New Comic Day 8.25.2010

A day late: Mea Culpa....I took a day off to work on lines for my show, and generally try to get my mind in order for the next couple weeks of theatre-intensive action. I tried to stay locked up in the bedroom as much as possible to just work the dialogue.

That said, I did actually pick up my books yesterday...I actually picked up my comics on New Comic Day...fancy that!

Batman #702

Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by TONY DANIEL

Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel continue their captivating untold tale of Bruce Wayne and his adventures between BATMAN R.I.P. and FINAL CRISIS! Discover the shocking secrets that point toward THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE that we couldn't show you until now!

Interesting enough story, I guess...but I am dreading where these titles are going before the end of the year. With this Batman, Inc. series coming out, that appears to be about Batman franchising the cape and cowl around the world. I have to admit it sounds to me like the single dumbest idea, ever.

I think it's time for Morrison to step away from Batman...I really do.

Detective Comics #868

Written by DAVID HINE
Art by SCOTT MCDANIEL and ANDY OWENS
Cover by PETER NGUYEN

A warped variation of the Joker drug has caused those who use it to suffer mental breakdowns and embrace anarchy and chaos. With riots cropping up throughout Gotham City, the citizens find themselves divided into two gangs: one led by a Batman impostor whose mission is to bring law and order back to the streets, and the other led by a Joker impostor whose purpose is to punish the innocent and set Gotham ablaze. And in the middle of it all is The Dark Knight – but can Batman stop an entire city?

This is a decent story, an old-fashioned Batman crime tale, with a gang of Joker-impostors running wild. Well written, nice art. It's a good antidote to Morrison's high-concept mucking about. However, I do wish that they wouldn't double up the core Batman titles into one week.

Justice League of America #48

Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by MARK BAGLEY,
ROB HUNTER and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by MARK BAGLEY and JESUS MERINO
1:10 White Lantern Variant cover by RYAN SOOK,
FERNANDO PASARIN and JOEL GOMEZ

The BRIGHTEST DAY continues with a shocking connection to the White Light in part five of the JLA/JSA crossover!

It's the grand finale of this team-up, and it's chock-full of revelations as the greatest threat to the Earth may not be Alan Scott or the chaotic energy of the Starheart, but one of the other members!

Plus, don't miss the second feature starring Cyborg, whose goal of restoring Red Tornado's body becomes a battle to save the android's sanity as the madness of the Starheart engulfs them.

God. Please make it stop. I gave them until issue #50...things are not looking good.

Superman: Secret Origin #6 (of 6)

Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by GARY FRANK and JON SIBAL
Variant cover by GARY FRANK

The reimagining of Superman's early days concludes as he faces his toughest foe yet – his childhood friend Lex Luthor! The victor will be Metropolis's hero. If you think you know how this plays out, then you underestimate how much Luthor wants that title…

I kept wondering if I had somehow missed the last issue of this series. Nope, just another annoying delay. Really, it's been since April 7th. That's when issue #5 of this "monthly" series was released. Over five months!

I'm quite fond of this series. I think Johns did a great job on the story, and Frank may be THE Superman artist right now. Although, his clear use of Christopher Reeve's likeness (I hope something's going to the Christopher Reeve Foundation for that) may be biasing me. It's a lovely final issue, it just took too long to get here. Honestly, I lay that more on the editors than anyone else. Unless Frank sustained a hand injury or something, the scheduling should've been thought out more.

Fill in artists are not a bad thing, and I think the publishers need to realize that again.

Captain America #609

COVER BY: MARKO DJURDJEVIC
WRITER: ED BRUBAKER,
SEAN MCKEEVER
PENCILS: FILIPE DANIEL MORENO DE ANDRADE
MARKO DJURDJEVIC, BUTCH GUICE
INKS: FILIPE DANIEL, MORENO DE ANDRADE
RICHARD MAGYAR
COLORED BY: CHRISTOPHER SOTOMAYOR|DEAN V. WHITE
LETTERED BY: NEUROTIC CARTOONIST, INC|NEUROTIC CARTOONIST, INC

Bucky must return to the place where his life once ended as Baron Zemo continues to rip his life apart. It's the hardest hitting arc of Captain America ever by the awesome team of Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice.

Decent story. Well executed. When's Steve gonna be back in the costume? I mean, other than next summer, when the movie'll be out, and you KNOW Marvel can't pass that up.

New Comic Day 4.7.2010

Welcome to the continuing look at how much money I waste on comics...

Actually, not fair. I actually spend far less than a lot of people out there, and my pull list is pretty tightly controlled. So, I don't apologize to anybody, man! BACK OFF!

Anyway, here's the buy/possible buy list this week...All-DC week, which isn't terribly unusual, I guess.

Batman and Robin #11

Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Andy Clarke and Scott Hanna
Cover by Frank Quitely
1:25 Variant cover by Andy Clarke

"Batman vs. Robin" part 2 of 3! The Dynamic Duo fight it out in the ultimate duel to the finish. Meanwhile, Robin's mother, Talia al Ghul, sends an old adversary of Dick Grayson's to complete the job that her son may not be able to stomach!

Ah, me...this book is great. Despite the variant cover nonsense. Clearly, we (and Morrison) are ramping up to the "Return of Bruce Wayne" storyline. It's certainly being handled a lot better than his "death" was. Also, man the scheduling on this series is tight...the rotating artists concept has worked like a charm. It's shipping like clockwork. Well done.

Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Scott Kolins, Francis Manapul and Others
Cover by Francis Manapul

Flash Facts! In the aftermath of BLACKEST NIGHT and THE FLASH: REBIRTH comes the beginning of a new era for Barry Allen and the deadly Rogues! As Barry readjusts to life again, strange happenings explode across Central City that will lead to one of the most bizarre murder mysteries Barry will ever face in the upcoming THE FLASH #1! Plus, don't miss Wally West, Kid Flash, Gorilla Grodd and a cold case that will send The Flash down a path unlike any other. Run – don't walk – to pick it up!

This is the "maybe" book this week. Great writer, great artists, and one of my top 3 characters, but the problem is, books like this are for newbies. People who need to get caught up on what's happened before. I don't. However, I'll flip through it, and see how the art and story look before I make a final call.

Jonah Hex #54

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art and cover by Jordi Bernet

Jonah Hex has been framed for murder! But with both the citizens and the law of the town convinced of his guilt, how will Hex avoid execution? Luckily he has some friends in town to help him out. Wait, they're the ones who framed him! Ah, well. Sorry, Hex.

I was just talking with my new director about this series last night, and how much I admire it. Truly, just a series where a genius like Jordi Bernet gets into print on a fairly regular basis is a cause for joy, but the fact that Palmiotti and Gray have never, ever slipped below "fun and readable" in fifty-four issues, and actually getting to "brilliant" more often than not, is a miracle. Please, if you read comics, or even if you don't, pick this up! It's worth it!

Red Robin #11

Written by Christopher Yost
Art and cover by Marcus To and Ray McCarthy

"Collision" races to its conclusion as Ra's al Ghul's endgame for Red Robin begins. The Men of Death are on the move in Gotham City, and Red Robin, Batgirl and Prudence set out to stop them from killing everyone Bruce Wayne ever cared about. But before he can take on Ra's, Red Robin has to get past Gotham City's own protectors...

My feelings about this book are unchanged. It's a truly good "second string" Batman title, and well worth your time. Tim Drake has had a lot of solo spotlight as Robin (Dick Grayson probably had more), and it pays off. I understand and like Tim in a very personal way. He's a good kid, and wants to do what's right...but he can't let go of Bruce, and now we know he was right.

Superman: Secret Origin #5 (of 6)

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal

Superman versus Metallo – for the first time! Witness the origin of one of Superman's most-feared foes, as an attack by Lex Luthor goes awry and gives birth to the evil of Metallo. Can an inexperienced Man of Steel handle a foe with a heart of Kryptonite? Meanwhile, Lois Lane and Perry White are close to revealing Luthor as the monster that he is – but are they willing to pay for that truth with their lives?

This is a totally creator-driven series for me. I mean, there is absolutely no reason to re-tell Superman's early days yet again, unless you're going for full-on reboot and restart, and that's not what we have here. Things are changed, sure, but nothing in any major way that needed a whole 'nother 6 issues of re-telling. OK, we worked Superboy back into Clark's teenage years...big deal. However, Johns and Frank are in top form, and the book is gorgeous. That's nothing to turn your nose up at, and I don't...I am buying it.

The Comic Day from Hell 11.25.2009

Huge week, and I won't be able to pick it up until next Wednesday, most likely.

Annoying.

Frankly, I am in a really poor mood today, and I really don't have much of anything to say about these books. I'll buy them, I'll read them.

Blackest Night #5 (of 8)

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert

Detective Comics #859

Written by Greg Rucka
Art by JH Williams III
Co-feature art by Cully Hamner
Cover by JH Williams III
Variant cover by Jock

Gotham City Sirens #6

Written by Paul Dini
Art and cover by Guillem March

Green Lantern #48

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Variant cover by Rags Morales

Justice League: Cry for Justice #5 (of 7)

Written by James Robinson
Art and cover by Mauro Cascioli

Justice League of America #39

Written by James Robinson
Art and cover by Mark Bagley

Superman: Secret Origin #3 (of 6)

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal
Covers by Gary Frank

Ultimate comics Avengers #4

COVER BY: Carlos Pacheco
WRITER: Mark Millar
PENCILS: Carlos Pacheco
INKS: Dexter Vines
COLORED BY: Justin Ponsor
LETTERED BY: VC - Cory Petit

New Comic Wednesday 10.28.2009

Well, two light weeks mean...heavy week on the way.

And it's here.

Ambush Bug: Year None #7 (of 6)

Written by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming
Art by Keith Giffen and Al Milgrom
Cover by Darwyn Cooke

Ahh, FINALLY! I've been waiting for this bugger to wrap up for, God, has it been half a year? More? Was the delay a intended part of the scathing satire of modern comics that is the whole point of the series? "Whatever Happened to AMBUSH BUG YEAR NONE #6?" will hopefully answer those questions.

Batman #692

Written by Tony Daniel
Art by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea
Cover by Tony Daniel

Tony Daniel comes back to the fold after writing and providing art for The Battle for the Cowl, a mini-series which, while not terrible, didn't blow up my skirt by any reach of the imagination. I had liked what the Judd Winick/Mark Bagly team had brought to the table quite a bit, but I'll let Daniel take a run. It's not like I'm dropping this book.

Blackest Night #4 (of 8)

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis

"Variant cover," sketch variant cover".....**SHIVER** Thank God Geoff John's writing is solid enough to hold up under the marketing machine. The pieces of this puzzle are starting to fit, with the introduction of the Indigo Lanterns and the revelations that the Black Lanterns aren't REALLY our favorite characters revived. That said, this is where "secrets are revealed," and I really do not want Johns to drop the ball.

Detective Comics #858

Written by Greg Rucka
Art by JH Williams III
co-feature art by Cully Hamner
Cover by JH Williams III
Variant cover by Adam Hughes

A Batman title with no Batman? (well, none of them have "BATMAN" at this point.) This is the one that's working on all cylinders at this point. The Batwoman lead feature is well written with, flat-out, amazing art, and the Question back-up feature is kicking ass, as well. A rare title where a $3.99 price tag doesn't phase me at all.

Gotham City Sirens #5

Written by Paul Dini
Art and cover by Guillem March

I keep saying I'm going to drop this book, but I keep buying it. Right now, it's the only regular series Dini is writing. So, I suppose that's a reason. It is attempting to tie-in with the main Bat-storyline, but the series seems so far out on the edge of everything, I have to struggle to care. March can draw ladies real nice, I admit.

Green Lantern #47

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Variant cover by Ed Benes

I always wonder how an artist like Mahnke can stay pretty much on schedule for a monthly book like Green Lantern, while, say Ethan Van Sciver seems to slip further and further behind on Flash:Rebirth? (Maybe it has something to do with Van Sciver's constant Facebook complaints about Obama?) I love the Pretty Indigo Lantern cover, and as in the Blackest Night rundown above, the story is working for me. Go Geoff Johns, Go!

Superman: Secret Origin #2 (of 6)

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal
Covers by Gary Frank

I picked up the first issue out of a sense of curiosity, and a respect for the creators. The first issue was fun enough to warrant a second. However, it just keeps nagging at me...Do we need ANOTHER re-telling of the Superman origin? Also, did DC just plan to put out all of Geoff Johns' series in one week? Are you trying to bankrupt me?

Ultimate Comics Avengers #3

COVER BY: Carlos Pacheco
WRITER: Mark Millar
PENCILS: Carlos Pacheco
INKS: Danny Miki|Dexter Vines
COLORED BY: Justin Ponsor
LETTERED BY: VC - Cory Petit

What's happening in this book again? Something to do with a new super-team, after the Ultimatum cock-up, that's "under the radar?" Oh yeah, and Ultimate Red Skull...THAT'S why I'm reading!

One final thought:

Here's a question I'd like to ask Joey Quesada over at marvel...How come you can't put out a decent Fantastic Four book? I WANT to buy a Fantastic Four book...I'm dying to. Benjamin J. Grimm is an almost perfect creation. Why has it sucked since YOU fired Mark Waid and (God rest his soul) Mike Weringo?!?