{"id":16903,"date":"2010-03-14T17:22:09","date_gmt":"2010-03-15T00:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=16903"},"modified":"2010-03-14T17:22:09","modified_gmt":"2010-03-15T00:22:09","slug":"recent-comics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2010\/03\/14\/recent-comics.html","title":{"rendered":"Recent comics"},"content":{"rendered":"

No particular reason for doing comic book reviews — but the week before last was a pretty good comic week, and I wanted to share. (And maybe I’m getting my virtual pen in shape for the Blogathon in June …)<\/p>\n

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Green Hornet <\/em>#1 <\/strong>(Dynamite) w. Kevin Smith, a. Jonathan Lau.\u00a0 Dynamite is kicking off a big Green Hornet frenzy of comics, of which this seems to be the core.\u00a0 The book is pretty decent — the first half giving the “retirement mission” of the original Brit Reid \/ Kato pair, and the second half setting up Reid’s wastrel son as (we expect) the next Hornet twenty years down the line. Decent fun, esp. that first half.\u00a0 Based on an unproduced GH screenplay by Smith. Will continue to check it out. \"\"<\/p>\n

Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love <\/em>#5 <\/strong>(Vertigo) w. Chris Roberson, a. Shawn McManus. Continuing adventures of the Bond (or perhaps Mrs. Peel) of the Fables set, shoe-loving uber-spy Cinderella, wherein she learns who the true villain of her particular tale to date. Decent fun not helped by pedestrian art. \"\"<\/p>\n

JSA All-Stars <\/em>#4 <\/strong>(DC) w. Matthew Sturges, a. Freddie Williams II.\u00a0 All sorts of big stuff going on against some recent standard JSA villains, most notably Johnny Sorrow.\u00a0 But it all feels a bit of a mish-mosh, too many splashy pages, too many characters, too many action packed scenes, none of which complete gels.\u00a0 Ultimately, it’s hard to care about what’s happening. \"\"<\/p>\n

Ultimate Avengers <\/em>#5 <\/strong>(Marvel) w. Mark Millar, a. Carlos Pacheco, Dexter Vines. Millar has fun with the Ultimate U, complete with the Red Skull, the Cosmic Cube, and some Avengers.\u00a0 Oh, and Captain America, still being hunted by SHIELD because he’s the Red Skull’s father (yes, really).\u00a0 Nothing earthshattering, but an enjoyable read. \"\"<\/p>\n

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New Ultimates <\/em>#1 <\/strong>(Marvel) w. Jeph Loeb, a. Frank Cho.\u00a0 Picking things up post-Ultimatum, there’s plenty of decent action and intrigue and so forth.\u00a0 Loeb doesn’t have quite the cut-throat Millar\/Bendis\u00a0 approach to the title and world that it almost needs.\u00a0 Cho’s art feels muddy here — unclear if it’s his computer inking\/coloring or the reproduction.\u00a0 Still, it’s a decent enough comic for me to want to read it, if only because it gives the most unlikely cheesecake shot in this month’s comic (Hela) and because Loeb and Cho, even at their worst, are still better reading than many. \"\"<\/p>\n

The Mighty Avengers <\/em>#34 <\/strong>(Marvel) w. Dan Slott, a. Neil Edward, Andrew Currie, John Rauch.\u00a0 This second-bananas Avenger book (half was-Avengers, half Young Avengers) continues to feel its way along, even as I suspect its days are “Heroic Age” numbered.\u00a0 Hank Pym, the leader, varies between improbably competent and abruptly nuts, but it looks like the standard Pym meme (Ultron) will be stopping by imminently. Not sure I plan to stick around. \"\"<\/p>\n

Jack of Fables <\/em>#43 <\/strong>(Vertigo) w. Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges; a. Tony Akins, Jim Fern.\u00a0 I know Willingham can write fantasy ten times better than this, and Sturges is no slouch, but this title remains a muddy mess, not helped by mediocre art.\u00a0 Even if it is part of the Fables franchise, I’m losing patience.\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

Adventure Comics <\/em>#8\/581 <\/strong>(DCH) (three stories with various writers, artists). More Legion of Super-Heroes rebootingness, some focused on Braniac 5, some focused on an adventure with (20th C) Mon-El and Superboy. An intersting mix of characters from different LSH eras, but I soundly hate Sensor Girl’s new outfit (which is like her old one, only with a deep decolletage and everything painted on her (all of the LSH except Brainy are now all about form-fitting outfits. With multiple stories it’s hard to judge everything, but I’m not seeing anything that makes me want to see a full-time LSH series. \"\"<\/p>\n

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Zorro <\/em>#20 <\/strong>(Dynamite) w. Matt Wagner, a. Francesco Francavilla. This will never be the hottest, trendiest, coolest comic on the block, but Wagner is doing a solid job with the Zorro legend, and the art remains respectably realistic and workmanlike.\u00a0 The biggest challenge faced is how to let the title evolve without losing what it currently has.\u00a0 Good stuff. \"\"<\/p>\n

The Boys <\/em>#40 <\/strong>(Dynamite) w. Garth Ennis; a. Darick Robertson. Ennis’ anti-hero iconoclastic series continues to please and get kicked up a few notches, esp. as Hughie and Annie’s romance becomes known, and Butcher thinks that means Hughie’s a V-A plant. Plus, finally some (graphic) details on the hold Butcher has over the Homelander, and how V-A is becoming a bigger threat than ever. Triffic stuff. \"\"<\/p>\n

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The Sword <\/em>#22 <\/strong>(Image) w\/a. The Luna Bros.\u00a0 Dara and Malia have their big knock-down, drag-out battle, which suits Malia purposes fine — until Dara figures out the PR war is as big a prize as whether she can take down the goddess.\u00a0 Heading to a big finish in #24.\u00a0 Triffic stuff, some more. \"\"<\/p>\n

First Wave <\/em>#1 <\/strong>(DC) w. Brian Azzarello; a. Rags Morales.\u00a0 DC’s attempt to set up a pulp noir universe, apparently set in modern times but with a 30s pulp feel, helped along by bringing in a huge raft of period characters together: Doc Saveage, the Spirit, Batman and others.\u00a0 Too soon to pass judgment, but the initial outing is promising, even around semi-introducing the players.\u00a0 I’ll be back. \"\"<\/p>\n

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Astro City: the Dark Age Book IV <\/em>#2 of 4 <\/strong>(Wildstorm) w. Kurt Busiek; a. Brent Anderson. Life in the 70s (80s?) continues, darkly (though ironically with a great neon-garbed character on the cover).\u00a0 The tropes come hot and heavy in this usually fine title, weakened only by having lots a bit of the “this is what heroes look like to normal folks” and “here’s what the non-4-color life of heroes is” in favor of a story that could be ripped out of the pages of a standard Marvel comic.\u00a0 In short, fun, but not up to the series’ standards — which still leaves it head and shoulders above a lot of titles. \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No particular reason for doing comic book reviews — but the week before last was a pretty good comic week, and I wanted to share. (And maybe I’m getting my virtual pen in shape for the Blogathon in June …) Green Hornet #1 (Dynamite) w. Kevin Smith, a. Jonathan Lau.\u00a0 Dynamite is kicking off a … Continue reading “Recent comics”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-comics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11612,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/07\/28\/bt07_absent_from_amazon.html","url_meta":{"origin":16903,"position":0},"title":"BT07 – Absent from Amazon","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 28-Jul-07 5:26pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The following two aren't available through Amazon, so I'll have to handle them a little differently. Painkiller Jane: The Return\u00a0(Dynamite) [collects #1-3] w. Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti; a.\u00a0Jimmy Palmiotti\u00a0 Writing...","rel":"","context":"In "Blogathon"","block_context":{"text":"Blogathon","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/blogathon"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/images\/PKJTheReturnmassCover.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19863,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/01\/15\/movie-review-the-green-hornet-2011.html","url_meta":{"origin":16903,"position":1},"title":"Movie review: “The Green Hornet” (2011)","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 15-Jan-11 10:03pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So the biggest problem with Seth Rogan's new The Green Hornet is that it just cannot decide what it's going to be. \u00a0Gritty crime drama? Super-hero romp? Tarantinoesque violence escapade? Campy frat \u00a0film? Redemption and maturity arc? And, sure, there's comedy, but within that realm, what kind? Farce? Goofball? Dry?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Movies"","block_context":{"text":"Movies","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/media-movies"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Green-Hornet-Poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Green-Hornet-Poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Green-Hornet-Poster.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22605,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/09\/11\/22605.html","url_meta":{"origin":16903,"position":2},"title":"***Dave Does the Comics – Issue 9 (11 Sep 2011)","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 11-Sep-11 1:58pm","format":false,"excerpt":"This week, we talk about the next wave of DCnU titles debuting, get a chunk of Dynamite action, and talk about Matt Wagner's old \"Trinity\" series. \u00a0There were a lot of comics I liked a lot this week, but nothing new that was amazing. (Though I still managed to fill\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "***Dave Does the Comics"","block_context":{"text":"***Dave Does the Comics","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/media-comics\/dave-does-the-comics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/green-hornet-strikes_9-194x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15418,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/07\/26\/bt09-hey-kids-the-last-of-the-comics-blogathon.html","url_meta":{"origin":16903,"position":3},"title":"BT09 – Hey, Kids! The Last of the Comics! (#Blogathon)","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 26-Jul-09 6:36am","format":false,"excerpt":"Teen Titans #12 (DC) Miller\/Bennett Thor #601 (Marvel) Straczynski\/Djurdjevic Thunderbolts #133 (Marvel) Diggle\/Sepulveda Unknown Soldier #9 (Vertigo) Dysart\/Ponticelli Usagi Yojimbo #121 (Dark Horse) Sakai Wolf-Man #17 (Image) Kirkman\/Howard Wolverine #76 (Marvel) Way\/Liu Wonder Woman #33 (DC) Simone\/Lopresti Wonderful World of Oz #8 of 8 (Marvel) Shanower\/Young X-Factor #46 (Marvel) David\/DeLandro\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogathon"","block_context":{"text":"Blogathon","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/blogathon"},"img":{"alt_text":"kidscomics","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/images\/kidscomics.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7814,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2005\/08\/07\/bt05_my_publish.html","url_meta":{"origin":16903,"position":4},"title":"BT05 – My Publisher, My Enemy!","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 7-Aug-05 4:52am","format":false,"excerpt":"Numeric analyses of the \"Current Crop of Comics\": DC = 25 (+ 6 Vertigo + 3 Wildstorm) = 34 Marvel = 19 (+ 2 MAX) = 21 Image = 7...","rel":"","context":"In "Blogathon"","block_context":{"text":"Blogathon","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/blogathon"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15360,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/07\/25\/bt09-l-is-for-lonely-blogathon.html","url_meta":{"origin":16903,"position":5},"title":"BT09 – L is for Lonely (#Blogathon)","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 25-Jul-09 5:54pm","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Liberty Meadows, Book 4, \"Cold, Cold Heart\"\u00a0(Image) w\/a.\u00a0Frank Cho\u00a0 Writing New reader? Art Non-comics reader? I need to look up Liberty Meadows some time next week, because I'm not sure whatever happened to this title -- originally a comic strip, then a web comic, and collected and reprinted, it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogathon"","block_context":{"text":"Blogathon","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/blogathon"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/images\/stars4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16903\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}