comic book review: superman #204

For Tomorrow, pt. 1 (of 12) written by Brian Azzarello, art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams (DC Comics, released April 28, 2004. $2.50)

There's alot of changes coming in comics this year. The first are the new Superman writers (Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, and Chuck Austen). Next month we'll get the new X-Men writers (Chris Claremont, Chuck Austen, and Joss Whedon). Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis. Hal Jordan's return as Green Lantern (still not sure how I feel about that. I'm to young to remember Hal. Kyle has always been Green Lantern to me). Are these for the better? Probably. Rucka's first Superman book was just plain excellent. How do I feel about this one? I'm not sure yet. Jim Lee is always going to produce a good looking book. I don't know alot about Brian Azzarello. I've never read 100 Bullets. His Batman arc, Broken City, was a little disappointing for me.

Superman visits a priest over the guilt he feels over an unforseen event. That's basically the plot here. Something happened to alot of people and they simply disappeared, including Lois. Clark was off rescuing Green Lantern at the time.

This is an intriging issue. Azzarello seems to have dropped us in the middle of the story here. We don't know how Superman got into this position, or what's actually happened to the people who disappeared. We don't know who the bad guys are or what the resolution is going to be. It's an interesting format to take, especially in a serialized format like comic books. I'll keep buying it, though, and not because I have a hard time dropping titles, but because Azzarello has me wondering what's going on.

I've been far to busy to post stuff. Wednesday was, yet again, comic book day. For some reason every book that was ever late decided to come out this week.

Avengers #81; Batgirl #51; Batman #626, Judd Winick's first issue; Batman: Harley and Ivy #1 (of 3), the Bruce Timm and Paul Dini mini-series; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires #5 (of 5), good Joss Whedon stuff; Catwoman #30, which needs a new art team; Daredevil: Father #1 (of 5), by Joe Quesada; Flash #209, with the rest of the Justice League; Green Lantern #176, and the return of Ron Marz; the last issues of Human Torch, New Mutants, and X-Treme X-Men; Superman #204, Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee's first issue; Ultimate Fantastic Four #5; Ultimate Six #7 (of 7), both by Brian Michael Bendis; and some other stuff I don't feel like typing out.

Angel was freakin' awesome tonight. Bed Edlund kicks ass.

comic book review: adventures of superman #627

Battery, pt. 1 written by Greg Rucka, art by Matthew Clark and Nelson DeCastro (DC Comics, released April 21, 2004. $2.50)

I was a DC kid growing up. Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern. Chuck Dixon and Denny O'Neil and Mike Grell. Those names all mean alot to me. In the early 90's, Superman died. He came back to life. I stopped reading comics soon after that. I had reached that age where they weren't cool anymore. I started reading Superman again back in 2001, and since then there's been some good stuff, the stories of Jeph Loeb and Joe Kelly will influnce the kids whose parents are cool enough to let their kids read comics. They've given us stuff like the Elite, Ending Battle, Lost Hearts, The Harvest, President Luthor, and the ongoing storylines throughout the last few years. Then we all heard they were leaving. Loeb was replaced by the rather dismal Steven Seagle, who alot of people liked. We got a good ending on that run, something that's set up stories for the past four months. Where the hell did Superman go? Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning tried to answer the question. Michael Turner and Talent Caldwell brought him back. Chuck Austen gave us an issue of ass kicking. I'm sure Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee will give us a year's worth of an amazing story. But Greg Rucka is giving me what I didn't even know I wanted. He has this ability to take a strange aspect of a character's life and make it the most interesting thing about them. With Batman it was his relationship with Sasha Bordeaux. With Wonder Woman is was her life as an ambassador. With Superman, it's going to be his life as a reporter. Not only that, his life as a beat reporter, shoved into a small shared office with Metropolis's Special Crimes Unit. How does Superman report on the events that he should be stopping?

Clark Kent restarts his job at the Daily Planet, demoted from a front page reporter to the crime beat stationed out of Metropolis's S.C.U. office. As Clark goes on a helicopter ride with some of the officers, they come in contact with a metahuman enemy, and he must protect the city without letting his secret identity getting out. Not only that, but this enemy is under the command of someone even more powerful.

I don't know why I liked this story as much as I did. Maybe I know that Rucka can write a good story, and that I already had expected to like it before I even opened the cover. Maybe it's just because this is something different than what we've been given for the past few years. The Superman books haven't been exceptional for a long time, not since I was a kid. I don't know if it's because I was a kid, or if those stories were the best of the best. But when I read this issue I got the feeling that this was going to be the start of something great, something that people would remember for years to come. Hopefully I'm right.

Word, bitch. I don't feel like reviewing a comic today. Possibly later. The programs I need to work aren't working at the moment, so I'm trying to kill time until they come back up. Brad Meltzer (the novels The Zero Game, Dead Even, The Millionaires, The First Counsel, some others, plus the comics Green Arrow #16-21: The Archer's Quest and the upcoming Identity Crisis) is going to be on Fanboy Radio this Sunday. The link is to the right. Should be a good show.

Now my boss is back. And it seems everything is working as it should.

Today was comics day. I always like to spend a while in the shop to talk to people. It's the highlight of my week. Good stuff this week, too: Adventures of Superman #627, Greg Rucka's first issue; Daredevil #59, good Bendis stuff; Hawkman #27, a fill in issue with the Sleeper creative team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips; Outsiders #11, an Arsenal issue; Robin #125, or the big one; Runaways #14, good book; Superman/Batman #9, Micheal Turner art; Ultimate Spider-Man #57, more good Bendis stuff, and some other stuff.

This is a kickass time for comics. Brian Bendis is going overhaul the Avengers in July. Warren Ellis is writting Ultimate Fantastic Four soon. Joss freakin' Whedon is doing an X-Men book with John freakin' Cassady. Powers is moving to Marvel. Damion Scott is drawing Robin. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini doing Harley and Ivy. Ron Marz returning to Green Lantern. Tony Bedard on Exiles. I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff.

I am in geek heaven.

I have a theory that Tuesday is the worst day of the week. You still have the whole week ahead of you. And comics don't come out until Wednesday. I have three classes on Tuesdays, plus work, and no time in between to relax. I don't get paid until Thursday.

Al Franken is calling you. Trophey wives.

greater than the parts

Kill Bill, vol. 2 is something different. I've heard so many spectrums of thought of this film. Some people after the movie were complaining it was too slow. The friends I saw it with only liked certain parts ("The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei," the eyeball part). Peter David commented that this was Quentin Tarantino's version of chick flick. My friend Greg (before being punched later that evening) commented that comic book people have to like everything Tarantino does. I suppose that's true, because I am a comic book person, and I like everything this guy does. As I said when I called into a certain radio show last night, this film derserves to be seen with the first part. People seem to forget that this was one long revenge flick, split up because the producers did not want anything to be cut out. I'm not sure why they did this. I would have been up for a four hour long Tarantino movie. I think a lot of people would. I long for the day when the special DVD is released with both parts, along with all the cool stuff that actually was cut out. I can't wait for the movie that should be made about Bill's training under Hattori Hanzo, Pai Mei, and Estebian Vihaio. I want to know more about Go Go Yubari. And dammit, I want more Michael Madsen with a sword.

So if you haven't seen this film yet, go rent the first one (don't buy it yet, wait for the uber-collection). Watch it, then immediatley go see the second one. It really is one long movie, the whole of which is greater than it's two parts, much like most movies that are split into various volumes (I think The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions go great together in one sitting, and I want to take a day and watch all three The Lord of the Rings films). Geek out. Don't be afraid. It's calling you to do.

I slept until 2:00 today. I feel I have successfully wasted an entire day.

Late last night a scary guy punched a friend of mine in the face for the simple fact that we wouldn't give his scary ass a ride at 3:00 in the morning. So that was a night killer. Of course, 3:00 AM is kind of a night killer too. Either way, it pissed me off.

Not working when you're supposed to be is fun. Is there really a point to watching television anymore? Angel is ending. Wonderfalls got cancelled. Home Movies is over. Smallville hasn't been good in a while. I guess there's still some stuff that's still cool. Alias, 24, the complete enjoyment I have while watching Deadwood. However, Aaron Sorkin no longer writes The West Wing. Paul McCrane and Sharif Atkins left ER. Stargate SG-1 doesn't come on again until July. The Farscape mini-series doesn't air until later this year.

Apparently there are books. Without pictures. I'm currently reading Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King and The Millionares by Brad Meltzer. When I say read I mean they sit next to my bed and gather dust because I have no time to really read. Wolves has been going since it came out in November. Millionares since January. Not my fault. I shouldn't be in college. Then I could read alot. Of course, then I'd have no money to by stuff. Like books. The paradox of the universe confounds me.

comic book review: marvel knights 4 #4

Wolf at the Door, pt. 4 (of 4) written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, art by Steve McNiven and Mark Morales (Marvel Comics, released April 14, 2004. $2.99)

I wasn't going to review this book. I like it well enough to keep buying it. But sometimes you read something so profound, so uterlly fantastic that it deems being talked about, or written about, because of the sheer impact it has on you.

As a kid I was only a fan of the Fantastic Four iconically, like most Marvel characters. I started reading the main books when Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, mostly because that first issue was only nine cents. I'm glad I did, it's a fantastic book. A little history of this book for non comic book people. Waid and Wieringo did a number of issues of the main book for about a year or so. Then one day Waid is fired. Wieringo leaves with him. It is announced that in their place the book will be written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, an unknown playwright, of all things (sidenote: Stan Lee started his writing career in the theatre), and Steve McNiven, who had done awesome work on a now defunct Crossgen book entitled Meridian. As the state of the internet has given fans a say in pretty much everything, people were furious. Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief at Marvel, realized he had made a mistake. These two guys were producing a great book. Being a smart guy, Quesada hired them a back a few weeks later. This left a problem though. Quesada knew he had another excellent book with these characters on his hands, and there was not real place to publish it. So being a cool guy, he ups and gives them a whole new title to publish these stories in. And I couldn't be happier that he did.

The first family of super heroes has hit a turning point. They're financial advisor has left with all thier money, and the city of New York is taking the Baxter Building as payment for the damage caused by the battles they fight everyday. Forced to get jobs, Sue becomes a school teacher, Ben takes a job working construction, Johnny wants to be a fireman, and as it says in the opening recap, Reed has been having trouble sleeping. Turning down an offer for money from both Tony Stark and the criminal known as Hammerhead, Reed sees a crowd congregating around a man about to commit suicide. Reed's a hero. He knows what he has to do. He discovers that this man's son had recently died in a car accident and his wife left him soon afterwards. On top of that, he's been diagnosed with throat cancer and only has a few months to live. He's not afraid of dying, only afriad of dying alone. Reed says he won't have to, that he'll be there with him when the time comes.

It's the way this story is told that makes such an impact on me. McNiven's art drives the writer's point with every page, every panel. It's just plain, for lack of a better word, fantastic. I had the pleasure of talking with Joe Quesada at Wizard World Dallas last November. I asked him about this particular book, and why he though it warented a whole new title. He said wait until issue four. I'd see why. He was right. I hope that this isn't the high point for this book. I hope that it keeps getting better, if that's even possible. It's just great.

comic book review: green arrow #37

City Walls, pt. 4 (of 6) written by Judd Winick, art by Phil Hester and Ande Parks (DC Comics, released April 14, 2004. $2.50)

Good ol' Judd. He never fails to do good work. Combined with this fantastic art team and a character that is all around cool, you have a bad ass book on your hands that never disappoints. When Winick made the move to DC I was excited. I'm was a DC kid growing up, and that's mostly what I read. But I did enjoy Winick's work on Exiles with Marvel. He's a comic book fan who is getting to write comics, and they usually produce the best product. With Green Arrow, Outsiders, and Caper, he's putting out some of the best books out there right now.

In the wake of a magical spell that leaves Star City encapsed in an inpenitrable bubble, Ollie and Conner search for the cause of the disturbance while dealing with demons who are killing the city's looters. Meanwhile, Batman, Jason Blood, and Superman try to find a solution to the bubble surrounding the city. The last issue of this arc really took the story in a totally different direction than what I thought it would be. The Riddler makes for a surprisingly interesting villain when pitted against Oliver, and the scene between them in jail is a gem. With this particular villain, I knew Batman would make an appearance, but I'm unsure what his role will be by this story's end.

Why do I like Green Arrow? I'm not sure. He's the cool guy we all want to be. He hates fascism. He's just a normal guy who is drawn to do good. Unlike Batman, his past is not marked by some tragic event that compels him to wipe out all crime. He just does what he feels he is called to do. That gives him this awesome dynamic with pretty much every other DC superhero. Superman has to utmost respect for him. He's probably one of the few people Batman actually trusts. He's a mentor of sorts to Flash and Green Lantern (Kyle). His relationship with Hal Jordan defines the type of person he truely is. And he's a pimp. He's got the hat and everything. Would you really drive that car like that if you weren't a pimp?

When Judd Winick first took over this title, he said he was in it for the long run. I hope he stays for around for a while, because this is great stuff he's producing. And Phil Hester doesn't hurt the book. It's not Green Arrow with him and Ande Parks. Buy this freakin' book.

Other possible books I'll review throughout the week now if time permits: Gotham Central #18, Fallen Angel #10, and maybe a look at Nightwing #92.

From last night's episode of Angel:

"Two men walk into a bar. The first man orders a scotch and soda. The second man remembers something he'd forgotten, and doubles over in pain. He falls through the floor and into the earth. He looks up at the first man, but he doesn't call for help. They aren't that close."

This depressed me. Thought I'd share.

This is the greatest thing. Now I can slack off at work and actually feel like I'm doing something productive. I work in a library, basically putting book information into our system and printing out labels for new books as they come in. The more I do it the more I feel like I need to do something. So now I am. And I'm listening to Al Franken, who has become my savior at work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Does a library really need this many books? Yeah, I guess so. But does it need this many crappy, uninteresting books? Come on, it's a damn university library. Get something cool. Nothing interesting comes through this place. We did get Sandman: Endless Nights a few months back because it was on the New York Times Bestsellers List. But no one has checked it out. I might check it out so it doesn't feel lonely out on the shelf, even though I already own it.

I should be working. Or at least pretending to be.

comic book review: marvel knights spider-man #1

Down Among the Dead Men, pt. 1 (of 4) written by Mark Millar, art by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson (Marvel Comics, released April 14, 2004. $2.99)

About five years ago Marvel went through a huge editorial shift. Not only had most of their books been started over, there was the the introduction of the Marvel Knights line. It was supposed to be home for second-tier characters with high talent creators attatched. Kevin Smith's Daredevil. Christopher Priest's Black Panther. Paul Jenkins's Inhumans. All great characters. All great creators. Now, in 2004, the line is so different. Brian Michael Bendis writes Daredevil (possibly the best Marvel book out there right now, next only to Supreme Power and Amazing Spider-Man), Black Panther and Inhumans are no more. We now have Elektra, just recently cancelled, Captain America, about to move out of the Marvel Knights imprint, Greg Rucka's Wolverine, Bruce Jones's Incredible Hulk, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Fantastic Four, and now Mark Millar's Spider-Man. The imprint is now top-tier characters with not so high talent creators (I love Rucka, but the others not so much). On top of that, there are three other Spider-Man books out there: Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Spider-Man Unlimited, not to mention any number of mini-series and guest appearances the characters makes at any given point. Did we really, truely, need yet another Spider-Man book? Not only that, do we really need one from the people who brought us the debotchery that was Trouble?

Sure, why not? Mark Millar, who at first I never liked, has really grown on me with his work on Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates, and most recently Chosen and Wanted. So why not let him tackle this character, who for so many people is a love him or hate him type of guy, much like Millar himself.

Peter battles Norman Osborne through town while trying to deal with innocent bystanders. Later, he helps Aunt May move only to find his Uncle Ben's gravestone destroyed by a mysterious vandal who calls him to take credit. Not only that, he knows that he's also Spider-Man. Judging from the cover, I'm hoping for Felicia to turn up in this book soon. Aisde from that, I have no idea what to expect from this thing. If anything, Mark Millar can give us the unexpected. This book certainly fit into that category, because I wasn't expecting to like it. Paul Jenkins's gives us old school villains and battles in Spectacular Spider-Man. J. Michael Straczynski gives us groundbreaking new material in Amazing Spider-Man. I don't know what Mark Millar is going to give us in this book, but I'm really curious.

comic book review: ultimate x-men #44

New Mutants, pt. 5 (of 6) written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by David Finch and Danny Miki (Marvel Comics, released April 14, 2004. $2.25)

Amazingly enough, Bendis's books are always on the top of my pile when I get home on Wednesdays. They are the first I read and the are usually my favorite. It seems to be the cool thing to love this guy, and I really don't see anything wrong with that. The man writes at least five books a month. And they're all amazing. And they come out on time. Imagine that.

Nick Fury comes to Xavier's mansion to let him in on the situation coming about in Washington. The President has appointed a group of his own mutants, led by Emma Frost, and including Alex Summers, Hank McCoy, Dazzler, an unidentified female, and someone who looks alot like Gambit. Meanwhile, Angel wants to learn how to fight from the best, and an unexpected enemy attacks a Presidential press conference.

The more people make fun of Bendis's writing style, the more I notice it in his books. This book especially. I guess people really don't talk like this, but it's how people talk in my head, and it's definatley how people talk inside of his head. Angel is a pretty boy, Wolverine is a bad ass, Scott is a boy scout. Same stuff we've been reading in X-Men books for years. But somehow it's still cool. Somehow Stan Lee's analogy of mutants to minorities still applies fourty years later. It's almost sad that this particular analogy can still be recognized and appreciated.

I'm looking foward to the final issue of this storyarc. I'm really looking foward to Brian K. Vaughan's storyarc after that. And I'm as confused as everyone else as to who is coming on after that. I've heard David Mack. I've heard Bryan Singer. While my money is on the latter, I'm really hoping for Mack. That would just be damn cool.

Coming later: Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1 and Green Arrow #37.

My own blog. I feel special. This is the beginning of something that is important to no one except for myself. Today was comic book day. Lovely, lovely comic books. Now I have no money. Only enough to see Kill Bill this Friday. After that I will promptly kill either myself or the people who let their children cry during the movie. I mean, seriously, why would you bring any child under thirteen to movie entitled Kill Bill?

Time has passed. A bed is calling me.