This Man, This [Expletive Deleted]

Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Eric Canete
Colorist: Andres Mossa
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Asst. Editor: Tom Brennan
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Exec. Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

I never expected to be reviewing–much less BUYING–an issue of this title given the current status quo. I’m one of those who has zero interest in the current Spider-Man post-One-More-Day. That I bought this issue at all is high praise to the draw of Deadpool. And, as I’d hoped…this felt more like a Deadpool title than Spider-Man.

The issue opens with Deadpool amidst a bunch of mostly recognizeable Marvel Women taking a phone call about a new job. Of course, this plays out in typical Deadpool-fashion and manages to reference/poke fun at a couple notable points of Spider-Man comics the last couple years. Even the “Previously Page” is given some hokiness, breaking the “fourth wall” having the Marvel EIC and other editors give the situation-so-far. We then quickly move into seeing Spider-Man in action against Lady Stilt-Man and all the ridiculousness one can imagine. Deadpool steps in and he and Spidey fight (though the fight devolves to juvenile “yo mamma” trade-offs). Finally, Deadpool attains his goal, and the scene shifts to show us the real purpose of Deadpool taking on Spidey, with a fairly major character now lying dead, as this title heads into something called “The Gauntlet.”

I’m not familiar with the artist…and honestly, this issue did absolute zero to make me want to get familiar. The style is rather stylistic…but really does not at all fit what I’d expect of something with Deadpool (or Spider-Man, for that matter). If I wasn’t 1. so stoked about Deadpool as written by Joe Kelly and/or 2. never bothered to look inside the issue before purchase, due to knowledge of Deadpool’s presence and the “regular” cover being the one I wanted*…I’d recommend against this for anyone but those already following and enjoying the title.

(* see how I’ll use the asterisk to note something? Sort like Deadpool and his “voices.” I specifically avoided a recent issue of Hulk that had Deadpool in it, due to the fact that the cover I wanted turned out to be a 1:200 or so ratioed-variant. I’d've avoided this issue had it been the same set-up.)

Where this issue succeeds is in feeling like a Deadpool story guest-starring Spider-Man. As I have zero interest in Spidey’s current status quo, this issue worked very well by not dealing with it in any focal manner. I recognize background characters–Madame Web, and Mattie in particular–and see how they provide a sort of “framing sequence” that marks this as a sort of “prologue” to The Gauntlet.

Where this issue fails is in establishing anything to bring me back next issue. This felt like a one-off, and though I’m mildly intrigued by what was set up here…I’m still not at all interested in actually investing in the next arc.

Deadpool fan? This is well worth picking up, if you don’t mind the art. Regular reader of The Amazing Spider-Man? This’ll probably be right up your alley and have more significance for you than me (not having touched a Spider-Man comic in close to two years).

Final thought: The cover is great. And yet realy has nothing to do with the issue. This is the sort of image that would make a great ad in that regard…and I daresay I’d buy a poster if they made one of this image.

Story: 7/10
Art: 3/10
Whole: 5/10

by Mark Waid (writer), Emma Rios (artist), Christina Strain (color artist), Lauren Sankovitch *(associate editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)

The Story: Strange, powerless, has found the demon Tul’uth possessing a baseball team. He also finds a girl with an unusual aptitude for magic.

What’s Good: I really, really wish I could have found something to write here.

What’s Not So Good: As a big Dr. Strange fan, it kills me to say this, but I was… disappointed. I know Steven Strange doesn’t draw the readership he once did, but except for a few years here and there, he’s always been somewhere in the monthly books because he’s a compelling character. As much as Tony Stark, Stephen Strange is about redemption and unlike the new Stark, Strange is still selflessly, unflinchingly, unquestioningly heroic. This first issue of this limited series isn’t showing Strange the love.

First off, there’s nothing wrong with Emma Rios’ pencils, but the wild-blue-hair anime style does not suit the menacing mystic worlds that surround Dr. Strange. Even Casey’s true view through enchanted glasses revealed a world of deep, riotous color, but without the foreground shadows or darkness that really make Strange’s adventures moody and spooky. So…good artist, wrong book.

On the writing side, I’ve read a lot of great Mark Waid books, but this story is starting in a particularly unambitious way. First of all, I don’t understand where all of Strange’s power went. He first appeared in 1963 as Master of the Mystic Arts and didn’t become Sorcerer Supreme until about 1972. In those nine years he wasn’t the Sorcerer Supreme, he had power enough to defeat Mordo, Nightmare, Dormammu and anyone else who came his way. In the late eighties, he used some black magic (much like he recently did with the Avengers). This tainted him for a while, so he had to look for new sources of power. Despite the fact that he couldn’t call then upon his typical patrons, he was still skilled enough to use the black magic that Kaluu taught him. So why then is this Strange so powerless that he can’t beat a second-rate demon without playing baseball?

More unambitiously, this newly humbled Strange, instead of seeking to regain his might (not necessarily the supremacy he had, but his mastery), pits himself against a minor demon in what looks to be a 1-issue mop-up operation with no significance to Strange or the rest of the Marvel Universe. On the Marvel website, some prominence is given to Strange finding a new student. This leads me to think that Marvel is trawling for new teen readers drawn to a teenage girl growing up under Strange’s tutelage, and that she’ll be the one growing as a character, not him. I hope I’m wrong, but otherwise, by issue #4, I’m going to be suggesting that the limited series should have been called “Casey, Apprentice of Strange”.

Like I said, it kills me to criticize a Dr. Strange book, but there’s so much they could have done with this title. Some of Strange’s best adventures have been when he is massively outgunned and has to survive on his wits and skill alone in alien dimensions. Why couldn’t Waid, Sankovitch and Brevoort have picked out something like a quest to redeem Strange? A journey to reclaim lost skills and take what he is and the wisdom he has learned and save some world from evil, with only his wits and limited magic to help him? Lead a magical guerrilla war on some foe Dr. Voodoo is too busy to fight? The possibilities for heroic redemption are endless, but none of them are suggested by this first issue.

Conclusion: I’m disappointed not only for this series, but also because I know that the failure of this series will delay a true return by Dr. Strange to the mainstream of the Marvel Universe for a couple of years. (I’ll still buy issue #2, though, because Stephen Strange is such a great character)

Grade: D

-DS Arsenault

Hey New York! Here’s your chance to see the documentary Dig Comics!

This Saturday, November 14, 3 PM, at Jim Hanley’s Universe, 4 West 33rd Street, New York, 10001.

Stay for an exclusive panel with director/writer/host Miguel Cima, Marvel Comics executive editor Tom Brevoort, writer/editor Andy Helfer, writer/editor Danny Fingeroth, Graphic NYC’s Christopher Irving, and more!

By: Ed Brubaker, Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice
Colors: Paul Mounts
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Covers: Hitch, Guice and Mounts; John Cassaday and Laura Martin, Joe Kubert and Laura Martin
Assoc. Editor: Jeanine Schaefer and Sankovitch
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

I’m not 100% certain I bought/read issue 3 of this, offhand. Even if I not only read issue 3 but also reviewed it, I don’t at present recall issue 3. Despite that, it’s almost an irrelevant point as this issue finds Cap still bouncing through time, the Skull and crew still getting things assembled, and Cap’s allies still playing catch-up.

Skull and crew arrive in Latveria at invitation of Doctor Doom. Doom fixes their time device, while Cap’s allies are finding out what happened with Sharon and how she–and her blod–hold the key to what’s going on with Cap.

As Doom’s device is activated, things come to a bit of a head as a body is present, though all may not be quite as promising as it appears.

The art’s easily the best part of this story. Hitch draws a great Doctor Doom, and I found myself enjoying the visuals even as the story sped through its own pages. Brubaker’s done a great job overall with the Captain America saga. This series seems just a bit much, though, and something feels a bit “off” from what I enjoyed in reading the first omnibus and the 1.5-year saga following up on Steve’s death and Bucky’s installation as the new Cap.

If you’re specifically a fan of Brubaker’s work you’ll probably enjoy this; ditto if you’re a fan of Hitch’s art. If you’ve been following this mini thus far, probably worth finishing out the story. Otherwise, you’re probably just as well holding off for a collected volume.

Plus, with a collected volume…you won’t have two different titles for the same story (three, if we count the fact that this essentially IS the Captain America title right now, outright replacing the main title for its duration).

Story: 5.5
Art: 9
Overall: 7

By Rick Remender (writer), Jefte Palo (pencils & inks), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors)

The Story: Jericho Drumm, the Houngan Supreme, and now Sorcerer Supreme, has to establish his street cred and get the big job done before a prophesied evil swallows the universe. First stop: Dormammu, and that’s just the prologue! Stephen Strange is there too, finishing up handing over the reins of power before heading off. Then, alone, Doctor Voodoo heads into the world himself, but is surprised by an old enemy and a new challenger for the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.

What’s Good: The new conception of the Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Voodoo is not your dad’s Doctor Strange! He’s walking around with human skulls on his belt and shrunken heads dangling off the Staff of Legba. He’s in-your-face and daring, the Gunner of God and the Houngan Supreme. It is seriously cool. The Haitian angle brings a new feel and tone to the Marvel Universe’s top sorcerer. Remender hit all the right notes. At the same time, Voodoo’s got some cockiness issues. Strange lost the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme because he’d become complacent and stopped learning, but Voodoo is into some nasty magic that Strange wouldn’t touch. Anyone smell hubris?

Palo and Beaulieu deliver some beautiful art. I think that magic always gives an artist room to run with the ball and we get a new classical-Greek view of Dormammu’s domain, shrunken heads, the Scrying Stones of Chthon, gritty New Orleans and a defeated, shaken Strange. And the variant cover by Tan was awesome. I’ll give a no-prize to anyone who can tell me which classic cover and artist it’s based on!

What’s Not So Good: Having really learned the worlds of Doctor Strange in the surreal weirdness of Ditko, Brunner, Russell, and even Paul Smith, I found some of the dimensions and environments visited by Voodoo to be a little… restrained. Don’t get me wrong. The art was well done, but I’m not used to straight lines anywhere the Sorcerer Supreme walks. Palo’s extra dimensional designs have a regularity that seems like a lost opportunity compared to the psychological chaos that usually provides the backdrop to Marvel’s magical adventures. Even the brief view of Shuma-Gorath felt like Palo was holding back. I hope in the next couple of issues, Palo lets himself go nuts and to put whatever bizarre wackiness he can think of onto the page.

Conclusion: There are lots of challenges to writing and drawing the Sorcerer Supreme well. Marvel has hit on the right concept and launched a great new series. I expect a few growing pains, but this first issue caught the tone needed to make the Sorcerer Supreme work. Go out and get it.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

Spider-Woman #1 Digital Comic released today

… for more visit marvel/marvel hotline

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Clic

Via: The Comics Reporter

Alcune settimane fa la Marvel ha presentato la serie: “Marvel Divas“.
Scritta da Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa e disegnata da Tonci Zonjic.

La serie è un tentativo di recuperare un maggior numero di pubblico femminile, infatti è stata presentata come un “incontro tra le supereroine e Sex and the City”

Settimana scorsa Tom Brevoort ha mostrato un’immagine della serie : Firestar.

Credo che il primo numero della serie lo prenderò (come nella vita normale, spettegolare sull’intimità altrui ci piace a tutti) ma solo il primo, poi si vedrà.

Since launching FUNNY BOOK FANATIC at the end of November 2008, this blog has seen its fair share of comic book fans and comic book professionals stop by and give it a read. I work hard to make sure that readers feel like bookmarking my humble efforts here have something interesting to entertain themselves with for a few minutes.

Malibu's first release, DARK WOLF #1

I’ve always been a little bit surprised by the distance my work and efforts can travel and who can be effected. I remember during the early days of Malibu, we had a post office box instead of regular postal delivery. When I get around to part five or part six (or part seven) of the Secret Origins of Malibu Comics I’ll get around to explaining that. I remember (future Malibu Comics editor-in-chief) Chris Ulm and I were sitting at the kitchen table when (future Malibu marketing chief) Tom Mason walked in the door after a run to pick up the mail. 

“I think we have our first fan letter,” Tom said, waiving a standard size envelope in his hand. 

The fan letter was very complimentary on the release of Malibu’s first title, DARK WOLF. It had been mailed from Germany. I was stunned. We had put together this comic in California, by a writer in Oklahoma and an artist in Illinois, printed it in Wisconsin and shipped it to about two dozen U.S. and Canadian drop ship distribution points. So if the letter had come from Alaska, I would have expected it … but Germany? The world had suddenly gotten a lot smaller.

If you’re such a dedicated reader that you’ve read every post and you’ve read every comment, some of this material will already be familiar to you, but I promise a surprise or two.

Klaus Janson's first inked cover for Marvel?

Other than my former Malibu cronies, the first “celebrity” to stop by (and make his presence known) was master comic artist Klaus Janson. He was commenting on a small piece of information that I had gotten incorrect (gosh darn internet sources) regarding the first cover that he inked for Marvel Comics. This prompted inker Bob Almond to comment as well. We’re pretty sure that we’ve narrowed down the first Marvel cover inked by Klaus Janson as Jungle Action #12. Bob Almond wondered if there wasn’t a good database for this kind of info.

Klaus Janson even said that he would consider providing a “behind the scenes” story from his own experience for Funny Book Fanatic, but his schedule hasn’t allowed for it yet. I have to admit I really looking forward to the day that story hits my e-mail in-box.

After I posted my story about him, Prime / Batman / Metaphysique / Archie artist Norm Breyfogle stopped by as well. At the time, he couldn’t talk about his work for Archie Comics yet, but soon Funny Book Fanatic was able to run with that story as well.

Larry Marder's BEANWORLD

Beanworld creator and former Image general manager Larry Marder dropped by when I spent a couple of posts talking about the beginning and end of the Jack Kirby Comic Industry Awards.

Comic creator triple-threat Raffaele Ienco left a comment behind about his fond memories of odd Christmas-themed comics from his childhood, after I had done a yuletide post about working on a Malibu book called Santa Claws with superstar artist Mike Deodato Jr. Ienco recently had his graphic novel, DEVOID OF LIFE, which he wrote, pencilled, inked and colored, published by Image Comics.

Beau Smith has been here, checking out the 2nd String Character Hall of Fame. Joe Jusko wanted to be heard about my John Buscema tribute post … and then stuck around to comment a few more times. When I wrote my first Secret Origins of Malibu post, Trouble with Girls artist Tim Hamilton and Men In Black artist Sandy Carruthers both posted quick comments. Part Three of the Malibu Origins series got writer (and Ultraverse Founding Father) James Hudnall to chime in. And writer Peter B. Gillis let his voice be heard when I recently posted my tribute to artist extraordinaire Gene Day.

Longtime Marvel editor (and one of the most knowledgeable comic guys in the business) Tom Brevoort read one of my quiz questions and jumped right past the answer to reveal the blog from which I took the question. It was cool to know that Tom was checking out Funny Book Fanatic.

Mike Ploog looks like Santa

The best surprise I had in weeks happened just the other day when Mike Ploog’s daughter Dee Dee left a comment behind regarding my end-of-the-year post regarding her father’s work on monster comics. She wrote,

“I just wanted to thank you for writing such great things about my dad. I love to read them all and think,wow, that’s my ‘Pop’! I’ve always thought he’s pretty amazing myself. I still giggle when I stand over his art board and watch his hand move across a blank piece of paper and, like magic, art appears!“

And speaking of art appearing, after I posted a story about my guilty conscience regarding a art commission and Brent Anderson, I got simply the greatest e-mail EVER …

I wrote back that I didn’t write the story expecting to get anything. But I can’t think of a better example of what a great guy Brent Anderson is.

That’s my version of the story.

          – Dave Olbrich (DWO) Mon. Mar. 9, 2009

Time’s Arrow – Part 3 of 3

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencilers: Luke Ross with Butch Guice
Inkers: Rick Magyar, Mark Pennington and Butch Guice
Colors: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Production Irene Lee
Assoc. Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover: Steve Epting
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Bucky (well, Captain America) continues his battle with Batroc and a mysterious assailant with ties to the past. By the time all’s said ‘n done, Cap finds himself facing an even bigger threat than he’d initially thought.

No real complaint on the art here for me. Art duties are shared a fair bit according to the credits, but nothing on-page took me out of the story or got me to pause and think about having seen different art–which is credit to the team for keeping a consistent enough style to not jar me outta the experience. (Which is not to say one can’t find the differences).

The story’s solid as usual for the title, and we’re really seeing all the more a tonal shift from the “super-hero” stuff to the spy/espionage stuff. The costume, shield, and title of the series are Captain America…but with a diferent man under the mask and different relationships with supporting cast, this is beginning to feel like a much different character and title.

There’s a fairly decent ending to this issue, closing out this 3-parter; but we’re still left with a to-be-continued note, as this story “cliffhangers” into the next.

As 3-parters go, this is not a bad initial post-Steve, Bucky-actually-IS-Cap-now story. However, having been brought on-board with the Death of Cap back in #25 and following that and checking this out, I get the feeling that this is going to read much better in collected format, and so plan to discontinue purchasing the monthly issues and wait for the collected volumes to follow this. Brubaker’s story is fairly deep, layered, and well-done…but I’m ready to break from his single issues and wait for full stories.

Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 7.5/10

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist and Cover: Alex Maleev
Color Artist: Dean White
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Production: Joe Sabino
Assoc. Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

A week late and a dollar short…that about describes this.

Picking up where Secret Invasion #8 left off, this issue follows the “dark Illuminati”–a group of fairly villanous Marvel characters that serves here as a counterpart to the Illuminati group revealed in the “Road to Civil War” era. We see what Norman is willing to offer these individuals, and for what price, as well as some of their initial reactions to the offer and what they could do with it.

The story isn’t too bad–for what it is. What it is isn’t all that much–basicaly just a wordier description with pictures of the “premise” behind this whole “Dark Reign” thing kicking off (a sentence about what brings each character to the table would suffice).

The art is fairly stylistic–not something I’d consider terribly realistic, though it is by no means bad. It’s got a gritty feel to it that seems out of place for characters I’d consider to not be part of a “gritty” story. On the whole, though, you could get a lot worse. The main weakness is that Namor doesn’t look like Namor–he looks to me like some drunken, unshaven guy off the street put in Namor’s clothes.

As a whole, this issue is almost entirely uninteresting. I was only slightly curious as to what details might be provided heading into Marvel’s Dark Reign event, and enjoyed Bendis when I read Ultimate Spider-Man, so was thinking a “talking heads issue” given the context would actually hold me interest and feel like a good story. This felt quite short…only 26 pages of story, plus NINE pages of “previews” for three other titles.

This was NOT worth its cover price to me–better to have paid $2.99 for the main story and have NO previews. Hardcore Marvel fans and those actually enjoying the overall direction the Marvel Universe has been taking will probably enjoy this, especially if picking up a bunch of titles from across the Avengers/X-Men families of books. If you’re a casual fan or not chomping at the bit for stuff following that last page of Secret Invasion, don’t bother with this issue. The previews and price actually detract from the overall experience of the issue for me, hence the final rating falling below the story/art ratings.

Story: 6/10
Art: 6/10
Whole: 5.5/10

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Production: Irene Lee
Assoc. Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover: Gabrielle Dell’Otto
Publisher: Marvel Comics

That’s it?!?

This issue presumably picks up from where the last issue left off–but I’m not 100%, because I have only gotten certain beats of this story, being a reader who took ‘em at their word that one would be able to just buy the main series and get a full story.

The Wasp apparently was turned into some sort of biological weapon (wha? when?), and rather than see the action moving forward, we’re treated to an opening sequence that seems to be more of a time-jump, going from a current in-your-face event to “well, now that we’re DONE, what exactly HAPPENED out there, Guys?!?” retrospective. Though The Wasp (insert arbitrary long-standing character here) died, the Skrulls were defeated, and now that the Skrull Plot has been brought to light, let’s see those who can take the fall do so, to shake things up for yet. another. “new.” “status quo.

The art on this issue isn’t horrible, but there’s something to it that doesn’t quite seem what I’d expect from Yu. While his style worked very well for me when he was on Wolverine a number of years ago, his style here isn’t really to my liking–many of the characters look odd to me…something much different from the “gritty” style I liked. Still, the art mostly shows what’s going on, and characters are recognizeable, so no huge fault there. (You can flip through the issue and determine if you like the visual style or not, as it maintains a consistent style throughout).

The story…

Well, I’m not satisfied. I bought the first issue of the series to check it out, and despite knowing better, I was hooked and bought the second issue. At that point, I’d bought a quarter of the series, so figured I’d grudgingly give it a shot for a few more issues, just to see if I could be proven wrong…and with this “8th” and “final” issue (I use quotes there because frankly, it is absurd to believe you can read a “core mini-series” for a Marvel event and not have to buy the umpteen specials, mini-series and tie-in issues as the event went on, and there are even epilogue/follow-up Secret Invasion issues BEFORE we even launch into the new “event” hot on the heels of this year-long monstrosity.

This issue was choppy, and tried to cram way too much in–we had at least three issues that did virtually nothing and now we have an issue with everything but the kitchen sink crammed in almost more to set up the next story than to truly provide an ending to this story. We hit a cliffhanger, then get a couple pages of resolution (tack those pages into the previous issue, and call this an epilogue/transition).

If you’ve been following the series, sure….pick this issue up. If you’re looking for surprises…well, avoid anything Marvel-related until you read this in one format or another. I’m not interested in where things are going, and maybe am not the target audience.

Story: 3/10
Art: 5/10
Whole: 4/10

Time’s Arrow – Part 2 of 3

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Luke Ross
Inkers: Fabio Laguna & Rick Kagyar
Colors: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Production Joe Sabino
Assoc. Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover: Steve Epting
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Bucky (Captain America, really) and Black Widow decide to split up to tackle their “problem” from two different angles–each taking the angle their strengths play to. While “Captain America” might get some results, Bucky is able to fall back on his reputation as the “Winter Soldier” to get answers, and eventually get his rematch with Batroc…and then face a figure from his past.

I’m not terribly familiar with Luke Ross–by name–in terms of prior work; but what we have in this issue, I really like. There’s a very realistic feel that lends something extra to the story. Though this plays in a world with super-spies and super-heroes, it feels like it takes place in a real world much moreso than a comic book world.

Brubaker continues to provide a strong story that goes beyond “simple” super-hero vs. bad guy, and exploring the world he’s crafted with Captain America now as a “legacy character.”

Despite this, I find myself checking out a bit. There was a certain excitement and interest locked up in the epic The Death of Captain America, and now that that story is behind and there’s no imminent sign of Steve Rogers returning, I feel like we have a new status quo that is interesting conceptually, but more well-suited for collected volumes. Barring learning something particularly engaging about the next story, I’ll likely finish out this arc, then let this title go for a bit, and possibly just wait for a collected volume of the next arc.

On the whole, definitely a solid issue of the title, and well worth getting if you’re interested in seeing the new Captain America in action, with the status quo left by the end of the aforementioned epic. This is, after all, the first “original” story OF the new Cap.

Especially if you can find the previous issue, this is well worth picking up–this is part 2 of just a 3-part story (a nice break from the 6-issue “acts” of an 18-issue epic).

Story: 8.5/10
Art: 9/10
Whole: 8.5/10

Phil Sheldon, Marvel’s favorite everyman, is back fourteen years after his debut in Marvels, but this time, Alex Ross is noticeably absent.

Eye of the Camera, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Marvels, will still be written by Kurt Busiek, though, and painted once again, this time by Jay Anacleto. The story will follow Sheldon through some of the stories of the 70’s and 80’s, mostly what wasn’t touched upon in Marvels.

Editor Tom Brevoort has stated of the series:

We’ll be covering a broad spectrum of Marvel events, everything from the first appearance of the Punisher in Manhattan to the rise of monsters such as Man-Thing and Werewolf By Night, to the X-Men’s seeming death in Dallas during Fall of the Mutants to SECRET WARS II and beyond.

We’ll see how the story, and artwork, hold up without Ross, who has proven himself time and again to be one of the most talented men in the comic industry. One thing is certain, however – the series, which has been in the works since 2002, has been a big investment for Marvel, and its success will, in all likelihood, determine whether or not we see more of life in Marvels all-encompassing universe from the perspective of, well, everyday people like us.

The staff of “Meanwhile…Comics!” is proud to announce that we’ve been nominated for a 2008 Harvey Award in the category of Best Biographical, Historical or Journalistic Presentation. We are shocked, stunned and overjoyed to be recognized for such a prestigious award in such a short amount of time. Obviously someone has read the blog (which is the shocking part) and someone thought it was good enough to be honored in this way (which is the stunning part).

The overjoyed part comes from the fact that the Harvey Awards are nominated by and selected by real-life comics professionals. The only people eligible to vote in this process are the pencillers, inkers, plotters, scripters, letterers, colorists, editors and publishers of honest-to-gosh comic books. That’s a real honor. We don’t know which professionals are reading this blog…due to the lack of comments (c’mon people!)…but we’d like to thank you and ask you to speak up. Don’t be shy!

The Harvey Awards will be presented on Saturday, September 27th at the Baltimore Comic Convention. For a full list of nominees, please visit the official Harvey Awards site.

Now, on to the fun part. Much like our blog has been created to take existing characters and revamp them for future use, John and I will now analyze the competition in our category and make overwhelming arguments as to why each of them should win over our meager offerings. Seriously. We are both humble and realistic. There’s not a chance in all collected fandom that we will win this award. Ever.

So, John, what do you think of our esteemed co-nominees? Here’s the list:

• The Comics Journal
• Blah Blah Blogfrom Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort
• Reading Comicsby Douglas Wolk
• The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
• The Naked Artist And Other Comic Book Legends by Bryan Talbot and Hunt Emerson

I’m not sure that I’ve ever been as surprised as I was when I found out that we had been nominated for a Harvey Award. It’s a very exciting time, even though we stand no chance of winning. Heck, if I were voting in this category, I wouldn’t vote for us. Here’s what I know about the nominees and why they should win.

I don’t suppose I need to explain to anyone what The Comics Journal is, or why it’s considered the best (and often only) really serious bastion of comics criticism being published today. It is consistently entertaining, and more importantly, it examines comics as an actual art form, and it’s not at all afraid to point out the problems, the excesses and the detritus that litter the comics landscape. Simply put, it’s intelligent, and sadly, there’s not enough of that in comics criticism.

Tom Brevoort is the long running editor of The Avengers series of comics from Marvel, as well as a gazillion other titles from that company. Back when Marvel was sinking amid a sea of mediocrity, his books were always readable, and they continue to stand out, even as Marvel has found itself with some stellar titles in its line. More importantly, Brevoort is outspoken, honest and willing to share his experiences as an editor, making him one of the true editorial stars in any comics company.

The fact that the Overstreet Price Guide was nominated has caused quite a bit of a stir in the comics blogosphere. I’ll not comment on it, mostly because I haven’t read one in years. I stopped buying the Price Guide a few years ago when I realized that I no longer had any real interest in what my comics were worth. That being said, when I did buy the Price Guide, it did actually contain some articles on comics history, so it’s possible that it deserves its nomination. I simply don’t know enough to offer an informed opinion.

I also really can’t comment on the other two titles, as I haven’t read them either. That being said, the previous work from these gentlemen has been stellar and both of these books have been strongly received by the critical community. Plus, I would imagine neither of their books ever discussed the Aquarian, so they get points there.

Still, and I can’t believe I’m going to type this horrible cliche, it truly is an honor to be nominated. To be in the company of this sort of talent is very humbling, and my thanks go out to whomever nominated us.

Well, aren’t you just Mr. Gladhands? Me, I like to take a more analytical angle on the nominations.

Take, for instance, the fact that people actually spend money on The Comics Journal…they go out of their way to purchase this monthly magazine and read it. That says something much more powerful than simply stumbling across our mess of a blog while searching for cartoon porn.

Or, take into account the fact that Gemstone Publishing probably broke out the whips and forced all of their writers, artists and editors to vote for Gemstone books (including the Overstreet Price Guide). That takes a level of dedicated organization that our feeble scribblings could never inspire. Hell, sometimes we go days without updating our site once!

Ooh…or maybe there’s some other sort of conspiracy going on. Maybe Mr. Brevoort wrangled together all of his fellow Marvel teammates and told them to nominate us in order to make it easier for him to win in the long run. Let’s face it, having our incoherent musings on the ballot effectively renders the list one item shorter.

While our web home has only been in existence for two months, Douglas Wolk spent at least that much time compiling a rather comprehensive book about comic literacy. I have it on my bookshelf and it’s quite thick. That’s impressive, much more impressive than spouting off about the Son of Satan’s relationship with his ex-wife for a week (and not even getting paid for it).

And, really, a book that tells tales of comic lore and legend is far more likely to win accolades than a rudimentary fan worship blog that resides a half-rung above Spock/Kirk slash-fiction on the nerd ladder of pseudo-journalism. I’m actually convinced that the only reason we even got a nomination is because we have yet to pose the cursed “Who would win in a fight between…” question. That’s pure death in serious comic book commentary circles. Really.

I do agree with you on one thing though: my dog has a better chance of winning a Nobel Prize than we do of hauling this puppy home in September. However, regardless of the outcome, this is still going on my résumé.

Cuando Mary Jane Watson recibió a Peter Parker con su inmortal frase, “Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot” (“acéptalo, Tigre, te acabas de sacar el premio gordo”), de seguro no tenía en mente este premio gordo:

No, no es una reposición de The Drew Carey Show,
tampoco es la película de los Picapiedra drag-queen,
ni son el Yorch y Moto preparándose para Halloween

Este par de criaturitas de Diso responden a los nombres cristianos de Tom Brevoort y Nick Lowe. Cuando no andan por ahí poniéndose pelucas y posando para la cámara, son un par de experimentados editores de sus respectivas líneas en Marvel Comics. Brevoort ronda la Casa de las Ideas desde los 80’s, y actualmente se dedica a lo referente a Vengadores, Los 4 Fantásticos, y crossovers estelares como Civil War. Lowe, que se unió al staff editorial tan pronto se graduó (por eso, practicantes y becarios, hay que quedar bien donde vayan) no se queda atrás, con varios títulos de la línea Ultimate, 1602 y Eternals de Gaiman, y Runaways (también ganó un concurso de bigotes en el 2007).

Eso no responde por qué están ahí paradotes con sus pelucas y miradas dignas de la señora Bates. El tema es que la Marvel está promocionando un concurso de parecidos a Mary Jane Watson y Gwen Stacy, los dos grandes amores de la vida de Peter Parker, el asombroso Spider-Man. Estamos hablando de un par de señoritas de tinta y papel que han enamorado lectores durante ya más de 40 años. Así que este tándem de empleados fieles se inmoló por la compañía y el entretenimiento de millones alrededor del mundo representando en dos patadas la convocatoria y por qué es tan genial jugar con pelucas.

El concurso tendrá lugar en un megaevento comiquero, la New York Comic Convention del 18 al 20 de abril. El juez será ni más ni menos que la leyenda John Romita Sr., el hombre que dibujó por primera vez a MJ y se sabe de memoria a la Glamorosa Gwendolyn. Se recomienda poner un poquito más de esmero que Tom y Nick. Para muestra, un ejemplo sacado de los lápices del gran John Romita:

Esta señorita en la película la rompió,
y nos preguntamos: ¿por qué Raimi no la usó antes?

Kirsten Dunst está bonita, ¿pero parece supermodelo?
Nick Lowe lo hubiera hecho mejor.

La pregunta es: amigo/amiga que navegas por el Internet y caíste por aquí por la razón que sea, ¿crees parecerte o conocer a alguien que pueda hacerla de MJ o Gwen? Y ojo que estamos hablando de disfraces, así que el color del cabello o los ojos no es limitación. El ganador o la ganadora se llevará ¡¡¡UN CHOCOLATE CON MANÍ!!! ¡¡¡No dejes pasar esta oportunidad!!!

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=150261

http://comics.ign.com/articles/859/859515p1.html

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=149718

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/030308skrulls.html

TOM BREVOORT ON FF: THE LOST ADVENTURE

It’s not unusual for the lost work of a great artist to be released years after their passing. Ernest Hemingway and Ralph Ellison are just two legendary authors whose novels hit the shelves in recent years, and the surviving Beatles got back together in 1995 to finish John Lennon’s uncompleted track “Free as a Bird.”

Now, Marvel Comics has reunited a team that’s synonymous with Lennon and McCartney in comics. Fantastic Four: The Lost Adventure reunites the original FF team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, along with inker Joe Sinnott. The original Lee/Kirby FF run needs no introduction – historically, it’s responsible for pretty much all of comics as you know it. It’s also one of the longest unbroken runs by a single creative team in history, only recently surpassed by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley on Ultimate Spider-Man.

Full story here.

http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Tom_Brevoort/entry/814