Beyond the Big 2: Sept 2008 Vootie!

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 November from the September 2008 Previews.





I apologize for the lateness of this column but I have a good excuse! It was bound to happen. This month, for the first time in months, I do not have a new series that I am going to try out. So instead I am going to pimp a book that is one of my all-time favorites. NEXUS!

NEXUS ARCHIVES VOLUME #8
By Mike Baron (W) • Steve Rude and Paul Smith (A)
Published by Dark Horse Comics
49.95
Product Code SEP080029
The landmark Nexus/Badger crossover concludes! Horatio, Judah, and the Badger have survived their reentry of the Bowl-Shaped World. As they head from outer rim to inner city, the threat that prompted this journey worsens: the Gravity Well is nearing collapse. The Web's population is evacuating in a panic, hoping to escape the artificial black hole. By the time this installment of Baron and Rude's celebrated sci-fi series comes to a close, the desperate trio will fight a powerful, fusionkasting tyrant in mortal combat, Kreed the Quatro will be sentenced to death for the Mars massacre, and Horatio will hang up the Nexus mantle once and for all! A multiple Eisner Award-winning series that defined the careers of acclaimed creators Steve Rude and Mike Baron, Nexus is a modern classic not to be missed.

I discovered Nexus later when Dark Horse took over as publisher and I immediately fell in love with the book. Nexus combines science fiction, social problems and political science along with a dash of super heroics. Nexus receives his God-like powers from an entity called the Merk. The Merk then requires Nexus to seek out and execute human mass murderers and killers. Nexus would know who the next target was with dreams that would become stronger and stronger until he fulfilled his duty. Nexus formed a lunar refuge, called Ylum where he would take those he rescued (if he felt they were in danger) but he would not lead them. Nexus has a colorful cast of supporting characters that become friends of his and leaders of Ylum. I highly recommend this series, it is far more than what I described. You get to see what happens when Nexus decides to confront the Merk, and what happens when Nexus decides that he cannot kill anyone and be haunted with dreams if he doesn't sleep. You also get to see Ylum become an increasing power in the universe. Nexus also does not suffer from having to stay in the status quo, you never know where the story is heading and what Nexus will do.

I know that it is hard to plunk down fifty bucks to try out this series and I wish Dark Horse would also reprint this series in their fantastic Omnibus series of trades. I do highly recommend this series but if you want to try just a taste of Nexus, I recommend purchasing Nexus: The Origin and trying out that issue. You can purchase it online here.







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 September Previews) at huge discounts.




I'll see you next month with some more picks. Make sure you check out my other new column Beyond the Big 2: Preview Review where I will be reviewing picks that I made in earlier columns. Last time I reviewed No Hero #0, Modern Masters Vol 18: John Romita Jr and the first X Omnibus. You can also find reviews for Freddie & Me: Coming of Age, Charlatan Ball #1 and Fluffy here.

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From Top to Bottom: Crossovers I Want To Read

by Matt

Welcome to the 6th 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 Book Women and a few weeks ago I looked at my Top and Bottom Comic Crossovers that have been published. With this week's edition, I finally post my Top 3 Comic Crossovers I want to read along with some I just might skip.

I am a HUGE sucker for crossovers, especially when one universe spills into another. Here are my Top 3 crossovers I would geek out for!


3)Predator/Punisher
Why hasn't this happened? It just seems like a perfect fit. This could have so many story lines, they could be hunting each other, after the same assassin, the Punisher may just support the Predator (after the obligatory misunderstanding fight) as it is killing criminals and follows him around, there are just a ton of possibilities.




2)GI Joe/Aliens
I was really into GI Joe toys and comics way back in the '80s and I was also a fan of the movie Aliens. Why not put them together? When I was a kid, I would play with my GI Joe action figures and I had this storyline of the Aliens taking over Cobra Island and the Joe team has to go in and rescue them. Lots of gore and death (it wouldn't be Aliens without it) and Duke would die such a horrific death since I hated him so much. I think this would be so much fun to write.

Okay I confess, I have written some of it.

1)Nexus/Solar
I have both runs of Nexus and Solar and I think a crossover between these two would definitely work and be a lot of fun. Solar caused the Earth to be thrown into a black hole resulting in the death of billions. Nexus is tracks down and executes mass murderers. What if Nexus went after Solar? It would be cool to see two god-like beings fight it out.




Some crossovers are not as natural as peanut butter and chocolate. Some crossovers are put together for the sole purpose of making money and they have as much creativity/personality as a dollar bill. With the right creators, any crossover can work. I cannot wait for the Groo/Conan crossover to finally come out. Here are my Bottom 3 crossovers that I would probably skip. (Who am I kidding? I would still buy them!)


3)Mr. Fantastic/Elongated Man
The most boring member of the Fantastic Four teaming up with a character that has lame powers. This would be a book I would pick up in a flash! I can't imagine how this type of team up would make me want to pick it up.






2)Lobo/Bloodwulf
I don't care for Lobo and I think Bloodwulf is a horrible character. This is a match made in heaven! Only Rob should draw this book too. That way we never will see it!*



*old lame joke



1)The Final Infinite Invasion of Multiple Thors
So many Thors, so much confusion. ROLL CALL! From top left, Savage Dragon Thor, Image's Thor, End League's Thor and Marvel's Thor. I guess I could have added Ultimate Thor and Clor and I am sure I am missing other Thors as well. Now this would be the brouhaha to end all brouhahas! Which Thor will survive? Will our heads explode? Ragnarok has come! Hmmmm, this suddenly sounds like I could dig it.


Now that I think about, any of these crossovers could be fun in the hands of the right creators. How can I convince everybody to do a Thor crossover?

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From Top to Bottom: Comic Book Women

by Matt

Welcome to the 5th 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 Book Movie Adaptations. This week's edition will be a bit trickier. With Sex and the City hitting theaters this week and Cindy's fantastic upcoming column about women in comics (look for it Friday!), I thought I would be brave and take a look at my Top 3 modern women/girls in comics. I chose them based on how they are portrayed and if they seem real to me.

I avoided choosing older characters like Wonder Woman and the Invisible Girl; I wanted to select women from more recent comics. My top 3 women all represent women who are NOT perfect. They are NOT portrayed as "Super Women," but they all do strive to be their best which is a quality I really admire. To me these women are excellent role models. Now, of course this is all MY opinion and I may totally be off my mark, but here I present my Top 3 Women in Comics.

3)Tulip O'Hare
I thought Ennis really hit it out of the park with this character! She felt very real to me, like I was reading a true story instead of a comic book. I was drawn to Tulip for many reasons, and the biggest is that she stood for what she believed in. Sure, she made mistakes, but she did her best to overcome them. She was loyal and forgiving and she fought hard for what she wanted.



2)Stargirl
I absolutely love Stargirl. I used to coach 9th grade girls' basketball and one of the team captains, Lacey, was just like her. Stargirl is incredibly well-written - her speech and attitude all reflect a real teen and, more importantly, she looks like a normal teenaged girl. With determination and hard work, Lacey grew into a confident and fantastic player and team member, one who I depended on for countless things. Stargirl is the same way. Going from her first series on through the JSA, you can see how this character continues to grow and mature.

1)Sundra Peale
Every obstacle that has been put in her place, Sundra has overcome. She has made mistakes but she perseveres. Sundra's taken on a lot of huge responsibilities and has come out on top of all of them. Her relationship with Nexus is a large responsibility in itself: she helps shoulder his load and also has to deal with his other children, which is not easy for her. She also organized the Olympics with thousands of other worlds and races. She is smart, strong, loyal and respectful. She also stands high and fights for what she believes in. This is why Sundra Peale is my Top Woman in Comics.


These next selections are women who, while they do have some great qualities, I don't believe truly represent women. I am not saying that they are terrible characters or that the creators that created them need to be shot. Comics are created mostly by men for a predominantly male audience. Comics show males and females at what society believes their ideal is: incredibly good-looking muscular men and incredibly good-looking women with tiny waists and big boobies. These women certainly cater to this "ideal" and that is why I have them listed as my Bottom 3 Women in Comics.

3)Danger Girl
Ultimate Danger Girl is one of my favorite trades. The plot is a load of fun. And all of the girls in Danger Girl are very smart, strong, heroic and, ultimately, save the day. But this comic was certainly an exercise in T&A. Would a super spy really resort to wearing such a short waitress outfit? Did it really progress the plot? I don't think so. But I admit that the series was a blast to read.



2)Red Monika
I'll give you TWO big reasons why she is ranked here. Now she is smart and strong and yadda, yadda, yadda, but does the character really need boobs that big? Do they really add to her character? I like everything else about her except for the boobage.





1)Supergirl
I don't think I have to explain that Supergirl is also smart, strong and heroic, do I? But she has been portrayed more as a sex object. I admit that I felt a little wrong, a little dirty and a little bit embarrassed when I was looking through a large gallery looking for a picture that would fit this column. Isn't she supposed to be around 16-17 years old? Now I don't think that there is a problem with finding a 16-17 year old girl cute. But I think there is a problem when you find her alluring. Stargirl is cute, Supergirl is alluring. Are there 16-17 year old girls who act like Supergirl? Sure, but the question in my mind is would I want my 16-17 year old girl to act more like Stargirl or more like Supergirl? Even Hal Jordan had to keep reminding himself that she was too young. I just don't feel that she is handled correctly.

There you have it. My Top and Bottom Women of Comics. Oh man... I think this has been my geekiest column yet!

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