Indestructible Art # 59

Jesus. 20 episodes have past since I have posted about them but that's okay because you have been following along, right? Riiiiiiight.

This one's a long player but it's a good one. We took the podcast to Skype a month or two ago and it is safe to say that the chemistry that came with sitting across from each other in a hot, stinky room suffered a little bit. Fear not because it is back. I hope. Did you catch that episode where I was super argumentative and maybe a little drunk? Ugh. Talk about embarrassing.

We talk about some new stuff from Matt Kindt, leaked artwork for Bungie's new game, new announcements from DC and Marvel, Black Friday console sales, and Hulk Hogan's sex tape.

Give it a listen. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Indestructible Art 1 Year Anniversary Give Away

Well, hello there.

Yes, this thing is still on. Still reading comic books and still ranting about them on the Indestructible Art podcast. In fact, we're having a contest to celebrate our 1 Year Anniversary. Go on over to our Facebook page, facebook.com/indestructibleart and take a look at what you can win. All you really have to do is ask us a question or two. We like questions. Questions are fun because we get a chance to exercise our big brains about all kinds of fun stuff that we may not have normally discussed on our own.

What are you waiting for? Ask away.

Indestructible Art # 39

Hello there, good looking reader(s). SDCC came and went and it was kind of 'meh.' Sure, we got Sandman by  Neil Gaiman and JH Williams III. Also, a ton of creators announced a ton of creator-owned titles. Oh, and some people won Eisners which they rightfully deserved. 

All in all, it is safe to say that SDCC '12 was the first Comic Con where comic BOOKS are no longer part of the equation. Granted, we weren't there but we've been following along for a number of years and it was looking sparse. Yes, there was a ton of great stuff that was announced but it is OFFICIALLY all about Hollywood. 

Oh well. There's always Chicago and New York.

In addition to talking about the Con on the newest episode of Indestructible Art, we discuss new Borderlands 2 goodness, the closing of Team Sora by Nintendo, playing games online (and the idiotic things other people say), and Planetary. 

It's Indestructible Art. 

Its about video games and comic books.

Enjoy.^{1 2}

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Indestructible Art # 38

Another week, another episode of Indestructible Art. 

This one gets a little silly. The past two episodes saw one member missing from the show so having us all back in the same room together must have brought something out of us. I actually forgot to post last week's episode which had my friend Tony filling in for me but you already know that because you're totally subscribed and up to date with these things, right? 

Riiiiiiiight.

This episode we talk at ya about Marvel Now, the cloud gaming service Gaikai, the EU Court decision on reselling digital content, and something or other about a Scott Snyder doing something with the Joker. Other stuff, too. Plus, you get to hear us sing Wu-Tang, the Cranberries and Iron Maiden. Like I said, it's a silly episode. 

Listen. Like. Follow. 

Love,

Me & the rest of the IA crew.

Mind Mgmt # 2

You're high if you're not reading Mind Mgmt. Matt Kindt is putting out one of the most entertaining and engaging comics that is in stores right now. Mind Mgmt really dares the reader to pull at any and all threads of the tapestry that is being woven from page to page.


Its a mystery that surrounds a flight where all of its passengers, save for one, lose their memory mid-flight. Two years after the incident, Meru, a true crime writer, decides to break out of her sophomore slumb by investigating the strange disappearance of a particular passenger on the plane. Things get hairy when Meru runs into CIA agents and the 'Immortals' that are after both parties. Surrounding all of this, we are slowly introduced to members of Mind Mgmt, a clandestine group of psychics whose origins are tied to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from the Great War. 


Bits and pieces regarding the Mind Mgmt and their motivations are given to the readers in the form of 2 page strips on the inside of the front and back cover and on the last pages of the book. The back cover of each issues teases one part of a six-part numeric code that will unlock a message at www.mattkindt.com/mind¹. And on every page of the main story, there is a line from a Mind Mgmt Field Guide, providing instructions to an agent which are related, if only sometimes tangentially, to the panels of that page.


For most of this issue, the protagonists are running from the Immortals, all while finding more questions than answers. Meru runs into the first member of Mind Mgmt, Perrier, one of two psychic twins, who appears to be mentally controled to peck away at a type-writer, producing cryptic messages which speak to Meru in a peculiar way. There's a suicide. 'The Futurist', Jake Duncan (who was introduced in the case file excerpt from Mind Mgmt # 1) makes an appearance where he ruminates over the course of events that took place in the issue for a brief moment before citing his retirement as a reason for staying out of it all.


Mind Mgmt is interesting, odd duck of a book. Kindt delivers a story that seems like a simple enough mystery that only gets more and more confusing the more you look into it. Who are the Mind Mgmt? Who are the Immortals? What type of strange game have Meru and her companion from the CIA, Bill, unwittingly found themselves playing a part of? What do these fake ads for 'Mindjuice' and 'Clearhed' on the back of every issue have to do with the story inside? And what comic creator is going show up next month in the letters column, spouting off who knows what kind of nonsense?


Its a fun, well executed romp that you should be reading today. Period.


¹ As of the date of this posting, the URL is serving up a GoDaddy 404 page right now. I imagine that will change once the 6th issue has come out. 

Avengers Vs. X-men # 7

I haven't said this out loud yet, but I thought the last issue of Avengers Vs. X-men was really, really, REALLY good.

Olivier Copiel came on to take over art chores from Jr Jr and it was gorgeous. And Hickman, his script really sold the story of what the Phoenix Force could do when wielded with the benevolent, albeit a little misguided, intentions of Cyclops & Co. I was pleasantly surprised by how much that one issue redeemed the entirety of the whole series up to that point.

If only Hickman and Copiel could finish the rest of this series out.

Issue 7 brings us a script by Fraction and everything feels off again. Scarlet Witch comes off like an ego-maniac. Cyclops seems to have lost his edge since the last issue where he said 'No More Avengers.' Tony Stark whines enough to get slapped by the Black Panther. Cap says 'Scramble' instead of 'Assemble', which isn't even right at all.

Copiel is still drawing a mean super hero but the fight scenes are looking a little muddled this time around. For a second, I double-taked on what the hell was going on. There are 3 panels in a row where all you see is the blonde hair of the White Queen flying around with the third panel depicting Hawkeye apparently kicking her. It's all very weird and confusing.

Despite the semi-baffling choreography of the fight scenes, Olivier Copiel, Mark Morales, Laura Martin, and Chris Eliopoulus are all doing a bang-up job. I only wish that I was left with the same feeling I had when I finished Avengers Vs. X-men # 6.

There is one very stupid question that is begging for answer at this point. If you have been following Bendis' runs on Ultimate Spider-man and Powers, then you know what I'm about to ask:

Dear Mr. Brian Michael Bendis,

When did you get such a hard-on for tidal waves?

Sincerely,

The Rest Of Us

John Cassaday's cover for Uncanny Avengers # 1

Classic.

Cassaday's rendition of the Uncanny Avengers is what the eleven year old Spencer imagined the comics that awaited him would look like as he rode his BMX bike to the comic shop every Saturday. Complimented by Remender's fantastic high octane approach to blending the present with the past, this is going to be a great, fun read. 

Manhattan Projects # 3

Jonathan Hickman is making some really great comics. Manhattan Projects is one of these great comics. Hickman's writing is what happens when Warren Ellis gets over the fact that mainstream comics are littered with men in tights and plays nice with us. 

Manhattan Projects is about mad, evil scientists masquerading as protagonists in post-WWII America, crafting abomination after abomination in an underground bunker and the redneck American cum Army General who commands them all to do it. Hare-brained ideas are strewn throughout this book. 


Granted it may be due to the era that Hickman choose, but it is nice to see some fantasy revisionist science fiction that isn't riding the steam-punk wave. It is pretty much near perfect, Manhattan Projects is.

Batman Incorporated # 2

I know exactly this much about Talia Al Ghul:

1. she's the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul
2. she's hooked up with Batman
3. she's Batman's Baby Momma
4. and according to this issue, she's hella bad ass.

The new issue of Batman Incorporated is one crafty son of a bitch. 

Grant Morrison re-introduces us to the sinister ways of Talia Al Ghul. Intelligent, tough, and foxy as all get go, Talia is not a woman to be trifled with. Morrison takes us through the events that made Talia who her the person that is today and even pays it forward, adding a little extra to the mythos. At the end of this issue, Talia informs her father and the readers that the tables have been turned. Not only is she in charge, but Damian's fate from last issue is not as final as Morrison tried to fool us to believe. 

Batman Incorporated is a righteous jam of a comic book. I really do need to pick up those Morrison-Quitely issues in trade.

Wolverine and the X-men # 12

Yes, I know. It doesn't make any sense. If Beast walked out on the Avengers in Avengers Vs. X-men, why is he at their side in this issue, fighting against the X-men? I don't know and I don't really care. Who does?


I know, I know. YOU do. Editorial oversights that allow for heroes to flip-flop between books is sloppy and unprofessional. Give it a few days. More than likely, it will be the first question asked in this week's X-Position over at Comic Book Resources. 


In the meantime, soak in the Bachalo & Co art that makes an issue of Wolverine and the X-men the monthly, illustrated treat that it is while taking solace in the fact that Jason Aaron is promising us a fight between the Phoenix Five and Gladiator in the next issue.


Gladiator is from outer space and he has a mohawk. It very often doesn't get much better than that.

Preview of The Massive # 2

6 page preview of Brian Wood's The Massive # 2. 

The 1st issue of the The Massive wasn't the best thing that I read but it was engaging and I'm willing to stick it out for a couple issues. The world has flooded and a group of seafaring environmentalists are on a mission to find their missing sister ship. Should make for an interesting tale.

Indestructible Art # 36

Co-host Ryan calls in sick, allowing for my good friend Tony to step in and help us out with the episode. Tony is wicked smart and super funny. Me, I am a rambling mess and I apologize to whoever has to listen to me say anything about everything. That said, everyone else did an excellent job discussing the past week of comic book and video game news. We also talked about Saga # 4 which we all love. And Tony schooled us all on what you need to do to get your kid to read comics. Hint: it involves just leaving them around the house for your kids to discover for themselves.

Listen and rate the show over at iTunes. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. If you do the last two, I promise we won't bug you as much as we could because we are the worst when it comes to social media.

Thanks!

Preview of Archer & Armstrong # 1

Archer & Armstrong #1 – Five Page Preview (Lettered)

I was going to do a wait-and-see on this book it but reading this five page preview made me realize how much I miss this comic. A cover by Barry Windsor-Smith would be a fantastic

Ed Brubaker leaves Captain America

Ed Brubaker talking with Tom Spurgeon over at The Comics Reporter, let us know that he's done with writing Captain America:

By the time this interview comes out, I will have written my last issue.

Is Captain America still good? From what I gleaned from the sidelines, it became mostly meh when Steve Rogers was killed. I do love me some Criminal which I have collected randomly in trade. The only thing that keeps me from having all of them is the fact that when I'm confronted by a bunch of Criminal trades at my local comic shop, I always forget which trades are the ones that I already own.

As Bleeding Cool points out, Brubaker leaving Captain America is by far the least most interesting discussion in the interview, as inevitable subject of Creator Rights and Before Watchmen rears its ugly head:

But the thing that really bugged me was when Watchmen was announced it was, coincidentally, that same summer the entire industry rallied around Jack Kirby against Marvel. It was the era of the “Creator’s Rights Revolution” and DC really used Watchmen at the time. Part of the PR was that it was creator-owned, that these guys would get this property back. DC used it to position themselves against Marvel as the more creator-friendly company. 

I was at the San Diego Comic-Con the year that Alan Moore was there. I saw him talk about Watchmen and what a revolutionary thing it was that they’d gotten this deal for it. Part of it felt like a promise to the industry that things were changing. That this was different. And so while the book never went out of print and they never got their ownership, I always felt that on some level Paul Levitz seemed to respect the spirit of the deal: that they had created this thing and while DC officially owned it, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons had moral ownership of it, at least.

I really miss Paul Levitz.

I'm still here, friends. It's slow going when it comes to me sitting down and typing up how I feel about these comic books that have us by our heart strings, but don't think that I have forgotten.

I dropped $100 on an OVER-SIZED Moebius slip-cased hardcover the other day. I'm afraid to pull the shrink wrap off of it for fear of falling into a deep, dark place that'll take WEEKS for me to pull myself out of. To also further my street cred, I'm gonna brag / complain about how my book shelf broke the other night, crushing under the weight of Anders Nilsen's 658 page Big Questions, a Habibi hardcover, and a bunch of random issues of Giant Robot and Idn. If that isn't hardcore enough for you, then I can't do anything for you, my friend.

I'm still reading Avengers Vs. Xmen. How could I not? Avengers Vs. Xmen introduced us to the Cap Punch. Never before have so many talented creative minds come together to deliver something so blah. Thanks to the Cap Punch we can pinpoint the exact moment when we turned on our backs on the notion of this thing being any good.

And the Walking Dead. Am I the only one who thinks that Kirkman's writing, although technically proficient, is emotionally flat? 4 trades of my life given to that series and not once did I ever find myself caring for those people. The dramatic moments when a zombie attacks a character started to get boring and dull halfway through the 2nd trade. I really enjoy both Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard's work but they are not good at drawing zombie attacks. 


Sorry. The Walking Dead is uber-popular right now so I keep getting reminded of the $50+ spent on that series back in 2008.

You know what would be a good book? Remender and Opena on Astonishing Avengers. That would be a damn fine book.

Indestructible Art # 35

Another Tuesday, another episode of Indestructible Art. This episode is about rumors and things slipping between the cracks. And Batman # 10. It's a good episode. Give it a listen. We're on the Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to follow along.

Thanks.

Indestructible Art # 31

The first 4 trades of the Walking Dead comic were boring and a waste of money. Based on EVERYONE'S recommendation, I picked those books up sometime in 2006 or 2007. I bought them one at a time, over the course of a few months. After hearing everyone telling me to stick with it, I promise, its gets BETTER for three trades, I finally gave up after the 4th.

Kirkman mistakes drama for story and the Zombie genre is the absolute worst when it's not at its very best. At least for me. At 15 to 20 bucks a trade, the Walking Dead comic officially sucks.

Now the show. I like the show. WAY better than the comic. That show entertains the Hell out of me. But those comics? Bor-ring. Kirkman is a skilled writer but a Planetary or Y: The Last Man he has not.

In this week's episode of Indestructible Art I say something or other to this effect, much to the dismay of my co-host, Ryan Adams. We also talk about the ground-breaking news of Marvel's first gay wedding and DC re-introducing a well known hero or heroine as a gay character into the Nu 52, a new game from Double Fine called The Cave, and a couple other news tidbits from the past week. Blue Ear? How awesome is Marvel for doing that?

Listen.

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Be a pal.

Comics? Still reading them.

Matt Kindt's MIND MGMT is a damn good. Much better than Jim McCann's Mind The Gap. Mind The Gap was GOOD but not great. MIND MGMT is great. You should read it.

Saga, too. Talk about an awesome book. Dismembered Ghosts. Robots. Lady spider assassins. Love, War, and Sex In Space. All narrated by a baby. Brian K. Vaughan blew up and now he's thanking us all for it by doing his version of The Wall.

Dancer by Nathan Edmondson, Nic Klein, and Jeff Powell is the pitch that gets movies made. A total page turner.

Avengers VS X-men? It's still happening, isn't it.

Batman Incorporated #1 did an excellent job of pushing the right kind of buttons. Can not wait to sit down with the trade and soak it up. After finally reading Flex Mentallo in full, Grant Morrison has become almost untouchable to me. I am fairly certain that I traveled through time when I read Flex Mentallo.

More good super hero comics in collected editions: Uncanny X-Force. That's how you do it. Everyone is a bad ass and you love it.

Hickman! Read that .1 issue of Fantastic Four and it was good! Secret? Manhattan Projects? Hickman is re-inventing and innovating comics in a universe that is all his own. Warren Ellis should watch his back.

What comics have you got excited about lately?

Indestructible Art # 30

Guys. Gals. I know you're out there, waiting with baited breathe, for an update here at Of Course, Yeah. I have been buying comics but I have also been too busy to write some stupid reviews.

One thing I did do was record another episode of Indestructible Art!

A few of the things we talk about:

• BioShock delayed!
• The First X-men teaser from last week!
• Playing Minecraft and how it's the fastest selling game on X-Box Live
• The Green Arrow coming to TV and how they are going to call it 'Arrow' (so dumb, I know)
• I also reviewed Mind The Gap and Dan: The Unharmable, along with a bunch of other stuff we talked about

Indestructible Art is a podcast where we talk about the video games and comics. Download it already!

We bought some proper microphones and now the audio is MILES better than previous episodes.  

Listen.

Enjoy.

Like.

Follow.

Etc, etc.

Indestructible Art, Ep 28

Another week brings us another episode of the Indestructible Art podcast. Some friends and I, we get together, we talk about video games and comic books, and it's completely awesome. Don't believe me?

Check it out.

Grant Morrison said that Batman was inherently gay. We discussed that. Nintendo reported a loss of 500 million trillion billion dollars. We discussed that, too. Someone (not me) bought an issue of Avengers vs. X-men: Vs and did not like it. We also discussed that. We also got down and talked about the use of story in video games, which ultimately lead to a small discussion on continuity in comics. All in all, a fun episode to make AND listen to.

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Etc, etc.

Indestructible Art, Ep 27

Hello, everybody!

I read some comics but instead of blogging about them, I recorded another episode of Indestructible Art with some friends and talked about them there.

Git some!

Indestructible Art is a podcast where we discuss the latest and greatest in video games and comic books. In this episode we talked about some of the books we read, like Avengers Vs. X-men & Saga, the recently announced Morrison-Con and DC's Trinity War, plus a bunch of stuff about video games I am a little clueless about. Fez sounds like an awesome game. You should play it. I should play it.

Doing the Indestructible Art podcast is a lot of fun because getting together to talk about games and comics, provides us the opportunity to also riff on all sorts of stuff like Kickstarter gone wrong and Gelatinous Cubes.

Like us on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter. 

And if you stick around HERE, you might actually get some more of my patented comic book criticism. Things have been busy all around but I'm still here, hating on the crappy comics that I can't stop buying.

I'm actually kind of dreading it.

Indestructible Art # 25

The past week has been a very busy one for me, hence the lack of the weekly review. Yes, I did buy Avengers Vs Xmen and yes I had some thoughts about it. If you are curious to HEAR what those thoughts are, you can listen to them on the Indestructible Art podcast. 

Since last I typed and you read, I have joined the Indestructible Art podcast which is hosted by two good friends of mine. On Indestructible Art, we discuss the latest in video game and comic book news, and talk about the games we played and the comics we read that week. 

Download it on iTunes.

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/indestructibleart.

Follow us on Twitter at @PixelsToPanels.

Hell, follow me on Twitter, too, if you feel so inclined: @SpencerCarnage. I make no promises that anything I tweet will have anything to do with comics.

God willing, the mostly-weekly update of what I read will show up here in the next few days and we all breathe a little sigh of relief.

3/27/12 Reviews - AvsX, Avengers, Aquaman, Daredevil

The hits, they just keep on coming. Week # 2 in my return to buying funny books on a regular basis. Let's dive in and review some books because this is a blog about comics.

AVENGERS 24.1

I know this was the week that AvX # 0 came out and that's the only thing worth reading reviews about but all of us comic fans are slaves to continuity and making you read a review of AvX before Avengers 24.1 would make your brain explode with frothing, irrational rage and I'm trying to be better about that this time around. I am going to save that special Fanboy Rampage (RIP) for the actual comics.

Major Spoilers, I know, but the Vision is back. And that is not the same Vision from the Young Avengers. Nah, it's the original Vision, back from the grave, all existential on your ass about what it means to have been on, then shut off, then turned back on again. The Vision was never really alive, right? He's a super-powered computer shaped like a man who fell in love with the Chaos Magicks wielding mutant daughter of Magneto. There's nothing alive about that last statement at all. He was turned on, hung out for a bunch of years, only to get a virus and be subsequently shutdown by the android malware that was the Sensational She-Hulk way back when in Avengers Disassembled. Remember that? That was the beginning of an end that really hasn't stopped for a lot of us. 

The Vision. Once he was dead, now he's not. Welcome Back, Vision! 

When you're an android back from the dead, the first order of business is asking questions. You start with Tony Stark, move on to Magento, and then end with Captain America telling you to buck up, soldier, because today is not yesterday and all we have to look forward to is tomorrow. 

I wonder what it's like to write about costume wearing robots. Do you channel Arthur C. Clark or Philip K. Dick? These are the tough decisions facing modern day comic book storytelling. 

Also, Hawkeye and Spider-woman are trying navigate the turbulent seas of "hey, we've done it a few times and I kind of like you, are we together or what?" thing. That is always tough, especially when your dead wife is not so dead and hanging around somewhere. Then again, there probably was an issue where things were really complicated for Mockingbird and Clint needed to give her time to figure it all out. Knowing Jessica Drew, she most certainly moved in before the corpse was even warm. 

Trifling girls being all trifling.

AvsX # 1

It all begins here! The Avengers! Versus the X-men! In a knock-down, drag out fight that's sure to have you hanging by your seat, because really, EVERYTHING AFTER THIS WILL NOT BE THE SAME.

I know, I know. Dumb comic book blogger coming out of blogging retirement, and already, he's being a mouthy little SOB about the next big cross-over that he has not read yet. So typical, us comic fans. We are as predictable as the story lines that unfold before us.

The Avengers are going to fight the X-men because the Phoenix Force is rearing its ugly head in the Marvel U again and its next host is Hope, the first mutant born since M-Day who was whisked away into the future, grew up, and then came back. Also, Hope has red hair and the Phoenix Force is a sucker for red headed girls. And the Avengers are not okay with that. Actually, from reading this issue you would never guess that but this is a zero issue so it is okay if we skip over those little details. 

This isn't about establishing the why and when we are all gonna tussle. This issue is about setting up the stage for the major players of the storyline which are the Scarlet Witch and Hope. The Scarlet Witch is back and she's fighting MODOK because that's what you do when you are trying to sort out the kind of emotions that come with being the reason behind both Avengers Disassembled AND House Of M. Life is hard when you got a glowing va jay jay. Naturally, you find MODOK and throw some salt in his super-villain-y game. 

Ms. Marvel and Spider-woman show up, lend a hand, and take her back to the Avengers Mansion for a reunion that obviously goes bad when the Vision lets her know that she is not welcome. For a robot, that Vision sure is emotional. That is not what is important here, though. This part of the issue is about setting up the Scarlet Witch for her big comeback. At the end of all of this, Wanda will get her chance to save the world and rejoin her place alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Brian Michael Bendis is leaving the Avengers franchise and it is only natural that he finally gives the Scarlet Witch her chance to redeem herself once and for all. 

I'm calling it. You probably did, too. The Scarlet Witch will save the day and everyone will rejoice and dance and do whatever else it is that we do when things like that happen in super-hero comics. 

Do you think anyone told the Vision that the first thing that Hawkeye did when he came back from the dead was sleep his wife? That Hawkeye; such a man-whore, he is.

That was only part one of AvsX # 0. Part two has Hope, getting all riled up and having one those fights that only happens so we can move the story along. It's a Mulligan Fight. Kind of like how Scarlet Witch fought MODOK. That didn't do anything but give the writer a reason for two Avengers to show up, fight, chat, and then bring her back to the Mansion in order for us to see the exchange between Wanda and the Vision. In this case, it's the Serpent Society robbing a bank and Hope shows up to stop them because she's moonlighting as San Francisco's vigilante. 

What we are really seeing is Hope, getting all angry, letting loose and showing her darker side so we can all say "man, she's got a temper and is a little off-the-chain with that unchecked aggression, I wonder what's gonna happen when she's possessed by the Phoenix Force? I should keep reading." It's all set up and it makes sense for a zero issue. These are the major players and they are all being put in their place for them to be so. 

Was it a good issue? Nope but the boobs are nice. That's what we're all here for, right?

Aquaman # 7

I know. Me, buying an Aquaman comic? I must have been high. 

I've heard stories that this New 52 Aquaman is uber-boss and that it's time for me to give this a try. I know that once upon a time I may have had it out with a certain DC blogger about Aquaman and how lame he was but at the ripe old age of 32 I'm fairly certain that anybody who shows up in a super-hero comic book wearing a costume is just as lame as Aquaman has ever been. 

I have been too far removed from all of this to have any preference. DC or Marvel, it's all white noise to me. My second week in a row buying weekly comics and it is tough to say whether things have gotten better or worse. Other than my hard-earned cash, there is no emotional investment in this for me. Do I like reading dramatic stories about men and women in capes punching each other while trying to save the day from the likes of Doctor Doom and Lex Luthor? Sure. I'm only human. Is it possible that those same super-hero comics are capable of delivering a story that actually says something beyond Spandex Man hits Professor Bad Guy? Of course. Is Aquaman # 7 the issue where that happens? Not really.

Aquaman and Aquawoman do just that and it's business as usual. Ancient relics from Atlantis are stolen, people die, and heroes go looking for answers. My ignorance towards all the above make it hard for this issue to stand out but being that this is issue # 7 in a series that came from a major retcon, it is possible that I'm 7 months too late. 

Either way, as a new reader, color me still emotional uninvested. 

Daredevil # 10

In my absense, I still paid a little attention. From what I heard, Mark Waid's Daredevil has been up to some good. Graves have been robbed. One of them belonged to Matt's dad, therefore Daredevil is on the case.

The art in this issue is great. Just great. And Daredevil, he goes toe-to-toe with Mole Man, which we get to see in a nice little fight between the two. For a second, you almost think that Mole Man is kind of a bad ass, going punch-for-punch with Daredevil. When it is all said and done, it is another fight amongst a million super-hero comic book fights. That's not what makes this issue intriguing but it helps. 

No, what makes this intriguing is the Daredevil who was dating the Black Cat and the machinations of villians like Megacrime and the Black Spectre. None of those names are familiar to me yet the little bits about them dropped in this issue, mostly revealed from a break-up letter from the Black Cat to Daredevil, are enough to make me want to pick up a trade or two. Good stuff, indeed.

---

Weekly comics: it's a wonder that I ever left you.

OMG, I bought some comics!

And now I'm going to blog about them on my blog that nobody reads.

So yes. Comics. Its been awhile. Well, not that long. I did pick up the first two issues of Wolverine and the X-men which were great. I really should pick up the rest. Instead of buying those, I bought these.

I know, I know. Justice League # 7? I must have been high. Anyhoo, let's get to talk about some comics, shall we?

Justice League # 7

So DC did a big ol' reboot and now we have all these books that are kicking around and Rob Liefeld is plotting three of them, up is down and cats and dogs are attending tea parties hosted by the mailman. Since I missed the bus on that whole first issue thing, I figured I would go with the next jumping-on point.

And that's good because this issue has Gene Ha on art which is a million times better than Jim Lee's superbly technical yet stiff pencil work. And that's not easy for me to say because I was raised on some Jim Lee. At one point, I had all of his issues of Uncanny X-men and Wildcats. Jim Lee was my boy for a long, long time. That dude can draw very well, for sure. Just not when it comes to side boob.

Not that it really matters but does not look right at all. And don't worry, its not only side boob that he has a problem with. Its super-crotch, too.

That right leg is sticking out, all stiff and wooden like. Doesn't look right. The composition on this whole thing is a little weird. Go see for yourself.

But Gene Ha? Fantastic. Go read Top Ten for some good Gene Ha art. This issue has some good Gene Ha art, too. Everyone's face look a little long and pointy-ish which is not something I remember from his Top Ten days but then again, those were some crazy days, amirite or amirite???!? High five, brah. The pointy faces are okay because it's Gene Ha and he can draw the Justice League for me any day. Personally, I would rather he draw another book because this comic was not so good.

Not that I have a horse in this race, but this is not a Justice League I can get behind. Green Lantern has gone from being the smug, arrogant hot dogging flyboy to an obnoxious douche who thinks he's funny when he's clearly not. Batman whining about property damage to the other Leaguers? Batman doesn't whine. He fucking reprimands your ass and then takes off back to Gotham to punch the Joker in his face for the 3rd time that week. At no point did I see Superman in a panel and get the sense that he's the greatest super hero that ever lived.

But this issue was not really about the Justice League. It was about Steve Trevor who thinks that threatening some senate sub-committee for prying into the lives of the Justice League is exactly what the World's Finest want him to be doing on his behalf. Its fairly obvious in this issue that this guy is having a tough time being the human liaison for the Justice League. Its like being friends with Brad Pitt.   When you're friends with Brad Pitt, all people ever want to talk to you about is Brad Pitt.

Does Brad Pitt eat cereal for breakfast? I eat cereal for breakfast. I wonder if we like the same kind of cereal. Oh man, can you ask for me the next time you're hanging out with Brad Pitt, what kind of cereal he eats? Thanks, person who is friends with Brad Pitt. You're the best.

I would get sick of that too.

Everyone in this comic sucked. Except for Wonder Woman. Even though her slight touch of tenderness towards Steve over Skype seems out of character for the Wonder Woman that lives in my head, it was actually the only part where I didn't feel like I was watching morons converse.

And tell my dad to stop trying to tap into our computer systems up here, whine whine whine.

Put a cork in it, Cyborg.

Uncanny X-men # 9

I read issues # 1 and 2 of this series. They weren't so good. For one, can we stop it with this "we need to be super heroes" take that's been kicking around the X-books for the past 10 years? Also, can we all stop trying to be Grant Morrison and start putting our own voice on these books? Whedon did a fantastic job of taking all of those lingering trails of Morrison's run and making it all feel a little more human. Mike Carey was the only guy good enough to run with all that New X-men weirdness and make it his own. But you, Mr. Gillen?

The Acute Reflection, freed of its Prism-Prison, creates refracted copies of its interdimensional Ur-Alien source to infest Central Vancouver. 

Following an X-Club suggestion, The Protector manages to recode the Voidian's weapons into a temporary Infinite Mirror Trap.

Morrison is getting royalty checks for this stuff, right?

In this issue the space prison that hovers above Earth at the S.W.O.R.D.'s headquarters get destroyed and bunch of aliens fall to earth, causing an "Extinction-Scale Event" and Cyclops gets his kitten back in the form of a "big mission" that he was pining for earlier in this issue.  The X-men go and beat up a bunch of aliens with the Avengers help and all is fine and well until Hope gets summoned away to recruit a new mutant. Oh wait, its a trap by one of the aliens! Interesting! Also, the Phoenix Force is back according to the preview of the forthcoming Avengers / X-men cross-over and its host is Hope because she has red hair . Everyone knows that the Phoenix Force is way into gingers.

I like this X-men line-up. It has Magneto and Namor, the Avenging Son. Colossus is the Juggernaut. Emma Frost is still super catty and dressing like a high class hooker. Magik is back. Gillen needs to leave and give this line-up to someone who knows how to write a decent X-book, ie something that reminds me of my childhood and my childhood only.

Super Crooks # 1

Mark Millar and Leinil Yu doing a book where the super villians leave America and go to Spain because there are no heroes there to beat them up. And yes, its exactly as bad as you expect it to be but it had been awhile since someone took a crap in my skull so I figured why not. Yu's art has gotten much better than I remember but that's not enough for me to stick around. Maybe with that one he does with Quietly? Definitely have to get that one. This one? Not so much.

Saga # 1

This is confusing and good so just get it. I wrote more but then this WYSIWYG editor deleted it and I'm about to jump off a building, I'm so upset, and blogging is hard so we'll just go with this:

2 cyber-thumbs up.

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Man. That was a little painful for BOTH of us.

I'm fairly certain that there will be more of this kind of stuff because what's the internet for if I'm not on it, running my mouth about how much Brian Michael Bendis is ruining my life. Right?

Right.