The Good, The Beard and The Miller

Here's an article that makes me like Frank Miller even less than I did before. Interesting factoid: Miller is "the most important comic book artist of the last 25 years".

Kamaal Washington (13) and his 11-year-old brother have created Dr. Diabetes to raise awareness of the disease. That is six kinds of awesome!

Speaking of awesome, Brian Cronin enumerates the Top Five Comic Book Beards for us. And knowing is half the battle.

Those wacky Canadians! Quebec's Largest English Paper brings us a story about a pretty cool comic book exhibit at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts.

And now, a picture of "Pudge" Heffelfinger, the first professional American footballer. Click on the image for more information. You're welcome.

This just in: Comics Haiku! Haiku, people! I can't click the link for you.

Speaking of Webcomics

What? Weren't we talking about webcomics? Anyway, check out Vexxarr!

Oh, Archie!

I'm a little concerned about this:

Is...is Veronica's dad threatening to "take Archie to the vet"?

Hulk, H4H, Weird Bats and Bad Medicine

Brian Hughes from Again With The Comics delves into tomes man was not meant to see when he opens Batman's Black Casebook! THRILL to the sight of King Batman the First! CRINGE before the prismatic terror of The Rainbow Creature! CHECK OUT that freaky panel where Batman turns into a monster and says AAAARRRRRROOOOOOOO!

Heroes for Hire #9 not only suffered from crappy writing, it also had lousy medicine. Go get 'em, Scott!

Dorian does the math on The Doctor's companions.

ComicBookMovie.com posts a synopsis of the Hulk sequel. In this one, Eric Bana transforms into Edward Norton and there might actually be a fight scene.

Oh, and here's a picture of Elsa Bloodstone kicking a koala in the gut. You're welcome.

The more things change...

Those of you reading Noetic Concordance via anything resembling an RSS feed are about to get another deluge of old posts. Sorry about that.

To help make up for it, here's a picture of Pete Best followed by a stormtrooper with a stroller. You're welcome.

Friday Night Fights: Kane Style!

And now we see in no uncertain terms why you Do. Not. Fuck. With. Nathan. Kane.

That's right. He not only uses his fists and guns, he uses THE ENTIRE SPACESHIP to kick ass.

Blame Bahlactus.

Word to your udder

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Bully!


One of us...One of us

Awesome Cover Friday: Now with flight rings!

I like the new Waid/Kitson Legion of Super-Heroes comic. Seeing Palmiotti & Gray on the latest issue made me very happy even if they are inking the thing rather than writing it. Do those guys just team up on everything now? Are they gradually melding into a gestalt being or some sort of Siamese Comics Professional joined at the knee?

Anyway, here are some of my favorite LSH covers from the '80s.

#38

OK, this is just pretty. It's the kind of cover that gets noticed at a distance and the design is stunning. It looks like you could warm your hands on it.

#40

BAM! Oh, crap! Giant hand! Also, "Starfinger" sounds like a 30th-century Bond villain.



#50

This is my favorite Legion of Super-Heroes cover from the late '80s run. It's different from nearly every other cover in the series which makes it stand out. It's also different from comic covers in general. It reminds me of the covers science-fiction magazines had back in the day.



-=Special Bonus Cover=-

La Légion des Super-Héros! Awesome! Yes, I admit it. I just like seeing comic characters shouting en Français!

I'm gettin' this on a T-shirt

Click here for more information, citizen.

Heroes for Hentai

If I hadn't already dropped Heroes For Hire because of the crappy writing, the cover to issue #13 would have been the reason:

Seriously, Heroes For Hire is a concept that's hard to screw up but boy did they do it! This cover looks like fanfic on crack with a side order of What The Fuck!

Local #9 - Oni Press (2007)

I can't say enough good things about this series. If you've been reading Noetic Concordance very much you've experienced the gushing. In fact, you can just read what I wrote about issue #8 for more information on the series.

Each issue stands on it's own but there is an overarching narrative featuring Megan who is my favorite character in comics right now. Issue #9 is the best (so far) of an excellent series. We learn more about Megan's childhood and we get some insight as to why she's in a different city every year. This issue is about coping with the death of someone close to you and it's told and drawn deftly.

Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly are teaming up to tell this gripping story and with this issue they really nail it. Each panel moves the story along at exactly the right pace and carries great emotional impact. I have enjoyed Wood and Kelly's work separately on such titles as DMZ and Lucifer but they are a dream team for a story like this.

Issue #10 is going to follow Megan's brother and how he copes with the events of issue #9. It looks like it's going to be a lot darker than Megan's version.

I can't wait.

Awesome Cover Friday: Now With Repulsor Rays!

Hey, remember back before Iron Man was a complete dickhead. Well, before he was a dickhead who wanted to put people in concentration camps. Yeah, Iron Man stories were fun to read back then. He was a smart, brave guy who used his technology to kick serious ass. For justice!

I never thought I'd say this but I'm looking forward to the upcoming Iron Man movie more than I am to Frank Miller's The Spirit. Not even Samuel L. Jackson's involvement gives me hope.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite Iron Man covers:

#149

Tony's coming after Dr. Doom! Look at that eye! It's filled with malevolence! Doom does not care about freakin' repulsor rays. He's all, "Bring it on, billionaire boy!" The image is unusual and (pun intended) eye catching. Awesome cover!

#182

This cover is evocative, well-designed and uses the whole page to get its point across. In fact, it reminds me of Eisner's work on The Spirit. OH, GOD! WHY, WHY, WHY IS FRANK MILLER DIRECTING IT?! WHY!?!

Sorry...I'm better now.



#227

This is my favorite Iron Man cover ever. It comes from my favorite Iron Man storyline ever. Tony discovers that a lot of the armored bad guys out there have stolen their designs from his models. So, he invents a device that fries Iron-Man-type armor and he goes after every single suit he can find. Unfortunately, this means that he goes after good guys like Stingray and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Mandroids as well as bad guys like The Beetle.

I like it when there are word balloons on covers and Iron Man's question here tells you everything you need to know about his character.




-=Special Bonus Covers=-

The cover to #128 is one of the most famous Iron Man covers. It didn't make the cut of my favorites list but I couldn't resist putting it together with the French version. Sacré bleu!!!

Takei = Badass, More Thor and a Gourd

What Were They Thinking?! brings us Thor vs. Fin Fang Foom (sort of). It's less of an action scene and more like My Dinner With Andre. Read all the dialogue. It's worth it.

Disney Pictures will be making an all Chinese-language fantasy flick this summer that centers on a vegetable. No, I did not create that sentence with a random news generator. Seriously, check out The Magic Gourd.

The internet's Mike Sterling^TM has a lot to say about George Takei, Mary Jane Watson, Nancy and Alan Moore. Dude, Takei and Nancy! Click already!

Cover by Cover is winding up Break On Through Week.

Also, I've been screwing with some older posts to make them consistent with the new ones and to make the stats more accurate. Those of you reading this via RSS feed or from the Comic Weblog Update-a-tron are probably seeing a bunch of stuff from the dusty archives. Sorry about that.

This just in from the "More Fuel on the Fire" department: Here's a copy of the Adam Hughes art which inspired that Mary Jane "barefoot and lovin' it" maquette:

At least this one looks like all of her body parts come from the same person.

Charge up your flight rings, folks

The Legion Omnicom has an excellent rundown of the current state of Legion continuity. That's the Legion of Super-Heroes, don't-cha-know.

Speaking of the Legion, here are a couple of my favorite Legion images from back in the day. The first one is an awesome team picture by Curt Swan. The second speaks for itself.

Super Bad Linkblogging

Shortpacked brings us an alternative version of the new Fantastic Four movie.

The Wayans Brothers' comic Super Bad James Dynomite has been optioned for a movie. This raises the question: The Wayans Brothers wrote a comic book?!?

In other news, I'm still pretty pissed off that Frank Miller is directing The Spirit. I'll just focus on this Darwyn Cooke cover instead:

And, hey, I had no idea until a few minutes ago that there was a TV pilot for The Spirit.

Think Global, Read Local

Ryan Kelly posts this cool picture of Megan from Local as a reminder that issue #9 is coming out tomorrow.

Moore. Local. Heroes.

Melinda Perry Gebbie married Alan Moore. Neil Gaiman took some pictures. Yes, it's every bit as weird as you'd think.

Heroes is getting a spinoff! Hell, yeah!

You know when you go into your favorite comic shop on Wednesday? This is the cover of one of the books you should buy:

When Linkblogging Attacks!

Added to the sidebar: When Fangirls Attack. Of course, according to the latest stats three quarters of the readers of this blog now come from there so, "Hi!".

Warren Ellis wins a huge pile of Eagle Awards. See, I told you Nextwave was awesome! Both trades are out. If you haven't read them yet, go get them. See also: Global Fequency, Fell, Planetary, Transmetropolitan, the first twelve issues of The Authority and many more.

Also, here's a wicked cool picture of George Pérez:

Happy Mother(box) Day!

Hi, I'm Granny Goodness I am seizing control of this "blog" to give you a message.

If I know anything it's how to treat children. Mother's Day cards and gifts are mandatory here on Apokolips so I am showered with much-deserved praise. Here's hoping all you other mothers out there receive proper adulation from your ungrateful whelps. That Scott Free! He never writes. Never calls. And after all I've done for him.

I will now deign to give the earthman his little internet frippery back.



Um, thanks, Granny. I guess I echo her sentiments. Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. I hope you had a great time! Also, if you're looking for a Mom's night out I hear that Agatha Harkness is an excellent babysitter and she works cheap.

Aarrggh! Comics Grant!

The folks over at DC Conspiracy have announced the 2nd Annual Aarrggh! Comics Grant!. They say "Anyone age 18 and under and who lives in the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan area is eligible. If you turn 19 in 2007, that’s okay, just as long as you were 18 in 2007." If that's you, click on the link above and check it out.

Face it, Tiger: This is Gratuitous

Heidi Meeley over at Comics Fair Play runs a recurring feature called "Is This Gratuitous?". Here's the latest installment. She posts recent cheesecake covers and asks, well, you can guess. The comments are always a good read.

It's safe to say that This Mary Jane maquette will never show up on "Is This Gratuitous?" because there's absolutely no question about it!

The Immortal Iron Fist #5 - Marvel (2007)

Wow!

Brubaker and Fraction are writing the hell out of this one. They have been expanding the legend of the Iron Fist and this issue blows that legend up like an A-bomb! Furious action combined with a cool backstory and fully-realized characters. Hell Yeah! This is what I read comics for.

Aja's art is spectacular, as well. Look at this:



The trade will be out in July. If you have ever enjoyed a kung-fu movie or a sword-and-sorcery novel check this out.

Awesome Cover Friday: Simonson Style

Walt Simonson's art is dynamic. He gives a sense of motion to his figures without going into the scribbly territory that some lesser artists do. Simonson built on those early epic Kirby stories and put his own spin on the character. He wrote, drew and lettered the title during his run which gave him the opportunity to truly do things his way.

#361

Holy crap! Look at the size of that dog! This is Garm, the guardian of the entrance to Hel. Sure, the Greek version has three heads but with fangs like that, I think Garm's doing fine with just the one.

#337

Yeah, you knew I was gonna put this one on there. It's the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill which is awesome enough. I'm a sucker for covers which screw with the title elements so that earns it several more awesome points. The design is simple and evocative. For those familiar with Thor's mythology it begs the question, "Who the Hel is that dude with Mjolnir?!?" This issue certainly lived up to its cover.




#341

Thor vs. Fafnir! Simonson excels at large-scale confrontations. Both this and the cover to #361 use the "tiny Thor" effect to drive home the stakes the Thunder God is playing for.




#349

This cover is a concise visual representation of Simonson's run on Thor. He told epic stories worthy of the gods they were about. This picture has a wonderful Ring-Cycle feel to it that conveys just how big Thor's universe is.

“I’m white, middle-aged, and self-satisfied, how ya doin’?”

If you're not reading The Comics Curmudgeon regularly you should totally do so.

The Curmudgeon hipped me to This Week in Milford which is ALL GIL THORP! ALL THE DAMN TIME!

And just 'cause I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post an example of Walt Simonson's awesomeness, here's an example from The Mighty Thor #346:

Awesome Cover Thor's Day!

The lastest batch of covers is so awesome a single day could not contain it. When I think "Thor" I think "Kirby". That thought is quickly followed by "Simonson". Since this is Thor's Day I will highlight four of my favorite Jack Kirby covers. Tomorrow: Simonson!

#126

Thor vs. Hercules! Dude! The pseudo-Elizabethan dialogue was flying fast and furious on that day, I can tell you. It writes itself!

"I say thee nay!"

"Oh, yeah?!? Well, I say thee nay, varlet! How dost thou like them apples?"

#155

Just sit back and bask in the Kirby. When you are attacked by a Kirby monster you know you've been attacked! Look at those teeth! I also like the visual synecdoche of Thor's hammer standing in for the god himself.



#176

I love covers where the title elements are part of the image. And this one has the king of the fire giants on it! Also, the circle from the spinning Mjonlir really works down there in the corner.



#177

Extra bonus awesome cover. The Warriors Three are officially awesome. There is documentation to prove this in the Library of Congress. This is an outstanding action shot and it does what covers are supposed to do: Make the viewer want to know what's going to happen inside. Images like this define Thor for me.

How do you say "Riverdale" in Hindi?

Archie to get Indian makeover. Now that's outsourcing! My favorite quote:

"Archie is not as funny as Chacha Chaudhary," the crime-fighting Hindi comic book hero."

Well, hell, who is?

Common, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman to star in an adaptation of Wanted

Lulu.com and Comic Book Creator partner up to allow people to self-publish comics even more easily.

A kid with Asperger's writes a comic (which sounds pretty cool) and gains confidence. And friends! Cool!

And now, Superpenguin!

A few words about a few free comics

I have such an enormous pile of comics to get through after FCBD added to my already considerable recent haul. I want to say a bunch of stuff about them so let's dig in:

Choose Your Weapon Sampler - Tokyopop

Tokyopop's offering was the highlight of last year's Free Comic Book Day. This year's sampler was great, too. I didn't like it as much as the 2006 version but only because that one was comprised of three complete issues. This one is a true sampler but each of the five chapters contains enough story for readers to make informed decisions. They did a great job of showing off some great art and storytelling.

Unseen Peanuts - Fantagraphics



Fantagraphics gets the gold medal for FCBD this year. They really outdid themselves with a collection of Peanuts strips which have never been included in collections for various reasons. There are over 150 of them and they range from hilarious to bleak to weird. It's a cross-section inside a timecapsule wrapped in an enigma. With commentary!

Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century - DC



This one was a delight. I love the art and the story was fun. The Legion travels into the past to get a pre-cape Clark Kent to help them out. It's wicked awesome! I'm a sucker for the Legion and this comic is an excellent addition to my collection. Now I've gotta watch the TV show.

Owly: Helping Hands - Top Shelf



My wife read this and said, "This is the Richie Rich and Casper for kids today". Damned if she isn't right. I think Owly and his ilk are going to get a bunch of kids interested in comics early. Also, Korgi is a lot of fun. It surprised me in the best way possible.

Marvel/DC Ads

In lieu of actual content:

I can has Owly?

I was elated to discover that my favorite comic store got the whole run of free comics this year. I was less elated to discover that I had missed out on the latest Owly. I got everything else I was hoping for so it's all good.

However, I decided to see if one of the other comic shops still had any so 4-year-old son in tow I set off for the other side of town. Only to discover that they were out of Owly, too.

"Oh, well," I said and went off to look at the gaming stuff.

After a few minutes The Best Comic Store Employee In The World came up to me with a copy of Owly: Helping Hands. She said, "This was our display copy but since we don't have any others in the box you should take it".

Awesome.

So I took that and a bunch of non-free stuff and I'm home now reading through this enormous stack of comics. I'll post some reviews soon.

Happy Free Comic Book Day, everybody.

A couple of new blog notes

Added to the sidebar: The Feminine Miss Geek

Scott from Polite Dissent posts a medical review of JSA Classified #24 and it's one of the best ones he's done. If you're not reading Scott's blog regularly, well, you should be. So, there.

Chris's Invincible Super-Blog has moved.

Don't forget about

And since The Feminine Miss Geek's second post is gaming-related I will use that as an excuse to post one of my favorite webcomics (click the image to see more from XKCD):

Awesome Cover Friday: Cheap As Free!

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! Here are five of my favorite recent free comic covers.

Owly: Splashin' Around

Dude, it's Owly! No more needs be said. Topshelf is offering Owly & Korgi this year. If you see it at your local comic shop grab it and never let it go!

Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things

I like Ted Naifeh's writing almost as much as I like his art. This book reads as cool as it looks. There are plenty of Courtney stories out there in digest form. Seek them out.



X-Men Runaways

You know that thing they say about books and covers and judging. Yeah, well, this is the freakin' poster child for that saying! The cover is a nice reference to Hulk #340 and the art is good but the actual comic is one of the worst things I've ever read. Not worth the price, if you know what I'm sayin'.



Love Fights

This is the kind of cover which really grabs my attention from across a store. Simple sells.



The Adventures of Paul

Here's another indie offering that really stood out. I love the style on this one.



Go get free comics tomorrow. Doom commands it!