Over at Examiner.com, I have written a little bit about some comics and comic-related things that came out this week. Savage Dragon #155 is one of those. Here’s the rest!

G.

With EJ never being around when Alex is, and vice versa, John is beginning to think the other two komikeros are actually (dramatic pause) THE SAME PERSON!  Keep listening to Tres Komikeros to get to the bottom of this chilling mystery.

Oh also we read some comics: Blackest Night #5, Image United #1, and New Avengers #59.  After an audience review and a round of quick shots, the boys played a healthy game of thumb warfare.

Lastly, a sensitive topic is tackled in this week’s panel discussion — Comic Book Elitism.  Yeah.

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By Robert Kirkman (writer) Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd Mcfarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri & Jim Valentino (artists)

The Story: Super-villains are attacking major cities around the world simultaneously, setting the greatest Image Comics heroes on a course that will bring them together for the first time in over a decade!  Youngblood.  Savage Dragon. Spawn.  Cyberforce.  Witchblade.  Fortress.  Shadowhawk.  They’re all here, each penciled by their individual superstar creators!

What’s Good: Kirkman does an admirable job here, but by admirable, I don’t necessarily mean good. What I mean is that it’s obvious that he tried his best.  The writer has a marked appreciation for these characters and this era of comic publishing and that affection gives this first issue a lot of positive energy. It’s fair to assume that Kirkman didn’t have an easy task before him on this project.  Trying to write a cohesive story and service the fact that he’s writing for six different artists and six different franchises is enough to bring any solid writer down, and though he does prove somewhat susceptible to that weakness, there still manages to be some fun to be had with his execution.

Now, no matter how good Kirkman’s plot is, what everyone really cares about with this comic book is the artwork.  While this is certainly not the first time the gimmick of different artists working on the same page has been done, this is certainly the first time such high-profile artists have done so.  That fact alone makes this worth checking out.  Well, provided you’re a fan of at least a few of these artists.  I was surprised that, overall, the mixture of six different styles never really distracted me much from the flow of the story.  An interesting experiment…

What’s Not So Good: Well, if you read between the lines of my “What’s Good” section above, you’ll notice that the best I could say about this comic book was that no one ruined it.  That obviously doesn’t mean that it’s very good.  Let me put it another way.  This comic book would have kicked my skinny little ass when I was in high school.  I would’ve eaten it up and come back for seconds.  Unfortunately, it is not 1992 and, also, I had a pretty shitty sense of what was good back in high school (Except for The Good Son.  I’m standing by The Good Son, you hear me?!).  I don’t even see this appealing to the kids of today as it’s very much of it’s time and most of these characters haven’t exactly been bank-breakers for a very long while.  This might have been a momentous occasion ten years ago, but now?  Too little , way too late.

To further cement my opinion here, let’s list a bunch of stuff within these pages that High School Joe would have overlooked, but Early 30’s Joe can’t help but groan at.  Spawn’s cape (Which is mammoth!  I mean, it’s, like, his whole costume.) disappearing between pages.  One second it’s there, the next, gone.  This is not okay.  How about an explosion knocking everyone off their feet, but the only character who’s literally knocked on her ass so that she can lie in a sexy pose is the hot chick wearing a metal bikini.  Hot?  Well, yes.  Okay?  Not really.  Everyone standing in exaggerated poses while they’re talking to each other and often screaming things through gritted teeth like, “We are all going to die!”, when the person they’re speaking to is, oh, six feet away.  Obnoxious and lazy?  Yep.  Okay?  Nope.  Sound effects spelled “GOOM!”  “Goom”?  “Goom”?  Is this the sound of a goat exploding?  I understand that boom can get old pretty quickly, but there’s obviously a reason it’s lasted so long, people. “Hey, that bomb’s about to go off!”  “GOOM!”  So not okay.

Conclusion: There’s an exchange around the midpoint of this issue between Badrock and the Savage Dragon that goes like this:  Badrock:  “This is going to ROCK!”  Savage Dragon: “Grow up,  already.”  Those two lines perfectly summarize everything to be said about this comic book.

Grade: D

-Joe Lopez

Due to hitting the busy season at work, I basically took a week off from reviewing. With the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve had a chance to catch up a bit. As usual, these are mini/”capsule” reviews of books I picked up but am not writing out a full review for. This post is double-sized due to covering TWO weeks’ worth of books.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Special #1
This issue’s a real treat. For the same price as a black-and-white issue of Tales of the TMNT, the issue is full-color. Best of all, it’s the classic #1 issue, now in color for the first time as a comic. (It’s been colorized at least once before, in the First graphic novel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Book I). The coloring looks quite natural, and it would have been awesome to see the original series re-issued in color…or at least, the first ten issues, the one-shots for each turtle, and Return to New York. For that matter, City at War as well. As-is, at the very least, this is a nice version of #1 to add to one’s collection without breaking the bank. Highly recommended for any TMNT fan, or anyone curious as to how the turtles’ story got started.

Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #5
This issue continues the story of Deadpool, Zombie-head Deadpool and Dr. Betty facing Hydra agents trying to kill them to get the head themselves. A bit of cheesecake art to the issue, but that can be overlooked for an excellent scene in which Deadpool and Bill (not Bob–he insists he’s Bill, though Deadpool can’t seem to really tell the difference from his old buddy) have an exchange over the Star Wars series of movies. Suffice to say that reading this, one knows exactly where Deadpool stands regarding the trilogies. Overall another fun issue. I’m pretty sure the story wraps with issue 6, so at this point if you aren’t already following the book or able to get the first few issues, you’re probably just as well to wait for a collected edition. The story so far definitely seems well worthwhile for Deadpool fans, whichever way the story’s read.

Supergirl #47
This issue provides a good deal of backstory to Alura, and her courtship by Zor-El. We also see the character FINALLY acting out of real motivation that can be understood, instead of just coming off as a near-villainous witch of a character. Reactron is put on trial, and Alura is determined that he will be tried justly and not simply killed out of vengeance-seeking. Unfortunately, her fellow New Kryptonians don’t all share the sentiment, leading to some interesting character development. Though Supergirl is present in these pages, this is very much Alura’s story, with her daughter playing a minor role. The end of the issue has an interesting (in a way) revelation that does seem par for the course. Not a bad issue, but not wonderful. If you’re already following the title and/or the over-arching story in the Super-books, this’ll be just fine. It’s not really an issue to entice new readers, I don’t think. Not sure if it’s significant or just an oversight on someone’s part, but the cover lacks the “World Against Superman” banner the titles have been carrying lately, though this retains the red-shield numbering begun with August’s Codename: Patriot arc.

Flash: Rebirth #5
I’m pretty sure this started out as a 5-issue mini-series…I recall it seeming slightly “off” as I recalled Green Lantern: Rebirth being 6, and thinking the two ought to be pretty much the same length. This issue sees all the various speedsters team up, as well as a development that presumably “solves” whatever issue it was Wally’s kids were having with their powers…and we seem to have a new Impulse (given Bart gave up the identity to become Kid Flash back in 2003). This continues the “legacy” aspect of the Flash line. There’s a revelation that affects Barry’s past…as well as a very specific threat to his past. This is a sorta interesting issue, but on the whole, continues to be more “miss” than “hit” for me. GL: Rebirth dispelled my unease toward returning a long-dead character to an old status quo and really set up a great new status quo that worked everyone into the mix. This Flash: Rebirth has not at all sold me on any “WHY” Barry needs to be back, and simply puts things logically into place to ALLOW for the character being back, and incorporating pretty much everything else involving the Flash family of characters. Recommended if you’ve already invested in the first 4 issues of the series.

Uncle Scrooge #385
It’s great to be able to pick up this series now. I’d bought maybe 3 issues several years ago while it was being put out by Gemstone, but simply could not justify the $8 per issue, even if it was squarebound and double-ish-sized. This issue is fairly low-key, picking up from the previous issue. Scrooge, Donald, and the nephews continue to deal with Magica as she tries for Scrooge’s Number One Dime. Once things are wrapped up at the mine, Scrooge & Co. wind up looking for sunken treasure, and dealing with Magica AND the Beagle Boys. While not the greatest of comics, this is still a good, fun issue, and well worth getting if you’ve any interest in these characters.

Archie #603
The “Wedding Story” has taken a twist I didn’t expect: rather than being a 6-part exploration of Archie marrying Veronica, after 3 issues of that the story has switched to give us the story of what would happen if Archie married Betty instead. I’m really enjoying this “longform” story that not only takes more than a page to tell, but multiple issues. I’ve picked up the occasional Archie book through the years…but with stories like this, I might just stick around on a monthly basis.

Superman #694
This issue sees Mon-El’s “official” return to action as he re-reveals himself to the people who’ve thought him dead for awhile. This also debuts the “new” costume…which honestly seems a non-issue to me, despite the big deal being made of it. On the whole, it looks to me like the only difference is that Mon-El is now sporting a small “S-shield,” as he’s holding Superman’s place…and Blue shorts to contrast with the red costume (sort of a reverse-Superman color scheme). Probably the best part of the issue is the interaction with Connor and Ma, showing that Mon has a place within the Superman family of characters.

Image United #1
I have mixed feelings on this book. For one thing, something of this scale ought to have a huge multi-panel fold-out cover, such that all the primary characters are spotlighted…instead of one having to choose one of six segments of the picture as the cover to purchase. I chose the Savage Dragon segment, that character long being one of my favorite characters that I rarely read, though the Spawn cover was cool, too. The “jam session” of having each character’s creator doing that character’s visuals is a very cool thing, and a different take on doing a crossover project. The story itself seems to be a slow build and full of little but action (presumably to show off the blending of the different art styles). Being familiar with these characters for the past 16-17 years, the blended style worked well, and nothing really seemed all that jarring. Since this will surely be collected into a single volume eventually and my proclivity toward this type of variant/alternate covers…I’ll probably pass on the subsequent issues and snag the collected volume when that comes out, if I still have enough interest.

Son of Marvel Reading Chronology
This is one of those freebies that Marvel puts out on occasion, to try to hook one on buying more product. While I prefer the “Saga” issues (they’re free, and take far, far longer to read than any other single comics, and fill me in on stuff so I know what’s up overall without having to keep up on Marvel’s output in general), this guide is rather informative, showing what volumes are out there, in-print…and what they collect. As well as, of course, the order to read them for a chronological reading experience in-continuity. If nothing else, this has informed me that there are currently 10 hardcovers collecting Ultimate Spider-Man, so I know there are only 5 left that I want to try to track down. This is definitely a worthwhile guide if you can find it and not have to pay for it…or at least, please don’t pay much for it, as It is SUPPOSED to be FREE.

The Trouble with Comics site recently conducted an interview with Image Comics own Erik Larsen.  The state of the comics market, both direct and newsstand, is discussed.

Check out the interview HERE.

Retrospective week is upon us again! This month, the guys dive into one of the greatest Spider-Man sagas of all time, J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck’s classic Kraven’s Last Hunt. The guys break down the story, talk about what makes it so enduring, and discuss spin-offs and repurcussions that last even today! In the picks this week, Blake presents Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule #3, Chase digs Savage Dragon #150, and Mike enjoys Superman: World of New Krypton #5. This week’s graphic novel pick: Echo: Atomic Dreams. Don’t forget our “Give Mike a Title” contest! Contact us with comments, suggestions, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com.

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 129: Spider-Man — Kraven’s Last Hunt
Inside This Episode:

Plus: With a whole one day of the San Diego Comicon under our belts, Blake and Chase sit down to chat about some of the announcements so far. An ARG for Tron: Legacy? A possible Roger Rabbit 2? The return of Jeff Smith’s Bone? Bat-Boy comes to comics? Plus, Chase talks about the latest season of Torchwood!

Week in Geek #27: One Day in San Diego

We haven’t done one since October, and that’s way too long. It’s the return of the Showcase Tangent! This week the guys bounce from topic to topic with no rhyme or reason, answering your e-mails, and going where the discussion takes us. Flash: Rebirth! The new DC pulp heroes including Doc Savage! Kevin Smith on The Green Hornet! The great Star Trek debate! Dark Avengers! And lots, lots more in this giant-sized episode! In the picks this week, Blake loves the first issue of The Unwritten, Chase loves every issue of The Walking Dead, and Mike has been waiting 15 years to love Power Girl! This week’s graphic novel pick: Fallen Angel Vol. 6: Cities of Light and Dark. Write us with comments, suggestions, picks of the week, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 119: Return of the Showcase Tangent
Inside This Episode:

]]> http://adamtree.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/free-comic-book-day-09/ Mon, 04 May 2009 17:43:19 +0000 adamtree http://adamtree.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/free-comic-book-day-09/

Errand runs to a couple of bookstores, a West Texas Writers workshop, a Scholastic Book Fair and the search for free comics made for a full Free Comic Book Day.

The Boy and I left the ladies to their own devices (a day of shopping) and headed out on our quest for gratis works of sequential art about mid-morning. No half-hour animations for us. No, sir. We returned almost nine hours later with armloads of great FCBD stuff.

Our first stop was Hastings Entertainment in Odessa, who once again failed their customers on Free Comic Book Day. They offered DC’s Blackest Night, Impact University, Savage Dragon and Shonen Jump. That’s all. Out of about 40 available titles. And they had only a small stack of each.

I’m told specialty shop retailers pay 20 cents for each FCBD comic, and I suspect Hastings pays much, much less. Surely an “entertainment superstore” with the resources of a chain affiliate can afford to do more than a piddly four titles.

Hastings in Midland thinks more of their clientele. They offered the same four titles and Archie, The Avengers, Bongo Comics, a Dark Horse sampler, Oni Press’ Resurrection, Sonic, TransFormers/G.I. Joe and Wolverine: Origin of an X-Man. There was, unfortunately, a 10 book limit.

The store looked great, however. I don’t know when they last remodeled, but I’ve never seen the place looking so clean and inviting. Perhaps the Odessa store could learn a few things from the Midland location.

DPC (sometimes known as Dale’s Planet Comics) defied expectations by participating this year. It’s my opinion that Dale struggles to justify the expense of FCBD against the return gained. His supply may have been picked over by the time I arrived, but I know for sure he offered most of the above titles plus Aliens/Predator, Cars, the Dabel Brothers Showcase, NASCAR Heroes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. DPC also featured a $1 bin from which I picked up the Lone Ranger and Tonto #1. It may not be free, but it’s hard to beat a buck.

Thunderstruck Comics and Collectibles proved to be the clear victor this year, offering both a multitude of Free Comic Book Day swag and superior customer service. The Boy and I agree it’s the place to go to shop for comics and related paraphernalia, and I’d rather take my son there than other establishments. It’s not that Thunderstruck doesn’t carry a certain amount of questionable material, but the atmosphere there is more pleasant.

The still young comics store went to lengths to provide 41 free titles, a sampler chapter from a Magic the Gathering novel and a special FCBD Minimates Figure. The Boy and I were allowed to take multiple copies. I also bought a copy of the first issue of the new Muppets Show Comic at a 15% discount. Discounts are an everyday thing at Thunderstruck and not just for FCBD.

The titles this year appear to skew more kid friendly than in the past. The last couple of years have been a huge improvement over ‘07 when pornographic content was offered. A few books look a little rough, but last years Arcana sampler taught me not to judge a free comic by it’s cover.

West Texas Writers met for our last scheduled meeting before the Summer break. We played a writing game which turned out to be a lot of fun. Thanks go to Shonda for the idea.

The Scholastic Book Fair presented hundreds of good books at low prices. The Boy and I got in to the exclusive sale because of our family’s commitment to homeschooling. I scored a copy of Amelia Rules! Funny Stories and Bone Volume 3: Eyes of the Storm at 50% off. They didn’t have the first volume, and I’ve already read V1 and V2 anyway; so I grabbed the third book. (Now I have an excuse to purchase the others.)

Free Comic Book Day ‘09 can safely be declared a huge success. Now, on to the reading!

* GET YOUR BUT UP AND GET ON OVER TO ‘ FREE COMIC BOOK DAY ‘

** CLICK TO FIND YOUR NEAREST PARTICIPATING LOCATION **

From Stephan (It seemed silly to have two posts about FCBD in a row): Happy Free Comic Book Day gang! Expect to see coverage from both Golden Apple in Los Angeles and Jetpack Comics in Rochester, NH! We kids and GGM get around! Am I right?!?!

Wizard Magazine every year prints a year in review. As I was perusing their site, reading up on the latest news, I noticed an ad for their fan favorite edition featuring a variant cover drawn by J. Scott Campbell featuring President Obama.

If there was one consistent thing this past year in comic books (other than price hikes) was President Obama was the go-to “character” to boost sales.  Amazing Spider-man went into umpteen reprints, Savage Dragon had multiple printings, and the President starred in his own biographical comic by IDW, resparking an interest in comic book bios.

I still argue his turn in Marvel comics’ Thunderbolts was his sleeper cameo of the year (though I didn’t get a chance to check out Youngblood).

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters!

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Adam “Pablo” Gonzales, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, and Barbara Smythe, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Your host: Steve Kane of the original community-supported KAZU.

Hi all, Lance here; so our first entry was Faulkner-esque in length, yes. But thorough, though! Don’t worry, this one’s a shorter one, I promise:

Last year I created a store on Zazzle. Zazzle, in case you didn’t know, is an online store where you can upload images onto shirts, mugs, mousepads, etc, and set the profit per item. And, “Zazzle is the only on-demand retail platform to offer billions of products that ship in 24 hours.” And they are! All the more reason to work with them.

The store, called “Biff! Bang! Pow!” features T-shirts, magnets, mousepads, cards, tote bags, and even postage featuring classic comic book covers from the 1940’s and 1950’s from publishers whose characters and/or issues fell into the public domain, forgotten parts of the tapestry of comic book history.

You know Batman and Spider-Man, how about The Black Terror or The Green Lama? Ms. Masque? Dynamic Man? There’s a huge golden age revival happening now with the “Next Issue Project” (and the original Daredevil in Savage Dragon) at Image Comics, and Dynamite’s “Superpowers” mini-series arcs. Here’s a chance to get the cool merchandise kids couldn’t get with their cereal box tops way back in the day. http://www.zazzle.com/biffbangpow* is the site. Go ahead, take a look, then come back and see me.

No, it’s okay. I’ll wait.

…

You’re back? Great. There are over 30 images on over 100 different pieces of merchandise. Plus you can customize the images, make them smaller, larger, or add text if its a gift. There will be other images and merchandise added over time.

Here’s the thing: all proceeds raised from the “Biff! Bang! Pow!” store will help fund AudioComics in its early stages. Everything from LLC payments to feeding actors at a recording session. C’mon…you know you want that sheet of Princess Pantha postage…

Okay, one other thing: recently, comics legend Len Wein…you know, Len Wein? Creator of Wolverine, Swamp Thing, The Human Target? Editor of Watchmen? Writer of just about every major character DC and Marvel created? All-around nice guy? Yeah, that Len Wein…lost most of his home in a fire on April 6. He and his son got out in time; his wife was not home when it happened. Tragically, one of their dogs perished from smoke inhalation. He also lost 40 years worth of comics, books, artwork, awards, etc. Yes, the Weins have insurance, but many things won’t be covered, including his comic book collection, specifically the books he wrote. Books you might have in your collection! Another all-around nice guy, writer Mark Evanier, has spearheaded an initiative to replace Len’s lost books. Evanier’s web address is: www.povonline.com. Go check it out, find the entries on Len’s comic book collection, and see from the updated list which books he still needs. Then check your long box!

Seriously, Len Wein has given us a lot of great books over the years, and here’s a chance to give back, thus proving an old addage: sometimes nice guys finish first.

Ahoy there, true believers!  Ronald Rosebud has been writing rings around me regularly, so I thought I ought to try and catch up!  Between a heavy-workload in my secret civilian identity and the fact that I’ve only been following Fantastic Four and Green Lantern lately, I haven’t had a lot to say.  Lucky for you, dear reader, I picked up anything I thought might be remotely interesting during my last trip to the comic shop.

These are comics that have come out in the last month or so, and my write-ups should be full of spoilers.

Green Lantern Corps #35:  I usually snub my nose at the secondary GL title, but Mike at Bridge City Comics has been really pushing this lately so I thought I ought to check it out and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED!  Patrick Gleason’s art is fantastic (when paired with upcoming GL artist Doug Mahnke there should be a nice visual cohesion between the 2 titles) and Pete Tomasi is really delivering on the story.  This issue didn’t feel like a supplement to the big events over in GL, but a living, breathing epic all its own.  Top notch!

Batman # 686:  This issue brings Neil Gaiman back to his roots:  swinging on Alan Moore’s nutsack!  I was mildly intrigued by the Rashomon-esque premise and Andy Kubert does a fairly decent job at recreating old art styles, but this is really no big deal.  Still, enjoy it while it lasts  because pretty soon Batman is getting handed over to the dynamic duo of mediocrity:  Judd Winick and Mark Bagley.  Jobbers unite!

And how about you, Marvel Comics?

Uncanny X-men # 508 and X-men: Legacy # 223:  Man, I haven’t read much X-stuff since Astonishing ended (admit it, it’s over) and it’s seems like all I missed was a whole lot of nothing!  I have to flip through both of these books as I write this to even remember what happened.  Over in Legacy (what is the premise of this X-title?  It’s not a team anymore, right?  Is it just about Professor X and whoever he’s hanging out with at the moment?) Rogue is confronted by the ghost of Ms. Marvel for the ten millionth time and Professor X clarifies that the once-interesting dynamic between himself and Danger was all just a misunderstanding. Uncanny was anything but, as Northstar joins the X-men and…um… a bunch of lady villains put Psylockes mind in someone else’s body or someone else in Psylockes body or something. Totally unremarkable.  The whole X-line needs a real boost right around now (and I’m not talking about a big event~just give us some solid storylines!), except for X-Factor apparently, which everyone has been raving about for years.  

 Hulk # 10:  Has anything ever happened in this comic?  I put it down for months and when I picked it up again we still don’t know who Red Hulk is (well, he’s totally Clay Quartermain, but they haven’t “revealed” it yet), he’s still punching the Green Hulk, and there’s still absolutely nothing else happening.  Ed McGuiness’ drawings are lovely as always, but they really need to get a new writer on this thing.    

New Avengers #51:  The griping continues!  Secret Invasion really tanked the entire Avengers line and I don’t see things getting better anytime soon.  Not to help matters, this title is really floundering without Lienel Yu.  In this issue, Dr. Strange has to give up his title as Sorcerer Supreme  because he used his powers in a questionable manner one time.  Although only a pure individual can hold his title, he’s concerned that it might go to Dr. Doom.  Intrigued!??! Meanwhile, Spiderman has to re-unmask himself to the Avengers after Brand-new Day retconned all things Spidey (this should be really confusing to anyone who’s following New Avengers in trades and hasn’t been following Spiderman; until recently Peter was hanging out with the other Avengers without his mask on all day long and suddenly no one knows who he is) and he has an awkward and extremely poorly laid-out exchange with Jessica Jones that inexplicably never came up before.   

Ultimate Comics:  Here’s more of a general round-up of what’s going down in Ultimate town. A few years ago, there was starting to be some talk of Ultimate eventually replacing 616 as standard Marvel continuity.  What happened!??!  My theory is that the 616 Spidey retcon made Ultimate Spidey obsolete and the dramatic dip in quality between Ultimates 2 and Ultimates 3 just sort of soured everybody on the whole line.  

Ultimate X-men ended unremarkably with issue 100, reflecting the quality of the entire run. Ultimate Spiderman #131 features Spidey and the Hulk kickin’ it in post-Ultimatum flooded Manhattan.    The characterization of Ultimate Hulk is further convoluted by Bendis’ writing (is Ultimate Hulk smart or dumb or green or grey and when and why?), but Stuart Immonen once again saved the day with stellar art.  Too bad he’s taking off pretty soon… Ultimatum #3 continues this real dud of an event.  It’s kind of neat that the scope of the Ultimate Universe allows iconic characters to be killed off (in this issue, we lose Hank Pym, the Blob and Nightcrawler) but it’s also worth noting that the lack of quality in the flailing Ultimate line is what makes them expendable.  After a general revamp of the whole line following Ultimatum, I’m willing to bet that the entire Ultimate universe closes its doors within a year.  

and finally, Savage Dragon # 146 was a pleasant surprise for me.  I followed this bizarre, ultra-violent comic for the first 100 issues and have rarely checked in since.  Savage Dragon was always a labor of love by a guy who grew up really loving superhero comics and wanted to both honor them and lend his own twisted vision to what made them great.  Issue 75 featured some past-altering events that changed the continuity of the whole series and after 25 issues of re-contextualized characters and Darkworld doppelgangers I had to say goodbye.  Even today I miss this book sometimes and  occasionally pick up a stray issue.  This issue was the best one I’d read in years.  It focuses on long-time supporting character Alex Wilde and really gets into her complex relationship with Dragon.  I’m not sure if this is the same Alex Wilde from the issues I used to read or if it’s altered-past Alex Wilde, but either way her final farewell to Dragon choked me up.

After seeing Watchmen this week I was pretty depressed regarding comics place in this world, but then I made a trip to my regular comic shop, (Midtown Comics on 40th & 7th in midtown Manhattan,) and I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl! Comics are a pretty diverse medium and as often as something new or original or interesting comes along, twice as frequently you see nothing but the same old stuff on the stands. But this week, as I’m picking up the next Old Man Logan story, an only mildly interesting Wolverine story set in a bleak future, and the increasingly bad Invincible, I notice a JAMIE DELANO(!) PIRATE(!!!) comic! And a Frank Frazetta WESTERN!!! Holy Crap! And there’s the obligatory Savage Dragon #145 with President Obama on the cover, which turns out to actually be good! And Terry Moore’s Echo just keeps getting better and better! Even Robert Kirkman makes me happy this month with another heart-stopping cliffhanger in The Walking Dead! Man, reading comics this week really rocked. Let me tell you why.

Earlier this year I began reading the collected John Constantine: Hellblazer comics from the late 80’s/early 90s by Jamie Delano. Being a fan of old-school and classic horror literature, (Lovecraft, Poe, Barker, Blackwood,) and it’s rather unique ability to use not-so-subtle metaphor to address our contemporary fears, I was quickly blown away by Delano’s ability in this genre within comics. I’ve also enjoyed Moore’s Swamp Thing, and some of Ennis’ work, but they seemed too quick to get it out of their system and move on to superheroes. Delano seemed ready to really dig into the meaty, messy gristle of modern horror themes in comics. But he hasn’t been a terribly present writer on the comics scene lately, so it was with great excitement that I discovered on the stands his new pirate comic: Rawbone, published by Avatar Press. It has a thrillingly moody wraparound cover of a pirate ship, sailing by a jungle-clad coast with clearly South American pyramid temples jutting up through the treetops. All too often, fringy work like this gets saddled with young, unskilled artists, but flipping through the pages revealed Max Fiumara to be quite a talent. I’ve not been overly wowed by his versatile work with Warren Ellis and on the dragon comic Four Eyes, but this moody stuff seems to be where he can shine, especially coupled with a good colorist. Anyway, when I got the comic home and read Delano’s story of a Cuban pirate witch and her white lesbian lover, full of male frustration and assault and vile rape, with at least three main story acts in just the first issue, and all told in a disgustingly rich flowery language, I knew I couldn’t wait for more. My only regret is discovering that this is merely a 4 issue limited series. It’s thrilling to read something so unique by such a skilled veteran talent. Delano has long understood the comics form and his horror roots are quite evident as he embarks on this incredibly dark pirate story. While it’s not yet apparent whether the tale will incorporate the supernatural, it hardly needs to in order to investigate man’s darker nature.

Next was Frank Frazetta’s Freedom, a western one-shot. I’m not actually sure what Frazetta had to do with this comic other than provide the inspirational cover image, (which is typically luscious,) but the interior art and story, by John Cboins and Mark Kidwell respectively, more than lives up to Frazetta’s reputation. Cboins has a very unique style, very expressionistic, a recent comic art movement I’m also enjoying in the work of Proof’s Riley Rossmo.
Cboins colors this issue himself in all sepia tones, a trick that could have seemed gimmicky, given the setting, but thankfully is very well done here. The story involves a gunfighter and his dime-novelist bard, and is reasonably light hearted for a western, though prostitutes and death are certainly not absent. It’s so nice to see two negelected genres given such quality treatment in the same month, and even by two different publishers! It makes me yearn for more, but at the same time, I’d hate to see the market inundated by mediocre pirate and western comics, similar to the zombie craze of the last couple years.

Not so unique, but still very satisfying this month were some more mainstream books, starting with Erik Larsen’s long-running Savage Dragon, #145. This issue featured U.S. President Barack Obama on the cover, fist-bumping the title character, and colored in a style like Shepard Fairey’s famous red, white, and blue Obama Hope posters. It’s an obvious cashing in on the moment device, but Obama’s scene within the comic, while brief, actually is WITHIN the story and seems natural, puts our heroes, the Dragon and Obama, on equal footing, and just generally seems great. Quite unlike the pandering, badly drawn, and pointless and out-of-continuity, but much more hyped Spider-Man appearance, which I discussed here. In fact, this is Obama’s second appearance in Larsen’s book; he appeared last year when Dragon first endorsed Barack Obama for the presidency, a move far too political for corporate Marvel to ever consider making with their flagship character, as depressing as that is. I regret not having read Savage Dragon over the years. In fact, back at the founding of Image I didn’t care for Erik Larsen much at all. But over time I’ve picked up an occasional issue and every time I’m very impressed with what he’s done. In a large way I really feel he’s gone on to carry the torch for a lot of what Jack “the King” Kirby did before him. Larsen’s graphic style definitely shares many of Kirby’s traits, from the bold thick use of blacks, to the overly dramatic and energetic shapes exploding off the page. Not to mention Larsen’s style, once a rather slap-dashed mess not overly distinguishable from many of his contemporaries, has over years and years of honing his craft become inimitably his own, not easily reproducible and possessed of incredibly powerful storytelling traits- rather similar to the King’s, if you ask me. Maybe I’ve got to buckle down one of these days and really start reading Savage Dragon.

Finally, also continuing to be exciting this month are Terry Moore’s Echo #10, and Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s The Walking Dead #59. If you’re not reading either of these comics, you should be. Echo is a nice chance to see Moore bringing us more of his very fine comics art and storytelling, but with a more sci-fi/superhero twist. The story is kind of The Fugitive crossed with The Incredible Hulk, but with strong women characters thrown in as only Terry Moore knows how. Every issue is a real cliffhanger even though the plotting seems a touch slow at times. Walking Dead, for those of you living under a rock for the last 5 years, is THE post-zombie apocalypse comic to read. Zombie comics are a dime a dozen these days, but none hold a candle to this incredibly well done and intense ongoing storyline of real humans surviving in a dark sad world where the dead walk. Kirkman’s main intent with the series is to focus on the realistic human melodrama that occurs between the characters, with the zombie-riddled world serving mainly as backdrop. It’s an utterly fascinating book, from issue to issue, and though Kirkman suffers from frequent slow pacing and sometimes a sense that nothing is really happening, it’s not nearly as bad as in Invincible, and I’m always chomping at the bit for the next issue of The Walking Dead- especially this month! Man, I can’t wait to see how the characters survive the “zombie stampede!”

All in all, this past month has been a good one for comics. With the economy in arrears as it is, I’m sure I’m not the only comic book reader taking a close look at his pull list and deciding to drop a few books here and there, as well as having a hard time deciding which, if any, new books to pick up. I hope this blog can give you some assistance in these choices.

Until next time,

Peace!

Savage Dragon fans are a loyal bunch. It’s no wonder, as creator Erik Larsen has poured his heart into the Finned Fighter’s adventures for almost 2 decades. Now, in the best recent tradition of Marvel, Image Comics offers up a teaser involving a classic foe. Something’s brewing. 

Savage Dragon fans are a loyal bunch. It’s no wonder, as creator Erik Larsen has poured his heart into the Finned Fighter’s adventures for almost 2 decades. Now, in the best recent tradition of Marvel, Image Comics offers up a teaser involving a classic foe. Something’s brewing.

If you are a regular visitor here, I’m sorry it has been so long since new material appeared. Oddly, when I quit smoking recently, it lead to me changing a lot of my routine. A changed routine meant finding a new one that included writing blog entries. This has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. I’ll continue to post as often and thoughtfully as I can … now on with the show.

FANATIC QUIZ QUESTION ANSWER FROM MARCH 5

The question on the table was a challenge to put five different Comico titles in the order in which they were released. I even made it easier by choosing titles that were all released in different years. Plus I included a bonus question regarding Robotech: The Macross Saga #2. So without further ado, here are the answers.

Despite good sales, there wasn't a Macross #2.

1. Grendel #1 – released May 1983

2. Elementals #1 – released November 1984

3. Robotech: The Macross Saga #2 – released April 1985

4. Night & The Enemy GN – released November 1987

5. The Maze Agency #1 – released December 1988

The interesting piece of trivia is this: there was NO Robotech: The Macross Saga #1. The first issue of the long running series from Comico was either called Super Dimension Fortress Macross or just Macross, depending on which source material you believe. I would have used the indicia from the issue to settle the argument, but I don’t own a copy. It is interesting that a licensed title would change its name between issue #1 and issue #2.

2nd STRING HALL OF FAME NOMINEE

It has been far, far too long since we had a round of voting in the 2nd String Character Hall of Fame voting. To make it easier on me … and easier on you dear fanatic reader … I’ll be rolling out the nominees in ROUND FOUR one by one. And this new round of nominees is going to be all-women.

Savage She-Dragon (Image hero)

First nominee in ALL WOMEN ROUND FOUR of 2nd String Character balloting

Even though she started her “life” as a villain named Sensation, Amy Belcher eventually became known as The Savage She-Dragon. She has been a regular player in Erik Larsen’s long running Image title, The Savage Dragon. After her long blonde tresses were burned off by the Dragon-Slayer, she grew a mohawk which she sports to this day. Originally a parody of She-Hulk inside a larger parody of the work of John Byrne, she proved to be popular enough that when Savage Dragon was thought to have died in issue #50, the title was retitled The Savage She-Dragon for issues #51 through #54. 

I’ll keep providing new nominees in ROUND FOUR until all five have been featured. Then we’ll create a new voting box and let the fanatic balloting begin.

THE FANATIC GENE COLAN PROJECT STARTS HERE !!!

Every time I do a new blog entry from now until I stop, I’m going to feature a piece of Gene Colan artwork in an effort I’m calilng THE GENE COLAN PROJECT. I was thinking the other day. I’m a complete “mark” for the artwork of Gene Colan. I think that someone (I’m probably not the best candidate) could make a case that if you include the factors of volume of work, length of career, quality of work, versatility of work, impact on the industry, copies sold over a career and respect of peers and fans, that Gene Colan may be the comic industry’s greatest artist.

I encourage debate on this subject. Over the coming weeks and months as the Gene Colan Project moves along, I’ll try to bring his career into clearer focus both from an industry perspective and a personal perspective. In the meantime, enjoy the first piece of artwork in this fanatic tribute to the legendary Mr. Colan.

Gene Colan genius at work: TALES OF SUSPENSE #95

Iron Man looks so hot here he’s molten, Gene Colan has him both powerful and nearly melting off the page … and then you get the truly terrific Grey Gargoyle to boot. 

          – Dave Olbrich (DWO) Tues. March 24, 2009

yesterday after i left pomona city hall after paying a parking ticket, i spotted a new (i think its new, maybe its always been there and i never noticed it. definitely a possible possibility.) thrift store. having plenty of time on my hands to kill i decided to go into the thrift store to see if there were any hidden treasures to comeuppance. after browsing the store i decided to leave, nothing special here (a thrift store needs time to ripen(maybe this is proof of the thrift store being a new one).). before leaving i per happenstance glance  over the counter towards the back wall and i noticed one of the most accessible comics i have seen in years. it nearly brought me to further interest.

savage dragon is giving daps to barack obama (is savage dragon black(or at least half black(the minimum requirement for giving daps?)(let me check…there is a bible length wikipedia entry about savage dragon, apparently he is an amnesiac.)?). this is amazing to me no wonder he won the presidency he got the comic readers vote.  it doesnt stop there as far as the far fetched. he hops from the image universe to the marvel universe (earth-616 i think) and to many other comic book universes. barack obama teams up with spider-man in the amazing spider-man #583. we are indeed in a historic moment in history. this marks the first time in US history that, “the character of a future president had been shown on a comic book cover,” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiderman_obama_comic) ever.

i didnt buy the comic.

-jon