Bought/Thought for 9/12/07; SPOILERS

[TheCorpulent1]

Not really. The artist is solid and tells the story in a comprehensible manner, but there's nothing particularly snazzy about his work. The colorist gives us basically the same sort of coloring you see on every other DC comic except for their top sellers, too.

 

[PhotoJones]

Not really. The artist is solid and tells the story in a comprehensible manner, but there's nothing particularly snazzy about his work. The colorist gives us basically the same sort of coloring you see on every other DC comic except for their top sellers, too.

Take that, Trop!

 

[Tropico]

I'm so glad I helped Corp in one post in the other thread but in the next one I stabbed him in the back. He deserves it!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, it was written by John Ostrander, who is one of the great unsung heroes of the medium as far as I'm concerned, so that makes up for it a little.

 

[PhotoJones]

Ostrander rocks.

I think the last thing I read of his was his Martian Manhunter series.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

With Mandrake? I've been meaning to track that down. I didn't know how good Ostrander was when that came out.

 

[PhotoJones]

Yeah. I really enjoyed that run.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

JLA Classified #42
AAAAARGH!!! Why the **** can't DC decide who the goddamn post-IC founders of the JLA are?? This issue was pretty good, even if it covered ground that's been covered ad infinitum, but that ****ing ending! Ugh.

Okay, so basically this issue is about the Martian Manhunter's early days on Earth--specifically, his first meeting with Superman. Gray hits all the familiar notes about why Superman is accepted and J'onn isn't, why J'onn feels the need to hide, the paranoia of Earthlings, etc. etc. So I thought, "Cool, this is how Supes and J'onn meet post-IC. I bet after this meeting, J'onn helps found the JLA and then introduces Superman to them or something." But no, turns out it's the other way around--which, of course, manages to defy both Meltzer's JLofA origin, where the trinity were actual founders alongside J'onn, and Waid's re-retconned-in JLA: Year One origin, where the founders from that mini (J'onn among them) founded the team and the trinity were welcomed in with "founder status" after the fact. Now, it seems the League somehow managed to form without J'onn entirely, and Superman's the one who introduced him to the rest of them; bear in mind that this is now the third post-IC retcon for the JLA's origin in about a year. Which brings me back to my original point: AAAAAAARGH!!!!!

Anyway, Leonardi's art is good, if a bit looser than usual (which is saying something). People's faces deform into weird oblongs in several panels, but the overall strength of his penciling is enough that I don't mind it too much. Still, I wish he'd take a little time to maintain some more consistency. If he did that, he'd be competing with Garney instead of being (in my mind, at least) something of a poor man's Garney. Sean Philips is listed as his inker, which I can definitely see if it's the Sean Philips who's also a penciler. The weight and variation of his lines feels very familiar. Philips himself is a pretty loose, scratchy inker, however, so that may be where the looser-than-Leonardi's-usual feeling comes in. I'd be interested in seeing what a tighter inker like Tom Palmer or Tim Townsend would've made this issue look. I think it would've been an improvement. But, again, overall the look is not bad. I particularly liked the stuff with J'onn and Ma'alefa'ak's childhood.

So, overall, good issue except for that last goddamn page.

 

[Dread]

I don't recall anyone saying it was impure. I just don't think Bendis wrote it as well as Vaughan did. To be fair, Vaughan got the flirty, coy starting point of the relationship while Bendis got them when they're obviously a little ways into the relationship, which is never as fun as the beginning.

Fair point. I mean in USM, Bendis is more than capable of showing a romance that isn't mired in the bedroom discussing the styles of thrusts. Outside USM, though, Bendis seems to be more "HBO".

I hate BKV for going Hollywood on us.

Agreed. I'd have paid double price if he'd stayed on RUNAWAYS at least one more arc.

It's so sad The Oath didn't sell well. I don't understand how people can let such fantastic stories pass them by.

I loved THE OATH. Easily the best Dr. Strange story I had read in ages. Maybe ever. Granted, I rarely followed his ongoing. Of course, when I was a kid in the 90's, his ongoing wasn't at it's peak. It had good art, solid dialogue, it touched on his origin for those not in the know and allowed Dr. Strange to be at a reasonable power level where he could be both godly and challenged at the same time. BKV made it look easy. I could have acceptted him leaving RUNAWAYS if it was to do a DR. STRANGE ongoing, but it is off for triple the salary in Hollywood.

Millar warned us about that sort of thing once, didn't he?

 

[Not Jake]

JLA Classified #42

Okay, so basically this issue is about the Martian Manhunter's early days on Earth--specifically, his first meeting with Superman. Gray hits all the familiar notes about why Superman is accepted and J'onn isn't, why J'onn feels the need to hide, the paranoia of Earthlings, etc. etc. So I thought, "Cool, this is how Supes and J'onn meet post-IC. I bet after this meeting, J'onn helps found the JLA and then introduces Superman to them or something." But no, turns out it's the other way around--which, of course, manages to defy both Meltzer's JLofA origin, where the trinity were actual founders alongside J'onn, and Waid's re-retconned-in JLA: Year One origin, where the founders from that mini (J'onn among them) founded the team and the trinity were welcomed in with "founder status" after the fact.

Actually I just flipped through JLA #0 and #12 and it seems like Bats, Supes, and WW were the only ones who really originated the League. #12 of course has Aquaman and Martian Manhunter and Flash and GL, but it never really confirms that they were founding it, just that they were on the original team. It seems to me that Meltzer's version has just the big 3 creating the team

Which I dig, eff Waid's version

 

[PhotoJones]

Agreed. I'd have paid double price if he'd stayed on RUNAWAYS at least one more arc.

I would have too. I can't do Whedon.

I loved THE OATH. Easily the best Dr. Strange story I had read in ages. Maybe ever. Granted, I rarely followed his ongoing. Of course, when I was a kid in the 90's, his ongoing wasn't at it's peak. It had good art, solid dialogue, it touched on his origin for those not in the know and allowed Dr. Strange to be at a reasonable power level where he could be both godly and challenged at the same time. BKV made it look easy. I could have acceptted him leaving RUNAWAYS if it was to do a DR. STRANGE ongoing, but it is off for triple the salary in Hollywood.

Millar warned us about that sort of thing once, didn't he?

The Oath is one of Marvel's best minis of the past 15 years, definitely. It put up there with Ares, Blood Oath and Avengers Forever.

Hollywood claims another one.

 

[Dread]

I would have too. I can't do Whedon.



The Oath is one of Marvel's best minis of the past 15 years, definitely. It put up there with Ares, Blood Oath and Avengers Forever.

Hollywood claims another one.

Whedon's not the worst, but, yeah, he ain't in the same league on RUNAWAYS, and I doubt anyone else can be. Even with Moore coming up, we have that crappy Ramos art to look past. Not sure I can.

It would be terribly ironic if I ended up dropping Runaways sooner than some other titles I buy, considering I caught up via digests for the second volume a few years back.

Damn lure of Hollywood. BKV was even modest, too. He always did these interviews claiming he was nothing to Whedon. Pfft.

 

[PhotoJones]

Whedon's not good enough to sniff BKV's ass. If I'm judging him solely by his Runaways work, that is.

 

[Dread]

Whedon's not good enough to sniff BKV's ass. If I'm judging him solely by his Runaways work, that is.

Agreed 100%.

 

[PhotoJones]

And with that, folks, the end is upon us. Goodnight, and good luck to you all. Boil the water before you drink it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'll need another issue or two to tell for certain, but I think BKV might actually be writing Buffy better than Whedon right now, too.

Actually I just flipped through JLA #0 and #12 and it seems like Bats, Supes, and WW were the only ones who really originated the League. #12 of course has Aquaman and Martian Manhunter and Flash and GL, but it never really confirms that they were founding it, just that they were on the original team. It seems to me that Meltzer's version has just the big 3 creating the team

Which I dig, eff Waid's version

**** that, Waid's JLA: Year One was vastly superior to everything Meltzer's ever written. Yes, that includes his stupid novels.

 

[PhotoJones]

Across the street from my office, there's a Walgreens that I'll walk to on my breaks for snacks or drinks or whatever. They've got a bargain bin of books they're trying to get rid of that's been completely empty for the past 5 or 6 months...save for one book at the very bottom. The book? Brad Meltzer's The Book of Fate. Everytime I go in there I look to see if anyone's bought it. No one has.

They can't give that book away.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Hahaha, I was just kidding but that's awesome.

 

[Darthphere]

Across the street from my office, there's a Walgreens that I'll walk to on my breaks for snacks or drinks or whatever. They've got a bargain bin of books they're trying to get rid of that's been completely empty for the past 5 or 6 months...save for one book at the very bottom. The book? Brad Meltzer's The Book of Fate. Everytime I go in there I look to see if anyone's bought it. No one has.

They can't give that book away.

Yes, because Walgreens is the place to be for book buying purposes. Considering that Brad Meltzer is the only author to ever have the Top Selling Novel and Top Selling comic book in the same month.

 

[PhotoJones]

Hahaha, I was just kidding but that's awesome.

I should take a picture of it and send it to him.

 

[Marcdachamp]

JLA Classified #42
AAAAARGH!!! Why the **** can't DC decide who the goddamn post-IC founders of the JLA are?? This issue was pretty good, even if it covered ground that's been covered ad infinitum, but that ****ing ending! Ugh.

Okay, so basically this issue is about the Martian Manhunter's early days on Earth--specifically, his first meeting with Superman. Gray hits all the familiar notes about why Superman is accepted and J'onn isn't, why J'onn feels the need to hide, the paranoia of Earthlings, etc. etc. So I thought, "Cool, this is how Supes and J'onn meet post-IC. I bet after this meeting, J'onn helps found the JLA and then introduces Superman to them or something." But no, turns out it's the other way around--which, of course, manages to defy both Meltzer's JLofA origin, where the trinity were actual founders alongside J'onn, and Waid's re-retconned-in JLA: Year One origin, where the founders from that mini (J'onn among them) founded the team and the trinity were welcomed in with "founder status" after the fact. Now, it seems the League somehow managed to form without J'onn entirely, and Superman's the one who introduced him to the rest of them; bear in mind that this is now the third post-IC retcon for the JLA's origin in about a year. Which brings me back to my original point: AAAAAAARGH!!!!!

Anyway, Leonardi's art is good, if a bit looser than usual (which is saying something). People's faces deform into weird oblongs in several panels, but the overall strength of his penciling is enough that I don't mind it too much. Still, I wish he'd take a little time to maintain some more consistency. If he did that, he'd be competing with Garney instead of being (in my mind, at least) something of a poor man's Garney. Sean Philips is listed as his inker, which I can definitely see if it's the Sean Philips who's also a penciler. The weight and variation of his lines feels very familiar. Philips himself is a pretty loose, scratchy inker, however, so that may be where the looser-than-Leonardi's-usual feeling comes in. I'd be interested in seeing what a tighter inker like Tom Palmer or Tim Townsend would've made this issue look. I think it would've been an improvement. But, again, overall the look is not bad. I particularly liked the stuff with J'onn and Ma'alefa'ak's childhood.

So, overall, good issue except for that last goddamn page.

That's why I hate this Crisis bull****. DC tries to pretend that they had this grand thing planned out, when it's fairly obvious that no one knows what the hell anyone else is doing.

 

[PhotoJones]

That's not just a DC problem. Marvel has it's fair share of continuity messes. The difference it seems, is that Marvel's errors could easily have been corrected with just a little effort and time, where as DC's are deep seeded **** ups that keep building on each other.

 

[Not Jake]

**** that, Waid's JLA: Year One was vastly superior to everything Meltzer's ever written. Yes, that includes his stupid novels.

 

[Marcdachamp]

That's not just a DC problem. Marvel has it's fair share of continuity messes. The difference it seems, is that Marvel's errors could easily have been corrected with just a little effort and time, where as DC's are deep seeded **** ups that keep building on each other.

Oh, I'm not saying Marvel's completely innocent in terms of continuity errors. I'm just saying that DC's stem from lack of planning and a focus on a singular vision that not every writer in their stable seems sold on.

 

[fifthfiend]

That's not just a DC problem. Marvel has it's fair share of continuity messes. The difference it seems, is that Marvel's errors could easily have been corrected with just a little effort and time, where as DC's are deep seeded **** ups that keep building on each other.

I would point out that "deep seeded" should probably be "deep-seated" but I think I actually like deep seeded better.

...I dunno, is "deep-seeded" actually a saying? I dunno, just cause I've never heard it before doesn't mean it's not something people use.

...but seriously yeah DC Comics should really change its name to We-don't-know-what-our-continuity-is Comics