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Underground > Comic Books >

Ambush Bug

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Janean Patience

18:43 / 31.01.08

The general reaction to Ambush Bug's return across the 'net has been far greater and more positive than I would've expected. Last time I looked, the thread on Newsarama had run to four pages of "YEAH!" and other such positivity. I mean, he came back in the most recent Lobo series and nobody seemed to care. I guess it's the fact that this is the real thing, pure Bug, and Caption King Fleming's on board as well. A day later and I'm still delighted.

Haus of Mystery

18:59 / 31.01.08

Add to that the fact that Giffen's drawing the damn thing. I love me some Giffen art!

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

22:50 / 31.01.08

It's really appealing -- I always loved Giffen's art from that period, all moody and claustrophobic and expansive at the same time -- The Bug is a great way to tap into and articulate DC's zeitgeist.

17:01 / 01.02.08

There will always be an Ambush Bug (on the importance of the character as a cipher for the impossibility of continuity):

Excerpt:
52 is the series devoted to exploring that new universe and clarifying the new status quo, and, for all my distaste for IC itself, I’m enjoying 52 quite a bit so far. But I overheard a conversation at the comics shop last week that raised a good question: with Keith Giffen doing breakdowns and being generally plugged in to the new DCU, and with characters new and obscure bound to elbow their way into a work as mammoth as 52, will Ambush Bug make an appearance?

This is an important question, I think, and by important I mean utterly pointless, but interesting to tremendous geeks. It’s interesting because Ambush Bug is the very antithesis of the one-world ethos that guides DC’s line these days. It’s not just that he’s a metafictional character who knows that he’s in a comic book, it’s that he remembers comic books that aren’t supposed to have happened anymore. He’s a walking, talking, teleporting, trickster reminder of the foolhardiness of attempting to maintain a stable, consistent shared universe in a medium as persistently ramifying as superhero comics.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

18:41 / 01.02.08

That's a pretty wonderful article, and I appreciated the inclusion of the Bug's attempt to join the Morrison DP (And I finally got that "angels on a pinhead" joke attached to it!). I would hope, seeing as how Giffen even mentions it in his liner notes to the 52 trades, that the Bug mini will include some reference to the various conspiracy theories about Giffen JLI members being killed off brutally.

I should really try to dig out my old Ambush Bug comics.

And, of course, that Legion Subs special mentioned in the posting is so worth it.

18:28 / 19.05.08

I'm sure you all know by now that there will be a Bug miniseries by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming - the original team. First issue cover by J.H. Williams III (who'da thunk JHW3 would do AMBUSH BUG? the mind boggles)... can't wait for this. It's set to poke fun at all DC's major event comics over the past several years... and the evil sock villain with the Dr. Doom-esque mask is set to make an appearance.

12:56 / 25.07.08

aaaaand the first issue is out. Quite funny; well-done, irreverent as usual.

"If anyone asks, THIS is what I looked like! Okay?"

Pick up AMBUSH BUG: YEAR NONE #1, Wonder Chicks! I don't want to spoil any of the laughs here since this just came out. The Source Wall has a silly monologue on page 1. No, really.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

14:19 / 25.07.08

Bought it, read it, enjoyed it, don't feel like it particularly warrants a reread. I liked how vicious it was, being the women-in-fridges issue. I miss the darker, muddier colouring of previous minis, back from when Giffen was still doing Legion comics. The Earth-Six stuff with Bat-Girl (as opposed to Batgirl) beating on the Bug amused me.

Janean Patience

15:58 / 31.07.08

I have to balance my slight disappointment against my high expectations. Or perhaps expectations is the wrong word; with something like this or Scott Pilgrim you're looking forward to laughing, to being blindsided with humour, but there's always the fear that you won't. I laughed, but not as much as I'd hoped. After a strong opening it sagged. There seemed to be references I wasn't getting, though that's always been the case (it wasn't until the sex scene in Risky Business that I understood the ending of Son of Ambush Bug; American TV closedown), and an over-reliance on Identity Crisis for laughs.

Really, though, I think this was the creative team getting into the swing of things. It's been a long while, and the first half of the first mini-series was kind of tame, after all. It's still very, very good to have the Bug back. Looking forward to what befalls him during 52.

19:26 / 31.07.08

I thought Bat-Fairies' review was pretty accurate - it's funny, silly stuff, some very clever bits, but nothing that makes you feel like you must re-read and savor it once you've finished reading. And yes, there are a TON of obscure DCU references in there; most of which, if you don't get them, might interfere your appreciation/enjoyment of the book.

Still, I'm very happy to have an Ambush Bug series back.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

00:25 / 01.08.08

Still, I'm very happy to have an Ambush Bug series back.

I think, you know, it actually made me feel the opposite. Well, not angry, but sort of blaise about the presence of Ambush Bug. He amused me in 52 and really worked well rammed up against the SERIOUSFACE comicking going on there, but this rendition, in hindsight, feels a bit sparse and not as deep as Giffen used to go-- maybe something to do with it being more of a traditional narrative rather than the old verging-on-collage Bug comics (a mode that Brendan McCarthy's Solo reminded me of), but the Bug felt past it, sort of irrelevant -- more like they were trying to too hard to be with it, wicked-fun, "We can make fun of ourselves!"

simulated stereo

02:34 / 01.08.08

"Sell it, boss"!

Best line of the issue. It still cracks me up.

Janean Patience

05:43 / 01.08.08

My favourite line too. And I think there'll be more like that once Flem gets going.

It won't make the comic funnier, I s'pose, but were the coloured caption boxes an Identity Crisis reference? And why the Earth Six Batgirl?

10:07 / 01.08.08

Has anyone noticed that Starman over in the JSA comics plays a lot of the time as an Ambush Bug surrogate? Although there's the occasional moment of sanity it's mainly crazy yet accurate statements and fourth wall awareness.

Haus of Mystery

00:55 / 02.08.08

Papers, that similarity between the early Bug minis and McCarthy' s Solo issue is spot on.

21:13 / 02.08.08

"Cheeks, the Toy Wonder."

"A drawing of a doll."

Love it.

Also, I'm assuming that's supposed to be Swamp Thing as the Jack Kirby Sandman runs away - but he's colored...purple? Intentional attempt to make it not be Swanp Thing (in accordance with the joke of DCU editorial being afraid of crossing over with the Vertigo 'universe'), or coloring error?

I also dig how Argh!yle is sad about Go-Go Checks leaving town. And I actually looked up the real-life inspiration for that goofy "Cap's Hobby Shop" gag in there. Sad but true.

16:13 / 30.08.08

The second issue...not as good as the first. Meandering stuff that doesn't really strike the funny bone, in addiiton to a very odd choice of story reference (the horse-faced aliens Mark Waid created for a series of back-up stories when he unsuccessfully relaunched the Flash book with Wally, Linda & their two-super-powered little kids). Hope the 3rd issue picks things back up -

20:29 / 30.08.08

I really thought the second issue was a disappointment. Page after page of "gay jokes"? I understand the irreverence, but that stuff wasn't funny at all.

OMAC Cheeks, though, That's always funny.

19:00 / 05.10.08

Two issues of poor quality now; issue 3 is all hackneyed old jokes about marriage (the 'old ball & chain' variety of jokes), mostly. A few not-that-funny DCU parodies/references in there. Fast losing hope for this mini - I think the rest of the mini will be Byrne-stolen/skimmed by me.

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