Heb je een comics gerelateerde site? Wil je hier een link hebben? Mail me & Join the Club!
Comics, Graphic Novels, Strips, and much more ...
27-04-2008
Batman "Faces" and "Going sane"
Will the REAL Wolverine please stand up?
"Faces" and "Going sane": two great
Legends of the Dark Knight coming in TPB.
By "The Ace of Knaves"
I was quite happy to see the announcement of "Faces" and "Going sane"
in TPB, as these are two excellent story arcs from "Legends of the Dark
Knight" which I just recently read as back-issue comics. "Faces" (by Matt
Wagner) was published originally is issues 28-30 (march to may 1992) and
contains a solid Two-face story. I can't really find myself in the "army
of deformed super-powerful slaves" blurb used in the promotion of the
TPB, as the to me the story seems to be more about the balance between
interior beauty and exterior deformity (and vice versa) rather than about
any "super-powers". Not every deformed body has a deformed soul and not
every beautiful body has the soul to match. Quite ironic that Two-face
has to learn this lesson in this arc. The art by Willie Schubert is absolutely
spot-on for this theme. If you liked Tod Browning's movie "Freaks", you're
going to love "Faces". I know I did.
"Going Sane" (by De Matteis) appeared in LOTDK65-68 (nov 1994-feb 1995)
and features a quite tragic story about how Batman and the Joker are doomed
to each other. I don't want to give away too much, but I do want to say
that it contains some heart-breaking scenes when the Joker's fragile recovering
sanity is once again broken. In fact at this point in the story the roles
seem to reverse: whereas normally you'd be angry at the Joker for disturbing
Batman's peace, here Batman seems to come close near the villainous part
as he (probably involuntary) draws the Joker back into their eternal dance
of death and insanity.
I can only hope that this heralds the appearance of more LOTDK TPB's,
as there are some other marvellous story arcs from this period really
deserving the treatment, such as "Prey" (LOTDK 11-15) featuring the always
wonderfully unstable Hugo Strange.
We're
on "well deserved" holiday from 05-05 untill 13-05. The
shop stays open for orders, but they will be shipped starting from
16-05. There could be delay on posting the preorders for May, so
please forgive me ; )
Please
Note:
Deadline
for this month's previews is closing on monday 22u.
Count-down, Let-down The oldest trick in the book ...
Will the REAL Wolverine please stand up?
Count-down, Let-down The oldest trick
in the book (and how I fell for it)
By "The Ace of Knaves"
Damn! As it turns out DC WAS kidding when they called their big event
"final crisis". After my lavish praise for their bold plot and excellent
storytelling for countdown issues #06-05, they followed up with a Disappointing
Cheat in issues #04-03.
Once again it's the "biggest announced event of the
year" where actually nothing much really happens.
Sorry folks! Wrong universe! It was the oldest trick in the book and I
fell for it. Turns out it was "universe 51" that was totally destroyed
and not the mainstream one. I should have been suspicious by the lack
of continuity with the ongoing series and by the sudden absence of the
twin globes in the top left panels which usually announce which dimension
stuff is happening in. I don't now if I'm angrier with myself for falling
for this or with such excellent writers as Dini and Giffen for choosing
they easy way out. I guess I was spoilt by the absence of parallel universes
in DC recently, so I forgot that "it only happened in a dream/other universe"
was the easiest way to chicken out. Still it wouldn't have been so bad
if issues 04-03 were up to par with the excellent writing of 06-05. But
all the emotional stuff was absent in overstuffed action issues. Only
Holly and Ray seemed to care that the "heroes" just screwed up and let
a world die. The others didn't give a rats arse. "Hey, it was just some
other dimension right? Not like those people there matter!" I would expect
this behaviour from Jason Todd (can someone please bring out the crowbar
again!) but not from Kyle or Donna. They should have been devastated.
The rest of these issues was also un-involving as now it was my turn not
to give a rats arse about Mary Marvel or Jimmy Olsen. I liked Piper and
Trickster. They were B- level villains but they really shined. Mary Marvel
as "bad girl" just doesn't work. I felt sorry for Jean Loring when she
was eclipsed, but I couldn't care less about "the corruption of Mary Marvel".
Bring back Black Adam! And as for Olsen taking centre stage: What a revoltin' development! 'Nuff said!
Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
When the chips are down, there's only one team to call
to keep Britannia ruling the waves: the Rifle Brigade!
This new trade paperback collects the 3-issue Vertigo
miniseries ADVENTURES IN THE RIFLE BRIGADE and its sequel,
OPERATION BOLLOCK. Ey-oop! Yer aht of order!
Writer: Bill Willingham Artist: Bill Willingham
Written by acclaimed FABLES creator Bill Willingham.
When a professional Vegas poker player collects vouchers
for the souls of a roomful of people as a bar prank,
he's just anted up for a game he never imagined. He
thinks they're just worthless napkins, but envoys from
Heaven and Hell think differently. Suddenly, Joey's
caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between celestial
powers...can he bluff his way out of it?
Imagine you're twelve years old and suddenly
discover that you are the returned Jesus Christ. You
can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk and
perhaps even raise the dead. What do you and your family
do, and how does it affect you knowing that you're destined
to grow up and take part in a conflict that people have
been waiting almost two thousand years for? Chosen has
been described in the British press as Spider-Man meets
The Book of Revelation. SFX Magazine describes it as
Harry Potter for Christian fundamentalists.
Written by Keith Giffen & Alan Grant Art
by Simon Bisley & Christian Alamy Cover by Bisley Don't
miss this new volume collecting both the 4-issue LOBO
and LOBO'S BACK miniseries that helped make the Last
Czarnian a legend, co-written by 52's Keith Giffen!
First, Lobo is sent to capture a crotchety old teacher
who, along the way, makes life miserable for her captor.
Then, Lobo must take in the most dangerous being in
the universe - and is promptly killed. But heaven doesn't
want him and hell can't handle him, so Lobo is reincarnated
- as a woman with big guns and a very bad attitude!
Attention all:
This month in your
favorite Previews catalogue,
they resollicited
Ultimates Origin #1 again.
You can recognize resollicitations by the code (RES).
It means all previous orders are cancelled.
Please order this title again
and let us know !!
We'll make sure you won't pay double!!
Digital Back Issues For Sale
Column by Tyler Chin-Tanner, 2008.
Weve established that the Internet is a good resource for
promoting a new comic, and a webcomic can be great way to
get readers interested enough in the story that they go out
and buy it. Its difficult to make much money on the actual
digital distribution of a webcomic, but the strategy of the
publisher should be to sell the print version and consider
any web presence to be for promotional purposes.
There is, however, a growing market of publishers selling
digital versions of their back issues, comics that have already
been published and sold in print. The sales numbers on these
digital comics are hardly those of a booming industry, but
if the materials already been paid for and assembled for
the print version, then any additional income from selling
a digital file is simply a bonus.
The million dollar question is how much to charge for these
digital comic books. At one point, Top Cow announced that
they would make the cost to download one of their comics the
same as the cover price of the print comic so that retailers
wouldnt be upset that they were underselling them. I thought
this was odd since its a different final product. Publishers
have adjusted their prices depending on paper quality and
cover thickness. Hardcover graphic novels cost more than softcovers.
Certainly it couldnt cause too much of a problem to lower
the price when theres no paper at all.
Furthermore, retailers have never felt the need to stick
to the cover price. Discounts are often available on comics
even on the day them come out, not to mention left over back-issues
which can often be found for a fraction of the cover price
in discount bins.
Today its more common to find digital comics priced lower
than the print version. Top Cow comics are still some of the
higher priced comics, going for $1.99 a single issue on their
affiliated webstore Direct2Drive. Other publishers go slightly
cheaper with Archaia selling most issues for 99 cents at DriveThru
Comics and Devils Due and IDW matching that price at Pull
Box Online. Slave Labor makes a small attempt to undercut
them all by offering their downloadable comics for 89 cents.
Of course I bought print copies of their Street Angel series
from a 50 cent bin. They werent in great condition, but collectibility
is hardly an issue when comparing digital files. I did end
up buying the Street Angel graphic novel when it came out
though, it was a good series and I wanted to replace those
ratty issues, so theres a case where making material available
for cheap can end up bringing in cash later.
My favorite method of offering downloadable
comics is what the website Wowio.com is doing. They offer
free downloads on all their comics, choosing instead to bring
in revenue through selling ad space to companies by placing
ad pages at the beginning and end of the digital pdf file.
This allows them to pay the publishers and creators each time
the comic is downloaded without charging the customer.
For me this is a good value for a digital comic because I
dont really enjoy reading comics on a computer. I use it
as a resource to test new comics or to find titles I wouldnt
normally know about. Even at 99 cents or 89 cents each, this
can get pricey for comics I may not even want to read ever
again.
And yes, this is the website I use to for making the issues
of my series Adrenaline available for free download. As a
matter of fact, I just uploaded #6 if anyone is interested.
My one criticism of Wowio, and I find this same problem with
the other sites Ive mentioned, is that theres not a lot
to see of the comic before downloading it. Theres just the
cover image and a short blurb. Even if the comic is free,
I dont want to have to download a comic just to get the slightest
idea if its something I might be interested in.
If I were to offer a piece of advice to a publisher putting
their material online, it would be to make more information
and material easily accessible to the most amount of people
rather than worry about how many cents more you can get from
a few people.
Well, I could talk for weeks on end about webcomics, and
I plan to do more later in the year. But next week I want
to start discussing strategies for small publishers at comic
conventions. The convention season is starting up and the
big New York Comic-Con is in a week. Ill be there at a small
publishers table. Time to start writing on the topic and
gearing up for the summer.
---
Tyler Chin-Tanner started his own publishing
company, A Wave Blue World, and writes and draws layouts for
Adrenaline, its flagship series.
Karate Kid kills the the universe! (with a little help from the monitor)
Will the REAL Wolverine please stand up?
Karate Kid kills the
universe!
(with a little help from the monitor)
By "The Ace of Knaves"
Boy oh boy! When the good folks at DC decided to call their big event
the "Final Crisis" they really meant business! The countdown is only down
to five yet and already the earth and all of it's A-level heroes have
been destroyed.
That's a welcome change from the usual "biggest announced event of
the year" where actually nothing much really happens.
It's not just that they really do present the most final crisis possible,
they also do it in an incredibly talented way (thanks to Paul Dini, Adam
Beechen and Keith Gifen). Issues 06 and 05 of countdown were among the
most gripping and emotionally involving comics I've ever read (and that's
saying a lot given my hamster-like collecting of comics). The concept
of telling the story through the eyes of has-been superhero Buddy Blank
(the original OMAC) gives a fresh angle and the scenario presented is
absolutely unique as this time it's no supervillain that wreaks havoc,
but a "simple" disease. In fact, it's the very heroism of the DC heroes
that dooms the world as they seek to preserve the life of Karate Kid.
Now normally in such a crisis everything goes just right and the heroes
carry the day, but this time all the little things just go wrong and all
the best intentions back-fire (Green Lantern spreading the plague universally
when looking for a cure illustrates this best). It's great to see how,
through the Monitors machinations, everything goes down the drain.
A very wonderful dynamic here is how the Atom (acting as scientist first
and a hero second) had predicted all this and sought to prevent it, but
how the "hubris" of the others actually causes it (We're the good guys!
We'll find a solution! We can't let him die! Everything will turn out
all right because it always does! Right? WRONG !!!).
Great stuff!
I was only disappointed that this story seems to happen outside of continuity
as in the other series all the dead heroes are still going about their
business normally. I would have like to see a cross over with a "the death
of " each of the major heroes simultaneously, but this would probably
have been too depressing as these two issues of countdown had already
left me shaken. The reality and sense of this disaster makes it only more
nightmarish.
Written by MARK MILLAR Pencils & Cover
by JOHN ROMITA JR. Sickening violence...just the way
you like it. The most screwed-up superhero comic of
all time continues in what's sure to be the most exciting
launch of 2008. What would happen if you tried to be
a super hero? What would happen when an ordinary man
in a latex suit comes face-to-face with the criminal
underworld? Read about super heroes like you've never
seen them before and feel happy that you are living
here right now when this book is being published. Your
grandchildren will only envy you. Comics just don't
get better than this.
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Penciled
by LEINIL FRANCIS YU Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO Variant
cover by STEVE MCNIVEN SECRET INVASION IS HERE!! Years
in the making, months in the teasing...and it all STARTS
HERE!! The shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls
has secretly infiltrated every super-powered organization
on Earth with one goal...full-scale invasion! In this
DOUBLE-SIZED first issue, page after page unveils reveal
after reveal and shocking moment after shocking moment!
Brian Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu leap off the pages
of mega-hit New Avengers and deliver a story that will
change the Marvel Universe forever. THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!
Written by GREG PAK Penciled by CARLO
PAGULAYAN, AARON LOPRESTI, GRAY FRANK & TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Cover by LADRÖNN A whole new world of hurt! Betrayed
by Earth's heroes and exiled into outer space, the man-monster
Hulk has landed on the distant planet Sakaar, ruled
by the tyrannical Red King. Sold into slavery, Hulk
becomes the Green Scar, the planet's mightiest gladiator
- but his new masters get more than they bargained for
when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow
fighters: crafty insectoid Miek, the horrific Brood,
wise rock-man Korg, shadow warrior Hiroim, noble-born
rebel Elloe and her loyal guardsman Skee. Together,
these gladiators start a revolution that could change
their entire world - or destroy it. It's savage sci-fi
fantasy by award-winning writer Greg Pak, guest-starring
the Silver Surfer!
Author: James Farr Art By: Alfa Robbi
Rating: T (Teen Age 13+) Earth's preeminent nanotechnology
scientist must create physical and mental enhancements
for whomever is chosen to represent Earth in the alien
parliament. But when his daughter is mortally injured
in a car crash, he uses the one dose of enhancement
serum on her-which mISBNs she has to go to the alien
parliament! Humor and action ensue as she makes several
unusual alien friends and helps thwart a plot to free
a hugely powerful alien death god trapped inside a black
hole.
The new Previews
Order Form
- APR08 -
is available here.
Click on the link in the first line
of the message and you'll download
the excel orderform.
For those who don't
use the excel sheet,
there's an extra shipment
possible for small orders. More
info ...
In the Excel sheet
you also find
the full description of every comic
and a build- in cost calculator.
Skrulls. Finally the invasion is here. Get your popcorn,
kiddies, this is gonna be fun!
We all know what this is about. The Skrulls have infiltrated
the Marvel Universe and have their eyes set on domination.
They are undetectable by most of the means our heroes have
used in the past. The Invansion starts here and it comes hard
and fast.
Wow. Brian Michael Bendis has given us one heck of an opening
issue. Pretty early on things get out of control and it does
nothing but ratchet up from there. This is the big summer
popcorn blockbuster that Quesada has been promising us all
along. Fortunately for us, this one seems a little smarter
than War World Hulk proper did.
This story comes at us with a frenetic pace and the internet
is sure to come to a loud roar. For all the jaw dropping moments
contained in the first issue, there are probably ten other
things to be explained. The Skrulls, like Bendis, are not
going to let us take a breath during this whole thing. The
reveals and big moments start just a few pages in and almost
every other page features a moment that will make fanboys
everywhere bug out their eyes.
There are a couple of clunky bits. Scenes that dont readily
tell you what is going on (yes, I have my eyes on you, Thunderbolt
Mountain) and dialogue that doesnt make immediate sense.
However, I have a feeling that these are supposed to be that
way (in fact, I KNOW it is true for one particular piece of
repeated dialogue) and that all will be explained in time.
Heck, I imagine by the time the dust settles that we will
even know for sure what that Skrull was doing in Avengers:
Disassembled.h for the title to retain its readership-Caps
alter ego, young Billy Batson, became Micky Moran. Shazam,
the wizard who empowered him, became astrophysicist Guntag
Borghelm, who taught Micky the magic word Kimota (atomic
spelled backwards, near enough). Captain Marvel Junior became
Young Marvelman, while Mary Marvel underwent a more conspicuous
change and morphed into Johnny Bates AKA Kid Marvelman! The
Marvelman titles retained the sense of whimsy which had made
Captain Marvel so popular, and they sold well for almost a
decade before fading away in 1963. End of story, it seemed.
It sure is nice to see Yus art get inked again. It still
isnt as tight as the work Gary Frank is doing with the style
over in Action Comics, but it is much better then the rushed
and unfinished art that plagued Yus run in The New Avengers.
There is still some wackiness from the penciler though, his
Spider-Man is way too ripped. Seriously, with the paper thin
costume he must be wearing, there is nothing left to the imagination
and a breeze must make old Pete awfully cold.
Yu does a fantastic job conveying the script here. There
are none of the muddy panels that were often indiscernable
in Stranges Inner Sanctum. There is a little color thing
at one point, but if you heed my advice and pay attention
to colors, you should do fine. As I stated above there are
a few panels that dont readily make sense, but I am not sure
they are supposed to at this point.
While it is not a perfect comic by any stretch of the imagination,
if the first issue is any indication, this is going to be
one heck of a ride. Fortunately, much of the prep work has
been done in other books, so the exposition is light and summary
like so that we can get to the reveals and explosions right
away. Yippy Kiyay!
Keith Giffen: simply Marvellous or Distinguished Competition?
Will the REAL Wolverine please stand up?
Keith Giffen: simply Marvellous or
Distinguished Competition?
By "The Ace of Knaves"
I just finished reading "the last defenders #1" (couldn't help noticing
that for a change Marvel didn't opt to add "NEW" to the title). I can't
say I know a lot about the "first" defenders (though I do have three Essential
TPB's in my IN-tray awaiting their turn to be read), so I guess what really
attracted me to purchase it was the name of Keith Giffen. As it turns
out this was a good choice, because when it comes to dysfunctional superteams,
Giffen still hasn't lost his touch.
Coincidental and entirely unrelated I'm sure, is the fact just now DC
has also decided to release Keith Giffen's "Justice League International"
in TPB. Reading these two together really brings some parallels to the
fore as both defenders and league seem to include a vigilante dressing
as a flying animal (Batman-Nighthawk), a redneck impulsive hero (Guy Gardner-
Blazing Skull), a superstrong but silent "whitebread" type (Captain Marvel-Colossus)
and a strong-willed female (Black Canary- She Hulk).
Purely coincidental I'm sure.
Anyhow, both are still a very good read in my opinion and yes, the JLI
TPB does include the famous scene where batman knocks out Gardner with
"One Punch!" (which is even better than I imagined it to be). Also featured
are Wandjina, Silver Sorceress and Bluejay, currently also featured in
"Lord Havok and the Extremists". Not quite sure how they ended up switching
universes, I'll have to look that up, but again I can't shake the feeling
that Wandjina and Silver Sorceress have a connection to Thor and Scarlet
Witch.
(And then I'm not mentioning why for some reason "Diehard" from the extremists
seems to remind me of professor Xavier. There are lots of guys having
schools for gifted children right? Or why a feral guy with claws also
seems familiar in this context. I do prefer the nightmarish fallout from
a war between super good-guys over state involvement in the DC version
to the status-quo Marvel vision though).
But I'm getting distracted because I was talking about Keith Giffen. I'm
not quite sure what's going to happen with the "last defenders" though,
as I seem to recall a DC nation column from december 2007 where DC announced
the exclusive signing of Keith Giffen.
Maybe there are two of them.
Now isn't that a thought!
Starting from today untill the end o/t month, we're going to celebrate
our first anniversary.
How ???
By offering discounts
on various product groups!
During the whole month: Preorders 'll be 1$ for only 0.80€ &
From 02-04-2008 till 12-04-2008
-10% on all Trade Paperbacks use discount code "TP"
&
From 12-04-2008 till 21-04-2008
-20% on all Loose Comics
&
From 02-04-2008 till 12-04-2008
-30% on all Sales Packs
Northwest Passage - Scott ChantlerNorthwest Passage - Scott Chantler
Most westerns have traditionally
dealt with the rough and tumble life on the high plains and deserts of
America. Yet a greater territory with an even more inhospitable climate
rests to the North, in what is now Canada. Rupert's Land was a vast expanse
held by the Hudson Bay Company under a charter issued by the British Crown.
It is amongst these beautiful and harsh lands surrounding the Hudson Bay
that this great epic unfolds. After Fort Newcastle is brutally captured
by invading French mercenaries, Charles Lord and a band of his surviving
soldiers, trackers, and explorers embark on one last great adventure to
unite the people of Rupert's Land to reclaim their home. This rollicking
historical adventure fights its way on land and sea, all in search of
and control of the mythic Northwest Passage.
Northwest
Passage.
Hier heb ik al serieus mee gevloekt. Reeds tot tweemaal toe kreeg ik
exemplaren die aan de zijkant verkeerd gesneden waren, hatelijk. Toch
zeker als de uitgever "moeite" doet om een mooie hardcover
op de markt te brengen. Dus het derde verkeerd gesneden exemplaar heb
ik dan maar zo gelaten. Zitten ze op het einde van hun eerste print-run
en hebben ze nog enkel left-overs, zinj dit de dumpertjes voor continental
Europe, ik heb geen flauw idee. In ieder geval ben je bij deze gewaarschuwd,
want het is alleszins het aanschaffen waard.
Genoeg geleuterd.
Letterlijk in één
ruk verslinde ik deze leuke, spannende en intrigerende Graphic Novel.
De tekeningen deden mij een beetje denken aan "Bone" van Jeff
Smith en eigenlijk zat het qua sfeer ook in diezelfde richting. Natuurlijk
is dit fantasy verhaal en geen western. Komt dit door het cartoonesque
tekenstijl of ... Voor mij doet het er niet.
Voor een snelle hap in between. Gezond en luchtig. Mmmmmmm
Scott Chantler
staat hoog op mijn verlanglijstje van aan te schaffen
stuff.
Publisher's Weekly: "While being hyped as the greatest Canadian western
comic book ever may sound like faint praise indeed, in the case of Chantler's
thrilling historical adventure, it definitely is not. Categorized as
young adult historical fiction, the book is a James Fenimore Cooperstyled
thriller set in remote Rupert's Land, circa 1755. Fort Newcastle, an
English-run trading post commanded by the stout-hearted hero Charles
Lord, is overrun in a vicious sneak attack by French mercenaries looking
to get rich off the fur trade. Lord and the survivors of the massacre
wander the wilderness, looking for allies and plotting their revenge,
while inside the captured fort, the villainous Guerin Montglave plots
evil deeds. Chantler's sharp black and white artwork (replete with dramatic
closeups and muscular action choreography) has a welcome precision to
it, while the writing has a pulp immediacy which brings history to life.
This collected edition of the three-issue original comes with copious
and welcome annotations at the back, where Chantler discusses various
plot points and historical references as well as the different styles
used from one frame to the next.
Will the REAL Wolverine please stand up? - By "The Ace of Knaves"
Will the REAL Wolverine please stand up?
Will the REAL Wolverine
please stand up?
By "The Ace of Knaves"
Considering the large selection of Marvel comics featuring "the old canucklehead",
you'd expect a Wolverine fan like me to be spoilt for choice. This is
unfortunately not so, as in my opinion the quality of the produced stories
tends to vary al lot. The past years have seen an enormous increase in
Wolverine titles (he even has two solo books now) but to be honest, there
hasn't been a lot of "WOW!" for me. So imagine my surprise when Wolverine
#62 actually managed to give me the "Wolverine feel" for the first time
in nearly four years. The last good Wolverine "run" for my tastes was
Greg Rucka's, ending with #17 (nov. 2004). Mark Millar's subsequent "enemy
of the state" was a good story, but I feel it would have been more effective
as an out-of-continuity mini series or as a graphic novel. Some of the
stand alone issue's were also quite good (#32 and #41) and Guggenheim's
'Civil War" follow up story wasn't that bad, but Loeb's run was in my
opinion absolutely disastrous. I absolutely hate the "let's retcon a shadowy
mystical super villain into the background and involve all sorts of mystical
crap" approach. I know Batman used to have a split fanbase, some loving
the more gothic / magic approach and some preferring the scientific /
human stories.
Personally, I find that heroes should be presented as befits their origin.
Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate, Thor, Captain marvel, their powers and
natures are magical so I would expect the stories to turn that way. Spider-man,
Batman, Iron man, Wolverine, are "science" heroes and should avoid the
arcane. That is not to say they can never ever be involved in arcane plots,
but it should be limited to single occasional story arcs and it definitely
should NOT be retconned into the origin stories (Strazynski's Spider-man
/ Morlun / Ezekiel arc still brings me out in a rash. How would Thor fans
respond if they would try to retcon his origin in continuity to having
him really being a mutant who just has an overactive imagination and delusions
of grandeur?). So you can imagine that when Loeb was finished and Guggenheim
took over again, but with yet another "fight for the soul mystic doo-dah"
arc I felt all hope was lost. By the way, that reminds me: if you're going
to do a magical-spiritual story like Loeb did, you shouldn't kill off
Sabretooth as he is an essential counterpart to Wolverine. It's not like
they have mutants to spare at the moment! Yin-Yang, Batman-Joker, Wolverine-Sabretooth.
If you want to make the mystical point you should reinforce this, not
end it! Anyhow, this to explain that I didn't have much hope when I began
reading #62, figuring that "Get Mystique" would turn out to be an unnecessary
prolongation of the in my opinion hideously flawed "Messiah complex".
However the new creative team and writer Jason Aaron managed to put together
an exiting issue that didn't give me the feeling that I'd seen it all
before. Aaron has also just started writing a new arc on Ghost rider (so
he can do both the "science" and the "magic"! I'm impressed!), so I'm
definitely going to keep my eye on him and browse some of his earlier
works. His flashback scenes with Mystique and Wolverine in Mexico and
Kansas are just the sort of stuff I would have hoped to see in "Wolverine
Origins".
Which brings me to probably the saddest Wolverine series. There hasn't
been a good issue of "Wolverine Origins" yet in my opinion, and I can't
understand why (other than that I'm a nit picking snob fanboy with delusions
of grandeur, but hey, I'm allowed as much self deception as the next guy).
It had such promise: "Wolverine Origins"! I would have imagined it to
be like "legends of the dark knight" started out, bringing self-standing
arcs featuring Wolverine at sometime in his hidden past. In fact, the
just released (and very promising) "Logan" mini series featuring Wolverine
in WWII Japan is just the sort of stuff I would have wanted to see in
"Origins". So why not? Way and Dillon did a great job on other stuff (Punisher
Vs Bullseye for one), but somehow they just don't work for me on "Origins",
and that's a damned shame. It's expressed best by Wolverine himself in
X-force #1: " as it turns out, I knew more about myself BEFORE I got
my memories back. Ain't that a bitch."
I wasn't sure about this new X-force series; yet another "Messiah complex"
spin-off. And yet I'm getting a good feeling here. Kyle and Yost have
managed an intriguing set-up involving the Wolverine-X23 father-daughter
relation (she's even more of a loose cannon than he ever was). Add to
this some of the most loathsome villains ever created (the purifiers and
bastion) and Wolverine in an outfit reminiscent of his "brown" uniform
(for covert ops) and things are looking up. "X-Force Logan" has a little
too much muscle and hair-gel in the pencils for my tastes but I don't
really mind. It's better to see the "old soldier" Wolverine trying to
steer X23 than to see the "John Wayne mono dimensional" Wolverine ("Let's
grab a brew") in Uncanny X-men.
Concluding: "Wolverine" is on the map again and "X-force" and "Logan"
also offer a good yarn in my opinion (I'm looking forward to see what
"The amazing immortal man and other bloody tales " is going to bring),
but "Uncanny X-men" and "Wolverine Origins" need to brush up their act.
(Oh, and then there's still Wolverine in the "avengers " and "first class",
but I don't read those so it would be unfair of me to comment. I will
say this though: me not reading them is comment enough).
This
is a story that runs parallel to continuity. It's an option. It's an opinion.
This is me taking a world I love, taking the characters I love and making
them hurt. I want to be very clear that this is not an alternate reality.
This is my reality and I invite you all to explore it with me. At one
point in my life, my whole existence was Spider-Man. Now, for a little
while at least it's true again.- Kaare Andrews
Dit
is hetgeen wat de schrijver zelf zegt over
Spider-Man
Reign.
Bij mij kwam het een beetje over als "The Return of the Dark Knight"
van Spiderman. Alhoewel door een beetje teveel hun best te doen verliest
het wel wat aan kracht.
We leren Peter Parker kennen als een in zich zelf terug getrokken oud
futloos mannetje met de nodige waanbeelden ten gevolge van zijn immer
kwellende morele plichtsbesef en de daar bijhorende schuldgevoelens. Deze
keer is de dood van Ben Parker niet de aanleiding maar heeft het iets
te maken met Mary Jane.
De tijdsetting is donker en grauw, vertoond veel knipoogjes met de huidige
politieke toestand in de States. Give up your freedom and we will protect you.
Het is nu al dertig jaar dat er geen spandexen rondhangen of -vliegen
in NY. Het verhaal komt in een stroom versnelling als J. Jonah Jameson
Spiderman in zijn quest for truth and liberation voor zijn kar wil spannen.
Ze hadden overgang tussen de dementerende Peter en de
back-in-action Spiderman toch iets beter mogen uitdiepen, Sandman's gedeelte
kwam precies wat uit de lucht vallen en de slot-finale was toch maar snel
gedaan.
Mijn inziens hoort dit deeltje toch echter wél thuis in de rij
van typische Spidey klassiekers.
Kraven's Last Hunt blijft echter de onbetwistbare nr. 1.
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artist: Tony
Harris From Wizard Magazine's Top Ten writer Brian K.
Vaughan (Y: THE LAST MAN) and Eisner Award-winning artist
Tony Harris (STARMAN) comes a collection of one of the
most critically acclaimed new series of the year, featuring
a gorgeous new cover by Harris! THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS
collects the first five issues of this stellar ongoing
political thriller, including the extra-sized origin
of the super-heroic Great Machine, as well as the 4-part
"State of Emergency."
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artist: Tony
Harris The second volume of the Eisner Award-nominated
series, collecting issues #6-10! What forced Mayor Hundred
to make one of the most controversial decisions in the
history of New York politics? Featuring an introduction
by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) and a new cover
by Tony Harris!
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artist: Tony
Harris Collecting three unique storylines of the Eisner
Award-winning series from issues #11-16! Mayor Mitchell
Hundred must make a difficult decision about his own
future, becomes part of a shocking trial complicated
by the unexpected arrival of an all-new superhero, and
leaves New York City for the first time since his election
to embark on a strange adventure!
Written by Brian K. Vaughan; Art by Tony
Harris & Tom Feister and Chris Sprouse & Karl Story;
Cover by Tony HarrisA shocking tragedy strikes an Iraq
War protest in downtown Manhattan in this collection
featuring EX MACHINA #17-20! Plus, in the 2-part "Life
and Death," superstar artist Chris Sprouse illustrates
an adventure from Mayor Hundred's super-heroic past
from EX MACHINA SPECIAL #1-2!
Dont Say the M Word: The Strange Story of Miracleman
Column by Tony Ingram, 2008.
There are some characters whose names become well known because
they simply fire the readers imagination, and become best
sellers or at least cult figures as a result.
And then theres Marvelman.
In the early 1950s, British publishers Len Miller & Sons
specialized in reprints of US comic books, and their best
selling titles for awhile were those reprinting Fawcetts
Captain marvel and associated characters. So when, in 1953,
Fawcetts much publicized legal problems with Superman publishers
DC forced them to discontinue the Marvel Familys adventures,
Millers had a problem.
Len Millers solution was inspired. He had an audience for
superhero adventures, but no superheroes. So, he hired writer/artist
Mick Anglo to create some, and in 1954, Millers Captain Marvel
became Marvelman!
The changes were superficial enough for the title to retain
its readership-Caps alter ego, young Billy Batson, became
Micky Moran. Shazam, the wizard who empowered him, became
astrophysicist Guntag Borghelm, who taught Micky the magic
word Kimota (atomic spelled backwards, near enough). Captain
Marvel Junior became Young Marvelman, while Mary Marvel underwent
a more conspicuous change and morphed into Johnny Bates AKA
Kid Marvelman! The Marvelman titles retained the sense of
whimsy which had made Captain Marvel so popular, and they
sold well for almost a decade before fading away in 1963.
End of story, it seemed.
Who SHOULD be a Skrull?
Column by J.P. Dorigo, 2008.
All the comic message boards are all a flutter with one thing
lately: Skrulls. Who is a Skrull, who isnt a Skrull, whos
been acting Skrully, et cetera. Well I cant see the future
any more then you folks can. I have a couple theories who
might be Skrulls, but who wants to make guesses any more?!
Im here to lay down the law for you nerd boys and nerd girls.
Heres who I think Marvel should make Skrulls and why.
Lets start at the top: Tony Stark. Man, is that guy a jerk
or what. I never really cared for Iron Man, but since the
startup of New Avengers and then Civil War you cant get rid
of the guy! I mean, sure, hes definitely more interesting
then he sued to be, but he is the epitome of everything we
should be against. Hes a billionaire AND he runs S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hes like George W. Bush in a super suit! At least he uses
some of his science for good. I think they should out him
as a Skrull and then lock him up. Undo all the madness from
Civil War and let things go back to normal a bit. Sadly, from
reading both of the Avengers titles, I think its highly unlikely
that Stark is a Skrull.
Another big reveal would be the Hulk. Lets face it kids,
colorists have a tough job. Can you imagine the difficulties
of having to relearn how to color and existing character but
now with green skin? The Hulk is already there! I think Marvel
should give all the colorists a break and make the Hulk a
Skrull.
Edmond Le Cochon - posted on Forum "Getekende Reep"
Excuseer,
Modest wil iets zeggen.
Modest heeft de eer voor het eerst een nieuw onderwerp aan te snijden.
Omdat Modest het niet uitgesloten acht dat er toch nog intelligente lezers op
dit forum zitten, wil hij graag voor hen iets speciaals doen, en het hier enkel
hebben over hoogstaande literaire strips. Pas op, Modest heeft absoluut niets
tegen de iets dommere lezer of beter de iets minder begaafde lezers,
Modest heeft respect voor
iedereen!
Ook voor Moslims. Ook voor
Chinezen.
Zelfs voor Jan Bosschaert.
Modest wil alvast een eerste stripreeks aanprijzen: 'Edmond le Cochon' van Rochette en Veyron.
(er bestaat zelfs een deel in het Nederlands)
Deze superieure strip gaat over (de intelligente lezer raadt het reeds) een
varken!
Edmond, het varken, beleefd allerlei spannende en grappige avonturen...
Als hij naar een ronddraaiende vlieg slaat, rost hij per ongeluk zijn vrouw
meteen ook af...
Edmond gaat door het leven als een soort Robin Hood...
Hij steelt van de armen en geeft het aan de rijken...
Het leven gaat aan hem voorbij...
Wat is er dan zo geweldig aan deze strip zal de lezer zich afvragen...
Dit lijkt wel de eerste
de beste Jommekesstrip!
Maar daar vergist de lezer zich wel degelijk...
Het gaat over de diepgang, beste lezer, de achterliggende boodschap!!!
Als je tot de essentie van de strip doordringt blijkt dat Edmond eigenlijk maar
een paar dingen wil: vreten, zijn behoefte doen, de liefdesdaad vervullen en
alcoholische dranken tot zich nemen.
Nooit eerder was een dergelijke
psychologische studie verricht van de essentie van het zwijn.
Het zal nooit meer hetzelfde zijn als Modest varkensvlees geserveerd krijgt.
En hier krijgt Modest zowaar nog een gedachte! En wat meer is, Modest zal ze
met jou delen, waarde lezer!(zonder dank, graag gedaan)
De vraag die Modest zich
vooral stelt: is er eigenlijk wel een verschil tussen varkens en mensen?
'Edmond le Cochon' zet de mens aan het denken.
Maar Modest wil nu afronden, het is vandaag kaartavond.
Millions of readers the world over have been held spellbound by this
valiant tale vividly told. Now, enter Terry Goodkind's world, the world
of The Sword of Truth. In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his
father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's
forest sanctuary seeking help...and more. His world, his very beliefs,
are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In
their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and
loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-to invoke
within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of
battle have just changed...or that their time has run out. This is the
beginning. One story. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.
Written by
Terry Goodkind
Superhard genoten van de eerste boek. Vooral van het SM-gedeelte ; ) Binnekort op vakantie effe rap de tweede verslinden.
Ben benieuwd wat ze hiervan gaan maken ... ??? Het verheugende is al vast en zeker dat het een mini-serie wordt ipv alles in een veel te korte film te willen proppen !!!
