Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Buy This! - December 28th, 2011


Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.

Sooo, that happened. Another Christmas has come and gone and left me with a bunch of trinkets and baubles I didn't have before it came. I received a very cool Knight (of Knight and Squire fame) action figure and the first volume of the Flash by Geoff Johns omnibus courtesy of my girlfriend, as well as a talking Boba Fett helmet... which I've worn far too much for a grown man. I wrapped up Christmas by going to the comic store yesterday and was dismayed to discover they weren't running any sales so I bought my pulls and a couple older trades and called it a day. I have to say, all in all I got very little in the way of comics this year. Maybe it's my relatives trying to tell me to grow up or something...

This week's pulls should be hitting on Wednesday as usual but I'm hearing rumblings that some shops won't have new comics till Thursday. I know, it makes no sense since essentially all the major shipping avenues were open Monday but, there it is. In the way of housekeeping, the TMNT micro series continues this week with the Michaelangelo spotlight that I picked for my Buy This column a few weeks ago. Also, it's not there anymore but I hope some of you managed to snag that Rocketeer Adventures hardcover from Thwipster while it lasted. Mine should be arriving in the next two days.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Tales from the Long Box: Year In Review



Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.




Around this time last year I'd reached a sort of lull in my excitement for comics. Not just buying them every Wednesday but even reading them. The big superhero books (with a few exceptions) seemed to be in a state of either transition or had grown stale. No where was this more obvious than my pull list which by the end of December 2010 was around a meager 8 or 9 titles. Even my graphic novel/trade paperback purchasing had dwindled. All of this culminated when I sold off a large portion of my single issue collection and a bunch of my trades and hardcovers. Honestly, it was looking bleak for a while there.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Paul's Picks! - Dec. 21




Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Justice League #4 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee


Fish-man no more!
First of all, Merry Christmas! Well, almost. I'm sure many of you are just getting settled in for the holidays, and what better way to kick back than with a nice stack of comics? At least, that's the first thing I did when I arrived at the parents for the weekend, and man was I in for a treat! Not one of my pulls this week were a let down. As a matter of fact, any of them could easily have wound up as my favorite this week. Azzarello's Wonder Woman was great as usual, Snyder continues to blow my mind in Batman, and this was probably the best issue of TMNT yet. Sadly, there can be only one, and the inevitable winner this week is the fourth issue of the Johns/Lee Justice League!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Ancillary Character's Favorites of 2011 List-a-mania!!!




As the holidays grow near and 2011 draws to a close, we here at Ancillary Characters would like you to join us for our First Annual Comics Awards. Seth and Paul poured through their short boxes to choose their favorites from 2011. What follows might not be the best books in terms of craftsmanship, but rather, the books, characters and creators we enjoyed the most.

Obviously, not every book that reaches stands makes it into our greedy paws so if you notice something absent from the list, mention it to us. Who knows, maybe it passed us by. Though a number of great, small publisher books were released this year, for the most part this list sticks to the big companies.

No doubt if a larger list were compiled books like Morning Glories, Locke & Key, New York Five, and Moriarty (to name a few) would have been there. However, rather than a tedious, top-five-per-category tome we narrowed it down to our absolute favorites in each category. Read on...

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer is here... and here's what we thought!


Did you just see that?? I did, and I got chills!

As this year is drawing to an end, we have a nice handful of comic book movies to add to our collection: such as Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men First Class, and Captain America. Regardless of your opinion about any of those movies, we must all recognize that we are living in the era of the Superhero movie. The most critically acclaimed of these movies is the beloved Batman Begins sequel by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight. On July 20th, 2012, audiences will finally get to see Nolan's Batman legend come to an end.

As a movie lover, the first two installments in this Bat series were some of the best made films I've seen in ages. Nolan develops his characters deeply, and he has created a Gotham City that absolutely cannot survive without the Dark Knight. In his third film, The Dark Knight Rises, we are going to see a Gotham eight years after the end of the second movie. This trailer only gives us a small glimpse into what Nolan has in store for us, but the tension is just palpable. This is not a Batman that is finding his way (as in Batman Begins) or even a hero that is finally coming into his own (as in TDK). No, this is a Batman that is losing control of his life and his city. This is a Batman that doesn't know what to do, and if he wants to save Gotham, he is going to have to rise to the challenge.

I know you're wondering how I got all this from a 2 minute trailer, but I have a feeling that The Dark Knight Rises is going to be as different from the second movie as TDK was from the first. Nolan has created something here that no one else could have, and he has made it clear he is finished after this one. I don't know what's going to happen, and I almost hate to speculate, but this trailer (along with that haunting teaser) tells us one thing for sure: When this movie ends, "The Legend Ends."

Buy This! - December 21st, 2011

 
Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.

T-minus 6 days till Christmas, boys and girls. Hope all your shopping is done with and you made sure to buy yourself a little something. I picked up the Prelude to the Death of Spider-Man (Ultimate) hardcover on Sunday, and my girlfriend and I decided to open our gifts early so I was also blessed with the Flash by Geoff Johns omnibus. Very excited to dig into that.

As usual, be aware that any or all of these books might not show up in your shop when they're solicited to due to the chaotic nature of the industry.

Onto this week's buys...
  

Friday, December 16, 2011

Tales From the Long Box: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne

Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.



Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne


Despite the fact that supeheroes rule the comic medium these days, there is and always has been an abundance of adventure titles as well. By "adventure" I'm referencing books like Hellboy, Doc Savage, and even something like the Spirit which exists as much outside of it's man-of-mystery trappings as it does within. Recently, DC added Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. to it's publishing roster, and it serves as another perfect example of a pure adventure tale. Outside of comics there has always existed these sorts of stories. Indiana Jones sort of personifies the adventure/pulp genre. Basically what I'm saying is that there is no shortage of yarns that center around rugged dudes venturing into the unknown and defeating bad dudes using only their wits, fists and snappy one-liners.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Paul's Picks! - Dec. 14th




Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.


Demon Knights #4 by Paul Cornell and Diógenes Neves, featuring Michael Choi

Hey guys and gals! Sorry for the delay on my pick this week, finals had me on the ropes and I just couldn't manage to get all my books read and evaluated yesterday... But no fear! I may be a little tardy, but I've got my pick of the week ready for you, and I'm really excited about how things turned out this week. As a comic reader/collector, there are always going to be some weeks where you can't wait to burn through your pile of comics, because you know the titles you have are going to be top notch every time. On the other hand, there are those weeks where most of your books are going to be hit or miss. This week the heaviest hitter for me is typically Green Lantern by Johns and Manke (which has been really fresh and fun since the soft reboot), but you can never tell what's going to happen with titles like Batgirl or Demon Knights that could easily slip into the #1 slot.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Buy This! - December 14th, 2011

Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.


Welcome to a jumbo-sized edition of Buy This! After two relatively dull back-to-back shipping weeks I was surprised by the multitude of quality books hitting store shelves this Wednesday. Rather than try to pick three I'm just going to list the ones that deserve the most attention.

As usual, I'll start off by saying that these titles are all subject to the whims of their publisher (and shipping/solicitation errors) and could be AWOL by the time you go seeking them out. Also, I don't have it as part of the list since it's essentially a continuation of another book I posted last week but the second issue of the TMNT micro-series is out this week. This issue is Michaelangelo-centric. I didn't get a chance to read it but Paul loved the last issue as evidenced by his Paul's Pick column from last week.


Okay, on to this week's buys...

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Paul's Picks! - Dec. 7th




Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Series #1 Raphael - by Brian Lynch and Franco Urro

Hello friends and readers! It's comic book day again, and I'm back in the cyber universe to deliver your weekly fix of fictitious favorites (overkill? my bad). It's week one of December's releases, and as usual DC leads out with some of their biggest hitters (Action Comics, Detective Comics) as well as the underdogs-that-aren't-really-underdogs (Swamp Thing anyone?). Earlier in the day, while I had a break between stressful end of the year finals, I found my way to a cozy seat and settled into my little bag of books. And so, without further ado, I give you my pick of the week... TMNT Micro Series #1 Raphael!

Who we are and why we came to be (or: the endless negativity prevalent in comics fandom is a fire in need of a bucket of water... and we are that bucket)



In case you hadn't noticed, the internet is a seemingly endless parade of whine-fests, controversy mongering, name-calling, rants, tirades and soap boxing. When it comes to the corners of the net devoted to comics fandom it's even worse. Seriously, I don't know if anyone else sees it but the comics corner (and broadening from "comics" to "genre" yields the same results) of the web is even more guilty of all those things. Every day... strike that, every hour sees some new article or blog post bringing some new, controversial or negative aspect of the comics world to light. A couple months ago it was Catwoman and Starfire, the next month it's Frank Miller, the next day it's everyone boycotting Frank Miller in outrage, then we're on to Alan Moore saying some slanderous thing about his fellow creators for the five billionth time...

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Buy This! - December 7th, 2011

Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.

Sorry this is a day late. My Monday was fraught with peril and Christmas tree buying/decorating. Other than that I have nothing to preface this with besides a warning that the Morning Glories deluxe hardcover, due to ship last week, has been delayed. Now, I read this on CBR earlier this week which makes the fact that I've already seen the hardcover on my local shop's shelf sort of bizarre. So, from what I can tell it isn't available at chain stores or on Amazon, but it might be at your local shop.

Also, I just want to take this opportunity to mention that, though I'll often link to Amazon in this column I'll always promote buying stuff from your local comic book retailer before you support the chains that are generating the majority of  graphic novel and trade sales. I realize Amazon and some other online retailers offer deep discounts but I managed to work out a discount with my local retailer and now buy a large portion of my superhero trades off him. Of course, some times the comic retailers just can't compete with the discount, so I get it. I'm just saying... support the little guy.

Onto this week's column...

Friday, December 2, 2011

Paul's Picks!




Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.


My Favorites in the DCnU

So I know it's Friday, and there's been no Paul's Picks this week, but don't cry! I'm here now, with your weekly bit of usual comic-loving chit chat. However, in lieu of a very slow comics week, I've decided to go back and talk about my Picks from the DCnU so far. To be fair, it was either that or talk about TMNT #4, which was my only pick up this week... And so, instead lets talk abovut what the New 52 has offered us so far, and which books have risen to the top for me!

So when I tried to pick my favorite book of the new universe, I found out that the task was a lot harder than I anticipated. And so, since this is an abnormal column anyway, why not split my picks into categories? I know, genius, right?... So anyway, get ready to see which books have won my picks in the following categories: Best Written, Best Drawn, Most Potential, and Best Reboot.

Tales From the Long Box: What Might Have Been

Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.
This will be different from the usual issue-centric format I've been following. Lately I've been wrapping myself in the comfortable folds of nostalgia and digging into old trade paperbacks I own. Stuff like Gotham Central and old issues of Bendis' Daredevil run. It's reminded me of why I follow some of my favorite creators so devoutly. I guess in some ways I hope they'll recapture some of the magic of their early work.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Ancillary Characters Christmas Shopping Guide Extravaganza!!!


The Comprehensive Christmas List, a Paul and Seth collaboration event!


With Christmas looming and so many options for comics fans to choose from it can be difficult to buy gifts that truly fit your loved one's interests. What do you get for that cousin who loves sci-fi and dancing cats? What about that wacky uncle who's mildly obsessed with people with antlers growing out of their heads?

That's where we come in. Armed with an abundance of knowledge about what book, toy or accessory fits which personality we've thrown together this Christmas Gift Buyer's Guide just for you. Buying for your deranged aunt who has a weird proclivity for reading books about serial killers has never been so easy!



Monday, November 28, 2011

Buy This! - November 30th, 2011

 
Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.
 
Bad news, guys. Christmas is less than a month away. If you haven't finished (or, like me, even started) shopping for your comics-loving friends and family then I'm here to help. Consider these next few weeks of Buy This your handy Christmas gift guide. I'll be tossing items into the next few columns that may be older releases but deserve to be handed out or just selfishly purchased none the less. As usual I'll be picking current releases and also as usual some of the items I mention may or may not actually make it to store shelves when they're supposed to.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Paul's Picks! - Nov. 23rd






Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

The Flash by Francis Manupal and Brian Buccellato

Happy Turkey week! In a time of festivities and much food consumption, I'm sure many of you will be busy spending time with your families and eating your weight in turkey and dressing. Still, in the midst of all the food and fun, us comic geeks will certainly find the time to swing by our local store and grab our pulls. I waited to head home for the holidays until today just to make sure that I could grab my books, so you all would have my Pick to check out this week. Don't you feel special?


My folder was packed pretty full this week, with Superman, Teen Titans, Flash, Aquaman, and even more. However, even with a wider selection than usual, this week's winner was a shoe-in. While I'm loving Johns' Aquaman, this week's issue was a little more bland than the first two (at least the ending was). The star this week was undeniably Barry Allen in The Flash, by Francis Manupal and Brian Buccellato. When I heard that Johns was leaving the book post-Flashpoint, I was apprehensive to say the least. Manupal's art had been fantastic on the series. I'm a big fan of Scott Kolins' work on the character, but Manupal is rapidly getting closer and closer to my favorite artist, especially with Barry. By the time I finished the first issue of the DCnU title, I knew these guys were here to play for real. Manupal gets in Barry's head so well that sometimes I forget there even is an author, leaving me to almost believe that I'm reading the real thoughts of a real person.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Buy This! - November 23rd, 2011


Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.

It's Thanksgiving week and therefore I'm writing up a longer edition of the Buy This column in celebration. Instead of the usual three items I normally toss at you I'm writing about five, and probably will write a wee bit more than usual about those five titles. 

Friday, November 18, 2011

Tales from the Long Box: Boris the Bear Slaughters the Teenage Radioactive Black Belt Mutant Ninja Critters #1

Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.

Boris the Bear Slaughters the Teenage Radioactive Black Belt Mutant Ninja Critters #1


Sometimes I stumble across comics that I have no idea where they've come from. Such is the case with this one about an anthropomorphic teddy bear who sets out on a heinous killing spree. I have no recollection of buy this title, and no memory of ever reading it before. However, after finding it tossed haphazardly in a drawer I knew I had to not only read but write about it as well.

The first thing to know about Boris the Bear is that this is a really awful book. It also perfectly exemplifies late 80's/early 90's comics culture and pop culture in general. As such, it was obviously meant as a direct stab at the prevailing trend at the time, which apparently was stories featuring animals that solve crimes, perform kung-fu and carry a variety of weapons. It is the comics equivalent of those late-night tv movie Twilight parodies and just as awkwardly not-funny.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Going Digital

We've all had the arguments over the death of print media, and more specifically comic "books". By now everyone has voiced their opinion as to which view they take. Will comics as a printed form of entertainment die? Will it outlive this tablet craze? Or maybe you fall into the they-can-co-exist camp. Whatever the case may be, the digital comics revolution has begun... or maybe it began years ago and it's just now hitting a turning point...

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Paul's Picks!





Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Batman #3 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo



Get 'im Bats. 
When I picked up this weeks pulls, I didn't have many books to choose from. With only a handful of books at my disposal, surely this week's favorite would be an easy pick, right? On any other week, perhaps; but not this week. With Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman, the Johns/Lee Justice League, and Snyder's Batman, I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a tough one. I instantly found myself struggling with that age-old dilemma: which book do I read first? Do I lead out with the best and then read the rest, or do I put my favorite on the bottom so that I'll get through everything else and have it to finish strong? Decisions, decisions...

Monday, November 14, 2011

Buy This! - November 16th, 2011


Every Monday Seth picks out three items from Previews that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.


This week sees the release of some high-profile single issues. Batman, Justice League, Walking Dead, Avengers, the second issue of Aaron/Silvestri's Incredible Hulk... Yet none of them make the pick. Find out what does...

Friday, November 11, 2011

Tales From the Long Box: Star Wars #1 (1977)

Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.

Star Wars #1 (1977)

In the way of introductions, this one is probably going to have little to do with the book I'm to be writing about.

As a kid I was obsessed with Star Wars. I watched the original trilogy on VHS constantly, studying every aspect from the shot compositions to the set designs and costumes. Mind you, at the time I didn't view these things in their technical terms. I was learning about the ships and the clothing and the style of a galaxy far, far away. I was obsessed. I read the Thrawn trilogy, and that opened the door to the wider extended universe of the novels, and video games that were licensed by Lucasfilm.

When the original trilogy was rereleased to theaters in their special edition form I watched those too. I distinctly remember seeing A New Hope for the first time on a big screen and cheering my lungs out over the opening crawl. I owned the soundtracks in multi-disc cd collections, collected action figures... basically I took in Star Wars in every format I could get. Then Phantom Menace came along. When Phantom Menace was announced I was at the height of my Star Wars fandom. I camped out for two days with my older sister to get tickets. Opening night I sat surrounded by my family and friends. When the Lucasfilm logo appeared onscreen the place erupted.  

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Paul's Picks!



Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.



Batgirl #3 by Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf

Wow, what a week of comics! When I got my pulls from the Great Escape Comics in Bowling Green today, I didn't really know what to expect. Some weeks, I can almost predict which book is going to blow me away, or at least be my pick. This week however, I'll admit I was a little surprised by my favorite book. Isn't that one of the best things about comics? While some are almost always going to meet the mark, it is those surprisingly great issues that keep me coming back for more, such as Paul Cornell's Demon Knights. The sometimes laugh-out-loud-worthy banter by these characters, along with the fantasy-style setting that you can only get here, make this book a must have for anyone interested in branching out.


However, while I would love to call it a four way tie, only one book can rise as victorious. For me it came down to Green Lantern and Batgirl. In the end, I had to give Gail Simone her props. I'm certain there will be many weeks going forward where Johns' book takes the lead, but this week Simone took her series to a new level. When I grabbed Batgirl #1 back in August, I was incredibly curious to find out what was going on. After all, the once paraplegic Barbara Gordon was taking the mantle back on for the first time since The Killing Joke (which if you haven't read yet, GO. READ.). For any DC fan, this was a huge deal. As a matter of fact, this change was easily one of the most shocking revelations in the DCnU for me. How does Barbara go from the wheelchair to the rooftops? How will she "get back on her feet?"

Monday, November 7, 2011

Arkham City: Being Batman

When October 18th rolled around, I faced an internal struggle: to buy, or not to buy. My birthday had just passed only a week and a half prior, so I had a little extra cash on hand, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to take the plunge. After all, with so many incredible titles to come this holiday season (Zelda: Skyward Sword, MW3, Super Mario 3D Land to name a few), one must be careful on which titles he chooses to splurge. I had all but decided to pass on Batman's latest adventure for now, when I saw the game sitting on the shelf in the local Walmart. At that precise moment, something just clicked in my mind, and I realized there was no way I could wait months or even weeks to have this game. Something about the way Batman looked on that cover, perched on the edge of attack gripped me. In the back of my mind I could hear the opening notes from the Batman: Animated Series musical theme; I had fallen victim to the call, my own proverbial bat symbol lit up the sky. I grabbed my copy, holding it aloft, and declared to all within earshot, "I am vengeance. I am the night. I. Am. BATMAN!"

Buy This! - November 9th 2011



Every Monday Seth picks out three items from Previews that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.


Friday, November 4, 2011

Tales from the Long Box: B.P.R.D: Hollow Earth


Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.



Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Paul's Picks!


Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Swamp Thing #3

It's Wednesday, November 2nd, which also happens to coincide with "El Día de los Muertos." We just wrapped up Halloween here in the U.S. where I'm certain many of us had our fare share of sugar highs and more than one good beginning to a bad cavity. However, we all know that the true vein of All Hallows Eve and the Day of the Dead is not candy or costumes, but rather gut-wrenching, eye-averting horror. Well, at least that is true for many of us, although I'll admit I do consider myself to be a bit of a small white domesticated bird when it comes to the horror genre in general.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Buy This! - November 2nd 2011

Every Monday Seth picks out three items from Previews that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure our shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.


Friday, October 28, 2011

Tales from the Long Box: The Mighty Thor #353

Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.

The Mighty Thor #353

Walter Simonson is one of those names in comics that you just know. He's often named alongside the likes of Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko amongst others, as one of the great comic artists. His work on Thor in the 1980's plays a huge part in his legacy. Beginning with The Mighty Thor #337 his run ended at #382 almost five years later. Considering he pencilled as well as wrote a hefty chunk of that run it's even more impressive.

His Thor is all over the map in terms of variety of stories told. He started off by making some fairly substantial additions to the Thor canon with characters like Beta Ray Bill being introduced. Later he would delve into more bizarre fantasy-based stories including a not-as-goofy-as-it-sounds arc in which Thor becomes a frog. Yes. A frog. With a hammer.

However, the real meat of the run came fairly early on when Simonson wrote and drew the Surtur Saga. The story concerns a giant molten demon attempting enslave the earth. When this particular issue picks up Thor is beaten and unconscious, while his father Odin has been trapped inside an ice crystal... you know, it's basically like every other day in Asgard. On earth Beta Ray Bill and a host of Asgardians and a plethora of Marvel heroes are battling it out with Surtur's armies. Meanwhile Surtur is trying to ignite his sword , Twilight with flame that will not die... Or something.

I picked this particular issue up from a local shop where I found it nesting in a quarter bin some time back in 2003. At the time I'd had no prior experience with the character, his world or even the fantasy comic genre in general. I was blown away when I read this issue. As stated, I'd never read a Thor comic and this is an issue that essentially ends a story arc. Yet I was easily able to follow it and was completely blown away by the work of Walt Simonson.

I've since read the entirety of Simonson's work on Thor and whole-heartedly proclaim this the best issue. It's loud, it's huge in scope and it's pure comic book fun. Swords fly, villains are felled, heroes fall... it's everything today's comics are not. Coming, as it did, in the midst of the 80's it's written to the hilt. Characters explain things that are clearly shown, and the dialogue is a little stilted. But Thor #353 is a product of it's time and despite these seeming drawbacks they actually manage to enhance the experience for me. This is a book that actually benefits from it's seemingly negative aspects.The exposition is fun, and compared to some mid-80's books it doesn't feel like you're slogging your way through a swamp of words while you're reading it.

On the other hand, enough can't be said about Walt Simonson's art. His work would influence guys like Jim Lee and Rob Leifeld who, despite their best efforts, to this day can't capture the liveliness he infused in every panel of this book. Everything in this issue looks and feels enormous and epic. Like Lord of the Rings by way of Marvel comics. At times panels seem so full of characters engaged in acts of savagery you're almost afraid the book is going to explode in your hands.

Special mention has to go to John Workman Jr. who handled the lettering on the Surtur Saga. It may seem odd to call out the letterer of a book but once you've seen his work with sound effect text you'll understand what I mean.

This book hit me at a time when I was just getting back into comics and really exemplified the size and no-budget scope that a full blown action comic can reach. You should by all means seek out Walt Simonson's run on The Mighty Thor but especially track down this single issue.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

¡Paul's Picks!

I'm sure many of you faithful readers have recently been asking yourselves, "I wonder what books have been Paul's favorite this month?" Well, for all of you curious readers, I'm finally coming around with my weekly picks for this month! Okay, so maybe I'm a little behind on the "weekly" part, but going forward I will be faithfully posting my weekly favs and reviews for you all, starting now!

(Wednesday the 26th). When I grabbed my pulls for the day, I knew it was going to be a tough choice, with 7 great titles to read. With a lot of DC #2's like Flash and Superman, I was more than excited to get my stack home and power through them.


However, while Flash and Aquaman were both fantastic, I must admit they were beaten out by a very narrow margin by the one comic I'm pulling outside of the Big Two (*that's DC and Marvel, for those rare non-comic readers that happen to be reading this): Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 from IDW.

For those of you that may be skeptical, let me just say that this decision was not made on a whim. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm typically a DC fanboy, but even with the incredible art by Ivan Reis and the really fresh look into Barry Allen's mind by Manupal and Buccellato, I had to give it up for the "Heroes in a Half Shell." (Alert: Some mild SPOILERS ahead!!)

I have loved the Turtles since my preschool days, and I am so thankful for what Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman have given us here. This is a teenage-mutant-ninja-origin-story for the ages! Many of us might ask, why do these guys need an origin? We've all seen the movies, we get it. Turtles go in the ooze, get big, and have a natural affinity for pizza and butt-kicking. But what Waltz and Eastman have created is much more than that. There is the skeleton of the original story, with all new twists, and a great look into what made them who they are today.

Throughout the first three issues, W & E have been weaving the story back and forth between present day and flashbacks to the when the Turtles and Splinter were mutated. They manage to work between three different points of view seamlessly, masterfully employing the "show-don't-tell" that others often fail to accomplish. A couple of reviews online stated that they found this issue confusing, and that they had trouble figuring out where the authors were going with this. Personally, I found this issue to be the best out of the first three easily. Where there was some uncertainty before about Raphael and why he is separated from the other three with no knowledge of who he is or where he came from, we finally get a good view of the story from this one.

The dialogue flows great, with some funny moments between Raph and Casey

Jones, off on their own vigilante spree. On the other side, we see some great characterization between Donnie, Leo, and Mikey. If there was a fault in the first two issues, it was the shortage of characterization for the turtles (apart from Raph, who doesn't even know who he is). W & E hit their stride in issue three, giving us some very sincere dialogue between the brothers, slowly revealing to the readers (both old and new) what makes them who they are.

Of course, any comic reader knows that a book can't stand on words alone: the art needs to ROCK. And Dan Duncan draws the TMNT like no one else! His art is gritty but beautiful, creating a world that is absolutely perfect for these characters. This is my first run around with the guy, but his art is reminiscent of some of the pencillers with a more distinct art, like Francis Manupal and Scott Kollins. As a matter of fact, I'd say he's kind of a blend between the two, but still making his own distinct print.

Even in a week with heavy hitters like Flash and Aquaman, TMNT #3 stands out as an issue that heralds an amazing story ahead of us. For the old fans, we have a rare opportunity to see this world reborn in a way that I've personally been wanting for years! Right now we're seeing their beginning, but what next? An origin for Rocksteady and Bebop? Baxter Stockman? Crang? And if you don't know any of these characters, now is the perfect time for a new reader to order a pizza, grab this fantastic book, and watch as these guys raise some shell.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Tales From the Long Box - Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge

 Every week Seth goes into his back issue bins, picks out a single issue, story arc, or creative run, pours through it and then writes about it. He calls it Tales from the Long Box. Though old and now either retconned out of existence or made irrelevant by the latest event, these books still share something in common... they're bagged, boarded, and a part of comics history.

Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge: 


In 2008 the Flash title was at a weird place. During the early days of the 21st century Geoff Johns (frequently aided by penciller Scott Kollins) had written a seminal run on The Flash. It served as a springboard for Johns, catapulting him to comics superstardom. It also made the Flash something of a marquee character for the first time since Mark Waid's run in the mid-90's.


Eventually Johns would depart from the title in the days immediately following DC's event, Infinite Crisis. Mark Waid came onboard as writer, gave Wally West (the Flash who picked up the mantel after the death of the previous Flash, Barry Allen) a family and the title a new Incredibles-inspired feel. Readers unwilling to go with the new changes fell off, and the book slumped into obscurity for a couple years. During this time Wally went into "retirement", and Barry Allens grandson from the future (yeah, it's a whole thing), Bart Allen came aboard as the new Flash.


Which brings us to 2008. DC had another Crisis event taking place, this one deemed the Final Crisis, written by Grant Morrison. That event would herald the resurrection of deceased Flash, Barry Allen.


One of the highlights of Geoff Johns run on the Flash title was his work with Flash's villains. Known as the Rogues, they comprise one of the strongest collection of villains in comics. A motley gathering of misfits, the Rogues boast bizarre power sets, and conceptually goofy costumes. Despite these seemingly negative qualities the rogues work, and during Johns work on the Flash title he only made them better. Devoting whole issues to the bad guys, while offering new aspects of their origins or creating new ones entirely, he helped to flesh out characters like Mirror Master, Captain Cold, Heatwave, and Weather Wizard.


Rogue's Revenge is a revenge tale with those same four characters serving as protoganists and though it bears the Final Crisis title, it has little to do with that event. This story really serves as a means for Geoff Johns to write some really bad guys doing some really bad things to some even worse people. The Flash never makes an appearance beyond the final page of the last issue.


As stated, this is a revenge tale. In the final story arc of the post-Infinite Crisis Flash series, the Rogues were tricked into murdering Wally West's replacement, Bart Allen. One of the things that seperates these guys from other villains is their "code". Namely, they don't kill unless they have to, and never women, children or superheroes. That last one isn't due to any moral reason but rather to the fact that to kill a superhero would bring other superheroes down on them. It's just bad for business.


After being tricked into murdering Bart Allen by a villain named Inertia the villains return to Keystone City, home of the Flash, to hunt down, and kill him. Meanwhile, Professor Zoom, the reverse Flash, helps Inertia escape from the Flash museum where he was being held in a state of suspended animation. Simultaneously the Rogues are being hunted by a society of supervillains headed by a villain named Libra, who want them to either join their numbers or die.


All of these plots interweave until we eventually have a throwdown in issue three between the Rogues and Intertia, as well as a standoff between the Rogues and Libra. Through it all the Rogues are constantly reaffirmed as some of the most interesting and just flat out cool characters in DC comics. Their unwillingness to go along with the society and their staunch resolve to kill inertia are countered by smaller subplots involving the accidental murder of Weather Wizards brother, and Len Snart's abusive father. All of these elements work together seamlessly.


I can't say enough about Geoff Johns work on this mini series. He continued to add depth to the characters and managed to write a straight-forward revenge story that still surprised with some of the twists it took. The interaction between the rogues is always fascinating and in three issues Johns reminded us of why he was born to write them.


On the art side of things, Scott Kollins handled the art chores on the Flash book for quite a while so to see his quirky style back on a series starring these characters seemed only natural. You have to realize when this book came out these two creators had been absent from the title for a few years. Opening this book was like coming home again to someone who adored their previous work as much as I did.


Out of the three issues of Rogues Revenge, Kollins excels on issue two. There are page layouts on that particular issue that are fantastic. His work always has an energy that few other artists can capture and that is one of the reasons he was perfectly suited to drawing a Flash book. Even though this series doesn't revolve around sequences of characters running really fast to solve problems Kollins brought a flair to this book that visually set it apart from all the other Final Crisis minis.


Three years after it's release I still read this title at least a couple times a year. The story, pacing, dialogue, and art all compliment each other perfectly. Read it.

Friday, October 14, 2011

DC New 52: Final Week

For some reason I didn't include these four titles in my previous column. I wish I'd dispersed them a little more evenly so there was something positive to say in this post. That's not the case though; these are all negative reviews. If you don't want to deal with that then feel free to read one of the previous columns... or read the pull list posts that we've put up over the last two days.

I'm glad to be done reviewing every book DC is putting on the shelves, frankly. It's fun but also frustrating and I had to pour through some lousy books on my way to the finish line. Seriously, who has the money to afford this many new books every month?

For more of my thoughts on the relaunch and how I believe it all panned out, again, consult my pull list article or any of the past review posts. I'm looking forward to writing about some non-DC stuff finally. For now, here's my final reviews of the New 52... and hopefully, very soon I'll be able to quit typing the words "New 52" "relaunch" and "reboot"...

 
Teen Titans #1: My experience with the Teen Titans is relegated to Geoff Johns stint on the title. While I loved that run, the Teen Titans concept has just never interested me all that much. Why is that? you ask. Is it my intense dislike for teens? Perhaps my hatred of the movie Remember the Titans? Whatever the reason, this book (and it's creative team) was going to have their work cut out in winning me over.

...and they obviously didn't try because I'm not won over. I'm actually kind of appalled by this book The art by Bret Booth reminds me of something I'd find in an Image title circa 1994, and I don't mean that as a positive. It's an ugly book. On the other hand Scott Lobdell writes cliched dialogue and a dull first issue in general. I like some of these characters but as written here I have no interest in reading more about them.

 
Superman #1: This book is hands down the biggest disappointment out of the New 52. I love George Perez as a penciller. I tend to buy anything he draws, and overspend on massive, slip-cased hard covers that are displayed prominently on my shelves. However, George Perez doesn't pencil this issue. He writes it. I wish I could say he does so superbly or even adequately but he doesn't. Instead, we're left with a book written by a man who seemingly missed the memo that less is more. Or show don't tell.

I barely finished reading Superman #1. It took multiple attempts and self-imposed abbreviations of wordy panels for me to work through it. I find it so sad that Superman, DC's (arguably) second marque character behind Batman, gets a self-titled book that is written so poorly. Artist Jesus Merino does a fine job on the issue, as near as I can tell. His panels are so obscured by word balloons and pointless text that it was hard to really see.

I'm surprised DC dropped the ball on this book. Hiring a penciller who hasn't had much writing experience since the 80's to handle one of their biggest characters was a giant misstep and one that I find hard to blame on the writer himself.
 

Savage Hawkman #1: This book was originally supposed to be written by James Robinson. While Robinson's work of late hasn't been very strong I have doubts it would have been as boring as the issue that Tony Daniel has turned in here. I failed to review this issue in the week it actually came out. It was left off my pull stack by accident. In retrospect it was probably God's way of telling me not to waste my time. The book isn't terrible but it's so... there. That's it. It exists.

Phillip Tan changed up his art style for this book but it didn't do him any favors. I'm not a huge fan of his prior work but I didn't hate it. What he's drawn here is muddled and ugly and the coloring doesn't help it at all. Hopefully some day Hawkman will be given a book worthy of him. This isn't it.


Voodoo #1: I have next to nothing to say about this book. It's so introductory that I can barely find anything to write about it beyond that it's a book written by Ron Marz. The pencils by Sami Basri are good, aside from some stiffness and the occasional lifeless expression. Again, I've got nothing bad or good to say about the book. More so than any issue, this was brief, and included very little in the way of story or character development. However, it didn't do anything to capture my interest enough to pick up another issue.