Simpsons Thing and a Question

Upcoming Simpsons episode to feature Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman and Daniel Clowes. What, Scott McCloud wasn't available?

I've got a question for my fellow comics fans: Do you like The Sentry?

I don't. I have also heard nothing but negative reactions to him. I don't have a burning hatred for him or anything but he's just not a character I care about. Please comment with your opinion on the guy. Or with a link to your Sentry fansite.

A few more reviews

The Brave and the Bold #5 - DC (2007)

When I saw Mark Waid at MidSouthCon a few months ago he talked about this issue. When I heard "Batman" and "Legion of Super-Heroes" in the same sentence I said something to the effect of "Woot!". Now that I've read the issue I can say that my woot-age was entirely justified. Batman fights the Legion and there's even a good story reason for it. Also, we get more from Supergirl and Hal Jordan IN SPACE!

The Order #1 - Marvel (2007)



Given the creative team behind this one I should have liked it a lot more than I did. Matt Fraction is an excellent writer who is currently kicking ass over on The Immortal Iron Fist and Barry Kitson is one of my favorite artists. However, I am tired of stories about "what superheroes would be like in the real world". Yes, I understand that heroes would be celebrities with marketing teams and agents but that's not what I read comics for. No one will be seated during the exciting Fragrance-Launch Scene! Not my bag, baby.

This isn't a bad comic. It's a well-done comic about something I don't like. In order to make this sort of thing click for me you've got to do something different with it and this one feels like I've read it a dozen times before. I have to point out that Mark Morales's inks and Dean White's colors look great on Kitson's pencils. Except for a few pages of repetitive talking heads this is one of the most visually interesting comics to come out this month.

Scroll down a bit in this post by Chris Sims for a (mostly) dissenting opinion.

World War Hulk #2 - Marvel (2007)



Speaking of things that have been done before, World War Hulk has fallen into a pattern after only two issues.

1. Hulk breaks some shit.
2. Someone with a history of calming Hulk down talks to him for a few panels.
3. That person gets smashed (and not in the spring-break way).
4. Hulk beats the hell out of another member of the Illuminati.
5. A building falls over.
6. GOTO 1

There is so much more that could be done with this premise and I realize we're early in the event so there's plenty of time to add some depth to the story. I hope it's coming. Hulk's Warbound are cool and now that they're off the ship they might get to do something neat. It looks like the Sentry is going to feature heavily in this story which is not a selling point for me but I'm going to stick with it because the scenes of X-Treme Devastation are fun to read. I knew what I was getting into with WWH. It's like going to a Michael Bay movie with superheroes in it. I'm just hoping to be pleasantly surprised a few times along the way.

Super-Villain Team-Up: M.O.D.O.K.'s 11 #1 (of 5) - Marvel (2007)

The Marvel Universe has more than its share of wacky super villains who were created for one or two issues of Captain America or X-Men and were not heard from again until they were rounded up in the great Scourge event of the late eighties. Well, Scourge was a busy man and he couldn't kill all the C-List bad guys so the survivors ended up in titles like Palmiotti and Gray's Heroes for Hire and this week's M.O.D.O.K.'s 11.

I love heist stories. I love M.O.D.O.K. because he's the craziest villain Marvel ever came up with. I love making fun of the crazy people populating a world with Stilt Man in it. More accurately, I love all of these things when they are done well. This issue is done very well.

M.O.D.O.K. has broken free of A.I.M (again) and he is hiding out in an abandoned warehouse (of course) so he can plot his revenge against all those who have wronged him. He has used his superior intellect to assemble the perfect team of ne'er-do-wells for his Big Plan^TM. The members of this "perfect team" include Rocket Racer, Spot, and Puma so the big guy's intellect may not be as superior as he'd like us to think.

This story has the right mix of wacky fun and cool character moments to make it a real page turner. So far, Mentallo is the only one who has a clue that M.O.D.O.K. is hiding something but even his skepticism is overwhelmed by the promise of a lot of money. It's too easy to go overboard with the characterizations in a story like this but Fred Van Lente does it right. Van Lente is now on my very short list of writers whose work I'll seek out.

The art by Francis Portella and Terry Pallot is solid, action-filled, and dynamic. It's got a nice, clean look that works perfectly with this story. I can't wait for the next four issues.

Mystic Arcana: Black Knight #1 - Marvel (2007)

My first thought on reading the credits for this issue was, "Holy crap! Roy Thomas wrote this!". Yeah, the Defenders and What If? Roy Thomas. This is a good story well told. It features Sir Percy of Scandia who was one of Dane Whitman's predecessors as the Black Knight. It's a tale of bravery, honor, duty and kickass swordfights. It's the old "With Great Power" schtick and it works, mate.

This is the second of four tales of magic in the Marvel Universe. The first featured Illyana Rasputin, number three will be about the Scarlet Witch and the last one will star Sister Grimm from Runaways. There's an overarching storyline featuring Ian McNee who is trying to collect four Items of Power^TM in order to save the Essence of Magic itself. I like McNee and his mini adventures are a lot of fun to read.

Thomas is at the top of his game, here. All the characters are cool and the story they get to play in is top notch. Helping tell that story is the outstanding art by Tom Grummett and Scott Hanna. I could go on and on about the art but I think I'll just let this page speak for itself:

Two Quick Blog Notes

Added to the sidebar: Munsonisms.

As of this posting, Noetic Concordance is the number one hit for Iron Man Ruined Marvel.

I'm not saying the two items above are related but I'm not saying they're not.

Also, check out this excellent page from a recent issue of Gødland:

(Click the image for an article from last year about Gødland where you can find more scans and an interview with Joe Casey. Can you tell I like Gødland?)

Awesome Cover Friday: Strikeforce Morituri

The first issue of Marvel's The Order (which I will review soon) got me thinking about Strikeforce: Morituri which is one of the best comic series ever created. It's from the late '80s and it pushed all the right buttons for me at the time. I have recently found some back issues and the stories hold up. The premise is that there Earth has been invaded by The Horde, really nasty looking aliens who are total jerks and have us outgunned.

Earth's response to this is to give superpowers to volunteers. This new strikeforce is powerful enough to fight the invaders but there's a catch. The process which gives them their powers is unstable and any of them could die in a horrible, literal flameout at any time. This is such a cool premise for a comic. One of the reasons it worked so well was that it did not take place in the regular "616" Marvel Universe. The writers could make up their own rules.

Anyway, here are some cool covers from the series:

#1

The first cover of a series is often the one most associated with it and Morituri is no exception. It's iconic, it looks neat, the colors are cool, and it has dudes shooting lasers at stuff. Mission Accomplished!


#8

First off, I really like the layout of this cover. It's one of the most visually interesting images I've seen on a comic. Also, this one carries some weight because any time a new character was introduced I'd think "How long is this one gonna last?". Sometimes the answer was "Not very long" because some characters died before their powers even manifested.


#11

This one shows a nice slice-of-life from the war against The Horde. Covers which don't show the title characters can be very effective and giving us a look into the average Joe's life (or the lives of Joe's kids, anyway) is a nice touch. Also, that Horde dude is wearing a NAZI nose ring. That's wrong on so many levels.

Friday Night Fights: Badger Style!

Here's a picture of The Badger kicking a nun in the face.

You're welcome.

Bahlactus will hit you so hard that when you wake up your clothes will be out of style.

Hurry up and laugh...

...these are only going to be funny for about five more minutes:

Ever-LOL-ing, Blue-Eyed Thing

Hi, Evolutionary!

Weird-Ass Cover Wednesday: Doom Patrol!

This week's weird-ass covers are all from a comic about a team of misfits and freaks hated and feared by the very people they have sworn to protect. No, the other one.

X-Men and Doom Patrol both debuted in 1963. Each one even had a wheelchair-bound leader. The biggest difference between the two (other than the Patrol's invalid being much hairier) is that the Doom Patrol was seriously wacked!

Check out the very first Doom Patrol cover. It's numbered 86 because DC maintained the original numbering system from the previous title when it changed its name to Doom Patrol.

#86

They're starting off in the best way possible: with a talking gorilla. This isn't just any talking gorilla, though. It's a badass talking gorilla assassin!! Hell, yeah!

#89



#95



That dude is the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man! His primary power is screwing up Twenty Questions games.

Also, check out that dinosaur action on #89! The Doom Patrol is the only team that could handle a recurring character like A-M-V Man! Fight weird-ass with weird-ass! That's what I always say.

#115



OK, you know what? Just...no.

LOLactus

StormWatch: Post Human Division #9 - Wildstorm (2007)

This is the first issue of this comic that I have been disappointed in. The lead-up to this issue was very good but the payoff wasn't there. Issue #8 set up a murder mystery (or, more accurately, an attempted-murder mystery) which is resolved here in issue #9. The previous issue was an excellent look at the differences between the PHD team and Stormwatch Prime. It highlights all of the ways that the (mostly) non-powered PHD people can hold their own against the powerhouses of Prime.

I can't talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the story without blowing the end of #8. I will not reveal the identity of the murderer, however.

So if you don't want to know who the victim is read no further.







Jackson King, Stormwatch's director, has been shot in the head with a high-powered laser. Officer Doran goes into super-investigative mode and interrogates each of the suspects. The problem is, that's all that happens in this issue:

1. Talk about who the next suspect is.
2. Meet with the suspect.
3. Wait while the suspect acts indignant about the questioning.
4. Cross suspect off the list.
5. Lather
6. Rinse
7. Repeat

Each of the questioning scenes is featured in its entirety without adding anything to the story or providing any clues to the reader. We don't learn anything about any of the characters that didn't come up during the previous issue. There was a really cool moment with the new Weatherman but that was the only one that wasn't repetitive. It might have all been worth it if the attacker's motivation had been at all cool but it felt tacked on and out of character. To top it off, the final scene took all the wind out of the story's sails.

Christos Gage's writing and Doug Mahnke's art got this series off to a great start and Andy Smith's pencils on the last couple of issues continue the excellence. Next issue they will go back to doing PHD-only stuff and I think things will be back on track for this excellent series.

Warning. And BEARS!!

Those of you who read this blog via any kind of RSS feed are gonna see a bunch of old posts in the near future. Sorry about that. To make it up to you I implore you to check out these disturbing bears from the lovely and talented Bully.

Let's Get Ready To Rumble

Comic Pants has started a new Rumble Pants tournament. Go over there and vote for Taskmaster. I don't know who the hell is voting for Deathstroke but there need to be more voices of sanity and propriety over there.

Heidi Meeley's got some good stuff to say about Kyle vs. Hal both present and past. Check it out! I have gone on and on about my love for the GLC and ambivalence towards the human GLs and I will, no doubt, do so again. Make Mine Mogo! Also, Soranik Natu rules.

Comics Should Be Good has an excellent interview with Jimmy Palmiotti who is may favorite comics writer right now.

Finally, other people walk the walk when it comes to The Transformers but Tom Foss talks the talk.

Hercu-freakin'-loids

You know who could beat Batman in a fight? Tundro! That's who!



And now with the voiceover that still runs through my head from time to time:

Friday Night Fights: Ignatz Throws Down

click to embiggen

In this corner: Ignatz Mouse!

In the Opposing corner: Krazy Kat!

DING!

Oh! Ignatz has brought a foreign object into the ring! The ref's stepping in, folks!

Hand Bahlactus that blog that says "Bad Mother Fucker" on it.

Awesome Cover Friday: Weird Mystery Style!

Weird Mystery Tales is one of those DC titles from the 1970s which featured bizarre horror stories. It also featured some of the best covers in the business. These covers tell you exactly what you're getting into: An over-the-top, high-concept tale which may or may not live up to the cover image. Behold the awesome.

#18

Oh, whew! We're safe from the burning, sinking ship and that horrific-- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!


#19



"I won't hurt you!"

No, no you won't.

#20



Sensing a theme here? Person thinks he or she is safe only to recieve a brutal comeuppance. This is my favorite of the three for several reasons. The top two are the art and the fucked-up premise of the story. Why are the Friedmans keeping this thing in their attic? How did they get it into the box in the first place? Is that a Louis XIV chair back there?

Two events I got suckered into buying

I avoided Identity Crisis, Civil War, Infinite Crisis, Amazons Attack and all of the other recent crossover events because I figured they had nothing to offer me. I'm not their target audience. I don't care.

I am the target audience for World War Hulk and Sinestro Corps, however. Hoo boy, am I the guy they wrote these for. Hulk beating the crap out of our entire planet? Sinestro recruiting the evilest, scariest badasses in the universe? Where do I sign up?

Here are my thoughts on the latest installments from these crossovers:

Green Lantern #21 - DC (2007)

What the hell is up with repeating the same thing in every related issue of a crossover? This issue of Green Lantern isn't repeating as much as the first few WW Hulk issues did but it wastes a lot of space and time telling us what we've already read in Sinestro Corps Special #1. Once it's done with that, this issue gets cool but it doesn't tell us anything new or advance the story at all. If you've read the special you don't need to buy this GL issue.

Ivan Reis's art is excellent. He's good with action and it takes a good artist to make the crazy quilt that is the GLC work visually. However, there's no story here. We get a lot of backstory about Hal Jordan but it's nothing we haven't seen a dozen times elsewhere. If you're new to the Green Lantern story this will get you on the right track but for those of us who know about Hal it's just more of the same.


World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1 - Marvel (2007)



Unlike many of last month's World War Hulk offerings this issue does not rehash the whole "Hulk beats up Black Bolt and Iron Man" thing. This is nice. Unfortunately, the team that the book is named after doesn't show up until page 12. General Ryker's backstory is a vital piece of exposition but it could have been handled in fewer pages thus leaivng more room for the cool Gamma Corps. Check out the cover above. If you know anything about Marvel's gamma-irradiated characters you can figure out what each of the team members does. Even if you don't, there's a nice scene which shows their powers and personalities.

The story is shaping up to be cool and I like the characters. To bad they're going to get their asses handed to them when they go up against the Hulk.

Superman's Pal: Weird-Ass Cover Wednesday!

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen was a wack-ass series which featured everyone's favorite cub reporter getting into some sort of wack-ass adventure every month. The writers had a lot of fun turning Jimmy into something weird or subjecting him to some sort of mind control that Superman would have to deal with. There's a great trade out which collects some of the best of Jimmy's metamorphoses. The cover looks like this:

So, in honor of The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen I bring you the following weird-ass covers:

#60



Man, that's a full word balloon! However, I think it's exactly what this cover needs. Aliens? Kryptonian Flag? Toy Guns? Sign me up! Those aliens even dressed up like those dudes from that painting. That's hardcore! If this turns out to be nothing more than some weird, alien cosplay thing Superman is gonna be pissed off.

#12



I think we all have days where we feel like we're trapped in the 4th dimension, Jimmy. Who wants a hug?

#47



Because humans look scary! Get it? Because this dude's from another planet where they have totally different aesthetic standards. Also, he apparently works for the outer-space version of WETA.

#141

Yes, that's Don Rickles.

No, I didn't photoshop this.

No, you are not hallucinating.