The Greatest Comics of All Time is not a column that is designed to promote the obscure (or the over-exposed for that matter); rather, it is designed to discuss those books that I, personally, have found the most impactful throughout my life.

And I’m starting with the undeniable #1 arc.  I read Amazing Spider-Man #229 and 230, “Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut,” so many times I’ve memorized where the little tears are in my paper copy.  Hit the break to learn why I loved it so much…

The book came during a legendary run by Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr.–one of the best Amazing Spider-Man runs of all time and, frankly, one of the best runs on a comic book period.  It’s one that has never been collected in color, either, but at least these few issues have seen reprints here and there.

I first read it when I was 12 and it popped out on the newstand.  I was a regular Amazing Spider-Man reader, so I didn’t put any thought into it, but I had no idea who Juggernaut was (and he really wasn’t a major character at the time), or who that Black Tom character was who seemed to boss Juggy around.  I wasn’t a big Madame Web fan, either, so I started out reading the book slightly annoyed that she was to play a major role.  And it started with a dream/hallucination sequence, so there were quite a few strikes against the book before I even hit page 10, when Juggernaut rises out of the Hudson and begins an epic, two-issue march through Manhattan.  And that’s basically the whole story–Juggernaut takes a walk, and Spidey tries to stop him. 

But the “trip” gives John Romita, Jr., a lot to play with–images of Spider-Man’s textured webbing getting stretched to the fullest (and used in a myriad of manners), and this great panel at right, which I’ve stared at for I can’t imagine how many minutes over the years.  It similar to what Frank Miller was doing in Daredevil at the time–eschewing motion “lines” in favor of multiple, slightly faded images of the character in motion.  It’s almost like little frames from a flip picture.  But it shows how great Romita, Jr., can be when he’s in touch with the form of a particular character.  You can see Spider-Man’s unique fighting style, and it’s in great opposition to the static image of Juggernaut–a slow-moving, hulking force.

There’s lots of other great panels I could post here, but I don’t want to give away too much of the story.  I do want to talk just a little bit about the writing, though.

Roger Stern used Spider-Man’s infamous sense of corny humor to its greatest effect by focusing not on one-liners and insults but on Peter Parker’s attitude and approach to problem solving.  In the panel below, we see Spider-Man telling Juggernaut how he’s going to rip off his helmet.  It’s not laugh-out-loud funny, but there’s a real sense of warmth and charm–that Spider-Man doesn’t take this battle personally (even though by this time he’s already had a building dropped on him) or too seriously (and all of us readers know Spider-Man will survive–and win–because he always does).   I won’t give away the end, but the story also shows how Stern allowed Spider-Man to be a creative fighter.  He recognized that Spidey wasn’t an icon like Captain America or a powerhouse like Thor, he was just a man with some overdeveloped strength and agility.

So that’s my first post on my favorite comics of all time.  What do you think?  Enjoy the feature?  What are some of your own votes for the best comics ever?

That’s not a typo.  Which Marvel character will meet which DC character?  Here’s a hint: The book will launch in April, just a few months before each character will be featured in a major motion picture.

THE TOP 10 COMIC BOOK CROSSOVERS.

9.  Hulk vs. Superman.  I’m putting up this one because it was written by Roger Stern and drawn by the always fantastic Steve Rude.  It’s not a great story (but also not an awful one), but the art is probably the best from any crossover, ever.

6.  Archie Meets The Punisher.  Frank Castle tracks his prey into Riverdale, where he meets up with Archie’s crew at a school dance.  Written by Batton Lash, and drawn by both John Buscema (on big Pun) and Stan Goldberg (on the Archies).  Yes, it’s kitsch, but it’s wonderful.  With cameos by Millie the Model, Josie and the Pussycats, Katy Keene, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and a mention of Doc Strange.  Note: Punisher has also met Eminem, if you’re looking for pure weirdness.  But don’t look too hard for that one.  It’s pretty awful.

Reply Reply All Forward Forward

From Marvel

Celebrating the best of the year….Hit the break.

]]> http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/19/the-best-of-2011-comic-books/feed/ 0 http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/05/the-top-100-comic-book-heroes-of-all-time/ http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/05/the-top-100-comic-book-heroes-of-all-time/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:22:34 +0000 ekko http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/?p=9319

IGN published a top 100 comic book heroes that made me crazy, both in its predictability (Hey! Superman and Bats are #s 1 and 2!), overinclusiveness (every single Robin except Damian Wayne (who is the most interesting one by far), as well as Superboy and Supergirl?  Really?) and its attempts to be esoteric without providing sufficient justification (Groo makes the list, but they don’t really say what makes him so essential; James Gordon makes the list, but Aunt May and Uncle Ben don’t–nor does Jarvis; and Nova makes the list, but nobody really gives a shit about Nova).  Maybe it was the list’s sketchy criteria for placement: “Picked by their cultural impact, character development, social relevance, general cool factor, and importance of storylines, these are the best of the best.

It made me so nuts, I made my own list.  Yes, there’s a lot of overlap.  But mine is better.  Because I said so.

Note: If you’re just looking for a list without supporting arguments, you can jump to the last page of this post.  But you can’t tell me I was wrong to put Thor at #33 unless you go and read why.  So, read every page and then tell me why I’m full of $#!+.

Enjoy!

]]> http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/05/the-top-100-comic-book-heroes-of-all-time/feed/ 0 http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/04/picture-of-the-day-628/ http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/04/picture-of-the-day-628/#comments Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:11:57 +0000 ekko http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/?p=10033

And another thing–why the hell are John Waters and Aunt May pulling weapons on Spidey?

]]> http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/12/04/picture-of-the-day-628/feed/ 0 http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/11/11/comic-book-news-sales-numbers-and-more/ http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/11/11/comic-book-news-sales-numbers-and-more/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:33:05 +0000 ekko http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/?p=10047 The lead story has to be the October 2011 sales figures, which still show success vis a vis DC’s new 52. It’s safe to say that the new 52, and the new 52 alone, is responsible for America spending 12% more on comic books than they did last October. Comic-book unit orders are also up—by over 32% from last year. That’s tremendous. They’re also up from the first month of the new 52, but I assume that’s because so many DC #1s sold out in September and were reprinted in October. What does 32% mean? It means a million more comic books were sold. DC’s market share was 42%–a new record for the world’s number two comic book publisher. They haven’t hit that number since December 1999, when Grant Morrison’s JLA came out. In comparison, all indie publishers combined got only 28% of the market.

Here’s the top 10 for comic book sales, October 2011:

10. Superman #2.
9. Fear itself #7.
8. Wolverine and the X-Men #1.
7. Hulk #1.
6. Detective Comics #2.
5. Flash #2.
4. Green Lantern #2.
3. Action #2.
2. Batman #2.
1. Justice League #2.

Rounding out the top 25 were second issues of the other Bat-family books, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Teen Titans, Justice League International, and only three other Marvel titles: Fear Itself: Fearless #1; Amazing Spider-Man #671, and the last issue of Uncanny X-Men. So only six Marvel titles cracked the top 25, in a month where one of its bestselling titles ended and we saw a #1 with the word “X-Men” in it. Amazing.

Things didn’t fare much better for Marvel on the trade front, with only one book, Ultimate Spider-Man: The Death of Spider-Man, managing to crack the top 10 (and coming in at #10, no less). DC had 5 books in the top 10, several of them hardcovers, including Flashpoint. Walking Dead got two trades in the top 10 and worth mentioning is that Alan Moore’s horrendously shocking, disgusting, horrifying and brilliant Neonomicon trade paperback came in at #9 for Avatar Press. You should all go buy it, unless you’re easily offended.
Now for the rest of the news, hit the break.

COMICS ON TELEVISION

We’re entering a renaissance for TV heroes, and I have high hopes that the Marvel live-action slate will do for “real” supershows what DC has been doing for cartoons lately, what with Young Justice, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and several great DVDs…And if you’re not watching B:TBATB, you’re missing lots of great Aquaman stuff–like the clip above.  Marvel needs to catch up. Avengers is a solid TV show, but the where hell is it? Anime X-Men is actually very good, incorporating Grant Morrison’s U-Men and elements from Joss Whedon’s “Astonishing” line-up, but the other two anime projects were terrible. So it’s time for…

ANOTHER MARVEL T.V. SHOW! AND THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL! Fox bought an hour-long Punisher show. It will be a sitcom in which Frank Castle tries to juggle the demands of a 9-to-5 job, kids, and a horny wife with his nighttime activities of assassinating major crime lords. The wacky neighbor will be a loveable street sweeper who keeps complaining about how hard it is to get bloodstains out of pavement, played by Ted McGinley. Seriously, though, the show is indeed being developed and a pilot will be shot under showrunner Ed “Criminal Minds” Bernero. It will portray Frank Castle an an NYPD detective who moonlights as a vigilante. No, really, that was the serious description. May I suggest as a title, “How to f#$! up the otherwise easy gig of adapting Garth Ennis’ comics into TV shows.”

THE SPECTRE. Also got a Fox show. Or at least a development deal.

COMIC BOOKS IN COMIC BOOKS

WATCHMEN 2. No, not the movie, the comic. No, not the comic that’s been rumored for years, a new comic. That is rumored. This one says that there may be an attempt to weave Watchmen into the new 52—and Dave Gibbons may be involved. It’s not clear whether this will actually bring them into the DCU (God, I hope not) or will be like all the (remaining) Vertigo titles, operating separately. Rumor is there will be four miniseries with Darwyn Cooke overseeing the project but not necessarily writing all of them. Oh, and they’ll be prequels. Do you care now? I don’t. Watchmen was a standalone. No need for more. Besides, prequels to classics usually suck; right, George Lucas?

WINTER SOLDIER. Spinning out of the narrative disappointment (that’s code for clusterfuck) that was Fear Itself, in which Matt Fraction killed Bucky and then brought him back, next year Ed Brubaker will get another Cap-family book featuring the character. I have to say that the quality of Brubaker’s Captain America has definitely dipped since his killed-Cap-and-brought-him-back storyline that spanned several years. But since that storyline was far and away the best Captain America story of all time, and probably one of the best superhero/espionage books of all time as well, saying that it’s not what it used to be isn’t extreme criticism. The new book sounds dark, which Brubaker does real well, so I’m hopefull.

JUSTICE LEAGUE NEW 52. I’m just saying, this book is terrific. No, it’s not as brilliant as Batman or as groundbreaking as Wonder Woman or as high concept as Frankenstein, but it’s tons of buttery popcorn fun. And that’s what a team book is really supposed to be about: Spectacle, not substance. That’s what makes a good issue of The Avengers so much fun. Crisp dialog, good action sequences, and “big” art. Great stuff, and the DC book I look forward to most each month now (other than Batman).

AVENGING SPIDER-MAN DIGITAL/PRINT RELEASE. Marvel is giving away a free code for the digital copies of Avenging Spider-Man #1, #2, or #3 in the print versions, so you can get both. Of course, it only works on the iOS and Android apps. That’s what’s so lame about digital comics—whatever you buy, you’re held hostage by a certain app. It’s not like getting a pdf or an mp3. As for the book itself, it’s written by Zeb Wells with art by Joe Madureira so I’m sure it’ll be great. It’s like Marvel Team Up, sort of. Issue #1 arrives in November, featuring Red Hulk and Spidey vs. the Moloids (or something that looks like them).

THE DEFENDERS. Thirty years ago, it was probably my second-favorite “team” book (after Roger Stern’s Avengers). Thirty days ago, I was excited to hear that Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson would revive the team and that members would include Iron Fist, Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange. Thirty minutes ago, I heard that the team will be facing Fear Itself cast-off Nul and would essentially continue the Fear Itself story. And that, my friends, is when I stopped paying attention.

GREEN ARROW. Yeah, it sucked. So now they’re brining in Ann “Daredevil” Nocenti to take over. Now, I’m not a fan of her “Daredevil meets the actual devil” run on that book—but she did create Typhoid Mary, who was later put to good use by Brian Michael Bendis. And she says she’ll be creating a similar foil for Green Arrow. Plus, she wrote some very good B-lister material for Marvel in the 1980s, including the Beauty and the Beast miniseries starring the blue-furred Beast and, of course, the amazing Longshot miniseries that introduced that character and made artist Arthur Adams a household name. (I like to think of Adams as Jim Lee before Jim Lee was Jim Lee.)

ALPHA FLIGHT AND IRON MAN 2.0 ARE CANCELLED. So both of the people buying these books will have to revise their pull lists. The Nick Spencer Young Dr. Doom book is also cancelled, even before it was released.

COMIC BOOKS IN MOVIES

RED 2. I dunno about you, but I really enjoyed the Bruce Willis geezerthon based on the Warren Ellis comic. I’m looking forward to the sequel, which has a 8/2/2013 release date staked out.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA THE MOVIE. Bryan “X-Men” Singer will take on a film reboot of the 1978 TV show (the one that sucked, not the recent Sci-Fi Channel (before it was SyFy Channel) that was fantastic). It will be written by John Band of Brothers Orloff.

CRIMINAL MOVIE. It’s been a rumor for years, and now it’s official: Hunting Lane Films will adapt Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Eisner Award-winning Criminal: Coward comic for the big screen with David “30 Days of Night” Slade as director. Slade’s also the guy who will be revamping “Daredevil,” which is not owned by Marvel but by Fox.

ROBOCOP. Director Jose Padilha met with Superhero Hype and said his movie will be about what happened after Alex Murphy got shot but before he became RoboCop. Like a transformation movie. Frankly, it sounds horrible. When you’ve got an original as brilliant as the first one, just leave it alone and do an entirely different movie. Have we learned nothing from the remakes of Nightmare on Elm St., Psycho, Halloween, King Kong, The Thing, Godzilla, etc.? The best remakes are complete reimaginings: Peckinpah transforming Seven Samurai into Magnificent 7; Casino Royale going from Woody Allen to testicle torture; Cronenberg turning Vincent Price’s cornball horror into the genius of Brundlefly; Rise of the Apes just being flat out wicked cool and barely using the original concept…The only time a “remake” really works is with comic book movies where they retell the origin: Burton’s Batman was dated and so The Dark Knight was appropriate, e.g., but even there moviemakers spend far too much time rehashing the same stories rather than bringing in something new. Yes, I’m talking to you, Superman.

All for now.  Happy Veteran’s Day.  Remember: At 11:11 on 11-11-11, take a moment for a fallen hero, a survivor, or someone still in uniform….Everybody’s gotta know somebody.

]]> http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/11/11/comic-book-news-sales-numbers-and-more/feed/ 4 http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/10/23/hulk-smashes-the-avengers-and-other-comic-book-news%e2%80%a6/ http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/10/23/hulk-smashes-the-avengers-and-other-comic-book-news%e2%80%a6/#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:48:24 +0000 ekko http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/?p=9895 HULK SMASH AVENGERS.  Coming February 2012.  “Hulk Smash Avengers” will be a 5-issue weekly mini designed to shamelessly build up to the Avengers movie.  It will be “Hulk vs.” battles that take place from 1960 on—one for each decade–all with covers by the great Lee Weeks.  The talent roster for each of these self-contained issues is:

·         Hulk vs. the original Avengers (1960s) by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, and the great Sal Buscema on inks–featuring Executioner and Enchantress.

·         Hulk vs. Iron Man, Wasp, Vision and Beast (1970s) by Jose Casey and Max Fiumara .

·         Hulk vs. Cap, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wasp, She-Hulk, and Thor (1980s) by Roger Stern and Karl Moline, featuring the “smart Hulk” and the Captain Marvel who later led Nextwave.

·         Mr. Fixit Hulk vs. West Coast Avengers (1990s) by Jim McCann, which means we’ll see Mockingbird, Hawkeye, Wonder Man and Tigra, among others.

·         Rulk vs. Mighty Avengers (2000s) by Fred Van Lente and Michael Avon Oeming, which takes place after Banner was imprisoned for smashing Manhattan in World War Hulk.

I have to say, the only one I’m really interested in is #3, because I’m a big Roger Stern fan and want to see what he’s up to these days, but the 1960s one has potential.  They really could have skipped the 1990s.  Most of us who actually enjoy our comic books try to pretend it never happened anyway.  Frankly, they should just either do an animated version of World War Hulk or re-release that series and the tie-ins as a big package.  I was a huge WWH fan—great, big, brawling fun.

Lots of other news rolling out of NY Comic Con this month—too much for me to keep up on in a timely fashion.  So, you may already know much of this.  Or not.  Hit the break to find out….

SECRET AVENGERS.  I have to confess that I missed the Warren Ellis arc on this book, largely because the Brubaker issues were so intolerably bad.  But now that Steve Rogers is back in the Captain America underwear, he’s off the Secret Avengers and the mantle is being passed to Hawkeye, who hasn’t let a team since West Coast Avengers.  The series will now be scripted by Rick “Venom/X-Force” Remender.  He’s proven he knows how to do covert ops books, so this is good news.  He’ll be bringing Captain Britain to the team, as well as a whole new roster.

VENOM JOINS THE FANTASTIC FOUR.  Actually, my hopes of Venom on Secret Avengers are unlikely to come true, being that a February 2012 story arc in the symbiote’s own book promises he’ll be joining the F4.  Back in the Dark Days Of Marvel (a.k.a. the 1990s), the FF lineup was revised to consist of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Doc Strange, and Ghost Rider.  It was awful, despite that it was created by Walt Simonson and Art Adams.  But rather than blot it out, Venom is joining a new FF with Rulk, X-23, and Ghost Rider.  The good news?  The first issue will be drawn by Tony Moore, who has never done a bad project when teamed up with Rick Remender.  Seriously.  If you didn’t like Frankencastle, you take your comics too damn seriously.  And you’re probably one of those guys who complains that superhero books are stale, but when someone comes along and really shakes up the genre, you bitch that he’s not faithful to the characters.  Remender’s never been afraid to deviate from expectation.  (Note: Jeff Parker and Rob Williams are also writing installments of the arc.)  Anyway, Marvel is calling this “The Venom Event,” and they’re running the book on a weekly schedule in February with issues 13, 13.1, 13.2 and 13.3. So, if it sucks, at least it’ll be over quick.  And if it doesn’t, we’ll get to read it nice and quick.  Win-win.

GRANT MORRISON’S WONDER WOMAN.  This project, which involved research discussed in Morrison’s Supergods book about the roots of feminist theory and the bondage-based roots of the Wonder Woman character, may actually see the light of day in 2012.

THE WALKING DEAD.  Over 7 million watched the premier live, another 11 mil DVR’d it, and the show scored a 4-share among 18-49 year olds, making it the most watched basic cable drama in history.  And man did that season premier deserve it.  The suspense was maddening!

AVENGERS 2.  Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige has indicated that after the Avengers movie, Marvel will begin the build up to the sequel with Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Cap 2, and potential Doc Strange, Ant Man, Inhumans, and Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

A.D.D.  Written by Douglas Rushkoff and illustrated by Goran “Y The Last Man” Sudzuka, A.D.D. will be a graphic novel under D.C.’s Vertigo imprint about children who are bred, beginning in the womb, to be video game testers.  Sounds weird.  But possibly very cool.

ELFQUEST.  The best-selling creator-owned comic book of all time, which spawned all kinds of merchandise and cartoons, is set to become a movie directed by Rawson “Dodgeball” Thurber.  Dodgeball?!?  On script will be Joe “Dr. Who” Ahearne.  Hm.  Kinda b-list talent for a project that has suckfest written all over it.

MICRONAUTS.  When I was 9 I played with Star Wars figures and Mego Super Hero dolls. I cherished my Captain America and Hulk, and we always fought over the Darth Vader with the light saber built into his arm.  But my favorite were my Micronauts—interchangeable characters with all kinds of wild vehicles and weapons.  And back then, toy- and movie-based comics didn’t suck.  Shogun Warriors was decent, and Larry Hama’s G.I. Joe was (gasp!) often one of the better Marvel comics on the market.  Star Wars was pretty good.  Battlestar Galactica didn’t suck, at least sometimes.  And Micronauts?  Well, you’ve probably forgotten, but a then-little-known artist named Butch Guice cut his teeth on the book.  It was created by the great Bill Mantlo, and Chris Claremont participated as a writer.  Michael Golden, Howard Chaykin, and Gil Kane all took turns on the art.  There was a great crossover with the X-Men.  And now, the writers of one of the best zombie movies ever (Zombieland) and the currently in development Deadpool movie have been tasked with writing a screenplay for the Baron Karza’s crew, for a film to be produced by no less than J.J. Abrams.

THE RETURN OF THE PHOENIX.   A 2012 teaser with the credits: Aaron, Bendis, Brubaker, Copiel, Fraction, Hickman, Kubert, and Romita Jr.  Basically, the entire Marvel “A” list of talent.  2012 is the 10^th anniversary of Jean Grey’s (latest) death, so there you are.

SHAZAM!  The new 52 version of the big red cheese will launch as a backup series beginning with Justice League #5, with words by Geoff Johns and art by … Gary Frank!  Holy moley!

X-MEN: ALPHA AND OMEGA.  In the aftermath of the best “event” this year (X-Men: Schism), Wolverine and Quentin Quire will be featured in a 5-issue mini written by indie favorite Brian Wood.  The story will feature another Quire-led student revolt, or somesuch.

SPACEMAN.  The new series by the 100 Bullets team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, coming this month on Vertigo—with a $1 price tag for the first issue.

A.K.A. JESSICA JONES.  The ABC series based on Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos’ “Alias” series that retconned Jessica Jones into the Marvel Universe will also feature Carol Danvers and Luke Cage, both of whom are major characters in the comic.

CLOAK & DAGGER AND MOCKINGBIRD.  These two other Marvel upcoming TV properties will be on ABC family.  Ugh.

X-MEN ANIME.  I have not (repeat not!) enjoyed the Iron Man and Wolverine anime series on G4.  But I’m ready to get fooled again.  X-Men Anime is now airing on G4.  I haven’t seen it yet, but I will.  It takes place after Jean Grey dies and the X-Men go to Japan to fight the U-Men and save a kidnapped mutant.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN THE ANIMATED SERIES.  Yes, it’s still coming next year.  Yes, it looks innovative and awesome.  And Stan Lee will have a recurring role as a janitor.

JEFF LEMIRE LIKES MAKING MONEY.  With several “new 52” books providing steady income, Lemire announced at NYCC that his groundbreaking, reputation-making “Sweet Tooth” book will end before issue #50.  Damn it.  But I guess it’s better to end something while it’s great than to keep on doing it until finally there’s a Journey song that just cuts in the middle and everyone is shouting “WTF!” and that guy was gonna kill Tony when he got out of the bathroom anyway so AAAAAAAARGH!

THE SECRET SERVICE.  The long-gestating Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons will be previewed in Millar and Leinil Yu’s Superior #6 (Superior is a great series, by the way).

STORM JOINS THE AVENGERS.  So now she’s Black Panther’s wife, she’s on Cyclops’ X-Men team, and she’s joining up with Iron Man, Hawkeye, Vision and the gang.  She’s almost as hard working as Wolverine.  Coming in issue #19 (January).

ZOMBIELAND ON T.V.  And in other news about writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, Zombieland is being developed as a half-hour comedy for CBS.  And soon, the networks will do to zombies what they already did to vampires and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

]]> http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/10/23/hulk-smashes-the-avengers-and-other-comic-book-news%e2%80%a6/feed/ 3 http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/08/16/comic-book-news-all-the-news-about-print-that%e2%80%99s-fit-to-print/ http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/08/16/comic-book-news-all-the-news-about-print-that%e2%80%99s-fit-to-print/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:54:42 +0000 ekko http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/?p=9117

I had so much to gab about—I’m such a cape-yenta—that I split the news column this week into one about movies/TV and one about print.  This is the print one.  The other one came yesterday.  So unless you like reading (i.e., are over the age of 30), you probably don’t want to …

Hit the break for news about The Walking Dead; Captain America joining Alpha Flight; the end of Batman, Inc.; the return of the Human Torch; and two new Avengers teams!

THE NEW ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN.  Everyone’s talking about it, so I feel like I “should” mention something.  So here it is: The Ultimate Universe has pretty much sucked farts out of dead baby bats for years.  The one title, the one shining light, was Ultimate Spider-Man.  So what did they do?  They broke something that wasn’t broken.  I can’t say I care all that much about it (although using diversity as a stunt is a little demeaning), and I’m pretty sure I won’t bother to read it.  I’d rather try to catch up on back issues of The Boys.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (CANADA) COVER VARIANT.  In August, Captain America get’s renumbered at #1 (the second Captain America #1 written by Ed Brubaker—this is just stupid and ridiculous).  And there will be a Fred Eaglesham variant cover sold only at the comic-con in Toronto.  Way to reward your fanbase, Marvel…I want one.

BATMAN, INC.  I’m a Grant Morrison fan, but I also tend to think his stuff reads a lot better in trades, where his complicated, decompressed, I-think-you-should-know-what-I-am-thinking-but-often-you-just-feel-stupid writing style can be digested in chunks.  So, I can’t say I’m disappointed that Batman, Inc. will end not with issues #9 and #10, as originally solicited, but with a double-sized one-shot titled “Leviathan Strikes”.  It will be a cliff-hanger on which Bruce Wayne will dangle until 2012, when Morrison’s Batman: Leviathan will be released as a 12-issue series that will culminate everything Morrison has ever done with Batman and will, presumably, end his involvement with the character.  We need an omnibus before that, please.

S.H.I.E.L.D.  Is anyone other than me reading this series?  I’m lovin’ it.  Writer Jonathan Hickman reports that he will wrap the series in five more issues—with a complete finish.  If you’re not reading this, you’re missing an extremely complex and fascinating attempt to turn Leonardo DaVinci into a superhero (trust me, it works), as well many other famous historical characters, and the incredible art of Dustin Weaver—some of the best comic book art I’ve ever seen.

FUTURE FOUNDATION BECOMES FANTASTIC AGAIN?  See the teaser?  Marvel figured out that the only way to get people to buy Fantastic 4 comics is to make events.  Coming in November, they’re 4 again.  Could be Human Torch coming back.  Could be just the end of the FF and the return of an F4 book with #600, with the current lineup.  The book is promised to be “quadruple sized,” whatever that means.  (I think it means it’ll cost eight bucks.)  No word on whether this means the “FF” books is being cancelled, or whether it’ll be like Avengers Academy (i.e., about the FF kids in school learning to be supergeeks).  The promo pix include Spider-Man, so apparently someone needs to tell Marvel that 1+1+1+1+1=5, not 4.  But my highest hopes are that Spidey is off this team.  It’s ridiculous having him carry two of his own books and be on two teams as well.  Who the hell does he think he is, Wolverine?

SCOTT SNYDER IS A SELLOUT.  By which I mean that the American Vampire/Detective Comics author’s new Image comic book, Severed, sold out its first issue.  It’s always good when new books sell.  A second printing is on the way September 9, along with issue #2.

THE REVENGERS … Was the name of a superhero comic I made when was eight.  Seriously.  But it’s also the name of the latest Avengers spin off by Brian Michael Bendis and Gabriele Dell’Otto.  The team looks a little bit like a poor-man’s Defenders.  Or even a poor-man’s Great Lakes Avengers.  Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is team leader, joined by D-Man (the guy who looks like yellow Daredevil and used to work with Captain America); Anti Venom; Virtue, a.k.a. Ethan Edwards (a skrull); a new Goliath; Atlas; Devil Slayer; Century; and Captain Ultra.  All guys who either used to be criminals or who, at a minimum, have beef with one or more Avengers.

THE RETURN OF NORMAN OSBORN AND THE DARK AVENGERS.  Doesn’t that sound like a great name for a band?  Norman Osborn is returning in a storyline that will cross between New Avengers and The Avengers, beginning in Avengers 16.1—which features the art of Neal Adams!  It’s being called “The Hammer War,” and Brian Michael Bendis promises a huge cast—with Osborn uniting Hydra, AIM and the Hand—and team shake-ups that will bring Daredevil and two other “classic” heroes joining Avenger teams, as well as members of the now-defunct (and sorely missed) Secret Warriors series, such as Daisy Johnson.  Perhaps the best news about the crossover is that John Romita, Jr., is leaving Avengers.  I’m a big JRJr. fan, but his work on Avengers has…Sucked.  He’s being replaced by Daniel Acuña, while Mike Deodato will be pencilling “New Avengers.”  Based on the teaser, I’m guessing Skaar is one of the Dark Avengers…

SPEAKING OF SPIDEY….SPIDER ISLAND HAS BEGUN.  With the weakest issue of Amazing Spider-Man (#666) since the “Big Time” arc began.  I’m getting less and less impressed by this book.  Spidey’s got no spider sense anymore and he’s relying on gadgets.  That’s just not who I want to read about.  It’s not as bad (yet) as the spider-armor stories, but we’re getting close.  The bloom is starting to fade off this rose…Will Spider Island do for Spider-Man what Shadowland did for Daredevil?  Let’s hope not.

LEGION FLIGHT RINGS.  Retailers who order at least 25 copies of Legion: Secret Origin #1 will get a bag of 50 rings, and additional bags for each 25 additional issues ordered.  Please, Jeff at Victory Comics, set one aside for me?

NOWHERE MAN RETURNS.  No, not the (terrific) Bruce Greenwood UPN series that ended abruptly leaving all kinds of questions unanswered, but the 2008 Marc Guggenheim Virgin Comics series that ended abruptly leaving all kinds of questions unanswered.  Rising from the ashes as Liquid Comics, the same crew from Virgin (now no longer funded by Richard Branson) have managed to convince Guggenheim to finish off the story line about a future world where the cops arrest you before you commit crimes (a la Minority Report).  Nowhere Man is the one dude whose mind they can’t read.  It’s a cool concept.  On the art will be Jeevan J. Kang (Spider-Man: India and the upcoming Silver Scorpion).

THE WALKING DEAD WITHOUT PICTURES.  Robert Kirkman is releasing a “real” novel titled “Rise of the Governor” about, um, the rise of the Governor character from the comic book series.  It’s co-authored with Jay Bonansinga.

STAR TREK MEETS THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES.  Yes, you read that right.  Coming from IDW Publishing, a 6-issue mini with no release date announced.  If successful, it will be followed by “Deep Space 9 and the Legion of Substitute Superheroes.”

]]> http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/08/16/comic-book-news-all-the-news-about-print-that%e2%80%99s-fit-to-print/feed/ 1 http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/07/28/post-comic-con-news-orgy-part-2/ http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2011/07/28/post-comic-con-news-orgy-part-2/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:33:41 +0000 ekko http://www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/?p=9238 Modok=One of the best Marvel characers to look at.

Ben Templesmith=Genius comicbook artist.

And please, go here and vote for your favorite comic book movie!

Now hit the break for more news about comics and the world of comics…But beware of lurking spoilers!

SPIDER ISLAND: THE TIE-INS.  The complete roster was announced:

• Cloak and Dagger by Nick Spencer and Emma Rios
• Spider-Girl by Paul Tobin and Pepe Larraz
• Deadly Hands of Kung Fu by Antony Johnston and Sebastian Fiumara.  Also in this mini: Iron Fist and Bride of Nine Spiders.
• Deadly Foes by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Fred Van Lente, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Minck Oosterveer.  This will be a one-shot with two stories, one with Hobgoblin and the other about Jackal (the main Spider-Island villain, if you haven’t been reading the teasers in recent Amazing Spider-Man issues).
• Avengers by Christopher Yost and Mike McKone
• Spider-Woman by Fred Van Lente and Giuseppe Camuncoli
• Love New York City by Greg Rucka, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Joe Caramagna, Skottie Young and Max Fiumara.  This will be from the civilian point of view, but will also feature a Greg Rucka Punisher tale.

LEGO! Apparently, we can look forward to Marvel and DC Lego sets and minifigs…And this article says that, among the characters brickified will be Deadpool.  So all the six-year-olds who buy Lego will be able to get in touch with their inner schizo/sociopath….

JASON AARON’S INCREDIBLE HULK.  Jason Aaron is another one of those authors who blows hot and cold for me.  I don’t love his Wolverine work, but I can’t deny his skills in Scalped and PunisherMAX.  And as for the Hulk, it’s pretty much sucked for most of its long, long run.  Greg Pak did a decent job with it, and before him John Byrne was solid, but the number of memorable runs are way outnumbered by issue after issue of growling and breaking crap with no apparent point.   Marc Silvestri will take on the art chores for the new book, in which Hulk and Banner are split.  Frankly, without a Banner in him, Hulk is kind of a one-note character.  On the other hand, Aaron did a good job with one-noter Ghost Rider, so we’ll see.  I just hope they don’t mix too many colors.

BRIAN K. VAUGHAN…Will be returning to comics on an Image Sci-Fi book about having a family during a never-ending space war.  The book will be called “Saga.”  It took me a while to get into Y: The Last Man, but once I was hooked I tore through the entire series in a matter of weeks.  I’ve never been able to fully commit to Ex Machina, and after the first arc Runaways got stale for me.  But I know he’s got tons of fans, so this is big news.  On the art is Fiona “Northlanders” and “North 40” Staples.

KILLIONAIRE wins “best title of a new title.”  Coming on Top Cow from Russ Cundiff and Milo Ventimiglia.

X-MEN NEWS.  The two main X-titles, post schism, will be: Wolverine and the X-Men by Aaron and Bachalo, and Uncanny X-Men by Gillen, Pacheco and Land.  Cyclops won’t be on either team, apparently.

MATT FRACTION REVIVES THE DEFENDERS.  Matt’s got Fear Itself to his detriment, but Iron Man and Iron Fist to his credit.  And since the latter will be featured in the new Defenders book, coming in December, I am more than optimistic.  The Defenders have always been the poor man’s Avengers.  The classic roster was constantly rotating with B-listers like Son of Satan, Ghost Rider, Angel, Beast…But for this one, Fraction has been teasing about returning to the Savage Land and Wundagore Mountain (birthplace of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver), the return of Devil Dinosaur, and a roster including Silver Surfer, Doc Strange, She Rulk and, of course, the Fist.  He promises that the book will, as the original title did, tread along the fringes of the mainstream Marvel Universe.  The great Terry Dodson will handle the art chores.

 

 

 

 

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