03/02/05
I got home last night to find that the offer letter had not arrived yet and neither had my comic books. UPS tried to deliver the comic books, but I wasn't there and apparently there wasn't anyone else around to sign for them. Usually they just leave 'em at my door. If no one is there to sign for 'em today or tomorrow I will have to drive to Laurel on Friday evening to pick them up. *sigh*
I checked on line this morning. Mail Order Comics updated my account to indicate which comics they sent me. It looks like they only sent comic books, no trades. I wonder why? I was expecting to get two or three trades in this month's shipment.
...
Kare Kano Book 4 - I finally started reading it. I think I bought it back in December. They've introduced a bratty new character, Tsubasa, from Arima's past. So I guess in a way she isn't new, but it is her first appearance in the series. She is very cute, used to getting her way, and in the past was good friends with Arima. He thought of her as a younger sister. When Arima introduces Yukino as his girlfriend Tsubasa goes kind of nutty. So far so good. At the same time Maho is still trying to freeze Yukino out by convincing all the other girls in their class to not talk to her.
I think Tsubasa is the first serious challenge (from another girl) to Yukino's relationship with Arima. Can't wait to see how this plays out.
03/10/05
Batman: The Long Halloween - A killer starts bumping off members of Gotham's organized crime families. Batman (with help from Comissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent) investigates. Joker, Catwoman, Solomon Grundy, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Scarecrow, and the Mad Hatter put in appearances. Nearly everyone is a suspect, including Harvey Dent.
The art, by Tim Sale, is gorgeous. I wish I knew more about the technical aspects of art so I could describe it properly.
The story is okay, it has its moments. The ending leaves me mystified and chilled. I think the writer, Jeph Loeb, put too many elements into the story. Its not a bad effort, but I think it would have worked much better if the story had been more focused. I can see how it might satisfy people if they read it one chapter at a time. It reminds me of one of those Hollywood blockbusters that has a ton of stars in it but still manages to come up short. Its fun to read but leaves me feeling less that satisfied on some levels.
03/15/05
I've been looking at the DC Comics solicitations for June. Not much jumps out at me. I figure I will buy Justice League Elite # 12, the last in this limited series. I also plan to order Breach # 6, latest issue in this ongoing series. I like what I've read so far, just the first issue. I've got # 2, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet.
Kissing John Byrne
What is up with JB? Two (Doom Patrol and Blood of the Demon) of the three titles he draws for DC have characters kissing on the cover. In both cases one of the characters looks passionate and the other suprised. Well, maybe not in the case of Doom Patrol # 13. After all, how can a robot look suprised? Still I may just buy the issue based on the cover. It will probably be awful, but that passionate kiss on the cover does things for me. :P
Just for reference sake here is the other kissing cover, Blood of the Demon # 4.
What else?
Well, Solo # 5 is done by Darwyn Cooke. The only other issue in this series that I bought was the Tim Sale ish. Well worth it and I expect this one will be too. It features stories starring two non-powered types from the DCU, Slam Bradley and King Faraday, both of whom played a role in what I think was the best miniseries of 2004, DC: The New Frontier, which of course was also written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke.
That's about it, from DC. Nothing else really catches my eye. Although the new JSA/Hawkman trade that collects the Black Reign story line is tempting, but I probably won't preorder it.
Aside from DC there is a neat article over at Newarama about Phil Hester's new mini-series published by Devil's Due, The Stronghold. It won't be out until August, but it looks really cool to me.
Showing posts with label Long Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Long Halloween. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Monday, February 28, 2005
Comic Book Notes (LJ) Feb 2005
02/03/05
Previews Catalog Part 1
Marvel - not much here, just GLA # 1, and Strange # 5. Not wild about this miniseries, but I wanna see how it winds up. I can't see myself ordering anything else from Marvel this month. I wanted to order Exiles Book 8, but I need to take a break from ordering trade paperbacks. They are starting to pile up again. Wolverine: Enemy of the State HC has me intrigued. I know it got hyped, so it probably isn't as good as it looks, but I do like John Romita Jr.'s artwork. Other collections? How about Black Widow: Homecoming or She-Hulk: Superhuman Law? They both look like fun reads.
Dark Horse - Steve Rude's The Moth is finally out in trade paperback form. I perused the comics at the comic shop. It has a retro look to it that I like and the story looked kind of zany. Not this month, but it goes on my list.
DC - Batman: Faces TP written and drawn by Matt Wagner. I'm willing to give it a try, but not this month. No trade paperbacks, thank you! I will get Breach # 4. This series looks cool. I just got issue # 1, and haven't read it yet, but it just has one of those looks to that make me wanna get it. I hope it lives up to expectations; mine at least. Justice League Elite # 10? But of course. If I was going to get a trade paperback and I wanted it to be something different then I might get Strontium Dog: The Early Cases. Looks cool. Bounty hunters are cool.
Image - Invincible # 0 looks like a cost effective purchase at 50 cents. It is yet another series that I have heard good things about and want to try. The Iron Ghost # 1 looks very cool. Definitely looks reminiscent of The Shadow.
So far I am ordering:
- GLA # 1
- Strange # 5
- Breach # 4
- Justice League Elite # 10
- Invincible # 0
- Iron Ghost # 1
There still all the smaller publishers to go through, but not tonight. Hopefully tomorrow or over the weekend.
02/04/05
Here's the list of trade paperbacks that I want to buy. Overtime I will buy some of them. I doubt that I will ever get them all. Some I may lost interest in before I get them or may just get dropped off the list without being purchased.
02/05/05
Previews Catalog Part 2
ADV Films - Not just films, manga too. Only thing to mention here is Ray. Story about a girl who is raised to be harvested for her body parts, but who escapes and attempts to live a normal life. Sounds good to me, but not this month.
Alias Enterprises LLC - Deal with the Devil looks too good to pass up. I don't know the writer or artist, but its the first ish of a four issue mini and looks too good to pass up. And it is only 75 cents. Other than that Alias seems to have quite a few T&A looking titles, like 10th Muse and Judo Girl, that catch my eye but that I think I will pass on. OK maybe not all of them feature scantily female characters, but I still think I will still pass on the rest.
Devil's Due Publishing - Breakdown continues to be a fun ride, so I will continue to buy. Plot? Good guy turns into a vigilante after his family gets wiped out by the baddies.
Evil Twin Comics - Action Philosophers # 1? Yes. Why? Looks too silly for me to pass up. I need to at least give it a try.
ibooks - Blacksad # 2 looks good, but at $12.95 its a little more than I feel like spending this month, even though at 56 pages it isn't very long. The first book was just plain gorgeous. Blacksad # 3? Nah, I don't buy sketchbooks.
IDW - Easy Way #1 looks interesting, but I'm not wild about the $3.99 cover price. Maybe someday they'll collect it in a trade paperback.
Second to Some Studios - I can't remember how long it has been since the last issue came out, but Fade From Blue # 10 is finally being solicited. Final chapter.
Viz LLC - Midori's Days Book 1, also known as Midori no Hibi. I was reading it on a snoopycool.com, but its no longer available there. I might just buy it, but not this month.
That's about it so let's see. From the second half of the catalog I am ordering:
- Deal With the Devil # 1
- Breakdown # 6
- Action Philosophers # 1
- Fade From Blue # 10
No trades this month.
02/06/05
Batman: The Long Halloween - I've read the first six (of thirteen) chapters. I love the artwork and the story isn't bad, but haven't I read this story before? Maybe it wouldn't seem as dated as if I had read it when it first came out. What I mean is that it reminds me a lot of Batman: Hush, in that it is a pageant. Batman is trying to solve a mystery and as he works he crosses paths with a number of prominent characters (Joker, Harvey Dent, Solomon Grundy, Catwoman, Riddler) from his past/present. Instead of focusing on his relationship with any one or two of these characters the point of the story seems to be to showcase, Tim Sale's art if nothing else. I like the characterizations and as I said before I love the art. I just wish there was more to the story.
02/15/05
Haven't written much about what I've been reading lately. Not much change to the list of trade paperbacks I am reading other than the fact that I started reading Queen & Country Book 1, but here it is anyway:
Recently Finished Reading
- Human Target Book 2
- Marmalade Boy Book 4
Currently Reading
- Batman: The Long Halloween
- Phoenix Book 2: A Tale of the Future
- Queen & Country Book 1
Have Not Started Reading Yet
- Scion Book 4
- Kare Kano Book 4
- Marmalade Boy Book 5
- Marmalade Boy Book 6
- Maxx Book 3
- Y: The Last Man Book 2
- Love Fights Book 2
Ordered But Have Not Received Yet
- Ministry of Space
- Stray Bullets Book 1
- Enemy Ace (DC Archive Edition)
- Losers Book 2
- Hysteria Book 2
The online solicitations for DC Comics (to be realeased in May) are out. There are only a few things that jump out and make me want to buy them.
The Golden Age TPB - DC is finally releasing a new printing of this miniseries, that I have heard so much about. Gotta have it, but I might wait until it comes out and not preorder.
Hawkman Book 3 - Just a year after the last TPB collection came out here it is.
Losers Book 3 - I have yet to read book 2, but I will probably be buying this one somewhere down the line.
02/22/05
Later that afternoon we checked out two of the bigger comic book stores in NYC. The first, Midtown Comics, had a huge selection, but for the most part it was mainstream (DC, Marvel, Image, etc.) and not much in the way of back issues on the racks. The second comic book store, Jim Hanley's Universe, was much more to my liking. It had a bigger selection of independents than it did of mainstream. I found the two back issues of Heroes Anonymous that I was missing.
02/23/05
Y: The Last Man Book 2 - I'm only one chapter in, but so far so good. Who woulda thunk that this series could be this good. It is entertaining on more than one level, too. It is exciting and amusing. It makes me think about trying Ex Machina, another series written by Brian K. Vaughn.
Flipping back and forth between unflopped manga and American comic books sometimes gets me confused and I start reading from the wrong side of the page. Lately I've started reading Naruto and Gantz @ degreeanime.com. While I wait for the pages to load I sometimes read from comic books.
Batman: The Long Halloween - Still reading it. Love the artwork. It is very dark and expressive. I'm not gaga about the coloring job, but I think it goes well with the sort of story that is being told and the work done by the penciler/inker, Tim Sale. I also like the detail in the artwork. It isn't always realistic. For instance the Joker's toothy smile looks positively and unrealistically horrific. And just because the work is detailed doesn't mean that you can see all the fine lines on every characters face. Anyhoo, I've got about 3 more chapters to go in this monster epic.
Phoenix Book 2 - Still reading it too. I guess I am close to the halfway point. This is a very different story from the first book. I can't wait to see how things work out in the end. Osamu Tezuka's artwork is sheer genius. Visually he tells a story as well as any artist I can think of. The flow from one panel to the next is smooth and logical.
That's it for now. I still have quite a few comics and trade paparebacks waiting in the wings to be read.
02/25/05
Breach # 1 - I like it. It reads more like something that Marvel would publish, but I like it. What's it about? An experiment 20 years ago gone wrong. Man horribly transformed. Story begins in December 2005. That is not a typo. Then the story flashes back to show how (in 1985) he was transformed. Of course he left a wife and kid behind. Angst. The first issue more or less just tells his origin. What comes next? I can't wait to read the next issue and find out why he, his wife, best friend and a couple others were in a helicopter than crashed in Siberia.
Previews Catalog Part 1
Marvel - not much here, just GLA # 1, and Strange # 5. Not wild about this miniseries, but I wanna see how it winds up. I can't see myself ordering anything else from Marvel this month. I wanted to order Exiles Book 8, but I need to take a break from ordering trade paperbacks. They are starting to pile up again. Wolverine: Enemy of the State HC has me intrigued. I know it got hyped, so it probably isn't as good as it looks, but I do like John Romita Jr.'s artwork. Other collections? How about Black Widow: Homecoming or She-Hulk: Superhuman Law? They both look like fun reads.
Dark Horse - Steve Rude's The Moth is finally out in trade paperback form. I perused the comics at the comic shop. It has a retro look to it that I like and the story looked kind of zany. Not this month, but it goes on my list.
DC - Batman: Faces TP written and drawn by Matt Wagner. I'm willing to give it a try, but not this month. No trade paperbacks, thank you! I will get Breach # 4. This series looks cool. I just got issue # 1, and haven't read it yet, but it just has one of those looks to that make me wanna get it. I hope it lives up to expectations; mine at least. Justice League Elite # 10? But of course. If I was going to get a trade paperback and I wanted it to be something different then I might get Strontium Dog: The Early Cases. Looks cool. Bounty hunters are cool.
Image - Invincible # 0 looks like a cost effective purchase at 50 cents. It is yet another series that I have heard good things about and want to try. The Iron Ghost # 1 looks very cool. Definitely looks reminiscent of The Shadow.
So far I am ordering:
- GLA # 1
- Strange # 5
- Breach # 4
- Justice League Elite # 10
- Invincible # 0
- Iron Ghost # 1
There still all the smaller publishers to go through, but not tonight. Hopefully tomorrow or over the weekend.
02/04/05
Here's the list of trade paperbacks that I want to buy. Overtime I will buy some of them. I doubt that I will ever get them all. Some I may lost interest in before I get them or may just get dropped off the list without being purchased.
02/05/05
Previews Catalog Part 2
ADV Films - Not just films, manga too. Only thing to mention here is Ray. Story about a girl who is raised to be harvested for her body parts, but who escapes and attempts to live a normal life. Sounds good to me, but not this month.
Alias Enterprises LLC - Deal with the Devil looks too good to pass up. I don't know the writer or artist, but its the first ish of a four issue mini and looks too good to pass up. And it is only 75 cents. Other than that Alias seems to have quite a few T&A looking titles, like 10th Muse and Judo Girl, that catch my eye but that I think I will pass on. OK maybe not all of them feature scantily female characters, but I still think I will still pass on the rest.
Devil's Due Publishing - Breakdown continues to be a fun ride, so I will continue to buy. Plot? Good guy turns into a vigilante after his family gets wiped out by the baddies.
Evil Twin Comics - Action Philosophers # 1? Yes. Why? Looks too silly for me to pass up. I need to at least give it a try.
ibooks - Blacksad # 2 looks good, but at $12.95 its a little more than I feel like spending this month, even though at 56 pages it isn't very long. The first book was just plain gorgeous. Blacksad # 3? Nah, I don't buy sketchbooks.
IDW - Easy Way #1 looks interesting, but I'm not wild about the $3.99 cover price. Maybe someday they'll collect it in a trade paperback.
Second to Some Studios - I can't remember how long it has been since the last issue came out, but Fade From Blue # 10 is finally being solicited. Final chapter.
Viz LLC - Midori's Days Book 1, also known as Midori no Hibi. I was reading it on a snoopycool.com, but its no longer available there. I might just buy it, but not this month.
That's about it so let's see. From the second half of the catalog I am ordering:
- Deal With the Devil # 1
- Breakdown # 6
- Action Philosophers # 1
- Fade From Blue # 10
No trades this month.
02/06/05
Batman: The Long Halloween - I've read the first six (of thirteen) chapters. I love the artwork and the story isn't bad, but haven't I read this story before? Maybe it wouldn't seem as dated as if I had read it when it first came out. What I mean is that it reminds me a lot of Batman: Hush, in that it is a pageant. Batman is trying to solve a mystery and as he works he crosses paths with a number of prominent characters (Joker, Harvey Dent, Solomon Grundy, Catwoman, Riddler) from his past/present. Instead of focusing on his relationship with any one or two of these characters the point of the story seems to be to showcase, Tim Sale's art if nothing else. I like the characterizations and as I said before I love the art. I just wish there was more to the story.
02/15/05
Haven't written much about what I've been reading lately. Not much change to the list of trade paperbacks I am reading other than the fact that I started reading Queen & Country Book 1, but here it is anyway:
Recently Finished Reading
- Human Target Book 2
- Marmalade Boy Book 4
Currently Reading
- Batman: The Long Halloween
- Phoenix Book 2: A Tale of the Future
- Queen & Country Book 1
Have Not Started Reading Yet
- Scion Book 4
- Kare Kano Book 4
- Marmalade Boy Book 5
- Marmalade Boy Book 6
- Maxx Book 3
- Y: The Last Man Book 2
- Love Fights Book 2
Ordered But Have Not Received Yet
- Ministry of Space
- Stray Bullets Book 1
- Enemy Ace (DC Archive Edition)
- Losers Book 2
- Hysteria Book 2
The online solicitations for DC Comics (to be realeased in May) are out. There are only a few things that jump out and make me want to buy them.
The Golden Age TPB - DC is finally releasing a new printing of this miniseries, that I have heard so much about. Gotta have it, but I might wait until it comes out and not preorder.
Hawkman Book 3 - Just a year after the last TPB collection came out here it is.
Losers Book 3 - I have yet to read book 2, but I will probably be buying this one somewhere down the line.
02/22/05
Later that afternoon we checked out two of the bigger comic book stores in NYC. The first, Midtown Comics, had a huge selection, but for the most part it was mainstream (DC, Marvel, Image, etc.) and not much in the way of back issues on the racks. The second comic book store, Jim Hanley's Universe, was much more to my liking. It had a bigger selection of independents than it did of mainstream. I found the two back issues of Heroes Anonymous that I was missing.
02/23/05
Y: The Last Man Book 2 - I'm only one chapter in, but so far so good. Who woulda thunk that this series could be this good. It is entertaining on more than one level, too. It is exciting and amusing. It makes me think about trying Ex Machina, another series written by Brian K. Vaughn.
Flipping back and forth between unflopped manga and American comic books sometimes gets me confused and I start reading from the wrong side of the page. Lately I've started reading Naruto and Gantz @ degreeanime.com. While I wait for the pages to load I sometimes read from comic books.
Batman: The Long Halloween - Still reading it. Love the artwork. It is very dark and expressive. I'm not gaga about the coloring job, but I think it goes well with the sort of story that is being told and the work done by the penciler/inker, Tim Sale. I also like the detail in the artwork. It isn't always realistic. For instance the Joker's toothy smile looks positively and unrealistically horrific. And just because the work is detailed doesn't mean that you can see all the fine lines on every characters face. Anyhoo, I've got about 3 more chapters to go in this monster epic.
Phoenix Book 2 - Still reading it too. I guess I am close to the halfway point. This is a very different story from the first book. I can't wait to see how things work out in the end. Osamu Tezuka's artwork is sheer genius. Visually he tells a story as well as any artist I can think of. The flow from one panel to the next is smooth and logical.
That's it for now. I still have quite a few comics and trade paparebacks waiting in the wings to be read.
02/25/05
Breach # 1 - I like it. It reads more like something that Marvel would publish, but I like it. What's it about? An experiment 20 years ago gone wrong. Man horribly transformed. Story begins in December 2005. That is not a typo. Then the story flashes back to show how (in 1985) he was transformed. Of course he left a wife and kid behind. Angst. The first issue more or less just tells his origin. What comes next? I can't wait to read the next issue and find out why he, his wife, best friend and a couple others were in a helicopter than crashed in Siberia.
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