My Mother Is A Saint

One thing DC has done lately has been to mine the families of some characters that we never really learned about. Geoff Johns did it in Flashpoint putting a new spin on the fate of Barry Allen's mother and father. That has spilled over onto The Flash TV series where Barry's mother is dead and his father is unjustly imprisoned for her murder. Now Jeff Parker is recruiting Aquaman's mother for his Maelstrom story arc.

On the surface is seems like a smart idea. We all know Arthur was left on land as a baby by his Atlantean parents, but the reason has been amorphous through the years. Jeff Parker has been unraveling the mystery of the fall of Atlantis while Arthur's King and Queen parents were in power.

Parker (and artist Paul Pelletier) have done nothing but good things on this Aquaman book. So I should trust them, right? But for some reason, bringing back Aquaman's mother has a jump-the-shark quality to it. Yes, there is a rich history there that Parker has limitless resources to explore, but Aquaman has never been a character driven by his parents before. Same with Barry Allen. I don't want them to become one now.

Superman, Batman, Hal Jordan, even Wonder Woman... DC's big heroes have all had tragic parental moments that made them who they are. Aquaman and Barry Allen seemed exempt from that, and it made them unique characters. Motivated by just the desire to do good rather than living up to some oath or pre-set standard.

The announcement of the Queen's return has left me with more of a "Oh... ok," than any real excitement. But as I said, Parker and Pelletier's run on the book has been nothing short of awesome. They've earned my trust on this one.

-Gint

Soss' Suggestions 01-29-15

Outcast #1

Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta joins forces to bring us a haunting tale of demonic possession in the farmlands of West Virginia.

Kyle Barns is a hermit with a troubled past. As the story progresses we learn that both his mother and wife were victims of possession. Early in the book he is contacted by a preacher who begs for his help in saving a young boy who’s body also has been invaded by demons. It turns out that Kyle has a gift: his blood repels evil spirits. 

Kirkman doesn’t over stuff this book with dialogue. It’s direct and to the point like most of his work on The Walking Dead. Azaceta’s pencils and color work set the dark and sinister mood of the book. 

I think that any fans of supernatural adventure or The Walking Dead will get a kick out of this creepy title. -Soss 

Panel of the Week: I don't think she is.

McSoss Podcast Episode 90: The Spanish Fly of Reboots

This week we breakdown the Fantastic Four trailer, the cancellation of the Marvel Universe and the X-Men and Supergirl castings.

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The Redesign

I’ve always been a big fan of the Karen Starr version of Power Girl. She is a strong, intelligent and funny character that is just the type of female super hero that fans are constantly complaining we don’t have enough of. Maybe the new Power Girl, Tanya Spears will be just as good. Shouldn’t there be room in the DCU for both?

As far as the boob window goes I think it’s a subject that is completely blown out of proportion. If Power Girl’s costume is outrageous and sexist then I guess we should get He-Man a shirt and some proper pants as well. -Soss

Gint's 1-21-15 Pull-List Review

Its all DC, all the time on this week's short Pull-List.

Third Place:

Futures End #38

So let me lay this out for you: in the future that's ruled by Brother Eye, Brother Eye creates a Batman/Joker cyborg with the Joker's head on the back of Bruce's. I guess its supposed to be this horrifying monster, but its such a bizarre concept I can't take it seriously. I'm not saying it has, but if there was a moment Futures End jumped the shark, it would be when the Jokerborg shows up.

This issue didn't have much going for it in the art department either. Andy MacDonald (not a regular on this book) draws the issue and his style is a little too "Scott Kolins" for my liking. If you follow these reviews, you know how I feel about Scott Kolins. Well, you can add Andy MacDonald to that list.

As far as this issue's story goes, you get a handful of nice moments between the plot lines we jump through, but it didn't feel like many steps were taken toward the big finale in ten issues. I still feel like there's a lot of ground to cover. Maybe this issue was more of a calm before the storm.

Second Place:

Batman and Robin #38

Much to @lildpressedmatt's disproval, Damian Wayne is back among the living... and with superpowers no less! I balked at Damian being a part of the DC Universe for a long time, until Peter Tomasi's Damian won me over. The aspect of Damian with superpowers is an interesting road to travel.

Damian, who has a tendency to be reckless to begin with, is even moreso when he knows he can't be hurt. Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason show both sides of Damian this issue, starting with his recklessness and finishing up with his compassion toward the monsters created in the attempt to create him.

Damian continues to be an interesting, complex character. Here's to Tomasi staying at the helm.

First Place:

Justice League #38

I was indisputably 100% invested in The Amazo Virus... right up until we get the zombie Justice League at the end. Its too similar to a previous Geoff Johns concept – the Black Lanterns. Its an interesting concept, but the Black Lanterns already did it first.

Putting Lex Luthor in the Justice League was the best thing Johns could have done last year. The addition of Lex changes the entire dynamic between the members of the League. It comes out this issue that the Amazo Virus outbreak is from a virus created by Lex to strip Superman of his powers. Placing all this distrust between Leaguers while they fight to stop the virus gives the book emotional grounding.

Unless Jason Fabok completely falls apart, you can expect high praise from him plenty here. There were a handful of panels that could have been the Panel of the Week, not just because e draws a pretty Wonder Woman or a striking Lex, but also because of his panel layout and composition. Very cinematic, like past Johns' collaborator Ivan Reis.

Panel of the Week:

Jason Fabok's Justice League has fallen on hard times. It was the way Fabok conveyed the weight in this panel that earned it Panel of the Week.

-Gint

Required Viewing

The winter is always a tough time for me to drag myself out of the house to check out movies. I'd much prefer a Pay-Per-View option in line with how The Interview was released. 

Sadly, I don't think I'll be making it to see Selma in theaters. I'm afraid it may be inevitable that my membership to the Association of Black Guys will be revoked. -Soss

Soss' Suggestions 01-22-15

Hex 11 #1

This week I dove head first into Comixology Submit. Comixology is the largest provider of digital comics where you can purchase anything from Marvel and DC as well as indie creators. Comixology Submit helps independent creators find a wider audience and publish their comics on their terms. Granted, the quality varies from book to book but for 99¢ I was willing to take a chance on Hex 11.

In the world of Hex 11, humans have just discovered that magic is real. As you can imagine, society is going through some growing pains during this transition from the digital age to the magic age. The reader follows Elanor, a witch's apprentice who gets caught in the middle of the struggle between the old ideals of technology and the new ways of magic.

What grabbed me about this book was the interesting cover and illustration style. With a completely unknown brand this is extremely important. The book is drawn by Lisa K. Weber who has an animation based style. It really works for this story and was one of the highlights.

The biggest negative is that I have no idea when I can get the next issue. This first book was released in early November and I'm not really sure when they plan on having the second installment available. If you are looking for a change of pace head over to Comixology Submit and spin the wheel. You might find your new favorite creator. -Soss

Panel of the Week: This chick is rocking some strange pants.

McSoss Podcast Episode 89: White Deviled Eggs

This week we review Marvel’s Star Wars #1 and answer fan suggestions from the Dealy Cheely Wheely.

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The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Happy (belated) Martin Luther King, Jr. day to everyone!

Soss and I have been creating this comic strip since 2008. EIGHT years now. I can scarcely believe it. And I think if you go back through the archives, you'll find there are more Martin Luther King, Jr. comics than any other holiday combined.

Plenty of Christmases have gone by with nary a Santa Soss joke. But somehow, MLK Day doesn't pass without us exploiting it for comedic purposes.

On this week's podcast (Episode 89 to come tomorrow) we make our fair share of jokes about how MLK Day should be more fun like Christmas and Halloween, and brainstorm ways to do so. But deep down we legitimately think MLK Day should be higher profile. I'm willing to bet the majority of people don't even know why its celebrated. That's sad because in many ways, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is more important than St. Patrick's Day, Halloween and yes, even the beloved Christmas.

Gint's idea's of what Soss wants from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day may be ill-conceived, but his heart is in the right place. This is a holiday that deserves to be celebrated more than it currently is.

-Gint

Behind the Scenes: Gint and Soss don't have a fireplace, so the Nike® socks are hung instead, on the TV with care.
 

Gint's 1-14-15 Pull-List Review

The big news in the review this week is Marvel's brand new Star Wars series. Read on to see how it fared.

Third Place:

Futures End #37

Ryan Sook has been pure money on these covers. Eventually I expected a dud, and this week was the one. He broke away from his tight, sharp style to do something a little rougher. Compositionally its great, sure. But I like Sook's work nice and clean.

As for the story, We get a lot of Constantine seemingly being out of character. From what I understand, John Constantine doesn't fuck around. He tell it like it is. He spends this whole issue dropping clues and hints Phantom Stranger-style instead of just coming right out and telling people what the problem is. That's either contradictory to his nature, or I don't really know John Constantine.

A nice touch at the end of the issue is seeing Tim Drake lose his shit. Tim, generally a calm, cool and collected guy has been through a lot since the E2 War. He's fed up at the end of this issue and its nice seeing his humanity come through in a childish temper tantrum.

Second Place:

Star Wars #1

I made a statement on the podcast saying, quite definitively, if this Star Wars series doesn't absolutely hook me, then Star Wars on the printed page (novels, comics, etc.) just isn't for me. So there's a lot riding on these Marvel issues.

There's a lot of love about this first one. John Cassaday's pencils and character likenesses make a world of difference when you're reading about Han, Luke and Leia. He can't draw C-3PO to save his life, but we'll let that slide. Jason Aaron's dialog and characterizations seem to be pretty spot on so far. Its not hard to hear Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill in those word balloons.

My only concern is how important these stories are. How are Aaron and Cassaday going to hook me by making these stories entertaining enough that (in the weird world of meta-Star Wars biography) George Lucas didn't feel they needed to be movies?

I'll give issue #1 a B so far. I'm interested. Now keep it going.

First Place:

Superman Wonder Woman #15

Rarely, and I mean rarely does Doug Mahnke require a fill-in artist. So if you're going to get someone to lend a hand and draw half an issue, you can do a lot worse than Ed Benes.

Benes and Mahnke split the issue, and while I'd prefer Mahnke to handle the entire book, Benes is no slouch. There are a ton of great panels in this issue. So many it was hard to pick a Panel of the Week. It was almost like Mahnke and Benes were trying to out do each other.

This issue was lighter on the Superman/Wonder Woman romantic relationship dynamic than the previous couple, but focuses instead on how they work as teammates. It's interesting seeing these two interact in battle and imagining how that would relate to the rest of the team with a whole Justice League present.

Lastly, Magog is a dumb villain and I want Wonderstar back. But after all these years, I trust that Pete Tomasi knows what he's doing.

Panel of the Week

Lots of great stuff in this issue, but lets give colorists Tomeu Morey, Marcelo Maiolo and Pete Pantazis some love. This panel's colors aren't incredibly outstanding, but its the detail of the headlights on Magog that were a really nice touch. I almost didn't catch it at first. Those details go a long way toward making an issue great.

-Gint

Ark of the 'Frovenant

Its no secret that I've wanted Soss to pick his shit out. Let his hair soar in all its afro glory. If he's not going to humor me with a sweet 90s fade, that's the least he can do. Until that glorious day, the non-stop pestering will continue.

Then again, maybe I should just channel all my afro-love into more Soultron comics. Those dudes appreciate their rich culture, unlike you-know-who.

-Gint

Soss' Suggestions 01-15-15

ODY-C #1

As I was flipping through Entertainment Weekly, I came across a feature on Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction. The article discussed how this husband and wife team have been taking the comic book world by storm with iconic versions of Captain Marvel and Hawkeye. It also referenced Fraction's newest tale ODY-C, a reimagining of Homer's The Odyssey set in a futuristic and gender swapped world. Fraction mentions that he took on this project in order to "give my daughter a great hero." Well... we shall see.

While I have never read The Odyssey I'm familiar with major plot points and this follows right along with the classic. Albeit with female space warriors. The gender swapping honestly just seems like a gimmick. There isn't really anything new or fresh injected into this story with an all space lady cast. 

The illustration style is bright and colorful but the lack of inks really loses me. Christian Ward just seems to rush through certain scenes and thats not what I'm looking for with my comic book art. 

If you are a fan of The Odyssey there might be something interesting here for you but I was left underwhelmed and bored. In the end I think I might just stick with Fraction on Sex Criminals. -Soss

Panel of the Week: Cruising the cosmos in a Fitbit. 

McSoss Podcast Episode 88: Wrong At The Mad People

The McSoss crew gets back to our comic book roots as we share our New Years resolutions as well as hand some resolutions out to Marvel and DC. 

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The Ever-Unemployed

Ah, Mumm-Ra and Skeletor – their contentious friendship is one for the ages. I always got the feeling that, while ThunderCats had its time in the limelight, Skeletor and Masters of the Universe was always one step ahead of their 80s cartoon brethren. Though ThunderCats lasted 2 years longer than Masters of the Universe, the Masters' world burned brighter in a shorter amount of time. That old animosity was stirred up again during Honda's recent holiday commercial campaign featuring 70s and 80s toys like Gumby, Jem and the Holograms and Skeletor.

Personally, I was conflicted about those ads. Particularly the one with Skeletor. Skeletor was part of the 80s licensing trifecta that the planet of my childhood revolved around. Star Wars, He-Man and Transformers fueled everything I knew as a kid. They're as dear to me as my own mother. So seeing Honda blatantly using my own nostalgia to shill me a car just seemed so tawdry.

But on the other hand, it was nice seeing a familiar face, a friendly face, get a few more minutes in the spotlight. Chances are the advertising team that came up with those ads are in my same age range and grew up with Skeletor just as I had. Perhaps it wasn't (as my own cynicism states) only preying on nostalgia, but it was a chance to use licenses these people loved as kids in their day to day job. If you've ever read McSoss before, you know I certainly try to use Skeletor as much as possible.

So while I don't expect to see Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living selling me a Kia any time soon, you can be sure I'll be highlighting his challenge to out-do Skeletor here at McSoss.

-Gint

Gint's 1-11-15 Pull-List Review

It was really tough to pick a clear cut winner this week. And really painful to be completely honest with myself and pick the winner after I've done nothing but shit on it the last so many months.

Fourth Place:

Detective Comics #38

This was a tough call placing this book in fourth. But being that I could barely remember what happened in it two days after reading it, that was the deciding factor. The art was stellar as usual, but the main throughline of Anarky setting up his new plan didn't stay with me.

I like where this story is going. It's by no means "bad." Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are putting the detective back in Detective Comics. Slowly and deliberately, they're setting up the pieces of the mystery to dovetail in the end.

It's just that so far, aside from some stunning visuals, I'm patiently waiting for this story to kick into gear.

Third Place:

Futures End #36

We get a bit of an off week artwise from Scot Eaton. Futures End has had a nice bit of art, but there are enough wobbly panels this week that I felt it needed mentioned.

The Justice League Dark appears for the first time this issue and Zatanna has the patented dystopian future scar down her face. This would have been intriguing, but Amethyst has had the whole left side of her face burned off for the whole series now, so its more of a been-there-done-that.

I guess we're waiting on the big climax for things like Superman coming out of hiding and wearing the S again, but I'm ready now. Fingers crossed there is a big climax and this doesn't just roll right into Convergence like a Hans Zimmer score: all build, no climax.

Second Place:

Nailbiter #9

I really liked this issue. I liked seeing the thought process of writer Joshua Williamson delving into what its like to live in this world through the eyes of a school bus driver.

Williamson uses Mister Crowe, a school bus driver for more than 20 years in Buckaroo, to illustrate the toll growing up in a town that produces serial killers can take on you. So he's been around long enough to know, fairly personally, all these kids who have grown up to be serial killers. This issue Mr. Crowe has had enough and takes matters into his own murderous hands.

Mike Henderson's art, with colors by Adam Guzkowski, is really fucking awesome. If I were a true critic of the form, I'd get into the technical reasons of why. But let me just say it's really cool. The design of the characters, and even the way cars and settings are done, makes for some really cool pages.

First Place:

Green Lantern #38

After skipping my favorite character's book for roughly three months, and seeing the Godhead crossover is over, I decided to hop back on. Though I may have expected to be, I wasn't disappointed.

The entire issue takes place on Earth, a place Hal hasn't been in a long long time. It was nice seeing him wearing the bomber jacket and getting a beer in Pancho's, the old pilot bar on the Air Force base. Sure, Guy Gardner guest stars with his silly long hair and beard, but  that didn't discourage me. The book was what I've been looking for for a while now: Hal, back on Earth, just being a guy.

The last five pages were magic. Carol finds Hal to check in on him, and essentially break his heart by telling him she's with Kyle Rayner (Hal's friend and co-Lantern). I hate this bit, but I'm not happy unless someone is miserable, so I guess I'm working through accepting Carol and Hal being on the outs like this.

Also, big kudos to Admira Wijaya for drawing a pretty slick issue. I'd like to see more of this guy on the book instead of series regular Billy Tan. He does a great job drawing everything in this book, except one little thing which you'll see below.

Splash of the Week:

Hal Jordan, since 1959, has worn his Green Lantern ring on his right middle finger. Its a fairly large part of who he is as a character. But in this opening splash to the issue above, penciller Admira Wijaya neglected it. But so did everyone else that saw this page through the editing process. Couldn't this have been added at the coloring stage? Just thinking out loud.

-Gint

 

An Ugly Addiction

I totally understand the seductive pull of video games. While I never got the charm of World of Warcraft, I've spent many hours saving princesses, storming castles and scoring digital touchdowns. From 2002 to 2007 there wasn't a free moment that I didn't spend in front of some type of gaming device. 

I'm certain that Dom is a responsible WoW user and not the Madden addict I was in my early twenties. -Soss

Soss' Suggestions 01-08-15

Shaft #1

"Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?" Isaac Hayes does a better job summing up Shaft then I ever could. Unfortunately fans of the 1970's blaxploitation film will have to wait until next issue for the traditional version. This first issue is your standard origin story dealing more with John Shaft working at Gimbels than seducing foxy ladies. Bummer.

While the plot is pretty straight forward there is still a lot to enjoy here. The inking and coloring styles reflect the techniques of classic 70's comics. Penciler Bilquis Evely has a nice traditional style the fits the books retro feel. 

While the story is familiar to anyone who has read the Punisher there is enough substance here to have readers coming back next issue. -Soss

Panel of the Week: One of many insane/amazing lines in this book. 

McSoss Podcast Episode 87: Butter Cock

We welcome Matt back as we preview the movies and comics of 2015.


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Useful Knowledge

A couple weeks ago I got caught up in a conversation about strip clubs. We talked about all the local and semi-local haunts when there was some surprise about my extensive knowledge of the subject. And when I say "extensive," I use the term relatively. I'm no greenhorn. I've had equal parts great and scary trips to various nudie bars. As much as my friends thought I knew, my knowledge can easily be eclipsed by some other acquaintances of mine who can thoroughly break down the details of such establishments.

In a way, I was proud of how much knowledge I've accumulated, but I'd still consider myself "Strip Clubs for Dummies." Your starter kit for learning the ropes. But if you're looking for Lord of the Rings-type depth on the subject... I guess I better go do more research.

-Gint

Behind the Scenes: Initially the Jeopardy! logo was supposed to be on the wall behind our contestants. I left it out to keep any unnecessary clutter out of the panel. If you can't tell that's Jeopardy!, you've been living in a morlock hole the last 51 years.

McSoss Podcast Episode 86: Full Housifornication

Paul and Ian pick up the slack for a sick Matt with a look back at the year that was 2014.

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Gint's 12-31-14 Pull-List Review

Since this is the first review of the year, allow me to congratulate Jeff Parker, Paul Pelletier and the rest of the team on Aquaman, for earning the first ever Gint's Pull-List Book of the Year!

After tallying up every First Place finish in 2014, Aquaman came out as the clear cut #1 with 5 first place finishes. Justice League finished second with 4. Futures End also had 5 First Place finishes, but as a weekly, they have more chances and that's not fair.

I mention it in this space once a month, but I can't say enough good things about Aquaman. The direction Parker and Pelletier have taken has not only developed Arthur as a multidimensional character, but also established a greater mythology around him. The scope is large, but the stories remain intimate. 

So once again, congratulations for making my 2014 a little brighter with the King of Atlantis. Here's to another big year in 2015.

Now to our regularly scheduled weekly reviews:

First (any only) Place:

Futures End #35

Futures End wraps up the last, and only book of 2014 to be reviewed. Not a whole lot came out this past week, and Futures End was all Comicdom had to offer.

There was a lot of action and fighting this issue, but the four pages that were really freaking good, were the four pages with Lana Lang (from Earth 2) and Fifty Sue. Fifty Sue is essentially Billy Mumy from the Twilight Zone who can wish whatever he wants and who's family lives in terror of him. Fifty Sue is pretty fucked up. The four pages are Lana (whose become Sue's surrogate mother) telling her she's not going to live in fear any more, and if Sue really wants a mother, she'll do things Lana's way. Its a really well done four pages by whichever writer was tasked with it and artist Jesús Merino.

I know Futures End doesn't have the sexy Batman in the title like Batman Eternal, but for my money, this is the best of the three weeklies DC has done last year.

Panel of the Week:

Jesús Merino's Creature Commandos. I've never read anything featuring them, but they look pretty cool.

-Gint

The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

I know that Birdman:The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance was not meant to be a super hero film. That isn't the beef that I have with this movie. I just couldn’t come to terms with a film that featured such unlikeable characters. There was no one that the audience could feel good about rooting for. I just wanted the stupid drums to stop.-Soss