Bought/Thought 2/13/08

[TheCorpulent1]

Iron Man
US Agent
Galactus
The High Evolutionary
Loki

I didn't read the issue, so I can't really say whether that's accurate. The High Evolutionary's a pretty big *****e, though. He's massively *****ey.

 

[Anubis]

That don't mean s**t when he waits until everybodies gotten nice and plastard then eats their planet.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

At least they die happy.

 

[Anubis]

Well, everybody is a different sorta drunk. Some get depressed, some get angry and beat their wives, so it varies from person to person.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

True. Sucks to be an angry drunk, I guess.

 

[Anubis]

Not as much as being the family of an angry drunk.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Eh, they'll all die from Galactus anyway.

 

[fifthfiend]

At least the happy families can remember the good times as Galactus devours them. For the broken-home kids it's like "Great so I just spent the last 15 years having Dad break my arms while Mom drugs herself unconscious, and now I'm getting eaten alive by God. What the ****."

 

[Anubis]

See, Galactis is a Total D-Bag.

 

[Spade]

This was an unnaturally good month for comics. Guess I'll start first with the one I was tepid about and work from there:

Ghost Rider #20: I thought this was going to be bad. "Ghost Rider is an angel of vengeance personified" did not seem like a good plot twist to hear of. But the issue itself was very solid. I liked the art direction of this newcomer Boschi. It has a bit of a dated feel, but in a good way (which is the complete opposite of my reaction to Ultimates v.3). Aaron did some good work on this, too. Blaze sounds like the biker type, I liked the whole hospital confrontation, and that last bit with the car accident could be used as an example of why seatbelts aren't a bad idea. All in all, if this is what I can expect I'll deal with the angel revelation and see how things go from here.

Daredevil 103: I'm going to have to bite my tongue on my negativity towards this character. I was never a Daredevil fan, but- that said- I heard many good things about Brubaker's work on this book. It wasn't just hype, that's for sure. The narrative is very solid. You feel for Matt's plight, and his tale feels as dark and realistic as you can get with a man that runs around in a devil outfit. I thought the way he took down Ox was awesome, and that cryptic note we're left with left me wanting more in a good way. The artwork is pretty good; I wasn't astonished, but it's very appropriate for this title and realized well by the colorists. This was very good...I wonder if it would be worth it to pick up the previous issue and see if I'm as satisfied.

X-Factor #28: David dealt with that plot twist right from the onset, but it's a good dramatic undercurrent for the drama going on with Rahne and her departure (if that isn't dramatic enough as it is). Nobody felt left out on this, which is particularly amazing to me since I've read many team-based titles where there's that one character that doesn't get a moment to shine. The only thing I felt a little off on was Raimondi's work. His expressions for people in this issue, at times, felt a little...off. But, like I've been saying for the rest of this month's issues, it's nothing that really takes down the good direction with this book.

My only real complaint has nothing to do with the issue itself. It's that I'm beginning to see why fans get flustered over "events." This title wasn't nearly as interesting when Messiah CompleX was going down.

Green Lantern Corps #21: Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with Boodikka or the Alpha Lantern status, but this issue wasn't very appealing (which is disappointing, since I'm buying this due to the good work I've seen in the last few issues). The only part I felt was particularly well done was the flashback to her past. Besides this, the issue didn't leave me with anything worth talking about.

Detective Comics #841: When I first heard that Dini did that last issue I was put off because a) I'm not a fan of Ra's Al Ghul and b) I was wondering if his work on a comic would compare to the animated realm. Well, this ended up being a great way to polish off a return from the comic shop. Dini did a great job on this. It feels very ecapsulated, but not in a bad way. Nothing feels rushed due to the nature of the plot, and there's enough setup and humor going around to match the serious moments and answers to our questions. Batman really feels like a detective here (that should be a no-brainer, but I've picked up some Batman issues where they just get the Caped Crusader part right). Nguyen's art is a great addition to Dini's tale; it can both exaggerate and keep a mature tone at the same time. Best beat of the issue would have to the Carpenter's attempt to ward off Batman and his reaction to it. Fantastic issue.

Alright, so two of those were DC comics. But both companies are doing a great job (save my weak reaction to this month's GLC. I hope next month is just as good.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I agree on GLC. It was all right, but I don't really give a flying **** about Boodikka. The fact that her sister was the new GL for her sector and was abusing her power with her gang of biker chicks or whatever was so amazingly obvious I actually convinced myself halfway through the issue that it couldn't really be that obvious. But it was.

Also, Punisher War Journal this week kind of... um, what's a charitable way to phrase it... oh, right, sucked giant ass. Jesus, who gives a **** about the stupid Gibbon? Oh, I'll tell you one thing I did care about in this issue, and that's the fact that Howard Chaykin, for all his legendary status among comic artists, can't ****ing draw arms. The Punisher was all wonky for the four panels he actually appeared in. The Kraven arc won me over because it was so much fun, but another issue like this drek and this thing is hopping right back off my pull list.

 

[fifthfiend]

At least the happy families can remember the good times as Galactus devours them. For the broken-home kids it's like "Great so I just spent the last 15 years having Dad break my arms while Mom drugs herself unconscious, and now I'm getting eaten alive by God. What the ****."

Hey here's something that just occurred to me - imagine how many dudes across an entire planet are just about to close the deal with a lady; then out of nowhere the big G swoops in and eats everybody alive.

Galactus is the ultimate cock-blocker.

 

[Anubis]

Number one *****e bag in the universe.

 

[BrianWilly]

I disagree with everything you just typed out.

You disagree that there are Skrulls?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Why do you seem surprised? It's Darthphere.

 

[Sugarculted]

This week was pretty damn good. One of my favourite download sites got attacked by Marvel, so I didn't know exactly what to buy...but, I picked up a few.

MA Hulk #8

Last issue, we saw Rick Jones' chimp get fully charged by the power cosmic. What's not to love about that? Hulk, Rick Jones and Jones' chimp all together in space for a few brief moments. That sold MA Hulk to me completely. I had also previously read the issue where the Hulk begins to sport Maddrox's mutant ability. Everything about MA Hulk was just pure fun. So, having picked up this issue...I can't say I was let down. Once more, MA Hulk delivers with just that added 'smash'. The artwork in this issue alone, was so solid and clean. It fits for this kind of title, as a neat spread of The Defenders really is a treat to the eyes. It's not much of an involving story, but MA's never are. It's just The Defenders against The Nameless one in just one issue. It's simple, it's fun, it's doesn't need major cliffhangers or horrific death. MA Hulk makes me feel like a kid again, it really does.

8/10


The Man Called NOVA

Sweet Christmas! Is this an amazing comic, or what? Since Annihilation, Marvel opened my eyes to a wondrous cosmic selection of characters. Sure, I've collected many, many issues of The Silver Surfer back in the day...but Marvel seemed to be lacking any neat cosmic stuff ever since, until last year's crossover event happened. Kl'rt was awesome, Nova was insanely fun and Drax was fantastic. So, due to the events and popularity of Annihilation, Nova popped up with a new series again. From the first issue, I could tell this was going to be a treat to follow. As I did, the Phalanx weaved into the arcs and Nova seemed to get better with each issue. I'm ashamed that I never followed Rider before, but I'll catch up with old issues sometime in the near future. So, without a doubt...this was the first thing I picked up on the shelves. I couldn't wait to read it. So, I sat down, and began. I sorta know Rider's origin, and it isn't anything too special in my opinion. But seeing this redone with nice art is no problem for me. But, to have Rider of the future weaved in, into all of this? Fan-freakin'-tastic. To see Rider's expression when he forgot Earth had been 'Phalanxed', was top notch. It did remind me of the arc in Exiles, but that's no problem, I loved that arc. Everything was placed in the right spots. Maybe seeing Phylla and Gamora as Nova Corps was a little weird, but believing that Rider had the ability to recreate the Corps was nice to know. My only criticism here, is that the art was only above average. It was far from bad, but it was far from being great. The best art came at the end, when Rider had finally reached the technarchy homeworld. Who is that artist? That's hot stuff right there. Seeing the cover for Nova's next issue got me a little excited, regardless of my concern. That concern being, Pelletier. I'm sorry, but I don't dig the way he draws faces. Nonetheless, I need to get some more Nova action. He's been my favourite for some while now.

9/10

Brit #4

Now, I'm a little clueless at the moment with Brit. I know of Brit and his sister, but I'm unaware of the circumstances he's in right now. I don't know much about the character or characters involved, but what I do know - is that I'm picking up this book from now on. Rathburn's pencils are a treat. Honestly, I didn't see the problems with PWJ, Rathburn did a great job. His art jumps right off the page, and when it involves flying hammerhead sharks, monkeys with spinning discs for brains, flying piranhas with helmets and giant Platypus' robots...it's lovely to follow. All I can say is, Kirkman is the man. Anything he creates, I'll take it to dinner, marry it and make sweet love to it. Brit's yet another on my pull list, from an amazing company that spews out the best stuff I've read in years.

8/10

X-Force #1

Yeah, I succumbed to buying this. I'm sorry. MC did a lot for the X-Men. Maybe Bishop acted a little uncharacteristic...but still, MC was the boost for getting me into X-Men properly once more. But, was I really impressed by X-Force? Hells to the no. Yost does good work here...but for me, it's way too stylized. I showed the artwork to my other half, and she couldn't get to the decision about whether she liked it or not. Logan punching Cyke just over allowing X-23 to spill blood again? Ugh, I know you're a hot head Logan, but lay off the punches? X-Force wasn't really X-Force, if you know what I mean. Perhaps renaming the title; 'Mutants with sharp pointy things!' would help? I don't know why I picked this up. Someone mentioned it was surprisingly good. Yeah, the outfits don't do it for me, the reactions were a little OTT...and really, I'm not getting the feel for this. Not picking up the other arc. Sorry X-Force.

4/10

New Avengers #38

Ah, New Avengers. My guilty, guilty pleasure. Wait, what? Yu's off the book? That's a shame. I knew Bendis' writing wasn't up to standards, but at least Yu's pencils kicked it up a little bit. Then again, thank heavens Yu didn't do this issue. The whole scene with Jessica and Luke couldn't have been portrayed well by Yu, and I'm thankful another artist came along. So, all in all...I considered this to be a fun little read. Sure, I know a lot of you don't like it, but I kinda do. Shoot me down if you wish, but I'm keeping with this. The recent annual felt like the last New Avenger's title I'd purchase because really, all that issue was comprised of was a couple of punches and kicks thrown here and there...nothing too great, as we were promised. But, this changed my views on Bendis a little bit. I understand he's not great at handling characters which he didn't create, but I felt that the issue was quite fluid throughout. I could imagine that sort of argument anywhere else, done by anyone else. Two criticisms here...'Secret Invasion'...erm, right Marvel. Cage mentioned the Skrull problem to the Mighty Chovengers, but seriously...that was in the last couple of panels. Way to place the title above, when it really doesn't coincide with the story much. Oh, and Spidey back in his blues and reds, without any mention as to what's happening in his life? I don't blame Bendis that much, I just blame OMD for the major **** up on all other titles related to Spider-man 616. I still can't get my head around people purchasing Spidey...especially when continuity got raped that hard. But, as one of the employees in my local LCS said...if it's Spidey, regardless of the crap story, brainless fan's will still lap it up. Which, oddly enough...leads me to my next review.

7/10

MA Spider-man #36

I thought last issue's artist was a fill in. I hoped that person would never return...buy oy, that person returned. I don't care if it's that specific artists style, it just really sucks. It's way too sketchy, and I can't seem to make what expression the characters are pulling. This issue just didn't do anything for me. Sure, MA can touch upon more emotional moments...but, when the art is this bad it's hard to follow. Yes, I am small minded. Whether or not the story is good, I just won't get into it due to the art.

4/10

 

[Nasty-B]

Also, Punisher War Journal this week kind of... um, what's a charitable way to phrase it... oh, right, sucked giant ass. Jesus, who gives a **** about the stupid Gibbon? Oh, I'll tell you one thing I did care about in this issue, and that's the fact that Howard Chaykin, for all his legendary status among comic artists, can't ****ing draw arms. The Punisher was all wonky for the four panels he actually appeared in. The Kraven arc won me over because it was so much fun, but another issue like this drek and this thing is hopping right back off my pull list.

I have no idea why this story was at all necessary. Also, apparently Chaykin is the new regular artist. I don't understand why this guy is still getting so much work. He's so sloppy, and not in a good way. He reminds me a lot of how Klause Jansen draws...badly.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Jansen I don't mind. Chaykin's art was good for most of the issue, too. It was just the Punisher at the end... wow. Badness.

 

[GNR]

Punisher War Journal #16 - Fraction works the same depressing/lowlife magic he did in PWJ #4 with some good results.Let's stop involving this title in events,and get this story of the road.A solid done in one which brings together alot of elements from the past year.

Fantastic Four #554 - Hitlar's debut reads like a charm.Mark showed he was able to handle the zanyness of the FF in his UFF run and he does the same here.His expected cynical remarks and political undertones are exchanged for some great over the top concepts, humor and a whole lot of lightheartedness.Looking forward to this 16 issue run.

'76 #2 - This reads like a better version of Jackie Brown.With 8 pages each story,it's quite impressive how much both stories have progressed so quickly.The dialog is crisp and natural.The characters are all so down to earth and average joes just getting into over the top trouble.

Next Issue Project #1:Fantastic Comics - Wow,what an insane package.64 pages of story,9 or 10 stories in all.Cannot wait to kick my feet up and enjoy this monster of a comic.

 

[Dread]

In the OMAC Project, Max ordered Beetle's body to be incinerated. Sasha Bordeaux sent Ted's goggles to Batman, which is the only reason anyone ever found out he was dead. In the last issue, Future Beetle did...pretty much the same thing, sending Brother Eye's files to Batman.

Right. I did actually buy and read THE OMAC PROJECT, but that was nearly 4 years ago and I completely, utterly forgot. So, I suppose it this sticks, then Max merely BELIEVED the body was incinerated and sent the goggles, or something. I guess Future Beetle would have had to have done a few extra mind-wipes when he left. Or Max suffered such a concussion (as did everyone else) that they got things jumbled. Or this is all a lark and I am overthinking it. I mean, BG's a fun book. I'm not a DC ****e so I can let some of that stuff go. I just forgot about Kord's body.

See, this kind of came off ridiculous to me, because why in the world wasn't Carol saying and doing and considering these things back during the war? Arguments like that were the exact things that the anti-regs have been saying since day one, and all that Carol or anyone else has said in response was "Don't you go around using your silly logic where the law is concerned, criminal scum!" Only now, when it's convenient to the plot and the character, does she seem to have these so-called second thoughts. Where was this lenient, laissez-faire attitude back when she was still carting off prisoners to the Negative Zone by the dozens?

Oh, I agree completely. Characters that were completely unreasonable to allies and foes alike during CW are suddenly trying to come across as logical and rational now. Part of this was due to certain writers overplaying their hand; I mean, JMS made Iron Man sound worse than even Millar did ("They're off to the N-Zone, forever, unless they sign me their lives. Muhahaha!"). That has been some of the problem with CW, we have gone to Prowler being swarmed and arrested for merely LEAVING HIS APARTMENT IN COSTUME while the New Avengers now are getting into very public fights with damaged property and Ms. Marvel is now going, "Oh, well." Where was that for Silverclaw, who was only a kid? Or Shroud & Julia Carpenter, who were fleeing to the safety of Canada for the sake of her little girl (who's probably younger than Franklin Richards, I might add).

Of course, if you flip through MS. MARVEL's solo, there is a perfectly good reason:

Spoiler

Iron Man believes she is a Skrull.

Marvel's tried to play the game of tucking things back after the war is over, and I don't buy it. That is why I buy something like Slott's AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, when most of the figures in charge are still ****'s, still playing willy nilly with hero's lives, and still expecting to get what they want out of superheroes, by any means required. And now are paying for it.

You have a fair point about Jessica Jones. She was stupid for leaving Canada, a fact she admitted. I guess to her she felt that the Mighty Avengers would be the most safe of the two options, even if neither is terribly ideal for a young mother. She isn't a fugitive, she has SHIELD guards as "meat shields", and it has more luxuries. There are "double standards" in life and how we see men and women reacting, but that is life. I mean, when was the last time any male hero was called out on being a "****"? There is no male equalivent for terms like ****e, ****, or bimbo. You have to make psuedo words like "himbo" which don't count. People whine about it sometimes, but there is mostly a wink and a nod to it. Meanwhile, good LORD the stuff Nico and Jennifer Walters go through. It works on both sides.

Frankly, Cage and Jones are both ****'s and deserve each other.

 

[Xofenroht]

Actually, a lot of those terms are used for men too.

 

[Dread]

Actually, a lot of those terms are used for men too.

I've usually heard, "himbo", "man-****", or "man-****e", which to me don't count the same as actual, real, established, having-been-used-for-over-200-years type of words.

Without those sorts of add-on's, the words have little effect. Say, "That Hawkeye is a ****" really doesn't make any more sense than, "Iron Man is a b!!ch."

But then again, I never thought I'd see the day when Websters would declare that "d'oh" or "ginourmous" were words, too.

I was just saying there are double standards on both sides. There are things that men do that women who do the same thing are looked down upon or ridiculed, as there are things women do that if men did them, they would be ridiculed. For instance, crying. Hillary Clinton literally won a state by crying during an election. If Barack Obama cried when things got tough on camera, he'd be laughed out of town. It isn't completely fair or logical, but gender rules never have been, ever, in any human society.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

But Hawkeye is a **** and Iron Man is a b!!ch. They both make perfect sense to me.

Also, just because something's in the dictionary, doesn't mean it's a real word. Dictionaries have been taking a more descriptive rather than prescriptive take on language for a while now. They'll list slang or informal words, but they'll put a note in the definition that the words are slang or informal or whatever. It's understood that they're not suitable for formal writing or anything.

 

[BrianWilly]

People keep telling me "worser" isn't a word. It's in the dictionary, buddy, it's a word to me.

I definitely see where both people were wrong in that scene. But the whole debacle really isn't as deep or as nuanced as Bendis seems to think it is. It's just two people trying to one-up each other in the race to become the worser humongous idiot in the room, with Jessica coming out on top. Meanwhile, of course, all the fans go "Omigods! This is such great and revolutionary dialogue between two people, I mean, there's just so much of it!"

I'll give him one thing, though; as for as the 2000s go, Bendis truly did define the concept of two people yattering at each other for twenty pages and calling it an issue. See re: progenitor unit Ultimate Spider-Man.

 

[J. J. Jameson]

Incidentally, does anyone other than myself read Wolverine?