Marvelous Possibilities

by Brandon

Marvel's announcement that they own Marvelman at the San Diego Comic Con in late July 2009 was a welcome surprise for many fans. Why? Because Marvelman has been in legal purgatory for many, many years. That is the Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman version. Though it's still not clear whether that paramount work or not remains under Marvel's publishing purview or not, it is clear that Marvel can does plan on publishing new Marvelman material. I can just see the line queuing up outside Joe Quesada's office in New York with writers chomping at his heels to get a chance to write this character. But who are these writers?

I submit to you my humble list of writers who I think should, could, and probably would tackle Marvel's newly minted Marvelman.


Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman comes to mind immediately. I think that it is highly probable that Marvel will get Gaiman for an arc or two, maybe even a miniseries. They wouldn't get him for longer, but he's been involved in this whole legal process for a while. He also wrote Marvel's 1602 in the hopes of funding said legal battle. It would have been fruitless of him to have spent such time and effort in this process to not get a shot at writing Marvelman in any form. It would be great if he could continue and finish the story he started, but it would also be awesome if he did anything with the material. I think Marvel would at least give him the initial stab at writing Marvelman, perhaps by launching with a miniseries.They have a good working relationship that I don't see hindering Gaiman's inclusion.
Vegas Odds: Marvel publishing books with an "X" on the front cover.

Mark Millar
Though he's pretty busy these days, Mark Millar can bring a crowd to pretty much anything. I think Millar could do a good job with the Marvelman character, but he has to realize sensationalizing this character just doesn't seem right. He has a penchant to make things be a bit too dramatic. Millar can definitely bring pizazz, for better or worse, when it comes to writing comic books. He's a staple around Marvel and one of two jewels (along with Bendis) in modern Marvel's crown.
Vegas Odds: Ultimate Captain America insults France again.

Grant Morrison
Wishful thinking on my part, but damn it could be cool to see Grant Morrison on this title. However, Morrison seems to be content at Dc doing whatever the hell it is he is doing this month. I don't think Marvel would give Morrison the total freedom to be as deliciously weird as he could be with Marvelman.
Vegas Odds: Final Crisis becoming readable.


Brian Michael Bendis
Bendis would be the safe bet for Marvel since he's kind of their "go to guy" for all things big, but I doubt anything of interest would happen due to his allergy to adding immediacy to his comics. He's a good writer, but I just don't think he gets characters like this. Like I said of Millar, he's a staple of modern Marvel. Chances are he gets a crack at this character, but that's only after Gaiman passes on the job or moves on after completion of his story.
Vegas Odds: Already writing 83% of Marvel books.

Jeph Loeb
Oy. Marvel's been giving this guy a ton of work lately. I'm only familiar with the Ultimatum side of the equation, but man, that book sucks badly. Yet... Marvel seem to be very keen on him now. If you read anything coming out from the house of ideas, they just love this guy! I don't even think that's P.R. They seem to be genuinely pleased with his current output even though it's late and many fans deride it as being on par with watching a Michael Bay movie. But he sales comic books.
Vegas Odds: Blob eating Wasp's guts out with chocolate syrup on top. And sprinkles!

Mike Carey
Carey is kind of a pick from left field on this property, but he's a solid writer. He's proven himself with numerous titles, but may be too busy for a turn at Marvelman between X-Men: Legacy and The Unwritten. However, his style seems like it would fit in perfectly with at least the Moore and Gaiman run.
Vegas Odds: Emma Frost starts wearing sensible, frumpish clothes.


Brian K. Vaughn
Vaughn is another "out there" pick since he seems to be more on the way out of the comic book medium in lieu of television and movies. However, with the recent announcement that he would not be on this season of Lost, Vaughn might have some free time in the future to pursue a comic book comeback. This probably would never happen, but I would love to see more from Vaughn and this would be a great chance for a double return; Marvelman's back, and so is Brian K. Vaughn.
Vegas Odds: Y the Last Man movie shot as a porn.

Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction is another guy who is getting a ton of work at Marvel these days. His work at Marvel thus far has been good, but not great. I just don't think Fraction has enough clout in the industry yet to pull off an assignment like this. His rise to prominence seems too fast. There's been absolutely nothing in his previous work that I think would even put him in the same league as Alan Moore or Ne4il Gaiman. I think he could pull the Marvel fans in, but that's pretty much the extent of his drawing power. Yet... hes gotten some pretty high profile assignments as of late. Matt Fraction is someone to watch in all of this.
Vegas Odds: Spider-Man appearing by issue three.

Alan Moore
I know. Yeah, right. This would probably never happen, but damn it would sweet, wouldn't it. Alan Moore doesn't strike me as someone who revisits the past much if ever, and Marvelman seems like the distant past for him.
Vegas Odds: Quasar becomes first book in years to sell over a million units.
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Summer Reading, pt. 3

by Brandon

Nostalgia is a funny creature. While I can muster no nostalgia as an adult for childhood favorites like G.I. Joe or Transformers, I can get very nostalgic about comic books. Remember new comic book day? This weekly event was a cherished day for me when I was tween and teenager. I can remember going into a shop on Wednesday or Thursday to buy the latest issue of X-Men or whatever bad girl book was "hot" back in the day. New comic book day was once a time honored tradition for me and many fans. With the advent of online mail order comic book stores, that time has passed. Now new comic book day has been replaced by new comic book week; the week when my monthly shipment of comic books arrive. I usually try to pace out my comic book reading to keep the freshly read feeling alive for a month. This month was different. For some reason, I burned through my stack of books like a man possessed. For this week's installment of my Summer Reading Reviews, I will highlight some of the best hits and worst misses from the batch.

Batman & Robin #1
This issue reminded me so much of this creative team's run on All-Star Superman. I'm not a Superman fan at all, but they managed to make Superman seem relevant and hip. That's right, they made the whitest boy scout this side of Idaho seem cool. I kind of got that buzz with Batman & Robin #1. The new dynamic between the new Dynamic Duo was actually pretty good. I don't read Batman titles regularly, but let's face it; replacing Bruce Wayne is sort of a dumb idea that almost everyone knows won't last longer than a couple of years. But reading this issue made me kind of wish DC would hold back on pulling that trigger for a while. The way Dick and Damian play off one another was fresh and new. This was the only issue of the Batman relaunch titles I pre-ordered. Based on the strength of this one issue, I decided to go pick up two others off the newsstand.

Detective Comics # 854
What's this? A lesbian Batwoman! Yes! YES! I can't wait to read all the steamy scenes of Batwoman and her Rogue's Gallery (a euphemism, for sure) doing the wildest, most outrageous sexual position on each other. This is going to be awesome! What? You mean she doesn't spend the whole issue getting Catwoman to do kinky things with her cape? Shit. Well, I guess I'll have to read it now... And it wasn't that bad! A lot has been made of the act that Batwoman is a lesbian, and on a serious note, that's not the reason I picked up this book either. Some very positive things have been said about Rucka's first salvo in the revamped Detective Comics. This was the only comic I picked up off the newsstand last week. It wasn't a bad impulse buy. Rucka is always an engaging writer, but the thing that really brew me in (pun intended) was the art. J.H. Williams has been one of my favorite artists since I picked the first four issues of Promethea years ago on a new comic book day. I think he is the best artist working in comic books today. Period. The artwork here in Detective Comics is lush and moody, establishing the perfect vibe for this book. I don't think I ever really followed Detective Comics regularly, but I may add this to the ye ol' pull list.

Batman #688
Judd Winick is one of those creators that I just don't really get. His work on Green Arrow was a turn off for me. Internet trolls are quick to point out that he is somewhat of a one trick pony, and I hate to agree with them, but there are certain trends that crop up in many of Judd Winick's comics. How long before we find out Damian has AIDS? The real thing that brought me into this impulse buy was Mark Bagley's always wonderful artwork. This issue was sort of pedestrian in comparison to Batman & Robin and Detective Comics. That's not to say it was bad. This issue was entertaining, but a little on the lighter side next to the other two titles I sampled. I like the fact that we get to see two classic villains here with Penguin and Two-Face. As much as I dislike month in, month out superhero fisticuffs, I have a soft spot for Batman's rogues gallery. I like reading stories about those classic villains despite the fact that it's all nearly been done before. I also enjoyed the training scene we see between Dick and Damian. There is limitless potential for this new Dynamic duo. I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time, I am genuinely excited about the Bat Books. Maybe killing Bruce Wayne off wasn't such a bad idea.

Booster Gold #22
This issue of Booster Gold was okay for the most part. While Jurgens' art was decent, I have no real connection with the Teen Titans or Deathstroke from the 1980s. This issue spent a lot of time pulling on the nostalgia string pretty hard, but it doesn't work when there is nothing there to pull. I spent most of the issue struggling to get to the next scene. As a reader, I hope that there will be some closure soon to this time traveling Black Beetle business. Surely DC can't expect this series to soldier on for all perpetuity having Booster Gold correct little missives in the past. Right? The second feature with Blue Beetle was still very entertaining and has enticed me to go back and check out the last series. The second feature makes paying $3.99 more bearable and it gives characters like Blue Beetle a second chance at living on in the printed world.

Unwritten #2
The Unwritten is the best Vertigo book being published now. I know it doesn't have stiff competition, but two-issues into he series, I can already tell that this will be classic Vertigo. If you are not familiar with the premise, Tom Taylor is the basis for a fictional Boy Wizard Tommy Taylor. Tom has been living off the fumes of his now missing father's successful Tommy Taylor novels for years. Things start to go awry when Tom finds out he may not be who he thinks he is. This book is chock full of mystery and stellar characters. Tom Taylor practically jumped into this series as a fully developed character from the first page because of the associations we all have with Harry Potter and the ever familiar struggling celebrity. If you're not reading this book, shame on you!


Astonishing X-Men #30
After reading their first Astonishing X-Men arc, I would like to respectfully request that Warren Ellis and Simon Bianchi step up their game. If this were a class, this arc was a D- effort at best. After the six issues of this arc and overpriced two-issue miniseries, I still don't understand what a Ghost Box is and nor do I care. It was sad to see Forge turned into a crazed mutant terrorist for the sake of this story. I don't mind the characterization because Forge has always needed a little more flare in order to remove the stench of lame from him. I had such great expectations for this stellar creative team, but they barely managed to make a sputter in terms of impact and seemingly effort. I'm sorry guys. Let's do better next time, okay?

Punisher: Naked Kill
This book was just brutal. When Frank Castle starts to unwind a snuff pornography film ring, readers just have to know that it is bound to get dirty. I remember an older issue of Punisher from the late 1980s or early 1990s where Frank ended up taking down a pornography ring at a Naval boys school. The whitewash of the Comic Code at the time prevented anything realistic coming out of that story. That just isn't the case here. What is described and shown is just brutal. Frank castle isn't much of a talker, but this particular one-shot gives him a lot of air time. This approach doesn't really work well for the Punisher, but it just clicks here. Suspense and supernatural story writer Jonathan Maberry really gets into a groove with Frank here right off the bat. At the very beginning of the issue, someone asks Frank to trade with him in return for his life. "I look like I'm here to swap Pokemon cards?" quips Frank as he fires off a round just above the crook's head. "Talk Fast, asshole. Clock's ticking." Indeed. For those folks who gave up on Frank when Garth Ennis left the title, I recommend you come back to give this issue a try. It's well worth the $3.99 price of admission.


Ultimate Spider-Man #133
& Ultimatum #4
I have made no bones about how awful I think Ultimatum has been for the Ultimate Marvel line. These two issues could be exhibits 1,843 and 1,844 in the trial against Ultimatum. The final issue of Ultimate Spider-Man was disappointing. This issue lacked any dialogue. It was completely silent. Remember the Nuff Said event from years ago? Interesting, but lame. It was jarring, which I get was kind of the point, but for $3.99, I want more from my comic. The interview with Brian Michael Bendis at the end of the book was obviously tacked on to make you feel like you got more content for your dollar. I don't need that. I need content. With the main Ultimatum mini, I get plenty of content, but much of it is for shock value. I can't imagine how Loeb has gotten away with raping the Ultimate Universe. Loeb is normally a creator that I don't get excited about either pro or con. However, Ultimatum is just rancid. I don't see how the Ultimate line can bounce back from this miscarriage of entertainment.


Conan the Cimmerian #'s 10-11
I just don't hear about many comic book fans talking about Conan anymore, which is a shame. I think Conan is one of the best titles I'm reading now. Tim Truman and Tomás Giorello have crafted a fine book for the traveling warrior Conan. The mixture of descriptive writing and lush artwork is just mesmerizing to me. This is one of the first books I read when I get my monthly stash. This second arc of Conan the Cimmerian finds our hero commanding the armies of Khoraja against the wizardry of Natohk, the Veiled One. Though "Black Colossus" is an adaptation of the classic Robert E. Howard short that has been adapted before for the Savage Sword of Conan in 1974, Truman and Giorello manage to make it exciting by creating an ominous atmosphere in both words and art. Dark Horse has done a magnificent job with Conan property, once again making the barbarian warrior a relevant and exciting character to read.



It's hard for me to believe that my summer break is halfway over! That doesn't mean I will stop reading, though. I will be back in a couple of days with more reviews, including Iron Man, Star Wars, Punisher, The End League, and much, much more.

See you then!
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Panelology

by Brandon

What do Punisher, Eminem, Free Comic Book Day, Wolverine, Star Trek and DC's Multiversity have in common? Do I really have to tell you they end up being discussed in this week's column? I do actually rant and rave about all of these things. Enter, those who are brave.

Free Comic Book Day Recap
I hope everyone had a good Free Comic Book Day this past Saturday. Mine was so-so. I visited two shops over the course of the day. Heroes Aren't Hard to Find in Charlotte, NC is where I always visit on FCBD. I think I've missed one year making the pilgrimage north. This year was a fairly disappointing year both in terms of the titles offered and how Heroes had actually set up the store. Of the titles offered, I really enjoyed the Love & Rockets book. It's nice to see L&R jump into the FCBD foray. The rest of the titles offered were pretty bland. Heroes had the titles spread out all over the store on the shelves next to the regular titles. That's good for them to get exposure of the regular books, but bad for fans who had to fight the crowds to get to the free books. Also, their enforcement was lax. I personally saw one guy who was pilfering seven or so copies of each title as he moseyed around the store. It doesn't take the detective skills of Batman to know where those books wound up. Can anyone say "Buy it now?" However, I did pick up the first three volumes of X-Men Essentials for less than $20. That was awesome. Newsarama had a good recap story of the fun had by all at Heroes, if you're interested.

That afternoon, I went to Heroes & Dragons in Columbia, SC. While the only free book they had left was Blackest Night, they had a phenomenal sale going on in their store. I have visited this store in the past when they have had their "sales" going on and wasn't too impressed. I walked in thinking I would walk out with very little. Wrong! Their sale was absolutely fantastic! Nearly everything in the store was on sale, if not at least 50% off. I managed to pick up quite a healthy stack of Justice League Europe issues, more than thirty in all, for around $23. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

Punishing Eminem
Reading about the Punisher/Eminem team-up this past week has depressed me a bit. Sweet Jesus, I thought we had moved past the era where we had to have ridiculous crossovers involving Frank. I guess not. Though Frank has teamed up with lots of folks ranging from Wolverine to Archie, this one most definitely takes the cake for the "WTF" award. I think Punisher would put a bullet between the little prick's eyes just for the principle of the matter irregardless for his misogyny. If you're interested, XXL has the first part and should be on sale for your reading pleasure. Marvel will probably release a collected edition of the story... which means I may buy it.

I know, I know. Damn me to hell for being a Punisher completest. In a bit of positive Punisher news from Robot 6, it appears as if Jason Aaron ad Steve Dillon might be the new creative team on Punisher Max. Cool. I'm down with that so long as it's 100% Eminem free.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine = Meh
Already seen Wolverine? I did last weekend. It was mindless fun at best. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I think there were lots of cool snippets and scenes throughout the film, but I kept feeling like there was something missing. Perhaps it was a cohesive threatening villain? I never really felt any suspense throughout the film because Stryker and Sabertooth were going to live and Deadpool was pretty much a no-show until the final, over-the-top action scene. It was cool to see Gambit, but he could have been used a bit more. In fact, my biggest complaint about the entire film was the usage of too many mutants. It was cool to see them all on the big screen, but if they had just stuck with a couple core characters, it would would have been much more effective. I could have given a shit when Bolt was killed if they had taken the time to build him up. I could have given a shit that Xavier showed up beyond a "hey, that's neat" knee-jerk reaction if they had built that yup a bit more. Instead, we get a Cliff Notes version of each character at best; quantity over quality.

The film probably falls somewhere between X-3 and X-1 for me, with X-2 still being the best. maybe they will choose to move the story further in the next film rather than diddling around in the past. I feel like the above complaints make it seem like I hated the film. It was enjoyable and action packed, what you would expect from a Wolverine film. I think the cast could have been cut by at least half in order to provide a little breathing room rather than providing the obligation to spend a little time with a lot of characters. The general consensus amongst critics and fans is that the filmmakers should have let this one cook a little bit more. Let's hope they get off to a better start with the next film.

Making the Trek
Wolverine can kiss his spot at the top of the box office for good this weekend. Star Trek comes out today. I saw it earlier and it is wonderful. Very seldom does a hyped film live up to its hype, let alone even surpass it. Star Trek does. J.J. Abrams somehow manages to breathe life back into the barely limping franchise with this movie. Hardcore Trek fans will find much to complain about, but as a casual Trek fan, this was just an awesome film watching experience. Each actor must have been carefully vetted by the creative team behind this movie because they all nailed their roles perfectly. The mix of action, sharp banter, and the promise of a new day for Trek fans is overwhelming, but in a good way. I won't spoil anything for you, my fine readers. Just go see the film.

Flunking out of the Multiversity
I think DC hates bringing in new fans. I really do. I've been on a reeducation journey with DC, picking up books that I enjoyed from my youth and books that I missed out on that are supposedly classic. With such an emphasis on old DC, I must admit that my curiosity about what's going on in the modern DCU is piqued. Well, it is until I read an interview or story like this; Multiversity. What the hell, DC? Do you enjoy confusing people that much? Do you need to mire all of that talent under your publishing house in all of that useless continuity and multiple universe junk? I would have thought the fan backlash from Final Crisis would have taught DC a lesson. Instead, it seems that they are getting trapped in Grant Morrison's endless cycle of ideas. I love many things Grant Morrison has written. he's one of my favorite creators. However, he seems to be throwing a lot of big ideas on the wall with very little thoughtful execution to shore them up with. I think DC needs a Dr. Phil style intervention. I would pay big money to see Dan Didio sitting across from Dr. Phil as he starts into one of his "Dan, what's your problem?" rants. Maybe that very event is occurring in the multiverse right now. Who knows?
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Panelology - Five Comic Books That Could Be Made Into Movies

by Brandon

Have you seen Watchmen yet? I haven’t had the chance, but I will correct that this afternoon. It sort of feels like the end seeing Watchmen actually make it to theaters. With the release of Watchmen last week, I think comic book fans were left to question what truly remained left to be adapted to film. It seems like every comic character I ever wished for as a child, teen, and the adult has made it to the big screen. Some of these wishes were dreams come true. Such was the case with films like The Dark Knight, the first two X-Men movies, and Spider-Man. Bit for every good comic-to-movie adaptation developed, at least three lacking adaptations were made, with one of them being a truly awful viewing experience. Not to name names, but we all can rattle off the bad adaptations we have seen with much regret and gnashing of fanboy teeth. Has everything been tapped? Have we reached the bottom?

The thing is, comic book companies are not short on ideas or potential, but really, if you look at the stable of stories left, what classics remain? There are several comic books left out there on the roster that could be potentially made into great movies. The big guns have already been picked over, but that isn’t necessiarly the place to find comic books biggest and best stories. They just have the name recognition and that does not translate into quality. Well today, I offer up five comic book properties that have not been made into films yet, but really could be. I’m not saying they should be made into stories, but the potential for all of these properties is there. Here are my top five.

5) Doom Patrol
The concept of Doom Patrol in almost any of its incarnations would be ripe territory for a feature film. If filmmakers went with the original Arnold Drake concept of the team, a nice, concise dynamic would be set up between a small cast of four main characters. Any of the later incarnations would herald in an almost ensemble type cast of characters that might be difficult to control on the screen, although Arcudi’s Doom Patrol was funny. A more interesting movie, and by extension more difficult film to make, would be Grant Morrison’s vision of the team. This trippy version of the Doom Patrol would be difficult to breakthrough to mainstream audiences, but it sure would be fun to watch!

4) Astro City
Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson’s sweeping series is a modern day comic work of genius. The stories are matchless and affecting, bringing a unique twist to the tired idea of a city populated by a menagerie of superheroes. Though there have been several story arcs in Astro City that would be great to see on the screen, there is one story that comes to mind that would really work; Confession. This story is still one of my favorite comic book stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The story revolves around the complexity of the hero/sidekick model that is typically ignored at best and mocked at worst in both comic books and films. The nature of the mentor/mentee relationship between the Confessor and Altar Boy is so well done by the creative team and harkens back to the days in comic book where sidekicks actually matter and served a purpose. With the Battle for the Cowll currently underway at DC, Busiek and team already covered a triumphant succession story without feeling cheap or overwrought. Take notes DC, and Hollywood.


3) Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I know, I know; Samuel L. Jackson just signed a 1,563 picture deal with Marvel to play Nick Fury. I hget that. And yes, I know David Hasselhoff portrayed Nick Fury in a made for TV movie. But I think Hollywood really needs to go back and do Nick Fury properly. While the Ultimate Version of Fury is great to read, nothing can ever beat in my mind the old adventures of Nick Fury written by Jim Steranko. Those nineteen issues of Strange Tales and the few issues of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. were always some of my favorite action and adventure stories. Sure, the premise and dialogue is a bit dated in those issues, but the content and idea behind the stories could easily be lifted on to the screen. They could even keep Samuel L. Jackson in the title role so long as they look back on this character’s finest moment under the pen of Jim Steranko.

2) Grendel
Americans love violence. In fact, we love violence more than we do sex in our movies. Blow someone’s head off and you might get a PG-13 rating. Show a nipple and you can almost assuredly guarantee an R-rating. So, violence is always a safe bet to go with. Matt Wagner’s examination of the nature of violence is so adept and timeless in Grendel that one has to wonder why exactly this hasn’t seen its way to the silver screen yet. The stories that feature the original Grendel Hunter Rose are absolutely begging to be adapted. The stories of the various Grendels that followed Hunter Rose practically scream “franchise.” The only thing going against this character would be name recognition. Grendel isn’t as well known as some of the other comic movie starlets, but come on, any Grendel movie would have to better than, say, Elektra or Fantastic Four.

1) American Flagg!
Howard Chaykin’s classic series from First Comics is an easy and extremely biased number one choice for me. I have extolled the greatness of this title in this column before, but it never hurts to hear it twice. This comic is practically begging for a revival and there would be no better way than for someone to adapt this series into a movie. American Flagg death with themes anyone in today’s modern world could relate to. Idea such as corporate greed, cynical governance, pervasiveness of advertising, and good ol’ fashioned violence would sit well for audiences. Though some might suggest that we have too much of these things going on in our country right now, I think seeing them in the context of a future where America has seen its better days come and gone would be both sobering a satirical without being sardonic or depressing. Chaykin was able to explore these themes without ever being overly pessimistic or self-righteous. Hollywood could do the same.
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Panelology – Your Collection is Incomplete, Part 2

by Brandon

In this week’s Panelology, we take another look at a comic book collection. But not just any ol’ collection; your collection! That’s right. Have you ever felt like your collection has been missing something. Is there a story-shaped void in your collection that needs to be filled? If so, I offer four suggestions to get your geeky jollies out on. Some of the stuff is obvious and mainstream. Some of the stuff is out of the way and may take a little bit of effort on your part. But what self-respecting comic fan doesn’t put a little effort into his or her collection?


The Surrogates #’s 1-5, Top Shelf
By Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele
Available in The Surrogates issue #’s1-5 or in Hardcover/Softcover TPB
This book was a recent “read” for me. I had heard for quite a while now that this title was flat out awesome. Despite the praises, I just never really checked it out. That is until the recent $3 Sale at Top Shelf. Words can barely even describe how awesomely good this book is. The Surrogates tells the story of a society that has devolved into technological dependence and addiction. People can buy android surrogates to interact with the world in their place while they lay around all day and play out their own lives vicariously through these androids. It’s not original to say this, but how very Philip K. Dick. The comic is smart by having playing off the themes of humanity’s fascination of technology and the alienation it causes. The artwork is brilliant and subdued. Everything just clicks for this book. I’m anxious to see how the movie turns out, which will no doubt give this book a well-deserved higher profile.

Fell #’s 1-8, Image
By Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith
Available in Hardcover, TPB and issue #’s 1-8
I don’t consider myself a rabid Warren Ellis fan. He’s just one of those creators that seem to create a fervent, cult-like following for much of what he does. In fact, m y only claim to Warren Ellis fame is that I did have a beer in a bar whilst sitting next to him a t HeroCon a few years ago. That’s pretty much it. Outside of a few titles like Ministry of Space, Transmetropolitan, and The Authority, I never really enjoyed much of his work, and of those three, I only thought Ministry of Space was superb. However, Fell is probably one of my favorite titles currently being published. Why? Well, for one reasons it’s cheap. It’s a two-buck comic that dings in usually around sixteen or so pages. Yet it accomplishes much more in those Spartan pages than most comics do in a whole year of story arcs, crossovers, and big budget events. The book follows the crime-fighting antics of Detective Richard Fell in the mythological/seedy city called Snowtown. Cop shows are fodder for my brain, but Fell has an underlying mystery and symmetry to it that goes beyond the homicide investigations one can see at any given hour on basic cable. Templesmith’s wonderfully erratic art punctuates the sordid depravity of Snowtown like no artist could. The only frustrating thing about this book is its tardiness. Started in 2005, only nine issues have made it to stands thus far. Pick these issues up or turn in your fan boy badge at the door.

All-Star Superman #'s 1-12, DC
By Grant Morrison & Frank Quitley
Available in TPB, Hardcover, and as issue #’s 1-12
I hate Superman. I can’t really explain the origins of this strong dislike for the most iconic comic book character. I’ve always had a strange aversion to him, ever since I was little. He just seemed to be too strong and invulnerable, too clean and infallible for my jaded taste in comic books. However, I love Grant Morrison. Like Warren Ellis, he’s created a cult of devoted fans that follow his work wherever he may land. While I wouldn’t say I’m a member of that cult, I do tend to pick up books with the Morrison stamp of approval. Morrison and Quitley were phenomenal in their X-Men run together. When DC started their All-Star line in a somewhat hokey attempt to counter the popularity of Marvel’s Ultimate books, I decided I would give one of my favorite teams a try at my least favorite character. Much to my surprise, they actually managed to write a great story and they pulled off quite a magic trick; they made me like Superman. Superman seemed believable through Morrison’s vulnerability. Though the story covered a lot of ground in twelve issues, the overarching theme was that Superman was dying. Facing mortality made Superman seem relevant, like he actually had a dog in the fight for life instead of just moral responsibility to save humankind from itself. That didn’t happen in the 90s when Superman faced death and overcame it. Yet it happened here, quietly and without black polybagged gimmicks. For the first time in comic book reading lifetime, I felt for Superman. This book is essential for anyone’s collection because it represents a true, unique vision of the man of steel that doesn’t just strictly involve super-heroics as usual. To borrow a phrase from President Obama, this was change we could believe in. This was Superman.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1, Marvel
By Brain Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
Available in single issue format or in Ultimate Annuals Vol. 1, Ultimate Spider-man Hardcover vol. 8, or Ultimate Spider-Man TPB vol. 15
While many fans are still irate with Marvel over the dissolution of Peter and MJ’s wedding, the Ultimate universe still has the couple sporting around. However, in late 2005, there was a sudden yet plausible shift in relationships in Ultimate Spider-Man’s life. Yes, you read that right. It was a believable shift in the relationship that didn’t involve Mephisto or Peter selling off his soul. Peter and MJ were kind of in a slump in their relationship. Much like her Marvel Universe counterpart, MJ had been the target of several attacks on Peter, who has been pretty fast and fleeting with his secret identity. A lull in their relationship left a female emptiness to be filled. Enter Kitty Pryde. Yes, that “Hey, isn’t she in the X-Men?” Kitty Pryde. While fighting the Shocker these two realize that they work well together on and off the field of battle. For Peter, here was a girl who actually defend herself if, say, Rhino decided to show up unexpectedly. For Kitty, Peter represented someone who could actually empathize with her and her powers. In my opinion, this is by far the best issue of Ultimate Spider-Man yet to be published. Also, it marked an end for me. While this was a great issue, it marked the pinnacle of the series. Ultimate Spider-Man just hasn’t been that gripping since then. It’s fun and entertaining, sure. But it just doesn’t grab me like it once did. Hopefully that will change soon, but this issue is possibly the best written story of this decade. It’s fun, playful, and genuine. You can’t go wrong with that.

Fanenomics
Next week, just like everyone else in the multiverse, I'll be talking about the bad economy. Fans can find their investment into their favorite hobby taking a nosedive when the economy goes the way of Jean Grey. What can a fan do to deal with the economic malaise and get their comic book fix?

That's next week.

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Patrick's Hat Trick: Don't You Know There's A Crisis Going On

by Patrick

Where have I been? Well, I've been off preparing my safe-house for the coming Skrull Invasion Final Crisis. And there are a lot of supplies you need for a safe-house. Bottled water. Canned Foods. And of course, reading materials. And by reading materials, I mean comics! Since I am getting ready for the Skrull Invasion Final Crisis, It might be good to read the comics leading into it. So this week we'll be digging into DC Universe: Last Will and Testament one shot, the first of the two part Superman Beyond 3D, and the second chapter of Geoff Johns' Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge. Let's get started, shall we?

DC UNIVERSE: Last Will and Testament: Brad Meltzer finds himself slumming in the comics world again, this time teamed with Adam & Joe Kubert. Why give it a super long and slightly awkward title? I'm guessing it's because calling it "Geo-Force special" wouldn't sell as many copies. The main story-line follows the one time outsider as he plots killing Deathstroke while the world is coming to an end. And while I say a Geo-force comic wouldn't sell, the Geo-force vs. Deathstroke story was actually pretty good, with a good twist or two along the way. Where this book loses it is every time it goes away from the Geo-force story-line. I'm guessing they didn't let Brad Meltzer read any of Final Crisis, because just every big dog of the DCU is shown nowhere near where they were in Final Crisis. Wally West isn't with Barry. Green Lantern isn't imprisoned. Neither is Batman. Clark isn't keeping his wife alive with his heat vision. And that it so completely ignores what is happening with those those characters is annoying. The Geo-Force story gets a B+, while the rest of the book gets an F. So I guess it averages out to an unsatisfying GRADE Of :C-


Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #1: If you are picking this up hoping to see the Grant Morrison who is writing ALL STAR SUPERMAN, you'll be disappointed. But if you are looking for Final Crisis issue 3.5, this might be the book you are looking for. Superman enters the fray and teams up with other Supermen from other realities to find something to fight the Crisis. And along the way we get some hints of answers beginning to form. Some of the mysteries of the Final Crisis start to unravel here, and we even get to see a place we havn't seen since Grant's run on Animal Man. GRADE: B-. It's nice to see this crisis stuff is all heading somewhere after all.

Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #2: And over here we have the fun corner of the Final Crisis. After telling Libra last issue, "Thanks for the invite, but we are not joining," Libra does the predictable thing and goes after them. Who he sent after them is pretty clever. And even more surprising is the perfectly logical reason Libra thinks he needs the Rouges on his team. Grade: A- Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins are making a great villain book, and I'm sorry we only have one more issue to go.

Well, that's all we have this week. I'll be back in a week or two if I can avoid the Skrulls Parademons. Take care.

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Trades Wait for Me – Filthy Painkillers

by Dan

Before I decided to re-read New X-Men in order to give my Unpopular Opinion a couple weeks ago, I was in the middle of a very different Morrison title, The Filth. Throw in Dynamite’s Essential Painkiller Jane collection and I’ve got myself a couple trades that waited for me.








The Filth - Once I got my Unpopular Opinion written, I finished this 13 issue maxi-series. One thing I quickly realized is that I don't dislike Morrison's writing as much when he's just doing his own thing and not trying to squeeze familiar characters into his unfamiliar, and sometimes out-of-character, plots. Overall, I liked The Filth and the fun and twisted stories. Of course, what’s not to like about Communist talking chimps, microbiotic Teletubbie-like civilizations and a porn star with super-potent black jizz? Unfortunately, those are only subplots and when the book is focused on The Hand, the wacky government organization that deals with horrible things the world doesn’t need to know about (see super-potent black jizz), the story gets lost and Morrison seems to have a lot of disconnects in his scripts. The art by Chris Weston, Gary Erskine and Matt Hollingsworth is fantastic. Every character is completely unique. Every face is expressive. And every page pops with color. Nothing I'd really read through again, but worth it for the hardcore Morrison fans or those that like twisted, adult content in their funny books. B-



Essential Painkiller Jane - To be completely honest, I have no idea why I bought this six-issue collection of the original Event Comics series. I have the comics in the basement. I could break them out whenever I want. I could savor the awesomeness that was any Event comic’s “back matter” - Cup O’ Joes, Jimmy's Box, Ads for the fan club....all that fun stuff that a huge JoeyQ & JimmyP fanboy like me loved. Oh, and a fun story too.

Speaking of which, the story here holds up better than I would have ever imagined. Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn spin three very good plotlines over five issues, with pitch perfect art from Rick Leonardi and Jimmy Palmiotti. The zero issue that leads off the collection--and muddies the waters of Jane’s origin more than it clears them--would be a decent capper to the series if it was actually at the end of the book instead of the beginning. Overall, I’m thrilled that these stories still hold up and, while I prefer the issues to the trade, would recommend this to anyone who digs action or crime comics. A- Read more!

Unpopular Opinions: Morrison's New X-Men

by Dan

With all of this week's X-Men talk and the recent Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? issue teasing us with the idea that cat Beast is a skrull, I got into my "Morrison's New X-Men run is the most overrated bunch of nonsense and I love it when stuff is undone" rant for the 38th time since #154 came out four years ago. So, I decided to re-read the run over the last few days and see if my rant has any merit or if time has erased my Unpopular Opinion.

The main reactions I remember having as the issues came out were mostly negative: hated cat Beast, hated "secondary mutation," hated Cassandra Nova, hated Xorn revealed to be Magneto, hated Igor Kordey's multitude of fill-in issues, hated Fantomex, hated the whole Weapon Plus concept and hated the future arc epilogue. On the positive side of things, I remember great art from Frank Quitely, particularly the silent "‘Nuff Said" issue, and how well the "Riot at Xavier's" arc worked. So, I was expecting the re-read to be a pretty boring, unpleasant experience.

Right out of the gate we get the "E is for Extinction" arc in which Genosha is destroyed by Cassandra Nova, Emma Frost survives the massacre by having a secondary mutation to diamond form and Cassandra swaps minds with Xavier and then shoots her body with Xavier's mind trapped in it. Wow, that wasn’t boring at all! Lots of gorgeous art from Quitely, and Morrison only falters a couple of times in the opening issue trying to make the characters say things that are way out of character. Particularly, when Beast is discussing his latest feline form and blurts out “I feel like a Hindu sex god,” or Xavier’s incredibly zealous, manic, gun-toting crazy portrayal. But that’s just the new writer breaking in. Right?

Unfortunately, the second big arc, “Imperial,” doesn’t really answer the question. Morrison nails the Jean/Wolverine forbidden love idea and we get a great new character in Xorn, but he also sticks us with X-Corps, Beak and Angel *shudder* and some big plot points that happen off panel. It’s one thing for Xavier to have contacted Lilandra and the Shi’ar to go on a bit of vacation off panel, it’s a whole other thing to have Xavier and Cassandra Nova switch bodies off panel and have it revealed in clunky exposition. There are some very interesting ideas laid out with the U-Men and John Sublime, but they feel more like Cool Big Concepts than anything that is currently going anywhere.

"Imperial" also marks the first of many arcs by Artists Not Named Frank Quitely. Ethan Van Sciver kicks it off and while he has some good moments, he has more rough ones. Particularly in his portrayal of Wolverine, who has grown about a foot since Quitely drew him.

And then we get Igor Kordey.

I think it was Kordey’s work on this title that really put me off it four years ago, but these first couple issues really aren’t too bad. They don’t have the same feeling of fun that Quitely or Van Sciver brought and Kordey’s work seems to take itself too seriously, but it’s not quite so bad.

Maybe that’s because the couple Kordey issues are followed up by Morrison and Quitely’s "‘Nuff Said" issue which is mind-bogglingly gorgeous and each creator plays to the other's strengths. New X-Men #121 is easily my favorite issue of the entire run.

As “Imperial” continues on (wow this arc is long) things begin to fall apart. There is an incredible amount of tedious Morrison techno-babble from the Shi’ar and even more tedious explanations of Nova’s devise machinations and motives. Even Quitely’s usually great art suffers with these scripts. There are also numerous eye-rolling dialogue moments. At one point Logan replies “Crème de la what?” to Emma calling the recently introduced Cuckoos the “Crème de la crème” of their class (that’s right, Wolverine has been all over the world in his century-long life but is a complete idiot when confronted with a bit of well-known French). In the climatic fight between the X-Men and Shi'ar, the Shi’ar supergladiators say nifty keen stuff like “4-Space” and “I’m venting bio-helium” and “Intell-ect De-Gray-ding” and “equipped with mind armor.” It’s all just too much and by the end of the arc becomes unbearable. As does Kordey’s fill-in work. Is that a panel of just a shoulder? Did Wolverine become a crackhead mid page? Is Professor X really a Star Trek alien? Based on the art, the answer to all of those is yes.

As we finally move away from the Shi’ar and Cassandra Nova plots, we start “New Worlds.” There’s no real connection to these issues about Mutant Town, X-Corps and Famtomex other than incredibly bad Kordey art, starting with THE worst panel of Emma Frost ever created.

Story wise, there’s plenty of stuff happening, but none of it seems to matter in the moment. There’s a big “X-Corps debacle” that must have happened in another book and Fantomex leads the London X-Corpsers into a big fight in the Chunnel that ends in Darkstar’s death. Who's Darkstar you asked? So did I. So did Emma Frost. No one ever tells us though. We then jump to Genosha (hey, remember that plot!) for something to do with Unus the Untouchable and X-Treme X-Men (ugh) before heading to Afghanistan, where Logan saves Dust, a character no writer has known what to do with since. Oh, and Beast is telling everyone he’s gay. Frankly, it’s all a bunch of ideas thrown against the wall with the hopes that some of them stick. None of them do.

Oh, sweet relief! “Riot at Xavier’s” features Quitely again, but sadly for the last time. It also features the ridiculous editorial decision to include Ultimate Soulpatch Wolverine (with Dirty Hippy Hair) in the regular Marvel U. Thankfully, that lasted all of two issues, but it scarred me for life. Morrison knocks this story out of the park. Incredible characters, like Quenten Quire and the Stepford Cuckoos, are finally fully developed. The Clockwork Orange-influenced Omega Gang is a great addition to the X-Men mythos and had some great commentary along with them and the climatic fight at the end totally rocked my socks. Great stuff and, like all their issues together, makes me wish Quitely could have been Morrison’s only artist. He clearly understood and could interpret the scripts better than any of the other artists on the run.

The great "Riot at Xavier's" was followed by the incredibly bland “Murder at the Mansion” arc in which we get stuck with uber-cop Bishop and *ugh* Sage from X-Treme X-Men. Jimenez’s art is incredibly bland throughout the arc and the three issues only result in Angel/Beak kids. Oh goody, they are some worthwhile characters. Yeah, sure, it's set-up for the reveal that Sophie is manipulating folks on behalf of someone, but it's just too little plot for three issues.

And then we're on to “Assault on Weapon Plus.” There are some incredible pages of art by Chris Bachalo throughout this four-issue arc. Hell, he even makes Fantomex look cool. (Key word there is "look" because he's still not actually cool.) This is probably some of Bachalo's clearest, most focused work in years (before or since). Sadly, the ideas laid out in this are just terrible and forced. Wolverine is Weapon Ten, not X. Fantomex is Weapon XIII. And Weapon Plus has been creating killers for decades and even had a hand in Operation: Rebirth aka Captain America aka Weapon I. Perhaps it’s the fact that it's Fantomex telling us all this that makes it unlikable as there is nothing likable about Fantomex.

The story moves from the confusing and frustrating "Attack on Weapon Plus" to the plain outlandish, ridiculous and most decried arc, "Planet X." Turns out Sophie of the Cuckoos was working for Magneto, who has been posing as Xorn since his introduction. Wait. What? Xorn was Magneto? Why? How? To this day, it doesn't make any real sense. Xorn was a great character and Morrison did a great job of quickly making him likable and interesting and unique to the X-Men mythos. That is all undone by a really forced, "shocking" plot turn. Things just go downhill from there as Magneto becomes a Kick-head and a mass murderer while Jean dies, comes back and dies again. Magneto is defeated by the crowd not recognizing him and some reverse psychology from the X-Men.

Really?

I hated this arc. More than I hated any of the rest. Morrison tries to swing for the fences but ends up striking out. He's not helped by Jimenez once again on art chores, making the big scenes just plain boring. It's just really unfortunate that Morrison chose to undo some great characters and moments with such a train wreck ending.

Not the final ending though, as we get the four-issue "Here Comes Tomorrow" epilogue to the entire run. Unfortunately, Morrison decides to go over-the-top Cool Big Concept again and most of the four issues come across as random ideas thrown on a page. In short, Cyclops gives up on the X-Men after Jean's death and 150 years later John Sublime, in the body of Beast thanks to Kick (don't think about that too hard), has turned the world into a hellhole and is resurrecting the Phoenix to finally destroy mutantkind. To fill out the extra three issues and give Marc Silvestri pretty and kewl things to draw, we get random shots of a humpback whale X-Man, a guy and his Sentinel buddy, some version of the Stepford Cuckoos (who are revealed to be Weapon XIV), Beak's grandkid Tito (That's right, Tito. I couldn't help but laugh too.) and plenty of desolate earth shots. And finally, Jean somehow joins a phalanx of Phoenix, including Quenten Quire, and reminds Scott to live his life. So we end with Cyclops sticking with the school and kissing Emma instead of giving up, therefore erasing any chance of the "Here Comes Tomorrow" world from happening. Holy hell, Morrison. That was a long way to go to put Emma and Scott together.

Overall, Morrison's run has more peaks and valleys than I remember. I whole-heartedly believe this is an incredibly overrated run, albeit one with a couple fantastic ideas. Kordey and Jimenez were huge mismatches for Morrison's style, making the last year or so all valleys. I might not hate it as much as I used to, but I'm glad most of the changes were retconned, ignored or used sparingly. Now if we can just get Jean Grey to come back. And maybe we are in the very entertaining pages of Cable, but that's a whole other Unpopular Opinion. Read more!

Patrick's Hat Trick: Samuroids, Sightings, and... Justice League goes CONDITION AMBER?!?

By Patrick

Have you spent your week wondering if The Brave and the Bold #13 was any good? How about that issue of Justice League with that big "SIGHTINGS" banner and the menacing looking villains on the cover? And even though the countdown ended a month ago, we are all wondering if Final Crisis #1 can live up to the hype. Well, wonder no more true believer!

Click the link and the knowledge you seek shall be yours! (This knowledge does contain some spoilers, so consider yourself warned.)

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #13: Last month I complained that Jerry Ordway was no George Perez. But by no means is he a bad artist. Last issue just didn’t play to his strengths. This month, we have no such problem, as Jerry Ordway is one of, if not THE, definitive artist of Golden Age DC characters. And Mark Waid finds a really cool hook for this issue, comparing and contrasting at Batman and Jay Garrick as mentors. Who would have thought that two pages of Bruce Wayne and Jay Garrick in the Batcave talking about protégés would be such good reading? Also, it has bio-electric Ninja Samurai robots (AKA Samuroids) that are powered by a hybrid strain of bacteria. And all good fanboys and fangirls know that ninja robots rock! GRADE: B+ If you are a fan of the characters, you’ll really enjoy the issue, and there is enough meat there for the rest of you as well.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #21: We start off with the “trinity” getting together for a little secret meeting to discuss the happenings of the JLA and the DCU. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl and Red Arrow get taken down by Libra while trying to defeat The Human Flame. This book would have been a much better DC Universe #0 than the book they published a few weeks ago. Another thing I didn't quite get about the book: It had this big "Sightings" banner on the book, but I was not all that clear on what I was suppose to see. Grade: C+ If you want to get every beat of the coming crisis, or you are a Carlos Pacheco fan grab this, but otherwise, keep your three bucks in your pocket.

And that leads us to DC's "BIG BOOK" of the week...


FINAL CRISIS #1: Grant Morrision and JG Jones are out to give the DCU the ultimate bad day. And how does the bad day start? The skies are turning red…again. New Gods are being found dead… still. Villains are uniting under a common banner…again! A lot of the beats of this story felt like repeats from other storylines. These events have become so everyday in the DCU, how does the Justice League respond?





JUSTICE LEAGUE CONDITION AMBER! What the hell is that?! Are they going to go around looking for rocks with flies in them? Are they going out looking for missing children? If so, John Walsh will be so pleased. And I'm sure the Question will be happy to have some help, since one of the subplots seems to be her looking for missing super-powered kids.

Final Crisis is a great looking book, but like last week's Justice League, the story is missing some punch. I have faith in Grant Morrison's storytelling that this will end up being a heck of a read, but the first issue left me a little underwhelmed. But I will channel my inner Randy Jackson and say JG JONES could draw the phone book and it would still rock. GRADE: B- For a big event and the extra dollar in price, I want a bit more bang for my buck.

That's all I have today friends. Thanks for reading. Let me know if you like my title for my three pack of reviews, "Patrick's Hat Trick," if you think it sucks, or any other thought you'd like to share in the comments section. Thanks again!

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