Let's Talk Comics
Jul. 27th, 2009 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emeraldstagI'm trying not to pout about not having been down in San Diego for the last week for Comic-Con and missing out on all the awesome panels but it's hard to do that. I've been trying to keep up news wise but that is also hard to do. I thought I'd pass some time talking about comics though, as it's been awhile and I always have opinions on those even if I don't share it that often.
DC
Superman Titles - I don't think anyone can deny that since Geoff Johns graced the Superman universe all of the titles have taken a creative turn for the better, the Supergirl book has been made into a respectable title for the masses and there is a true sense of there being a Superman family of books similar to Batman. However, I'm finding that I'm losing interest in the storylines of each title. Nightwing & Flamebird's adventures in Action Comics is probably the most action packed of the books but I've never liked Chris Kent. Mon-El & Guardian's time on the Superman book is okay and Supergirl has been fine but Superman:New Krypton I've been avoiding because I miss Superman. Maybe it's just the Clark/Lois dynamic that I miss, but when I think about it when was the last time the comics truly utilized Lois well or Superman on Earth. I'll still look at them but I can't wait for Superman to return to Earth. (Also why is General Lane the new General Ross? Still bothers me. Why must the hero's love interest's family be on the opposing side?) I'm looking forward to Adventure Comics debut and giving Superboy his own place to shine since the demise of his solo book years ago.
Power Girl - This is a title that doesn't seem to get a lot of buzz but I absolutely love the art by Amanda Conner and it also has the writing team from Jonah Hex. I also find it interesting that they all did the Terra mini-series which co-starred Power Girl and developed a friendship between the two characters that has carried over to this book. It's a fun title without being dark or disturbed by outside forces.
Tiny Titans - I absolutely love this title! It's a kids title that is full of fun and silly humor, but I wonder if the demographic it is intended for find it as amusing as I do when they make jokes about the mainstream universe with Battle for the Cow, Infinite Detention and playing off the current storyline Blackest Night. The art is more amazing than the writing and is consistently a title I look to for my icon creation.
Wednesday Comics - The newest weekly series from DC and probably the most innovative since the original, 52. Bringing back the newsprint and printing it oversized while still being able to fold it down to a typical comic size is so clever and then the stories they've put on the paper along with the talent writing it are simply outstanding. It's unfortunate that it will only be around for 12 weeks, but I have no doubt that it will be a great success.
MARVEL
Runaways - While I'm all for the new all-girl creative team and a somewhat firm commitment from them in regards to the book (so I'm a little bitter of Marvel making a big deal about Terry Moore only to have him do only 9 issues of Runaways and have the new incarnation of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane be a mini-series), but I have to say the last issue (#12) I have no idea what was going on. It seemed like utter nonsense for the entire issue. I understand that a member had just died but all of a sudden each Runaway was basically attacking each other (or blaming them or being angry) however you want to describe it with not really trying to comfort Klara (outside of Nico I think) and then that guy coming in at the end who I have no idea who he is. I was confused to say the least. The art looks great on the plus side.
Captain America Titles - So Steve Rogers is lost in time. And he's coming back. I'm eagerly looking at Marvel to see how they handle the fact that the sidekick being the hero when the hero comes back because you know DC is going to have that problem soon enough when Bruce Wayne stops being lost in time. The parallels between the two books is spooky. Anyway, I really have come to like Bucky!Cap when I thought I wouldn't, especially having just started to ship Steve/Wanda right before Avengers Disassembled and then Civil War hit. It was a tough transition, and it hasn't gotten any easier with having Sharon Carter lose Steve's baby she was pregnant with (I hate when they do things like that - a reason I stopped reading X-Factor when they did a similar thing with Madrox & Siryn's baby). Also what ever happened to Captain America White? You know that title that was announced at WWLA 2008, and had #0 come out around SDCC 2008? 12 months later and nothing. Weird.
Spider-Man Titles - I have not touched Amazing Spider-Man since the OMD/BND fiasco, but since it just hit #600 I thought I'd touch on the family of books briefly. Everything thats happened since (including the despicableness of Norman having impregnated Harry's fiancé) nearly nothing would have to have changed had the marriage still been in place. Of course then Marvel wouldn't get the jump in issue buys whenever MJ shows up, so maybe that was their plan all along. I have been reading Amazing Spider-Man Family but it has slowly gotten worse, including eliminating the Mr & Mrs. Spider-Man stories and now seems to be eliminated for Web of Spider-Man which will be more in tune with the Amazing title. I am eagerly waiting for the last issue of Ultimate Spider-Man Requiem and Ultimatum which both come out this week and hopefully give us a true hint at what the next chapter of Ultimate Spider-Man will be like and how the status quo has changed. I'm pretty open to changes as long as they're done well and are good for the book, so we'll just have to wait and see on USM.
Exiles - the latest incarnation written by Jeff Parker, who wrote the adorable X-Men:First Class book is sadly being cancelled. I wish there had been more of an audience for it. The art was decent, the stories were entertaining and suspenseful and perhaps the most important, the cast of characters selected were an interesting bunch. Polaris, Scarlet Witch, Blink, Forge, Beast, Black Panther ( & Mimic?) didn't have the baggage or complication of the last bunch from New Exiles but still kept some mystery with Blink while having the newness of heroes thrown together from different universes. It's unfortunate that this new version will not get the chance to get its legs under it and have fans embrace it and the characters.
INDIE
Invincible - The last year and a half of the book have brought drastically different reactions from me in that time. First the excitement of having the title back on a monthly basis after it was plagued with delays, leading up to the crossover event in one issue that happened in #60. Then we've seen a bloody, gruesome, emotionally draining set of issues since as Invincible fought an old Viltrumite warrior that slowed the pace of the book down to a crawl and really had us soaking in the depressing consequences of the battle. Thankfully there was a nice surprise in #64 and leaves us hope for the future of the title as we get ready to enter the next chapter in Invincible.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Is there such a thing as plain old Star Wars fun? I think this book falls in that category. Especially after completing the saga centering around Zayne and the wayward Jedi Masters, we've seen the book go in a different direction and seen some exploration of the supporting characters like Jareal and their pasts. The art is pretty average, and sometimes the individual adventures aren't anything to brag about, but it's the underlying overall plot of the book and its characters that is the draw here and the reason I enjoy reading it more than Legacy.
DC
Superman Titles - I don't think anyone can deny that since Geoff Johns graced the Superman universe all of the titles have taken a creative turn for the better, the Supergirl book has been made into a respectable title for the masses and there is a true sense of there being a Superman family of books similar to Batman. However, I'm finding that I'm losing interest in the storylines of each title. Nightwing & Flamebird's adventures in Action Comics is probably the most action packed of the books but I've never liked Chris Kent. Mon-El & Guardian's time on the Superman book is okay and Supergirl has been fine but Superman:New Krypton I've been avoiding because I miss Superman. Maybe it's just the Clark/Lois dynamic that I miss, but when I think about it when was the last time the comics truly utilized Lois well or Superman on Earth. I'll still look at them but I can't wait for Superman to return to Earth. (Also why is General Lane the new General Ross? Still bothers me. Why must the hero's love interest's family be on the opposing side?) I'm looking forward to Adventure Comics debut and giving Superboy his own place to shine since the demise of his solo book years ago.
Power Girl - This is a title that doesn't seem to get a lot of buzz but I absolutely love the art by Amanda Conner and it also has the writing team from Jonah Hex. I also find it interesting that they all did the Terra mini-series which co-starred Power Girl and developed a friendship between the two characters that has carried over to this book. It's a fun title without being dark or disturbed by outside forces.
Tiny Titans - I absolutely love this title! It's a kids title that is full of fun and silly humor, but I wonder if the demographic it is intended for find it as amusing as I do when they make jokes about the mainstream universe with Battle for the Cow, Infinite Detention and playing off the current storyline Blackest Night. The art is more amazing than the writing and is consistently a title I look to for my icon creation.
Wednesday Comics - The newest weekly series from DC and probably the most innovative since the original, 52. Bringing back the newsprint and printing it oversized while still being able to fold it down to a typical comic size is so clever and then the stories they've put on the paper along with the talent writing it are simply outstanding. It's unfortunate that it will only be around for 12 weeks, but I have no doubt that it will be a great success.
MARVEL
Runaways - While I'm all for the new all-girl creative team and a somewhat firm commitment from them in regards to the book (so I'm a little bitter of Marvel making a big deal about Terry Moore only to have him do only 9 issues of Runaways and have the new incarnation of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane be a mini-series), but I have to say the last issue (#12) I have no idea what was going on. It seemed like utter nonsense for the entire issue. I understand that a member had just died but all of a sudden each Runaway was basically attacking each other (or blaming them or being angry) however you want to describe it with not really trying to comfort Klara (outside of Nico I think) and then that guy coming in at the end who I have no idea who he is. I was confused to say the least. The art looks great on the plus side.
Captain America Titles - So Steve Rogers is lost in time. And he's coming back. I'm eagerly looking at Marvel to see how they handle the fact that the sidekick being the hero when the hero comes back because you know DC is going to have that problem soon enough when Bruce Wayne stops being lost in time. The parallels between the two books is spooky. Anyway, I really have come to like Bucky!Cap when I thought I wouldn't, especially having just started to ship Steve/Wanda right before Avengers Disassembled and then Civil War hit. It was a tough transition, and it hasn't gotten any easier with having Sharon Carter lose Steve's baby she was pregnant with (I hate when they do things like that - a reason I stopped reading X-Factor when they did a similar thing with Madrox & Siryn's baby). Also what ever happened to Captain America White? You know that title that was announced at WWLA 2008, and had #0 come out around SDCC 2008? 12 months later and nothing. Weird.
Spider-Man Titles - I have not touched Amazing Spider-Man since the OMD/BND fiasco, but since it just hit #600 I thought I'd touch on the family of books briefly. Everything thats happened since (including the despicableness of Norman having impregnated Harry's fiancé) nearly nothing would have to have changed had the marriage still been in place. Of course then Marvel wouldn't get the jump in issue buys whenever MJ shows up, so maybe that was their plan all along. I have been reading Amazing Spider-Man Family but it has slowly gotten worse, including eliminating the Mr & Mrs. Spider-Man stories and now seems to be eliminated for Web of Spider-Man which will be more in tune with the Amazing title. I am eagerly waiting for the last issue of Ultimate Spider-Man Requiem and Ultimatum which both come out this week and hopefully give us a true hint at what the next chapter of Ultimate Spider-Man will be like and how the status quo has changed. I'm pretty open to changes as long as they're done well and are good for the book, so we'll just have to wait and see on USM.
Exiles - the latest incarnation written by Jeff Parker, who wrote the adorable X-Men:First Class book is sadly being cancelled. I wish there had been more of an audience for it. The art was decent, the stories were entertaining and suspenseful and perhaps the most important, the cast of characters selected were an interesting bunch. Polaris, Scarlet Witch, Blink, Forge, Beast, Black Panther ( & Mimic?) didn't have the baggage or complication of the last bunch from New Exiles but still kept some mystery with Blink while having the newness of heroes thrown together from different universes. It's unfortunate that this new version will not get the chance to get its legs under it and have fans embrace it and the characters.
INDIE
Invincible - The last year and a half of the book have brought drastically different reactions from me in that time. First the excitement of having the title back on a monthly basis after it was plagued with delays, leading up to the crossover event in one issue that happened in #60. Then we've seen a bloody, gruesome, emotionally draining set of issues since as Invincible fought an old Viltrumite warrior that slowed the pace of the book down to a crawl and really had us soaking in the depressing consequences of the battle. Thankfully there was a nice surprise in #64 and leaves us hope for the future of the title as we get ready to enter the next chapter in Invincible.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Is there such a thing as plain old Star Wars fun? I think this book falls in that category. Especially after completing the saga centering around Zayne and the wayward Jedi Masters, we've seen the book go in a different direction and seen some exploration of the supporting characters like Jareal and their pasts. The art is pretty average, and sometimes the individual adventures aren't anything to brag about, but it's the underlying overall plot of the book and its characters that is the draw here and the reason I enjoy reading it more than Legacy.
