Transformers #2

The set-up continues. Is it awful? No. Is it great? No. Is is worth 3 issues (2 normal +1 zero) of set-up? Probably not.

Plot-wise, the story takes a very "X-Files" type turn, complete with shadowy conspiracy guys around a table. This is discouraging. "Black helicopter" was tiresome in the 90s, and it is is more so now.

Aside from a few more characters showing up, not much happens here.

There are also a few more pages of Beast Wars. It reads like fan-fic. And, I get the sense that the BW comic will be something that assumes readers have already picked up the previews, and anyone starting with the first issue will be lost. Or, the first issue will consist largely of reprinted material.


Grade: D

Dom
-Not a good week for comics.

As for what to read, I would recommend grabbing compilations. Short list:

Transformers: All Fall Down, End of the Road, Target:2006, Time Wars

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Squadron Supreme

Flash: Return of Barry Allen

Secret Origins

Superman: The Man of Steel

i kinda like monthly

gives me something to look forward to

I read Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean this morning and I think I'm gonna start a lobby for D. McKean to draw more comics. The world can use more comics drawn by him. Otherwise it's the first full book I read involving Batman as the main character. I'm slowly warming up to the idea of superheroes.

Also something people migth know: I've read Neil's The Books of Magic and the the first two volumes of the series made from it (written by Rieber). I was looking for the other tomes on Amazon, and while volumes 4 to 7 are available for a normal price, volume 3 is only offered by second-hand stores at prices that start at twice as much for a worn-out copy. What's so special about this volume 3?

Amazon sellers tend to have VERY high prices if they think they have something rare. There are at least 4 copies on v.3 on ebay right now, all under $15

I like both Hellblazer and Daredevil (yes, very different books, I know). They both just recently got new creative teams behind them, so that might be a good place to jump in. I'm gonna miss Bendis on Daredevil, though. Also, there's a new vertigo comic out called Testament that I've heard is really good, but haven't read yet.

i got.....p**d off with my comics shop. i'm gonna dump them, i keep saying i will and they staying out of some mistaken sense of loyalty.

I have regular orders, some of them i collect and read when i have an arc and i'm sick to death of picking them up to read and finding one or two issues missing!

bye bye forbidden planet.

hello??? on line? the other store through newcastle? i'll have to look into it.

i also got, from FP:

Spike old wounds (how bloody much!)
angel old friends #3
fables # 46
neverwhere #6

from the shop down the road from FP:

angel old friends #1
fallen angel #2 (which should have been in my pack to pick up from FP! grrrrr )

Smaug, are you liking the Neverwhere comic? I picked up the first issue, but didn't buy any after that (I think because of the art).

loving would be an overstatement, liking is close to an overstatment - its one of those i've stopped reading and will read the complete arc when it finally comes out.

it's okay, i guess i'm getting it because of the afore mentioned false sense of loyalty i mentioned above - and i'm not disliking it.

Other then Goon and the Tick, I have been sticking strictly DC at the moment. I'm finding the Infinite Crisis thing intriguing. I just think its showing more creativity then i've been seeing from marvel. I wish they did something worthwhile with Firestorm though, the comic is sucking and the character is really cool. I also wish they did not cancel Breach, it was becoming really good.

Ok I got swept into the Lucifer series. I think it's pretty good even though the style is very close to Neil's which is ok for a spin-off. I only got through the first tome and I loved Mona's story at the end of it. Really cute.

I would have posted this in some Lucifer thread I remember seeing but I can't find it anymore. Oh well.

Rann/Thanagar: Infinite Crisis- was pretty good. Apparently their going to mess with Rayner's character a bit which i wish they wouldn't, but it was well done. Infinite Crisis-still good. Tick- always good and is the Goon. I'm planning on buying Batman Annual 25 next week I think. Their ending that whole Jason Todd mystery with it.

Ultimates was great (loved the whole Hawkeye nail bit).

Detective was great as well, but I may be bias because I've missed James Robinson's writing so much.

Infinite Crisis is marching along with it's foreboding dread.


I fear that what I always suspected may be true...
John Byrne still sucks.
I don't want to read his Demon.
It looks boring.
I bet he's so still freaked out about Morrison's Doom Patrol that he'll try to write a storyline where Danny the Street is straight.

I loved Garth's Punisher and Warren's Nextwave.

I started reading Strangers in Paradise #80 and me girl walked in. So now I got to restart ! It's a David issue.

Infinite Crisis #5
Empire 40
Rebellion/KotOR #0

Crisis on Infinite Earths compilation


Infinite Crisis #5: Some retconning that seems to exist as much to muddy things up was to clarify things. (I really doubt that some of the "Earth 8" characters will be removed from continuity.) Some rumours I saw either at newsarama or the DC boards indicate that my suspicions about the Freedom Fighters were more or less on the mark. A few visual references to old comics here and there.

Grade: C/C The series has some potential. But, DC has not been totally open about their intentions, so it is difficult to know what to expect, if not hope for.

Star Wars Empire:
Well, Sunber does not join the Rebellion, which is good. But, as the series ends (and becomes Rebellion) the Skywalker connection seems set to play a larger role.
Grade: D Sunber is not being ruined as I initially thought, but the alternative is not much better in this case. Cannot say I am planning to read Rebellion.

Rebellion/KotOR #0
The Rebellion segment seems intended to function as a recap/lure for new readers. KotOR will be delivering on the long-clamored for Jedi/Mandalorian fight. Neither looks set to wow me.


Crisis on Infinite Earths compilation:
This is more or less the old Crisis series, bound in one volume. It is simply the 12 issues, a foreward by Wolfman and an afterword by Giordinado.

Perez' art alone is worth the price of admission. Writing wise, the story is admirable for what it attempted to do, more than what it actually acomplished. The sheer scope of the editorial-ambition is still staggering, even now.

Wolfman was functionally the story editor for all of DC comics in 1985, and his decisions (and decisions by others that he carried out) impacted DC for at least several years. His foreward even tacitly acknowledges the (unintentional) damage Crisis did to the industry with regard to flashy and event laden stories.

Grade" A Staggering in intent, albeit flawed in execution. One can only hope that Infinite Crisis is more decisively delivered upon, and that DC learns from past mistakes.


Beast Wars
The Gathering #1
Simon Furman
Don Figueroa


Content wise, 3/4 of this is reprinted material from previews that were widely distributed online and in previous issues of Infiltration. (IDW seems to have a policy of printing excerpts of one title in another, as this issue has several pages of Infiltration #2.)

The writing is as abysmal as the previews would lead one to believe. The opening pages seem to have been written by a 13 year old, and lead into a bland psuedo-conspiracy theory setup that assumes the reader knows trivia and minutia from a series that aired nearly a decade ago.

The plot has some ideas and concepts, but for the most part reads like a series of bad character intros. If you read Universe, you have functionally read this. The rumours of this series overwriting Beast Machines cannot be substantiated. But this series seems to overwrite Omega Point, and by extension Wreckers and Universe. Failing that, it will have to reference several old, obscure and (in some cases) incomplete stories. (*Some characters would have to be conspicuously juggled to make this fit with the above mentioned series.)

Art-wise, Figueroa does a fine job. What problems I do have with the art are minimal, and based on interpretations of specific characters. Aside from some jumbled panels, his art holds up pretty well. He is also not slavish to toy accuracy.

Grade: C/D Furman's writing makes me sorry I read this. But Figueroa's art carries the day by making me glad I have eyes to see with. Were art the only factor, this would be an A/B.

I'm just wondering if anyone has read the Street Fighter comics put out by Image/Udon?

I got a sample issue with my Street Fighter controller and the art is pretty good. I'm not sure if there was enough story development in one issue though. Any Street Fighter readers?

so, after months after saying i was going to i finally did it, after picking up the 3 comics it had on hold for me i told my comic shop to stop my order.

The 3 comics were:

Fables #47 - haven't liked these 2 as much as normal, they are a short story with a new artist - i'm looking forward to it getting back to business as usual next month

angel #4 and spike v dracular (sp!) #1

i then walked down the road to the other comic shop and picked up fallen angel #3 that they hadn't put in my pick up

talking to the people in this shop it seems they do mail order, and unless it's heavy (which most comics aren't) they don't charge for postage - cool

i also noticed that most of my current pick ups are IDW - this is bad because they're bloody expensive and have a crap homepage - if i'm doing less trips to comic shops i'm going to have to do more decisions of what to buy online!

lets see what the next couple of months brings.

I think I'm going to cancel my New Avengers subscription at my comic shop. That series is so contrived. I was holding out hope Bendis could do something with it, but it's been, what, 15 issues now? I'd rather spend the money on something else instead.

well, i have been buying comics online and I am a couple of months back on most of them.

I bought, Infinite Crisis 5, Batman 648, Batman annual 25, Green Lantern 8, Three Tick issues, Hellblazer 214, JLA 122, 123, Flash 229, Hawkman 47

I am still not sure how Superboy connects to Todd being alive, but I guess they explained a stupid plot the best they could.

I am really surprised that Johns, who is one of my favs, can't do better with Green Lantern.

Batman 648 was really well done, i enjoyed it.

Buying Breach #10 next week..it still pisses me off that they canceled it over at DC after only 11 issues.

quote:

Originally posted by The Scoundrel:
I think I'm going to cancel my New Avengers subscription at my comic shop. That series is so contrived. I was holding out hope Bendis could do something with it, but it's been, what, 15 issues now? I'd rather spend the money on something else instead.

okay, you said now, march, you're gonna cancel, lets see when you actually do...it usually takes me a few months from threatening these things to following them through, prove yourself stronger than me.

I can proudly say I quit New Avengers at issue 9, I am glad I didn't miss anything.

quote:

Originally posted by Smaug:
okay, you said now, march, you're gonna cancel, lets see when you actually do...it usually takes me a few months from threatening these things to following them through, prove yourself stronger than me.

Dammit. Went to the store and they were proudly holding my new avengers copy...so I bought it. This is the last one, I'm sure of it.