Tag Archives: DC Comics

Stream of Comicsness – Week of 02.01.2012

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This week’s haul …
Action Comics #6, Sweet Tooth #30, Uncanny X-Force #21

So Sweet
If you get your comics from your LCS every week, you know it isn’t cheap. Prices ranging from $2.99 and sometimes up to $4.99, multiplied by four or five books a week. Well, you do the math. Some books are more than worth it, others are not. The titles that are worth it hit hard and make you anticipate the hell out of the next issue. Titles that do that for me are Batwoman, Chew, Uncanny X-Force … and now Sweet Tooth.

Rewind a couple of months.

One of my besties lent me the first trade of Sweet Tooth, a title that was on the long list of things I want to read. I devoured it. Next trade, please. I also read that voraciously. On to the third, Sweet Tooth: Animal Armies. It is probably one of the most intense stories I have ever come across in a comic. It ranks up there with moments in Y: The Last Man and something else really awesome that I can’t think of right now. But then I had to wait for the fourth trade. That was more than I could handle.

I decided that once the fourth trade hits, I’m getting the single issues. That little doe-eyed, antler-having, coming-of-age in a post-apocalypse kid stole my damn heart. Also, from a sociological standpoint, the story speaks volumes. Sweet Tooth falls firmly into the “worth it” category. Of the many comics currently on the shelves, I’d bet that Sweet Tooth is one of the best. So, if you are looking for something else to read, check it out. Digital issues are only $1.99.

Issue #30 came out this week, and it was stellar. I reviewed it for Newsarama … check it.

Awesome in Otherworld
For the spandex portion of the show, Uncanny X-Force #21 did a fine job, once again. Rick Remender is on a roll with that book. I reviewed that, too.

Exhausted From All the Action
Morrison’s Superman story has gone from interesting to convoluted. I literally got tired trying to read Action Comics #6. I am not going to sit here and hash out the overuse of time travel or pretend like this isn’t what Morrison does. It is. I’m just not sure if it is working for me. Erika is much more eloquent about these things than I am. Check her review.

Xombilicious
One of the most tragic casualties of the DC relaunch was the cancellation of Xombi. John Rozum and Frazer Irving made a deliciously odd and beautiful book. I love, love, LOVE Irving’s art and colors. There is nothing else like it. Rozum’s story isn’t perfect, but it has this bizarre abruptness that plays out quite well. It’s adventurous. Also, there are nuns with guns. If you missed it, the trade came out this week.

Stream of Comicsness – Week of 01.18.2012

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Not So Wonderful
Holy crow. Who has been singing the praises of Wonder Woman louder than me? Since issue #1, I have been going on about Cliff Chiang’s beautiful art, and how Brian Azzarello “gets” Diana. Maybe I was just blinded by the light (art). I stand by what I said about Chiang being damn near perfect on this book, but this month’s issue was not drawn by Chiang. So, Azzarello had to do the heavy lifting with the story, and that just did not happen. There is plenty of Greek Mythology. There is another half-breed offspring of Zeus unexpectedly popping in on Diana, Poseidon shows up and Hera is still pissed off. Quelle suprise! Azzarello is a good writer, but this issue falls flat without Chiang’s magic. Tony Akins is the fill in artist, and either DC chose him because he kind of sort of draws like Chiang, or he tried to draw like Chiang. Either way, it was not working for me. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t impressed. Akins draws a pretty mean sea monster splash page, but his Diana is all wonky in the face. The proportions seemed off with the other characters as well. Cliff Chiang is a tough act to follow. Continue reading →

Friday Favorite: Starling

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There was tons of skepticism about DC’s new books, and Birds of Prey was no exception. How could you take a perfect formula, Gail’s Dinah, Babs, and Zinda, and just change it? Well, even loaded with all the skepticism this fangirl could muster, I like the new Birds of Prey. I like it because of Starling.

I knew Starling was a pistol as soon as she burst onto the scene. And by burst I mean drove an antique car through the wall of a church. She’s a girl after my own heart. Continue reading →

G3 Review: Action Comics #5

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Action Comics #5
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Andy Kubert, Jesse Delperdang, Brad Anderson, and Patrick Brosseau

It’s the “New 52,” and the new Action Comics, and inevitably we revisit fall of Krypton. But how many ways can Krypton be annihilated? In Grant Morrison’s take on Supes’ origin, he makes subtle tweaks to how it all went down in the House of El. With minor adjustments to previous continuity, Morrison paves the road for a plethora of possibilities for future stories. We press pause on the events of issue #4 and focus on baby Kal-El making it to a planet with a yellow sun and less gravity, so he will be super. Superman’s chunky, little baby self is escorted in a rocket powered by an artificial intelligence Jor-El calls Brainiac. It is Brainiac who narrates this issue, entitled, “Rocket Song.” Continue reading →

2011 Memorable Moment: A Scandalous Threesome and the Venomous Six

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This memorable moment is a twofer, and probably the one nearest to my heart.

We all (should) know that Death of the New Gods was a terrible story that did nothing but muck up continuity and convolute the lead-in to Final Crisis (while also having terrible grammar throughout the series). The last thing Final Crisis needed to be was more confusing. Those annoyances aside, the most tragic part of DotNG were the deaths of some particularly awesome New Gods, specifically … Knockout. Continue reading →

2011 Memorable Moment: Damian Goes Dark

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It’s easy to dismiss Bruce Wayne’s son as an annoying brat, but I think that’s a shallow criticism. There’s a struggle within Damian that is fascinating, and his killer instinct has always been dangerously close to the surface. (Remember last year’s memorable moment, when he bashed the Joker’s head in with a crowbar?) Continue reading →

Stream of Comicsness – Week of 12.07.2011

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This Week’s Pull List
Chew #22, Action Comics #4, X-23 #18, and Chew Omnivore Edition Volume 2.

I didn’t get around to reading X-23, I was too busy reading my Chew Omnivore edition.

CHEW!
Ya’ll know I love this book. I am so glad it is going to 60 issues so I don’t have to worry about this gem being cancelled (because you know the good ones often get canned). I get to sit back, and revel in the disgusting, hilarious, weird, awesome that is Chew. Layman and Guillory consistently deliver the goods, and this month is no exception. Layman, I love you for the Curious Case of the Black-Hearted Baristas and the Lethal Lattes, and Rob … you make necro-nomming funny every single time. Continue reading →

Stream of Comicsness – Week of 11.02.2011

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Artists To Watch
I finally got around to reading Justice League Dark #2 from last week’s stash. There’s no doubt that Milligan knows what he’s doing when it comes to stories like this, at least that’s what I’ve heard. The plot is still a bit of a mystery. But one thing is for sure; Mikel Janin is one of the best things about the DCnU. I’m a sucker for a pretty face, and he sure makes them pretty … and detailed … and brilliantly expressive. There is also something fantastic about the way he uses shadow and perspective. I am really enjoying his art.

Also, Christian Ward. But I will get to that in a minute. Continue reading →

Stream of Comicsness – Week of 10.26.2011

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Happy Halloween, lovelies. E. and I have been doing the blog now for two years. In that time, I’ve learned that I am what I would call a conversationalist. Because of this, I’ve found that bursts of whatever is on my mind seem to flow the best for me. In an attempt to capitalize on this little neurosis, and to have more interaction with you fabulous people, this is a new (hopefully regular) piece I am going to try. A stream of consciousness essay on whatever happened during the week in my world as it pertains to my most favorite thing IN the world … comics.

“Y” Did I Wait So Long?
I finally got around to reading Y: The Last Man this past week. I devoured all ten trades in three days. I’m obsessive like that, and it is so good. Y is a shining example to the non-geek world of what comic books are capable of.  I am so impressed by it that I’d venture to say it is probably one of the best things I have ever read, prose included. Continue reading →

Friday Favorite: Wonder Woman

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THAT is a warrior princess.

When we started doing Friday Favorites here at G3, the concept was more about featuring B-list characters that we loved. We wanted to shine a light where it isn’t always shining. But this Friday, I want to honor the leading lady of comics because she deserves it. More specifically, I’d like to honor Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s Wonder Woman. She is the Wonder Woman I have been waiting for. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Best in Show

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It’s weeks like this that make me so happy to be a comic book reader. All three titles that I pulled stuck the landing (My Batman and Robin #1 review is here) and marked the beginning of exciting new eras. We’re not just talking DC, either. Let’s get it started Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Debuts and Curtain Calls

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There’s nothing like a hefty Wednesday haul, especially when the books are as good as mine were this week. From a promising upstart to two venerable titles that took their bows, there’s quite a bit to cover. Here we go:

Better. Stronger. Faster.

The Bionic Man #1: Can a comic book based on a classic TV show withstand the white-hot expectations of readers full of nostalgia? Or will said nostalgia warp one’s view, resulting in an overly positive or negative response?

Though Dynamite’s new Bionic Man comic had me at “Oscar Goldman,” I still approached it with caution. Col. Steve Austin, astronaut, loomed so large in my childhood that I successfully lobbied my parents to buy me his doll – uh, action figure when I was 7 or 8. As I began reading, I thought of the great RuPaul’s advice to his drag competition contestants: Don’t *%$! it up.
Continue reading →

DC Relaunch Rundown: Part Two

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While I’m not feeling particularly angsty about the relaunch, I am not terribly excited, either. I am … neutral. I feel like it is just a bunch of new books all at once instead of parsed out. So, I will try the titles that are interesting to me as I would any other time. Another bit of disclosure, my LCS is running a special on the DC #1 titles. If you ordered your #1 picks before a certain date and you don’t like some of them, you can return it for store credit. I am in there every week so store credit is cash money. Kind of takes the edge off. I have broken my list into two parts: Continue reading →