Volume two kept my interest and more -- I think I'll be adding this to my subscription at midtown and start collecting . . .Volume two kept my interest and more -- I think I'll be adding this to my subscription at midtown and start collecting . . ....more
I remember when the first Dark Horse adds started to show up -- there was this cool, Mignola-esque drawing of a gorilla with a man's head, and I thougI remember when the first Dark Horse adds started to show up -- there was this cool, Mignola-esque drawing of a gorilla with a man's head, and I thought "Keen, I should look it up." Then I found out that "The Umbrella Academy" was created and written by Gerard Way of "My Chemical Romance," and I scratched it of my "to read" list. I generally follow that most reliable of rules of thumb: artists tinkering in other art forms should be steered clear of at all cost. Avoid Scarlet Johansson's album of Tom Waits covers. Don't read any novel by Ethan Hawke. Don't vote for Jessie Ventura. And for god's sake, avoid comic books by the lead singers of emo bands.
Actually, that last one turns out to be not so fail-safe, as The Umbrella Academy is fantastic (at least the penciler, Gabriel Ba, admits to being skeptical at first as well). For a six-part mini-series, the characters are fully developed and you feel as if you are only scratching the surface of a very detailed, well-developed world (as, it turns out, you are). The mix of Edward Gorey/Lemony Snicket macabre with Victorian-noir and black humor is excellent, if slightly derivative. While it smacks of a few other, older projects, its original enough and very well executed -- plus the art is excellent.
When the next mini-series rolls out later this year, I'm picking up the issues . . ....more
I think I'm going to track down future volumes -- not everything about the book was great (the twin's childhood friend disappearing into the fairy reaI think I'm going to track down future volumes -- not everything about the book was great (the twin's childhood friend disappearing into the fairy realm was far too sudden and bizarre to really fit, and the whole "born on either side of midnight" struck me as a bit too Midnight's Children) but I was hooked into the plot and character's rather quickly, enough so that I assume it will actually improve as things are set in place and the story develops. The premise of normal people being swept up into the hidden world of magic is so common place as to be cliche, but its a concept that, if done right, can always be interesting....more
A short, cute little tale spun from the world of Chabon's Cavalier and Clay novel. While I have no desire at all to read the comic recreating "The EscA short, cute little tale spun from the world of Chabon's Cavalier and Clay novel. While I have no desire at all to read the comic recreating "The Escapist" title itself, this mini-series tells the tale of a modern day guy obsessed with reviving the "golden-era" Escapist hero. It alternates between the present story and the comic the protagonist is writing, with some very clever dialog bleeding between the two. There are some good, if obvious, plays on the theme of escaping and escapism, plus a fun jumble of various art styles as the golden era Escapist, updated escapist, and the primary story are all illustrated by different artists.
THIS is what super-hero comics can and should be -- gut-wrenching, moving stories that tap into the very human ideas of heroism, sacrifice, and loss. THIS is what super-hero comics can and should be -- gut-wrenching, moving stories that tap into the very human ideas of heroism, sacrifice, and loss. It's sadly ironic that I finally got so sick of the mediocrity of every other x-title that I stopped reading them all, just as Astonishing became better than it had ever been.
I won't say anything about Cassiday's amazing art and Whedon's spot on writing, because it's all been said. And I won't give away the ending, but I'll just say that I'm not sure I remember when the last time a comic book made me cry -- a SUPERHERO comic book made me cry. There is this two page spread at the climax that stopped me dead. I turned the page, and litterly just stared at it, stunned, for a good thirty seconds. It takes a lot to do that, a perfect match of art and writing to just hit you in the gut like that. Part of me hates Whedon for what he did at the end, but a larger part of me loves him for it because it worked and it HURT. Thanks Joss -- I didn't think that anyone could possibly make death an actually moving experience in the Marvel Universe, but you did, damn you. All the hacks over at Uncanny and the rest should be taking notes. ...more
I don't envy anyone having to follow up Whedon's arc -- not only was it a good story, but you're being compared to Whedon writing Buffy. Its like beinI don't envy anyone having to follow up Whedon's arc -- not only was it a good story, but you're being compared to Whedon writing Buffy. Its like being asked to sing James Brown at karaoke, only to find out that James Brown was going to be at the party too. Unfortunately, this is sort of what Vaughn tries to do -- a karaoke of Whedon, at times trying so hard to hit the witty-banter dialogue that is Buffy's hallmark that it comes across as more Whedon than Whedon, borderline parody. Still better than any of the X-comics I habitually consume, but had Vaughn just thrown Whedon to the wind and written as himself it would have been much stronger. ...more
Essential X-Men has almost caught up to when I started reading the books back in 8th grade --I came in just after "X-tinction Agenda," and Vol. 8 coveEssential X-Men has almost caught up to when I started reading the books back in 8th grade --I came in just after "X-tinction Agenda," and Vol. 8 covers the confusing, forced, pointless "Inferno!" I'm going to keep buying all these TPBs until I've read every X-story, but this act of obsessive completism is also an act of masochism, as this series traces Claremont's fall from masterful pulp author to over-worked, over-wrought hack. It's not all his fault, as at this point he was writing X-Men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Excaliber, and X-Terminators at the same time, all of which were monthly titles. I swear that half the dialogue is just cut and paste from one issue to the next. I suppose that's the point of such catch phrases as "Oh my stars and garters" and "My wings fire blades tipped with synapse disrupting poison!" and every character having to summarize both their powers and half their bio in every issue. And "lover" -- in Claremont's world, every woman refers to her boyfriend as "lover" nearly every time she addresses him. "Just don't get yourself killed, lover." Please.
Inferno, however, is a low point even for this era of Claremont. First, in involves my least favorite of his thematic obsessions -- demons and magic(k). I've always loved the X-Men's gritty realism, so grinning techno-organic demons were never my thing. Second, the over-arching plot is so cobbled together, so out of left field that you're constantly wondering if you accidently skipped an issue. I used to think it would make more sense when I'd read the entire saga, but no, its still just as scattered and crappy. Sy'm appears in Madelyne's dreams, then suddenly she's the Goblin Queen and controlling demons and blasting people with magical power, then demons are eating people in New York. Then there's the climax -- did we need ANOTHER "you stole my life!" "why won't people stop cloning me!" screaming match with Jean Grey? And the Havoc/Cyclopes battle will be nearly carbon-copied for the end of X-tinction Agenda.
Did I enjoy it? Yes, because I'm an X-junkie, but that doesn't mean it was good, and watching this series go from "Dark Phoenix Saga" to "Inferno" is depressing. ...more
Somehow the Best Superhero Comic in the World just gets better and better. There is nothing really new to say, but if you liked the first seven volumeSomehow the Best Superhero Comic in the World just gets better and better. There is nothing really new to say, but if you liked the first seven volumes, you've probably already bought volume eight. Kirkman continues to add complexity and nuance to his world, his characters, and their personal/super-villain conflicts....more
This series continues to be riviting, revolting, and terribly human. As per the title, most of this volume has a slower pace, which is a great change This series continues to be riviting, revolting, and terribly human. As per the title, most of this volume has a slower pace, which is a great change from the rest of the series (especially the last two volumes); even without the title, however, the calm doesn't lesten tension but rather highten it. You now something has to happen, you know they can't be safe, so every peaceful scene and quiet moment leaves you turning the page expecting the worst . . . and the worst arrives at the very end.
I started buying the individual issues with #47, but I've been saving them until I catch up. But my local comic shop doesn't have issues #43-46, so I'm stuck in this horrible limbo . . ....more
Jesus Christ. Every time I think there is nothing left Kirkman can do to shock me in this series, he scripts the most graphic torture scene I've ever Jesus Christ. Every time I think there is nothing left Kirkman can do to shock me in this series, he scripts the most graphic torture scene I've ever read in a comic and I can barely finish reading. If anyone else had done this, it would be post-Saw torture-porn, but the thing with this Kirkman is that it works -- it makes sense with the character, it changes her and reveals a new side of her all at once, and it perpetuates the sickening downward spiral that every character is caught in.
This series continues to be everything that Zombie horror is supposed to be. ...more
Did you like the first 8 TPBs? Read this. If you didn't, you probably won't like this either. I've just run out of things to say about the series. I lDid you like the first 8 TPBs? Read this. If you didn't, you probably won't like this either. I've just run out of things to say about the series. I like it....more
Buffy is back . . . though for those of us who love the early Buffy, we lost her before she went of the air, as season 8 was weak in the extreme, entiBuffy is back . . . though for those of us who love the early Buffy, we lost her before she went of the air, as season 8 was weak in the extreme, entirely lacking the Whedon touch that made it TV gold. If you've been waiting for the comic but worrying, you can stop - its all Whedony and everything, just what a Buffy fan wants out of a comic.
For everyone whose been reading The Astonishing X-Men (if you haven't, start), you know that Whedon can write a comic as good as his tv shows, with the Witty dialogue flying off the panels as well as it does from the small-screen. The Long Way Home brings back the characters and the cross fire wit you've been missing. Its enough to make you start ending all your adjectives in "y," just like you did back when season 3 was on the air . . . ...more
Sometimes when an author kills a character you like, you're pissed off, because you wanted them around. Sometimes you love it, because its so bold andSometimes when an author kills a character you like, you're pissed off, because you wanted them around. Sometimes you love it, because its so bold and emotional.
A charcter dies, and I'm still not sure if it was the right choice or not....more
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