Monday, January 03, 2005

Things to Look Forward to in 2005

Here is a brief list of things that have me looking forward to this year in comic books. This is not in order of excitement level, just a mixed bag.

1. DC Countdown. I am wondering who Batman is holding in his arms? I am also looking forward to seeing where this takes things as a result of Identity Crisis.

2. Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith. God help me, I am a fanatic. I have to know how our favorite badass got that way! Please don't disappoint me George Lucas. (Sorry, not exactly comic book related, but close.)

3. Ron Marz on Witchblade. After a really mediocre last couple of years, I am looking forward to seeing this title rejuvenated, and I think Ron can do it. Letting past writers ignore continuity in favor of a new spin has been a terrible mistake in the past, and I hope it isn't repeated. I also am crossing my fingers that the book gets put out regularly, according to Previews.

4. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel. Brain Azzarello is the man, and I am anxious to see his take on Lex. The art by Lee Bermejo should only enhance the experience.

5. Shanna, The She Devil by Frank Cho. If I can't get my hands on Liberty Meadows, I'll take a newly censored version of Shanna by Cho. I was lucky enough to see some preview pages way back when after meeting the man himself, and it looks incredible. Frank IS THE boob man of comics (sorry Adam Hughes).

6. Incredible Hulk with PeterDavid writing. I loved his run, and really have always felt he understands the Hulk to a depth many others can only aspire to. It is with great joy and anticipation I await the master's return.

7. I want to know what is going to happen to Kyle Rayner. Nuff said.

8. Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers "comic book event". I love you Grant! Your twisted, trancendental mind makes for A+ storytelling. Imagine if they let this man take over the DCU for a year? Of course, the image of Wonder Woman teaching Batman tantric techniques comes to mind, so maybe not.

9. Wonder Woman series. Greg Rucka has made me a happy camper with his take on Diana. I am having faith that the next year of storytelling is going to take her to the next level and establish her alongside Batman and Superman.

10. Rising Stars #24. It's about freakin' time! I was getting really angry at the dicking around for two years with just three issues left concept.

11. Phil Jimenez back on the scene with projects. I see that there is a Vertigo title from Phil called Otherworld that is coming out in March. The other rumor I hear is that Phil is bringing back Donna Troy. That would be super, and it would make me an even bigger fanboy then I already am.

As of today, these are the things I am buzzed about. As new projects are revealed, I am sure there will be more to get amped about.

What's your take?

4 comments:

Heidi Meeley said...

Wow, that is interesting to hear! I primarily have enjoyed Azarello's work on 100 Bullets. To me it is sheer genius. I have heard a lot of negative expressed about his run on Superman, and admit that at this point I have read all the issues at one sitting to get a good feel for things. Azarello's strength is in the story arc, not the individual issue, and that does get frustrating.

I agree that DC Countdown will be the book to read after IC, to keep up with things. I can hardly wait to see who it is Batman is holding and what the deal is.

What books have you dropped due to poor quality? I have been happiest with the following DC books: Wonder Woman, Flash, JSA, Adam Strange, Batman titles, Adventures of Superman, Action Comics, Superman-Batman, the new Legion of Super Heroes, Birds of Prey, and Teen Titans.

Thank you for your input. Isn't incredible how we can all perceive things differently but still find our niche? My hubby and I buy very differently, but can still talk comics for hours!

Heidi Meeley said...

I think that if you are happy with the choices you are picking up, that is the best way to do things. I know that it is easy to get in a rut where a person will pick up a book on habit rather then basing their buying decisions on quality. I fall into that trap all too easily.

My best example is Uncanny X-Men. I have every issue from #110 up. That means I have over 340 issues of continuity. Even if the book sucks, I hate to drop it because if it gets good again, I will have holes. Arrgghh! What's a person to do?

At least I have weaned myself off variant covers!

Carl said...

Welp, I, myself believe DC is going through a new Renaissance. I liked Identity Crisis for its unflenching boldness. Yep, it was very upsetting and no ending could live up to the hype, but it took guts to put a huge rent in how we see them.
And Teen Titans, The Outsiders, GL: Rebirth, Superman/Batman (except for that gimpy Supergirl arc), Adam Strange, Fallen Angel, Deadshot, Robin, Batgirl, 100 Bullets, Y-The Last Man, Fables, Majestic, Space Ghost and so on have had some of the best writing and stories I have seen in years. And I've never been that big a Superman fan so, those titles don't have much affect on me. And I did enjoy War Games though that was very disturbing too and one of my fave characters is gone. But, I believe that the editors thought Batman's world got too big and clunky and burned it back to the original. And so far, the new stories are outstanding.
And the flip-side? Marvel has killed off fave characters to sell books on one title, hyped it like hell and destroyed over 30 years of Avengers' history. They also put out an insulting clone (Identity Disc) which I wouldn't want touching my other books. While I love a lot of Marvel, the only thing that has made me real happy was Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, a return to greatness. So, I guess, I'm having a great time, the cup is half-full to me...

Heidi Meeley said...

Great insight, Carl. I think that I am picking up more DC then ever also. I find myself ever so slightly backing away from Marvel for several reasons. The lack of continuity that we have talked about is a major issue.

I have really gotten into Vertigo titles again, and think that section of DC is enjoying renewed quality. I probably get 25 DC titles a month, including Vertigo. Ouch for my checkbook, but it has been a wild ride.