I Vant to Suck Your Veiner

 

Well, there really isn't a lot to explain. However, the depths of my depravity disappointingly don't include Bride of Blackula. Yet. The search is on.

-Gint

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 3/29/12

Justice League #7

I whole heartily agree with Gint's review of this issue. I'm not a huge fan of Gene Ha but there is no doubt that his style fits  seamlessly with Johns' storytelling. There is more character development in this book then there in the first six. 

I also like the back up story telling the origin of Captain....um I mean Shazam. Damn do I hate that little scum bag Billy Batson! What a wonderfully awful brat of a character. Until this story I had no desire to ever read the new Shazam book but now I'm definitely in for the first arch. Nice work Mr. Johns and Mr. Frank.

Wonder Woman #7
Brian Azzarello continues to reshape the Wonder Woman mytho's into something interesting and logical. I always thought that the idea of a island full of nothing but women was silly. Azzarello not only explains what happens to the Amazon men but puts a twist on it, making them peaceful in contrast to their warrior sisters.


Cliff Chang bangs out the best work of the series. I love the way this dude can tell a story. His panels never feel crowded or confusing. His creatures are simple yet interesting. Kudos to Matthew Wilson for his color work as well.

Batman #7

Scott Snyder was born to write Batman. The revelation that Dick Grayson was meant to become the next Talon, Gotham's ancient clan of of assassins who's mission is to murder members of the Wayne family. Snyder's ties up all the loose ends from this arc just in time for next issues battle royal as The Talons descend on Wayne Manor.

Panel of the Week: Don't get all mouthy with The Dark Knight.

Fond Memories of Hazzard County

Oh, those Duke boys and the controversial flag on their car. Personally I think it's silly to get all worked up about the rebel flag. If someone wants to wear the logo of a losing team then be my guest. I can't let something like that stand in front of my love for these silly hillbillies and their super fine cousin -$

Gint's 3-21-12 Pull-List Review

This week's focus is on a nice quiet, introspective issue compared to a balls-to-the-wall fight issue.

Bonus Review:

Swamp Thing #2

Since I started getting this book way late (about a week ago) we're kind of doing this backwards. Two issues in and its very well worth it.

Scott Snyder and Yanic Paquette are weaving a pretty interesting tale about characters I knew nothing about before I picked up issue #1. The Heather Locklear TV series doesn't count, I'm sure. Already I care about our reluctant hero, Alec Holland.

What bothers me about reluctant heroes though is that if some creature came out of the swamp and offered me superpowers, I'm pretty goddamn sure I'd be like, "hell, yeah, hook a brother up!" Of course first I'd have to make sure I could change back into myself. Superpowers or no, I can't trade in on my vanity.

After two issues Swamp Thing is everything $oss made it out to be. Thanks, buddy.

Fourth Place:

Green Lantern Corps. #7

A somewhat cheesy, but touching story greets us in Green Lantern Corps this week.

During the last arc, John Stewart killed a fellow GL to stop him from blabbing secrets about OA to the bad guy. John Stewart is really racking up the body count. I'd like for that NOT to be John's defining characteristic, but between Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi, that's where we're heading.

Much like Justice League this week, its a quieter, more introspective issue. A nice break from the constant fighting. I can't stress enough how much I wish more writers would give us these issues that really let us get a good look at who these characters are as people, not just heroes.

Claude St. Aubin fills in on art and does an admirable job for series regular Fernando Pasarin. His touch for detailed backgrounds needs some work, but he got the basics right. DC has been making some good decisions on fill-in artists.

Third Place:

Wonder Woman #7

Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang have mastered telling a close, personal story while allowing for some big time ass kicking. Its really the best of both worlds.

Issue #7 clearly places Diana out of her depth. She's gotten herself in pretty deep and is still learning the ways of the Amazons and the Gods. Azzarello is creating a motley assortment of characters taking up her quest with her and each one is expertly written each issue. They don't need a lot of dialogue if the words are right the first time.

And Cliff Chiang is back to illustrate Hephaestus' studio of weapons-making. He does his usual perfect job of showing us why there are only Amazon women and what happens to the boys that are born. Needless to say, Wonder Woman is not happy with it.

Azz and Chiang are telling a cool story about the most famous female super hero. She doesn't quite lineup just yet with the Diana we've seen in Justice League, but that's OK. This one's better.

Second Place:

Supergirl #7

Lets stick with the theme of quiet issues. This wasn't one of them. This issue is a big fight between Super Sexy Kara and the Worldkillers. What makes this a stand-out issue though, is the way Michael Green and Mike Johnson handle the fight. There's talking and monologing, but it works well with the choreography of the fight. And not to mention the talents of Mahmud Asrar are fully on display. He hooks the FUCK out of some shit this week.

That's pretty much it. One big fight. But the art is so good it might mask any depth the issue is lacking. Its definitely a solid end for the first arc. I'm really looking forward to what this team has coming up in the next 7 issues.

First Place:

Justice League #7

You know what's funny? This was the best issue of Justice League so far. The big opening arc featuring the artistic talents of Jim Lee and the writing prowess of Geoff Johns fell flat. But this time, it all works out with Johns writing and Gene Ha doing a bang up job filling in on art for Jim Lee.

What's most important about this issue is what a lot of fanboys love to see: the quiet moments. Sure, the Justice League beats up on some nobody villain (named "Spore" because no one is capable of creating a new bad guy with a decent name these days) and we see them in action, but what really pulls you in to the issue is the behind the scenes stuff.  A glimpse of what happens in the Watchtower when the JL isn't saving the world. And the best part of the issue? Steve Trevor.

Steve Trevor is the Government's liaison to the Justice League. He's also in love with Diana. The issue is mostly learning about who Steve Trevor is and seeing the Justice League through his vantage point. This easily made for the best issue of the series so far.

And what about the Shazam back up feature? Gary Frank could draw me getting fucked in the ass and I'd love it. That's how much a fan of his artwork I am. And the story is pretty interesting too. Johns throws us a curveball: Billy Batson is a dick! And since I don't have any strong connections to the Shazam mythos, that's OK.

Great feature and backup story this week, boys.

Panel of the Week:

Mahmud Asrar's Supergirl maybe my favorite Supergirl. He really draws her pretty perfect. Oh and hooks up this panel of smashing a Worldkiller with a police car. Boom!

-Gint

Arbiter of Good Taste

 

Realistically, if Bruce Banner's shirts and shoes rip into oblivion there's absolutely no way his slacks/jeans remain intact enough to contain his gamma irradiated pork and beans. However, after exploring the alternative, I have a new appreciation for those reinforced dungarees.

-Gint

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 3/21/12

Saga #1 

When the first line of dialogue is a woman saying "Am I shitting?" you know you might have a weird read in front of you. Thankfully this is not a story about the battle against last night's spicy dinner. Saga is a fantasy tale of the planet Landfall and it's moon Wreath. The inhabitants of these two worlds have been at war since time began. As the destruction of either place would result in the demise of the other their war must be fought through out the galaxy. At the heart of this conflict are Alana and Marko, lovers from opposite sides of the conflict that are being hunted not only for deserting their posts but for their newborn child, Hazel. Saga is brimming with crazy fantasy elements, soldiers with rams horns, pregnant chicks with bats wings, robots with television heads having sex. There is a mixture of technology and magic that I can get behind. 

Brian K. Vaughan has a tough task making all of this strangeness gel into something readers can process. Since this is a new series you kind of have to be a little patient and open-minded with this book. Luckily Vaughan gets to the meat of the story fairly quick. Fiona Staples artwork is beautiful. Her character design is interesting while not exceedingly outlandish. This book has one of the most appealing color palettes I've seen in a while. Saga may not be everyones cup of tea but I certainly think it has potential. 

Batman & Robin #7

Now THAT is how you write a fight scene! Batman shows up in what looks to be a vehicle he borrowed from Tron to confront Nobody. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason have great balance and pacing with the fight. The dialogue is fantastic and the images are brutal. Batman's rage is tangible as he lays waste to the man who first tried to corrupt his son then tortured him. 

After the fight there is touching exchange between Damian and Bruce about whether or not Damian really would have betrayed him. Bruce gives a genuine response that he wasn't 100% certain. It's refreshing to see that Batman doesn't always have all the answers.

All of that and the best part of this book happens in the last two pages when Morgan pushes Damian to do what he has been trying to get him to do all along. The fallout from Damian's actions will shake up the Batman universe for years to come. -$

Panel of the Week: A kiss before the storm.

The Legend of Bobby Two Cheeks

There are times in life when you meet people that you could swear are movie characters come to life. Bobby Two Cheeks was one of those dudes. I always half expected that if we ever were caught in a dark alley by muggers he would say some shit like "You really don't want to do this.", pop his claws and save Gint and myself as we hid in the corner. -$

Gint's 3-14-12 Pull-List Review

There's nothing quite like sitting down with your Pull-List and being impressed and thoroughly entertained by each book. Great week this week:

Third Place:

Superboy #7

Scott Lobdell gets a writing assist from Tom Defalco this week, and artist R.B. Silva gets help from Iban Coello. Both work out very well. Normally when there are more names on the credits page you're in for something less than stellar. This time it all worked out.

Defalco helps script Lobdell's story of Superboy storming back into N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to get answers, and its a smooth read. This issue doesn't miss a beat from the previous six. Superboy manages to break into the facility and get his ass handed to him by Rose Wilson, who is super sexy.

The trick comes on Iban Coello's pages which are pretty cool. Not only can he draw a sexy Caitlin Fairchild in a tank top, but the rest of the work is solid as well. I've been a fan of R.B. Silva from the start, but if Coello will eventually pick up more of his pages, well, there have been waaaaay worse fill-ins.

Second Place:

Batman and Robin #7

The Nobody arc looks to have wrapped up. Though this issue was nonstop fighting and Bruce and Morgan telling each other how fucked up each other is, but it was a fine issue. The devil is in the details and what really made this issue sing were the quiet moments, though there weren't many.

Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason keep this book running like a well oiled machine. The art and story blend together to create a great comic and that's the way it should be.

Tomasi makes me love Damian much like the way I loved Jon Bernthal's Shane on The Walking Dead. He's kind of crazy, but that doesn't really make him wrong.

If you're not reading Tomasi and Gleason's Batman & Robin, you should be. Its a great book.

A Phenomenal First Place:

Green Lantern #7

Fuck yes. This was a fantastic issue. Easily the best issue of Green Lantern since The New 52. For the first time it feels like we're really back in the Green Lantern Universe that Geoff Johns created in Rebirth. Between the Hal from Justice League and the ring junkie we saw in issues 1 through 6, the book and mythos felt off-kilter and somewhat distanced from everything that's come before. This issue (hopefully) gets everything back on track.

Maybe it was the inclusion of Black Hand and the rest of the Indigo Tribe, or some classic Hal, Carol, Sinestro drama, but it worked. Sinestro stumbled across a plot by the Guardians to replace the Green Lanterns with something else. Somehow, the Indigo Tribe knows about this too and gets involved by capturing Hal and Sinestro. Carol, donning a Sapphire ring she doesn't want, goes off to save them (I think).

Not to be forgotten is the work of the entire art team of who there are too many inkers to name individually. Doug Mahnke's pencils were top notch. Maybe the most consistent entire issue he's done on the book. At least of the New 52. Every panel is dead on.

Fuck. This is what comics are about folks. I might read it again.

Panel(s) of the Week:

I loved these two pages so much that I had to include them both. Please feel free to click on both to see them in their glory.

-Gint

 

Parental Control

I've been slamming Greg Land a lot on the digital pages of Mc$oss lately. I honestly don't harbor the hatred for Mr. Land's work as a lot of folks do. I will admit  to browsing through countless webpages dedicated to the idea that there may be slight amount of light-boxing when it comes to his artwork. But...if you are ever bored type in "Greg Land tracing" into your Google machine. -$

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 3/14/12

Uncanny X-Men #8

This super weird tale about the Apex aliens goes completely off the deep end. At one point Namor has sex with an underwater squid alien in order to keep the peace. Really Mr. Gillen? I'm disappointed in you....well not really, just grossed out. 

Greg Land didn't provide his usual brand of comedy this week. This was actually a decently drawn issue, which is slightly disappointing. I enjoy trying to guess which magazine Land used as reference for each of his assignments.

The Boys #64

The end is coming. Homelander and the Seven are mounting their forces around the White House for a final showdown. Wee Hugie and Butcher go to Washington to confront the coming storm but Mother's Milk discovers something about Black Noir that could prove vital to the battle. Lots of talking but not a lot of story progression. 

The Boys continues to spin it's wheels. I would just like to know where this is all going. 

Animal Man #7 

This book finishes at the top of the pile by default. While I'm all in with Steve Pugh taking over art duties it doesn't seem like the two artists talked much about their approach. In the pages that Pugh handles Ellen has glasses and a head band, but doesn't in Foreman's pages. It's not a big deal, but it did damage the overall story for me.

I really liked the peak into the future as Maxine and Swamp Thing fought side by side. Hopefully Maxine can get her new powers under control in time to help her Dad ward of the swarm of Rot animals the show up at the end of this book

Panel of the Week: Namor charming the gills off of the ladies.

Multitasking

I wouldn't call myself a video game guy, but the games I've played more than any other have been the various hockey games. I pretty much bought a PS3 JUST to play the NHL games. I don't play so much anymore, but when I did it got pretty serious.

-Gint

Gint's 3/7/12 Pull-List Review

Some good work this week as I can't say any of the books were bad.

Bonus Review:

Swamp Thing #1

So it took me a while to get on a Swamp Thing train, but here I am. After repeated positive reviews from friends, acquaintances and comic sites I felt it was time. And it didn't let me down.

Its off to a slow start, but its a good slow start. I don't want that to be confused with a negative. This issue is a nice slow build that really does everything right from letting you know Alec Holland's situation to getting a feel for who he is in relation to the greater DCU. The cameos from Superman, and to a lesser extent Batman and Aquaman were done very well. And oddly enough, writer Scott Snyder's Superman might be my favorite writing of the character in the DCnU yet.

$oss has sang the praises of artist Yanick Paquette from the start and I have to agree. He does some very cool stuff. I love his line work. His use of thicks and thins, not to mention his attention to detail give you a lot to look at on every page.

Swamp Thing is a winner after one issue. Unfortunately my local comic shop didn't have #2, so I'll have to wait patiently to continue reading.

Fourth Place:

Red Lanterns #7

The slow burn of red rage crawls on. BUT, we finally get some movement with Bleez and Atrocitus. Bleez kills some former Sinestro Corps members and doubts herself. Self-doubt being the prevalent theme in this first arc.

We also get to see Atrocitus back to his normal self... before he gets killed. The first human Red Lantern gets in a fight with Guy Gardner before being pulled to Ysmault and Peter Milligan does a pretty cool job of writing him differently than most Red Lanterns who are just pure rage when they get the ring. This guy can understand a little bit, and Milligan handles it well.

Only one blatant ass-shot from Ed Benes this week who has been getting help from Diego Bernard on the penciling front. So, bummer there. Pun intended.

Red Lanterns continues to be, at the same time, kind of lame and entertaining.

Third Place:

Supernatural: Caledonia #6

Brian Wood and Grant Bond's Supernatural tale comes to a close this issue and I'm sad to see it go. As far as licensed properties go, Supernatural has had a good run in comics. Wood and Bond had some rough patches but ultimately treated the characters with care and crafted a fine story.

Sam and Dean have a final stand off with the Selkies, of which Emma is one of. Emma makes the final sacrifice in the end to save herself and the town. Its a downer of a issue that's for sure. But a well crafted one.

If there is one thing missing from this arc its the trademark wit and humor that helps make the TV show what it is. The show gets pretty serious, but Sam and Dean manage to inject a little humor all along the way.

Hopefully Wood and Bond enjoyed working together and enough people bought this story to necessitate a second one. With one story under their belt, I'd love to see what this creative team has to offer next for the Supernatural mythos.

Also, a very cool cover by Dustin Nguyen.
 

Second Place:

Action Comics #7

Grant Morrison and Rags Morales are back for a full issue of Action Comics and it pays off. This was a very cool issue.

Superman flies (more like runs and jumps) into space to Brainiac's ship where he finds not only Metropolis in a bottled city, but Kan-dor too. He also finds a crisp white suit from Krypton that changes to the classic blue and red we know and love when he wears it. I'm eager for the explanation of how that works, but initially its pretty cool.

Morales continues to do stellar work. I think some of his best stuff this issue is in Superman's facial expressions. He really nails this young Superman. He makes him really FEEL like Superman.

The last couple issues had a couple bumps in the road, but #7 gets it squarely back on track.

First Place:

Animal Man #7

Animal Man's first issue with Steve Pugh taking over the bulk of the art duties is a pretty good one. Travel Foreman will be missed, and though Pugh is close enough in style to Foreman that its not a harsh change, there's a certain something special in Foreman's strange-ass drawing style that makes his leaving the book sting a little bit.

Jeff Lemire continues the superb writing by sneaking in some great although brief character moments in the crazy action of the book. The scenes involving "life in the R.V." and Buddy and Cliff's trip to the store made for some good reading.

We'll miss the wacky art of Foreman, but Animal Man looks to be in good hands with Steve Pugh on art duties.

Panel of the Week

Grant Morrison's brain child of a stark white suit becoming Supe's signature red and blue is a concept I'm interested in learning more about.

-Gint

Words to Live By

This strip is based on the Image "Experience Creativity" ad campaign. Honestly I'm not sure who Shaky Kane is but I love the spirit of this quote. There is nothing more I would like then to have this quote to be true about me, but in reality reality always gets in my way. -$

Check out the original ad here: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/01/image-experience-creativity-portraits-eric-stephenson/

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 03-07-12

Justice League #6

The conclusion of DC's flagship titles first arc left me feeling hollow. I didn't really learn anything about any of these heroes. The threat from Darkseid never felt real and his presence on Earth was never explained. The Justice League was presented as caricatures of themselves. This was just a poorly written book. 

Jim Lee's art is great but without any emotional connection to the cast it just looks like one big fight scene. We also never got our answer as to why Batman took his mask off at the end of last issue. 

I'm thankful that this painfully long arc is now over. Hopefully Johns will get on task and make with the character development next time around. 

Moon Knight #10 

Echo meets her demise at the hands of Count Nefaria and Moon Knight finds himself badly injured and in a hospital under police custody. Luckily his right hand man Buck is there to spring him free from the authorities. 

Alex Maleeev has a very clean style in the issues and it works really well with the somber tone. At times Maleeve can get overly involved with making panels look like abstract art, but thankfully everything is kept nice and neat. 

This is the best Marvel book on the stand. It's a really shame that there are only two issues left. -$

Panel of the Week: A cool shoot of Madame Masque.

Age Is But A Number

 

Three of these shows actually appear on my DVR on a weekly basis. And I stand by my word that I watch these shows because they're good shows, not just because there's hot chicks on them. Hot chicks don't hurt of course.

-Gint

Gint's 2-29-12 Pull-List Review

Only two books this week provided a nice quick read and review. And unfortunately, both books weren't as good as they should have been.

Second Place:

Justice League #6

This book should have been better. This whole arc should have been better. The Justice League (the original seven), Geoff Johns, Jim Lee... this should have been a tentpole comic story to live forever along with titles like Batman: The Long Halloween, DC: The New Frontier and Dardevil: Guardian Devil. But it just hasn't lived up to what it could have been.

And this issue isn't any better. Maybe this is one of those stories that you have to read all in a row. One book a month didn't cut it. The characters trade some zingers, Darkseid shows up, gets beat and its all over. And for as much as I love Geoff Johns, some of the dialog in this issue was just awful. After our heroes win someone in the crowd actually says, "You're the world's greatest super-humans!" Fucking groan inducing.

So that's that. The big first arc wraps up with more of a whimper than a bang. Here's hoping Johns turns this book in to the best seller that it should be with the next story arc.

First Place:

Voltron #3

What a cool fucking book. I think I like it better than the old cartoon. Brandon Thomas does a great job modernizing the Voltron mythos for an audience that has grown up. Much like the old Dreamwave Transformers series did.

Thomas writes the backstory of how the Voltron robot was created while tying it into who King Zarkon is and what he has to do with the creation of the lions. Now, I'm no Voltron scholar, but it reads great and ties everything together nicely. It also says something about the book that we haven't actually seen Voltron since the first few pages of issue #1 and its just as entertaining.

If there's a negative, its the art. Ariel Padilla does a serviceable job, but that's all it is. He also seems to have trouble setting up a scene so the reader knows who's all in the room. Some panels are a little disjointed, but I've struggled through books with way worse artwork, so I don't want to complain too much.

This spring Brandon Thomas takes on Voltron: Year One. I'm pretty amped about it.

Ps... Very cool cover by Alex Ross this week. Nice to see him doing something not from the 1930s. I give you a higher res version this week so click it for the larger version.

Panel of the Week:

There wasn't a whole lot of art this week that stood out, but this panel was pretty funny.

-Gint

Putting In The Work

Can you imagine where I'd be if I had used that time to do something productive? More than likely the same place I am now: drawing webcomics about strangling the seahorse.


-Gint