CBR Live! Archive
Sunday Brunch: 10/4/09
- by Bill Reed
- in Sunday Brunch
Thrown together at the last minute! Would you have it any other way?
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What's the best first issue you ever read?
FREE TIBET ROBO! What's this? Why, it looks to be like a free seven-page Atomic Robo story rolling out a page a day! As regular readers of this blog know, Atomic Robo is the World's Most Awesome Comics Magazine, and therefore I shall link to it with gusto!
MMM, PIE: Saw this at the Savage Critics, and am assuming Jeff Lester made it:
At last, it all makes sense.
THERE IS NO TRY: In this week's Do Anything column at Bleeding Cool, Warren Ellis discusses the power of semantics. Comics, graphic novels, story-strips, visual novels! Are they the same? Should they be?
Doesn’t a Story-Strip sound like a different animal to a Graphic Album, to you? It’s all still comics, sure — but it conjures different ways of doing comics. It’s the sort of thinking that keeps the form alive. Just one way. There are lots of different ways, and it’s not a binary process, you can adopt as many as you like at any time. Just so long as you’re aware that you can do anything you like.
ITEM! So I forgot to link there recently, but Graphic NYC has undergone a bit of a revamp and now has a plethora of cool new articles for you to read.
NOT OPTIONAL: Jog writes his review of SPX 2009. It is mighty. Go, read.
SEE ALSO: In addition to that, there's also a podcast of the Critics Roundtable, with the all-star cast of Jog, Tucker Stone, Douglas Wolk, Gary Groth, and more.
ITEM! Nifty interview with J.H. Williams over at Newsarama. Is there anything that guy can't draw?
SEVEN Qs FOR SEVEN BROTHERS: Brevoort at the Bre-vault:
While in the day-to-day course of doing the job any given editor may throw off story ideas or ways of restructuring or improving a particular tale that others then get to make hay out of, the editor really belongs backstage, directing the action from there. The creators do the work, so they deserve and get the credit. Editors get the blame. That's not a condemnation of the system in any way, merely a statement of fact--and one that a would-be editor needs to embrace before he's truly ready to play in the big leagues.
STRANGE TALES: Marvel spotlights two of my favorites: Jim Rugg and Jhonen Vasquez! On Brother Voodoo and MODOK! It's like they did it just for me.
While I'm mentioning it, buy Afrodisiac in December. Or Santa will give you coal. And an ass-beating.
PAUL POPE DRAWS DUNE! 'Nuff said:
CAMERON STEWART DRAWS SOME MORE BATMAN AND ROBIN: Again, does this really require explication, true believer!?
SEAN MURPHY DRAWS THE ABCS OF WOLVERINE! The alphabet is far better when it has adamantium claws. To wit:
Click the link to see them in their full-sized glory.
SUPERFREAKANGELS: This week's installment of Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield's Freakangels has a fantastic wordless sequence carried on the steampunk wings of Duffield's kickass art. Check it out:
REMAKE/REMODEL: Dynamite Thor! Yes, it's as ridiculously awesome as it sounds. Here's "frequentcontributor" Andrew Nixon's:
And here's one from a fella called DisContent:
NOT COMICS DEPT: Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo Halo
If you want me to kick your ass in Halo 3, or kick ass with me in ODST's Firefight, then send me a message (and let me know you saw this on CSBG so I don't just ignore you). My Xbox Live gamertag is Billuccho. That is all.
See you next week.
- Posted on October 4, 2009 @ 08:30 AM
- Leave a Comment
- Share This!
34 Comments
Wraith
October 4, 2009 at 8:53 am
Best first issue I read, EVER? I don't know.
The first possibility that springs to mind is "Umbra." It's probably not THE best, but I'd say it's a worthy candidate. That was one, er, dynamite first issue.
brian
October 4, 2009 at 9:23 am
Planetary #1. Best. Issue. Ever.
Cheers,
B
garbonzo
October 4, 2009 at 9:32 am
The best first issue ever...hmmmm..toughy.
For sheer balls-out fun and enjoyment, I would have to go with Global Frequency #1. Hell f a lot of fun and made you want to come back for more!
Josh
October 4, 2009 at 9:35 am
Thieves & Kings #1 by Mark Oakley. That one had me hooked immediately; I found myself pouring over the art details and in love with the prose. It was different in style than anything else I was reading at the time. (It makes me sad that it looks like Mark is bailing on the story and it may never get finished. Sigh)
Adam
October 4, 2009 at 9:44 am
Best first issue ever? Boy oh boy. Does this include relaunched first issues? Would, say, the first issue of Brubaker's Captain America count, or do we refer back to old numbering?
I'll go out on a limb and say Ostrander/Mandrake's Martian Manhunter #0. (Ha! It was the first issue, but it had a #0!) Good story, good art, retold and revamped the origin, and established the new status quo and direction for the character. It did everything a first issue was supposed to do.
Nitz the Bloody
October 4, 2009 at 9:52 am
Excellent Sean Murphy art, especially the image of Colossus; the artist worked Peter's costume theme into his street clothes beautifully.
Ian A.
October 4, 2009 at 10:28 am
Best first issue? Umbrella Academy, mayhap? Casanova, perchance? Global Frequency, peradventure? Every issue of Global Frequency could've been the first issue of Global Frequency, and every issue was really damn good. But, yeah, I'll go Umbrella Academy. Nothing can ever beat that opening splash page.
Also: I quite like how The ABCs of Wolverine has quickly become Wolverine Team-Up Featuring the Alphabet. Good stuff, through and through.
Scavenger
October 4, 2009 at 10:53 am
I'm gonna say Bone #1 for best first issue.
rwe1138
October 4, 2009 at 11:09 am
Best first issue, hmm? Off the top of my head, I want to say either the first issue of Andreyko's Manhunter or Bendis' Alias.
Julian
October 4, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Did Quiet Charlie kick off the first issue of Jeremy Eaton's A Troubled World? If so, then that one takes the prize for best first issue easily. Otherwise, it's a toss up between RASL, Mouse Guard, or Capacity (Sleeper Car was better than the first Capacity, but I don't know if Ellsworth is going to continue it into a series).
Anonymous
October 4, 2009 at 1:06 pm
New X-Men #114.
Hot damn, that was good.
Todd
October 4, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Best first issue ever?
D'Arc Tangent.
Sadly, also the only issue ever.
Punchy
October 4, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Ultimates #1
Brian
October 4, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Best first issue is hard, because I tend to come into books in the middle of their runs. But I'm going to say Transmet #1, because I remember how excited it made me feel, and it caused me to tear through three of the trade collections in one night.
That's a great quote from Brevoort. He should really read it to Joe Quesada.
moon
October 4, 2009 at 5:31 pm
That Pope page is amazing.
My best first issue would just be the first page of All Star Superman.
Mike Loughlin
October 4, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Tough question.... Preacher #1, ultimately. I can't remember reading another first issue that made me as excited for a series (Seven Soldiers of Victory 0, Starman 0, Transmet 1, & Thunderbolts 1 would be runners up).
DubipR
October 4, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Off the top of my head, I'd have to say THUNDERBOLTS #1.
For what has happening at Marvel during that time, the issue was well done, well drawn and still has one of the best, if not the best, twists ever in comics.
Clayton
October 4, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Identity Crisis #1, for strictly sentimental reasons. It was the comic that got me reading comics again.
"O" the Humanatee!
October 4, 2009 at 10:19 pm
The first issue of Bill Messner-Loebs's Journey. Bear chase!
Not a first issue, but the first chapter of the Goodwin-Simonson Manhunter was both wonderfully told and an intriguing set-up.
And of course, the first issue of First Issue Special was special.
Tuomas
October 5, 2009 at 2:09 am
I have to name Bone #1 as the best first issue too. The combination of fast-paced humour and a sense of adventure made me feel like I was a kid again, reading Tintin or Carl Barks' Scrooge McDuck for the first time. Too bad the series lost some of its Barksian delight when it went into full high fantasy mode.
Rohan Williams
October 5, 2009 at 4:18 am
I'd have to go with All-Star Superman #1. I mean, there are better issues in the series, and realistically I probably have read a better first issue somewhere, but I've never been so damn EXCITED about a comic as I was after that one.
Y: The Last Man got off to a really strong start, too.
R
October 5, 2009 at 4:24 am
Best first issue? Major Bummer. THAT IS ALL
Jeff R.
October 5, 2009 at 10:26 am
First issue? Hm. My first thought was Mage, but I started that with the first Starblaze collection, not the issue, so that's out.
So I'll say Ostrander's Suicide Squad #1, just barely edging out Watchmen #1.
Neal K
October 5, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Not sure if New X-Men #114 counts, since it technically isn't a first issue, but to hell with it, its my pick anyway.
Erik
October 5, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I remember back in the 1980's, Dark Horse had a series called The American. The story was a conspiracy theory version of a Captain America type hero... And the first issue was such a great set up...
Mike Blake
October 5, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I remember when Kirby moved to DC, and the first issues seemed so great and full of the promise of bold new worlds of myth and heroism, especially FOREVER PEOPLE and NEW GODS #1.
Les Fontenelle
October 5, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Reading as it came out, Watchmen #1 got me insanely excited about the whole series. It blew my mind and only got better afterwards.
Stefan Wenger
October 5, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Hmmm... I'll go with Promethea #1 'cause it was good enough that I was blown away every time a successive issue surpassed it (which they did frequently). I think I knew from the very first issue that it was going to become my favorite series of all-time. But Transmetropolitan #1 and New X-Men 114 (if it counts) are pretty solid runners up.
stealthwise
October 6, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Y the Last Man #1.
Todd Ayotte
October 6, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Best 1st issue in a long time is The Goon #1.
Busterchops
October 6, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Best First issue ever read... Speedball the Masked Marvel. I am pretty sure that I am alone in the world with this one, but I just loved the retro feel and look along with the innocence of the stories in the issue. It really felt like the world of this brand new hero was fresh and mysterious to me.
Rob Schmidt
October 7, 2009 at 3:06 am
Best first issue probably would be DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #1 or WATCHMEN #1, since those were the best comics ever.
hueysheridan
October 7, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I was blown away by the first issue of the first Deadpool ongoing by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness way back in the late 1990s. That was an unexpectedly excellent comic and a really strong opening to a fantastic run.
Another comic that deserves a mention here is Ex Machina #1 - a great intro to a neat concept with one of the most ingenious last page reveals ever.
bursar
October 12, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Marvel Premiere #31 - Woodgod
or (and probably)
Howard the Duck #1