On The Shelf This Week – 05.30.07
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!
JSA CLASSIFIED #26, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Frank Tieri; Art and cover by Matt Haley and Jerome Moore
This title has a formula that works, and whenever they actually use that formula, you can be sure of a solid read. This is the start of another of those good story arcs where the creative team du jour takes a single member of the JSA and examines them in particular detail. This arc focuses on Wildcat.
Those following the ongoing Justice Society ongoing are already somewhat familiar with the character, as he factored pretty heavily in the story early on. Longtime Birds of Prey readers will also find the character familiar, as he is a regular reoccurring character on that title as well. Even with all this exposure, we have really yet to see him shine on his own, and this two part story will be a good remedy for that.
Frank Tieri is pretty fondly remembered for his stint on Wolverine. The two characters have a very similar outlook on their chosen lifestyles, and that style will work well for a story about Wildcat. Looking forward to this two-parter.
SILENT WAR #5 (OF 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics.
Written by David Hine, Art by Frazer Irving, Cover by John Watson.
David Hine has gotten a ton of praise for this work on this title, and for the series that came before it – Son of M. And deservedly so, both have been outstanding reads, and possibly the best minis Marvel has put out in quite some time.
But what about Frazer Irving? His contributions to this title aren’t overlooked, but they aren’t sung as much. As this is an Inhumans story, naturally at the very center of it all is Black Bolt. Hine is telling a very powerful emotional story with Black Bolt, but since this is a character that can’t exactly speak – a lot is falling to Frazer Irving to make this story work. And he is delivering beautifully.
This won’t have been the first time you have heard this series mentioned, and it sure won’t be the last. Hopefully Irving is getting the credit he deserves though. As great of a story as Hine is telling, without Irving’s outstanding artistic storytelling skills, the script would suffer. This mini will make an outstanding trade purchase once it is completed.
SILVER SURFER REQUIEM #1 (OF 4), $3.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Knights.
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art and cover by Esad Ribic.
Well, the Surfer is being featured in the new Fantastic Four movie, so it is time to bring on the Surfer stories?
As often happens with a Marvel Knights book, this series is most probably out of continuity. Which is just as well, because the solicit suggests pretty strongly that the Surfer is dying, and will die by the end of the series. The story is billed as a journey of self-discovery that will take us back the beginning of the Silver Surfer’s journey. Stories like this do provide an excellent overview of a character for the newcomer, and this series might be the perfect bridge between the movie and the comics for those who have never seen a Silver Surfer book before.
Artistically, the book should be a treat. Esad Ribic has done some outstanding work in the past, and the preview pages show off some gorgeous painted panels. The Silver Surfer is a majestic character that really gets a boost from picturesque art, and Ribic does seem to be just the man for that. This series should be a good one for the Silver Surfer fan.
TEEN TITANS #47, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Adam Beechen; Art by Chris Batista and Edwin Rosewell; Cover by Randy Green
Is this title on cruise control right now? Possibly. Teen Titans fans kind of feared the worst when it was announced that Adam Beechen would be stepping in as writer. His work on Robin has been met with some very poor reviews, and the prospect of that quality migrating over to Teen Titans was not a happy one. Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as bad as that. He seems to be pretty much following Geoff Johns’ plotlines, and after issue #49 is in the can, he will be stepping aside for the newly DC Exclusive Sean McKeever.
“Now wait just a minute,” some of you might be thinking, recalling last week where I referred to McKeever’s start on Birds of Prey as a real test that readers should approach with caution. Why is this start a sure bet and that one a test? Several reasons. First and most importantly – McKeever has a proven track record writing teenagers. He is quite skilled at giving his teenage characters a believable voice that actual teenagers believe, and adults can understand. Teen Titans is the perfect title for someone like McKeever. An adult superheroine team? Not something we have ever seen from him.
And despite Johns’ quality work on Teen Titans, it is a title that is ready for a change. No one was looking for Gail Simone to leave Birds of Prey any time soon.
Expect lots of lose ends to be tied up over the next 3 issues. McKeever and Randy Green take over on issue #50.
SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK
BOYS #7, $2.99, 32 Pages, Dynamite Entertainment.
Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Darick Robertson and Tony Avina.
Well, The Boys is back.
This story was just plain bizarre. When The Boys was first announced by DC/Wildstorm, there was one quote that really stood out – Ennis promised that The Boys would “out-Preacher Preacher.” With the news that DC dropped this title not because of sales, but because after six issues it was uneasy with the tone. My question is, with a lead-up like that, what did they expect?
What’s done is done, though, and when it comes down to it – a publisher has a right to chose what kind of books it will print. Thankfully for the fans, DC seemed to be particularly accomodating when it came to keeping this title alive. The Boys has a new home at Dynamite, the cover price will remain that same, and even though Darick Robertson is still DC exclusive, he has special dispensation to continue working on The Boys. So all is right in the world.
All of you who were following this title can breath once again.
DARK HORSE COMICS
STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #17, $2.99 Now: $2.59
DC COMICS
52 VOL 1 TP, $19.99 Now: $15.99
ACTION COMICS #850, $3.99 Now: $3.19
AMAZONS ATTACK #2 (OF 6), $2.99 Now: $2.69
BLUE BEETLE #15, $2.99 Now: $2.59
COUNTDOWN 48, $2.99 Now: $2.69
DEADMAN #10, $2.99 Now: $2.79
GREEN LANTERN #20, $2.99 Now: $2.39
JSA CLASSIFIED #26, $2.99 Now: $2.69
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #6, $2.99 Now: $2.69
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA VAR ED #6, $12.99
TEEN TITANS #47, $2.99 Now: $2.79
TEEN TITANS GO #43, $2.25 Now: $1.99
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
BOYS #7, $2.99 Now: $2.59
IMAGE COMICS
WITCHBLADE #106, $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL COMICS
ANITA BLAKE VAMPIRE HUNTER GUILTY PLEASURES HANDBOOK, $3.99 Now: $3.49
AVENGERS NEXT REBIRTH TP, $13.99 Now: $11.99
CIVIL WAR COMPANION TP, $13.99 Now: $11.99
DAREDEVIL #97, $2.99 Now: $2.69
INCREDIBLE HULK 2ND PTG FRANK VAR #106, $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #3 (OF 5), $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW EXCALIBUR #20, $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW X-MEN CHILDHOODS END VOL 4 TP, $10.99 Now: $8.99
PUNISHER PRESENTS BARRACUDA MAX #4 (OF 5), $3.99 Now: $3.49
SILENT WAR #5 (OF 6), $2.99 Now: $2.69
SILVER SURFER REQUIEM #1 (OF 4), $3.99 Now: $3.19
SPIDER-MAN FAIRY TALES #1, $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #42, $2.99 Now: $2.79
WOLVERINE #54, $2.99 Now: $2.69
WORLD WAR HULK PROLOGUE WORLD BREAKER 2ND PTG RIO VAR, $3.99 Now: $3.49
X-23 TARGET X #6 (OF 6), $3.99 Now: $3.49
Huh?
Look, I appreciate extending a story when it really deserves it, but do the editors of Wolverine need an intervention here, or what? Initially Loeb and Bianchi’s run was hailed as 3 issues of fast paced action that would settle once and for all the question of why Wolverine and Sabretooth hate each other. That gave readers pause – no one really cared why they hate each other, but figured a three issue fight between the two had to be good, so why not. What we got was something no one expected – a three issue snore-fest with a fight so boring that three issues just weren’t enough to contain it – the arc would have to be stretched to five. And the big mystery? Homo Lupine? That’s an idea that makes a demon Nightcrawler look like a stroke of genius.
It is a corny plot device, but trust me, I think if issue #55 ended with Wolverine waking up, and finding it was all a dream, Wolverine fans around the globe would stand up and cheer.
Goodbye Dan Slott
The idea of Dan Slott ending his run on She-Hulk is right up there with Simone leaving Birds of Prey. In other words, tragic.
But that is exactly what is happening. Slott is ending his run with issue #21, making way for some yet-unannounced major project. Of course, the smart money is on some Spider-Man title (possibly Amazing – the cards seem right for that one), which would certainly be a good fit. Slott can blend serious and fun extremely well, and knowing Slott’s difficulty in managing several ongoings at once – well, if I were him, and I was offered Amazing Spider-Man, I’d drop She-Hulk just as fast.
If it isn’t Amazing, hopefully it is about as big – I’d hate to lose Slott on She-Hulk just to get him on New X-Men.
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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May 29, 2007
The Gamer’s Quagmire #46: Pauly Shore and EA
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.
by Jamison DeLorenzo
Who doesn’t enjoy bashing companies like EA? Memorial day weekends bring that type of thinking to my mind. Anyway, judging by sales figures over the past couple of years it seems lots of people not only have been annoyed by a lack of good games from EA but many people have been also quite annoyed by many of their acts (overworking employees, buying out competition, destroying good gaming franchises, and creating monopolies with exclusive gaming licenses to name a few). As someone who has been steadfastly against anything EA has done for the past 3 years, I believe it is time to, at the very least, look at the cesspool that is their company and see if there is anything worth being salvaged.
It is true that avoiding their games has only been exacerbated by an unhealthy addiction to World of Warcraft. It is easy to avoid games when you only have interest in playing one. I am a much happier gamer now that I have moved on from that addiction. I still refuse to buy any new games with the EA logo on them, but enough time has passed where I can at least examine their current franchises to try and find something that may make me say that they are not operating at a 100% evil capacity anymore. They did pull the plug on their James Bond games finally, so they are starting to figure something out.
I will not make it a secret that the impending release of Spore next year is part of my motivation. I won’t even try to deny that Warhammer Online has piqued my interest. There have been a couple games that I would have given a chance recently had it not been my credo to avoid any of their products. I have not gone as far as convincing myself that what they spit out is covered in e-coli (yet) because most of their games have been garbage. Madden and NBA Live have been their most shining examples of trash games for three years running. This has made their exclusive license push all the more aggravating. It’s like the old saying goes- you cannot force feed your customers garbage. As they were topping the garbage with sewage I have not been hungry for any of their services.
Let us look at their main franchises to get an idea of what they can do to turn their name around (in terms of quality games).
Madden- Their most popular series in terms of units sold, this franchise has been dead to me since 2002 and many joined my way of thinking once the Sega 2K series started taking off and surpassed Madden in overall game quality and presentation. For many this series became dead once the exclusive license hammer dropped. I published a list of fundamental problems with the gameplay within the past year that I have had since 1999. The way I see it, until these problems are resolved and the exclusive license expires the franchise will stay dead.
NBA Live – If you are a sports junky like me you have been pained by this series for a good chunk of time. NBA2K has been the better franchise for 3 years (despite Shaq being on the cover), and really the problem is that Live dropped the ball after 2004. The 2003/2004 timeframe for Live presented great gameplay for basketball, only the franchise has regressed since then. The franchise mode does not feel as complete anymore, the constant changing of the jump step is annoying (first it was overpowered, and then it never resulted in anything but a charge or travel- make up your friggin’ mind people!), and the AI is terrible. I’m happy with 2K and have no intentions of going back. The Live games need to be completely revamped before I can consider giving them a chance again.
SimCity – To be fair this game was so good I didn’t even know that EA owned Maxis until SimCity 3000. I didn’t know Maxis made it until deep into my SimCity 2000 phase. I didn’t care. While there have been a plethora of Sim titles over the past 10 years SimCity is the flagship and the best of any of the other Sim games. That is, until SimCity 4 came out. By the grace of God I managed to borrow the game from someone before simply buying it. 3000 is my favorite of all the iterations in the SimCity franchise, so seeing 4 fall flat on its face was, in fact, heartbreaking. The economy in the game was completely broken- the fact that you needed to build a city whose sole purpose was to take in garbage and power from the city you wanted to build was very annoying. I was in the group of people who never had a problem making money in any of the City games in any of the first 3 titles, but somehow in 4 generating revenue became impossible. Sure, the integration with Sims to get people to give you feedback on neighborhoods was quite cool, but when you can’t have fun building a city you know the game is broken. Maybe the next title in the series will be fine, but until then nostalgia will win out on this series.
Sims – If you want to talk about addictions, this is a great place to start. The appeal of playing a game where you simulate someone’s life is difficult to explain. In college I coined the Point Blank Theory, which states that some games look less appealing than a Pauly Shore movie until you sit down to play them. The overall definition of the theory is still in flux because those movies are still highly unappealing when you sit down to watch them, which blows apart the gaming theory as a whole. Anyway, people went from openly mocking the game to refusing to give up the controller after 30 minutes. I mention this because the game didn’t look fun until I sat down and gave it a whirl. After years of playing the original I came up with a list of changes that I thought would be good shifts in game’s fundamentals. Three of them made it into Sims 2, which, to me, proved that my advanced degree in computer science paid off (nevermind the whole job thing). The downside is that the number of expansion packs for these games is a running joke in the gaming community, despite their high sales numbers. Reducing the number of expansion packs by making the packs larger would go a long way to rebuilding the character issues people have with the company.
Command & Conquer – One of the staples of the RWS (Real-time War Simulation) genre (a.k.a. RTS, but as I’ve said in the past real-time strategy is a horrid genre name because that name applies just as well to Tetris as this franchise). Quite honestly I was never as big of a fan of this franchise as WarCraft (before WarCraft 3), but these games have been genuinely solid. There has not been a lot of fresh ideas in the genre as a whole in a while, let alone this franchise, but if they did make the next game as fresh as the first and second games were people would eat it up. People are dying for a great new RWS- evidenced by the fervor surrounding the announcement of StarCraft 2.
Battlefield – Not being much of a war game fan it is hard to really get behind them and defend them as a good potential cornerstone for EA, but Battlefield 2 was a fantastic game at its core. There were some issues with multiplayer that hurt its reputation before some early patches, but this game was very well done as a FPS. Commandeering vehicles was fantastic, but the coolest part of the game for me was the ability to play the role of a general and drop in supplies and reinforcements. It isn’t that hard to bring in fresh ideas into such a young genre, but when you throw down the improvements that Battlefield 2 did you a great franchise starting to catch steam. War games are not my thing, but I can tell you that the reception the gaming community gave the last installment in the franchise will only serve as a launching point for fans and production budget for Battlefield 3.
Need for Speed – If you like driving games at one point you had to have given one of the Need for Speed games a shot. If you are like me you waited until Underground 2 in 2004 before you bothered looking at it. Right now I am knee deep in my used copy of Carbon and am loving every second of it. I used to think that GTA and Carmageddon were the only games where you just drive around and cause vehicular mayhem. Within the past two years I discovered this game and one other. The car customization combined with the street racing is entertaining. I don’t know how much fresh air can be breathed into this series considering the numerous iterations to date, but if EA keeps this franchise breathing then they can start to win people over again.
Burnout – This is the other game that involves vehicular destruction. This game is so similar to Need for Speed I wonder why EA continues to make it- other than to milk money off of a franchise name. This game doesn’t have a career where you build up a car like Need for Speed, but you do have several challenges for races and destruction. This franchise made sense to me when Akklaim held it, but right now it feels like the only thing this game has going for it is the destruction challenges. The game felt old to me after one iteration, and in my opinion this franchise should be buried and forgotten.
If you include the upcoming Spore release, the only positive things I can see coming down the pike from EA revolve around simulations, probably Need for Speed, and maybe Command & Conquer. Nothing else under the EA franchise name holds any appeal for me at all. Really the message I want to send here is that I want to lighten up on EA and give them a shot, but their lineup is not helping me get there. So while my earlier movie analogy failed, right now I honestly can state that this sentiment makes think of EA as the gaming version of the Wachowski Brothers.
No… that wasn’t a compliment.
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May 23, 2007
On The Shelf This Week – 05.23.07
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!
DOCTOR STRANGE: THE PATH TP, $13.99, 120 Pages, Marvel Comics.
Written by Brian K Vaughan, Art by Marcos Martin.
This series was nothing short of a surprise. As fantastic a character as Doctor Strange is, he is mishandled repeatedly by the best comic scribes in the industry today. To be blunt – just about every recent Doctor Strange effort has been boring. Not so here.
The Oath was compelling. The story was simple and very Strange – Vaughan clearly did his homework on the character, and went to great lengths to present to us Strange as he should probably always be – confident (to a fault?), capable, and a bit self-righteous. And it works. Wong and the Night Nurse prove to be excellent supporting characters, and the whole ensemble works so well that you can’t help but want to see this cast in an ongoing. Vaughan’s story meshes well with Martin’s art, and the end result is an excellent comic read, especially if you are a Strange fan. This series will read extremely well in the trade format – if you missed it the first time around, you should give it a look here.
MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics.
Written by Fred Van Lente, Art by James Cordeiro and Scott Koblish, Cover by Michael Golden.
This week Marvel finally gives Iron Man the Marvel Adventures treatment. There is an Iron Man movie coming out in about a year – and despite Tony Stark’s increased exposure in the Marvel Universe as a result of the Civil War storyline, he did come out of that event looking very much the villain. A little like this one – outside the regular continuity and all-ages friendly – will do a lot to rehab Iron Man’s image to people in general. With a year to work with, you can bet that by next summer, Tony Stark will be the hero we all forgot he could be.
Fred Van Lente should put on a good story here. His work on Marvel Adventures Spider-Man has been solid thus far, and the upcoming MODOK’s 11 mini looks plenty fun. Despite the tarnished image old Shellhead seems to have these days, Iron Man has a compelling back story that will be interesting to explore once again.
NOBLE CAUSES #28, $3.50, 32 Pages, Image Comics.
Written by Jay Faerber, Art by Yildiray Cinar, Cover by Khary Randolph.
It’s been said before, but man – the art has made all the difference in the world on this book. Yildiray Cinar took a floundering title with a otherwise decent story and made it great again. This title is starting to slip schedule-wise – hopefully the art is not the main culprit of that.
Noble Causes is soap operish, which makes it difficult to pick a single good spot to jump aboard, but like any soap opera, it doesn’t take too long to get into the story. This issue is talking up a death, which has the potential to be huge, especially considering the current plot. This should be another outstanding issue.
WONDER WOMAN #9, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Jodi Picoult; Art and cover by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson.
Well, the good news is, this is getting better. Though Picoult is really only keeping the seat nice and warm for Gail Simone who will be on board in just a few months, it is nice to see that she is finally starting to get the hang of this comic script thing. While you could still point to this arc as a reason why popular novelists should not be given the reigns of high profile comics on their first attempt, it is to her credit that she has shown definite improvement as her short run has progressed. So much so, that I am starting to wish that she had been assigned some sort of Wonder Woman: Year One type mini. She is clearly not a comic reader, and her perception of who Wonder Woman is clearly dated, but it does seem like she would be able to pull off an excellent early years story. Actually, that is some food for thought – I can’t think of anything like that that has been done recently.
There are just two more issues for Picoult, then we will get a pair from J. torres, followed by the long awaited start of Gail Simone on issue #13. You can bet that conversations about this title will be completely different around that time.
SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK
BIRDS OF PREY #106, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Gail Simone; Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood; Cover by Stephane Roux.
Has it really been over 4 years already? With the news that Gail Simone will be departing in just a couple issues, it is hard not to think about what a mainstay her Birds of Prey has been in the DC line-up. Throughout the bizarre twists and turns in the fabric of the DCU over the past few years, from the Birds’ departure from Gotham, to plot interruptions due to cross-over mania (No matter how much you liked Infinite Crisis and the lead-up, you can’t deny what an interruption it was to the story progression of the entire DC line), even with a full-year jump with One Year Later, Simone kept the title compelling and fresh, and one of the safest bets for any comic reader looking for a good read.
As a fan, I have to say that this isn’t the best time for her to leave. After all, she just got her hands on Big Barda and company, and has barely had any time to make use of them. Of course there is a lot of story ground to cover – Simone seems to be an endless well of plot ideas, but her real strength is in character development. Look at Black Canary, and compare where she was when Simone took over writing her and where she is now. The same with Huntress. And even Zinda, with far less time under Simone’s pen has become and interesting and much deeper character. The current line-up of Birds of Prey isn’t interesting for what those characters now are, but what kind of potential they had with Gail Simone as a guide. Sure, the possible stories will be missed, but the real tragedy of her departure is the missed opportunity to make these new characters come alive.
But, these things happen. Opportunity has knocked, and we will still be seeing plenty of Gail Simone. What about her replacement on Birds of Prey – Sean McKeever? Fans of his that have been starving for his work (let’s face it – he was critically underused at Marvel) are no doubt dancing in the streets with the announcement that he would not only be taking over this title, but Teen Titans as well. Teen Titans does seem a natural fit, but despite the excitement of his assignments, I am not ready to hail his arrival on these titles. McKeever has produced some great work, but he has absolutely no experience with mainstream super-hero comics. As good as Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane is, it at all like Birds of Prey. The closest he has come is a few issues of Incredible Hulk (and one Spider-Girl), behind that, his work has consisted of teen drama, and hero books aimed at a younger audience (Marvel Age and Tsunami lines). His Gravity mini was decent, if unspectacular, and the character just didn’t seem to generate any kind of following.
This is not to say that he won’t do a spectacular job – but it is far from a lock. And while Teen Titans is in pretty serious need of a fresh take, Birds of Prey is a well-established, high quality book, and if McKeever doesn’t write the best story of his career right out of the gate, he is going to lose some of Simone’s loyal following.
Sean McKeever’s first arc on Birds of Prey are make-or-break for him. If he does well, he will have finally cemented himself as more than an angsty-teen drama writer. I am pulling for him.
DARK HORSE COMICS
STAR WARS LEGACY #12, $2.99 Now: $2.59
DC COMICS
BIRDS OF PREY #106, $2.99 Now: $2.25
COUNTDOWN #49, $2.99 Now: $2.69
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMICBOOK HEROES VOL 1 BATMAN TP, $19.99 Now: $15.99
HELLBLAZER #232, $2.99, $2.59
ROBIN #162, $2.99 Now: $2.69
SHADOWPACT #13, $2.99 Now: $2.69
SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #30, $2.99 $2.69
SUPERMAN BATMAN #35, $2.99, Now: $2.69
WONDER WOMAN #9, $2.99 Now: $2.39
IMAGE COMICS
MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #2, $2.99 $2.59
NOBLE CAUSES #28, $3.50 Now: $2.99
PVP #33, $2.99 Now: $2.69
MARVEL COMICS
BLACK PANTHER CIVIL WAR, $17.99 [color=red]Now: $14.99[/url]
CAPTAIN AMERICA #26, $2.99 Now: $2.69
DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH TP, $13.99 Now: $10.99
FANTASTIC FOUR #546, $2.99 Now: $2.69
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1, $3.99, Now: $3.49
HELLSTORM SON OF SATAN EQUINOX TP, $17.99 Now: $13.99
HEROES FOR HIRE #10, $2.99 Now: $2.39
IRON MAN HYPERVELOCITY #5 (OF 6), $2.99 Now: $2.59
IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #8, $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #1, $2.99 Now: $2.25
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT FANTASTIC FOUR, $2.99 Now: $2.59
NEWUNIVERSAL #6, $2.99 Now: $2.79
RED PROPHET TALES OF ALVIN MAKER #7 (OF 12), $2.99 Now: $2.59
SHE-HULK #18, $2.99 $2.69
SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE VOL 3 MY SECRET LIFE DIGEST TP, $7.99 Now: $6.99
X-MEN #199, $2.99 Now: $2.69
So, have you seen Image’s new website design? Honestly, I think it looks outstanding. Invincible flying around at the top there does get a little distracting, but that is really only a minor annoyance. The look is slick and quite iconic – it is probably the best design of an Image website I have ever seen. The thing is – the look of Image’s website has never been a problem. It has always been content.
Unfortunately, content is still a problem, but things are improving. The “On Sale This Week” section is finally being updated prior to Wednesday during the week (this week it was done late afternoon – next week’s releases are still not available though), which is a big step in the right direction. Preview art is still easy to find and plentiful, and features the addition of complete online issues of pretty much every title in the Image line.
Though the Image site really didn’t need a redesign, the direction they have chosen to go is outstanding. Now if they can mange to start to update several times a week, it will be perfect.
The Dark Knight
As part of a marketing campaign for the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins, we were recently treated to the first image of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Gotta say – it looks gruesome. Some fans are complaining that he isn’t smiling, worried that they are going for a serious, edgy Joker with this movie. Which, of course, would be a disaster. It is a little early to be worried about that (especially based on one picture). So far, this tiny tidbit seems in line with what we saw in the first movie – true to the origin, but a little more realistic and not nearly as cartoonish. With the right amount of insanity, this look could work. So far, things are looking up.
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!
Post your comments in the Forum!
May 21, 2007
The Gamer’s Quagmire #45: Nuclear Launch Detected
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.
by Jamison DeLorenzo
With all of the interesting things developing in the gaming world over the past month you would think I would have made the time to write about some of them. Instead, thanks to the purchasing of the Civilization IV expansion my time has mostly centered around wreaking havoc on the Spanish (someone care to explain how they became the Zulus for IV?). Sad to say, I have been struggling playing on the mediocre levels of the game. You would think playing these games for over 15 years would hold some value, but the game has changed enough where you do need to learn some new tricks to right the ship.Anyway, the big bombshell that has been looming over the Internet finally crash landed over the weekend. Blizzard has been holding an announcement over our heads for a while with a ton of speculation. It could have been anything from the Warcraft, Starcraft, or Diablo universe from a sequel to another online game. Reading all of the speculation was quite entertaining itself as thousands of people online suddenly became expert industry analysts or were insiders with reliable information. This happens almost all of the time, but it has yet to be anything other than entertaining.
Anyway, I usually do not hold my breath waiting for an announcement from a developer but Blizzard is one of the 3 or 4 exceptions that I have in place because they routinely churn out something that I enjoy. One could argue that after being hopelessly addicted to World of Warcraft for two years and having it nearly completely consume my life that it would be wise to enjoy titles from other developers in the meantime. Considering that the game is probably not going to be ready until at least late 2008 there is plenty of time for other titles. Hellgate, Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear, Last Remnant, Spore, Ninja Gaiden, GTA, and Forza all have compelling new releases within the year. If all of that doesn’t keep me busy then my bank account is almost guaranteed to be void of money.
When Blizzard announced that their next big project is Starcraft II there were millions rejoicing. International Starcraft tournaments are still going on, which is very impressive for a title as old as Starcraft. Plenty of people have been patiently waiting for what many consider to be the best of the three major Blizzard universes to finally have a sequel. Whatever the wait is going to be, fans can begin to breathe a little more easily knowing that the franchise is not dead. They have only patiently been waiting for over 10 years for it, and now the countdown to the next addiction can begin… only it can’t, because right now there is no release date set anywhere. After waiting for the initially cataclysmic wave of internet traffic barreling its way towards the streamed movies subsided I began to look at them myself. I apologize for any horrific flashbacks to the Day After Tomorrow that may have brought.
An opening cinematic along with some gameplay footage is not nearly enough for me to crow about how exciting this game may be, but if you had any fun with this game before looking at the new screenshots online must whet your whistle. Hours upon hours of fighting people on Battlenet and toying with the campaign editor await once more. I remember the years I spent playing the first game and have nothing but positive memories all around. My VHS tapes of all the battles I recorded are long gone (in case there was any question on my geek factor), but new cinematics can always be had.
There is, as always, a big stumbling block. A lot of the units are still there and mostly the game may not change at all. As such, the question a lot of people ask is why tinker with a formula that works? This is one of the funniest questions as it does touch on the central part of the war between all the current consoles. The fact of the matter is that every console relies on formulae from franchises still working to sell games. Microsoft needs Halo to give itself a big market share. Nintendo needs Zelda, Mario, and Melee to sell big. Sony needs Gran Turismo to succeed. As far as exclusive titles go those are the big ones. With all of the rumors on Metal Gear and Final Fantasy no longer being Sony exclusives it is hard to state with any certainty how Sony can dominate this round of consoles.
Putting the console spin on this issue aside for now, we have to look at Starcraft. What is it about the sequel that is worthy of a ton of attention? Based on the fact that the game has not seen a new release in a long time and it still being very popular is enough to get millions of copies sold. For people who have not seen the game before, or those that enjoy seeing franchises evolve, what is this sequel going to provide to make it worthwhile? Not only that, but what can the game provide the genre? The war simulations have felt relatively stale to me for a while, and, like any other genre, new ideas to maintain freshness are always important in making a game the best it can be.
It’s strange- I really know nothing about the game other than “new units” and “updated graphics.” The critic inside me says I definitely need to know more. The gamer is dying to see more footage. It sickens me that I’ve been pulled in with just a video and some screenshots, but I know I must have it.
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May 9, 2007
On The Shelf This Week – 05.09.07
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!
COUNTDOWN #51, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Paul Dini; Art by Jesus Saiz; Covers by Andy Kubert and Tim Townshend.
It is so very easy to be irritated at DC these days, and this title has taken the brunt of that criticism of late. Mostly because it was seen as the successor to 52. And despite any uneasiness about what we are going to see in this title, DC deserves some praise for what is good about this book before getting mired in criticism. For one – DC pulled off the unthinkable with 52 – it came out on time each and every single week. In this era where creative teams will hold up an issues release for weeks because of the time it allegedly takes to put together an issue, the fact that they managed a full-sized, full color book every week is astonishing. Second – they shined a bright spotlight on characters that don’t normally take center stage. For good or bad, these characters were the stars of the story, and succeeded or failed on their own merits. A lot of these characters were introduced to newer readers for the very first time, and it was done in such a way that they were not just the person who “helped Batman save the day.” 52 also took continuity and used it as it was intended – to tie an entire universe together in one rich tapestry. With Countdown, it is hoped that DC will take all of these positive aspects of 52 and apply them to current continuity. Succeed or fail, it is a noble experiment. Can’t wait to see how it pans out.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #5, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel.
Written by Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker, Art by David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth.
Ed Brubaker certainly has the golden touch at Marvel. Not only is his work on Daredevil, Captain America, and Uncanny X-Men tremendous, and his creator-owned property, Criminal, has also been extremely well received (The first Criminal trade paperback is also available this week. That is an outstanding series which I recommend you check out). Matt Fraction is a relative newcomer, but is no slouch either – his work on Punisher: War Journal has been applauded and Casanova, his Image project, is highly imaginative. The two of them together have taken Iron Fist and made it a successful title. Thus far it has been a compelling read that long-time Iron Fist fans can really enjoy, with just enough broad appeal to interest some readers who might not have ever read an Iron Fist book before. I especially like the way that Fraction and Brubaker are going into the history of the Iron Fist concept to really flesh out the character for modern readers. There also is a DC-like legacy thing going on in this arc with the introduction of Orson Randall – it is a manufactured history, but the added dimension of a legacy makes the Iron Fist concept all the better. This series is showing real promise and should be around for some time.
JACK OF FABLES #10, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC/Vertigo.
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art by Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy; Cover by James Jean.
This title is just brutal! I still can’t get that grin out of my head – you know, the one he had when he found out about the inheritance? The promotion for this book was dead on – Jack is too big for Fables, way, way too big. This title has really grown into something special all on its own, and is far, far more than a mere spin-off of an outstanding Fables book. It is just as character driven, but tackles more of the fantastic aspects of what it is to be a Fable, where Fables itself is much more dramatic. This title is accessible and easy to follow – you don’t need to pick your spot if you are thinking of giving this one a shot. Just dive in – it is like a fast-moving river. There is a lot going on, but you will be up to speed right away. This title will be around for a long time, might as well jump aboard now.
MARVEL ZOMBIES DEAD DAYS, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel.
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Sean Phillips and June Chung, Cover by Arthur Suydam.
OK, so I was looking at the cover to the recent Previews, and on it was a photo of the new Marvel Zombies Mini Mates, and it occurred to me – how did Luke Cage become a zombie? Is his skin not unbreakable? How did the zombies manage to bite him and convert him? Does this issue actually answer that question? Maybe they bit his tongue or something, there isn’t exactly skin on a tongue, but then, that is kinda gross. In any case, for all of you Zombie fans out there, this will be a must read issue – the origin issue in fact. Dead Days tells the story of how the heroes of the Zombie universe’s earth became undead. The solicit also promises the Avengers are going to eat Jarvis, which sounds plenty interesting. Should be a good issue.
NEW X-MEN #38, $2.99, 32 Pages.
Written by Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle, Art by Scottie Young, Sean P. Parsons, and Brian Reber.
Well, they brought back Colossus, pretty well negating the noble sacrifice he made, why not bring back his inspiration? In all seriousness, this might not be too bad. In House of M, Marvel missed a golden opportunity to totally remake the entire face of the Marvel Universe. Well, though some of that opportunity was squandered, there is some left. How many characters thought dead could be returned using House of M as a vehicle? In this issue, the Xavier Institute is sucked into the Limbo dimension, where a very much alive Illyana awaits. They take great pains to explain that this is the “House of M Reality” Illyana, but in all seriousness, it shouldn’t really matter. The idea that a reality-altering Scarlet Witch recreated Magik and placed her alive and well in the Limbo Dimension is perfectly plausible. Marvel has taken a lot of heat for resurrections, so their defensiveness is understandable. New X-Men has been in desperate need of a change of focus for several months now, and this plot development might be exactly what the doctor ordered. Hopefully Yost and Kyle make good on this one.
SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK
NOVA #2, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel.
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Art by Sean Chen, Scott Hanna, and Guru-EFX, Cover by Adi Granov.
You know that feeling you get right before a big first date, or before giving a huge make-or-break presentation? This issue feels kind of like that. For years, being a Nova fan was almost something to be ashamed of. Nova, like the rest of the New Mutants, was a virtual throwaway character – his fans mocked, his titles dropped from the line-up without a single tear shed. Until Annihilation. Suddenly, Nova is a hot commodity – the star of the most popular thing going. Oh, sure, you could argue that Civil War was bigger, but nothing Marvel has done in years can match the rabid acclaim that Annihilation got. And as a reward – Nova got his own series.
Now the big test – Nova, face to face with a dictatorial Iron Man. A new Nova – powerful enough in story terms to squash Iron Man like a bug. But outside the story, Iron Man has something Nova hasn’t ever really possessed – stature. Iron Man is a marquee player, an A-Lister, a money maker. An Iron Man movie is in the works. So the question is, will Nova react as his character would in the face of the massacre of his friends, former teammates and former lover, and respond to a demanding and overbearing Tony Stark by punting him into orbit like he deserves? Or will Nova bow to the bigger name on the sign, and, like so many C-listers who aspire to something more, get kicked back down a few rungs where he belongs? Yup, just like a huge presentation, will it sink, or fly? Personally, even if the possible “fight” is a red herring, any result other than Nova taking a back seat to Iron Man is a good one. Abnett and Lanning have done a tremendous job with this character, and it is doubtful that they will have a misstep this soon. Should be an outstanding issue, especially for Nova fans out there.
DARK HORSE COMICS
STAR WARS DARK TIMES #3 (OF 5), $2.99 Now: $2.59
STAR WARS LEGACY #11, $2.99 Now: $2.59
DC COMICS
BATMAN STRIKES #33 $2.25 Now: $1.99
COUNTDOWN #51, $2.99 Now: $2.69
DMZ #19, $2.99 Now: $2.69
GEN 13 #8, $2.99 Now: $2.69
GREEN ARROW #74, $2.99 Now:$2.69
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #12, $2.99 Now:$2.69
GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOL 1 TO BE A LANTERN TP, $12.99 Now: $10.99
GRIFTER MIDNIGHTER #3 (OF 6), $2.99 Now: $2.59
JACK OF FABLES #10, $2.99 Now: $2.59
JLA CLASSIFIED #38, $2.99 Now: $2.69
MYSTERY IN SPACE #8 (OF 8), $3.99 Now: $3.49
NIGHTWING #132, $2.99 Now: $2.69
OUTSIDERS #47, $2.99 Now: $2.59
STORMWATCH PHD #7, $2.99 Now: $2.59
Y THE LAST MAN #56, $2.99 Now: $2.59
IMAGE COMICS
PVP #32, $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #540, $2.99 Now $2.69
BLACK PANTHER #27, $2.99 Now: $2.79
BLADE #9, $2.99 Now: $2.69
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE BOOK 1 & 2 TP Set, $29.99 Now: $24.99
CIVIL WAR PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN TP, $17.99 Now: $14.99
CRIMINAL VOL 1 COWARD TP, $14.99 $12.99
GHOST RIDER #11, $2.99 Now: $2.59
HULK AND POWER PACK #3 (OF 4), $2.99 Now: $2.59
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #5, $2.99 Now: $2.69
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #24, $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL ZOMBIES DEAD DAYS, $3.99 Now: $3.49
NEW AVENGERS #30, $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW X-MEN #38, $2.99 Now: $2.69
NOVA #2, $2.99 Now: $2.69
OMEGA FLIGHT 2ND PTG KOLINS VAR #1 (OF 5), $2.99 Now: $2.84
SPIDER-MAN FANTASTIC FOUR #2 (OF 4), $2.99 Now: $2.69
THUNDERBOLTS #114, $2.99 Now: $2.69
THUNDERBOLTS CRAIN VAR #114, $9.99
ULTIMATE POWER #5 (OF 9), $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #14, $2.99 Now: $2.69
IN THE NEWS
Well, World War Hulk got started last week, and though it had a bit of a hiccup (Incredible Hulk #106 was supposed to follow the events in She-Hulk #18, which hasn’t been released yet. Oops.), it seems to be off to a decent start. Well, the build-up is off to a decent start. While the main event has yet to get started in earnest, it is great that this thing is finally getting started. After the poor build for events like Civil War and House of M, it is nice to see an event that we all saw a mile away. After all, way back when Planet Hulk got started, who didn’t think that the Hulk would be out for some serious smashing when he got back?
This past week was really just a teaser though – that is all the World War Hulk we are going to get for the next month. The next installment will be World War Hulk #1, which is due out next month.
For your convenience, here is the World War Hulk Checklist!
Unlinked items will become available as they are solicited.
May
WORLD WAR HULK PROLOGUE: WORLD BREAKER #1
INCREDIBLE HULK #106
JUNE
WORLD WAR HULK #1
INCREDIBLE HULK #107
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #19
GHOST RIDER #12
HEROES FOR HIRE #11
WORLD WAR HULK X-MEN #1
WORLD WAR HULK: GAMMA CORPS #1
WORLD WAR HULK: FRONTLINE #1
JULY
AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #4
IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #10
WORLD WAR HULK #2
GHOST RIDER #13
WORLD WAR HULK: FRONTLINE #2
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #20
HEROES FOR HIRE #12
WORLD WAR HULK: GAMMA CORPS #2
WORLD WAR HULK #3
WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN #2
WORLD WAR HULK: FRONTLINE #3
INCREDIBLE HULK #108
AUGUST
INCREDIBLE HULK #109
WORLD WAR HULK YOUNG AVENGERS #1
WORLD WAR HULK GAMMA CORPS #3
WORLD WAR HULK FRONTLINE #4
WORLD WAR HULK #4
WORLD WAR HULK X-MEN #3
HEROES FOR HIRE #13
WORLD WAR HULK FRONTLINE #5
SEPTEMBER
WORLD WAR HULK GAMMA CORPS #4
WORLD WAR HULK #5
HEROES FOR HIRE #14
INCREDIBLE HULK #110
WORLD WAR HULK FRONTLINE #6
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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