It's been a while since I did a comprehensive wrap-up of my contributions to the info-tapestry-net, so that should be remedied. I must say, I don't think I've ever been as satisfied with the books I've been able to cover. That is mostly because I don't think there has ever been a better, more diverse array of comics available in my lifetime. Of course, being a pretty normal comicbook reader means that the plurality of what I buy is superhero fare, but it's the other genre stuff that usually comes out the most exciting.
Also, the new WIBW has allowed me to give a little look at everything I get, which allows me to more fully develop my features for Newsarama. As a critic for a news' site, it's my obligation to cover the most important books of the market, and the ones that I feel would reacher greater success with greater attention. With WIBW, it is just an unapologetic take on my personal taste in comics, not always a barometer of quality. Long story short, WIBW is what I like. Best Shots' are things I think you would like.
Well, for the most part anyway. Kevin Smith is counter-culture god, and earned a rep as a Hollywood-type who legit loves comics. Most of the work he's done has been nothing short of top-notch. He swung that influence into a gig with his homeboy Walt Flanagan on Batman Cacophony, and you can see what I thought of it. As I posted the negative review, I couldn't help but think of MoviePoopShoot.com in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but this was an honest assesment on what I thought was really an underqualified artist. Others might disagree, but for me it just didn't ring right. Maybe it wasn't a case of weird comic-industry nepotism, but I just felt like there had to be other artists who would have killed for the chance to work with Kevin Smith that could have done a better job. But that's why critiques are subjective.
I really have little to no problem with renumbering, especially if it garners a cool aniversary like Thor #600. I've said it all before; I love Thor, and as such am predisposed towards loving things about Thor. It's funny, but I think only comicbook fans can understand how frustrating it is to have one's favorite character go unpublished and left by the wayside for years on end. Editorially, I understood the wisdom in both waiting for the right creative team to become available and for the best time to promote the book within the shared universe and the publishing line, but it still sucked. Actually, it is probably similar to how Cleveland Browns fans felt when the team skipped town. Only when Thor came back, the book was really good, so it all seemed worth it. Probably Browns fans don't feel that way.
Now, if I love Thor, there's a good chance I like vikings. I suspect Ivan Brandon knew this with Viking #1. Okay probably not. But I am psyched to see vikings growing as a genre. There's no reason to let Brian Wood have all the fun on Northlanders. As I've said, the whole book is just beautiful, and it seems to me like it will be the biggest breakout book at Image since Cassanova. I see that book going far.
I like Black Adam because he's a character that exists right between Namor and Dr. Doom. He's a villain with a god-complex, or a hero with a villain complex, or something. Anyway when DC did its villain month I was happy to see a Black Adam Faces of Evil. His tragedy is so effective because of its melodrama, making each storyline he stars in to an act in his great saga.
I don't know if I could have enjoyed any convergence of interests more than BOOM!'s The Muppet Show. I don't even know if I have anything more to say about it besides I snicker at each and every page. What more could a man ask for?
I loved Groom Lake as soon as I read it. Then I heard the Wordballoon interview with Ben Templesmith, where he shared that it was his choice to add the cigarrette smoking flourish to the IDW's brand of aliens. That, my friends, is comics' genius.
I was so impressed with the Messiah War Prologue I don't know what to do with myself. Do I have to go back and read Messiah Complex? Does this mean I have to buy 6 X-titles a month again? I feel dirty and confused.
I dug Killer of Demons, and then found out from artist Scott Wegener that the book was actually done a few years ago, only to be released now. Color me impressed, because to me Wegener's art there is just about as strong as his stuff on Atomic Robo.
Some sequels take forever, and Marvels: Eye of the Camera is no exception. Busiek is such a great writer of superheroes when he's on his game, and I think he is here.
I did some reporting from New York Comic-Con 2009 for Newsarama, covering panels for Dark Horse's Creepy and Aspen Comics. Both companies seemed to have some cool things up their sleeves.
Mark Waid writes superheroes well, which is why it is interesting when he decides to write villains, as in Irredeemable. I'm eager to see if Waid can live up to the promise of the strength of his concept, here.
With Muppets, Irredeemable, and even the Incredibles comic, BOOM! was rolling for me. Or it was until Cars: The Rookie. I don't know, maybe that property is just among Pixar's weaker forays, but I had a hard time coming up with reasons to tell someone else to read that comic. I actually hate giving negative reviews, because I know that almost no comics get made without some serious loving intent put into the process, but I also can't shirk from honest assesments. Maybe some kid out there will totally love the Cars movie, and this book will be his or her bridge into comics- I just don't see it.
Some books just need to exist on the fringes, and Destroyer and Haunted Tank are good examples of that. I got pwned on the Newsarama boards for not realizing that the Destroyer was actually an old Marvel character, which was embarrassing in a way that only a nerd could understand, but I think I'm over it. I had held off from doing a full HT review until the series had wrapped, because I was really curious about how the series would read from the wide angle. That turned out to be the right call, because I think in the end the finale was the best issue of the series, and like The Dude's rug, really brought it all together.
I wasn't sure what to expect out of Lovecraft, but that was what made it exciting. This was basically a structurally sound historical meta-fiction piece that set the man Howard Lovecraft in a Lovecraftian horror story, (which, come to think of it, is more succintly put than I ever managed to get in my review, alas...). I'm no expert in the ways of the Cthulu, but it was a well told comicbook, and that was enough for me.
Rarely have I been more excited and inspired by the first issue of a series than I was with Warren Ellis' Ignition City. Steampunk evolved into space-frontierism just seems like an idea that should have been there all along, and Ellis is casually introducing it to us. This guy just consistently challenges the boundaries of the comics' creative community, and ever once and a while he belts one out of the park to remind us.
I couldn't help but weigh in on the big farewell issue for Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham on Justice Society of America. And apparently I couldn't weigh in fast enough, because not only did I let a totally uncouth typo out on the first goddamn line, but I also had a total brain fart and created my own American in my mind named "Norman Rockafeller," who I can only assume mainstreamed iconic but propaganda like art designed to enslave suburban minds. Or maybe he's related to this guy. Anyway I loved the run by the creators, and I thought the issue was a fitting farewell. I was also pleased with review itself, which furthers my theory that better books make for better reviews. I totally invented that theory.
Finally, I was thrilled to spotlight MC Esoteric's Serve or Suffer album. As rewarding as it is to give my perspective on the biggest releases in comics each week, ultimately critque is only a small offering to contribute to the broader discourse. Spotlighting a local hip-hop artists' high concept Silver Age inspired album was an opportunity to clue in a large audience to something I knew they would have had no exposure to otherwise. Chances are, if you are reading my JSA review, you were already going to read the comic, but an average Newsarama reader isn't likely to be able to find hot tracks like Galactus Trilogy or Steve Rogers on his or her own. And if you're a Newsarama reader, you really want to know those songs. Believe me. In any case, I've never watched the traffic on a story so intently as I did on that one, and I really hope that it was able to connect with the people who needed to read it, because it was a cool treat for that not-so-rare someone that loves his comics as much as his iTunes.
And that's pretty much a wrap to date. Somewhere in the throes of these NBA playoffs, Bruins chase for the Cup, early part of the Red Sox season, and beginnings of Patriots training camp, I expect I'll have some thoughts longer than tweets to collect on my other great obsession. But only if I can avoid writing my own version of Bill Simmons articles, because now that he's on twitter, I'm not sure I'd be able to fly under the radar. Or something. I'm going to be smart from now on and link to my stories as they go up, because the more time I let pass before I do one of these, the more likely I am to totally forget to link to one, and thus lose it to the vast void of the Interspheres. And that shit won't fly.
Now, to close with a fun little ditty, here's the video Esoteric was kind enough to put together to better share his sound with the nerd-republic. Give it a listen and I guaran-goddamn-tee you'll be humming this shit all day.
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