Mark Waid Speaks Truth!

Mark Waid has just been announced as the Editor-In-Chief of Boom! Studios. This is cool. I really like Waid's writing and I like most of what Boom! is putting out. The exchange from this interview from CBR makes me very happy:

What will EiC of Boom! mean exactly? While I'm sure there are certain things you can't talk about right now, but tell us what you can - what role will you play?

First and foremost, it's my job to set a creative tone for the company--to help make good books better and to steer creators towards the best ways of telling their stories. I'll be working with established writers and artists in the medium, and I'll also be working with creators from other media who have approached us about working in comics and have some sensational ideas, BUT. My philosophy about the latter--my speech to tv and movie writers who have come to Boom! with their pitches--is this: if you're here to dabble in funnybooks just to say you've done it or because your kids think it would be neat, that's great, go work somewhere else. Our readers aren't responsible for financially subsidizing your learning curve. If, on the other hand, you have a great story to tell and you're willing to let me help guide you through the learning process of a medium that's new to you and show you what comics storytelling can do that's unique, then let's do business.

The Brave and the Bold #3 - DC (2007)

I mentioned in my review of Immortal Iron Fist #4 that my favorite comics are the fun ones. Mark Waid and George Pérez are obviously having a lot of fun writing and drawing this book and it comes through on the page in spades!

The covers are fun. That's a good start. One of my favorite things about the old-school The Brave and the Bold was how each person in the team-up got his or her own logo on the cover. That simple design choice reflected the primary strength of a team-up title: The comparison and contrast between two superheroes. I'm glad to see that this reboot of the series is sticking with that.

More importantly, however, the stories and art are fun. This story started off in Vegas (and low-Earth orbit) and moved on to a casino planet. This issue brings us back to Batman who is in the Texas desert with Blue Beetle. They're up against the Fatal Five and a dude who has a weapon which alters reality to more effectively wipe out its opponents. That's right. The Legion of Super-Heroes' enemies have traveled from the 31st century and it's up to Batman and Blue Beetle to foil their nefarious schemes. Awesome!

Meanwhile, Supergirl is still on the casino planet trying to recruit Lobo.

See what I mean? Fun!

The entire DC Universe is Waid & Pérez's playground and I can't think of a better team to have put all this wacky stuff together. I can't believe this is only issue #3. There's been enough story and cool stuff for twice that many isses.

Back From The Con - Mark Waid!

MidSouthCon was even more fun this year than it was last year. I made it to all but one of the Mark Waid panels I wanted to see. He talked a bit about his upcoming John Doe series for Boom! Studios. He also discussed the future of The Brave and the Bold which looks like it's going to keep having the stuff I want to read. Issue 5 has the Legion of Super-Heroes in it!

He even autographed my Ruse trades despite the PTSD response that memories of Crossgen must have triggered.

In other news, I met a bunch of cool people, played a lot of games, helped throw an awesome party, and did a little networking for Hypericon, the one I work for.

I'm recovering from the con nicely and will resume regular content soon.

Two New Comics, Two Little Reviews

The Spirit #4 - DC (2007)


Darwyn Cooke groks The Spirit. He knows what makes it cool and he's able to put all that coolness into this book. #2 had my favorite cover until this one came along. I am simply blown away by how good this comic is.

Mexico, The Spirit, Octagon/Octopus, a CIA agent named Silk Satin and a dude named Hussein wearing a cowboy hat. Oh, and stuff blows up. Get it if you like fun.

The Brave and the Bold #2 - DC (2007)


This series is chugging along nicely. It's a real superhero tale with people flying all over the freakin' universe and fighting big crime. This one features Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Supergirl flying to a casino planet to get a future-predicting book out of the wrong hands. WooHoo! Some people are creeped out by Hal's reaction to Supergirl but I thought it was funny and that it addressed the Supergirl-as-sex-object issue well.

This is doing all the things a team-up book should do. It highlights the similarities and differences between the characters and gives each one a chance to shine. Mark Waid and George Pérez make an excellent team.

The Brave and the Bold #1 - DC (2007)

Hooboy! A superhero comic. With superheroes doing superhero stuff. I like Mark Waid and George Pérez which is good because they are the real team-up, here. The Brave and the Bold is a resurrection of one of DC's biggest hits. It was best known as a team-up title which introduced lots of new characters. More information can be found here. WARNING: The preceding link goes to Wikipedia so by the time you click on it the article may have been replaced by Alan Greenspan porn or something.

Pérez's art is spectacular in this issue. It's easy not to notice Pérez's stuff because his style is (to me) What Comics Look Like. People throw around the phrase "visual storytelling" a lot (well, people like me) but this issue is a textbook example of how it should be done. Pérez uses the whole damn page to convey the information. He overlaps panels and puts stuff in the gutters. It's artistic without being distracting.

Waid's script is excellent, as well. Batman and the Green Lantern are doing the things I read comics to see those characters doing. Each one gets to shine and the fact that they've known each other for a long time really comes through. Also, their banter during a fight for their lives says a lot about them.

I won't go into the story in great detail other than to say that there are some aliens involved in a murder mystery and it's off to a great start. The next issue has Green Lantern on his way to a planet called Ventura. Aren't Mike and Dorian from there? They'd better watch out.

Legion of Super-Heroes #8 - DC (2005)

I've really been enjoying the latest reboot of the Legion of Super-Heroes by Mark Waid.

Until now.

The tension between Cosmic Boy and Brainiac-5 has been building since issue 2 or 3 and I was looking forward to seeing it come to a head. Unfortunately, Waid squandered a really good opportunity. The big blowup, when it came, was formulaic and uninteresting. This is disappointing because Waid has defied conventional logic about the Legion up 'til this point. He's done some wonderfully inventive things with the Legionnaire's powers and origins. He's made them real characters with depth. I cared about these people.

With issue 8 he turns them all in to cocky assholes who spend the entire issue one-upping each other and fighting pointlessly. I like conflict among team members when it's done well. That's what we had. This big fight issue did not resolve the tension nor did it move the story forward in an interesting manner. Now we have a big mess on our hands. Waid's a good enough writer to get us out of the mess and I hope he does so.

It doesn't help that this issue has the worst art yet. Kevin Sharpe and Prentis Rollins are listed as "Guest Penciller" and "Guest Inker", respectively. Everyone is drawn with bulging neck muscles even though they've never had them before. Also, there's very little diferentiation between the male characters. I have subtitled the character roster page "Five Men - One Face".

The inking looks unfinished. It's like the kind of thing you'd see in a sketchbook or a concept drawing. In a finished product, it just looks sloppy. I hope Barry Kitson and Mick Gray are back on board for #9.