Comic Book Resources

The two things of interest to me this week are The Spirit (yes, yes, I know) and Marvel Adventures: Avengers. MA: Avengers is going to be a love story with Ego the Living Planet, apparently, and Jeff Parker’s going to make it wonderful and hilarious, as his run has been so far. I know you were iffy on the all-MODOK issue, but I’ve been loving this series.

Other than that, maybe… an Archie comic? I’d be interested to see your take on one of those.

Hmm… what else… Brave and the Bold? Hellblazer?

The Nightwing annual looks sort of interesting, but I bet it’s absolute dreck.

Army @ Love was a solid first issue, but I want to give it another issue or so before I make it a must pull.

So, I’m going to default into angry fan boy and recommend Mighty Avengers becasue I don’t hate Bendis and seeing well drawn female posteriors is worth 3 bucks.

DMZ starts a new arc and it’s always excellent. My favorite of the current crop of vertigos.

Manhunter #30! So what it is the last issue in a series (well, now, until the end of the year). Andreyko’s writing is funny, exciting and smart. This is the type of fun book DC should be doing more of…granted no one is reading it.

A slow week?! It’s probably the biggest week (in terms of quantity) for me since I started collecting comics again. But let’s see what I know anything about that I’d recommend to you…

Not ‘The Spirit’; we’ve been over that.

Not ’52′ or any of the WWIII stuff. If you’re not into it at this point you might as well let it go by.

Not ‘Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century’. I’m looking forward to it, but if you’re interested you’ll be able to pick it up for free on Free Comic Book Day.

So that leaves two comics, and stap my vitals if I can find a way to choose between them. Normally I’d just say, well try *this* one, and next month I’ll recommend the other one, but that won’t work this time. So I’ll just have to recommend both:

The Brave and the Bold #3: George Perez on art, as Batman teams up with Jaime Reyes, the third man to call himself the Blue Beetle and the Sensational Character Find of… I guess it was 2005. Waid and Perez have been knocking this title out of the park, the issues are nicely self-contained, and I’m very fond of Blue Beetle. You won’t go wrong with this issue.

Justice League of America #8: First issue of ‘The Lightning Saga’, the five-part crossover that:
1. is the first-ever crossover between a JLA title and a JSA title
2. features the much-missed original version of the beloved Legion of Super-Heroes, and explains just what they’ve been up to here in the 21st century over the past few months.
Meltzer’s run of JLA has taken a lot of criticism, but there’s a lot right with it too. I particularly like his evocation of superhero camaraderie. And both titles show the kind of respect for the past that’s exactly the kind of thing I like.

Legion of SuperHeroes in the 31st Century. It’s the only place to get stories of the “real” legion and it’s based on the cartoon which has been pretty good. I know it’s a Johnny DC title, but I’ve been enjoying Justice League Unlimited better than most of DC’s other regular superhero titles.
Other than that, Manhunter, one of the few DC superhero books I do buy.

Invisible 40 is on the list although it already came out. Anyway, its Kirkman’s best book and the art keeps getting better and better. Worth giving it another go if you haven’t checked it in a while.

My vote goes for Manhunter #30. The book is drastically underrated and underread. Andreyko is amongst the best in the business for character writing, filling this book with the most interesting set of supporting characters a superhero book has had since Clark Kent started working at the Daily Planet. The art team has steadily improved over the last few issues as well. This one is simultaneously wrapping the series up, but also launching it into its reprieve that will start later this year. I can’t recommend the book enough.

I’ll vote for DMZ since it’s starting a new storyline. I would suggest Army@Love, but you didn’t like the first issue, if I remember correctly, so I doubt it will get any better for you.

I recommend Love & Rockets #19. It’s head and shoulders above any comic published by either Marvel or DC.

It seems like an inordinate number of series I am reading end this week, and I can’t, in good conscience, recommend any of them to you now. Best to, as they say, wait for the trade, if you want to try any of them:
Girls #24 (of 24)
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #8 (of
Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs Nighthawk #4 (of 4)

I won’t recommend Spirit #5, just like everyone else above.

None of this week’s comics thrill me, so I’ll recommend a magazine about comics: Rough Stuff #4 from TwoMorrows Publishing. Art galleries by Michael Kaluta, Howard Chaykin, Gene Colan (among others), and an interview with John Totleben.

It’s not easy when half of what you’re getting is half of what I’m getting…

I’ll go with Birds of Prey this week. It’s got the Secret Six, Big Barda, and the return of Ice. And Gail and Nicola Scott are really ripping it up. Lousy stupid Wonder Woman…

Let’s not forget:
the incomparable ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN # 108 (the 3rd and a half issue to the end of Mark Bagley run.

Wanna start a pool to how long Bendis is gonna last on this title?

seeing well drawn female posteriors is worth 3 bucks.

That’s pretty pathetic. You know you can see actual women naked for free, right?

DMZ

Midtown Comics (usually very accurate) lists The Professor’s Daughter for this week.How about Conan #39, with what looks like one more Busiek story?

Well, you already get X-Men, so thats’ out.

That means it’s Mark Andreyko fun week. Nightwing Annual should be interesting but if you’re not interested in the Dick/Babs thing, I’d probably suggest staying clear.

Therefore, in good conscience, I can’t vote against Manhunter. It’s the comic that I buy, read, and immediately donate back to my retailer’s hands, so he can give it for free to some other potential fan. I just want the thing to survive. It has Cameron Chase, come on.

But you probably can’t go wrong with Cable/Deadpool(no lie), Marvel Adventures Avengers (JEFF PARKER) or, depending who’s on art, Sensational Spider-Man, either (though that’s at the end of an arc, I think).

Is God Save the Queen an OGN or is it just a collection that I missed in pamphlet form?

Oh I bet Brave and the Bold will be real good too, but at this point, wait for the trade.

The way the story is branching out is just great.

This is a big week for me.

I”m geting 52 and all the WWIII tie ins, Birds of Prey, Manhunter, Spirit, and X-Factor.

I don’t know what to recommend to you. I’ll go with BIRDS OF PREY. It seems Ice is back. And that’s cool.

@Apodaca:

I’m going to assume that the use of “pathetic” is just some good natured ribbing, so there’s no reason to launch into a vile, snarky flame war on a “Help me buy my comics!” thread.

And sure, I can see photos of real life girls nude for free (or take a girl out on a date and such, if dinner, movie, drinks, etc. counts as “free”), but when else do you get to classify well drawn female posteriors as “art” And that’s what my comment was. A bad joke saying “Frank Cho is a good artist if you like him, so that’s worth 3 bucks.”

Love and Rockets #19.

That is almost always a really, really good book.

Love & Rockets #19.
Best comic to be solicited this week.

Slow week, indeed! The only recommendation I have for you is LOVE & ROCKETS VOL 2 #19. How can you go wrong with the Hernandez Brothers? And I’ll second eric’s recommendation of DMZ.

-r-

Love and Rockets #19

The 2nd Rocketo trade is coming out this week. Awesome.

Love and Rockets?

I have both big hardcovers, New Love, one of the other Jaime trades and 16 issues of volume 2. And I STILL get freakin’ lost.

I mean, it’s GOOD, mind. ‘Beto’s in my top three favorite writers ofallever and I did call it “best ongoing series” last year.

But still. Most of the time it’s about as new reader friendly as the X-men circa 1992. To it’s detriment.

How ’bout Negative Burn? That any good? I’m curious.

From DC:

DMZ – new arc, good time to jump on, and I recommended it before because it is good

Brave and Bold – more of a fun comic than the GnG we see in some of the other books, with team ups!

Legion of Super Heroes in 31st Century – JLA Adventures is a fun book, let’s give another CN all ages book a chance

Manhunter – even though I did not originally read this series, I jumped on a few issues ago and I find myself truly liking the book

Shadowpact – Detective Chimp, Ragman, Blue Devil, do I need to say more?

and Maybe the Alex Toth TPB

Oh Wow! Alias the Cat tomorrow! Double-score!

‘Is God Save the Queen an OGN or is it just a collection that I missed in pamphlet form?’

OGN from what i can gather. It should be a good bet as well, although admittedly I love me nearly all Carey’s stuff (except for most of his Ultimate work). And if your a fan of Bolton’s art as well then I guess you’d be happier than a pig in sh*#.

Of course it’s not coming out this week, but I guess you could start saving your money for it.

As for my recommend this week uhh, Brave and the Bold probably. Jamie and Batman had like all of one panel together in Blue Beetle and already I think this could be the greatest. team up. ever.

I’ve got to recommend Birds of Prey. Ice’s ill-advised death finally being undone is reason enough to get this book, but throw in the Secret Six as a bonus and we’re talking one heck of a great comic.

Birds of Prey.

Failing that, Simpsons Comics, as it’s always funny whenever I pick it up.

I’m not sure I made myself clear last post: ALIAS THE CAT! You should buy ALIAS THE CAT! Everyone should buy ALIAS THE CAT!

I can’t believe that you’re not picking up Manhunter #30! It’s because of people like YOU that this comic has failed to make the numbers necessary to continue. (jk)

X-23 has been absolutely wonderful so far, and the art is lovely.

Come on, Mighty Avengers #2! Much as we all hated Civil War, the first issue of this book managed to retain the classic characterizations of the old characters, and basically put that entire stupid stunt on the back burner. And gave us a really fun book.

And why aren’t you buying Birds of Prey? Don’t you love Ice? Don’t you love Gail? Don’t you want her to take up the reins on Wonder Woman sooner rather than later? Wait, that’s an entirely different rant.

Explain to us again why you’re wasting your money on Moon Knight? And how can you read X-Men when the art is just so distracting?

Real slow week. Assuming you already have the books collected on the Batman Mad Monk TPB (which is great), I
would recommend the adventures of over the top hitman
Golgo 13 (Jog can explain why FAR more eloquentely than
I’ll ever be able to, check his blog for Golgo 13 goodness!).

If you are not into manga, then I second the Marvel Adventures Avengers book. Jeff Parker is probably the most underrated super-hero writer on the stands!

Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)

Legion of Super-Heroes it is!

(And I second the request for an explanation of why you’re buying Moon Knight. I challenge you to reread the issues thus far and tell us why it is something more than a Marvel version of Tim Vigil’s Faust–i.e. violence porn.)

X-Men might be my favorite Marvel comic right now. I never thought I’d actually say that after I hit the age of 15 or so. But then I have honed the skill to completely ignore art as everything but the most rudimentary way of getting a story across. It’s a byproduct of my very poor visual imagery.

I’m going to go with my usual habit here, and recommend this week’s Essential/Showcase Presents (Superman Volume Three, tons of Silver Age goodness in one neat package.) I’ll start feeling like I’m being repetitive when you actually listen.

I have to throw out my vote for DMZ #18. It’s the second best Vertigo title published right now. Wood has done a good job of bringing readers up to speed with each issue. It’s timely and exciting, and the art was always impressed me.

John – I rarely buy the Essential/Showcase volumes on the day they come out, because my comics shoppe occasionally doesn’t have them in bulk (they might get one if someone orders it) and I also like to peruse the volumes when I have some time, and usually, when I go to get my weekly stuff, I am hampered by two children, one of whom likes to pull stuff out of the cheap boxes and scatter it all around. Therefore I don’t have the time to page through big hulking paperbacks at that time. I buy some of the Essentials, but I haven’t gotten any Showcase volumes yet. I sense a post about that coming up … Just in case you’re thinking I’m not paying any attention to you, because I am.

The art in X-Men hasn’t been distracting for me, Ace, except for Ramos’ three issues. If he’s the “regular” fill-in artist for Bachalo, or if Bachalo falls into his inpenetrable style again, I may have to rethink buying the book, but Carey’s stories have been pretty darned interesting.

I don’t feel like defending Moon Knight right now, guys. I’ll try again when I actually review it.

DMZ #18.
There’s a lot more combat in this issue than usual, to some detriment to plot, but it’s still good.

This comic has fallen into an interesting rhythm of longer arc-single issue story-longer arc (1-3,4,5,6-10,11,12-16,17, something like that). It’s an interesting compromise on decompression; it makes the arcs feel more organic and allows for more jumping on points.