May 20, 2012

Ye Olde Pull List

by Goodguy — Categories: Good Versus EvilLeave a comment

Well, we haven’t done this is a long time, so I thought I’d take a look at the offerings with a release date for this Wednesday, May 23, and see whassup.  You can find the complete list at comiclist.com.  I’m just picking out a few highlights as I seem them.

IRREDEEMABLE #37 – The heartbreaking final issue of Mark Waid’s masterpiece.  Man am I gonna miss this series.  Here’s hoping for a satisfying conclusion!

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #12 – I don’t know if the price tag of $7.99 is holding anyone back – it shouldn’t.  This is a graphic novel length anthology by some of the best talent in the industry.  This issue packs a double whammy.  John Laymen (Chew) and Sam Kieth unite for a new Aliens story, and Baron and Rude present a new Nexus story.  If you’ve been skipping DHP for any reason, now is the time to correct it.  If it’s a price issue, drop two or three Marvels or DC’s and treat yourself to something great.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #9 – This was the New 52 book  had put all my money on as being the runaway hit, but it has been a big fat lump of “huh?” for eight issues, and actually became the second title I dropped from the new offerings.  And there’s really no excuse for it, they have a GREAT cast that includes Zatanna, Deadman and Constantine among others.  Issue 9 might save the day as Jeff Lemire takes over writing chores, and if his work on Frankenstein Agent of SHADE carries through, this could be the turning point this title desperately needs.  I’ll be giving this a second chance.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #9 – For me this has been the most enjoyable of the Bat books (although it seems that Batman is getting the most good press and sales).  This is part of the uber-mega-super crossover “Night of the Owls.”  I’m feeling like we didn’t need an event just yet, but I guess the powers that be wanted to hike up sales on the lagging Bat books like Nightwing and Catwoman, and crossovers have a way of doing that.  I guess.

FABLES #117 – Can you believe this series is still chugging along AND consistently getting high marks AND it is overwhelmingly NOT being read?  The arcs read better than the one-and-dones in between, and I know people gravitate to the trades, including yours truly, but let’s not forget this is a damn fine series.

HERO COMICS 2012 – I went nuts over this last year and hope this year’s edition is along those lines of brilliance.  Hero Comics is a charity book that helps out comic artists who are struggling financially (there’s a reason “starving artist” is such a common phrase, they’re not all rock stars, kids).  It’s on this week’s list but the release still seems iffy.  Keep an eye out for it.

YOUNGBLOOD #71 – I’ve ripped on Liefeld on occasion.  HOWEVER, I liked Youngblood, and reassembling the old band is enticing.  I’m in.

CHEW #26 – You can never go wrong with Chew.

AMAZING SPIDERMAN #686 – Slott continues to ramp up Spiderman’s role in the bigger picture, and Parker has been earning more and more respect.  Could this turn it all around?  The wrap up for Ends of the Earth.  Next issue: nothing?

ASTONISHING X-MEN #50 – Milestone issue, killer cover, and they’re promising a game changing cliffhanger.

HULK #52 – Legion of Monsters.  Legion of Monsters.  Legion of Freakin Monsters.

SECRET AVENGERS #27 – AvX crossover with a reborn Mar-Vell on the cover?  Seems like this is not one of the books to skip this month.

That’s about all I got.  Please note I’ve got a total of eight books listed here that are NOT on my regular pull list but they should be worth the extra few bucks.  I just hope I actually read them – the backlog of books I’ve already got is getting a little oppressive…

Oh, and Happy Birthday Evilguy.  Prometheus next weekend?

Goodguy

 

 

 

Share

May 14, 2012

GvE Time Capsule – Bizarre Adventures

Up until this past weekend I had a hole in my collection that had been bugging me for a long time.  It’s that one book, you know?  Not a classic, not a collectors item, but it’s a book you remember enjoying or admiring from afar and you know you always wanted as part of your collection – or perhaps you once had it and it got lost somehow along the way.

I had one of those and it looks like this:

Bizarre Adventures #28

This was an issue of Marvel’s Bizarre Adventures, dating back to 1981.  The comics are in black and white, and it’s magazine sized.  No big wonder why this isn’t a regular part of everyone’s collection.  I had read this one when I was in junior high, when EvilGuy and I swapped collections for a summer of great reading.  I had seen it at a few shows, usually at about the 10 dollar range, then more recently at $6, and finally this weekend I couldn’t believe my good fortune at finding this and four more like it in a dollar box, along with Walt Simonson’s Star Slammers graphic novel.

Bizarre Adventures (or Marvel Preview, as it was known for the first 24 issues) was Marvel’s attempt to tap into an older (and aging) comic audience, with more mature themes and a paper size that was more adult-acceptable.  Please note, no Comics Code Authority stamp.  When you could find it on the shelf, it sat next to Heavy Metal, Epic, MAD, Cracked and National Lampoon.  These were the comics that bookstores would carry – they left the traditional pamphlet comics to the local delis and candy shops.

The series was more of a talent spotlight, in a time before comic artists were treated like rock stars.  Between the covers, you would get to see much more raw and pure art by favorites like Neal Adams, Michael Golden and Marshall Rogers.  In this issue in particular, Frank Miller gave us the first Elektra solo story, and Wendy Pini drew a rare non-Elfquest story featuring the Inhuman Triton.  Issue 29 had Stephen Kings “Lawnmower Man” drawn by Walt Simonson.

Sometimes, like in the pictured issue 28, they drew on Marvel’s host of characters, giving us a short story (10-20 pages) that had no place to call home other than this anthology. Other times, we’d just get a random smattering of themed stories, like “A Hard Look at Violence” in issue 31.  The earlier issues of Marvel Premier also introduced us to some classic Marvel characters like Blade in issue 3, and Starlord (by super team Claremont/Byrne/Austin just before they took over X-Men) in issue 4.  Sometimes it was an anthology collection, sometimes it was a graphic-novel sized chapter story (like the Kull issues or Paradox).

An uneven anthology to be sure, Marvel Preview and Bizarre Adventures were also plagued by a quarterly schedule, late shipping, and coming attractions that often failed to materialize for years.  But if you wade through, you’ll find some weird, some funny, some downright rarities by some really amazing talent.  And seeing their work in the raw pencil and ink form is a genuine treasure.

Bizarre Adventures 27

So yeah, I just had to share a few of these dollar box pickin’s today.  I can’t help but wonder what great stories we could be getting out of today’s talent if they took a chance like this now.

I already had the book you see to your right (three GREAT and weird X-men tales – and that’s a George Perez cover, btw) – it was the Elektra book I was after.  I also picked up one of the Kull issues (with John Bolton), the Violence issue 31 (which had Miller, Byrne, Siekewicz and Steve Bisette), the Dracula issue (33) and the Marvel Preview with Paradox ( that last one kinda creeped me out, but at 6 for $5 I needed one more).

And that was my unusual haul of the day.

Since EvilGuy and I have been around the block for a few decades now, it seems a shame not to be talking about some late, great books, the kind of comics that made us love and appreciate the great range that comic books have to offer.  This was a cool trip.  I know I’m enjoying it thoroughly.

Goodguy

Share

May 7, 2012

Coolest Non-Freebie at FCBD – the Art of Amanda Conner

by Goodguy — Categories: Comic Reviews, Comics - The Real Issues — Tags: , 3 Comments

When you went to visit these comic shops on Free Comic Book Day, I certainly hope you bought a little something something while you were in there.  That’s kind of the point there, chaps.  The shop owners put out some good money to buy those FCBD books (they’re free to us but not to them) in hopes of driving some PAYING customers into their stores.  But the stories from the LCS owners are always the same.  There is a handful of faces they see once a year, first Saturday in May, who pop in with a mouth-breathing smile just to see how many freebies they can take with them as they greedily travel from shop to shop without spending a dime.  If you are that person – leave my blog right now.  You are a pock mark on the pizza face of fanboydom, which isn’t too attractive to begin with.  Don’t even try to defend yourself, you scab.  You sicken me.  I fart in your general direction.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, spend some cash on FCBD.  Which I did to the tune of about $50, picking up Atomic Robo’s Science Adventures, the new issue of Exile on the Planet of the Apes, AVX:VS, World’s Finest, GI Combat and AVX #0.  Which still let me below budget, so as I prepared to plop down a little more for much-needed supplies, something caught my eye.

Amanda Conner is one of those artists who should be celebrated, not just enjoyed.  She brings a simple charm to the page that few others can emulate – perhaps Terry Moore in Strangers in Paradise, or Frank Cho in Liberty Meadows, might be the closest to comparable, but Conner’s style is really all her own.  As an example, what Conner brought to Power Girl was a dream come true.  A risky move by DC, take a B-lister (and a female character no less) with a cloudy origin and have some fun with her to see if it sticks.  Few could have pulled it off, but Palmiotti and Conner did with clever quirkiness that made PG easy to fall in love with.

Oh, sure, she likes to draw a little naughty, but for the most part it’s the kind of naughty that you feel when you take that piece of candy you aren’t allowed to eat, NOT the kind of naughty that makes you feel like you need a shower to wash the filth off.  Conner is mischievous but in a very natural way.  Her art advertises that she’s having fun doing what she’s doing.  Her skill at expressing the quieter emotions through facial expressions – patience, tolerance, irony, compassion – is not to be underestimated, as this is the difference between watching a hero and getting to know a hero.  Through Conner, we got to know Power Girl, Terra, even Jimmy Olsen.  She makes us want to know them.

And so, as we await her work on Before Watchmen (her Silk Spectre is on top of my list to read), this hardcover collection of her sketches, covers, and commentary are just right to tide us over.  At $30 it’s a bargain.  I didn’t need those bags and boards anyway.  Conner’s commentary is witty and insightful, giving us much of the backstory in her brief and continuing career in the comics world, with books like The Pro, Vampirella, Birds of Prey, Gatecrasher and many others.

And hey, allow a fanboy to dream for a moment.  Someday I will have the nerve, and the patience, to wait in the long lines at a comic con for Ms Conner to draw me a sketch of my character, the Manx.  I can think of no other artist that could capture her better.  I can dream, can’t I?

Thank you Ms Conner!

Goodguy

Share

May 7, 2012

Coolest Freebie at the 2012 Free Comic Book Day – ATOMIC ROBO WINS AGAIN

Let’s be honest – it just wouldn’t be FCBD without Red 5′s Atomic Robo.  And these guys don’t skimp.  While Robo is consistently clever, one of the best books on the shelf that not enough people are reading, the FCBD offerings have regularly been even a notch above that, and this year may have topped them all, with yet another insane appearance by Dr. Dinosaur.  I laughed, and I laughed more, and I had to leave the room because I was laughing too hard.  Dino is hysterical.

Favorite Dinoline: “Other than the everything going completely wrong, it’s all going according to plan!”  Sounds like another Evilguy I know.

If you didn’t grab this, but instead grabbed DC’s New 52 preview or the Avengers reprint, shame… on… you.  You missed out on a comic that was worth a real price tag, but they gave away for free.  Unbelievable entertainment.

I should note that there’s other Red 5 stuff in here too, like Neozoic and Bonnie Lass.  They weren’t too shabby either, but Robo takes da cake.

Well done sirs!

Goodguy

Share

May 6, 2012

AVENGERS – One More Review

by Goodguy — Categories: Comic Reviews, Events, Good Versus Evil — Tags: , , 3 Comments

So here we are, at least two days too late to make a difference in reviewing what will surely go down as the blockbuster of the year.  But if you can handle at least one more review of Avengers, from the point of view of a guy who has loved comics his whole life, and not some hairy toity movie critic, here’s my take on it.

They freakin’ nailed it.

I will warn you right now that I will do my best to be unspecific, but it will be impossible to discuss this movie without saying something that might be construed as a spoiler.

As I mentioned last post, I got to see it with two friends that I’ve known  more than three decades.  For us, this was a comic dream of teenage proportions come full circle into a reality we never thought we’d see.  Until recent years, the only place comic book heroes could do all the cool things they do in any believable fashion was in comic books.  CGI changed all that, so that the main shortcoming has been all too often in the story and translating it to the big screen.  There have been some successes, like Spiderman 2, X-Men 2, Sin City, Dark Knight and Hellboy.  But there have been just as many failures, such as Hulk, Fantastic Four, Catwoman and X-3,where the creative team felt a need to cheese it up or dramatically depart from what the comic was about for the sake of translating something new to the movie screen.  The movies that have worked best have been respectful to the comic book mythos, and not trying to take these legendary characters and “make them their own” which the fans have lamented.  Hollywood, please understand that though we comic book fans are a small bunch, but we know what art is and we are vocal about it.

The team behind Avengers got this idea and ran with it, and gave a movie to the fanboys that we could go absolutely freakin’ bonkers over.  Did it work?  Apparently so, since it kicked Harry Potter‘s box office records around the block, didn’t it?

Was the inner teenager in these three middle-aged comic fans satisfied?  You’d better believe it.   We sat as the credits rolled, really trying hard to think of a single thing wrong, a single thing that they should have done differently, and unless we totally nitpicked, we came up empty.

As I had hoped and suspected he would, given his proven strength with strong female leads, Joss Whedon gravitated toward Natsha Romanov as the Black Widow, which handily got her caught up to the big boys who each already had at least one blockbuster under their belt.  The script handled the Widow with all the breathtaking charm that makes her the magnetic character she has always been, and she didn’t need to strip down to her underwear one time to do it.

Also as expected, Whedon’s signature banter proved perfectly suited for Robert Downey Jr.  Stark was every bit the egotistical solo player we have come to know.  When his ego gets him locking horns with Thor, it’s done in a way that isn’t contrived and is a fanboy’s dream come true.  With only a single super villain in Loki, the movie leaves plenty of time for the other heroes to spar as well as they find themselves forced into an uneasy alliance by a crafty Nick Fury.  We get almost everyone versus everyone at one point or another, and isn’t that what we wanted, but would have thought it was too much to ask for?

But those kind of moments just happen seamlessly throughout the movie.   We get to see more of Stark with Pepper.  We see Captain America move from the obedient soldier to the natural hero who is not in the least intimidated to start barking out orders to the likes of an Asgardian god and a big green behemoth, and we see those same characters nod in agreement that Cap is to be followed.  And speaking of the Hulk, this was easily his best big screen appearance.  Banner was utterly believable and the Hulk was, well, incredible.  He stole the best wow moments and some of the funniest as well.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed initially in the choice of Loki as the villain, since we just saw him in Thor.  But I get it, this wasn’t the movie to have to develop a new villain.  The focus had to be on the assembly of this team of extreme personalities.  And to that respect Loki served well, a homage to the fact he was the Avengers’ first ever villain in the comics as well.

As always, stay through the credits.   You’d have to be living under a rock to not have heard about the big reveal in the epilogue (if you weren’t a hardcore comic buff you’d probably be at a loss why half the audience lost their minds, but take our word for it, the sequel is setting up to be impossibly cool).  But don’t walk out then either.  There’s a final moment at the very end after all the credits that a lot of people are missing and was not in the overseas release – not a game changer but rewarding nonetheless.

Conclusion: this fanboy is satisfied.  And this fanboy plans to see it again this week, something I have not done since the Star Wars movies.  Absolutely flawless, Avengers moves to the top of the heap of comic book movies and sets a huge, huge new bar.  They got it.  They finally figured it out.  Now they need to give us more from where this came from.

Goodguy

Share

May 2, 2012

Yay! We’re Going to the Movies! Yay!

by Goodguy — Categories: Events, Good Versus Evil — Tags: Leave a comment

In our action-packed origin issue, EvilGuy and I have talked about the fact that we met in junior high in the 80′s at a lunch table full of comic book enthusiasts (see, I almost said nerds or geeks, but I was all PC, cool huh?).  Back then, we could one dream of what a really cool comic book movie would look like, and all we had was the Christopher Reeve Superman movies and the old Batman and Wonder Woman TV series.  Yikes.  It seemed that the only place that our heroes could really, convincingly, do all this really wild stuff was ONLY in comic books.

Happy Birthday to ME

That was then.  This is now.  And those comic enthusiasts are coming full circle, as EvilGuy and I (along with our third partner in crime of that time who I will henceforth refer to as DrummerGuy) will be reuniting for one appearance only at the Rockaway Mall AMC, Friday night, to take in Avengers.  On my birthday no less.  That’s right, I was born on Star Wars Day.  May the Fourth Be With You.

How does something like this go down?  How do three 40-something old friends manage to pull off a night to remember?  Occasionally, we have an online conversation that is just too darn good not to share with the universe.  Well, it went something like this (edited slightly for content, interest in not boring everyone to tears, a few choice and well-placed curse words and for the protection of our secret identities) …

EVILGUY: Still on for Avengers this Friday? I was going to buy tickets in advance so that they were waiting for us.   I was thinking the later showing at 10:50 in 3D, or the 9:50 showing in Not 3D. Or Regular D. Or 2D.   However you wanna say it.  I’d go with an earlier showing, but I’m worried that a) something is going to get BLEEPed up at work and I’m not going to make it and we’ll be out the ticket money plus since I’ll have the card the tickets were bought with you two won’t get in, and b) that the earlier showings will be totally packed. Which I don’t mind too much, but if I’m going to sit in a packed theater, I’d rather do it with a rowdy late night crowd.  So, gents, what is the call?

GOODGUY: Well, “Not 3D” is not an option. Guldurnit if I’m going to go on opening night and not see this thing in all its glory.  I’ll admit, I’m struggling with the 10:50 start time (but I do see your point about the risk of not making the 7:30). It’ll be 1:30 by the time we get outta there! I just don’t know if I have that old “Rocky Horror” late night left in me. I’m an old fart.  Do you know I’ve never seen an IMAX movie?  Grrr… I’m torn.  Sell me on this.

DRUMMERGUY: Hey guys, good news, I am in for Friday night.   Just let me know how much tickets are so I can reimburse you if your are per-ordering. Should be great!!!

EVILGUY: Looking forward to having a moment where the three of us could realize one of those lunch-table fantasies made real: an actual, big budget Avengers movie leaping off the screens at us. And, from all reviews, a REALLY good one at that. People are calling it the best summer blockbuster type film in a decade, and that is coming from folks that are saying stuff at the same time like “… in spite of it being a comic-book film” as they’re writing that.

The sales pitch goes something like this:

  • 1. We should see this no later than opening night and write about it within the next 24 hours on the blog. That is just being responsible to our audience.
  • 2. Primetime seems a really unlikely time to get IMAX 3D tickets this late in the game, and I think we both really want IMAX 3D tickets to really get the full on experience.
  • 3. Earlier in the day could be a possibility to score tickets, BUT unfortunately we’re both responsible father/husband/provider/manager types, we’d be missed by the folks that count on us if we just played hooky. For my part, I have (blah blah blah about work), and I have to (blah blah blah about training his minions to be future super villains) and to get my cat into another vet-specialist to get his (blah blah blah cat stuff) checked. So with already taking at least half a day off earlier in the week, skipping out on work isn’t feasible.
  • 4. Late night crowds rule.
  • 5. For emphasis, please re-read point four.
  • 6. They have invented this great stuff called “coffee” which you can purchase at many places at any time day or night. Some of it is even quite good. Also, they make these things called “energy drinks” that work well. You may have sworn off caffeine, Goodguy but let’s face it, every rule needs an exception to really validate its existence and make it seem more reasonable.
  • 7. If you go straight home, you’ll be back in the Cardboard Box of Justice by 1:15, and you can be sound asleep by 1:30.
  • 8. The next day is Free Comic Book Day. Do you REALLY wanna be that one guy in the shop that DIDN’T see Avengers the day before? Don’t be that guy. Please. Think of the children, and how they’ll look at you as if you’d spent the night in a van down by the river.
  • 9. Compounding matters is the fact that the day after Free Comic Book Day, we are going to the Wild Pig Show. Jim Calafiore (the guy who drew half the original Exiles run, and the latter part of the Secret Six run) will be there, as will Peter David. That’s PETER. HONKHONKING. DAVID. Dude, do you REALLY want to be talking with Peter David while Calafiore draws you a picture of Scandal Savage and have that awkward moment come up where one of these guys references a moment in the Avengers movie, and YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT?! Are you gonna try to bluff these guys? Cuz they’ll know, man, they’ll know. And that whole conversation you had earlier about Colossians, where Peter David said he’d write a cover blurb plugging it? That’s gone now, because you tried to bluff your way through Avengers Movie Trivia and they KNOW. And that will lead to Peter David, titan of the industry and knower of all people within it, quietly filing your name away as “that BS artist with the indy comic.” And you’ll never work in this town again. Also? Calafiore will finish his art, hand it off to you, and you’ll only notice later that he drew Scandal Savage with cross eyes. Because that’s just what an artist that you’ve just lied to will do. From there… well, you’re a decent person, and any decent person would be launched into a shame spiral at this point, getting lower and lower, dragging friends and family down with you, and… and… and…

… AND ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T GO TO THE LATE NIGHT SHOWING OF THE AVENGERS IN IMAX 3D WITH ME.

Okay, so I’m no Billy Mays, but then, this BLEEP** is a lot harder to sell than friggin’ OxyClean.

GOODGUY: Geez, I might’ve just gone with “We’ll have a few beers before the movie.” But I do admire your enthusiasm!

DRUMMERGUY: Looking forward to it. Hope it is your bestest birthday! I guess Evilguy has really put that pressure on you not to be “That Guy”. lol  And Coffee? What a concept. I am glad I was not drinking anything while reading all of your other points. Would have sprayed a couple of times. lol

EVILGUY: Beers before the movie was a given. That’s part of what makes points four and five work – we’re not the only ones exhibiting that degree of common sense. Yeah, Goodguy’s sworn off coffee, which is part of why he’s worried about snoozing through the biggest cinematic adrenaline rush of 2012. Me? You? Pft. We need not worry about these things, for we have embraced the mighty bean and know how to call forth its powers with naught but hot water, a filter, and some time. And perhaps a bit of milk and/or sugar. Or better yet, merely swaggering into Dunkin’ Donuts with two bucks and simplifying the HONKHONK out of that whole process.

EVILGUY: The deed is done. We have reserved seats. That’s $18 each, but I’m going to pick up Goodguy’s ticket. Partially because its his birthday, but partially because traditionally he’s my date when we go see movies about superheroes.  See? We started a tradition. Aw.

DRUMMERGUY: LOL, you go Evil! All hail the Coffee Bean! Goodguy, you may have to break the coffee vow. You do not want to fail as a comic book nerd, do you? It takes a strong dedication to achieve such greatness. Don’t fail on the eve of the movie comic book nerds have been living for the last 30 years to experience. Use the force… or a cup of coffee. I think I will take this week however to watch Thor, Captain America, the Iron Man movies and The Hulk just to prepare myself for the event of the century.

GOODGUY: And I am NOT your date. STOP THAT.  Just picking up my ticket doesn’t mean you get free feelsies.

And there you have it, another glimpse into the warped minds of Good, Evil, and Drummer.

See ya after the movie!

Goodguy

 

** Edited by EvilGuy to remove a bit of “profanity” that GoodGuy missed and that some people might find objectionable.  Those same people probably use that world all the BLEEPing time, mind you, and their hypocrisy disgusts me.  As if they’re going to be crossing the street, minding their own business, twist their ankle on a pothole, see a bus about to hit them, and they would say “oh, excrement.”  Or maybe, “well, I’m completely fornicated now, aren’t I?.”  Yet another thing I will correct once I take over the Earth.  So, you know, you’ve got that to look forward to now.  – EvilGuy

Share

May 1, 2012

A v X (Avengers vs X-Men)

by Goodguy — Categories: Comic Reviews, Events — Tags: , , 2 Comments

OK, I finally got around to reading issues 1 and 2 of AvX last night, along with a few of the crossovers in the regular series.  I usually have a tolerance for one, maybe two comics in a given night, but ya know, I plowed through five last night and could have kept going.  As always, the sheer lack of verbosity in today’s comics helps, but it also really helps if you like what you’re reading.  And lately, a lot of my reading has felt more like a chore than a joy.

So AvX… yeah, didn’t hate it at all.  Matter of fact, I liked it plenty, yessir I did.

Evilguy had snarked on it a little at the last show we did (on a podcast that will be up for public consumption soon, I hope?).  As he put it (and I’m paraphrasing), issue 1 sets the stage and the full blown brawl gets underway in issue 2.  And no need to spoil anything here – it’s been obvious from the start where this is going.  Phoenix is in its way to Earth and Cable’s protege, Hope, looks to be the heir apparent.  To the Avengers, that’s dangerous – Phoenix can kill whole planets.  But to Cyclops, Phoenix may be the answer for the return of mutantkind.

Most team versus team stories are very contrived.  There’s either mind control, misunderstandings or hot tempers, and the confrontations are brief, and the winner is left in question.  To have a real battle royale, we can’t have any of these elements.  This has to be two teams standing on their noble but opposing platforms, neither of which can budge or compromise with what is at stake.  AvX delivers this powerfully.  To make matters a little uglier, you’re got a bunch of heroes that have played for both teams, such as Wolverine (who famously parted with Cyclops over ethics during Schism), Storm (whose husband is an Avenger), Beast (another one that Cyclops alienated) and Quicksilver (no fan of his daddy for sure).

And while we’re all focusing on Hope, let’s not ignore the Avenger that caused a great deal of this mess to begin with… the Scarlet Witch.

Great confrontations, even if all too short, of guys we want to see duking it out, all in their right minds, all with the best intentions, and with a great backdrop.  This time they’re not fighting over political ideals.  This is potentially the fate of Earth or the fate of the mutant race at stake.  Makes “Civil War” seem kinda petty now, don’t it?

My personal favorite was hearing the unmistakable howl of the collective X-fans eating crow.  They’ve all been screaming that this is no contest – after all, the X-Men have an immensely powerful telepath (in Emma Frost) and the master of magnetism (Magneto).  Bendis addresses this and squishes it like a bug in this, the AWESOME MOMENT OF THE WEEK.

In… your… face.  If you’re still wondering about the White Queen, no spoilers… but the prior pages are priceless.

Let it be known that Bendis is not conveniently ignoring the obvious, he’s taking it head-on.  And Romita, this is the sharpest I’ve seen from his artwork in a very long time (Scott Hana knows how to ink Romita’s pencils masterfully well).

I’ve never hidden that I’m no fan of events.  But this could well be the Avengers/X-Men battle we always wanted.  I’m just praying that it doesn’t fart out at the end (like the last one infamously did).

Off to a great start!  Now let’s see, I usually rate by power rings, but that seems kinda sacrilegious on a Marvel book, sooo…

FIVE OUTTA SIX INFINITY GEMS!

GoodGuy

 

Share

April 28, 2012

Point One Finally Gets One Point

by Goodguy — Categories: Good Versus EvilLeave a comment

Marvel introduced their “Point One” product as a way to demonstrate a “jumping aboard” issue in their ongoing series, which admittedly have become convoluted due to the massive history and complexity and sub-plots of the storyline.  Also playing a factor here is that the stories are being intentionally written to be collected in a trade.  Therefore, what formerly could have been told in one or two issues gets stretched like a piece of Silly Putty into four or more, leaving readers to open a new comic book, skim through to the title page (often buried 3-4 pages in or at the end) only to find this is “Part 3 of 6″.  Discouraged, Marvel loses a reader; unless the comic shop has ample copies of Part 1 and 2, and the reader is willing to shell out 12 smackers instead of 4, that book stays on the shelf.  Everyone loses.

Unfortunately, my experience with the “Point One” issues has been disappointing.  Uncanny X-Men, for example, gave us a weak and directionless Magneto story (one of the most powerful super villains on Earth is now playing a barely noticeable second fiddle to CYCLOPS of all people).  Venom gave us a “Point 1″ followed by a “Point 2, 3 and 4″ thus defeating the purpose (but in a way leading fans like a cow with a ring in its nose through the weakest offering in the series to date).

However, Avengers 24.1 set a new bar.  If Marvel uses this issue as a template for how this “starting point” concept is supposed to work, the bar has been raised, and Point One issues might finally earn their place.  It’s also the first time in quite some months I have been satisfied enough with a comic book to bother mentioning it.

Here we have the return of the Vision, one of the most pivotal B-listers in the Marvel Universe.  Last we saw him, his wife (Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlett Witch) made She-Hulk tear her husband in half (tail end of the Disassembled storyline).  Here he has managed to repair himself, much to the shock of Tony Stark.  Cold and creepy as ever, the Vision sets out to confront She-Hulk and his father-in-law, Magneto (his best moment in a very long time) before rejoining Captain America and the Avengers.  Hoping I haven’t spoiled too much here – it’s not so much what happens, but how it happens, that matters here.  You must read to believe.

Good jumping on point?  You bet.  Worthy reintroduction of a major player after a seven year absence?  You betcha.  Most importantly, we got a good old fashioned one-and-done issue, a lost art amidst the editorial money machines.  They pulled off a decent script and launched a significant event in the Marvel Universe.  You know, if they could pull off more like this, they might actually get some new readers every once in a while.

Kudos, Bendis.  When you and your fellow creators do something right, you deserve credit and gratitude for it.  And you have it from me.  Thank you for Avengers #24.1.

Goodguy

Share

April 26, 2012

Superheroes for Hospice – Expectations Exceeded

by Goodguy — Categories: Events, Good Versus EvilLeave a comment

Indeed… expectations exceeded dramatically.

As I said last entry, EvilGuy and I were slated to make one of our public appearances at St Barnabas for a comic book show that generates charity for hospice care.  While there’s no doubt this is a worthy cause, I must confess that my expectations were not very high.  “Charity” sales sometimes have an air of desperation and sadness, limited offerings, not well traveled, and in the end you make a donation because it’s the right thing to do.  Just being honest.  I had also attended this show once, many years ago, and it was a bit sparse even if the mood was high.

However, this was a very different ballgame in 2012.

I was greeted by Paul Castiglia (Archie Comics) as soon as I came in the doors of the clinic, and was immediately given my choice of table spots from which to broadcast the show – either from the lobby (quieter, among the other artists) or in the dealer room.  One quick glance across the dealer room told me this was the place to be.

Can you say "Where's the ATM?!?"

As you can see, the room was lined up and down with long boxes filled to the brim – and that’s just the Marvels and DC’s.  Another row of at least 50 more long boxes of indies awaited in the hallway.  The sheer volume was something to be reckoned with.   The pricing scheme was simple – $20 for 20, $40 for 80, and $60 for 160 comic books (and 20 cents each above that).  Without even looking, EvilGuy, Syxx Gage (our trusted cameraman and general lackey) and I agreed to split the $60 and seek out about 53 1/3 books each.  If we came up short, no big deal, it was for charity.

That’s what we call “foreshadowing.”

Mmmmm... Fig Newtons....

EvilGuy started setting up the recording equipment while I displayed some of my sketch cards and comics.  Fortunately EvilGuy came prepared so we would not have to leave to seek sustenance.  He brought Fig Newtons and water.  A meal fit for a king.  If only he’d remembered the Yoo-Hoo.  We sat for a while and chewed the fat,when we were approached by a lovely lady who was interviewing attendees at the show, along with her young nephew, Liam.  We had a very fun conversation with her as she was trying to build up some publicity and awareness for the event.  I even banged out a lightning-fast sketch of Mace Windu for Liam while she took pictures.

Once that excitement was over, and we were finished patting ourselves on the back for just how downright awesome we nailed that interview, we started to notice SyxxGage sifting through the boxes and coming up with some treasures.   Hmmm… maybe all these boxes aren’t just sheer bulk.  Armed with my trusty iPad which is armed with my Comic Collectorz app, I started poking around.  That was around 11AM.

I don’t think we came up for air until around 1:30 when Syxx was starting to look a little lonely and forgotten at the table.

The pickings were anything but scarce.  Granted, the offerings were chiefly in the range of the last three decades (with some very damaged oldies along the way).  But if you knew what you were looking for, chances are it was out there.  In a collection this sie for what they were selling it for, you’d expect them to just throw it in the box all mish mosh.  You’ve heard those dealers at shows I’m sure.  “Feh!  At these prices I don’t have time to alphabetize ‘em!  Harumph!”  Not so here.  A team of volunteers had descended days before to get them in ABC order as best they could, and they did an admirable job.  Made for some easy cherry picking off the old want list.  And I didn’t just find a stray issue here and there – I handily completed entire runs and filled in several annoying gaps in my collection.

Remember that hallway full of indies?  Yeah – sorted by PUBLISHER.  Sweet!  Do you know how easy it is to find hunks of comics like this?  I was finding those last couple of “Welcome to Tranquility” comics while Liam found some “Star Wars Old Republic” books in the Dark Horse boxes.  I even found a recent issue of Dark Hose Presents with a $7.99 cover – I’m almost ashamed at what I bought it for.  Almost.

The day was drawing on and it became apparent that if we didn’t start the podcast we were going to run out of time, so EvilGuy dragged me back to the mics and we kicked things off.  The first half of the show is chiefly devoted to what we had found during our shopping spree, as well as what we’re both reading these days.  We kept sending Liam off on quests to find us examples.  I’m sure that’ll be up real soon.

But then it got weird.  See the beauty of doing a show out on the floor like this is that, well, there are people there.  And people like to talk.  And I find people endlessly fascinating. So randomness ensured.  Interruptions became surreal, charming experiences.  It was crazy fun.

First, an old man asked us our recommendations to buy comics for his grandchildren.  We probably didn’t do a really great job directing him, in hindsight, which I regret.  As longtime readers and promoters of all things comicky, our fans know us as experts, and we should have come to this man’s aid a little better.  I think at first we were just rattled by the interruption, but this was something we rapidly got used to.

Along the way a few others asked us what we were doing, checked out the art, chatted for a bit.  I don’t know how much the mics picked this stuff up, but it was just good, genuine artist alley kind of stuff.  Again, we will learn from experience, but next time, we will have a third mic ready for anyone who wanders by to capture these great moments.

Speaking of great moments, another character came by.  You know, this is why I love comic shows.  Guaranteed at every show there will be at least one really smelly guy (at this show he had on a Green Lantern sweatshirt) and one off the wall wacko, and sure enough, the wacko surfaced.  Decked out in heart-shaped sunglasses and a rhinestone-studded black tux shirt and straw cowboy hat, he made a b-line for our table.  I’m not really sure where his train of thought was going, but Ozzy, it was a crazy train for sure.  He said he had come to the show to become part of a team (oh how I wished I’d asked him his super powers).  He donned a silver disco-ball domino mask that he produced from his bag o tricks, and began waving around a magic wand to demonstrate… something, i’m not sure.  Paul Castigila was standing behind him the whole time about 10 feet away, helpfully giggling his butt off.

After the magician left, Paul came over and said, “Guys, are you up for an interview?  I’ve got a guy that would be excellent, he’s a real character and he’s very knowledgeable, he’s like a historian of comics.  Let me go get him.”  A moment later, a man in a white suit, sideburns, and a long red Superman cape comes strolling over, and this is how we met the notorious Arlen Schumer, author of books such as “The Silver Age of Comic Book Art” and “Neal Adams the Sketchbook.“  That will be the second part of the podcast from that day – and Arlen, well, he can talk, so EvilGuy and I become footnotes in our own show for that one.  Worthwhile, though – Paul was right, it was great stuff.

Once we finally wrapped up the show, we scrambled for our last few comics, a mad desperate dash for the last few treasures.  In the end, our 160 comics between us had swelled to nearly 300, plus four graphic novels and a Yoda keychain.  Liam, our new buddy, picked up about 80 himself, veritably doubling his collection.

Oh, you remember last year I won a longbox full of comics for $4 at East Hanover?  Yeah, donated it.  Holy tax deduction Batman!

The day ended with beer and man food at Miami Mike’s on Route 10.

The only shot in which we were both able to suck in our guts and not laugh

In the end, kudos to the volunteers and personalities that made this show a reality.  A heartfelt thanks to Spiro, who humbly and actively did everything in his power to make every guest guest feel special and meet all our unique needs, and has a wonderful gem of a bargain show that not enough people know about.  We will be back in June for more, you can bank on it.

Goodguy

Share

April 17, 2012

Superheroes for Hospice

by Goodguy — Categories: Events, Good Versus EvilLeave a comment

The Evil Guy and I will be making an appearance at “Superheroes for Hospice” on Saturday, April 21 from 10-5.  We will be recording our podcast live from the event.  I’ll also be drawing sketch cards and promoting my new project (plug) called Colossians.  Evil Guy will no doubt be doing something evil.  But it’s all for a good cause.

Ironic isn’t it?  A “Good” cause?

for more info: http://www.barnabashealth.org/hospitals/hospice/comic/

Hope to see you there!

Goodguy

Share
© 2012 Good Versus Evil All rights reserved - Wallow theme v0.46.5 by ([][]) TwoBeers - Powered by WordPress - Have fun!