CSBG Archive
What I bought – 22 August 2007
A guy at the comic book store yesterday was saying that the best we can hope for these days when we buy comics is that they don’t suck. Why would you buy comics if that’s your attitude? He claimed it had been a while since he had read a comic that truly dazzled him. He didn’t seem impressed by Batman, but sheesh – yesterday Mouse Guard and Iron Fist came out. Plus a bunch of other fun comics! In fact, when the worst comic I bought yesterday managed to feature a Mexican standoff/slaughter and a woman getting rescued by pink elephants and later failing to pass through spaceport security because she had three explosive darts in her chest, that’s not a bad day. People who think comics are mediocre aren’t trying. But enough! Let’s see if my computer holds up enough for me to have coherent thoughts about a bunch of books!
Astonishing X-Men #22 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. $2.99, Marvel.
Back in the old days when we first arrived here at our new digs, I savaged the first trade paperback of Astonishing X-Men and set the fine standard of “just not getting it,” according to the many people who didn’t like what I had to say. I haven’t read an issue since, but I figured I would read this because, you know, I don’t have to pay for it! It’s not bad, but I’m just not sure why this is such a big seller. I mean, the art is absolutely stunning (except for Logan’s thighs on that cover), but there’s a bunch of stuff that is setting up something huge, and it leads to an ending that is, as usual, striving for awesome but has no power because we know nothing is going to happen to the character in question. It’s not a bad book by any means, but it’s not the Second Coming of the Great X-Men. Whedon is far too impressed with his bon mots, which is a reason I never got into Buffy the Vampire Slayer – whenever I watched it (my wife used to catch it), I felt the characters were just a bit too clever. But that’s just me. The whole “X-Men in Space” thing was silly when Brubaker did it in Uncanny, and here it might be worse, because at least “The Rise and Fall …” etc. featured characters we know and might care about it. Maybe Whedon has made us care about these characters, but in this issue, at least, everyone’s just going through the motions, throwing out pithy remarks (Peter David doesn’t have a patent on pop culture references) and posing. People like to say this reminds them of “old-school” X-Men, before Claremont lost his mind. Well, the stuff Carey has been doing on X-Men (see below), although hampered by the art, is so much more old-school and better than this that it’s … astonishing!
Oh, and Kitty just lost her virginity? Fuck the heck? She hasn’t made the beast with two backs prior to this? Or is this just the first time she did the nasty with Colossus?
Batman #668 by Grant “All I wanted as a child was Timothy Leary’s DIY LSD kit” Morrison and J. H. Williams III. $2.99, DC.
Good God, this is a fantastic issue. Where do I start?
First, the first three pages. I like how “eight years ago” in DC’s world means the comics look like something from the Sixties, when comics from eight years ago look pretty darned similar to today’s comics. Oh well – such are the vagaries of trying to deal with time in the DCU or MU. And Cyril is kind of young, isn’t he? I always got the impression he was in his late 20s/early 30s. He looks like he’s 12, which would make him 20 in the present day. Oh well. It’s still a very cool scene that adds a nice layer of mystery to the present-day proceedings.
Williams, of course, continues with the stunning artwork. It’s just amazing. The panel layouts are wonderful, and Williams does a great job with full-page panels overlaid with smaller squares moving the story along. The fight with the automated armor, taking place inside a bat-wing outline, is gorgeous. The drawings themselves are cool enough, but why can’t more artists come up with panel layouts like this? It’s not revolutionary, after all, and one would think artists have, you know, art talent. Is Williams such a dominating presence that he’s the only one who can get away with it? I wish more artists would try stuff like this.
Oh, gosh, and there’s Morrison’s script. It’s not as clever as a lot of his work, but it’s a great freakin’ Batman comic. The mystery deepens, Batman shows that he actually has a heart, Robin uses some detecting skillz (yay, Tim!), and just for fun, the killer forces one of the heroes to swallow a bomb. Oh, that wacky killer! And so on. I’ve said this before, but when Morrison wants to write a damned good story, there are few better than he is.
I’m digging this comic. Even if you don’t like Morrison, you should check this three-issue arc out, because it’s really cool.
Black Summer #2 (of 7) by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. $2.99, Avatar.
I got the preview issue and wasn’t terribly impressed, but apparently the first issue was some damned fine comic bookery, so I snagged this (for free!) and paged through it. Well, it’s pretty darned good. Ryp’s art, which I’ve read as being too busy, is reminiscent of Geof Darrow, so if you like Darrow, you should like Ryp! Easy as that! Meanwhile, the writing is full of Ellis’ techno-babble, but it zips along at a good clip, with lots of explosions and people blowing up, and the by-now-typical squabbling among the superpeople. There’s pretty much nothing here that is new, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. The superpeople tell everyone they don’t want to fight American soldiers, but that doesn’t work out. They end up deciding that maybe John Horus has a good idea, slaughtering the president and all that. Of course, they decide this just as the Army is about to bust down their door and kill them all, so I’m sure there will be quite the bloodbath next issue. It’s Ellis doing his thing. You know how it is.
I will say one thing about comparing Bush to Hitler, as Ellis sort of does in this issue. I think Bush is one of the worst presidents of all time, but here’s the difference, which Ellis fails to make: I know that in January 2009, we will have a new president, no matter how dictatorial Bush/Cheney wants to be. It might be another shitty president, but it will be a new one. That’s the difference. That’s why we’re not Germany in the 1930s or, you know, Venezuela or Zimbabwe or North Korea or any number of other oppressive governments. So there, Warren Ellis.
Blue Beetle #18 by John Rogers, Rafael Albuquerque, David Baldeon, and Dan Davis. $2.99, DC.
The same guy who whined about not having anything more than mediocre comics to read threatened to take me outside the store and fight me if I claimed Blue Beetle is a good comic. He claimed the only reason I escaped was because I had my two-year-old daughter with me. He was joking, of course, but I forgot to ask him if he had read it recently. I know everyone says that the first 6-10 issues of this comic were awful, but I have been reading since issue #14 and haven’t read a bad one yet. This issue is totally old-school, setting up a problem and then having the heroes fix it. What’s wrong with something like that? Jaime’s alien friends want to stop the launch of a rocket from “America’s first private commercial spaceport,” and they hire Lobo to keep it on the ground. Jaime teams up with the Teen Titans to make sure the rocket launches. Simple, right?
There’s a lot of very funny banter, including pointing out that fighting in a belly shirt might not be the wisest choice, and Lobo fails in his mission, as we knew he would. The only problem I have with the issue is the choice of Lobo, because it’s been made clear that Lobo is pretty much unstoppable, yet a bunch of kids manage to stop him. I know they barely stop him and don’t really defeat him, but it stretches credulity just a tad. It’s not that big a deal, however, just a small point.
It’s a very fun comic. Why not check it out? It’s one-and-done!!!!
Bonds #1 (of 3) by Durwin S. Talon. $3.99, Image.
This is the last comic I picked up for free, because it looked intriguing, but I wasn’t sure it was worth 4 dollars. Well, it’s not, but it is kind of neat.
Talon (Talon?) tells the story of Faith Warner, a concert cellist who’s engaged to her conductor. No, it’s not the Maestro from Seinfeld or 50 Cent, but that’s okay. Meanwhile, her father, who works for a huge pharmaceutical company, discovers that the company is developing an “airborne contagion” that kills people but leaves the infrastructure intact. Because, as we know, all pharmaceutical companies in entertainment are totally evil. Anyway, Faith’s father cannot be allowed to live with his knowledge!!!!! Faith comes upon her father before he dies, and he tells her about the evil plot. So of course the company comes after her, and when they knock her unconscious, she goes to some idyllic place where she meets her spirit guide, who she calls “the princess of the forest.” The princess tells Faith that her mother had some kind of power that allowed her to “bind” things together, and Faith is the heir to that power. She can use it to maintain balance in nature or use it to stop the wicked, or use it for revenge. Faith chooses … REVENGE! When she wakes up, the bad guys are gone and she has a spider tattoo on her hand. What could this portend?????
It’s a nice set-up story, with some potential. We’ll have to see where it goes. Talon’s art is in the computer-enhanced style of Matt Silady’s The Homeless Channel and Jon Proctor’s The Black Diamond, and although that kind of art can be a bit disconcerting, Talon’s coloring and his use of effects makes it work pretty well. It’s a nice-looking comic.
Again, it’s not really worth 4 dollars. I might have to see how much the inevitable trade is.
The Immortal Iron Fist #8 by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Roy Allan Martinez. $2.99, Marvel.
Danny Rand heads for K’un-Lun for the big tournament in which he fights as his city’s champion, and it’s as cool as the first story arc was, while continuing the whole subplot of Hydra and the Steel Serpent treating Danny’s partner poorly. The mystery of Danny’s father deepens, of course, and the Steel Serpent is his city’s champion, of course. Brubaker and Fraction have done a nice job in a short time of giving us plenty of history of Iron Fist, which means that everything has a menacing undercurrent. The participants in the tournament are suitably interesting, too – there’s Fat Cobra, who’s huge yet quick; the Bride of Nine Spiders, who’s creepy; Dog Brother #1, who’s just a tough guy; and Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter, your typical sexy assassin. The mysterious Prince of Orphans gets a first-round bye – how does he rate? Anyway, it looks great, as Aja continues to do a fine job, with Martinez, who doesn’t get enough work, providing the flashback stuff, and the story cruises along. It’s a very neat comic book.
Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 #1 (of 6) by David Petersen. $3.50, Archaia Studios Press.
If you missed Mouse Guard the first time around, here’s your chance to make amends! Let’s hope this is a bit easier to find after the surprising success of the first series. Petersen gives us a bit of a recap, both on the first page (where we learn he’s not much of a poet) and throughout the book. The main action of the book involves a mouse patrol trying to get through the rough winter to gather some supplies for Lockhaven, the main mouse city. Meanwhile, back in Lockhaven, there’s some general plot outlining, which presumably will come into play later. The scenes out in the snow are dynamic, with the mice thwarting an owl attack and dealing with some problems that come from lots of snow. It leads to a nice cliffhanger ending that fits in with the idea that these are, in fact, mice. Petersen’s art is the highlight, as usual, but the story is also gripping and nicely set up. After the autumnal beauty of the previous mini-series, the snow scenes are wonderful and stark, while the interiors show the ways mice adapt to their surroundings. It’s a very nice start to what should be another excellent mini-series.
Don’t delay! Buy it today!
The Order #2 by Matt Fraction, Barry Kitson, and Mark Morales. $2.99, Marvel.
I liked this issue of The Order, as Fraction gives us a nice weird threat that makes sense in a comic-book way and plenty of action. He does some nice things with the characters, as one team member simply can’t do what needs to be done and needs someone else to come in and do some killing. Becky’s abilities to shapeshift come in rather handy, and Kitson does a great job with it. As I mentioned last issue, his art is always good, but his DC work is a bit cleaner, and I’m not sure if it Morales’ inking that gives it a nice rough look to it.
The only real problem I have with the book is Becky’s little arc, which shows us her life as a celebrity. She goes from beauty pageants to recording artist and actress, and it’s supposed to be a comment on all the teen singers who dress like sluts, I guess. It’s just kind of dull, because we read about people like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears and Paris Hilton every day (our local newspaper has a separate section of the “Living” pages devoted to those three). So the ending, while interesting in how it will fit into the story, considering Becky just saved the world, isn’t as shocking as it’s supposed to be. It’s certainly not enough to ruin the book, but it’s just kind of uninspiring.
Still, it’s a cool comic. That’s all we can ask for!
Repo #3 (of 5) by Rick Spears and Rob G. $3.50, Image.
The worst comic I bought this week is still pretty good, although I worry about the strange nature of the book. I mentioned that Spears has a problem with being a bit too snotty in an attempt to be edgy, which battles with his rather neat ideas and usually good dialogue. In issue #1, the bad side was ascendant. In issue #2, he reined it in a bit. In issue #3, it’s back a bit, although we’re enough into the story that it doesn’t overwhelm the main plot. I mean, someone getting a clone’s finger in the mouth sounds a lot cooler than it turns out to be. And although the carnage is quite nice, I really don’t buy the fact that six people can take out an entire squad of soldiers/police who are armed with automatic rifles. I mean, I can barely buy it when an unarmed gang can’t overwhelm one or two good guys, but when they’re actually armed, it stretches our suspension of disbelief just a tad. I’m three issues in, so I’m pretty much locked in for the next two, but I’m a bit worried about how it’s going to play out. Oh well.
Rob G’s art is, as usual, quite good. I’m not exactly sure what the deal is with the pink elephants, but why the hell not? And he gets to draw a lot of heads exploding, so there’s that!
The Weapon #3 (of 4) by Fred van Lente and Scott Koblish. $2.99, Platinum Studios Comics.
You know, this comic is like a Devil Dog – it doesn’t take a long time to get through, but it puts a smile on your face. It’s a very fun comic with lots of neat action, some drama (oh, will Tommy save his partner?), and a good bunch of historical mumbo-jumbo that sounds just credible enough to get us through. We’re ready for the big showdown next issue, and I’ll be there for all the martial arts goodness! Everyone needs a Drake’s chocolate cake occasionally!
X-Men #202 by Mike Carey, Humberto Ramos, and Carlos Cuevas. $2.99, Marvel.
I hate to keep harping on Ramos’ art, but look at that cover. Yuck. Out of the many egregious panels, the one where Kitty hugs the New X-Man dude who figures out Blindfold isn’t dead is the one that sticks in my head. It’s a slight panel in the grand scheme of the issue, but Kitty just looks so … weird. It’s bizarre.
Anyway, I don’t want to dwell on the art, because Carey is doing such a masterful job with this title that it’s strange that people are still calling Astonishing X-Men the best “old-school” X-title. Carey has been building such a great long-term story, and even though it’s a tiny bit annoying that he’s dredging up stuff like Destiny’s Diaries that were dull the first time around, I like what he’s doing with them this time. As is becoming typical with his run, in this issue we get some answers which lead into bigger questions, misdirection that keeps us guessing, some great action, some nice character moments, and a bold ending that does a good job setting up the next issue. Carey is fully invested in using a lot of the X-Men’s history, even the parts we’d like to forget (he brings up Vargas in this issue, for crying out loud!), and it’s cool to see. What I like about this more than Astonishing is that Whedon, from the little I’ve read of that comic, seems to think the history of the X-Men stopped around 1986. Carey knows that a lot of the X-stories over the past twenty years haven’t been the greatest, but they’re still part of the canon, so why not use them? What the hell, right?
Each issue of Carey’s run gets better, which is a very good way to write a book. Heck, I may even start to like Ramos’ art one day! But don’t count on it.
Hmmm. My computer seems to be working pretty well since I brought it back from the repair place, even though they didn’t actually do any work on it. That’s odd.  Anyway, if it stays in one piece, maybe I’ll be able to post longer stuff like I enjoy doing. Bwah-ha-ha-ha!  That’s right, people – the long-winded one MAY be back! Suffer!
69 Comments
FunkyGreenJerusalem
August 23, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I read the first six and thought they were awesome.
And I didn’t read anything to do with Crisis – I Say NO! To Crossovers.
Birmy
August 23, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I actually really liked Blue Beetle, even from the early issues (sadly dropped it for budgetary reasons). A sadly frequently overlooked book.
Brack
August 23, 2007 at 10:41 pm
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I’m fairly certain Kitty lost her virginity to Pete Wisdom during Ellis’ Excalibur run.
Rebis
August 23, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Hey Greg — Just to clarify: My reading of the bed scene between Kitty and Colossus is that it was their first time having sex since he returned from the dead. Of course, since you haven’t been reading the book, maybe that’s unclear. And of course, I could be all wrong, too.
Greg Manuel
August 24, 2007 at 12:00 am
I don’t know much about Kitty and Colossus myself, but my whole reading was they’d never had sex before at all…had they had sex before or no?
Eh…I suppose it’s neither here nor there – I’m not a big fan of superhero pillow-talk scenes anyway.
Personally I’ve enjoyed Astonishing X-Men a great deal since the beginning – I’ll admit, that’s mainly because it’s the one with Cyclops in it – but also because of that old-school feel. But the stuff Mike Carey’s been doing on adjectiveless X-Men has been crazy fun, too!
This stuff that’s been coming up in Immortal Iron Fist…has this all been part of the Iron Fist’s history since the beginning, or have Brubaker and Fraction added all this to his backstory?
Lewis
August 24, 2007 at 12:04 am
Hmmm, now Dan Didio’s going to cancel Blue Beetle since it ruined Lobo. ^_~
I sadly didn’t realize Batman came out this week so I’ll have to pick it up next week. I love pulling obscure heroes out and I love the British Batman team of Knight and Squire. ^^
FunkyGreenJerusalem
August 24, 2007 at 12:13 am
Not sure if he was meant to be the first, but they were at it.
(And Wisdom was Ellis’ ‘fiction suit’!!! EWWWW!)
Jaap
August 24, 2007 at 12:34 am
So.. what’s your problem with Ramos?
I mean, it’s obviously not meant to be taken as a realistic approach to anatomy.
SwanShadow
August 24, 2007 at 12:49 am
Blue Beetle rocks. Hard.
Comics should not only be good; they should also be fun. Blue Beetle is rare among DC’s current product in that it manages to be both, month after month. It even comes out on time more often than not.
Now that I’ve said all that, Dan DiDio will cancel it.
El Dustino
August 24, 2007 at 3:53 am
There was at least one previous issue in which Colossus and Kitty had sex.
All they showed was Kitty phasing through the floor and landing, nekkid, in the living room on the first floor. The implication was that she had phased in the throes of passion.
And I thought it was weird when I heard some women sneeze….
Matt D
August 24, 2007 at 4:53 am
I love how we now regularly have a week which gives us Blue Beetle-Iron Fist-Carey’s X-Men
Those are probably my three favorite superhero comics right now and all three make me very, very happy.
Stephane Savoie
August 24, 2007 at 5:33 am
Blue Beetle is, bar none, the single best book I’m reading these days.
I agree with you on Whedon’s “cleverness”. The story might be brilliant, but if you can’t dig a writer’s style of humour, it kills the series. I never could stand Buffy either.
Warren Ellis
August 24, 2007 at 6:07 am
“(And Wisdom was Ellis’ ‘fiction suit’!!! EWWWW!)”
No, he really wasn’t. Freak.
(Though I do know the comics artist who DID sleep with the real Kitty Pryde, but I didn’t find that out until after I left the book…)
Dan Bailey
August 24, 2007 at 6:41 am
“I know that in January 2009, we will have a new president, no matter how dictatorial Bush/Cheney wants to be. It might be another shitty president, but it will be a new one.”
Way to jinx things. Just watch the Illegal Thug Regime come up with some contrived “national emergency” that “requires” suspension of the election …
ATOM HOTEP
August 24, 2007 at 6:56 am
In complete agreement about Astonishing X-Men, all Joss Whedon’s stuff, really. It just think it’s clever and when you get to that point it just becomes loathsome because every character has to be a cutesy little weisenheimer. Nauseatingly precious.
Matt D
August 24, 2007 at 7:08 am
For what it’s worth, with comics, I’ll generally take nauseatingly precious over something that’s frustrating and negative, all other things equal.
Generally, though, I’d prefer something that’s good and neither of these things.
ATOM HOTEP
August 24, 2007 at 7:10 am
Yeah, I’m gonna have to say I’d rather read neither, which is why I can’t stomach Warren Ellis or Joss Whedon.
Greg Burgas
August 24, 2007 at 7:14 am
What the hell is Warren Ellis doing here? How neat.
My problem with Ramos’ art, Jaap, is that it’s SO over-the-top. I don’t mind a few stylistic contortions, but he goes so far into the realm of the absolute bizarre without really bringing much else to the table, like Kelley Jones’ surreal and macabre style. With someone like Jones (who I know a lot of people don’t like), there’s a sensibility that works well with the stories he’s illustrating. I don’t think Jones would work well, for instance, on X-Men. Ramos’ art, however, is inoffensive enough to be featured in mainstream superhero books, but I just can’t get over the weird way he twists everyone’s bodies and, in the big fight scenes, his sense of placement of the characters. Very often I can’t tell what’s going on in his bigger panels.
I’m pretty sure Brubaker and Fraction have added all this to Iron Fist’s backstory. Only the Great and Mighty Cronin knows for sure!
stealthwise
August 24, 2007 at 7:21 am
1) Wolverine’s thighs are TOHTALLY HAWT on that cover. Didn’t you hear? Homoerotic proclamations of man-thigh love is IN! Get with the times, man!
2) That guy didn’t want to fight you because of your two-year old… true. But the reason is, he could likely take you, just didn’t want to mess with your hellish progeny, for fear of a Lone Wolf and Cub style beatdown. Beware the toddler wrath!
Jaap
August 24, 2007 at 7:41 am
I have to dis-agree with you Greg, where you say he brings nothing to the table, I have to vouch for his sense of dynamism and action.
Compare his work with the work of a more traditional artist and tell me it doesn’t fly at you rather than bore you.
I wouldn’t put him on a current Batman title or, like Spawn? but for a fun action romp wich – lets be honoust – the x-men IS, I doubt he’s a bad fit.
joshschr
August 24, 2007 at 7:53 am
Ramos makes everyone look like Mr. Fantastic, or Inque from Batman Beyond. Ok for some characters, like Mr. Fantastic, or Inque, Morph, recognize a pattern here, but in X-men, it looks like everyone is going to morph into a ginormous super character.
I liked how his style differed from other artists for a while when he first came out, but I’m losing the love on X-men.
DubipR
August 24, 2007 at 8:22 am
What,no Spirit pick up this week?
Oh man, you missed out on some Cooke goodness! A great eerie story and some dynamite artwork.
You summation of Mouse Guard was spot on. Its David’s artwork that’s the true push for this book. Nice little story as it unfolds, but he catches you with some pretty pages.
Dave
August 24, 2007 at 8:55 am
I think the true failing of Whedon’s run on Astonishing has been that in 22 issues so far, he has not introduced a single interesting villain or concept into his run on the series, and when he does use previously existing antagonists like Cassandra Nova, he writes them nowhere near as well as previous writers did. Admittedly Cassandra Nova has pretty much only been written by Morrison, so that’s a hard act to follow, but still. To make matters worse, his entire run has basically been built around showcasing these horribly dull concepts such as S.W.O.R.D., Danger, and the Breakworld.
God, I hate the Breakworld. It’s the most hideously lame and generic collection of “evil alien empire” cliches ever. This entire series has just feel like a generic pre-existing action movie pitch that Whedon hastily slapped the X-Men into and hoped it would work rather than actually being a story that plays to the strengths of the X-Men franchise and characters.
Matt D
August 24, 2007 at 9:05 am
The Whedon run is all about dialogue and character moments, done by someone who is very nostalgic.
If you’re reading it, you should be well aware of that fact going in. If that’s not what you’re looking for, best to look elsewhere. The plots just aren’t there.
brian lockhart
August 24, 2007 at 9:23 am
Just thought I’d point out that we’ve gotten three Batman issues in the span of, what, a month? It’s nice to see that DC has been pumping out the more recent issues to make up for the lateness of the Kubert-drawn ones, rather than pushing everything back. Of course, I’m sure this has something to do with wanting everyone caught up for the launch of the Ras Al Ghul crossover, but still, it’s nice to have gotten a triple dose of Morrison’s Batman in relatively few weeks.
Daly
August 24, 2007 at 10:08 am
Just had to tell you that i’m a supporter of wolverines thighs.
That is all.
Dave
August 24, 2007 at 10:23 am
My main complaint with Ramos is that is seems like his art has currently moved to the point where some of the things he draws are only barely identifiable as human faces. The hideously disproportionate and usually asymmetrical features don’t help either.
I’m all for stylized art, and I’m a huge fan of both Bachalo and Skottie Young’s more stylized work on the current X-titles, but Ramos’s stuff is just ugly.
AstroZombie
August 24, 2007 at 10:58 am
So let me get this straight. You dropped Astonishing X-Men after the first story arc (which I loved, by the way), and then decide to dive back in over fifteen issues later, with three issues to go in the run, and tear it apart. Why bother? You do realize that “done-in-one” is NOT the way these things are typically written now, right? I mean you have no idea what’s been up in this comic for the last two years, and yet you’re blaming it for YOUR ignorance.
“Whedon, from the little I’ve read of that comic, seems to think the history of the X-Men stopped around 1986.”
I mean seriously, what are you talking about? Most of the concepts Whedon has focused on are lifted from Morrison’s run. And to compare this series to a piece of garbage like any given issue of Carey’s run on X-Men, ESPECIALLY the ones drawn by Ramos (is there any artist less suited to drawing X-Men?), I mean, you HAVE to be on some serious drugs, right? The worst thing I can say about Astonishing is that it’s chronically late, but at least it isn’t UGLY. And if you think Carey’s story is good enough to ignore the horrific art… This is quickly turning into a rant, I’ll be brief.
Say what you will about Whedon’s writing style. I cut my teeth reading X-Men, and his version of these characters sounds perfect. Don’t knock the story, because YOU haven’t been reading it. And don’t bash the issue because you don’t think the ending will stick. You don’t know that, and you’re not going to read the next issue anyway.
Tyler
August 24, 2007 at 11:10 am
“I will say one thing about comparing Bush to Hitler, as Ellis sort of does in this issue. I think Bush is one of the worst presidents of all time, but here’s the difference, which Ellis fails to make: I know that in January 2009, we will have a new president, no matter how dictatorial Bush/Cheney wants to be. It might be another shitty president, but it will be a new one. That’s the difference. That’s why we’re not Germany in the 1930s or, you know, Venezuela or Zimbabwe or North Korea or any number of other oppressive governments. So there, Warren Ellis.”
Only it’s not really Ellis making the argument. He’s cleverly framed the argument using two of the supporting characters that we’re not really intended to like. Kathryn Artemis is the one comparing Bush and Hitler, and pages before she does this we see her coldly massacring a group of soldiers. Domininc Atlas is the one arguing against the president’s murder, but he’s kind of an unlikable asshole. Tom Noir, the main character, hasn’t expressed an opinion, leaving the reader to make the call on whether Horus’s actions were right or wrong.
Dave
August 24, 2007 at 11:44 am
Maybe I missed it, but I wasn’t aware that Grant Morrison’s run focused so heavily on the concept of “KITTY PRYDE IS THE BEST X-MAN EVER,” which seems to be at least 50% of the entire concept of Astonishing.
Billy F
August 24, 2007 at 11:48 am
Am I the only one who thought that this weeks issue of The Spirit was the worst thing Darwyn cooke’s ever done? I really hated it.
AstroZombie
August 24, 2007 at 11:54 am
Well, I prefer “KITTY PRYDE IS THE BEST X-MAN EVER” to “ZOMG, CAREY’S X-MANS ARE BADASSES LIKE IT’S 1995 AND OH SHIT IT’S TEH GAMBIT!!!!!1!!”
And besides, KITTY PRYDE IS THE BEST X-MAN EVER. Duh.
s1rude
August 24, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Joining the defense of Astonishing…whether you like it or not, I don’t see how it can be argued that “the plots just aren’t there”. Elements and themes from the first three arcs – Breakworld/Colossus, Danger, Scott being sans power, Logan & “Armor” – all feed into and are being developed further in the finale. If you don’t like these things, fine, but I think it’s wrong-headed and lazy criticism to portray the book as a plotless, wise-cracking nostalgia-fest. AstroZombie is correct in saying that Astonishing is as rooted in Morrison (and has been while the X books linked more closely to 616 continuity distanced themselves from or completely undid his New X-Men work) as it is in the Claremont/Byrne era. Also, Endangered Species prominently features Ravita Kao’s Cure and the teases for CompleX seem to indicate that the Prof – Scott tensions will be central. Both are things created or brought to the forefront by Astonishing.
Again, if you don’t like it, that’s fine. I do, for the reasons outlined above, to name a few. I also love Buffy…and Carey’s X-Men. Tastes vary, but the general sentiment in this thread makes it sounds like Astonishing is Civil War or Countdown-level dreck, which isn’t fair.
Brad Curran
August 24, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I gave up on Astonishing before the Danger Room is alive arc ended, and I happen to love pretty much everything else Joss Whedon has done (I even sort of liked Alien Ressurection!) Also, Warren Ellis appears on blog comments sections if you say he was writing himself having sex with his characters? I will have to remember that.
AstroZombie
August 24, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Y’know, I’m not even a Whedon fan. I never watched Buffy, my only experience with Firefly was the movie (which I liked despite being fairly lost throughout), and I had no idea he had anything to do with Alien: Resurrection (definitely the low-point of the series, but likely more the director’s fault) or Toy Story.
Anyway, Burgas, sorry about the hardcore flaming back there. You’re entitled to your opinion and all, I just felt like you (though you’re not the only one) were being unfair to a book that I love, and it pissed me off. I really don’t think you’re on drugs. If you started saying you actually LIKED Ramos’ art, THEN I would really think you were on drugs.
Dave
August 24, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Totally unrelated, but I’d say Jeunet’s influence on Alien Resurrection was more damage control. I give him credit for bringing in his ensemble cast and making the film at least visually memorable.
From the excerpts I’ve read of Whedon’s original screenplay, it was borderline Claremontian in its female-domination overtones, especially the scene where he lovingly describes Ripley stomping on the Ron Perlman character’s balls.
K.L. Anderson
August 24, 2007 at 1:24 pm
What Astro Zombie said. It’s patently unfair to randomly pick one issue that’s purposely designed to be a middle issue in a longer story arc, not read hardly any of the preceding issues, and then pretend like there’s even a chance in hell that you might like it. You seemed to know going in that you weren’t going to like it, so what’s the point really? What kind of useful information or opinion does that kind of review impart to anyone? I see more and more of this type of stuff on the part of reviewers these days and it really is pretty useless.
Greg Burgas
August 24, 2007 at 1:30 pm
That’s fine, AstroZombie. I don’t get too bothered by people not liking my opinions. I don’t expect any given issue to be “one-and-done” – in fact, I tend to like comics that give us an extended storyline (hell, Rex Mundi is my favorite comic, and that’s been doing an extended story for 25 issues). However, I’ll stick by my contention that Whedon, it seems, tends to write for the “big moment,” which from all I’ve read in Astonishing (and I have read a few issues since the first six, but haven’t had a chance to review them), is what he’s doing. Big moments have to be earned, and it just doesn’t seem like he’s earning them. But that’s just me. And using Morrison’s ideas isn’t really the same as doing what Morrison did with them. It’s more the sensibility of the Claremont X-Men that I get from the issues of Whedon that I read, not necessarily the plotting. And I’ve said more than once that I care less about the art than the story, so Ramos’ art doesn’t bother me because Carey’s scripts are so good, while Cassaday’s art can’t save a fairly generic sci-fi story, which is what Whedon is writing. Again, it’s all opinion. I admit to loving Cassaday’s art, and it’s not that I don’t like Astonishing, I’m just perplexed by the gushing over it. There’s a difference.
And I kind of liked Alien: Resurrection. Of course, I liked Alien 3 too, so take that as you will. Alien: Resurrection had Michael Wincott, who does not get enough work.
Matt Brady
August 24, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Really, Greg? You think Rob G.’s art on Repo is “very good”? I dropped it after the second issue, mostly due to the awful drawings of characters, and flipping through the third issue, I saw that nothing had changed. Some of the buildings and cars look all right, but the people are barely even recognizable as humans. Ugly, ugly stuff.
AstroZombie
August 24, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Actually I really liked Alien3, but then David Fincher ranks pretty high on my favorite directors list.
Warren Ellis
August 24, 2007 at 2:28 pm
“What the hell is Warren Ellis doing here? How neat.”
William @ Avatar sent me the link. Hey.
– W
Warren Ellis
August 24, 2007 at 2:29 pm
“Only it’s not really Ellis making the argument. He’s cleverly framed the argument using two of the supporting characters that we’re not really intended to like. Kathryn Artemis is the one comparing Bush and Hitler, and pages before she does this we see her coldly massacring a group of soldiers. Domininc Atlas is the one arguing against the president’s murder, but he’s kind of an unlikable asshole. Tom Noir, the main character, hasn’t expressed an opinion, leaving the reader to make the call on whether Horus’s actions were right or wrong.”
Oh, someone actually READ it. Thank you.
Note to all: characters are not writers.
The realist
August 24, 2007 at 3:08 pm
If you have never been to a country your opinion on its leaders does not count. I like this column but dont use it as a political mouthpiece for your uninformed opinions. And yes Bush=Hitler. but the German had a brain.
Greg Burgas
August 24, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Are you speaking to me, The realist? That’s an odd thing to say, considering the opinion I am expressing is about the president of the country in which I live. And why can’t anyone express an opinion about any country? Ellis is doing it, and although I don’t completely agree with him, he’s perfectly free to make them. How exactly are my opinions uninformed? I really don’t understand. If you are specifically talking about the examples I give, please elaborate.
It’s certainly true that writers are not characters, Mr. Ellis, and I’m very willing to read the rest of the series to see how it all shakes down, but I get the impression that you’re not totally in disagreement with Kathryn. Not about advocating the assassination of a president, of course, but in thinking Bush is really, really, really horrible and that this Administration will somehow bend the rules to stay in power if they could. I can’t disagree with the “Bush is really horrible part,” but I guess I’m just sick of the Bush = Hitler comparisons. Hitler is so far above the petty stupidity of Bush in terms of evil that it bugs me. It’s like comparing Saddam Hussein to Hitler. It just gets tiring after a while.
Ryan Day
August 24, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I think you’re missing one of the major points of the first (or second, depending on how you’re counting) issue: It’s possible these people are totally insane. We’ve already seen Horus slaughter the president and give a blood-drenched press conference, Artemis open a nearly-unprovoked can of whoop-ass on some soldiers, and Atlas is looking like some kind of Roid Rage victim. If nothing else, the Guns are looking extremely paranoid.
I agree there’s a certain amount of left-wing fantasy to to the series, but I think Ellis is balancing it with a growing dose of “even if they’re right, these people are out of their fucking minds.” And he still hasn’t really done much with Horus. Aside from Tom, the “Good Guys” are starting to look like the villains of the tory.
Greg Burgas
August 24, 2007 at 4:18 pm
There’s certainly that, Ryan. After skipping the first issue, I’m intrigued enough to go back and get it and keep buying the series. So we’ll see where he goes with it.
Warren Ellis
August 24, 2007 at 7:05 pm
“It’s certainly true that writers are not characters, Mr. Ellis, and I’m very willing to read the rest of the series to see how it all shakes down, but I get the impression that you’re not totally in disagreement with Kathryn.”
You’re obviously welcome to your interpretation. Once a story’s out in the world, it’s there for people to read in any way they see fit. But if I agreed with everything my characters said, I would, just as an example, a serial killer robot nun. And I don’t think you can see into my bedroom from there. It gets a little more complex than “oh, she’s the screaming leftie, that must be Warren’s mouthpiece.” My characters are allowed to hold opinions I don’t agree with.
In actual fact: yes, Bush = Hitler is a retarded comparison. That should tell you something about Kathryn Artemis right there.
In real life, of course, everyone must do what I say.
K.L. Anderson
August 25, 2007 at 11:52 am
“I have read a few issues since the first six, but haven’t had a chance to review them.”
Oh, I thought when you said earlier that “I haven’t read an issue since,” that meant that you hadn’t read a issue since.
MushroomJones
August 25, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Word from the inside states that DC books like Shadowpact and Blue Beetle are off the chopping block for at least the first 24 issues per the new regime. Which is good since Blue Beetle is AWESOME! Here’s hoping the Teen Titans crossover helps boost sales.
I liked the Spirit this week, even though not enough of Denny for my liking, but the focus on Ebony was really fun for such a dark story.
Jack Norris
August 25, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I guess it’s an age/generational thing, because I definitely don’t consider the source era Carey’s mining to be “old school” at all, but to definitely fall within the “latter-day-decadent-Claremont’s-lost-it” period (admittedly, this period very, very long from my perspective).
Mr. Frickin’ Sinister showed up in the last issue fer Chrissakes! And why couldn’t he have left Gambit dead or wrecked or whatever had been done to dispose of him?
I checked comics.org to check where my cutoff was for x-men, and from the last covers I recognize, I dropped Uncanny somewhere in the early 200′s (in the two-teens, in fact), having become fed up with Claremont’s wankery.
I would do a quick scan at the rack in the shop a few times a year just to see what the general state of things was, but aside from buying a copy of uncanny and adjectiveless when I heard Claremont had been booted off, I didn’t actually start buying any X-titles again until Morrison.
The dates shown for those issues puts them right in the middle of… 1986. And checking the birthday on record… Whedon’s only a year older than I am (makes me feel like even more of a pathetic underachiever).
So, that makes a kind of sense.
I’ll admit that the plots after his first arc have been underwhelming, but I’ve enjoyed the characterization enough to offset this (and people, you’re massively over-exaggerating the Kitty-worship).
If the stuff Carey’s currently drawing on for inspiration is “old school” to you, what do you consider the “original five” (the era “first class” is drawing on)? Or what I consider my era (Giant Size #1 to the departure of Paul Smith)?
Greg Burgas
August 25, 2007 at 7:32 pm
K. L.: Yeah, I should have put that I hadn’t bought any issues since the first six. I read at least one of the “Danger” arc and a one or two since. Sorry about that.
That’s a good question, Jack. I consider anything before the creation of the second X-title to be “old school.” That would mean 1991, I think. It feels like Carey is mining a bit of the whole post-#200 era, when the X-Men kind of fell apart. I know that most people hate that era, but I love the issues up until #280 or so, when the teams split and we got the two separate titles. It feels like both Whedon and Carey are looking back to that era. I just like what Carey’s doing more than what Whedon is.
FunkyGreenJerusalem
August 26, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Well I’d always seen it more as Wisdom was your character to voice your contempt at the trappings of the genre/x-franchise – and what better way to show it than having him bed the bizarrely worshiped teen character/icon of the series.
But to be honest, I didn’t read too much of your Excalibur run (was hard to track down at newsagents, and I was a young tacker still a little scared/scarred by Ghost Rider Annual #2 to seek out your work), and so the theory wasn’t mine – you might have your work cut out if you want to convince x-fans that Wisdom wasn’t meant to be you, sullying their childhood fantasy.
Well, you are diving in and attacking Greg’s POV without having read what he actually said about the series before, or knowing his taste in comics.
Knowing either would let you know exactly why he can’t stand the series – and it’s pretty much the same reasons I can’t.
Oh, and done in one is how more comics should be written – back in the day (hell, less than ten years ago) you had to have an awesome, packed story to get a six issue arc.
These days too many neat ideas for one or two part comics are getting dragged right out, and quite frankly, just read bad.
Maybe they are more ‘cinematic’, the defense I hear most often, but comics are a different medium to cinema and television, and need different beats to work.
My theory is that perhaps more writers should stop looking at the finished product of film, but more screenplays, where the theory is a page equals a minute, and write along a similar guideline.
Either that, or read DMZ, Transmetropolitan or All Star Superman (and many, many other REALLY good comics) and see how they all, at their best, manage to hit at least a new plot point/beat per page.
(Or go read some Steve Gerber from the 70′s – hit worked nine-grid panels and hit a plot point per tier).
Val
August 27, 2007 at 9:06 am
“That’s why we’re not Germany in the 1930s or, you know, Venezuela or Zimbabwe or North Korea or any number of other oppressive governments. So there, Warren Ellis”
Lumping Venezuela in with North Korea and Zimbabwe is just as ridiculous as comparing the Nazis to the Bush administration, if not worse. Chavez government is not “oppressive” he does not arrest political dissidents or restrict free speech. Its scary the way he is uniformly depicted as some sort of totalitarian in the states just because he is socialist, anti-american and anti-globalist.
Greg Burgas
August 27, 2007 at 9:17 am
Chavez shut down a television station that was critical of him and he’s recently decided that he doesn’t need to hold new elections because he’s just going to be president for life. When I was in Venezuela, I got the sense that the people were pretty happy with Chavez, but that was in 1999. And I bet a lot of people are STILL happy with him. That doesn’t mean his government isn’t oppressive. I think Bush’s government is pretty oppressive, but he hasn’t really affected ME all that much. And even if Bush is WORSE than Chavez (which I suppose you could argue), he’s still leaving office in January 2009, as I pointed out. When is Chavez WILLINGLY giving up power? Is there a timetable?
AstroZombie
August 27, 2007 at 2:07 pm
“Well, you are diving in and attacking Greg’s POV without having read what he actually said about the series before, or knowing his taste in comics.
Knowing either would let you know exactly why he can’t stand the series – and it’s pretty much the same reasons I can’t.”
What he’s said in the past about this series is irrelevant. I was reacting specifically to statements made in this particular entry, many of which I felt were unfair conclusions to make considering he’d just read the fourth issue in a six-issue arc, or the 22nd issue in a 24-issue run. If I rushed out and grabbed the latest ish of Rex Libris, I should know better than to complain that I don’t know what’s going on.
“Oh, and done in one is how more comics should be written – back in the day (hell, less than ten years ago) you had to have an awesome, packed story to get a six issue arc.”
I should point out that I was not in any way trying to defend the whole decompression trend. I think serial fiction is flexible enough that you can go to either extreme and still tell a great story. In the case of Astonishing, the pacing hasn’t exactly been breakneck (though it would blow the doors off of Brubaker’s UXM if only it were on time) but I enjoy the focus on careful characterization, and Cassaday’s gorgeous art gets plenty of room to breathe.
Greg Burgas
August 27, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Those are good points, AstroZombie, but I still maintain that each comic should make an effort to make new readers feel welcome. I don’t have a problem with Whedon writing a 24-issue story, but with the comic coming out so infrequently, I don’t think it’s that much to ask for it to be a bit more new-reader-friendly. I have mentioned how much I enjoy Rex Mundi, and that goes out of the way to recap what’s going on. I imagine that Astonishing X-Men will be a fine read once the inevitable 24-issue Omnibus comes out, but I just wish Marvel and DC either went all the way with that format or made the single issues a bit more interesting on their own. This issue, for instance, was obviously just a way for Whedon to set up the last two issues, and that’s frustrating.
Val
August 27, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Sorry Greg, I love a lot of youre comics commenatary but on Venezuela you are just flat out wrong.
Chavez is not trying to do away with elections at all – though you would be forgiven for thinking so given the US media portrayal of his proposal to remove mandatory term limits from the Presidency. What this amendment would mean -if passed mind you- would be that the Chavez could contest the next presidential election in 2012 (and subsequent ones). This has often been potrayed as making him “president for life”, which I guess is possible, but only provided the people continue to re-elect him every six years.
Its important to note that most countries dont have such mandatory term limits for any elected officials – indeed most US political offices are not term limited. There is even a strong argument that such term limits are unconstitutional and contrary to human rights.
As for the TV station – he didnt shut it down in fact its still being broadcast from Venezuela and is still available to most Venezuelans through cable. He rescinded their public broadcasting licence because he believes they supported the 2002 military coup. I dont know much about the validity of those claims but the basic fact that opposition to Chavez freely and openly expressed in Venezuela makes your bald statement that his government is somehow “oppressive” on a par with North Korea and Zimbabwe laughable.
Look Im no Chavez cheerleader – he is clearly something of a self-important buffoon, I am just surprised by the American tendency to see any leader who opposes your country as some sort of totalitarian.
Greg Burgas
August 27, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Ah, I see, Val. I’m not a big fan of Chavez, either, but I’m certainly saying he’s totalitarian just because Bush doesn’t like him. The jury is still out on Chavez, of course, so we’ll see what he does as his popularity continues to grow. That will be a measure of what he plans to do. He did attempt a coup a while back, didn’t he?
Thanks for pointing those things out, because I don’t want to be wrong about stuff. That makes me sad.
Val
August 27, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Sorry Greg that post makes no sense to me – you DO think hes a totalitarian because Bush doesnt like him? (I dont think you really meant that did you?)
Your waiting on seeing what happens as his popularity INCREASES to see the measure of his leadership and non-oppressiveness? (surely that should be as his popularity decreases? if hes being oppressive why would his popularity increase?)
Your statement that the “Jury is still out” with regard to Chavez sounds quite self-important, but I suppose its nice that you are worried about the state of Venezuelan democracy and their relations with dissident media.
However I hope you wont be offended by the suggestion that maybe you should worry a bit more about your own government, which after all you were defending when you brought up Venezuela’s contrasting “oppressiveness”.
That same government has tried to actually bomb a TV station it didnt like (see article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112201784.html) and has some of its prominent supporters urging it to stage a coup and do away with elections all together (see “Think Tank Suggests Bush should be President For Life” http://www.gnn.tv/threads/26858/Think_Tank_Suggests_Bush_should_be_President_For_Life).
FunkyGreenJerusalem
August 28, 2007 at 12:06 am
So you cite different rules for periodic reviews – which contain references to the past – than you do for periodicals.
Of course, Greg never actually complains in his review that he doesn’t know what’s going on, just that he thinks it’s rather dull build up for something that will happen at a later date – a totally fair critique of something someone is expected to pay $3 for.
(In fact, he doesn’t even say it in his response to you!)
AstroZombie
August 28, 2007 at 6:56 am
“I don’t have a problem with Whedon writing a 24-issue story, but with the comic coming out so infrequently, I don’t think it’s that much to ask for it to be a bit more new-reader-friendly.”
It’s got a recap page… Oh, I forgot, that’s lazy storytelling.
“So you cite different rules for periodic reviews – which contain references to the past – than you do for periodicals.”
Maybe he should have included a link to the previous post where he “savaged the first trade paperback”. Now who’s not being new-reader-friendly? Hopefully they’ll release all those classic Greg Burgas reviews in a trade soon, so I can get caught up.
Anyway, this whole argument has gone on for a while, and I’m really not even mad about the original post anymore. I think what got me riled up was mostly the way he trashed AXM and praised Carey’s X-Men (I dropped it after Ramos’ first issue, having been underwhelmed even before the art started sucking). Hell, he even said Brubaker’s year-long crapfest was better (apparently it “featured characters we know and might care about” WTF like who, Nightcrawler?). The whole “decompression” aspect of the argument sprang from a couple asides Burgas made (“Kitty just lost her virginity?”, “Whedon… seems to think the history of the X-Men stopped around 1986″) that I thought were wild assumptions based on his incomplete knowledge of the series (remember, at first he claimed to have not read an issue since the first arc). All this really boils down to is whether or not you like Whedon’s writing on this series. I do, you don’t, and that’s all there really is to say.
Greg Burgas
August 28, 2007 at 7:45 am
Sorry, Val. I forgot a NOT in there – I’m certainly NOT saying he’s a totalitarian just because Bush doesn’t like him. My bad.
I certainly do worry about my own government, but as I have reiterated, our government does not have a long history of presidents becoming despots and trying to hold onto power. I’m worried about my government doing evil things, which they certainly do (all governments do, to a certain extent), but I’m not worried about the Administration staying in power forever. That’s all I’m saying.
And no – I meant as his popularity INCREASES, because that might make it tempting for him to mess around even more with elections so that he is elected “president for life.” George Washington was ridiculously popular, and people wanted him to run for a third term, but he stepped down because he wanted to transfer power. If Chavez becomes more and more popular, might he think, “Why do we even need elections? Everyone loves me?” I’m not saying he WILL do that, but the temptation is there.
I’m not sure why saying the jury is still out is “self-important.” It is. We can’t really assess Chavez until he leaves office and has a legacy. Unfortunately, we can’t assess Bush until then either. I think Bush is one of the worst presidents ever, but if Iraq somehow becomes a viable democracy, I’ll have to admit it. Chavez could easily become a despot, but he could easily become a wonderful leader who takes his desperately poor country out of the cycle of military coups and failed democracies. I would love to see Chavez succeed, even if he does piss off the United States. But we can’t make that assessment yet.
Sheesh, AstroZombie, why so rude? As you point out, you like it, I don’t. Why get so bent out of shape about a difference of opinion? Do I care that people generally loathe Moon Knight? I think Whedon’s writing is too clever for its own good, the story is dull and rehashed, and the art is very pretty. Carey’s X-Men is also rehashed, but even with the awful art, is have a lot more energy than, frankly, the enervating feel of Astonishing. I’m sure it will read better as a whole, but as single issues, it’s boring. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a single issue to entertain beyond just setting things up. I guess Joss Whedon is just another one of those writers I’m not allowed to criticize because he’s such a genius. I’ll add him to my list.
AstroZombie
August 28, 2007 at 8:43 am
Greg, I’m not sure which parts of what I said that you took for rudeness, but it was never my intention to come across that way. Anyway, please feel free to criticize Whedon all you want. As I said, I have little experience with his work beyond the Serenity movie and (to my surprise) Alien: Resurrection. I’m not calling him a genius, I just like his work on AXM. It will probably read somewhat better in trade, but then most series do these days.
Greg Burgas
August 28, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Sorry, AstroZombie. I just misread you. I was hoping you weren’t peeved just because I was picking on Whedon. Cool.
acespot
August 28, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Again you’re not asking us for help buying your comics!!???
Well, here’s my list ANYWAYS you giant poopyhead
BRIT #1!!!! At long last, K-Man can FINALLY write more Brit stories!
LAST FANTASTIC FOUR STORY – It’s got! Lots! Of! Exclamation! Points!
Man, what a slow/sucky week. I’ll be reading more, (oh, the things I do for my readers) but this is all that I’m really anticipating.
FunkyGreenJerusalem
August 28, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Did nobody else find it odd when in an interview on the onion, Bendis said Jemas invented the recap page AND that bringing the reader up to date through caption boxes and expositional dialouge was lazy writing?
I mean sure, when it’s done poorly, but when it’s done well (hell, even if it’s done alright), surely it takes more effort than a recap page!
Yeah, what was with that Greg?
Greg Burgas
August 28, 2007 at 7:42 pm
I just forgot. It’s been a long time since the Danger arc came out, and I have heard so much about the issues that I just forgot that I actually read a few. I think I read two issues of the Danger arc and only one since. Just a mistake. Sorry!
FunkyGreenJerusalem
August 29, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Alright then, but be more careful next time!
I mean a factual error on the internet… whatever next???
David B
September 10, 2007 at 7:48 am
Val’s link to the GNN (guerilla news network) page is intriguiging, except that the source as cited there points to a google cache where here’s what google has to say:
“These terms only appear in links pointing to this page: president for life bush”
In short, it’s fake. Can’t say I’m sorry to burst a bubble here.
Mr. Ellis is correct, any comparison of Bush to Hitler is clearly retarded, and those who make such comparisons only reduce their own standing in an argument. There are lots of things about the US and its leadership which could be commented upon unfavorably – the same it true, of course, of any country. It is instructive to me that there are lots and lots of people around the world who want to immigrate to the USA – clearly it can’t be THAT bad…
Seriously, how much immigration does Venezuela (to pick the aformentioned example) have? Are there oodles of people from the neighboring countries who move there to find a better life?