Finally!

Finally got to the LCS today after a few weeks of uber-busy and cleared my box...  here's what i picked up:

Savage Brothers #1, Fear Agent #7, Fell #6, DMZ #10, DD #88, Ultimates Annual #2, Wolvie #45, All-Star Supes #5, Loveless #10, UFF #33, and TWD #30. 

I'm sure there's some stuff i forgot but...

8.23 Shopping List

Not sure if this is worth posting so late in the week but shit i wrote it so might as well hit "publish" right? Am i missing anything you guys are hype about?

ABSOLUTE DARK KNIGHT HC - I won't be getting this this week, but hope to get a hold of it someday (it's chillin' on my Amazon wish list). Thanks (all) for talking to me about it a while back...
BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK #1 (OF 6) - Isn't this by the same team that brought us Batman and the Monster Men (which i enjoyed)?
DMZ #10 (MR) - There was a rumble that this came out last week and i was salty i missed it... but here it is. Can't wait.
FEAR AGENT #7 - I'd happily head to the LCS for DMZ and Fear Agent alone. Hype.
DAREDEVIL #88 - Oh yeah and a new DD. Not many comics this week but some GOOD ones. Interested to get deeper into Bru's second arc.
ETERNALS #3 (OF 6) - We're getting our money's worth w/ Eternals so far... The issues are jam-packed w/ story (and some solid JRJ artwork).

8.24 Panel

I've been in training all week at work (wall to wall) so posts have been light and i haven't been able to make the LCS this week yet... hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime enjoy this panel... Anyone else pick up the first issue of Dusty Star a while back? I dug it. Excellent writing and artwork... this western (if you can call it that?) has potential IMO.

8.20 Panel

Flop thoughts...

Wasteland #2 - As is typical w/ #2's, we learn a LOT more about this comic (and what it's going to be) in this issue. To be honest, i'm feeling more comfortable with it now than i was last issue, and can see myself getting well into Wasteland. B+.

As an added bonus i enjoyed the heck out of the 6 or 7 page preview for Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's "Damned" (new from Oni sometime soon). The main character, Eddie, seems solid in limited action; he's apparently a hardass who routinely avoids death through powers or luck (not sure which?) and has gotten himself into a bit of a bind over a "skirt". It's always about a damn woman... man broads are nothing but trouble! Anyways... Damned appears to be set in the 30's (think Al Capone gangsters w/ tommy guns and Humphrey Bogart) but w/ a twist: Demons. Wait, wha?? Wild i know... but somehow it seems like it will work. I'll def be picking this one up...

Rex Mundi #1 - I've been hearing about Rex Mundi for so long i couldn't help myself picking up the new Dark Horse #1 (plus i'm in the middle of Jenkins and Ramos' Revelations trade so i've got religious DaVinci Code-esque conspiracy stories on the brain). Interesting. Special thanks to Nelson and DH for including the "story so far" (detailing previous arcs and issues) and character bio's sections at the back. TBD.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #2 - This annual is really (really) well put together IMO. Carey's Mole Man story actually added depth and interest to a character i've typically avoided like the plague (Dr. Molekevic), and does it with a great dose of toungue-in-cheek humor. For some reason Carey's telling of Molekevic's background reminds me of Eric Powell (and that's a good thing). Ok so Carey's writing came to play but that's not all this annual has going for it: Immonen's art is well... fantastic (sorry). After first being introduced to him on Nextwave, and now seeing him draw mainline characters here in the UFF annual, i'm starting to think of this guy as one of my favs. A+.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #32 - I jumped on to UFF about 6 mo's ago and have enjoyed the heck out of Millar and Land's (and whoever does the awesome inking/coloring) work. Pissed i was to learn that their run is over with this issue and Mike Carey and Pasqual Ferry are taking over w/ #33. Not to crap on either of these new dudes (esp since i enjoyed the heck out of Carey's work on the 2nd UFF annual and am unfamiliar w/ Ferry), it's just that i'm not that big a UFF fan to begin with and it was the writing and artwork that got me onto (and kept me with) this title in the first place... Not that i won't give the new guys a chance (i will now that i'm hooked)... just expressing disappointment i didn't get w/ UFF sooner. This arc does wrap nicely though... even if Doom sacrificing himself so he gets credit for saving the world (and Reed doesn't) is a little far fetched unless you exaggerate VanDamme's classic motivations a bit. B+.

Casanova #3 - Love this book even if it confuses the hell out of me at times. I'm def not one for "dumbing down" the scene transitions in comics but a small narration box w/ "timeline 909, 2 days ago" or something would be nice now and again... Sometimes it's hard to get your bearings when you turn the page on a scene (though adding the beard to one timeline's Cass and leaving the other whisker-less helped a TON)... though there's always the distinct possibility that i'm just an idiot. I think i've got it all straight but would anyone (ryan?) mind giving me a paragraph synopsis of what's been going down in Casanova so far so we can compare notes? B+.

PS - Instead of letters pages, Fraction has been writing free form letters to his readers (much like in the "other" $1.99 Fell) detailing how he gets the inspiration for his characters, settings, and plots, and letting us get to know him (on some level at least). Thoroughly enjoyable read after you've finished the actual comic, and hella good value-add IMO. If only more creators should did this.

Nextwave #7

Now THIS is the Nextwave we're accustomed to.  #7 is a great (great) issue IMO and is packed w/ memorable moments.  Ellis and Immonen introduce us to a new villain, Rorkannu, Lord of the Dank Dimension (wink to Dormammu who i've always appreciated).  I've got my fingers crossed we see more of this guy; his joy over closing a deal w/ the Beyond Corp to supply Dank Dimension battle drones for $100 had me laughing out loud and reminiscing about Dr. Evil's "One meeeeeeellion dollaars".

Throw in a page and a half of my fav Nextwave character (The Captain) bitching about how he arrived at his superhero handle (considering every name w/ "Captain" in it is already taken), some quickly-becoming-classic NW action scenes and an uber cool Reservoir Dogs closing panel, and you've got one of my absolute fav Nextwave issues to date (and that's saying something).  After reading this and the new UFF Annual (#2), I gotta say Immonen is becoming a fav artist of mine...  A+.

I just love this panel for some reason so here's a bonus:

Volume 1 of the Sandman Absolute Editions HC appears on Amazon

Bored and work and surfing through my Amazon recommendations...  noticed that the first Volume of the Absolute Sandman we've been pining for is now listed with a Nov. 1 release date.  This may be old news to some but the first i've heard of a hard date w/ details.  Here's the Amazon description:

THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, was the most acclaimed comic book title of the 1990s. A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, THE SANDMAN is also widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. By the time it concluded in 1996, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right.

Now, DC Comics is proud to present this comics classic in an all-new Absolute Edition format. The first of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 1 collects issues 1-20 of The Sandman and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, on the first 18 issues, as well as a host of never-before-seen extra material, including the complete original Sandman Proposal, a gallery of character designs from Gaiman and the artists who originated the look of the Sandman, and the original script to the World Fantasy Award-winning THE SANDMAN #19, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," together with reproductions of the issue’s original pencils by Charles Vess. Also included are a new introduction by DC’s president Paul Levitz and a new afterword by Gaiman.

I for one am hype.

8.18 Panel

Man this dude from The Boys reminds me so much of Shaun from Shaun of the Dead (great, great movie BTW).  This is a hilarious set of panels IMO:

The Boys #1

Anyone else read the first issue of Ennis' The Boys? I'm not sure what i feel about it... I read through it twice and kind of left it with a bit of a "meh" feeling... though i do think this is one of those comics that will take me several issues to like or dislike. Hard to imagine out man Ennis totally shitting the bed so i still have hopes... and damn, i haven't seen Robertson's art since i read the first 3 Preacher trades last year... Why did i stop reading Preacher again? Hmmm... Maybe i need to pick up Vol. 4.

8.16 Shopping List

Damn i feel like i haven't read any comics in ages (though it's truthfully only been about a week).  I guess that shows what kind of tear i've been on the past year...  Before i left for St. Croix i did read the Silent Dragon TP i picked up from Amazon a couple weeks ago and man i had almost forgotten just how much i enjoyed that story...  and shit Liu's art is PHENOMENAL throughout that book...  which gets me thinking:  what the hell happened to Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk?  That mini was the cats ass through 2 issues then just kind of disappeared.

Also - I ordered Earthboy Jacobus yesterday after enjoying the heck out of TenNapel's Iron West (via Amazon Prime - thanks X) so i'm hoping to have that on my nightstand tomorrow-ish... 

Still working my way through the first Concrete book too (enjoying it though it's far different than something i'd typically enjoy) and finished the latest John Rain text-only book by Barry Eisler (The Last Assassin).  I highly recommend that to most anyone who reads this blog and enjoys books like Q&C, Sleeper, etc.  Check it out at Amazon (the series).

Whew...  so having said all that what's on the shelves this week?

I'm buying...

CONAN #31 (MR) - Pull list.  Wrapping up Mignola's arc...
BOYS #1 (MR) - "Written by Garth Ennis; Art and covers by Darick Robertson; Edited by Ben Abernathy

Garth Ennis (Preacher) and Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan), co-creators of two of the most thought-provoking comics of the last decade, introduce their first original collaboration for a new monthly series: THE BOYS — a dark, twisted look at super powers, super-people, and the men and women who make sure the world's "heroes" never go too far.

With a quarter-million super-powered beings in the world, someone's got to watch what's going on beneath all those masks and capes. In a U.S.A. uncomfortably like our own, that task falls to The Boys, a government-funded group of operatives dedicated to keeping the "supes" in line."

CASANOVA #3 (MR) - #2 was that much better than #1.  I'm pretty stoked for #3.
GHOST RIDER #2 - #1 wasn't Ennis and Crane but i enjoyed it...  still not sure about this title long term but i'll at least be reading this second issue.
NEXTWAVE AGENTS OF HATE #7 - Man i used to get so hype when a new issue of Nextwave dropped...  I'm still a big fan don't get me wrong...  it's just that #5 (somewhat) #6 were dips for me in an otherwise stellar action comedy title.
WASTELAND #2 (MR) - I reviewed #1 back when...  The art in Wasteland kicks ass but the writing was sub-par IMO.  Here's to hoping our man was just getting warmed up.

As promised... The O'Doul's swilling swine of St. Croix

Dude this massive animal roams around the several acres of rain forest owned by a couple who run a (very cool BTW) little bar and restaurant in St. Croix.  If you're lucky enough to come across him (we caught him at feeding time in his pen) and have an O'Doul's on hand, you can shake it up and toss it in his mouth.  He'll crush open the can, drain the beer, and spit out the flattened tin remains at your feet.  Wild. 

And here's your first look at me (there on the left):

I'm baaaaack....

Just got back last night from a week-long jaunt to St. Croix w/ wifey (visiting my Uncle and friends). Man is that place the cat's ass. Great sun, beaches, diving, and just island life in general... Finally got to check out the Cruzan Rum distillery and the beer drinking hogs (unrelated but nearby) this time around. Picked up some crucial single barrel rum at the distillery (at an unbelievable discount) and a couple bottles of the best hot sauce in the world at this little shack restaraunt/bar up in the rain forest... man is that shit HOT (yet quite delicious).

PS - for shit's and giggles i'm going to post a pic of the beer drinking pigs as a day panel sometime this week (whenever i can get them off my camera). you guys just gotta see this. oh and yeah... it's O'doul's ;)

Queen & Country Vol. 4: Operation Blackwall (very briefly)

Finished Q&C 4 this afternoon relaxin' on my new patio and unfortunately Operation Blackwall is my least favorite arc so far, which is a disappointment considering how much i enjoyed vol. 3 (Operation Crystal Ball). Rucka's story is interesting enough (though fairly far removed from the international intrigue/spy theme that's attracted me to this title), but i couldn't get behind the artwork. The now infamous (to me at least) Q&C penciler carousel stops this time on a guy named J. Alexander, who's style just doesn't do it for me, or this book IMO. Ugh.

Oh well, at least Rucka has yet to disappoint... which actually brings me to the question that got me motivated to drop this post: How are Rucka's novels? They're pimped in each of these trades and i was just wondering if anyone's read them? Did he start w/ comics or text-only?

Iron West

Finally got around to reading Doug TenNapel's original GN Iron West a few nights ago (and again last night) and i gotta say i had a great time with it. This book is at the same time humerous, charmingly odd, action-packed, and classic spaghetti western.

TenNapel's art is almost as fun to look at as his outlandish story is to read and i'm seriously impressed that he was able to include an army of robot cowboys (controlled by a mysterious UFO), a charming wrinkled old Indian shaman, Sasquatch, the Lochness Monster, and a giant steam engine locomotive transformer into a cohesive, fun story that isn't... well... stupid.

The Iron West plot is at the same time simple and complex; we've got the story of an old west (1860's?) outlaw and unlikely hero named "Stroke" who, in and attempt to dodge a rabid bounty hunter, stumbles across a gang of robot cowboys (yeah) hijacking a runaway locomotive. Stroke is plugged in the gut during the broo-ha-ha (sp?) and subsequently knocked unconscious when he jumps from the train to escape. Stroke awakens some time later, in the company of a wrinkled old Indian Shaman and his would-be muscle (who just happens to be a/the Sasquatch). The Shaman magically heals Stroke's wounds and tells him the story of the robot cowboys and their plot to take over the nearby town (and ultimately the world??)...

I won't get much further into this because i'm going to recommend that you read the book (hey it's less than $10 at Amazon for a nice thick trade), especially if you like westerns OR sci-fi. Hell, if you like BOTH westerns AND sci-fi i'll even go so far as to call this a must read. The cast of characters is just about as memorable as any i've read in a long, long time (from the unwitting hero Stroke, who's only real concern is rescuing his "lady of the evening" love interest, to the toothless Indian Shaman and his Sasquatch sidekick, a no-necked bounty hunter named Strauss, and a/the Lochness Monster), the story fun, and the art fantastic sketch B&W.

I had a VERY good time w/ this book (in the end it's best summed up as a "fun" read) and will most certainly be reading it again before i shelve it. A+.

8.5 Panel

I have such a man-crush on Brubaker that there's little doubt i will enjoy his upcoming Immortal Iron Fist ongoing (though he is co-writing w/ Matt Fraction...  who i'm digging on Casanova at the moment).  I've always though Iron Fist was an uber-cool character and Fraction sums it up for me in his and Bru's Newsarama interview from WW Chicago:

"For me, I love the legacy, and I love Kung Fu style action. I love the character's kinda-sleazy exploitation roots. I love the strange air of K''un L'un and the Daughters of the Dragon, Luke and everything else about Danny's character in the modern world.

"And it's the best tattoo in comics."

Amen brother.  Looking hella forward to this...

"...we're going to have the best Kung Fu this side of a good Jet Li film, and we're going to have mysteries and conspiracies and the odd mystical conspiracy mystery with ninjas and stuff..."

8.4 Panel

Detective Deena Pilgrim is far and away one of the most interesting characters in comics (and this cover captures her pretty well IMO):

That aside, here's the panel of the day:

8.2 Panel

I'm really, really digging on Fear Agent lately...  Good stuff:

Plus a bonus (one of 2 great pin ups in the back of FA #6, this one by Michael Cho):

8.2 Shopping List

Nothing too, too exciting this week but i'm feeling a bit anticipatory since i won't be able to get books next week (will be on vaca). I just finished reading Queen & Country Vol. 3 (Op Crystal Ball) as you guys prob know, and i'm about halfway through the 10th Usagi trade and the first Concrete book (which i'm enjoying BTW and will review).

As a side note: I dropped an order on Amazon for the recently released Silent Dragon TP, Q&C Vol. 4, Iron West (Guy you did like this right?), and Jenkin' and Ramos' Revelations (all for my trip next week).

I'm buying...

BPRD UNIVERSAL MACHINE #5 (OF 5) - This one's just about in the books...
EX MACHINA #22 (MR) - Def seems like it's been a while since the last Ex Machina... could be my imagination though. Regardless i'm in (as always w/ this book).
EXTERMINATORS #8 (MR) - Pull list.
EMISSARY #2 - Jury's still out on this one but i did enjoy #1.
AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 (OF 6) - Been hearing about this for a looooooong time. Hope it's good.
MOON KNIGHT #4 - Pull list.
PUNISHER #36 (MR) - Man you'd think Punisher came out twice a month. Gotta love this book's release schedule.

Notable...

ABSOLUTE KINGDOM COME EDITION HC - I can't seem to stop reading about this... can anyone recommend?
MOUSE GUARD #4 (OF 6) - I still haven't got my hands on 1-3 but the way people rave on this i might as well start somewhere ;)

Next week...

CONAN & THE SONGS OF THE DEAD #2 (OF 5), CASANOVA #3 (MR), and EMISSARY #3.

8.1 Panel

Damn it's August already???  At least that means my second trip to visit my uncle in St. Croix is coming up here in a week or so ;)