Showing posts with label Dark Horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark Horse. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Reviews Of Some Stuff.
I've been running through what seems like the library's entire graphic novel collection. Here's a few thoughts on some of the stuff I've read lately.
Judgement Day by Alan Moore.
Great idea for a story built around the question of who would judge a superhero if they were accused of killing another superhero. It also had a fun retro vibe to it with historical flashbacks told in the style of the comics of that individual decade.
Essentially Moore's story is a criticism of the massively abused practice of retconning comic universes that's swept through comics in recent years.
The Groo Odyssey by Sergio Aragone.
What is there to say? It's got Groo, cheese dip, frays and Rufferto. "What do you mean "slow of mind?'"
Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.
I've been interested in reading this since I read that Heath Ledger had based his Joker in part on the Joker in this book. In this story the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and embarks on a mission to drive Commissioner Gordon insane.
I have a feeling that the images in this story were probably much more controversial at the time it was first released in the 80's. In particular there's a sequence in which the Joker breaks into Gordon's apartment and shoots and tortures Barbara Gordon. Compared to the hyper-violent scenes depicted in today's comics this sequence, while disturbing, seems almost quaint.
We3 by Grant Morrison.
Arkonbey wrote a positive review of this a couple of months ago and it's been on my mental checklist to read ever since. It a terrific premise involving laboratory animals that have been surgically altered to be military killing machines. The protagonists; a dog, a cat and a rabbit, escape from the lab and head on a trek to get "home." It's "Homeward Bound" if the the cute animals were able to rip you limb from limb without working up a sweat.
There's a lot to love about this story but the thing that tickled me the most is that the animals have rudimentary oral communication skills due to their implants/ training. With just a few lines of dialog Morrison is able to convey the animal's personality to a remarkable degree. The dog is the protector of the group that wants them to stick together. The cat doesn't want to take orders and would rather strike out on his own. The rabbit just wants everybody to get along.
If I had any criticism it would be that the artwork, while excellent, is sometimes confusing making it difficult to understand what's going on. This is usually a cardinal sin with me with comics but this thing is so damned good that it's worth overlooking this minor faux paux.
Batman: Joker's Asylum by Arvid Nelson.
This could be summed up as "Tales from the Crypt starring the Joker." It's an anthology series focusing a short story on several Batman villains including the Joker, the Penguin, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow. Each of these villain's stories is introduced by the Joker from his cell at Arkham Asylum.
These stories are excellent with just the right creepy tone running through them. I was especially moved by the Penguin/ Chester Copperpot tale in which he buys a young woman from slavery and raises her like a daughter. There's a real sense of menace underlying the Penguin's kind overtures towards this woman with a suitably dark ending to the whole thing.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You by Joss Whedon.
Whedon's Buffy season 8 comics are well worth reading for a couple of reasons. The first is that many of the writers including Whedon himself who wrote for the series are writers on these books. The other is that we get a more imaginative version of the Buffyverse since they're unconstrained by network or budget concerns.
In this collection of stories several old friends show up including Faith. As a fan of the series I found myself hearing the actors voices when reading this which is a sign of good storytelling.
By twist of fate I had two similar books without pictures arrive out of my holds at the same time. Both involved American warships travelling back in time.
Destroyermen: Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson.
Out of the two books this was the one I was most interested in. During a WW 2 Pacific battle a WW 1 era steam destroyer is thrown back in time. I made it two chapters. It was a good premise that fell apart once the crew was back in time and the giant sailing ship full of lizard people showed up. Oy.
Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham.
This story begins in the year 2021 with a U.S. led international battlegroup preparing to attack an islamic caliphate in the Pacific when they're thrust back to the year 1942 during the battle of Midway.
I almost quit this book after the first chapter as well. The characters were paper thin and the set up for time travel perfunctory. The book was written in 2002 so Birmingham made some interesting assumptions (the flagship of the fleet is the "USS Hillary Clinton" named after our first female president) but also some lame assumptions (the first female vice president was Condi Rice. Yeeeechh!)
I decided to at least give the book the chance of seeing how he handles this modern fleet fighting WW 2 era navies with their lack of satellites, missiles, computers and everything that signifies modern navies. I'm glad I held out to see what happens.
I had assumed this book would be like Harry Turtledove's Guns of the South series where modern weapons find their way back in time, in that case the civil war, and have a grand affect on the outcome of that conflict. That's true in a way with Weapons of Choice but in this case the sleek warships with their AI are only the second most dangerous thing the modern navy brings back. The ideas they represent are a bigger threat to the world of the 40s and not just to the Axis powers.
Imagine the WW 2 era U.S. navy and it's lack of racial integration having to deal with a modern U.S. navy with female officers, service men and women of all races and sexual orientations. How would intergrating these navies strategically work? We take things for granted that took decades to change. How quickly could Admiral Spruance who led the Midway group deal with an African-American captain who happened to be a lesbian?
It's a fascinating book in true sci-fi form that forces you to think about things we take for granted. Well worth reading.
-- Dean Wormer
-
Judgement Day by Alan Moore.
Great idea for a story built around the question of who would judge a superhero if they were accused of killing another superhero. It also had a fun retro vibe to it with historical flashbacks told in the style of the comics of that individual decade.
Essentially Moore's story is a criticism of the massively abused practice of retconning comic universes that's swept through comics in recent years.
The Groo Odyssey by Sergio Aragone.
What is there to say? It's got Groo, cheese dip, frays and Rufferto. "What do you mean "slow of mind?'"
Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.
I've been interested in reading this since I read that Heath Ledger had based his Joker in part on the Joker in this book. In this story the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and embarks on a mission to drive Commissioner Gordon insane.
I have a feeling that the images in this story were probably much more controversial at the time it was first released in the 80's. In particular there's a sequence in which the Joker breaks into Gordon's apartment and shoots and tortures Barbara Gordon. Compared to the hyper-violent scenes depicted in today's comics this sequence, while disturbing, seems almost quaint.
We3 by Grant Morrison.
Arkonbey wrote a positive review of this a couple of months ago and it's been on my mental checklist to read ever since. It a terrific premise involving laboratory animals that have been surgically altered to be military killing machines. The protagonists; a dog, a cat and a rabbit, escape from the lab and head on a trek to get "home." It's "Homeward Bound" if the the cute animals were able to rip you limb from limb without working up a sweat.
There's a lot to love about this story but the thing that tickled me the most is that the animals have rudimentary oral communication skills due to their implants/ training. With just a few lines of dialog Morrison is able to convey the animal's personality to a remarkable degree. The dog is the protector of the group that wants them to stick together. The cat doesn't want to take orders and would rather strike out on his own. The rabbit just wants everybody to get along.
If I had any criticism it would be that the artwork, while excellent, is sometimes confusing making it difficult to understand what's going on. This is usually a cardinal sin with me with comics but this thing is so damned good that it's worth overlooking this minor faux paux.
Batman: Joker's Asylum by Arvid Nelson.
This could be summed up as "Tales from the Crypt starring the Joker." It's an anthology series focusing a short story on several Batman villains including the Joker, the Penguin, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow. Each of these villain's stories is introduced by the Joker from his cell at Arkham Asylum.
These stories are excellent with just the right creepy tone running through them. I was especially moved by the Penguin/ Chester Copperpot tale in which he buys a young woman from slavery and raises her like a daughter. There's a real sense of menace underlying the Penguin's kind overtures towards this woman with a suitably dark ending to the whole thing.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You by Joss Whedon.
Whedon's Buffy season 8 comics are well worth reading for a couple of reasons. The first is that many of the writers including Whedon himself who wrote for the series are writers on these books. The other is that we get a more imaginative version of the Buffyverse since they're unconstrained by network or budget concerns.
In this collection of stories several old friends show up including Faith. As a fan of the series I found myself hearing the actors voices when reading this which is a sign of good storytelling.
By twist of fate I had two similar books without pictures arrive out of my holds at the same time. Both involved American warships travelling back in time.
Destroyermen: Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson.
Out of the two books this was the one I was most interested in. During a WW 2 Pacific battle a WW 1 era steam destroyer is thrown back in time. I made it two chapters. It was a good premise that fell apart once the crew was back in time and the giant sailing ship full of lizard people showed up. Oy.
Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham.
This story begins in the year 2021 with a U.S. led international battlegroup preparing to attack an islamic caliphate in the Pacific when they're thrust back to the year 1942 during the battle of Midway.
I almost quit this book after the first chapter as well. The characters were paper thin and the set up for time travel perfunctory. The book was written in 2002 so Birmingham made some interesting assumptions (the flagship of the fleet is the "USS Hillary Clinton" named after our first female president) but also some lame assumptions (the first female vice president was Condi Rice. Yeeeechh!)
I decided to at least give the book the chance of seeing how he handles this modern fleet fighting WW 2 era navies with their lack of satellites, missiles, computers and everything that signifies modern navies. I'm glad I held out to see what happens.
I had assumed this book would be like Harry Turtledove's Guns of the South series where modern weapons find their way back in time, in that case the civil war, and have a grand affect on the outcome of that conflict. That's true in a way with Weapons of Choice but in this case the sleek warships with their AI are only the second most dangerous thing the modern navy brings back. The ideas they represent are a bigger threat to the world of the 40s and not just to the Axis powers.
Imagine the WW 2 era U.S. navy and it's lack of racial integration having to deal with a modern U.S. navy with female officers, service men and women of all races and sexual orientations. How would intergrating these navies strategically work? We take things for granted that took decades to change. How quickly could Admiral Spruance who led the Midway group deal with an African-American captain who happened to be a lesbian?
It's a fascinating book in true sci-fi form that forces you to think about things we take for granted. Well worth reading.
-- Dean Wormer
-
Friday, April 3, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is The Freedom Collective #1.
Things are getting desperate at my local comic book store. They gave all their box customers a free copy of Previews in hopes folks would order more.
Good luck with that.
I think folks have finally realized they don’t need a bust of Antman or A-Team action figures.
Comics and collectables are overpriced. Sad but true for our friends in the industry.
The Astounding Wolf-Man #14, Image. I dropped this title but it’s just too good.
The Freedom Collective #1, Rough Cut Comics. The Marvel Age… commie style!
Jonah Hex #42, DC Comics.
Trade Paperbacks:
Chronicles of Conan #17, Dark Horse Comics.
-Swinebread
Friday, March 20, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is The Amazing Spider-Girl #30.
Fall of Cthulhu: Apocalypse #4, Boom Studios.
Red Sonja #42, Dynamite Entertainment.
Kull #5, Dark Horse.
The Amazing Spider-Girl #30, Marvel Comics. The final issue. I picked this up because, in a way, it’s the last 80s comic book. Think about it. Tom Defalco, Ron Frenz, & Sal Buscema… Plus, Peter and Mary Jane have a baby boy… how could I not get this one. The end of an era.
And last week I picked up
Walking Dead #59, Image Comics.
-Swinebread
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
My New Comics... From Last Week
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
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
Friday, March 6, 2009
Dean's New Comics
Dean's cover of the week.
Cthulhu Tales #12, Boom Studios.
You can read the entire first series of this title online here.,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #23, Dark Horse - these books are pretty much for fans of the show. There's a lot of inside stuff from the seven years of the series. I love them.
Army of Darkness #17, Dynamite Entertainment- Consistently a strong title.
Sonic Universe #1, Archie Comics - Sigh.
Conan the Cimmerian #8, Dark Horse.
Sgt. Rock The Lost Battalion #4, DC Comics.
The Haunted Tank #4 , DC Comics.
I'm enjoying the hell out of this very adult take on a comic I loved in my childhood. The ghost of Jeb Stuart is forever condemned to help his ancestors if they bear his surname and they're soldiers. His modern ancestor is the commander of an Abrams tank during the Iraq war who just happens to be black. The writers don't shy away from the racial conflict this engenders. The tank action is pretty good as well.
War That Time Forgot #10, DC Comics.
- Dean Wormer
Friday, February 20, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Solomon Kane #5.
Star Trek The Next Generation: The Last Generation #4, IDW
Solomon Kane #5, Dark Horse Comics.
Red Sonja Annual #2, Dynamite Entertainment.
Jungle Girl: Season 3 #2, Dynamite Entertainment.
-Swinebread
Dean's New Comics
I hit the comic shop every two weeks and all they had in my box was 3 comics and not a scotch n'cigar book in the lot? Wtf?
Zombie Tales #11, Boom Studios - I was going to cancel this series but this was the last book. A waste of money, in my opinion. Not very well written at all.
B.P.R.D. The Black Goddess #2, Dark Horse Comics
Sonic The Hedgehog #197, Archie Comics
Funny story about that last title which demonstrates why it's not always a great idea to take your wife that doesn't read comics with you to the comic book shop you frequent. My middle daughter has been begging me to add Sonic to my box, so when I was in there last time I told the clerk to add Sonic to my list. As it's a kid's title I made a big deal out of letting the clerk know it was for my daughter.
My wife then piped up with a sarcastic "Oh, please. Like it's any more nerdy than the other comics you're buying."
Thanks, hon.
-Dean
Friday, February 13, 2009
Portland Comics Part 5
image by Michael RussellIn Part 5 we get a taste of the DYI/zine scene in Portland Via the IPRC and we learn little about Excalibur Comics
Oh and here's the credits... there might be a small surprise at the end if you wait around for it.
-Swinebread
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Portland Comics Part 2
In part 2 more of Portland's Comic Culture is revealed and Dark Horse Comics is introduced.
-Swinebread
Monday, February 9, 2009
Portland Comics Part 1
This is part one of a short documentary about the comic book scene in Portland Oregon.
It was made in 2005 and shown at the 2nd annual Stumptown Comics Fest.
on Youtube you can watch it in High Quality
-Swinebread
Thursday, February 5, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Cthulhu Tales #11.
Fall of Cthulhu: Apocalypse #3, Boom Studios
Man with No Name #7, Dynamite Entertainment
Kull #4, Dark Horse Comics
Cthulhu Tales #11, Boom Studios
The Age of the Sentry #5, Marvel Comics
Red Sonja #41, Dynamite Entertainment
Jonah Hex #40, DC Comics
Trade Paperbacks:
Avengers: Nights of Wundagore, Marvel Comics.
-Swinebread
Saturday, January 31, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Crossed #3.
Dark Tower: Treachery #5, Marvel Comics
Conan the Cimmerian #7, Dark Horse Comics
She-Hulk #37, Marvel Comics
The War That Time Forgot #9, DC Comics
Xena/Army of Darkness: What Again? #4, Dynamite Entertainment
Terminator Revolution #2, Dynamite Entertainment
Northlanders #40, DC Comics
-Swinebread
Thursday, January 22, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Army of Darkness #16.
Amazing Spiderman #583, Marvel Comics. 2nd Printing of the Obama issue. Marvel just flipped the image on the cover to make it fake new cover.
Army of Darkness #16, Dynamite Entertainment.
Conan the Cimmerian #7, Dark Horse Comics.
Trade Paperbacks:
Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Volume 0, Marvel Comics.
Magazine:
Back Issue #36 TwoMorrows Publishing.
-Swinebread
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Cthulhu Tales #10.
Solomon Kane #4, Dark Horse Comics.
Terminator Salvation #1, IDW.
Star Trek The Next Generation: The Last Generation #3, IDW.
Fall OF Cthulhu #2, Boom Studios.
Cthulhu Tales #10, Boom Studios.
Dr. Who Classics Series 2 #2, IDW.
and no, I didn't get a copy of Amazing Spiderman #583 with Obama on the Cover but this guy did:
-Swinebread
Thursday, January 8, 2009
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Kull #3.
Xena/Army of Darkness #3, Dynamite Entertainment.
Last Reign #2, Boom Studios.
Jonah Hex #39, DC Comics.
Secret Six #3, DC Comcis.
Marvel Zombies 3 #4, Marvel Comics.
The Walking Dead #57, Image Comics.
Guardians of The Galaxy #8, Marvel Comics.
SGT Rock: The Lost Battalion #3, DC Comics.
Kull #3, Dark Horse Comics.
War of Kings: Saga #1, Marvel Comics. Free giveaway
-Swinebread
Sunday, December 28, 2008
My Sorta New Comics... Again
Here's the comics from two weeks ago. The comics from last week won't be at the shop until this week because of both the winter storm and Christmas.
Whatever week’s best cover is The Walking Dead #56.
Terminator: Revolution #1, Dynamite Entertainment.
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.
-Swinebread
Friday, December 5, 2008
My New Comics
This week’s best cover is Marvel Zombies 3 #3. Love the Evil Dead tribute
She-Hulk: the Cosmic Collision #3, Marvel Comics.
Crossed #2, Avatar.
Jonah Hex #38, DC Comics.
Necronomicon #3, Boom Studios.
Marvel Zombies 3 #3, Marvel.
The Astounding Wolf-Man #10, Image Comics.
SGT Rock: The Lost Battalion #2, DC Comics.
Kull #2, Dark Horse Comics.
Solomon Kane #3, Dark Horse Comics.
Jungle Girl: Season 2 #2, Dynamite Entertainment.
Hulk Family #1, Marvel Comics.
Trade Paperbacks:
Wasteland Book 3: Black Steel in the Hour of chaos Oni Press.
-Swinebread
Thursday, November 20, 2008
My New Comics
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!).
-Swinebread
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