You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club- Jack London
Looking Forward, Octobe 2009
Here’s to you, and October 2009—
Almost didn’t order Groo #1, not because I’m over-Groo’d, or expect anything less than cleverly drawn, thought-provoking hilarity (apparently Groo takes on big business & the stock market of his time), but because they’ve priced themselves beyond my budget at $4/issue. But I’ve read Groo since Destroyer Duck days, so I'm fitting this in, and I’m glad.
“Gotham City Sirens” #5: Paul Dini writes for Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Batgirl. The first couple of issues show a lot of promise, particularly in the interplay of the lead characters, which is why I’m getting this in the first place; looks good, reads well, if not yet a thriller.
“Doom Patrol” 3; still haven’t seen issue one yet, so it’s still a gamble Giffen can make me laugh, but it’s a gamble on the characters’ strengths and interplay, as well, so I’m, well, gambling.
“Warlord” #7, a revived classic adventure series written by its creator and former artist, Mike Grell, and this issue – drawn by Grell as well!
“Astro City/Astra” #s 1 & 2, with Kurt Busiak writing and Brent Anderson drawing, is always entertaining, with its history of continuous, high-class writing and artwork, which make me willing to pay its $4 (each issue) cover price.
“House of Mystery” hasn’t satisfied me lately, but the “House/ Annual” promises a lot, with stories including Hellblazer, Madame Xanadu, and Merv Pumpkinhead (The Dreaming, Sandman) by Willingham, Wagner, Reeder, Buckingham, Allred, and others. 48 pages for $5, but the talent and characters are there and will hopefully all be worth the price of admission.
“Liberty Comics” #2 benefits the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and simply as such merits purchase, but they give us Neil Gaiman, Gail Simone, Jimmy Palmiotti, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, Paul Grist, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, and easily twice as many more, with short pieces including Painkiller Jane, Channel Zero, Martha Washington, and lots more. Another 48 FC pages for $5.
“Eternal Warrior” from Image – why Paul Grist doesn’t give us more “Kane” I don’t know, but here’s more Grist, with a character from his “Jack Staff” series; I’m expecting another helping of unexpected events, clever dialogue, and all but bewilderingly clever shifts in time and storytelling.
“King City” #3, from Image: open, spare artwork for a story promising some interesting social dynamics (“in love with an alien he’s forced to betray; a cat that can become any tool or weapon.”) all from Brandon Graham, who is new to me: still to see issue one.
“Uncle Scrooge” 384 is the first Scrooge offering from Boom comics, promising ‘new stories to U.S. readers’ by Barks and Rosa among others. Back to the more reasonable cover price of $3 from the admittedly high quality ‘books’ at the $8 level from the ducks’ previous publisher.
“Mickey Mouse and Friends” #297, still in the mystical/medieval vein, still is the most promising of the ‘new takes’ on the old Disney characters—with a cover reminiscent of “Fantasia” itself.
“Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden” #1: Jon Sable was one of my favorite characters from way-back-when First Comics; a fully developed character, with friends and a human history. Like Jonah Hex, Sable’s a lone-gun weapons expert (Olympic triathlon contender) and survivor, with a ‘secret identity’ as a highly successful children’s author. His ‘biographer’ then was writer/artist Mike Grell, and Grell returns to Sable as writer/artist/colorist, reason enough to trust another $4 for the next several issues.
“Stumptown” #1 is promo-compared to “Gotham Central” and “Criminal,” both of which I enjoy, and is written by Greg Rucka who writes detective stories well. The illustrations seem smooth and clean and nicely colored; artist Matthew Southworth is new to me. Lead character Dex is “a fairly talented P.I.” deeply in debt; she takes on a missing persons case to balance that debt. Rucka, the p.r. art, and the genre make it worth my $4 for a few issues’ investigation.
And I’m also after the next issues of Power Girl (6), Ex Machina (46), Madame Xanadu (16), Unwritten (6), Echo 17), Incredibles (3), Mercy Sparks (4), Queen (Red) Sonja (1), the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly (4), Luke Cage Noir (3), Hulk (16), Spiderwoman (2), Astonishing X-men (31), and Criminal (2), as well as any from that ol’ list below.
Best wishes, and happy reading,
Matt
Favorites: Age of Bronze, Boneyard, Conan, Colonia, Castle Waiting, Daredevil, Fables (& Jack), Far West, Fell, Groo, Hellboy, Jack Staff, Jonah Hex, Lone Wolf, Next Wave, Powers, Strangers, Usagi, Wolff & Byrd.
Almost didn’t order Groo #1, not because I’m over-Groo’d, or expect anything less than cleverly drawn, thought-provoking hilarity (apparently Groo takes on big business & the stock market of his time), but because they’ve priced themselves beyond my budget at $4/issue. But I’ve read Groo since Destroyer Duck days, so I'm fitting this in, and I’m glad.
“Gotham City Sirens” #5: Paul Dini writes for Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Batgirl. The first couple of issues show a lot of promise, particularly in the interplay of the lead characters, which is why I’m getting this in the first place; looks good, reads well, if not yet a thriller.
“Doom Patrol” 3; still haven’t seen issue one yet, so it’s still a gamble Giffen can make me laugh, but it’s a gamble on the characters’ strengths and interplay, as well, so I’m, well, gambling.
“Warlord” #7, a revived classic adventure series written by its creator and former artist, Mike Grell, and this issue – drawn by Grell as well!
“Astro City/Astra” #s 1 & 2, with Kurt Busiak writing and Brent Anderson drawing, is always entertaining, with its history of continuous, high-class writing and artwork, which make me willing to pay its $4 (each issue) cover price.
“House of Mystery” hasn’t satisfied me lately, but the “House/ Annual” promises a lot, with stories including Hellblazer, Madame Xanadu, and Merv Pumpkinhead (The Dreaming, Sandman) by Willingham, Wagner, Reeder, Buckingham, Allred, and others. 48 pages for $5, but the talent and characters are there and will hopefully all be worth the price of admission.
“Liberty Comics” #2 benefits the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and simply as such merits purchase, but they give us Neil Gaiman, Gail Simone, Jimmy Palmiotti, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, Paul Grist, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, and easily twice as many more, with short pieces including Painkiller Jane, Channel Zero, Martha Washington, and lots more. Another 48 FC pages for $5.
“Eternal Warrior” from Image – why Paul Grist doesn’t give us more “Kane” I don’t know, but here’s more Grist, with a character from his “Jack Staff” series; I’m expecting another helping of unexpected events, clever dialogue, and all but bewilderingly clever shifts in time and storytelling.
“King City” #3, from Image: open, spare artwork for a story promising some interesting social dynamics (“in love with an alien he’s forced to betray; a cat that can become any tool or weapon.”) all from Brandon Graham, who is new to me: still to see issue one.
“Uncle Scrooge” 384 is the first Scrooge offering from Boom comics, promising ‘new stories to U.S. readers’ by Barks and Rosa among others. Back to the more reasonable cover price of $3 from the admittedly high quality ‘books’ at the $8 level from the ducks’ previous publisher.
“Mickey Mouse and Friends” #297, still in the mystical/medieval vein, still is the most promising of the ‘new takes’ on the old Disney characters—with a cover reminiscent of “Fantasia” itself.
“Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden” #1: Jon Sable was one of my favorite characters from way-back-when First Comics; a fully developed character, with friends and a human history. Like Jonah Hex, Sable’s a lone-gun weapons expert (Olympic triathlon contender) and survivor, with a ‘secret identity’ as a highly successful children’s author. His ‘biographer’ then was writer/artist Mike Grell, and Grell returns to Sable as writer/artist/colorist, reason enough to trust another $4 for the next several issues.
“Stumptown” #1 is promo-compared to “Gotham Central” and “Criminal,” both of which I enjoy, and is written by Greg Rucka who writes detective stories well. The illustrations seem smooth and clean and nicely colored; artist Matthew Southworth is new to me. Lead character Dex is “a fairly talented P.I.” deeply in debt; she takes on a missing persons case to balance that debt. Rucka, the p.r. art, and the genre make it worth my $4 for a few issues’ investigation.
And I’m also after the next issues of Power Girl (6), Ex Machina (46), Madame Xanadu (16), Unwritten (6), Echo 17), Incredibles (3), Mercy Sparks (4), Queen (Red) Sonja (1), the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly (4), Luke Cage Noir (3), Hulk (16), Spiderwoman (2), Astonishing X-men (31), and Criminal (2), as well as any from that ol’ list below.
Best wishes, and happy reading,
Matt
Favorites: Age of Bronze, Boneyard, Conan, Colonia, Castle Waiting, Daredevil, Fables (& Jack), Far West, Fell, Groo, Hellboy, Jack Staff, Jonah Hex, Lone Wolf, Next Wave, Powers, Strangers, Usagi, Wolff & Byrd.
Add a Comment
© 2009 Created by Spencer on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of Small Press Group to add comments!
Join this Ning Network