posted
Legion World posters on Gym’lls have long known of the awesome Vertigo Review Thread, and posters who post there are likely reading some of the very best comic books on the market because frankly, Vertigo is just fantastic these days with a plethora of great titles. In that thread, there was a great suggestion by Igee the Mighty (who I hope checks this thread out) for a Wildstorm Review thread.
And so, here it is! There hasn’t been much Wildstorm talk on Legion World before, but I know some posters were at least reading DnA’s Authority and past Authority runs; I collected Gen13 for years in the 90’s before canceling, and there is at least a bunch of LWers who collected Sleeper.
So let’s use this to discus all things Wildstorm to help each other find anything that is really awesome.
Astro City, which I kind of see as its own thing, actually has its own thread here. I recommend you post there if you collect and are curious.
Post your thoughts on current ongoing series as well as past series & trades!
For me, this was spurred on by Sparta USA, the first Wildstorm comic I’ve collected in ages, which I shall be reviewing in my next post…
[ September 21, 2010, 04:56 PM: Message edited by: Reboot ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
So I haven’t bought a WildStorm comic in years other than Astro City; like I said, I used to collect Gen13 in the 90’s but that’s about it. What spurred me on was when I learned David Lapham was starting a new title at WildStorm, Sparta USA.
I’ll back up to David Lapham, who is something of an insane genius. He is most famous for Stray Bullets (writer & artist) and recently did Young Liars, a Vertigo title which is how I know him. And Fables readers might recognize his name because he’s currently doing a two issue fill-in job on the art duties. I reviewed Young Liars at length in the Vertigo thread several times, though I think I’m the only one who collected. I can say that it was quite like nothing I’ve ever seen before—completely unique and completely insane. It was as off the wall and non-sensical as you could imagine a comic to be, yet had all kinds of things to keep you engaged: mystery, quirky and crazy characters that you grow to really like, a sense of eerie and creepy, and shocking events that would leave me speechless (and I’ve collected just about every comic book in the last 20 years at one point or another). The closet ‘weird’ thing to it I can imagine is Rachel Pollack’s Doom Patrol, but with Morrison’s brilliance. Though the series never found an audience and was cancelled, I was left believing that David Lapham is actually a bit of a genius. And he’s undoubtedly insane.
So, cut to Sparta USA. The premise is another equally insane Lapham thing, incredibly hard to put into words. I honestly can’t summarize it because I don’t know where to start. But I’ll give a few high points: the idea of a small town at its most eerie, creepy, weird and outlandish. People who truly believe they are hard-working, old-fashioned folk trying to live the American dream…who are part of a culture of murder and crushing your neighbor to get ahead. A shaman type leader named “Maestro” that helps the town follow ‘rules’ of conduct, while also distributing babies to various families each year, claiming they are gifts from the United States of America. The football team in town being akin to the Spartan Military in Ancient Sparta. The former greatest player that ever played reappearing and claiming everything the people know is wrong. Oh, and a Yeti living in the mountains around the town killing everyone who enters so no one gets in and no one gets out.
It’s freaking crazy. And after one issue, it’s yet another example of that weird brilliance that I can’t wait to see more of. I have no idea what the hell is going on, or what this comic will even be about. But I desperately want to find out more because its just so damn interesting.
It’s weird but the weirdness isn’t in your face or over the top. Which makes it, y’know, even weirder.
I recommend others give it a try and tell me what you think.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've been hanging on to Wildstorm for years, feeling like their lone reader. I wasn't happy with some of the changes to their on goings, but I tried them. The recent upheaval of WildCATS and such, I've left behind the 'storm.
Both Sparta USA and Brian Wood's DV8 make me think I might linger a little longer.
From: Denver, CO | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sparta USA #2 continues to gradually shine a light on what David Lapham's ultimate goal is with this story and I'm continued to be fascinated and intrigued. It's crazy as hell, with some heavy social metaphors sprinkled throughout, and I can't wait for the next issue. As I said earlier, there is nothing else you can even compare this to.
Anyone else reading?
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I bought Sparta USA #1 this week, considering the number of books I dropped I decided to finally give this book a try. Considering it ends next month...
From the first issue it felt like a Morrison book, but I could tell it's not. It feels like some extreme mixture of 1950 and Current Americana mixed in with fantasy and action.
-------------------- I want to be hated by lies - Bring Back Lian Harper
posted
Several items on Comic Book Resources about DC ending the WildStorm imprint... my first thought was what this'll mean for Gail's Tranquility series(es?), but isn't Astro City also currently a WS title? And Busiek was just getting it moving again, too... Hopefully we get some news on these sooner rather than later... Not exactly wild at the speculation of either being absorbed into the DCU proper like the Milestone characters...
-------------------- "Anytime a good book like this is cancelled, I hope another Teen Titan is murdered." --Cobalt
"Anytime an awesome book like S6 is cancelled, I hope EVERY Titan is murdered." --Me
From: Up a Gumtree | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Doesn't Busiek own (or co-own with his artistic collaborators, at least) Astro City? I expect that may either go to Vertigo, or leave DC full-stop for somewhere like Image.
Them killing the WSU isn't a surprise though, cause, well, damn:
194 - AUTHORITY #25 - 6,860 226 - WILDCATS #26 - 5,607 241 - WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY ONE FOOT GRAVE #2 - 4,776 242 - GEN 13 #37 - 4,757
EDIT: On Astro City, no specific news yet, but it IS creator-owned:
quote:Kurt Busiek: Everyone at Wildstorm's still dealing with what this means for themselves and the company. As you can probably figure, it's a large upheaval for them.
I expect we'll hear about what'll happen with the creator-owned books within a few days.
posted
Yes, Busiek owns Astro City. I checked his website message board. He says there's been no word as yet as to what Wildstorm's status means to the creator-owned books. I would assume this means that either DC will reconfigure in such a way as to figure how to publish these books, or they will have to find a new home at another publisher. Astro City doesn't fit in with the DCU or with Vertigo exactly, so I'm not sure what DC may decide.
In any case I'm sure Astro City will continue somewhere. It's certainly would not the first time it's switched publishers.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm sure Astro City is safe. It belongs at Image proper anyway with the other creator-owned comics. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what creator-owned comics there are right now. I know I picked up "Ides of Blood" #1 but haven't read it yet; I suspect it will be finished by the time this change goes into effect.
It's a shame the Wildstorm imprint will go the same way as Fawcett, Quality and others before it, swallowed up by the corporate monster known as DC Comics, tyrant of the comic book industry. But Jim Lee sold out long ago and that's on him.
The sales were in the crapper for a long time (I didn't collect any of the Wildstorm comics). When the characters reemerge it will likely be part of the already super over-populated DCU will they'll have an even harder time standing out. But even that is better than the way they were going now.
Part of me always wonders about what the details were on the deal poor Whilce Portaccio made on Wetworks with Jim Lee when he was sick. I wonder if he owns any of it at all? Or if DC owns it now?
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Given the demise of Wildstorm as a company, I'll do my final reviews of the comics I've read:
I finally completed Sparta USA which inspired this thread, and man, it was even weirder than it originally looked! But rather than being distracting, I found the weirdness to be a continued part of the title's charm. Lapham "crazy genius" description continues to fascinate me: the miniseries was impossible to describe but I can tell you it involved 300 Spartans standing against 10,000 Nazi's, the Pied Piper myth playing a major role in the foundation of Sparta USA, and oh yes, flaming swords and yetis.
I also read Ides of Blood #1, which like iZombie, was a solicitation that I found good enough to make me actually buy the issue. I have no familiarity with the creative team so this was a complete blank to me. And I have to say, I'm glad I picked this up! The setting in Ancient Rome is as appealing as possible for me (I majored in history with a specialty in Rome) and the premise of vampires in Rome at the time of Ceaser is a fascinating one. The story unfolds very well, adding an element of murder-mystery to the natural historical fiction / horror combo already in place. Valens, a former vampire slave of Ceaser who has risen through the ranks to be head of the Praetorian Guard is an interesting lead with a grandiose back story but also very relatable personality. All in all, this was a solid buy! I think I'll complete the series, whomever publishes it.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic | Subscribe To Topic
![[gasp]](graemlins/gasp.gif)
And Busiek was just getting it moving again, too... ![[sigh]](graemlins/sigh.gif)
Hopefully we get some news on these sooner rather than later... Not exactly wild at the speculation of either being absorbed into the DCU proper like the Milestone characters... ![[choke]](graemlins/choke.gif)
![[Cheers]](graemlins/cheers.gif)
![[Disgusting]](graemlins/puke.gif)
