Comic Book Resources

While I’m looking forward to a Dr. Strange book, and while Marcos Martin’s art looks fantastic, the promise that this series will “firmly establish Doctor Strange in the current Marvel Universe as well as setting him up to join a surprising new team” convinces me that Marvel is just going to borify him.

Black Panther will beat Namor the same way he beat Captain America, Black Bolt and Doctor Doom: by using his fearsome “written by Reginald Hudlin” powers.

Is the theory behind “Ultimate Power” that it’s going to bring Ultimate readers over to read Supreme Power or vice versa? Because I can’t imagine that Ultimate Spider-Man is really starved for a Squadron Supreme guest appearance, and I also can’t imagine that anyone runs across Squadron Supreme while looking for an Ultimates fix is going to say, “Oh wow, a team that looks just like the Justice League - but way more stupid! I’m going to run, not walk, to my local comic shop today!”

I thought that Agents of Atlas cover was pretty cool, too.

I dunno. That Punisher/Cap cover looks like Punisher is about to bite his lip and take it.

Also, I would guess that the cover to Amazing Spider-Girl #1 is done by Pat Oliffe, although the one for #0 does look more like Frenz.

I don’t know what happened to your copy, but my copy of Spider-girl #100 had a thing on the new #1 at the end.

Also think there could be an intersting think with the Squadron and the Ultimates. Squadron and Ultimate X-Men? Perhapse. Squadron and the rest of the Ultimate Universe? Not so much. Now, if Squadron was still a Max title we might have something. I would kill for an Unlimate book done in the Max imprint.

And here I was hoping Arana was exiled to comic book limbo. Forever.

I think a cover that doesn’t scream “Son of Satan” is a good thing, given the current political environment. I’m pretty amazed that Marvel is even willing to bring the character back, just like I’m still amazed that DC has not permanently retired “The Human Bomb” given the connotations that name has in current news events.

Of course, that same Suydam cover is going to have a nice, big, upsetting-to-overly-sensitive-parents title on it saying, “SON OF SATAN” when it’s on stands, so maybe the point about the image not screaming it is moot. A comic could have a cover of sweet widdle teddy bears and ice cream cakes and raindrops on roses on it, but a title of “SON OF SATAN” is going to get those overly-sensitive-parents riled up anyway.

Well. My top 5 (with a bit more explaining this time around) looks like this ::

#5 would be a tie between Giant Size Wolverine and Runaways // one spooky, the other funny; both would work as pieces on their own (without the actual comic attached). both set the tone for the book, catching maybe more of the feeling, instead of telling, or “solliciting”.

#4 Nextwave // striking corporate design on this one. Even if it´s´not exactly the best cover ever. Much as with the DMZ covers, I prefer these “designed” covers over the “just a mean old drawing” ones. (Powers falls into the same category, I guess. Haven´t been following it lately so I could be wrong. By applying a strong branding to the covers.)

#3 Union Jack // 70s Movie Poster goodness. Feels like you´re getting into a very cool spy flick.

#2 Blade // very clever use of white space, plus a very cool piece of artwork.

#1 Agents Of Atlas // juxtaposing the cool b&w with the cheesy of old; displaying a keen eye for color + design.

Edward, there is more extreme and titillating provocative imagery in entertainment than ever before, what “political climate” do you mean? Have you seen some of the stuff on network TV and basic cable? A lot of it I doubt we’d ever have seen even as recently as 6 years ago. Same goes for comics, some of the imagery in recent all-ages superhero comics blows my mind with how extreme it is, especially anything related to Infinite Crisis.

And as far as oversensitive parents, let’s be real. Both companies have given up on kids. If mothers are buying comics for kids, it’s manga.

I think a cover that doesn’t scream “Son of Satan” is a good thing, given the current political environment.

What, is there a War On Satanists I missed or something? And come on, nobody buys comics for their kids anymore.

– The Civil War covers, in addition to wasting half the cover space on a not-terribly-interesting typeface, also seem to be forcing almost every artist drawing them to use the same basic layout of a centered figure, occasionally flanked by a balancing element or two (invariably another human figure) balancing elements when the artist is extra ambitious. The Runaways/New Avengers cover manages a little variety by angling the composition, though.

— The New Thunderbolts cover reminds me of the Gladiator/Colossus fight in Uncanny X-Men #137, which was redone with Rogue in Colossus’ place on the animated series. I’m not sure if it’s a direct reuse of a panel or cel layout, but I seem to recall some columns being slammed around in both versions. The cover loses points with me for the fact that the chess piece Hyperion’s holding is too tall and thin to be a pawn but isn’t notched at the top like a bishop.

— Is it just me or is the masthead logo for Criminal a little bit too much like the masthead logo for Daredevil? Are they trying to clue people in via the “Brubaker crime book” connection with all the red and the similar logos, or is it just a coincidence?

— Poor Mark Texiera, having to try and get some kind of emotional content or even basic expressiveness out of a fiery skull head. At least with Iron Man and Ultron you can fudge a bit with odd angles to change the “face.”

— The Bacalo cover is one of the best Bachalo pieces I’ve seen in recent years. But then, you can put me down as someone who theoretically appreciates but practically dislikes his usual purposefully obscurantist, semi-abstracted page and panel layout style.

Another month and I still am going to disagree with you on the Union Jack Cover being in the top 5. I think the idea is sound but I think the execution is pretty darn poor. The cover is entirely too convoluted and I think the drawings are Greg Horn fake good. That Doom 1602 cover far and away deserved if not top five than at least honorable mention. Also I’m going to disagree with you on the Nextwave assesment today and your DMZ assesment yesterday, I really like some of the collage elements that therse artists are using and while they may not be the best of their respective offerings they certainly are good. I feel like X-Factor and Blade also have this kind of style going on in some ways

I’m surprised you didn’t chastise Sook’s cover for being such an obvious colorform cover.

Whoa, man, put down the doobie. The Nextwave cover is one of the best yet.

My other favorites this month are Agents of Atlast, Ant-Man, and Blade.

I don’t see what the actual objection is to “colorform covers.” So they resemble colorforms. So what? If it looks good, it looks good, and “colorform” is certainly better than “dull.”

-Those costumes in X-Men First Class are crotch-tastic. It would only be more obvious if they replaced the X with a downward-pointing arrow.

-I love the Runaways cover, but I’m stuck looking at Molly’s hat. It’s different than her usual anime-style hat. Is it a reference to some superhero mask? The closest one I can think of is Owlman from the Crime Syndicate of Amerika.

-That MA:FF cover is awesome. I love the composition. Who’s the girl though? She looks like one of Quitely’s women.

-Son of Satan looks more like Son of Poseidon. Except not in the water.

-I have to add my name to those who disagree about the Nextwave cover. I love the concert poster on the telephone pole design. Immonen’s covers (and interior art) on that series have been incredible.

So, is the “Irredeemable Ant-Man” about Ultimate Hank Pym’s life after the Liberators? I was sure Millar was gonna kill him. Or did 616 Hank Pym do something awful since I stopped caring about the Avengers?

what the hell is with the hatin on mike turner?!

THAT NAMOR CIVIL WAR COVER LOOKS INCREDIBLE!!!

We gotta be lookiniga t different things here…

I don’t know what happened to your copy, but my copy of Spider-girl #100 had a thing on the new #1 at the end.

Yeah, but not in the letters column. They had all these teary letters about the book ending, yet they didn’t say anything like, “GOOD NEWS! We’re coming back with an all-new title!”

It seemed weird. Maybe they didn’t know until the last moment?

I was so careful with my phrasing, and I still get the responses my phrasing was designed to avoid!

I specifically didn’t say “I think this Nextwave cover is bad,” but, instead, “I didn’t like the Nextwave cover.”

You can disagree with the former, but how can you disagree with the latter (except if you’re like my pal Jake who told me that I am just lying to myself…hehe)?

Reread it Brian. Go from the letters page to the page right after it. It’s done on purpose. If I recall correctly (I’m at work, I can’t remember), the letters page ends with something like “Endings” and then the page revealing the new series begins with “New Beginnings” (I’m paraphrasing). They’re fooling with the reader by pretending that the book is gone for goof and then BAM! it continues after all. It’s mean’t to be a pleasant surprise (although Newsarama spoiled it a day or two early).

And yeah, I, too, thought the Amazing Spider-Girl #1 cover was Olliffe, so I guess it was a mistake in the solicits.

The next page AFTER the letter column is a cover gallery. And the cover gallery says at the end “and counting…” and the next page says “Amazing Spider-Girl #1.”

THAT seems planned (having the cover gallery then #1), but the letter column seemed weird, to have all these weepy letters without addressing the fact that the book was saved.

Edward Liu — Actually, it might be a brilliant marketing strategy were the covers for Son of Satan not only cutesy, but drippingly, horrifically cutesy, nothing but butterflies, big-eyed puppies, kittens hanging by their paws from clotheslines, adn so on…and topped by a massive, Goth-y font reading “Son of Satan.”

I’d buy it for the cover.

That Ghost Rider cover is an homage to Daredevil #169. I’m surprised that nobody caught that.

http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=21267019774%20169

I knew that Annoyed Grunt, I was just testing you.

Yeah, that’s the ticket.

THAT seems planned (having the cover gallery then #1), but the letter column seemed weird, to have all these weepy letters without addressing the fact that the book was saved.

But it’s all an apparent fakeout. Weepy letter column saying goodbye, THEN a weepy retrospective of the covers to accentuate that this is goodbye, then BAM! the fakeout! It’s supposed to be a happy surprise. If they tell you that the book is saved in the letter column, that ruins the surprise effect they were going for with the Amazing Spider-Girl #1 page.

But we lose what I most want in these things, a big “thank you” to the fans for the book coming back!

T and moose n squirrel (re: Son of Satan)

I think the parents taking their kids into my local comic book shop would argue the point with you that parents don’t buy comics for their kids any more, as would the many kids who opt to take comics over candy when I give them the choice at Halloween. Whether Marvel and DC have largely abandoned that market is another matter.

In any event, simply because the comic isn’t targeted at kids and isn’t suitable for kids and isn’t marketed to kids and isn’t meant in any way for kids and will have a label on them saying, “For Mature Audiences That Are Not Kids” and will be sold by adults to other adults does not change the fact that “Comics Are For Kids.” Just ask Jesus Castillo, or more accurately the DA who got him convicted.

So while I may agree with your assessments on a logical level, I still think a comic titled “Son of Satan” is just asking for trouble. It’ll be on stands a month before Election Day, just in time to be a target for every loser politician behind in the polls looking to score some easy points with the electorate.

Grrrr… stupid Annihilation. Stop making Ronan look sexy.

Ronan IS pretty sexy on that cover. Ow ow!

The Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four is one of the best of the lot. Thrilling and gorgeous angle. Love it.

The Blade cover is also exceptional, as is the creepy Agents of Atlas cover.

Michael Turner and Greg Land’s art looks very pretty at first glance, then you look closer and see all the WRONG everywhere. Like Sue’s ribcage, or should I say lack of one.

you know for a guy that likes to judge other peoples art I don’t see your art work anywere so before I even say anything about these give me your website and let me see your artwork.

Fuck you, whoever said Michael Turner’s cover was aweful. It definitely wasn’t his best but it is not aweful. His style is comic yet realistic without having to over due cross-hatching. He’s the industry’s best artist - bar-none. Now that Marcos Martin cover, that is a true piece of shit! It’s like the 60s crapped out its worst artist. The best inker and colorer in the world couldn’t make that turd sandwich any better. I too am an artist so I know what I’m talking about.

Are you seriously getting pissed at a comment made a year ago?

Fuck you, whoever said Michael Turner’s cover was aweful. It definitely wasn’t his best but it is not aweful. His style is comic yet realistic without having to over due cross-hatching. He’s the industry’s best artist - bar-none. Now that Marcos Martin cover, that is a true piece of shit! It’s like the 60s crapped out its worst artist. The best inker and colorer in the world couldn’t make that turd sandwich any better.

This whole post: Pretty damn funny.

But, somehow, this last line

I too am an artist so I know what I’m talking about.

Just somehow propels it into the comedy stratosphere.

I don’t care how old it is, its one thing to talk about the art and tell them why you don’t like it and what you would do to make it better but you just commenting them like that is really dump. I am an artist as well and I got to say that the styles these other people have are diffrent from mine but they are good at what they do, witch is to prove to the world that there style is good enough to be publish because if it wasn’t then you wouldn’t be posting them. If you want to comment them do it right. and if you are really good then you should help them if they want it too.

Honourable Mention

New X-Men - weak work from Medina? I don’t think so. Emma’s cleavage is quite frankly awesome!

Top Five

5 Giant Sized Wolverine - impressionistic, moody and simple

4 Runaways - funny and Jo Chen just kicks ass

3 Agents of Atlas - I’m with you, Brian, this is a great piece of work, beautiful portrait complemented by old artwork

2 Claws - Don’t they look great, especially Felicia, natch

1 Spider-man loves Mary Jane - brilliant portrait of MJ - so darn cute