Comics: I'm Back, Baby!

A few months ago, I discovered Hoopla Digital, an app where you can check out digital items from your local library. There are several apps where you can do this, depending on which ones your library uses. But the big deal with Hoopla (at least for me) is that they specifically mention comics as one of the things you can borrow. Well, the selection is pretty damn impressive. There's no Marvel, but just about every other publisher I can think of seems to be represented. It's not perfect, but free is not something to be sneezed at. Anyway, I've been reading comics. A lot. Here's a few.

I caught up with Saga, and I'm happy to say it is still just as good as I remembered it being.  I haven't been following comics for a couple of years now, so I don't know, but I would still put my money on Brian K. Vaughn being the best damn writer in the medium. You're never quite sure where he's going to take you, yet it always makes sense. The characters are alive in ways that very few can manage. Although, I will say a big part of his success is also his ability to choose artists that can make those characters breathe. Fiona Staples can draw these really beautiful characters that captivate. It's easy to get caught up in her work from a distance, but one reason I really enjoy digital comics more than paper now a days, is that you can focus on details in each panel in a way that you (or at least I, and my old eyes) can't on paper. When you do that in Saga, you'll notice the subtlest hints of facial expression that are not typical of the medium. It's as if these were just freeze framed at very specific moments that only a real observer of humanity would know to choose. And she does. And it comes across in a way that makes you know exactly what these people are thinking and feeling at every moment, regardless of the words. I can't stress enough how everyone should read this book.

Because I'm a sucker for Elseworlds stories and it was free, I decided to give DC's Injustice: God's Among Us a try. I read 5 volumes of this shit, hating it and myself along the way at various points. Yet, I will likely read the next volumes when and if they become available on Hoopla because now I gotta see it through. To be fair, the first volume is a complete shitshow, but it does improve as it goes on. A little. Inconsistently. Without a doubt, this is the most inconsistent art I've ever seen in anything. One page will be filled with scribbles and then out of nowhere, there's a panel that looks amazing, like it was dropped in from another book. The "writing" is what you'd expect from a book that was thrown together just to justify a video game. It's ultimately nothing new. "What if Superman went mad and became a dictator" may not have been done outright in exactly the same way as this, but there have certainly been elements of all of this in other stories from Red Son to a bunch of other glimpses into alternate universes over the years. What I take most offense with in the whole story is the portrayal of Wonder Woman as almost a blood thirsty Lady Macbeth that at one point says she will be whatever Superman needs her to be. Fuck. That. Shit. I can't wait to finish reading this garbage, though. Like reading trashy novels, I guess.

What if you could stop time by having an orgasm? That's it. That's the premise of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's Sex Criminals and I would never have expected to love this book so much. I gave it a shot and, much like Saga, I was instantly hooked by how alive these characters are. And also, it's fucking funny. Without being immature, although, sometimes it is on purpose and that's funny too. But it never defaults to lowest common denominator humor like I would have expected. It's always smart without being pretentious or loosing the comedy. There's a lot of meta stuff going on with characters addressing the reader and background jokes like crazy. I have to admit at first Zdarsky's art didn't seem like my cup of tea, but I got over that by like panel 3 or so when (again, thanks to digital) I could really see what he was doing in the fine details. It totally makes sense now that this book has won so many awards. Read this.

Jessica Jones Season One

There's a world of difference between making things dark and gritty for the sake of it and exploring actual human darkness and complexity. Too often, what happens is that the whole "comics aren't for kids anymore" thing winds up just adding surface grit. They turn down the colors, add a bunch of violence and say "bam! this is now realistic!" but it's not, Zack Snyder, it's not! But when it's done correctly, we get Jessica Jones, which is probably the only time I've ever seen the real implications of superhero shit handled seriously in live action. 

When this show was announced, I was excited because I really loved the comic, Alias, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos. Bendis can be a bit much, but this is probably his masterpiece. It's a corner of the Marvel Universe that he pretty much created. He originally wanted the character to be ex Spider-Woman Jessica Drew, but I think it's better that failed superhero turned private eye Jessica Jones is a character he created for this and nobody really remembers her attempt at costumed heroics. The comic, like the show, winds up exploring the dark toll of her powers as well as what happens when one is mentally raped for years, pulling no punches whatsoever. So of all the Marvel shows coming to Netflix it was the one I was most excited for, but I didn't think they'd get it this right.

For starters, Krysten Ritter just is Jessica. I'm not sure I've ever seen better casting for a comic based thing. The angst just radiates off her but you also see a flicker of hope in there somewhere in her eyes or the way she walks. This is a woman who wants to believe in something: she wants to believe that she can atone, that humanity is worth her sense of guilt and responsibility.  She's that damn good. The show is that damn good. 

The whole atmosphere of the show just feels real. There are moments where they are out in the crowded streets of New York where I was struck by how "unproduced" it all felt. It seemed as thought they just went out and shot on the street, as is, which I'm sure they didn't, but they certainly pulled it off. There was just something about the way these characters, particularly Jessica, walk and generally inhabit the city, that felt very much alive in a way I haven't seen since maybe Taxi Driver or other 70s productions. I don't know. It's probably best not to even analyze it too much. As expected, I enjoyed this a whole lot more than the adequate Daredevil series. Still, I'm looking forward to more of this side of Marvel's universe on Netflix.  And more Jessica Jones, specifically.

Podcatching: Goodfellas Minute

Every year around Christmas, usually the day after, I have a tradition that goes pretty far back. Maybe not as far as I can remember, but probably close to 20 years. It's something I do on my own, because it's my thing but I am looking forward to the day and hoping it works out, that I can share in and pass this tradition on to my daughters. I'm talking, of course, about my yearly Goodfellas re-watch. But the thing is, I skipped it last year. I skipped it and it's been gnawing at me for months. Hanging over my head like a helicopter every time I hear a reference or a direct quote. But I found relief. I found comfort for the next few months in the form of the Goodfellas Minute podcast, where three fellas (also good) go over the film one minute a time, in detail. And what's better, these are guys that I've heard before and kinda missed hearing.

Back when I was more deeply into comics, I used to listen to iFanboy's weekly podcasts every Monday morning, religiously. I was just starting to blog about comics and learned a lot from listening and reading their reviews. This was serious comics journalism that went into story structure and really looked at comics from a more literary point of view, don't let the name fool you, but they still had fun. I joked at the time (to myself and I may have posted it on the iFanboy community at some point) that I came for the comics, but stayed for the Goodfellas references. And it was true.  But also, because the guys, Conor, Ron and Josh, were just fun to listen to, in addition to knowing their shit about comics. They have chemistry that is palpable and infectious. They're just real funny guys, like the way they say things, you know.

What it feels like when you listen to these guys. Minus the impending violence.

Podcasts are a weird thing. You listen to any for a period of time and you start to think you know these people. That doesn't happen when you watch a late night talk show or anything else. It feels very intimate, like you're just hanging out with these people that are talking about this stuff. In your car. Add social media to the mix and I could see how it could get crazy. These guys could be the Beatles in certain circles. The point is, although I don't know these guys, I know them enough that when I heard about this Goodfellas thing I immediately had to listen and when I did, it was like I was still going on those long morning drives to drop off Shayera at my mom's house before work, back when she was just a baby. Which reminds me, I have to catch up with the Filmpsotting crew at some point soon, my other road buddies from that time.

The Master at Work

Anyway, the Goodfellas Minute is so far on minute 13 as I write this with new episodes coming out every weekday. I caught up with it after finding about it this weekend, so 13 minutes in 4 days. Not bad. The episodes are short, because how much can you say about one minute of film, although they say much more than I thought possible. The format is based on The Star Wars Minute podcast which I've never heard, but might give a shot. But what makes this work so well is that Conor, Ron and Josh all have somewhat personal connections to the material. They all live(d) in New York, but beyond that Josh apparently lived in the neighborhood where they shot the scenes of young Henry Hill. Ron is Italian as fuck and his dad - well, I won't spoil anything, but by episode 5 his dad already emailed the show with some extra information. I'm sure we'll hear from him again. And Connor loves Italian food and once rode an escalator with Scorsese.  So, you know, experts.

This isn't highbrow film criticism, but yet, these are smart, educated dudes who know a few things about story telling and pictures. Plus, the concept of going over a film minute by minute is bound to reveal details both intended and not that add to the overall appreciation and understanding of the film. Already, I can't wait to see the movie again because they've mentioned some things I don't think I've noticed in my countless times watching the movie. Fuck, this might backfire. Is it Christmas yet?

Comics - Return to The Walking Dead

I guess I worked myself up into a bit of a thing between listening to the Robert Kirkman episode of WTF and revisiting a comic post from the past. So I started reading The Walking Dead again. I'm a little over a year behind and I'm in no rush to catch up, so I've only read 2 issues so far. I'll probably not read more than two a week and for now, it's just the one series. I'm sure if I'm not careful I'll wind up with a full blown habit again, but for now it's just this one thing. Although, I was looking through some of the indie comics on Comixology and I've already seen a bunch of things I want to check out. At least doing it digitally it means I'm only buying as I read so with time being hard to come by, I won't likely be binging on anything, really.

Ok, I'm back.

Anyway, the last I had read on Walking Dead was the All Out War storyline, so I didn't stop in the middle of anything. And as a matter of fact, it turned out to be a perfect place for a hiatus since the next issue picked up 2 years after the end of the war. The survivors have now built up a sort of civilization and have developed techniques for driving away herds of walkers. The story in the 2 issues so far deals with a new group that they rescue and it's interesting to see the process of developing trust that we've seen repeatedly in the series, only from the other side. It's the newcomers that aren't sure if they should trust these people who have something that appears to good to be true, and therefore probably is And if we know anything about Rick at this point it's that no matter how good his intentions, he can be pretty intense, so seeing him older, slower and seemingly more at ease is suspicious even to me.

Meanwhile, the decision to keep Negan alive and in prison is bound to bite him in the ass. Carl goes to talk to Negan often, and apparently secretly, but still wants to kill him, supposedly. Still there's a certain mentoring going on there. I'm sure he sees some of his dad's old self there. Some of what he admired. I don't know. No matter how peaceful and boring this might seem, with everyone being excited about the success of learning to make bread and all, it's bound to go to shit soon. It always does. And then they rebuild again, stronger, until the next, even greater challenge comes along. So I'm back!

Throwback Thursday - One Year of DC's New 52 (2 Years Later)

This was originally posted on my Tumblr back on August 31, 2012. Funny how I haven't read any comics in at least a year now. 

One Year of DC’s New 52 - Growing Up

While this isn’t really a response to Ryan over at The Signal Watch, it is inspired by his recent post about DC’s relaunch and growing up and, well, life, I guess. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, though I don’t completely disagree either. Just minor details. Anyway it’s a very good post so be sure to check it out here.

So, it’s been one year since DC’s relaunch and I’ve been a big defender of it from the onset. The idea of a fresh start to the universe was just appealing and frankly, necessary. Whether it needed to be a full reboot or not, something had to be done. Characters like Wonder Woman and Superman were just not working anymore. Batman was, which is why nothing was really changed there. I had tired of Green Lantern, but it still had an audience as well. Either way, I welcomed a reboot. Once the books were out and I tried most of  them, what stood out to me was the idea that they were publishing a variety of books with different creators and tones to appeal to a wider audience. They weren’t setting out to appeal to everyone with every title. Who can afford 52 books a month, after all? Take the Batman family for example. Early on, I realized I wasn’t going to be reading all of them. I did not care for Dark Knight or Detective Comics. Not my thing, though a lot of people did like those. But the Batman title, with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continues to be one of my favorite books, a year later. And as long as that team (particularly Snyder) is involved, it will likely be the only superhero book I’ll continue to read a year from now. 

In addition to the varied tone, the representation of genre in the new books has kept me interested in DC at a time when I’ve been moving further and further away from an interest in reading about men in tights. Books like Swamp Thing, Animal Man and Frankenstein, while they take place in the same universe as Justice League are far from being the same kind of book as Justice League. Even Wonder Woman has basically been a Vertigo book under Azzarello, which suits me fine. Granted, I follow creators such as Lemire and Snyder closely and would probably read their grocery lists, so I’m not sure I would be reading these books if someone else were writing them. Matt Kindt took over Frankenstein at the perfect time, as I had just gotten into his style as well. And, by the way, creator turn around and cancellations were to be expected since many of the books were basically an experiment, and during a time when publishing a book that doesn’t sell is not really an option, so I can’t fault them for that. Whether or not creators left under bad circumstances, I don’t necessarily worry too much about, and I don’t say that as some blind defense of DC. But my concern is really just the books themselves.

If there is one glaring problem with the New 52 it’s the continuity issue. If you ask me, the mistake isn’t that the continuity doesn’t make sense, it’s that the concept of continuity between a wide range of books should be completely abandoned. I read Batman and Wonder Woman. I do not read Justice League, nor do I care how those characters are represented in that book. For me, it works out, so far. There is no “Batman” as a character. There is only the Batman as interpreted by whoever is currently writing him. Grant Morrison himself played with this idea in his run by trying to incorporate every version of the character into canon. It was bold and fun, but ultimately, it doesn’t really work outside of his run. I don’t mind if one creator tells a story that directly contradicts what another did before. The truth is that that has always been the case in comics. The idea of continuity was only forced onto the medium in an attempt to market to us as we got older and make us buy more books. It doesn’t have to be that way.

I do worry that eventually, possibly soon, DC will try to start shoehorning events from one book into another. They’ll want to try to get me to buy more books again, and in desperation will resort to this old tactic. So far, though, the two crossovers I’ve dealt with, The Court of Owls and The Rot, have happened organically within the series themselves. What’s more, with The Court of Owls, I did not, nor did I feel like I had to, read any of the other Batman books. And this is key, because this is what has reduced my Marvel reading to almost nothing. I am no longer interested in giant, company wide events that “change everything,” which I know is ironic since I’m defending a relaunch that came from just that. Basically, I just want to read my book, month to month, and not worry about a “big picture.” If I’m not already interested in Justice League, interrupting my Batman story because The Justice League is in a heated battle against the Teen Titans, is not going to go far in making me buy either of those two books. In fact, that just happened over at Marvel and I dropped Wolverine and The X-Men as a result.

I’m also completely ok with characters being changed. I always say it’s in the execution. So the idea of changing Superman, for example, is not problematic to me. The problem is that the reality of the relaunch was that the new version of Superman, even Morrison’s, just wasn’t interesting to me. In the case of Morrison, I just feel he already told the only Superman story that ever needed telling in All Star Superman. But again, not every book is for me. And that’s fine. I’ll read the ones that are until they aren’t.

You know what else wasn’t for me, after all? Before Watchmen. I defended the idea of it and still do. But after trying a few of the first issues, what I found was that it just wasn’t necessary. In his post, Ryan talks about how superhero comics are no longer exploring anything meaningful. I can totally see that, though I don’t see anything wrong with that necessarily (a good story can just be a good story). However, I think that observation nails absolutely what I didn’t like about the Before Watchmen books I read. It turns out that anything Alan Moore didn’t already explore in the original, has been explored, deconstructed and reconstructed in the countless stories inspired by Watchmen. Books like The Authroity, which Ryan mentions, have filled any gaps. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been possible to make the Before Watchmen books relevant or at least not seem redundant, but again, it’s all in the execution and I don’t think they executed. I could be wrong since I only read the first issue of a few of them, though. I might check them out when they get collected.

Overall, the fact is, we’re all growing up (FINALLY!). I’m 39 now with a daughter and another child on the way. That’s not to say we should give up comics, or even superhero comics. But we’re not going to be into the same things anymore. What’s more, for years now, we’ve been the target audience for Marvel and DC and it’s no secret that that has been a huge mistake on their part. They have not cultivated new readers along the way. Now they are taking action because they are waking up to the fact that we are slowly moving away from their product anyway. At least I am. I read a lot more independent books than I ever have, and virtually none of those are superhero books. So no, they aren’t publishing books for us. For that, I am glad, actually. I’d rather they continue than die with me. I’d rather whole new generations grow up on virtually unrecognizable versions of the same characters I love than to see the characters completely go away. I want to hear my kids, in 35 years, complaining about how DC broke up Superman and Wonder Woman.

Podcatching: WTF - Robert Kirkman

On the Robert Kirkman episode of Marc Maron's WTF Podcast, Marc talked about being late to the party and it was like listening to myself. He was talking about comics, but it's a mentality I've had for some time. Hipsters are always bragging about being into things "before they were cool." I've been that guy. There's something to be said for that. But I'm also the guy that famously said to a friend once, just a couple of years ago, that I thought I was finally ready to get into Outcast now that the hype had died down. But then again I'm not the type that will like something just because it's cool or just because it's not cool. Not just because I'm old enough to not give a fuck, either. I've always been pretty fine with liking what I like. But still, the whole thing about hype is that it can sometimes ruin a good thing for me if everyone is constantly going on about how great it is or it's something that becomes unavoidable in the mass culture, like Outcast was for a while. So, yeah, Marc talks about how it's better to be late to the party because if it's still going on, then it was probably a good party. Truth.

Kirkman with his agent and manger.

So then Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead comes on and reminds me I haven't been reading the comic in far too long. I need to get back into it. I just have to find the time. I've heard and seen interviews with him before so I know he's funny, humble and amazingly down to earth. This interview demonstrated that in full force. I was surprised to learn that he didn't grow up watching horror movies and really only did so when he was in his 20s, which is what lead to his creating The Walking Dead. I guess I always figured he was a huge horror buff, but now that I think of it, it kind of makes sense, since his approach to explore the humanity more than the "horror" aspects.

But it was really near the end of his interview that it really hit me why these are two guys that every kid that wants to be an artist of any kind needs to listen to. They talked about how Kirkman, when he was struggling to get his career going, would just lay on the ground and shake because he was so deep in debt and had no way to get out. He had made a decision at some point to pursue this dream of being a writer. And yeah, he finally made it and it more than just "worked out" for him. But he also very clearly said that if he had to do it again he probably would not and would just go work in a bank or whatever. That he really truly just got lucky and it didn't have to go that way at all. And Marc seconded that. That message is so refreshing.

They're not walking now!

Our culture is obsessed with romanticizing struggle. We love the myth of the starving artist paying dues and emerging because of perseverance and talent. But the reality is that shit is crazy and for every success story you can think of there are thousands and thousands that were maybe more talented and also never gave up, but still got nowhere. Yet if someone were to stop and go the more conventional way in life, they'd be labeled a quitter or whatever. That's not even remotely fair. Sometimes you just have to know when enough is enough and that choice is up to the individual. There should be no shame in one or glory in the other. The glory for Robert Kirkman isn't that he struggled, it's that he's damn good. It's that he has something to say. Whether he struggled to get there or had it handed to him wouldn't change that one bit. Stop glorifying struggle is all I'm saying. Then again, isn't that what The Walking Dead is all about?  What the fuck. (See what I did there?)

Flashback Friday: Scalped Finale

This was originally posted on my tumblr on 8/24/2012. Seriously, go read this series. 

First and final covers.

Comic of the Week - Scalped Finale

A great beginning that grabs you by the eye lids and drags you into the world of the story, putting you face to face with the characters, making your heart pound as if you were in real danger along with them is a wonderful, rare, thing. It takes a master to do that in an instant (see Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga). Keeping you there, page after page, month after month, year after year, living inside the story, growing, failing, falling, rising, agonizing, plotting, hoping with the characters, living through whatever obstacles may come up, never able to predict what’s next, is a whole other matter that few creators can maintain (see Brian K. Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man). But then, to end it in a way that is both satisfying and true to the characters and world that has been established, well, that’s even more rare, particularly in longer stories. Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera, over 5 years of Scalped demonstrated a mastery of storytelling and character development that is unrivalled, culminating in a final issue that tragically resolves everything the only way it could have gone. 

Now that it’s done, I don’t even know how to properly review this issue, to be honest. It’s a perfect ending and one thing that sticks out is that rather than just focusing on wrapping things up, there a few new details that emerge that shed light on some characters and even some that raise new questions. The edges of the story bleed from the frame, making the series a window into a much more complex world than we could have imagined. And considering the complexity of the series, that’s saying a lot. Comparing this to The Wire is about as accurate as it gets. Much like that show, the resolutions here indicate that while things have changed, much remains the same. Things are just too broken to fix and the best you can hope for is a changing of the players in a game that seems to continue to play itself out over and over again with very minor variations. Our hero, if you can call him that, Bad Horse, has learned his life lesson but it literally cost him everything he grew to love. 

Jason Aaron clearly had this story plotted, at least in his head, from beginning to end the whole time. This is not something that was made up as he went along, and  if it was, then he deserves even more credit. Every character is multidimensional, every moment means something, every line of dialogue moves things forward whether it’s the plot or character development. R.M. Guera made every character distinct from their design to the way they act. He also kept the story flowing even in moments where things were meant to be confusing and harrowing. This is visual storytelling on a level so high you forget you’re reading a comic book sometimes. I’ve said before I have a mixed desire to see this made into a TV series one day, because I’d like more people to see this, but the comic book is so perfectly crafted that I’d rather not spoil it with an adaptation. All I can say at this point is that you should pick up the trades of this series if you’ve never read it. I didn’t start reading it until about 2 years ago, but once I was hooked, it became my favorite book. I’ll miss it and I sincerely hope Aaron gives us another creator owned series soon. 

Comic of the Week

This week, the best book I read has a bittersweet taste to it because I'm not sure how much of what I liked about it will be explored down the line. Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, written by Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins, with art by Trevor McCarthy, continues to tell the story of the builders of Gotham back in the 1800's. Meanwhile, in the present day, we have Dick Grayson as Batman, Tim Drake as Red Robin, Damian Wayne as Robin and Cassandra Cain as Black Bat, working together to figure out who's targeting the first three families of Gotham. The plot itself, and the way it gives us this history of Gotham is fine and solid. The mystery is intriguing enough. But what makes this book stand out for me is the relationships between the Bat family. This is exactly the type of thing that's made the Bat books so great the past couple of years and I hope the reboot in a few months doesn't waste what's been built.

Where the first issue was a showcase for how Dick and Tim work together, this issue is about Damian and Cassandra. Damian is a character that, in the right hands, brings a lot to the table. He's not a snot nosed punk. He has an attitude, but he's also well equipped to back that up. He's arrogant, judgemental and rash, for sure. But he's not stupid. He's also not afraid of anything, including offending anyone, with his version of the truth. And no matter how much the rest of the Bat family may bristle at his comments, they can also be affected by the grains of truth that come out of Damian's insults. His presence  adds an element of conflict that makes the relationships between the Bat siblings come alive. Seeing him team up with Cassandra and not be impressed is fodder for a whole series. One that we will likely never get.

Scott Snyder will continue writing Batman when the reboot comes, which is a good thing. However, he'll be writing Bruce, not Dick. I'm more than confident in his abilities as a writer, but I'll miss his take on Dick as Batman. Interestingly, Kyle Higgins will be writing Dick as Nightwing, so it's good that he seems to get the character here. I only hope the Nightwing book doesn't overlook Dick's time as Batman. Even though he is going back to his previous identity, his time as Batman has been a defining moment in his life. His relationship with Damian should also not fall by the wayside.

All in all, this book may not be mindblowing, but it is solid. It's a perfect example of what good comics are supposed to do. It delivers a solid story that comes through with consistent characterizations and interractions that ring true. It's really that simple.

Comics of the Week

The best comics can sometimes seem to be all over the place. Invincible #80 picks up where the last issue left off and by the time the last page comes, it feels like you've read 3 issues. And that's not a bad thing. The story organically flows between being personal, funny, tense, meta and heavy on action, ending in a world shaking moment that you don't see coming. It really feels like you get your money's worth out of this issue, as with most issues of Invincible. What's always made this book great is that because it takes place in it's own universe, anything can and does happen. Continuity, a topic that has been hot this past couple of weeks, doesn't bog anything down here. And yet, it flows through the book at the same time. Kirkman even takes the time to poke fun at the rebooting of comics directly as well as the not very well thought out motivations of super villains. The humor in this book is refreshing and what's great is that Kirkman can use it without giving up the right to get serious. 

Another book that brought loads of humor and fun this week was Batgirl #22. This issue has Stephanie Brown being called to London by Batman where she takes a detour with Squire, the British equivalent of Robin. They stumble upon a case and hilarity ensues. It's just good times, and interestingly ends with a promise that it will be continued in the pages of Batman, Inc. A lot has been written about the DC reboot and particularly the fact that Stephanie won't be Batgirl anymore. But, if her story continues in the Batman, Inc book, then maybe Steph will have a place in the new DC continuity after all.  As for Bryan Q. Miller, I don't remember seeing his name on the list of writers and that's the real crime because he's been delivering a consistently fun book here.

And then, there's Grodd. . . This book was over the top, violent and really, just crazy fun. For a one shot, event tie in book, Flashpoint: Grodd of War managed to tie into the main book and actually build towards a confrontation that I want to see explored in the pages of the other Flashpoint books. Gorilla Grodd has managed to take over the entire continent of Africa but he's grown bored. He bemoans that the world doesn't even know his name even though he's slaughtered more than Aquaman and Wonder Woman combined. By far, the best part of the book involves a group of would be assassins, which Grodd easily defeats. But he spares the life of one, setting up a future confrontation that would be on par with Kill Bill, when the Bride makes that speech to Vernita Green's daughter, only Grodd takes it to a whole other level. By the end of the book, Grodd has decided to go after Europe, which means Aquaman and Wonder Woman. I wish this was more than a one shot.

Comic of the Week

You know why I don't worry about the reboot or anything else that comics companies do? Because ultimately, we still have great creators working in comics. Characters are not inherently interesting or boring. It all depends on who's writing them and what they do with them. Has it all been done before? Maybe. But a good creator can always put a fresh or different spin on it, or just do it very, very well. In any case, it's stories we come to comics for and stories are written (and drawn, in this case) by the creators of the comics. Superman is not limited by anything other than what writers can think of to do with him. What does this have to do with anything?  I say all this to put into context how surprising it is that my pick this week is Jason Aaron's Wolverine, for two issues in a row now: a character I and many others have adamantly said was overused and boring and done. And this from me, who mainly reads DC books, but has been coming back to Marvel little by little, thanks to creators like Aaron.

The last issue, I called a 70's action movie. I also said it could be some unmade Tarantino film. This issue is a little harder to pin down, but the style is still somewhere in the grainy film past. Wolverine is off to find the people responsible for sending him to hell and now knows where to look. What he, and we, don't know is who they are and why they are after him. But we start to learn in this issue. We basically get a flashback to the 1930's, through the eyes of the man leading this crusade against Logan. Wolverine killed this guy's bastard of a father while he watched, and so the kid made it his life's mission to find Wolverine and avenge his father. Of course, he soon learned that wouldn't be easy to do. But, apparently, he eventually develops a new plan and recruits other people like him, wronged by Wolverine over the years, and now their plan is coming to fruition.

I can't say there's anything big about this issue that makes it compare to the chase scenes or overall tone of the last issue. Sure, the scenes in the past do have a dusty feel to them that puts you in the moment. But ultimately, it's just a solid plot that may work whether it's about Wolverine or anyone, but is very much about Wolverine. You can take him out of it, and you might have a revenge tale, but it would lose something vital. Wolverine has always been a guy with a haunted past, and this story addresses that in a way that I don't think I've seen done. Here, his past is coming back to get him, but it's not some Russian superspy that's after him. It's just regular human beings who have had to deal with the same past as him, although from a different angle. And maybe this has been done before. Maybe I just didn't read it. But I'm willing to bet, if it has been done before, it hasn't  been done this well.

Comic of the Week

The word cinematic is often used to describe other media, particularly comics. This typically means the thing being described is evoking motion and sound to convey emotion in a way that possibly transcends the medium of that which is being described. I've said it many times here that Gantz, particularly the first volumes, is very cinematic in the way it gives us what amounts to slow motion shots almost like John Woo action movie poetry. Calling a comic book cinematic is high praise and the high water mark for cinema is arguably 1970's American film. So, I'm going to be bold and say that Wolverine #9, by Jason Aaron and Daniel Acuňa is a 70's action film brought to life.

Who wold have thought that in a week where Walking Dead and Detective Comics came out, that my hands down favorite book would be Wolverine, which I only just caught up with this past week because I'd heard such great things about it? But the book is just that damned good. So good, that it is up there with my favorite single issues of all time. Wolverine is looking for Mystique, who sold him out to the mysterious group that sent him to hell in the first issues of the series. Of course, this mysterious group has also hired a super hit man named Lord Deathstrike (whose introductory scene is gold) to kill Mystique and lead Wolverine right to them. This leads to some of the best chases and confrontations I've ever seen, most of them in wide screen. It brings to mind a movie like Point Blank and it's remake Payback, or some unmade Tarrantino film, none of which are 70's movies, I know, but still. The way they cut from scene to scene, only giving us what is necessary of each set piece, never more, is the perfection I'm talking about. The tension of the chase is palpable and the gritty style puts us in the right mood. And what's more, you don't really need to have read the previous issues to enjoy this. You barely need to know anything about Wolverine, Mystique, X-Men or Superheroes. It could simply be a revenge story with some minor eccentricities, like the main character having claws. If more comics were like this, well, my head might explode, but I'd love it.

Manga for the Comics Guy - Gantz Volume 14

Volume 14 is a game changer. For starters, we have Kei being seen as a leader by the others in the group, much to Izumi’s frustration. More importantly, though, we get a glimpse into Kei’s past and learn about his brother, which leads to a reveal of something about the Gantz world. Sure, this creates new questions, but in a way that will move the story forward.

I see this going in a direction where it will be hard to tell who is good and who is bad. This looks like the beginning of a collision course between Kei and his brother, which I can guess will lead us to many revelations of the Gantz world. In the middle of all this, we have Izumi and the fact that the people now in the Gantz were his victims. I can't wait for them to find out.

So, if the Vampires can see the Gantz people during the games does that mean they see the aliens too? Are the aliens connected to the vampires? Or are there many factions? There are too many questions right now for me to even write more about it. I would say it's getting good, but it's been good from the start.

Meanwhile, this week a new Batman miniseries begins. With so many Bat books, why is this exciting? Because Gates of Gotham is written by Scott Snyder, who has been making Detective Comics the best of the Batbooks right now. I don't know much about this series other than Batman rounds up all the best detectives to solve a case. Already, this can't go wrong.

Comics of the Week

Flashpoint #1, while not perfect, did what I think a first issue of comic event should do. While the story was actually set in motion in the Flash title, which released it’s final issue this week as well, Flashpoint picks up from a good starting point, so that you don’t necessarily have to have read the Flash series. You could just pick this book up, start reading and be left with the appropriate amount of questions going in. Barry Allen wakes up in a world that is not his own. That’s pretty much all you need to know. As we go along, the specifics of the differences are revealed, sometimes clumsily, sure, but overall I think this was a good start. The big reveal at the end of this issue, which has been spoiled in many places already, sets up what I’ve been saying all along: that the main story will not be the best part of this event. I’m looking forward to learning more about all the characters that are introduced here. Next month is going to be crazy with Flashpoint titles.  

G.I. Joe #1 did a lot of things right as well. Chuck Dixon continues to build a realistic world around these ridiculous characters. Something I would love explored, though, is what is passed off as almost a throw away in this issue. When dealing with the body of Cobra Commander, we are told Cobra has to make it look like an accident, because his real identity was that of a prominent man. I wonder if we’ll ever learn who exactly Cobra Commander really was. That alone could be a whole series in this universe. But now we have Cobra coming after the Joes hard, as they have their contest to determine who will be the new Commander. And as has been the case with the IDW Joe books, the Cobra side of the story is what keeps me coming back. Can’t wait for the next issue, and the first issues of the other 2 Joe books IDW is putting out. This is must read material.

Comic Event Season

We can bitch and moan about big comic book events all we want, but they aren't going away. Lately it seems events never really end, either. They just sort of morph into the next one or spin off into separate mini events until the next big one comes along. Either way, I think the key is to make the event what you want it to be. These are just stories, so just approach them as stories not as life or universe altering events. Of course, this would be easier to do if the publishers handled it properly on their end.

Right now, Marvel is into Fear Itself. Several ties have come out and the core Fear Itself book released issue 2 last week. I have decided to read only the core book. My thought is that you should be able to follow the story and get something out of it without having to read everything. The publishers themselves tell you this. So, is the case with Fear Itself? NO! They lie! Fear Itself, the book, is horrible. It's so condensed that nothing actually happens. Whether or not this is true of the whole event itself, I can't say, but as a series goes, Fear Itself started off ok with issue 1, but number 2 didn't do anything at all to move the story forward. So far, all we know is that this so-called Serpent character has unleashed all these hammers on the world, which are picked up by various people, who in turn are possessed by the Serpent's army. Meanwhile, Odin has recreated Asgard and chained up Thor. Still no clue who this Serpent person is or what he wants. Taking your time with a story is fine, but you have to give me something each issue.

It seems as though, instead of rewarding readers for reading all of the tie ins, Marvel is punishing readers for only reading one book. It's a missed opportunity to do something interesting with the medium. Properly done, what should happen is that no matter what title you follow, you get a complete story. Not THE complete story, mind you, just a story. Then, if you read other tie ins, you get more pieces to a larger story coming together. The main book, however, should be the backbone of the whole thing and not just rely on snippets to be expanded upon in the other titles. It should make me want to pick up the tie ins, not because I have to in order to know what's going on, but because you've given me enough to care about that I now have an interest in going deeper. If what you want is a story where you need what is being told in all the tie ins, then do it as a series of OGN's. To me, that's just common sense.

Last week, Marvel also released X-Men Prelude to Schism #1. While only a prelude to the upcoming X-Men event, I found it much more satisfying than Fear Itself. Nothing much happened in the book, but we did get a good set up of where the characters are at, particularly Cyclops. We know some kind of threat is at hand that has put Scott in the position to decide whether to fight or evacuate Utopia. And, really, in a prelude, that should be all we need to know. Whether this event will actually change everything for the X-Men, as advertised, or not, doesn't really matter, so long as it's a satisfying story.

Today, DC releases Flashpoint #1, which already looks promising. The many mini-series associated with Flashpoint look to be interesting. DC is once again playing with alternate realities, which is, I think, what they do best. And in those situations, events have a better chance of doing what I think they should. There's a much better chance that reading any of the minis will be satisfying, regardless of the bigger picture of the event. I will probably be following most of, if not all of Flashpoint, but I already predict the main story will not be the best part.

Comics of the Week

I continue to be surprised by how much I enjoy Uncanny X-Force. Issue #9 was no exception. The story was simple enough, Magneto has received some information on a Nazi officer, and we don't know for certain what he did to Magneto, possibly killed his family. Either way, Magneto wants revenge and he asks X-Force to help him, which is already interesting since no one is supposed to know the team exists. Wolverine agrees to do it, alone. What we get is a simple tale of revenge, trying to outrun your past, the weight of guilt and the inevitability of justice. To start with, the exchange between Magneto and Wolverine is fantastic. Very few words throughout the issue, but these are characters that understand each other all too well. This was an excellent stand alone story, but still lays pieces that will be picked up later, I'm sure, with Magneto knowing about X-Force.

On a completely different plane of existence is Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #3. This mini-series was so much fun. It had me laughing out loud and barely able to explain why I was laughing to my wife, because the more I tried to explain it, the more out there it sounded and the funnier it got. And the great thing is that even though it was crazy fun, there was at least one moment that picked up on what seemed like a throw away bit from the first issue, in order to wrap the story up. I hadn't heard of Axe Cop until this series came out, but I'll now have to go back and read the web comics. We need more books written by 6 year olds.

Manga for the Comics Guy - Gantz Volume 13

This volume was, ironically, back in familiar territory, by putting us in the middle of an insane alien dinosaur battle. While the action was big, the real focus of the issue was on emerging heroes, a theme that I have found consistent throughout Gantz. Where in previous volumes Kei has embraced his hero role, after the events in Shinjuku, Kei is more humble. It's no longer about glory for him, and at one point he actually remembers Kato and states that he needs to save the innocents. It's a big moment for his character development. This is, of course, perfectly countered by Izumi, who is hellbent on the glory of Gantz. All he wants is to be the sole survivor (when he's not romping around with the panda, WTF?).

But, to me, even more interesting than Kei and Izumi are some of the other characters who step up. We have the 2 superpower boys and the street fighter dude taking out dinosaurs with no suit on and no weapons. We have the old guy that teams up with Kei and ends up body slamming a brontosaurus(!). But the stand out is the father, suitless, weaponless, henpecked, taking down a dinosaur (raptor?), bare handed, in order to save his nagging wife and child. It's moments like that, that make this series so great. This is what makes it more than just crazy Sci Fi manga action. It puts a spin on the whole thing that makes me think Oku Hiroya is working on multiple levels on the big picture of this series. I don't know where it's going, but I'm certainly enjoying the surprisingly deep ride.

This week is a little slower for me comics-wise, but among the books out will be another series that continues to excel at character work and keeping me on my toes, Sweet Tooth #21, by Jeff Lemire, who also has Superboy #7 out. In addition, Marvel has Fear Itself #2, the only book in the Fear Itself event I am reading. The first issue was ok, so let's see how it works to read just this book. Will I be totally lost reading this issue, not having read the various tie ins that came out between them? We'll see. Marvel is also launching their X-Men event, Schism, with Prelude to Schism #1. The title alone, makes me think we actually HAVE seen them do this with X-Men already, but I'm willing to give it a chance. So, again, we'll see.

Manga for the Comics Guy - Gantz Vols. 11-12

If Gantz is like a video game, then the themes being explored in these volumes are larger than a simple Sci Fi story. What lengths will players go to, to get the high of the game? At what point does violence in a game affect a player in the real world? We've heard all the arguments before. Here, it's not in your face, though. But it's hard not to think of it when a massacre at this scale happens and we get lingering shots of the very real victims.

We're also still on the trust train, watching the threads come together. Characters that were introduced, like the strange fighter and the kids with super powers, come into play here. What will happen to them in the Gantz world remains to be seen. What I really want to see is what the super powers have to do with Gantz.

 
For a section of story that had so much going on, there's not really much to say. I think this is because the threads are still not apparent. We have the pieces in place but not not enough is revealed yet to really understand where it's going. We know Izumi was hellbent on getting back to the Gantz room, where he had apparently already earned his 100 points. His victims are there with him, but they don't yet know who he is. That alone is enough tension to propel any story forward, without all the mysteries about Gantz itself. There are so many questions of what comes next right now, that it's mind boggling.

And, speaking of what comes next, many great comics out today. No surprise by now that I'm excited for the Walking Dead, but also, Action Comics 900 sees the return of Superman to Action Comics. Morning Glories #8 may reveal some more about Morning Glories Academy. FF #2: Doctor Doom joins the FF!?  Good week for comics.