On the Comics Tip

Went to the comic store this last weekend to pick up my pile. Got the following (in the order I read them - I'm a backwards reader - least favorite first, favorite first, delaying gratification and all that...):

X-Factor #4 - Decent issue. Artwork on this series is kind of pissing me off though. Half overly-dramatic Ryan Sook in full-on noir mode, half some other guy with a TOTALLY incongruous style. Still, David's writing is top-notch, which means I most likely won't be dropping this title any time soon. Also, I think the cover's ugly. Del-Otto does nothing for me. Actually, there's one thing I do like about this cover - the midground Jamie's left hand. Seriously, look at the fluidity of that line. Nailed the gesture perfectly. The rest however...meh.

Nextwave #2 - Freakin' kicked. I literally laughed out loud more than once. I mean, it's funny, it's manic and stuff blows up - perfect palate cleanser. One of my favorites as of right...now.

It's like what you wanted G.I. Joe to be - explosions, swearing, violence and cool heroes fighting ridiculous monsters. I mean, check out this solicitation for issue #3:
"ATTENTION SCUM!! It’s a special issue of NEXTWAVE. The characters learn the values of compassion, kindness and 5-megaton nuclear weapons! KABOOOOMM!!!! Forget about compassion and kindness, NEXTWAVE #3 has dirty cops, giant deranged robots, enormous guns and schoolchildren! Pulitzer Prize, HERE WE COME!!!"

Ellis is in rare form. No unnecessary scientific explainations for superpowers, just a hyperactive sugar rush of a comic book with amazing cartooning from my newest hero, Stuart Immonen. Is this guy versatile or what? Hearken back to his Ultimate FF run's minimalistic cartooning, juxtapose that with his moody pseudo-realizm in Superman: Secret Identity and try to not hate the guy for being able to pull off this slick, Saturday Morning cartoon stylizing with such panache. Also, in stark contrast to my earlier X-Factor comment, the covers are just beautiful for this series. #3 looks even better. Andy Warhol lives again!

Something this beautiful cannot live long, I fear.

Gødland #8 - Another one of my favorites. The secret origin of the Gødland universe is laid out in all of is mythological huge-osity. Killer Gods, head transplants and sibling rivalry, all in 32 relatively ad-free pages. Looking back over the last eight issues, I can't think of anything that's been glaringly wrong with this book.

From the weeks prior:
Legion of Super-Heroes #15 - Honestly, I'm REALLY close to dropping this book. It's a solid book, but in the end, it just isn't doing it for me. We'll see. This issue was a fill-in by Stuart Moore and, being a newbie to LoSH, too much of it went so far over my head. I'm guessing they're hinting at Hypertime by trotting out all of these "lost stories" of iterations of the Legion that now no longer "officially" exist, but othe rthan that, I found nothing interesting in this issue. Sorry.

Iron Man: the Inevitable #3 of 6 - Again, Casey's really on a roll with me lately. I'd almost written him off as "Another Well-Regarded Writer Who Just Doesn't Do Anything For Me," (the list also includes Geoff Johns and Jeph Loeb, if you're at all interested) but he's one of my favorites as of now.

X-Statix Presents: Deal Girl #2 - Aaaah, X-Force/X-Statix, how I loved thee. Dr. Strange and Dead Girl storm Heaven to get their army together: Ant-Man, the original Old West Ghost Rider and...[giggle] the Orphan! Yay! As fun as this book is, it really just flames my X-Force/X-Statix nostalgia.now I've got to track down the X-Statix trades.

Almost picked up:
Batman: Year 100 #1 - Paul Pope is my hero, but six bucks for a comic book? Seriously, I'll wait for the trade and save some cash, thank you very much. But I WILL be getting the trade. Oh yes, I will.

Hellboy:Makoma #s 1&2 - Richard Corben drawing Hellboy! So pretty! But, right now, not six bucks of pretty, unfortunately. This one was hard to pass up, but will I be able to say no to the upcoming Duncan Fegredo mini! Tune in here to see!