Comics coming out tomorrow, November 28th
Marvel Zombies 2 #2
Y'know, I told myself I wasn't going to buy this mini-series sequel to the generally fun and well-received Marvel Zombies... but I was at the comic store a few weeks ago and I couldn't help myself. While the gag wears thin, I have to say... the first issue was every bit as fun as the first go-around! In particular, there's a nice visual gag halfway through the book that alone was worth the price of admission. I don't really give a damn about the rest of the MZ spin-offs, but I suppose you can't argue with the original creative team comin' back with another story. I'm officially sucked in.
Sensational Spider-Man #41
Now, while I write this every week, I don't profess to know a lot about the shipping practices of comic book companies. Occasionally a publisher will say "PunchMan is coming out the week of December 4th!" and you'll go to your shop on December 4th only to find that the book didn't come out. It happened a lot with smaller publishers while I was growing up... but lately, it seems to happen with the big guns ALL the time, and with their A list material. Unless I'm wrong, ALL Marvel's big-ticket events in the past year and a half (Civil War, World War Hulk) have shipped later than late... and the Spider-Man "One More Day" event falls right in line with that trend. This is the third issue of the four issue story... and while the story would normally would have come out over the course of five weeks... this has taken almost that amount of months to unspool on newsstands.
I would say the big difference between "One More Day" and those other events is that "One More Day" just doesn't do it for me. I bought the first issue for a somewhat ridiculous reason- the first chapter came out the week Elliot was born, and I wanted to stick the comic, along with the newspapers that came out that day, in his Keepsake box. I daresay he's not going to be too impressed... the art by Joe Quesada is pretty nice, but the story (Aunt May's dying AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN) has been done to pieces.
Midnighter: Killing Machine TPB
Writer Garth Ennis and penciller Chris Sprouse taking on Wildstorm's amoral Batman analogue. I was into the book until fill-in artists started to seep in around... oh, ISSUE TWO. Honestly. I really love Chris Sprouse's artwork, I have since he took over Alan Moore's Supreme a few years back. Also, I completely understand if Sprouse is one of those artists that can't conform to a monthly schedule. However... if I'm going to commit to a series on the strength of the creative team alone, I expect that creative team to be on the book for longer than 22 pages. I got so annoyed by this that I didn't find out what happened beyond the second issue. The first issue was pretty good though.
Dan Dare #1
At the same time, Ennis isn't a big enough draw to get me to read Virgin Comics' new take on the classic British sci-fi character Dan Dare. I know people who wax rhapsodic about Dan Dare comics, but I'm absolutely unfamiliar with the material, and I'd be more interested in scooping up some archive material before checking out this revised version.
Shazam Series 1 Action Figure Assortment
I don't usually talk about non-comic releases here, but DC Direct is doing a set of action figures based on the old Fawcett Captain Marvel characters and they look amazing, the sculpts splitting the difference between the old CC Beck style and a more modern take on Cap, Mary Marvel and company. Though those figures are good I'm most impressed by the two pack: Captain Marvel alter-ego Billy Baston and the punchline of many a Comic Book Guy type, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny!
Contrary to this weekly ramble, I find it hard to get worked up about a lot of comic stuff. Oh, don't get me wrong... I love comics, especially superhero comics. I just can't find it in myself to get excited about them in the same way as when I was growing up.
That being said, two things that really fired up my fanboy this week:
Watchmen set pictures- I know I should hate this movie on principal alone, but the more I see, the less I want to harbor resentment toward Zach Snyder and company for adapting the best superhero comic book series ever. That corner shot of the newsstand and the Black Freighter poster really make me excited. If you're making Watchmen, the details really matter.
The Spoiler might be making a DC Comics comeback- I never really understand it when fans get increasingly insane about certain characters in comics/movies/TV, Boba Fett aside. That bein' said... The Spoiler, a minor vigilante in the Batman mythos, was always a favorite. Her appearances as Robin's girlfriend coincided with the time I was working at the pharmacy in Montgomery, so it was easy for me to follow the character. In a bad editorial move, DC offed the character in a really unceremonious fashion, but it looks like they're mending their ways. Yay!
Y'know, I told myself I wasn't going to buy this mini-series sequel to the generally fun and well-received Marvel Zombies... but I was at the comic store a few weeks ago and I couldn't help myself. While the gag wears thin, I have to say... the first issue was every bit as fun as the first go-around! In particular, there's a nice visual gag halfway through the book that alone was worth the price of admission. I don't really give a damn about the rest of the MZ spin-offs, but I suppose you can't argue with the original creative team comin' back with another story. I'm officially sucked in.
Sensational Spider-Man #41
Now, while I write this every week, I don't profess to know a lot about the shipping practices of comic book companies. Occasionally a publisher will say "PunchMan is coming out the week of December 4th!" and you'll go to your shop on December 4th only to find that the book didn't come out. It happened a lot with smaller publishers while I was growing up... but lately, it seems to happen with the big guns ALL the time, and with their A list material. Unless I'm wrong, ALL Marvel's big-ticket events in the past year and a half (Civil War, World War Hulk) have shipped later than late... and the Spider-Man "One More Day" event falls right in line with that trend. This is the third issue of the four issue story... and while the story would normally would have come out over the course of five weeks... this has taken almost that amount of months to unspool on newsstands.
I would say the big difference between "One More Day" and those other events is that "One More Day" just doesn't do it for me. I bought the first issue for a somewhat ridiculous reason- the first chapter came out the week Elliot was born, and I wanted to stick the comic, along with the newspapers that came out that day, in his Keepsake box. I daresay he's not going to be too impressed... the art by Joe Quesada is pretty nice, but the story (Aunt May's dying AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN) has been done to pieces.
Midnighter: Killing Machine TPB
Writer Garth Ennis and penciller Chris Sprouse taking on Wildstorm's amoral Batman analogue. I was into the book until fill-in artists started to seep in around... oh, ISSUE TWO. Honestly. I really love Chris Sprouse's artwork, I have since he took over Alan Moore's Supreme a few years back. Also, I completely understand if Sprouse is one of those artists that can't conform to a monthly schedule. However... if I'm going to commit to a series on the strength of the creative team alone, I expect that creative team to be on the book for longer than 22 pages. I got so annoyed by this that I didn't find out what happened beyond the second issue. The first issue was pretty good though.
Dan Dare #1
At the same time, Ennis isn't a big enough draw to get me to read Virgin Comics' new take on the classic British sci-fi character Dan Dare. I know people who wax rhapsodic about Dan Dare comics, but I'm absolutely unfamiliar with the material, and I'd be more interested in scooping up some archive material before checking out this revised version.
Shazam Series 1 Action Figure Assortment
I don't usually talk about non-comic releases here, but DC Direct is doing a set of action figures based on the old Fawcett Captain Marvel characters and they look amazing, the sculpts splitting the difference between the old CC Beck style and a more modern take on Cap, Mary Marvel and company. Though those figures are good I'm most impressed by the two pack: Captain Marvel alter-ego Billy Baston and the punchline of many a Comic Book Guy type, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny!
Contrary to this weekly ramble, I find it hard to get worked up about a lot of comic stuff. Oh, don't get me wrong... I love comics, especially superhero comics. I just can't find it in myself to get excited about them in the same way as when I was growing up.
That being said, two things that really fired up my fanboy this week:
Watchmen set pictures- I know I should hate this movie on principal alone, but the more I see, the less I want to harbor resentment toward Zach Snyder and company for adapting the best superhero comic book series ever. That corner shot of the newsstand and the Black Freighter poster really make me excited. If you're making Watchmen, the details really matter.
The Spoiler might be making a DC Comics comeback- I never really understand it when fans get increasingly insane about certain characters in comics/movies/TV, Boba Fett aside. That bein' said... The Spoiler, a minor vigilante in the Batman mythos, was always a favorite. Her appearances as Robin's girlfriend coincided with the time I was working at the pharmacy in Montgomery, so it was easy for me to follow the character. In a bad editorial move, DC offed the character in a really unceremonious fashion, but it looks like they're mending their ways. Yay!