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Underground > Comic Books >

Comics This Week

22:02 / 05.06.02

Since there's already threads for The Filth and NXM, I'll skip them.

Uncanny X-Men #407 - finally Joe Casey pulls out a story that stands up with the rest of the revamped X universe. The aftermath of the X-Corps storyline and it was quite excellent. I've always been a sucker for Chamber, and there's lots of him here, and some great character stuff with Nightcrawler. If this is what he's really capable of, it's a shame he'll be leaving soon.

Doom Patrol #9 - okay, finally. Dorothy Spinner is back, as is Darling-Come-Home, telling Cliff the story of his and Kate Godwin's destruction, and where the Cliff Steele who's been in the comic for the last 7 or 8 issues came from. That makes sense if you've been reading it. This comic is really quite good. I mean, it's no Grant, but then what is.

(Shameless self-promotion time: Anyone looking for old DP back issues, I've just found a place that's carrying them. Anyone missing certain issues let me know and I'll see what they've got.)

Star Wars Tales #12 - John McRea does Darth Vader, and it's so good. Another Tag and Bink story. (And if you haven't read the first one, go get it for god's sake.) Another great issue of the only Star Wars comics I ever read.

30 Days of Night #1 - Vampires converge on a town inside the arctic circle that won't see daylight again for a month. The art is a bit messy, but the story's really good. Probably one of those things that would have been better as a graphic novel rather than a serial, but it's only 3 parts, so that's not so bad.

Zoom.

22:38 / 05.06.02

I just picked up "A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics", a companion to the Smithsonian comic strip book. With both volumes you get such an amazing overview of early 20th century cartooning.

Man, I can't get over this book. Just a few of the treasures it contains...

Scribbly, by Sheldon Mayer. The early issues dealt with the comic adventures of a young cartoonist, but with the issues reprinted here we're introduced to The Red Tornado. Inspired by other Mystery Men, Ma Hunkel dons some red fuzzy longjohns and a pot with eyeholes, and sets out right wrongs around the neighbourhood, including stopping a butcher from overcharging his customers. Ma Hunkel is my new favourite superhero. I'm writing a proposal for a Vertigo relaunch.

Powerhouse Pepper, by Basil Wolverton. Every scrap of Wolverton's work I've passed to friends has been greedily devoured. Powerhouse Pepper, World's Zaniest Phallic Symbol, is my favourite of his work. Pure cartoony goodness.

Little Lulu, by john Stanley. Little Fucking Lulu. What, I have to explain this to you? I'm fucking ecstatic!

The Spirit, by Will Eisner. Not that hard to find, but it is nice to have two of my favourite stories of his in just one volume. The Flight of Gerhard Shnobble, and The Ten Minute Story. Anytime I think that Eisner is getting overrated...

Master Race, by Bernard Krigstein. Everything you need to know about comics in just eight pages.

Then there's Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Plastic Man, Jingle Jangle Comics, Donald Duck, Pogo, and various EC comics! I love comics! Go Team Comics!

Matthew Fluxington

00:25 / 06.06.02

I bought that issue of Uncanny X-Men... I thought it was so-so, pretty typical of Joe Casey in that the abstract of the issue is good, but the execution is lacking. Nothing ever seems to happen in Casey's X-Men, people say a lot of things over and over and we're supposed to take that as being a satisfying story.

For those who have not read the story, and wish to save themselves a couple dollars, here is a synopsis:

Nightcrawler is depressed. He doesn't know if he wants to be an X-Man anymore. Nightcrawler is depressed. He doesn't know if he wants to be an X-Man anymore. Chamber is depressed. He doesn't think any of the other X-Men respect him. Nightcrawler is depressed. He doesn't know if he wants to be an X-Man anymore. Nightcrawler is depressed. He doesn't know if he wants to be an X-Man anymore. Chamber is depressed. He doesn't think any of the other X-Men respect him. Archangel and Iceman are concerned about Nightcrawler, because he is their friend. Stacy X is upset with Chamber because she feels he violated her privacy, but Chamber explains that he is depressed, and that he doesn't think the other X-Men respect him. Nightcrawler is depressed. He doesn't know if he wants to be an X-Man anymore. Archangel and Iceman try to console Nightcrawler; but Nightcrawler is depressed, and he doesn't know if he wants to be an X-Man anymore. They all go home.

Joe Casey - if you're out there, here's some free writing advice: Repetition is not your friend, but resolution might be. Don't be scared of resolution.

17:05 / 06.06.02

GREAT recap of Casey's latest UNCANNY. Very funny & well done. Sean's art is fantastic but wasn't enough to make me buy the book. Casey really crapper out on his big chance to write the X-Men. Ah well. BRing on Chuck Austen - I have a feeling he'll do good work on the title.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

02:27 / 10.06.02

Ultimate Spider-Man continues to blow me away...and this issue was no exception. I GREAT issue that just had Peter Parker's fear about having been figured out by Norman Osborne in a way that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Then to follow it up, a one shot in Alias that was the best JJJ story in Marvel history. Incredibly good and highly recommended.

The Avengers was pointlessly confusing, and the aftereffects of the Kang War seem to be Too Big for the Marvel universe, IMHO. Most of the humans on Earth being slaves for a few months? Washington DC destroyed? Here in the Real World the WTC destoryed traumatized people...havign all of that happen would be the breakdown of civilization and probably the re-ordering of nations, but in all the other Marvel books, life goes on and Peter Parker still worries about what he'll say to Mary Jane. Doesn't work for me.

03:10 / 10.06.02

Solitaire, you scored big points for your short rant about Marvel's treatment of Kirby's legacy in another thread (in caps no less), then you have to come along and make me doubt you. The best JJJ story in Marvel history? Really? Guess I'm going to have to pick up Alias to see.

Matthew Fluxington

11:50 / 10.06.02

Your Avengers complaint doesn't seem like anything shocking to me considering that comic's legacy of crap stories, Solitaire. Why Marvel refuses to make the comic over is beyond me - bring in Geoff Johns is only going to keep the comic firmly in the "crap retro conservative crap" column. I've always thought that The Avengers was the only comic in the Marvel line which has always been written and drawn as though it were a DC comic. Isn't the success of The Ultimates a clue that the regular Avengers comic should be made interesting to more than just aging fatbeards?

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

03:07 / 11.06.02

Yep...Alias was that good. It's all self-contained and done in a format that will scare the fanboys off.

As for Ultimates...I don't like it. Not because I'm an aging fatbeard, but because it looks lovely and goes nowhere. ALL of the Ultimate books have pacing problems, but as a normal 24 page comic, it just doesn't work for me. Too slow.

Avengers is a book that, when done right is great fun (Stern/Bucema comes to mind as well as Roy Thomas's work), and I really liked the POerez issues for the sheer....over-the=top fanboyness to them. But now, it seems Busiek has read too many issues of The Authority and thinks "Gee, wouldn't it be cool if I did that in the Marvel Universe?" Morrison does Big Stories in the X-Men, and it doesn't feel disruptive. This does. It kills my suspension of disbelief.

The Natural Way

08:12 / 11.06.02

I understand why peeps complain about the lack of action in the Ultimates (and where the fuck is it, BTW!), but that's the joke - massive superteam, no baddies to fight.... It'll sort itself after the Hulk storyline.