What comics are you all reading? What do you think?

[Loerwyn]

I think Amazon, Play etc are obliged to meet the day of release if you pre-order so that's why they send it early, happens a fair bit to me when I order computer games.

It's likely so, but it comes out on Tuesday, so I'd have expected a Saturday/Monday dispatch, not an early Friday one

 

[kater]

Well they won't deliver Sunday and if it was sent Saturday you'd miss the Monday chain on regular post so it had to be friday at the latest. Simples

 

[Loerwyn]

You may be correct... Well, we'll see when it comes

 

[Corporal Blues]

Chew looks good, but there are only a certain amount of hours in one day..sigh...

I highly recommend that you shuffle things around and make time for Chew. It is extremely enjoyable.

 

[Loerwyn]

Pixie Strikes Back arrived this morning. Not even half way through yet! It's... weird. Very, very weird. I think I have an idea of what's going on, but I'm not 100% sure.

The art is a bit strange, too. It goes from looking quite nice to being almost repulsive, and then back to nice. And then back to repulsive

Update:
Just finished it. Well, the art style did sort of "balance out" towards the end, and the story began to make a bit more sense. I'm not a huge reader of X-Men stuff (the only X-Men comics I have are contained in Deadpool Vol. #3, one reprint series (which has the iconic X-23 vs Lady Deathstrike fight, which was turned into a statue) and now this), so the odd little thing didn't make sense but that did amount to not knowing who two of the characters are (Rockslide and Anole (Who is made of awesome, apparently)). One thing I did love about it was Psylocke sounded English in it - She even said "Bloody Hell!". I'm also at a loss as to why every character had to be pointed out multiple times. I don't read X-Men, yet I can tell the difference between Armor and Blindfold, but at least those comments were humorous. Oh, and did we really need to see Armor using the bathroom and Rockslide handling a tampon? Implication is enough, thank you.

I noticed that in one panel it looks like Mercury and Armor have a bit of a smooch, and I'm not the only one to notice it by the looks of it.

Good read, but I'm a bit unsure if it was really worth £8.50 - There's only four issues in it (totaling <100 pages) and the art is schizophrenic. The writing quality is certainly readable, so if you're interested (and it's cheap) then pick it up.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

I've read Supergirl for a year, but I'm more of a novel person, I find that comics tend to be expensive for the amount of story you get, and that particular comic was bimonthly and usually had multi-part story arcs. I liked the early Supergirl before she suddenly changed writers and became "politically correct."

 

[Loerwyn]

Has anyone read Lady Deadpool #1 or Wonder Woman #600 (the sort of reboot issue), and if so, are they any good?

 

[Corporal Blues]

Just read the one-shot Officer Downe. Entertaining stuff. My review:

Officer Downe is a gory, ultra violent one-shot comic from the minds of writer Joe Casey, and artist Chris Burnham. The titular character, Officer Downe is a bad-ass, mustachioed, one-man-wrecking-crew of a cop. The issue begins with Downe, literally, busting some drug lords. Much ass is whooped, but the confrontation ends with a massive explosion, killing Officer Downe. That ain't the end of Officer Downe though! As we soon find out, his employers, the LAPD, simply use a cadre of telekinetics to patch up, and give life back into Downe's body. Once Downe is whole again, relatively speaking, (he seems to be a bit more crazy after each resurrection), Downe is ready to hit the streets and deal out his version of steel justice.

Unfortunately for Officer Downe, while he was recuperating, an evil society called the Fortune 500, (I was unsure if this referred to the heads of the world's largest corporations, or just some criminal outfit...it helps to not think too hard about this comic's plot), has put a hit out on our hero. The hired assassin is a hip-hop ninja named Zen Master Flash. With the help of his legion of ninja trainees, Zen Master Flash lures Officer Downe by attacking Cedars-Sinai hospital. What transpires can only be described as: hardcore ultra-violent action!

Officer Downe is all kinds of crazy and pretty much awesome. It is kinda light on plotting, and certainly lacks any kind of depth. It is a classic "what you see is what you get" experience, but it is pretty damn entertaining. Burnham's artwork is decidedly gore-filled, but it has such an over the top approach to it that it was never really stomach-churning, but instead more or less comical. On each page I found myself scouring every panel in an attempt to pick out every minute detail that Burnham included, and there's plenty of plunder for those who take the time.

My major complaint about Officer Downe is that the ending seemed rushed. There didn't seem to be any kind of conclusion to the overall story line. It seemed like the story just ran out of space, and that was it. However the double-page splash to end the comic was amazing. Perhaps there'll be more Officer Downe to be had in the future. For now, I'll be reservedly satisfied with this action packed gore-fest.

 

[theonefirestorm]

Brightest Day At the Moment I'm very pleased that in the last two issues Firestorm has been used excellent, and everyone is getting equal it's not just let's give most of the pages to Deadman, or this character.

 

[theonefirestorm]

The pacing with Brightest Day has gotten better, and the excellent news is Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond) will be fighting the Black Lantern Firestorm. I expect Brightest Day issue 8 to be a epic final issue.

 

[Corporal Blues]

I sadly have no new comics coming in from my pull list this week, but the stuff I've gotten my hands on in the past couple weeks has been quite good.

In anticipation of Alan Moore's latest: Neonomicon I picked up a copy of The Courtyard a 44 page one-shot to which Neonomicon is the sequel/continuation of. The Courtyard was VERY great, and I'll give more depth on it later...

I also read the first Neonomicon issue and it is fantastic. Moore and the artist, Jacen Burrows do some cool things with the comic medium; fun little tricks with the format and gutters.

Also read the 5th issue of American Vampire, which is the last part of the opening run, and the final issue featuring Stephen King as a writer...I'm not sure I'll stick with this comic, it doesn't interest me a ton, it is pricey at $3.99, and the half of the comic written by Scott Snyder's is consistently my least favorite part, and he's the only writer going forward, so that is also a negative.

In the spirit of the latest review in the Comics Section:

The 12th issue of Sweet Tooth serves as an excellent jumping on point for newcomers to the series. This issue is a quick read, there is only a few lines of narration at the bottom of each page, but it gives some good background for the series as well as some more important revelations for dedicated fans like myself. The third story arc should kick off with issue 13, but the 1st trade is available, and the second should be on it's way. I really love this comic and would recommend to to just about anyone.

 

[Loerwyn]

Picked up Lady Deadpool #1 today, which is a one-shot as part of the Women of Marvel thing they're doing. It was readable, although I don't think it was really upto the standard of Deadpool. I was a tad confused about it, but ah well.

Also picked up Wonder Woman #600 (DC) and Dungeons & Dragons #0 (IDW; Cover A). There's a signing next week with the guy who did cover B (Adrian Tchaikovsky was doing a signing today), but I doubt I'll go.

 

[Loerwyn]

I just read, or perhaps skimmed, Wonder Woman #600. As an outside observer of DC Comics, this was an unusual purchase for me, and so please take my comments with that knowledge in mind.

Wonder Woman #600 is a mess, but at the same time it isn't. It's a collection of shorter strips - One which I would assume ties into current DC events, one with the delectable Power Girl, and there's the "main" story, which showcases Wonder Woman's new costume. They all seemed disjointed and, perhaps, more a celebration of Wonder Woman rather than a canonical issue.

The first story involves many women from the DC line up fighting a group of "siren robots" who've enthralled a bunch of men, and then Wonder Woman hurried off to a graduation of some sort. Yep, that's about as much sense as it made to me. The art was blindingly colourful, and then changed into more neutral tones towards the end. The second is predominantly a story about Power Girl and Wonder Woman, although one of the female Bat characters (Batgirl, I think) makes an appearance. It's light hearted, and the art works pretty well. The final story is pathetically short, and you effectively just see Wonder Woman beat up some guys, walk through a sewer-like tunnel bordered by people in white robes and then talk to a blind girl.

Each small strip is separated by a few pieces of art by various artists, showing Wonder Woman in her old costume in various poses and situations. Some are better than others, but the standard is pretty high. My favourite has to be the piece of Wonder Woman stood on a podium, and I've found a picture:

To top it off, there's an introduction by Lynda Carter and at the end there's two smaller interviews with people involved.

As someone who doesn't read DC, I was left a bit confused. I suppose I let myself in for it as I'd hoped #600 would be a fresh start and less of a "compilation" issue. Does Wonder Woman's "reinvention" look like it could be excellent? Yes, it does. But by simply going by the art and what's been said so far, it looks like she's going in the direction of Batman in that everything's going to be dark and brooding. Her costume has lost a lot of its colour and vibrance, the tones used were predominantly darker/paler shades, and it seems a bit wrong for Wonder Woman. One thing I do like is how they seem to have toned her down a bit. DC and Marvel have both gone down the road of ladies having large chests, but whilst Wonder Woman is still well endowed in that region, she's more modest about it, I think.

It has made me want to read some Power Girl, though.

 

[kater]

It's a reboot that will likely be rebooted in a year or two anyway, ignore as applicable is my theory.

 

[Loerwyn]

I'm staggered I manage to write so much about one issue of a comic! Going to get around to Dungeons & Dragons #0 tonight or tomorrow, I think.

 

[Corporal Blues]

On a comics related fashion note...I think Wonder Woman's new outfit is weak. What's with the weird half-jacket thingy? Is it the early 90's?

 

[Loerwyn]

I'm sure they said it basically forms part of her armor. It looks pretty good in the comic, or at least I felt it did.

 

[theonefirestorm]

Brightest Day The covers are now matching the story which is excellent otherwise it's like false advertising.

In regards to the Wonder Woman costume people have complained that they feature more as eye candy with her bottom pants being drawn as a thong, or mainly when she is shown it's ass shots with her hot pants riding up her ass.

With the new costume that can't be done because she's wearing what is either tights, or leggings.

 

[Loerwyn]

Dungeons & Dragons #0 Review:
Publisher: IDW

Basic Info:
Issue #0 exists, chiefly, to provide a small glimpse at two of IDW's upcoming products - Dungeons & Dragons (Ongoing) and Dark Sun (5-issue limited). Both teasers are used to introduce the major characters and to start the events, so at least no time is wasted with pointless meandering.

Dungeons & Dragons
D&D is the upcoming on-going series, starting in November (woo!) and it revolves around a rather lucky band of adventurers. The party is somewhat clichéd - Elf Ranger, Human Fighter, Tiefling Mage, Halfling Rogue, Dwarf Paladin - but from what we're shown, it works.

The writing is very light hearted, and as someone with more experience in Forgotten Realms, it's quite a pleasant change. The art style is also cartoony (without being disproportionate or ridiculous) and it helps carry that tone across. The characters also interact pretty well and they seem like they've worked together for some time - it seems natural and fluid.

Overall, it's a well written short piece. I was instantly captivated by Bree Three-Hands (Halfling Rogue) as her character was very interesting and humorous, although that's not to say the other characters weren't good.

8/10 for me. It was too short, and whilst the art was good, the scaling seemed to change from time to time. I don't think it's fair, or appropriate, to rate it higher as it's simply a teaser piece.

Dark Sun
Dark Sun is a setting I must admit I'm not familiar with. In this issue, it's a much shorter piece, and also of a different tone. In contrast to Dungeons & Dragons, Dark Sun has a much darker art style and no humour.

It's the story of a gladiator who escapes his predicament and is hunted down by, I assume, a slaver. His lover didn't try to stop him being taken by the guards at the start, so I can only guess that he's going to attempt find out why she didn't.

There's not much I can say about this teaser as there's only 6 pages to go on. All I know is that I'm really not sold on it. I don't really want to rate it, so I'll just suggest that you try to find D&D #0 and make up your mind. Dark Sun #1 is out in Jan '11, by the way.

Overall:
Combined with the interviews at the back, this teaser issue was well worth the $1 (think it was just shy of £1 here). I'm sold on Dungeons & Dragons, although I don't know if I'll get the issues or the trades.

If you don't play D&D but like fantasy comics, D&D and Dark Sun are up your street. If you play D&D and like comics, this is right up your street too. You don't have to know anything about D&D to understand and enjoy this (if the interviews are anything to go by), so seriously, if you have a few spare coins and you see this on a shelf (or eventually the trades), then pick them up.

 

[Corporal Blues]

It's always a sad week for me when there is nothing in my pull-box come Wednesday.

Last week I hit the triple crown with three of my favorite titles coming in.

Chew

The 6th Gun

Bulletproof Coffin

All great titles, and so far, always entertaining. I love Shaky Kane's artwork on Bulletproof Coffin. He's pretty much an unknown prior to this, so it'll be interesting to see what he does next. Bulletproof Coffin is just a 6 issue series, so hopefully he'll get a full time gig after.

Speaking of upcoming work: Brian K. Vaughn just finished up on Ex Machina, anyone know what he's got coming up next?