Comic Book Notes (LJ) Apr 2005

04/14/05

Read, read, read. I finally got my shipment of comic books on Monday. Not too much volume wise.

Just seven comic books:

- Blood of the Demon # 1
- Breach # 3
- Ballad of Sleeping Beauty # 8
- Justice League Elite # 9
- Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis # 2
- Breakdown # 5
- Fallen Angel # 19

and three collections:

- Ministry of Space TPB
- Enemy Ace HC
- Losers: Double Down TPB

plus the Previews catalog.

The Enemy Ace book wasn't cheap but it is gorgeous. I just love pictures of planes and aerial combat from WWI. I also adore Joe Kubert's art work. So far I have only read the Simpsons Futurama comic. Very funny.

I'm already making my list of comics to order this month. So far there isn't much on it.

- Breach # 6
- Doom Patrol # 13
- Justice League Elite # 12 (of 12)
- Solo # 5 (by Darwyn Cooke)
- GLA # 3 (of 4)
- Deal with the Devil # 3 (of 5)
- Action Philosophers All Sex Special # 1
- Human Target TP
- She-Hulk: Single Green Female TP
- Previews Catalog

OK, maybe that's more than not much, but I could easily order more. I could if I weren't so disciplined about not ordering more than I can read. It is also a function of avoiding comic books for the most part and waiting for the trade collection to be published. Sometimes the wait is long, and it isn't always worth it, but it does tend to keep my expenditures down.

Winding down. Gotta go do other things. Its been a couple months since I published the list but here it is:

Finished Reading
- Batman: The Long Halloween
- Kare Kano Book 4
- Human Target Book 2
- Love Fights Book 2
- Marmalade Boy Book 4
- Phoenix Book 2: A Tale of the Future
- Queen & Country Book 1
- Scion Book 4
- Y: The Last Man Book 2

Currently Reading
- Enemy Ace (DC Archive Edition)
- Marmalade Boy Book 5
- Maxx Book 3

Have Not Started Reading Yet
- Buddha Book 1
- Hana-Kimi Book 2
- Losers Book 2
- Marmalade Boy Book 6
- Ministry of Space
- Powers Book 1

Ordered But Have Not Received Yet
- Stray Bullets Book 1
- Hysteria Book 2
- Hawkman Book 3
- Exiles Book 8

04/16/05

Breach # 3 - I enjoyed this issue more than the last one. The last one was kind of hard to follow. It wasn't until I reread # 2, just before reading # 3, that it all made sense. Anyhow the pieces are starting to fall into place. I'm getting into this series. Major Zanetti has woken up after being in a coma for about 20 years. The world has changed quite a bit. He has changed quite a bit. He isn't exactly human anymore.

I love the whole military angle of this thing. Kinda reminds me of how the military is portrayed on Justice League Unlimited. They don't trust the superheroes to save them or to always be on their side, so they hedge their bets by trying to develop technology to rival what the Justice League and others possess.

I like how they brought in Kobra's organization. Although it resembled Hydra quite bit. I didn't remember that about Kobra. Based on the way the issue wound down another organization, the JLA, will be making an appearance next issue.

I also like the artwork. Some splash panels, but also some effectively used small ones. It may eventually get collected but for now I think I will continue to buy it in comic book form.

Jack of Hearts # 1 - This is an oldy but goody in my book. This is the first in a four-issue miniseries. The miniseries was orginally released over 20 years ago. I don't think it has ever been reprinted. You can probably pick it up pretty cheap. It was written by Bill Mantlo, who also created Cloak and Dagger. He wrote a number of stories I enjoyed.

Anyhow, this series focuses on a character who was (at the time) relatively new to the Marvel Universe. From what I can tell this is the only Jack of Hearts mini-series ever released. He never got his own ongoing series. Prior to this series he had a few guest appearances here and there. I think he was originally a villain. This series find him in the custody of SHIELD. Jack is the wielder of great power which he doesn't completely understand. SHIELD considers him a threat and so are keeping him in (what they think) is a secure facility. Over the course of the series Jack learns more about his powers, learns that his mother was an alien, and travels to the planet that half his ancestry comes from. Once there he learns that the planet is in danger of dying (I think the sun was getting ready to go nova or something I haven't finished rereading the series yet) and gets embroiled in local politics.

The artwork is pretty good for the time, although the colors and quality of the paper that the series was printed on leave a lot to be desired.

04/24/05

Read a little more of Maxx (Book 3) and Generation X.

04/28/05

I haven't gotten the previews catalog yet, but MailOrderComics is offering a couple deals this month that sound a little too good to pass up.

Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 3 - I haven't read the first two volumes, but this is an episodic series. There are no long story arcs here and very little in the way of continuity. I enjoy war comics. It isn't cheap, but I was thinking of buying the first volume and they are offering this one for almost 1/2 price.

Captain America Vol. 1 - This is the first colection of the news series. I read and enjoyed the first issue. I like the story and the art. Not much to dissuade me here. Plus, they are offering it for 1/2 price this month.

Comic Book Notes (LJ) Mar 2005

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.

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.

Comic Book Notes (LJ) Jan 2005

01/03/05

I haven't been reading a whole lot lately. I've been kinda busy with other stuff. I finished off Ranma 1/2 Book 4 and Hana-Kimi Book 1, over a week ago. I'm winding down on Rex Mundi Book 1 and Scion Book 3.

Marmalade Boy Book 4 - I just started it. I'm not even halfway through the first chapter, which is kinda long. It opens with Miki and her best friend, Meiko, spying on Miki's step-brother, Yuu. He has been spending a lot of time with another good-looking guy, Satoshi. Naturally, everyone at school starts suspecting that they are gay, including Miki who doesn't want to believe it because she has a crush on Yuu.

I love the dialogue and how the characters convince themselves (of Yuu and Satoshi's relationship) without concrete evidence to back up their suspicions. Meiko, getting over her own soap-operatic moment in the sun in Book 3, is tickled pink over the possibilities. Miki only makes things worse for herself by eavesdropping on Yuu and Satoshi, and then trying to figure out what they are talking about in a round about sort of way. Anyhow I find it all very amusing.

01/04/05


I just read (on Newsarama)about Will Eisner passing away last night. I've read a few of his graphic novels. I think I have two of them, Fagin the Jew and another older one. Never got around to reading The Spirit.

I've been thinking more about buying some of the DC Archive Editions of this series and other series. I don't want to get them every month, but maybe once every three months I'll pick one up. They usually sell for 35% off (the $50 cover price) at MailOrderComics.

I'd love to pick up some of the Archive Editions that were drawn by Joe Kubert like Enemy Ace, Sgt. Rock, and Adam Strange. I'm primarily interested in Silver Age Archive Editions, but I'd also like to get New Teen Titans by Wolfman, Perez, and Giordano. Watching Teen Titans on TV really makes me wanna go back and read and reread the stories from the late-70's and early 80's.

Well I don't feel quite as bad as I did after reading the obit. Still, it is sad to be without such a prolific and influential talent. At least we still have his stories.

01/06/05

Well, my monthly shipment should be arrive today. I found out yesterday that two trade paperbacks that were scheduled to be included will not be, so I'll only be getting two trade paperbacks instead of four. :(

On time - Batman: The Long Halloween, Queen & Country Vol. 1
Late - Ministry of Space, Love Fights Vol. 2

At this point I'm just glad to be getting a shipment. I haven't had the time to make it to the comic shop lately and I ran out of new comic books a couple weeks ago. I've been living off of trade paperbacks (Rex Mundi Book 1, Scion Vol 3), manga (Marmalade Boy Vol. 4), and back issues (X-Men: The Hidden Years, Marvel: The Lost Generation, Superman & Batman: Generations 3, Route 666, Dreadstar).

S&B:G3 sucks by comparison to the previous two mini-series. Most of the issues are forgettable. Some of the artwork looks incomplete and most of it is very roughly drawn.

M:TLG is much better by comparison to S&B:G3 but that's not saying much. I bought both these series a couple years back and am just getting arounf to reading them. At least I don't feel like I completely wasted my money on them.

01/07/05

* Comic books arrived on time. Batman: The Long Halloween is a long book, longer than I realized, about 350 pages long. I spent about an hour going through the Previews catalog. There wasn't too much that caught my eye that I hadn't already earmarked.

* I hear it on NPR: an interview with Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Gotham Entertainment Group, which has licensed the Marvel Comics characters to be distributed in South Asia. Their first publication is Spider-Man India, featuring Pavitr Prabhakar as Peter Parker.

Link: Fresh Air for Thursday January 6, 2005 (you have to scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page to find the link to the audio of the interview. It is about 20 minutes long.

Trade Paperbacks and Manga

Currently Reading
+ Rex Mundi Book 1: The Guardian of the Temple
+ Scion Book 3: Divided Loyalties
+ Marmalade Boy Book 4

Waiting to be Read
+ Batman: The Long Halloween
+ Queen & Country Book 1: Operation Broken Ground
+ Human Target Book 2: Living in Amerika
+ Kare Kano Book 4
+ Scion Book 4: Sanctuary
+ Marmalade Boy Book 5
+ Marmalade Boy Book 6

Ordered
+ Ministry of Space
+ Love Fights Book 2
+ Maxx Book 3
+ Stray Bullets Book 1
+ Y: The Last Man Book 2

01/08/05

So I went to liberty Comics and splurged today. Well, I spent more than I usually do. I bought X-Men Unlimited # 6 which features a story written and drawn by the crew that used to write and draw Negation: Paul Pelletier, Dave Meikis, and Tony Bedard. It was okay. It was no where near as good as Negation. What was missing of course was Laura Martin's colors. That and a decent story. Anyone could have written this one.

Comparisons to Negation: The way the four women in this story interacted did remind me kind of the way the main female characters in Negation interacted. Emma White would obviously be Evinlea. Kitty Pryde would be Corrin. I guess Storm would be Shassa, but the correlation isn't as strong. That leaves Sage to be Iress.

I also bought...

+ Teen Titans # 19 - final issue in the Titans of Tomorrow story

+ She Hulk # 9 - the art is by Paul Pelletier and I've heard good things about this series

+ Phoenix Book 2: Future - a year after I bought the first volume in this series I finally got the second one. Written and drawn by the godfather of manga, Osamu Tezuka. I really enjoyed the first book. Not short, but the first book was very good so I have high hopes for this one.

01/09/05

She-Hulk # 9 - Very amusing. Jen trying to learn to control her new strength. Hercules being sued (by a supervillain) for being too aggressively heroic. Very amusing, the whole thing was very tongue in cheek. I may just have to pick up the next issue. It didn't hurt that Paul Pelletier did the pencils.

01/11/05

Teen Titans # 19 - Good but not great. Not good enough to convince me to continue buying this series. I have yet to be truly impressed or satisfied with Geoff Johns writing. I tried JSA for a while and didn't care for it, now I tried Teen Titans and was equally un-wowed. I did enjoy the whole Titans of Tomorrow story. It wasn't bad, but I get the impression that it was the time travel elements and not the writing that worked for me.

Human Target Book 2 - Chapter one of this book (six of the series) is one of those stories that I thinks works a little better if you know the ending in advance. The story was plodding along and I wasn't that impressed with it until I saw the twist in the tale. Then it hit pretty hard. This chapter is a self-contained story. The Human Target is hired to impersonate a priest who is being theatened by a local heavy. Christopher Chance (The Human Target) isn't a religious man, but after spending some time in the role of the priest he finds himself starting to sense that maybe there are things he should believe in. Then he encouters the heavy, and finds out why he has been trying to 'off' the priest: he was molested by the priest when he was a boy. Maybe I should have seen in coming. The story is set in Boston. Anyhow that casts the story in a very different light. I won't give any more of the story away, but I did like how it ends. Still I think there should have been some foreshadowing as to the true motivations of the heavy and the true nature of the priest.

01/19/05

Midori no Hibi is no longer available at SnoopyCool. There ain't much available anymore at SnoopyCool, but from what I understand the anime of Midori no Hibi is going to be released in March, by ADV. I haven't heard anyword on when the manga will be available.I managed to download te first two-and-a-half books before the SnoopyCool went down in December.

No Fallen Angel in April, according to DC. The next and probably last issue, # 20, will come out in May.

Last issue of Adam Strange comes out in March. I wonder how long we'll have to wait for the trade of that?

I'm still not going to order the individual issues of Identity Crisis. Even though DC is rereleasing all of them in March. I'm waiting for the trade, even if I have to wait until 2006. There are plenty of other things to read in the meanwhile.

Human Target is ending with # 21. The second trade collects up through # 10. I guess that means that there will be two more trade collections, hopefully.

Iron Ghost from Image looks good. Written by Ron Marz, it looks like a riff on The Shadow. It is a mini and only runs six issues. I'll probably wait for the trade.

Trade-wise, this month I decided to pre-order the second trade of The Losers (DC/Vertigo), Hysteria Book 2 (Oni Press; written and drawn by Mike Hawthorne), and the DC Archive Edition of Enemy Ace.

OK, that's enough for now. Time to read some more comic books.

Comic Book Notes (LJ) Dec 2003

12/01/03

More reasons to drop Mile High like a hot potato? Maybe. The following books have yet to get shipped to me. I'm not sure if it is the publisher's fault or Mile High's but in at least one case (Gene Pool) I saw the book at Closet of Comics.

Here's the list:

CrossGen - I'm pretty sure that this have not come out yet.

• SEP - Scion (Vol. 5) TPB: Far Kingdom
• SEP - Sigil (VOl. 5) TPB: Death Match
• OCT - Route 666 (Vol. 2) TPB: Three Ring Circus
• OCT - Scion (Vol. 3) Traveler: Divided Loyalties
• NOV - Chimera TPB

Image

• SEP - Hawaiian Dick: Last Resort # 1
• SEP - Savage Dragon TPB: Worlds at War
• OCT - Hawaiian Dick: Last Resort # 2
• OCT - Rex Mundi # 7
• NOV - Hawaiian Dick: Last Resort # 3
• NOV - Rex Mundi # 8

Other

• SEP - Comic Book Artist Vol. 2
• OCT - Dead Memory HC
• OCT - Gene Pool
• OCT - John Byrne's You Go Ghoul Ashcan
• OCT - Yossel

Given how much these will cost me altogether I'm not sure if I should complain or not. Maybe Mile High is just trying to save me some dough. Ya know?

12/07/03

I did go to closet of comics today. I spent about an hour in there. I must have gone through the shelves about three times. At first I thought I would get D (the student I tutor) a Will Eisner book. I know he writes/draws good stuff. They have quite a few there, but I decided to keep looking. Eventually I found TPB editions of Matt Wagner's Mage. I've never read Mage, but I've read some of his other stuff and heard good things about Mage, so I bought him one of the many TPB volumes they had there. It was only $9.95. Just about right for what I wanted to spend on D's present. I also considered buying him the TPB collection of the original issues of Swamp Thing. D is into horror books. It was $19.95, which isn't too much for me to spend, but given that I'm not too sure what he thinks of comics I decided to play it safe and get him something a little less pricey, but just as attractive.

12/09/03

It's been a while since I wrote about what I've been reading.

Things I liked:

Heaven's Devils # 1 (Image) - I wish it was done on better or a different sort of paper, or maybe colored, but I really like the story so far. I bought it because the pencils are done by the same guy that did the first four issues of Clockmaker, Zach something-or-other. I like the story so far, I just wonder if the last three issues of this limited series can live up to the first one.

JLA # 88 (DC) - This book seems to get a lot of knocks from reviewers, but I like it a lot. I don't read many spandex superhero books, but this is one that I'm not about to drop. Love the whole Martian Manhunter gone nuts story line, and his budding romance with that flaming vixen whose name escapes me at the moment.

I think the biggest trouble with this book is that it seems like every other storyline involves the JLA saving the world, but recently I think the creative team on this book has done a fairly good job of not making it too over the top.

Other news:

I just read in Lying in the Gutters that Mark Waid and Barry Kitson maybe taking over Legion in the near future. That's enough to get my attention. I think this is the same team that's been doing the Empire mini-series, and I love that.

I also plan on sticking with Thanos after Jim Starlin leaves (last issue #6) and Keith Giffen takes over. I was kind of bummed when I read that Starlin was leaving, but I'm interested to see how Keith Giffen, who has written and drawn the Legion of Superheroes in the past, handles Thanos.

I've been picking up the issues I missed of Lady Death: A Medieval Tale, and plan on buying Lady Death: The Wild Hunt. I loved Jim Cheung's artwork on Scion, even though I only have read a few issues of it. I thing Cheung is a good choice to draw LD, although I'm not so sure that he was the best pick to draw an issue of Route 666 (#18 I think) I'll be getting that in the mail soon.

There's more books that I could write about including some of the disappointments like:

• Batman/Joker: Switch - I'm not sure what attracted me to this in the first place, but I didn't care for the plot/pacing or the coloring.
• World's Best Comics: Golden Age DC Archive Sampler - Glad I only paid $0.99 for this.
• Tigress: Journey to Caldathera - OK, but nothing spectacular. It was a little pricey, $9.95, for a prestige book, but I wanted to give Mike Hoffman's work a try. He does nice paintings, but his writing and sequential artwork leave a something to be desired. Glad I tried it, but I don't plan on returning for more. any time soon.

I'm sure there are more things that I didn't mention, maybe tonight or tomorrow I'll get around to writing about them.

12/10/03

I got my shipment (or most of it at least) of comics from Mile High yesterday. I guess my last exchange with them put a sense of urgency in them, for this month at least. That was about ten to twelve days from the time I got the e-mail saying the comics were on their way. That's the fastest I've ever gotten a shipment from them. Now I said most of them because three items were missing which I assume were shipped seperately.

So naturally I stayed up late reading my favorite item from the shipment, the previews catalog.

12/14/03

What a nothing weekend. I've read a lot of comics. Maybe I should write about that?

Let's see, in reverse order I read:

Extinction Event # 5 - Talk about the non-event mini-series of the year. I am so disappointed in myself for buying this one. I guess with everything that I do buy I'm bound to make some bad decisions. Not only did I not care for the plot, the art, the pacing, but it doesn't even have an ending! WTF?

Captain Marvel # 15 - Another fairly good (but not great) issue of Captain Marvel. I think it is the dark humor as much as it is anything else that keeps me reading this book. The artwork hasn't been too impressive lately, but the writing (Peter David) is fairly good and not too predictable.

1602 # 3 - Another good issue in the mini-series.

• It appears that the grand inquisitor is Magneto after all.
• John Grey has to be Jean Grey in disguise. Her chat with Angel, certainly hints at that.
• As in issue #1 Peter Parquagh almost gets bit by a spider.
• Speaking of spiders, Black Widow's fight in the Inn in the Tyrol was a little confusing. It was kind of like the camera was focusing in on Daredevil while the fight went on around him.

Lady Death # 6 - Not quite as good as I hoped it would be, or as some of the earlier issues. Hopefully the quality of the writing will pick up again with #7.

Oh, and I have just one more issue to go before I'll be done with the Thor/Walt Simonson TPB. I'm still enjoying it. Great writing. I wish I had believed the hype when these issue were coming out and bought them then.

I was only going to read negation # 23, but it was such a tease that i had to read # 24. Now I have to wait another month before I get # 25.

Was it worth it? Right now I'm thinking yes.

12/17/03

My second package of comics from Mile High arrived today. It contained:

• Fagin the Jew by Will Eisner - Eisner's take on Fagin's life
• Sgt. Rock: Between Hell and a Hard Place by Brian Azarello and Joe Kubert - I almost passed up on this one, because it cost so much, but how many more Sgt. Rock stories is Mr. Kubert going to draw?
• Previews Catalog - I didn't realize that I was going to be getting one from MailOrderComics.com, otherwise I wouldn't have paid an extra $2 for one from Mile High.

12/19/03

I read Empire #4 tonight and tried watching Storm Riders on DVD. The movie was disappointing. It is based on a Manga comic book. It seems like one of those deals where I would probably enjoy it more if I had read the comic book, or maybe not. Anyway, the plot moves too fast, the special effects are really weak, and it was putting me to sleep, so I turned it off after about an hour. Empire #4 I enjoyed very much. It is a shame that this is only a six-issue limited series.

12/24/03

I was reading the interview (skimming is more like it) with Jeph Loeb (over at Newsarama) about his work on the relatively new Superman/Batman book when I got an idea for a slightly different book. I'm half afraid to post this to one of the message boards. Someone has probably already thought of it before. Here goes:

What I would like to see is a Batman/Wonder Woman book. They have had a nice little thing going in JLA, where they are not romantically involved, but there is something there (more than just friendship or a working relationship) that neither one wants to seem to acknowledge. I think it could be good. It would probably attract more female readers than the current Superman/Batman title does.

Of course, I would want them to drag the relationship out as long as possible. Not resolve things too quickly. Maybe I should send an e-mail to someone at DC. Hmmmm....

12/26/03

I just read Heaven's Devils # 2 from Image. Another good issue. I wish the gray scale work was a bit lighter, but other than that I really like it: story, artwork, everything.

I also finally got around to reading JLA # 90. The one where they finally resolve the whole Batman/Wonder Woman thing. From my previous posts and my posts at comicbooklovers it should be apparent how I feel about it.

12/27/03

I read a few more comics: Incredible Hulk # 63, Thanos # 2, Conan: The Legend # 0. I enjoyed all three of 'em. :-)

12/30/03

After reading the Tokyopop: Lucky in Love, I am thinking of trying a couple of shoujo manga series and spent some time checking them out at TOKYOPOP. Yeah, yeah I know. They're supposed to be just for girls, but I wanna know what all the fuss is about. I probably won't stick with 'em, but I want to give them a try.

Comic Book Notes (LJ) Nov 2003

11/01/03

After that I read Empire # 3. Great issue. I really am getting into this story line. It's a shame that it is only a 6-issue limited series. I won't be getting issue # 4 in my next shipment, so I am probably six weeks away from reading the next ish. I heard a rumor that they are planning a follow-up for sometime next year.

I also read JLA # 86. Or was it 87? It's the one with Superman on the cover with his hands and feet buried in concrete. It was pretty good. I really like the art; something about the way Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen draw the team members, in particular Batman and Wonder Woman.

11/02/03

I went to Closet of Comics today. I picked up copies of Route 666 # 16, 1602 # 1, Solus # 7, and Lady Death # 3 and 4. I finally got around to reading issue #1 of Frank Miller's Robocop. It was pretty good, and violent, but I don't think I'll be picking up the rest of the issues. I might buy the trade paperback if there is one. Just one more issue of Solus to go. I originally was going to drop the series after issue #6, but since they are canceling it with issue #8, I figured I may as well buy the last two issues and make it a complete collection. Issue # 7 does have a beautiful cover.

11/03/03

I just finished reading Lady Death # 3.

11/06/03

I got home around 9 and read Solus # 6.

11/07/03

I was thinking of buying Kiss Kiss Bang Bang before I saw the ads and the press release about it. Looks too much like Ruse, which I wasn't wild about. Besides, I am collecting plenty of other comicbooks.

This week seems to have flown by. I don't know quite why.

I picked up my mail while at lunch. I got the new Bud Plant catalog. I love looking through that thing, but I've got too much stuff at home to be buying more comics. Maybe I can find some gifts in there.

I also finished off Batman and Superman: Generations 2 by John Byrne. The ending was worth it. I'm starting to wonder what Generations 3 will be like. I have the first nine or ten issues, but I think I'm going to wait for the trade paperback to come out before reading it. Up next I have two trade paperbacks, Batman: The Cult and Maxx Vol. 1.

11/08/03

I was looking at bidding on some comics online today, at eBay,. but came to my senses and didn't. Some of them ended up going for considerably more than I was willing to pay. I don't need to be buying back issues anyway. I've got too many current comics to read as is. If not comics, then certainly too many trade paperbacks.

There are a lot of good looking collections of silver and bronze age comics that come out on a regular basis. In particular the DC hardback collections look very attractive. They retail for $49.95, but can be obtained for about $35 at Amazon. The problem isn't money so much as it is buying things just for the sake of having them. If I am going to buy reading materials I think that I should read them at least once. Twenty comic books a month I can read, but when I start buying trade paperbacks, even just two a month, it really adds the backlog of comic book reading I have. to do. So in an effort to limit myself I am trying to keep a forward thinking/reading perspective. Not buying things, or only buying them sparingly, which aren't new material. Blah, blah, blah....

I got around to reading Marvel 1602 #2 this afternoon. Another great issue. I can't wait to read some of the comments that other people have about this ish. I loved the ending. Despite the fact that Neil Gaiman reportedly is not going to use characters who weren't introduced in Marvel Comics prior to the late 60's or early seventies I am convinced that Virginia Dare is supposed to be Snowbird of Alpha Flight. The ending of Marvel 1602 #2 seems to support this conjecture. Of course, I also like another theory which holds that she is Thor (in human form) and that the treasure of the Templars is the staff which will turn him back to his true form and which is in reality his hammer, Mjolnir.

I also read Fallen Angel # 3 today. I wasn't too wild about ish # 2, and was thinking of dropping the series after the end of the current story arc, but # 3 has renewed my interest in this series. If I enjoy # 4 as much as I did # 3 I will definitely stick with the series for at least another story arc or two.

I'm looking at the e-mail I got about the shipment I'll be receiving in another week (probably) and I still can't but think (again) that it looks small.

11/09/03

Anyhow, this morning I took Batman:The Cult with me to read while I was doing my laundry.

11/10/03

I mentioned that I started in on Batman: The Cult on Sunday, but what I forgot to say was that I really love the artwork. Bill Sienkiewicz (I think I spelled that right) and Bill Wray have done a spectacular job. Some of the pages I can just sit and stare at. Such depth. So far I would say it is the trade paperback I have read this year since the Adam Strange book I bought in the Spring.

11/11/03

I read Negation # 21 last night.

Negation # 21 was awesome. Great issue. A shame that one of the escaped prisoners has to die, but what a way to go. The coloring on this issue was fantastic. It wasn't until I had finished reading it that I noticed that they had a new colorist. James Rochelle has moved on to Route 666 and Laura Martin has taken over. Hopefully she'll stick with Bedard, Pelletier and Meikis when they start in on The War.

I put in an order with mailordercomics.com.

After hearing about them on the Newsarama message boards I decided to give mailordercomics.com a try and put in a relatively small order. They offer considerably bigger discounts than Mile High's NICE program. I'm not ready to jump ship just yet, but I may if things work out for the first couple months.

11/14/03

I read JLA # 87 last night.

11/15/03

Since I am running low on new issues of comic books to read, I recently dug into the pile of back issues that I have bought in the last couple months but not read yet. I read the sixth of ten issues in the Thor/Walt Simonson trade paperback. I also read issues X-Men: The Hidden Years # 1 - 3. I am starting to realize that John Byrne's work isn't everything that I remembered it to be. It lacks the depth of some other artists. I am speaking of both the artwork and his writing. His stories (for the most part) seem very surface level. Having said that there is still a very iconic look to his work. It probably doesn't hurt that he is one of the two artists to have first drawn the New X-Men.

I also read the first couple issues of Dreadstar. I picked up the first 27 issues for about $0.68 per issue a couple months back. I didn't collect Dreadstar when it first came out, but I had a friend who did and I remember reading it. Great stuff.

11/16/03

I read the second chapter of Batman: The Cult at the laundromat this morning. It wasn't as good as the first chapter. Much less focused. There was much more to advance the plot, but I just wasn't as taken by this chapter as I was by the first. Oh, well.

11/19/03

Now I want to know where my damn comics are! It's been three weeks since Mile High sent me an e-mail telling me that they were on their way. The longest it has ever been is three-and-a-half weeks. Of course they charged my credit card for the comics when they (said they) sent them. It's happened before that they haven't mailed the comics out until a week or three or four days after they e-mail me. One more reason to switch to MailOrderComics.com. The ironic thing is that what I want almost more than the comics themselves is the Previews catalog so that I can put in my order for January comics. Grrrrr!

11/21/03

I got my comic books last night, at last. They, Mile High Comics, overcharged me for postage and, according to the postmark, they didn't mail them out until fifteen days after they told it was going out. So, I sent them a e-mail. I tried to be to the point and not nasty, but I've got a feeling that some of my disappointment came through in my choice of words and phrasing. No fowl language but I made it clear that I wasn't pleased and expected some explanation.

Oh, well. One more nail in the coffin of my Mile High account. Of course, what I was really looking forward to was getting the new Previews catalog.

11/22/03

I read Lady Death # 4 the other night, and Solus # 7 this morning. Both good episodes. I'm not sure if Solus # 8 is out yet, but I'm going to the comic shop today to see if it is and if they still have copies of Lady Death # 5 & 6. There are a few other things I want to look for. I'd better make a list before I go.

Comic Book Notes (LJ) Oct 2003

10/05/03

I read a few CrossGen comic books and a few DC over the past few days.

Empire # 2 - Good, really good. I like how this is developing. No heroes just bad guys. It kinda disturbed me at first, but now I am getting into it.

Extinction Event #2 - Possibly the worst buy I have made all year. I am referring to the whole mini-series, and not just the first issue.

Brath # 6 - Not a great issue. The regular artist has either moved on or was taking off this issue. The art was ok, but the story for the most part was background on the upper levels of the government which has captured Brath.

Negation # 18 - Bit by bit I am getting caught up. This was a really good issue. I liked the improbable pairing of Lizard Lady and Westin. Lizard Lady in particular hasn't gotten much screen time in recent issues. Westin now knows her secret: how she interrogates by devouring her subjects. Also got more detail on Westin's power.

Mark of Charon # 3 - More background on the Lawbringers. Javi knows it all now, or at least considerably more. I can't wait to see how he uses the information he has gotten, how far those bearing the mark of Charon will go along with him, his confrontation with Apollyon, and what his angle is.

My next shipment of comics is on it's way and it's a big one. I'm still working my way through Generations 2 and Thor Visionaries Vol. 2, and haven't even started on Batman: The Cult or Maxx Vol. 1.

10/18/03

I was in such a bad mood yesterday that I completely ignored the monthly shipment of new comics that arrived and didn't even turn on the tube to watch Game 7 of the ALCS. It a little late to watch the game, but I did open the box of comics. I got a lot this time, but still not as much as I was expecting. One of these months my bill is just going to be huge.

This month's was the biggest so far in the 10 months that I have been buying new comics through Mile High. I only got one more TPB (Hawaiian Dick: Byrd of Paradise from Image), but there were also a couple of prestige books in the mix (Superman: Blood of my Ancestors from DC, Tigress Journey to Caldathera from Antimatter).

What else? Well, the last issue of the Lee/Loeb run on Batman, #619. The last issue of Solus that I am going to get, #6. Along with a number of other comics.

Which one excites me the most? Probably Thanos #1 (from Marvel) by Jim Starlin. Always an interesting character, the fact that he is going to be written and drawn by the artist who has done the best work on him only adds to my heightened sense of anticipation.

The latest installment of Empire, #3 also looks to be a good one.

I also got the first couple issues of a new story arc in Hulk, #60 and 61. I'm only planning on collecting this arc, but if I like it enough I may stick with it.

There was plenty more including Brath #7, Captain Marvel #14, Fallen Angel #3, JLA #87 and 88...

10/21/03

What else? Hmmm...as far as inconsequential things go I finally got back to reading volume to of Walt Simonson' Visionaries: Thor. I'm not a big fan of the thunder god, but I have to say the stories are good. I have one more chapter to go in the battle with Surtur.

10/24/03

I read the Fallen Angel # 2 and Captain Marvel # 13 the other night. Both are written by Peter David. Fallen Angel didn't do much for me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was the fact that it felt a bit forced. The storyline just wasn't all that compelling. Captain Marvel I enjoyed. The art work was a big improvement over the art work in the previous four issues. It was a self-contained single issue story. It wasn't completely original. I mean there have been plenty of Captain Marvel stories about him trying to teach other lessons with his amazing powers and quirky/malevolent sense of humor. Still, I enjoyed this one.

I also read Mark of Charon # 4 earlier this week. It was okay. Not good or great, just ok. It does provide a lot background information of Charon and Appolyon. Kind of like the Negation Lawbringer one-shot, it is required reading for any Negation fans out there.

10/25/03

Upon discovering the following I have decided to reread the first issue of 1602. I have yet to read the second or third issues. I do have issue 2.

Mystery and Conundrums: The Mysteries of Neil Gaiman's 1602 Issue 1 by Jason Pomerantz.

There are a couple other essays out these on Neil Gaiman's 1602:

Notes on 1602 #1 by Jess Nevins

and

Annotations to Marvel 1602 by Julian Darius.

10/28/03

A couple non-mainstream comics from smaller publishers that look cool to me.

FARO KORBIT #1 (of 4)
by Baron, Rubi, Feeney & De La Cruz

Ancient evil never dies... It waits on the other side of the curtain for humanity to stumble. Faro Korbit is an immortal mystic, sole defender against a Lovecraftian menace. As the forces of evil gather in the Nevada desert, Faro recruits an odd assortment of allies: a cocktail waitress, a grand prix driver, and a dancer. Unless they succeed, humanity will be scoured from the earth like a billiard ball in a clothes washer.

www.apcomics.com

RUULE: GANGLORDS OF CHINATOWN #2 (Ongoing)
by Brandon, Hawthorne, Remender, & Brusco
Chinatown has found its hero. A young teenage boy named Gid, who just days before was looked upon as an outcast by his own people. But now, speaking with a newfound power and authority inspired by his mysterious visions, Gid has urged his followers to strike back against the marauding Ganglords. But Gid knows that no matter how brave they are, it will take more than inspiration to defeat their rulers. It will take a war.

beckettcomics.com/Ruule/index.html

10/29/03

I read Hulk # 60 last night. It is the first issue in a five (or six) issue arc that I have decided to buy. The writing is ok, the art is good, but not great. I don't think it was a mistake to buy it, but I doubt that I will continue to buy it after this story arc.

I got my notification that Mile High shipped my latest batch of comics today. The list looked a little light. The total, dollar wise came to less than half of what I was expecting it to be. They really are starting to make me wonder now. A couple of the books (which I won't be getting in this shipment) I was expecting to get last month. Oh well.

10/30/03

I also read a couple comics (Brath #7 and chapter 7 of Generations II).