Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Quick Takes on Today's Comics

I just got done looking through my stack for the week, and there is definitely a mixed bag. Here are some good reactions right out of the gate.

Pick of the Week: Conan and the Daughters of Midora. Wow, this is what comics are about. A great story with sensational art, and an emotional trigger for the reader. I am reeling from it.

Queen & Country #27 is the usual standard of excellence. It doesn't instantly attract the eye in the stores, but it is the gem in the jewelry box. Greg Rucka is at his best here, and his lead character Tara Chace is compelling as it gets.

Y The Last Man #27: A surprise twist in this one. I felt I should have seen it coming afterwards.

Exiles #53 & Captain America & the Falcon #8: I just couldn't get into them. These books are on the edge for me. I would love to keep getting both titles to support the creators, but it's been a miss for me this time around.

Wolverine #20: God I hate overhyped books. I mostly bought it for the John Romita Jr. art, but the story has a surprisingly good hook. Damn that Millar!

Nyx #5: Head hurts. Can't remember plot. Why the Hell did I buy this?

Ultimate Spider-Man #66: I laughed myself sick reading this. Was this the reaction Bendis was looking for? SPOILER: (Freaky Friday meets testosterone head on with comedic results!)

Teen Titans/The Legion Special: You say you need a new jumping on point for your Legion book? Hey, use the Titans- they could use a time travel story. Nuff said.

Detective Comics #799: War Games reaches a fever pitch. I am so into this that if the ending is cheesy I may just drop all the Bat titles out of sheer disapointment.

Uncanny X-Men #450: Love Alan Davis. Revere Claremont's old stuff. Have over 330 issues of continuity. Will probably continue to buy. Seriously, I am enjoying the synergy between Claremont and Davis. A definite B+ on this title right now.

Superman/Batman #12: I HATE late books. They irritate me to the point I can't fully enjoy them as much as I would if they were remotely timely. Great creators doing an incredible story that may not be finished until Christmas for all I know. Give me strength here to be patient!

2 comments:

Carl said...

Welp, I am really behind on a lot of my books, but I did read:

Superman/Batman #12: Really cheap, nasty trick ending. Unless it was a trick and not the real ending, I don't care about SM/BM #13.

Spiderman #66: Funny but, man, kind of soon for a "funny" story after the toss-away death of Gwen Stacy. I felt kind of weird about it, like going to comedy movie after a funeral.

Y-The Last Man #27: Hmmmmm, yeah, should have seen that coming. But, they pretty much have ignored any investigation into why Yorrick is still alive and just had non-stop moving across the country plots. Still, a "holy sh*t!" moment.

303: New Garth Ennis book, pretty good. About a Russian mercenary fighting in Afghanistan and how he and his rifle are a relic in the modern world. Pretty cool.

Tomb of Dracula: Sheesh, how times have changed! I used to love the original done by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan and Tom Palmer (the main team on it). But now, this is an update post-Blade movies and Marvel Comics changes. Blade is the new one and it's now firmly in the 2000s. And Dracula has been reborn so, I guess he will be updated too. A good first issue but barely like the original TOD...

Majestic #1, #2, #3: Pretty good, I liked the character before he came to DC and this series (4 issues total) is simple, but kind of sweet with the character trying to blend in with humanity and remember his past.

Welp, that's about it. Everything else I have read has been either offbeat or older books, trying to catch up.
The books I have enjoyed have been Ultimate Fantastic Four, Joe R. Lansdale's (the author of Bubba Ho-Tep) By Bizarre Hands, I Am Legend hb (of course I read the Matheson novel years ago) illustrated by Elman Brown and adapted by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night)and recently finished The Spectre (the Hal Jordon version).
I missed an issue, found it, then when it was cancelled didn't want to read it. Now, Hal's coming back, so I finished it and gonna read the JSA/Spectre stories and can't wait for his return!
Welp, that's about it, till I read more and find my way back here, boobye...

Heidi Meeley said...

You have great, eclectic taste! I looked for Garth Ennis' 303 here in town, but didn't find it so I will probably order it online.

One of my favorite reads right now is Powers for sure, and I have also enjoyed 100 Bullets. The super hero stuff still gets me at times too. Now that Rucka has warmed up on Wonder Woman, I am really enjoying that. I also love the JSA title.

Too cool, glad to see your thoughts here!