On The Shelf This Week – 12.20.06
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
DARK HORSE COMICS
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Criminal Macabre Two Red Eyes #1 (Of 4), $2.99. Written by Steve Niles, Art by Kyle Hotz and Michelle Madsen. Seems like we don’t get Cal McDonald stories nearly enough. Fans can rejoice, however, as we are just about to start up a brand new four issue story featuring the big, bad, Nosferatu himself. If a horror/detective story sounds good to you, pick this issue up. You will enjoy it.
DC COMICS
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52 Week #33, $2.50, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid; Breakdowns by Keith Giffen; Art by Various; Backup features by Waid and various. You know, it really would only take the slightest of nudges at this point to turn Ralph Dibny into a full-blown noir-detective. And that would be kind of cool. This issue is a Christmas-oriented issue, which could be good. It features Batwoman though, which isn’t too much to get excited about. As always, it seems 52 is solid, but not something to really geek-out over. That isn’t too bad though – all the sensationalism was starting to get exhausting…
Aquaman Sword Of Atlantis #47, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Kurt Busiek; Art by Phil Winslade and Butch Guice. Just a short three issues left on Busiek’s run – seems like Aquaman can’t get a break- twice now in recend years this book has had a writer that managed to make this character interesting outside the normal group of fans, and both times that run ended far too soon. Hopefully Tad Williams will be able to keep that interest level up, but this character is extremely difficult to keep up a universal appeal with. But that is in the future – we still have a few issues left to enjoy. Also Available: Aquaman Sword Of Atlantis Once And Future TPB, $12.99. Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Butch Guice. Collects Aquaman #40-45.
Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #213, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Matt Wayne; Art by Steven Cummings. It seems like this title might actually be on the way out. There is no issue solicited for February, and though January’s isn’t tagged as a Final Issue, with Batman Confidential out, it makes little sense to keep this book going. Hopefully these last two issues are strong ones.
Birds Of Prey #101, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone, Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood. Well, last issue we got a new team – and there are some interesting new characters added in the mix. As was speculated before, Manhunter will be a part of the team. Her tendency to kill should make for some interesting conflict down the stretch. Hopefully her solo book keeps going though!
Catwoman #62, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Will Pfeifer; Art by David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez. This issue is supposed to focus primarily on the missing year. Not a terrible idea, Catwoman OYL felt the most like walking in on the middle of the story of just about every DC book. Which this made the story better, it does leave a ton of questions that needed to be answered eventually. Should be a good issue for any readers who might still be confused.
Checkmate #9, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Greg Rucka, Art and Cover by Jesus Saiz. It has taken a few issues, but this title has ceased to be questionable. At first things were good, but it just seemed rocky – that just isn’t the case anymore. A great thriller, and one that is now pretty safe to recommend each month.
Ion #9 (Of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Ron Marz; Art by Greg Tocchini and Jay Leisten. Here is another one that got a lot better over recent issues. Tougher in this base because it is a mini, and shouldn’t require any build-up time, but Marz has managed to smooth out the bumps and make Ion enjoyable after-all. The final issue of this mini has been solicited for March – no telling what is going to happen to Kyle Rayner after that.
Omega Men #3 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Andersen Gabrych; Art and Cover by Henry Flint. This series has been really generic thus-far, but not really bad. DC has been doing an excellent job with their cosmic superhero stories, and even the generic action ones are fairly safe to read and enjoy.
Secret Six #6 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone; Art by Brad Walker and Jimmy Palmiotti. Secret Six wraps up this month, and has been a pretty solid series thus far. Not mind-bogglingly great, but a very worthy sequel, and more great exposure for Catman. Should make for a good trade read.
Shadowpact #8, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Shawn McManus. This issue promises to focus on Ragman, which is certainly nothing to complain about. He is possibly the most interesting character in that whole group. This title has benefited greatly from the art shift, though a regular artist would be a huge help. It looks like Tom Derenick is
going to take over for the foreseeable future next month – still not totally sold on his style for this story, but it is a step in the right direction.
Superman For Tomorrow Vol 2 TPB, $14.99, 160 Pages. Written by Brian Azzarello; Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Almost don’t even want to mention this one. It is mind boggling how Brian Azzarello’s arcs on Superman and Batman were so lauded by DC – but it seems clear that some readers feel the same way. In any case, this trade collects the aforementioned Superman arc. If you are a real fan of Azzarello, you may want to give it a shot.
Teen Titans #42, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Peter Snejbjerg; Cover by Tony Daniel. It has always been a good thing that DC has been so up on mentor or sidekick type characters, but sometimes you wonder if they make way too many teen versions of heroes. Do we really need a mini Blue Devil? Kid Devil aside, this has still been a great read – this
title has really shaped up in recent months. Titans East will be going into full swing next month, so now is the time to jump aboard, so as not to miss anything.
Wildstorm
Albion TPB, $19.99, 144 Pages. Plot by Alan Moore; Written by Leah Moore and John Reppion; Art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. Wow, this series actually finished? It must have if they are releasing the trade, but it seemed perpetually delayed. Like father, like daughter, eh? This one is best for the Alan Moore fans – and anyone who kind of got lost during the
long wait between issues, and want to read it all in one go.
Red Menace #2 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo and Adam Brody; Art by Jerry Ordway and Al Vey Cover by Ordway. A let down? Possibly. But honestly, the whole McCarthy-era anti-hero thing has become a pretty clichéd story concept. The first issue was really light on plot as a result. Maybe this will get better as it goes on.
Vertigo.
Deadman #5, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bruce Jones, Art by John Watkiss. The first arc of Bruce Jones’s latest ongoing wraps up this month, and it really isn’t too terribly different than any of his other DC efforts, perhaps a little better. Should be a passable read for those who are open to a revamped Deadman character.
Hellblazer #227, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Denise Mina; Art by Leonardo Manco. OK, so the concept is a little silly, but sometimes that works well on a book like this. Keeps it interesting. Mina has been doing a great job on this book after a somewhat of a slow start – her run on Hellblazer stopped being a topic of concern some time ago. Might not be the best time for a new reader to check out Constantine – but if you are one of those, you really need to start with some old trades no matter what issue it is. This is a character that you need a little more time to ease into.
Y The Last Man #52, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian K. Vaughan; Art by Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan Jr. Motherland ends here – Y definitely has the feel of a title gearing up to end soon. Two more arcs to go though, so there is a lot of story before it all comes to a head. It is actually a good thing that this book is ending – as great of a read as it has been, this just isn’t one of those stories that can go on for ever and always and still keep that oomph. Vaughan picked the right time to bring the curtain down on this one.
IMAGE
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Darkness Level 0, $2.99, 24 Pages. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Mattias Snygg. This comic is meant to lead into a video game – so it is tough to know what to make of it. You really won’t be able to tell if you will like the game from the story, and though it may well serve to introduce Estacado to a new reader, it might not be the best way to get a taste of the comic itself. Probably best for those existing fans of Darkness, and anyone who is looking to pick up the game.
MARVEL COMICS
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Avengers Disassembled, $24.99, 184 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by David Finch. Seems like a holiday release – all of these hardcovers seem to come out in much greater numbers around this time. But then again, why not? What comic geek doesn’t like a good hardcover to put on the bookshelf or the coffee table? This one is from a couple years ago (has
it been so long?) – the end of the “old” Avengers. The book collects Avengers #500-503 and the Avengers Finale.
Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes II #4 (Of 8), $3.99, 32 Pages. Written by Joe Casey, Art by William Rosado and Tom Palmer. Sorry, there is just nothing that anyone can say to convince me that a 32 page comic is worth $3.99! Especially from Marvel. From one of the small indie-publishers, it is possibly excusable, but from Marvel? Come now, they should be able to
make up production cost increases in ad revenue alone! This series would have a much larger potential audience if it was priced at the standard $2.99.
Cable Deadpool #35, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Reilly Brown and Jeremy Freeman. Ah, Cable and Deadpool, adversaries. All is right with the world again. This title continues to be a great read, though it still suffers from Patrick Zircher’s departure. The art hasn’t been terrible, but man he was just perfect for this book, especially since he got all the kinks worked out a couple arcs into it. Really looking forward to seeing where Nicieza takes this story.
Civil War Front Line #9 (Of 11), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Ramon Bachs, Steve Lieber, and John Lucas. The problem with this title is that it is a supplemental book meant to dig into the details of a much larger event. And since that larger event is turning out to be an illogical mess, this title seems to be geared towards damage control, if only unintentionally. The most interesting part of it has been the Speedball issue, and even that one has a lot of holes in it. If you are really enjoying Civil War, than you have nothing to worry about here.
Civil War War Crimes One Shot, $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by Frank Tieri, Art by Staz Johnson. As many tie-in stories as there has been to Civil War, you really have to wonder if the one-shots were even necessary. But on the other hand, it is hard to imagine than anyone expected less of Marvel. This story focuses on the criminal element and how they are coping with the events in the Marvel Universe. Specifically the Kingpin, and his dealings with Tony Stark. Pretty much a must-read if you are really deeply involved with the Civil War story.
Criminal #3, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Sean Phillips. It was impossible for any Ed Brubaker fan to look at this title and not think “Sleeper.” The good news is, this isn’t an attempt to remake Sleeper – it is its own story. The better news is, it is just as good, and just as gritty. It is great to see these two working together again – this title has a great future.
Daredevil Father HC, $24.99, 200 Pages. By Joe Quesada. Hmm, a Daredevil: Father hardcover. Good to be the King, I guess. Or in this case, the editor-in-chief.
Fantastic Four #541, $2.99, 32 pages. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Mike McKone and Andy Lanning. The saving grace of Civil War really has been these tie-in arcs. Where there has been almost total failure in the character development and motivation departments in the event mini, the writers of these tie-ins have done a fairly good job at damage control, and working their stories to fill in those gaps. Wolverine going after Nitro is perhaps the best example, but Straczynski has been doing well for his part, especially when it comes to the inner dynamics of the Fantastic Four and Reed’s inexplicable behavior.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #15, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Peter David, Art by Scot Eaton. Sometimes Peter David is an easy target for criticism, but there are times when it is impossible to deny his skill, especially when it comes to the depth he can bring to stories. His attention to continuity, for example, is exemplary. This was perhaps the best possible way to bring back Deborah Whitman, and he has thus-far handled this story extremely well. Should be a fun issue.
Iron Man #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Daniel Knauf, Art by Patrick Zircher. Another Civil War tie-in issue, the cover leads you to believe that he will once again be tangling with Captain America. Probably another example of a pin-up cover, but what can you do. Of course, also out this week is the Iron Man Captain America one-shot, detailing a secret meeting between the two where they attempt to “work things out.” Lots of material this week if you are interested in Iron Man’s role in Civil War. Also Available: Iron Man Captain America Casualties Of War One Shot CW, $3.99, 48 Pages[/b]. Written by Christios Gage, Art by Jeremy Haun and Steve Epting.
Ms Marvel #10, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Reed, Art by Mike Weiringo, Wade Von Growbadger, and Chris Sotomayor. Marvel has been hinting at something new for Ms. Marvel in the near future – wouldn’t be surprised to see hints of it in this issue. Ms. Marvel hasn’t exactly been that deep of a character, but outside the ridiculousness of her costume, this title hasn’t really given much cause to gripe. It has been a decent action read, and never pretended to be anything more. Hopefully they don’t end up trying too hard with whatever they have in mind – that could potentially ruin this book.
New Avengers #26, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Alex Maleev. Those of you who missed this team on Daredevil will no doubt want to give this issue a look. Marvel has made clear that they intend the Avengers to be a multi-title team, not unlike the X-Men in terms of sheer numbers in their stable. There is the upcoming Mighty Avengers title, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to start seeing solo titles featuring Avengers members to feature some kind of marking to link them together. With the focus being on expanding the Avengers universe, there are some old members that need lose ends tied up – two of them get a little attention this month in the Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye. Can probably expect a House of M revisit… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully they finally put that plot thread to bed.
New Avengers Illuminati #1 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed, Art by Jim Cheung and Rick Morales. Following up on the old Illuminati story – it is kind of scary to see that this is a 5 issue mini, considering how slow and dull the old one shot was. There is some potential for sparks as most of these characters aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye, but the danger is there for a long 5 issues of talking heads. Done right, this could be a great lead-in to the return of the Hulk. So here’s to hoping for the best.
Punisher #42, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Leandro Fernandez. The conclusion to the Man of Stone arc. You can’t really add anything to what has been said time and time again about Ennis on Punisher. The man is the best possible writer to handle the Punisher today, and he never gives you any reason to doubt that. Should be an explosive conclusion, as always.
She-Hulk 2 #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Dan Slott, Art by Rick Burchett. The origin of Awesome Andy! About bloody time! Dan Slott has been consistently good on this title, and you have no doubt heard repeated recommends to pick this book up. This is probably the best possible time – this issue is a stand-alone time-marker, that will allow you to get settled into some of the characters before the “new direction” kick starts next month.
Thor Blood Oath TPB, $14.99, 144 Pages. Written by Michael Avon Oeming, Art by Scott Collins. Another great Asgard series from Oeming … pardon me, it is tough to come up with an adjective to describe them. Pantheon? Dunno. Oeming just works miracles with all of these Thor stories – or stories related to Thor or some God character like Beta Ray Bill. This was an excellent read and will satisfy in the collected format.
Thunderbolts #109, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Tom Grummett and Gary Erskine. Another “new direction -” Marvel seems to be gearing up for a lot of those. In this issue, Songbird is the focus, as she attempts to patch together the team after the events in the last arc. Once again, this is a good place to start-up – next month’s issue is the beginning of new things, and this will allow you to ease into what is to come. Thunderbolts has been outstanding up to this point – there is no reason to believe things will be any different in 2007.
Ultimate Spider-Man #103, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Mark Bagley. This story arc is probably a little longer than it needed to be, but that has become kind of a given when dealing with a Bendis story. This issue is notable for Bendis and Bagley breaking Kirby and Lee’s old record for the longest continuous run on a Marvel comic by a creative team. I think it is safe to say that the former probably jammed in way more story, but it is an accomplishment all the same. Congratulations!
Union Jack #4 (Of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Christios Gage, Art by Mike Perkins and Andrew Hennessy. The mini wraps up here – naturally, if you missed it, you are probably going to have to wait for the trade on this one. This story spins out of the recent Captain America arc featuring Union Jack, and considering how good that story was, this mini came with some high expectations. Probably didn’t quite deliver, but the series has been a solid action read nonetheless.
Wolverine By Claremont & Miller Premiere HC, $19.99, 144 Pages. Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Frank Miller and Paul Smith. As you might have guessed, this hardcover collects a classic Wolverine tale by this team from Wolverine #1-4, as well as issues #172-173 of Uncanny X-Men. This one would probably make a great gift for the Wolverine fan in your life.
X-Men First Class #4 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Roger Cruz. This series doesn’t seem to offer much that is new – the original X-Men team has been a subject often poured over, so it would be a little foolish to expect anything amazing here. Still, it hasn’t been half bad, and might actually be a lot better for those that haven’t seen many of these stories.
Zombie #4 (Of 4), $3.99, 32 Pages. Written by Mike Raicht, Art by Kyle Hotz. Once again – not too bad. Might not sit well with traditional Simon Garth fans, but on the whole this series has been a decent read.
Craig’s Pick of the Week
Fables #56, $3.50, 40 Pages, DC/Vertigo. Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha. That is the great thing about this book – so simple an idea can come along, and you just wonder why it hasn’t been done before. Santa Claus. Fable, or no? How could he not be? But then again, this is SANTA we are talking about. Maybe he is something even greater than that? Even better news is that this story is extra-big… which means that Willingham is really going to do Santa’s introduction justice. Hard to believe, but I don’t think I have ever been more excited about an upcoming issue of Fables. Also Available: Fables Vol 8 Wolves TPB, $17.99, 160 Pages[/b]. Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Shawn McManus, Andrew Pepoy. Collecting Fables #48-51.
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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December 13, 2006
On The Shelf This Week – 12.13.06
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
DC COMICS
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52 Week #32, $2.50, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid; Breakdowns by Keith Giffen; Art by various; Backup features by Waid and various. It is pretty clear that this title is as good as it is going to get. Not as amazing as people might have anticipated, but still a solid book. This is a concept with potential, maybe an heir to the anthology, after a fashion. Add a dozen more pages and put this out once a month, and it could work.
Batman #660, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by John Ostrander; Art by Tom Mandrake. Kind of weird that Morrison is already taking an arc off Batman. His initial arc was surprisingly good, and it is a real let-down to have the flow suddenly get interrupted like this. At least this arc is bi-weekly, and should be over faster.
Batman Strikes #28, $2.25, 32 Pages Written by Jai Nitz, Art by Christopher Jones and Terry Beatty. OK, no, this is just wrong. Scarface just doesn’t work without the Ventriloquist. It isn’t like the puppet is real – it is just an alternate personality of the Ventriloquist. Joker can’t steak the puppet and have a “team-up” with it like that. Oiy… just another reason this new version is no good…
DCU Infinite Christmas Special, $4.99, 80 Pages. Written by Greg Rucka, Judd Winick, Bill Willingham, Joe Kelly, Kelley Puckett, Keith Champagne and Ian Boothby; Art by Joe Bennett, John Byrne, Jerry Ordway, Ale Garza, Giuseppe Camuncoli and David Lopez. Don’t ask me why, but a DCU Holiday Special just doesn’t seem as exciting as a Marvel one. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. This one is focusing on the “Rising Stars of the DCU,” so it will be a mixed bag. On the one hand you have Captain Marvel, the Flash, and Shadowpact, but on the other you have Batwoman and Supergirl, who are about as interesting as X-23. So some ups and downs for this year’s effort.
Firestorm The Nuclear Man #32, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Stuart Moore; Art by Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne. Curtains for Moore and Igle, and the last issue of Firestorm we will be getting until February. Very sad indeed. Naturally we will be getting the new-team jitters right now, a common occurrence whenever you have a team depart that did as good a job with a character as these two have. Igle and Moore will be missed – Firestorm under their watchful eye was a highly enjoyable read. Hopefully McDuffie and Jurgens are up to filling those mighty big shoes.
Green Arrow #69, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Judd Winick; Art and Cover by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens. Oh look, its Batman! And the Red Hood, I guess they are working some angle where Jason Todd is hunting sidekicks, and Speedy is next on the list. OK, well, seems like a really generic plotline, but Winick has been doing an outstanding job with this title – he has earned the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, a Batman appearance means that more people will take a look at this very deserving book. This should be a good, accessible arc for a new reader.
Green Lantern Corps #7, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Keith Champagne; Art by Patrick Gleason and Prentis Rollins. Hmm – that cover looks unpleasant! A brand new three-parter starts this month with a typical “secret that could shake the Corps to its core” type story. This title has been, by far, the best of the Green Lantern books, there is no reason it should slow down here at all. Well work checking out.
JLA Classified #30, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Howard Chaykin; Art and Cover by Killian Plunkett and Tom Nguyen . From the very start, Chaykin’s time on this book has just been terrible. There is really very little else you can say about it. This is a perfect example of why comic writers need to restrain their political passions. The JLA is supposed to transcend politics, not become a platform for obnoxious and holier-than-thou soapboxing. When this kind of thing is kept in check, Chaykin can turn out some great stories (as evidenced by Bite Club). But every recent example of his political ranting through comic has been a total and complete trainwreck. Someone needs to do an intervention.
Justice League Of America #4, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brad Meltzer; Art by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope. Something happen this issue! Please! OK, so it isn’t moving quite that slow, but close. This opening arc has lacked a much-needed fire, and a lot of that has to do with the whole “voting” sequences. Don’t get me wrong, they are great, but they function much better as chapter preludes… you know, those little blurbs you get sometimes at the top of chapters in a novel – the voting is exactly that sort of thing. But as it is, it takes up far too much space that could be used to actually advance the main plot. As a result, the title is thus-far moving painfully slow. Hopefully things pick up after this initial arc is out of the way.
Martian Manhunter #5 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by A.J. Lieberman; Art by Al Barrionuevo and Bit. Sadly, this one has turned out to be a fairly typical Lieberman piece. In other words, long time fans of J’onn won’t recognize their favorite character at all in this interpretation. If you are a Lieberman fan, however, this should be a good read for you.
New Teen Titans Terra Incognito TPB, $19.99, 224 Pages. Written by Marv Wolfman; Art and Cover by George Pérez and Romeo Tanghal. A fairly classic New Teen Titans story in which Terra first joins the team. For those readers who have only a limited familiarity with Marv Wolfman’s classic run, this is a good arc to pick up. Collects New teen Titans #28-34 and Annual #2.
OMAC #6 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bruce Jones; Art and Cover by Renato Guedes. This series is quietly turning out to be the best thing that Bruce Jones has going right now. Not that it is incredible – this is a pretty limiting topic, after all, but it isn’t one you want to put down after a single issue. Hopefully it is just the beginning of more good things to come from Bruce Jones – it is nice to see he finally has something worthwhile though.
Robin #157, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Adam Beechen; Art by Freddie E. Williams II. Seems there are actually some readers out there who are really enjoying Beechen’s take on Robin. To be fair, a lot of his negative heat has stemmed from the ridiculous characterization of Batgirl he foisted on us all. Still, that was a pretty major grievance. And last issue’s After-school special of a story didn’t help matters. This issue features an appearance by Klarion the Witch Boy, if you are a fan of that character.
Spirit #1, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Darwyn Cooke; Art by Cooke and J. Bone. Can Cooke do The Spirit justice? Probably, he is one of the first names that comes to mind if you wanted someone to tackle the character with a readable, yet classic tone (as opposed to a modernization). Hopefully this means a rebirth for Eisner’s classic character, and not something we are saying goodbye to a year down the road.
Trials Of Shazam #4 (Of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Judd Winick; Art and Cover by Howard Porter. Been a great read, even though the idea of anyone other than Billy being the Big (Red) Cheese doesn’t feel right. Especially considering that this isn’t a character like Batman, who we have had and still get so many stories from – a passing of the torch almost seems like a logical end to a long epic. There are still plenty of Billy/Marvel stories to tell, and a whole generation of readers to whom Captain Marvel is brand new. Otherwise, a great read, can’t wait to see what happens.
Vertigo
DMZ #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Wood; Art by Riccardo Burchielli. Well, a week late, but better late than never. This month is the second part of the Public Works arc, which finds Matty infiltrating a terrorist cell. As always, this is a great and relevant read, and a fine example of politics in a comic book that doesn’t beat the reader over the head with a sermon.
Sandman Mystery Theatre Sleep Of Reason #1 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by John Ney Rieber; Art by Eric Nguyen. A brand new Sandman mini – That is probably enough to get some people to check it out. Granted, it isn’t Neil Gaiman penning it, but still, the concept itself sells sometimes. Should be good for Sandman fans.
Wildstorm
Ex Machina #25, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian K. Vaughan; Art by Tony Harris and Tom Feister. Where Chaykin is the worst example, and Wood is thus-far the best, Vaughan is kind of middle of the road when it comes to his skill using politics in comics. The strange thing is, he walks that line the best in this title, the most political of them all. This issue is a stand-alone, and thus probably pretty good for the newer reader. It focuses on Mayor Hundred’s bodyguard and former sidekick Bradbury. Should ease the new reader into the story quite well.
Gen 13 #3, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone; Art by Talent Caldwell and Matt “Batt” Banning. Thus far this series is off to a decent start – no doubt way better than it would have been without someone like Gail Simone writing it. With any luck, this incarnation will fare much better than its predecessor did.
Stormwatch Phd #2, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Christos N. Gage; Art by Doug Mahnke. Cage seems to have done a good job of nailing down the Stormwatch concept – unfortunately, his presentation of it isn’t anything that hasn’t been done before. It is really hard to see how this Wildstorm relaunch is going to fare long term. Old Wildstorm fans seem to be responding, but amongst the rest of the comic readership, there is a general air of apathy. Especially among those who first started to enjoy Wildstorm with the last Majestic mini. It is going to be really interesting to see where the label is a year down the road.IMAGE COMICS
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Fear Agent #9, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Rick Remender, Art by Jerome Opena. The countdown to the big move to Dark Horse is on – the first trade will be released in February, with the new #1 of the first of hopefully many minis set to come out in the spring. The move has generated some buzz, which is a good thing. This title deserves all the attention it can get – a highly enjoyable read. And it is always a good time to check it out, so pick it up this week!
Girls #20, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Joshua Luna, Art by Jonathan Luna. It took a long time to finally figure it out, but turns out I liked Ultra way more than this. For starters, Girls is just crawling. So little seems to happen each issue that it feels like months between items of real substance. And while they have captured the confusion and the loneliness, they failed to capture what a breakdown in a small society like this one might be like. In short – the reactions of the characters as a whole just aren’t believable. A few of the key characters make sense, of course, but as a group, it just isn’t believable at all. Four more issues to go after this one – wonder what the Lunas have on tap next. An Ultra sequel? We can only hope.MARVEL COMICS
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Amazing Spider-Girl #3, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Tom DeFalco, Art by Ron Frenz, Sal Buscema. Still enjoying Spider-Girl, which is a relief. Granted, there are always nit-picks – but part of the appeal of this title is its lack of polish. The only way you can possibly like every little thing about a comic is if it has no substance at all. Of course, then there is that to dislike… starting to get confusing! Spider-Girl is still a fun title and well worth checking out by anyone.
Avengers Next #3 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Tom DeFalco, Art by Ron Lim and Scott Koblish. We’ve hit the hump on this new A-Next mini… and all is well. Hopefully this is just the beginning of many more MC2 minis. I must admit this resurgence is something of a surprise, the smart money was on the total demise of the line, yet somehow it still keeps on kicking. Thankfully this is a week I don’t mind having around.
Blade #4, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Marc Guggenheim, Art by Howard Chaykin. Apologies to Blade fans out there, but yawn? OK, If you like vampire hunting, or just general undead action, then you are no doubt enjoying this one. But doesn’t it all get a little tedious? Blade hunts and kills vampire – wash, rise, repeat, typical anti-hero. For what it is, it is fairly well done. There are just more creative action books out there right now. And more creative vampire ones too.
Bullet Points #2 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Tommy Lee Edwards. OOoook then. So Peter Parker is the Hulk in this one. This is an example of a story where the What If? is more important than the well constructed story. Usually it is fine to start a story with a What If premise, say, what if Ben Parker was killed along with Dr. Erskine, but then too add on the what if Peter Parker became the Hulk? Then it goes from promising to just plain silly. Almost like they are trying too hard.
Exiles Annual #1, $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by Tony Bedard, Art by Jim Calafiore and Scott Hanna. Looks like Bedard is back for the annual -no problem with that though, he was doing a good job on the treading water arcs he did prior to Claremont taking over, so there is no reason to believe this issue won’t be good. It should be interesting – the teaser has the current team fighting against the original Exiles. Hopefully this will be a good action read.
Fantastic Four The End #3 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. By Alan Davis. You know, really starting to wish for that “Marvel: The End: The End” series. Alan Davis has a good deal of talent, but he is dealing with a concept here that was tired the first time Marvel tried it. Average buy – really good if you can’t get enough Fantastic Four.
Ghost Rider #6, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Richard Corben. The second story arc has gotten going, and this title has already settled into a comfortable mediocrity. It just seems that Ghost Rider just isn’t captivating enough a character to really do something special with anymore. It is a good thing that this title isn’t horrible, however – Marvel really needs a Ghost Rider ongoing when the movie comes out, and having this volume fail would seriously hurt their efforts to cross promote. It isn’t a bad read – just not mind-blowing – especially good if you are a Ghost Rider fan. This probably won’t turn you into one though.
Magician Apprentice #4 (Of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Raymond E. Feist, Michael Avon Oeming, and Bryan J.L. Glass, Art by Brett Booth. Have I mentioned how awesome this whole Dabel/Marvel partnership is? Dabel puts out great work that deserved more exposure, and Marvel really needed a label that could be considered a counterpart to Vertigo. This isn’t exactly Vertigo, but it is as close as Marvel has ever gotten. If they would only take that final step and forget the whole ICON and MAX lines, and fold them all together – man, wouldn’t that make for a stellar start for an imprint.
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #19, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Zeb Wells, Art by Jose Angel Cano Lopez. In keeping the tradition of promoting all things Arcade, I humbly recommend this issue written by Zeb Wells. There is no denying that Arcade is possibly one of Marvel’s most cartoonish characters. Though he is great wherever he pops up, he is so much better suited to these all-ages titles, where a little wackiness is way more acceptable. Plus it will just be neat to see what Wells can do with the character. Should be a fun issue.
New X-Men #33, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, Art by Paco Medina and Juan Velasco. Almost feels like there is little else to say about this book. It’s fall from grace seems even worse considering that the other main X-titles are starting to turn up the quality a bit. Any hope of a return to the glory days seems lost now, but if you are really a mutant fan, or like some of these characters, it is an ok read.
Ultimate X-Men #77, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Den Oliver. This title is still having serious ups and downs, which defies all expectations. Kirkman has been a disappointment thus far on this book, but he hasn’t let this title drop beyond the point of no return, also defying expectations. So despite all this time, it is still tough to know what to make of this book.
Wolverine #49, $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by Rob Williams, Art by Laurence Campbell. Weird to get the double-sized issue at #49 instead of #50, but seems Marvel was going for the Christmas celebration here. Man, has it already been this long since Wolverine was relaunched? My does time fly. Anytime you get a cheeseball like in the solicits like “the true meaning of Christmas will be spelt out … in blood” you KNOW you have something special. Should be fun. Also Available: Wolverine Origins & Endings TPB, $13.99, 128 Pages. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira. Collects Wolverine #36-40.
Wonder Man #1 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Peter David, Art by Andrew Currie and Andrew Hennessy. Well then, here is a mini I am not sure anyone demanded. But hey – if you can overlook the salaciousness, Ms. Marvel hasn’t been that bad either, for a generic action read. Maybe this one will surprise.
X-23 Target X #1 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, Art by Mike Choi. OK, you know what? Forget everything that was said about the Wonder Man mini before. This is something no one needs. Another mini for the least interesting new character to come out of Marvel in a long, long time. Come on – Stacy X was a deeper, more interesting character than X-23. There must be an audience for this character, else the first mini wouldn’t have sold enough to warrant a sequel. It is just hard to fathom exactly who is clamoring for this.
X-Factor #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Peter David, Art by Pablo Raimondi. There is a strong case to make for this being the best X-Book on the market right now – but a lot of that depends on what you like in an X-title. It is probably Peter David’s best book out right now – which is good enough for starters. This one is consistently good and well worth taking a look at.
X-Men Phoenix Warsong #4 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Greg Pak, Art by Tyler Kirkham and Sal Regla. Pretty well one for the Phoenix fans out there. If you like her, you will enjoy this series. Pak did a great job on the first series, and while not totally living up to it, this one is more than passable. If you like the art that comes out of Top Cow, definitely check this book out, their guys are all over it.
Craig’s Pick of the WeekOuter Orbit #1 (Of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages. By Zack Howard, Sean Murphy, Charlie Kirchoff, and Reed Buccholz. This one just looks like a lot of fun. They have a four page preview posted up at DarkHorse.com and I was already rolling. The coffee thing – totally get the coffee thing. I’m bringing that guy with me next time I take a trip to the Starbucks. This one will be a great read – highly recommended.
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NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.Want to comment on this week’s newsletter? Give your feedback here!
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December 11, 2006
The Gamer’s Quagmire #36: The More (Gaming) You Know
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.
by Jamison DeLorenzo
In the time honored tradition of the year-in-review articles that are being tossed around (‘tis the season, etc etc, blah blah, bah hum bug) I began avoiding such articles in a vain attempt to stick with something fresh this week. Lo and behold there was a very fascinating report this year that proved to be one of the most interesting reads of the year. NIMF, or the National Instititute of the Media and Family, has effectively been the Yin to my Yang in that they almost always take the opposite side of the violence and video game coin.When they recently sent out their report about their observations of the gaming industry for 2006 I greeted it with the usual apathy and continued on with playing Final Fantasy (one of the few holiday traditions worth savoring along with sleeping in, drinking egg nog, trying to avoid arguments over dinner, and whining about presents). As you would expect something about the article caught my eye- otherwise why bother writing about it? There were hints of the gaming industry being given good grades and the family being given bad grades.
Did I wake up in some fairy tale dream world? I checked to see if Gran Turismo 4 had online play. I looked for interesting PSP games. I scoured my basement for my SNES Final Fantasy cartridges. Sadly all of these awful aspects of my gaming life hadn’t changed, so maybe one of my biggest complaints about how society looks at video games might actually be changing without requiring me to sign over some more of my organs. I read their report and walked away feeling relatively good about what people see in the gaming industry and what some of the real problems surrounding video games might be.
For me the problem always boils down to education. Idiocy is borne out of ignorance no matter what subject we are talking about. I feel this is especially true with video games because this is a novel concept to most people older than my generation. Even though I played Atari 2600 games with my parents for several years an industry driven purely by technology has greatly surpassed them. I never played a golf video game with my dad before but I have played many a round with him for a long time. The last video game I played with him was Street Fighter II, so imagine the surprise showing him Tiger Woods 2007 for the first time.
Without the willingness to learn more about subjects we lose touch with what is going on the world. This is not meant to blame or accuse, but to make you think about how tough it is for people to look at video games without being scared because of how quickly the industry is changing. We all can’t be experts on everything and that’s okay, but once you start imposing laws based on ignorance, well, you start to annoy me.
And so I write.
The major point I took away from last year’s report was that the video game industry was incredibly irresponsible and needed to make severe changes. In the wake of what was going on with GTA it was marginally understandable why people believed that, but ignorance to this day still makes people blame Rockstar for that catastrophe. I confess that I never did read the entire report from last year, so I cannot speak of how things are different this time around, but what I can tell you is that if parents pay any attention at all to this report then good things are on the horizon.
Even before the report dives into the specifics of what NIMF observed this year they talk about parents being far too ignorant when it comes to what their kids are playing and how often they play. I had rules on video games back in my school days too, even when it came to studying for subjects I was already getting straight A’s in. It seemed unfair then and it seems unfair now, but when you are asked to study your material, especially during the high school years, you should do it.
Finding the proper amount of time to play video game is always tricky. The best example is that you really can’t eat as much as you did in high school 15 years later and still expect to stay in shape, especially when you are no longer playing basketball or tennis 6 days a week. I hardly think video games are the main cause of health issues in America (visit a casino and get back to me) so it’s hard to talk about that aspect of the report. I’ll leave you to your own devices in deciding what to think about health and video games (I won’t condone DDR, but it is something to think about).
The report focuses on the one aspect of gaming I have felt for a long time has been largely overlooked by many people- how parents monitor their gaming children and what they know about video games in general. I’ve been praying for other people to figure this out for a long time. Television commercials are the biggest giveaway as to what’s going on in this country. It is very hard to avoid ads dealing with talking to kids about sex, smoking or drugs. To me this is scary- parents should not need reminders to talk to their children. Just taking into account the number of ads on television it makes me think parents are watching television instead of spending time with their kids. Is it so unreasonable to think that kids spend too much time in front of a television because their parents are doing the same exact thing?
Continuing with the knowledge side of gaming, what parents know about the games their kids play is also something that is severely lacking. It pains me to say this but I spend enough time in video game stores to overhear multiple conversations between parents, clerk, and kids about potential video game purchases. While it does not appear to happen nearly as often as in the past, clerks are still willing to skew the truths about games to parents in order to make a sale. Having never worked in retail I do not know this, but if video game store clerks work on commission this needs to stop immediately.
It pains me to say this even more, but video game clerks need a brush up on their education as well. No, I don’t expect Rhodes scholars to be working at my local EB store, but the situation needs to improve dramatically. Just yesterday a clerk actually had to ask a superior if Rainbow Six: Las Vegas had been released. If you don’t even know what you’re selling how can you honestly have a job? I feel there should have been some payment for the half hour I spent in the store due to the number of questions I wound up answering for people. I already felt that parental education needed to improve when it came to gaming, but now I’m also forced to believe that the retailers need more knowledge about their own business.
In case you have noticed a common thread in these ramblings, namely education, then you know mostly everything you need to know about what I read. I don’t want to bore anyone to death here about everything that’s written, but if you want to know more about what people see in the video game world rummaging through the whole report is time well spent. A lot of different surveys and observations all point to two major themes- parents need more education about gaming and so do the retailers. The gaming industry is doing what it can, but until its customers became more enlightened then the media will keep attacking the gaming industry whenever it can. It’s as I said earlier- idiocy is borne out of ignorance.
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December 4, 2006
The Gamer’s Quagmire #35: Punch Drunk Gaming
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.
by Jamison DeLorenzo
Something amazing happened recently that I feel is worth sharing. Yesterday I fired up my Nintendo DS for the first time in several months. Motivation to play set in because finally there are some local friends getting into playing games on it. This, naturally, required purchasing more games and testing them out. What was very surprising was that the battery was still powered. The last time the DS was turned on was in late April. Considering my iPod’s battery dies if not used for 2 days this was pretty impressive.One of the game purchases was a simple clubhouse games cartridge, complete with several card games, tile games, darts, bowling, and so forth. It wasn’t that bad, but I have to admit that this game is another instance of a game simply failing to make good use out of the touch screen for innovative play. Moving cards around (or tiles) was pretty simple. Checkers, hearts, dominoes, and a bunch of other games worked pretty well with this interface. Bowling and darts, however, suffered from what I like to call Acute but Severe Suckitude (forgive me if I don’t explicitly spell out the acronym for you). When a lifetime bowler is unable to figure out how to pick a 5-pin in 2 hours the interface simply doesn’t work. Flinging a bowling ball with the stylus is the skill equivalent of rolling a 20 on a D20 die every time. This is not good. Looking at the angles between the bottom and the top screen I figured out that the difference between throwing a gutter on the right side of the alley to throwing a gutter on the left side is about 6 pixels. Considering styluses are not known for their pinpoint accuracy, well, you can see where this is going.
I never imagined that those electronic devices in stores that turned your once smooth signature into chicken scratches sent through a fax machine several times over would look good compared to any other stylus device. Bowling in this game shattered those expectations. This came 3 days after bowling 2 near 300 games. A video game actually brought into question my ability to bowl at all. Thankfully things were bound to get better.
Darts, on the other hand, managed to make things considerably worse. I had originally given bowling a 10 out of 10 on the hopelessly annoying playability scale, but darts went ahead broke the scale completely beyond all recognition. It was like watching the 2005 Knicks, only to then watch the 2006 Knicks stink it up even more. Not only are the left-to-right angles frustrating just like bowling, but now the speed of the dart matches where the dart lands on the board. I was expecting this so at least the design of the dart game is intuitive. Still, when the dartboard is on the top screen and the dart is on the bottom screen it completely flushes any hope of adjusting for consistency down the drain. I would probably have more fun downing a case of beer, spinning myself around a bat for 20 seconds and then trying to walk in a straight line. I had to go to a bar just to recall the feeling of not wanting to take a dart and jamming it into someone’s neck. Well, that and the ability to hit the actual board with a dart. Luckily for me the bartender didn’t manage to botch my drink orders.
And just in case it was a little ambiguous- darts and bowling on the DS is atrocious.
The card playing experience has been much better. Sudoku has been a pleasure too. These games are perfect for the DS because they are simple, enjoyable, don’t require skills outside of playing the actual game to enjoy, and also do not require a hefty amount of attention. In other words, this is exactly what mobile game should be like. My home network also passed with flying colors again as having the DS find my wireless router and get an IP address to the outside world was almost completely painless (almost because, well, it took 10 minutes to realize that the Ethernet cable between the wireless hub and the router was not connected). Once the wireless connectivity started working for me the best of this clubhouse games cartridge was finally realized.
It was at this point I started thinking about what the DS and PSP have brought to the table and it finally hit me- the PSP failed horribly despite being the superior product. The PSP screen and multimedia capabilities are much better. This fact has never been in doubt, but the problem is that what the PSP tried to accomplish failed by losing support on their UMD. When the games never came the PSP’s fate was sealed. After owning both of the handhelds what Nintendo tried to accomplish with the DS succeeded. They were never trying to be the better technical handheld. Instead they just wanted a better gaming device. Despite there not being a lot of intriguing games for the DS, the way I see it there are only a couple for the PSP and they are the GTA expansion pack games (Vice City & Liberty City Stories).
This sentiment should go a long way to explaining what gaming is all about to people. This could be my major problem with Nintendo at this point. When I first started gaming the Nintendo games had a low level of difficulty and were just a lot of fun to play. Nintendo is good at making games that are easy to pick up and enjoy. The problem for me now is that I expect more from games, not because I’m older, but because I’ve been playing video games for over 15 years now. I have done the Mario games to death and, seriously, once you have played the Mario and Zelda games for a long time you grow as a gamer and want something more.
Listening to the hype from other gamers has been part of my problem with Nintendo because, in all honesty, I don’t believe they think of their games as blockbusters. In fact, Zelda feels like Nintendo’s biggest franchise now. There are hundreds of Mario games and none of them are overly engrossing. Mario is not the big Nintendo icon as much as he is the icon for a quick and enjoyable game. There are plenty of quick and enjoyable games available for the DS and no truly engrossing games that I’ll be playing for hours on end (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance being the one exception). This used to bother me. Now I realize what I should have a long time ago- mobile gaming should not ever replace console or PC gaming. Instead mobile gaming is something for traveling, network gaming with some friends, or, if you are a proponent of multitasking, even for sitting in front of the television and getting a quick game in.
So it only took a couple years to get used to the idea, but the DS has finally won me over as a great handheld gaming device. The only depressing parts are that the stylus has almost nothing to do with it while, inexplicably, a virtual pooper-scooper (a.k.a. Nintendogs) has.
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