Harry here, this week's comic columns were delayed by my work on THE SHOW.... which is progressing like.... well... you'll see. Anyway onto the Amazing Mutant Fanboy and The Sexiest Man In Comics.... here ya go....
We’re back. Like a recurring nightmare you can never wake up from, ‘tis I, the Amazing Mutant Fanboy, along with my trusty sidekick, the Sexiest Man in Comics! Together, we do our part week after week to weed out the weakest of the comic books like "Azrael: Agent of the Bat," and provide to you, our fearless readers, the best of breed in this Premium Pulp.
Yes, it’s time once again for us to give you a head’s up on this coming week’s comics. This week, we’ve got a whole slew of books, from the latest issue of one of our favorite boy geniuses, to the second issue of the best X-Book on the market. First though, let’s take a look at the latest issue of "Ultimate X-Men."
Mark Millar is one of those writers who’s slowly been making his way into the cockles of mine heart. He’s always had a great penchant for the need to balance action with, um, non-action, and this issue is a great example of his ability in these matters. The story starts off with a bang, as an ultimate version of Nightcrawler (no, he’s not called that, but come on folks, he’s blue and he teleports!) is chased down by members of the mysterious Weapon X program. However, just as quickly as we’re sucked into the action, Millar slows the pace down considerably, giving us an idea of where this six-issue story arc is going. Now in most cases, such a set up is often grating for old time readers, but Millar actually does a good job of mixing the story recap with some character revelations. If you’re new to the Ultimate X-Men world, you can certainly pick this book up and go running from here.
And I was actually new to the "Ultimate X-Men" book with this issue, as I’ve never been big in to the whole Mutant Universe at Marvel. However, after giving this issue a first look, I’m certainly going to be coming back for a while, as Millar’s deft writing, coupled with some excellent panel layout (both in the quiet moments and in the action packed opening) by Adam Kubert, certainly have gotten me interested in this new X-Men.
But enough about mutants for now, as I’m starting to get SMIC’s Our World’s At War fever now too. There were three books in the cross-over event this week, but really only two stood out as being worthy of making it to these pages. First of all, there’s "Action Comics" #760, which has Superman and the JLA mincing words with Luthor and Darkseid about the impending doom. Of course, as par for the course in this event, the heroes of earth are still being kept in the dark as to what’s about to come. Of course, to make matters worse, the evil General of Pokolistan has started a major offensive against that wacky country Germany.
Of all the Superman books we’ve seen since the Emperor Joker storyline last year, this issue is far and away my pick for the best of the bunch. Joe Kelly and Kano do an amazing job of telling this story in a semi-linear fashion, with some inventive visual choices, as well as great use of "voiceovers" throughout the second act of the book. The final act turns into a slugfest, but a great one at that, as the General is revealed to be none other than General Zod.
Oh, and Kansas gets leveled too.
Right, which leads us into the next book on the docket, "Supergirl" #59. This book starts out with Supergirl waking up from the impact of whatever leveled the state of Kansas with a concussion. Dazed and confused, she is forced into action to end the looting and chaos that is quickly tearing apart the rest of the region. Of course, she’s forced to save the day here, all the while dealing with the fact that she has yet to check up on the Kent’s, the reason she was there to begin with.
Wow. I didn’t think that DC was capable of these gutsy moves anymore. I mean, it was cool when they killed off Coast City, and yes, Australia got a smackdown during Invasion, but to take out Kansas and (possibly) kill off Superman’s parents? Then, to make matters worse for the superheroes, but better for the readers, keep us all in suspense while Supergirl goes off saving the day without checking up to see how the Kents are doing? Man, this OWAW just keeps showing more and more promise. Don’t get me wrong, as I still think it’s going to be a big let down in the end, but right now, I’m still picking up each issue of the Superman books just in case…
Back to this issue, though, as the ending leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger, as Supergirl’s guardian demon gets no support from the Maid of Steel after he’s caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think it’s unfortunate to have this character fight so hard for some sort of redemption, only to have it possibly stripped away here at the end. Buzz has been a great character, and I hope that they continue to develop him.
As far as this issue overall goes, Peter David puts in yet another strong effort, while the art team of Kirk and Riggs still seem to me to be one of the best-fit teams on a book in any mainstream title. Whereas that art is a great fit for Supergirl, the same could be said for "X-Force’s" Mike Allred, whose art gives X-Force a feel all its own, perfectly setting the tone for the stories Milligan writes for this dysfunctional team. "X-Force" #117 shows the team picking up the pieces from their last devastating battle, with the newest members being called in with another mission starting up.
Last issue we saw the X-Force primarily through the eyes of its leader Zeitgeist. Now we get to see it from a birds eye view, complete with a glimpse into the press packets that the Marvel media receives on the teams newest members. The new members are a hoot, with one character formerly going under the name "Rainbow" in San Francisco, and another taking the name Phat as he’s able to inflate his limbs to larger than life proportions. What’s amazing about this book is that with all the subtle humor that abounds in it, it never goes overboard. The idea of the team as larger-than-life superstars is not played as a gimmick. It’s just a matter of fact plot point that helps put into place some interesting character dynamics.
Now this issue is low on action, save for a brief spat with the former X-Force team. However, Milligan nimbly uses a number of different conventions to make some of this expository writing seem fresh and engrossing. Even still, this book comes in a close second in the voting for my PULP OF THE WEEK.
Yes, this week, we actually agree on a POTW, as Judd Winick’s hilarious "Adventures of Barry Ween: Boy Genius" vol. 3 #3 gets the nod. I’ve been a big fan of Barry Ween ever since Oni Press put out the first mini-series, and I’ve yet to be let down by the Real World alumnus. This time out, Ween has to face both the horror of a monkey loose with the Ebola virus (yes, we’ve seen this before, and yes, Winick jokes about the unoriginal concept) as well as the horrors of that first ever grade school dance.
Barry Ween is the kid that all geeks like myself wanted to be in grade school. We knew that we were smarter than everyone else, and we all wanted to prove it by building our own jet packs and time machines. He’s cool because he doesn’t take shit from anyone else, just like geeks like me would like to have been. He’s ten years old, and the hormones are just starting to set in, but he’s still cool about the whole thing. This is my first time reading Barry Ween, so I was a little set back from some of the characters in the book and how they relate to the boy genius, but all in all, I absolutely loved this book.
What makes this book work though, and I think AMF touched upon this a bit while he was reliving his childhood, is that the main character is so likeable. The whole "Boy Genius" thing is done often, as we’ve seen most recently with Dexter’s Laboratory and Jack B. Quick. Dexter is too much of a know-it-all for his own good, and Jack B. Quick is too straight laced. Barry knows he’s a god among men with his intellect, but he doesn’t gloat about it, unless he’s trying to one up his best friend Jeremy. He’s very matter-of-fact about what he can do, and still acts like a little kid at the same time. The usual Ween humor is here, with some of the best use of the word "vagina" I’ve seen in a long time, as well as the usual strong banter between Barry and Jeremy. If you don’t buy any other comics this week, buy this one.
Other books of interest this week include "Green Arrow" #4, which was close to making it on our list with Kevin Smith doing a great job with Batman and Spoiler in this issue. Also of note in DC-land this week is "Batman" #592, featuring the conclusion of the "Shot Through the Heart" story-arc. Other than that, we’re out of here for the week. I’m the Amazing Mutant Fanboy…
And I’m the Sexiest Man in Comics. And remember to order your comics early…
…and buy comics often.
AND NOW A MESSAGE....
So I thought I'd start out our little tour of online comics with an example of what online strips always start out like. If you go to the nascent Naked Angry Pat site, you'll find some pretty good humor by the always witty Brian Lynch. However, that humor is lost in some pretty rudimentary artwork. Don't get me wrong, I like the strip and all, but I can tell that if the Harry Knowles strip of a few weeks ago were to have been published in say 2 years, it wouldn't just be mildly humorous, it would actually be a fully formed strip.
You see, one of the great joys of reading online comics is the ability to see just how an artist develops over time. Those of you who have read a great deal of Garfield or Doonsbury know of what I speak. In the beginning with both of those comic strips, the artwork was really quite lackluster. Characters were less defined, and if you take a look at the early Garfield, he looks more like a blob than the cat we all grew to know and love. The same can be true when one looks at the comic book medium in general. The comics of the 1930's had maybe 1/3 the definition that comics of today have, as the artists have developed as a whole.
On the same scale as the comic strip, you can see that trend towards better artwork in a number of online comics, including Peter Abrams' Sluggy Freelance. "Sluggy's" been going on strong for over 3 years now, and has artfully skewered topics such as Santa, Dr. Laura, Voltron, you name it (and it's a part of pop culture) and "Sluggy" will have either tackled it already, or it'll be coming up soon. The writing on this strip is always fun, and the artwork as mentioned before has improved over time.
Now while the art has improved somewhat over time in "Sluggy," the progression of art at Acid Reflux is astounding, and the story is great to boot. Here we have the story of God (not that God, but another God) and her friends and universe, a hand me down located inside "Irving." Yes, this strip is that bizarre, and that's where the strength of the Internet comic comes from in many cases. Most of the stuff you see online would never "sell" to a syndicate or publisher. It's too far off the beaten path. It's a pity as this strange tale of a teenage God is certainly worth surfing over to. This is another tale that's been going on now for a long time, and the only draw back is the fact that it only provides a strip at a time, and those strips only come out once a week.
That's one of the limitations with the online comic thus far. With few exceptions, a tale that you love may only be published once a week, and in most cases only in strip form. There are precious few full stories online that one can immerse him or her self in.
However, "Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco" is just such a tale. Composed by Rick Smith, "Baraka" tells the tale of Mr. Smith's travels with his wife throughout Morocco, from Casablanca, to the Sahara Desert, and through the Marrakesh. His is a great tale, that anyone who's spent time in an unfamiliar land will certainly find some of the high jinks more than a little familiar. From hassles with transportation, to language barriers, this travelogue is definitely a fun read, with a good style of art.
But where "Baraka" misses out, as do most of these online comics, is in the experimentation that can follow from taking this medium on to the screen. Scott McCloud, one of comic book-dom's leading intellectual types, speaks of this in his Paradox Press book "Reinventing Comics." In it, he discusses the ability to go beyond conventional panel layout, and give the new online comic a feel all its own.
In McCloud's own online comic strips, Zot! and "I Can't Stop Thinking", he puts his money where his mouth is, giving readers the opportunity to see how the conventional comic book format isn't as well suited for the screen as other forms might be. In Zot, McCloud reunites his characters from his 80's series for an all-new story that's really quite touching and fun at the same time. Now, to be honest, I don't think that this work is McCloud's best, as the artwork isn't as clean as I've come to expect with McCloud.
However, McCloud's work on "I Can't Stop Thinking" is certainly something for the comic book fan to check out, regardless of the kinds of comics he or she reads. ICST is an extension of the work from McCloud's "Reinventing Comics" and covers a number of different topics from micropayments to the absolute virtues of bringing sequential art online. Sure, it's a little preachy sometimes, but all in all, McCloud's work is always worth taking a look at as he does have important things to say about this medium that we so love.
Of course, I can't talk about online comics without at least mentioning some of the stuff the big publishers are doing. Last week, Grey Haven talked to us about Marvel's Dot-Comics, which in my mind are the most revolutionary online comics I've seen. For those who still haven't seen them, the Dot-Comics reprint entire issues of Marvel's best recent comics and put them in an easy to use Flash interface. If you want to read a comic, the panels will pop-up for you one by one. Or, you can take a closer look at a panel by yourself. While I love this new technology and how it's trying to promote (primarily) the Ultimate Marvel line, it would be great to see Marvel use this technology to bring back old books that some of us never had a chance to get a hold of (like the first ever McFarlane Spidey, or Giant-Sized X-Men #1, or Amazing Fantasy #15).
While Marvel is hoping that catching readers up with the comics online will bring the readers in, Oni Press is actually giving away paper copies of their comics. As mentioned in a recent Premium Pulp, you can go and check out the first issues of "Barry Ween," "Whiteout," "Geisha" and "Blue Monday" all in PDF format.
So if you want to share the love, you can print off a copy of Barry Ween to give to your non-comic reading friends. Heck, they even have copies available for retailers so you can stick your logo on the front and distribute them for free to all your patrons. In addition, Oni also has a series of online exclusive mini-comics, showcasing some of Oni's best talent.
Ultimately the comic book world is best served looking at what the online world can offer it. No, online comics won't completely take over, but you can see how Oni Press and Marvel have both used the inexpensive means of the Internet to help educate the masses about their current offerings. In addition, at some point there will actually be a system in place to make these artists' labors pay off. Until then, check out these comics and click on as many banner ads as possible to support these guys. I'm SMIC, and I'm out.
