ancillary characters: DC

Showing posts with label DC. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Five Failures of DC Comics

Lately I've been diving back into the deep, murky waters of DC continuity... circa the early-to-mid-2000's. You know, Morrison's Batman, Johns' Justice Society, Teen Titans and Flash, the various Crisis', Meltzer's Green Arrow and, of course, 52. Much of what I've been reading is shockingly good. Even weighed against the superhero books that are on the shelves today. Much of it is, arguably, not terribly well drawn but then back in those heady days DC didn't exactly seem to be crowded with unique artistic voices.

In reading all of this old stuff though I've had to reevaluate how I see the New 52. DC's bold experiment was something that I stood behind from the beginning. Sometimes vehemently, as when I argued with fellow podcaster Austin Wilson (Hideous Energy) on Twitter so angrily that his co-host actually called my cell to make sure I wasn't genuinely furious. I wasn't and I ended up going on the show to further argue my point with them.

Paul's Picks! - February 1, 2013

Hey there friends! It's been a while, hasn't it? Alas, due to my recent relocation for my student teaching assignment, I've been forced into a comic shop dead zone. As this is the case, I am currently having to have my pulls shipped to me from my regular shop back in Bowling Green, KY, the Great Escape Records and Comics. They have been gracious enough to take on the task of shipping me my books so that I can continue buying print comics (I'll never give in, digital overlords!), but the downside is that I often have to wait weeks at a time for my massive stacks of pulls. As such, the entire premise of "Paul's Picks" has become tainted and strictly limited to the ancillary purchase that I make via Comixology. However, since this week managed to land on a shipping week, I was able to read a good stack of books, including this week's!

And man, what a week it is! As I'm sitting down to write this article, I am torn practically in two on which book best deserves my pick. I'll tell you right outside the gate, DC Comics took the cake. If you've been tuning in (as you should be) to the AC Podcast, then you'll be well aware of all the Marvel love we've been spreading around lately, myself included. But for all of the good stuff coming out of the NOW! relaunch, there is no question in my mind that DC brought their "A" game this week with two titles that may or may not be in your sights: Aquaman #16 and Batman Incorporated #7. As a matter of fact, I loved both of these books so much, I don't think I can make Sophie's choice. In other words, I'ma go with both.

Paul's Picks! - December 5, 2012

The reaction Morrison's Action Comics run here at the Ancillary Characters has been, well, mixed. Which is saying something since Seth and I typically jump at the chance to gush on all of your love for Grant's work on our favorite characters from the DCU (Batman and Robin anyone?). With that being said, there has just been something lacking this time around. The art has been hit or miss, and the be honest the stories have fallen short of what I've come to expect from one of his books, especially Superman. I mean, when you've got a series like All Star Superman to hold this up against, it has basically failed to come even close to the quality and spirit of what we know is possible.

That is, until issue 15. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few issues that struck a right note through this arc, but not one issue has taken my imagination and heart by the reigns in the way that this one did. From the very opening scene, I know that this must be the story that Grant has been wanting to tell. There have been little hints and tidbits dropped here and there ever since the first issue of the relaunch, and in the token Morrison way, all of those pieces are finally coming together for a story that is both epic in proportion and moving on an emotional level.

Paul's Picks!... Is Back! - November 2, 2012

Water Cooler #3: Comic Book Blabbery

Every week we're posting our live recordings to http://youtube.com/ancillarycharacters

Along with our regular episodes we're posting these post-show discussions.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Paul's Picks! - September 19, 2012

Hey guys! Sorry about the delay on this weeks Pick, I'm in the heat of classes, so I'm afraid there may be a few weeks throughout the semester when my column may slip back a day or two... But don't worry, I'll be certain to get a pick up every week, barring any excessive hindrances.

Throwing out my usual blurb leading into my pick of the week, lets just get right into comics, shall we? My absolute pick of the week (as spoiled by this weeks episode of the podcast) is...

Paul's Picks! - September 12, 2012

The interwebs have been all aflame with buzz about Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman series, which has certainly been deserved. With that being said, one of the unsung heroes of this relaunch has certainly been the high quality of the Batman and Robin series by Tomasi and Gleason. From the very first arc, introducing a new and compelling villain named "Nobody," they made it very clear that they have something special planned for the book. The interaction between the Wayne father and son is something that you can't really get anywhere else. The dynamic is played out to a point that it makes you wonder why it's not happening more in other Bat books.

Paul's Picks! - August 23, 2012

Ah, Wednesday. That day that we comic fans look forward to all week long. Why is that? Why, it's New Comic Book Day of course. It's the day we take a break from our regularly scheduled lives and swing down to the LCS, or perhaps just browse the digital offerings and indulge on our tablets, laptops, or smart phones. No matter what your preferred method of reading, it all means the same thing: new comics. It's one of the joys of life, a chance to step outside of the mundane and escape to a fiction world where anything is possible. Yep. All that jazz.

With a thick stack of books from my local comic shop (Great Escape Comics, check it out if you're in Bowling Green, KY), there were a fair few of contenders for my Pick of the Week. Flash upped the ante this week with the Rogues. Batman: TDK continues to be great (and utterly terrifying). And, of course, the 50th Anniversary of Spider-Man brings us the origin of the Wall Crawler's new sidekick, Alpha. But remember, as in AvX (and Highlander), "there can only be one"...

Ancillary Characters' Podcast - Episode 26: Putting on a Podcasting Clinic

Here it is, Episode 26: Putting on a Podcasting Clinic!

Let us know what you think, tweet us @AncillaryTweets, @jollygreen05 (Paul), @SethBreedslove, or @kallenboone.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Paul's Picks! - August 15, 2012

New Comics Day came, and I'm back to share with all of you my thoughts about the one book that arose victorious as Paul's Pick! This was one of the tougher weeks I've had in a while, as there were more than 3 books that were easily deserving of a "Pick." But don't worry, I'm here to make all of the tough decisions that must be made. All the books can't win, just one book (ok, so maybe I've split it in the past, but you get the point). And so, in a very interesting turn of events, my Pick of the Week goes to...

Green Lantern #12 by Geoff Johns and Renato Guedes

Tales From the Long Box: Grant Morrison's Batman Retrospective #2

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.

Grant Morrison's Batman Retrospective

Issue Two: The Black Glove

If we consider Batman & Son to be the story arc concerning Bruce meeting Damian for the first time then Black Glove would merely be the three issue story wherein Bruce and Tim arrive on the island of a wealthy, former movie director where they intend to laze about with a shoddy collection of heroes similar to Batman but are instead hunted by a mysterious killer under the direction of something called the Black Glove. However, that would leave me in a weird place because one thing Grant Morrison loves to do is go off on little rabbit trails and tell the occasional side story. There are at least five side stories here.

Paul's Picks - August 8, 2012

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 now for his much-anticipated pick-of-the-week...

Another week, another huge stack of comics (and files of digital comics) to read. I couldn't wait to get my pulls from the LCS this week, but once I nabbed my stack, I realized that many of my books are in a strange place right now. I wouldn't say we're in a dull moment, I mean AvX is rapidly approaching its climactic end, and many series are in the middle of an arc (some more enthralling than others), but I found myself a bit disinterested in some of the titles I've been reading over the last couple of weeks. A keen example would be New Avengers by BMB. It's a good title, and it has contained some of the best tie-ins from the event so far, but when I flipped over to it on my iPad, I was a bit nonplussed. It wasn't a bad book, I guess it's just that I'm feeling the longevity of this event in the tie-ins more than anything else. The one book that I immediately lifted to the top of the pile was Scott Snyder's Batman #12, but I'm sad to say it just didn't blow me away. I think I was pulled in by all of the Twitter hype singing its praises, so once I had it behind me I was a bit let down (although the guest art by Becky Cloonan was top notch).

But never fear! There were two books that totally rocked my world this week, but as in Highlander (and the Phoenix Five), "there can be only one." And so, without further whining/yapping/introducing, my pick this week goes to...

Tales from the Long Box: Grant Morrison's Batman Retrospective #1

Grant Morrison's Batman Retrospective

Issue one: Batman & Son

Let me start off by saying that over the last four or five years Grant Morrison has become my favorite superhero writer. He did this mostly through the strength of his work on the various Batman titles he's written. It could also be credited to the fact that I've taken in the bulk of his non-Batman superhero work in the last few years rather than spread out over the few decades that he's been writing comics. Basically I gorged myself on his entire back catalog of DC and Marvel fare. He has something to say and often he says it in the most intensely experimental way possible; other times it's surprisingly straight forward.

The Dark Knight Rises: Review

Christopher Nolan's finale to his take on the Batman mythos is a giant, unwieldy thing, and it is for that reason amongst many others that I adore it. I've always felt like Nolan has an epic vision for these movies that is more reminiscent of David Lean than Frank Miller and with this chapter that opinion is forever cemented in my mind. This is Nolan doing Lawrence of Arabia with established comic book properties. Just like Lean's historical epic we have a battered, broken hero who rises, then falls and is again reborn as the man he needs to become to defeat a tremendous force.

Tales from the Long Box: Is Marvel Winning the Comic Book Wars?

Is Marvel Winning the Comic Book Wars?

On the most recent episode of our podcast (out now) we were sent an e-mail by faithful listener Michael/@Ctcher asking us if we believed, like him, that Marvel is currently the better company. He mentioned the depth of Marvel's character roster as well as their stable of creative talent. Paul and I got into it a little bit on the show but I felt I had more to say on the subject. So here is me saying more on the subject.

For my part, the importance is always placed on the creators. Sure I love Batman but plenty of bad writers have written awful Batman stories. This was a lesson I learned when I first started reading comics regularly. It all comes down to the creators. When you look at the big guns at Marvel, names like Hickman, Bendis, Fraction, Brubaker, Aaron, Loeb (regardless of how you feel about his work, he's still a big draw for many people), Zeb Wells, Waid... I could go on. At DC you have Johns, Morrison, Lemire, Snyder... I guess you could toss Gail Simone in there but she's only writing one title currently. This isn't to say there aren't more solid writers at either company; there are. But these are the guys who will sell a comic based on name recognition alone.

Paul's Picks - July 11, 2012

Wow. I have to start off by saying, I'm sorry. That is, I'm sorry to all of you faithful readers who have come back to my column on multiple occasions to read my weekly pick, only to find that there has been complete silence on my end over the last month or so. And while Seth and I owe much thanks to Mr. Allen Boone for keeping the blog going with his always-entertaining "Weekly Roundup," there is a Pick-shaped hole in the content we've been providing you on the blog. I'm in the craziest part of summer, and responsibilities from the real world have kept me tied up to the extent that I haven't been able to make time for Paul's Picks...

But never fear, the drought has ended! While we Ancillary Characters have certainly been keeping everyone up to date with our weekly podcast, – which KILLED IT in downloads last month! Thanks everyone – we will hopefully be bringing you a consistent, quality output of comic-related goodies going forward. I'm back with a vengeance, and I'm here to deliver a pick alongside a review for the one book that has made the biggest impression on me so far this summer, if not since the beginning of the year. And that title is...

Paul's Picks! - June 7, 2012

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 now for his much-anticipated pick-of-the-week...

Alright, alright, you got me; I totally skipped out on you all last week. All joking aside, I completely forgot that I hadn't written it until around Friday, and by then I felt like there was almost no point in going on to write it. In a week with very few issues coming out to read anyhow (those darn 5th weeks get me every time), there wasn't a whole lot to choose from in the first place. However, you're just dying to know which book tickled my fancy last Wednesday, go check out our most recent episode of the AC Podcast, where you can find not only my pick, but also Seth's and Ethan's. Fun times are sure to follow.

Now that we got that awkward moment behind us, let's move on to what you're really here for: Paul's Pick from Wednesday, June 7th. The first week of the month has become one of those that always contain some A list titles, such as Action Comics and Swamp Thing, not to mention the recent addition of some new books like Earth 2. And yet, while I had my share of topnotch series to choose from this week, I found myself somewhat underwhelmed by many of these titles. Don't get me wrong, there were some good books, but no single comic jumped out as the winner of the week. I hated the thought of just picking one, as it kind of demeans what "Paul's Picks!" is all about. Therefore, I've decided to give you all another "special edition" of the column, where I will stray from my usual choice of a single title that reigns victorious by instead picking out my favorite aspects of several books. So instead of a "pick of the week," I'm gonna give my pick of the best aspects from a handful of books. Sound good? Ok, let's get to it then...

ALERT! There are probably going to be some spoilers present, so if you haven't read the book I'm discussing, skip that segment, or you just might regret it!

Tales from the Long Box: Nobody Panic

Nobody Panic

I recently saw a tweet from a rather prolific comic writer make mention of the fact that the comics industry has a general negative attitude about nearly everything. In other words the glass is always half empty for the average fan, and even creator. This has become only more prevalent as sales have slipped below those wild and crazy days of the mid-90's when books regularly sold in the half million range and a cancelled book was selling in excess of 80-100 K. It's completely understandable why everyone would freak out, shutter their windows, close up shop and move on to other forms of entertainment.

Paul's Picks! - May 24, 2012

¿What If? - The Trinity War

¿What If?

Hello friends and fans! Welcome to a totally new addition to our blog here at the Ancillary Characters. If you're been following the podcast, then you'll be well aware of the new segment that we're incorporating in a monthly basis, which we've aptly named "What If." Much in the vein of those crazy old Marvel comics from back in the day, we take on random concepts that are either highly likely or almost impossible and give our thoughts on them. In our first installment on Episode 13, we discussed some alternate scenarios regarding the New 52. Seth revealed his elaborate corporate strategy around an Marvel Ultimate style universe for DC, whereas I revealed the mind-blowing Hipster Superman to the world of comic book fandom. As you can see, there are no restrictions on the unbridled creativity that we're tapping into.

With the first edition of "¿What If?" behind us, it's time to unveil the next step of the initiative in full on written form. To be honest, I've been looking for a new avenue for writing on the blog for some time, and when I had the idea for the What If segment, it seemed the perfect fit for both the show and the site. And so, with no more introduction, my first entry will be wild speculation and imagination surrounding...

Nice cover for a FCBD issue, huh.

DC's Trinity War - The New 52 Opt-Out

Alright, I know what many of you are already thinking: this guy's nuts. But don't jump to any conclusions, hear me out and maybe you'll see my train of thought. Two weeks ago, DC released their New 52 Special for new comic book day. However, while this issue was titled after the DC relaunch, it comes almost a year after its release last August/September, and the issue itself had very little in regards to the New 52 as a whole. The first part of the book was about Pandora, the mysterious character that Barry Allen encountered at the end of Flashpoint, who also appeared in the background of each New 52 launch issue. However, fans and readers quickly moved on from these pages to the tease concerning 2013's promised mega event, called the Trinity War. Now, we've all been speculating as to what this war may be, and the general consensus is that it will be some sort of "civil war" among the Big Three (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, of course). While we may no very little about the actual events of the event-to-come, Johns and Lee gave us a six-page view (with a four-page layout) that has intrigued fans to say the least.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Friday, December 7, 2012

Friday, November 2, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Monday, July 16, 2012

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Friday, May 25, 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Thursday, May 17, 2012

¿What If?