Kirby Your Enthusiasm

COMICS READING FOR DECEMBER: “Bulletproof!”

2012-01-06T17:27:00.000+11:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE

***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
****     From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
***        League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the first two series), Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
**           Promethea
*             LoEG: Century: 1969
DUD (or lower)     anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1. Shame Itself #1 (Marvel, 2011) ***¼

Writers/artists: Various
Humour anthologies are always hit and miss but this one has its moments, particularly as the guest writers (including The Daily Show’s Wyatt Cenac) have such a great time skewering Marvel. Fear Itself gets a hammering but so do crossovers in general. Not the greatest mag ever, but one or two strips will make you smile. Which isn’t half-bad, really.
2. The Prowler In White Zombie #1 (Eclipse, 1988) DUD
Writer: Michael H. Price/Artist: Gerald Forton & Graham Nolan
You have to wonder where Eclipse went wrong in the 80s, but this piece of underwritten, shoddily drawn trash is a great place to start. It’s biggest crime is that this masked detective-meets-Bela Lugosi tale is utterly dull.
3.-7. Scarlet #1-5 (Icon, 2010-11) ****
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/Artist: Alex Maleev
Ignore the scary politics of this tale of corruption, revenge and social revolution. Just enjoy the ride as Bendis does his best to make us not only care for his cop-killer anti-heroine, but also make us accomplices to her crimes. Ballsy stuff and Maleev’s art is sensational.
8.-13. The Bulletproof Coffin #1-6 (Image, 2010) ***½
Writer: David Hine/Artist: Shaky Kane
It wound up being way too meta for my tastes and the last issue kinda disappeared up its own arse, but I dug a lot of this retro/creepy/superhero spoof yarn. Kane’s art was very underground for a mainstream company, but kinda dug it.
14. Miracleman #8 (Eclipse, 1986) *½
I got it to help complete my Miracleman collection. The issue loses a half star for cat yronwode’s arrogant attempt to insert herself into Alan Moore’s story. Still the Mick Anglo reprints are nice. The back-up preview of The New Wave is forgettable.
15. Frankenstein And The Creatures Of The Unknown #1 (DC, 2011) ***
Writer: Jeff Lemire/Artist: Israim Roberson
16. Fear Book #1 (Eclipse, 1986) **½
Early reprints of Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch’s horror work.
17. Doktor Sleepless Manual (Avatar, 2008) *
Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist Ivan Rodriguez
Essentially worthless, but at least it saved me forking out bux for the full Doktor Sleepless series. Probably a low point in Ellis’s career.
18. Professor Om #1 (Innovation, 1990) –**
Writer/Artist: Paul Power
I hate to slag off an Aussie creator but this is the worst fucking drivel I’ve read in many years. Just horrible on so many levels. Bad dialogue, nonsensical plot, racist in parts and the art is inconsistent and, frankly, not very good. Add to it an out-of-date early 70s Aussie underground feel and this is just the shittiest thing I’ve ever had the misfortune of reading.
19.-20. Headlocked: The Tryout #2-3 (Markosia, 2008) ***
Writer: Michael Kingston/Artist: Randy Valiente
21. The Nobody by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo, 2009) ****¼
22.-26. Point Blank (Wildstorm, 2003) ****½
- originally published in Point Blank #1-5 (Wildstorm, 2002-03)
Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artists: Colin Wilson & Simon Bisley (covers)
A superb crime noir whodunit featuring superheroes. Grim as fuck – the only decent Grifter tale I’ve ever read, too. The ending is cruel but brilliant and leads beautifully into the excellent Sleeper series.
27. The Stuff Of Legend, Vol. 1: The Dark (Th3rd World Studios, 2010) ****
Writers: Mike Raicht & Brian Smith/Artist: Charles Paul Wilson III
The stuff of greatness. A scary bedtime story for adults. Loved this to death and I can’t wait to read Volume 2.
28. Nightcat (Marvel, 1991) –*
Writers: Jim Salicrup, Barry Dutter & Stan Lee/Artists; Denys Cowan & Jimmy Palmiotti, Joe Jusko (cover)
Superbly horrible. So bad in fact, I’m writing a feature on it for the first issue of my new zine ROGUE.
29. Moongirl #2 (Red 5 Comics, 2011) *½
Writers: Tony Trov & Johnny Zito/Artist: The Rahzzah
Pretentious name aside, The Rahzzah’s art is interesting but unsuited for a retro-style comic set in the 50s. The script is kinda confusing, too. Not sure whether this series is worth pursuing, frankly.
30.-31. OMAC #3-4 (DC, 2011) ***
Writer: Dan Didio/Artists: Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish
32.-35. Animal Man #1-4 (DC, 2011) ****
Writer: Jeff Lemire/Artists: Travel Foreman & Dan Green
Genuinely creepy stuff from Lemire. I like Travel’s art very much.
36-39. Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantula (Vertigo, 1995) *½
- originally published in Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-4 (Vertigo, 1993)
Write: Matt Wagner/Artist: Guy Davis
Considering how great I heard this title was, I found this first collection kinda dull. Unpleasant but dull. With mediocre artwork, to boot.
40. Frankenstein: Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #3 (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Jeff Lemire/Artist: Alberto Ponticelli
41. Suicide Girls #3 (IDW, 2011) **
Writers/artists: a committee
Lots of tits, so I can’t complain I guess. Cameron Stewart’s girly pin-ups are cool.
42.-43. Catwoman #2-3 (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Judd Winick/Artist Guillem March
Came for the Bat-sex, stayed for the cool story and art.
44.-45. Annihilators: Earthfall (Marvel, 2011) ***¼
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/Artists: Tan Eng Huat & Andrew Hennessy
Ronan is badass.
46.-47. Superior #5-6 (Icon, 2011) ****
Writer: Mark Millar/Artist: Leinil Yu
Superhero comics with balls. I love this and I can’t wait to read the final chapter.
48. Superior: World Record Special #1 (Icon, 2011) ***¼
Writers/artists: various
49. Legion Of Monsters #2 (Marvel, 2011) ***½
Writer: Dennis Hopeless/Artist; Juan Doe
Better than DC’s version.
50. Jennifer Blood #6 (Dynamite, 2011) ***¾
Writer: Garth Ennis/Artist: Kewber Baal
A perfect ending to Ennis’s fantastical blood-soaked revenge tale. And now that he’s quit the series, it’s the perfect jumping-off point for me.
51. Villains For Hire 0.1 (Marvel, 2011) **
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/Artist: Renato Arlem
52. Legion: Secret Origin #2 (DC, 2011) ***½
Writer: Paul Levitz/Artists: Chris Batista & Marc Deering
53. Star Trek/Legion Of Super-Heroes #2 (IDW/DC, 2011) ***
Writer: Chris Roberson/Artists: Jeffrey & Philip Moy
One for the geeks, I think. Still hasn’t grabbed me yet.
54. Mudman #1 (Image, 2011) ***
Writer/artist: Paul Grist
Promising start.
55.-56. Heart #1-2 (Image, 2011) ***
Writer: Blair Butler/Artist: Kevin Mellon
57.-58. Joe Palooka #1-2 (VJIB, 2011) **¾
Writers: Joe Antonacci & Mike Bullock/Artist: Fernando Peniche
To be honest, I preferred Heart over Joe Palooka. Both MMA-themed comics aren’t great, but I prefer Heart’s realism. Still, Antonacci’s enthusiasm is infectious (I interviewed him for UFC mag). I hope both titles succeed.
59. The Defenders #1 (Marvel, 2011) ***½
Writer: Matt Fraction/Artists: Terry & Rachel Dodson
Theeeeeeeey’re baaaaaaaaack! And I couldn’t be happier. And with Fraction at the helm, you know they’re gonna be major players in Marvel for the foreseeable future.
60.-61. The Shade #2-3 (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: James Robinson/Artist: Cully Hamner
This maxi-series feels like it’s treading water, possibly because it’s 12 issues long so Robinson appears to be doing a lot of padding out. Anyway, #2 saw Shade get better (despite having his head cut off the previous issue). #3 saw him travel to Australia – it’s always interesting to see Yanks try to “do” my country justice and, to his credit, Robinson almost succeeded (thankyou, Wikipedia). His two major flaws? Calling the Northern Territory the “northern territories”. But most glaring of all? Making the NSW Chief of Police an Aborigine. Full marks for political correctness, son, but anyone who’s lived over here knows how racist the police are. As if an Aborigine would ever rise to the top of the police force in NSW. Hell, I can’t even recall ever seeing an Aboriginal policeman in Sydney, full stop. Anyway, apart from that, issue three was fine, but this storyline better start going somewhere fast.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm #16: "Two is better than none"

2011-12-23T18:18:00.000+11:00

IT'S nearly the end of December so what better time to discuss what I read in November? So I talk about Asterix The Gaul, which I last read in the mid-70s. How does it stack up in 2011, nearly 50 years after it was first published?
Next, I discuss Super Giant Album #24, a blast from the past (1977 to be precise).
It's a fun 16:45 podcast, so please enjoy......and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)
http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/webpage/kirby-your-enthusiasm-16-two-is-better-than-none-

COMICS READING FOR OCTOBER: “Where’s my no-prize?”

2011-10-30T18:37:00.000+11:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE

1. The Official Marvel No-Prize Book #1 (Marvel, 1982) ***

Writer: Jim Owsley & friends/Artist: Bob Camp, Vnce Colletta & friends
No-prizes always fascinated me – I heard they were actually empty envelopes sent to people who pinpointed mistakes in Marvel mags. Well, this one-shot bravely acknowledges some of the greatest errors in Marvel history (up to 1982). Peter “Palmer”, Betty “Brant”, Hercules dragging Manhattan Island around via a couple of chains and several major (and not-so-major) continuity cock-ups. Plus Captain America’s legendary cry, “Only one of us is gonna walk out of here under his own steam...and it won’t be me!” Hilarious stuff.
2. Marvel Fanfare #34 (Marvel, 1987) ***
Writer: Alan Zelenetz/Artist: Charles Vess/Portfolios: Charles Vess; Mike Mignola
I’m not a huge fan of Asgardian tales, but this whimsical tale of the Warriors Three is kinda okay. The main reason I picked it up was due to the lovely early Vess art (including a portfolio at the end of the story). Plus there’s a Mignola portfolio – again, it’s nice to see his pre-Hellboy work.
3. FCBD: Ultimate X-Men #1 (Marvel, 2003) ***½
- originally published as Ultimate X-Men #1 (Marvel, 2001)
Writer: Mark Millar/Artists: Adam Kubert & Art Thibert
I liked it enough to order the first volume.
4.-5. Fear Itself #4-5 (Marvel, 2011) ***
Writer: Matt Fraction/Artist: Stuart Immonen
Thor killing Thing was kinda cool (even if it only last six panels before Franklin Richards revived him).
6. Fear Itself: The Deep #2 (Marvel, 2011) ***
Writer: Cullen Bunn/Artists: Lee Garbett & David Meikis
I’m not entirely blown away by the story or art, but it’s just a precursor to getting The Defenders back together, so I’ m down with that. Red She-Hulk is kinda cool.
7.-8. Fear Itself: Deadpool #2-3 (Marvel, 2011) ***½
Writer: Christopher Hastings/Artists: Bong Dazo & Joe Pimentel
Seriously, the best Fear Itself title out there – just a fun, stupid read that mocks what’s going on in the “main” titles. A supervillain called The Walrus? Bizarro were-creatures about to descend on an isolated town (shades of 30 Days Of Night there)? Deadpool getting smushed repeatedly? Great fun.
9. The Vertigo Gallery #1 (Vertigo, 1995) ***
Poster books are comics too, dammit! Many of the Vertigo characters get nice one-page illos by the likes of Chris Weston (The Invisibles), Steve Dillon (Preacher), Alex Toth (Sandman Mystery Theatre), Geof Darrow (Shade, The Changing Man) and Swamp Thing (John Totleben).
10. Vertigo Jam: Louer Than Noise #1 (Vertigo, 1993) ***½
Writers: various/Artists: various
Short tales from the likes of Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, Jamie Delano, Peter Milligan, Michael Allred...you can’t go wrong, can you?
11. Vertigo Preview (Vertigo, 1992) ***
A nice taster of what was to come, including an exclusive Sandman tale written by Gaiman. Nice.
12. Young Heroes In Love #1 (DC, 1997) ***¼
Writer: Dan Raspler/Artists: Dev Madan & Keith Champagne
Here’s a lil’ sleeper. This title only ran for 18 issues, but I may have to pick them all up after reading this promising first instalment. Seven young superheroes gather together to form a new super-team – The Young Heroes – but something’s not quite right with team leader Hard Drive. Why is he using his telepathic powers to control his team mates, including convincing Bonfire to fall in love with Thunderhead? Only the Sub-Mariner-like Frostbite suspects something is amiss. Hmmm...I’m intrigued to see where this series went – it seemed quite lighthearted and goofy for much of the first issue, then took a dark turn in the last few pages. I will have to investigate.
13. Angel Stomp Future #1 (Avatar/Apparat, 2004) ***¼
Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist: Juan Jose Ryp
Ellis writes weirdness for weirdness’ sake sometimes. This bizarre one-shot about a future doctor who looks like a SuicideGirl would have felt at home in an early issue of Metal Hurlant. It’s the future...a future filled with anti-space exploration suicide cults, memes as human viruses, mad doctors in hotpants, extreme medical procedures and sexual horror. Oh...and the shittest old gag of all time thrown in for good measure. It’s entertaining, but you have to wonder why Ellis bothered. Just for the sheer hell of it, I guess. Ryp’s art is a sick joy, as usual.
14. Vescell #2 (Image, 2011) **
Writer: Enrique Carrion/Artist: John Upchurch
Upchurch draws nice plump chicks, but that’s not enough for me to stick with this confusing sci-fi/religious-themed yarn.
15. OMAC #2 (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Dan DiDio/Artists: Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish
Continues to be fun and with the introduction of Maxwell Lord and Checkmate, this series grows more interesting. I look forward to #3.
16. The Shade #1 (DC, 2011) ***½
Writer: James Robinson/Artist: Cully Hamner
Not sure if this is a part of the New 52 Universe or a stand-alone maxiseries but, as a fan of Robinson’s Starman, I dug this first ish. Of course, I’m not sure where we go after the rather shocking (and graphic) ending but I’m sure we’ll find out next issue.
17.-18. Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Jeff Lemire/Artist: Alberto Ponticelli
19. Legion Of Monsters #1 (Marvel, 2011) ***¾
Writer: Dennis Hopeless/Artist: Juan Doe
These are the two big companies’ new monster titles and they stack up pretty nicely next to each other. However, I’ll give the nod to Marvel as LOM is just way more fun (and I’m a sucker for Elsa Bloodstone).

20. Perry – Unser Mann Im All #131 (A Farm, 2006) UNRATED
Writers: Kai Hirdt & Karl Nagl/Artists: Vincent Brumeister & Simone Kesterton
21. Mona (???, 1996) UNRATED
Writer: ??/Artist: Jule Jensen
A GERMAN friend sent me these two adult comics, which I could only look at as I don’t read the language. Mona appears to be a reprint or oneshot from some German porno featuring a series of mediocre, two-page toon strips starring the busty nympho Mona. Reminds of some of the two-pagers I used to commission for RED-HOT PEOPLE back in the day. Perry is basically a straight sci-fi strip with tits. The artwork’s not bad in that European style. Pity I couldn’t follow the storyline.

22.-23. The Big Guy And Rusty The Boy Robot (Big Guy Comics/Dark Horse, 1996) ****
- originally published in The Big Guy And Rusty The Boy Robot #1-2 (Dark Horse, 1995-96)
Writer: Frank Miller/Artist: Geof Darrow
Awesome, oversized mega-violence in the classic Frank Miller style. Darrow’s art is beautiful and grotesque all at the same time.
24. Frank Miller’s Holy Terror (Legendary, 2011) ***
It starts out with promise – in fact, some of the sequences hauntingly evocative – but this Batman/Catwoman pastiche/right-wing fantasy degenerates real fast to a pretty messy, confusing conclusion. Miller has done better. But he’s never been more fascist.
25. Optic Nerve #12 (Drawn & Quarterly, 2011) ****
Writer/artist: Adrian Tomine
Exquisite.
26. Marvel Universe vs Wolverine #1 (Marvel, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Jonathan Maberry/Artist: Laurence Campbell, Mike Kaluta (cover)
Not as dumb as I’d been led to believe.
27. Suicide Girls #2 (IDW, 2011) **¾
Writers: Steve Niles, Missy Suicide and Brea & Zane Grant/Artists: David Hahn & Cameron Stewart, Cameron Stewart (cover & posters)
Stewart draws good wanking material, but any comic that needs FOUR writers is in serious trouble. Female empowerment? SuicideGirls ad? Left-wing future fantasy? Freedom of expression diatribe? Naaaaaah, just overpriced wanking material.
28. The Red Wing #4 (Image, 2011) **¾
Writer: Jonathan Hickman/Artist: Nick Pitarra
Unless there’s a sequel coming, this was a confusing yarn with an unsatisfying ending.
29. Legion: Secret Origin #1 (DC, 2011) ***½
Writer: Paul Levitz/Artists: Chris Batista & Marc Deering
I got a LoSH ring! I got a LoSH ring! Story...not bad so far.
30. Halcyon #5 (Image, 2011) ****
Writers: Marc Guggenheim & Tara Butters/Artist: Ryan Bodenheim
A fantastic and, dare I say it, unexpected ending to a thought-provoking story.
31. Captain Swing And the Electrical Pirates Of Cindery Island (Avatar, 2011) ***½
Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist: Raulo Caceres
32.-34. Butcher Baker #3-5 (Image, 2011) ***½
Writer: Joe Casey/Artist: Mike Huddleston
Casey’s egotistical ramblings aside, this is a kick-arse, post-modernist superhero yarn. Huddleston’s Sienkowicz-style artwork is a pleasure to behold.
35. Strange Adventures #1 (Vertigo, 2011) ***
Writers/artists: various
Thankfully, reading this anthology inspired me NOT to pick up the new Spaceman series – it looks very mediocre in this preview. Best story in the book? Jeff Lemire’s tragic reimagining of a kooky old sci-fi character called Ultra The Multi-Alien. A close second was the equally tragic Post Modern Prometheus by Kevin Colden. The Paul Pope cover is a joy, too.
36.-37. Annihilators #3-4 (Marvel, 2011) ***¾
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/Artists: Tan Eng Huat & Victor Olazaba (Annihilators)/Timothy Green II (Rocket Raccoon)
I love Rocket Raccoon.
38. Paul Mason Portfolio: SDCC 2011 (Black House, 2011) **¾
39.-44. Absolution #1-6 (Avatar) ****
Writer: Christos Gage/Artist: Roberto Viacava
45. The CBLDF Presents Liberty Annual 2011 (Image, 2011) ***
Writers/artists: various
46. The Unexpected (Vertigo, 2011) ***
Writers/artists: various
47.-49. I Hate Gallant Girl (Image, 2008-09) **½
Writers: Jim Valentino & Kat Cahill/Artist: Seth Damoose
This tale of a spurned reality TV superhero wannabe becoming a legit superhero started really well but went to hell literally on the last page of issue two. Setting things up for a sequel that never comes is pointless, so issue three was a waste, too. Shame.

50. Voodoo #1 (DC, 2011) ***
Writer: Ron Marz/Artist: Sami Basri
51. Catwoman #1 (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Judd Winick/Artist: Guillem March
I felt like a dirty old man buying these two comics. Having said that, I’ve grabbed issue two of Catwoman, which has promise. Voodoo – now that it’s moved out of the strip club setting – is no longer required reading.

52. Jennifer Blood #5 (Dynamite, 2011) ***

Writer: Garth Ennis/Artist: Kewber Baal
I’ll finish this story arc, then I’m done. Ennis can do so much better.
53. Star Trek/Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 (IDW, 2011) ***
Writer: Chris Roberson/Artists: Jeffrey & Philip Moy, Phil Jimenez (cover)
A cute gimmick, but I’ll give it another issue to see where this is headed. So far, we haven’t seen Mr Spock square off against Brainiac 5.
54. Annihilators #3-4 (Marvel, 2011) ***¾
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/Artists: Tan Eng Huat & Andrew Hennessy (Annihilators)/Timothy Green II (Rocket Raccoon)
I lurve Rocket Raccoon!
55. Fear Itself #6 (Marvel, 2011) **¾
Writer: Matt Fraction/Artist: Stuart Immonen
56.-57. Fear Itself: The Deep #3-4 (Marvel, 2011) ***½
Writer: Cullen Bunn/Artists: Lee Garbett, David Meikis & John Lucas
The Defenders are back! Huzzah!

NOTE: There will be no comics reading list for November, as I won’t be reading any. Instead, I will be too busy spending the entire month writing a novel. Yes, it’s true! I’m doing it as part of National Novel Writing Month, which you can read about at www.nanowrimo.org. See youse in December.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, ep. 15: "No fear!"

2011-10-17T12:56:00.000+11:00

I'M JOINED this time around by special guest Mark Williamson as we talk about Fear Itself, the return of The Defenders, the trailer for the new Avengers film and DC's latest reboot of their universe. Mark also explains why he's always preferred Marvel over DC.
It's 35+ minutes of fun comics talk. Enjoy!
http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/webpage

COMICS READING FOR SEPTEMBER: “Their names are legion”

2011-10-16T23:34:00.000+11:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
*****    Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
****       From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
***         League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the first two series), Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
**           Promethea
*              LoEG: Century: 1969
DUD (or lower)     anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

I RECENTLY bought a bunch of first issues from Lone Star (www.mycomicshop.com/) to see whether any of them would be worth purchasing the entire series. Here's what I discovered:

1. Steampunk: Catechism (Wildstorm, 2000) *

Writer: Joe Kelly/Artists: Chris Bachalo & Richard Friend
I love steampunk but this is just a mess. Kelly’s script shows promise but Bachalo draws everything in that late 90s sub-Chaos! style, which means you can’t follow a single fucking thing that’s happening on the page. Maybe this improved once it became a regular series...but I doubt it.
2. Fantastic Four: First Family #1 (Marvel, 2006) ***½
Writer: Joe Casey/Artists: Chris Weston & Gary Erskine
Now THIS is a series that I’ll acquire after reading this intriguing first issue. What happened when the FF first went through that cosmic storm? For sure, the government wasn’t happy with them stealing a rocket ship and piloting it illegally into outer space. And then there was the cosmic radiation that irrevocably changed their physical make-ups. Surely, the boffins wanted to probe and prod these unique individuals. This six-part miniseries explores the immediate aftermath of the accident that created the Fantastic Four. The first instalment was pretty damn good.
3. FCBD: Batman Adventures #1 (DC, 2003) **¾
Writer: Ty Templeton/Artists: Rick Burchett & Terry Beatty
Nothing inherently wrong with it, but I won’t be buying another issue.
4. Batman: City Of Light #1 (DC, 2003) **½
Writers: The Pander Brothers & Mark Paniccia/Artists: The Pander Brothers & Alvaro Lopez
I love, love, LOVE the Pander Brothers’ art but the story – Batman loses his mojo after accidentally crippling a kid – is wrong. Batman isn’t a wuss and shit happens in his line of work. So I’m not buying a Batman who turns into a whiny bitch because of a bit of collateral damage. But the art’s exquisite. Still, I’m not buying the next seven issues.
5. Curse Of The Weird #1 (Marvel, 1993) ***
Classic monster reprints from the 50s featuring artwork by Steve Ditko, Basil Wolverton, Russ Heath and Bill Everett. Fun schlock but no need for me to go out of my way to grab anymore.
6. The Extremist #1 (Vertigo, 1993) ***
Writer: Peter Milligan/Artist: Ted McKeever
I’m surprised this full-on yarn even got off the ground at a conservative company like DC. Sexual perversion, ultra-violence, decadence, bisexuality, a virtual Sodom and fucking Gomorrah. Judy’s husband used to be a masked superhero/killer/pervert called The Extremist. After he was murdered, she takes over the role, discovering her new self and losing her old self in the process. This comic was pretty fucking hardcore for a mainstream title. I’m curious enough to seek out the other three issues.
7. Fanboy #1 (DC, 1999) **
Writers: Mark Evanier & Sergio Aragones/Artists: Sergio Aragones with Jerry Ordway, Bernie Wrightson, etc.
Aragones is a fucking god so I have to blame Evanier for the utter lameness of this comic. Justifying being a comics fanboy to other fanboys is a little like wanking over your own photo, I suggest.
8. The L.A.W. #1 (DC, 1999) *
Writer: Bob Layton/Artists: Dick Giordano & Bob Layton
Wow – a miniseries featuring all of Charlton’s superheroes as they defend a DC superhero-less world. Nice try but I believe some far more talented folk already did this tale in 1986. It was called Watchmen. This perfunctory tale, Mr Layton, is NO Watchmen.
9. Bloody Mary #1 (DC/Helix, 1996) *
Writer: Garth Ennis/Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Dear Garth, if you’re going to set your tale “in the future”, don’t make it 2012. Otherwise, it’ll seem quite stupid when someone reads it in 2011. Secondly, don’t set up a preposterous premise like Europe declaring war on the UK and the US, and think it’s gonna make any goddamn sense to the reader. Finally, don’t go all high-tech on us, then have one of your top military figures talk about receiving “a fax”. BWAH-hahahahahaha! That’s what happens when you write a sci-fi yarn JUST BEFORE the internet took off. Still, nice art by Ezquerra.
10. American Dream #1 (Marvel, 2008) *
Writer: Tom DeFalco/Artists: Todd Nauck & Scott Koblish
Forgettable.
11. Defenders Of The Earth #1 (Marvel/Star, 1987) *
Writers: Stan Lee & Bob Harras/Artists: Alex Saviuk & Fred Fredericks
How could you fuck up a series featuring The Phantom, Mandrake The Magician AND Flash Gordon? Give it to a past-his-prime Stan Lee and some Marvel hacks and tell them to write it for juvenile appeal only. Make sure you throw in a bunch of stupid kids to make the series “more kid-friendly”. Give The Phantom superpowers like Animal Man (’cos he’s kinda non-superheroish otherwise). And give Mandrake random magical powers that make no goddamn sense. Alright, I almost gave this abortion another chance when the team discovered Ming The Merciless had killed Dale Arden. But it turns out it was a red herring and she’s really alive after all. What a copout.
12. Accelerate #1 (Vertigo, 2000) *½
Writer: Richard Kadrey/Artists: The Pander Bros.
It’s weird – I love the Pander brothers’ art but so many of the projects they’ve attached their names to have been...well, let’s be blunt, SHIT. This is a typical post-apocalyptic tale filled with angry teenagers, trendy drugs and violence against authority. Ho-hum. Nice artwork, though.
13. Captain America: What Price Glory? #1 (Marvel, 2003) *½
Writer: Bruce Jones/Artists: Steve Rude & Mike Royer
Good writer – check. The Rudester channelling his best Jack Kirby artwork – check. So why is this story such a letdown? It’s just lame and kinda forced. Cap gets hired to go to Vegas to rescue an older mobster’s daughter from another mobster? I just didn’t get it. Meh.

ONTO other stuff from a recent Lone Star haul:

14. Fantastic Four Roast (Marvel, 1982) DUD
Writer: Fred Hembeck/Artists: Fred Hembeck & friends
Whoa, this sucked. Why did Hembeck think he was funny? Maybe to retarded 10-year-olds, but that’s about it. Utter shite.
15. Fantastic Four Ashcan (Marvel, 1994) *
Writers/artists: various
The FF were totally in the toilet when this B&W mini-sized overview of the team’s history was released. Mr Fantastic was “dead”, the original FF had split up, Franklin Richards had been magically aged to 16 years and now ran a darker, lamer FF called Fantastic Force. It makes you almost glad that Rob Liefeld came along to fuck everything up before the original FF got restored to their original glory in 1998 and a lot of the early 90s history was quietly retconned out of existence. The Mike Mignola wrap-around cover is nice, if slightly muddy.

LEGION CONFUSION

16.-23. JLA: The Lightning Saga (DC, 2008) **½

- originally published in JLA #0, 8-12 & JSA #5-6 (DC, 2006-07)
Writers: Brad Meltzer & Geoff Johns/Artists: various
24.-29. Superman And The Legion Of Super-Heroes (DC, 2008) ***¾
- originally published in Action Comics #858-863 (DC, 2007-08)
Writer: Geoff Johns/Artists: Gary Frank & Jon Sibal
30. Action Comics #864 (DC, 2008) ***
Writer: Geoff Johns/Artists: Joe Prado & Jon Sibal
31.-35. Final Crisis: Legion Of 3 Worlds #1-5 (DC, 2008-09) ***
Writer: Geoff Johns/Artists: George Pérez & Scott Koblish
After reading the three story arcs that reintroduced the current incarnation of the LoSH to the DC Universe, all I can say is, “Um...wha...?” Talk about confusing. Really unnecessarily confusing. But Superman And The Legion Of Super-Heroes was a great, stand-alone tale about a racist superhero group inspired by the warped teachings of Superman warring against the LoSH. The other two arcs just felt kinda forced: “Let’s get the original Legion back and make our readers jump through a few logical hoops in the process.”
30.-37. Superman: Mon-El (DC, 2010)
- originally published in Action Comics Annual #10, Superman #684-690, Action Comics #874, Superman: Secret Files 2009 #1 (DC, 2009)
Writer: James Robinson/Artists: Renato Guedes & José Wilson Magalhães & friends
This story shouldn’t have worked as they’re fucking with Superman timelines in a sense. But it’s still kinda cool seeing a naive, dying Mon-El hanging out on 21st century Earth and acting as Metropolis’s defender while Superman was visiting New Krypton. To be honest, Robinson did a great job with this run.
38.-55. Adventure Comics #0-12/515, #516-520 (DC, 2009-11) ***¼ (averaged out over all those issues)
Writers: Geoff Johns, Paul Levitz/Artist: Francis Manapul, Kevin Sharpe & Mario Alquiza, etc
Wow. As if Legion continuity wasn’t confusing enough, then try to follow it through this title, which also had to contend with crossovers such as “Blackest Night” and “Last Stand Of New Krypton” – it’s literally impossible to follow. That said...I certainly enjoyed ASPECTS of Adventure Comics. Adventure #0 reprinted the LoSH’s first appearance in Adventure #247 (writer: Otto Binder/artist: Al Plastino) back in the late 50s, and the back-up by Johns and Manapul sets the groundwork for Lex Luthor and Brainiac launch their new plot of revenge against the new Superboy, Connor Kent. Superboy was the main story for Adventure #1-6 (with the old numbering ghosted behind it) – when he wasn’t sharing that honour with a Superboy Prime yarn that was linked to “Blackest Night”. I kinda enjoyed the idea of Connor attempting to be just like Superman while worrying that he was also displaying traits of his father, Lex Luthor. It culminated in a chilling full-length conclusion in #6 where Luthor uses his genius to cure his invalid sister (just to prove he can), then immediately returns her to her vegetative state (just to prove he can). Never has a Superman tale more eloquently displayed the selfishness, brilliance and insane evil that is Lex Luthor. Kudos to Mr Johns. The final story focussing on Connor is a big “Blackest Night”-related tale with a possessed Superboy fighting Wonder Girl ((writers: Tony Bedard, artists: Travis Moore & friends). Meanwhile, the at-this-point only-occasional back-up LoSH tales (#1-4) were setting up threads that would come together in later issues when the Legion joined with Superboy in Adventure #8-11 (writers: Sterling Gates & James Robinson/artists: Travis Moore, Eduardo Pansica, Eber & Julio Ferreira) to battle Luthor and Brainiac in the “Last Stand Of Krypton” story that ran across several Superman-related titles. It seems quite complicated and I felt quite dislocated reading these yarns. From #8-11 there was also a back-up yarn about a Kryptonian spy infiltrating some secret human army run by Lois Lane’s dad. That was okay, I guess (writer: Eric Trautmann/artist: Pier Gallo). #11 wrapped everything up, mainly dealing with the end of Mon-El’s run on 21st century Earth.
From #12 onwards (which resumed the title’s old numbeing at #13/516), the Legion took over as the main story with Levitz taking over as the writer (and Kevin Sharpe, Marlo Alquiza and Marc Deering handling the art duties). The comic ran stand-alone tales fleshing out old Legion stories (similar to those back-up tales that used to appear in Classic X-Men), giving more depth to what happened in the original LoSH continuity. And they also starred the original Superboy, not Connor Kent. Confused? So was I. I stopped reading last month just as Lightning Lad had been killed (#520). Frankly, these stories weren’t particularly inspiring. The back-up feature starred The Atom (writer: Jeff Lemire/artists: Mahmud Asrar & John Dell), who I care nothing for.
Wow! After writing that recap, no wonder I felt so confused reading this title.
56.-57. The Brave And The Bold #34-35 (DC, 2010) ***¾
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski/Artist: Jesus Saiz
JMS has copped a lot of (fair) criticism in recent years, but when the dude actually bothers to write something, he does a great job. This throwaway two-parter is a perfect example. #34 sees the classic LoSH go back in time to meet with the classic Doom Patrol to save Earth in the 31st century from a black hole. Along the way, the two teams encounter a few odd anomalies that they can’t explain, but they save the day anyway. #35 explains away the odd occurrences. It sees the classic Legion Of Substitute Heroes try to steal the LoSH’s thunder and save Earth from the black hole. So they steal a time bubble and go back in time, but instead of finding the Doom Patrol they meet The Inferior Five instead. Between these two inept groups, they nearly destroy Earth, but somehow fail to do so. It’s clever and surprisingly funny. AND...JMS finds a clever way to bring the 70s-based Inferior Five to 2010. Of course, they’ve probably been retconned out of existence courtesy of the new 52 Universe. Ah, well...
58.-59. Legion Of Super-Heroes #1-2 (DC, 2005) ****
Writer: Mark Waid/Artist: Barry Kitson
No. 2 was single-handedly the most enjoyable LoSH issue I’ve read this year...with a great punchline that actually made me smile. I may have to pick up Waid & Kitson’s full run on this particular version of the LoSH.
60. The Brave And The Bold #5 (DC, 2007) ***
Writer: Mark Waid/Artists: George Pérez & Bob Wiacek
Batman meets the LoSH (or a version of them at least). It’s part of some convoluted six-parter. Nice to see a “caveman” like Bats outwit his 31st century foes.
61.-67. The Legion: Foundations (DC, 2004) **½
- originally published in The Legion #25-30 & The Legion Secret Files 3003 (DC, 2003-04)
Superboy (Connor Kent version) and the Legion taking on Darkseid and Darkseid? Kinda okay, nothing special – and totally retconned out of Legion history now, I suspect.
68. Supergirl Annual #2 (DC, 2010) ***
Writer: Sterling Gates/Artists: Matt Camp & Marco Rudy
Supergirl meets a version of the Legion and teams with Brainiac 5 to battle Satan Girl, who’s enslaved Earth. It’s fine.
69. Supergirl And The Legion of Super-Heroes #35 (DC, 2007) **½
Writer: Tony Bedard/Artist: Dennis Calero
I preferred this version when it was more light-hearted. This is all very “grim”.
70.-73. DC Comics Presents Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 (DC, 2011) ***½
- originally published in Legionnaires 79-80 & Legion Of Super-Heroes #122-123 (DC, 1999-2000)
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/Artists: Olivier Coipel & Andy Lanning
Yet another incarnation of the Legion – the version where they renamed everyone to eliminate all the “lads” and “lasses” – but this stand-alone four-parter is kinda cool. Earth gets invaded (again) by an evil called the Blight and most of the Legion are corrupted by evil. It’s up to the young Legionnaires who are left to save them. Mon-El is in the thick of things. A fun lil’ tale...one day I’ll collect this full run of the comic as well.

MOVING ON...

74. Black Dynamite: Slave Island (Ape Entertainment, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Brian Ash/Artist: Jun Lofamia
Righteous!
75. Batman: Gotham Knights #23 (DC, 2002) ** (*** for the Darwyn Cook back-up feature)
Yep, bought his for Darwyn Cooke.
76. Jennifer Blood #4 (Dynamite, 2011) **¾
Writer: Garth Ennis/Artist: Marcos Marz
Rapidly running out of steam, and Marz’s artwork appears to be getting worse. I’ll finish this arc, then probably dump this title.
77. OMAC #1 (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Dan DiDio/Artists: Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish
A promising start to “The New 52!” – I like Giffen’s homage to Jack Kirby’s bombastic art style. Brings back fond memories of his work on The Defenders in the late 70s. I’ll stick with this one for a while.
78. Vescell #1 (Image, 2011) ***
Writer: Enrique Carrion/Artist: John Upchurch
Body-swapping, fairies, detective noir, cyberpunk and big tits. All with a vague European sensibility. The plot doesn’t make much sense but I’m a sucker for well-drawn female arses. I’ll give this another issue.
79. Bug #1 (Marvel, 1997) *
Writer: Todd DeZago/Artists: Derec Aucoin, Rich Faber & Ralph Cabrera
An utterly pointless one-shot that sees the Micronauts’ Bug battle Annihilus through recent history and inadvertently launch the Marvel Universe. Should’ve been fun but I was bored. I also suspect I was the only person who bought this mag.
80. Generation X Underground Special (Marvel, 1998) **½
Writer/artist: Jim Mahfood
A kinda cool idea – doing a B&W zine-style comic to cash in on Marvel’s hot X-super team. Pity I was never a Generation X fan.
81. House Of Mystery #36 (Vertigo, 2011) **½ (all for Darwyn Cooke)
Yep, another comic that I bought purely for Cooke’s art.
82. The Guild: Clara (Dark Horse, 2011) ***½
83. JLA: Earth 2 (DC, 2000) ****
Writer: Grant Morrison/Artist: Frank Quitely
Morrison at his mind-bending best. And Quitely’s art is exquisite, as always. The Crime Syndicate (Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, etc) have never seemed so decadently evil and perverse.
84. La Mano del Destino #1 (Castle & Key, 2011) ***
Writer/artist: J. Gonzo
Not the best wrestling comic out there right now, but a promising start. I’ll keep buying to see where this leads.
85. The Red Wing #3 (Image, 2011) ***
Writer: Jonathan Hickman/Artist: Nick Pitarra
The next issue better blow me away, ‘cos this has been kinda MEH so far.
86. Brilliant #1 (Icon, 2011) **
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/Artist: Mark Bagley
Not really.

My comics reading for August, 2011

2011-09-18T22:56:00.000+10:00

COMICS READING FOR AUGUST: “Fuck Alan Moore”

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE

***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta

**** From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?

*** League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the first two series), Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong

** Promethea

* LoEG: Century: 1969

DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1. League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1969 (Top Shelf, 2011) *

Writer: Alan Moore/Artist: Kevin O’Neill

Listen to Kirby Your Enthusiasm (http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-14-comics-creating-controversy) for my thoughts on this latest turd shat out by Mr Moore.

2.-11. Final Crisis TPB (DC,2009) ***

- originally published in Final Crisis #1-7, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1-2, Final Crisis: Submit #1 (2008-09)

Writer: Grant Morrison/Artists: JG Jones and many others

12. Just Imagine Stan Lee’s Catwoman (DC, 2002) * (all for Darwyn Cooke)

Writer: Stan Lee/Artists: Chris Bachalo & Richard Friend/Back cover art: Adam Hughes

Just imagine...Catwoman would look like Black Widow and have a personal life that’s part Millie The Model and part Peter Parker. In other words...lame. At least the back-up (writer: Michael Uslan/artists: Darwyn Cooke & Mike Allred) is passable.

13.-20. Marvel: 1602 (Marvel, 2005) ***½

- originally published in Marvel: 1602 #1-8 (Marvel, 2005)

Writer: Neil Gaiman/Artists: Andy Kubert & Richard Isanove/Cover art: Scott McKowen

A really interesting idea, even if it features the bloody X-Men. But at least there’s no Wolverine stinking up the yarn.

21. Batman: Arkham Asylum (DC, 1989) ***½

Writer: Grant Morrison/Artist: Dave McKean

Weird.

22.-26. Fables: Legends In Exile (Vertigo, 2002) ****

Writer: Bill Willingham/Artists: Lan Medina, Steve Leialoha & Craig Hamilton/Cover art: James Jean, Alex Maleev

- originally published in Fables #1-5 (Vertigo, 2002)

Only just got into this series, but I really dug the idea of the characters from fables – the Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, Little Boy Blue, Old King Cole, etc – living in exile in New York City. The plot in this first arc was a bit convoluted, but didn’t detract from the overall story. I dug this very much and will track down more trades soon.

27. Fables #75 (Vertigo, 2008) ****

Writer: Bill Willingham/Artist: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy & more

28. Fables #100 (Vertigo, 2011) ****¼

Writer: Bill Willingham/Artist: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy & more

I picked up all the Fables titles at Elizabeth’s Books for about $12 in total. So it was nice to read the series’ beginnings plus two later pivotal episodes in the series. I just dug the hell out of Fables.

29. Blandman (Eclipse, 1992) DUD

Writer: Fred Schiller/Artists: Bill Maus & Bob Hanon

How the mighty had fallen – in the mid-80s, Eclipse produced groundbreaking titles like Miracleman. By 1992, they were vomiting out shitty Vertigo parodies like this. Godawful in-jokes (and not funny ones either). Horrible in every way.

30.-34. Anna Mercury (Avatar, 2008) ***¼

Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist: Facundo Pecio

Rollicking sci-fi adventure yarn featuring a beautiful heroine. Your usual entertaining stuff from Mr Ellis.

35. Anna Mercury Artbook (Avatar, 2009) ***

Artists: various

Good-girl art done good.

36. Comeback Kings #1 (Ardden, 2011) ***

Writers: Mat Sullivn & Gabe Guarente/Artist: Ethan Young

This idea is pretty dumb – “dead” icons Tupac Shakur, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Andy Kaufman and Bruce Lee are actually an elite team of super-spies – but it’s written with such joie de vivre, and the art is more than competent, so I actually got a buzz reading it. I really hope there’s a second ish.

37. Lady Mechanika #2 (Aspen, 2011) ***¼

Writer/artist: Joe Benitez

I love steampunk.

38. Desolation Jones #1 (Wildstorm, 2005) ****

Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist: JH Williams III

An unexpected treat. This short-lived indie series reminds me of Hellblazer, but it’s got its own style as well. Jones is kinda like a private detective for the ex-spy community exiled to LA. We meet him as he’s trying to recover some missing porn films starring Adolph Hitler. If this series maintains the quality of the first issue, I can’t wait to read the other seven.

39. City Of Silence #3 (Image, 2000) *

Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist: Gary Erskine

You can’t hit home runs every time. This final ish in a three-part series is just really lame cyber-punk. Pffft.

40. Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Dark Horse, 2010) ***¼

Writer: Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden/Artist: Ben Stenbeck

41. Art & Story #1 (James D. Denney, 1976) **

High-quality fanzine that I picked up for a buck at Elizabeth’s in Sydney. Columns by CC Beck and Nicola Cuti (on E-Man years before he revived the title for First Comic)

42. Pacific Presents #1 (Pacific, 1982) ***½

Writer/artist: Dave Stevens (The Rocketeer)

Writer/artist: Steve Ditko (The Missing Man)

Dave Stevens AND Steve Ditko lunacy? That’s frigging awesome!

43. Calvario Hills #1 (Fantagraphics, 2007) **¾

Writer/artist: Marti

Very high quality weirdness. The racism was unsettling. As was the surrealism. A little bit Hernandez Bros. in nature. Just weird.

44.-46. The Rampaging Hulk #5, #6, #8 (Marvel, 1977-78) ***

Writers: various/Artists: various

My fave Hulk series ever. Fuck Marvel for retconning it out of existence. And each mag only cost me a buck from Elizabeth’s. Bargain!

47. Marvel Vault: The Defenders (Marvel, 2011) **½

Writers: Kurt Busiek & Fabaian Nicieza/Artists Marg Bagley & Andrew Hennessy

48. The Tattered Man (Image, 2011) **¾

Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray/Artist: Norberto Fernandez

Fuck – ANOTHER Holocaust revenge yarn? When was WW2 again? Isn’t it time we moved on? Sheeeesh.

49. Marvel Vault: The Incredible Hulk And The Human Torch (Marvel, 2011) **

Writers: Jack C. Harris & Karl Kesel/Artists: Steve Ditko & Karl Kesel

50. The Red Wing #2 (Image, 2011) ***¾

Story: Jonathan Hickman/Artist: Nick Pitarra

Aha! The plot thickens...

51. DC Comics Presents: The Metal Men 100-Page Spectacular (DC, 2011) ****

Writers: Keith Giffen & JM DeMatteis/Artists: Kevin Maguire & Mark Farmer

I’m loving these DC reprints – and this one has been my fave so far.

52. Teen Titans Lost Annual #1 (DC, 2008) ***½

Writer: Bob Haney/Artists: Jay Stephens & Mike Allred

Just a fun, dumb, 60s-tribute comic. Beatle-esque aliens, John F. Kennedy being kidnapped to another world, classic Teen Titans action. This one’s a lotta fun.

53. RetroActive 1970s: Wonder Woman (DC, 2011) **½

Writer: Dennis O’Neil/Artist: J. Bone

54. Batman: Gotham Adventures #33 (DC, 2001) **¾

Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artists: Brad Rader & John Lowe

55. Tides Of Hope (Supanova Publication, 2011) ***

Writers/artists: various

Some nice contributions for a good cause.

56. 50 Girls 50 #1 (Image, 2011) *

Writers: Doug Murray & Frank Cho/Artist: Axel Medellin

If I’m gonna fork out dough for a good-girl comic, I want Frank Cho doing the ART, not the friggin’ WRITING. Lame.

57. Lorna: Relic Wrangler #1 (Image, 2011) **

Writer: Micah S. Harris/Artists: various

A Lara Croft/Raiders Of The Lost Ark/Buffy mash-up that could’ve been so much better. The Darwyn Cooke cover is the best thing about this one-shot.

58. Hero Comcis 2011 (IDW, 2011) ***

Writers/artists: various

It’s for a good cause. The creepy tale by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg is the clear highlight of the issue.

59. Moon Girl #1 (Red 5 Comics, 2011) ***

Writers: Tony Trov & Johnny Zito/Artist: The Rahzzah

Everyone working on this 50s-retro superhero comic have names like they’re extras on The Sopranos.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 14: Comics creating controversy

2011-08-16T22:58:00.000+10:00

IN WHICH I talk at length about the controversy surrounding Robert Crumb's late withdrawal from the Graphic Festival in Sydney, Australia. Who's really to blame here?
Also I review League Of Extraordinary Gentlement: Century: 1969 and suggest that Alan Moore should visit a shrink rather than subject readers to his expensive psycho-sexual problems.
Running time: 29min30sec.
http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-14-comics-creating-controversy

COMICS READING FOR JULY: “It’s oh so random...and I didn't make 50!"

2011-08-02T20:27:00.000+10:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *
HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
****     From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
***        League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
**           Promethea
*             WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower)     anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1. Weird Western Tales #24 (DC, 1974) **

Writers: Michael Fleischer & Russell Carley/Artist: Noly Panaligan
THIS is your typical Jonah Hex yarn, neither good nor bad. Just kinda there. A blind Hex and a Shakespeare-spouting actor ride through the desert while keeping one step ahead of a murderous pair of brothers intent on avenging their other brother’s death at Hex’s hand. Filipino Noly is quite the revelation – never seen his stuff before and it’s not too shabby.

2.-7. Transmetropolitan: Lust For Life (Vertigo, 2009) ****

- originally published in Transmetropolitan #7-12 (Vertigo, 1998)
Writer: Warren Ellis/Penciller: Darick Robertson/Inker: Rodney Ramos
I don’t understand a third of what Ellis is banging on about in this gonzo cyber-punk thriller, but this second volume fucking rocks! Spider Jerusalem is the Hunter S. Thompson of the 21st century!

8. Salt Water Taffy: The Legend Of Old Salty (Oni Press, 2008) ***½

Writer/Artist: Matthew Loux
Good all-ages fun. Beautiful art and deliriously surreal.

9. Astronauts In Trouble: One Shot, One Beer (AIT/Planet LAR, 2000) **

Writer: Larry Young/Art: Charlie Adlard
Picked this up cheap ‘cos I thought it’d be a funny one-shot about a pub that’s on the moon. Turns out it was part of an ongoing series of books with some big-arsed convoluted storyline that I couldn’t follow for shit. Adlard’s art may be bad now, but at least he’s consistent – he was equally bad 11 years ago. All his characters look the same, even the chicks. Young’s writing showed promise – whatever became of the guy, I wonder?

10. Godzilla: Kingdom Of Monsers #2 (IDW, 2011) **½

Writers: Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh/Pencils: Phil Hester/Inks: Bruce McCorkindale
I love Hester’s art but I’ve never been a fan of the Japanese monsters. That said, Powell’s yarn is fine for what is.

11. Fear Itself: Prologue: Book Of The Skull (Marvel, 2011) ***

Writer: Ed Brubaker/Penciller: Scot Eaton/Inker: Mark Morales
12.-13. Fear Itself #1, #3 (Marvel, 2011) ***
Writer: Matt Fraction/Artist: Stuart Immonen
14. Fear Itself: The Deep #1 (Marvel, 2011) ***¼
Writer: Cullen Bunn/Pencils: Lee Garbett/Inks: David Meikis
15. Fear Itself: Deadpool #1 (Marvel, 2011) ***½
Writer: Christopher Hastings/Pencils: Bong Dazo/Inks: Joe Pimentel
The Fear Itself “Marvel event” is actually quite promising from what I’ve read so far (thanks for the lend, Dubbs). Sure, I’ll never PAY for any of these comics, but I’ll happily read them for free. Of what I’ve seen, the main storyline is suitably epic and destructive. The Deep is cool ‘cos it’s reuniting The Defenders (sorta) and Deadpool treats the whole storyline with the disrespect it deserves and, hence, is the best series of the lot. And what's not to love about an artist who calls himself "Bong Dazo"?

16. Image Firsts: Dynamo 5 #1 (Image, 2011) **

- originally published in 2007
Story: Jay Faerber/Artist: Mahmud A. Asrar
Kinda dull.

17. The Guild: Bladezz (Dark Horse, 2011) ***¼

Story: Felicia Day & Sean Becker/Artist: Andrew Currie
Fun little read with great art by Currie. Probably the best of The Guild one-shots so far.

18.-23. Villains United TPB (DC, 2005) ***½

- originally published in Villains United #1-6 (2005)
Writer: Gail Simone/Pencillers: Dale Eaglesham & Val Semeiks/Inkers: Wade Von Grawbadger & Prentis Rollins
24.-29. Secret Six TPB (DC, 2007) ***¾
- originally published in Secret Six #1-6 (2006-07)
Writer: Gail Simone/Penciller: Brad Walker/Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
30.-36. Secret Six TPB (DC, 2009) ***½
- originally published in Secret Six (regular series) #1-7 (2008-09)
Writer: Gail Simone/Penciller: Nicola Scott/Inker: Doug Hazlewood/extra inks: Rodney Ramos/extra art: Pete Woods, Javi Pina
Listen to episode 13 of Kirby Your Enthusiasm podcast to hear my thoughts on these three trades.

37. The Red Wing #1 (Image, 2011) ***½

Writer: Jonathan Hickman/Artist: Nick Pitarra

38. The Abnormals Special #1 (self-published, 2010?) ***½
Writer/artist: Grant Springford

39. Rodd Racer (Image, 2011) ***¾

Writer/artist: Toby Cypress
At the end of this one-shot, Toby thanks a bunch of people, but there’s one glaring omission: Ashley Wood. Cypress owes a lot of his artistic style to the Aussie artist, so I think Mr Cypress owes Mr Wood an apology for the oversight. Anyways, this comic’s about Rodd Racer, a down-on-his-luck racing car driver in some kinda alternative 1936 Earth who’s trying to win one last road race so he can pay back the money he owes to a Yakuza scumbag. Trouble is, the villain wants Rodd to lose the race (and preferably not finish it in a terminal fashion). I really don’t know what to make of this book: a part of me loves the living fuck out of it. And a part of me found the spelling typos and “Look at me, I’m so fucking hip” attitude of this book extremely annoying. In the end, the former overpowered the latter. This is a great “arty” graphic novel. There. I’ve said it.

REVIEW: The Abnormals Special #1

2011-07-31T19:37:00.002+10:00

THEY'RE a team of superheroes, but they’re not nice guys...they’re the Abnormals. The first issue sees a creepy assortment of robots, demons and even scarier critters overcome some malevolent ghosts in London’s underground. It’s a portent of evil things to come. Nice artwork and some interesting characterisations by writer/artist: Grant Springford (the man behind another great independent comic I liked, Pest Control).

Anyways, this is a nice start to a promising new series. Check out Grant’s work at www.theabnormals.co.uk.

Bad timing

2011-07-31T12:17:00.001+10:00

I enjoyed the first issue of The Red Wing (Image) - written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Nick Pitarra - about fighter pilots waging a war in time.

It's an interesting concept - pity I read the comic AFTER I read this article that says scientists have proven that time travel is impossible.

Dammit.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 13: "The Dirty Writer"

2011-07-30T20:07:00.000+10:00

A RAMBLING discourse this time round. Firstly, I plug the shit out of a bunch of podcasts and websites:
* Mike Pindell's Comic Book Attic (http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/)
* Derek Coward's Comic Book Noise (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/), AND
* Harry Cee's The Next Issue (http://thenextissue.podomatic.com/)

Also, The Next Issue has its own Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/167476376654249/?ap=1. So does this blog at http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/251545944859184/?ap=1.

And a final few plugs to:
* Lone Star Comics (http://www.mycomicshop.com/), AND
* Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/).

I think that's the lot. :)

Next, I rave about sci-fi authors, including Philip Jose Farmer and his intriguing Riverworld and Wold Newton family concepts. Finally, I review the first three TPBs of Gail Simone's Secret Six. Flawed but fun reading.

Running time: 46 minutes

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-13-the-dirty-writer-

Please email me with your thoughts at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com or contact me on the KYE Facebook group page.

I love Adrienne Curry

2011-07-26T22:52:00.000+10:00

THE story of the Queen of Twitter getting booted out of a comics convention due to her too-revealing Aeon Flux outfit is here.

SVK (a review by Michael Hier)

2011-07-24T14:40:00.001+10:00

SVK by Warren Ellis and D'Israeli.
Published by design studio Berg
www.getsvk.com

"Thomas Woodwind. A man of six feet or so, quite lean, with a good Patrick Stewart-ish skull fuzzed with very short pale hair. Paranoid eyes. Tending to very long black coats, with poacher’s pockets sewn on the inside.. A bluetooth earpiece cupping each ear. Black gloves – no fingerprints, reduction of epithelials."

What sets this noir-ish detective type caper (Ellis describes it as “Franz Kafka’s Bourne Identity”) apart from a normal comic is of course the invisible ink elements and the accompanying SVK torch which allows the reader to view these extra elements. The thing that makes this more than just a gimmick is the very clever way in which this feature is woven directly into the narrative, to say more is too much of a spoiler for anyone who does get their hands on one of these.

The writing is typical Ellis, smart and darkly humorous, the artwork by D'Israeli is clean, crisp and simple printed in black and blue tones and also elements in the invisible ink. Set in a slightly futuristic London this experimental publication can be read on it's own and is a good read as such but when read through with the additional elements revealed by the torch (a slightly larger than credit card sized bit of kit) it takes on a whole new level.

In addition to the main story there is a foreword by William Gibson and short essays by futurist Jamais Cascio and comics expert Paul Gravett, the latter of which I found very interesting.

At £10 plus postage and handling it is not for those with just a passing interest but if you are a fan of Ellis' work and/or want to see something outside the usual scope of comics it is worth getting on the mailing list for the second print run (the first having sold out very quickly indeed. The cost reflects that this is not just a comic but a comic and an object published and distributed in a non-traditional manner, you won't find this in your local comic emporium any time soon.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 12: "Put heading here"

2011-07-09T00:23:00.004+10:00

IN WHICH I get my days confused (I recorded this on a Friday, not a Saturday) and give a shout-out to various cool comics podcasts I listen to:

The Comic Book Attic (http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/)

Comic Book Noise (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/)

Chronic Insomnia (http://chronicinsomnia.podbean.com/)

And another great resource is The Comics Podcasts Network (http://www.comicspodcasts.com/).

I wrap up this podcast with a tale about my most recent haul from the fantastic Elizabeth's Bookshop in Pitt Street, Sydney. Learn more about this second-hand bookstore at http://www.elizabethsbookshop.com.au/.

If you want to tell me about some other comics podcasts I might like, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.

Running time: 25 min.

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-12-put-heading-here-

COMICS READING FOR JUNE: “If it’s June it must be Brubaker”

2011-07-04T22:38:00.000+10:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
*****    Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
****       From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
***         League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
**           Promethea
*              WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower)     anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1.-12. Sleeper Season One (Wildstorm, 2009) ***¾

- originally published in Sleeper #1-12 (2003-04)
Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artist: Sean Phillips
Goddamn, this was good! Not great – it lost momentum in the middle issues, but a pretty good noir tale (even if it does feature superheroes). If you like Ed's Criminal series, then this is a worthwhile read as well.

13. Secret Avengers #12 (Marvel, 2011) ***

Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artists: Will Conrad & Mike Deodato
A strangely unsatisfying ending to Brubaker’s run (which he’d kicked into high gear with the Max Fury/Shang-Chi storyline. Mysterious immortal hero-turned-villain John Steele was also a nice addition, but his “origin” in #11-12 lacked oomph. I hope Warren Ellis has more fun with him when he starts his run on this title in a few issues.

14.-19. Incognito #1-6 (Icon, 2008-09) ****

Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artist: Sean Phillips
20.-24. Incognito: Bad Influences #1-5 (Icon, 2010-11) ***¼
Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artist: Sean Phillips
While I loved, loved, LOVED the first miniseries (the idea of a vicious supercrim forced into witness protection and having to spend his life with “normals” was a cool concept), the second miniseries fell flat. Ed stated he didn’t know where Bad Influences was heading – he wrote it on the fly as an experiment in writing...and it shows. I’m sure there’ll be a third instalment, but I’m a bit worried it’s just gonna wind up as a nastier rehash of Daredevil vs Kingpin in prison from a few years back. I guess we’ll find out.

25.-48. Daredevil by Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark Omnibus Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2009) ***¾

- originally published in Daredevil #82-105 (Marvel, 2006-09)
Starts out strong with the “Daredevil in prison” storyline. Foggy Nelson dies? Holy fuck! That blew me away – pity it was a big work. But the series went downhill for a bit with the “Daredevil in Europe storyline, but it all kicked back into top gear for the “Daredevil vs Mr Fear” arc and ended with an absolutely gut-wrenching final couple of issues. Great stuff.

49. Captain America #600 (Marvel, 2009) ***¾

Writers: Ed Brubaker & friends/Artists: Butch Guice & friends
Steve’s alive? Hooray! Nice back-up tales, too and the 1940s-era reprint is one I haven’t read before. Good stuff.

50.-55. Captain America: Reborn (Marvel, 2010) **¾

- originally published in Captain America: Reborn #1-6 (Marvel, 2009-10)
Writer: Ed Brubaker/Artists: Bryan Hitch & Butch Guice
Strangely disappointing. While it was nice to see Steve Rogers return, Ed did it in a pretty lame way. And I still don’t quite get why the Red Skull wanted to send Rogers back in time. Why not just kill the fucker stone fucking dead? And the end sequence of the two Captain Americas fighting a giant Red Skull was just ridiculous. Still, I liked that Skull’s daughter, Sin, now looks like him courtesy of a nasty explosion.
56.-73. Daredevil by Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark & Stefano Gaudiano Omnibus Vol. 2 (Marvel, 2010) ***¾
- originally published in Daredevil #105-119, #500, Annual #1 and Daredevil: Blood Of The Tarantula (Marvel, 2008-10)
Daredevil’s wife is insane, but shit just keeps getting worse for Daredevil in Brubaker’s second half of his legendary run. Lady Bullseye (which could have been a stupid Bullseye rip-off, but kinda works), Black Tarantula, Dakota North and the return of The Owl AND The Kingpin. This is a fitting conclusion to the series and the final issue’s denouement is a shocker. All in all, after reading this 100+ issue run by Bendis and Brubaker I have to say, Daredevil is the LAST guy I’d have as a friend, relative or lover. You’re just gonna wind up dead, insane or mind-fucked.

OTHER STUFF:

74.-79. Daredevil: Father (Marvel, 2006) ***
- originally published in Daredevil: Father (2004-06)
Writer: Joe Quesada/Artists: Joe Quesada, Danny Miki & Richard Isanove
It’s nice that Joe dedicated this book to his dad, but y’think his old man would’ve been happier with a tale less clichéd and derivative? What you have is another tired serial killer yarn while Joe does his best to ape Frank Miller (covers, certain splash pages) and Rob Liefeld. The wacky new Latino supergroup, The Santerians, thrown into the mix are kinda interesting, but the rest of the tale is meh. Only read this if you score it cheap (or, like me, it’s a lender from a friend. Thanks, Matt!).

80. THB #4 (Horse Comics, 1995) **½
Story/art: Paul Pope
This was a nice rare find from Elizabeth’s Bookshop in Pitt St, Sydney. I adore Pope’s artwork, but goddamn! He’s a pretentious motherfucker.

More of the great, late Gene Colan's artwork

2011-06-24T17:03:00.000+10:00

BLADE

RIP Gene Colan (1926-2011)

2011-06-24T16:57:00.000+10:00

If you're wondering why I'm buying so many comics right now...

2011-06-21T16:14:00.000+10:00

...blame it on British mag COMIC HEROES (http://www.comicheroesmagazine.com/).

The bimonthly publication has turned me onto some great comics, TPBs and graphic novels that I'd not given much thought to until I read the thoughtful, well-written reviews or articles. Luther Arkwright, Grant Morrison's New X-Men, Nemesis The Warlock, Hush, etc etc. The list goes on. My wallet may not thank you, Comic Heroes, but I do.

Blair Butler is awesome (part 1)

2011-06-21T16:09:00.003+10:00

Blair Butler is awesome (part 2)

2011-06-21T16:09:00.000+10:00

As if Alan Moore wasn't already a disturbing-looking individual...

2011-06-21T16:05:00.000+10:00

HERE'S Frank Quitely's portrait of the man.

COMICS READING FOR MAY: “Bend it like Bendis”

2011-06-20T20:46:00.000+10:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
**** From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
*** League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
** Promethea
* WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1.-34. Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis Omnibus Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2008) ****½
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/Art: Alex Maleev & David Mack (plus a few cameos in #50)
- originally published as Daredevil #16-19, #26-50 & #56-60 (Marvel, 2001-04)
Holy crap! When Bendis is on, he’s ON! This is the best superhero yarn I’ve read in some time. More crime noir and character study than a tale of a blind guy who dresses up in a homemade devil suit.
Extra for May 2011 reading
35.-59. Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis Omnibus Vol. 2 (Marvel, 2009) ****½
- originally published in Daredevil #61-81, What If Karen Page Had Lived? and Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #6-8 (2001, 2004-06)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/Artists: Alex maleeve, Michael Lark, Bill Sienkiewicz and friends
Simply stunning storytelling with a ball-tearing ending. Every story arc is fantastic but “Decalogue” (#71-75) may be the most unnerving multi-part tale I’ve read in a long time.
60.-64. Jinx by Brian Michael Bendis (Icon, 2011) ***
- originally published in Jinx 1-5 (Image, 1997)
Obviously, Bendis has improved greatly since this crime noir series was first published. Painfully awkward “natural” conversations (heavily influenced by Pulp Fiction) and photo-referenced art that’s more annoying than clever. Still, this hardcover was so affordable and so stylishly presented that I had to have it. Not too bad, even if the story of a bounty hunter, her criminal boyfriend and his loser partner chasing after $3 million is as old as the hills.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
65. FCBD: Pep Comics featuring Betty & Veronica (Archie, 2011) *½
Writer: Dan Parent/Artists: Dan Parent & Jim Amash
Archie is Archie. How do these comics still keep going after all these years? Bland art, obnoxious “messages”, lame jokes. Sheeeeesh. Seriously, who buys this crap? Oh well, at least I can now say this is the first official comic I’ve given to my 4yo daughter Jones. I think she’ll enjoy the puzzle pages if nothing else.
66. FCBD: The Mis-Adventures Of Adam West (Bluewater, 2011) DUD
Writer: Russell Dauterman/Art: Reed Lackey
67. FCBD: Worlds Of Aspen 2011 (Aspen, 2011) ** (all for Lady Mechanica story)
Writers: various/Artists: various
68. FCBD: Loose Ends/ICE (12-Gauge, 2011) *** (for Loose Ends)/* (for ICE)
Writer: Doug Wagner/Artist: Jose Holder (ICE)
Writer: Jason Latour/Artist: Chris Brunner (Loose Ends)
69. FCBD: Silver Scorpion (Liquid Comics, 2011) ½*
Writers: a bunch of people (which explains a lot)/Artists: Mukesh Singh & Liquid Comics
Good intentions are fine – promoting disabled rights, while fostering better relations between the folk of Syria and the USA – but this is basically a rip-off of Stan Lee’s Soldier Zero (published by Boom Studios). And it’s crap. So...um, fail.
70. FCBD: The Dark Crystal/Mouse Guard (Archaia, 2011) ****
Writer/artist: David Petersen (Mouse Guard)
Overmind: Brian Froud/Writer: Brian Holguin/Art: Alex Sheikman & Lizzy John
71. FCBD: Captain America & Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers (Marvel, 2011) ****
Writer: Roger Langridge/Artist: Chris Samnee
Just a gorgeous team-up tale from the duo who brought us the greatly missed Thor series from last year. I suspect this is an unpublished tale that may have appeared in one of those issues if the series hadn’t been brutally cancelled. Either way it’s fab. The back-up tale is an excerpt from The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (writer: Christopher Yost/artists: Scott Wegener & Patrick Scherberger). Good stuff.
72. FCBD: The Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel, 2011) ***½
Writer: Dan Slott/Artist: Humberto Ramos
Plus a Fear Itself preview
73. FCBD: Baltimore/Criminal Macabre (Dark Horse, 2011) ***½
Writer: Steve Niles/Artist: Christopher Mitten (Criminal Macabre)
Writers: Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden/Artists: Mike Mignola (cover); Ben Senbeck (interior) (Baltimore)
74. FCBD: Young Justice/Batman: The Brave And The Bold (DC, 2011) ***¼
Writers: Art Baltazar & Franco/Artist: Mike Norton (Young Justice)
Writer: Sholly Fisch/Artist: Rick Burchett (B:TBATB)
75. FCBD: Rated Free For Everyone! (Oni Press, 2011) ***
Writer: Joshua Williamson/Artist: Vinny Navarrete (Sketch Monsters)
Writer: J. Torres/Artist: Dean Trippe (Power Lunch)
76. FCBD: Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse (Fantagraphics Books, 2011) ****¼
Writer/Artist: Floyd Gottfredson
77. FCBD: Green Lantern Special Edition (DC, 2011) **
Writer: Geoff Johns/Artist: Ivan Reis
Green Lantern is boring...there, I’ve said it. And the Flashpoint preview by Johns and Andy Kubert is yet another crappy “universe-changing” multi-title crossover series that will ultimately change nothing.
78. FCBD: Super Dinosaur #1 (Image, 2011) ***
Writer: Robert Kirkman/Artist: Jason Howard
79. FCBD: The Tick (NECP, 2011) ***¼
Concept: Ben Edlund/Writer: Benito Cereno/Artist: Les McClaine
80. FCBD: Top Shelf Kids Club (Top Shelf, 2011) ***
Writers/Artists: various
81. FCBD: Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2011 (Bongo Comics, 2011) ***
Writers/Artists: various
82. FCBD: Kizoic Presents (Ape Entertainment/Kizoic) **½
Writer: Jason M. Burns/Artist: Aurelio…or is it Dario? Mazzaro (Kung Fu Panda)
Writer: Quinn Johnson/Artist: Chris Houghton (Kung Fu Panda)
Writer: Jason M. Burns/Artists: Weldon Adams (cover); Tina Francisco (interior) (Richie Rich)
83. FCBD: Sonic The Hedgehog (Archie, 2011) **
Writer: Ian Flynn/Artists: Steven Butler & Rick Bryant
A mega-successful, long-running series with a rich back story and a detailed universe full of quirky characters. But...it’s based on a stupid video game and stars a hedgehog in sneakers. I mean, WHY bother?
84. FCBD: Geronimo Stilton/The Smurfs (Papercutz, 2011) *
Writers/artists: a fucking army (Geronimo Stilton)
Writer/Artist: Peyo (The Smurfs)
Classic anthropomorphic action from Italy, followed by classic blue-elfed fun from Belgium. If only it wasn’t so shit.
85. FCBD: Inspector Gadget (Viper Comics, 2011) *
Writer: Dale Mettam/Artist: Jose Coba (Inspector Gadget)
Writer: Dale Mettam/Artist: Ivan Escalante (Johnny Test)
Is there a bunch of unemployed Mexican artists so desperate for work they wind up being hired for pesos to work on crap like this? I suspect so.
86. FCBD: 2000AD (Rebellion, 2011) ****
Writers/Artists: various
87. FCBD: Magic: The Gathering; Path Of The Planeswalker II (Magic, 2011) **½
Writer/artists: a lot
I’m not a fan of the game, but this fantasy tale is passable and the art is quite nice.
88: FCBD: Spontaneous #1 (Oni Press, 2011) ***½
Writer: Joe Harris/Artist: Brett Weldele
Intriguing tale about a driven young man and an ambitious female journo trying to solve the mystery surrounding some cases of spontaneous combustion. I liked the Ben Templesmith-style artwork, too.
89. FCBD: John Stanley’s Summer Fun (Drawn & Quarterly, 2011) ***
90. FCBD: Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Avatar: The Last Airbender (Dark Horse, 2011) **¾
Writer: Ryder Windham/Art: Ben Dewey & Dan Parsons (Star Wars)
Writer: J. Torres/Art: Gurihiru (interior); Bryan Konietzko, Hye Jung Kim & Bryan Evans (cover) (Airbender)
91. FCBD: Darkwing Duck/Chip’n’Dale Rescue Rangers (kaboom!, 2011) ***¼ (Darkwing Duck)/*¼ (Chip’n’Dale)
Writer: Ian Brill/Art: James Silvani (Darkwing Duck)
Writer: Ian Brill/Art: Leonel Castellani (Chip’n’Dale)
92: FCBD: Future Shock (Image, 2011) **
Writers/Art: various
A bunch of dissatisfying four-page vignettes for some of Image’s top series including Godland, Fear Agent, Noble Causes, etc. None of them grabbed my attention or made me want to read these series.
93: FCBD: Jake The Dreaming (Radical Books, 2011) ***
Writers: Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin/Art: Andrew Jones
Ho-hum teenage fantasy fiction accompanied by some stunning colour art spreads. Awesome paintings by Jones, but the story didn’t grab me at all.
94. FCBD: Atomic Robo (Red 5 Comics, 2011) *** (except *½ for Foster Broussard)
Writer: Brian Clevinger/Art: Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo)
Creator: Trevor Pryce/Writer: David Ziebart/Art: Dan Glasl & Ambert Gant (Foster Broussard)
Writers: Tony Trov & Johnny Zito/Art: The Rahzzah (Moon Girl)
95. FCBD: Locke & Key (IDW, 2011) ***¾
Writer: Joe Hill/Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
I really liked this tale – to the point that I’m gonna buy the first TPB now.
96. FCBD: The Stuff Of Legend/The Intrepid Escape Goat (Th3rd World Studios, 2011) ***¼
Writer/Artist: Brian Smith (Escape Goat)
Writers: Mike Raicht & Brian Smith/Art; Charles Paul Wilson III (The Stuff Of Legend)
97. FCBD: The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comics (Gemstone Publishing, 2011) *
Writers/Artists: various
The point of Free Comic Book Day is to encourage new readers (especially kids) to pick up comics. So what’s the point of putting out a comic that encourages the hoarding, bag’n’board adult wankers who’ve ruined much of the comic book biz in the past 30 years? Way to go, Gemstone. Grind the love the of comics out of these kids by telling them that it’s all about buying and selling collections just for an extra few bucks. Pathetic.
98. FCBD: Civil War Adventure (History Graphics Press, 2011) ***
Writers/Artists: various
99. FCBD: Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Predators/Top 10 Deadliest Sharks (The Discovery Channel, 2011) **
Writers/Artists: various
100. FCBD: Michael Moorcock’s Elric: The Balance Lost (Boom!, 2011) **½
Writer: Chris Roberson/Artist: Francesco Biagini
101. FCBD: Witch & Wizard (Yen Press, 2011) **¾
Writers: James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet/Artist: Svetlana Chmakova
As faux manga goes, this book adaptation is pretty enjoyable – I guess the solid writing by Patterson explains that.

OTHER TITLES
102. The Boys #54 (Dynamite, 2011) ***½
Writer: Garth Ennis/Artists: John McCrea & Darick Robertson
103. FAME: Lady Gaga #2 (Bluewater Comics, 2011) DUD
Writers: CW Cooke & PR McCormack/Artists: Michal Szyksznian (cover B); Dan Glasl (interior)
Whereas the first issue was a surprisingly inventive tale about a long-time music critic becoming a die-hard Gaga fan, the second ish is a strictly by-the-numbers bio-comic. No new info, pedestrian photo-referenced art and some of the worst writing I’ve come across in mainstream comics. Repetitive, dull – how this crap took TWO writers to churn out remains a mystery to me. At least the cover’s kinda cool.
104. R.P.M. #4 (12-Gauge, 2011) *
Writers: Mick Foley & Shane Riches/Artists: Brian Stelfreeze (cover); Jose Holder (interior)
Mick can go back to his day job now. Thank fuck.
105. Suicide Girls #1 (IDW, 2011) *½
Writers: Steve Niles, Missy Suicide & Brea Grant/Artists: David Hahn & Cameron Stewart
Seriously, if IDW asked Steve Niles to write a miniseries about a bucket of shit and waved lots of dollar bills under his wet nose, the guy would start banging out a script. Does he have no shame? Is he the Bendis of the indy scene? I just can’t believe it took THREE people to churn out this dull, been-there-done-that tale of “right-on” fabulous femmes, tattooed and packing heat, espousing individual freedom and feminist rights while showing off their tits and arse in skimpy outfits. It’s insane, it’s hypocritical, it’s dumb. But at least the good-girl art is hot and the nudie illos by Stewart at the end of the mag make the SuicideGirls skanks look half-way fuckable. Oh yeah…I’ll buy the second issue (I have no shame either).
106. Origins Of Siege (Marvel, 2010) **¾
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/Artists: Olivier Coipel & friends
107. Siege: Storming Asgard: Heroes & Villains (Marvel, 2010) **¾
Writers/Artists: various
These two freebies almost made me want to buy the Siege miniseries. Almost.
108. War Of Kings Saga (Marvel, 2009) **½
Writers/Artists: various
No, nice try. But I won’t be buying this miniseries and all the affiliated collected works. Nice recap of a very convoluted back story, though.
109. William Katt Presents Sparks: Limited Preview Ashcan (Catastrophic Comics, 2008) **
Writer: Christopher Folino/Artist: JM Ringuet
110. Tales Designed To Thrizzle #5 (Fantagraphics, 2009) **½
Writer/Artist: Michael Kupperman
This surreal humour comic is not half as clever as Mr Kupperman thinks it is.
111. Sinner Vol. 1 No. 1 (Fantagraphics, 1987)
Creators: Jose Munoz & Carlos Sampayo
Only took me 24 years to get my hands on this comic. It wasn’t worth the wait.
112. Sidekick #4 (free with Comic Heroes #5, 2011) **½
Writers/Artists: various
113. XIII: The Day Of The Black Sun (Cinebook, free with Comic Heroes #5, 2011) **
Writer: Jean Van Hamme/Artist: William Vance
114. Dark Entries: A John Constantine Novel (Vertigo, 2009) ***¼
Writer: Ian Rankin/Artist: Werther Dell’edera
115. Gladstone’s School For World Conquerors #1 (Image, 2011) ****
Writer: Mark A. Smith/Artist: Armand Villavert
116. Doris Danger: Giant Monster Adventures (SLG, 2004) **
Writer/Artist: Chris Wisnia. Inks: Dick Ayers. Posters: Hernandez brothers, Gene Colan, etc.
Pastiche of the old Lee/Kirby monster tales from the late 50s and early 60s. The gag wears thin after a few pages. But the pin-ups by Ramona Fradon, Arthur Adams, etc are kinda cool.
117. Jennifer Blood #3 (Dynamite, 2011) ***
Writer: Garth Ennis/Artists: Adriano Batista & Marcos Marz
Less-than-stellar art is the only thing that mars this MILF-by-day/vigilante-avenger-by-night yarn. Plenty violent stuff – what you expect from Mr Ennis.

PLEASE also check out the excellent podcasts The Comic Book Attic (comicbookattic.libsyn.com) and Comic Book Noise (www.comicbooknoise.com).
And for all your back-issue needs, head to Lone Star Comics at www.mycomicshop.com.
If you have any comments to make on this podcast, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.
And check out my blogs, starting at jackkingkirby.blogspot.com.

This new DC universe reboot is annoying as hell...

2011-06-15T12:02:00.005+10:00

...but I may pick up a few first issues come September after seeing the illos for FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. (above)...

...OMAC (with the nice visual tribute to Jack Kirby's art style)...

...and MR TERRIFIC (even though you KNOW the inside art won't be as great as the cover).

WHILE I'm personally pissed off by the Legion of Super-Heroes getting yet another reboot/threeboot/retcon, I'll probably grab the two LoSH-related titles as well: LoSH (above) and LEGION LOST (below). Grrrrr, fuck you, DC. This is your one and only chance to impress me with this shit. If it's another Marvel Heroes Reborn fiasco, then I am outta here...

My comics reading for April 2011

2011-05-11T19:05:00.003+10:00

I HIT 60 comics last month, virtually all of them on my current standing order. Hooray! Check out the link at:
http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-11-my-comics-reading-for-april-2011-

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 10

2011-05-10T14:22:00.003+10:00

IN WHICH I discuss the huge haul of funnybooks I scored on Free Comic Book Day. Plus a quick shout-out to Elizabeth's Bookshop in Pitt St, Sydney. ENJOY!

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-ep-10-you-scored-how-many-comics-on-free-comic-book-day-

COMICS READING FOR MARCH: “The Epics”

2011-04-04T18:07:00.006+10:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE

***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta

**** From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?

*** League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong

** Promethea

* WildC.A.T.S.

DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1.-12. Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars TPB (Marvel, 2005) *

- first published as Secret Wars #1-12 (1984-85)

Writer: Jim Shooter/Artists: Mike Zeck & Bob Layton & a ton of inkers

13.-25. Squadron Supreme (Marvel, 1997) ***¼

- first published as Squadron Supreme #1-12 & Captain America #314 (1985-86)

Writer: Mark Gruenwald/Artists: Bob Hall, Paul Ryan & others

26.-37. Crisis On Infinite Earths (DC, 2000) **

- originally published as Crisis On Infinite Earths (1985)

Writer: Marv Wolfman/Artists: George Perez, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo & Jerry Ordway

38.-41. Kingdom Come (DC, 1997) ****

- originally published as Kingdom Come #1-4 (1996)

Writer: Mark Waid/Artist: Alex Ross

42.-55. Earth X (Marvel, 2002) **

- first published as Earth X #0, #1-12, #X (1999-2000)

Writers: Alex Ross & Jim Krueger/Artists: John Paul Leon & Bill Reinhold

PLEASE also check out the excellent podcasts The Comic Book Attic (comicbookattic.libsyn.com) and Comic Book Noise (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/).

And for all your back-issue needs, head to Lone Star Comics at http://www.mycomicshop.com/.

If you have any comments to make on this podcast, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.

And check out my blogs, starting at jackkingkirby.blogspot.com.

Running time: 38min

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-9-the-epics-

COMICS READING FOR FEBRUARY: “The British Invasion”

2011-03-07T13:53:00.004+11:00

'1985' by Millar

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-8-the-british-invasion-

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
**** From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
*** Legion Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
** Promethea
* WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1. Grandville Mon Amour by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse, 2011) ****½
2.-7. 1985 (Marvel, 2008) ***¾
Writer: Mark Millar/Artist: Tommy Lee Edwards
8.-49. New X-Men Ultimate Collection #1 (****¼), New X-Men: New Worlds (****), New X-Men: Riot At Xavier’s (**** ½ ), New X-Men: Assault On Weapon Plus (***), New X-Men: Planet X (***¼), New X-Men: Here Comes Tomorrow (*)
- originally published as New X-Men #114-154 & 2001 Annual (Marvel, 2001-04)
Writer: Grant Morrison/Artists: Frank Quitely, Ethan Van Sciver, Leinil Francis Yu, Igor Kordey, Phil Jiminez, Marc Silvestri, etc
50. Marineman #2 by Ian Churchill (Image, 2011) **¼
51.-57. Planetary Vol. 1: All Over The World And Other Stories (originally published in Planetary #1-6 & Planetary Preview (Wildstorm, 1998-99) ***¾
Writer: Warren Ellis/Art: John Cassaday
58. Captain Swing And The Electrical Pirates Of Cindery Island #2 (Avatar, 2010) ***½
Writer: Warren Ellis/Artist: Raulo Caceres
59. Batman Incorporated #2 (DC, 2011) ****
Writer: Grant Morrison/Artists: Yanick Paquette & Michel Lacombe
60.-75. Batman And Robin #1-16 (DC, 2009-11) ****
Writer: Grant Morrison/Artists: Frank Quitely, Cameron Stewart, Frazer Irving, etc
76.-79. Flex Mentallo #1-4 (DC, 1996) **½
Writer: Grant Morrison/Artist: Frank Quitely
80.-84. Adam Strange #2-8 (DC, 2004-05) **¾
Writer: Andy Diggle/Artist: Pascal Ferry
85.-88. Bloodstone #1-4 (Marvel, 2001-02) **½
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/Artists: Michael Lopez & Scott Hanna
89. Animal Man #2 (DC, 1988) ***
Writer: Grant Morrison/Artists: Chas Truog & Doug Hazlewood
90. Power Comics #1 (Eclipse, 1988) *
Writers: Don Avenall & Norman Worker/Artists: Dave Gibbons & Brian Bolland
91.-94. Nemesis #1-4 (Icon, 2010) ***½
Writer: Mark Millar/Artist: Steve McNiven
95.-98. Superior (Icon, 2010-11) ***½
Writer: Mark Millar/Artist: Leinil Yu
99. Zombo: Can I Eat You, Please? (Rebellion, 2010) ***
Writer: Al Ewing/Artist: Henry Flint
100.-104. Knight And Squire #1-5 (DC, 2010-11) ****
Writer: Paul Cornell/Artist: Jimmy Broxton
105.-112. Thor: The Mighty Avenger #1-8 (2010-11) ****
Writer: Roger Langridge/Artist: Chris Samnee
113.-155. The Boys #21-#51, The Boys: Highland Laddie #1-6, The Boys: Herogasm #1-6 (Dynamite, 2008-11) ****
Writer: Garth Ennis/Artists: Russ Braun, Darick Robertson, John McCrea, Keith Burns,

PLEASE also check out the excellent podcasts The Comic Book Attic (comicbookattic.libsyn.com) and Comic Book Noise (http://www.comicbooknoise.com/).
And for all your back-issue needs, head to Lone Star Comics at http://www.mycomicshop.com/.
If you have any comments to make on this podcast, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.
And check out my blogs, starting at jackkingkirby.blogspot.com.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 7

2011-02-07T18:47:00.004+11:00

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-7

IN WHICH I talk about some comics I bought directly from online printer Indy Planet (http://www.indyplanet.com/store/). It wasn’t all smooth sailing though.

So feel free to buy the comics direct from the creators’ own websites:
Anthem #5 (Heroic Publishing, 2009) **¼
http://www.heroicpub.com/
Deep Fried #4 (Death Ray Graphics, 2010) ***¼
http://www.whatisdeepfried.com/
All-Protoplasman Color Cavalcade (Big Bang Comics, 2009) ***
http://www.bigbangcomics.com/
Underground Pop #1 (Underground Pop Productions, 2006) **¼
http://apfurtado.blogspot.com/
Sergeant Zero #1 (Pulp Tone, 2010) **
http://sgtzero.wordpress.com/
Los Luchadores Mysteriosos #1 (Ronin Studios, 2010) ***
http://losluchadoresmysteriosos.blogspot.com/
Spying With Lana: Flashbang: Declassified (Sean Harrington, 2009) ***¾
http://spyingwithlana.com/
Egg #1 (Eric Skillman, 200?) ****
http://www.ericskillman.com/
Mr Jigsaw #1 (Redbud Studio, 2009) ***
http://homepage.mac.com/robmdavis/RedbudStudio/index.html
Native Drums #1 (17 Machine Studios, 2008) ***
http://www.17machinestudios.com/
The Squeeg #1 (The Squeeg Superhero, 2009) **
http://www.thesqueeg.com/

I ALSO briefly – and I do mean BRIEFLY – discuss some great comics I read last month including Martin Eden’s Spandex #1 & #2 (http://spandexcomic.wordpress.com/).

And my goal to read EVERY comic featuring B’wana Beast was completed (he didn’t appear in many titles from his beginning in Showcase presents B’wana Beast! #66-67 (DC, 1967) till his death in Animal Man #50).

Running time: 13min 20sec

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 6

2011-02-06T20:43:00.002+11:00

IN WHICH I discuss my favourite (and not-so-favourite) comics read in 2010.
Running time: approx. 42 minutes

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-6

My comics reading for January, 2011

2011-02-05T00:21:00.002+11:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
**** From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
*** Legion Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
** Promethea
* WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1. Roachmill #1 (Blackthorne, 1986) **¼
2. Arsenic Lullaby: Pulp Edition Omega (Arsenic Lullaby Publishing, 2009) ***¼
3.-7. Anthem #1-5 (Heroic Publishing, 2006-09) **¼
8. Deep Fried #4 (Death Ray Graphics, 2010) ***¼
9. All-Protoplasman Color Cavalcade (Big Bang Comics, 2009) ***
10. Underground Pop #1 (Underground Pop Productions, 2006) **¼
11. Sergeant Zero #1 (Pulp Tone, 2010) **
12. Los Luchadores Mysteriosos #1 (Ronin Studios, 2010) ***
13. Spying With Lana: Flashbang: Declassified (Sean Harrington, 2009) ***¾
14. Egg #1 (Eric Skillman, 200?) ****
15. Mr Jigsaw #1 (Redbud Studio, 2009) ***
16. Native Drums #1 (17 Machine Studios, 2008) ***
17. The Squeeg #1 (The Squeeg Superhero, 2009) **
18.-19. Spandex #1-2 (Martin Eden, 2010) ***½
20.-21. Route Des Maisons Rouges (GG Studio, 2011) **½
Great good-girl art but the story isn’t grabbing at me this stage. Love the Euro-animated/Heavy Metal-style bisexual prostitutes, though.
22. RPM #2 (12-Gauge, 2011) **½
Sorry, Mick Foley, you’ve lost me.
23.-29. Justice League Unlimited TPB: Heroes (DC, 2009) – originally published in JLU #23-29 ***
30.-37. Animal Man #1, #3-4, #13, #47-50 (DC, 1988-92) **** for Grant Morrison’s stuff/*** for Tom Veitch’s stuff
38.-39. DC Challenge! #2-3 (DC, 1985-86) *
40.-41. Showcase presents B’wana Beast! #66-67 (DC, 1967) *
42. Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory Of The DC Universe #3 (DC, 1985) ***
My ongoing campaign to read EVERY comic featuring B’wana Beast comes to an end (he didn’t appear in many titles before his death in Animal Man #50).
43.-44. Avengers Academy #6-7 (Marvel, 2011) ***½
45. The Avengers #6 (Marvel, 2010) **
46. From The Vault: The Pulp Files (Moonstone, 2010) **½
47. The Northern Guard #1 (Moonstone, 2011) **¾
48. Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas (Marvel, 2008) **¾
49.-52. Secret Avengers #6-9 (Marvel, 2010-11) ****
53.-55. Avengers Prime #3-5 (Marvel, 2010-11) **¼
56.-57. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #2-3 (Marvel, 2011) ***¼
58.-59. The New Avengers #5-6 (Marvel, 2010-11) **¾
60.-61. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #2-3 (DC, 2011) ****
62. Honey West #1 (Moonstone, 2010) ***½
63. Transformers: Legacy Of Unicron (Titan Books, 2003) – originally published in Transformers #133-134, #137-138, #146-153 (Marvel Comics UK, 1987-88) *¾
I only bought this confusing, badly drawn shite to see Death’s Head. Everyone involved in this dross went on to much, much, MUCH better things.

AS ALWAYS, I recommend you check out the excellent podcast The Comic Book Attic at http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/

And for all your back-issue needs, head to Lone Star Comics at https://www.mycomicshop.com/

If you have any comments to make on this podcast, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com

Comics-related mags reviewed in this podcast

2011-02-04T23:10:00.002+11:00

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-5

Marshall Law: a timely tribute

2011-01-11T09:49:00.002+11:00

CERTAINLY, he's one of my all-time fave comic-book anti-heroes.

http://comicattack.net/2010/12/ucc16/

My comics reading for December 2010

2011-01-08T15:25:00.003+11:00

MY ongoing comics side project of reading at least 50 stand-alone issues fell apart last month. I blame Xmas, personally.

COMICS READING FOR DECEMBER, 2010
* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
**** From Hell, Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
*** Legion Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
** Promethea
* WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar or any of the non-comics drivel he shits out on a regular basis

1. Masked Intentions #1 (Marvel, 2006) **½
All the stars are for Squirrel Girl. I lurve Squirrel Girl.

2. Salimba #2 (Blackthorne, 1986) *
3D comics suck if you don’t have 3D glasses close at hand. But this wanky, nothing comic is impossible to understand, even with 3D glasses. Paul Chadwick art is its only saving grace. Steve Perry thinks he’s a writer...he isn’t.

3. Image Firsts: Godland #1 (Image, 2010) **¾
Tom Scioli does Jack Kirby way better than Ron Frenz ever did.

4. Image Firsts: The Walking Dead (Image, 2010) ***
I had the first 25+ issues of this series, but sold them when it descended into nihilistic torture porn. Plus Charlie Adlard’s art is sub-standard. But re-reading this first issue made me appreciate how good The Walking Dead was at its beginning, when Robert Kirkman hadn’t yet run out of ideas and it was accompanied by the fine art of Tony Moore.

5. Lady Mechanika #1 (Aspen, 2010) ***½
6. DC Universe Holiday Special 2010 (DC, 2010) **½
7. Vext #1 (DC, 1999) ***
I bought this on a recommendation from the Comic Book Noise podcast. It’s funny, but is it the funniest comic ever produced? I’ve bought the rest of the six-issue series and I’ll pass judgment at a later date. Keith Giffen and Mike McKone kick the quirky series off in style though.

8. Attack #48 (Charlton, 1984) **
A Simon/Kirby cover and all-Wally Wood art in the interior – so why the low rating for this reprint issue? ’Cos the stories are perfunctory, by-the-numbers war yarns with a healthy dose of racism and Yankee imperialism. Utter shit. At least the art’s okay – even though it’s obvious that the bulk of it was drawn by Wood’s assistants and not the great man himself.

9. Batman: The Brave And The Bold #1 (DC, 2009) **
Forgettable debut for the series based on the animated show. Still, it DOES have B’wana Beast on the cover.

10. Fighting American #1 (Australian reprint, late 50s?) **
Can’t pick when this B&W title was published – there are no dates or tell-tale signs from the ads. They’re still plugging Captain Atom (the Aussie version) in a few ads, so it could be earlier than late 50s. This is a weird comic – it’s shaped like a regular comic, but the staples are at the top of the page. So it’s a vertical comic that becomes ultra-vertical when you open it. It would have been a pain for kids to read this comic on a train or in the back of a car. The Kirby art is nice, but the mega-insane anti-Commie story by Simon gets tiresome pretty fast.

11. The Fantastic Four Comic Album (Marvel, 1975) ***
A coupla B&W reprints of classic Lee/Kirby FF from the late 60s. “Also suitable for colouring and crayoning.”

12. Buried Treasure #2 (Caliber, 1990) ***
Classic 30s, 40s and 50s reprints featuring the talents of Jack Cole, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert and Joe Orlando/Wally Wood. The best of the bunch is “Lockjaw”, a funny animal yarn that shows Kirby was a versatile artist.

13. X-Women #1 (Marvel, 2010) ****
Forgettable Chris Claremont yarn, but the art by Milo Manara is exquisite. The X-Men have never looked so sexy.

14. Faust #1 (Rebel Studios, 1988) DUD
Writer David Quinn may be the most pretentious man on the planet. Tim Vigil was certainly one of the most overrated artists going round. This comic is a violent, tacky, unreadable pile of shit. Back in the early 90s, I was in a comic shop that was trying to sell a foil cover variant of a particular issue of Faust for ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Yeah, good luck with that, fellas.

15. Marvel Super Special (Marvel, 2010) ***
A bunch of reprints in B&W. I thought the Shang Chi/Deadpool team-up was kinda wacky (written by Jonathan Hickman, art by Kody Chamberlin).

16. Super Pro K.O. Vol. 1 by Jarrett Williams (Oni Press, 2010) ****¼
17. Double Impact Bikini Special (ABC Studios, 1998) *
18. Carnal Comics: Scream Queens Undressed! #1 (Re-Visionary Press, 1998) *** (if you like old porno snaps of Michelle Bauer)/DUD (if you feel this doesn’t actually qualify as a comic)
19. Carnal Comics: Superstars Of Erotica #2 (Re-Visionary Press, 1996) ** ½ (mainly for the artwork of Brad Foster)
20. Elegant Ladies by Brad Foster (Jabberwocky Graphix, 1988) ***
And a bargain at only 75 cents from Mile High Comics (http://www.milehighcomics.com).

21. American Century #25 (Vertigo, 2003) **
22. The Mighty Heroes #3 (Dell, 1967) DUD
23. Damage Control Vol. 3 #2 (Marvel, 1991) *
24. The Marvel Fumetti Book #1 (Marvel, 1984) -***
A horrible, horrible idea. Muddy photos on cheap paper, the lowest form of “jokes” and even non-jokes. A hideous expose on how nerdy and sad all these comic creators look like in real life. Utter shit on every level. The only thing that could’ve made it worse was if they ran photos of Bill Mantlo rollerblading.

25. Marvel Premiere #36 (Marvel, 1977) **½
I love The 3-D Man, but this is a fairly perfunctory tale by Roy Thomas.

26. Captain America: The Korvac Saga #1 (Marvel, 2010) **
Can you spell “redundant”?

27. Marineman #1 (Image, 2010) **¼
I’ll probably give this comic another chance just ’cos Ian Burchill’s art is so pretty and he clearly has put a lot of time, effort and love into this project. But I really just don’t give a shit about the ocean or anything that lives in it (unless I’m eating it). So if issue two doesn’t pick up the pace, then I’m dropping this title like a hot crayfish.

28. Rated X Special #1 (Aircel, 1991) DUD
Low-rent Heavy Metal-wannabe crap. “Hot & uncensored! Illustrated eroticism from Brazil!” screams the cover. Yeah, whatever. At least it isn’t any of Barry Blair’s perverted, racist shit – which is what made up 90% of Aircel’s output at that time. Artist Barroso does a nice Moebius-style linework and he sure knows how to draw naked chicks. Helga’s yarn is something else though –confusing, pretentious and boring. Something about a robotic Jesus Christ and Lucifer coming to a future Earth. I think... Maybe the story lost something in the translation to English.

29. Captain Phil And The Inter-Galactic Space Pals! #1 (SteelDragon Press, 1984) *
This comic should’ve been a lotta fun. It was actually kinda lame. Nice art by Greg Guler, though.

30. The Mundane Adventures Of Dishman #1 (self-published, 1985) **½
Promising mini-comic that got picked up by Eclipse in 1988. An ordinary guy suddenly finds he has the magical power to clean vast quantities of dishes in seconds. What does a person do with such a less-than-compelling superpower? This first issue was kinda intriguing and John MacLeod’s art is nice. Pity it was only eight pages long.

31. Last Days Of The Justice Society Of America (DC, 1986) *
Crisis On Infinite Earths really fucked up DC continuity. The poor bastards who suffered most were the JSA of WW2 fame. Suddenly, they had no place in this brave new world. So Roy Thomas tried to come up with a logical way of writing them out of DC’s new “improved” history. This was the best he could come up with – a bunch of old-time heroes locked in eternal battle with the gods of Asgard in some bubble universe. Frankly, it was crap and this one-shot was quickly forgotten about by the powers-that-be.

32. Marvel Holiday Special #1 (Marvel, 1991) ***** for Captain Ultra/* for everything else
Xmas-themed comics suck, but anything featuring Captain Ultra rules.

33. Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight (DC, 1993) ***
Mike McMahon art makes this a passable Batman tale.

34. Hercules: Prince Of Power #3 (Marvel, 1982) **
Another “Meh!” 80s tale from Marvel. Not much more to say, really.

35. The Renegades #1 (Age Of Heroes Comics, 1986) DUD
The B&W comics boom of the mid-80s has a lot to answer for.

36. Captain Marvel #50 (Marvel, 1977) *
Possibly the most unspectacular 50th issue “spectacular” ever produced by Marvel. Even with a classic Avengers line-up guest-starring in the issue. Maybe the fact that Al “I am utter shit” Milgrom did the artwork had something to do with the less-than-great nature of this comic.

37. Lovebunny & Mr Hell: Savage Love (Image, 2003) ***
A fun lil’ tale, guest-starring Savage Dragon when he wasn’t a genocidal rapist/murderer. Back in 2003 he was just a fun-lovin’ superhero who’d occasionally appear in whacky lil’ one-shots like this one. *Sigh* I miss those days.

AS ALWAYS, I recommend you check out the excellent podcast The Comic Book Attic at http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com.

And for all your back-issue needs, head to Lone Star Comics at https://www.mycomicshop.com/.

If you have any comments to make on this podcast, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 4

2010-12-11T18:33:00.001+11:00

Please enjoy.

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-4

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode three

2010-12-07T22:09:00.004+11:00

In which I rail against my own inability to read the comics that I'm buying, especially all these long-running series. How do I get to 16-17 issues of Doom Patrol and Sweet Tooth and still not have read A SINGLE ISSUE??

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-three

I also talk about my weekly haul from Kings Comics (http://www.kingscomics.com/) and give Top Shelf Productions (http://www.topshelfcomix.com/) a plug.

Feel free to send your comments to Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.

Kirby Your Enthusiasm, episode 2

2010-12-07T06:54:00.002+11:00

LOOK for my latest podcast at http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/kirby-your-enthusiasm-episode-2.
In it, I discuss my ongoing project of reading a minimum 50 comics a month. This month, it's a side project to read a bunch of stand-alone issues.

COMICS READING FOR NOVEMBER, 2010
* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
**** Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
*** Legion Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
** Promethea
* WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar

1. Hellboy In Mexico (Dark Horse, 2010) ***¾
2. Fin Fang 4 Returns (Marvel, 2009) ***½
3. Hate Annual #8 (Fantagraphics, 2010) ***
4. Fame: Lady Gaga #1 (Bluewater Comics, 2010) ***
5. Saga Of The Von Erich Warriors (Sage Productions, 1988) ½*
6. The Guild #3 (Dark Horse, 2010) ***¼
7. Weird War Tales (DC, 2010) ***
8. Tails Of The Pet Avengers: The Dogs Of Summer (Marvel, 2010) ***
9. R.P.M. #1 (12-Gauge, 2010) **½
10. Image Firsts: Madman Comics #1 (Image, 2010) ***
11. Marvelman Primer (Marvel, 2010) **
12. Officer Downe (Image, 2010) **½
13. Marvel Sneak Peeks (Marvel, 2010) **
14. Young Allies #6 (Marvel, 2010) ***
15. Deadpool Team-Up #888 (Marvel, 2010) ****
16. Hellboy: Double Feature Of Evil (Dark Horse, 2010) ***¾
17. The Twelve: Spearhead (Marvel, 2010) ****
18. FVZA #3 (Radical, 2010) ***
19. Halcyon #1 (Image, 2010) ***¼
20. Wonder Woman #600 (DC, 2010) **½
21. Turok Son Of Stone #1 (Dark Horse, 2010) **
22. Mythos: Captain America #1 (Marvel, 2008) **¾
23. Iron Man: Extremis: Director’s Cut #3 (Marvel, 2005/10) *****
24. Krazy Comic – May 28, 1977 (IPC, 1977) **
25. Marvel Super Special #41: Howard The Duck (Marvel, 1986) *
26. Devil May Dance #3 (British indy title, 2008) DUD
27. Rockfall #3 (British indy title, 2009) *
28. Scraps From The Tableaux (Paper Tableaux, 2006) **
29. Sleazy Does It (EdTraquino.com, 2007) ***
30. Bijlmer Boys #3: Going Down (indy title, 1999) DUD
31, Psychosis! #2 (GWP, 2007) *½
32. The Hunter #1 (Ryan Bayliss, 2008) ½*
33. Night Warrior #1 (Raging Psycho Comics, 2006) ½*
34. Carvers #3 (Image, 1999) *
35. Blue Smoke #1 (Paper Tableaux, 1999) **
36. Vertigo Resurrected (Vertigo, 2010) **½
37. The Rat (British indy title, ??) **
38. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 (DC, 2010) ***¾
39. Batman #700 (DC, 2010) ***
40. Soldier Zero (Boom!, 2010) **
41. Hellboy/Beasts Of Burden: Sacrifice (Dark Horse, 2010) **¾
42. The Incomplete Death’s Head #4 (Marvel, 1993) **½
43. The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #1 (Marvel, 2010) ***
44. Superman #700 (DC, 2010) **½
45. The National Crumb #1 (Mayfair Publications, 1975) DUD
46. Big Bang #1 (Zoo Arsonist Press, 1995) ***½
47. Fox Comics #23 (Fox Comics, 1989) ***
48. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Magazine #1 (JC Comics Group, 1981) *
49. 2000AD Megazine Vol. 4 Issue 10 (Rebellion, 2002) ***
50. A Section Of The San Francisco Panorama (McSweeney’s Issue 33 (2009) ****

ALSO: check out The Comic Book Attic at http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/ and Lone Star Comics at https://www.mycomicshop.com/.
And to send me your thoughts on this podcast, please email me at Dann.Lennard@gmail.com.

KYE01

2010-12-03T23:30:00.000+11:00

Check out my first podcast. Woooot!

2010-12-02T10:09:00.002+11:00

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/

What the Don Heck...?

2010-11-20T18:36:00.003+11:00

AFTER barely 20 posts in 21/2 years, things are changing at KIRBY YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
This blog is gonna keep the name - 'cos I'm a sucker for bad puns - but the focus is gonna change from just being about Jack "The King" Kirby to a more broad-based comics-themed blog.

(Hence a JLA/Avengers pic above)

Hopefully, I'll be updating this blog a helluva lot more than I have been, including podcasts.
I'm very excited about this latest development, so I hope you'll be interested enough to check them out.

In the meantime, feel free to read my less-than-two-dozen rants about Jack Kirby.

REVIEW: DC Comics Presents #84

2010-04-06T23:42:00.003+10:00

DC Comics Presents #84 (DC, 1985)
Writer: Bob Rozakis/pencillers: Jack Kirby & Alex Toth/inker: Greg Theakston
I wasn’t a huge fan of the recent Showcase Presents: Challengers Of The Unknown book (boring characters, repetitive plots, etc), but I had to pick up this comic from Lone Star as it may well have been one of the last things Kirby drew for DC. And guess what? I loved it! Kirby’s art looks great with Theakston’s inking on top and, hell! there’s seven bonus pages of Toth’s brilliant art as well! It’s topped off by a fab Kirby cover (with Kirby’s Superman face left untouched by the powers that be at DC). Superman and the Challengers face a Phantom Zone villain and the whole damn shebang is a lot of fun to read. The Challengers are still pretty boring though.

Showcase Presents: Challengers Of The Unknown Vol. 1

2010-02-22T14:11:00.000+11:00

Showcase Presents Challengers Of The Unknown Vol. 1 (containing Showcase #6-12 & Challengers #1-17) (DC, 2006)
Writers: Dave Wood, Jack Kirby, Arnold Drake & Ed Herron/illustrators: Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Roz Kirby, Marvin Stein, George Klein, Bruno Premiani and Bob Brown

THERE'S no doubt that this is a bargain-basement cheap way of getting one’s hands on a ton of awesome Kirby-pencilled/Wally Wood-inked art, but I don’t think my mushy brain coped well with 540+ pages of late 1950s DC inanity. Seriously, reading this many issues of wonky sci-fi nearly did my head in.
The one thing that surprised me early on was the repetitiveness of these stories. Kirby’s supposed to be some kinda creative genius but the Challengers stories boil down to three essential plots:
1. The Challengers face an evil dude who has a magic box or consumed a magic elixir or is using a super-science machine to cause mischief, like creating monsters to attack our heroes
2. The Challengers are whisked away to an alien world – or perhaps sucked into another dimension – where they fight evil aliens, OR
3. Some numbskull explorer gets into trouble by unearthing some alien enemy or dormant monster and the Challengers are called in to save the day.
The Challengers usually tackle these escapades with deathwish-seeking glee. Seriously, they’re constantly talking about “living on borrowed time” and volunteering for suicidal missions. These guys need psychiatrists, pronto!
They also don’t give a shit about advancing science or preserving our history. And after some amazing adventure where they travel in a time machine or discover the golden fleece from Jason & The Argonauts fame, they cheerfully destroy said invaluable artefact/invention ’cos they determine that mankind would be better off without it. No-one seems to care about this thoughtless, anti-intellectual, pro-Luddite behaviour.
The Challengers themselves – Ace, Prof, Red and Rocky – are fairly interchangeable although Ace appears to be the boss (and the brains, even though one of the other guys is a professor). Then there’s the honorary “fifth” Challenger, June, whose only role in life is to go on pointless scientific expeditions to isolated islands (of which there are quite a few in Challengers yarns) and get menaced till the boys come to her rescue (admittedly, June occasionally rescues the boys, too).
There are a few subtle changes in the post-Kirby/Wood stories that improve things a little. Bob Brown’s art may be less impressive, but the writers attempt to liven up the Challengers by giving them a bit more personality. Olympic wrestler Rocky Davis devolves into a meathead (in fact, at times he’s portrayed as almost-pro wrestler like) who gets teased endlessly by hothead rascal Red Ryan. Erm...that’s not much, I’ll admit, but it’s a 100% improvement on their previous bland personalities.
There’s also an attempt to introduce a recurring super-villain to...erm, challenge the Challengers.
Issue 14 gives us Multi-Man – a villain who inherits new powers every time he dies and is reborn. The Challengers basically spend the whole story trying to stop the guy from committing suicide. Multi-Man returns the following ish to again cause headaches for our heroes.
Overall, I kinda enjoyed these stories, but I have to say it was a real chore to read them all at once. Next time I pick up one of these Showcase books, I’ll know better and just dip in and out when I’m after a bit of mindless late 50s fun.

Marvel Super Action #1 (1977)

2010-02-19T18:35:00.001+11:00

Marvel Super Action #1 (Marvel, 1977)
Writer: Stan Lee/penciller: Jack Kirby/inker: Syd Shores
IT'S only a reprint, but I dug this ish, despite the muddy art reproduction of Captain America #100. Still, Kirby’s greatness shines through (especially his rendition of the Black Panther...or “The Panther” as he’s called throughout this ish). Lee’s yarn is silly (as usual) but it makes sense in that 1960s Marvel manner, which I love greatly. Kirby and Lee were a great duo – if only they’d had the brains to realise they needed each other to bring out the best in each other.

REVIEW: Sky Masters

2009-08-09T22:30:00.000+10:00

Kirby pencils + Wally Wood inks + rockets + he-man ruggedness + 50s patriotism (and haircuts) = daily strip sci-fi goodness! :D

BPJr #2 is out now...on PDF

2008-10-04T17:47:00.005+10:00

BPJr #2 - filled with big booties, Jack Kirby, Steve Gerber, wrestling, Deal Or No Deal and more T&A than is healthy - is finished and ready to be sent out…as a PDF.

Yes, Australia Post has finally battered me into submission. I can’t afford the ridiculous postal costs for what is essentially a vanity project/hobby.

So here’s how it goes. You’re on my mailing list. Please e-mail me at danhelen@idx.com.au and let me know how you want BP sent to you. There are three options:

1. Printable PDF: You can print this out at work or at home. As this issue was created in A5 format (before I changed my mind about having it printed), it’s laid out as if it was going on a photocopier. That means it’s a little difficult to follow in places. However, like I said, if you want to print it out so you can have a hard copy, then this is the best format.

2. Readable PDF: All 24 A5 pages will be sent to you in order, from 1 to 24, with no wacky page layouts to worry about.

3. Hard copy: If you don’t have access to a printer or you can’t read a PDF, then let me know and I’ll send you a hard copy. This is extremely limited as I printed only 20 copies to sell at the Newcastle Young Writers Festival. Any left over will be mailed out to people who ask for them. Once they’re gone, I won’t be printing any more. So get in early if this is the version you want.

Payment? I don’t know. How do you pay for a PDF? I’ll leave it up to you. I don’t think money’s the right thing to ask for. I’m always interested in reading cool zines, comics, magazines, books or seeing interesting DVDs. Burn me something. Hell, e-mail me something if you like.

However, if you want a hard copy, then that will cost US$5 (including airmail postage and handling). I’ll accept only Paypal (no cash, money orders or cheques will be accepted, sorry) and please use dlennard@acp.com.au when making payment. Thanks.

OK. Any queries? Drop me a line.

Oh, and although this is obvious, please state in your e-mail that you’re over 18 years of age. Thanks.

Cheers,

Dann Lennard

Editor

BPJr/Betty Paginated

I coulda bought this...

2008-09-11T16:16:00.002+10:00

YEAH, right! If I was made of money. *SIGH*

It's original art from Destroyer Duck #2 (Eclipse).

REVIEW: Jack Kirby's OMAC

2008-08-11T22:58:00.002+10:00

DESPITE my rampant cynicism, I'd been looking forward to buying this hardcover collection of Jack's flawed eight-issue series from 1974 ever since I heard it was being published by DC.

The story of future worker drone Buddy Blank being converted into a super-powered peace agent was intriguing. The King's vision of this future world was grim to say the least.

Kirby's ideas are as left-of-centre interesting as ever and - for a change - his writing (even his dialogue) is pretty strong, too. His artwork's even more dynamic than usual and inkers D. Bruce Berry (a pleasant surprise, I must say) and Mike Royer are probably responsible for that.

I really enjoyed reading OMAC in one hit. DC's also added some nice touches - excellent production values, additional pencilled roughs by Kirby and an informative introduction from his assistant Mark Evanier.

In fact, there's really only one negative aspect to the whole darn thing and that's the final issue itself. Y'see, by that stage, Kirby had quit DC to return to Marvel. He didn't even do the cover on OMAC #8 (Joe Kubert did the honours).

It wasn't selling well, so DC decided to discontinue the title. Which they did in spectacular fashion - by wrapping up the whole damn series in one final panel. ONE FREAKING PANEL.

It's literally the most sudden ending of a comic-book series I've ever read (Evanier describes it as "a whiplash-inducing sudden stop"). Wow, he's not kidding.

Still, that disappointing premature ending aside, OMAC is well worth picking up - just so you can see how good the King could be when he was on song and firing on all cylinders.

REVIEW: Tales To Astonish by Ronin Ro

2008-08-11T22:44:00.000+10:00

A PERFUNCTORY book by a perfunctory writer. This is only partially a biography on Kirby - it also covers the life of Stan Lee and the history of comics (particularly Marvel). It's not a bad read, but I have to say I enjoyed Ro's chapter on Kirby's war years - a traumatic, scarring time that basically shaped his post-war comic-book career - far more than the comics history stuff, which I've read elsewhere in far-better-written tomes.

Anyway, this book's okay - it lacked photos and artwork that could've really added depth to the book, however.

And it doesn't really do Jack many favours either - he comes across as a bit of a doddery, working-class Joe; none too bright, easily led, easily pushed around (again, a result of his war experiences as he was a real Noo Yawker tough guy before WW2) and frustrated by bad career moves that a smarter man could have avoided.

By the end of his life, he'd resorted to outright lies and slander against Stan Lee who - despite what his critics may say - WAS the co-creator of the Marvel superhero line.

If Lee - an astute businessman for much of his career - did one thing ethically wrong, it was to cheerfully claim (or allow it to be claimed by journalists) that he created the Hulk, X-Men, Silver Surfer, etc.

Still, ultimately, Kirby's bitterness did him no favours.

REVIEW: Captain America 203 (Nov. 1976)

2008-08-11T22:42:00.000+10:00

ALAMO II!

Goddamn, they don't write comics like this anymore.

Kirby's run in Marvel in the late 70s was unimpressive......except for Captain America in my opinion. The series was exciting, primal...and his dialogue didn't nearly suck as bad as it did in his other titles.

The King's art, inked by Frank Giacoia, looks particularly dynamic in this issue.

The only thing more remarkable about Cap and the Falcon's journey to a world populated by escapees from a lunatic asylum and menaced by alien gargoyles is the letters page, where pro-Kirby and anti-Kirby writers vent at each other. Fascinating reading.

REVIEW: The Green Arrow by Jack Kirby

2008-08-11T22:40:00.000+10:00

AH, WHAT could have been? Kirby signed on to do the art for this second-string DC character in 1958 in the pages of Adventure Comics and World's Finest Comics.

The King tried to add his creative input - a few interesting sci-fi elements were briefly developed, then cast aside by DC's conservative editors - but, in the main, the writers churned out pretty staid fare.

Even Kirby's one written strip "The Case Of The Super-Arrows" (Adventure #251, August 1958) was mediocre. Usually, the plots revolved around Green Arrow and his lame sidekick Speedy beating villains by pulling trick arrows out of their arses: a balloon arrow, a dry-ice arrow, a fountain-pen arrow, a boxing glove arrow. Oh, for fuck's sake! Give me a break!!

Kirby got the shits with DC's stifling ways - and they got sick of his chunky artwork and pushy ways - and he pissed off in early 1959.

DC's loss was truly Marvel's gain.

As for Green Arrow, he floundered for another decade until Neil Adams tried to turn him into some kinda Easy Rider-style rebel.

He was still lame though.

My eyes were opened...

2008-07-28T19:51:00.000+10:00

IT WAS Give Our Regards To The Atomsmashers - Sean Howe's 2004 flawed collection of essays by "real" writers on comics - that first shocked me into realising that Jack Kirby wasn't this untouchable comic artist god.

In Jonathan Lethem's essay, The Return Of The King or Identifying With Your Parents, he looks at his Brooklyn youth, linking it with Kirby's initial legendary run with Marvel in the 60s and his ill-fated (but much feted at the time) return to the fold in 1976.

Howe dares to question Kirby's work on such titles as Captain America, The Black Panther, The Eternals, Devil Dinosaur, Machine Man and 2001: "In fact, what he would turn out to bring to Marvel was a paradoxical combination: clunkily old-fashioned virtues...together with a baroque and nearly opaque futuristic sensibility that would leave most readers chilled, largely alienated from what he was trying to do."

Lethem also disses Kirby's DC work on his "massively ambitious and massively arcane" Fourth World.

He talks about how he and his childhood friends - big fans of Jolly Jack's 102-issue run with co-creator Stan Lee on The Fantastic Four - were "mostly baffled" by his later run.

Anyone who describes Kirby's late 70s run as "autistic primitive genius" and "great/awful, a kind of diastrous genius" deserves a Pulitzer in my book.

And, frankly, no-one could have summed up better the essence of the Lee/Kirby collaboration: a Lennon/McCartney-style relationship who "really were more than the sum of their parts, and who derived their greatness from the push and pull of incompatible visions".

And the harsh coup de grace: "I'd be kidding if I claimed anyone much cherishes the comics of Kirby's 'return to Mavel' period - 2001, The Eternals, Machine Man. Even for souls who take these things all too seriously, those comics have no real place in the history; they define only a clumsy misstep in a dull era at Marvel, before the brief renaissance signaned by the ascent of the Chris Claremont X-Men..." Ouch.

Wait, there's more. And it's all true: "It's possible to debate the moment in the 70s when Kirby's pencilling began to go south. He was good; he got worse. What's undebatable is the execrable, insufferable pomposities of Kirby's dialogue-writing in the Marvel work without Lee. As a writer, as opposed to an "idea-man", he always stunk." Double ouch.

Ultimately, Howe's radical (heretical) ideas about the "untouchable" Jack Kirby blew my mind and allowed me to think that it was OK to question aspects of Jack Kirby's work without feeling like some kind of evil devil-spawn.

BTW, as a whole, Give Our Regards is a remarkably disappointing book. Many of the essays are painfully literate - in the "I'm an author, but look, Mother...I'm writing about comics. How frightfully lowbrow of me" style that I've come to loathe and despite in wanky publications like The Comics Journal. There are a couple of entertaining pieces - Glen David Gold's piece on regret, Warlock and original art collecting and Brad Meltzer's fond memories of The New Teen Titans - but you really should only seek out a cheap second-hand copy before handing over your dollars.

REVIEW: Kirby Five-Oh! (The Jack Kirby Collector #50)

2008-07-27T19:00:00.000+10:00

DESPITE a few reservations, this oversized book is a stunning tribute to The King, celebrating 50 issues of The Jack Kirby Collector.
In reality, it's merely TJKC #50, but it's been put out by editor John Morrow - a dedicated Kirby fanatic since 1994 - as a high-quality soft-cover publication, a stand-alone tome celebrating Jack Kirby's greatness.
Kicking off with an excellent Kirby rendition of Superman on the cover (inked by the brilliant Darwyn Cooke), Kirby Five-Oh! gives us list after list of the 50 greatest this and 50 greatest that involving the prolific artist.
So what's to love? Well, the swag of rare photos and art easily made it worth the thirty bux I paid at Kings Comics (how appropriate) in Sydney. The colour section was also a welcome touch.
There are also intriguing lists like Kirby's 50 Best Stories (one per year) and 50 Best Covers - the top vote-getter was Fantastic Four #12 (1963), a suspenseful scene with The Hulk about to pounce on an unsuspecting FF in an underground cave.
The 50 Best Examples Of Unused Kirby Art was intriguing as was the mini-interviews with 50 artists influenced by Jack Kirby.
Quibbles? Well, there's the usual sycophantic ravings by people who seem to think that EVERYTHING Kirby did was brilliant. And a few ACTUALLY think he was a decent scripter. Ha!
And fuckwit Adam McGovern is deluded enough to claim 1985's The Hunger Dogs - possibly the worst piece of unintelligible drivel ever vomited out by Jolly Jack - is a piece of genius. Puh-leeeeeeeze!

Despite these minor flaws, Kirby Five-Oh! is a stirling effort by TwoMorrows Publishing.
Buy it and get an overview of why Jack Kirby remains the most influential comic book artist of all time.

Silver Star #1 - dear god...this is horrible!

2008-07-26T00:00:00.000+10:00

I PICKED this up cheap on eBay and - holy hell! - I'm glad I didn't pay big bux for it. Kirby's last major piece of independent comics work (c.1983) is fucking fucking FUCKING shithouse!

Bad art - blame Michael Royer's inking, I guess - but worse still is Kirby's plotting and script. I put this down to the old man's growing senility. I mean, this is just awful, even by Jack's painful writing standards.
From what I can tell, this is some kinda New Gods/Eternals retread with a big emphasis on Jack's daughter Susan Kirby's crapola song lyrics. Seriously, he devotes pages to her inane, trite, stupid song lyrics. Yikes! Other than that, it's completely nonsensical. I mean, it makes no sense whatsoever.
And just try to read the above stream-of-diarrhoea dialogue above. There's 20 pages of this drivel. TWENTY FUCKEN PAGES!!!
Listen, I love Kirby's artwork, but when his art's bad - and, seriously, his art is BAD here - then there's NOTHING worth recommending in one of his comics.

No wonder Pacific Comics went belly-up soon after Silver Star came out.

And you have a fucken cheek, Image Comics, rereleasing this garbage on an unsuspecting world (the hardcover's sealed in plastic, dammit!). I'm so glad I fought the urge and didn't waste my money buying the book.

BTW, Kirby crony Michael Thibodeaux wrote and drew the back-up feature, Last Of The Viking Heroes, and it pretty much proves that MT should stick to inking for a living.

2008-07-25T21:59:00.001+10:00

FOR a different - more touchy-feely friendly - review of Jack Kirby's NEW GODS work, head to http://wrightopinion.com/2008/06/01/kirby-continued-4/.

He's much nicer than me.

Hey, HE said it, not me...

2008-07-15T11:47:00.001+10:00

THE famed writer of Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers, Secret Invasion, etc etc, Brian Michael Bendis said this in a May interview with thewrightopinion.wordpress.com (and republished in Powers #29: “And just think about if we had superheroes, how we would treat them. In this world, not Stan Lee’s world. He started it. Stan started it, that was a Stan Lee thing…”

The difference between a good inker and a bad inker...

2008-07-06T16:30:00.000+10:00

A GOOD inker - like Joe Sinnott or Mike Royer - added to Kirby's pencils and accentuated their finer qualities. They gave depth and life to his work, making even his worst-written yarns sing on the printed page.

However, a bad inker - like D. Bruce Berry in 1st Issue Special #1: Introducing Atlas - sucked the life out of Jack's art and gave it a flat, bland quality.

Basically, Berry appears to have erased half of Kirby's pencils to make his inking job as easy as possible. The result: a piece of hackwork that can't save what was already a lacklustre yarn about Atlas, the first king of Atlantis.

I'm certain it was Berry's inks that led to Atlas not being given the green light for its own series, thereby robbing us of yet another gods-filled universe by Kirby.
(So maybe that was a good thing...)

An old Kirby review...

2008-06-30T20:05:00.000+10:00

http://bettypaginated.blogspot.com/2007/06/jack-kirby-appreciation-night.html

Before we get carried away here...

2008-06-29T23:49:00.000+10:00

LET me just state for the record that I think Jack Kirby was a brilliant artist and a genius at coming up with mind-blowing concepts. This is the bloke who created (or co-created) most of the Marvel Universe, DC's Fourth World, the Eternals, Captain America, romance comics, Fighting American, etc. etc.

However, there's something else I cannot emphasise enough...

JACK KIRBY COULDN'T WRITE FOR SHIT.

There. I said it. It's out there. Anyone who claims otherwise (yeah, I'm looking at some of you contributors to The Jack Kirby Collector) is seriously fucking deluded. New Gods, his late 70s run at Marvel, Captain Victory, that godawful Hunger Dogs graphic novel.......all of it was badly-written rubbish.

Jack was an ARTIST, an IDEAS MAN, but not a WRITER.

This blog celebrates Jack Kirby's great art and ideas...nothing else.

Welcome to "Kirby Your Enthusiasm"

2008-06-18T09:25:00.000+10:00

A SITE on all things Jack "King" Kirby, as seen through my own personal filter. Reviews on the legendary artist's comics, Kirby-related books, etc.

Your comments and thoughts are welcome.