It is tough news to hear that fan favorite Ernie Chan has died of cancer, just one week after the awful news that Tony DeZuñiga died last week.
Ernie was such a fantastic creator; I really love his body of work and his artistic style. I have many of the Dark Horse trades with his Conan stories, plus other collections and individual issues like Red Sonja, Claw, Power Man etc. He is one of my top five favorite artists so this really hurts.
I had the good fortune of meeting Ernie in 2008 and had him sign a few of my Conan comic trades.
It is a great legacy he leaves us with but sadly it is a legacy that now has an end point.
Paalam
-Swinebread
Swinebread Jr's Grandma has been in town, so I've been busy but here is last week's list.
This last week’s best cover is The Age of Sentry #6.
Jonah Hex #41, Marvel Comics. I’m getting a latter-day Conan/Red Sonja vibe going on between Jonah and Tallulah Black. This comic hasn’t let me down yet.
Last Reign #4, Boom Studios. I wonder if they realize that the plot in this issue is stolen right out of TMNT RPG After the Bomb.
Doctor Who Classics Series 2 #4, IDW.
Army of Darkness #37, Dynamite Entertainment.
The Age of Sentry #6, Marvel. The End of another mini-series, and thus my box list gets smaller.
Trade Paperbacks: Savage Sword of Conan Volume 5 Dark Horse. Yeah Baby!
Books: With all the money I’ve been saving I went ahead and picked up the paperback of Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. I can’t wait to dive into this one, but I gotta’ finish the paperback version of The Ten Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How it Changed America first. The Ten Cent Plague is must read for anybody that wants to understand how pop was culture negatively transformed and how the comic book medium’s potential was basically destroyed for the next 40 to 50 years. A chilling and sadly forgotten chapter (outside of comicdom) in US history... until now.
-Swinebread
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I'm late on this but if you haven't read The Onion's article on President Obama being upset with his Cabinet's lack of Conan Comic Book knowledge, then you gotta' check it out. See here!
Here's an excerpt:
Obama, whose upcoming challenges include organizing a massive effort to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, was reportedly unprepared for the confused silence he received upon suggesting that his cabinet "team up with Taurus of Nemedia" to secure the necessary funding from Congress.
"If my inner circle of advisers can't even communicate about the most basic issues, how are we going to tackle the massive problems our nation faces?" Obama said during a press conference. "When I tell my cabinet that getting bipartisan support is exactly like the time Conan got Taurus to help him steal Yara's jewel, they need to understand what I mean."
After receiving no reaction from the assembled reporters, Obama added, "Because a giant spider is protecting this chamber full of precious jewels, just like Congress is protecting its…. God, how are you people not seeing this?"
It’s the Second Annual Atomic Romance Awards! This is my special tribute to the comic books of 2008 that have earned fame or infamy in my little corner of comic fandom. The Atomic Romance Awards reflect my personal preferences so that's why some obvious choices may not appear. But before we begin I'd like to take a moment to thank She-Hulk, my Co-presenter this time around. Also, I'd like to thank all of you, my net buddies, for stopping-by Atomic Romance this last year. It's been one hell of a ride.
Now on with the show!
Best Overall Title: The Astounding Wolf-Man, Image Comics Runner-up: Conan the Cimmerian
Best Writer: Robert Kirkman for both Astounding Wolf-Man and Walking Dead (and probably Invincible too, but I'm nont reading it right now), IDW
Runner-up: J. Michael Stryzinski for The Twelve, Marvel Comics (He could have won top honors if he had finished this series)
Best mini-series: Star Trek: Assignment Earth, IDW Runner-up: The Age of Sentry
Best Adventure Comic: Tor, DC Comics Runner Up: The War That Time forgot,DC Comics
Best Sword and Sorcery Title: Conan the Cimmerian, Dark Horse Comics Runner-up: Wolf-Skin, Avatar
Best Sci-Fi: North Wind, Boom Studios Runner Up: Star Trek: The Hollow Crown, IDW
Best Art: Chris Weston, The Twelve. Marvel Comics Runner-up: John Byrne, Star Trek: The Hollow Crown. IDW
Best Horror: Necronimicon Runner-up: The Crossed
Best Death: Rebecca gets accidentally slapped to death by Zecheriah the vampire, The Astounding Wolf-Man #7, Image Comics Runner-up: Drunk Officer pulped by a propeller in Phantom Eagle #1, Marvel Comics
Best Cover: Army@Love: The Art of War #3, Vertigo Runner-up: Amazing Spiderman #560
Worst Cover: 1985 #4, Marvel Comics Runner Up: The Man With No Name #2, one of the greatest western characters ever is drawn to look like Bush
Best Dramatic Moment: Dynamic Man (from the 1940s) discovers interracial marriage, The Twelve #2 Runner-up: Captain Wonder at his wife’s grave, The Twelve #2
Best Butt: She-Hulk on King Size Hulk #1 Runner-up: damsel in distress on cover of Conan the Cimmerian #2
Best Animal Hero: Monkey Speedball, Marvel Apes Rocket Raccoon, Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Geekout: Reading how Mirror Kirk assassinated Mirror Pike in Star Trek Mirror Images 1-5
Worst Costume: THE BLUE BLAAAADE! Oh come on, could there possibly be any other choice from 2008!? Runner-up: Jack Pot
Best Costume: Female Starhawk, Guardians of the Galaxy #5 Runner-up: The Crimson Reporter, The Twelve, Marvel Comics
Favorite Hero: Ambush Bug (If you can call him a hero)
Favorite Villain: Cranio, The Man with the Tri-Level Mind! The Age of the Sentry Runner-up: Catman, Secret Six
Horniest Villain: King Crimson, Dark Tower, Marvel Comics
Best New Character: Ape X, Marvel Apes
Worst New Character: Jackpot
Best Fake Covers: Marvel Apes
Best Essential or Showcase Presents: Savage Sword of Conan… Ha!
Most Likely To Piss Off PETA Badger Saves the world
Best Gunfight: Brothers in Arms#4 Runner-up: Bat Lash #6
Best Formerly Ugly Aliens that Are Now Sexpots: Skrulls
Best Sword Fight: Wolfskin Annual, Avatar
Best Reprint: Dr. Who Classics, IDW
Best Cross of Hellraiser Cenobites with Piers Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality: Army of Darkness: Home Sweet Hell
Lamest Series I’m glad I didn’t read: It is a Tie Secret Invasion/Final Crisis and all of the spin offs
Best Single Issue: Fantastic Comics #24 Image Runner-up; Jonah Hex #33, DC Comics
Best Comedic Moment: Ambush Bug, it turns out, is responsible for the death of Sue Dibney, Ambush Bug Year None #1 Runner-up: A Medieval wizard buys a shit-load of goods at S-mart, AoD/Xena #1
Best Free Comic Book Day Comic: Gumby… of course
Best Trade Paperback: Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987-1991 Runner-up: Captain Carrot and the Final Ark!
Biggest Warm Fuzzy: The Medieval Silent Knight is revealed to be an ancestor of Superman’s adopted Family, Brave and The Bold #10, DC Comics.
Best Collection of Older Comics: I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets Runner-up: The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics
Best Cameo: ‘Mazing Man: Ambush Bug: Year None. #1 Nazi Super Villains in the entrance way in Berlin Building The Twelve #1
Coolest Country in Marvel Atlas Volume 2: Boca Caliente (doesn’t that mean spicy hot mouth?)
Dumbest Moment: New Gods, New Gods New Gods!
Best Monster: Giant Eyeball Demon, Iron Man Legacy of Doom #4, Marvel Comics Runner-up: Ursus the Ultra Bear, The Age of The Sentry #2, Marvel Comics
Best Golden Age Retcon: The Twelve, Marvel Comics Runner-up: Fantastic Comics #24 Image
Worst Golden Age Retcon: Project Superpowers, Dynamite Entertainment
Worst Retcon Period: Red Sonja #29, her own Goddess set’s her up to get raped and have her family murdered.
Best Pimp Scene: Star Trek: Mirror Images #2, IDW
Best Terrorist Acronym: NACHO (Nihilist Anti-Capitalist Hate Organization) Badger Saves the World IDW
Best New Trick for an Old Dog: John Byrne doing Star Trek Comics Runner-up: DC Fontana doing Star Trek comics
Most Ruined Character: Red Sonja Runner-Up: The Wasp… because she’s like dead
Best Supporting Character: Cheeks the Toy Wonder (Of course) Runner Up: Abdul Alhazred, Fall of Cthulhu, Boom Studios
Best Western: Jonah Hex
Best Nonfiction Comic: Comic Book Comics, Evil Twin
Biggest Yawn: The Flash is coming Back!!!!! Zzzzzz
Best Revival from Suspended Animation: The Creature Commandos in Action Comics #872
Best Origin Story: The Black Widow, Twelve #8 Runner-up: Ungrounded Super Agent The Twelve #6
Lamest Promotion: Those Skrull "Who Do You Trust" ads Runner-up: What were you doing final crisis
Best Crossover: The Army of Darkness/Xena: Why Not, Dynamite Entertainment
Title I would Have Liked To Try from the Beginning But It Was Always Sold Out: Guardians of the Galaxy
Favorite Lesbian: Golden Age Black Widow, The Twelve, Marvel Comics She was Goth before there was Goth...
Best One Liner: “Hi Lois! I’ve got a weenie with your name one it” Earth 2 Superman. Ambush Bug: Year None # 3
Best Meh Ending: Y: The Last Man.
Best Capturing of the Spirit of 1980s Comics: Amazing Spider-Girl
Best Corporate Foot-Stepping: Moonstone vs. Dynamite over the publishing rights to The Phantom.
Biggest Disappointment: Project Superpowers, The heroes have been stuffed in a jar all these years? ...give me a break... Runner Up: What... No Poo flinging in Marvel Apes?
Star Trek The Next Generation: The Last Generation #2, IDW. This is basically a "What If" for Star Trek. Part of the Myriad Universe line.
The Walking Dead #56, Image. Five Years!
Cthulhu Tales #9, Boom Studios.
The Age of the Sentry #4, Marvel Comics.
Conan the Cimmerian #6, Dark Horse Comics.
Trade Paperbacks: Invaders Classic Vol 2 Marvel Comics. I was feeling a little blue about my friend Josh so I picked this up. There’s just something life affirming about Captain America and crew kicking Nazi butt.
This week’s best cover is Back Issue #31. Howard's barbarian look kinda reminds me of Runequest.
Ambush Bug #3, DC Comics.
Red Sonja #39, Dynamite Entertainment.
Conan the Cimmerian #5, Dark Horse.
The Age of the Sentry #1, Marvel.
Magazine: Back Issue #31 TwoMorrows Publishing. The Steve Gerber tribute issue. Great articles on Howard the Duck, Omega the Unknown, Man-Thing, Destroyer Duck, and Thundarr (yeah!).
This week’s best cover is Army@Love: The Art of War #1.
PistolFist #3, Blue Water Comics.
Marvel Apes #3, Marvel Comics.
Army@Love: The Art of War #3, DC Comics/Vertigo.
The Man with No Name #4, Dynamite Entertainment.
Army of Darkness: King for a Day #13, Dynamite Entertainment l.
Tor #6, DC Comics.
Jonah Hex #36, DC Comics.
Trade Paperbacks: Savage Sword of Conan Volume Four Dark Horse. Look like they upgraded the paper quality a little bit. That must be the reason for the jump in price.
I have been thinking about what it means to buy issues from month to month. Some of the fun and wonder of comic books have actually been diminished, IMO, by being collected and only read in collected form. Of course the convenience and resale value make it more than worth it to purchase comic trades but having a story unfold over time has a kind of charm and surprise that you just don’t get with collected editions. I believe this is especially true with Silver and Bronze Age issues. I’ll argue until the day I that I die that Crisis on Infinite Earths is better when read over 12 months rather than just over a weekend.
However, I do agree that it really doesn’t matter for comics published nowadays as most of today’s comic books are really written to be collected. My thoughts are just kinda nostalgic for a previous four-color era I guess.
Here are some titles that came out when I was a kid and as a teenager that I regret not picking up for one reason or another. These series may have been great or merely mediocre but at the time they were published I think I would have greatly enjoyed them. That's not to say I didn't pick up a few issues of some of theses guys here and there but rather that I never picked these comics up on a regular basis.
