New Comics Discussion for 04/22/09 doesn't know which end is up!

[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.

The Pick of the Week:

http://www.ifanboy.com/comics/image_comics/invincible/61/cover-medium.jpg

From here on out, there SHALL BE SPOILATION!

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

[thenextchampion]

Azrael Death's Dark Knight #2: A little bit of an issue with the first half of this. It felt like a bad action film; corny one-liners and some 'tense' moments with Lane and Talia. But once this issue kicked back up the religious plot points; that's when I got back into liking this. Art was fantastic like the first issue. I cant wait to see where this Azrael character goes to after this mini.

Detective Comics #853: (Pick of the Week) Best issue of the year for me.....Without a doubt. This was like reading a metaphysical philosophy book, or something. The last page is more then enough to raise questions about Batman; but more importantly about how we feel about where death leads us into the next life. Fantastic (by the 1,000,000,000th power) issue.

The Incredible Hercules #128: I hated the last issue so much.....I didnt want to see a Dark Avengers shit fest in here....But Pak and Van Lente must know my hatred for this Dark Reign nonsense. Cause this was by all accounts, a beatdown of epic porportions laid onto the Dark Avengers! They got their asses handed to them! There must be a god cause seeing the Dark Avengers lose to a bunch of Greek myths just make me smile.

[optimus187prime]

Kick Ass #6 - Best issue yet IMO. The JR JR art is amazing as usual. I really liked the twist at the end which has me pumped for the next issue. The banter between Mist and KA is pretty funny, gotta love that comic book commentary.

[paper]

Detective Comics was awesome. A great commentary on our immortal pop heroes and the nature of fiction. POW.

Viking started off really well and then quickly took a turn. The storytelling really confused me. I'm going to try again later.

[amircat]

[QUOTE=TheNextChampion;513151]Azrael Death's Dark Knight #2: A little bit of an issue with the first half of this. It felt like a bad action film; corny one-liners and some 'tense' moments with Lane and Talia. But once this issue kicked back up the religious plot points; that's when I got back into liking this. Art was fantastic like the first issue. I cant wait to see where this Azrael character goes to after this mini.

Detective Comics #853: (Pick of the Week) Best issue of the year for me.....Without a doubt. This was like reading a metaphysical philosophy book, or something. The last page is more then enough to raise questions about Batman; but more importantly about how we feel about where death leads us into the next life. Fantastic (by the 1,000,000,000th power) issue.


Azrael Death's Dark Knight #2:
Totally agree with both. For some reason, I expect Azrael to be able to speak better or have better dialogue than the character in the book. The are is great though.

Detective Comics #853
The most fun Batman book I've read this year. Now I kind of wish Gaiman was writing RIP ...

[timmywood-]

Yes a lot of great comics this week and yes Detective Comics was probably the best of the bunch.

However I just want to take a moment to mention Ghost Rider #34. I am not a Ghost Rider fan but I am a fan of Aaron and Moore. This book was so much fun. The art in it was fantastic. God I could stare at some of these pages for hours. I think Tony Moore might be one of the best artists out there right now. Fantastic work. A lot of fun.

[gabeja]

I really really liked Kick ass this week. It feels like the plot is finally starting to kick in, and the end had be truly shocked and intrigued. But doggonit, I wish this book came out.

[labor_days]

Detective Comics was awesome. A great commentary on our immortal pop heroes and the nature of fiction. POW.

Agree 100%. Thought it was a beautiful piece of writing. PotW for me as well.

[neb]

I've read through a few of my books.

So far, Daredevil's been the best of the bunch. It was really a great issue, and some serious stuff went down. When Bru said he was going to leave Matt in a bad place when he left, I didn't quite believe him, but seeing where this story is going, I should probably take him more seriously.

Immortal Iron Fist was pretty good. Carried the story along nicely. The problem I have with it is that Danny is being kind of dumb about the whole escape plan. I feel like the direction this story is going in is pretty obvious, which could also be part of the plan to throw readers off.

Incredible Herc was a fun read, but the art was just...not good. The body hair on the burly characters looked like black pox all over their bodies, and the style was a bit too cartoony for this book. I liked it better when it had a more realistic style with bright colors and big action. Otherwise, it was a pretty fun read.

[neb]

Just finished Hellblazer. It was pretty good. I'm liking the fact that Milligan is doing very short arcs. I still haven't quite wrapped my brain around his story telling style. It's definitely a little bit different. He starts really obtuse and then works slowly toward where he wants it to go only to throw a wrench in it later. I think he's still trying to pin down Constantine as a character.

The preview of Mike Carey's new series is pretty darn good. I'm really excited for that first issue next month.

[racemccloud]

Kick Ass #6 - Best issue yet IMO. The JR JR art is amazing as usual. I really liked the twist at the end which has me pumped for the next issue. The banter between Mist and KA is pretty funny, gotta love that comic book commentary.

Loved "Kick-Ass" this week. Now that things are coming together, I can really see how this sold as a movie before the book was even published. And isn't that little girl the cutest little psychopath you've ever seen?

[ryan79]

Incredible Herc was a fun read, but the art was just...not good. The body hair on the burly characters looked like black pox all over their bodies, and the style was a bit too cartoony for this book. I liked it better when it had a more realistic style with bright colors and big action. Otherwise, it was a pretty fun read.

That's dead on. A fun book, like you said, but that art....ouch.

Avengers: The Initiative- Well, this issue was an improvement. Osbourne answers some questions about the future of the initiative, finally. Truth be told, I'm more interested in the "Shadow Initiative" backup story. And I still don't like Humberto Ramos on this book. But all in all, this book may have a little life left in it. Hell with it, I'll make it my POW just because it's trying.

Amazing Spider-Man- Now that's a good lookin' cover. I really enjoyed this issue and it may have the best cliffhanger of any book ever. I can't wait to see Pete's reaction next issue.

Elephantmen- Not much happened and the art was...different. It's still a great book but this issue left some things to be desired.

New Avengers- So The Hood is more powerful than Dr. Strange. Does that mean The Hood is that badass or that Strange has fallen pretty far? I didn't expect to see Son of Satan in this book, but I'm OK with it.

Thor- I love the Warriors Three. I love them very, very much.

[comicbookchris]

I'm very thankful Marvel decided to put Dan Slott on Mighty Avengers, gives us an alternative to the Bendis style Avengers we've been seeing for the past 5 years. I just wish Slott would stop saying "Avenger-y" in his interviews, it sounds retarted.

Mighty Avengers #24 review:http://www.ifanboy.com/reviews/comicBOOKchris/marvel_comics/mighty_avengers/24

[dmaggot]

I really loved Amazing Spider-Man, Thor and Viking. Don't know yet which will be my pick of the week. New Avengers was decent...but it might end up on the chopping block if I don't start to really enjoy it soon.

On another note, I can't believe Viking was only $2.99!

[oh_caroline]

Detective Comics was awesome. A great commentary on our immortal pop heroes and the nature of fiction. POW.



I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on this. I have to say it kind of lost me when his mother showed up.

[ETA: "Lost" as in 'I'm not so into the direction of this' not as in 'Confused']

[neb]

Just finished another hand full of books. All of these were complete winners:

Elephantmen was really good this week. The art was definitely different for the series, but its soft tones and brighter colors were interesting because its a different look for the series. Some how, Starkings still managed to put a little bit of the dirtiness of the world into the book. I really enjoyed it. Plus, they printed my letter!

Ghost Rider was just great comics. Jason Aaron is writing some great stories, and Tony Moore is drawing the hell out of the book. This was just a really fun issue. I'm so glad I started picking it up when Moore came in on art duties.

Dynamo 5 was also very excellent. This issue was really dense and had a lot going on in it. Faerber continues to make really interesting villains and put his characters into interesting places. I rolled my eyes a little bit with one of the reveals in the book (dealing with one of the characters and drugs), but it will still be interesting to see where he goes with this. This just continued to be a solid book. Plus, I got another letter printed! That's two baby!

Guardians of the Galaxy has been the best book I've read so far. It was so funny! It also kept the story moving along and tied in well with War of Kings. The action was spot on as well. Again, this was just solid, solid comics.

I'm enjoying the hell out of this week so far.

[paper]

Working on a longer review of "Whatever Happened." I have a lot to say about it.

[optimus187prime]

Loved "Kick-Ass" this week. Now that things are coming together, I can really see how this sold as a movie before the book was even published. And isn't that little girl the cutest little psychopath you've ever seen?

Its funny how likable she is after just one issue.

[crippler]

Aunt May bumpin uglies can only result in JJJ3!

[thenextchampion]

Aunt May bumpin uglies can only result in JJJ3!

Oh please.....*coughs* I just had dinner.....

[johnferrigno]

New Avengers- So The Hood is more powerful than Dr. Strange. Does that mean The Hood is that badass or that Strange has fallen pretty far? I didn't expect to see Son of Satan in this book, but I'm OK with it.

I think it's a combination of the two. As strange is no longer the Sorcerer Supreme, he lost a great deal of power. Also, as Dormammu takes more and more control of the Hood, the Hood is getting stronger and stronger.

Also, WTF was up with the Sleepy's product placement in Amazing Spider-Man this week?

[paper]

My Detective Comics (http://www.ifanboy.com/reviews/PaulMontgomery/dc_comics/detective_comics/853) review.

[miyamotofreak]

Whatever happened to fred? He had like half the posts on this board.

[humphrey-lee]

Okay, there's a lot of randomness going on in both the parts so far, but I have to give this Fables crossover props for all the "fourth-wall" breaking it's doing when it comes to the idea of the crossover. Don't know what the hell to expect with The Literals next week...

[neb]

I just finished reading Detective Comics. It was really, really good. Papes, I liked your review for the book. I think this is definitely a great Batman story, and one that I will definitely re-read. Still don't know if its my POTW because I still have some books to go.

[cammyknoxville]

Detective Comics #853 - Hands-down my pick of the week. Gaiman told a wonderful tale, and almost made me cry manly tears at the end. Kubert's art was top-notch, and probably some of the best stuff I've ever seen. How will it compare to Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?? Only time will tell. What I do know is that this a must-read for anyone who loves Batman, but more specifically Bruce Wayne.

New Avengers #52 - As much as I'd like to see Dr. Strange keep the title of Sourcerer Supreme, I am rather curious who will be taking up the mantle. The Hood is so messed-up by his demon, that I really enjoy watching him decay further and further into madness. Avengers vs The Hood? Bring it!

Amazing Spider-Man #592 - Whenever Mark Waid is writing this title, I find myself enjoying it more and more. He just makes Spidey so fun. I like the aspect of JJJ Jr. and JJJ Sr. taking opposing sides when it comes to the wall-crawler, and Jr. paying his personal SWAT team out of his own pocket to hunt him down and destroy the bug. And howabout that last page? *shivers*

Kick-Ass #6 - Despite this title being Marvel's own All-Star Batman & Robin, I have tremendous fun reading this title whenever it finally comes out! The origins of Big Daddy & Hit Girl were nothing original, but I did not see that twist at the end of the issue coming at all! Reminds me that the opening page of issue 1 is what's probably coming next. Killer art by Romita Jr. too; fits really nicely with this action-packed series.

Daredevil #118 - Matt just needs to take a long vacation somewhere sunny and warm. The poor guy makes me more depressed after each issue, that I find myself kind of loathing reading it when it comes out. Don't get me wrong, I love this series, but I just hope Matt starts developing a winning streak soon. "Always look on the bright side of life..."

Thor #601 - Curse that tricky Loki! She can't be trusted at all (like my Prom date! Hi-yooo!). I'm just glad to see that Thor won't be alone in his exile next issue, and I'm happy that Baulder isn't just acting on instinct, but actually thinking like a true leader. I sure would like to see some Frost Giant hunting next issue!

Mighty Avengers #24 - If I had to choose one Avengers title that needed to get cancelled, I'd pick Mighty without a second thought. I wasn't a strong supporter with it's first arc with Ultron (beautiful art by Cho, though), and the backstory Secret Invasion issues made me slowly back away from picking up this title. This new team with their adventures? No thanks. The only thing I liked in this issue was Loki, because she is one tricky bitch.

Invincible #61 - Poor Mark. Half the world hates him, his girlfriend is in the hospital, and just as he's trying to help rebuild, a new foe looks to crush him and conquer his planet. With Mark now feelig the urge to hit something, the next issue is going to be insane!!!

Supergirl #40 - Wasn't a fan of the reveal at the end of who Superwoman was.

Guardians of the Galaxy #13 - I enjoy the peaceful solution after the violent bar fight; we need to have both Shi'ar and Kree sitdown and chat. Unfortunately, that's not in either side's current plans. Loving the War of Kings event, and the Guardians continue to thrill me each issue!

Battle For The Cowl: Arkham - You know, I did enjoy this one-shot. You got a little history of some lesser known characters, and plans for rebuilding a new and improved asylum. Plus it fits in to the Battle For The Cowl event and doesn't come-off as just-another-tie-in-you-NEED-to-buy.

X-Force #14 - While it feels like the lesser issue of the Messiah War event, it still was a fun read. The art has to be one of the main reasons I've been loving this series, and I can't wait to see what's happening next issue.

Astonishing X-Men #29 - While I love Warren Ellis, this issue was...interesting. Yes, you get to see psycho Forge, but it's Simone Bianchi's gorgeous (and I can't emphasize that enough) art that makes me love this title. Sure it's been a different ride since Whedon & Cassaday, but it's still enjoyable nonetheless.

Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight #2 - This issue felt like it lost some steam from the first issue, and I did find all the fighting a little ridiculous if at the end they're going to settle things by talking. Enough chit-chat! Lets see Azrael vs the Bat Family!

Viking #1 - I just felt kind of 'meh' reading this first issue. Take my advice and stick with Brian Wood's Northlanders if you're looking for spectacular viking comics.

Immortal Iron First #25 - Darn that Davos and his own plan! It's not going to be helping the Immortal Weapons in the next issue. This issue did get me worried for Danny though, and it was pretty action-packed. I'm going to be heart-broken when it's finally let go.

Justice League of America #32 - This title is like that old, dying relative of yours that is confined to a hospital bed. They're barely alive, but you know that smothering it with a pillow is the right thing to do.

Avengers: The Initiative #23 - Lots of changes are going to be happening in the next issue. You can tell how far behind this title is though, because they are just NOW introducing the dissolvement of SHIELD and introduction of Osborn and HAMMER.

Ex Machina #41 - It's nice to see The Great Machine back in action. Okay, so they're flashbacks of him and his archenemy Pharel, but with his return just around the corner, Mitchel Hundred won't be leaving office in peace. Maybe pieces? Fun issue.

Scalped #28 - Wow. We finally get the story of what happened to the FBI agents on the Rez all those years ago, and who pulled the trigger. I had my suspicions from earlier issues, but to have it in print and confirmed is awesome. This is why Jason Aaron is amazing, and why you should be reading everything else by him.

Ghost Rider #34 - Nice, fun, violent, one-and-done with Ketch vs the Highwayman. If they want a cool villain for the next Ghost Rider movie, the producers should be checking this issue out. Better yet, they should hire Aaron & Ennis on as screenplay writers. Only in a perfect world would a Ghost Rider movie be as badass as Aaron's current run.

Outsiders #17 - The 'Insiders'? C'mon, Tomasi, that's a little too ridiculous, even for me. I've been in love with these recent covers though. I'd love to have them without text as posters so I could hang them everywhere.

Jack of Fables #33 - Jack is like Rodney Dangerfield; he gets no respect! No respect at all! Hell, Bigby even beats him to a pulp in front of all of his buddies. I did have a good laugh as all his sisters were rooting for Bigby, though. This Fables event keeps becoming more and more fun!

Hulk #11 - Art: gorgeous. Story: atrocious.

Incredible Hercules #128 - Wait, there's another Avengers team in this issue?? An Olympus Avengers??! What the hell is the 616 coming to?

Dark Reign: Elektra #2 - I am interested to see where the next issue goes, because although I'm not a hardcore Elektra fan, I am having fun with this mini.

Buck Rogers #0 - Yup, $0.25 well spent.

Ignition City #2 - I have a theory. Just hear me out, but I think Warren Ellis doesn't sleep. He's a robot, walking and drinking heavily among us and cranking out stories left and right. I think he's actually the CEO, President, and Head Honcho over at Avatar, and will take over the planet sometime in the near future. I've found ANOTHER Ellis series that I love, and her name is Ignition City. I shouldn't even have to explain myself; go out and pick it up today. It's well worth the $3.99 price tag in my opinion.

Hellblazer #254 - I like the look of the villain, but I'm not entirely sold on this arc quite yet.

Dynamo 5 #21 - I really like the costume of the villain on the final page! Other and that, pretty decent issue.

No Hero #5 - Another Ellis / Avatar issue out this week! After reading this series, I no longer want to be a superhero. The poor main character is like a super-powered Arseface. Killer story and art though!

Savage Dragon #147 - Slowly losing me...

Skrull Kill Krew #1 - Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Adam Felber on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!, but I loathe this title. It's not even needed!!! Secret Invasion is over, and everyone is sick of Skrulls! And to add insult to injury, Marvel has the balls to put a $3.99 price tag on it!? Get the fuck outta here!

Fantastic Force #1 - Think of this as the New Exiles of the Fantastic Four universe.

[comicbookchris]

Fantastic Force #1 - Think of this as the New Exiles of the Fantastic Four universe.

Meaning that no one really gives a crap about the book?

[cammyknoxville]

Meaning that no one really gives a crap about the book?

Nor should they!

[neb]

Finally finished all of my books. My last two issues were Scalped and Viking.

Scapled was flippin' awesome, as usual. I really liked where the story went with this, and it's great to see the reveal as to who killed Gina and the two FBI agents all those years ago. My only gripe is that I want to know what happened with Dash and the black guy from the first issue of this arc. While I enjoy these other looks at characters, I really, really want to know what happens with them.

Viking was pretty good. It wasn't great, but it was good. I'll scope out the second issue. I felt there were some storytelling issues with the way things broke down. I was a bit confused by what was going on and who was who and found myself flipping back in the book. I got everything figured out, but it was a little annoying while reading it. The art was pretty good, but I think the coloring needs a little work. Maybe not so many colors in the brown family. I think this will definitely be a series that will grow and improve over time. I want to mention that I love the size of the issue. Golden age formatting=awesome.

[optimus187prime]

Cam since it sounds like you like No Hero, what did you think of Black Summer? I didnt care for it other than the amazing art, but I am a fan of Ellis. I am a bit conflicted on whether or not to pick up No Hero or not.

[paper]

Viking was pretty good. It wasn't great, but it was good. I'll scope out the second issue. I felt there were some storytelling issues with the way things broke down. I was a bit confused by what was going on and who was who and found myself flipping back in the book. I got everything figured out, but it was a little annoying while reading it. The art was pretty good, but I think the coloring needs a little work. Maybe not so many colors in the brown family. I think this will definitely be a series that will grow and improve over time. I want to mention that I love the size of the issue. Golden age formatting=awesome.

Very much agreed on the troublesome storytelling. Honestly I'm really glad to hear I'm not alone. Haha. Still, I think it's an incredible looking book, and one I want to stick with. Hopefully the kinks will get worked out, because at 2.99 an issue? Talk about a great value. Listen, I'm primarily a writing guy, but I'd actually hazard to say that this book is worth it for the art and presentation alone. It's that darn good lookin'.

[cammyknoxville]

Cam since it sounds like you like No Hero, what did you think of Black Summer? I didnt care for it other than the amazing art, but I am a fan of Ellis. I am a bit conflicted on whether or not to pick up No Hero or not.

I personally LOVED Black Summer. Ryp's art was fantastic, and I loved how brutal Ellis made the characters. You do get that same feel with No Hero, so I'm not sure if you want to give it a try or not.

[optimus187prime]

I personally LOVED Black Summer. Ryp's art was fantastic, and I loved how brutal Ellis made the characters. You do get that same feel with No Hero, so I'm not sure if you want to give it a try or not.

I didnt love it. I just felt like the story was put aside about half way through to give us some pretty battles. I agree the art is amazing though. Ryp is very skilled.

[labor_days]

Viking looked great.

[gobo]

I thought Viking was a really good setup issue, took me a second read to figure out what happened when but now it's clear and I'm digging it.

[neb]

I think Viking holds a lot of potential. There's a lot of room for growth both in the storytelling and the art. I can't image how great this series will be (hopefully) by the time issue 5 or 6 rolls around. It definitely has a chance at being something both unique and great.

[skeets]

Viking looked great.
that's about all it did...

well, that and confuse.




My Pick of the Week:

Guardians of the Galaxy #13. I've been following this comic for awhile now, and while I've always enjoyed it, I've never been blown away by it.... until this issue. Now that was a fucking comic book! Enjoyed every second of it.