Digital Alterity

I sat down yesterday and read Mighty Avengers #1-5 all at once, and it was a great read. I wasn’t sure going into MA how I was going to like it because, as a kid, I was never an Avengers fan. From the outset, this team felt more like a traditional Avengers team to me, and my interest in the Avengers started with the New Avengers.

Things I love about the series…

1. Ms. Marvel. Marvel has been pushing her as the next big hero in the MU since House of M, and for my money, it’s working. My next IST order is going to have the first trade of her solo series on it.
2. The character relationships. The heroes play off of each other well. Their personalities and powers complement well.
3. The leadership tension. Carol is officially the leader, but Tony is one of the founding Avengers and the head of SHIELD. Wasp has led the Avengers before. Black Widow really knew how to take charge on the helicarrier. Who will really be in charge of the Mighty Avengers? Will they routinely question orders? Interesting dynamics here.
4. The Sentry’s real chance. He feels like he fits in here better than he ever did in the old team. He is right in the thick of things and really has a chance to take off as a character.

Once the book gets back on schedule, I think I’m really going to enjoy the interplay between New Avengers and Mighty Avengers.

Technorati Tags: Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Comics

I’ve got the first 12 issues of Moon Knight. I’ve read them. I think I’ve given the series one hell of a chance now. It’s not working for me. I can understand why someone else might dig it, but it’s not at all what I was hoping for.

Things I Don’t Like About The Current Moon Knight Book

1. To my eyes, it just feels like violence porn. Everyone is constantly getting their face punched in, body parts punctured, and bodies tortured. I don’t want every book to be an all ages book, but I also don’t like feeling slightly queasy after reading my Wednesday comics.
2. The art style. I’ve having a real problem with the storytelling aspect of the art. I can’t easily follow what’s going on. I’m not talking about cool writer’s tricks like shifting time slices or frame narratives here. I’m an English major, for God’s sake. I’m down with trippy narrative structure. I honestly have to spend a solid minute in some cases trying to figure out what the hell is happening in a given panel.
3. Lack of focus on the supporting cast. This was the real gem, the true strength, of all the Moon Knight stories that you can read in the first Essential trade. In the first arc, Frenchie is just a Women in Refrigerators device, and most of the characters seem to be around just to show us how effed up MK is. I had hope that this would change in #6-7, but the ball just seems to be dropped.
4. The pointless “tie-in” with Civil War. Captain America and Iron Man drop by just to be dropping by. They serve no purpose in the story…other than showing (yet again) how effed up MK is.
5. No real usage of the Moon Knight’s multiple identities. I kept hoping that MK would go out as Jake to dig up some information on Midnight. I kept hoping that Steven Grant would come into play somehow.

The whole thing feels like one note played over and over. I don’t like it, and it isn’t working for me. I understand that Huston is still in the process of rebuilding the character and constructing the plot engine that will power the comic, but I’m going to drop it until they get those details sorted out.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Marvel, Moon Knight

I love lists in a manner most unholy. My moleskine is overwhelming just a mish-mash of random lists like “Things I’d Rather Be Doing Right Now” or “Favorite Desserts”.

When Brian Cronin over at Comics Should Be Good came up with the idea to compile a Top 100 Marvel and DC Characters list, it was as though he was writing directly to my soul. Yeah, yeah…I know that I already did this a few months ago, but my opinion is like the drops of water that comprise the ocean — constantly shifting in a delicate dance of turbulence.

In the end, this is what I came up with.

Marvel

1. Spider-Man
2. Captain America
3. Iron Man
4. Ultimate Spider-Man
5. Silver Surfer
6. Black Widow (Natasha Romanov)
7. Daredevil
8. Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch)
9. Moon Knight
10. Nightcrawler

DC

1. Wonder Woman
2. Batman
3. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
4. Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
5. The Question (Renee Montoya)
6. Robin (Tim Drake)
7. Robin (Stephanie/Spoiler)
8. Joker
9. Green Lantern (John Stewart)
10. Superman

Technorati Tags: Comics, Comics Should Be Good, DC, Marvel, Lists, Favorites, Moleskine

Amazing Spider-Man #543. Why the hell is Peter being so stupid? He has completely forgotten the whole power and responsibility aphorism at this point. The responsible thing to do at this point — even if he is ideologically opposed to the Superhuman Registration Act — is to turn himself in and get May the help she needs. The first time May died back in the 90s, I got really frustrated with Spider-Man in general because of Peter becoming The Spider and physially abusing Mary Jane. I’m starting to feel that way again. It actually makes me hope that Brand New Day is some kind of reboot of the character. The Kingpin revenge side of this story arc made sense to me. This cloaking of May is completely incomprehensible to me.

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 #1. The next series of Mouse Guard is just as amazing as the first series. The mice feel very fragile in their harsh surroundings, and Peterson does an excellent job of capturing the sense of danger and horror that larger predatory creatures should engender in mice. The art is a gorgeous and critical component of the story as a whole. This is what comics should aspire to be.

Batman #668. I love a good murder mystery, but the storytelling seems a little off to me in this book. This is one of the books on my list that usually requires another read through in order to process the details of the plot. I would like a bit more clarity from either dialogue or visual cues in the art. I consider this to be an editorial problem, and it’s honestly fairly common in comics these days. Good creators become great creators with an editor to help strengthen the work with constructive feedback.

Iron Man #21. Iron Man is becoming more of a “cast” book. Characters other than Tony are being emphasized as the run continues. This was done to great effect in Captain America. In fact, it was done so successfully that the book can safely continue even with a dead title character. I don’t see Iron Man, however, as being the ideal book for this sort of treatment. Tony as a character has always been somewhat arrogant and individually driven. Whereas Cap, being a natural leader, built others up around him, Iron Man has always had the theme of individual achievement and excellence. I still love this book, but as a writer, I would personally be taking it in a much different direction.

Green Lantern Corps #15. I really miss the recap pages when reading DC books. I can count on Marvel to remind me about what happened enough to jog my memory and get around to the business of enjoying the continuing story. DC often leaves me feeling like I should just wait for the trade instead of picking up monthlies. I love the Green Lantern Corps when I can read their story arcs in one sitting, but reading individual issues leaves me feeling somewhat disoriented as I try to sort out what was happening during the action itself.

Immortal Iron Fist #8. The tournament bracket at the end of this issue made me squeal with delight. This version of Iron Fist feels more like a martial arts story than any of the previous incarnations, which often felt like a superhero story with hints of martial arts. This comic is always refreshing after reading all the superhero books I buy on any given week.

X-Men #202. Buying all the X books has been an interesting experiment because I can see the hints of the coming crossover building with each issue. I consider to dislike the art in this book, and without creative or character changes, I’ll freely admit that this is one of the books I’ll probably drop when my Endangered Species experiment is over. The book isn’t working for me. As for the Endangered Species backup, I continue to wish that I was reading it all in one sitting. With an 8-page “issue”, you’re done just about the time you start to get settled in as a reader.

Technorati Tags: Spider-Man, Mouse Guard, Batman, Iron Man, Green Lantern, Iron Fist, X-Men, DC, Marvel, Comics

Captain America #29. At my core, I’m a shoujo manga reader. I like reading about relationships — and not just romantic ones. My favorite part of comics has always been the scenes where we see the interplay between our heroes and their supporting cast. They’re the reason I keep reading a book. The swashbuckling action is just so much additional spice for me. Brubaker is handling Captain America like true master of the artform. Each issue gives us tons of character development that seems to just be building to a crescendo of something truly mindblowing. If you’re not reading this comic book, you’re missing something that’s going to be one of the definitive comics of our time.

Justice League of America #12. This issue represents the Meltzer that I like best. His characters play off of one another in such a way that everyone involved seems more true to life with each beat of the story. I’m glad to hear that Dwayne McDuffie is taking over for Meltzer because he’s doing some good character development of his own over in Fantastic Four. I’d hate to see this sense of character depth and the resulting tension get lost in favor of a more traditional and iconic Justice League. I love that the Big 3 have become their own secret cabal within the League in this incarnation. It just feels interesting and gives all manner of storytelling possibilities.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #23. I started reading a few pages of this one on the rack, and I just couldn’t pass it up. The confrontation between Peter and Jonah feels oddly genuine, and Peter David has a great sense of when to let the story breathe for a few panels. The pacing of this issue feels more like a short story than a comic book issue, and frankly it worked for me in a way that David’s work on X-Factor really isn’t.

New X-Men #41. One of the biggest mistakes of the Endangered Species Crossover has been catching New X-Men in the middle of a story arc. With the other X books, I felt like I was coming in on the start of a new arc designed to draw in new readers that were just buying the issues for the crossover prequel to Messiah CompleX. This has paid off for Marvel in my case because I fully intend to pick up Uncanny X-Men, a book that has never been on my reading list, even after the crossover is complete. I don’t feel comfortable with any of the kids in the series. I’m hoping that the characters will be presented a bit more for new readers in the next couple of issues now that we’re out of the Quest for Magik story arc. As for Endangered Species itself? I’m really, really hoping that this story has some substance other than a last page reveal that sets up Messiah Complex. I won’t feel robbed if it turns out this way because honestly at least 80% of why I’m picking up the crossover is just to have a trial run on the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe to see if I like what I see.

Ultimate Spider-Man #112. I’m going to have to adjust to the new art style. Immonen is doing some excellent work, and I doubt I’ll have any problem at all getting used to the superhero portion of the book. I’m just so used to Bagley’s version of the high school kids that I was honestly having trouble determining who was who during the classroom scenes.

Supergirl #20. I picked this book up off the rack because I saw some of the art on another feminist comic fan’s blog and really dug what I saw. I believe that it’s important to buy a book when I like the direction of it just so that DC sees that some of us prefer a less sexualized version of Kara. While I prefer the art, I’m still a very story-driven reader. Art rarely sets my overall opinion of an issue. In view of that, the best part of this issue for me was that the writer did an excellent job of telling a sequential story that still had enough individual beats to make the issue feel like a complete story in and of itself. I’ll probably pick up the next issue to see where things go.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Captain America, Marvel, DC, Supergirl, Spider-Man, Justice League, JLA, New X-Men

DC has announced that the start of Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman run will be delayed. Instead of starting with issue #13, Simone will kick in with issue #14 in order to give the Dodsons time to churn out the artwork for the first story arc. Wonder Woman is probably my favorite of the DC books right now, but the book as a whole has struggled to maintain momentum and really draw in new readers because of delays just like this. The first storyline of the book still hasn’t finished and won’t even finish within the book proper, necessitating the purchase of an annual. Because of this, the trade for issues #6-10 will be coming out before the trade for the first and still unresolved story arc.

I think that it’s time for comic book companies and even comic book creators themselves to admit that certain creators aren’t made out for a monthly comic. The Dodsons are doing some amazing work on Wonder Woman. They have perfected the art of illustrating a protagonist who is both strong and beautiful. I would love to see them working on some special event comics or even some isolated story arcs. In all honesty, however, they seem ill-suited to producing a comic book that is expected to be on the shelves monthly. I’m not blaming the creators for this. I wouldn’t want the writers and illustrators to rush any aspect of their work. I want each artist to produce the amazing work that they’re known for. I just want more dependable creators on the monthly books.

If this fill-in helps avoid further story-interrupting delays, I’m all for it, but DC’s recent track record doesn’t exactly fill me with hope.

Technorati Tags: Wonder Woman, Comics, DC, delays, Gail Simone

Recently, I checked out Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told from my local public library. I did this in part because I’m a sucker for free comics, but by far the biggest factor in my decision to read this book was some marginalia added to the cover:

Someone had inexplicably added “NOT for children” to the upper-left corner of the book. Having read through the book, I must admit that I’m still amusedly perplexed. The stories in question are almost all from the goofy Silver Age days when Superman fought giant robot dogs and such. The only modern tale is basically a morality play about why Superman’s oath to avoid killing even evil men is a good thing. There’s no sex to be had anywhere in the book. There isn’t even any sex implied anywhere in the book. The only drug use is tobacco.

Was this brief sharpie verdict the product of some kind of ultra-fundamentalist that even I with my years of Southern Baptist lifestyle can’t understand? Or was it the scrawling of a rabid Superman fanboy, desperately needing affirmation that his Superman comics were far too meaningful to be shelved in the young adults section of the library.

Technorati Tags: Superman, Comics, Humor

This week, I picked up:

New Avengers #33. This is always at the top of my pile. I feel like the title is still not at its pre-CW level of awesomeness, but I’m still looking forward to it every single month. Bendis just works for me as a writer frankly. The Hawkeye/Cap flashback was first rate, and the reveal of The Hood is progressing nicely. My only minor beef isn’t really Bendis’ fault. Wolverine has been so overpowered in recent years that I honestly have a hard time accepting that he is ever in mortal peril. Watching him leap into action, my only thought is something along the lines of “Meh. He’ll just regrow his entire body from whatever genetic material falls on the floor.” I think we need a moratorium of healing factors.

Daredevil #99. For an issue billed as the end of a story arc, this opened up a lot more than it closed down for me. Allyson always looks forward to this comic. Hopefully, this comic will help her deal with the upcoming Y: The Last Man withdrawal.

Batman #667. Is it sacrilege to admit that Detective works much better for me? And what happened to the monster batman / black case files stuff? Did I miss that somehow?

Omega Flight #5. I can’t remember what I was so adamant about picking up this series. Did Marvel just market it to me that well? In any event, the first part of the series pulled me in, but the second left me somewhat confused in the cyclone of action. I need re-read this whole thing start to finish, I think.

Green Lantern #22. This issue really felt like filler to me. More Green Lanterns die. Superboy Prime laughs to himself. Cyborg talks about what he really wants. The story is building, yeah, but I didn’t feel much story progression in this issue.

X-Factor #22. I dug the way that the Endangered Species Act came up, and I’m excited about where that’s going. I just feel like PAD is just writing this book for someone other than me. I know a lot of people love it, but it’s just not pulling me in. The Endangered Species backup is building up some decent tension, but I’m really ready for stuff to start really blowing up in Hank’s face already.

It was a pretty good week, but nearly every week with New Avengers is. I can’t wait for the day when we have Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain America back together on Avengers though.

Technorati Tags: Comics, New Avengers, X-Factor, Green Lantern, Omega Flight, Peter David, Daredevil, Batman

I would swear that I was smoking by the time I came inside from my lunch break today. The heatwave here in Florida is nothing short of appalling.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Art, Index Card, Heat, Summer, Humor

I’ve started sketching again for the first time in months. Pretty much as soon as I got my GTD lists back in order, I felt like drawing again. Thus far, I’ve only been doing quick, rough pencil sketches on the back of index cards, but I’ll probably work on something a bit more detailed soon because I feel like doing so for the first time in probably three months.

I did this sketch while I was waiting for my pizza at Satchel’s:

And then I doodled the pencils on this stupid comic-like thing while waiting on my computer to do something at work:

It feels good to be sketching again.

Technorati Tags: Art, Sketches, Pencil, Index Cards