It’s Wednesday! (June 5, 2013)

TEN GRAND #2
 Story by: J. Michael Straczynski; Art By: Ben Templesmith
“ANGELS NEVER LIE”
FDA (Federal Demon Association) Advisory. Contents contain: one cult church where incantations are encoded into the playlist; one flesh-dwelling, food-obsessed demon; one seer capable of perceiving the spirit world but blinded to this one; one missing woman; one murder; one angel with an agenda of his own; and one rendezvous between supernatural investigator Joe Fitzgerald and the woman he loves, now deceased, in what may or may not be heaven. Warning: do not operate heavy equipment while reading.

All the basic building blocks are here for a solid supernatural thriller. I have faith the creative duo of Straczynski & Templesmith can pull off something special. So far, so good.

DAREDEVIL END OF DAYS #8 (OF 8)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack; Artist: Klaus Janson; Finished Art: Bill Sienkiewcz
The stunning conclusion to Daredevil’s final story! The mystery of Daredevil’s final words are revealed – and Ben Urich’s life will never be the same! Some of the Man Without Fear’s greatest artists bring you the conclusion of his life story!

Some people like this series. Others, longtime Daredevil readers, do not like it at all. I put myself firmly in the camp of the former. The Bendis run on the Man Without Fear is probably my favourite. Too many “gritty,” “realistic” comics come off like a cliche. And we seem overrun at the moment by a overabundance of stories filled with worlds where superheros are new and regular people are suddenly thrust into that world. (There is a larger theme here to explore another day.)

But Bendis’s take on DD and the End of Days mini-series captures the essence of the character for me. I do see him as operating on the edge, fueled by a drive for justice so deep that he is a vigilante in the truest sense of the word.

And if you haven’t already, check out our #CoverVsCover poll – this week a holy trinity of Daredevil artists.

MISTER X EVICTION #2 (OF 3)
Writer, Penciller and Cover by Dean Motter; Inker and Colorist: Hamid Bahrami

Visionary artist and designer Dean Motter reintroduces his classic character! When Radiant City’s government falls to a coup, Mister X’s possession of secret city plans makes him and his friends a target of the city’s new masters!

Backup story featuring Rosetta Stone!

AVENGERS #13
Written by: Jonathan Hickman; Art by: Mike Deodato; Cover by: Leinil Yu

“EVOLUTIONARY LEAP”
• The High Evolutionary stakes his claim on the Children of the Sun.
• Hyperion learns the true cost of the decisions he’s made at the Origin Site in the Savage Land.
• The Return of techno-titan Terminus.

Part of the purpose of this blog is to highlight books I like, steer those who share my taste and sensibility in comics toward material they would enjoy. I don’t want to spend my time and waste your time dumping on books. But having enjoyed so much of Hickman’s body of work these past few years, I feel compelled to share my disappointment with his run on Avengers/New Avengers

I know a lot of people are loving this book. They don’t mind the slow burn to the big payoff (the upcoming “Infinity” story later this summer). But the previous issue basically had no plot and there was also no character development to help drive the story in the absence of, well, a story. I read a review on The Pure Mood (I think) that delved into how each Avengers character represented a different stage of human emotional development in issue #12, which I completely agree with. But none of that helped me enjoy the story any more. In fact, if that was the intended “big concept” Hickman was aiming to deliver then, while the book delivered on that intent, it was really thin.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’ve missed a big part of the story that, in a few issues time, I’m going to kick myself. And maybe that’s what Infinity is going to deliver. But I just think more than a year is a really long time to wait for this story that could have been told in half the number of issues.

So, why do I keep coming back? Starbrand and Nightmask. Omega Flight. High Evolutionary. Terminus. I mean, c’mon, Terminus!

It’s Wednesday! (May 1, 2013)

Snapshot comes to an end this week. I liked this book. It’s quirky on-the-run fun. Jock’s b&w art really suits this story. I think I would recommend people pick up the TPB. It would be a fun Saturday afternoon read.

Ten Grand is new. The Internet appears to be excited that J. Michael Straczynski is back with a creator-owned book. And, let’s be honest, Rising Stars was a good thing.

Also Suicide Risk arrives. There seem to be a lot of books with similar concepts floating around out there, but I’m going on the strength of Mike Carey’s name on writing credits and have confidence he’ll bring something new to the story. He and Peter Gross have kept The Unwritten interesting for me longer than I had expected. So I’m curious to see him start with a fresh story.

SNAPSHOT #4
Story by: Andy Diggle, Art By: Jock

MINISERIES CONCLUSION!
It all ends here as the awful truth behind a multi-million dollar conspiracy is revealed, with deadly consequences. If young Jake is to survive , what kind of man must he become? And is it worth the price?

TEN GRAND #1
Story by: J. Michael Straczynski, Art By: Ben Templesmith, Cover By: Ben Templesmith, Variant Cover (pictured here) by: Bill Sienkiewicz

Joe Fitzgerald was a mob enforcer until the day he met Laura, who convinced him to leave that world behind. Before quitting, Joe agreed to one last job, little realizing that the man he’d been sent to kill was deeply involved in demonlogy. He survived Joe’s attempt and came after him, fatally wounding Joe and killing Laura. As he lay dying, an angelic force (who may or may not be what she appears) pointed out that where she is going, he can’t follow, and where he is going, he wouldn’t want her to follow. But if he will agree to work for them as a different kind of enforcer, they will bring him to life and keep on bringing him to life every time he is killed in a righteous cause. The reward: for those five minutes of death, he will be with Laura again. Would you endure an eternity of pain and death, dying over and over, to be with the woman you love for just five minutes each time you died? Most people might say no. But Joe Fitzgerald isn’t most people. 

A bold new era begins with the long-anticipated return of Joe’s Comics, the imprint that brought you MIDNIGHT NATION and RISING STARS. All-new stories from J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI (Babylon 5, Jeremiah, Thor, Amazing Spider-Man, Superman: Earth One) return in 2013 with an action packed line up featuring everything from superhero action to supernatural thrillers. Watch this space as a new wave of exciting, challenging and experimental stories begins!

Featured in our ‘Cover vs Cover’ faceoff this week! Click through to see nice big art and vote!

SUICIDE RISK #1

Writer(s): Mike Carey, Artist(s): Elena Casagrande

Super-powered people are inexplicably rising from the streets and there’s a big problem: Too many supervillains, not enough superheroes. Heroes are dying, and cops are dying twofold. Humanity is under-powered and good people are suffering untold tragedies trying to stem the flow. Beat cop Leo Winters is one of those struggling to make a difference. And the answer just might come in the form of two lowlifes with a dark secret.A new ongoing series by award-winning author Mike Carey (X-MEN, THE UNWRITTEN) and fan-favorite artist Elena Casagrande (HULK, HACK/SLASH). SUICIDE RISK is a high octane, mind-bending series created by one of the industry’s greatest storytellers.

DIAL H #12
Written by:  China Miéville, Art by:  Alberto Ponticelli, Dan Green, Cover by: Brian Bolland

Nelson and Roxie are on the run from the Centipede and The Fixer! Their only hope of rescue lies in the hands of Open Window Man! But who is that masked avenger?

This series is so nutty. There is a wonderful scene in a previous issue when Nelson and Roxie wake up in bed together. If you’re a fan of this book you know the one I’m talking about. And how crazy is that Bolland cover? It warms my heart.

 

NBC tries again: Adrianne Palicki’s new Wonder Woman costume

Pity Adrianne Palicki. It can’t be easy to chase thieves through midtown in a corset without falling out.

NBC’s new Wonder Woman has a new look – again. Although the corset stays.

BEFORE

AFTER FAN REACTION

The Internet has been humming for the past couple of week since the first photos of Adrianne Palicki in her new head-to-toe Wonder Woman costume were released.

It doesn’t take much to get people riled, but those initial photos sure did whip up some outrage.

Comics Alliance and some site called Bump Shack (?) have a bunch more photos.

This is only the latest “controversy” over Wonder Woman’s costume. Last summer, Jim Lee’s new design of the Amazon princess for J. Michael Straczynski’s retooling of the character caused huge outcry in the comic-verse.

Lex Luthor and the forty cakes meme

I’d never even heard of DC Comic’s The Super Dictionary (1978).

This 40-cake caper that Lex Luthor repeats with impunity is shocking. . . and terrible. Can he be stopped?

Know Your Meme has diligently documented his crimes.

UPDATE – March 16

The meme continues.

Dean Trippe unearthed this from Superman 709. Luthor’s early years, I assume?

I only read the first few issues of JMS’s new run on the series (which is not getting very good reviews based on comments I’m seeing on social networks), but this makes me curious to check out more.