Didn't See That Coming

Aside from the vomiting, this is pretty much exactly how this happened. If you haven't seen Snow White and the Huntsman, this strip probably won't make much sense. But this really happens in the movie. And when it happens, its waaaaaay grosser than that static image above.

-Gint

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 6/27/12

Uncanny X-Men #14

Remind me again, how does this tie into AVX? This was a whole issue focusing on Mr. Sinister and his adventures in some alternate version of London. Not only does the story have nothing to be with AVX as advertised but it is extremely boring. I'm not a huge Mr. Sinister fan so 22 pages featuring only him nearly put me to sleep. 

Wonder Woman #10

I couldn't agree more with Gint. Anticlimactic,thy name is Wonder Woman #10. So Diana got out of marrying Hades because she "loves everyone"? Yuck. That's about as bad as Padme Amidala dying from a broken heart. Not Azzarello's finest hour.

AVX #6

How gimmicky. Instead of The Phoenix Force transforming one mutant we now have five X-Men wielding the most dangerous power in the galaxy. This wouldn't be complete without brand new outfits for everyone. I smell a Toys 'R' Us exclusive action figure set. While Scott and his band of X-Men use their powers to remake humanity The Avengers figure out the best way to kill them. 

I just want to say that I'm officially sick of heroes fighting heroes. It was cool during the Civil War. I tolerated it with Secret Invasion but now I'm officially out. What the hell are all the super villains in the Marvel U doing anyway! 

JRJR takes an issue off but Olivier Coipel doesn't miss a beat. He draws the only version of Hope Summers that actually looks like a teenager. 

Before Watchmen: Comedian#1

This should have been entitled JFK my BFF. Apparently Eddie Blake was really tight with the Kennedy family, like playing football in the backyard tight. There's a kinder side to Blake in this premier issue.Brian Azzarello is the perfect man to flesh out him out.  Even while he is busy helping Marilyn Monroe overdose at Jackie Kennedy's request he still seems like a nice dude. 

J.G. Jones produces a great Watchmen comic without going overboard by paying homage to the original. He draws his type of book and it totally works. A book about the Jack and Bobbie Kennedy ripping on each other never looked better.

Saga #4

Marko returns from his near death experience just in time to get shit from Alana. It turns out that he has a fiancé back on his home world. Topping it off he gave Alana the ring that was meant for Gwendolyn. Damn player, what are you doing?

Meanwhile The Will is off on Sextillion spending his credits on, well, sex. Sextillion is a wacky planet filled with hookers that only have heads and legs, angel orgies and apparently child prostitution. The Will doesn't take kindly to this exploitation. I love this dude! He is by far my favorite part of Saga. I'd be down for a spinoff with my new favorite bounty hunter and his sidekick Lying Cat.

Panel of the Week: Intergalactic hooker heads.

A Gift From God

This is really $oss' brain child more than mine. He's read more Robert Kirkman than I have and has been working on the theory that Kirkman doesn't really write The Walking Dead. In his mind, compared to Kirkman's other drivel, The Walking Dead is a divine text. A true work of art. Garbage like Science Dog and Invincible (which I like a lot) can't hold a candle to the almighty Walking Dead.

Personally, I'd like to think Kirkman has sold a part of his soul to the underworld to gain such fine storytelling prowess. But I'm sure that's a strip for another day.

-Gint

Gint's 6-20-12 Pull-List Review

The theme for two of three books this week is "underwhelming."

Third Place:

Wonder Woman #10

Well, that was anticlimactic. All this set up about Hades essentially kidnapping Wonder Woman setting up for a knock down drag out to escape and well, it just wasn't.

Diana tells him she loves him (I guess in a familial kind of way) and with a lot of talking they just kind of leave. AND Cliff Chiang again isn't on art. Tony Akins and "Kano" are on pencils and I think I actually liked Kano's better.

So I guess the overall review of this issue is, "meh."

Second Place:

Supergirl #10

In what I thought was a substandard opening to the Silver Banshee portion of Michael Green and Mike Johnson's Supergirl story, they closed it out pretty well. Siobhan and her brother Tom will apparently become regulars in the world of Kara Zor-El. That's fine. They're way more palatable characters when drawn by the very talented Mahmud Asrar as opposed to the overrated George Pérez.

Green and Johnson seem to have a lot planned in the pipeline for Supergirl. I read an interview with them saying they'd be on the book for quite a while and that's great news.

Supergirl took off running and has been a hit. Not all books get off to a great start. But sometimes when you give the creative team time to work out some kinks it can become a great book. So, while this has nothing to do with Supergirl, I beg DC to please give the next creative team on Superman (Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort) a chance to make that book great. It deserves it.

First Place:

Green Lantern Corps #10

One of the most consistently well done and underrated qualities of Green Lantern Corps is the artwork of Fernando Pasarin. I read a lot of comics and few artists make me admire scale. Pasarin does scale like no other. The detail he puts into his work, a long with the way he sets up a shot not only makes you say, "shit, look how big this place is," but you can almost hear the echo and the way sound works in these great expanses.

So... on top of that Peter Tomasi continues to write a great story. John Stewart is sentenced to death by the Alpha Lanterns and Guy and the crew break him out... with consequences to come next issue.

Panel of the Week:

Aside from some muddy inks this month, Mahmud Asrar draws a creepy-ass Silver Banshee.

-Gint

The Scars of War

This strip spawned from a conversation that we had at Pittsburgh Comic Con this past April. Some kids keep their toys from different lines completely separate while others blend their action figures into one expanded universe. Having your toys interact in this fashion can create mismatches in battle. How could a battalion of soldiers made of food stand a chance against an especially hungry G.I.Joe right after he was done doing the Super Bowl Shuffle? Advantage…The 'Fridge. -$

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 6/20/12

Batman #10
The Bat Family has defeated The Court of the Owls, however the mastermind behind the entire plot is still at large. Batman puts his detective skills to the test and tracks down this shadowy figure. ****SPOILERS*** It turns out that the man behind the plot the bring Gotham to it's knees is Thomas Wayne Jr., the brother Bruce never knew he had. 

Introducing a obscure character from the Batman mythos feels very Grant Morrison-esque. I have faith in Scott Snyder, so I won't dismiss it as total garbage just yet. The Court of Owls has been a great addition to the Batman universe. 

Spider-Men #1

Peter Parker from the standard Marvel Universe (616 as us über-nerds refer to it as) gets blasted into the Ultimate Universe. In this dimension not only does everyone know that Spider-Man and Peter Parker were the same person they also know that he has been dead for over a year and replaced by a new Spider-Man.

I wish that Sara Pichelli was the artist on Amazing Spider-Man instead of Ultimate. She draws one of the most impressive versions of the web-slinger I've seen in years. Bendis rolls out his usually brand of humor and wit. Peter and Miles Morales don't have much interaction in this issue which was disappointing. It will be interesting to see how the old wall crawler will deal with his younger, less experienced counterpart.

Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1

Comic fans should be sending love letters to the big wigs at DC who decided to revisit the world of the Watchmen. Silk Spectre focuses on the teen years of Laurie Jupiter as her mother, the original Silk Spectre, trains her to become a crime fighter. Laurie simply wants to lead a normal teenage life, date boys, go to the movies. Her mother insists that this will stunt her development as a crime fighter. 

Two weeks in a row Darwyn Cooke has produced a pitch perfect take on the Watchmen. There is a certain innocence to this book with just the right amount of sadness.

Can't wait to see what is in store for me next week when The Comedian #1 hits the stands.-$

Panel of the Week: Miles Morales will be hearing from Peter Parker's lawyer.

Cosmic Double Entendre

Mother box? Boom tube? Clearly Jack Kirby got his scripts for The New Gods and his letters to Penthouse Forum mixed up.-$

Gint's 6-13-12 Pull-List Review

I enjoy a nice quick week. A nice three-book, relaxing read.

Third Place:

Superboy #10

The more enjoyable of the two Scott Lobdell-written books is Superboy, and that continues this week. Lobdell is also responsible for Teen Titans, and in a couple months, he'll be responsible for writing Superman. That's another story all in itself.

Superboy however, he seems to handle deftly. R.B. Silva isn't doing the art this month (and you all know how that steams my beans) but fill-in Sebastian Fiumara does a great job. He's all pencils and color (by Richard and Tanya Horie) so he could use some inks. No matter how dark the pencils are, its still not the same as some hard inks.

Superboy and Wonder Girl wake up in each others arms (awwww) on Mystery Island and have to find the rest of the Titans. They spend the rest of the day setting up their eventual romance. Despite the snarkyness of that last sentence, it was really quite a good issue.

If Scott Lobdell has done anything right since the relaunch, its been keeping me a fan of Superboy.

Second Place:

Batman and Robin #10

Oh Damian. What a little prick. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason treat us to a battle of the Robins... well, its more a battle between Tim and Damian. I think Tim comes out on top, but that's really left for the reader to decide. And I'm biased.

We get to see some down, out of costume time for Bruce and his wards/son. Its those behind the cowl scenes that really make you care for these characters. No matter how great the action is, the realistic heartfelt moments are what keep me coming back for more.

Damian tells Dick, Jason and Tim he's going to beat them at what they think they're best at, then take something of theirs to hang in his room to prove he's the best Robin. Damian has really grown on me. He's really a great character that you love to hate. At the same time, if he and Jason Todd killed each other, that would be okay too.

First Place:

Green Lantern #10

Geoff Johns continues to get his groove back. Since this book has hit its stride, maybe three or four issues ago, its been one of my favorites again.

At first glance, seeing Geoff Johns telling the story of the Indigo Tribe might seem like going to back to the ol' well for some same old-same old. But what he's doing is using seeds he's previously planted to further along the Green Lantern mythos. We even get a little Black Hand this issue. And not just the Indigo-zombie Black Hand, but the really messed up and frightening Black Hand.

Johns has set quite a standard for himself. A very high bar. If he can keep on the road he's going, I'm sure there's another Sinestro Corps War waiting just around the corner.

Panel of the Week:

I don't know who she is, but she's sexy. Kudos, Patrick Gleason.

-Gint

Superfan

As much as Brizzle really isn't into comics and has to suffer through $oss, Dommy and I's ravings about the comic book world, he IS a big fan of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

James Robinson and Philip Tan's new series 6-issue series coming out in a couple months has Brizzle just as excited for some good He-Man (hopefully in the vein of Dreamwave's Transformers). He-Man has a rich, and pretty much untapped mythology that Robinson and Tan can go nuts with. Hopefully they tap it in the right places.

As for Brizzle's He-Man tattoo, ladies, that's for you to discover on your own.

-Gint

Can I Buy You A Drink?

Being a huge nerd, the difference between Hal Jordan and Alan Scott is like night and day. Not to the general public who just reads the general statement by DC, "Green Lantern is gay."

What this has turned into is my buddies ragging on me about my hero riding the baloney pony to Hot Dog Town and me going all nerdy on them explaining the intricate details separating Alan Scott, the gay Green Lantern, and Hal Jordan and the other straight ones.

Regardless, its been comedy gold for everyone else.

-Gint

Gint's 6-6-12 Pull-List Review

Not a bad run of five books this week.

Fifth Place:

Red Lanterns #10

Miguel Sepulveda takes over the art duties for Ed Benes this issue and takes some liberties with character design. Its not out of control, just a few tweaks here and there to the Red Lantern uniforms and the way the rage fire/vomit looks. Rain Beredo is allowed to cut loose with the colors this issue and does a fantastic job lighting everything up.

The actual story teeters between good and corny. For the most part Atrocitus' scenes as he rips through Stormwatch are pretty solid. Maybe its just because I think Stormwatch is dumb and they need to get their asses handed to them. Peter Milligan offers up some corny dialogue, like when Apollo says, "Some of us don't need a bad temper to be hot!" I guess he's solar powered and that's why that's funny. Lame.

Red Lanterns continues to plod along. It hasn't done anything in ten issues to convince me to get it for more reason than because its part of the Green Lantern line of books.

Fourth Place:

Voltron: Year One #3

Every time I read Voltron: Year One the first thing that I think is, "why can't the art on Voltron be this good?!" The only thing holding that book back is the art. And unfortunately, THAT'S the book we get to see the actual robot in.

Brandon Thomas and artist Craig Cermak continue to hook this book up. This issue we learn the nuts and bolts of the arc and what Space Explorer Team #686 (the Voltron Force before they were the Voltron Force) plans to do about it.

Its a lot of talking. Big on the talking minimal on the action this issue but Thomas' dialogue, though long winded at times, really carries you through the book. And Cermak's art is good enough to make a bunch of guys talking look interesting.

The plot really kicks into high gear this issue and takes us one step closer to seeing Cermak hook up the Voltron robot when we finally get to it.

Third Place:

Animal Man #10

Buddy finally gets to the guys that run the Red, Maxine and the rest of the family meet Constantine, Zatanna and Xanadu and Cliff gets kidnapped by his dad. One thing I can say about the writing of Jeff Lemire, much like Scott Snyder, their stories are quick and poignant. Not many unnecessary words (if any) and you breeze right through a great story in no time.

Steve Pugh continues to make this book his own and Animal Man continues to be one of the most consistent reads month after month.

Second Place:

Action Comics #10

This issue begins with Nimrod the Hunter tracking Superman Kraven-style from Smallville to Metropolis. I'll admit I rolled my eyes when I first started reading it, but Grant Morrison knocked it out of the park. He wrote the Nimrod story well and managed to drop in some future plot points naturally into the story, though at first glance you wouldn't believe it.

After a couple issues off for Rags Morales, and a couple off-issues interest-wise, Morrison kicks this new arc off in style. Looking forward to #11.

First Place:

Swamp Thing #10

The first thing I thought when I started reading this issue was, "goddamnit, another fill-in artist." But Francesco Francavilla took care of business. Yanick Paquette and Marco Rudy have been lights out on this book. Rock solid. Francavilla's style isn't in the same vein. Its a little more stylized and well, a little more 1970s. Mean it looks like it takes place in the 1970s, not that it looks like artwork from the 1970s. He uses interesting layouts and simple linework that has a classic beauty to it.

And Scott Snyder writes a quick but meaningful story setting up the next arc for this book. Abigail takes a beaten up Swamp Thing back home to rest and gets a rude surprise in Anton Arcane back from the dead to kill her.

I loves me a good comic book and Swamp Thing is a good comic book.

Spread of the Week:

Francisco Francavilla's art really made an impression on me this week.

-Gint

An Assumption of Taste

I've never found Tyler Perry films at all humorous. Granted, I'm making this judgment based solely on the hundreds of trailers for the countless number of movies Mr. Perry cranks out in a year. Who goes to see these flicks? Apparently I'm supposed to be in the demographic for this brand of comedy. -$

Avengers Assemble #1-3

Every year the comic industry releases tie-in comics to their big screen counterparts. The purpose of these is to present a comic version that is similar the version seen in the films. These books usually aren't good, but I always enjoy seeing how the industry tries bait and switch potential new readers. 

The Avengers are pitted against the Zodiac, powerful aliens from another dimension. The plot is pretty thin but it's still enjoyable for what it is. This series reads as if it was written with younger fans in mind. It's fast paced and heavy on action with little plot. 

This is a perfect book for Mark Bagley's talents. Aliens and big fights are right up his alley. While this book isn't really my cup tea I'm sure a younger reader unfamiliar with the Marvel U would enjoy this superhero slugfest. -$

Panel of the Week: Hey...it's that guy from the end of the movie!

Pretend Its A Hot Dog

It seems like since Miles Morales (the black Spider-Man) was introduced, Marvel and DC have been making headlines by trotting out their minority characters. Its great to see these large companies spearheading the themes of inclusion and diversity, but it feels like its becoming more about the headline-grab than the actual characters or the inclusion and diversity. It'll be nice when the comic book community and society as a larger whole can get to a point where there are tons of minority characters and the companies that own them are like, "What? Oh, yeah, we've got tons of gay characters. No big deal."

-Gint

Gint's 5-30-12 Pull-List Review

After last week's nine-book review, we get a nice quiet one this week.

Only Place:

Animal Man Annual #1

Though this issue gives us a little bait and switch, its a cool story none the less. The cover shows us Alec Holland and Buddy Baker fighting the rot, on the inside, you don't really see either.

Socks the cat tells Maxine an old story about the avatars of the Red and Green in Manitoba in the 80s. One of the first times the Rot tried to take over and Animal Man and Swamp Thing beat it back. It was cool seeing a little prequel, but I'm ready for the real story to start.

Jeff Lemire does his usual great job of writing and Timothy Green II hooks up the art in all of Animal Man's grotesque glory. I also want to note letterer Jared K. Fletcher for keeping the different font uses for different characters speech consistent from book to book. A nice little touch.

Panel of the Week:

The 80s Animal Man sees the future and its not looking good for the Justice League.

-Gint

In Space No One Can Hear You Bitch

When it comes to sci-fi space adventures I only like to see them on TV or the silver screen. For some reason I don't get as much enjoyment reading Green Lantern as I do watching his new animated series. 

Something I REALLY can't get behind is the Marvel books that take place in space. There is something odd about them to me, as if they took some kooky fan fiction and put the Marvel logo on it. I always enjoy the hint of realism found in their titles, but the Cosmic Marvel has a raccoon and a tree running around with laser guns. Sorry, I'm out.

Now there is buzz that a Guardians of the Galaxy feature film is in the works. Ironically, I'll probably love it. -$