Bought/Thought June 4th, 2008

[TheCorpulent1]

....damnit, now I gotta go grab those two.

I'm converting people to this book like mad today. DC should pay me.

 

[Anubis]

Not really, I was already gonna get it, i'm just gonna get it now instead of later.

 

[Themanofbat]

I'm converting people to this book like mad today. DC should pay me.

It would be nice if this comic could kick around for a few years, unlike many Vertigo books that barely make it to issue #20.

 

[Themanofbat]

It is indeed "Cain & Abel" from the Bible, but these are also long-time DC characters that have been "owners" of their respective houses... (Cain owns the House of Mystery, while Abel owns the House of Secrets)...

If you remember back in the 60's & 70's, DC had horror books by bothe those names (HoM & HoS) where each comic started out with either Cain or Abel would intice the readers to "enter the house... if they dared" and they would narrate one, two or sometimes three seperate tales of horror... classic stuff.

And while they did appear frequently in Gaimen's Sandman comics, they weren't his creations, and from what I can tell, any and all Sandman stuff won't be in the book all that much, making it much easier for you to get into without any feelings of confusion.

The first issue starts off nicely, and like the title of the book suggests, there is indeed a "mystery" going on surrounding the main character Fig.

I hate being the last post on a page... nobody reads it...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It would be nice if this comic could kick around for a few years, unlike many Vertigo books that barely make it to issue #20.

I'm glad Vertigo's tapping into its old DC magic roots again. House of Mystery's been good and I'm planning to pick up the Madame Xanadu series, too.

 

[Hans]

Yeah, Vertigo's been stepping it up recently. Books like American Virgin, Loveless and The Exterminators just don't seem to be Vertigo books. Even truely great ones like DMZ and Scalped seem sort of awkward as Vertigo titles.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Wait a second. That's not an anagram. What's the word I'm looking for?

Acronym

 

[iloveclones]

Thanks. Getting old sucks....

 

[Doc Destruction]

Tell me about it.

 

[Phaedrus45]

And you miss the point AGAIN!

Here is every Bendis book written in the past few years:

Interesting concept - Possibly a taste of action
Build up
Talking
More build up
Talking
Action
Deus Ex Machina comes out of nowhere and saves the day.

He's a one trick pony, anymore...and that pony sucks. You REFUSE to see it, so don't blame Dread. There are FAR better writers out there you could be defending. Only, you wouldn't have to defend them, because they don't suck.

Thanks for the laugh, Doc. The only thing you left out was the constant use of flashbacks. At least Bendis hasn't brought those annoying thought bubbles into his other books.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I hate being the last post on a page... nobody reads it...

Don't feel bad...nobody would read it anyway.




(Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You just opened yourself up for that one.)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Thanks for the laugh, Doc. The only thing you left out was the constant use of flashbacks. At least Bendis hasn't brought those annoying thought bubbles into his other books.

Those thought bubbles were really ****ing terrible.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I'm converting people to this book like mad today. DC should pay me.

I've only read the first issue so far, but really enjoyed it. (I'm always behind in my reading.) It's nice to read stuff that isn't so much Superhero related, and DC seems to deliver on that nicely. I also liked the first issue of Tor. (Although, after reading War That Time Forgot, quickly dumped it from my pull list.) Of course, I've been reading Jonah Hex since the first issue, and loved the Bat Lash miniseries that just ended.

 

[Doc Destruction]

I think that was intentional, to show people how bad thought bubbles are.

No, Brian...only YOURS.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I feel your pain, man. I really took a liking to Renee. We should get drunk and remember how great she was.

I'm popping all around this thread. This storyarc was my absolute favorite, and while I hated to see Renee die, it only made it that much more memorable. I never watched an episode of Buffy or read any of her books before I picked up the first issue of Season 8; but, Josh tells such an excellent story, I was instantly hooked.

I'm not sure what all the Fray hype is about...but, I got issues 1-7 (only missing the final issue) from the bargain bin at my LCS last year for 20 cents an issue. I can't wait to read it.....I just have to find that elusive final issue.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

This story was by Drew Goddard, actually. But he's a longtime Whedon cohort from the TV series, so they write the characters pretty much the same. Killing off Renee right when she was getting good is very much something Whedon would do, too. He seems to hate the idea of happy, stable relationships.

Once you read Fray, I think you'll know why everyone's so excited to see her again.

 

[Ion Kenshin]

I just read a bit about Fray in Wizard. Im intrigued i wanna go check the story out if i can find it. Im an avid Buffy fan and am very glad this book is doing well

 

[RockSP]

Bought:

The Hole: Consumer Culture Vol. 1
Tor #2
Firebreather #1
Avengers/Invaders #2
Ultimate Origins #1
Spider-Man #561
Hercules #2
Trinity #1
Young X-men #3
The Boys #19
Invincible Iron Man #2
JSA #16
Secret Invasion #3
Nova #14
Criminal #3
King-size Hulk #1
Proof #8
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #4
Kick-Ass #3
Punisher War Journal #19, #20
Perhapanauts #2
Marvel Comics Presents #9
Young Liars #2, #3
Proof: Goatsucker
Dynamo 5: Nuclear Family

Thought:

Firebreather - Never read any of the previous run but picked it up for the hell of it. Thought it was pretty good. Guess I'll get the trade of the old stuff.

Trinity - Pretty boring.

The Hole - A strange and unique graphic novel. Voodoo, socio-economics and horror. The narrative definitely doesn't follow typical comic book rules. I look forward to the second volume.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Just finished reading Marvel Comics Presents #9. Spider-Woman's new black suit looks smokin'!

 

[BrianWilly]

[is totally late]

I don't think Fury is a deus ex machina by the harshest definition of the term; look, if you've taken time to set up an event, then by definition the event is a part of the story's natural narrative, not something that comes out of left field. On the other hand, if you only read SI and not any of the Avengers tie-ins, then it does come off as something that he hasn't set up and comes out of nowhere to move the plot along. I personally don't believe in looking at it like that, though...I always feel that tie-ins are part of the plot; you can read them or not, sure, and a lot of times you won't need to, but they are there regardless, and you can't say "Oh, Bendis didn't actually write this or that," because he did.

I will agree, however, that the plot device used here is truly and completely something that Bendis has used and overused to a ridonkulous extent. The protagonists try! They fail badly! And then someone else shows up to resolve the conflicts and save the day, someone who may or may not have anything whatsoever to do with our protagonists so far!

Layla Miller was a combination of DEM and MacGuffin because not only does she appear straight out of flippin' nowhere to resolve the protagonist's problems, and the manner in which she does so isn't at all significant plot-wise, all that matters is that she appears and does it. "Everyone's memories are gone? How shall we fix that? Oh, here, a new character with the ability to fix memories."

[/is totally late]

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Just finished reading Marvel Comics Presents #9. Spider-Woman's new black suit looks smokin'!

Arachne, buddy. Spider-Woman's busy being a Skrull.

 

[Manic]

Arachne, Spider-Woman, whatever. Hasn't the ho used both names?

 

[fifthfiend]

[is totally late]

I don't think Fury is a deus ex machina by the harshest definition of the term; look, if you've taken time to set up an event, then by definition the event is a part of the story's natural narrative, not something that comes out of left field. On the other hand, if you only read SI and not any of the Avengers tie-ins, then it does come off as something that he hasn't set up and comes out of nowhere to move the plot along. I personally don't believe in looking at it like that, though...I always feel that tie-ins are part of the plot; you can read them or not, sure, and a lot of times you won't need to, but they are there regardless, and you can't say "Oh, Bendis didn't actually write this or that," because he did.

I will agree, however, that the plot device used here is truly and completely something that Bendis has used and overused to a ridonkulous extent. The protagonists try! They fail badly! And then someone else shows up to resolve the conflicts and save the day, someone who may or may not have anything whatsoever to do with our protagonists so far!

Layla Miller was a combination of DEM and MacGuffin because not only does she appear straight out of flippin' nowhere to resolve the protagonist's problems, and the manner in which she does so isn't at all significant plot-wise, all that matters is that she appears and does it. "Everyone's memories are gone? How shall we fix that? Oh, here, a new character with the ability to fix memories."

[/is totally late]

I think this sums up my feelings on the preceding debate.

 

[DestinyMakerX]

EXCELLENT WEEK FOR COMICS!!

Amazing Spider-Man #561 - Well, this ends what was definitely the best arc of BND yet. I didn't really like Slott's first arc too much, but Slott did an outstanding job with this story arc. Honestly, I don't think it can be beat. I sure hope Gale does a good job with his "The Other Spider-Man" arc, because he is going to have some real tough competition. 5/5

Avengers/Invaders #2 - Ross and Kreuger are doing an amazing job with this title. The Invaders come to 2008 and battle the Avengers: Seriously, what's not to love??? 4.5/5

The Invincible Iron Man #2 - WOW! This was probably the best comic of the week!! Just two issues in, I've already fallen in love with this title. I don't know what's better: Fraction's brilliant writing, or Larocca and D'armata's amazing art!! 5/5

Secret Invasion #3 - Another great issue. I feel that Bendis is doing a great job with this event. I am enjoying it much more than Civil War. This was the best issue yet. 4.5/5

Spider-Man Family #9 - God, I love this title! This was another issue that was so much fun! Spider-Man and Marvel Girl babysitting for Bruce Banner? Brilliant! This is the most fun Spidey we have seen in years, and I love it. I also love the back-up story, the reprints, and..uh..well they can get rid of the manga. But who cares? The issue was fantastic! 5/5

Trinity #1 - I was so excited for this because I absolutely love Kurt Busiek's work. This issue did not let me down at all. I love how the two stories really connect to each other, and I love the plot in general. And I love Bagely's art!!! 4.5/5

Also bought Marvel Spotlight: Secret Invasion

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Arachne, Spider-Woman, whatever. Hasn't the ho used both names?

Yeah, but she's using Arachne now and some filthy Skrull is using Spider-Woman.

I think this sums up my feelings on the preceding debate.

Even the part where he said "ridonkulous"?