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Caught up on a few series I had several issues of a backlog to:

Daredevil by Waid & Samnee remains one of the best comics out there right now, and certainly the hands-down best superhero comic in the marketplace. I’m going to really miss this series if Waid & Samnee don’t return. Waid has had another renaissance these last few years, and Daredevil is a sterling example of how superhero comics can still be excellent.

SHIELD, another Waid series, is also pretty good, though its very much hit or miss. Essentially Marvel Team-Up featuring SHIELD instead of Spidey, the stories are “done in ones” and therefore can tend to be outright brilliant followed a little like a dud. Usually by the 3rd page I can tell where its going. Recently, the Invisible Woman issue was terrific while this recent two-parter in #5-6 has been the weakest thus far. Also, I drifted away from the show around the 6th episode or so, so I don’t have the huge connection to Agents May or Fitz that others have so if you love those characters, you might get a little added charm that I’m missing.

Silver Surfer has remained simply phenomenal, and I hope beyond hope that Slott and Allred continue their series after this stupid Secret Wars thing is done. I really can’t get over how good the series has been. As someone who owns and has read all of the Silver Surfer’s series before this (and probably 97% of his appearances), I can say this is without a doubt the best series he’s ever starred in. The Dawn Greenwood / Surfer dynamic is a candidate for my favorite in comics right now.

Chew has really amped things up as it starts to make its final push towards a conclusion. I read #47-49 and each issue had some really potent forward momentum that got me amped up for more. Chew has remained awesome from start to finish, even when it felt like perhaps it was straying a little in the middle at points. While I hate to see it go, I’m excited as hell to see what Layman and Guillory have up their sleeves to give us an ending.

Tonight I hope to get to some of these new DC #1’s that I picked up.

So I read a whole slew of DC books last night. Here are my general impressions.

The Good, bordering on Great
Dr. Fate – great writers learn to evolve and change themselves over time and someway, somehow, Paul Levitz has produced something unlike anything he’s ever done before. This is far the best Levitz comic I’ve read in an age, and it’s probably the best Dr. Fate comic produced since I’ve been old enough to read. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the issue. From the get-go there is great atmosphere & tone which is a very good blend of adventure and creepiness. The usage of Egyptian history and mythology, coupled with an excellent lead character thus far made me anxious to read more.

Starfire – this was a series I was going to skip all together but then decided to try at the last minute…and boy, am I glad I did. Fantastic from start to finish, Starfire was full of charm, humor and a genuine sense of fun! Considering the misuse of Kori [strike]since the DCnU[/strike] for the last 25 years, this felt like a huge leap forward to restore her by making her someone who care about and desperately want to read more about. I love the set-up thus far: awesome supporting cast, excellent setting in Key West (one of my favorite places) and an overall tone that suggests fun but with plenty of drama and action to come.

Prez – since it was announced I had a suspicion that Prez was going to be great. And I’m happy to say that indeed, it certainly was. Standing totally on its own in terms of tone and aesthetic, it reads like an indie book from Image or Vertigo but with the modern sensibilities of embracing irony, humor and fun. There is a lot of social commentary going on here, and its done with satire and parody on the level of Frank Miller without any of the mean-spiritedness or even Moore when he’s at his most silly. Still way too early to tell what the series will be, I can say #1 had an awesome start.

All-Star Section Eight – while assuredly not for everyone, I found myself laughing out loud like a maniac more than once. I’m super-anxious for Lardy’s thoughts and anyone else who loved Ennis & McCrea’s Hitman series. I absolutely loved this, from the tragic yet hilarious sequence where Six-Pack falls off the wagon straight through to the usage of classic Batman poses in the final pages. If you don’t like Ennis and you didn’t like Hitman, stay away. If you want to laugh your ass off, this is the place.

The “Okay”, “Pretty Good” or “Not Bad”
I also read a few series that I thought were worthy efforts but each one was replete with problems that would prevent me from recommending them to anyone other than the most diehard fan who had money in their pocket to burn. This included both Justice League and Justice League of America, as well as Action Comics. The two JLA titles are very different from one another yet similar in the fact that they have a lot to offer if you love wide screen superheroes yet also have a lot to dislike if you are looking for a really good story.

Geoff Johns continues his downward slide into becoming a parody of himself by bringing back the Anti-Monitor (who should not be brought back) to battle Darkseid; if that isn’t laughable enough, he spends every few pages setting up the next “awesome moment”, whether its Mr. Miracle introducing himself or the Anti-Monitor being revealed or whatever next big “be dazzled, comics fans!” moment he has up next. As usual, this is a poor substitute for an actual story.

Meanwhile, Brian Hitch provides some downright gorgeous artwork on the Justice League in a story that feels right out of the Satellite heyday years. Yet, Hitch’s story seems to meander in places and becomes incredibly boring as he falls into the trap many artists do when they try to be both writer & artist; it seems he’s taken a few too many cues from Millar and Bendis when it comes to talking heads.

Lastly, Action Comics wasn’t bad at all, and had some good moments. Pak has a nice handle on Superman’s “voice” and he introduces another new LL love interest that I’m immediately interested in. But the problem is this entire story of “Superman’s identity revealed to the world” is one that I just can’t find a single bit of interest in. It’s not that I hate it or even dislike it—I just don’t give a shit about it. And that is preventing me from wanting to read anything more.

The Just Plain Bad
I also read a few others that for one reason or another were bad enough that I couldn’t actually finish the issue. That’s right: I actually stopped mid-story and put it down, or just skipped through without reading the words anymore at some point. One can only waste so much time, y’know? These included Green Arrow, Green Lantern and John Constantine: Hellblazer. Constantine had amazing art by a fave of mine, Riley Rossmo, and in fact, all three had pretty great art. But all three had stories that I just couldn’t find myself invested in…even a little.

I could really feel the Eisner influence on Dr. Fate.

Yes, now that you mention it, it was there in a huge way. Particularly the pages where Bast communes with Khalid, which were full of quirky / interesting visuals and great dialogue. Those scenes could easily have been boring yet I thought were some of the better parts of the issue.

I don't know if you caught my review of the first trade (somewhere in the Pile thread, I think) a few months ago, but I absolutely LOVED it! I could kick myself for waffling when the series first came out and passing on the individual issues because the professional reviews were decidedly so-so overall. Anyhow, it was just a pure pleasure to read! I recently got the second trade and will probably read it sooner than later.

You know, I must have missed that review! I feel like I’ve been all over the map the last few months because of work and stuff. I really hope the series continues and I'll be totally disappointed if it does not return with the same creative team when this stupid Secret Wars thing is done.

(Likewise, I'll be heartbroken if Dan Slott doesn't return with a Peter Parker-centric Spider-Man series as well. But I'm loathe to even talk about it at this point without getting annoyed).

Just for you, buddy, here's what I wrote:





I know! Nothing against Miles Morales, but I want more Peter Parker with Dan Slott!!! It's certainly not encouraging to hear that Miles will be the Spider-Man of record when the new wave launches...

I agree. Nothing against Miles Morales. In fact, his existing in the “real” MU is a good thing, and I’d be interested in reading his series. SO LONG AS IT IS NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF PETER PARKER. They’ve tried this before and its always failed. It isn’t Spider-Man that’s the draw, it’s Peter! Jeez, just make miles the new Scarlet Spider or something! Bah. If Miles replaces Peter full time I’m going to vote for Donald Trump or something else equally terrible as revenge against humanity.

Anyway, that line you refer to, which every article states, is not good. But I hope that Marvel, being the greedy corporation they are, are planning to have two Spider-Man titles: Spider-Man by Bendis featuring Miles and Amazing Spider-Man by Slott featuring Peter. Spidey is like the only non-crossover, non-#1, non-Star Wars title that appears in the top 10 anyway. It’d be like throwing away a good thing.

Anyway, thanks for reposting the review! I agree that wonderful is the right word for it—it is all around a series that fills you with a sense of fun and joy, yet it never is too overly mushy or corny or childish. And that all comes down to letting Allred spread his artistic wings, as you say, and Slott packing it with tight dialogue and story twists. And of course, the relationship between Dawn and the Surfer brings the entire thing “down to Earth”.

From the minute Dawn I instantly wanted her and the Surfer to fall in love. She felt immediately like a character that “I knew”, and one I knew was perfect for the Surfer. Her entire creation was well played by Slott And Allred (who brilliantly gave her the perfect “ladybug look” in her clothing.

And you know, I have developed a healthy mistrust for both CBR and Bleeding Cool when it comes to recommendations. (Not that you may or may not read their reviews--I'm not really sure where you get your reviews). I feel both have led me very astray in the last few years by recommending crap (probably for political reasons) and by giving bad reviews to great series.

Their apparent departure plus Slott's presumed departure from Spidey leaves my having anything from Marvel left on my pull in serious jeopardy. Other than the core Star Wars book, the only hope would be Lemire's Hawkeye book as a potential monthly Marvel buy. And I haven't even read the first issue of either of those. When the full line-up post-Secret Wars IS revealed, my first impulse will be likely to trade-wait with where my buying habits are going.



This was another one I thought I would buy for sure, but I passed because of the reviews. In this case it looks like my passing was a good thing. Honestly, I'd rather have a SHIELD comic more in the vein of its classic feel then something more like Agents of SHIELD/MCU version. Nothing wrong with those, but classic Nick Fury, Dum-Dum, etc. is a more fun comic.



Good to hear Chew is picking up as both you and I felt it was spinning its wheels a bit. I'm way behind, but the last one I read was that ill-fated assault on the Vampire and the shocking(!) Poyo thing, which certainly heralded some crazy things to come!

These days (when I even bother to look reviews up), I just look at Comic Book Round-up which gathers as many reviews from as many different places possible and gives you an aggregate score with links to individual reviews. But it's still befuddling how critically marginalized the Slott/Allred Surfer has been overall.

I think with most of these, I will read them via trade if at all. Even with Section Eight (the one I'm most likely to buy at some point), I'm just reluctant to add ANY new monthlies to my pull. I can either wait for the trade and get a complete story and a good discount, or I might find a good bundle deal on several issues of the floppies. It's not even all about the expense but getting more satisfaction at one time.

That said, I'm intrigued about the good words Levitz's Doc Fate is getting. I'll be watching closely to see if it keeps up and edges me closer to the eventual trade buy.

I think you'll laugh your ass off when you pick up All-Star Section 8. When it was announced it caught me off guard because I just felt that I wasn't in the mood for something like that with characters I've moved on from. But I got it, because, y'know, it's Garth and McCrea and Six Pack. And I still didn't read it for a few days until finally I just threw it into my read pile for the evening, got to it after about 6 other things and then laughed my fucking ass off!

There's a bit at the end where they "cut & paste" famous Batman depictions, inserting him into a scene drawn by McCrea with Six-Pack. So you see the Jim Aparro drawn Batman, cut right from the panel where he holds the dead Jason Todd, only in Jason's place is Six Pack as drawn by McCrea.

I don't think I've ever heard of this sight. Interesting!

Lastly, some quick thoughts on comics I caught up on last night:

Crossed 100+ remains super intriguing, and is definitely an Alan Moore comic in its complexity. On the one hand, it's a fascinating look at a post-apocalyptic world as brought to you by a literary genius with an almost scientific analysis of what would happen. On the other hand, Moore makes the reader truly work by deciphering the language used (and I'm not kidding about this), and he also never lets the reader forget this is the Crossed world, complete with all the gruesomeness that goes with it. Not the easiest read for sure.

I read the 2nd and 3rd issues of Rebels, which I mentioned earlier in the thread, and the comic gets even stronger than the first issue. I'm really impressed so far.

Going forward a few decades, I also read the latest issue of Manifest Destiny which continues to be an awesome series that I love. As the series has gone on we've gotten to know more of the supporting cast which definitely helps the narrative. But front and center remains the mash-up of crazy sci-fi / horror coupled with the period peace adventure of Lewis & Clark. And that premise continues to be brillaint.

Lastly, I decided to for whatever reason read the latest issue of Wonder Woman and it was so terrible that I had to stop reading comics for the evening. Not sure what to say about it other than it may be helpful when you're digestive track feels backed up.

Definitely looking forward to the eventual trade!

Link!

Manifest Destiny originally was slated for my floppies chopping block, but the conclusion to the "giant frog" arc definitely earned it a continuance! It nailed the landing so sublimely that it gets at least another arc! Good to hear it continues to be excellent!



That's good to know. There have been too many books that nail it in the first issue, then slowly (or quickly) peter out. I'll be looking for more from you about Rebels for future TPB prospects.

Speaking of great first issues/not-so-great subsequent ones, how's Outcast doing for you lately? I'm obviously way behind, but it was starting to raise my eyebrows in the wrong way after 4 or 5 issues. Same, to a lesser degree, with Wytches. I'm curious to see how both have been going for you.

I recently read some of my (way) backlog of floppies. Rather than continuing to ape thoth's style, I'll group them into these ranges:

Great - Excellent
Astro City 19
Fade Out 4
Southern Bastards 6
Star Wars 1

Good - Very Good
Amazing Spider-Man 12
Daredevil 11 & 12
Lazarus 14
Manifest Destiny 12
Outcast 6
Secret Six 1
Walking Dead 135 & 136
War Stories 4
Wytches 3

Meh - Just Okay
Fables 147
Five Ghosts 14
Massive 30
Men of Wrath 3
She-Hulk 11
Stumptown 4

Terrible - Bad
Buffy 10
ODY-C 2


Some random thoughts....

Biggest surprise on the whole list was Southern Bastards. I'd already decided to drop the book before ever reading this issue, but this kinda secret origin of (apparent) main character Coach Boss just really worked for me and harkened back very well to Jason Aaron's prior and superb series Scalped without rehashing it. I'll try to pick up the rest of this arc and see whether I want to continue as floppies or tpbs.

Star Wars admittedly stroked my fanboy in all the right ways! Love how Jason Aaron (again!) wrote Han and gave us a thrilling post-Death Star rebel mission. Cassaday is an excellent artist for Star Wars, as well. I must say that this appears to be the SW comic I wanted desperately that Dark Horse wouldn't deliver. Brian Wood's series just took it all too damn seriously and didn't give us the panache I wanted.

In a quiet issue, Manifest Destiny still made me feel completely justified my staying its execution from my pull list. Lots of cool backstory, and I liked its focus on a tribe of Native Americans the group encounters.

Outcast could have ended up in the lower category easily, but there was barely enough in the comic to keep it up there.

Men of Wrath (another Aaron book) could have been in the higher category, but the reckless body count and inhumanity of the lead character just kind of numbs me.

Shulky is normally a very satisfying comic, but we essentially get a book-length slugfest here. I'd rather Soule had packed more meat into his penultimate issue. Instead, we'll probably get a scrambler of a finale to wrap everything up. Even the twist with the secretary and the monkey couldn't rescue it.

Really, Buffy? Wasting an issue on a throwaway story surrounding ditzy vamp Harmony? Glad I dropped it!

ODY-C....what a hot mess. I'm glad I held off buying beyond this issue. Muddy art with little to no storytelling skill and a script to match. Matt Fraction: You can and have done better! (Read: Hawkeye and Sex Criminals!)

Nice to see you taking some time to play catch up! A few random thoughts:

I also thought Ody-C was a hot mess and didn't bother with #2. Just all over the map and not a single moment I liked.

Interesting on Southern Bastards. I dropped it somewhere around #4. Like you, I love when Aaron is on point so I'll definitely be watching for your further thoughts. This will def be a series I'd be following in TPB format *if* I gave it a second look.

I see Five Ghosts is in the "meh" category. I've been kind of feeling the same way. Of all the Image series I collect, this one is the one I've been on the fence with. I just love, love, love Moneyham's art and am mesmerized by it. But the character / premise is wearing a little thin--the franchise needs to go somewhere to keep me interested.

FYI, the latest War Stories arc, #6-9, has been phenomenal. Definitely a classic Ennis war story to have you on edge and feel a tough range of emotion.

Fade Out is really coming into its own. Not that Bru and Phillips ever do anything bad or that it started slow--it's been great all along. But now it's starting to really simmer.

Outcast remains good but I hope it takes a few extra steps to become great. It's early days yet but I need Kirkman to give me one of his patented "upping the ante" moments.

Lastly, I read a few comics last night:

Black Canary was actually a pretty awesome good time. A totally different premise than any Dinah series ever, but still fun and pretty kickass. I'm interested. If you like the Batgirl of Burnside (and I do), you'll like this.

Saga remains probably the best comic out there. What else to say? Every other comic everyone likes just fucking sucks compared to Saga.

The Walking Dead continues to just be plain awesome again ever since they jumped forward. With the new status quo set, shit is starting to go down and it's made the series as interesting as its ever been. Love the huge cast being utilized better than Kirkman probably ever has done before.

Stray Bullets is a masterpiece. Riveting and oh so human, I'm always on the edge of my seat before I turn page 1. The characters are just so crazy yet so real.

I had saved Saga, TWD and SB to read near the end of my current pile because they're just so superior. And yup, all three remain at that level.

Yeah, Just--ICK!



The issue was interesting to me with its focus on young Boss's struggle to make the football team and his terrible home life. Even though there were some cliche elements, such as him finding a mentor to teach him, I found it really resonant. Real heartbreaker of an ending to the issue to.



Yeah, the art really carries what's there, which is becoming less and less.



I like that it's focusing on Israel. It seems like forever since Garth ventured outside WW2. It's what I've been wanting, and I feel he's educating me about that nation's history in addition to entertaining me.



Not a lot happens in this particular issue, but at the same time, there's forward momentum and that trademark Brubaker/Philips craft. I like the believable portrayal of the era and place and the cool cameos of real stars of the era. Strong, interesting cast of characters.



It really feels like he's writing for a TV show here, the same thing that ultimately turned me off of Thief of Thieves. There's definitely an eye in both for adapting them to TV. I say, just tell the best comic book story you can and worry about the TV shows as their own thing. There's even a little bit of that on the TWD comic these days, but it hasn't been as noticeable and potentially hurtful as these two.

Have you tried Star Wars?

I'm caught up on TWD, as I always read those shortly after I bring them home and then place them in the floppie pile to be read with everything else. It's the most spoilery series out there, so doing that protects me there. Some interesting developments, and don't sleep on the upcoming 144: it will conclude the third Compendium, Compendiums being the biggest volumes that collect 48 issues at a time.

I'm actually kind of enjoying Negan's role. But I couldn't help but think his latest action (or inaction) was a bit out of character. It felt like Kirkman purposely teased us just because it was too soon for something to happen with him.



I haven't started Sunshine and Roses yet, but I eagerly anticipate it. it's not only excellent, but the bang for the buck is probably the best in the medium. So much story and character work every single issue!



Great taste there, sir!

Uh-oh. I picked up the Ody-C trade last week based on some of the art I'd seen and the story premise. Haven't read it yet....

My favourite monthly (or thereabouts) book now is The Autumnlands by Kurt Busiek and Ben Dewey.

Occupied today with reading Volume 3 of The Secret History - covering post-war to Watergate.

Who knows? Your mileage may vary, FC!

There's a sense that a lot of painstaking effort went into the series, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.