My Top Five List of Alternative Comics To Read Post#3 ” Civil War “ February 15, 2008
Posted by 54071 in : Comic Reviews, Comics , 1 comment so farMarvel Comics had two big events last year, the first being the one I really appreciated…
Marvel’s Civil War, was their main event that was a stand alone story, but also ran through most ( if not all ) of their main stay titles. I liked the fact that Marvel did this just so I did not have to pick up every single book that might have had a tie into this tale.
The series written by Mark Miller, and pencils provided by Steve McNiven was a seven issue series that I felt was strong enough for me to write a post called ” Comics, Raising Our Social Conscience “, and you can read that post here.
I won’t say too much more here other than the fact that the events in Civil War led up to the Marvel Comics wide ” The Initiative “, the breakup of the Avengers, and the reformation of two different Avengers teams, and of course the Ed Brubaker ” Death of Captain America ” storyline which was felt all over the Marvel Universe, and was also felt in the real world, as Cap’s death garnered newspaper headlines, and could be favorably compared to the hoopla behind the ” Death of Superman ” several years back.
My Top Five List of Alternative Comics To Read Post#2 ” Justice “
Posted by 54071 in : Comic Reviews, Comics , 1 comment so farGood Evening Everyone.
One of last year’s better series ( which lasted all year ) was DC Comics storyline featuring the original lineup of the Justice League of America.
Written and Drawn by comic legend Alex Ross, Justice was DC Comics EVENT of the moment, and what an event it was.
Capturing the feel of the Silver Age Justice League, Ross weaves a tale of intricacies revolving around the dreams ( or just maybe nightmares ) of several characters in the DC Universe…the problem is these dreams aren’t coming to ordinary people, or even to the heroes involved in this story…the dreams are the nightmares of the villains…people who are usually the ones who are not only able to have these nightmares, but are usually the ones responsible for them!
Some of the villains involved are some of the worst in the DCU, including Lex Luthor, Gorilla Grodd, and the Black Manta, and maybe the most calculating villain ( who in my opinion is still one of the most evil ) is Brainiac
The real crux of the story is global destruction, how the heroes deal with real world events, all the while being attacked by the villains, who in their own way question why the heroes have not been able to protect the world from all of these calamities, and even these questions are just another layer to the story and further propel the reason behind why the villains have banded together in another attempt to take control of the world.
Some people have loved this story, while I have read the reviews of others who just were not satisfied with it on some level, whether because they felt that Ross’s paints were limited by Braithwaite’s pencils or they just felt that the story itself lacked any real ( I guess the term would be ) substance.
For me, the story had everything that I was looking for, a grand scale story, top notch art, major heavyweight villains, and the major players of the JLA, in a different time and place, which in some ways ( for an old guy like me ) made the story fresh and relevant.
Imagine, being able to find a story fresh and relevant in todays comics, which doesn’t taught itself as a major event that would change the DC Universe or any universe for that matter forever.
My Top Five List of Alternative Comics To Read February 12, 2008
Posted by 54071 in : Comic Reviews, Comics , add a commentIn a post I wrote last week about ” Comic Superhero Stories becoming too predictable ” I had stated my disillusion with what I have been reading lately in what are becoming just the same old flavor of the month in super hero comics….and after writing that post I decided to start looking at some alternatives to the same old superhero comic formula and here is what I present to you in a top five list of Comics, that I am posting over several days this week…
I have read and totally enjoyed this little tale, so I have linked the book to amazon.com, and I highly recommend this book if you feel the same way I do and want to read something different…
Wanted
by writer Mark Millar and art by J.G. Jones
I picked up this title several weeks ago, and finally got the chance to finally read it and all I can say is …..WOWWWW!!!!!!!
This is exactly the type of opposite formula in a comic character ensemble, that I had been looking for. This is a totally different world than the average hero world we are used to and why…because the BAD GUYS have actually won, and that just seems to ring true for this tale.
Your name is Wesley Gibson, and your life totally sucks!
You work in a cubicle, in a dead end job, taking crap from an African American Female Boss.
Walking home from your job during the week is usually a trial of fire due to your constant abuse from the neighborhood ass***es
And the capper of your miserable existence is the fact that your girlfriend and your best friend are having sex together behind your back, while you pretend to not know a thing about any of it!
Your name is Wesley Gibson, your life sucks….but in one defining rollarcoaster of a moment…all of that is about to change forever!
Without saying too much more about the story ( because I want you to read it for yourself! ) this was the wild ride of a book that I didn’t expect, and this is going to be a movie, out in theatres this year staring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Joli.
For more, here is a link to the website with more info there…
A ” Stupid Comment ” leads to an all out discussion
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , add a commentJohanna Draper Carlson over at Comics Worth Reading, wrote a quick post about a comment made by Dan DiDio of DC Comics and seems to have sparked a bit of a discussion, which went into a decidedly different direction due to a comment I had made in the same post in reply to another comment about comics going weekly…
Here is the comment by DiDio..
” One of the things that we’re really focusing on this year at DC is how we’re driving the different storylines through 2008. There will be a storyline that features Superman prominently in the Superman titles through 2008, there will be a storyline that features Batman prominently throughout his titles in 2008, and Wonder Woman will have her own strong storyline in her series. ”
and here are the two comments which led to a whole other discussion..
Alan Coil Says:
And the discussion continues here….
Are Comic Superhero Stories Becoming Too Predictable? February 9, 2008
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , 1 comment so farI’ve been a comic book reader for I don’t know how many years now ( well considering the fact that I’m fifty now, let’s just say that I’ve been reading em for at least half of that total…) and while I have always enjoyed reading comics, I have started to notice a disturbing trend over the last week or so…..
I had just read a Justice League story and the tale was told over several issues, and I have to say that in the end it was the same old formula….
Villains want to plot to destroy the League
Villains kidnap members of the League and place them in life threatening situation
League escapes life threatening situation situation and…
League kicks the crap out of the villains
I don’t know folks…have we been here before?
Another comic that I have been reading is the Death of Captain America storyline, and while I have not been disappointed with this story so far, I have to say I knew all along that Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier would wind up putting on the Red White and Blue suit..
And so the question I have to ask is Are Comic Superhero Stories Becoming Too Predictable?
Another prime example of this problem ( at least for me )was the recent One More Day story that ran through the Spidey titles, that has led into the Brand New Day storyline now being told through the Spidey titles…I mean come on, who didn’t know how that storyline was going to end…I mean I certainly did..
So what do we do when the comics that we read become predictable?
Maybe we move on to something different…Maybe we start to look for the unique…maybe we look outside the superhero genre….take a break from it all…so that if and when we do decide to come back to them, they seem fresh…
so where do you go for something different…I’ll tell you in my next post which will be my ….
Top Five List of Alternative Comics to Read!
The New Captain America….and the winner is… February 1, 2008
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , add a comment
Good morning.
Just a short post here, but I was at my local comics shop yesterday ( yes, I apologize but I had to go a day late ) so I picked up the latest Captain America, and it turns out that I was right…Bucky Barns is the new Cap…but for me anyway this was really a no brainer, as I really did not see another real candidate who was viable to carry the shield, and ” Pistol “.
I haven’t read the issue yet, but as always, I took a sneak peak, and I was wowed again.
More to come on this and how I feel about this whole storyline to come ( I promise ) soon.
Tomorrow..My thoughts on the ” I Am Legend “Graphic Novel January 28, 2008
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , add a commentTomorrow I will have my review of the ” I Am Legend ” graphic novel I finished reading a few days ago, and I warn you, I wasn’t impressed.
” One More Day ” for Spiderman December 14, 2007
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , add a comment
It’s pretty much a universal question isn’t it?
” What would you do with One More Day? “
Well, this is the question that Peter Parker will be answering, and we lucky readers are going along for the ride.
A four issue mini series running thru Amazing Spiderman, Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman, Sensational Spiderman, and the finale of the series returns to Amazing Spiderman.
Peter Parker has always been one of the ( if not the ) most angst ridden comic characters in comics, that being said this story told by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI and pencils by JOE QUESADA put Peter in one of the most difficult situations in his life…
After Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin puts a hit out on Peter, an assasin’s bullet, meant for Peter finds a different target…
May Parker, Peter’s aunt.
This four part tale in the life of Peter Parker will have long lasting repercussions in Peter’s relationships with friends and family.
I have read the first two issues and I have the third part, and while I haven’t read the issue yet, I already took a peek at the pages of part three and without giving it away, I think that Peter is ready to make a deal with someone in order to save his aunt May’s life….but at what cost…what price would you pay to have ” One More Day “?
Tomorrow…Spiderman ” One More Day “ December 12, 2007
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , add a commentHi all.
Tomorrow I will be taking a look at what could very likely be a defining storyline in the life of Peter Parker aka Spiderman, and I don’t mind telling you that I think the only thing that could help Mr. Parker is a deal with a devil…or something like one….
Dynamite brings another Masked Man into their comics corral December 9, 2007
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , add a comment
Dynamite Comics ” Lone Ranger ” comic is just hot, and now they are turning the heat up a bit more with the addition of the masked hero who was the inspiration for a certain ” Dark Knight ” detective.
Zorro #1 is set for release in February of 08.
The team that will start out on this comic will be Matt Wagner doing the writing ( Matt will also be doing some of the covers ), and FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA, who will be doing the pencils and the inks.
February 10, 2008 at 7:48 pm
February 10, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Sorry Alan, but I have to disagree with you about the weekly comic trend. I think that trying to keep up with a weekly comic is unfair to the comic reader who tries to follow more than one or two titles. I started to read the weekly 52 series from DC, and also Countdown, and in both cases quit the attempt mostly due to the fact that I felt both stories just weren’t worth the aggravation involved in trying to get them each and every week, while passing up a better comic. And I can tell you, I’m already starting to get a bit put off with Spiderman going weekly.