New Comics Discussion for 12/17/2008 are going to crash and burn

[ConorKilpatrick]

Tell us what you thought of the books of the week!

Here's what Josh (http://www.ifanboy.com/users/Josh/comics), Ron (http://www.ifanboy.com/users/Ron/comics), Conor (http://www.ifanboy.com/users/Conor/comics), and Gordon (http://www.ifanboy.com/users/Gordon/comics) are reading.

This week's Pick of the Week:

http://www.ifanboy.com/comics/dc_comics/ex_machina/40/cover-medium.jpg

From here on out, it's SPOILER-O-RAMA.

Don't forget to rate and review the books over at iFanboy.com (http://www.ifanboy.com/comics)!

[Labor_Days]

Conor, why don't you ever mention who has the pick of the week in the OP of these threads?

I can't remember all this shit week to week.

[gobo]

It's on the site, although I agree having it in the forums (along with links to user names of the rest of the writers, weekly "books coming out this week" post) would be nice

[paper]

Josh has the pick this week.

[Labor_Days]

It's on the site, although I agree having it in the forums (along with links to user names of the rest of the writers, weekly "books coming out this week" post) would be nice

All he has to do is say;

We will update this post with the Pick of the Week when it is chosen. Josh has the Pick this week.

Its just nonsensical to have it in one place and not the other.

[gobo]

Like I said, I agree. Just letting you know where it is in the meantime.

[Labor_Days]

No need, Gobo. I knew where to find the information on iFanboy proper.

[MrPopular]

I'm excited to get my Deadpool fix of the month.

[cadgers]

Man this month's issue of Ex Machina was fantastic. Sad to think there is only 10 left.

[Euchre0]

Man this month's issue of Ex Machina was fantastic. Sad to think there is only 10 left.

Really? I didn't know an ending was announced.

[cadgers]

Really? I didn't know an ending was announced.

It's been announced for a little while now but here's a link to a recent interview about it.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19192

[thenextchampion]

*special guest*
Final Crisis #5: This was a good issue, but nothing spectacular. The next two issues is where the shit goes down I'm sure. If anyone wants to know why I love Morrison, read the pages where the monitor is in the cell talking to the guy in purple. Totally defines Morrison on what type of writer he is.

Deadpool #5: Loved this issue and I love this series! Way is perfect as a Deadpool writer and every joke works in this issue. The double cross Deadpool did was great, and then he did a triple cross to the other villain in this, which I didnt see coming. Him kicking the guy's head back into the burning town saying 'ITS GOOD!' is the highlight for me. Please for anyone who didnt want to pick this up, pick it up...It is a really good comic, I swear.

Punisher MAX #65: Good end to a very solid run by Hurwitz. He did a fantastic job considering he had to fill in for Ennis's shoes. I hope some people stick out through this arc and agrees it was a good run by Hurtwitz. If anything, this story made me want to go out and read all of Hurwitz's past works. Cant wait for the next arc that takes place in my home town of Philly! (and that stupid stupid name change).

[paper]

Great books this week. Good lord.

[CAM!]

I swear, that Mighty Avengers book is gonna be tough to beat as my Pick this week.

My god, am I a fan of Hank Pym? I think I might be!

[Labor_Days]

Never have I wanted a book so badly as Secret Warriors. I would burn every single comic book on the racks today for Secret Warriors.

[CAM!]

So I passed on the Dark Reign special, is not the Secret Warriors preview in that book ALSO in last Weeks Dark reign special, with slightly fewer pages?

[Labor_Days]

Yes.

And I didn't mind paying for it a second time.

[optimus187prime]

Deadpool was excellent again.

Warzone has me intrigued on who all these Ma's are.

[Humphrey Lee]

Fables, Ex Machina, Fear Agent, and Walking Dead all in the same week. I swear to god the really good shit is never ever spaced out. Grrr...

[CammyKnoxville]

Ex Machina #40 - Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris need their own series. Not like, come together and create a series, but actually star as themselves in their own comic book (written by Vaughan and Harris of course). (Full review found here (http://www.ifanboy.com/reviews/CammyKnoxville/dc_comics/ex_machina/40)).

Mighty Avengers #20 - Very moving issue, and at the end you're feeling so bad for Hank Pym. However, it is rather convenient nowadays to blame everything on Tony. It's been the same trend since the end of Civil War.

Spider-Man Noir #1 - I went into this with low expectations since I wasn't a fan of X-Men Noir #1. The Spider-Man Noir series (well, issue 1 at least) has caught my attention. I loved how Urich was the main character of focus instead of Parker. We all know the tale of how Spidey got his powers, but how is he going to get them in the Great Depression? Cool characters, nice concept. (Full review found here (http://www.ifanboy.com/comics/marvel_comics/spider-man_noir/1_(of_4)))

Air #5 - Brilliant issue! The contraptions, the flying gizmos, and the amazing use of a celebrity at the end of the issue! I've been slowly loving this series since issue 1, and this latest issue confirms my true love for it.

Avengers: The Initiative #19 - This issue obviously came out a little late. And with Secret Invasion being done with weeks ago, I'm already over it.

Dark Reign: New Nation #1 - I felt pretty much robbed. This is Marvel's "Brave New World", only instead of paying $1 for the multiple previews of upcoming stories, you pay $4. Save your money on this one, folks; the upcoming #1 issues will have the same stories and more. Plus the Skrull Kill Krew gets their own book? Really? Hunting down missed Skrulls will get pretty old pretty quick.

Deadpool #5 - Give it up for Wade Wilson; the smartest guy in the room. It was a fun little 2-issue arc, but I'm ready for Deadpool to move on to bigger, funnier things.

Fables #79 - Whaaat?!? B-But, does this mean everyone is going to have to relocate to the farm??? Who let this all happen?? Very good set-up issue for things to come in these now dark times.

Ghost Rider #30 - Well, at least we know how many Ghost Riders there actually are (and it's not enough to form a corps). Call me Captain Obvious, but I think Mr. Ketch isn't being told the complete truth.

Invincible Iron Man #8 - Wait, I though Tony was the most wanted man in the world? How can he be in the same room as Osborn with no repercussions?

Uncanny X-Men #505 - Since when is Emma's power being an absolute bitch 24/7? As for Scott, he's slowly losing it. Dunno it's because Brubaker is no longer on it, but this issue seemed a little 'off'.

[Neb]

Warzone has me intrigued on who all these Ma's are.

Agreed. I was going to hold off on reading this until I re-read the original story in the Omnibus, but I decided to page through them and this series is fantastic. I'm really intrigued as to where it's going.

[Neb]

I haven't seen the comments yet, but Supergirl was fantastic this week.

[Ryan79]

Avengers: The Initiative #19 - This issue obviously came out a little late. And with Secret Invasion being done with weeks ago, I'm already over it.


I totally agree but I thought the art was drop-dead gorgeous.

[paper]

I haven't seen the comments yet, but Supergirl was fantastic this week.

Fantastic? Really? I dunno, man. I thought the art was a mixed bag and, in contrast to the Johns' installments of this arc, sort of workmanlike. Very basic dialogue. Though, I think it's gotta be a challenge to write dialogue for Kryptonians. It's all very formal and stiff.

[TimmyWood!]

I enjoyed Mighty Avengers a lot and also Amazing Spiderman was fun too. Nothing super awesome just yet. I am in the middle of the Hellblazer christmas issue so we will see how that goes.

[paper]

Odd Santa origin and odder Aquaman Magi story in the DCU Holiday Special. But Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen's King Wenceslas story was gorgeous. In fact, most of the art in the book is 5 star work.

[Humphrey Lee]

I haven't seen the comments yet, but Supergirl was fantastic this week.

I read it off the shelf... meh. Average art and typical storytelling. I think the only reason this book has gotten the quality bump recently has more to do with the strength of the New Krypton idea than the creative talent involved. It finally makes the Supergirl interesting since she has her family back, and the melodrama involved with how she handles that and how she's actually more exposed to the culture than Superman himself. But the writing itself, eh.

[Neb]

Fantastic? Really? I dunno, man. I thought the art was a mixed bag and, in contrast to the Johns' installments of this arc, sort of workmanlike. Very basic dialogue. Though, I think it's gotta be a challenge to write dialogue for Kryptonians. It's all very formal and stiff.

I surprised to hear this from you. I thought some of the character stuff with Supergirl was top notch, and Superman's conundrum continues to get worse and worse. It's interesting too see Superman's and Supergirl deal with their parental loss.

I agree with you on the dialogue, but as you pointed out, we're talking about a race that just learned how to speak English. Wordsmiths they are not.

I think the only reason this book has gotten the quality bump recently has more to do with the strength of the New Krypton idea than the creative talent involved. It finally makes the Supergirl interesting since she has her family back, and the melodrama involved with how she handles that and how she's actually more exposed to the culture than Superman himself. But the writing itself, eh.

I agree with this as well. I'm not too sure if I'm going to stick with the book after the crossover is over.

[Euchre0]

Fables, Ex Machina, Fear Agent, and Walking Dead all in the same week. I swear to god the really good shit is never ever spaced out. Grrr...

I read 3 out of those 4 in trade. Don't complain about getting lots of goodness in one week. :)

Since when is Emma's power being an absolute bitch 24/7? As for Scott, he's slowly losing it. Dunno it's because Brubaker is no longer on it, but this issue seemed a little 'off'.
Hasn't Emma always been a HUGE bitch? I've thought she was since she came back in the mid-90s. Morrison especially drove this point home. Then again, tons of people like her character and I suppose I am one of the few who still thinks it is very weird for Cyclops to have hooked up with her, even though it has been almost 10 years.

However, I think this was a very good issue and that "Uncanny" continues to gain steam.

[paper]

I surprised to hear this from you. I thought some of the character stuff with Supergirl was top notch, and Superman's conundrum continues to get worse and worse. It's interesting too see Superman's and Supergirl deal with their parental loss.



I agree with Humphrey here. It's an important distinction. The story is good. The ideas and beats of the story. But the execution is not what it could be. It's unreasonable, but I wish Johns was doing this all by himself. I like what's happening, but it could be presented with a lot more style and flair.

[Dave Accampo]

Invincible Iron Man #8 - Wait, I though Tony was the most wanted man in the world? How can he be in the same room as Osborn with no repercussions?

I think you're getting your solicitations and your actual comics mixed up a little. As of this issue, Tony's been stripped of his title as Director of SHIELD. He's NOT "wanted." This issue is the precursor to that, which is the next storyline.

BTW, this was a really good issue.

[Dave Accampo]

Some thoughts so far:

Dark Reign: New Nation was, as you'd expect, a mixed bag. I liked the Bendis/Hickman story, so that's promising. The War Machine story, while not a character I care much for, was pretty decent, too. I really WANT to like the Hawkeye/Mockingbird story, but it was just OK. The rest were pretty forgettable.

As stated in my previous post, Invincible Iron Man is probably the best book I've read so far (but I've got a lot of really good books left). Fraction's playing Stark well here, creating both empathy and sympathy while making sense of the role that Marvel's put Stark in. And a nice twist at the end. I'm really looking forward to the new status quo.

Supergirl was a bit tedious. Wasn't bad, just... average. I kinda can't wait for New Krypton to be over at this point. I bought into it, but I'm gonna be really careful as to what, if any, Superman titles I pick up after its over. Right now I'm thinking about dropping out of it altogether.

Thunderbolts was decent. Diggle's really just clearing house here, though. I'm excited to see what he does with the new team he assembles next issue, but I have to tell you... this book feels like a limited concept, in terms of its central conceit. What I mean is... Dark Reign, and the "dark" books under the umbrella, seems pretty cool and interesting, but... I don't think we, as readers, really want to live in this darkness too long. One of the great original Thunderbolts twists was that after the base concept had played itself out, it gave way to a natural, new theme: redemption. If this book is REALLY about horrible people, about a horrific gang working for Norman Osborn -- it'll be fun and interesting for a bit, but it will just get tedious after awhile. So, I hope Diggle plays within this, actually makes some of these "irredeemable" characters just a little bit redeemable, so that we have someone to root for after a while.

X-men: Legacy is a book I continue to buy because while it seems like pure X-porn, Mike Carey is a pretty talented writer. I doubt many will like this issue, and while I'll fully admit it was a bit slight, it still was a fairly clever character story. I give Carey credit for doing a book that doesn't really fit too easily into the standard M.O. of the X-books.

Uncanny X-men continues to be fun for me. Don't really care for the mopey Colossus stuff, and I think Fraction really needs to figure out Emma's voice (he falls back on silly mannerisms, using words like "sullen" repeatedly in short spans or calling everyone "darling" waaaay too often), but I did appreciate that it tied very subtly to Dark Reign. She's considering the offer made by Osborn, and you get a little bit about her thought process here. On the other hand, that also means that you had to have read the recent Dark Reign special to get the full impact here, and that shackle to current continuity really annoys me on a principle level.

[Labor_Days]

Terra #4 was wonderful. POW for me based on sheer fun while reading it.

Re: Emma being a bitch

She's always been like that. In Morrison's New X-men there is a great exchange between Emma and Jean that sums up her character ell.

"What makes you such a bitch, Emma?"
"Superior breeding, darling."


In your face, Jean Grey.

[Neb]

I'm genuinely surprised by the lack of excitement for Supergirl this week. Paging through the comic at this moment, I enjoy the art immensely and I felt the pacing was top notch. This is a comic that kept me riveted, and each step of New Krypton has been that way for me.

This is one of the first really great Superman arcs I've read (and yes, I've read all the Geoff Johns Action stuff.), and to see people be so wishy-washy about it, just surprises me. I'm totally excited about where this is going and what it will lead to for next year.

[Labor_Days]

I thought the art was okay in Supergirl. Otherwise, I am right with you, Neb.

Loving New Krypton and the implications for the Superman family. To a degree, H. Lee is spot on as well re: Supergirl's increased complexity due to this event. Which I think is only a good thing given the incredibly muddled relaunch of the Maiden Of Steel.

[Neb]

For those that read Hellblazer, what was your favorite story? I thought Gibbons and Phillips had the strongest story, but I'm also a Sean Phillips whore, so...

[paper]

For those that read Hellblazer, what was your favorite story? I thought Gibbons and Phillips had the strongest story, but I'm also a Sean Phillips whore, so...

None of the stories really grabbed me by the unmentionables, but I did love the Phillips art. I just think the story was a little awkward due to what felt like forced Anglo slang and F-bombardment. I cuss like s sailor myself, but I still think you ought to skip a sentence or two before you lay the next one or two down. Kinda took me out of the story. I get that he's angry, but it was a bit much.

I REALLY miss Diggle on scripts. I know most people look to Ennis or Ellis as their definitive Hellblazer writers, but I started with Diggle's run and it has the perfect rhythm for me.

[CAM!]

Really enjoyed Zorro this week, that Wagner guy seems to know his stuff, I'm excited for the rest of the arc, and the art was gorgeous.

[meanoldpig]

My favorite story would have to be the Delano/Lloyd one followed by Miéville/Camuncoli one.

[oh_caroline]

She's always been like that. In Morrison's New X-men there is a great exchange between Emma and Jean that sums up her character ell.

"What makes you such a bitch, Emma?"
"Superior breeding, darling."


In your face, Jean Grey.

There is bait. There is bait and I am not taking it. This is personal growth!

Anyway, I really LIKED Emma in this issue of 'Uncanny.' This is the version of her I want to see.

Re: Dave Accampo's point about continuity -- the thing is, you can read this without reading dark Reign, because all it tells you is that Emma is considering something, and that will addressed in the X-Men annual. I think the idea is for this to work out so that you can get Emma's character arc just from the X-books. I also didn't mind her overdoing it on the 'darling'-s because I think Fraction is writing a character who is consciously posing. She's being consciously more of the biggest stereotype of herself, because she's not sure of herself or her own position (which Storm calls her on beautifully. . .more Storm in the X-books, PLEASE, I love her to pieces).

In short, I'm just loving the hell out of Fraction's X-Men, but 'Iron Man' might actually be the best book he did this week (didn't get the Thor special so I can't comment on that). Is Fraction in this series the first writer to bother giving Maria Hill a personality? She's been a plot device in the Avengers books for a while but this is the first time she feels human to me.

I also liked 'Supergirl' a lot -- I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to stick with any of the Super-storylines after the crossover, but I've liked every issue so far.

[jmstump]

I took Paul's Challenge on Conan the Cimmerian

Read my review of issues 0 - 6 here! (http://ifanboy.com/reviews/jstump/dark_horse_comics/conan_the_cimmerian/6)

This is another titanic of a review. I really need to stop doing this. It's becoming costly getting into a new series that is already 7 issues in, but the invitation was given and I couldn't pass.

[miyamotofreak]

So where is Four-Eyes #2?

[paper]

I was wondering that myself. I loved the first issue.

[MrPopular]

Deadpool #5 was epic fun.. I loved it..

It got a bit Tarintino at the end but still. Ifanboy guys I suggest just picking up this little 2 part Dp #4 & #5 cause it was a great Dp story.

Best line "SAFEWORD.. SAFEWORD"

[optimus187prime]

Best line "SAFEWORD.. SAFEWORD"

Agreed.

[Dave Accampo]

Re: Dave Accampo's point about continuity -- the thing is, you can read this without reading dark Reign, because all it tells you is that Emma is considering something, and that will addressed in the X-Men annual. I think the idea is for this to work out so that you can get Emma's character arc just from the X-books. I also didn't mind her overdoing it on the 'darling'-s because I think Fraction is writing a character who is consciously posing. She's being consciously more of the biggest stereotype of herself, because she's not sure of herself or her own position (which Storm calls her on beautifully. . .more Storm in the X-books, PLEASE, I love her to pieces).

I getcha on this, Caroline. But for me -- an issue about Emma considering "something" is NOT a great story. Now, that wasn't the only thread in this issue. And I liked some of the others. But an issue about Emma vaguely considering "something" without any indication as to what it is -- well, that's either a set-up or a post-script (in this case it appears to be both), and neither is very satisfying as an "issue."

That said, this clearly was meant to be moving multiple subplots in that ol' Claremont way. So, I get it.

As for the "darlings" -- for me it's a "sound" thing. Read a couple of passages of Emma's dialogue aloud. To me, it just doesn't sound right. I like the idea that she's creating her own stereotype, but I don't feel as though that was it. It just felt repetitive. She calls Scott "darling" and "my love" in two consecutive sentences, I think. It just doesn't sound right to my ear.

[Dave Accampo]

This was actually a really strong week of comics. I think I picked Ex Machina as my pick. It just worked, despite its meta-conceit. I had fun and felt the 9/11 stuff had the ring of honest emotion to it. Books that make you feel something "real"are always gonna edge out the others.

Conan The Cimmerian was in top form this week. Great issue.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer was cute, but really didn't do too much for me.

Ghost Rider was actually fairly enjoyable. Aaron's stories seem familiar, and I'm not really sure I like the whole Spirits of Vengeance angle, at least the way its executed here. I mean, I like the idea, but think about the way Moore introduced concepts like Elementals and the Parliament of Trees in Swamp Thing. Here, we're getting all of these new characters introduced, but it's only AS they're being killed off. They become about as important as the Red Shirt guy on a classic Star Trek episode.

Hellblazer was decent, but anthology books are really always a mixed bag. I really enjoyed some of the stories. He probably one of the least favorite writers, but I miss Delano after reading his story here. IT's still too early to tell about Milligan. I hope he brings it to this title. He's done some great work before.

Manhunter was good. Here's the thing: there's a time jump in this issue, and I didn't necessarily like the way we were delivered all of the exposition about what happened to everyone in the past 15 years. It was almost too much of an info-dump. That said, it was some FUN stuff. It was neat to see a lot of it. Also: this book gets credit for doing a good job of representing a real Modern America within its super-hero borders. Kate is the divorced mom with a boyfriend 15 years younger than her. She's got a gay son who wants to get into the family (super-hero) business. She's got tangled relationships with family and friends. It's nice to see that reflected in a super-hero book.

Walking Dead was one of the better issues I've read in a while. The new blood is making things a little more interesting.

Mighty Avengers was good. NOt a lot to say about it. It's really all about Hank Pym seeing everything that's happened and, well, feeling it. Solid issue.

[RaceMcCloud]

Mighty Avengers - I think I've figured it out. Bendis should write the set-ups to events, the aftermath of events, and the sidenote character issues during events, but not the actual events themselves. This was a stellar issue.

Invincible Iron Man - I meant to pick this book up from #1 but forgot. This was my first issue, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Am I crazy for having liked Iron Man during his whole "I'm the world's biggest douche" phase?

Buffy - Unlike Dave above me, I loved this issue. I'm not even a huge fan of the show, and this was just a great little "let's go home again for a minute" bit of fun. Of course, I love artwork with those clean animation-style lines.

X-Factor - Love the team, love the stories, love Madrox, love the book. I stand pretty much alone on that...

Still have to read "Deadpool" and "ASM". I enjoyed my books thus far this week, though, which is always nice.

[Dave Accampo]

Of course, I love artwork with those clean animation-style lines. You know, I should have said that I DID like the artwork on this issue. It's just that... the whole "let's go home again" thing felt like a cute interlude. At its best, even Buffy one-offs tend to add to the season as a whole. I don't really felt that did that here. Not saying it was poorly done... just... not what I was looking for, I guess.

[RaceMcCloud]

You know, I should have said that I DID like the artwork on this issue. It's just that... the whole "let's go home again" thing felt like a cute interlude. At its best, even Buffy one-offs tend to add to the season as a whole. I don't really felt that did that here. Not saying it was poorly done... just... not what I was looking for, I guess.

S'cool. Truth be told, I'm not "looking for" anything in particular from the series. I buy 'em for my sister, who is a huge "Buffy" nerd, and I just read 'em before I pass 'em off. But I enjoyed this one immensely. The art played a big part.

[oh_caroline]

I getcha on this, Caroline. But for me -- an issue about Emma considering "something" is NOT a great story.

I guess I'm influenced by knowing that the Annual is coming up soon and it's going to be all about Emma and her involvement in 'Dark Reign.' There's a lot of slow-build in 'Uncanny' right now, which is what that title has been like for a while, but these days I actually have some faith that there's a long term plan, so I'm content to let it happen.

On another note, "Manhunter" -- I agree with you on loving a lot of things that Andreyko's doing. It almost feels like it ought to be part of a creator- owned series outside of the DCU, and I'm hoping (now that Manhunter's not long for this world) Andreyko gets a chance to play with these concepts somewhere else.

[Mikegraham6]

This week was a bit of let down for me. I guess in the end Mighty was my POW but that's only because there wasn't anything else that impressed me. Hellblazer was probably my biggest disappointment, almost all the short stories bored me (i might have actually dozed off while reading it).

[CAM!]

This week was a bit of let down for me. I guess in the end Mighty was my POW but that's only because there wasn't anything else that impressed me. Hellblazer was probably my biggest disappointment, almost all the short stories bored me (i might have actually dozed off while reading it).

Hey Mike! Welcome back, feels like a while since we've seen you round these parts.

[Mikegraham6]

apparently Rev3 is working for me again! YAY! I'm back BABY! :D

[CAM!]

apparently Rev3 is working for me again! YAY! I'm back BABY! :D

LET THE HOCKEY TRASHTALK BEGIN!!!! ;)