Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Here's An Odd Thing...

I just looked at the covers of the August solicitations. There were 71 different covers for me to look at.
I was interested in five of them. And only because Man-Thing was on the cover of the third issue of Weirdworld.

http://cdn1-www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/gallery/marvel-comics-august-2015-solicitations_1/weirdw2015004_cov.jpg
Cool cover, huh?


Five?!?!?!
That's all I'm getting from this?
I don't know, Marvel. This could be the beginning of the end.
Maybe I can just find another hobby.
Yeah, right!

In DC news I did the same thing and came up with six. But, two of them Bizarro and Bat-Mite are currently slated as limited series so, that would be 4. Still not great.



IDW has already cancelled Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth so in independents land I know I have John Carter, Warlord of Mars.
Not a great time to be a comic book fan.
BLEH!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Secret Wars: A Conspiracy Theory

Okay, we all know that the Marvel Universe has been around for 75 years. Not once have they tried a reboot like DC Comics does on annual basis. Now, they say that everything dies?!?! Well, sure, but these are fictional characters and we have cared about them for a long time.
And now they're all dead???
Just like that??
Way to build goodwill for your fan base, Marvel!
Anyway, this is obviously housekeeping to try and line things up more with the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Disney wants to make them acres and acres of money. If they can convince a movie goer to pick up a comic book because it's just like the movie, then they can make more money off the movie going public.

I'm going to insert an old man BAH! here right now.

BAH!

I'm going to guess that what Marvel is doing is streamlining things. They have this one guy who has been writing Avengers for the last two years, I think his name is Hickman...who cares? Anyway, he has been orchestrating the whole plot of this for the entire time and now it has blossomed out of control into this huge mess.

BAH!

If everyone dies, who are all these superheroes?
I have yet to get an answer to this and I think Marvel is betting on us buying the comics to find out.
Yeah, not gonna happen.
I'll wait until yet another giant, mindless crossover is finished, check what has happened, if anything, and then see if Marvel can give me a Captain America comic book I'm willing to read.
It has been years.

BAH!

Saturday, May 16, 2015

CAT FIGHT!!

Leave it to good old Comics Alliance to give us what essentially boils down to a cat fight over a comic book.
It seems that a columnist for The New Yorker, Dr. Jill Lepore decided to watch the new Avengers movie with a pair of ten year olds, read the new issue of A-Force (The new Marvel comic that has nothing but female super heroes in it).

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Well, the writer of that issue, Ms. G. Willow Wilson decided to be offended. Since it smacks of feminism, Comics Alliance gave her some web space to post her retort.  Why shouldn't they? Everyone deserves to respond to the slings and arrows of their opponents.
Right?

CLICK HERE TO READ HER RESPONSE

Here's the problem;
Dr. Lepore is only criticizing what the heroines look like. She never once mentions the story. G. Willow Wilson is never criticized in this entire article. The characters she writes for A-Force are not her own. She is a writer for hire. She did not create any of these female superheroes. Well, unless the new Ms. Marvel is in there. She did create her after all.
Here's the other problem;
Dr. Lepore's piece is an op-ed piece. Ms. Wilson admits to this in her lengthy response. Here's the definition for all involved;

an essay in a newspaper or magazine that gives the opinion of the writer and that is written by someone who is not employed by the newspaper or magazine.

Didja see the word opinion? Didja catch the part where we live in America and everyone is entitled to their opinion? Sure, Ms. Wilson has hers, but she does her snarky best to try and make Dr. Lepore's opinion invalid.
Bad form, Ms. Wilson.
Let me make this incredibly easy for all involved. Comic books have been around for a very long time. They are, in my opinion, an art form. The art comes from the perfect blend of story and art. Sometimes the story is so good you don't need great art. Neil Gaiman's stuff could be done with stick figures and it would work.  Sometimes, the art is so good we forgive the story, but not nearly as often as when the tables are turned.
Everyone just needs to write good stories, entertain people and it will make everyone happy. The agenda needs to stop whether it's feminist, anti feminist, whatever I don't feel like googling a bunch of agendas to list here.
I have been reading comic books for fifty years and do you want to know what it's all about? What makes comics books my preferred form of entertainment?
It's that they are comic books.
Stop trying to bend them to your will. Leave them alone. If you're trying to do something different, then by all means do it! Call it something else!
Stop calling it comic books then.
And, in case it needed saying, keep off of my damned lawn.


Friday, May 15, 2015

Fridays, Because...Why Not?: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two wrap up.

A second season of SHIELD has come and gone and the body count this time around is off the charts. If you don't want to know, stop reading right now.
I was pretty happy that I called Skye's Dads' Mr. Hyde transformation. It didn't look great, but I was happy to see it.
The final reveal that Skye's mom is a murdering psychopath was awesome and Fitz figuring out how to stop Gordon's teleportation was pretty cool. Gordon basically killing himself was okay. Seems he would know not to do that, but maybe in the heat of the moment.
Skye's dad getting a mindwipe and becoming a veterinarian was bittersweet. I hope she keeps visiting him even if he doesn't remember her. I'm betting with the chemicals raging through his system that it might not be a permanent wipe.
Ward killing his girlfriend was an interesting twist and I don't know how I feel about him being some kind of HYDRA splinter group. I really wish they would just kill him. I wrote him off after he turned so, why can't Marvel. I understand a good villain, but he really just needs to die.
Here is my final statement as to the end of the season;

Dear Marvel,

If you harm a single hair on the fictional head of one Jemma Simmons, and I do mean ONE HAIR, then we are done. Don't think I won't do it. I bailed on Daredevil on Episode 12!!!! They were stupid and killed Ben Urich. I really liked that show and they crossed the line.
At least the show Prison Break was smart enough to not piss me off until the very last episode. Sneaky bastards!
So, to reiterate, bring that shapely British butt back to the show completely unharmed and we will be fine.
Otherwise...
I will be angry.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
No threat, just a promise.

SAVE SIMMONS!!!!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

OH DC...What are you doing??? (Part 2)

A while back DC released sneak peeks of new titles. I honestly liked one of them. This time two look interesting and I might be interested in a third. Lets go again shall we?

DR. FATE

Eight page preview and Dr. Fate's helmet shows upon the last page??? I'm gonna need more than this for any form of interest.

AQUAMAN

This looks cool. Not one of the two I was interested in. It's that third one I mentioned.

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001

I can never decide if I like this. A female Guy Gardner is pretty funny though..

ACTION COMICS

This looks...dumg.

BAT MITE

Funny stuff! I'll buy a couple of these. Might as well Howard The Duck sucks now.

BIZARRO

This is my favorite sneak peek so far. I love the art and it made me laugh. Too bad it's a limited series. Maybe DC will see the error of their way.  Maybe.

GREEN LANTERN: THE LOST ARMY

Bleh! PASS!

LOBO

I didn't even read the sneak peek of this abomination. This is not LOBO.

Here's some art;

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Secret Wars...Here's my problem

http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/styles/blog_post_media/public/MarvelSecretWars.jpg?itok=M-PObFE-


Okay, as the Secret Wars thingie rapidly approaches...Hell, it could be here already. I won't make it to a comic shop until the end of May, I keep hearing something.
"Everyone dies."
Really? Are they really dead? If they are, who are these heroes that we have in the Secret Wars? Is the Steve Rogers of Planet Hulk not the Captain America near and dear to my heart. Is every story that has been published by Marvel for the last 75 years meaningless?
Because, if that is the case, while Marvel touts this a perfect jumping on point for readers, it might be the perfect jumping off point for me. There are years and years of Marvel Comics from the past where they didn't feel it was necessary to reinvent the wheel with these mindless event comics.
Maybe I'll just read those instead.
Probably spend less money in the long run.
Yeah, that sounds just fine to this old man.
Thanks for nothing, Marvel.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Howard The Dud

I was so excited when one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe was getting his own book again. Howard The Duck is the only comic book I ever had a subscription to.
Yeah, I really do not like this new Howard book. I understand that the Guardians of the Galaxy movie made it happen and that led to some Guardians team up stuff.
I'm fine with that.
I just don't think that the guy writing it gets it. Also, not a huge fan of the art. We already have a Squirrel Girl comic book. This feels like it's trying to do that. Howard deserves to be Howard.
This isn't my Howard.
I can't justify paying four bucks for things I don't like.
This sucks.
I felt like adding to this little stub of an article. I think the problem is that I was with Howard from the beginning. Howard The Duck is the only comic book I ever had a mail subscription to. I read every issue multiple times. When it became a black and white magazine I read it.
Since then they have tried to give us more Howard The Duck from time to time. There was a Marvel MAX series that I liked. Then there was that Fear Itself that gave me Howard and Man-Thing and that was also pretty good.
I think I know the problem;
It's not Howard The Duck I have such an affection for.
It's Steve Gerber.
His run on Man-Thing, The Defenders, Howard The Duck.
It's like how I can read anything by Frank Herbert beyond his Dune series. Phillip K. Dick with everything he has written.
It's an affection for particular authors that is the problem.
This is a good thing in that I know what I like.
It's bad in that the three examples I gave are people who have shuffled off this mortal coil.
Their work is finite.
I think that's what sucks the most for me.
Well, and that I don;t think Chip gets Howard. That still holds true and I have no problem skipping this newest incarnation altogether.
There! I fell better.
Kind of. 

  

Thursday, May 7, 2015

OH DC, What are you doing???

So, DC just gave us eight page sneak peeks of some of their post Convergence titles. I'm going to give title names and a brief explanation of why they suck, because they do suck, but I'm not putting up any pictures. No way I'm encouraging this behavior.

THE OMEGA MEN

I vaguely remember this series. There are a lot of panels. Kinda hurt my eyes after a while and reminded me of an old Giffen joke. Bah!

STARFIRE

Sick of being a superhero, she moves to Florida. Um, okay. Wasn't going to read this anyway. Do comics still need this kind of mindless eye candy? Bleh!

DETECTIVE COMICS

James Gordon as Robo Batman???? Really?????

DOOMED

A person who turns into Doomsday as a super hero and has trouble controlling the change?? You mean The Hulk?

MIDNIGHTER

Isn't this gay Batman from Image? I'm not being mean I'm just asking? Does he get a comic book just because he's, well, Gay Batman??

GREEN LANTERN

Now it's a Power Glove instead of a Power Ring? Cane he play old school Nintendo with it? And the art is terrible like a lot of these entries.

GREEN ARROW

They made him in his twenties again?   I like old and ornery Green Arrow myself.

RED HOOD AND ARSENAL

Speedy and the Robin that got crowbarred by The Joker because I forgot to call a 900 number??? And they are fighting Kobra. I remember when Kobra was cool for a hot minute. Now, not so much.

PREZ

This is one I was looking forward to. Out of context it just seems, I don't know...dumb? Yeah, let's go with dumb. Also the artwork is just horrid.

SECTION EIGHT

I know who Hitman is. I had no idea this book existed previously. The artwork and dialogue makes it read like something out of the pages of 2000 A.D. and that is great. Who knows, I might get it. I might also stand in the comic book shop and just read the damned thing. I buy enough stuff from them. They can throw me this bone for crying out loud!

Anyway, this batch of sneak peeks makes me cringe for what is coming next.

Seeya!


Fine, here's one picture ya big babies!


Go Read This!

No pictures, just a link. Read it you'll be happy you did.

http://fusion.net/story/130880/from-graduation-to-garbage-job-literally-one-twentysomethings-struggle/

Have an excellent day!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Adding To The Hate

See, I have complained about the site Comics Alliance time and time again. Yeah, I know, if you don;t like it, don't go. I get that. Now, they have this comic strip that subjects the new Avengers movie to the Bechdel Test. (I'm not explaining the test, look it up yourselves...slackers!) Would any super hero pass the test? I'm going to, without any research whatsoever, say no.

Here's a link to the strip;

http://comicsalliance.com/kate-or-die-age-of-ultron-bechdel-test/

It's probably located in the near vicinity of this page;

http://comicsalliance.com/best-cosplay-ever-this-week-star-lord-red-sonja-rogue-wonder-woman-and-more/

I'll bet this page won't pass the Bechdel test either. :)

And I know this guy won't ever pass it. Seems that giving an artist PTSD automatically excludes you from the list for life;

http://comicsalliance.com/ask-chris-238-why-you-should-probably-pick-up-walter-simonsons-orion/

This is especially rich in that when it was discovered what he had done Comics Alliance said he was gone. There are deaths in the Marvel Universe that lasted longer than Sims' being 'gone'.

I think instead of ignoring the site I'm gonna visit every day and then just post here whenever they start up with their mixed message grab bag of agendas.

Comics Alliance. If they are the Alliance I'm joining up with the rebels.

Hey! That was kinda funny!


WONDER WOMAN 77





When DC Comics gets it right they do a magnificent job. I have proclaimed the glory of Sensation Comics before and now this. Our founder the only and only LArry Stanley must be looking down from Heaven and weeping tears of ultimate joy. For those of us who remember the original Wonder Woman series starring Lynda Carter that jumpstarted many a young man's puberty, this is a true gift from DC. I find it funny that they are unable to translate Wonder Woman to any other media, but when it comes to comics they have it figured out to a capital T.
Well done, DC Comics. In a sea of multiple dimensional crossovers and Secret Wars it's nice to have some stability in my comics buying world.