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Comments
Probably theit deal with Marvel is to not release them all right away so that the trade paperback prices don't get devalued right away while they slowly reduce the quantity of printed TPBs out there. Or at least, that's my guess.
That's probably the logic of it, but I'm pretty sure they'd make less money if I went out and bought the TPB than if they released it digitally and I bought it.
Also, it's been two years since the TPB came out. Surely that's long enough to wait, when these days they do same day as print releases.
I thought Comixology was more recent than that, though.
Yeah, I know. I'm just saying that there's no reason for them to still be staggering the releases of something that ended over two years ago.
I suppose, but I figure it's more of a contract thing (We release this X period of time and you guys publish it so that we both make the money) so they can't exactly affect the deal.
That makes sense...I guess.
Still annoying.
So I'll review my comics in a bit, but Avenging Spider-man #9 has convinced me to start picking up Captain Marvel.
blank verbs make my think horrible things
So.
I have issues 1, 2, and 4 of Flex Mentallo. Adored the first two.
Cannot for the life of me find issue 3.
v oh right. oh well, the deed is done, i hope.
Marry me, Juan. It'll be just you, me, and the man of muscle mystery.
And then delete that link, cuz you might get in trouble.
Link? What link? I saw no link. Definitely didn't wait for anyone to see any hypothetical links so they could use them. That would be wrong.
Indeed.
As we all know, providing links to acquire copyrighted material for free is both illegal and immoral.
There were no links here.
Flex Mentallo is basically Morrison making the same point Supergods did except with fewer words.
I should be reading it
but harlan ellison
doing daredevil
priorities
I've never read Supergods.
Also I think I've come to quite like Morrison.
I enjoyed what I read of his run on Doom Patrol, I liked the Kill Your Boyfriend oneshot, and I like this. His works make me think without being pretentious.
Morrison is one of my personal favourites.
Try All Star Superman. I honestly think it is a serious candidate for best superman story.
mmmnoted.
Anyone else here read the stuff on Slave Labor Graphics? I'm not even sure if they're around anymore, but I have an archive of Skeleton Key that I read from time to time. Shame the artist's handwriting is so hard to read.
Batman 11: This has been, quite honestly, an amazing year-long event. There's almost a bit of sorrow at it's 'end'. While Snyder will still be working on Batman, seeing such an intense mystery with such a fantastic action climax end is a bit disappointing. It's almost the exact opposite of Morrison's sprawling, adventurous, endless epic. That said, this comic is absolutely amazing as usual and it's a great ending.
The Defenders 8: Damn, this is a weird comic. Fraction is going all out with his weird meta-mystery-pulp-action-superhero comic with metafiction qualities and the presence of Black Cat only improves things in my mind. The weirdest thing to me, though, is the statement that Black Panther is dead despite him being alive and well in Fantastic Four. Any comic nerds nerdier than me are free to fill me in.
Wolverine & The X-men 13: To say that X-men has a lot of characters might be the biggest understatement in history. As a result, there are a lot of characters that I simply can't be asked about. Aaron tries to answer this by making a story about minor character Warbird while the big boys are off having punch-ups. To its credit it's actually a really good one-shot character piece. The problem is that there's a question of whether it will go anywhere or if it's just a placeholder while AvX happens.
Also I miss Bachalo's work.
Demon Knights 11: Do you like fantasy stories? Well then why the fuck aren't you reading Demon Knights? It's amazing how much story this series can pack in a single issue without feeling poorly paced or rushed. It's like the perfect balance between Stan Lee's breakneck writing and Bendis' meandering character work. A lot of action, character work, and world building happens. There's little more you could want from a heroic fantasy story.
Swamp Thing 11: And so begins the crossover proper, of two stories that are in reality one story that are reaching their finale. It's exciting but I'm wondering where this story has to go once it's done with its rot plotline. That aside, this comic is continuing Snyder's great work. Between this, American Vampire, and Batman of course Snyder is going to go down as one of the great writers of comics.
Avenging Spider-man 9: So I think it's safe to call me a Captain Marvel fan now. It might be a Spider-man book (and he's not undersold) Carol really steals the show now. I like everything about her. I like the new outfit, I like the adventure, I like her attitude, I like that she has curses cut off by sound effects, I like that there are no forced ass-and-tits poses. I think it's safe to say I'll be following her comic proper, even if issue #1's cover makes her look like she has a silly-looking fauxhawk.
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. 11: After a disappointing start of the arc, the issue switches gears for a much more interesting story. It's light on action for a Frankenstein story, but the genuine exploration of Frank's insecurities and self-loathing are genuinely interesting as is his growing relationship with Nina. The mystery of what Leviathan is is genuinely interesting and it's nice to see Frankenstein continue to reveal the corruption of S.H.A.D.E.
Megaman 15: The fact that a tie-in comic is this good, that it's the best expression of stories beautifully explored in the works of Philip K. Dick and Star Trek amazes me. The one weak part of this is that the action is a little light, but the character work is still as strong as ever and it's pretty amazing that writer Ian Flynn and artist Johnathan Flynn were able to make an emotional story about Quake Woman in four panels. If you have a kid interested in comics, this is the perfect place to get him started.
For what is worth, that's an alt-cover. The real one is by Adi Granov (Who is a perfect being)
And I think it helps that both the artist and the writer are women. The industry needs more women, really.
It really does and it's nice to see Marvel is at least trying to rectify that.
Also, I'm loving Warren Ellis' Thunderbolts run. From the fact that Deodato's Osborn looks like Tommy Lee Jones to the fact that this is the merry band of fuckups, this is probably one of the best books Marvel has published.
Hey, I see Superman in the epilogue.
edit: So who's this female Marvel-title Captain Marvel? Is her series worth picking up?
It's starting next week, but Avenging Spider-Man has Carol Danvers (Puncher of things) team up with Spider-Man as a sort of preview. They even share the same creative team.
Damn, I wanna read these fake comics they're going on about in the postscript.
Thunderbolts 112: This book keeps getting better as Warren Ellis' satire of a war on terror America becomes more complex. The bit with the news anchor saying that we were about to die (From "Fix News") is inspired genius right there, not to mention Stan Lee's promoting the Thunderbolts program.
So they apparently rebooted, of all things--Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld.
I kind of want to read it. Has anyone here taken a look at it? The new title's called Sword of Sorcery.
Juan do yourself a favor and think back to Nextwave while reading Ellis' Thunderbolts run. There is one bit in Nextwave where he made fun of his own writing in Thunderbolts.
So I've been following Earth 2. It's terrible. Why? Because I love the JSA and I was morbidly curious as to what they would do. So now I'll give the rundown of all the issues out so far.
Earth 2 #1: This issue begins with none other than an alternate happening of Darkseid's invasion of the earth from Justice League of America #1, but instead of there being a Justice League to meet and throw back the legions of Parademons, there is only the Trinity of Wonders, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Through total destruction, crossing the lines of right and wrong, and great sacrifice, the three end the war at the cost of their own lives. Flash-forward years later, where the world slowly recovers and people get on with their lives. But the messenger-god Mercury falls from the sky , bearing tidings of an even greater peril that arrives to college-graduate slacker Jay Garrick.
All-in-all while there certainly are a number of things I certainly don't like about this issue, there are a few things I do like. I certainly don't like the idea of the Trinity inspiring the JSA. That kind of role-reversal seems arbitrary and needless, and I believe a much better story would be about superheroes coming into being where there were none. I don't like the character of Joan - being a cruel, self-important, cold young woman who puts her ambitions far above anything else - but that might be intentional. And I certainly don't like Darkseid's invasion of the earth at all.
What I do like are little more than mere set-dressing details; I like that Al Pratt had a role in the Apokolips War, I like that Wonder Woman serves the Roman gods instead of the Grecian, and I like that Alan Scott is characterized as a person who deeply respects heroism but bears some humorous self-awareness about it.
Earth 2 #2: Mr. Terrific lands on Earth-2 after the events of issue #8 of his series, only to meet the smartest (and most devious) man alive, Terry Sloan, and be captured by him. Meanwhile, Mercury delivers his message and a spark of his divine power to Jay Garrick with his dying breath, transforming him into a superhuman. Alan Scott arrives in Hong Kong to reunite with his lover Samuel, Jay Garrick tests out his powers and saves a couple from a swarm of Apokorats, before running all the way to Poland into the eye of a winged woman. Also, Alan Scott's train explodes while he's trying to propose for whatever reason.
Okay I'll just say this right now. Alan Scott gay? Completely arbitrary. Yes, there is a lack of diversity in comics, but this is the wrong way to go about it, especially since it's not affecting the main line, which means that none of this is consequential. So far our main characters so far have been white males, which does not help at all.
Anyway, I don't like Terry Sloan as Lex Luthor with hair. Where's the "fair play"? And prediction: Samuel's death drives Alan into being a hero for reasons, with the engagement ring being turned into the Green Lantern ring.
I like Jay becoming a superhuman through Mercury's touch; it explains his helmet, even if it looks really "ULTIMATE" and stupid. I like Jay being a Parkour Traceur, which makes perfect sense even if it exists merely to tie into our current Parkour craze. I like Jay just helping people because he sees them in trouble, while flailing about like an idiot because he is an idiot.
Earth 2 #3: Alan emerges from the wreckage, horrifically wounded, searching for Sam, before meeting a giant green bonfire that tells him he's the chosen one. The flame claims to be the power of the earth, heals Alan's wounds, and breaks to him the bad news that Sam is dead. Meanwhile, Jay and the winged woman (known as Hawkgirl) talk, Hawkgirl revealing that she's been expecting him. Hawkgirl attacks Jay to test his combat prowess and wins, while all around them things begin to die and rot. Alan accepts the green flame's offer, and transforms into the Green Lantern, his engagement ring becoming the focus for the power. Meanwhile, a grey-tinged voice accompanies the growing rot, forming a body from decaying organic matter. It rises from the earth as the White House crumbles, proclaiming to the "Man of Green" that he is the Man of Grey, Grundy.
First of all, Alan's origin as the new "Superman" of the JSA? Already done with Stan Lee's Just Imagine: Green Lantern one-shot. Really. When STAN LEE beats you to it to a property you already own, you know you're doing something wrong. And I certainly feel that a great opportunity was wasted in not revisiting origin as a retelling of Faust, as it was in the Golden Age. Just consider it: Alan selling his services to the primordial, unfeeling will of the earth in return for his lover's resurrection. And yes, I don't like the Green Lantern costume either. While I might be just a little biased in that I've always loved the pirate-shirt-opera-cape costume, I personally feel that the bracers with the ovals in them as well as the big metal collar are unsightly. Although it does have a nice, shiny uniform-color look to it.
I don't like Hawkgirl's costume; the tight shirt, tight pants, running shoes, and helmet all look really ugly to me. And why a crossbow? Why the need to beat up Jay Garrick in a field in Poland aside from stupid cliche reasons?
But if there's one thing I really hate, it's Grundy being bondage decay-Nekron. Why did we need this? Grundy is dead simple. He's a reanimated kiddie-killer who is really strong and breaks things. He's an always-evil grey swamp-monster version of the Hulk. If you wanted a dark opposite, why not use Eclipso? Nobody's doing anything with him.
Thunderbolts 113-114: Norman Osborn's always been a fitting archenemy to Spider-Man. Sadly, this has meant that he wasn't a character that could stand on his own most of the time. I think the fact that Ellis pulls off the idea of him not fight Spider-Man while trying to run his very own superteam speaks speaks highly of his talents as a writer.
With that said, I also love how Ellis has built on to this arc so far by having various different unregistered heroes and establishing their conflicts as well as to why they are on Arizona when the T-Bolts start their manhunt for the Steel Spider.
Of course, not everything is perfect and I think that the book has also managed to not make me care for any of these three except for maybe American Eagle.
However, the fact is that it's obvious that Faith in Monsters is building to one hell of a conclusion as Norman becomes increasingly unhinged with the idea of killing a Spider-Man of some sort (Hell, the briefing scene where he constantly mistakes Ollie for Spider-Man is probably one of the most chilling and funny scenes I've seen in a while)