Fantastic meditation on comics, heroism and self-awareness. I am so glad I finally got around to reading this one, after being put off by the hype forFantastic meditation on comics, heroism and self-awareness. I am so glad I finally got around to reading this one, after being put off by the hype for so long. ...more
Gerry Conway surprised me as much as anyone that he could write in a modern voice. One of the writers I grew up on, I’So much fun.
[image]
Pretty art.
Gerry Conway surprised me as much as anyone that he could write in a modern voice. One of the writers I grew up on, I’m thrilled to see how he (a) gets the cadences and brevity of modern comics dialogue, (b) avoids the tics of old, (c) writes MJ in a way that sounds like an adult woman, and (d) writes a kid like he’s recently been one. Annie May is a perfect blend of sassy, deferential and impatient.
And MJ is framed as a powerful, interdependent partner to Peter (who thankfully doesn’t dominate the action or the conversations, except as a doting father and husband). What a breath of fresh air for stodgy-responsibility-junkie Peter this is - we don’t have to slog through him dragging his many albatross’ around!
I love that the parents’ arguing is just like a Peanuts cartoon:
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This comics is, in fact, pretty hilarious. I wish I had half the spunk Annie May has.
And can someone please explain to me why Family Fun Night (issue 5) is the best comic in this whole collection? How does a completely non-superhero story take the cake like this (even with some supes action, this was clearly all about family)? I just couldn’t even...when I read the opening page. (Maybe it’s because I don’t have kids and always secretly wanted a daughter like Annie May.)
As my friend Chad said, this book is fun with a Capital "F". Gerry Conway has impressed the hell out of me by breaking the "old comics writers can't escape the terribly rotten writing of their past" stereotype....more
I am so down with Kelly Thompson’s Kate Bishop personality:
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And her inner monologue works like a real human being. She’s a screw-up like most ofI am so down with Kelly Thompson’s Kate Bishop personality:
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And her inner monologue works like a real human being. She’s a screw-up like most of us, and she idolises all the wrong people (Hawkguy, Jessica Jones) but she *is* trying hard to get shit done in a not-totally-terrible way.
And she’s got spunk, nerve and not an overabundance of self-preservation. I’ll take it - and so will JJ:
I've been catching up on post-Secret Wars comics this weekend and been feeling pretty blasé about them. Reading, finding reasons to like them or not, I've been catching up on post-Secret Wars comics this weekend and been feeling pretty blasé about them. Reading, finding reasons to like them or not, but not really connecting with any of them.
Until this book...
The art grabs me immediately. Gorgeous, lithe, fluid and almost 60's art style - like something out of Bewitched or that Don Draper show I'll probably watch in my retirement home days.
[image]
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The writing, even better. Dennis Hopeless still haven't attained a permanent place on my radar of comics creators to Watch Out For, and now I can't explain why not. His dialogue is natural, his inner monologues for Jessica are engaging and vulnerable, and his sense of humour is light and understated.
WHY AM I READING THIS BOOK TWO YEARS AFTER IT CAME OUT?
The ridiculous road trip Jess took with Ben Urich and the Porcupine was fan-fucking-tastic, just what the universe needed as it was folding in on itself via Hickman's machinations.
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And somehow Hopeless folds Jess back into the End Of Everything in a way that honours what she's been doing alone *and* her rocky heritage as an Avenger/spy/Skrull.
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET, GO GET IT NOW. I'LL WAIT.
NO REALLY I'M GONNA WAIT.
GO.
(*impatient foot tapping*)
FINE. YOUR LOSS.
I enjoyed the hell out of this and I'm headed in for the post-SW volume right now. I won't wait up....more
Here's an entry in the (over-)long-running series that wore out its welcome, then flashed brightly for a moment, and faded from all attention spans liHere's an entry in the (over-)long-running series that wore out its welcome, then flashed brightly for a moment, and faded from all attention spans like a Kirkman turd should.
So kudos to Spurrier for kicking that in its face with a classic Elsa Bloodstone opener: [image]
And keeping up the tortured sarcastic British ass-kicker throughout the tormented journey: [image]
What feels far more uncomfortable are the flashbacks to the unrelenting abuse relayed by father Bloodstone on his young daughter/protege: [image]
I had a hard time plowing my way past those scenes, just trying to imagine how I'd have coped with that. (Probably would've been torturing small animals, and escalating.) It's testament to Spurrier's skill that he can make you this uncomfortable, and not come off like a hack.
It especially helps that Elsa's genuinely funny in her nihilist view: [image]
This is really a fantastic story - original plot ideas, great characterization, interesting twists, satisfying resolution. Can I have a lot more of this, please?
I just wish we didn't have Kev Walker's cartoony, almost manga-esque facial expressions to muddle this up. I'd almost dock a star from my rating, but I don't want anyone to be confused this is a great read.
Can someone get Spurrier on a Marvel exclusive right quick? I think it's time to drain this one of his will to live - in exchange for some bloody good comics....more
Mike Costa, I could kiss you. (If I could find you. And if I ignored the restraining order.)
This book feels (a) like a natural epilogue to Spider-VersMike Costa, I could kiss you. (If I could find you. And if I ignored the restraining order.)
This book feels (a) like a natural epilogue to Spider-Verse, (b) like a whole lotta naturalistic fun and (c) like Mike knows how to write the voices of most of these Spiders.
This is the Spider-Gwen that has half of comicdom all squealing. She's brash, impulsive, self-deprecating and yet doesn't doubt her strengths one bit.
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and here: [image] [image] [image] [image]
And Spider-Ham? Ridiculous as always.
[image] [image]
The book is fun, twisty-turny and funny in a non-forced way. How is that possible, and where can I get more of this please?
And for the art, while I'm not a fan of the Lemire-isms that have spidery lines and irregular shapes, Arujo seems to express the characters' emotions awfully well through his pencils, so forget I had any worries - he's a great complement to this. ...more
Even the first page is a blast. Big science-y concepts battered around like they were things ANY definitely science need ever studied in school.
And sEven the first page is a blast. Big science-y concepts battered around like they were things ANY definitely science need ever studied in school.
And subsequent pages intro a very cool team - Monica Rambeau (who was an awesome character in DeConnick's Captain Marvel), Ms America, Black Panther, and Carol:
[image] ...who has her Binary powers back!
Al Ewing makes comics super-fun, plus he brings cool ideas to play with - like "teleportation brings on hallucinations":
[image]
The adventures in this book are huge, and they tickle the comics/sci-fi bones in my body like crazy - super spoilers: (view spoiler)[Galactus has a personality? And a sense of right and wrong, wanting to work on behalf of Eternity to unbind it? And a groovy new look, like a 70's pimp in those gold shit-kickers.
I like Nice Galactus. He's the kind of dude you can party with.
And what’s cool, in a dubious sort of way, is Ewing providing an explanation of sorts how the Marvel Universe can be 50 years old and still be chugging along as if it’s still a teenager.
Waid's Avengers 0 issue is the "necessary" marketing tool that hits you hard over the head and expects you to pay attention as they announce the lineup of the various teams. Boy is that fun - and by fun I mean *fucking boring*. Thanks for nothing - /r/HailCorporate! (hide spoiler)]...more
There isn't one thing about this comic that isn't ridiculous. Did I say fabulous? I meant ridiculous.
Especially the footnotes at the bottom of each pThere isn't one thing about this comic that isn't ridiculous. Did I say fabulous? I meant ridiculous.
Especially the footnotes at the bottom of each page that just can't help calling attention to how ridiculous this all is.
Like so:
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Or this:
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And there's some pretty spot-on personality coming out of this Doreen chick:
[image] [image]
But the best part is how unflappable she is:
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The Unflappable Squirrel Girl sounds waaaay better than The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, don't you think? Of course you do.
Doreen's the plucky, always-optimistic friend you have that bugs the shit out of you in real life. Like, you wish you could maintain that unwavering positive attitude, but instead because you fail at life you wish they secretly go home and self-mutilate, or cry into a bowl of dry corn flakes, or seethe in their aloneness (because no one can truly relate to them).
But hey, in the pages of a fictional story, awesome!
Stick with this book - I promise you, I actually laughed more frequently the further I got. Maybe my genetically enhanced cynicism has a limit, beyond which I just relax and enjoy something this sweet and (generally) innocent.
I mean, not all of North's (wait, a Canadian comics writer whose name is literally "North"? A bit _on_the_nose_ don't you think folks?) jokes are Comedy Awards-winning (although how would I know? I don't watch whatever passes in the comedy industry for a televised awards show - unless Craig Kilborn's late night show was it, because I'd totally believe that), but there's a few that brought on entirely *involuntary* laughter, so forgive that snot bubble we'll both just pretend didn't happen right in front of you. ...more
Haven't read any Rucka for a while, so I was anticipating a rush of the old magic from this dude - even though he seems to have let the air out of theHaven't read any Rucka for a while, so I was anticipating a rush of the old magic from this dude - even though he seems to have let the air out of the tires on Lazarus (when is he delivering volume 4 already? Oh - it's been out for months already? Well shit, now *I'm* the asshole - a role I'm well familiar with).
I love the opener - was beginning to worry Rucka had lost his droll sense of humour, gotten a little too deep into Portlandia lifestyle.
LOVE the sparse use of colour. Why don't more books do this?
[image]
I've noticed I stopped reviewing the art in most of the comics I read these days. It's like they're all converging on a contemporary style, so unless someone's really borking it, not really worth mentioning the same damned qualities every time.
But somehow in independent books, I'm more interested in helping people notice that the independent books are as good as any of the mainstream books. And this one has some pretty stellar art - happy to be reading a book like this.
Yeah, that book was definitely elevated by the art. So much so that I didn't even detect any of Rucka's normal tics (small as they are) and found myself just immersed in this story - and now it's fucking over?? Just when it got really good and scary. Bastards.
This. The retroactive origin story, right in the middle of Midtown High, this is the genius of Bendis. Cause of *course* Jessica would fit right into This. The retroactive origin story, right in the middle of Midtown High, this is the genius of Bendis. Cause of *course* Jessica would fit right into this world of fucked-up accidents and experiments - and of *course* she would end up going another way entirely from the guilt-ridden fools of the red-tinged-costume brigade. (Wait, did I just start channeling my inner Doom?)
Through Alias' lens, hearing Ka-Zar tell his origin story in Matt Murdock's office is just hilarious. Like, if you were to hear Dr. Frankenstein show up at your door, asking if you had a few minutes to talk about the Great Lords of Electricity? Like that, only with better, blonder hair.
Then we take a E ticket, jump straight on crazy train. The good stuff. The high life. The head trip. The mind fuck that is the Purple Man. What a fucking looney narcissist sociopathic piece of trash.
This is a really good, tense, fucked up story - what with Killgrave breaking the fourth wall, playing games with our hero, seeing how far down the hole Jessica fell the first time, and knowing how jacked up over her the PM is, makes the whole scene preeeettty creepy, with a side of slasher flick tension just for fun.
(I wouldn't be surprised if Rob Zombie popped out of the scenery)
And man is that finale scene there to drag a tear out of your stoney eye, like they wanted to punch it out but figured it would only come willingly, so we'll make you suffer a little for it. Dat facial expression on him.
It's little wonder this story became the focal point of the first season of Jessica Jones' series. That is some fucked-up way to live a life, Killgrave. And Bendis, you one fucked-up dude to see exactly how a guy like that would live, and give it to us with as little judgment as is possible to have over a piece of shit like PM. ...more
One of these things just doesn't belong. Thank you Dan Slott, for finally giving us a taste oUgly-ass symbiote:
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And happy-looking family:
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One of these things just doesn't belong. Thank you Dan Slott, for finally giving us a taste of the ultimate Spidey relationship story.
Spidey and MJ have a kid with powers, and it becomes both the hardest and easiest thing in the world for Peter to do everything different to protect his family.
So much heartwarming family time we get with these three, I don't know why Marvel have held back from this fan favourite the whole time Slott's been writing Spidey. I wish Slott/Marvel would learn their lesson from this mini-series, and let us wrap ourselves in Peter + MJ vs the world!
Slott constructs a perfect story for Spidey + Battleworld, even with no inter-realm politics, no Thors swooping in and no banishments to up the ante. Instead, Slott takes the time to let us have a sweet, tense, amusing and well-drawn fun little romp.
Has anyone called out Justin Ponseur this week for his insanely good colouring? It's insanely good. Makes any artist look better, guaranteed. Like, if I tried drawing comics they'd go from "unintelligible scrawl" to "super-pretty but still unintelligible scrawl." Wait, that's not what I meant......more
Alright Slott, don't let me down here and hand off your story scribbles to Christos "never turn down an opportunity to use a character's name in dialoAlright Slott, don't let me down here and hand off your story scribbles to Christos "never turn down an opportunity to use a character's name in dialogue to make sure no reader is ever confused, you fucking pedant" Gage to flesh out into paint-by-numbers script.
Slott certainly has his humour-sense tingling in this book:
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And I enjoyed the Silk sub-plot immensely. (Hot slinky spider-type? Yes please)
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So *that's* how they're tying Morlun into this trans-dimensional foolishness - retconning him a whole family of Spider-hunters (who keep some pretty interesting other Spider-hunters as pets).
There's something very nostalgic about bringing all these various cast-offs, alterna-verse and clones/descendants/experiments of Spider-Man together all at once - and even though I haven't read probably half of the books from which they sprung, it's a warm, welcome feeling to see so many of them gathered, recognizing each other and working together. It's like a high-school reunion without half of the drag of being called dork all over again. (Except when my fellow Shallow Comics Readers get a load of my weepy review here.)
When the Japanese spiders came on the scene I felt a little thrill of something I don't truly understand and have rarely watched: all the Japanese manga and giant robot cartoons and books, where giant monsters are battled down to submission with great politeness and lots of loud screams of withheld joy. Why did I care? Because Dan Slott cared, and when he's bringing something laden with meaning to this party, you sit up and take notice, give thanks and lend your respect to the proceedings.
This is a great story and I believe it that Dan Slott had this cooking for years. It was a completely fun romp through a ridiculous number of Spider-Man spin-offs, cast-offs and alternate versions. (Who knew there was a Punk Rock Spidey, an Iron Fist Spidey or even a Deadpool Spidey? OK, everyone but me probably knew about that last one.)
I had so much fun with this book that it was a *pleasure* chasing all the crossovers and spin-off miniseries. (When was the last time you could say *that* about a modern-day comics event?) Go see my other reviews if you don't believe me. I'll wait.
Slott, next time you marinate one of these ideas for a couple of years, call me. You're a gem.
[Message to self: find out how to hack GoodReads so I can rate this sucker > 5 stars]
Spoiler notes to self: (view spoiler)[Kaine dies (but then again, some fist punched through his bloated giant spider corpse). Spider-Man UK loses his whole world (of Captain Britain Corps), and joins Spider-Girl (Anya Corazon) to become Warriors of the Great Web. Most everyone including Spider-Gwen and Uncle Ben go to their respective times and/or Earths. One of the villains (exiled Karn of the Inheritors) takes over as the Weaver to rebuild the Great Web. Oh, and Superior Spider-Man's damage to the Great Web temporarily weakens everyone's spider sense. Spidey-616 lost some life force. And Julia Carpenter (new Madame Web) arose from her coma. (hide spoiler)]...more
Ugh, Malekith. Uninspired villain, resurrected from some ancient line of Thor stories after he got a starring role in the second Thor movie. As if thaUgh, Malekith. Uninspired villain, resurrected from some ancient line of Thor stories after he got a starring role in the second Thor movie. As if that suddenly makes him cool.
At least we got a neat little interlude story, a palate cleanser (are they a Proctor & Gamble product? They should make them, in disposable form - maybe even something you could plug into the wall and make it always smell of clean palate in your home). I'm sure after murdering a few thousand gods, even Jason Aaron - king of depressing stories - was in need of a little kitten time.
Ron Garney makes some pretty pretty pictures. Especially his map of the Nine Realms. But also his sinister Malekith, the great beasts of war and the fantasy scenery. (Like a toned-down Frazetta - only with minimal boobage.)
Then all of a sudden Aaron and Garney unleash the League of Realms on this story, and it becomes Super Fun Times in the Nine Realms. When Aaron decides to bring his sense of humour to the party, I always enjoy his stories. (Well, I always enjoy his stories anyway, but just a little more when they're this fun.)
[image]
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Not to mention Aaron brings some kick-ass women to the fight. Yeah. *changes undies preventatively*
God DAMN it seems like Aaron has fun writing this kind of adventure. Hell, even his *letters* column responses are silly. How does someone get a job like this?
I would love to have as much fun as this looks in my job. Instead I push paper and apply paper cuts to political battles. Some days it's a blast - I get to laugh at the absurdity and sometimes watch someone actually take my advice despite their better judgment. The best days are ones that end with a beer among workmates or I get to go home without raising my voice and being a bastard to someone. The worst days do *not* include getting vomit on you (so I've got that much on you, dripping Thor)....more
There some serious shit afoot here in the land of the Superior. Otto-cum-Spidey (hey, wouldn't you use that phrasing too?) gets invited out to witnessThere some serious shit afoot here in the land of the Superior. Otto-cum-Spidey (hey, wouldn't you use that phrasing too?) gets invited out to witness-cum-stand-guard (OK, I'll allow it) while the state offs Spider-Slayer. (Why this dude gets the death sentence and not the hundreds of other mass-murderers I all of comicdom, I don't understand - but he's an asshat with a really unnecessarily pointy face mask so let's get him!)
Then of course something goes awry, as it always does in Spidey land, and everyone has to survive the chaos. Otto gets amazing with his planning, Jameson goes off the reservation and goes Schwarzenegger on some villains, and the villains do some fun stuff while they're on a rampage.
Otto is a little...driven, yes? He gets an idea in his head (murder, for a hypothetical) and he kinda doesn't stop for any sightseeing or side-missions. It's a little disconcerting, because if he keeps playing asshole with Spidey's life, how much if a shambles will it be in by the time Parker regains control?
I means, I know that the deal with Spidey is his life has to be shit for him to properly wallow in his own shame, guilt and challenges. And giving him a great life with lots of perks can only last so long before we don't get to see him punched in the face a few times a year.
So the deal with Otto is he's going to wreck havoc with all the good stuff Spidey's been able to pull off lately, and leave his life worse than he found it. But c'mon - please don't completely shamble up Parker's gig - leave him something to cling to while his job, love life and reputation go to the stinky, sticky bottom of the outhouse-cum-shithole.
Meanwhile, the fun of unrestrained Otto rampage just keeps on growing. Facing down Fisk, tangling with Hobgoblin, linking up with Jameson in an icky way, and even going pretty over the top with the resources he's using to clean up the city. Where does it go next? How can Slott top this as we go further?
I'll never tire of hearing Otto berate his lessers. I'll also never tire of Ramos drawing Spidey adventures, and Camuncoli's no slouch either. Fun, big exaggerated shapes and really clean, evocative framing.
I gotta agree with Sam Quixote's review - there's so much meaty distance and originality in these stories that it's hard to focus on any one aspect of them without short-shrifting everything else. It's like Halloween night when there's too much damned candy to choose from....more
For me there's no more enjoyable comic opener than a dry humourous jab at the craziness of the situations our heroes keep getting into. Vaughan kills For me there's no more enjoyable comic opener than a dry humourous jab at the craziness of the situations our heroes keep getting into. Vaughan kills it in the first two pages, and buys himself a lot of interest I seeing where he's really taking the adventure.
Vaughan gives Strange a real personality here - and Wong too! They're not just mystics taking the damned books so seriously, but smartasses of the highest order - Womf because he's been Strange's bitch forever, and Strange because he's been bitter since losing his surgeon's steady hands. Makes perfect sense, and makes the story just that much more fun. (who doesn't want to hang around bitter smartasses? I sure do - they make me feel normal.)
Martin is a masterful artist - he imbues faces with a wide range of expression, and fills the page with amazing use of panels and transitions. When Strange is on the operating table, he's the central panel around which all the crucial details of his operation are carefully arranged in small, precise panels. When Strange flies into an interdimensional hole, not only does he jump past the panel border but past the edge of the page itself.
Something bugs me about the end though. Obviously Doc Strange can't keep the (view spoiler)[cure to every disease (hide spoiler)], so the intrigue of this book's plot in part is to see how Vaughan resolved that inherent problem. For a writer who does such a great job of coming up with clever endings, twists and cliffhangers, I felt...disappointed by how predictably conventional the resolution was here. It's sweet and mostly in-character for this group of protagonists, but it felt a little less arch than Vaughan brought even in earlier pages of this book.
Like Robin Williams could've gone out of this life with one last bizarre joke, but instead took the conventional route. It's fine, I understand what it might've been like near the end, but I sure wish he'd mustered the energy to leave as bizarrely as he entered. At least get dressed in your most ridiculous costume or something....more
Second review: OK gang, Anne got inside my head, I couldn’t find a way to fully appreciate that fill-in artists who covered the last two issues of thiSecond review: OK gang, Anne got inside my head, I couldn’t find a way to fully appreciate that fill-in artists who covered the last two issues of this book - so I deducted a star from my original review.
Still love Jen’s characterisation and the natural-sounding dialog, plus immersing us in legal subplots? Sweet. Really hoping the Disney TV series takes a liberal swipe from Soule/Pulido’s run.
First review: Pink Taco Buddy Read with the most hallowed Shallow Readers! Heretically, we decided these comics *must* feature a female character. Sue us.
Read at the tail end of the Shallow Comics Readers' Green Week and the beginning of Pink Taco week. Double-duty comics are the bomb.
Jennifer Walters is a hero who deserves more air time. I read her last series by Dan Slott when it was running and I enjoyed it, and now that I'm sitting down with the latest solo title I finally recognize that feeling as missing her from my life.
This book is so much fun it hurts. Bad decisions, ridiculous scenarios, uncomfortable conversations, and just flat-out bizarre co-stars. Almost caricatures, they're so human. I don't remember the last time I saw Hellcat, and she's much more interesting with a real life (or lack thereof) than as just a third-stringer.
Pulido's art style definitely helps us not take this so damned seriously too. Fun, bouncy and cartoony enough to feel Saturday morningish, Jennifer doesn't look at all like I remember (or may have fantasized about) her, and it works to our advantage so we don't tie her character too closely to whatever missteps she committed in the past. Hell, even the title pages Pulido creates are awesome - like Will Eisner stuff, using the scenery in the background as places to put the titles and credits. Very worthy.
And the covers! Gorgeous watercolours (no idea who did them) that just reek a nice complementary emotional context - slightly real, ephemeral, dreamy, cool. So glad that Marvel is taking chances on creators and creations that don't just ape one house style.
Which you can say for this whole book - especially the new artist near the end (Ron Wimberly - a jarring change of style, and a little confusing on the composition of some fight scenes, but pretty stylish and arresting). OK, I'm being retardedly generous here - I didn't get the art style and cringed at a few places - but at least they're stretching the boundaries.
It's probably safe to say the appetite (both from readers and from editorial) is heightened for funny out-of-ordinary, non-supervillain-heavy, friends-just-chatting-and-giving-each-other-shit-talking books after the success of Hawkguy and Captain Marvel. This is square in that expanding countryside - and I couldn't be happier that this exists.
The very thread of the mystery that ties this run together is pretty fun to follow (or try to follow), and the ups and downs of Jen's life keep me invested in reading this - I am definitely showing up for the next round. Soule you bastard, you better stick around for a reboot of this title past the next trade!
This was the book Charles Soule was born to write. Nobody else with that good of an ear for both the law and "not making the law a fucking boring lecture because all them lawyers say through a lifetime of death-defying monologues".
Are you not entertained? You’ll laugh, cry and shudder in embarrassment when you
[image]
...more
Second reading impressions: really charming and funny post-modern take on Dungeons & Dragons cliches, and a nuanced and welcome portrayal of not-terriSecond reading impressions: really charming and funny post-modern take on Dungeons & Dragons cliches, and a nuanced and welcome portrayal of not-terribly heroic people trying their second-best. Damn if I don't love this opening volume.
First reading review:
These are definitely not your "hot chicks in leather" fantasy tropes. These women are just good, rich characters with interesting hinted-at back stories, foul mouths and normal adult foibles. (See honey? I used another big word!)
This writing isn't nearly bust-a-gut laugh-a-minute funny, but it's fun with an occasionally great joke, and characters who I quickly wanted to see survive and succeed against the assholes and monsters.
Flawed characters are so much more fun than DC "gods" or super-heroic international spies. I love, not like, the crazies who overcome their own weaknesses and still find a way to throw some insults and sarcasm the way of the dicks of their universe. Like the necromancing elf - disguises herself as the town's Captain of the Guard when she decides that the order are conspiring to get the Rat Queens killed. She's full of vim and spittle, not a ton of admirable honour, but will go toe-to-pointy boot with anybody who messes with her gang of mercenaries.
That's the spirit I like to see - especially in that there's a random but hardly excessive assortment of reminders that these toughs are also female - mentions of tits without sexuality, occasional flings after heated battle, and some great costumes that are neither shapeless sacks nor Miss Universe pageantwear.
My second-favourite scenes are with the appearance of the Four Daves - and especially Orc Dave who has a slightly embarrassing beard-related side-effect whenever he uses his healing powers. Makes me think of Anne's comments related to the fourth child and sneezing, in my own special way.
This book is immersed in the swords-and-sorcery scene so deeply that it's just woven into the fabric of scenes & conversation - there's no lame jokes at the expense of the characters, not is there a lot of mansplaining over who can do what, identifies as which Class or Race, and whether anyone has a +3 of anything (though the end-of-issues captions still nudge at those tubby shards).
The art's neither realism nor wispy art-school nonsense - it's fluid, expressive and still makes sense in telling the story that's beyond the words.
I came to this book expecting lighthearted plot with a lot of rip-roaring jokeifying. I came away from it finding something approaching depth (some not-so-humourous back stories, for example) and a good balance of fun and actual storytelling. I'll be back for more, and this time I'll feel invested in these women's plight....more
OMG, when I saw that they resurrected Walt Simonson for a guest spot on this book, I was a little worried - that we'd have to endure some seriously reOMG, when I saw that they resurrected Walt Simonson for a guest spot on this book, I was a little worried - that we'd have to endure some seriously retro art that sucked the (copious) fun out of this book.
Not so. Dunno whether it's because Waid brought young Thor into the mix alongside Hulk, giving Walt a jolt of his best works to draw out his talents, or that Ol' Walt is still just as vital and creative as anyone in comics, but the Simonson issues were pretty damned gorgeous. Actually makes me really bummed how confusing and murky Lenil Yu's issues were just previous.
I'm also still very happy with Waid's sense of humour - hard to see it sometimes, what with the tendency to beat Matt Murdock down (that's Matt's problem not Waid's), or write about a superhero that turns genocidal - but I will stand my ground on this. (He's prolly got the Spidey-wit down pat too, but it's been months since I blazed through the last 150 or so of ASM).
What surprised me (despite no evidence to the contrary) was the burst of sheer humanity Banner brings to his missions. There was no reason the ending to issue 8 had to exist, and it didn't change the overall plot, but boy did it give us a richer, more informative angle on the characters. Makes me proud to call myself a Waid fan.
Then we get to the Hulk /DD issues, included here and in the DD vol 6 trade, which could be called "double-dipping" of the all-too-often DC variety.
The relationship Waid shows us between Hulk and DD is...nuanced, and shows a level of trust and dependence I wouldn't have expected. There's very nearly a tenderness from Hulk towards Murdock, which makes me wish there were tons of such relationships in comics. Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, Supergirl and Huntress from New 52 (Earth 2 varieties), Wolverine and Jubilee...and now I'm positively straining to remember more.
Why is that? In a world full of antagonism and brute force, why don't more of the heroes latch on to one another for moral support and maybe a trusted compadre to put your back up against? It would sure make a lot more readers feel a strong bond to their fave characters - sure makes me want to pledge allegiance to these particular personalities, warped as they are.
This particular story doesn't just trot out guns and villainous terrorists - it stands solid on relationships (both firm and arch) and a subtle moral foundation. Waid is a softie under his encyclopedic knowledge of many universes if comics, and a guy whose worldview (even filtered through superhero punching matches) I absolutely respect.
Matteo Scalera does a good job on the art, and I respect the hell out of him following on after Simonson the demi-god. Better than the later contributions of Yu to the last volume of Hulk even - cleaner, less confusing, very kinetic....more
This writing is ridiculously good. Like I would give my left nut to read more like this good. (Well, maybe give it away for cancer research. But you kThis writing is ridiculously good. Like I would give my left nut to read more like this good. (Well, maybe give it away for cancer research. But you know what I mean.) I've always liked Matt Fraction's work - Casanova blew my mind, his Hawkeye is out of the park, and I even forgave Fear Itself for its inevitable Too Big To Succeed Marvel Event flaws - so this shouldn't have surprised me. But this book feels *personal* - like he has a grudge/bet riding on it, and he's going to make his best work or next he'll take out a whole city in a postal rampage.
It's that good, I'm not kidding.
And Zdarsky is doing some amazing art, making sure he holds up his end of the blood pact that is Sex Criminals. I see emotional undertones in the colours and effects, I experience feelings of loneliness and euphoria in the panel blocking, I feel like I'm carried along with these kids through a truly wild and unexplainable ride.
Did I mention how hilarious this book is? Irreverent? No? What am I, nuts? This is exactly weird and perverted enough for me. To keep me interested. In reading more. In enduring human suffering captured on these lovely pages. The intro pages to each chapter are fucking hilarious. No really, just go read them. They're like those white title cards at the end of every Chuck Lorre TV series, only they actually make me laugh (not just pretend to laugh so my partner doesn't think I'm a humourless douche).
Here's how good this book is: there's a scene with the two lovebirds *texting*. Yeah, I know, those grating sequences never go well eh? Well, this one somehow works. It feels like a natural progression of the story, like of *course* that's what would happen next. How often do you see something in a comic where you're thinking "Couldn't they have found a better way to make that transition?" (Like "Hey there Captain Canuck! Tell me again in the middle of this life-or-death battle how you came to acquire those powers you just used?") Well, this one was *not* one of those eyes-bleeding-make-it-stop moments.
I love how most of this book is getting to know our weird and very human characters, and a smaller portion is the caper and the consequences. I'd like to see where that goes, sure, but mostly I don't care as long as we keep up the long introductions.
Hot damn this is going to be hard to wait for the next issues. Every single page of asides and history and weird sex anecdotes are just mesmerizing, like some waking hypnosis game where you see yourself flipping pages too fast and you want to make them last longer and maybe somehow there'll be more than 22 pages in this issue so that you'll get just a teensy smidgen more of this ridiculously effective approach to sexual re-education for this Canadian and an addict (which is more interesting? You're probably asking the wrong dude on this one). Guys, keep pushing the boundaries of good taste and great originality, keeping deviants like me glued to the not-sticky pages of this mad book of lies and utter truth.
How do we extract more of these odd, four-dimensional people out of Fraction & Zdarsky, to make out lives fulfilled? What blood sacrifice can we make? Is it a matter of money? Can we send our stacks of old paper porn and fuzzy VHS tapes to them? How can we get smut across the Canadian border - should we label it "syrup enhancer"?
If you haven't read Sex Criminals yet, shame on you. Your grandmother is disappointed in your choices....more
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