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Post by Action Ace on Jun 7, 2015 14:39:31 GMT -5
Amazing Spider-Man #389 was my last issue until the Byrne reboot with the exception of Amazing #400. Of course, that got dropped quicker than third period French too.
Thank goodness for Busiek's Untold Tales and reprints!
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Post by coke & comics on Jun 9, 2015 23:45:29 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! Rack 1 Box 2 (Marvel comics Astonishing Tales through Avengers) 202: Reaching about 2/3 of the way in, we get... Avengers #182 Marvel: 1979  "Honor thy father" by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Klaus Janson One of my earliest Avengers comics was Giant-Size Avengers #1, in which we learn that the parents of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are The Whizzer and Miss America. As the duo looks a lot like that classic duo, this revelation made a lot of sense. Also, there was a third sibling, a glowing giant named Nuklo. But that's another story. Anyways, I read and loved that comic as a small child. It was much later in life that I tracked down and read this comic, in which the gypsy Django Maximoff claims to be the parents of Pietro and Wanda Frank. Obviously, he must be insane. But then this story leads into the Yesterday Quest saga, a beloved Avengers story in which we learn he may not be insane. Now, this is a well-regarded arc, and not without justice. There is a lot to recommend it. But its basic premise is a contrived retcon I saw very little use for. The issue opens with Dr. Don Blake treating a lifeless Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, while Vision, Yellowjacket, Iron Man, Wonder Man, Wasp, Beast, Jocasta, Captain America and Henry Gyrich look on. There is a funny moment where Gyrich gets confused as to whether Jocasta needs a security clearance. The Avengers battle some animated puppets, as well as illusions of Toad, Princess Python, and Nighthawk. In general, I am a fan of Michelinie's work on Avengers, and of course Byrne's art. But as far as I'm concerned, Pietro and Wanda Frank are the mutant children of Whizzer and Miss America. So there. Grade: B- Next: Missing the next entry would be criminal... |
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Post by coke & comics on Jun 10, 2015 4:27:20 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 6 4: To the bookshelves! Shelf 2: This shelf includes the work of Frank Miller, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Brian Bendis. Plus the rest of my Daredevil books for good measure. Book 68 on the shelf is... I could roll for an issue or just read the whole thing. Let's read the whole thing. Criminal The Last of the Innocentby Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. I'm a big fan of Brubaker's entire catalogue. The entire Criminal series plays to his strengths. This is the best arc of the series, a contender for one of the best crime comics of all time, and one of my 5 favorite comics of the current decade (alongside Daytripper, Mind Mgmt, Bandette, and Jonathan Hickman's FF story, "Solve Everything") I was introduced to Brubaker when he was writing Batman and not that impressed. But I was sold by Scene of the Crime. Throw in The Fall and some great Catwoman stories in Detective Comics and you have the best crime writer in comics. He's still writing strong work with things like Velvet and The Fade-Out. He also wrote a great post-apocalyptic sci/fi tale in Deadenders. with issue 3 being one of my favorite single issues of all time. In fact, this Criminal story arc was an extension of an idea from Deadenders. In a Deadenders short story, he told about the character's lives before the fall, and their lives seemed to be something out of Archie, just with all the sex and drugs in the foreground instead of the background. "Last of the Innocent" is basically an expansion of the premise. The man returns to his hometown, with Archie-like memories of his childhood. The world is darker now, and there's a murder to plot. With characters resembling everyone from Encyclopedia Brown to Richie Rich, a story told entirely from the point of view of its entirely relatable and purely evil protagonist... Sean Phillips has collaborated with Brubaker on many of his best works, and ranks up there with MIchael Lark as the best noir artist in comics. Here he is called upon to show an impressive range, blending his usual noirish style with 4-color Archie comics. Credit also needs to go to the colorists, Val Staples and Dave Stewart, for pulling off the conceit so smoothly and elegantly.  Grade: A+ Next: A comic just not in the same league, but the task I'm forcing on myself is to read whatever the dice point to... |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 10, 2015 5:41:59 GMT -5
Next: A comic just not in the same league, but the task I'm forcing on myself is to read whatever the dice point to... Say, C&C, you sound like you're channeling William Shatner!  |
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Post by coke & comics on Jun 12, 2015 0:26:21 GMT -5
Next: A comic just not in the same league, but the task I'm forcing on myself is to read whatever the dice point to... Say, C&C, you sound like you're channeling William Shatner! :D Idon't... know... whatyou'retalking... about. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 12, 2015 9:46:31 GMT -5
I love Criminal soooo very very much!!!
I was never able to get into Fatale. I think part of it was that I was pissed that I wasn't getting more Criminal.
It also had one of the best letter columns ever.
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Post by coke & comics on Jul 3, 2015 20:30:34 GMT -5
Rack 4: DC Box 6: Justice Leage through LEGION 180th comic (approximately) Justice League Task Force #27 DC: 1995  "Clear and Present Danger" by Priest, Ramon Bernardo, C. Wallace and D. Cramer This is the second Justice League comic I've read for this review thread. I think that leaves my lifetime total at still under 10. Before opening this comic, I think back to every other comic I've ever read with "Force" in the name. X-Force, Fantastic Force, Force Works... This bodes poorly. And poorly for that new A-Force comic. Let's see. Storytelling. Hard to follow. Several references to a Triumph comic. I have no idea who that is. I recognize The Ray and Martian Manhunter. But not this Despero character, who seems to be possessed by the artificial L-Ron, who has made him into a Punisher-type. Woman named Gypsy I also don't know. I guess The Ray has quit the Task Force and is working for Vandal Savage now. And his leaving hurt Triumph's feelings, and Triumph isn't telling J'onn somthing. A villain called Death Masque. Some other characters. More secrets. Honestly, I can't follow this. A character called Mystek. Lots of flashbacks. Poor storytelling. And lots of superheroes battling each other. Grade: D Next: The namesake for my cats... |
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Post by Action Ace on Jul 3, 2015 21:16:38 GMT -5
Before opening this comic, I think back to every other comic I've ever read with "Force" in the name. X-Force, Fantastic Force, Force Works... This bodes poorly. And poorly for that new A-Force comic. this looks like a job for...  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 3, 2015 21:18:31 GMT -5
Hey... Force Works was good briefly until the Crossing! Ahh, the days when there was an Iron Man group of titles. I loved Century.... I was absurdly happy when he turned up in one of the non-Hickman Avengers books not that long ago. Triumph was DC's version of Sentry.. a hero everyone forgot about, but was actually super powerful and mentally unstable. Thats about all I know... I have this in my 'to read' pile, though  |
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Post by coke & comics on Jul 3, 2015 21:58:18 GMT -5
Before opening this comic, I think back to every other comic I've ever read with "Force" in the name. X-Force, Fantastic Force, Force Works... This bodes poorly. And poorly for that new A-Force comic. this looks like a job for... I stand suitably chastised. A comic I've never read, but all indications point to it being great. |
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Post by coke & comics on Jul 3, 2015 21:59:32 GMT -5
Hey... Force Works was good briefly... ... ... How best to phrase this... ... ... ... I think I disagree. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 4, 2015 0:07:26 GMT -5
How can you not love a team that uses Chaos Magic to try to proactively stop bad guys? And Century? Big Blue Alien dude with an epic Scythe! Sure, it didn't make sense, but what does?
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Post by coke & comics on Jul 4, 2015 21:51:18 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 4: The DC rack 19: Bat-titles from Birds of Prey through Detective Comics 167: A little past the middle of the box, we find... Catwoman #23 DC: 2003  "Wild Ride Part Four: Opal at Night" by Ed Brubaker, Guy Davis, and Cameron Stewart This excellent series began as a collaboration between Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke, which spun out of a phenomenal Slam Bradley (the character, not the poster) arc in Detective Comics. Cooke and Brubaker only did one story together. I vaguely recall creative differences led to the split. This theory is supported by the fact that Cooke went out and did his own Catwoman comic, making a heist comic out of it. Whereas Brubaker took this series into more of a redemption direction as Catwoman found a role for herself as protector of the poor people of a neighborhood. The series never found a consistent artist, with several inkers and pencillers, always in the basic mold of Cooke. The most consistent artistic voice was Cameron Stewart, providing frequent finishing and occasional layouts, probably doing the most to give the series a stylistic feel. This issue takes Catwoman and her friend Holly to Opal City, home of Starman. Brubaker and the artists spend a lot of time describing the feel of the city, that Opal City holds onto a retro feel, and is a city with class. Simple enough story. Does a good job telling a complete yarn that's part of a larger epic. Catwoman gets attacked by some bad guys she's fought before and will fight again. No real explanation or resolution is offered. But that's fine. It's a springboard to her time in Opal City and leads to her continuing this roadtrip arc. The issue tells the compete tales of Catwoman's visit to Opal and her metting with Bobo Bennetti. Grade: A- Next: He's the best there is at what he does... |
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Post by Action Ace on Jul 4, 2015 22:47:00 GMT -5
I'm still waiting for the Bobo Bennetti/ Bobo Brazil team up comic. Guest starring my fav'rit, Bibbo Bibbowski.
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Post by coke & comics on Jul 5, 2015 15:24:49 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! We roll a D6 and get... 5! That takes us to the "other" rack. We roll a D17 and get... 16 That's a box full of trades I ran out of room for on the bookshelves. Seems to have some DC hardcovers, some X-Men comics, and a few other things. Roll a D45: 25! A trade collecting 5 issues. Roll a D5... 3! Wolverine: SoultakerMarvel: 2005 Wolverine: Souldtaker #3  by Akira Yoshida and Shin "Jason" Nagasawa I actually decided to read the whole trade. I'd never read it before. Why do I own entire books I've never read? I dunno. It was probably in a $5 bin at a convention one day. I picked it up with a large stack of books. And wasn't finished reading the stack when the next opportunity to buy a lot of comics came along. And then I needed to clean or move or something, and the comic got filed away unread and forgotten. I've always been a fan of the Japan-connections Wolverine has, going back to the Claremont/Miller miniseries. This comic aims to be a bit more authentic in its Japanese cultural details than anything Claremont ever wrote. But, it has little to do with Wolverine. Wolverine discovers a mysterious jewel that lands him in the middle of an ancient mystical battle, leading him to fight ninjas, zombies and demons alongside an ancient sorceress. Plenty of heroes could have been put in his place without the plot changing one iota. The comic does feature small parts for Yukio and Amiko, but Yukio is almost unrecognizable in her depiction, both in terms of art and writing. Jason Nagasawa is a freelance artist whose work appears across all media. His style in this comic seems to blend the styles and sensibilities of Japanese and American comics, and he is quite a good storyteller. The best parts of the comic are several extended silent sequences, and this is a testament to his storytelling, and how beautifully he renders Japan. Grade: B Next: We'll stick with the Japanese creators for a bit... |
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