Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry some folks will be getting screwed over because they have to work.

I will NOT be going to any Black Thanksgiving sales. Just Chillin' at home

Crappy Comics in My Collection

-swinebread

Non Sequitur Comic Panel

random word: Wombat


-Swinebread

Marvel House Ad 1986

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Wilma, Rogers, and Bears OH MY!

Dynamite Entertainment has built up quite a successful reputation reviving dormant franchises and characters so it came as no surprise that they secured the rights to publish a new take on Buck Rogers. DE's Buck comic looked interesting from the press releases but I have been cutting down on the new titles (that's part of the reason you haven't seen a "My New Comics" in awhile) and so I wasn't so sure I really want to pick up a another monthly. But after stopping by the comics shop this last weekend and flipping though Buck Rogers #1, I came across this Panel:


Needless to say, they had me at this image of a ferocious cyborg Bear. A flashback to Gamma World maybe? Anyhoo, I enjoyed reading this comic so if the next issue is as fun as this one, I'll add Buck Rogers to my box. Seeing as how I've totally bailed on marvel this won't hit my pocket too hard.

-Swinebread

Sorry I've been absent from the blog but Swinebread Jr. has been pretty sick. There is so much I want to talk about and I haven't even been able to... I still need to post about the Stumptown Comics Fest. :(

Just when when I think my son is getting better, he relapses again. :(

Also, I wanna thank Dean Wormer for keep things going around here. :)


-Swinebread

Random Comic Cover

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My New Comics

This week’s best cover is The Amazing Spider-Monkey #1.


Last Reign #5, Boom Studios. The ending lest you know there will be more mini-series for Last Reign but at four bucks a pop I won’t be picking them up.

Warlord #1 DC Comics. On the fence with this one. I like The Warlord a lot so we'll see if the get any better.

Marvel Apes: The Amazing Spider-Monkey #1 Marvel Comics. I had sworn off $3.99 titles… but this is just a one-shot so I couldn’t resist.

Army of Darkness #18, Dynamite Entertainment.

Army of Darkness #19, Dynamite Entertainment. Two this week hmmmmm....


You’ll notice that I didn’t pick up Marvel Zombies 4….

Also I dropped Doctor Who Classic, it’s just too expensive per issue plus the collected trade will be cheaper anyway. I deduced that I rather get Astounding Wolf-Man instead.


-Swinebread

Happy Valentine's Day...

Nothing says Romance like a nice gal and her horse...

uh... yeaaahhh...

It says Don't Take Less right there on the cover for gosh sakes!



-Swinebread

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Files by Joe Wehrle, Jr.


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Happy Chinese New Year

Year of the Ox...

All I found was this cover with a 1960s' villain named the Ox... so this will have to do.



-Swinebread

Non Sequitur Comic Panel: Christmas Edition

Caption from New Defenders #147

Not So Random Image Word: Santa


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Merry Christmas Everybody

Have a wonderful, and wacky holiday... but mostly just give a big hug to your loved ones.


-Swinebread

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

Happy Halloween

Wacky Squirrel and Mr. Monster want you to have a spook-tacular holiday!



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My New Comics

This week’s best cover is The Astounding Wolf-Man #9.


The War That Time Forgot #6, DC.

Solomon Kane #2 Dark Horse Comics.

Guardians of the Galaxy #6, Marvel Comics.

Marvel Apes #4, Marvel Comics.

The Astounding Wolf-Man #9, Image Comics.

Northlanders #11, DC/Vertigo.

Cthulhu Tales #7, Boom Studios.

Red Sonja #38, Dynamite Entertainment.


-Swinebread

I Voted... Again!

Filled out my ballot and sent her in!

Now all I have to do is wait until the 4th of November.




Oh and I wasn't wearing only my birthday suit this time around. (see here if you dare)



-Swinebread

Quick Comic Reviews

Comic Reviews

Conan the Cimmerian #3
Conan has made is his way back to Cimmeria and he meets up with Coallan, an old flame who has grown into a strong and very attractive woman. Hot on her heels are the invading coldblooded Aesir. I like this issue a lot, probably for it’s depiction of Coallan as she represents that strong female warrior that I’ve been pining for. I’m very interested in the women of Cimmera and how they handle themselves in a fight, so this whole new story arc by Truman is refreshing. Thomas Giorello’s artwork really brings out the blacks, which I greatly enjoy and it’s reminiscent of the old Savage Sword of Conan title. Richard Corbin also provides engaging art for a flashback sequence featuring Conan’s grandfather.

Marvel Apes #2
We’ve kinda got two things gong on in Marvel Apes. The first is the fun wackiness that is an Ape-ified Marvel Universe and the other is a “what if” story in which Captain America is a villain (although if my suspicions are correct it’s not his fault). I approve of this approach, as the novelty of a Monkey Marvel world isn’t enough to carry a story. The back up tale on the history of the Marvel Ape Universe is hilarious and so are the fake covers for other Marvel Apes titles. A nod to Mutant and Masterminds’ “Earth-Ape” should be made though as Marvel is ripping it off wholesale.

The Walking Dead #52
The zombie title that’s not about zombies continues with Rick and Carl on the road. Michonne shows up just in time to save little Carl from a zombie attack and later she helps Rick deal with the death of his wife and daughter. It’s nice to be traveling, instead of stuck in the prison as in the previous story arc and its good to have tough as nails Michonne back too. I realized while reading this issue and Conan that Charlie Adlard’s art has a definite Richard Corbin influence that really fits a horror title like this. Krikman’s pacing is as excellent as always and he ends the issue on just the right note. How does he do it?

The Astounding Wolf-Man #8
Kirkman’s superhero horror comic sees Gary on the run as he’s been wrongly accused of murdering his wife. The only thing keeping him going, is his thirst for revenge over the vampire that killed his spouse and the only way to accomplish said revenge is to seek out the Were-Wolf that made him. I love how Gary set himself up all Bruce Wayne–like and how it quickly went to shit. When you are dealing with dark supernatural forces it’s hard to simply go on patrol and fight bank robbers. I love how the Saturday morning cartoon style contrasts with the evil undertones of this book. Note: Fans of White Wolf’s Were-Wolf game should be reading this.

The End League.
Is it just me or did this take forever to come out? Anyhoo, issue 4 of Rick Remender’s post-apocalyptic superhero series focus in on The Prairie Ghost this time around as he secures the services of a healer. The Prairie Ghost (who is now my favorite from this title) is strangely an appropriate cross between Jonah Hex and Ghost Rider. He’s really working for me and I feel he should have had more prominence before now. The story is a good one of desperation and survival but the art takes a right turn as Eric Canete replaces Mat Broome. I have to say I prefer Broome’s cleaner style to Canete’s. Canete’s drawings have a little of the Savage Dragon bendy bones thing going on and some super deformed traits too. Plus, it’s hard to tell what’s going in his panels. I may have to drop this title if the art doesn’t improve with the next issue.

Guardians of The Galaxy #5
I really like cosmic stuff or at least I did back in the day, but I skipped the whole Annihilation thing because I was mad about Marvel killing off the Xanderians… again. I’ve wanted to pick an issue of GOTG though but it’s always sold out. I love the original team and I’m also a fan of Rocket Raccoon and Gamora, so I figured “why not” as an issue was available. Well, I’m lost. Too much has gone on in the far reaches of Marvel space for me to track. I know most of the characters but a lot has happened to them in modern times for me to keep up. Plus, I really am not interested in the Secret Invasion crap Marvel is forcing down our throats and it’s all over this title. Crossover/event comics suck! I thought the appearance of Star Hawk was cool though. It’s funny that everybody’s costume had to be updated to look like something from the X-Men movies. They can’t be superheroes anymore I guess. They have to be “adventurers.”

Men of Mystery #72
It’s fun to read these golden age black and white reprints but frankly at ten buck a pop Men of Mystery should really be in color or a least grayscale. I particularly enjoyed the Major Midnight, Rainbow Boy and Camilla stories. It’s kinda nice to read pulpy stuff with characters I’m not familiar with as it gives me that down home serial feeling.

Star Trek Assignment Earth #5
Love it, love it love it. ST:AE is truly a fantastic comic series. This mini-series finishes out in grand fashion with a communist plot to replace Nixon as he visits China. Gary 7 and Roberta Lincoln succeed in saving the president… or do they? But all that really matters is that old tricky Dick appears to be who he is supposed to be for the sake of the timeline. John Byrne has really pulled it off with this one. ST: AE feels like a late 60s and early 70s TV show but with 20/20 hindsight. This series made me realize what a great sci-fi, espionage show Assignment Earth could have been. The AE concept should be revived as a TV show in some fashion IMO. I was skeptical about this comic but this is one of the best things I’ve read all year. Not to be missed by Star Trek fans. Side note: this great idea for a roleplaying game too.



-Swinebread

My New Comics

John Byrne does it again with this week’s best cover Star Trek: Assignment Earth #5.


The End League #4, Dark Horse.

Marvel Apes #2, Marvel.

Star Trek: Assignment Earth #5, IDW.

The Astonishing Wolf-Man #8, Image.

Conan The Cimmerian #3, Dark Horse.

Guardians of the Galaxy #5, Marvel.

The Walking Dead #52, Image.

Men Of Mystery #72, AC Comics.


-Swinebread

Quick Comic Reviews

The Twelve #1/2
What we have here is a reprint of 5 stories from the golden age of comics, 2 stories of the Fiery Mask, one of Mister E and two of Rockman. It’s a bumper issue, as the next issue of The Twelve isn’t going to be published until October. The stories have the simplistic art and the ridiculous plots that we’ve come to expect from the time period they were created in but they’re fun nonetheless. This comic is notable for having two stories written and drawn Joe Simon, (the fiery Mask ones), one written by Stan Lee (one of the Rockman stories) and one written and drawn by Basil Wolverton (the other Rockman tale). The fiery Mask stories have an odd horror edge to them with a Green Zombie-making doctor and blood draining experiments. The Mister E story is kinda dull but the villain, “the Vampire” (who is not vampire), is kinda interesting as a low-grade Cobra Commander. The Rockman stories are fun with Rockman creating a Tsunami to wipe out the villain’s island lair and Rockman battling underground pixies to rescue a princess.


Army of Darkness #12.
The Home Sweet Hell storyline wraps up with Ash returned to his proper Chosen One status after fighting the Seven Deadly Sins. The Seven Deadly sins are both a parody and an homage to the Hellraiser cenobites and Piers Anthony’s incarnations of immortality. This makes me wonder if there was a Hellraiser / Army of Darkness crossover that fell through. This issue has the solid horror/comedy action that I’ve come to expect from AoD.


Jonah Hex #35
Justin Grey and Jimmy Palmiotti haven’t let me down yet and Hex 35 is another example of their prowess as writers. Seems Jonah has proven himself a little too macho this time around and some folks that would like to use him for their own purposes notice his manliness. The art by J.H. Willams is excellent, his style is kinda like Tony Harris crossed with Moebius. Jonah’s scars really look anatomically possible this time around. The “done in one” comic is almost a lost art nowadays but it’s still alive and well in this issue.

Tor #5
Tor’s story is winding down as our prehistoric hero gets offered up as sacrifice to the sprits by ape-men. Of course he gets out of it and rescues the girl but not before getting bruised and battered. An intriguing aspect of Joe Kubet’s Tor is that selfless acts are considered a strange aberration by most of the inhabitants this primeval world. Tor represents a new kind of being, one that is thoughtful, curious, and even noble in a savage way. Kubert’s art doesn’t disappoint, as his beasties are the best in the biz. It’s weird that Tor’s Dark skinned woman can’t be drawn with nipples though.

The Secret Six #1
I enjoyed Villains United so I though I’d try this new ongoing title written by Gail Simone. I was a little lost as I hadn’t realized that this supervillain team has already had several appearances since Villains United, but I was brought up to speed quickly with a wikipedia check. I was reminded that comics aren’t’ for kids anymore with a gay strip club scene in the first page and a grisly murder a few pages later but hey, I’m an adult so why should I care right? I’m really enjoying the characterizations of both Catman and Deadshot. The big spoiler is that Bane’s on the team. It looks like I finally found a DC team comic to replace Shadowpact and it has much better writing.

Marvel Apes #1
This was a lot better than I thought it was going to be as there were plenty of chuckles. The ape version of the Marvel universe has a lot to like such as Spider-Monkey and vines growing everywhere. I’m intrigued by ApeX as he seems to have no analogue plus the running joke about Oregon was funny too. I guess Karl Kessel means that the dirty hippies from Oregon shave on Earth Ape.

The War that Time Forgot #5
This title is treading water. It’s a great concept to have all of DC comics various non-superhero characters gathered together from different time periods in a Lost World setting, but maybe there are too many characters or something. I’m not getting enough examination of what everyone is going through. There were some shadowy figures shown running what seems to be an experiment with all these time-lost soldiers but their motivations are not revealed. Plus, where’s the war? I thought we’d have some big battles by now. I’m glad G.I. Robot looks like he might not be down for the count.

Witness to War
I bought this is a graphic novel a while ago. It took me a long time to read it because the art is somewhat amateurish and so I thought it might not be that good of a story. But as far as war comics go, I think it is excellent on the scripting end. WtW tells the fictional story of Anna Krieg, a journalist that gets caught up in the events of the Battle of the Bulge. It’s a fresh concept to tell a WWII story through a woman’s eyes but it is also a great storytelling device to have the narrator be a journalist. The squad level combat was riveting and that fact that a female character was going threw it added to the excitement. I think this book opens up a whole new arena of war comic possibilities. Imagine Sgt. Rock, the Haunted Tank, and the Losers hooking up with female Journalist. Now that could have been a very cool series. The book also includes a fairly long prose chapter on the history of battle itself.