #0

- Legion Of Super Heroes In The 31st Century #6

- Mad Magazine #482

- Madman Atomic Comics #4*

- Marvel Adventures Avengers #16

- Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #28

- Marvel Comics Presents #1

- Marvel Illustrated Treasure Island #4 (of 6)

- New Battlestar Galactica Season Zero #1 Blank Cvr

- New X-men #42

- Penance Relentless #1 (of 5)

- Programme #3 (of 12)

- Red Sonja #25 Blank Cvr

- Robin #166

- Scooby Doo #124

- Shadowpact #17

- Sheena #3 (of 5)

- Simpsons Comics #134

- Spawn #171

- Spider-man Red Sonja #2 (of 5)

- Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic #20

- Streets Of Glory #1 (of 6)

- Superman Batman #40

- Tales Of The Sinestro Corps Parallax #1

- Terror Inc #2 (of 5)

- Testament #20

- Umbrella Academy Apocalypse Suite #1 (of 6)

- Wasteland #12

- Wolverine Origins #17

- World War Hulk #4 (of 5) WWH*

- World War Hulk Front Line #4 (of 6)

- World War Hulk Gamma Corps #3 (of 4) WWH

actually, from the looks of things, this week will be fairly shitty.

notes: "CWI" means the title ties into Marvel's Civil War: Initiative lineup, while "WWH" indicates that the title ties into Marvel's World War Hulk series

Catwoman image from dccomics.com.
Madman image from imagecomics.com.

Ut! First post!

2007-09-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, concerning all things comic booky in nature. I suppose it would be apt at this point to introduce myself.

Hi, my name is Aaron F and I love comic books.

This is an introduction I have used many times in my life, although sadly it has yet to yield the desired result: to make friends. Usually it is met with a pursed-lipped nod, an awkwardly-retracted handshake, or in some cases an "oh... how... quaint."

Comic books have always been a love of my life, at least as far back as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is of me, around 2 or 3 years old, sitting on my grandmother's lap watching Batman in theatres and being traumatized by watching the Joker's mangled body on the streets of Gotham, his laughter still echoing in the distance.

Oh wait, that memory sucked.

It wasn't until I was older - old enough to know better - that my love affair with comic books became something of an obsession. Perhaps it was the completist in me, but I had to read everything. I tell you, during this period of my life (most of highschool, that is), I read a ton of crap. But I also read a ton of masterpieces.

Unfortunately, at this point my goal to become the Ultimate Comicbook Master had led me down a very solitary path. Try as I might, I was unable to effectively convey the transcendent joy comic books gave me ("I swear, comics are awesome! You should totally read this issue, it's my fav-DON'T FUCKING TOUCH IT!"). Even at the comic book store where I worked, the owner's interest in comics was no longer aesthetic (having admittedly not read one in several years).

Since moving to Windsor, however, I have found a few fellow enthusiasts. Also, I know that there are still more of you out there on the internet (for some reason the internet and geekdom go hand in hand). So hopefully the path I've been treading will reveal itself to be hardly as lonely as it originally appeared.

Oh, and for those wondering: the exclamation of "Ut!" in the title of this post is a reference to ONE of my favourite super-heroes, the Flaming Carrot (image from the official site). For those of you who enjoy surrealist humour, I can't recommend this title highly enough (The Mystery Men? Yeah, they debuted here). The fact that he never got his own cartoon series (to my knowledge) is criminal. Let's call it my pick of the week.

Anyway, enough about me. Who the hell are you?