Friday, May 23, 2008

Why Fantastic Monsters?

Y: The Last Man v9 - by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra; collects # 49 - 54. Another great read. Loved some of the reveals. The last couple chapters didn't really have anything to do with Yorick, 355, or Dr. Mann. They were good chapters but it was a little frustrating not getting more about the main characters, especially when the series is almost over and done with.

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four v6 - by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; collects # 51 - 60. The last four chapters (# 57 - 60 where Dr. Doom steals the powers of the Silver Surfer) were awesome. The rest was also pretty good. The introduction of the Black Panther and Klaw wasn't quite as awesome as I hoped it would be. I did get a little tired of the way the saga of the Inhumans kept dragging on, and still wasn't complete at the end of this collection. Presumably they will come back into contact with the FF at some point.

Monster v12 - by Naoki Urasawa; collects chapters # 96 - 104. The best reveal was saved for the last chapter. More is learned about the twins past and their mother. Inspector Lunge goes to the Czech Republic on vacation but ends up working instead of relaxing as he traces down more information on the origins of the twins (Johan and Anna). Good read but of course this is one big story. There are some arcs within but it is hard to judge this series one book at a time.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

DC/Marvel Solicitations

DC

Really nothing new here that I want to buy.

Y: The Last Man Deluxe Edition Hardcover v1 - I figured this was coming but I've not about to buy all new editions. I've already got the trades v1 - 9 and will be getting v10 once it is released. This ain't no DC: The New Frontier.

New Teen Titans Archives v4 - I've been eying this series for quite sometime now. It is about time I bought the first collection. I've been reading a lot more old Marvel (Frank Miller's Daredevil, Lee and Kirby's Fantastic Four, Claremont and Byrne's X-Men) than I have old DC. Its about time I at least attempt to even that score. Also the ad indicates that this is the final Archive Edition for New Teen Titans. That is a shame. There should be more. The series isn't complete although (as I understand it) much of the remaining work by Wolfman and PĂ©rez is collected in trade paperbacks.

Marvel

Logan Black & White Premiere Hardcover - 104 pages for $19.99? Yikes! Still, I've heard the artwork on this series is better in B&W than in color. In other words coloring took something away from Eduardo Risso's pencil work. Normally I wouldn't think of buying such a slim hardcover, but I'm not sure that this will also be offered in trade paperback format in B&W.

...and that's it. Nothing really worth writing about or putting on a wish list. That's ok. I've got plenty to read and plenty of other things on my wish list that I have yet to buy.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

See Doom Surf

*** SPOILERS***

Fantastic Four
# 56 - This is all kinds of awesome. Doctor Doom meets the Silver Surfer and then steals his powers and his board! There's a great splash page with Doom looming over the fallen Surfer that is beautiful beyond words. The scenes set in Doom's castle in Latveria are the best parts of the issue. Doom pretending to be a good guy? Very tongue-in-cheek.

It isn't all Doom and Surfer. Reed, Sue, and Ben also appear in this issue; appearances which include a couple skirmishes with the Sandman. Loved the second fight, especially how it is drawn.cc

Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot continue their travels with Lockjaw. A dog with a Fu Manchu mustache? How awesome is that? Certainly more awesome that their voyages. I miss Prester John from # 54.

The Inhumans? Still trapped. Their saga drags on. Enough is enough. They need to free themselves.

Definitely my favorite issue collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four v6, probably better than the first appearance of Galactus or any of the other issues collected in v5, which I have also read.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Curling Tohru's Hair

Fruits Basket v1 / chapter 3 - I don't remember too much from the first time I read this, back in 2004. I'm talking about the whole volume not just this chapter. There are bits and pieces that have stuck with me.

Things I do remember:
  • Thinking it (v1) was good but just not what I wanted at the time.
  • Tohru's devotion to the cat even though she was born in the year of the dog.
  • Other miscellaneous scenes when I run across them.
Things I don't remember:
  • Tohru getting her hair done by one of the girls in her class, during chapter 3. It was a weird and random kind of moment. The scene had nothing to do with getting her hair done but there was Tohru's classmate in panel after panel using a curling iron on Tohru's hair. What makes really makes it weird is the fact that no one (including Tohru) says a word to the girl with the curling iron or even acknowledges her existence or what she is doing.
  • Other moments, conversations, characters, etc.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Free Comic Book Day II

I went to Barbarian as promised. They didn't seem to have any copies of Punisher: Circle of Blood so I bought manga instead.
  • Bleach v16
  • Monster v14
  • Yotsuba v4
The volumes of Monster are starting to pile up. I now have 12, 13 and 14 sitting in my living room unread. I hope to start on v12 this week.

I also picked up two free comic books.
  • All Star Superman #1
  • Hellboy: The Mole
I read All Star Superman. I can see now why everyone is raving about it. The artwork by Frank Quitely is gorgeous. The colors are beautiful. The first page is awesome: Superman's origin explained in four panels and eight words. This book has a fresh feel to it that I like. Maybe if I had read more Superman comic books over the years I wouldn't feel like this. I'm not completely sold on the series but I like how it has started out. Love the sci-fi elements. The one thing that keeps nagging me about this book is why isn't 'All Star' hyphenated?

Anways, finally I usually don't do the meme thing but I've seen this one floating around and felt the urge to contribute:

Questions:

1) What was the first comic you remember reading?

2) What was the first comic that made you realize that you might be in this for the long haul?

3) If you had to make a snap decision to take one comic or one comic run to a desert island, what would it be? Don't think too hard!

Answers:

1) Star Wars # 7, I'm talking about the original comic book series that was published by Marvel. Mom bought it for me and my brother at the PX (at the U.S. Embassy) in Paris, where we were living at the time. I think it came in a three pack that also included #8 and #9. We had other comic books, Donald Duck, Asterix, Tintin, Lucky Luke, etc. but Star Wars #7 is the one that sticks in my mind even though it may or may not have been the very first comic book I read.

2) Marvel Graphic Novel # 5: God Loves Man Kills

3) All-Star Squadron - hands down my favorite series when I was growing up. I loved the history lessons in the letters pages. Plus Roy Thomas was nice enough to publish two of my fan letters. Towards the end of the series it lost some of its momentum but it was still a must buy for me and I hated to see it go.

Free Comic Book Day

Its Free Comic Book Day! I'm planning to go to Barbarian. I dunno if they are having a sale or not but maybe they'll have some of them free comic books. Also I think I wanna buy a copy of the new printing of Punisher: Circle of Blood. I've never read it before and it was drawn by Mike Zeck who drew Captain America way back when I had a subscription, 25+ years ago. He draws faces kind of funny or maybe its just the shapes of peoples' heads that look odd to me; either way I like the way he draws.

P: COB was written by Steven Grant. I read something else that the two of them collaborated on. I think it was an image or Dark Horse. It had a very noir feel to it and I think I liked it. It was a bout a guy who gets out of prison and returns to home town. Of course, things have changed and not for the better. I think it was called Damned. That's about all I can remember.

In other news....


April is over and here's what I read during April:

Manga
  • Yotsuba v3 ~ chapters 21 & 22
  • Phoenix v8 ~ pp. 171 - 340
  • Bleach v 15 ~ chapters 124 - 130
  • Fruits Basket v1 ~ chapter 1
Comic Books
  • Strangers in Paradise v2 ~ #s 8 & 9
  • Powers v7: Forever ~ #s 34 - 37
  • Invincible v6 ~ #s 25 - 30
  • Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four v6 ~ #s 55 & 56
  • Uncanny X-Men Omnibus v1 ~ #s 118 - 120
Fantastic Four is still awesome although I think I will take a break from the Lee & Kirby stuff once I am finished with the current volume I am reading.

Uncanny X-Men by Claremont, Byrne, and Austin is still a lot of fun but not quite as perfect as some people would have me believe. There are highs and lows. The artwork by Byrne and Austin is for the most spectacular. The stories and characterizations often leave me wanting more and thinking that they could have done a better job with the material.

So I finished reading all the Powers stories that were originally published by Image. I love this series but I can see how some people might not. It isn't standard superhero fare. I think that's why I like it. Standard superheros are fairly predictable. The average reader knows what their powers are, their motivations, etc. That is not the case with Powers and I love all the little reveals that happen along the way.

I've already written about how Invincible left me feeling. Will I ever pick it up again? Maybe.

Strangers in Paradise is very different from the other comic books I've been reading. I sometimes have a hard time connecting with the story. I don't think its the writing or the art as much as it is my preconceived notions of what a comic book should be. Most mainstream comic books are predictable. SiP isn't mainstream and it isn't predictable. So it is a different sort of read; more like a novel than the the other sequential artwork that I read. I've got the next volume, so I'll read it but I'll have to see if I will read any more beyond that.