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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 23, 2016 13:04:08 GMT -5
Escapism is definitely the word, the whole story could be summed up as a man, his boy and his dog fight dinosaurs AND a giant gorilla and get back in time for dinner. It really captures the feel of the old Fliesher cartoons which is one of my favorite takes on Superman. I hate the trend to try & make something like comics "real". I don't want to read about real life in my comics. I live in that world. I want to escape into a different fantastic world for awhile. I think it depends on the character, a character like say Luke Cage, Daredevil or even on occasion Batman can work well with a realistic tone but larger than life heroes like Superman I think work better when they're bright and shiny. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2016 13:40:01 GMT -5
I hate the trend to try & make something like comics "real". I don't want to read about real life in my comics. I live in that world. I want to escape into a different fantastic world for awhile. I think it depends on the character, a character like say Luke Cage, Daredevil or even on occasion Batman can work well with a realistic tone but larger than life heroes like Superman I think work better when they're bright and shiny. I agree. But even Batman with his wonderful toys! like the Batmobile, Batcave, etc isn't realistic. 
However I get your point... these heroes do better with more street level type settings. And stuff like Superman & Fantastic Four should be over the top.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 23, 2016 13:44:38 GMT -5
I think it depends on the character, a character like say Luke Cage, Daredevil or even on occasion Batman can work well with a realistic tone but larger than life heroes like Superman I think work better when they're bright and shiny. I agree. But even Batman with his wonderful toys! like the Batmobile, Batcave, etc isn't realistic.
However I get your point... these heroes do better with more street level type settings. And stuff like Superman & Fantastic Four should be over the top.
Oh yeah, there's certainly room for escapism with characters like Batman, but because they are street level they can do both while when you try too hard to do the same with Superman it tends to fall flat. That isn't to say you can't tackle some real world issues with characters like Superman:  you just have to do it in a different way. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2016 16:28:22 GMT -5
That isn't to say you can't tackle some real world issues with characters like Superman: you just have to do it in a different way. That was a great Superman story! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 23, 2016 18:33:05 GMT -5
All Star is definitely one of my favorite Superman stories.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 25, 2016 14:26:06 GMT -5
Written by James Asmus Illustrated by Carlos Magno Summary: The Tagu clan and the Atu clan have long shared an island where they have bred a species of gigantic apes that they use in ritual combat. Though the two clans have been at odds for generations, small groups in both clans are trying to unite them as one people. But now, their island is being destroyed by a volcano (which appears to be mad at them for some reason). So they build some huge wooden ships to transport the entire population and the Kongs to legendary Skull Island. They get to Skull Island and ... well, it's not quite as bad as being killed by a river of lava. And fortunately they have a bunch of Kongs to keep them from being eaten by the DANG DINOSAURS! Plot: The Atu and the Tagu have just landed on the islands and the Kongs are fighting off the advance guard of ravenous dinosaurs. Oooo-weee! It's pretty violent. One Kong has his tummy ripped open by a tyrannosaur but he fights on for a few more panels with his intestines hanging out. Eeew! Bet that smarts. They dinosaurs eventually retreat and the islanders direct the Kongs to build a wall around the beachhead, using the wood from the ships they used to sail to Skull Island. There's some political intrigue as the new queen of the united people announces the bad news that her new husband, King K'reti, was assassinated by an extremist who was opposed to the union of the clans. The accused assassin was executed pretty quickly, before anybody had a chance to question him. I'm not the only one who thinks it looks fishy. Our heroine - Ewata, one of the Kong trainers - is very suspicious of the queen's story, as is her older cousin, who I think is a witch doctor. Then, the shaman Vdrell walks out of the sea. He was thought dead, but he claims he fell overboard and then walked to Skull Island underwater, unconcerned about oxygen because he was protected by the gods. Part of his speech includes a glorification of the queen and her ambitions; she must be blessed by the gods too! So anybody who opposes her must hate the gods! I doubt that's quelling the soul of anyone with a suspicious nature. That's where it ends. Art: I like the art a lot. It has a scratchy quality, like Don Heck or Joe Kubert, but it's smoothed out a little, as if inked by Dick Giordano. On the other hand, it sometimes reminds me of Moebius. Go figure. Some of the early issues would have a panel here or there where I couldn't figure out what was going on. I don't know if it was a coloring problem or if somebody was struggling a little with the jungle setting. But I think they've worked out the kinds because I didn't have any trouble in the fourth issue. Conclusion: I like to pick up something without super-heroes every once in a while, and I prefer limited series, so I thought this looked like it might be kind of interesting, even if it was kind of stupid. I have been a fan of Kong and Skull Island since I saw the 1933 version of King Kong when I was five years old. Maybe earlier. And make no mistake, "Kong of Skull Island" is kind of stupid, but it's stupid in a way that you should scarcely notice in a comic book trying to make sense of Skull Island the way it's presented in the movies. Yes, we have a lot of weird comic-book biology and weird comic-book geography and weird comic-book anthropology, but you really should expect that in a comic book. I found it to be readable but pretty average at first, but I've been warming to it little by little. Grade: 7/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 26, 2016 10:57:02 GMT -5
Written by James Asmus Illustrated by Carlos Magno Summary: The Tagu clan and the Atu clan have long shared an island where they have bred a species of gigantic apes that they use in ritual combat. Though the two clans have been at odds for generations, small groups in both clans are trying to unite them as one people. But now, their island is being destroyed by a volcano (which appears to be mad at them for some reason). So they build some huge wooden ships to transport the entire population and the Kongs to legendary Skull Island. They get to Skull Island and ... well, it's not quite as bad as being killed by a river of lava. And fortunately they have a bunch of Kongs to keep them from being eaten by the DANG DINOSAURS! Plot: The Atu and the Tagu have just landed on the islands and the Kongs are fighting off the advance guard of ravenous dinosaurs. Oooo-weee! It's pretty violent. One Kong has his tummy ripped open by a tyrannosaur but he fights on for a few more panels with his intestines hanging out. Eeew! Bet that smarts. They dinosaurs eventually retreat and the islanders direct the Kongs to build a wall around the beachhead, using the wood from the ships they used to sail to Skull Island. There's some political intrigue as the new queen of the united people announces the bad news that her new husband, King K'reti, was assassinated by an extremist who was opposed to the union of the clans. The accused assassin was executed pretty quickly, before anybody had a chance to question him. I'm not the only one who thinks it looks fishy. Our heroine - Ewata, one of the Kong trainers - is very suspicious of the queen's story, as is her older cousin, who I think is a witch doctor. Then, the shaman Vdrell walks out of the sea. He was thought dead, but he claims he fell overboard and then walked to Skull Island underwater, unconcerned about oxygen because he was protected by the gods. Part of his speech includes a glorification of the queen and her ambitions; she must be blessed by the gods too! So anybody who opposes her must hate the gods! I doubt that's quelling the soul of anyone with a suspicious nature. That's where it ends. Art: I like the art a lot. It has a scratchy quality, like Don Heck or Joe Kubert, but it's smoothed out a little, as if inked by Dick Giordano. On the other hand, it sometimes reminds me of Moebius. Go figure. Some of the early issues would have a panel here or there where I couldn't figure out what was going on. I don't know if it was a coloring problem or if somebody was struggling a little with the jungle setting. But I think they've worked out the kinds because I didn't have any trouble in the fourth issue. Conclusion: I like to pick up something without super-heroes every once in a while, and I prefer limited series, so I thought this looked like it might be kind of interesting, even if it was kind of stupid. I have been a fan of Kong and Skull Island since I saw the 1933 version of King Kong when I was five years old. Maybe earlier. And make no mistake, "Kong of Skull Island" is kind of stupid, but it's stupid in a way that you should scarcely notice in a comic book trying to make sense of Skull Island the way it's presented in the movies. Yes, we have a lot of weird comic-book biology and weird comic-book geography and weird comic-book anthropology, but you really should expect that in a comic book. I found it to be readable but pretty average at first, but I've been warming to it little by little. Grade: 7/10I've been meaning to try this, like you King Kong has been a favorite of mine since the earliest days of my memory and with the trailers for the newest version whetting my appetite I think this might hit the spot. |
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Post by lobsterjohnson on Oct 26, 2016 12:37:01 GMT -5
Batman #9Written by Tom King Penciled and Inked by Mikel Janin Colored by June Chung Summary: In order to save Gotham Girl Batman must assemble a team to breach Santa Prisca Prison, defeat Bane and capture the Psycho Pirate. It's a mission with a questionable out come, a dirty job and so Batman breaks a gang of some of Arkham's worst to help him. Plot: I dropped Batman (and Detective) after the dreadful Monstermen cross over but seeing as how it was by a different creative team and the I Am Gotham story line was okay I thought I'd give King another go...but I think after a short hiatus Batman is back on the "Do Not Buy" pile for me. To start with King doesn't give us a good reason to see why Bruce Wayne getting in bed with Amanda Waller in order to form his own Suicide Squad to fight Bane would seem like a good idea and that's especially important in light of Batman having his very own special ops team over in Detective. It's a terrible decision to work with a bunch of psychopaths so there needs to be a compelling reason to do so...and King doesn't even try to give us one even when he has Alfred ask Bruce why in the story which is just beyond dumb. On a second point we have the team itself, the story could have at least been a fun thrill ride even if the motivation wasn't there but other than Catwoman the villains he picks are as dull as dish water and I just can't see any drama out of them. And lastly, on the topic of Catwoman, why is she in Arkham...in a full face mask and straight jacket? She's not the Joker so why does she get that treatment? I don't know and King doesn't hint at it so it comes off as feeling like it's way out of left field. There are ways this story could have been fun but King isn't giving us any of them. Art: The only saving grace of this issue is probably the coloring by Chung, especially in the opening scene with Bane struggling through a prison cell that floods with the tide as he grows up. The art is serviceable but the contrasts between the bright aqua of the water, the inky blacks and the amber yellow of the light outside the grate of his cell is just beautiful.
Conclusion: It's a disappointing start that sadly leads me to think I'm going to need to wait it out until King is off the book to enjoy Batman again.
Grade: 4/10 (Plot:1, Art:3) Every issue I've read of this run makes me feel like I'm missing some information from a prior issue, despite having read all of them. I always feel like I don't quite know what's going on. Maybe it's due to my unfamiliarity with the current DC universe.  I also read Rumble, Hellboy and the BPRD, BPRD Hell on Earth, and Usagi Yojimbo this week. They were all excellent. With the exception of Hellboy and the BPRD, they were all pretty melancholy stories (well, parts of Rumble were sad; the huge action scenes were fun though). That's not a bad thing, just interesting to note. Fortunately, Hellboy's latest adventure was a ton of fun. Overall, this was a great week of comics. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 26, 2016 16:50:00 GMT -5
Batman #9Written by Tom King Penciled and Inked by Mikel Janin Colored by June Chung Summary: In order to save Gotham Girl Batman must assemble a team to breach Santa Prisca Prison, defeat Bane and capture the Psycho Pirate. It's a mission with a questionable out come, a dirty job and so Batman breaks a gang of some of Arkham's worst to help him. Plot: I dropped Batman (and Detective) after the dreadful Monstermen cross over but seeing as how it was by a different creative team and the I Am Gotham story line was okay I thought I'd give King another go...but I think after a short hiatus Batman is back on the "Do Not Buy" pile for me. To start with King doesn't give us a good reason to see why Bruce Wayne getting in bed with Amanda Waller in order to form his own Suicide Squad to fight Bane would seem like a good idea and that's especially important in light of Batman having his very own special ops team over in Detective. It's a terrible decision to work with a bunch of psychopaths so there needs to be a compelling reason to do so...and King doesn't even try to give us one even when he has Alfred ask Bruce why in the story which is just beyond dumb. On a second point we have the team itself, the story could have at least been a fun thrill ride even if the motivation wasn't there but other than Catwoman the villains he picks are as dull as dish water and I just can't see any drama out of them. And lastly, on the topic of Catwoman, why is she in Arkham...in a full face mask and straight jacket? She's not the Joker so why does she get that treatment? I don't know and King doesn't hint at it so it comes off as feeling like it's way out of left field. There are ways this story could have been fun but King isn't giving us any of them. Art: The only saving grace of this issue is probably the coloring by Chung, especially in the opening scene with Bane struggling through a prison cell that floods with the tide as he grows up. The art is serviceable but the contrasts between the bright aqua of the water, the inky blacks and the amber yellow of the light outside the grate of his cell is just beautiful.
Conclusion: It's a disappointing start that sadly leads me to think I'm going to need to wait it out until King is off the book to enjoy Batman again.
Grade: 4/10 (Plot:1, Art:3) Every issue I've read of this run makes me feel like I'm missing some information from a prior issue, despite having read all of them. I always feel like I don't quite know what's going on. Maybe it's due to my unfamiliarity with the current DC universe. I also read Rumble, Hellboy and the BPRD, BPRD Hell on Earth, and Usagi Yojimbo this week. They were all excellent. With the exception of Hellboy and the BPRD, they were all pretty melancholy stories (well, parts of Rumble were sad; the huge action scenes were fun though). That's not a bad thing, just interesting to note. Fortunately, Hellboy's latest adventure was a ton of fun. Overall, this was a great week of comics. I don't think it's not knowing the dc universe but rather just plain old bad writing unfortunately, which is too bad because the ideas are decent enough but the execution is lacking. I liked the latest hellboy as well, the art was great and the ending was perfect |
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Post by String on Oct 27, 2016 12:31:21 GMT -5
 This week saw the release of the newest volume of Love & Rockets. The last volume was a bi-monthly, perhaps quarterly magazine-type format and this latest volume sees the Los Bro Hernandez return to a true comic format, perhaps on a monthly basis at this time. Either way, it's just great seeing the brothers back in top form. I'll admit, lately I have gotten behind in my L & R reading so this was a great pick-up for me. In this first issue, we get two short stories from Jaime, the first sees Maggie, Hopey, and Daffy contending with the ideal that their views of being punk may be outmoded in today's modern world while the second story sees Princess Animus dealing with amnesia. On Beto's side, we get an extended story with Fritz learning of an unknown granddaughter who wants to follow in her famous footsteps. The brothers continue their great characterization of their cast of characters as always defined by their amazing black & white art. The fact that they are still creating art of such high quality for 30+ years now is mind-blowing. Plot/Art/Everything: 10/10
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Post by String on Oct 27, 2016 13:05:52 GMT -5
 Infamous Iron Man #1
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Alex Maleev Plot: Victor Von Doom steps up to take over Tony Stark's work for reasons still known only to him. Bendis does provide an interesting twist in this premise, offering up a prologue in this issue that focuses on Doom's previous efforts to save his mother's soul from Hell. This ties directly into the final page of this issue, which offers up a view and influence on Doom's recent actions in a way that I didn't see coming. How Bendis proceeds with this new dynamic will probably affect how much I enjoy this title and move since that last page reveal was the biggest moment I enjoyed about this. This issue may have also spoiled a possible result of Civil War II (since that mini has suffered from delays). Stark is in this issue, in a way, that is, if this is what he is going forward, then somehow it's fitting. Art: Maleev does a good job here, continuing his strong collaboration with Bendis. However, I'm more accustomed to his work on street-level, noir type stories so it'll be interesting to see how he handles this title which would seem to include both tech and mystical elements. Grade: 6/10 , the lower score resulting from a trivial sequence involving Diablo and SHIELD Director Maria Hill that serves little purpose other than showcasing the inherent power and strength of Doom. Would I come back next issue: Probably, as I said, if only because of that last page reveal and what Bendis does with it. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 6, 2016 20:23:49 GMT -5
Usagi #158  Plot: Usagi helps a poor farmer and his mother with bandits in a particular poor area ,then travels with them to help the mother finish her journey to see her husband. While there's not much action in this one, this is one of those heart-wrenching one parters that Stan Sakai seems to excel at, which manage to be both sad and inspirational at the same time. Great issue, and could easily be read and enjoyed by anyone.. Usagi fan or not. 10/10 |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 17, 2016 15:05:31 GMT -5
Usagi #158 Plot: Usagi helps a poor farmer and his mother with bandits in a particular poor area ,then travels with them to help the mother finish her journey to see her husband. While there's not much action in this one, this is one of those heart-wrenching one parters that Stan Sakai seems to excel at, which manage to be both sad and inspirational at the same time. Great issue, and could easily be read and enjoyed by anyone.. Usagi fan or not. 10/10 Just read this issue now and wrote about it in the Usagi Yojimbo Dojo section. This is an AMAZING issue and a great introduction to the world of Usagi if you've never read before. I realize it's now a month old, but if you (meaning anyone reading this) can get your hands on this issue, and if you've never read/understood the appeal of Usagi before, you really need to read this thing! |
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