Comics VI: Sinister Six

[GallowKnight]

Batman 18 was awful. This Harper Row character (am I seriously supposed to remember her from somewhere) felt like a really bad fan fiction character, Tim Drake with tits and piercings. Total Mary Sue. Which is a shame, as I really don't hate Scott Snyder's work. I liked Batman up until Death of the Family. The Cour of Owls storyline was mostly entertaining even if it dragged on way too long and I have loved American Vampire since it's first issue and am really looking forward to it's re-start in June (with my favourite character in the series no less). But Batman has just been terrible for months now and is unfourtunatley the only title that is currently affecting ALL the other Bat-titles (except for Inc of course).

In other news Avengers Arena was great as usual. I am really suprised by how much I am enjoying this title as I was extremly hestitant towards it initially. And Uncanny X-men was also pretty good with Cap and the Avengers getting called out on their bullshit and getting owned by Time-Stopper-Girl. Bendis has suprised me with that one.

Oh, and regarding last weeks Superior Spider-Man (SS-Man?), ghost Peter is getting really annoying and the book would be much better without him. Especially with the ghost talking about "when I get my body back", showing how unpermanent and not-long lasting the current status-quo is.

[red snow]

I've heard a lot of people and comic site reviewers reluctantly admit that Avengers Arena is actually really good. It's like Marvel went out of their way to make everyone want to hate it and then actually made it good in spite on the set up.

Have to admit SS-Man did lose a bit of it's shine with Ghost-Parker as i find otto's behaviour far more interesting.

We get a year off from Snyder steering the batbooks with his year zero story. Then again, when the rest of the bat titles start to slump I'm sure we'll get a crossover that ties into year zero where we are forced to glimpse at what all the other bat characters were doing at the time. Which will be fun with all the Robins being toddlers (although given the 5 year time frame not that young afterall). We can also see what Jonah Hex was doing when he was in the civil war. And Harper Row, of course. She is so awesome they should just make her Batman and skip the Robin phase

[Sci-2]

So is Harper Row the Stephanie Brown of the nu52?

I read Uncanny X-men 1-3. Bendis has made me curious to see if he can balance out all the Captain America infallibility. I'd love to see Luke Cage, Shang-Chi or some other minority explain to Cap how there's a divide in perception.

Avengers Arena - good recommendation from this board. Actually one of the better books out there so thanks!

Manhattan Projects 10 - heh, weird to read this and then see the mental labyrinth on the Torment kickstarter.

Nowehre men - started this. Interesting story, love the art. Worth checking out IMO.

[Lady Octarina]

Age of Ultron #2: good issue. I'm wondering if I'll never have anything else to say on this series until it has the all-so completely unexpected ending. Anyway, if that's all the super-powered ones that survived, then from the X-Men that's only Wolverine, Storm, and Emma Frost, or did I miss someone? When do the tie-ins begin?

Uncanny X-Men #3: lame - that's the one word that can describe Cyclops' actions this issue. Not that I disagree with him, I don't, but there's a difference in hearing (reading) those words from Magneto and from Cyclops. Magneto has a presence that simply convinces you of every syllable he utters; Cyclops just sounds ridiculous, especially with that X in the middle of his face (and the arms gesture, ugh). Kind of reminds me of a charismatic religious leader when he's speaking to the crowd's cameras. And "To me, my X-Men"? Seriously? The new mutants fanboying/fangirling sound convincing, though, you gotta give it to Bendis.

Magneto's actions make a little more sense, but I still don't see why he would announce his vulnerability to SHIELD that way, telling them he could no longer control his powers.

Wolverine and the X-Men #26: not a bad issue, but I have zero interest in Dog. Such a walking cliché.

Thor God of Thunder #6: you can't help but sympathize with Gorr. Before he goes insane and turn into the thing he hates the most, that is. I have a problem with this issue, a problem of references: the people in Gorr's original planet shouldn't know what waterfalls and forests are, since it's clear they have never known anything but the desert and the sun. Gorr shouldn't be able to consider burying his son, since the only kind of treatment they know for the dead is leaving them in the open for the gods to take them. I don't think, considering the very precarious culture-level they seem to be on, he could even imagine the non-existence of gods, for they would have no other explanation for how the world works without them. Curse them, sure, but not be able to suppose they don't exist. But as it's such a good story, I'm willing to forget these minor details and just enjoy it.

The Walking Dead #108: why just go with the world-turns-medieval-after-zombie-apocalypse metaphor if you can just go medieval in all aspects, indeed. Just help me understand this: where would they get enough to feed a tiger in a world where food is scarce?

Wolverine #1 is a good story, but not worth following. Avengers Arena is still fun to read. Still trying to find the time to read the rest, but I doubt I'll have anything to talk about.

Seems to confirm our suspicions. Is Pym going to choose to erase himself from history so that he never creates Ultron? Not an expert on Avengers law but wouldn't that affect Vision's existence too?

If it's just a case of not being a wifebeater anymore then I guess the decision wont be too tough.

I wouldn't be sorry to see the Vision go, tbh, but I doubt Marvel will do anything of the kind. I mean, for one thing, if they erased Pym from existence and, therefore, Ultron, therefore, the Vision, well... we wouldn't have M-Day and none of the X-Titles would make any sense now.

I was wondering if they might not try a different solution. Pym destroys Ultron for good somehow but dies in the process, a heroic death to a wifebeater, and we get a Hank Pym from another universe, no psychological issues attached, and probably more heroic and marketable than the 616 version could ever be.

[Ouroboros]

Pym is boring without the psychological issues. His mental fragility adds a dimension of vulnerability and unpredictability to the character that makes for interesting reading. They might as well just put Reed Richards in his place if they are just going to completely remove every quirk of the character.

[Winterfell is Burning]

Uncanny X-men #3- Very strong issue, possibly the best Bendis 616 issue in years. It's good to see something AvX related in the books besides the "OMG! Cyclops is DA EVIL!" editorially mandated crap; this was probably written after or close to the end of AvX and reflects better both the overwhelming fan reaction and the stuff that actually happened there. Magneto also comes off very well, and overall Bendis continues to show a stronger grasp in the X-men characters than I had expected.

On the other hand, nearly 10 years later, he still can't write Hawkeye...

Age of Ultron #2: A.K.A 5 minutes of my life I will never get back. I don't even know why I wasted my time on this. Bendis actually managed to write LESS stuff happening here than in #1, if that's possible.

The Walking Dead #108: Hey, things actually happen and the plot moves forward for once! A self-proclaimed king that is also doing a Life of Pi without the boat impression? That's the stuff classics are made of.

Manhattan Projects #10: A journey into Oppenheimer's mind, and it's an even crazier and bloodier place than one would expect. Ryan Browne's art is great and captures well the dream-like quality of the Oppenheimer "city". And this being Hickman, it's easy to see this chaos is very well orchestrated and will without a doubt pay off in the long run.

Wolverine #1- Now, I like Paul Cornell, but this issue, while not bad by any means, doesn't justify the existence of the book, or shows us anything different than usual for Logan. I'll not be following it.

Thor: God of Thunder #6- The origin of Gorr, which, while not really original, it's still interesting and makes him an unique villain: in an universe with millions of superpowered beings, it makes sense someone would want to beat the crap out of the Gods for being dumbasses.

It was the weakest issue of the series (in part because of the lack of Ribic), but it was still entertaining stuff.

[Sci-2]

Pym is boring without the psychological issues. His mental fragility adds a dimension of vulnerability and unpredictability to the character that makes for interesting reading. They might as well just put Reed Richards in his place if they are just going to completely remove every quirk of the character.

Yeah, my friends were saying the same thing. I think they'll just conveniently erase the slap incident without calling too much attention to it but leave some of the craziness in there.

Though, to be honest, Hank seems to have become a Richards clone in recent years.

I think it's a question of what makes movie-Hank most profitable and fit for toy production. Him being somewhat eccentric, maybe a bit out of it, but no wife slap is the right combo.

I mean if Tony can leave Starktech landmines scattered over the globe that leave kids crippled, surely Hank is allowed to fake an attack on the Avengers with a robot only he can shut off?

[Ouroboros]

I mean if Tony can leave Starktech landmines scattered over the globe that leave kids crippled, surely Hank is allowed to fake an attack on the Avengers with a robot only he can shut off?

Compared to most of his fellow founders, the robot only he can shut down is a pretty mild betrayal. Thor has gone full berserker nuts on the team, Tony has done some truly wicked things (he murdered an old colleague fer chrissakes, and not even all that long ago) and the Hulk is a whole ball of trouble. The only ones who haven't done anything outright insidious are Jan and possibly Cap if you count him as a founder.

[Sci-2]

Tony has done some truly wicked things (he murdered an old colleague fer chrissakes, and not even all that long ago)

?

[Inigima]

After my earlier flirtation in which I didn't really "get it," I suddenly find myself reading a shitload of comics. I got the first trades of a bunch of stuff, thinking I'd see what i liked and continue with those and discard the rest; turns out I've continued most of them. As always, I'm pretty much not interested in anything that isn't in collected format, I don't have the patience for individual issues. I made one exception, although I ended up not liking it much. I got over my aversion to digital comics, which has helped a lot.

Here's the stuff I'm looking at these days:

- League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: I picked up some weird books last year and didn't understand anything going on. It turns out that that's because they're late-period Moore and very weird. I love early Moore, though, so I got volume 1. Pretty fun. Will continue but haven't yet. Best part was actually the post-comic stuff in the back, the stuff that purports to be old-style magazine puzzles. Quatermain's is the best.

- Assorted Batman crap: I've never been much for superheroes, but Batman is fun and these are supposed to be the must-reads. I read Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, and Moore's The Killing Joke. TDKR was okay, I didn't love it. Apparently it's one of those things that's "important" but not actually that noteworthy anymore. Year One was better, but it turns out that what I like about Batman is the over-the-top villains and Batman being good at his job. Neither is really in Year One, and really the book is as much about Jim Gordon as it is Bruce Wayne. The Killing Joke was pretty good, but not even close to Moore's best work; the highlight for me was the art. It makes me want to read more Joker stuff though (recommendations welcome, I want stuff that gives good airtime to his insanity). I wanna read more Batman now. Long Halloween has already been recommended to me, seeking any other stuff, especially stuff with cool villains. I value good writing above all else, don't bother if the writing is bad.

- Transmetropolitan: I have a love/hate relationship with this one. The early stuff is really self-indulgent and makes me hate it, with its completely un-novel ideas that Ellis presents as if they're rare works of genius. I kept going anyway and found a lot to like. I'm through volume 5 right now, 3 and 5 were easily the best through that point. I bought volume 6, but it looks like the rest aren't available digitally? Am I gonna have to go to print to finish? This is bullshit.

- Preacher: I think I liked this? I dunno. Not sure if I want to continue.

- The Invisibles: I read volume 1 and thought it was cool. I decided I wanted to read the rest, so I bought the newly released omnibus because from Amazon it was going to be less than the individual trades, and some of them were out of print. The omnibus is 9.4 pounds and I don't trust the binding. I'm afraid of damaging it. It's still in the cellophane. Sooner or later I am going to have to get over this.

- Chew: I am finding this incredibly enjoyable. I read the first two collections and have The third on tap. If you have a tablet the first volume is also really cheap for Kindle. I like the premise, the characters, the writing, the art, everything.

- Five Fists of Science: It is impossible not to think of Cyrano while reading this. I liked it -- and I like that it's self-contained! -- but I really wanted more exposition.

- Love & Rockets: I have the first collection and I'm pretty sure I hate it. There goes my indie cred.

- I Kill Giants: I understand what they were going for, and even understood it early, but I don't think it's well done at all, in either art or writing. The pre- and post-issue graphical conversations between the writer and the artist make me hate them both. This is the one I had to break my "no non-trades" rule for, and I did it because of all the positive word-of-mouth it got, but it wasn't worth it. I suspect you might have had to have a certain kind of childhood to think it's brilliant and I think you'd still be wrong.

- Astro City: I keep saying I don't like superhero stuff and I keep being full of shit. I am still in the midst of volume 1, but this is really incredible. It's a superhero comic in which superheroes are everywhere, but superheroes aren't always the main characters and, so far, the stories aren't really primarily about them superheroing. Read the shit out of this. I'm going to. I had to get this in print because neither Comixology nor the Kindle store will even acknowledge its existence.

- Planetary: Enjoying this. I want to see where it goes. I am probably missing a shitload of references, because this comic is constructed almost entirely of references. The issues I love don't seem to be the issues comics fans love. I enjoy that the main character is a grumpy old man. I aspire to be Elijah Snow when I'm old. Kind of.

- Y: The Last Man: I have volume 1 of this. I started it. It was pretty good. Then I put it down. I really need to get back to this.

Some stuff I got but haven't read yet:

- Saga: The first issue of this is free on Comixology. It impressed the shit out of me and I decided to read it all. Also, it turns out the first TPB is already out, and can be had for under $6. If it holds up to the first issue -- how about that, eh, a first issue that's worth a damn -- then there aren't many better bangs for your buck.

- Saga of the Swamp Thing: I know Alan Moore is crazy now. I still love him. Shut up.

I need to get back to Atomic Robo too. I loved volume 1 but volume 2 put me off a bit.

This is an expensive hobby.

[Sci-2]

It makes me want to read more Joker stuff though (recommendations welcome, I want stuff that gives good airtime to his insanity). I wanna read more Batman now. Long Halloween has already been recommended to me, seeking any other stuff, especially stuff with cool villains. I value good writing above all else, don't bother if the writing is bad.

I'd say Grant Morrison's Batman run, though it is rather extensive. At minimum you'd probably want to check out Batman:RIP, Return of Bruce Wayne, and Batman and Robin.

You want to flip through Arkham Asylum before buying it, it's a bit of an odd one.

Looks like the stuff you're picking is good - Y, Chew, Saga.

For Alan Moore, check out Top 10 and Smax. Those are some fun, accessible stories. A lot of people think Watchmen is Moore's best work, but I'd pick V for Vendetta over that book.

You may want to check out Morrison's Doom Patrol if you're into weird stuff.

It's coming out right now, up to five issues and AFAIK no trade, but I'd also pick up Bedlam. I started this today and liking it so far.

[Lady Octarina]

So, I was re-reading Avengers: Children's Crusade and this silly detail/joke bothered me again. Help me here, but how exactly could Jessica Jones, Beast and Hawkeye consider it a possibility that Barton had had sex with the doombot that pretended to be Wanda? I mean, would it be physically possible for that to happen? Is there anyway Doom could have given it the adequate level of human body heat, and made convincing copies of... well... everything the clothes are supposed to cover? Why would he even do that?

[Ouroboros]

?

Bill Foster/Black Goliath/Goliath.

[Winterfell is Burning]

So, I was re-reading Avengers: Children's Crusade and this silly detail/joke bothered me again. Help me here, but how exactly could Jessica Jones, Beast and Hawkeye consider it a possibility that Barton had had sex with the doombot that pretended to be Wanda?

The look on his face gave it away. And that really happened in one of the Civil War New Avengers issues

I mean, would it be physically possible for that to happen? Is there anyway Doom could have given it the adequate level of human body heat, and made convincing copies of... well... everything the clothes are supposed to cover? Why would he even do that?

If the point of it is to trick people into thinking is the real deal, why not? And as far as comic book science goes, it's not a great accomplishment, Doom has built bigger stuff. Nick Fury himself has many LMDs around built presumedly by hired scientists.

[Sci-2]

I can't remember, is it official that Barton and Wanda never hooked up? That Hawkeye made love to a robot?

That would suck, as those two issues where he finds her and confronts her after coming back to life were pretty good.

[Little Valkyrie]

I can't remember, is it official that Barton and Wanda never hooked up? That Hawkeye made love to a robot?

That would suck, as those two issues where he finds her and confronts her after coming back to life were pretty good.

I'm pretty sure now that it was a Doombot.

Ewwww.

[red snow]

well, I guess the doombots have to be pretty convincing to be, um, convincing. It's not like you touch them and they feel like cold metal. I'm sure Nick Fury LMD has his junk too. I can't believe I'm having this discussion.

It does seem that Snyder's genius-delusion is resulting in increasingly shoddy work. I guess Harper Row may be editorially driven, I fear she'll be a big part of "year zero". It's just dawned on me - Harper Row is the original Robin. Oh, God. In the year zero arc we'll have a 5+ year younger Harper as a pre-batman siekick Robin. There's no good reason why she hasn't mentioned this, in those forced upon us POV issues, but it's probably because they want to "surprise" us. That, or the Riddler (or guest appearance by mad hatter) causes her and bruce to forget,

It all makes sense now as i was wondering how Snyder was going to introduce her as Robin while doing a year long flashback. Now I have the answer. This will be super kewl and EPIC though because it will mean the first Robin was a girl. Girl Poweh, etc. Well done DC.

[Calibandar]

Finished Ravine vol. 1, by Sejic and Ron Marz.

Upsides:

• Spectacular artwork, pretty unique in the business
  
• It's epic fantasy
  
• Worldbuilding is pretty nice
  
• It's got a terrific prologue
  

Downsides:

• This first trade is 160 pages, 30 of which are appendices and such. So it's all a bit too brief for me.
  
• Because it is so brief, this never becomes more than a setup book
  
• A few of the people/characters don't look as great, the artwork is not flawless. Flamboyant and special looking, but could still be improved I think ( though certainly not by me, let that clear).
  

It says in the back that the second trade will come out in "in Summer 2013" but there is no listing for it yet on Amazon. I'll definitely get it once it comes out.

[Sci-2]

I liked ravine as well.

[Inigima]

Thanks sci.