Whatcha Readin'? 7/7/06
Jul. 7th, 2006 02:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrier
I know you're all dying to find out what comics I've been reading lately...
AGE OF BRONZE #23
Eric Shanower
Image
Shanower continues his epic retelling of the events of the Trojan War, mixing classical sources with his own insightful interpretations. The old tales and characters really come to life, thanks to his vivid words and pictures.
ARTESIA BESEIGED #1
Mark Smylie
Archaia Studios Press
An ambitious young women rises from concubine, to soldier, to general, to queen in this sweeping medieval saga. A heady mix of war, politics, magic, and sex (hoo boy, is there sex!), with lush painted artwork.
ASTONISHING X-MEN #15
Joss Whedon & John Cassaday
Marvel
It's pure superhero formula -- the bad guys get the upper hand, and the heroes are dealt a humiliating defeat. But one escapes (no suprise, it's Whedon's pet character) and promises to come back and kick ass. But it's cleverly done, and the witty dialogue and attractive art carry you along.
AVENGERS/POWER PACK #1-3
Marc Sumerak & GuriHiru
Marvel
I haven't been enjoying this quite as much as the previous X-MEN/POWER PACK -- for some reason, the interaction between the older heroes and the kids isn't as funny. But #3 does end with a wicked cliffhanger that has me eager to see how things get resolved.
BATMAN: YEAR 100 #2-4
Paul Pope & Jose Villarubia
DC
This basically comes across as Pope's remake of DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (with maybe a little YEAR ONE mixed in): A futuristic, cyberpunky Batman vs. the evil fascist government. But like Miller's original miniseries, it's an action-packed, testosterone-filled roller coaster ride, and well worth the trip.
CASANOVA #1
Matt Fraction & Gabriel Ba
Image
An interesting James Bond/Nick Fury/Austin Powers pastiche, with very stylish art. The first issue throws so many characters and sci-fi gimmicks at you that it ends up being kind of hard to follow, but there's a lot to like here.
DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #5
Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Khari Evans & Christina Strain
Marvel
The ladies gear up for their final showdown with the crime boss Ricadonna. I like the casual, even cozy approach to the Marvel Universe here, with the Daughters calling in favors from everyone from Iron Fist to the Mole Man as they prepare their assault. This has been a really fun miniseries, I hope it's doing well enough to warrant a sequel.
FELL #5
Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith
Image
A textbook example of terse, economic storytelling. The whole thing is just Detective Fell and a suspect in the interrogation room -- Fell verbally dissects the guy with the precision of a surgeon, peeling back his layers until he cracks. It's really terrific writing.
HOAX #4
Karl Kressbach & various
Mental Note Press
I have no idea what I just read. This anthology boasts a lot of nice, underground-flavored artwork, but the stories are largely incoherent. And yet, I found it strangely compelling anyway. Would I buy another issue? Yeah, I think I would.
LOCAL #5
Brian Wood & Ryan Kelly
Oni Press
I'm coming into the middle of the story here, but I was immediately caught up in it. A woman named Meagan copes with her own issues by playing mind-games with the customers at the theater she works in. The motivation for her odd deceptions isn't clear (presumably it was covered in previous issues), but eventually the lies start catching up to her. It's a fascinating study of a damaged personality.
NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF HATE #5-6
Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen
Marvel
Probably the most purely fun book that Marvel's publishing right now. A team of b-grade superheroes take on a high-tech terrorist conspiracy with over-the-top action and tongue firmly planted in cheek. Clever, irreverent, and laugh-out-loud funny.
SOLO #11
Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier
DC
The master cartoonist provides a collection of autobiographical pieces, short MAD-style gags, and even a couple of more "serious" tales. They're all excellent, but my favorite is probably the Batman story where Bats is shocked -- shocked! -- to find out that people think he's crazy. Great stuff.
SUPERMARKET #3
Brian Wood & Kristian
IDW Publishing
If LOCAL evokes memories of Wood's earlier DEMO, then this book is more in the vein of his COURIERS series, with car chases, gun battles, and sexy hip teenagers. Not deep, but lots of fun, and the art and coloring are outstanding.
UPTIGHT #1
Jordan Crane
Fantagraphics
A pair of short stories, thematically connected by the concept of death -- the first ends tragically, the second is more humorous. Both strips are good, but the way they play off and contrast each other makes them even stronger.
X-STATIX PRESENTS DEAD GIRL #5
Peter Milligan, Nick Dragotta & Mike Allred
Marvel
This odd tale of a battle between dead villains and dead heroes (with Dr. Strange along for the ride) ends with more of a whimper than a bang. But the anticlimatic showdown actually works in a weird sort of way -- it makes sense that a villain called "The Pitiful One" would go down pretty easily. Plus I think I detect some meta-commentary on the futility of endlessly recycling and resurrecting old favorites. Still, it was fun to see the old X-Statix gang again, but perhaps they are best left in peace after this.
AGE OF BRONZE #23
Eric Shanower
Image
Shanower continues his epic retelling of the events of the Trojan War, mixing classical sources with his own insightful interpretations. The old tales and characters really come to life, thanks to his vivid words and pictures.
ARTESIA BESEIGED #1
Mark Smylie
Archaia Studios Press
An ambitious young women rises from concubine, to soldier, to general, to queen in this sweeping medieval saga. A heady mix of war, politics, magic, and sex (hoo boy, is there sex!), with lush painted artwork.
ASTONISHING X-MEN #15
Joss Whedon & John Cassaday
Marvel
It's pure superhero formula -- the bad guys get the upper hand, and the heroes are dealt a humiliating defeat. But one escapes (no suprise, it's Whedon's pet character) and promises to come back and kick ass. But it's cleverly done, and the witty dialogue and attractive art carry you along.
AVENGERS/POWER PACK #1-3
Marc Sumerak & GuriHiru
Marvel
I haven't been enjoying this quite as much as the previous X-MEN/POWER PACK -- for some reason, the interaction between the older heroes and the kids isn't as funny. But #3 does end with a wicked cliffhanger that has me eager to see how things get resolved.
BATMAN: YEAR 100 #2-4
Paul Pope & Jose Villarubia
DC
This basically comes across as Pope's remake of DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (with maybe a little YEAR ONE mixed in): A futuristic, cyberpunky Batman vs. the evil fascist government. But like Miller's original miniseries, it's an action-packed, testosterone-filled roller coaster ride, and well worth the trip.
CASANOVA #1
Matt Fraction & Gabriel Ba
Image
An interesting James Bond/Nick Fury/Austin Powers pastiche, with very stylish art. The first issue throws so many characters and sci-fi gimmicks at you that it ends up being kind of hard to follow, but there's a lot to like here.
DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #5
Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Khari Evans & Christina Strain
Marvel
The ladies gear up for their final showdown with the crime boss Ricadonna. I like the casual, even cozy approach to the Marvel Universe here, with the Daughters calling in favors from everyone from Iron Fist to the Mole Man as they prepare their assault. This has been a really fun miniseries, I hope it's doing well enough to warrant a sequel.
FELL #5
Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith
Image
A textbook example of terse, economic storytelling. The whole thing is just Detective Fell and a suspect in the interrogation room -- Fell verbally dissects the guy with the precision of a surgeon, peeling back his layers until he cracks. It's really terrific writing.
HOAX #4
Karl Kressbach & various
Mental Note Press
I have no idea what I just read. This anthology boasts a lot of nice, underground-flavored artwork, but the stories are largely incoherent. And yet, I found it strangely compelling anyway. Would I buy another issue? Yeah, I think I would.
LOCAL #5
Brian Wood & Ryan Kelly
Oni Press
I'm coming into the middle of the story here, but I was immediately caught up in it. A woman named Meagan copes with her own issues by playing mind-games with the customers at the theater she works in. The motivation for her odd deceptions isn't clear (presumably it was covered in previous issues), but eventually the lies start catching up to her. It's a fascinating study of a damaged personality.
NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF HATE #5-6
Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen
Marvel
Probably the most purely fun book that Marvel's publishing right now. A team of b-grade superheroes take on a high-tech terrorist conspiracy with over-the-top action and tongue firmly planted in cheek. Clever, irreverent, and laugh-out-loud funny.
SOLO #11
Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier
DC
The master cartoonist provides a collection of autobiographical pieces, short MAD-style gags, and even a couple of more "serious" tales. They're all excellent, but my favorite is probably the Batman story where Bats is shocked -- shocked! -- to find out that people think he's crazy. Great stuff.
SUPERMARKET #3
Brian Wood & Kristian
IDW Publishing
If LOCAL evokes memories of Wood's earlier DEMO, then this book is more in the vein of his COURIERS series, with car chases, gun battles, and sexy hip teenagers. Not deep, but lots of fun, and the art and coloring are outstanding.
UPTIGHT #1
Jordan Crane
Fantagraphics
A pair of short stories, thematically connected by the concept of death -- the first ends tragically, the second is more humorous. Both strips are good, but the way they play off and contrast each other makes them even stronger.
X-STATIX PRESENTS DEAD GIRL #5
Peter Milligan, Nick Dragotta & Mike Allred
Marvel
This odd tale of a battle between dead villains and dead heroes (with Dr. Strange along for the ride) ends with more of a whimper than a bang. But the anticlimatic showdown actually works in a weird sort of way -- it makes sense that a villain called "The Pitiful One" would go down pretty easily. Plus I think I detect some meta-commentary on the futility of endlessly recycling and resurrecting old favorites. Still, it was fun to see the old X-Statix gang again, but perhaps they are best left in peace after this.
