Long Box: Feb. 11, 2009

These are late because I had the chance to go to a Kevin Smith Q&A this weekend in Columbus. It was a good time, and I actually made it to the mic and had a little one on one with the man himself. Sounds like he's doing some more stuff for DC in the very near future; hopefully it's a little better than "Cacophony" which even he admitted was a little lacking. Here's the week in review:

Young Liars #12
Don't even ask me to explain what's going on in this book right now, because my guess is as good as yours. It's getting to the point where I look forward to this book every month just to see how wrong the assumptions I made based on events in the previous issue were. And that's fine by me; Lapham may have some grand plan, or he may just be throwing shit at a wall to see what sticks. Either way, this series contains some of the most entertaining, totally out of left field plot twists that have ever graced the written page. This month's issue informs us that the story told in the previous 11 issues was a total lie, a fabrication, a hoax. Danny Noonan has miraculously survived the events of the past issue unscathed (and with his 'manhood' resurrected) only to be informed that the supposed love of his life died at the age of 6, he's a rapist, and he's also a huge rock star who has sold a ton of records. Danny doesn't buy it though; and why should he? It all seems too convenient and contrived, and it's clear that someone is still pulling the strings. Could it be the spiders from Mars? The Brownbag Empire? There is no clear answer, and Lapham is more than content to leave the reader guessing for the time being. There's just not much of a difference between truth and lies in this series; which is exactly what makes it fun as hell. Jump on these issues now, because people are going to be talking about "Young Liars" for years to come...

BPRD: The Black Goddess #2
This issue more than makes up for the snooze-fest that was last month's BPRD, and manages to bring my excitement back up to the level it was at during "The Warning". We actually see quite a bit of action and plot development in this issue, with the BPRD and a sizable military force going to Russia to find the location of Gilfryd's lair. We also get a reunion with Liz and some hints to her involvement with current events in the BPRD universe. And finally, we get the beginning of another gigantic frog attack, and the beginning of what looks to be one of the biggest BPRD battles yet. The first thing I want to comment on is Kevin Nowland's cover art, which is just beautiful; I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of his work on the covers of future issues. Guy Davis' art inside the issue is also very nice this month; especially the dark and moody scenes inside Gilfryd's hideout. Mignola and Arcudi seem much more on the ball than they did in the last issue; the pacing is great and the contrast between the two simultaneouly transpiring events isn't overstated. I'm interested to see where things go from here, but it looks like we'll be getting to see quite a bit more of Liz from here on out.

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #3
I'm a little shaky on the intricacies of the Hellboy timeline at this point, but it's very clear that "Wild Hunt" is trying to tie up some loose ends and reunite us with some older characters. Come page four, there are even flashbacks to the previous issue where Hellboy got to fight some giants (which I didn't mind, that's a classic scene and one worthy of more of Duncan Fegredo's ink). This issue also contains a very heavy scene in which Hellboy's destiny is discussed at great length. The result of this is the revealation that Hellboy has one last chance to rid himself of the monkier of 'destroyer of mankind'. Next month's issue should answer some of the questions posed this month, then we'll be waiting for a few months until we see any new issues so Mignola and Fegredo can get caught up. So far I'm pretty pleased with the way things have been progressing. There's a war being set up, on the scale of the one being waged in BPRD at the moment. Could they be connected somehow? We'll just have to wait and see...

Long Box: Jan. 7, 2009

2009 finds my pull-list in a pretty great place, and this column will surely reflect this. Marvel's Dark Reign has thus far proved to be pretty entertaining, with titles like Invincible Iron Man and New Avengers really coming into their own. I'm looking forward to seeing what Dark Avengers has to offer later this month. From Dark Horse, I've got Hellboy AND BPRD coming in on a monthly basis, with some groundbreaking story lines to boot. Rounding my list out is Vertigo's Young Liars, which looks like it'll be a continuing series, and the last few issues of Greatest Hits, which has been a pretty good read thus far. Expect coverage on these titles and more in the weeks and months to come. Here's the week (and a few stray titles) in review:

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #2
This issue was a bit on the short-side; it's becoming apparent that in order to stretch this arch across 8-issues, some supplemental material is being included to back up the main story. It seems as if the information presented in these supplements will play some part in the main story somewhere down the road, but for the time being I found it pretty dry and uninteresting. The main story on the other hand, does not disappoint in the least. This issue gives us our first look at the giants that Hellboy was hunting. Perhaps the best part of it all is when Hellboy is sneaking through the crowd of giants, then abruptly decides to just come out and fight them. This results in a crowd-pleasing fight scene that stands shoulder to shoulder with classic Hellboy showdowns. I like how Mignola is keeping his cards close to the chest in this one, showing us glimpses of a parallel plot that will likely start to influence Hellboy's path. The climax of this edition certainly poses more questions than it answers, but it only builds the anticipation for next month's issue.

Greatest Hits #4
This issue was kind of a mixed bag in terms of ideas that worked and ideas that didn't. I liked the decision to open with the Mates battling the aliens in outer space. However, the story of the Mates was almost relegated to a sort of side story after this point. I kind of feel as if the Mates' story is being rushed through at this point in order to provide more narrative about the documentary film-makers who are trying to discover more about the Mates. While I've liked, for the most part, the way these stories have been balanced in previous issues, this one seemed to tip the scales firmly in one direction. It seems to me like there was alot more that could have been done with the story of the Mates. There were quite a few Beatles eras that weren't covered; in retrospect the jump to the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper era was much to abrupt. While I look forward to seeing how the series ends, and how the fates of each member of the team are reinterpreted, I don't find myself quite as excited about the concept as I initially was. Certainly pick this up if you've been following the series, but to those new to it I can't find a whole lot to reccomend here.

Kick-Ass #5
At first I thought the whole reason behind the continual delay of this issue (I think the last issue came out in August?) had something to do with the upcoming movie adaptation; some kind of ploy on Marvel's part to further increase the buzz surrounding this series. After reading this issue I now suspect that perhaps this issue was delayed only because it's an embarrassment. The only reason I started reading this title was because of all the buzz surrounding it, and I must admit that I enjoyed the first four issues. Sure, it wasn't anything revolutionary, but I really dig John Romita Jr.'s art, and Mark Millar's writing has been pretty solid thus far. Well, now let's prepare for the inevitable Kick-Ass backlash, because if this issue is any indication, the remainder of this series might just be downright awful. The biggest complaint here is Millar's writing; both the dialogue and the overall story. Anyone who sends a couple of regular kids with capes and masks running into a burning building in the name of heroics clearly doesn't grasp the term completely. On top of that, we're subject to monologue after angst-y monologue about how one kid just wants acceptance in the form of more MySpace friends. Tack on over the top profanity that doesn't sound remotely believable and you're left with a story that almost seems as if its TRYING to rid itself of any scrap of credibility. So much for a "real-life superhero story"; this one just comes off looking like it has no grasp on reality.

Long Box: Dec. 4, 2008

Yeesh, sorry about the wait. Comic day was a day late last week, and on top of that it was a big day for comics, seeing the conclusion of Marvel's Secret Invasion and a few of the mini-series that went along with it. I've finally made my through everything so here's the week in review:

Secret Invasion #8
This is the moment we've all been waiting for, the end of the Secret Invasion story arch and the beginning of a new chapter for the Marvel Universe. Bendis makes a smart move by shying away from the action-packed tone of issue #7 and instead focusing upon the aftermath of our heroes climactic battle with the Skrull forces. However, there are some very questionable choices made in how the ending of this story pans out. First of all, the characters who were replaced by Skrulls are all back in action, which seems to me like a way of making the inevitable relaunch of Spider Woman that much more interesting. Next, Tony Stark takes an unfair amount of the blame for the invasion, which is especially apparent in how he is treated by Thor. Lastly, we have Norman Osborn becoming director of S.H.I.E.L.D., solely because he was the one who killed the Skrull Queen. Given that these are all highly unlikely occurrences, Bendis does his best to make them all as plausible as possibly. The art was likely the reason for the two week delay of this issue, as it stands shoulder to shoulder with what has previously been seen during this series. All in all, this is a pretty satisfactory, if highly unlikely, end to the Secret Invasion arch. It certainly brings about some big changes to the Marvel U, and it'll be interesting to see how writers will handle this. It's a little bit disappointing that all this seems to accomplish is to set up ANOTHER big, world-changing event, but I suppose that's really what keeps me reading. Congrats Marvel, you've got me hooked.

Secret Invasion: Front Line #5
First of all, I really like this cover, and the covers of this series in general. They've all been really unconventional, much like the series itself. At the end of last issue, our non-superhuman heroes stumbled upon the climactic final battle between the Skrull invaders and the heroes of the Marvel Universe. This issue begins by showing us a little more of that, including the part where Norman Osborn makes his fateful killing. The rest of the issue follows reporter Ben Urich as he comes to terms with life after the invasion. I like that he is a character who sees just how wrong the transfer of power to Osborn really is. It's great that Marvel found a way to present this side of the story, and I even liked how they tied this into their next story arch by letting Urich coin the phrase "Dark Reign". The writing on this series hasn't been particularly stellar, but this issue really shines in that department, likely because it is mainly narration. Likewise, the artwork does its job, with the exception of the very odd take on Osborn towards the end. I know Marvel has tried this whole 'citizen's point of view' idea before, but I think it worked out very well in this situation, as the invasion really did have a pretty big impact on people other than superheroes. I liked it, and if you didn't read it, it's worth tracking down the cheap back-issues to do so.

The New Avengers #47
I'll admit it; I'm a little bit of a New Avengers fanboy. It's been my way of keeping up with the Marvel U without reading too much else for quite a while and I've grown attached to the crew of artists that work on it. Since Secret Invasion started, New Avengers has become the home of side-stories and flashbacks that fleshed out events only mentioned in the main storyline and gave clues about future occurrences. This issue is the last of these side stories and recounts the introduction of Luke Cage to his future wife Jessica Jones. Secret Invasion followers will know that the couple's baby was stolen by the Skrull impersonating Avengers butler Jarvis. It only serves to make this moment, which is recounted at the end of the issue, that much more meaningful. I'm looking forward to what is going to be done with the New Avengers series post-Invasion. Obviously there are going to be line-up changes, with Iron Man almost assuredly leaving the team. The New Avengers will also likely be going underground, as Osborn will probably not want to continue to sponsor them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Not that exciting of an issue, so don't feel bad for skipping it unless you're a really big Luke Cage fan.

Ender's Shadow: Battle School #1
I've been digging the Ender's Game mini-series so far, but after reading this issue I think Ender's Shadow may have a slight edge. For one, I'm a way bigger fan of this art; which as readers of my reviews know, has been my main complaint about the Ender's Game books. Sebastian Fiumara's drawings are sketchy and stylized but also extremely detailed and bold when they need to be. Giulia Brusco's coloring is the perfect fit, and sells the futuristic Rotterdam as being a grimy, horrible place. The last page offers a glimpse of what this team's artistic direction will look like once the story makes the jump to space, and for me, it worked so much better than what we've seen in the Ender's Game issues. I think my predictions about this series were right; it's going to be a companion piece that fleshes out the characters that we're not going to meet as a result of the streamlining of the main story. Mike Carey does a very competent job in the writing department, although honestly it has been awhile since I read Ender's Shadow, and I barely remember any of the smaller details. The character of Bean presented here meshes with everything I remember about him though; he's a smart little boy who will prove to be a valuable ally to Ender once the two are introduced. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series, especially the art, and I might even read through my old copies of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow again just so I have little better idea of what's going on.

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #1
So begins the newest Hellboy story arch, the longest to date, clocking in at a hefty eight issues. Opening the issue, I realized just how much I've missed the art of Duncan Fegredo. This guy takes everything Mike Mignola's art brought to the series and pushes it a step further, fleshing things out so that every panel on every page looks like one of the detailed covers that Mignola still draws for most of his creations. The story picks up directly after Hellboy's last adventure in Darkness Calls, and the narrative contains numerous allusions to other past adventures, leading me to believe that this big arch may attempt to tie up some loose ends and may (dare I say it?) even lead to Hellboy's reunion with the BPRD. I won't ruin much of the plot for you, although there isn't too much to ruin. The basic gist of things is that Hellboy is invited as a guest on a hunt for giants who have appeared somewhere in England. However, not everyone on the hunt seems to be fan of having a demonic presence in the party. This looks like it's going to be an exciting series; it's great to have a solid Hellboy issue to look forward to every month again.

Long Box: Nov. 5, 2008

It must be one of those weeks, because I'm kicking off all kinds of new columns here on the blog. I've really been rekindling my love of comics as of late, so I figured I might as well start posting a few thoughts on the books I decide to pick up every week. Unfortunately, this week is a little bit of a lull, as it seems everyone is pushing back their big releases until December (here's looking at you Marvel) so I'll throw in a few books from last week to round things out...

The Invincible Iron Man #7
I've been really digging the writing on this series since issue #1; Matt Fraction makes this series a good place to start for anyone new to Iron Man. This issue serves as a coda to the excellent "Five Nightmares" storyline, guest starring Spiderman in a surprisingly big role for a book without his name on it. There are some great lines between the two, as they band together and round up black market arms dealers. Some very nice colors as well, something that has been a major strong point of the series thus far. My only qualm with this book is that I'm still not sure where this takes place in continuity compared to the current events of Secret Invasion. My guess is the next few issues will likely answer this question, but right now it's a little confusing.

Hellboy: In the Chapel of the Moloch
Hell yeah! Mike Mignola's long awaited return to drawing duties on a Hellboy comic is finally here in the form of this one-shot from Dark Horse. I've been excited about this one for weeks now, and while it doesn't quite live up to the hype, it does deliver a solid Hellboy story. Mignola's art defines Hellboy; his blocky simple style is what made the character who he is today. But, with all the recent guest artists who have been taking over drawing duties, leaving Mignola to focus on the script, us Hellboy fans have been spoiled with beautiful renderings of this classic character. Mignola's artwork, while great in its own right, pales a little bit in comparison to some of the more recent artists on the series. Chapel of the Moloch is a pretty standard romp into an old, possessed church with a great fight scene to cap things off. It just seems a little rushed, and the art is even less detailed than the early Hellboy books, which make's it seem like Mignola might have had too many things on his plate. It's a fun read, but not the return to form that I was hoping for.

Secret Invasion: Thor #3
I approached the Secret Invasion tie-ins with great apprehension. I wasn't about to waste my money on some meaningless side story which barely tied into the overarching plot. But Secret Invasion: Thor has kept me pretty satisfied throughout it's short run, despite the fact that it really has no bearing on the Secret Invasion story-arch. The art is the main draw; it's just an incredibly good looking book with a great amount of detail. The plot is a little thin, involving a Super Skrull (man, we've been seeing alot of these in the Marvel U lately) invading Asgard while Thor and Beta-Ray Bill fight back. This third and final issue is essentially one long fight scene, ending in the climactic squashing (literally) of their foe. The ending makes a half-assed attempt to tie itself into the events of Secret Invasion #6, but I think this storyline stands on its own. It's not an overwrought, self-referential mess like alot of Thor books I've read. It's a great intro to the modern iteration of the character of Thor, and a nice send-off to this 3-issue tie-in.

Cinematic Speculation

Although posting as of late has avoided the topic completely, movies are one of the things I set out to write about when I started this blog (just scope the banner if you don't believe me). I don't want to bore you with my pitiful attempt at a year-end list; I don't see nearly enough movies to make one. What I would like to do is spout some verbiage about some upcoming releases that I'm extremely excited about. We'll start things off with...

The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan knows how to make a Batman movie. The director took the caped crusader back to his roots with the gritty origin story Batman Begins, revitalizing the franchise after a string of flamboyant blockbusters which didn't do the source material much justice. The Dark Knight takes us back to Gotham where the Bat has settled in nicely; he's got a new bat-bike and a shiny new bat-cave to boot. But the real attraction here is his newest adversary; Heath Ledger's deranged take on the Joker. This version of the famous madman is nothing like Jack Nicholson's take on the character, he's a psychopathic anarchist bent on wanton destruction. This installment also promises to introduce Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart), the man who will later become Two-Face. My hope is that Nolan is smart enough not to double up with his villains; Spiderman 3 is a classic example of how multiple antagonists can drag down and convolute the overall story. The newest trailer and the first six minutes of the film which were shown before I Am Legend are making this one look like the best Batman flick yet, I just hope Nolan has another installment in him after this.
Trailer

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Fresh off the success of Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro is delivering the next installment in his planned Hellboy trilogy. From the looks of it, the latest Hellboy flick strays away from the Nazi villains of the original, instead focusing on fantastical monster reminiscent of those in Del Toro's last directorial effort. Doug Jones takes on no less than 4 characters in this installment, including the striking Angel of Death seen in the teaser trailer (the one with all the eyes). The action and effects in this one seem to lean towards a more cartoony look and feel, which I think will work well for the film; this is based on a comic book after all. July 2008 is going to be superhero month, this one hits theaters the weekend before Dark Knight. Let's just hope this one doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
Trailer

Watchmen
Anyone who knows me outside of this blog is probably tired of hearing about the Watchmen movie by now. Ever since the announcement that one of my favorite graphic novels of all time was finally coming to the big screen, I've been obsessing over every detail that makes its way out of production. Director Zack Snyder is obviously under a ton of pressure from fans, most of us have read the old scripts and know that Hollywood has tended to warp the original story in very unsatisfactory ways. Which makes it all the more poignant that the buzzword around the production in recent weeks has been "faithful". Snyder has even gone on record saying that he'll keep the novel's decidedly strange ending intact. Rest assured, I'll have plenty to say about the trailer once it's released...
Official Watchmen Blog
Watchmen Comic Movie Blog

Speed Racer
I had my reservations about this one before I saw the trailer. Sure, it's by the Wachowski brothers, but they don't exactly have the best track record as of late and this is a family flick. Sounded like a recipe for disaster, but I don't think anyone with a small amount of Speed Racer fandom can watch the trailer and not get pumped. The story looks pretty standard, but anyone above the age of 12 isn't watching for that anyways; we just want to see the Mach 5 in action. I expect the racing sequences to carry the movie in the same way that podracing inadvertently made The Phantom Menace slightly more palatable, if only for a few minutes.
Trailer

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
God willing, George Lucas didn't have much input on this latest, and possibly last, installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. The involvement of Shia LeBouf also has me a bit worried, he played the same annoying character in everyone of the 10 films he was in last year and that mustache looks SO dumb. It also can't go without saying that Harrison Ford is getting a little old for this kind of thing. Oh, and Munich was badass, but War of the Worlds kind of soured Spielberg's reputation for me. Those arguments notwithstanding, I want this movie to prove me wrong and deliver. In the worst way. Please be good. Please.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Kevin Smith has never been in a better position to really see some broad success with one of his films. Sure, movies like Clerks 2 and Dogma weren't box office disasters, but they catered to a certain audience and didn't really generate much crossover success. Nothing on the scale of, say, 40 Year Old Virgin. This is the movie where all that could change. For one, Smith has current surefire funny-man Seth Rogen as his lead. That alone will sell tickets, guaranteed. He's also cashing in on a wave of raunchy R-rated comedies in the vein of Knocked Up, Superbad, etc. Hell, Smith has been doing those kinds of movies for years, long before this Judd Apatow fellow showed up on the scene. I've got high hopes for this one, snootchie bootchies!