Comics Reviews

[JCVaughn]

ONE PLUS ONE #5 (of 5)
Oni Press
Okay, I still don't know what happened -- I have to sit down and read them all together -- but this was a very interesting series by two up and coming creators, Neal Shaffer and my pal Daniel Krall.  Check it out.

BULLET PROOF MONK: TALES OF THE BULLET PROOF MONK #1
Image
One-shot based on the movie. Haven't read it yet, but it has a Tim Sale cover (on both sides of the flip book), Oeming and Dave Johnson artwork, so hey, I was buying this one anyway.

CSI #3
IDW Publishing
Are you reading this? The outrageous $3.99 cover price is almost justified by a great story. I'm really enjoying this series. I don't know what the story is with the really high cover price, but I do know that IDW is producing some great work. You may want to wait until the trade paperback, but if you like crime books you'll definitely want to check this out.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #11
Marvel
Jae Lee good. Fire bad.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHAT PRICE GLORY #4
Marvel
Weldon, you should really post your scathing review here so we could start a thread. I see your points even though I disagree, and I wonder what other folks think.


BATMAN #613
DC
How awesome can this book get?


DANGER GIRL: HAWAIIAN PUNCH #1
DC/Cliffhanger
Yay! Danger Girl! Phil Noto! It looks cool. And with Danger Girl, if it looks cool it probably is cool, right? If you're new to Phil's work, defintely add this to your list.

THE RESISTANCE #7
DC/WildStorm
2nd to last issue, and I'm very sorry to see it go.

SOLUS #1
CrossGen
George Perez!


ZATANNA: EVERYDAY MAGIC
DC/Vertigo
Mmmm. Fishnets.

AQUAMAN SECRET FILES #1
DC
This book includes the DC debut of Steve Conley, creator of Astounding Space Thrills. A must have!

PALIAMENT OF JUSTICE
Image
I'll be reading this one tonight, so I probably shouldn't post about it until I do, but again it was Oeming (with Neil Vokes), so it wasn't like I wasn't going to buy it anyway. Mike is really coming into his own as a storyteller.

PALIAMENT OF JUSTICE PAGE ONE


PALIAMENT OF JUSTICE PAGE TWO


PALIAMENT OF JUSTICE PAGE THREE

[Skud_101]

I hate superheros... I really hate superheros (Excluding some of the better ones ;D)

Superman, Batman, I think they all bite ;D

One thing that really bites (and I only saw in Comics ect the other day) was Batman Vs Aliens... I mean... Really! What the hell is that... It vexxes me so  >:(

[JCVaughn]

Superman, Batman, I think they all bite

Why?

[Steve]

What if we all said, "Skud Bites"?  The disposable assassin, I mean c'mon what's that?  The first comic character that I created was [shadow=red,left,300]Arabian Assassin[/shadow]At least mine has alliteration.

[Weldon]

JC, I will assemble a coherent version of my 'scathing review' and post here in the next day or so.  (That way I can cite page numbers and examples instead of just pissing and moaning with no real substance.)

As for:

I hate superheros... I really hate superheros (Excluding some of the better ones ;D)

Superman, Batman, I think they all bite ;D

One thing that really bites (and I only saw in Comics ect the other day) was Batman Vs Aliens... I mean... Really! What the hell is that... It vexxes me so  >:(

Let me just say that this is certainly not a 'new' point of view.  And I certainly see many many (Many, many MANY) reasons to support it.

However...  to take your post in points:
1)  You say you hate Superheroes, except for some of the better ones.  What do you think is the REAL difference between some of the 'better' ones and the rest?  Personally, I think that NEXUS is one of the coolest characters ever created.  Does that mean that every NEXUS story is a good one?  No.  But most are.

2)  I, myself, am not that fond of Superman or Batman.  Does that mean they are bad CHARACTERS?  No.  It just means that I don't like the usual stories they are in.
What about all the crappy 2nd, 3rd (and -lower-) tier DC characters?  Put them in the hands of a competent writer (usually British, I admit) and suddenly they ROCK!
Animal Man was one of the most classic 'Cinderella stories' I have ever seen!  From a forgotten character to a facinating series.  It even got him in the Justice League for about two eye-blinks!

3)  Batman vs. Aliens.  Did you happen to miss Superman vs. Aliens?  How about Green Lantern vs. Aliens?  Did you miss Batman vs. Punisher?  How about Archie vs. Punisher!  (NOTE: I'm not making that one up....it happened....)
Crappy story?  Probably.  Crappy characters?  No.
Aliens vs. Predator?  That was really really good.

What I'm getting at is that it all comes down to the writing.  
A good writer can make a bad idea interesting.
And a bad writer can make even the BEST idea suck cheese through a tube.

Don't belive me?  Look at 'Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen' before Kirby got it, and then the difference that Kirby made with that title.  It was like a completely differerent thing!  Then look at the character after Kirby left.  Right back to the same old schlub.

There are somethings that I do have a personal bias against.  I used to not read any books with a 'Knives-for-fingers' character.  Now I am reading the NEW X-MEN.  Why?  Because of the writer.

Just don't forget to be open-minded.
---Wel

[Skud_101]

Superheros waste time. They fly, they shoot things from body parts, they deflect bullets, and they can DO ANYTHING. Power corrupts, always, without fail. So seeing groups of ‘heroes’ running around is distressing. Sure, it’s nice to look up to heroes, but the same stories keep churning out, time after time, so I’ll rephrase it. “In my opinion, I think they all bite”

I suppose its personal choice that defines whether or not a character bites, (and yes, I am quite over-opinionated) I can give reason to back up my claims (so don’t think that I’m throwing words around to cause a fuss)

Shi is a fantastic character, she doesn’t fly, she can’t shoot lasers, she doesn’t grow really really big, she can’t deflect bullets, she is just really really harsh ;D

I wont go into a frenzy of defending Scud, I mean, he’s just a character like the rest of them, he too has his downfalls, however, I would like to know why you think he sucks (after all, what’s the point of stating an opinion if you cant back it up ;))

Now, onto the ‘vs. Aliens’ saga.

Aliens vs. Predator was HARSH. It was beautiful. It was a match made in heaven, and it suited perfectly (big race of super strong kick arse aliens verses the mega hip-j awsoma powah bounty hunters). But looking at all the spin-offs (and yes,  I am aware that Aliens seem to verse a lot these days) the story is just getting stupid now. I mean, superman? He’s invincible! He could do any number of things to halt (and even go back in time to avoid) the swarms of aliens. And say that the Aliens were strong enough to make a match for the man of Steel… then why are they facing Batman? A rich man with a lot of gadgets? It’s purely selling out. (When Aliens versed Judge Dredd, that was cool, it fitted right. It felt normal. I mean, I would be disgusted if Shi ever fought Aliens. Aliens have taken a place in my heart as kick arse, hard to kill, swarming, teeming, vicious, nasty, brutal, killing machines, Predator fodder? Yes. Super heroes? No.)

As for open mindedness... I think I'm pretty open to new ideas... I just don't like it when they sodamise one of the greatest creations ever... and I especially don’t like it when they suck ;D

[JCVaughn]

Superheros waste time. They fly, they shoot things from body parts, they deflect bullets, and they can DO ANYTHING.

Okay, so they're not your cup of tea. I can dig that. I disagree, but it's a matter of taste.

To say that you don't like them, though, is not to say that they suck.

Unless of course that's true about everything you don't like.  ;)

Superheroes are science fiction, adventure and action stories basically.

[Weldon]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHAT PRICE GLORY #4
Marvel
Weldon, you should really post your scathing review here so we could start a thread. I see your points even though I disagree, and I wonder what other folks think.

O.K....I made some notes from the first 2 issues...

First off:  Written by Bruce Jones, Art by Steve Rude.
Let me say that I respect these guys alot.  Bruce has been in the biz a long time, paid his dues, and has some serious chops.  He has crafted some great work in the past.
Steve Rude is one of my favorite artists.  I revere his work on a level with Alex Ross and Dave Stevens.
I have followed his stuff since I saw the first pre-pub ad for NEXUS.  I own original Rude pieces.  I have taken him to lunch.

In general: realize that this story is attempting to harken back to an older style Cap story...  Something more like the early '60's stuff. (Which, oddly enough didn't really reflect the early '60's as much as the mid '40's!)
That said, however, I still don't like it.  The characters are very steroetypical and flat.  The dialog is staid, trite, and predictible.  For a story that is supposed to be contemporary, the dialog and jargon is all very very out of date.  I kept expecting someone to say 'Moniker' or 'Chutzpah' at anytime.
The bad-guy muscle were all bad sterotypical '40's-esque Bronx thugs.  With names like 'Cholly'.  (That's 'Charley' to those of you who speak English...)

Issue #1)
There were about 3 different plots running, but I couldn't really tell which one was going to be the main plot.  Steve's bitter old Army buddy?  The roughed-up store clerk?  
The shady business man that is-or-at-least-was Mob connected who wants his daughter back?
Looks like it turns out to be the last one.  Let's look at that.  Cap roughs up a thug who happens to be employed by this guy Frizini that Cap things is a disrespectable Mob Boss.
Frizini spins a sad story about how his daughter needs rescuing from another Mob Boss who took her to Vegas.  Kidnapping, right?  WRONG.  She went on her own.  Under-age then?  Nope.  She's an adult.
Where's the crime here?  There isn't any.  
Then Frizini explains that the Mob Boss who took her would follow her anywhere to get her back.  Even (and this is important) LEAVING LAS VEGAS to follow her, thereby leaving Vegas open for Frizini to move in and take it over!
...wait...  I thought he wanted Cap to rescue his daughter!  Now it's just a turf war and she's a playing piece on the board!
So Cap agrees to go save (KIDNAP) this girl (GROWN WOMAN) from her Kidnapper (HUSBAND) to help out her father (MOB HOOD).  What the hell???

And apparently, Cap is SO GOOD that "...blue sedan, heading East..." is all he needs to find a specific car across town!
More stereotypical gangsters.  End of page 19 we are outside.  Top of page 20 we are INSIDE a Casino/Hotel.  And who is that woman in the elevator and where did she come from?  It took me a bit to figure out that she was NOT the woman that cap was going to Vegas to get.  I was thinking "How the hell did we get to Vegas already and how the hell did he FIND HER already!"  Very confusing.
So what is the big tip that sends Cap from the Bronx to Vegas after all?  One of the hoods drops a book of matches.  Yep, the old trite lame-ass 'book-of-matches-as-a-clue' trick.
Guess we were lucky that guy didn't drop a book of Marlboro matches, or Cap would have been WAY off base!
Issue #2 next post...

[Weldon]

Issue #2:
Vegas.
First thing we see is NAZI LAND.
Yep.  A theme casino with a giant statue of The Red Skull!
I was confused untill I figured out it was a dream sequence while he was flying.  BUT WAIT!  later, you find out it's NOT A DREAM!  
There is a Theme Park/Casino based on Captain America himself!  (Does Cap get a cut of the royalties? No mention of it.)
Half based on Cap.  THE OTHER HALF BASED ON THE NAZIS!  
Nice.  That won't offend any old retiring Jewish couples vacationing in Sin City.  Yes, there is a giant statue of the Red Skull in the park.  Nice.  (Read: STU-PID!)
So...if the bad Bronx stereotype gangsters were not enough, we toss in the Nazis also.
There were lots of scenes like the one from Issue #1 (pg 19 to 20), this time Page 10 shows a flying 'Cap head' and no idea who threw it.
The series felt like a long movie that had scenes cut out to make it fit the required time frame.
Page 17 makes a reference to 'blowing his cover'.  Isn't that public knowledge now?  It is in HIS OWN BOOK.
But he knocks out a goon in his hotel room and calmly hands him over to the cleaning lady to deal with.  That won't blow the secret ID any....nope.


I think it was wise that Marvel is releasing this weekly.
That means that I have already ordered all four before I saw the first one.  Otherwise I would have canceled before the 3rd issue hit the stands!  Now I feel obligated to buy all three from my comic shop.
After all, it's not THEIR fault that this series sucks cheese through a tube.

I am disappointed in Marvel.  But I am most disappointed in Bruce Jones.  He can turn in better work than this.
---Wel

[Weldon]

Issue #3:
...No Sir, I didn't like it.
---Wel

[Weldon]

Issue #4:
No Sir, I'm not gonna read it.

I will, as I have said, purchase the issue from my local comic shop as I did order it.  It's not their fault that it's so bad.  
They had no way to warn me of that with Marvel releasing it weekly (or more aptly: weakly).
And with Jones and Rude behind it, well..  I just didn't see how it could be anything but great.
I am so dissapointed.

And I realize that I have, for the most part, held my criticisms to the writing.
That is because I can't really fault the artwork ITSELF.
It's nice.  And I *know* that Steve Rude can layout a piece like Buttah.
It does, however, feel like his work got edited or chopped up somehow.  Maybe it was layed out as a 5 or a 6 part story and had to be cut down?  I dunno, but that would certainly explain why the story and pacing felt so 'rushed'.

Another thing I find disturbing?
I dropped the previous Captain America mini-series, TRUTH, also.
That one was a completey different kettle of fish and should probably be yet ANOTHER thread altogether.
But it doesn't show a good track record for Captain America mini-series.  I will CERTAINLY be more leary of signing up for another one sight-unseen.  Even if I -do- know and trust the creators involved!
---Wel

[JCVaughn]

Captain America is one of those characters who really should only be in the hands of people who get it.

And the end product is often not only the fault of the creators... there have been known to be other intrusions.

Not saying that this is the case here by any means.

Just that it's happened before.

[Weldon]

Captain America is one of those characters who really should only be in the hands of people who get it.

I agree.
How many crappy 'New Gods' stories have there been verses the relatively few GOOD ones?
Kirby (who created them), Simonson (Who was doing them justice just recently), and maybe Marshall Rogers are the only ones who really came up to the bar in my opinion.  Some others came close.  But most writers just don't get the concept that these characters are not 'Super Heroes'.  These characters are supposed to be GODS.

Another character that should not fall into the hands of others is NEXUS.  Thankfully, I think that Baron has written all appearances to date.

Which brings up another good point.  
Not ALL of those Mike Baron NEXUS stories were great.
Being human, we must allow creators to hit the occasional 'sour note'.  However, it's the job of the Editor to point that out to them!
In the case of a creator-owned character such as NEXUS, I'm sure that is a much more tricky situation.

However Captain America is CERTAINLY not creator-owned.  So maybe the real fault with 'What Price Crap?" lay with the Editor who did not say "Uh...this doesn't make any sense....could you fix it?"

Has anyone else read this Cap mini-series?  Anyone else want to comment on it or my assessment of it?
I won't snap at you....promise....
---Wel

[Steve]

Skud-the name reminds me of Skud in BladeII.  Other than that there aren't any particulars for why Skud(the comic) bites.  I only said,

What if we all said, "Skud Bites"?

 The purpose was to make you think.  Remember the What If comic?  The same premise.
Weldon-I thought First Comics or whoever published Nexus went belly-up.  Although one can still read old comics.  I do! ;D  

[Skud_101]

Intresting note on Scud from Blade 2... Like me, his real name is also Josh (I think thats bloody werid myself)

And lemmie guess, you have something about one of the most action packed movies ever made too? ;D

I'm going to listen to the soundtrack just to spite you now hah! ;)

[Weldon]

Weldon-
I thought First Comics or whoever published Nexus went belly-up.  Although one can still read old comics.  I do! ;D  

....now you're just making me sad....
Yes, they went belly up.
Although Nexus has made the odd showing at Dark Horse (I seem to think that is where Superman/Nexus come from).
I really loved a lot of those First Comics.  They were very very interesting.
And I really really miss Badger!
MAN they should have made a Badger movie staring Mel Gibson before he got too old to pull it off!
Arrrrggghhhhh....

And if you read the letters page in NEXUS #51 (or was it #49? JC?), you'll see a letter from ME!
T'Care,
---Wel

[Steve]

Hey Josh, Blade's awesome!  BladeII had some cheesy parts though.  The Skud character wasn't to my liking, so I became elated when he got his.  Long live the Daywalker!

[JCVaughn]

Weldon -

It seems to me that it was #49. I think #50 was double sized and didn't have a letter column, but I might be wrong about that.

JCV

[Skud_101]

I loved Blade 2 (due to its trigger happy tude ;D)

[Weldon]

Weldon -
It seems to me that it was #49. I think #50 was double sized and didn't have a letter column, but I might be wrong about that.
JCV

Yeah, #50 was the double-size one with no letter column.  So it was either in 49 or 51. I can never remember which one.
I've only ever had about 3 letters published.  (All of them brilliant, of course.  ;D )  So you would think that I could remember where they were....but no.

One of my favorites was in an issue of Animal Man.
It simply says:
"No.
Make it stop.
Put it back like it was."
...It makes sense if you were reading the series up to that point!
---Wel

[Steve]

Does anyone have any input about Legion `90?  I also found a single issue of Crossfire if anyone knows about that.  I thought our comics guru, JC, might know. ;D

[Weldon]

Does anyone have any input about Legion `90?  I also found a single issue of Crossfire if anyone knows about that.  I thought our comics guru, JC, might know. ;D

By "Legion '90", I'm guessing you mean "L.E.G.I.O.N. '90"?  That was a series set in (then) current day DCU that had links to the future LSH.  Lobo was a recurring cast member.
If that's the one, what can we help you with?

As for Crossfire...  I'm guessing you are referring to the Mark Evanier series that was a spin-off from the D.N.Agents.  If so, I'm sure that Mr.Vaughn has something to say about that series.  I seem to remember that he quite liked it.  Am I correct JC?

[JCVaughn]

As for Crossfire...  I'm guessing you are referring to the Mark Evanier series that was a spin-off from the D.N.Agents.  If so, I'm sure that Mr.Vaughn has something to say about that series.  I seem to remember that he quite liked it.  Am I correct JC?

Yep. Great series. Even the text pages were "must read" stuff. Really enjoyable.

Good memory, Weldon!

[Steve]

Yeah, L.E.G.I.O.N. '90, thats the one!  How many issues did it last?  I only saw and bought #19.  Is it connected in any way to The Legion?  Does D.C. really stand for Dogma Comics?
I discovered Crossfire #5 stored away w/ my old war comics.  Its still like-new and never been read by me.  My big question is, if these comics aren't lasting for hundreds of issues then were they any good?  Or are they continually evolving like New Mutants->X-Force->X-Static did?

[JCVaughn]

Comics not lasting can only address their popularity, not their quality. I could have kept reading Crossfire for a long, long time. Sales didn't support it.

If the character had been marketed differently, well, who knows, but I think Eclipse did pretty well with it... considering how new the direct market was in those days and how 'superhero only' things were at the time.