My New Comics

This week’s best cover is The Dark Tower: Treachery #6.


She-Hulk #38, Marvel Comics. The last issue. I hope Peter David’s run on She-Hulk will finally convince folks that he’s actually not that great of writer after all. I never liked his Hulk run.

The Dark Tower: Treachery #6, Marvel Comics. This mini ends so the next one can begin… but I’m done with DT.

Sgt Rock #3, DC Comics.

The War That Time Forgot #10, DC Comics.

I dropped more titles before this week’s shipment came in. Of note is the fact that Conan is no longer part of my box. I’m getting the trades so what’s the point.

For the comics I bought today… the total price was $13.99! Good grief… $13.99 for four comics, what an f-ing rip off. I’m finishing up current mini-series and I might be done for good in a few months but I’m not sure. I think the only regular titles that I’m still signed up for are: Jonah Hex, Red Sonja, Doctor Who Classic Series, Army of Darkness, Walking Dead, Brothers In Arms, and Back Issue (which is bimonthly). I also added the new Warlord series for look-see. This means for the first time in my life (while buying comics on a regular basis), I am not getting a regular Marvel book.

The mini-series that I’m finishing up are:
The War That Time Forgot, Jungle Girl, Age of the Sentry, Sgt. Rock, Ambush Bug, Kull, Last Reign, Fall of Cthulhu, Star Trek The Next Generation: The Last Generation, and The Twelve (which I hope finally finishes up soon).

A few books that I ordered before I dropped Previews are:
Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic-book Heroes (1939-1941). a collection of never-before-reprinted oddities from cartoonists working at the dawn of the comic-book format.

Essential Ambush Bug. Does my want for this really need to be explained?

Savage Sword of Conan Volume #5. SSoC is a gift that never stops giving.

You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation! More Fletcher Hanks goodness. I didn’t order this one but I gotta’ get it after the first volume, I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets!

At some point I plan on getting The Boys in trade paperback too.

Well that's my forecast along with my new comics

-Swinebread

Battlefields: Dear Billy

Just a quick mini comic review right out of the gate. I picked up "Battlefields: Dear Billy" on a lark, mostly because of the evocative cover pictured above. Without any idea about the history of the title I pictured a throwback story to the old Sgt. Rock comics. I was pleasantly surprised to find something completely different within it's covers.

This is a well written war story told from a woman's perspective. It's 1942 British nurse Carrie Sutton finds herself suffering unspeakable horrors at the hands of the Japanese when she's caught behind enemy lines. The emotional baggage she packs once she's rescued is considerable and very moving. Nevertheless, in British stiff upper lip fashion she hides her scars from the "Billy" of the title. Of course he has scars of his own...

The only complaint I had about this title (other than the horrible cursive font they use for her letters to Billy) was that the Japanese were written as very one-dimensional bastards, bordering on monsters . The last page of the book changed my perspective on this. If this story goes where I think it's going than this setup is going to pay off big time.

This comic is worth reading.

Movie of the Week: Friendly Persuasion

They always showed this at Thanksgiving time as part of the SFM Holiday Network when I was a kid.

I watched Friendly Persuasion year after year until I realized... hey, that's that guy from Psycho!

Trailer



-Swinebread

Happy Veterans Day

Hug a vet today...

-Swinebread

Quick Comic Reviews

Brothers in Arms
Probably the best War Comic I’ve ever read although I haven’t read a lot to be honest. If you’re into WWII action this is the place to be. With the 4th issue we’re at D-Day +1 and not everything is going according to plan, in fact the airborne troops are mostly wiped out in this one. Excellent plotting by Neumann and Wohl; we’re not told how to feel about the horrors of combat… we’re shown. I’m also enjoying the accuracy of the arms, uniforms and equipment without the Fetishization of them. If you want something akin to Saving Private Ryan in comic form, this is it.

Army of Darkness 14
If there was an Army of Darkness TV show, I bet the plot of one of the episodes would look a lot like this issue. Ash is back from time traveling… again and figures he’s gotta’ separate himself and the Necronomicon from the rest of humanity. Sadly, a couple of forest rangers interfered with those plans. The last panel reminded me of horrors that were unleashed in ROM #56. This is a mostly transitional issue that leads into a new storyline. Also, I don’t usually like comic art with a slightly cartoony touch but it works for me in this title.

Xena/Army of Darkness #1
Things go from corny to cornball with this first issue of the second Crossover of Xena and AoD. Ash went back in time in the last outing so now we get the reverse with Xena. My thoughts: A little too much exposition perhaps? I mean really, who didn’t pick up the first crossover that’s not gonna pick up this one? I know this is gonna have more laughs but maybe dynamite should have made this a 5-issue mini to make up for the exposition we are forced to go through. Mig’s art is serviceable but not great. A weak opening to a great concept.

Hulk #7
First off let me say I’m not a fan of Arthur Adams manga-ish art style and I’m certainly not a fan of the Grey Hulk and the psychological mumbo jumbo he represents but that’s what we get in the first of two stories in Hulk #7. I’m much more interested in the second story that centers around She-hulk forming a team to battle the Red Hulk. Frank Cho’s art is wonderful in this second story and it’s just makes more sense plot wise. So this issue is half good and half bad.

She-Hulk #34
Hey Marvel! Grow a pair… I don’t think you’re going to loose any readers in Burma or create political problems by actually setting the story in Myanmar. I’m really sick of fake countries. If you want to make a statement about human suffering then make it and stop pussyfooting around. That said, I enjoyed the implication from Thundra that maybe She-hulk and Jazinda should be lovers. I also like the fact that Thundra’s costume is still the same style she’s worn since the 1970s. Not everything needs to be updated. The last page reveal was cool too as I like this super group a lot.



-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Hulk #7 Cho Variant.


Brothers in Arms #4, Dynamite Entertainment.

Xena/Army of Darkness: What… Again?! #1 Dynamite Entertainment.

Army of Darkness #14, Dynamite Entertainment.

Hulk #7, Marvel Comics.

She-Hulk #34, Marvel Comics.

Men of Mystery: the Flame and Flame Girl #74, AC Comics.



-Swinebread

Worst of the Worst

-Swinebread

Movie of the Week: King of Hearts

King of Hearts (Le Roi de coeur) by Philippe De Broca.

I used the Japanese poster (in which the name of the film is changed to Imaginary War Town) instead of the western versions .

Sadly, I couldn't find a trailer.

-Swinebread

9-11

9-11, artists respond




-Swinebread

Generation Freakazoid!

I finished up Generation Kill this week. The reviews have been very positive and I have to agree. This HBO mini-series based on the book by Even Wright is, in some sense, the most elaborate docudrama ever made because it simply lays out what happened. Nothing is glorified, and the Marines’ boredom is as palpable as the combat. It’s easy to make up your own mind about the folks involved and their actions but Generation Kill never asks you to and I appreciate that. And of course Sergeant Majors are crazy… …they’re always crazy. The tagline for this production might be “War is”

Here’s one of the Trailers. Note that the show itself doesn’t have a “soundtrack” like this trailer.


____________________________________________________

I picked up the first season of Freakazoid!. It’s got a cult following so I wanted to see if it lived up to it’s rep. Well, I have to say it’s a fun show with lots of wild antics and an Animaniacs style of humor. I like crazy superheroes a lot and this one doesn’t disappoint. Freakaziod is clearly a forerunner to the content of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

Another reason I was interested in this show is because of the controversy with Madman creator Mike Allred. Madman is considered to be one of the main “unaccredited” influences on Freakazoid but I really don’t see it all that much. Ambush bug and the Mask seem to be ripped off much more directly.





-Swinebread

Memorial Day

There actually was a comic book story about the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing in Lebanon. It was told in issue #7 of Semper Fi'. I liked this particular comic series because it didn't sugarcoat the Marines wartime experiences and because Semper Fi' told a story about an event that happened in my living memory.

There were so many lessons that were learned from this act of terrorism, but sadly they were all forgotten in the current climate.

When it comes down it, you have to remember that no matter the war or military action, there are families that didn't have a son or daughter, husband or wife, or mother or father come home. That's a powerful thought. Everyday should be Memorial Day.


-Swinebread

When the enemy gets to the cooks you know it's all over...




-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is War Is Hell: First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1.


Brave And The Bold #11, DC Comics.Ultraman! I love those Crime Syndicate Guys.

Red Sonja #31, Dynamite Entertainment.

War Is Hell: First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1, Marvel Comics/MAX. I’ve been enjoying DC’s Enemy Ace, so now I get to delve into Marvel’s WWI Ace (Phantom Eagle) with this new story. It features art by Howard Chaykin, who incidentally did a few Enemy Ace stories.

Shadowpact #23, DC Comics.

Jungle Girl #5, Dynamite Entertainment. A cliff hanger ending leads to a 2nd mini-series in this Lost World-like adventure.


Magazine:
Back Issue #27, Twomorrows Publishing. The Royalty Issue, great article on Dr. Doom.


-Swinebread

I’ve been tagged by Dean Wormer

Old Dean got me see here

List 7 random things about yourself that people may not know.

Link the person who sent this to you, and leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours.

Post the rules on your blog.


1. I’ve been to Disneyland three times.

2. I hate Gambit… a lot! I dropped the X-men, and even comics for a long time after he showed up. He symbolizes everything that was wrong with ‘90s comics IMO. Plus, all the great stories from the 80’s that were adapted by the first X-Men cartoon series didn’t have Nightcrawler or Colossus; No, instead we got that stupid Gambit guy. That bugged me to no end; the Dark Phoenix saga with Gambit? Yuck! He didn’t show up in the first three X-Men movies so that was way cool although he is in the new Wolverine film.

3. Some high school chums and I buried a time capsule. I can’t remember what we put in it beyond a war comic that I didn’t want. It was a metal case about the size of small toolbox and it was wrapped in a plastic bag. I’m sure it’s long since been ruined by now.

4. My Favorite Looney Tunes character is Daffy Duck.

5. I’ve been to the site of the Dachau concentration camp while on a backpacking trip through Germany years ago, horrific but necessary in my opinion..

6. My favorite episode of Star Trek TOS is The Return of the Archons. It used to be Mirror, Mirror for a long time until after I became an adult and learned a little bit about how computers worked. I also love what it has to say about religion, and technology. “Festival Festival!” It’s totally cheesy and very deep at the same time.

7. I ate pig brains once…

I’m going to tag Heidi Meely (who never does my tags but that’s OK), and ah… anybody else that wants to do it I guess…

-Swinebread

Death in the Wild Blue Yonder

I’m about 75% of the way through my copy of Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace and I must say it’s been one of the best silver/bronze age comics that I have read. Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert (which write and draw, respectively, most of the stories) have really created something special here. Choosing a German pilot and setting the stories in WWI was an inspired choice because it allows the reader to dispense with the usual jingoistic tripe and focus on one man’s hellish struggle to stay alive and sane during combat. The main character, Hans von Hammer, is an allegory to the Red Baron but with a pulpy goodness that only a DC war comic could provide. In some ways his personality is the opposite of another Bronze Age comic character I like, Conan the Barbarian but they both have the same evocative, brooding nature.

There’s just something about WWI air combat that lends itself to great storytelling: the newness of the technology, the sense of dying chivalry, and the aloneness of the expanding sky. The last frontier has been opened and it’s used for bringing death. There’s also the sense of the duel, which recalls both knights defending their honor and an old west shootout like the OK Corral. It was Europe’s chance to play Cowboys and Indians except everybody was a Cowboy.

I have always had a passing interest in WWI aviation history and Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace, has brought that back to me of late. I started looking around the net reading articles about WWI aircraft and people again. While skimming a wikipedia article on Manfred von Richthofen, I noticed that a Red Baron movie is coming out this year. It’s a European production that plays a little loose with the facts but it still looks to be a first-rate film nonetheless. One of the things that stood out is that Lena Headey of Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles fame has a significant role in the film as Nurse Kate. It will be interesting to see her in a softer role after her turn as the hardcore, kick ass mom.


Red Baron Shots:



In a sick sense of simpatico, I had just finished reading an Enemy Ace story of a puppy falling to it’s death when the news story of a marine killing a puppy by throwing off a cliff showed up in the news… scary… and sad…


-Swinebread

September 11th…

Now it’s a double tragedy. Thousands upon thousands of people are dead for no reason at all. Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks of September 11th and yet we “had” to invade that country for some bizarre reason known only to this fascist administration and the war profiteering Halliburton. The good will received by the United States from foreign countries was squandered and Americans were stabbed in the back with a presidential, imperial power grab that was all excused in the name of security, freedom, and patriotism when it really was the suppression of dissent and debate. But reality has finally trumped ideology. The miserable state of affairs in Iraq and the wasted lives of our soldiers, have proven that the Wal-Mart-itzation of war, and incompetence do not magically bring democracy to the world. Nor do they avenge the people we lost on September 11th. The toppling of the Taliban in Afghanistan was the opportunity to go after the ones who attacked us and the ones who gave the terrorists shelter but valuable resources and personnel were diverted to the neocon dream war of Iraq and the operation was unfinished. The killers including Bin Ladin got away and religious extremists are back to threaten the region.

Remember those killed on September 11th and remember how their horrific deaths were used by greedy power mongers to do terrible things at home and abroad.

Happy Bastille Day

Yes, Happy Bastille Day… from Mademoiselle Marie. She is DC Comics’ French resistance fighter and love interest for Sgt. Rock. Ah… Vive la France… er something.



-Swinebread

Why We Fought

This is why we had to win WWII... so Mel could make funny Hilter songs.

‘Polish Anne Frank’ Comes to Light in Discovered Diary

I actually learned about this from the Newspaper rather than from TV news or the Internet. AP report Via the NY daily news here

the diary of a 14-year-old Jewish girl dubbed the "Polish Anne Frank" was unveiled on Monday, chronicling the horrors she witnessed in a Jewish ghetto - at one point watching a Nazi soldier tear a Jewish baby away from his mother and kill him with his bare hands.
The diary, written by Rutka Laskier in 1943 shortly before she was deported to Auschwitz, was released by Israel's Holocaust museum more than 60 years after she recorded what is both a daily account of the horrors of the Holocaust in Bedzin, Poland and a memoir of the life of a teenager in extraordinary circumstances.

Apparently her diary was kept by a childhood friend all these years but was finally released when it’s value as a historical document was realized. Check the link and read some of the quotes from her book. Even these small snippets are very moving. Considering the impact that Ann Frank’s diary has had, this is an enormous find. Another voice speaks from beyond the grave.

-Swinebread

Jericho Fans go Nuts… Save the Show?

It seems that Jericho might get renewed after all. Thanks to a tip from Dean Wormer, this newsie item from TV Guide lays out the down low here.

Multiple sources are telling me that CBS is thisclose to sealing a deal to bring Jericho back for at least eight episodes, possibly at mid-season

I knew there was a big letter and email campaign from the fans but I took little notice as these things rarely work. Plus, I think I ignored the whole thing as I didn’t want to be disappointed. But this time the fans took some inspiration from that show itself and sent CBS truckloads of peanuts. See in the final episode of Jericho one of the characters references General Anthony C. McAuliffe famous line “Nuts” from the Battle of Bastogne, as inspiration to defend their town. So Fans of the show began buying huge loads of Peanuts from Nuts Online to send to CBS. Jeffrey Braverman of nuts online was amazed at the response.

Braverman thought about one of his favorite television shows, "Lost," and how he would feel if suddenly ABC pulled it off the air like CBS did with "Jericho." That's when he realized his company would do whatever they could to help fans of "Jericho" make a statement with its "Nuts to You, CBS!" campaign. And Tuesday morning, the network's New York offices will have more than 1,000 pounds of peanuts -- enough to make more than 2,000 people quite satisfied -- sitting in its mailroom.

from here

According to this thread at TV.com they're up to 38,000 POUNDS or 19 TONS O' NUTS already! Wow, that’s alotta’ nuts. CBS is coming to the realization that they blew it by putting Jericho opposite American Idol. If the show does come back, it’s very cool that desperate situations both real, the soldiers of Bastogne, and imagined, the defenders of Jericho, motivated it. Regardless, My hat’s off to the fans. It looks like you may have done it.

-Swinebread