Wednesday, October 10, 2012

DC the New 52.....

After a year of sampling the new 52 titles and getting a feel for the New DC I have come to some conclusions.

I will first say that not having an income for the last two years my sampling is no where near complete but is wide ranging....

Overall my impression.... The major characters; by that I mean the biggies are nearly unrecognisable and inconsistent at best. Green Lamtern was the best if the old because it gave us a new lead character, Sinestro. He was conflicted, motivated and dynamic character motivating the character around him and pushing the story along because I'd his desires. Once he was pit of the spotlight and Hal was more or less back my interest faltered. I will also say I'm An old Hal Jordan fan.

The portrayals of the majors in Justice League fall all kinds of flat to me. As a Teen Titans fan from waaaaay back the treatment of Cyborg bugs me. Vic Stone was a fanorite of mine and he seems so flat and lifeless much like everyone else in the title.
Now after all that negative here is my thoughts on the good stuff.

The third tier...

Frankenstein and the Agents of Shield is very much the new Starman or Resurrection Mam( ala the 90s) with crazy cool storytelling and creative use of the tropes of the superhero genre. Another title that plays fast and fin with the aspects of the genre is Demon Knights which is contending with Frankenstein for my #1 title. Paul Cornell keeps me entertained and maintains my connection to the DC of the past that I live though it references the 30th century(another of my life long loves; the LSH). Paul includes the greats of the B list like the Demon and the Shining Knight.

I know that Batwoman and Batgirl (by the great Gail Simone) are excellent but I've avoided the bat family like the plague because if well my no money probelm. I loved OMAC and was saddened at it's loss thought I bought all the issues in the day of sale. About the only main line title I still like is Green Lantern...

I like the new GL Simon Baz; I think he is a great new addition and look forward to more. I think that throwing this new hero right into not one but two crossovers in one season is so wrong. We barely know Simon and now he has to share his story with so many cardboard cutouts with as less personality as the Spock standee Sheldon received in the Big Bang Theory (I love the Z Quinto Spock and refer to the actual cardboard cutout....)

The New 52 was a chance to push the envelope and by and large in my opinion as it is was wasted. We lost Secret Six, JSA, JSA confidential, thenew different JLA and the new Barry Allen Flash. ....

Now I plan to pick up the I Vampire trade and issues as well as the JLD and Worlds Finest and like Earth 2. On the whole this is a show that benefits the character actors if the DCU, the Stephen Tobolowskys and the Martin Landos... Hail the character actors may your booka not be cancelled like OMAC and SGT Rock.....

I love the books I love but at three dollars I have to choose well and theE are my choices....

Batgirl
Batwoman
Demon Knights
Frankenstein
Earth 2
Frankenstein
JL Dark
and maybe Worlds Finest...

The rest fall too far below the cut....

I'll be looking to Image and Marvel to find more good stories in the pulp genre I love...

I miss my Flash, my Legion of Superheroes and Secret Six... Mulls JSA, Infinity Inc and Titans are lost in the pre crisis universe along with the outsiders warlord, amethyst and the like....

support the books you love but give the lesser books a look the stories are deeper.... but hey that's possibly just me....

monsters rule....

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Green Heroes....

I grew up watching the SuperFriends on saturday morning TV and that formed my love for the character Green Lantern. He was no the rich guy with the partner and all the cool toys, he wasn't the enchanted statue of clay, he wasn't the alien neat god raised by farmers nor was he the bastard offspring of man and mermaid. He was chosen for his will and his victories over fear- he was a man of courage. I've followed the Green Lantern mythology ever since in brightest day and in blackest night.

All that said I want to say some things. I would love to say Alan Scott was my Green Lantern but I'm way too young for that; I learned about Alan through Infinity Inc and the legacy if his children Obsidian and Jade who were among my favorite DC heroes. I could claim Guy Gardner since I encountered him almost as he arrived. The green lantern of my developing years was none other then the most challenged GL... It was John Stewart. As with Iron Man I hit with the changeover to a more conflicted era. John Stewart was my Green Lantern, the one who faced the Milennium crisis, the one who gave up his secret idenity, the one who dared to love an alien and the one who lost it all multiple times. Hal always came back and Guy eventually became the bad boy anti hero and John well he's ever the man in limbo hero or not.

Now why do I talk about this in light if the new GL. Simon Baz is someone I really want to know and someone in one issue I want to see in the spotlight. I do not know what to expect from the next three months of crossover stories; I want all Simon and the third army interests me not since I have emotional attachments to the green and the red and the yellow and to Simon; the third army well don't care.

There is so much potential to tell challenging stories that can change peoples minds in the real world like the seventies stories did. The US us a nation in need of questioning storied I can't wait to see Geoff challenge us to think....

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Pulp Dominos...

Its wednesday day and that means as all comics fans know its new comics day and I intend to do a regular posting about something current every wed afternoon or evening.....

Todays post is about something that wont be in your local shop unless they are like Comics Experience and do digital comics sales..... its not deadwood but it is damn damn good, today Monkey Brain Comics released another new title into the digital wild..... Masks andMobsters. The title is a total surprise to me... digital only comics have no previews as of yet so checking out the new releases on new comics day is like heading to the drug store to spin the comic rack hoping for something new, yes I am that old that I knew life before the direct market. Masks and Mobsters is written by and will be drawn by rotating artists and goes back to the formative days of so called masked men and heroes of the pulps before all this superpower crazyness.

The initial offering introduces us to a cast of shady human mobsters and their plightthe arrival of the caped and domini masked avengers. their enterprises aree being slowly thwarted by these new vigilanties and they know there is someone that is tipping the heroes off. Its a familiar story told in a familar way but it is so satisfying to read an old story told so well and in a way that violence is not glorified. The creative team is brillant capturing the by gone era and payinh homage to the founding members of the hero genisis in the early twentith century.

The issue is a meager 99 cents to read and own as are most of Monkey Brains books and even at seventeen pages its a bargin anda fresh look at heroism and the origins of the media. We see the story through the perspective of a thug and one that has reason for everything he does. Its Tarrentino esque in execution and an entertaing read to boot. I have a great fondness for the pulp era and have read both stories from then and pastiche and Masks and Mobsters is a well worthy addition reguardless of price. I havenot enjoyed something this much since DC did away with Secret Six (which may still beavailable for 99c an issue) or the Suicide Squad from the late eighties. Chris Roberson has corraled a great stable of creators and books at Monkey Brain.... I plan to hit all the titles in the pantheon including my favorite over thenext week or so.... and no I wont say which is my favorite till I get to it.

Oh, what you have not checked out this digital only company, hey you may like these books, they are wide ranging in genre and I think at 99cents or 1.99they are a bargin; I know comics have not been this cheep for more then a decade......

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Alan Moore... read him or don't

I will be absolutely honest here I have barely started the 2009 version of LOEG Century 2009 and I think it's awesome. The Century story line has worried me but the final book has charmed me from the start. It taps into so much of geek culture that maybe it might not have universal appeal but in geek fandom stretching back for years and years I think it hits just right. I would say read to page eighteen of the real story.... I'm hooked and if you are 10 dollars us really a bargain I think. Alan Moore is still a great storyteller is there may be people doing better they are few and far between.

The latest LOEG seems the real thing from my initial read and from the reviews when you look to people Luke Brian hibbs on the savage critics.... but between Moore and Mills it's an acquired taste like haggis which is the culinary bomb if you get the chance to have it... Look at the initial pages and if it hooks you being a fish on the line is not so bad if you get to read the end....

Monday, July 16, 2012

Abnett and Lanning....

Someday in the not too distant future there may be a movie called Guardians of the Galaxy movie....

This band of heroes have been around since the very late 60's in the marvel universe in it's 30th century future timeline. In their initial stories they fought against the reptilian Badoon and boasted a collection of extra terrestrial and altered human heroes; Charlie 27, Major Vance Astro, Yondu, Martinex and the girl Nikki. I recall reading their stories in reprints black and white somewhere... I fondly recall them as some crazy future heroes around Vance who was a modified astronaut who traveled slower then light to be received be human descendants in a very post trans humanity galaxy. Abnett and Lanning have great future superhero cred having written for 2000AD and Legion of Superheroes in the past, they have a grasp on creating fantastic landscapes and populating it with weird and believable characters.

The most recent Marvel incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy created by this team of writers is set after two universal catastrophes under the annihilation banner title where one character proposes a proactive team to stop future events. These stories tie into the Marvel universe franchise and the mysterious character Thanos that appears in the Avengers credit.

Today Marvel had the issues of this recent series on sale for 99cents for all 18 issues. I missed all these having no disposable income and the few I've read are great issues and well cheaper then they were at the time... Anyone a fan of superheroes and scifi should grab these up... They are a piece of good storytelling and recent modern history.....

The team of heroes assumed to be in production for the movie is the Abnett and Lanning version following Starlord, Drax, Gammora, Rocket Raccon Quazar and Groot. Now that us based on development sketches.

Starlord is a hero I remember well from the Marvel black and white magazines from the late 70s as a mix of Conan and solo Space Ghost crusading hero figure. He had a ship that was iconic, lost to the modern character and a perchance for saving damsels.

Drax and Gammora are human hybrids that come out if the Thanos and Warlock stories of the seventies and both of hen are in ghat very grey assassin area of the potential stories. I know little of Rocket Racoon and Groot or the modern Quasar characters but I know they would fit well in a Farscape/space based setting and well Rocket is actually an intelligent talking Racoon much like Bandit from Nocturnals.

I love the plotting, concepts and execution of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and any of their comics are a bargain at today's prices....

Excelsior....

Friday, July 13, 2012

Hello Comics Fans.....

    Thought my first post should really be   about me and who's opinions your  reading here. I will try to be fair and expect any comments to be profanity and crulty free, OK, one of my favorite  Golden Age heroes is Mr. Terrific so the motto should  be play fair (this will go for when I start me eventual gaming blog too so listenup)

    All that aside I have been a comics fan and reader for as long as I could read and  could convince my parents et al to buy me one.... or two. The first loves of my comics addiction were horror books; House of Mystery, House of secrets, Swamp Thing and Man-Thing and superhero fetish aside they really still are my favorite stories. On car trips I remember picking out a small pile of books including horror books like those, some spandex hero tales like Atlas'  The Phoenix, Hulk and the like, oh and Kamandi or Captian America with the Falcon (I was ever attracted to Jack Kirby and I'm a fool for Kirby pastiche today). Some of the books I fondly recall were old Brave and the Bold with Superman andthe Atom, the Metal Men and any Conan issue or B&W  magazine that came my way.


     Ok so that may or may not tell you when I was a kid. Comics grabbed me again with Michael Golden's Micronauts and Byrne and Clairmont's Uncanny run. I have been hooked  ever since. I've see the ends of the DC multiverse and  its rebirth a couple times over and the New Gods know how many Marvel summer events good and bad (and there have been lots of that). I morn the fact we will never know what Tod and Mary Bierbaum had planned for their grown up version of the Legion of Superheroes and the more recent loss of the excellent Secret  Six.

 That is kind of an overview of me. I worked in a comics shop for 12 years and miss my regulars dearly especially the ones I know are no longer.  I still love the medium and would still love to do my own book some day, oh and I'd love to attend one SDCC sometime. You can check out my speculative fiction blog at www.deadwoodreviews.blogspot.com where I write about one of my other varried interests.....SciFi and Fantasy fiction.    I invite any and all to comment. Thanks much for indulging my geekout on myself.... gots lots to share in the future....

In the next few days I'll be posting an idea of the books I'll be writing about....

Peace

GL