Beyond the Big 2: June 2008

by Matt

I love going through the Previews magazine every month. I spend hours going through every page, reading every solicitation and I usually find something that piques my interest. Each month I try to pick up a new book that is NOT part of the "Big 2". Here are a couple of new books that I am giving a try in August from the June 2008 Previews.





FLASH GORDON #1
America`s beloved sci-fi hero is back in a brand new ongoing series, based on Alex Raymond`s original ideas but with a modernized twist for the 21st century! CIA Agent Dale Arden draws a reluctant Flash Gordon back into the world of espionage to track down the allegedly insane Hans Zarkov - who`s been accused of creating a weapon of mass destruction. Elsewhere in the universe, Ming the `Merciful`s` tyrannical shadow looms over Mongo, where an impending civil war is escalating!

FLASH! AAHHHHHHHH! Savior of the Universe! I am a HUGE fan of the cheesey 80's epic movie that I will check out any Flash Gordon. I am hoping this this comic is a little more true to the original series that the recent television show or the silly updated Flash Gordon cartoon a few years back. I have not seen any interviews or previews of the title but I had to give this a shot! Check out the official site for more art and an interview with the creative team.


BIONIC COMMANDO #0
By (W)Justin Marks and (A)Jean Diaz
Published by Devil's Due Publishing
$0.99
Product Code JUN083852
At the whim of social prejudice, Nathan Spencer fell from grace in the Federation he once saved. Stripped of his bionic arm and cast out of society, Spencer is reluctantly called upon once again to fight-this time against his fellow bionic outcasts who are waging war against the government that rebuked them.

I grew up playing Bionic Commando on the old NES system and I cannot wait for the new version of the same game for the new platforms. I absolutely loved this game and I think this could have the potential to be a successful translation. And for only 99 cents, how can I not try it out? The last time I picked up a Devil's Due preview book for 99 cents was Drafted and that turned out to be one of my favorite books. Looking forward to this book.



GHOST OMNIBUS VOL 1
By (W)Eric Luke, (A)Adam Hughes, Terry Dodson, Scott Benefiel, Matt Haley and others.
Published by Dark Horse
$24.95 TPB
Product Code JUN080071
If you`re already dead, you might as well make the best of it. Someone brutally murdered reporter Elisa Cameron, but back from the grave as the spectral avenger Ghost, Elisa intends to find out who killed her and why and grab a double dose of .45-caliber retribution. But Ghost`s journey to the truth follows a dark, twisted path, and the revelations she unearths may lead not to redemption, but damnation. Collects Ghost Special #1, Ghost #1-12 (first series), and `Sweet Things` from Decade of Dark Horse #2.

I fondly rememeber most of Dark Horse's superhero universe back in the 90's and I am pleased that they are reprinting a ton of material from those days. The one that I am most excited for is this volume. The only Ghost stories (hey I made a funny) that I have read were her first appearence and the story that is being reprinted from the Decade of Dark Horse mini series. Ghost is probably the most popular charcter of that universe and I am interested to see why.

I get all my comics, trades and hard covers through Mailordercomics.com. Click on the banner below and you visit their site and you can order these books (and anything else from the June Previews) at huge discounts.




Next month I will return with 2 new columns! I will be posting my normal Beyond the Big 2 but I will also be posting a new column called Beyond the Big 2: Preview Review where I will be reviewing picks that I made in earlier columns. Next month will include Freddie & Me: Coming of Age, Charlatan Ball #1 and Fluffy, a hardcover I ordered a few months ago.

We'll see you on the flip side.
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Footnotes*...Spidey's Brand New Way

by Doug Smith

As a life-long reader of comics and casual observer of fan reaction around the internet, I’ve realized that the comics industry has three major problems:

(1)Late-shipping comics
(2)Decompression
(3)The two-headed monster known as JoeDan Quesadidio, which is hell-bent on destroying Marvel and DC…and thus, comics as we know them!

But lately, it seems that one-half of that Quesadidio bi-beast has taken steps towards addressing those first two points, and the methods being used could signal a change in the way that both Marvel and DC publish their comics.

That’s right, people, I’m talking about Amazing Spider-Man.

Wait! Come back! I know, I know ... I hated “One More Day” too.

But I’m not here to talk about the storylines spawned in the wake of that much-reviled status quo shakeup. Rather, I want to talk about how Marvel is successfully publishing their flagship title three times a month. Emphasis on HOW. (Successful in terms of scheduling…if you want to look at sales numbers, you can go here and see how the numbers can be interpreted about sixteen different ways to prove a variety of points.)

People were skeptical that Marvel (home of more than their share of late comics, especially since Joe Quesada became EIC) could publish Amazing Spider-Man on an almost-weekly schedule, but damn if they’re not doing it. Since the “Brand New Day” era started, the title has been utilizing a rotating team of writers (Dan Slott, Zeb Wells, Bob Gale, and Marc Guggenheim) and a deep bench of A-list artists, including Steve McNiven, Phil Jimenez, Salvador Larroca, Chris Bachalo, Barry Kitson, and Marcos Martin. Some of these artists have been associated with delayed books in the past, but to the best of my knowledge, Amazing has yet to miss a ship date.

So just how are they doing this?

Obviously, the rotating creators are a major factor in this schedule, but the other big piece of the puzzle is the length of the story arcs. So far, three-issue arcs by a writer/artist team have been the norm, although they are leading up to a longer arc, “New Ways To Die”, in a few months with the prolific John Romita Jr. handling the artwork. Shorter arcs have no doubt helped in the successful scheduling, as even a reliable workhorse like Larroca would be hard-pressed to do six straight issues in a two-month window. But three straight issues are apparently very possible, especially with plenty of lead time. We have to assume that there’s plenty of lead time in Spidey’s editorial office, as Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort recently mentioned on his blog that he and Slott were recently going over the story for ASM #600…that’s about 40 issues and well over a year of lead time!

Both Marvel and DC are in a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don’t situation with late work, especially when it comes to high-profile projects. If they delay a book (as Marvel did with Civil War), they get hammered by the fans. If they use fill-in artists (as DC did with Infinite Crisis, and just announced they are doing again as Carlos Pacheco joins J.G. Jones on Final Crisis), they get hammered. They simply can’t win, which is why it’s in their best interests to get the scheduling nightmares under control. I find it fascinating that Marvel can publish Amazing Spider-Man three times a month now, when they couldn’t publish it once a month last year. But if there’s one thing the book’s new editor, Steve Wacker, seems to know, it’s how to make the trains run on time. He came to Marvel after launching the highly successful 52 at DC, a weekly series that used a team of superstar writers, a pool of artists, was received well by fans, sold like hotcakes, and hit its ship date every single week. (It should be noted, of course, that Wacker left DC about halfway through that book’s run, so other people managed to keep the train on the tracks.) Whatever his secret is, Wacker seems to know how to schedule books appropriately and manage talent in a way that leads to success. There can be no doubt that he's using the lessons he learned while working on 52 now that he's a part of the Marvel Bullpen.

Rotating creative teams aren’t the answer for every single book, of course. I understand that creator-owned properties are going to come out on their creator’s schedule, whatever that may be. I’m fine with that. I’m also OK with special miniseries being completed by one team (although, for the love of Kirby, in those cases don’t solicit the first issue until the series is almost done!) as those tend to be more “labor of love”. But seeing what Marvel is accomplishing with Amazing gets me wondering if that model can’t be utilized on other company-owned series, like the much-delayed Astonishing X-Men. I don’t know if the delays on that book were the fault of writer Joss Whedon or artist John Cassaday, or a combination of the two (or, to be fair, completely out of their control). But for the sake of argument, let’s say that it was the artist that was late. I do understand that Cassaday was a big part of the book’s draw, but would it have hurt the book that much to be scheduled with Cassaday doing the first six issue arc, followed by, let’s say, Steve McNiven on issues 7-12, and then back to Cassaday? So long as an individual arc was consistent artistically, and didn’t have single issue rush jobs by fill-in artists, I believe fans would have been happier. And I don’t mean to pick on Cassaday, as I’m a big fan of his artwork; it’s just that this particular title is a very good example of a book that could have benefited by using two alternating A-list artists instead of suffering long delays. (The current volume of Captain America has been using Mike Perkins as a fill-in for Steve Epting, to great effect.) Again, if the problems had nothing to do with Cassaday, then we’ll have to dig deeper for solutions. Two of Marvel’s biggest scheduling disasters (Spider-Man/Black Cat and Ultimate Wolverine vs.Hulk) had nothing to do with late artists.

Delays can be deadly to a reader’s interest in a book. I know that I was certainly losing interest in Astonishing as the months went by with no new issues in sight. It didn’t help that I was finding the story itself to be a little on the thin side with each issue, which leads me to that other great threat to comics….

Decompression.

Now, I don’t think decompression is a bad thing, if used properly. The problem is, too many comics aren’t using it properly. At three bucks a pop, we fans want to get our money’s worth. We also don’t want to wait several months to get to the end of a storyline. Again, interest will start to wane; it’s only natural. Going back to the Astonishing example, a six-part story that feels padded isn’t very satisfying. It’s even worse when delays happen during the course of that story, and now the reader is being asked to give nine or ten months (or even more) to a storyline that isn’t wowing them. I felt that the last two pre-BND arcs in Amazing Spider-Man (“Back In Black”, which was six parts, and “One More Day”, which was four parts) suffered greatly from this combination; stories that were taking more issues than needed to tell the story, compounded by serious delays. By the time “Back In Black” was over, I was fed up and pissed off at having spent several months and $18 on what could have been done in just two or three issues.

Six issues is plenty of time to decide that you don’t like a book and drop it. I dropped Gail Simone’s All-New Atom after slogging through the first six issues, which I didn’t enjoy at all. Several months later, I picked up an issue on a whim and enjoyed it enough to put the book back on my pull list. Now, had those first six issues been just three issues, I probably would have been willing to give the next storyline a chance, and DC might have kept me as a reader; but by the time issue six came out my mind was made up. Marvel just relaunched Cable and I could tell by the end of issue two that I was done with this book. Not that it was bad, but it was so glacially paced that I felt I was wasting my money; no way was I going to buy through issue five to see how things turned out. I might have been tempted to buy through issue three, had that been the end of the first arc; but that would have required much more economical storytelling on the part of the creators.

This brings us, again, back to the “Brand New Day” era. The three-issue arcs make for a nice, quick, well-paced read. There seems to be a conscious effort to pick up the pace. Part of that is no doubt due to the scheduling of talent; shorter arcs mean a better chance of having one artist doing the whole story. But it’s also made for crisper storytelling which is more satisfying to me, the consumer. The stories don’t feel “compressed”; the pacing feels just right, not too rushed and not too slow. Every story is different, and the trend towards forcing everything into arcs of five or six issues defeats the whole point of decompression, which was to allow stories to find their natural length and rhythm, instead of being shoved into one or two issues. In allowing writers and artists more freedom in their storytelling, Marvel and DC went too far in the other direction; now, hopefully, the pendulum will swing back the other way, and a happy balance can be found.

There’s definitely a lesson to be learned from the way Marvel is handling Amazing Spider-Man, and it’s a lesson that can, and should, be applied to titles at both companies. Build in plenty of lead time. Tighten up story arcs. Schedule artists (and writers) in such a way that deadlines don’t become constantly moving targets. Monthly titles like Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Action Comics, Mighty Avengers…these books shouldn’t be allowed to get months behind schedule. Because if Marvel can publish Spider-Man three times a month using top-notch artists, then there’s really no reason for any monthly title to get behind to the point that storylines have to be wrapped up several months later in a “special” issue or annual (yeah, I’m looking at you now, DC Comics).

Love it or hate it, Amazing Spider-Man just might be the way of the future.
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Comics for Kids: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

by Betsy

As part of my ongoing effort to entertain my superhero-crazed three-year-old son, I've started investigating some cartoons. After all, anything involving superheroes can't possibly be as annoying as Dora the Explorer... can it?

Jack and I checked out Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and I quickly learned that they are bad choices for him. I suspect they'd be fine for an older kid, maybe 7 or so, but they made Jack into a crazy, rammy nutbar who is incapable of not hurling himself off of the couch, getting boo-boos, crying, and repeat into infinity.

Then, I came up with a genious idea: a bootleg of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. I loved the show as a kid - would Jack agree? And would I like it for any reasons other than nostalgia?

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends now airs on the Disney Channel's Jetix, but if you're crazy internet saavy like me, and have access to little-known sites like "Google," then you too can obtain a bootleg of questionable quality.

If you are not a child of the '80s and aren't familiar with the show, the premise is pretty simple. Spider-Man is a student at Empire State, along with his friends Iceman and Firestar - a character who was created solely for the show. Firestar not only provides powers that contrast with Iceman's, but also serves as a token female. The three of them live with Aunt May and her puppy, Ms. Lion, and fight crime when they're not in class. Plus, as a bonus, the whole thing is narrated by Stan Lee.

Jack absolutely loves this show. He geeks out at the frequent guest appearances - from Captain America to the X-Men, and all kinds of characters in between. He finds the action scenes exciting, but not scary. The bad guys in this cartoon are really not that bad - they are pretty much as evil as the gang that tried to steal gas from Steve Martin's character in The Jerk. Everything resolves neatly in half-hour installments, and there are jokes that only a kid could love.

As an adult, I find that there is considerably less to love about this show. I do enjoy watching it with Jack and explaining who Namor is, and I like that I can leave him alone to watch the show without worrying about his seeing anything age-inappropriate. But the plots are thin, the storylines are often lame, and the humor is cringe-worthy. And be warned: the music (all two instrumental pieces repeated on a constant loop) will get stuck in your head. I wouldn't watch it myself, but with a little kid, it's a lot of fun.

Jack's rating: A
My rating: C+
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From Top to Bottom: Comic Book Dads

by Matt

Welcome to the 8th edition of the weekly "From Top to Bottom" column! Every week I will look at something within the comics industry and give you my opinion on what I think is the best and what I think ranks amongst the bottom-feeders.

Last week I took a look at the Top and Bottom of Hulk Artists that chronicled the Green Goliath. This week in honor of Father's Day (and being a true dad, this column is late) I will be examining Comic Book Dads. The good ones along with the deadbeats.

I am a very lucky guy. My dad (seen here taking a blow from my kid dressed as Wolverine for Halloween) always bought me comics when I was younger and still to this day he still supports me collecting and reading comics. In fact, I returned the favor and bought him a comic just the other day. He is a HUGE fan of the spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood that I got him a copy of the new "Man With No Name" series and he liked it. As far as being a dad in a comic universe, here are my Top 3 Best Dads and then 3 Dads that just couldn't pass the mustard.

3) Mr. Fantastic
How cool would it be to have Mr. Fantastic be your dad? You would always have someone that can assist you with your homework and can you imagine the help you would get with your science projects? The only drawback would be IF he was around to help you since he is so busy saving the universe every other day. It certainly wouldn't be boring to have him as your dad!



2) Rick Grimes
Being a parent isn't easy. But try being a single parent in a world full of zombies! Rick has gone through a lot of traumatic events but manages to do his best in such a harsh environment. He immediately recognizes that his son Carl would need to know how to handle and shoot a gun in this world, which paid off quickly just a few issues later! He has taught his son compassion, hard work, and has helped his son deal with this new world.


1) Stan Lee
Okay, okay. I kinda cheated with this one but it is my column and I am allowed. He is the Father of the Marvel Universe and technically he has been in Marvel comics before. If it weren't for Stan and his creativeness, my childhood wouldn't have been the same. Thirty-some-odd-years later, I still feel like a kid when I read comics he helped create!




Now some comic dads just don't cut it. Some were not special enough to make a mention here. Take Cyclops for instance, I really could have placed him in both lists. I should give some props to Sentinel, Green and Red Arrows, Pa Kent and a bunch others. But I cannot fit them all here. Now, for the dads that weren't the best examples and should forget about fatherhood.


3) Captain Dynamo
Every dad keeps some sort of secret. But what if your dad was the hero known as Captain Dynamo and you find out that your dad was not as nice as a hero as you think he was and that he fathered illegitimate children (5 of them became the super team known as Dynamo 5 and is a terrific book) all over the world? This dad's may have left his offspring superpowers but I suspect that is this dad was alive, he would be a deadbeat dad!


2) Deathstroke: The Terminator
Maybe he just shouldn't have kids. He kills his own son Jericho by ramming a sword through his chest and then later on he finds a daughter he didn't even know he had and brainwashes her to become a mercenary like himself.







1) Green Goblin/Norman Osborn
First he doesn't think you are worthy to have the Osborn name. Than he sleeps with one of your friends and tries to kill another. Norman will never win any "Father of the Year" awards with these types of actions. Being a psychotic dad makes Norman the bottom of all dads! I guess Norman may have done something right, his son Harry does act an awful lot like his dear ol' dad.



I dedicated this to my dad for helping and supporting me in this addiction. My dad always wanted to me to be able to read and write, and he saw that comics would be a fantastic way to help. Thanks Dad! And I wish a belated "Happy Father's Day" to all the dads out there. Now I am off to play the new Lego Indiana Jones game for the Wii which my son Logan got me for Father's Day. I must be raising him well since he sure knows how to pick a gift!

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X-Centric: 'Ain't' Ain't a Word, Bub

by the General

When most people see the letters "XXX," there are a number of things might jump into their head. Maybe they think of the Roman numeral for thirty. Or, perhaps, they think of the three letters scrawled on the side of a jug of moonshine. More likely, they think of Vin Diesel (though probably they probably try to forget Ice Cube). But, I'm guessing what you probably think about is the movie rating you find on the back of most films in Doug's DVD collection.

Me? I think "X-Men, X-Men, X-Men." But, then again, I'm a bit X-Centric.

And, being a bit X-Centric, I've realized that it falls upon my shoulders to talk about something that no one else is talking about. Namely, X-Men comics. Yes, folks, I shall shoulder the burden and be the sole person on the vast and varied interweb to tackle the subject of the X-Men. No where else will you find someone expressing their thoughts and opinions on the X-line. In fact, I challenge you to find another blog, message board or fan site dealing with the X-Men! I dare you!

AND, since I am the Lone Ranger of all things X, it also falls upon my heavy shoulders to discuss a distant corner of the X-Universe that rarely receives any attention: Wolverine. Namely, I'd like to point out how Marvel decided that X-Force's first one-shot was an excellent opportunity to showcase this little known mutant in X-Force Special: Ain't No Dog #1. Apparently appearing in three regular titles, being imprisoned by Commies in Uncanny X-Men, fighting skrulls with the Avengers and leading X-Force in their regular title wasn't quite enough for Marvel's crowd-pleasing wombat of self-regenerating fury. So, Marvel has dragged him kicking and screaming into what I believe is his third one-shot of the month. And, looking at the cover, I don't even think that Wolverine wants to be there...


Now, I feel it's worth mentioning that - as a struggling illustrator myself - I'm not one to generally be overly critical of another individual's artwork. But at the same time, after looking at this cover for a bit (which appears to be an uncredited Brian Hitch illustration), I was struggling to determine exactly how Wolverine would assume this position. But, then it hit me! Here's what obviously is going on: After having his left leg surgically removed, Wolverine has been kicked square in the back by Colossus with enough force to break his spine. In addition, the kick has thrown him forward with such velocity that, upon crashing into the X-Force logo, his right arm was snapped out of its socket, causing him to throw back his head in a howl of pain. Simple, really.

But, the question remains: What Wolverine storyline is so important that it warranted it's own X-Force Special? What story was so epic that it couldn't be told in a regular monthly? What major changes occur that shake the very foundation of Wolverine as a character? Well, ***here be spoiler warnings humble viewers*** I'm going to reveal them to you!

Ready for it!

Here it comes!

Wolverine kills a bunch of Purifiers.

Yup. Y'know, like he does in X-Force every month. But, the difference here is that while the monthly X-Force has some actual sense of plot line, here they've replaced it with Logan and Scott calling each other "dicks" for a page or two. (At least, I think they are calling each other "dicks," since calling someone "pound pound pound pound" doesn't quite have the same ring.)

I will say the whole thing is quite nicely illustrated. Though, even as a proud owner of Dead Alive, I'm sort of inclined to think that a half-page panel of Wolverine sawing a man's head in half with his claws might warrant a little more than a "parental advisory" in 9-point condensed font tucked in next to the cover's bar code. But, maybe being T-minus four months away from fatherhood has made me crazy in the head like that.

Also, it bears mentioning that there is also a back-up story featuring Proudstar, Wolverine ... and a bear. This story was primarily memorable for reminding me of Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's first issue of the original Wolverine mini-series, which starts with a nice Wolverine-versus-a-bear sequence. Oh, simpler days.

Oh yeah, there is also a five page preview of Ultimate Origins that is easily the most interesting part of the book.

Honestly, though, I don't want to come off like I'm pooping on the X-Force balloon. In fact, as I've mentioned somewhere else on this blog, X-Force is the series that I genuinely enjoy despite myself. Really, the title has every right to be tedious and completely uninteresting, but somehow it manages to be fascinating ... to me at least.

I think that the key lies in the fact that Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost have figured out how to get a considerable amount of emotional wiggle room out of what could have been a cliched concept of Liefeldian proportions. On paper, the idea of grouping together all the X-titles' various trackers and killers together into a black ops team ("X-Force: Now with 150% more claws­™") seems disastrous. But, Kyle and Yost realize that there's actually some interesting inter-character dynamics to be found here.

Sure, Wolverine is a killer. But, at the same time, he hates that he is a killer (well, despite what you might read in the X-Force Special), and has never been a natural leader. Furthermore, he's trying to help his cloned "daughter" X-23 reform and move away from a life he's already trapped in. And, he hates the idea of two "innocents," Proudstar and especially Wolfsbane, being sucked into his blood drenched world.

Its like he's your uncle telling you to never start smoking, while lighting up himself. And X-23, Proudstar, and Wolfsbane, the cocky youth, have indignantly replied: "Screw you, old man, I'm going to smoke if I want to!" To which Wolverine replies by bumming them a smoke. "Your choice, your funeral."

It's actually a cool angle to take for the team, and there is emotional meat to gnaw on there by focusing on Wolverine's position for once. It also helps that the storyline is also harnessing past continuity in a unique way that tickles my geek button while not (presumably) being too inaccessible to the the passing fan. Even Clayton Crain's art has grown on me with each issue. The coloring errs on the side of murky, and there is an awkward frame here and there, but at other times there is an undeniable sense of atmosphere and drama.

Which is why the X-Force Special probably frustrates me so. Why muddy what is the start to a great franchise with such a forgettable and redundant one-shot? In Marvel's attempt to dry-hump Wolverine's money-bleeding corpse, they only make themselves look cheap and dirty. But, then again, I bought the thing. So, while Wolverine apparently "ain't no dog," the X-fans who bought this apparently are... or at least we are being lead around on a leash like one. Our choice, our funeral, I guess.

Grades: X-Force Special: Ain't Not Dog #1 is a disposable D+. While X-Force #1-#4 have been a brooding and bloody B+.

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THE INCREDIBLE HULK: The Movie: The Review

by Jon Quixote

Like most reviews of The Incredible Hulk you will read, I will start mine off by paraphrasing Gore Vidal. Vidal noted that writers who try to be great instead of good usually are neither. To many moviegoers, comic fans, and Marvel Studios executives, Ang Lee's vilified Hulk, with its kinetic comic-book visuals and focus on dissecting Banner's mental state, illustrates this principal.

In theatres today, The Incredible Hulk takes the lessons of the last movie to heart, and has only the modest ambition of making an entertaining movie with lots of collateral damage. Banner is chased until he turns into the Hulk, at which point he smashes. Repeat twice. Add romantic subplot. The end.

It delivers as promised. The chase scenes are fast-paced. The fight scenes are heavy on the smashing, and chock-full of both creative pounding and iconic imagery. The quieter moments are nicely quiet, which is probably the biggest one-up this one has on the 2003 version (that and the fact that the climax is comprehensible).

Edward Norton has reportedly refused to do publicity for the movie after the studio rejected his preferred cut. Apparently, he's a big fan of the comic and thought it would be truer to form if the scenes with Betty were out-and-out pornography. While I appreciate his fidelity, I don't know if there's a cut out there that would make me really happy with this movie.

Norton Smash Word of Mouth For Movie!

My big issue is that the Hulk doesn't really feel like the Hulk in the comics. I don't think this is a case of fanboy whining about how it's not like I read it when I was 10 (or, in my case, two weeks ago). I don't really care about fidelity to the source. I care that Hulk is largely devoid of personality and charm. Sure he roars when he smashes, and he looks soulful when he's alone with Betty, and he's way more heroic and cautious in his destruction than anybody gives him credit for. But that's about it for The Movie Hulk. You might remember him from King Kong. And I don't really care about him too much.

For example, the villain's (paper-thin) backstory is that he's an action-junkie who wants to get stronger so he can keep fighting. He changes and goes on a rampage because, well, he can. So when he fights the Hulk, it's a battle between the cocky Abomination and a mute-Hulk who simply wants to stop the bad guy. But, really, wouldn't it be more interesting if we got a hero who was a little pissed that somebody thought he was stronger and smarter than Hulk? One who screams "Hulk is strongest one there is" when turning the tables on his foe. I think so. I think the movie Hulk is a pretty good character, but missing some of his essence, some of his soul.

That soullessness is evident throughout the flick. Thunderbolt is simply a gung-ho douchebag, though William Hurt has as much fun with him as possible. Tim Roth is probably miscast as the ultimate warrior, Emil Blonsky (why is the one movie where he's supposed to be an action hero the first movie where I realized just how freakin' tiny Tim Roth actually is. Did they get him from K'ai?). Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns is pretty awesome, but by making him an unscrupulous scientist instead of a dummy-turned-genius, again I think they're missing a minor but significant element of the character.

In a scene from the upcoming sequel, Hulk stares down the Mole Man.

I think when the Marvel movies have been great - like Iron Man or X2 - they've kept things simple, but also connected with the things that make the characters great (which is mostly their personalities). Here, they had the right swing, but I think they only got a piece of the ball.

But I'm dwelling on the negative (bad dork with a blogger account, bad!). This is a good action movie and a good comic book movie. We wanted to see Hulk smash. We wanted to see Bruce run. We wanted a script completely devoid of discussion about nanites. And that's what we got. It's action-packed, with a good sense of humor, a strong sense of emotion, a few comic book easter eggs, and cameos by Stan The Man, Lou Ferrigno, and even Bill Bixby. It's just not great.

Of course, it doesn't have to be great. It just has to be entertaining. It is.

And provided they make Edward Norton happy again ($$$), there will be no need to reboot a second time. I'm looking forward to the next entry in the franchise. Especially because there's nothing stopping them from having a little more fun with the character of The Hulk next time. And that might be incredible.


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Hulk's Video Hat-Trick

by Patrick

The original plan for this week's Hat Trick was an in depth look at the three battles that old green-jeans had with the flagship character of the "other big comic company," Superman. But now it's Friday and I've barely started the article. Maybe someday I'll finish it, but for this week, I share with you three fun Hulk videos that maybe you haven't seen before. If you are ready to see Jack Kirby, Guillermo, and some old school cartoons, make with the clicky on the link and I'll show them to you.

VIDEO #1: JACK KIRBY ON THE INCREDIBLE HULK: Stan Lee may get all the love from Marvel with his many movie cameoes, but The King did an appearance as a sketch artist on the old Hulk TV show. See if you can guess who he is drawing!



VIDEO #2: GUILLERMO AS THE HULK VS. ED NORTON: The other night on Jimmy Kimmel's NBA pregame show, they did a pretty funny bit based around today's big movie release. It's really pretty funny (and I think it may be the only bit of promotion that Norton has done for the film):



"Did you see Fight Club? American History X? Do you want you face on the curb?"

VIDEO #3: HULK CLASSIC CARTOON: I was going to post the cartoon recapping the origin of the Hulk, but our esteemed guest editor, The Leader, demanded I include a cartoon featuring him. So watch The Leader send Hulk to another planet, where he meets The Watcher. And dig that groovy theme song! Come on, sing it with me! "Dr. Bruce Banner, Belted by Gamma Rays....."



That closes out the Hat Trick for tonight. Next week things will be back to normal, reviewing books. Until then, don't make me angry. You won't like me when I am angry.

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Midnight Mass - Watching The Incredible Hulk

by Brandon

I don't do this often, honest. The plan was so deliciously perfect. My friend and co-worker Scott and I catch all sorts of shitty movies together that my significant other won't see with me. Scott's my rock 'n roll friend, but with a fanboy twist. The last two weeks of school were agonizing, but his plan to catch a midnight showing of Hulk in celebration was too tantalizing. The plan was set, the tracks laid. Now all we could do was wait and simmer in geekiness. Preparations must be made.

Here is the truth; I am not a huge fan of the Hulk. Nor would I even consider my knowledge of the Hulk to be anywhere near encyclopedic. if anything, my knowledge of the Hulk would probably more resemble Wikipedia after your twelve year old cousin went through and blindly edited several pages to include crude jokes about Hulk's penis size. I enjoy the Ultimate version far more than the Marvel version. My only real, extended exposure to the anti-hero in Green was with the Bruce Jones run, which apparently a large swath of Hulk fans pretty much hated. Planet Hulk? I skipped it. World War Hulk? Meh. This Red Hulk business? Check, please.

You see, I like Bruce Banner oriented-Hulk books more than just Hulk Smash books. Why? Because with Bruce there seems to be a lot more character development, more that I can relate to. With Hulk, you pretty much get what you expect; Hulk smashes shit. While this can be entertaining, it's generally not enough for me to keep reading.

I, like many fans, have been very skeptical about this possibly-too-soon remake of the franchise. This honest dose of skepticism is well deserved. The 2003 Ang Lee film brings up a Spinal Tap moment for a two word review; shit sandwich. I'm happy that he was able to follow it up with a masterpiece like Brokeback Mountain. Not many directors could rebound from such an incredible flub like Hulk (pun intended).

Our plan to see Hulk at midnight needed some rigid preparations that we would slavishly adhered to. It was like preparing for the Geek Olympics. We wanted a Medal for seeing it at midnight. The preparations for our midnight excursion were thus;

1) Go to bed late on Wednesday night. This is not an easy thing for two teachers accustomed to rising early and going to bed even earlier.
2) Wake up late on Thursday morning.
3) At 9 PM Thursday, drink a pot of coffee. Caffeinated, please.
4) Mentally prepare yourself by reading comic books.
5) Arrive at theater around 11:30 PM to bask in the geekiness and talk shop.

We each followed our merry plan to completion. I read some comics that had absolutely nothing to do with Hulk so I could go in fresh; Punisher War Journal, Star Wars: Legacy, and Conan were my brews of choice. I got in my car and made it to the theater. My people were there. There was every variety of fanboy and fangirl present, as if Noah had parked the Ark outside of the local comic shop and took us fans two-by-two into his warm embrace. There were lots of young folks too. Nothing ages you more than a gaggle of teens and college students.

The theater was abuzz with anticipation. As Scott and I found our seats, we heard snippets of at least twelve conversations we could have easily contributed to along the way. Someone was talking about how the Cap scene was taken out. Another was discussing the new War Zone trailer on the net. Yet another was talking about he was done with these "bullshit events." My people. Chance are since you're reading this, your people too.

The theater manager entered to warm up the crowd. He let us know about all the other midnight shows coming up. Once he huddled off, the previews began and the film opened up. The bright, catchy introduction began to play that we have come to expect from Marvel films, sufficiently covering the origin of our hero in green. What happened next took us all by surprise.

It was a great Hulk film.

Maybe our expectations were too low, but everyone in the theater applauded at the end. I hadn't seen that happen in a long time. I won't spoil anything for you, kind reader, but I will say that you are in for a treat when you hit the theater. It is not a perfect film, but it probably ranks just below Iron Man in terms of quality. There's a little humor. There's a little romance. There's a lot of action. You definitely leave the theater wanting more, which is always a good thing. The future looks bright for Hulk.

The rest of my day just looks plain sleepy. Read more!

Two In One: Hulk & Iron Man game reviews

by Jon Quixote
Contrary to what The General (commander of the army of Wrong) may claim, the Hulk does not kill. I know this. Not one hour ago, I saw The Hulk pick up a New York pedestrian, pound him in the head three times, and then throw him into a city bus with enough velocity to cause an explosion. And in doing so, the Hulk took enough care to ensure that the man was able to get up, dust himself off, and run far far away.

Thus endeth the lesson. The Incredible Hulk, at least the one that stars in Sega's new video game, does not kill. No matter how hard I try to make him. He can't. I blame puny Banner.

But when it comes to property damage, however, Hulk makes Niko Bellic look like Rudy Giuliani. If you like to smash things - buildings, tanks, billboards, army men in high-tech exoskeletons - is this ever the game for you. And if you don't like that at all... well, I guess you shouldn't be spending your time playing video games anyway. You're busy figuring out what the hell is wrong with you.

In small doses, running a half-ton gamma-powered Godzilla through what looks to be decently rendered Manhattan is a lot of fun. The Incredible Hulk: The Game follows the GTA-inspired pattern established by the Spider-Man games: you have the run of the city, vertically and horizontally, with missions, challenges, and easter-eggs sprinkled throughout. And much like Ultimate Destruction, if you decide you want to leave Rick Jones to the Enclave and just start smashing the heck out of the city, you can do that too.

The nice thing about The Incredible Hulk is that there are lots of small coolnesses. From being able to unlock and play as the different Hulks, like Mr. Fixit, to a very active progression system, so far there's always been something to keep me playing. There are challenges within challenges like trying to maneuver the U-Foes to take each other out. There are comic book references, like DAMAGE CONTROL vans putting around the city (and irony, when you throw one hard enough to bring down the Chrysler building. That was awesome. But I'm a Ford guy, so maybe it's just me.).

I also really felt like The Hulk. Not just in regards to the raw power in the avatar, but also in more subtle ways. Do enough damage, and the army comes after you. But the mere act of moving around the city as the Hulk causes that damage, and if you land on one too many taxicabs while hopping to the next mission, you can find yourself being hunted mercilessly by armored vehicles and soldiers with sonic cannons no matter how benevolently you're playing. At one point, just trying to get to the next checkpoint and running into a battalion of army dudes, I actually exclaimed "$#@%!, leave me alone!" and then had to pause for a moment to reflect on what happened.


The major criticism I can make about this game is that there's not much in the way of large coolnesses. Much like the aforementioned Spider-Man games, I start to wear down. I'm not the best video game reviewer because I get bored very easily (the only game I've played through to the end in the last five years is CoD4). I'm surprised that a week later I'm still happy to give an hour or two to this game here and there, but I'm starting to fade. The storyline isn't engaging in the slightest, and the game never really rises above button-push fighting.

Did I mention Bi-Beast was in this game? I guess Woodgod was tied up i some sort of licensing snafu. Still, someone actually thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if Hulk fought Bi-Beast?" I would like to buy that person a beer.

Still, it's the best comic book game I've played since Ultimate Alliance. It's basically a next-gen tweak of Ultimate Destruction, but the developers went out of their way not only to make it look gorgeous, but to make it a lot more fun. I think they're hampered by the parameters of what they're doing - there's nothing innovative going on behind this very basic, almost old-school game. But they did a pretty good job making something to satisfy both my twitchy ADD gamer self and my comic book geek side.

Verdict: B. Definitely rentable. Maybe even worth a purchase.

Iron Man, on the other hand, was a downright miserable experience. A herky-jerky aerial combat game that bordered on the unplayable.

Now, I'll cop to some personal bias here. I like video games. However, I suck at them. I'm a 30 year old who's more like 40 on the tech-curve. There's a type of game that seems to be gaining popularity as engines progress, and that's the type of game that's super-speedy and incredibly chaotic. Iron Man is in that style. A 3-D aerial combat version of Smash TV.

Maybe there's an art to these games that I just don't get, but that is incredibly enjoyable and satisfying to a certain demographic. But this is my experience with Iron Man: I'd fly over a hill and into a swarm of bad guys. I'd fly far away, I'd lock in on one, I'd fly through the swarm while firing on my target, and the target would blow up. I'd fly away again, heal if necessary (rarely necessary), and then repeat. Wheeeeee? I'd rather play that stupid horse riding game I saw in Untraceable. You know, the one that gives tech-savvy psychopaths access to all the data in my hard drive.

I also struggled with the controls and the camera mechanics. There's a part of the game where Tony is supposed to grab onto a US fighter jet and take it down that way (rather than shooting them down and being a bad citizen). Well, good effing luck that I could find the things most of the time, and great effing luck trying to line myself up with them so that I could try and precision-time the grab. Three planes need the treatment and that was an hour of my life that was spent having ever so much fun.

Terrorists try to smuggle some fun into this game, but Iron Man puts a stop to their plot.

The capper on this game for me came when I got to fight Blacklash! Yay, right? A kitschy villain who I was excited to run into in video-game form, who I'm never going to get to fight outside of a dedicated Iron Man game. Except that I never ran into him, and killed him from afar without ever even seeing his character design or figuring out how he was hurting me. (It was either a whip or a helicopter, I'm pretty sure) How lame is that? That's Teen Tony Lame.

So my apologies to the people who worked on this game. I'm sure you all worked very hard. But you all suck.

There was one good thing about playing Iron Man. And that's the fact that having save-game data on my XBOX unlocked the Iron Man Hulkbuster armor as a playable 'skin' on my Hulk game. Sweet. I just turned Incredible Hulk: The Game into Armor Wars: Iron Man vs. Tanks.

Verdict: D-. If you're a dedicated comic-book video gamer, and have nothing going on right now, maybe you might squeeze a couple hours of enjoyment out of this one. But that's about it.


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She-Hulk: The Everywoman Superhero

by Cindy Cooper

Last week I was having a fit over the lack of well-developed female comic book characters. Since then I have done some assigned reading in honor of Hulk Week. Ladies, I offer you She-Hulk, a comic book character you can relate to. She’s a lot like you, just bigger and greener.

Originally, She-Hulk was merely Jennifer Walters, a meek and bookish, but brilliant lawyer, until one day she was shot by mobsters and needed a blood transfusion. It just so happened the only person around with her blood type was her cousin, Bruce Banner aka The Hulk. The radioactive blood transformed her into a Hulk of a different gender. However, when Jennifer becomes She-Hulk, she remains intelligent and somewhat in control, unlike her brutish cousin.

Jennifer attended both UCLA Law School and Harvard. She’s an accomplished and intelligent woman. However, she finds new freedom when she becomes She-Hulk. She is no longer timid and uncomfortable in her own skin. Instead she is bold and confident with a sassy sense of humor to rival that of Spider-Man. Gone are her inhibitions, and by the time we see her in Single Green Female, the beginning of Dan Slott’s run, she’s bedding male models and partying like Amy Whinehouse minus the drugs, alcohol and embarrassing tattoos. The limitations that most women allow society to place on them in regards to their sexuality and their professional lives don’t exist for her. Her law career is going well. She’s a powerhouse both intellectually and physically.

However, as it often is with powerful women, not everyone is happy with the She-Hulk side of Jennifer Walters. She goes to work for a law firm that will only let her try cases as Jennifer. Her boyfriend, John Jameson, prefers her as Jennifer and complains when he has to spend time with her as She-Hulk. Of course, Dan Slott writes her one man who appreciates her for who she is, no matter her skin color. However, as is so often the case, she has no idea how he feels about her. Jennifer/She-Hulk finds herself conflicted between being who she is expected to be and who she needs to be. Does she suppress her confidence and sexuality to fit societal norms, like so many of us do? We learn during Dan Byrne’s run on Sensational She-Hulk that her father prefers her as Jennifer as well. He misses his “little” girl. Dads are like that, I guess, and don’t we all struggle with keeping a balance between pleasing those we love while being true to ourselves?

It’s not all good news. Comic characters are only as good as their creative team. There are a few Greg Horn covers that show She-Hulk as more of a green Maxim model than a powerful superhero, but hey, it’s the inside of the comic that’s really important. Just ignore those silly covers. And, for some reason, Juan Bobillo draws her as more chunky than muscular. Some of the artists get her, but others don’t seem to like drawing muscular women. But hey, she’s She-Hulk and shouldn’t look as if she’s been living on a runway model’s diet of champagne and cigarettes.

Then, there are the Sensational She-Hulk covers from Byrne’s run. I love these. During this run, She-Hulk “breaks the fourth wall” and begins speaking to the writer and the editor Renee Witterstaetter. For my research, I bought issues 30, 39 and 41-44. There are a few covers where She-Hulk looks out to the reader while in a suggestive pose wearing say her undies, and she’ll say, “Okay, I’ll admit this has nothing to do with the story this week but I’ve got to do something to sell this book!” By issue 44, she is bundled in a heavy coat with scarves saying, “Sorry guys. The powers that be say I’ve been pushing it on my past few covers, so this is all you get this month.” In issue 42, her sidekick, Weezi, formerly the Blonde Phantom, walks out of the comic. She’s upset at Byrne for making her fat. According to Weezi, Byrne has a thing for making female characters fat, specifically, and she walks out in protest. He’s making fun of feminism, misogyny, his readers and often, himself. The stories aren’t as complex as in Dan Slott’s run. There is a lot of goofy action and not a lot of meat in the issues I read, but there are some interesting ideas here and some fun to be had.

But, even in Byrne’s run, She-Hulk is in control. She’s a woman who, for the most part, knows who she is, while still struggling with many issues all women face. Women will be able to relate to her identity issues and her effort to balance relationships and career. There’s a little She-Hulk in all of us. So, do something this week to embrace your inner She-Hulk. Party till dawn! Tackle your significant other at the door! Go assert yourself and kick butt at work! There’s a Green Goddess inside of all us, and she needs to get out and stretch every now and again!

For fangirls or fangirls to be who are interested in dipping your toe into the superhero pool, I highly recommend beginning with Single Green Female by Dan Slott.

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Comics For Kids: Marvel Age Hulk

by Betsy

Did you hear? There’s a new comic book movie coming out this week – The Incredible Hulk. Since the movie is PG-13, I won’t be taking my three-year-old to see it.

The Incredible Hulk might not be for kids, but Marvel certainly has an interest in introducing kids to the Hulk himself. In Entertainment Weekly Marvel's president of production Kevin Feige pointed out, next to Spider-Man, the Hulk is probably Marvel’s most universally known character. "It's Spidey and Hulk standing atop Mount Marvel." Younger kids can get their Hulk fix with toys (like the Hulk Hands modeled here by Jack) or by reading the Marvel Age Hulk comics. Are these comics a good introduction to the big green guy?

Jack and I read Marvel Age Hulk #1: Cowboys and Robots, by Mike Raicht and Patrick Scherberger. The story begins with Bruce Banner wandering through the Southwest, trying to escape his own inner Hulky demons, as he has done so many times before. He runs into an old high-school classmate and her son, whose car has broken down. The kid thinks that he and his mom are looking for his father, who ran out on them, but we quickly learn that actually, the mom is running away from him. It turns out that he has been involved in some kind of experiment that has bonded him to a killer robot, and the guy is intent on continuing his experiment on his family – including his little boy. Naturally, the killer robot dad and his killer robot buddies track them down, Banner Hulks out, and after the fight is over, the killer robot dad sees the error of his ways and begins to reunite with his family.

How on earth is this story appropriate for kids? I will grant that my son is younger than what the target demographic might be. However, a story in which a kid is hunted by his psychotic father who intends to conduct dangerous experiments on him is the stuff nightmares are made of. If you are writing a book that is intended to be for all ages, I think it’s a reasonable expectation that the story be free of murderous parents.

If you read the story as an adult, with no need to shield an impressionable young mind, it is no better. Raicht relies too heavily on coincidence – Banner just happens to run into someone he knows. The kid conveniently falls asleep – in the middle of the day – to allow his mom to explain the situation to Banner. And of course, the father is able to find them in the first place. The resolution is unrealistic; that mother is awfully forgiving considering the danger he was willing to put her child in.

The weak story was not even improved by a good old fashioned bout of HULK SMASH action. It was unclear what was happening in the fight scenes, and the match between the killer robot guys and the Hulk was uneven from the beginning. I reviewed another Marvel all-ages book with art by Scherberger here and found he did a much better job with the action scenes. The fact that things are so muddy in this book makes me wonder if he had poorer script direction.

If Marvel Age Hulk #1 represents Marvel’s best attempt to turn young kids into Hulk fans, then Abomination is the least of Hulk’s troubles. This book rates an F: Freakin’ Crap in a Hat. Read more!

Breaking News! The Hulk Kills!

by the General

One of the most hotly debated topics around the Bad Genious campfire is "Does the Hulk kill?" Some maintain that he is a savage brute with little to no regard for human life as he ravages his way across the American Southwest. Others claim that--deep down--he is actually a noble spirit. And that while his battles with the Abomination may keep Damage Control busy, at the end of the day he strives to avoid killing innocents or even the villains with whom he exchanges blows.

Well, dear readers, after doing some research on the matter, I would like to present a piece of evidence that I feel will finally bring an end to this debate. I now present to you Hulk's epic battle against...

the Roller Disco Devils!! (Click to enlarge)


Now, look carefully at panels number four and five. Just look!


Unless you can find evidence that the Roller Disco Devils possess a level of invulnerability that I am unaware of (I challenge you!), I think that we can all maintain that the act of being rolled up in a strip of asphalt and then sat upon by the Hulk is enough to kill the average man. Even if the majority of them have somehow survived, I think that it's obvious that the Devil with the yellow pirate shirt is easily having his spine broken a dozen times over.

So yes, the Hulk does kill. He kills to keep the streets safe. He kills because he hates disco. And, most importantly, he kills so that the children can get all the fruit pies they want.

And now, in memory of the deceased Roller Disco Devils, I will sing their favorite song:

Yeah, yeah!
Baby!
Wo, wo!
Rock! Roll!
Yeah, yeah!

RIP.

And now, on to the next debate: "Does the Hulk want to eat humans like they are Hostess Fruit Pies?"

Discuss!
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From Top to Bottom: HULK SMASH ARTISTS!

by Matt

Welcome to the 7th edition of the weekly "From Top to Bottom" column! Every week I will look at something within the comics industry and give you my opinion on what I think is the best and what I think ranks amongst the bottom-feeders.

Last week I took a look at the Top and Bottom of Comic Crossovers that I want to see published. This week, in eager anticipation for the new Hulk film, I will be taking a look at my Top 3 Hulk artists along with some that I didn't think did the Green Goliath justice.

To me, the Hulk should be a monster, more mean looking than nice and should be more bulky than ripped like a weight lifter. The Hulk gets his strength from the Gamma radiation not really from his muscles. He shouldn't have muscles on muscles for muscles sake, which then are all intertwined with thousands and thousands of veins. He should be large and intimidating, not like a human on roids.

3) John Byrne
Byrne only drew the Hulk for a short time. (A trend that Byrne seems to have on most of his books.) But he drew a powerful and savage Hulk.









2) Herb Trimpe
When I think of the Hulk, I think of this classic look drawn perfectly by Herb Trimpe. Trimpe had an amazing run on the Hulk that lasted about seven years. He drew a very simple Hulk, his Hulk was not overly muscular or full of veins. The one thing that I like that Trimpe did was that he managed to make the Hulk look like a monster but he still possessed an innocence behind the monster. Very much like Frankenstein.


1) John Romita Jr.
Romita's Hulk is exactly what I think the Hulk should be. His Hulk is not saddled with tons of muscles and veins, his Hulk is large and more importantly displays a ticking time-bomb that just smolders beneath the surface. Even when the Hulk is not angry, the look on his face and his body languages tells a different story. He is ALWAYS angry.


The bottom choices that I made are not due to the artist themselves. All of the artists that I have listed here, regardless if they were in the top or here in the bottom, they are insanely talented and I highly respect them. I just don't think that they were correct artists to portray what I think the Hulk should be.


3) Mike Deodato Jr.
Deodato can certainly draw a large, menacing, and very scary Hulk but the Hulk looked unnatural and I was turned off because he was so full of veins. Like I mentioned before, the Hulk is bulky and strong but not so ripped and 'veiny'.







2) Gary Frank
Frank got the bulkiness correct and he drew a good looking Hulk but that was part of the problem, his Hulk was too good looking. This was due because of the Hulk's character at the time, (the Hulk was merged into the smart Hulk) but he was a little too normal looking. If this piece was done in black and white would we have known it was the Hulk? Or just Superman on roids and without the cape?



1) Jeff Purves
He got the monster part right but his Hulk was too simple. His Hulk was not intimidating enough and large enough. While his art was clear and you can see what was happening, it didn't have any zest/anger to it. He did draw one of my favorite Hulk story lines in Countdown.






There has been a lot of fantastic artists that have drawn the Hulk during his series that I am sure most of you will point out to me. What about Keown? Kubert? Perez? Buscema? Well, I have 2 words for you: HULK SMASH!

See ya next week when I bring my Father's Day edition! (I know, I know, I will be a few days late!)

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